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<p>U.S. stocks climbed Wednesday as smaller companies soared following a report that showed business investment climbed in August. Investors also hoped stocks will benefit from tax cuts proposed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.</p>
<p>On Wednesday:</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index advanced 10.20 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,507.04.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average picked up 56.39 points, or 0.3 percent, to 22,340.71.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq composite surged 73.10 points, or 1.1 percent, to 6,453.26.</p>
<p>The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks jumped 27.95 points, or 1.9 percent, to 1,484.81.</p>
<p>For the week:</p>
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<p>The S&amp;P 500 is up 4.82 points, or 0.2 percent.</p>
<p>The Dow is down 8.88 points, or less than 0.1 percent.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq is up 26.34 points, or 0.4 percent.</p>
<p>The Russell 2000 is up 34.03 points, or 2.3 percent.</p>
<p>For the year:</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 is up 268.21 points, or 12 percent.</p>
<p>The Dow is up 2,578.11 points, or 13 percent.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq is up 1,070.15 points, or 19.9 percent.</p>
<p>The Russell 2000 is up 127.68 points, or 9.4 percent.</p> | How major US stock market indexes fared Wednesday | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/08/16/how-major-us-stock-market-indexes-fared-wednesday.html | 2017-09-27 | 0right
| How major US stock market indexes fared Wednesday
<p>U.S. stocks climbed Wednesday as smaller companies soared following a report that showed business investment climbed in August. Investors also hoped stocks will benefit from tax cuts proposed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.</p>
<p>On Wednesday:</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index advanced 10.20 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,507.04.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average picked up 56.39 points, or 0.3 percent, to 22,340.71.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq composite surged 73.10 points, or 1.1 percent, to 6,453.26.</p>
<p>The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks jumped 27.95 points, or 1.9 percent, to 1,484.81.</p>
<p>For the week:</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 is up 4.82 points, or 0.2 percent.</p>
<p>The Dow is down 8.88 points, or less than 0.1 percent.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq is up 26.34 points, or 0.4 percent.</p>
<p>The Russell 2000 is up 34.03 points, or 2.3 percent.</p>
<p>For the year:</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 is up 268.21 points, or 12 percent.</p>
<p>The Dow is up 2,578.11 points, or 13 percent.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq is up 1,070.15 points, or 19.9 percent.</p>
<p>The Russell 2000 is up 127.68 points, or 9.4 percent.</p> | 1,400 |
<p>When George Carlin put together his "Baseball-Football" comedy routine, there was no way he knew that he was describing the reaction of the two sports fan bases and sportswriters when it came to who should be in each sport's Hall of Fame. Carlin hit the nail on the head when he uttered:</p>
<p>"Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game. Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle."</p>
<p>For the past two months there has been too much talk about who should be in Baseball's Hall of Fame and what to do with players who may have used performance enhancing drugs but were never caught breaking baseball's drug policy. Should Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens be voted into the Hall by the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America or were their deeds so heinous that they should be forever barred from entering Baseball's Valhalla in Cooperstown?</p>
<p>Alex Rodriguez is, at least in the eyes of baseball fans, an awful guy, a villain who might be on the level of North Korea's Kim Jong-un.</p>
<p>But football is different. There is no teeth gnashing or feeling of exasperation over a real life criminal being nominated and having a chance to get into the football shrine in Canton, Ohio.</p>
<p>Eddie DeBartolo Jr. is one of 15 people whose football credentials will be examined by voters on Saturday. "Eddie D" as he was known within National Football League circles had extraordinary success as the owner of the San Francisco 49ers franchise between 1977 and 1999. The team won five Super Bowls and Eddie spent whatever was necessary to make sure his 49ers had the best players. His 49ers won 13 divisional titles, made 16 trips to the playoffs and took part in 10 National Football Conference Championship Games during his 22 years in charge.</p>
<p>He was the prototype for the successful NFL owner.</p>
<p>Under normal circumstances Edward DeBartolo Jr. should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor. But the case for Eddie D. is complicated. You see Eddie had a little problem with political corruption in Louisiana.</p>
<p>Eddie D. copped a plea in U.S. District Court Judge John Parker's Louisiana courtroom to a felony charge of failing to report that Louisiana's former governor Edwin Edwards allegedly extorted $400,000 from him to win a casino license in 1997.</p>
<p>With the plea, DeBartolo avoided prison. He also agreed to pay $1 million in penalties, serve two years of probation, and testify in future trials against Edwards and his son, Stephen, in a federal probe into the state's gambling industry. The court case ended DeBartolo's involvement with the 49ers.</p>
<p>DeBartolo also played fast and fancy with the NFL salary cap rules but for some inexplicable reason NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue looked the other way even though there were whispers around the league in the 1990s that Eddie D's 49ers were willfully not following the league rules.</p>
<p>The salary cap circumventing story came after DeBartolo was out of the league.</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>Football newspapers will be deciding whether Eddie D. should go into the Hall of Fame. Unlike their baseball counterparts, the football writers seemingly have no venom, no hatred of DeBartolo like the baseball writers and baseball fans have of McGwire, Bonds or Clemens. There is no problem that Eddie D may have broken some of his sport's rules along the way from the football voters unlike the baseball voters who seem to judge every player guilty and demand players prove their innocence.</p>
<p>George Carlin looked at baseball and football from afar. But Dave Sims is heavily involved in both sports as an announcer for Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and an announcer for the weekly NFL broadcast on the renamed Westwood One radio network. Sims as it turns out is a big fan of the Carlin routine.</p>
<p>Dave Sims in a way brings George Carlin's baseball-football stand up to life when comparing why baseball fans have problems with alleged drug users and football fans aren't yelling about Eddie D.</p>
<p>"In baseball, people followed it religiously, follow the tradition and hold it to high standards. They are super judge mental. It's an everyday sport," said Sims. "Football passes quickly and fans are not in on the machinations of Eddie DeBartolo.</p>
<p>"Baseball fans have a reverence for baseball; football is not at the same level. Baseball fans get upset when the trust gets broken."</p>
<p>The baseball fan looks at the baseball stadium as a cathedral while a football stadium is a place where you take your car into the parking lot, tailgate and then enter the stadium and watch a game.</p>
<p>Baseball is a game built on statistics.</p>
<p>The National Football League's New York Giants franchise was founded in 1925 by a bootlegger named Tim Mara. The NFL's modern era which started in 1958 with the "Greatest Game Ever Played" - the National football League Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx during a decade when the Yankees franchise won six World Series during baseball's so-called "Golden Era."</p>
<p>Football has never had a "Golden Era" but the NFL has had a Golden Boy, Paul Hornung who has a bust in Canton despite sitting out the 1963 season for gambling on NFL games. Pete Rose was thrown out of baseball for gambling on baseball games by Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989.</p>
<p>Hornung along with Alex Karras, who had a great second career as an actor and is probably best remembered as the character Mongo in the 1974 Mel Brooks's movie Blazing Saddles, returned in 1964. Neither Hornung nor Karras ever wore a scarlet letter for their transgressions unlike baseball players like A-Rod, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, McGwire, Clemens, and Bonds.</p>
<p>Rose has never been welcomed back and as recently as a few days ago was again lambasted by former Commissioner Fay Vincent who was commenting on Alex Rodriguez's drug suspension. Fay Vincent utters Pete Rose's name just about as much as Rudy Giuliani says 9/11.</p>
<p>O. J. Simpson's bust is still on display in Canton, and Lawrence Taylor went into the football shrine despite drug-related suspensions.</p>
<p>DeBartolo cheated and admitted guilt in a Louisiana courtroom. Can you imagine what the baseball outcry would have been had the writers had him on their ballots for Cooperstown consideration? In the court of public opinion, he would have been an outcast.</p>
<p>As Dave Sims pointed out, DeBartolo's players loved him and he had an impressive record. So what if he cheated or copped a plea? It's football. He didn't do performance enhancing drugs while playing Major league Baseball, which is a thoroughly unforgiveable sin. That's baseball.</p>
<p>Carlin ended his routine with one last look at the difference between baseball and football.</p>
<p>"In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.</p>
<p>"In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! I hope I'll be safe at home!"</p>
<p>Maybe that's the difference. Football fans tolerate anything while baseball fans are looking to go home and be safe'safe from cheaters.</p> | Will a Criminal Enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame? | true | https://thedailybeast.com/will-a-criminal-enter-the-pro-football-hall-of-fame | 2018-10-04 | 4left
| Will a Criminal Enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
<p>When George Carlin put together his "Baseball-Football" comedy routine, there was no way he knew that he was describing the reaction of the two sports fan bases and sportswriters when it came to who should be in each sport's Hall of Fame. Carlin hit the nail on the head when he uttered:</p>
<p>"Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game. Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle."</p>
<p>For the past two months there has been too much talk about who should be in Baseball's Hall of Fame and what to do with players who may have used performance enhancing drugs but were never caught breaking baseball's drug policy. Should Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens be voted into the Hall by the members of the Baseball Writers Association of America or were their deeds so heinous that they should be forever barred from entering Baseball's Valhalla in Cooperstown?</p>
<p>Alex Rodriguez is, at least in the eyes of baseball fans, an awful guy, a villain who might be on the level of North Korea's Kim Jong-un.</p>
<p>But football is different. There is no teeth gnashing or feeling of exasperation over a real life criminal being nominated and having a chance to get into the football shrine in Canton, Ohio.</p>
<p>Eddie DeBartolo Jr. is one of 15 people whose football credentials will be examined by voters on Saturday. "Eddie D" as he was known within National Football League circles had extraordinary success as the owner of the San Francisco 49ers franchise between 1977 and 1999. The team won five Super Bowls and Eddie spent whatever was necessary to make sure his 49ers had the best players. His 49ers won 13 divisional titles, made 16 trips to the playoffs and took part in 10 National Football Conference Championship Games during his 22 years in charge.</p>
<p>He was the prototype for the successful NFL owner.</p>
<p>Under normal circumstances Edward DeBartolo Jr. should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor. But the case for Eddie D. is complicated. You see Eddie had a little problem with political corruption in Louisiana.</p>
<p>Eddie D. copped a plea in U.S. District Court Judge John Parker's Louisiana courtroom to a felony charge of failing to report that Louisiana's former governor Edwin Edwards allegedly extorted $400,000 from him to win a casino license in 1997.</p>
<p>With the plea, DeBartolo avoided prison. He also agreed to pay $1 million in penalties, serve two years of probation, and testify in future trials against Edwards and his son, Stephen, in a federal probe into the state's gambling industry. The court case ended DeBartolo's involvement with the 49ers.</p>
<p>DeBartolo also played fast and fancy with the NFL salary cap rules but for some inexplicable reason NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue looked the other way even though there were whispers around the league in the 1990s that Eddie D's 49ers were willfully not following the league rules.</p>
<p>The salary cap circumventing story came after DeBartolo was out of the league.</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>Football newspapers will be deciding whether Eddie D. should go into the Hall of Fame. Unlike their baseball counterparts, the football writers seemingly have no venom, no hatred of DeBartolo like the baseball writers and baseball fans have of McGwire, Bonds or Clemens. There is no problem that Eddie D may have broken some of his sport's rules along the way from the football voters unlike the baseball voters who seem to judge every player guilty and demand players prove their innocence.</p>
<p>George Carlin looked at baseball and football from afar. But Dave Sims is heavily involved in both sports as an announcer for Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and an announcer for the weekly NFL broadcast on the renamed Westwood One radio network. Sims as it turns out is a big fan of the Carlin routine.</p>
<p>Dave Sims in a way brings George Carlin's baseball-football stand up to life when comparing why baseball fans have problems with alleged drug users and football fans aren't yelling about Eddie D.</p>
<p>"In baseball, people followed it religiously, follow the tradition and hold it to high standards. They are super judge mental. It's an everyday sport," said Sims. "Football passes quickly and fans are not in on the machinations of Eddie DeBartolo.</p>
<p>"Baseball fans have a reverence for baseball; football is not at the same level. Baseball fans get upset when the trust gets broken."</p>
<p>The baseball fan looks at the baseball stadium as a cathedral while a football stadium is a place where you take your car into the parking lot, tailgate and then enter the stadium and watch a game.</p>
<p>Baseball is a game built on statistics.</p>
<p>The National Football League's New York Giants franchise was founded in 1925 by a bootlegger named Tim Mara. The NFL's modern era which started in 1958 with the "Greatest Game Ever Played" - the National football League Championship Game between the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants in Yankee Stadium in the Bronx during a decade when the Yankees franchise won six World Series during baseball's so-called "Golden Era."</p>
<p>Football has never had a "Golden Era" but the NFL has had a Golden Boy, Paul Hornung who has a bust in Canton despite sitting out the 1963 season for gambling on NFL games. Pete Rose was thrown out of baseball for gambling on baseball games by Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti in 1989.</p>
<p>Hornung along with Alex Karras, who had a great second career as an actor and is probably best remembered as the character Mongo in the 1974 Mel Brooks's movie Blazing Saddles, returned in 1964. Neither Hornung nor Karras ever wore a scarlet letter for their transgressions unlike baseball players like A-Rod, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, McGwire, Clemens, and Bonds.</p>
<p>Rose has never been welcomed back and as recently as a few days ago was again lambasted by former Commissioner Fay Vincent who was commenting on Alex Rodriguez's drug suspension. Fay Vincent utters Pete Rose's name just about as much as Rudy Giuliani says 9/11.</p>
<p>O. J. Simpson's bust is still on display in Canton, and Lawrence Taylor went into the football shrine despite drug-related suspensions.</p>
<p>DeBartolo cheated and admitted guilt in a Louisiana courtroom. Can you imagine what the baseball outcry would have been had the writers had him on their ballots for Cooperstown consideration? In the court of public opinion, he would have been an outcast.</p>
<p>As Dave Sims pointed out, DeBartolo's players loved him and he had an impressive record. So what if he cheated or copped a plea? It's football. He didn't do performance enhancing drugs while playing Major league Baseball, which is a thoroughly unforgiveable sin. That's baseball.</p>
<p>Carlin ended his routine with one last look at the difference between baseball and football.</p>
<p>"In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line.</p>
<p>"In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! I hope I'll be safe at home!"</p>
<p>Maybe that's the difference. Football fans tolerate anything while baseball fans are looking to go home and be safe'safe from cheaters.</p> | 1,401 |
<p>President Donald Trump is issuing criticism on Twitter to create rivals that would serve as distractions from focusing on White House issues, according to CNN’s political director David Chalian.</p>
<p>“Let’s be clear about what he’s doing now this morning, obviously. He is desperate for an enemy,” Chalian said, referring to tweets from Trump Thursday in which he critiqued Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.</p>
<p>“What he had last November that he didn’t now have as president is an opponent who he’s running against, and so that’s what this lashing-out is on Twitter,” Chalian said Thursday on CNN’s “New Day.”</p>
<p>“He is desperate to get back into a place like he did with ‘Little Marco’ or ‘Crooked Hillary’ or ‘Lyin’ Ted,’ and form opponents so he can find a way to build back up,” Chalian said, referring to Trump’s campaign nicknames for political opponents Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Cruz.</p>
<p>The political director said Trump is reacting to criticism as he has before.</p>
<p>“This is almost like Donald Trump paint-by-numbers. He is rocked by the coverage. He then leaks out word that there is no regret, no turning back at all, no apologies whatsoever. Then he starts lashing out to find opponents,” Chalian said.</p>
<p>Trump called Flake <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/jeff-flake-trump-toxic/2017/08/17/id/808127/" type="external">“toxic.”</a> In another tweet, he said that Graham was <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-lindsey-graham-publicity-charlottesville/2017/08/17/id/808121/" type="external">“publicity seeking.”</a></p> | CNN Political Director: Trump 'Desperate' for Opponents | false | https://newsline.com/cnn-political-director-trump-desperate-for-opponents/ | 2017-08-17 | 1right-center
| CNN Political Director: Trump 'Desperate' for Opponents
<p>President Donald Trump is issuing criticism on Twitter to create rivals that would serve as distractions from focusing on White House issues, according to CNN’s political director David Chalian.</p>
<p>“Let’s be clear about what he’s doing now this morning, obviously. He is desperate for an enemy,” Chalian said, referring to tweets from Trump Thursday in which he critiqued Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.</p>
<p>“What he had last November that he didn’t now have as president is an opponent who he’s running against, and so that’s what this lashing-out is on Twitter,” Chalian said Thursday on CNN’s “New Day.”</p>
<p>“He is desperate to get back into a place like he did with ‘Little Marco’ or ‘Crooked Hillary’ or ‘Lyin’ Ted,’ and form opponents so he can find a way to build back up,” Chalian said, referring to Trump’s campaign nicknames for political opponents Marco Rubio, Hillary Clinton, and Ted Cruz.</p>
<p>The political director said Trump is reacting to criticism as he has before.</p>
<p>“This is almost like Donald Trump paint-by-numbers. He is rocked by the coverage. He then leaks out word that there is no regret, no turning back at all, no apologies whatsoever. Then he starts lashing out to find opponents,” Chalian said.</p>
<p>Trump called Flake <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/jeff-flake-trump-toxic/2017/08/17/id/808127/" type="external">“toxic.”</a> In another tweet, he said that Graham was <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-lindsey-graham-publicity-charlottesville/2017/08/17/id/808121/" type="external">“publicity seeking.”</a></p> | 1,402 |
<p />
<p>If you've never read a company's 10-K filing, I can't recommend it enough. While it can be a lot of information to wade through, you'll end up with a much better grasp of what drives a company's business results, along with a good sense of how management views its place in the industry. In Spirit Airlines' (NASDAQ: SAVE) latest 10-K, filed earlier this month, the company had plenty to say about its long-term strategy, the competitive environment, and its outlook for the future. Here are my top 10 takeaways, ranging from a basic strategic overview to multiyear growth rates for revenue, net income, and more.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Spirit Airlines.</p>
<p>Spirit Airlines is focused on price-sensitive customers who travel mostly for leisure. The company uses low fares to increase overall demand in markets it believes are underserved. This helps Spirit optimize key metrics like passenger volume, load factors, and nonticket revenue.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>With a cost per available seat mile of 7.37 cents in 2016, Spirit's unit operating costs are among the lowest of all U.S. airlines. Among other factors, the company achieves this with high aircraft utilization (flying its planes more hours per day than competitors) and higher seating densities (packing more passengers into the same amount of space).</p>
<p>Spirit flies just one type of aircraft -- the Airbus A320 family. There are many advantages to this. Spirit avoids training crews across multiple aircraft types, which also means crews are interchangeable across any plane in the fleet. As you can imagine, things like maintenance and spare parts inventory are also much simpler to manage with just one type of plane.</p>
<p>Spirit's fleet of 95 aircraft is on average just 5.2 years old, the youngest of any major U.S. airline. While having newer planes than the competition is great from an appearance standpoint, this also means that Spirit's current maintenance expenses are lower than is realistic for the future. As the company's young fleet ages, maintenance costs are expected to rise.</p>
<p>The company's labor costs -- as a percentage of total operating costs -- increased from 19.9% in 2014 to 25.2% in 2016. With 73% of its employees represented by labor unions, the company regularly finds itself renegotiating labor agreements. Spirit has been in collective bargaining talks with its pilots union since June 2016, which will likely result in a significant pilot salary hike soon. Moreover, the company's initial 2017 cost guidance does not include any impact from these negotiations.</p>
<p>Throughout 2015 and 2016, lower fares became commonplace across the U.S. Coupled with an increase in overall capacity (available seat miles), Spirit says this led to "dramatic changes in pricing behavior in many U.S. markets" as larger carriers began to match fares offered by ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) like Spirit. In 2015, Delta began selling stripped-down Basic Economy fares designed to compete with the ULCCs. United and American have now followed suit, with other major carriers planning their own versions of stripped-down fares.</p>
<p>Spirit's nonticket revenue comes from fees for things like baggage, bookings by phone, advance seat selection, and itinerary changes. Nonticket revenue per passenger flight segment has grown from around $5 in 2006 to $52 in 2016. As a percentage of total revenue, nonticket revenue was 48.3% for 2016. The company also notes that nonticket revenue remains relatively stable during recessionary or lower-fare environments, helping smooth out results.</p>
<p>As noted, 2015 and 2016 saw Spirit suffering from a general low-fare environment, as well as price wars with some of its peers. While this certainly weighed on its results (and its share price), zooming out to get a multiyear picture shows a business still growing at a good clip, and -- importantly -- revenue continuing to grow faster than expenses.</p>
<p>Compound annual growth rates from 2012 to 2016:</p>
<p>Cancellations or delays tend to affect Spirit more severely than larger airlines due to its high aircraft utilization rate. Most of Spirit's competitors have the option to rebook disrupted passengers on other airlines with prearranged rates under something called flight interruption manifest agreements. However, Spirit has not been able to secure any of these agreements, making recovery from large-scale disruptions a lot more challenging.</p>
<p>Spirit's approach has generated solid results during good times and bad. By focusing on price-motivated travelers, Spirit remains nicely profitable even during rocky economic periods because it doesn't depend on business traffic or premium fares. On the flip side, in 2015 and 2016, low oil prices and increasing competition drove Spirit's unit revenue lower, but its lower costs produced margins that remained higher than the rest of the industry. In short, the company's low unit costs allow it to offer fares at levels where its primary competitors simply can't be profitable.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Spirit AirlinesWhen 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=f2093a76-1f61-40f2-a4fb-c7b37daadba9&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks</a> for investors to buy right now... and Spirit Airlines 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=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=f2093a76-1f61-40f2-a4fb-c7b37daadba9&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/CMFGouldberg/info.aspx" type="external">Andy Gould</a> owns shares of Spirit Airlines. The Motley Fool recommends Spirit Airlines. 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</a>.</p> | 10 Things From Spirit Airlines' 10-K Investors Should Know | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/06/10-things-from-spirit-airlines-10-k-investors-should-know.html | 2017-03-17 | 0right
| 10 Things From Spirit Airlines' 10-K Investors Should Know
<p />
<p>If you've never read a company's 10-K filing, I can't recommend it enough. While it can be a lot of information to wade through, you'll end up with a much better grasp of what drives a company's business results, along with a good sense of how management views its place in the industry. In Spirit Airlines' (NASDAQ: SAVE) latest 10-K, filed earlier this month, the company had plenty to say about its long-term strategy, the competitive environment, and its outlook for the future. Here are my top 10 takeaways, ranging from a basic strategic overview to multiyear growth rates for revenue, net income, and more.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Spirit Airlines.</p>
<p>Spirit Airlines is focused on price-sensitive customers who travel mostly for leisure. The company uses low fares to increase overall demand in markets it believes are underserved. This helps Spirit optimize key metrics like passenger volume, load factors, and nonticket revenue.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>With a cost per available seat mile of 7.37 cents in 2016, Spirit's unit operating costs are among the lowest of all U.S. airlines. Among other factors, the company achieves this with high aircraft utilization (flying its planes more hours per day than competitors) and higher seating densities (packing more passengers into the same amount of space).</p>
<p>Spirit flies just one type of aircraft -- the Airbus A320 family. There are many advantages to this. Spirit avoids training crews across multiple aircraft types, which also means crews are interchangeable across any plane in the fleet. As you can imagine, things like maintenance and spare parts inventory are also much simpler to manage with just one type of plane.</p>
<p>Spirit's fleet of 95 aircraft is on average just 5.2 years old, the youngest of any major U.S. airline. While having newer planes than the competition is great from an appearance standpoint, this also means that Spirit's current maintenance expenses are lower than is realistic for the future. As the company's young fleet ages, maintenance costs are expected to rise.</p>
<p>The company's labor costs -- as a percentage of total operating costs -- increased from 19.9% in 2014 to 25.2% in 2016. With 73% of its employees represented by labor unions, the company regularly finds itself renegotiating labor agreements. Spirit has been in collective bargaining talks with its pilots union since June 2016, which will likely result in a significant pilot salary hike soon. Moreover, the company's initial 2017 cost guidance does not include any impact from these negotiations.</p>
<p>Throughout 2015 and 2016, lower fares became commonplace across the U.S. Coupled with an increase in overall capacity (available seat miles), Spirit says this led to "dramatic changes in pricing behavior in many U.S. markets" as larger carriers began to match fares offered by ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) like Spirit. In 2015, Delta began selling stripped-down Basic Economy fares designed to compete with the ULCCs. United and American have now followed suit, with other major carriers planning their own versions of stripped-down fares.</p>
<p>Spirit's nonticket revenue comes from fees for things like baggage, bookings by phone, advance seat selection, and itinerary changes. Nonticket revenue per passenger flight segment has grown from around $5 in 2006 to $52 in 2016. As a percentage of total revenue, nonticket revenue was 48.3% for 2016. The company also notes that nonticket revenue remains relatively stable during recessionary or lower-fare environments, helping smooth out results.</p>
<p>As noted, 2015 and 2016 saw Spirit suffering from a general low-fare environment, as well as price wars with some of its peers. While this certainly weighed on its results (and its share price), zooming out to get a multiyear picture shows a business still growing at a good clip, and -- importantly -- revenue continuing to grow faster than expenses.</p>
<p>Compound annual growth rates from 2012 to 2016:</p>
<p>Cancellations or delays tend to affect Spirit more severely than larger airlines due to its high aircraft utilization rate. Most of Spirit's competitors have the option to rebook disrupted passengers on other airlines with prearranged rates under something called flight interruption manifest agreements. However, Spirit has not been able to secure any of these agreements, making recovery from large-scale disruptions a lot more challenging.</p>
<p>Spirit's approach has generated solid results during good times and bad. By focusing on price-motivated travelers, Spirit remains nicely profitable even during rocky economic periods because it doesn't depend on business traffic or premium fares. On the flip side, in 2015 and 2016, low oil prices and increasing competition drove Spirit's unit revenue lower, but its lower costs produced margins that remained higher than the rest of the industry. In short, the company's low unit costs allow it to offer fares at levels where its primary competitors simply can't be profitable.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Spirit AirlinesWhen 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>
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<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/CMFGouldberg/info.aspx" type="external">Andy Gould</a> owns shares of Spirit Airlines. The Motley Fool recommends Spirit Airlines. 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</a>.</p> | 1,403 |
<p />
<p>The looming ‘fiscal cliff’ has prompted an unusual campaign on the part of a handful of high-profile CEOs seeking a swift conclusion to deficit reduction negotiations in Washington.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) Chief Executive Larry J. Merlo and Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) Chief Executive Greg Wasson released echoing statements Wednesday, each calling for a “bipartisan” solution to prevent the broad tax increases and across-the-board budget cuts tied to the fiscal cliff.</p>
<p>These statements followed similar sounding remarks released on Monday by Costco (NASDAQ:COST) CEO Craig Jelinek.</p>
<p>Citing their customer bases – described by CVS, for example, as “hard working American families” – the company leaders said consumers across the U.S. will suffer under tax increases automatically imposed if the president and Congress fail to reach a budget deficit agreement by Jan. 1.</p>
<p>Jelinek noted that Costco employs over 115,000 workers in the U.S., “most of whom are middle class family wage earners.”</p>
<p>Walgreens’ Wasson said U.S. companies large and small will benefit from the “fiscal clarity” created by a deal.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>If the president and Congress fail to reach a deal by the Jan. 1 deadline a number of past tax cuts will expire, leading to an estimated annual tax increase of $3,500 per family, according to the Tax Policy Center. At the same time, mandated 9% federal budget cuts -- known as sequestration -- required if no deal is reached could eliminate tens of thousands of jobs.</p>
<p>Many economists believe the U.S. will fall back into recession if the tax increases and budget cuts known as the 'fiscal cliff' go into effect.</p>
<p>“From a pure business perspective it’s not at all surprising that these companies would not want the fiscal cliff to happen,” said Stan Collender, a partner at Qorvis Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, and a former staffer to both the House and Senate Budget Committees.</p>
<p>Simply put, if taxes rise for middle-class Americans it will cut into their discretionary spending and hurt the bottom lines of companies like CVS Caremark, Walgreens and Costco, said Collender.</p>
<p>Collender suggested the likelihood of “some orchestration” behind the similarly-themed statements, prompted perhaps by one or more large national pro-business groups.</p>
<p>“Things like this don’t happen by accident,” he said.</p>
<p>Noting that none of the CEOs’ statements offered specific solutions for digging the U.S. out of its $16 trillion hole, Collender said the lack of plans suggests to him that the corporate leaders may be comfortable with the status quo of high deficits as opposed to the alternatives: higher taxes and massive budget cuts.</p>
<p>In recent weeks, especially since the presidential election, Collender said he’s seen an increased interest in the “let the peasants storm the castle with pitchforks” strategy.</p>
<p>In other words, he explained, the severe impact of layoffs, program cutbacks, tax increases and stock market declines will convince people (and politicians) that higher budget deficits are the preferable alternative.</p>
<p>In the end, however, the CEOs’ statements are “irrelevant,” said Collender. “It’s not going to change any votes, but it puts them on the record as wanting a deal.”</p>
<p>Kay Bell, a tax analyst at Bankrate.com, said the CEOs likely had both practical and political reasons for issuing their statements.</p>
<p>First, the corporate leaders undoubtedly recall the debt ceiling battle of 2011. As part of a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling that summer, the president and Congress put off a budget-cutting deal until Jan. 1, 2013, creating the "fiscal cliff" deadline. In response, Standard &amp; Poor’s cut the U.S. credit rating for the first time in history.</p>
<p>“I think the CEOs just want to add their emphasis on this, to put a little fire under Congress to get something done,” said Bell.</p>
<p>The CEOs are also seeking clarity, she said. “Uncertainty is one of the biggest drivers pushing markets down. They (the CEOs) want some finality, some certainty -- as much as one can ever hope for from Washington.”</p>
<p>Finally, Bell suggested a political angle to the statements, an olive branch to the Obama administration from business leaders who turned their back on the president this election cycle after backing him in 2008.</p>
<p>“It’s well known businesses didn’t support Obama during the election. They were banking on Romney winning. I think this is an opportunity for them to smooth over the rough patch created by the mass support of Mr. Romney,” she said. “This is a chance to make nice and support what’s best for the country.”</p> | CEOs Launch Campaign Against Fiscal Cliff | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2012/11/21/ceos-launch-campaign-against-fiscal-cliff.html | 2016-03-03 | 0right
| CEOs Launch Campaign Against Fiscal Cliff
<p />
<p>The looming ‘fiscal cliff’ has prompted an unusual campaign on the part of a handful of high-profile CEOs seeking a swift conclusion to deficit reduction negotiations in Washington.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>CVS Caremark (NYSE:CVS) Chief Executive Larry J. Merlo and Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) Chief Executive Greg Wasson released echoing statements Wednesday, each calling for a “bipartisan” solution to prevent the broad tax increases and across-the-board budget cuts tied to the fiscal cliff.</p>
<p>These statements followed similar sounding remarks released on Monday by Costco (NASDAQ:COST) CEO Craig Jelinek.</p>
<p>Citing their customer bases – described by CVS, for example, as “hard working American families” – the company leaders said consumers across the U.S. will suffer under tax increases automatically imposed if the president and Congress fail to reach a budget deficit agreement by Jan. 1.</p>
<p>Jelinek noted that Costco employs over 115,000 workers in the U.S., “most of whom are middle class family wage earners.”</p>
<p>Walgreens’ Wasson said U.S. companies large and small will benefit from the “fiscal clarity” created by a deal.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>If the president and Congress fail to reach a deal by the Jan. 1 deadline a number of past tax cuts will expire, leading to an estimated annual tax increase of $3,500 per family, according to the Tax Policy Center. At the same time, mandated 9% federal budget cuts -- known as sequestration -- required if no deal is reached could eliminate tens of thousands of jobs.</p>
<p>Many economists believe the U.S. will fall back into recession if the tax increases and budget cuts known as the 'fiscal cliff' go into effect.</p>
<p>“From a pure business perspective it’s not at all surprising that these companies would not want the fiscal cliff to happen,” said Stan Collender, a partner at Qorvis Communications, a Washington, D.C.-based firm, and a former staffer to both the House and Senate Budget Committees.</p>
<p>Simply put, if taxes rise for middle-class Americans it will cut into their discretionary spending and hurt the bottom lines of companies like CVS Caremark, Walgreens and Costco, said Collender.</p>
<p>Collender suggested the likelihood of “some orchestration” behind the similarly-themed statements, prompted perhaps by one or more large national pro-business groups.</p>
<p>“Things like this don’t happen by accident,” he said.</p>
<p>Noting that none of the CEOs’ statements offered specific solutions for digging the U.S. out of its $16 trillion hole, Collender said the lack of plans suggests to him that the corporate leaders may be comfortable with the status quo of high deficits as opposed to the alternatives: higher taxes and massive budget cuts.</p>
<p>In recent weeks, especially since the presidential election, Collender said he’s seen an increased interest in the “let the peasants storm the castle with pitchforks” strategy.</p>
<p>In other words, he explained, the severe impact of layoffs, program cutbacks, tax increases and stock market declines will convince people (and politicians) that higher budget deficits are the preferable alternative.</p>
<p>In the end, however, the CEOs’ statements are “irrelevant,” said Collender. “It’s not going to change any votes, but it puts them on the record as wanting a deal.”</p>
<p>Kay Bell, a tax analyst at Bankrate.com, said the CEOs likely had both practical and political reasons for issuing their statements.</p>
<p>First, the corporate leaders undoubtedly recall the debt ceiling battle of 2011. As part of a deal to raise the U.S. debt ceiling that summer, the president and Congress put off a budget-cutting deal until Jan. 1, 2013, creating the "fiscal cliff" deadline. In response, Standard &amp; Poor’s cut the U.S. credit rating for the first time in history.</p>
<p>“I think the CEOs just want to add their emphasis on this, to put a little fire under Congress to get something done,” said Bell.</p>
<p>The CEOs are also seeking clarity, she said. “Uncertainty is one of the biggest drivers pushing markets down. They (the CEOs) want some finality, some certainty -- as much as one can ever hope for from Washington.”</p>
<p>Finally, Bell suggested a political angle to the statements, an olive branch to the Obama administration from business leaders who turned their back on the president this election cycle after backing him in 2008.</p>
<p>“It’s well known businesses didn’t support Obama during the election. They were banking on Romney winning. I think this is an opportunity for them to smooth over the rough patch created by the mass support of Mr. Romney,” she said. “This is a chance to make nice and support what’s best for the country.”</p> | 1,404 |
<p>Viktorus/Shutterstock</p>
<p />
<p>Less than 1 percent of US power plants produce nearly a third of the energy industry’s carbon emissions, according to a <a href="http://environmentamericacenter.org/sites/environment/wp-content/uploads/reports/Dirty%20Power%20Plants.pdf" type="external">new report</a> released Tuesday. “If the 50 most-polluting U.S. power plants&#160;were an independent nation,” reads the report from&#160;Environment America Research &amp; Policy Center, an independent nonprofit,&#160;“they would be&#160;the seventh-largest emitter of carbon dioxide&#160;in the world, behind Germany and ahead of South Korea.” The vast majority of the top 100 offenders—98 of them in fact—are coal plants.</p>
<p>The report, which comes in advance of a Environmental Protection Agency proposal on emissions standards for new power plants expected later this month, claims that cleaning up the biggest polluters could have an outsized impact on reducing greenhouse gases. A March EPA proposal suggested capping carbon production at 1,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour produced for new plants. That’s well below the 3,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour the dirtiest existing plants produce. Standards for existing plants are in the works, too—the EPA’s proposal is supposed to be submitted by June 2014 and finalized the following year.&#160;Even if the standards are weakened in the approval process, the average coal plant still produces more than twice as much carbon than allowed by the cap. That means new coal plants are&#160;“highly unlikely” to&#160;meet the EPA’s target, according to the report.</p>
<p />
<p>Today, the 50 dirtiest plants in the United States—all coal-fired—account for 2 percent of the world’s energy-related carbon pollution each year. That’s equal to the annual emissions from half of America’s <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/23/car-population_n_934291.html" type="external">240 million cars</a>. The 100 dirtiest plants—a tiny fraction of the country’s 6,000 power plants—account for a fifth of all US carbon emissions. According to the report, curbing the emissions of the worst offenders in the United States “is one of the most effective ways&#160;to reduce U.S. global warming pollution…reducing the risk that&#160;emissions will reach a level that triggers dangerous,&#160;irreversible climate change impacts.”</p>
<p>The United States has <a href="" type="internal">been trending</a> <a href="" type="internal">away from coal</a>, and a recent spate of <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-11/business/ct-biz-ameren-dynegy-20130811_1_plants-julien-dumoulin-smith-midwest-generation" type="external">bankruptcies&#160;and closings</a> have thrown the future of coal-fired plants, and their potential for profit,&#160;into question. If the new EPA standards don’t change the US energy landscape, it’s possible that glut of <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2013/04/23/4-reasons-coal-declines-even-as-natural-gas-prices-rise-eia/" type="external">cheap natural gas</a> and looming expensive upgrades for coal plants <a href="http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/06/04/report-as-natural-gas-displaces-coal-carbon-emissions-fall/" type="external">will</a>.</p>
<p>Here are the top 10 dirtiest plants in the states, and their yearly emissions:</p>
<p>""You can see the full list <a href="http://environmentamericacenter.org/sites/environment/wp-content/uploads/reports/Dirty%20Power%20Plants.pdf" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p /> | 1 Percent of America’s Power Plants Emit 33 Percent of Energy Industry’s Carbon | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/50-dirtiest-power-plants-us/ | 2013-09-11 | 4left
| 1 Percent of America’s Power Plants Emit 33 Percent of Energy Industry’s Carbon
<p>Viktorus/Shutterstock</p>
<p />
<p>Less than 1 percent of US power plants produce nearly a third of the energy industry’s carbon emissions, according to a <a href="http://environmentamericacenter.org/sites/environment/wp-content/uploads/reports/Dirty%20Power%20Plants.pdf" type="external">new report</a> released Tuesday. “If the 50 most-polluting U.S. power plants&#160;were an independent nation,” reads the report from&#160;Environment America Research &amp; Policy Center, an independent nonprofit,&#160;“they would be&#160;the seventh-largest emitter of carbon dioxide&#160;in the world, behind Germany and ahead of South Korea.” The vast majority of the top 100 offenders—98 of them in fact—are coal plants.</p>
<p>The report, which comes in advance of a Environmental Protection Agency proposal on emissions standards for new power plants expected later this month, claims that cleaning up the biggest polluters could have an outsized impact on reducing greenhouse gases. A March EPA proposal suggested capping carbon production at 1,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour produced for new plants. That’s well below the 3,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour the dirtiest existing plants produce. Standards for existing plants are in the works, too—the EPA’s proposal is supposed to be submitted by June 2014 and finalized the following year.&#160;Even if the standards are weakened in the approval process, the average coal plant still produces more than twice as much carbon than allowed by the cap. That means new coal plants are&#160;“highly unlikely” to&#160;meet the EPA’s target, according to the report.</p>
<p />
<p>Today, the 50 dirtiest plants in the United States—all coal-fired—account for 2 percent of the world’s energy-related carbon pollution each year. That’s equal to the annual emissions from half of America’s <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/23/car-population_n_934291.html" type="external">240 million cars</a>. The 100 dirtiest plants—a tiny fraction of the country’s 6,000 power plants—account for a fifth of all US carbon emissions. According to the report, curbing the emissions of the worst offenders in the United States “is one of the most effective ways&#160;to reduce U.S. global warming pollution…reducing the risk that&#160;emissions will reach a level that triggers dangerous,&#160;irreversible climate change impacts.”</p>
<p>The United States has <a href="" type="internal">been trending</a> <a href="" type="internal">away from coal</a>, and a recent spate of <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-08-11/business/ct-biz-ameren-dynegy-20130811_1_plants-julien-dumoulin-smith-midwest-generation" type="external">bankruptcies&#160;and closings</a> have thrown the future of coal-fired plants, and their potential for profit,&#160;into question. If the new EPA standards don’t change the US energy landscape, it’s possible that glut of <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2013/04/23/4-reasons-coal-declines-even-as-natural-gas-prices-rise-eia/" type="external">cheap natural gas</a> and looming expensive upgrades for coal plants <a href="http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/06/04/report-as-natural-gas-displaces-coal-carbon-emissions-fall/" type="external">will</a>.</p>
<p>Here are the top 10 dirtiest plants in the states, and their yearly emissions:</p>
<p>""You can see the full list <a href="http://environmentamericacenter.org/sites/environment/wp-content/uploads/reports/Dirty%20Power%20Plants.pdf" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p /> | 1,405 |
<p>Many public health professionals are increasingly concerned about the rapid adoption of e-cigarettes by teens. Now the nation’s leading group of pediatricians is calling for stronger rules to protect teens and younger children from “vaping.”</p>
<p>The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its policy statement earlier this week, according to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pediatricians-urge-stronger-regulation-of-tobacco-e-cigarettes/" type="external">CBS News</a>. The doctors’ group is calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco, in line with its authority to regulate traditional cigarettes.</p>
<p>E-cigarette use among teens and young adults is skyrocketing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 2014 survey of young adults found that they use e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco products.</p>
<p>Experts say that nicotine delivered by any tobacco products including e-cigarettes can be especially damaging to teens’ developing brains.</p>
<p>In addition to raising the age for purchasing e-cigarettes to 21, 1he AAP is calling for stronger regulations including banning advertising to children and teens, and banning candy-flavored and other flavored products that are directed at children.</p>
<p>Such practices are already forbidden for companies that sell traditional cigarettes.</p>
<p>Nicotine is also highly toxic if ingested, yet many e-cigarettes and “e-liquids” are sold without child proof packaging. Poison center calls relating to nicotine incidents have increased dramatically, due to the rise of the e-cigarette market.</p>
<p>The AAP is calling for requiring child proof packaging, and also for expanding smoke-free laws to include e-cigarettes.</p>
<p /> | Pediatricians’ group calls e-cigarette use by adolescents “alarming and dangerous” | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/10/29/pediatricians-group-calls-e-cigarette-use-by-adolescents-alarming-and-dangerous/ | 2015-10-29 | 3left-center
| Pediatricians’ group calls e-cigarette use by adolescents “alarming and dangerous”
<p>Many public health professionals are increasingly concerned about the rapid adoption of e-cigarettes by teens. Now the nation’s leading group of pediatricians is calling for stronger rules to protect teens and younger children from “vaping.”</p>
<p>The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released its policy statement earlier this week, according to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pediatricians-urge-stronger-regulation-of-tobacco-e-cigarettes/" type="external">CBS News</a>. The doctors’ group is calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco, in line with its authority to regulate traditional cigarettes.</p>
<p>E-cigarette use among teens and young adults is skyrocketing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 2014 survey of young adults found that they use e-cigarettes more than any other tobacco products.</p>
<p>Experts say that nicotine delivered by any tobacco products including e-cigarettes can be especially damaging to teens’ developing brains.</p>
<p>In addition to raising the age for purchasing e-cigarettes to 21, 1he AAP is calling for stronger regulations including banning advertising to children and teens, and banning candy-flavored and other flavored products that are directed at children.</p>
<p>Such practices are already forbidden for companies that sell traditional cigarettes.</p>
<p>Nicotine is also highly toxic if ingested, yet many e-cigarettes and “e-liquids” are sold without child proof packaging. Poison center calls relating to nicotine incidents have increased dramatically, due to the rise of the e-cigarette market.</p>
<p>The AAP is calling for requiring child proof packaging, and also for expanding smoke-free laws to include e-cigarettes.</p>
<p /> | 1,406 |
<p>The latest report by the Commonwealth Fund confirms what we already know; Americans pay more for health care and have poorer health compared with people living in nations that spend less on health care yet enjoy better health.</p>
<p>It is generally assumed that lack of access to medical care is to blame for America’s abysmal health statistics and that improved access will remedy the situation. This is mistaken. Lack of access is just one indicator of the social inequality that is driving America’s health crisis.</p>
<p>The myth that good health is a product of the health-care system was fueled by the expansion of the welfare state after World War II. The establishment of the British National Health Service (NHS) in 1948 was accompanied by improved population health and a reduction in the difference in death rates between the social classes. Politicians claimed that the NHS had produced these benefits, but later studies revealed that improved health follows a rise in the general standard of living and a reduction in class inequality, as occurred in Britain after the war.</p>
<p>To investigate the link between health and inequality, researchers examined workers in the highly stratified British civil service. Despite all the subjects enjoying decent pay and equal access to health care, the risks of illness and premature death increased as one moved down the social hierarchy. These health differences were significant and could not be accounted for by differences in smoking, diet or exercise.</p>
<p>Over the past 50 years, numerous studies have confirmed that social inequality is not only an independent factor in determining health, it is the most important factor. As social inequality increases, health deteriorates. This holds true for everyone living in an unequal society, not just those on the short end of the stick.</p>
<p>In 1998, the American Journal of Public Health published a study comparing income inequality with death rates in 282 American cities. Greater inequality was associated with higher death rates at all income levels. Areas with the greatest inequality suffered 140 additional deaths for every 100,000 people per year compared to areas with the lowest inequality. The difference in death rates was comparable to the combined loss of life from lung cancer, diabetes, motor vehicle crashes, HIV infection, suicide and homicide. There is no consensus on why inequality is so health-damaging, but there is no longer any question that it is.</p>
<p>Class inequality in the U.S. has risen steadily since the 1970s, when Corporate America pushed to raise productivity by driving down workers’ living standards. The result has been growing inequality, deteriorating health and the emergence of poverty epidemics like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in the world’s richest nation.</p>
<p>The U.S. has the worst health statistics in the industrialized world because it is the most unequal society in the industrialized world. This inequality is the source of America’s economic success and its continued position as global super-power. Forced to compete with the U.S., other industrialized nations including the U.K., Canada and the European Union are dismantling and privatizing their own national health-care systems. Breaking the stalemate</p>
<p>In matters of health, Corporate America is caught between a rock and a hard place. Increasing productivity requires a basic level of fitness within the working class; however, paying for this in the form of higher wages, employee benefits or higher taxes decreases productivity. This conflict finds expression in the demand for a more effective health-care system and the failure to provide one. Simply arguing that the current system is unfair, ineffective and overly expensive will not be enough to break this stalemate.</p>
<p>In the past, universal health care was won through mass struggle. Germany established the first European national medical plan in 1883 to avoid a revolutionary upheaval like the one that shook France in 1871. In Britain, the 1911 National Insurance Act was rushed through Parliament during a mass strike wave. In 1943, a Conservative member of the British Parliament warned, “If you don’t give the people reform they are going to give you revolution.” The British NHS was part of a social welfare program to stabilize relations between capital and labor after the war. Canadian unions won a national health plan in 1972, the year of the Quebec General Strike.</p>
<p>In the U.S., the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the American Federation of Labor pushed for a national health program after World War II. The ruling class preferred to build the world’s biggest military machine. America’s Cold War with Russia provided the opportunity to attack the unions and gut them of militants. That defeat explains why there is still no labor party in the U.S. and no national health plan.</p>
<p>The accumulation of profit at the top of society creates an accumulation of sickness at the bottom. No form of health-care system can reverse the health-damaging effects of rising inequality. The current debate on health-care must go beyond discussions of the best way to manage the carnage created by capitalism.</p>
<p>At the Cannes screening of Sicko, Michael Moore states, “The bigger issue in the film is, ‘Who are we as a people?'” Human health is not a commodity that can be churned out by the right kind of health-care system. Human sickness is a product of sick social relationships, and human health is a product of healthy social relationships. The quality of our medical system is a result and a reflection of those relationships.</p>
<p>Dr. Susan Rosenthal has been practicing medicine for more than 30 years and has written many articles on the relationship between health and human relationships. She is also the author of Striking Flint: Genora (Johnson) Dollinger Remembers the 1936-1937 General Motors Sit-Down Strike (1996) and Market Madness and Mental Illness: The Crisis in Mental Health Care (1999) and <a href="http://www.powerandpowerlessness.com/" type="external">Power and Powerlessness.</a> She is a member of the National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981. She can be reached through her blog: <a href="http://www.powerandpowerlessness.typepad.com/" type="external">www.powerandpowerlessness.typepad.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | What’s Missing from the Health Care Debate | true | https://counterpunch.org/2007/05/25/what-s-missing-from-the-health-care-debate/ | 2007-05-25 | 4left
| What’s Missing from the Health Care Debate
<p>The latest report by the Commonwealth Fund confirms what we already know; Americans pay more for health care and have poorer health compared with people living in nations that spend less on health care yet enjoy better health.</p>
<p>It is generally assumed that lack of access to medical care is to blame for America’s abysmal health statistics and that improved access will remedy the situation. This is mistaken. Lack of access is just one indicator of the social inequality that is driving America’s health crisis.</p>
<p>The myth that good health is a product of the health-care system was fueled by the expansion of the welfare state after World War II. The establishment of the British National Health Service (NHS) in 1948 was accompanied by improved population health and a reduction in the difference in death rates between the social classes. Politicians claimed that the NHS had produced these benefits, but later studies revealed that improved health follows a rise in the general standard of living and a reduction in class inequality, as occurred in Britain after the war.</p>
<p>To investigate the link between health and inequality, researchers examined workers in the highly stratified British civil service. Despite all the subjects enjoying decent pay and equal access to health care, the risks of illness and premature death increased as one moved down the social hierarchy. These health differences were significant and could not be accounted for by differences in smoking, diet or exercise.</p>
<p>Over the past 50 years, numerous studies have confirmed that social inequality is not only an independent factor in determining health, it is the most important factor. As social inequality increases, health deteriorates. This holds true for everyone living in an unequal society, not just those on the short end of the stick.</p>
<p>In 1998, the American Journal of Public Health published a study comparing income inequality with death rates in 282 American cities. Greater inequality was associated with higher death rates at all income levels. Areas with the greatest inequality suffered 140 additional deaths for every 100,000 people per year compared to areas with the lowest inequality. The difference in death rates was comparable to the combined loss of life from lung cancer, diabetes, motor vehicle crashes, HIV infection, suicide and homicide. There is no consensus on why inequality is so health-damaging, but there is no longer any question that it is.</p>
<p>Class inequality in the U.S. has risen steadily since the 1970s, when Corporate America pushed to raise productivity by driving down workers’ living standards. The result has been growing inequality, deteriorating health and the emergence of poverty epidemics like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in the world’s richest nation.</p>
<p>The U.S. has the worst health statistics in the industrialized world because it is the most unequal society in the industrialized world. This inequality is the source of America’s economic success and its continued position as global super-power. Forced to compete with the U.S., other industrialized nations including the U.K., Canada and the European Union are dismantling and privatizing their own national health-care systems. Breaking the stalemate</p>
<p>In matters of health, Corporate America is caught between a rock and a hard place. Increasing productivity requires a basic level of fitness within the working class; however, paying for this in the form of higher wages, employee benefits or higher taxes decreases productivity. This conflict finds expression in the demand for a more effective health-care system and the failure to provide one. Simply arguing that the current system is unfair, ineffective and overly expensive will not be enough to break this stalemate.</p>
<p>In the past, universal health care was won through mass struggle. Germany established the first European national medical plan in 1883 to avoid a revolutionary upheaval like the one that shook France in 1871. In Britain, the 1911 National Insurance Act was rushed through Parliament during a mass strike wave. In 1943, a Conservative member of the British Parliament warned, “If you don’t give the people reform they are going to give you revolution.” The British NHS was part of a social welfare program to stabilize relations between capital and labor after the war. Canadian unions won a national health plan in 1972, the year of the Quebec General Strike.</p>
<p>In the U.S., the Congress of Industrial Organizations and the American Federation of Labor pushed for a national health program after World War II. The ruling class preferred to build the world’s biggest military machine. America’s Cold War with Russia provided the opportunity to attack the unions and gut them of militants. That defeat explains why there is still no labor party in the U.S. and no national health plan.</p>
<p>The accumulation of profit at the top of society creates an accumulation of sickness at the bottom. No form of health-care system can reverse the health-damaging effects of rising inequality. The current debate on health-care must go beyond discussions of the best way to manage the carnage created by capitalism.</p>
<p>At the Cannes screening of Sicko, Michael Moore states, “The bigger issue in the film is, ‘Who are we as a people?'” Human health is not a commodity that can be churned out by the right kind of health-care system. Human sickness is a product of sick social relationships, and human health is a product of healthy social relationships. The quality of our medical system is a result and a reflection of those relationships.</p>
<p>Dr. Susan Rosenthal has been practicing medicine for more than 30 years and has written many articles on the relationship between health and human relationships. She is also the author of Striking Flint: Genora (Johnson) Dollinger Remembers the 1936-1937 General Motors Sit-Down Strike (1996) and Market Madness and Mental Illness: The Crisis in Mental Health Care (1999) and <a href="http://www.powerandpowerlessness.com/" type="external">Power and Powerlessness.</a> She is a member of the National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981. She can be reached through her blog: <a href="http://www.powerandpowerlessness.typepad.com/" type="external">www.powerandpowerlessness.typepad.com</a></p>
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<p>A little fragment of paradise named Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean has become part of an unfolding controversy about how vital clues to the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 could have been discovered much sooner than they were—and whether many more are waiting to be found.</p>
<p>Even on the largest and most detailed maps of the Indian Ocean, Rodrigues barely shows up. It is only 41.6 square miles in area—literally the tip of an extinct volcano, part of a ridge that extends for hundreds of miles, mostly underwater.</p>
<p>Like many other volcanic islands, Rodrigues is encircled by a coral reef that works as a natural breakwater, creating broad and shallow lagoons between it and land, and protecting many golden beaches.</p>
<p>Two weeks ago two guests at a budget hotel on the southeastern coast were enjoying one of those beaches when they spotted a piece of gray metal among some flotsam. When they examined it more closely they realized that they might have found a piece of debris from Flight 370.</p>
<p>Although the coral reef would naturally inhibit flotsam reaching the island’s inner coast, there is a gap in the reef close to the Mourouk Ebony Hotel where the guests were staying, resulting in a small channel allowing tidal movement to the beaches.</p>
<p>That piece of debris is now on its way to Australia, where it will be examined by experts who have already confirmed that other pieces of debris found on beaches in the western Indian Ocean were from the Malaysian Boeing 777.</p>
<p>If the debris from Rodrigues does turn out to be from Flight 370 the location of the island is particularly significant. It is part of the Republic of Mauritius but lies some 450 miles east of the main island of Mauritius—and around 550 miles east of the island of La Reunion, where the first piece of Flight 370 debris, a part of the wing called a flaperon, was discovered last July.</p>
<p>Any debris from the airplane will have drifted on currents across the Indian Ocean from east to west, originating in the area some 1,700 miles west of the Australian coast where searchers are looking for main parts of the wreckage presumed to be laying at great depths. Rodrigues would therefore have been, in all probability, the first landmass to intercept any debris.</p>
<p>Computer models run to estimate the time and course taken for wreckage to cross the Indian Ocean toward Africa have allowed 500 days as a rule-of-thumb number for the duration of the crossing. The flaperon was found 509 days from the date of Flight 370’s disappearance, March 8, 2014. By that measure, debris could first have reached Rodrigues in markedly less than 500 days.</p>
<p>Australian experts noted that wreckage found early this year in the Mozambique Channel (a broad sea passage between the Mozambique coast and Madagascar) was found 716 days after the disaster. But, they pointed out, “it had taken possibly much less time to get there.” And it had “probably spent a significant length of time either weathering in the sun and, or, washing back and forth in the sand at this or some other location.”</p>
<p>In saying this, the Australians explained what seemed to be an anomaly: the metal surface of the debris from Mozambique was scrubbed clean (clean enough to read the words “NO STEP” on its edge) whereas the much larger flaperon found on La Reunion was encrusted with barnacles, gathered during its passage. This seems to confirm that the flaperon was discovered within days of washing ashore, before it could be subjected to weathering and scrubbing on a beach.</p>
<p>Even if the wreckage found on Rodrigues proves not to be from Flight 370 the random nature of the confirmed discoveries and the fact that many miles of shoreline in the western Indian Ocean are unpopulated suggests, as one expert told The Daily Beast: “Useful pieces of wreckage for analysis could very well be laying somewhere on a beach, undiscovered and untouched.”</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>David Griffin of the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization, CSIRO, based in Australia, who worked on the computer modeling of debris drift patterns, told The Daily Beast, somewhat cryptically: “One way to think of it is this: If there were just three pieces to have landed on beaches, it’s pretty amazing that all three have been found.”</p>
<p>In fact, the total found so far could be five: the flaperon, two pieces in the Mozambique Channel, all confirmed as being from the Boeing 777, a fragment of a Rolls Royce engine casing found on a South African beach and the piece found on Rodrigues, both of these awaiting expert inspection in Australia.</p>
<p>The Daily Beast asked a spokesman for the Australian Transport Safety Board, ATSB, which leads both the underwater search and the inspection of debris, whether in view of the value of even the smallest piece of debris once that it is established that it is from Flight MH370, it is not time for a more systematic search to be made of the coastlines where the highest likelihood exists of finding debris.</p>
<p>He declined to reply and recommended that the question should be put to the Malaysian authorities in charge of the investigation in Kula Lumpur. This was done, but following a familiar pattern, the Malaysians did not respond to several requests for a reply.</p>
<p>After the discovery of the flaperon on La Reunion there was a short and perfunctory search by airplanes and helicopters of surrounding coastlines but it turned up nothing.</p>
<p>All of the debris has so far been found by a combination of amateur sleuthing, beachcombers and observation by people on vacation.</p>
<p>The ATSB has told the Daily Beast that the current undersea search will have cost as much as $180 million at its conclusion. Australia committed $60 million, China committed $20 million in assets and finance and the balance, in both assets and finance, came from Malaysia.</p>
<p>Experts I have spoken to argue that if only a small fraction of the money and resources devoted to the undersea search were devoted to a more systematic search of the coastlines where more debris almost certainly remains undiscovered it would surely be justified.</p>
<p>That said, finding the main body of the wreckage, and particularly the flight data recorders, remains by far the most important part of the search, and the only hope of ever really explaining what happened to create the greatest mystery in modern aviation history.</p>
<p>Of the 48, 263 square miles of the total undersea search area, 9,600 square miles remains to be searched—that is an area more or less exactly the size of Vermont. In February the ATSB said that they anticipated that the search will be completed by June.</p>
<p>“In the absence of credible new information leading to a specific location of the aircraft there will be no further expansion of the search area,” they said.</p>
<p>If—heaven forbid—the search is unsuccessful it will be a tough moment of reckoning and there will doubtless be pressure to reexamine the premise on which the search area was based.</p>
<p>That would also leave the floating debris as the only surviving evidence. And that, at the very least, does prove that the airplane crashed into the Indian Ocean, and did not—as some conspiracy theories proposed—get snatched by some unseen hand to be diverted to a hidden location on land.</p>
<p>Each piece of floating debris, no matter how small, has its own story to tell when investigators examine it. The more pieces that are discovered, the more that can be understood about, for example, how different parts of the airplane were torn away on impact with the water and, possibly, in what sequence. And, based on what has been found, there is no evidence of fire or an explosion playing a role. It is not enough, but in the absence of anything else it is better than knowing nothing.</p> | Why Is the Search for MH370 Debris Being Left to Amateurs? | true | https://thedailybeast.com/why-is-the-search-for-mh370-debris-being-left-to-amateurs | 2018-10-03 | 4left
| Why Is the Search for MH370 Debris Being Left to Amateurs?
<p>A little fragment of paradise named Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean has become part of an unfolding controversy about how vital clues to the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 could have been discovered much sooner than they were—and whether many more are waiting to be found.</p>
<p>Even on the largest and most detailed maps of the Indian Ocean, Rodrigues barely shows up. It is only 41.6 square miles in area—literally the tip of an extinct volcano, part of a ridge that extends for hundreds of miles, mostly underwater.</p>
<p>Like many other volcanic islands, Rodrigues is encircled by a coral reef that works as a natural breakwater, creating broad and shallow lagoons between it and land, and protecting many golden beaches.</p>
<p>Two weeks ago two guests at a budget hotel on the southeastern coast were enjoying one of those beaches when they spotted a piece of gray metal among some flotsam. When they examined it more closely they realized that they might have found a piece of debris from Flight 370.</p>
<p>Although the coral reef would naturally inhibit flotsam reaching the island’s inner coast, there is a gap in the reef close to the Mourouk Ebony Hotel where the guests were staying, resulting in a small channel allowing tidal movement to the beaches.</p>
<p>That piece of debris is now on its way to Australia, where it will be examined by experts who have already confirmed that other pieces of debris found on beaches in the western Indian Ocean were from the Malaysian Boeing 777.</p>
<p>If the debris from Rodrigues does turn out to be from Flight 370 the location of the island is particularly significant. It is part of the Republic of Mauritius but lies some 450 miles east of the main island of Mauritius—and around 550 miles east of the island of La Reunion, where the first piece of Flight 370 debris, a part of the wing called a flaperon, was discovered last July.</p>
<p>Any debris from the airplane will have drifted on currents across the Indian Ocean from east to west, originating in the area some 1,700 miles west of the Australian coast where searchers are looking for main parts of the wreckage presumed to be laying at great depths. Rodrigues would therefore have been, in all probability, the first landmass to intercept any debris.</p>
<p>Computer models run to estimate the time and course taken for wreckage to cross the Indian Ocean toward Africa have allowed 500 days as a rule-of-thumb number for the duration of the crossing. The flaperon was found 509 days from the date of Flight 370’s disappearance, March 8, 2014. By that measure, debris could first have reached Rodrigues in markedly less than 500 days.</p>
<p>Australian experts noted that wreckage found early this year in the Mozambique Channel (a broad sea passage between the Mozambique coast and Madagascar) was found 716 days after the disaster. But, they pointed out, “it had taken possibly much less time to get there.” And it had “probably spent a significant length of time either weathering in the sun and, or, washing back and forth in the sand at this or some other location.”</p>
<p>In saying this, the Australians explained what seemed to be an anomaly: the metal surface of the debris from Mozambique was scrubbed clean (clean enough to read the words “NO STEP” on its edge) whereas the much larger flaperon found on La Reunion was encrusted with barnacles, gathered during its passage. This seems to confirm that the flaperon was discovered within days of washing ashore, before it could be subjected to weathering and scrubbing on a beach.</p>
<p>Even if the wreckage found on Rodrigues proves not to be from Flight 370 the random nature of the confirmed discoveries and the fact that many miles of shoreline in the western Indian Ocean are unpopulated suggests, as one expert told The Daily Beast: “Useful pieces of wreckage for analysis could very well be laying somewhere on a beach, undiscovered and untouched.”</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>David Griffin of the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization, CSIRO, based in Australia, who worked on the computer modeling of debris drift patterns, told The Daily Beast, somewhat cryptically: “One way to think of it is this: If there were just three pieces to have landed on beaches, it’s pretty amazing that all three have been found.”</p>
<p>In fact, the total found so far could be five: the flaperon, two pieces in the Mozambique Channel, all confirmed as being from the Boeing 777, a fragment of a Rolls Royce engine casing found on a South African beach and the piece found on Rodrigues, both of these awaiting expert inspection in Australia.</p>
<p>The Daily Beast asked a spokesman for the Australian Transport Safety Board, ATSB, which leads both the underwater search and the inspection of debris, whether in view of the value of even the smallest piece of debris once that it is established that it is from Flight MH370, it is not time for a more systematic search to be made of the coastlines where the highest likelihood exists of finding debris.</p>
<p>He declined to reply and recommended that the question should be put to the Malaysian authorities in charge of the investigation in Kula Lumpur. This was done, but following a familiar pattern, the Malaysians did not respond to several requests for a reply.</p>
<p>After the discovery of the flaperon on La Reunion there was a short and perfunctory search by airplanes and helicopters of surrounding coastlines but it turned up nothing.</p>
<p>All of the debris has so far been found by a combination of amateur sleuthing, beachcombers and observation by people on vacation.</p>
<p>The ATSB has told the Daily Beast that the current undersea search will have cost as much as $180 million at its conclusion. Australia committed $60 million, China committed $20 million in assets and finance and the balance, in both assets and finance, came from Malaysia.</p>
<p>Experts I have spoken to argue that if only a small fraction of the money and resources devoted to the undersea search were devoted to a more systematic search of the coastlines where more debris almost certainly remains undiscovered it would surely be justified.</p>
<p>That said, finding the main body of the wreckage, and particularly the flight data recorders, remains by far the most important part of the search, and the only hope of ever really explaining what happened to create the greatest mystery in modern aviation history.</p>
<p>Of the 48, 263 square miles of the total undersea search area, 9,600 square miles remains to be searched—that is an area more or less exactly the size of Vermont. In February the ATSB said that they anticipated that the search will be completed by June.</p>
<p>“In the absence of credible new information leading to a specific location of the aircraft there will be no further expansion of the search area,” they said.</p>
<p>If—heaven forbid—the search is unsuccessful it will be a tough moment of reckoning and there will doubtless be pressure to reexamine the premise on which the search area was based.</p>
<p>That would also leave the floating debris as the only surviving evidence. And that, at the very least, does prove that the airplane crashed into the Indian Ocean, and did not—as some conspiracy theories proposed—get snatched by some unseen hand to be diverted to a hidden location on land.</p>
<p>Each piece of floating debris, no matter how small, has its own story to tell when investigators examine it. The more pieces that are discovered, the more that can be understood about, for example, how different parts of the airplane were torn away on impact with the water and, possibly, in what sequence. And, based on what has been found, there is no evidence of fire or an explosion playing a role. It is not enough, but in the absence of anything else it is better than knowing nothing.</p> | 1,408 |
<p>President Donald Trump signs an executive order concerning oil pipelines on Tuesday.Shawn Thew/Zuma</p>
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump is considering reopening the notorious CIA “black site” prisons, undoing <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20151211191931/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/ensuring-lawful-interrogations" type="external">the ban imposed by President Barack Obama</a>, after his new CIA director suggested he’d be open to using torture methods on detainees.</p>
<p>The administration’s plans <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/us/politics/cia-detainee-prisons.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news&amp;mtrref=www.nytimes.com&amp;gwh=D5E789B703221909D6BDD11C8C08BBBF&amp;gwt=pay&amp;_r=0" type="external">were reported by the New York Times on Wednesday</a> after the paper obtained a draft executive order titled “Detention and Interrogation of Enemy Combatants.” The order would roll back many of the restrictions on detainee interrogations and detention that Obama put in place, including one that gave the International Committee of the Red Cross access to all detainees in US custody. But in his daily press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the draft was “not a White House document.”</p>
<p>The CIA’s black sites were <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/7/poland-cia-blacksiteeuropeancourthumanrightstorture.html" type="external">a series of facilities located in various countries</a> around the world where the CIA detained, questioned, and often tortured detainees with practices including waterboarding, confinement in small boxes, beatings, and extreme sleep deprivation. They were <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101644.html" type="external">exposed in 2005 by the Washington Post’s Dana Priest.</a></p>
<p>The draft doesn’t direct the CIA to reopen the sites immediately, but it requests policy reviews to make recommendations to Trump. As the Times‘ Charlie Savage notes, Trump pledged during the presidential campaign to reinstate waterboarding and a “hell of a lot worse” and said that even if torture tactics didn’t work, the detainees “deserve it anyway.”</p>
<p>Throughout the draft, phrases such as “jihadist” and “global war on terrorism” are crossed out and replaced with “Islamist,” “radical Islamist terrorism,” and similar phrases.</p>
<p>Shortly after news of the order broke, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) released a statement condemning the use of torture. “The President can sign whatever executive orders he likes,” McCain said. “But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.”</p>
<p>The draft order comes five days after Mike Pompeo, since confirmed as CIA director, suggested he was open to torture techniques. In written answers to the Senate Intelligence Committee after his January 12 confirmation hearing, Pompeo <a href="" type="internal">seemed to leave the door open for a review</a> of the ban on torture methods such as waterboarding. During his hearing, Pompeo had given a seemingly contradictory answer, saying he would “absolutely not” restart the CIA’s use of such techniques and adding that he couldn’t “imagine [he] would be asked by the president-elect or then-president” to have the CIA torture someone.</p>
<p>The full three-page draft, <a href="http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/read-the-draft-of-the-executive-order-on-cia-black-sites/2288/" type="external">posted in full by the Washington Post later Wednesday morning</a> (and later by the Times), lays out the rationale for the review:</p>
<p>Our Nation remains engaged in a global armed conflict with ISIS, al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other associated international jihadist Islamist terrorist groups. This conflict is not of our choosing, but was declared against us by the jihadist terrorist organizations groups that have plotted and carried out mass attacks against the United States, its citizens, and its allies beginning well before the atrocities of September 11, 2001, and continuing to this day…Experience has also shown that obtaining critical intelligence information is vital to taking determined offensive action, including military action, against those groups that make war on us and that are actively plotting further attacks.</p>
<p>While there have been continuity in many of the military and intelligence policies of the United States in the global war on terrorism, fight against radical Islam, the United States has refrained from exercising certain authorities critical to its defense.</p>
<p>The draft, which contains extensive editing notes, would rescind two of Obama’s executive orders: one to close the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the other to give the Red Cross access to all detainees. It also orders the director of national intelligence, the attorney general, and the director of the CIA to “recommend to the President whether to reinitiate a program of interrogation of high-value alien terrorists to be operated outside the United States and whether such program should include the use of detention facilities operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).”</p>
<p>This story has been updated to include the statement from McCain and the comment from Spicer.</p>
<p /> | Trump Is Reportedly Considering Reopening CIA “Black Site” Prisons | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/reports-trump-administration-exploring-re-opening-cia-black-sites/ | 2017-01-25 | 4left
| Trump Is Reportedly Considering Reopening CIA “Black Site” Prisons
<p>President Donald Trump signs an executive order concerning oil pipelines on Tuesday.Shawn Thew/Zuma</p>
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump is considering reopening the notorious CIA “black site” prisons, undoing <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20151211191931/https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/ensuring-lawful-interrogations" type="external">the ban imposed by President Barack Obama</a>, after his new CIA director suggested he’d be open to using torture methods on detainees.</p>
<p>The administration’s plans <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/us/politics/cia-detainee-prisons.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=first-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news&amp;mtrref=www.nytimes.com&amp;gwh=D5E789B703221909D6BDD11C8C08BBBF&amp;gwt=pay&amp;_r=0" type="external">were reported by the New York Times on Wednesday</a> after the paper obtained a draft executive order titled “Detention and Interrogation of Enemy Combatants.” The order would roll back many of the restrictions on detainee interrogations and detention that Obama put in place, including one that gave the International Committee of the Red Cross access to all detainees in US custody. But in his daily press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the draft was “not a White House document.”</p>
<p>The CIA’s black sites were <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/7/poland-cia-blacksiteeuropeancourthumanrightstorture.html" type="external">a series of facilities located in various countries</a> around the world where the CIA detained, questioned, and often tortured detainees with practices including waterboarding, confinement in small boxes, beatings, and extreme sleep deprivation. They were <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/01/AR2005110101644.html" type="external">exposed in 2005 by the Washington Post’s Dana Priest.</a></p>
<p>The draft doesn’t direct the CIA to reopen the sites immediately, but it requests policy reviews to make recommendations to Trump. As the Times‘ Charlie Savage notes, Trump pledged during the presidential campaign to reinstate waterboarding and a “hell of a lot worse” and said that even if torture tactics didn’t work, the detainees “deserve it anyway.”</p>
<p>Throughout the draft, phrases such as “jihadist” and “global war on terrorism” are crossed out and replaced with “Islamist,” “radical Islamist terrorism,” and similar phrases.</p>
<p>Shortly after news of the order broke, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) released a statement condemning the use of torture. “The President can sign whatever executive orders he likes,” McCain said. “But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.”</p>
<p>The draft order comes five days after Mike Pompeo, since confirmed as CIA director, suggested he was open to torture techniques. In written answers to the Senate Intelligence Committee after his January 12 confirmation hearing, Pompeo <a href="" type="internal">seemed to leave the door open for a review</a> of the ban on torture methods such as waterboarding. During his hearing, Pompeo had given a seemingly contradictory answer, saying he would “absolutely not” restart the CIA’s use of such techniques and adding that he couldn’t “imagine [he] would be asked by the president-elect or then-president” to have the CIA torture someone.</p>
<p>The full three-page draft, <a href="http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/read-the-draft-of-the-executive-order-on-cia-black-sites/2288/" type="external">posted in full by the Washington Post later Wednesday morning</a> (and later by the Times), lays out the rationale for the review:</p>
<p>Our Nation remains engaged in a global armed conflict with ISIS, al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other associated international jihadist Islamist terrorist groups. This conflict is not of our choosing, but was declared against us by the jihadist terrorist organizations groups that have plotted and carried out mass attacks against the United States, its citizens, and its allies beginning well before the atrocities of September 11, 2001, and continuing to this day…Experience has also shown that obtaining critical intelligence information is vital to taking determined offensive action, including military action, against those groups that make war on us and that are actively plotting further attacks.</p>
<p>While there have been continuity in many of the military and intelligence policies of the United States in the global war on terrorism, fight against radical Islam, the United States has refrained from exercising certain authorities critical to its defense.</p>
<p>The draft, which contains extensive editing notes, would rescind two of Obama’s executive orders: one to close the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and the other to give the Red Cross access to all detainees. It also orders the director of national intelligence, the attorney general, and the director of the CIA to “recommend to the President whether to reinitiate a program of interrogation of high-value alien terrorists to be operated outside the United States and whether such program should include the use of detention facilities operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).”</p>
<p>This story has been updated to include the statement from McCain and the comment from Spicer.</p>
<p /> | 1,409 |
<p>Through a careful review of recent history, Russia and Soviet scholar Paul Robinson debunks the claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is directing the rebels fighting in Ukraine’s eastern region.</p>
<p>“No plausible evidence has been produced to indicate that members of the Russian army were involved at the start of the uprising,” says Robinson of the civil war in the Donbass.</p>
<p>Robinson made his remarks in a panel titled “Who has done what, and why?” at the University of Toronto’s “Ukraine and Russia Peace Conference” on Feb. 22. He writes about foreign policy at <a href="https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/about/" type="external">Irrusianality</a>, a site devoted to understanding “the relationship between Russia and the West; and the apparently irrational decision making processes which dominate much of international relations.”</p>
<p>The clip above came to Truthdig via <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/profile/james-w-carden" type="external">James Carden</a>, a former adviser at the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs, contributing editor at The National Interest and contributor to The Nation magazine.</p>
<p />
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Alexander Reed Kelly</a>.</p> | Vladimir Putin Not Responsible for Ukrainian Civil War, Expert Says | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/vladimir-putin-not-responsible-for-ukrainian-civil-war-expert-says/ | 2015-03-21 | 4left
| Vladimir Putin Not Responsible for Ukrainian Civil War, Expert Says
<p>Through a careful review of recent history, Russia and Soviet scholar Paul Robinson debunks the claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is directing the rebels fighting in Ukraine’s eastern region.</p>
<p>“No plausible evidence has been produced to indicate that members of the Russian army were involved at the start of the uprising,” says Robinson of the civil war in the Donbass.</p>
<p>Robinson made his remarks in a panel titled “Who has done what, and why?” at the University of Toronto’s “Ukraine and Russia Peace Conference” on Feb. 22. He writes about foreign policy at <a href="https://irrussianality.wordpress.com/about/" type="external">Irrusianality</a>, a site devoted to understanding “the relationship between Russia and the West; and the apparently irrational decision making processes which dominate much of international relations.”</p>
<p>The clip above came to Truthdig via <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/profile/james-w-carden" type="external">James Carden</a>, a former adviser at the State Department’s Office of Russian Affairs, contributing editor at The National Interest and contributor to The Nation magazine.</p>
<p />
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Alexander Reed Kelly</a>.</p> | 1,410 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />I think anyone who follows me knows I absolutely adore Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. &#160;She has skyrocketed to being one of my favorite politicians. &#160;Her straight-forward talk, her tendency to say what many Americans have been saying for years and the way she comes off as someone who genuinely believes in what she’s saying — as opposed to the typical politician who seems to just say whatever they think will get them the most votes — is simply refreshing.</p>
<p>That being said, I think her running for president would be a giant mistake.</p>
<p>Listen, while I absolutely love her as a United States Senator, her power and charisma is best left where she can make the most difference — and that’s not in the White House.</p>
<p>I think at least one thing President Obama has taught many liberals is that being the president doesn’t really give you a whole lot of power. &#160;Sure, in this country the president is the one who takes the brunt of the blame because it’s a singular figure and it’s just easier to blame them. But the reality is that being the president doesn’t give you a great deal of power to create policy, let alone pass it.</p>
<p>The most a president can really do is threaten to use their veto power in hopes that the threat will force Congress to send legislation to their desk that they support.</p>
<p>But in our country, like it or not, Congress has most of the power. &#160;And Congress is where I think someone like Senator Warren can make the most difference.</p>
<p>While many liberals (including myself) are huge fans of Ms. Warren, she’ll never be a figure that gets real mainstream acceptance. &#160;She’s not a centrist. &#160;Which is a good thing for liberals when it comes to the Senate, just not as a president.</p>
<p>One of the issues I’ve always had with President Obama is I feel he needed a little more “seasoning.” &#160;He was idealistic, bold, full of bright new ideas and campaign promises — without knowing exactly what it is he was getting himself into. &#160;Don’t get me wrong, I believe he’s been a good president, I just think the way in which he handled certain situations made them worse than they needed to be.</p>
<p>It didn’t help that Republicans weren’t going to, under any circumstances, help him achieve anything. &#160;But he continually failed to control the message and often allowed Republicans to dictate “truth” to the American people. &#160;“Truth” which was almost always some right-wing lie.</p>
<p>Also, as senator, Warren can be more idealistic. &#160;She can say more of what’s on her mind. &#160;As president, like it or not, you’re forced to be a little less confrontational and must abide by a different set of rules.</p>
<p>I want to see Senator Warren rise to Senate leadership. &#160;I want to see Senator Warren turn the senate into a progressive movement against rampant corruption that’s taken over Wall Street and big business. &#160;I want to see her take on fools like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul year after year on the senate floor. &#160;I want to see her have the ability to stand there in the same room with these people and tell them we’re not taking their crap anymore — it’s time for real change.</p>
<p>Plus presidents are simply stretched too thin. &#160;As senator, Warren can focus on the handful of issues which she’s most passionate about. &#160;And in doing so, she stands a much better chance at bringing about real change.</p>
<p>Presidents just can’t do this. &#160;Sure they can be very influential, and we need the right person in the White House to help bring positive change to this country, but a president at their best is often one who has the right people behind them, with them bringing everything together.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Warren doesn’t strike me as that type of person. &#160;And again, that’s a good thing. &#160;Not everyone who’s a great political leader should be president. &#160;I see Warren’s best strengths as being an antagonist. &#160;She’s someone who can go blow for blow with right-wing insanity in the senate — and win.</p>
<p>But as president you can’t be that confrontational. &#160;You can’t be someone who’s always “shaking things up.” &#160;Presidential leadership and congressional leadership aren’t exactly the same. &#160;In fact, they’re often very different.</p>
<p>It’s like coaching. &#160;Some coaches make fantastic coordinators or assistant coaches, but they’re not nearly as effective as a head coach.</p>
<p>Now I’m sure plenty of liberals will completely disagree with what I’m saying here, and that’s fine.</p>
<p>I would just like to see Senator Warren make her legacy as the senator who changed the Senate. &#160;Because I believe that’s where her true strengths lie, and can be showcased for many years to come.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Elizabeth Warren Absolutely Hammers Right-Wing Partisan Games and Blatant Obstruction</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Here's Some Key Information Concerning the Possibility of Elizabeth Warren Running for President</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">After Clinton Endorsement, Rabid Sanders Supporters Trash Elizabeth Warren on Social Media</a></p>
<p>0 Facebook comments</p> | Why “President Elizabeth Warren” Would be a Huge Waste of a Great Senator | true | http://forwardprogressives.com/why-president-elizabeth-warren-would-be-a-huge-waste-of-a-great-senator/ | 2013-11-13 | 4left
| Why “President Elizabeth Warren” Would be a Huge Waste of a Great Senator
<p><a href="" type="internal" />I think anyone who follows me knows I absolutely adore Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren. &#160;She has skyrocketed to being one of my favorite politicians. &#160;Her straight-forward talk, her tendency to say what many Americans have been saying for years and the way she comes off as someone who genuinely believes in what she’s saying — as opposed to the typical politician who seems to just say whatever they think will get them the most votes — is simply refreshing.</p>
<p>That being said, I think her running for president would be a giant mistake.</p>
<p>Listen, while I absolutely love her as a United States Senator, her power and charisma is best left where she can make the most difference — and that’s not in the White House.</p>
<p>I think at least one thing President Obama has taught many liberals is that being the president doesn’t really give you a whole lot of power. &#160;Sure, in this country the president is the one who takes the brunt of the blame because it’s a singular figure and it’s just easier to blame them. But the reality is that being the president doesn’t give you a great deal of power to create policy, let alone pass it.</p>
<p>The most a president can really do is threaten to use their veto power in hopes that the threat will force Congress to send legislation to their desk that they support.</p>
<p>But in our country, like it or not, Congress has most of the power. &#160;And Congress is where I think someone like Senator Warren can make the most difference.</p>
<p>While many liberals (including myself) are huge fans of Ms. Warren, she’ll never be a figure that gets real mainstream acceptance. &#160;She’s not a centrist. &#160;Which is a good thing for liberals when it comes to the Senate, just not as a president.</p>
<p>One of the issues I’ve always had with President Obama is I feel he needed a little more “seasoning.” &#160;He was idealistic, bold, full of bright new ideas and campaign promises — without knowing exactly what it is he was getting himself into. &#160;Don’t get me wrong, I believe he’s been a good president, I just think the way in which he handled certain situations made them worse than they needed to be.</p>
<p>It didn’t help that Republicans weren’t going to, under any circumstances, help him achieve anything. &#160;But he continually failed to control the message and often allowed Republicans to dictate “truth” to the American people. &#160;“Truth” which was almost always some right-wing lie.</p>
<p>Also, as senator, Warren can be more idealistic. &#160;She can say more of what’s on her mind. &#160;As president, like it or not, you’re forced to be a little less confrontational and must abide by a different set of rules.</p>
<p>I want to see Senator Warren rise to Senate leadership. &#160;I want to see Senator Warren turn the senate into a progressive movement against rampant corruption that’s taken over Wall Street and big business. &#160;I want to see her take on fools like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul year after year on the senate floor. &#160;I want to see her have the ability to stand there in the same room with these people and tell them we’re not taking their crap anymore — it’s time for real change.</p>
<p>Plus presidents are simply stretched too thin. &#160;As senator, Warren can focus on the handful of issues which she’s most passionate about. &#160;And in doing so, she stands a much better chance at bringing about real change.</p>
<p>Presidents just can’t do this. &#160;Sure they can be very influential, and we need the right person in the White House to help bring positive change to this country, but a president at their best is often one who has the right people behind them, with them bringing everything together.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Warren doesn’t strike me as that type of person. &#160;And again, that’s a good thing. &#160;Not everyone who’s a great political leader should be president. &#160;I see Warren’s best strengths as being an antagonist. &#160;She’s someone who can go blow for blow with right-wing insanity in the senate — and win.</p>
<p>But as president you can’t be that confrontational. &#160;You can’t be someone who’s always “shaking things up.” &#160;Presidential leadership and congressional leadership aren’t exactly the same. &#160;In fact, they’re often very different.</p>
<p>It’s like coaching. &#160;Some coaches make fantastic coordinators or assistant coaches, but they’re not nearly as effective as a head coach.</p>
<p>Now I’m sure plenty of liberals will completely disagree with what I’m saying here, and that’s fine.</p>
<p>I would just like to see Senator Warren make her legacy as the senator who changed the Senate. &#160;Because I believe that’s where her true strengths lie, and can be showcased for many years to come.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Elizabeth Warren Absolutely Hammers Right-Wing Partisan Games and Blatant Obstruction</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Here's Some Key Information Concerning the Possibility of Elizabeth Warren Running for President</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">After Clinton Endorsement, Rabid Sanders Supporters Trash Elizabeth Warren on Social Media</a></p>
<p>0 Facebook comments</p> | 1,411 |
<p>The term “pen pal”—sweetly alliterative and quaint—may evoke images of doomed summer camp relationships, international exchange student assignments, and 1950s schoolgirls writing letters to soldiers with fountain pens. But in this country, which locks up more than 2.4 million people and enjoys the title of most incarcerated nation in the world, the practice of pen-palling takes on a pragmatic purpose: It links those behind bars to the outside world.</p>
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<p>Over the past eight years, I’ve corresponded with a couple of dozen pen pals in prison. The “use” of pen-palship has made itself visible in small and large ways over the course of these loosely threaded friendships. Sometimes, a piercing phrase will spring up out of the envelope—a truth that will never leave my mind. At other times, a prisoner will contribute a vital bit of information that proves unavailable anywhere else. Often, though, the “use” of pen-palship is not in the particulars of what is being communicated, but in the act of communicating.</p>
<p>Prison is built on a logic of isolation and disconnection. Letters between pen pals are almost always exchanged for the opposite purpose and with the opposite effect: connection.</p>
<p>The act of pen-palling mirrors the mindset shift that will be necessary to rethink how our society “does justice” on a much larger scale. My conversations, correspondences, and relationships with prison-torn families have taught me that separation breeds more separation, that the coldness and isolation of prison breed the coldness and isolation of violence. And I think about how the one-on-one relationship, in which the prisoner emerges as a person (with thoughts, a personality, a history, hopes, dreams, nightmares), might serve as a model for the beginnings of a person-based, connection-based justice system.</p>
<p>In early 2006, I began working on a piece on prison-based activism for the music and politics magazine Punk Planet. I wanted to write about action happening on the inside, action that might not be getting any attention beyond the walls, and I began writing to people in prison to find out what they were thinking. I soon developed an ongoing correspondence with my first prison pen pal, Steven Michael Woods, who was on death row in Texas. Steven was leading a hunger strike to advocate for more humane—or, at least, marginally tolerable—conditions. Addressing the envelope (“Polunsky Unit,” death row) scared me. My image of Steven was murky and amorphous, a silent symbol of the media label routinely slapped on death row prisoners: “worst of the worst.” However, the day I received my first letter from this man, I came to the jarring, thudding realization that he was human. Not Inmate No. 1267, but the person, Steven Woods.</p>
<p>Steven was 26, two years older than me. (He was arrested at 21.) He worshipped nineties underground rock and had played bass and guitar for “beer party punk bands” in past days. His politics were passionate—and, incredibly, more hopeful than mine: He wrote of his belief in the power of nonviolent resistance to “help our fellows rise above their chains,” even in the direst of circumstances.</p>
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<p>To top it off, he’d been an avid Punk Planet reader before he was locked up—he could name cover stories from 2001. He claimed he was innocent: His co-defendant, whose fingerprints were found on the weapons, had confessed to being the sole shooter in the murder. No physical evidence against Steven was ever discovered, although he did acknowledge being at the scene of the crime. (I neither questioned nor affirmed Steven’s innocence throughout our correspondence, but I did go online and read, over and over, flooded with grief, anger, and confusion, the gory details of the murder he was said to have committed.) Now, he woke each morning sweating uncontrollably, hit with the stark inevitability of his impending death.</p>
<p>In his first letter to me, Steven shared that he was working on a zine—a handwritten, self-produced magazine filled with rants and comics—entitled “The Continuing Struggle of a Nail in My Coffin.” The point? “To educate and entertain!” Steven wrote me. “Sitting idle while the world wallows in ignorance and apathy just isn’t for me.”</p>
<p>In my letters to Steven, I didn’t talk much about my own life (though I answered his questions about the music scene in Chicago, where he’d once lived). It felt absurd to blather on about my bland day job, lunchtime trips to Noodles &amp; Company, and watching television marathons on DVD. So I asked what life was like in Polunsky, what protest actions he had planned for the future, and whether he had any appeals left to fight his sentence. “One more,” he wrote.</p>
