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<p>In the muddy of my mind, the Minutemen are singing “Warfare” lyrics:</p>
<p>Falling down the road Steeper as it goes Friend or foe Nobody knows</p>
<p>In the muddy of my mind the Minutemen are singing “The Big Stick” lyrics: “We learn and believe there is justice for us all and we lie to ourselves with a big stick up our ass.”</p>
<p>On Monday, six US troops, serving in Afghanistan, died after receiving friend-foe fire from an Afghan police officer during a training exercise. Friend or foe (?) must be among the many complexities servicemen, women, and their families ponder.</p>
<p>This wasn’t unique, isn’t an aberration. Similar incidents have occurred. Last December, five British soldiers were killed by an Afghan police officer.</p>
<p>Yesterday morning, I read that evangelical Mike Huckabee, and many omniscient omnipotents (yeah, I know pluralizing this is incorrect) are screaming threats to Bradley Manning, using the T word. Treason. “Execute him.” Politicians from both sides (meaning, of course, the Unity Aisle) are clamoring for Eric Holder to prosecute Julian Assange because, according to warmongers, the WikiLeaks founder is damaging national security—security that, in fact, is jeopardized, essentially, by predatory US foreign policy, our racist and greed-driven imperial wars. In other words, warmongering.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the real criminals, the enablers of our insecurity, Bush, Cheney, Obama, and all the neocons, remain at large, living large in plain sight, one touring his fictional memoir, while Manning sits in military solitary confinement and Assange is in hiding, threatened with assassination.</p>
<p>Wannabe-president Huckabee, an ordained Southern Baptist minister and former governor of Arkansas, said this about the unemployed:</p>
<p>You show up every Monday morning at 8 o’clock. You will either pick up trash or you will tutor in a school … you will do something from eight in the morning until four or five that afternoon like everyone else who is getting a check.</p>
<p>What about the masses whose unemployment benefits pay for their return to school in pursuit of a marketable skill? They’re in class from 8 o’clock until 3 o’clock after which they rush to pick up children and, then, supervise homework and prepare the evening meal. Many are single parents.</p>
<p>Huckabee, with excess at each fingertip, has penned a plethora of moralizing books. Here are a couple of the titles: Character is the Issue and Do the Right Thing. Like Bush, Huckster Huckabee is busy, hawking one now.</p>
<p>“We learn and believe there is justice for all and we lie to ourselves with a big stick up our ass.”</p>
<p>Under the “leadership” of Barack Obama, totalitarian tactics have broadened with the TSA’s Chertoffing our bodies with scanners whose health consequences have not been studied.</p>
<p>But we have a choice when we walk the porn path-ology at the airport—one similar to voting; we can select the lesser of two evils. Choice provides the illusion of freedom, an option to either move through Michael’s Mutation Machine OR have our breasts, orifices, and inner thighs probed and patted up and down for EXPLOSIVES. Again, the lesser of two evils. And, remember, it was Michael Chertoff who coauthored the US Patriot Act.</p>
<p>Falling down the road Steeper as it goes Friend or foe Nobody knows</p>
<p>Oh, nobody knows the trouble we are seeing and feeling quite as much as those who are actually experiencing it. The rest of us who care read the numbers, the statistics of poverty and war. Really, we know. We know there is justice for all until we understand there isn’t. We know we have lied to ourselves and accepted the perfidy of our elected officials and the duplicity of a complicit fourth estate.</p>
<p>We do know. We can remove the big stick from our ass and act with responsibility instead of sofa sitting while listening to tale-of-vision. And we can hit the streets, protesting Opportunityland’s deficit of opportunities, war, torture, christofascism, corporatism, lack of healthcare, sexism, homophobia, and poverty. Time to merge and move for peace and justice.</p>
<p>Missy Beattie lives in Baltimore, Maryland. Her email address is <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | Friend or Foe? | true | https://counterpunch.org/2010/12/03/friend-or-foe/ | 2010-12-03 | 4 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The legislation allowed Army Gen. George Marshall to serve as secretary of defense under President Truman. Marshall, then a five-star general, served as secretary of defense for a year from 1950 to 1951 after previously serving as Truman’s secretary of state from 1947 to 1949, overseeing the Marshall Plan that helped rebuild Europe after World War II.</p>
<p>Mattis, 66, met with Trump on Saturday at his golf club in Bedminster Township, New Jersey, and Trump tweeted the following day that the general was “very impressive” and under consideration to be Pentagon chief. Mattis retired from active duty in May 2013 as the top officer in U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations across the Middle East.</p>
<p>Mattis’ candidacy to be secretary of defense has thus far received positive responses from current and former U.S. officials ranging from Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz., to Michèle Flournoy, a former Pentagon undersecretary who was considered a front-runner to run the Defense Department in a Democratic administration. It also has been greeted widely and positively by rank-and-file troops and veterans. But Congress must pass a waiver in order for Mattis to serve in the role.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Federal law holds that all retired service members must wait seven years after serving on active duty before they can hold the office of secretary of defense or other senior civilian defense positions. The time limit was set by Congress in 2008, knocking it down from a 10-year limit first set by Congress in the 1947 national security act.</p>
<p>Truman selected Marshall to be his secretary of defense at the outset of the Korean War. His biography on the Defense Department website notes that although the Senate approved his nomination quickly, there were questions about him holding a position “clearly intended for a civilian” and how he felt about the relationship between the State Department and the military during World War II. Marshall responded that he had “suffered from the lack of unification throughout the war,” according to the biography.</p>
<p>The special legislation passed to make Marshall secretary of defense amended the 1947 national security act, which shaped U.S. military and intelligence agencies after World War II. The amended legislation said that while Marshall was permitted to serve as defense secretary, “the authority granted by this Act is not to be constructed as approval by the Congress of continuing appointments of military men in the office of Secretary of Defense in the future.”</p>
<p>Retired Army Gen. Carter Ham, who led U.S. Africa Command at the same time that Mattis oversaw Central Command, said Monday that while he thinks Mattis would be “a very effective secretary of defense,” he acknowledges that a conversation needs to be had by the Trump administration and Congress about whether it makes sense to put a recently retired general in the job.</p>
<p>“I think that’s just a debate that has to go on,” Ham said. “My personal view is that Mattis certainly has the ability to do that, and I think we’ll be able to distinguish him in his role as civilian secretary from his role as military commander.”</p>
<p>Ham said that Mattis was an “extraordinary partner,” especially when Africa Command needed military power it did not have to carry out operations that arose.</p>
<p>“Not that he ever was anxious to give up capability, but if he saw there was a valid and he saw that he could contribute to that effort without significantly degrading his own operations, he was usually in support,” Ham said. “I’ll forever be grateful for that. It was: ‘What do you need, Carter, to be successful?’ “</p>
<p>Mattis has not yet said how, if chosen, he would see his role as defense secretary. This fall, he released a book he co-edited with Kori Schake, a former defense and diplomatic official for President George W. Bush, that argued that political leaders too often take for granted “an abiding respect by the public for our military, as though it were immune to any effect from their policy choices.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The book, titled “Warriors and Citizens,” examines how the U.S. military and civilians look at each other, and that we shouldn’t expect political leaders to solve the problems that exist in civil-military relations in America.</p>
<p>“In short, because the American public holds its military in such high regard, we are putting it at greater risk,” they wrote. “We have allowed our strategic thinking to atrophy, allowed our policymaking to become flabby because our military’s high level of performance has lulled our sensibilities. This is both a policy failure and a moral one.”</p>
<p>—</p>
<p>VIDEO:</p>
<p>Retired U.S. Marine Corps General James Mattis is emerging as a potential favorite for President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of defense nominee. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)</p>
<p>— <a href="http://wapo.st/2gch8AQ" type="external">http://wapo.st/2gch8AQ</a></p>
<p>—</p>
<p />
<p>trump-mattis-repeat</p> | How Trump naming Mattis as Pentagon chief would break with 65 years of US history | false | https://abqjournal.com/893839/how-trump-naming-mattis-as-pentagon-chief-would-break-with-65-years-of-us-history.html | 2016-11-21 | 2 |
<p>NEW YORK&#160;—&#160;The United States East Coast dug out on Friday from the final wallop of a deadly four-day storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in some places, causing chaos from the South to New England.</p>
<p>Five more people were killed on icy roads or while shoveling snow in North Carolina, bringing the storm's death toll to at least 20. In New York, doctors were working to save the baby of a pregnant 36-year-old woman killed by a private snow plow in a parking lot in Brooklyn.</p>
<p>The Pennsylvania Turnpike was littered with twisted metal from at least 50 vehicles in multiple crashes that injured at least 30 people. The road had to be closed during the morning commute, causing a seven-mile backup, said Renee Vid Colborn, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.</p>
<p>"It was a chain reaction," Vid Colborn said of two massive crashes involving up to 25 vehicles each. None of the injuries was life threatening, she said.</p>
<p>Blue skies and temperatures in the 40s in the New York City area on Friday belied a previous night of unusual thunder snow and electrical storm in New Jersey. A bolt of lightning struck a Spirit Airlines plane flying from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., but it was able to land safely at its destination, Atlantic City International Airport, said airline spokesman Jim Lynde.</p>
<p>"Thunder snow is just a reflection of how intense that storm was and how hard the snowfall rate was," said Chris Vaccaro, spokesman for the National Weather Service.</p>
<p>Snowfall measured 28.5 inches in Pilot, Va., about 200 miles east of Richmond, Vaccaro said.</p>
<p>A new storm system from the central Plains was on its way Friday, expected to dump up to three inches on the East Coast into Saturday of the Presidents Day holiday weekend, he said.</p>
<p>SECOND SNOW DAY FOR PHILADELPHIA SCHOOLS</p>
<p>Heavy snow in and around New York City, Boston and Philadelphia, caused some schools to be closed for a second unplanned day on Friday.</p>
<p>"You can fly in the air," said a squealing kindergartner, six-year-old Jack Mension, said while sledding in Philadelphia's Clark Park on his second snow day.</p>
<p>Some parents were not as thrilled as they scrambled to find child care, and school administrators were looking at how best to make up lost classroom time by extending&#160;the school year into summer.</p>
<p>About 1,400 US flights were canceled, and roughly 2,400 more were delayed by midday on Friday, said flight-tracking website FlightAware.com.</p>
<p>The weather also slowed business for flower shops banking on a big day of deliveries on Friday for Valentine's Day.</p>
<p>Stefan Handl, a co-owner of the Harlem Flo flower shop in Manhattan, said the huge storm "isn't making our life easier, that's for sure."</p>
<p />
<p>(Additional reporting by Daniel Kelley in Philadelphia, Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; editing by Gunna Dickson)</p> | When hundreds of cars pile up in Pennsylvania, it looks just as bad from the air (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-02-14/when-hundreds-cars-pile-pennsylvania-it-looks-just-bad-air-video | 2014-02-14 | 3 |
<p />
<p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1844673669?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=forepolijour-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1844673669" type="external">Israel and Palestine – Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations. Avi Shlaim. Verso, London, 2009.</a></p>
<p>This is a thought provoking if not fully developed work on the ongoing situation in Palestine/Israel. Avi Shlaim has compiled a set of his writings from previous publications that in a broad way cover the events of the region, with a brief look at the Balfour Declaration before jumping forward to look at the UN Partition Plan of 1947 and its resulting sequence of events.</p>
<p>Avi Shlaim self professes to be of the school of revisionist historians and his writing fully supports that claim. Throughout the writing one of the themes is the Israeli use of military power to solve its problems, a solution much preferred to negotiations and compromise. A corollary of this is that when negotiations were used, they were mainly as a mask to delay a solution while the ongoing status quo built more settlements and evicted more Palestinians from their homes and farms, especially after the 1967 war.</p>
<p>Another thematic reminder that reiterates throughout the work is that of the asymmetric power – mainly military – that reinforces the previous idea, but also adds the knowledge that there is no balance in the situation, that Israel holds all the power, to the point that “a voluntary agreement between the parties is simply unattainable;” and as seen within the Oslo agreement the Palestinians would have been “subject to the provisions of Israeli law…and military orders… rather than international law.”</p>
<p />
<p>International Law</p>
<p />
<p>One of the more thought provoking themes raised by Shlaim is that of international law and its place within the creation of Israel/Palestine and its place within the ongoing torments of the Palestinian people. Shlaim clearly identifies the occupation as the most significant component of Israel’s defiance of international law. Under this rubric falls all the defiance of international law that refers to annexation, settlement, attacks on civilians, torture, imprisonment, land confiscation et al. That Israel is in defiance of international law is well supported, and especially since the attack on Gaza in 2008, wherein “Israel’s disdain for international norms involves America in a pattern of hypocrisy and makes a mockery of its claim to moral leadership.” At the end of his examination of Israel’s attack on Gaza, Shlaim states that Israel “has become a rogue state with ‘an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders.’ A rogue state habitually violates international law, possesses weapons of mass destruction [also against international law] and practices terrorism – the use of violence against civilians for political purposes [ditto].”</p>
<p>Where I have questions – and they are truly more questions than arguments as I am no authority on international law – is with his support of the state of Israel under international law by way of the slim trail of paperwork from the Balfour Declaration through to the UN Partition Plan of 1947.</p>
<p>Shlaim “accept[s] the legitimacy of the State of Israel within its pre-1967 borders” based on the “inescapable fact that something on a titanic scale had to be done for them [European holocaust survivors] and there was nothing titanic enough except Palestine,” as the “moral case for a Jewish state became unassailable.” These positions are arguable, as are any arguments stated in absolutes and written from a singular perspective of Western guilt for atrocities against the Jewish people in World War II.</p>
<p>Having questioned the statements, I cannot argue with the fact of Israel: it exists albeit in a somewhat ill-defined manner suiting the pro-settlement, apartheid, right wing religious nationalists; and it will continue to exist in spite of its manufactured fears and presentations of itself being the victim of Palestinian intransigence and under threat from any of a number of self-perceived enemies.</p>
<p>But is it all ‘legal’? Shlaim argues that “a resolution passed by the UN General Assembly by a large majority cannot be illegal.” Okay, fine. The vote was 33 in favour, 13 against and 10 abstentions, with a requirement for a 2/3 majority. Is that a large majority? Abstentions obviously were not counted, but why and under what pressure of ideals were those abstentions made? And what about the other countries, more than the fifty-six voting within the UN, and probably more including the many colonies that were probably excluded at the time? Still, Israel exists and the vote is irrelevant, except perhaps for arguing about where the boundaries of Israel should be under international law.</p>
<p />
<p>1947 Partition</p>
<p />
<p>The UN Partition Plan of 1947 is of dubious validity – I would be glad to receive arguments on the pros and cons of it – based as it was on a limited and perhaps contrived vote count. But even accepting its validity, further questions arise from the Plan itself in which it recommends:</p>
<p>From all the materials I have read, there was a large “attempt to alter by force the settlement envisaged by this resolution,” and there certainly has been a “situation in Palestine [note the name] [that] constitutes a threat to the peace.” Israeli historians of the propaganda ilk will argue yes, there certainly were “threats to peace,” and there were attempts to “alter by force” with the blame applied to the Arab armies and the indigenous population, yet much of this force and threat occurred well before the Arab states intervened.</p>
<p>The reality that has more recently been uncovered by the revisionist historians listed by Shlaim (and many others) demonstrates that force and peace threats rose immediately from the Israeli ‘defence’ forces who quickly set about the ethnic cleansing of over 400 towns using tactics which today would be considered terror. Perhaps then the arguable line of a two state settlement should be the original boundaries of the UN partition plan with Jerusalem as an international city?</p>
<p>Reality says that Israel exists in a much larger form than the original intended plan, and it will not surrender – arguably – any territory in a settlement with the Palestinians. Again, Israel exists and the Partition Plan is essentially irrelevant to moving forward within the current world situation.</p>
<p>Much farther back along the time line, the Balfour Declaration is simply that, a declaration of purpose, and has absolutely no validity in international law, or should not have. One governments belief about making a new state on already populated territory should have no validity in international law. This of course raises huge questions about many countries that were colonies set up with arbitrary boundaries by the imperial forces of the day extending throughout Asia, Africa, and the Americas (did any of the indigenous populations have a say in the establishment of their country and its boundaries?) and which have been partial cause if not major cause of many international problems today.</p>
<p>These concerns can be argued back and forth without changing much. What is clear is that Israel today is in a clear breach of international law along with its accomplice, the U.S. Shlaim covers much territory and significant time, but the two strongest hitting chapters from my perspective were the ones on Ariel Sharon in “Ariel Sharon’s War Against the Palestinians” and on Gaza “Israel’s War Against Hamas: Rhetoric and Reality.”</p>
<p />
<p>Back to the basics I – Sharon</p>
<p />
<p>Sharon is viewed as an ultimate warrior, in which “diplomacy…is the extension of war by other means,” with convictions based on Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s strategy “to enable the Zionist movement to deal with its local opponents from a position of unassailable strength.” His “iron wall” was “not an end in itself but a means to an end,” in order “to compel the Arabs to abandon any hope of destroying the Jewish state. Despair was expected to promote pragmatism.” His career was hallmarked with “mendacity, the most savage brutality towards the Arab civilians, and a persistent preference for force over diplomacy,” he remained “the champion of violent solutions.”</p>
<p>Apart from his “habitual violation of UN resolutions to the systematic abuse of international humanitarian law,” one of Sharon’s most disturbing aspects “was the commencement of the construction of the so called ‘security barrier’ or wall on the West Bank.” According to Shlaim, “it is clear that the wall is paving the way to the de facto annexation of a substantial part of the West Bank to Israel. Jabotinsky’s iron wall metaphor “fast became a hideous and horrendous concrete reality, and an environmental catastrophe,” not to mention the International Court of Justice “declared Construction of the barrier is contrary to international law.”</p>
<p />
<p>Back to the basics II – Gaza.</p>
<p />
<p>Gaza receives the denouement position within this series of articles, as it is the most recent, most aggressive, and most obvious violation of international law. When a massively armed force attacks what is essentially a large outdoor prison, having previously broken a truce sustained by Hamas, there can be no doubt about Israel’s culpability in breaking international law.</p>
<p>While introducing the background to this chapter, Shlaim says “the aftermath of the June 1967 war had very little to do with security and everything to do with territorial expansion….and the result has been on of the most prolonged and brutal military occupations of modern times.” At first, economic control of Gaza (and the West Bank), a control that “did incalculable damage to the economy of the Gaza Strip,” is discussed. The ongoing Israeli activities made it so “The development of local industry was actively impeded so as to make it impossible for the Palestinians to end their subordination to Israel and to establish the economic underpinnings essential for real political independence.”</p>
<p>When the Gaza settlers were withdrawn it served two purposes. The first was propaganda for the western media, but “the real purpose behind the move was to redraw unilaterally the borders of Greater Israel by incorporating the main settlement blocs on the West Bank into the [State] of Israel.” Shlaim’s history continues with strong condemnatory notes. After the withdrawal “Gaza was converted overnight into an open-air prison.” As for democracy, “Israel likes to portray itself as an island of democracy in a sea of authoritarianism. Yet it has never in its entire history done anything to promote democracy.” Turning to the Palestinian side, he says, “the Palestinian people succeeded in building the only genuine democracy in the Arab world with the possible exception of Lebanon and Morocco.” These are impressively strong statements that speak clearly of the reality in the Arab/Israeli conflict.</p>
<p>Shlaim notes the irony of “The international community imposing economic sanctions not against the occupier but against the occupied, not against the oppressor, but against the oppressed.” He also notes the reaction of Hamas, as “it began to move towards pragmatic accommodation of a two-state solution,” a voice Israel continually denies credibility to.</p>
<p>His language continues accusing and strong: “Killing civilians is a gross violation of international humanitarian law….Israel’s record is one of unbridled and unremitting brutality towards the inhabitants of Gaza.” The ongoing economic blockade is seen as immoral and also “a form of collective punishment that is strictly forbidden by international humanitarian law.” Beyond the economy, war crimes are listed that “alone sweep away any moral or legal justification for the war.” Shlaim ends the chapter with the passage quoted above about Israel becoming a rogue state that “habitually violates international law.”</p>
<p />
<p>Highlights</p>
<p />
<p>Shlaim’s work is not necessarily a good place to start for someone wanting an overview of the whole of the Palestine/Israel question from its historical inception through to today. It is however a powerfully stated series of descriptions and commentaries that highlight the Israeli disregard for international law and some of the complicity of the U.S. Without equivocation and with clear language that is accessible to all readers, Shlaim provides ample evidence of the international intransigence of Israel towards what are commonly expressed principles of international law and commonly held expectations of humanitarian behaviour. As a dissident historical perspective (becoming more and more mainstream, especially after the Gaza war), Israel and Palestine is a welcome and strongly worded addition to the library of material on the core threat to peace in the Middle East.</p> | Review: Israel and Palestine – Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations | false | http://foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/01/18/review-israel-and-palestine-reappraisals-revisions-refutations/ | 2010-01-18 | 1 |
<p>BERLIN (Reuters) – Deutsche Bank (DE:) is able to cope with the stricter capital rules on banks that were agreed this week, its finance chief told a German paper.</p>
<p>“We are well capitalized. There is no need to be alarmed,” James von Moltke was quoted as saying by Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an advance copy of an interview to be published on Monday.</p>
<p>Financial regulators reached a long-sought deal on Thursday to harmonize global banking rules, known as Basel III, capping a decade of effort to make banks more resilient.</p>
<p>Von Moltke joined Deutsche in July, at a time when it has managed to put 15 billion euros ($17.64 billion) worth of legal headaches behind it and bolstered its capital with an 8 billion euro rights issue.</p>
<p>He rejected the idea that Deutsche Bank was still involved in risky business. “We are not taking gambles,” he was quoted as saying.</p>
<p>He added that he expected further mergers in the sector.</p>
<p>“There will probably be further mergers in the banking industry in the coming years. But each deal must make sense in terms of the business model, so that everyone – shareholders, employees and customers – can benefit.”</p>
<p>(In this version of the story the paper corrects publication date of interview to Monday)</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | Deutsche Bank can cope with Basel III outcome: CFO in paper | false | https://newsline.com/deutsche-bank-can-cope-with-basel-iii-outcome-cfo-in-paper/ | 2017-12-08 | 1 |
<p>Baghdad.</p>
<p>It was the turn of Basra’s schoolchildren yesterday to suffer the horror of a suicide bombing. In what was the bloodiest attack on Iraq’s largest Shia city, bombers in vehicles packed with explosives detonated them against police buildings, killing 68 people, including children burnt to death in school buses.</p>
<p>“I looked around and saw my leg bleeding and my neighbour lying dead on the floor, torn apart,” said Amin Dinar as he lay in his hospital bed. “I saw a minibus full of children on fire.”</p>
<p>Until yesterday, Basra had been a relatively peaceful city where British soldiers wore berets rather than helmets and patrolled in open-top Land Rovers. The ruthless attacks show no place is safe in Iraq even though relations between the British troops and Iraqis in Basra have been much more cordial than the feelings Iraqi have for US forces.</p>
<p>Yesterday, just after 7am, the bombers drove their vehicles simultaneously into the fortified entrances of three police stations and a police academy. About 200 people were injured. The worst casualties were at the Saudia police station, close to Basra’s main street market, where two minibuses, one carrying children to a kindergarten and the other taking girls to a secondary school, were torn apart.</p>
<p>A crater, 6ft deep and 9ft wide, was blown in the pavement outside the police station. The bombers probably used heavy artillery shells wired together and detonated by the driver. British soldiers trying to reach the scene were intercepted by angry Iraqis who blamed them for failing to keep the city secure. Five soldiers from the Royal Welch Fusiliers were injured, one of seriously.</p>
<p>There are 8,700 British troops in southern Iraq.</p>
<p>The bombings, inflicting the worst casualties in Basra since the war, are similar to suicide attacks in other parts of Iraq over the past eight months.</p>
<p>The bombers have generally blown up “soft” targets such as police stations, the United Nations headquarters, the International Committee of the Red Cross and hotels in Baghdad used by foreigners. They have ignored heavy Iraqi civilian casualties.</p>
<p>Basra, where British troops are in overall control, was probably targeted simply because it is almost the only large Iraqi Arab city which has been quiet in recent months. An aim of the bombing campaign is evidently to keep the political temperature in Iraq high by striking all over the country. The suicide bombers also seem most active when there is a lull in guerrilla activity. “I expect they are from al-Qa’ida,” said Wael Abdul-Latif, who said there were up to 16 children and nine policemen among the dead. Other officials gave a lower figure for the number of children killed.</p>
<p>The fourth attack was at a police academy in Zubayr, south of Basra. British defence officials say the blast there killed three Iraqis and wounded four British soldiers, two of them seriously.</p>
<p>The US has insisted the bombing campaign is being masterminded by a Jordanian Islamic militant called Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and have produced an intercepted letter from him to al-Qa’ida. But the role of Mr Zarqawi remains shadowy. Since before the war the US has tried to link al-Qa’ida, with no real evidence, first with Saddam Hussein and then with the resistance.</p>
<p>In practice, the Allies show little sign of knowing who is organising the attacks. Even if there is foreign participation it would be impossible for a non-Iraqi Arab to provide safe houses, vehicles and intelligence without being discovered.</p>
<p>As the suicide bombers struck in Basra, the ceasefire in the besieged city of Fallujah was looking shaky. US Marines said Iraqi insurgents attacked marine positions at dawn with a barrage of rockets and small-arms fire. The marines replied with tank fire and helicopter gunships, killing nine guerrillas according to a spokesman for the US forces.</p>
<p>Local residents said six civilians were killed and wounded in the fighting. The truce also looked shaky because no guerrillas have handed over weapons such as rocket-propelled grenade launchers and heavy machine-guns, a condition agreed by local leaders in Fallujah on Tuesday. The marines, for their part, reimposed their blockade of the city, preventing Iraqi families from returning to their homes and keeping 600 people waiting at a checkpoint.</p>
<p>Captain Matt Watt, of the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, said: “I think its one last surge by the mujahedin and criminal- type elements in the city to get one last attack in before the political situation snuffs them out. They see that the end is near and they are making one last push.” In Baghdad the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council has chosen judges and prosecutors for the trial of Saddam Hussein, but their names and identities will be kept secret.</p>
<p>Salem Chalabi, a US-educated lawyer, is director general of the special tribunal set up to try Saddam, who was captured near his former stronghold of Tikrit on 13 December.</p>
<p>The trial is not expected to start for at least a year.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | When Terror Came to Basra | true | https://counterpunch.org/2004/04/22/when-terror-came-to-basra/ | 2004-04-22 | 4 |
<p />
<p>In retrospect, Brexit turned out to be more meaningful than&#160;Grexit. And while the immediate reaction of global financial markets (NYSEARCA:VT) to the England’s decisive vote to leave the European Union (EU) was negative, it’s a stark reminder of why investing without a margin of safety is negligent.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>With the exception of precious metals (NYSEARCA:GLTR), mining stocks (NYSEARCA:GDXJ), U.S. Treasuries (NYSEARCA:TLT), and a few defensive sectors like utilities (NYSEARCA:XLU) there were few places to hide.</p>
<p>(Audio) <a href="http://www.etfguide.com/radio" type="external">How Your Non-Core Portfolio Should Work Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>As I’ve relentlessly advocated on my <a href="http://www.etfguide.com/radio" type="external">weekly podcast</a>&#160;and at ETFguide.com, the three cornerstones of an architecturally sound investment portfolio are 1) a core, 2) non-core, and 3) a margin of safety. Each of these three components plays a deliberately different role than the other part inside your investment portfolio. While the&#160;core and non-core part of your total investment portfolio will generally be oriented toward growth and income, your portfolio’s margin of safety is strictly reserved for capital preservation. And it serves no other role but to give you a cushion and permanent form of insurance.</p>
<p>The concept margin of safety is not new. It was originally introduced by investing legend Benjamin Graham. He applied margin of safety in the&#160;context of selecting individual stocks at prices below intrinsic value that would give the investor an adequate cushion or margin of safety.</p>
<p>For all investors, Graham’s groundbreaking idea about how to properly manage risk has broader applications beyond selecting individual stocks. In the spirit of Graham’s prudent advice, the concept margin of safety can be extended to how a portfolio of investments is assembled and managed. I also teach this in my online course “ <a href="https://www.udemy.com/ron-delegges-crash-course-for-investors/learn/v4/" type="external">Build, Grow, and Protect Your Money: A Step-by-Step Guide Opens a New Window.</a>.”</p>
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<p>What type of assets should you use for your portfolio’s margin of safety?</p>
<p>The key characteristics for assets inside your portfolio’s margin are 1) they should not lose market value, 2) they should not have market volatility, and 3) principal and income should be guaranteed. These prerequisites automatically rule out assets like gold (NYSEARCA:GLD) and bonds (NYSEARCA:BND), which are often improperly used&#160;as margin of safety assets. Because bonds and gold are both susceptible to market losses, they are unsatisfactory components for a person’s margin of safety.</p>
<p>Installing an adequate margin of safety within your portfolio right now vs. later prevents you from doing it at&#160;a future&#160;time when market conditions may not necessarily be favorable. Put another way, acquiring insurance should always occur before the house burns down, not when it’s burning and most certainly not after it’s burned down.</p>
<p>To help you, I’ve created a margin of safety worksheet that will help you to accurately calculate how much of your portfolio should be dedicated to margin of safety. This worksheet is also available to <a href="http://www.etfguide.com/newsletter" type="external">premium members at ETFguide Opens a New Window.</a> for no additional charge.</p>
<p>Here’s a few more&#160;things you should know about your portfolio’s margin of safety:</p>
<p>1)&#160;Your margin of safety&#160;is a&#160;permanent form of insurance within your total investment portfolio and is always on 2) The exact percentage of your portfolio earmarked for margin of safety&#160;is not guided or decided by present or future market conditions 3)&#160;Your age and investment time horizon along with your risk tolerance level are among the key factors that will determine how much of your portfolio is earmarked for&#160;margin of safety 4)&#160;Asset allocation and diversification are not satisfactory substitutions for&#160;investing without a margin of safety 5)&#160;Being a long-term investor does not make you prudent if you’re investing without an adequate margin of safety</p>
<p>Those who complain that margin of safety undermines long-term investment results are dead wrong.</p>
<p>As noted by my colleague <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/3956367-investors-really-want-financial-advisors-can-robos-deliver" type="external">Ron Surz in a recent post Opens a New Window.</a>,&#160;William F. Sharpe won a Nobel in 1990 for his Capital Asset Pricing Model, which, among other things,&#160;proved&#160;that risk control is best achieved with a margin of safety or cash. And a portfolio that&#160;blends the “market” with cash, dominates the Efficient Frontier at low levels of risk thereby providing&#160;higher returns for the same level of risk.</p>
<p>It’s no coincidence legendary investors like Warren Buffett always have a margin of safety within their portfolio like cash equivalents and other assets with principal protection. This layer of portfolio protection takes Ben Graham’s margin of safety concept one-step further by applying it to how an entire portfolio of investments should be managed.</p>
<p>Does your investment portfolio have an adequate&#160;margin of safety? If not, then now is the time to do it.</p> | Are You Still Investing Without a Margin of Safety? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/06/24/are-still-investing-without-margin-safety.html | 2016-06-24 | 0 |
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<p>With Cyber Monday just hours away, Sen. Chuck Schumer Sunday warned consumers that when it comes to buying home DNA tests this holiday season, the purchaser’s privacy could be jeopardized.</p>
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<p>The New York Democrat called on the Federal Trade Commission to “investigate and ensure” fair privacy standards for all DNA kits.</p>
<p>“When it comes to protecting consumers’ privacy from at-home DNA test kit services, the federal government is behind; putting your most personal genetic information in the hands of third parties for their exclusive use raises a lot of concerns, from the potential for discrimination by employers all the way to health insurance,” Schumer said in a statement.</p>
<p>Ancestry, MyHeritage and 23andMe are some of the companies selling the at-home DNA test kits, which allow users to find out more about their genetics and family heritage by analyzing a sample of their saliva. The companies are offering discounts on their kits as part of a Black Friday/Cyber Monday promotion—Ancestry is offering its product for $59 and MyHeritage for $49, both down from their normal $99.</p>
<p>Schumer said many users don’t recognize the sensitive information they are providing could wind up in the hands of many third-party companies, and criticized the varying terms of service, or “fine print,” the firms use because it means consumers might not fully understand the consent they are giving for their data.</p>
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<p>“There is no point to learning about your family tree if your privacy gets chopped down in the process,” the senator said.</p>
<p>In a statement to FOX Business, MyHeritage said it “has never sold or licensed DNA data to any 3rd party” and “will never sell or license DNA data to any 3rd party without the user's explicit consent, and will never sell or license personal information of users to any 3rd party.” MyHeritage also said it will “never sell or license DNA data to insurance companies” and that users can “always delete their DNA data permanently from the service.”</p>
<p>An Ancestry spokesperson told FOX Business in a statement: “We respect and agree with Sen. Schumer’s concern for customer privacy and believe any regulation should match the commitments we make to our customers: You own your data and you always maintain ownership of it. We do not sell your data to third parties or share it with researchers without your consent. You may request that we delete your data or account at any time. We look forward to working with him and his colleagues to protect customer privacy."</p>
<p>“We do not sell individual customer information nor do we include any customer data in our research program without an individual’s voluntary and informed consent.&#160;23andMe customers are in control of their data - customers can choose to consent, or not to, at any time. Our consent document and privacy statement are published online for everyone to read and our research is overseen by an independent third party (IRB) to ensure research meets all legal and ethical standards,” Kate Black, 23andMe privacy officer, told FOX Business in a statement.</p> | Schumer warns at-home DNA tests could put your sensitive data at risk | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/11/26/schumer-warns-at-home-dna-tests-could-put-your-sensitive-data-at-risk.html | 2017-11-26 | 0 |
<p>Covering fashion for <a href="http://www.wwd.com/" type="external">WWD</a>, I've seen the best that Moscow has to offer. And by best I mean worst. Designers of the world: this place needs help.</p>
<p>I just came across this delicious nugget of news: last week, <a href="http://hello.ru/" type="external">Russia's version of Hello!</a> magazine handed out awards for "The Most Stylish in Russia." Now relax your eyeballs and read on. We've got five awards to get through.</p>
<p>The award for most stylish went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuliya_Snigir" type="external">Yulia Snigir</a>, a very pretty actress but not one best known for wearing clothes:</p>
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<p>The award in the "classic" category went to Sati Spivakova (probably because she does enjoy wearing clothes that actually cover up her body). Spivakova is a mainstay of what passes for the elite party scene here and is best known for being married to virtuoso violinist and conductor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Spivakov" type="external">Vladimir Spivakov</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>Moving on, we've got Russian "It Girl" Ksenia Sobchak winning the award in the "casual" category. Sobchak is ubiquitious, and has most recently graced Russian TV by hosting <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YhAM3bpdBs" type="external">Top Model Po-Russki</a>, Russia's answer to America's Next Top Model. She once dressed like this:</p>
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<p>Next up is the award for "Bohemian Chic" and that went to <a href="http://www.rudkovskaya.ru/htm/en/bio/" type="external">Yana Rudkovskaya</a>, a tabloid favorite and wife of figure skater Yevgeny Plyushenko. I once sat next to her at a dinner where the main topic of converation, I kid you not, was how one young woman at the table freaked out when she saw a sonogram of her soon-to-be born daughter. "But she's got such fat thighs, doctor! Is there anything we can do to fix it?" Here's Rudkovskaya. What do you think - Bohemian?</p>
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<p>Most stylish man went to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Urgant" type="external">Ivan Urgant</a>, a popular TV host and <a href="http://www.theawl.com/2011/05/my-two-weeks-as-a-russian-tabloid-sensation" type="external">requisite emcee</a> for whatever passes as a big Russian pop culture event.</p>
<p />
<p>And then we've got Hello!'s version of a lifetime achievement award. It went to Soviet-era film actress Yelena Bystritskaya. I don't like making fun of the elderly, so I won't include her picture here.</p>
<p>Russia's leading society columnist Bozhena Rynska <a href="http://www.gazeta.ru/column/rynska/3596933.shtml" type="external">wrote up the event</a>. After complaining about the club and the poor food served at the awards show, she writes: "Cultivating style - is an almost hopeless thing, because there are practically no stylish women in Russia."</p>
<p>"We have beautiful actresses," she writes. "They are famous to a huge audience, but they don't have the time, or the possibilities, to work on style (and this is round-the-clock work)."</p>
<p>For the record, my award for most stylish would most definitely have gone to socialite Uliana Sergienko, who <a href="http://www.interfax.ru/photo.asp?id=103&amp;photo=7441" type="external">showed up to the awards wearing a kerchief and a see-through top</a>.</p> | Russia's "Most Stylish" | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-05-06/russias-most-stylish | 2011-05-06 | 3 |
<p>Helicopters circling the city, combat planes roaring overhead; the streets, airports and public buildings patrolled by 13,000 police, soldiers, secret servicemen and spies, U.S. as well as Colombian.</p>
<p>The arrival of Donald Rumsfeld in Bogotá on August 19 did not portend anything but the further ratcheting up of imperial terror in South America. The day before, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe faced machine-gun fire from the FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) when his helicopter approached Granada, Antioquia, a town that was destroyed by the FARC’s gas cylinder bombs on December 6-7, 2000. Since the FARC have sophisticated, up-to-date grenade launchers as well as machine guns and crude cylinder bombs, one wonders if, like nearly everything else in Álvaro Uribe’s presidency, the attack was not stage-managed to drive home the need for more resources to fight “drugs and terror,” so as to wipe out the FARC guerrillas, now held to be responsible for the country’s accumulated problems.</p>
<p>For the past several years, South America’s non-violent social movements-the Argentine piqueteros, the Brazilian landless, the Ecuadorian indigenous people, the Bolivian coca growers, Colombian and Peruvian trade unionists and community organizations-have offered a beacon of hope to the world, since they have blocked a series of neoliberal privatization efforts in the cities and held counterinsurgency in check in the countryside. As recently as nine months ago, there were reasons for relative optimism, since the movements had translated mass mobilization into electoral power: Lula and the PT had won in Brazil, Evo Morales and MAS had lost the Bolivian presidency by less than 1.5% but promised to form a formidable opposition, Lucio Gutierrez was going to have indigenous leaders in his government in Ecuador, Chávez was close to defeating the opposition in Venezuela.</p>
<p>Beginning with Plan Colombia, in the name of the war on drugs-which, after September 11, 2001, became the war on drugs and terror-the U.S. government responded to the growing challenge to the Washington Consensus: a military base in Manta, Ecuador, ‘Plan Dignity’ to eradicate coca in the Bolivian Chapare, a coup in Venezuela, offhand comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill that rocked Brazilian financial markets as elections neared. But the cornerstone of the U.S. approach to the hemisphere was to be found in Colombia, the world’s third most-important client-state after Israel and Egypt ($3 billion paid out since 2000). In late July 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives approved $731 million in FY 2004 for the Andean Regional Initiative (explicitly acknowledged as the continuation of Plan Colombia, under new auspices), two thirds of which will go to the Colombian government; more specifically, to its military and police.</p>
<p>Though the conjuncture remains fluid, hence subject to dramatic reversal, it seems that for the time being, the imperially aligned right has regained the upper hand everywhere in Latin America except Venezuela and Cuba. At the inauguration ceremony of President Nicanor Duarte in Paraguay on August 15, on the initiative of Álvaro Uribe, presidents of the South American republics-excepting Hugo Chávez-signed the “Declaration of Asunción,” a pledge of loyalty in “the war on drugs and terror.”</p>
<p>In effect, Lula has complied with his campaign pledge to meet IMF terms of fiscal austerity and renounced an independent foreign policy of the sort that Chávez has tried to forge (so far without success). Lula’s diplomatic profile was conspicuously low during Gulf War: The Sequel, and the signing of the “Declaration of Asunción” is nothing short of outright capitulation to U.S. foreign policy aims. Without Brazilian leadership in foreign and economic policy, smaller, less independent countries of the continent have scant room for maneuver. Like Lula, Lucio Gutierrez has recently risen to the top of the U.S. rankings of South American presidents, and he, too, signed Uribe’s pledge of allegiance. But he faces imminent confrontation at home with the very indigenous and urban popular forces that brought him to power, and may not last long. If he is overthrown, he would become the third Ecuadorian ruler to be deposed since 1999.</p>
<p>Lula, whose administration appears to be more stable than all others save Uribe’s, recently promised the MST he would use state power and resources to confront and overcome landlord resistance to agrarian reform. He would do well to keep his promise, since the landlords are politically isolated and, lacking close ties to financial and multinational enterprise, economically marginal relative to other fractions of the Brazilian ruling class. Their armed wing, responsible for the deaths of forty-three peasants in the past year, would be no match for the Brazilian army, as it lacks political legitimacy in the cities, where sympathy runs high for the MST’s legalist strategy and tactics of direct action. By implementing agrarian reform, Lula could avoid confrontation with the continent’s most powerful social movement without having to deliver anything but IMF recipes to his urban, working-class constituents.</p>
