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<p>Female visitors to a notorious men's prison on the edge of Kabul have been subjected to invasive body-cavity searches in recent weeks, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/world/asia/at-afghan-prison-invasive-search-of-female-visitors-raises-us-objections.html?_r=1&amp;hp" type="external">according to The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/world/asia/at-afghan-prison-invasive-search-of-female-visitors-raises-us-objections.html?_r=1&amp;hp" type="external">The Times said</a> the searches were ordered by the prison's commandant, who claimed the measure was to keep contraband out of the American-financed Pul-e-Charki prison. Most male visitors to the prison only had to undergo a pat down, while nearly all female visitors were subjected to a vaginal search "without reasonable suspicion or recourse," said The Times.</p>
<p>Pul-e-Charki is Afghanistan's largest detention center, and American and Afghan officials have pressed Interior Minster Bismillah Khan Mohammadi and Gen. Muhammad Khan, the commandant of the prison, to halt the practice. On Thursday, the Americans cut off all funding to Pul-e-Charki in order to pressure the prison to stop the searches.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/afghanistan/120316/afghanistan-helicopter-crash-kills-12-nato-troops" type="external">Afghanistan: Helicopter crash kills 12 NATO troops</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/world/asia/at-afghan-prison-invasive-search-of-female-visitors-raises-us-objections.html?_r=1&amp;hp" type="external">The Times reported</a> that this is just one example of the waning influence of the West and the diminishing of women's rights in Afghanistan as the old guard gathers power and the relationship between Afghanistan and the West worsens.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan_prison_hunger_strike/24517105.html" type="external">According to Radio Free Afghanistan</a>, some 100 inmates at the same prison have gone on hunger strike, to protest their alleged mistreatment. A prison official anonymously told Radio Free that the prisoners sewn their lips and refused to eat for three days, as of March 15. They allege overcrowding and malnutrition.</p>
<p>The Pul-e-Charki houses 3,000 inmates, <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan_prison_hunger_strike/24517105.html" type="external">according to Radio Free</a>, the majority of them former Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters and other notorious criminals.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/afghanistan/120316/afghan-massacre-suspect-was-drinking-reports-s" type="external">Afghan massacre suspect was drinking, reports say</a></p> | Afghan prison rebuked for vaginal searches | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-03-16/afghan-prison-rebuked-vaginal-searches | 2012-03-16 | 3left-center
| Afghan prison rebuked for vaginal searches
<p>Female visitors to a notorious men's prison on the edge of Kabul have been subjected to invasive body-cavity searches in recent weeks, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/world/asia/at-afghan-prison-invasive-search-of-female-visitors-raises-us-objections.html?_r=1&amp;hp" type="external">according to The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/world/asia/at-afghan-prison-invasive-search-of-female-visitors-raises-us-objections.html?_r=1&amp;hp" type="external">The Times said</a> the searches were ordered by the prison's commandant, who claimed the measure was to keep contraband out of the American-financed Pul-e-Charki prison. Most male visitors to the prison only had to undergo a pat down, while nearly all female visitors were subjected to a vaginal search "without reasonable suspicion or recourse," said The Times.</p>
<p>Pul-e-Charki is Afghanistan's largest detention center, and American and Afghan officials have pressed Interior Minster Bismillah Khan Mohammadi and Gen. Muhammad Khan, the commandant of the prison, to halt the practice. On Thursday, the Americans cut off all funding to Pul-e-Charki in order to pressure the prison to stop the searches.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/afghanistan/120316/afghanistan-helicopter-crash-kills-12-nato-troops" type="external">Afghanistan: Helicopter crash kills 12 NATO troops</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/17/world/asia/at-afghan-prison-invasive-search-of-female-visitors-raises-us-objections.html?_r=1&amp;hp" type="external">The Times reported</a> that this is just one example of the waning influence of the West and the diminishing of women's rights in Afghanistan as the old guard gathers power and the relationship between Afghanistan and the West worsens.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan_prison_hunger_strike/24517105.html" type="external">According to Radio Free Afghanistan</a>, some 100 inmates at the same prison have gone on hunger strike, to protest their alleged mistreatment. A prison official anonymously told Radio Free that the prisoners sewn their lips and refused to eat for three days, as of March 15. They allege overcrowding and malnutrition.</p>
<p>The Pul-e-Charki houses 3,000 inmates, <a href="http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan_prison_hunger_strike/24517105.html" type="external">according to Radio Free</a>, the majority of them former Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters and other notorious criminals.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/afghanistan/120316/afghan-massacre-suspect-was-drinking-reports-s" type="external">Afghan massacre suspect was drinking, reports say</a></p> | 3,100 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sometimes it can be just as important to know which stocks you shouldn't buy as it is to know which ones you should. To help you separate the good from the bad, we asked a team of Fools to highlight a healthcare stock they think should be avoided. Read on to see what they said.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFEBCapital/info.aspx" type="external">Todd Campbell Opens a New Window.</a>: GlaxoSmithKline PLC's(NYSE: GSK) 5% dividend yield may have you thinking that it's worth stashing in your portfolio, but fast-approaching competition for its best-selling drug, Advair, makes it too risky for my money.</p>
<p>Advair, an asthma and COPD medicine, accounts for about 15% of GlaxoSmithKline's revenue, and patents protecting Advair from generics have already expired. Patents protecting Diskus, the inhaler that delivers Advair, have kept generics on the sidelines,but Diskus' patents expire this year, and that means a big hunk of GlaxoSmithKline's sales are about to be called into question.</p>
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<p>Mylan, much maligned recently for its EpiPen pricing,is among the generic-drug makers that are circling. The FDA expects to issue a decision on whether to approve Mylan's generic Advair next March.</p>
<p>Ahead of that decision, GlaxoSmithKline is attempting to protect Advair's market share with other asthma and COPD drugs, but sales of those drugs remain tiny in comparison with the $1.1 billion-plus that Advair Diskus hauled in worldwide last quarter.</p>
<p>Overall, Advair Diskus' uncertainty makes me think that GlaxoSmithKline's dividend could be at risk, and for that reason, I'm more interested in owning other Big Pharma stocks.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFTypeoh/info.aspx" type="external">Brian Feroldi Opens a New Window.</a>: French pharma giantSanofi(NYSE: SNY) hasn't given its investors much reason to cheer over the past few years. This company has relied heavily on uber-successful drugs such as Lantus and Plavix to generate growth, but sales of both are falling because of pricing pressure and competitive launches. In turn, the company's shares have lost nearly a quarter of their value over the past three years, badly underperforming the S&amp;P 500.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/SNY" type="external">SNY</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>In response to the weak performance, Sanofi's board brought in a new leader named Olivier Brandicourt and tasked him with getting the company back on track. However, given Sanofi's size and product portfolio, that won't be easy.</p>
<p>Brandicourt attempted to appease Wall Street by laying out his five-year vision. His plan centers on the successful launches of six new blockbuster drugs, which he believes will reverse the revenue decline. If everything goes according to plan, then sales will grow by 3% to 4% annualized between now and 2020.</p>
<p>While I alwaysappreciate it when a company lays out a long-term plan, I have a hard time getting excited about low-single-digit revenue growth. That's especially true considering Sanofiis banking on all of those newproduct launches to help it hit its numbers. What happens if one of them turns out to be a dud?</p>
<p>Sanofi may not be the worst investment in healthcare, but why bother owning this stock when faster-growing giants can be purchased just as easily? For that reason, I plan on avoiding Sanofi's stock until it turns these promises into a reality.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFang4apples/activity.aspx" type="external">Cory Renauer Opens a New Window.</a>: Despite a slew of analyst upgrades, Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT) stock is best avoided in the near term. The FDA's <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/09/20/was-sareptas-big-win-a-big-mistake-for-the-fda.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">controversial Opens a New Window.</a> approval of Exondys 51, formerly eteplirsen, has caused the company's market cap to swell to around $2.9 billion. The drug has an eye-popping list price of about $300,000 and an addressable patient population of perhaps less than 2,000 American boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) amneble to exon 51 skipping.</p>
<p>With more exon skipping DMD drugs in development, Sarepta's price would be justified if there were some solid evidence its drug is effective. DMD patients suffer from theinability to produce enough dystrophin, and Exondys 51 is designed to allow production of a shorter yet functional version of this vital muscle component. Untreated, patients' muscles get progressively weaker, and patients usually succumb to their disease by age 30. The FDA based Exondys 51's conditional approval on observed dystrophin increases in some -- not all --patients treated with the drug, because many samples had to be thrown out because of Sarepta's failure to implement high-quality procedures.In addition, while this conditional approval is based on increased dystrophin production, there's no clear evidence that the drug actually helped patients maintain muscle strength.</p>
<p>The open disdain that multiple FDA officials have expressed for Sarepta's approach to drug development is enough reason to avoid this stock. If regulator opinions aren't enough for you, though, consider this: To maintain Exondys 51's approval, Sarepta needs to show patients secretly randomized to receive a higher dosage of the drug benefit significantly, as measured by the rigorous North Star Ambulatory Assessment.Beyond DMD, the company's clinical-stage pipeline is limited to a few antivirals in phase 1 development. If Exondys 51 fails its post-approval study, it would lead to devastating losses.</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=2518&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/TMFTypeoh/info.aspx" type="external">Brian Feroldi</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. <a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/crenauer/info.aspx" type="external">Cory Renauer Opens a New Window.</a>has no position in any stocks mentioned. <a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/EBCapitalMarkets/info.aspx" type="external">Todd Campbell Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Mylan. 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> | 3 Stocks to Avoid in Healthcare | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/09/28/3-stocks-to-avoid-in-healthcare.html | 2016-09-28 | 0right
| 3 Stocks to Avoid in Healthcare
<p />
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sometimes it can be just as important to know which stocks you shouldn't buy as it is to know which ones you should. To help you separate the good from the bad, we asked a team of Fools to highlight a healthcare stock they think should be avoided. Read on to see what they said.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFEBCapital/info.aspx" type="external">Todd Campbell Opens a New Window.</a>: GlaxoSmithKline PLC's(NYSE: GSK) 5% dividend yield may have you thinking that it's worth stashing in your portfolio, but fast-approaching competition for its best-selling drug, Advair, makes it too risky for my money.</p>
<p>Advair, an asthma and COPD medicine, accounts for about 15% of GlaxoSmithKline's revenue, and patents protecting Advair from generics have already expired. Patents protecting Diskus, the inhaler that delivers Advair, have kept generics on the sidelines,but Diskus' patents expire this year, and that means a big hunk of GlaxoSmithKline's sales are about to be called into question.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Mylan, much maligned recently for its EpiPen pricing,is among the generic-drug makers that are circling. The FDA expects to issue a decision on whether to approve Mylan's generic Advair next March.</p>
<p>Ahead of that decision, GlaxoSmithKline is attempting to protect Advair's market share with other asthma and COPD drugs, but sales of those drugs remain tiny in comparison with the $1.1 billion-plus that Advair Diskus hauled in worldwide last quarter.</p>
<p>Overall, Advair Diskus' uncertainty makes me think that GlaxoSmithKline's dividend could be at risk, and for that reason, I'm more interested in owning other Big Pharma stocks.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFTypeoh/info.aspx" type="external">Brian Feroldi Opens a New Window.</a>: French pharma giantSanofi(NYSE: SNY) hasn't given its investors much reason to cheer over the past few years. This company has relied heavily on uber-successful drugs such as Lantus and Plavix to generate growth, but sales of both are falling because of pricing pressure and competitive launches. In turn, the company's shares have lost nearly a quarter of their value over the past three years, badly underperforming the S&amp;P 500.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/SNY" type="external">SNY</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>In response to the weak performance, Sanofi's board brought in a new leader named Olivier Brandicourt and tasked him with getting the company back on track. However, given Sanofi's size and product portfolio, that won't be easy.</p>
<p>Brandicourt attempted to appease Wall Street by laying out his five-year vision. His plan centers on the successful launches of six new blockbuster drugs, which he believes will reverse the revenue decline. If everything goes according to plan, then sales will grow by 3% to 4% annualized between now and 2020.</p>
<p>While I alwaysappreciate it when a company lays out a long-term plan, I have a hard time getting excited about low-single-digit revenue growth. That's especially true considering Sanofiis banking on all of those newproduct launches to help it hit its numbers. What happens if one of them turns out to be a dud?</p>
<p>Sanofi may not be the worst investment in healthcare, but why bother owning this stock when faster-growing giants can be purchased just as easily? For that reason, I plan on avoiding Sanofi's stock until it turns these promises into a reality.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFang4apples/activity.aspx" type="external">Cory Renauer Opens a New Window.</a>: Despite a slew of analyst upgrades, Sarepta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SRPT) stock is best avoided in the near term. The FDA's <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/09/20/was-sareptas-big-win-a-big-mistake-for-the-fda.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">controversial Opens a New Window.</a> approval of Exondys 51, formerly eteplirsen, has caused the company's market cap to swell to around $2.9 billion. The drug has an eye-popping list price of about $300,000 and an addressable patient population of perhaps less than 2,000 American boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) amneble to exon 51 skipping.</p>
<p>With more exon skipping DMD drugs in development, Sarepta's price would be justified if there were some solid evidence its drug is effective. DMD patients suffer from theinability to produce enough dystrophin, and Exondys 51 is designed to allow production of a shorter yet functional version of this vital muscle component. Untreated, patients' muscles get progressively weaker, and patients usually succumb to their disease by age 30. The FDA based Exondys 51's conditional approval on observed dystrophin increases in some -- not all --patients treated with the drug, because many samples had to be thrown out because of Sarepta's failure to implement high-quality procedures.In addition, while this conditional approval is based on increased dystrophin production, there's no clear evidence that the drug actually helped patients maintain muscle strength.</p>
<p>The open disdain that multiple FDA officials have expressed for Sarepta's approach to drug development is enough reason to avoid this stock. If regulator opinions aren't enough for you, though, consider this: To maintain Exondys 51's approval, Sarepta needs to show patients secretly randomized to receive a higher dosage of the drug benefit significantly, as measured by the rigorous North Star Ambulatory Assessment.Beyond DMD, the company's clinical-stage pipeline is limited to a few antivirals in phase 1 development. If Exondys 51 fails its post-approval study, it would lead to devastating losses.</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=2518&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/TMFTypeoh/info.aspx" type="external">Brian Feroldi</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. <a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/crenauer/info.aspx" type="external">Cory Renauer Opens a New Window.</a>has no position in any stocks mentioned. <a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/EBCapitalMarkets/info.aspx" type="external">Todd Campbell Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Mylan. 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> | 3,101 |
<p>Mothers in Fukushima, Japan, worry that the food and milk that they must feed daily to their infants and children may one day kill them. Is that a fear that an American parent can even begin to fathom? That because of the secrecy, the intransigence and, ultimately, the criminality of your own government, you might be unwillingly killing your own children by feeding them produce contaminated with radioactive fallout? And yet, that is life in Fukushima Prefecture today.</p>
<p>You are a grandmother whose grandchildren can never visit you. You are a farmer whose crops are too contaminated to sell. You are a teacher who must tell children to jump into the school swimming pool’s cesium-laced waters. You are suffering ailments not unlike those found among populations exposed to the Chernobyl fallout. And whether your sufferings are physical or mental they are all equally real and equally serious and they are all caused, one way or the other, by the devastating nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima Daiichi that, far from being over, could actually get worse. Much worse.</p>
<p>Would Americans live like this every day and accept it? It would be better never to learn the answer. Shutting down, rather than prolonging the life of US reactors, is the prudent choice that is, of course, not being made by the US government. More shockingly perhaps, given the level of suffering in the country, it’s a choice the Japanese government won’t make either. Instead, it is poised to re-start two of its 50 still operable reactors this weekend. Why?</p>
<p>Japanese reactors must be re-started to “preserve quality of life.” Yes, that’s actually what Prime Minister Noda said on June 8, just one day after a passionate protest and “die-in” by 70 Japanese women who feel that “quality of life” does not include breathing radioactive air; consuming radioactively contaminated food and water; exposing their children to radiation levels meant for nuclear workers; and abandoning their Fukushima homes and farms forever.</p>
<p>Noda has authorized the re-start of the two Ohi reactors in Fukui prefecture. The actual re-start is expected on June 15. Yet more than 70 percent of respondents to a Mainichi newspaper poll oppose the re-start. Public opinion in Japan has swung dramatically against continued reliance on nuclear energy – 70 percent, according to a November <a href="" type="internal">poll</a> by national public broadcaster NHK, want to eliminate or reduce reliance on atomic energy. Yet the Noda government is turning a deaf ear to all of it.</p>
<p>Lessons learned from Fukushima? None, apparently. The same can be said of the US government who will not even authorize a temporary shutdown of the 23 GE Mark I Boiling Water reactors operating in the US – and identical to those at Fukushima Daiichi – to determine their vulnerability to a Fukushima-style disaster.</p>
<p>It’s easy to explain, of course. The White House has deep ties to the nuclear industry, beginning with Exelon, based in President Obama’s home town of Chicago, and created by his former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, now that city’s mayor. Obama right-hand man, David Axelrod, a former senior advisor and now communications director for Obama’s re-election campaign, lobbied for Exelon. The list goes on. Capitol Hill is dominated and controlled by the nuclear lobby, with a very small handful of exceptions.</p>
<p>In Japan, the government, high-flown scientific academics (a panel of which helped greenlight the Ohi restart), the nuclear industry and the corporate media have held tightly onto the reins of power for decades. An authoritarian culture of obedience has muffled public dissent. But not any more.</p>
<p>On the day of the June 7 die-in, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYQNd2ybiDg&amp;feature=youtu.be" type="external">ten women from Fukushima spoke before officials from Noda’s cabinet.</a>Each began politely, solemnly, some choking back tears. But gradually, as emotions welled, their voices grew louder, their messages more urgent. Who could fail to be moved? The Noda government. It’s “turn ‘em on” announcement came the very next day.</p>
<p>It is impossible to put the case against a nuclear re-start in Japan more eloquently than those 10 women from Fukushima. Here are a few of their remarks:</p>
<p>“I wanted to raise my children with the safest possible meals, so I started organic farming. But all my paddies and fields have been contaminated. Every day, every time I prepare a meal, I wonder if it’s OK to feed my children with vegetables at a certain becquerel level. I’m worried if they might affect my children in the future.</p>
<p>“Can you understand this feeling? How many times have you come to Fukushima? How much of that contaminated air have you breathed in? How many times has Mr. Noda come? How many hours has he spent there? We are there every day, and every time we see helicopters flying over us, we really fear that something might be wrong with the nuclear plant again. That’s how it is in Fukushima.”</p>
<p>“It’s a great agony to live in a contaminated area. I lost hope to live. But to tell everyone about this agony…now I’m trying to live for that purpose. I don’t want anyone to go through what I’m going through.”</p>
<p>“I have an only daughter. She had a baby in late January last year and then that accident occurred. We thought we had to flee and tried to figure out the way to do so in all the confusion. But in those early days in Fukushima, there was no gasoline, no public transportation. The bullet train had stopped. The airport had stopped its operation. There were no means for us to evacuate. So we were compelled to decide to be exposed to radiation at home for a while. . . My highest priority is to protect children. If you have money to spend on decontamination, please use it for evacuating children first.”</p>
<p>“Did anyone take the responsibility for TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi accident? Who did? I don’t think anyone did. When I heard Prime Minister Noda say ‘I will restart nuclear plants on my responsibility,’ I realized he is living in a different world! I couldn’t understand what he was saying at all!”</p>
<p>“. . .Worrying about my children occupies my mind, so I cannot listen to music. . . I’ve been tense, both mentally and physically. In late June last year, I started to suffer from various health problems one after another. The problems are exactly the same as those found in the villages around Chernobyl . . . We were already exposed to a critical amount of radiation when the levels were high. In addition, now we are forced to be exposed to radiation internally every day. That’s why restarting Ohi nuclear plant should never be allowed!”</p>
<p>“During the past year, women in Fukushima relearned everything. Everything since the beginning of human history. Relearned how foolish humans are. How we have always fought each other. How we dug out the worst thing, a thing called uranium, and how we started to use it. We have learned those things more than any scientists.”</p>
<p>“We are really living in fear. Please imagine. For example, you can’t dry your clothes outside. You can’t dry your futon outside. You can’t take a deep breath. I have grandchildren but I can’t let them come to Fukushima, to my city of Koriyama because the radiation levels are high. And in the meantime, swimming classes at school are starting soon. A lot of radioactive material has stuck to the walls of the swimming pool. Concrete walls. A little scrubbing won’t remove it. A lot of cesium has accumulated on the bottom floor of the pool.”</p>
<p>“Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, what are you looking at when you decide your policies? You’re NOT looking at us at all! You put economy first. You’re such a shallow prime minister who tries to restart Ohi with shallow words, ‘it’s safe.’ I can’t forgive you. You said, ‘The ultimate responsibility rests with me.’ What do you mean by ‘the ultimate responsibility?’ Does it only mean giving the go-ahead? How are you going to take responsibility after that? Can you say you are willing to face a life sentence if anything goes wrong?”</p>
<p>When the women were done, an official thanked them for their “sincere outcry from the soul” and said he would relay their “fervent feelings” along with their letter of requests which would be handed not directly to the Prime Minister but to his secretaries. But the ten women would take no such brush-off from officialdom.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you hand it directly to him?” they clamored. “If you can’t, please bring the Prime Minister here now.”</p>
<p>Then they added: “What we told you is not our ‘feelings’ but our ‘actual damages.’”</p>
<p>Finally, one of their number asked: “I’d like to believe you will convey our messages directly to the Prime Minister so they are felt in his heart.”</p>
<p>You’d have to be made of stone not to feel their message in your heart. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYQNd2ybiDg&amp;feature=youtu.be" type="external">The video of their testimony</a>should be mandatory viewing in Congress and the White House. It should be mandatory viewing at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and in every community where there is a nuclear reactor. We must share in the suffering of the people of Fukushima and urge international intervention to prevent further catastrophe, at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 especially. And we must shame the Noda government for its reckless decision to restart Ohi.&#160; If we don’t, the nightmare of Fukushima may soon become our own.</p>
<p>Linda Pentz Gunter&#160;is a founder of Beyond Nuclear and its international specialist. For more, see&#160; <a href="http://www.beyondnuclear.org/" type="external">www.beyondnuclear.org</a>.&#160;</p> | Life Under the Radioactive Cloud | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/06/14/life-under-the-radioactive-cloud/ | 2012-06-14 | 4left
| Life Under the Radioactive Cloud
<p>Mothers in Fukushima, Japan, worry that the food and milk that they must feed daily to their infants and children may one day kill them. Is that a fear that an American parent can even begin to fathom? That because of the secrecy, the intransigence and, ultimately, the criminality of your own government, you might be unwillingly killing your own children by feeding them produce contaminated with radioactive fallout? And yet, that is life in Fukushima Prefecture today.</p>
<p>You are a grandmother whose grandchildren can never visit you. You are a farmer whose crops are too contaminated to sell. You are a teacher who must tell children to jump into the school swimming pool’s cesium-laced waters. You are suffering ailments not unlike those found among populations exposed to the Chernobyl fallout. And whether your sufferings are physical or mental they are all equally real and equally serious and they are all caused, one way or the other, by the devastating nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima Daiichi that, far from being over, could actually get worse. Much worse.</p>
<p>Would Americans live like this every day and accept it? It would be better never to learn the answer. Shutting down, rather than prolonging the life of US reactors, is the prudent choice that is, of course, not being made by the US government. More shockingly perhaps, given the level of suffering in the country, it’s a choice the Japanese government won’t make either. Instead, it is poised to re-start two of its 50 still operable reactors this weekend. Why?</p>
<p>Japanese reactors must be re-started to “preserve quality of life.” Yes, that’s actually what Prime Minister Noda said on June 8, just one day after a passionate protest and “die-in” by 70 Japanese women who feel that “quality of life” does not include breathing radioactive air; consuming radioactively contaminated food and water; exposing their children to radiation levels meant for nuclear workers; and abandoning their Fukushima homes and farms forever.</p>
<p>Noda has authorized the re-start of the two Ohi reactors in Fukui prefecture. The actual re-start is expected on June 15. Yet more than 70 percent of respondents to a Mainichi newspaper poll oppose the re-start. Public opinion in Japan has swung dramatically against continued reliance on nuclear energy – 70 percent, according to a November <a href="" type="internal">poll</a> by national public broadcaster NHK, want to eliminate or reduce reliance on atomic energy. Yet the Noda government is turning a deaf ear to all of it.</p>
<p>Lessons learned from Fukushima? None, apparently. The same can be said of the US government who will not even authorize a temporary shutdown of the 23 GE Mark I Boiling Water reactors operating in the US – and identical to those at Fukushima Daiichi – to determine their vulnerability to a Fukushima-style disaster.</p>
<p>It’s easy to explain, of course. The White House has deep ties to the nuclear industry, beginning with Exelon, based in President Obama’s home town of Chicago, and created by his former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, now that city’s mayor. Obama right-hand man, David Axelrod, a former senior advisor and now communications director for Obama’s re-election campaign, lobbied for Exelon. The list goes on. Capitol Hill is dominated and controlled by the nuclear lobby, with a very small handful of exceptions.</p>
<p>In Japan, the government, high-flown scientific academics (a panel of which helped greenlight the Ohi restart), the nuclear industry and the corporate media have held tightly onto the reins of power for decades. An authoritarian culture of obedience has muffled public dissent. But not any more.</p>
<p>On the day of the June 7 die-in, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYQNd2ybiDg&amp;feature=youtu.be" type="external">ten women from Fukushima spoke before officials from Noda’s cabinet.</a>Each began politely, solemnly, some choking back tears. But gradually, as emotions welled, their voices grew louder, their messages more urgent. Who could fail to be moved? The Noda government. It’s “turn ‘em on” announcement came the very next day.</p>
<p>It is impossible to put the case against a nuclear re-start in Japan more eloquently than those 10 women from Fukushima. Here are a few of their remarks:</p>
<p>“I wanted to raise my children with the safest possible meals, so I started organic farming. But all my paddies and fields have been contaminated. Every day, every time I prepare a meal, I wonder if it’s OK to feed my children with vegetables at a certain becquerel level. I’m worried if they might affect my children in the future.</p>
<p>“Can you understand this feeling? How many times have you come to Fukushima? How much of that contaminated air have you breathed in? How many times has Mr. Noda come? How many hours has he spent there? We are there every day, and every time we see helicopters flying over us, we really fear that something might be wrong with the nuclear plant again. That’s how it is in Fukushima.”</p>
<p>“It’s a great agony to live in a contaminated area. I lost hope to live. But to tell everyone about this agony…now I’m trying to live for that purpose. I don’t want anyone to go through what I’m going through.”</p>
<p>“I have an only daughter. She had a baby in late January last year and then that accident occurred. We thought we had to flee and tried to figure out the way to do so in all the confusion. But in those early days in Fukushima, there was no gasoline, no public transportation. The bullet train had stopped. The airport had stopped its operation. There were no means for us to evacuate. So we were compelled to decide to be exposed to radiation at home for a while. . . My highest priority is to protect children. If you have money to spend on decontamination, please use it for evacuating children first.”</p>
<p>“Did anyone take the responsibility for TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi accident? Who did? I don’t think anyone did. When I heard Prime Minister Noda say ‘I will restart nuclear plants on my responsibility,’ I realized he is living in a different world! I couldn’t understand what he was saying at all!”</p>
<p>“. . .Worrying about my children occupies my mind, so I cannot listen to music. . . I’ve been tense, both mentally and physically. In late June last year, I started to suffer from various health problems one after another. The problems are exactly the same as those found in the villages around Chernobyl . . . We were already exposed to a critical amount of radiation when the levels were high. In addition, now we are forced to be exposed to radiation internally every day. That’s why restarting Ohi nuclear plant should never be allowed!”</p>
<p>“During the past year, women in Fukushima relearned everything. Everything since the beginning of human history. Relearned how foolish humans are. How we have always fought each other. How we dug out the worst thing, a thing called uranium, and how we started to use it. We have learned those things more than any scientists.”</p>
<p>“We are really living in fear. Please imagine. For example, you can’t dry your clothes outside. You can’t dry your futon outside. You can’t take a deep breath. I have grandchildren but I can’t let them come to Fukushima, to my city of Koriyama because the radiation levels are high. And in the meantime, swimming classes at school are starting soon. A lot of radioactive material has stuck to the walls of the swimming pool. Concrete walls. A little scrubbing won’t remove it. A lot of cesium has accumulated on the bottom floor of the pool.”</p>
<p>“Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, what are you looking at when you decide your policies? You’re NOT looking at us at all! You put economy first. You’re such a shallow prime minister who tries to restart Ohi with shallow words, ‘it’s safe.’ I can’t forgive you. You said, ‘The ultimate responsibility rests with me.’ What do you mean by ‘the ultimate responsibility?’ Does it only mean giving the go-ahead? How are you going to take responsibility after that? Can you say you are willing to face a life sentence if anything goes wrong?”</p>
<p>When the women were done, an official thanked them for their “sincere outcry from the soul” and said he would relay their “fervent feelings” along with their letter of requests which would be handed not directly to the Prime Minister but to his secretaries. But the ten women would take no such brush-off from officialdom.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you hand it directly to him?” they clamored. “If you can’t, please bring the Prime Minister here now.”</p>
<p>Then they added: “What we told you is not our ‘feelings’ but our ‘actual damages.’”</p>
<p>Finally, one of their number asked: “I’d like to believe you will convey our messages directly to the Prime Minister so they are felt in his heart.”</p>
<p>You’d have to be made of stone not to feel their message in your heart. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYQNd2ybiDg&amp;feature=youtu.be" type="external">The video of their testimony</a>should be mandatory viewing in Congress and the White House. It should be mandatory viewing at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and in every community where there is a nuclear reactor. We must share in the suffering of the people of Fukushima and urge international intervention to prevent further catastrophe, at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 4 especially. And we must shame the Noda government for its reckless decision to restart Ohi.&#160; If we don’t, the nightmare of Fukushima may soon become our own.</p>
<p>Linda Pentz Gunter&#160;is a founder of Beyond Nuclear and its international specialist. For more, see&#160; <a href="http://www.beyondnuclear.org/" type="external">www.beyondnuclear.org</a>.&#160;</p> | 3,102 |
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<p>Dollar slips as FOMC kicks off two-day meeting</p>
<p>U.S. stock indexes climbed to record highs on Tuesday, as investors awaited the start of a two-day meeting of Federal Reserve policy makers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 52 points, or 0.2%, to 22,383, hitting a record high. On Monday, the blue-chip average notched its 40th record close of the year (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-sp-500-line-up-for-fresh-records-to-start-the-week-2017-09-18). It is currently on track for its eighth straight daily gain, its longest streak since August, as well as its sixth straight record close.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 index rose 3.5 points, or 0.1%, to 2,507, setting an intraday record at 2,508.32. The S&amp;P also ended at a record on Monday, its 35th of 2017. If the benchmark index ends higher on Tuesday, that will mark its sixth positive session of the past seven.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 8 points to 6,462, a gain of 0.1%. The tech-heavy index, which is currently up about 20% year-to-date, briefly dipped into negative territory in early trading, though it subsequently recovered. It is a few points from its intraday record.</p>
<p>Financial stocks were among the biggest gainers of the day, with the sector up about 0.7%, the biggest advance among the 11 primary S&amp;P 500 sectors. The group was driven by insurance names; Progressive Corp. (PGR) was the biggest gainer in the industry, up 2.9%. Allstate Corp.(ALL) rose 0.6%.</p>
<p>"Markets are paying attention to what they should be paying attention and that is earnings growth," said Karyn Cavanaugh, senior market strategist at Voya Financial.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Cavanaugh did not rule out pullbacks in the near future, but noted that investors should not worry about the Federal Reserve's plan to reduce its balance sheet.</p>
<p>"Any reduction in the Fed balance sheet will be gradual and it is happening on the backdrop of improving economy in the U.S. and globally. But at the same time, we don't know how the market will react because we have never had this situation before," Cavanaugh said.</p>
<p>The Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to say it will start reducing its $4.5 trillion portfolio of government securities when it releases its policy update on Wednesday. Rates are forecast to stay on hold, but traders will be looking hints if more hike are coming later in the year.</p>
<p>Read:Fed's balance-sheet unwind will be moment of truth for financial markets (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-balance-sheet-unwind-will-be-moment-of-truth-for-financial-markets-2017-09-18)</p>
<p>The dollar gave up some of its recent gains ahead of the Fed meeting, with the ICE Dollar Index down 0.3% at 91.78 on Tuesday.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump gave his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, and at one point stated that the U.S. was "ready, willing and able" to act against North Korea militarily, and that the U.S. would "totally destroy" the country if necessary. Markets were little impacted by the speech.</p>
<p>Read MarketWatch's live blog of the address (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/capitolreport/2017/09/19/president-donald-trump-speaks-to-the-united-nations-live-blog-and-video/)</p>
<p>Other economic news: So-called housing starts slipped (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/housing-starts-dip-in-august-but-permits-surge-in-sign-of-optimism-2017-09-19)0.8% to an annual rate of 1.18 million in August from an upwardly revised 1.19 million in July. Permits to build new homes jumped 5.7% to a 1.3 million rate, matching the level in January and marking the second highest amount since 2007.</p>
<p>The import-price index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cost-of-imported-goods-surge-in-august-led-by-fuel-2017-09-19)jumped 0.6% last month to match the biggest increase since January, largely due to higher oil prices.</p>
<p>See:MarketWatch's economic calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)</p>
<p>Stock movers: Shares of Equifax Inc.(EFX) gave up 0.3%, putting the credit-reporting company's stock on track to extend a selloff sparked by its disclosure of a massive data breach. The stock has lost nearly 35% thus far this month.</p>
<p>Shares of Best Buy Co. Inc.(BBY) dropped 6.8% after its earnings outlooks fell short of expectations.</p>
<p>AutoZone Inc.(AZO) fell 5% despite the auto parts retailer reported earnings and revenue that beat forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/autozones-stock-rallies-after-profit-and-sales-rise-above-expectations-2017-09-19). The auto parts retailer said its same-store sales grew at 1% instead of 1.6% increased forecast by analysts.</p>
<p>Shares of Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) rose 0.6% after the company and Plains All American Pipeline LP(PAA) said late Monday they will drop a deal for Valero to acquire two California distribution terminals (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/valero-plains-all-american-drop-deal-after-california-lawsuit-2017-09-18) after interference from the state's attorney general. Shares of Plains gained 0.4%.</p>
<p>Michael Kors Holdings Ltd.(KORS) shares jumped after Oppenheimer analysts upgraded the stock to outperform from perform.</p>
<p>Other markets: Asian markets closed mixed, while European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-slip-as-traders-wait-for-fed-rate-update-2017-09-19) ended with modest gains.</p>
<p>Oil prices gave up gains to trade lower (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-resumes-climb-on-talk-of-extended-production-cut-2017-09-19), and gold inched higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-stalls-at-three-week-low-as-feds-signals-on-late-year-policy-awaited-2017-09-19) but most other metals declined.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>September 19, 2017 15:10 ET (19:10 GMT)</p> | MARKET SNAPSHOT: Dow Aims For 6th Straight Record As Fed Comes Into Focus | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/19/market-snapshot-dow-aims-for-6th-straight-record-as-fed-comes-into-focus1.html | 2017-09-19 | 0right
| MARKET SNAPSHOT: Dow Aims For 6th Straight Record As Fed Comes Into Focus
<p>Dollar slips as FOMC kicks off two-day meeting</p>
<p>U.S. stock indexes climbed to record highs on Tuesday, as investors awaited the start of a two-day meeting of Federal Reserve policy makers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 52 points, or 0.2%, to 22,383, hitting a record high. On Monday, the blue-chip average notched its 40th record close of the year (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-sp-500-line-up-for-fresh-records-to-start-the-week-2017-09-18). It is currently on track for its eighth straight daily gain, its longest streak since August, as well as its sixth straight record close.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 index rose 3.5 points, or 0.1%, to 2,507, setting an intraday record at 2,508.32. The S&amp;P also ended at a record on Monday, its 35th of 2017. If the benchmark index ends higher on Tuesday, that will mark its sixth positive session of the past seven.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 8 points to 6,462, a gain of 0.1%. The tech-heavy index, which is currently up about 20% year-to-date, briefly dipped into negative territory in early trading, though it subsequently recovered. It is a few points from its intraday record.</p>
<p>Financial stocks were among the biggest gainers of the day, with the sector up about 0.7%, the biggest advance among the 11 primary S&amp;P 500 sectors. The group was driven by insurance names; Progressive Corp. (PGR) was the biggest gainer in the industry, up 2.9%. Allstate Corp.(ALL) rose 0.6%.</p>
<p>"Markets are paying attention to what they should be paying attention and that is earnings growth," said Karyn Cavanaugh, senior market strategist at Voya Financial.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Cavanaugh did not rule out pullbacks in the near future, but noted that investors should not worry about the Federal Reserve's plan to reduce its balance sheet.</p>
<p>"Any reduction in the Fed balance sheet will be gradual and it is happening on the backdrop of improving economy in the U.S. and globally. But at the same time, we don't know how the market will react because we have never had this situation before," Cavanaugh said.</p>