<p>My string of questions began wearing itself ragged. I was repeating myself, struggling to avoid the one topic that burned at the forefront of my mind and the tip of my pen. Our letters grew further apart. I tried to send him copies of Punk Planet; they didn’t get through inspection. We “chatted” about protest behind bars. He wrote, “The biggest part of being an activist is reaching out and instilling the spirit of revolution and resistance in our fellows, to break the herd mentality…you place us into a situation where all the fuel is already there, and all it needs is a spark.”</p>
<p>I wrote, “I am so impressed with all you are doing!” I thought: “What good will any of it do? You’re dying.” We traversed light, safe, death-free discussion terrain: Chicago bookstores, my work at Punk Planet, the merits of Mountain Dew (which he loved and I hated). He wrote about the time of enlightenment that would come “after we win better conditions back here.”</p>
<p>I avoided the mailbox, falling toward a selfish, gutless conclusion: I didn’t want to watch Steven die. I stopped writing first.</p>
<p>For four years, I quit thinking about Steven, or tried. But in the summer of 2012, I combed through my letters from pen pal interviews past. There was Steven. And so I took a deep breath and googled “Steven Woods” and “Texas death row.” The Internet delivered the news: My friend had been executed in 2011. His last meal had included French toast, bacon topped pizza, chicken-fried steak, and, of course, Mountain Dew, though he hadn’t eaten a bite. His last words: “Warden, if you’re going to murder someone, go ahead and pull that trigger….I love you Mom….Goodbye, everyone. I love you.”</p>
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<p>In early 2013, Beth Derenne from the Women’s Prison Book Project sends me a packet of thank-you letters from women who’ve participated in her book exchange. I flip through the pages, pausing on a letter from Sable Sade Kolstee, who describes herself as a book lover with a “thirsty brain.” I drop her a note to see if she’ll answer some questions for my book on prison and disconnection. She responds promptly in round, clear print: “I am 26 years old and a mother to 3 beautiful children. When you talk about disconnected—I was shut off from my children from April 4, 2010 until just this month, March 2013. My crime put restrictions on my contact with minors.”</p>
<p>Sable writes achingly of how she’s been severed from her three young kids, all under the age of eight. Over the course of her incarceration, Sable has missed a long list of early milestones: “first steps, concerts, growth, birthdays, holidays, and many more.” Letters, calls and visits from her children have been banned until recently, she writes: “My greatest challenge was fighting for the children. So many times counselors would say ‘I understand.’ I would look at them and tell them not to lie to me because none of you have ever gone 1 year, 18 months, 2 years without your children.”</p>
<p>The battle for her children won’t end upon release, Sable says. The terms of her parole will also mandate a separation from her children. And, she writes, her “separation” extends beyond contact with her kids, and even beyond the limits of the law. She’s worried about how people will perceive her. “It’s not that I think I won’t be able to make a positive contribution to society when I get out,” she writes, “but the stigma I will live with for the next 22 years will possibly make me shy or frightened of judgment. Although I want to help others and show my children that a mistake does not define you.”</p>
<p>At this point, I’m absorbed and pained; I feel for my new pen pal. And I’m rooting for her! But the gigantic thought bubble hanging over my brain is shouting, “What was the mistake?” What act would bar her from receiving visits from her kids—or leave her with a twenty-two-year post-release “stigma”?</p>
<p>I google her, of course. One cruel irony prisoners face is that while they’re behind bars, unable to speak for themselves, the internet offers up a host of third-party information about them: mugshots, court documents, personal data (age, height, weight, tattoo verbiage), past records, and often-sensational press coverage of their convictions. A couple of newspaper snippets disclose that at twenty-three she was convicted of “statutory assault”—having a “sexual relationship” with a “known minor male” over the course of a couple of months, as evidenced by text messages exchanged between the two. I write Sable for her perspective on what happened.</p>
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<p>Asking prisoners for their “side of the story” can be an awkward affair, something it doesn’t even make sense to do unless the incarcerated person initiates the conversation. After all, the story is just one of each prisoner’s stories—the act for which they’re incarcerated doesn’t define them—and the last thing a pen pal should be doing is implying that. Perhaps I shouldn’t have broached the topic in the first place. But Sable’s very straightforward: She “did it,” she says.</p>
<p>In her early twenties, she was attending college and caring for her three young children, including a newborn. The kids’ father, Derrick, was in prison, and Sable, overwhelmed (she says she’d been “codependent” on Derrick), began to drink, use drugs heavily, and “sleep around with whoever.” From there, she says, her judgment slid downhill. She began dating a guy who, a month and a half in, told her he was fifteen. They fought, he left—but he continued coming around at night for a couple of weeks, and Sable, drunk and lonely, suppressed her major qualms. “I thought, hell I did this at that age,” she writes. The relationship soon ended, but Sable subsequently discussed it with a friend—who turned her in to the cops. She was charged with five counts of statutory sexual assault.</p>
<p>In the grand hierarchy of public perceptions of crime, ranging from I-don’t-know-why-this-person-is-in-prison to this-person-is-despicable-scum, people incarcerated for sex offenses are categorically deposited into the “scum” pile. I’d never corresponded with someone in this position before, except for brief interview-style exchanges for articles. Honestly, if I hadn’t impulsively written Sable based on her WPBP letter, I probably would’ve looked up her conviction and, glimpsing “sexual assault,” ruled her out.</p>
<p>But I didn’t, and now we were friends, and—though I didn’t and still don’t pretend to fully comprehend the ins and outs of her case—when she wrote of her hunch that if she’d had money for a decent lawyer, she’d “never have seen a day in prison,” I thought, “She’s probably right.” I google “age of consent.” In Spain, it’s thirteen. In Austria and Bulgaria, it’s fourteen. In Turkey, it’s eighteen. In Costa Rica, it’s fifteen. And in Pennsylvania, where Sable was convicted, it is sixteen; the boy with whom she had sex was fifteen years old.</p>
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<p>I wonder: What defines a sex crime, what makes someone a sex “criminal,” and why am I so hesitant about writing to someone who’s been branded with that label? I’ve had pen pals who have pled guilty to murder. Why am I even more insecure about corresponding with a woman who admits to a statutory sex offense? How do our definitions of “human” match up with our categories of “crime”? Questioning the labeling of a “sex criminal” is not to diminish the tragedy and trauma of rape, or the pain of survivors, who are often under-recognized, ignored, or even punished in our culture. Rather, it’s about questioning the logic of a system in which a person becomes defined by one of their acts—defined as that act instead of as a person. The questions knock at my brain. Sable and I continue to write.</p>
<p>One day, I’m delighted to find a letter from Sable in my box, this one sent from her grandmother’s house in New York, telling me she’s gotten out. “I did have pizza my first day out—it was SO good,” she writes. She’s also enjoying the series of small decisions that comprise her days on the outside: picking out her clothes, cooking a meal, choosing to go for a barefoot walk along the nearby river…as long as she’s sure—as sure as one can be—that she will not come across a minor.</p>
<p>Indeed, there are many choices she can’t make. She can’t find a job, so is tethered to her “Gram” (who loves her but is prone to getting “worked up into a tizzy”). She still can’t see her kids. And her face is plastered on a sex offender registry for the next twenty-two years. Months later, I receive a short note from Sable: “Being on parole is the hardest thing ever.” I wrack my brain for encouraging things to say—but “Hey, you’re getting out soon!” doesn’t work anymore. I end up simply writing, “I’m so sorry.”</p>
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<p>For deeper insight into the emotional and political roles of the pen pal, I turn to Rev. Jason Lydon of Boston. If there’s such thing as a prison pen pal guru, it’s Jason. His group Black and Pink focuses on helping prisoners connect directly with pen pals on the outside, building both friendships and action-based relationships that link people through the bars. Jason has been incarcerated himself, and many of his own pen pals are people he left behind in prison. He sees pen-palship as a way to “dispel myths about who’s incarcerated…it’s necessary for people to recognize that it’s human beings who are being locked up, denied access to health care, assaulted.”</p>
<p>I’m struck by the way he talks about the pen-pal process as active and transformative: It’s not just about making friends. And, he tells me, if you’re fully engaged in the process, it’s probably not always going to be easy. You can’t keep your pen pal in a box. (That’s not what you’re there for—they’re in a box already.)</p>
<p>“We need to challenge ourselves on why we’re creating certain boundaries,” Jason says, when I ask about navigating the sometimes-weird personal terrain of pen-palship. “Are we setting those boundaries to make ourselves feel comfortable, or to make ourselves feel safe? Allowing ourselves to feel uncomfortable can help us grow, and to build authentic relationships and understandings. Being uncomfortable at times is OK, as long as we’re still safe.”</p>
<p>I think of my own abandoned pen pals. One expressed such blatant homophobia in a letter that I couldn’t bring myself to respond. I didn’t want to start a conflict but didn’t want to implicitly agree—so I stuffed his letter in a drawer. The other, of course, was Steven Woods; I had quit writing simply because I didn’t want to face the emotional avalanche of his impending execution, and I will always regret it.</p>
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<p>According to Jason, the emotional avalanches are part of the point. In fact, he notes, the eruption of issues like misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia may be a touchstone for important conversations, especially since, when we write to people in prison, we’re in a separate physical space. The medium of letters lends time to process words and contemplate responses. Jason tells me, “My hope is that people would be willing to extend a little more patience toward people on the inside than they would to folks on the outside, because of the amount of safety that we experience as folks who aren’t incarcerated.”</p>
<p>He points to situations, for example, in which white prisoners have made racist statements in letters; pen pals have sometimes challenged those statements and engaged in productive dialogues (though Jason emphasizes that people of color shouldn’t feel any obligation to “be patient” in such situations, and if safety feels threatened, it is always OK to walk away). And it’s a two-way street: Your pen pal may call you out on assumptions and biases you never realized you had.</p>
<p>As a former prisoner, Jason knows the value of outside ties firsthand, especially for particularly marginalized groups of prisoners, who are regularly exposed to excruciating treatment. When he was locked up in a segregated unit for queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming prisoners and repeatedly subjected to cruel treatment and sexual violence at the hands of guards, he vowed to remain in touch with his fellow prisoners upon release. “For those of us who have been incarcerated,” he says, the pen pal process serves as “a reminder to not forget folks who are left behind, that we have a responsibility to maintain relationships and compassion with those folks, to join in the healing process with them.”</p>
<p>Concretely, Jason says, aside from expanding our boundaries and awareness and engaging in dialogue, there are a few immediate purposes for a pen pal. Receiving letters during mail call can serve as a function that resembles the other definition of “mail”: a protective shield against potential violence. As noted earlier, it alerts guards that you’ve got contacts and advocates on the outside, so you’re less likely to be mistreated. Such “mail” is also useful when it comes to prisoners potentially harming themselves. Self-injurious behavior is common, and “having a reminder that you’re cared for and not forgotten—and part of a larger thing—can help you deal with the mental and emotional struggle that is the reality of being locked up.”</p>
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<p>In the book Howard’s End, E. M. Forster wrote his instructions on the best way to live in two short words: “Only connect.” (E. M. Forster, incidentally, also announced on the BBC, in a fiery 1934 critique of the mechanization and industrialization of society, “Prison is no good.”)</p>
<p>When we reach out to a prisoner to “only connect,” we will always—to some extent—fail, because the barriers are so vast and so entrenched. But there are few cases in which a personal act that takes so little time can make such a great difference.</p>
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<p>Before diving in, pen pals should check in with themselves, issuing a stern reminder that the act of writing a prisoner is not an act of charity. It’s about growing a unique breed of friendship. In fact, it’s one of the few contexts where you’re able to throw out a line to a stranger and say, “Will you be my friend?” It is an act that is not driving toward any clear, ostensible goal. Rather, it’s the goal-less endeavor of “getting to know” another person, which, for whatever reason, can be one of the most fulfilling, interesting, and transformative things to do in life. It’s also a primary building block for any greater political possibility that relies on connection between human beings—which, it seems, applies to every viable political possibility under the sun.</p>
<p>As the Illinois-based pen-pal collective Write to Win puts it: “We see individual correspondence with people on the inside as one piece of the larger struggle to abolish the prison-industrial complex and to create safe, sustainable, and equitable communities. To this end, we see our work as a way to undermine the isolation, dehumanization, and destruction of the PIC by building grassroots networks of support and solidarity between folks on the inside and folks on the outside.”</p>
<p>In other words, how can policy change—or, for that matter, deep systemic change—evolve, if outside activists and theorists and advocates aren’t talking to the people they’re talking about?</p>
<p>Lacino Hamilton, an incarcerated activist in Michigan with whom I’ve corresponded for the past couple of years, emphasizes that it’s crucial for outside audiences to listen when prisoners vocalize their struggles. “We cannot be passive recipients of the efforts of others,” he writes. “We have to be part of the work being done.”</p>
<p>The pen-pal journey is certainly not the endgame; it’s the beginning game. Perhaps, then, “Only connect” is not a perfect motto. Lacino’s words highlight the potential of prisoners’ connections with outside allies to build creative new models, initiatives, movements—maybe even revolutions—that cultivate a more just world.</p>
<p>Excerpted from Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better by Maya Schenwar, published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers.</p> | The Radical Power of a Prison Pen Pal | true | http://talkingpointsmemo.com/ts/power-prison-pen-pals-12-12-14 | 4left
| The Radical Power of a Prison Pen Pal
<p>The term “pen pal”—sweetly alliterative and quaint—may evoke images of doomed summer camp relationships, international exchange student assignments, and 1950s schoolgirls writing letters to soldiers with fountain pens. But in this country, which locks up more than 2.4 million people and enjoys the title of most incarcerated nation in the world, the practice of pen-palling takes on a pragmatic purpose: It links those behind bars to the outside world.</p>
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<p>Over the past eight years, I’ve corresponded with a couple of dozen pen pals in prison. The “use” of pen-palship has made itself visible in small and large ways over the course of these loosely threaded friendships. Sometimes, a piercing phrase will spring up out of the envelope—a truth that will never leave my mind. At other times, a prisoner will contribute a vital bit of information that proves unavailable anywhere else. Often, though, the “use” of pen-palship is not in the particulars of what is being communicated, but in the act of communicating.</p>
<p>Prison is built on a logic of isolation and disconnection. Letters between pen pals are almost always exchanged for the opposite purpose and with the opposite effect: connection.</p>
<p>The act of pen-palling mirrors the mindset shift that will be necessary to rethink how our society “does justice” on a much larger scale. My conversations, correspondences, and relationships with prison-torn families have taught me that separation breeds more separation, that the coldness and isolation of prison breed the coldness and isolation of violence. And I think about how the one-on-one relationship, in which the prisoner emerges as a person (with thoughts, a personality, a history, hopes, dreams, nightmares), might serve as a model for the beginnings of a person-based, connection-based justice system.</p>
<p>In early 2006, I began working on a piece on prison-based activism for the music and politics magazine Punk Planet. I wanted to write about action happening on the inside, action that might not be getting any attention beyond the walls, and I began writing to people in prison to find out what they were thinking. I soon developed an ongoing correspondence with my first prison pen pal, Steven Michael Woods, who was on death row in Texas. Steven was leading a hunger strike to advocate for more humane—or, at least, marginally tolerable—conditions. Addressing the envelope (“Polunsky Unit,” death row) scared me. My image of Steven was murky and amorphous, a silent symbol of the media label routinely slapped on death row prisoners: “worst of the worst.” However, the day I received my first letter from this man, I came to the jarring, thudding realization that he was human. Not Inmate No. 1267, but the person, Steven Woods.</p>
<p>Steven was 26, two years older than me. (He was arrested at 21.) He worshipped nineties underground rock and had played bass and guitar for “beer party punk bands” in past days. His politics were passionate—and, incredibly, more hopeful than mine: He wrote of his belief in the power of nonviolent resistance to “help our fellows rise above their chains,” even in the direst of circumstances.</p>
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<p>To top it off, he’d been an avid Punk Planet reader before he was locked up—he could name cover stories from 2001. He claimed he was innocent: His co-defendant, whose fingerprints were found on the weapons, had confessed to being the sole shooter in the murder. No physical evidence against Steven was ever discovered, although he did acknowledge being at the scene of the crime. (I neither questioned nor affirmed Steven’s innocence throughout our correspondence, but I did go online and read, over and over, flooded with grief, anger, and confusion, the gory details of the murder he was said to have committed.) Now, he woke each morning sweating uncontrollably, hit with the stark inevitability of his impending death.</p>
<p>In his first letter to me, Steven shared that he was working on a zine—a handwritten, self-produced magazine filled with rants and comics—entitled “The Continuing Struggle of a Nail in My Coffin.” The point? “To educate and entertain!” Steven wrote me. “Sitting idle while the world wallows in ignorance and apathy just isn’t for me.”</p>
<p>In my letters to Steven, I didn’t talk much about my own life (though I answered his questions about the music scene in Chicago, where he’d once lived). It felt absurd to blather on about my bland day job, lunchtime trips to Noodles &amp; Company, and watching television marathons on DVD. So I asked what life was like in Polunsky, what protest actions he had planned for the future, and whether he had any appeals left to fight his sentence. “One more,” he wrote.</p>
<p>My string of questions began wearing itself ragged. I was repeating myself, struggling to avoid the one topic that burned at the forefront of my mind and the tip of my pen. Our letters grew further apart. I tried to send him copies of Punk Planet; they didn’t get through inspection. We “chatted” about protest behind bars. He wrote, “The biggest part of being an activist is reaching out and instilling the spirit of revolution and resistance in our fellows, to break the herd mentality…you place us into a situation where all the fuel is already there, and all it needs is a spark.”</p>
<p>I wrote, “I am so impressed with all you are doing!” I thought: “What good will any of it do? You’re dying.” We traversed light, safe, death-free discussion terrain: Chicago bookstores, my work at Punk Planet, the merits of Mountain Dew (which he loved and I hated). He wrote about the time of enlightenment that would come “after we win better conditions back here.”</p>
<p>I avoided the mailbox, falling toward a selfish, gutless conclusion: I didn’t want to watch Steven die. I stopped writing first.</p>
<p>For four years, I quit thinking about Steven, or tried. But in the summer of 2012, I combed through my letters from pen pal interviews past. There was Steven. And so I took a deep breath and googled “Steven Woods” and “Texas death row.” The Internet delivered the news: My friend had been executed in 2011. His last meal had included French toast, bacon topped pizza, chicken-fried steak, and, of course, Mountain Dew, though he hadn’t eaten a bite. His last words: “Warden, if you’re going to murder someone, go ahead and pull that trigger….I love you Mom….Goodbye, everyone. I love you.”</p>
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<p>In early 2013, Beth Derenne from the Women’s Prison Book Project sends me a packet of thank-you letters from women who’ve participated in her book exchange. I flip through the pages, pausing on a letter from Sable Sade Kolstee, who describes herself as a book lover with a “thirsty brain.” I drop her a note to see if she’ll answer some questions for my book on prison and disconnection. She responds promptly in round, clear print: “I am 26 years old and a mother to 3 beautiful children. When you talk about disconnected—I was shut off from my children from April 4, 2010 until just this month, March 2013. My crime put restrictions on my contact with minors.”</p>
<p>Sable writes achingly of how she’s been severed from her three young kids, all under the age of eight. Over the course of her incarceration, Sable has missed a long list of early milestones: “first steps, concerts, growth, birthdays, holidays, and many more.” Letters, calls and visits from her children have been banned until recently, she writes: “My greatest challenge was fighting for the children. So many times counselors would say ‘I understand.’ I would look at them and tell them not to lie to me because none of you have ever gone 1 year, 18 months, 2 years without your children.”</p>
<p>The battle for her children won’t end upon release, Sable says. The terms of her parole will also mandate a separation from her children. And, she writes, her “separation” extends beyond contact with her kids, and even beyond the limits of the law. She’s worried about how people will perceive her. “It’s not that I think I won’t be able to make a positive contribution to society when I get out,” she writes, “but the stigma I will live with for the next 22 years will possibly make me shy or frightened of judgment. Although I want to help others and show my children that a mistake does not define you.”</p>
<p>At this point, I’m absorbed and pained; I feel for my new pen pal. And I’m rooting for her! But the gigantic thought bubble hanging over my brain is shouting, “What was the mistake?” What act would bar her from receiving visits from her kids—or leave her with a twenty-two-year post-release “stigma”?</p>
<p>I google her, of course. One cruel irony prisoners face is that while they’re behind bars, unable to speak for themselves, the internet offers up a host of third-party information about them: mugshots, court documents, personal data (age, height, weight, tattoo verbiage), past records, and often-sensational press coverage of their convictions. A couple of newspaper snippets disclose that at twenty-three she was convicted of “statutory assault”—having a “sexual relationship” with a “known minor male” over the course of a couple of months, as evidenced by text messages exchanged between the two. I write Sable for her perspective on what happened.</p>
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<p>Asking prisoners for their “side of the story” can be an awkward affair, something it doesn’t even make sense to do unless the incarcerated person initiates the conversation. After all, the story is just one of each prisoner’s stories—the act for which they’re incarcerated doesn’t define them—and the last thing a pen pal should be doing is implying that. Perhaps I shouldn’t have broached the topic in the first place. But Sable’s very straightforward: She “did it,” she says.</p>
<p>In her early twenties, she was attending college and caring for her three young children, including a newborn. The kids’ father, Derrick, was in prison, and Sable, overwhelmed (she says she’d been “codependent” on Derrick), began to drink, use drugs heavily, and “sleep around with whoever.” From there, she says, her judgment slid downhill. She began dating a guy who, a month and a half in, told her he was fifteen. They fought, he left—but he continued coming around at night for a couple of weeks, and Sable, drunk and lonely, suppressed her major qualms. “I thought, hell I did this at that age,” she writes. The relationship soon ended, but Sable subsequently discussed it with a friend—who turned her in to the cops. She was charged with five counts of statutory sexual assault.</p>
<p>In the grand hierarchy of public perceptions of crime, ranging from I-don’t-know-why-this-person-is-in-prison to this-person-is-despicable-scum, people incarcerated for sex offenses are categorically deposited into the “scum” pile. I’d never corresponded with someone in this position before, except for brief interview-style exchanges for articles. Honestly, if I hadn’t impulsively written Sable based on her WPBP letter, I probably would’ve looked up her conviction and, glimpsing “sexual assault,” ruled her out.</p>
<p>But I didn’t, and now we were friends, and—though I didn’t and still don’t pretend to fully comprehend the ins and outs of her case—when she wrote of her hunch that if she’d had money for a decent lawyer, she’d “never have seen a day in prison,” I thought, “She’s probably right.” I google “age of consent.” In Spain, it’s thirteen. In Austria and Bulgaria, it’s fourteen. In Turkey, it’s eighteen. In Costa Rica, it’s fifteen. And in Pennsylvania, where Sable was convicted, it is sixteen; the boy with whom she had sex was fifteen years old.</p>
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<p>I wonder: What defines a sex crime, what makes someone a sex “criminal,” and why am I so hesitant about writing to someone who’s been branded with that label? I’ve had pen pals who have pled guilty to murder. Why am I even more insecure about corresponding with a woman who admits to a statutory sex offense? How do our definitions of “human” match up with our categories of “crime”? Questioning the labeling of a “sex criminal” is not to diminish the tragedy and trauma of rape, or the pain of survivors, who are often under-recognized, ignored, or even punished in our culture. Rather, it’s about questioning the logic of a system in which a person becomes defined by one of their acts—defined as that act instead of as a person. The questions knock at my brain. Sable and I continue to write.</p>
<p>One day, I’m delighted to find a letter from Sable in my box, this one sent from her grandmother’s house in New York, telling me she’s gotten out. “I did have pizza my first day out—it was SO good,” she writes. She’s also enjoying the series of small decisions that comprise her days on the outside: picking out her clothes, cooking a meal, choosing to go for a barefoot walk along the nearby river…as long as she’s sure—as sure as one can be—that she will not come across a minor.</p>
<p>Indeed, there are many choices she can’t make. She can’t find a job, so is tethered to her “Gram” (who loves her but is prone to getting “worked up into a tizzy”). She still can’t see her kids. And her face is plastered on a sex offender registry for the next twenty-two years. Months later, I receive a short note from Sable: “Being on parole is the hardest thing ever.” I wrack my brain for encouraging things to say—but “Hey, you’re getting out soon!” doesn’t work anymore. I end up simply writing, “I’m so sorry.”</p>
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<p>For deeper insight into the emotional and political roles of the pen pal, I turn to Rev. Jason Lydon of Boston. If there’s such thing as a prison pen pal guru, it’s Jason. His group Black and Pink focuses on helping prisoners connect directly with pen pals on the outside, building both friendships and action-based relationships that link people through the bars. Jason has been incarcerated himself, and many of his own pen pals are people he left behind in prison. He sees pen-palship as a way to “dispel myths about who’s incarcerated…it’s necessary for people to recognize that it’s human beings who are being locked up, denied access to health care, assaulted.”</p>
<p>I’m struck by the way he talks about the pen-pal process as active and transformative: It’s not just about making friends. And, he tells me, if you’re fully engaged in the process, it’s probably not always going to be easy. You can’t keep your pen pal in a box. (That’s not what you’re there for—they’re in a box already.)</p>
<p>“We need to challenge ourselves on why we’re creating certain boundaries,” Jason says, when I ask about navigating the sometimes-weird personal terrain of pen-palship. “Are we setting those boundaries to make ourselves feel comfortable, or to make ourselves feel safe? Allowing ourselves to feel uncomfortable can help us grow, and to build authentic relationships and understandings. Being uncomfortable at times is OK, as long as we’re still safe.”</p>
<p>I think of my own abandoned pen pals. One expressed such blatant homophobia in a letter that I couldn’t bring myself to respond. I didn’t want to start a conflict but didn’t want to implicitly agree—so I stuffed his letter in a drawer. The other, of course, was Steven Woods; I had quit writing simply because I didn’t want to face the emotional avalanche of his impending execution, and I will always regret it.</p>
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<p>According to Jason, the emotional avalanches are part of the point. In fact, he notes, the eruption of issues like misogyny, racism, homophobia, and transphobia may be a touchstone for important conversations, especially since, when we write to people in prison, we’re in a separate physical space. The medium of letters lends time to process words and contemplate responses. Jason tells me, “My hope is that people would be willing to extend a little more patience toward people on the inside than they would to folks on the outside, because of the amount of safety that we experience as folks who aren’t incarcerated.”</p>
<p>He points to situations, for example, in which white prisoners have made racist statements in letters; pen pals have sometimes challenged those statements and engaged in productive dialogues (though Jason emphasizes that people of color shouldn’t feel any obligation to “be patient” in such situations, and if safety feels threatened, it is always OK to walk away). And it’s a two-way street: Your pen pal may call you out on assumptions and biases you never realized you had.</p>
<p>As a former prisoner, Jason knows the value of outside ties firsthand, especially for particularly marginalized groups of prisoners, who are regularly exposed to excruciating treatment. When he was locked up in a segregated unit for queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming prisoners and repeatedly subjected to cruel treatment and sexual violence at the hands of guards, he vowed to remain in touch with his fellow prisoners upon release. “For those of us who have been incarcerated,” he says, the pen pal process serves as “a reminder to not forget folks who are left behind, that we have a responsibility to maintain relationships and compassion with those folks, to join in the healing process with them.”</p>
<p>Concretely, Jason says, aside from expanding our boundaries and awareness and engaging in dialogue, there are a few immediate purposes for a pen pal. Receiving letters during mail call can serve as a function that resembles the other definition of “mail”: a protective shield against potential violence. As noted earlier, it alerts guards that you’ve got contacts and advocates on the outside, so you’re less likely to be mistreated. Such “mail” is also useful when it comes to prisoners potentially harming themselves. Self-injurious behavior is common, and “having a reminder that you’re cared for and not forgotten—and part of a larger thing—can help you deal with the mental and emotional struggle that is the reality of being locked up.”</p>
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<p>In the book Howard’s End, E. M. Forster wrote his instructions on the best way to live in two short words: “Only connect.” (E. M. Forster, incidentally, also announced on the BBC, in a fiery 1934 critique of the mechanization and industrialization of society, “Prison is no good.”)</p>
<p>When we reach out to a prisoner to “only connect,” we will always—to some extent—fail, because the barriers are so vast and so entrenched. But there are few cases in which a personal act that takes so little time can make such a great difference.</p>
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<p>Before diving in, pen pals should check in with themselves, issuing a stern reminder that the act of writing a prisoner is not an act of charity. It’s about growing a unique breed of friendship. In fact, it’s one of the few contexts where you’re able to throw out a line to a stranger and say, “Will you be my friend?” It is an act that is not driving toward any clear, ostensible goal. Rather, it’s the goal-less endeavor of “getting to know” another person, which, for whatever reason, can be one of the most fulfilling, interesting, and transformative things to do in life. It’s also a primary building block for any greater political possibility that relies on connection between human beings—which, it seems, applies to every viable political possibility under the sun.</p>
<p>As the Illinois-based pen-pal collective Write to Win puts it: “We see individual correspondence with people on the inside as one piece of the larger struggle to abolish the prison-industrial complex and to create safe, sustainable, and equitable communities. To this end, we see our work as a way to undermine the isolation, dehumanization, and destruction of the PIC by building grassroots networks of support and solidarity between folks on the inside and folks on the outside.”</p>
<p>In other words, how can policy change—or, for that matter, deep systemic change—evolve, if outside activists and theorists and advocates aren’t talking to the people they’re talking about?</p>
<p>Lacino Hamilton, an incarcerated activist in Michigan with whom I’ve corresponded for the past couple of years, emphasizes that it’s crucial for outside audiences to listen when prisoners vocalize their struggles. “We cannot be passive recipients of the efforts of others,” he writes. “We have to be part of the work being done.”</p>
<p>The pen-pal journey is certainly not the endgame; it’s the beginning game. Perhaps, then, “Only connect” is not a perfect motto. Lacino’s words highlight the potential of prisoners’ connections with outside allies to build creative new models, initiatives, movements—maybe even revolutions—that cultivate a more just world.</p>
<p>Excerpted from Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn’t Work and How We Can Do Better by Maya Schenwar, published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers.</p> | 1,412 |
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<p>Crossroads GPS claims that Colorado Sen. Mark Udall “voted to enact a carbon tax.” Udall did no such thing. Republican Thom Tillis claims that Sen. Kay Hagan “supported a carbon tax” that would destroy “up to 67,000 jobs in North Carolina over the next ten years.” That’s not accurate, either.</p>
<p>In fact, Congress has never voted on a specific carbon tax proposal. Udall couldn’t have voted to enact such a tax even if he wanted. And the figure on North Carolina jobs comes from a scenario presented by a group opposed to such a tax.</p>
<p>To make these claims, Crossroads and Tillis twist the senators’ votes on amendments to a nonbinding budget resolution. We saw <a href="" type="internal">similar distortions early this year</a>, when Americans for Prosperity ran an ad saying Sen. Mark Begich “is on record supporting a carbon tax … that will cost the average family over $2,000 annually.” Begich hasn’t backed a carbon tax proposal, and the $2,000 figure is based on general assumptions, not any specific plan. That figure has been used to attack Hagan, too, in an ad from the conservative advocacy group American Energy Alliance.</p>
<p>No Vote to ‘Enact a Carbon Tax’</p>
<p>Crossroads points to Udall’s <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00058" type="external">March 22, 2013, vote</a> for a budget resolution amendment to require any possible future carbon tax to be revenue neutral, with the money the government would receive from the tax being returned to the American people. In other words, Udall voted to support making a hypothetical tax revenue neutral.</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/beba427c482"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>Also, the amendment was to a nonbinding budget resolution, which sets spending and budget guidelines but doesn’t carry any force of law. The amendment was incapable of enacting anything, and at any rate, it didn’t call for the enactment of a carbon tax plan, which would be a direct tax on the carbon content of fossil-fuel energy, such as coal, oil and gas. The goal of such a tax — like other pollution-reduction strategies — would be to lower the amount of carbon dioxide released into the environment.</p>
<p>The amendment, which was defeated by a 41-58 vote, was written by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who, along with three other Democratic lawmakers, had previously <a href="http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?q=news/waxman-whitehouse-blumenauer-and-schatz-release-carbon-price-discussion-draft" type="external">released a “discussion draft”</a> of a carbon tax, asking for comment on how a tax should be priced and structured, and how revenue could best be returned to the public. <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2013-03-22/pdf/CREC-2013-03-22-pt1-PgS2235-6.pdf#page=36" type="external">Whitehouse’s amendment</a> said that all revenue from a “fee on carbon pollution” should be “returned to the American people in the form of federal deficit reduction, reduced federal tax rates, cost savings, or other direct benefits.” So, if such a tax were to exist, the Whitehouse amendment called for the revenue to be returned to the public in some form.</p>
<p>The Crossroads ad, however, goes on to wrongly say that Udall voted for a carbon tax proposal that “could have led to higher electricity prices, squeezing middle-class budgets,” vaguely adding: “A carbon tax could squeeze local businesses and hurt Colorado employment.”</p>
<p>Such a tax could do those things, depending on how it was structured. But, again, Udall didn’t vote on a specific proposal.</p>
<p>In general, a fee on carbon is designed to raise the price of fossil fuels, prompting consumers to switch to renewable energy options and consume less energy, and leading businesses to develop new energy-reducing products and technology. But whether that would lead to “squeezing middle-class budgets” or businesses and by how much depends on many details that would have to be addressed in carbon tax legislation.</p>
<p>And such legislation faces a steep uphill battle amid much political opposition. As Charles Komanoff, director of the Carbon Tax Center, told us in February, “To my knowledge, there has never even been a hearing, even just an informational hearing on anything that is or resembles a carbon tax bill.”</p>
<p>The most recent Senate legislation <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s332" type="external">was introduced by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer and referred to committee</a> on Feb. 14, 2013. The <a href="http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/021413-2pager.pdf" type="external">bill,</a> which called for a $20-per-ton carbon fee with 60 percent of the revenue returned to households, has no other cosponsors and hasn’t moved since. In the House, Rep. Jim McDermott <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4754" type="external">introduced a carbon tax bill</a>on May 28 of this year. It, too, was referred to committee with no action since. McDermott introduced the same bill in 2012, and it <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr6338" type="external">died in committee</a>. In addition to the lack of traction of such bills, the White House <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/314939-house-set-for-carbon-tax-showdown" type="external">opposes a carbon tax</a>.</p>
<p>The Crossroads ad cites <a href="http://www.nam.org/~/media/ECF11DF347094E0DA8AF7BD9A696ABDB.ashx" type="external">a study</a> <a href="http://www.nam.org/Communications/Articles/2013/02/A-Carbon-Tax-Would-Wallop-Our-Economy.aspx" type="external">released in February 2013</a> by the anti-carbon-tax National Association of Manufacturers, which looked at two hypothetical scenarios, finding they would reduce productivity, lower wages and increase the price of fossil fuels. NAM’s scenarios use the revenue from a tax to reduce the debt and personal income tax rates. But the revenue from the tax <a href="http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059976977" type="external">could also be used</a> to give households rebates, as the Sanders-Boxer bill proposed, or lower corporate tax rates to ease the impact on businesses.</p>
<p>“The ultimate economic effects of a carbon tax, however, would depend on how the revenues from the tax were used,” said a <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/44223_Carbon_0.pdf" type="external">May 2013 Congressional Budget Office report</a>, with deficit or tax-rate reduction lowering the total cost to the economy and other methods directing relief to consumers or businesses.</p>
<p>But, again, Udall didn’t vote to enact a carbon tax — or even to support a specific proposal.</p>
<p>&#160;False Attacks on Hagan, Too</p>
<p>Hagan’s Republican opponent, Tillis, twists another vote on an amendment to the 2013 budget resolution to <a href="http://thomtillis.com/kay-hagans-carbon-tax-would-destroy-up-to-67000-n-c-jobs/#sthash.fEVSvNMM.dpuf" type="external">wrongly claim</a> on his website that the Democratic senator “has supported a carbon tax that would cause gas prices and utility bills to skyrocket, while destroying up to 67,000 jobs in North Carolina over the next ten years.” Tillis’ site refers to “Hagan’s carbon tax” and call this her “energy policy.” But simply reading that Web page shows Tillis doesn’t have support for such claims.</p>
<p>The American Energy Alliance, a conservative group that doesn’t disclose its donors but <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74643.html" type="external">has been linked to the Koch brothers by Politico</a>, also launched an ad early this month that uses the same supposed evidence to claim that Hagan wasn’t telling the truth when she said she opposed a carbon tax and that she had “worked to make it a priority.”</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/04d534ae5fa"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>Both the Tillis camp and AEA point to Hagan’s <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00059" type="external">March 2013 vote</a> against an amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. Roy Blunt to require 60 votes to approve any potential carbon tax in the future. The amendment failed. It wasn’t a vote for a carbon tax; it was a vote against a nonbinding resolution requiring a high threshold for passing such a tax at some unknown point in the future.</p>
<p>There was no proposal that would have “destroy[ed] up to 67,000 jobs in North Carolina” over a decade, as the campaign says. Instead, that number comes from the <a href="http://www.nam.org/~/media/8B3D6787FD904FBC96B7EDE4837763C4.ashx" type="external">NAM analysis</a> of two scenarios, and it’s the upper-most estimate for NAM’s high-end scenario. Technically, NAM didn’t say up to 67,000 jobs would be lost. Its figure is for reduced labor income. NAM <a href="http://www.nam.org/~/media/ECF11DF347094E0DA8AF7BD9A696ABDB.ashx" type="external">notes</a>: “This does not represent a projection of the number of workers who may need to change jobs and/or be unemployed, as some or all of the lost labor could be spread across workers who remain employed.”</p>
<p>AEA’s ad also claims that Hagan supported a tax that “could cost the average family over $2,000 a year,” but that figure comes from a January 2013 <a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/01/carbon-tax-would-raise-unemployment-not-revenue#_ftn2" type="external">Heritage Foundation analysis</a> of carbon-tax scenarios presented in the Energy Information Administration’s <a href="http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/archive/aeo12/pdf/0383%282012%29.pdf" type="external">2012 Annual Energy Outlook</a>. Heritage’s maximum-impact scenario estimated a cut in income for a family of four of $1,900 in 2016. The scenarios didn’t include any method of returning revenue to the public.</p>
<p>But that’s all a moot point anyway. Hagan didn’t support — or decline to oppose — any specific carbon tax plan with her 2013 vote.</p>
<p>The Tillis camp and AEA provide another weak link to a carbon tax, mentioning <a href="http://americansforprosperity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Begich-Carbon-Tax-letter.pdf" type="external">a letter</a> Hagan and other freshman Democratic senators (including Begich and Udall) wrote to the Senate majority leader in July 2010, a few months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The letter expressed support for comprehensive energy legislation that would include “making polluters pay through a price on greenhouse gas emissions.”</p>
<p>As the Tillis camp acknowledges on its site, the letter didn’t provide any specifics as to whether that policy should be a carbon tax, cap-and-trade or some other method of penalties and incentives. The letter gives general ideas of what energy legislation should include, such as “tax incentives, grants, loans and other assistance to help American manufacturers create jobs, cut their energy consumption, retool for a clean energy economy and remain competitive in the global market.”</p>
<p>For the record, Hagan voted against the Whitehouse amendment, a vote her campaign cited last fall as evidence of her opposition to a carbon tax. The Hill newspaper <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/320665-hagan-campaign-says-she-doesnt-support-carbon-tax#ixzz38O8W2PRE" type="external">quoted Hagan campaign spokeswoman Sadie Weiner as saying</a>: “She opposes it (as evidenced by the act she voted against it).” But The Hill noted, as we have, that the “vote was largely symbolic, as the underlying bill was nonbinding. The Whitehouse amendment also didn’t exactly address the concept of carbon tax directly.”</p>
<p>Neither of the votes cited by these groups would have enacted a carbon tax, or even demonstrated support for a certain plan. The votes are distorted in these attacks and then linked to conservative analyses of general scenarios, not proposals that the Democratic senators actually had supported.</p>
<p>— Lori Robertson</p> | More Carbon Tax Distortions | false | https://factcheck.org/2014/07/more-carbon-tax-distortions/ | 2014-07-24 | 2least
| More Carbon Tax Distortions
<p>Crossroads GPS claims that Colorado Sen. Mark Udall “voted to enact a carbon tax.” Udall did no such thing. Republican Thom Tillis claims that Sen. Kay Hagan “supported a carbon tax” that would destroy “up to 67,000 jobs in North Carolina over the next ten years.” That’s not accurate, either.</p>
<p>In fact, Congress has never voted on a specific carbon tax proposal. Udall couldn’t have voted to enact such a tax even if he wanted. And the figure on North Carolina jobs comes from a scenario presented by a group opposed to such a tax.</p>
<p>To make these claims, Crossroads and Tillis twist the senators’ votes on amendments to a nonbinding budget resolution. We saw <a href="" type="internal">similar distortions early this year</a>, when Americans for Prosperity ran an ad saying Sen. Mark Begich “is on record supporting a carbon tax … that will cost the average family over $2,000 annually.” Begich hasn’t backed a carbon tax proposal, and the $2,000 figure is based on general assumptions, not any specific plan. That figure has been used to attack Hagan, too, in an ad from the conservative advocacy group American Energy Alliance.</p>
<p>No Vote to ‘Enact a Carbon Tax’</p>
<p>Crossroads points to Udall’s <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00058" type="external">March 22, 2013, vote</a> for a budget resolution amendment to require any possible future carbon tax to be revenue neutral, with the money the government would receive from the tax being returned to the American people. In other words, Udall voted to support making a hypothetical tax revenue neutral.</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/beba427c482"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>Also, the amendment was to a nonbinding budget resolution, which sets spending and budget guidelines but doesn’t carry any force of law. The amendment was incapable of enacting anything, and at any rate, it didn’t call for the enactment of a carbon tax plan, which would be a direct tax on the carbon content of fossil-fuel energy, such as coal, oil and gas. The goal of such a tax — like other pollution-reduction strategies — would be to lower the amount of carbon dioxide released into the environment.</p>
<p>The amendment, which was defeated by a 41-58 vote, was written by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, who, along with three other Democratic lawmakers, had previously <a href="http://democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?q=news/waxman-whitehouse-blumenauer-and-schatz-release-carbon-price-discussion-draft" type="external">released a “discussion draft”</a> of a carbon tax, asking for comment on how a tax should be priced and structured, and how revenue could best be returned to the public. <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CREC-2013-03-22/pdf/CREC-2013-03-22-pt1-PgS2235-6.pdf#page=36" type="external">Whitehouse’s amendment</a> said that all revenue from a “fee on carbon pollution” should be “returned to the American people in the form of federal deficit reduction, reduced federal tax rates, cost savings, or other direct benefits.” So, if such a tax were to exist, the Whitehouse amendment called for the revenue to be returned to the public in some form.</p>
<p>The Crossroads ad, however, goes on to wrongly say that Udall voted for a carbon tax proposal that “could have led to higher electricity prices, squeezing middle-class budgets,” vaguely adding: “A carbon tax could squeeze local businesses and hurt Colorado employment.”</p>
<p>Such a tax could do those things, depending on how it was structured. But, again, Udall didn’t vote on a specific proposal.</p>
<p>In general, a fee on carbon is designed to raise the price of fossil fuels, prompting consumers to switch to renewable energy options and consume less energy, and leading businesses to develop new energy-reducing products and technology. But whether that would lead to “squeezing middle-class budgets” or businesses and by how much depends on many details that would have to be addressed in carbon tax legislation.</p>
<p>And such legislation faces a steep uphill battle amid much political opposition. As Charles Komanoff, director of the Carbon Tax Center, told us in February, “To my knowledge, there has never even been a hearing, even just an informational hearing on anything that is or resembles a carbon tax bill.”</p>
<p>The most recent Senate legislation <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s332" type="external">was introduced by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Barbara Boxer and referred to committee</a> on Feb. 14, 2013. The <a href="http://www.sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/021413-2pager.pdf" type="external">bill,</a> which called for a $20-per-ton carbon fee with 60 percent of the revenue returned to households, has no other cosponsors and hasn’t moved since. In the House, Rep. Jim McDermott <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr4754" type="external">introduced a carbon tax bill</a>on May 28 of this year. It, too, was referred to committee with no action since. McDermott introduced the same bill in 2012, and it <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr6338" type="external">died in committee</a>. In addition to the lack of traction of such bills, the White House <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/314939-house-set-for-carbon-tax-showdown" type="external">opposes a carbon tax</a>.</p>
<p>The Crossroads ad cites <a href="http://www.nam.org/~/media/ECF11DF347094E0DA8AF7BD9A696ABDB.ashx" type="external">a study</a> <a href="http://www.nam.org/Communications/Articles/2013/02/A-Carbon-Tax-Would-Wallop-Our-Economy.aspx" type="external">released in February 2013</a> by the anti-carbon-tax National Association of Manufacturers, which looked at two hypothetical scenarios, finding they would reduce productivity, lower wages and increase the price of fossil fuels. NAM’s scenarios use the revenue from a tax to reduce the debt and personal income tax rates. But the revenue from the tax <a href="http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059976977" type="external">could also be used</a> to give households rebates, as the Sanders-Boxer bill proposed, or lower corporate tax rates to ease the impact on businesses.</p>
<p>“The ultimate economic effects of a carbon tax, however, would depend on how the revenues from the tax were used,” said a <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/44223_Carbon_0.pdf" type="external">May 2013 Congressional Budget Office report</a>, with deficit or tax-rate reduction lowering the total cost to the economy and other methods directing relief to consumers or businesses.</p>
<p>But, again, Udall didn’t vote to enact a carbon tax — or even to support a specific proposal.</p>
<p>&#160;False Attacks on Hagan, Too</p>
<p>Hagan’s Republican opponent, Tillis, twists another vote on an amendment to the 2013 budget resolution to <a href="http://thomtillis.com/kay-hagans-carbon-tax-would-destroy-up-to-67000-n-c-jobs/#sthash.fEVSvNMM.dpuf" type="external">wrongly claim</a> on his website that the Democratic senator “has supported a carbon tax that would cause gas prices and utility bills to skyrocket, while destroying up to 67,000 jobs in North Carolina over the next ten years.” Tillis’ site refers to “Hagan’s carbon tax” and call this her “energy policy.” But simply reading that Web page shows Tillis doesn’t have support for such claims.</p>
<p>The American Energy Alliance, a conservative group that doesn’t disclose its donors but <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74643.html" type="external">has been linked to the Koch brothers by Politico</a>, also launched an ad early this month that uses the same supposed evidence to claim that Hagan wasn’t telling the truth when she said she opposed a carbon tax and that she had “worked to make it a priority.”</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/04d534ae5fa"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>Both the Tillis camp and AEA point to Hagan’s <a href="http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&amp;session=1&amp;vote=00059" type="external">March 2013 vote</a> against an amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. Roy Blunt to require 60 votes to approve any potential carbon tax in the future. The amendment failed. It wasn’t a vote for a carbon tax; it was a vote against a nonbinding resolution requiring a high threshold for passing such a tax at some unknown point in the future.</p>
<p>There was no proposal that would have “destroy[ed] up to 67,000 jobs in North Carolina” over a decade, as the campaign says. Instead, that number comes from the <a href="http://www.nam.org/~/media/8B3D6787FD904FBC96B7EDE4837763C4.ashx" type="external">NAM analysis</a> of two scenarios, and it’s the upper-most estimate for NAM’s high-end scenario. Technically, NAM didn’t say up to 67,000 jobs would be lost. Its figure is for reduced labor income. NAM <a href="http://www.nam.org/~/media/ECF11DF347094E0DA8AF7BD9A696ABDB.ashx" type="external">notes</a>: “This does not represent a projection of the number of workers who may need to change jobs and/or be unemployed, as some or all of the lost labor could be spread across workers who remain employed.”</p>
<p>AEA’s ad also claims that Hagan supported a tax that “could cost the average family over $2,000 a year,” but that figure comes from a January 2013 <a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/01/carbon-tax-would-raise-unemployment-not-revenue#_ftn2" type="external">Heritage Foundation analysis</a> of carbon-tax scenarios presented in the Energy Information Administration’s <a href="http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/archive/aeo12/pdf/0383%282012%29.pdf" type="external">2012 Annual Energy Outlook</a>. Heritage’s maximum-impact scenario estimated a cut in income for a family of four of $1,900 in 2016. The scenarios didn’t include any method of returning revenue to the public.</p>
<p>But that’s all a moot point anyway. Hagan didn’t support — or decline to oppose — any specific carbon tax plan with her 2013 vote.</p>
<p>The Tillis camp and AEA provide another weak link to a carbon tax, mentioning <a href="http://americansforprosperity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Begich-Carbon-Tax-letter.pdf" type="external">a letter</a> Hagan and other freshman Democratic senators (including Begich and Udall) wrote to the Senate majority leader in July 2010, a few months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The letter expressed support for comprehensive energy legislation that would include “making polluters pay through a price on greenhouse gas emissions.”</p>
<p>As the Tillis camp acknowledges on its site, the letter didn’t provide any specifics as to whether that policy should be a carbon tax, cap-and-trade or some other method of penalties and incentives. The letter gives general ideas of what energy legislation should include, such as “tax incentives, grants, loans and other assistance to help American manufacturers create jobs, cut their energy consumption, retool for a clean energy economy and remain competitive in the global market.”</p>
<p>For the record, Hagan voted against the Whitehouse amendment, a vote her campaign cited last fall as evidence of her opposition to a carbon tax. The Hill newspaper <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/320665-hagan-campaign-says-she-doesnt-support-carbon-tax#ixzz38O8W2PRE" type="external">quoted Hagan campaign spokeswoman Sadie Weiner as saying</a>: “She opposes it (as evidenced by the act she voted against it).” But The Hill noted, as we have, that the “vote was largely symbolic, as the underlying bill was nonbinding. The Whitehouse amendment also didn’t exactly address the concept of carbon tax directly.”</p>
<p>Neither of the votes cited by these groups would have enacted a carbon tax, or even demonstrated support for a certain plan. The votes are distorted in these attacks and then linked to conservative analyses of general scenarios, not proposals that the Democratic senators actually had supported.</p>
<p>— Lori Robertson</p> | 1,413 |
<p>It was John Lennon’s 67th birthday yesterday, but I didn’t realize it until today when I saw a clip on the news of Yoko Ono unveiling, a twenty meter high peace tower in his name in Rekyavic, Iceland</p>
<p>“I consider myself very fortunate to see the dream my husband and I dreamt together become reality,” said Ono.</p>
<p>The column, which she designed 40 years ago, engraved with the words ‘imagine peace’ in 24 languages, will shine a coumn of light into the sky until 8th December, the 27th anniversary of Lennon’s assassination. I think I’ll remember that event more quickly than his birthday.</p>
<p>Or maybe I did somehow subconciously remember Lennon yesterday, because around about midday, after playing around with cut-out images, I finally stuck down <a href="http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/images/8cdaf6b3.jpg" type="external">this collage</a>–the long-haired dead prophet of peace, the world, the candles for a birthday? I called it ‘Resurrection’.</p>
<p>The main thing on my mind yesterday, even overshadowing the relief I felt for not being in prison for ‘insulting the Prime Minister of Turkey’ following my second trial the day before (the judge called for a new hearing in March 2008!), was a molar tooth in my left lower jaw. It ached like hell, and any pressure on it was agony. I realised I would have to go to the dentist and have it fixed, but that would be a problem. Not a ‘scared of dentists’ problem, a Money Problem.</p>
<p>After a full year of wage unemployment I’m basically ‘broke’. The savings slowly slipped away, and now I only have enough to pay half of next month’s rent on my flat. I was optimistically hoping I might just be able to do it by rent-day, with the coins I collect from telling fortunes in the street with my runestones, but the dental bill will bite a big chunk out, and I may have to ask the landlady to wait a little before I catch up, what with the water bill to pay, the electricity, the gas, the telephone, the internet, (I stopped calling the fresh-water man a while ago and started drinking the tap-water to save Money. You get used to the chlorinated taste after a while, and I haven’t noticed any predicted harmful effects yet.)</p>
<p>But I’ve certainly noticed the harmful effects on life of Money or the lack of it, and in the afternoon, after |I’d gone and made an appointment with the dentist, I dwelt on them as I sat in the street on my little camp-stool next to my circle of runestones, rereading ‘ <a href="http://www.lucyparsonsproject.org/anarchism/berkman_abc_of_anarchism.html" type="external">The ABC of Anarchism’</a> by Alexander Berkman, during the ample time I had between customers.</p>
<p>Berkman says that Money, along with Government, will have no place in the ideal world of communist anarchism we create after the socialist revolution. Money is a cancer, and goverments are tools of the rich fatcats who want to keep the corrupt unjust system of gross inequality going. According to those standards, in America, where the presidential candidates’ popularity is measured by the amount of Money pumped into their publicity by their backers, Ms Hillary Clinton would be way ahead of the others in the corruption stakes.</p>
<p>And although I didn’t particularly think of John Lennon yesterday, as I read Berkman, I recalled Lennon’s world-famous song ‘Imagine’, which seems to put the anarchist creed in a nutshell.</p>
<p>Imagine no MONEY …</p>
<p>No RICH and POOR: A world where everyone has as much to eat as they like, comfortable accommodation, equal opportunity for education, excellent health care, no need to worry about bills any more – for electricity or water or anything. A system focussed on the smooth running of a world society where nobody is left out, where all have a voice, and no-one is rejected or discarded because of their lack of wealth.</p>
<p>Money is a human invention which has been around for a long time. Long enough for us to know that it is a very bad idea. One that causes greed, theft, prostitution, wars, pollution, hypocrisy, and murder, to mention only a few of its poisonous spawn.</p>
<p>If you really want real PEACE, then the monetary system under which we have lived for so long, with its Wall Street investors and its lazy millionaires and its toiling wage-slaves and money-grubbers and garbage-gleaning destitutes – has got to go.</p>
<p>Only then can we begin to make the Utopian dream suggested in Lennon’s song a reality. Do you really think that filthy money system would continue with “all the people sharing all the world”?</p>
<p>Anyway, a belated happy birthday, John, wherever you are. (In many people’s hearts, definitely.) I have to go to the dentist now to pay him to get rid of my pain. I wish I could get rid of the tyranny of Money as easily. That will take a bit more of a concerted effort, but I can see it coming within my lifetime. You can too, can’t you? Imagine!</p>
<p>MICHAEL DICKINSON, whose artwork graces the covers of <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Dime’s Worth of Difference</a>, <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Serpents in the Garden</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Grand Theft Pentagon</a>, lives in Istanbul. He can be contacted via his website <a href="http://yabanji.tripod.com/" type="external">http://yabanji.tripod.com/</a> or at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Forgetting Lennon’s Birthday | true | https://counterpunch.org/2007/10/10/forgetting-lennon-s-birthday/ | 2007-10-10 | 4left
| Forgetting Lennon’s Birthday
<p>It was John Lennon’s 67th birthday yesterday, but I didn’t realize it until today when I saw a clip on the news of Yoko Ono unveiling, a twenty meter high peace tower in his name in Rekyavic, Iceland</p>
<p>“I consider myself very fortunate to see the dream my husband and I dreamt together become reality,” said Ono.</p>
<p>The column, which she designed 40 years ago, engraved with the words ‘imagine peace’ in 24 languages, will shine a coumn of light into the sky until 8th December, the 27th anniversary of Lennon’s assassination. I think I’ll remember that event more quickly than his birthday.</p>
<p>Or maybe I did somehow subconciously remember Lennon yesterday, because around about midday, after playing around with cut-out images, I finally stuck down <a href="http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/images/8cdaf6b3.jpg" type="external">this collage</a>–the long-haired dead prophet of peace, the world, the candles for a birthday? I called it ‘Resurrection’.</p>
<p>The main thing on my mind yesterday, even overshadowing the relief I felt for not being in prison for ‘insulting the Prime Minister of Turkey’ following my second trial the day before (the judge called for a new hearing in March 2008!), was a molar tooth in my left lower jaw. It ached like hell, and any pressure on it was agony. I realised I would have to go to the dentist and have it fixed, but that would be a problem. Not a ‘scared of dentists’ problem, a Money Problem.</p>
<p>After a full year of wage unemployment I’m basically ‘broke’. The savings slowly slipped away, and now I only have enough to pay half of next month’s rent on my flat. I was optimistically hoping I might just be able to do it by rent-day, with the coins I collect from telling fortunes in the street with my runestones, but the dental bill will bite a big chunk out, and I may have to ask the landlady to wait a little before I catch up, what with the water bill to pay, the electricity, the gas, the telephone, the internet, (I stopped calling the fresh-water man a while ago and started drinking the tap-water to save Money. You get used to the chlorinated taste after a while, and I haven’t noticed any predicted harmful effects yet.)</p>
<p>But I’ve certainly noticed the harmful effects on life of Money or the lack of it, and in the afternoon, after |I’d gone and made an appointment with the dentist, I dwelt on them as I sat in the street on my little camp-stool next to my circle of runestones, rereading ‘ <a href="http://www.lucyparsonsproject.org/anarchism/berkman_abc_of_anarchism.html" type="external">The ABC of Anarchism’</a> by Alexander Berkman, during the ample time I had between customers.</p>
<p>Berkman says that Money, along with Government, will have no place in the ideal world of communist anarchism we create after the socialist revolution. Money is a cancer, and goverments are tools of the rich fatcats who want to keep the corrupt unjust system of gross inequality going. According to those standards, in America, where the presidential candidates’ popularity is measured by the amount of Money pumped into their publicity by their backers, Ms Hillary Clinton would be way ahead of the others in the corruption stakes.</p>
<p>And although I didn’t particularly think of John Lennon yesterday, as I read Berkman, I recalled Lennon’s world-famous song ‘Imagine’, which seems to put the anarchist creed in a nutshell.</p>
<p>Imagine no MONEY …</p>
<p>No RICH and POOR: A world where everyone has as much to eat as they like, comfortable accommodation, equal opportunity for education, excellent health care, no need to worry about bills any more – for electricity or water or anything. A system focussed on the smooth running of a world society where nobody is left out, where all have a voice, and no-one is rejected or discarded because of their lack of wealth.</p>
<p>Money is a human invention which has been around for a long time. Long enough for us to know that it is a very bad idea. One that causes greed, theft, prostitution, wars, pollution, hypocrisy, and murder, to mention only a few of its poisonous spawn.</p>
<p>If you really want real PEACE, then the monetary system under which we have lived for so long, with its Wall Street investors and its lazy millionaires and its toiling wage-slaves and money-grubbers and garbage-gleaning destitutes – has got to go.</p>
<p>Only then can we begin to make the Utopian dream suggested in Lennon’s song a reality. Do you really think that filthy money system would continue with “all the people sharing all the world”?</p>
<p>Anyway, a belated happy birthday, John, wherever you are. (In many people’s hearts, definitely.) I have to go to the dentist now to pay him to get rid of my pain. I wish I could get rid of the tyranny of Money as easily. That will take a bit more of a concerted effort, but I can see it coming within my lifetime. You can too, can’t you? Imagine!</p>
<p>MICHAEL DICKINSON, whose artwork graces the covers of <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Dime’s Worth of Difference</a>, <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Serpents in the Garden</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Grand Theft Pentagon</a>, lives in Istanbul. He can be contacted via his website <a href="http://yabanji.tripod.com/" type="external">http://yabanji.tripod.com/</a> or at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 1,414 |
<p>More than 200 people have died in Karachi, Pakistan, as a result of <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6233868.stm" type="external">storms</a> that ravaged the city. Heavy rain, gale-force winds and flooding obliterated many homes, while falling trees, billboards and power lines wreaked further havoc. At least 45 people have also died in southern India.</p>
<p>BBC:</p>
<p>Torrential rains and gale-force winds have led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the coastal city of Karachi in southern Pakistan.</p>
<p>Some 43 people were killed by the storms on Saturday afternoon, while the other bodies were recovered on Sunday.</p>
<p />
<p>Dozens more were injured as heavy winds uprooted trees and brought down power lines, electrocuting people.</p>
<p>Karachi residents were already suffering from power cuts which have led to riots in the city.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6233868.stm" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Storms Kill More Than 200 in Pakistan | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/storms-kill-more-than-200-in-pakistan/ | 2007-06-25 | 4left
| Storms Kill More Than 200 in Pakistan
<p>More than 200 people have died in Karachi, Pakistan, as a result of <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6233868.stm" type="external">storms</a> that ravaged the city. Heavy rain, gale-force winds and flooding obliterated many homes, while falling trees, billboards and power lines wreaked further havoc. At least 45 people have also died in southern India.</p>
<p>BBC:</p>
<p>Torrential rains and gale-force winds have led to the deaths of more than 200 people in the coastal city of Karachi in southern Pakistan.</p>
<p>Some 43 people were killed by the storms on Saturday afternoon, while the other bodies were recovered on Sunday.</p>
<p />
<p>Dozens more were injured as heavy winds uprooted trees and brought down power lines, electrocuting people.</p>
<p>Karachi residents were already suffering from power cuts which have led to riots in the city.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6233868.stm" type="external">Read more</a></p> | 1,415 |
<p>CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says taxpayers pledged more than $36 million for private school scholarships on the first day donors became eligible for a new state tax credit.</p>
<p>Lawmakers approved the controversial $75 million tax credit program last year as part of a school funding overhaul.</p>
<p>Tuesday was the first day individuals and corporations could pledge money and apply for the tax credit, which is worth 75 percent of their donation, up to $1 million. The state caps eligible annual donations at $100 million.</p>
<p>Rauner said in a statement Wednesday the "outpouring of generosity" shows many in Illinois believe families should have a choice in where their children attend school.</p>
<p>Critics of the tax credit argue it takes money away from often cash-strapped public schools to benefit the wealthy.</p>
<p>CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says taxpayers pledged more than $36 million for private school scholarships on the first day donors became eligible for a new state tax credit.</p>
<p>Lawmakers approved the controversial $75 million tax credit program last year as part of a school funding overhaul.</p>
<p>Tuesday was the first day individuals and corporations could pledge money and apply for the tax credit, which is worth 75 percent of their donation, up to $1 million. The state caps eligible annual donations at $100 million.</p>
<p>Rauner said in a statement Wednesday the "outpouring of generosity" shows many in Illinois believe families should have a choice in where their children attend school.</p>
<p>Critics of the tax credit argue it takes money away from often cash-strapped public schools to benefit the wealthy.</p> | Taxpayers give $36M to scholarships on 1st day of new credit | false | https://apnews.com/amp/dad0c4f1b5114c6ab68310a740013301 | 2018-01-03 | 2least
| Taxpayers give $36M to scholarships on 1st day of new credit
<p>CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says taxpayers pledged more than $36 million for private school scholarships on the first day donors became eligible for a new state tax credit.</p>
<p>Lawmakers approved the controversial $75 million tax credit program last year as part of a school funding overhaul.</p>
<p>Tuesday was the first day individuals and corporations could pledge money and apply for the tax credit, which is worth 75 percent of their donation, up to $1 million. The state caps eligible annual donations at $100 million.</p>
<p>Rauner said in a statement Wednesday the "outpouring of generosity" shows many in Illinois believe families should have a choice in where their children attend school.</p>
<p>Critics of the tax credit argue it takes money away from often cash-strapped public schools to benefit the wealthy.</p>
<p>CHICAGO (AP) - Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says taxpayers pledged more than $36 million for private school scholarships on the first day donors became eligible for a new state tax credit.</p>
<p>Lawmakers approved the controversial $75 million tax credit program last year as part of a school funding overhaul.</p>
<p>Tuesday was the first day individuals and corporations could pledge money and apply for the tax credit, which is worth 75 percent of their donation, up to $1 million. The state caps eligible annual donations at $100 million.</p>
<p>Rauner said in a statement Wednesday the "outpouring of generosity" shows many in Illinois believe families should have a choice in where their children attend school.</p>
<p>Critics of the tax credit argue it takes money away from often cash-strapped public schools to benefit the wealthy.</p> | 1,416 |
<p>The biggest concern for everyday citizens coming out of all the allegations and lies from the White House and the opposition parties, Democrats and media, should be over our own privacy instead of who-tapped-who in the latest round of information leaks.</p>
<p>As Trump vs Democrats vs Intelligence agencies is playing out in all the news sources, the big revelation is that not only are our national and international agencies wire-tapping phones all over the world, they are apparently wire-tapping all across the US as well.</p>
<p>And you evidently only need a moderate suspicion about someone to get a court of some type to authorize a tap of an individual’s phones, as the number of FISA requests since 1978 run into the tens of thousands, and the denial by the court of such requests barely gets out of single digits.</p>
<p>Even more appalling is the fact that the various intelligence agencies, once chided for failing to communicate with each other in the effort to keep the American public safe from terror attacks, now are more than willing to share anything they have uncovered among their colleagues, as well as with the media.</p>
<p>Now, Wikileaks is threatening to not only expose “secret” information, but also the way we collected the information, which may even include using our own household appliances against us.&#160; For some time, I had suspected that someone was listening to conversations between me and my family members, and now I find the CIA reportedly has a way to bug my “smart TV” or phone to gather information on my personal life while I am listening to music or watching Andy Griffith Show reruns.&#160; This echoes of Cold War-Russia, not the land of the free.</p>
<p>I get it that some of Donald Trump’s advisors and cabinet members may have been picked up talking to Russian contacts over the phone lines of those contacts that may have been surveilled, but even that doesn’t make them guilty of being a traitor.&#160; Many legitimate businessmen in America have contact with Russian businessmen, and conduct business over the phones legitimately.</p>
<p>Democrats have been howling, with no evidence to justify their claims, for months about such contacts interfering with the 2016 presidential race, but have yet to produce any “smoking gun” worthy of investigating, and in some cases, actually admitting no apparent interference occurred.&#160; But that doesn’t stop them from wailing about it.</p>
<p>And this weekend, President Trump flat out accused his predecessor, President Obama, or ordering wire-taps on his phones at Trump Tower during and after the election campaign, a very serious charge that could lead to prison time if true.&#160; One would think that, prior to making such a damaging allegation, the absolute proof of the claim would be in the bag, but no such evidence has yet been provided.</p>
<p>All this is grabbing the headlines and blowing up Twitter, as pro-Trump supporters rally around him, and anti-Trump pundits double down on the attacks, each side calling the other to task.&#160; Unfortunately, neither side has provided any significant evidence of malfeasance by the other side, merely inflammatory rhetoric designed to deflect the public away from finding the truth.</p>
<p>And the media is eating this up, providing their own sensationalistic headlines, and re-hashing older stories as if they were presenting something new.&#160; And it’s not the just the left or the right, both factions are participating, and in doing so are not doing the job that journalists are supposed, to inform the public.&#160; These, pseudo-journalists now feel it is their job to tell the public what to think instead of reporting the facts and letting the people make up their own minds.</p>
<p>Congress needs to address the apparent use of national intelligence agencies to spy on American citizens, and those focus on those responsible for leaking such information.&#160; It appears a household cleaning needs to be made across the NSA, FBI and CIA, and possibly others, and a serious review of the Patriot Act.&#160; Wrongdoers must be punished to the full extent of the law, and those crying wolf, without evidence to bolster their claims should be silent, no matter what office they hold.</p>
<p>We, as Americans, must demand such from our elected leaders, and we simply cannot allow this intrusion into our private lives to continue.&#160; A police state is never a free state.</p>
<p /> | Forget about Trump and Obama, who is listening to me? | false | http://natmonitor.com/2017/03/07/forget-about-trump-and-obama-who-is-listening-to-me/ | 2017-03-07 | 3left-center
| Forget about Trump and Obama, who is listening to me?
<p>The biggest concern for everyday citizens coming out of all the allegations and lies from the White House and the opposition parties, Democrats and media, should be over our own privacy instead of who-tapped-who in the latest round of information leaks.</p>
<p>As Trump vs Democrats vs Intelligence agencies is playing out in all the news sources, the big revelation is that not only are our national and international agencies wire-tapping phones all over the world, they are apparently wire-tapping all across the US as well.</p>
<p>And you evidently only need a moderate suspicion about someone to get a court of some type to authorize a tap of an individual’s phones, as the number of FISA requests since 1978 run into the tens of thousands, and the denial by the court of such requests barely gets out of single digits.</p>
<p>Even more appalling is the fact that the various intelligence agencies, once chided for failing to communicate with each other in the effort to keep the American public safe from terror attacks, now are more than willing to share anything they have uncovered among their colleagues, as well as with the media.</p>
<p>Now, Wikileaks is threatening to not only expose “secret” information, but also the way we collected the information, which may even include using our own household appliances against us.&#160; For some time, I had suspected that someone was listening to conversations between me and my family members, and now I find the CIA reportedly has a way to bug my “smart TV” or phone to gather information on my personal life while I am listening to music or watching Andy Griffith Show reruns.&#160; This echoes of Cold War-Russia, not the land of the free.</p>
<p>I get it that some of Donald Trump’s advisors and cabinet members may have been picked up talking to Russian contacts over the phone lines of those contacts that may have been surveilled, but even that doesn’t make them guilty of being a traitor.&#160; Many legitimate businessmen in America have contact with Russian businessmen, and conduct business over the phones legitimately.</p>
<p>Democrats have been howling, with no evidence to justify their claims, for months about such contacts interfering with the 2016 presidential race, but have yet to produce any “smoking gun” worthy of investigating, and in some cases, actually admitting no apparent interference occurred.&#160; But that doesn’t stop them from wailing about it.</p>
<p>And this weekend, President Trump flat out accused his predecessor, President Obama, or ordering wire-taps on his phones at Trump Tower during and after the election campaign, a very serious charge that could lead to prison time if true.&#160; One would think that, prior to making such a damaging allegation, the absolute proof of the claim would be in the bag, but no such evidence has yet been provided.</p>
<p>All this is grabbing the headlines and blowing up Twitter, as pro-Trump supporters rally around him, and anti-Trump pundits double down on the attacks, each side calling the other to task.&#160; Unfortunately, neither side has provided any significant evidence of malfeasance by the other side, merely inflammatory rhetoric designed to deflect the public away from finding the truth.</p>
<p>And the media is eating this up, providing their own sensationalistic headlines, and re-hashing older stories as if they were presenting something new.&#160; And it’s not the just the left or the right, both factions are participating, and in doing so are not doing the job that journalists are supposed, to inform the public.&#160; These, pseudo-journalists now feel it is their job to tell the public what to think instead of reporting the facts and letting the people make up their own minds.</p>
<p>Congress needs to address the apparent use of national intelligence agencies to spy on American citizens, and those focus on those responsible for leaking such information.&#160; It appears a household cleaning needs to be made across the NSA, FBI and CIA, and possibly others, and a serious review of the Patriot Act.&#160; Wrongdoers must be punished to the full extent of the law, and those crying wolf, without evidence to bolster their claims should be silent, no matter what office they hold.</p>
<p>We, as Americans, must demand such from our elected leaders, and we simply cannot allow this intrusion into our private lives to continue.&#160; A police state is never a free state.</p>
<p /> | 1,417 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Urban Outfitters.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>What: Shares of apparel retailer Urban Outfitters rose 24.9% in March, according to data provided by <a href="https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/Login.aspx" type="external">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a>. The company's fourth-quarter earnings report, which was mixed relative to analyst expectations, was the main reason for the stock's gains.</p>
<p>So what: Urban Outfitters pre-announced sales data for the fourth quarter back on Feb. 9, so there were no surprises on that front. Revenue was flat year over year at $1.01 billion, and comparable retail sales slumped 2%. Comparable sales rose 2% at Free People, declined 2% at Anthropologie Group, and declined 3% at Urban Outfitters stores. Wholesale revenue rose 29%, in part due to delayed orders carrying over into the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>On the earnings front, Urban Outfitters beat analyst estimates, with EPS of $0.61 besting expectations by $0.05. Compared to the prior-year period, EPS was up a penny. However, strong share buyback activity boosted per-share numbers, with net income slumping 9.2% year over year.</p>
<p>Urban Outfitters was able to beat analyst estimates for earnings by keeping its gross margin nearly flat, down just 12 basis points year over year. While the effects of lower retail sales, increased direct-to-consumer sales penetration, and currency worked against the company, a 200 basis point gross margin improvement driven by a lower markdown rate at Urban Outfitters stores mostly offset those negatives.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Now what: Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne summed up the quarter: "While apparel sales underperformed during the fourth quarter, I am pleased with the merchandise margin improvement delivered by the brands. Additionally, our expansion categories performed above our expectations and continue to give us confidence in our future growth opportunities."</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/URBN" type="external">URBN</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Shares of Urban Outfitters had been beaten down over the past year, going into earnings well below the 52-week high. A depressed stock price coupled with an earnings beat was enough to send the stock soaring in March.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/06/why-urban-outfitters-stock-soared-25-in-march.aspx" type="external">Why Urban Outfitters Stock Soared 25% in March Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFBargainBin/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Timothy Green Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Urban Outfitters. 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> | Why Urban Outfitters Stock Soared 25% in March | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/06/why-urban-outfitters-stock-soared-25-in-march.html | 2016-04-06 | 0right
| Why Urban Outfitters Stock Soared 25% in March
<p />
<p>Image source: Urban Outfitters.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>What: Shares of apparel retailer Urban Outfitters rose 24.9% in March, according to data provided by <a href="https://www.capitaliq.com/CIQDotNet/Login.aspx" type="external">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a>. The company's fourth-quarter earnings report, which was mixed relative to analyst expectations, was the main reason for the stock's gains.</p>
<p>So what: Urban Outfitters pre-announced sales data for the fourth quarter back on Feb. 9, so there were no surprises on that front. Revenue was flat year over year at $1.01 billion, and comparable retail sales slumped 2%. Comparable sales rose 2% at Free People, declined 2% at Anthropologie Group, and declined 3% at Urban Outfitters stores. Wholesale revenue rose 29%, in part due to delayed orders carrying over into the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>On the earnings front, Urban Outfitters beat analyst estimates, with EPS of $0.61 besting expectations by $0.05. Compared to the prior-year period, EPS was up a penny. However, strong share buyback activity boosted per-share numbers, with net income slumping 9.2% year over year.</p>
<p>Urban Outfitters was able to beat analyst estimates for earnings by keeping its gross margin nearly flat, down just 12 basis points year over year. While the effects of lower retail sales, increased direct-to-consumer sales penetration, and currency worked against the company, a 200 basis point gross margin improvement driven by a lower markdown rate at Urban Outfitters stores mostly offset those negatives.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Now what: Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne summed up the quarter: "While apparel sales underperformed during the fourth quarter, I am pleased with the merchandise margin improvement delivered by the brands. Additionally, our expansion categories performed above our expectations and continue to give us confidence in our future growth opportunities."</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/URBN" type="external">URBN</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Shares of Urban Outfitters had been beaten down over the past year, going into earnings well below the 52-week high. A depressed stock price coupled with an earnings beat was enough to send the stock soaring in March.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/06/why-urban-outfitters-stock-soared-25-in-march.aspx" type="external">Why Urban Outfitters Stock Soared 25% in March Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFBargainBin/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Timothy Green Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Urban Outfitters. 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> | 1,418 |
<p>ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Stars who play at least four nights in Atlantic City would be freed from having to pay state income taxes on all shows in the state that year under the latest proposal to revive the struggling seaside resort.</p>
<p>New Jersey state Sens. Tom Kean Jr. and James Whelan introduced legislation Thursday designed to spur in Atlantic City the kind of artist-in-residency that big stars typically do in Las Vegas, where stints of two weeks or a month have become common by A-list stars.</p>
<p>The bill would exempt those artists from state taxes not only on their Atlantic City performance, but on shows at New Jersey venues including arenas in Camden, Trenton, Holmdel and Newark.</p>
<p>“Right now, world tours and widely popular entertainment aren’t repeatedly coming to New Jersey’s venues and consistently drawing tourists to our state,” said Kean, a Republican. “There is tremendous value in the ability to consistently draw world-class entertainment here, especially considering widely successful A-Lister residencies in Las Vegas, where there’s no state income tax.”</p>
<p>“Las Vegas has had great success with performers in residence from Celine Dion to Britney Spears,′ Whelan added. “I am excited about the possibility of attracting stars to the Garden State, providing our residents with the opportunity to see some great acts, all while boosting our economy.”</p>
<p>Just who is an A-Lister — and qualifies for the tax breaks — may require a delicate touch. New Jersey’s Secretary of State would set qualifications for the benefit, taking into account music and ticket sales, and awards the performer has won.</p>
<p>The senators said “a transparent application process” would be administered by the director of the Division of Taxation.</p>
<p>New Jersey is feverishly looking for ways to boost the sagging fortunes of Atlantic City, where four of the 12 casinos shut down last year, and three of the surviving ones are bankrupt.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Wayne Parry can be reached at <a href="http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC" type="external">http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC</a></p>
<p>ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Stars who play at least four nights in Atlantic City would be freed from having to pay state income taxes on all shows in the state that year under the latest proposal to revive the struggling seaside resort.</p>
<p>New Jersey state Sens. Tom Kean Jr. and James Whelan introduced legislation Thursday designed to spur in Atlantic City the kind of artist-in-residency that big stars typically do in Las Vegas, where stints of two weeks or a month have become common by A-list stars.</p>
<p>The bill would exempt those artists from state taxes not only on their Atlantic City performance, but on shows at New Jersey venues including arenas in Camden, Trenton, Holmdel and Newark.</p>
<p>“Right now, world tours and widely popular entertainment aren’t repeatedly coming to New Jersey’s venues and consistently drawing tourists to our state,” said Kean, a Republican. “There is tremendous value in the ability to consistently draw world-class entertainment here, especially considering widely successful A-Lister residencies in Las Vegas, where there’s no state income tax.”</p>
<p>“Las Vegas has had great success with performers in residence from Celine Dion to Britney Spears,′ Whelan added. “I am excited about the possibility of attracting stars to the Garden State, providing our residents with the opportunity to see some great acts, all while boosting our economy.”</p>
<p>Just who is an A-Lister — and qualifies for the tax breaks — may require a delicate touch. New Jersey’s Secretary of State would set qualifications for the benefit, taking into account music and ticket sales, and awards the performer has won.</p>
<p>The senators said “a transparent application process” would be administered by the director of the Division of Taxation.</p>
<p>New Jersey is feverishly looking for ways to boost the sagging fortunes of Atlantic City, where four of the 12 casinos shut down last year, and three of the surviving ones are bankrupt.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Wayne Parry can be reached at <a href="http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC" type="external">http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC</a></p> | Lawmakers: Cut taxes for stars who play 4 nights in AC | false | https://apnews.com/aa10bd54df804493a53324d8ab71ff77 | 2015-01-29 | 2least
| Lawmakers: Cut taxes for stars who play 4 nights in AC
<p>ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Stars who play at least four nights in Atlantic City would be freed from having to pay state income taxes on all shows in the state that year under the latest proposal to revive the struggling seaside resort.</p>
<p>New Jersey state Sens. Tom Kean Jr. and James Whelan introduced legislation Thursday designed to spur in Atlantic City the kind of artist-in-residency that big stars typically do in Las Vegas, where stints of two weeks or a month have become common by A-list stars.</p>
<p>The bill would exempt those artists from state taxes not only on their Atlantic City performance, but on shows at New Jersey venues including arenas in Camden, Trenton, Holmdel and Newark.</p>
<p>“Right now, world tours and widely popular entertainment aren’t repeatedly coming to New Jersey’s venues and consistently drawing tourists to our state,” said Kean, a Republican. “There is tremendous value in the ability to consistently draw world-class entertainment here, especially considering widely successful A-Lister residencies in Las Vegas, where there’s no state income tax.”</p>
<p>“Las Vegas has had great success with performers in residence from Celine Dion to Britney Spears,′ Whelan added. “I am excited about the possibility of attracting stars to the Garden State, providing our residents with the opportunity to see some great acts, all while boosting our economy.”</p>
<p>Just who is an A-Lister — and qualifies for the tax breaks — may require a delicate touch. New Jersey’s Secretary of State would set qualifications for the benefit, taking into account music and ticket sales, and awards the performer has won.</p>
<p>The senators said “a transparent application process” would be administered by the director of the Division of Taxation.</p>
<p>New Jersey is feverishly looking for ways to boost the sagging fortunes of Atlantic City, where four of the 12 casinos shut down last year, and three of the surviving ones are bankrupt.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Wayne Parry can be reached at <a href="http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC" type="external">http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC</a></p>
<p>ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Stars who play at least four nights in Atlantic City would be freed from having to pay state income taxes on all shows in the state that year under the latest proposal to revive the struggling seaside resort.</p>
<p>New Jersey state Sens. Tom Kean Jr. and James Whelan introduced legislation Thursday designed to spur in Atlantic City the kind of artist-in-residency that big stars typically do in Las Vegas, where stints of two weeks or a month have become common by A-list stars.</p>
<p>The bill would exempt those artists from state taxes not only on their Atlantic City performance, but on shows at New Jersey venues including arenas in Camden, Trenton, Holmdel and Newark.</p>
<p>“Right now, world tours and widely popular entertainment aren’t repeatedly coming to New Jersey’s venues and consistently drawing tourists to our state,” said Kean, a Republican. “There is tremendous value in the ability to consistently draw world-class entertainment here, especially considering widely successful A-Lister residencies in Las Vegas, where there’s no state income tax.”</p>
<p>“Las Vegas has had great success with performers in residence from Celine Dion to Britney Spears,′ Whelan added. “I am excited about the possibility of attracting stars to the Garden State, providing our residents with the opportunity to see some great acts, all while boosting our economy.”</p>
<p>Just who is an A-Lister — and qualifies for the tax breaks — may require a delicate touch. New Jersey’s Secretary of State would set qualifications for the benefit, taking into account music and ticket sales, and awards the performer has won.</p>
<p>The senators said “a transparent application process” would be administered by the director of the Division of Taxation.</p>
<p>New Jersey is feverishly looking for ways to boost the sagging fortunes of Atlantic City, where four of the 12 casinos shut down last year, and three of the surviving ones are bankrupt.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Wayne Parry can be reached at <a href="http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC" type="external">http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC</a></p> | 1,419 |
<p>Kanye West has now rushed the stage during a performers acceptance speech for the second time.</p>
<p>The first time was at the 2009 Video Music Awards when West protested Taylor Swift winning best album over Beyonce.</p>
<p>Last night at the Grammys, he did a similar stunt to Beck and it initially seemed like a fun joke that was at his own expense. But in <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/02/kanye-beck-grammys" type="external">remarks to&#160;E!</a> after Sunday’s viewing, it is clear Kanye was seriously upset that Beyonce was upstaged again by an undeserving winner.</p>
<p>West said,&#160;“I don’t even know what [Beck] said. I just know that, the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We aren’t going to play with them no more.&#160;Beck needs to respect artistry, he should have given his award to Beyonce. At this point, we tired of it. What happens is, when you keep on diminishing art, and not respecting the craft, and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you’re disrespectful to inspiration.”</p>
<p>Beck was very&#160;accommodating to Kanye as he invited Kanye to come back on stage, as he clearly hadn’t prepared much of a speech for the event. West talked for a while at the after-show interview to protest the Grammys.</p>
<p>“We, as musicians, have to inspire people who go to work every day, and they listen to that Beyonce album, and they feel like it takes them to a different place,” West said to E!. “And then they do this promotional event, and they’ll run the music over somebody’s speech, the artist, because they want commercial advertising. We aren’t playing with them anymore. And by the way, I got my wife, my daughter, and I got my clothing line, so I’m not going to do nothing that would put my daughter at risk, but I am here to fight for creativity. That’s why I didn’t say anything tonight, but you all knew what it meant when ‘Ye stepped on that stage.”</p>
<p>Beyonce has been nominated for a Grammy six times now.</p>
<p /> | 2015 Grammys: Kanye West is at it again | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/02/09/2015-grammys-kanye-west-is-at-it-again/ | 2015-02-09 | 3left-center
| 2015 Grammys: Kanye West is at it again
<p>Kanye West has now rushed the stage during a performers acceptance speech for the second time.</p>
<p>The first time was at the 2009 Video Music Awards when West protested Taylor Swift winning best album over Beyonce.</p>
<p>Last night at the Grammys, he did a similar stunt to Beck and it initially seemed like a fun joke that was at his own expense. But in <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/02/kanye-beck-grammys" type="external">remarks to&#160;E!</a> after Sunday’s viewing, it is clear Kanye was seriously upset that Beyonce was upstaged again by an undeserving winner.</p>
<p>West said,&#160;“I don’t even know what [Beck] said. I just know that, the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We aren’t going to play with them no more.&#160;Beck needs to respect artistry, he should have given his award to Beyonce. At this point, we tired of it. What happens is, when you keep on diminishing art, and not respecting the craft, and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you’re disrespectful to inspiration.”</p>
<p>Beck was very&#160;accommodating to Kanye as he invited Kanye to come back on stage, as he clearly hadn’t prepared much of a speech for the event. West talked for a while at the after-show interview to protest the Grammys.</p>
<p>“We, as musicians, have to inspire people who go to work every day, and they listen to that Beyonce album, and they feel like it takes them to a different place,” West said to E!. “And then they do this promotional event, and they’ll run the music over somebody’s speech, the artist, because they want commercial advertising. We aren’t playing with them anymore. And by the way, I got my wife, my daughter, and I got my clothing line, so I’m not going to do nothing that would put my daughter at risk, but I am here to fight for creativity. That’s why I didn’t say anything tonight, but you all knew what it meant when ‘Ye stepped on that stage.”</p>
<p>Beyonce has been nominated for a Grammy six times now.</p>
<p /> | 1,420 |
<p />
<p>If I read another sensational headline – another overhyped story created for the sole purpose of getting hordes of mindless digital drones to click, tweet, share, and comment – I’m going to lose it. Seriously. The social Web has become a tedious game of who can turn trite minutiae into millions of hits and ad dollars.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>If you saw last week’s <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/01/twitter-blows-up-after-t-mobile-ceo-drops-anti-eff-f-bomb/" type="external">Twitter firestorm Opens a New Window.</a> over headlines like this one on Gizmodo, “ <a href="http://gizmodo.com/t-mobile-ceo-john-legere-goes-on-curse-filled-hate-rant-1751684684" type="external">T-Mobile CEO John Legere Goes on Curse-Filled Hate Rant Against Electronic Frontier Foundation Opens a New Window.</a>,” you’d think the highly visible executive went off the rails, Mel Gibson or Alec Baldwin style. But that’s not what happened. Not even a little.</p>
<p>If you were expecting an epic meltdown when you clicked on the link and watched the surprisingly benign 24-second video clip in question, I’m sure you were greatly disappointed.</p>
<p>While Legere is no stranger to profanity and he did drop one lonely f-bomb six-seconds from the end of the clip, he didn’t sound angry or unhinged or anything. It certainly wasn’t what I would call “curse-filled” or a “hate rant,” not by any stretch. I guess it’s easy to turn almost anything into sensational clickbait these days.</p>
<p>All the hoopla, by the way, is over whether T-Mobile is throttling users of its BingeOn service, a practice that’s prohibited by the FCC’s net neutrality rules. Actually, there’s more than meets the eye here. There’s politics involved in this little mini-drama. Legere leans right, watchdog group EFF leans left, and, well, you get the picture.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, when popular tech site re/code featured an article entitled “ <a href="http://recode.net/2016/01/11/60-percent-of-senior-women-in-tech-say-theyve-been-sexually-harassed/" type="external">Sixty Percent of Women in Tech Say They’ve Been Sexually Harassed Opens a New Window.</a>” on its homepage on Monday, and highlighted a laundry list of damning statistics in the piece, it failed to mention the stats were all based on a survey of just 200 women.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The survey was actually spearheaded by Trae Vassallo, a former junior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp; Byers who testified on behalf of Ellen Pao in her highly publicized workplace discrimination case against the storied Silicon Valley venture capital firm. ICYMI, Pao lost on all counts.</p>
<p>The survey’s website, “ <a href="http://elephantinthevalley.com" type="external">elephantinthevalley.com Opens a New Window.</a>,” makes no mention of how the women were selected or the survey conducted, except that all participants were relatively senior level. It does say that the inspiration for the study was the Pao v. KPCB trial. I wouldn’t exactly call it a legitimate, unbiased, statistically significant survey, but you’d never know that from the sensational headline or the article’s content.</p>
<p>Then there’s the notion of the unemployed, degreed Millennial. Some call this “the era of the overeducated barista” where recent graduates are known as “baristas with BAs” and headline after headline decries the woes of the job market for young people, including Newsweek’s “ <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2015/06/05/millennial-college-graduates-young-educated-jobless-335821.html" type="external">Millennial College Graduates: Young, Educated, and Jobless Opens a New Window.</a>.”</p>
<p>While it’s true that Millennials are the most unemployed and underemployed new generation to hit the workforce in decades, “the popular image of the college-educated barista is really more myth than reality,” according to <a href="" type="internal">researchers from the New York Federal Reserve</a>.</p>
<p>They say the vast majority of college grads who had trouble finding meaningful work following the Great Recession have since transitioned to higher-paying jobs and are far-outpacing their less educated counterparts. Apparently, underemployment declines with time spent in the labor market, “a pattern that has held for decades,” say the researchers.</p>
<p>Indeed, when I first graduated college back in the dark ages, I worked for minimum wage as a part-time bank vault attendant. I ended up having to go back to school and get a masters degree to eventually get a job in my field. It took years … even though I was an engineer. That’s what happens when you graduate during a recession. Go figure.</p>
<p>Funny thing is, the author of the above referenced Newsweek story was the same journalist who wrote what was more or less billed as the scoop of the millennium, “ <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/03/14/face-behind-bitcoin-247957.html" type="external">The Face Behind Bitcoin Opens a New Window.</a>,” which adorned the cover of the magazine’s much-heralded return to print in 2014.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, her conclusion that the mysterious founder of the crypto currency, Satoshi Nakamoto, wasn’t a pseudonym at all but a Japanese American of the same name was widely debunked. That story was a blockbuster all right. A blockbuster fail.</p>
<p>While I’ve previously concluded that <a href="" type="internal">journalistic integrity is dead</a>, I now see that what’s dead is our attention spans. We’ll click on anything. We’re losing the ability to tell fact from fiction, science from pseudoscience, reality from utopia, and clear logic from ludicrous nonsense. Or maybe we’re all just too distracted to care one way or another.</p>
<p>Wait, what was I talking about? Never mind.</p> | No. More. Clickbait. Please. | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/01/15/no-more-clickbait-please.html | 2016-03-04 | 0right
| No. More. Clickbait. Please.
