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University student tracking
worldwide carbon dioxide


Arizona State University atmospheric scientist Kevin Gurney is mapping carbon dioxide emissions for the entire planet and he wants help. 

Power plants account for more than 40 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. Gurney wants more information on the 25,000 plants around the world.
 
He says good data exists for the United States, Canada, India and the European Union, but estimates for the rest of the world are sketchy. “In fact, it’s so inaccurate that it is really insufficient for the type of science that we’re trying to do,” he said. 

His project is called Ventus, which is Latin for wind. He has set up a Web site where a viewer can zoom in and drop a virtual pin on the power plant map. The viewer's job then is to provide an accurate address and other details about the plant. “We just need the amount of electricity generated at a power plant,” Gurney explained. “We also need to know the primary fuel. And with those two things we can actually create a better estimate of CO2 emissions than we do right now.” 

Internal checks are built into the Ventus system to monitor the accuracy and consistency of information. Gurney says the uploaded data will be included in a virtual map of CO2 emissions in 10-kilometer squares across the planet. “We will produce the emissions on a map, every hour, every year, he notes. “We will use that within models of climate change to more accurately characterize emissions, greenhouse gas concentration and the projections of those concentrations into the future.” 

The first version of the map will go online within the next several months and will be updated as information is received. Gurney hopes it will help to better inform policy makers and the public.

He also expects citizens engaged with the project to become advocates of change.  “I think that the power of bringing that information to the scale at which people live, allowing them to see it on a map, contribute information about this real physical thing that is around them, tends to lessen the abstraction of this problem. It makes it more real.”

Gurney says that connection makes it easier to take action.

Gurney encourages people to register on the Ventus Web site. The citizen scientist who provides the most usable information will be named supreme power plant emissions guru, an honor which comes with a trophy and listing as a co-author on a scientific paper about the project.


Opponents vow to continue
pressure over IRS excesses


Republican lawmakers and fiscally conservative Tea Party leaders are vowing to keep up the pressure on the White House to see if it was involved with the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny.  Tea Party leaders say the IRS scandal confirms their worst fears about a federal government they see as too big and too powerful. 

A large number of Republican members of Congress and Tea Party leaders from across the country gathered outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday to criticize the Internal Revenue Service and the Obama administration over allegations the tax agency targeted Tea Party groups for special scrutiny.  Conservative lawmakers called on Congress to dig deep to find out who made the decision to single out the groups seeking non-profit tax exempt status.  House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said House committees would stop at nothing to get to the truth.

"We need to know where the facts are.  Somebody made a decision to do this.  And I doubt that it was some low level employees in the Cincinnati field office," said Boehner.

Democratic President Barack Obama sought to push back against the criticism during a week where he has been plagued by several scandals at once.  Obama said he did not know about the IRS targeting of Tea Party groups until last Friday, and condemned the IRS action.

"I am outraged by this in part, because, look, I am a public figure.  If a future administration is starting to use the tax laws to favor one party over another or one political view over another, obviously we are all vulnerable," said Obama.

The president appointed Daniel Werfel as the acting commissioner of the tax agency.

At the Capitol, Tea Party lawmakers and activists said the conduct by some IRS staff members amounts to harassment, and that there will be lawsuits against the agency.  Rep. Paul Broun, a Georgia Republican, said he has been warning about the dangers of big government for years.

"It is the strong arm of the government that is trying to affect elections, to try to stop the freedom of speech that we are guaranteed under the First Amendment and all Americans should just shudder and shiver at the prospects of a government out of control, too big, spending too much money," said Broun.

The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on the IRS scandal today, and many more hearings are likely to follow in the Republican-led House of Representatives.


Plenty of space still open
for incoming freshmen


Many leading U.S. colleges and universities face a shortfall in enrollment for fall classes and will offer price discounts as they compete for students in an ever expanding higher education market, according to Forbes.
 
The magazine highlighted 50 public and private U.S. colleges listed in the Princeton Review's Best Colleges list that are still accepting students in their 2013 freshman classes.
 
In their scramble to fill empty seats, colleges are likely to offer significant tuition discounts in the form of grants in a type of free market pricing that goes on behind the scenes, Forbes said.
 