<p>Of course Colombia contrasts sharply with Brazil. Uribe represents a politically ascendant, landed fraction of the ruling class invested in extensive cattle ranching and narco-financed, paramilitary counterinsurgency. Though the AUC paramilitaries have been on the U.S. State Department’s list of terrorist groups since September 10, 2001, Uribe officially began a “peace” process with them last month; U.S. Embassy Political Officer Alexander Lee, and Stewart Tuttle, head of the Human Rights Section, met in secret with AUC representatives in early May. The U.S. government has since proposed to spend $3 million to “disarm and demobilize” the 13,000 AUC fighters under the control of Carlos Castaño and Salvatore Mancuso. Mancuso-who, along with Castaño, has been convicted in absentia for war crimes and is wanted for extradition on charges of smuggling 17 tons of cocaine into the U.S.-has said that since it is politically willing to try to eliminate the guerrillas, Uribe’s government has made the paramilitaries irrelevant.</p>
<p>A proposed bill-supplementary to a proposed referendum that would amnesty the paramilitaries-would allow paramilitaries to avoid prison by paying indemnities to families of people they massacred or murdered; or, in some cases, through public service. If sworn into law, the proposal would reinforce impunity in a country where 95 per cent of homicides go unpunished. And people like Castaño and Mancuso would become Senators or deputies in Congress, while their foot soldiers become government spies or “peasant militiamen and women.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, teachers and other trade unionists, community leaders, human rights workers, independent journalists and academics; petty drug dealers and consumers, the homeless, transvestites, homosexuals, addicts and street kids; all are being murdered, though in much smaller numbers than peasants. The six Afro-Colombians murdered outside Buenaventura by the AUC in early July, for example.</p>
<p>Or the four young Guajibo women, one of whom had her fetus hacked out of her stomach and thrown into the nearby river, raped and killed in the Betoyes reserve in Arauca in May. The perpetrators, according to Guajibo survivors, were soldiers from the 18th Brigade’s Navos Pardos Battalion, wearing AUC armbands and coordinating with the ACC, a “dissident” paramilitary block that has opted out of “peace negotiations” with Uribe.</p>
<p>As for making peace with the FARC, “if they break the will of these rebel groups, that’s when negotiations will work,” a Colombian military official told Jim Garamone of the American Forces Press Service.</p>
<p>Uribe’s imperial backing is nearly unlimited, as demonstrated by Rumsfeld’s visit, as well as visits from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Richard Myers, on August 11, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick on August 8. Myers declared that Uribe had achieved significant victories (shades of Vietnam?), compared Venezuela to Syria, and called Colombia a “staunch ally” in the war on drugs and terror, indicating very clearly the Pentagon’s vision of foreign policy for the region. For his part, Zoellick promised Uribe that Colombia was next in line for a bi-lateral trade agreement similar to the one the Bush administration recently reached with Chile. The message to the rest of Latin American rulers was simple: follow Uribe and you will be rewarded.</p>
<p>In Bolivia, it is evident that Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, perhaps the shakiest of South American presidents, has adopted a rigid posture on Uribe’s end of the political spectrum, reciting neoliberal mantras, claiming that the armed forces represent “the pillar of democracy,” and re-appointing Carlos Sánchez Berzaín-whose face, more than any other, is associated with the counterinsurgent violence of February 12-13-as Minister of Defense. Though Uribe has not gone along with the frame-up of Colombian peasant leader Francisco “Pacho” Cortés in Bolivia, Pacho’s case is nevertheless in keeping with the Uribista strategy, which creates bogus links between social protest, terrorism and drug trafficking; links that conveniently obscure systematic, high-level connections between drug trafficking and the political right in order to curry favor with the U.S. government.</p>
<p>Though the right may have re-taken the political initiative in South America for now, it remains to be seen whether its narrow and unimaginative vision can be imposed on Bolivia, much less the rest of a continent whose peoples have proven most resistant to the long night of the neoliberal reich.</p>
<p>FORREST HYLTON is conducting doctoral research in history in Bolivia. A Spanish version of this story originally appeared in Pulso, a Bolivian newsweekly. The September issue of <a href="http://www.newleftreview.net/" type="external">New Left Review</a> features a story by Hylton on Colombia: ‘An Evil Hour’: Uribe’s Colombia in Historical Context.” He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Rumsfeld Does Bogota | true | https://counterpunch.org/2003/08/21/rumsfeld-does-bogota/ | 2003-08-21 | 4 |
<p>The United States of America stands on the precipice of a transition that will define it forever. The current neoliberal order that has championed unfettered capitalism, gutted and privatized many social welfare institutions and destroyed other safety nets has been proven a failure. It has enriched a select few, mostly white people living in urban centers, and in so doing has disenfranchised and incarcerated here at home and expanded its blood sucking tentacles abroad, waging wars on nations that resist its economic agenda. As a result, the Clinton and Obama version of corrupt and morally-bankrupt neoliberalism has fortified a class of people that are rightfully disgruntled.</p>
<p>Right-wing forces have waited in the shadows for exactly such an opportunity. These reactionary, conservative, xenophobic, homophobic, nativist, misogynist and white supremacist groups have latched on to the legitimate anger of the disenfranchised working class to propel Donald Trump into the White House and take both houses of congress.</p>
<p>Liberals that supported Hillary Clinton have a choice. They can either fall behind their champion Barack Obama, “have faith in democracy”, and peacefully submit to a <a href="" type="internal">smooth transition of power to Donald Trump</a> and his electorate, or they can come together and fight that transition, a process that started on the streets of many cities these past few days.</p>
<p>Those who believe that the fight can be waged solely in congress are deluding themselves. American politicians are largely bought and paid for and their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXzmgJ3qoSs" type="external">chameleon-like duplicitous qualities are infinite</a>, as they quickly change their tune to assure there is no interruption in cash flow to their corporate puppet masters. Soon they will turn into a rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s policies. Pressure on politicians is important and can yield some results, but that pressure has to come unwaveringly and relentlessly from the streets. This is a fight for our freedoms and the lives of all those threatened by these reactionary forces.</p>
<p>Now that the neoliberal order has been finally exposed as a losing, out-of-touch disaster, it is time for liberals to accept the failure of their ideology and join with radical forces in the fight for the revolution that will lead to true justice, equality, sustainability and democracy. The alternative is submitting to Donald Trump and the dark forces he represents.</p> | The Ultimate Trial of American Liberals | true | https://counterpunch.org/2016/11/11/the-ultimate-trial-of-american-liberals/ | 2016-11-11 | 4 |
<p>Here's the latest for Tuesday, January 16th: Trump blames Durbin for immigration controversy; Hawaii Gov. having emergency warning system reviewed; Couple accused of keeping their 13 children chained up; Scientists warn Philippines volcano could explode.</p>
<p>Here's the latest for Tuesday, January 16th: Trump blames Durbin for immigration controversy; Hawaii Gov. having emergency warning system reviewed; Couple accused of keeping their 13 children chained up; Scientists warn Philippines volcano could explode.</p> | AP Top Stories January 16 A | false | https://apnews.com/amp/669934e7d58c4b53acc4cdcbb8cce440 | 2018-01-16 | 2 |
<p>Stocks are opening higher in the U.S. after central bankers in Europe and Japan said support for their economies would continue.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average rose 64 points, or 0.4 percent, to 17,064 as of 9:35 a.m. Monday.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index rose eight points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,996. The Nasdaq composite index rose 26 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,564.</p>
<p>Burger King jumped 14 percent in early trading following news that the fast-food chain is in talks to buy Tim Hortons of Canada.</p>
<p>European markets also rose. The DAX in Germany gained 1.2 percent and the CAC-40 rose 1.3 percent. British markets were closed for a holiday.</p>
<p>Bond prices were little changed. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note held at 2.40 percent.</p> | US indexes rise in early trading, following gains in Europe; Burger King jumps on deal talks | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/08/25/us-indexes-rise-in-early-trading-following-gains-in-europe-burger-king-jumps-on.html | 2016-03-06 | 0 |
<p>MIAMI (AP) — With its artsy vibe, lush landscapes and free-roaming peacocks, Coconut Grove has long been known as a bohemian paradise.</p>
<p>It's also Miami's oldest neighborhood, established along the shores of Biscayne Bay in 1873 before the city existed. Located nearly 5 miles from what is now Miami's downtown, its streets are shaded by thick canopies of trees and its housing stock includes some of Miami's oldest homes.</p>
<p>But as new architecture goes up and its business district revitalizes, Coconut Grove is at risk of losing its unique history and tropical culture. Older homes are being turned into mansions of concrete and glass. Locals are fighting to reduce the size of new construction and preserve green space.</p>
<p>"It's really about neighborhood preservation, which gets into cultural preservation," said Christine Rupp, executive director at Dade Heritage Trust, Miami-Dade County's largest preservation organization. "People move to the Grove for the flavor of the Grove. The concern for us and residents is losing the character of Coconut Grove. This is where historic preservation comes into play."</p>
<p>Visitors who want to sample the Grove's history and culture might start on Charles Avenue, where settlers from the Bahamas lived in wood-frame, shotgun-style cottages. The Mariah Brown House, built in 1890 by a Bahamian immigrant who worked at a local inn, is now a Florida Heritage site. The neighborhood's Bahamian community also established the nearby Charlotte Jane Memorial Park Cemetery.</p>
<p>The 40-acre bayfront Barnacle State Historic Park includes a mangrove forest and The Barnacle, the oldest home in Dade County still in its original location. The 1891 house is noted for its two-story, three-sided verandah.</p>
<p>Other homes in the Grove were built in Mediterranean and Spanish styles during the early 1900s, including the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, an Italian Renaissance-style villa with formal gardens and 70 rooms filled with antiques and decorative art.</p>
<p>Coconut Grove's waterfront is a popular destination for fishing, boating and kayaking. CocoWalk, an open-air complex, is lined with sidewalk cafes and shops. Miami City Hall is located in a former Pan American Airways terminal at Dinner Key.</p>
<p>But some local attractions are flashpoints in preservation debates. Less than a mile from the Grove's business center, at the corner of Plaza and Palmetto, is a city-owned wooded plot dubbed Charlie's Woods. The quirky site has a frog figurine, handwritten signage and a short trail to a seating area. It's named for the late Charlie Cinnamon, who founded the annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which takes place each February (this year, Feb. 17-19). Adjacent to the woods is Cinnamon's tiny 1919 house, a dilapidated structure that's caught up in a preservation battle.</p>
<p>Another historic site whose future is under debate is the now-defunct Coconut Grove Playhouse, a Spanish Rococo-style movie theater built in the 1920s and renovated in the 1950s as a performing arts center. A variety of proposals to revive it are being considered.</p>
<p>Jorge Perez, one of the most influential names in Miami real estate, has called Coconut Grove home for over 35 years and says he's committed to maintaining its historic charm. His company, The Related Group, along with The Terra Group, are behind the new Park Grove project, a 297-unit luxury condo development on the Coconut Grove waterfront. The project features three wavy towers, a restaurant and "lush landscaping that the Grove is known for," Perez says, along with a park "filled with sculptures that will be very much in the spirit of the Grove."</p>
<p>Meanwhile the Coconut Grove Neighborhood Conservation District has created guidelines to preserve the area's history and landscape by protecting the tree canopy and green space along with the area's architectural variety. And residents are promoting a Change.org petition limiting the size of new homes in single-family neighborhoods.</p>
<p>That petition is supported by David Villano, who lives in a 1924 home hidden behind an oasis of plants and towering trees in an area where other historic homes are giving way to concrete-and-glass mansions with sparse landscaping.</p>
<p>"That lush tropical paradise, unfortunately it's fast disappearing," Villano said. The Grove has a reputation of being "this counterculture outpost where the iconoclast and the artistic types have long flourished. That continues to be the brand that Coconut Grove sells." But he also sees a balance between the old and the new developments. "What really makes the Grove is not the buildings, but the people."</p>
<p>Robert Lloyd, an architect with Perkins + Will, is working with the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District to create guidelines for new developments that would maintain "the DNA of the Grove" while supporting investment and growth.</p>
<p>"The Grove has been rediscovered in the last few years," he said. "It is a truly great place, but great places can be fragile."</p>
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<p>If You Go...</p>
<p>COCONUT GROVE: <a href="https://www.coconutgrove.com/" type="external">https://www.coconutgrove.com/</a> . Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Feb. 17-19, <a href="http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/arts/coconut-grove-arts-festival/102341" type="external">http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/arts/coconut-grove-arts-festival/102341</a></p>
<p>AREA DINING: Ariete, Bombay Darbar, Glass &amp; Vine, Greenstreet Cafe, Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar &amp; Latam Grill, Le Bouchon du Grove, Monty's, Peacock Garden Cafe, Vicky's House.</p>
<p>LODGING: Option include Sonesta and Ritz Carlton hotels, rental homes and opening later this year as a bed-and-breakfast, the E.W.F. Stirrup House.</p>
<p>MIAMI (AP) — With its artsy vibe, lush landscapes and free-roaming peacocks, Coconut Grove has long been known as a bohemian paradise.</p>
<p>It's also Miami's oldest neighborhood, established along the shores of Biscayne Bay in 1873 before the city existed. Located nearly 5 miles from what is now Miami's downtown, its streets are shaded by thick canopies of trees and its housing stock includes some of Miami's oldest homes.</p>
<p>But as new architecture goes up and its business district revitalizes, Coconut Grove is at risk of losing its unique history and tropical culture. Older homes are being turned into mansions of concrete and glass. Locals are fighting to reduce the size of new construction and preserve green space.</p>
<p>"It's really about neighborhood preservation, which gets into cultural preservation," said Christine Rupp, executive director at Dade Heritage Trust, Miami-Dade County's largest preservation organization. "People move to the Grove for the flavor of the Grove. The concern for us and residents is losing the character of Coconut Grove. This is where historic preservation comes into play."</p>
<p>Visitors who want to sample the Grove's history and culture might start on Charles Avenue, where settlers from the Bahamas lived in wood-frame, shotgun-style cottages. The Mariah Brown House, built in 1890 by a Bahamian immigrant who worked at a local inn, is now a Florida Heritage site. The neighborhood's Bahamian community also established the nearby Charlotte Jane Memorial Park Cemetery.</p>
<p>The 40-acre bayfront Barnacle State Historic Park includes a mangrove forest and The Barnacle, the oldest home in Dade County still in its original location. The 1891 house is noted for its two-story, three-sided verandah.</p>
<p>Other homes in the Grove were built in Mediterranean and Spanish styles during the early 1900s, including the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, an Italian Renaissance-style villa with formal gardens and 70 rooms filled with antiques and decorative art.</p>
<p>Coconut Grove's waterfront is a popular destination for fishing, boating and kayaking. CocoWalk, an open-air complex, is lined with sidewalk cafes and shops. Miami City Hall is located in a former Pan American Airways terminal at Dinner Key.</p>
<p>But some local attractions are flashpoints in preservation debates. Less than a mile from the Grove's business center, at the corner of Plaza and Palmetto, is a city-owned wooded plot dubbed Charlie's Woods. The quirky site has a frog figurine, handwritten signage and a short trail to a seating area. It's named for the late Charlie Cinnamon, who founded the annual Coconut Grove Arts Festival, which takes place each February (this year, Feb. 17-19). Adjacent to the woods is Cinnamon's tiny 1919 house, a dilapidated structure that's caught up in a preservation battle.</p>
<p>Another historic site whose future is under debate is the now-defunct Coconut Grove Playhouse, a Spanish Rococo-style movie theater built in the 1920s and renovated in the 1950s as a performing arts center. A variety of proposals to revive it are being considered.</p>
<p>Jorge Perez, one of the most influential names in Miami real estate, has called Coconut Grove home for over 35 years and says he's committed to maintaining its historic charm. His company, The Related Group, along with The Terra Group, are behind the new Park Grove project, a 297-unit luxury condo development on the Coconut Grove waterfront. The project features three wavy towers, a restaurant and "lush landscaping that the Grove is known for," Perez says, along with a park "filled with sculptures that will be very much in the spirit of the Grove."</p>
<p>Meanwhile the Coconut Grove Neighborhood Conservation District has created guidelines to preserve the area's history and landscape by protecting the tree canopy and green space along with the area's architectural variety. And residents are promoting a Change.org petition limiting the size of new homes in single-family neighborhoods.</p>
<p>That petition is supported by David Villano, who lives in a 1924 home hidden behind an oasis of plants and towering trees in an area where other historic homes are giving way to concrete-and-glass mansions with sparse landscaping.</p>
<p>"That lush tropical paradise, unfortunately it's fast disappearing," Villano said. The Grove has a reputation of being "this counterculture outpost where the iconoclast and the artistic types have long flourished. That continues to be the brand that Coconut Grove sells." But he also sees a balance between the old and the new developments. "What really makes the Grove is not the buildings, but the people."</p>
<p>Robert Lloyd, an architect with Perkins + Will, is working with the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District to create guidelines for new developments that would maintain "the DNA of the Grove" while supporting investment and growth.</p>
<p>"The Grove has been rediscovered in the last few years," he said. "It is a truly great place, but great places can be fragile."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>If You Go...</p>
<p>COCONUT GROVE: <a href="https://www.coconutgrove.com/" type="external">https://www.coconutgrove.com/</a> . Coconut Grove Arts Festival, Feb. 17-19, <a href="http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/arts/coconut-grove-arts-festival/102341" type="external">http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/arts/coconut-grove-arts-festival/102341</a></p>
<p>AREA DINING: Ariete, Bombay Darbar, Glass &amp; Vine, Greenstreet Cafe, Jaguar Ceviche Spoon Bar &amp; Latam Grill, Le Bouchon du Grove, Monty's, Peacock Garden Cafe, Vicky's House.</p>
<p>LODGING: Option include Sonesta and Ritz Carlton hotels, rental homes and opening later this year as a bed-and-breakfast, the E.W.F. Stirrup House.</p> | Will the unique culture of Miami's Coconut Grove survive? | false | https://apnews.com/amp/d83896073f004c388787177fa973f33b | 2018-01-22 | 2 |
<p>What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, right?</p>
<p>So, is the media insane or just past caring about being remotely competent at their job?</p>
<p>Because, riddle me this, why on earth is the president-elect, in the middle of allegedly <a href="http://woodtv.com/2016/11/19/trump-meets-with-romney-betsy-devos/" type="external">interviewing anyone halfway willing to be part of the regime that will destroy the nation</a>, worrying about the cast of a Broadway show? Does it really help him to call attention to it over and over?</p>
<p>Yes, actually it does.</p>
<p>Because look at this chart and note how the number of references to "Trump Hamilton" in the media just keeps going up while references to "Trump University" goes down.</p>
<p>And as Twitter user and author Melissa de la Cruz points out, the New York Times fell right into Trump's small and orange-tinted hands:</p>
<p>That settlement is no small thing. Besides being completely unprecedented (how many incoming presidents have DOZENS of lawsuits pending against them?), <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/11/18/trump_university_settlement_would_be_ultimate_con.html" type="external">$25 million is a fairly significant sum</a>, especially for someone who brags about never settling suits, when he's "in the right". But watch it go right down the memory hole as reporters clutch pearls over the biggest bully on the campaign trail getting intimidated by some theater geeks.</p>
<p>And then the media wonders why <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/09/15/trust-in-media/" type="external">public trust is at an all-time low.</a>.</p> | Trump Plays The Media. Again. | true | http://crooksandliars.com/2016/11/trump-plays-mediaand-fall-it-every-time | 2016-11-20 | 4 |
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<p>The Bulldawgs put an end to Eldorado’s surprising run through these playoffs, turning a close game into a blowout as they swarmed the Eagles 55-28 in the 5A semifinals Saturday afternoon at Wilson Stadium.</p>
<p>“Sky’s the limit for us,” Las Cruces senior tight end/defensive end Kamryn Dixon said. “We have one goal. We have that determination for the blue trophy.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>No. 2 seed Las Cruces (10-1) will be back at Wilson on Friday night to face No. 4 Sandia (9-3) for the 5A title at 7 p.m.</p>
<p>It’ll be a short week for the Bulldawgs. A day shorter than for Sandia, at any rate.</p>
<p>“It’s no issue,” Las Cruces coach Jim Miller said. “We’ll play whenever.”</p>
<p>Las Cruces did to No. 11 seed Eldorado (6-6) on Saturday what Sandia did to Volcano Vista the previous night – pull away with an emphatic, commanding performance after halftime.</p>
<p>Although, in fairness, the Bulldawgs confirmed what Miller has said many times before, that this was the most balanced team he’s had in 15 years.</p>
<p>The numbers supported Miller.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Las Cruces had 27 points, 352 yards and 14 first downs before halftime.</p>
<p>Las Cruces had 28 points, 321 yards and 13 first downs after halftime.</p>
<p>The total yardage (673) puts the Bulldawgs at almost 1,400 for their two playoff games, after topping 700 last week in the quarterfinals against Clovis.</p>
<p>“They didn’t make any mistakes and just hogged us up front,” Eldorado coach Charlie Dotson said.</p>
<p>The triumvirate of quarterback Jonathan Joy and running backs Austin Salas and J.J. Granados, in union with the Bulldawgs’ hulking, physical offensive line, proved too daunting an assignment for the Eldorado defense.</p>
<p>Salas rushed 13 times for 167 yards and two touchdowns, and he also took a screen pass 57 yards for a score. Granados, coming off his memorable eight-TD showing against Clovis, rushed for 90 yards on 13 attempts. Like Salas, he ran for two scores and caught a TD pass.</p>
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<p>Joy rushed 16 times for 115 yards and a touchdown, and he also threw for 290 yards on 12-of-16 passing with three TDs.</p>
<p>Eldorado’s Zach Gentry, left, and Alex Ostrem console each other after their loss Saturday against Las Cruces.</p>
<p>“Me and him, we feed off each other,” Salas said, nodding to Granados standing next to him.</p>
<p>“I love working with him,” added Granados. “Me and him are a perfect duo.”</p>
<p>The Eagles suffered a bit without their top defensive lineman, Dez Ravenel, who got hurt during practice Friday, Dotson said. But he was not going to be the difference against the ultra-efficient Bulldawgs.</p>
<p>“They’re better than the 2008 team,” Dotson said of Las Cruces, which went unbeaten that year and beat Eldorado in the finals. “They’re just so physical up front. It’s a matter of time.”</p>
<p>The Eagles’ Toben Brazier took the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and Eldorado also got a TD in the final minute of the first half to make it 27-21, Las Cruces.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The middle 22 minutes of the half belonged mostly to the Bulldawgs. Joy threw TD passes of 61 yards to Mikey Calzada and 57 to Salas, and Granados and Joy had touchdown runs in the second quarter.</p>
<p>Sandia on Friday night led Volcano Vista 10-5 at halftime, and won 37-5. Similarly, the Bulldawgs imposed their will on Eldorado in the second half Saturday.</p>
<p>Las Cruces rushed for 276 yards in the final two quarters, including run-oriented scoring drives of 76, 90 and 77 yards. Joy threw for 245 yards before the half, but threw only twice in the second half.</p>
<p>Granados had a touchdown reception and a TD run in the third quarter for a 41-21 lead. Salas added TD runs of 63 and 2 yards for a 55-21 bulge.</p>
<p>Eldorado was the lowest-seeded team to ever reach the 5A semifinals.</p>
<p>Sophomore quarterback Zach Gentry threw for 357 yards and two touchdowns, and he also ran for a touchdown. The Eagles generated 422 yards of total offense.</p>
<p>— This article appeared on page D1 of the Albuquerque Journal</p> | Efficient Bulldawgs Ground the Eagles in Class 5A Semifinals | false | https://abqjournal.com/238331/efficient-bulldawgs-ground-the-eagles-in-class-5a-semifinals.html | 2 |
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<p>Squid skin has an amazing ability to change colors, says new research and an amazing new video.</p>
<p>Backyard Brains, a neuroscience educational website, shows how the squid can change colors using nerve impulses.</p>
<p>The group hooked up the squid's skin to an iPod and played the 1993 hit single by Cypress Hill "Insane In The Brain," <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/08/27/_insane_in_the_chromatophores_watch_a_squid_rock_out_to_cypress_hill_in_this_amazing_video_from_backyard_brains_.html" type="external">reported Slate</a>.</p>
<p>The result is a multicolored mesermizing video showing the squid skin rapidly changing colors in polka dot explosions.</p>
<p>The video came at the heels of a <a href="http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2012/08/13/rspb.2012.1374" type="external">new study</a>about squids' incredible skin by researchers at the Marine Biological Laborotary.</p>
<p>They say that the nerves of the skin control the animals' shimmering hues that rapidly change, working as a kind of camouflage.</p>
<p>"For 20 years we have been wondering how the dynamically changeable iridescence is controlled by the squid," says study co-author Roger Hanlon, <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120827113355.htm" type="external">reported Science Daily</a>.</p>
<p>"It is not an exaggeration to call this "electric skin.""</p>
<p>It is believed that the base in the Cypress Hill song was enough to turn this electric skin on full blast.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p> | Hooking an iPod to a squid yields surprising results (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-08-27/hooking-ipod-squid-yields-surprising-results-video | 2012-08-27 | 3 |
<p>American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) will report its next earnings on Oct 25 AMC. The company reported the earnings of $0.62/Share in the last quarter where the estimated EPS by analysts was $0.61/share. The difference between the expected and actual EPS was $0.01/share, which represents an Earnings surprise of 1.6%.</p>
<p>Many analysts are providing their Estimated Earnings analysis for American Capital Agency Corp. and for the current quarter 9 analysts have projected that the stock could give an Average Earnings estimate of $0.61/share. These analysts have also projected a Low Estimate of $0.54/share and a High Estimate of $0.64/share.</p>
<p>In case of Revenue Estimates, 4 analysts have provided their consensus Average Revenue Estimates for American Capital Agency Corp. as 218.44 Million. According to these analysts, the Low Revenue Estimate for American Capital Agency Corp. is 186 Million and the High Revenue Estimate is 266.95 Million. The company had Year Ago Sales of 295 Million.</p>
<p>These analysts also forecasted Growth Estimates for the Current Quarter for AGNC to be -4.7%. They are projecting Next Quarter growth of -6.3%. For the next 5 years, American Capital Agency Corp. is expecting Growth of 1.75% per annum, whereas in the past 5 years the growth was 0.66% per annum.</p>
<p>Some buy side analysts are also providing their Analysis on American Capital Agency Corp., where 0 analysts have rated the stock as Strong buy, 0 analysts have given a Buy signal, 2 said it’s a HOLD, and 0 analysts rated the stock as Sell. (These Recommendations are for the Current Month Only reported by Yahoo Finance.)</p>
<p>When it comes to the Analysis of a Stock, Price Target plays a vital role. Analysts reported that the Price Target for American Capital Agency Corp. might touch $21.5 high while the Average Price Target and Low price Target is $20.11 and $19 respectively.</p>
<p>The Relative Volume of the company is 0.69 and Average Volume (3 months) is 5.24 million. The company’s P/E (price to earnings) ratio is 5.02 and Forward P/E ratio of 8.62.</p>
<p>The company shows its Return on Assets (ROA) value of 2.3%. The Return on Equity (ROE) value stands at 18.4%.</p>
<p>While looking at the Stock’s Performance, American Capital Agency Corp. currently shows a Weekly Performance of 0.39%, where Monthly Performance is 2.93%, Quarterly performance is -4.19%, 6 Months performance is -2.86% and yearly performance percentage is 11.38%. Year to Date performance value (YTD perf) value is 12.3%. The Stock currently has a Weekly Volatility of 1.43% and Monthly Volatility of 1.43%.</p> | What Do Analysts Say About American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) | false | https://newsline.com/what-do-analysts-say-about-american-capital-agency-corp-agnc/ | 2017-12-06 | 1 |
<p>In this segment from <a href="https://www.fool.com/podcasts/rule-breaker-investing/?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b621a6e2-7c2f-11e7-82ef-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Rule Breaker Investing</a>, Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner is inspired by the annual letter he gets from Roger King of Tampa, Fla., a Foolish investor who writes in about the best-performing investments in the S&amp;P 500. Roger's 2017 letter has not yet arrived, but David wants to look back at the five best stocks as of last June, and talk about their places -- when applicable -- in Motley Fool portfolios. We're pretty sure you'll recognize a few of them.</p>
<p>A full transcript follows the video.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Priceline GroupWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=c6601683-b457-4b4f-b00c-ca1ace63b61f&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b621a6e2-7c2f-11e7-82ef-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks</a> for investors to buy right now... and Priceline Group wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=c6601683-b457-4b4f-b00c-ca1ace63b61f&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b621a6e2-7c2f-11e7-82ef-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of August 1, 2017</p>
<p>This video was recorded on June 14, 2017.</p>
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<p>David Gardner: About this time every year for the last couple of years, I've gotten a letter from Roger King of Tampa, Fla. Roger is a Motley Fool member. I've never met Roger, but I love his letters and I'm going to share with you the most recent one I got from him, which was in June of 2016. Roger, I'm hoping I'll get your 2017 version later this month. But I'm going to excerpt a little bit of Roger's letter to me in June of last year -- June 2016.</p>
<p>"Dear Motley Fool," he wrote. "This letter is an update of a letter that I wrote to you about this time last year." Attached: "The latest Fortune magazine, June 15, 2016, has 'The Best Investments for the Last 10 Years'" -- that would have, at the time, been from 2005 through 2015 -- "of the 500 largest stocks in the U.S., the S&amp;P 500."</p>
<p>I'm going to reveal those in a sec, but before I do this: The last time Roger sent me this note, the year before, triggered one of my favorite podcasts that I've gotten to do on Rule Breaker Investing. And what makes me sad is that you can't find that podcast readily these days, on either our own site or on something like iTunes. Take iTunes -- iTunes only retains the last 100 podcasts of each podcast that you want to look up on iTunes, so this one has now fallen below the fold. It was called "The Top 5 Stocks of the Past 10 Years." I did this one on July 29 of 2015. It was only 13 minutes long. It was a lot of fun, so I'm still going to plug it, and truly, if you want to just type in "Rule Breaker Investing Top 5 Stocks of the Past 10 Years" into Google, among the top three links you'll find this podcast, and I hope if you hadn't heard it before, that you'll listen to it. But I'm going to be channeling that same vibe with this week's podcast.</p>
<p>So what were the top five stocks of the past 10 years, through 2015, in last year's Fortune magazine edition?</p>
<p>Well, the No. 5 stock is XPO Logistics&#160;(NYSE: XPO), which rose 25.9% over the previous 10 years. That is not a company that I've ever recommended or owned. I do want to say two things briefly about XPO Logistics. One is that it had been added to our services in 2015. In the interest of full disclosure, my brother Tom in Stock Advisor recommended the stock in January of 2015, and I'm happy to say for Tom that it's up 60% since then, and it's about 33% ahead of the S&amp;P 500. So great call, Tom Gardner, in January of 2015. That's one of the two things I want to say about XPO Logistics.</p>
<p>The second thing I want to say is that I hate XPO Logistics, and here's why. I think I may have said this last Christmas, but one of my big gifts last year for my family was going to be basically a NordicTrack. I ordered it well ahead of time on Amazon&#160;(NASDAQ: AMZN). And XPO Logistics starts to inform me about a week before it's due -- which I had just a couple of days before Christmas -- that it has been lost somewhere in one of their warehouses and they can't tell me whether they'll find it or not. And they wouldn't find it, the record will show, for about two and a half more weeks. So I had to take what was going to be a big reveal and had to make it a little postcard to my family members that it's still on its way.</p>
<p>Anyway, I don't like XPO Logistics very much, but I'm delighted to know that they've returned value to shareholders, and apparently delivered frequently and well enough that it's the fifth best-performing stock on the S&amp;P 500 for the 10 years 2005-2015. So thus much for No. 5.</p>
<p>The No. 4 performing stock over those past 10 years was Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL). Apple returned 27.1% from 2005 to 2015 annualized, which rolls up to a pretty awesome number. A lot of us now know, a few years later, that Apple's basically the largest public company in the world, and so just think of the size that Apple started from 10-plus years ago to rack up those kinds of returns and become as large as it is today. So some good news for Stock Advisor members. You know that Apple is one of my stock picks. I'm sorry to say that I don't have it from 2005, but I am happy to tell you that I first recommended it in January of 2008. It is a seven-bagger since then, way ahead of the market -- hundreds and hundreds of percentage points ahead. So we had that one, No. 4.</p>
<p>The No. 3 best-performing stock of the last 10 years is Amazon. Amazon is up 30.6% annualized over that 10-year period. By the way, since Roger's letter of last June, I'm pretty sure Amazon's done well over the succeeding year, so we're talking about major ups for this stock over the last 11 years or so. Amazon is No. 3 among the S&amp;P 500 for its performance. I'm happy to say with this one -- if you're a Stock Advisor member, you know this -- we've held Amazon since September of 2002. It is a 63-bagger for Motley Fool Stock Advisor members who were around back when we started Stock Advisor and who've shown a lot of patience ever since. And that's way ahead of the market by about 6,000% or so. That's No. 3.</p>
<p>The No. 2 best-performing stock on the S&amp;P 500 over the last 10 years is Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX). Netflix is up an annualized 40.3% as printed in that Fortune magazine issue dated June 15, 2016. Netflix has done pretty well over the succeeding year since, by the way. This is another company that Motley Fool Stock Advisor members will know well. My longest-standing Netflix recommendation was opened up on October of 2004. That stock is up about 65 times in value. I'm really happy to say that my brother Tom saw a good thing and recommended it, as well, to Stock Advisor members. In fact, I've had a lot of people come up to me over the years and say, "You know, Dave, I didn't buy it when you recommended it, but when Tom recommended it, that's when I finally bought -- because when the two brothers agree, that's a signal for me, and I'm OK with that." And I say it a little bit with a giggle. But Tom recommended it three years later, June of 2007: [it's] been a tremendous return for him, a 54-bagger for him as well. So I'm just here to say we had that one. We had No. 2.</p>
<p>The No. 1 performing stock on the S&amp;P 500 over the past 10 years is Priceline (NASDAQ: PCLN). Priceline, over those 10 years, returned 49.9% annualized from 2005 to 2015. And there might be a theme developing. You might start seeing a thread here. I'm really happy to say that if you're a Stock Advisor member of long standing you know this, because I first recommended it on May 21st of 2004 at $23.71. So with Priceline, today, trading at $1,846 -- yeah, it's been an awesome investment. In fact, it's up 77 times in value: 7,690%. That's 7,497% ahead of the market, which maybe is up about 100% or so since 2004.</p>
<p>Just to throw a little bit more brother love out there, I'm happy to say that my brother Tom recognized Priceline's greatness in 2012 and so, once again, he's found another winner for members -- and I'm sure some of you waited not to buy on Dave's recommendation, but when Tom also recommended it, too. And if so, you're certainly happy, because you've made a three-bagger over these five years or so. So there are the facts. And the beautiful story is that we've had the top four performers on the S&amp;P 500 over the past 10 years, and in every case except the first one that I mentioned, which is the No. 4 performer, Apple, we've had that stock for well more than 10 years.</p>
<p>Longtime Rule Breaker Investing fans will remember a podcast where I talked about FANG, because people a lot of the time were talking about Facebook, and Amazon, and Netflix, and Google, and those are the Four Horsemen, the four big stocks you have to own. This was a popular acronym people were using. Well, there was a little bit of FANG but not that much FANG in those four, because they go PNAA -- so pin-aah -- PNAA, apparently, better than FANG.</p>
<p>My serious point about FANG, when I did that podcast a year or two ago, was not whether you had those stocks in your portfolio, but really: "What's your FANG score," I asked. Sum up the number of years in total that you've owned any of these stocks, and that's your score, and let's have that conversation.</p>
<p>If we were to do our score for these four -- and this is really the critical point to achieving returns like the ones I'm talking about -- we've held Apple for nine years, we've held Amazon for 15, we've held Netflix for 13, and Priceline for 15. And if my math is right, 9 + 15 + 13 + 15 comes to the grand total of 52. So that's my PNAA score.</p>
<p>I highly encourage you not necessarily to go out and chase FANG stocks, or PNAA stocks, but to ask yourself: Are you positioning yourself for these kinds of returns by being patient enough to be willing to hold companies for that long? Because the way that these big-time results are racked up, completely apart from whether you found these stocks or not in the first place, is: Did you hold them through what were some very hard times and ultimately some very great times?</p>
<p>So it's a point no doubt I've made many times before on Rule Breaker Investing, and I'll make it again. But in a week in which a lot of people maybe needed to hear "stocks always go down faster than they go up," I wanted to make sure you understand, and can see the benefits of holding through times when stocks go down faster than they go up.</p>
<p>I want to thank Roger King, again, for sending his letter. And Roger, if you're hearing me right now, I don't follow Fortune magazine. I'm assuming that issue comes out again sometime this month. So whether it's Roger, or any of my other friends on Twitter: If you want to send us the most recent results, we'll get to review them again and see if we're still nailing, consistently, the top three performers on the S&amp;P 500 over 10-year periods, and that we have them as actively covered stocks in Motley Fool Stock Advisor.</p>
<p>That's what it's all about in the end, isn't it? Performance and long-term performance. There are even more important things in life. But for Rule Breaker Investing, for our category of podcast, for the subject that we at The Motley Fool are focused on, I can't think of something that I could do much better than that for you, my listener -- for you, our members, here at The Motley Fool -- to find and give you the best stocks of our time.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSpiffyPop/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b621a6e2-7c2f-11e7-82ef-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">David Gardner</a> owns shares of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Netflix, and Priceline Group. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Netflix, Priceline Group, and Twitter. The Motley Fool recommends XPO Logistics. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b621a6e2-7c2f-11e7-82ef-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy</a>.</p> | How Fools Stack Up Picking the Long-Term Market Winners | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/08/12/how-fools-stack-up-picking-long-term-market-winners.html | 2017-08-12 | 0 |
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<p><a href="http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2009/02/school_lunch_or_how_to_make_government_work.php" type="external">Matt Yglesias</a> has a post up contrasting how the creation of health policy differs in Finland and the United States. Here’s his description of Finland’s process, as it pertains to school lunches:</p>
<p />
<p>…in 1999, parliament passed some legislation guaranteeing a nutritionally balanced school lunch. So the National Nutrition Council wrote some guidelines dictating that a properly balanced lunch would feature fresh or cooked vegetables covering half the plate, a starch (potatoes, rice, or pasta) covering a quarter of the plate, and meat or fish or a vegetarian protein alternative covering the remaining quarter.</p>
<p>…what’s crazy about it is the way it happened. Parliament felt children should eat a well-balanced meal, and so guidelines were written by a government agency and then implemented. Like magic!</p>
<p>By way of contrast, here’s an example of how food industry lobbyists hijack the system in the United States, courtesy of the very good American News Project:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>The next issue of Mother Jones, which is either on newsstands near you or will be soon, is on how to fix food. Most of the content is not online yet, so if you want to read more you’ll have to settle for <a href="" type="internal">this conversation we had with Michael Pollan</a>, a <a href="" type="internal">longtime MoJo contributor</a> who has more neat ideas on reforming food policy than just about anyone.</p>
<p /> | How Food Policy Gets Made: Finland vs. the US | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/02/how-food-policy-gets-made-finland-vs-us/ | 2009-02-25 | 4 |
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<p>Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) has been a tough stock to own over the past few months. After going public at $15 per share last June, the stock surged to nearly $70 in late September before overheated valuations and a secondary offering sent the stock tumbling back to the low $30s.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>All that drama might have convinced Twilio bulls -- who once believed that demand for its cloud platform would keep rising -- to finally give up. But before you sell this volatile stock, make sure you aren't doing it for these three reasons.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Analysts expect Twilio's revenue to rise 33% this year, but the stock isn't cheap -- its price-to-sales ratio of 10 is more than double the industry average of 4.5 for software companies. However, that ratio isn't terribly high relative to other cloud-based players with comparable sales growth.</p>
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<p>Cloud-based CRM provider <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/23/better-cloud-growth-stock-twilio-inc-vs-veeva-syst.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Veeva Systems Opens a New Window.</a> (NYSE: VEEV), which analysts expect to post 19% sales growth this year, trades at 12 times sales. Cloud-based finance and HR services provider Workday (NYSE: WDAY), which trades at 11 times sales, is expected to grow its sales by 29% this year. Twilio's P/S ratio has also cooled down considerably since it peaked in the 20s last October. Therefore, Twilio's high valuation raises eyebrows, but it isn't necessarily a red flag.</p>
<p>Twilio has never posted a GAAP profit, and hasn't offered a timeline for achieving profitability. But Twilio isn't the only cloud-based SaaS (software as a service) company with a bottom line stuck in the red.</p>
<p>That's because competing in the SaaS market requires high marketing expenses to secure new clients, low subscription fees to keep them locked in, and high R&amp;D costs to add new services. Even SaaS giant Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) doesn't consistently post quarterly GAAP profits despite generating $8.4 billion inrevenues last year.</p>
<p>The good news is that Twilio is adding more services -- like voice, video, security, and analytics tools -- to its ecosystem to generate additional revenues per customer. That's why its "dollar-based net expansion" rate, which measures its revenue growth per customer, rose 155% annually <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/09/why-twilio-incs-q4-beat-isnt-lifting-its-stock-pri.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">last quarter Opens a New Window.</a>. That growth indicates that Twilio can eventually spend less on marketing and R&amp;D as its customers rely on more of its services -- which could eventually pave the way toward profitability.</p>
<p>Twilio's two largest customers in 2016 were Facebook's (NASDAQ: FB) WhatsApp and Uber. WhatsApp accounted for 9% of its sales, andUber accounted for "more than 10%". The bears will suggest that losing either customer would be disastrous -- but that's unlikely to happen anytime soon.</p>
<p>WhatsApp is a "Variable Customer Account" which never entered a 12-month minimum revenue commitment contract with Twilio -- so it doesn't pay minimum payments every month, and can end its service at any time. However, Twilio's dependence on WhatsApp has declined sharply -- the app accounted for 17% of its revenues back in 2015. Facebook also added Twilio services to Messenger last year, which tightens the relationship between the two companies.</p>
<p>Uber is a "Base Customer Account" which has signed a minimum revenue commitment contract with Twilio, and the company notes that Uber's usage has "significantly exceeded" those minimum payments. Last quarter, Twilio notes that its "base revenue", which excludes revenue from Variable accounts, rose 73% annually and accounted for 92% of its top line. This means that the company can bounce back on Base accounts growth even if it loses big Variable accounts like WhatsApp.</p>