<p />
<p>If I read another sensational headline – another overhyped story created for the sole purpose of getting hordes of mindless digital drones to click, tweet, share, and comment – I’m going to lose it. Seriously. The social Web has become a tedious game of who can turn trite minutiae into millions of hits and ad dollars.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>If you saw last week’s <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/01/twitter-blows-up-after-t-mobile-ceo-drops-anti-eff-f-bomb/" type="external">Twitter firestorm Opens a New Window.</a> over headlines like this one on Gizmodo, “ <a href="http://gizmodo.com/t-mobile-ceo-john-legere-goes-on-curse-filled-hate-rant-1751684684" type="external">T-Mobile CEO John Legere Goes on Curse-Filled Hate Rant Against Electronic Frontier Foundation Opens a New Window.</a>,” you’d think the highly visible executive went off the rails, Mel Gibson or Alec Baldwin style. But that’s not what happened. Not even a little.</p>
<p>If you were expecting an epic meltdown when you clicked on the link and watched the surprisingly benign 24-second video clip in question, I’m sure you were greatly disappointed.</p>
<p>While Legere is no stranger to profanity and he did drop one lonely f-bomb six-seconds from the end of the clip, he didn’t sound angry or unhinged or anything. It certainly wasn’t what I would call “curse-filled” or a “hate rant,” not by any stretch. I guess it’s easy to turn almost anything into sensational clickbait these days.</p>
<p>All the hoopla, by the way, is over whether T-Mobile is throttling users of its BingeOn service, a practice that’s prohibited by the FCC’s net neutrality rules. Actually, there’s more than meets the eye here. There’s politics involved in this little mini-drama. Legere leans right, watchdog group EFF leans left, and, well, you get the picture.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, when popular tech site re/code featured an article entitled “ <a href="http://recode.net/2016/01/11/60-percent-of-senior-women-in-tech-say-theyve-been-sexually-harassed/" type="external">Sixty Percent of Women in Tech Say They’ve Been Sexually Harassed Opens a New Window.</a>” on its homepage on Monday, and highlighted a laundry list of damning statistics in the piece, it failed to mention the stats were all based on a survey of just 200 women.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The survey was actually spearheaded by Trae Vassallo, a former junior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp; Byers who testified on behalf of Ellen Pao in her highly publicized workplace discrimination case against the storied Silicon Valley venture capital firm. ICYMI, Pao lost on all counts.</p>
<p>The survey’s website, “ <a href="http://elephantinthevalley.com" type="external">elephantinthevalley.com Opens a New Window.</a>,” makes no mention of how the women were selected or the survey conducted, except that all participants were relatively senior level. It does say that the inspiration for the study was the Pao v. KPCB trial. I wouldn’t exactly call it a legitimate, unbiased, statistically significant survey, but you’d never know that from the sensational headline or the article’s content.</p>
<p>Then there’s the notion of the unemployed, degreed Millennial. Some call this “the era of the overeducated barista” where recent graduates are known as “baristas with BAs” and headline after headline decries the woes of the job market for young people, including Newsweek’s “ <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2015/06/05/millennial-college-graduates-young-educated-jobless-335821.html" type="external">Millennial College Graduates: Young, Educated, and Jobless Opens a New Window.</a>.”</p>
<p>While it’s true that Millennials are the most unemployed and underemployed new generation to hit the workforce in decades, “the popular image of the college-educated barista is really more myth than reality,” according to <a href="" type="internal">researchers from the New York Federal Reserve</a>.</p>
<p>They say the vast majority of college grads who had trouble finding meaningful work following the Great Recession have since transitioned to higher-paying jobs and are far-outpacing their less educated counterparts. Apparently, underemployment declines with time spent in the labor market, “a pattern that has held for decades,” say the researchers.</p>
<p>Indeed, when I first graduated college back in the dark ages, I worked for minimum wage as a part-time bank vault attendant. I ended up having to go back to school and get a masters degree to eventually get a job in my field. It took years … even though I was an engineer. That’s what happens when you graduate during a recession. Go figure.</p>
<p>Funny thing is, the author of the above referenced Newsweek story was the same journalist who wrote what was more or less billed as the scoop of the millennium, “ <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2014/03/14/face-behind-bitcoin-247957.html" type="external">The Face Behind Bitcoin Opens a New Window.</a>,” which adorned the cover of the magazine’s much-heralded return to print in 2014.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, her conclusion that the mysterious founder of the crypto currency, Satoshi Nakamoto, wasn’t a pseudonym at all but a Japanese American of the same name was widely debunked. That story was a blockbuster all right. A blockbuster fail.</p>
<p>While I’ve previously concluded that <a href="" type="internal">journalistic integrity is dead</a>, I now see that what’s dead is our attention spans. We’ll click on anything. We’re losing the ability to tell fact from fiction, science from pseudoscience, reality from utopia, and clear logic from ludicrous nonsense. Or maybe we’re all just too distracted to care one way or another.</p>
<p>Wait, what was I talking about? Never mind.</p> | 1,421 |
<p>FARGO, N.D. (NDSU Athletics) -- Quarterback Easton Stick accounted for four touchdowns and No. 2 seed North Dakota State rolled to a 42-10 victory over seventh-seeded Wofford in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs Saturday, Dec. 9, before a crowd of 17,008 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.</p>
<p>North Dakota State (12-1) became the first team in FCS history to advance for the seventh straight season to the semifinal round, where the Bison will host either Kennesaw State or Sam Houston State.</p>
<p>"The first thing we did in the locker room was congratulate our scout team," said NDSU head coach Chris Klieman. "We had a phenomenal look on both sides of the ball. We talked about the genuine appreciation for the effort and commitment everybody makes within our program. The look we had by our scout team offense was phenomenal."</p>
<p>Wofford's triple-option attack managed only 134 yards rushing, 120 less than the Terriers (10-3) averaged coming in. Chris Board had a team-high nine tackles including one for loss, Nick DeLuca had seven tackles with a sack and forced fumble, and Caleb Butler had six tackles and a forced fumble.</p>
<p>Stick threw three touchdown passes for the second straight game while completing 11 of 16 passes for 184 yards and no interceptions. He added 49 yards on eight carries including a seven-yard TD run.</p>
<p>"He was really sharp and seeing everything very well," Klieman said. "He was seeing all their coverages and rotations. They cut a few guys loose and he found them."</p>
<p>Nine players had at least one reception for NDSU. Tight end Connor Wentz scored on a career-long 48-yard reception to put NDSU ahead 7-3, running back Seth Wilson caught an 18-yard TD pass on the next drive, and tight end Jeff Illies caught a four-yard touchdown.</p>
<p>The game was still tight early in the second quarter when the Bison fumbled on their own 22-yard line. Andre Stoddard's three-yard run capped a six-play scoring drive that brought Wofford within 14-10.</p>
<p>NDSU ran the ball nine times on the ensuing 57-yard march to go ahead 21-10 on Bruce Anderson's 1-yard score. The Bison cashed in on two straight Wofford fumbles to go ahead 35-10 before halftime.</p>
<p>"It was going to be a game of possessions," Klieman said. "We had to steal some possessions on defense and on special teams, whether it was by return or a turnover, and we were able to create a couple possessions."</p>
<p>The Bison held the ball for nearly 36 minutes and outgained Wofford by a 464 to 177 margin in total yardage averaging 7.0 yards per play. The Terriers were just 1 of 12 on third down.</p> | Bison down Wofford, move on to FCS Semifinals | false | http://valleynewslive.com/content/sports/Bison-down-Wofford-move-on-to-FCS-Semifinals-463059973.html | 2018-10-13 | 1right-center
| Bison down Wofford, move on to FCS Semifinals
<p>FARGO, N.D. (NDSU Athletics) -- Quarterback Easton Stick accounted for four touchdowns and No. 2 seed North Dakota State rolled to a 42-10 victory over seventh-seeded Wofford in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs Saturday, Dec. 9, before a crowd of 17,008 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.</p>
<p>North Dakota State (12-1) became the first team in FCS history to advance for the seventh straight season to the semifinal round, where the Bison will host either Kennesaw State or Sam Houston State.</p>
<p>"The first thing we did in the locker room was congratulate our scout team," said NDSU head coach Chris Klieman. "We had a phenomenal look on both sides of the ball. We talked about the genuine appreciation for the effort and commitment everybody makes within our program. The look we had by our scout team offense was phenomenal."</p>
<p>Wofford's triple-option attack managed only 134 yards rushing, 120 less than the Terriers (10-3) averaged coming in. Chris Board had a team-high nine tackles including one for loss, Nick DeLuca had seven tackles with a sack and forced fumble, and Caleb Butler had six tackles and a forced fumble.</p>
<p>Stick threw three touchdown passes for the second straight game while completing 11 of 16 passes for 184 yards and no interceptions. He added 49 yards on eight carries including a seven-yard TD run.</p>
<p>"He was really sharp and seeing everything very well," Klieman said. "He was seeing all their coverages and rotations. They cut a few guys loose and he found them."</p>
<p>Nine players had at least one reception for NDSU. Tight end Connor Wentz scored on a career-long 48-yard reception to put NDSU ahead 7-3, running back Seth Wilson caught an 18-yard TD pass on the next drive, and tight end Jeff Illies caught a four-yard touchdown.</p>
<p>The game was still tight early in the second quarter when the Bison fumbled on their own 22-yard line. Andre Stoddard's three-yard run capped a six-play scoring drive that brought Wofford within 14-10.</p>
<p>NDSU ran the ball nine times on the ensuing 57-yard march to go ahead 21-10 on Bruce Anderson's 1-yard score. The Bison cashed in on two straight Wofford fumbles to go ahead 35-10 before halftime.</p>
<p>"It was going to be a game of possessions," Klieman said. "We had to steal some possessions on defense and on special teams, whether it was by return or a turnover, and we were able to create a couple possessions."</p>
<p>The Bison held the ball for nearly 36 minutes and outgained Wofford by a 464 to 177 margin in total yardage averaging 7.0 yards per play. The Terriers were just 1 of 12 on third down.</p> | 1,422 |
<p>AMHERST, MA</p>
<p>The students, faculty, and staff of Hampshire College have voted to condemn the “War on Terrorism” and propose alternative solutions. The vote, which was won by a margin of 693-121 (with 11 abstaining or ambiguous votes), is believed to the first such decision by a college community in the United States. (A majority of the students, faculty, and staff participated in the vote.)</p>
<p>“Our community has spoken,” said Michael Sherrard, an organizer with Hampshire Students for a Peaceful Response, which sponsored the vote and authored the anti-war resolution. “We refuse to fall into silent support for an unjust war that kills innocents overseas, and threatens our safety and civil liberties at home.”</p>
<p>However, organizers were quick to defend the right to free expression of those who disagreed with the vote.</p>
<p>“As a diverse community of strong individuals, there are some at Hampshire who do not support our views. Even if they are in the minority, their opinions, and rights to free expression, must be respected. We wish that politicians and the media would extend the same respect to those of us who oppose this unjust war, or who happen to bear the same skin tone as Osama bin Laden,” said Donald Jackson, also a member of Students for a Peaceful Response.</p>
<p>Hampshire has a precedent for trend-setting political statements. In the early 70s, students voted for the impeachment of President Nixon. The college was also the first to decide to divest from apartheid South Africa. With this vote, organizers hope to make a similarly strong public statement, and build a movement which can similarly change the course of U.S. foreign policy.</p>
<p>Students for a Peaceful Response is a multi-campus coalition in Western Massachusetts formed in the wake of September 11, and active in the growing nation-wide student movement against the war. It is organized around six points of unity: mourning for the victims of the September 11 tragedies; a call for the peaceful pursuit of justice, rather than war and militarism; condemnation of religious, racial, and ethnic scapegoating and bigotry; opposition to the curtailment of civil liberties; desire to provoke discussion of the root causes of terrorism; and recognition of global justice as the condition for a true and lasting peace.</p>
<p>Full text of the statement approved by the community:</p>
<p>The tragic day of September 11, and the days following, have been a time of profound suffering for people everywhere: firefighters in New York, secretaries in Washington D.C., and farmers in Afghanistan. One indiscriminate act of violence has been followed by another, a pattern seriously endangering the prospects for a just and peaceful world. In such a time of loss, we must ask ourselves – is there a path out of this escalating cycle of violence? Yes, we can respond to the tragedy of September 11 as a crime against humanity, carried out by individuals, not as an act of warfare for which a nation must be held responsible. This path would proceed within a framework of genuine international cooperation and be designed to bring to justice those guilty of the crime – without destroying the lives of innocent millions. It would employ the proven tools of transparent and conclusive investigations, diplomatic and police efforts, and fair courts of law to achieve its goal. At home, we can meet the immediate need for effective security through common-sense solutions that apply fairly to everyone, while preserving our hard-won civil liberties.</p>
<p>Instead, the Bush administration has embarked upon a very different path–with disastrous consequences:</p>
<p>The death toll of innocent Afghan civilians killed by inevitably imprecise bombing is mounting.</p>
<p>The U.S. military campaign has made it impossible for international relief organizations to deliver the food aid necessary to prevent the starvation of millions of Afghan civilians in the winter now beginning. The token and scattered aid efforts of the United States have been roundly criticized as insufficient, or even counterproductive, by such organizations. A massive humanitarian crisis remains.</p>
<p>While the Northern Alliance has forced the Taliban from power (certainly a welcome development), they too possess a disturbing record of human-rights violations, especially against women and political dissidents.</p>
<p>The current suffering in Afghanistan will only deepen the conditions of loss and desperation which foster international terrorism. Even the CIA has stated that strikes against Afghanistan are “100% certain” to lead to terrorist reprisals.</p>
<p>The recent “U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T.” Act infringes upon everyone’s First and Fourth Amendment freedoms. Rights to privacy, speech, and association remain as critical as ever and are, if anything, more so in times of trial.</p>
<p>The proposed “economic stimulus” package provides billions of dollars in corporate giveaways and tax breaks, but almost nothing for laid-off workers and poor communities most at risk.</p>
<p>Both at home and abroad, the “War on Terrorism” is symptomatic of the racism of American society, in its disregard for the lives of people of color overseas, encouragement of racial, ethnic, and religious scapegoating and violence, and practice of law enforcement “profiling.”</p>
<p>New legislative and law enforcement initiatives threaten specifically the rights of non-citizens, through indefinite detentions without indictment, military tribunals, arbitrary deportation, and unfair targeting of international students.</p>
<p>For all of these reasons, and many more, we, the students, faculty, and staff of Hampshire College, have no choice but to condemn the current “War on Terrorism,” and demand that it not be expanded to Iraq or any other countries. We call for the resumption of effective independent humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, and the immediate halt to the U.S. military action that prevents it. We call for a U.N.-led effort to establish in Afghanistan a democratic and multi-ethnic government, respectful of the rights of women. Furthermore, we demand that the Hampshire administration join us in resisting any arbitrary and unfair law-enforcement invasion of our own community, especially efforts targeting international students and campus activists.</p>
<p>Finally, military action will never put an end to international terrorism, which often stems from forces that have previously received the support of the American government. In its place, we must, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter – but beautiful – struggle for a new world,” a world where hunger, war, and economic injustice, the root causes of terrorism, are eliminated. This way alone leads to safety, security, and lasting peace. Thus, we commit the full resources and energies of our community to this endeavor, and challenge our colleagues at schools around the country, and all over the world, to do the same.</p>
<p>For more Information Contact: Michael Sherrard <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a> Kai Newkirk <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Hampshire College Condemns War in All-Community Vote | true | https://counterpunch.org/2001/12/06/hampshire-college-condemns-war-in-all-community-vote/ | 2001-12-06 | 4left
| Hampshire College Condemns War in All-Community Vote
<p>AMHERST, MA</p>
<p>The students, faculty, and staff of Hampshire College have voted to condemn the “War on Terrorism” and propose alternative solutions. The vote, which was won by a margin of 693-121 (with 11 abstaining or ambiguous votes), is believed to the first such decision by a college community in the United States. (A majority of the students, faculty, and staff participated in the vote.)</p>
<p>“Our community has spoken,” said Michael Sherrard, an organizer with Hampshire Students for a Peaceful Response, which sponsored the vote and authored the anti-war resolution. “We refuse to fall into silent support for an unjust war that kills innocents overseas, and threatens our safety and civil liberties at home.”</p>
<p>However, organizers were quick to defend the right to free expression of those who disagreed with the vote.</p>
<p>“As a diverse community of strong individuals, there are some at Hampshire who do not support our views. Even if they are in the minority, their opinions, and rights to free expression, must be respected. We wish that politicians and the media would extend the same respect to those of us who oppose this unjust war, or who happen to bear the same skin tone as Osama bin Laden,” said Donald Jackson, also a member of Students for a Peaceful Response.</p>
<p>Hampshire has a precedent for trend-setting political statements. In the early 70s, students voted for the impeachment of President Nixon. The college was also the first to decide to divest from apartheid South Africa. With this vote, organizers hope to make a similarly strong public statement, and build a movement which can similarly change the course of U.S. foreign policy.</p>
<p>Students for a Peaceful Response is a multi-campus coalition in Western Massachusetts formed in the wake of September 11, and active in the growing nation-wide student movement against the war. It is organized around six points of unity: mourning for the victims of the September 11 tragedies; a call for the peaceful pursuit of justice, rather than war and militarism; condemnation of religious, racial, and ethnic scapegoating and bigotry; opposition to the curtailment of civil liberties; desire to provoke discussion of the root causes of terrorism; and recognition of global justice as the condition for a true and lasting peace.</p>
<p>Full text of the statement approved by the community:</p>
<p>The tragic day of September 11, and the days following, have been a time of profound suffering for people everywhere: firefighters in New York, secretaries in Washington D.C., and farmers in Afghanistan. One indiscriminate act of violence has been followed by another, a pattern seriously endangering the prospects for a just and peaceful world. In such a time of loss, we must ask ourselves – is there a path out of this escalating cycle of violence? Yes, we can respond to the tragedy of September 11 as a crime against humanity, carried out by individuals, not as an act of warfare for which a nation must be held responsible. This path would proceed within a framework of genuine international cooperation and be designed to bring to justice those guilty of the crime – without destroying the lives of innocent millions. It would employ the proven tools of transparent and conclusive investigations, diplomatic and police efforts, and fair courts of law to achieve its goal. At home, we can meet the immediate need for effective security through common-sense solutions that apply fairly to everyone, while preserving our hard-won civil liberties.</p>
<p>Instead, the Bush administration has embarked upon a very different path–with disastrous consequences:</p>
<p>The death toll of innocent Afghan civilians killed by inevitably imprecise bombing is mounting.</p>
<p>The U.S. military campaign has made it impossible for international relief organizations to deliver the food aid necessary to prevent the starvation of millions of Afghan civilians in the winter now beginning. The token and scattered aid efforts of the United States have been roundly criticized as insufficient, or even counterproductive, by such organizations. A massive humanitarian crisis remains.</p>
<p>While the Northern Alliance has forced the Taliban from power (certainly a welcome development), they too possess a disturbing record of human-rights violations, especially against women and political dissidents.</p>
<p>The current suffering in Afghanistan will only deepen the conditions of loss and desperation which foster international terrorism. Even the CIA has stated that strikes against Afghanistan are “100% certain” to lead to terrorist reprisals.</p>
<p>The recent “U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T.” Act infringes upon everyone’s First and Fourth Amendment freedoms. Rights to privacy, speech, and association remain as critical as ever and are, if anything, more so in times of trial.</p>
<p>The proposed “economic stimulus” package provides billions of dollars in corporate giveaways and tax breaks, but almost nothing for laid-off workers and poor communities most at risk.</p>
<p>Both at home and abroad, the “War on Terrorism” is symptomatic of the racism of American society, in its disregard for the lives of people of color overseas, encouragement of racial, ethnic, and religious scapegoating and violence, and practice of law enforcement “profiling.”</p>
<p>New legislative and law enforcement initiatives threaten specifically the rights of non-citizens, through indefinite detentions without indictment, military tribunals, arbitrary deportation, and unfair targeting of international students.</p>
<p>For all of these reasons, and many more, we, the students, faculty, and staff of Hampshire College, have no choice but to condemn the current “War on Terrorism,” and demand that it not be expanded to Iraq or any other countries. We call for the resumption of effective independent humanitarian aid in Afghanistan, and the immediate halt to the U.S. military action that prevents it. We call for a U.N.-led effort to establish in Afghanistan a democratic and multi-ethnic government, respectful of the rights of women. Furthermore, we demand that the Hampshire administration join us in resisting any arbitrary and unfair law-enforcement invasion of our own community, especially efforts targeting international students and campus activists.</p>
<p>Finally, military action will never put an end to international terrorism, which often stems from forces that have previously received the support of the American government. In its place, we must, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter – but beautiful – struggle for a new world,” a world where hunger, war, and economic injustice, the root causes of terrorism, are eliminated. This way alone leads to safety, security, and lasting peace. Thus, we commit the full resources and energies of our community to this endeavor, and challenge our colleagues at schools around the country, and all over the world, to do the same.</p>
<p>For more Information Contact: Michael Sherrard <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a> Kai Newkirk <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 1,423 |
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<p>SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman David Parry has been arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on suspicion of assaulting the driver of a motorized cart and then stealing and crashing the vehicle.</p>
<p>Police say the 24-year-old showed signs of impairment when arrested early Saturday morning near where the cart was found crashed.</p>
<p>According to police, the driver had picked up Parry and two other people and that the alleged assault and theft occurred after the driver dropped off the other two people and got out to be paid.</p>
<p>Police said they do not know if Parry has an attorney who could comment on the allegations of robbery, auto theft, criminal damage, resisting arrest and DUI.</p>
<p>Colts spokesman Avis Roper said the team is gathering information.</p>
<p>Parry was a 2015 fifth round draft pick.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Police: Colts’ David Parry arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona | false | https://abqjournal.com/959194/police-colts-david-parry-arrested-in-scottsdale-arizona.html | 2017-02-28 | 2least
| Police: Colts’ David Parry arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman David Parry has been arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on suspicion of assaulting the driver of a motorized cart and then stealing and crashing the vehicle.</p>
<p>Police say the 24-year-old showed signs of impairment when arrested early Saturday morning near where the cart was found crashed.</p>
<p>According to police, the driver had picked up Parry and two other people and that the alleged assault and theft occurred after the driver dropped off the other two people and got out to be paid.</p>
<p>Police said they do not know if Parry has an attorney who could comment on the allegations of robbery, auto theft, criminal damage, resisting arrest and DUI.</p>
<p>Colts spokesman Avis Roper said the team is gathering information.</p>
<p>Parry was a 2015 fifth round draft pick.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 1,424 |
<p>It’s the end of the world as we know it.&#160; Slavoj Zizek has several ideas why.&#160; Foremost among them is the coming end of the economic system we know as capitalism.&#160; Although you wouldn’t know it by its champions around the world (especially in the USA) the last few decades have been rough on capitalism.&#160; In order to maintain its necessary expansion, credit has been extended to individuals and institutions that would never have qualified for it before 1973.&#160; This has enabled consumer purchasing power to extend beyond most people’s earning ability.&#160; Furthermore, many services that were formerly provided by government are now privatized.&#160; This phenomenon includes some schools, libraries, and certain military, police and security operations.&#160; This transition has been precipitated by the continual decrease in tax bills for the very rich and the de-prioritizing of all social services.&#160; Naturally, the military continues to devour most national budgets in many countries, especially in the United States.&#160; This fact combined with the aforementioned privatization of some military operations, prisons, and police functions, has created a situation where the poor and so-called middle classes watch their futures grow dimmer while the wealthy circle their wagons on a global scale to insure what they hope will be their continued dominance.</p>
<p>Zizek says&#160; the wealthy are victims of their own wishful thinking.&#160; Eventually, the dystopia monopoly capitalism is creating will spread its shadow over all.&#160; Unemployed, employed, owners, CEOs and financiers.&#160; The moment of critical mass is at hand.&#160; The masters of capital have few if no more cards up there sleeves.&#160; They will most certainly try some tricks that they used in the past in what will ultimately prove to be useless attempts to rebuild the capitalist planet, but the facts are obvious.&#160; There are fewer and fewer markets to create then exploit.&#160; Buying and selling credit and debt with other credit and debt can only fool the piper for so long.&#160; The time to pay that piper is nigh.</p>
<p>I once had a friend whose family left the Netherlands right before the Nazis took that nation over.&#160; I’m not sure if she was Jewish, but her mother knew that none of them would survive long once the Third Reich moved into their neighborhood.&#160; Who knows, maybe they were communists.&#160; Anyhow, back in 1981 when the Polish workers went on a nationwide strike after the country’s Stalinist government brutally attacked workers associated with the Solidarnosc movement, she mentioned her fears for the Polish people while we were waiting for the bartender at the club we were in to bring us another beer.&#160; I began talking about a couple strikes in the United States that I had worked on a few years earlier.&#160; My friend cut me short by saying that all assumptions should be tossed out and that those who understood how to take care of each other would fare better than most everyone else in the future.</p>
<p>This understanding is not very present in the capitalist mindset, even (if not especially) among those that work in its shops, factories and fields.&#160; Instead, workers tend to assume the philosophy of those who pay them.&#160; Believing that the individual is the key to survival, the road to privatized dystopia is not only accepted, it is cheered by an apparent majority.</p>
<p>Back to Slavoj Zizek.&#160; His most recent book, titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/184467598X/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Living In the End Times</a>, is an adventure.&#160; A bit verbose, the rock star philosopher examines the state of things on planet earth early in the twenty-first century.&#160; By dividing his analysis into what grief counselors call the five stages of grief, Zizek looks closely at the nature of the problem–capitalism and its culture.&#160; He examines the&#160; causes by traveling through Western philosophy and holds the entire dilemma up against the critical facilities of Marx and Engels.&#160; The journey is fascinating despite the use of ideas as practical applications of other ideas–a philosopher’s trick that tends to obfuscate instead of clarify.&#160; The chapters that immediately follow each of those named after the aforementioned stages are where Zizek most applies what he is trying to say about world political and cultural reality.&#160; In other words, it is in&#160; these chapters Zizek attempts to apply his ideas to something real.&#160;&#160; However, it is often the medium of film that he uses to illustrate his points.&#160; It’s as if Plato’s shadows on the cave had become that which cast those shadows.&#160; Not unlike Ronald Reagan and his confusion, Zizek refers to film as if it were real.</p>
<p>I recently read an article about the current economic crisis&#160; that said individual greed caused the events.&#160; While this is true to a certain extent, the facts have a lot more to do with the critical mass mentioned above.&#160;&#160; The finance industry needed to find something to sell because the market was saturated and people could not afford what was out there unless their credit was stretched beyond that which was reasonably practical to pay.&#160; Essentially, capitalism at its current stage creates and enables greed because its machinery knows that is what keeps it alive.</p>
<p>There are a couple ways to fight against the coming end.&#160; One method is currently unfolding in the United States and the other rears its angry head in places like Greece and France (and most recently Great Britain). &#160;The former is a method that coincides as neatly as a lap joint with the individualistic culture of the United States.&#160; This method is best expressed in today’s political milieu by the Tea Party.&#160; Their obsessive individualism pretends that every human really is an island and is therefore has the right to hoard, keep and protect what he believes to be his.&#160; Everyone else can go to hell.&#160; Underlining this disorder is a belief that every one can become rich if they only work hard enough.&#160; As anyone that has looked at who funds the Tea Party knows, this egocentric philosophy is championed by a few extremely wealthy social Darwinists.</p>
<p>The other method is one that depends on solidarity and mass action.&#160; The Greeks and French folks in the streets understand that this crisis is not an act of god, it is not inevitable and it is directly related to the current stage of monopoly capitalism–capitalist globalization.&#160; They know that the masters who make the rules have different priorities than the masses and that the only way to change those priorities to reflect those of the workers (employed and unemployed) and others the wealthy want to disempower.&#160; Given this, notes Zizek, then perhaps the only way to do so is in such a way that public order is disturbed.&#160; As an example he cites the Greek protests of 2008 in Greece after police killed a teenager.&#160; If one recalls, those protests spread across Europe.&#160; Anything less than direct action that upsets the applecart of the State is ineffective either because the State ignores them or coopts them.&#160; As an example of the latter, Zizek points to the official response of Washington and London to the February 15, 2003 massive protests against the impending invasion of Iraq.&#160; Once the protests were over, the invasion occurred.&#160; However, the polite protesters were able to feel good that they had done what they felt they could to prevent it, while the invading governments could point to the protests as an example of “how democracy works.”&#160; When, in essence, it really only worked for those governments and the war machine they are an integral part of.</p>
<p>Among his many targets, Zizek includes liberal democracy.&#160; He agrees that its failures are all too clear.&#160; Many of these failures can be attributed to the fact that economic liberalism and the so-called free market has trumped political liberalism.&#160; It was Herbert Marcuse who wrote in his book One Dimensional Man: “Freedom of thought, speech, and conscience were-just as free enterprise, which they served to promote and protect–essentially critical ideas, designed to replace an obsolescent material and intellectual culture by a more productive and rational one. Once institutionalized, these rights and liberties shared the fate of the society of which they had become an integral part. The achievement cancels the premises.”&#160; In fact, insists Zizek, those rights are now counter to the greater project of maintaining the capitalist system no matter what its guise may be.</p>
<p>This is despite the fact that most citizens of western democracies (and probably democracies in other parts of the world as well) prefer the social freedoms and equality that political liberalism promises.&#160; However,&#160; the free market, because it is not really free in that word’s greater sense, finds that it can not survive in a world where there is no inequality.&#160; Capitalism, after all (and especially monopoly capitalism) creates (and needs) haves and have-nots.&#160; Consequently, those leaders who champion political liberalism and democracy find themselves acceding to the demands of those who believe the marketplace trumps all other realities.&#160; In other words, political liberals, also being firm believers in the marketplace, succumb.&#160; Nothing proves this better than the Obama presidency.</p>
<p>Speaking of that presidency, in a discussion of Tony Blair’s last election, Zizek points out that Blair was the most unpopular person in Britain in 2005.&#160; Yet, because there was no official way to express displeasure, he was reelected.&#160; The most recent elections in Great Britain and the United States take this a step further.&#160; Voters are frustrated with the lack of change but see no official way to express that, so in Britain they put a Liberal-Conservative coalition in power that is doing exactly what New Labour planned to do.&#160; In the US, they either voted for the faux populist Tea Party, or they didn’t vote at all.&#160; In the meantime, a bipartisan panel has recommended major changes in Washington’s Social Security and Medicare, while other austerity measures are put in place in both nations.&#160; The war in Afghanistan continues to escalate and any pretense of a withdrawal is slowly washed from memory. Nothing will change.&#160; At the same time, change must come.&#160;&#160; Mr.&#160; Zizek describes the situation in his own way in Living In the End Times, but in the end the text is merely an intellectual’s intricate&#160; plaything.</p>
<p>If we are to effect change, books like Mr. Zizek’s Living In the End Times are not going to be the spark that lights the prairie fire, no matter how cleverly written.&#160; Although Zizek’s text is poetntially important to those who will take the time to read it, I am still convinced that our search for a better future&#160; is better served by reading the first chapters of a small book first published on February 21, 1848.&#160; That book?&#160; The Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.&#160; I think Mr. Zizek would agree.</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | The End of the World as We Know It | true | https://counterpunch.org/2010/11/26/the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it/ | 2010-11-26 | 4left
| The End of the World as We Know It
<p>It’s the end of the world as we know it.&#160; Slavoj Zizek has several ideas why.&#160; Foremost among them is the coming end of the economic system we know as capitalism.&#160; Although you wouldn’t know it by its champions around the world (especially in the USA) the last few decades have been rough on capitalism.&#160; In order to maintain its necessary expansion, credit has been extended to individuals and institutions that would never have qualified for it before 1973.&#160; This has enabled consumer purchasing power to extend beyond most people’s earning ability.&#160; Furthermore, many services that were formerly provided by government are now privatized.&#160; This phenomenon includes some schools, libraries, and certain military, police and security operations.&#160; This transition has been precipitated by the continual decrease in tax bills for the very rich and the de-prioritizing of all social services.&#160; Naturally, the military continues to devour most national budgets in many countries, especially in the United States.&#160; This fact combined with the aforementioned privatization of some military operations, prisons, and police functions, has created a situation where the poor and so-called middle classes watch their futures grow dimmer while the wealthy circle their wagons on a global scale to insure what they hope will be their continued dominance.</p>
<p>Zizek says&#160; the wealthy are victims of their own wishful thinking.&#160; Eventually, the dystopia monopoly capitalism is creating will spread its shadow over all.&#160; Unemployed, employed, owners, CEOs and financiers.&#160; The moment of critical mass is at hand.&#160; The masters of capital have few if no more cards up there sleeves.&#160; They will most certainly try some tricks that they used in the past in what will ultimately prove to be useless attempts to rebuild the capitalist planet, but the facts are obvious.&#160; There are fewer and fewer markets to create then exploit.&#160; Buying and selling credit and debt with other credit and debt can only fool the piper for so long.&#160; The time to pay that piper is nigh.</p>
<p>I once had a friend whose family left the Netherlands right before the Nazis took that nation over.&#160; I’m not sure if she was Jewish, but her mother knew that none of them would survive long once the Third Reich moved into their neighborhood.&#160; Who knows, maybe they were communists.&#160; Anyhow, back in 1981 when the Polish workers went on a nationwide strike after the country’s Stalinist government brutally attacked workers associated with the Solidarnosc movement, she mentioned her fears for the Polish people while we were waiting for the bartender at the club we were in to bring us another beer.&#160; I began talking about a couple strikes in the United States that I had worked on a few years earlier.&#160; My friend cut me short by saying that all assumptions should be tossed out and that those who understood how to take care of each other would fare better than most everyone else in the future.</p>
<p>This understanding is not very present in the capitalist mindset, even (if not especially) among those that work in its shops, factories and fields.&#160; Instead, workers tend to assume the philosophy of those who pay them.&#160; Believing that the individual is the key to survival, the road to privatized dystopia is not only accepted, it is cheered by an apparent majority.</p>
<p>Back to Slavoj Zizek.&#160; His most recent book, titled <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/184467598X/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Living In the End Times</a>, is an adventure.&#160; A bit verbose, the rock star philosopher examines the state of things on planet earth early in the twenty-first century.&#160; By dividing his analysis into what grief counselors call the five stages of grief, Zizek looks closely at the nature of the problem–capitalism and its culture.&#160; He examines the&#160; causes by traveling through Western philosophy and holds the entire dilemma up against the critical facilities of Marx and Engels.&#160; The journey is fascinating despite the use of ideas as practical applications of other ideas–a philosopher’s trick that tends to obfuscate instead of clarify.&#160; The chapters that immediately follow each of those named after the aforementioned stages are where Zizek most applies what he is trying to say about world political and cultural reality.&#160; In other words, it is in&#160; these chapters Zizek attempts to apply his ideas to something real.&#160;&#160; However, it is often the medium of film that he uses to illustrate his points.&#160; It’s as if Plato’s shadows on the cave had become that which cast those shadows.&#160; Not unlike Ronald Reagan and his confusion, Zizek refers to film as if it were real.</p>
<p>I recently read an article about the current economic crisis&#160; that said individual greed caused the events.&#160; While this is true to a certain extent, the facts have a lot more to do with the critical mass mentioned above.&#160;&#160; The finance industry needed to find something to sell because the market was saturated and people could not afford what was out there unless their credit was stretched beyond that which was reasonably practical to pay.&#160; Essentially, capitalism at its current stage creates and enables greed because its machinery knows that is what keeps it alive.</p>
<p>There are a couple ways to fight against the coming end.&#160; One method is currently unfolding in the United States and the other rears its angry head in places like Greece and France (and most recently Great Britain). &#160;The former is a method that coincides as neatly as a lap joint with the individualistic culture of the United States.&#160; This method is best expressed in today’s political milieu by the Tea Party.&#160; Their obsessive individualism pretends that every human really is an island and is therefore has the right to hoard, keep and protect what he believes to be his.&#160; Everyone else can go to hell.&#160; Underlining this disorder is a belief that every one can become rich if they only work hard enough.&#160; As anyone that has looked at who funds the Tea Party knows, this egocentric philosophy is championed by a few extremely wealthy social Darwinists.</p>
<p>The other method is one that depends on solidarity and mass action.&#160; The Greeks and French folks in the streets understand that this crisis is not an act of god, it is not inevitable and it is directly related to the current stage of monopoly capitalism–capitalist globalization.&#160; They know that the masters who make the rules have different priorities than the masses and that the only way to change those priorities to reflect those of the workers (employed and unemployed) and others the wealthy want to disempower.&#160; Given this, notes Zizek, then perhaps the only way to do so is in such a way that public order is disturbed.&#160; As an example he cites the Greek protests of 2008 in Greece after police killed a teenager.&#160; If one recalls, those protests spread across Europe.&#160; Anything less than direct action that upsets the applecart of the State is ineffective either because the State ignores them or coopts them.&#160; As an example of the latter, Zizek points to the official response of Washington and London to the February 15, 2003 massive protests against the impending invasion of Iraq.&#160; Once the protests were over, the invasion occurred.&#160; However, the polite protesters were able to feel good that they had done what they felt they could to prevent it, while the invading governments could point to the protests as an example of “how democracy works.”&#160; When, in essence, it really only worked for those governments and the war machine they are an integral part of.</p>
<p>Among his many targets, Zizek includes liberal democracy.&#160; He agrees that its failures are all too clear.&#160; Many of these failures can be attributed to the fact that economic liberalism and the so-called free market has trumped political liberalism.&#160; It was Herbert Marcuse who wrote in his book One Dimensional Man: “Freedom of thought, speech, and conscience were-just as free enterprise, which they served to promote and protect–essentially critical ideas, designed to replace an obsolescent material and intellectual culture by a more productive and rational one. Once institutionalized, these rights and liberties shared the fate of the society of which they had become an integral part. The achievement cancels the premises.”&#160; In fact, insists Zizek, those rights are now counter to the greater project of maintaining the capitalist system no matter what its guise may be.</p>
<p>This is despite the fact that most citizens of western democracies (and probably democracies in other parts of the world as well) prefer the social freedoms and equality that political liberalism promises.&#160; However,&#160; the free market, because it is not really free in that word’s greater sense, finds that it can not survive in a world where there is no inequality.&#160; Capitalism, after all (and especially monopoly capitalism) creates (and needs) haves and have-nots.&#160; Consequently, those leaders who champion political liberalism and democracy find themselves acceding to the demands of those who believe the marketplace trumps all other realities.&#160; In other words, political liberals, also being firm believers in the marketplace, succumb.&#160; Nothing proves this better than the Obama presidency.</p>
<p>Speaking of that presidency, in a discussion of Tony Blair’s last election, Zizek points out that Blair was the most unpopular person in Britain in 2005.&#160; Yet, because there was no official way to express displeasure, he was reelected.&#160; The most recent elections in Great Britain and the United States take this a step further.&#160; Voters are frustrated with the lack of change but see no official way to express that, so in Britain they put a Liberal-Conservative coalition in power that is doing exactly what New Labour planned to do.&#160; In the US, they either voted for the faux populist Tea Party, or they didn’t vote at all.&#160; In the meantime, a bipartisan panel has recommended major changes in Washington’s Social Security and Medicare, while other austerity measures are put in place in both nations.&#160; The war in Afghanistan continues to escalate and any pretense of a withdrawal is slowly washed from memory. Nothing will change.&#160; At the same time, change must come.&#160;&#160; Mr.&#160; Zizek describes the situation in his own way in Living In the End Times, but in the end the text is merely an intellectual’s intricate&#160; plaything.</p>
<p>If we are to effect change, books like Mr. Zizek’s Living In the End Times are not going to be the spark that lights the prairie fire, no matter how cleverly written.&#160; Although Zizek’s text is poetntially important to those who will take the time to read it, I am still convinced that our search for a better future&#160; is better served by reading the first chapters of a small book first published on February 21, 1848.&#160; That book?&#160; The Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.&#160; I think Mr. Zizek would agree.</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | 1,425 |
<p />
<p>Mother Jones’ reporter Andy Kroll joins the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart and Chris Jansing on MSNBC to discuss <a href="" type="internal">who the Occupy Wall Street protesters are</a>, and <a href="" type="internal">how the movement started</a>.</p>
<p>Want to know more? Explore MoJo‘s <a href="" type="internal">updated map of protests and arrests worldwide</a>, and check out <a href="" type="internal">all the rest of our #OWS&#160;coverage.</a></p>
<p />
<p />
<p /> | Watch: Andy Kroll Explains the OWS Protests on MSNBC | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/10/andy-kroll-ows-protests-msnbc/ | 2011-10-18 | 4left
| Watch: Andy Kroll Explains the OWS Protests on MSNBC
<p />
<p>Mother Jones’ reporter Andy Kroll joins the Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart and Chris Jansing on MSNBC to discuss <a href="" type="internal">who the Occupy Wall Street protesters are</a>, and <a href="" type="internal">how the movement started</a>.</p>
<p>Want to know more? Explore MoJo‘s <a href="" type="internal">updated map of protests and arrests worldwide</a>, and check out <a href="" type="internal">all the rest of our #OWS&#160;coverage.</a></p>
<p />
<p />
<p /> | 1,426 |
<p>On Saturday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to impose new sanctions on North Korea. The vote came after the rogue regime successfully tested far-reaching intercontinental ballistic missiles last month.</p>
<p>The U.N. measure was the first time in recent memory that the international community came together to place pressure on Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions.</p>
<p>Here are 5 things you need to know about our new sanctions against North Korea.</p>
<p>1. China endorsed the sanctions bill and refused to veto the measure. China’s cooperative stance is by far the most significant development to come from the U.N. vote. China is the hand that feeds North Korea — literally. The isolated North Korean state relies on the Chinese for trade and basic commodities. As a result, China’s endorsement of sanctions is a major blow to the Kim regime. According to experts, the Trump administration played its hand brilliantly, forcing a stubborn China to make hard decisions.</p>
<p>"It's quite impressive how the Americans got the Chinese to agree to such comprehensive sanctions," Yun Sun, an Asia geopolitics expert at the Stimson Center, told Business Insider.</p>
<p>According to Sun, the United States pressured China to vote for sanctions by threatening to sanction Chinese banks that conduct financial transactions with the North Koreans.</p>
<p>2. The sanctions hit North Korea where it hurts, cutting off key exports. “The measures aim to make it harder for North Korea to make money across the globe,” <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/06/asia/north-korea-asean/index.html" type="external">reports</a> CNN. “They target North Korea's primary exports — including coal, iron and seafood — and attempt to cut off its additional revenue streams by targeting some of its banks and joint ventures with foreign companies.”</p>
<p>3. North Korea promised extreme retaliation against the United States. The Daily Wire <a href="" type="internal">reported</a>, “This week, the regime threatened to seek revenge ' <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4186461/north-korea-kim-jong-un-vows-attack-america-donald-trump/" type="external">thousands-fold</a>' against the United States after the United Nations security council vote to unanimously impose new sanctions on North Korea and cut exports by $1 billion.”</p>
<p>4. North Korea said that the sanctions won’t bring them to the negotiating table. "We will, under no circumstances, put the nukes and ballistic rockets on the negotiating table," said North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho Monday.</p>
<p>He added: "Possession of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles is a legitimate option for self-defence in the face of a clear and real nuclear threat posed by the U.S."</p>
<p>5. Sanctions haven’t worked in the past; they’re unlikely to work now. North Korea has always privileged its nuclear program above all other concerns, including the welfare of its own people. Simply put, Kim Jong Un doesn’t care if his people starve to death. He is resolute about becoming a nuclear power and he’s willing to sacrifice anything and anybody to achieve that goal. The United States has tried every option in its diplomatic tool kit. In fact, when a naïve President Bill Clinton struck a “deal” to end the North Korean nuclear program in the 1990s, the rogue regime continued to accelerate the development of nuclear weapons. Today, the North Koreans are within one year of harnessing the technology necessary to strike the continental United States.</p>
<p>“The belief that sanctions are going to bring North Korea to its knees have been proven to be false assumptions,” Yun Sun told Business Insider.</p> | 5 Things You Need To Know About Our New Sanctions Against North Korea | true | https://dailywire.com/news/19498/5-things-you-need-know-about-our-new-sanctions-michael-qazvini | 2017-08-08 | 0right
| 5 Things You Need To Know About Our New Sanctions Against North Korea
<p>On Saturday, the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to impose new sanctions on North Korea. The vote came after the rogue regime successfully tested far-reaching intercontinental ballistic missiles last month.</p>
<p>The U.N. measure was the first time in recent memory that the international community came together to place pressure on Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions.</p>
<p>Here are 5 things you need to know about our new sanctions against North Korea.</p>
<p>1. China endorsed the sanctions bill and refused to veto the measure. China’s cooperative stance is by far the most significant development to come from the U.N. vote. China is the hand that feeds North Korea — literally. The isolated North Korean state relies on the Chinese for trade and basic commodities. As a result, China’s endorsement of sanctions is a major blow to the Kim regime. According to experts, the Trump administration played its hand brilliantly, forcing a stubborn China to make hard decisions.</p>
<p>"It's quite impressive how the Americans got the Chinese to agree to such comprehensive sanctions," Yun Sun, an Asia geopolitics expert at the Stimson Center, told Business Insider.</p>
<p>According to Sun, the United States pressured China to vote for sanctions by threatening to sanction Chinese banks that conduct financial transactions with the North Koreans.</p>
<p>2. The sanctions hit North Korea where it hurts, cutting off key exports. “The measures aim to make it harder for North Korea to make money across the globe,” <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/06/asia/north-korea-asean/index.html" type="external">reports</a> CNN. “They target North Korea's primary exports — including coal, iron and seafood — and attempt to cut off its additional revenue streams by targeting some of its banks and joint ventures with foreign companies.”</p>
<p>3. North Korea promised extreme retaliation against the United States. The Daily Wire <a href="" type="internal">reported</a>, “This week, the regime threatened to seek revenge ' <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4186461/north-korea-kim-jong-un-vows-attack-america-donald-trump/" type="external">thousands-fold</a>' against the United States after the United Nations security council vote to unanimously impose new sanctions on North Korea and cut exports by $1 billion.”</p>
<p>4. North Korea said that the sanctions won’t bring them to the negotiating table. "We will, under no circumstances, put the nukes and ballistic rockets on the negotiating table," said North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho Monday.</p>
<p>He added: "Possession of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles is a legitimate option for self-defence in the face of a clear and real nuclear threat posed by the U.S."</p>
<p>5. Sanctions haven’t worked in the past; they’re unlikely to work now. North Korea has always privileged its nuclear program above all other concerns, including the welfare of its own people. Simply put, Kim Jong Un doesn’t care if his people starve to death. He is resolute about becoming a nuclear power and he’s willing to sacrifice anything and anybody to achieve that goal. The United States has tried every option in its diplomatic tool kit. In fact, when a naïve President Bill Clinton struck a “deal” to end the North Korean nuclear program in the 1990s, the rogue regime continued to accelerate the development of nuclear weapons. Today, the North Koreans are within one year of harnessing the technology necessary to strike the continental United States.</p>
<p>“The belief that sanctions are going to bring North Korea to its knees have been proven to be false assumptions,” Yun Sun told Business Insider.</p> | 1,427 |
<p>Even though Jean-Claude Brizard’s current annual salary puts him on the low end of the market compared to other leaders of large urban school districts, the fact that it is more than his predecessor is likely to spur questions as he contends with a $720 million budget deficit. Even though Jean-Claude Brizard’s current annual salary puts him on the low end of the market compared to other leaders of large urban school districts, the fact that it is more than his predecessor is likely to spur questions as he contends with a $720 million budget deficit.</p>
<p>The School Board has yet to approve a final contract for Brizard, but his appointment Wednesday comes with a $250,000 annual salary that lasts through the end of June.&#160;</p>
<p>By that point, the board will likely have approved a longer-term contract</p>
<p>Brizard’s salary is a $15,000 raise from his annual earnings while superintendent of Rochester, New York schools, which has just 32,000 students&#160; compared to 400,000 in Chicago.</p>
<p>It’s also a $20,000 increase from the $230,000 earned by his predecessor, Ron Huberman.&#160;</p>
<p>Brizard could face some tough questions about that pay hike down the line, as he might seek significant salary concessions from the Chicago Teachers Union when the time comes to renegotiate the union’s contract with CPS.</p>
<p>However, Brizard will also earn less than many of his peers in other cities. Most urban district leaders pull in somewhere between $270,000 and $300,000 annually.&#160; In fact, when compared to the earnings of bosses at the other 10 largest urban districts in the country, Brizard’s salary ranks 9th.&#160;</p>
<p>Brizard’s actual earnings may come in below his base rate. Last year, CPS officials said Huberman actually made around $216,000 because of unpaid furlough and vacation days necessitated by the district’s budget shortfall. CPS spokesperson Ana Vargas said no decisions on furloughs have been made in Brizard’s case.&#160;</p>
<p>Other district leaders like Los Angeles superintendent John Deasy have recently taken pay cuts in the face of financial challenges.</p>
<p /> | For the Record: Schools CEO salary | false | http://chicagoreporter.com/record-schools-ceo-salary/ | 2011-05-27 | 3left-center
| For the Record: Schools CEO salary
<p>Even though Jean-Claude Brizard’s current annual salary puts him on the low end of the market compared to other leaders of large urban school districts, the fact that it is more than his predecessor is likely to spur questions as he contends with a $720 million budget deficit. Even though Jean-Claude Brizard’s current annual salary puts him on the low end of the market compared to other leaders of large urban school districts, the fact that it is more than his predecessor is likely to spur questions as he contends with a $720 million budget deficit.</p>
<p>The School Board has yet to approve a final contract for Brizard, but his appointment Wednesday comes with a $250,000 annual salary that lasts through the end of June.&#160;</p>
<p>By that point, the board will likely have approved a longer-term contract</p>
<p>Brizard’s salary is a $15,000 raise from his annual earnings while superintendent of Rochester, New York schools, which has just 32,000 students&#160; compared to 400,000 in Chicago.</p>
<p>It’s also a $20,000 increase from the $230,000 earned by his predecessor, Ron Huberman.&#160;</p>
<p>Brizard could face some tough questions about that pay hike down the line, as he might seek significant salary concessions from the Chicago Teachers Union when the time comes to renegotiate the union’s contract with CPS.</p>
<p>However, Brizard will also earn less than many of his peers in other cities. Most urban district leaders pull in somewhere between $270,000 and $300,000 annually.&#160; In fact, when compared to the earnings of bosses at the other 10 largest urban districts in the country, Brizard’s salary ranks 9th.&#160;</p>
<p>Brizard’s actual earnings may come in below his base rate. Last year, CPS officials said Huberman actually made around $216,000 because of unpaid furlough and vacation days necessitated by the district’s budget shortfall. CPS spokesperson Ana Vargas said no decisions on furloughs have been made in Brizard’s case.&#160;</p>
<p>Other district leaders like Los Angeles superintendent John Deasy have recently taken pay cuts in the face of financial challenges.</p>
<p /> | 1,428 |
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<p>Mourners stand at a barricade near Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens, N.Y., as the casket of New York Police Department officer Rafael Ramos arrives for his wake on Friday. (John Minchillo/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>NEW YORK – Thousands of uniformed police officers from New York City and around the country gathered Friday at the solemn, eight-hour wake of a city policeman who was killed along with his partner in a brazen daytime shooting a week ago.</p>
<p>Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had been criticized by the police union for his handling of protests critical of officers, briefly attended Officer Rafael Ramos’ viewing at the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens, where Ramos was brought in a flag-draped casket and viewed in full dress uniform.</p>
<p>“Dad, I’m forever grateful of the sacrifices you made to provide for me and Jaden,” Ramos’ son, Justin, said during the wake, referring to his younger brother, as officers gathered in the street watched on giant television screens.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Ramos’ funeral is scheduled today. Vice President Joseph Biden and Mayor de Blasio have said they’ll attend. The funeral for Ramos’ partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, hasn’t been announced.</p>
<p>Throughout the day, colleagues and those who knew him described Ramos as a selfless and compassionate man.</p>
<p>Pastor Ralph Castillo said Ramos was a beloved member of the church.</p>
<p>“Whether he was helping a mom with a carriage or bringing someone to their seats, he did it with so much love and so much vigor and so much joy,” Castillo said.</p>
<p>The 40-year-old’s commanding officer, NYPD Capt. Sergio Centa, said Ramos was studying to be a pastor.</p>
<p>“He was studying to be a pastor. He had Bible study books in his locker, which is rare for a police officer, but that goes to show you the type of man he was,” NYPD Capt. Sergio Centa said before entering Christ Tabernacle Church.</p>
<p>Ramos and Liu were shot to death without warning Dec. 20 while sitting in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street.</p>
<p>Gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley, before he attacked Ramos and Liu, had referenced in online posts the high-profile killings by white police officers of unarmed black men, specifically Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner on Staten Island. Brinsley, who was black, committed suicide soon after shooting the officers.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Their killings ramped up emotions in the already tense national debate over police conduct. Since the deaths, police in New York say they have arrested seven people accused of threatening officers.</p>
<p>Police union officials have criticized de Blasio, saying he contributed to a climate of mistrust toward police amid protests over the deaths of black men at the hands of white officers. Union officials have said the mayor’s response, including his mention of how he often fears for the safety of his biracial son in his interactions with police, helped set the stage for the killings.</p>
<p>There was no reaction from officers at Ramos’ viewing when de Blasio arrived shortly after 9 p.m. and left about 15 minutes later. Earlier, an airplane hauling a banner insulting the mayor organized by a former police officer-turned-activist flew above New York City.</p>
<p>Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who attended the wake earlier in the day, has called for calm after the head of the police union said the mayor had blood on his hands the day Ramos and Liu were killed.</p>
<p>And after the killings, de Blasio called for a temporary halt to demonstrations, denouncing as “divisive” a demonstration that took place anyway on Thursday.</p>
<p>Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday the officers’ deaths were senseless and said officials were reviewing the case to see what could be done, if anything, legislatively to prevent a further killing.</p>
<p>For Ramos’ sister Sindy Ramos, there was no consolation.</p>
<p>“Help me understand why God took you from me so soon,” she said through tears in a eulogy.</p>
<p>The Silver Shield Foundation, a charity founded by the late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, has set aside $40,000 for the education of Ramos’ sons. Bowdoin College said it will cover Ramos’ older son’s education costs as long as he remains a student there.</p>
<p>The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity created after 9/11, says it will pay off the home mortgages of the two slain officers.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Thousands attend wake for slain NYC police officer | false | https://abqjournal.com/517694/thousands-attend-wake-for-slain-nyc-police-officer.html | 2least
| Thousands attend wake for slain NYC police officer
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Mourners stand at a barricade near Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens, N.Y., as the casket of New York Police Department officer Rafael Ramos arrives for his wake on Friday. (John Minchillo/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>NEW YORK – Thousands of uniformed police officers from New York City and around the country gathered Friday at the solemn, eight-hour wake of a city policeman who was killed along with his partner in a brazen daytime shooting a week ago.</p>
<p>Mayor Bill de Blasio, who had been criticized by the police union for his handling of protests critical of officers, briefly attended Officer Rafael Ramos’ viewing at the Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens, where Ramos was brought in a flag-draped casket and viewed in full dress uniform.</p>
<p>“Dad, I’m forever grateful of the sacrifices you made to provide for me and Jaden,” Ramos’ son, Justin, said during the wake, referring to his younger brother, as officers gathered in the street watched on giant television screens.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Ramos’ funeral is scheduled today. Vice President Joseph Biden and Mayor de Blasio have said they’ll attend. The funeral for Ramos’ partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, hasn’t been announced.</p>
<p>Throughout the day, colleagues and those who knew him described Ramos as a selfless and compassionate man.</p>
<p>Pastor Ralph Castillo said Ramos was a beloved member of the church.</p>
<p>“Whether he was helping a mom with a carriage or bringing someone to their seats, he did it with so much love and so much vigor and so much joy,” Castillo said.</p>
<p>The 40-year-old’s commanding officer, NYPD Capt. Sergio Centa, said Ramos was studying to be a pastor.</p>
<p>“He was studying to be a pastor. He had Bible study books in his locker, which is rare for a police officer, but that goes to show you the type of man he was,” NYPD Capt. Sergio Centa said before entering Christ Tabernacle Church.</p>
<p>Ramos and Liu were shot to death without warning Dec. 20 while sitting in their patrol car on a Brooklyn street.</p>
<p>Gunman Ismaaiyl Brinsley, before he attacked Ramos and Liu, had referenced in online posts the high-profile killings by white police officers of unarmed black men, specifically Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner on Staten Island. Brinsley, who was black, committed suicide soon after shooting the officers.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Their killings ramped up emotions in the already tense national debate over police conduct. Since the deaths, police in New York say they have arrested seven people accused of threatening officers.</p>
<p>Police union officials have criticized de Blasio, saying he contributed to a climate of mistrust toward police amid protests over the deaths of black men at the hands of white officers. Union officials have said the mayor’s response, including his mention of how he often fears for the safety of his biracial son in his interactions with police, helped set the stage for the killings.</p>
<p>There was no reaction from officers at Ramos’ viewing when de Blasio arrived shortly after 9 p.m. and left about 15 minutes later. Earlier, an airplane hauling a banner insulting the mayor organized by a former police officer-turned-activist flew above New York City.</p>
<p>Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who attended the wake earlier in the day, has called for calm after the head of the police union said the mayor had blood on his hands the day Ramos and Liu were killed.</p>
<p>And after the killings, de Blasio called for a temporary halt to demonstrations, denouncing as “divisive” a demonstration that took place anyway on Thursday.</p>
<p>Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday the officers’ deaths were senseless and said officials were reviewing the case to see what could be done, if anything, legislatively to prevent a further killing.</p>
<p>For Ramos’ sister Sindy Ramos, there was no consolation.</p>
<p>“Help me understand why God took you from me so soon,” she said through tears in a eulogy.</p>
<p>The Silver Shield Foundation, a charity founded by the late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, has set aside $40,000 for the education of Ramos’ sons. Bowdoin College said it will cover Ramos’ older son’s education costs as long as he remains a student there.</p>
<p>The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity created after 9/11, says it will pay off the home mortgages of the two slain officers.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 1,429 |
|
<p>IRVING, Texas (AP) — Dez Bryant smiled through a “no comment,” yet the questions kept coming about a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys.</p>
<p>Before long, the star receiver said a deal wasn’t about money, which prompted someone to ask what it was about.</p>
<p>“It’s all about respect,” said Bryant, who was sitting at his locker when reporters showed up in a mostly empty room during the Cowboys’ bye week Wednesday. “I am a very loyal person, but just don’t test my loyalty.”</p>
<p>It’s probably too early to call that a warning shot for owner Jerry Jones. But Bryant did recently replace agent Eugene Parker with a combination of Jay Z’s Roc Nation management company and agent Tom Condon.</p>
<p>After saying before the season that he didn’t want negotiations to continue once the games began, Bryant changed course. He said he was willing for talks to resume as he wraps up a rookie deal worth $11.8 million over five years.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Jones faced questions whether he was hesitant to give Bryant an expensive long-term contract because of issues away from the field that plagued his first two years in the league.</p>
<p>None of the above bothered Bryant in London against Jacksonville, when he set a franchise record for yards receiving in a quarter with 158 with two touchdowns in the second period of Dallas’ 31-17 win. The Cowboys’ next game is at the New York Giants on Nov. 23.</p>
<p>“People are going to say a lot of different things about you and if you get caught up in what’s going on outside this building and that takes away from what your preparation is, you’re probably not going to be your best,” coach Jason Garrett said. “And I think Dez understands that.”</p>
<p>Jones has said for months he wants a long-term deal with Bryant, and he says that answers the question about off-the-field concerns.</p>
<p>“He represents the star. We want him to be proud of that,” Jones said. “I’m real impressed with how he’s evolved over the last several years, or we wouldn’t be in serious contract negotiations with him.”</p>
<p>Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys haven’t had discussions with Bryant’s new management team. Bryant, who has turned down several offers, has a base salary of $1.8 million this season.</p>
<p>Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, the league’s highest-paid receiver, has a $113 million contract with $49 million guaranteed. Bryant says the guaranteed money is an important factor for him.</p>
<p>“I didn’t make it a big deal my rookie year, my first year about getting to camp,” Bryant said. “I remember when people thought I was going to hold out and I didn’t. I just wanted to get in and show that I’m worthy of being in the NFL and I can be a dominant player.”</p>
<p>Bryant also made it clear early in his career that he appreciated Jerry Jones sticking with him through lawsuits over unpaid jewelry bills, a saggy pants episode with police at an upscale Dallas mall, and a domestic violence complaint involving his mother.</p>
<p>But what has long been viewed as a father-son relationship is evolving into a business partnership.</p>
<p>“Not saying that they’re not for me or anybody is for me, but I’m used to a family atmosphere,” said Bryant, closing in on his third straight 1,000-yard season with at least 10 touchdowns. “But we got money involved, so they got to make sure that they’re making the right investment. And I got to make sure that I’m worthy of everything.”</p>
<p>The Cowboys had severe salary cap issues last offseason and also have NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray in the final year of his contract. While they could use the franchise tag on a player to put off a decision on a longer contract, at some point Dallas will have to pay to keep both along with quarterback Tony Romo.</p>
<p>“At the end of the day, I want to win,” Bryant said. “But at the same time, I have a family and that’s what is important. I feel like, hey, I put the work in, I got to give myself some kind of credit.”</p>
<p>And the Cowboys want to give him that credit.</p>
<p>“As a player, as a man, he’s come a lot more than most will ever know,” Stephen Jones said. “We’ve offered him some really nice contracts. We also have to respect his views on where it is. My take on those things is that they ultimately find a way.”</p>
<p>Bryant believes that, too.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>AP NFL website: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external">www.pro32.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external">https://twitter.com/apschuyler</a></p>
<p>IRVING, Texas (AP) — Dez Bryant smiled through a “no comment,” yet the questions kept coming about a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys.</p>
<p>Before long, the star receiver said a deal wasn’t about money, which prompted someone to ask what it was about.</p>
<p>“It’s all about respect,” said Bryant, who was sitting at his locker when reporters showed up in a mostly empty room during the Cowboys’ bye week Wednesday. “I am a very loyal person, but just don’t test my loyalty.”</p>
<p>It’s probably too early to call that a warning shot for owner Jerry Jones. But Bryant did recently replace agent Eugene Parker with a combination of Jay Z’s Roc Nation management company and agent Tom Condon.</p>
<p>After saying before the season that he didn’t want negotiations to continue once the games began, Bryant changed course. He said he was willing for talks to resume as he wraps up a rookie deal worth $11.8 million over five years.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Jones faced questions whether he was hesitant to give Bryant an expensive long-term contract because of issues away from the field that plagued his first two years in the league.</p>
<p>None of the above bothered Bryant in London against Jacksonville, when he set a franchise record for yards receiving in a quarter with 158 with two touchdowns in the second period of Dallas’ 31-17 win. The Cowboys’ next game is at the New York Giants on Nov. 23.</p>
<p>“People are going to say a lot of different things about you and if you get caught up in what’s going on outside this building and that takes away from what your preparation is, you’re probably not going to be your best,” coach Jason Garrett said. “And I think Dez understands that.”</p>
<p>Jones has said for months he wants a long-term deal with Bryant, and he says that answers the question about off-the-field concerns.</p>
<p>“He represents the star. We want him to be proud of that,” Jones said. “I’m real impressed with how he’s evolved over the last several years, or we wouldn’t be in serious contract negotiations with him.”</p>
<p>Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys haven’t had discussions with Bryant’s new management team. Bryant, who has turned down several offers, has a base salary of $1.8 million this season.</p>
<p>Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, the league’s highest-paid receiver, has a $113 million contract with $49 million guaranteed. Bryant says the guaranteed money is an important factor for him.</p>
<p>“I didn’t make it a big deal my rookie year, my first year about getting to camp,” Bryant said. “I remember when people thought I was going to hold out and I didn’t. I just wanted to get in and show that I’m worthy of being in the NFL and I can be a dominant player.”</p>
<p>Bryant also made it clear early in his career that he appreciated Jerry Jones sticking with him through lawsuits over unpaid jewelry bills, a saggy pants episode with police at an upscale Dallas mall, and a domestic violence complaint involving his mother.</p>
<p>But what has long been viewed as a father-son relationship is evolving into a business partnership.</p>
<p>“Not saying that they’re not for me or anybody is for me, but I’m used to a family atmosphere,” said Bryant, closing in on his third straight 1,000-yard season with at least 10 touchdowns. “But we got money involved, so they got to make sure that they’re making the right investment. And I got to make sure that I’m worthy of everything.”</p>
<p>The Cowboys had severe salary cap issues last offseason and also have NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray in the final year of his contract. While they could use the franchise tag on a player to put off a decision on a longer contract, at some point Dallas will have to pay to keep both along with quarterback Tony Romo.</p>
<p>“At the end of the day, I want to win,” Bryant said. “But at the same time, I have a family and that’s what is important. I feel like, hey, I put the work in, I got to give myself some kind of credit.”</p>
<p>And the Cowboys want to give him that credit.</p>
<p>“As a player, as a man, he’s come a lot more than most will ever know,” Stephen Jones said. “We’ve offered him some really nice contracts. We also have to respect his views on where it is. My take on those things is that they ultimately find a way.”</p>
<p>Bryant believes that, too.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>AP NFL website: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external">www.pro32.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external">https://twitter.com/apschuyler</a></p> | Dez to Dallas on contract: ‘Don’t test my loyalty’ | false | https://apnews.com/7feb7412a9c04c52b3864d21971a6ca4 | 2014-11-14 | 2least
| Dez to Dallas on contract: ‘Don’t test my loyalty’
<p>IRVING, Texas (AP) — Dez Bryant smiled through a “no comment,” yet the questions kept coming about a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys.</p>
<p>Before long, the star receiver said a deal wasn’t about money, which prompted someone to ask what it was about.</p>
<p>“It’s all about respect,” said Bryant, who was sitting at his locker when reporters showed up in a mostly empty room during the Cowboys’ bye week Wednesday. “I am a very loyal person, but just don’t test my loyalty.”</p>
<p>It’s probably too early to call that a warning shot for owner Jerry Jones. But Bryant did recently replace agent Eugene Parker with a combination of Jay Z’s Roc Nation management company and agent Tom Condon.</p>
<p>After saying before the season that he didn’t want negotiations to continue once the games began, Bryant changed course. He said he was willing for talks to resume as he wraps up a rookie deal worth $11.8 million over five years.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Jones faced questions whether he was hesitant to give Bryant an expensive long-term contract because of issues away from the field that plagued his first two years in the league.</p>
<p>None of the above bothered Bryant in London against Jacksonville, when he set a franchise record for yards receiving in a quarter with 158 with two touchdowns in the second period of Dallas’ 31-17 win. The Cowboys’ next game is at the New York Giants on Nov. 23.</p>
<p>“People are going to say a lot of different things about you and if you get caught up in what’s going on outside this building and that takes away from what your preparation is, you’re probably not going to be your best,” coach Jason Garrett said. “And I think Dez understands that.”</p>
<p>Jones has said for months he wants a long-term deal with Bryant, and he says that answers the question about off-the-field concerns.</p>
<p>“He represents the star. We want him to be proud of that,” Jones said. “I’m real impressed with how he’s evolved over the last several years, or we wouldn’t be in serious contract negotiations with him.”</p>
<p>Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys haven’t had discussions with Bryant’s new management team. Bryant, who has turned down several offers, has a base salary of $1.8 million this season.</p>
<p>Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, the league’s highest-paid receiver, has a $113 million contract with $49 million guaranteed. Bryant says the guaranteed money is an important factor for him.</p>
<p>“I didn’t make it a big deal my rookie year, my first year about getting to camp,” Bryant said. “I remember when people thought I was going to hold out and I didn’t. I just wanted to get in and show that I’m worthy of being in the NFL and I can be a dominant player.”</p>
<p>Bryant also made it clear early in his career that he appreciated Jerry Jones sticking with him through lawsuits over unpaid jewelry bills, a saggy pants episode with police at an upscale Dallas mall, and a domestic violence complaint involving his mother.</p>
<p>But what has long been viewed as a father-son relationship is evolving into a business partnership.</p>
<p>“Not saying that they’re not for me or anybody is for me, but I’m used to a family atmosphere,” said Bryant, closing in on his third straight 1,000-yard season with at least 10 touchdowns. “But we got money involved, so they got to make sure that they’re making the right investment. And I got to make sure that I’m worthy of everything.”</p>
<p>The Cowboys had severe salary cap issues last offseason and also have NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray in the final year of his contract. While they could use the franchise tag on a player to put off a decision on a longer contract, at some point Dallas will have to pay to keep both along with quarterback Tony Romo.</p>
<p>“At the end of the day, I want to win,” Bryant said. “But at the same time, I have a family and that’s what is important. I feel like, hey, I put the work in, I got to give myself some kind of credit.”</p>
<p>And the Cowboys want to give him that credit.</p>
<p>“As a player, as a man, he’s come a lot more than most will ever know,” Stephen Jones said. “We’ve offered him some really nice contracts. We also have to respect his views on where it is. My take on those things is that they ultimately find a way.”</p>
<p>Bryant believes that, too.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>AP NFL website: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external">www.pro32.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external">https://twitter.com/apschuyler</a></p>
<p>IRVING, Texas (AP) — Dez Bryant smiled through a “no comment,” yet the questions kept coming about a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys.</p>
<p>Before long, the star receiver said a deal wasn’t about money, which prompted someone to ask what it was about.</p>
<p>“It’s all about respect,” said Bryant, who was sitting at his locker when reporters showed up in a mostly empty room during the Cowboys’ bye week Wednesday. “I am a very loyal person, but just don’t test my loyalty.”</p>
<p>It’s probably too early to call that a warning shot for owner Jerry Jones. But Bryant did recently replace agent Eugene Parker with a combination of Jay Z’s Roc Nation management company and agent Tom Condon.</p>
<p>After saying before the season that he didn’t want negotiations to continue once the games began, Bryant changed course. He said he was willing for talks to resume as he wraps up a rookie deal worth $11.8 million over five years.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Jones faced questions whether he was hesitant to give Bryant an expensive long-term contract because of issues away from the field that plagued his first two years in the league.</p>
<p>None of the above bothered Bryant in London against Jacksonville, when he set a franchise record for yards receiving in a quarter with 158 with two touchdowns in the second period of Dallas’ 31-17 win. The Cowboys’ next game is at the New York Giants on Nov. 23.</p>
<p>“People are going to say a lot of different things about you and if you get caught up in what’s going on outside this building and that takes away from what your preparation is, you’re probably not going to be your best,” coach Jason Garrett said. “And I think Dez understands that.”</p>
<p>Jones has said for months he wants a long-term deal with Bryant, and he says that answers the question about off-the-field concerns.</p>
<p>“He represents the star. We want him to be proud of that,” Jones said. “I’m real impressed with how he’s evolved over the last several years, or we wouldn’t be in serious contract negotiations with him.”</p>
<p>Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys haven’t had discussions with Bryant’s new management team. Bryant, who has turned down several offers, has a base salary of $1.8 million this season.</p>
<p>Detroit’s Calvin Johnson, the league’s highest-paid receiver, has a $113 million contract with $49 million guaranteed. Bryant says the guaranteed money is an important factor for him.</p>
<p>“I didn’t make it a big deal my rookie year, my first year about getting to camp,” Bryant said. “I remember when people thought I was going to hold out and I didn’t. I just wanted to get in and show that I’m worthy of being in the NFL and I can be a dominant player.”</p>
<p>Bryant also made it clear early in his career that he appreciated Jerry Jones sticking with him through lawsuits over unpaid jewelry bills, a saggy pants episode with police at an upscale Dallas mall, and a domestic violence complaint involving his mother.</p>
<p>But what has long been viewed as a father-son relationship is evolving into a business partnership.</p>
<p>“Not saying that they’re not for me or anybody is for me, but I’m used to a family atmosphere,” said Bryant, closing in on his third straight 1,000-yard season with at least 10 touchdowns. “But we got money involved, so they got to make sure that they’re making the right investment. And I got to make sure that I’m worthy of everything.”</p>
<p>The Cowboys had severe salary cap issues last offseason and also have NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray in the final year of his contract. While they could use the franchise tag on a player to put off a decision on a longer contract, at some point Dallas will have to pay to keep both along with quarterback Tony Romo.</p>
<p>“At the end of the day, I want to win,” Bryant said. “But at the same time, I have a family and that’s what is important. I feel like, hey, I put the work in, I got to give myself some kind of credit.”</p>
<p>And the Cowboys want to give him that credit.</p>
<p>“As a player, as a man, he’s come a lot more than most will ever know,” Stephen Jones said. “We’ve offered him some really nice contracts. We also have to respect his views on where it is. My take on those things is that they ultimately find a way.”</p>
<p>Bryant believes that, too.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>AP NFL website: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external">www.pro32.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/apschuyler" type="external">https://twitter.com/apschuyler</a></p> | 1,430 |
<p />
<p>With union membership at its lowest level in close to a century, pickings have become so slim that organized labor is now resorting to cannibalism for survival. And they lack the good grace to actually waiting for their victims to die before devouring them.</p>
<p>All of this is taking its toll on both groups. The raiders are expending funds they would normally use to draft the 88.2 percent of the workforce employed in non-union shops to woo members away from competitor unions. Those being raided have to expend time and money to fend off the raiders. And it’s all a huge public relations fiasco for organized labor, according to <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-labor-rivals-20130803,0,7440001.story" type="external">The Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p>“Union rivalry creates bad public relations and shows the seamy underside of the union movement,” Clark University Professor of Industrial Relations Gary Chaison told the Los Angeles Times. “Fights between unions seem to contradict the idea of solidarity between all unions and between all workers.”</p>
<p>Currently, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are attempting to pull American Airlines mechanics away from the Transport Workers Union. Transport Workers is fighting back using the slogan “Teamster Air: More job departures to China than any other union” on billboards, magazines and even airline vomit bags sent to its members.</p>
<p>The Service Employees International Union successfully fended off a raid by National Union of Healthcare Workers over SEIU’s 45,000 California healthcare workers.</p>
<p>The Times noted:</p>
<p>Members are valuable to labor unions for the millions they pay in dues, as well as the clout that comes along with the potential votes members cast in U.S. elections. And right now, they may be especially vulnerable to promises from another union trying to win their allegiance.</p>
<p>And, as it turns out, union members are not at all unreceptive to the advances of the raiders.</p>
<p>Union members are often upset at union bosses “in an environment in which there are givebacks, cutbacks, concessions in bargaining and the union movement is in retreat,” said Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy at UC Santa Barbara. “And when that discontent happens, they may look around for another or a better union.”</p>
<p>The bottom line for labor organizations is revenue. Loss of members due to defection means loss of dues. Each of the SEIU healthcare workers in the example above pay an average $51.74 a month in dues, coming to $28 million a year. That’s a lot of political clout.</p>
<p>But it all amounts to an exercise in futility according to David Regan, the president SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. “It’s the classic example of, ‘Let’s rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic,'” he said.</p> | Unions devouring their own in desperation for survival | true | http://bizpacreview.com/2013/08/05/unions-devouring-their-own-in-desperation-for-survival-81004 | 2013-08-05 | 0right
| Unions devouring their own in desperation for survival
<p />
<p>With union membership at its lowest level in close to a century, pickings have become so slim that organized labor is now resorting to cannibalism for survival. And they lack the good grace to actually waiting for their victims to die before devouring them.</p>
<p>All of this is taking its toll on both groups. The raiders are expending funds they would normally use to draft the 88.2 percent of the workforce employed in non-union shops to woo members away from competitor unions. Those being raided have to expend time and money to fend off the raiders. And it’s all a huge public relations fiasco for organized labor, according to <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-labor-rivals-20130803,0,7440001.story" type="external">The Los Angeles Times</a>.</p>
<p>“Union rivalry creates bad public relations and shows the seamy underside of the union movement,” Clark University Professor of Industrial Relations Gary Chaison told the Los Angeles Times. “Fights between unions seem to contradict the idea of solidarity between all unions and between all workers.”</p>
<p>Currently, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters are attempting to pull American Airlines mechanics away from the Transport Workers Union. Transport Workers is fighting back using the slogan “Teamster Air: More job departures to China than any other union” on billboards, magazines and even airline vomit bags sent to its members.</p>
<p>The Service Employees International Union successfully fended off a raid by National Union of Healthcare Workers over SEIU’s 45,000 California healthcare workers.</p>
<p>The Times noted:</p>
<p>Members are valuable to labor unions for the millions they pay in dues, as well as the clout that comes along with the potential votes members cast in U.S. elections. And right now, they may be especially vulnerable to promises from another union trying to win their allegiance.</p>
<p>And, as it turns out, union members are not at all unreceptive to the advances of the raiders.</p>
<p>Union members are often upset at union bosses “in an environment in which there are givebacks, cutbacks, concessions in bargaining and the union movement is in retreat,” said Nelson Lichtenstein, director of the Center for the Study of Work, Labor and Democracy at UC Santa Barbara. “And when that discontent happens, they may look around for another or a better union.”</p>
<p>The bottom line for labor organizations is revenue. Loss of members due to defection means loss of dues. Each of the SEIU healthcare workers in the example above pay an average $51.74 a month in dues, coming to $28 million a year. That’s a lot of political clout.</p>
<p>But it all amounts to an exercise in futility according to David Regan, the president SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West. “It’s the classic example of, ‘Let’s rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic,'” he said.</p> | 1,431 |
<p />
<p>Is now the right time to refinance your home? A mortgage refinance calculator can help you decide whether you should sit tight or get the application process rolling.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Deciding to refinance your home might be a wise financial move. If rates have fallen since you bought or took out a second mortgage, refinancing can lower your monthly payments or trim the length of your mortgage.</p>
<p>Sometimes, though, a refi simply doesn’t make financial sense. For instance, closing costs might make refinancing unattractive if you plan to sell your home in just a few years.</p>
<p>So how can you know for sure that your decision to refinance is the right one? A mortgage refinance calculator can help you to consider all of the variables involved in the refinancing process.</p>
<p>A mortgage refinance calculator uses a number of factors to help you determine whether a refi is in your best interest. Bankrate.com’s mortgage refinance calculator will ask for the following information:* Current monthly payment.* Current interest rate.* Balance remaining on mortgage.* New interest rate.* Years remaining on current loan.* Years of new loan term.</p>
<p>It also takes into account certain fees that many borrowers often do not consider, such as costs for:* Points.* Bank fees.* Credit check.* Attorney fees.* Title search.* Title insurance.* Appraisal.* Inspection.* Local taxes and transfers.* Document preparation.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>After you plug all of your information into the calculator, it will compute the total cost of refinancing your home and determine your new monthly payment. You can then compare the figures to see if a refi would make sense in your situation.</p> | How to Use a Mortgage Refinance Calculator | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2010/12/06/use-mortgage-refinance-calculator.html | 2016-03-17 | 0right
| How to Use a Mortgage Refinance Calculator
<p />
<p>Is now the right time to refinance your home? A mortgage refinance calculator can help you decide whether you should sit tight or get the application process rolling.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Deciding to refinance your home might be a wise financial move. If rates have fallen since you bought or took out a second mortgage, refinancing can lower your monthly payments or trim the length of your mortgage.</p>
<p>Sometimes, though, a refi simply doesn’t make financial sense. For instance, closing costs might make refinancing unattractive if you plan to sell your home in just a few years.</p>
<p>So how can you know for sure that your decision to refinance is the right one? A mortgage refinance calculator can help you to consider all of the variables involved in the refinancing process.</p>
<p>A mortgage refinance calculator uses a number of factors to help you determine whether a refi is in your best interest. Bankrate.com’s mortgage refinance calculator will ask for the following information:* Current monthly payment.* Current interest rate.* Balance remaining on mortgage.* New interest rate.* Years remaining on current loan.* Years of new loan term.</p>
<p>It also takes into account certain fees that many borrowers often do not consider, such as costs for:* Points.* Bank fees.* Credit check.* Attorney fees.* Title search.* Title insurance.* Appraisal.* Inspection.* Local taxes and transfers.* Document preparation.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>After you plug all of your information into the calculator, it will compute the total cost of refinancing your home and determine your new monthly payment. You can then compare the figures to see if a refi would make sense in your situation.</p> | 1,432 |
<p>Educator and activist Jay Morrison argues there is a double-standard in how the U.S. government treats African Americans.</p>
<p>Gavin Long, the shooter who killed three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on July 10 tweeted a quote he attributed to Jay Morrison, “Yes, the gov’t is a hate group, they hate black people.” Educator and activist Jay Morrison reacted to the tweet and discussed the state of race in America.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>“Well, definitely a confusing point at that point, I didn’t even realize, I probably did say it, I can’t remember when I said it, that particular quote.&#160; But there is plenty of tweets that he tweeted, there’s plenty of information out there online, it is what it is,” Morrison told the FOX Business Network’s Charles Payne.</p>
<p>Payne then asked if that was honestly how he felt about how the current U.S. government views black people in America.</p>
<p>“Well the current U.S. government system is of the same system, the same structure that it’s always been.&#160; We can call it mislike, we can call it antipathy, but regardless, there is a difference in how the government treats and addresses black people or Africans in America and the way they do other groups.”</p>
<p>When Morrison gave examples of how the U.S. legal system historically worked against African Americans even after slavery was abolished, Payne responded, “I hear what you’re talking about with respect to America’s history,” Payne continued, “but I still don’t see where you’re justifying your current anger toward America or the American government.&#160; I can see you being upset about what may have happened in the past.”</p>
<p>But when Morrison said, “nothing’s changed,” Payne disagreed, “Of course it’s changed.&#160; The fact that you’re in this studio right now talking the way you are is the best proof in the world that it’s changed.”</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>But Morrison still contended that nothing has changed citing the thirteenth amendment.</p>
<p>“The fact that the thirteenth amendment still says, ‘slavery was abolished except you commit a crime,’ says that things are still the same.&#160; And when you have inmates working in prison, a majority of whom are Africans in America who are making 20 or 30 cents a day.”</p>
<p>Then Payne asked Morrison, “Do you think Barack Obama hates black people?” To which Morrison asserted that there are many good people in government but it’s the corrupted system that leads to the negative consequences.</p>
<p>“I don’t think that all cops hate black people.&#160; I don’t think that all government officials hate Black people.&#160; What I’m saying is that you can put good people in a bad, you’re a business man, you know, you can put good people in a bad system with a company culture that’s screwed up, then it’s going to play out in the market.&#160;&#160; Well the market for us is the treatment of African people in America.”</p>
<p>Then Morrison suggested, “Ask your white friends at home, ask them ‘would you trade places with the treatment of black people in America?’&#160; And not one would because we all know it’s unfair.”</p>
<p>But Payne countered, “Well I don’t want to speak for all white people here but I will say a lot of people would probably turn around and say the worst part about the treatment of black people in America is how black people treat each other in America.”</p>
<p>To which Morrison responded, “We always spin the point.&#160; When does the perpetrator take acceptance, right?&#160; You want the victim to take acceptance but when does the perpetrator, the government who created the system that has abused and traumatized the people?”</p>
<p>Morrison then explained, “The solution for us is for us to take some self-dignity, self-pride, by us unifying, understand that before we’re American we’re African first, that’s why it’s African-American.”</p>
<p>But Payne disagreed, saying, “I think we’re all Americans first and foremost.&#160; I am an American and I’m of African descent and I’m proud of that, but I’m more proud of being an American more than anything else.”</p> | U.S. Government Causing a Racial Divide in America? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/07/19/u-s-government-causing-racial-divide-in-america.html | 2016-07-19 | 0right
| U.S. Government Causing a Racial Divide in America?