“There are many more colleges in the United States than is economically viable,” wrote Matt Schifrin, managing editor of investing content at Forbes Media. “Many colleges make deals with families, offering significant rebates to their advertised prices.”
 
Among colleges still seeking students for fall classes are Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., the University of Maryland, College Park, The New School in New York City, Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., and Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, according to Forbes.com.
 
Its list includes more selective schools but the National Association of College Admissions Counselors counts 288 colleges nationwide that have reported having space for incoming freshmen this fall.
 
The rising price of college tuition scares families and parents, but they can get discounts if they look, Schifrin said.
 
Average tuition and fees alone at private nonprofit four-year institutions rose $1,173 or 4.2 percent to $29,056 in 2012-13, according to the College Board. The costs are not much lower for out-of-state students at public four-year institutions where average tuition and fees rose $883 or 4.2 percent to $21,706.
 
Although most colleges ask for deposits from accepted students by May 1, Forbes said it's not too late to apply.
 
Most schools on the list offer grants and scholarships to at least 90 percent of their incoming freshman, with some schools' average grants exceeding $20,000.
 
For example, 99 percent of incoming students receive a grant or tuition rebate from Juaniata College, a private liberal arts college in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, according to Forbes.
 
If students meet certain academic qualifications, they should not expect to pay more than half of Juaniata's 2013 tuition rate of $45,590, even if their family's household income is above $200,000, it added.
 
Private not-for-profit schools are the most likely to offer discounts in the form of grants, but Schifrin said that there are relative bargains to be had at public schools, though the percentage of students who receive grants tend not to be as high.
 

Saudi princes lose bid
to keep court trial secret


Two Saudi princes will not be able to keep details of an international commercial dispute a secret, a British court ruled on Thursday, despite lawyers arguing that the case could damage Saudi relations with Britain and the United States.
   
The appeal was made by Prince Mishal bin Abdulaziz al Saud, a former defense minister, and his son Prince Abdulaziz bin Mishal, who are locked in a legal business tussle with Jordanian businessman Faisal Almhairat.
   
The Court of Appeal in London upheld an earlier ruling by a lower court that the case should not be heard in secret.
   
The sides accuse each other of misappropriating the proceeds of shares, sold in 2010 and 2011, in London-registered Fi Call Ltd. which they jointly owned. Few details on the company are publicly available.
   
Almhairat also alleges the young prince was guilty of wrongdoing in what have only been referred to as the “Beirut” and “Nairobi” transactions, while he says Prince Mishal is involved in some matters relevant to the dispute.
   
But if details of the deals were made public in open court, lawyers for the princes argued, Prince Abdulaziz would be “at risk of serious personal injury or death from reprisals,” while diplomatic damage could also be done.
   
The princes, who reject the allegations against them as scandalous and outrageous, had sought sovereign immunity from being sued as members of the Saudi king's household. Prince Mishal is one of King Abdullah's many brothers.
   
The Court of Appeal dismissed that argument on Wednesday.
   
Two newspapers, the Financial Times and the Guardian, went to court in December arguing there was no reason why a case initiated by the princes should not be heard in public according to Britain's fundamental principle of open justice.
   
High Court Judge Paul Morgan agreed with the newspapers in a Feb. 13 ruling, although his judgment gave little information into what the dispute was actually about.
   
The princes then challenged in the Court of Appeal, but with that appeal now dismissed, documents that have previously been restricted are expected to come to light.
   
The case could test relations between Britain and Saudi Arabia some seven years after a corruption investigation into a huge arms deal with the kingdom was dropped because of concerns that it could harm Britain's security interests.
   
There was widespread criticism at the time that the real motivation for shelving the case was to protect Britain's commercial prospects in Saudi Arabia.


Other options exist for those
with cancer-prone genes


Actress and U.N. goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie is in the spotlight for her decision to undergo a double mastectomy to reduce her chances of getting breast cancer, even though she is cancer free.  The actress announced her decision, and her surgery, in an article she wrote for The New York Times. Ms. Jolie's decision was based on a genetic test she had and other options available to women facing a breast cancer risk.

She's beautiful, glamorous, and known for being outspoken whether it's about refugees or women's rights. Angelina Jolie's decision to have both breasts surgically removed when she doesn't have cancer, has put the spotlight on preventive surgery. 

