Two senior police officers have told a committee of MPs that the Royal family was probably the victim of illegal phone tapping.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates and Detective Chief Superintendent Philip Williams were giving evidence today to the Culture, Media and Sport select committee’s inquiry into standards, privacy and libel.

It was the first committee hearing since the recess began in July.

The inquiry in the wake of the conviction of Glen Mulcaire, a private investigator who had a contract with the News of the World, was jailed in 2007 for hacking into mobile phones of Royal aides.

Former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman was sent to prison for four months.

Ch Supt William was asked about the mobile phones of Princes William and Harry.

“Messages on their phone were a potential target,” he said.

He added that there is evidence their phones were intercepted.

The committee inquiry comes after News International rejected claims by the Guardian that mobile phone hacking was a more wide-spread practice than previously admitted.

Labour MP Mike Hall wanted to know why the £12,300 in cash paid by Goodman to Mulcaire over a period of years was not subject with a confiscation order or investigated by the tax authorities.

“We did consider a raft of things with the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) and counsel … we were unable to say that it was unlawful,” Assistant Commissioner Yates said.

MPs asked about the cash payments the Met makes to informers. Assistant Commissioner Yates said there were robust accounting procedures in place.

Tom Watson, Labour MP for West Bromwich East, was suspicious that Mulcaire and Goodman both refused to answer questions when arrested and then chose to plead guilty in court.

“Don’t you think they have been bought off?” he asked.

“Doesn’t it look suspicious that they had been hacking Royal phones, their employers give them a payoff and no-one goes back and asks about the nature of the payoff?”

Assistant Commissioner Yates responded:

“It is not our business.”

DON BELL, Founder and Former Executive Vice-President, WestJet

Bell’s ideas and leadership were instrumental in taking a start-up airline in 1996 to become one of the few airlines in the world to enjoy quarter after quarter of profitability and sustained double-digit business growth. In particular, he was credited for bringing WestJet to the forefront of corporate culture and customer service.

During his tenure, the company exemplified the optimal environment for success, winning various business awards including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Canada and an International Entrepreneurship Award for Outstanding Teamwork in 2001. WestJet was named Canada’s most respected corporation for customer service in 2005. Today, WestJet is not only a household name in Canada, but it is one of the most successful airlines in North America.

Bell has compelling messages about people and creating a culture that can help any organization. Charismatic, powerful and real, he will inspire leaders to see the value their people bring to the job every day.

Before Monday’s night’s Normal Town Council meeting, we received a tour of the Town’s new vehicle maintenance facility on Warriner Street.

This the place where police cars get oil changes, fire engines come in for tune ups,  and garbage trucks and knuckle booms fuel up.

The first round of bids was rejected because they were each way over budget.    Then, Town staff sought council approval to invite firms to compete to build the facility to meet several broad specifications.

For $3.2 million, the Town added more than 30,000 square feet of space.   The new addition is bright, clean and energy effiicient.    

And it will be a certified green building for design elements, systems, and the fact that it sits on a former landfill.

Most importantly, it will give public works employees much more room to work.    And at a time when costs of large municipal vehicles are escalating, getting more of the vehicles inside under a roof is bound to extend their useful life and save tax dollars. 

CORE Construction of Morton did a very nice job value engineering the addition which includes new locker rooms, offices for public works department heads, and a meeting room large enough for  public works director Mike Hall to hold a staff meeting for all of his employees.

An addition is planned in the future.

From the 2008 Town of Normal Annual Report, here are some facts about vehicle maintenance:

• Mechanics repaired and maintained 299 Town-owned vehicles in 2008, 13 more than the year before;

• 213,951 gallons of unleaded and diesel fuel was consumed in 2008, about three percent more than the previous year;

• In a year marked by record high fuel prices, the Town of Normal spent $690,694 on fuel — a 28 percent increase. 

Solar installer Borrego Solar Systems Inc. said Wednesday it has raised $14 million in venture capital financing. It’s the first round of venture capital for the El Cajon, Calif.-based installer, which didn’t disclose its investor except to say that it’s a large corporation.

The news could be evidence that, in a tight economy, venture capitalists may be shifting away from riskier technology investments. Borrego installs conventional solar panels mainly on commercial, industrial and government projects, and already earned $60 million in revenue and sold $90 million in contracts last year.

That’s not to say that innovation isn’t going on there. The company is developing a better racking system, among other improvements, to reduce the materials and roof modifications that installations require in order to make commercial flat-rooftop solar projects quicker and cheaper, President Mike Hall says. But that hardly matches the level of technology risk in, say, a thin-film solar company. And Borrego, founded as a family operation in 2001 with $40,000 in seed funding, doesn’t qualify as early-stage.

