What are your thoughts on Justin Bieber and the 2011 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game?

If you keep up with Justin Bieber, then you know that the 16-year-ancient sensation has some basketball skills. On February 18, the Biebster is plotting to place them to excellent use when he hits the court to headline the 2011 BBVA NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Los Angeles.

Bieber is just one of many celebs in this year’s basketball game, including Ty Burrell, Rob Kardashian, Zachary Levi, Jason Alexander and Common. NBA luminaries expected to hit the court include Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Bill Walton, AC Green, B.J. Armstrong as well as players-turned sports analysts Chris Mullin and Jalen Rose.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel will serve as the event’s general manager for one team, while ESPN columnist Bill Simmons leads the other team. A complete list of participants, including WNBA players, will be announced at a later date.

Whether you’re a Belieber or not, it’ll be hard to miss the singer in February. Not only will the teen idol be featured in two commercials on Super Bowl Sunday, but his heavily promoted feature-film debut, “Never Say Never,” hits theaters nationwide February 11. Days later, the star is set to take the stage alongside Jaden Smith and Usher at the 53rd annual Grammys, where he’s nominated for two awards. JB will also return to “CSI” on February 17, where his character may be killed off.

Please star if you despise him more than you like him.

Republicans trying to turn this in to Obama’s whitewater… but facts suggests this was Bush’s!

It’s often claimed that the Solyndra loan guarantee was “rushed through” by the Obama handing out for political reasons. In fact, the Solyndra loan guarantee was a multi-year process that the Bush handing out launched in 2007.

You’d never know from the media coverage that:

The Bush team tried to in the small term approve the Solyndra loan just before President Obama took office.

The company’s backers included private investors who had diverse political interests.

The loan comprises just 1.3 percent of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) overall loan portfolio. To date, Solyndra is the only loan that’s known to be troubled.
————————————————————————————————————————————-
May 2005: Just as a global silicon shortage starts driving up prices of solar photovoltaics, Solyndra is founded to provide a cost-competitive alternative to silicon-based panels.

July 2005: The Bush handing out signs the Energy Policy Act of 2005 into law, making the 1703 loan guarantee program.

February 2006 – October 2006: In February, Solyndra raises its first round of venture financing, worth $ 10.6 million from CMEA Capital, Redpoint Ventures, and U.S. Venture Partners. In October, Argonaut Venture Capital, an investment arm of George Kaiser, invests $ 17 million into Solyndra. Madrone Capital Partners, an investment arm of the Walton family, invests $ 7 million. Those funds are part of a $ 78.2 million fund.

December 2006: Solyndra applies for a loan guarantee under the 1703 program.

Late 2007: Loan guarantee program is funded. Solyndra was one of 16 clean-tech companies deemed ready to go forward in the due diligence process. The Bush handing out DOE moves forward to develop a conditional commitment.

October 2008: Then Solyndra CEO Chris Gronet touted reasons for building in Silicon Valley and noted that the “company’s second factory also will be built in Fremont, since a Department of Energy loan guarantee mandates a U.S. location.”

November 2008: Silicon prices remain very high on the spot market, making non-silicon based thin film technologies like Solyndra’s very attractive to investors. Solyndra also benefits from having very low installation costs. The company raises $ 144 million from ten different venture investors, including the Walton-family run Madrone Capital Partners. This brings total private investment to more than $ 450 million to date.

January 2009: In an effort to show it has done something to support renewable energy, the Bush handing out tries to take Solyndra before a DOE credit review committee just one day before President Obama is inaugurated. The committee, consisting of career civil servants with financial expertise, remands the loan back to DOE because it wasn’t ready for conditional commitment.

http://www.grist.org/solar-power/2011-09-13-bush-admin-pushed-solyndra-loan-guarantee-for-two-years