So much for civility in politics

If it's over, it was nice while it lasted.
The brief period of civility in politics in the wake of the shootings in Tucson, Arizona, two weeks ago was tested this week. Some in the nation's capital forgot the call for a government that's worthy of 9-year-old shooting victim Christina Green.
Washington returned to its toxic ways at times this week as House Republicans sought to repeal the new health care law. Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee compared GOP charges of a "government takeover of health care" to lies spread by Nazis before the Holocaust. "A big lie just like (Nazi propagandist Joseph) Goebbels," Cohen said on the House floor.
Cohen tried to spin away his comments with half-apologies. "I didn't compare the Republicans to Nazis," Cohen told CNN. His explanations circled back to talking points. "While I regret that anything I said has created an opportunity to distract from the debate about health care for 32 million Americans ... I never called Republicans Nazis," he said in a statement released by his office. Later on MSNBC, Cohen conceded, "I do think the rhetoric needs to be toned down."
In today's politics, civility has little currency. Controversy equals exposure.

Police: Nevada councilwoman died in murder-suicide

An embattled Nevada councilwoman e-mailed a friend about items intended for her mother and called police shortly before they found her and her husband dead in an apparent murder-suicide, police in Mesquite said Wednesday.
"Detectives were advised that Bill Fairchild was the victim of a homicide-suicide. The crime scene and autopsy were consistent that Bill was deceased approximately an hour before Donna," said Chief Douglas L. Law in a statement after the autopsy. Each of the Fairchilds suffered a single gunshot wound.
The bodies were found Tuesday morning, hours before Donna Fairchild was to attend a City Council meeting and face possible sanctions over a travel expense voucher and public comments.
A neighbor told CNN on Wednesday she had lunch with Donna Fairchild on Monday and was the recipient of a box left by the councilwoman, apparently on the morning of the shootings.
According to police, Donna Fairchild contacted City Attorney Cheryl Truman Hunt around 8:30 p.m. Monday to discuss an opportunity to meet with the mayor and council in order to tender her resignation before the meeting. The city attorney at 10 p.m. confirmed with Fairchild a Tuesday afternoon meeting with the mayor and council.

Egypt, Jordan, and the Arab world's 'watershed' moment

The protests that have spread through parts of the Arab world led to dramatic change in another country Tuesday, as Jordan's king dismissed his government.
King Abdullah II made the decision following protests in recent weeks in which several thousand people demanded economic and political reforms.
Experts on the region said Tuesday Abdullah's decision was aimed at warding off larger-scale demonstrations in the wake of the huge protests in Tunisia and Egypt. The Tunisia protests, which began the movement, toppled that country's government. In Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak has fired his Cabinet, but protesters in massive demonstrations continue to call for his ouster.
The protests -- which have also caught on to various extents in Algeria, Yemen, and Sudan -- have proved to be "a real watershed event for the Arab world," said Blake Hounshell, managing editor of Foreign Policy magazine. "It's really unprecedented."
There was a series of protests in Arab nations in the 1950s, but those were prompted by an ideology of Pan-Arabism in a post-colonial world, said Emile Hokayem, with the International Institute for Strategic Studies. A 2005 uprising in Lebanon was about independence and ousting Syria. While it was successful, the revolution's message was not one that other nations associated with, he said.
"It's different this time. People are standing up for their economic rights, their dignity. It's very different," said Hokayem.
Ibrahim Sharqieh of the Brookings Institution said there's a whole new mind-set

Should The Daily worry about possible Apple bait-and-switch?

This morning in New York City, Rupert Murdoch held a press event announcing the launch of The Daily, the world's first iPad-only "newspaper."
While I listened to the streaming audio, I was scanning the news -- and I spotted a headline that should probably make News Corp. nervous about its new venture: Apple blocks Sony e-book app. Is Kindle next?
First, a bit about The Daily, per today's announcement:
According to News Corp, iPad owners can subscribe to The Daily with one click, at a weekly rate of 99 cents. An annual subscription costs $39.99. The publication also will display paid advertising.
Furthermore, Murdoch confirmed that the iPad will probably be the only provider for The Daily for this year and next year. Eventually News Corp. will be developing editions for all tablet platforms, but for right now, it's effectively an iPad exclusive -- which means News Corp. is relying heavily on the terms of the deal it's worked out with Apple to make the economics of this venture pay off.

How to read The Daily without an iPad, for free

The Daily, the iPad-only tablet "newspaper" thet launched Wednesday, has an odd relationship with the web: It allows both subscribers and non-subscribers to view web-based versions of all of its articles for free, but it doesn't offer a convenient index (a.k.a. homepage) for perusing them.
So Andy Baio, a self-described journalist/programmer who works at Expert Labs, decided to do The Daily a favor: Compile all of the stories published each day by and post them to Tumblr.
Now, everyone can read The Daily, and even subscribers can access back issues -- which they weren't able to do previously.
The problem, of course, is that The Daily doesn't want users accessing its content for free; it wants people to pay for the iPad edition, which costs 99 cents per week.

"Frankly, I'm... very curious about the legal implications," he wrote, pointing out that his e-mail is listed at the top of the page should any of News Corp's lawyers care to get in touch.

"Can I Save the World?" Easy Solutions to Global Warming at our Fingertips

With so much information out there about global warming and the effects that are causing natural disasters, is there anything we as individuals can do to make a difference? Yep! You don't need to move mountains, but a small pebble can really make ripples that can create positive changes world wide. Here's a few "pebbles" you can use today!

Role of Energy Performance Certificate Advisors

Energy performance certificate advisors are the same as Energy Performance Certificate assessors. These advisors are members of an accreditation scheme and adhere to its code of conduct and procedures. They are called so, since, along with assessing the energy efficiency of homes, these professionals are also required to give advice regarding the steps that can be taken to improve the energy efficiency of the house.