<p>The market is extremely bearish on Twilio right now -- 39% of its float was being shorted asof Feb. 27. But when everyone is looking in one direction, it sometimes pays to be looking the other way.</p>
<p>Twilio's top line growth forecasts are still strong, its customer base and ecosystem are expanding, and its valuations are reasonable relative to those of peers with similar growth rates. Once institutional investors, whoown just 52% of Twilio's shares, notice those strengths, there could be a big short squeeze -- which will reward investors who didn't sell the stock in the low $30s.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than TwilioWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=cf582823-b6e5-4bce-9bb0-c7605d0eaa21&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and Twilio wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
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<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSunLion/info.aspx" type="external">Leo Sun Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Twilio. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook, Veeva Systems, and Workday. The Motley Fool recommends Salesforce.com and Twilio. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 3 Terrible Reasons to Sell Twilio Inc. Stock | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/04/3-terrible-reasons-to-sell-twilio-inc-stock.html | 2017-03-16 | 0 |
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<p>The industrial economy has been generally sluggish, and Moog (NYSE: MOG-A) (NYSE: MOG-B) has been exposed to adverse trends because it sells its components to industrial customers. Coming into Friday's fiscal fourth-quarter financial report, Moog investors were expecting minimal growth in both earnings and sales, so the company's actual results surprised them in both directions. Let's take a closer look at what Moog said and how its future looks.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Moog makes components for key military systems. Image source: Moog.</p>
<p>Moog's fiscal fourth-quarter results were mixed. Revenue slid 1%, to $619 million, which was worse than the modest gain that most investors had expected to see. However, net income jumped 17%, to $33.1 million, and that produced earnings of $0.92 per share, well in excess of the $0.80 per-share consensus forecast among those following the stock.</p>
<p>Looking more closely at the numbers, Moog suffered a reversal from what investors have seen for quite awhile. The aircraft controls segment has tended to benefit from the strength in the aerospace industry, but its sales actually fell almost 4% from the year-ago period. The components division also saw a slight 1% decline, but industrial systems experienced growth in excess of 2%. Space and defense controls led the way with a gain of close to 5%.</p>
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<p>On the bottom line, things moved in nearly the opposite direction. Aircraft controls saw a better than 10% rise in operating profit despite the sales decline, and components segment profit jumped almost 40%. Industrial systems saw its bottom line soar by two-thirds. Only the space and defense controls segment saw its operating profit decline, falling by more than half.</p>
<p>Moog gave good details explaining the performance. For aircraft controls, the military side of the business suffered even as commercial aircraft sales climbed. Satellite propulsion system sales powered the space segment higher, while higher energy industry sales offset lower industrial automation sales in the industrial systems segment. Yet components suffered from weakness related to energy, showing the crosscurrents that Moog has to navigate in driving its business forward.</p>
<p>CEO John Scannell put Moog's performance in perspective. "Like many companies, we're faced with a slow-growth environment," Scannell said, "and we responded with restructuring activities, ongoing portfolio adjustments, and continued investment for the long term." Moreover, the CEO thinks that Moog did well operationally despite the industry challenges, and he's confident in the company's long-term success.</p>
<p>Yet Moog is also being fairly conservative in its outlook for fiscal 2017. As Scannell explained, "We're assuming most markets will be fairly stable, with the only real growth coming from the A350 program." The company is also preparing for a negative shift in program mix within both the military and commercial areas of the aerospace sector, and higher taxes will hold back the company.</p>
<p>As a result, Moog's guidance wasn't as strong as most investors were hoping to see. For the full year, Moog expects sales to rise just 1%, to $2.44 billion, which compares unfavorably with the consensus forecast for nearly $2.5 billion. Similarly, earnings guidance for roughly $3.50 per share is well below the $3.80 per share that most investors expect, even when you incorporate the implicit range of plus or minus $0.20 per share in the company's forecast.</p>
<p>It's likely because of that somewhat downbeat guidance that Moog stock reacted negatively to the news, falling 2% in the day's session following the announcement. Nevertheless, for long-term investors, the more important question is whether the company can overcome cyclical pressures and keep making progress in its strategic efforts. If it can, then Moog should see its fundamental strength rise over time, even if it oscillates upward and downward in response to business cycles.</p>
<p>A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-apple-wearable?aid=6965&amp;source=irbeditxt0000017&amp;ftm_cam=rb-wearable-d&amp;ftm_pit=2691&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Moog (A shares). Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Moog Falls After Predicting a Tough 2017 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/04/moog-falls-after-predicting-tough-2017.html | 2016-11-04 | 0 |
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<p>Settling charges it gave drug lords and terrorists access to the U.S. financial system, British banking giant HSBC (NYSE:HBC) agreed to pay a record $1.92 billion on Tuesday and accepted responsibility for inadequate anti-money laundering compliance.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>While the settlement shatters records in terms of monetary penalties, HSBC executives are avoiding criminal prosecution even though officials have accused them of helping countries break the law and the bank of becoming the "preferred financial institution" for drug cartels.</p>
<p>“The record of dysfunction that prevailed at HSBC for many years was astonishing,” Lanny Breuer, Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ, said in a statement. “Today, HSBC is paying a heavy price for its conduct, and, under the terms of today’s agreement, if the bank fails to comply with the agreement in any way, we reserve the right to fully prosecute it.”</p>
<p>HSBC said the agreement includes a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice as well as a global resolution with all other U.S. government agencies probing HSBC money-laundering compliance.</p>
<p>“We accept responsibility for our past mistakes. We have said we are profoundly sorry for them, and we do so again,” HSBC CEO Stuart Gulliver said in a statement. “The HSBC of today is a fundamentally different organisation from the one that made those mistakes.”</p>
<p>HSBC also said it anticipates reaching a settlement with the U.K.’s Financial Services Authority “shortly.”</p>
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<p>The U.S. settlement covers violations by HSBC of the Bank Secrecy Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act between 2006 and 2010.</p>
<p>The DOJ said HSBC illegally conducted transactions for customers in Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Burma -- all of which were subject to sanctions at the time.</p>
<p>In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Breuer also said HSBC instructed countries like Iran and criminals in other countries on how to break the law.</p>
<p>London-based HSBC told FOX Business it is clawing back bonuses related to the money-laundering lapses, but declined to disclose details.</p>
<p>“I would emphasize that this is not about certain individuals,” an HSBC spokesperson said. “With a new senior leadership team and new strategy in place, we have already taken a number of actions -- including clawbacks, terminations and pay-cuts -- where we found efforts or behavior fell short.”</p>
<p>The DOJ said HSBC has agreed to forfeit $1.256 billion as part of its deferred prosecution agreement in addition to $665 million in civil penalties, with $500 million going to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and $165 million to the Federal Reserve.</p>
<p>The $1.92 billion settlement with HSBC marks the largest U.S. penalty ever imposed on a bank, more than double the next closest payment of $780 million paid by Swiss banking giant UBS (NYSE:UBS) in 2009 to settle a tax fraud investigation.</p>
<p>Yet some believe HSBC should have suffered a harsher penalty for its money-laundering lapses.</p>
<p>“The HSBC settlement makes a mockery of the criminal justice system,” Jimmy Gurule, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame and former undersecretary for enforcement at the Treasury Department, said in an email.</p>
<p>“The message sent by the U.S. Department of Justice is that if you are going to engage in large-scale money laundering for Mexican drug cartels, make sure and do it within the scope of your employment working for a bank because you won’t be prosecuted regardless of the egregious nature of your criminal conduct,” Gurule said.</p>
<p>Court documents accuse HSBC of ignoring serious money laundering risks tied to doing business in Mexico. Authorities said HSBC failed to monitor over $670 billion in wire transfers and over $9.4 billion in purchases of physical U.S. dollars from its Mexican unit between at least 2006 and 2009.</p>
<p>"HSBC's own lax AML [anti-money laundering] controls caused it to be the preferred financial institution for drug cartels and money launderers," the DOJ statement said.</p>
<p>"New York is a center of international finance, and those who use our banks as a vehicle for international crime will not be tolerated," said Cyrus Vance Jr., the Manhattan District Attorney.</p>
<p>U.S. officials have also said HSBC's lax controls allowed about $660 million in transactions from sanctioned countries to be processed from the mid-1990s through September 2006.</p>
<p>According to the U.S., HSBC "followed instructions" from sanctioned countries like Iran and Cuba to "omit their names" from U.S. dollar payment messages sent to HSBC and other banks in the U.S.</p>
<p>HSBC set aside $1.5 billion to pay for a potential settlement after a U.S. Senate panel in July accused the bank of turning a blind eye to apparent money laundering by a number of groups, including sanctioned countries like Iran and Sudan, alleged terrorists and Mexican drug cartels.</p>
<p>HSBC and the DOJ pointed out a number of changes made by the bank over the past few years to address its compliance issues, including ramping up spending on anti-money laundering by nine-fold, boosting its compliance staff ten-fold, spending more than $290 million on remedial issues and backing out of 109 correspondent relationships for “risk reasons.”</p>
<p>The agreement with the DOJ lasts five years and calls for an independent monitor to evaluate HSBC’s progress in fully implementing new measures.</p>
<p>U.S.-listed shares of HSBC rose 0.70% to $51.90 Tuesday afternoon, leaving them up about 36% so far this year.</p>
<p>The announcement comes a day after the U.S. reached a $327 million settlement with Standard Chartered for illegal transactions. That deal also included a deferred prosecution agreement.</p>
<p>FOX Business reporter Adam Shapiro contributed to this report.</p> | HSBC Settles Money-Laundering Probe for Record $1.92B | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/12/11/hsbc-settles-money-laundering-probe-for-record-12b.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
<p>Journal Article - Energy Policy</p>
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<p>China now faces the three hard truths of thirsting for more oil, relying heavily on coal, and ranking first in global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Given these truths, two key questions must be addressed to develop a low-carbon economy: how to use coal in a carbon-constrained future? How to increase domestic oil supply to enhance energy security? Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) may be a technological solution that can deal with today's energy and environmental needs while enabling China to move closer to a low-carbon energy future. This paper has been developed to propose a possible CCS roadmap for China. To develop the roadmap, we first explore major carbon capture opportunities in China and then identify critical CCS-enabling technologies, as well as analyze their current status and future prospects. We find that coal gasification or polygeneration in combination with CCS could be a nearly unbeatable combination for China's low-carbon future. Even without CCS, gasification offers many benefits: once coal is gasified into syngas, it can be used for many different purposes including for alternative fuels production, thereby increasing the domestic oil supply and the flexibility of the energy system.</p>
<p /> | Catalyzing Strategic Transformation to a Low-carbon Economy: A CCS Roadmap for China | false | http://belfercenter.org/publication/catalyzing-strategic-transformation-low-carbon-economy-ccs-roadmap-china | 2010-01-01 | 2 |
<p>Well, here’s something you don’t see everyday (unless you’re watching Fox News). Donald Trump’s former communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, was a guest on Friday’s episode of Fox and Friends. This is the guy who lost his White House job a mere ten days after he was hired because of a <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/ryan-lizza/anthony-scaramucci-called-me-to-unload-about-white-house-leakers-reince-priebus-and-steve-bannon" type="external">profanity-laden meltdown</a> attacking fellow Trump staffers. He’s a hot-head in the mold of Trump who continues to serve as a loyal surrogate.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewsCorpse/posts/2067411009940350" type="external" /></p>
<p>During his interview by the “Curvy Couch” potatoes (video below), the Mooch leveled another of his patented gross-outs, this time aimed at MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow (who is <a href="" type="internal">slaughtering Fox News and Sean Hannity</a>). It was wholly inappropriate personal insult that was devoid of substance. In other words, it was pretty much the same bullshit non-reasoning that all of the cretins on Fox News resort to. About Maddow he said that…</p>
<p>“You can tell she’s got a little bit of that Trump Derangement Syndrome, which I like. I’m hoping that one of these comedians will come up with anti-anxiety medication for liberals. Just take one tablet a day, maybe a suppository, and take it easy. […] The President is doing the right thing for the American people, but he’s also doing the right thing for the world.”</p>
<p>To be clear, Scaramucci is criticizing Maddow as being “deranged” and having an anxiety problem. The same guy who told the New Yorker that Reince Priebus is a “fucking paranoid schizophrenic,” and that Steve Bannon engages in self-fellatio, and that he wants to “fucking kill all the leakers” in the White House. That’s the guy who thinks that Maddow and other liberals should “take it easy?” Yeah, whatever. [Note: Scaramucci later <a href="https://twitter.com/Scaramucci/status/972149706171256832" type="external">tweeted</a> an apology].</p>
<p>The topic of the segment was Trump’s announcement that he accepted Kim Jong Un’s invitation to meet and discuss a resolution to their juvenile slap-fight on Twitter. The Fox News crew was aghast that Maddow would have anything critical to say about that. They played a clip from her show wherein she wondered…</p>
<p>“Why has no sitting American president ever met with a leader of North Korea? Why has that never happened in all the decades North Korea existed as a nation? Shouldn’t I take this to mean that this might be a particularly risky, or even an unwise move?”</p>
<p>Those are perfectly reasonable questions. What’s more, Trump’s impulsive agreement to meet with Kim demonstrates a dangerous incompetence with regard to what Trump considers his greatest asset: dealmaking. A meeting with the President of the United States is an asset that a smart negotiator would reserve until other concessions were made by the opposing party. Trump gave it up at the very beginning. He got nothing for it, or for the legitimacy it grants to Kim. He could have at least asked that the Americans currently being held in North Korea be released as a prerequisite to a meeting.</p>
<p>Fox News is predictably hailing Trump’s concession to meet Kim as a historic achievement. Never mind that the meeting hasn’t taken place and there are no guarantees that anything productive will result from them. In fact, there’s a fair chance that a summit between The Dotard and Little Rocket Man might make everything worse. They are two unstable, narcissistic individuals with little respect for one another. If their common stubbornness results in a fruitless affair, it might even make military conflict more likely as the prospects for diplomacy fade.</p>
<p>Time will tell if Trump can attend this meeting (if it even comes to pass) without screwing up. In his meetings with Congress he has proved that his word is virtually worthless and neither Democrats nor Republicans can rely on him to follow through. In the meantime, we fan expect philistines like Scaramucci to keep showing up on Fox News slinging insults and ignorance at their dimwitted audience. And maybe the world will survive a little bit longer.</p>
<p>How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QSSMOES/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00QSSMOES&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=newscorpsecom-20&amp;linkId=TLI6JC2OYE22MUTS" type="external">Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.</a> Available now at Amazon.</p>
<p /> | Scaramucci Tells Fox News that Rachel Maddow Needs an Anti-Anxiety Suppository | true | http://newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p%3D25702 | 4 |
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<p>Now this is Tucker Carlson at his best.</p>
<p>The Fox News host had some fun on Friday’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” at the expense of CNN’s Chris Cuomo.</p>
<p>…not that Cuomo didn’t have it coming.</p>
<p>Carlson played an interesting video Cuomo posted on social media of himself playing movie critic, reviewing the film “Wonder Woman.”</p>
<p>“I want to be like her when I grow up.” ~ Chris Cuomo</p>
<p>“I wanted to be like Wonder Woman and I’m going to wear a shirt that says it,” the CNN anchor confessed in the clip.</p>
<p>All of which set Tucker Carlson’s wit in motion.</p>
<p>“What does it qualify as intrigue&#160;that Chris Cuomo wanted to be Wonder Woman?” he asked.</p>
<p>“Did he ever wear that shirt? What’s with the air kisses?” Carlson continued. “There are so many more&#160;questions.”</p>
<p>And the sarcasm flowed.</p>
<p>“It’s better to understand Chris Cuomo for who he is. An artist, poet, seeker, shaman,” Carlson quipped. “The question is not,&#160;what the hell is Chris&#160;talking about, but what is&#160;Chris Cuomo&#160;trying to teach us, all of&#160;us, humanity itself?”</p>
<p>And Carlson promised more mocking of Cuomo “in the coming days.”</p>
<p>Stay tuned!</p>
<p /> | Tucker Carlson at his best in unmerciful mocking of Chris Cuomo’s ‘Wonder Woman’ aspirations | true | http://bizpacreview.com/2017/10/15/tucker-carlson-best-unmerciful-mocking-chris-cuomos-wonder-woman-aspirations-548700 | 2017-10-15 | 0 |
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<p />
<p>J.T.: Most people keep playing it safe while waiting for their dream career to present itself, but I’ll tell you: It doesn’t happen. To have that “aha” moment, you need to take a calculated risk and do something that will scare you in a good way, something that’s the result of purpose and planning.</p>
<p>DALE: So you’re telling Maritza to carefully plan to get scared – kinda like bungee jumping.</p>
<p>J.T.: What I’m suggesting is to consider two things: what transferable skills you have developed, and how you could market those skills to companies that inspire you. Leaving the financial-services industry is scary, but with the right planning, you can move to a job that is new and exciting.</p>
<p>DALE: That might work, but there is a fundamental flaw in most career planning. What is an “aha” moment? It’s a profound emotional and psychological insight. So by doing a lot of plotting and planning, you are attempting to pound enough logic to get to an emotional result. Possible? Yes, but it seems doubly unlikely in this case because you’ve already gone through guided coaching. That didn’t work. So now I think it’s time for the greatest self-discovery tool in the universe: trial and error. Instead of assuming that you can think your way into identifying the perfect job, I’d recommend that you start where you are, experimenting with career revelation. For instance, if you are passionate about the environment, you could volunteer to start a “green” initiative with your current company. Maybe the next step is being a financial analyst specializing in alternative energy. I don’t know where it will take you, but if you do it right, you can follow your heart without giving up your current career, and ultimately evolve into a new and exciting job.</p>
<p>J.T.: I’m all for following your heart, but that doesn’t mean that logically evaluating skills and employers is irrelevant. Yes, experiment, but why not increase your odds of learning with carefully designed experiments?</p>
<p>DEAR J.T. &amp; DALE: I am 48 years old and have been laid off from my mechanical engineering job. The layoff was preceded by my supervisor giving me some seriously negative reviews. I was successfully working with our internal clients, but my hard work and ideas for change were invisible. This really tanked my confidence, which in turn hinders my job-search efforts. – Luke</p>
<p>J.T.: You definitely must address the crisis of confidence you are having right now. Getting fired is tough. You need to process this so that when you meet with prospective employers, you can calmly explain what transpired in a way that allows the conversation to move on to another subject.</p>
<p>DALE: You’ll never get there if you stick with “I was right/they were wrong.” Three things you must do to successfully overcome being fired: Understand it, learn from it and put it in context. You have to figure out what provoked those negative performance reviews. Your old boss probably won’t talk, but visit with former colleagues and seek insights. Maybe you’ll conclude that you didn’t do anything wrong, but we can all learn, especially when it comes to the unwelcome dance of office politics. Lastly, put being let go in context by coming up with a list of references at other companies who will praise your work.</p>
<p>J.T.: Yes, you must remember: Their opinion is not everyone’s opinion. You have been successful before and now need to focus on your successes and the strengths you used to bring them about.</p>
<p>DALE: When you do that, you put the layoffs in perspective – first for yourself, then for your next employer – and as you do, your confidence comes flowing back.</p>
<p>Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and the founder of the consulting firm jtodonnell. Dale Dauten resolves employment and other business disputes as a mediator with <a href="http://AgreementHouse.com" type="external">AgreementHouse.com</a>. Please visit them at <a href="http://jtanddale.com" type="external">jtanddale.com</a>, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.</p> | ‘I want to get out of my protective shell’ | false | https://abqjournal.com/263923/i-want-to-get-out-of-my-protective-shell.html | 2013-09-15 | 2 |
<p>Why researchers say lesbians make the best parents, how the Internet is affecting your brain, and why Americans are no rugged individualists. All this and more on today’s list.</p>
<p>On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.</p>
<p>The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/05/arts/design/05wiki.html?scp=1&amp;sq=venerable%20british%20museum&amp;st=cse" type="external">Venerable British Museum Enlists in the Wikipedia Revolution</a> The British Museum has begun an unusual collaboration with Wikipedia, the online, volunteer-written encyclopedia, to help ensure that the museum’s expertise and notable artifacts are reflected in that digital reference’s pages.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jun/05/globish-robert-mccrum-review/print" type="external">How the English Language Became the World’s Language</a> Last month, as volcanic ash drifted across the skies of Europe, I found myself in a van travelling from Dubrovnik to Antwerp with a Belgian, a German, a Turkish couple living in Holland, a Russian studying in Dublin, a Chinese woman heading to Beijing via Amsterdam, and two Croatian drivers whose services we had hired. How did we communicate? In English, of course.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-wiki-culture-20100606,0,7851757.story" type="external">Technology changes how art is created and perceived</a> Through the Internet, video games, YouTube, Twitter, et al, original art is sampled and re-envisioned by anyone who can master the computer skills. But where does art end and amateurism begin?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/06/06/sweet_land_of_conformity/" type="external">Sweet land of … conformity?</a> … Are Americans really so uniquely individualistic? Are we, for example, more committed individualists than people in those socialist-looking nations of Europe? The answer appears to be no.</p>
<p><a href="http://gawker.com/5557270/the-secret-to-having-the-perfect-child-be-a-lesbian" type="external">The Secret to Having the Perfect Child: Be a Lesbian</a> A study that has been following children raised by lesbian parents for the past 24 years has concluded that not only are the children healthy, they’re generally smarter, nicer, and better behaved than those raised by male-female couples.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.diversityinc.com/article/7744/How-Do-Stereotypes-Affect-Us/" type="external">How Do Stereotypes Affect Us?</a> Dr. Claude Steele, provost of Columbia University and recognized leader in the field of social psychology, spoke at DiversityInc’s March 2010 event on how negative stereotypes perpetuate the achievement gap between Blacks and whites and limit the workforce talent potential.</p>
<p>Marriage as an Antidote to the Gay Lifestyle</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tnr.com/book/review/the-uses-half-true-alarms" type="external">What The Internet is Doing to Our Brains</a> Nicholas Carr’s lucid if tendentious book improves on his essay in the Atlantic a couple years ago, which was more memorably—and misleadingly—titled with the self-answering question, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-chandler-20100606,0,2415717.story" type="external">Arizona Immigration Law Is Reminder of Past Sweeps</a> Police and Border Patrol agents detained U.S. citizens and legal residents along with illegal immigrants in 1997. Many fear the new law will make history repeat itself.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37530102/ns/local_news-san_francisco_bay_area_ca/" type="external">Using Facebook, Mom Finds Kidnapped Kids</a> A San Bernardino mother whose children were kidnapped 15 years ago was able to finally track them down using Facebook.</p>
<p><a href="http://slatest.slate.com/id/2256149/entry/4/" type="external">Rush Limbaugh’s 4th Traditional Marriage — and Elton John …</a> Proving that everything and everyone has a price, Elton John performed at Rush Limbaugh’s fourth wedding this weekend. For a cool $1 million, John, an outspoken gay-marriage advocate who has even served as a guest host on ABC’s The View, entertained the conservative radio commentator and 400 guests at the Ponce de Leon ballroom of Florida’s Breakers hotel.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/06/06/marriage/index.html?source=newsletter" type="external">Congrats to Rush Limbaugh on his fourth traditional marriage</a> So as Newt Gingrich does while standing next to his third wife (who, as was true for Gingrich’s second wife, was previously known as his “adulterous mistress”), Rush Limbaugh will now crusade for Traditional Marriage with his fourth wife (and counting) at his side.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usnews.com/blogs/college-rankings-blog/2010/06/04/what-may-change-in-upcoming-college-rankings.html" type="external">What May Change in Upcoming College Rankings</a> I just returned from the 50th annual meeting of the Association for Institutional Research in Chicago. The annual meeting of college researchers and analysts was the largest in the association’s history. …</p>
<p><a href="http://chronicle.com/article/New-Rule-to-Curb-Textbook/65788/?sid=at&amp;utm_source=at&amp;utm_medium=en" type="external">New Federal Law on Textbooks and Syllabi</a> College bookstores are reporting early successes in complying with new federal rules designed to reduce textbook costs, but some faculty members say the new procedures have burdened them with busywork.</p> | Two Mommies Are Better Than One, Apparently | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/two-mommies-are-better-than-one-apparently/ | 2010-06-08 | 4 |
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - More executives have departed BlueMountain Capital Management as the hedge fund posted disappointing results last year, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.</p> Andrew Feldstein, co-founder of BlueMountain Capital Management, sits during the Harbor Investment Conference in New York, February 13, 2013. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
<p>The latest to leave the $22 billion firm were Derek Smith, a partner and senior investment adviser who has been with BlueMountain since 2008, and Dave Gibbs, a senior credit trader at the firm since October 2004. Both left in December.</p>
<p>“Like any company, BlueMountain undergoes changes in the make-up of its team that reflect the needs of investors and market dynamics,” a spokesman said in an emailed statement on Wednesday. “The result is that the firm remains nimble, responsive and well-positioned to continue to thrive,” he added.</p>
<p>Performance at the firm was lackluster in 2017.</p>
<p>BlueMountain’s Credit Alternatives Fund gained 1 percent and its Global Volatility Fund gained 0.05 percent for the year, according to a report from HSBC’s Alternative Investment Group seen by Reuters. The hedge fund benchmark HFRI Asset Weighted Composite Index gained 6.5 percent for the year.</p>
<p>The spokesman, Tom Vogel, declined to comment on the firm’s returns.</p>
<p>Others to leave last year were credit portfolio manager Marina Lutova, who also left December to join Citadel LLC, and Peter Greatrex, a managing partner and head of private investments, who left in February.</p>
<p>The firm said in a regulatory filing in March 2017 that it employed roughly 238 people in New York and London.</p>
<p>BlueMountain said it hired 50 people in 2017, including Michael Mauboussin as director of research in May and Lance Rosen as head of equities in June.</p>
<p>In July, the firm named Lee Kempler as chief operating officer for investments, a newly created role, and hired Claudio Macchetto, who had been with hedge fund Paulson &amp; Co, as head of platform distribution.</p>
<p>This month, Guillaume Cendrier joined as portfolio manager for Relative Value Credit.</p>
<p>BlueMountain, co-founded by Andrew Feldstein who is currently its chief investment officer, gained some fame for being one of the hedge funds on the other side of JP Morgan’s bet on credit derivatives known as the “London Whale.”</p>
<p>For a time the hedge fund employed Jes Staley, who had headed JP Morgan’s investment bank and is now chief executive officer of Barclays.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Tom Brown</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Walmart Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WMT.N" type="external">WMT.N</a>) was sued on Thursday by a former executive who accused the world’s largest retailer of issuing misleading e-commerce results, amid growing pressure from Amazon.com Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>), and firing him for complaining about it.</p> FILE PHOTO - A Walmart store is seen in Encinitas, California, U.S. on April 13, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
<p>Tri Huynh, a former director of business development, accused Walmart of having betrayed the principles of integrity and honesty espoused by founder Sam Walton in its push to show “meteoric growth” in e-commerce.</p>
<p>The complaint alleges various wrongdoing, including the mislabeling of products, enabling Walmart to charge excessive sales commissions, and failure to properly process customer returns, enabling it to boost results.</p>
<p>“Wal-Mart cut corners and cheated in a race to expand and gain market-share,” having been “desperate to gain the ground it had long lost to Amazon,” Huynh said in his complaint filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.</p>
<p>Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove said the litigation is based on allegations by a disgruntled former employee, who was let go when the business was restructured.</p>
<p>“We take allegations like this seriously and looked into them when they were brought to our attention,” he said. “The investigation found nothing to suggest that the company acted improperly.”</p>
<p>Walmart will vigorously defend itself against the claims, Hargrove added.</p>
<p>The retailer’s shares closed down 16 cents, or 0.2 percent, at $87.51, after earlier falling as much as 2 percent.</p>
<p>The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer has spent billions of dollars in recent years to compete with Amazon, including through its 2016 purchase of Jet.com, and last month said quarterly online sales, including the December holidays, had risen 23 percent.</p>
<p>But Amazon’s sales in North America grew 40 percent in the same quarter, and analysts have said its price war has weighed on Walmart’s margins.</p>
<p>Huynh accused Walmart of charging higher sales commissions from sellers on its online marketplace, where third-party sellers list and sell products, with commissions rising as high as 15 percent compared with the normal 6 percent to 8 percent.</p>
<p>Walmart’s internal controls allegedly failed to detect the problem, causing the retailer to overstate revenue.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WMT.N" type="external">Walmart Inc</a> 87.51 WMT.N New York Stock Exchange -0.16 (-0.18%) WMT.N AMZN.O
<p>Huynh also said Walmart failed to process more than $7 million of customer returns, inflating the total value of merchandise sold from September 2015 to March 2016.</p>
<p>The plaintiff, who was born in Vietnam and lives in Washington state, said Walmart abruptly fired him in January 2017 in retaliation for his repeated complaints about its e-commerce reporting and internal controls.</p>
<p>Huynh said he was fired not long after raising concerns with U.S. e-commerce chief Marc Lore, and was dismissed under the “false pretenses” of a broader workforce reduction and alleged performance issues.</p>
<p>He said he had told human resources the prior May of his efforts to deal with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.</p>
<p>“Wal-Mart sacrificed and betrayed its Founder’s key principles of integrity and honesty, pushing those core values aside in its rush to win the E-commerce war at all costs,” Huynh said. “In doing this, it realized it must silence any whistleblower who spoke up.”</p>
<p>The lawsuit, which accuses Walmart of violating the federal Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower law and various California state laws, seeks punitive and other damages.</p>
<p>The case is Huynh v Wal-Mart Stores Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 18-01631.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Nandita Bose in New York; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Tom Brown</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&amp;P 500 ended slightly lower on Thursday after a report that U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller had issued a subpoena for documents related to U.S. President Donald Trump’s businesses offset strong jobs and manufacturing data.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P fell to a session low soon after the New York Times report was released but recovered much of its losses by the market close. It has fallen for four straight days, its longest losing streak since December.</p>
<p>The Dow pared some gains but still ended higher for the first time in four days.</p>
<p>As earnings season has drawn to a close, political developments, such as the ouster of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this week, have significantly influenced the direction of U.S. stocks.</p>
<p>“The market is looking to bite on something to push it out of its trading range,” said Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott in Philadelphia.</p>
<p>Earlier, the S&amp;P had opened with gains as government data showed weekly U.S. jobless claims fell last week, pointing to a strong labor market. Manufacturing surveys from the New York Fed and Philadelphia Fed also pointed to a tightening labor market.</p>
<p>It also got a boost after Peter Navarro, the White House’s top adviser on international trade, said in a CNBC interview Trump’s tough approach to global trade, including tariffs on metals imports, would not necessarily provoke retaliation.</p> Traders work on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> rose 115.54 points, or 0.47 percent, to close at 24,873.66, the S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> lost 2.15 points, or 0.08 percent, to 2,747.33 and the Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> dropped 15.07 points, or 0.2 percent, to 7,481.74.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P industrial index .SPLRCI, however, rose 0.3 percent, leading all sectors, and posted its first session of gains in four days as worries of a trade war eased. Caterpillar ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=CAT.N" type="external">CAT.N</a>) was up 1.3 percent.</p>
<a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">Dow Jones &amp; Company Inc</a> 24873.66 .DJI Dow Jones Indexes +115.54 (+0.47%) .DJI .SPX .IXIC CAT.N BABA.N
<p>Among stocks, Alibaba ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BABA.N" type="external">BABA.N</a>) jumped 3.4 percent on a report that the Chinese e-commerce company was planning a secondary listing in China.</p>
<p>Dollar General ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DG.N" type="external">DG.N</a>) rose 4.8 percent after the discount retailer’s quarterly same-store sales beat estimates.</p>
<p>Qorvo ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=QRVO.O" type="external">QRVO.O</a>) tumbled 3.9 percent after Bank of America said the radio frequency chipmaker could lose out to Broadcom ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AVGO.O" type="external">AVGO.O</a>) for a spot in upcoming iPhones.</p>
<p>Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 1.71-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 1.31-to-1 ratio favored decliners.</p>
<p>Volume on U.S. exchanges was 6.65 billion shares, compared to the 7.08 billion average over the last 20 trading days.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Sruthi Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Former Qualcomm Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=QCOM.O" type="external">QCOM.O</a>) Chairman Paul Jacobs has informed its board of directors that he will seek to partner with investment firms to make an offer for the U.S. semiconductor company, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.</p> FILE PHOTO - Paul Jacobs attends the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland January 20, 2017. REUTERS/Ruben Sprich
<p>Jacobs’ attempt to put together an offer comes just a few days after Qualcomm fended off a $117 billion hostile bid from Singapore-based rival Broadcom Ltd ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AVGO.O" type="external">AVGO.O</a>) thanks to an order by U.S. President Donald Trump prohibiting the deal due to national security concerns.</p>
<p>Qualcomm does not view Jacobs’ attempt to put together a buyout bid as credible, the sources said. Jacobs has held talks with several investment firms, including SoftBank Group Corp’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=9984.T" type="external">9984.T</a>) Vision Fund, but has so far been unable to secure the necessary financing, the three sources added.</p>
<p>Jacobs is attempting to put together the largest leveraged buyout of all time, three times as large as the $45 billion buyout of Texas power utility Energy Future Holdings, which ended in bankruptcy.</p>
<p>Even if SoftBank, a Japanese telecommunications group with technology investments around the world, wanted to join Jacobs’ bid, it could face conflicts given its ownership of British chip designer ARM Holdings Plc, the sources said. Adding to the potential conflicts, Qualcomm is an investor in the Vision Fund.</p>
<p>SoftBank’s deals are also subject to review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the U.S. national security panel that also objected to Broadcom’s bid for Qualcomm.</p>
<p>The sources asked not to be identified because the deliberations are confidential. Qualcomm declined to comment, while Jacobs and SoftBank could not be immediately reached for comment. The Financial Times first reported on Jacob’s buyout efforts earlier on Thursday.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=QCOM.O" type="external">Qualcomm Inc</a> 59.89 QCOM.O Nasdaq -0.23 (-0.38%) QCOM.O AVGO.O 9984.T
<p>Jacobs, who still sits on Qualcomm’s board, was stripped of his title of executive chairman earlier this month when Jeffrey Henderson, another Qualcomm director, was named non-executive chairman.</p>
<p>While Jacobs shared the view of Qualcomm’s board that Broadcom’s bid undervalued the company and was fraught with regulatory risks, many on Qualcomm’s board blamed him for the dissatisfaction of some Qualcomm’s shareholders with the company’s handling of Broadcom’s bid, according to the sources.</p>
<p>Jacobs, whose father Irwin co-founded Qualcomm, is up for re-election as board director, alongside other Qualcomm nominees, at the company’s shareholder meeting on March 23. Proxy advisory firm ISS on Wednesday recommended to Qualcomm shareholders that they vote for Broadcom’s four nominees on Qualcomm’s 11-person board, even though their nominations have been withdrawn, as a form of protest.</p>
<p>Given that Qualcomm’s board director slate faces no competition, the re-election of Qualcomm’s board directors is assured. However, limited support for Qualcomm’s nominees could put pressure on Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf, who was criticized by some investors for inviting CFIUS to review Broadcom’s bid, to make changes to the company’s strategy.</p>
<p>Reporting by Greg Roumeliotis in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s third biggest company Unilever ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ULVR.L" type="external">ULVR.L</a>) ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=UNc.AS" type="external">UNc.AS</a>) picked Rotterdam over London for its main headquarters on Thursday in a blow to Prime Minister Theresa May’s government a year before Brexit.</p>
<p>The Anglo-Dutch maker of Dove soap, Lipton teas and Ben &amp; Jerry’s ice cream launched a review of its dual-headed structure in 2017 after fighting off a $143 billion takeover from Kraft Heinz ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=KHC.O" type="external">KHC.O</a>), triggering a battle between Britain and the Netherlands.</p>
<p>Under the new plan, Unilever will continue to be listed in London, Amsterdam and New York, and will divide into three divisions, keeping two based in Britain. That will enable it to retain its 7,300 staff in the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>The company said the decision to end 88 years of two parent-ownership was not linked to Brexit or any form of protectionism, but would simplify its structure and facilitate acquisitions.</p>
<p>However, British unions and supporters of EU membership bemoaned what they said was a deterioration in Britain’s competitiveness at a time when tax code changes and strong anti-takeover laws have made the Netherlands increasingly attractive.</p>
<p>“Let me categorically say that this had nothing to do with Brexit,” Unilever Chairman Marijn Dekkers told reporters.</p>
<p>“The board takes a 30 to 50 year decision. We think both countries are highly attractive investment climates and we will continue to invest in both countries as a result of this,” the Dutchman added.</p>
<p>It is unclear whether Unilever can remain in the FTSE 100 Index of leading UK stocks, a decision which could hit its shares if tracker funds are forced to sell.</p> BIG CHANGE
<p>Forged by the 1930 merger of Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie and British soap maker Lever Brothers, Unilever employs nearly 170,000 people around the world to generate turnover of 53.7 billion euros ($66 billion) in 2017.</p>
<p>With a market value of 105 billion pounds ($146 billion), it competes with the likes of P&amp;G, Kraft, Nestle, Colgate Palmolive, Reckitt Benckiser and independent brands.</p>
<p>In early 2017, the company - which had been thought to be too big to take over - managed to fight off one of the largest corporate bids ever made, but had to placate investors with a plan to boost profits and reinvigorate the group.</p>
<p>The short-lived bid battle has had widespread repercussions.</p>
<p>In the weeks after the offer, Chief Executive Paul Polman said Britain, known for promoting one of the most open economies in the world, should do more to protect national champions.</p>
<p>Unions in Britain have noted that Dutch companies have stronger powers to fight off unwanted takeovers, as seen last year when paint maker Akzo Nobel ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AKZO.AS" type="external">AKZO.AS</a>) fended off a 26.3 billion euro bid from U.S. rival PGG Industries ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=PPG.N" type="external">PPG.N</a>).</p> Slideshow (5 Images)
<p>“This is a tremendous boost,” Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb said. “Rotterdam is a place that serves the interests of Unilever well as it will be less of a prey for takeovers.”</p>
<p>Chris Bryant, an opposition UK lawmaker and leading supporter of Open Britain which is urging post-Brexit Britain to remain close to the EU, said the choice of Rotterdam over London was a sign the business environment was weakening.</p> THREE DIVISIONS
<p>Unilever had held talks with both governments before making its decision, and the move will be seen as a blow to Prime Minister May, who is locked in talks with Brussels over the country’s departure from the EU on March 29, 2019.</p>
<p>Her government welcomed the reassurance on jobs, however.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=ULVR.L" type="external">Unilever PLC</a> 3756.0 ULVR.L London Stock Exchange -64.50 (-1.69%) ULVR.L UNc.AS KHC.O AKZO.AS PPG.N
<p>In recent months, speculation had grown that Unilever would choose the Netherlands after Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, himself a Unilever veteran, proposed a tax change seen as benefiting Anglo-Dutch multinationals.</p>
<p>Unilever said it did not expect any significant tax changes as a result of the deal. It said it had chosen the Netherlands because the Dutch company currently accounted for 55 percent of the group and those shares traded with greater liquidity.</p>
<p>As part of the restructuring, Unilever will create three divisions, with Beauty &amp; Personal Care and the Home Care units being headquartered in London. The Foods &amp; Refreshment division will be based in Rotterdam.</p>
<p>The company said it would give more authority to the heads of those divisions to set strategy.</p>
<p>The long-awaited announcement marks the latest change to the company after it agreed to sell its margarine and spreads business to U.S. private equity firm KKR ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=KKR.N" type="external">KKR.N</a>) for 6.83 billion euros in December.</p>
<p>Polman was asked how long he would continue as CEO now he has made these changes, but said there was still a lot to be done and he remained energised by the job.</p>
<p>The restructuring, he said, would enable Unilever to make changes to its portfolio including major acquisitions, although he stressed he had no immediate plans to do this.</p>
<p>Unilever is not the only major company spanning Britain and the Netherlands - with Royal Dutch Shell and publishing group Relx having strong links with both countries.</p>
<p>($1 = 0.8104 euros)</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-unilever-structure-britain/uk-says-unilever-headquarters-decision-not-connected-to-brexit-idUSKCN1GR0PT" type="external">UK says Unilever headquarters' decision not connected to Brexit</a>
<a href="/article/us-unilever-structure-listing/unilever-says-place-in-ftse-100-index-still-to-be-determined-idUSKCN1GR0TI" type="external">Unilever says place in FTSE 100 Index still to be determined</a>