<p>The Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to say it will start reducing its $4.5 trillion portfolio of government securities when it releases its policy update on Wednesday. Rates are forecast to stay on hold, but traders will be looking hints if more hike are coming later in the year.</p>
<p>Read:Fed's balance-sheet unwind will be moment of truth for financial markets (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/feds-balance-sheet-unwind-will-be-moment-of-truth-for-financial-markets-2017-09-18)</p>
<p>The dollar gave up some of its recent gains ahead of the Fed meeting, with the ICE Dollar Index down 0.3% at 91.78 on Tuesday.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump gave his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, and at one point stated that the U.S. was "ready, willing and able" to act against North Korea militarily, and that the U.S. would "totally destroy" the country if necessary. Markets were little impacted by the speech.</p>
<p>Read MarketWatch's live blog of the address (http://blogs.marketwatch.com/capitolreport/2017/09/19/president-donald-trump-speaks-to-the-united-nations-live-blog-and-video/)</p>
<p>Other economic news: So-called housing starts slipped (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/housing-starts-dip-in-august-but-permits-surge-in-sign-of-optimism-2017-09-19)0.8% to an annual rate of 1.18 million in August from an upwardly revised 1.19 million in July. Permits to build new homes jumped 5.7% to a 1.3 million rate, matching the level in January and marking the second highest amount since 2007.</p>
<p>The import-price index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cost-of-imported-goods-surge-in-august-led-by-fuel-2017-09-19)jumped 0.6% last month to match the biggest increase since January, largely due to higher oil prices.</p>
<p>See:MarketWatch's economic calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)</p>
<p>Stock movers: Shares of Equifax Inc.(EFX) gave up 0.3%, putting the credit-reporting company's stock on track to extend a selloff sparked by its disclosure of a massive data breach. The stock has lost nearly 35% thus far this month.</p>
<p>Shares of Best Buy Co. Inc.(BBY) dropped 6.8% after its earnings outlooks fell short of expectations.</p>
<p>AutoZone Inc.(AZO) fell 5% despite the auto parts retailer reported earnings and revenue that beat forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/autozones-stock-rallies-after-profit-and-sales-rise-above-expectations-2017-09-19). The auto parts retailer said its same-store sales grew at 1% instead of 1.6% increased forecast by analysts.</p>
<p>Shares of Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) rose 0.6% after the company and Plains All American Pipeline LP(PAA) said late Monday they will drop a deal for Valero to acquire two California distribution terminals (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/valero-plains-all-american-drop-deal-after-california-lawsuit-2017-09-18) after interference from the state's attorney general. Shares of Plains gained 0.4%.</p>
<p>Michael Kors Holdings Ltd.(KORS) shares jumped after Oppenheimer analysts upgraded the stock to outperform from perform.</p>
<p>Other markets: Asian markets closed mixed, while European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-slip-as-traders-wait-for-fed-rate-update-2017-09-19) ended with modest gains.</p>
<p>Oil prices gave up gains to trade lower (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-resumes-climb-on-talk-of-extended-production-cut-2017-09-19), and gold inched higher (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-stalls-at-three-week-low-as-feds-signals-on-late-year-policy-awaited-2017-09-19) but most other metals declined.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>September 19, 2017 15:10 ET (19:10 GMT)</p> | 3,104 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators writing a comprehensive immigration&#160;bill may dramatically limit green cards for extended families of U.S. citizens, reserving them for immediate family members instead, a key lawmaker said Thursday.</p>
<p>It would be a significant change to U.S. immigration&#160;policy that’s long favored family ties over economic or job criteria. And it’s already sparking opposition from groups trying to protect family-based immigration.</p>
<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is part of a bipartisan Senate group negotiating the bill, said the aim is to remake the immigration&#160;system so it has a much clearer economic focus.</p>
<p>“Green cards should be reserved for the nuclear family. Green cards are economic engines for the country,” Graham said. “This is not a family court we’re dealing with here. We’re dealing about an economic need.”</p>
<p>Unlike most other industrialized nations, the U.S. awards a much larger proportion of green cards to family members of U.S. citizens and permanent residents than to foreigners with job prospects here. Green cards are permanent resident visas and allow holders to eventually become citizens.</p>
<p>About two-thirds of permanent legal immigration&#160;to the U.S. is family-based, compared with about 15 percent that is employment-based, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The remainder is largely humanitarian.</p>
<p>Current law gives preference to spouses and minor and unmarried children of U.S. citizens. Permanent residents can petition for immediate family, and citizens can petition to bring in their married children and siblings, but they’re on a lower priority. Graham indicated that he would prefer to eliminate the married children and sibling categories altogether.</p>
<p>“We’re going to change fundamentally the immigration&#160;system,” said Graham.</p>
<p>Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, criticized the proposed changes.</p>
<p>“What the senator’s not taking into account is the social costs for not preserving families in the immigration&#160;system, which is not as tangible or measurable as an economic benefit, maybe, but immigrant&#160;families do strengthen our social fabric,” Appleby said.</p>
<p>Appleby said that instead of reducing green cards for family members and increasing them for employment ties, senators should simply make more green cards available over all. Lawmakers in the past, Republicans in particular, have opposed that approach. Meanwhile they’ve been hearing pleas from the technology industry for more high-tech workers and from industries like hospitality and agriculture that use lower-skilled workers.</p>
<p>Advocates agree that changes are needed to the family immigration&#160;system. Right now there are more than 4 million people waiting in backlogs, with Filipinos in the sibling category facing waits topping two decades. The Senate group has committed to reducing that backlog.</p>
<p>The tension between family- and employment-based immigration&#160;has not gotten as much attention in a debate that’s often focused on border security and the fate of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants&#160;already here, who would be given a path to legalize their status in the Senate bill. But the issue could become contentious as senators work to finalize their legislation by next month.</p>
<p>On Friday, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center raised concern that family unity might be “dismantled” in an immigration bill.</p>
<p>“An integral part of our humanity is the understanding that children – at any age – are our family. That brothers and sisters are our family,” Stewart Kwoh, executive director of the Los Angeles-based group, said in a statement.</p>
<p>“To contend otherwise goes against our longstanding American tradition of valuing, respecting, and honoring brothers, sisters and children as beloved close family members. Families must not be manipulated and used as a bargaining chip in a misleading and misguided attempt to characterize immigration as a zero-sum game.”</p>
<p>In the last round of immigration&#160;negotiations in 2007, the Catholic Church ended up opposing action on the bill in part because of discomfort with a proposal that replaced the family-based system with one that awarded points based on job skills, English ability, education and family ties in handing out visas.</p>
<p>Equal Voice News contributed to this report. &#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Contact author</a></p>
<p>&#160;&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Asian Pacific American Legal Center</a>, <a href="" type="internal">green card</a>, <a href="" type="internal">immigrant</a></p> | Immigration Proposal Might Limit Green Cards | true | http://equalvoiceforfamilies.org/immigration-proposal-might-limit-green-cards/ | 4left
| Immigration Proposal Might Limit Green Cards
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators writing a comprehensive immigration&#160;bill may dramatically limit green cards for extended families of U.S. citizens, reserving them for immediate family members instead, a key lawmaker said Thursday.</p>
<p>It would be a significant change to U.S. immigration&#160;policy that’s long favored family ties over economic or job criteria. And it’s already sparking opposition from groups trying to protect family-based immigration.</p>
<p>Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is part of a bipartisan Senate group negotiating the bill, said the aim is to remake the immigration&#160;system so it has a much clearer economic focus.</p>
<p>“Green cards should be reserved for the nuclear family. Green cards are economic engines for the country,” Graham said. “This is not a family court we’re dealing with here. We’re dealing about an economic need.”</p>
<p>Unlike most other industrialized nations, the U.S. awards a much larger proportion of green cards to family members of U.S. citizens and permanent residents than to foreigners with job prospects here. Green cards are permanent resident visas and allow holders to eventually become citizens.</p>
<p>About two-thirds of permanent legal immigration&#160;to the U.S. is family-based, compared with about 15 percent that is employment-based, according to the Migration Policy Institute. The remainder is largely humanitarian.</p>
<p>Current law gives preference to spouses and minor and unmarried children of U.S. citizens. Permanent residents can petition for immediate family, and citizens can petition to bring in their married children and siblings, but they’re on a lower priority. Graham indicated that he would prefer to eliminate the married children and sibling categories altogether.</p>
<p>“We’re going to change fundamentally the immigration&#160;system,” said Graham.</p>
<p>Kevin Appleby, director of migration policy at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, criticized the proposed changes.</p>
<p>“What the senator’s not taking into account is the social costs for not preserving families in the immigration&#160;system, which is not as tangible or measurable as an economic benefit, maybe, but immigrant&#160;families do strengthen our social fabric,” Appleby said.</p>
<p>Appleby said that instead of reducing green cards for family members and increasing them for employment ties, senators should simply make more green cards available over all. Lawmakers in the past, Republicans in particular, have opposed that approach. Meanwhile they’ve been hearing pleas from the technology industry for more high-tech workers and from industries like hospitality and agriculture that use lower-skilled workers.</p>
<p>Advocates agree that changes are needed to the family immigration&#160;system. Right now there are more than 4 million people waiting in backlogs, with Filipinos in the sibling category facing waits topping two decades. The Senate group has committed to reducing that backlog.</p>
<p>The tension between family- and employment-based immigration&#160;has not gotten as much attention in a debate that’s often focused on border security and the fate of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants&#160;already here, who would be given a path to legalize their status in the Senate bill. But the issue could become contentious as senators work to finalize their legislation by next month.</p>
<p>On Friday, the Asian Pacific American Legal Center raised concern that family unity might be “dismantled” in an immigration bill.</p>
<p>“An integral part of our humanity is the understanding that children – at any age – are our family. That brothers and sisters are our family,” Stewart Kwoh, executive director of the Los Angeles-based group, said in a statement.</p>
<p>“To contend otherwise goes against our longstanding American tradition of valuing, respecting, and honoring brothers, sisters and children as beloved close family members. Families must not be manipulated and used as a bargaining chip in a misleading and misguided attempt to characterize immigration as a zero-sum game.”</p>
<p>In the last round of immigration&#160;negotiations in 2007, the Catholic Church ended up opposing action on the bill in part because of discomfort with a proposal that replaced the family-based system with one that awarded points based on job skills, English ability, education and family ties in handing out visas.</p>
<p>Equal Voice News contributed to this report. &#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Contact author</a></p>
<p>&#160;&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Asian Pacific American Legal Center</a>, <a href="" type="internal">green card</a>, <a href="" type="internal">immigrant</a></p> | 3,105 |
|
<p>I continue to drink a lot of fresh carrot juice that I juice once a week or so. I hate throwing away all that good tasting pulp. I am continuing to find good use for it. Here goes my new one.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Some of the carrot pulp from my juicer.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some raisins.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some Miracle Whip.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some black&#160; pepper.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some apple cider to put some moisture back in.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> My healthy breakfast.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EgbertoWilliescom/181893712536" type="external">LIKE My Facebook Page</a></p> | Experimental Cooking: Cole Slaw From Juiced Carrot Pulp | true | http://egbertowillies.com/2013/02/13/experimental-cooking-cole-slaw-from-juiced-carrot-pulp/ | 2013-02-13 | 4left
| Experimental Cooking: Cole Slaw From Juiced Carrot Pulp
<p>I continue to drink a lot of fresh carrot juice that I juice once a week or so. I hate throwing away all that good tasting pulp. I am continuing to find good use for it. Here goes my new one.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Some of the carrot pulp from my juicer.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some raisins.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some Miracle Whip.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some black&#160; pepper.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> Added some apple cider to put some moisture back in.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> My healthy breakfast.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EgbertoWilliescom/181893712536" type="external">LIKE My Facebook Page</a></p> | 3,106 |
<p />
<p>[Montpellier, May 26, 2016]&#160;“We’ve had enough” is the phrase on everyone’s lips as – against all expectations -- the wave of strikes, blockades, disruptions and mass demonstrations begun eleven days ago continues to develop throughout France. Indeed, in the past couple of days, two new strategic groups of workers have joined the protest. Technicians at France’s nuclear power plants are now cutting back on production of electricity, and the railroad workers have massively joined the street protests while cutting back on trains. Meanwhile, there are long lines at the gas pumps as petroleum workers continue to blockade France’s major oil refineries.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, most French people take these inconveniences in good humor, and the polls show broad public support for the movement’s goals and even its disruptive tactics. This popular sympathy is all the more surprising given weeks of blanketly negative media coverage, hysterical official statements and police tactics designed to discredit the movement. First the issue was the violence of the "casseurs" (wreckers) on the fringes of the big, peaceful, well-organized mass demonstrations, and the image of one flaming police-car in Paris kept popping up on every channel for days. <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#m_-2956412997053698167__ftn1" type="external">[1]</a>&#160;Then came the threat of the unions (government-subsidized and generally cooperative) taking over the country and destroying the economy. Next, the talking heads topic of the day the police, what a great job they do and how we should support them!</p>
<p>Despite this propaganda campaign, the popular movement continued to grow and public sympathy with it, to the point that the governing Socialist party split -- making it impossible for the Hollande administration to push its unpopular Labor Reform Bill through the parliament. The government, which had earlier made a few compromises, became afraid to give in to the majority and loose face, so it evoked paragraph 49-3 of de Gaulle’s tailor-made Constitution giving the President the power in emergencies to impose laws by edict, without a parliamentary majority. This high-handedness was the last straw for the democratic French, who had come to detest the anti-labor «&#160;reform&#160;» bill and the already-unpopular neo-liberal “Socialist” government that was shoving it down their throats. That’s when all Hell broke loose.</p>
<p>Don’t ask me to explain the bill, except that it is part of a Brussels-imposed, Europe-wide economic liberalization plan and that it makes it easier for managers to fire workers, close plants, flexiblize work schedules, and cut back on overtime pay and severance pay. Most French people don’t understand the technicalities either, but with shrewd class awareness, they understand that the «&#160;reforms&#160;» are an attack by the 1% on the protections and regulations they have fought for over generations. They instinctively see them as another attempt to dismantle the Social Republic, officially so named in the Constitution of 1945, written at the time of the Liberation when the collaborationist French industrialists and their political tools were in disgrace while the slogan «&#160;from the Resistance to the Revolution&#160;» was still hanging in the air.</p>
<p>Today’s struggle is, of course, a defensive battle, and so far there have been only a few barricades (blockading the oil refineries) – barely recalling the revolutions 1789, 1830, 1848, 1871 and the general strikes of 1936 and 1968. But apparently the rebellious instincts and radical temperament of the French working people have not changed all that much. Indeed, in 1995, there was also a weeklong runaway national strike among the workers in the public sector, sparked by an earlier government attempt at liberal “reform,” but according the accepted wisdom in media and governmental circles, the French people had by 2016 supposedly evolved, become “normal,” and now accepted liberalization as necessary and inevitable like every other nation. Guess not.</p>
<p>I am happy (if somewhat ashamed) to report that I was overly pessimistic and somewhat hysterical in my last reports from France, <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#m_-2956412997053698167__ftn2" type="external">[2]</a>&#160;evoking the specter of acoup d’état&#160;and possible «&#160;civil war&#160;» in reaction to Hollande’s imposition of the State of Emergency and indiscriminate police raids after the terrorist attacks. So far, the Hollande government has refrained from evoking the State Emergency in today’s&#160;bras de fer&#160;(arm-wrestling contest) between a weak government trying to look tough on one side and on the other the combined forces of a young generation that sees itself being sacrificed on the alter of neo-liberalism, an organized labor movement responding to militant pressure from below take a stand, and an independent-minded public that has «&#160;had enough&#160;» of being manipulated.</p>
<p>Whatever the outcome of this month’s May Madness, one thing is clear. There is a new radical awareness on the rise in France and with it a new revolutionary generation that correctly sees that it has no future to look forward to under capitalism. Student agitation, especially in the high schools has been boiling up across the country for months as have the nightly popular assemblies in the squares of Paris and a half-dozen other cities, known as&#160;Nuits debout&#160;(«&#160;Stand up all night&#160;»). These assemblies correspond to a rejection of the pseudo-democracy of the professional politicians and a desire for real participatory democracy and human community. They also function as hothouses for radical ideas, like «&#160;Occupy&#160;» and the&#160;Indignados&#160;of 2011.</p>
<p>This intellectual revolution has only just begun, and it is likely to have a long-term effect on consciousness, just as “Occupy Wall Street” (minuscule in comparison) seems to have had on U.S. consciousness. Meanwhile, the French are not only&#160;debout&#160;(standing up) talking all night, they are also standing up for themselves and for all of us in the streets and on the picket line – standing up against the 1%’s relentless attacks on our living standards, on our rights, and on our lives. Maybe there&#160;is&#160;an alternative.</p>
<p>So allow me to conclude this report by translating a few excerpts from interviews recorded <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#m_-2956412997053698167__ftn3" type="external">[3]</a>&#160;during yesterday’s big demonstration here in Montpellier and then close with a translation of the 2016 Platform of one of the Commissions of the</p>
<p>Interviews - Paris&#160;Nuit debout&#160;at the Place de la Bastille.</p>
<p>Anaïs, age 22, works in a school:</p>
<p>“This is the first time I’ve come out to a demonstration. Unfortunately I only have a little time for this… I’m not an activist, I consider myself apolitical, even if I participate in&#160;Nuit debout&#160;when my schedule allows it. I don’t think demonstrations are enough to get us anything concrete; marching from point A to point B doesn’t bother anyone. If we want to be heard, we must totally block the country’s economy. And to succeed, we must get coordinated, even just for one day. I am totally conscious of the annoyances and privations that we might suffer as individuals, but now everybody has the duty to put aside their little personal comforts and to fight for the community.”</p>
<p>Nicolas, age 39, looking for work:</p>
<p>“My un-employed situation has an advantage: it leaves time to go into the street to defend our rights. I’m neither an activist nor a union member, I come as a citizen and I have only missed two demonstrations since March 9th. I am mobilized both on the street and on social media. The manipulations around pseudo-concessions on the proposed law and then the forced passage via the 49-3 edict have strengthened my motivation. Blocking, that’s our 49-3, Citizens. Perhaps we will pay the price, but striking the economy, that’s the only thing they understand. And if my help is needed in the blocking, I’ll go. The polls show that three quarters of the population is against this law, isn’t that enough?”</p>
<p>“Elf,” age 16, resident high school student at the&#160;lycée Agropolis:</p>
<p>“I only got political three months ago, since the first blockades, which be the way I help set up. Since then it’s gone very quickly: I’ve been to every demonstration. It was thanks to the high school that I became conscious of the importance of demanding our rights. Today, I have an impression the movement is losing speed, but if we don’t stand up it’s certain we won’t get anything! We must continue on to the end. But marches won’t be enough, we need to continue and reinforce the blockades, even if we have to suffer for a while: the economy is the only thing that interests them, so better to strike where it hurts!”</p>
<p>Nuit debout,&#160;Paris:&#160;New Amendments to Plateforme 2016</p>
<p>—Hiring the 6 million unemployed by adding one new job for each existing job.</p>
<p>— A 25-hour week and an adjustable work schedule.</p>
<p>-- &#160;Raise the minimum monthly salary to 1, 500€ ($1,700) ; a minimum of 1, 200€ ($1, 350 for retirement, student scholarships and unemployment benefits.</p>
<p>— Public transparency of all salaries; male/female equality of salaries, open the books of all business enterprises.</p>
<p>— Maximum income ceiling set at 4 times the minimum.</p>
<p>— Free health, schooling and transportation.</p>
<p>— Requisition of empty housing, abolition of rents and guaranteed right to housing.&#160;</p>
<p>— Expropriation of the great fortunes, abolition of private property of the means of production and exchange, direct collective self-management of enterprises.</p>
<p>-- All power to the Assemblies of workers/inhabitants for planning production on the basis of social needs and ecological imperatives.</p>
<p>-- Election of delegates with limited mandates and the permanent right of revocation of Assemblies.</p>
<p>— Free Federation of industrial unions and residential communities.</p>
<p>— Regularization of undocumented people and international cooperation of workers’ powers against underdevelopment, imperialism and war.</p>
<p><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_-1575436983537781613__ftnref1" type="external">[1]</a>&#160;The police have been reported filtering these black-cowled angry young men through their lines, where they have clashed with GTU union monitors&#160;; and somehow they never get arrested. Some have been revealed as actual undercover cops.</p>
<p><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_-1575436983537781613__ftnref2" type="external">[2]</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/20/france-at-war/" type="external">http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/20/france-at-war/</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://jewishcurrents.org/france-at-war-39960" type="external">http://jewishcurrents.org/france-at-war-39960</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_-1575436983537781613__ftnref3" type="external">[3]</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/260516/montpellier-les-blocages-c-est-notre-49-3-nous" type="external">https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/260516/montpellier-les-blocages-c-est-notre-49-3-nous</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Richard Greeman has been active since 1957 in civil rights, anti-war, anti-nuke, environmental and labor struggles in the U.S., Latin America, France (where he has been a longtime resident) and Russia (where he helped found the Praxis Research and Education Center in 1997).</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="/filter/tips" type="external">More information about formatting options</a></p> | The French Stand Up | true | http://newpol.org/content/french-stand | 2016-05-28 | 4left
| The French Stand Up
<p />
<p>[Montpellier, May 26, 2016]&#160;“We’ve had enough” is the phrase on everyone’s lips as – against all expectations -- the wave of strikes, blockades, disruptions and mass demonstrations begun eleven days ago continues to develop throughout France. Indeed, in the past couple of days, two new strategic groups of workers have joined the protest. Technicians at France’s nuclear power plants are now cutting back on production of electricity, and the railroad workers have massively joined the street protests while cutting back on trains. Meanwhile, there are long lines at the gas pumps as petroleum workers continue to blockade France’s major oil refineries.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, most French people take these inconveniences in good humor, and the polls show broad public support for the movement’s goals and even its disruptive tactics. This popular sympathy is all the more surprising given weeks of blanketly negative media coverage, hysterical official statements and police tactics designed to discredit the movement. First the issue was the violence of the "casseurs" (wreckers) on the fringes of the big, peaceful, well-organized mass demonstrations, and the image of one flaming police-car in Paris kept popping up on every channel for days. <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#m_-2956412997053698167__ftn1" type="external">[1]</a>&#160;Then came the threat of the unions (government-subsidized and generally cooperative) taking over the country and destroying the economy. Next, the talking heads topic of the day the police, what a great job they do and how we should support them!</p>
<p>Despite this propaganda campaign, the popular movement continued to grow and public sympathy with it, to the point that the governing Socialist party split -- making it impossible for the Hollande administration to push its unpopular Labor Reform Bill through the parliament. The government, which had earlier made a few compromises, became afraid to give in to the majority and loose face, so it evoked paragraph 49-3 of de Gaulle’s tailor-made Constitution giving the President the power in emergencies to impose laws by edict, without a parliamentary majority. This high-handedness was the last straw for the democratic French, who had come to detest the anti-labor «&#160;reform&#160;» bill and the already-unpopular neo-liberal “Socialist” government that was shoving it down their throats. That’s when all Hell broke loose.</p>
<p>Don’t ask me to explain the bill, except that it is part of a Brussels-imposed, Europe-wide economic liberalization plan and that it makes it easier for managers to fire workers, close plants, flexiblize work schedules, and cut back on overtime pay and severance pay. Most French people don’t understand the technicalities either, but with shrewd class awareness, they understand that the «&#160;reforms&#160;» are an attack by the 1% on the protections and regulations they have fought for over generations. They instinctively see them as another attempt to dismantle the Social Republic, officially so named in the Constitution of 1945, written at the time of the Liberation when the collaborationist French industrialists and their political tools were in disgrace while the slogan «&#160;from the Resistance to the Revolution&#160;» was still hanging in the air.</p>
<p>Today’s struggle is, of course, a defensive battle, and so far there have been only a few barricades (blockading the oil refineries) – barely recalling the revolutions 1789, 1830, 1848, 1871 and the general strikes of 1936 and 1968. But apparently the rebellious instincts and radical temperament of the French working people have not changed all that much. Indeed, in 1995, there was also a weeklong runaway national strike among the workers in the public sector, sparked by an earlier government attempt at liberal “reform,” but according the accepted wisdom in media and governmental circles, the French people had by 2016 supposedly evolved, become “normal,” and now accepted liberalization as necessary and inevitable like every other nation. Guess not.</p>
<p>I am happy (if somewhat ashamed) to report that I was overly pessimistic and somewhat hysterical in my last reports from France, <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#m_-2956412997053698167__ftn2" type="external">[2]</a>&#160;evoking the specter of acoup d’état&#160;and possible «&#160;civil war&#160;» in reaction to Hollande’s imposition of the State of Emergency and indiscriminate police raids after the terrorist attacks. So far, the Hollande government has refrained from evoking the State Emergency in today’s&#160;bras de fer&#160;(arm-wrestling contest) between a weak government trying to look tough on one side and on the other the combined forces of a young generation that sees itself being sacrificed on the alter of neo-liberalism, an organized labor movement responding to militant pressure from below take a stand, and an independent-minded public that has «&#160;had enough&#160;» of being manipulated.</p>
<p>Whatever the outcome of this month’s May Madness, one thing is clear. There is a new radical awareness on the rise in France and with it a new revolutionary generation that correctly sees that it has no future to look forward to under capitalism. Student agitation, especially in the high schools has been boiling up across the country for months as have the nightly popular assemblies in the squares of Paris and a half-dozen other cities, known as&#160;Nuits debout&#160;(«&#160;Stand up all night&#160;»). These assemblies correspond to a rejection of the pseudo-democracy of the professional politicians and a desire for real participatory democracy and human community. They also function as hothouses for radical ideas, like «&#160;Occupy&#160;» and the&#160;Indignados&#160;of 2011.</p>
<p>This intellectual revolution has only just begun, and it is likely to have a long-term effect on consciousness, just as “Occupy Wall Street” (minuscule in comparison) seems to have had on U.S. consciousness. Meanwhile, the French are not only&#160;debout&#160;(standing up) talking all night, they are also standing up for themselves and for all of us in the streets and on the picket line – standing up against the 1%’s relentless attacks on our living standards, on our rights, and on our lives. Maybe there&#160;is&#160;an alternative.</p>
<p>So allow me to conclude this report by translating a few excerpts from interviews recorded <a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#m_-2956412997053698167__ftn3" type="external">[3]</a>&#160;during yesterday’s big demonstration here in Montpellier and then close with a translation of the 2016 Platform of one of the Commissions of the</p>
<p>Interviews - Paris&#160;Nuit debout&#160;at the Place de la Bastille.</p>
<p>Anaïs, age 22, works in a school:</p>
<p>“This is the first time I’ve come out to a demonstration. Unfortunately I only have a little time for this… I’m not an activist, I consider myself apolitical, even if I participate in&#160;Nuit debout&#160;when my schedule allows it. I don’t think demonstrations are enough to get us anything concrete; marching from point A to point B doesn’t bother anyone. If we want to be heard, we must totally block the country’s economy. And to succeed, we must get coordinated, even just for one day. I am totally conscious of the annoyances and privations that we might suffer as individuals, but now everybody has the duty to put aside their little personal comforts and to fight for the community.”</p>
<p>Nicolas, age 39, looking for work:</p>
<p>“My un-employed situation has an advantage: it leaves time to go into the street to defend our rights. I’m neither an activist nor a union member, I come as a citizen and I have only missed two demonstrations since March 9th. I am mobilized both on the street and on social media. The manipulations around pseudo-concessions on the proposed law and then the forced passage via the 49-3 edict have strengthened my motivation. Blocking, that’s our 49-3, Citizens. Perhaps we will pay the price, but striking the economy, that’s the only thing they understand. And if my help is needed in the blocking, I’ll go. The polls show that three quarters of the population is against this law, isn’t that enough?”</p>
<p>“Elf,” age 16, resident high school student at the&#160;lycée Agropolis:</p>
<p>“I only got political three months ago, since the first blockades, which be the way I help set up. Since then it’s gone very quickly: I’ve been to every demonstration. It was thanks to the high school that I became conscious of the importance of demanding our rights. Today, I have an impression the movement is losing speed, but if we don’t stand up it’s certain we won’t get anything! We must continue on to the end. But marches won’t be enough, we need to continue and reinforce the blockades, even if we have to suffer for a while: the economy is the only thing that interests them, so better to strike where it hurts!”</p>
<p>Nuit debout,&#160;Paris:&#160;New Amendments to Plateforme 2016</p>
<p>—Hiring the 6 million unemployed by adding one new job for each existing job.</p>
<p>— A 25-hour week and an adjustable work schedule.</p>
<p>-- &#160;Raise the minimum monthly salary to 1, 500€ ($1,700) ; a minimum of 1, 200€ ($1, 350 for retirement, student scholarships and unemployment benefits.</p>
<p>— Public transparency of all salaries; male/female equality of salaries, open the books of all business enterprises.</p>
<p>— Maximum income ceiling set at 4 times the minimum.</p>
<p>— Free health, schooling and transportation.</p>
<p>— Requisition of empty housing, abolition of rents and guaranteed right to housing.&#160;</p>
<p>— Expropriation of the great fortunes, abolition of private property of the means of production and exchange, direct collective self-management of enterprises.</p>
<p>-- All power to the Assemblies of workers/inhabitants for planning production on the basis of social needs and ecological imperatives.</p>
<p>-- Election of delegates with limited mandates and the permanent right of revocation of Assemblies.</p>
<p>— Free Federation of industrial unions and residential communities.</p>
<p>— Regularization of undocumented people and international cooperation of workers’ powers against underdevelopment, imperialism and war.</p>
<p><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_-1575436983537781613__ftnref1" type="external">[1]</a>&#160;The police have been reported filtering these black-cowled angry young men through their lines, where they have clashed with GTU union monitors&#160;; and somehow they never get arrested. Some have been revealed as actual undercover cops.</p>
<p><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_-1575436983537781613__ftnref2" type="external">[2]</a>&#160; <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/20/france-at-war/" type="external">http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/11/20/france-at-war/</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://jewishcurrents.org/france-at-war-39960" type="external">http://jewishcurrents.org/france-at-war-39960</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_-1575436983537781613__ftnref3" type="external">[3]</a>&#160; <a href="https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/260516/montpellier-les-blocages-c-est-notre-49-3-nous" type="external">https://www.mediapart.fr/journal/france/260516/montpellier-les-blocages-c-est-notre-49-3-nous</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Richard Greeman has been active since 1957 in civil rights, anti-war, anti-nuke, environmental and labor struggles in the U.S., Latin America, France (where he has been a longtime resident) and Russia (where he helped found the Praxis Research and Education Center in 1997).</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="/filter/tips" type="external">More information about formatting options</a></p> | 3,107 |
<p />
<p>Earlier this month, just about every department store you could imagine reported a Q1 sales decline. At the two biggest department store chains -- Macy's and Kohl's -- comparable-store sales fell 5.6% and 3.9%, respectively.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sales fell at department stores like Macy's last quarter.</p>
<p>This sales slump didn't extend to off-price giant TJX Companies , though. The parent of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls reported a stellar 7% year-over-year increase in global comparable-store sales.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, efforts by department stores like Macy's and Kohl's to protect their own margins could ultimately help TJX grow at their expense during the next few quarters.</p>
<p>TJX's Marmaxx business segment -- made up of Marshalls and T.J. Maxx stores in the U.S. -- accounts for about 65% of the company's revenue. However, in recent years, its growth appeared to be slowing. For the year ending in Jan. 2015, comparable-store sales rose just 1% at Marmaxx.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Given that Marshalls and T.J. Maxx are relatively mature businesses, it wasn't that surprising that their growth was slowing.</p>
<p>However, the opposite now seems to be occurring. In Q1, Marmaxx segment comp sales rose 6% year over year for a second consecutive quarter. Ironically, growth is accelerating at Marshalls and T.J. Maxx just as department stores like Macy's and Kohl's are recording their biggest sales declines since the Great Recession. This indicates that TJX is rapidly gaining market share.</p>
<p>Marshalls' and T.J. Maxx's strong growth in the face of plummeting department store sales shows just how much TJX <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/11/16/investors-selling-tjx-companies-inc-stock-will-pro.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">benefits from chaos Opens a New Window.</a> in the retail world.</p>
<p>In effect, TJX serves as a buyer of last resort for its more than 17,000 vendors. When supply chain disruptions (like last year's West Coast port slowdown), unexpected changes in demand, or other inventory miscues leave department stores and specialty stores with more product than they want, TJX steps in to buy the excess at bargain prices.</p>
<p>TJX can then offer great deals to its customers. This helps it drive more traffic to Marshalls and T.J. Maxx stores -- and away from department stores like Macy's and Kohl's.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for the department stores, the threat from TJX is likely to become more potent as the year progresses. In light of the recent slowdown in sales trends, many retailers are reducing their orders for later this year.</p>
<p>That will help them avoid margin-killing inventory pileups. However, vendors facing order cuts will probably be looking to unload excess merchandise at a big discount. TJX is likely to buy a lot of this inventory. It will then be able to undercut department stores' prices even further in its T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores.</p>
<p>The retail inventory glut will continue to benefit T.J. Maxx for the next year.</p>
<p>Furthermore, due to weak sales of winter seasonal merchandise across the retail industry, TJX has gotten great deals on so-called "packaway" inventory in the past few months. These goods will show up in its stores during the upcoming winter season, allowing TJX to continue undercutting department stores on price.</p>
<p>The dynamics highlighted here show how difficult it is for department stores to compete with Marshalls and T.J. Maxx. Even chains that have been pretty careful about managing inventory (like Kohl's) will be hurt by the fact that their rivals are cutting orders and thereby giving TJX opportunities to pick up high-quality goods at cut-rate prices.</p>
<p>If department stores and specialty stores can keep orders and inventory in line with demand over the next year, the current merchandise glut will subside. In that scenario, conditions could turn more favorable by next spring.</p>
<p>TJX is a formidable competitor under any circumstances. But if other retailers' inventory miscues allow it to keep finding great deals, department stores will continue to suffer mightily.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/21/tj-maxx-and-marshalls-destroying-department-stores.aspx" type="external">T.J. Maxx and Marshalls Are Destroying Department Stores Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGemHunter/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Adam Levine-Weinberg Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Macy's, Inc. and is long January 2018 $60 calls on The TJX Companies, Inc. and short January 2018 $90 calls on The TJX Companies, Inc. 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=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> | T.J. Maxx and Marshalls Are Destroying Department Stores | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/05/21/tj-maxx-and-marshalls-are-destroying-department-stores.html | 2016-05-21 | 0right
| T.J. Maxx and Marshalls Are Destroying Department Stores
<p />
<p>Earlier this month, just about every department store you could imagine reported a Q1 sales decline. At the two biggest department store chains -- Macy's and Kohl's -- comparable-store sales fell 5.6% and 3.9%, respectively.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sales fell at department stores like Macy's last quarter.</p>
<p>This sales slump didn't extend to off-price giant TJX Companies , though. The parent of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls reported a stellar 7% year-over-year increase in global comparable-store sales.</p>
<p>To make matters worse, efforts by department stores like Macy's and Kohl's to protect their own margins could ultimately help TJX grow at their expense during the next few quarters.</p>
<p>TJX's Marmaxx business segment -- made up of Marshalls and T.J. Maxx stores in the U.S. -- accounts for about 65% of the company's revenue. However, in recent years, its growth appeared to be slowing. For the year ending in Jan. 2015, comparable-store sales rose just 1% at Marmaxx.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Given that Marshalls and T.J. Maxx are relatively mature businesses, it wasn't that surprising that their growth was slowing.</p>
<p>However, the opposite now seems to be occurring. In Q1, Marmaxx segment comp sales rose 6% year over year for a second consecutive quarter. Ironically, growth is accelerating at Marshalls and T.J. Maxx just as department stores like Macy's and Kohl's are recording their biggest sales declines since the Great Recession. This indicates that TJX is rapidly gaining market share.</p>
<p>Marshalls' and T.J. Maxx's strong growth in the face of plummeting department store sales shows just how much TJX <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/11/16/investors-selling-tjx-companies-inc-stock-will-pro.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">benefits from chaos Opens a New Window.</a> in the retail world.</p>
<p>In effect, TJX serves as a buyer of last resort for its more than 17,000 vendors. When supply chain disruptions (like last year's West Coast port slowdown), unexpected changes in demand, or other inventory miscues leave department stores and specialty stores with more product than they want, TJX steps in to buy the excess at bargain prices.</p>
<p>TJX can then offer great deals to its customers. This helps it drive more traffic to Marshalls and T.J. Maxx stores -- and away from department stores like Macy's and Kohl's.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for the department stores, the threat from TJX is likely to become more potent as the year progresses. In light of the recent slowdown in sales trends, many retailers are reducing their orders for later this year.</p>