<p>Educator and activist Jay Morrison argues there is a double-standard in how the U.S. government treats African Americans.</p>
<p>Gavin Long, the shooter who killed three police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on July 10 tweeted a quote he attributed to Jay Morrison, “Yes, the gov’t is a hate group, they hate black people.” Educator and activist Jay Morrison reacted to the tweet and discussed the state of race in America.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>“Well, definitely a confusing point at that point, I didn’t even realize, I probably did say it, I can’t remember when I said it, that particular quote.&#160; But there is plenty of tweets that he tweeted, there’s plenty of information out there online, it is what it is,” Morrison told the FOX Business Network’s Charles Payne.</p>
<p>Payne then asked if that was honestly how he felt about how the current U.S. government views black people in America.</p>
<p>“Well the current U.S. government system is of the same system, the same structure that it’s always been.&#160; We can call it mislike, we can call it antipathy, but regardless, there is a difference in how the government treats and addresses black people or Africans in America and the way they do other groups.”</p>
<p>When Morrison gave examples of how the U.S. legal system historically worked against African Americans even after slavery was abolished, Payne responded, “I hear what you’re talking about with respect to America’s history,” Payne continued, “but I still don’t see where you’re justifying your current anger toward America or the American government.&#160; I can see you being upset about what may have happened in the past.”</p>
<p>But when Morrison said, “nothing’s changed,” Payne disagreed, “Of course it’s changed.&#160; The fact that you’re in this studio right now talking the way you are is the best proof in the world that it’s changed.”</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>But Morrison still contended that nothing has changed citing the thirteenth amendment.</p>
<p>“The fact that the thirteenth amendment still says, ‘slavery was abolished except you commit a crime,’ says that things are still the same.&#160; And when you have inmates working in prison, a majority of whom are Africans in America who are making 20 or 30 cents a day.”</p>
<p>Then Payne asked Morrison, “Do you think Barack Obama hates black people?” To which Morrison asserted that there are many good people in government but it’s the corrupted system that leads to the negative consequences.</p>
<p>“I don’t think that all cops hate black people.&#160; I don’t think that all government officials hate Black people.&#160; What I’m saying is that you can put good people in a bad, you’re a business man, you know, you can put good people in a bad system with a company culture that’s screwed up, then it’s going to play out in the market.&#160;&#160; Well the market for us is the treatment of African people in America.”</p>
<p>Then Morrison suggested, “Ask your white friends at home, ask them ‘would you trade places with the treatment of black people in America?’&#160; And not one would because we all know it’s unfair.”</p>
<p>But Payne countered, “Well I don’t want to speak for all white people here but I will say a lot of people would probably turn around and say the worst part about the treatment of black people in America is how black people treat each other in America.”</p>
<p>To which Morrison responded, “We always spin the point.&#160; When does the perpetrator take acceptance, right?&#160; You want the victim to take acceptance but when does the perpetrator, the government who created the system that has abused and traumatized the people?”</p>
<p>Morrison then explained, “The solution for us is for us to take some self-dignity, self-pride, by us unifying, understand that before we’re American we’re African first, that’s why it’s African-American.”</p>
<p>But Payne disagreed, saying, “I think we’re all Americans first and foremost.&#160; I am an American and I’m of African descent and I’m proud of that, but I’m more proud of being an American more than anything else.”</p> | 1,433 |
<p>So what’s up with this Bernie Sanders dude? Why hasn’t he endorsed Hillary Clinton yet? Doesn’t he realize, as a range of pundits have pointed out, that he’s losing his leverage and hurting her chances of defeating Donald Trump?</p>
<p>These pundits notwithstanding, Sanders appears to believe, to the contrary, that he’s not losing leverage—indeed, he’s gaining it—and that he’s not hurting but helping her chances of prevailing in November.</p>
<p>And he’s right.</p>
<p>If the draft of the Democratic platform that the party released last Friday is any indication, we should all be so lucky as to be losing leverage the way Bernie supposedly is. The platform includes a number of provisions that are distinctly his. On finance and banking, for instance, it calls for a new version of Glass-Steagall, which kept banks from making depositors liable for their speculative investments; it calls for an end to bankers sitting on the national or regional Federal Reserve boards, and for appointing “regulators and officials who are not beholden to the industries they regulate”; it demands an end to golden parachutes for executives appointed to governmental posts; it seeks the establishment of postal banking to serve the “unbanked” poor who can’t afford checking accounts; and it calls for the creation of a financial transaction tax.</p>
<p>Clinton had long supported some of these proposals, but others, like postal banking, had not crossed her radar, while still others—a new Glass Steagall and a financial transaction tax—she had explicitly opposed (she does back a tax on high-frequency trading). It’s also likely that the criticism Sanders leveled at Clinton during the primaries for her speeches to Goldman Sachs were a factor in prodding Clinton to take the more critical approach toward Wall Street that the platform draft embodies.</p>
<p>On some particulars—most notably, putting the party on record against the death penalty and in favor of a $15 minimum wage—the platform also reflects Sanders’s perspectives. On other issues—a ban on fracking, the establishment of a carbon tax and of universal Medicare—the Sanders forces were defeated, although the draft platform does call for the establishment of a public option that Obamacare recipients could choose.</p>
<p>Of the various platform commitments that the Sanders forces failed to win, the one that Sanders himself has made clear he is most inclined to continue fighting for is his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He knows that a decisive majority of Democratic members of Congress agree with his stance, that Hillary Clinton has been compelled to embrace his position, and that party activists are heavily opposed to the TPP, while the chief resistance to his position comes from President Obama. Sanders also understands that any lingering ambiguity about Clinton’s opposition to the TPP hurts her and the Democrats in the Rust Belt states where Donald Trump’s promises to re-do or scrap our various trade deals have won him a receptive following. It’s in Clinton’s interest that Sanders prevail on this issue. As for Obama, one hopes he understands that, as much as he believes it’s important to his legacy that the TPP be enacted, it’s far more important to his legacy that Clinton defeat Trump—and that her carrying the Rust Belt would go a long way to ensure that.</p>
<p>What would actually hurt Clinton would be a convention debate on the TPP in which Obama’s position prevails—it would feed right into one of Trump’s favored narratives. Sanders’s leverage is strongest now in getting the platform committee, which meets this coming weekend, to adopt the kind of compromise that the drafting committee agreed to on the financial transaction tax—which it endorsed, while acknowledging that a range of views existed within the party on this matter. Failing that, such a deal is still possible any time before the platform reaches the floor of the convention late this month. And that might well be when Sanders chooses to offer his formal endorsement of Clinton.</p>
<p>Still, it’s hard to see what the Sanders forces could have won in the platform process by virtue of his endorsement of Clinton that they didn’t win anyway—or, conversely, what defeats would have turned to victory had he endorsed her. Would the Clinton appointees then have agreed to “Medicare for All”? A carbon tax? It’s hardly likely they would have budged on such items no matter what Sanders said or did; and Sanders himself must surely know that these are bridges too far for today’s Democratic Party. In focusing, as he has, on opposing the TPP, he’s selected the one bridge that most Democratic elected officials would actually be relieved to see the party cross.</p>
<p>It’s important to note that four of the five Sanders appointees to the platform drafting committee voted to approve the document, despite its omission of various Sanders planks. While lamenting the absence of those planks, the Sanders campaign has rightly hailed the platform as the most progressive the party has seen in decades. I’m confident Sanders will do the same at the convention when he endorses Clinton.</p>
<p>I also believe that the pressure he’s exerted on the Clinton forces actually strengthens her in the general election, by compelling her to take a tougher stance on Wall Street and—particularly if his TPP plank passes—on trade than she otherwise would have.</p>
<p>It’s clear from recent polling that a majority of Sanders backers have decided they’ll be voting for Clinton in November, just as it’s clear from the assurances he’s given Joe Biden and Harry Reid that Sanders will endorse her no later than the convention. By playing his string out to the end or close to it, by being able to claim credit for pushing both Clinton and the party to more progressive stances, he makes it easier for those among his supporters still on the fence about November to give him credence when he does endorse Clinton. There may be some bitter-enders in his ranks who end up voting for Green candidate Jill Stein or Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson (though going from Medicare for All to Medicare for None is something of a leap), but the vast majority will understand the necessity of a Clinton victory or be persuaded by Sanders’s endorsement and how much he’s won, or both.</p>
<p>Has Sanders’s hesitation created the space for Elizabeth Warren to become Hillary’s left-wing helper? It has, just as it was his candidacy that compelled the Clinton forces to understand their need for Warren’s support. Does that mean Clinton won’t welcome the opportunity to campaign alongside Sanders this fall? Of course not. As she needs Warren, so she’ll need Sanders, and she’ll welcome them both.</p> | Bernie, Keep Pushing | true | http://democracyjournal.org/arguments/bernie-keep-pushing/ | 2016-07-06 | 4left
| Bernie, Keep Pushing
<p>So what’s up with this Bernie Sanders dude? Why hasn’t he endorsed Hillary Clinton yet? Doesn’t he realize, as a range of pundits have pointed out, that he’s losing his leverage and hurting her chances of defeating Donald Trump?</p>
<p>These pundits notwithstanding, Sanders appears to believe, to the contrary, that he’s not losing leverage—indeed, he’s gaining it—and that he’s not hurting but helping her chances of prevailing in November.</p>
<p>And he’s right.</p>
<p>If the draft of the Democratic platform that the party released last Friday is any indication, we should all be so lucky as to be losing leverage the way Bernie supposedly is. The platform includes a number of provisions that are distinctly his. On finance and banking, for instance, it calls for a new version of Glass-Steagall, which kept banks from making depositors liable for their speculative investments; it calls for an end to bankers sitting on the national or regional Federal Reserve boards, and for appointing “regulators and officials who are not beholden to the industries they regulate”; it demands an end to golden parachutes for executives appointed to governmental posts; it seeks the establishment of postal banking to serve the “unbanked” poor who can’t afford checking accounts; and it calls for the creation of a financial transaction tax.</p>
<p>Clinton had long supported some of these proposals, but others, like postal banking, had not crossed her radar, while still others—a new Glass Steagall and a financial transaction tax—she had explicitly opposed (she does back a tax on high-frequency trading). It’s also likely that the criticism Sanders leveled at Clinton during the primaries for her speeches to Goldman Sachs were a factor in prodding Clinton to take the more critical approach toward Wall Street that the platform draft embodies.</p>
<p>On some particulars—most notably, putting the party on record against the death penalty and in favor of a $15 minimum wage—the platform also reflects Sanders’s perspectives. On other issues—a ban on fracking, the establishment of a carbon tax and of universal Medicare—the Sanders forces were defeated, although the draft platform does call for the establishment of a public option that Obamacare recipients could choose.</p>
<p>Of the various platform commitments that the Sanders forces failed to win, the one that Sanders himself has made clear he is most inclined to continue fighting for is his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He knows that a decisive majority of Democratic members of Congress agree with his stance, that Hillary Clinton has been compelled to embrace his position, and that party activists are heavily opposed to the TPP, while the chief resistance to his position comes from President Obama. Sanders also understands that any lingering ambiguity about Clinton’s opposition to the TPP hurts her and the Democrats in the Rust Belt states where Donald Trump’s promises to re-do or scrap our various trade deals have won him a receptive following. It’s in Clinton’s interest that Sanders prevail on this issue. As for Obama, one hopes he understands that, as much as he believes it’s important to his legacy that the TPP be enacted, it’s far more important to his legacy that Clinton defeat Trump—and that her carrying the Rust Belt would go a long way to ensure that.</p>
<p>What would actually hurt Clinton would be a convention debate on the TPP in which Obama’s position prevails—it would feed right into one of Trump’s favored narratives. Sanders’s leverage is strongest now in getting the platform committee, which meets this coming weekend, to adopt the kind of compromise that the drafting committee agreed to on the financial transaction tax—which it endorsed, while acknowledging that a range of views existed within the party on this matter. Failing that, such a deal is still possible any time before the platform reaches the floor of the convention late this month. And that might well be when Sanders chooses to offer his formal endorsement of Clinton.</p>
<p>Still, it’s hard to see what the Sanders forces could have won in the platform process by virtue of his endorsement of Clinton that they didn’t win anyway—or, conversely, what defeats would have turned to victory had he endorsed her. Would the Clinton appointees then have agreed to “Medicare for All”? A carbon tax? It’s hardly likely they would have budged on such items no matter what Sanders said or did; and Sanders himself must surely know that these are bridges too far for today’s Democratic Party. In focusing, as he has, on opposing the TPP, he’s selected the one bridge that most Democratic elected officials would actually be relieved to see the party cross.</p>
<p>It’s important to note that four of the five Sanders appointees to the platform drafting committee voted to approve the document, despite its omission of various Sanders planks. While lamenting the absence of those planks, the Sanders campaign has rightly hailed the platform as the most progressive the party has seen in decades. I’m confident Sanders will do the same at the convention when he endorses Clinton.</p>
<p>I also believe that the pressure he’s exerted on the Clinton forces actually strengthens her in the general election, by compelling her to take a tougher stance on Wall Street and—particularly if his TPP plank passes—on trade than she otherwise would have.</p>
<p>It’s clear from recent polling that a majority of Sanders backers have decided they’ll be voting for Clinton in November, just as it’s clear from the assurances he’s given Joe Biden and Harry Reid that Sanders will endorse her no later than the convention. By playing his string out to the end or close to it, by being able to claim credit for pushing both Clinton and the party to more progressive stances, he makes it easier for those among his supporters still on the fence about November to give him credence when he does endorse Clinton. There may be some bitter-enders in his ranks who end up voting for Green candidate Jill Stein or Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson (though going from Medicare for All to Medicare for None is something of a leap), but the vast majority will understand the necessity of a Clinton victory or be persuaded by Sanders’s endorsement and how much he’s won, or both.</p>
<p>Has Sanders’s hesitation created the space for Elizabeth Warren to become Hillary’s left-wing helper? It has, just as it was his candidacy that compelled the Clinton forces to understand their need for Warren’s support. Does that mean Clinton won’t welcome the opportunity to campaign alongside Sanders this fall? Of course not. As she needs Warren, so she’ll need Sanders, and she’ll welcome them both.</p> | 1,434 |
<p>I’ve never&#160;been into gel manicures,&#160;not only because they cost more than my&#160;lazy at-home DIY nail routine, but because the&#160;effort it takes to remove them kind of freaks me out. Gels aren’t known&#160;to be <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/14/gel-manicures-health-risk_n_4897654.html" type="external">great for your health</a> either, so I was mystified&#160;by Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel&#160;nail polish. It promises two weeks of gel-like color and shine without a UV lamp or drawn-out removal process. Anything pitched as a corner-cutting “miracle” solution, especially one you can buy at CVS, makes me eager to try it out so I can either debunk (what usually happens) that BS or become a devotee of something that will&#160;“change my life” (which has happened maybe twice&#160;ever).</p>
<p />
<p>Price:&#160;$8 each for&#160; <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-creme-de-la-creme-430/-/A-15332359#prodSlot=medium_1_24&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">Color</a> &amp; <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-top-coat-100/-/A-15419864#prodSlot=medium_3_5&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">Top Coat</a>,&#160;Target</p>
<p>Application:&#160;The process&#160;has its own <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kKcVkd-5to" type="external">tutorial</a>, but the application is so simple that it barely needs one. I applied two coats&#160;of <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-creme-de-la-creme-430/-/A-15332359#prodSlot=medium_1_24&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">Creme de la Creme</a>, a pretty pale pink (one of my favorite things about this line is the fun colors), letting each fully dry before layering. After that, I applied the mysterious curing&#160; <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-top-coat-100/-/A-15419864#prodSlot=medium_3_5&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">top coat</a>, which dried in natural light rather than under a UV lamp. Each coat took quite a while to dry, and the polish was a bit thin and streaky. It was very easy to control where the polish was going instead of ending up with a drippy mess, which I liked. The shade looks the same on my&#160;nails as it did&#160;in the bottle.</p>
<p>Results:&#160;I tried this twice over the past few weeks, and the first time turned out much better, though I’m not sure why just yet. The polish didn’t exactly have the gel-like consistency it promised, but it&#160;was very smooth and had a shine to it.&#160;To me, it didn’t seem comparable to a real gel manicure, but I ended up loving and reusing it anyway for its staying power. The polish stayed perfectly on my nails just over a week with barely any chipping. Around the 8th or 9th day, it started to chip a little, and within a few hours it was crumbling to bits. Sally Hansen promised “up to 14 days of color and shine,” and while my hands would have looked like a disaster zone if I’d left it on that long, I think a solid week of chip-free color is just about unheard of in the realm of drugstore nail polish – or really, any nail polish. It was so glorious to spend a full week not giving&#160;my chipped, fugly polish job a bitter stare-down in the middle of the day (which happens way more often than I’d like to admit) and not to worry about making time to redo my nails every ten seconds.&#160;For a brief shining moment, I deemed myself converted to the cult of Miracle Gel.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Then, a few days ago, I redid the manicure. This time around, it’s chipping more quickly, and it looks much streakier, catapulting me into a deep Nail Polish Crisis Of Faith. I mean, I thought I’d found my new favorite product on the planet!&#160;I’m not sure if the change in quality has to do with some fluke&#160;in how I applied on or what, but for now I’m basing my rating just on my first attempt because I’m not ready to give up on this stuff yet (the reason it gets a 3.5 despite me being obsessed with the stuff is that it doesn’t look much like a gel manicure despite its promises). I intend to try it a third time soon because I’m in love with its chip resistance –&#160;if things turn out funky&#160;again like they did on my&#160;second try, I’ll report back!</p>
<p>Rating:&#160;3.5/5</p> | Beauty Test Drive: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel | true | http://thefrisky.com/2015-02-18/beauty-test-drive-sally-hansen-miracle-gel/?utm_source%3Dsc-fb%26utm_medium%3Dref%26utm_campaign%3Dnail-polish | 2018-10-03 | 4left
| Beauty Test Drive: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel
<p>I’ve never&#160;been into gel manicures,&#160;not only because they cost more than my&#160;lazy at-home DIY nail routine, but because the&#160;effort it takes to remove them kind of freaks me out. Gels aren’t known&#160;to be <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/14/gel-manicures-health-risk_n_4897654.html" type="external">great for your health</a> either, so I was mystified&#160;by Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel&#160;nail polish. It promises two weeks of gel-like color and shine without a UV lamp or drawn-out removal process. Anything pitched as a corner-cutting “miracle” solution, especially one you can buy at CVS, makes me eager to try it out so I can either debunk (what usually happens) that BS or become a devotee of something that will&#160;“change my life” (which has happened maybe twice&#160;ever).</p>
<p />
<p>Price:&#160;$8 each for&#160; <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-creme-de-la-creme-430/-/A-15332359#prodSlot=medium_1_24&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">Color</a> &amp; <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-top-coat-100/-/A-15419864#prodSlot=medium_3_5&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">Top Coat</a>,&#160;Target</p>
<p>Application:&#160;The process&#160;has its own <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kKcVkd-5to" type="external">tutorial</a>, but the application is so simple that it barely needs one. I applied two coats&#160;of <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-creme-de-la-creme-430/-/A-15332359#prodSlot=medium_1_24&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">Creme de la Creme</a>, a pretty pale pink (one of my favorite things about this line is the fun colors), letting each fully dry before layering. After that, I applied the mysterious curing&#160; <a href="http://www.target.com/p/sally-hansen-miracle-gel-nail-polish-top-coat-100/-/A-15419864#prodSlot=medium_3_5&amp;term=miracle+gel" type="external">top coat</a>, which dried in natural light rather than under a UV lamp. Each coat took quite a while to dry, and the polish was a bit thin and streaky. It was very easy to control where the polish was going instead of ending up with a drippy mess, which I liked. The shade looks the same on my&#160;nails as it did&#160;in the bottle.</p>
<p>Results:&#160;I tried this twice over the past few weeks, and the first time turned out much better, though I’m not sure why just yet. The polish didn’t exactly have the gel-like consistency it promised, but it&#160;was very smooth and had a shine to it.&#160;To me, it didn’t seem comparable to a real gel manicure, but I ended up loving and reusing it anyway for its staying power. The polish stayed perfectly on my nails just over a week with barely any chipping. Around the 8th or 9th day, it started to chip a little, and within a few hours it was crumbling to bits. Sally Hansen promised “up to 14 days of color and shine,” and while my hands would have looked like a disaster zone if I’d left it on that long, I think a solid week of chip-free color is just about unheard of in the realm of drugstore nail polish – or really, any nail polish. It was so glorious to spend a full week not giving&#160;my chipped, fugly polish job a bitter stare-down in the middle of the day (which happens way more often than I’d like to admit) and not to worry about making time to redo my nails every ten seconds.&#160;For a brief shining moment, I deemed myself converted to the cult of Miracle Gel.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Then, a few days ago, I redid the manicure. This time around, it’s chipping more quickly, and it looks much streakier, catapulting me into a deep Nail Polish Crisis Of Faith. I mean, I thought I’d found my new favorite product on the planet!&#160;I’m not sure if the change in quality has to do with some fluke&#160;in how I applied on or what, but for now I’m basing my rating just on my first attempt because I’m not ready to give up on this stuff yet (the reason it gets a 3.5 despite me being obsessed with the stuff is that it doesn’t look much like a gel manicure despite its promises). I intend to try it a third time soon because I’m in love with its chip resistance –&#160;if things turn out funky&#160;again like they did on my&#160;second try, I’ll report back!</p>
<p>Rating:&#160;3.5/5</p> | 1,435 |
<p>BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday announced more than $4 million in projects in four states as part of a wildfire-fighting strategy to protect a wide swath of intermountain West sagebrush country that supports cattle ranching and is home to a struggling bird species.</p>
<p>The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will use the money in Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Oregon to counter wildfire threats, invasive grasses and flammable juniper trees encroaching in native sagebrush habitat.</p>
<p>“These projects will not only improve rangeland health, but also help mitigate the risks to local economies that depend on healthy lands,” Jewell said in a statement.</p>
<p>The projects follow Jewell’s order in January calling for a “science based” strategy that safeguards the greater sage grouse while contending with wildfires that have grown larger over the years and have been especially destructive in the Great Basin region.</p>
<p>The wide-ranging bird found in 11 states is under consideration for federal protection, and another giant habitat-consuming fire could factor into the decision. Just the potential listing has put on hold development of wind farms and oil and gas drilling plans in some areas. Experts say an endangered-species listing could damage Western states’ economies.</p>
<p>Though Congress voted last year to withhold funding to list the sage grouse as threatened or endangered, protections could complicate energy development.</p>
<p>The $4 million in projects could help sway decision-makers.</p>
<p>“I think a lot of people were hoping to see something like this,” said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and public lands expert, noting that the collaborative efforts by ranchers, environmentalists and state and federal officials to protect sage grouse habitat.</p>
<p>“It’s a reward,” he said. “You’re seeing the Interior Department saying here is a bigger commitment we can make that will further the bigger effort so that there won’t be a listing of greater sage grouse.”</p>
<p>Idaho will receive $1.78 million to be used to create fuel breaks along transportation corridors in the southwest part of the state that will help firefighters halt wildfires.</p>
<p>The $1.03 million for Oregon will be used for prescribed fires to take out juniper stands, mechanical thinning of juniper stands and planting native grasses. Juniper trees soak up the limited amount of water other plants depend on.</p>
<p>Utah will receive $811,000 for projects that include removing juniper stands and seeding with native plants and grasses.</p>
<p>Nevada will get $638,000 for projects that include mowing along roadways to reduce fire potential, seeding native plants and preventing the spread of cheatgrass, an invasive species that increases risks for fires.</p>
<p>“The BLM is targeting our existing resources to address the biggest threats to the West’s most productive sage grouse habitat,” agency Director Neil Kornze said in a statement. “By strategically focusing our fire prevention and restoration efforts, we are laying the foundation for long-term conservation of the healthy rangelands that help define and sustain the West and its people.”</p>
<p>Jewell said in March that the strategy for this year’s wildfire season would prioritize the protection of sage grouse habitat during any blazes.</p>
<p>“We’re concerned because there’s potential to have an above-normal fire season in the Great Basin, especially since we’ve been in drought these last couple of years,” said Jessica Gardetto, a BLM spokeswoman at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. The center is tasked with deploying resources once the fire season kicks in.</p>
<p>BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday announced more than $4 million in projects in four states as part of a wildfire-fighting strategy to protect a wide swath of intermountain West sagebrush country that supports cattle ranching and is home to a struggling bird species.</p>
<p>The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will use the money in Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Oregon to counter wildfire threats, invasive grasses and flammable juniper trees encroaching in native sagebrush habitat.</p>
<p>“These projects will not only improve rangeland health, but also help mitigate the risks to local economies that depend on healthy lands,” Jewell said in a statement.</p>
<p>The projects follow Jewell’s order in January calling for a “science based” strategy that safeguards the greater sage grouse while contending with wildfires that have grown larger over the years and have been especially destructive in the Great Basin region.</p>
<p>The wide-ranging bird found in 11 states is under consideration for federal protection, and another giant habitat-consuming fire could factor into the decision. Just the potential listing has put on hold development of wind farms and oil and gas drilling plans in some areas. Experts say an endangered-species listing could damage Western states’ economies.</p>
<p>Though Congress voted last year to withhold funding to list the sage grouse as threatened or endangered, protections could complicate energy development.</p>
<p>The $4 million in projects could help sway decision-makers.</p>
<p>“I think a lot of people were hoping to see something like this,” said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and public lands expert, noting that the collaborative efforts by ranchers, environmentalists and state and federal officials to protect sage grouse habitat.</p>
<p>“It’s a reward,” he said. “You’re seeing the Interior Department saying here is a bigger commitment we can make that will further the bigger effort so that there won’t be a listing of greater sage grouse.”</p>
<p>Idaho will receive $1.78 million to be used to create fuel breaks along transportation corridors in the southwest part of the state that will help firefighters halt wildfires.</p>
<p>The $1.03 million for Oregon will be used for prescribed fires to take out juniper stands, mechanical thinning of juniper stands and planting native grasses. Juniper trees soak up the limited amount of water other plants depend on.</p>
<p>Utah will receive $811,000 for projects that include removing juniper stands and seeding with native plants and grasses.</p>
<p>Nevada will get $638,000 for projects that include mowing along roadways to reduce fire potential, seeding native plants and preventing the spread of cheatgrass, an invasive species that increases risks for fires.</p>
<p>“The BLM is targeting our existing resources to address the biggest threats to the West’s most productive sage grouse habitat,” agency Director Neil Kornze said in a statement. “By strategically focusing our fire prevention and restoration efforts, we are laying the foundation for long-term conservation of the healthy rangelands that help define and sustain the West and its people.”</p>
<p>Jewell said in March that the strategy for this year’s wildfire season would prioritize the protection of sage grouse habitat during any blazes.</p>
<p>“We’re concerned because there’s potential to have an above-normal fire season in the Great Basin, especially since we’ve been in drought these last couple of years,” said Jessica Gardetto, a BLM spokeswoman at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. The center is tasked with deploying resources once the fire season kicks in.</p> | $4 million in US projects aim to protect sage grouse habitat | false | https://apnews.com/790556b41fba45798df7834147cd4124 | 2015-04-29 | 2least
| $4 million in US projects aim to protect sage grouse habitat
<p>BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday announced more than $4 million in projects in four states as part of a wildfire-fighting strategy to protect a wide swath of intermountain West sagebrush country that supports cattle ranching and is home to a struggling bird species.</p>
<p>The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will use the money in Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Oregon to counter wildfire threats, invasive grasses and flammable juniper trees encroaching in native sagebrush habitat.</p>
<p>“These projects will not only improve rangeland health, but also help mitigate the risks to local economies that depend on healthy lands,” Jewell said in a statement.</p>
<p>The projects follow Jewell’s order in January calling for a “science based” strategy that safeguards the greater sage grouse while contending with wildfires that have grown larger over the years and have been especially destructive in the Great Basin region.</p>
<p>The wide-ranging bird found in 11 states is under consideration for federal protection, and another giant habitat-consuming fire could factor into the decision. Just the potential listing has put on hold development of wind farms and oil and gas drilling plans in some areas. Experts say an endangered-species listing could damage Western states’ economies.</p>
<p>Though Congress voted last year to withhold funding to list the sage grouse as threatened or endangered, protections could complicate energy development.</p>
<p>The $4 million in projects could help sway decision-makers.</p>
<p>“I think a lot of people were hoping to see something like this,” said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and public lands expert, noting that the collaborative efforts by ranchers, environmentalists and state and federal officials to protect sage grouse habitat.</p>
<p>“It’s a reward,” he said. “You’re seeing the Interior Department saying here is a bigger commitment we can make that will further the bigger effort so that there won’t be a listing of greater sage grouse.”</p>
<p>Idaho will receive $1.78 million to be used to create fuel breaks along transportation corridors in the southwest part of the state that will help firefighters halt wildfires.</p>
<p>The $1.03 million for Oregon will be used for prescribed fires to take out juniper stands, mechanical thinning of juniper stands and planting native grasses. Juniper trees soak up the limited amount of water other plants depend on.</p>
<p>Utah will receive $811,000 for projects that include removing juniper stands and seeding with native plants and grasses.</p>
<p>Nevada will get $638,000 for projects that include mowing along roadways to reduce fire potential, seeding native plants and preventing the spread of cheatgrass, an invasive species that increases risks for fires.</p>
<p>“The BLM is targeting our existing resources to address the biggest threats to the West’s most productive sage grouse habitat,” agency Director Neil Kornze said in a statement. “By strategically focusing our fire prevention and restoration efforts, we are laying the foundation for long-term conservation of the healthy rangelands that help define and sustain the West and its people.”</p>
<p>Jewell said in March that the strategy for this year’s wildfire season would prioritize the protection of sage grouse habitat during any blazes.</p>
<p>“We’re concerned because there’s potential to have an above-normal fire season in the Great Basin, especially since we’ve been in drought these last couple of years,” said Jessica Gardetto, a BLM spokeswoman at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. The center is tasked with deploying resources once the fire season kicks in.</p>
<p>BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Wednesday announced more than $4 million in projects in four states as part of a wildfire-fighting strategy to protect a wide swath of intermountain West sagebrush country that supports cattle ranching and is home to a struggling bird species.</p>
<p>The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will use the money in Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Oregon to counter wildfire threats, invasive grasses and flammable juniper trees encroaching in native sagebrush habitat.</p>
<p>“These projects will not only improve rangeland health, but also help mitigate the risks to local economies that depend on healthy lands,” Jewell said in a statement.</p>
<p>The projects follow Jewell’s order in January calling for a “science based” strategy that safeguards the greater sage grouse while contending with wildfires that have grown larger over the years and have been especially destructive in the Great Basin region.</p>
<p>The wide-ranging bird found in 11 states is under consideration for federal protection, and another giant habitat-consuming fire could factor into the decision. Just the potential listing has put on hold development of wind farms and oil and gas drilling plans in some areas. Experts say an endangered-species listing could damage Western states’ economies.</p>
<p>Though Congress voted last year to withhold funding to list the sage grouse as threatened or endangered, protections could complicate energy development.</p>
<p>The $4 million in projects could help sway decision-makers.</p>
<p>“I think a lot of people were hoping to see something like this,” said John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and public lands expert, noting that the collaborative efforts by ranchers, environmentalists and state and federal officials to protect sage grouse habitat.</p>
<p>“It’s a reward,” he said. “You’re seeing the Interior Department saying here is a bigger commitment we can make that will further the bigger effort so that there won’t be a listing of greater sage grouse.”</p>
<p>Idaho will receive $1.78 million to be used to create fuel breaks along transportation corridors in the southwest part of the state that will help firefighters halt wildfires.</p>
<p>The $1.03 million for Oregon will be used for prescribed fires to take out juniper stands, mechanical thinning of juniper stands and planting native grasses. Juniper trees soak up the limited amount of water other plants depend on.</p>
<p>Utah will receive $811,000 for projects that include removing juniper stands and seeding with native plants and grasses.</p>
<p>Nevada will get $638,000 for projects that include mowing along roadways to reduce fire potential, seeding native plants and preventing the spread of cheatgrass, an invasive species that increases risks for fires.</p>
<p>“The BLM is targeting our existing resources to address the biggest threats to the West’s most productive sage grouse habitat,” agency Director Neil Kornze said in a statement. “By strategically focusing our fire prevention and restoration efforts, we are laying the foundation for long-term conservation of the healthy rangelands that help define and sustain the West and its people.”</p>
<p>Jewell said in March that the strategy for this year’s wildfire season would prioritize the protection of sage grouse habitat during any blazes.</p>
<p>“We’re concerned because there’s potential to have an above-normal fire season in the Great Basin, especially since we’ve been in drought these last couple of years,” said Jessica Gardetto, a BLM spokeswoman at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. The center is tasked with deploying resources once the fire season kicks in.</p> | 1,436 |
<p>The number of utilities betting their futures on renewable energy seems to be growing by the day. Giants like NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), Southern Company (NYSE: SO), AES (NYSE: AES), and Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) are slowly but surely seeing the fossil fuels aren't the profit drivers of their future; renewable energy is.</p>
<p>American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), who generates nearly half of its electricity from coal, says it will invest $1.8 billion in renewable energy by 2020. That's only about 10% of its total capital spending, but it's a transition other utilities have already begun.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In a press release discussing its future investments, AEP said it will invest $1.8 billion in renewable energy between 2018 and 2020, which seems small compared to its $18.2 billion capital spending plans. But if you pull out $4.4 billion in investment for distribution systems and $9 billion for transmission assets you see that only $3.0 billion will be allocated to fossil fuel generating assets.</p>
<p>The 2018 to 2020 plan is also on top of a <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/29/oklahoma-to-be-home-of-worlds-second-largest-wind.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">$4.5 billion investment in the 2,000 MW Wind Catcher project Opens a New Window.</a>in Oklahoma, which will be the world's second-largest wind farm. In total, AEP will spend more on building/buying renewable energy assets than fossil fuels in the next few years.</p>
<p>The transition to renewable energy is happening because utilities see the economics of wind and solar energy as too good to pass up. And they're putting <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/09/solar-stocks-are-a-great-buy-again.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">billions into building their renewable energy businesses Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Duke Energy has 2,300 MW of wind power and 600 MW of solar, investing $4 billion in renewables since 2007. It's even investing in battery storage as a new generation of grid asset.</p>
<p>NextEra Energy's subsidiary NextEra Energy Resources says it is the world's largest generator of electricity from the wind and solar. On top of that, the company has a controlling interest in NextEra Energy Partners (NYSE: NEP), one of the biggest renewable energy yieldcos in the world.</p>
<p>AES has taken a leadership position in energy storage through a partnership with Siemens called Fluence. This is on top of 25% of its power generation portfolio coming from renewable sources.</p>
<p>Southern Company is another to make the surprise move to renewable energy. After <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/05/clean-coal-plant-southern-company-failure.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">leading the charge into "clean coal" and nuclear power Opens a New Window.</a>, Southern Company has made an about-face and added 4,000 MW of renewables in the last five years.</p>
<p>Utilities aren't investing billions of dollars into renewable energy to save the climate or appease environmentalists, they're doing so because it's in their best interest financially. Renewable energy is now the lowest cost option when building new power plants and that's what's driving adoption. If these utilities are any indication, there will be tens of billions more poured into the industry over the next decade.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than American Electric PowerWhen 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=0a7ddc01-e287-41ac-b41e-57cafc07dab3&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and American Electric Power 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=0a7ddc01-e287-41ac-b41e-57cafc07dab3&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-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 November 6, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFFlushDraw/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Travis Hoium Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of American Electric Power and NextEra Energy Partners. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Another Utility Bets Billions on Renewable Energy | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/11/12/another-utility-bets-billions-on-renewable-energy.html | 2017-11-12 | 0right
| Another Utility Bets Billions on Renewable Energy
<p>The number of utilities betting their futures on renewable energy seems to be growing by the day. Giants like NextEra Energy (NYSE: NEE), Southern Company (NYSE: SO), AES (NYSE: AES), and Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) are slowly but surely seeing the fossil fuels aren't the profit drivers of their future; renewable energy is.</p>
<p>American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), who generates nearly half of its electricity from coal, says it will invest $1.8 billion in renewable energy by 2020. That's only about 10% of its total capital spending, but it's a transition other utilities have already begun.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In a press release discussing its future investments, AEP said it will invest $1.8 billion in renewable energy between 2018 and 2020, which seems small compared to its $18.2 billion capital spending plans. But if you pull out $4.4 billion in investment for distribution systems and $9 billion for transmission assets you see that only $3.0 billion will be allocated to fossil fuel generating assets.</p>
<p>The 2018 to 2020 plan is also on top of a <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/29/oklahoma-to-be-home-of-worlds-second-largest-wind.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">$4.5 billion investment in the 2,000 MW Wind Catcher project Opens a New Window.</a>in Oklahoma, which will be the world's second-largest wind farm. In total, AEP will spend more on building/buying renewable energy assets than fossil fuels in the next few years.</p>
<p>The transition to renewable energy is happening because utilities see the economics of wind and solar energy as too good to pass up. And they're putting <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/09/solar-stocks-are-a-great-buy-again.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">billions into building their renewable energy businesses Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
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<p>Duke Energy has 2,300 MW of wind power and 600 MW of solar, investing $4 billion in renewables since 2007. It's even investing in battery storage as a new generation of grid asset.</p>
<p>NextEra Energy's subsidiary NextEra Energy Resources says it is the world's largest generator of electricity from the wind and solar. On top of that, the company has a controlling interest in NextEra Energy Partners (NYSE: NEP), one of the biggest renewable energy yieldcos in the world.</p>
<p>AES has taken a leadership position in energy storage through a partnership with Siemens called Fluence. This is on top of 25% of its power generation portfolio coming from renewable sources.</p>
<p>Southern Company is another to make the surprise move to renewable energy. After <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/05/clean-coal-plant-southern-company-failure.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">leading the charge into "clean coal" and nuclear power Opens a New Window.</a>, Southern Company has made an about-face and added 4,000 MW of renewables in the last five years.</p>
<p>Utilities aren't investing billions of dollars into renewable energy to save the climate or appease environmentalists, they're doing so because it's in their best interest financially. Renewable energy is now the lowest cost option when building new power plants and that's what's driving adoption. If these utilities are any indication, there will be tens of billions more poured into the industry over the next decade.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than American Electric PowerWhen 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=0a7ddc01-e287-41ac-b41e-57cafc07dab3&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and American Electric Power 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=0a7ddc01-e287-41ac-b41e-57cafc07dab3&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-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 November 6, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFFlushDraw/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Travis Hoium Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of American Electric Power and NextEra Energy Partners. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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;referring_guid=f2bc579e-c646-11e7-ae4b-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 1,437 |
<p>TROUBLES WITH TRANSPORTATION: As it becomes increasingly unlikely the House and Senate will be able to agree on a long-term extension to federal highway and transit programs by the time the current bill expires at the end of the month, some lawmakers are trying to find solutions. “It’s a mistake sometimes to draw a line in the sand … instead of just sitting down and talking over a situation,” Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) said, explaining that he has sought to impress on House freshmen that as a conservative, “there is a conservative position in this. And that is to have a bill. Because if you don’t have a bill, there’s only one other choice — you have to do extensions.” Inhofe says that results in “throwing away a third of the money that should be spent on highways. And I just can’t let that happen.” <a href="" type="internal">John Stanton for Roll Call: Crucial Week for Highway Bill</a></p>
<p>IN TROUBLED WORLD, AMERICA MUST BE ROCK OF STABILITY: Europe, America, China and the Arab world have squandered dividends in recent years, Thomas Friedman writes. It's time for America to step up. "If I were President Obama, I’d focus my entire campaign now on an effort to reforge a “grand bargain” with Republicans based on a near-term infrastructure stimulus tied with a Simpson-Bowles long-term fiscal rebalancing. At a minimum, it would show that Obama has a sensible plan to fix the economy — which is what people want most from the president — and many in business would surely support it. We cannot wait until January to do serious policy making again. We, and the world, need America to be a rock of stability — now." <a href="" type="internal">Thomas Friedman for The New York Times: What the Locusts Ate</a></p>
<p>ACTION OF THE DAY: Take online action with No Labels by using our Facebook Action Center. <a href="" type="internal">Click here to check it out and invite your friends to LIKE our page and share No Labels on your wall.</a> NOTE: This link does not work for mobile devices.</p>
<p>Written &amp; edited by <a href="" type="internal">Collin Berglund</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Joe Mansour</a>,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Lauren Gilbert</a>&#160;and <a href="" type="internal">Jack McCullough</a></p>
<p />
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">Subscribe to Problem-Solver's Daily now</a></p> | California electoral reforms make primaries more competitive | false | https://nolabels.org/blog/california-electoral-reforms-make-primaries-more-competitive/ | 2012-06-06 | 2least
| California electoral reforms make primaries more competitive
<p>TROUBLES WITH TRANSPORTATION: As it becomes increasingly unlikely the House and Senate will be able to agree on a long-term extension to federal highway and transit programs by the time the current bill expires at the end of the month, some lawmakers are trying to find solutions. “It’s a mistake sometimes to draw a line in the sand … instead of just sitting down and talking over a situation,” Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) said, explaining that he has sought to impress on House freshmen that as a conservative, “there is a conservative position in this. And that is to have a bill. Because if you don’t have a bill, there’s only one other choice — you have to do extensions.” Inhofe says that results in “throwing away a third of the money that should be spent on highways. And I just can’t let that happen.” <a href="" type="internal">John Stanton for Roll Call: Crucial Week for Highway Bill</a></p>
<p>IN TROUBLED WORLD, AMERICA MUST BE ROCK OF STABILITY: Europe, America, China and the Arab world have squandered dividends in recent years, Thomas Friedman writes. It's time for America to step up. "If I were President Obama, I’d focus my entire campaign now on an effort to reforge a “grand bargain” with Republicans based on a near-term infrastructure stimulus tied with a Simpson-Bowles long-term fiscal rebalancing. At a minimum, it would show that Obama has a sensible plan to fix the economy — which is what people want most from the president — and many in business would surely support it. We cannot wait until January to do serious policy making again. We, and the world, need America to be a rock of stability — now." <a href="" type="internal">Thomas Friedman for The New York Times: What the Locusts Ate</a></p>
<p>ACTION OF THE DAY: Take online action with No Labels by using our Facebook Action Center. <a href="" type="internal">Click here to check it out and invite your friends to LIKE our page and share No Labels on your wall.</a> NOTE: This link does not work for mobile devices.</p>
<p>Written &amp; edited by <a href="" type="internal">Collin Berglund</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Joe Mansour</a>,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Lauren Gilbert</a>&#160;and <a href="" type="internal">Jack McCullough</a></p>
<p />
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">Subscribe to Problem-Solver's Daily now</a></p> | 1,438 |
<p>Johnny Depp isn’t usually one to seek out the limelight, or “48 Hours Mystery” for that matter, but the “Alice in Wonderland” actor is making an appearance on the CBS News magazine show to make a plea for the retrial of the West Memphis Three, a group of men convicted of murdering three boys in 1994. It’s unclear, from this teaser clip, how Depp became invested in the case, but he’s apparently lending his name to the cause in a bid to prevent the execution of at least one of the accused. — KA</p>
<p>CBS:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com" type="external">Watch CBS News Videos Online</a></p>
<p>“Vulture” in New York Magazine:</p>
<p />
<p>Mad Hatter–playing Johnny Depp will promote the PG-rated film this Sunday with an appearance on CBS’s 48 Hours Mystery during which he’ll demand a new trial for the West Memphis Three, a trio of men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of killing three 8-year-olds during a suspected satanic ritual (the case has been examined in two documentaries, Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations).</p>
<p><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/02/johnny_depp_to_free_west_memphis_three.html#ixzz0gNpiNj6A" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Johnny Depp Pipes Up for West Memphis Three | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/johnny-depp-pipes-up-for-west-memphis-three/ | 2010-02-23 | 4left
| Johnny Depp Pipes Up for West Memphis Three
<p>Johnny Depp isn’t usually one to seek out the limelight, or “48 Hours Mystery” for that matter, but the “Alice in Wonderland” actor is making an appearance on the CBS News magazine show to make a plea for the retrial of the West Memphis Three, a group of men convicted of murdering three boys in 1994. It’s unclear, from this teaser clip, how Depp became invested in the case, but he’s apparently lending his name to the cause in a bid to prevent the execution of at least one of the accused. — KA</p>
<p>CBS:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com" type="external">Watch CBS News Videos Online</a></p>
<p>“Vulture” in New York Magazine:</p>
<p />
<p>Mad Hatter–playing Johnny Depp will promote the PG-rated film this Sunday with an appearance on CBS’s 48 Hours Mystery during which he’ll demand a new trial for the West Memphis Three, a trio of men convicted as teenagers in 1994 of killing three 8-year-olds during a suspected satanic ritual (the case has been examined in two documentaries, Paradise Lost and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations).</p>
<p><a href="http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2010/02/johnny_depp_to_free_west_memphis_three.html#ixzz0gNpiNj6A" type="external">Read more</a></p> | 1,439 |
<p>Tunisia's Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned on Tuesday after his attempt to form a technocratic government failed.</p>
<p>"I vowed that if my initiative did not succeed, I would resign and ... I have already done so," Jebali told a news conference after meeting with President Moncef Marzouki, <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/19/uk-tunisia-pm-idUKBRE91I10T20130219" type="external">according to Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/130218/tunisia-prime-ministers-plan-technocratic-government-fails" type="external">Plan for technocratic government in Tunisia fails</a></p>
<p>Jebali had tried to form a government of technocrats in response to his country's political crisis that started when opposition leader Chokri Belaid was assassinated, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21508498" type="external">reported BBC News</a>. Belaid's killing on Feb. 6 sparked mass protests across Tunisia and resignations from its coalition government.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20130219-tunisian-prime-minister-hamadi-jebali-resigns" type="external">According to France 24</a>, Jebali's own Ennahda party rejected his idea to form a non-partisan cabinet, saying the country needed a government of politicians.</p>
<p>"Our people are disillusioned by the political class. We must restore confidence," Jebali said, noted BBC News.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/130208/tunisia-chokri-belaid-buried-strike-protests" type="external">Chokri Belaid funeral stirs Tunisia unrest</a></p>
<p>"The failure of my initiative does not mean the failure of Tunisia or the failure of the revolution," he continued, referring to the country's unrest two years ago that removed autocratic leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power.</p> | Tunisia Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigns | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-02-19/tunisia-prime-minister-hamadi-jebali-resigns | 2013-02-19 | 3left-center
| Tunisia Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigns
<p>Tunisia's Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned on Tuesday after his attempt to form a technocratic government failed.</p>
<p>"I vowed that if my initiative did not succeed, I would resign and ... I have already done so," Jebali told a news conference after meeting with President Moncef Marzouki, <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/19/uk-tunisia-pm-idUKBRE91I10T20130219" type="external">according to Reuters</a>.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/130218/tunisia-prime-ministers-plan-technocratic-government-fails" type="external">Plan for technocratic government in Tunisia fails</a></p>
<p>Jebali had tried to form a government of technocrats in response to his country's political crisis that started when opposition leader Chokri Belaid was assassinated, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21508498" type="external">reported BBC News</a>. Belaid's killing on Feb. 6 sparked mass protests across Tunisia and resignations from its coalition government.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.france24.com/en/20130219-tunisian-prime-minister-hamadi-jebali-resigns" type="external">According to France 24</a>, Jebali's own Ennahda party rejected his idea to form a non-partisan cabinet, saying the country needed a government of politicians.</p>
<p>"Our people are disillusioned by the political class. We must restore confidence," Jebali said, noted BBC News.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/130208/tunisia-chokri-belaid-buried-strike-protests" type="external">Chokri Belaid funeral stirs Tunisia unrest</a></p>
<p>"The failure of my initiative does not mean the failure of Tunisia or the failure of the revolution," he continued, referring to the country's unrest two years ago that removed autocratic leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power.</p> | 1,440 |
<p />
<p>With 25 million passengers expected to travel through U.S. airports Thanksgiving weekend, airlines are gearing up for the busiest travel day of the year, adding seats and tweaking ancillary fees.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Industry group Airlines for America expects the number of passengers traveling from Nov. 22 through Dec. 3 to increase by 1.5%, or 31,000 travelers per day, from 2012.</p>
<p>The busiest days are expected to be Wednesday, Nov. 27, with 2.42 million passengers, Sunday, Dec. 1, with 2.56 million passengers and Monday, Dec. 2, with 2.36 million.</p>
<p>To meet the growing demand, with airplanes expected to be more than 85% full on the busiest days, airlines like United (NYSE:UAL), JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU), American and Delta (NYSE:DAL) are increasing the available seats by roughly 2%, according to A4A’s chief economist, John Heimlich.</p>
<p>“More seats are returning to the marketplace to accommodate growing demand,” he said.</p>
<p>Despite the heightened demand, A4A predicts fares will be reasonable, a reflection of solid airline growth through the first nine months of the year.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The 10 largest carriers reported earnings of $4.5 billion year-to-date, resulting in a net profit margin of 4%, up from $312 million, or 0.3%, in 2012. Fuel remained the largest and most volatile cost for airlines, accounting for 35% of overall expenses.</p>
<p>But airlines nevertheless continued to offer perks such as lie-flat seats and Wi-Fi. Several also started relaxing rules on in-flight smartphone and tablet use this week as part of a new Federal Aviation Administration rule.</p>
<p>“The good news for customers is that air travel costs less in real dollars today than in 2000,” Heimlich said. “When airlines are profitable, customers, employees and the economy win because airlines are better able to invest in the business.”</p> | Airlines Adding Seats for Busy Thanksgiving Weekend | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/11/07/airlines-adding-seats-for-busy-thanksgiving-weekend.html | 2016-01-26 | 0right
| Airlines Adding Seats for Busy Thanksgiving Weekend
<p />
<p>With 25 million passengers expected to travel through U.S. airports Thanksgiving weekend, airlines are gearing up for the busiest travel day of the year, adding seats and tweaking ancillary fees.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Industry group Airlines for America expects the number of passengers traveling from Nov. 22 through Dec. 3 to increase by 1.5%, or 31,000 travelers per day, from 2012.</p>
<p>The busiest days are expected to be Wednesday, Nov. 27, with 2.42 million passengers, Sunday, Dec. 1, with 2.56 million passengers and Monday, Dec. 2, with 2.36 million.</p>
<p>To meet the growing demand, with airplanes expected to be more than 85% full on the busiest days, airlines like United (NYSE:UAL), JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU), American and Delta (NYSE:DAL) are increasing the available seats by roughly 2%, according to A4A’s chief economist, John Heimlich.</p>
<p>“More seats are returning to the marketplace to accommodate growing demand,” he said.</p>
<p>Despite the heightened demand, A4A predicts fares will be reasonable, a reflection of solid airline growth through the first nine months of the year.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The 10 largest carriers reported earnings of $4.5 billion year-to-date, resulting in a net profit margin of 4%, up from $312 million, or 0.3%, in 2012. Fuel remained the largest and most volatile cost for airlines, accounting for 35% of overall expenses.</p>
<p>But airlines nevertheless continued to offer perks such as lie-flat seats and Wi-Fi. Several also started relaxing rules on in-flight smartphone and tablet use this week as part of a new Federal Aviation Administration rule.</p>
<p>“The good news for customers is that air travel costs less in real dollars today than in 2000,” Heimlich said. “When airlines are profitable, customers, employees and the economy win because airlines are better able to invest in the business.”</p> | 1,441 |
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<p>The group’s finding that cholesterol in the diet need no longer be considered a “nutrient of concern” stands in contrast to the committee’s findings five years ago, the last time it convened. During those proceedings, as in previous years, the panel deemed the issue of “excess dietary cholesterol” a public health concern. The most current finding was discussed at the group’s last meeting.</p>
<p>The new view on cholesterol in the diet does not reverse warnings about high levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, which have been linked to heart disease. Moreover, some experts warned that people with particular health problems, such as diabetes, should continue to avoid cholesterol-rich diets.</p>
<p>A new view finds that cholesterol in the diet need no longer be considered a “nutrient of concern.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)</p>
<p>But the finding, which may offer a measure of relief to breakfast diners who prefer eggs, follows an evolution of thinking among many nutritionists who now believe that for a healthy adult cholesterol intake may not significantly impact the level of cholesterol in the blood or increase the risk of heart disease. The greater danger, according to this line of thought, lies in foods heavy with trans fats and saturated fats.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The panel laid out the cholesterol decision in December, at its last meeting before it writes a report that will serve as the basis for the next version of the “Dietary Guidelines,” a federal publication that has broad effects on the American diet. A video of the meeting was later posted online and a person with direct knowledge of the proceedings said the cholesterol finding would make it to the group’s final report, which is due within weeks.</p>
<p>After Marian Neuhouser, chair of the relevant subcommittee, announced the decision to the panel at the December meeting, one panelist appeared to bridle.</p>
<p>“So we’re not making a (cholesterol) recommendation?” panel member Miriam Nelson, a Tufts University professor, said at the meeting as if trying to absorb the thought. “OK . . . Bummer.”</p>
<p>Members of the panel, called the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, said they would not comment until the publication of their report.</p>
<p>The Dietary Guidelines, which are due later this year from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, help determine the content of school lunches, impacts how food manufacturers advertise their wares, and often serves as the foundation for reams of diet advice. Some foods that are high in cholesterol – such as liver, lobster and shrimp – may find more takers.</p>
<p>Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, called the turnaround on cholesterol a “reasonable move.”</p>
<p>“There’s been a shift of thinking,” he said.</p>
<p>But the change on dietary cholesterol also shows how the complexity of nutrition science and the lack of definitive research can contribute to confusion for Americans who, while seeking guidance on what to eat, often find themselves afloat in conflicting advice.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Cholesterol has been a fixture in dietary warnings in the U.S. at least since 1961, when it appeared in guidelines developed by the American Heart Association.</p>
<p>Later adopted by the federal government, such warnings helped shift eating habits – per capita egg consumption dropped about 30 percent – and harmed egg farmers.</p>
<p>Yet even today, after more than a century of scientific inquiry, scientists are divided.</p>
<p>Some nutritionists said lifting the cholesterol warning is long overdue, noting that the United States is out-of-step with other countries, where diet guidelines do not single out cholesterol. Others support maintaining a warning.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Panel withdraws caution on cholesterol | false | https://abqjournal.com/539816/panel-withdraws-caution-on-cholesterol.html | 2least
| Panel withdraws caution on cholesterol
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
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<p>The group’s finding that cholesterol in the diet need no longer be considered a “nutrient of concern” stands in contrast to the committee’s findings five years ago, the last time it convened. During those proceedings, as in previous years, the panel deemed the issue of “excess dietary cholesterol” a public health concern. The most current finding was discussed at the group’s last meeting.</p>
<p>The new view on cholesterol in the diet does not reverse warnings about high levels of “bad” cholesterol in the blood, which have been linked to heart disease. Moreover, some experts warned that people with particular health problems, such as diabetes, should continue to avoid cholesterol-rich diets.</p>
<p>A new view finds that cholesterol in the diet need no longer be considered a “nutrient of concern.” (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)</p>
<p>But the finding, which may offer a measure of relief to breakfast diners who prefer eggs, follows an evolution of thinking among many nutritionists who now believe that for a healthy adult cholesterol intake may not significantly impact the level of cholesterol in the blood or increase the risk of heart disease. The greater danger, according to this line of thought, lies in foods heavy with trans fats and saturated fats.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The panel laid out the cholesterol decision in December, at its last meeting before it writes a report that will serve as the basis for the next version of the “Dietary Guidelines,” a federal publication that has broad effects on the American diet. A video of the meeting was later posted online and a person with direct knowledge of the proceedings said the cholesterol finding would make it to the group’s final report, which is due within weeks.</p>
<p>After Marian Neuhouser, chair of the relevant subcommittee, announced the decision to the panel at the December meeting, one panelist appeared to bridle.</p>
<p>“So we’re not making a (cholesterol) recommendation?” panel member Miriam Nelson, a Tufts University professor, said at the meeting as if trying to absorb the thought. “OK . . . Bummer.”</p>
<p>Members of the panel, called the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, said they would not comment until the publication of their report.</p>
<p>The Dietary Guidelines, which are due later this year from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, help determine the content of school lunches, impacts how food manufacturers advertise their wares, and often serves as the foundation for reams of diet advice. Some foods that are high in cholesterol – such as liver, lobster and shrimp – may find more takers.</p>
<p>Walter Willett, chair of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, called the turnaround on cholesterol a “reasonable move.”</p>
<p>“There’s been a shift of thinking,” he said.</p>
<p>But the change on dietary cholesterol also shows how the complexity of nutrition science and the lack of definitive research can contribute to confusion for Americans who, while seeking guidance on what to eat, often find themselves afloat in conflicting advice.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Cholesterol has been a fixture in dietary warnings in the U.S. at least since 1961, when it appeared in guidelines developed by the American Heart Association.</p>
<p>Later adopted by the federal government, such warnings helped shift eating habits – per capita egg consumption dropped about 30 percent – and harmed egg farmers.</p>
<p>Yet even today, after more than a century of scientific inquiry, scientists are divided.</p>
<p>Some nutritionists said lifting the cholesterol warning is long overdue, noting that the United States is out-of-step with other countries, where diet guidelines do not single out cholesterol. Others support maintaining a warning.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 1,442 |
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<p>AGREEMENT ON SEQUESTRATION: Following the Super Committee's failure to trim the federal budget last year, the nation's military is scheduled for a $500 billion hit in automatic cuts. However a group of about 30 senators is trying to find solutions. The group has been meeting in order to draft a new sequestration plan that would alleviate some of the stress the cuts would place on the Pentagon:&#160; <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/budget-appropriations/231931-senators-quietly-laying-groundwork-for-looming-defense-sequestration-fight-" type="external">Carlos Munoz for&#160;The Hill: Senators quietly laying groundwork for looming defense sequestration fight</a></p>
<p>A CALL FOR RESULTS: On July 1, the cost of paying off college debts will drastically increase for more than 7 million Americans — unless Congress can put aside partisan differences and extend the interest rate cuts. "People want Congress to put politics aside and come together to produce real results that make a difference. And you can count college students at the top of that list."&#160; <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77245.html" type="external">Arne Duncan in&#160;POLITICO: Take politics out of student loan process</a></p>
<p>DISTURBING DYSFUNCTION: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush believes the current dysfunction in the national government is "disturbing," but says hyper-partisanship is not here to stay. He urges Americans of all political stripes to look back at the presidencies of his father and Ronald Reagan for evidence of the power and benefits of true across-the-aisle problem-solving:&#160; <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/jeb-bush-no-place-for-father-reagan-in-today39" type="external">Buzz Feed on Jeb Bush</a></p>
<p>DEFINING MOMENT: Candidates often say the next election is the one that will bring about real change — then they fall into the same old traps. But this time&#160;that really might be true, Judd Gregg says:&#160; <a href="http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/judd-gregg/231957-opinion-election-a-watershed-for-nation" type="external">Judd Gregg for&#160;The Hill: Election a watershed for nation</a></p>
<p>STAT OF THE DAY: The 113th Congress could have as many as 155 members with less than four years of experience, due to the large freshman class from 2010, 36 lawmakers who announced their retirements and the large likely turnover due to redistricting:&#160; <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77255.html" type="external">Kate Nocera for&#160;POLITICO: More newbies to take the Hill</a></p>
<p>ACTION OF THE DAY: Have a LinkedIn account?&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Connect with No Labels here</a> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups/No-Labels-USA-3807622?home=&amp;gid=3807622&amp;trk=anet_ug_hm" type="external">.</a> If you don't have an account,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">click here to create one</a> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/" type="external">.</a></p>
<p>Written &amp; edited by&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Collin Berglund</a>,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Lauren Gilbert</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Jack McCullough</a></p>
<p>Tips, questions or ideas? Email the Problem-Solver's Daily team at&#160; <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a>&#160;or tweet at us ( <a href="" type="internal">@nolabelsorg</a>).</p> | Group of senators trying to prevent sequestration | false | https://nolabels.org/blog/group-of-senators-trying-to-prevent-sequestration/ | 2012-06-11 | 2least
| Group of senators trying to prevent sequestration
<p>AGREEMENT ON SEQUESTRATION: Following the Super Committee's failure to trim the federal budget last year, the nation's military is scheduled for a $500 billion hit in automatic cuts. However a group of about 30 senators is trying to find solutions. The group has been meeting in order to draft a new sequestration plan that would alleviate some of the stress the cuts would place on the Pentagon:&#160; <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/defcon-hill/budget-appropriations/231931-senators-quietly-laying-groundwork-for-looming-defense-sequestration-fight-" type="external">Carlos Munoz for&#160;The Hill: Senators quietly laying groundwork for looming defense sequestration fight</a></p>
<p>A CALL FOR RESULTS: On July 1, the cost of paying off college debts will drastically increase for more than 7 million Americans — unless Congress can put aside partisan differences and extend the interest rate cuts. "People want Congress to put politics aside and come together to produce real results that make a difference. And you can count college students at the top of that list."&#160; <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77245.html" type="external">Arne Duncan in&#160;POLITICO: Take politics out of student loan process</a></p>
<p>DISTURBING DYSFUNCTION: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush believes the current dysfunction in the national government is "disturbing," but says hyper-partisanship is not here to stay. He urges Americans of all political stripes to look back at the presidencies of his father and Ronald Reagan for evidence of the power and benefits of true across-the-aisle problem-solving:&#160; <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedpolitics/jeb-bush-no-place-for-father-reagan-in-today39" type="external">Buzz Feed on Jeb Bush</a></p>
<p>DEFINING MOMENT: Candidates often say the next election is the one that will bring about real change — then they fall into the same old traps. But this time&#160;that really might be true, Judd Gregg says:&#160; <a href="http://thehill.com/opinion/columnists/judd-gregg/231957-opinion-election-a-watershed-for-nation" type="external">Judd Gregg for&#160;The Hill: Election a watershed for nation</a></p>
<p>STAT OF THE DAY: The 113th Congress could have as many as 155 members with less than four years of experience, due to the large freshman class from 2010, 36 lawmakers who announced their retirements and the large likely turnover due to redistricting:&#160; <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77255.html" type="external">Kate Nocera for&#160;POLITICO: More newbies to take the Hill</a></p>
<p>ACTION OF THE DAY: Have a LinkedIn account?&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Connect with No Labels here</a> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/groups/No-Labels-USA-3807622?home=&amp;gid=3807622&amp;trk=anet_ug_hm" type="external">.</a> If you don't have an account,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">click here to create one</a> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/" type="external">.</a></p>
<p>Written &amp; edited by&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Collin Berglund</a>,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Lauren Gilbert</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Jack McCullough</a></p>
<p>Tips, questions or ideas? Email the Problem-Solver's Daily team at&#160; <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a>&#160;or tweet at us ( <a href="" type="internal">@nolabelsorg</a>).</p> | 1,443 |
<p>Your daily look at late-breaking California news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:</p>
<p>1. MEDICAL MARIJUANA</p>
<p>With legalization of recreational pot, medical marijuana revenue expected to drop from $2 billion in 2016 to about $1.4 billion next year.</p>
<p>2. CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA</p>
<p>A few dozen California shops have cleared a final hurdle to sell marijuana for recreational use starting Monday.</p>
<p>3. HOMELESS CRISIS</p>
<p>Communities debate whether feeding and showering the homeless does more harm than good.</p>
<p>4. DISNEYLAND OUTAGE</p>
<p>Power fully restored at Disneyland after electrical outage forced some guests to be escorted from stalled rides.</p>
<p>5. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINTER?</p>
<p>High pressure ridge, offshore flow to bring widespread highs in the 80s.</p>
<p>Your daily look at late-breaking California news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:</p>
<p>1. MEDICAL MARIJUANA</p>
<p>With legalization of recreational pot, medical marijuana revenue expected to drop from $2 billion in 2016 to about $1.4 billion next year.</p>
<p>2. CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA</p>
<p>A few dozen California shops have cleared a final hurdle to sell marijuana for recreational use starting Monday.</p>
<p>3. HOMELESS CRISIS</p>
<p>Communities debate whether feeding and showering the homeless does more harm than good.</p>
<p>4. DISNEYLAND OUTAGE</p>
<p>Power fully restored at Disneyland after electrical outage forced some guests to be escorted from stalled rides.</p>
<p>5. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINTER?</p>
<p>High pressure ridge, offshore flow to bring widespread highs in the 80s.</p> | 5 California Things to Know for Today | false | https://apnews.com/0a7a4b66e44c413b94180b2836bf467d | 2017-12-28 | 2least
| 5 California Things to Know for Today
<p>Your daily look at late-breaking California news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:</p>
<p>1. MEDICAL MARIJUANA</p>
<p>With legalization of recreational pot, medical marijuana revenue expected to drop from $2 billion in 2016 to about $1.4 billion next year.</p>
<p>2. CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA</p>
<p>A few dozen California shops have cleared a final hurdle to sell marijuana for recreational use starting Monday.</p>
<p>3. HOMELESS CRISIS</p>
<p>Communities debate whether feeding and showering the homeless does more harm than good.</p>
<p>4. DISNEYLAND OUTAGE</p>
<p>Power fully restored at Disneyland after electrical outage forced some guests to be escorted from stalled rides.</p>
<p>5. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINTER?</p>
<p>High pressure ridge, offshore flow to bring widespread highs in the 80s.</p>
<p>Your daily look at late-breaking California news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:</p>
<p>1. MEDICAL MARIJUANA</p>
<p>With legalization of recreational pot, medical marijuana revenue expected to drop from $2 billion in 2016 to about $1.4 billion next year.</p>
<p>2. CALIFORNIA MARIJUANA</p>
<p>A few dozen California shops have cleared a final hurdle to sell marijuana for recreational use starting Monday.</p>
<p>3. HOMELESS CRISIS</p>
<p>Communities debate whether feeding and showering the homeless does more harm than good.</p>
<p>4. DISNEYLAND OUTAGE</p>
<p>Power fully restored at Disneyland after electrical outage forced some guests to be escorted from stalled rides.</p>
<p>5. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WINTER?</p>
<p>High pressure ridge, offshore flow to bring widespread highs in the 80s.</p> | 1,444 |
<p>Last week, I heard about Rae’Lynn Thomas, a Black trans woman murdered in Ohio by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, and was reminded why it’s important to #SayHerName.</p>
<p>As I scrolled down my timelines and feeds, I realized that only other Black women and femmes were talking about what had happened to her. When people who are not Black women and femmes continue to ignore this type of violence, they are perpetuating the notion that Black women and femmes’ safety, wellbeing, and existence isn’t valued. We must all recognize the various forms of violence and how they impact particular groups, if we want to stop it.</p>
<p>It’s this commitment that inspired <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/21/black-women-matter_n_7363064.html" type="external">activists to launch #SayHerName</a>, a campaign to bring visibility to the anti-Black and state violence experienced by Black women and girls. When mainstream media doesn’t cover violence against black women and girls, it’s up to us to tell those stories and lend each other strength. In answering the call to #SayHerName, today I want to&#160;say the names of three Black women and girls who have experienced anti-Black violence and misogynoir in all its form as we fight for liberation. While not of all them have lost their lives to state violence or experienced physical violence, verbal and psychological abuse are violence and must also be included in the conversation.</p>
<p>Madisyn Moore – In March of this year, Madisyn, a six-year old student accused of allegedly stealing candy, <a href="https://mic.com/articles/151482/chicago-mom-sues-public-school-system-for-handcuffing-6-year-old-girl-after-taking-candy?utm_source=policymicFB&amp;utm_medium=main&amp;utm_campaign=social#.9lw1qOFWq" type="external">“was handcuffed and left under a stairwell by the school’s boilers for more than an hour…, according to [her mother, Marlena] Wordlow.”</a> Last week, her mother filed a lawsuit against Chicago Public Schools.</p>
<p>Normani Kordei – Normani, a member of Fifth Harmony, recently announced she would be leaving Twitter after a racist cyberbully attack from the fans of her fellow bandmate, Camilla Cabello. These racist posts included <a href="http://blavity.com/racist-attack-causes-fifth-harmony-star-normani-depart-twitter/" type="external">photos with Normani’s head photoshopped onto the bodies of lynched Black folks.</a> Normani is not the only Black woman to experience racist online attacks as <a href="http://fusion.net/story/327103/leslie-jones-twitter-racism/" type="external">Leslie Jones</a> and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-agymnastics-douglas-bull-idUSKCN10P0M6" type="external">Gabrielle Douglas</a> have also recently had anti-Black cyberbully experiences.</p>
<p>Rae’Lynn Thomas – Last week, <a href="http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/8/12/ohio-trans-woman-raelynn-thomas-murdered-mothers-ex-boyfriend" type="external">Rae’Lynn was murdered by James Allen Byrd</a>, her mother’s ex-boyfriend. Although Rae’Lynn’s mother, Renee Thomas, witnessed the attack and has made it clear it was a transphobic attack, <a href="http://www.10tv.com/article/family-southwest-columubus-woman-killed-call-it-hate-crime" type="external">Columbus police are not currently investigating her murder as a hate crime</a>. She was the 19th trans person killed in the U.S. in 2016. Her death also was the second murder of Black trans woman in Ohio in a two week timeframe, with <a href="http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/8/02/skye-mockabee-17th-trans-person-murdered-us-year" type="external">Skye Mockabee</a>, being the other victim.</p>
<p>Madisyn, Normani, Rae’Lynn, we see you. We honor you. We love you. The violence we face, as Black women and girls, is often made invisible and seen as being divisive in the fight for Black liberation. However, demanding that all violence against us be taken seriously is not divisive, it’s forcing all of us to expand the conversation on what liberation truly means for each of us as Black people. We must name and hold all oppressors accountable in order to move closer to freedom.</p>
<p>Header image credit: <a href="http://www.forharriet.com/2015/09/were-all-responsible-for-ending.html#axzz4HYLYs7EC" type="external">Shutterstock via For Harriet</a></p> | Naming Black Women and Girls and the Violence Against Them | true | http://feministing.com/2016/08/17/naming-black-women-and-girls-and-the-violence-against-them/ | 4left
| Naming Black Women and Girls and the Violence Against Them
<p>Last week, I heard about Rae’Lynn Thomas, a Black trans woman murdered in Ohio by her mother’s ex-boyfriend, and was reminded why it’s important to #SayHerName.</p>
<p>As I scrolled down my timelines and feeds, I realized that only other Black women and femmes were talking about what had happened to her. When people who are not Black women and femmes continue to ignore this type of violence, they are perpetuating the notion that Black women and femmes’ safety, wellbeing, and existence isn’t valued. We must all recognize the various forms of violence and how they impact particular groups, if we want to stop it.</p>
<p>It’s this commitment that inspired <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/21/black-women-matter_n_7363064.html" type="external">activists to launch #SayHerName</a>, a campaign to bring visibility to the anti-Black and state violence experienced by Black women and girls. When mainstream media doesn’t cover violence against black women and girls, it’s up to us to tell those stories and lend each other strength. In answering the call to #SayHerName, today I want to&#160;say the names of three Black women and girls who have experienced anti-Black violence and misogynoir in all its form as we fight for liberation. While not of all them have lost their lives to state violence or experienced physical violence, verbal and psychological abuse are violence and must also be included in the conversation.</p>
<p>Madisyn Moore – In March of this year, Madisyn, a six-year old student accused of allegedly stealing candy, <a href="https://mic.com/articles/151482/chicago-mom-sues-public-school-system-for-handcuffing-6-year-old-girl-after-taking-candy?utm_source=policymicFB&amp;utm_medium=main&amp;utm_campaign=social#.9lw1qOFWq" type="external">“was handcuffed and left under a stairwell by the school’s boilers for more than an hour…, according to [her mother, Marlena] Wordlow.”</a> Last week, her mother filed a lawsuit against Chicago Public Schools.</p>
<p>Normani Kordei – Normani, a member of Fifth Harmony, recently announced she would be leaving Twitter after a racist cyberbully attack from the fans of her fellow bandmate, Camilla Cabello. These racist posts included <a href="http://blavity.com/racist-attack-causes-fifth-harmony-star-normani-depart-twitter/" type="external">photos with Normani’s head photoshopped onto the bodies of lynched Black folks.</a> Normani is not the only Black woman to experience racist online attacks as <a href="http://fusion.net/story/327103/leslie-jones-twitter-racism/" type="external">Leslie Jones</a> and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-rio-agymnastics-douglas-bull-idUSKCN10P0M6" type="external">Gabrielle Douglas</a> have also recently had anti-Black cyberbully experiences.</p>
<p>Rae’Lynn Thomas – Last week, <a href="http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/8/12/ohio-trans-woman-raelynn-thomas-murdered-mothers-ex-boyfriend" type="external">Rae’Lynn was murdered by James Allen Byrd</a>, her mother’s ex-boyfriend. Although Rae’Lynn’s mother, Renee Thomas, witnessed the attack and has made it clear it was a transphobic attack, <a href="http://www.10tv.com/article/family-southwest-columubus-woman-killed-call-it-hate-crime" type="external">Columbus police are not currently investigating her murder as a hate crime</a>. She was the 19th trans person killed in the U.S. in 2016. Her death also was the second murder of Black trans woman in Ohio in a two week timeframe, with <a href="http://www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/8/02/skye-mockabee-17th-trans-person-murdered-us-year" type="external">Skye Mockabee</a>, being the other victim.</p>
<p>Madisyn, Normani, Rae’Lynn, we see you. We honor you. We love you. The violence we face, as Black women and girls, is often made invisible and seen as being divisive in the fight for Black liberation. However, demanding that all violence against us be taken seriously is not divisive, it’s forcing all of us to expand the conversation on what liberation truly means for each of us as Black people. We must name and hold all oppressors accountable in order to move closer to freedom.</p>
<p>Header image credit: <a href="http://www.forharriet.com/2015/09/were-all-responsible-for-ending.html#axzz4HYLYs7EC" type="external">Shutterstock via For Harriet</a></p> | 1,445 |
|
<p>An Oklahoma sheriff has become the latest to use his official position to scare his citizens into believing that a jihadist attack is on the way. However, Carter County Sheriff Milton Anthony has taken that fear-mongering a step further and actually called for his citizens to go out and get guns to arm themselves against this supposedly impending Muslim attack. The letter, sent out to all citizens, reads:</p>
<p>Because of the recent attack in San Bernardino California and across our nation, Radical Islam is bringing the fight to our homeland and killing innocent citizens. As you know, the world is becoming more violent towards Americans. As your Sheriff of Carter County, I am joining other sheriffs across the country urging you as citizens of this county to exercise your Second Amendment right to bear arms. I urge you as citizens to apply and follow the guidelines and laws to obtain your permit to carry a handgun. Times are changing and we live in a more violent world. It may come a time that you as citizens may be called upon to defend the citizens of this county against all enemies foreign and domestic that want to do us harm or kill us. By no means do I want to scare anyone, but the attacks are real. God bless each and every one of you and God Bless our county and the United States of America.</p>
<p>Here is an image of the letter, as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=969559456449196&amp;set=p.969559456449196&amp;type=3&amp;theater" type="external">posted to Facebook</a>:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />It is this kind of rhetoric that is responsible for the increased attacks on Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims, as well as mosques and other Islamic organizations. These people are inciting fear, hate and violence against a specific group of Americans via their official positions and on the taxpayer dime. This should not be tolerated, and this man should not be a sheriff. He clearly would never have any intention of serving and protecting all citizens equally.</p>
