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COLUMBIA Scowls, smirks and exasperated sighs often greeted Sarah Nuckles when she asked questions at S.C. Transportation Commission meetings.

Whether seeking answers about highly paid consultants, multibillion-dollar freeways or the lack of public access in policy decisions, Nuckles kept things stirred up during her four years on the transportation board.

Now, thats about to end. Nuckles term on the commission has expired. As soon as this week, legislators could replace her with another representative from her district in the Rock Hill area. State law bars commissioners from serving a second consecutive term in the same district.

For Nuckles, its been an enjoyable trip. She believes she has shed light on Department of Transportation policies and projects that need scrutiny, even if it made her unpopular with the other board members and department staff.

My purpose is not to sit in a club of commissioners, said the only woman on the seven-member Transportation Commission. If that makes me a maverick, thats sad. We need mavericks in the Legislature. We need them all over the place.

In a Transportation Department long-dominated by white males and criticized for a lack of public input, Nuckles was considered by conservationists, taxpayer advocates and some legislators as a fresh breeze. During commission meetings, her trademark was politely but relentlessly grilling Department of Transportation staff and board members about everything from big highway contracts to small road projects.

She has been excellent its good to have somebody on the commission who shakes things up, said Lancaster Republican Sen. Greg Gregory, a member of the legislative delegation that will choose a new commissioner to replace Nuckles. I dont think theres any harm in the questions she asked. And Im in agreement on some of the major issues she has brought up.

Dana Beach, a Lowcountry conservationist who is seeking a seat on the transportation commission, said Nuckles told the truth when people didnt want to hear it.

Shes not well-received by a lot of people on the commission and by a lot of people for that reason, Beach said. They are offended that anybody would come in and shed the light of day on what is going on.

Chair: She grandstands

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Rock Hill woman known for asking questions to leave DOT commission

04-06-2012 09:30

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R-Dot on SoSo Blessed Tv..New - Video

Break out the champagne and put on your party hats: A software heavyweight just struck a major blow for the concept of Privacy by Design.

Microsoft has elected to release Internet Explorer 10.0 with Do Not Track as the default setting. Microsoft Chief Privacy Officer Brendon Lynch blogged about the decision here. He said, in part:

We believe that consumers should have more control over how information about their online behavior is tracked, shared and used. Online advertising is an important part of the economy supporting publishers and content owners and helping businesses of all shapes and sizes to go to market. There is also value for consumers in personalized experiences and receiving advertising that is relevant to them.

Of course, we hope that many consumers will see this value and make a conscious choice to share information in order to receive more personalized ad content. For us, that is the key distinction. Consumers should be empowered to make an informed choice and, for these reasons, we believe that for IE10 in Windows 8, a privacy-by-default state for online behavioral advertising is the right approach.

While both Chrome and Firefox have Do Not Track capabilities built in, theyre turned off by default. Microsoft is making its mark by turning that setting on. Safari also blocks tracking cookies by default, but who outside of the Mac universe uses Safari?

The online advertising industry reacted about the way youd expect -- by implying that if we dont all let advertisers follow us around the Web jotting down every site we visit and what we do there, the free Internet will shrivel up and die.

The Digital Advertising Alliance, a consortium of online ad networks and data gatherers that has been pushing for self-regulation of Web tracking for the past several years (and was apparently blindsided by Microsofts announcement), issued a vigorous response. Heres the money quote:

The DAA is very concerned that this unilateral decision by one browser maker - made without consultation within the self-regulatory process - may ultimately narrow the scope of consumer choices, undercut thriving business models, and reduce the availability and diversity of the Internet products and services that millions of American consumers currently enjoy at no charge.

DAA spokeshuman Stu Ingis went on to tell the Wall Street Journals Julia Angwin that online advertisers support consumer choice, not a choice made by one browser or technology vendor. Essentially hes saying that by making IE 10 private by default Microsoft is taking the choice out of users hands.

Which is, of course, utter horse manure. Microsoft is in fact giving users a choice a choice to use a browser where privacy is the default setting. Its the advertising industry thats make the decision for consumers about whether they will be tracked by making that the default setting for the vast majority of Web surfers.

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Microsoft Just Made the Internet a Little More Private for Everyone

03-06-2012 18:03 DISCLAIMER: Not advice! I don't know where the price of anything will go! Martin Armstrong "hyperinflation takes place ONLY in a peripheral economy and cannot take place within the core economy. Everything would collapse long before hyperinflation would unfold" "Gold has not risen sharply yet simply because the world is not ready to grasp the idea that government debts are not stable. Once they realize that fact, gold will rise dramatically just as it did from 1976 at $100 into 1980 reaching $875. Such an advance today from $1500 gold would be $13125 gold" Electronic Money The Real Conspiracy: Are Commodities Preparing for a Major Rally:

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Hyperinflation not possible but $13125 gold is? - Martin Armstrong - Video

04-06-2012 06:51 Urgent Message for Greece help is on the way Multi-Billionaire Hugo Salinas Price appeals to Alexis Tsipras to propose bringing a silver standard to Greece. Founder, Director & Honorary President of Grupo Elektra SA de CV famed not only for his legendary business acumen but also his drive for Honest Money in Mexico and Globally, tells how Europe can become free again. Hugo and his organization, the Mexican Civic Association Pro Silver, AC have pushed the Mexican government for over a decade to provide silver as money but the corrupt Mexican government and Mexican central bank has refused, causing tremendous hardship for the citizens of Mexico due to inflation. Here, Hugo is talking with Max Keiser in Keiser Report Episode 295, view the entire video at: "Hugo Salinas-Price, born in 1934, is a successful, retired businessman who lives in Mexico. Salinas-Price has been a follower of the Austrian School of Economics since his youth. Salinas-Price has written three books in Spanish on how and why silver should be instituted as money in Mexico, in parallel with paper money, and numerous related articles in English and Spanish. Salinas-Price's organization, the Mexican Civic Association Pro Silver, is actively lobbying the Mexican Congress to approve legislation, which will institute the pure silver "Libertad" ounce as money. Hugo Salinas-Price has focused on reintroducing silver into the Mexican economy with great energy over the past fifteen years. Salinas-Price's aim ...

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Urgent Message for Greece - Video