<p>That will help them avoid margin-killing inventory pileups. However, vendors facing order cuts will probably be looking to unload excess merchandise at a big discount. TJX is likely to buy a lot of this inventory. It will then be able to undercut department stores' prices even further in its T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores.</p>
<p>The retail inventory glut will continue to benefit T.J. Maxx for the next year.</p>
<p>Furthermore, due to weak sales of winter seasonal merchandise across the retail industry, TJX has gotten great deals on so-called "packaway" inventory in the past few months. These goods will show up in its stores during the upcoming winter season, allowing TJX to continue undercutting department stores on price.</p>
<p>The dynamics highlighted here show how difficult it is for department stores to compete with Marshalls and T.J. Maxx. Even chains that have been pretty careful about managing inventory (like Kohl's) will be hurt by the fact that their rivals are cutting orders and thereby giving TJX opportunities to pick up high-quality goods at cut-rate prices.</p>
<p>If department stores and specialty stores can keep orders and inventory in line with demand over the next year, the current merchandise glut will subside. In that scenario, conditions could turn more favorable by next spring.</p>
<p>TJX is a formidable competitor under any circumstances. But if other retailers' inventory miscues allow it to keep finding great deals, department stores will continue to suffer mightily.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/21/tj-maxx-and-marshalls-destroying-department-stores.aspx" type="external">T.J. Maxx and Marshalls Are Destroying Department Stores Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGemHunter/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Adam Levine-Weinberg Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Macy's, Inc. and is long January 2018 $60 calls on The TJX Companies, Inc. and short January 2018 $90 calls on The TJX Companies, Inc. 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=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> | 3,108 |
<p>A White House spokesperson was asked about a “plague of amnesia” that has clouded some members of President Donald Trump’s inner circle and responded by attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>Principal deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was peppered with questions during Wednesday’s press briefing about Donald Trump Jr.’s email exchange with a Russian last summer that showed Russia was, at the very least, rooting for his father to win the election.</p>
<p>After The New York Times reported on the existence of the emails and a meeting Trump Jr. had, <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-jr-russia-email/2017/07/11/id/800997/" type="external">he made the emails public</a>.</p>
<p>Sanders was asked why members of Trump’s inner circle have failed to disclose meetings and communications they have had with Russians on several occasions.</p>
<p>“If you want to talk about having relationships with Russia, look no further than the Clintons,” Sanders said. “Bill Clinton was paid $500,000 to give a speech to a Russian bank [with ties to] Vladimir Putin. Hillary Clinton allowed one-fifth of uranium reserve to be sold to a Clinton Foundation firm.</p>
<p>“. . . I think if we’re looking at Russia relations with anybody, it would be directly with the Clintons.”</p>
<p>Sanders was then pressed to explain why people close to the president have displayed bouts of “amnesia” in regards to Russian contacts.</p>
<p>“Every single day we do our best to give you the most accurate information we have, and have offered to be as transparent as possible,” she said.</p>
<p>“Our goal is to be as transparent as humanly possible and to put every bit of information that we have at the forefront and [be] willing to cooperate with anybody that is looking into the matter.”</p>
<p>Later in the briefing, Newsmax’s John Gizzi asked Sanders whether Trump will hold a press conference at any time soon, to which she responded he will speak in Paris on Thursday while he is in the French capital for Friday’s Bastille Day festivities.</p>
<p>It should be noted, however, Trump will take only four questions while in Paris –&#160;two from the American media and two from the French media.</p> | WH Responds to Trump Jr's 'Amnesia' With Clinton Attack | false | https://newsline.com/wh-responds-to-trump-jrs-amnesia-with-clinton-attack/ | 2017-07-12 | 1right-center
| WH Responds to Trump Jr's 'Amnesia' With Clinton Attack
<p>A White House spokesperson was asked about a “plague of amnesia” that has clouded some members of President Donald Trump’s inner circle and responded by attacking Democrat Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>Principal deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was peppered with questions during Wednesday’s press briefing about Donald Trump Jr.’s email exchange with a Russian last summer that showed Russia was, at the very least, rooting for his father to win the election.</p>
<p>After The New York Times reported on the existence of the emails and a meeting Trump Jr. had, <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/trump-jr-russia-email/2017/07/11/id/800997/" type="external">he made the emails public</a>.</p>
<p>Sanders was asked why members of Trump’s inner circle have failed to disclose meetings and communications they have had with Russians on several occasions.</p>
<p>“If you want to talk about having relationships with Russia, look no further than the Clintons,” Sanders said. “Bill Clinton was paid $500,000 to give a speech to a Russian bank [with ties to] Vladimir Putin. Hillary Clinton allowed one-fifth of uranium reserve to be sold to a Clinton Foundation firm.</p>
<p>“. . . I think if we’re looking at Russia relations with anybody, it would be directly with the Clintons.”</p>
<p>Sanders was then pressed to explain why people close to the president have displayed bouts of “amnesia” in regards to Russian contacts.</p>
<p>“Every single day we do our best to give you the most accurate information we have, and have offered to be as transparent as possible,” she said.</p>
<p>“Our goal is to be as transparent as humanly possible and to put every bit of information that we have at the forefront and [be] willing to cooperate with anybody that is looking into the matter.”</p>
<p>Later in the briefing, Newsmax’s John Gizzi asked Sanders whether Trump will hold a press conference at any time soon, to which she responded he will speak in Paris on Thursday while he is in the French capital for Friday’s Bastille Day festivities.</p>
<p>It should be noted, however, Trump will take only four questions while in Paris –&#160;two from the American media and two from the French media.</p> | 3,109 |
<p>Profiting from war is as old as war itself.&#160; Leaders of governments engaged in armed conflict are prone to divert some external funding to personal gain.&#160; But skimming is one thing: In Africa, where public resources are scarce and the local population prone to suffering severe food shortages, war-profiteering is occurring on a much larger scale with the complicity of global financial institutions and with deadly consequences for the continent’s already impoverished citizens.</p>
<p>Two reports by an innovative global advocacy group, <a href="https://thesentry.org/" type="external">The Sentry</a>, founded in 2015, have exposed the nefarious financial ties between bellicose African regimes in countries like Southern Sudan and Congo and a network of private companies and banks that have helped them exploit their internal conflicts for illicit gain.&#160; As the reports suggest, these regimes are not simply engaging in human rights atrocities and enriching themselves in the process – they are also leaving their population without access to their farms and food and creating the conditions for widespread famine.</p>
<p>The Sentry’s first major <a href="https://thesentry.org/reports/warcrimesshouldntpay/" type="external">investigative report</a>, entitled War Crimes Shouldn’t Pay:&#160; Stopping the Looting and Corruption in Southern Sudan, presented findings of the group’s two-year investigation into South Sudan’s shadowy war economy and its links to a network of international facilitators, including bankers, arms dealers, and multinational oil and mining companies.&#160;The country has remained politically divided for years despite a political settlement that was first negotiated with the help of Western powers in 2005, and again in 2013.&#160; The report implicates South Sudan President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, the rival leaders that continue to wage war to try to gain exclusive control of the country.</p>
<p>More recently, The Sentry released <a href="https://thesentry.org/2017/05/31/1647/new-report-making-a-fortune-while-making-a-famine-the-illustrative-case-of-a-south-sudanese-general/" type="external">Making a Fortune While Making a Famine</a>, which zeroes in on a single top Sudanese military general’s illicit financial activities which the report argues have led to near-starvation conditions for thousands of his countrymen.&#160; The report’s already garnered international <a href="https://www.google.com/search?num=100&amp;site=&amp;source=hp&amp;q=the+sentry+report+voice+of+america&amp;oq=the+sentry+report+voice+of+america&amp;gs_l=hp.3...902.5061.0.5746.35.16.0.0.0.0.633.1356.0j1j5-2.3.0....0...1.1.64.hp..32.3.1352.0..35i39k1j0i67k1j0i20k1j0i131k1j0i22i30k1j33i160k1.77xh9JQvRr8" type="external">headlines</a> and has led to calls for the general’s ouster and prosecution, despite his own <a href="http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/South-Sudan-army-denies-graft-claims-/2558-3953140-sboh0u/index.html" type="external">steadfast denials</a> that he is actually profiting from the current war.</p>
<p>The Sentry is far more than a research group.&#160; Its founding director, <a href="http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Main-Line-Today/December-2011/John-Prendergast-A-Larger-Than-Life-Humanitarian-With-an-Undying-Mission/" type="external">John Prendergast</a> is a long-time journalist and human rights activist with years of field experience in Africa – but his portfolio also includes extensive government service.&#160; Both he and co-founder <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/gayle-smith" type="external">Gayle Smith</a> worked for Bill Clinton’s National Security Council in the 1990s and returned to work for Hillary Clinton under President Obama.&#160; The two have also served as consultants to the World Bank and inter-government organizations, often providing critical back-channel communications to African leaders and civil society groups.</p>
<p>What makes The Sentry unique is not only its agenda but its methods of operation. While relying on a small team of forensic financial experts for most of the investigative research, the group has pioneered a unique blend of high-powered advocacy tactics – behind-the-scenes political networking and quiet diplomacy combined with high-visibility global media campaigning — to cajole and persuade governments and international banks to cut the financial and commercial ties that allow African leaders to exploit war and famine for personal gain.</p>
<p>In fact, the Sentry’s first major success occurred even before the group was formally established.&#160;&#160; Back in 2010-2011, Prendergast and Smith co-directed the <a href="http://enoughproject.org/" type="external">Enough Project</a>, the parent organization of The Sentry, which focuses more broadly on famine and human rights policy in Africa.&#160; Seeing the ways that African leaders and insurgent were exploiting their control over gold and diamond mines in the region, they struck upon a novel idea:&#160; Pass legislation through the Congress that would allow governments, led by the United States, to seize the profits gained from illicit mining operations, putting the war profiteers out of business.</p>
<p>It was a remarkable – and brilliant – maneuver that went virtually unnoticed at the time. But tucked inside the famous Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill of 2010 is a provision that allows the President to designate gold ore and other precious metal resources as <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/conflict-minerals-an-assessment-of-the-dodd-frank-act/" type="external">“conflict minerals”</a> if they are located in war zones where human rights are being grossly abused.&#160; After passage of the bill, the Obama administration Treasury department, backed by the White House, pressured banks worldwide to seize the financial assets of warlords in the Congo, which reduced their control of the nation’s mines and their ability to fund and profit from the war.</p>
<p>The Congo campaign – and an earlier effort that targeted a corrupt general in Uganda — were not completely successful, in part because the linkages that comprise war profiteering are complex and not always easy to track and prove.&#160; Prendergast also saw to his dismay that many other countries in Africa were entrenched in the same vicious cycle of war, corruption and economic devastation.&#160; The Sentry’s hope is to create the global infrastructure that can thoroughly uncover these same linkages across the entire region.&#160; Prendergast also wants to expand its ability not only to seize assets of war-profiteers but also to bring perpetrators to justice – and to build a lasting foundation for peace.</p>
<p>How will the election of Donald Trump affect the The Sentry’s work?&#160; Some business interests around the new administration are anxious to see the “conflict minerals” rule <a href="https://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2017/03/15/trump-administration-weaken-rules-conflict-minerals/" type="external">rescinded</a>, a move that dictators throughout Africa would welcome.&#160; But there remains a strong bipartisan foundation around Africa policy that could well survive even under GOP control of the White House and Congress, Prendergast believes.&#160; Moreover, The Sentry plans to start lobbying international banks directly using the kind of in-depth financial reporting evidenced in its latest report.&#160; The group has just established branch offices in London and Brussels to facilitate this new campaign.</p>
<p>But funding remains a challenge.&#160; The Sentry relies heavily on support from key Hollywood donors, including actors <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/09/12/report-south-sudans-leaders-profit-from-war-george-clooney-john-prendergast-tapper-the-lead.cnn" type="external">George Clooney</a> (a Sentry co-founder) and Don Cheadle, as well as from a handful of small niche donors (including <a href="https://humanityunited.org/" type="external">Humanity United</a>) that appreciate a lean-and-mean operation that achieves prodigious results with limited resources.&#160; But Prendergast, who has already won numerous human rights <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/03-02-10-john-prendergast-awarded-houston-holocaust-museums-lyndon-baines-johnson-moral-courage-award/" type="external">awards</a>, is anxious to take The Sentry’s work to the next level, with expanded staff and reach.&#160; “We have the capacity and the connections to do so much more,” he says.</p>
<p /> | Cracking Down on War Profiteers in Africa: A New Kind of Human Rights Advocacy | false | http://natmonitor.com/2017/06/06/cracking-down-on-war-profiteers-in-africa-a-new-kind-of-human-rights-advocacy/ | 2017-06-06 | 3left-center
| Cracking Down on War Profiteers in Africa: A New Kind of Human Rights Advocacy
<p>Profiting from war is as old as war itself.&#160; Leaders of governments engaged in armed conflict are prone to divert some external funding to personal gain.&#160; But skimming is one thing: In Africa, where public resources are scarce and the local population prone to suffering severe food shortages, war-profiteering is occurring on a much larger scale with the complicity of global financial institutions and with deadly consequences for the continent’s already impoverished citizens.</p>
<p>Two reports by an innovative global advocacy group, <a href="https://thesentry.org/" type="external">The Sentry</a>, founded in 2015, have exposed the nefarious financial ties between bellicose African regimes in countries like Southern Sudan and Congo and a network of private companies and banks that have helped them exploit their internal conflicts for illicit gain.&#160; As the reports suggest, these regimes are not simply engaging in human rights atrocities and enriching themselves in the process – they are also leaving their population without access to their farms and food and creating the conditions for widespread famine.</p>
<p>The Sentry’s first major <a href="https://thesentry.org/reports/warcrimesshouldntpay/" type="external">investigative report</a>, entitled War Crimes Shouldn’t Pay:&#160; Stopping the Looting and Corruption in Southern Sudan, presented findings of the group’s two-year investigation into South Sudan’s shadowy war economy and its links to a network of international facilitators, including bankers, arms dealers, and multinational oil and mining companies.&#160;The country has remained politically divided for years despite a political settlement that was first negotiated with the help of Western powers in 2005, and again in 2013.&#160; The report implicates South Sudan President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, the rival leaders that continue to wage war to try to gain exclusive control of the country.</p>
<p>More recently, The Sentry released <a href="https://thesentry.org/2017/05/31/1647/new-report-making-a-fortune-while-making-a-famine-the-illustrative-case-of-a-south-sudanese-general/" type="external">Making a Fortune While Making a Famine</a>, which zeroes in on a single top Sudanese military general’s illicit financial activities which the report argues have led to near-starvation conditions for thousands of his countrymen.&#160; The report’s already garnered international <a href="https://www.google.com/search?num=100&amp;site=&amp;source=hp&amp;q=the+sentry+report+voice+of+america&amp;oq=the+sentry+report+voice+of+america&amp;gs_l=hp.3...902.5061.0.5746.35.16.0.0.0.0.633.1356.0j1j5-2.3.0....0...1.1.64.hp..32.3.1352.0..35i39k1j0i67k1j0i20k1j0i131k1j0i22i30k1j33i160k1.77xh9JQvRr8" type="external">headlines</a> and has led to calls for the general’s ouster and prosecution, despite his own <a href="http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/South-Sudan-army-denies-graft-claims-/2558-3953140-sboh0u/index.html" type="external">steadfast denials</a> that he is actually profiting from the current war.</p>
<p>The Sentry is far more than a research group.&#160; Its founding director, <a href="http://www.mainlinetoday.com/Main-Line-Today/December-2011/John-Prendergast-A-Larger-Than-Life-Humanitarian-With-an-Undying-Mission/" type="external">John Prendergast</a> is a long-time journalist and human rights activist with years of field experience in Africa – but his portfolio also includes extensive government service.&#160; Both he and co-founder <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/author/gayle-smith" type="external">Gayle Smith</a> worked for Bill Clinton’s National Security Council in the 1990s and returned to work for Hillary Clinton under President Obama.&#160; The two have also served as consultants to the World Bank and inter-government organizations, often providing critical back-channel communications to African leaders and civil society groups.</p>
<p>What makes The Sentry unique is not only its agenda but its methods of operation. While relying on a small team of forensic financial experts for most of the investigative research, the group has pioneered a unique blend of high-powered advocacy tactics – behind-the-scenes political networking and quiet diplomacy combined with high-visibility global media campaigning — to cajole and persuade governments and international banks to cut the financial and commercial ties that allow African leaders to exploit war and famine for personal gain.</p>
<p>In fact, the Sentry’s first major success occurred even before the group was formally established.&#160;&#160; Back in 2010-2011, Prendergast and Smith co-directed the <a href="http://enoughproject.org/" type="external">Enough Project</a>, the parent organization of The Sentry, which focuses more broadly on famine and human rights policy in Africa.&#160; Seeing the ways that African leaders and insurgent were exploiting their control over gold and diamond mines in the region, they struck upon a novel idea:&#160; Pass legislation through the Congress that would allow governments, led by the United States, to seize the profits gained from illicit mining operations, putting the war profiteers out of business.</p>
<p>It was a remarkable – and brilliant – maneuver that went virtually unnoticed at the time. But tucked inside the famous Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill of 2010 is a provision that allows the President to designate gold ore and other precious metal resources as <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/conflict-minerals-an-assessment-of-the-dodd-frank-act/" type="external">“conflict minerals”</a> if they are located in war zones where human rights are being grossly abused.&#160; After passage of the bill, the Obama administration Treasury department, backed by the White House, pressured banks worldwide to seize the financial assets of warlords in the Congo, which reduced their control of the nation’s mines and their ability to fund and profit from the war.</p>
<p>The Congo campaign – and an earlier effort that targeted a corrupt general in Uganda — were not completely successful, in part because the linkages that comprise war profiteering are complex and not always easy to track and prove.&#160; Prendergast also saw to his dismay that many other countries in Africa were entrenched in the same vicious cycle of war, corruption and economic devastation.&#160; The Sentry’s hope is to create the global infrastructure that can thoroughly uncover these same linkages across the entire region.&#160; Prendergast also wants to expand its ability not only to seize assets of war-profiteers but also to bring perpetrators to justice – and to build a lasting foundation for peace.</p>
<p>How will the election of Donald Trump affect the The Sentry’s work?&#160; Some business interests around the new administration are anxious to see the “conflict minerals” rule <a href="https://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2017/03/15/trump-administration-weaken-rules-conflict-minerals/" type="external">rescinded</a>, a move that dictators throughout Africa would welcome.&#160; But there remains a strong bipartisan foundation around Africa policy that could well survive even under GOP control of the White House and Congress, Prendergast believes.&#160; Moreover, The Sentry plans to start lobbying international banks directly using the kind of in-depth financial reporting evidenced in its latest report.&#160; The group has just established branch offices in London and Brussels to facilitate this new campaign.</p>
<p>But funding remains a challenge.&#160; The Sentry relies heavily on support from key Hollywood donors, including actors <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/09/12/report-south-sudans-leaders-profit-from-war-george-clooney-john-prendergast-tapper-the-lead.cnn" type="external">George Clooney</a> (a Sentry co-founder) and Don Cheadle, as well as from a handful of small niche donors (including <a href="https://humanityunited.org/" type="external">Humanity United</a>) that appreciate a lean-and-mean operation that achieves prodigious results with limited resources.&#160; But Prendergast, who has already won numerous human rights <a href="http://houston.culturemap.com/news/entertainment/03-02-10-john-prendergast-awarded-houston-holocaust-museums-lyndon-baines-johnson-moral-courage-award/" type="external">awards</a>, is anxious to take The Sentry’s work to the next level, with expanded staff and reach.&#160; “We have the capacity and the connections to do so much more,” he says.</p>
<p /> | 3,110 |
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<p />
<p>CENTENNIAL, Colo. - The latest in the Colorado theater shooting trial (all times local):</p>
<p>3 p.m.</p>
<p>The families of those killed and injured in the Colorado theater shooting are arriving at the courthouse in suburban Denver where James Holmes' verdict will be read at 4:15 p.m.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Two deputies are stationed on the roof.</p>
<p>The jury heard 11 weeks of testimony. The nine women and three men reached their decision Thursday after deliberating for about a day and a half.</p>
<p>Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the July 20, 2012, shootings. He killed 12, and 70 were wounded. It ranks as one of the nation's deadliest shootings.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>1:23 p.m.</p>
<p>Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes.</p>
<p>The panel made its decision Thursday after deliberating for a day and a half. A court spokesman says the verdict will be read at 4:15 p.m. MDT Thursday.</p>
<p>Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the July 20, 2012, shootings that killed 12 people and injured 70 others.</p>
<p>If the jury convicts Holmes, the trial will enter a sentencing phase with testimony about whether he should be sent to prison for life or sentenced to death. Jurors make that decision.</p>
<p>If they find him not guilty, he would be committed indefinitely to a state mental hospital.</p>
<p>Jurors heard nearly three months of testimony, including heartbreaking and sometimes gruesome survival stories.</p> | Jury finds Colorado theater shooter James Holmes guilty of murder, eligible for death penalty | false | https://abqjournal.com/613517/verdict-reached-in-colorado-theater-shooting-trial.html | 2015-07-16 | 2least
| Jury finds Colorado theater shooter James Holmes guilty of murder, eligible for death penalty
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>CENTENNIAL, Colo. - The latest in the Colorado theater shooting trial (all times local):</p>
<p>3 p.m.</p>
<p>The families of those killed and injured in the Colorado theater shooting are arriving at the courthouse in suburban Denver where James Holmes' verdict will be read at 4:15 p.m.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Two deputies are stationed on the roof.</p>
<p>The jury heard 11 weeks of testimony. The nine women and three men reached their decision Thursday after deliberating for about a day and a half.</p>
<p>Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the July 20, 2012, shootings. He killed 12, and 70 were wounded. It ranks as one of the nation's deadliest shootings.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>1:23 p.m.</p>
<p>Jurors have reached a verdict in the trial of Colorado theater shooter James Holmes.</p>
<p>The panel made its decision Thursday after deliberating for a day and a half. A court spokesman says the verdict will be read at 4:15 p.m. MDT Thursday.</p>
<p>Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in the July 20, 2012, shootings that killed 12 people and injured 70 others.</p>
<p>If the jury convicts Holmes, the trial will enter a sentencing phase with testimony about whether he should be sent to prison for life or sentenced to death. Jurors make that decision.</p>
<p>If they find him not guilty, he would be committed indefinitely to a state mental hospital.</p>
<p>Jurors heard nearly three months of testimony, including heartbreaking and sometimes gruesome survival stories.</p> | 3,111 |
<p>Police said Thursday they are "extremely pleased" with how well an overnight curfew has quieted the streets of Baltimore after violent unrest this week left nearly 100 officers with injuries, almost half of whom required emergency treatment.</p>
<p>After Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake ordered a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew Tuesday, "we have had two days of peace and quiet," Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said Thursday night.</p>
<p>"I am extremely pleased and happy with the citizens of Baltimore," Batts said, adding that the curfew would remain in place at least through the weekend, when two large organized demonstrations are expected.</p>
<p>Ninety-eight officers have reported injuries since protests boiled over Monday following the funeral for Freddie Gray, an African-American man who died in police custody, police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said. He said protesters hurled bricks, bottles and chunks of cement at officers.</p>
<p>"These are chunks of cement that have serrated edges on them. That's what was being thrown at our officers," he said.</p>
<p>Thirteen officers are out on medical leave, and 15 have been placed on light duty, where they can perform administrative functions but not patrol the streets, Kowalczyk said.</p>
<p>In addition, at least 15 structures and more than 100 vehicles were set on fire Monday night. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives posted a $10,000 reward Thursday for information.</p>
<p>Police completed their investigation a day earlier than planned Thursday and delivered it to the chief state prosecutor in Baltimore, who pleaded for patience and peace while she decides whether to bring charges. Batts said he couldn't talk about the report Thursday night.</p>
<p>Authorities did reveal a new detail that raises still more questions about what the officers involved have told investigators: The van carrying Gray to the police station made a previously undisclosed stop that was captured on a "privately owned camera."</p>
<p>State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby must review the evidence, consider charges and decide how to move forward.</p>
<p>Batts said police would keep probing at the direction of the state's attorney, while Mosby stressed that her office is doing its own investigation.</p>
<p>"We are not relying solely on their findings but rather the facts that we have gathered and verified. We ask for the public to remain patient and peaceful and to trust the process of the justice system," her statement said.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Meet Marilyn Mosby, the Woman Overseeing the Freddie Gray Investigation</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">In Baltimore Shops and Streets, Residents Discuss Next Steps</a></p>
<p /> | Baltimore Curfew to Remain After Two Days of ‘Peace and Quiet’ | false | http://nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/nearly-100-baltimore-police-officers-injured-freddie-gray-violence-n351301 | 2015-05-01 | 3left-center
| Baltimore Curfew to Remain After Two Days of ‘Peace and Quiet’
<p>Police said Thursday they are "extremely pleased" with how well an overnight curfew has quieted the streets of Baltimore after violent unrest this week left nearly 100 officers with injuries, almost half of whom required emergency treatment.</p>
<p>After Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake ordered a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew Tuesday, "we have had two days of peace and quiet," Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said Thursday night.</p>
<p>"I am extremely pleased and happy with the citizens of Baltimore," Batts said, adding that the curfew would remain in place at least through the weekend, when two large organized demonstrations are expected.</p>
<p>Ninety-eight officers have reported injuries since protests boiled over Monday following the funeral for Freddie Gray, an African-American man who died in police custody, police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said. He said protesters hurled bricks, bottles and chunks of cement at officers.</p>
<p>"These are chunks of cement that have serrated edges on them. That's what was being thrown at our officers," he said.</p>
<p>Thirteen officers are out on medical leave, and 15 have been placed on light duty, where they can perform administrative functions but not patrol the streets, Kowalczyk said.</p>
<p>In addition, at least 15 structures and more than 100 vehicles were set on fire Monday night. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives posted a $10,000 reward Thursday for information.</p>
<p>Police completed their investigation a day earlier than planned Thursday and delivered it to the chief state prosecutor in Baltimore, who pleaded for patience and peace while she decides whether to bring charges. Batts said he couldn't talk about the report Thursday night.</p>
<p>Authorities did reveal a new detail that raises still more questions about what the officers involved have told investigators: The van carrying Gray to the police station made a previously undisclosed stop that was captured on a "privately owned camera."</p>
<p>State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby must review the evidence, consider charges and decide how to move forward.</p>
<p>Batts said police would keep probing at the direction of the state's attorney, while Mosby stressed that her office is doing its own investigation.</p>
<p>"We are not relying solely on their findings but rather the facts that we have gathered and verified. We ask for the public to remain patient and peaceful and to trust the process of the justice system," her statement said.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Meet Marilyn Mosby, the Woman Overseeing the Freddie Gray Investigation</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">In Baltimore Shops and Streets, Residents Discuss Next Steps</a></p>
<p /> | 3,112 |
<p>Everyone has their favorites when playing Monopoly, and now Hasbro ( <a href="/quote.html?stockTicker=HAS" type="external">HAS</a>) is giving customers the ability to choose which game pieces will stay and which will be banished forever.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In an ingenious marketing ploy that doubles as a way for the company to modernize its fleet of tokens, the maker of the ages old board game will give Facebook ( <a href="/quote.html?stockTicker=FB" type="external">FB</a>) users the ability to vote on a new mover to replace one of the eight classic tokens.</p>
<p>Whether it's the thimble, top hat or wheelbarrow, the token with the fewest votes will be eliminated from the game later this year and replaced by either a diamond ring, guitar, toy robot, cat or helicopter.</p>
<p>"The tokens are one of the most iconic parts of the MONOPOLY game, and we know that people are emotionally tied to their favorite one," said Eric Nyman, Hasbro Gaming's global brand leader. "When we decided to replace one of the tokens in the game, we knew we had to involve our fans in the process."</p>
<p>In a step further to get people talking again about the game invented by Charles Darrow in 1935, Hasbro said fans will also be able to campaign on Facebook and Twitter to save their favorite token by using the hashtag #tokenvote.</p>
<p>The classic tokens were the brainchild of Darrow's young niece, who suggested he use the metal charms from charm bracelets as movers in the game.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The iron, racecar, thimble, shoe, top hat and battleship were among the original set of movers introduced in 1935. The Scottie dog and wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s.</p>
<p>Hasbro is hoping the marketing ploy gives a bump to Monopoly sales, as games with the new token will arrive on store shelves in mid- to late-2013, giving fans looking to get their hands on the traditional set of movers a "limited" time to buy the game.</p>
<p /> | Hasbro Puts Classic Monopoly Tokens on the Chopping Block | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/01/10/hasbro-puts-classic-monopoly-tokens-on-chopping-block.html | 2013-01-10 | 0right
| Hasbro Puts Classic Monopoly Tokens on the Chopping Block
<p>Everyone has their favorites when playing Monopoly, and now Hasbro ( <a href="/quote.html?stockTicker=HAS" type="external">HAS</a>) is giving customers the ability to choose which game pieces will stay and which will be banished forever.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In an ingenious marketing ploy that doubles as a way for the company to modernize its fleet of tokens, the maker of the ages old board game will give Facebook ( <a href="/quote.html?stockTicker=FB" type="external">FB</a>) users the ability to vote on a new mover to replace one of the eight classic tokens.</p>
<p>Whether it's the thimble, top hat or wheelbarrow, the token with the fewest votes will be eliminated from the game later this year and replaced by either a diamond ring, guitar, toy robot, cat or helicopter.</p>
<p>"The tokens are one of the most iconic parts of the MONOPOLY game, and we know that people are emotionally tied to their favorite one," said Eric Nyman, Hasbro Gaming's global brand leader. "When we decided to replace one of the tokens in the game, we knew we had to involve our fans in the process."</p>
<p>In a step further to get people talking again about the game invented by Charles Darrow in 1935, Hasbro said fans will also be able to campaign on Facebook and Twitter to save their favorite token by using the hashtag #tokenvote.</p>
<p>The classic tokens were the brainchild of Darrow's young niece, who suggested he use the metal charms from charm bracelets as movers in the game.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The iron, racecar, thimble, shoe, top hat and battleship were among the original set of movers introduced in 1935. The Scottie dog and wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s.</p>
<p>Hasbro is hoping the marketing ploy gives a bump to Monopoly sales, as games with the new token will arrive on store shelves in mid- to late-2013, giving fans looking to get their hands on the traditional set of movers a "limited" time to buy the game.</p>
<p /> | 3,113 |
<p>To quote Jeff Goldblum in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster movie Jurassic Park, life will find a way. Researchers were surprised to find this to be true when they discovered <a href="http://www.livescience.com/49534-antarctic-fish-grounding-zone-drilling.html" type="external">fish, jellyfish and crustacean species</a> milling about on the ocean floor under the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica, 530 miles away from the open ocean. Only 33 feet down from the bottom of the ice shelf (which is approximately 2,500 feet thick), the sea floor there is barren of the nutrients scientists would expect these creatures to need, and is instead littered with rocks that are constantly melting out of the ice shelf.</p>
<p>Researchers working on the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project speculate that the rocks may, in fact, be the reason that there is sustainable life here. The glacier may be releasing ancient, carbon-rich marine sediments from an old ecosystem that is now making its place on the planet again.</p>
<p>Another interesting angle of this icy investigation is what it may implicate for <a href="http://www.space.com/26905-jupiter-moon-europa-alien-life.html" type="external">Europa</a>, one of Jupiter’s moons, that we know to be covered in ice. Slawek Tulaczyk, a glaciologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a lead scientist on the WISSARD project, says that the physical environment being explored is a close replica of the environment on Europa, and that life found here could mean life found on there. Whether or not we are ever able to explore Europa for ourselves is yet to be determined, but with the discovery of life in such a harsh environment here on Earth, we are closer to knowing what we may find on Europa.</p>
<p /> | Scientists drilling through Antarctica find life in one of the world’s most extreme ecosystems | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/01/25/scientists-find-life-in-one-of-the-worlds-most-extreme-ecosystems/ | 2015-01-25 | 3left-center
| Scientists drilling through Antarctica find life in one of the world’s most extreme ecosystems
<p>To quote Jeff Goldblum in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 blockbuster movie Jurassic Park, life will find a way. Researchers were surprised to find this to be true when they discovered <a href="http://www.livescience.com/49534-antarctic-fish-grounding-zone-drilling.html" type="external">fish, jellyfish and crustacean species</a> milling about on the ocean floor under the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica, 530 miles away from the open ocean. Only 33 feet down from the bottom of the ice shelf (which is approximately 2,500 feet thick), the sea floor there is barren of the nutrients scientists would expect these creatures to need, and is instead littered with rocks that are constantly melting out of the ice shelf.</p>
<p>Researchers working on the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project speculate that the rocks may, in fact, be the reason that there is sustainable life here. The glacier may be releasing ancient, carbon-rich marine sediments from an old ecosystem that is now making its place on the planet again.</p>
<p>Another interesting angle of this icy investigation is what it may implicate for <a href="http://www.space.com/26905-jupiter-moon-europa-alien-life.html" type="external">Europa</a>, one of Jupiter’s moons, that we know to be covered in ice. Slawek Tulaczyk, a glaciologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a lead scientist on the WISSARD project, says that the physical environment being explored is a close replica of the environment on Europa, and that life found here could mean life found on there. Whether or not we are ever able to explore Europa for ourselves is yet to be determined, but with the discovery of life in such a harsh environment here on Earth, we are closer to knowing what we may find on Europa.</p>
<p /> | 3,114 |
<p>It's Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have a commanding lead over the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks, playing in the first Cup finals in their team's history, are down three games to one. The Penguins have been stellar in this series so far, with star Sidney Crosby itching for his second Stanley Cup victory.</p>
<p>Now, if you've watched any hockey, you'll know how announcers typically call&#160;a goal: Yell the name of the player, and let the celebratory horn carry on.&#160;</p>
<p>That's not how&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/IceSinghHNIC" type="external">Harnarayan Singh</a>&#160;calls goals. He's the&#160;host and play-by-play commentator for&#160; <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockeynightincanada/punjabi/video/" type="external">Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi</a>, and he often sounds more like Latin American&#160;soccer announcers, chanting the names of the players over and over and melodically drawing out the syllables.&#160;</p>
<p>Singh, whose great-grandfather one was one the first Sikhs to immigrate to Canada, says he'd always dreamed of becoming a hockey announcer.</p>
<p>"You know, I was obsessed with the sport, and you know, growing up in a small town in southern Alberta where there wasn't any other visible minorities, hockey was the icebreaker for me amongst my classmates," he recalls.&#160;</p>
<p>Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi is in its ninth year, and Singh says the broadcast has helped spread the sport in the country's large Punjabi community. After English and French, it's the next most common language in Canada.</p>
<p>"People find that they have have more camaraderie amongst their colleagues at work because they're able to participate in those conversations about last night's game," he explains. "We also have amongst the immigrant families, and&#160;the grandkids born here have a natural inclination to liking hockey. And&#160;because of the broadcasts now in Punjabi, they're able to understand the game and three generations are watching hockey together, it's a tradition now in their family household."</p>
<p>All this has been pretty great for Singh, who attended broadcasting school in Canada to become a hockey announcer.</p>
<p>"It's amazing, I mean it proves that it's not just fun and entertaining, it's bridging the gap between immigrants and their new country, and it's a great way to show how multiculturalism can work," he says.</p>
<p>This year, Singh and his team are enjoying some fame in the&#160;US as well, thanks to&#160; <a href="https://streamable.com/al84" type="external">this&#160;viral "Bonino" goal call</a>&#160;from Game 1. Singh gives credit to his passionate co-hosts and production team, and their relatively new social media staff.</p>
<p>In fact, he learned from this series that his show already had a lot of fans from the sizable Punjabi community in California's south Bay Area. Unfortunately, those San Jose fans haven't been hearing a lot of Singh's goal calls in their favor.</p>
<p>"You know as a broadcaster, I've been following the sport so long I was happy for [Joe] Thornton and [Patrick] Marleau and the gang to finally make it there, but it's almost as if they've already won their Stanley Cup&#160;—&#160;beating Los Angeles was such a big deal and making the final for the first time in their 25-year franchise history, it's almost as if that was their cup," he says.</p>
<p>Singh says the Penguins — who won the cup in 2008 — are his favorites to win the series.</p>
<p>"San Jose, they've had the best road record in the league this season, so I think they're going to pull off another victory to stay alive," he says. "But it seems like the Penguins are, you know, obviously the better team in this round so far."</p>
<p>Singh hopes that he could one day see a Punjabi player in the NHL. Minorities of any kind are a rarity in the sport, but Singh says there's already an uptick of young Punjabi kids signing up for hockey.</p>
<p>“The&#160; <a href="http://oilers.nhl.com/" type="external">Edmonton Oilers</a>&#160;drafted&#160; <a href="http://oilers.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8476915" type="external">Jujhar Khaira</a>,&#160;and he's a Punjabi boy, and the&#160; <a href="http://everettsilvertips.com/" type="external">Everett Silvertips</a>&#160;in Washington out west, they even had an all-Punjabi line a couple of years back," he explains. "So I think the seeds are being planted, and I think that's going to help grow our show, and it's also going to help grow the popularity of the game within the community once the community sees familiar faces on the ice and in the NHL, so that's the next step for sure.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/meet-man-behind-hockeys-best-goal-calls/" type="external">This story</a> was from <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/shows/takeaway/" type="external">The Takeaway</a>, a radio show that invites you into the national conversation.&#160;</p> | He may be hockey's best broadcaster. He does it in Punjabi. | false | https://pri.org/stories/2016-06-09/he-may-be-hockeys-best-broadcaster-he-does-it-punjabi | 2016-06-09 | 3left-center
| He may be hockey's best broadcaster. He does it in Punjabi.