<p>($1 = 0.7168 pounds)</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Toby Sterling and Bart H Meijer in Amsterdam; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Keith Weir and Mark Potter</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BlueMountain loses senior investment adviser, senior trader Whistleblower says Walmart, eyeing Amazon, cheated on e-commerce S&P falls for fourth day as Mueller subpoena weighs Former Qualcomm chairman explores long-shot bid for U.S. chip maker: sources Unilever picks Rotterdam for HQ as Britain loses the battle before Brexit | false | https://reuters.com/article/us-hedgefunds-bluemountain/bluemountain-loses-senior-investment-adviser-senior-trader-idUSKBN1FE020 | 2018-01-25 | 2 |
<p>I invite Legal Insurrection readers to pour an ice cold brew and celebrate “Human Achievement Hour”, slated to start today at 8:30 pm local time.</p>
<p>The event is promoted by the <a href="https://cei.org/content/human-achievement-hour-2015" type="external">Competitive Enterprise Institute</a>; its website offers the background on today’s festivities:</p>
<p>CEI would like supporters to share their favorite human achievements on Twitter using @ceidotorg and #HAH2015. There is also a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/933371733353317/" type="external">Facebook page for the event</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>In homage to the ancient Egypt, chemistry, and free enterprise, my selection for Top Human Achievement 2015 is…. beer!</p>
<p />
<p>The related <a href="http://www.beerhistory.com/library/holdings/raley_timetable.shtml" type="external">inventions of bread and beer</a> are speculated to have been the impetus for humanity’s ability to develop technology and build civilization. Egyptian texts from 1600 BC contain 100 medical prescriptions calling for beer, and if an Egyptian gentleman offered a lady a sip of his beer they were engaged.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.axs.com/san-diego-brews-bolster-craft-beer-capital-of-the-world-claim-11558" type="external">San Diego is the epicenter</a> of the American craft beer industry. Interestingly, this development is tied directly to <a href="http://www.craftbeer.com/the-beverage/history-of-beer/the-revival" type="external">new social media technologies.</a></p>
<p>A democratization (Beer Democracy and Open Source Brewing) of beer began in earnest during the late 1970’s by homebrewers. It was then that better beer began its journey, championed by individuals and not corporate strategies. Homebrewers began learning how to make the beer types they could no longer buy. A few homebrewers started their own small breweries, the first new breweries to open since prohibition began in 1923. A revival had begun. Beer drinkers learned to appreciate these new “microbrews.” The term microbrews has since evolved to “craft beer;” particularly from small and independent brewers (see What is Craft Beer). There are now 1,829 small and independent craft brewers in the USA.</p>
<p>The revival of American beer of the past 30 years is a phenomenon attributable to one of the first (if not the first) “open-source” collaborative experiences in modern history. The community of homebrewers, beer enthusiasts and craft brewers made the pioneers of the democratization of process. It is only anecdotal knowing that Steve Jobs was a member of the “Homebrew Computer Club,” from which the seeds of the Mac Computer would emerge (visit Homebrew and How the Apple Came to Be).</p>
<p>This year, I also have an honorable mention. My second pick is <a href="http://reason.com/blog/2014/11/15/philae-landing-one-small-step-for-scienc" type="external">the spacecraft Philae</a>, which has landed on a comet 300 million miles away…in part, in hopes that mankind can learn enough about them to prevent mass extinction by comet impact sometime in the future. Talk about climate change!</p>
<p>As an added bonus, this choice will tweak those <a href="http://reason.com/blog/2014/11/15/philae-landing-one-small-step-for-scienc" type="external">“Earth Hour” drama queens</a> who berated Dr. Matt Taylor, one of the project scientists for that mission, for his press conference shirt selection.</p>
<p />
<p>About the project, <a href="http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/matt-taylor" type="external">Taylor says</a>:</p>
<p>“The opportunity to work on Rosetta was huge and I cannot begin to describe the excitement associated with this mission. It really is just so cool. Previous missions have only flown past comets. For the first time we will fly with the comet and actually land on it! The Rosetta mission is a breakthrough in space science and exploration and really demonstrates what international collaboration can achieve.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/cantotalk/2015/03/20/elections-in-israel-the-iran-nuclear-deal-and-other-national-security-issues" type="external">My colleagues at Canto Talk suggested</a> i-phones (which have helped <a href="https://tavaana.org/en/content/ladies-white-marching-change-cuba-0" type="external">document and publicize citizen protests</a> worldwide) and airplanes (a major target of climate histrionics), which are also great choices.</p>
<p>However you decide to pay tribute to the human innovations that have helped people, make sure it involves a fun drink and something politically incorrect!</p>
<p>[Featured Image – Youtube, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCraftBeerChannel" type="external">The Craft Beer Channel</a>]</p> | Celebrate “Human Achievement Hour” 2015 today at 8:30 pm (#HAH2015) | true | http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/03/celebrate-human-achievement-hour-2015-today-at-830-pm-hah2015/ | 2015-03-28 | 0 |
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<p>This screen shot provided by Microsoft shows a recipe page on MSN’s new Food and Drink site. Microsoft is giving its MSN news portal a crisper look, new lifestyle tools and seamless syncing across devices. (AP Photo/Microsoft)</p>
<p>NEW YORK — Microsoft is giving its MSN news service a crisper look, new lifestyle tools and seamless syncing across devices.</p>
<p>The company says the revamped site fits in with Microsoft’s overall strategy of making mobile phones and Internet-based services priorities as its traditional businesses — Windows and Office software installed on desktops — slow down or decline. The changes also come as people increasingly read news on smartphones and tablets rather than desktop computers.</p>
<p>Rather than being simply an entry point for accessing the rest of the Internet, the revamped MSN is aiming to become a daily part of life for its 400 million monthly users worldwide. Besides news culled from other media outlets, MSN will have such tools as a symptom checker and a shopping list maker for recipes.</p>
<p>“It’s not just about finding that great article on Beyonce,” said Stefan Weitz, senior director, operating system and services at Microsoft. “It’s also about helping you fix a great dinner and manage your flights.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>One key improvement will be an ability to sync across all devices. So if you are logged in and make a shopping list for a recipe on your desktop, it will automatically appear on the MSN app on your phone.</p>
<p>The changes mirror what Microsoft is doing with its latest version of its Windows operating system. CEO Satya Nadella has acknowledged the headache the company had created for software developers by making multiple versions of Windows that work differently on phones, PCs and tablets, Xbox and other devices. With the next version of Windows, Microsoft plans to unify the system so developers can create apps that work on many devices at once.</p>
<p>A preview of the new MSN site will be available Monday. The new site will roll out more widely later this month.</p> | Microsoft revamps MSN to flow across devices | false | https://abqjournal.com/458689/microsoft-revamps-msn-to-flow-across-devices.html | 2 |
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<p>SANTA FE (AP) — A New Mexico lawmaker wants to end what he calls the practice by public officials of creating “monuments to me.”</p>
<p>Republican Sen. Mark Moores of Albuquerque says he has introduced a bill that would prohibit any public building from being named after a living person. He says the practice can turn embarrassing, as in the case of the Manny Aragon library at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque. Aragon is a former Senate leader serving time in federal prison for accepting kickbacks.</p>
<p>He also cited the case of Taos county commissioners recently being forced to reverse their decision to name three buildings after themselves. He says his bill establishes procedures for creating naming committees for public buildings.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | GOP Sen.: Ban ‘Monuments to Me’ | false | https://abqjournal.com/164560/gop-sen-ban-monuments-to-me.html | 2013-01-30 | 2 |
<p>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Bowl is not typically the type of game where fans storm the field. Certainly not for a team that finished 7-6.</p>
<p>But this has been a long, arduous wait for New Mexico State fans. All those losing seasons, all that disappointment, all that time between bowl games.</p>
<p>Storm away, Aggies. You’ve earned it.</p>
<p>Larry Rose III scored on a 21-yard run in overtime and New Mexico State won in its first bowl game in 57 years, beating Utah State 26-20 in the Arizona Bowl on Friday night.</p>
<p>“I’m just thrilled for these kids and this community,” New Mexico State coach Doug Martin. “Just look at these fans who showed up here. This is an unbelievable day for us.</p>
<p>Utah State (6-7) had the ball first in overtime and Dominik Eberle hit the right upright on a 29-yard field goal attempt, sending a groan through the Utah State crowd. Eberle made 16 for 18 field goals during the regular season, but missed three in the Arizona Bowl.</p>
<p>New Mexico State won it when Jones <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNet/status/946933033076113408" type="external">burst through a hole</a> on the left side, sending the Aggies <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNet/status/946933072347271169" type="external">and their fans</a> rushing onto the Arizona Stadium field. Jones finished with 142 yards on 16 carries.</p>
<p>“He’s my field goal kicker. I love that kid and he’s been really consistent all year,” Utah State coach Matt Wells said. “Was I surprised? Yes. Was I disappointed in him? Not one bit.”</p>
<p>The third Arizona Bowl started with some <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNet/status/946877643026083840" type="external">early fireworks</a> on special teams.</p>
<p>Utah State’s Savon Scarver returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, then New Mexico State’s Jason Huntley took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a score.</p>
<p>The excitement leveled off considerably until LaJuan Hunt scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, set up by a shanked punt from New Mexico State’s Payton Theisler.</p>
<p>New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers, held in check most of the game, answered by moving the Aggies on a 69-yard scoring drive, capped by his 11-yard touchdown pass to Jaleel Scott that tied it at 20. A video review overturned the initial call that Scott was out of bounds.</p>
<p>Rogers, who was second nationally with 347 yards passing per game during the regular season, threw for 191 yards and touchdown with two interceptions.</p>
<p>This was a rematch 57 years in the making.</p>
<p>New Mexico State had not been to a bowl game since the 1960 Sun Bowl. The opponent: Utah State.</p>
<p>Utah State went to eight bowls after that, including six of the last seven.</p>
<p>New Mexico State went into a bowl-less tailspin, finishing with a losing record 44 times since that last bowl game. It had 14 straight losing seasons, including a 0-12 mark in 2005, before winning its final two games this season to finally get back to bowling.</p>
<p>The long-awaited rematch turned into the Special Teams Bowl in the first half.</p>
<p>New Mexico State’s Dylan Brown made two field goals, Eberle made two and missed two, and each team had a kickoff return for a touchdown.</p>
<p>After a third quarter of defensive stops and punting, both teams found the end zone to send the game overtime — and, later, New Mexico State’s fans onto the field.</p>
<p>“I thought it was a fairly clean game and pretty aggressive on both sides,” Wells said. “If we had made the field goals early, then maybe it would have been a different ball game.”</p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>Utah State racked up 441 yards of offense and kept Rogers from having a big game, but had a rough night on special teams.</p>
<p>New Mexico State made its first postseason game in nearly six decades a memorable one by rallying for a victory.</p>
<p>MOMENTUM SWING</p>
<p>Utah State had the game’s best chance for the game’s first offensive touchdown early in the third quarter, when Jordan Love completed a 41-yard pass to Ron’quavion Tarver to New Mexico State’s 1.</p>
<p>On the next play, New Mexico State’s Terrill Hanks knocked down Love’s pitch to Hunt and recovered the ball himself at the 12-yard line, ending Utah State’s hopes.</p>
<p>THIRD-DOWN WOES</p>
<p>Both teams struggled on third downs, converting a combined 5 of 40. Utah State was 1 for 18 and New Mexico State was 4 for 22. The teams had a combined 20 punts</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Utah State must replace seniors Hunt and cornerback Jalen Davis, a second-team AP All-American, but Love is a redshirt freshman.</p>
<p>New Mexico State will have big holes to replace with Rogers and Rose among the seniors it will have to replace.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More college football: <a href="http://collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">http://collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
<p>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — The Arizona Bowl is not typically the type of game where fans storm the field. Certainly not for a team that finished 7-6.</p>
<p>But this has been a long, arduous wait for New Mexico State fans. All those losing seasons, all that disappointment, all that time between bowl games.</p>
<p>Storm away, Aggies. You’ve earned it.</p>
<p>Larry Rose III scored on a 21-yard run in overtime and New Mexico State won in its first bowl game in 57 years, beating Utah State 26-20 in the Arizona Bowl on Friday night.</p>
<p>“I’m just thrilled for these kids and this community,” New Mexico State coach Doug Martin. “Just look at these fans who showed up here. This is an unbelievable day for us.</p>
<p>Utah State (6-7) had the ball first in overtime and Dominik Eberle hit the right upright on a 29-yard field goal attempt, sending a groan through the Utah State crowd. Eberle made 16 for 18 field goals during the regular season, but missed three in the Arizona Bowl.</p>
<p>New Mexico State won it when Jones <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNet/status/946933033076113408" type="external">burst through a hole</a> on the left side, sending the Aggies <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNet/status/946933072347271169" type="external">and their fans</a> rushing onto the Arizona Stadium field. Jones finished with 142 yards on 16 carries.</p>
<p>“He’s my field goal kicker. I love that kid and he’s been really consistent all year,” Utah State coach Matt Wells said. “Was I surprised? Yes. Was I disappointed in him? Not one bit.”</p>
<p>The third Arizona Bowl started with some <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsNet/status/946877643026083840" type="external">early fireworks</a> on special teams.</p>
<p>Utah State’s Savon Scarver returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, then New Mexico State’s Jason Huntley took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a score.</p>
<p>The excitement leveled off considerably until LaJuan Hunt scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, set up by a shanked punt from New Mexico State’s Payton Theisler.</p>
<p>New Mexico State’s Tyler Rogers, held in check most of the game, answered by moving the Aggies on a 69-yard scoring drive, capped by his 11-yard touchdown pass to Jaleel Scott that tied it at 20. A video review overturned the initial call that Scott was out of bounds.</p>
<p>Rogers, who was second nationally with 347 yards passing per game during the regular season, threw for 191 yards and touchdown with two interceptions.</p>
<p>This was a rematch 57 years in the making.</p>
<p>New Mexico State had not been to a bowl game since the 1960 Sun Bowl. The opponent: Utah State.</p>
<p>Utah State went to eight bowls after that, including six of the last seven.</p>
<p>New Mexico State went into a bowl-less tailspin, finishing with a losing record 44 times since that last bowl game. It had 14 straight losing seasons, including a 0-12 mark in 2005, before winning its final two games this season to finally get back to bowling.</p>
<p>The long-awaited rematch turned into the Special Teams Bowl in the first half.</p>
<p>New Mexico State’s Dylan Brown made two field goals, Eberle made two and missed two, and each team had a kickoff return for a touchdown.</p>
<p>After a third quarter of defensive stops and punting, both teams found the end zone to send the game overtime — and, later, New Mexico State’s fans onto the field.</p>
<p>“I thought it was a fairly clean game and pretty aggressive on both sides,” Wells said. “If we had made the field goals early, then maybe it would have been a different ball game.”</p>
<p>BIG PICTURE</p>
<p>Utah State racked up 441 yards of offense and kept Rogers from having a big game, but had a rough night on special teams.</p>
<p>New Mexico State made its first postseason game in nearly six decades a memorable one by rallying for a victory.</p>
<p>MOMENTUM SWING</p>
<p>Utah State had the game’s best chance for the game’s first offensive touchdown early in the third quarter, when Jordan Love completed a 41-yard pass to Ron’quavion Tarver to New Mexico State’s 1.</p>
<p>On the next play, New Mexico State’s Terrill Hanks knocked down Love’s pitch to Hunt and recovered the ball himself at the 12-yard line, ending Utah State’s hopes.</p>
<p>THIRD-DOWN WOES</p>
<p>Both teams struggled on third downs, converting a combined 5 of 40. Utah State was 1 for 18 and New Mexico State was 4 for 22. The teams had a combined 20 punts</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Utah State must replace seniors Hunt and cornerback Jalen Davis, a second-team AP All-American, but Love is a redshirt freshman.</p>
<p>New Mexico State will have big holes to replace with Rogers and Rose among the seniors it will have to replace.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More college football: <a href="http://collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">http://collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p> | New Mexico State beats Utah State 26-20 in Arizona Bowl | false | https://apnews.com/c9ef0c4857364365965ddfcad0589734 | 2017-12-30 | 2 |
<p>“President Obama...has factually been the least transparent administration probably in this nation's history, certainly in modern time,” <a href="http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/04/13/fournier_obama_administration_has_probably_been_the_least_transparent_in_this_nations_history.html" type="external">said</a> National Journal’s Ron Fournier, a self-described “member of the mainstream media,” in the wake of the Justice Department’s Fast &amp; Furious gun-selling scandal. On Thursday, State Department Spokesman Mark Toner implicitly confirmed what we’ve suspected all along: the administration can’t be this stupid; they know full that they’re lying to the American public. Welcoming interns at the department’s daily press briefing, Toner laughed uncontrollably at the notion that the administration is a hub of transparency.</p>
<p>“I think we have some interns in the back. Welcome,” Toner began, opening the briefing with an awkward smirk on his face.</p>
<p>“Good to see you in this exercise in transparency and democracy,” he muttered before bursting out into a fit of hysterical laughter.</p>
<p>After a couple seconds of giggling like a hyena, Toner was interrupted by the Associated Press’ Matt Lee, who, at that moment, served as a mouthpiece for an awestruck American public.</p>
<p>“Is that what this is?” Lee told Toner in a room full of fellow reporters. “I thought it was an exercise in spin and obfuscation.”</p>
<p>Even that didn’t seem to stop Toner. Ignoring Lee’s quip, Toner continued to laugh while apologizing for laughing.</p>
<p>The spokesman's maturity level was about what you would expect for a senior Obama administration official.</p>
<p>Nearing the end of his term, President Obama and his conglomerate of pencil pushers have all but given up on even pretending to be transparent, open, and honest. They simply don’t care.</p>
<p>Watch the clip of the laugh-fest below:</p> | State Department Spokesman Laughs Uncontrollably At Government Transparency | true | https://dailywire.com/news/8161/state-deptartment-spokesman-laughs-uncontrollably-michael-qazvini | 2016-08-07 | 0 |
<p>It may sound a bit unpalatable, but pee may be a better option for the Golden State than the desalination of ocean water.</p>
<p>The Atlantic’s Citylab:</p>
<p>Desalination is not a new technology, but it’s still expensive. Despite the cost, its uptake is growing as dry places look to secure drought-proof sources of water. A new desalination plant built on reverse-osmosis microfiltering (the same method as the Carlsbad plant) will supply one-third of Beijing’s water by 2019. Desalination is already a major source of water for Australia, Chile, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other drought-prone coastal regions. Smaller solar desalination plants are also gaining appeal in California.</p>
<p>Still, the drought may force a decision sooner rather than later. “This is year one [of the drought] for us. Other parts of California are in year three or four. The real pressure for us is going to come next year if it doesn’t rain.”</p>
<p />
<p>Which brings us to the pee-drinking.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.citylab.com/weather/2014/06/why-californians-will-soon-be-drinking-their-own-pee/373014/" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p>—Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Natasha Hakimi Zapata</a></p> | Is Drinking Urine the Answer to California's Drought? | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/is-drinking-urine-the-answer-to-californias-drought/ | 2014-06-25 | 4 |
<p>U.S. crude-oil stocks are expected to show a decrease in data due Wednesday from the Department of Energy, according to a survey of analysts and traders by The Wall Street Journal.</p>
<p>Estimates from 11 analysts and traders showed U.S. oil inventories are projected to have decreased by 1.4 million barrels, on average, in the week ended Nov. 10. Three analysts expect stockpiles to rise and eight expect them to fall. Forecasts range from a decrease of 3.5 million barrels to an increase of 2.5 million barrels.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The closely watched survey from the Energy Information Administration is due at 10:30 a.m. EST Wednesday.</p>
<p>Gasoline stockpiles are expected to fall by 1.1 million barrels on average, according to analysts. Three analysts expect them to rise and eight expect them to fall. Estimates range from a decline of 3 million barrels to an increase of 2 million barrels.</p>
<p>Stocks of distillates, which include heating oil and diesel, are expected to fall by 500,000 barrels. Seven analysts expect a decrease while four expect an increase. Forecasts range from a fall of 2.9 million barrels to a an increase of 3 million barrels.</p>
<p>Refinery use is seen increasing by 0.9 percentage point to 90.5% of capacity. Nine analysts expect an increase and two did not report expectations. Forecasts range from an increase of 0.4 percentage point to an increase of 1.2 percentage points.</p>
<p>The American Petroleum Institute, an industry group, said late Tuesday that its own data for the week showed a 6.5-million-barrel increase in crude supplies, a 2.4-million-barrel rise in gasoline stocks and a 2.5-million-barrel decline in distillate inventories, according to a market participant.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Crude Gasoline Distillates Refinery Use</p>
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<p>Confluence Investment Management 2 2 -2 0.5</p>
<p>Energy Management Institute -3.2 -1.5 -1.8 1.2</p>
<p>Excel Futures 2.15 -2.7 -2.9 1.1</p>
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<p>Write to Alison Sider at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>November 14, 2017 17:29 ET (22:29 GMT)</p> | U.S. Crude-Oil Stocks Seen Decreasing in DOE Data -- Update | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/03/u-s-crude-oil-stocks-seen-decreasing-in-doe-data-update.html | 2017-11-14 | 0 |
<p>On Monday the German Parliament approved the latest round of bailout funds for Greece. It's about $170 billion worth of loans to keep Greece from defaulting on its debts. Germany's expected to come up with most of the cash.</p>
<p>Up until now, German politicians have presented a pretty united front when it came to keeping Greece in the eurozone. That's despite the fact that many Germans are fed up with giving the Greeks any more money.</p>
<p>But on Monday, the German tabloid Bild had this headline message for German politicians: "STOP!"</p>
<p>"Don't go down this crazy path any longer."</p>
<p>Meanwhile, other German papers recently carried a full page ad taken out by Greek businessmen that said, "Give Greece a Chance."</p>
<p>Chancellor Angela Merkel weighed in Monday morning ahead of the parliamentary debate on the next tranche of German bailout money.</p>
<p>"I know there are people asking whether Greece was a bottomless pit, a hopeless case, whether it would be better for all if Greece went back to the Drachma, whether – to sum it up – the eurozone wouldn't be better off without Greece than with Greece," she opined. "These questions are valid. After weighing up all pros and cons I however come to the conclusion that the opportunities lying within this new package outweigh its risks."</p>
<p>For two years now, Merkel and her party faithful have stuck to the idea that the eurozone is better off with Greece in it.</p>
<p>But cracks are now showing.</p>
<p>This past weekend, Merkel's own Interior Minister suggested that Greece's chances of recovery might be better outside the eurozone.</p>
<p>But Greece's Culture and Tourism Minister, Pavlos Geroulanos, said on Monday a Greek exit, and bankruptcy, is not the way forward.</p>
<p>"Bankruptcy of Greece right now will cost the Greek people a lot more than the package that's being put together by the European Union along with Greece," Geroulanos said. "The cost of that package is nowhere near what the cost of bankruptcy would mean for the Greek people – because bankruptcy would mean a very sudden and radical reduction of the buying power of the Greek people, especially as far as goods are concerned that are coming from abroad. And the Greek economy is just as intertwined with the European economy as the German is."</p>
<p>Germans, however, seem to have had just about enough.</p>
<p>Artur Fischer, chief executive of the Berlin Stock Exchange, said he believes most Germans understand that the kinds of austerity measures facing Greece are dreadful for the Greek people, and they do have a lot of sympathy for the trouble they have to go through.</p>
<p>"On the other hand," Fischer said, "we read stories in our newspapers that the rich people, the people with money, manage to channel that money outside of Greece, and to protect it from supporting their own country."</p>
<p>Over the weekend, news broke that more than 100 German tax collectors had volunteered to go to Greece to help with its tax collection problems.</p>
<p>"The level of trust in Greece implementing measures that they have agreed upon is plummeting in the German system," said Thomas Kleine-Brockhoff, a senior fellow with the German Marshall fund of the United States.</p>
<p>"We've seen over the past couple of weeks, protests in Greece against this type of restricted sovereignty, the ideas for which come out of Berlin. And so the Germans are the bad guys, and German/Greek relations are at a post-war low at this point," Kleine-Brockhoff said.</p>
<p>For her part, Angela Merkel said she's still committed to keeping Greece in the eurozone.</p>
<p>The German opposition supports even more money for the bailout funds. And more money may, in fact, be necessary. Many in Brussels now feel that the agreed upon bailout targets won't be enough to contain Greece's economic troubles.</p>
<p>Merkel might have to go back and try to convince voters that Germany should pony up even more cash in the months ahead.</p>
<p>But "more money" for Greece doesn't seem to be what Germans want.</p>
<p>A new poll suggests that more than 60 percent of the German public is against sending any more bailout money Greece's way.</p> | German Parliament Approves Greece Bailout | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-02-27/german-parliament-approves-greece-bailout | 2012-02-27 | 3 |
<p>From Sac Bee:</p>
<p>Gov.&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Jerry+Brown/" type="external">Jerry Brown</a>&#160;scored a tactical victory in his quest to raise taxes Tuesday when the “Think&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Long+Committee/" type="external">Long Committee</a>&#160;for&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California/" type="external">California</a>” decided not to pursue its own tax reform plan this year.</p>
<p>The committee, which was created by billionaire&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Nicholas+Berggruen/" type="external">Nicholas Berggruen</a>&#160;and counted a number of prominent Californians in its membership, had proposed a massive overhaul of&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/California/" type="external">California</a>&#160;taxes to reduce revenue volatility. The group was planning for the November ballot.</p>
<p>That complicated Brown’s plans to ask voters for a more modest temporary increase in sales and income taxes that he wants to balance the state budget. He and other advocates worried that having a multitude of competing tax measures on the ballot would confuse voters and perhaps lead to rejection of all.</p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/01/think-long-committee-for-california-backs-away-from-tax-measure.html" type="external">(Read Full Article)</a> <a href="" type="internal" /></p> | ‘Think Long Committee for California’ backing away from tax hike measure? | false | http://capoliticalreview.com/trending/think-long-committee-for-california-backs-away-from-tax-measure/ | 2012-01-18 | 1 |
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<p>From the cigarette company that <a href="http://www.philipmorrisusa.com/en/our_initiatives/cessation_support.asp" type="external">wants you to stop smoking</a> comes a new frontier in tobacco consumption: the health-friendly (kind of), genetically modified chew. Researchers at North Carolina State University, funded by tobacco giant Philip Morris, are trying to take the cancer out of cancer sticks by <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/ncsu-gf031808.php" type="external">removing</a> the gene that turns the plant toxic when cured. As tobacco plants age, the nicotine in the leaves changes into the compound nornicotine, which in turn becomes a carcinogen when the plant is cured. Knocking out the gene that causes this change, the researchers report, leads to a 50% decrease in tobacco’s most harmful toxins. No word on whether the alterations make nicotine any less addictive, but you have to give them credit for trying. h/t <a href="http://www.wired.com" type="external">Wired</a></p>
<p>—Casey Miner</p>
<p>Photo used under a Creative Commons license from Flickr user <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/55786483@N00/" type="external">zombophoto</a>.</p>
<p /> | Philip Morris Cleans Up Its Act – By Genetically Modifying Tobacco | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2008/03/philip-morris-cleans-its-act-genetically-modifying-tobacco/ | 2008-03-21 | 4 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>July 13, 1973. This was the day that the US public found out about the audiotapes then President Nixon was making in the White House. Alexander Butterfield, the White House appointments secretary, revealed under questioning by the Senate Watergate Committee that Tricky Dick recorded every single conversation and telephone that occurred in his office.</p>
<p>This began an intense legal battle between the White House, Congress, and the special prosecutor as the latter two fought to gain access to the recordings. Eventually, over the next year and only because of legal pressure from Judge John Sirica, Nixon released bits and pieces of the tape collection, minus an unexplained 18 minutes.</p>
<p>Every day the American public was treated to a new lie in regard to the tapes and their contents. Finally, on July 24, 1974, the Supreme Court voted 8-0 (with Rehnquist abstaining) and ordered Nixon to hand over the entire collection.</p>
<p>In August 1974, Nixon left the White House in disgrace. He didn’t go easily. Indeed, it was only after he was essentially forced to give up the final tape-the smoking gun that proved he was involved in the cover-up from the beginning-that his downfall began. Despite the expressed opinions of the media talking heads, this series of events did not revive American democracy, which was a dying fish long before that, but it did give the system a chance to get back in the water.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it continues to flap around in a near-death state. The Supreme Court helped its death throes immensely when they handed George Bush the stolen goods known as the 2000 election.</p>
<p>July 9, 2003. Almost thirty years later, the press reports that Bush knew he was presenting fabricated evidence to the American Congress and people to justify an attack on Iraq. This evidence was a false document that “proved” that the government of Iraq was trying to buy nuclear grade uranium. This document was a complete forgery. A COMPLETE LIE! Yet, Bush brazenly appeared before the public and challenged the people in this false democracy to do something about it. I wonder if we will.</p>
<p>This forgery and the continued failure to find any kind of weapon of mass destruction in Iraq is an indication of something much more sinister than a government lying to its people so they will send their children to war. That is sinister enough and should be reason to send Dubya back to his ranch.</p>
<p>This forgery is evidence of a conspiracy by individuals known and unknown to attack a sovereign nation, offer up our sons and daughters, kill innocent civilians, destroy a country and its infrastructure, and steal billions from the US treasury in the name of defense.</p>
<p>It is not merely a miscommunication between government agencies or a mix-up in terminologies.</p>
<p>It is not something that one government agency can blame on another and hope that we forget about it.</p>
<p>It was not an oversight or a mistake.</p>
<p>It is not an omission that we should get over and move past.</p>
<p>It is evidence of a conspiracy to deceive the people of this country that is evolving into a cover-up designed to maintain that deception.</p>
<p>Tricky Dick went down for something similar. Just as in the wake of Watergate, the American public is being treated to a new lie every day regarding the “evidence” we were provided regarding Iraq’s weaponry and connections to international terrorism. In short, there is no evidence, only the wishful thinking of a group of power-hungry men and women who have the combined morals of Adolf Eichmann and Wayne Gacy. They do not see human beings, only numbers, with most of those numbers having to do with profits.</p>
<p>The more cynical among us might ask–so what, doesn’t every president lie? Of course they do, but why should we accept that as okay? Why should we continue to excuse behavior in our officials that we would consider inappropriate for a five year old child? It is time that this administration is called to task for its deception, theft, and murder.</p>
<p>RON JACOBS is author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1859841678/counterpunchmaga" type="external">The Way the Wind Blew: a history of the Weather Underground</a>.</p>
<p>He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p> | Sometimes Even the President of the United States Has to Stand Naked | true | https://counterpunch.org/2003/07/16/sometimes-even-the-president-of-the-united-states-has-to-stand-naked/ | 2003-07-16 | 4 |
<p>Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) investors haven't been a happy lot over the past year as the stock is sitting about where it was last July. The microprocessor giant is dealing with <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/16/intel-stock-underperforms-semiconductor-peers-in-2.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">a declining PC market Opens a New Window.</a> even as it has made big bets on fast-growing areas such as data centers, the Internet of Things, self-driving cars, and high-end PCs. Though these moves have increased&#160; the company's revenue of late, they have failed to translate into stock price gains.</p>
<p>And Intel faces competition from the likes of AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) in the areas where it's betting big for future growth. Let's take a closer look at three big hurdles the chip giant might face.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Intel is spending <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/06/20/how-delphi-can-boost-intels-self-driving-ambitions.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">billions of dollars Opens a New Window.</a> to jump on the self-driving-car bandwagon, announcing in March its plan to acquire Mobileye for around $15 billion and partnering <a href="https://newsroom.intel.com/news-releases/bmw-group-intel-and-mobileye-announce-delphi-as-a-development-partner-and-system-integrator-for-their-autonomous-driving-platform/" type="external">this year Opens a New Window.</a> with BMW and Delphi. But Intel has been late to the game, as graphics chipmaker NVIDIA made its move in this space two years&#160;ago, when it launched the DRIVE PX platform.</p>
<p>NVIDIA is now readying its third generation self-driving-car platform, powered&#160;by the new Xavier chip, which will start sampling to automakers and component suppliers in the final quarter of 2017. The company has equipped this new platform with more power, with a single Xavier chip packing&#160;80% of the compute power of the DRIVE PX2 platform.</p>
<p>By comparison, the existing DRIVE PX2 platform requires&#160;two mobile processors and two graphics processing units. Therefore, NVIDIA can now deliver an identical performance at just a fraction of the power consumption of the earlier generation. What's more, NVIDIA has future-proofed the Xavier chip, as it carries enough juice to enable <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/04/11/the-levels-of-self-driving-explained.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Level 4 Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;autonomous driving, which doesn't require human intervention under some circumstances.</p>
<p>In fact, NVIDIA believes&#160;it can deliver Level 4 autonomous technology by the end of next year. It already seems to be making progress on this front, as it showcased a Xavier-powered&#160;self-driving car earlier this year that can learn real-world conditions and then drive accordingly.</p>
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<p>NVIDIA is ahead of Intel in the self-driving-car game, as the latter has yet to complete&#160;the Mobileye acquisition while its alliance partners will put&#160;their self-driving cars on roads for testing in the second half of the year while NVIDIA's self-driving-car system is already being tested&#160;in real-world conditions.</p>
<p>Intel has long dominated the field in server and CPU chips, but it's now feeling the heat from Advanced Micro Devices' new product line-ups in both segments. In fact, Intel ceded 2% market share to AMD in the first quarter of 2017, according to PassMark,&#160;as the latter's Ryzen 7 processor hit the market.</p>
<p>But AMD isn't done yet, as more Ryzen processors are on the way. This could be a big headache for Intel, since AMD is trying to undercut Intel's CPUs by offering <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/06/21/intel-tries-to-one-up-amd-in-the-cpu-battle.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">more value for the money Opens a New Window.</a>. In fact, Intel has already been forced&#160;to slash its CPU prices to ward off competition from AMD, which could eventually hurt the chip giant's margins.</p>
<p>Furthermore, AMD is looking to strike deeper into Intel's heart with its new server processor known&#160; as <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/06/21/why-shares-of-advanced-micro-devices-soared-today.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">EPYC Opens a New Window.</a>.&#160;AMD talked up the superior performance of EPYC at the launch event, indicating that it can beat&#160;Intel's offerings across several price points. This could trigger another round of price cuts by Intel.</p>
<p>So AMD has the potential to shake Intel's dominance in server chips where it has&#160;a near-monopoly.</p>
<p>Intel investors should keep an eye on these two competitors.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than IntelWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=a63b3d6b-6d95-4530-92ac-e0ec076f88b3&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and Intel wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=a63b3d6b-6d95-4530-92ac-e0ec076f88b3&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of June 5, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TechJunk13/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Harsh Chauhan Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends NVIDIA. The Motley Fool recommends Intel. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=3f5ca39e-5ceb-11e7-8098-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 2 Risks Intel Investors Shouldn't Ignore | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/07/14/2-risks-intel-investors-shouldnt-ignore.html | 2017-07-14 | 0 |
<p>AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The mayor of the tense Jordanian tribal city of Maan says hundreds of residents took to the street to celebrate the resignation of the country’s interior minister over what they consider heavy-handed tactics by the security forces.</p>
<p>Mayor Ali Khattab said Monday that celebrations erupted after Hussein Majali resigned on Sunday, apparently as part of a high-level shakeup. State media said the head of the public security department and the gendarmerie were sent into retirement.</p>
<p>Security forces have repeatedly raided Maan, which made headlines last year with support rallies for the militant Islamic State group.</p>
<p>Khattab says large numbers of security forces backed by armored vehicles and helicopters tried to arrest two fugitives in Maan over the weekend. He says the raid upset residents but failed to catch the fugitives.</p>
<p>AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The mayor of the tense Jordanian tribal city of Maan says hundreds of residents took to the street to celebrate the resignation of the country’s interior minister over what they consider heavy-handed tactics by the security forces.</p>
<p>Mayor Ali Khattab said Monday that celebrations erupted after Hussein Majali resigned on Sunday, apparently as part of a high-level shakeup. State media said the head of the public security department and the gendarmerie were sent into retirement.</p>
<p>Security forces have repeatedly raided Maan, which made headlines last year with support rallies for the militant Islamic State group.</p>
<p>Khattab says large numbers of security forces backed by armored vehicles and helicopters tried to arrest two fugitives in Maan over the weekend. He says the raid upset residents but failed to catch the fugitives.</p> | Celebrations in Jordan over resignation of interior minister | false | https://apnews.com/a83dfa3945db4b0d948c98cf9bcd1306 | 2015-05-18 | 2 |
<p>NFL officials are currently investigating whether the New England Patriots cheated Sunday night in their blowout victory of the Indianapolis Colts. The charge: illegally deflating footballs to make them easier to handle in the cold and windy conditions. If found guilty, the team could lose future draft picks.</p>
<p>Indianapolis station&#160;WTHR-TV’s Bob Kravitz <a href="http://www.wthr.com/story/27881499/source-tells-bob-kravitz-that-patriots-may-have-deflated-footballs-against-colts" type="external">reported</a>&#160;early Monday morning that a source within the league told him of the investigation:</p>
<p>The source told Kravitz that officials took a ball out of play at one point and weighed it.&#160; New York Newsday's Bob Glauber&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/BobGlauber?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsday.com%2Fsports&amp;profile_id=null&amp;query=null&amp;related=null&amp;tw_i=557146827565584384&amp;tw_p=embeddedtimeline&amp;tw_w=345554396362465280" type="external">tweeted around 7 a.m. Monday</a>&#160;that NFL Spokesman Michael Signora confirmed the WTHR exclusive that the NFL is looking into whether footballs were properly inflated during the Colts-Patriots game.</p>
<p>A deflated football could potentially be easier to throw and catch or more difficult, depending on how deflated it is.</p>
<p>The source told Kravitz that if the league confirmed the violation, the Patriots would be penalized with draft picks.&#160;</p>
<p>WTHR-TV&#160;notes that the same tactic was used in 2012 by the University of Southern California, which was ultimately fined by the NCAA.</p>
<p>UPDATE: Monday morning, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy&#160; <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/01/19/nfl-reportedly-investigating-if-patriots-used-deflated-footballs-in-afc/?cmpid=cmty_twitter_fn" type="external">confirmed the Patriots investigation</a>.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://q.usatoday.com/2014/01/11/indianapolis-colts-new-england-patriots-afc-divisional-playoff/" type="external">Image source</a>.</p> | NFL Investigating Patriots for Allegedly Deflating Footballs | true | http://truthrevolt.org/news/nfl-investigating-patriots-allegedly-deflating-footballs | 2018-10-04 | 0 |
<p>A northwestern Chinese province was hit by a magnitude-6 strength earthquake early today that <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-06/30/c_131686568.htm" type="external">Xinhua news agency said</a> has left at least 34 people wounded.&#160;</p>
<p>The tremor also triggered a landslide that has trapped 120 people on a highway in&#160;the remote Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-06/30/c_131686568.htm" type="external">said Xinhua</a>, citing the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC).</p>
<p>The US Geological Survey put the quake at magnitude 6.3, a few points lower than the CENC's 6.6 measuring, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g3TNjQogUmWbfkrrV29npicB1L9w?docId=2788458b26934e1aa680a49ceb5ed2a2" type="external">according to The Associated Press</a>.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/120628/economic-growth-united-nations-inclusive-income-index" type="external">China: Investments that stimulated fast economic growth may be problematic later</a></p>
<p>The earthquake left over 100 homes in ruins, damaged thousands more, and cut off electricity in parts of the mountainous region, <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-06/30/c_131686568.htm" type="external">said Xinhua</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>Rescuers are currently searching the remote area for further casualties, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g3TNjQogUmWbfkrrV29npicB1L9w?docId=2788458b26934e1aa680a49ceb5ed2a2" type="external">said AP</a>.</p> | Magnitude 6 earthquake hits China's Xinjiang, wounding dozens | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-06-30/magnitude-6-earthquake-hits-chinas-xinjiang-wounding-dozens | 2012-06-30 | 3 |
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<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Social Security Administration disappointed lots of Americans last year when it decided against an annual cost-of-living increase. The failure to increase Social Security payments put recipients in a tight spot because some Medicare expenses that are withdrawn automatically from Social Security checks still increased. Will the Social Security Administration frustrate recipients again or will Social Security benefits head higher in 2017?</p>
<p>The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks the direction of prices for goods and services in America and BLS' data on price inflation is used by the Social Security Administration to determine if Social Security benefits should be increased every year.</p>
<p>The SSA averages the BLS' monthly consumer price index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) in the third quarter of the current year and then compares it to the average CPI-W reported for the third quarter of the preceding year. If the current year's third quarter average is higher than the preceding year's third quarter average, then a cost-of-living increase is granted for the following year.</p>
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<p>For example,the average CPI-W for the third quarter of 2014 was 234.242 and the average for the third quarter of 2015 was 233.278. Because the third quarter 2015 average was lower than the third quarter 2014 average, there was no Social Security increase for recipients in 2016.</p>
<p>Data source: Social Security Administration.</p>
<p>This year was the first year since 2010 that Social Security benefits didn't increase, and as you can see in the following table, since 1975 Social Security benefits have increased in all but three years. On average, Social Security benefits have increased by 3.88% per year since 1975 and 2.27% since 2000.</p>
<p>Data source: Social Security Administration.</p>