<p>Featured image via <a href="http://newsok.com/article/5466769" type="external">News OK</a></p> | Sheriff Sends Letter To Citizens: Arm Yourselves Because Muslim Jihad Is Coming (IMAGE) | true | http://addictinginfo.org/2015/12/17/sheriff-sends-letter-citizens-arm-yourselves-because-muslim-jihad-is-coming-image/ | 2015-12-17 | 4left
| Sheriff Sends Letter To Citizens: Arm Yourselves Because Muslim Jihad Is Coming (IMAGE)
<p>An Oklahoma sheriff has become the latest to use his official position to scare his citizens into believing that a jihadist attack is on the way. However, Carter County Sheriff Milton Anthony has taken that fear-mongering a step further and actually called for his citizens to go out and get guns to arm themselves against this supposedly impending Muslim attack. The letter, sent out to all citizens, reads:</p>
<p>Because of the recent attack in San Bernardino California and across our nation, Radical Islam is bringing the fight to our homeland and killing innocent citizens. As you know, the world is becoming more violent towards Americans. As your Sheriff of Carter County, I am joining other sheriffs across the country urging you as citizens of this county to exercise your Second Amendment right to bear arms. I urge you as citizens to apply and follow the guidelines and laws to obtain your permit to carry a handgun. Times are changing and we live in a more violent world. It may come a time that you as citizens may be called upon to defend the citizens of this county against all enemies foreign and domestic that want to do us harm or kill us. By no means do I want to scare anyone, but the attacks are real. God bless each and every one of you and God Bless our county and the United States of America.</p>
<p>Here is an image of the letter, as <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=969559456449196&amp;set=p.969559456449196&amp;type=3&amp;theater" type="external">posted to Facebook</a>:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />It is this kind of rhetoric that is responsible for the increased attacks on Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims, as well as mosques and other Islamic organizations. These people are inciting fear, hate and violence against a specific group of Americans via their official positions and on the taxpayer dime. This should not be tolerated, and this man should not be a sheriff. He clearly would never have any intention of serving and protecting all citizens equally.</p>
<p>Featured image via <a href="http://newsok.com/article/5466769" type="external">News OK</a></p> | 1,446 |
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump is misstating the size of his tax cuts.</p>
<p>Trump told a convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Tennessee on Monday the package he signed into law last month cuts taxes by $5.5 trillion, “with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and ... the family farmer.”</p>
<p>An AP Fact Check finds that’s not even close.</p>
<p>The estimated value of the tax cuts over the next 10 years is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses — not $5.5 trillion.</p>
<p>That’s because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. Trump left out that half of the equation.</p>
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump is misstating the size of his tax cuts.</p>
<p>Trump told a convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Tennessee on Monday the package he signed into law last month cuts taxes by $5.5 trillion, “with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and ... the family farmer.”</p>
<p>An AP Fact Check finds that’s not even close.</p>
<p>The estimated value of the tax cuts over the next 10 years is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses — not $5.5 trillion.</p>
<p>That’s because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. Trump left out that half of the equation.</p> | AP FACT CHECK: Trump inflates the size of his tax cuts | false | https://apnews.com/e8862e63f94e47728be8a0bcee74d70b | 2018-01-09 | 2least
| AP FACT CHECK: Trump inflates the size of his tax cuts
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump is misstating the size of his tax cuts.</p>
<p>Trump told a convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Tennessee on Monday the package he signed into law last month cuts taxes by $5.5 trillion, “with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and ... the family farmer.”</p>
<p>An AP Fact Check finds that’s not even close.</p>
<p>The estimated value of the tax cuts over the next 10 years is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses — not $5.5 trillion.</p>
<p>That’s because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. Trump left out that half of the equation.</p>
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump is misstating the size of his tax cuts.</p>
<p>Trump told a convention of the American Farm Bureau Federation in Tennessee on Monday the package he signed into law last month cuts taxes by $5.5 trillion, “with most of those benefits going to working families, small businesses and ... the family farmer.”</p>
<p>An AP Fact Check finds that’s not even close.</p>
<p>The estimated value of the tax cuts over the next 10 years is actually $1.5 trillion for families and businesses — not $5.5 trillion.</p>
<p>That’s because of cuts in deductions and the use of other steps to generate offsetting tax revenue. Trump left out that half of the equation.</p> | 1,447 |
<p>President Trump will get around China’s block on Twitter by using “special equipment” to bypass the Asian nation’s internet firewall, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/928247105101086720" type="external">NBC News</a>.</p>
<p>“China, of course, blocks Twitter, but a senior White House official tells us tonight that the White House has brought with it special equipment to get around the Chinese firewall so the president can keep tweeting throughout this trip here in China as he likes,” NBC’s Peter Alexander said Wednesday.</p>
<p>Business Insider reported Wednesday that it is unclear what equipment Trump’s team is utilizing.</p>
<p>A wide variety of hardware and software tools, however, exist to circumvent internet blockages like China’s version.</p>
<p>A senior Trump administration official on Wednesday said that the president has every intention of tweeting while in China.</p>
<p>“[It’s] so long as he can access his Twitter account,” the official told reporters aboard Air Force One as Trump headed to Beijing.</p>
<p>“The president will tweet whenever he wants,” they added. “That’s his way of communicating directly with the American people.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure we’ve got the gear aboard this airplane to allow that to happen. But it is noteworthy that none of the major Western platforms for social media are even allowed to operate in China.”</p>
<p>Twitter is blocked for domestic users in China, but foreigners have had success accessing the platform while using data roaming services that connect to their home cellular networks.</p>
<p>Trump has a secure cellphone, though he uses the device more for tweeting than traditional phone calls.</p>
<p>The cellphone was developed in collaboration between the Secret Service and the National Security Agency (NSA).</p>
<p>The device has some regular functionality disabled to guard it against hacking, but using it in China poses a distinct challenge.</p>
<p>China’s cellular network is thought to be entirely compromised by its security services, meaning even turning a cellphone on there poses a security risk.</p>
<p>Trump’s communications require satellites, sophisticated electronics and the work of hundreds of people on multiple continents to keep them secure.</p>
<p>Trump is visiting China as part of a 12-day trip through Asia, and he has already issued several tweets during his trek.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.apnews.com/c4f463dcff4c42ad9fc24e76c239bf6f/Tweeter-in-chief-ready-to-confront-China's-'great-firewall" type="external">The Associated Press</a> contributed to this report.</p> | Trump will reportedly bypass China's Twitter ban with 'special equipment' | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/11/08/world/trump-to-bypass-china-twitter-ban-with-special-equipment | 2017-11-08 | 1right-center
| Trump will reportedly bypass China's Twitter ban with 'special equipment'
<p>President Trump will get around China’s block on Twitter by using “special equipment” to bypass the Asian nation’s internet firewall, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/928247105101086720" type="external">NBC News</a>.</p>
<p>“China, of course, blocks Twitter, but a senior White House official tells us tonight that the White House has brought with it special equipment to get around the Chinese firewall so the president can keep tweeting throughout this trip here in China as he likes,” NBC’s Peter Alexander said Wednesday.</p>
<p>Business Insider reported Wednesday that it is unclear what equipment Trump’s team is utilizing.</p>
<p>A wide variety of hardware and software tools, however, exist to circumvent internet blockages like China’s version.</p>
<p>A senior Trump administration official on Wednesday said that the president has every intention of tweeting while in China.</p>
<p>“[It’s] so long as he can access his Twitter account,” the official told reporters aboard Air Force One as Trump headed to Beijing.</p>
<p>“The president will tweet whenever he wants,” they added. “That’s his way of communicating directly with the American people.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure we’ve got the gear aboard this airplane to allow that to happen. But it is noteworthy that none of the major Western platforms for social media are even allowed to operate in China.”</p>
<p>Twitter is blocked for domestic users in China, but foreigners have had success accessing the platform while using data roaming services that connect to their home cellular networks.</p>
<p>Trump has a secure cellphone, though he uses the device more for tweeting than traditional phone calls.</p>
<p>The cellphone was developed in collaboration between the Secret Service and the National Security Agency (NSA).</p>
<p>The device has some regular functionality disabled to guard it against hacking, but using it in China poses a distinct challenge.</p>
<p>China’s cellular network is thought to be entirely compromised by its security services, meaning even turning a cellphone on there poses a security risk.</p>
<p>Trump’s communications require satellites, sophisticated electronics and the work of hundreds of people on multiple continents to keep them secure.</p>
<p>Trump is visiting China as part of a 12-day trip through Asia, and he has already issued several tweets during his trek.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.apnews.com/c4f463dcff4c42ad9fc24e76c239bf6f/Tweeter-in-chief-ready-to-confront-China's-'great-firewall" type="external">The Associated Press</a> contributed to this report.</p> | 1,448 |
<p />
<p>The Federal Reserve is close to hitting its targets for full employment and 2 percent inflation, the Fed's No. 2 policymaker said on Sunday in comments that did not address when the U.S. central bank should next raise interest rates.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Fed has been suggesting it could raise rates in 2016 since it tightened policy in December for the first time in nearly a decade, but investors have doubts the central bank will follow through on that guidance.</p>
<p>Fed Vice Chairman Stanley&#160;Fischer&#160;gave a generally upbeat assessment of the economy's current strength, saying the job market was close to full strength and still improving.</p>
<p>"We are close to our targets,"&#160;Fischer&#160;said in prepared remarks for a conference in Aspen, Colorado.</p>
<p>Fischer's comments come ahead of a speech scheduled on Friday by Fed Chair Janet Yellen who is expected to give guidance on interest rate policy. New York Fed President William Dudley said last week a rate hike would be possible at the Fed's next policy meeting in September.</p>
<p>The Fed in June pointed to two rate increases in what remains of 2016 but investors see almost no chance of an increases at its September or November meetings. Prices for interest rate future contracts show investors see roughly 50/50 odds of an increase at the Fed's last meeting of the year in December.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Fischer, who has argued in the past that the Fed needed to be wary of being too slow in raising interest rates, made no such argument on Sunday.</p>
<p>At the same time,&#160;Fischer's comments were not inconsistent with that sort of view. He said this year's pace of job growth, while slower than that seen last year, was "more than enough" for the labor market to continue to improve.</p>
<p>"The behavior of employment has been remarkably resilient," he said, adding that inflation outside of food and energy prices was "within hailing distance" of 2 percent, the Fed's target rate.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Toby Chopra and Susan Thomas)</p> | Fischer: Fed Close to Hitting Job and Inflation Targets | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/08/22/fischer-fed-close-to-hitting-job-and-inflation-targets.html | 2016-08-22 | 0right
| Fischer: Fed Close to Hitting Job and Inflation Targets
<p />
<p>The Federal Reserve is close to hitting its targets for full employment and 2 percent inflation, the Fed's No. 2 policymaker said on Sunday in comments that did not address when the U.S. central bank should next raise interest rates.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Fed has been suggesting it could raise rates in 2016 since it tightened policy in December for the first time in nearly a decade, but investors have doubts the central bank will follow through on that guidance.</p>
<p>Fed Vice Chairman Stanley&#160;Fischer&#160;gave a generally upbeat assessment of the economy's current strength, saying the job market was close to full strength and still improving.</p>
<p>"We are close to our targets,"&#160;Fischer&#160;said in prepared remarks for a conference in Aspen, Colorado.</p>
<p>Fischer's comments come ahead of a speech scheduled on Friday by Fed Chair Janet Yellen who is expected to give guidance on interest rate policy. New York Fed President William Dudley said last week a rate hike would be possible at the Fed's next policy meeting in September.</p>
<p>The Fed in June pointed to two rate increases in what remains of 2016 but investors see almost no chance of an increases at its September or November meetings. Prices for interest rate future contracts show investors see roughly 50/50 odds of an increase at the Fed's last meeting of the year in December.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Fischer, who has argued in the past that the Fed needed to be wary of being too slow in raising interest rates, made no such argument on Sunday.</p>
<p>At the same time,&#160;Fischer's comments were not inconsistent with that sort of view. He said this year's pace of job growth, while slower than that seen last year, was "more than enough" for the labor market to continue to improve.</p>
<p>"The behavior of employment has been remarkably resilient," he said, adding that inflation outside of food and energy prices was "within hailing distance" of 2 percent, the Fed's target rate.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Toby Chopra and Susan Thomas)</p> | 1,449 |
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<p />
<p>A sheriff’s sergeant in New Mexico’s Grant County picked up Savinya Kimball and Lawrence James Halamek after several motorists Tuesday morning reported seeing them walking along State Route 78 several miles into New Mexico, said Graham County Undersheriff Jeff McCormies.</p>
<p>The location is about 40 miles northeast of Safford.</p>
<p>Both the girl and Halamek had last been seen at or near their respective homes in the Safford area Monday morning, when she went to a school bus stop and he a bit earlier when he told his wife he was going to go out to get them some breakfast, McCormies said.</p>
<p>Circumstances of what happened and why remained unclear, McCormies said. “We still have hours left of investigation to do.”</p>
<p>The Amber Alert said Halamek was a “person of interest” in the girl’s disappearance but McCormies later said Arizona authorities were sending their New Mexico counterparts a warrant charging Halamek with custodial interference.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The girl’s father and stepmother hadn’t given permission to Halamek or anyone else to take the girl anywhere, McCormies said.</p>
<p>McCormies said the girl and Halamek aren’t related but that she knew Halamek and his wife, and the sheriff’s official said investigators learned from communications between the girl and Halamek that “she trusts him and for some reason reached out to him.”</p>
<p>After Halamak didn’t return from his breakfast run, his wife received a “strange communication” from him via a Wi-Fi device so she contacted sheriff’s officials, provided a description of his truck and asked for a welfare check, McCormie said.</p>
<p>Then the girl’s stepmother contacted authorities to say she wasn’t at school and that her whereabouts were unknown, he said.</p>
<p>There was no immediate indication what happened to Halamek’s pickup truck, which had been described in the Amber Alert.</p> | Amber Alert canceled after 12-year-old girl found with man | false | https://abqjournal.com/902992/amber-alert-issued-for-missing-12-year-old-safford-area-girl.html | 2016-12-06 | 2least
| Amber Alert canceled after 12-year-old girl found with man
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<p />
<p>A sheriff’s sergeant in New Mexico’s Grant County picked up Savinya Kimball and Lawrence James Halamek after several motorists Tuesday morning reported seeing them walking along State Route 78 several miles into New Mexico, said Graham County Undersheriff Jeff McCormies.</p>
<p>The location is about 40 miles northeast of Safford.</p>
<p>Both the girl and Halamek had last been seen at or near their respective homes in the Safford area Monday morning, when she went to a school bus stop and he a bit earlier when he told his wife he was going to go out to get them some breakfast, McCormies said.</p>
<p>Circumstances of what happened and why remained unclear, McCormies said. “We still have hours left of investigation to do.”</p>
<p>The Amber Alert said Halamek was a “person of interest” in the girl’s disappearance but McCormies later said Arizona authorities were sending their New Mexico counterparts a warrant charging Halamek with custodial interference.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The girl’s father and stepmother hadn’t given permission to Halamek or anyone else to take the girl anywhere, McCormies said.</p>
<p>McCormies said the girl and Halamek aren’t related but that she knew Halamek and his wife, and the sheriff’s official said investigators learned from communications between the girl and Halamek that “she trusts him and for some reason reached out to him.”</p>
<p>After Halamak didn’t return from his breakfast run, his wife received a “strange communication” from him via a Wi-Fi device so she contacted sheriff’s officials, provided a description of his truck and asked for a welfare check, McCormie said.</p>
<p>Then the girl’s stepmother contacted authorities to say she wasn’t at school and that her whereabouts were unknown, he said.</p>
<p>There was no immediate indication what happened to Halamek’s pickup truck, which had been described in the Amber Alert.</p> | 1,450 |
<p>For the past year, the GOP has conducted an all-out assault against the&#160;National Labor Relations Board, but it may soon regret ever bringing &#160;public attention to the agency.</p>
<p>Last week, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the NLRB requested that the Office of Special Counsel investigate whether Republican NLRB member Terence Flynn violated the Hatch Act, which governs the political activities of federal employees. The OIG had already uncovered extensive evidence that Flynn funneled confidential information to former Mitt Romney advisor Peter Schaumber and others involved in litigation and lobbying against the board. Yesterday, he issued a supplemental report documenting additional revelations of wrongdoing, leading to calls for Flynn’s resignation from Representative George Miller (D-Calif) and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was even asked about the scandal at the daily briefing.</p>
<p>Among the multiple email exchanges with Schaumber – in which Flynn disclosed confidential information on several high-profile cases and issues – one exposes the extent to which Flynn was prepared to deceive his colleagues on the board. Schaumber sent a draft article attacking a recent board decision on healthcare bargaining units and received extensive revisions from Flynn. &#160;After it was published in The Hill’s “Congress Blog” on April 18, 2011, then Chairman Wilma Liebman forwarded the piece to Flynn stating, “Trust you saw this…. Perhaps even wrote it.” Flynn, who already wrote to Schaumber that it might get “picked up by others,” &#160;responded to Liebman: “I am not familiar with that blog, but thank you.” Flynn’s general denial of any wrongdoing, the OIG concludes, strike “at the very heart of the Board and all but eviscerates the due process procedures that the Board has established.”</p>
<p>The seriousness of this scandal, and the central role of a senior advisor to Mitt Romney, raise several questions for Republicans:</p>
<p>Question 1: When did Peter Schaumber stop being an advisor to presidential candidate Mitt Romney? When the scandal became public in late March, the Romney campaign remained silent in the face of demands to sack Schaumber. Then, facing the prospect of further damaging revelations, an unnamed Romney aide released a statement last week that has been reported as Schaumber having resigned as co-chair of Romney’s labor advisory group last December, shortly after the OIG started its investigation. But it is unclear if Schaumber actually left in December or informed the campaign in December that he would be leaving. If he left in December, why was Schaumber identified as a Romney advisor on Fox Business News on January 12? And if he left in December, why wait a month before releasing this news?</p>
<p>Question 2: When will Representatives Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and John Kline (R-Minn.) start treating this scandal with the seriousness it merits? Apparently exhausted after a year of conducting witch-hunts at the board, Hill Republicans have shown no interest whatsoever in the biggest scandal at the NLRB in seven decades.</p>
<p>Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD.), ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has twice written to chairman Darrell Issa requesting that he investigate the scandal. Issa, who spent 2011 hounding the NLRB over imaginary scandals, has “called no hearings, conducted no interviews, and sent no document requests.”</p>
<p>John Kline, chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, declined to make pubic the OIG’s report – it was released after days of Republican inaction by ranking Democrat George Miller – and subsequently attempted to divert attention from the scandal, first blaming President Obama’s recess appointments to the board, then calling for the OIG to investigate another “scandal” dreamt up by Hill Republicans (which has gone nowhere).</p>
<p>Question 3: To what extent have Flynn’s disclosures been used to advance the GOP’s assault on the NLRB? The real scandal here involves not only insider trading in deliberative information by current and former GOP members of the board. At the heart at the scandal is the GOP’s sustained assault on the board and on labor rights more generally. Joined at the hip with anti-union organizations, Republicans have introduced legislation and congressional review acts, supported litigation, called hearings, and subpoenaed documents in an attempt to block the board’s efforts to improve enforcement of labor law.</p>
<p>Schaumber, who declined to be interviewed by the OIG and has refused to comment on the scandal, used confidential information to promote himself on right-wing media as an expert on the board with insider knowledge. But Romney has stated that his Labor Policy Advisory Group, which Schaumber co-chaired, “helped shape the policies I am proposing” on labor law. So, how exactly have Republicans and their anti-union cronies used Flynn’s improper disclosures to help stack the deck against the labor board?</p>
<p>When one party is prepared to go this far in order to undermine the work of a federal agency, it is time to reevaluate the state of our labor rights. In other democracies, this kind of duplicity would be greeted with incredulity. The reaction here should be no different.</p>
<p>John Logan is Director and Professor of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University.</p> | The GOP’s Assault on the NLRB Backfires | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/05/04/the-gops-assault-on-the-nlrb-backfires/ | 2012-05-04 | 4left
| The GOP’s Assault on the NLRB Backfires
<p>For the past year, the GOP has conducted an all-out assault against the&#160;National Labor Relations Board, but it may soon regret ever bringing &#160;public attention to the agency.</p>
<p>Last week, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the NLRB requested that the Office of Special Counsel investigate whether Republican NLRB member Terence Flynn violated the Hatch Act, which governs the political activities of federal employees. The OIG had already uncovered extensive evidence that Flynn funneled confidential information to former Mitt Romney advisor Peter Schaumber and others involved in litigation and lobbying against the board. Yesterday, he issued a supplemental report documenting additional revelations of wrongdoing, leading to calls for Flynn’s resignation from Representative George Miller (D-Calif) and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA). On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney was even asked about the scandal at the daily briefing.</p>
<p>Among the multiple email exchanges with Schaumber – in which Flynn disclosed confidential information on several high-profile cases and issues – one exposes the extent to which Flynn was prepared to deceive his colleagues on the board. Schaumber sent a draft article attacking a recent board decision on healthcare bargaining units and received extensive revisions from Flynn. &#160;After it was published in The Hill’s “Congress Blog” on April 18, 2011, then Chairman Wilma Liebman forwarded the piece to Flynn stating, “Trust you saw this…. Perhaps even wrote it.” Flynn, who already wrote to Schaumber that it might get “picked up by others,” &#160;responded to Liebman: “I am not familiar with that blog, but thank you.” Flynn’s general denial of any wrongdoing, the OIG concludes, strike “at the very heart of the Board and all but eviscerates the due process procedures that the Board has established.”</p>
<p>The seriousness of this scandal, and the central role of a senior advisor to Mitt Romney, raise several questions for Republicans:</p>
<p>Question 1: When did Peter Schaumber stop being an advisor to presidential candidate Mitt Romney? When the scandal became public in late March, the Romney campaign remained silent in the face of demands to sack Schaumber. Then, facing the prospect of further damaging revelations, an unnamed Romney aide released a statement last week that has been reported as Schaumber having resigned as co-chair of Romney’s labor advisory group last December, shortly after the OIG started its investigation. But it is unclear if Schaumber actually left in December or informed the campaign in December that he would be leaving. If he left in December, why was Schaumber identified as a Romney advisor on Fox Business News on January 12? And if he left in December, why wait a month before releasing this news?</p>
<p>Question 2: When will Representatives Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and John Kline (R-Minn.) start treating this scandal with the seriousness it merits? Apparently exhausted after a year of conducting witch-hunts at the board, Hill Republicans have shown no interest whatsoever in the biggest scandal at the NLRB in seven decades.</p>
<p>Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD.), ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has twice written to chairman Darrell Issa requesting that he investigate the scandal. Issa, who spent 2011 hounding the NLRB over imaginary scandals, has “called no hearings, conducted no interviews, and sent no document requests.”</p>
<p>John Kline, chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, declined to make pubic the OIG’s report – it was released after days of Republican inaction by ranking Democrat George Miller – and subsequently attempted to divert attention from the scandal, first blaming President Obama’s recess appointments to the board, then calling for the OIG to investigate another “scandal” dreamt up by Hill Republicans (which has gone nowhere).</p>
<p>Question 3: To what extent have Flynn’s disclosures been used to advance the GOP’s assault on the NLRB? The real scandal here involves not only insider trading in deliberative information by current and former GOP members of the board. At the heart at the scandal is the GOP’s sustained assault on the board and on labor rights more generally. Joined at the hip with anti-union organizations, Republicans have introduced legislation and congressional review acts, supported litigation, called hearings, and subpoenaed documents in an attempt to block the board’s efforts to improve enforcement of labor law.</p>
<p>Schaumber, who declined to be interviewed by the OIG and has refused to comment on the scandal, used confidential information to promote himself on right-wing media as an expert on the board with insider knowledge. But Romney has stated that his Labor Policy Advisory Group, which Schaumber co-chaired, “helped shape the policies I am proposing” on labor law. So, how exactly have Republicans and their anti-union cronies used Flynn’s improper disclosures to help stack the deck against the labor board?</p>
<p>When one party is prepared to go this far in order to undermine the work of a federal agency, it is time to reevaluate the state of our labor rights. In other democracies, this kind of duplicity would be greeted with incredulity. The reaction here should be no different.</p>
<p>John Logan is Director and Professor of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University.</p> | 1,451 |
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<p />
<p>Improving batteries' performance is key to the development and success of many much-hyped technologies, from solar and wind energy to electric cars. They need to hold more energy, last longer, be cheaper and safer.</p>
<p>Research into how to achieve that has followed several avenues, from using different materials than the existing lithium-ion batteries to changing the internal structure of batteries using nanoparticles - parts so small they are invisible to the naked eye.</p>
<p>Nanotechnology can increase the size and surface of batteries electrodes, the rods inside the batteries that absorb the energy. It does so by effectively making the electrodes sponge-like, so that they can absorb more energy during charging and ultimately increasing the energy storage capacity.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Prague-based company HE3DA has developed such a technology by using the nanotechnology to move from the current flat electrodes to make them three dimensional. With prototypes undergoing successful testing, it hopes to have the battery on the market at the end of this year.</p>
<p>"In the future, this will be the mainstream," said Jan Prochazka, the president. He said it would be targeted at high-intensity industries like automobiles and the energy sector, rather than mobile phones, because that is where it can make the biggest difference through its use of his bigger electrodes.</p>
<p>In combination with an internal cooling system the batteries, which are being tested now, should be safe from overheating or exploding, a major concern with existing technologies.</p>
<p>Researchers at the University of Michigan and MIT have likewise focused on nanotechnology to improve the existing lithium-ion technology.</p>
<p>Others have sought to use different materials. One of the most promising is lithium oxygen, which theoretically could store five to 10 times the energy of a lithium ion battery, but there have been a number of technical problems that made it inefficient. Batteries based on sodium-ion, aluminium-air and aluminium-graphite are also being explored. There's even research on a battery powered by urine.</p>
<p>Tesla Motors has been building a $5 billion "gigafactory" to produce lithium-ion batteries for use in its electric cars and potentially to store electricity for homes. It is not using any new technologies, however, just producing very large battery units and marketing them for new purposes.</p>
<p>More efficient batteries are crucial if cars are to increase their driving range, which is currently limited compared with what fossil fuels can provide. In renewable energy, powerful batteries are needed to store the energy created by solar panels or wind farms, which gets dispersed when it is sent for long distances.</p>
<p>George Crabtree, a Distinguished Fellow at the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States and director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, called the nanotechnology model "a very interesting battery."</p>
<p>"There's no doubt that increasing the size of the electrodes that is making them 3D instead of 2D would be a big step forward. That is actually a very right target for advancing lithium ion batteries," he said. "The energy is stored in the electrode, so if you can make the electrodes bigger, say 10 times bigger, then you can have 10 times the amount of energy stored on one charge."</p>
<p>Prochazka's battery company is among a group of Czech nanotechnology companies that are gaining international interest. A production facility of HE3DA will be financed by a Chinese investor with an initial investment of almost 1.5 billion koruna ($62 million) that is forecast to double.</p> | In race to improve batteries, nanotechnology provides hope | false | https://abqjournal.com/751092/in-race-to-improve-batteries-nanotechnology-provides-hope.html | 2least
| In race to improve batteries, nanotechnology provides hope
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Improving batteries' performance is key to the development and success of many much-hyped technologies, from solar and wind energy to electric cars. They need to hold more energy, last longer, be cheaper and safer.</p>
<p>Research into how to achieve that has followed several avenues, from using different materials than the existing lithium-ion batteries to changing the internal structure of batteries using nanoparticles - parts so small they are invisible to the naked eye.</p>
<p>Nanotechnology can increase the size and surface of batteries electrodes, the rods inside the batteries that absorb the energy. It does so by effectively making the electrodes sponge-like, so that they can absorb more energy during charging and ultimately increasing the energy storage capacity.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Prague-based company HE3DA has developed such a technology by using the nanotechnology to move from the current flat electrodes to make them three dimensional. With prototypes undergoing successful testing, it hopes to have the battery on the market at the end of this year.</p>
<p>"In the future, this will be the mainstream," said Jan Prochazka, the president. He said it would be targeted at high-intensity industries like automobiles and the energy sector, rather than mobile phones, because that is where it can make the biggest difference through its use of his bigger electrodes.</p>
<p>In combination with an internal cooling system the batteries, which are being tested now, should be safe from overheating or exploding, a major concern with existing technologies.</p>
<p>Researchers at the University of Michigan and MIT have likewise focused on nanotechnology to improve the existing lithium-ion technology.</p>
<p>Others have sought to use different materials. One of the most promising is lithium oxygen, which theoretically could store five to 10 times the energy of a lithium ion battery, but there have been a number of technical problems that made it inefficient. Batteries based on sodium-ion, aluminium-air and aluminium-graphite are also being explored. There's even research on a battery powered by urine.</p>
<p>Tesla Motors has been building a $5 billion "gigafactory" to produce lithium-ion batteries for use in its electric cars and potentially to store electricity for homes. It is not using any new technologies, however, just producing very large battery units and marketing them for new purposes.</p>
<p>More efficient batteries are crucial if cars are to increase their driving range, which is currently limited compared with what fossil fuels can provide. In renewable energy, powerful batteries are needed to store the energy created by solar panels or wind farms, which gets dispersed when it is sent for long distances.</p>
<p>George Crabtree, a Distinguished Fellow at the Argonne National Laboratory in the United States and director of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, called the nanotechnology model "a very interesting battery."</p>
<p>"There's no doubt that increasing the size of the electrodes that is making them 3D instead of 2D would be a big step forward. That is actually a very right target for advancing lithium ion batteries," he said. "The energy is stored in the electrode, so if you can make the electrodes bigger, say 10 times bigger, then you can have 10 times the amount of energy stored on one charge."</p>
<p>Prochazka's battery company is among a group of Czech nanotechnology companies that are gaining international interest. A production facility of HE3DA will be financed by a Chinese investor with an initial investment of almost 1.5 billion koruna ($62 million) that is forecast to double.</p> | 1,452 |
|
<p>July 25 (UPI) — Luxury fashion brand <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Michael_Kors/" type="external">Michael Kors</a> announced Tuesday it will acquire upscale shoe company <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jimmy_Choo/" type="external">Jimmy Choo</a> for $1.2 billion.</p>
<p>The boards of directors of both companies have approved the sale. Investors in Jimmy Choo PLC will receive 230 pence, on the London market, per share.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/business/dealbook/jimmy-choo-michael-kors.html?_r=0" type="external">The price</a> is 36.5 percent above the price of the stock when <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/04/24/Jimmy-Choo-stock-rises-after-sale-announcement/1991493033272/" type="external">the company announced</a> in April it was for sale. Jimmy Choo shares closed Monday at 195 pence.</p>
<p>The Michael Kors brand of purses, clothes and accessories is typically sold in malls and department stores, which <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/05/31/Michael-Kors-to-close-100-more-stores/8551496244125/" type="external">have been in decline</a> due to changing shopping habits.</p>
<p>Jimmy Choo products, whose shoes start at just under $500 a pair, tends to attract different customers and has maintained a more rarefied fashion aura. Founded in 1996, its shoes initially achieved fame after they were worn by celebrities <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Princess_Diana/" type="external">Princess Diana</a> and actress <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Sarah_Jessica_Parker/" type="external">Sarah Jessica Parker</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://investors.michaelkors.com/news-releases/news-releases-details/2017/Michael-Kors-Holdings-Limited-to-Acquire-Jimmy-Choo-PLC-for-230-Pence-Per-Share-in-Cash/default.aspx" type="external">A statement</a> Tuesday from Michael Kors said it intends to grow the Jimmy Choo brand, expand into men’s footwear and further its own expansion into the category of luxury accessories.</p> | Michael Kors to acquire shoe brand Jimmy Choo for $1.2B | false | https://newsline.com/michael-kors-to-acquire-shoe-brand-jimmy-choo-for-1-2b/ | 2017-07-25 | 1right-center
| Michael Kors to acquire shoe brand Jimmy Choo for $1.2B
<p>July 25 (UPI) — Luxury fashion brand <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Michael_Kors/" type="external">Michael Kors</a> announced Tuesday it will acquire upscale shoe company <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jimmy_Choo/" type="external">Jimmy Choo</a> for $1.2 billion.</p>
<p>The boards of directors of both companies have approved the sale. Investors in Jimmy Choo PLC will receive 230 pence, on the London market, per share.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/business/dealbook/jimmy-choo-michael-kors.html?_r=0" type="external">The price</a> is 36.5 percent above the price of the stock when <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/04/24/Jimmy-Choo-stock-rises-after-sale-announcement/1991493033272/" type="external">the company announced</a> in April it was for sale. Jimmy Choo shares closed Monday at 195 pence.</p>
<p>The Michael Kors brand of purses, clothes and accessories is typically sold in malls and department stores, which <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/05/31/Michael-Kors-to-close-100-more-stores/8551496244125/" type="external">have been in decline</a> due to changing shopping habits.</p>
<p>Jimmy Choo products, whose shoes start at just under $500 a pair, tends to attract different customers and has maintained a more rarefied fashion aura. Founded in 1996, its shoes initially achieved fame after they were worn by celebrities <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Princess_Diana/" type="external">Princess Diana</a> and actress <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Sarah_Jessica_Parker/" type="external">Sarah Jessica Parker</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://investors.michaelkors.com/news-releases/news-releases-details/2017/Michael-Kors-Holdings-Limited-to-Acquire-Jimmy-Choo-PLC-for-230-Pence-Per-Share-in-Cash/default.aspx" type="external">A statement</a> Tuesday from Michael Kors said it intends to grow the Jimmy Choo brand, expand into men’s footwear and further its own expansion into the category of luxury accessories.</p> | 1,453 |
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<p>Jason Duran.</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Authorities say the last member of a Taos County-based drug trafficking ring to plead guilty faces up to eight years and four months in prison when he is sentenced in federal court in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 43-year-old Jason Duran of Albuquerque pleaded guilty Wednesday to an information charging him conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute.</p>
<p>According to the office, Duran acknowledged conspiring with others to distribute heroin in Taos County from 2012 through 2015.</p>
<p>Eight co-defendants have also pleaded guilty. Five of them have already been sentenced and three others await sentencing.</p>
<p>The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the multiple federal, state, county and local agencies.</p>
<p>Duran’s sentencing hasn’t been scheduled yet.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Final member of Taos County-based drug ring pleads guilty | false | https://abqjournal.com/1106841/final-member-of-taos-county-based-drug-ring-pleads-guilty.html | 2least
| Final member of Taos County-based drug ring pleads guilty
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<p>Jason Duran.</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Authorities say the last member of a Taos County-based drug trafficking ring to plead guilty faces up to eight years and four months in prison when he is sentenced in federal court in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 43-year-old Jason Duran of Albuquerque pleaded guilty Wednesday to an information charging him conspiracy to possess heroin with intent to distribute.</p>
<p>According to the office, Duran acknowledged conspiring with others to distribute heroin in Taos County from 2012 through 2015.</p>
<p>Eight co-defendants have also pleaded guilty. Five of them have already been sentenced and three others await sentencing.</p>
<p>The investigation leading to the indictment was conducted by the multiple federal, state, county and local agencies.</p>
<p>Duran’s sentencing hasn’t been scheduled yet.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 1,454 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — All lanes of eastbound Paseo Del Norte at I-25 have been closed due to a crash, according to Albuquerque police.</p>
<p>Police said there were injuries in the crash, but didn’t provide any more details.</p>
<p>— This is a developing story. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Eastbound Paseo closed at I-25 due to crash | false | https://abqjournal.com/516060/eastbound-paseo-closed-due-to-crash.html | 2014-12-22 | 2least
| Eastbound Paseo closed at I-25 due to crash
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — All lanes of eastbound Paseo Del Norte at I-25 have been closed due to a crash, according to Albuquerque police.</p>
<p>Police said there were injuries in the crash, but didn’t provide any more details.</p>
<p>— This is a developing story. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 1,455 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Brown-Forman.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The profession of making alcoholic beverages spans millennia, and countless entrepreneurs over the centuries have sought ways to make money by producing and distributing beer, wine, and spirits. Brown-Forman (NYSE: BF-A) (NYSE: BF-B) has a somewhat shorter history, dating back to co-founder George Garvin Brown's formation of his Kentucky-based spirits business in 1870. Now, the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey, Finlandia vodka, and Sonoma-Cutrer wines is a major player in the global market for alcoholic beverages, and along the way, it has shared its success with shareholders by splitting its shares on a frequent basis. Below, we'll look more closely at Brown-Forman's latest stock split to put it into context with its past split history.</p>
<p>Here are the dates and split ratios for the stock splits that Brown-Forman has done in the past:</p>
<p>Data source: Brown-Forman investor relations.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>As you can see, Brown-Forman has regularly split its shares. That's consistent with its strong share-price performance, which has given investors average annual total returns of more than 16% over the past 30 years.</p>
<p>Brown-Forman's history of stock splits has been more varied than most companies, using a variety of different split ratios and trigger points. In 1987, for instance, the company's stock quickly climbed by almost 50%, and Brown-Forman's decision to do a 3-for-2 stock split effectively left the share price where it had been before the rise. The 1994 split was apparently motivated by the then-common goal of avoiding triple-digit share prices, and Brown-Forman aggressively chose a 3-for-1 split to send its share price from above $90 back toward $30. That move was sufficient for the next decade.</p>
<p>By 2004, the stock was once again approaching the $100 level, and a 2-for-1 split pushed it back into the mid-$40s briefly. Brown-Forman even held its own during the 2008 recession, but nervousness about the state of the financial markets might have been a factor in the spirits-maker's decision to do a 5-for-4 split. Nevertheless, Brown-Forman shares again came close to cracking the triple-digit mark by 2012, spurring another split.</p>
<p>Most recently, Brown-Forman just completed a 2-for-1 split during the summer. The company waited somewhat longer than it would have in the past before moving forward with the stock split, letting the shares trade in for near triple-digit levels for more than a year before taking action.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Brown-Forman had a fairly casual attitude toward the move. "The recommended 2-for-1 stock split reflects the company's confidence in our ability to sustainably grow our sales, earnings, and cash flow over the long term," said CEO Paul Varga, "and marks the seventh split in 35 years."</p>
<p>With the split having just taken effect, Brown-Forman stock is now safely back down into two-digit territory, recently trading near $50 per share. It's likely that the company will hold off on future splits until the share price once again climbs up toward $100, requiring another doubling for the stock.</p>
<p>Also potentially holding Brown-Forman back is its dividend. With a current yield of 1.6%, Brown-Forman certainly isn't among the highest-paying stocks in the market broadly or in the spirits industry more specifically. Yet the current dividend of $1.40 per share every year essentially reflects a drain of cash that holds down the share price by that amount. Therefore, Brown-Forman has to produce total returns that are high enough to pay that dividend and get the share price to move higher.</p>
<p>Given its past history, Brown-Forman investors shouldn't expect another stock split for several years. Nevertheless, given the dedication the spirits-maker has to sharing its success with its shareholders, Brown-Forman is likely to split again at some point when its stock price warrants another move.</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=2667&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 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> | Brown-Forman Stock Split: Raise a Glass to Big Returns | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/04/brown-forman-stock-split-raise-glass-to-big-returns.html | 2016-10-04 | 0right
| Brown-Forman Stock Split: Raise a Glass to Big Returns
<p />
<p>Image source: Brown-Forman.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The profession of making alcoholic beverages spans millennia, and countless entrepreneurs over the centuries have sought ways to make money by producing and distributing beer, wine, and spirits. Brown-Forman (NYSE: BF-A) (NYSE: BF-B) has a somewhat shorter history, dating back to co-founder George Garvin Brown's formation of his Kentucky-based spirits business in 1870. Now, the maker of Jack Daniel's whiskey, Finlandia vodka, and Sonoma-Cutrer wines is a major player in the global market for alcoholic beverages, and along the way, it has shared its success with shareholders by splitting its shares on a frequent basis. Below, we'll look more closely at Brown-Forman's latest stock split to put it into context with its past split history.</p>
<p>Here are the dates and split ratios for the stock splits that Brown-Forman has done in the past:</p>
<p>Data source: Brown-Forman investor relations.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>As you can see, Brown-Forman has regularly split its shares. That's consistent with its strong share-price performance, which has given investors average annual total returns of more than 16% over the past 30 years.</p>
<p>Brown-Forman's history of stock splits has been more varied than most companies, using a variety of different split ratios and trigger points. In 1987, for instance, the company's stock quickly climbed by almost 50%, and Brown-Forman's decision to do a 3-for-2 stock split effectively left the share price where it had been before the rise. The 1994 split was apparently motivated by the then-common goal of avoiding triple-digit share prices, and Brown-Forman aggressively chose a 3-for-1 split to send its share price from above $90 back toward $30. That move was sufficient for the next decade.</p>
<p>By 2004, the stock was once again approaching the $100 level, and a 2-for-1 split pushed it back into the mid-$40s briefly. Brown-Forman even held its own during the 2008 recession, but nervousness about the state of the financial markets might have been a factor in the spirits-maker's decision to do a 5-for-4 split. Nevertheless, Brown-Forman shares again came close to cracking the triple-digit mark by 2012, spurring another split.</p>
<p>Most recently, Brown-Forman just completed a 2-for-1 split during the summer. The company waited somewhat longer than it would have in the past before moving forward with the stock split, letting the shares trade in for near triple-digit levels for more than a year before taking action.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Brown-Forman had a fairly casual attitude toward the move. "The recommended 2-for-1 stock split reflects the company's confidence in our ability to sustainably grow our sales, earnings, and cash flow over the long term," said CEO Paul Varga, "and marks the seventh split in 35 years."</p>
<p>With the split having just taken effect, Brown-Forman stock is now safely back down into two-digit territory, recently trading near $50 per share. It's likely that the company will hold off on future splits until the share price once again climbs up toward $100, requiring another doubling for the stock.</p>
<p>Also potentially holding Brown-Forman back is its dividend. With a current yield of 1.6%, Brown-Forman certainly isn't among the highest-paying stocks in the market broadly or in the spirits industry more specifically. Yet the current dividend of $1.40 per share every year essentially reflects a drain of cash that holds down the share price by that amount. Therefore, Brown-Forman has to produce total returns that are high enough to pay that dividend and get the share price to move higher.</p>
<p>Given its past history, Brown-Forman investors shouldn't expect another stock split for several years. Nevertheless, given the dedication the spirits-maker has to sharing its success with its shareholders, Brown-Forman is likely to split again at some point when its stock price warrants another move.</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=2667&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 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> | 1,456 |
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<p>MESA, Ariz. — U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake is laying out a “code of conduct” for people attending a town hall that the first-term Arizona Republican plans Thursday evening in Mesa.</p>
<p>Flake’s announcement of the town hall says people with signs, banners and “objects that create a disturbance” won’t be admitted and that all attendees will be immediately removed if they don’t comply with posted and audible instructions.</p>
<p>The code of conduct says that’s “to ensure a safe, enjoyable, and productive town hall.”</p>
<p>Some Republican senators and representatives who have held town halls recently have been booed and jeered by rowdy crowds Other lawmakers have refrained from holding town halls.</p>
<p>Doors of the Mesa Convention Center will open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. event that is scheduled to conclude at 8:30 p.m.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Arizona Senator’s town hall includes ‘code of conduct’ for attendees | false | https://abqjournal.com/986658/senators-town-hall-includes-code-of-conduct-for-attendees.html | 2017-04-12 | 2least
| Arizona Senator’s town hall includes ‘code of conduct’ for attendees
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<p>MESA, Ariz. — U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake is laying out a “code of conduct” for people attending a town hall that the first-term Arizona Republican plans Thursday evening in Mesa.</p>
<p>Flake’s announcement of the town hall says people with signs, banners and “objects that create a disturbance” won’t be admitted and that all attendees will be immediately removed if they don’t comply with posted and audible instructions.</p>
<p>The code of conduct says that’s “to ensure a safe, enjoyable, and productive town hall.”</p>
<p>Some Republican senators and representatives who have held town halls recently have been booed and jeered by rowdy crowds Other lawmakers have refrained from holding town halls.</p>
<p>Doors of the Mesa Convention Center will open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. event that is scheduled to conclude at 8:30 p.m.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 1,457 |
<p>On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to reports that the FBI is investigating his wife Jane by <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/339772-sanders-fbi-inquiry-of-wife-is-pathetic-attack" type="external">blustering</a> that the investigation was “pathetic” and his wife was “the most honest person I know.”</p>
<p>Speaking on CNN's OutFront, Sanders preened:</p>
<p>My wife is about the most honest person I know. All that I will tell you now is it's a sad state of affairs in America when not only we have politicians being destroyed ... but when you go after people's wives. That's pretty pathetic … That's all I'm going to say. I think it's fairly pathetic that when people are involved in public life not only do they get attacked, but their wives and their families get attacked.</p>
<p>The alleged FBI investigation is examining Jane Sanders’ actions when she served as the president of Burlington College; there have been reports she falsified loan documents.</p>
<p>As <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Wire</a> has reported:</p>
<p>On January 10, 2016, the U.S. attorney for Vermont received a “Request for an Investigation into Apparent Federal Bank Fraud.” <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2680892/LTR-to-USATTY-and-FDIC-IG-Re-Apparent-Fraud-Sen.pdf" type="external">The four-page letter</a> said that when she was president of Burlington College, Jane Sanders had “orchestrated” the purchase of 33 acres along Lake Champlain in Burlington to expand the school, where her husband had served as mayor. The letter alleged that Jane Sanders had lied and inflated nearly $2 million she said donors had pledged to repay in order for her to secure a $10 million loan. The letter stated that she “successfully and intentionally engaged in a fraudulent scheme to actively conceal and misrepresent material facts from a federal financial institution,” asking for a federal investigation into potential bank fraud.</p>
<p><a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/332313-fbi-investigating-jane-sanders-for-alleged-bank-fraud-report" type="external">The Hill</a>, referring to a report from VTdigger.org that detailed Jane Sanders’ activities, wrote back in May:</p>
<p>She claimed the college could count on $2.6 million in donations to pay for the purchased land, according to a 2010 loan application. But she ultimately raised only a fourth of that, making $676,000 in donations over the next four years, putting the college into bankruptcy in May 2016. The numbers that donors say they pledged compared to what Sanders documented differ, according the report.</p>
<p>The report cites an example where Corinne Bove Maietta pledged to give $1 million over half a decade, according to the 2010 loan application. Maietta, however, says she <a href="https://vtdigger.org/2017/05/04/burlington-college-donor-says-never-signed-pledge/" type="external">did not make that pledge</a>, saying she offered a bequest of an unspecified amount to be paid to the college when she died, the report said.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, WCAX <a href="http://www.wcax.com/story/35759886/jane-sanders-hires-lawyer-amid-burlington-college-investigation" type="external">reported</a>, “A spokesman for Jane Sanders says she has hired an attorney to look out for her interests amid a federal investigation into a real estate deal involving Burlington College.”</p> | Sanders Attacks ‘Pathetic’ FBI Investigation Of Wife | true | https://dailywire.com/news/18044/sanders-attacks-pathetic-fbi-investigation-wife-hank-berrien | 2017-06-28 | 0right
| Sanders Attacks ‘Pathetic’ FBI Investigation Of Wife
<p>On Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded to reports that the FBI is investigating his wife Jane by <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/339772-sanders-fbi-inquiry-of-wife-is-pathetic-attack" type="external">blustering</a> that the investigation was “pathetic” and his wife was “the most honest person I know.”</p>
<p>Speaking on CNN's OutFront, Sanders preened:</p>
<p>My wife is about the most honest person I know. All that I will tell you now is it's a sad state of affairs in America when not only we have politicians being destroyed ... but when you go after people's wives. That's pretty pathetic … That's all I'm going to say. I think it's fairly pathetic that when people are involved in public life not only do they get attacked, but their wives and their families get attacked.</p>
<p>The alleged FBI investigation is examining Jane Sanders’ actions when she served as the president of Burlington College; there have been reports she falsified loan documents.</p>
<p>As <a href="" type="internal">The Daily Wire</a> has reported:</p>
<p>On January 10, 2016, the U.S. attorney for Vermont received a “Request for an Investigation into Apparent Federal Bank Fraud.” <a href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2680892/LTR-to-USATTY-and-FDIC-IG-Re-Apparent-Fraud-Sen.pdf" type="external">The four-page letter</a> said that when she was president of Burlington College, Jane Sanders had “orchestrated” the purchase of 33 acres along Lake Champlain in Burlington to expand the school, where her husband had served as mayor. The letter alleged that Jane Sanders had lied and inflated nearly $2 million she said donors had pledged to repay in order for her to secure a $10 million loan. The letter stated that she “successfully and intentionally engaged in a fraudulent scheme to actively conceal and misrepresent material facts from a federal financial institution,” asking for a federal investigation into potential bank fraud.</p>
<p><a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/332313-fbi-investigating-jane-sanders-for-alleged-bank-fraud-report" type="external">The Hill</a>, referring to a report from VTdigger.org that detailed Jane Sanders’ activities, wrote back in May:</p>
<p>She claimed the college could count on $2.6 million in donations to pay for the purchased land, according to a 2010 loan application. But she ultimately raised only a fourth of that, making $676,000 in donations over the next four years, putting the college into bankruptcy in May 2016. The numbers that donors say they pledged compared to what Sanders documented differ, according the report.</p>
<p>The report cites an example where Corinne Bove Maietta pledged to give $1 million over half a decade, according to the 2010 loan application. Maietta, however, says she <a href="https://vtdigger.org/2017/05/04/burlington-college-donor-says-never-signed-pledge/" type="external">did not make that pledge</a>, saying she offered a bequest of an unspecified amount to be paid to the college when she died, the report said.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, WCAX <a href="http://www.wcax.com/story/35759886/jane-sanders-hires-lawyer-amid-burlington-college-investigation" type="external">reported</a>, “A spokesman for Jane Sanders says she has hired an attorney to look out for her interests amid a federal investigation into a real estate deal involving Burlington College.”</p> | 1,458 |
<p>On September 7, 2013, 107-year-old Monroe Isadore, the oldest living resident of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was killed during a shoot out with officers while he was laying in his bed.&#160;This Crime Watch Daily exclusive shows exactly what happened.</p>
<p />
<p>Authorities claimed that Isadore shot at the SWAT officers, who returned fire and killed him only after unsuccessfully using a camera, negotiating tactics and gas.</p>
<p>Many questions remained, however, and <a href="http://crimewatchdaily.com/2015/10/29/107-year-old-man-shot-dead-in-bed-by-swat-team-during-standoff/" type="external">Crime Watch Daily</a> has provided us with an early look at some never-before-seen footage to help provide answers.</p>
<p>According to the police report, a woman named Laurie Barlow and Isadore’s granddaughter had went to the home where the elderly man was temporarily residing to help him move into a new home with around-the-clock care. While he had previously seemed excited about the move, the over-a-century-old man had a change of heart and barricaded himself into a room when they arrived.</p>
<p>When his granddaughter finally got him to open the door, Isadore reportedly pointed a gun at her.</p>
<p>Police were called and Barlow and the granddaughter were moved out of the home. When further negotiations failed, a SWAT team was brought in.</p>
<p>The SWAT team reportedly sent in a pole camera and attempted to negotiate before slipping tear gas into the room through a window. The grandfather was laying in his bed.</p>
<p>They would fire in a flash bang grenade as a “distraction device” and barge into the room by banging down his door.</p>
<p>Crime Watch Daily reported:</p>
<p>“At first, police tried talking him out, but they didn’t realize Isadore probably didn’t hear them.</p>
<p>Cops use tear gas to smoke him out, and time was on their side. For an hour, they recorded Isadore looking like he was preparing to take an afternoon nap.”</p>
<p>Amid the commotion, which was specifically designed to disorient and confuse, Isadore reportedly fired his weapon. The team of officers who had entered the home returned fire, and the grandfather was killed.</p>
<p>Crime Watch Daily has also provided us with a first look at newly obtained footage from the incident:</p>
<p />
<p>A gag-order was quickly issued on the case, but many details have emerged over the past two years.</p>
<p>Crime Watch Daily also put together a time line of events:</p>
<p>Vilches continued:</p>
<p>The officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing, despite a video released by the attorneys representing his family.&#160; Attorney Benjamin Crump said of the video:</p>
<p>“This video certainly shows a lot of vivid details of the final moments of Monroe Isadore’s life and whether or not the Pine Bluff police department could have used less intrusive measures than to kill a 107-year-old man in the bed.”</p>
<p />
<p>Three years have passed since Isadore’s death and the family is still in the process of suing the city for pain, suffering, mental anguish, as well as funeral expenses.</p>
<p>Featured Image via <a href="http://crimewatchdaily.com/2015/10/29/107-year-old-man-shot-dead-in-bed-by-swat-team-during-standoff/" type="external">Crime Watch Daily Screen Grab</a></p> | EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: New Footage Of 107-Year-Old Man Killed By SWAT (VIDEO) | true | http://addictinginfo.org/2015/10/29/exclusive-first-look-new-footage-of-107-year-old-man-killed-by-swat-video/ | 2015-10-29 | 4left
| EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK: New Footage Of 107-Year-Old Man Killed By SWAT (VIDEO)
<p>On September 7, 2013, 107-year-old Monroe Isadore, the oldest living resident of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was killed during a shoot out with officers while he was laying in his bed.&#160;This Crime Watch Daily exclusive shows exactly what happened.</p>
<p />
<p>Authorities claimed that Isadore shot at the SWAT officers, who returned fire and killed him only after unsuccessfully using a camera, negotiating tactics and gas.</p>
<p>Many questions remained, however, and <a href="http://crimewatchdaily.com/2015/10/29/107-year-old-man-shot-dead-in-bed-by-swat-team-during-standoff/" type="external">Crime Watch Daily</a> has provided us with an early look at some never-before-seen footage to help provide answers.</p>
<p>According to the police report, a woman named Laurie Barlow and Isadore’s granddaughter had went to the home where the elderly man was temporarily residing to help him move into a new home with around-the-clock care. While he had previously seemed excited about the move, the over-a-century-old man had a change of heart and barricaded himself into a room when they arrived.</p>
<p>When his granddaughter finally got him to open the door, Isadore reportedly pointed a gun at her.</p>
<p>Police were called and Barlow and the granddaughter were moved out of the home. When further negotiations failed, a SWAT team was brought in.</p>
<p>The SWAT team reportedly sent in a pole camera and attempted to negotiate before slipping tear gas into the room through a window. The grandfather was laying in his bed.</p>
<p>They would fire in a flash bang grenade as a “distraction device” and barge into the room by banging down his door.</p>
<p>Crime Watch Daily reported:</p>
<p>“At first, police tried talking him out, but they didn’t realize Isadore probably didn’t hear them.</p>
<p>Cops use tear gas to smoke him out, and time was on their side. For an hour, they recorded Isadore looking like he was preparing to take an afternoon nap.”</p>
<p>Amid the commotion, which was specifically designed to disorient and confuse, Isadore reportedly fired his weapon. The team of officers who had entered the home returned fire, and the grandfather was killed.</p>
<p>Crime Watch Daily has also provided us with a first look at newly obtained footage from the incident:</p>
<p />
<p>A gag-order was quickly issued on the case, but many details have emerged over the past two years.</p>
<p>Crime Watch Daily also put together a time line of events:</p>
<p>Vilches continued:</p>
<p>The officers involved were cleared of any wrongdoing, despite a video released by the attorneys representing his family.&#160; Attorney Benjamin Crump said of the video:</p>
<p>“This video certainly shows a lot of vivid details of the final moments of Monroe Isadore’s life and whether or not the Pine Bluff police department could have used less intrusive measures than to kill a 107-year-old man in the bed.”</p>
<p />
<p>Three years have passed since Isadore’s death and the family is still in the process of suing the city for pain, suffering, mental anguish, as well as funeral expenses.</p>
<p>Featured Image via <a href="http://crimewatchdaily.com/2015/10/29/107-year-old-man-shot-dead-in-bed-by-swat-team-during-standoff/" type="external">Crime Watch Daily Screen Grab</a></p> | 1,459 |
<p />
<p>“I had a kid approach me: ‘Would you like to join a raffle? We’ve got two AR-15s.’ And I’m like, whoa,” Belden-Adams said.&#160; Just the Sunday before, a gunman had opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding about 500. Inside the shooter’s suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, investigators discovered 23 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Among those weapons were an AR-15-type rifle modified with a “bump stock,” a device that would allow the gunman to inflict damage more rapidly.&#160; It hadn’t even been a week since the Vegas shooting, Belden-Adams thought.&#160; “We have flags still half-mast for the Las Vegas shooting here in Oxford,” she said. “I thought it was in bad taste at this time to be auctioning an AR-15, the same weapon used in Las Vegas. Or one of them.”</p>
<p>Charity raffles&#160; cannot be turned on and off like a light switch, at least without enormous cost and consequences. They have been planned for months. Donations have been received. Tickets have been sold. Financial and legal obligations have been made. The idea that an organization should cancel such an activity because a person committed a horrendous crime using an object similar to the one being raffled, would allow criminals to determine the course of our lives.&#160; It would allow&#160; <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266434/how-talk-social-justice-campus-crybully-daniel-greenfield" type="external">crybullies</a>&#160;who claim the ability to determine what is right and wrong, or politically correct, or “insensitive”, to rule everyone.</p>
<p>That is the narrative here. Disagree with the left, and you are evil. In this case, the message being sent is: charity raffles with guns are bad. Why? Because we say so. Consider this quote from the article:</p>
<p>There, Dalton plans to ask the ministry’s leadership why it couldn’t have raffled off something else in light of the tragedy in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>That would require the ministry’s leadership to chose something else before Las Vegas happened.&#160; Changing a prize after the raffle is already in progress is not a reasonable response. It is not ethical. The article never addresses the irrationality and unreasonableness of that request.</p>
<p>Anti-Second Amendment activists posted reviews against&#160; <a href="http://oasischurchoxford.com/" type="external">the Oasis Church</a>, even though they had never been there or met anyone from it.&#160; <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/oasis-church-of-all-nations-oxford" type="external">From yelp.com</a>:</p>
<p>I found it absolutely disgusting that this church was promoting an AR-15 raffle. You shouldn’t be called church. You couldn’t be farther away from love and gospel.</p>
<p>It seems the writer is pushing hate for a charity raffle because of a political viewpoint. Here was a non-political review:</p>
<p>The church is very diverse! I was so incredible pleased to see about 50% black and 50% white! That’s what the body of Christ should look like!</p>
<p>The worship was very lively and the pastors message was great with illustrations!</p>
<p>The article could have been written from a viewpoint that supports and treasures the Second Amendment.</p>
<p>The centerpiece&#160; could have been the person who refused to cancel the raffle, because they refuse to allow criminals and terrorists to rule our lives and determine our culture.</p>
<p>To Amy Wang’s credit, she includes a minimal protrayal of the Constitutionalist side, with a quote from Tennessee&#160; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AndyHolt4TN" type="external">Representative Andy Holt</a>. Andy Holt refused to cancel a similar raffle after the Orlando massacre. The Orlando killings were by&#160; <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/28/transcripts-orlando-shooters-conversation-with-police-reveal-isis-influence.html" type="external">a Muslim Jihadist</a>, who proclaimed his allegiance to ISIS.&#160; <a href="https://m.facebook.com/AndyHolt4TN/posts/1316549495041513" type="external">From facebook.com</a>:</p>
<p>I’m sick and tired of the media and liberal politicians attacking our right to keep and bear arms. I’ll do everything I can to ensure the 2nd Amendment is protected and people are equipped to exercise their innate right to self-defense.</p>
<p>The article shows where Amy stands. She doesn’t like people raffling guns.</p>
<p>Raffling icons of American freedom and the Second Amendment are strong signals that guns are acceptable in society, they have utility, and the participants will not be cowed by media imposed views of right and wrong.</p>
<p>Amy could write an article about media complicity in mass killings with guns. Many mass killings with guns are triggered by the media. Las Vegas may be one of them. It is almost certain what happened&#160; <a href="http://www.class.org.au/ideas-kill.htm" type="external">at Port Arthur in Australia</a>.&#160; <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/inside-the-mind-of-a-mass-murderer/2006/03/28/1143441155864.html" type="external">From Professor Mullen,&#160;</a>Chief of Forensic Psychiatry at Monash University:</p>
<p>“..Bryant was inspired by the killings. “He followed Dunblane. His planning started with Dunblane. Before that he was thinking about suicide but Dunblane and the early portrayal of the killer, Thomas Hamilton, changed everything.”</p>
<p>It is called&#160; <a href="http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2015/08/virginia-journalist-shooting-media.html" type="external">the copycat effect</a>, and it is real. Mass killings with guns in American society have been promoted by the media for at least 30 years. They get ratings and money. The people get more mass killings.</p>
<p>Before we impose more infringements on the Second Amendment, the media should adopt standards to reduce mass killings from the copycat effect. They will not, because mass killings with guns benefit them financially, politically, and ideologically.</p>
<p>It is a bad idea to change laws under the heat of emotion and the moment. It leads to bad decisions.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.</p> | Church Raffle Prize For Charity Are AR-15 Rifles, Leftists Go NUTS | true | http://bulletsfirst.net/2017/10/12/church-raffles-ar-15-charity-leftists-go-nuts/ | 0right
| Church Raffle Prize For Charity Are AR-15 Rifles, Leftists Go NUTS
<p />
<p>“I had a kid approach me: ‘Would you like to join a raffle? We’ve got two AR-15s.’ And I’m like, whoa,” Belden-Adams said.&#160; Just the Sunday before, a gunman had opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas, killing 58 people and wounding about 500. Inside the shooter’s suite at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, investigators discovered 23 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Among those weapons were an AR-15-type rifle modified with a “bump stock,” a device that would allow the gunman to inflict damage more rapidly.&#160; It hadn’t even been a week since the Vegas shooting, Belden-Adams thought.&#160; “We have flags still half-mast for the Las Vegas shooting here in Oxford,” she said. “I thought it was in bad taste at this time to be auctioning an AR-15, the same weapon used in Las Vegas. Or one of them.”</p>
<p>Charity raffles&#160; cannot be turned on and off like a light switch, at least without enormous cost and consequences. They have been planned for months. Donations have been received. Tickets have been sold. Financial and legal obligations have been made. The idea that an organization should cancel such an activity because a person committed a horrendous crime using an object similar to the one being raffled, would allow criminals to determine the course of our lives.&#160; It would allow&#160; <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/266434/how-talk-social-justice-campus-crybully-daniel-greenfield" type="external">crybullies</a>&#160;who claim the ability to determine what is right and wrong, or politically correct, or “insensitive”, to rule everyone.</p>
<p>That is the narrative here. Disagree with the left, and you are evil. In this case, the message being sent is: charity raffles with guns are bad. Why? Because we say so. Consider this quote from the article:</p>
<p>There, Dalton plans to ask the ministry’s leadership why it couldn’t have raffled off something else in light of the tragedy in Las Vegas.</p>
<p>That would require the ministry’s leadership to chose something else before Las Vegas happened.&#160; Changing a prize after the raffle is already in progress is not a reasonable response. It is not ethical. The article never addresses the irrationality and unreasonableness of that request.</p>
<p>Anti-Second Amendment activists posted reviews against&#160; <a href="http://oasischurchoxford.com/" type="external">the Oasis Church</a>, even though they had never been there or met anyone from it.&#160; <a href="https://www.yelp.com/biz/oasis-church-of-all-nations-oxford" type="external">From yelp.com</a>:</p>
<p>I found it absolutely disgusting that this church was promoting an AR-15 raffle. You shouldn’t be called church. You couldn’t be farther away from love and gospel.</p>
<p>It seems the writer is pushing hate for a charity raffle because of a political viewpoint. Here was a non-political review:</p>
<p>The church is very diverse! I was so incredible pleased to see about 50% black and 50% white! That’s what the body of Christ should look like!</p>
<p>The worship was very lively and the pastors message was great with illustrations!</p>
<p>The article could have been written from a viewpoint that supports and treasures the Second Amendment.</p>
<p>The centerpiece&#160; could have been the person who refused to cancel the raffle, because they refuse to allow criminals and terrorists to rule our lives and determine our culture.</p>
<p>To Amy Wang’s credit, she includes a minimal protrayal of the Constitutionalist side, with a quote from Tennessee&#160; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AndyHolt4TN" type="external">Representative Andy Holt</a>. Andy Holt refused to cancel a similar raffle after the Orlando massacre. The Orlando killings were by&#160; <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/28/transcripts-orlando-shooters-conversation-with-police-reveal-isis-influence.html" type="external">a Muslim Jihadist</a>, who proclaimed his allegiance to ISIS.&#160; <a href="https://m.facebook.com/AndyHolt4TN/posts/1316549495041513" type="external">From facebook.com</a>:</p>
<p>I’m sick and tired of the media and liberal politicians attacking our right to keep and bear arms. I’ll do everything I can to ensure the 2nd Amendment is protected and people are equipped to exercise their innate right to self-defense.</p>
<p>The article shows where Amy stands. She doesn’t like people raffling guns.</p>
<p>Raffling icons of American freedom and the Second Amendment are strong signals that guns are acceptable in society, they have utility, and the participants will not be cowed by media imposed views of right and wrong.</p>
<p>Amy could write an article about media complicity in mass killings with guns. Many mass killings with guns are triggered by the media. Las Vegas may be one of them. It is almost certain what happened&#160; <a href="http://www.class.org.au/ideas-kill.htm" type="external">at Port Arthur in Australia</a>.&#160; <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/inside-the-mind-of-a-mass-murderer/2006/03/28/1143441155864.html" type="external">From Professor Mullen,&#160;</a>Chief of Forensic Psychiatry at Monash University:</p>
<p>“..Bryant was inspired by the killings. “He followed Dunblane. His planning started with Dunblane. Before that he was thinking about suicide but Dunblane and the early portrayal of the killer, Thomas Hamilton, changed everything.”</p>
<p>It is called&#160; <a href="http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2015/08/virginia-journalist-shooting-media.html" type="external">the copycat effect</a>, and it is real. Mass killings with guns in American society have been promoted by the media for at least 30 years. They get ratings and money. The people get more mass killings.</p>
<p>Before we impose more infringements on the Second Amendment, the media should adopt standards to reduce mass killings from the copycat effect. They will not, because mass killings with guns benefit them financially, politically, and ideologically.</p>
<p>It is a bad idea to change laws under the heat of emotion and the moment. It leads to bad decisions.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.</p> | 1,460 |
|
<p>Bujanovac.</p>
<p>The man, gristle and all, perched on his stick, a statue lost in a mess of dirt ridden clothes, his face obscured by the casting shadow of the sheltering building in the southern Serbian town of Bujanovac. An eye half-shut, the other suspiciously attentive, he was spotting a particularly agitated dog, udders swollen and heavy, with disdain.&#160; The word was that he had hit that same animal the previous day. The memory stung; the dog, barking with helpless fury, wanted a revenge it could never have, a dish it could never savour.</p>
<p>As the barking continued with increasing agitation, a set of strangled yelps were released, followed by a sequence of piercing howls. The man had deployed his stick once more, having gotten off his perch and metamorphosed into a mobile being.&#160; No longer still statue, clothes animated and moving with the corporeal form, this mass was now directing his stick with committed viciousness.&#160; The dog, beaten, fled again, its cries weaving through the pot-filled streets of Bujanovac like lengthy stretches of pain.</p>
<p>The scene of casual cruelties in the town of Bujanovac alight along the potted road to the village church in neighbouring Rakovac, a village of Serbs in an area also replete with Albanians and the sound of mosques in prayer.</p>
<p>A puppy blackish and brown, its pygmy presence barely a few weeks old has been abandoned, its doomed cries as it vainly struggles in the damp grass defrosted from the night, bruising to the heart.&#160; Some pass by without a glance at this blur of colour, the animal struggling to find his bearings, legs giving way; others register a sorrowful regret at not being able to take the animal home.&#160; There are priorities, and the dog as pet is less valued as the dog as guard, soldier and functional protector.&#160; Animals shelters where these creatures can be saved are not thought of; the grim reaper shall have his feed tonight.</p>
<p>The air is thick with the smoke of busy wood stoves, smells moving across the countryside as a fog of purpose.&#160; Plump chickens are active amongst houses that seem to vary between states of collapse, barely propped up, and shacks of wood and brick with a for sale sign.&#160; There are incomplete floors, with tempting and lengthy garlands of peppers.&#160; These structures supply a melancholic anatomy lesson in architecture.</p>
<p>The appearance, spectacular, disconcerting, and comforting to the patriot – for when there are no jobs, patriotism becomes one, its own justification, its own release – are the tractors laden with oak branches that will supply the ceremonial bandjak. A burning is anticipated this evening, and youths with shaved heads are already intoxicated with ample pivo, rakija and Chetnik songs, a historical stutter of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OprBF1gGvOA" type="external">Od Topole pa do Ravne Gore</a> that would have sent Yugoslavian officials into a fit. (In Tito’s multiethnic state congealed by blood and iron fisted authority, firebrand nationalism was buried in shallow soil, never vanquished, each side storing memories and curing them like smoked meats in the attic, to be consumed later.)</p>
<p>The town squares and church yards are readying to feature these felled oaks, branches caught in their youth, which will be purified and dissipated in conflagration.&#160; There will be mulled wine and rakija in vast cauldrons, and ring dancing.&#160; Singles shall become couples; villagers will bustle.</p>
<p>The morning had been characterised by something of a pilgrimage: men, armed with a small axe, some with toothy saws, trudging, cycling, riding, beeping their way to a site just outside Rakovac to seek their sacred oak.&#160; The trees there are set upon, most of them young and ideal for the ceremonies they will ultimately perish in.</p>
<p>Celebrations in this part of the world are not merely ones of communing occasion; they are to be boisterously, even vulgarly celebrated before those who do not.&#160; It is the pork thrust in the face of the Muslim; the contrived defilement in a holy place.&#160; In a region of Serbia where the Albanian presence is vigorous and strong, and, in some parts, dominant, the move is less than prudent.&#160; Chess pieces are moving on this particularly chess board of Balkan concern, and the moves are not looking pretty.</p>
<p>There are the swarthy nomads whose relatives anticipate some turn to propertied status; there are Albanians who have invested prudently and built manors of kitsch and stone, with incongruously well kept lawns.&#160; There are wise Serbs who have done the same in what is a race for survival, an existential plotting as to how best to cope with the next conflict.&#160; Locals here ponder and speculate about each other – Gypsy, Albanian, Serb – and the sense of a nature that is not noble intrigues: the shape-changing nature of a feared adversary is permanent.</p>
<p>The skies begin to redden, with orange hues fading into deeper rich colours.&#160; Brass bands are playing with an enthusiasm that always sounds like fury.&#160; Fires are being started.&#160; Songs are being sung. This is the eve of Orthodox Christmas, and the cries from the mosques compete, forming an eclectic if troubled mix: the blessings of Allah and the work of the Prophet, and the overarching presence of Christ.</p> | Orthodox Christmas, Oaks and Casual Cruelties | true | https://counterpunch.org/2018/01/11/orthodox-christmas-oaks-and-casual-cruelties/ | 2018-01-11 | 4left
| Orthodox Christmas, Oaks and Casual Cruelties
<p>Bujanovac.</p>
<p>The man, gristle and all, perched on his stick, a statue lost in a mess of dirt ridden clothes, his face obscured by the casting shadow of the sheltering building in the southern Serbian town of Bujanovac. An eye half-shut, the other suspiciously attentive, he was spotting a particularly agitated dog, udders swollen and heavy, with disdain.&#160; The word was that he had hit that same animal the previous day. The memory stung; the dog, barking with helpless fury, wanted a revenge it could never have, a dish it could never savour.</p>
<p>As the barking continued with increasing agitation, a set of strangled yelps were released, followed by a sequence of piercing howls. The man had deployed his stick once more, having gotten off his perch and metamorphosed into a mobile being.&#160; No longer still statue, clothes animated and moving with the corporeal form, this mass was now directing his stick with committed viciousness.&#160; The dog, beaten, fled again, its cries weaving through the pot-filled streets of Bujanovac like lengthy stretches of pain.</p>
<p>The scene of casual cruelties in the town of Bujanovac alight along the potted road to the village church in neighbouring Rakovac, a village of Serbs in an area also replete with Albanians and the sound of mosques in prayer.</p>
<p>A puppy blackish and brown, its pygmy presence barely a few weeks old has been abandoned, its doomed cries as it vainly struggles in the damp grass defrosted from the night, bruising to the heart.&#160; Some pass by without a glance at this blur of colour, the animal struggling to find his bearings, legs giving way; others register a sorrowful regret at not being able to take the animal home.&#160; There are priorities, and the dog as pet is less valued as the dog as guard, soldier and functional protector.&#160; Animals shelters where these creatures can be saved are not thought of; the grim reaper shall have his feed tonight.</p>
<p>The air is thick with the smoke of busy wood stoves, smells moving across the countryside as a fog of purpose.&#160; Plump chickens are active amongst houses that seem to vary between states of collapse, barely propped up, and shacks of wood and brick with a for sale sign.&#160; There are incomplete floors, with tempting and lengthy garlands of peppers.&#160; These structures supply a melancholic anatomy lesson in architecture.</p>
<p>The appearance, spectacular, disconcerting, and comforting to the patriot – for when there are no jobs, patriotism becomes one, its own justification, its own release – are the tractors laden with oak branches that will supply the ceremonial bandjak. A burning is anticipated this evening, and youths with shaved heads are already intoxicated with ample pivo, rakija and Chetnik songs, a historical stutter of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OprBF1gGvOA" type="external">Od Topole pa do Ravne Gore</a> that would have sent Yugoslavian officials into a fit. (In Tito’s multiethnic state congealed by blood and iron fisted authority, firebrand nationalism was buried in shallow soil, never vanquished, each side storing memories and curing them like smoked meats in the attic, to be consumed later.)</p>
<p>The town squares and church yards are readying to feature these felled oaks, branches caught in their youth, which will be purified and dissipated in conflagration.&#160; There will be mulled wine and rakija in vast cauldrons, and ring dancing.&#160; Singles shall become couples; villagers will bustle.</p>
<p>The morning had been characterised by something of a pilgrimage: men, armed with a small axe, some with toothy saws, trudging, cycling, riding, beeping their way to a site just outside Rakovac to seek their sacred oak.&#160; The trees there are set upon, most of them young and ideal for the ceremonies they will ultimately perish in.</p>
<p>Celebrations in this part of the world are not merely ones of communing occasion; they are to be boisterously, even vulgarly celebrated before those who do not.&#160; It is the pork thrust in the face of the Muslim; the contrived defilement in a holy place.&#160; In a region of Serbia where the Albanian presence is vigorous and strong, and, in some parts, dominant, the move is less than prudent.&#160; Chess pieces are moving on this particularly chess board of Balkan concern, and the moves are not looking pretty.</p>
<p>There are the swarthy nomads whose relatives anticipate some turn to propertied status; there are Albanians who have invested prudently and built manors of kitsch and stone, with incongruously well kept lawns.&#160; There are wise Serbs who have done the same in what is a race for survival, an existential plotting as to how best to cope with the next conflict.&#160; Locals here ponder and speculate about each other – Gypsy, Albanian, Serb – and the sense of a nature that is not noble intrigues: the shape-changing nature of a feared adversary is permanent.</p>
<p>The skies begin to redden, with orange hues fading into deeper rich colours.&#160; Brass bands are playing with an enthusiasm that always sounds like fury.&#160; Fires are being started.&#160; Songs are being sung. This is the eve of Orthodox Christmas, and the cries from the mosques compete, forming an eclectic if troubled mix: the blessings of Allah and the work of the Prophet, and the overarching presence of Christ.</p> | 1,461 |
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<p>NEW YORK — David Ross is taking another victory lap.</p>
<p>The Chicago Cubs’ beloved catcher has a deal with Hachette Books for a memoir that will track his “resilient and ultimately triumphantly” career. “Teammate: My Life in Baseball” is coming out in May, Hachette announced Wednesday. Ross will collaborate with Don Yaeger.</p>
<p>Ross, 39, was a key player during the Cubs’ storied 2016 season, when they won a World Series title for the first time since 1908. He had announced his retirement during the regular season and ended his career in style, with a home run in Game 7. Ross played for several major league teams during a 15-year career.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Victory lap: Cubs’ David Ross is working on a memoir | false | https://abqjournal.com/909090/victory-lap-cubs-david-ross-is-working-on-a-memoir.html | 2016-12-14 | 2least
| Victory lap: Cubs’ David Ross is working on a memoir
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<p>NEW YORK — David Ross is taking another victory lap.</p>
<p>The Chicago Cubs’ beloved catcher has a deal with Hachette Books for a memoir that will track his “resilient and ultimately triumphantly” career. “Teammate: My Life in Baseball” is coming out in May, Hachette announced Wednesday. Ross will collaborate with Don Yaeger.</p>
<p>Ross, 39, was a key player during the Cubs’ storied 2016 season, when they won a World Series title for the first time since 1908. He had announced his retirement during the regular season and ended his career in style, with a home run in Game 7. Ross played for several major league teams during a 15-year career.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 1,462 |
<p />
<p>"A society that puts equality - in the sense of equality of outcome - ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom. The use of force to achieve equality will destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of people who use it to promote their own interests." Milton Friedman</p> | Yep! | true | https://powderedwigsociety.com/yep/ | 2013-07-24 | 0right
| Yep!