Several venture capitalists have said lately that they’re looking for quicker returns. “A lot of venture capital and growth investors are looking at the technology landscape and it’s challenging,” Hall says. “I think now that they’ve seen a real drop in PV prices for the first time in three to four years, growth investors are becoming a little shy of placing technology bets unless there’s very obvious differentiation. We’re seeing [value and margins] move down the supply chain…and that has renewed interest from the growth investment community.”

Aside from developing ways to make its commercial installations cheaper, Borrego plans to use its new-found capital to move into the Mid-Atlantic region and to increase its project-development resources, including sales, marketing and financing. The company is working with partners to finance projects and plans to get expert help in navigating some of the new and “constantly changing” government policies, Hall says. “We’re just having to invest more resources and become more creative given the current financial environment,” he says. “Things are getting more complicated on the finance side.”

Fewer project-financing deals are closing — leading to first-quarter sales that will likely drop from the same quarter last year — even though customer demand for solar power hasn’t slowed, he says. “We have seen less deals closing, but we haven’t seen less initiation — the pipeline is still very large and the amount of interest…is really high,” he says.

But Hall says that while the next quarter will be rough, the mid-term looks really good for Borrego. For one thing, customers are waiting to see what might come out of the stimulus package that Congress is considering, in case it could save them money. “It’s hard to push for the finish line when there’s an elephant in the room that everyone’s looking at,” Hall says. “But I think [the package is] going to get resolved very soon and I think we’re going to see a flurry of activity.”

Seems the trend these days is for artists in punk rock bands to produce their own un-punk-rock-esque side projects.  I know some of this is old news, but thought I’d document a notable few:

Dustin Kensrue (Thrice)
Discography: Please Come Home (2007), This Good Night is Still Everywhere (Christmas album, 2008 )

Dallas Green (Alexisonfire) aka City and Colour
Discography: Sometimes (2005), Bring Me Your Love (2008 )

Wade MacNeil (Alexisonfire) aka Black Lungs
The little brother solo project of his AOF counterpart.
Discography: Send Flowers (2008 )

Tom Gabel (Against Me!)
Against Me! started out as Tom Gabel playing songs acoustically so this one is the chicken-and-the-egg argument of what came first, Against Me! or Tom Gabel solo.
Discography: Heart Burns (2008 )

Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music)
After the “breakup” of Hot Water Music in 2006, 3/4 of the band went on to form The Draft.  Chuck Ragan went the solo route with his acoustic folky albums.
Discography: Los Feliz (2007), Feast or Famine (2007), Bristle Ridge w/Austin Lucas (2008 )

Chris Wollard (Hot Water Music, The Draft) and Mike Hale (Gunmoll)
Rumour is that Chris Wollard will be releasing his full-length solo record, The Ship Thieves, in the coming months.
Discography: Split 7″ (2007)

Joey Cape (Lagwagon)
Also released a record with Tony Sly (No Use for a Name), entitled Acoustic Split (2004)
Discography: Bridge (2008 )

Tim Barry (Avail)
Discography: Rivanna Junction (2006), Laurel St. Demos (2007), Manchester (2008 )

Ben Nichols (Lucero)
Discography: The Last Pale Light in the West (Jan 2009)

Greg Graffin (Bad Religion)
Discography: Cold as the Clay (2006)

Chris Conley (Saves the Day)
Chris Conley recently toured playing a solo acoustic set of mostly Saves the Day covers.  Chris is set to release a collaboration with Max Bemis from Say Anything called Two Tongues, though this project is a full band.
Discography: Two Tongues (February 2009)

Note: I know I have probably missed a few, if you know of any other artists that would fit, post in comments or send to me and I will update the post!

Alex Chediak was kind enough to live-blog the recent reThink Conference (May 16th).  The reThink Conference centered around Steve Wright’s new book.  Steve Wright is filled with much wisdom concerning gospel oriented youth ministry.  With 20 years under his belt you will be blessed by this book as well as this conference.  Mike Hall of Two Institutions has mentioned that audio will be made available soon.  Be sure to check back!

Below is a two part interview with Steve Wright and the sessions from the event from Alex Chediak

Interview with Steve Wright: Part 1 of 2

Interview with Steve Wright: Part 2 of 2

reThink Conference – Session I – Leon Tucker

reThink Conference – Session II – David Horner

reThink Conference – Session III – Dave Owen

reThink Conference – Session IV – Steve Wright

reThink Conference – Session V – Randy Stinson

[Source: Andie Abkarian, Roosevelt Action Association] — As part of City of Phoenix budget cuts, the Parks Department has eliminated security in downtown’s Margaret T. Hance Park.  Out of $13,500,000 cut from the Parks budget, the Parks Department chose to eliminate overnight park security at Hance Park for an estimated cost savings of $50,000.  The neighborhood was told that the Police Department will monitor security at the park as part of their regular patrol, but neighbors are concerned that (1) Phoenix police officers are already overwhelmed with regular patrols and (2) there is no way Phoenix police officers can adequately keep the park safe without dedicated foot patrols into the depths of the park throughout the night.