<p>The failure to increase benefits this year was especially frustrating because the cost of Medicare Part D plans increased for many beneficiaries, and those costs are often taken directly out of monthly Social Security benefits.</p>
<p>Medicare Part B plan premiums also increased in 2016 to $121.80 from $104.90 in 2015, however, a hold-harmless provision passed in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 froze Part B premiums at the 2015 rate for about 70% of Part B beneficiaries. The hold-harmless provision didn't limit premiums fornew enrollees, enrollees who do not receive Social Security benefit checks, enrollees with high incomes who are subject to premium adjustments, and dual Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries.</p>
<p>While Social Security benefits did not increase this year, current BLS inflation data suggests that benefits could climb in 2017.</p>
<p>The CPI-W was 234.789 in July, up 0.42% from 233.806 a year ago, and if we compare the average CPI-W for May, June, and July to the average CPI-W for May, June, and July of 2015, then CPI-W is up 0.57%.</p>
<p>The BLS will report CPI-W for August on Sept. 16 and for September on Oct. 18, so there's a chance that an increase could still come off the table. However, it appears that recipients are on track for a modest uptick in their Social Security benefits in 2017.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it may not be all good news for Social Security recipients in 2017. The modest increase in Social Security benefitsmay trail Medicare Part D premium increases again next year. The hold-harmless provision will keep a lid on part B premiums if Social Security benefits don't increase, or only increase a little, but Part D premiums are expected to increase by 4.4% to an estimated $34 per month next year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.</p>
<p>The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-social-security?aid=8727&amp;source=irreditxt0000002&amp;ftm_cam=ryr-ss-intro-report&amp;ftm_pit=3186&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies. Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Will You Get a Social Security Increase in 2017? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/09/05/will-get-social-security-increase-in-2017.html | 2016-09-05 | 0 |
<p>Standing in front of a “Win again”-plastered semi-truck, President Donald Trump pitched his tax reform proposal to a private crowd of about 1,000 at the Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>From within a hangar at the Harrisburg Air National Guard Base, Trump told a crowd of truckers, manufacturing and business professionals, and local Republican officials that they would eventually be filing their taxes “on a single piece of paper.”</p>
<p>Serving as the president’s backdrop was a semi-trailer truck wrapped in slogans, including “Truckers for tax reform” and “Win again” in all capital letters. The printing on the truck also promoted lower taxes, bigger paychecks and more jobs.</p>
<p>“We want lower taxes, bigger paychecks and more jobs for American truckers and American workers,” Trump said.</p>
<p>Trump hyped his vision of tax reform by citing economic developments in recent months, which he said some in the media would “hate” to report.</p>
<p>“Unemployment is at a 16-year low,” Trump declared. “Wages are rising, and you know, you haven’t heard that in a long time.”</p>
<p>Trump specifically mentioned how the media has been unfair in reporting the tax brackets and clarified that his plan would have four tax brackets and not three. Trump said that his tax plan would include a zero bracket, a 12 percent bracket, a 25 percent bracket and a 35 percent bracket.</p>
<p>Trump said that his tax code would benefit the middle class, not the rich.</p>
<p>“By eliminating tax breaks and special interest loopholes that primarily benefit the wealthy, our framework ensures that the benefits of tax reform go to the middle class, not to the highest earners. It’s a middle class bill. That’s what we’re thinking of. That’s what I want,” Trump said.</p>
<p>He said that his wealthy friends have asked him to give the benefits of the tax cut to the middle class.</p>
<p>“I’ve had rich friends of mine come up to me and say ’Donald, you’re doing this tax plan. We don’t want anything. We don’t,’” Trump said. “Now, they gain when the economy gains. They gain when companies get better. They gain in lots of different ways. But they don’t want that. So many people have come up to me and say give it to the middle class.”</p>
<p>Trump then went on to say that his tax plan would eliminate the estate tax, also known as the death tax.</p>
<p>Trump then asked the crowd if they liked “made in the USA” or “made in America” better. “Made in the USA” seemed to win the louder applause.</p>
<p>Trump said that the more than 30 million Americans who own small businesses will see a 40 percent cut in their marginal tax rate.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t want to be a politician against that,” Trump said. “They’re going to have a long hard winter.”</p>
<p>When he called the tax cut “huge,” the crowd laughed.</p>
<p>Trump said that companies will be able to write off 100 percent of the cost of equipment in the year that they buy it.</p>
<p>Trump said that his tax code would give the typical American household $4,000 to spend.</p>
<p>“And you’re going to spend that money, it’s going to be put to work and jobs are going to be produced and we’re going to start making our product again,” Trump said.</p>
<p>“And all our great congressmen and congresswomen, all of the people that we’re working with – all I can say is, you’d better get it passed,” Trump threatened.</p>
<p>Trump also remarked on the ongoing NAFTA renegotiation, a multi-national trade deal he called “horrendous” and “one-sided.”</p> | Trump pushes ‘middle class’ tax reform at US airbase in Pennsylvania | false | https://newsline.com/trump-pushes-middle-class-tax-reform-at-us-airbase-in-pennsylvania/ | 2017-10-11 | 1 |
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<p>Capt. Rudy Stevens, a chaplain with the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/2nd-Battalion-504th-Parachute-Infantry-Regiment/124197505099" type="external">2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment</a>, reads the latest issue of the Army Times as he waits for his unit to board buses for the airport to deploy to Afghanistan March 21, 2012, at Fort Bragg, N.C. The chaplain’s unit is one of two infantry battalions that belong to the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team. US Army <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/7021562111/in/photostream" type="external">photo</a> by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod.</p>
<p /> | We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for March 28, 2012 | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2012/03/were-still-war-photo-day-march-28-2012/ | 2012-03-28 | 4 |
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<p>A UH-60 Black Hawk and a civilian drone collided over State Island Thursday which marked the first confirmed crash of its kind. " Lt. Col. Joe Buccino said, "It's certainly the first of a military aircraft - [but] the FAA reported it as the first confirmed collision with an aircraft of any kind. Buccino is the spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division and he went on to say, "There have been reports of these kinds of collisions, but this is the first one confirmed."</p>
<p>Four soldiers were aboard the 82nd Airborne Division Black Hawk at the time of the collision according to Buccio. No serious injuries were sustained from the mid-air collision but there was some minor damage on the windshield and rotor blade, presumably where the small drone struck. Thankfully nothing worse happened, the helicopter was able to safely return to an airfield in New Jersey for a visual inspection according to Buccino. "Everyone was calm throughout," he said, "and they recovered what pieces of the drone they could and turned that over to the FAA."</p>
<p>Reports from local media outlets put the drone above the 400 foot limit required by the FAA. The drone was said to have been as high as 500 putting it in the path of commercial and military aircraft with actual human lives aboard. It is unknown if the drone was registered or who it belonged to but the Army is conducting an investigation into the collision.</p>
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<p>Source: <a href="https://www.navytimes.com/news/2017/09/25/for-the-first-time-a-civilian-drone-has-crashed-into-a-military-aircraft/" type="external">navytimes.com/news/2017/09/25/for-the-first-time-a-civilian-drone-has-crashed-into-a-military-aircraft</a></p> | Civilian Drone Crashes into Military Aircraft Confirmed for the First Time | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/8678-Civilian-Drone-Crashes-into-Military-Aircraft-Confirmed-for-the-First-Time | 2017-09-25 | 0 |
<p>Some weeks are slow on Move America Forward’s email list. Others are bustling. September 15 to 21, 2006, was an example of the latter. Six emails were sent, including two from “The Other Iraq,” at the address “[email protected].”</p>
<p>The emails are noteworthy because they illustrate synergy between two clients of the Republican-associated Sacramento public relations firm Russo Marsh &amp; Rogers (RM&amp;R): Move America Forward, a conservative cheerleader for the Bush administration’s “war on terror,” and the Kurdistan Development Corporation, an “investment holding and tradings company” formed in partnership with the Kurdistan Regional Government of northern Iraq (and presumably the KDC of the above email address).</p>
<p>The first of the “other Iraq” emails began, “We wanted to send you this short note to let you know that a delegation from Iraqi Kurdistan is back in the United States – continuing our campaign to tell the American public about ‘The Other Iraq.'”</p>
<p>The message, sent on September 15, continued, “Americans helped us to win our freedom from the oppressive rule of Saddam Hussein. Thank you so very much for that. … So far we’ve been to Washington, D.C. and New York and now Nashville, Tennessee. We’re heading westward across America to tell our story and attract American support and investment in the new Iraqi Kurdistan.”</p>
<p>The second email, sent September 19, invited those who “can help play a role in the rebuilding of our region’s future, or [who] wish to learn more information on investment or business opportunities” to email “The Other Iraq” campaign. But most of the message focused on, as the subject line described them, “poll numbers on Iraq you haven’t seen.”</p>
<p>The poll was conducted in January 2006 by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA), a joint project of the University of Maryland’s Center for International and Security Studies and the Center on Policy Attitudes. Most of the poll figures cited in the “other Iraq” email are correct, if lacking context. One, however, is demonstrably false.</p>
<p>The email claimed that no Iraqi Kurds agreed with the statement, “It is offensive to me to have foreign forces in my country.” PIPA’s report on the poll states that, of the 35 percent of Iraqis who favored U.S. forces leaving within six months, seven percent of Iraqi Kurds took the position because of the offensive nature of foreign troops, while four percent of Iraqi Kurds wanted U.S. troops out because their presence “attracts more violent attacks and makes things worse.”</p>
<p>Apparently those Iraqi Kurds were not deemed sufficiently pro-American by RM&amp;R and/or the Kurdistan Development Corporation to merit mention. Northern Iraq’s Top Flacks</p>
<p>RM&amp;R’s work promoting Iraqi Kurdistan has been reported previously. In July 2006, as part of “a national media blitz … to attract investment and tourism,” the Kurdistan Development Corporation launched print and cable TV ads promoting “The Other Iraq,” while its development office embarked upon a multi-city U.S. tour.</p>
<p>RM&amp;R was behind the ad campaign. A spokesman told the Washington Post that the ads were part of a “pretty open-ended” deal that’s likely to bring the firm “millions of dollars over a couple of years.” RM&amp;R also promoted the U.S. tour, including a July 27 San Francisco press conference that featured the Iraqi Kurd delegation and parents of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. “The gold star families that were invited are all supporters of the war,” noted San Francsico’s KGO-7.</p>
<p>When asked by Free Speech Radio News reporter Aaron Glantz about the complementarity of his firm’s work for the Kurdistan Development Corporation and the pro-Iraq War group Move America Forward, RM&amp;R head Sal Russo said, “There’s not a relationship, other than we have a lot of clients and those are two of them.”</p>
<p>In contrast to the July delegation, the Kurdistan Development Corporation’s September visit was nearly totally ignored by news outlets. The sole article PR Watch found — by The City Paper of Nashville, TN — explained, “Most of the group’s time will be spent promoting a new foreign investment law that touts free markets and economic incentives for foreign investments in Kurdistan.” Kurdistan Development Corporation chair Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman told The City Paper, “In Kurdistan, we need everything. Whether it’s hospitals, better roads or improving our school system … these needs present opportunity for investors and American companies.”</p>
<p>Nijyar H. Shemdin, the Kurdistan Regional Government’s representative to the United States, Canada and the United Nations, told PR Watch that the Iraqi Kurd delegation visited the United States for just over a week. “The theme of the delegation was thank you, America,” he said. “There is another Iraq, which is safe and secure, and you are welcome to invest there. The Kurdish parliament recently passed the investment law, and in October will ratify an investment law on oil and natural resources.”</p>
<p>The members of the September delegation, according to Mr. Shemdin, were himself, Ms. Rahman, Bill Garaway — and RM&amp;R’s Sal Russo. Is RM&amp;R a Wise Investment?</p>
<p>There is no doubt that Iraqi Kurds are grateful for the U.S. removal of Saddam Hussein. Human Rights Watch estimates that at least 50,000 — and as many as 100,000 — Iraqi Kurds were killed during the Hussein regime’s genocidal Anfal military campaign of 1986 to 1989.</p>
<p>It’s also true that the Kurdish region of northern Iraq is more peaceful, and in some ways more developed, than the rest of the country. “Kurdistan has so much to offer” the rest of Iraq, Gulf War veteran and Education for Peace in Iraq Center director Erik Gustafson told PR Watch. He added, “investment is crucially needed, but there are questions about how it’s done.” With regard to natural resources, he stressed the risks involved with production sharing agreements that “surrender sovereign control over oil resources to foreign corporations and allow much of the country’s oil wealth to go abroad.”</p>
<p>In response to questions about the Kurdistan Development Corporation’s “The Other Iraq” campaign, Gustafson reflected that there have been “so many failures” associated with U.S.-led reconstruction efforts in Iraq that the Kurdistan Regional Government may be trying to attract private investors to make up for the missteps and diminished spending of the U.S. government. “Given that most Americans think of the entirity of Iraq as a monolithic quagmire, Iraqi Kurds will have to work hard to build confidence in the profitability of investing in Iraq’s development,” he pointed out. “The Iraqi diaspora can be one source of investment, but I think major U.S. corporations and wealthy private investers are higher on the itinerary.”</p>
<p>Last year, RM&amp;R’s Joe Wierzbicki told journalist Bill Berkowitz that his firm was interested in the Kurdish Development Corporation account because “of all the different groups in Iraq that have a vision for the future, the vision of the Kurds is closest to ours. It’s important to recognize that the Kurds are not hostile to the West.”</p>
<p>But why are the Iraqi Kurds working with RM&amp;R?</p>
<p>RM&amp;R’s Move America Forward campaigns have included opposing the Michael Moore movie “Fahrenheit 9/11,” supporting John Bolton’s nomination as ambassador to the United Nations, and organizing a “Truth Tour” of Iraq, for conservative talk radio personalities. The firm’s other work is with election campaigns, nearly all for U.S. Republican politicians. On the “agency experience” section of its website, RM&amp;R lists Republicans George Pataki of New York, John Shimkus of Illinois, George Deukmejian and Howard “Buck” McKeon of California, and George Nethercutt of Washington as past clients.</p>
<p>Searching the RM&amp;R website for the words “investment,” “economic,” or “development” yields no hits — with the exception of one RM&amp;R staffer’s undergraduate minor in economics. A Nexis news database search confirms that RM&amp;R and its previous incarnations (Russo Marsh Raper, Russo Marsh &amp; Copsey, and Russo Marsh &amp; Associates) do campaign media consulting for conservative candidates and issues. They don’t do — or at least haven’t done until now — promotion of foreign investment.</p>
<p>The strange pairing of RM&amp;R and the Kurdish Development Corporation — which aims “to promote, facilitate and establish business and investment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region in Iraq” — can be explained in one of three ways: either the Iraqi Kurds don’t realize RM&amp;R’s area of experience, or RM&amp;R is branching out into new areas, or the Kurds believe that ties with U.S. conservative politicians will best facilitate foreign investment in their homeland. When asked about the choice of RM&amp;R, Mr. Shemdin deferred to Ms. Rahman, who, a week later, has yet to respond.</p>
<p>DIANE FARSETTA is a Senior Researcher, Center for Media &amp; Democracy, publisher of <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/" type="external">PR Watch</a>. She can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
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<p>Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) on Thursday reported earnings that rose fivefold in its second quarter, and topped analysts' expectations.</p>
<p>The Miami-based company said profit increased to $137.7 million, or 62 cents per share, from $24.7 million, or 11 cents per share, in the same quarter a year earlier.</p>
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<p>Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 66 cents per share. The average per-share estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for profit of 53 cents.</p>
<p>The cruise operator said revenue climbed 5.2 percent to $1.98 billion from $1.88 billion in the same quarter a year ago, and missed Wall Street forecasts. Analysts expected $1.99 billion, according to Zacks.</p>
<p>Royal Caribbean shares have increased $8.81, or 19 percent, to $56.23 since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen $19.86, or 55 percent, in the last 12 months.</p>
<p>This story was generated automatically by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Full RCL report: http://www.zacks.com/ap/RCL</p>
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<p>Keywords:Royal Caribbean,Earnings Report</p> | Royal Caribbean 2Q profit rises fivefold, tops forecast | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/07/24/royal-caribbean-2q-profit-rises-fivefold-tops-forecast.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
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<p>BOSTON (MA)Boston GlobeBy Ralph Ranalli, Globe Staff, 7/9/2003</p>
<p>Lawyers for alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse and those for the Archdiocese of Boston, including the church's new lawyer, said they were optimistic yesterday that more than 500 lawsuits filed against the church could be settled after meeting privately with the judge presiding over the cases.</p>
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<p>No details of the two-hour, closed door meeting with Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney were disclosed.</p>
<p>But there were numerous indications that prospects for a major settlement, which seemed bleak two weeks ago, have brightened considerably with the appointment of a new archbishop, Bishop Sean Patrick O'Malley, and his selection of Thomas H. Hannigan Jr. as his personal counsel.</p>
<p>Hannigan, a Boston lawyer with extensive experience settling cases with victims of clergy sexual abuse, was hired last week by O'Malley, who himself has built a reputation for deftly and compassionately leading dioceses in Fall River and Palm Beach, Fla., that were troubled by clergy sexual abuse scandals.</p>
<p>The two men worked together in the early 1990s in Fall River, where they successfully settled abuse cases brought by 101 victims of now-defrocked priest James R. Porter.</p> | Meeting raises plaintiffs' hope of a settlement | false | https://poynter.org/news/meeting-raises-plaintiffs-hope-settlement | 2003-07-09 | 2 |
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<p>Now, the dispute has come to Hollywood. Two films this spring feature an intense love triangle that unfolds in this historic setting – but their political agendas are vastly different.</p>
<p>“The Promise,” opening nationwide April 21, is the first major Hollywood movie to portray what a consensus of historians calls the Armenian genocide, which involved forced-march deportations and mass killings over several years starting in 1915.</p>
<p>Oscar Isaac plays a young Armenian man who moves from his small village to Istanbul in 1914 to study medicine. There, as the predominantly Muslim Ottoman Empire enters the war on the side of Germany and turns on its own minority Christian Armenian population, he meets and falls in love with an Armenian woman raised in France (Charlotte Le Bon of “The Walk”), who is romantically involved with an outspoken American correspondent for the Associated Press (Christian Bale).</p>
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<p>Talaat Pasha, considered the mastermind behind the killings, is one of the real-life figures in the film, which spares none of the Turkish atrocities against the Armenians, from the brutal labor camps for young men to the massacres of women, children and the elderly.</p>
<p>Though “The Ottoman Lieutenant” appears similar on the surface, it offers a very different interpretation of history. The film – which opened March 10 with a limited release – tells the fictional story of a headstrong American nurse (Icelandic actress Hera Hilmar) who travels to eastern Anatolia (now Turkey) to work at an American Mission Hospital. During the war, she is pulled between two men seeking her affections: an American doctor (Josh Hartnett) and a Muslim Ottoman lieutenant (Michiel Huisman of “Game of Thrones”).</p>
<p>The film takes an approach similar to the position of the Turkish government, which has long held that there was no state-organized policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians. Rather, Turkey insists, during the fighting on the Ottoman Empire’s eastern front against the Russians, Turkish and Armenian civilians alike died in the course of wartime violence.</p>
<p>Taner Akcam of Clark University, one of the few historians from Turkey to recognize the events as a genocide, says that the country’s government refuses to acknowledge Turkish culpability partly because of the sensitive issue of reparations for survivors and their descendants. But the stance also stems from deeper roots: the country’s founding in 1923 on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.</p>
<p>“If you acknowledge the Armenian genocide, then you have to acknowledge that an important number of Turkish founding fathers were either involved directly in genocide or became rich during the genocidal process” through the seizure of Armenian property, said Akcam.</p>
<p>Both films were in the works well before the April 24, 2015, centenary of the tragedy, which helped increase awareness of the subject.</p>
<p>“The Armenian genocide is one of the most well-documented humanitarian catastrophes of the 20th century,” said Eric Esrailian, lead producer for Survival Pictures, which produced “The Promise” – his first film, as he’s also a physician at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. “It was, in real time … frequently written about in U.S. newspapers. There was a huge humanitarian relief effort.”</p>
<p>It is largely due to Turkish pressure on the film industry that a movie like “The Promise” was not made sooner. In the 1930s, MGM acquired the film rights to “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh,” Franz Werfel’s best-selling novel inspired by the true story of several thousand Armenians who survived a mountaintop siege. But lobbying by Turkish Ambassador to the United States Mehmet Munir Ertegun (whose son Ahmet went on to found Atlantic Records) forced the studio to drop the project.</p>
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<p>Recent years have seen a couple of small-scale indie features that deal with the tragedy, including Armenian-Canadian director Atom Egoyan’s “Ararat” (2002) and Turkish German director Fatih Akin’s “The Cut” (2014).</p>
<p>“The Promise” was also developed outside the studio system, financed entirely by the late mogul Kirk Kerkorian, who owned MGM for many years and later founded Survival Pictures in 2012.</p>
<p>“The ‘promise’ means so much to us personally,” said Esrailian. “The promise was from Mr. Kerkorian to make the film. The promise was from us to complete the film. The promise is for us to never forget. And the promise is for us to also vow to do something so that it never happens again.”</p>
<p>With a budget of nearly $100 million, the film is one of the most expensive independent films ever made, according to Variety. And the entire endeavor is not-for-profit: Survival Pictures has committed to donating all proceeds to nonprofit organizations, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and “other human rights and humanitarian groups.”</p>
<p>“The Ottoman Lieutenant” was also made with private financing, in this case from a group of Turkish producers working in film, TV and advertising. They teamed up with producer Stephen Joel Brown (“Seven”), as well as an American director, Joseph Ruben (“The Forgotten”), and screenwriter, Jeff Stockwell (“Bridge to Terabithia”), to make a feature that would have high production values.</p>
<p>In an interview, Brown maintained that their film was not seeking to promote a particular political agenda, describing it as “a classic love story, set at a time and place that we really haven’t seen in cinema.”</p>
<p>While foregrounding the clandestine romance between the American nurse and the Ottoman lieutenant, the movie does not completely shy away from showing the suffering of the Armenians, particularly in one crucial scene involving Turkish soldiers. “That (scene) seems kind of unequivocally saying, Turks force-marched Armenians and then slaughtered them along the way,” said Stockwell, the screenwriter. “Whatever you want to quibble about, there it is. Now, is there enough? Is it soft-pedaled?”</p>
<p>Nevertheless, focusing the action on the town of Van and showing one of the few Armenian insurgencies, which took place there in April and May 1915, has the effect of promoting the Turkish narrative, which points to the Van resistance as a justification for repression of the Armenians.</p>
<p>“The official Turkish argument is that deportation of Armenians was a response to Armenian uprisings,” said Akcam (who has not seen “The Ottoman Lieutenant”). “This is the reason the Van event is crucial in Ottoman Turkish historiography. This argument is not correct, because … we know that the decision for deportation was already taken before the Van uprising.”</p>
<p>(The studio did not make the Turkish producers available for interviews.)</p>
<p>A sizable contingent of Turks, as well as many in the Armenian diaspora, have been aware of “The Promise” for some time. Last October, outlets including the Independent reported that it had more than 85,000 ratings on IMDb, nearly all of them either 1 or 10 stars. Given that the film had had just three public screenings by that point, it seemed clear that users who had not even seen it were “rating” it based purely on their politics.</p>
<p>Similarly, before “The Ottoman Lieutenant” had even opened, it was quickly dismissed in Armenian-American publications and in YouTube comments sections as Turkish propaganda.</p>
<p>While neither movie is likely to settle the debate over the events of World War I, these portrayals might prompt some Americans to look into the historical record – and draw their own conclusions.</p> | Hollywood takes on a historic tragedy – in two films from opposing viewpoints | false | https://abqjournal.com/972800/hollywood-takes-on-a-historic-tragedy-in-two-films-from-opposing-viewpoints.html | 2017-03-20 | 2 |
<p>Koen Verweij, Jan Blokhuijsen and Sven Kramer of the Netherlands compete during the men's speed skating team pursuit quarterfinals at the Adler Arena Skating Center on Friday. The Dutch, who have dominated so far in Sochi, <a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/dutch-go-double-gold-team-pursuit" type="external">look to finish off a record-setting performance</a> by winning the country's first gold medals in men's and women's team pursuit.</p> | Team Effort: Dutch Speed Skaters Pursue Double Gold | false | http://nbcnews.com/storyline/sochi-olympics/team-effort-dutch-speed-skaters-pursue-double-gold-n35481 | 2014-02-21 | 3 |
<p>It is believed by radical jihadists that if one is a martyr for their faith during the month of Ramadan, they will receive even greater rewards in the afterlife.</p>
<p>And, because the Islamic state is losing its grasp in Iraq and Syria, they have threatened to make this year’s Ramadan a “bloody one at home and abroad. With attacks in Egypt, Britain and Iran among others and a land-grab in the Philippines, the group is trying to divert attention from its losses and win over supporters around the world.”</p>
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<p>According to the <a href="https://apnews.com/45da20b998174508ae256e238f909911/Ramadan-toll-shows-Islamic-State-in-pitched-recruiting-race" type="external">Associated Press</a>:</p>
<p>Breaking news updates and daily headlines from a news source you can trust.</p>
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<p>The militants insisted in their English language magazine this week that losing territory has only made it work that much harder to kill. The attacks since Ramadan’s beginning on May 26 show the sweep of the group’s ambition — from attacking the West, to expanding in the Philippines, to targeting Shiite powerhouse Iran — something al-Qaida itself never risked.</p>
<p>“They can say here is something that al-Qaida has refrained to do,” said Assaf Moghadam, an author and analyst of jihadi groups. “From their perspective it’s been a great Ramadan so far.”</p>
<p>But a powerful counter-message is emerging in recent days. With the month of fasting also a time of high television ratings in the Arab world, the telecommunications company Zain has launched a commercial that begins with footage of a man fabricating a suicide bomb. By the end, faced with bloodied victims and survivors of extremist attacks, the man stumbles and fails in his mission. “Let’s bomb delusion with the truth,” a man sings. The ad has been viewed more than 6 million times on YouTube. “We will counter their attacks of hatred with songs of love,” it ends.</p>
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<p>What are some examples of this violence?</p>
<p>In Iran, five Islamic State groups attacked Iran’s parliament and killed 17 people.</p>
<p>In London, eight people died after three terrorists “plowed a rented van into pedestrians on London Bridge, then slashed their way through the evening crowd at Borough Market.”</p>
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<p>This was Britain’s third attack in three months by extremist groups.</p>
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<p>In the Philippines, Islamic militants attacked and sieged the city of Marawi.</p>
<p>In Egypt, Coptic Christians were ambushed on a bus as they traveled to visit a monastery outside of Cairo. 29 were killed.</p>
<p>And all of this happened within the month of Ramadan. This is shaping up to be one of the bloodiest Ramadans we have ever seen in our lifetimes.</p>
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<p>What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</p> | Ramadan Death Toll Shows Islamic State In Pitched Recruiting Race | true | http://thefederalistpapers.org/us/ramadan-death-toll-shows-islamic-state-in-pitched-recruiting-race | 0 |
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<p>NBC is considering resurrecting its beloved television series “The Office” for the network’s 2018-2019 season, according to <a href="http://tvline.com/2017/12/18/the-office-revival-nbc-2018-new-cast/" type="external">TVLine</a>.</p>
<p>TVLine on Monday reported that the revival would once again be set at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of Dunder Mifflin, the show’s fictional paper sales company.</p>
<p>The new season of “The Office” would feature a mix of old and new cast members from the program’s original run from 2005 to 2013.</p>
<p>Actor Steve Carrell, who starred as the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin’s regional manager Michael Scott, will not be involved in the workplace comedy’s reboot.</p>
<p>The search for a new regional manager or boss at the branch is said to be already underway at NBC.</p>
<p>NBC on Monday declined to comment upon or confirm any details of TVLine’s report to the outlet, however.</p>
<p>The company last September restarted its adored “Will &amp; Grace” sitcom, which was originally broadcast from 1998 to 2006.</p>
<p>“Will &amp; Grace” probes the relationship between Will Truman, a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler, a straight interior designer, for humor.</p>
<p>The show’s return has been a critical and commercial success for NBC, and last week it earned several 2017 Golden Globe Award nominations, including for Best Comedy Series.</p>
<p>NBC Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt last August voiced openness to bringing back “The Office” roughly a month before “Will &amp; Grace” returned.</p>
<p>“We often talk about ‘The Office,’ I’ve talked to Greg [Daniels] four times over the past few years,” he said, referencing the man who developed and ran the show.</p>
<p>“It’s always, ‘maybe some day but not now,’” Greenblatt continued. “There is certainly an open invitation but we don’t have anything happening right now. If he wants to do it, I would do it.”</p>
<p>Carrell played Scott on “The Office” for seven of the show’s nine seasons, and it featured an ensemble cast including actors Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski.</p> | NBC may revive 'The Office' for the 2018-2019 season | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/12/19/hollywood/the-office-may-return-to-nbc-for-2018-2019-without-steve-carrell | 2017-12-19 | 1 |
<p>William Ackman on Monday tried to change the narrative around his $4 billion bet on Automatic Data Processing Inc., questioning whether its chief executive accurately portrayed conversations with the activist investor to the company's board and shareholders.</p>
<p>At the heart of Mr. Ackman's concern is a misfired email ADP Chief Executive Carlos Rodriguez meant to send to his own legal team but delivered to Mr. Ackman instead, according to a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In the email, Mr. Rodriguez said he had disregarded Mr. Ackman's statements about being open to working with current management because he didn't find them credible, Mr. Ackman said.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>ADP couldn't immediately comment.</p>
<p>The human-resources software company has painted the activist investor as attempting to fire Mr. Rodriguez and said he was trying to take control by asking for five seats on a 10-person board. It rejected his request for more time to negotiate privately, and Mr. Rodriguez in a television interview called Mr. Ackman a "spoiled brat" who wanted to take vacation instead of hitting a deadline.</p>
<p>Mr. Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management LP last week nominated three directors, including Mr. Ackman.</p>
<p>On Monday, it refuted the events the company has described, saying in the filing it had been willing to work with Mr. Rodriguez. Mr. Ackman also questioned whether the CEO accurately conveyed his requests to the board before the directors rejected his request for time to negotiate, the filing said.</p>
<p>According to the activist, which owns an 8% stake in the company, Mr. Ackman and Mr. Rodriguez first spoke Aug. 1 and the activist asked for a chance to meet the board of directors before he decided on a proxy fight. Told that the whole board was unlikely to be available that month, Mr. Ackman asked for a 30- to 45-day delay in the Aug. 10 deadline to nominate directors.</p>
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<p>The next day, Mr. Ackman spoke to Chairman John Jones and for the first time raised the possibility of seeking new management. The activist told Mr. Jones the "substantial" changes he felt were needed to improve profitability often required an outsider. The filing said Mr. Ackman then called Mr. Rodriguez to tell him the same, though he said he was open to current management.</p>
<p>In a meeting with Messrs. Rodriguez and Jones the next day, Aug. 3, Mr. Ackman asked for just a one-week extension to the deadline and again tried to persuade them he was open to management, according to the filing. Mr. Ackman followed up with an email that said he would be "excited" to work with Mr. Rodriguez if "he shared Pershing Square's view of the company's enormous opportunity," which he believed Mr. Rodriguez had indicated was true.</p>
<p>The following day, Aug. 4, ADP said it had rejected Mr. Ackman's request for a 45-day delay to the window, saying he was attempting to remove the CEO and replace half of the board.</p>
<p>Two days later, Aug. 6, Mr. Rodriguez, apparently meaning to forward Mr. Ackman's email about being "excited" to work with Mr. Rodriguez to ADP's general counsel, sent it to Mr. Ackman, the filing said. In the email, Mr. Rodriguez said he didn't find the email "credible" and that he had already told the activist he didn't share his views, the filing said.</p>
<p>Since then, the sides have scheduled a meeting for September.</p>
<p>This Thursday, Mr. Ackman is expected to detail his thesis for the company for the first time on a conference call.</p>
<p>Write to David Benoit at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>August 14, 2017 09:37 ET (13:37 GMT)</p> | Ackman Tries to Change Narrative on ADP Fight | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/08/14/ackman-tries-to-change-narrative-on-adp-fight.html | 2017-08-14 | 0 |
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<p>Factory orders dropped 2.4 percent in July compared with June, when orders rose 1.6 percent, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.</p>
<p>Orders for core capital goods, a category viewed as a proxy for business investment spending, fell 4 percent in July.</p>
<p>Core capital goods are considered a good measure of businesses’ confidence in the economy. They include items that point to expansion – such as machinery, computers and heavy trucks – while excluding volatile orders for aircraft and defense. The July setback was expected to be temporary.</p>
<p>Orders for durable goods, items expected to last at least three years, declined 7.4 percent, a slightly bigger drop than the 7.3 percent fall estimated in a preliminary report last week. It was the biggest decline since a 12.9 percent fall in August 2012. Orders for nondurable goods, items such as chemicals, food and paper, rose 2.4 percent in July after a 0.5 percent decline in June.</p>
<p>Excluding the volatile transportation category, factory goods orders were up 1.2 percent.</p>
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<p>The big drop in core capital goods orders suggests the third quarter is off to a weaker start than some had hoped. While economists cautioned that it’s just one month of data, a few lowered their growth estimates for the July-September quarter after seeing the durable goods report. Some believe that growth may only come in around 1.9 percent for the current quarter, a drop from previous estimates of 2.5 percent growth.</p>
<p>Overall manufacturing has slumped this year, hurt by weakness overseas that has dragged on U.S. exports. But there have been signs that factory activity could pick up in the second half of the year.</p>
<p>But the Institute for Supply Management reported Tuesday that its closely watched gauge of manufacturing activity rose in August to a reading of 55.7, up from 55.4 in July. That was the highest level since June 2011 and offered encouragement that manufacturing may be starting to pull out of its slowdown.</p>
<p>The economy expanded at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the April-June quarter.</p> | US factory orders drop 2.4 percent in July | false | https://abqjournal.com/258198/us-factory-orders-drop-24-percent-in-july.html | 2013-09-05 | 2 |
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf" type="external">The Bureau of Labor Statistics Opens a New Window.</a> reports that the national unemployment rate decreased from 5.0 percent to 4.7 percent in May 2016. While this is great news for our economy, it presents some unique challenges for <a href="https://www.recruiter.com/human-resources.htm" type="external">human resources Opens a New Window.</a> professionals who need to recruit and retain top talent.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>It's&#160;time to get creative when it comes to recruiting. Relying on the "post and pray" job boards is not enough in today's&#160;talent market.</p>
<p>Here are some ideas that you might want to try:</p>
<p>For Recruiting Entry Level Talent</p>
<p>Reach out to schools. Think about where the people you need go to gain the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful on the job. Reach out to department heads, professors, and student organizations that might know the candidates you are looking for. Ask if you can speak to a class. If you can, give a presentation on what it's like to work in your industry, at your company, and what it takes to be successful.</p>
<p>Expand your digital footprint. Many of the candidates you are looking for are not cruising the job boards, nor are they&#160;looking for your website. They are on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Are you? Does your company have a presence on these platforms? If so, does that presence reflect your organization as a place where people enjoy working? Do you show off the accomplishments of your employees? Do you demonstrate appreciation for your employees? Does your social media presence appear to be cold and corporate? Or does it appear to be warm and inviting for the right candidates?</p>
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<p>For Recruiting Mid-Level Talent</p>
<p>Reach out to professional associations. Like schools, professional associations are places where people&#160;go for learning and camaraderie. For example, if you are looking for electronic and electrical engineers, find your local IEEE ( <a href="http://www.ieee.org/index.html" type="external">Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Opens a New Window.</a>) chapter. Maybe sponsor one of their meetings. Maybe host an "industry night" at your location and find a way to show off what you have to offer for the right candidates.</p>
<p>Manage your online presence. Be mindful of what websites like Glassdoor are saying about your company. Are these employer review sites presenting your company in the best possible light? If not, then you might have some serious work to do. Employees are eventually going to leave you. When they do, you owe it to yourself to make sure they leave happy. That way, they can share the good news about how much they enjoyed working for your company.</p>
<p>Offer more than money for employee referrals. Sure, everyone likes to get cash, but once it's gone, it's soon forgotten. There are plenty of recognition companies out there with programs that&#160;allow your employees to choose items from catalogues based on the amount of points they earn. The advantage of this arrangement is that the individual gets an item that they chose – that they can actually use – and it becomes a reminder that they referred&#160;a candidate who was ultimately hired by your organization. Make your employee referral program fun and memorable, and you'll make it&#160;more effective at the same time.</p>
<p>For Recruiting Senior-Level Talent</p>
<p>Don't sell the steak – sell the sizzle! When Steve Jobs was trying to entice Pepsi executive John Sculley to make a move to Apple, he famously asked, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?"</p>
<p>After decades in the workforce, many senior-level executives have accomplished most of their goals. They are often looking for something more noble, something that makes a difference in the world and offers an attractive compensation package. So, think about what makes your organization special or unique. How does the work you do make a difference? Consider where your organization is heading and what it's going to take to get there. Then, present the opportunity to the executive talent you are seeking.</p>
<p>Don't Forget to Measure</p>
<p>As you can see, there is no single approach that will magically bring you the top talent that you need. However, you can't do everything. There's just too much,&#160;and it can get expensive. So, you owe it to yourself to measure what works for you.</p>
<p>Initially, you can measure the amount of candidates you hire in relation to your hiring sources. For example, if you spent $5,000 hosting an "industry night" at your location and got three good hires out of it, then it was probably well worth the investment. As you move forward, you can measure which hiring sources yield better performers (assuming you have a performance evaluation system in place). You can also measure who stays longer, noting the hiring sources. Over time, this will give you insights into how to make the most of your recruiting resources.</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>A few years ago, during the depths of the recession, there were plenty of talented people looking for work. These days, with the lowest levels of unemployment in more than 10 years and thousands of baby boomers leaving the workforce each day, it's only going to get tougher to attract and retain top talent.</p>
<p>As the going gets though, the tough really do need to get much more creative!</p>
<p><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinpanet" type="external">Kevin Panet Opens a New Window.</a> has more than&#160;20 years of experience in human&#160;resources management and a proven track record of success.</p> | When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Recruiters Get Creative | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/06/21/when-going-gets-tough-tough-recruiters-get-creative.html | 2016-06-26 | 0 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Sony.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Four minutes was all it took for GameStop to sell out of its exclusive allotment of Sony's PlayStation VR systems on Thursday. PlayStation VR -- <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/03/19/will-virtual-reality-be-the-next-nail-in-gopros-co.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">PSVR Opens a New Window.</a>for short -- is Sony's foray into virtual reality.</p>
<p>PSVR hits the market on Oct. 13. Sony made an initial allotment available through various outlets earlier this year, but it chose to make its latest batch of systems available only through the leading video game retailer.</p>
<p>Virtual reality is going to be a pretty big deal this holiday season. There have already been several prolific hardware releases this year. The PC-based Oculus Rift and HTC Vive join the smartphone-based Merge VR and Samsung's Gear VR on the market. PSVR is jumping into a seemingly crowded market, but it has some distinct advantages.</p>
<p>Oculus Rift is the name making waves, but like HTC Vive it requires the octane of high-end PCs that most diehard gamers don't have. They are also expensive platforms. Merge VR and Gear VR are cheap, but strapping specialized goggles on smartphones can be a limiting experience.</p>
<p>Sony's platform strikes the right balance, and the $399 virtual reality system works with existing PlayStation consoles. That gives it a massive installed base, and it's no surprise that in-the-know GameStop customers hopped on the tight window.</p>
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<p>Sony and GameStop aren't at the top of their respective games. Sony has posted modest revenue growth through the past three years, but it posted declines in each of the four years before that. Sony has been struggling selling TVs, cameras, and other gadgetry. It's also been a major victim of streaming television replacing DVDs, something that has hurt Sony in both the sale of Blu-ray and DVD players as well as its movie studio and media replication business.</p>
<p>GameStop has also been a victim of digital delivery. Comps dipped 6.2% in its latest quarter. Its stores continue to be ridiculously profitable, and GameStop is returning money to its shareholders through earnings per share-padding buybacks and healthy dividends that currently amount to a yield of 5.5%.</p>
<p>Despite the fat payout, GameStop is trading a lot closer to its 52-week low than its 52-week high. Sony's hanging at the high-end of its 52-week range, but it's trading well below where it was a decade ago.</p>