<p>It's Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have a commanding lead over the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks, playing in the first Cup finals in their team's history, are down three games to one. The Penguins have been stellar in this series so far, with star Sidney Crosby itching for his second Stanley Cup victory.</p>
<p>Now, if you've watched any hockey, you'll know how announcers typically call&#160;a goal: Yell the name of the player, and let the celebratory horn carry on.&#160;</p>
<p>That's not how&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/IceSinghHNIC" type="external">Harnarayan Singh</a>&#160;calls goals. He's the&#160;host and play-by-play commentator for&#160; <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/hockeynightincanada/punjabi/video/" type="external">Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi</a>, and he often sounds more like Latin American&#160;soccer announcers, chanting the names of the players over and over and melodically drawing out the syllables.&#160;</p>
<p>Singh, whose great-grandfather one was one the first Sikhs to immigrate to Canada, says he'd always dreamed of becoming a hockey announcer.</p>
<p>"You know, I was obsessed with the sport, and you know, growing up in a small town in southern Alberta where there wasn't any other visible minorities, hockey was the icebreaker for me amongst my classmates," he recalls.&#160;</p>
<p>Hockey Night in Canada: Punjabi is in its ninth year, and Singh says the broadcast has helped spread the sport in the country's large Punjabi community. After English and French, it's the next most common language in Canada.</p>
<p>"People find that they have have more camaraderie amongst their colleagues at work because they're able to participate in those conversations about last night's game," he explains. "We also have amongst the immigrant families, and&#160;the grandkids born here have a natural inclination to liking hockey. And&#160;because of the broadcasts now in Punjabi, they're able to understand the game and three generations are watching hockey together, it's a tradition now in their family household."</p>
<p>All this has been pretty great for Singh, who attended broadcasting school in Canada to become a hockey announcer.</p>
<p>"It's amazing, I mean it proves that it's not just fun and entertaining, it's bridging the gap between immigrants and their new country, and it's a great way to show how multiculturalism can work," he says.</p>
<p>This year, Singh and his team are enjoying some fame in the&#160;US as well, thanks to&#160; <a href="https://streamable.com/al84" type="external">this&#160;viral "Bonino" goal call</a>&#160;from Game 1. Singh gives credit to his passionate co-hosts and production team, and their relatively new social media staff.</p>
<p>In fact, he learned from this series that his show already had a lot of fans from the sizable Punjabi community in California's south Bay Area. Unfortunately, those San Jose fans haven't been hearing a lot of Singh's goal calls in their favor.</p>
<p>"You know as a broadcaster, I've been following the sport so long I was happy for [Joe] Thornton and [Patrick] Marleau and the gang to finally make it there, but it's almost as if they've already won their Stanley Cup&#160;—&#160;beating Los Angeles was such a big deal and making the final for the first time in their 25-year franchise history, it's almost as if that was their cup," he says.</p>
<p>Singh says the Penguins — who won the cup in 2008 — are his favorites to win the series.</p>
<p>"San Jose, they've had the best road record in the league this season, so I think they're going to pull off another victory to stay alive," he says. "But it seems like the Penguins are, you know, obviously the better team in this round so far."</p>
<p>Singh hopes that he could one day see a Punjabi player in the NHL. Minorities of any kind are a rarity in the sport, but Singh says there's already an uptick of young Punjabi kids signing up for hockey.</p>
<p>“The&#160; <a href="http://oilers.nhl.com/" type="external">Edmonton Oilers</a>&#160;drafted&#160; <a href="http://oilers.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8476915" type="external">Jujhar Khaira</a>,&#160;and he's a Punjabi boy, and the&#160; <a href="http://everettsilvertips.com/" type="external">Everett Silvertips</a>&#160;in Washington out west, they even had an all-Punjabi line a couple of years back," he explains. "So I think the seeds are being planted, and I think that's going to help grow our show, and it's also going to help grow the popularity of the game within the community once the community sees familiar faces on the ice and in the NHL, so that's the next step for sure.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/meet-man-behind-hockeys-best-goal-calls/" type="external">This story</a> was from <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/shows/takeaway/" type="external">The Takeaway</a>, a radio show that invites you into the national conversation.&#160;</p> | 3,115 |
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<p />
<p>Sheriff Manuel Gonzales said a deputy responding to a disturbance call around 12:30 p.m. near Edith and Vineyard in the North Valley fired at least one shot.</p>
<p>A man who was armed with a knife was shot and seriously injured, Gonzales said during a news conference close to the scene. The man was being treated at a local hospital Sunday evening, and Gonzales said it was not clear whether the man’s injuries were life threatening. He did not specifically say whether those injuries were a result of the deputy’s shot.</p>
<p>“A deputy came in contact with a person armed with a knife,” Gonzales said. “We know that there was at least one gunshot fired from a service weapon and that person received serious injuries.”</p>
<p>Another person at the scene was taken to the hospital with a “knife injury,” Gonzales said.</p>
<p>BCSO spokeswoman Felicia Maggard said investigators have not yet determined whether anyone will be charged.</p>
<p>Deputies kept Edith closed between Osuna and Montaño while officers investigated the “complex complicated scene.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Police tape stretched across the roadway, blocking off a nearby convenience store and at least a portion of Vineyard, a small residential road that runs alongside a gated retirement community.</p>
<p>“According to some of our investigators … it’s a pretty large scene, and it’s a very complex scene,” Gonzales said.</p>
<p>He said additional details may be released today or Tuesday.</p>
<p />
<p /> | BCSO: 2 hurt in North Valley incident | false | https://abqjournal.com/1088347/bcso-edith-closed-after-deputy-involved-shooting.html | 2017-11-05 | 2least
| BCSO: 2 hurt in North Valley incident
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<p />
<p>Sheriff Manuel Gonzales said a deputy responding to a disturbance call around 12:30 p.m. near Edith and Vineyard in the North Valley fired at least one shot.</p>
<p>A man who was armed with a knife was shot and seriously injured, Gonzales said during a news conference close to the scene. The man was being treated at a local hospital Sunday evening, and Gonzales said it was not clear whether the man’s injuries were life threatening. He did not specifically say whether those injuries were a result of the deputy’s shot.</p>
<p>“A deputy came in contact with a person armed with a knife,” Gonzales said. “We know that there was at least one gunshot fired from a service weapon and that person received serious injuries.”</p>
<p>Another person at the scene was taken to the hospital with a “knife injury,” Gonzales said.</p>
<p>BCSO spokeswoman Felicia Maggard said investigators have not yet determined whether anyone will be charged.</p>
<p>Deputies kept Edith closed between Osuna and Montaño while officers investigated the “complex complicated scene.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Police tape stretched across the roadway, blocking off a nearby convenience store and at least a portion of Vineyard, a small residential road that runs alongside a gated retirement community.</p>
<p>“According to some of our investigators … it’s a pretty large scene, and it’s a very complex scene,” Gonzales said.</p>
<p>He said additional details may be released today or Tuesday.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 3,116 |
<p>While we are on the topic of convergence in the world of entertainment:Stewart Yerton, a business writer at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, had a very <a href="http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/money-0/1066541114238620.xml?nola" type="external">interesting story Sunday</a> about the merging of media, which shouldn't be confused with media consolidation.&#160; Here's his lede:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p /> | Here, There... Everywhere | false | https://poynter.org/news/here-there-everywhere | 2003-10-20 | 2least
| Here, There... Everywhere
<p>While we are on the topic of convergence in the world of entertainment:Stewart Yerton, a business writer at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, had a very <a href="http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/money-0/1066541114238620.xml?nola" type="external">interesting story Sunday</a> about the merging of media, which shouldn't be confused with media consolidation.&#160; Here's his lede:</p>
<p />
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<p /> | 3,117 |
<p>AT&amp;T will be requesting Andriod smartphone manufacturers to activate the FM radio chips in their phones as early as the end of the year.</p>
<p>According to NextRadio and TagStation, the two Emmis Communications owned companies are promoting an app that will allow users to listen to their favorite FM radio station, reported <a href="http://www.techtimes.com/articles/72969/20150730/at-t-requests-android-smartphone-makers-to-turn-on-fm-radio-chips.htm" type="external">Tech Times</a>.</p>
<p>FM radio chips are included in smartphones already, along with other types of radios, but the chips are not normally activated.&#160; The companies are calling for support from FM stations in the form of advertising for NextRadio and FreeRadioOnMyPhone.org.</p>
<p>The likelihood of FM chip activation will increase dramatically if AT&amp;T and Sprint are supporting the movement.&#160; Some device manufacturers such as HTC and Motorola are already activating some devices across all carriers, and the companies hope that AT&amp;T’s request will give a boost to the movement.</p>
<p>Inclusion of FM signals in the phones will allow users access to local news, weather and sports programming, as well as music and emergency broadcast information.</p>
<p>“This is a big milestone for the radio industry and shows working together and supporting this initiative is paying off,” said the NextRadio and TagStation team in an email acquired by RadioWorld, a news radio website.</p>
<p>The National Association of Broadcasters applauded AT&amp;T’s decision as well.&#160; The group released a statement that said, “Today marks a new beginning in mobile technology with the agreement by a global iconic brand, AT&amp;T, to light up the FM receiver chips in all of its future Android smartphones.”</p>
<p>The carrier is not making a the activations of the chips a requirement, but a request.&#160; Since the chips are usually inactive at the request of the carriers, the request is expected to influence other carriers to do so as well.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | AT&T to request Android smartphones include FM radio activation | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/07/30/att-to-request-android-smartphones-include-fm-radio-activation/ | 2015-07-30 | 3left-center
| AT&T to request Android smartphones include FM radio activation
<p>AT&amp;T will be requesting Andriod smartphone manufacturers to activate the FM radio chips in their phones as early as the end of the year.</p>
<p>According to NextRadio and TagStation, the two Emmis Communications owned companies are promoting an app that will allow users to listen to their favorite FM radio station, reported <a href="http://www.techtimes.com/articles/72969/20150730/at-t-requests-android-smartphone-makers-to-turn-on-fm-radio-chips.htm" type="external">Tech Times</a>.</p>
<p>FM radio chips are included in smartphones already, along with other types of radios, but the chips are not normally activated.&#160; The companies are calling for support from FM stations in the form of advertising for NextRadio and FreeRadioOnMyPhone.org.</p>
<p>The likelihood of FM chip activation will increase dramatically if AT&amp;T and Sprint are supporting the movement.&#160; Some device manufacturers such as HTC and Motorola are already activating some devices across all carriers, and the companies hope that AT&amp;T’s request will give a boost to the movement.</p>
<p>Inclusion of FM signals in the phones will allow users access to local news, weather and sports programming, as well as music and emergency broadcast information.</p>
<p>“This is a big milestone for the radio industry and shows working together and supporting this initiative is paying off,” said the NextRadio and TagStation team in an email acquired by RadioWorld, a news radio website.</p>
<p>The National Association of Broadcasters applauded AT&amp;T’s decision as well.&#160; The group released a statement that said, “Today marks a new beginning in mobile technology with the agreement by a global iconic brand, AT&amp;T, to light up the FM receiver chips in all of its future Android smartphones.”</p>
<p>The carrier is not making a the activations of the chips a requirement, but a request.&#160; Since the chips are usually inactive at the request of the carriers, the request is expected to influence other carriers to do so as well.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | 3,118 |
<p>Magazine Article - Terrorism Monitor</p>
<p />
<p>"TNSM's extremist ideological roots, violent behavior since the mid-1990s, collaboration with criminal elements and terrorist tactics were sufficient warning signals for Pakistan's government to curb its activities effectively and pursue criminal cases against its top leaders (The News, October 18, 2004; Daily Times, May 15, 2005). This did not occur, however, and the pursuant mayhem was predictable. The recent targeted killings of TNSM leaders are unlikely to resolve the crisis. The religious seminaries that put a premium on bigotry and propagate hatred should be closed down. Equally important is the establishment of modern schools as an alternative to their more radical ideology. The "Enlightened Moderation" of Musharraf is failing because he is using it merely as a slogan and little is being done on the ground. "</p>
<p /> | The Black-Turbaned Brigade: The Rise of TNSM in Pakistan | false | http://belfercenter.org/publication/black-turbaned-brigade-rise-tnsm-pakistan | 2006-11-30 | 2least
| The Black-Turbaned Brigade: The Rise of TNSM in Pakistan
<p>Magazine Article - Terrorism Monitor</p>
<p />
<p>"TNSM's extremist ideological roots, violent behavior since the mid-1990s, collaboration with criminal elements and terrorist tactics were sufficient warning signals for Pakistan's government to curb its activities effectively and pursue criminal cases against its top leaders (The News, October 18, 2004; Daily Times, May 15, 2005). This did not occur, however, and the pursuant mayhem was predictable. The recent targeted killings of TNSM leaders are unlikely to resolve the crisis. The religious seminaries that put a premium on bigotry and propagate hatred should be closed down. Equally important is the establishment of modern schools as an alternative to their more radical ideology. The "Enlightened Moderation" of Musharraf is failing because he is using it merely as a slogan and little is being done on the ground. "</p>
<p /> | 3,119 |
<p>When President Bush announced “Mission Accomplished,” and the end of the war in May 2003, he also said we would help the citizens of Iraq rebuild their country. “Now that the dictator’s gone,” he stated, “we and our coalition partners are helping Iraqis to lay the foundations of a free economy.”</p>
<p>Apparently he was referring to the Coalition Provisional Authority that took up residence in Saddam’s luxurious palace in May 2003, with the newly appointed King, Paul Bremer. The CPA was granted the authority to award reconstruction contracts in Iraq and it used that authority to implement what will go down in the history books as the most blatant war profiteering scheme of all time.</p>
<p>In large part, the masterminds of the reconstruction disaster that would occur after the CPA took over Iraq were Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and Undersecretary of Defense, Douglas Feith.</p>
<p>But to ensure control of the contracting process on the ground in Iraq, Bush filled the top slots of the CPA with the administration cronies. For instance, a friend of Cheney’s, Peter McPherson, took a leave of absence as president of Michigan State University to serve as Bremer’s economic deputy.</p>
<p>The leader of the CPA’s private development sector was Thomas Foley, an old college classmate of Bush, who served as finance chairman for his Presidential campaign in Connecticut and also raised more than $100,000 for Bush.</p>
<p>Relatives of the administration were also given jobs, such as Ari Fleischer’s brother Michael, and Simone Ledeen, the daughter of Michael Ledeen. Cheney’s daughter Liz, also did a short stint. However, it should be noted that none of them lounged around for too long in what soon became a hellhole in Iraq.</p>
<p>On May 16, 2003, the CPA issued its first regulation and described its authority in no uncertain terms stating:</p>
<p>“The CPA is vested with all executive, legislative, and judicial authority necessary to achieve its objectives, to be exercised under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, including resolution 1483 (2003), and the laws and usages of war. This authority shall be exercised by the CPA Administrator.”</p>
<p>With one swipe of the pen, Bremer granted himself the authority to run the government ministries, appoint Iraqi officials and award contracts for reconstruction. Next he fired 500,000 Iraqis, most of them soldiers, but pink slips also went out to many doctors, nurses, teachers and other public employees as well.</p>
<p>For the most part, the CPA financed its activities with billions of dollars that belonged to the Iraqis. On May 22, 2003, a UN Security Council passed a resolution that directed the proceeds from Iraqi oil to be placed in a Development Fund for Iraq, and the CPA was granted authority to control the fund and decide which profiteers would get contracts.</p>
<p>During the year that Bremer controlled the purse strings, the Iraqi Development Fund received $20.2 billion, including $8.1 billion from the UN’s oil-for-food program, $10.8 billion from Iraqi oil, and the rest from repatriated funds, vested assets and donations.</p>
<p>The CPA accounting system was cash and carry and a steady stream of cash was flown into Bagdad from the US. Inspector General, Stuart Bowen later said that he knew of one $2 billion flight.</p>
<p>A report released by the House Government Reform Committee in February 2007, shows that in the 13 months that Bremer ruled, from May 2003 to June 2004, the Federal Reserve Bank in New York shipped nearly $12 billion in a cash to Iraq.</p>
<p>One can only imagine the Bank service charges associated with these shipments because to accomplish this feat, according to the Democratic chairman of the Reform Committee, Henry Waxman, the cash weighed 363 tons and the Bank had to count and pack 281 million individual bills, including more than 107 million $100 bills, and then load them onto wooden pallets to be shipped to Bagdad on C-130 cargo planes.</p>
<p>Inspector Bowen later said that he determined that some of this cash went to pay salaries for thousands of “ghost employees” and Iraqi civil servants who did not exist.</p>
<p>Within a few months of the CPA’s arrival in Iraq reports of corruption in the contracting process began appearing in the media. A British adviser to the Iraqi Governing Council told the BBC that officials in the CPA were demanding bribes of up to $300,000 in return for contracts.</p>
<p>Reports of flat out-fraud remained steady throughout Bremer’s reign in Iraq. One audit showed that the CPA Ministry of Finance could not provide documentation for about $17 million spent on employee salaries in February 2004, and a CPA Advisor to the Ministry of the Interior said the Ministry was paid for 8,602 guards but only 602 could be verified.</p>
<p>A CPA advisor to the Ministry of Finance was so concerned about payroll corruption that he submitted a formal complaint that stated in part: “Of the 1.6 million government employees currently on payroll, credible estimates put the number of ghost workers at somewhere between 250,000-300,000 employees.”</p>
<p>An October 2004, audit performed for the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, created by the UN to monitor the spending of Iraqi money, found one case where a payment of $2.6 million was authorized by a CPA senior adviser to the Ministry of Oil, and auditors were unable to obtain an underlying contract or any evidence that the services had been rendered.</p>
<p>The auditors in this group found 37 cases where files could not be located for contracts worth $185 million all total. In another 52 cases, there was no record that goods had been received for a total of $87.9 million.</p>
<p>People on the ground in Iraq said that doing business with the CPA was reminiscent of the Wild West. Former CPA employees told a congressional committee that sackfuls of cash were tossed around like footballs. Franklin Willis, showed pictures of himself and others holding up bundles of $100 notes totaling $2 million, which he said was used to pay the contractor Custer Battles. “We told them to come in and bring a bag,” Willis said.</p>
<p>He also testified that millions of dollars in $100 bills were stored in the basement of the CPA offices and distributed to favored contractors with little accounting discipline. For instance, in the year that the CPA ruled, Custer was awarded contracts worth more than $100 million.</p>
<p>Two former Custer employees ended up filing a lawsuit under the Federal False Claims Act, saying Custer had swindled $50 million from the CPA with scams like double-billing for salaries and repainting the forklifts found at the Baghdad airport and then leasing them back to the US government.</p>
<p>The employees said the CPA paid the Custer $15 million to provide security for Iraq’s civilian airline, when no services were needed because the airline was grounded during the time covered by the contract.</p>
<p>These employees said they kept informing the CPA about Custer’s fraudulent conduct for more than a year and when they asked why the firm continued to get contracts, they were told: “Battles is very active in the Republican party, and speaks to individuals he knows in the Whitehouse almost daily.”</p>
<p>In June 2004, the Government Accounting Office estimated that more than $1 billion in had been wasted due to illegal overcharges by contractors since the war began. A later audit by the Iraqi government found that as much as $1.27 billion was lost to accounting irregularities between June 2004 and February 2005.</p>
<p>Inspector Bowen cited two examples of poor oversight in a November 3, 2005 interview on National Public Radio where $28 million was paid to build 5 power plants and $1.8 million was paid to rebuild a library, but the work was never performed and the money “simply disappeared,” he said.</p>
<p>A recent report by Bowen says DynCorp was paid $43.8 million for a residential camp for police training personnel and has been empty for months and that the company may also have billed $18 million in other unjustified costs.</p>
<p>About $4.2 million, he says, was improperly spent on 20 VIP trailers and an Olympic-size pool and an additional $36.4 million in spending for weapons such as armored vehicles, body armor and communications equipment that cannot be accounted for.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Cheney’s Halliburton remained the top profiteer under Bremer’s rule. A July 23, 2004, audit conducted by Bowen, showed the company had received 60% of all contracts paid for with Iraq money, including 5 no-bid contracts worth $222 million, $325 million, $180 million, and the last 2 together totaled $194 million for the last two. In comparison, the audit showed that the CPA awarded only 2% of the reconstruction contracts to Iraqi companies.</p>
<p>In one example of blatant fraud, an audit found that Halliburton was charging for more than 41,000 meals a day for soldiers when only about 14,000 were served.</p>
<p>By the fall of 2003, the country was realizing that the rational for war was based on lies and that the only ones drawing any benefits were the profiteers. So when Bush asked Congress for another $20 billion for the CPA, Bremer was summoned to Washington to explain where all the money was going and of course he testified in full stonewall mode.</p>
<p>Before the Appropriations Committee on September 22, 2003, Bremer said the CPA had detailed records of all its receipts and outlays that could be audited by Congress. But when he testified before the Armed Services Committee 3 days later he said the Office of Management and Budget was responsible for maintaining the CPA records and that Congress would have to go to the White House to access the records.</p>
<p>That arrogant assertion went over like a lead balloon with many members of Congress. Senator Robert Byrd said he was outraged over the inability to monitor CPA spending. “There is no reason why any arm of the executive branch charged with making such significant spending decisions,” he said, “should not be working directly with Congress.”</p>
<p>“When we’re talking about handing over another $20 billion to the CPA,” he said, “there is a real need for Congress to confirm that the CPA has its finances in order and that it is managing the taxpayer’s money responsibly.”</p>
<p>“We don’t even know how much of the $20 billion,” Byrd said, “will flow to government contractors in Iraq.”</p>
<p>“Whatever the amount is,” he noted, “we know that the size and scope of the profits being made will be enormous.”</p>
<p>“Former Bush Administration officials,” he warned fellow Senators, “are even setting up consulting firms to act as middlemen for contractors hoping to take part in the bonanza.”</p>
<p>“Are we turning the U.S. Treasury into a grab bag for favorite campaign contributors to be financed at taxpayer expense?” he asked.</p>
<p>The answer was yes, and what a grab bag it was. Media reports revealed that Bush’s ex-campaign manager and Feith’s former law partner had set up consulting firms to profit off the war by lining up contracts for clients through their partners in crime within the CPA.</p>
<p>Other reports revealed that contracts worth $407 were awarded to a firm called Nour that was formed less than 2 months after the war began. The names linked to the profits from Nour, among many others, included former Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, Ahmad Chalabi via a $2 million kickback, his nephew Salam Chalabi as the attorney handling the deal, and the money trail even led to the First Brothers, Marvin and Jeb Bush.</p>
<p>But come to find out, Doug Feith the ringleader on the ground in Washington, had awarded a batch of no-bid contracts to a favored company the month before the war began for the purpose of controlling the media in post-war Iraq.</p>
<p>In October 2003, the Center for Public Integrity obtained copies of 7 contracts awarded to the San Diego-based Science Applications. The total value of the contracts was redacted but the Center was able to determine that they were all awarded in February 2003, and called for the work to be directed by Feith.</p>
<p>However, the Center’s most stunning discovery was that when the contracts were awarded, Feith’s top deputy at the time, Christopher “Ryan” Henry, had been a senior vice president at SAIC until October 2002.</p>
<p>In addition, one of SAIC’s board members was Army General, Wayne Downing, who ran counterterrorism in the Bush administration for almost a year after 9/11, and had even went to the CIA with Cheney to discuss intelligence on Iraq. Downing had also served as an advisor to Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress, and was well-known advocate for a war against Saddam.</p>
<p>Some of the SAIC contracts required that specific persons referred to as “executive management consultants” be hired and the pay range listed went as high as $209 and $273 per hour. The Center said congressional sources estimated the value of the media contract as $38 million for the first year and as high $90 million in 2004.</p>
<p>The SAIC had no special expertise to justify the award of these contracts. One company executive, quoted in the media, said the firm’s only credential for setting up an independent media, supposedly modeled after the BBC, was military work in “informational warfare”-signal jamming, “perception management,” and the like.</p>
<p>Under these contracts, the Iraq Media Network (IMN) was established and journalist, Mark North, who covered the Iraq invasion for National Public Radio, was hired to train Iraqi journalists to report for the IMN.</p>
<p>In one of the many Congressional hearings, North testified about the control of the IMN by the CPA and said CPA officials regularly directed and censored the activities of the news station and provided “a laundry list of CPA activities” to cover in the news reports instead of stories about security or the lack of electricity and jobs</p>
<p>While testifying, he also described the CPA’s shabby treatment of Iraqi employees and its refusal to pay their wages. “For the first two months,” North said, “the local staff of about 200 journalists and technicians were not paid their salaries.”</p>
<p>When the staffers went on strike in attempt to get paid, he said, the CPA told the Iraqis to get back to work or the US Army would remove them from the studios.</p>
<p>All total, the CPA had control of Iraqi money for one year between June 2003 and June 2004, but unfortunately no auditors arrived to take a look at the agency’s spending until April 2004, two months before the CPA’s rule was scheduled to end.</p>
<p>And as so often happens when it comes to giving solid advice or warnings, the senior Senator from Virginia was absolutely right. It was far too late for audits, because the CPA and its gang of profiteers had already robbed the Iraqis blind.</p>
<p>The favored companies enjoyed a fraud-free-all. For instance, Halliburton said it had lost over $60 million worth of government property including trucks, office furniture and computers. Inspector Bowen reported that 6,975 items valued at $61.1 million were lost, and in June 2005, the Defense Contract Audit Agency reported that the Halliburton had overcharged or presented questionable bills for close to $1.5 billion.</p>
<p>In the end, Bowen’s audit concluded that “the CPA’s internal controls for approximately $8.8 billion in DFI funds disbursed to Iraqi ministries through the national budget process failed to provide sufficient accountability for the use of those funds.”</p>
<p>As of February 2007, according to Bowen, audits of the CPA have resulted in 300 criminal and civil investigations, 5 arrests and convictions, and another 23 cases are currently under prosecution at the DOJ, and he is working on 76 on-going investigations.</p>
<p>One of the convictions involved Robert Stein, a former CPA comptroller and funding officer, who recently pleaded guilty to 5 felony counts including conspiracy, money laundering, and bribery in stealing more than $2 million of reconstruction funds and taking more than $1 million in kickbacks to rig the bids on contracts that exceeded $8 million.</p>
<p>The whistleblower case against Custer Battle went to trial and a jury found that Custer had committed 37 acts of fraud and filed $3 million in false claims, and rendered a verdict with a $10 million penalty. However, the verdict was overturned by Republican appointed US District Court Judge TS Ellis III, who ruled that the CPA was not a US entity and therefore the false claims act does not apply to it.</p>
<p>In the ruling, the judge said Custer’s accusers “failed to prove that the U.S. government was ever defrauded. Any fraud that occurred was perpetrated instead against the Coalition Provisional Authority, formed to run Iraq until a government was established.”</p>
<p>Legal experts say this ruling is great news for the CPA and contractors because from now on anyone charged with any act of fraud related to the Iraqi money doled out by the CPA in Bagdad will use it in attempt to avoid civil or criminal prosecution.</p>
<p>EVELYN PRINGLE can be reached at: [email protected]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | How Iraq was Looted | true | https://counterpunch.org/2007/04/21/how-iraq-was-looted/ | 2007-04-21 | 4left
| How Iraq was Looted
<p>When President Bush announced “Mission Accomplished,” and the end of the war in May 2003, he also said we would help the citizens of Iraq rebuild their country. “Now that the dictator’s gone,” he stated, “we and our coalition partners are helping Iraqis to lay the foundations of a free economy.”</p>
<p>Apparently he was referring to the Coalition Provisional Authority that took up residence in Saddam’s luxurious palace in May 2003, with the newly appointed King, Paul Bremer. The CPA was granted the authority to award reconstruction contracts in Iraq and it used that authority to implement what will go down in the history books as the most blatant war profiteering scheme of all time.</p>
<p>In large part, the masterminds of the reconstruction disaster that would occur after the CPA took over Iraq were Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, and Undersecretary of Defense, Douglas Feith.</p>
