| Calls for easing drug sentences
Recently sentenced, he is facing 15 years' incarceration with 10 years' probation for selling $750 worth of cocaine to an informant. Like the man Gertner freed, my son was not a drug dealer. The jails are swelling with many people caught up under the guise of the three-strikes rule. It is my wish that other judges will take a stance similar to Gertner's on a case by case basis, and recognize the far-reaching impact of long-term incarcerations of those who commit these minor offenses. This arrest-and-convict statute is robbing our communities of hard-working, productive individuals who are invaluable to their families. WILLIAM WEST
Dorchester JUDGE GERTNER'S decision was a good illustration of how the recently released JFA Institute report on criminal justice policy can be implemented with the best interests of the individual and society upheld ("US prisons full, but crime, cost to taxpayers soar," Page A10, Nov.
Market Report: Miners lord it as copper and platinum spike up
Strong commodities took the miners to the top of the FTSE 100 index yesterday. Lower inventories and more power cuts at South African mines prompted a spike in the price of copper and platinum which, in turn, lifted companies such as Vedanta, which climbed 6.8 per cent to 2,022p, and Lonmin, which, despite its extensive South African operations, climbed 6.25 per cent to 3,300p. Other miners also gained, including BHP Billiton, up 4.9 per cent to 1,555p, Rio Tinto, up 5.4 per cent to 5,523p, and Anglo American, up 4.7 per cent to 3,061p. The sector-wide rally also helped lift Xstrata, which firmed 0.4 per cent to 3,819p despite reports suggesting that it had spurned a £40-per-share indicative offer from Vale, its Brazilian suitor. Most in the market were unsurprised by the news, noting that, if Vale had indeed made the approach at the price claimed, it was always likely to be rejected.
Swan blames inflation rise on previous govt
Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has used today's inflation figures to attack the previous Howard Government's economic record. The Consumer Price Index has risen a slightly higher than expected 0.9 per cent, driven by petrol prices, banking costs, rising rents and domestic holidays. That takes annual inflation to 3 per cent, which is right on the Reserve Bank's upper limit. Perhaps more importantly, the central bank's own two underlying measures have surged to 3.8 and 3.4 per cent. Today's cost of living figures from the Bureau of Statistics are seen as crucial ahead of next month's interest rates decision from the Reserve Bank. Mr Swan says elevated inflation is the Liberal Party's parting gift to Australian families. "Now it's pretty clear when you look at underlying inflation that these pressures have taken a long time to build," he said.
Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo for $44.6B
The company is to present a strategic update for analysts Monday in New York. -By Andrew Edwards, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-5973; Andrew.Edwards@dowjones.com (Kevin Kingsbury, George Stahl and Jessica Hodgson contributed to this article.) (END) Dow Jones Newswires 02-01-08 0834ET Copyright (c) 2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. .
The petroleum economy in Texas rose again in 2007 as worldwide demand ...
The Energy Information Agency forecasts that we will be using 60 percent more hydrocarbons in 2030 than we are today. With the demand for worldwide energy rising at a rate 2.5 percent per annum, the rapid growth of economies in India and China, and the anticipated population increases in the undeveloped nations, the predicted 9 billion people on the planet will need all that can be produced from all sources. Precisely for those reasons, it is important that we not be alarmist but prudently plan and deal with our energy opportunities. In the meantime, the Texas oil and gas industry continues to work at full capacity to meet the continued and increased demand. According to recently finalized 2007 statistics of the Texas PetroIndex, 48 percent of the 1,800 rigs drilling in the U.S.
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