<p>PSVR could help both company's fortunes. The key to its success rests on the fact that there are already more than 36 million PS4 owners. Tack on the PS4 camera accessory and PSVR and they can hop on the virtual reality bandwagon at a sliver of the hardware costs for market darling Oculus Rift. This explains why GameStop has become a hotbed of PSVR signups. If Sony's virtual reality platform is a hit, GameStop will likely thrive in the near term. That could be enough to buy Sony more relevance and GameStop more time.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/04/4-letters-that-can-save-sony-and-gamestop.aspx" type="external">4 Letters That Can Save Sony -- and GameStop Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFBreakerRick/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Rick Munarriz Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has the following options: short July 2016 $28 puts on GameStop. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 4 Letters That Can Save Sony -- and GameStop | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/07/04/4-letters-that-can-save-sony-and-gamestop.html | 2016-07-04 | 0 |
<p>JMG reader Andrea points us to a <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.endlessspiral.praythegayaway" type="external">just-launched</a> game for smartphones:</p>
<p>Fight Kim, Defeat Kim, Condemn Her. Battle against bigotry and achieve equality for all. Join us in a battle for the ages. On one side of this virtual battle field littered with shredded paper and sadness, festers Kim – an agent of civil discrimination. On the other side, the warriors of love, the soldiers of acceptance, and the army of equality. Features – Become a soldier for equality, toss marriage applications to damage Kim, bring her HP all the way down and send her to jail, build an army of supporters with each game played and increase the damage you can inflict, earn power ups to defeat Kim’s bigotry agenda, some add time to do damage, others give you a higher damage multiplier, hurl divorce papers at Kim resulting in a Critical Hit. Each Critical hit gives you extra time on the counter and 10x damage.</p>
<p>It looks like the game is free in the Google Play store with 50% of in-app purchases going to “LGBT charities.”</p> | Video Game: Condemn Kim Davis | true | http://joemygod.com/2015/09/21/video-game-condemn-kim-davis/ | 2015-09-21 | 4 |
<p>Xinhua/Zuma</p>
<p />
<p>After Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley announced hefty profits last fall, the Obama administration’s pay czar said that he’d cap pay at Citigroup, Bank of America, and five other bailed-out companies. The move was largely symbolic: It capped salaries for only 25 executives, kept big stock bonuses in place, and did nothing to address the culture of <a href="" type="internal">rewarding folks</a> who sowed our economic destruction. Below, some of the players who made out like bandits during the bubble and the bailout.</p>
<p>CLICK&#160;ON&#160;EACH&#160;WALL&#160;STREET&#160;EXEC BELOW TO SEE&#160;THEIR COMPENSATION&#160;MEASURED&#160;AGAINST&#160;THEIR&#160;FIRM’S BAILOUT</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p><a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/03/joe_cassano_in_his_own_words.php" type="external">Joseph Cassano</a>, AIG Financial Products Executive, 1987-2008</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Mr. Credit-Default Swap. In 2008, his unit cost AIG $99 billion. (AIG then paid $1.5 billion in bonuses and awards.)</p>
<p>QUOTE: Before the crash: “It is hard for us…to even see a scenario within any kind of realm of reason that would see us losing $1 in any of those transactions.”</p>
<p>HIS BONUS, 2008: $34 million</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2000-2008: $280 million</p>
<p>AIG’S TARP: $69.8 billion</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $112 billion</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Vikram Pandit, Citigroup CEO, 2007-present</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Ordered a $50 million private jet, announced huge layoffs, and jacked up credit card APRs—after getting bailed out</p>
<p>QUOTE: <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100616160" type="external">Told</a> Congress last February, “My salary should be $1 per year with no bonus.” Didn’t mention that he took $1.6 million in stock options as Citi lost $18.7 billion in 2008.</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2008: $10.8 million</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Robert Rubin, Citigroup Board of Directors, 1999-2009</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: As Clinton’s treasury secretary, he pushed to overturn regulations prohibiting finance-bank hybrids such as…Citigroup. QUOTE: <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-19/robert-rubin-in-hell/full/" type="external">Wishes</a> he could have reined in Citi but “I don’t know what I could have done” as just a board member.</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 1999-2009: $124 million</p>
<p>CITI’S TARP: $45 billion ($20 billion repaid)</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $328.7 billion</p>
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<p />
<p>Ken Lewis, Bank of America CEO and President, 2001-2009</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Okayed $3.6 billion of Merrill Lynch bonuses when buying the troubled firm. Said he’d return $1 million in past earnings, but still gets a $53 million pension.</p>
<p>QUOTE: He’s <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123655575807665985.html" type="external">against regulating</a> “the banks that caused this mess” because they’d been “held accountable by the toughest, most unforgiving master of all: the free market.”</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2008: $10 million</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2001-2007: $145 million</p>
<p>B of A’s TARP: $45 billion (repaid)</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $18.1 billion</p>
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<p />
<p>Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase CEO and President, 2005-present</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Cutting <a href="http://us.ft.com/ftgateway/superpage.ft?news_id=fto033120061001002974" type="external">comments</a> (“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!”) and cutting perks (“You’re a businessman. Pay for your own Wall Street Journal.”)</p>
<p>QUOTE: Over lunch at the Four Seasons: “Corporations can waste a tremendous amount of money. It’s destructive. It’s wrong.”</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2008: $19.7 million</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2005-2007: $95.7 million</p>
<p>JPMC’S TARP: $25 billion (repaid)</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $73.1 billion</p>
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<p />
<p>Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman Sachs CEO and Chairman, 2006-present</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Oversaw Goldman’s risky bets on the housing bubble, then turned the investment firm into a bank so it could get TARP money</p>
<p>QUOTE: Says the financial industry looks “self-serving and greedy in hindsight” but that he’s been “doing God’s work.”</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2008: $42.9 million</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2006-2007: $114.4 million</p>
<p>GOLDMAN’S TARP: $10 billion (repaid)</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $43.4 billion</p>
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<p />
<p>John G. Stumpf, Wells Fargo CEO, 2007-present</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Made a tidy $12.6 million in first six months on the job</p>
<p>QUOTE: Asked before Congress about his 2007 pay, he <a href="http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/283982-101" type="external">conceded</a> that he’d gotten $67 million in stock—but “at the values that pertained in 2007, which wouldn’t look familiar to you now.”</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2008: $13.8 million</p>
<p>WELLS’ TARP: $25 billion (repaid)</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $13.4 billion</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>John J. Mack, Morgan Stanley CEO, 2005-2009, and Chairman, 2005-present</p>
<p />
<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Earned the sobriquet Mack the Knife by slashing jobs. His battle cry: “There’s blood in the water; let’s go kill!”</p>
<p>QUOTE: <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/marketbeat/2009/04/30/john-macks-no-1-issue-facing-wall-st-compensation/" type="external">Told</a> Congress, “If you gave me no bonus in the best year, I would still be here,” but later griped that smaller post-bust bonuses led to “an exodus of key people.”</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2008: $1.2 million</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2005-2007: $77.7 million</p>
<p>MORGAN’S TARP: $10 billion (repaid)</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $25.9 billion</p>
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<p />
<p>John Thain, Merrill Lynch CEO, 2007-2009</p>
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<p>CLAIM TO FAME: Asked for a $10 million-plus bonus as Merrill lost $27.6 billion in 2008. Then redid his office for $1.2 million and approved bonuses all around. As the firm’s hidden debts nearly scuttled its sale to B of A, he headed to Vail.</p>
<p>QUOTE: Bonuses were “the right thing to do for…the reward of the people who were performing.”</p>
<p>HIS HAUL, 2007: $83.1 million</p>
<p>MERRILL’S TARP: $10 billion</p>
<p>ADDITIONAL BAILOUT: $6.8 billion</p>
<p />
<p>This chart is part of Mother Jones’ <a href="/special-reports/2010/01/accountability-deficit" type="external">coverage</a> of the financial crisis, one year later.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 9 Wall Street Execs Who Cashed In on the Crisis | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/01/wall-street-bailout-executive-compensation/ | 2018-01-01 | 4 |
<p>Nov. 17 (UPI) — The Iraqi army said Friday it’s retaken the town of Rawa, the last <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Islamic-State/" type="external">Islamic State</a> stronghold in the country.</p>
<p>Rawa, located just 70 miles from the Syrian border, was surrounded by Iraqi forces for several weeks as they conquered the nearby towns of Qaim and Ana. With support from local militias and airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition, forces <a href="https://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/updated-p-m-abadi-says-army-freed-last-bastion-anbar-record-time/" type="external">entered Rawa Friday</a> to little resistance, Iraqi commanders said.</p>
<p>Friday afternoon <a href="http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/171120171" type="external">the Iraqi army announced</a> it had “liberated Rawa completely.”</p>
<p>Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yehya Rasool said remaining IS forces in Rawa were chased into the nearby Anbar Desert, and that additional airstrikes would defeat last pockets of resistance.</p>
<p>Iraqi Prime Minister <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Haider-al-Abadi/" type="external">Haider al-Abadi</a> sent congratulations without acknowledging that the group had been vanquished.</p>
<p>The Islamic State, which controlled one-third of Iraqi territory three years ago, is now reduced to a small part of Syria as its primary domain. It used to have Mosul, Fallujah and Tikrit as Iraqi strongholds.</p>
<p>Officials said the insurgent group no longer holds territory in Iraq and is losing ground in Syria.</p>
<p>Experts say capturing the three towns on the Euphrates River is a strategic win for the Iraqi army. Controlling the area seals off Syria to the west and ends the IS capability of moving troops, vehicles and supplies between Iraq and Syria.</p> | Iraqi army takes Islamic State's last stronghold, Rawa | false | https://newsline.com/iraqi-army-takes-islamic-states-last-stronghold-rawa/ | 2017-11-17 | 1 |
<p>From the Diary of a Snail, by Gunter Grass. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 310 pp.</p>
<p>In some sense, all writers and artists are politically engaged; they have to protect the integrity of their work from the heavy hand of the commissar and the censor. In defense of freedom of expression the nonpolitical painter and the political poet share an ethos. A smaller number, whose work itself takes shape from political events, often feel compelled to make a personal commitment. These men and women choose parties, frame policies, enroll in movements. They could not do otherwise, even if, as Auden kept saying in his later years, a life in literature carries no special warranty of wisdom for a life in politics. Orwell, Malraux, and Silone come to mind as contemporary examples. Gunter Grass, one of West Germany's most celebrated novelists, belongs in such company. His novels, The Tin Drum, Cat and Mouse, Local Anaesthetic, are about the Nazi nightmare and the morning after in postwar Germany. His characters, at once grotesque and deeply human, wander across the German landscape, buffeted by war or made restless by postwar affluence, moved to and fro by "the state." And in the context of the more personal political commitment I am describing, Gunter Grass has been, and is now, an activist in the Social Democratic party and a friend of the SDP's leader and ex-Chancellor of West Germany, Willy Brandt.</p>
<p /> | A Writer's Progress | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/a-writers-progress | 2018-10-06 | 4 |
<p>Jan. 3 (UPI) — A charter fishing team landed a massive blue marlin that broke the country’s size record by weighing in at 1,089 pounds.</p>
<p>Eddy Lawler of Peak Sportfishing Adventures <a href="http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/giant-blue-marlin-catch-in-exmouth-to-break-australian-record-20180102-h0ciop.html" type="external">went out on his 36-foot boat,</a> the Black Marlin with a crew including angler Clay Hilbert on Monday and the team managed to haul a 1,089-pound blue marlin back to shore.</p>
<p>The marlin beat <a href="https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/fishing/exmouth-charter-fishing-team-catch-record-breaking-494kg-blue-marlin-ng-b88704075z" type="external">the previous Australian record</a> for a blue marlin catch — 996 pounds, which was set by Melanie Kisbee in 1999.</p>
<p>The Exmouth Game Fishing Club posted a photo of the record-breaking marlin <a href="https://www.facebook.com/exmouthgfc/photos/a.1003008213070646.1073741850.935960936442041/1618487118189416/?type=3&amp;theater" type="external">to Facebook</a>.</p>
<p>“This is a fish that will cement Exmouth’s reputation as a world-class Marlin fishery,” recreational fishing group <a href="https://recfishwest.org.au/news/australian-blue-marlin-record/" type="external">RecFishWest said</a> in a statement. “Marlin are extremely fast growing, with a fish of this size estimated to be about 15 years old. Its exact age will be determined by removing its ear bone, which contains growth rings, similar to those found on trees.”</p> | Fishing crew lands record-breaking 1,089-pound blue marlin | false | https://newsline.com/fishing-crew-lands-record-breaking-1089-pound-blue-marlin/ | 2018-01-04 | 1 |
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<p>Mopar Muscle Club of New Mexico and the Rio Rancho Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department will host a car show from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on June 14 at Haynes Park.</p>
<p>The free all-ages event will feature antique, custom, muscle, classic and restored vehicles.</p>
<p>For information on how to register contact the Mopar Club at <a href="http://www.moparclub.com/" type="external">http://www.moparclub.com/</a></p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Car show shows off muscle | false | https://abqjournal.com/409894/car-show-shows-off-muscle.html | 2 |
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<p>With public attention riveted on the war in Iraq, politicians may be planning to launch a sneak attack against the American people.</p>
<p>Their weapon: Patriot II, a piece of legislation that would give the government frightening new powers, including the ability to make secret arrests, issue secret subpoenas, create a vast new DNA database and even strip Americans of their citizenship and deport them.</p>
<p>Formally called The Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 (DSEA), the legislation has been shrouded in secrecy, prompting civil liberties groups to fear the government has been waiting for an opportunity — such as war or another terrorist attack — to rush it through Congress. That’s exactly what happened with the USA Patriot Act, which passed the House and Senate with lightning speed just six weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks.</p>
<p>Now with war raging in Iraq, history may be about to repeat itself.</p>
<p>Patriot II was drafted in secret earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Justice. When rumors of its existence started swirling around Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft denied it. When a leaked draft was published on the web page of the nonpartisan Center for the Public Interest on February 7, the Justice Department refused to comment.</p>
<p>But when the bombs began to fall on Baghdad in late March, Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo finally confirmed that such a measure would be introduced soon.</p>
<p>Yet if Patriot II is actually good for America, why all the secrecy? After all, politicians don’t normally lie about the existence of “good” programs; they brag about them. They resort to stealth and deception only when they’re doing something they’re ashamed of, such as creating pork barrel projects, lining their pockets with another congressional pay raise — and spawning more police state powers.</p>
<p>Simply put, this legislation would destroy some of the legal protections that make America different from totalitarian states like Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Iraq. For example, Patriot II would allow the government to arrest and detain people in secret, paving the way for the midnight knock on the door that terrorizes the population in police states.</p>
<p>In such countries, relatives never know what’s happened to their loved ones — and police don’t have to explain. There’s no need to file charges, present evidence, or even hold a trial. A simple accusation by the police or an anonymous informant is all that’s needed to lock up an innocent person for life.</p>
<p>Think such a thing could never happen in America? It already has. Dozens of individuals rounded up during the 9/11 investigations are still being held without charges and without the right to see an attorney.</p>
<p>The authors of Patriot II want to keep things that way. Its secret detention provision was created to circumvent a federal court decision requiring the Justice Department to identify those 9/11 detainees.</p>
<p>Under this legislation, prosecutors could also issue secret subpoenas, and jail people who reveal to anyone except their attorney that they have received one. Since most people who receive subpoenas are not criminal suspects, this amounts to letting the government conduct mass, secret interrogations of completely innocent Americans, then jailing them if they tell anyone what’s happened.</p>
<p>Secret arrests, secret evidence, secret subpoenas — haven’t thousands of American soldiers died fighting this kind of government?</p>
<p>Even one of the most cherished rights in America — the right of citizenship — is targeted under this bill. Patriot II empowers the Justice Department to strip citizenship from Americans who associate with a group designated as a “terrorist organization,” even if they’ve done nothing illegal.</p>
<p>Individuals who contribute money to such a group, even unwittingly, or attend the “wrong” political rally could lose their citizenship — and thus become easier to prosecute and/or deport.</p>
<p>Imagine this scenario: Two years from now, a violent individual blows up an abortion clinic. President Hillary Clinton responds by labeling Operation Rescue, and a number of other conservative Christian groups, “domestic terrorist organizations.” She orders everyone who has ever contributed to one of these organizations or attended a meeting rounded up, stripped of their citizenship and deported.</p>
<p>Or this: A radical environmentalist attacks an oil tanker, and President John Ashcroft responds with similar tactics against Greenpeace or the Sierra Club. He denounces them as domestic terrorist organizations, freezes their bank accounts and starts arresting their members.</p>
<p>Couldn’t happen in America? It already has happened — to several non-citizens rounded up during the 9/11 investigation. But if Patriot II is approved, it could start happening to American citizens as well.</p>
<p>Other provisions of this legislation are just as chilling. For example, the government could create a database of DNA collected not just from “suspected terrorists,” but from non-citizens suspected of ordinary crimes, such as burglary and assault.</p>
<p>In direct violation of the Fourth Amendment, prosecutors could conduct a wiretap for 15 days without a judge’s approval, and monitor an individual’s Internet behavior for two days without a warrant.</p>
<p>The attorney general could deport any foreigner, even a permanent legal resident, by deeming their presence “inconsistent with national security.”</p>
<p>Local police departments could resume spying on political protesters, because the legislation overturns court decrees prohibiting such surveillance.</p>
<p>Simply put, Patriot II would make America less of a free country — and there’s nothing patriotic about that.</p>
<p>GEOFFREY NEALE, Austin, Texas, is national chair of the Washington, DC-based Libertarian Party.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Ashcroft’s War on the Bill of Rights | true | https://counterpunch.org/2003/04/09/ashcroft-s-war-on-the-bill-of-rights/ | 2003-04-09 | 4 |
<p>President Donald Trump said Thursday the opioid crisis was “a national emergency” and pledged “to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money” battling the epidemic.</p>
<p>“The opioid crisis is an emergency — and I’m saying officially right now it’s an emergency,” Trump told reporters outside his golf resort in Bedminster, N.J., as Vice President Mike Pence looked on. “It’s a national emergency.</p>
<p>“We’re going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort&#160;and a lot of money on the opioid crisis.</p>
<p>“We’re going to draw it up — and we’re going to make it a national emergency,” Trump said. “It is a serious problem, the likes of which we have never had.”</p>
<p>Trump <a href="https://www.newsmax.com/Headline/US-Trump-Opioids/2017/08/08/id/806587/" type="external">held a briefing</a> Tuesday on the crisis in Bedminster, vowing to “fight this deadly epidemic — and the United States will win.”</p>
<p>The president’s drug commission, led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, recently called on him to declare a national emergency to deal with the opioid crisis.</p>
<p>An initial report from the commission said that the approximately 142 deaths each day from drug overdoses mean the death toll was “equal to Sept. 11 every three weeks.”</p>
<p>The White House said it was still reviewing the report’s recommendations in the report.</p>
<p>Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said after the briefing the administration could deploy the necessary resources and attention without declaring a national emergency, though he stressed that “all things are on the table for the president.”</p>
<p>In his comments to reporters Thursday, Trump likened the opioid crisis to that involving LSD in the 1970s.</p>
<p>“When I was growing up, they had LSD — and they had certain generations of drugs,” Trump said.</p>
<p>“There’s never been anything like what’s happened to this country over the last four or five years.”</p>
<p>He added opioids&#160;are&#160;“a worldwide problem, not just a United States problem.</p>
<p>“This is happening worldwide,” he said. “But this is a national emergency — and we are drawing documents now to so attest.”</p> | Trump on Opioid Crisis: 'A National Emergency' | false | https://newsline.com/trump-on-opioid-crisis-a-national-emergency-2/ | 2017-08-10 | 1 |
<p><a href="http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/ax_looming_at_matt_today_EnezpLexugu871t0O0dWYM" type="external">The New York Post</a> reported on Saturday that The Today&#160;Show could be facing cutbacks and layoffs after the show slipped to second place &#160;in the ratings&#160;behind ABC's&#160;Good Morning America.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />The rumors of the cutbacks and layoffs come just after NBC fired 20 staffers on The Tonight Show, and host Jay Leno took a pay cut from his reported salary of $25 to $30 million per year to $20 million in an effort to prevent further cuts.</p>
<p>Today has been losing ground to GMA since the departure of co-host Meredith Vieira, and that has accelerated following the rather unceremonious dumping of her replacement, Ann Curry, at the end of June.</p>
<p>GMA has beaten Today in seven of the last nine weeks in overall viewers, with the exception being the two weeks when NBC's Olympic coverage gave Today an added boost.</p>
<p>More importantly,&#160;GMA beat Today in the key A25-54 demo in late July, ending the show's 17-year dominance in that category as well.</p>
<p>That's making Comcast, which is NBC's majority owner, nervous as they see the once former cash cow being consistently beaten in the ratings. This will eventually lead to fewer advertising dollars, and thus profits, flowing into the show, prompting the layoff rumors.</p>
<p>A rep for The Today&#160;Show told the Post that there will absolutely be no cutbacks on the show. But unless it can reverse its recent slide, that seems all but inevitable.</p> | ?Today Show? Could Face Cuts After Ratings Drop | true | http://aim.org/don-irvine-blog/today-show-could-face-cuts-after-ratings-drop/ | 2012-09-03 | 0 |
<p>County and City Hall, Buffalo, N.Y. (Photo by dIPENdAVE; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)</p>
<p>BUFFALO, New York — A county in upstate New York is considering a bill that would ban “conversion” therapy, the <a href="http://buffalonews.com/2017/04/26/erie-county-considers-law-making-conversion-therapy-illegal/" type="external">Buffalo News</a> reports.</p>
<p>The bill was introduced before in 2014 and 2015 but died in committee. Last year’s version earned national news coverage because it was named PENCE (Prevention of Emotional Neglect and Child Endangerment), a nod to Vice President Mike Pence who supports the practice.</p>
<p>No licensed conversion therapy centers exist in Erie County, but LGBT activists said they are aware of informal programs locally that encourage youth who believe they have a same-sex orientation into converting to a heterosexual orientation. Kitty Lambert-Rudd, president of the Western New York Anti-Violence Project, said she knows of seven, the Buffalo News reports.</p>
<p>Currently, anyone who practices such therapy locally cannot be held accountable because such therapy is not illegal, advocates said.</p>
<p>Conversion therapy is banned in five other states, but not New York.</p>
<p>The proposed law, introduced by Patrick Burke (D-Buffalo), would make the practice of conversion therapy on minors a misdemeanor crime punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 or one year in jail.</p>
<p>Burke’s proposed law, which could receive bipartisan support, is still subject to a public hearing before it can proceed to a vote by the Erie County Legislature. A hearing has yet to be scheduled, but Burke is optimistic about the law ‘s chances for approval.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Buffalo</a> <a href="" type="internal">Buffalo News</a> <a href="" type="internal">conversion therapy</a> <a href="" type="internal">Erie County Legislature</a> <a href="" type="internal">Kitty Lambert-Rudd</a> <a href="" type="internal">Mike Pence</a> <a href="" type="internal">New York</a> <a href="" type="internal">Patrick Burke</a> <a href="" type="internal">Pence</a> <a href="" type="internal">Prevention of Emotional Neglect and Child Endangerment</a> <a href="" type="internal">Western New York Anti-Violence Project</a></p> | Activists hopeful for therapy ban in New York | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/04/28/conversion-therapy-ban-erie-county/ | 3 |
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<p>Photo courtesy &lt;em&gt;Frontline&lt;/em&gt;</p>
<p />
<p>Say what you will about the Taliban. They’re small-minded, repressive, religious zealots who exert their power through fear and intimidation. But certain aspects of Afghan society can make the black turbans look downright righteous. Consider the ancient tradition of Bacha Bazi, which means “boy play.” Banned by the Taliban, this illicit activity is on the upswing across Afghanistan. The Guardian <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/12/dancing-boys-afghanistan" type="external">reported on it</a> last fall, and on April 20, Frontline is airing a special report with the same title: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/" type="external">The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan</a>.</p>
<p>Here’s how the Frontline producers describe it:</p>
<p>Hundreds of boys, some as young as eleven, street orphans or boys bought from poor families by former warlords and powerful businessmen, are dressed in woman’s clothes, taught to sing and dance for the entertainment of male audiences, and then sold to the highest bidder or traded among the men for sex.</p>
<p>With remarkable access inside a Bacha Bazi ring operating in Northern Afghanistan, Najibullah Quraishi, an Afghan journalist, investigates this practice, still illegal under Afghan law, talking with the boys, their families, and their masters, exposing the sexual abuse and even murders of the boys, and documenting how Afghan authorities responsible for stopping these crimes are sometimes themselves complicit in the practice.</p>
<p>This brings to mind the rights of Afghan women, something American officials rarely talk about anymore—probably because they came to realize that the Taliban were Johnny-come-latelys when it came to sexual oppression. “Afghanistan is a rural nation, where 85 percent of people live in the countryside. And out there it’s very, very conservative, very tribal—almost medieval,” Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, <a href="" type="internal">told me last year</a>. “The way that people saw the Taliban treating women, unfortunately, is the way women have been treated in many parts of the country going back centuries. Kabul has always been sort of a cultural island.”</p>
<p>In our conversation, Hosseini was ambivalent as to whether America should— <a href="" type="internal">or even could</a>—make an issue of women’s rights. As he put it:</p>
<p>Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride price and child marriage, and to enforce women to be involved in school. Every time, the reaction from the traditionalists was one of contempt and scorn and at times outright rebellion. At one point they called jihad on one of the Afghan kings. So we do have to be careful. I think the emancipation of women in Afghanistan has to come from inside, through Afghans themselves, gradually, over time. Otherwise, I think we’re back to suffering the same consequences that the communists in Afghanistan did in the ’80s, or the king earlier in the 20th century.</p>
<p>He’s probably right. All the same, some of these so-called traditions are enough to make you wonder just what it is we’re fighting for in Afghanistan—and for whom.</p>
<p>(The Frontline image above depicts an illegal dancing-boy party in Takhar, northern Afghanistan. The dancer, Abdullah, 13, is “owned” by a local businessman.)</p>
<p /> | Afghanistan’s Boy Sex Slaves | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/03/afghanistan-boy-sex-slaves-taliban/ | 2010-03-19 | 4 |
<p>Target’s website was unable to keep up with on-line traffic, as record Cyber Monday numbers cause the site to crash, preventing shoppers from accessing the site.&#160; <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/11/30/target-cyber-monday-site-goes-down/76558704/" type="external">USA Today</a> reports that the site began having issues around 10 a.m. Customers browsing the site were presented with a message telling them to “hold tight.”</p>
<p>A virtual line was set up to help calm the traffic, giving access to the site little by little. Some customers are still receiving apology messages and are being asked to return to the site later on.</p>
<p>Katie Boylan, a spokesperson for&#160;Target says, “We are seeing an absolutely extraordinary response to our Cyber Monday offer.” As part of their Cyber Monday deals, Target was&#160;offering customers 15&#160;percent&#160;off all items, with free shipping on all orders. Boylan continued, saying, “The traffic, the demand, the orders are absolutely through the roof.”</p>
<p>The volume of sales for Cyber Monday so far is already twice that of Thanksgiving day’s&#160;numbers, the retailer’s busiest day. According to the National Retail Federation, more people chose to shop online over the Thanksgiving weekend rather in physical retail stores.</p>
<p>Paypal joined Target among companies that had issues on&#160;Cyber Monday. The company “experienced a brief, intermittent interruption” in their&#160;service, according to a statement. Neiman Marcus had site issues Friday, which lead the store to extending its Black Friday promotion.</p>
<p>Despite Target’s success, the National Retail Federation expects fewer Cyber Monday shoppers compared to last year’s numbers.</p>
<p /> | Target’s website crashes after record Cyber Monday traffic | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/11/30/targets-website-crashes-after-record-cyber-monday-traffic/ | 2015-11-30 | 3 |
<p>Anyone even slightly familiar with the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin understands how you break a society, maybe forever. Certainly government violence, the threat of violence, the curtailing or stripping of basic human freedoms has something to do with it. But as we have seen in various cultures, including our own in 1776, it takes something a whole lot more than that.</p>
<p>If a government is going to destroy a society as a means to turn its people into mindless, unquestioning subjects, it must go beyond violence, torture and tyranny; it must break the human spirit within each and every one of us. In order to create willing subjects, the State must force us to betray ourselves — to willingly believe lies, to willingly violate our own conscience, or as Orwell so strikingly portrayed it, to willingly accept that 2+2=5.</p>
<p>Once a free people is pressured to give in to what Soviet writer Boris Pasternak described as the "inhuman reign of the lie," once a society willingly surrenders its moral and intellectual conscience to the State, only then is that person and/or society truly broken and by extension made a useful and willing tool of the State.</p>
<p>From Lenin to Stalin to Hitler to Castro to Mao to Chavez, the "inhuman reign of the lie" is a well worn tactic used by socialist tyrants. In current times, right here in America, it is a tactic increasingly used by the leftwing tyrants in our national media and Democrat Party.</p>
<p>Look around. At this very moment, 24/7 through the corporate-funded news media, 24/7 through most everything pumped out of corporate-funded Hollywood, we are relentlessly bullied into believing men are women, illegal immigration is good for our economy, Islam means "peace," a sign declaring a "gun-free zone" stops rather than encourages madmen, praying in public oppresses others, 5-year-old children should be allowed to choose their own gender, homosexuality is not a sin, global warming is real and creates terrorists, the federal government is the answer to every problem, and our national media is a non-partisan watchdog.</p>
<p>The American left understands that every individual who can be bullied by the Beautiful People — bullied by peer pressure, by the promise of acceptance, by threats of being labeled a rube or bigot — into believing these (and many other) audacious lies, is nothing less than another slave to the State.</p>
<p>And between 2008 and 2016, our very own president worked tirelessly to be his own Castro and Hitler, primarily through his namesake Obamacare.</p>
<p>The least of Obamacare's inhuman reign of lies involved those about keeping our insurance, premiums going down, or even the very idea that health care will improve through even more intervention from the federal government.</p>
<p>No, what is truly malevolent and evil about Obama and Obamacare, and intentionally so, is the attempt to break or destroy Christian religious institutions by forcing them to violate their conscience. Obamacare offers religious institutions only two choices. They can either fund abortion and birth control through the health care they provide or they can choose not to provide health care and pay a crippling fine to the State.</p>
<p>Any religious institution that gives into this is, without question, selling its religious soul, violating its religious conscience, on the road to being forever broken and therefore closer to being a useful subject of the State.</p>
<p>And this is the ONLY reason Obama put this mandate into Obamacare. It is ONLY there to oppress the religious and break their spirit. We know this because there is no good reason not to exempt religious institutions from this tyranny. Forcing the religious to provide services that violate the core foundations of their faith does absolutely nothing to help the overall Obamacare program work.</p>
<p>Again and again and again on the campaign trail, Donald Trump told us he understood this, made us believe that killing the inhuman reign of the Obamacare lie was a top priority. Again and again and again, Trump used the horror story of the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Christian institution fighting against this mandate for its very conscience and existence, to illustrate his promise.</p>
<p>Then, after being elected president, Trump used the signing of an executive order to assure us he had <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/05/04/presidential-executive-order-promoting-free-speech-and-religious-liberty" type="external">kept this promise</a>.</p>
<p>And now, six months into his presidency, two months after the signing of this order, we learn from The Daily Caller that President Trump's very own Department of Justice <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/23/doj-lawyers-still-battling-christians-over-obamacare-contraception-mandate/" type="external">is still persecuting the Littler Sisters of the Poor</a>, that absolutely NO relief has been offered, that it is as though Obama is still in office, that Trump has not even come close to keeping his promise, that his executive order was pure hustle.</p>
<p>As long as Trump passes his agenda to stop illegal immigration, keep us safe from international terrorists, builds that damn wall, reforms the tax code, repeals Obamacare and destroys the media, I do not give a damn how he goes about it, how much chaos he causes, how much anxiety results from his tweets, his words, his violations of those precious norms…</p>
<p>Trump can play with all the fire he wants and play as dirty as he likes. As long as it is in pursuit of his stated agenda, other than illegality or violence, everyone who loves their country should have his back.</p>
<p>But to discover that a full six months into this presidency that the Trump Administration is mercilessly enforcing Obama's reign of terror against the Little Sisters of the Poor, and has done so as recently as Friday … that is nothing less than a betrayal.</p>
<p>Follow John Nolte on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/NolteNC" type="external">@NolteNC</a>. Follow his Facebook Page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JohnNolteNC/?skip_nax_wizard=true" type="external">here</a>.</p> | Trump BETRAYAL: Little Sisters Of The Poor Still Facing Federal Government Persecution | true | https://dailywire.com/news/19004/trump-betrayal-little-sisters-poor-still-facing-john-nolte | 2017-07-26 | 0 |
<p>By Karla Adam, William Booth, Griff Witte / The Washington Post</p>
<p>Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May. ( <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corbyn_trident.jpg" type="external">Garry Knight</a> / <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SD_visits_London_170511-D-GY869-0152_(34437693922).jpg" type="external">DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jette Carr</a>)</p>
<p>LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to call an early election in a bid to strengthen her grip on power appeared early Friday to have spectacularly backfired, with her Conservative Party at risk of losing its parliamentary majority, according to exit poll and partial official results.</p>
<p />
<p>The outcome - an astonishing turn following a campaign that began with predictions that May would win in a historic landslide - immediately raised questions about whether she could maintain her hold on Downing Street. It also threw into doubt the country's plans for leaving the European Union.</p>
<p>As of 3 a.m., a projection based on a combination of exit poll and official results put the Conservatives at 322 seats - four short of what they would need for a working majority in the 650 member Parliament and down from the 331 they won just two years ago.</p>
<p>The Labour Party was forecast to win 261 seats - an unexpected gain of dozens of seats under far-left leader Jeremy Corbyn. The outcome gave him at least a chance, albeit a remote one, of becoming prime minister - something virtually no one had thought possible before Thursday's vote.</p>
<p>The results, if they hold, would mark the second time in as many years that the British people have defied predictions, scrambled the country's direction and bucked the will of a prime minister who had gambled by calling a vote when none had been been required.</p>
<p>But unlike last year's EU referendum - which delivered a clear if close verdict to get out of the bloc - the will of the voters who cast ballots on Thursday was not nearly as easy to decipher.</p>
<p>There was little doubt that the Conservatives would emerge, once again, as the largest party. But as Labour unexpectedly picked off seats - especially in areas of London that had voted last year to remain in the EU - May's once-undisputed political authority, and even her ability to continue as prime minister, were being called into question.</p>
<p>"The prime minister called this election because she wanted a mandate," said Corbyn in a speech after winning reelection to his north London seat. "The mandate she's got is lost votes, lost Conservatives seats, lost confidence."</p>
<p>Corbyn then said May should resign.</p>
<p>Minutes later, a nervous-sounding May delivered her own speech in which she said that as long as the Conservatives remain the largest party, they should be allowed to govern. "The country needs a period of stability," she said.</p>
<p>The results raise questions about whether either major party will have enough support to form a government without resorting to forming a coalition - a scenario known as a hung parliament.</p>
<p>If it comes to that, it's far from clear which parties would team up, or under what arrangements. A "progressive alliance" - including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Scottish and Welsh nationalists, and others - may have as many seats as the Conservatives. But the Conservatives would also have potential coalition partners if they fall short of a majority, including unionists in Northern Ireland.</p>
<p>In the early minutes after the exit polls' release, the pound fell 2 percent as investors reacted to potential political turmoil. Sterling dropped to 1.2750 against the U.S. dollar, its lowest level since May's call for a snap election in April.</p>
<p>Tories were incredulous as the exit poll numbers emerged, saying that they thought the results had undersold the party's performance and that official tallies would give them a higher total.</p>
<p>But as the results rolled in, they grew more somber and acknowledged suffering losses.</p>
<p>In Europe, observers were bracing for more instability out of Britain.</p>
<p>"Could be messy for the United Kingdom in the years ahead," tweeted former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt. "One mess risks following another. Price to be paid for lack of true leadership."</p>
<p>May had acknowledged that a result such as the one signaled in the exit polls would be a defeat.</p>
<p>"If I lose just six seats I will lose this election, and Jeremy Corbyn will be sitting down to negotiate with the presidents, prime ministers and chancellors of Europe," she wrote on her Facebook page last month.</p>
<p>Although exit polls have been imprecise in past elections, they are seen as a fairly reliable guide to the overall results. Official tallies will stream in through the night in Britain, with the final outcome not known until early Friday local time or about midnight EDT.</p>
<p>The exit poll results, if accurate, will draw renewed scrutiny to May's choice to gamble by going back on repeated promises not to call an election before the one that had been due in 2020. They could also leave Britain rudderless just as what are sure to be contentious talks are scheduled to get underway with European leaders over the terms of Brexit.</p>
<p>May in April broke her vows not to call a snap vote, telling the country that she needed a stronger mandate before she began Brexit talks.</p>
<p>Corbyn spent little time during the campaign discussing Brexit. Like May, he favored "remain" during the referendum. But also like May, he has promised not to obstruct the will of voters and to follow through on their desires for an exit if he is elected.</p>
<p>The election follows a turbulent campaign that was interrupted by two mass-casualty terrorist attacks, and that had been marked by a faltering performance by May even as Corbyn exceeded expectations.</p>
<p>Despite security concerns, the election unfolded peacefully from the remote Scottish isles to the bustling lanes of London, with Britons using stubby pencils to mark their ballots at schools, church halls, pubs, railway cars and other voting sites nationwide.</p>
<p>When May called the vote, observers hailed the move as a cunning bit of political strategy and predicted she would win in a landslide that could deliver her the sort of overwhelming parliamentary majority that predecessors Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair had enjoyed.</p>
<p>May came to power last year, emerging to claim the nation's top job following the political wreckage of the country's astonishing choice to leave the European Union.</p>
<p>Since then she has had only a slender majority in Parliament - won in a 2015 election when the country was governed by her predecessor, David Cameron - and she had feared that without a bigger cushion she would lack the latitude she needs for Brexit talks.</p>
<p>Early pre-election polls suggested that she would get what she wanted, with the Conservatives enjoying leads of 20 points or more over the far-left Corbyn and his Labour Party.</p>
<p>But May, who endlessly touted herself as a "strong and stable" leader on the campaign trail, finished the race being tagged by critics as "weak and wobbly" after high-profile U-turns and a generally underwhelming delivery as a retail politician.</p>
<p>In the final days of campaigning, polls showed the Conservative lead withering to as little as a single point.</p>
<p>"We've learned what we suspected all along: She's not particularly fast on her feet, she's not a natural campaigner, she's not really a people person," said Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.</p>
<p>Lacking the common touch, May's strategy was to focus the campaign on a presidential-style choice between her leadership skills and those of Corbyn. She relentlessly hammered her rival as a far-left throwback to another era who would leave the country vulnerable in both the Brexit talks and at a time of growing terrorist threats.</p>
<p>Corbyn - for decades a far-left backbencher who unexpectedly vaulted to the party's leadership in 2015 - faced a steeply uphill challenge to sell himself as a potential prime minister.</p>
<p>But he was widely seen to have mounted a far more credible challenge than many thought possible, running a nothing-to-lose campaign focused on ending seven years of Tory austerity and shrinking the gap between rich and poor.</p>
<p>Even if he doesn't prevail, his performance may have helped his chances of hanging on as Labour leader - a stinging blow for more-centrist party figures who had quietly hoped the harsh glare of a national campaign would leave him exposed and force him to step aside.</p>
<p>Corbyn has run a "fantastic campaign," said Henry Wynn, 72, a retired professor who described the Labour leader as a "Bernie Sanders socialist" after he voted for Corbyn's party in the north London neighborhood of Islington.</p>
<p>But Wynn seemed to hold out little prospect for victory.</p>
<p>"I'll confess," he added, "we're in a mildly depressive mood. We face a bleak future with the Tories."</p>
<p>May helped her cause by consolidating support not only among those who had favored Brexit in last year's referendum, but also voters who, like May, had backed the "Remain" cause but have pivoted since the vote to accepting the outcome and focusing on how to get the best deal out of Europe.</p>
<p>Miranda John, a 52-year-old mortgage broker who lives in south London and was one of the first to vote after polls opened at 7 a.m., said she voted for May's Conservative Party "because of fears of Brexit" and her belief that the Tories have "a better negotiation team."</p>
<p>"I was a Remainer," she said, referring to the EU referendum held last June. "But I accept that the will is to leave, so we need to get the right deal."</p>
<p>Negotiations with the remaining 27 members of the EU are due to kick off in a little over a week. Assuming May is still leading Britain by then, she faces long odds in delivering the successful exit that she has promised.</p>
<p>May has vowed a hard break with the bloc that leaves Britain outside the single market, the customs union and the European Court of Justice. But she has also promised to deliver a free-trade deal that will preserve the best elements of membership without many of the onerous burdens.</p>