<p>But to ensure control of the contracting process on the ground in Iraq, Bush filled the top slots of the CPA with the administration cronies. For instance, a friend of Cheney’s, Peter McPherson, took a leave of absence as president of Michigan State University to serve as Bremer’s economic deputy.</p>
<p>The leader of the CPA’s private development sector was Thomas Foley, an old college classmate of Bush, who served as finance chairman for his Presidential campaign in Connecticut and also raised more than $100,000 for Bush.</p>
<p>Relatives of the administration were also given jobs, such as Ari Fleischer’s brother Michael, and Simone Ledeen, the daughter of Michael Ledeen. Cheney’s daughter Liz, also did a short stint. However, it should be noted that none of them lounged around for too long in what soon became a hellhole in Iraq.</p>
<p>On May 16, 2003, the CPA issued its first regulation and described its authority in no uncertain terms stating:</p>
<p>“The CPA is vested with all executive, legislative, and judicial authority necessary to achieve its objectives, to be exercised under relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions, including resolution 1483 (2003), and the laws and usages of war. This authority shall be exercised by the CPA Administrator.”</p>
<p>With one swipe of the pen, Bremer granted himself the authority to run the government ministries, appoint Iraqi officials and award contracts for reconstruction. Next he fired 500,000 Iraqis, most of them soldiers, but pink slips also went out to many doctors, nurses, teachers and other public employees as well.</p>
<p>For the most part, the CPA financed its activities with billions of dollars that belonged to the Iraqis. On May 22, 2003, a UN Security Council passed a resolution that directed the proceeds from Iraqi oil to be placed in a Development Fund for Iraq, and the CPA was granted authority to control the fund and decide which profiteers would get contracts.</p>
<p>During the year that Bremer controlled the purse strings, the Iraqi Development Fund received $20.2 billion, including $8.1 billion from the UN’s oil-for-food program, $10.8 billion from Iraqi oil, and the rest from repatriated funds, vested assets and donations.</p>
<p>The CPA accounting system was cash and carry and a steady stream of cash was flown into Bagdad from the US. Inspector General, Stuart Bowen later said that he knew of one $2 billion flight.</p>
<p>A report released by the House Government Reform Committee in February 2007, shows that in the 13 months that Bremer ruled, from May 2003 to June 2004, the Federal Reserve Bank in New York shipped nearly $12 billion in a cash to Iraq.</p>
<p>One can only imagine the Bank service charges associated with these shipments because to accomplish this feat, according to the Democratic chairman of the Reform Committee, Henry Waxman, the cash weighed 363 tons and the Bank had to count and pack 281 million individual bills, including more than 107 million $100 bills, and then load them onto wooden pallets to be shipped to Bagdad on C-130 cargo planes.</p>
<p>Inspector Bowen later said that he determined that some of this cash went to pay salaries for thousands of “ghost employees” and Iraqi civil servants who did not exist.</p>
<p>Within a few months of the CPA’s arrival in Iraq reports of corruption in the contracting process began appearing in the media. A British adviser to the Iraqi Governing Council told the BBC that officials in the CPA were demanding bribes of up to $300,000 in return for contracts.</p>
<p>Reports of flat out-fraud remained steady throughout Bremer’s reign in Iraq. One audit showed that the CPA Ministry of Finance could not provide documentation for about $17 million spent on employee salaries in February 2004, and a CPA Advisor to the Ministry of the Interior said the Ministry was paid for 8,602 guards but only 602 could be verified.</p>
<p>A CPA advisor to the Ministry of Finance was so concerned about payroll corruption that he submitted a formal complaint that stated in part: “Of the 1.6 million government employees currently on payroll, credible estimates put the number of ghost workers at somewhere between 250,000-300,000 employees.”</p>
<p>An October 2004, audit performed for the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, created by the UN to monitor the spending of Iraqi money, found one case where a payment of $2.6 million was authorized by a CPA senior adviser to the Ministry of Oil, and auditors were unable to obtain an underlying contract or any evidence that the services had been rendered.</p>
<p>The auditors in this group found 37 cases where files could not be located for contracts worth $185 million all total. In another 52 cases, there was no record that goods had been received for a total of $87.9 million.</p>
<p>People on the ground in Iraq said that doing business with the CPA was reminiscent of the Wild West. Former CPA employees told a congressional committee that sackfuls of cash were tossed around like footballs. Franklin Willis, showed pictures of himself and others holding up bundles of $100 notes totaling $2 million, which he said was used to pay the contractor Custer Battles. “We told them to come in and bring a bag,” Willis said.</p>
<p>He also testified that millions of dollars in $100 bills were stored in the basement of the CPA offices and distributed to favored contractors with little accounting discipline. For instance, in the year that the CPA ruled, Custer was awarded contracts worth more than $100 million.</p>
<p>Two former Custer employees ended up filing a lawsuit under the Federal False Claims Act, saying Custer had swindled $50 million from the CPA with scams like double-billing for salaries and repainting the forklifts found at the Baghdad airport and then leasing them back to the US government.</p>
<p>The employees said the CPA paid the Custer $15 million to provide security for Iraq’s civilian airline, when no services were needed because the airline was grounded during the time covered by the contract.</p>
<p>These employees said they kept informing the CPA about Custer’s fraudulent conduct for more than a year and when they asked why the firm continued to get contracts, they were told: “Battles is very active in the Republican party, and speaks to individuals he knows in the Whitehouse almost daily.”</p>
<p>In June 2004, the Government Accounting Office estimated that more than $1 billion in had been wasted due to illegal overcharges by contractors since the war began. A later audit by the Iraqi government found that as much as $1.27 billion was lost to accounting irregularities between June 2004 and February 2005.</p>
<p>Inspector Bowen cited two examples of poor oversight in a November 3, 2005 interview on National Public Radio where $28 million was paid to build 5 power plants and $1.8 million was paid to rebuild a library, but the work was never performed and the money “simply disappeared,” he said.</p>
<p>A recent report by Bowen says DynCorp was paid $43.8 million for a residential camp for police training personnel and has been empty for months and that the company may also have billed $18 million in other unjustified costs.</p>
<p>About $4.2 million, he says, was improperly spent on 20 VIP trailers and an Olympic-size pool and an additional $36.4 million in spending for weapons such as armored vehicles, body armor and communications equipment that cannot be accounted for.</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Cheney’s Halliburton remained the top profiteer under Bremer’s rule. A July 23, 2004, audit conducted by Bowen, showed the company had received 60% of all contracts paid for with Iraq money, including 5 no-bid contracts worth $222 million, $325 million, $180 million, and the last 2 together totaled $194 million for the last two. In comparison, the audit showed that the CPA awarded only 2% of the reconstruction contracts to Iraqi companies.</p>
<p>In one example of blatant fraud, an audit found that Halliburton was charging for more than 41,000 meals a day for soldiers when only about 14,000 were served.</p>
<p>By the fall of 2003, the country was realizing that the rational for war was based on lies and that the only ones drawing any benefits were the profiteers. So when Bush asked Congress for another $20 billion for the CPA, Bremer was summoned to Washington to explain where all the money was going and of course he testified in full stonewall mode.</p>
<p>Before the Appropriations Committee on September 22, 2003, Bremer said the CPA had detailed records of all its receipts and outlays that could be audited by Congress. But when he testified before the Armed Services Committee 3 days later he said the Office of Management and Budget was responsible for maintaining the CPA records and that Congress would have to go to the White House to access the records.</p>
<p>That arrogant assertion went over like a lead balloon with many members of Congress. Senator Robert Byrd said he was outraged over the inability to monitor CPA spending. “There is no reason why any arm of the executive branch charged with making such significant spending decisions,” he said, “should not be working directly with Congress.”</p>
<p>“When we’re talking about handing over another $20 billion to the CPA,” he said, “there is a real need for Congress to confirm that the CPA has its finances in order and that it is managing the taxpayer’s money responsibly.”</p>
<p>“We don’t even know how much of the $20 billion,” Byrd said, “will flow to government contractors in Iraq.”</p>
<p>“Whatever the amount is,” he noted, “we know that the size and scope of the profits being made will be enormous.”</p>
<p>“Former Bush Administration officials,” he warned fellow Senators, “are even setting up consulting firms to act as middlemen for contractors hoping to take part in the bonanza.”</p>
<p>“Are we turning the U.S. Treasury into a grab bag for favorite campaign contributors to be financed at taxpayer expense?” he asked.</p>
<p>The answer was yes, and what a grab bag it was. Media reports revealed that Bush’s ex-campaign manager and Feith’s former law partner had set up consulting firms to profit off the war by lining up contracts for clients through their partners in crime within the CPA.</p>
<p>Other reports revealed that contracts worth $407 were awarded to a firm called Nour that was formed less than 2 months after the war began. The names linked to the profits from Nour, among many others, included former Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, Ahmad Chalabi via a $2 million kickback, his nephew Salam Chalabi as the attorney handling the deal, and the money trail even led to the First Brothers, Marvin and Jeb Bush.</p>
<p>But come to find out, Doug Feith the ringleader on the ground in Washington, had awarded a batch of no-bid contracts to a favored company the month before the war began for the purpose of controlling the media in post-war Iraq.</p>
<p>In October 2003, the Center for Public Integrity obtained copies of 7 contracts awarded to the San Diego-based Science Applications. The total value of the contracts was redacted but the Center was able to determine that they were all awarded in February 2003, and called for the work to be directed by Feith.</p>
<p>However, the Center’s most stunning discovery was that when the contracts were awarded, Feith’s top deputy at the time, Christopher “Ryan” Henry, had been a senior vice president at SAIC until October 2002.</p>
<p>In addition, one of SAIC’s board members was Army General, Wayne Downing, who ran counterterrorism in the Bush administration for almost a year after 9/11, and had even went to the CIA with Cheney to discuss intelligence on Iraq. Downing had also served as an advisor to Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraqi National Congress, and was well-known advocate for a war against Saddam.</p>
<p>Some of the SAIC contracts required that specific persons referred to as “executive management consultants” be hired and the pay range listed went as high as $209 and $273 per hour. The Center said congressional sources estimated the value of the media contract as $38 million for the first year and as high $90 million in 2004.</p>
<p>The SAIC had no special expertise to justify the award of these contracts. One company executive, quoted in the media, said the firm’s only credential for setting up an independent media, supposedly modeled after the BBC, was military work in “informational warfare”-signal jamming, “perception management,” and the like.</p>
<p>Under these contracts, the Iraq Media Network (IMN) was established and journalist, Mark North, who covered the Iraq invasion for National Public Radio, was hired to train Iraqi journalists to report for the IMN.</p>
<p>In one of the many Congressional hearings, North testified about the control of the IMN by the CPA and said CPA officials regularly directed and censored the activities of the news station and provided “a laundry list of CPA activities” to cover in the news reports instead of stories about security or the lack of electricity and jobs</p>
<p>While testifying, he also described the CPA’s shabby treatment of Iraqi employees and its refusal to pay their wages. “For the first two months,” North said, “the local staff of about 200 journalists and technicians were not paid their salaries.”</p>
<p>When the staffers went on strike in attempt to get paid, he said, the CPA told the Iraqis to get back to work or the US Army would remove them from the studios.</p>
<p>All total, the CPA had control of Iraqi money for one year between June 2003 and June 2004, but unfortunately no auditors arrived to take a look at the agency’s spending until April 2004, two months before the CPA’s rule was scheduled to end.</p>
<p>And as so often happens when it comes to giving solid advice or warnings, the senior Senator from Virginia was absolutely right. It was far too late for audits, because the CPA and its gang of profiteers had already robbed the Iraqis blind.</p>
<p>The favored companies enjoyed a fraud-free-all. For instance, Halliburton said it had lost over $60 million worth of government property including trucks, office furniture and computers. Inspector Bowen reported that 6,975 items valued at $61.1 million were lost, and in June 2005, the Defense Contract Audit Agency reported that the Halliburton had overcharged or presented questionable bills for close to $1.5 billion.</p>
<p>In the end, Bowen’s audit concluded that “the CPA’s internal controls for approximately $8.8 billion in DFI funds disbursed to Iraqi ministries through the national budget process failed to provide sufficient accountability for the use of those funds.”</p>
<p>As of February 2007, according to Bowen, audits of the CPA have resulted in 300 criminal and civil investigations, 5 arrests and convictions, and another 23 cases are currently under prosecution at the DOJ, and he is working on 76 on-going investigations.</p>
<p>One of the convictions involved Robert Stein, a former CPA comptroller and funding officer, who recently pleaded guilty to 5 felony counts including conspiracy, money laundering, and bribery in stealing more than $2 million of reconstruction funds and taking more than $1 million in kickbacks to rig the bids on contracts that exceeded $8 million.</p>
<p>The whistleblower case against Custer Battle went to trial and a jury found that Custer had committed 37 acts of fraud and filed $3 million in false claims, and rendered a verdict with a $10 million penalty. However, the verdict was overturned by Republican appointed US District Court Judge TS Ellis III, who ruled that the CPA was not a US entity and therefore the false claims act does not apply to it.</p>
<p>In the ruling, the judge said Custer’s accusers “failed to prove that the U.S. government was ever defrauded. Any fraud that occurred was perpetrated instead against the Coalition Provisional Authority, formed to run Iraq until a government was established.”</p>
<p>Legal experts say this ruling is great news for the CPA and contractors because from now on anyone charged with any act of fraud related to the Iraqi money doled out by the CPA in Bagdad will use it in attempt to avoid civil or criminal prosecution.</p>
<p>EVELYN PRINGLE can be reached at: [email protected]</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 3,120 |
<p>Dr. Robi Ludwig.</p>
<p>Only a few hours after the massacre in Santa Barbara last Friday night, Dr. Robi Ludwig — the so-called expert psychologist Fox News chooses to throw in front of a camera on occasions such as these — believed she had watched enough YouTube and read enough of the killer’s manifesto <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/27/coldwell-banker-homosexual-impulses_n_5398404.html" type="external">to assert that his motivation must have been</a> driven by “homosexual impulses.”</p>
<p>During the live broadcast, Ludwig told the host, Jeanine Pirro:</p>
<p>When I was first listening to him, I was like, ‘Oh, he’s angry with women for rejecting him. And then I started to have a different idea: Is this somebody who is trying to fight against his homosexual impulses?</p>
<p>This ever-so-expert long-distance diagnosis led her to further claim that his prolonged collegiate abstinence must have been so frustrating that he decided he should perhaps desire men.</p>
<p>The furor over her asinine comments was swift and manifested itself on Twitter and other social media platforms. Because of the backlash, Ludwig offered an, “I’m sorry you were offended,” style of apology on her Facebook page.</p>
<p>My job on @judgejeanine was to assess several possible triggers for #ElliotRoger and his behavior.</p>
<p>She assured everyone that they must have simply misunderstood her intent because she never meant her comments to be offensive.</p>
<p>Perhaps Ludwig hoped that social PR offensive would smooth things over. Unfortunately, not everyone was satisfied. Nationwide real estate firm Coldwell Banker decided to withdraw their support and continued employment from Ludwig. She had served as a lifestyle real estate correspondent for the company until recently when they released a statement that read:</p>
<p>Dr. Robi’s comments on the tragedy in Santa Barbara do not represent the opinions of Coldwell Banker. Therefore at this time we feel it best to part ways with her as our lifestyle real estate correspondent.</p>
<p>Following the statement, all remnants of Ludwig’s employment, including her profile page and all writings performed for the company, had been summarily scrubbed from their website. It is uncertain if this is the first domino to fall in light of Dr. Ludwig’s offensive and professionally misguided comments.</p>
<p>In addition to regular appearances on Fox News, Ludwig has regularly appeared on and is reportedly still working as a contributor for such programs as The Today Show, The Bill Cunningham Show, The View, and the O’Reilly Factor in addition to frequent appearances on CNN, Headline News, TruTv and E!.</p> | Fox News ‘Expert’ Fired After Blaming Santa Barbara Shootings On ‘Homosexual Impulses’ | true | http://addictinginfo.org/2014/05/29/robi-ludwig-fired/ | 2014-05-29 | 4left
| Fox News ‘Expert’ Fired After Blaming Santa Barbara Shootings On ‘Homosexual Impulses’
<p>Dr. Robi Ludwig.</p>
<p>Only a few hours after the massacre in Santa Barbara last Friday night, Dr. Robi Ludwig — the so-called expert psychologist Fox News chooses to throw in front of a camera on occasions such as these — believed she had watched enough YouTube and read enough of the killer’s manifesto <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/27/coldwell-banker-homosexual-impulses_n_5398404.html" type="external">to assert that his motivation must have been</a> driven by “homosexual impulses.”</p>
<p>During the live broadcast, Ludwig told the host, Jeanine Pirro:</p>
<p>When I was first listening to him, I was like, ‘Oh, he’s angry with women for rejecting him. And then I started to have a different idea: Is this somebody who is trying to fight against his homosexual impulses?</p>
<p>This ever-so-expert long-distance diagnosis led her to further claim that his prolonged collegiate abstinence must have been so frustrating that he decided he should perhaps desire men.</p>
<p>The furor over her asinine comments was swift and manifested itself on Twitter and other social media platforms. Because of the backlash, Ludwig offered an, “I’m sorry you were offended,” style of apology on her Facebook page.</p>
<p>My job on @judgejeanine was to assess several possible triggers for #ElliotRoger and his behavior.</p>
<p>She assured everyone that they must have simply misunderstood her intent because she never meant her comments to be offensive.</p>
<p>Perhaps Ludwig hoped that social PR offensive would smooth things over. Unfortunately, not everyone was satisfied. Nationwide real estate firm Coldwell Banker decided to withdraw their support and continued employment from Ludwig. She had served as a lifestyle real estate correspondent for the company until recently when they released a statement that read:</p>
<p>Dr. Robi’s comments on the tragedy in Santa Barbara do not represent the opinions of Coldwell Banker. Therefore at this time we feel it best to part ways with her as our lifestyle real estate correspondent.</p>
<p>Following the statement, all remnants of Ludwig’s employment, including her profile page and all writings performed for the company, had been summarily scrubbed from their website. It is uncertain if this is the first domino to fall in light of Dr. Ludwig’s offensive and professionally misguided comments.</p>
<p>In addition to regular appearances on Fox News, Ludwig has regularly appeared on and is reportedly still working as a contributor for such programs as The Today Show, The Bill Cunningham Show, The View, and the O’Reilly Factor in addition to frequent appearances on CNN, Headline News, TruTv and E!.</p> | 3,121 |
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<p />
<p>Trump spent Monday morning live-tweeting fawning segments from his favorite cable news show, “Fox &amp; Friends.” Within the cozy confines of that alternate universe, the story “everyone is still talking about” was said to be video of the president, before boarding his helicopter at Andrews Air Force Base, scrambling to retrieve a Marine’s wind-blown hat.</p>
<p>In Mueller’s office suite, though, I’m confident there was much more talk about Donald Trump Jr.’s stunning admission over the weekend: In June of last year, he summoned Trump then-campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer – described as having close connections with the Kremlin – in hopes of receiving derogatory information about Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>The meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya was first reported Saturday by The New York Times. Initially, Trump Jr. told the newspaper that the “short” meeting was to discuss “a program about the adoption of Russian children.” On Sunday, however, he acknowledged that he agreed to the meeting because he was told that Veselnitskaya “might have information helpful to the campaign.” The lawyer’s dirt about Clinton was “vague, ambiguous and made no sense,” however, and Trump Jr. ended the meeting after “20 to 30 minutes.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The meeting came amid what U.S. officials describe as a Russian campaign of hacks, leaks and disinformation designed to help Trump win the election. After months of categorical denials, we now have an admission of attempted collusion, at least, involving three top-ranking figures in the Trump campaign.</p>
<p>Despite what Trump apologists may say, it is not normal practice for a campaign to welcome information undermining an opponent regardless of the source. In 2000, for example, the Al Gore campaign was anonymously sent briefing books and a video that George W. Bush had used to prepare for an upcoming debate. Gore campaign officials immediately turned the material over to the FBI – which opened a criminal investigation.</p>
<p>Veselnitskaya is best known as a tireless crusader for repeal of the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law blacklisting Russian officials believed responsible for the death of a well-known human rights activist. When President Obama signed the law, Russian President Vladimir Putin was so vexed that he halted U.S. adoptions of Russian children in retaliation. It is safe to assume that if Veselnitskaya raised the subject of adoptions, as Trump Jr. says, it was part of an argument against the Magnitsky law.</p>
<p>Is this all too complicated for voters to follow? Would Americans beyond the Beltway rather hear about jobs or health care? Perhaps so. But the questions that should be concentrating the minds of the president’s inner circle are legal, not political – and Mueller’s high-powered team of lawyers is experienced at connecting dots.</p>
<p>The Veselnitskaya meeting is just one of several encounters with Russians that apparently slipped Kushner’s mind when he filled out disclosure forms required for his White House post. It came to light only after he amended those forms – and someone familiar with their contents dropped a dime to the Times. Trump Jr. claimed in March that he had had no meetings with Russians “that were set up … and certainly none that I was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form.” Do you find it remotely believable that he somehow forgot a meeting that he set up, between a party-line Russian lawyer and the campaign? Neither do I.</p>
<p>Trump Jr. said in a statement Sunday that he was asked by an acquaintance to arrange the meeting; he claimed not even to have known Veselnitskaya’s name beforehand, let alone anything about her. He said he did not tell Manafort or Kushner of the meeting’s purpose in advance, and said President Trump had no idea the meeting was taking place.</p>
<p>At the time, Manafort was running a presidential campaign – roughly like being at the vortex of a tornado – and Kushner was one of the campaign’s chief advisers. The idea that they could spare even five minutes to meet an unknown person about an unknown subject is absurd. But that’s Trump Jr.’s story and he’s sticking to it.</p>
<p>Manafort and Kushner have already retained high-powered lawyers. If he hasn’t yet, Trump Jr. would be wise to do the same.</p>
<p>Robinson’s columns, including those not published in the Journal, can be read at <a href="" type="internal">abqjournal.com/opinion</a> – look for the syndicated columnist link. E-mail: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>; copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | Trumps keep providing ammo to Russia probe | false | https://abqjournal.com/1031722/trumps-keep-providing-ammo-to-russia-probe.html | 2least
| Trumps keep providing ammo to Russia probe
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<p />
<p>Trump spent Monday morning live-tweeting fawning segments from his favorite cable news show, “Fox &amp; Friends.” Within the cozy confines of that alternate universe, the story “everyone is still talking about” was said to be video of the president, before boarding his helicopter at Andrews Air Force Base, scrambling to retrieve a Marine’s wind-blown hat.</p>
<p>In Mueller’s office suite, though, I’m confident there was much more talk about Donald Trump Jr.’s stunning admission over the weekend: In June of last year, he summoned Trump then-campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer – described as having close connections with the Kremlin – in hopes of receiving derogatory information about Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>The meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya was first reported Saturday by The New York Times. Initially, Trump Jr. told the newspaper that the “short” meeting was to discuss “a program about the adoption of Russian children.” On Sunday, however, he acknowledged that he agreed to the meeting because he was told that Veselnitskaya “might have information helpful to the campaign.” The lawyer’s dirt about Clinton was “vague, ambiguous and made no sense,” however, and Trump Jr. ended the meeting after “20 to 30 minutes.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The meeting came amid what U.S. officials describe as a Russian campaign of hacks, leaks and disinformation designed to help Trump win the election. After months of categorical denials, we now have an admission of attempted collusion, at least, involving three top-ranking figures in the Trump campaign.</p>
<p>Despite what Trump apologists may say, it is not normal practice for a campaign to welcome information undermining an opponent regardless of the source. In 2000, for example, the Al Gore campaign was anonymously sent briefing books and a video that George W. Bush had used to prepare for an upcoming debate. Gore campaign officials immediately turned the material over to the FBI – which opened a criminal investigation.</p>
<p>Veselnitskaya is best known as a tireless crusader for repeal of the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law blacklisting Russian officials believed responsible for the death of a well-known human rights activist. When President Obama signed the law, Russian President Vladimir Putin was so vexed that he halted U.S. adoptions of Russian children in retaliation. It is safe to assume that if Veselnitskaya raised the subject of adoptions, as Trump Jr. says, it was part of an argument against the Magnitsky law.</p>
<p>Is this all too complicated for voters to follow? Would Americans beyond the Beltway rather hear about jobs or health care? Perhaps so. But the questions that should be concentrating the minds of the president’s inner circle are legal, not political – and Mueller’s high-powered team of lawyers is experienced at connecting dots.</p>
<p>The Veselnitskaya meeting is just one of several encounters with Russians that apparently slipped Kushner’s mind when he filled out disclosure forms required for his White House post. It came to light only after he amended those forms – and someone familiar with their contents dropped a dime to the Times. Trump Jr. claimed in March that he had had no meetings with Russians “that were set up … and certainly none that I was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form.” Do you find it remotely believable that he somehow forgot a meeting that he set up, between a party-line Russian lawyer and the campaign? Neither do I.</p>
<p>Trump Jr. said in a statement Sunday that he was asked by an acquaintance to arrange the meeting; he claimed not even to have known Veselnitskaya’s name beforehand, let alone anything about her. He said he did not tell Manafort or Kushner of the meeting’s purpose in advance, and said President Trump had no idea the meeting was taking place.</p>
<p>At the time, Manafort was running a presidential campaign – roughly like being at the vortex of a tornado – and Kushner was one of the campaign’s chief advisers. The idea that they could spare even five minutes to meet an unknown person about an unknown subject is absurd. But that’s Trump Jr.’s story and he’s sticking to it.</p>
<p>Manafort and Kushner have already retained high-powered lawyers. If he hasn’t yet, Trump Jr. would be wise to do the same.</p>
<p>Robinson’s columns, including those not published in the Journal, can be read at <a href="" type="internal">abqjournal.com/opinion</a> – look for the syndicated columnist link. E-mail: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>; copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | 3,122 |
|
<p>US Coast Guard/AP Photo</p>
<p />
<p>In a blunt ruling handed down on&#160;Thursday, a federal judge in New Orleans found that the biggest oil spill in US history, the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster, was caused by&#160;BP’s “willful misconduct” and “gross negligence.”</p>
<p>On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 people and spilling millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf over the next several months. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-04/bp-found-grossly-negligent-in-2010-gulf-of-mexico-spill.html" type="external">According to Bloomberg</a>, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit include “the federal government, five Gulf of Mexico states, banks, restaurants, fishermen and a host of others.”</p>
<p>The case also includes two other companies that were involved in&#160;aspects of the design and function of the Deepwater Horizon—Transocean and Halliburton—though the bulk of the blame was reserved for BP.</p>
<p>“BP’s&#160;conduct&#160;was reckless,” wrote District Judge Carl&#160;Barbier, in a 153-page ruling. “Transocean’s conduct was negligent. Halliburton’s conduct was negligent.”</p>
<p>The judge ruled that BP was responsible for 67 percent of the blowout, explosion and subsequent oil spill, while Transocean was at fault for 30 percent, and Halliburton for the remaining 3 percent.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-04/bp-found-grossly-negligent-in-2010-gulf-of-mexico-spill.html" type="external">According to Bloomberg</a>, BP could face fines of as much as $18 billion.</p>
<p>Here’s the full ruling.</p>
<p>&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1283664/9042014findingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.pdf"&gt;BP Was Just Found &amp;#8220;Grossly Negligent&amp;#8221; in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster. Read the Full Ruling. (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1283664/9042014findingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.txt"&gt;BP Was Just Found &amp;#8220;Grossly Negligent&amp;#8221; in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster. Read the Full Ruling. (Text)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</p> | BP Was Just Found Grossly Negligent in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster. Read the Full Ruling. | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/09/bp-deepwater-horizon-gulf-oil-spill/ | 2014-09-04 | 4left
| BP Was Just Found Grossly Negligent in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster. Read the Full Ruling.
