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IOC Blunder

Athletes who display Tibetan flags at Olympic venues — including in their own rooms — could be expelled from this summer’s Games in Beijing under anti-propaganda rules.

Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said that competitors were free to express their political views but faced sanctions if they indulged in propaganda.

Read the story at this week’s five, here.

 

Send comments on this week’s 5 to: [email protected]

 

 


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Opportunity Tax

To fight global warming, a bill in Sacramento would enable Los Angeles County transit officials to increase taxes on motorists. It’s a bad idea that may foreshadow even worse to come.

Billed as a “climate change mitigation and adaptation fee,” the measure would cost motorists either an additional 3 percent motor fuel tax, or up to a $90 annual flat fee, based on vehicle emissions. The new charges would be on top of taxes already paid at the pump. Either option requires a majority approval by a vote of the people.

“At this point the people of the Los Angeles region have just had it when it comes to traffic and air quality,” claimed Assemblyman Mike Feuer, a Los Angeles Democrat and author of Assembly Bill 2558.

We concur about the traffic mess, but with little else Mr. Feuer claims in seeking to overtax motorists. The assemblyman’s sleight of hand conflates two issues, the real problem of congested traffic and the contrived emergency of so-called global warming.

Read the story at this week’s 4, here.
 

Send comments on this week’s 4 to: [email protected]

 

 


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Legistorm “Transparency’s Sidekick”

 

Everything you need to know about which private organizations have paid to send members of Congress and staffers around the globe. We offer full searching, original disclosure forms and maps of more than 28,000 trips.

 

Review the trips at this week’s 3:

http://www.legistorm.com/#

 

Send comments on this week’s 3 to:  [email protected]

 

 


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Grande bold, with room please

 

It might not be to everyone’s taste – and that’s not just because at $100 a cup it’s the most expensive coffee in the world.

 

The secret behind the special blend about to go on sale at an upmarket department store is that it is made from cats’ droppings.

 

While such an ingredient might leave many spluttering into their cups, Peter Jones thinks it is on to a winner.

 

Read the story at this week’s 2, here.

 

Send comments on this week’s 2 to:  [email protected]

 

 


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Presidential Pension

 

The Clintons have made a $100-million fortune since leaving the White House, but a Politico analysis found that hasn’t kept Bill Clinton from taking full advantage of the publicly funded perks offered to ex-presidents.

In fact, his presidential retirement benefits cost taxpayers almost as much as those of the other two living ex-presidents combined.

 

Since 2001, Clinton has received more of almost every benefit available to former presidents — from his pension to his staff’s salaries and benefits to supplies. His $420,000 phone bill and $3.2 million office rent tab both nearly surpassed the totals rung up for those purposes by Bush, Carter and the late former presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan combined. As a group, they spent $484,000 on telephone service and $3.8 million on rent in the same span.

 

Read the story at this week’s 1:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0408/9531.html

 

Send comments on this week’s 1 to: [email protected]

 

Send me your links of the week:  [email protected]

Slainte!