<p />
<p>"A society that puts equality - in the sense of equality of outcome - ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom. The use of force to achieve equality will destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of people who use it to promote their own interests." Milton Friedman</p> | 1,463 |
<p />
<p>President-elect Donald Trump promises big tax cuts, a border wall and massive spending on infrastructure. That's a recipe for bigger deficits that conservative fiscally-minded Republicans have railed against during President Barack Obama's tenure.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Trump's agenda runs counter to years of promises by congressional Republicans to try to balance the federal budget.</p>
<p>It's a marriage of conflicting priorities — on the budget at least — and that means that neither partner will get everything their own way.</p>
<p>Trump's tax cut, estimated to cost almost $5 trillion over 10 years, looks sure to be pared way back. Top lawmakers like House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and No. 3 Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota say the GOP's tax plans shouldn't add to the deficit. That would mean tax rates couldn't be cut nearly as sharply as Trump wants.</p>
<p>"We know we're going to have to pay for this," said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican. "The question is whether we do it now or whether we send it to our kids and grandkids and make them pay for it. So that's an important point that we need to achieve some consensus on."</p>
<p>On the spending side of the ledger, Trump's promises of a huge infrastructure plan are already running into difficulty with Republicans.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>"We are not going to vote for anything that increases the national debt," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho. "Fiscal conservatives in the House are not going to support anything that is not paid for."</p>
<p>The flip side involves longstanding promises by Capitol Hill Republicans to balance the budget by repealing the Affordable Care Act, sharply cutting social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and student loan subsidies. Trump promises to replace the so-called "Obamacare" and assured voters during the campaign that he wouldn't cut Social Security and Medicare — and he's on record as saying that 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney's choice of now-Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., "was the end of the campaign."</p>
<p>"I said, 'You've got to be kidding' — because he represented cutting entitlements, etc., etc. The only one that's not going to cut is me," Trump said at a February campaign stop.</p>
<p>Major reforms require presidential leadership — and as a candidate Trump didn't show much interest in attacking the budget.</p>
<p>"It's clear that deficits and spending retrenchment and entitlement reform was not what this election was about," said Neil Bradley, a former top House GOP aide who is skeptical of the party's ability to deliver major spending cuts.</p>
<p>The deficit, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., "wasn't talked about in the campaign."</p>
<p>The math is also daunting. The most recent House GOP budget plan, for instance, promised to balance the budget over a decade by cutting spending by $6.5 trillion — roughly 13 cents of every dollar spent — over the next 10 years. But their budget plans have kept Social Security, the Pentagon, veterans programs and interest payments immune from cuts, so they've doubled down on cuts to the Medicaid health program for the poor and disabled, along with cuts to domestic programs like education, farm subsidies, housing vouchers and scientific research.</p>
<p>Recently, however, the focus in Washington has been to reverse cuts to the Pentagon and domestic agencies imposed by a 2011 budget deal. Along the way, Obama and top Republicans sought modest cuts to the federal crop insurance program and the generous military pensions paid to veterans in their 40s and 50s — only to have to reverse course after bipartisan squealing from rank-and-file lawmakers.</p>
<p>Given the inability to preserve such tiny spending cuts in recent years, one couldn't be faulted for doubting whether lawmakers could stomach the far, far larger cuts demanded by Ryan's balanced budget plans.</p>
<p>One option for both spending and taxes is to enact a one-time tax break on overseas profits that multinational corporations "repatriate" back to the United States. That could produce $100 billion or so over 10 years by some estimates and the windfall is being eyed for both an infrastructure package and a tax reform bill.</p>
<p>"I think the American people will support spending when they get something concrete and tangible for our efforts," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. "There is a feeling that there's enough money there to pay for a big infrastructure program to get the economy going again and pay for stuff and also use part of the repatriation as a way to finance tax reform."</p> | Deficit complicates marriage between Trump, GOP lawmakers | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/22/deficit-complicates-marriage-between-trump-gop-lawmakers.html | 2016-11-22 | 0right
| Deficit complicates marriage between Trump, GOP lawmakers
<p />
<p>President-elect Donald Trump promises big tax cuts, a border wall and massive spending on infrastructure. That's a recipe for bigger deficits that conservative fiscally-minded Republicans have railed against during President Barack Obama's tenure.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Trump's agenda runs counter to years of promises by congressional Republicans to try to balance the federal budget.</p>
<p>It's a marriage of conflicting priorities — on the budget at least — and that means that neither partner will get everything their own way.</p>
<p>Trump's tax cut, estimated to cost almost $5 trillion over 10 years, looks sure to be pared way back. Top lawmakers like House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, and No. 3 Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota say the GOP's tax plans shouldn't add to the deficit. That would mean tax rates couldn't be cut nearly as sharply as Trump wants.</p>
<p>"We know we're going to have to pay for this," said Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Senate Republican. "The question is whether we do it now or whether we send it to our kids and grandkids and make them pay for it. So that's an important point that we need to achieve some consensus on."</p>
<p>On the spending side of the ledger, Trump's promises of a huge infrastructure plan are already running into difficulty with Republicans.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>"We are not going to vote for anything that increases the national debt," said Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho. "Fiscal conservatives in the House are not going to support anything that is not paid for."</p>
<p>The flip side involves longstanding promises by Capitol Hill Republicans to balance the budget by repealing the Affordable Care Act, sharply cutting social programs like Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and student loan subsidies. Trump promises to replace the so-called "Obamacare" and assured voters during the campaign that he wouldn't cut Social Security and Medicare — and he's on record as saying that 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney's choice of now-Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., "was the end of the campaign."</p>
<p>"I said, 'You've got to be kidding' — because he represented cutting entitlements, etc., etc. The only one that's not going to cut is me," Trump said at a February campaign stop.</p>
<p>Major reforms require presidential leadership — and as a candidate Trump didn't show much interest in attacking the budget.</p>
<p>"It's clear that deficits and spending retrenchment and entitlement reform was not what this election was about," said Neil Bradley, a former top House GOP aide who is skeptical of the party's ability to deliver major spending cuts.</p>
<p>The deficit, said Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., "wasn't talked about in the campaign."</p>
<p>The math is also daunting. The most recent House GOP budget plan, for instance, promised to balance the budget over a decade by cutting spending by $6.5 trillion — roughly 13 cents of every dollar spent — over the next 10 years. But their budget plans have kept Social Security, the Pentagon, veterans programs and interest payments immune from cuts, so they've doubled down on cuts to the Medicaid health program for the poor and disabled, along with cuts to domestic programs like education, farm subsidies, housing vouchers and scientific research.</p>
<p>Recently, however, the focus in Washington has been to reverse cuts to the Pentagon and domestic agencies imposed by a 2011 budget deal. Along the way, Obama and top Republicans sought modest cuts to the federal crop insurance program and the generous military pensions paid to veterans in their 40s and 50s — only to have to reverse course after bipartisan squealing from rank-and-file lawmakers.</p>
<p>Given the inability to preserve such tiny spending cuts in recent years, one couldn't be faulted for doubting whether lawmakers could stomach the far, far larger cuts demanded by Ryan's balanced budget plans.</p>
<p>One option for both spending and taxes is to enact a one-time tax break on overseas profits that multinational corporations "repatriate" back to the United States. That could produce $100 billion or so over 10 years by some estimates and the windfall is being eyed for both an infrastructure package and a tax reform bill.</p>
<p>"I think the American people will support spending when they get something concrete and tangible for our efforts," said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. "There is a feeling that there's enough money there to pay for a big infrastructure program to get the economy going again and pay for stuff and also use part of the repatriation as a way to finance tax reform."</p> | 1,464 |
<p />
<p>“RuPaul’s Drag Race” season five winner Jinkx Monsoon opened up about their gender identity on Twitter this week.</p>
<p>Monsoon explained that they identify as non-binary/non-gender and prefer “They/Them” pronouns. The drag star revealed they have identified “under the trans&#160;umbrella” since their teens. Monsoon says they came out as non-binary four years ago in an effort to educate others on the transgender community.</p>
<p>While “They/Them” are Monsoon’s preferred pronouns, while in drag Monsoon prefers “She/Her.”</p>
<p>Monsoon will appear in the upcoming season of “Steven Universe” as the voice of a new gem, Emerald.</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal">Jinkx Monsoon</a> <a href="" type="internal">RuPaul's Drag Race</a> <a href="" type="internal">Steven Universe</a></p> | ‘Drag Race’ winner Jinkx Monsoon comes out as non-binary | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/07/26/drag-race-winner-jinkx-monsoon-comes-non-binary/ | 3left-center
| ‘Drag Race’ winner Jinkx Monsoon comes out as non-binary
<p />
<p>“RuPaul’s Drag Race” season five winner Jinkx Monsoon opened up about their gender identity on Twitter this week.</p>
<p>Monsoon explained that they identify as non-binary/non-gender and prefer “They/Them” pronouns. The drag star revealed they have identified “under the trans&#160;umbrella” since their teens. Monsoon says they came out as non-binary four years ago in an effort to educate others on the transgender community.</p>
<p>While “They/Them” are Monsoon’s preferred pronouns, while in drag Monsoon prefers “She/Her.”</p>
<p>Monsoon will appear in the upcoming season of “Steven Universe” as the voice of a new gem, Emerald.</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal">Jinkx Monsoon</a> <a href="" type="internal">RuPaul's Drag Race</a> <a href="" type="internal">Steven Universe</a></p> | 1,465 |
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<p>The two Israeli soldiers who infamously used a 9-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield during Israel’s 2009 war on Gaza have avoided jail time, getting off with demotions and three-month suspended sentences. –JCL</p>
<p>The Guardian:</p>
<p>Two Israeli soldiers who used a nine-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield were today given suspended sentences and demoted after being convicted of “inappropriate conduct”.</p>
<p>The unnamed soldiers, from the Givati Brigade, ordered Majeh Rabah, from the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City, to check bags for explosives in January 2009, towards the end of Israel’s three-week offensive. The Israel Defence Force handbook forbids the use of human shields, known as “neighbour procedure” .</p>
<p />
<p>The pair, who completed their compulsory military service 18 months ago, were convicted last month after a closed military trial that became a cause célèbre among soldiers who claim they are being victimised following international criticism over Israel’s actions during the war.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/21/israeli-soldiers-human-shield-avoid-jail" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Israeli Soldiers Avoid Jail in Human Shield Case | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/israeli-soldiers-avoid-jail-in-human-shield-case/ | 2010-11-22 | 4left
| Israeli Soldiers Avoid Jail in Human Shield Case
<p>The two Israeli soldiers who infamously used a 9-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield during Israel’s 2009 war on Gaza have avoided jail time, getting off with demotions and three-month suspended sentences. –JCL</p>
<p>The Guardian:</p>
<p>Two Israeli soldiers who used a nine-year-old Palestinian boy as a human shield were today given suspended sentences and demoted after being convicted of “inappropriate conduct”.</p>
<p>The unnamed soldiers, from the Givati Brigade, ordered Majeh Rabah, from the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood in Gaza City, to check bags for explosives in January 2009, towards the end of Israel’s three-week offensive. The Israel Defence Force handbook forbids the use of human shields, known as “neighbour procedure” .</p>
<p />
<p>The pair, who completed their compulsory military service 18 months ago, were convicted last month after a closed military trial that became a cause célèbre among soldiers who claim they are being victimised following international criticism over Israel’s actions during the war.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/21/israeli-soldiers-human-shield-avoid-jail" type="external">Read more</a></p> | 1,466 |
<p>Secretary of State John Kerry is a <a href="" type="internal">“piece of shit traitor” who is trying to take away your guns</a>, and he’s teamed up with the “cocksuckers” in the United Nations. Or, at least, that’s the message former Gilberton, Pennsylvania Police Chief Mark Kessler delivered in a now infamous YouTube video that concludes with Kessler screaming “come and take it motherfuckers!” and firing a machine gun off camera:</p>
<p>At the time that he posted this video — and at the time he posted another machine gun-saturated video telling people who disagreed with his views to “ <a href="" type="internal">go fuck yourself and get some more</a>” — Kessler was a small town police chief. He is not anymore. In the wake of the controversy generated by Kessler’s violent YouTube outbursts, the Gilberton town council <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2013/0920/Fired%21-Profane-gun-blasting-police-chief-loses-job.-Justice-served-video?cmpid=editorpicks" type="external">voted 6 to 1 on Thursday to fire him</a>.</p>
<p>Notably, while the council debated whether Kessler’s rants indicated that he was unfit to carry a badge and a (government issued) gun, an armed posse belonging to the “Constitution Protection Force,” a group formed by Kessler, stood nearby to support the disgraced former police chief.</p> | Police Chief Fired For Machine Gun Videos Telling ‘You Fucking Libtards’ to ‘Grow a Pair of Balls’ | true | http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/09/21/2661421/police-chief-fired-machine-gun-videos-telling-fucking-libtards-grow-pair-balls/ | 2013-09-21 | 4left
| Police Chief Fired For Machine Gun Videos Telling ‘You Fucking Libtards’ to ‘Grow a Pair of Balls’
<p>Secretary of State John Kerry is a <a href="" type="internal">“piece of shit traitor” who is trying to take away your guns</a>, and he’s teamed up with the “cocksuckers” in the United Nations. Or, at least, that’s the message former Gilberton, Pennsylvania Police Chief Mark Kessler delivered in a now infamous YouTube video that concludes with Kessler screaming “come and take it motherfuckers!” and firing a machine gun off camera:</p>
<p>At the time that he posted this video — and at the time he posted another machine gun-saturated video telling people who disagreed with his views to “ <a href="" type="internal">go fuck yourself and get some more</a>” — Kessler was a small town police chief. He is not anymore. In the wake of the controversy generated by Kessler’s violent YouTube outbursts, the Gilberton town council <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/USA-Update/2013/0920/Fired%21-Profane-gun-blasting-police-chief-loses-job.-Justice-served-video?cmpid=editorpicks" type="external">voted 6 to 1 on Thursday to fire him</a>.</p>
<p>Notably, while the council debated whether Kessler’s rants indicated that he was unfit to carry a badge and a (government issued) gun, an armed posse belonging to the “Constitution Protection Force,” a group formed by Kessler, stood nearby to support the disgraced former police chief.</p> | 1,467 |
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The family of a 12-year-old girl lured from her suburban Salt Lake City home and killed by a teenage neighbor spoke in a courtroom for the first time Friday as he was sentenced for the crime.</p>
<p>Her father said he’s struggled to work, eat and sleep in the two years since his daughter Kailey Vijil was found strangled in a horse pasture and a boy who lived nearby was arrested.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know evil could be so young,” Orlando Vijil said. “Evil came knocking on my door that night.”</p>
<p>Jayden Matthew Sterzer, who was 15 when the crime occurred in 2015, walked his neighborhood for days, telling girls he was looking for a lost cat, prosecutor Coral Sanchez-Rose said. He knocked on Vijil’s door, and when she agreed to help, he took her directly to the field where she was killed, she said.</p>
<p>Sterzer found a victim who was cared deeply for animals, her family said. Vijil took in stray cats and cried when creatures were hurt in movies. She also protected bullied kids, loved comic books and was in touch with her family’s Native American culture.</p>
<p>“Kailey never imagined that because of her personality, because of her character to help she would pay such a high price,” Sanchez-Rose said. The crime terrified the entire neighborhood, she said. “No parent feels safe anymore.”</p>
<p>Sterzer pleaded guilty to rape and murder charges after receiving court-ordered treatment for unspecified mental disorders and intellectual disabilities. He was ordered Friday to a secure juvenile facility, where he’ll serve time until he turns 21. His plea agreement with prosecutors calls for him to then be sentenced to adult prison.</p>
<p>Now 18, Sterzer didn’t speak at the sentencing but apologized to the family in a letter read by his attorney, saying he thinks about the pain he caused every day and wishes he could go back in time and undo it.</p>
<p>The Associated Press typically does not name juveniles who are accused of crimes, but Sterzer’s plea deal considered him an adult.</p>
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The family of a 12-year-old girl lured from her suburban Salt Lake City home and killed by a teenage neighbor spoke in a courtroom for the first time Friday as he was sentenced for the crime.</p>
<p>Her father said he’s struggled to work, eat and sleep in the two years since his daughter Kailey Vijil was found strangled in a horse pasture and a boy who lived nearby was arrested.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know evil could be so young,” Orlando Vijil said. “Evil came knocking on my door that night.”</p>
<p>Jayden Matthew Sterzer, who was 15 when the crime occurred in 2015, walked his neighborhood for days, telling girls he was looking for a lost cat, prosecutor Coral Sanchez-Rose said. He knocked on Vijil’s door, and when she agreed to help, he took her directly to the field where she was killed, she said.</p>
<p>Sterzer found a victim who was cared deeply for animals, her family said. Vijil took in stray cats and cried when creatures were hurt in movies. She also protected bullied kids, loved comic books and was in touch with her family’s Native American culture.</p>
<p>“Kailey never imagined that because of her personality, because of her character to help she would pay such a high price,” Sanchez-Rose said. The crime terrified the entire neighborhood, she said. “No parent feels safe anymore.”</p>
<p>Sterzer pleaded guilty to rape and murder charges after receiving court-ordered treatment for unspecified mental disorders and intellectual disabilities. He was ordered Friday to a secure juvenile facility, where he’ll serve time until he turns 21. His plea agreement with prosecutors calls for him to then be sentenced to adult prison.</p>
<p>Now 18, Sterzer didn’t speak at the sentencing but apologized to the family in a letter read by his attorney, saying he thinks about the pain he caused every day and wishes he could go back in time and undo it.</p>
<p>The Associated Press typically does not name juveniles who are accused of crimes, but Sterzer’s plea deal considered him an adult.</p> | 18-year-old sentenced in death of girl lured from home | false | https://apnews.com/2920d6b2c0b84c4c80e41b9c56c38aec | 2018-01-19 | 2least
| 18-year-old sentenced in death of girl lured from home
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The family of a 12-year-old girl lured from her suburban Salt Lake City home and killed by a teenage neighbor spoke in a courtroom for the first time Friday as he was sentenced for the crime.</p>
<p>Her father said he’s struggled to work, eat and sleep in the two years since his daughter Kailey Vijil was found strangled in a horse pasture and a boy who lived nearby was arrested.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know evil could be so young,” Orlando Vijil said. “Evil came knocking on my door that night.”</p>
<p>Jayden Matthew Sterzer, who was 15 when the crime occurred in 2015, walked his neighborhood for days, telling girls he was looking for a lost cat, prosecutor Coral Sanchez-Rose said. He knocked on Vijil’s door, and when she agreed to help, he took her directly to the field where she was killed, she said.</p>
<p>Sterzer found a victim who was cared deeply for animals, her family said. Vijil took in stray cats and cried when creatures were hurt in movies. She also protected bullied kids, loved comic books and was in touch with her family’s Native American culture.</p>
<p>“Kailey never imagined that because of her personality, because of her character to help she would pay such a high price,” Sanchez-Rose said. The crime terrified the entire neighborhood, she said. “No parent feels safe anymore.”</p>
<p>Sterzer pleaded guilty to rape and murder charges after receiving court-ordered treatment for unspecified mental disorders and intellectual disabilities. He was ordered Friday to a secure juvenile facility, where he’ll serve time until he turns 21. His plea agreement with prosecutors calls for him to then be sentenced to adult prison.</p>
<p>Now 18, Sterzer didn’t speak at the sentencing but apologized to the family in a letter read by his attorney, saying he thinks about the pain he caused every day and wishes he could go back in time and undo it.</p>
<p>The Associated Press typically does not name juveniles who are accused of crimes, but Sterzer’s plea deal considered him an adult.</p>
<p>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The family of a 12-year-old girl lured from her suburban Salt Lake City home and killed by a teenage neighbor spoke in a courtroom for the first time Friday as he was sentenced for the crime.</p>
<p>Her father said he’s struggled to work, eat and sleep in the two years since his daughter Kailey Vijil was found strangled in a horse pasture and a boy who lived nearby was arrested.</p>
<p>“I didn’t know evil could be so young,” Orlando Vijil said. “Evil came knocking on my door that night.”</p>
<p>Jayden Matthew Sterzer, who was 15 when the crime occurred in 2015, walked his neighborhood for days, telling girls he was looking for a lost cat, prosecutor Coral Sanchez-Rose said. He knocked on Vijil’s door, and when she agreed to help, he took her directly to the field where she was killed, she said.</p>
<p>Sterzer found a victim who was cared deeply for animals, her family said. Vijil took in stray cats and cried when creatures were hurt in movies. She also protected bullied kids, loved comic books and was in touch with her family’s Native American culture.</p>
<p>“Kailey never imagined that because of her personality, because of her character to help she would pay such a high price,” Sanchez-Rose said. The crime terrified the entire neighborhood, she said. “No parent feels safe anymore.”</p>
<p>Sterzer pleaded guilty to rape and murder charges after receiving court-ordered treatment for unspecified mental disorders and intellectual disabilities. He was ordered Friday to a secure juvenile facility, where he’ll serve time until he turns 21. His plea agreement with prosecutors calls for him to then be sentenced to adult prison.</p>
<p>Now 18, Sterzer didn’t speak at the sentencing but apologized to the family in a letter read by his attorney, saying he thinks about the pain he caused every day and wishes he could go back in time and undo it.</p>
<p>The Associated Press typically does not name juveniles who are accused of crimes, but Sterzer’s plea deal considered him an adult.</p> | 1,468 |
<p>Iraqi officials said Friday they believed that government forces killed Saddam Hussein's former deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a fugitive since the 2003 invasion of Iraq who later allied himself with ISIS.</p>
<p>Al-Douri was known as the "king of clubs" in the deck of playing cards issued to help U.S. troops identify key members of Saddam's regime.</p>
<p>A senior Iraqi security official told NBC News they believe al-Douri was killed in the Himreen mountains by government forces.</p>
<p>A series of graphic photos issued by the government later Friday purport to be of al-Douri's corpse. A bright red beard and a moustache — the moustache was al-Douri's most distinguishing feature among Saddam's coterie — were visible in the photos.</p>
<p>“We are not 100 percent sure that the body belongs to Izat al-Douri,” the security official told NBC News.</p>
<p>“The government will do fingerprints and DNA tests in order to be sure that the one who was killed is Izzat al-Douri … we have to double confirm this.”</p>
<p>The security official added: “This is considered another great victory for the Iraqi government in its war against terrorism.”</p>
<p>Senior Iraqi regional commander Gen. Haider al-Basri told Iraqi state TV that al-Douri and nine bodyguards were killed by gunshots while riding in a convoy. Al-Basri did not elaborate on why the Iraqi forces opened fire at the convoy.</p>
<p>It is not the first time Iraqi officials claimed to have killed or captured al-Douri. In 2003, the government said it arrested al-Douri, circulating a photo of a bearded man who resembled the former Baathist. It later said the arrest was a case of mistaken identity.</p>
<p>— NBC News Staff</p>
<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p> | Saddam’s Deputy al-Douri Killed Near Tikrit: Iraqi Officials | false | http://nbcnews.com/news/world/saddams-deputy-izzat-ibrahim-al-douri-killed-near-tikrit-iraqi-n343506 | 2015-04-17 | 3left-center
| Saddam’s Deputy al-Douri Killed Near Tikrit: Iraqi Officials
<p>Iraqi officials said Friday they believed that government forces killed Saddam Hussein's former deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a fugitive since the 2003 invasion of Iraq who later allied himself with ISIS.</p>
<p>Al-Douri was known as the "king of clubs" in the deck of playing cards issued to help U.S. troops identify key members of Saddam's regime.</p>
<p>A senior Iraqi security official told NBC News they believe al-Douri was killed in the Himreen mountains by government forces.</p>
<p>A series of graphic photos issued by the government later Friday purport to be of al-Douri's corpse. A bright red beard and a moustache — the moustache was al-Douri's most distinguishing feature among Saddam's coterie — were visible in the photos.</p>
<p>“We are not 100 percent sure that the body belongs to Izat al-Douri,” the security official told NBC News.</p>
<p>“The government will do fingerprints and DNA tests in order to be sure that the one who was killed is Izzat al-Douri … we have to double confirm this.”</p>
<p>The security official added: “This is considered another great victory for the Iraqi government in its war against terrorism.”</p>
<p>Senior Iraqi regional commander Gen. Haider al-Basri told Iraqi state TV that al-Douri and nine bodyguards were killed by gunshots while riding in a convoy. Al-Basri did not elaborate on why the Iraqi forces opened fire at the convoy.</p>
<p>It is not the first time Iraqi officials claimed to have killed or captured al-Douri. In 2003, the government said it arrested al-Douri, circulating a photo of a bearded man who resembled the former Baathist. It later said the arrest was a case of mistaken identity.</p>
<p>— NBC News Staff</p>
<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p> | 1,469 |
<p>While they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving. We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings.</p>
<p>Franklin D. Roosevelt</p>
<p>Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.</p>
<p>Daniel Patrick Moynihan</p>
<p>Once upon a time, creditors exacted “a pound of flesh” from those who, having borrowed money at high interest rates, found themselves unable to repay loans on time and in full. John Perkins, author of <a href="" type="internal">Confessions of an Economic Hit Man</a> (EHM), appearing on PBS television’s NOW on March 4, 2005, described a modern twist in this vicious circle at the level of nation-states. Since World War II, the United States has deliberately manipulated the economic and political life of developing countries to create a new global imperium based on massive indebtedness as the basis for exacting many pounds of flesh. Posing as a friendly expert, the EHM advises countries to contract with large U.S. companies to build massive projects financed by loans from international financial organizations, justifying the projects as critical for improving the lives of ordinary citizens. But the loans are so large and the interest rates so high that the money cannot be repaid, and common people’s lives get more, not less, desperate. Opposition by individual elected officials in victimized countries can trigger “accidents” (assassinations), and collective rejection or default may trigger military action. According to Perkins, the price for self-preservation, both personal and national, is to fall in behind U.S. “leadership.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Economic Overstretch</p>
<p>But this U.S. empire, built on enthralling debtor nations, may itself be in danger from economic overextension. While economists may opine learnedly about the significance (if any) of the U.S. federal debt for fiscal and monetary policy, many non-economist internationalists and ordinary citizens are convinced that the United States is increasingly vulnerable to the pressures and priorities of creditors who see the current administration as a heedless bull-in-a-china-shop recklessly threatening to destroy agreements and institutions that have helped stabilize international relations for several decades.</p>
<p>At the risk of statistical numbing, it might be instructive to sample a few U.S. economic facts as documented by Congress and the Treasury Department:</p>
<p>* Between January 2001 and July 2004, the portion of the U.S. debt privately held by foreigners rose from 30% to 42%.</p>
<p>* Between September 2003 and September 2004, foreigners increased their holdings by $400 billion, from $1.46 trillion to $1.86 trillion-financing virtually the entire $422 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2004.</p>
<p>* U.S. Treasury Department statistics through July 2004 reveal that five of the seven top foreign holders of U.S. obligations are Asian, with Japan ($696 billion) and China ($167 billion) in first and second place, respectively. (The other three in Asia, ranked five, six, and seven, are South Korea at $62 billion, Taiwan at $58 billion, and Hong Kong at $50 billion.)</p>
<p>* Despite an overall increase in the value of foreign holdings for all of calendar year 2004, December saw a sharp monthly decline in foreign purchases of Treasury bonds and notes. Foreign Central Bank acquisitions nose-dived by two-thirds (from $21 billion to $7 billion) while private foreign purchases plummeted by nearly 75% (from $32.8 billion to $8.4 billion).</p>
<p>* Japanese non-Central Bank holdings dropped $3.1 billion (from $714.9 to $711.8 billion) from November to December 2004. South Korea’s portion registered a slight decrease. In contrast, the Chinese increased their total holdings by $2.7 billion (from $191.1 billion to $193.8 billion).</p>
<p>* In late February 2005, South Korea’s Central Bank revealed its intention to “diversify” by straying from the dollar to other currencies-undoubtedly the Euro, which has strengthened over the last few years.</p>
<p>These economic realities are noteworthy, because excessive debt can act as a reverse “nuclear deterrent” for a large debtor. That is, a debtor’s ability to initiate or avoid action on the global stage is constrained (less “elbow room”), because those who “own” the debt may have priorities that differ from those of the debtor nation, and the creditors may decide to use their economic position to advance their preferred policies or to thwart those of the debtor. When this impasse goes “critical” in the form of “vital national interests,” the fallback position is either selective or general violence in an effort to regain-or at a minimum maintain-the debtor nation’s empire. Legitimacy Crisis</p>
<p>Economic woes in the form of a weak currency, ballooning debt, and unsustainably large trade deficits are not the only indicators of cracks in the empire’s edifice. Another in a series of international polls-this one in December 2004-looked at the role of the United States and China in the world. Nearly 23,000 individuals in 22 countries in Asia (6), Europe (8), North and South America (6), the Middle East (1), and Africa (1) were interviewed.</p>
<p>* In 14 countries, China is seen as a positive influence on world events by a plurality or majority-with the average across all countries standing at 48%. In contrast, the United States is viewed positively in only six countries and negatively in 15, with the averages being 38% and 4%, respectively.</p>
<p>* Among its six regional neighbors, approval for China ranges from 70% in the Philippines to South Korea’s 49%, with only Japan lagging at 22%. Significantly, of all of China’s neighbors, only Japan (at 35%) registered less than majority support for a more economically powerful China.</p>
<p>* Regarding military power, citizens in 17 of the 22 nations said a stronger China would not be a positive development-with the average negative response at 59%. Nonetheless, a clear majority in India (56%) viewed a stronger military role for China as a positive development. Negative responses from the remaining regional countries ranged from 79% in Australia to 46% in the Philippines. Equally interesting in light of the European Union’s (EU)now-postponed plan to lift its embargo on arms sales to China, is that clear majorities in all five EU countries felt a militarily stronger China would be a negative development. Only Turkey, which has been trying for years to begin the process for EU membership, polled below 50% negative response to a more militarized China.</p>
<p>Even those who dismiss “street” polls as mere venting of popular passions or reflections of government propaganda can find little solace in the reality of China’s growing influence in Asia.</p>
<p>China’s Good Neighbor Policy</p>
<p>The numerous regional agreements between China and its neighbors indicate that Beijing has succeeded in ameliorating the fears and suspicions of most countries. This is most apparent in China’s relationship with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), both mainland and island states.</p>
<p>* In November 2002, China and ASEAN concluded the Framework on Economic Cooperation, which, among other provisions, calls for a free-trade zone between China and the original six ASEAN states: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.</p>
<p>* ASEAN and China initialed a “Strategic Partnership for Peace and Security” in October 2003, with China also acceding to the terms of ASEAN’s “Treaty of Amity and Commerce.”</p>
<p>* November 2004 saw two important additional steps. One was an agreement to resolve trade disputes, and the second affirmed the intent of all parties to resolve quarrels concerning territory and jurisdiction in the South China Sea without “resorting to the threat or use of force.”</p>
<p>China has also been shoring up its north and northwestern fronts. The 1996 Shanghai Five (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) agreement recognized China’s drive for reunification (to fully incorporate Macao, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Taiwan), paved the way toward resolution of remaining international border disputes among the five, initiated a demilitarizing of common borders, and affirmed the principle of state sovereignty and noninterference in the internal affairs of each country. With the accession of Uzbekistan in 2001, the renamed Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) turned to regional economic arrangements and anti-terrorism concerns. With the declared intention of opposing “terrorism, extremism, and separatism,” the SCO provides all six member countries a multinational platform for resisting U.S. calls for political liberalization and greater human rights.</p>
<p>Interestingly, India and Pakistan have both signaled an interest in joining the SCO, a bid that current members seem hesitant to approve. Of the six SCO nations, China would have the most to gain from such an expansion, for it would frustrate, to some degree, U.S. attempts to erect a “containment ring” around China. For its part, Beijing is countering these U.S. moves with more active diplomacy in what many might consider U.S. “home turf.”</p>
<p>* On October 10, 2002, with all of the former Soviet Central Asian republics enrolled in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Partnership for Peace, China formally requested the opening of a “strategic dialogue” with NATO. (In NATO’s June 2004 Istanbul summit, the alliance the alliance signaled a potentially closer relationship by declaring that Central Asia and the Caucasus were “strategically important regions.”)</p>
<p>* After years of effort and despite heavy U.S. pressure on the EU to maintain the ban, China seemed on the brink of persuading the European Union to lift the arms embargo imposed after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. But with enactment of the anti-secession law codifying Beijing’s threat to employ force should Taiwan take overt steps toward or declare independence, the EU decided to delay lifting the embargo for at least six months.</p>
<p>* For its part, China had said it would not have tried to buy “expensive” and “obsolete” European arms, but U.S. analysts worry that China might get technology such as the EU’s Galileo navigation satellite. Tellingly, Australia-the main regional “Western” country and a steadfast U.S. ally-never objected to the lifting of the EU embargo. Canberra wants more information on the EU arms trade “code of conduct” and asks to be notified of any sales by EU countries. (Australia lifted its own embargo in 1992 and is now negotiating terms for providing uranium ore to China’s nuclear power industry.) Similarly, Israel and Russia, both of which have a history of military sales to China and imposed no post-Tiananmen embargos, never registered objections despite the sophisticated sales competition that the EU would represent.</p>
<p>* China’s first-ever deployment of uniformed personnel on a UN peacekeeping mission took place in 2004, when Beijing sent 1,000 riot police to Haiti.</p>
<p>* International Business Machine Corp. has sold its personal computer division to the Chinese firm Lenovo Group Ltd., in which the Chinese government has a stake. The sale’s finalization is subject to approval by Washington, which was finally given with some restrictions on access by non-U.S. personnel to collocated but unrelated high-tech projects.</p>
<p>* In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on March 9, 2005, the head of the U.S. Southern Command noted that Chinese defense officials conducted 20 visits to Latin America and the Caribbean (prompting nine reciprocal visits to Beijing). Several of the visits were to the 11 countries whose U.S. military aid was stopped, because their governments refused to sign agreements that would exempt U.S. personnel from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>North Korea and Taiwan</p>
<p>But economics and world image are not the only areas of concern for Washington. There are also the seemingly intractable issues of North Korea and Taiwan, both of which involve the United States as a central protagonist.</p>
<p>North Korea’s nuclear weapons-anywhere from two to 15, depending on which U.S. intelligence agency is tallying-are not just a U.S. concern. But although Beijing does not want to see either North or South Korea (or an eventually reunited Korea) acquire a nuclear arsenal, it is not as beleaguered by the possibility as is Washington. In fact, Chinese officials have publicly questioned Washington’s appraisal of Pyongyang’s self-declared status as a nuclear weapons state.</p>
<p>Regarding the North Korean “problem,” China finds itself uniquely positioned as the only country genuinely able to mediate and facilitate discussions. But as the history of the “six-party talks” illustrates, Chinese envoys have been sorely tested just to keep the deliberations going. For example, on February 10, 2005, North Korea announced it was leaving the talks, which had not been held since August 2004 because of U.S. demands that the North completely dismantle its nuclear program as a precondition for more assistance. After a four-day visit by a senior Chinese government official, the North’s leader, Kim Jong Il, was said to be willing to resume the six-party discussions, if Washington showed “trustworthy sincerity.” Just what counts as “sincere” remains undefined, but Pyongyang’s past demands include written assurance that Washington does not seek regime change, guaranteed aid (including fuel), and conclusion of a peace treaty officially ending the Korean War.</p>
<p>U.S. military options are severely restricted by the ongoing war in Iraq, intelligence gaps regarding the location and vulnerability of North Korea’s nuclear facilities, and the massive destruction that South Korea (especially Seoul) would sustain in either a preemptive or retaliatory military strike by the North. Nonetheless, rhetoric from the Bush administration aimed both at Kim Jong Il personally and at North Korea as a political entity-e.g., rogue state and “outpost of tyranny”-seems designed to keep the atmosphere roiling and to postpone the next meeting of the six parties indefinitely.</p>
<p>Given Washington’s approach to negotiations, Chinese leaders may soon interpret the Bush administration’s endgame as keeping China’s border with North Korea under persistent threat of large-scale migration, should Pyongyang suffer economic meltdown or go to war against the South. This would dovetail with Beijing’s perception that many in Washington view China as the emergent great-power competitor that the United States will have to confront early in the 21st century. CIA Director Porter Goss was quite explicit on this theme when he stated that “Beijing’s military modernization and military buildup is tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait.” Yet of the four modernizations that China is pursuing, military modernization is the lowest priority.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Tensions in the Taiwan Strait</p>
<p>That said, China does not shirk from the question of Taiwan and military force. With neither Beijing nor Washington blinking, a series of intertwining events over the last 13 months has perceptibly raised tensions in the Taiwan Strait.</p>
<p>* In the run-up to the presidential election in March 2004, Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian promised to rewrite the island’s Constitution and free it from the “fiction” of being labeled part of China. He also proposed to seek approval of a “process” for independence via a referendum-sidestepping the Constitution-and even placed referenda to carry out the process on the March ballot. Chen was narrowly re-elected; the referenda were not approved. Under U.S. pressure to tone down his rhetoric, Chen then backpedaled on independence in his May 20 inaugural address.</p>
<p>* In July 2004, China, which had also castigated Chen during the Taiwan presidential race, conducted extensive military training in the Taiwan Strait while the U.S. exercise “Operation Summer Pulse 04” in the Pacific-a larger drill than usual-was under way.</p>
<p>* In the run-up to the December 2004 Taiwanese legislative elections, Chen again promised to move ahead with a 2006 referendum on independence specifying a 2008 implementation date, if his party won the December poll. His party lost, but the fact that Chen had reopened the independence question was enough to spur the mainland Chinese to introduce an “anti-secessionist” law at their National People’s Congress.</p>
<p>* Beijing steadfastly insists that Taiwan and its status are internal concerns of the Chinese people, who need no “assistance” from other countries. The February 20, 2005 joint declaration by the Japanese foreign minister and the U.S. defense secretary that the state of affairs in the Taiwan Strait is a “common strategic objective” was an attack on the unified sovereignty of China, which both the United States and Japan have acceded to under the “one China” policy.</p>
<p>* In addition to annual State Department funding of the American Institute of Taiwan-transparently an unofficial embassy-Washington reportedly plans to send military officers to Taiwan as official representatives of the Pentagon.</p>
<p>* For years, many in Congress have advocated UN membership for Taiwan, though this status is granted only to legitimate national governments. On February 17, 2005, five members of the House of Representatives introduced legislation demanding that the Bush administration restore full and official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Such a move would embolden Chen Shui-bian, who so far has been dissuaded from declaring Taiwan’s independence both by the better judgment of the Taiwanese people and by Beijing’s insistence on the island’s peaceful reunification with the rest of China.</p>
<p>* Washington is trying to force Taiwan to accept and pay for $18 billion in new “defensive” weapons first authorized in April 2001. The adoption of the anti-secessionist law by the mainland’s National People’s Congress has energized debate in Taiwan’s legislature over this U.S. aid package.</p>
<p>Beijing reportedly believes that one aim of the Bush administration is to turn China and Japan against each other. But China is now Japan’s number one trading partner, and China has opened its doors to Japanese investments. Japan also recognizes China’s role in facilitating the six-party talks with North Korea over the latter’s purported nuclear weapons and long-range missile programs.</p>
<p>At the same time, Japan’s expanding cooperation with the United States regarding ship-borne missile defense suggests that Tokyo’s concerns over North Korean missiles have broadened to include the 700-800 missiles on China’s mainland across from Taiwan. Moreover, the withdrawal of 12,500 U.S. troops from Korea, the repositioning of the remaining forces away from the Demilitarized Zone, statements by the U.S. Pacific Command that the troops left in Korea could be used regionally, and the twin possibilities that the combined UN command in Korea will be dissolved while the United States reconstitutes a corps headquarters in Japan all suggest a fundamental reorientation of Washington’s attention in Asia away from the Korean peninsula. This policy shift is reminiscent of the perception drawn from Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s January 1950 speech that Korea (and Taiwan) lay outside U.S. defense interests.</p>
<p>Although such maneuvering will not tempt Beijing to challenge Washington militarily, China’s growing economic and diplomatic presence on the world scene is engendering greater confidence among Chinese leaders. For example, U.S. criticism of China’s human rights record was uncharacteristically reciprocated by a spokesperson for China’s governing Cabinet who specifically cited accounts of prisoner abuse by U.S. military and civilian personnel at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and other prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>In the foreseeable future, China’s economic position vis-à-vis the United States and its role in the North Korean nuclear talks remains key to U.S.-China relations. On the economic front, because China’s rapid growth has been fueled by a large surplus of exports over imports in trade with the United States, Beijing is not expected to “pull the plug” on U.S. trade short of looming and inevitable armed conflict resulting from a clear Taiwanese declaration of de jure independence. Beijing would like to regain political control of Taiwan without a fight, and to that end China will continue to enmesh the island in a web of economic relations that Taipei will increasingly be loathe to sacrifice.</p>
<p>Like all presidents ever since Richard Nixon “opened” China, George Bush has chosen, after initially hesitating, to try to ride the Chinese dragon–but with spurs on his boots. Having managed to climb on, he cannot get off without the risk of being thrown. For its part, China has decided to soar on the eagle to the sky’s limit. Beijing believes that if it can hitch a ride while the eagle economically exhausts itself, China can at last preempt U.S. influence in Asia.</p>
<p>As the old song says, “dragons live forever.”</p>
<p>Col. Daniel Smith, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, is Senior Fellow on Military Affairs at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby in the public interest and a commentator for <a href="http://www.fpif.org/" type="external">Foreign Policy in Focus</a>. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | Riding the Dragon, Soaring on the Eagle | true | https://counterpunch.org/2005/04/05/riding-the-dragon-soaring-on-the-eagle/ | 2005-04-05 | 4left
| Riding the Dragon, Soaring on the Eagle
<p>While they prate of economic laws, men and women are starving. We must lay hold of the fact that economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings.</p>
<p>Franklin D. Roosevelt</p>
<p>Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts.</p>
<p>Daniel Patrick Moynihan</p>
<p>Once upon a time, creditors exacted “a pound of flesh” from those who, having borrowed money at high interest rates, found themselves unable to repay loans on time and in full. John Perkins, author of <a href="" type="internal">Confessions of an Economic Hit Man</a> (EHM), appearing on PBS television’s NOW on March 4, 2005, described a modern twist in this vicious circle at the level of nation-states. Since World War II, the United States has deliberately manipulated the economic and political life of developing countries to create a new global imperium based on massive indebtedness as the basis for exacting many pounds of flesh. Posing as a friendly expert, the EHM advises countries to contract with large U.S. companies to build massive projects financed by loans from international financial organizations, justifying the projects as critical for improving the lives of ordinary citizens. But the loans are so large and the interest rates so high that the money cannot be repaid, and common people’s lives get more, not less, desperate. Opposition by individual elected officials in victimized countries can trigger “accidents” (assassinations), and collective rejection or default may trigger military action. According to Perkins, the price for self-preservation, both personal and national, is to fall in behind U.S. “leadership.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Economic Overstretch</p>
<p>But this U.S. empire, built on enthralling debtor nations, may itself be in danger from economic overextension. While economists may opine learnedly about the significance (if any) of the U.S. federal debt for fiscal and monetary policy, many non-economist internationalists and ordinary citizens are convinced that the United States is increasingly vulnerable to the pressures and priorities of creditors who see the current administration as a heedless bull-in-a-china-shop recklessly threatening to destroy agreements and institutions that have helped stabilize international relations for several decades.</p>
<p>At the risk of statistical numbing, it might be instructive to sample a few U.S. economic facts as documented by Congress and the Treasury Department:</p>
<p>* Between January 2001 and July 2004, the portion of the U.S. debt privately held by foreigners rose from 30% to 42%.</p>
<p>* Between September 2003 and September 2004, foreigners increased their holdings by $400 billion, from $1.46 trillion to $1.86 trillion-financing virtually the entire $422 billion budget deficit for fiscal year 2004.</p>
<p>* U.S. Treasury Department statistics through July 2004 reveal that five of the seven top foreign holders of U.S. obligations are Asian, with Japan ($696 billion) and China ($167 billion) in first and second place, respectively. (The other three in Asia, ranked five, six, and seven, are South Korea at $62 billion, Taiwan at $58 billion, and Hong Kong at $50 billion.)</p>
<p>* Despite an overall increase in the value of foreign holdings for all of calendar year 2004, December saw a sharp monthly decline in foreign purchases of Treasury bonds and notes. Foreign Central Bank acquisitions nose-dived by two-thirds (from $21 billion to $7 billion) while private foreign purchases plummeted by nearly 75% (from $32.8 billion to $8.4 billion).</p>
<p>* Japanese non-Central Bank holdings dropped $3.1 billion (from $714.9 to $711.8 billion) from November to December 2004. South Korea’s portion registered a slight decrease. In contrast, the Chinese increased their total holdings by $2.7 billion (from $191.1 billion to $193.8 billion).</p>
<p>* In late February 2005, South Korea’s Central Bank revealed its intention to “diversify” by straying from the dollar to other currencies-undoubtedly the Euro, which has strengthened over the last few years.</p>
<p>These economic realities are noteworthy, because excessive debt can act as a reverse “nuclear deterrent” for a large debtor. That is, a debtor’s ability to initiate or avoid action on the global stage is constrained (less “elbow room”), because those who “own” the debt may have priorities that differ from those of the debtor nation, and the creditors may decide to use their economic position to advance their preferred policies or to thwart those of the debtor. When this impasse goes “critical” in the form of “vital national interests,” the fallback position is either selective or general violence in an effort to regain-or at a minimum maintain-the debtor nation’s empire. Legitimacy Crisis</p>
<p>Economic woes in the form of a weak currency, ballooning debt, and unsustainably large trade deficits are not the only indicators of cracks in the empire’s edifice. Another in a series of international polls-this one in December 2004-looked at the role of the United States and China in the world. Nearly 23,000 individuals in 22 countries in Asia (6), Europe (8), North and South America (6), the Middle East (1), and Africa (1) were interviewed.</p>
<p>* In 14 countries, China is seen as a positive influence on world events by a plurality or majority-with the average across all countries standing at 48%. In contrast, the United States is viewed positively in only six countries and negatively in 15, with the averages being 38% and 4%, respectively.</p>
<p>* Among its six regional neighbors, approval for China ranges from 70% in the Philippines to South Korea’s 49%, with only Japan lagging at 22%. Significantly, of all of China’s neighbors, only Japan (at 35%) registered less than majority support for a more economically powerful China.</p>
<p>* Regarding military power, citizens in 17 of the 22 nations said a stronger China would not be a positive development-with the average negative response at 59%. Nonetheless, a clear majority in India (56%) viewed a stronger military role for China as a positive development. Negative responses from the remaining regional countries ranged from 79% in Australia to 46% in the Philippines. Equally interesting in light of the European Union’s (EU)now-postponed plan to lift its embargo on arms sales to China, is that clear majorities in all five EU countries felt a militarily stronger China would be a negative development. Only Turkey, which has been trying for years to begin the process for EU membership, polled below 50% negative response to a more militarized China.</p>
<p>Even those who dismiss “street” polls as mere venting of popular passions or reflections of government propaganda can find little solace in the reality of China’s growing influence in Asia.</p>
<p>China’s Good Neighbor Policy</p>
<p>The numerous regional agreements between China and its neighbors indicate that Beijing has succeeded in ameliorating the fears and suspicions of most countries. This is most apparent in China’s relationship with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), both mainland and island states.</p>
<p>* In November 2002, China and ASEAN concluded the Framework on Economic Cooperation, which, among other provisions, calls for a free-trade zone between China and the original six ASEAN states: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.</p>
<p>* ASEAN and China initialed a “Strategic Partnership for Peace and Security” in October 2003, with China also acceding to the terms of ASEAN’s “Treaty of Amity and Commerce.”</p>
<p>* November 2004 saw two important additional steps. One was an agreement to resolve trade disputes, and the second affirmed the intent of all parties to resolve quarrels concerning territory and jurisdiction in the South China Sea without “resorting to the threat or use of force.”</p>
<p>China has also been shoring up its north and northwestern fronts. The 1996 Shanghai Five (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan) agreement recognized China’s drive for reunification (to fully incorporate Macao, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Taiwan), paved the way toward resolution of remaining international border disputes among the five, initiated a demilitarizing of common borders, and affirmed the principle of state sovereignty and noninterference in the internal affairs of each country. With the accession of Uzbekistan in 2001, the renamed Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) turned to regional economic arrangements and anti-terrorism concerns. With the declared intention of opposing “terrorism, extremism, and separatism,” the SCO provides all six member countries a multinational platform for resisting U.S. calls for political liberalization and greater human rights.</p>
<p>Interestingly, India and Pakistan have both signaled an interest in joining the SCO, a bid that current members seem hesitant to approve. Of the six SCO nations, China would have the most to gain from such an expansion, for it would frustrate, to some degree, U.S. attempts to erect a “containment ring” around China. For its part, Beijing is countering these U.S. moves with more active diplomacy in what many might consider U.S. “home turf.”</p>
<p>* On October 10, 2002, with all of the former Soviet Central Asian republics enrolled in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Partnership for Peace, China formally requested the opening of a “strategic dialogue” with NATO. (In NATO’s June 2004 Istanbul summit, the alliance the alliance signaled a potentially closer relationship by declaring that Central Asia and the Caucasus were “strategically important regions.”)</p>
<p>* After years of effort and despite heavy U.S. pressure on the EU to maintain the ban, China seemed on the brink of persuading the European Union to lift the arms embargo imposed after the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989. But with enactment of the anti-secession law codifying Beijing’s threat to employ force should Taiwan take overt steps toward or declare independence, the EU decided to delay lifting the embargo for at least six months.</p>
<p>* For its part, China had said it would not have tried to buy “expensive” and “obsolete” European arms, but U.S. analysts worry that China might get technology such as the EU’s Galileo navigation satellite. Tellingly, Australia-the main regional “Western” country and a steadfast U.S. ally-never objected to the lifting of the EU embargo. Canberra wants more information on the EU arms trade “code of conduct” and asks to be notified of any sales by EU countries. (Australia lifted its own embargo in 1992 and is now negotiating terms for providing uranium ore to China’s nuclear power industry.) Similarly, Israel and Russia, both of which have a history of military sales to China and imposed no post-Tiananmen embargos, never registered objections despite the sophisticated sales competition that the EU would represent.</p>
<p>* China’s first-ever deployment of uniformed personnel on a UN peacekeeping mission took place in 2004, when Beijing sent 1,000 riot police to Haiti.</p>
<p>* International Business Machine Corp. has sold its personal computer division to the Chinese firm Lenovo Group Ltd., in which the Chinese government has a stake. The sale’s finalization is subject to approval by Washington, which was finally given with some restrictions on access by non-U.S. personnel to collocated but unrelated high-tech projects.</p>
<p>* In testimony before the House Armed Services Committee on March 9, 2005, the head of the U.S. Southern Command noted that Chinese defense officials conducted 20 visits to Latin America and the Caribbean (prompting nine reciprocal visits to Beijing). Several of the visits were to the 11 countries whose U.S. military aid was stopped, because their governments refused to sign agreements that would exempt U.S. personnel from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>North Korea and Taiwan</p>
<p>But economics and world image are not the only areas of concern for Washington. There are also the seemingly intractable issues of North Korea and Taiwan, both of which involve the United States as a central protagonist.</p>
<p>North Korea’s nuclear weapons-anywhere from two to 15, depending on which U.S. intelligence agency is tallying-are not just a U.S. concern. But although Beijing does not want to see either North or South Korea (or an eventually reunited Korea) acquire a nuclear arsenal, it is not as beleaguered by the possibility as is Washington. In fact, Chinese officials have publicly questioned Washington’s appraisal of Pyongyang’s self-declared status as a nuclear weapons state.</p>
<p>Regarding the North Korean “problem,” China finds itself uniquely positioned as the only country genuinely able to mediate and facilitate discussions. But as the history of the “six-party talks” illustrates, Chinese envoys have been sorely tested just to keep the deliberations going. For example, on February 10, 2005, North Korea announced it was leaving the talks, which had not been held since August 2004 because of U.S. demands that the North completely dismantle its nuclear program as a precondition for more assistance. After a four-day visit by a senior Chinese government official, the North’s leader, Kim Jong Il, was said to be willing to resume the six-party discussions, if Washington showed “trustworthy sincerity.” Just what counts as “sincere” remains undefined, but Pyongyang’s past demands include written assurance that Washington does not seek regime change, guaranteed aid (including fuel), and conclusion of a peace treaty officially ending the Korean War.</p>
<p>U.S. military options are severely restricted by the ongoing war in Iraq, intelligence gaps regarding the location and vulnerability of North Korea’s nuclear facilities, and the massive destruction that South Korea (especially Seoul) would sustain in either a preemptive or retaliatory military strike by the North. Nonetheless, rhetoric from the Bush administration aimed both at Kim Jong Il personally and at North Korea as a political entity-e.g., rogue state and “outpost of tyranny”-seems designed to keep the atmosphere roiling and to postpone the next meeting of the six parties indefinitely.</p>
<p>Given Washington’s approach to negotiations, Chinese leaders may soon interpret the Bush administration’s endgame as keeping China’s border with North Korea under persistent threat of large-scale migration, should Pyongyang suffer economic meltdown or go to war against the South. This would dovetail with Beijing’s perception that many in Washington view China as the emergent great-power competitor that the United States will have to confront early in the 21st century. CIA Director Porter Goss was quite explicit on this theme when he stated that “Beijing’s military modernization and military buildup is tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait.” Yet of the four modernizations that China is pursuing, military modernization is the lowest priority.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Tensions in the Taiwan Strait</p>
<p>That said, China does not shirk from the question of Taiwan and military force. With neither Beijing nor Washington blinking, a series of intertwining events over the last 13 months has perceptibly raised tensions in the Taiwan Strait.</p>
<p>* In the run-up to the presidential election in March 2004, Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian promised to rewrite the island’s Constitution and free it from the “fiction” of being labeled part of China. He also proposed to seek approval of a “process” for independence via a referendum-sidestepping the Constitution-and even placed referenda to carry out the process on the March ballot. Chen was narrowly re-elected; the referenda were not approved. Under U.S. pressure to tone down his rhetoric, Chen then backpedaled on independence in his May 20 inaugural address.</p>
<p>* In July 2004, China, which had also castigated Chen during the Taiwan presidential race, conducted extensive military training in the Taiwan Strait while the U.S. exercise “Operation Summer Pulse 04” in the Pacific-a larger drill than usual-was under way.</p>
<p>* In the run-up to the December 2004 Taiwanese legislative elections, Chen again promised to move ahead with a 2006 referendum on independence specifying a 2008 implementation date, if his party won the December poll. His party lost, but the fact that Chen had reopened the independence question was enough to spur the mainland Chinese to introduce an “anti-secessionist” law at their National People’s Congress.</p>
<p>* Beijing steadfastly insists that Taiwan and its status are internal concerns of the Chinese people, who need no “assistance” from other countries. The February 20, 2005 joint declaration by the Japanese foreign minister and the U.S. defense secretary that the state of affairs in the Taiwan Strait is a “common strategic objective” was an attack on the unified sovereignty of China, which both the United States and Japan have acceded to under the “one China” policy.</p>
<p>* In addition to annual State Department funding of the American Institute of Taiwan-transparently an unofficial embassy-Washington reportedly plans to send military officers to Taiwan as official representatives of the Pentagon.</p>
<p>* For years, many in Congress have advocated UN membership for Taiwan, though this status is granted only to legitimate national governments. On February 17, 2005, five members of the House of Representatives introduced legislation demanding that the Bush administration restore full and official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Such a move would embolden Chen Shui-bian, who so far has been dissuaded from declaring Taiwan’s independence both by the better judgment of the Taiwanese people and by Beijing’s insistence on the island’s peaceful reunification with the rest of China.</p>
<p>* Washington is trying to force Taiwan to accept and pay for $18 billion in new “defensive” weapons first authorized in April 2001. The adoption of the anti-secessionist law by the mainland’s National People’s Congress has energized debate in Taiwan’s legislature over this U.S. aid package.</p>
<p>Beijing reportedly believes that one aim of the Bush administration is to turn China and Japan against each other. But China is now Japan’s number one trading partner, and China has opened its doors to Japanese investments. Japan also recognizes China’s role in facilitating the six-party talks with North Korea over the latter’s purported nuclear weapons and long-range missile programs.</p>
<p>At the same time, Japan’s expanding cooperation with the United States regarding ship-borne missile defense suggests that Tokyo’s concerns over North Korean missiles have broadened to include the 700-800 missiles on China’s mainland across from Taiwan. Moreover, the withdrawal of 12,500 U.S. troops from Korea, the repositioning of the remaining forces away from the Demilitarized Zone, statements by the U.S. Pacific Command that the troops left in Korea could be used regionally, and the twin possibilities that the combined UN command in Korea will be dissolved while the United States reconstitutes a corps headquarters in Japan all suggest a fundamental reorientation of Washington’s attention in Asia away from the Korean peninsula. This policy shift is reminiscent of the perception drawn from Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s January 1950 speech that Korea (and Taiwan) lay outside U.S. defense interests.</p>
<p>Although such maneuvering will not tempt Beijing to challenge Washington militarily, China’s growing economic and diplomatic presence on the world scene is engendering greater confidence among Chinese leaders. For example, U.S. criticism of China’s human rights record was uncharacteristically reciprocated by a spokesperson for China’s governing Cabinet who specifically cited accounts of prisoner abuse by U.S. military and civilian personnel at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and other prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>In the foreseeable future, China’s economic position vis-à-vis the United States and its role in the North Korean nuclear talks remains key to U.S.-China relations. On the economic front, because China’s rapid growth has been fueled by a large surplus of exports over imports in trade with the United States, Beijing is not expected to “pull the plug” on U.S. trade short of looming and inevitable armed conflict resulting from a clear Taiwanese declaration of de jure independence. Beijing would like to regain political control of Taiwan without a fight, and to that end China will continue to enmesh the island in a web of economic relations that Taipei will increasingly be loathe to sacrifice.</p>
<p>Like all presidents ever since Richard Nixon “opened” China, George Bush has chosen, after initially hesitating, to try to ride the Chinese dragon–but with spurs on his boots. Having managed to climb on, he cannot get off without the risk of being thrown. For its part, China has decided to soar on the eagle to the sky’s limit. Beijing believes that if it can hitch a ride while the eagle economically exhausts itself, China can at last preempt U.S. influence in Asia.</p>
<p>As the old song says, “dragons live forever.”</p>
<p>Col. Daniel Smith, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, is Senior Fellow on Military Affairs at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby in the public interest and a commentator for <a href="http://www.fpif.org/" type="external">Foreign Policy in Focus</a>. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque’s temperature of 67 degrees on Thanksgiving day tied the Nov. 24, 1949, record high temperature, according to the National Weather Service.</p>
<p>Several heat records were broken throughout the state on Thursday, including Aztec with 58 degrees, previous record of 57 in 2011, Grants&#160; with 67 degrees, previous record 58 in 2011, Los Alamos with 59 degrees, previous record 56 in 2011, Nageezi of 60 degrees, previous record 57 in 2012, Ramah with 67 degrees, previous record 62 in 2011, Santa Fe with 58 degrees, previous record 55 in 2011, and Torreon with 66 degrees, previous record 65 in 2006.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Thanksgiving temperatures tie, break records | false | https://abqjournal.com/1096962/thanksgiving-temperatures-tie-break-records.html | 2least
| Thanksgiving temperatures tie, break records
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque’s temperature of 67 degrees on Thanksgiving day tied the Nov. 24, 1949, record high temperature, according to the National Weather Service.</p>
<p>Several heat records were broken throughout the state on Thursday, including Aztec with 58 degrees, previous record of 57 in 2011, Grants&#160; with 67 degrees, previous record 58 in 2011, Los Alamos with 59 degrees, previous record 56 in 2011, Nageezi of 60 degrees, previous record 57 in 2012, Ramah with 67 degrees, previous record 62 in 2011, Santa Fe with 58 degrees, previous record 55 in 2011, and Torreon with 66 degrees, previous record 65 in 2006.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 1,471 |
|
<p>An aide to Yemen's Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa said the <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/31/3598181/yemen-al-qaida-gunmen-kill-intelligence.html" type="external">premier escaped unharmed</a> after gunmen shot at his motorcade.</p>
<p>Ali al-Sarari, an adviser to Basindwa, said unidentified attackers opened fire on the motorcade in the evening while Basindwa was returning home from his office in Sanaa.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/31/3598181/yemen-al-qaida-gunmen-kill-intelligence.html" type="external">Al-Sarari told the Associated Press</a> that the gunmen sprayed the three-car convoy with bullets then sped away.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/31/us-yemen-attack-idUSBRE97U0CM20130831" type="external">According to Reuters</a>, security forces were trying to track down the car after the assailants fled.</p>
<p>Basindwa's guards managed to identify the license plates before the car left the scene.</p>
<p>Yemen has been grappling with a high number of assassinations carried out by militants. Yemen is home to one of the most aggressive militant groups in the region — Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.</p>
<p>A number of drone strikes, thought to be carried out by the US, has been targeting senior leaders within AQAP.</p>
<p>Tribal sources said on Friday that a <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">targeted strike killed</a> Al Qaeda leader Qaeed al-Dhahab and two other men.</p>
<p>A local administration official too confirmed Dhahab's death, adding his <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">killing had provoked outrage</a>among Al-Qaeda militants in the province.</p>
<p>"After news was received of his death, Al-Qaeda fighters <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">declared the end of a truce</a>with the authorities and began gathering" in some villages and mountainous regions, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>Reuters contributed to this report.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">Yemen drone strike kills Al-Qaeda leader possibly on his honeymoon</a></p> | Yemen's PM unhurt after gunmen open fire on motorcade, aide says | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-08-31/yemens-pm-unhurt-after-gunmen-open-fire-motorcade-aide-says | 2013-08-31 | 3left-center
| Yemen's PM unhurt after gunmen open fire on motorcade, aide says
<p>An aide to Yemen's Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa said the <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/31/3598181/yemen-al-qaida-gunmen-kill-intelligence.html" type="external">premier escaped unharmed</a> after gunmen shot at his motorcade.</p>
<p>Ali al-Sarari, an adviser to Basindwa, said unidentified attackers opened fire on the motorcade in the evening while Basindwa was returning home from his office in Sanaa.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/31/3598181/yemen-al-qaida-gunmen-kill-intelligence.html" type="external">Al-Sarari told the Associated Press</a> that the gunmen sprayed the three-car convoy with bullets then sped away.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/31/us-yemen-attack-idUSBRE97U0CM20130831" type="external">According to Reuters</a>, security forces were trying to track down the car after the assailants fled.</p>
<p>Basindwa's guards managed to identify the license plates before the car left the scene.</p>
<p>Yemen has been grappling with a high number of assassinations carried out by militants. Yemen is home to one of the most aggressive militant groups in the region — Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.</p>
<p>A number of drone strikes, thought to be carried out by the US, has been targeting senior leaders within AQAP.</p>
<p>Tribal sources said on Friday that a <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">targeted strike killed</a> Al Qaeda leader Qaeed al-Dhahab and two other men.</p>
<p>A local administration official too confirmed Dhahab's death, adding his <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">killing had provoked outrage</a>among Al-Qaeda militants in the province.</p>
<p>"After news was received of his death, Al-Qaeda fighters <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">declared the end of a truce</a>with the authorities and began gathering" in some villages and mountainous regions, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>Reuters contributed to this report.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130830/drone-kills-al-qaeda-leader-yemen-0" type="external">Yemen drone strike kills Al-Qaeda leader possibly on his honeymoon</a></p> | 1,472 |
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<p />
<p>“Is that where they make ‘Breaking Bad?'” Chris Stein asked in a telephone interview from the band’s tour bus near Niagara Falls, N.Y.</p>
<p>“That’s awesome, that’s great, that’s the best,” he said.</p>
<p>As the hit Albuquerque-based series ignites toward its end, Blondie’s co-founder wondered – like most fans – what is to become of the long-broken-bad Walter White and his business cohort, Jesse.</p>
<p />
<p>“They’re going to kill Jesse,” he predicted. “They were supposed to get rid of him early on, but they couldn’t because he was so good. Walt – I don’t know what he’s going to do.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The co-founder and songwriter of New Wave’s most commercially successful band will be at the Santa Fe Opera on Monday, Sept. 23. It’s been a wildly busy year for Blondie as the members gear up for their 40th anniversary in 2014. The date marks a landmark the retro-chic New Wave musicians never visualized when they first surfaced at the Bowery’s gritty CBGB’s, famous as the launching pad and home base of the Ramones, the New York Dolls, Joan Jett and Patti Smith, as well as what was then dubbed “rock’s scariest bathroom.”</p>
<p>“I think we were very much in the moment when we were doing what we were doing,” Stein explained. “The punk/New Wave thing was very much in the moment. Maybe a little forethought might have helped.”</p>
<p>The Wall Street Journal called Blondie “the most quintessential New York band of all time.”</p>
<p>Stein captured that sweat-soaked early scene on film, shooting photographs of his bandmates and cohorts. He’s in the process of writing the introduction and captions to a book of those pictures – as yet untitled – to be published in January. Blondie is also set to release its latest CD, “Ghosts of Download,” with 16 new tracks, at the same time.</p>
<p>“It’s a little more dance-y, perhaps, than the previous stuff,” Stein said.</p>
<p>Blondie also re-recorded some of its most famous hits, such as “Heart of Glass,” “Rapture” and “The Tide Is High,” for a companion CD, an exercise Stein admits was driven more by political than creative motives: It’s “so we can own the masters.”</p>
<p>Fresh from a Los Angeles solo photography exhibit, the songwriter said he began carrying a camera in 1968.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“It’s just the stuff from the old days,” he said, ” – the stuff I was in the middle of.”</p>
<p>Stein says he grew up on the Stones and “everything” else.</p>
<p>“I loved the Ramones,” he added.</p>
<p>No one told the band New Wavers weren’t supposed to have hit records. Both edgy and catchy, Blondie broke the Top 40 barrier with the number one hit “Heart of Glass” in 1979. “Call Me” followed in 1980, doubling as the title tune to the “American Gigolo” soundtrack. Both conquests dashed music industry’s suspicion of punk and New Wave as it defied the laid-back music of the ’70s. Blondie’s girl group-meets-garage band songs came wrapped in a freshness and attitude that had been absent from slicker sounds for at least a decade.</p>
<p>Debbie Harry’s bleached blonde hair, porcelain face and deadpan delivery came veiled in punk hauteur. The pair met when Harry – a former Playboy bunny and bartender at Max’s Kansas City – and Stein formed the Stilettos. They began performing as Blondie at CBGB’s in 1975, started writing together and soon became a couple. Time magazine described her voice as that of a “bombshell zombie.”</p>
<p>The band broke up in 1982 as Harry pursued a solo career and took time to care for Stein, who had developed a rare autoimmune skin disease called pemphigus.</p>
<p>“Me, I’m good” now, Stein said about his health. “That illness stuff just happened for a couple years – lots of steroids.”</p>
<p>Eventually the couple would part, but they still write and work together.</p>
<p>Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. It sold 40 million records worldwide.</p>
<p /> | Blondie crashes onto the shores of the Land of Enchantment | false | https://abqjournal.com/265877/santa-fe-new-wave.html | 2013-09-20 | 2least
| Blondie crashes onto the shores of the Land of Enchantment
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<p />
<p>“Is that where they make ‘Breaking Bad?'” Chris Stein asked in a telephone interview from the band’s tour bus near Niagara Falls, N.Y.</p>
<p>“That’s awesome, that’s great, that’s the best,” he said.</p>
<p>As the hit Albuquerque-based series ignites toward its end, Blondie’s co-founder wondered – like most fans – what is to become of the long-broken-bad Walter White and his business cohort, Jesse.</p>
<p />
<p>“They’re going to kill Jesse,” he predicted. “They were supposed to get rid of him early on, but they couldn’t because he was so good. Walt – I don’t know what he’s going to do.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The co-founder and songwriter of New Wave’s most commercially successful band will be at the Santa Fe Opera on Monday, Sept. 23. It’s been a wildly busy year for Blondie as the members gear up for their 40th anniversary in 2014. The date marks a landmark the retro-chic New Wave musicians never visualized when they first surfaced at the Bowery’s gritty CBGB’s, famous as the launching pad and home base of the Ramones, the New York Dolls, Joan Jett and Patti Smith, as well as what was then dubbed “rock’s scariest bathroom.”</p>
<p>“I think we were very much in the moment when we were doing what we were doing,” Stein explained. “The punk/New Wave thing was very much in the moment. Maybe a little forethought might have helped.”</p>
<p>The Wall Street Journal called Blondie “the most quintessential New York band of all time.”</p>
<p>Stein captured that sweat-soaked early scene on film, shooting photographs of his bandmates and cohorts. He’s in the process of writing the introduction and captions to a book of those pictures – as yet untitled – to be published in January. Blondie is also set to release its latest CD, “Ghosts of Download,” with 16 new tracks, at the same time.</p>
<p>“It’s a little more dance-y, perhaps, than the previous stuff,” Stein said.</p>
<p>Blondie also re-recorded some of its most famous hits, such as “Heart of Glass,” “Rapture” and “The Tide Is High,” for a companion CD, an exercise Stein admits was driven more by political than creative motives: It’s “so we can own the masters.”</p>
<p>Fresh from a Los Angeles solo photography exhibit, the songwriter said he began carrying a camera in 1968.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“It’s just the stuff from the old days,” he said, ” – the stuff I was in the middle of.”</p>
<p>Stein says he grew up on the Stones and “everything” else.</p>
<p>“I loved the Ramones,” he added.</p>
<p>No one told the band New Wavers weren’t supposed to have hit records. Both edgy and catchy, Blondie broke the Top 40 barrier with the number one hit “Heart of Glass” in 1979. “Call Me” followed in 1980, doubling as the title tune to the “American Gigolo” soundtrack. Both conquests dashed music industry’s suspicion of punk and New Wave as it defied the laid-back music of the ’70s. Blondie’s girl group-meets-garage band songs came wrapped in a freshness and attitude that had been absent from slicker sounds for at least a decade.</p>
<p>Debbie Harry’s bleached blonde hair, porcelain face and deadpan delivery came veiled in punk hauteur. The pair met when Harry – a former Playboy bunny and bartender at Max’s Kansas City – and Stein formed the Stilettos. They began performing as Blondie at CBGB’s in 1975, started writing together and soon became a couple. Time magazine described her voice as that of a “bombshell zombie.”</p>
<p>The band broke up in 1982 as Harry pursued a solo career and took time to care for Stein, who had developed a rare autoimmune skin disease called pemphigus.</p>
<p>“Me, I’m good” now, Stein said about his health. “That illness stuff just happened for a couple years – lots of steroids.”</p>
<p>Eventually the couple would part, but they still write and work together.</p>
<p>Blondie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. It sold 40 million records worldwide.</p>
<p /> | 1,473 |
<p />
<p>You might want to think twice about retiring early.&#160; That’s because, new research has shown a link between early retirement and premature death.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Research by Andreas Kuhn,&#160;Jean-Philippe Wuellrich and&#160;Josef Zweimüller found that men, in particular, had an increased risk of death before age 67 when they <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2191-retirement-confidence-poll.html" type="external">retired early Opens a New Window.</a>. To prove this, the researchers looked at a group of blue-collar workers from Austria, born between 1929 and 1941.</p>
<p>"We find that a reduction in the retirement age causes a significant increase in the risk of premature death for males, but not for females," the research said. "The effect for males is not only statistically significant but also quantitatively important. According to our estimates, one additional year of early retirement causes an increase in the risk of premature death of 2.4 percentage points (a relative increase of about 13.4 percent, or 1.8 months in terms of years of life lost)."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.livescience.com/11342-10-easy-paths-destruction.html" type="external">[10 Easy Paths to Self Destruction] Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>According to the research, this can be attributed to negative health habits of people during retirement.&#160; These habits, which include smoking, drinking, unhealthy diet and limited exercise, contribute to 78 percent of casual retirement deaths, while smoking and drinking alone result in 32 percent of casual retirement deaths.</p>
<p>"Our results also suggest that preventive health policies should be targeted to (early) retirees," the research said. "Policies that induce individuals to adopt healthy (or avoid unhealthy) behaviors may have disproportionately positive health consequences for workers who (are about to) permanently <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2053-employment-retirement.html" type="external">withdraw from the labor market Opens a New Window.</a>."</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Reach BusinessNewsDaily staff writer David Mielach at <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected] Opens a New Window.</a>. Follow him on <a href="" type="internal">Twitter</a> @D_M89.</p>
<p>Copyright 2012 <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/" type="external">BusinessNewsDaily Opens a New Window.</a>, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</p>
<p>Read more from BusinessNewsDaily:</p> | One Big Reason for Business Owners Not to Rush into Early Retirement | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/04/02/one-big-reason-for-business-owners-not-to-rush-into-early-retirement.html | 2016-03-23 | 0right
| One Big Reason for Business Owners Not to Rush into Early Retirement
<p />
<p>You might want to think twice about retiring early.&#160; That’s because, new research has shown a link between early retirement and premature death.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Research by Andreas Kuhn,&#160;Jean-Philippe Wuellrich and&#160;Josef Zweimüller found that men, in particular, had an increased risk of death before age 67 when they <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2191-retirement-confidence-poll.html" type="external">retired early Opens a New Window.</a>. To prove this, the researchers looked at a group of blue-collar workers from Austria, born between 1929 and 1941.</p>
<p>"We find that a reduction in the retirement age causes a significant increase in the risk of premature death for males, but not for females," the research said. "The effect for males is not only statistically significant but also quantitatively important. According to our estimates, one additional year of early retirement causes an increase in the risk of premature death of 2.4 percentage points (a relative increase of about 13.4 percent, or 1.8 months in terms of years of life lost)."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.livescience.com/11342-10-easy-paths-destruction.html" type="external">[10 Easy Paths to Self Destruction] Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>According to the research, this can be attributed to negative health habits of people during retirement.&#160; These habits, which include smoking, drinking, unhealthy diet and limited exercise, contribute to 78 percent of casual retirement deaths, while smoking and drinking alone result in 32 percent of casual retirement deaths.</p>
<p>"Our results also suggest that preventive health policies should be targeted to (early) retirees," the research said. "Policies that induce individuals to adopt healthy (or avoid unhealthy) behaviors may have disproportionately positive health consequences for workers who (are about to) permanently <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/2053-employment-retirement.html" type="external">withdraw from the labor market Opens a New Window.</a>."</p>
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<p>Reach BusinessNewsDaily staff writer David Mielach at <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected] Opens a New Window.</a>. Follow him on <a href="" type="internal">Twitter</a> @D_M89.</p>
<p>Copyright 2012 <a href="http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/" type="external">BusinessNewsDaily Opens a New Window.</a>, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</p>
<p>Read more from BusinessNewsDaily:</p> | 1,474 |
<p>President Donald Trump is delaying a series of rules that require financial professionals to put their clients' best interests first when giving advice on retirement investments.</p>
<p>The rules, which were set to take effect in April, will be delayed for 90 days for review.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Under the so-called "fiduciary rule," brokers who sell stocks, bonds, annuities and other products would have to do more than just make sure the investments they recommend are "suitable" for clients. They would have to meet a stricter standard that has long applied to registered advisers: They will be considered "fiduciaries" — trustees who must put their clients' best interests above all.</p>
<p>Full compliance originally was required by January 2018.</p>
<p>At stake are about $4.5 trillion in 401(k) retirement accounts, plus $2 trillion in other defined-contribution plans such as federal employees' plans and $7.3 trillion in IRAs, according to the Investment Company Institute.</p>
<p>Too often, regulators say, brokers steer clients toward questionable investments for which the broker receives a fee, thereby acting in their own financial interest instead of the client's.</p>
<p>The problems often arise when people who are retiring "roll over" their employer-based 401(k) assets into individual retirement accounts. Brokers may persuade them to put those assets into variable annuities, real estate investment trusts or other investments that can be risky or otherwise not in the client's best interest.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Obama administration previously said investors would save about $4 billion annually under the new rules. The industry countered that investment firms will have to shell out more than that just to comply with the rules. Financial firms also argued that the stricter rules will likely shrink Americans' investment options and could cause brokers to abandon retirement savers with smaller accounts.</p>
<p>Americans increasingly seek guidance in navigating their options for retirement savings. Many professionals provide advice. But not all are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest.</p>
<p>Here are some questions and answers about the delayed rules:</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>BROKERS? FINANCIAL ADVISERS? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?</p>
<p>It's significant. Brokers buy and sell securities and other financial products on behalf of their clients. They also can provide financial advice, with one key stipulation: They must recommend only investments that are "suitable" for a client based on his or her age, finances and risk tolerance.</p>
<p>So they can't, for example, pitch penny stocks or real estate investment trusts to an 85-year-old woman living on a pension. But brokers can nudge clients toward a mutual fund or variable annuity that pays the broker a higher commission — even without disclosing that conflict of interest to the client.</p>
<p>Registered investment advisers, on the other hand, are "fiduciaries." In that way, they're more like doctors or lawyers — obligated to put their clients' interests even ahead of their own. That means disclosing fees, commissions, potential conflicts and any disciplinary actions they have faced.</p>
<p>Advisers must tell a client if they or their firms receive money from a mutual fund company to promote a product. And they must register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, thereby opening themselves to inspections and supervision.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>WHAT DO THE RULES IN QUESTION DO?</p>
<p>They put brokers under the stricter requirements when they handle clients' retirement accounts. The Labor Department under the Obama administration withdrew an earlier proposal in 2010 amid an outcry from the financial industry, which warned that it would hurt investors by limiting choices.</p>
<p>The rules update the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, known as ERISA, enacted in 1975. That was a far different time. Traditional company pension plans were still the dominant source of retirement income. Now, traditional pensions are increasingly rare. In their place are 401(k)-type plans, which require workers to set aside pre-tax money but also add a new layer of risk: Employees themselves must decide how to invest their retirement money, and many seek professional advice.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>WHAT ARE THE ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST?</p>
<p>Consumer, labor and civil rights groups have pushed for the rules. They say the current system provides a loophole that lets brokers drain money from retirement accounts in fees they receive that can tilt the investment advice they give clients.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>AND THE OTHER SIDE?</p>
<p>Wall Street lobbying groups, mutual fund companies, life insurance firms and other industry interests have opposed the rules.</p>
<p>They say the stricter requirements could limit many people's access to financial guidance and retirement planning and their choice of investment products. They warn that that would fall especially hard on mid- and low-income employees with smaller retirement balances — say, less than $50,000 — who could be abandoned by brokers.</p>
<p>The requirement to act in a client's best interest means, in many cases, that the practice of charging commissions on every trade would be replaced by a set fee for a broker as a proportion of a customer's assets. Some brokers may decide that the smaller fees aren't worth their trouble, opponents say.</p>
<p>Some financial companies and groups may take the government to court over the new rules.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>Video animation explaining the rules: https://youtu.be/YPH1J1DmHvE</p> | How stricter rules for brokers will affect retirement savers | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/03/how-stricter-rules-for-brokers-will-affect-retirement-savers.html | 2017-02-04 | 0right
| How stricter rules for brokers will affect retirement savers
<p>President Donald Trump is delaying a series of rules that require financial professionals to put their clients' best interests first when giving advice on retirement investments.</p>
<p>The rules, which were set to take effect in April, will be delayed for 90 days for review.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Under the so-called "fiduciary rule," brokers who sell stocks, bonds, annuities and other products would have to do more than just make sure the investments they recommend are "suitable" for clients. They would have to meet a stricter standard that has long applied to registered advisers: They will be considered "fiduciaries" — trustees who must put their clients' best interests above all.</p>
<p>Full compliance originally was required by January 2018.</p>
<p>At stake are about $4.5 trillion in 401(k) retirement accounts, plus $2 trillion in other defined-contribution plans such as federal employees' plans and $7.3 trillion in IRAs, according to the Investment Company Institute.</p>
<p>Too often, regulators say, brokers steer clients toward questionable investments for which the broker receives a fee, thereby acting in their own financial interest instead of the client's.</p>
<p>The problems often arise when people who are retiring "roll over" their employer-based 401(k) assets into individual retirement accounts. Brokers may persuade them to put those assets into variable annuities, real estate investment trusts or other investments that can be risky or otherwise not in the client's best interest.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Obama administration previously said investors would save about $4 billion annually under the new rules. The industry countered that investment firms will have to shell out more than that just to comply with the rules. Financial firms also argued that the stricter rules will likely shrink Americans' investment options and could cause brokers to abandon retirement savers with smaller accounts.</p>
<p>Americans increasingly seek guidance in navigating their options for retirement savings. Many professionals provide advice. But not all are required to disclose potential conflicts of interest.</p>
<p>Here are some questions and answers about the delayed rules:</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>BROKERS? FINANCIAL ADVISERS? WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?</p>
<p>It's significant. Brokers buy and sell securities and other financial products on behalf of their clients. They also can provide financial advice, with one key stipulation: They must recommend only investments that are "suitable" for a client based on his or her age, finances and risk tolerance.</p>
<p>So they can't, for example, pitch penny stocks or real estate investment trusts to an 85-year-old woman living on a pension. But brokers can nudge clients toward a mutual fund or variable annuity that pays the broker a higher commission — even without disclosing that conflict of interest to the client.</p>
<p>Registered investment advisers, on the other hand, are "fiduciaries." In that way, they're more like doctors or lawyers — obligated to put their clients' interests even ahead of their own. That means disclosing fees, commissions, potential conflicts and any disciplinary actions they have faced.</p>
<p>Advisers must tell a client if they or their firms receive money from a mutual fund company to promote a product. And they must register with the Securities and Exchange Commission, thereby opening themselves to inspections and supervision.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>WHAT DO THE RULES IN QUESTION DO?</p>
<p>They put brokers under the stricter requirements when they handle clients' retirement accounts. The Labor Department under the Obama administration withdrew an earlier proposal in 2010 amid an outcry from the financial industry, which warned that it would hurt investors by limiting choices.</p>
<p>The rules update the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, known as ERISA, enacted in 1975. That was a far different time. Traditional company pension plans were still the dominant source of retirement income. Now, traditional pensions are increasingly rare. In their place are 401(k)-type plans, which require workers to set aside pre-tax money but also add a new layer of risk: Employees themselves must decide how to invest their retirement money, and many seek professional advice.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>WHAT ARE THE ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST?</p>
<p>Consumer, labor and civil rights groups have pushed for the rules. They say the current system provides a loophole that lets brokers drain money from retirement accounts in fees they receive that can tilt the investment advice they give clients.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>AND THE OTHER SIDE?</p>
<p>Wall Street lobbying groups, mutual fund companies, life insurance firms and other industry interests have opposed the rules.</p>
<p>They say the stricter requirements could limit many people's access to financial guidance and retirement planning and their choice of investment products. They warn that that would fall especially hard on mid- and low-income employees with smaller retirement balances — say, less than $50,000 — who could be abandoned by brokers.</p>
<p>The requirement to act in a client's best interest means, in many cases, that the practice of charging commissions on every trade would be replaced by a set fee for a broker as a proportion of a customer's assets. Some brokers may decide that the smaller fees aren't worth their trouble, opponents say.</p>
<p>Some financial companies and groups may take the government to court over the new rules.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>Video animation explaining the rules: https://youtu.be/YPH1J1DmHvE</p> | 1,475 |
<p>Deficit hawks emerged Friday among the losers in the GOP effort to pass a tax overhaul.</p>
<p>The Senate prepared Friday to pass a tax bill that would reduce the government's revenue by about $1.4 trillion over a decade. The House version of the bill would also reduce revenue by $1.4 trillion.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>President Donald Trump's administration and GOP lawmakers have argued the revenue loss would be much less than that hefty price tag because cuts will spur economic growth and boost federal revenue even as tax rates drop.</p>
<p>But a growing number of estimates shows higher growth won't fully offset lost revenue from lower tax rates. That means that budget deficits -- already projected to increase in the years ahead as baby boomers retire and take on benefits like Medicare and Social Security -- could end up even larger than already projected.</p>
<p>The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress's official scorekeeper on tax projections, said Thursday the Senate bill would generate $458 billion in revenue from stronger economic growth while adding $51 billion in higher interest costs, leaving the net cost of the bill at $1 trillion over a decade.</p>
<p>That estimate was one reason why Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, a self-described deficit hawk, appeared prepared to defect on the vote Friday, making him potentially the lone Republican dissenter.</p>
<p>The Tax Foundation, a right-leaning think tank, found a version of the bill that cleared the Senate Finance Committee would decrease government revenue by $1.78 trillion without accounting for the benefits of economic growth and about $516 billion after accounting for stronger economic growth.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Republicans fought for years to include scoring estimates that account for economic growth in evaluating tax legislation. After the JCT estimate was released, some doubted the conclusions.</p>
<p>"Our bill will end up reducing the deficit," Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) said. Mr. Portman, another self-described deficit hawk, served as budget director in the GOP administration of former President George W. Bush before winning his Senate seat as part of the tea-party wave in 2010.</p>
<p>After Mr. Trump, a Republican, won the White House last year, top GOP lawmakers said any tax proposal needed to be revenue neutral -- bringing in as much revenue by eliminating deductions and other tax breaks, for example, as it lost from lower rates.</p>
<p>But the revenue-neutral commitment proved daunting to keep as resistance built against revenue-raising measures meant to offset the cost of reduced tax rates. House Republican leaders abandoned a controversial bid earlier this year to impose a tax on imports while exempting exports, which would have raised around $1.5 trillion over a decade and helped finance other tax cuts.</p>
<p>A key breakthrough came in September, when Sens. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) and Mr. Corker agreed to a budget blueprint that allowed for a $1.5 trillion reduction in revenue over a decade. Some argued the actual cost would be much smaller than that when accounting for the benefits of growth. Still, it marked an important step away from adherence to controlling deficits.</p>
<p>"At that moment, you heard the last squawks from the deficit hawks," said Steven Bell, a former Senate Republican budget aide who is now a senior analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center.</p>
<p>The economy has expanded solidly over the past year. The budget deficit has widened, too, to about 3.5% of gross domestic product in October from 2.6% one year earlier. According to projections by the Congressional Budget Office that don't account for any tax cuts, the U.S. budget deficit will hit $1 trillion in 2022. Mr. Bell projects the tax bill will pull forward that milestone by three years, to 2019.</p>
<p>Conservative lawmakers and economists said the need to boost the economy's growth rate, at about 2% over the last decade, for now overwhelms any concerns about adding to the federal government's $20 trillion in debt.</p>
<p>"I dislike budget deficits and I have long warned about their dangerous effects," wrote Martin Feldstein, a Harvard economist, in an opinion column in Project Syndicate this week. "Nonetheless, I believe that the economic benefits resulting from the corporate tax changes will outweigh the adverse effects of the increased debt."</p>
<p>The GOP's about-face on deficits has been a bitter pill for groups emboldened by numerous bipartisan blue-ribbon commissions earlier this decade that championed fiscal overhauls. These critics worry Republicans will now have little political leeway to push for spending curbs on programs such as Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.</p>
<p>"Anybody who is going to make the argument that our entitlement programs are a fiscal threat -- which is true -- will have lost credibility if they said deficits don't matter when it comes to tax reform," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which supports debt reduction.</p>
<p>Write to Nick Timiraos at [email protected] and Kate Davidson at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>December 01, 2017 17:57 ET (22:57 GMT)</p> | In Tax Fight, Deficit Hawks Go Down | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/12/01/in-tax-fight-deficit-hawks-go-down.html | 2017-12-01 | 0right
| In Tax Fight, Deficit Hawks Go Down
<p>Deficit hawks emerged Friday among the losers in the GOP effort to pass a tax overhaul.</p>
<p>The Senate prepared Friday to pass a tax bill that would reduce the government's revenue by about $1.4 trillion over a decade. The House version of the bill would also reduce revenue by $1.4 trillion.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>President Donald Trump's administration and GOP lawmakers have argued the revenue loss would be much less than that hefty price tag because cuts will spur economic growth and boost federal revenue even as tax rates drop.</p>
<p>But a growing number of estimates shows higher growth won't fully offset lost revenue from lower tax rates. That means that budget deficits -- already projected to increase in the years ahead as baby boomers retire and take on benefits like Medicare and Social Security -- could end up even larger than already projected.</p>
<p>The nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, Congress's official scorekeeper on tax projections, said Thursday the Senate bill would generate $458 billion in revenue from stronger economic growth while adding $51 billion in higher interest costs, leaving the net cost of the bill at $1 trillion over a decade.</p>
<p>That estimate was one reason why Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, a self-described deficit hawk, appeared prepared to defect on the vote Friday, making him potentially the lone Republican dissenter.</p>
<p>The Tax Foundation, a right-leaning think tank, found a version of the bill that cleared the Senate Finance Committee would decrease government revenue by $1.78 trillion without accounting for the benefits of economic growth and about $516 billion after accounting for stronger economic growth.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Republicans fought for years to include scoring estimates that account for economic growth in evaluating tax legislation. After the JCT estimate was released, some doubted the conclusions.</p>
<p>"Our bill will end up reducing the deficit," Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio) said. Mr. Portman, another self-described deficit hawk, served as budget director in the GOP administration of former President George W. Bush before winning his Senate seat as part of the tea-party wave in 2010.</p>
<p>After Mr. Trump, a Republican, won the White House last year, top GOP lawmakers said any tax proposal needed to be revenue neutral -- bringing in as much revenue by eliminating deductions and other tax breaks, for example, as it lost from lower rates.</p>
<p>But the revenue-neutral commitment proved daunting to keep as resistance built against revenue-raising measures meant to offset the cost of reduced tax rates. House Republican leaders abandoned a controversial bid earlier this year to impose a tax on imports while exempting exports, which would have raised around $1.5 trillion over a decade and helped finance other tax cuts.</p>
<p>A key breakthrough came in September, when Sens. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.) and Mr. Corker agreed to a budget blueprint that allowed for a $1.5 trillion reduction in revenue over a decade. Some argued the actual cost would be much smaller than that when accounting for the benefits of growth. Still, it marked an important step away from adherence to controlling deficits.</p>
<p>"At that moment, you heard the last squawks from the deficit hawks," said Steven Bell, a former Senate Republican budget aide who is now a senior analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center.</p>
<p>The economy has expanded solidly over the past year. The budget deficit has widened, too, to about 3.5% of gross domestic product in October from 2.6% one year earlier. According to projections by the Congressional Budget Office that don't account for any tax cuts, the U.S. budget deficit will hit $1 trillion in 2022. Mr. Bell projects the tax bill will pull forward that milestone by three years, to 2019.</p>
<p>Conservative lawmakers and economists said the need to boost the economy's growth rate, at about 2% over the last decade, for now overwhelms any concerns about adding to the federal government's $20 trillion in debt.</p>
<p>"I dislike budget deficits and I have long warned about their dangerous effects," wrote Martin Feldstein, a Harvard economist, in an opinion column in Project Syndicate this week. "Nonetheless, I believe that the economic benefits resulting from the corporate tax changes will outweigh the adverse effects of the increased debt."</p>
<p>The GOP's about-face on deficits has been a bitter pill for groups emboldened by numerous bipartisan blue-ribbon commissions earlier this decade that championed fiscal overhauls. These critics worry Republicans will now have little political leeway to push for spending curbs on programs such as Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.</p>
<p>"Anybody who is going to make the argument that our entitlement programs are a fiscal threat -- which is true -- will have lost credibility if they said deficits don't matter when it comes to tax reform," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which supports debt reduction.</p>
<p>Write to Nick Timiraos at [email protected] and Kate Davidson at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>December 01, 2017 17:57 ET (22:57 GMT)</p> | 1,476 |
<p>your email</p>
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<p>Chicago's two archaic coal plants, including the Fisk plant in the city's Pilsen neighborhood, are blamed for causing premature death and asthma attacks. &#160; (Photo by Kari Lydersen)</p>
<p>CHICAGO—As a Chicago City Council committee last week <a href="http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/chicago-clean-power-ordinance-vote-put-off-in-city-council/" type="external">debated</a> a proposed ordinance that would force the city’s two coal-burning power plants to shut down or convert to cleaner-burning natural gas, the council chambers were packed with about 300 international electrical union (IBEW) members in blue shirts and “Save Our Jobs” stickers, some of them also wearing hard hats.</p>
<p>The union members, bused in from around the region, arrived early enough on April 21 to pack the chamber so that only a handful of supporters of the ordinance made it inside. During the seven-hour hearing, the workers cheered loudly at any praise of their employer, Midwest Generation, or testimony questioning the health impacts of pollution from the archaic coal plants.</p>
<p>Midwest Generation officials have frequently referred to the proposal as a “shut down” ordinance that would terminate 185 jobs at the two Chicago plants, along with contract building work by union tradesmen. Only about a fifth of the workers at the plants actually live in Chicago, the plant manager acknowledged.</p>
<p>City Alderman Joe Moore, the main sponsor of the ordinance, repeatedly stressed the fact that the proposal mandates retraining and retention policies to protect workers at the coal plants. Calling them “brothers and sisters,” he asked the union members to resist being manipulated by the company’s threats to close the plants.</p>
<p>Haven’t we heard this refrain time and time again? Shouldn’t we hear what they (company officials) have to say but not just accept it at face value? Challenge it a little? Get them to prove what they say is true?</p>
<p>He framed the ordinance as an opportunity to create new jobs, either in retrofitting the plants with extensive pollution control equipment or converting it to natural gas. Other proponents of the ordinance also said Midwest Generation, a subsidiary of Edison International, could divert its investments from the coal plants to clean energy production, including the wind farms it already has underway.</p>
<p>Dean Apple, president and business agent of IBEW Local 15, said wind farms create construction jobs, but few permanent positions. Apple said the union has had its disagreements with Midwest Generation, but they are approaching the proposed ordinance with a united front, seeing it as a battle about more than just the two plants.</p>
<p>“I would ask you guys to consider taking a long hard look at this, how it’s going to affect labor,” he told city council members. “We don’t need more unemployment. This not only affects the 200 people I represent at these two stations … if we do something here it will be a domino effect all over the state.”</p>
<p>He implied advocates attacking the coal-burning power plants might then set their sights on nuclear or wind power.</p>
<p>They’ll say we don’t even know what to do with our radioactive waste—let’s be honest, nationally we don’t know what to do with our spent fuel…And wind has drawbacks … I do live around the windmills … they’re being fought heavily now—they don’t want them anymore, they’re too loud, they have this flickering effect.</p>
<p>A representative of union building trade workers with contracts at the coal plants said 235,000 annual man-hours there would be lost if the plants closed. He said a third of his members are unemployed, and told stories of a woman needing to get divorced to access her benefits and a man moving in with his in-laws in shame—situations that had no direct link to the coal plants.</p>
<p>City Councilman James Balcer, who grew up near one of the plants, expressed concern about its health effects, but also seemed to become overwhelmed by the idea out-of-control environmental regulations could mean mass unemployment. After the city’s environment commissioner said construction equipment, cooking vents from restaurants and trucks are all major sources of air pollution, he said:</p>
<p>If we go through all these things, what will be left? Are we going to close all the restaurants? How will we build buildings? How will we have jobs? We have to look at people who are possibly getting sick and we also have to think about people’s jobs.</p>
<p>Proponents of the ordinance pointed to a study by the <a href="http://elpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/MidwestGenerationsUnpaidHealthBillsFormattedFinal.pdf" type="external">Environmental Law and Policy Center</a> linking the coal plants to $127 million in public health costs each year. The Services Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents Chicago healthcare workers, is a strong backer of the ordinance.</p>
<p>Danny Solis, the city councilman who represents the Pilsen neighborhood where one of the plants is located, pledged to support the ordinance under <a href="http://cleanpowerchicago.org/2011/03/14/ald-danny-solis-joins-with-seiu-to-back-clean-power-ordinance/" type="external">pressure from the SEIU</a>. (The SEIU state council endorsed his opponent in February elections, and then endorsed Solis in an April run-off election after he promised to back the Clean Power Ordinance.)</p>
<p>At the city council hearing last week, the IBEW union members found themselves on the same side as their frequent adversaries with the city and state chambers of commerce, who argue that local regulations create an “unstable business climate” and discourage businesses from locating in a city.</p>
<p>While Moore stressed his solidarity with organized labor, he expressed annoyance with business representatives echoing Midwest Generation’s contention that carbon dioxide and other pollutants should only be regulated by the federal government. Since Congress has failed to pass a climate bill, there are currently no federal limits on carbon dioxide.</p>
<p>“We can’t do things like this on a federal level because organizations like the US Chamber of Commerce lobby against it,” Moore said. “You can’t say these regulations should be done on a federal level and then lobby against them on the federal level. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”</p> | Chicago Power Play: Energy Company Pits Union Members Against Clean Air | true | http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/7234/chicago_power_play_energy_company_pits_union_members_against_clean_air1/ | 2011-04-25 | 4left
| Chicago Power Play: Energy Company Pits Union Members Against Clean Air
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<p />
<p>Chicago's two archaic coal plants, including the Fisk plant in the city's Pilsen neighborhood, are blamed for causing premature death and asthma attacks. &#160; (Photo by Kari Lydersen)</p>
<p>CHICAGO—As a Chicago City Council committee last week <a href="http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/chicago-clean-power-ordinance-vote-put-off-in-city-council/" type="external">debated</a> a proposed ordinance that would force the city’s two coal-burning power plants to shut down or convert to cleaner-burning natural gas, the council chambers were packed with about 300 international electrical union (IBEW) members in blue shirts and “Save Our Jobs” stickers, some of them also wearing hard hats.</p>
<p>The union members, bused in from around the region, arrived early enough on April 21 to pack the chamber so that only a handful of supporters of the ordinance made it inside. During the seven-hour hearing, the workers cheered loudly at any praise of their employer, Midwest Generation, or testimony questioning the health impacts of pollution from the archaic coal plants.</p>
<p>Midwest Generation officials have frequently referred to the proposal as a “shut down” ordinance that would terminate 185 jobs at the two Chicago plants, along with contract building work by union tradesmen. Only about a fifth of the workers at the plants actually live in Chicago, the plant manager acknowledged.</p>
<p>City Alderman Joe Moore, the main sponsor of the ordinance, repeatedly stressed the fact that the proposal mandates retraining and retention policies to protect workers at the coal plants. Calling them “brothers and sisters,” he asked the union members to resist being manipulated by the company’s threats to close the plants.</p>
<p>Haven’t we heard this refrain time and time again? Shouldn’t we hear what they (company officials) have to say but not just accept it at face value? Challenge it a little? Get them to prove what they say is true?</p>
<p>He framed the ordinance as an opportunity to create new jobs, either in retrofitting the plants with extensive pollution control equipment or converting it to natural gas. Other proponents of the ordinance also said Midwest Generation, a subsidiary of Edison International, could divert its investments from the coal plants to clean energy production, including the wind farms it already has underway.</p>
<p>Dean Apple, president and business agent of IBEW Local 15, said wind farms create construction jobs, but few permanent positions. Apple said the union has had its disagreements with Midwest Generation, but they are approaching the proposed ordinance with a united front, seeing it as a battle about more than just the two plants.</p>
<p>“I would ask you guys to consider taking a long hard look at this, how it’s going to affect labor,” he told city council members. “We don’t need more unemployment. This not only affects the 200 people I represent at these two stations … if we do something here it will be a domino effect all over the state.”</p>
<p>He implied advocates attacking the coal-burning power plants might then set their sights on nuclear or wind power.</p>
<p>They’ll say we don’t even know what to do with our radioactive waste—let’s be honest, nationally we don’t know what to do with our spent fuel…And wind has drawbacks … I do live around the windmills … they’re being fought heavily now—they don’t want them anymore, they’re too loud, they have this flickering effect.</p>
<p>A representative of union building trade workers with contracts at the coal plants said 235,000 annual man-hours there would be lost if the plants closed. He said a third of his members are unemployed, and told stories of a woman needing to get divorced to access her benefits and a man moving in with his in-laws in shame—situations that had no direct link to the coal plants.</p>
<p>City Councilman James Balcer, who grew up near one of the plants, expressed concern about its health effects, but also seemed to become overwhelmed by the idea out-of-control environmental regulations could mean mass unemployment. After the city’s environment commissioner said construction equipment, cooking vents from restaurants and trucks are all major sources of air pollution, he said:</p>