<p>US Coast Guard/AP Photo</p>
<p />
<p>In a blunt ruling handed down on&#160;Thursday, a federal judge in New Orleans found that the biggest oil spill in US history, the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster, was caused by&#160;BP’s “willful misconduct” and “gross negligence.”</p>
<p>On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 people and spilling millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf over the next several months. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-04/bp-found-grossly-negligent-in-2010-gulf-of-mexico-spill.html" type="external">According to Bloomberg</a>, the plaintiffs in the lawsuit include “the federal government, five Gulf of Mexico states, banks, restaurants, fishermen and a host of others.”</p>
<p>The case also includes two other companies that were involved in&#160;aspects of the design and function of the Deepwater Horizon—Transocean and Halliburton—though the bulk of the blame was reserved for BP.</p>
<p>“BP’s&#160;conduct&#160;was reckless,” wrote District Judge Carl&#160;Barbier, in a 153-page ruling. “Transocean’s conduct was negligent. Halliburton’s conduct was negligent.”</p>
<p>The judge ruled that BP was responsible for 67 percent of the blowout, explosion and subsequent oil spill, while Transocean was at fault for 30 percent, and Halliburton for the remaining 3 percent.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-04/bp-found-grossly-negligent-in-2010-gulf-of-mexico-spill.html" type="external">According to Bloomberg</a>, BP could face fines of as much as $18 billion.</p>
<p>Here’s the full ruling.</p>
<p>&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1283664/9042014findingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.pdf"&gt;BP Was Just Found &amp;#8220;Grossly Negligent&amp;#8221; in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster. Read the Full Ruling. (PDF)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/1283664/9042014findingsoffactandconclusionsoflaw.txt"&gt;BP Was Just Found &amp;#8220;Grossly Negligent&amp;#8221; in the Gulf Oil Spill Disaster. Read the Full Ruling. (Text)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</p> | 3,123 |
<p>FOX Business: Capitalism Lives Here</p>
<p>Wall Street capped a choppy trading session with solid gains as traders shrugged off a weaker-than-expected report on retail sales.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Today's Markets</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 63.7 points, or 0.4%, to 16028, the S&amp;P 500 advanced 10.6 points, or 0.58%, to 1830 and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 39.4 points, or 0.94%, to 4241.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 snapped a four-day winning streak Wednesday, and the negative sentiment appeared to mount on Thursday until it shifted in mid-morning trade.</p>
<p>Every sector besides financials and industrials were in the green, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 hit a multi-year high.</p>
<p>Still, Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at The Lindsey Group, said a mixture of concerns about how emerging-market central banks will deal with the end of the Federal Reserve's bond-buying program, coupled with a string of earnings misses from major European firms was adding to the gloom.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Mirroring those concerns, Michael Block, chief strategist at Rhino Trading Partners, said traders were concerned over weaker guidance from networking giant Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) and earnings misses from European players Nestle and BNP Paribas.</p>
<p>On the economic front, the Commerce Department said retail sales in January fell 0.4% from the month prior, compared to estimates the gauge would hold steady. Excluding the auto segment, sales were unchanged for the month. Weather has had an outsize impact on economic data recently, and many analysts said that might have impacted these data as well.</p>
<p>"Simply put, January’s retail sales report was not good at all," Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG wrote in an email. "Taking into consideration revisions to the prior month’s data, this report is even worse."</p>
<p>Still, he noted the "underlying, non-weather influenced trend of the economy is better."</p>
<p>The Labor Department reported The number of Americans filing for first-time jobless benefits rose last week to 339,000 from 331,000 the week prior. Wall Street was looking for the number of claims to fall to 330,000.</p>
<p>Elsewhere on the corporate front,&#160;Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) said it will buy Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) in an all-stock merger valued at $45.2 billion. Insurance giant American International Group (NYSE:AIG) is set to post its quarterly results after the closing bell.</p>
<p>In commodities, U.S. crude oil futures fell 55 cents, or 0.55%, to $99.82 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline dipped 0.88% to $2.839 a gallon. Gold slumped $3.10, or 0.24%, to $1,292 a troy ounce.</p> | Wall Street Sheds Losses, Ends Higher | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/02/13/wall-street-sheds-losses-ends-higher.html | 2016-03-06 | 0right
| Wall Street Sheds Losses, Ends Higher
<p>FOX Business: Capitalism Lives Here</p>
<p>Wall Street capped a choppy trading session with solid gains as traders shrugged off a weaker-than-expected report on retail sales.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Today's Markets</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 63.7 points, or 0.4%, to 16028, the S&amp;P 500 advanced 10.6 points, or 0.58%, to 1830 and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 39.4 points, or 0.94%, to 4241.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 snapped a four-day winning streak Wednesday, and the negative sentiment appeared to mount on Thursday until it shifted in mid-morning trade.</p>
<p>Every sector besides financials and industrials were in the green, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 hit a multi-year high.</p>
<p>Still, Peter Boockvar, chief market analyst at The Lindsey Group, said a mixture of concerns about how emerging-market central banks will deal with the end of the Federal Reserve's bond-buying program, coupled with a string of earnings misses from major European firms was adding to the gloom.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Mirroring those concerns, Michael Block, chief strategist at Rhino Trading Partners, said traders were concerned over weaker guidance from networking giant Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) and earnings misses from European players Nestle and BNP Paribas.</p>
<p>On the economic front, the Commerce Department said retail sales in January fell 0.4% from the month prior, compared to estimates the gauge would hold steady. Excluding the auto segment, sales were unchanged for the month. Weather has had an outsize impact on economic data recently, and many analysts said that might have impacted these data as well.</p>
<p>"Simply put, January’s retail sales report was not good at all," Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG wrote in an email. "Taking into consideration revisions to the prior month’s data, this report is even worse."</p>
<p>Still, he noted the "underlying, non-weather influenced trend of the economy is better."</p>
<p>The Labor Department reported The number of Americans filing for first-time jobless benefits rose last week to 339,000 from 331,000 the week prior. Wall Street was looking for the number of claims to fall to 330,000.</p>
<p>Elsewhere on the corporate front,&#160;Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) said it will buy Time Warner Cable (NYSE:TWC) in an all-stock merger valued at $45.2 billion. Insurance giant American International Group (NYSE:AIG) is set to post its quarterly results after the closing bell.</p>
<p>In commodities, U.S. crude oil futures fell 55 cents, or 0.55%, to $99.82 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline dipped 0.88% to $2.839 a gallon. Gold slumped $3.10, or 0.24%, to $1,292 a troy ounce.</p> | 3,124 |
<p />
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 12.2 million people have signed up for coverage nationwide this year under the Obama-era health care law even with the uncertainty created by President Donald Trump's vow to repeal and replace it.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A count by The Associated Press shows that many consumers returned to the program despite its problems. Aside from the political turmoil, those difficulties include a spike in premiums, rising deductibles and dwindling choice of insurers.</p>
<p>Although initial enrollment is about 4 percent lower than last year, the sizable number of sign-ups illustrates the risk Republicans face as they begin moving to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and put in its place a yet-to-be-defined conservative approach.</p>
<p>AP's analysis showed that a clear majority of those enrolled — nearly 64 percent — live in states that Trump carried in November. "If they are going to replace it, it had better be as good or better than what is there, and if it's not I think it's going to cost them," said John Chipman, a drummer from Austin, Texas, who's also covering his wife and their two children.</p>
<p>This year the family scaled back from a "silver" plan to "bronze" to avoid a big premium increase. But without the health law, Chipman says he and his wife would probably be turned down for health insurance because of pre-existing medical conditions.</p>
<p>The federal Health and Human Services Department reported last week that 9.2 million people signed up in the 39 states served by the HealthCare.gov website, which offers subsidized private health insurance to people who don't have job-based coverage.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>AP checked with the remaining 11 states, and Washington, D.C., and found an additional 3 million enrolled, for a national total of 12.2 million. A full national report from the government won't be available for at least another month.</p>
<p>Under the health care law, the nation's uninsured rate has fallen to a historic low of about 9 percent, with some 20 million people gaining coverage since its passage in 2010. In addition to the subsidized private plans available through HealthCare.gov and state marketplaces, the law offers states the option of extending Medicaid to cover more low-income adults.</p>
<p>Republicans say this year's enrollment numbers do not equate to a success story for former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.</p>
<p>To begin with, the numbers are well short of the 13.8 million people that the Obama administration had hoped to sign up. Also, the public health insurance markets usually see high attrition as the year goes on, with about 1 in 5 customers eventually dropping out. Some customers don't even bother to pay their first month's premium. "It's clear overall enrollment numbers are trending downward for 'Obamacare' over last year, no doubt due to the law's unpopular mandates and high costs," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in a statement. Republicans "are committed to establishing a responsible transition phase to ensure as much stability as possible for consumers who purchased insurance."</p>
<p>Asked about the numbers, HHS spokesman Matt Lloyd said the Trump administration sees "Obamacare" as a failure and is pursuing alternatives that will "work for the American people."</p>
<p>One state — Minnesota — took extraordinary measures to keep residents insured. The state has seen premium increases averaging from 50 percent to 67 percent, and lawmakers used $312 million in rainy day funds to buy down monthly rates for consumers who don't get federal subsidies. Since most health law customers already get federal assistance, the bulk of the state money is going to residents who purchase plans outside the government-sponsored marketplace.</p>
<p>Supporters of the health care law say the political uncertainty about its future probably kept many people from signing up.</p>
<p>"We heard from consumers saying they thought 'Obamacare' had ended with President Obama's administration," said Elizabeth Colvin, who heads the health care sign-up program at Foundation Communities, an Austin nonprofit serving low-income working people. "Some consumers said, 'Why bother if it's going to go away?'"</p>
<p>Although Colvin said the confusion made it harder to reach consumers, her program signed up some 4,000 people, or about 6 percent more than last year.</p>
<p>"These numbers demonstrate that there's a demand for this insurance, and that people see value in the financial protection...and the access it gives you to health care," she said.</p>
<p>Vincent Daley, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, works three jobs but none of them offers insurance. He signed up during open enrollment after missing last year's registration opportunity. "Insurance was extremely important because I had been through an accident before playing rugby," he said.</p>
<p>AP's tally of sign-ups comes as the Senate is moving to confirm Georgia congressman Tom Price as the nation's next health secretary. Price has told senators the administration does not want to "pull the rug out" from people now covered, and he all but acknowledged that there's no Trump replacement plan ready to roll out.</p>
<p>Independent analyst Caroline Pearson of the consulting firm Avalere Health said without the full support of the new administration, insurance markets will continue to struggle. "Insurer participation in 2018 remains uncertain, and some regions are at risk of having no participating plan," she said.</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Kyle Potter in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Bob Salsberg in Boston contributed to this report.</p> | 12.2 Million Sign Up for 'Obamacare' Despite its Problems | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/02/10/12-2-million-sign-up-for-obamacare-despite-its-problems.html | 2017-02-10 | 0right
| 12.2 Million Sign Up for 'Obamacare' Despite its Problems
<p />
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 12.2 million people have signed up for coverage nationwide this year under the Obama-era health care law even with the uncertainty created by President Donald Trump's vow to repeal and replace it.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A count by The Associated Press shows that many consumers returned to the program despite its problems. Aside from the political turmoil, those difficulties include a spike in premiums, rising deductibles and dwindling choice of insurers.</p>
<p>Although initial enrollment is about 4 percent lower than last year, the sizable number of sign-ups illustrates the risk Republicans face as they begin moving to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and put in its place a yet-to-be-defined conservative approach.</p>
<p>AP's analysis showed that a clear majority of those enrolled — nearly 64 percent — live in states that Trump carried in November. "If they are going to replace it, it had better be as good or better than what is there, and if it's not I think it's going to cost them," said John Chipman, a drummer from Austin, Texas, who's also covering his wife and their two children.</p>
<p>This year the family scaled back from a "silver" plan to "bronze" to avoid a big premium increase. But without the health law, Chipman says he and his wife would probably be turned down for health insurance because of pre-existing medical conditions.</p>
<p>The federal Health and Human Services Department reported last week that 9.2 million people signed up in the 39 states served by the HealthCare.gov website, which offers subsidized private health insurance to people who don't have job-based coverage.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>AP checked with the remaining 11 states, and Washington, D.C., and found an additional 3 million enrolled, for a national total of 12.2 million. A full national report from the government won't be available for at least another month.</p>
<p>Under the health care law, the nation's uninsured rate has fallen to a historic low of about 9 percent, with some 20 million people gaining coverage since its passage in 2010. In addition to the subsidized private plans available through HealthCare.gov and state marketplaces, the law offers states the option of extending Medicaid to cover more low-income adults.</p>
<p>Republicans say this year's enrollment numbers do not equate to a success story for former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.</p>
<p>To begin with, the numbers are well short of the 13.8 million people that the Obama administration had hoped to sign up. Also, the public health insurance markets usually see high attrition as the year goes on, with about 1 in 5 customers eventually dropping out. Some customers don't even bother to pay their first month's premium. "It's clear overall enrollment numbers are trending downward for 'Obamacare' over last year, no doubt due to the law's unpopular mandates and high costs," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said in a statement. Republicans "are committed to establishing a responsible transition phase to ensure as much stability as possible for consumers who purchased insurance."</p>
<p>Asked about the numbers, HHS spokesman Matt Lloyd said the Trump administration sees "Obamacare" as a failure and is pursuing alternatives that will "work for the American people."</p>
<p>One state — Minnesota — took extraordinary measures to keep residents insured. The state has seen premium increases averaging from 50 percent to 67 percent, and lawmakers used $312 million in rainy day funds to buy down monthly rates for consumers who don't get federal subsidies. Since most health law customers already get federal assistance, the bulk of the state money is going to residents who purchase plans outside the government-sponsored marketplace.</p>
<p>Supporters of the health care law say the political uncertainty about its future probably kept many people from signing up.</p>
<p>"We heard from consumers saying they thought 'Obamacare' had ended with President Obama's administration," said Elizabeth Colvin, who heads the health care sign-up program at Foundation Communities, an Austin nonprofit serving low-income working people. "Some consumers said, 'Why bother if it's going to go away?'"</p>
<p>Although Colvin said the confusion made it harder to reach consumers, her program signed up some 4,000 people, or about 6 percent more than last year.</p>
<p>"These numbers demonstrate that there's a demand for this insurance, and that people see value in the financial protection...and the access it gives you to health care," she said.</p>
<p>Vincent Daley, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, works three jobs but none of them offers insurance. He signed up during open enrollment after missing last year's registration opportunity. "Insurance was extremely important because I had been through an accident before playing rugby," he said.</p>
<p>AP's tally of sign-ups comes as the Senate is moving to confirm Georgia congressman Tom Price as the nation's next health secretary. Price has told senators the administration does not want to "pull the rug out" from people now covered, and he all but acknowledged that there's no Trump replacement plan ready to roll out.</p>
<p>Independent analyst Caroline Pearson of the consulting firm Avalere Health said without the full support of the new administration, insurance markets will continue to struggle. "Insurer participation in 2018 remains uncertain, and some regions are at risk of having no participating plan," she said.</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Kyle Potter in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Bob Salsberg in Boston contributed to this report.</p> | 3,125 |
<p />
<p><a href="http://confiringline.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cruz-bully.jpg" type="external" />Bullying…the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively impose domination over others. Bullying…what better word is there to describe the growing number of RINOs in the House.</p>
<p>And while lately the issue and consequences of bullying in general has been all over the news…as in bullies in our schools, bullies on the playground, bullies in sports…sadly, the bullies within the ranks of the Republican party…certain long-term way past time to leave RINO bullies… seem to be dominating the headlines. These political bullies…as in the likes of John McCain and Lindsey Graham to name but two…held Republican lawmakers in both chambers hostage with their made-up doomsday scenarios about defaulting as they sold their party…and ‘We the People’…out to the Obama political machine. These bullies…in getting House Republicans to surrender to ‘Prince’ Harry Reid…a bully in his own right…and his anything but compromise Senate bill to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling…made those in the House, when it came their time to vote, appear as the humiliated, impotent, beaten down lawmakers they proved themselves to be.</p>
<p>And their bullying doom and gloom tactics overwhelmed and overtook any semblance of a backbone that Speaker of the House John Boehner once had.</p>
<p>As if the House surrender wasn’t bad enough, in their efforts to sell us all out, these Senate bullies tried to defame the few Republicans in both chambers who stood strong against Reid and crew…zeroing their bully pulpit tactics in on the one man who had the guts and courage to get in their faces from day one with his unwavering stance against the nightmare that is ObamaCare.</p>
<p>Senator Ted Cruz, called a bully by the RINOs, led the charge against the true party bullies and in retaliation has been slandered NOT only by Senate and House Democrats but by those within his own party…by those who wanted to acquiesce to ‘Prince’ Harry Reid from day one…by those who cared only that they and their cushy perks might be hurt by the shutdown while NOT caring one iota about those who were disrespected by this administration…as in our elderly WWII veterans.</p>
<p>And so any in either chamber who voted for this abomination of an anything but compromise bill…voting in lockstep for it even after Obama…and YES it was Barack HUSSEIN Obama….blocked the memorials to those who served…these sellouts MUST be voted out of office…and their bully tactics along with them.</p>
<p>True Conservative Republicans in Congress must unite and stand strong on two front…against the always liberal Democrats and also against the growing ranks of the RINO bullies who seem to be overtaking the House. And in the toxic environment that is the hallmark of today’s political scene, these political bullies must NOT be allowed to rule the roost, because if they do the Republican party…the party of our beloved Ronald Reagan…will be forever doomed…doomed because of ‘old guard’ bullies who will try to hang onto their political life by any means possible, including by NOT doing the people’s bidding if it does NOT serve their personal agendas.</p>
<p>But sadly, political bullying is NOT just the signature of those in DC…it trickles down through the states, the counties, all the way down to the local level. And at the local levels it can be even nastier than at the federal level…I know as I’ve just recently experienced a tried but failed bullying attempt against me. Standing strong against the individual and their pitiful attempt to bully me…intimidate me…I used something so often forgotten…so often overlooked…but something very effective in neutering a bully…in a word ‘facts’…and facts are the very thing the RINOs love to ignore.</p>
<p>And while this Lady Patriot does NOT take kindly to being bullied so should those who were elected to do the people’s bidding for those who succumb to bullying…like the RINOS in the House…are pitiful…with those who do the bullying even more so. And bullies like McCain and Graham will get theirs when they’re up for re-election…that is if they even have the guts to run after their sellout to the Democrats and Obama.</p>
<p>Bottom lie…all politics starts at the local level so at the local level is where the bullying must be squelched first so that those in power in DC…those who think they’re untouchable…get the message loud and clear that ‘We the People’ will NOT tolerate their political bullying and bickering at any level…especially by those from our own party who are trying to implode us from within.</p>
<p>We already have head bully Barack Hussein Obama trying to implode our country from within…we don’t need our own party bullies helping him.</p>
<p>And so the Republican Party must return to its true Conservative roots if we are to keep the House and take back the Senate in 2014…and that means the bullying tactics of the ‘old guard’ must NOT be allowed to dominate the conversation any longer. It’s time for the next generation of leaders to take over…new leaders that include members of those aligned with the TEA Party…for the TEA Party will be the salvation of the Republican party…that is after all the RINO bullies have been sent packing.</p>
<p>http://thepatriotfactor.blogspot.com/2013/10/op-ed-political-bullies.html</p> | Political bullies…existing at all levels of government | true | http://conservativefiringline.com/political-bullies-existing-levels-government/?fb_source%3Dpubv1 | 2013-10-22 | 0right
| Political bullies…existing at all levels of government
<p />
<p><a href="http://confiringline.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/cruz-bully.jpg" type="external" />Bullying…the use of force, threat, or coercion to abuse, intimidate, or aggressively impose domination over others. Bullying…what better word is there to describe the growing number of RINOs in the House.</p>
<p>And while lately the issue and consequences of bullying in general has been all over the news…as in bullies in our schools, bullies on the playground, bullies in sports…sadly, the bullies within the ranks of the Republican party…certain long-term way past time to leave RINO bullies… seem to be dominating the headlines. These political bullies…as in the likes of John McCain and Lindsey Graham to name but two…held Republican lawmakers in both chambers hostage with their made-up doomsday scenarios about defaulting as they sold their party…and ‘We the People’…out to the Obama political machine. These bullies…in getting House Republicans to surrender to ‘Prince’ Harry Reid…a bully in his own right…and his anything but compromise Senate bill to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling…made those in the House, when it came their time to vote, appear as the humiliated, impotent, beaten down lawmakers they proved themselves to be.</p>
<p>And their bullying doom and gloom tactics overwhelmed and overtook any semblance of a backbone that Speaker of the House John Boehner once had.</p>
<p>As if the House surrender wasn’t bad enough, in their efforts to sell us all out, these Senate bullies tried to defame the few Republicans in both chambers who stood strong against Reid and crew…zeroing their bully pulpit tactics in on the one man who had the guts and courage to get in their faces from day one with his unwavering stance against the nightmare that is ObamaCare.</p>
<p>Senator Ted Cruz, called a bully by the RINOs, led the charge against the true party bullies and in retaliation has been slandered NOT only by Senate and House Democrats but by those within his own party…by those who wanted to acquiesce to ‘Prince’ Harry Reid from day one…by those who cared only that they and their cushy perks might be hurt by the shutdown while NOT caring one iota about those who were disrespected by this administration…as in our elderly WWII veterans.</p>
<p>And so any in either chamber who voted for this abomination of an anything but compromise bill…voting in lockstep for it even after Obama…and YES it was Barack HUSSEIN Obama….blocked the memorials to those who served…these sellouts MUST be voted out of office…and their bully tactics along with them.</p>
<p>True Conservative Republicans in Congress must unite and stand strong on two front…against the always liberal Democrats and also against the growing ranks of the RINO bullies who seem to be overtaking the House. And in the toxic environment that is the hallmark of today’s political scene, these political bullies must NOT be allowed to rule the roost, because if they do the Republican party…the party of our beloved Ronald Reagan…will be forever doomed…doomed because of ‘old guard’ bullies who will try to hang onto their political life by any means possible, including by NOT doing the people’s bidding if it does NOT serve their personal agendas.</p>
<p>But sadly, political bullying is NOT just the signature of those in DC…it trickles down through the states, the counties, all the way down to the local level. And at the local levels it can be even nastier than at the federal level…I know as I’ve just recently experienced a tried but failed bullying attempt against me. Standing strong against the individual and their pitiful attempt to bully me…intimidate me…I used something so often forgotten…so often overlooked…but something very effective in neutering a bully…in a word ‘facts’…and facts are the very thing the RINOs love to ignore.</p>
<p>And while this Lady Patriot does NOT take kindly to being bullied so should those who were elected to do the people’s bidding for those who succumb to bullying…like the RINOS in the House…are pitiful…with those who do the bullying even more so. And bullies like McCain and Graham will get theirs when they’re up for re-election…that is if they even have the guts to run after their sellout to the Democrats and Obama.</p>
<p>Bottom lie…all politics starts at the local level so at the local level is where the bullying must be squelched first so that those in power in DC…those who think they’re untouchable…get the message loud and clear that ‘We the People’ will NOT tolerate their political bullying and bickering at any level…especially by those from our own party who are trying to implode us from within.</p>
<p>We already have head bully Barack Hussein Obama trying to implode our country from within…we don’t need our own party bullies helping him.</p>
<p>And so the Republican Party must return to its true Conservative roots if we are to keep the House and take back the Senate in 2014…and that means the bullying tactics of the ‘old guard’ must NOT be allowed to dominate the conversation any longer. It’s time for the next generation of leaders to take over…new leaders that include members of those aligned with the TEA Party…for the TEA Party will be the salvation of the Republican party…that is after all the RINO bullies have been sent packing.</p>
<p>http://thepatriotfactor.blogspot.com/2013/10/op-ed-political-bullies.html</p> | 3,126 |
<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Padres signed Japanese right-hander Kazuhisa Makita to a two-year contract Saturday.</p>
<p>The 33-year-old Makita was 10-4 with a 1.91 ERA the last two seasons with the Seibu Lions in Japan.</p>
<p>The submarine-throwing pitcher was the closer for bronze medal-winning Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017, going a combined 2-0 with three saves.</p>
<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Padres signed Japanese right-hander Kazuhisa Makita to a two-year contract Saturday.</p>
<p>The 33-year-old Makita was 10-4 with a 1.91 ERA the last two seasons with the Seibu Lions in Japan.</p>
<p>The submarine-throwing pitcher was the closer for bronze medal-winning Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017, going a combined 2-0 with three saves.</p> | Padres sign Japanese right-hander Kazuhisa Makita | false | https://apnews.com/amp/a4f82ab3bddb413c856f84ba0078cb7b | 2018-01-07 | 2least
| Padres sign Japanese right-hander Kazuhisa Makita
<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Padres signed Japanese right-hander Kazuhisa Makita to a two-year contract Saturday.</p>
<p>The 33-year-old Makita was 10-4 with a 1.91 ERA the last two seasons with the Seibu Lions in Japan.</p>
<p>The submarine-throwing pitcher was the closer for bronze medal-winning Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017, going a combined 2-0 with three saves.</p>
<p>SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Padres signed Japanese right-hander Kazuhisa Makita to a two-year contract Saturday.</p>
<p>The 33-year-old Makita was 10-4 with a 1.91 ERA the last two seasons with the Seibu Lions in Japan.</p>
<p>The submarine-throwing pitcher was the closer for bronze medal-winning Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2013 and 2017, going a combined 2-0 with three saves.</p> | 3,127 |
<p>Ivylise Simones</p>
<p />
<p>Until the election, we’re bringing you “The Trump Files,” a daily dose of telling episodes, strange but true stories, or curious scenes from the life of GOP nominee Donald Trump.</p>
<p>“We’re going to have professors and adjunct professors that are absolutely terrific,” Donald Trump once promised potential students at the now-defunct Trump University <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvaaeHP9xtQ" type="external">in a marketing video</a>. “Terrific people. Terrific brains. Successful.” And to reassure them, he made a promise: “These are all people that are handpicked by me.”</p>
<p>Not quite.</p>
<p>Trump University has been sued for illegal business practices, fraud, and racketeering three times, once <a href="http://www.law360.com/articles/765712/ny-appeals-court-revives-fraud-charges-on-trump-school" type="external">by the state of New York</a> and twice by former students in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trumpuniversity-idUSKCN10211J" type="external">federal courts</a> in California. The school was also investigated and then ceased operations in Texas, where <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=4&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjzn7vf1NrOAhVGGx4KHZgOCywQFgg9MAM&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fblogs%2Fballot-box%2Fpresidential-races%2F282064-report-attorneys-general-who-declined-to-prosecute-trump&amp;usg=AFQjCNHwziLsZk6iP95Tve3BWPZ7dHVfJg" type="external">a state regulator claims</a> the probe was dropped for “political reasons”—Trump later <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=4&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjzn7vf1NrOAhVGGx4KHZgOCywQFgg9MAM&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fblogs%2Fballot-box%2Fpresidential-races%2F282064-report-attorneys-general-who-declined-to-prosecute-trump&amp;usg=AFQjCNHwziLsZk6iP95Tve3BWPZ7dHVfJg" type="external">gave $35,000</a> to the gubernatorial campaign of Greg Abbott, who was the Texas attorney general during the Trump University investigation. And it turned out that the “terrific” instructors at Trump University turned out to be mostly high-pressure salesmen who <a href="http://time.com/4101290/what-the-legal-battle-over-trump-university-reveals-about-its-founder/" type="external">pushed attendees</a> to purchase $35,000 Trump University courses, even if it meant calling their banks for a credit limit raise on the spot. The professorial ranks included people with <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/us/politics/donald-trump-university.html?_r=0" type="external">no real estate experience</a> and even <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/08/trump-university-s-shady-faculty.html" type="external">a convicted felon</a>. Donald Trump knew none of them.</p>
<p>As investigative reporter David Cay Johnston wrote in his new book, The Making of Donald Trump, Trump admitted during legal proceedings that his claims to have handpicked the faculty were false.</p>
<p>In 2012, when Trump was <a href="http://time.com/4101290/what-the-legal-battle-over-trump-university-reveals-about-its-founder/" type="external">sued for civil fraud</a> in California, attorney Rachel Jensen read the names of one faculty member after another, displayed photographs of them, and offered video footage of faculty at Trump University “live events.” Trump, who complained that this line of questioning was a waste of time, could not identify a single person. “Too many years ago…too many years ago…it’s ancient history,” he said. Some of these events had taken place fewer than two years earlier.</p>
<p>Jensen finally asked Trump if he could name a single Trump University “live events” instructor. “I don’t know the instructors,” he replied.</p>
<p>Read the rest of “The Trump Files”:</p>
<p /> | The Trump Files: Donald Couldn’t Name Any of His “Handpicked” Trump U Professors | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/trump-files-donald-couldnt-remember-any-his-handpicked-trump-u-team/ | 2016-08-26 | 4left
| The Trump Files: Donald Couldn’t Name Any of His “Handpicked” Trump U Professors
<p>Ivylise Simones</p>
<p />
<p>Until the election, we’re bringing you “The Trump Files,” a daily dose of telling episodes, strange but true stories, or curious scenes from the life of GOP nominee Donald Trump.</p>
<p>“We’re going to have professors and adjunct professors that are absolutely terrific,” Donald Trump once promised potential students at the now-defunct Trump University <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvaaeHP9xtQ" type="external">in a marketing video</a>. “Terrific people. Terrific brains. Successful.” And to reassure them, he made a promise: “These are all people that are handpicked by me.”</p>
<p>Not quite.</p>
<p>Trump University has been sued for illegal business practices, fraud, and racketeering three times, once <a href="http://www.law360.com/articles/765712/ny-appeals-court-revives-fraud-charges-on-trump-school" type="external">by the state of New York</a> and twice by former students in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trumpuniversity-idUSKCN10211J" type="external">federal courts</a> in California. The school was also investigated and then ceased operations in Texas, where <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=4&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjzn7vf1NrOAhVGGx4KHZgOCywQFgg9MAM&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fblogs%2Fballot-box%2Fpresidential-races%2F282064-report-attorneys-general-who-declined-to-prosecute-trump&amp;usg=AFQjCNHwziLsZk6iP95Tve3BWPZ7dHVfJg" type="external">a state regulator claims</a> the probe was dropped for “political reasons”—Trump later <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=4&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjzn7vf1NrOAhVGGx4KHZgOCywQFgg9MAM&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fblogs%2Fballot-box%2Fpresidential-races%2F282064-report-attorneys-general-who-declined-to-prosecute-trump&amp;usg=AFQjCNHwziLsZk6iP95Tve3BWPZ7dHVfJg" type="external">gave $35,000</a> to the gubernatorial campaign of Greg Abbott, who was the Texas attorney general during the Trump University investigation. And it turned out that the “terrific” instructors at Trump University turned out to be mostly high-pressure salesmen who <a href="http://time.com/4101290/what-the-legal-battle-over-trump-university-reveals-about-its-founder/" type="external">pushed attendees</a> to purchase $35,000 Trump University courses, even if it meant calling their banks for a credit limit raise on the spot. The professorial ranks included people with <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/us/politics/donald-trump-university.html?_r=0" type="external">no real estate experience</a> and even <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/03/08/trump-university-s-shady-faculty.html" type="external">a convicted felon</a>. Donald Trump knew none of them.</p>
<p>As investigative reporter David Cay Johnston wrote in his new book, The Making of Donald Trump, Trump admitted during legal proceedings that his claims to have handpicked the faculty were false.</p>
<p>In 2012, when Trump was <a href="http://time.com/4101290/what-the-legal-battle-over-trump-university-reveals-about-its-founder/" type="external">sued for civil fraud</a> in California, attorney Rachel Jensen read the names of one faculty member after another, displayed photographs of them, and offered video footage of faculty at Trump University “live events.” Trump, who complained that this line of questioning was a waste of time, could not identify a single person. “Too many years ago…too many years ago…it’s ancient history,” he said. Some of these events had taken place fewer than two years earlier.</p>
<p>Jensen finally asked Trump if he could name a single Trump University “live events” instructor. “I don’t know the instructors,” he replied.</p>
<p>Read the rest of “The Trump Files”:</p>
<p /> | 3,128 |
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<p />
<p>WASHINGTON – Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights organization, posted an alert on its blog Tuesday: “Paul Ryan Speaking at Hate Group’s Annual Conference.”</p>
<p>The “hate group” that the Republicans’ vice presidential candidate would be addressing? The Family Research Council, a mainstream conservative think tank founded by James Dobson and run for many years by Gary Bauer.</p>
<p>The day after the gay rights group’s alert went out, 28-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins II walked into the Family Research Council’s Washington headquarters and, according to an FBI affidavit, proclaimed words to the effect of “I don’t like your politics” – and shot the security guard. Corkins, who had recently volunteered at a gay community center, was carrying a 9mm handgun, a box of ammunition and a backpack full of Chick-fil-A – the company whose president recently spoke out against gay marriage.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Mercifully, the gunman was restrained, and nobody was killed. When I walked by the Family Research Council building in downtown Washington on Thursday afternoon, things were returning to normal. Outside the main doors, above which is inscribed the group’s “Faith, Family, Freedom” motto, some discarded yellow police tape lay on the sidewalk. Attention to the incident had already begun to fade.</p>
<p>That’s unfortunate, because this shooting should remind us all of an important truth: that while much of the political anger in America today lies on the right, there are unbalanced and potentially violent people of all political persuasions. The rest of us need to be careful about hurling accusations that can stir up the crazies.</p>
<p>Human Rights Campaign isn’t responsible for the shooting. Neither should the organization that deemed the FRC a “hate group,” the Southern Poverty Law Center, be blamed for a madman’s act. But both are reckless in labeling as a “hate group” a policy shop that advocates for a full range of conservative Christian positions, on issues from stem cells to euthanasia.</p>
<p>I disagree with the Family Research Council’s views on gays and lesbians. But it’s absurd to put the group, as the law center does, in the same category as Aryan Nations, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Stormfront and the Westboro Baptist Church. The center says the FRC “often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science.” Exhibit A in its dossier is a quote by an FRC official from 1999 (!) saying that “gaining access to children has been a long-term goal of the homosexual movement.”</p>
<p>Offensive, certainly. But in the same category as the KKK?</p>
<p>Since the shooting, conservatives have complained that the media have played down the story. This probably has less to do with bias than with the fact that nobody was killed. Still, there is something to the complaint.</p>
<p>I took issue with Glenn Beck for stirring up the unstable by promoting conspiracy theories in the mass media; more than one Beck follower became violent. What the Southern Poverty Law Center and Human Rights Campaign have done isn’t close to the level of provocation Beck achieved, but that doesn’t justify their actions. The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes gay marriage, is right to say that the attack “is the clearest sign we’ve seen that labeling pro-marriage groups as ‘hateful’ must end.”</p>
<p>Gays and lesbians are winning the fight for equality by example and persuasion. Those who support gay rights will gain nothing by sticking inflammatory labels on their opponents, many of whom are driven by deeply held religious beliefs.</p>
<p>The Family Research Council’s president, Tony Perkins, said Thursday that “Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center.” This goes too far. Nobody gave Corkins a license to kill. But at the same time, “hate,” a strong word, has been used too loosely – whether it’s Mitt Romney telling President Obama to take his “campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago,” or the Southern Poverty Law Center lumping a Christian policy group in with hooded bigots.</p>
<p>Late Thursday, the law center fired back at Perkins, defending its categorization of the FRC as a hate group because it “has knowingly spread false and denigrating propaganda about LGBT people.” The center said that Perkins should stop putting out “claims that are provably false” about gay people.</p>
<p>Yes, Perkins should stop doing that. But even if he doesn’t, the Southern Poverty Law Center should stop listing a mainstream Christian advocacy group alongside neo-Nazis and Klansmen.</p>
<p>Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. Copyright 2011, Washington Post Writers Group.</p> | Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate | false | https://abqjournal.com/125704/hate-cannot-drive-out-hate.html | 2012-08-22 | 2least
| Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate
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<p />
<p>WASHINGTON – Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights organization, posted an alert on its blog Tuesday: “Paul Ryan Speaking at Hate Group’s Annual Conference.”</p>
<p>The “hate group” that the Republicans’ vice presidential candidate would be addressing? The Family Research Council, a mainstream conservative think tank founded by James Dobson and run for many years by Gary Bauer.</p>
<p>The day after the gay rights group’s alert went out, 28-year-old Floyd Lee Corkins II walked into the Family Research Council’s Washington headquarters and, according to an FBI affidavit, proclaimed words to the effect of “I don’t like your politics” – and shot the security guard. Corkins, who had recently volunteered at a gay community center, was carrying a 9mm handgun, a box of ammunition and a backpack full of Chick-fil-A – the company whose president recently spoke out against gay marriage.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Mercifully, the gunman was restrained, and nobody was killed. When I walked by the Family Research Council building in downtown Washington on Thursday afternoon, things were returning to normal. Outside the main doors, above which is inscribed the group’s “Faith, Family, Freedom” motto, some discarded yellow police tape lay on the sidewalk. Attention to the incident had already begun to fade.</p>
<p>That’s unfortunate, because this shooting should remind us all of an important truth: that while much of the political anger in America today lies on the right, there are unbalanced and potentially violent people of all political persuasions. The rest of us need to be careful about hurling accusations that can stir up the crazies.</p>
<p>Human Rights Campaign isn’t responsible for the shooting. Neither should the organization that deemed the FRC a “hate group,” the Southern Poverty Law Center, be blamed for a madman’s act. But both are reckless in labeling as a “hate group” a policy shop that advocates for a full range of conservative Christian positions, on issues from stem cells to euthanasia.</p>
<p>I disagree with the Family Research Council’s views on gays and lesbians. But it’s absurd to put the group, as the law center does, in the same category as Aryan Nations, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Stormfront and the Westboro Baptist Church. The center says the FRC “often makes false claims about the LGBT community based on discredited research and junk science.” Exhibit A in its dossier is a quote by an FRC official from 1999 (!) saying that “gaining access to children has been a long-term goal of the homosexual movement.”</p>
<p>Offensive, certainly. But in the same category as the KKK?</p>
<p>Since the shooting, conservatives have complained that the media have played down the story. This probably has less to do with bias than with the fact that nobody was killed. Still, there is something to the complaint.</p>
<p>I took issue with Glenn Beck for stirring up the unstable by promoting conspiracy theories in the mass media; more than one Beck follower became violent. What the Southern Poverty Law Center and Human Rights Campaign have done isn’t close to the level of provocation Beck achieved, but that doesn’t justify their actions. The National Organization for Marriage, which opposes gay marriage, is right to say that the attack “is the clearest sign we’ve seen that labeling pro-marriage groups as ‘hateful’ must end.”</p>
<p>Gays and lesbians are winning the fight for equality by example and persuasion. Those who support gay rights will gain nothing by sticking inflammatory labels on their opponents, many of whom are driven by deeply held religious beliefs.</p>
<p>The Family Research Council’s president, Tony Perkins, said Thursday that “Corkins was given a license to shoot an unarmed man by organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center.” This goes too far. Nobody gave Corkins a license to kill. But at the same time, “hate,” a strong word, has been used too loosely – whether it’s Mitt Romney telling President Obama to take his “campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago,” or the Southern Poverty Law Center lumping a Christian policy group in with hooded bigots.</p>
<p>Late Thursday, the law center fired back at Perkins, defending its categorization of the FRC as a hate group because it “has knowingly spread false and denigrating propaganda about LGBT people.” The center said that Perkins should stop putting out “claims that are provably false” about gay people.</p>
<p>Yes, Perkins should stop doing that. But even if he doesn’t, the Southern Poverty Law Center should stop listing a mainstream Christian advocacy group alongside neo-Nazis and Klansmen.</p>
<p>Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. Copyright 2011, Washington Post Writers Group.</p> | 3,129 |
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<p>Ground preparation work is underway on the southeast corner of U.S. 550 and Calle Don Tomas on what will be a Corner Store with a Valero fueling station. (Rosalie Rayburn/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>BERNALILLO – Development is picking up in the town of Bernalillo with a multifamily complex and a new Corner Store under construction, a brewery opening not long ago and a barbecue restaurant in the works.</p>
<p>Coronado Town Home Apartments now being built on Calle Don Tomas, just south of U.S. 550, is a 36-unit development comprising 1,332-square-foot three bedroom-two bathroom apartments.</p>
<p>The builder is local businessman Brian Rael of MBR Development.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Mayor Jack Torres said the apartments will be a welcome addition to the housing stock in Bernalillo. He said the town has few homes available for rent and they are snapped up as soon as there is a vacancy.</p>
<p>Torres outlined the new developments at a meeting in December with state legislators.</p>
<p>“We are really going through a mini-boom,” Torres told them.</p>
<p>The Coronado Town Home Apartments complex under construction on Calle Don Tomas just south of U.S. 550 will have 36 units offering 1,332 square feet of space with three bedrooms and two baths. (Rosalie Rayburn/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>On the southeast corner of U.S. 550 and Calle Don Tomas, Texas-based CST is preparing to build a 5,650-square-foot Corner Store that will have space for indoor and outdoor eating, an ATM and an area for beer sales. It will also have eight dispensers selling Valero fuel, including E85 and diesel.</p>
<p>The store and fueling station are slated to open in April, a company spokeswoman said in an email.</p>
<p>The site was previously occupied by a Public Service Company of New Mexico payment center, which closed in 2008.</p>
<p>Elsewhere, Kaktus Brewery opened in October at 471 S. Hill Road offering about eight beers on tap and a limited menu. Owner Dana Koller is one of the organizers of the Oktoberfest in Rio Rancho and a bicycle tour of Corrales wineries.</p>
<p>Also, Rio Rancho resident Gina Valdez is seeking zoning permission to open Back Sass Barbecue, a barbecue restaurant at 213 N. Camino del Pueblo, just north of U.S. 550. The space was formerly operated as a Chinese restaurant.</p>
<p>Valdez has run her business from a mobile unit for several years and is currently selling barbecued meats, including brisket, turkey legs and pulled pork from the truck in front of the restaurant .</p>
<p /> | Bernalillo enjoys development ‘mini-boom’ | false | https://abqjournal.com/335491/bernalillo-enjoys-development-miniboom.html | 2014-01-13 | 2least
| Bernalillo enjoys development ‘mini-boom’
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<p>Ground preparation work is underway on the southeast corner of U.S. 550 and Calle Don Tomas on what will be a Corner Store with a Valero fueling station. (Rosalie Rayburn/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>BERNALILLO – Development is picking up in the town of Bernalillo with a multifamily complex and a new Corner Store under construction, a brewery opening not long ago and a barbecue restaurant in the works.</p>
<p>Coronado Town Home Apartments now being built on Calle Don Tomas, just south of U.S. 550, is a 36-unit development comprising 1,332-square-foot three bedroom-two bathroom apartments.</p>
<p>The builder is local businessman Brian Rael of MBR Development.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Mayor Jack Torres said the apartments will be a welcome addition to the housing stock in Bernalillo. He said the town has few homes available for rent and they are snapped up as soon as there is a vacancy.</p>
<p>Torres outlined the new developments at a meeting in December with state legislators.</p>
<p>“We are really going through a mini-boom,” Torres told them.</p>
<p>The Coronado Town Home Apartments complex under construction on Calle Don Tomas just south of U.S. 550 will have 36 units offering 1,332 square feet of space with three bedrooms and two baths. (Rosalie Rayburn/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>On the southeast corner of U.S. 550 and Calle Don Tomas, Texas-based CST is preparing to build a 5,650-square-foot Corner Store that will have space for indoor and outdoor eating, an ATM and an area for beer sales. It will also have eight dispensers selling Valero fuel, including E85 and diesel.</p>
<p>The store and fueling station are slated to open in April, a company spokeswoman said in an email.</p>
<p>The site was previously occupied by a Public Service Company of New Mexico payment center, which closed in 2008.</p>
<p>Elsewhere, Kaktus Brewery opened in October at 471 S. Hill Road offering about eight beers on tap and a limited menu. Owner Dana Koller is one of the organizers of the Oktoberfest in Rio Rancho and a bicycle tour of Corrales wineries.</p>
<p>Also, Rio Rancho resident Gina Valdez is seeking zoning permission to open Back Sass Barbecue, a barbecue restaurant at 213 N. Camino del Pueblo, just north of U.S. 550. The space was formerly operated as a Chinese restaurant.</p>
<p>Valdez has run her business from a mobile unit for several years and is currently selling barbecued meats, including brisket, turkey legs and pulled pork from the truck in front of the restaurant .</p>
<p /> | 3,130 |
<p>PRESS RELEASE</p>
<p>SACRAMENTO, CA – New legislation by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) to simplify the process for removing a public official from office for willful or corrupt misconduct in office today received bipartisan support from the California Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety. The committee voted unanimously, 5-0, to advance the bill, SB 1357. Current law is unclear as to whether an accusation should be presented by a civil grand jury or a criminal grand jury. SB 1357 would remove ambiguity in the law and make the responsibility of presenting an accusation to a criminal grand jury.</p>
<p>“District attorneys should have a clear path to prosecute a corrupt public official. They should not have to worry about their case being thrown out because of a procedural error or wasting valuable time and money in the wrong court,” said Senator Cannella. “We must make it easier for district attorneys to do their jobs so those that violate our public trust are brought to justice.”</p>
<p>In the 1970s, appellate courts began dismissing rulings made by specially selected civil grand juries, deeming accusations to be criminal in nature. However, in 1993, the Attorney General opined that criminal grand juries could not handle civil matters. Thus, if an accusation was found to be a civil matter, the ruling from a criminal grand jury could be dismissed.</p>
<p>“I applaud Senator Cannella for taking on this important legislation. As a district attorney, it is frustrating to have the law unclear,” said Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo. “This bill will solve the problem now rather than risk years of litigation and expense to settle the issue through the courts.”</p>
<p>Following today’s Public Safety Committee vote, the bill will be scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.</p> | Legislation to Simplify Removing Corrupt Public Officials Receives Bipartisan Support | false | https://ivn.us/2012/03/27/legislation-to-simplify-removing-corrupt-public-officials-receives-bipartisan-support/ | 2012-03-27 | 2least
| Legislation to Simplify Removing Corrupt Public Officials Receives Bipartisan Support
<p>PRESS RELEASE</p>
<p>SACRAMENTO, CA – New legislation by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) to simplify the process for removing a public official from office for willful or corrupt misconduct in office today received bipartisan support from the California Senate Standing Committee on Public Safety. The committee voted unanimously, 5-0, to advance the bill, SB 1357. Current law is unclear as to whether an accusation should be presented by a civil grand jury or a criminal grand jury. SB 1357 would remove ambiguity in the law and make the responsibility of presenting an accusation to a criminal grand jury.</p>
<p>“District attorneys should have a clear path to prosecute a corrupt public official. They should not have to worry about their case being thrown out because of a procedural error or wasting valuable time and money in the wrong court,” said Senator Cannella. “We must make it easier for district attorneys to do their jobs so those that violate our public trust are brought to justice.”</p>
<p>In the 1970s, appellate courts began dismissing rulings made by specially selected civil grand juries, deeming accusations to be criminal in nature. However, in 1993, the Attorney General opined that criminal grand juries could not handle civil matters. Thus, if an accusation was found to be a civil matter, the ruling from a criminal grand jury could be dismissed.</p>
<p>“I applaud Senator Cannella for taking on this important legislation. As a district attorney, it is frustrating to have the law unclear,” said Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo. “This bill will solve the problem now rather than risk years of litigation and expense to settle the issue through the courts.”</p>
<p>Following today’s Public Safety Committee vote, the bill will be scheduled for a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee.</p> | 3,131 |
<p>Donald Trump has been incredibly vocal about the list of guests he is thinking about inviting to Monday night’s debate at Hofstra University in New York. As The Daily Wire <a href="" type="internal">reported</a> Sunday, Trump has been flirting with the idea of extending an invitation to Bill Clinton’s mistresses, including Gennifer Flowers, a woman the philandering former president had a 12-year with.</p>
<p>Trump’s possible guest list has attracted a fair amount of media scrutiny in a way that Hillary Clinton’s cemented guest list hasn’t.</p>
<p>The Clinton campaign released a partial list of guests invited by the Democratic nominee on Monday morning. As calculated as she is corrupt, Hillary’s list of guests features a significant number of faces meant to throw Trump off his game.</p>
<p>The list includes a domestic abuse survivor meant to broadcast Hillary’s “empathy” and “pro-woman” bonafides in the face of Trump’s “misogynistic rhetoric.”</p>
<p>Hillary’s exploitation of traumatized individuals doesn’t stop there, however. The campaign has also invited a 9/11 survivor and a woman who suffers from cerebral palsy.</p>
<p>In the months since Trump mocked a disabled reporter using hand gestures to convey a sense of intellectual impotence, the Clinton campaign has placed Anastasia Somoza, a disability advocate and cerebral palsy patient, front-and-center in a number of television commercials and internet ads, to stress the fact that her GOP opponent is missing a necessary element of humanity to be president.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Hillary’s list of guests consist of mostly women. The one exception is Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks billionaire who has recently mocked Trump’s seemingly exaggerated boasting about his wealth.</p>
<p>Clinton’s vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine will attend a viewing party organized by the Human Rights campaign, a major Hillary donor, in the swing state of Florida. He will be joined by Clinton ally and gun-control advocate former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.</p> | Trump May Invite Bill’s Former Mistresses To the Debate. Here’s Who Hillary Is Bringing. | true | https://dailywire.com/news/9476/trump-may-invite-bills-former-mistresses-debate-michael-qazvini | 2016-09-26 | 0right
| Trump May Invite Bill’s Former Mistresses To the Debate. Here’s Who Hillary Is Bringing.