<p>European leaders scoff at such notions, and say Britain's demands for EU benefits without responsibilities will have to be denied lest the country's departure trigger a rush to the exits by other nations that all demand the same sweetheart deal.</p>
<p>If she prevails, May will also be under pressure to deliver on pledges to expand the powers of police and other security services following the mass-casualty terrorist attacks this spring, including two in the midst of the campaign.</p>
<p>On May 22, a suicide bomber killed 22 people - including numerous teenage girls - at the conclusion of a concert by American pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester. In London, eight people died following a van-and-knife rampage around the bustling London Bridge area last Saturday.</p>
<p>After that latest attack, May said "enough is enough" and promised a sweeping review of the nation's counterterrorism rules, with an eye to giving authorities more power to lock up the kind of peripheral figures in extremist circles who have been responsible for the recent attacks.</p>
<p>After the attacks, many observers thought they would play to May's advantage. But Corbyn managed to flip an area of weakness - security - to a potential strength by hitting out at May for the cuts to police budgets she had authorized as the nation's home secretary, the top domestic security official.</p> | Corbyn Calls on May to Resign as British Election Results Show Losses for Conservatives | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/corbyn-calls-on-may-to-resign-as-british-election-results-show-losses-for-conservatives/ | 2017-06-09 | 4 |
<p>Democrats have attacked the budget Republican Paul Ryan released Tuesday for trying to privatize and "voucherize" Medicare, the popular entitlement program for seniors.</p>
<p>Republicans have countered that the proposed changes instead amount to "premium support" and offer a choice to future seniors.</p>
<p>What are the changes that Rep. Ryan, R-Wis., has unveiled? Answer: Think of Obamacare, but with a public option attached.</p>
<p>The original 2011 version of the Ryan budget wanted to transform Medicare from a government-run program to one where future seniors (those under 55) receive a voucher or premium support to purchase health insurance from private insurers. The Congressional Budget Office said the plan would force most seniors to pay more for their health care than under the current Medicare system.</p>
<p>But the latest version -- as we've seen since 2011 -- gives future seniors the CHOICE of purchasing private insurance or through Medicare's traditional fee-for-service model.</p>
<p>That change, especially in an election year, makes it more difficult for Democrats to claim Republicans want to "end Medicare as we know it," since future seniors have the option of remaining in traditional Medicare.</p>
<p>From Ryan's blueprint:</p>
<p>The Medicare reform envisioned in this budget resolution begins with a commitment to keep the promises made to those who now are in or near retirement. Consequently, for those who enter the program before 2024, the Medicare program and its benefits will remain as they are, without change.</p>
<p>For future retirees, the budget supports an approach known as ‘‘premium support.’’ Starting in 2024, seniors (those who first become eligible by turning 65 on or after January 1, 2024) would be given a choice of private plans competing alongside the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program on a newly created Medicare Exchange. Medicare would provide a premium-support payment either to pay for or offset the premium of the plan chosen by the senior, depending on the plan’s cost. For those who were 55 or older in 2013, they would remain in the traditional Medicare system.</p>
<p>The Medicare recipient of the future would choose, from a list of guaranteed-coverage options, a health plan that best suits his or her needs. This is not a voucher program. A Medicare premium-support payment would be paid, by Medicare, directly to the plan or the fee-for-service program to subsidize its cost. The program would operate in a manner similar to that of the Medicare prescription-drug benefit. The Medicare premium-support payment would be adjusted so that the sick would receive higher payments if their conditions worsened; lower-income seniors would receive additional assistance to help cover out-of-pocket costs; and wealthier seniors would assume responsibility for a greater share of their premiums.</p> | What Ryan’s Budget Means (And Doesn’t Mean) for Medicare | false | http://nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/what-ryans-budget-means-doesnt-mean-medicare-n69011 | 2014-04-01 | 3 |
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<p>This was not the close-to-invincible Djokovic that fans were used to seeing at the Australian Open, where he has won a record-equaling six titles, including five in the previous six years.</p>
<p>In his earliest loss at a Grand Slam tournament since 2008, Djokovic lost 7-6 (8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 on Thursday to No. 117-ranked Denis Istomin, a 30-year-old wild-card entry from Uzbekistan.</p>
<p>“All the credit to Denis for playing amazing. He deserves to win,” Djokovic said of their four-hour, 48-minute match. “He was the better player in the clutch moments.</p>
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<p>“Obviously, I was not pleased with my performance overall, but I have to congratulate my opponent. Whenever he needed, he came up with a big serve, big play.”</p>
<p>Djokovic hadn’t dropped a set to Istomin in six previous matches. But he lost the 85-minute first set in a tiebreaker and then seemed to get the momentum back, only for Istomin to finish stronger.</p>
<p>Istomin’s only previous win in 33 matches against top-10 players was in 2012 versus then-No. 5 David Ferrer.</p>
<p>“It is the biggest win for me. It means so much,” Istomin said. “Now I feel I can play with these guys, and to be with them on the same level.”</p>
<p>Serena Williams, who like Djokovic was ranked No. 2 and is a six-time Australian Open champion, kept her chase for an Open-era record 23rd major title on track with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Lucie Safarova.</p>
<p>After winning a rematch of the 2015 French Open final against Safarova, Williams will play fellow American Nicole Gibbs in the third round.</p>
<p>“It’s never easy to play in the second round someone you’ve seen in the final of the biggest stage in tennis,” Williams said. “I’m happy to have gotten through it.”</p>
<p>Third-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska didn’t last much longer than Djokovic, losing her second-round match to Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3, 6-2. Radwanska reached the semifinals in Melbourne last year; Lucic-Baroni hadn’t won an Australian Open match since 1998 until her first-round win this week.</p>
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<p>No. 28 Alize Cornet and No. 31 Yulia Putintseva were the only other seeded women to lose on Day 4.</p>
<p>Among those advancing were U.S. Open finalist Karolina Pliskova, WTA Finals champion Dominika Cibulkova, 2016 Australian Open semifinalist Johanna Konta, No. 14 Elena Vesnina, No. 16 Barbora Strycova, former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and No. 22 Daria Gavrilova, representing Australia’s last hope in the women’s draw.</p>
<p>Djokovic was the only one of the men’s seeded players to lose on a long day capped by ninth-seeded Rafael Nadal’s 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 win over 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis.</p>
<p>Both players have had famously late nights at Melbourne Park — Nadal losing the latest-finishing final in Grand Slam history; Baghdatis losing to Lleyton Hewitt in third-round match in 2008 that finished at 4:34 a.m.</p>
<p>Returning from an extended injury layoff, 14-time major champion Nadal didn’t let this one get out of hand — finishing at 12:08 a.m.</p>
<p>He’ll play No. 24 Alexander Zverev next. Others advancing included No. 3 Milos Raonic, No. 6 Gael Monfils, No. 8 Dominic Thiem, No. 11 David Goffin, No. 13 Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 15 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 18 Richard Gasquet.</p>
<p>No. 20 Ivo Karlovic followed up his tournament record 84-game first-round win with a straight-set victory over wild-card entry Andrew Whittington, while No. 30 Pablo Carreno Busta went through to an unlikely third-round match against Istomin.</p>
<p>Djokovic held all four majors simultaneously after winning his first French Open last year. Now the French is the only one he can defend in 2017.</p>
<p>He had reached the fourth round or better in Australia every year since 2007, and held the No. 1 ranking for 122 consecutive weeks until he was overhauled by Andy Murray last November.</p>
<p>“I’m not used to losing Australian Open second round,” Djokovic said. “I’ve done so well here.”</p>
<p>That didn’t matter to Istomin, nor seemingly to the Rod Laver Arena crowd.</p>
<p>The center court wasn’t at capacity as the match extended into the scheduled night session, and Djokovic’s usually vocal Serbian fans were also not a big presence.</p>
<p>Much of the crowd, sensing an upset, was behind Istomin in the fifth set. When the Uzbek made a backhand winner for the decisive break in the fifth game of the last set, he let out a roar and the audience roared, too.</p>
<p>When Djokovic’s last service return floated long, the crowd leapt up and cheered.</p>
<p>“First of all, I feel sorry for Novak,” Istomin said, thanking his mother and coach, Klaudiya Istomina, in the crowd. “I was playing so good today. I surprised myself, as well.”</p> | Djokovic out in 2nd round, loses to Istomin in Melbourne | false | https://abqjournal.com/931038/djokovic-out-in-2nd-round-loses-to-istomin-in-melbourne.html | 2017-01-19 | 2 |
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<p>AURORA, Colo. — Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora are searching for a 6-year-old boy who is believed to have wandered away from his home on New Year’s Eve.</p>
<p>The FBI and other law enforcement agencies were helping search for David Puckett on Monday by going door-to-door within 2.5 miles of his home. Bloodhounds are also searching for him.</p>
<p>Late Monday afternoon, authorities issued an Amber Alert for David.</p>
<p>Police say foul play isn’t suspected, but they’ve asked for help to find David as quickly as possible partly because of coming cold weather.</p>
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<p>His mother says he was only wearing a light jacket. On Sunday night, she issued a tearful appeal for people to help find him.</p>
<p>Previous searches aided by a bloodhound and a helicopter didn’t turn up any clues.</p>
<p>Police say David has wandered off before.</p> | Police search for 6-year-old missing since New Year’s Eve | false | https://abqjournal.com/919412/police-search-for-6-year-old-missing-since-new-years-eve.html | 2017-01-02 | 2 |
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<p>Parts of Albuquerque received more than half an inch of rain overnight, though Wednesday chances of any more rain are slim, according to the National Weather Service in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>The Albuquerque International Sunport got 0.1 inches, according to NWS meteorologist Jason Frazier, and other parts of the city got more, including near Paseo del Norte and Louisiana, which got 0.7 inches, and San Antonio and Louisiana, which got 0.56 inches.</p>
<p>Just over a quarter-inch fell near Carlisle and Constitution.</p>
<p>In other parts of the state, towns east and south of Albuquerque got more than an inch of rain throughout the day and evening Tuesday. The Ruidoso area, for example, got 1.32 inches over Tuesday afternoon, and 1.26 inches fell in Moriarty.</p>
<p>Frazier said Albuquerque has about a 10 or 20 percent chance of rain and weather systems head south toward the Gila Mountain range and elsewhere. The city’s next best chance at rain might have to wait until this weekend, he said.</p>
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<p>“We are excited to add AISG to our growing family of industry leading aviation customers,” said Ultramain President and CEO Mark McCausland. “They are a world class provider of aircraft line maintenance with a vision of simplified operations enabled by our paperless mobile products.”</p>
<p>Ultramain, a homegrown New Mexico firm that launched in 1980, offers ground-based maintenance and logistics software to monitor and plan for upkeep and repair of vehicles, facilities and other assets. A number of aviation giants use it, such as Virgin Atlantic Airways, Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airlines, Emirates and KLM Royal Dutch.</p>
<p>The company has also developed a system of on-board software to monitor flights and permit real-time reporting about technical issues by pilots and cabin stewards, which ground crews can then review and address.</p>
<p>The system sold to AISG will allow that company to control virtually all its operations – including maintenance, training, certification management, labor schedules, planning, timekeeping, tooling, inventory and more – through two wireless programs that the company’s 150 employees will be able to access on smart phones, said Ultramain Vice President of Product Management John Stone.</p>
<p>“They’ll be able to do all their internal record keeping paperlessly,” Stone told the Journal. “It means all employees can clock on and clock off through mobile devices to manage mechanical tasks, view work assignments and maintain all records. It allows real-time status monitoring for the entire workforce across all airports.”</p>
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<p>AISG said it chose Ultramain for its reputation as a world leader in mobile software to convert to paperless operations. The company services about 60 commercial airline customers.</p>
<p>“That software will bring all our operations into a single software platform and reduce the paperwork burden on our technicians and management,” said AISG CEO Bogart Balmori.</p>
<p>The contract value is confidential, Stone said. The company has not revealed its revenue since 2002, when it reached $10 million.</p>
<p>Ultramain employs about 130 people. It’s headquartered at a 31,000-square-foot building at 8100 Lang NE in Journal Center.</p> | ABQ firm to install maintenance software for Mexican aviation company | false | https://abqjournal.com/537917/abq-firm-to-install-maintenance-software-for-mexican-aviation-company.html | 2 |
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<p>For the jubilant Lobos, all that mattered was the final score: New Mexico 36, Wyoming 30.</p>
<p>The Lobos, outgained by a football field-and-a-half, unable to convert a single third or fourth down all afternoon, and virtually hapless on defense for three quarters, somehow found a way to end a frustrating, injury-plagued season on a winning note.</p>
<p>A gutsy defensive stand in the final minute secured the victory, which improved UNM’s record to 4-8 overall, 2-6 in Mountain West Conference play. Wyoming, in its first season under coach Craig Bohl, finishes with that same record.</p>
<p>It was New Mexico’s first victory on its home field this season, and gave the Lobos more than one conference win for the first time since 2008.</p>
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<p>During the week, UNM coach Bob Davie several times referred to Saturday’s game as his team’s “Super Bowl.” In terms of entertainment value and suspense, at least, it lived up to that billing.</p>
<p>Certainly, a crowd announced at 18,489 – less than half-capacity – got its money’s worth.</p>
<p>“Outside of Laramie, Wyoming, and outside of Albuquerque, New Mexico, some people may not think there was a lot to play for,” Davie said. “But (to) anybody that was here today in this stadium, it was like (the two teams) were playing for the Super Bowl.</p>
<p>UNM’s Jhurell Pressley (6) dives into the end zone for a touchdown ahead of Wyoming’s Tim Hayes (29), who just missed making the tackle. It was a 69-yard run for a score in the second quarter to give the Lobos a 21-10 lead. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>“Just a great football game. Ultimate gut check.”</p>
<p>For the Lobos, that ultimate gut check came when Wyoming, trailing by the eventual final score, hit a 44-yard pass from Colby Kirkegaard to Tanner Gentry to the UNM 5-yard line with 32 seconds left in the game.</p>
<p>The Lobos got a break when a false-start penalty moved the ball back to the 10. Then, bringing pressure on Kirkegaard and playing man-to-man coverage in the secondary, UNM forced two incompletions.</p>
<p>“I told Cos (defensive coordinator Kevin Cosgrove), if we’re going down, we’re going down swinging,” Davie said.</p>
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<p>After a Kirkegaard-to-Brian Hill swing pass gained 6 yards, a fourth-down Kirkegaard pass to Gentry was incomplete.</p>
<p>Senior cornerback Donnie Duncan, who got extended playing time because of injuries to others at his position, was in the game for that game-clinching series.</p>
<p>“They tried to go at No. 21 (Duncan),” said senior safety Davie Guthrie, who had 16 tackles, two tackles for loss and a quarterback sack in his final game. “He held his ground … and we came away with a ‘W’.”</p>
<p>Based on the final statistics, it could be considered a near-miracle that the Lobos didn’t come away with an “L.” The Cowboys ran off 94 plays from scrimmage, the Lobos only 39. The New Mexico offense had the ball for only 18 of the game’s 60 minutes.</p>
<p>Yet, that age-old formula – offense, defense, special teams – kept the Lobos in the game and, finally, got them over the top.</p>
<p>The defense made its first contribution when, with UNM trailing 3-0, cornerback Cranston Jones picked off a Kirkegaard pass that was tipped by linebacker Kimmie Carson. Jones returned the interception 19 yards for a touchdown.</p>
<p>After a 73-yard Wyoming scoring drive, the UNM offense came alive when quarterback Lamar Jordan found senior wide receiver Tyler Duncan behind the Wyoming secondary on a first-down play. Duncan took the ball 75 yards for a touchdown, giving the Lobos a 14-10 lead.</p>
<p>Carlos Wiggins returns a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of Saturday’s game to regain the lead against Wyoming. It turned out to be the winning score. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>On UNM’s first possession of the second quarter, junior running back Jhurell Pressley – with help by blocks from wide receivers Duncan and Dameon Gamblin – scored on a twisting, turning, 69-yard run. Pressley finishes the season with 1,083 yards rushing and a 9.5-yard average per carry. The Lobos led 21-10.</p>
<p>Special teams: New Mexico’s only sustained drive of the game produced a 15-yard Romell Jordan touchdown run and a 28-27 lead, but a 29-yard Stuart Williams field goal put the Cowboys back in front.</p>
<p>On the ensuing kickoff, UNM’s Carlos Wiggins – finally healthy after a series of injuries that blighted his junior season – returned Williams’ kickoff 97 yards for the eventual game-winning touchdown.</p>
<p>“It was a great feeling,” Wiggins said. “My special teams guys were blocking for me. … So, thank them, and it’s the best feeling right now.”</p>
<p>Wiggins has four touchdown kickoff returns in his career, a UNM and Mountain West record.</p>
<p>The UNM defense, skewered for 446 yards and 30 points in the first three quarters, had the final word. The Cowboys did not cross the goal line in the final quarter.</p>
<p>Seniors and returnees alike, Davie said, have a career-/season-ending victory to savor.</p>
<p>“A lot of momentum, I think, for us, just going into the offseason,” Davie said. “… For right now, I’m just happy for the seniors.”</p>
<p>NEW MEXICO 36, WYOMING 30</p>
<p>Wyoming 10 10 10 0—30 New Mexico 14 7 15 0—36 First Quarter: Wyo—FG Williams 49, 8:30. NM—C.Jones 19 interception return (Rogers kick), 5:35. Wyo—Hollister 25 pass from Kirkegaard (Williams kick), 2:23. NM—T.Duncan 75 pass from L.Jordan (Rogers kick), 2:13. Second Quarter: NM—Pressley 69 run (Rogers kick), 9:11. Wyo—Wick 3 run (Williams kick), 5:25. Wyo—FG Williams 32, :31. Third Quarter: Wyo—Hill 23 run (Williams kick), 10:07. NM—R.Jordan 15 run (Rogers kick), 7:37. Wyo—FG Williams 29, 2:08. NM—Wiggins 97 kickoff return (Pressley run), 1:53. A—18,489. Wyo NM First downs 29 10 Rushes-yards 51-175 32-241 Passing 366 141 Comp-Att-Int 21-43-1 6-7-1 Return Yards 10 19 Punts-Avg. 3-39.0 3-46.0 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 3-1 Penalties-Yards 6-30 4-50 Time of Possession 41:53 18:07</p>
<p>INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS</p>
<p>RUSHING—Wyoming, Hill 29-163, Wick 14-48, Hollister 1-(minus 9), Kirkegaard 7-(minus 27). New Mexico, Pressley 11-101, L.Jordan 9-76, Gipson 9-50, R.Jordan 2-17, Team 1-(minus 3). PASSING—Wyoming, Kirkegaard 21-43-1-366. New Mexico, L.Jordan 6-7-1-141. RECEIVING—Wyoming, Rufran 5-82, Hollister 4-75, Hill 4-57, Claiborne 2-42, E.Nzeocha 2-22, Maulhardt 2-21, Gentry 1-44, Van Maanen 1-23. New Mexico, Pressley 2-13, T.Duncan 1-75, Magnant 1-40, Gipson 1-7, R.White 1-6.</p> | Lobo football wins season finale | false | https://abqjournal.com/503125/lobo-football-wins.html | 2 |
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<p>Because compensation for chief executive officers has grown by over 1,000 percent in the last three decades, research dedicated to the profile of these CEOs has proliferated. Because the U.S. church — for good or ill — tends to take its leadership cues from the business community, this research may provide clues to the kind of people we are picking to lead us.</p>
<p>First, he — and it is overwhelmingly “he” — tends to look unusually competent, even if he isn’t. The business community has powerfully formative, if unconscious, pre-commitments as to what a leader looks like. First, the obvious: the CEO is a man. There are more S&amp;P1500 companies led by guys named John than there are companies led by women. Let that sink in. Women who would lead such companies need not only to lean In; they need revolutionary breakthrough.</p>
<p>This male CEO, according to Harvard writer Alyza Sebenius, will have a deep bass voice. He will sign with an unusually large signature. Statistically, he plays golf — and is good at it. Interestingly, while a good golf game correlates to higher CEO compensation, higher skills are negatively correlated with stock returns.</p>
<p>The more powerful the CEO, the more well-connected and recognized he is. However, when a CEO wins a prestigious award, a company’s stock price tends to drop in the years that follow. The same thing is true of CEOs who are paid higher than the mean for their industry. Studies have connected top-of-the-ladder CEO pay with leader overconfidence and risky strategic decisions. The more the CEO is paid in company stock options, the more likely the company will experience product recalls and shareholder lawsuits. Married CEOs tend to take fewer leadership risks than single CEOs, and the stock prices of their companies tend to be more stable. And not surprisingly, all CEOs behave better morally and altruistically when the media is paying attention.</p>
<p>None of this is shocking information. But it may give us the church pause as to how intentionally or unconsciously we take our cues from the business community as to what an effective leader looks like. Are we, for instance, forming our opinions about how to call a pastor for a church based on these cultural preferences? Are we pre-committed to a certain type of leader in such a way that we become blind to other sorts of leaders?</p>
<p>In 2008, Baptist Women in Ministry celebrated their 25th anniversary by passing out t-shirts that read, “This is what a preacher looks like.” It was followed by a book of the same title with sermons in three dozen female voices. Yet almost a decade later, I still hear Baptist congregations rule out high-quality female candidates for open pastorates, not on biblical or theological grounds, but simply because search committees can’t imagine a leader outside the framework of a tall married guy named John, with a deep voice and a good golf game, who isn’t afraid to ”shake things up.”</p>
<p>C’mon.</p> | The future of CEOs — and what that means for the Church | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/the-future-of-ceos-and-what-that-means-for-the-church/ | 3 |
|
<p>One of the most powerful tools we can use in dealing with&#160;Iran is publicity. At a time when Iran is flexing its political and military muscle around the globe, we know that they are hoping to keep the plight of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani quiet.</p>
<p>Iran would prefer to act in private - without the world watching - moving forward to punish this young father of two for his Christian beliefs.</p>
<p>Through our sources in Iran, we have been told that an execution warrant may have been issued for his death.&#160;We also have confirmation that Pastor Youcef is still alive. As our work continues in this country and abroad on securing the release of Pastor Youcef, we&#160;know that when it comes to keeping Pastor Youcef alive, the more media coverage, the better.</p>
<p>I am pleased to report that in the past 24 hours, we have assisted in telling Pastor Youcef's story - and the grave danger he now faces - to numerous media outlets around the world including: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/02/22/iran-court-convicts-christian-pastor-convert-to-death/" type="external">FoxNews.com</a>, <a href="http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/22/10480961-battle-to-free-iranian-pastor-continues-amid-report-of-execution-order" type="external">MSNBC.com</a>, the <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/303034/20120222/iranian-pastor-yousef-nadarkhani-execution.htm" type="external">International Business Times</a>&#160;with its global reach, and one of the most influential and well-read papers&#160;in the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2105024/Christian-pastor-faces-execution-Iran-refusing-renounce-faith.html" type="external">United Kingdom</a>. In the Middle East, the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=259168" type="external">Jerusalem Post</a> has also picked up the story. We've also been able to share this important story with our friends in the Christian media <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=bvzG68VWVg8" type="external">on-air&#160;with television interviews</a>&#160;and in <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/news/iranian-pastor-youcef-nadarkhani-execution-order-may-have-been-issued-69992/" type="external">print online</a>, some as far away as <a href="http://www.acl.org.au/2012/02/pick-of-the-news-%E2%80%93-thursday-february-23-2012/" type="external">Australia</a>. We're even doing an interview with one of Brazil's top news programs, which reaches more than 30-million people a day.</p>
<p>We also know that this is the time to keep the pressure on Iran. <a href="" type="internal">Nearly 100,000 Americans have signed on to our petition</a> in just a matter of days&#160;urging members of Congress to approve a <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.RES.556:" type="external">resolution&#160;condemning Iran</a> and demanding the immediate release of Pastor Youcef.</p>
<p>And, we are spreading the word in a very big way through social media. <a href="" type="internal">Our Twitter campaign is exploding</a>. We are reaching nearly one-half million Twitter accounts daily, with nearly 2,000 people allowing us to tweet through their account. We're reaching 184 counties and territories around the world.</p>
<p>We are doing all that we can to keep attention - and pressure - on Iran. We continue to ask for your prayers. This is a critical time for Pastor Youcef and his family.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Keeping Pastor Youcef in the News | true | http://aclj.org/iran/keeping-pastor-youcef-in-the-news | 2012-02-24 | 0 |
<p>I recently attended a presentation by Tony Porter, founder of <a href="http://www.acalltomen.org/" type="external">A Call to Men</a>.</p>
<p>After watching his <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men?language=en" type="external">TED Talk</a>, I was incredibly excited to see him speak because of how he demands of men that we consider the ways that all of us can act in abusive and violent ways.</p>
<p>Seeing him in person, though, was disappointing.</p>
<p>Early in the presentation, he held out his arms, asking us to imagine that his arms represented all men. He then gestured to the distance from his fingertips to his elbow on one arm and said, “These guys right here are the bad guys, the ones who are abusive and who commit sexual assault. Violence against women and girls can’t end until the rest of us, the good guys, call these men out and demand that they change!”</p>
<p>When he said this, my heart sank. After all, setting aside the <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/11/a-same-sex-domestic-violence-epidemic-is-silent/281131/" type="external">heterosexist</a> <a href="http://www.nclrights.org/sexual-assault-in-the-lgbt-community/" type="external">implications</a> of his statement, framing abuse in this way lets most men, including me, off the hook.</p>
<p>If we, as men, can think of ourselves as “the good guys” and construct a boogey man abuser in our head, then we never have to turn the lens inward. We never have to consider the ways we’ve been socialized to be abusive.</p>
<p>Not long before attending Porter’s presentation, my partner and I got into a heated argument. We were both quite frustrated with a communication pattern in our relationship that hurt each of us in different ways.</p>
<p>After we’d rehashed the same point for what felt to me like the millionth time, I slammed my hands on our dining table as I emphasized my anger, hurt, and frustration.</p>
<p>After doing so, it took me a minute to realize that my partner’s entire demeanor had shifted. She had retreated physically and was speaking in a softer tone. We sat quietly for a second, and then she said something I hope I never forget.</p>
<p>“Jamie, you scared me. That was really scary.”</p>
<p>My initial reaction was callous. “You must be kidding me! I can only express my emotions in ways that are easy for you to hear?”</p>
<p>Before long, though, her words got through, and I could see that I had done something completely out of alignment with the type of man I want to be.</p>
<p>As the realization sunk in, my partner asked me to consider what the impact on our relationship might be if that’s how I chose to communicate whenever we argue. “Jamie, that was violent. I want you to be able to express your hurt or anger, but I need you not to physically explode like that.”</p>
<p>My partner was right. To slam my hands on the table was physically intimidating, and in the context of a society where every single one of us knows someone who’s been abused by a man, my actions aren’t simply mine.</p>
<p>My actions exist in the context of how I was taught to be a man. My actions exist in the context of patriarchy.&#160;And patriarchy is violent. Full stop.</p>
<p>Simply put, <a href="" type="internal">patriarchy is a system of domination and control</a> that privileges cisgender men at the expense of everyone else (though notably to <a href="http://gawker.com/the-truth-about-black-gay-privilege-1698549063" type="external">varying degrees and in different ways</a>, since the benefits of patriarchy exist at intersections of other forms of domination and oppression).</p>
<p>Patriarchy, as is the case with other related systems of oppression like White supremacy, relies on violence (both <a href="http://www.ncadv.org/learn/statistics" type="external">literal</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539506000641" type="external">symbolic</a>) deployed against cisgender women, transgender people, and gender non-conforming people in order to maintain supremacy.</p>
<p>Considering that cisgender men like myself are socialized in the context of the violence of patriarchy, we need to own the fact that cis-masculinity is fundamentally oppressive and violent.</p>
<p>But this is not to say that all cisgender men are the same or that all cis men are necessarily violent. Our masculinity is crafted in the context of other aspects of our identity (our religious or spiritual upbringing, our racial identity and community, our ability/disability, and our sexual identity, for instance).</p>
<p>With this in mind, it’s important that I situate myself within my positionality. As a White cisgender man, the following is based not only on my perspective as a person with many privileges, and as such, my comments are limited to ways that cisgender men are taught to be abusive. Inevitably, then, this article is limited and is meant as a call for reflection and action from cisgender men.</p>
<p>And here’s what cisgender men such as myself need to consider: if patriarchy is fundamentally violent and oppressive, then we have a responsibility to consider the ways that we might be complicit in that violence – simply by living out the patterns of how we were taught to be men.</p>
<p>When men and women in my life first called on me to consider how my actions might be abusive or violent, I was incredulous: “I have never laid my hands on anyone, let alone a woman!”</p>
<p>But we do ourselves a disservice to think of violence only as actions that cause physical harm, as <a href="http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ893571" type="external">violence can take myriad forms</a>.</p>
<p>For the purposes of this article, then, <a href="http://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/" type="external">abuse constitutes</a> behaviors that assert power and control over those with whom we are in intimate relationship – like partners, family members, and friends. Abusive behaviors exist on <a href="http://www.loveisrespect.org/dating-basics/relationship-spectrum/" type="external">a spectrum</a> from more <a href="http://www.abuseandrelationships.org/Content/Behaviors/subtle_control.html" type="external">subtle and controlling</a> or <a href="" type="internal">manipulative</a> to more <a href="http://www.gov.nl.ca/VPI/types/" type="external">overt in their violence</a>.</p>
<p>To be clear, this spectrum doesn’t imply that abuse on one end of the spectrum is somehow “worse” or “more severe” than other abuse – it’s all terrible, but abuse looks quite different depending on where it falls on the spectrum.</p>
<p>All of these behaviors, though, are harmful – and when they’re committed by men in the context of patriarchy, they need to be understood as connected to how we, as cisgender men, are socialized within patriarchy to be abusive.</p>
<p>The following, then, are common abusive behaviors that I’ve seen in myself, behaviors that are all too common among cisgender men.</p>
<p>By highlighting them here and offering some alternatives, my hope is that more of us as men can take up the work of cultivating different, less abusive ways of being men.</p>
<p>When I was in 9th grade, a senior on my soccer team took me under his wing in the world of dating and girls. Among many fucked up lessons taught me, he explained that with girls, I always need the upper hand.</p>
<p>“Never be too nice to her – if she knows you’re wrapped around her finger, she will take advantage of it. Keep her guessing. Maybe break up with her and get back together.”</p>
<p>As men, we receive all sorts of messages that tell us to manipulate others in order to get what we want, but this is particularly pronounced in intimate relationships.</p>
<p>One of the more pronounced ways that this shows up is in <a href="" type="internal">gaslighting</a>, <a href="http://www.thehotline.org/2014/05/what-is-gaslighting/" type="external">defined as</a> “an extremely effective form of&#160; <a href="http://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/#tab-id-2" type="external">emotional abuse</a>&#160;that causes a [survivor] to question their own feelings, instincts, and sanity, which gives the abusive partner a lot of power (and we know that abuse is about&#160; <a href="http://www.thehotline.org/is-this-abuse/abuse-defined/" type="external">power and control</a>).”</p>
<p>I’ve seen this in myself and in the relationships of men in my life in many ways.</p>
<p>Sometimes it shows up in using name calling (often using oppressive language like b*tch or f*ggot) in ways that degrade self-esteem over time. Other times, we might use a person’s love for us (“If you loved me, you would _____”) in order to manipulate partners or other loved ones. Other times, we lie perpetually in order to justify our hurtful behavior, claiming, “It’s not what you think!”</p>
<p>Whatever it looks like, emotional manipulation, like other abuse, exists on a spectrum – and we have to be vigilant about how it’s entering our relationships.</p>
<p>Compared to some of the men in my life, I think I have a fairly healthy relationship with anger. But this wasn’t always this way. I used to blow up at people I loved and act in ways that, if not actually violent, seemed to imply violence.</p>
<p>And when I think back to why that was, it had a lot to do with the models of masculinity I had around me. From the media icons I had as a kid – action heroes and athletes – to some of the men in my life, I had models that showed that “being tough” was the same thing as “being a man.”</p>
<p>And that toughness translated to aggressiveness and dominance.</p>
<p>As I realized when my partner called on me to consider the impact of my anger on our relationship, even those of us who strive for a more inclusive and less violent masculinity fall into abusive patterns when angry or frustrated.</p>
<p>Considering that many of the messages we receive as boys about conflict teach us to respond with aggression or violence, is it any wonder that abusive anger is common in so many of our intimate relationships?</p>
<p />
<p>For some cis men, this aggression shows up in physical violence, but for others of us, we teach partners or children that they need to manage our anger (rather than that our anger is something we can control and manage).</p>
<p>I grew up in a family of ticklers, and I think tickling is tremendous fun. My partner isn’t so much a fan. She humors me sometimes, and we laugh together with playful tickling, but I honestly have a hard time respecting the boundary when she asks me to stop.</p>
<p>While this might seem like a trivial example, it’s reflective of a problematic pattern – I was socialized to see something as positive that my partner doesn’t much like, and I’m not always great at listening.</p>
<p>Taken to its destructive ends, this can look like a million different violations of consent.</p>
<p>There are millions of ways that boys are taught not to listen. All of the following are phrases I’ve had men say to me at different times in my life:</p>
<p>“If she says ‘no,’ that simply means ‘convince me.’”</p>
<p>“If she’s mean to you, that means she likes you. Keep trying.”</p>
<p>“You don’t know what you want. You’re too young to know. So you’re going to do as we say. Because we say so.”</p>
<p>So whether we’re pretending that we know what our partners want or refusing to <a href="" type="internal">listen to our children</a> when they express their needs and desires, the fact that cis men are socialized to value our own intuition and voice above that of others can play out in abusive ways.</p>
<p>So we have to be careful – and we have to cultivate an ethic of listening.</p>
<p>I learned early on that I could control people around me to get my way. With friends, I would simply dictate to them which “dress up” game we would play – action heroes or soldiers or cowboys. With my sisters, I knew that I could use my status as the youngest – the baby – to make them do the things I wanted.</p>
<p>And I got this message because many of the adults in my life rewarded me for being assertive and controlling. They called it “leadership,” yet so often it’s called “bossiness” in girls.</p>
<p>One of the more insidious messages that we get as boys and young men is that we need to always be in control, whether we’re talking <a href="http://elitedaily.com/dating/12-traits-emotionally-abusive-relationships-get/984358/" type="external">emotionally</a>, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurashin/2015/03/19/ill-take-care-of-the-bills-the-slippery-slope-into-financial-abuse/#418dcf1b61b8" type="external">financially</a>, <a href="http://www.campbell.edu/pdf/student-services/counseling/red-flag-abusive-personality.pdf" type="external">sexually</a>, or even in <a href="" type="internal">simple social situations</a> – all of which can lead to <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3161889/" type="external">other forms of abuse, like physical violence</a>.</p>
<p>In myself, I’ve found that I so very often manage to get my way, even when I claim that I’m trying to be accommodating to my loved ones. In listening to women, I realize that this is a common trend in straight relationships, one that I seriously need to work on.</p>
<p>So whether we’re falling into more traditional abusive patterns or are simply finding that we magically are always in control or getting our way, we have to be careful of the ways that our socialization as men can quickly bleed into abusive behaviors.</p>
<p>If there is any message I received from media – the music I listened to and the movies I watched – it was that jealousy was how we were supposed to show partners that they are wanted, that they are loved.</p>
<p>I got this message in such a messed up way that I remember seeing the movie Fear about a violent stalker in middle school, and I couldn’t help but think about how cool the murderous Mark Wahlberg character was.</p>
<p>Looking back, that terrifies me. His jealousy escalated to murder, and I thought he seemed cool.</p>
<p>And the thing that’s hard to address about jealous is that we all seem to feel it at one time or another. It’s totally natural in many ways.</p>
<p>However, while it may be natural to feel jealous, for many of us as men, <a href="http://www.loveisrespect.org/content/breaking-down-jealousy-myths/" type="external">jealousy quickly translates into harmful behaviors</a>.</p>
<p>From violating privacy of a partner (say, by going through their phone) or pressuring them not to go out and spend time with friends or telling them that they can’t have friends of a particular gender or sexual orientation, there are myriad ways that jealousy can show up in abusive and controlling ways.</p>
<p>And while everyone may feel jealous at one time or another, the entitlement to the bodies and attentions of others that is inherent in misogynistic patriarchy makes jealousy particularly toxic when it comes from us as cisgender men.</p>
<p>As cisgender men, we need to realize that even though our identities are bound up in patriarchy, we are not patriarchy. As such, we have a relationship to patriarchy’s violence, which means we have agency to choose what that relationship looks like.</p>
<p>Part of unlearning the violence and abuse of patriarchy that is so deeply engrained into mainstream masculinities in the US means cultivating different ways of being, supplanting the unhealthy and destructive patterns with masculinities that can more closely align with feminist and non-violent values.</p>
<p>So now that we’ve looked at some of the unhealthy patterns, here are just a few ways that men can commit ourselves to cultivating healthier selves. Like the list above, by no means is this list exhaustive. Rather, it’s meant to provide a place to start as we work to build different masculinities.</p>
<p>No – this isn’t about being “ <a href="" type="internal">PC</a>” – it’s about empathizing with those who are telling us that our language is hurtful and abusive. More than just a simple act of changing the words we use, eliminating words like the “ <a href="https://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/feminism-friday-on-bitch-and-other-misogynist-language/" type="external">b word</a>,” “ <a href="http://www.shakesville.com/2007/11/on-bitch-and-other-misogynist-language.html" type="external">c word</a>,” and “ <a href="http://www.queerty.com/when-is-it-ok-to-say-faggot-thirty-gay-men-respond-to-the-word-20150716" type="external">f word</a>” demonstrates a willingness to work on ourselves.</p>
<p>It means that we recognize that we’re willing to attempt to change patterns that have told us throughout our lives that we can do and say whatever we want without consequence.</p>
<p>And it means that we are willing to consider that words have tremendous power and that <a href="" type="internal">inclusive language matters</a>.</p>
<p>One of the ways that patriarchy truly wounds us as men is that it demands we divorce ourselves from that which makes us human – from our emotions and capacity for empathy and accountable love.</p>
<p>Thus, though it may seem cheesy, one of the most powerful things we can do to challenge our patriarchal socialization is to carve out time in our lives to reflect upon our emotions and to consider what it would mean for us to express them in ways that are healthier and more accountable to those we love.</p>
<p>The thing <a href="" type="internal">about privilege</a> is that those of us who have it can go through our lives never really listening to those who don’t share our identity – we don’t have to.</p>
<p>But those who try to listen across difference know it isn’t something everyone knows how to do well; it’s a learned skill. For those of us with many privileges, it’s even harder to listen because we’ve been given subtle and overt messages about the value of our voice.</p>
<p>Thus, we need to work actively on cultivating an ethic of empathetic listening, and we need to pay particular and careful attention to how this listening is vital to healthy relationships.</p>
<p>Perhaps most importantly, we need to learn to listen when we’re called out and called in about the ways our behavior is abusive. We need to practice pushing through the defensiveness to truly hear those who are calling on us to be better men.</p>
<p>One of the things I love most about my friend Timo’s work to challenge patriarchal violence is how he binds that work up in building loving and transformative relationships with other men. Frankly, the ways he cultivates what he calls “bruv love” with men in his life is an inspiration to me.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, though, so often “brotherhood” (as expressed in media, in narratives from fraternity or sports culture, in “bro code”) is far from transgressive. It reifies patriarchy.</p>
<p>But what would it look like for all men to cultivate relationships with other men that are built on care, love, affection, accountability, and feminist values? Think of how liberating that would be – not only for us as men, but for people of all genders in our lives!</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>As cisgender men who know that we need to be different, who realize that our liberation is bound up in the liberation of all people, we need to remember that living into our values doesn’t necessitate paternalistic “protection” of women, Trans men, or non-binary folks.</p>
<p>Living into our values means transforming ourselves and the culture of masculinity around us so that our behavior and our very identities challenge the violence of patriarchy.</p>
<p>And for each of us that might look different, as each of our masculinities exist at intersections with other parts of who we are.</p>
<p>But when more of us as men commit to this self work, think of how much less violence and abuse there will be in our lives and in the lives of those we love.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Jamie Utt is the Founder and Director of Education at <a href="http://civilschools.com/" type="external">CivilSchools</a>, a comprehensive bullying prevention program, a diversity and inclusion consultant, and sexual violence prevention educator based in Tucson, AZ. He is currently working toward his PhD in Teaching, Learning, and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona with research interests in the role that White teacher’s racial identity plays in their teaching practice. Learn more about his work at his <a href="http://www.jamieutt.com/" type="external">website here</a> and follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/utt_jamie" type="external">@utt_jamie</a>. Read his <a href="" type="internal">articles here</a> and book him for&#160; <a href="" type="internal">speaking engagements</a>.</p> | 5 Common Behaviors Cis Men May Not Realize Are Abusive (And How to Stop Them) | true | http://everydayfeminism.com/2016/07/cis-men-socialized-to-be-abusive/ | 2016-07-19 | 4 |
<p>In a lot of ways, school choice programs, though perceived as a draconian libertarian policy, are similar to the single-payer policy that many progressives want for health care. School choice doesn’t mean leaving disadvantaged parents without a way to afford their children’s education.</p>
<p>It means letting the government act as a single payer for education costs, but letting parents choose how to use that money to educate their child in a way that works best for them and their child instead of letting just a few government planners make those choices for everyone.</p>
<p>Watch below:</p>
<p>After watching the short video above, do you want a specific example of cost-cutting and educational improvement as a result of school choice? Look no further than <a href="http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/dc-vouchers-better-results-at-a-quarter-the-cost/" type="external">the federal government’s own study</a> of its own school choice program– the DC voucher program that Washington policymakers ended despite <a href="http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/whitehurst-duncan-is-not-lying/" type="external">sitting on the results of this study</a>.</p>
<p>On a cost benefit basis, school choice programs deliver. They create better educational results at a lower cost. Why not implement them more, especially when education budgets are swallowing up the finances of so many states?</p>
<p /> | Video: What You Should Know About School Choice | false | https://ivn.us/2012/08/14/video-what-you-should-know-about-school-choice/ | 2012-08-14 | 2 |