<p>If we go through all these things, what will be left? Are we going to close all the restaurants? How will we build buildings? How will we have jobs? We have to look at people who are possibly getting sick and we also have to think about people’s jobs.</p>
<p>Proponents of the ordinance pointed to a study by the <a href="http://elpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/MidwestGenerationsUnpaidHealthBillsFormattedFinal.pdf" type="external">Environmental Law and Policy Center</a> linking the coal plants to $127 million in public health costs each year. The Services Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents Chicago healthcare workers, is a strong backer of the ordinance.</p>
<p>Danny Solis, the city councilman who represents the Pilsen neighborhood where one of the plants is located, pledged to support the ordinance under <a href="http://cleanpowerchicago.org/2011/03/14/ald-danny-solis-joins-with-seiu-to-back-clean-power-ordinance/" type="external">pressure from the SEIU</a>. (The SEIU state council endorsed his opponent in February elections, and then endorsed Solis in an April run-off election after he promised to back the Clean Power Ordinance.)</p>
<p>At the city council hearing last week, the IBEW union members found themselves on the same side as their frequent adversaries with the city and state chambers of commerce, who argue that local regulations create an “unstable business climate” and discourage businesses from locating in a city.</p>
<p>While Moore stressed his solidarity with organized labor, he expressed annoyance with business representatives echoing Midwest Generation’s contention that carbon dioxide and other pollutants should only be regulated by the federal government. Since Congress has failed to pass a climate bill, there are currently no federal limits on carbon dioxide.</p>
<p>“We can’t do things like this on a federal level because organizations like the US Chamber of Commerce lobby against it,” Moore said. “You can’t say these regulations should be done on a federal level and then lobby against them on the federal level. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”</p> | 1,477 |
<p>PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi woman believed to have ties to a street gang has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for her involvement in a 2015 kidnapping.</p>
<p>News outlets report 30-year-old Sherry Lynn Emile was sentenced Tuesday on one charge each of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Emile pleaded guilty to both in December.</p>
<p>The Sun Herald <a href="http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article196378704.html" type="external">reports</a> Emile and six others were charged with kidnapping a 30-year-old woman on July 24, 2015, and holding her bound with duct tape at a drug house in St. Martin.</p>
<p>All seven defendants prosecuted in connection to the crime are believed to have ties to the Simon City Royals street gang and have pleaded guilty.</p>
<p>One defendant was sentenced to 22 years in prison in July. Five others still await sentencing.</p>
<p>PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi woman believed to have ties to a street gang has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for her involvement in a 2015 kidnapping.</p>
<p>News outlets report 30-year-old Sherry Lynn Emile was sentenced Tuesday on one charge each of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Emile pleaded guilty to both in December.</p>
<p>The Sun Herald <a href="http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article196378704.html" type="external">reports</a> Emile and six others were charged with kidnapping a 30-year-old woman on July 24, 2015, and holding her bound with duct tape at a drug house in St. Martin.</p>
<p>All seven defendants prosecuted in connection to the crime are believed to have ties to the Simon City Royals street gang and have pleaded guilty.</p>
<p>One defendant was sentenced to 22 years in prison in July. Five others still await sentencing.</p> | Mississippi woman sentenced to 23 years for kidnapping | false | https://apnews.com/402a8be6b0be40cc9892d5173aad4afc | 2018-01-25 | 2least
| Mississippi woman sentenced to 23 years for kidnapping
<p>PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi woman believed to have ties to a street gang has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for her involvement in a 2015 kidnapping.</p>
<p>News outlets report 30-year-old Sherry Lynn Emile was sentenced Tuesday on one charge each of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Emile pleaded guilty to both in December.</p>
<p>The Sun Herald <a href="http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article196378704.html" type="external">reports</a> Emile and six others were charged with kidnapping a 30-year-old woman on July 24, 2015, and holding her bound with duct tape at a drug house in St. Martin.</p>
<p>All seven defendants prosecuted in connection to the crime are believed to have ties to the Simon City Royals street gang and have pleaded guilty.</p>
<p>One defendant was sentenced to 22 years in prison in July. Five others still await sentencing.</p>
<p>PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi woman believed to have ties to a street gang has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for her involvement in a 2015 kidnapping.</p>
<p>News outlets report 30-year-old Sherry Lynn Emile was sentenced Tuesday on one charge each of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Emile pleaded guilty to both in December.</p>
<p>The Sun Herald <a href="http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/crime/article196378704.html" type="external">reports</a> Emile and six others were charged with kidnapping a 30-year-old woman on July 24, 2015, and holding her bound with duct tape at a drug house in St. Martin.</p>
<p>All seven defendants prosecuted in connection to the crime are believed to have ties to the Simon City Royals street gang and have pleaded guilty.</p>
<p>One defendant was sentenced to 22 years in prison in July. Five others still await sentencing.</p> | 1,478 |
<p>Quebec political activist and intellectual, Pierre Bourgault was a man for whom politics and passion were woven from the same thread. The greatest orator that either Quebec or Canada produced of his generation, perhaps even of the century, he triggered the spark sending the province’s “Revolution tranquille” into turmoil and rage.</p>
<p>That so-called “Quiet Revolution” refers to the period of Quebec’s opening onto the outside world following a lengthy retreat. It may have been festering as far back as the colony’s failed aspiration to independence in the 1837-38 uprising. What otherwise remains certain is its ultimate culmination in Premier Maurice Duplessis’ democratic dictatorship. Duplessis seated his political power with the aid of the Catholic Church in a heady brew of nationalist protectionism. It took place at the cost of the Church’s dominance over the souls–and minds–of the former French colony. When he died in 1959, political and social liberty finally reached Quebec.</p>
<p>Among its offspring, the Rassemblement pour l’independance (RIN) was a festive sixties’ rendition of a two-century old dream: freedom of the French-Canadian nation from British subjection. Among its founding members, Pierre Bourgault set it ablaze with his fiery orations when assuming its leadership in 1964. He died on Monday, June 16, bequeathing a haze of some 3500 speeches left untranscribed. They hover ethereally over the French-speaking province’s claims to cultural and national distinction.</p>
<p>Bourgault was born in East Angus, Quebec on Jan. 23, 1934, and was educated by the Jesuits at College Jean de Brebeuf in Montreal. Like Louis Riel, another notable French-Canadian radical–albeit Metis–Bourgault initially considered becoming a priest. An atheist and homosexual, he became instead “Quebec’s official separatist icon: the standard against which others gauge their level of militancy”, as journalist Benoît Aubin once said of him.</p>
<p>If icons all feedback to archetypes, then Bourgault cast a Hamlet-like figure over Quebec politics. As the leader of a political party, he was the first to call out for Quebec independence in 1964. Four years later when de Gaulle uttered his fateful words on the balcony of Montreal City Hall, he was merely preaching to the converted.</p>
<p>Bourgault was especially the militant and intellectual to have ushered in his generation to the awareness that political reform in Quebec was akin to Third-World struggles against colonialism. Political reform could therefore only mean independence from the colonial Empire, represented in its later-day by the Canadian Federal Confederation. He took no short cuts to prove it. And the first victim was hope in the aspirations of the Quiet Revolution itself.</p>
<p>Quebec is the core of what was once called Nouvelle France: the land of the French Canadian nation. It was conquered by the British between the years of 1754 and 1763. The 1763 Treaty of Paris set the stage for France’s willed exclusion from the North American setting. In doing so it abandoned its settlers to a country which Jacques Godbout argues in his film The Fate of America really longed for ‘the village’–which is what the Iroquois meant by their word ‘Kanata’. With a fleet of seventy vessels and Iroquois warriors, Great Britain undertook a full-scale colonial invasion of Canada, capturing the fortress acropolis of Quebec in 1759. In addition to recently acquired Acadia, British North America then counted fifteen colonies. For the next two-hundred years the British either strived or yearned for the francophone population’s assimilation. This was the ghost haunting Bourgault’s nights, and the voice that became verse and rasp in his smoke-incensed larynx was its very own.</p>
<p>It was a voice that could stir a crowd into fury and outburst. Its pitch is said to have even frightened its player. When he approached the orator’s stage, Bourgault rubbed words together to spark fire. A lover of the French language, he also spoke English with a gentleman’s finesse. But he never forgot his stint in the Federal army in which every dictum had to be uttered in English.</p>
<p>A defining moment in the Quebec struggle for independence took shape in the infamous Saint-Jean Baptiste riot of 1968. Crowds gathered at the edge of Montreal’s Lafontaine Park to view the annual parade in honor of Quebec’s patron saint. Among them was the star of Trudeaumania, acting-Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, a homegrown product of the federal Liberal party running for his first election as head of state. Even more, it was the eve of a federal election held against a background of growing insurrection in Quebec. Trudeau, a staunch opponent of the ‘independantistes’ whom he had tainted in an article as “not social nationalists, but national socialists”, was favored to win. In his hometown, Trudeau’s appearance on national television meant to prove Quebec’s love for Confederation. Bourgault’s RIN had other ideas.</p>
<p>In one of the truly outstanding historical documentaries on Canada, Donald Brittain’s three-part The Champions, Bourgault is confronted to the filmmaker’s prodding questions. ‘Who organized the Saint-Jean-Baptiste riot?’ “I did,” responded Bourgault unequivocally. It was a night of frenzy rarely seen in Quebec, comparable only to “Samedi des Matraques” (Truncheon Saturday), a vicious police crackdown on demonstrators against Queen Elizabeth II’s 1964 visit to Quebec. Then, the police violence had occurred despite Bourgault’s call for restraint. In a furious speech, he had just called for Quebec to seek independence from Canada.</p>
<p>On June 24, 1968 Bourgault chose not to let history repeat itself. As the Molotov cocktails and bottles flew into the VIP grandstand, pelting the fleeing dignitaries, mounted police charged the thick crowd. Bourgault recounts how his people were spread about to seek both shelter and tilt the brewing passion of a youth swept up by the world student movement. Despite the police brutally and indiscriminate violence, Trudeau remained in his seat. In an evening meant to offer a heroic welcome, Bourgault handed his rival a hero’s stage.</p>
<p>Unbeknownst even to him, he had just signed Trudeau’s ticket to become the most influential politician in Canadian history. As for Bourgault himself, police spotted him immediately. First to be arrested and charged with inciting a riot, he was acquitted a week later.</p>
<p>Failing to get elected at the helms of the RIN, the project of Quebec’s future convinced Bourgault of the need to step back from the leadership. When another of Trudeau’s rivals, Rene Levesque’s Movement Souverainete-Association turned into a full-fledge party, the Parti Quebecois (PQ) in 1968, Bourgault dissolved the RIN. He called for his movement to rally to the new hopeful and work in haste for independence. Side-lined and feared by Levesque, Bourgault was still elected to the Party’s executive committee and never lost his vision of an independent Quebec based on humanist principles.</p>
<p>Under Levesque, the Parti Quebecois was first swept to power in the fall of 1976. It held the first referendum on Quebec independence in May 1980. Bourgault appeared as a commentator on the French-language national network, SRC (Societe Radio-Canada), on Referendum night. As the results streamed in against the Sovereignists, Bourgault showed another side of his impenitent passion. Unable to witness the defeat, he turned his back to humiliation and to the screen broadcasting the referendum results. Stupefied silence was the order of the day. He would next open his mouth only to call for Levesque’s ousting: “it’s with death in my soul to have to call for the resignation of the greatest statesman Quebec has ever produced”.</p>
<p>Always on the vanguard, he began writing an English-language column in the meantime for the arch-conservative Montreal daily, the Gazette. In doing so, he entered the lion’s den. “A shouting match is better than the dreadful silence that sows distrust between partners and turns true friends into enemies,” is how he explained his move. To this day, the Gazette has been rabidly opposed to French Canadian nationalism and has always interpreted Quebec politics through the attenuating spectrum of Anglo-Saxon rights. And when the Brits left the land subsequent to the 1976 PQ victory, the newspaper then increased its font to include ethic English-speakers.</p>
<p>Bourgault’s essays dealt with issues of civilization, morality and critical thought. In a piece from May 1982, he wrote of the racism expressed toward Quebec’s fleet of Haitian taxi drivers. “It is almost natural to be born a racist,” he wrote. Only to challenge his readers: “It’s a crime to remain one.”</p>
<p>With his fine intellectual’s eye, oratory wit and communicator’s heart, it was no wonder that the next major PQ leader after Rene Levesque, Mr. Jacques Parizeau, sought his services as political ‘communications’ advisor. Yet the hamlet would soon overwhelm the village. At first, Bourgault was damned for preaching sedition: “If a vast majority of franco-Quebecers vote Yes and are prevented from (becoming sovereign) because the English vote against, then it’s a dangerous situation.” Then he shamed by lashing out at Quebec’s minorities: “It is the Jews, the Italians and the Greeks who cast an ethnic vote. It is they who are racist, not us. They have only one objective, to block (sovereignists). To win a referendum we will have to do like them: an ethnic vote!” Premier Parizeau could only repeat Bourgault’s verdict when learning of defeat in the 1995 referendum by less than one percent. It still remains that “money and the ethnic vote” did indeed block an overwhelming majority of Quebecois from winning their referendum. He was at his most Hamlet-like in the tone of his resignation from government advisory functions: “I have become an embarrassment to my allies. Since the sovereignist cause comes above all else and I can no longer serve it correctly, I am definitely quitting the political scene and leave others, no doubt more able and efficient than I, the care of defending and promoting (sovereignty).” Few however will be able to speak so strikingly from where it made collective sense to seek historical retribution.</p>
<p>As if in a morality tale, when Quebec finally rid itself of the Catholic Church’s paternalism and weaned itself from a corrupt democracy in the early sixties, it awoke to a world in which its language and culture were immediately made vulnerable. Numbering less than 4 million at the time and with the specter of fully anglicized New Orleans as a nearby memo, the ‘French-Canadians’ had cause to worry.</p>
<p>Under the dominance of Anglo-Saxon industrialists and financiers, its people were as undereducated and unskilled as Blacks and Natives even for the 1960s’ work force. As Jean Lesage’s provincial government took office in 1960 it implemented an urgent plan to modernize the province. It had to prepare a work force to confront the Anglo-American system that had dominated it for decades. This preparation would bear its fruit with the flight of Anglo business in the late-1970s, petrified by the prospect of a ‘French’ take-over. Quebecois men could now strive for more than to be priests and school teachers, and young women began streaming through the university doors.</p>
<p>The most ambitious step in the public transformation of Quebec into French came with the enactment of Law 101, the French Language Charter, in 1977. French became de facto the official language of the province–just as Canada as a whole was going through the strokes of becoming bilingual. For all its brilliant accomplishments, the PQ’s work on rallying immigrants to the just cause of Quebec independence has been the major obstacle to fulfilling its historical project.</p>
<p>The quality of Quebec’s intellectuals has often balked at convincing the stubbornness of the other. At the same time, many intellectuals have all too easily embraced the myth of the American and French republics as if seeking remoteness from the British system at any cost and irrespective of the government in charge. In that, they submit to the attraction most often exerted by the southern neighbor onto Quebec’s immigrant populations and their offspring. Locked in a blind spot, the two persuasions have not met.</p>
<p>Bourgault’s column in the 1980s for the Montreal Gazette was a rare glance given to Anglo readers of the level of intellectual debate occurring just across the language divide–if only they would learn the province’s official language. As the son of Hungarian political refugees, I was often uncertain where to stand on the provincial national issue. Bourgault’s writings and speeches were instrumental for lifting Quebec out of the provincialism of the debate as depicted by the Gazette as well as by many French Canadian federal politicians eking out a living in Ottawa. He placed its struggle on a broader world-historical plane. As such he wrote and spoke like a comet, or a shining star, an artist/radical who made revolt crystal clear by painstakingly polishing its essence: words that when uttered have the character to shape the common good and collective will.</p>
<p>In 1980 he spoke as if today: “I will walk no longer.”</p>
<p>NORMAN MADARASZ, born and raised in Montreal as a ‘bilingual allophone’, teaches and writes on philosophy and international relations in Rio de Janeiro. He welcomes comments at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Pierre Bourgault, the Life of a Quebec Radical | true | https://counterpunch.org/2003/06/20/pierre-bourgault-the-life-of-a-quebec-radical/ | 2003-06-20 | 4left
| Pierre Bourgault, the Life of a Quebec Radical
<p>Quebec political activist and intellectual, Pierre Bourgault was a man for whom politics and passion were woven from the same thread. The greatest orator that either Quebec or Canada produced of his generation, perhaps even of the century, he triggered the spark sending the province’s “Revolution tranquille” into turmoil and rage.</p>
<p>That so-called “Quiet Revolution” refers to the period of Quebec’s opening onto the outside world following a lengthy retreat. It may have been festering as far back as the colony’s failed aspiration to independence in the 1837-38 uprising. What otherwise remains certain is its ultimate culmination in Premier Maurice Duplessis’ democratic dictatorship. Duplessis seated his political power with the aid of the Catholic Church in a heady brew of nationalist protectionism. It took place at the cost of the Church’s dominance over the souls–and minds–of the former French colony. When he died in 1959, political and social liberty finally reached Quebec.</p>
<p>Among its offspring, the Rassemblement pour l’independance (RIN) was a festive sixties’ rendition of a two-century old dream: freedom of the French-Canadian nation from British subjection. Among its founding members, Pierre Bourgault set it ablaze with his fiery orations when assuming its leadership in 1964. He died on Monday, June 16, bequeathing a haze of some 3500 speeches left untranscribed. They hover ethereally over the French-speaking province’s claims to cultural and national distinction.</p>
<p>Bourgault was born in East Angus, Quebec on Jan. 23, 1934, and was educated by the Jesuits at College Jean de Brebeuf in Montreal. Like Louis Riel, another notable French-Canadian radical–albeit Metis–Bourgault initially considered becoming a priest. An atheist and homosexual, he became instead “Quebec’s official separatist icon: the standard against which others gauge their level of militancy”, as journalist Benoît Aubin once said of him.</p>
<p>If icons all feedback to archetypes, then Bourgault cast a Hamlet-like figure over Quebec politics. As the leader of a political party, he was the first to call out for Quebec independence in 1964. Four years later when de Gaulle uttered his fateful words on the balcony of Montreal City Hall, he was merely preaching to the converted.</p>
<p>Bourgault was especially the militant and intellectual to have ushered in his generation to the awareness that political reform in Quebec was akin to Third-World struggles against colonialism. Political reform could therefore only mean independence from the colonial Empire, represented in its later-day by the Canadian Federal Confederation. He took no short cuts to prove it. And the first victim was hope in the aspirations of the Quiet Revolution itself.</p>
<p>Quebec is the core of what was once called Nouvelle France: the land of the French Canadian nation. It was conquered by the British between the years of 1754 and 1763. The 1763 Treaty of Paris set the stage for France’s willed exclusion from the North American setting. In doing so it abandoned its settlers to a country which Jacques Godbout argues in his film The Fate of America really longed for ‘the village’–which is what the Iroquois meant by their word ‘Kanata’. With a fleet of seventy vessels and Iroquois warriors, Great Britain undertook a full-scale colonial invasion of Canada, capturing the fortress acropolis of Quebec in 1759. In addition to recently acquired Acadia, British North America then counted fifteen colonies. For the next two-hundred years the British either strived or yearned for the francophone population’s assimilation. This was the ghost haunting Bourgault’s nights, and the voice that became verse and rasp in his smoke-incensed larynx was its very own.</p>
<p>It was a voice that could stir a crowd into fury and outburst. Its pitch is said to have even frightened its player. When he approached the orator’s stage, Bourgault rubbed words together to spark fire. A lover of the French language, he also spoke English with a gentleman’s finesse. But he never forgot his stint in the Federal army in which every dictum had to be uttered in English.</p>
<p>A defining moment in the Quebec struggle for independence took shape in the infamous Saint-Jean Baptiste riot of 1968. Crowds gathered at the edge of Montreal’s Lafontaine Park to view the annual parade in honor of Quebec’s patron saint. Among them was the star of Trudeaumania, acting-Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, a homegrown product of the federal Liberal party running for his first election as head of state. Even more, it was the eve of a federal election held against a background of growing insurrection in Quebec. Trudeau, a staunch opponent of the ‘independantistes’ whom he had tainted in an article as “not social nationalists, but national socialists”, was favored to win. In his hometown, Trudeau’s appearance on national television meant to prove Quebec’s love for Confederation. Bourgault’s RIN had other ideas.</p>
<p>In one of the truly outstanding historical documentaries on Canada, Donald Brittain’s three-part The Champions, Bourgault is confronted to the filmmaker’s prodding questions. ‘Who organized the Saint-Jean-Baptiste riot?’ “I did,” responded Bourgault unequivocally. It was a night of frenzy rarely seen in Quebec, comparable only to “Samedi des Matraques” (Truncheon Saturday), a vicious police crackdown on demonstrators against Queen Elizabeth II’s 1964 visit to Quebec. Then, the police violence had occurred despite Bourgault’s call for restraint. In a furious speech, he had just called for Quebec to seek independence from Canada.</p>
<p>On June 24, 1968 Bourgault chose not to let history repeat itself. As the Molotov cocktails and bottles flew into the VIP grandstand, pelting the fleeing dignitaries, mounted police charged the thick crowd. Bourgault recounts how his people were spread about to seek both shelter and tilt the brewing passion of a youth swept up by the world student movement. Despite the police brutally and indiscriminate violence, Trudeau remained in his seat. In an evening meant to offer a heroic welcome, Bourgault handed his rival a hero’s stage.</p>
<p>Unbeknownst even to him, he had just signed Trudeau’s ticket to become the most influential politician in Canadian history. As for Bourgault himself, police spotted him immediately. First to be arrested and charged with inciting a riot, he was acquitted a week later.</p>
<p>Failing to get elected at the helms of the RIN, the project of Quebec’s future convinced Bourgault of the need to step back from the leadership. When another of Trudeau’s rivals, Rene Levesque’s Movement Souverainete-Association turned into a full-fledge party, the Parti Quebecois (PQ) in 1968, Bourgault dissolved the RIN. He called for his movement to rally to the new hopeful and work in haste for independence. Side-lined and feared by Levesque, Bourgault was still elected to the Party’s executive committee and never lost his vision of an independent Quebec based on humanist principles.</p>
<p>Under Levesque, the Parti Quebecois was first swept to power in the fall of 1976. It held the first referendum on Quebec independence in May 1980. Bourgault appeared as a commentator on the French-language national network, SRC (Societe Radio-Canada), on Referendum night. As the results streamed in against the Sovereignists, Bourgault showed another side of his impenitent passion. Unable to witness the defeat, he turned his back to humiliation and to the screen broadcasting the referendum results. Stupefied silence was the order of the day. He would next open his mouth only to call for Levesque’s ousting: “it’s with death in my soul to have to call for the resignation of the greatest statesman Quebec has ever produced”.</p>
<p>Always on the vanguard, he began writing an English-language column in the meantime for the arch-conservative Montreal daily, the Gazette. In doing so, he entered the lion’s den. “A shouting match is better than the dreadful silence that sows distrust between partners and turns true friends into enemies,” is how he explained his move. To this day, the Gazette has been rabidly opposed to French Canadian nationalism and has always interpreted Quebec politics through the attenuating spectrum of Anglo-Saxon rights. And when the Brits left the land subsequent to the 1976 PQ victory, the newspaper then increased its font to include ethic English-speakers.</p>
<p>Bourgault’s essays dealt with issues of civilization, morality and critical thought. In a piece from May 1982, he wrote of the racism expressed toward Quebec’s fleet of Haitian taxi drivers. “It is almost natural to be born a racist,” he wrote. Only to challenge his readers: “It’s a crime to remain one.”</p>
<p>With his fine intellectual’s eye, oratory wit and communicator’s heart, it was no wonder that the next major PQ leader after Rene Levesque, Mr. Jacques Parizeau, sought his services as political ‘communications’ advisor. Yet the hamlet would soon overwhelm the village. At first, Bourgault was damned for preaching sedition: “If a vast majority of franco-Quebecers vote Yes and are prevented from (becoming sovereign) because the English vote against, then it’s a dangerous situation.” Then he shamed by lashing out at Quebec’s minorities: “It is the Jews, the Italians and the Greeks who cast an ethnic vote. It is they who are racist, not us. They have only one objective, to block (sovereignists). To win a referendum we will have to do like them: an ethnic vote!” Premier Parizeau could only repeat Bourgault’s verdict when learning of defeat in the 1995 referendum by less than one percent. It still remains that “money and the ethnic vote” did indeed block an overwhelming majority of Quebecois from winning their referendum. He was at his most Hamlet-like in the tone of his resignation from government advisory functions: “I have become an embarrassment to my allies. Since the sovereignist cause comes above all else and I can no longer serve it correctly, I am definitely quitting the political scene and leave others, no doubt more able and efficient than I, the care of defending and promoting (sovereignty).” Few however will be able to speak so strikingly from where it made collective sense to seek historical retribution.</p>
<p>As if in a morality tale, when Quebec finally rid itself of the Catholic Church’s paternalism and weaned itself from a corrupt democracy in the early sixties, it awoke to a world in which its language and culture were immediately made vulnerable. Numbering less than 4 million at the time and with the specter of fully anglicized New Orleans as a nearby memo, the ‘French-Canadians’ had cause to worry.</p>
<p>Under the dominance of Anglo-Saxon industrialists and financiers, its people were as undereducated and unskilled as Blacks and Natives even for the 1960s’ work force. As Jean Lesage’s provincial government took office in 1960 it implemented an urgent plan to modernize the province. It had to prepare a work force to confront the Anglo-American system that had dominated it for decades. This preparation would bear its fruit with the flight of Anglo business in the late-1970s, petrified by the prospect of a ‘French’ take-over. Quebecois men could now strive for more than to be priests and school teachers, and young women began streaming through the university doors.</p>
<p>The most ambitious step in the public transformation of Quebec into French came with the enactment of Law 101, the French Language Charter, in 1977. French became de facto the official language of the province–just as Canada as a whole was going through the strokes of becoming bilingual. For all its brilliant accomplishments, the PQ’s work on rallying immigrants to the just cause of Quebec independence has been the major obstacle to fulfilling its historical project.</p>
<p>The quality of Quebec’s intellectuals has often balked at convincing the stubbornness of the other. At the same time, many intellectuals have all too easily embraced the myth of the American and French republics as if seeking remoteness from the British system at any cost and irrespective of the government in charge. In that, they submit to the attraction most often exerted by the southern neighbor onto Quebec’s immigrant populations and their offspring. Locked in a blind spot, the two persuasions have not met.</p>
<p>Bourgault’s column in the 1980s for the Montreal Gazette was a rare glance given to Anglo readers of the level of intellectual debate occurring just across the language divide–if only they would learn the province’s official language. As the son of Hungarian political refugees, I was often uncertain where to stand on the provincial national issue. Bourgault’s writings and speeches were instrumental for lifting Quebec out of the provincialism of the debate as depicted by the Gazette as well as by many French Canadian federal politicians eking out a living in Ottawa. He placed its struggle on a broader world-historical plane. As such he wrote and spoke like a comet, or a shining star, an artist/radical who made revolt crystal clear by painstakingly polishing its essence: words that when uttered have the character to shape the common good and collective will.</p>
<p>In 1980 he spoke as if today: “I will walk no longer.”</p>
<p>NORMAN MADARASZ, born and raised in Montreal as a ‘bilingual allophone’, teaches and writes on philosophy and international relations in Rio de Janeiro. He welcomes comments at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 1,479 |
<p>Photo by Mike Maguire | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>In a recent interview,&#160;journalist Luke Harding failed to substantiate the central thesis – indeed, the title – of his bestselling book,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win</a>. That Putin “helped Trump win” is&#160;prima facie&#160;plausible, but what is the empirical evidence? Aaron Maté subjected Harding’s lurid argument – that the Kremlin began cultivating Trump decades ago in order to “hack” an election – to incisive scrutiny. The result, as Harding’s reddening cheeks revealed, was embarrassing.</p>
<p>It would be unfair to single Harding out for asserting without much evidence that Russia catapulted a Putin stooge into the White House. Maté is, in fact, an outlier for maintaining a healthy skepticism about this story (a “collusion rejectionist,” in Harding’s phrase). Indeed, the specter of collusion has been so consuming a journalistic obsession it has distracted from the GOP’s assaults on the environment, the working poor, and global peace.</p>
<p>The Democratic Party too has become captivated by the fantasy that collusion will someday be not only proven but somehow sufficient to oust the President from the Oval Office. It is not obvious how this Russian cloud – increasingly black, but persistently insubstantial – might produce enough rain to wash the Trump era away, nor whether President Pence is a ray of sunshine worth hoping for. Journalists, Democrats, and concerned Americans would be prudent to reconsider not only the evidence, but the&#160;politics&#160;of such wishful thinking.</p>
<p>Try, if you can, to enter into the perspective of an ordinary Michigander who voted for Trump, but is persuadable that he should not do so again. Voters of this sort are relatively rare – but decisive. Joe Michigan likely worries deeply about ballooning health care costs and stagnant wages, but very little about Vladimir Putin. Joe is understandably unlikely to be convinced that foreign agents clandestinely caused&#160;him&#160;to vote for Trump. Nevertheless, suppose he is open to the collusion narrative, and that a latent patriotism gives him pause when he ponders it. Though sporadically attentive to politics, he can plainly sense that the Democrats and media hold Trump in palpable disdain, that they are confidently issuing disturbing accusations against the President, and that they expect this story will finally – and gloriously – bring down our Twitter Tyrant.</p>
<p>Now consider this: What if Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation concludes that Trump was not directly implicated in misconduct? What if Mueller announces that collusion never occurred? What will Joe from Michigan – and millions like him – think then?</p>
<p>If that is how things play out, Trump will not only appear vindicated, but victorious over partisan opponents and “Fake News.” It will inflate his brand as a populist strongman defying liberal elites who do not respect the will of Red America. Many will view him as a fearless leader weathering a tempest conjured by “globalist” forces to sink him and his movement.</p>
<p>He will seem what he desperately wishes to be: a winner. His ego and reelection chances will swell. Blindsided Democrats will be left directionless. The news industry’s credibility will collapse, perhaps irreversibly. And should Trump commit impeachable offenses later, it will be profoundly challenging to persuade conservatives and moderates that&#160;this time&#160;the case against him is real.</p>
<p>It is not merely strategically ill-advised – it is politically harrowing&#160;– for Democrats to put all their eggs in one Russian basket. Fortunately, there are many better baskets to choose from.</p>
<p>Donald Trump is deeply unpopular. Congressional Republicans are even more widely loathed. On important issues – taxation, entitlements, the minimum wage, climate change – progressive policies are vastly more popular than conservative ones. The GOP is utterly dominant at all levels of politics, but in many ways it is weak. If the Democratic Party is remotely competent, it should be able to take power easily in this environment. But competence requires keeping it together under pressure.</p>
<p>In 2016, the Democrats lost to the guy from&#160;The Apprentice. To the extent that the collusion narrative displaces blame for that embarrassment to a foreign adversary, it also inhibits the left’s ability to correct past mistakes and seize present opportunities. Fortunately, the resistance need not make its political fortunes dependent on the findings of an unpredictable investigation, nor on the claims of hyperventilating reporters.</p>
<p>We must wait to see what Mueller’s team comes up with. In the meantime, Democrats should present a bold, progressive vision to the American people that addresses the working class’s material concerns and offers an optimistic alternative to the GOP’s dark politics.</p> | The Russia Thing | true | https://counterpunch.org/2018/01/08/the-russia-thing/ | 2018-01-08 | 4left
| The Russia Thing
<p>Photo by Mike Maguire | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>In a recent interview,&#160;journalist Luke Harding failed to substantiate the central thesis – indeed, the title – of his bestselling book,&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win</a>. That Putin “helped Trump win” is&#160;prima facie&#160;plausible, but what is the empirical evidence? Aaron Maté subjected Harding’s lurid argument – that the Kremlin began cultivating Trump decades ago in order to “hack” an election – to incisive scrutiny. The result, as Harding’s reddening cheeks revealed, was embarrassing.</p>
<p>It would be unfair to single Harding out for asserting without much evidence that Russia catapulted a Putin stooge into the White House. Maté is, in fact, an outlier for maintaining a healthy skepticism about this story (a “collusion rejectionist,” in Harding’s phrase). Indeed, the specter of collusion has been so consuming a journalistic obsession it has distracted from the GOP’s assaults on the environment, the working poor, and global peace.</p>
<p>The Democratic Party too has become captivated by the fantasy that collusion will someday be not only proven but somehow sufficient to oust the President from the Oval Office. It is not obvious how this Russian cloud – increasingly black, but persistently insubstantial – might produce enough rain to wash the Trump era away, nor whether President Pence is a ray of sunshine worth hoping for. Journalists, Democrats, and concerned Americans would be prudent to reconsider not only the evidence, but the&#160;politics&#160;of such wishful thinking.</p>
<p>Try, if you can, to enter into the perspective of an ordinary Michigander who voted for Trump, but is persuadable that he should not do so again. Voters of this sort are relatively rare – but decisive. Joe Michigan likely worries deeply about ballooning health care costs and stagnant wages, but very little about Vladimir Putin. Joe is understandably unlikely to be convinced that foreign agents clandestinely caused&#160;him&#160;to vote for Trump. Nevertheless, suppose he is open to the collusion narrative, and that a latent patriotism gives him pause when he ponders it. Though sporadically attentive to politics, he can plainly sense that the Democrats and media hold Trump in palpable disdain, that they are confidently issuing disturbing accusations against the President, and that they expect this story will finally – and gloriously – bring down our Twitter Tyrant.</p>
<p>Now consider this: What if Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation concludes that Trump was not directly implicated in misconduct? What if Mueller announces that collusion never occurred? What will Joe from Michigan – and millions like him – think then?</p>
<p>If that is how things play out, Trump will not only appear vindicated, but victorious over partisan opponents and “Fake News.” It will inflate his brand as a populist strongman defying liberal elites who do not respect the will of Red America. Many will view him as a fearless leader weathering a tempest conjured by “globalist” forces to sink him and his movement.</p>
<p>He will seem what he desperately wishes to be: a winner. His ego and reelection chances will swell. Blindsided Democrats will be left directionless. The news industry’s credibility will collapse, perhaps irreversibly. And should Trump commit impeachable offenses later, it will be profoundly challenging to persuade conservatives and moderates that&#160;this time&#160;the case against him is real.</p>
<p>It is not merely strategically ill-advised – it is politically harrowing&#160;– for Democrats to put all their eggs in one Russian basket. Fortunately, there are many better baskets to choose from.</p>
<p>Donald Trump is deeply unpopular. Congressional Republicans are even more widely loathed. On important issues – taxation, entitlements, the minimum wage, climate change – progressive policies are vastly more popular than conservative ones. The GOP is utterly dominant at all levels of politics, but in many ways it is weak. If the Democratic Party is remotely competent, it should be able to take power easily in this environment. But competence requires keeping it together under pressure.</p>
<p>In 2016, the Democrats lost to the guy from&#160;The Apprentice. To the extent that the collusion narrative displaces blame for that embarrassment to a foreign adversary, it also inhibits the left’s ability to correct past mistakes and seize present opportunities. Fortunately, the resistance need not make its political fortunes dependent on the findings of an unpredictable investigation, nor on the claims of hyperventilating reporters.</p>
<p>We must wait to see what Mueller’s team comes up with. In the meantime, Democrats should present a bold, progressive vision to the American people that addresses the working class’s material concerns and offers an optimistic alternative to the GOP’s dark politics.</p> | 1,480 |
<p>Pre-industrial European societies, for the most part, didn’t conceive of time in the abstract as a&#160; <a href="" type="internal">scarce commodity</a>&#160;that indicated when to work and when not, but as an elastic measure embedded in social relations. The seasons determined work: as daylight waned in winter so too did toil. When spring arrived the farm tools awoke from their slumber in the shed and, with human muscle, greeted the soil for another season. As the centuries rolled on, merchants increasingly convinced the peasants to take in supplementary work and gradually the peasants emerged as proto-proles gaining skills and spending more time producing for a trader than tending their patch. Their new work, following their former practice, was not measured in equal time units per day, but was approached causally between days of idleness with friends and family, until the impending arrival of the merchant when, in a fit of feverishness, their order was completed.</p>
<p>When the merchants evolved into industrialists, cottage production collapsed and factories arose and the industrialists adopted the premise that time, along with their new wage slaves, had to be enclosed. They had to set the pace of work and the worker had to succumb to the domination of the clock and its relentless rhythm. Nothing indicates the defeat of the working class more than the insidious, and superfluously termed, time-clock, which when punched affixed an invisible shackle to the workers.</p>
<p>The labor unions endorsed this shackle when they accepted the state franchise to control the laboring masses. As Benjamin Hunnicutt records in&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Free Time</a>&#160;the last time the US came close to reducing the eight hour day to six – to spread work around during the Depression – Roosevelt failed to sign legislation passed by Congress. Thereafter the unions, knowing the limits of their franchise, never again broached the length of the workday and negotiated over wages and pensions as acceptable gains from rising productivity.</p>
<p>Subservience to the ruling class and their control of production repudiates the vision Hunnicutt discusses of the “other”&#160; <a href="http://www.ztangi.org/a-movement-to-free-time/" type="external">American Dream</a>:</p>
<p>The most noteworthy champion of this other American Dream was Walt Whitman, who extolled the purpose of the American experiment to create a “higher progress.” Whitman envisioned American history as a three-stage phenomenon. The first stage was to wrest control of the political process, the second was to develop the economic engine as a basis for the last stage, the “higher progress” stage, which consisted of a free people molding a culture to reflect the best in themselves and their highest goals. It was in this stage that every village and town would have a vibrant arts community and an educational enterprise to rival the European universities.</p>
<p>Whitman’s last stage, the “higher progress” stage, required popular control of time – that is, the reduction of working hours – made possible by the gains in productivity of the second stage. The prerequisite of culture is time, which in turn needs a “politics of time” to formulate a democratic agenda to put production in the service of social goals, beyond the economic ones we are currently addicted to.</p>
<p>David Frayne in his new book&#160; <a href="" type="internal">The Refusal of Work</a>&#160;interrogates the dogma of work:</p>
<p>In an age of material abundance, it seems that there is a troubling disparity between our desire for the good life and capitalism’s narrower focus on the constant expansion of production and consumption. What most people crave is more free-time and a greater investment in the social aspects of life, but a growing awareness of this fact has done very little to upset the mainstream political agenda.</p>
<p>Frayne interviews in the last half of his book a number of British work resistors. They detail how their lives have improved after reducing their hours of work or, in some cases, avoiding work altogether. What we glean from these interviews is culture creation on the micro, individual, level. Some write, others make music and all of them cultivate their unique creativity.</p>
<p>For decades Andre Gorz, a French intellectual, supported a radical reduction of work and agitated for a “ <a href="" type="internal">politics of time</a>.” Frayne conveys Gorz importance:</p>
<p>For Gorz, an understanding of work’s negative effects has to involve an appreciation of the broader ways in which work dominates our everyday lives. The forgotten struggle of the Left, which Gorz represents, is for the right of workers to lead rich and interesting lives outside of work. As a writer and social critic, his main commitment was to the right of each person to his or her autonomous self-development. (The Refusal, p. 35)</p>
<p>Reducing the workday is the reformist demand of a politics of time – the minimal program, not the radical program, not the revolutionary core of a politics of time. The core demand is to abolish work as the organizing principle of society. This means that while individual self-development is the starting point, it is not the end point of a politics of time. For Gorz the idea is to seize time precisely to question the nature of work and transform it, or abolish it, as the case may be. In other words, justice not economics matters. Gorz is explicit about this:</p>
<p>One of the functions of a politics of time is precisely to share out savings in working time following principles not of economic rationality but of justice. These savings are the work of society as a whole. The political task is to redistribute them on the scale of society as a whole so that each man and woman can benefit from them. (Critique, p. 191)</p>
<p>The goal is to create citizenship based on all members of society participating in the ongoing – and useful – work of society. If we understand that the really useful work would be reduced significantly, then we can see that an obligation to do that work would entail a minimum expenditure of time – Gorz speculates a few hours a week. For Gorz useful work would encompass the arts, today seen as superfluous, unless commodified, in total contradiction to previous societies.</p>
<p>Eva Swidler’s “ <a href="" type="internal">Radical Leisure</a>” in the June, 2016 issue of Monthly Review covers some of the same ground presented here regarding resistance to work and the fight to reclaim time. Swindler extends the argument against work by theorizing the psycho-social side of reducing the time devoted to work – what she calls “the leisure ethic.” The leisure ethic historically refers to the pre-capitalist practice, as mentioned above, of balancing work with time for activities with family, friends and the larger community. Swindler refers to a range of passive-aggressive actions that today she considers remnants of the leisure ethic – loafing, absenteeism, and addiction – that bosses would like to stamp out. I find it odd that Swindle, and Frayne, never mention&#160; <a href="http://www.iww.org/history/library/Flynn/Sabotage" type="external">sabotage</a>&#160;as an effective anti-work practice and by far a more righteous weapon to support the leisure ethic.</p>
<p>While Swidler has no illusions about the feeble legacy of the leisure ethic in the face of capitalist repression and the commodification of leisure time, she does have an interesting suggestion on reviving it. Swidler notes the current interest in the commons and especially what she calls the “cultural commons” – “the elements of social life that we (often unthinkingly) share, from cuisine to language to street fashion.”</p>
<p>Swidler further integrates the cultural commons, and elements of it that resonate with shared political assumptions, to the public sphere:</p>
<p>Without vital public spheres and cultures, leisure is unattractive. . . . An alternate, collective, social world must co-exist with our work worlds, to provide an alternate home, an alternate web of connections, an alternate identity, an alternate constellation of values, activities, and purposes, even alternate markings of time.</p>
<p>Reciprocity, Swidler maintains, must exist between public spheres and a leisure ethic. In other words – “no time, no culture.” Swidler argues, as does Frayne, that shortening working hours will revive the leisure ethic, which will resuscitate the public sphere and subsequently expand the commons. But Swidler, unlike Frayne, stops short of calling for basic income. She falls back on the notion that the working class, as the inheritor of the 19th century struggle for the Eight Hour Day, is the sole source for demanding shorter hours today. It can be argued, however, that today’s working class little resembles the 20th century working class, let alone the one that existed 150 years ago.</p>
<p>Frayne, on the other hand, in his endorsement of basic income, seems to harbor no belief that the working class will carry this banner. He has a more diffused expectation of how basic income will be achieved. And being European, his view may be legitimate as basic income is moving into mainstream policy discourse across Europe – soon several countries will be instituting social experiments to develop policy proposals.</p>
<p>In the US, the idea of basic income is at best a marginal preoccupation of some Silicon Valley&#160; <a href="https://blog.ycombinator.com/basic-income" type="external">denizens</a>, though recently Andrew Stern, the former president of the multimillion strong Service Employees International Union, endorsed it in his book&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Raising the Floor</a>.</p>
<p>In Swidler’s perspective, mobilizing a social movement for the reduction of working hours entails a grand alliance between environmental/commons activists and labor. She has in mind for this alliance the Fight for Fifteen workers and their allies who are today’s labor movement. The details of how to turn around a semi-successful campaign for higher wages (and a demand capitalists are accustomed too) to one that attacks the very heart of capitalist control of the workday are missing from Swidler’s analysis.</p>
<p>Swidler concludes her essay by shifting into the high gear of radical rhetoric:</p>
<p>Whether that agenda is framed as a rational plea for a steady-state economy or as an apocalyptic battle against the cancerous imperative of growth, it must address the reality that the planet requires both a new economic system and a drastic reduction of material production, which means a drastic reduction in work.</p>
<p>This last statement is problematic given that the introduction of AI in manufacturing threatens to expand production with fewer workers. And if we believe the digital visionaries, production can be divorced from unsustainable growth using eco-friendly energy sources and recyclable materials, etc. Notwithstanding, employment will continue to decline while population grows, at least for a few decades according to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">recent projections</a>. The enormity of the project Swidler outlined here demands a perspective beyond the hope that environmentalists recognize the history of labor’s resistance to work. Earlier in her essay, she castigates academics for ignoring work resistance and, importantly, for their failure –</p>
<p>. . . to appreciate the necessity of an ongoing community outside the workplace to advance an alternative to a world consumed by work. Rarely experiencing membership in such an external community themselves, they cannot imagine its centrality to breaking the stranglehold of laboring.</p>
<p>Swidler doesn’t expand this reference later in her essay and we are left to think that she is referring to pre-figurative models of cultural creation that struggle to survive on the fringes of modern capitalism. A&#160; <a href="http://thenextsystem.org/mousai_house_cooperative_vision_for_a_new_creative_economy/" type="external">recent report</a>&#160;on such a model in Washington, D.C., and its fight against gentrification, seems to reflect Swidler’s notion of an “ongoing community outside of the workplace.” It is perfectly reasonable to say that this project – to create a grassroots music school – is an effort by the working class to expand its creative potential beyond the workplace. However, this and a multitude of similar projects are not focused on direct workplace agitation. The residents of D.C. developing their venue for music don’t appear to identify as workers (or as “cultural workers”) but as musicians, as artists. They are similar in this respect to those work resistors Frayne interviews.</p>
<p>Class society is the context in which efforts to develop cultural commons takes place and if we recognize that that reality is submerged when protagonists assume roles that traditionally privilege individuals as painters, as musicians or as authors, then we need to rethink class structure. How do we situate marginally “professional” artists within today’s class structure?</p>
<p>Guy Standing, author of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">The Precariat Charter</a>, refers to a growing category of the proletariat working precariously (part-time, full-time but w/o a contract, free-lancing, hustling contraband and so forth) as the precariat. The precariat encompasses most of the bullshit jobs that David Graeber rants against even though that category extends to many relatively secure professional positions or salaried jobs. And the precariat applies to immigrant labor, though their legal status puts them in an ultra-precarious situation.</p>
<p>The point of reconfiguring the class structure for the 21st century is to clarify which part of the working population is most amenable to radically resisting work, most willing to go beyond simply shortening hours (this is the sector already doing part-time work at probably several locations), the sector most attuned to environmental degradations, most suspicious of electoral efforts and most involved in volunteer work. This is the precariat. This therefore is the sector of the “working class” most receptive to reviving Swidler’s leisure ethic. But what is the program that creates a grand front for radical leisure?</p>
<p>The over-riding demand of a politics of time, as we have seen, is to separate income from jobs by instituting universal basic income. In terms of strategy, however, the precariat needs to gain control of labor just as the industrial workers intended to do by forming labor unions. (That promise was betrayed by union leaders who pursued “business unionism” and upended by capitalists who globalized the workforce in a race to the bottom.) Today, gaining control of labor may be accomplished by adopting a version of the old union practice of hiring halls. The building trades still have these, as do some hotel worker unions. And this is the strategy of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">work centers</a>&#160;where hiring takes place under the supervision of the workforce. A new strategy to seize privatized platforms like Uber and Mechanical Turk by&#160; <a href="http://level.interpreters.coop/platform-coop/getting-even-more-specific-about-a-platform-co-op-for-translators/#more-582" type="external">cooperative structures</a>&#160;follows this same course – the workforce controls the job assignments by controlling the platform.</p>
<p>Frayne concludes his book by asserting the positive benefits of utopianism:</p>
<p>The point of utopian thinking is to remind us that there are always ways of doing things differently; it prompts us to assemble something new out of a crisis instead of seeking ever more absurd ways of accommodating social problems within the present system. (The Refusal, p. 235)</p>
<p>So, imagining an utopian scenario, what if the centralized “hiring halls” expanded to accommodate a range of job assignments for non-profits to tech companies, shifting the balance of employment rights from the boss to the worker? If everyone had at least a modest income to meet basic needs, this power shift could possible. And to continue our utopian musings, what if the “hiring halls” also functioned as communities of opposition where solidarity becomes incorporated into everyday life, as distinct from work places where bosses attempt to isolate workers and micro-manage their workday? For instance, during the day the “hiring halls” could serve the needs of employment and at night they could become schools, theaters or dining halls.</p>
<p>The first step in gaining control of work time is to set the standards for the work to be done and the second step is to form a practical structure that gains power for the powerless and the third step is to develop a leisure ethic by forming alliances with like-minded folks who are developing alternative projects in other social arenas. That’s the agenda for a politics of time.</p> | An Agenda for a Politics of Time | true | https://counterpunch.org/2016/07/08/an-agenda-for-a-politics-of-time/ | 2016-07-08 | 4left
| An Agenda for a Politics of Time
<p>Pre-industrial European societies, for the most part, didn’t conceive of time in the abstract as a&#160; <a href="" type="internal">scarce commodity</a>&#160;that indicated when to work and when not, but as an elastic measure embedded in social relations. The seasons determined work: as daylight waned in winter so too did toil. When spring arrived the farm tools awoke from their slumber in the shed and, with human muscle, greeted the soil for another season. As the centuries rolled on, merchants increasingly convinced the peasants to take in supplementary work and gradually the peasants emerged as proto-proles gaining skills and spending more time producing for a trader than tending their patch. Their new work, following their former practice, was not measured in equal time units per day, but was approached causally between days of idleness with friends and family, until the impending arrival of the merchant when, in a fit of feverishness, their order was completed.</p>
<p>When the merchants evolved into industrialists, cottage production collapsed and factories arose and the industrialists adopted the premise that time, along with their new wage slaves, had to be enclosed. They had to set the pace of work and the worker had to succumb to the domination of the clock and its relentless rhythm. Nothing indicates the defeat of the working class more than the insidious, and superfluously termed, time-clock, which when punched affixed an invisible shackle to the workers.</p>
<p>The labor unions endorsed this shackle when they accepted the state franchise to control the laboring masses. As Benjamin Hunnicutt records in&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Free Time</a>&#160;the last time the US came close to reducing the eight hour day to six – to spread work around during the Depression – Roosevelt failed to sign legislation passed by Congress. Thereafter the unions, knowing the limits of their franchise, never again broached the length of the workday and negotiated over wages and pensions as acceptable gains from rising productivity.</p>
<p>Subservience to the ruling class and their control of production repudiates the vision Hunnicutt discusses of the “other”&#160; <a href="http://www.ztangi.org/a-movement-to-free-time/" type="external">American Dream</a>:</p>
<p>The most noteworthy champion of this other American Dream was Walt Whitman, who extolled the purpose of the American experiment to create a “higher progress.” Whitman envisioned American history as a three-stage phenomenon. The first stage was to wrest control of the political process, the second was to develop the economic engine as a basis for the last stage, the “higher progress” stage, which consisted of a free people molding a culture to reflect the best in themselves and their highest goals. It was in this stage that every village and town would have a vibrant arts community and an educational enterprise to rival the European universities.</p>
<p>Whitman’s last stage, the “higher progress” stage, required popular control of time – that is, the reduction of working hours – made possible by the gains in productivity of the second stage. The prerequisite of culture is time, which in turn needs a “politics of time” to formulate a democratic agenda to put production in the service of social goals, beyond the economic ones we are currently addicted to.</p>
<p>David Frayne in his new book&#160; <a href="" type="internal">The Refusal of Work</a>&#160;interrogates the dogma of work:</p>
<p>In an age of material abundance, it seems that there is a troubling disparity between our desire for the good life and capitalism’s narrower focus on the constant expansion of production and consumption. What most people crave is more free-time and a greater investment in the social aspects of life, but a growing awareness of this fact has done very little to upset the mainstream political agenda.</p>
<p>Frayne interviews in the last half of his book a number of British work resistors. They detail how their lives have improved after reducing their hours of work or, in some cases, avoiding work altogether. What we glean from these interviews is culture creation on the micro, individual, level. Some write, others make music and all of them cultivate their unique creativity.</p>
<p>For decades Andre Gorz, a French intellectual, supported a radical reduction of work and agitated for a “ <a href="" type="internal">politics of time</a>.” Frayne conveys Gorz importance:</p>
<p>For Gorz, an understanding of work’s negative effects has to involve an appreciation of the broader ways in which work dominates our everyday lives. The forgotten struggle of the Left, which Gorz represents, is for the right of workers to lead rich and interesting lives outside of work. As a writer and social critic, his main commitment was to the right of each person to his or her autonomous self-development. (The Refusal, p. 35)</p>
<p>Reducing the workday is the reformist demand of a politics of time – the minimal program, not the radical program, not the revolutionary core of a politics of time. The core demand is to abolish work as the organizing principle of society. This means that while individual self-development is the starting point, it is not the end point of a politics of time. For Gorz the idea is to seize time precisely to question the nature of work and transform it, or abolish it, as the case may be. In other words, justice not economics matters. Gorz is explicit about this:</p>
<p>One of the functions of a politics of time is precisely to share out savings in working time following principles not of economic rationality but of justice. These savings are the work of society as a whole. The political task is to redistribute them on the scale of society as a whole so that each man and woman can benefit from them. (Critique, p. 191)</p>
<p>The goal is to create citizenship based on all members of society participating in the ongoing – and useful – work of society. If we understand that the really useful work would be reduced significantly, then we can see that an obligation to do that work would entail a minimum expenditure of time – Gorz speculates a few hours a week. For Gorz useful work would encompass the arts, today seen as superfluous, unless commodified, in total contradiction to previous societies.</p>
<p>Eva Swidler’s “ <a href="" type="internal">Radical Leisure</a>” in the June, 2016 issue of Monthly Review covers some of the same ground presented here regarding resistance to work and the fight to reclaim time. Swindler extends the argument against work by theorizing the psycho-social side of reducing the time devoted to work – what she calls “the leisure ethic.” The leisure ethic historically refers to the pre-capitalist practice, as mentioned above, of balancing work with time for activities with family, friends and the larger community. Swindler refers to a range of passive-aggressive actions that today she considers remnants of the leisure ethic – loafing, absenteeism, and addiction – that bosses would like to stamp out. I find it odd that Swindle, and Frayne, never mention&#160; <a href="http://www.iww.org/history/library/Flynn/Sabotage" type="external">sabotage</a>&#160;as an effective anti-work practice and by far a more righteous weapon to support the leisure ethic.</p>
<p>While Swidler has no illusions about the feeble legacy of the leisure ethic in the face of capitalist repression and the commodification of leisure time, she does have an interesting suggestion on reviving it. Swidler notes the current interest in the commons and especially what she calls the “cultural commons” – “the elements of social life that we (often unthinkingly) share, from cuisine to language to street fashion.”</p>
<p>Swidler further integrates the cultural commons, and elements of it that resonate with shared political assumptions, to the public sphere:</p>
<p>Without vital public spheres and cultures, leisure is unattractive. . . . An alternate, collective, social world must co-exist with our work worlds, to provide an alternate home, an alternate web of connections, an alternate identity, an alternate constellation of values, activities, and purposes, even alternate markings of time.</p>
<p>Reciprocity, Swidler maintains, must exist between public spheres and a leisure ethic. In other words – “no time, no culture.” Swidler argues, as does Frayne, that shortening working hours will revive the leisure ethic, which will resuscitate the public sphere and subsequently expand the commons. But Swidler, unlike Frayne, stops short of calling for basic income. She falls back on the notion that the working class, as the inheritor of the 19th century struggle for the Eight Hour Day, is the sole source for demanding shorter hours today. It can be argued, however, that today’s working class little resembles the 20th century working class, let alone the one that existed 150 years ago.</p>
<p>Frayne, on the other hand, in his endorsement of basic income, seems to harbor no belief that the working class will carry this banner. He has a more diffused expectation of how basic income will be achieved. And being European, his view may be legitimate as basic income is moving into mainstream policy discourse across Europe – soon several countries will be instituting social experiments to develop policy proposals.</p>
<p>In the US, the idea of basic income is at best a marginal preoccupation of some Silicon Valley&#160; <a href="https://blog.ycombinator.com/basic-income" type="external">denizens</a>, though recently Andrew Stern, the former president of the multimillion strong Service Employees International Union, endorsed it in his book&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Raising the Floor</a>.</p>
<p>In Swidler’s perspective, mobilizing a social movement for the reduction of working hours entails a grand alliance between environmental/commons activists and labor. She has in mind for this alliance the Fight for Fifteen workers and their allies who are today’s labor movement. The details of how to turn around a semi-successful campaign for higher wages (and a demand capitalists are accustomed too) to one that attacks the very heart of capitalist control of the workday are missing from Swidler’s analysis.</p>
<p>Swidler concludes her essay by shifting into the high gear of radical rhetoric:</p>
<p>Whether that agenda is framed as a rational plea for a steady-state economy or as an apocalyptic battle against the cancerous imperative of growth, it must address the reality that the planet requires both a new economic system and a drastic reduction of material production, which means a drastic reduction in work.</p>
<p>This last statement is problematic given that the introduction of AI in manufacturing threatens to expand production with fewer workers. And if we believe the digital visionaries, production can be divorced from unsustainable growth using eco-friendly energy sources and recyclable materials, etc. Notwithstanding, employment will continue to decline while population grows, at least for a few decades according to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">recent projections</a>. The enormity of the project Swidler outlined here demands a perspective beyond the hope that environmentalists recognize the history of labor’s resistance to work. Earlier in her essay, she castigates academics for ignoring work resistance and, importantly, for their failure –</p>
<p>. . . to appreciate the necessity of an ongoing community outside the workplace to advance an alternative to a world consumed by work. Rarely experiencing membership in such an external community themselves, they cannot imagine its centrality to breaking the stranglehold of laboring.</p>
<p>Swidler doesn’t expand this reference later in her essay and we are left to think that she is referring to pre-figurative models of cultural creation that struggle to survive on the fringes of modern capitalism. A&#160; <a href="http://thenextsystem.org/mousai_house_cooperative_vision_for_a_new_creative_economy/" type="external">recent report</a>&#160;on such a model in Washington, D.C., and its fight against gentrification, seems to reflect Swidler’s notion of an “ongoing community outside of the workplace.” It is perfectly reasonable to say that this project – to create a grassroots music school – is an effort by the working class to expand its creative potential beyond the workplace. However, this and a multitude of similar projects are not focused on direct workplace agitation. The residents of D.C. developing their venue for music don’t appear to identify as workers (or as “cultural workers”) but as musicians, as artists. They are similar in this respect to those work resistors Frayne interviews.</p>
<p>Class society is the context in which efforts to develop cultural commons takes place and if we recognize that that reality is submerged when protagonists assume roles that traditionally privilege individuals as painters, as musicians or as authors, then we need to rethink class structure. How do we situate marginally “professional” artists within today’s class structure?</p>
<p>Guy Standing, author of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">The Precariat Charter</a>, refers to a growing category of the proletariat working precariously (part-time, full-time but w/o a contract, free-lancing, hustling contraband and so forth) as the precariat. The precariat encompasses most of the bullshit jobs that David Graeber rants against even though that category extends to many relatively secure professional positions or salaried jobs. And the precariat applies to immigrant labor, though their legal status puts them in an ultra-precarious situation.</p>
<p>The point of reconfiguring the class structure for the 21st century is to clarify which part of the working population is most amenable to radically resisting work, most willing to go beyond simply shortening hours (this is the sector already doing part-time work at probably several locations), the sector most attuned to environmental degradations, most suspicious of electoral efforts and most involved in volunteer work. This is the precariat. This therefore is the sector of the “working class” most receptive to reviving Swidler’s leisure ethic. But what is the program that creates a grand front for radical leisure?</p>
<p>The over-riding demand of a politics of time, as we have seen, is to separate income from jobs by instituting universal basic income. In terms of strategy, however, the precariat needs to gain control of labor just as the industrial workers intended to do by forming labor unions. (That promise was betrayed by union leaders who pursued “business unionism” and upended by capitalists who globalized the workforce in a race to the bottom.) Today, gaining control of labor may be accomplished by adopting a version of the old union practice of hiring halls. The building trades still have these, as do some hotel worker unions. And this is the strategy of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">work centers</a>&#160;where hiring takes place under the supervision of the workforce. A new strategy to seize privatized platforms like Uber and Mechanical Turk by&#160; <a href="http://level.interpreters.coop/platform-coop/getting-even-more-specific-about-a-platform-co-op-for-translators/#more-582" type="external">cooperative structures</a>&#160;follows this same course – the workforce controls the job assignments by controlling the platform.</p>
<p>Frayne concludes his book by asserting the positive benefits of utopianism:</p>
<p>The point of utopian thinking is to remind us that there are always ways of doing things differently; it prompts us to assemble something new out of a crisis instead of seeking ever more absurd ways of accommodating social problems within the present system. (The Refusal, p. 235)</p>
<p>So, imagining an utopian scenario, what if the centralized “hiring halls” expanded to accommodate a range of job assignments for non-profits to tech companies, shifting the balance of employment rights from the boss to the worker? If everyone had at least a modest income to meet basic needs, this power shift could possible. And to continue our utopian musings, what if the “hiring halls” also functioned as communities of opposition where solidarity becomes incorporated into everyday life, as distinct from work places where bosses attempt to isolate workers and micro-manage their workday? For instance, during the day the “hiring halls” could serve the needs of employment and at night they could become schools, theaters or dining halls.</p>
<p>The first step in gaining control of work time is to set the standards for the work to be done and the second step is to form a practical structure that gains power for the powerless and the third step is to develop a leisure ethic by forming alliances with like-minded folks who are developing alternative projects in other social arenas. That’s the agenda for a politics of time.</p> | 1,481 |
<p>About 140 schools, most on the South Side, meet all the key components of the district’s <a href="http://www.cps.edu/qualityschools" type="external">draft criteria</a> to be eligible for closing.</p>
<p>This week, the district is holding community forums on the proposed criteria. Sometime after Nov. 21, CEO Jean-Claude Brizard will issue final guidelines. A week and a half later, on Dec. 1, he must announce which schools he intends to close, according to state law. Principals say they have been told that the list is changing every day and that no firm decisions have been made.</p>
<p>Once closing decisions are announced, that will set off another round of public hearings about the specific actions. Dozens of community residents showed up to <a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2011/11/school-closing-opponents-turn-out-meeting/" type="external">speak against the potential closings</a> at a hearing Monday night. <a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2011/11/school-closing-opponents-turn-out-meeting/" type="external" />A recent <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899365152" type="external">report from the Pew Charitable Trusts</a>found that school closings in six urban districts (including Chicago) have not yielded substantial cost savings in the short term, although the long-term impact is not yet clear.</p>
<p>Chief Portfolio Officer Oliver Sicat told School Board members last month that academic performance will be the overriding factor in deciding which schools will close. Those schools rated at Level 3–the district’s lowest level based on ISAT test scores, growth in test scores and a few other factors– for the past two years made the first cut.</p>
<p>However, elementary schools with ISAT test scores above that of neighboring schools, and high schools that graduate more students than average for their area, will likely get a pass this year. And schools that seem to be on an upward trajectory (i.e., in the 75th percentile or above on value-added test scores) also probably won’t be closed this year.</p>
<p>Other schools, such as turnarounds, are set for a reprieve under the draft guidelines.</p>
<p>Catalyst Chicago compiled this <a href="" type="internal">database of schools</a> at performance Level 3 that are either eligible or exempt from closure under the criteria. Three areas, Grand Boulevard/Bronzeville on the South Side and Austin on the West Side, had more than 10 schools eligibile for closing.</p>
<p>Sicat told a group of parents gathered in Grand Boulevard last night that CPS officials won’t close a school unless there’s better option to which they can transfer students. &#160;“If we can immediately give students access to a higher performing school, then we will do it,” he said.&#160;</p>
<p>What quantifies a better performing option has not been defined yet, though Sicat said schools in performance level 2, a step up from the lowest level, would be considered an improvement for students.</p>
<p>Principals, parents bracing for bad news</p>
<p>The district’s new school progress reports, handed out to parents during report card pick-up, specify a school’s performance level. But nowhere on the progress reports is there any mention of how important that number is in determining school closings.</p>
<p>Yet principals and their parents are well aware that they could be targeted. One, who asked not to be identified, said he was bracing for bad news.&#160; While building utilization is not supposed to be a factor, he noted that a combination of low academic performance and severe under-utilization makes his school a top contender.</p>
<p>Bass Elementary Principal Granzlee Banks Jr. &#160;says that a letter went out last week to parents whose schools did not meet AYP—Adequate Yearly Progress, under federal performance criteria—informing them that they have the right to transfer their children elsewhere. While AYP has nothing to do with school closings, he says several confused parents have approached him for clarification.</p>
<p>Banks stresses that no one in central office has told him anything definitive about Bass, in the Englewood-Gresham area, being closed. However, he realizes that the school’s low performance makes it vulnerable.</p>
<p>“I tell them that as a parent, [they] have choices and decisions about what you want for your child, but as a principal I am advocating for my school,” Banks says. He notes that it has been hard to make improvements given the school’s high mobility rate—in 2011, Bass had 45 percent mobility, more than twice the district average—and the fact that many students come from a challenging environment.</p>
<p>Getting the word out</p>
<p>Dwayne Truss, a community activist in Austin, says that he is doing everything he can to get the word out to schools about the draft guidelines and which campuses might be targeted. He also has spent time talking to local principals about how they can make the case for themselves that they can be spared.</p>
<p>Truss is the vice chairman of the Community Action Council in Austin, a group that spent the last year talking about what needs to happen to make schools better. The groups made presentations to CPS leaders earlier this fall, but have yet to hear word back from any officials about the status of their plans.</p>
<p>While some schools are gearing up for a fight, some are resigned to their fate. Lathrop has been being phased out for the past three years and now, according to some language in the draft guidelines, could face the death knell this year.</p>
<p>Melody Palmer, who went from a parent volunteer to a clerk at the school, says she will be sad if Lathrop closes its doors. The loss of subsidized housing in the area, coupled with the pressures of charter schools, siphoned away students. Of the 86 students left at the school, some 30 are homeless, she says.</p>
<p>&#160; But she says parents won’t get really upset until the final decision is made. “Then it will be too late,” she notes.</p> | Dozens of schools meet closings criteria | false | http://chicagoreporter.com/dozens-schools-meet-closings-criteria/ | 2011-11-15 | 3left-center
| Dozens of schools meet closings criteria
<p>About 140 schools, most on the South Side, meet all the key components of the district’s <a href="http://www.cps.edu/qualityschools" type="external">draft criteria</a> to be eligible for closing.</p>
<p>This week, the district is holding community forums on the proposed criteria. Sometime after Nov. 21, CEO Jean-Claude Brizard will issue final guidelines. A week and a half later, on Dec. 1, he must announce which schools he intends to close, according to state law. Principals say they have been told that the list is changing every day and that no firm decisions have been made.</p>
<p>Once closing decisions are announced, that will set off another round of public hearings about the specific actions. Dozens of community residents showed up to <a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2011/11/school-closing-opponents-turn-out-meeting/" type="external">speak against the potential closings</a> at a hearing Monday night. <a href="http://catalyst-chicago.org/2011/11/school-closing-opponents-turn-out-meeting/" type="external" />A recent <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_report_detail.aspx?id=85899365152" type="external">report from the Pew Charitable Trusts</a>found that school closings in six urban districts (including Chicago) have not yielded substantial cost savings in the short term, although the long-term impact is not yet clear.</p>
<p>Chief Portfolio Officer Oliver Sicat told School Board members last month that academic performance will be the overriding factor in deciding which schools will close. Those schools rated at Level 3–the district’s lowest level based on ISAT test scores, growth in test scores and a few other factors– for the past two years made the first cut.</p>
<p>However, elementary schools with ISAT test scores above that of neighboring schools, and high schools that graduate more students than average for their area, will likely get a pass this year. And schools that seem to be on an upward trajectory (i.e., in the 75th percentile or above on value-added test scores) also probably won’t be closed this year.</p>
<p>Other schools, such as turnarounds, are set for a reprieve under the draft guidelines.</p>
<p>Catalyst Chicago compiled this <a href="" type="internal">database of schools</a> at performance Level 3 that are either eligible or exempt from closure under the criteria. Three areas, Grand Boulevard/Bronzeville on the South Side and Austin on the West Side, had more than 10 schools eligibile for closing.</p>
<p>Sicat told a group of parents gathered in Grand Boulevard last night that CPS officials won’t close a school unless there’s better option to which they can transfer students. &#160;“If we can immediately give students access to a higher performing school, then we will do it,” he said.&#160;</p>
<p>What quantifies a better performing option has not been defined yet, though Sicat said schools in performance level 2, a step up from the lowest level, would be considered an improvement for students.</p>
<p>Principals, parents bracing for bad news</p>
<p>The district’s new school progress reports, handed out to parents during report card pick-up, specify a school’s performance level. But nowhere on the progress reports is there any mention of how important that number is in determining school closings.</p>
<p>Yet principals and their parents are well aware that they could be targeted. One, who asked not to be identified, said he was bracing for bad news.&#160; While building utilization is not supposed to be a factor, he noted that a combination of low academic performance and severe under-utilization makes his school a top contender.</p>
<p>Bass Elementary Principal Granzlee Banks Jr. &#160;says that a letter went out last week to parents whose schools did not meet AYP—Adequate Yearly Progress, under federal performance criteria—informing them that they have the right to transfer their children elsewhere. While AYP has nothing to do with school closings, he says several confused parents have approached him for clarification.</p>
<p>Banks stresses that no one in central office has told him anything definitive about Bass, in the Englewood-Gresham area, being closed. However, he realizes that the school’s low performance makes it vulnerable.</p>
<p>“I tell them that as a parent, [they] have choices and decisions about what you want for your child, but as a principal I am advocating for my school,” Banks says. He notes that it has been hard to make improvements given the school’s high mobility rate—in 2011, Bass had 45 percent mobility, more than twice the district average—and the fact that many students come from a challenging environment.</p>
<p>Getting the word out</p>
<p>Dwayne Truss, a community activist in Austin, says that he is doing everything he can to get the word out to schools about the draft guidelines and which campuses might be targeted. He also has spent time talking to local principals about how they can make the case for themselves that they can be spared.</p>
<p>Truss is the vice chairman of the Community Action Council in Austin, a group that spent the last year talking about what needs to happen to make schools better. The groups made presentations to CPS leaders earlier this fall, but have yet to hear word back from any officials about the status of their plans.</p>
<p>While some schools are gearing up for a fight, some are resigned to their fate. Lathrop has been being phased out for the past three years and now, according to some language in the draft guidelines, could face the death knell this year.</p>
<p>Melody Palmer, who went from a parent volunteer to a clerk at the school, says she will be sad if Lathrop closes its doors. The loss of subsidized housing in the area, coupled with the pressures of charter schools, siphoned away students. Of the 86 students left at the school, some 30 are homeless, she says.</p>
<p>&#160; But she says parents won’t get really upset until the final decision is made. “Then it will be too late,” she notes.</p> | 1,482 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Robertson running back Joseph Paul Griego heads toward the end zone last week against Santa Fe Indian School. Griego and Cardinals teammates face a big challenge Saturday against longtime rival St. Michael’s. (Courtesy Shannon Steven Aragon)</p>
<p>SANTA FE – Reunited and it feels so, well, good.</p>
<p>For two years, the hard-knocks rivalry between the football teams at St. Michael’s and Robertson high schools took something of a hit as they played in separate districts.</p>
<p>The teams still squared off each season, but a bit of the spark was missing.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Expect that spark to ignite into a roaring blaze Saturday afternoon as both squads enter the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex with unblemished district marks.</p>
<p>“From what I see, the No. 1 team in the state is coming to our place,” said Horsemen coach Joey Fernandez. “They’re a hard-nosed football team. They’re very well coached. They’re on a roll right now, so we have our work cut out for us.”</p>
<p>Actually, the Cardinals (7-0, 3-0) have been on quite the roll for some time, having won a state championship, had an undefeated regular season and reached the championship game in the past three seasons.</p>
<p>St. Michael’s, of course, also has its successes and both programs can stake a viable claim to being the tops in the north.</p>
<p>“I think it’s two teams that want to be No. 1 in the north,” said Robertson coach Leroy Gonzalez. “Everyone thinks of north football, they think of St. Michael’s and Robertson, and both teams know that and both want to be No. 1.”</p>
<p>The teams first squared off in 1943 and have played every year since except for a two-year hiatus in 1998-99 when St. Mike’s dropped down a class. The Horsemen own a 38-30-5 overall advantage, but the Cardinals have won the past three meetings, including a 22-13 win in the 2013 quarterfinals to avenge a 50-0 blanking earlier that season.</p>
<p>“It has been a pretty good rivalry through the years,” Fernandez said. “We always have big crowds. A lot of people are talking about the game coming up. It always has a big say in the seeding as far as the top four seeds.”</p>
<p>This year, the meeting gains added importance as a third district team also enters the weekend with an undefeated record in West Las Vegas.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>It sets up a three-team round robin that will determine the district champ and likely top-four seed to earn a first-round playoff bye.</p>
<p>As for this game, it will be a match-up of Robertson’s strength in its running game led by Joseph Paul Griego (745 yards, nine TDs), Marc Grano (641 yards, 7 TDs) and electric quarterback Arjay Ortiz (364 yards, eight TDs) against St. Mike’s weakness in stopping the running game. The Horsemen have allowed 193 yards per game, although their own ground attack has been impressive, with 177 yards per game behind Xavier Vigil (601 yards, seven TDS).</p>
<p>Behind quarterback Antonio Gabaldon, St. Mike’s does have the more polished passing game as he’s thrown for 1,007 yards and eight TDs.</p>
<p>“We’re progressing, progressing slowly, but we’ve gotten better as far as better run defense,” Fernandez said. “That was the biggest thing we needed to correct and we’re improving. Going into this game, they’re going to try and run the ball against us, and we need to be able to stop them.”</p>
<p>The Horsemen will look to control the big plays, but Robertson also is perfectly capable of grinding out long drives, running behind one of the bigger lineman in the class in 6-foot, 3-inch, 270-pound Babatunde Okundaye.</p>
<p>“With us, we’re trying to control the line of scrimmage,” Fernandez said. “They do so well on the offensive line and they always have great running backs that run hard. Also, we have the added thing of stopping their quarterback, Arjay Ortiz. He’s a great athlete. That is going to be a big key right here, making sure he doesn’t have any big runs against us.”</p>
<p>Likewise, Gonzalez said, shutting down the St. Mike’s rushing game will be imperative.</p>
<p>“I think it’s going to be a hard-nosed game,” he said. “We’re going to try and stop their running game. These are two predominately tough teams playing each other.”</p>
<p /> | Rivals reunited: Horsemen, Cardinals set to square off again | false | https://abqjournal.com/871949/headline-596.html | 2least
| Rivals reunited: Horsemen, Cardinals set to square off again
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Robertson running back Joseph Paul Griego heads toward the end zone last week against Santa Fe Indian School. Griego and Cardinals teammates face a big challenge Saturday against longtime rival St. Michael’s. (Courtesy Shannon Steven Aragon)</p>
<p>SANTA FE – Reunited and it feels so, well, good.</p>
<p>For two years, the hard-knocks rivalry between the football teams at St. Michael’s and Robertson high schools took something of a hit as they played in separate districts.</p>
<p>The teams still squared off each season, but a bit of the spark was missing.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Expect that spark to ignite into a roaring blaze Saturday afternoon as both squads enter the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex with unblemished district marks.</p>
<p>“From what I see, the No. 1 team in the state is coming to our place,” said Horsemen coach Joey Fernandez. “They’re a hard-nosed football team. They’re very well coached. They’re on a roll right now, so we have our work cut out for us.”</p>
<p>Actually, the Cardinals (7-0, 3-0) have been on quite the roll for some time, having won a state championship, had an undefeated regular season and reached the championship game in the past three seasons.</p>
<p>St. Michael’s, of course, also has its successes and both programs can stake a viable claim to being the tops in the north.</p>
<p>“I think it’s two teams that want to be No. 1 in the north,” said Robertson coach Leroy Gonzalez. “Everyone thinks of north football, they think of St. Michael’s and Robertson, and both teams know that and both want to be No. 1.”</p>
<p>The teams first squared off in 1943 and have played every year since except for a two-year hiatus in 1998-99 when St. Mike’s dropped down a class. The Horsemen own a 38-30-5 overall advantage, but the Cardinals have won the past three meetings, including a 22-13 win in the 2013 quarterfinals to avenge a 50-0 blanking earlier that season.</p>
<p>“It has been a pretty good rivalry through the years,” Fernandez said. “We always have big crowds. A lot of people are talking about the game coming up. It always has a big say in the seeding as far as the top four seeds.”</p>
<p>This year, the meeting gains added importance as a third district team also enters the weekend with an undefeated record in West Las Vegas.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>It sets up a three-team round robin that will determine the district champ and likely top-four seed to earn a first-round playoff bye.</p>
<p>As for this game, it will be a match-up of Robertson’s strength in its running game led by Joseph Paul Griego (745 yards, nine TDs), Marc Grano (641 yards, 7 TDs) and electric quarterback Arjay Ortiz (364 yards, eight TDs) against St. Mike’s weakness in stopping the running game. The Horsemen have allowed 193 yards per game, although their own ground attack has been impressive, with 177 yards per game behind Xavier Vigil (601 yards, seven TDS).</p>
<p>Behind quarterback Antonio Gabaldon, St. Mike’s does have the more polished passing game as he’s thrown for 1,007 yards and eight TDs.</p>
<p>“We’re progressing, progressing slowly, but we’ve gotten better as far as better run defense,” Fernandez said. “That was the biggest thing we needed to correct and we’re improving. Going into this game, they’re going to try and run the ball against us, and we need to be able to stop them.”</p>
<p>The Horsemen will look to control the big plays, but Robertson also is perfectly capable of grinding out long drives, running behind one of the bigger lineman in the class in 6-foot, 3-inch, 270-pound Babatunde Okundaye.</p>
<p>“With us, we’re trying to control the line of scrimmage,” Fernandez said. “They do so well on the offensive line and they always have great running backs that run hard. Also, we have the added thing of stopping their quarterback, Arjay Ortiz. He’s a great athlete. That is going to be a big key right here, making sure he doesn’t have any big runs against us.”</p>
<p>Likewise, Gonzalez said, shutting down the St. Mike’s rushing game will be imperative.</p>
<p>“I think it’s going to be a hard-nosed game,” he said. “We’re going to try and stop their running game. These are two predominately tough teams playing each other.”</p>
<p /> | 1,483 |
|
<p>Jan 18 (Reuters) - DIXY GROUP:</p>
<p>* Q4 REVENUE AMOUNTED TO RUB 73 BILLION, DEMONSTRATING -7% YOY;</p>
<p>* Q4 LIKE-FOR-LIKE SALES DECLINED BY 7.9%</p>
<p>* FY 2017 REVENUE AMOUNTED TO RUB 282 BILLION, DEMONSTRATING -9% YOY</p>
<p>* IN Q4 6 NEW STORES OPENED AND 7 STORES CLOSED Source text: <a href="http://bit.ly/2mKaEfD" type="external">bit.ly/2mKaEfD</a> Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Taro Kono and his Chinese counterpart have pledged to improve ties between their nations and affirmed a commitment to stick with U.N. resolutions aimed at forcing North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons.</p> Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono gesture at their meeting in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2018. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Reuters
<p>Kono met the Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, in Tokyo on Sunday, having made his own official visit to Beijing earlier this year.</p>
<p>Wang is the first Chinese foreign minister to visit Japan in a bilateral context in the nine years. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping last year promised to reset the sometimes fraught relations between Asia’s two largest economies.</p> Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) and Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono (2nd R) meet in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2018. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Reuters
<p>“Through mutual visits between our two leaders we agreed to pursue wide-reaching cooperation and improved ties,” Kono said after Sunday’s meeting.</p>
<p>Economic ties between Japan and China are close, led by corporate investment. The neighbors remain at odds, however, over China’s growing military presence in the South China Sea, through which much of the region’s sea-borne trade sails, and a dispute over ownership of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Tokyo and the Diaoyu in Beijing.</p>
<p>Wang said his visit was in response to Japan’s positive attitude towards China.</p> Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono at their meeting in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2018. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Reuters
<p>“Since last year Japan has, in relations with China, displayed a positive message and friendly attitude,” he said.</p>
<p>The talks came ahead of a summit between the two Koreas this month and a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jon Un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S-North Korea talks are aimed at ending a stand-off over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.</p>
<p>“To establish a complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearisation of North Korea we agreed to continue to fully implement all relevant U.N. resolutions and to work closely together,” Kono said.</p>
<p>Wang, who spent eight years in Japan as a diplomat, including three as China’s ambassador, is scheduled to hold further talks with Kono and other Japanese Cabinet ministers on Monday.</p>
<p>On Tuesday Japanese Self Defense Force officers will meet counterparts from China’s People’s Liberation Army at a reception hosted by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in an effort to build trust between the military rivals.</p>
<p>(This version of the story corrects to change to Japan and China pledged relationship reset last year)</p>
<p>Reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo; Writing by Tim Kelly and Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Sam Holmes and David Goodman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson apologized late on Saturday for the arrests of two black men at a Philadelphia coffee shop last week, which sparked accusations of racial profiling.</p>
<p>Promising to make everything right, Johnson promised a thorough investigation of the incident caught on video by a patron Thursday and shared widely online.</p>
<p>The men were accused of trespassing but have said they were waiting for a friend before ordering.</p>
<p>“The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks mission and values,” Johnson said in a statement.</p>
<p>He added, “The basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong.”</p>
<p>Philadelphia’s police commissioner on Saturday defended the arrest, saying his officers had to act after Starbucks employees told them the pair were trespassing.</p>
<p>Video of Thursday’s incident showed other patrons telling officers the pair were doing nothing wrong and appeared to have been targeted merely because of their race.</p>
<p>Police Commissioner Richard Ross said he knew the incident had prompted a lot of concern, but said his officers “did absolutely nothing wrong.”</p>
<p>In a video statement, Ross said store employees called 911 to report a disturbance and trespassing.</p>
<p>When officers arrived, Ross said, staff told them the two men had wanted to use the restroom but were informed it was only for paying customers. The pair repeatedly refused to leave when politely asked to do so by the employees and officers, he said.</p> Slideshow (8 Images)
<p>“If you think about it logically, that if a business calls and they say that someone is here that I no longer wish to be in my business, they (the officers) now have a legal obligation to carry out their duties. And they did just that,” Ross said.</p>
<p>“They were professional in all their dealings with these gentlemen, and instead they got the opposite back.”</p>
<p>Ross said that as an African-American man he was acutely aware of implicit bias. “We are committed to fair and unbiased policing and anything less than that will not be tolerated in this department,” he said.</p>
<p>The two men were released, Ross said, after officers learned Starbucks was “no longer interested” in prosecuting them.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">Starbucks Corp</a> 59.24 SBUX.O Nasdaq -0.19 (-0.32%) SBUX.O
<p>In a post on Twitter earlier on Saturday, Starbucks Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">SBUX.O</a>) said it was sorry for what took place.</p>
<p>Johnson added his apology, saying the company would review its policies and “further train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted.”</p>
<p>Melissa DePino, an author who posted video of the arrest, said staff called police because the two men had not ordered anything while waiting for a friend. She said white customers were “wondering why it’s never happened to us when we do the same thing.”</p>
<p>Police departments across the United States have come under criticism for repeated instances of killing unarmed black men in recent years, which activists blame on racial biases in the criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by David Gregorio and Clarence Fernandez</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barbara Bush, the wife of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, is in “failing health” and has decided to no longer seek medical treatment, the office of the ex-president said in a statement from Houston on Sunday.</p>
<p>The former first lady, who is also the mother of former President George W. Bush, “will instead focus on comfort care,” the statement said. She is 92 years old.</p>
<p>The brief statement did not indicate the nature of Bush’s illness but said that she had had a series of recent hospitalizations.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-people-barbarabush-factbox/factbox-u-s-political-world-sends-support-to-former-first-lady-barbara-bush-idUSKBN1HN020" type="external">Factbox: U.S. political world sends support to former first lady Barbara Bush</a>
<p>CNN reported that Bush was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure. A Bush family spokesman said she was being cared for at her home. He did not provide information on the nature of her illness.</p>
<p>“She is surrounded by a family she adores and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving,” the statement added.</p>
<p>As first lady from 1989 until the start of 1993, Bush was a popular national figure known for her sometimes blunt talk and self-deprecating wit.</p>
<p>Her husband, the 41st U.S. president, is 93 years old. Her son, the 43 U.S. president, is 71.</p>
<p>Another son, Jeb, is a former governor of Florida who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2015 and early 2016, quitting after a series of lackluster performances highlighted by tough skirmishes with then-candidate Donald Trump.</p>
<p>White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: “The president’s and first lady’s prayers are with all of the Bush family during this time.”</p>
<p>With hair that had turned white prematurely, Bush was known by family members as the “Silver Fox.”</p> FILE PHOTO: Former first lady Barbara Bush listens to remarks during the christening ceremony of the USS George H.W. Bush at Northrop-Grumman's shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, U.S., October 7, 2006. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
<p>Her work as first lady focused on promoting literacy and reading. At the time, she said she was more interested in running a household than in helping her husband run the country.</p>
<p>“Barbara Bush has a character that is as big, inspiring and iconic as Texas,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement on Sunday. The Bushes moved to Texas in the mid-1940s.</p>
<p>Bush holds a unique place in U.S. history.</p> FILE PHOTO - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush participates in the coin toss ahead of the start of Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons as former first lady Barbara Bush looks on in Houston , Texas, U.S., February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
<p>She is the only woman to see her husband and son sworn in as U.S. president. Abigail Adams, first lady from 1797 to 1801, was a major influence on husband John Adams, the nation’s second president, but died before her son, John Quincy Adams, was elected president in 1824.</p>
<p>Reporting by Richard Cowan and Will Dunham; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Public figures across the U.S. political spectrum paid tribute on Sunday to former first lady Barbara Bush, who is in “failing health” and will no longer seek medical treatment. She is the wife of former Republican U.S. President George H.W. Bush and the mother of former President George W. Bush.</p> FILE PHOTO - Former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush listens to her son, President George W. Bush, as he speaks at an event on social security reform in Orlando, Florida, March 18, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed
<p>White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders:</p>
<p>“The President’s and First Lady’s prayers are with all of the Bush Family during this time.”</p>
<p>House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi:</p>
<p>“As always, Barbara Bush is a comfort to her friends &amp; family teaching us all how to live full of faith, love &amp; humor. Praying that she is comfortable &amp; send love to President Bush &amp; their family.”</p>
<p>Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott:</p>
<p>“Here’s to Barbara Bush—an American icon and Texas legend. Our prayers are with you.”</p>
<p>Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations:</p>
<p>“Prayers going up for a woman of great faith, great strength, and an unwavering love of country.”</p>
<p>Democratic U.S. Representative for New York Sean Patrick Maloney:</p>
<p>“Barbara Bush was a graceful First Lady who has dedicated her life to improving education and promoting literacy. Our family wishes Barbara and the rest of the Bush family the best during this difficult time.”</p>
<p>Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich:</p>
<p>“Barbara Bush is a woman of grace, humility and great compassion. She and her family are in our prayers.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Andrew Hay; Editing by Peter Cooney</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BRIEF-Dixy Group Q4 Revenue Of RUB 73 Bln, Down 7% YOY Japan and China's foreign ministers pledge to pursue improved ties Starbucks chief executive apologizes for arrests of two black men Barbara Bush, wife of ex-President George H.W. Bush, in 'failing health' Factbox: U.S. political world sends support to former first lady Barbara Bush | false | https://reuters.com/article/brief-dixy-group-q4-revenue-of-rub-73-bl/brief-dixy-group-q4-revenue-of-rub-73-bln-down-7-yoy-idUSW8N1JD00U | 2018-01-18 | 2least
| BRIEF-Dixy Group Q4 Revenue Of RUB 73 Bln, Down 7% YOY Japan and China's foreign ministers pledge to pursue improved ties Starbucks chief executive apologizes for arrests of two black men Barbara Bush, wife of ex-President George H.W. Bush, in 'failing health' Factbox: U.S. political world sends support to former first lady Barbara Bush
<p>Jan 18 (Reuters) - DIXY GROUP:</p>
<p>* Q4 REVENUE AMOUNTED TO RUB 73 BILLION, DEMONSTRATING -7% YOY;</p>
<p>* Q4 LIKE-FOR-LIKE SALES DECLINED BY 7.9%</p>
<p>* FY 2017 REVENUE AMOUNTED TO RUB 282 BILLION, DEMONSTRATING -9% YOY</p>
<p>* IN Q4 6 NEW STORES OPENED AND 7 STORES CLOSED Source text: <a href="http://bit.ly/2mKaEfD" type="external">bit.ly/2mKaEfD</a> Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Taro Kono and his Chinese counterpart have pledged to improve ties between their nations and affirmed a commitment to stick with U.N. resolutions aimed at forcing North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons.</p> Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono gesture at their meeting in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2018. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Reuters
<p>Kono met the Chinese government’s top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, in Tokyo on Sunday, having made his own official visit to Beijing earlier this year.</p>
<p>Wang is the first Chinese foreign minister to visit Japan in a bilateral context in the nine years. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping last year promised to reset the sometimes fraught relations between Asia’s two largest economies.</p> Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (2nd L) and Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono (2nd R) meet in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2018. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Reuters
<p>“Through mutual visits between our two leaders we agreed to pursue wide-reaching cooperation and improved ties,” Kono said after Sunday’s meeting.</p>
<p>Economic ties between Japan and China are close, led by corporate investment. The neighbors remain at odds, however, over China’s growing military presence in the South China Sea, through which much of the region’s sea-borne trade sails, and a dispute over ownership of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, known as the Senkaku in Tokyo and the Diaoyu in Beijing.</p>
<p>Wang said his visit was in response to Japan’s positive attitude towards China.</p> Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) shakes hands with Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono at their meeting in Tokyo, Japan April 15, 2018. Behrouz Mehri/Pool via Reuters
<p>“Since last year Japan has, in relations with China, displayed a positive message and friendly attitude,” he said.</p>
<p>The talks came ahead of a summit between the two Koreas this month and a meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jon Un and U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S-North Korea talks are aimed at ending a stand-off over Pyongyang’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.</p>
<p>“To establish a complete, irreversible and verifiable denuclearisation of North Korea we agreed to continue to fully implement all relevant U.N. resolutions and to work closely together,” Kono said.</p>
<p>Wang, who spent eight years in Japan as a diplomat, including three as China’s ambassador, is scheduled to hold further talks with Kono and other Japanese Cabinet ministers on Monday.</p>
<p>On Tuesday Japanese Self Defense Force officers will meet counterparts from China’s People’s Liberation Army at a reception hosted by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in an effort to build trust between the military rivals.</p>
<p>(This version of the story corrects to change to Japan and China pledged relationship reset last year)</p>
<p>Reporting by Nobuhiro Kubo; Writing by Tim Kelly and Ritsuko Ando; Editing by Sam Holmes and David Goodman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson apologized late on Saturday for the arrests of two black men at a Philadelphia coffee shop last week, which sparked accusations of racial profiling.</p>
<p>Promising to make everything right, Johnson promised a thorough investigation of the incident caught on video by a patron Thursday and shared widely online.</p>
<p>The men were accused of trespassing but have said they were waiting for a friend before ordering.</p>
<p>“The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks mission and values,” Johnson said in a statement.</p>
<p>He added, “The basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong.”</p>
<p>Philadelphia’s police commissioner on Saturday defended the arrest, saying his officers had to act after Starbucks employees told them the pair were trespassing.</p>
<p>Video of Thursday’s incident showed other patrons telling officers the pair were doing nothing wrong and appeared to have been targeted merely because of their race.</p>
<p>Police Commissioner Richard Ross said he knew the incident had prompted a lot of concern, but said his officers “did absolutely nothing wrong.”</p>
<p>In a video statement, Ross said store employees called 911 to report a disturbance and trespassing.</p>
<p>When officers arrived, Ross said, staff told them the two men had wanted to use the restroom but were informed it was only for paying customers. The pair repeatedly refused to leave when politely asked to do so by the employees and officers, he said.</p> Slideshow (8 Images)
<p>“If you think about it logically, that if a business calls and they say that someone is here that I no longer wish to be in my business, they (the officers) now have a legal obligation to carry out their duties. And they did just that,” Ross said.</p>
<p>“They were professional in all their dealings with these gentlemen, and instead they got the opposite back.”</p>
<p>Ross said that as an African-American man he was acutely aware of implicit bias. “We are committed to fair and unbiased policing and anything less than that will not be tolerated in this department,” he said.</p>
<p>The two men were released, Ross said, after officers learned Starbucks was “no longer interested” in prosecuting them.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">Starbucks Corp</a> 59.24 SBUX.O Nasdaq -0.19 (-0.32%) SBUX.O
<p>In a post on Twitter earlier on Saturday, Starbucks Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">SBUX.O</a>) said it was sorry for what took place.</p>
<p>Johnson added his apology, saying the company would review its policies and “further train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted.”</p>
<p>Melissa DePino, an author who posted video of the arrest, said staff called police because the two men had not ordered anything while waiting for a friend. She said white customers were “wondering why it’s never happened to us when we do the same thing.”</p>
<p>Police departments across the United States have come under criticism for repeated instances of killing unarmed black men in recent years, which activists blame on racial biases in the criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by David Gregorio and Clarence Fernandez</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Barbara Bush, the wife of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, is in “failing health” and has decided to no longer seek medical treatment, the office of the ex-president said in a statement from Houston on Sunday.</p>
<p>The former first lady, who is also the mother of former President George W. Bush, “will instead focus on comfort care,” the statement said. She is 92 years old.</p>
<p>The brief statement did not indicate the nature of Bush’s illness but said that she had had a series of recent hospitalizations.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-people-barbarabush-factbox/factbox-u-s-political-world-sends-support-to-former-first-lady-barbara-bush-idUSKBN1HN020" type="external">Factbox: U.S. political world sends support to former first lady Barbara Bush</a>
<p>CNN reported that Bush was suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and congestive heart failure. A Bush family spokesman said she was being cared for at her home. He did not provide information on the nature of her illness.</p>
<p>“She is surrounded by a family she adores and appreciates the many kind messages and especially the prayers she is receiving,” the statement added.</p>
<p>As first lady from 1989 until the start of 1993, Bush was a popular national figure known for her sometimes blunt talk and self-deprecating wit.</p>
<p>Her husband, the 41st U.S. president, is 93 years old. Her son, the 43 U.S. president, is 71.</p>
<p>Another son, Jeb, is a former governor of Florida who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2015 and early 2016, quitting after a series of lackluster performances highlighted by tough skirmishes with then-candidate Donald Trump.</p>
<p>White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: “The president’s and first lady’s prayers are with all of the Bush family during this time.”</p>
<p>With hair that had turned white prematurely, Bush was known by family members as the “Silver Fox.”</p> FILE PHOTO: Former first lady Barbara Bush listens to remarks during the christening ceremony of the USS George H.W. Bush at Northrop-Grumman's shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, U.S., October 7, 2006. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
<p>Her work as first lady focused on promoting literacy and reading. At the time, she said she was more interested in running a household than in helping her husband run the country.</p>
<p>“Barbara Bush has a character that is as big, inspiring and iconic as Texas,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement on Sunday. The Bushes moved to Texas in the mid-1940s.</p>
<p>Bush holds a unique place in U.S. history.</p> FILE PHOTO - Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush participates in the coin toss ahead of the start of Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons as former first lady Barbara Bush looks on in Houston , Texas, U.S., February 5, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif
<p>She is the only woman to see her husband and son sworn in as U.S. president. Abigail Adams, first lady from 1797 to 1801, was a major influence on husband John Adams, the nation’s second president, but died before her son, John Quincy Adams, was elected president in 1824.</p>
<p>Reporting by Richard Cowan and Will Dunham; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Sandra Maler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Public figures across the U.S. political spectrum paid tribute on Sunday to former first lady Barbara Bush, who is in “failing health” and will no longer seek medical treatment. She is the wife of former Republican U.S. President George H.W. Bush and the mother of former President George W. Bush.</p> FILE PHOTO - Former U.S. first lady Barbara Bush listens to her son, President George W. Bush, as he speaks at an event on social security reform in Orlando, Florida, March 18, 2005. REUTERS/Jason Reed
<p>White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders:</p>
<p>“The President’s and First Lady’s prayers are with all of the Bush Family during this time.”</p>
<p>House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi:</p>
<p>“As always, Barbara Bush is a comfort to her friends &amp; family teaching us all how to live full of faith, love &amp; humor. Praying that she is comfortable &amp; send love to President Bush &amp; their family.”</p>
<p>Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott:</p>
<p>“Here’s to Barbara Bush—an American icon and Texas legend. Our prayers are with you.”</p>
<p>Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations:</p>
<p>“Prayers going up for a woman of great faith, great strength, and an unwavering love of country.”</p>
<p>Democratic U.S. Representative for New York Sean Patrick Maloney:</p>
<p>“Barbara Bush was a graceful First Lady who has dedicated her life to improving education and promoting literacy. Our family wishes Barbara and the rest of the Bush family the best during this difficult time.”</p>
<p>Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich:</p>
<p>“Barbara Bush is a woman of grace, humility and great compassion. She and her family are in our prayers.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Andrew Hay; Editing by Peter Cooney</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | 1,484 |
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/911.jpg" type="external" />Joseph Rich, and brothers Michael Reverdes and Steven Reverdes are the three alleged robbers who were later captured Police say response time was the same despite the misdirected call "Somebody just came into my house, four people just came into my house, they beat the s**** out of me ["]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2657810/Florida-Homeowner-shoots-intruder-directed-911-VOICE-MAIL-four-home-invaders-beat-family-robbing-them.html" type="external">Click here to view original web page at www.dailymail.co.uk</a></p>
<p /> | Desperate Homeowner Calls 911 and Gets Sent To Voicemail | true | http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/moment-a-desperate-homeowner-was-transferred-to-voicemail-as-he-called-911-for-help-during-home-invasion/ | 0right
| Desperate Homeowner Calls 911 and Gets Sent To Voicemail
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/911.jpg" type="external" />Joseph Rich, and brothers Michael Reverdes and Steven Reverdes are the three alleged robbers who were later captured Police say response time was the same despite the misdirected call "Somebody just came into my house, four people just came into my house, they beat the s**** out of me ["]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2657810/Florida-Homeowner-shoots-intruder-directed-911-VOICE-MAIL-four-home-invaders-beat-family-robbing-them.html" type="external">Click here to view original web page at www.dailymail.co.uk</a></p>
<p /> | 1,485 |
|
<p>NBC host Chuck Todd speculated over the weekend that he may have conducted his last interview with Bernie Sanders as a presidential candidate.</p>
<p>In an interview that aired on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press, Sanders admitted that he had a narrow path to defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>"At the end of the day, you feel like you were giving a fair shot to this nomination?" Todd wondered.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Sanders replied. "We took advantage the opportunities in front of us. We are in this race, we are not writing our obituary. We are in this race to California, and we're proud of the campaign we ran."</p>
<p>The NBC host pointed out that 16 of the 17 states with the highest levels of income inequality had voted for Clinton in primaries even though it had been the top issue for Sanders' campaign.</p>
<p>"Because poor people don't vote," Sanders lamented. "I mean, that's just a fact. That's the sad reality of American society."</p>
<p>"[If] Donald Trump is the nominee, do you have a responsibility to do what it takes to get your voters to support Hillary Clinton?" Todd asked.</p>
<p>"I will do everything that I can to make certain that Donald Trump is not elected president," Sanders insisted. "But if that scenario plays out, the major responsibility will be on Secretary Clinton to convince all people -- not just my supporters -- that she is the kind of president this country needs to represent working people in this country, to take on the big money interests who have so much power."</p>
<p>"I think she's going to have to be very explicit about supporting a program that stands up for the needs of the middle class and working families," the Vermont senator added. "Which most importantly makes it clear that she is prepared to take on Wall Street in a very clear way, take on the billionaire class, come up for a program that makes health care for all in this country a right within the next several years."</p>
<p>Sanders conciliatory comments left Todd wondering if he had mentally conceded the race.</p>
<p>"Did we just hear, intentionally or not, the Bernie Sanders exit interview?" Todd concluded.</p> | Chuck Todd Says Bernie Knows It's Over: 'Did We Just Hear The Bernie Sanders Exit Interview?' | true | http://crooksandliars.com/2016/04/chuck-todd-says-bernie-knows-its-over-did | 2016-04-24 | 4left
| Chuck Todd Says Bernie Knows It's Over: 'Did We Just Hear The Bernie Sanders Exit Interview?'