Ms. Jolie's mother died of cancer when she was 56 years old. The actress said her children wanted to know if she would, too.  Jolie said genetic tests put her chances of getting breast cancer at 87 percent and at 50 percent for ovarian cancer.    

Doctors have found that certain genetic mutations can increase the odds of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The two major genes associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer are BRCA1 and BRCA2.  

One study found that if a woman develops BRCA-related cancer early in life, her daughter may get cancer even earlier than she did if she inherited the genetic mutation.

Women with BRCA-related breast cancer have the same rate of survival as other breast cancer patients at the same stage. But Marc Boisvert of Medstar Washington Hospital says there's a significant difference.

"The problem is that these cancers frequently appear in younger women, and younger women tend to have more aggressive cancers, and they’re not suspecting them," Boisvert said. 

Women in their 20s and 30s are not likely to be screened for breast cancer.  Those most likely to have the BRCA mutations are of east European Jewish descent. But "you can have it if you’re black, white, Hispanic, Chinese, Asian, any ethnic group can have it," Boisvert  said.

The National Cancer Institute recommends genetic testing if close relatives have had breast or ovarian cancer. But not having the BRCA1 or 2 mutations is not an all-clear sign. And having the genetic marker doesn't mean getting the disease is a given. But geneticists can come up with the likely odds, which is why Jolie said her chance of getting breast cancer was 87 percent.   

The cost for genetic testing can run into the thousands of dollars.

The preventive surgery can lower the odds to less than 5 percent, but Boisvert says surgery isn't the only choice.

"I think education is important here because you can get peace of mind knowing that you are being monitored very carefully and knowing what the numbers are, what the chances of recurrence are,” Boisvert  said.

Boisvert says in the end, the patient needs to be comfortable with her care, whether it involves careful monitoring or surgery.


Charges finally filed in Cuba
for expat in corruption cases


Canadian and British executives of three foreign businesses shut in 2011 by Cuban authorities, ostensibly for corrupt practices, have been charged after more than a year in custody and are expected to go on trial soon, sources close to the cases said.
 
The arrests, part of a broad government campaign to stamp out corruption, sent shockwaves through Cuba's small foreign business community where the companies were among the most visible players.
 
Until then, expulsions rather than imprisonment had been the norm for those accused of corrupt practices.
 
The charges against the executives involve various economic crimes and operating beyond the limits of their business licenses on the Communist-run island, according to the sources, who include a close relative of one of the defendants.
 
Some of the foreigners are alleged to have paid bribes to officials in exchange for business opportunities.
 
Dozens of Cuban state purchasers and officials, including deputy ministers, already have been arrested and convicted in the investigation into the Cuban imports business that ensued.
 
Cuba has mounted a crackdown on corruption in recent years as part of a gradual reform process to open up the state-run economy to greater private sector activity.
 
Under Cuban law, trials must begin within a month of charges being filed, though small delays are common and postponement can be sought by the defendants' lawyers.
 
"There is definitely movement and the trials could begin soon," a Western diplomat said.
 
The crackdown began in July 2011 with the closure of Canadian trading firm Tri-Star Caribbean and the arrest of its chief executive, Sarkis Yacoubian.
 
In September 2011, one of the most important Western trading firms in Cuba, Canada-based Tokmakjian Group, was also shut and its head, Cy Tokmakjian, taken into custody.
 
In October 2011, police closed the Havana offices of the British investment and trading firm Coral Capital Group Ltd. and arrested chief executive Amado Fakhre, a Lebanese-born British citizen.
 
Coral Capital's chief operating officer, British citizen Stephen Purvis, was arrested in April 2012.
 
All four men are being held in La Condesa, a prison for foreigners just outside Havana, after being questioned for months in other locations.
 
A number of other foreigners and Cubans who worked for the companies remain free but cannot leave the island because they are considered witnesses in the cases.
 
Cuban officials and lawyers for the defendants could not be reached for comment.
 
The legal limbo of the foreign executives has put a strain on Cuba's relations with their home countries, where the legal process protects suspects from lengthy incarceration without charges, diplomats said.
 
Cuba says the cases are being handled within the letter of Cuban law. Attorney General Dario Delgado said late last year that the investigation had proved complex and lengthy.
 