The Roosevelt Action Association asks interested persons to ASAP call and/or e-mail the following representatives requesting an immediate reversal of this decision.  On May 20, RAA representatives will meet with city staff.

• Mayor Phil Gordon: 602-262-7611
• Councilman Michael Nowakowski: 602-262-7942
• Deputy City Manager Rick Naimark: 602-534-9803
• Parks Director Sara Hensley: 602-262-4986

For more information on what you can do to help or for more details on the buget cut, send an e-mail or call Andie Abkarian (480-600-8826), Catrina Knobel (480-579-2998), or Mike Hall (602-258-6048).

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says the time limit should be lifted because Congress and the president should be focusing their energy on the needs of America’s working families as the economy staggers toward a recession, not on the flawed trade deal.

It is chilling to think how this measure by the House passed by only 29 votes, 195 mostly Republican Reps voted to make this thing happen on the Bush fast track. That means 195 people who we elected don’t think that this is worth investigation. You can see who’s-who here

*Click here for more Videos and info

Here’s Mike Halls’ AFL-CIO WebBlog Post from (4/10/08) :

House Takes Colombia Trade Deal Out of Fast Track

The U.S. House of Representatives, this afternoon, told President Bush there will be no Fast Track for his flawed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). By a 224–195 vote, the House removed Fast Track’s 90-day deadline for an up or down vote on the deal.

The vote will delay consideration of the deal indefinitely, probably until Bush leaves office in January.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says the time limit should be lifted because Congress and the president should be focusing their energy on the needs of America’s working families as the economy staggers toward a recession, not on the flawed trade deal.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has called Bush’s push for the Colombia trade deal “an outrageous disregard for basic human and workers’ rights” that, if passed, would “reward murder.”

The violence against trade union members in Colombia has claimed more than 2,500 lives since 1986, including 39 murdered in 2007, and another 17 killed so far in 2008—a rate of more than one a week. Yet the Colombian government has obtained convictions in less than 3 percent of the cases and has done little to stop the bloodshed or guarantee worker and human rights in the country.

Said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney:

The AFL-CIO position on the Colombia FTA remains unchanged: The violence, murders, impunity, and violations of workers’ rights in Colombia must end. Until and unless the Colombian government achieves sustained results on the ground to that effect, the AFL-CIO will muster all its resources in opposition to this agreement.

Because the Colombia deal was negotiated under the now-expired Trade Promotion Authority or Fast Track, it normally would have had to be voted within 90 legislative days, but Pelosi said the House has the right to set its own rules.

by Mike Hall at AFL-CIO WebBlog , Jan 24, 2008

Most of us believe our medical records are a private matter between us and our health care providers. But postal employees learned recently the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has been snooping into their medical records, according to a suit filed by the Postal Workers (APWU) and Letter Carriers (NALC).

The unions filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Jan. 17. They say that beginning in 2006, the postal service’s OIG began surreptitiously seeking and obtaining the medical records of postal workers directly from doctors and hospitals that had provided medical services to postal employees.

The suit alleges that the OIG has routinely instructed medical providers that they must submit records to the OIG and they should refrain from notifying affected employees that the records have been requested by the OIG. It says the snooping continues and the OIG claims it has a right to review the records as part of oversight or investigatory activities.

The unions are asking the court to declare the practice illegal and issue an injunction against the OIG and the USPS. As APWU President William Burrus says:

I am outraged that OIG would use the tactics of a police state to investigate workers compensation or sick-leave cases. The OIG has no legitimate business investigating routine personnel matters. The use of these methods demands the strongest possible response.

NALC President William Young vows NALC

will do everything in its power to reign in this outrageous conduct by the OIG. This federal lawsuit is the first step. If more is needed, we will take further action.

Richard Negri at Union Review wonders what would happen if the investigative shoe was on the foot of workers.

As this slimy, slippery and surreptitious practice continues, the OIG says it has every right to review the records as part of its oversight and investigatory activities…oh really? So, I began thinking about this: What if a group of workers, clearly invested in the well-being and longevity of their company or organization, found that their top brass was slacking. They became somewhat concerned as they all agreed they needed their jobs. Then, without saying a word to anyone, began poking at the medical records of said-top brass. What would happen? My educated guess is that we’d have a group working people carted off in chains, loaded into a paddy wagon and beamed out on the six o’clock news.

I had to repost this here, big thanks to Richard Negri and Mike Hall for getting the message out, my local postman couldn’t believe it. So I’m gonna print it and leave it in the mailbox for him.