The Hindu : News / National : Dow paid U.S. firms to spy on Bhopal activists: WikiLeaks emails: "Even as Dow Chemical has resisted all compensation claims with regard to the Union Carbide gas leak disaster in Bhopal, it found the money to hire an intelligence research firm to intensively monitor all NGOs and activists working on the issue.
On Monday, WikiLeaks released a cache of 5.5 million emails from the Texas-based intelligence company Stratfor, which revealed that regular monitoring reports of NGO activity as well as media coverage were sent to Dow and Union Carbide communications directors.
Dow Chemical, which bought Union Carbide in 2001, insists that it bears no responsibility to compensate victims or clean up the contaminated site of the 1984 disaster. However, these emails prove that it is still very much invested in monitoring the fallout of the disaster, and its impact on Dow's image."
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Monday, February 27, 2012
The Dow(n) Fall
The Chinese Embrace....of all things bulky and pricey
A CHANGING MARKET
Land Rovers crowd Cao Jinwei's showroom in Beijing where the long-time dealer says he increasingly sells to wealthy, younger customers.
"I could only sell about four or five Land Rovers every month back in 2005, but now I can do nine or 10," said Cao. "Our clients were mostly middle-aged business owners at the time, but now, more and more young professionals, accountants and engineers in their 30s are also buying Land Rovers.""
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Sunday, February 26, 2012
The well-connected....connect to U. of I.- the corruption of education
Relatives of lobbyists, campaign donors got lawmakers' help to enter U. of I. - chicagotribune.com: "Family members of at least three lawmakers also were part of the now-abandoned secret system, known as Category I, a separate admissions track that allowed some subpar students to get admitted to the state's flagship university.
The Tribune first wrote about the shadow system in 2009, and the university then reformed its admissions process. However, university officials have continued to shield the names of the connected applicants, arguing they are following a federal law intended to protect student privacy. That position has sparked a protracted legal battle with the newspaper.
The newspaper has now been able to identify about one-quarter of the 800 students who got preferential treatment from 2005 to 2009. That allowed the paper for the first time to link many elected officials to the families they were helping, exposing possible motivations for interfering in the college admissions process.
"If the Tribune can access that data some other way and provide a public service by disclosure, so be it," said U. of I. Board of Trustees Chairman Christopher Kennedy, who was appointed after the admissions scandal as part of reforms."
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Saturday, February 25, 2012
Looting the Public Pension system while criticising government- Republican Style
Perry’s On-the-Job Retirement Lifts Pension Perk From Shadows - NYTimes.com: "Politicians’ pension records are private, so it is unknown how many are taking advantage of the provision. But any state representative, senator or nonjudicial state elected official who meets the age and service requirements is entitled to some benefit under the law, at wildly varying amounts depending on the official’s highest average state salary and individual circumstances, Employees Retirement System officials say.
Mr. Perry invoked the provision last year, disclosing in December that he had increased his take-home pay by more than $90,000 a year through his on-the-job retirement. He also makes $150,000 a year as governor.
His decision provided the first opportunity for a public, in-depth look at a retirement perk that was quietly enhanced and slipped into the law."
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