<p>NBC host Chuck Todd speculated over the weekend that he may have conducted his last interview with Bernie Sanders as a presidential candidate.</p>
<p>In an interview that aired on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press, Sanders admitted that he had a narrow path to defeating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>"At the end of the day, you feel like you were giving a fair shot to this nomination?" Todd wondered.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Sanders replied. "We took advantage the opportunities in front of us. We are in this race, we are not writing our obituary. We are in this race to California, and we're proud of the campaign we ran."</p>
<p>The NBC host pointed out that 16 of the 17 states with the highest levels of income inequality had voted for Clinton in primaries even though it had been the top issue for Sanders' campaign.</p>
<p>"Because poor people don't vote," Sanders lamented. "I mean, that's just a fact. That's the sad reality of American society."</p>
<p>"[If] Donald Trump is the nominee, do you have a responsibility to do what it takes to get your voters to support Hillary Clinton?" Todd asked.</p>
<p>"I will do everything that I can to make certain that Donald Trump is not elected president," Sanders insisted. "But if that scenario plays out, the major responsibility will be on Secretary Clinton to convince all people -- not just my supporters -- that she is the kind of president this country needs to represent working people in this country, to take on the big money interests who have so much power."</p>
<p>"I think she's going to have to be very explicit about supporting a program that stands up for the needs of the middle class and working families," the Vermont senator added. "Which most importantly makes it clear that she is prepared to take on Wall Street in a very clear way, take on the billionaire class, come up for a program that makes health care for all in this country a right within the next several years."</p>
<p>Sanders conciliatory comments left Todd wondering if he had mentally conceded the race.</p>
<p>"Did we just hear, intentionally or not, the Bernie Sanders exit interview?" Todd concluded.</p> | 1,486 |
<p>Some of Germany's largest tour operators offered free cancellations Friday for tourists planning trips to the French city of Nice in the coming days, following the attack that killed at least 84 people late on Thursday.</p>
<p>German tour operators TUI Group and FTI Touristik GmbH said tourists with trips booked for Nice up until July 31 could cancel or change their travel plans for free.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>TUI said Nice features among the top 20 most visited cities in its catalogue. The tour operator currently has 26 visitors in the city.</p>
<p>DER Touristik, part of the supermarket and tourism-focused REWE Group, said clients could cancel trips planned until July 16. A spokeswoman for the tour operator said so far they hadn't received any cancellations but some tourists left the city earlier than planned by car during the night.</p>
<p>Write to Ruth Bender at [email protected]</p> | German Tour Operators Offer Free Cancellations for Nice Trips | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/07/15/german-tour-operators-offer-free-cancellations-for-nice-trips.html | 2016-07-15 | 0right
| German Tour Operators Offer Free Cancellations for Nice Trips
<p>Some of Germany's largest tour operators offered free cancellations Friday for tourists planning trips to the French city of Nice in the coming days, following the attack that killed at least 84 people late on Thursday.</p>
<p>German tour operators TUI Group and FTI Touristik GmbH said tourists with trips booked for Nice up until July 31 could cancel or change their travel plans for free.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>TUI said Nice features among the top 20 most visited cities in its catalogue. The tour operator currently has 26 visitors in the city.</p>
<p>DER Touristik, part of the supermarket and tourism-focused REWE Group, said clients could cancel trips planned until July 16. A spokeswoman for the tour operator said so far they hadn't received any cancellations but some tourists left the city earlier than planned by car during the night.</p>
<p>Write to Ruth Bender at [email protected]</p> | 1,487 |
<p>Danica Roem (Photo courtesy of Danica Roem)</p>
<p>There is an important race for state delegate in Virginia’s District 13. It pits Republican Bob Marshall, a bigoted, homophobic longtime delegate, against a Democrat who is an intelligent young woman who happens to be transgender. Danica Roem is an impressive candidate with a comprehensive and impressive knowledge of her District, Virginia government, and a commitment to the people she grew up with and hopes to serve. While Danica has her work cut out for her to defeat Marshall it is fair to say not only Virginia but the country will be better off if she does.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/virginias-most-anti-lgbt-lawmaker-might-lose-his-seat-to-states-first-openly-transgender-candidate/" type="external">Mother Jones column</a>by Ashley Dejean described Marshall this way, “Marshall, a delegate since 1992, was the author of the amendment that enshrined discrimination into the state’s constitution in 2006, by defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. And when he ran, unsuccessfully, for US Congress in 2014, he was <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/04/congressional-candidate-bob-marshall-is-basically-the-war-on-womens-four-star-general/360535/" type="external">described by the Atlantic</a> as “basically the culture war’s four-star general”—a profile he continues to live up to. In January, he <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/transgender-rights-bathrooms-state-legislature-texas-arizona-wyoming-kansas/" type="external">introduced</a> what LGBT advocates described as one of the most dangerous bathroom bills in the country.” It turns out the proposal crossed a line even for the very right leaning Virginia Republicans and they killed the bill.</p>
<p>It is not only the LGBT community Marshall has insulted and hurt with his legislative initiatives and comments. In the same <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/04/congressional-candidate-bob-marshall-is-basically-the-war-on-womens-four-star-general/360535/" type="external">Atlantic column</a> there was a compilation of some of the most outrageous things Marshall has said. “According to an <a href="http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/10/virginia-republican-bob-marshall-stands-by-remarks/?page=1" type="external">interview in the Washington Times</a>, he regrets none of his comments. Those comments include remarks on disabled children (they <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VODxVQcF_yw" type="external">can be God’s punishment</a> to women who have had abortions), incest (sometimes, it’s “voluntary”), and the Supreme Court (Justice Kennedy is probably “a homosexual”). When asked about those controversial remarks, the candidate said, “I don’t care. I mean, if I say something in public, I say it in public.”</p>
<p>It’s the voters in the 13th District who have the chance to put an end to Marshall’s hate-filled political career. Many Republicans in Prince William County and Manassas Park who Marshall represents are saying privately they are embarrassed by what he says and does. This year they have the opportunity to prove with their votes they are ready for change. They can show Prince William County and Manassas Park have grown and no longer will allow Marshall and the hate he spews to represent them.</p>
<p>Roem, the Democrat, is a lifelong resident of Prince William County. She knows the local issues backwards and forwards having written about them as a reporter for the Prince William Times for nine years. She understands one of the major issues for the county is transportation having reported on all the issues from I-66 to routes 15,28,29,55, and 234 as well as the Bi-County Parkway.</p>
<p>Wherever she campaigns she repeats her commitment to focus on finally getting Route 28 fixed. She also understands what it would mean to Manassas if the VRE is extended; if downtown office space in Manassas Park would be rented and Innovation Park built up. These are all issues Marshall hasn’t bothered to deal with.</p>
<p>Danica is a stepmom and both understands and is passionate about education issues. She supports higher pay for teachers because she wants every child to have a qualified, caring teacher in their classroom and knows to make that happen Virginia must be able to attract those teachers and then keep them in the state and the classrooms of Prince William County.</p>
<p>Danica is transgender but that isn’t the reason most of her supporters are working hard to elect her. Being transgender is a part of her life that has made her more open to all people. It has given her more of an insight than some of us may have into how people who others may see as ‘different’ must cope and relate to their community. That knowledge has made her a stronger person. She is a strong supporter of the Dream Act, civil rights, disability rights, LGBTQ+ equality, women’s rights and economic equality. She understands what it would mean to guarantee workers a livable minimum wage and affordable and accessible healthcare.</p>
<p><a href="https://danicaroem.ngpvanhost.com/" type="external">Danica Roem</a> is the real thing. A strong, intelligent woman who will fight for the residents and families of Prince William County. She is committed to making a difference for the people she grew up with and to making Prince William County an even more vibrant and growing community known as a place welcoming to all.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">abortion</a> <a href="" type="internal">Anthony Kennedy</a> <a href="" type="internal">Ashley Dejean</a> <a href="" type="internal">bathroom bill</a> <a href="" type="internal">Bi-County Parkway</a> <a href="" type="internal">Bob Marshall</a> <a href="" type="internal">Danica Roem</a> <a href="" type="internal">Democratic Party</a> <a href="" type="internal">disabilities</a> <a href="" type="internal">dream act</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay marriage</a> <a href="" type="internal">Innovation Park</a> <a href="" type="internal">LGBT</a> <a href="" type="internal">Manassas Park</a> <a href="" type="internal">marriage equality</a> <a href="" type="internal">Mother Jones</a> <a href="" type="internal">Prince William County</a> <a href="" type="internal">Prince William Times</a> <a href="" type="internal">Republican Party</a> <a href="" type="internal">same-sex marriage</a> <a href="" type="internal">transgender</a> <a href="" type="internal">United States Supreme Court</a> <a href="" type="internal">Virginia</a> <a href="" type="internal">Virginia House of Delegates</a> <a href="" type="internal">VRE</a> <a href="" type="internal">Washington Times</a></p> | Roem for Va. House of Delegates | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/11/01/danica-roem-va-house-delegates/ | 3left-center
| Roem for Va. House of Delegates
<p>Danica Roem (Photo courtesy of Danica Roem)</p>
<p>There is an important race for state delegate in Virginia’s District 13. It pits Republican Bob Marshall, a bigoted, homophobic longtime delegate, against a Democrat who is an intelligent young woman who happens to be transgender. Danica Roem is an impressive candidate with a comprehensive and impressive knowledge of her District, Virginia government, and a commitment to the people she grew up with and hopes to serve. While Danica has her work cut out for her to defeat Marshall it is fair to say not only Virginia but the country will be better off if she does.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/06/virginias-most-anti-lgbt-lawmaker-might-lose-his-seat-to-states-first-openly-transgender-candidate/" type="external">Mother Jones column</a>by Ashley Dejean described Marshall this way, “Marshall, a delegate since 1992, was the author of the amendment that enshrined discrimination into the state’s constitution in 2006, by defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. And when he ran, unsuccessfully, for US Congress in 2014, he was <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/04/congressional-candidate-bob-marshall-is-basically-the-war-on-womens-four-star-general/360535/" type="external">described by the Atlantic</a> as “basically the culture war’s four-star general”—a profile he continues to live up to. In January, he <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/transgender-rights-bathrooms-state-legislature-texas-arizona-wyoming-kansas/" type="external">introduced</a> what LGBT advocates described as one of the most dangerous bathroom bills in the country.” It turns out the proposal crossed a line even for the very right leaning Virginia Republicans and they killed the bill.</p>
<p>It is not only the LGBT community Marshall has insulted and hurt with his legislative initiatives and comments. In the same <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/04/congressional-candidate-bob-marshall-is-basically-the-war-on-womens-four-star-general/360535/" type="external">Atlantic column</a> there was a compilation of some of the most outrageous things Marshall has said. “According to an <a href="http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/10/virginia-republican-bob-marshall-stands-by-remarks/?page=1" type="external">interview in the Washington Times</a>, he regrets none of his comments. Those comments include remarks on disabled children (they <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VODxVQcF_yw" type="external">can be God’s punishment</a> to women who have had abortions), incest (sometimes, it’s “voluntary”), and the Supreme Court (Justice Kennedy is probably “a homosexual”). When asked about those controversial remarks, the candidate said, “I don’t care. I mean, if I say something in public, I say it in public.”</p>
<p>It’s the voters in the 13th District who have the chance to put an end to Marshall’s hate-filled political career. Many Republicans in Prince William County and Manassas Park who Marshall represents are saying privately they are embarrassed by what he says and does. This year they have the opportunity to prove with their votes they are ready for change. They can show Prince William County and Manassas Park have grown and no longer will allow Marshall and the hate he spews to represent them.</p>
<p>Roem, the Democrat, is a lifelong resident of Prince William County. She knows the local issues backwards and forwards having written about them as a reporter for the Prince William Times for nine years. She understands one of the major issues for the county is transportation having reported on all the issues from I-66 to routes 15,28,29,55, and 234 as well as the Bi-County Parkway.</p>
<p>Wherever she campaigns she repeats her commitment to focus on finally getting Route 28 fixed. She also understands what it would mean to Manassas if the VRE is extended; if downtown office space in Manassas Park would be rented and Innovation Park built up. These are all issues Marshall hasn’t bothered to deal with.</p>
<p>Danica is a stepmom and both understands and is passionate about education issues. She supports higher pay for teachers because she wants every child to have a qualified, caring teacher in their classroom and knows to make that happen Virginia must be able to attract those teachers and then keep them in the state and the classrooms of Prince William County.</p>
<p>Danica is transgender but that isn’t the reason most of her supporters are working hard to elect her. Being transgender is a part of her life that has made her more open to all people. It has given her more of an insight than some of us may have into how people who others may see as ‘different’ must cope and relate to their community. That knowledge has made her a stronger person. She is a strong supporter of the Dream Act, civil rights, disability rights, LGBTQ+ equality, women’s rights and economic equality. She understands what it would mean to guarantee workers a livable minimum wage and affordable and accessible healthcare.</p>
<p><a href="https://danicaroem.ngpvanhost.com/" type="external">Danica Roem</a> is the real thing. A strong, intelligent woman who will fight for the residents and families of Prince William County. She is committed to making a difference for the people she grew up with and to making Prince William County an even more vibrant and growing community known as a place welcoming to all.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Peter Rosenstein is a longtime LGBT rights and Democratic Party activist. He writes regularly for the Blade.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">abortion</a> <a href="" type="internal">Anthony Kennedy</a> <a href="" type="internal">Ashley Dejean</a> <a href="" type="internal">bathroom bill</a> <a href="" type="internal">Bi-County Parkway</a> <a href="" type="internal">Bob Marshall</a> <a href="" type="internal">Danica Roem</a> <a href="" type="internal">Democratic Party</a> <a href="" type="internal">disabilities</a> <a href="" type="internal">dream act</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay marriage</a> <a href="" type="internal">Innovation Park</a> <a href="" type="internal">LGBT</a> <a href="" type="internal">Manassas Park</a> <a href="" type="internal">marriage equality</a> <a href="" type="internal">Mother Jones</a> <a href="" type="internal">Prince William County</a> <a href="" type="internal">Prince William Times</a> <a href="" type="internal">Republican Party</a> <a href="" type="internal">same-sex marriage</a> <a href="" type="internal">transgender</a> <a href="" type="internal">United States Supreme Court</a> <a href="" type="internal">Virginia</a> <a href="" type="internal">Virginia House of Delegates</a> <a href="" type="internal">VRE</a> <a href="" type="internal">Washington Times</a></p> | 1,488 |
|
<p />
<p>Honeywell International shares could rise nearly 13 percent to $154 in the next year, driven by strong earnings growth, Barron's said in its July 31 edition.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The industrial conglomerate stands to see its profits increase in a growing software business and even in its more mature aerospace franchise, the newspaper said.</p>
<p>Hedge fund Third Point, run by billionaire Dan Loeb, in April said Honeywell should spin off its aerospace division, saying the separation could create more than $20 billion in shareholder value. Honeywell Chief Executive Darius Adamczyk suggested he will decide whether to do so by fall this year.</p>
<p>But Barron's said investors should expect the company to keep the aerospace unit as its profits increase and expenses decline. Falling capital spending could also help Honeywell boost acquisitions, share repurchases and dividend growth, the newspaper said.</p>
<p>Honeywell shares closed at $136.79 on Friday, and are up 18 percent this year.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Nick Zieminski)</p> | Honeywell shares could leap 13 percent -Barron's | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/07/31/honeywell-shares-could-leap-13-percent-barrons.html | 2017-07-31 | 0right
| Honeywell shares could leap 13 percent -Barron's
<p />
<p>Honeywell International shares could rise nearly 13 percent to $154 in the next year, driven by strong earnings growth, Barron's said in its July 31 edition.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The industrial conglomerate stands to see its profits increase in a growing software business and even in its more mature aerospace franchise, the newspaper said.</p>
<p>Hedge fund Third Point, run by billionaire Dan Loeb, in April said Honeywell should spin off its aerospace division, saying the separation could create more than $20 billion in shareholder value. Honeywell Chief Executive Darius Adamczyk suggested he will decide whether to do so by fall this year.</p>
<p>But Barron's said investors should expect the company to keep the aerospace unit as its profits increase and expenses decline. Falling capital spending could also help Honeywell boost acquisitions, share repurchases and dividend growth, the newspaper said.</p>
<p>Honeywell shares closed at $136.79 on Friday, and are up 18 percent this year.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Nick Zieminski)</p> | 1,489 |
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<p>HSD announced Friday that it had selected Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Presbyterian Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New Mexico to manage medical, behavioral health and long-term care under the state’s Centennial Care program.</p>
<p>One familiar name, Lovelace Health Plan, was not on the list. Lovelace manages care for 91,000 Medicaid recipients today. It has a total of about 175,000 insurance customers.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Today, UnitedHealthcare is one of two companies that manage long-term care services for Medicaid recipients, and the other companies, plus Lovelace, manage medical care for Medicaid patients under the state’s Salud! program. A seventh company manages Medicaid behavioral health care.</p>
<p>Assuming the state secures federal approval, Centennial Care will replace Salud! and eight other major Medicaid programs, including behavioral health services, with a comprehensive program operated by the four companies named Friday.</p>
<p>Medicaid is expected to serve about 554,000 low-income children, disabled people and the elderly next year. Another 150,000 people are expected to get Medicaid coverage after the state expands Medicaid to low-income, able-bodied adults under terms of the federal Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>HSD spokesman Matt Kennicott said federal approval of Centennial Care “is just a matter of time.”</p>
<p>Several Indian tribes continue to oppose Centennial Care’s requirement that Native American Medicaid recipients receive care that is managed by one of the insurance companies. Legislation that would strike that requirement is expected to be introduced in the current legislative session.</p>
<p>Kennicott said HSD expects to spend $3.9 billion on Medicaid in the coming fiscal year, of which $2.7 billion will come from the federal government.</p>
<p>Officials from the selected companies said the Centennial Care contracts should mean a significant increase in revenue and will require them to hire more people to deliver services. They said they had not estimated what their share of the 700,000-person market would be.</p>
<p>Blue Cross has 30,000 Medicaid members today, Molina has 89,000 and Presbyterian has 167,000. UnitedHealthcare and another company, Amerigroup, manage care for about 40,000 people.</p>
<p>In a statement, Lovelace said, “The notification from the New Mexico Human Services Department did not include details on why Lovelace Health Plan was not among the organizations chosen to manage the state’s Medicaid contract after 2013. LHP is in the process of seeking further clarification and looking at appeal options that are available.”</p>
<p>Lovelace added that its parent company, Lovelace Health System, will continue to provide medical services at its hospitals and pharmacies under contracts with Centennial Care companies. — This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal</p> | State Selects $4 Billion Medicaid Winners | false | https://abqjournal.com/167284/state-selects-4-billion-medicaid-winners.html | 2013-02-08 | 2least
| State Selects $4 Billion Medicaid Winners
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<p />
<p>HSD announced Friday that it had selected Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Presbyterian Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New Mexico to manage medical, behavioral health and long-term care under the state’s Centennial Care program.</p>
<p>One familiar name, Lovelace Health Plan, was not on the list. Lovelace manages care for 91,000 Medicaid recipients today. It has a total of about 175,000 insurance customers.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Today, UnitedHealthcare is one of two companies that manage long-term care services for Medicaid recipients, and the other companies, plus Lovelace, manage medical care for Medicaid patients under the state’s Salud! program. A seventh company manages Medicaid behavioral health care.</p>
<p>Assuming the state secures federal approval, Centennial Care will replace Salud! and eight other major Medicaid programs, including behavioral health services, with a comprehensive program operated by the four companies named Friday.</p>
<p>Medicaid is expected to serve about 554,000 low-income children, disabled people and the elderly next year. Another 150,000 people are expected to get Medicaid coverage after the state expands Medicaid to low-income, able-bodied adults under terms of the federal Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>HSD spokesman Matt Kennicott said federal approval of Centennial Care “is just a matter of time.”</p>
<p>Several Indian tribes continue to oppose Centennial Care’s requirement that Native American Medicaid recipients receive care that is managed by one of the insurance companies. Legislation that would strike that requirement is expected to be introduced in the current legislative session.</p>
<p>Kennicott said HSD expects to spend $3.9 billion on Medicaid in the coming fiscal year, of which $2.7 billion will come from the federal government.</p>
<p>Officials from the selected companies said the Centennial Care contracts should mean a significant increase in revenue and will require them to hire more people to deliver services. They said they had not estimated what their share of the 700,000-person market would be.</p>
<p>Blue Cross has 30,000 Medicaid members today, Molina has 89,000 and Presbyterian has 167,000. UnitedHealthcare and another company, Amerigroup, manage care for about 40,000 people.</p>
<p>In a statement, Lovelace said, “The notification from the New Mexico Human Services Department did not include details on why Lovelace Health Plan was not among the organizations chosen to manage the state’s Medicaid contract after 2013. LHP is in the process of seeking further clarification and looking at appeal options that are available.”</p>
<p>Lovelace added that its parent company, Lovelace Health System, will continue to provide medical services at its hospitals and pharmacies under contracts with Centennial Care companies. — This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal</p> | 1,490 |
<p>Martin Sheen, Anne Hathaway and Jane Lynch are but a few of the gay-marriage supporters who signed a letter, due to be delivered to the White House this spring, asking President Obama to quit his <a href="" type="internal">grappling</a> and finally commit to marriage equality. –KA</p>
<p>AP via MercuryNews.com:</p>
<p>The New York-based group Freedom to Marry said Monday that R&amp;B singer Mya, NFL linebacker Scott Fujita and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey also signed an open letter calling on the president to back gay marriage.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17612394?nclick_check=1" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p /> | Sheen the Elder, Jane Lynch Petition Obama for Marriage Equality | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/sheen-the-elder-jane-lynch-petition-obama-for-marriage-equality/ | 2011-03-15 | 4left
| Sheen the Elder, Jane Lynch Petition Obama for Marriage Equality
<p>Martin Sheen, Anne Hathaway and Jane Lynch are but a few of the gay-marriage supporters who signed a letter, due to be delivered to the White House this spring, asking President Obama to quit his <a href="" type="internal">grappling</a> and finally commit to marriage equality. –KA</p>
<p>AP via MercuryNews.com:</p>
<p>The New York-based group Freedom to Marry said Monday that R&amp;B singer Mya, NFL linebacker Scott Fujita and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey also signed an open letter calling on the president to back gay marriage.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17612394?nclick_check=1" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p /> | 1,491 |
<p>I remember when the name of the game at my gym was pump ’n’ swig. Weight lifters and treadmill sloggers routinely carried with their sweat towels expensive water in plastic bottles.</p>
<p>Drinking commercial water was the cool thing. In 2006, Americans bought 32.6 billion single-serving bottles of water, and another 34.6 billion larger bottles.</p>
<p>With a slew of brands for basically the same product, image marketers have pushed the envelope — the bottle itself. My favorite absurdity: “Bling H2O,” with the motto “More than a Pretty Taste.” You can buy this water in a “Limited Edition” frosted-glass bottle encrusted with crystals for $40.</p>
<p>The surprising truth is that an estimated 25 to 40 percent of bottled water comes from public drinking reservoirs. Pepsico’s Aquafina label shows high-peaked mountains, but the water is from municipal systems, including that of Ayer, Mass., a town next to a military base and a short drive from Boston. Coca-Cola’s brand, Dasani, also uses municipal systems.</p>
<p>I remember a Dennis the Menace cartoon showing Dad, dazed and bleary-eyed at 3 a.m., holding out a glass of water. Dennis says, “That’s bathroom water! I wanted kitchen water!”</p>
<p>It’s all in the marketing.</p>
<p>At some restaurants, “water sommeliers” have pushed $75-a-bottle water for each course. I once took my husband for his birthday to a restaurant where the waiter asked if we would like our water bottled or — with curled lip — “native.” That convinced us. We absolutely had to go local.</p>
<p>We still laugh about that.</p>
<p>For years, the joke’s been on consumers. We spend all that money on water and plastic, and toss the plastic. It litters America from sea to bottle-bobbing sea.</p>
<p>“We estimate that fewer than 20 percent of those get recycled,” says Betty McLaughlin, executive director of the Container Recycling Institute.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Royte, author of the highly readable “Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It,” says America uses about 17 million barrels of oil each year to make plastic water bottles.</p>
<p>“If you have good tap water, if bottled water is redundant, why wouldn’t you go for the low-impact option?” she asks. “Bring your water over to the Stairmaster in a reusable bottle.”</p>
<p>That message finally seems to be getting through. Today I see the beginnings of a bottled-water backlash. At my gym, almost no one wants to be seen swigging from throw-away plastic anymore.</p>
<p>Some restaurants have abandoned bottled water. New York City’s Italian restaurant Del Posto, where it’s easy to drop hundreds of dollars on dinner for two, has a 61-page wine list with many bottles priced over $1,000, but you can’t buy bottled water at any price. Says one of the restaurant’s owners: “To spend fossil fuel trucking water around the world is absurd.”</p>
<p>At colleges nationwide, students take the “no bottled water” pledge. Realizing that spending taxpayer funds on bottled water is careless environmental stewardship, Illinois has canceled contracts for bottled water. The city governments of Fayetteville, Ark., and Albuquerque, N.M., won’t buy the stuff. Chicago has a tax of 5 cents per bottle to cover disposal costs. Michigan may extend its 10-cent deposit on soft-drink bottles to bottled water.</p>
<p>For a while, bottled water had a good thing going. In 2006, the industry worldwide grew 7 percent in dollar sales. Some forecasters suggested 40 percent growth over the next five years.</p>
<p>But recently, those phenomenal growth rates have slowed worldwide.</p>
<p>“Bottled water sales have gone flat for the first time in 30 years, at both Coke and Pepsi,” says ad executive Erik Yaverbaum, founder of Tappening, which encourages people to drink tap water. “I think people are realizing they are wasting money buying water that’s the same as what comes from their tap.”</p>
<p>If I’m going to the gym now, I drink a glass of water before I go. If I’m going on a long car trip, I fill up a clean glass jug. My mom did that. And we never went thirsty.</p>
<p>WENDY WILLIAMS, who lives in Massachusetts, is co-author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158648575X/counterpunchmaga" type="external">“Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics and the Battle for Our Energy Future.</a>” She wrote this commentary for the Land Institute’s Prairie Writers Circle, Salina, Kan.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Buying the Message on the Bottle | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/11/18/buying-the-message-on-the-bottle/ | 2008-11-18 | 4left
| Buying the Message on the Bottle
<p>I remember when the name of the game at my gym was pump ’n’ swig. Weight lifters and treadmill sloggers routinely carried with their sweat towels expensive water in plastic bottles.</p>
<p>Drinking commercial water was the cool thing. In 2006, Americans bought 32.6 billion single-serving bottles of water, and another 34.6 billion larger bottles.</p>
<p>With a slew of brands for basically the same product, image marketers have pushed the envelope — the bottle itself. My favorite absurdity: “Bling H2O,” with the motto “More than a Pretty Taste.” You can buy this water in a “Limited Edition” frosted-glass bottle encrusted with crystals for $40.</p>
<p>The surprising truth is that an estimated 25 to 40 percent of bottled water comes from public drinking reservoirs. Pepsico’s Aquafina label shows high-peaked mountains, but the water is from municipal systems, including that of Ayer, Mass., a town next to a military base and a short drive from Boston. Coca-Cola’s brand, Dasani, also uses municipal systems.</p>
<p>I remember a Dennis the Menace cartoon showing Dad, dazed and bleary-eyed at 3 a.m., holding out a glass of water. Dennis says, “That’s bathroom water! I wanted kitchen water!”</p>
<p>It’s all in the marketing.</p>
<p>At some restaurants, “water sommeliers” have pushed $75-a-bottle water for each course. I once took my husband for his birthday to a restaurant where the waiter asked if we would like our water bottled or — with curled lip — “native.” That convinced us. We absolutely had to go local.</p>
<p>We still laugh about that.</p>
<p>For years, the joke’s been on consumers. We spend all that money on water and plastic, and toss the plastic. It litters America from sea to bottle-bobbing sea.</p>
<p>“We estimate that fewer than 20 percent of those get recycled,” says Betty McLaughlin, executive director of the Container Recycling Institute.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Royte, author of the highly readable “Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It,” says America uses about 17 million barrels of oil each year to make plastic water bottles.</p>
<p>“If you have good tap water, if bottled water is redundant, why wouldn’t you go for the low-impact option?” she asks. “Bring your water over to the Stairmaster in a reusable bottle.”</p>
<p>That message finally seems to be getting through. Today I see the beginnings of a bottled-water backlash. At my gym, almost no one wants to be seen swigging from throw-away plastic anymore.</p>
<p>Some restaurants have abandoned bottled water. New York City’s Italian restaurant Del Posto, where it’s easy to drop hundreds of dollars on dinner for two, has a 61-page wine list with many bottles priced over $1,000, but you can’t buy bottled water at any price. Says one of the restaurant’s owners: “To spend fossil fuel trucking water around the world is absurd.”</p>
<p>At colleges nationwide, students take the “no bottled water” pledge. Realizing that spending taxpayer funds on bottled water is careless environmental stewardship, Illinois has canceled contracts for bottled water. The city governments of Fayetteville, Ark., and Albuquerque, N.M., won’t buy the stuff. Chicago has a tax of 5 cents per bottle to cover disposal costs. Michigan may extend its 10-cent deposit on soft-drink bottles to bottled water.</p>
<p>For a while, bottled water had a good thing going. In 2006, the industry worldwide grew 7 percent in dollar sales. Some forecasters suggested 40 percent growth over the next five years.</p>
<p>But recently, those phenomenal growth rates have slowed worldwide.</p>
<p>“Bottled water sales have gone flat for the first time in 30 years, at both Coke and Pepsi,” says ad executive Erik Yaverbaum, founder of Tappening, which encourages people to drink tap water. “I think people are realizing they are wasting money buying water that’s the same as what comes from their tap.”</p>
<p>If I’m going to the gym now, I drink a glass of water before I go. If I’m going on a long car trip, I fill up a clean glass jug. My mom did that. And we never went thirsty.</p>
<p>WENDY WILLIAMS, who lives in Massachusetts, is co-author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/158648575X/counterpunchmaga" type="external">“Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics and the Battle for Our Energy Future.</a>” She wrote this commentary for the Land Institute’s Prairie Writers Circle, Salina, Kan.</p>
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<p>When it comes to political satire, Saturday Night Live can be frustrating and lazy, focusing only on Republicans, running jokes into the ground, and often using their position to promote progressive mischaracterizations.</p>
<p>That said, SNL has shown some brilliance over the course of this political cycle. Every few months, among the glut of unfunny and preachy political BS, Saturday Night Live strikes oil.</p>
<p>This week, Melissa McCarthy returned to play White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and it was wonderful. Sure, there was some pushing of the progressive narrative regarding Trump and Russia — but that's not unexpected. Set that aside, and enjoy comic gold:</p>
<p /> | 'Sean Spicer' Returns To SNL, And It's Everything | true | https://dailywire.com/news/16419/sean-spicer-returns-snl-and-its-everything-frank-camp | 2017-05-14 | 0right
| 'Sean Spicer' Returns To SNL, And It's Everything
<p>When it comes to political satire, Saturday Night Live can be frustrating and lazy, focusing only on Republicans, running jokes into the ground, and often using their position to promote progressive mischaracterizations.</p>
<p>That said, SNL has shown some brilliance over the course of this political cycle. Every few months, among the glut of unfunny and preachy political BS, Saturday Night Live strikes oil.</p>
<p>This week, Melissa McCarthy returned to play White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, and it was wonderful. Sure, there was some pushing of the progressive narrative regarding Trump and Russia — but that's not unexpected. Set that aside, and enjoy comic gold:</p>
<p /> | 1,493 |
<p />
<p>If you're among the millions of American workers worrying that retirement may fail to live up to your expectations, you're not alone.A new study by Transamerica shows that American workers are wrestling with fearsinvolving financial security and health in retirement. If you have similar worries to the respondents to this survey,here are some ways to overcome them.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.</p>
<p>Transamerica's 17th Annual Retirement Survey finds that 51% of American workers are nervous that their nest egg isn't going to cut it in retirement.Unfortunately, retirement savings statistics indicate that they're right to be nervous.</p>
<p>In April, PWC's Employee Financials Wellness Survey reported that 47% of American workers have less than $50,000 in retirement savings, and that roughly half of baby boomers, who are fast approaching retirement, have retirement savings of less than $100,000.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Given that the common financial wisdom is that retirees withdraw no more than 4% of their savings per year in retirement, those savings aren't likely to do much heavy lifting, when it comes to retirement expenses.</p>
<p>While you may be behind in saving for retirement, making even small changes today can have a big, positive impact on your nest egg. On average, Americans contribute only 8% of their income to workplace 401(k) or 403(b) plans, and that means most participants aren't anywhere near contributing the maximum allowed to these plans.</p>
<p>In 2017, 401(k) or 403(b) participants can contribute $18,000 plus an additional $6,000 if they're over 50 years old. If you're not maxing out your contributions, the best move you can make right now is to bump up your contribution rate. Even if you can't contribute the maximum allowed, an extra 1% or 2% per year can still add up.</p>
<p>Almost as many workers -- 47% to be exact -- worry that changes to Social Security to bolster its finances couldresult in changes to the program that jeopardize its role as retirees' financial safety net.</p>
<p>Typically, Social Security replaces approximately 40% of a worker's pre-retirement income, and according to the Social Security Administration, nearly half of single seniors count on it for at least 90% of their income.</p>
<p>Clearly, Social Security is critically important, but it's running out of money.According to Social Security's trustees, the program's outlays are outstripping payroll tax revenue, forcing them to tap Social Security's trust fund. That fund is expected to run dry in 2034, and without legislative changes, recipients could face an across the board 25% cut in benefits.</p>
<p>Undeniably, that's a scary proposition, but solutions that willshore up Social Security's future may be coming. Proposals, such as increasing retirement ages and payroll tax rates, aren't being voted on right now, but a growing population of voting baby boomers has me thinking that Social Security will be protected, not gutted. Even so, the best way to reduce the fear of Social Security's failure is to plan for it, and that means saving more and spending less so that you don't have to rely on it.</p>
<p>Long-term care is <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/21/your-2016-guide-to-long-term-care-and-long-term-ca.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">incredibly expensive Opens a New Window.</a> and it's uncovered by private insurance and Medicare, so workers are right to be concerned. In Transamerica's survey, 45% of people listed long-term care as a retirement fear.</p>
<p>Americans are living longer than ever before, and that means they're increasingly suffering illness or injury that limits their independence. More than two out of every three Americans turning 65 this year will require long-term care at some point in their lifetime, reports the Department of Health and Human Services.</p>
<p>The financial toll of that care could be staggering. Genworth's annual cost of care survey finds that the average cost of assisted living is $3,628 per month currently, and that the average cost of nursing home care is $6,844 per month, for a semi-private room.</p>
<p>If you've got health concerns or family health history that suggests you might end up needing long-term care, or you simply want protection against the risk of needing it, now could be a good time to consider long-term care insurance. Long-term care insurance is cheaper if you buy it in your 50s, rather than your 60s, so investigate long-term care insurance benefits sooner rather than later to find out if it's right for you.</p>
<p>Cognitive decline is major cause for needing long-term care, so it's not too surprising that 35% of workers are worried about it.</p>
<p>Alzheimer's disease is increasingly common, and the number of cases is expected to rise substantially over the coming decades. Today, 5.4 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease, but that number is expected to climb to 7.1 million by 2025 and to 13.8 million people by 2050.</p>
<p>In addition to the patient losing their independence, Alzheimer's disease is a big burden on loved ones. In 2015, an estimated 18.1 billion unpaid hours were spent by families and friends caring for people with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Also, the cost of healthcare, long-term care, and hospice care for Alzheimer's disease patients is an estimated $236 billion per year.</p>
<p>While you may not be able to prevent cognitive decline, you can have open and honest discussions about it with your family. Explaining your concerns and establishing plans ahead of time can ease worries. Long-term care insurance may provide additional peace of mind. Donating to organizations researching cognitive disease or helping patients in need might, too.</p>
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.</p>
<p>Medicare provides financial support to seniors requiring healthcare, but Medicare only goes so far, and uncovered Medicare costs can be high. That's probably why 32% of Transamerica respondents list it as a big retirement fear.</p>
<p>Medicare Part A covers hospitalization costs but only after a deductible is met and only for a certain period of time. After the clock runs out, Medicare coverage phases out, and since there's no limit on patients' out-of-pocket spending, an extended hospital stay can wipe out a lifetime of savings. Similarly,Medicare part B helps with every-day healthcare expenses, like lab tests and doctor visits, but patients pay monthly premiums, 20% co-insurance, and, like part A, there's no out-of-pocket maximum for part B, so expenses can mount quickly.</p>
<p>Since there are gaps in part A and B coverage, consider alternative insurance that can be more comprehensive. Medicare Advantage plans, for example, provide part A and part B coverage, and they typically include drug coverage too. If you're happy with Parts A and part B coverage, a Medigap plan that picks up where Medicare leaves off, may be your best bet to a worry-free retirement.</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> | Americans' 5 Big Fears About Retirement | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/17/americans-5-big-fears-about-retirement.html | 2016-12-17 | 0right
| Americans' 5 Big Fears About Retirement
<p />
<p>If you're among the millions of American workers worrying that retirement may fail to live up to your expectations, you're not alone.A new study by Transamerica shows that American workers are wrestling with fearsinvolving financial security and health in retirement. If you have similar worries to the respondents to this survey,here are some ways to overcome them.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.</p>
<p>Transamerica's 17th Annual Retirement Survey finds that 51% of American workers are nervous that their nest egg isn't going to cut it in retirement.Unfortunately, retirement savings statistics indicate that they're right to be nervous.</p>
<p>In April, PWC's Employee Financials Wellness Survey reported that 47% of American workers have less than $50,000 in retirement savings, and that roughly half of baby boomers, who are fast approaching retirement, have retirement savings of less than $100,000.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Given that the common financial wisdom is that retirees withdraw no more than 4% of their savings per year in retirement, those savings aren't likely to do much heavy lifting, when it comes to retirement expenses.</p>
<p>While you may be behind in saving for retirement, making even small changes today can have a big, positive impact on your nest egg. On average, Americans contribute only 8% of their income to workplace 401(k) or 403(b) plans, and that means most participants aren't anywhere near contributing the maximum allowed to these plans.</p>
<p>In 2017, 401(k) or 403(b) participants can contribute $18,000 plus an additional $6,000 if they're over 50 years old. If you're not maxing out your contributions, the best move you can make right now is to bump up your contribution rate. Even if you can't contribute the maximum allowed, an extra 1% or 2% per year can still add up.</p>
<p>Almost as many workers -- 47% to be exact -- worry that changes to Social Security to bolster its finances couldresult in changes to the program that jeopardize its role as retirees' financial safety net.</p>
<p>Typically, Social Security replaces approximately 40% of a worker's pre-retirement income, and according to the Social Security Administration, nearly half of single seniors count on it for at least 90% of their income.</p>
<p>Clearly, Social Security is critically important, but it's running out of money.According to Social Security's trustees, the program's outlays are outstripping payroll tax revenue, forcing them to tap Social Security's trust fund. That fund is expected to run dry in 2034, and without legislative changes, recipients could face an across the board 25% cut in benefits.</p>
<p>Undeniably, that's a scary proposition, but solutions that willshore up Social Security's future may be coming. Proposals, such as increasing retirement ages and payroll tax rates, aren't being voted on right now, but a growing population of voting baby boomers has me thinking that Social Security will be protected, not gutted. Even so, the best way to reduce the fear of Social Security's failure is to plan for it, and that means saving more and spending less so that you don't have to rely on it.</p>
<p>Long-term care is <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/21/your-2016-guide-to-long-term-care-and-long-term-ca.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">incredibly expensive Opens a New Window.</a> and it's uncovered by private insurance and Medicare, so workers are right to be concerned. In Transamerica's survey, 45% of people listed long-term care as a retirement fear.</p>
<p>Americans are living longer than ever before, and that means they're increasingly suffering illness or injury that limits their independence. More than two out of every three Americans turning 65 this year will require long-term care at some point in their lifetime, reports the Department of Health and Human Services.</p>
<p>The financial toll of that care could be staggering. Genworth's annual cost of care survey finds that the average cost of assisted living is $3,628 per month currently, and that the average cost of nursing home care is $6,844 per month, for a semi-private room.</p>
<p>If you've got health concerns or family health history that suggests you might end up needing long-term care, or you simply want protection against the risk of needing it, now could be a good time to consider long-term care insurance. Long-term care insurance is cheaper if you buy it in your 50s, rather than your 60s, so investigate long-term care insurance benefits sooner rather than later to find out if it's right for you.</p>
<p>Cognitive decline is major cause for needing long-term care, so it's not too surprising that 35% of workers are worried about it.</p>
<p>Alzheimer's disease is increasingly common, and the number of cases is expected to rise substantially over the coming decades. Today, 5.4 million Americans live with Alzheimer's disease, but that number is expected to climb to 7.1 million by 2025 and to 13.8 million people by 2050.</p>
<p>In addition to the patient losing their independence, Alzheimer's disease is a big burden on loved ones. In 2015, an estimated 18.1 billion unpaid hours were spent by families and friends caring for people with Alzheimer's disease, according to the Alzheimer's Association. Also, the cost of healthcare, long-term care, and hospice care for Alzheimer's disease patients is an estimated $236 billion per year.</p>
<p>While you may not be able to prevent cognitive decline, you can have open and honest discussions about it with your family. Explaining your concerns and establishing plans ahead of time can ease worries. Long-term care insurance may provide additional peace of mind. Donating to organizations researching cognitive disease or helping patients in need might, too.</p>
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.</p>
<p>Medicare provides financial support to seniors requiring healthcare, but Medicare only goes so far, and uncovered Medicare costs can be high. That's probably why 32% of Transamerica respondents list it as a big retirement fear.</p>
<p>Medicare Part A covers hospitalization costs but only after a deductible is met and only for a certain period of time. After the clock runs out, Medicare coverage phases out, and since there's no limit on patients' out-of-pocket spending, an extended hospital stay can wipe out a lifetime of savings. Similarly,Medicare part B helps with every-day healthcare expenses, like lab tests and doctor visits, but patients pay monthly premiums, 20% co-insurance, and, like part A, there's no out-of-pocket maximum for part B, so expenses can mount quickly.</p>
<p>Since there are gaps in part A and B coverage, consider alternative insurance that can be more comprehensive. Medicare Advantage plans, for example, provide part A and part B coverage, and they typically include drug coverage too. If you're happy with Parts A and part B coverage, a Medigap plan that picks up where Medicare leaves off, may be your best bet to a worry-free retirement.</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> | 1,494 |
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<p>Dust bowl, Boise City, OK, 1934. (Associated Press File Photo)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — University of New Mexico law professor Reed Benson had an interesting op-ed in this morning’s paper <a href="" type="internal">arguing for reauthorization of the federal Drought Relief Act</a>:</p>
<p>Major droughts, including more intense ones than this, have always been a fact of life in the West. We can’t expect government to stop drought, but we do expect it to assist in planning for it and to provide a measure of relief when it strikes.</p>
<p>The last Congress, however, actually made the current drought a little worse for the West: It failed to reauthorize the Drought Relief Act, allowing key parts of the law to expire in 2012.</p>
<p>Never heard of the Drought Relief Act? You’re not alone. This obscure statute, originally enacted in 1992, is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It provides for “drought contingency plans” identifying various actions to help areas of the West become more drought-resistant.</p>
<p>More importantly, it allows Reclamation — either after a plan is adopted, or upon request of a state or tribal government — to take certain actions to mitigate drought-related water shortages. These actions may include drilling new wells or providing temporary water supplies.</p>
<p>Benson wrote a more detailed analysis of the act and related federal water law questions in the <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2049522" type="external">Ecology Law Quarterly last year.</a></p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Drought Relief Act | false | https://abqjournal.com/176852/drought-relief-act.html | 2least
| Drought Relief Act
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<p>Dust bowl, Boise City, OK, 1934. (Associated Press File Photo)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — University of New Mexico law professor Reed Benson had an interesting op-ed in this morning’s paper <a href="" type="internal">arguing for reauthorization of the federal Drought Relief Act</a>:</p>
<p>Major droughts, including more intense ones than this, have always been a fact of life in the West. We can’t expect government to stop drought, but we do expect it to assist in planning for it and to provide a measure of relief when it strikes.</p>
<p>The last Congress, however, actually made the current drought a little worse for the West: It failed to reauthorize the Drought Relief Act, allowing key parts of the law to expire in 2012.</p>
<p>Never heard of the Drought Relief Act? You’re not alone. This obscure statute, originally enacted in 1992, is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It provides for “drought contingency plans” identifying various actions to help areas of the West become more drought-resistant.</p>
<p>More importantly, it allows Reclamation — either after a plan is adopted, or upon request of a state or tribal government — to take certain actions to mitigate drought-related water shortages. These actions may include drilling new wells or providing temporary water supplies.</p>
<p>Benson wrote a more detailed analysis of the act and related federal water law questions in the <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2049522" type="external">Ecology Law Quarterly last year.</a></p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 1,495 |
|
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Illegal.jpg" type="external" />Listen to it Button BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH:&#160; This is Ann and Ed in Southern California.&#160; Welcome.&#160; It's great to have you on the phone.&#160; Hello. ANN:&#160; Hello. RUSH:&#160; Hi. ANN:&#160; Hi, Rush.&#160; How are you? RUSH:&#160; Just fine.&#160; Thank you very much. ANN:&#160; Great.&#160; Well, we have some interesting [?]</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2014/07/08/stunning_california_couple_says_they_were_asked_to_house_immigrant_children" type="external">Click here to view original web page at www.rushlimbaugh.com</a></p>
<p /> | Report: California Couple Says They Were Asked to House Immigrant Children | true | http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/stunning-california-couple-says-they-were-asked-to-house-immigrant-children/ | 0right
| Report: California Couple Says They Were Asked to House Immigrant Children
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Illegal.jpg" type="external" />Listen to it Button BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH:&#160; This is Ann and Ed in Southern California.&#160; Welcome.&#160; It's great to have you on the phone.&#160; Hello. ANN:&#160; Hello. RUSH:&#160; Hi. ANN:&#160; Hi, Rush.&#160; How are you? RUSH:&#160; Just fine.&#160; Thank you very much. ANN:&#160; Great.&#160; Well, we have some interesting [?]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2014/07/08/stunning_california_couple_says_they_were_asked_to_house_immigrant_children" type="external">Click here to view original web page at www.rushlimbaugh.com</a></p>
<p /> | 1,496 |
|
<p>DETROIT (AP) — For some of the 200-plus cities knocked out of the running for Amazon’s second headquarters, the effort may turn out to be a trial run for other opportunities. But they’re advised to not make the same kind of promises to just anyone.</p>
<p>Cities such as Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee; and Gary, Indiana, failed to make Amazon’s first cut as the online giant narrowed its list to 20 prospective sites for the $5 billion project that could employ up to 50,000 people. Looking on the bright side, several leaders whose proposals didn’t make it say the time spent putting together juicy tax incentives, massive chunks of land and infrastructure studies was not wasted.</p>
<p>“We used this opportunity to showcase all the options in Delaware not just for Amazon, but for any business looking for a location to set down roots and grow,” the state’s governor, John Carney, said.</p>
<p>“This exercise showed us new ways to showcase our city that we are already using to attract other businesses,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.</p>
<p>Seattle-based Amazon made clear that tax breaks and grants would be a big factor in its decision.</p>
<p>Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan floated an incentive package of more than $5 billion to lure the second headquarters to Montgomery County. New Jersey’s pitch contains $7 billion in tax breaks and Boston’s offer includes $75 million for affordable housing for Amazon employees and others.</p>
<p>Generous tax breaks and other incentives can erode a city’s tax base. Economists have said the Amazon headquarters is a rare case in which some enticements could repay a city over the long run.</p>
<p>But the pursuit of Amazon could re-ignite an incentive war between cities, regions and states to lure companies and jobs, says Tim Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan.</p>
<p>Just because they offered certain things to Amazon, doesn’t mean every company should get the same, Bartik said. “’Now that we’ve offered the store to Amazon, let’s offer the store to someone else,’” he added. “I’d be little concerned with that.”</p>
<p>Amazon’s list includes New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Denver, Miami, Atlanta and Chicago. Texas’ Austin and Dallas made the cut, as did Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The others are Columbus, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Northern Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Toronto also is on the list.</p>
<p>Detroit’s absence from the list muted what many see as an exciting time in the city as it makes progress since its 2014 exit from bankruptcy. Businessman Dan Gilbert led the team that put together the Motor City’s proposal, which included a video showcasing the city and a more than 240-page, color, spiral-bound book. The cost of the proposal has not been revealed.</p>
<p>“We are not deterred in any way, shape or form,” said Gilbert, founder of online mortgage lender Quicken Loans and Bedrock commercial real estate. “Detroit is the most exciting city in the country right now and the momentum continues to build every single day. There are numerous large and small deals you will continue to see develop into reality in the months and years ahead.”</p>
<p>Some spent big on their pitches to Amazon. Worcester, Massachusetts, released invoices showing that it spent more than $10,500 on its proposal, most of it on a video. Connecticut shelled out $35,000 for renderings and drone footage. Virginia Beach, Virginia, reported spending at least $85,000. That included $3,000 to build a sand sculpture at the beach to promote its application.</p>
<p>For areas considered longshots, going after Amazon was a bit of an experiment.</p>
<p>“As much as this process helped identify our major assets, it also helped us to assess our gaps and where we can continue to improve,” said Birgit Klohs, chief executive of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based The Right Place, Inc. The economic development organization was part of the team making the pitch for Grand Rapids.</p>
<p>Gov. Chris Sununu said New Hampshire’s proposal “was the most comprehensive business marketing plan” the state had produced.</p>
<p>“We are excited that it is already serving as a template for other businesses that now have New Hampshire on their radar,” Sununu said. He did not name specific companies, and Democrats argued that if Sununu truly wanted to attract businesses, he would invest more in education, workforce development and increasing the minimum wage.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Josh Cornfield in Philadelphia contributed to this report.</p>
<p>DETROIT (AP) — For some of the 200-plus cities knocked out of the running for Amazon’s second headquarters, the effort may turn out to be a trial run for other opportunities. But they’re advised to not make the same kind of promises to just anyone.</p>
<p>Cities such as Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee; and Gary, Indiana, failed to make Amazon’s first cut as the online giant narrowed its list to 20 prospective sites for the $5 billion project that could employ up to 50,000 people. Looking on the bright side, several leaders whose proposals didn’t make it say the time spent putting together juicy tax incentives, massive chunks of land and infrastructure studies was not wasted.</p>
<p>“We used this opportunity to showcase all the options in Delaware not just for Amazon, but for any business looking for a location to set down roots and grow,” the state’s governor, John Carney, said.</p>
<p>“This exercise showed us new ways to showcase our city that we are already using to attract other businesses,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.</p>
<p>Seattle-based Amazon made clear that tax breaks and grants would be a big factor in its decision.</p>
<p>Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan floated an incentive package of more than $5 billion to lure the second headquarters to Montgomery County. New Jersey’s pitch contains $7 billion in tax breaks and Boston’s offer includes $75 million for affordable housing for Amazon employees and others.</p>
<p>Generous tax breaks and other incentives can erode a city’s tax base. Economists have said the Amazon headquarters is a rare case in which some enticements could repay a city over the long run.</p>
<p>But the pursuit of Amazon could re-ignite an incentive war between cities, regions and states to lure companies and jobs, says Tim Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan.</p>
<p>Just because they offered certain things to Amazon, doesn’t mean every company should get the same, Bartik said. “’Now that we’ve offered the store to Amazon, let’s offer the store to someone else,’” he added. “I’d be little concerned with that.”</p>
<p>Amazon’s list includes New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Denver, Miami, Atlanta and Chicago. Texas’ Austin and Dallas made the cut, as did Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The others are Columbus, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Northern Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Toronto also is on the list.</p>
<p>Detroit’s absence from the list muted what many see as an exciting time in the city as it makes progress since its 2014 exit from bankruptcy. Businessman Dan Gilbert led the team that put together the Motor City’s proposal, which included a video showcasing the city and a more than 240-page, color, spiral-bound book. The cost of the proposal has not been revealed.</p>
<p>“We are not deterred in any way, shape or form,” said Gilbert, founder of online mortgage lender Quicken Loans and Bedrock commercial real estate. “Detroit is the most exciting city in the country right now and the momentum continues to build every single day. There are numerous large and small deals you will continue to see develop into reality in the months and years ahead.”</p>
<p>Some spent big on their pitches to Amazon. Worcester, Massachusetts, released invoices showing that it spent more than $10,500 on its proposal, most of it on a video. Connecticut shelled out $35,000 for renderings and drone footage. Virginia Beach, Virginia, reported spending at least $85,000. That included $3,000 to build a sand sculpture at the beach to promote its application.</p>
<p>For areas considered longshots, going after Amazon was a bit of an experiment.</p>
<p>“As much as this process helped identify our major assets, it also helped us to assess our gaps and where we can continue to improve,” said Birgit Klohs, chief executive of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based The Right Place, Inc. The economic development organization was part of the team making the pitch for Grand Rapids.</p>
<p>Gov. Chris Sununu said New Hampshire’s proposal “was the most comprehensive business marketing plan” the state had produced.</p>
<p>“We are excited that it is already serving as a template for other businesses that now have New Hampshire on their radar,” Sununu said. He did not name specific companies, and Democrats argued that if Sununu truly wanted to attract businesses, he would invest more in education, workforce development and increasing the minimum wage.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Josh Cornfield in Philadelphia contributed to this report.</p> | Maybe next time: Cities see failed Amazon bids as trial runs | false | https://apnews.com/160cf568264a453ab9c793113aa0cc07 | 2018-01-19 | 2least
| Maybe next time: Cities see failed Amazon bids as trial runs
<p>DETROIT (AP) — For some of the 200-plus cities knocked out of the running for Amazon’s second headquarters, the effort may turn out to be a trial run for other opportunities. But they’re advised to not make the same kind of promises to just anyone.</p>
<p>Cities such as Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee; and Gary, Indiana, failed to make Amazon’s first cut as the online giant narrowed its list to 20 prospective sites for the $5 billion project that could employ up to 50,000 people. Looking on the bright side, several leaders whose proposals didn’t make it say the time spent putting together juicy tax incentives, massive chunks of land and infrastructure studies was not wasted.</p>
<p>“We used this opportunity to showcase all the options in Delaware not just for Amazon, but for any business looking for a location to set down roots and grow,” the state’s governor, John Carney, said.</p>
<p>“This exercise showed us new ways to showcase our city that we are already using to attract other businesses,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.</p>
<p>Seattle-based Amazon made clear that tax breaks and grants would be a big factor in its decision.</p>
<p>Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan floated an incentive package of more than $5 billion to lure the second headquarters to Montgomery County. New Jersey’s pitch contains $7 billion in tax breaks and Boston’s offer includes $75 million for affordable housing for Amazon employees and others.</p>
<p>Generous tax breaks and other incentives can erode a city’s tax base. Economists have said the Amazon headquarters is a rare case in which some enticements could repay a city over the long run.</p>
<p>But the pursuit of Amazon could re-ignite an incentive war between cities, regions and states to lure companies and jobs, says Tim Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan.</p>
<p>Just because they offered certain things to Amazon, doesn’t mean every company should get the same, Bartik said. “’Now that we’ve offered the store to Amazon, let’s offer the store to someone else,’” he added. “I’d be little concerned with that.”</p>
<p>Amazon’s list includes New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Denver, Miami, Atlanta and Chicago. Texas’ Austin and Dallas made the cut, as did Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The others are Columbus, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Northern Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Toronto also is on the list.</p>
<p>Detroit’s absence from the list muted what many see as an exciting time in the city as it makes progress since its 2014 exit from bankruptcy. Businessman Dan Gilbert led the team that put together the Motor City’s proposal, which included a video showcasing the city and a more than 240-page, color, spiral-bound book. The cost of the proposal has not been revealed.</p>
<p>“We are not deterred in any way, shape or form,” said Gilbert, founder of online mortgage lender Quicken Loans and Bedrock commercial real estate. “Detroit is the most exciting city in the country right now and the momentum continues to build every single day. There are numerous large and small deals you will continue to see develop into reality in the months and years ahead.”</p>
<p>Some spent big on their pitches to Amazon. Worcester, Massachusetts, released invoices showing that it spent more than $10,500 on its proposal, most of it on a video. Connecticut shelled out $35,000 for renderings and drone footage. Virginia Beach, Virginia, reported spending at least $85,000. That included $3,000 to build a sand sculpture at the beach to promote its application.</p>
<p>For areas considered longshots, going after Amazon was a bit of an experiment.</p>
<p>“As much as this process helped identify our major assets, it also helped us to assess our gaps and where we can continue to improve,” said Birgit Klohs, chief executive of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based The Right Place, Inc. The economic development organization was part of the team making the pitch for Grand Rapids.</p>
<p>Gov. Chris Sununu said New Hampshire’s proposal “was the most comprehensive business marketing plan” the state had produced.</p>
<p>“We are excited that it is already serving as a template for other businesses that now have New Hampshire on their radar,” Sununu said. He did not name specific companies, and Democrats argued that if Sununu truly wanted to attract businesses, he would invest more in education, workforce development and increasing the minimum wage.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Josh Cornfield in Philadelphia contributed to this report.</p>
<p>DETROIT (AP) — For some of the 200-plus cities knocked out of the running for Amazon’s second headquarters, the effort may turn out to be a trial run for other opportunities. But they’re advised to not make the same kind of promises to just anyone.</p>
<p>Cities such as Detroit, Memphis, Tennessee; and Gary, Indiana, failed to make Amazon’s first cut as the online giant narrowed its list to 20 prospective sites for the $5 billion project that could employ up to 50,000 people. Looking on the bright side, several leaders whose proposals didn’t make it say the time spent putting together juicy tax incentives, massive chunks of land and infrastructure studies was not wasted.</p>
<p>“We used this opportunity to showcase all the options in Delaware not just for Amazon, but for any business looking for a location to set down roots and grow,” the state’s governor, John Carney, said.</p>
<p>“This exercise showed us new ways to showcase our city that we are already using to attract other businesses,” Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said.</p>
<p>Seattle-based Amazon made clear that tax breaks and grants would be a big factor in its decision.</p>
<p>Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan floated an incentive package of more than $5 billion to lure the second headquarters to Montgomery County. New Jersey’s pitch contains $7 billion in tax breaks and Boston’s offer includes $75 million for affordable housing for Amazon employees and others.</p>
<p>Generous tax breaks and other incentives can erode a city’s tax base. Economists have said the Amazon headquarters is a rare case in which some enticements could repay a city over the long run.</p>
<p>But the pursuit of Amazon could re-ignite an incentive war between cities, regions and states to lure companies and jobs, says Tim Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo, Michigan.</p>
<p>Just because they offered certain things to Amazon, doesn’t mean every company should get the same, Bartik said. “’Now that we’ve offered the store to Amazon, let’s offer the store to someone else,’” he added. “I’d be little concerned with that.”</p>
<p>Amazon’s list includes New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, Washington, D.C., Denver, Miami, Atlanta and Chicago. Texas’ Austin and Dallas made the cut, as did Philadelphia and Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. The others are Columbus, Ohio; Montgomery County, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; Newark, New Jersey; Northern Virginia; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Toronto also is on the list.</p>
<p>Detroit’s absence from the list muted what many see as an exciting time in the city as it makes progress since its 2014 exit from bankruptcy. Businessman Dan Gilbert led the team that put together the Motor City’s proposal, which included a video showcasing the city and a more than 240-page, color, spiral-bound book. The cost of the proposal has not been revealed.</p>
<p>“We are not deterred in any way, shape or form,” said Gilbert, founder of online mortgage lender Quicken Loans and Bedrock commercial real estate. “Detroit is the most exciting city in the country right now and the momentum continues to build every single day. There are numerous large and small deals you will continue to see develop into reality in the months and years ahead.”</p>
<p>Some spent big on their pitches to Amazon. Worcester, Massachusetts, released invoices showing that it spent more than $10,500 on its proposal, most of it on a video. Connecticut shelled out $35,000 for renderings and drone footage. Virginia Beach, Virginia, reported spending at least $85,000. That included $3,000 to build a sand sculpture at the beach to promote its application.</p>
<p>For areas considered longshots, going after Amazon was a bit of an experiment.</p>
<p>“As much as this process helped identify our major assets, it also helped us to assess our gaps and where we can continue to improve,” said Birgit Klohs, chief executive of Grand Rapids, Michigan-based The Right Place, Inc. The economic development organization was part of the team making the pitch for Grand Rapids.</p>
<p>Gov. Chris Sununu said New Hampshire’s proposal “was the most comprehensive business marketing plan” the state had produced.</p>
<p>“We are excited that it is already serving as a template for other businesses that now have New Hampshire on their radar,” Sununu said. He did not name specific companies, and Democrats argued that if Sununu truly wanted to attract businesses, he would invest more in education, workforce development and increasing the minimum wage.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Josh Cornfield in Philadelphia contributed to this report.</p> | 1,497 |
<p>This week, CNN’s Jake Tapper examines an exaggerated claim that Hillary Clinton made in a TV ad about “cutting Russia’s nuclear arms” through a treaty signed when she was secretary of state.</p>
<p>As <a href="" type="internal">we’ve written</a> before, Clinton is overstating the impact of the 2011 <a href="http://www.state.gov/t/avc/newstart/index.htm" type="external">New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)</a> agreement, which limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads, or nuclear weapons, that are on long-range (or strategic) launchers. The agreement does not require the U.S. or Russia to destroy nuclear warheads or reduce their nuclear stockpile. In addition, Russia was already below the treaty’s limit on deployed strategic nuclear warheads when the treaty took effect, and Russia has increased the number since then, <a href="http://www.state.gov/t/avc/rls/2016/259273.htm" type="external">according to</a> the most recent data available.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/09/23/hillary-clinton-nuclear-weapons-russia-fact-check-jake-tapper-origwx-fy.cnn" type="external">following video</a> is a collaboration between <a href="" type="internal">CNN’s “State of the Union” and FactCheck.org</a>. It is based on the article “ <a href="" type="internal">Clinton Misrepresents Trump Quote</a>,” which also looks at Clinton’s claim that “Donald Trump says he alone can fix the problems we face.”</p> | Video: Clinton on Russia’s Nuclear Arms | false | https://factcheck.org/2016/09/video-clinton-on-russias-nuclear-arms/ | 2016-09-23 | 2least
| Video: Clinton on Russia’s Nuclear Arms
<p>This week, CNN’s Jake Tapper examines an exaggerated claim that Hillary Clinton made in a TV ad about “cutting Russia’s nuclear arms” through a treaty signed when she was secretary of state.</p>
<p>As <a href="" type="internal">we’ve written</a> before, Clinton is overstating the impact of the 2011 <a href="http://www.state.gov/t/avc/newstart/index.htm" type="external">New START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty)</a> agreement, which limits the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads, or nuclear weapons, that are on long-range (or strategic) launchers. The agreement does not require the U.S. or Russia to destroy nuclear warheads or reduce their nuclear stockpile. In addition, Russia was already below the treaty’s limit on deployed strategic nuclear warheads when the treaty took effect, and Russia has increased the number since then, <a href="http://www.state.gov/t/avc/rls/2016/259273.htm" type="external">according to</a> the most recent data available.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/09/23/hillary-clinton-nuclear-weapons-russia-fact-check-jake-tapper-origwx-fy.cnn" type="external">following video</a> is a collaboration between <a href="" type="internal">CNN’s “State of the Union” and FactCheck.org</a>. It is based on the article “ <a href="" type="internal">Clinton Misrepresents Trump Quote</a>,” which also looks at Clinton’s claim that “Donald Trump says he alone can fix the problems we face.”</p> | 1,498 |
<p>Jerry&#160;Sandusky will finally face the 52 charges against him when his trial begins later this week.&#160;</p>
<p>Sandusky, the former defensive assistant coach to the Penn State football team, is facing allegations that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years. He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.&#160;</p>
<p>Prosecutors allege Sandusky met the boys through the charity he founded called The Second Mile. They believe some of the assaults occurred at Penn State facilities, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/03/us-usa-crime-sandusky-idUSBRE8520CS20120603?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=domesticNews" type="external">according to Reuters.</a></p>
<p>Sandusky has been under house arrest since the charges came down in November 2011. The claims forced the firing of university President Graham Spanier and of Joe Paterno, college football's celebrated coach in history. Paterno had been with the Penn State program for 45 years. He died &#160;a few months later from complications related to lung cancer at the age of 85.&#160;</p>
<p>Analysts now believe Sandusky's legal team will attack the credibility of the alleged victims to help win the trial for their client.&#160;</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120405/jerry-sandusky-pre-trial-postponed-investigation" type="external">Jerry Sandusky pre-trial hearing postponed due to ongoing investigation</a></p>
<p>Several of Sandusky's accusers have asked a judge to protect their identities at trial however Judge John Cleland has denied this action. All of the victims must testify using their real names, <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=154279118" type="external">according to the Associated Press.&#160;</a></p>
<p>Ben Andreozzi, the attorney for one accuser known as "victim 4," <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/04/justice/pennsylvania-sandusky-trial/index.html" type="external">told CNN,&#160;</a>he believes his client, now 28, is the strongest witness for the prosecution and will be called to testify first.</p>
<p>He said he is prepared for the defense to attack his client's credibility based off of a meeting his client had with Sandusky in the years following the alleged abuse.</p>
<p>He described his client's relationship with Sandusky as complex to CNN, saying, "My client couldn't break free."</p>
<p>"In any case I've tried like this, the people who are the accusers have to come across exceedingly well, and the defense has to demonstrate a theory to the jury that there's motive for them to lie or fabricate,"&#160;veteran Harrisburg defense attorney Matt Gover told <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/jerry-sandusky-trial-accusers-credibility-strategy_n_1567575.html" type="external">the Associated Press.</a></p>
<p>Wes Oliver, a law professor at Widener University School of Law in Pennsylvania, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/jerry-sandusky-trial-accusers-credibility-strategy_n_1567575.html'" type="external">told the Associated Press,</a> "Joe Amendola has said during some of the hearings that the defense is going to turn on a claim that some, if not all, of these victims had motives to fabricate these allegations."</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120525/the-second-mile-jerry-sandusky-charity-shut-down" type="external">The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky's charity, to shut down</a></p> | Sandusky trial: Defense will depend on accusers' credibility | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-06-04/sandusky-trial-defense-will-depend-accusers-credibility | 2012-06-04 | 3left-center
| Sandusky trial: Defense will depend on accusers' credibility
<p>Jerry&#160;Sandusky will finally face the 52 charges against him when his trial begins later this week.&#160;</p>
<p>Sandusky, the former defensive assistant coach to the Penn State football team, is facing allegations that he sexually abused 10 boys over 15 years. He has repeatedly denied the allegations against him.&#160;</p>
<p>Prosecutors allege Sandusky met the boys through the charity he founded called The Second Mile. They believe some of the assaults occurred at Penn State facilities, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/03/us-usa-crime-sandusky-idUSBRE8520CS20120603?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=domesticNews" type="external">according to Reuters.</a></p>
<p>Sandusky has been under house arrest since the charges came down in November 2011. The claims forced the firing of university President Graham Spanier and of Joe Paterno, college football's celebrated coach in history. Paterno had been with the Penn State program for 45 years. He died &#160;a few months later from complications related to lung cancer at the age of 85.&#160;</p>
<p>Analysts now believe Sandusky's legal team will attack the credibility of the alleged victims to help win the trial for their client.&#160;</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120405/jerry-sandusky-pre-trial-postponed-investigation" type="external">Jerry Sandusky pre-trial hearing postponed due to ongoing investigation</a></p>
<p>Several of Sandusky's accusers have asked a judge to protect their identities at trial however Judge John Cleland has denied this action. All of the victims must testify using their real names, <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=154279118" type="external">according to the Associated Press.&#160;</a></p>
<p>Ben Andreozzi, the attorney for one accuser known as "victim 4," <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/04/justice/pennsylvania-sandusky-trial/index.html" type="external">told CNN,&#160;</a>he believes his client, now 28, is the strongest witness for the prosecution and will be called to testify first.</p>
<p>He said he is prepared for the defense to attack his client's credibility based off of a meeting his client had with Sandusky in the years following the alleged abuse.</p>
<p>He described his client's relationship with Sandusky as complex to CNN, saying, "My client couldn't break free."</p>
<p>"In any case I've tried like this, the people who are the accusers have to come across exceedingly well, and the defense has to demonstrate a theory to the jury that there's motive for them to lie or fabricate,"&#160;veteran Harrisburg defense attorney Matt Gover told <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/jerry-sandusky-trial-accusers-credibility-strategy_n_1567575.html" type="external">the Associated Press.</a></p>
<p>Wes Oliver, a law professor at Widener University School of Law in Pennsylvania, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/04/jerry-sandusky-trial-accusers-credibility-strategy_n_1567575.html'" type="external">told the Associated Press,</a> "Joe Amendola has said during some of the hearings that the defense is going to turn on a claim that some, if not all, of these victims had motives to fabricate these allegations."</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120525/the-second-mile-jerry-sandusky-charity-shut-down" type="external">The Second Mile, Jerry Sandusky's charity, to shut down</a></p> | 1,499 |
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