<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he might choose to stay in office for life, <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/news/343244-putin-suggests-he-will-be-russias-president-for-life" type="external">The Hill reported.</a></p>
<p>“I have not yet decided yet whether I will leave the post of the president or not,” Putin told students in Sochi. “Only after I answer this question for myself will I think about my next step.”</p>
<p>Putin will be up for re-election in 2018. He served two terms as president from 2000 to 2008, returning again in 2012. Russian law prevents a president from serving more than three terms. In 2011, terms were extended from four to six years.</p>
<p>Putin said he was considering “many” options he could pursue after his presidency, saying there were “a lot of interesting things to do in the world.”</p>
<p>“There are public organizations and there are other areas that are very interesting to me, for example, ecology,” he said. “First, the main question should be answered.”</p>
<p>Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul claimed in December that Putin meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election in an effort to undermine Democratic candidate and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>“Let’s remember that Vladimir Putin thinks [Clinton] interfered in his election — the parliamentary election in December 2011 — and has said as much publicly, and I’ve heard him talk about it privately,” McFaul said.</p> | Putin Says He Might Stay President for Life | false | https://newsline.com/putin-says-he-might-stay-president-for-life/ | 2017-07-21 | 1 |
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<p>Mylan is releasing a generic version of its emergency allergy treatment EpiPen at half the price of the branded option, the cost of which drew scorn from parents nationwide and spawned Congressional inquiries.</p>
<p>The potential cost savings will depend in part on a patient’s insurance coverage and qualifications for discount and assistance programs that the drugmaker also provides.</p>
<p>For Mylan, the benefit from its long-promised generic is more certain: It is expected to generate millions of dollars in revenue while also protecting the drugmaker’s market share against competition.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Mylan NV said Friday that it will charge $300 for the generic version of its life-saving injections, which come in a two pack. The generic version will begin to reach retail pharmacies next week.</p>
<p>The list price of an EpiPen two-pack, which is stocked by schools and parents of children with severe allergies, now tops $600, an increase of more than 500 percent since 2007, when Mylan bought rights to the drug.</p>
<p>EpiPens are used in emergencies to stop anaphylaxis, the potentially fatal allergic reactions to insect bites and stings and foods like nuts and eggs. People usually keep multiple EpiPens handy at home, school or work. But the syringes, prefilled with the hormone epinephrine, expire after a year.</p>
<p>Criticism of the branded drug’s list price started snowballing last summer when parents doing back-to-school shopping encountered sticker shock at the pharmacy counter and began protesting to politicians and on social media.</p>
<p>In September, a Congressional panel grilled Mylan CEO Healthier Bresch about the soaring cost, which she has blamed in part on insurers, pharmacy benefits managers and other middlemen that stand between the drugmaker and the customer.</p>
<p>Mylan has expanded the financial aid it offers to EpiPen customers since the pricing criticism grew, but it hasn’t budged on the drug’s price. It said in August that it was doubling the limit for eligibility for its patient assistance program, so a family of four making up to $97,200 would pay nothing out of pocket for EpiPens.</p>
<p>A company spokeswoman confirmed Friday that the assistance also will apply to the generic version.</p>
<p>Mylan also offers $300 copay cards for the brand-name version, to help customers with high out-of-pocket expenses. It’s also providing a $25 discount for customers buying the generic version</p>
<p>But uninsured patients and those on the government-funded Medicaid and Medicare programs don’t qualify.</p>
<p>Critics have dismissed these discounts and assistance programs. They say many customers won’t use or qualify for them, and they argue that these programs have little impact on the bill that employer or insurers pay, which can affect the price of health insurance.</p> | After harsh light, a cheaper version of EpiPen from Mylan | false | https://abqjournal.com/910404/mylan-launches-cheaper-version-of-epipen-allergy-treatment.html | 2016-12-16 | 2 |
<p>PARIS (AP) — The head of UNESCO and the French sports minister are backing Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who said he was racially abused last weekend.</p>
<p>In a joint statement issued on Monday, Audrey Azoulay and Laura Flessel expressed "the strongest condemnation of the racial slurs" aimed at the Juventus and France midfielder.</p>
<p>Azoulay and Flessel met on Monday for a working session. UNESCO and Juventus have been working together since 2014 with initiatives aimed at fighting racism.</p>
<p>Matuidi said he was abused during his side's 1-0 win at Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday. The incident came two days after Hellas Verona was punished for its fans hurling racist chants at Matuidi the week before.</p>
<p>Matuidi was born in France to an Angolan father and a Congolese mother.</p>
<p>Verona was fined 20,000 euros ($24,000) for the Dec. 30 incident but a partial stadium closure will come into effect only if there is another racism offense at the club over the next year.</p>
<p>PARIS (AP) — The head of UNESCO and the French sports minister are backing Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who said he was racially abused last weekend.</p>
<p>In a joint statement issued on Monday, Audrey Azoulay and Laura Flessel expressed "the strongest condemnation of the racial slurs" aimed at the Juventus and France midfielder.</p>
<p>Azoulay and Flessel met on Monday for a working session. UNESCO and Juventus have been working together since 2014 with initiatives aimed at fighting racism.</p>
<p>Matuidi said he was abused during his side's 1-0 win at Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday. The incident came two days after Hellas Verona was punished for its fans hurling racist chants at Matuidi the week before.</p>
<p>Matuidi was born in France to an Angolan father and a Congolese mother.</p>
<p>Verona was fined 20,000 euros ($24,000) for the Dec. 30 incident but a partial stadium closure will come into effect only if there is another racism offense at the club over the next year.</p> | UNESCO, French authorities condemn racist abuse of Matuidi | false | https://apnews.com/amp/fda93ad91b1f4a9aa4017d8af3b7fcb1 | 2018-01-08 | 2 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />There’s one rule I’ve always tried to utilize when I’m listening to two sides of an argument and I’m trying to decide who it is I want to believe. &#160;The rule is, whichever side seems the most over the top or inflammatory is often the one I believe is lying.</p>
<p>This has been my train of thought when it comes to the Affordable Care Act (aka “Obamacare”).</p>
<p>Do I know for certain it will be a success? &#160;No, I don’t. &#160;I would prefer true universal health care, but this is at least a start. &#160;I’m sure the law will have a few bugs to work out, and have some bumps in the road along the way — but it’s definitely better than the plan we had before. &#160;Which was exactly no plan.</p>
<p>So when people like Michele Bachmann make absurd claims that in the future “Obamacare” will be referred to as “Deathcare,” I simply dismiss anything they have to say about the law.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bachmann-renames-obamacare-deathcare-at-values-voter-summit/" type="external">And that’s exactly what she did</a>. &#160;During a speech at the Values Voter Summit which was filled with what appears to be nothing but lies and right-wing propaganda (shocking, I know) Bachmann said that in the near future, “Obamacare” will be referred to as “Deathcare.” &#160;She also claimed that this is a battle between the “police state” that shut down the government causing places like the WWII memorial to be closed, versus the “Constitutional republic” she claims conservatives like her represent.</p>
<p>I love how Republicans claim to be representing a “Constitutional republic,” yet seem to ignore the fact that “Obamacare” was passed by Congress, signed by the president, upheld by our Supreme Court and then the president who signed it into law was overwhelmingly re-elected to a second-term. &#160;That’s the power of a “Constitutional republic” — something Republicans seem to care nothing about, as they continue to support John Boehner blocking a vote on the Senate’s continuing resolution which would reopen the government.</p>
<p>During her speech, Bachmann said, “This egregious system, that will ultimately be known as ‘Deathcare’ must be defeated.”</p>
<p>She then went on to paint “Obamacare” as a government takeover of the health care system, which of course is a complete lie:</p>
<p>“When the federal government controls your health care, they literally control life and death.”</p>
<p>But once again, the Affordable Care Act is&#160;not&#160;universal health care or a government run health care system—it’s insurance reform. &#160;However, if government run health care is so terrible, why do so many seniors give Medicare such high ratings? &#160;Our VA hospitals would be much better as well if Republicans weren’t so determined to continue to cut spending for veterans. &#160;Take the billions they hand over to big oil every year, give it to our veterans, and see the quality of the VA care drastically increase.</p>
<p>Also, if socialized medicine is so horrible, why is it that most countries which&#160; <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN" type="external">lead the world in average life expectancy</a> have some form of socialized health care? &#160;Countries like Japan, Australia, Germany, France, Canada, the U.K. all have some form of (if not total) universal health care and are some of the leading nations when it comes to the life expectancy of their citizens. &#160;The average citizen in each of these countries lives into their 80s.</p>
<p>The United States? &#160;We’re at 79. &#160;For example, Australia’s average life expectancy is 82, ours is 79. &#160;That’s only 3 years and it doesn’t sound like much, does it? &#160;But it is. &#160;Especially when you consider the United States at 79 is only&#160;two years better than Mexico, which has an average life expectancy of 77 years.</p>
<p>So Bachmann’s claims are not only false on the pretense that “Obamcare” is a government takeover of our health care system, but they’re false on her implication that universal health care will somehow cause more death.</p>
<p>Then again, this is the woman who once said on the floor of the House of Representatives that the health care law “literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens.” &#160;I’m thinking she’s unaware of what the word “literally” means.</p>
<p>But her absurd claims just feed into the seemingly endless train of lies Republicans have been tossing at the Affordable Care Act since before it was signed into law.</p>
<p>The sad part is, conservatives listening to her speech ate all of this up. &#160;I’m sure they cheered and applauded, believing everything she said was “right on the money.”</p>
<p>There’s just one problem—hardly any of what she said was actually true.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Ted Cruz: A Scary Mixture of Michele Bachmann and Allen West</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Michele Bachmann Makes Herself Look Like a Complete Fool Attempting to Attack President Obama</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Our Next Congress Is Virtually Guaranteed to be a Little Bit Smarter</a></p>
<p>0 Facebook comments</p> | Michele Bachmann Continues Her Fear Mongering Against “Obamacare,” Makes Absurd Claim | true | http://forwardprogressives.com/michele-bachmann-continues-her-fear-mongering-against-obamacare-makes-absurd-claim/ | 2013-10-12 | 4 |
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<p>So far, two people have died while searching for Forrest Fenn’s buried gold: Randy Bilyeu in 2016 and Parris Wallace this year. In response, State Police Chief Pete Kassetas has called for Fenn to end the treasure hunt. “Certainly, we want people to get outdoors and enjoy New Mexico,” Kassetas told the Santa Fe New Mexican, “but you have to do it safely.”</p>
<p>I agree with Chief Kassetas that outdoor adventures need to be safe ones. I disagree with his call to end the hunt. I say this knowing that if the hunt continues, other people may die.</p>
<p>Apparently, both Bilyeu and Wallace drowned in the Rio Grande. That’s part of a pattern: a study of 2003-07 deaths in U.S. National Parks showed that the leading cause of death was drowning. Of course, there are plenty of other ways to die in the outdoors. Recently, a Texas doctor and experienced hiker, Sarah Beadle, died of apparent heat exhaustion in the Grand Canyon. If the National Park Service banned hikes during the searing Grand Canyon summers, Dr. Beadle would be alive today – but I don’t recall anyone suggesting that those hikes should end.</p>
<p>In a country where individual freedom and the outdoors go hand in hand, we accept that the basic responsibility for safe adventures lies with the adventurers. We also accept that no matter how careful people are, tragedy cannot be eliminated entirely. Not at home, not at work, not in the wild.</p>
<p>The deaths of Randy Bilyeau and Parris Wallace are tragic – but thousands of people have been drawn outdoors by Fenn’s treasure without harm to themselves. Each year, many more people hike, climb, ride, hunt, bicycle, go four-wheeling, strap on cross-country skis, step into kayaks or rafts, or otherwise find ways to enjoy New Mexico’s stunning beauty, for any reason they choose. None of those activities is risk-free, but when they do lead to tragedy we don’t talk about outlawing deer hunts or kayaks. Instead, we call for programs to teach people how to minimize the risk and hope that people bother to learn.</p>
<p>If the Fenn treasure hunt comes to an end, those seeking adventure and not prepared to deal with it will make the same mistakes for different reasons. And a very few people who do everything right might die anyway, because death comes to us all. Pulling the treasure will not change anything but a detail. I hope that Fenn’s gold stays wherever it is and continues to draw people out of their ordinary lives. If they notice the beauty around them and realize that their life has become an adventure, they’ll have found the treasure Forrest Fenn sent them to find.</p>
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<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Halting Fenn treasure hunt no guarantee of safety | false | https://abqjournal.com/1045890/halting-fenn-treasure-hunt-no-guarantee-of-safety.html | 2 |
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<p>On Friday,&#160;the US Army's Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia,&#160;will graduate its newest class.</p>
<p>Among the 96 graduates are two women: Kristen Griest and Shaye Haver.</p>
<p>They are the first women to complete Ranger School, which has been described as the toughest, most mentally demanding course in the Army. Rangers were the guys who scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day.</p>
<p>But earning the coveted black-and-gold Ranger tab still doesn't mean Griest and Haver have a place in the Army's elite Ranger regiment.&#160;Like most combat roles, these posts are still closed to women —&#160;although that's currently under review.</p>
<p>We polled some of our online community of veterans to see whether they thought these women should be allowed to join the Rangers and got more than 300 responses.</p>
<p>Several pointed out that most of Ranger School grads don't join the Rangers anyway: It's more of a leadership school than anything else.</p>
<p>But after that, most responses went something like this:&#160;"Hell yeah!" says Paula Schmidt from Flint, Michigan, who served 14 years in the Army. “I absolutely think that yes, hell yes, they should be allowed to enter combat if they so choose. If they went through the training and made it, then that's what they deserve.”</p>
<p>Now, obviously this is an unscientific poll, but our veterans, by about a 4-to-1 margin, told us that these newly minted female rangers should&#160;be allowed to fight as Rangers.&#160;There was one persistent qualifier, though: So long as standards do not change.</p>
<p>A lot of the no's came with concerns about strength, and the need to be able to carry a wounded comrade off the battlefield.</p>
<p>Steve Johnson was the only one to raise a different objection, one which has been much discussed elsewhere.&#160;Johnson, from Nashville, served 16 years in the army, indcluding two tours as a combat medic in Iraq.</p>
<p>"I'm sure they're every bit as competent and capable as most of the males. But there are problems that I’ve always noticed when male and female soldiers serve side-by-side. Relationships form. There’s jealousy, and favoritism as well. These issues can be serious enough in an office or garrison setting. They cause resentment and distrust among the males. But in a combat arena these issues can be devastating or even life-threatening."</p>
<p>Some vets reminded us that women have been distinguished in combat throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as "there are no front-lines any more."</p>
<p>David Bigelow from Brighton, Colorado, earned the Ranger tab himself, and agreed women should serve as Rangers but noted “the culture is still changing, so it won’t be too quick. Intersting that the US Army is once again leading the way with American integration.”</p>
<p>If you'd like to join our online veterans community text&#160;RETURN to 698-66.</p> | The US Army Rangers are about to have their first female members. What do vets think? | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-08-20/us-army-rangers-are-about-have-their-first-female-members-what-do-vets-think | 2015-08-20 | 3 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />July 2, 2013</p>
<p>By Dave Roberts</p>
<p>Five years ago the <a href="http://www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm" type="external">California Air Resources Board</a> adopted a <a href="http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/scopingplan.htm" type="external">scoping plan</a> to implement AB 32, the <a href="http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/ab32/ab32.htm" type="external">California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006</a>. The plan outlines myriad regulations imposed on state residents and businesses in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.</p>
<p>CARB officials are now updating the scoping plan. So you might think this would be a good opportunity to take a step back to see whether the plan is even necessary. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/science/earth/what-to-make-of-a-climate-change-plateau.html?_r=2&amp;" type="external">New York Times reported recently</a> that the “rise in the surface temperature of earth has been markedly slower over the last 15 years than in the 20 years before that. And that lull in warming has occurred even as greenhouse gases have accumulated in the atmosphere at a record pace.”</p>
<p>But second thoughts about the need for California’s vast regulatory scheme were not raised at CARB’s scoping plan update workshop in Los Angeles <a href="http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/meetings/meetings.htm" type="external">on June 26</a>&#160;(Webcast in the link). To the contrary, nearly everyone who spoke at the 4½-hour meeting praised the state’s efforts.</p>
<p>However, a couple of lone voices advised caution before leaping further into the climate change void. Richard Lambros, managing director of the business-led <a href="http://socallc.org/" type="external">Southern California Leadership Council</a>, pointed out that California is unable to accomplish much on its own. But it can have an impact if it provides a model for other states and nations to follow; failure to do so would leave California at a competitive disadvantage.</p>
<p>“While we support the idea that as California achieves our GHG [greenhouse gas] goals, the challenge of global warming will still not be addressed,” said Lambros. “A level playing field will not exist domestically or internationally. Markets will continue to be imbalanced unless the remainder of the world does the same as what we’re doing here. Thus California’s greatest contribution ultimately in addressing this issue is to show the rest of the world how GHG emissions can be reduced smartly, cost effectively and in a manner that retains or improves a state’s or country’s global economic position.”</p>
<p>Whether that is even possible remains in question. The answer to that question is particularly important for Southern Californians, who are much more reliant on manufacturing, construction and transportation jobs than better-educated Northern Californians, said Lambros. Unfortunately for Southern California, those industries have a big target on their backs.</p>
<p>“All of those are front line industries when we try to start to further address climate change,” said Lambros. “So no matter how you slice it, we are going to have to smartly address those industries, or risk completely diminishing them. Which then has obviously a very significant effect because of our education gap and the makeup of our economy. So this has to be done smartly. That means from a regional perspective, we need CARB to set goals but leave a lot of local control and flexibility on how we achieve those goals. Ultimately this is all about creating smart followers.”</p>
<p>But while California is trying to become the anti-global warming pied piper, it may turn around to see that other states and nations are instead following the lead of Texas, which has two-thirds the population of California but twice as much carbon emission.</p>
<p>“They have 6.5 percent unemployment compared to our 8.6 percent,” said Lambros. “They have 4.8 percent GDP growth, we have 3.5. So while we are trying to do this, because of the lack of a competitive playing field, we are at a competitive disadvantage. We can have the greatest [anti-global warming] plans in the world, but we won’t get there because of the economic damage that will occur in the interim from our competitors. So it’s really important that we recognize that and try to allow ourselves to continue to work together. Work as partners, understand each other’s needs and do it smartly.”</p>
<p>It’s likely that Lambros’ words will fall on deaf ears, given the strong support and momentum for emission-reduction action in California, damn the anti-business consequences.</p>
<p>Two more scoping plan update workshops are scheduled: July 18 in Fresno and July 30 in the Bay Area. A draft report is scheduled to be released in mid-August. The board is expected to adopt the update in November.</p> | CARB plan update ignores warming lull | false | https://calwatchdog.com/2013/07/02/carb-plan-update-ignores-warming-lull/ | 2018-07-20 | 3 |
<p>Sweet Smelling Cinnamon Is A Medicinal Powerhouse And It Tastes Good, Too!</p>
<p />
<p>"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." <a href="http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=gen&amp;c=1" type="external">Genesis 1:29</a></p>
<p>The sweet smelling one. Cinnamon, more than perhaps any other spice, give off an aromatic bouqet that is unmatched and unrivaled for stimulating your appetite. " Anytime someone says, "Oh this is good. What's in it?" The answer invariably comes back, "Cinnamon." "Cinnamon"- Again and Again." - Jerry Seinfeld. Cinnamon not only stirs your appetite, it can also heal your body from many diseases and illnesses. But did you know that cinnamon taken in larger doses has very powerful medicinal qualities and is stronger in treating some illnesses and injury than prescription medicine? In this article, we take a look at a few of the ways that cinnamon qualifies to not only be a blessing to your spice rack, but in your medicine chest as well. Cinnamon's Amazing Health Benefits</p>
<p>Cinnamon's unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark. These oils contain active components called�cinnamaldehyde,�cinnamyl acetate, and� cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances.</p>
<p>• Anti-Clotting Actions</p>
<p>Cinnamaldehyde (also called cinnamic aldehyde) has been well-researched for its effects on blood platelets. Platelets are constituents of blood that are meant to clump together under emergency circumstances (like physical injury) as a way to stop bleeding, but under normal circumstances, they can make blood flow inadequate if they clump together too much. The cinnaldehyde in cinnamon helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets. (The way it accomplishes this health-protective act is by inhibiting the release of an inflammatory fatty acid called�arachidonic acid�from platelet membranes and reducing the formation of an inflammatory messaging molecule calledthromboxane A2.) Cinnamon's ability to lower the release of arachidonic acid from cell membranes also puts it in the category of an "anti-inflammatory" food that can be helpful in lessening inflammation.</p>
<p>• Anti-Microbial Activity</p>
<p>Cinnamon's essential oils also qualify it as an "anti-microbial" food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast�Candida. In laboratory tests, growth of yeasts that were resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication�fluconazole�was often (though not always) stopped by cinnamon extracts.</p>
<p>• Blood Sugar Control</p>
<p>• Calcium and Fiber Improve Colon Health and Protect Against Heart Disease</p>
<p>In addition to its unique essential oils, cinnamon is an excellent source of fiber and the trace mineral manganese while also a very good source of calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber in cinnamon is important and can be helpful for the prevention of several different conditions. Both calcium and fiber can bind to bile salts and help remove them from the body. By removing bile, fiber helps to prevent the damage that certain bile salts can cause to colon cells, thereby reducing the risk of colon cancer. In addition, when bile is removed by fiber, the body must break down cholesterol in order to make new bile. This process can help to lower high cholesterol levels, which can be helpful in preventing atherosclerosis and heart disease. For sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome, the fiber in cinnamon may also provide relief from constipation or diarrhea.</p>
<p>A Brief History Of Cinnamon</p>
<p>Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known. It was mentioned in the Bible and was used in ancient Egypt not only as a beverage flavoring and medicine, but also as an embalming agent. It was so highly treasured that it was considered more precious than gold. Around this time, cinnamon also received much attention in China, which is reflected in its mention in one of the earliest books on Chinese botanical medicine, dated around 2,700 B.C.</p>
<p>Cinnamon's popularity continued throughout history. It became one of the most relied upon spices in Medieval Europe. Due to its demand, cinnamon became one of the first commodities traded regularly between the Near East and Europe. Ceylon cinnamon is produced in Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, Brazil and the Caribbean, while cassia is mainly produced in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.</p>
<p>Cinnamon is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which when dried, rolls into a tubular form known as a quill. Cinnamon is available in either its whole quill form (cinnamon sticks) or as ground powder.</p>
<p>While there are approximately one hundred varieties ofCinnamonum verum�(the scientific name for cinnamon),Cinnamonum zeylanicum�(Ceylon cinnamon) and�Cinnamomun aromaticum�(Chinese cinnamon) are the leading varieties consumed. Ceylon cinnamon is also referred to as "true cinnamon", while the Chinese variety is known as "cassia". While both are relatively similar in characteristics and both feature a fragrant, sweet and warm taste, the flavor of the Ceylon variety is more refined and subtle. Ceylon cinnamon is more rare in North America than the cassia, the less expensive variety, which is the most popular in the United States.� <a href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&amp;dbid=68" type="external">source - The World's Healthiest Foods</a></p>
<p>NOTE: We strongly urge that when using cinnamon for medicinal reasons, that you use the Ceylon variety of cinnamon and not the Cassia. Cassia in high doses in some people can cause liver stress leading to possible damage. This applies to anyone currently on blood thinners as well. If there is any question or concern, always check with your doctor first!</p>
<p>A Personal Testimony Of Cinnamon</p>
<p>A few years back, I had gotten an infection under my fingernail, and it would act up and throb, mildly red and warm. I went to the doctor and he gave me a course of antibiotics. My finger cleared up in about 10 days...until it came roaring back with a vengance a few days after the antibiotics had worn off. So I went and got more medicine, and this scene replayed itself over and over again during a nearly 2 year period. Finally, the doctor said to me that he had nothing more to give me. I was stuck with an infected finger with no cure...</p>
<p>...or so it seemed.</p>
<p>About this same time, a friend got me on a daily oatmeal kick for 30 days to lower my cholesterol levels. Now, oatmeal by itself is not exactly a thrilling breakfast meal, so to this I added agave nectar and, you guessed it, cinnamon. Lots of cinnamon.</p>
<p>Almost without me being aware of it, the throbbing in my finger grew less and less. The warm feeling also began to go away. By the end of 3 weeks, my finger had been completely cured. In amazement, I went and Googled 'cinnamon' to see if that could have been the reason I was cured. And indeed it was.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>NOTE: Unless otherwise indicated, the information related here about Dr. Walker and the quotes from his plan for health are taken directly from his writings.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> The sweet smelling one. | Sweet Smelling Cinnamon Is A Medicinal Powerhouse And It Tastes Good, Too! | true | http://nowtheendbegins.com/pages/health/sweet-smelling-cinnamon-is-medicinal-powerhouse.htm | 0 |
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<p>U.S. stocks ended lower on Tuesday after a recent run-up in global bond yields unsettled investors already concerned about an eventual Federal Reserve interest rate hike.</p>
<p>Stocks recovered from steeper losses after Treasury yields crept back slightly from six-month highs.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The recent, unexpected leap in yields on U.S. Treasuries and German Bunds has been a thorn in the side of U.S. stock investors for several days.</p>
<p>"In the short term, the market is a hostage to interest rates, said Jim Awad, managing director at Plimsoll Mark Capital. "To the extent you have an increase in interest rates that the Fed doesn't control, you're getting an unwanted tightening in the financial markets."</p>
<p>Benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury yields touched their highest since mid-November earlier before coming down slightly. Elevated U.S. yields mean higher borrowing costs, which can make it harder for companies to expand.</p>
<p>That rise in borrowing costs comes as investors attempt to gauge when the Fed will deem the U.S. economy strong enough to begin raising its own interest rate for the first time since 2006.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average fell 36.94 points, or 0.2 percent, to end at 18,068.23. The S&amp;P 500 lost 6.21 points, or 0.29 percent, to finish at 2,099.12 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 17.38 points, or 0.35 percent, to 4,976.19.</p>
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<p>If borrowing costs eventually rise enough to threaten the U.S. economic recovery, the Fed will have few options at its disposal since its key interest rate is already near zero, Awad said.</p>
<p>The growing uncertainty about interest rates comes as the S&amp;P 500 trades near 17 times expected earnings, expensive compared to its 10-year median average of 15 times earnings.</p>
<p>AOL shares jumped 18.62 percent to end at $50.52 after Verizon Communications said it would buy the company in a $4.4 billion deal, or $50 per share. Verizon declined 0.36 percent..</p>
<p>Apple, the biggest contributor to losses on the Nasdaq and S&amp;P 500, dipped 0.36 percent.</p>
<p>Eight of the 10 major S&amp;P 500 sectors were down, with the materials index leading the declines with a 1.03 percent fall.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P energy index gained 0.44 percent as oil prices rose about 3 percent due to a weaker dollar and conflict in Yemen.</p>
<p>Pall Corp rose 19.44 percent after the Wall Street Journal reported the water and air filter maker was in the final stages of an auction to sell itself.</p>
<p>Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by 1,679 to 1,367, for a 1.23-to-1 ratio on the downside; on the Nasdaq, 1,556 issues fell and 1,187 advanced for a 1.31-to-1 ratio favoring decliners.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 posted 4 new 52-week highs and 6 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 59 new highs and 60 new lows.</p>
<p>About 5.9 billion shares changed hands on U.S. exchanges, below the 6.8 billion daily average for the last five sessions, according to BATS Global Markets.</p>
<p>(By Noel Randewich; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli and Nick Zieminski)</p> | Wall Street Ends Lower as Bond Concerns Drag | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/05/12/us-equity-futures-fall-on-global-bond-rout-greece.html | 2016-03-06 | 0 |
<p>&lt;a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gianinal/6012284801/in/photolist-aahwNM-aajTdJ-8f55tb-6yrDmy-8fjXqC-aakoTL-8fjXsm-aakopy-8fdYyK-aaks9h-8f5rRN-aakz7y-aajKKA-cihP5w-aahsTe-aahcK2-6VbAow-aajRoj-xGUbiL-aakbbs-aahKRv-aahqsv-aakg4y-aak1Uy-6VbA7y-cESMcu-oBDsDt-5dGLx1-WF5Kq-4LjNcV-ptNktU-ptPzEa-oBCQCU-pckyos-WBR2p-WEZj3-nZeMVz-WBShM-WBWL6-WF4VA-4Lp1KG-cESJJs-cESHwd-WEY5d-WF6gC-4JEnJH-5dGLuj-WF4iA-4JJCML-pcjX1q"&gt;Gianina Lindsey&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p />
<p>On Tuesday morning, the official Badlands National Park Twitter account started talking about climate change:</p>
<p />
<p>Because President Donald Trump has previously said climate change is a <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jun/03/hillary-clinton/yes-donald-trump-did-call-climate-change-chinese-h/" type="external">Chinese hoax</a>, and because the administration has, apparently, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/environmental-protection-grants-staff_us_5886825be4b0e3a7356b575f" type="external">banned Environmental Protection Agency employees</a> from talking about anything, and because the main National Park Service Twitter account was recently censored by the White House for (gently!) mocking Trump’s small inauguration crowd size, Badlands’ tweetstorm quickly went viral.</p>
<p>But four hours after the first one went out, the four tweets about climate change were deleted.</p>
<p>What happened? It’s unclear. The park didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the deleted tweets are unusual because Badlands tweets about climate change all the time. The park’s hyperactive social-media account, like the digital imprints of a lot of parks and agencies, really wants the world to know what global warming is doing to its patch of South Dakota:</p>
<p>And:</p>
<p>And:</p>
<p />
<p>And my favorite:</p>
<p />
<p>Tweeting about climate change wasn’t out of character. It might not have had anything to do with Trump. But deleting those tweets? That’s kind of unusual.</p>
<p>Update: DNC spokeswoman Adrienne Watson has now weighed in on the missing tweets, emailing reporters, “Vladimir Putin would be proud.”</p>
<p /> | Badlands National Park’s Viral Tweets on Climate Change Just Disappeared | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/badlands-national-park-donald-trump-climate/ | 2017-01-24 | 4 |
<p>MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "5 Card Cash" game were:</p>
<p>JC-KC-KH-6C-4H</p>
<p>(JC, KC, KH, 6C, 4H)</p>
<p>MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Wisconsin Lottery's "5 Card Cash" game were:</p>
<p>JC-KC-KH-6C-4H</p>
<p>(JC, KC, KH, 6C, 4H)</p> | Winning numbers drawn in '5 Card Cash' game | false | https://apnews.com/amp/d2bdfdc208ea40b397cf0644d3609d55 | 2018-01-19 | 2 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Mechel PAO.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of Mechel PAO (NYSE: MTL) rose by more than a third in September, extending a rally that started in mid-August. There were a number of things going on, including improving prices for the company's various commodities. But it was really the big picture that changed the equation for Mechel.</p>
<p>Commodity prices are the big determinant of Mechel's top- and bottom-line success. There's no getting around that, so generally rising metallurgical coal prices and an improvement in the Russian steel market were notable positives that came out of the company's late August earnings release. In fact, the company managed to improve its operating profit by over 20% on roughly flat revenues. That alone is enough to push a company's shares higher.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>But Mechel has been struggling for a number of years to get out from under a heavy debt load. And it announced notable progress on that effort with its second quarter numbers. CEO Oleg Korzhov summed up the important changes: "In this period we completed restructuring of our loans with Russian state banks, which enabled us to balance our financial payments. Also in late June we completed the deal on selling 49% in the Elga project to Gazprombank, which allowed us to source repayment of loans in the amount of 32.9 billion rubles [$530 million in US currency] and overdue interest payments from the previous periods."</p>
<p>In other words, Mechel has notably improved its financial position. And at roughly the same time that its core markets have started to show a little life. It makes sense that investors were extra enthusiastic to hear the earnings update.</p>
<p>Mechel is clearly moving in the right direction. However, it still has a huge debt load and negative shareholder equity. Add in the not so minor fact that Mechel is a Russian company, and there remain a great many risks here. Only the most aggressive investors should be looking at Mechel.</p>
<p>A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-apple-wearable?aid=6965&amp;source=irbeditxt0000017&amp;ftm_cam=rb-wearable-d&amp;ftm_pit=2692&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/ReubenGBrewer/info.aspx" type="external">Reuben Brewer Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Mechel PAO's Stock Rocketed 36% Higher in September | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/11/why-mechel-pao-stock-rocketed-36-higher-in-september.html | 2016-10-11 | 0 |
<p>Texans are evacuating or holing up as life-threatening conditions are expected when Hurricane Harvey, the first US Category 3 hurricane to make landfall in nearly a dozen years, could bring flooding and a storm surge that could reach heights of six to 12 feet.</p>
<p>Harvey, which is expected to officially hit&#160;Category 3 status by Friday, is expected to make landfall between Texas’ coast Friday night or Saturday morning.</p>
<p>Texas and Louisiana both face the prospects of Biblical-level floods, as Harvey will slowly roam the area and is not expected to dissipate until at least Monday.</p>
<p>On Thursday afternoon, Harvey’s winds strengthened to 80 mph (128 km/h). Rain is expected from 10 to 20 inches (25.4 to 50.8 cm), while some areas may see 30 inches (76 cm). Flash floods and 115 mph winds are also possible.</p>
<p>“Since Harvey is forecast to stall, we expect 10-20 inches of rain over a large part of southern and eastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana from Friday into early next week,” <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/harvey-poised-to-unleash-flooding-disaster-on-texas-into-early-next-week/70002548" type="external">according</a> to AccuWeather hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski.</p>
<p>Heavy rain and strong gusts of wind showcased on Twitter portend the extreme weather to come.</p>
<p>Texans waited in long lines as they stocked up on water and supplies, including gasoline to fuel an evacuation. Others were bused to public shelters. Store shelves were emptied of bread and other items.</p>
<p>On Thursday, President Donald Trump tweeted links to&#160;government agencies where people can seek information on protecting themselves against the incoming hurricane. Some on Twitter complained that they were <a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/391180-trump-tweet-first-amendment/" type="external">blocked</a> by the president’s account and were unable to see it.</p>
<p>Calhoun and San Patricio counties in Texas have notified residents to move inland, in order to avoid the storm. Voluntary evacuations have also been issued to the city of Corpus Christi, the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/the-latest-harvey-could-bring-up-20-inches-of-rain-to-texas/2017/08/24/d272b74c-88d6-11e7-96a7-d178cf3524eb_story.html" type="external">reported</a>.</p>
<p>The Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is conducting research into Harvey by literally flying into the storm.</p>
<p>In 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, with most of the damage suffered where storm surges broke the levees in Louisiana. Katrina produced the largest exodus in US history, displacing over 1 million people. Houston, Texas absorbed 35,000 of those people.</p>
<p>Although Texas was not as badly affected by Katrina, other hurricanes and even non-hurricane strength storms have left their impact in recent years.</p>
<p>On June 5, 2001, Tropical Storm Allison caused flash flooding, and rainfall leveled out at 36.99 inches (940 mm) at the Port of Houston. Allison caused $4.8 billion in damage and killed 23 people.</p>
<p>On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on the border of Texas and Louisiana. This led to the largest evacuation in US history, with more than 3 million people evacuated. One million people suffered power outages. Fifty-nine people died, most from accidents during evacuation.</p>
<p>Tropical Storm Erin made landfall in Texas on August 16, 2007. It was categorized as a minimal tropical storm, but caused nine deaths and resulted in damages to the tune of $49 million.</p>
<p>In September 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall in Galveston, as a large Category 2 hurricane. Its storm surge climbed as high as 20 feet (6.1m). Many houses were destroyed, and 2.6 million people lost power. One of the deadliest and most destructive hurricanes to ever hit Texas, it killed 84 people and destroyed $19.3 billion worth of property.</p>
<p>On September 7, 2010, Tropical Storm Hermine made landfall in northeastern Mexico and was labeled a strong tropical storm. Hermine led to power outages and even damaged crops. Five people were killed, and $240 million in damages were reported in the wake of the storm.</p> | Evacuations in Texas as Category 3 Hurricane Harvey nears landfall (VIDEOS) | false | https://newsline.com/evacuations-in-texas-as-category-3-hurricane-harvey-nears-landfall-videos/ | 2017-08-24 | 1 |
<p>Paper</p>
<p />
<p>This paper argues that violent events have two economic effects: a direct loss from the destruction of physical and human capital, and a reallocation of financial and economic resources. It documents the positive cross-border impact that follows violent events as a result of this reallocation. Thus, it reconciles the two existing perspectives in the literature on whether violence has a small or large economic&#160; effect.&#160; Our results show that, in globally integrated markets, the substitution of financial and economic activities away from afflicted countries magnifies their losses. This study evaluates certain factors affecting the impact of violence in non-event countries. Geographic distance from the event country is not monotonic in its effect on the valuation of equities of other countries. Also, the safer a non-event country is perceived to be relative to the event country, the greater the positive impact on its financial market. Finally, event countries with deeper financial markets are less susceptible to capital reallocation following an event.</p>
<p /> | The Cross-Border Financial Impact of Violence | false | http://belfercenter.org/publication/cross-border-financial-impact-violence | 2 |
|
<p>July 18 (UPI) — The Senate voted 92-7 on Tuesday to confirm Patrick Shanahan, the former vice president of Boeing, as deputy secretary of defense.</p>
<p>Senate Armed Services Committee chairman <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/John_McCain/" type="external">John McCain</a>, R-Ariz., was absent from <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/defense/342540-senate-confirms-former-boeing-vp-as-deputy-defense-secretary" type="external">the vote</a> for medical reasons. McCain sharply criticized Shanahan for his answers on arming Ukraine against Russian-backed separatists during his <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/06/20/trumps-pick-for-the-no-2-pentagon-job-faces-tough-questions-during-confirmation-hearing/?utm_term=.b254eb1cc81f" type="external">confirmation hearings</a>.</p>
<p>“In your questions that were submitted to you, one of the questions was providing the Ukrainians with legal, lethal defense weaponry with which to defend themselves,” McCain said.</p>
<p>“Inexplicably, you responded by saying you have to look at the issue. It’s not satisfactory, Mr. Shanahan.”</p>
<p>Shanahan responded that he supported the idea of arming Ukraine, but said that he could offer no specifics until he had studied classified reports on the issue.</p>
<p>“I, at this point, don’t have any specific recommendations. If confirmed, I will spend a significant amount of time dealing with Russia,” Shanahan said.</p>
<p>Other senators had also expressed concern over Stranahan’s ties to Boeing, a major defense contractor. Shanahan had been with Boeing since 1985 until this month.</p>
<p>Shanahan will replace Robert Work as deputy defense secretary, who has held the post since 2016.</p> | Former Boeing VP Shanahan confirmed as deputy secretary of defense | false | https://newsline.com/former-boeing-vp-shanahan-confirmed-as-deputy-secretary-of-defense/ | 2017-07-18 | 1 |
<p>Around the holidays every year, parents typically go on the hunt to find a present.</p>
<p>They send it to school with their kids as a thank you to teachers.</p>
<p>One Miami Valley family got creative with a gift for 2017, replacing the labels on wine bottles with a photo of a student and saying, "Our child might be the reason you drink, so enjoy this bottle on us!"</p>
<p>That student's older brother (@Sommers_DJ) posted the image to twitter, and has had more than 5,500 retweets and 36,000 likes.</p>
<p>Our affiliate <a href="http://abc3340.com/news/offbeat/our-child-might-be-the-reason-you-drink-parents-select-unique-holiday-gift-for-teachers" type="external">ABC3340</a> in Dayton, Ohio contributed to this story.</p> | 'Our child might be the reason you drink': These parents made a unique holiday gift for their kids' teachers | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/12/22/whoa/our-child-might-be-the-reason-you-drink-these-parents-made-a-unique-holiday-gift-for-their-kids-teachers | 2017-12-22 | 1 |
<p />
<p>May Peleg, a prominent transgender rights advocate in Israel who once chaired Jerusalem Open House, a local LGBT advocacy organization, took her life on Nov. 14, 2015. (Photo by Ofrit Assaf)</p>
<p />
<p>May Peleg — who was born into an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family — made the request before <a href="" type="internal">she took her own life on Nov. 14.</a> Her mother challenged the advocate’s will in Jerusalem District Court.</p>
<p>The Jerusalem District Court upheld Peleg’s will. The Israeli Supreme Court on Nov. 24 rejected her mother’s appeal of the lower court’s decision.</p>
<p>“Contrary to whether more weight should be attributed to the position of the family, the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty puts the wishes of the deceased at center stage,” wrote Justice Neal Hendel, according to a text of the ruling <a href="http://lgbtlaw.tau.ac.il/עא-7918-15-פלונית-נ-פרידמן-ואח" type="external">that Tel Aviv University posted to its website.</a></p>
<p>Sarah Kala-Meir, executive director of Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance, a local LGBT advocacy group, welcomed the ruling.</p>
<p>“After nearly two weeks of mourning and pain for the loss of our friend, it was a small moment of relief and a big win for May and the LGBT community in general,” she said in a statement.</p>
<p>Peleg, 31, chaired Jerusalem Open House until 2013.</p>
<p>She founded Transmeeting, the city’s first trans advocacy group. Peleg also owned an LGBT bar in Jerusalem.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Israel</a> <a href="" type="internal">Israeli Supreme Court</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jerusalem Open House for Pride and Tolerance</a> <a href="" type="internal">May Peleg</a> <a href="" type="internal">Neal Hendel</a> <a href="" type="internal">Sarah Kala-Meir</a> <a href="" type="internal">transgender</a></p> | Israeli Supreme Court upholds transgender advocate’s will | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2015/11/29/israeli-supreme-court-upholds-transgender-advocates-will/ | 3 |
Subsets and Splits