<p>Donald Trump has been incredibly vocal about the list of guests he is thinking about inviting to Monday night’s debate at Hofstra University in New York. As The Daily Wire <a href="" type="internal">reported</a> Sunday, Trump has been flirting with the idea of extending an invitation to Bill Clinton’s mistresses, including Gennifer Flowers, a woman the philandering former president had a 12-year with.</p>
<p>Trump’s possible guest list has attracted a fair amount of media scrutiny in a way that Hillary Clinton’s cemented guest list hasn’t.</p>
<p>The Clinton campaign released a partial list of guests invited by the Democratic nominee on Monday morning. As calculated as she is corrupt, Hillary’s list of guests features a significant number of faces meant to throw Trump off his game.</p>
<p>The list includes a domestic abuse survivor meant to broadcast Hillary’s “empathy” and “pro-woman” bonafides in the face of Trump’s “misogynistic rhetoric.”</p>
<p>Hillary’s exploitation of traumatized individuals doesn’t stop there, however. The campaign has also invited a 9/11 survivor and a woman who suffers from cerebral palsy.</p>
<p>In the months since Trump mocked a disabled reporter using hand gestures to convey a sense of intellectual impotence, the Clinton campaign has placed Anastasia Somoza, a disability advocate and cerebral palsy patient, front-and-center in a number of television commercials and internet ads, to stress the fact that her GOP opponent is missing a necessary element of humanity to be president.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, Hillary’s list of guests consist of mostly women. The one exception is Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks billionaire who has recently mocked Trump’s seemingly exaggerated boasting about his wealth.</p>
<p>Clinton’s vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine will attend a viewing party organized by the Human Rights campaign, a major Hillary donor, in the swing state of Florida. He will be joined by Clinton ally and gun-control advocate former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.</p> | 3,132 |
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<p>Isaiah Vasquez, 19.</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 19-year-old man accused of murdering a woman at a Southwest Albuquerque party told police he had drunk a large amount of alcohol and fired a gun to scare people, but didn’t know he had shot anyone, according to court records.</p>
<p>Police were called to the shooting on the 7400 block of Desert Morning SW just after 4 a.m. Sunday. They found a woman lying dead in the street, and a man had been taken to the hospital after being shot in the arm.</p>
<p>Witnesses told police the alleged shooter, later identified as 19-year-old Isaiah Vasquez, fled in a gray Dodge Charger and the rear window of the car had been shot out.</p>
<p>An officer spotted the car in the area 10 minutes later, and detained Vasquez and his girlfriend, who was driving, according to the criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.</p>
<p>Vasquez’s girlfriend told police she had gone to the party with him, and got in a fight with another woman, later identified as Carla Estrada, 26 or 27. The fight turned physical, and then Vasquez pointed his gun at the crowd, she said. He fired, and they ran to his car, according to the criminal complaint.</p>
<p>The girlfriend said Estrada ran up to the car and started punching her, which is when Vasquez reached over and shot Estrada.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Someone else shot at them as they were leaving, shattering the window, she said.</p>
<p>Vasquez told police a similar account, but said he was just trying to scare people and didn’t know he shot Estrada, according to the complaint. He said he thought he might have hit another man in the arm.</p>
<p>Vasquez was charged with an open count of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and booked into the county jail on $250,000 bail.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Suspect says he didn’t realize he’d shot anybody | false | https://abqjournal.com/548822/apd-man-shot-and-killed-woman-at-sw-albuquerque-party.html | 2015-03-02 | 2least
| Suspect says he didn’t realize he’d shot anybody
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<p>Isaiah Vasquez, 19.</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 19-year-old man accused of murdering a woman at a Southwest Albuquerque party told police he had drunk a large amount of alcohol and fired a gun to scare people, but didn’t know he had shot anyone, according to court records.</p>
<p>Police were called to the shooting on the 7400 block of Desert Morning SW just after 4 a.m. Sunday. They found a woman lying dead in the street, and a man had been taken to the hospital after being shot in the arm.</p>
<p>Witnesses told police the alleged shooter, later identified as 19-year-old Isaiah Vasquez, fled in a gray Dodge Charger and the rear window of the car had been shot out.</p>
<p>An officer spotted the car in the area 10 minutes later, and detained Vasquez and his girlfriend, who was driving, according to the criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.</p>
<p>Vasquez’s girlfriend told police she had gone to the party with him, and got in a fight with another woman, later identified as Carla Estrada, 26 or 27. The fight turned physical, and then Vasquez pointed his gun at the crowd, she said. He fired, and they ran to his car, according to the criminal complaint.</p>
<p>The girlfriend said Estrada ran up to the car and started punching her, which is when Vasquez reached over and shot Estrada.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Someone else shot at them as they were leaving, shattering the window, she said.</p>
<p>Vasquez told police a similar account, but said he was just trying to scare people and didn’t know he shot Estrada, according to the complaint. He said he thought he might have hit another man in the arm.</p>
<p>Vasquez was charged with an open count of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and booked into the county jail on $250,000 bail.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 3,133 |
<p>Mayor de Blasio heads to the Hawkeye State next week. It's his third trip to the state in the last two years.</p>
<p>As a guest on the Brian Lehrer Show Friday, the mayor was asked if this latest trip signaled a plan to run for president in 2020. While he never said the word, "no," de Blasio insisted&#160;that his priority is to serve the people who just re-elected him mayor of New York City.</p>
<p>"We've got a lot to do and very aggressive agenda for the next four years," de Blasio said.</p>
<p>But he also made clear that he has no plans to abandon the national conversation about the future of the&#160;Democratice&#160;party.</p>
<p>"As the leader of the largest city in the country and a proud Democrat and progressive, I want to use my voice to support change in our party and in our country and particularly to support people and organizations that are making that change," he said.</p>
<p>The mayor was invited to be the featured speaker at the holiday party of&#160; <a href="http://progressiowa.org/about/" type="external">Progress Iowa</a> on Tuesday night. It's a left-leaning grassroots advocacy organization that touts 70,000 members and has welcomed the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to previous events.</p>
<p>Political watchers in Iowa say it's never too early to put out 2020 feelers. It's also not unusual for someone&#160;to say they are&#160;not running now&#160;and then change their mind a few months later.</p>
<p>"Even if he's not laying the groundwork for a presidential bid in 2020, it will serve him well from a national perspective to be one of those progressive voices that is creating a larger national conversation," said Rachel Paine Caufield, a professor of political science at Drake University in Des Moines.</p>
<p>This would not be de Blasio's first attempt at taking his bully pulpit on the road to influence the national political conversation.</p>
<p>In 2015, he <a href="" type="internal">announced plans for the so-called Progressive Agenda</a>, a coalition of progressive leaders who wanted to ensure that income inequality was part of the 2016 presidential debate. They planned to hold a presidential forum in Iowa that fall, but&#160; <a href="" type="internal">the group pulled the plug</a> due to lack of participation.</p>
<p>Caufield said if there is any lesson from the last presidential election, it is that the left-wing of the Democratic party is organized and eager to hear from more progressive voices like his. She also said his trips to Iowa can't be overlooked.</p>
<p>"You might fly over Iowa," said Caufield, "but very few people fly to Iowa by accident."</p> | De Blasio Heads to Iowa, But Insists His Priority Is NYC | false | https://wnyc.org/story/de-blasio-heads-iowa-insists-his-priority-nyc/ | 2017-12-15 | 3left-center
| De Blasio Heads to Iowa, But Insists His Priority Is NYC
<p>Mayor de Blasio heads to the Hawkeye State next week. It's his third trip to the state in the last two years.</p>
<p>As a guest on the Brian Lehrer Show Friday, the mayor was asked if this latest trip signaled a plan to run for president in 2020. While he never said the word, "no," de Blasio insisted&#160;that his priority is to serve the people who just re-elected him mayor of New York City.</p>
<p>"We've got a lot to do and very aggressive agenda for the next four years," de Blasio said.</p>
<p>But he also made clear that he has no plans to abandon the national conversation about the future of the&#160;Democratice&#160;party.</p>
<p>"As the leader of the largest city in the country and a proud Democrat and progressive, I want to use my voice to support change in our party and in our country and particularly to support people and organizations that are making that change," he said.</p>
<p>The mayor was invited to be the featured speaker at the holiday party of&#160; <a href="http://progressiowa.org/about/" type="external">Progress Iowa</a> on Tuesday night. It's a left-leaning grassroots advocacy organization that touts 70,000 members and has welcomed the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to previous events.</p>
<p>Political watchers in Iowa say it's never too early to put out 2020 feelers. It's also not unusual for someone&#160;to say they are&#160;not running now&#160;and then change their mind a few months later.</p>
<p>"Even if he's not laying the groundwork for a presidential bid in 2020, it will serve him well from a national perspective to be one of those progressive voices that is creating a larger national conversation," said Rachel Paine Caufield, a professor of political science at Drake University in Des Moines.</p>
<p>This would not be de Blasio's first attempt at taking his bully pulpit on the road to influence the national political conversation.</p>
<p>In 2015, he <a href="" type="internal">announced plans for the so-called Progressive Agenda</a>, a coalition of progressive leaders who wanted to ensure that income inequality was part of the 2016 presidential debate. They planned to hold a presidential forum in Iowa that fall, but&#160; <a href="" type="internal">the group pulled the plug</a> due to lack of participation.</p>
<p>Caufield said if there is any lesson from the last presidential election, it is that the left-wing of the Democratic party is organized and eager to hear from more progressive voices like his. She also said his trips to Iowa can't be overlooked.</p>
<p>"You might fly over Iowa," said Caufield, "but very few people fly to Iowa by accident."</p> | 3,134 |
<p />
<p>Countless workers rely on tax deductions to hang onto more of their hard-earned money. But just how much cash will your deductions help you pocket? Tax deductions work by reducing the amount of your income that's subject to taxes. The value of your tax deductions will therefore be a function of your total write offs multiplied by your effective tax rate. The more federal tax deductions you can claim, the more of your earnings you'll shield from the IRS.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Any time you take a tax deduction, what you're doing is excluding that amount of income from taxes. If you earn $50,000 a year and claim a $2,000 tax deduction, you're essentially taking that $2,000 out of the tax equation so that you're only required to pay taxes on the remaining $48,000.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Just how much will those tax deductions save you? It depends on your effective tax rate. Say you typically lose 25% of your earnings to taxes. If you're eligible for a $2,000 deduction, your tax savings will be 25% of that amount, or $500.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Some people use the terms "tax deduction" and "tax credit" interchangeably, but in reality, they're very different beasts. A credit won't exempt part of your income from taxes; rather, it will serve as a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your tax liability.</p>
<p>To illustrate the point, imagine that both you and your colleague are eligible for a $2,000 tax deduction, only while your effective tax rate is 25%, his is 28%. In that case, you'd each benefit differently from that tax deduction -- you'd save $500 on your taxes, while your colleague would save $560. With a $2,000 tax credit, on the other hand, you'd each get the same value -- an automatic $2,000 tax savings, regardless of what your tax rate happens to be.</p>
<p>Another key difference between these two types of tax savings is that tax credits tend to phase out at higher income levels, which means strong earners often can't claim them. Tax deductions, on the other hand, are usually far more applicable to a wide range of taxpayers, making them a valuable savings tool regardless of income.</p>
<p>There are numerous tax deductions available to <a href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/02/05/3-tax-breaks-homeowners-shouldnt-forget.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">homeowners Opens a New Window.</a>, the greatest of which is typically the mortgage interest deduction. Homeowners can also write off their property taxes, mortgage points, and private mortgage insurance (PMI) premiums.</p>
<p>If you're self-employed, there are a number of <a href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2016/12/23/5-self-employment-tax-deductions-you-should-know-a.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">key deductions you should know about Opens a New Window.</a>. If you use your vehicle for business purposes, you're allowed to deduct mileage. You can also deduct direct business expenses, like office supplies, as well as indirect expenses, like heat, water, and electricity in your home, if you have a dedicated space on your property where you do your work. And if you pay for health insurance out-of-pocket, like many self-employed workers do, you can take a deduction for your premiums as well.</p>
<p>Many taxpayers are also eligible to deduct their charitable contributions, including the value of goods they donate in lieu of cash. And if you come away with a net loss on your investments, you can take as much as a $3,000 deduction for any given tax year.</p>
<p>Some tax deductions are more restrictive and therefore less popular than others, but if you're looking to shave money off your tax bill, it pays to see whether you're eligible. If you spend a lot of money on medical expenses, for example, you can deduct any costs that exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Similarly, you can deduct up to $2,500 in student loan interest if you meet certain conditions.</p>
<p>If you move during a given tax year for the purpose of getting a new job, you can deduct the cost of relocating provided you meet the right criteria. And if you're job hunting, you can take a deduction for expenses that exceed 2% of your AGI as long as you aren't fresh out of school and you're looking for work within your established field.</p>
<p>The more deductions you're able to claim, the more money you'll get to exempt from taxes. And the higher your tax rate, the more valuable those deductions will be. That's why it's important to read up on tax deductions and claim all of the ones you're eligible for. You may be surprised at how much you stand to save.</p>
<p>The $16,122 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 $16,122 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>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> | What Will My Tax Deduction Savings Look Like? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/07/what-will-my-tax-deduction-savings-look-like.html | 2017-03-17 | 0right
| What Will My Tax Deduction Savings Look Like?
<p />
<p>Countless workers rely on tax deductions to hang onto more of their hard-earned money. But just how much cash will your deductions help you pocket? Tax deductions work by reducing the amount of your income that's subject to taxes. The value of your tax deductions will therefore be a function of your total write offs multiplied by your effective tax rate. The more federal tax deductions you can claim, the more of your earnings you'll shield from the IRS.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Any time you take a tax deduction, what you're doing is excluding that amount of income from taxes. If you earn $50,000 a year and claim a $2,000 tax deduction, you're essentially taking that $2,000 out of the tax equation so that you're only required to pay taxes on the remaining $48,000.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Just how much will those tax deductions save you? It depends on your effective tax rate. Say you typically lose 25% of your earnings to taxes. If you're eligible for a $2,000 deduction, your tax savings will be 25% of that amount, or $500.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Some people use the terms "tax deduction" and "tax credit" interchangeably, but in reality, they're very different beasts. A credit won't exempt part of your income from taxes; rather, it will serve as a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your tax liability.</p>
<p>To illustrate the point, imagine that both you and your colleague are eligible for a $2,000 tax deduction, only while your effective tax rate is 25%, his is 28%. In that case, you'd each benefit differently from that tax deduction -- you'd save $500 on your taxes, while your colleague would save $560. With a $2,000 tax credit, on the other hand, you'd each get the same value -- an automatic $2,000 tax savings, regardless of what your tax rate happens to be.</p>
<p>Another key difference between these two types of tax savings is that tax credits tend to phase out at higher income levels, which means strong earners often can't claim them. Tax deductions, on the other hand, are usually far more applicable to a wide range of taxpayers, making them a valuable savings tool regardless of income.</p>
<p>There are numerous tax deductions available to <a href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/02/05/3-tax-breaks-homeowners-shouldnt-forget.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">homeowners Opens a New Window.</a>, the greatest of which is typically the mortgage interest deduction. Homeowners can also write off their property taxes, mortgage points, and private mortgage insurance (PMI) premiums.</p>
<p>If you're self-employed, there are a number of <a href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2016/12/23/5-self-employment-tax-deductions-you-should-know-a.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">key deductions you should know about Opens a New Window.</a>. If you use your vehicle for business purposes, you're allowed to deduct mileage. You can also deduct direct business expenses, like office supplies, as well as indirect expenses, like heat, water, and electricity in your home, if you have a dedicated space on your property where you do your work. And if you pay for health insurance out-of-pocket, like many self-employed workers do, you can take a deduction for your premiums as well.</p>
<p>Many taxpayers are also eligible to deduct their charitable contributions, including the value of goods they donate in lieu of cash. And if you come away with a net loss on your investments, you can take as much as a $3,000 deduction for any given tax year.</p>
<p>Some tax deductions are more restrictive and therefore less popular than others, but if you're looking to shave money off your tax bill, it pays to see whether you're eligible. If you spend a lot of money on medical expenses, for example, you can deduct any costs that exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). Similarly, you can deduct up to $2,500 in student loan interest if you meet certain conditions.</p>
<p>If you move during a given tax year for the purpose of getting a new job, you can deduct the cost of relocating provided you meet the right criteria. And if you're job hunting, you can take a deduction for expenses that exceed 2% of your AGI as long as you aren't fresh out of school and you're looking for work within your established field.</p>
<p>The more deductions you're able to claim, the more money you'll get to exempt from taxes. And the higher your tax rate, the more valuable those deductions will be. That's why it's important to read up on tax deductions and claim all of the ones you're eligible for. You may be surprised at how much you stand to save.</p>
<p>The $16,122 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 $16,122 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>The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 3,135 |
<p>Donald Trump is a consummate liar. <a href="http://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/" type="external">He lies so much</a> that it appears that his strategy is to tell enough lies that there’s no way the media fact checkers can keep up. Well, the second largest paper in the country, the Wall Street Journal, has thrown in the towel. Their editor-in-chief, Gerard Baker, says that determining if Trump is lying is no longer their job and that it will be up to us.</p>
<p>“I’d be careful about using the word, ‘lie.’ ‘Lie’ implies much more than just saying something that’s false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead,” Baker told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press on Sunday.</p>
<p>As an example, Baker cited one of Trump’s more outrageous lies: When he claimed that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey gathered on rooftops to celebrate 9/11. Baker noted that the WSJ investigated his claim and found it baseless.</p>
<p>“I think it’s then up to the reader to make up their own mind to say, ‘This is what Donald Trump says. This is what a reliable, trustworthy news organization reports. And you know what? I don’t think that’s true.’ I think if you start ascribing a moral intent, as it were, to someone by saying that they’ve lied, I think you run the risk that you look like you are, like you’re not being objective,” he said.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/editor-of-nations-second-biggest-newspaper-says-he-will-not-report-trump-lies-even-if-he-lies-b0e020f7fc34#.sr9malxx2" type="external">Think Progress</a></p>
<p>Here’s the video:</p>
<p />
<p>The Wall Street Journal was purchased by <a href="http://www.journalism.org/2011/07/20/wall-street-journal-under-rupert-murdoch/" type="external">News Corp in 2007</a>. They are the same company that owns Fox News. Fox News, with its previous <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/projects/dillards/" type="external">“We Report, You Decide”</a> motto, deserves much of the blame for the fact that the media no longer does its job and instead relies on the “both sides” fallacy in covering real news. For example, there is only one legitimate side when discussing climate change, yet Fox has somehow convinced Americans that it’s up for debate.</p>
<p>Despite Fox’s insistence that they present both sides of the story, they don’t, and they are hardly beacons of truth. <a href="http://www.mintpressnews.com/pants-on-fire-analysis-shows-60-of-fox-news-facts-are-really-lies/205563/" type="external">According to reports</a>, about 60 percent of the facts Fox reports are complete lies and Fox viewers are far more likely to <a href="http://web.stanford.edu/~ayurukog/cable_news.pdf" type="external">vote Republican</a> than are other cable news watchers.</p>
<p>While Fox News targets voters, the Wall Street Journal targets the business world. If Trump’s lies go unchecked on Wall Street, it could wreak havoc with our financial markets.</p>
<p>Featured image via screen capture from embedded video</p> | Second-Largest U.S. Paper Now Wants Readers To Decide If Trump’s Lies Are Lies (VIDEO) | true | http://addictinginfo.org/2017/01/01/second-largest-u-s-paper-now-wants-readers-to-decide-if-trumps-lies-are-lies-video/ | 2017-01-01 | 4left
| Second-Largest U.S. Paper Now Wants Readers To Decide If Trump’s Lies Are Lies (VIDEO)
<p>Donald Trump is a consummate liar. <a href="http://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/" type="external">He lies so much</a> that it appears that his strategy is to tell enough lies that there’s no way the media fact checkers can keep up. Well, the second largest paper in the country, the Wall Street Journal, has thrown in the towel. Their editor-in-chief, Gerard Baker, says that determining if Trump is lying is no longer their job and that it will be up to us.</p>
<p>“I’d be careful about using the word, ‘lie.’ ‘Lie’ implies much more than just saying something that’s false. It implies a deliberate intent to mislead,” Baker told Chuck Todd on Meet the Press on Sunday.</p>
<p>As an example, Baker cited one of Trump’s more outrageous lies: When he claimed that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey gathered on rooftops to celebrate 9/11. Baker noted that the WSJ investigated his claim and found it baseless.</p>
<p>“I think it’s then up to the reader to make up their own mind to say, ‘This is what Donald Trump says. This is what a reliable, trustworthy news organization reports. And you know what? I don’t think that’s true.’ I think if you start ascribing a moral intent, as it were, to someone by saying that they’ve lied, I think you run the risk that you look like you are, like you’re not being objective,” he said.</p>
<p>Source: <a href="https://thinkprogress.org/editor-of-nations-second-biggest-newspaper-says-he-will-not-report-trump-lies-even-if-he-lies-b0e020f7fc34#.sr9malxx2" type="external">Think Progress</a></p>
<p>Here’s the video:</p>
<p />
<p>The Wall Street Journal was purchased by <a href="http://www.journalism.org/2011/07/20/wall-street-journal-under-rupert-murdoch/" type="external">News Corp in 2007</a>. They are the same company that owns Fox News. Fox News, with its previous <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/projects/dillards/" type="external">“We Report, You Decide”</a> motto, deserves much of the blame for the fact that the media no longer does its job and instead relies on the “both sides” fallacy in covering real news. For example, there is only one legitimate side when discussing climate change, yet Fox has somehow convinced Americans that it’s up for debate.</p>
<p>Despite Fox’s insistence that they present both sides of the story, they don’t, and they are hardly beacons of truth. <a href="http://www.mintpressnews.com/pants-on-fire-analysis-shows-60-of-fox-news-facts-are-really-lies/205563/" type="external">According to reports</a>, about 60 percent of the facts Fox reports are complete lies and Fox viewers are far more likely to <a href="http://web.stanford.edu/~ayurukog/cable_news.pdf" type="external">vote Republican</a> than are other cable news watchers.</p>
<p>While Fox News targets voters, the Wall Street Journal targets the business world. If Trump’s lies go unchecked on Wall Street, it could wreak havoc with our financial markets.</p>
<p>Featured image via screen capture from embedded video</p> | 3,136 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>On May 4, her dream came true. Twenty-four-year-old Kang, accompanied by pianist Yeol Eum Son, presented her debut recital in Stern Auditorium. The recital, which included works by Bach, Beethoven and Ravel, was part of a concert package that Kang won when she was awarded first prize at the 2010 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.</p>
<p>“I’m traveling and playing a lot now,” said Kang, who performs with the Santa Fe Symphony next Sunday. “I can’t even count how many concerts I have on the calendar.”</p>
<p>The Santa Fe Symphony’s Grand Finale concert features Kang playing Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole.</p>
<p>“The piece has a very Spanish feel to it,” Kang said. “It’s quite technically difficult. It’s a work I’ve performed quite a bit. The symphony asked me to do it with them.”</p>
<p>For close to 20 years, Kang has logged thousands of miles on planes in order to present concerts in venues worldwide. Her first professional performance took place with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra when she was 5 years old. Her parents, who were born in Korea and have had careers in Germany as opera singers, brought her to the United States when she was 7 so she could study at the Juilliard School. During the three and a half years she was based in New York, she continued to travel and perform throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. At age 9 she made her first recording, a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, with one of her siblings.</p>
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<p>“I have three siblings, and two of them are musicians,” she said. “My whole family is very musical.”</p>
<p>Although Kang’s parents have moved back to Korea, she has chosen to live in Germany, where she earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. She has returned to study with Christopher Poppen, who was her teacher when she was 15 years old and a student at the Berlin Hanns Eisler Hochschule.</p>
<p>With her formal education completed and a number of top prizes in international violin competitions under her belt, including first prize in the 2010 Sendai International Violin Competition and second prize in the 2009 Hannover International Violin Competition, Kang is focusing completely on touring. “My concert engagements are divided between doing recitals and concertos,” she added.</p>
<p>Next Sunday’s performance also features the two well-known orchestral works, “Billy the Kid” by Aaron Copland and “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky.</p> | Violinist follows her dream to Carnegie Hall stage | false | https://abqjournal.com/106306/violinist-follows-her-dream-to-carnegie-hall-stage.html | 2012-05-13 | 2least
| Violinist follows her dream to Carnegie Hall stage
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
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<p>On May 4, her dream came true. Twenty-four-year-old Kang, accompanied by pianist Yeol Eum Son, presented her debut recital in Stern Auditorium. The recital, which included works by Bach, Beethoven and Ravel, was part of a concert package that Kang won when she was awarded first prize at the 2010 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis.</p>
<p>“I’m traveling and playing a lot now,” said Kang, who performs with the Santa Fe Symphony next Sunday. “I can’t even count how many concerts I have on the calendar.”</p>
<p>The Santa Fe Symphony’s Grand Finale concert features Kang playing Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole.</p>
<p>“The piece has a very Spanish feel to it,” Kang said. “It’s quite technically difficult. It’s a work I’ve performed quite a bit. The symphony asked me to do it with them.”</p>
<p>For close to 20 years, Kang has logged thousands of miles on planes in order to present concerts in venues worldwide. Her first professional performance took place with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra when she was 5 years old. Her parents, who were born in Korea and have had careers in Germany as opera singers, brought her to the United States when she was 7 so she could study at the Juilliard School. During the three and a half years she was based in New York, she continued to travel and perform throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. At age 9 she made her first recording, a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, with one of her siblings.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“I have three siblings, and two of them are musicians,” she said. “My whole family is very musical.”</p>
<p>Although Kang’s parents have moved back to Korea, she has chosen to live in Germany, where she earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music. She has returned to study with Christopher Poppen, who was her teacher when she was 15 years old and a student at the Berlin Hanns Eisler Hochschule.</p>
<p>With her formal education completed and a number of top prizes in international violin competitions under her belt, including first prize in the 2010 Sendai International Violin Competition and second prize in the 2009 Hannover International Violin Competition, Kang is focusing completely on touring. “My concert engagements are divided between doing recitals and concertos,” she added.</p>
<p>Next Sunday’s performance also features the two well-known orchestral works, “Billy the Kid” by Aaron Copland and “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky.</p> | 3,137 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Universal Orlando.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Cable giantComcast(NASDAQ: CMCSA)posted strong quarterly results on Wednesday morning, and it may be a good sign for upcoming reports out ofDisney (NYSE: DIS)and SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS) when they step up with fresh financials in two weeks.</p>
<p>Comcast's cable business continues to defy gravity by picking up more video customers than it loses. This obviously bodes well for Disney's cable properties, as more cable television accounts likely translate into more people paying for ESPN, Disney Channel, and other Disney-owned cable properties. Strength in premium television subscriptions also suggests that consumers are less interested in shaving costs by cord-cutting, something that should result in folks becoming more open to shelling out money for a theme-park outing.</p>
<p>However, the most important part of Comcast's report in the eyes of Disney and SeaWorld comes in its theme-park numbers. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, and with that media subsidiary, we get the Universal Studios theme parks.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Comcast's theme parks posted another period of year-over-year growth in the double digits. Reported revenue soared 60.6%, to $1.4 billion, with operating cash flow growing even faster. If that sounds too good to be true, you're right.</p>
<p>Comcast acquired Universal Studios Japan during the latter half of last year, padding results. However, if you back out that transaction, you still arrive at 16.1% in pro forma growth for its stateside parks. Operating cash flow on that adjusted basis also grew faster than the top line.</p>
<p>This is accelerating growth for Comcast's theme parks, where pro forma growth had climbed at a 10.2% clip through the first half of this year. You have to go back to the second quarter of 2015 -- more than a year -- to find the last time that Comcast's domestic theme parks posted higher revenue growth.</p>
<p>Universal has held up better than Disney and SeaWorld in recent quarters, but accelerating growth on the strength of stronger attendance and per-capita guest spending bode well for rival operators. Universal's two domestic resorts are reasonably close to Disney's two stateside resorts and SeaWorld's three most visited parks (SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, and SeaWorld San Diego).</p>
<p>Comcast's parks are the growth darlings. Universal is opening new rides, while Disney is in hard-hat mode. Universal doesn't have to shake off the notoriety that SeaWorld's brand has had to do in recent years. However, a trend is still a trend.</p>
<p>SeaWorld has experienced a 2% decrease in revenue through the first half of the year, fueled by a 4.2% slide in attendance explained largely by a sharp slide in Latin American visitors to its Florida parks. Disney's theme parks have seen revenue grow at a 5% clip through the first six months of the calendar year, but it suffered a dip in Disney World attendance during the March quarter with a 4% slide across all of its domestic properties during the June quarter. If Universal has seen its pro forma revenue accelerate from 10.2% through the first half of this year to 16.1% in the September quarter, it could hint at Disney and SeaWorld turning things around for the summer quarter.</p>
<p>It may not seem that way to the naked eye. As someone who summers in Central Florida, I can pretty confidently say that SeaWorld and Disney World weren't as crowded as they were a year earlier. However, with all of the operators finding new revenue streams -- and both Disney and Comcast dramatically raising ticket prices since last year -- there's more to performance here than a head count of customers.If growth at Comcast's parks are accelerating to the point where it is Universal's strongest pro forma revenue growth in five quarters, it should translate into accelerating top-line growth at Disney and SeaWorld taking long overdue steps toward a turnaround.</p>
<p>We'll know soon enough. SeaWorld reports on Nov. 8, and Disney reports on Nov. 10.</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/TMFBreakerRick/info.aspx" type="external">Rick Munarriz Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of SeaWorld Entertainment and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Walt Disney. 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> | What's Good for Comcast Is Good for Disney and SeaWorld | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/26/what-good-for-comcast-is-good-for-disney-and-seaworld.html | 2016-10-26 | 0right
| What's Good for Comcast Is Good for Disney and SeaWorld
<p />
<p>Image source: Universal Orlando.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Cable giantComcast(NASDAQ: CMCSA)posted strong quarterly results on Wednesday morning, and it may be a good sign for upcoming reports out ofDisney (NYSE: DIS)and SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS) when they step up with fresh financials in two weeks.</p>
<p>Comcast's cable business continues to defy gravity by picking up more video customers than it loses. This obviously bodes well for Disney's cable properties, as more cable television accounts likely translate into more people paying for ESPN, Disney Channel, and other Disney-owned cable properties. Strength in premium television subscriptions also suggests that consumers are less interested in shaving costs by cord-cutting, something that should result in folks becoming more open to shelling out money for a theme-park outing.</p>
<p>However, the most important part of Comcast's report in the eyes of Disney and SeaWorld comes in its theme-park numbers. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, and with that media subsidiary, we get the Universal Studios theme parks.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Comcast's theme parks posted another period of year-over-year growth in the double digits. Reported revenue soared 60.6%, to $1.4 billion, with operating cash flow growing even faster. If that sounds too good to be true, you're right.</p>
<p>Comcast acquired Universal Studios Japan during the latter half of last year, padding results. However, if you back out that transaction, you still arrive at 16.1% in pro forma growth for its stateside parks. Operating cash flow on that adjusted basis also grew faster than the top line.</p>
<p>This is accelerating growth for Comcast's theme parks, where pro forma growth had climbed at a 10.2% clip through the first half of this year. You have to go back to the second quarter of 2015 -- more than a year -- to find the last time that Comcast's domestic theme parks posted higher revenue growth.</p>
<p>Universal has held up better than Disney and SeaWorld in recent quarters, but accelerating growth on the strength of stronger attendance and per-capita guest spending bode well for rival operators. Universal's two domestic resorts are reasonably close to Disney's two stateside resorts and SeaWorld's three most visited parks (SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, and SeaWorld San Diego).</p>
<p>Comcast's parks are the growth darlings. Universal is opening new rides, while Disney is in hard-hat mode. Universal doesn't have to shake off the notoriety that SeaWorld's brand has had to do in recent years. However, a trend is still a trend.</p>
<p>SeaWorld has experienced a 2% decrease in revenue through the first half of the year, fueled by a 4.2% slide in attendance explained largely by a sharp slide in Latin American visitors to its Florida parks. Disney's theme parks have seen revenue grow at a 5% clip through the first six months of the calendar year, but it suffered a dip in Disney World attendance during the March quarter with a 4% slide across all of its domestic properties during the June quarter. If Universal has seen its pro forma revenue accelerate from 10.2% through the first half of this year to 16.1% in the September quarter, it could hint at Disney and SeaWorld turning things around for the summer quarter.</p>
<p>It may not seem that way to the naked eye. As someone who summers in Central Florida, I can pretty confidently say that SeaWorld and Disney World weren't as crowded as they were a year earlier. However, with all of the operators finding new revenue streams -- and both Disney and Comcast dramatically raising ticket prices since last year -- there's more to performance here than a head count of customers.If growth at Comcast's parks are accelerating to the point where it is Universal's strongest pro forma revenue growth in five quarters, it should translate into accelerating top-line growth at Disney and SeaWorld taking long overdue steps toward a turnaround.</p>
<p>We'll know soon enough. SeaWorld reports on Nov. 8, and Disney reports on Nov. 10.</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/TMFBreakerRick/info.aspx" type="external">Rick Munarriz Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of SeaWorld Entertainment and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Walt Disney. 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> | 3,138 |
<p />
<p>Several tragically viral articles have recently been circulating throughout the&#160;Interwebs. One such article begins, “Much to the dismay of the Vatican, an approx. 1500-2000 year old bible was found in Turkey, in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara.”</p>