"These cases, which involve economic crimes, are very complicated," he said. "They do not involve, for example, traffic violations or a murder."
 
Comptroller General Gladys Bejerano has said the length of investigations depended on the behavior of those involved.
 
"When there is fraud, tricks and violations . . .  false documents, false accounting . . .  there is no transparency and the process becomes more complicated because a case must be documented with evidence before going to trial," she said.
 
Transparency International, considered the world's leading anti-graft watchdog, last rated Cuba 58 out of 178 countries in terms of tackling corruption, ahead of all but eight of 33 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
 
Soon after taking over for his ailing brother Fidel in 2008, President Raúl Castro established the comptroller general's office with a seat on the ruling council of state, even as he began implementing market-oriented economic reforms.
 
The measure marked the start of the anti-corruption campaign. Since then, high-level graft has been uncovered in several key areas, from the cigar, nickel and communications industries, to food processing and civil aviation.
 
Rodrigo Malmierca, the minister of foreign commerce, last week delivered a report to the cabinet highlighting irregularities in foreign joint venture companies, according to state-run media.
 
Malmierca blamed "the lack of rigor, control and exigency" of the deals "as well as the conduct and attitudes of the officials implicated," the reports said.
 
Castro has been less successful, however, in tackling low salaries and lack of transparency, which contribute to the problem, according to foreign diplomats and businessmen.
 
There is no open bidding in Cuba's import-export sector, and state purchasers who handle multimillion-dollar contracts earn anywhere from $50 to $100 per month.
 
Cuban officials blame U.S. sanctions for the lack of open bidding, accusing their arch-enemy of trying to scare off any foreign company interested in doing business with the country.


Venezuela is net importer
of gasoline, data shows


Venezuela in 2012 became a net importer of gasoline as a result of escalating problems at its refineries and increasing demand for fuel in its internal market, joining a growing list of countries that struggle with fuel supplies despite ample oil reserves.
 
The nation exported 30,000 barrels per day of gasoline and naphtha last year, according to state oil company PDVSA's annual report. But it imported an average of 66,300 barrels per day of the same fuels from the United States alone, according to U.S. Energy Department data.
 
Fuel imports jumped following an August explosion and fire at the country's largest refinery, Amuay, that killed more than 40 people and caused extensive damage to its storage facilities.
 
“Between the days of the incident and the resumption of operations, PDVSA imported blending components worth a total of $1.572 billion,'' the company said in its financial results.
 
The report does not provide import volumes. PDVSA did not respond to requests for comment.
 
Oil Minister Rafael Ramírez has consistently denied that the country is importing finished gasoline, insisting the purchases have been limited to blending components.
 
But data provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, or EIA, shows most of the imports between September and January from the United States were finished gasoline and diesel.
 
Crude exporters in the region including Mexico and Ecuador depend on energy markets to meet fuel needs because of insufficient investment in refining.
 
Venezuelans enjoy a massive fuel subsidy that makes gasoline the cheapest in the world, letting drivers fill their tanks for less than the equivalent of a dollar. That spurs fuel smuggling to neighboring Colombia and Brazil.
 
In addition, the government is installing diesel generators to reduce dependence on hydroelectric power, which has increased demand for diesel.
 
The Amuay fire and explosion caused extensive damage to one of the 635,000-barrel per dayfacility's distillation units and forced a temporary halt to the entire facility. The refinery resumed full operations in April.
 
Losses at PDVSA's domestic refining and sales division more than tripled to $8.4 billion in 2012 from $2.3 billion the previous year as a result of these factors.
 
Between September and January, PDVSA imported an average of 148,000 barrels per day, most of which was gasoline, according to the  U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Although import volumes fell in February, PDVSA continues seeking to acquire fuel in international markets, according to traders. The company's 2013 targets show crude and fuel exports dropping by 8 percent this year.
 
PDVSA's earnings statement says purchases of crude and fuel rose 47 percent to reach $26.3 billion in 2012, while purchases from third parties by foreign subsidiaries such as U.S.-based refiner Citgo dropped 3.4 percent.
 
The tight supplies of fuels were reflected in a sharp decline in sales to Citgo, which has traditionally received finished fuel from PDVSA through supply contracts.
 
Fuel sales to Citgo reached only $302 million last year compared with $4.2 billion the year before.