DSP at work- Darwinism, Socialism, Protectionism,

Interesting news pieces.

Joining a wave of public anger, President Barack Obama blistered insurance giant AIG for "recklessness and greed" Monday and pledged to try to block it from handing its executives $165 million in bonuses after taking billions in federal bailout money. "How do they justify this outrage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?" Obama asked. "This isn't just a matter of dollars and cents. It's about our fundamental values."Obama aggressively joined other officials in criticizing American International Group, the company that is fast becoming the poster boy for Americans' bailout blues.The bonuses could contribute to a backlash against Washington that would make it tougher for Obama to ask Congress for more bailout help — and jeopardize other parts of the recovery agenda that is dominating the start of his presidency. Thus, the president and his top aides were working hard to distance themselves from the insurer's conduct, to contain possible political damage and to try to bolster public confidence in his administration's handling of the broader economic rescue effort.

United Airlines is preparing to outsource some international flying, a move likely to spark an uproar as the carrier opens contract talks with its pilots April 9. Other U.S. carriers and their unions are closely watching a venture being created by Chicago-based United and Aer Lingus that will use non-union crews on new flights from Washington-Dulles International Airport to Madrid, set to begin in March 2010. The carriers plan to add service to two other cities in 2011. United will provide marketing muscle to the partnership as well as passengers from Dulles, its second-largest hub. The Irish carrier will contribute three new Airbus A330 jets to the Europe-based venture and recruit pilots who aren't employees of either airline to fly them.

Brazil's president calls on businessmen to help convince US to lift tariffs on ethanol fuel

NEW YORK (AP) -- Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday implored American businessmen to help convince the United States to lift the 53-cent-per-gallon import tariff it places on his country's ethanol fuel.Speaking at a Wall Street Journal-sponsored investor forum Monday, Silva defended the gasoline alternative as a cheap and easy way to end dependence on foreign oil and help reduce global poverty."I've spoken (about the tariffs) so many times with President Bush and certainly I will speak about it many times with President Obama," Silva said. "That's why I'm asking for your help."Brazil is a world leader in biofuels and the world's largest exporter of ethanol.But Silva, who met with President Barack Obama on Saturday, has made little progress persuading the U.S. to reduce the tariffs, which are in place to protect American farmers who make ethanol from corn. Brazil makes ethanol from sugar, in a process that is much more efficient and costs less."One thing that leaves me perplexed, is in the same world where we invest in environmental policy capable of avoiding global warming ... many countries still don't place any tariff on polluting fuels while they place absurd tariffs on ethanol," Silva said, pointing out the ethanol burns relatively cleanly compared to gasoline.During the presidential elections, Obama supported subsidies for the Midwest-based ethanol industry.That support is widely considered a factor in his victory at the Iowa cauceses which boosted his early prospects during the primary. It also contributed to his victory in the general elections against John McCain, who opposed the subsidies.In Brazil, all gasoline is blended with 25 percent ethanol and so-called "flex-fuel" cars can run on either the gasoline-alcohol mix or pure ethanol available at about 35,000 filling stations across Brazil.About 23 percent of Brazil's automotive fleet is now "flex-fuel.