<p>“Much to the dismay of the Vatican”? Sounds like a Dan Brown mystery waiting to unfold right in your browser, right? Read on and see just how ridiculous this hoax is.</p>
<p>First of all, the so-called Gospel of Barnabas is&#160;old news&#160;in the Muslim world. It has been used by half-informed&#160;du`at&#160;missionaries for centuries to argue such stock theology as the crucifixion of Jesus never having happened. The text bends over backwards to emulate normative interpretations of the Qur’anic passages relating to the crucifixion. It is, without question, one of the easiest identifiable forgeries ever seen in the field of Near Eastern Religious Studies, Christian Origins and Historical Jesus Studies.</p>
<p>In an attempt to lend credence to the fictitious internet hoax, a report by&#160; <a href="http://www.nationalturk.com/en/1500-year-old-syriac-bible-found-in-ankara-turkey-16624" type="external">The National Turk</a>&#160;has been used by these viral articles to conflate an&#160;Ancient Bible written in the Aramaic dialect of Syriac that was recently rediscovered in Turkey. What the&#160;National Turk&#160;reports is more or less reasonable to believe. But the Syriac Bible found does&#160;not&#160;contain the Gospel of Barnabas.</p>
<p>For those who were previously unaware of the work, the Gospel of Barnabas is a late, pseudepigraphical&#160;text depicting the life of Jesus, and claiming to be written by Jesus’ disciple Barnabas.&#160;In the canonical Christian Bible, however, Barnabas is not a disciple of Jesus, but&#160;a friend of Paul, who the Gospel of Barnabas is actually not much of a fan of. In this work, however, he&#160;is set as one of the twelve apostles.</p>
<p>Two manuscripts of this work have existed, but both date to the&#160;late 16th century&#160;and are written respectively in Italian and in Spanish,&#160;not&#160;in Syriac. I repeat, there is&#160;no&#160;version of the Gospel of Barnabas written in Syriac.</p>
<p>Finally, there is not one source from any journal of Near Eastern Religions or History that makes any reference to such a find. Why? Because it’s all some giant conspiracy?</p>
<p>No. Sorry, but religious scholars are largely secular historians, not religious believers. We would delight at such a find, no matter how controversial it’s context. We certainly did with the&#160;Gospel of Judas.&#160;</p>
<p>The reason why no one is talking about this “discovery” is because it was made up by bloggers. Plain and simply, it doesn’t exist.</p> | Recycled 16th Century Hoax ‘Gospel’ Goes Viral | true | http://politicalblindspot.com/recycled-16th-century-hoax-gospel-goes-viral/ | 2014-05-29 | 4left
| Recycled 16th Century Hoax ‘Gospel’ Goes Viral
<p />
<p>Several tragically viral articles have recently been circulating throughout the&#160;Interwebs. One such article begins, “Much to the dismay of the Vatican, an approx. 1500-2000 year old bible was found in Turkey, in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara.”</p>
<p>“Much to the dismay of the Vatican”? Sounds like a Dan Brown mystery waiting to unfold right in your browser, right? Read on and see just how ridiculous this hoax is.</p>
<p>First of all, the so-called Gospel of Barnabas is&#160;old news&#160;in the Muslim world. It has been used by half-informed&#160;du`at&#160;missionaries for centuries to argue such stock theology as the crucifixion of Jesus never having happened. The text bends over backwards to emulate normative interpretations of the Qur’anic passages relating to the crucifixion. It is, without question, one of the easiest identifiable forgeries ever seen in the field of Near Eastern Religious Studies, Christian Origins and Historical Jesus Studies.</p>
<p>In an attempt to lend credence to the fictitious internet hoax, a report by&#160; <a href="http://www.nationalturk.com/en/1500-year-old-syriac-bible-found-in-ankara-turkey-16624" type="external">The National Turk</a>&#160;has been used by these viral articles to conflate an&#160;Ancient Bible written in the Aramaic dialect of Syriac that was recently rediscovered in Turkey. What the&#160;National Turk&#160;reports is more or less reasonable to believe. But the Syriac Bible found does&#160;not&#160;contain the Gospel of Barnabas.</p>
<p>For those who were previously unaware of the work, the Gospel of Barnabas is a late, pseudepigraphical&#160;text depicting the life of Jesus, and claiming to be written by Jesus’ disciple Barnabas.&#160;In the canonical Christian Bible, however, Barnabas is not a disciple of Jesus, but&#160;a friend of Paul, who the Gospel of Barnabas is actually not much of a fan of. In this work, however, he&#160;is set as one of the twelve apostles.</p>
<p>Two manuscripts of this work have existed, but both date to the&#160;late 16th century&#160;and are written respectively in Italian and in Spanish,&#160;not&#160;in Syriac. I repeat, there is&#160;no&#160;version of the Gospel of Barnabas written in Syriac.</p>
<p>Finally, there is not one source from any journal of Near Eastern Religions or History that makes any reference to such a find. Why? Because it’s all some giant conspiracy?</p>
<p>No. Sorry, but religious scholars are largely secular historians, not religious believers. We would delight at such a find, no matter how controversial it’s context. We certainly did with the&#160;Gospel of Judas.&#160;</p>
<p>The reason why no one is talking about this “discovery” is because it was made up by bloggers. Plain and simply, it doesn’t exist.</p> | 3,139 |
<p>(Reuters) - After the heartbreak of missing out on the Winter Olympics in Sochi by the narrowest of margins four years ago, Canadian speed skater Jordan Belchos is all set to step it up a gear when he takes to the ice in South Korea.</p> FILE PHOTO: Jordan Belchos of Canada competes during the men's 5000m event at the Essent ISU World Single Distances Championships 2013 in Sochi, Russia March 22, 2013. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor/File Photo
<p>The Toronto native missed the cut for Sochi by a few hundredths of a second and is still pinching himself after being selected to race for Canada in the 10,000m and the team pursuit at next month’s Winter Games.</p>
<p>“Last Olympics, I missed the Games by six hundredths of a second, so I remember that feeling, and I guess just the contrast to that is pretty amazing,” he told Reuters from Canada’s training base in Calgary.</p>
<p>“It was unbelievable. If it had happened to anybody else, I would have been like, ‘No way, that’s insane’.”</p>
<p>Belchos’s misery at missing out on Sochi was compounded by confusion in the local media over whether he had qualified for the 10,000m.</p>
<p>“There was a news article released (saying) that I’d qualified (for Sochi), there was a couple I guess that didn’t fully understand the rules,” the 28-year-old said.</p>
<p>“I had to tell these people, ‘no, I’m not qualified’. People were congratulating me and I was like, ‘No, no, I’m actually just going to miss it.’</p>
<p>“At a certain point I got sick of telling the same story. It was kind of a sad story. I made it my goal the next four years that I was going to use that to be better.”</p> STIFF COMPETITION
<p>Belchos faces stiff competition in the 10,000m from his Canada team mate Ted-Jan Bloemen, the current world record holder, as well as from Dutchman Sven Kramer, one of the favorites to medal in South Korea.</p>
<p>“Ted and Sven Kramer, those guys are a little bit head and shoulders above the rest,” he said. “But besides that I believe there’s a lot of guys that have a chance.</p>
<p>“To go to the Games and to really challenge in the same distance, the 10,000m, would be the ultimate kind of finish for me.”</p>
<p>Belchos was struck down by injury before and after Canada’s Olympic trials for Sochi, but those experiences only strengthened his resolve.</p>
<p>“So the June before Sochi, I crashed my bike and I had a bad concussion,” he said. “And then I came back that summer and I got demoted from the national team to the national development team.</p>
<p>“And then in July (2014) I crashed and broke my kneecap while skating. So it was just like this whole series of events where nothing seemed to be easy.</p>
<p>“You get difficult things and if you let them beat you down they will, but if you use them in the right way they make you stronger. So there was this constant belief that all these negative things in some way are going to be good for me.”</p> TEAM DYNAMIC
<p>Canada will send a strong team pursuit squad to the Games, and Belchos believes their camaraderie gives them an edge over the competition.</p>
<p>“For sure the team pursuit is a big target. We have a really good team,” he said.</p>
<p>“I actually believe that a lot of our success can be attributed to the dynamic of the team because right now as it’s kind of shaped, it’s me, Denny Morrison, Ted-Jan Bloemen and Ben Donnelly, and those are three of my best friends.</p>
<p>“We train together all the time and we’re always pushing each other. I just enjoy hanging out with those guys.”</p>
<p>Vincent De Haitre is also part of the squad for the team pursuit, and Belchos believes the Canadians will challenge for plenty of medals on the ice at the Gangneung Oval.</p>
<p>“If you look at our team, you could find a medal contender in basically every single distance,” he said. “That’s pretty exciting.</p>
<p>“Obviously not everybody is going to win a medal, but if there’s 14 events and seven win medals, that would be huge.</p>
<p>“For me it comes down a lot to the culture that’s been established. You can see the buy-in from the athletes and the staff. We have a really good group of people, so that’s what works I think.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries on Friday and said it reserved the right to take action against four other nations in a worsening standoff with the West over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.</p>
<p>Russia said it was responding to what it called the baseless demands for scores of its own diplomats to leave a slew of mostly Western countries that have joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.</p>
<p>A day earlier, Moscow ordered the expulsion of 60 U.S. diplomats and the closing of the U.S. consulate in St Petersburg, Russia’s second city, in retaliation for the biggest ejection of diplomats since the Cold War.</p>
<p>Preparations appeared to be under way on Friday to close the St Petersburg mission down, with a removals truck making repeated journeys to and from the consulate which took delivery of a large pizza order for its staff.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-russia/russia-expels-four-french-diplomats-after-uk-poisoning-affair-idUSKBN1H61MH" type="external">Russia expels four French diplomats after UK poisoning affair</a>
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-diplomats-reaction/russias-response-to-expulsion-of-diplomats-is-regrettable-says-britain-idUSKBN1H6197" type="external">Russia's response to expulsion of diplomats is 'regrettable', says Britain</a>
<p>Russia summoned senior envoys on Friday from most of the other countries that have expelled Russian diplomats and told them it was expelling a commensurate number of theirs.</p>
<p>Russia has already retaliated in kind against Britain for ejecting 23 diplomats over the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. British ambassador Laurie Bristow was summoned again on Friday.</p>
<p>The Russian Foreign Ministry said Bristow had been told London had just one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.</p>
<p>A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office did not say how many British diplomats would be affected, but said Russia’s response was regrettable and Moscow was in flagrant breach of international law over the killing of the former spy.</p>
<p>The poisoning, in southern England, has united much of the West in taking action against what it regards as the hostile policies of President Vladimir Putin. This includes the United States under President Donald Trump, who Putin had hoped would improve ties.</p>
<p>Russia rejects Britain’s accusation it stood behind the attack and has cast the allegations as part of an elaborate Western plot to sabotage East-West relations and isolate Moscow.</p>
<p>The hospital where she is being treated said on Thursday that Yulia Skripal was getting better after spending three weeks in a critical condition due to the nerve toxin attack. Her father remains in a critical but stable condition.</p>
<p>The BBC, citing sources, reported on Friday that Yulia was “conscious and talking”.</p> EXPULSIONS
<p>During the course of Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned senior embassy officials from Australia, Albania, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic.</p> The Russian foreign ministry building is reflected in an ambassadors' car in Moscow, Russia March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
<p>All were seen arriving in their official cars at the Foreign Ministry’s gothic building in Moscow.</p>
<p>“They (the diplomats) were handed protest notes and told that in response to the unwarranted demands of the relevant states on expelling Russian diplomats ... that the Russian side declares the corresponding number of staff working in those countries’ embassies in the Russian Federation persona non grata,” the ministry said in a statement.</p>
<p>Four other countries — Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro — had only “at the last moment” announced that they too were expelling Russian diplomats over the Skripal affair, and Moscow reserved the right to take retaliatory action against them too, it said.</p>
<p>Emerging from the Foreign Ministry building, German ambassador Rudiger von Fritsch said Russia had questions to answer about the poisoning of Skripal, but Berlin remained open to dialogue with Moscow.</p> Slideshow (13 Images)
<p>The U.S State Department said after Russia announced the expulsions on Thursday evening that it reserved the right to respond further, saying the list of diplomats designated for expulsion by Russia showed Moscow was not interested in diplomacy.</p>
<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a conference call with reporters on Friday, disagreed with that assessment, saying that Putin still favored mending ties with other countries, including with the United States.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Maria Kiselyova, Maxim Rodionov and Christian Lowe in Moscow, Toby Sterling in The Hague, Elisabeth O'Leary in Edinburgh, Steve Scherer in Rome and Jussi Rosendahl in Helsinki; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Edmund Blair and Peter Graff</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday asked a judge to sentence Macau billionaire Ng Lap Seng to more than six years in prison, after his conviction last July for bribing two U.N. ambassadors to help him build a multi-billion dollar conference center.</p> Macau billionaire real estate developer Ng Lap Seng (R), accused of bribing former United Nations General Assembly president John Ashe, exits the Manhattan U.S. District Courthouse in New York, U.S. April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ashlee Espinal
<p>Prosecutors made their request in a filing with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, and are also seeking a $2 million fine.</p>
<p>The request came four weeks after Ng’s lawyers urged that their 69-year-old client be sentenced to time served, and allowed to return to his family in China.</p>
<p>Lawyers for Ng did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ng’s sentencing by U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick is scheduled for May 11. Probation officials recommended a six-year prison term.</p>
<p>Ng was convicted on all six counts he faced, including bribery, money laundering and corruption, after a four-week trial and less than a day of jury deliberations.</p>
<p>Prosecutors accused him of paying more than $1 million of bribes to officials including the late former U.N. General Assembly President John Ashe.</p>
<p>They said Ng hoped the conference center, which was never built, would pave the way for luxury housing, hotels, a shopping mall, marinas and a heliport, turning Macau into the “Geneva of Asia” and winning himself fame and greater riches.</p>
<p>“The defendant, a sophisticated, international businessman, repeatedly used his wealth and power to seek to corrupt decision-making at the United Nations,” prosecutors said in Friday’s filing. “That was a choice. It warrants substantial and meaningful punishment.”</p>
<p>Defense lawyers have said Ng’s goals were consistent with the types of public-private partnerships that the United Nations favors, and that other diplomats abused Ng’s trust.</p>
<p>In their sentencing request, they called it “far more reasonable” to conclude that Ng’s motivations were patriotic and philanthropic.</p>
<p>They also said there was “no chance of recidivism,” and that Ng could assure the court that once in China, he would not seek to return to the United States or conduct business there.</p>
<p>Ng has been allowed to live in his Manhattan apartment under 24-hour guard on $50 million bail. He was arrested in 2015.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Susan Thomas</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has told advisers he wants an early exit of U.S. troops from Syria, two senior administration officials said on Friday, a stance that may put him at odds with U.S. military officials who see the fight against Islamic State as nowhere near complete.</p>
<p>A National Security Council meeting is set for early next week to discuss the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State in Syria, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plan.</p>
<p>Two other administration officials confirmed a Wall Street Journal report on Friday that said Trump had ordered the State Department to freeze more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts in Syria while his administration reassesses Washington’s role in the conflict there.</p>
<p>Trump called for the freeze after reading a news report that the U.S. had recently committed an additional $200 million to stabilize areas recaptured from Islamic State, the paper said.</p>
<p>The funding was announced by departing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in February at a meeting in Kuwait of the global coalition against Islamic State.</p>
<p>The decision to freeze the funds was in line with Trump’s declaration during a speech in Richfield, Ohio, on Thursday, where he said it was time for America to exit Syria.</p>
<p>A spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council said that “in line with the President’s guidance, the Department of State continually re-evaluates appropriate assistance levels and how best they might be utilized, which they do on an ongoing basis.”</p>
<p>Trump is spending Easter weekend at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate.</p>
<p>“We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon,” Trump said on Thursday, based on allied victories against Islamic State militants.</p>
<p>“Let the other people take care of it now.&#160;Very soon, very soon, we’re coming out,” Trump said. “We’re going to get back to our country, where we belong, where we want to be.”</p>
<p>Trump’s comments came as France said on Friday it could increase its military presence in Syria to bolster the U.S.-led campaign.</p>
<p>While the Pentagon has estimated that Islamic State has lost about 98 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, U.S. military officials have warned that the militants could regain the freed areas quickly unless they are stabilized.</p>
<p>Trump still needs to be convinced of that, said the U.S. officials with knowledge of the NSC meeting.</p> FILE PHOTO: A U.S. fighter stands near a military vehicle, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said U.S. DELIBERATIONS
<p>The two administration officials who confirmed the Wall Street Journal report and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said Trump’s comments on Thursday reflected internal deliberations with advisers in which he has wondered aloud why U.S. forces should remain with the militants on their heels.</p>
<p>Trump has made clear that “once ISIS and its remnants are destroyed that the United States would be looking toward having countries in the region playing a larger role in ensuring security and leaving it at that,” one official said.</p>
<p>Such a policy is nowhere near complete, however, the official added.</p>
<p>The second official said Trump’s national security advisers have told him U.S. forces should stay in small numbers for at least a couple of years to make sure gains against the militants are held and ensure Syria does not essentially become a permanent Iranian base.</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, U.S., for the Easter weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
<p>Top national security aides discussed Syria in a White House meeting recently but have yet to settle on a strategy for U.S. forces in Syria to recommend to Trump going forward, the official said.</p>
<p>“So far he has not given an order to just get out,” the official said. About 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria.</p>
<p>Trump last year went through a similar wrenching debate over whether to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, ultimately agreeing to keep them there but only after repeatedly raising questions of why they should stay.</p>
<p>Trump’s view on Syria may put him at odds with those of former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, named by Trump a week ago to replace H.R. McMaster as White House national security adviser.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton, John Walcott and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio, Susan Thomas and Tom Hogue</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai visited her hometown in Pakistan’s Swat Valley on Saturday for the first time since she was shot by a Taliban gunman as a teenager.</p> Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai pauses during an interview with Reuters at a local hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir
<p>Roads leading to the 20-year-old education activist’s childhood home in Mingora were blocked off earlier in the day, and a helicopter was seen landing at a government guest house about 1 km (half a mile) from her house.</p>
<p>“I was told by the family that it was very moving when Malala visited her home.” said Jawad Iqbal Yousafzai, who is from the same Pashtun clan as Malala and said he had spoken to her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai.</p>
<p>He said that the family was expected to also visit a local army cadet college as well as a tourist resort.</p>
<p>With its scenic mountains and rivers, Swat is popular with holiday makers in Pakistan.</p>
<p>Yousafzai has been visiting Pakistan since Thursday, her first trip home since she was shot and airlifted abroad for treatment. The government and military have been providing security.</p>
<p>It had been uncertain whether Yousafzai would be able to visit Swat, parts of which spent nearly two years under the Pakistani Taliban militants’ harsh interpretation of Islamic law, due to continued concerns for her safety.</p> A helicopter carring Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai takes off after visiting her home in Mingora in Swat Valley, Pakistan March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood
<p>“I miss everything about Pakistan ... from the rivers, the mountains, to even the dirty streets and the garbage around our house, and my friends and how we used to have gossip ...to how we used to fight with our neighbors,” she told Reuters in an interview on Friday.</p>
<p>Two security officials told Reuters the trip by helicopter would likely be just for one day.</p>
<p>The Pakistani army wrested control of Swat back from the Taliban in 2009 and the area remains mostly peaceful, but the Taliban still occasionally launch attacks including one on the military a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>The Taliban claimed responsibility in 2012 for the attack on Yousafzai for her outspoken advocacy for girls’ education, which was forbidden under the militants’ rule over Swat.</p>
<p>She wrote an anonymous blog for the BBC Urdu service as a schoolgirl during the Taliban rule and later became outspoken in advocating more educational opportunities for girls.</p>
<p>In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel laureate, honored for her work with the Malala Foundation, a charity she set up to support education advocacy groups with a focus on Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, Syria and Kenya.</p>
<p>This month, a new girls’ school built with her Nobel prize money opened in the village of Shangla in Swat Valley.</p>
<p>Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Kim Coghill</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | Canada's Belchos looks to mend Sochi heartache in South Korea Russia, in spy rift riposte, expels 59 diplomats from 23 countries U.S. seeks over six years prison for Macau billionaire in U.N. bribery case Trump tells advisers he wants U.S. out of Syria: senior officials Nobel winner Malala visits hometown in Pakistan for first time since shooting | false | https://reuters.com/article/olympics-2018-skat-belchos/olympics-speed-skating-canadas-belchos-looks-to-mend-sochi-heartache-in-south-korea-idUSL3N1PD4FX | 2018-01-22 | 2least
| Canada's Belchos looks to mend Sochi heartache in South Korea Russia, in spy rift riposte, expels 59 diplomats from 23 countries U.S. seeks over six years prison for Macau billionaire in U.N. bribery case Trump tells advisers he wants U.S. out of Syria: senior officials Nobel winner Malala visits hometown in Pakistan for first time since shooting
<p>(Reuters) - After the heartbreak of missing out on the Winter Olympics in Sochi by the narrowest of margins four years ago, Canadian speed skater Jordan Belchos is all set to step it up a gear when he takes to the ice in South Korea.</p> FILE PHOTO: Jordan Belchos of Canada competes during the men's 5000m event at the Essent ISU World Single Distances Championships 2013 in Sochi, Russia March 22, 2013. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor/File Photo
<p>The Toronto native missed the cut for Sochi by a few hundredths of a second and is still pinching himself after being selected to race for Canada in the 10,000m and the team pursuit at next month’s Winter Games.</p>
<p>“Last Olympics, I missed the Games by six hundredths of a second, so I remember that feeling, and I guess just the contrast to that is pretty amazing,” he told Reuters from Canada’s training base in Calgary.</p>
<p>“It was unbelievable. If it had happened to anybody else, I would have been like, ‘No way, that’s insane’.”</p>
<p>Belchos’s misery at missing out on Sochi was compounded by confusion in the local media over whether he had qualified for the 10,000m.</p>
<p>“There was a news article released (saying) that I’d qualified (for Sochi), there was a couple I guess that didn’t fully understand the rules,” the 28-year-old said.</p>
<p>“I had to tell these people, ‘no, I’m not qualified’. People were congratulating me and I was like, ‘No, no, I’m actually just going to miss it.’</p>
<p>“At a certain point I got sick of telling the same story. It was kind of a sad story. I made it my goal the next four years that I was going to use that to be better.”</p> STIFF COMPETITION
<p>Belchos faces stiff competition in the 10,000m from his Canada team mate Ted-Jan Bloemen, the current world record holder, as well as from Dutchman Sven Kramer, one of the favorites to medal in South Korea.</p>
<p>“Ted and Sven Kramer, those guys are a little bit head and shoulders above the rest,” he said. “But besides that I believe there’s a lot of guys that have a chance.</p>
<p>“To go to the Games and to really challenge in the same distance, the 10,000m, would be the ultimate kind of finish for me.”</p>
<p>Belchos was struck down by injury before and after Canada’s Olympic trials for Sochi, but those experiences only strengthened his resolve.</p>
<p>“So the June before Sochi, I crashed my bike and I had a bad concussion,” he said. “And then I came back that summer and I got demoted from the national team to the national development team.</p>
<p>“And then in July (2014) I crashed and broke my kneecap while skating. So it was just like this whole series of events where nothing seemed to be easy.</p>
<p>“You get difficult things and if you let them beat you down they will, but if you use them in the right way they make you stronger. So there was this constant belief that all these negative things in some way are going to be good for me.”</p> TEAM DYNAMIC
<p>Canada will send a strong team pursuit squad to the Games, and Belchos believes their camaraderie gives them an edge over the competition.</p>
<p>“For sure the team pursuit is a big target. We have a really good team,” he said.</p>
<p>“I actually believe that a lot of our success can be attributed to the dynamic of the team because right now as it’s kind of shaped, it’s me, Denny Morrison, Ted-Jan Bloemen and Ben Donnelly, and those are three of my best friends.</p>
<p>“We train together all the time and we’re always pushing each other. I just enjoy hanging out with those guys.”</p>
<p>Vincent De Haitre is also part of the squad for the team pursuit, and Belchos believes the Canadians will challenge for plenty of medals on the ice at the Gangneung Oval.</p>
<p>“If you look at our team, you could find a medal contender in basically every single distance,” he said. “That’s pretty exciting.</p>
<p>“Obviously not everybody is going to win a medal, but if there’s 14 events and seven win medals, that would be huge.</p>
<p>“For me it comes down a lot to the culture that’s been established. You can see the buy-in from the athletes and the staff. We have a really good group of people, so that’s what works I think.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries on Friday and said it reserved the right to take action against four other nations in a worsening standoff with the West over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain.</p>
<p>Russia said it was responding to what it called the baseless demands for scores of its own diplomats to leave a slew of mostly Western countries that have joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.</p>
<p>A day earlier, Moscow ordered the expulsion of 60 U.S. diplomats and the closing of the U.S. consulate in St Petersburg, Russia’s second city, in retaliation for the biggest ejection of diplomats since the Cold War.</p>
<p>Preparations appeared to be under way on Friday to close the St Petersburg mission down, with a removals truck making repeated journeys to and from the consulate which took delivery of a large pizza order for its staff.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-russia/russia-expels-four-french-diplomats-after-uk-poisoning-affair-idUSKBN1H61MH" type="external">Russia expels four French diplomats after UK poisoning affair</a>
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-diplomats-reaction/russias-response-to-expulsion-of-diplomats-is-regrettable-says-britain-idUSKBN1H6197" type="external">Russia's response to expulsion of diplomats is 'regrettable', says Britain</a>
<p>Russia summoned senior envoys on Friday from most of the other countries that have expelled Russian diplomats and told them it was expelling a commensurate number of theirs.</p>
<p>Russia has already retaliated in kind against Britain for ejecting 23 diplomats over the first known use of a military-grade nerve agent on European soil since World War Two. British ambassador Laurie Bristow was summoned again on Friday.</p>
<p>The Russian Foreign Ministry said Bristow had been told London had just one month to cut its diplomatic contingent in Russia to the same size as the Russian mission in Britain.</p>
<p>A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office did not say how many British diplomats would be affected, but said Russia’s response was regrettable and Moscow was in flagrant breach of international law over the killing of the former spy.</p>
<p>The poisoning, in southern England, has united much of the West in taking action against what it regards as the hostile policies of President Vladimir Putin. This includes the United States under President Donald Trump, who Putin had hoped would improve ties.</p>
<p>Russia rejects Britain’s accusation it stood behind the attack and has cast the allegations as part of an elaborate Western plot to sabotage East-West relations and isolate Moscow.</p>
<p>The hospital where she is being treated said on Thursday that Yulia Skripal was getting better after spending three weeks in a critical condition due to the nerve toxin attack. Her father remains in a critical but stable condition.</p>
<p>The BBC, citing sources, reported on Friday that Yulia was “conscious and talking”.</p> EXPULSIONS
<p>During the course of Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned senior embassy officials from Australia, Albania, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic.</p> The Russian foreign ministry building is reflected in an ambassadors' car in Moscow, Russia March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
<p>All were seen arriving in their official cars at the Foreign Ministry’s gothic building in Moscow.</p>
<p>“They (the diplomats) were handed protest notes and told that in response to the unwarranted demands of the relevant states on expelling Russian diplomats ... that the Russian side declares the corresponding number of staff working in those countries’ embassies in the Russian Federation persona non grata,” the ministry said in a statement.</p>
<p>Four other countries — Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro — had only “at the last moment” announced that they too were expelling Russian diplomats over the Skripal affair, and Moscow reserved the right to take retaliatory action against them too, it said.</p>
<p>Emerging from the Foreign Ministry building, German ambassador Rudiger von Fritsch said Russia had questions to answer about the poisoning of Skripal, but Berlin remained open to dialogue with Moscow.</p> Slideshow (13 Images)
<p>The U.S State Department said after Russia announced the expulsions on Thursday evening that it reserved the right to respond further, saying the list of diplomats designated for expulsion by Russia showed Moscow was not interested in diplomacy.</p>
<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in a conference call with reporters on Friday, disagreed with that assessment, saying that Putin still favored mending ties with other countries, including with the United States.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Maria Kiselyova, Maxim Rodionov and Christian Lowe in Moscow, Toby Sterling in The Hague, Elisabeth O'Leary in Edinburgh, Steve Scherer in Rome and Jussi Rosendahl in Helsinki; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Edmund Blair and Peter Graff</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday asked a judge to sentence Macau billionaire Ng Lap Seng to more than six years in prison, after his conviction last July for bribing two U.N. ambassadors to help him build a multi-billion dollar conference center.</p> Macau billionaire real estate developer Ng Lap Seng (R), accused of bribing former United Nations General Assembly president John Ashe, exits the Manhattan U.S. District Courthouse in New York, U.S. April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ashlee Espinal
<p>Prosecutors made their request in a filing with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, and are also seeking a $2 million fine.</p>
<p>The request came four weeks after Ng’s lawyers urged that their 69-year-old client be sentenced to time served, and allowed to return to his family in China.</p>
<p>Lawyers for Ng did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ng’s sentencing by U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick is scheduled for May 11. Probation officials recommended a six-year prison term.</p>
<p>Ng was convicted on all six counts he faced, including bribery, money laundering and corruption, after a four-week trial and less than a day of jury deliberations.</p>
<p>Prosecutors accused him of paying more than $1 million of bribes to officials including the late former U.N. General Assembly President John Ashe.</p>
<p>They said Ng hoped the conference center, which was never built, would pave the way for luxury housing, hotels, a shopping mall, marinas and a heliport, turning Macau into the “Geneva of Asia” and winning himself fame and greater riches.</p>
<p>“The defendant, a sophisticated, international businessman, repeatedly used his wealth and power to seek to corrupt decision-making at the United Nations,” prosecutors said in Friday’s filing. “That was a choice. It warrants substantial and meaningful punishment.”</p>
<p>Defense lawyers have said Ng’s goals were consistent with the types of public-private partnerships that the United Nations favors, and that other diplomats abused Ng’s trust.</p>
<p>In their sentencing request, they called it “far more reasonable” to conclude that Ng’s motivations were patriotic and philanthropic.</p>
<p>They also said there was “no chance of recidivism,” and that Ng could assure the court that once in China, he would not seek to return to the United States or conduct business there.</p>
<p>Ng has been allowed to live in his Manhattan apartment under 24-hour guard on $50 million bail. He was arrested in 2015.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Susan Thomas</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has told advisers he wants an early exit of U.S. troops from Syria, two senior administration officials said on Friday, a stance that may put him at odds with U.S. military officials who see the fight against Islamic State as nowhere near complete.</p>
<p>A National Security Council meeting is set for early next week to discuss the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State in Syria, according to U.S. officials familiar with the plan.</p>
<p>Two other administration officials confirmed a Wall Street Journal report on Friday that said Trump had ordered the State Department to freeze more than $200 million in funds for recovery efforts in Syria while his administration reassesses Washington’s role in the conflict there.</p>
<p>Trump called for the freeze after reading a news report that the U.S. had recently committed an additional $200 million to stabilize areas recaptured from Islamic State, the paper said.</p>
<p>The funding was announced by departing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in February at a meeting in Kuwait of the global coalition against Islamic State.</p>
<p>The decision to freeze the funds was in line with Trump’s declaration during a speech in Richfield, Ohio, on Thursday, where he said it was time for America to exit Syria.</p>
<p>A spokesperson for the White House’s National Security Council said that “in line with the President’s guidance, the Department of State continually re-evaluates appropriate assistance levels and how best they might be utilized, which they do on an ongoing basis.”</p>
<p>Trump is spending Easter weekend at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate.</p>
<p>“We’ll be coming out of Syria, like, very soon,” Trump said on Thursday, based on allied victories against Islamic State militants.</p>
<p>“Let the other people take care of it now.&#160;Very soon, very soon, we’re coming out,” Trump said. “We’re going to get back to our country, where we belong, where we want to be.”</p>
<p>Trump’s comments came as France said on Friday it could increase its military presence in Syria to bolster the U.S.-led campaign.</p>
<p>While the Pentagon has estimated that Islamic State has lost about 98 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and Syria, U.S. military officials have warned that the militants could regain the freed areas quickly unless they are stabilized.</p>
<p>Trump still needs to be convinced of that, said the U.S. officials with knowledge of the NSC meeting.</p> FILE PHOTO: A U.S. fighter stands near a military vehicle, north of Raqqa city, Syria November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said U.S. DELIBERATIONS
<p>The two administration officials who confirmed the Wall Street Journal report and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said Trump’s comments on Thursday reflected internal deliberations with advisers in which he has wondered aloud why U.S. forces should remain with the militants on their heels.</p>
<p>Trump has made clear that “once ISIS and its remnants are destroyed that the United States would be looking toward having countries in the region playing a larger role in ensuring security and leaving it at that,” one official said.</p>
<p>Such a policy is nowhere near complete, however, the official added.</p>
<p>The second official said Trump’s national security advisers have told him U.S. forces should stay in small numbers for at least a couple of years to make sure gains against the militants are held and ensure Syria does not essentially become a permanent Iranian base.</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, U.S., for the Easter weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
<p>Top national security aides discussed Syria in a White House meeting recently but have yet to settle on a strategy for U.S. forces in Syria to recommend to Trump going forward, the official said.</p>
<p>“So far he has not given an order to just get out,” the official said. About 2,000 U.S. troops are deployed in Syria.</p>
<p>Trump last year went through a similar wrenching debate over whether to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, ultimately agreeing to keep them there but only after repeatedly raising questions of why they should stay.</p>
<p>Trump’s view on Syria may put him at odds with those of former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, named by Trump a week ago to replace H.R. McMaster as White House national security adviser.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton, John Walcott and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio, Susan Thomas and Tom Hogue</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MINGORA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai visited her hometown in Pakistan’s Swat Valley on Saturday for the first time since she was shot by a Taliban gunman as a teenager.</p> Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai pauses during an interview with Reuters at a local hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Saiyna Bashir
<p>Roads leading to the 20-year-old education activist’s childhood home in Mingora were blocked off earlier in the day, and a helicopter was seen landing at a government guest house about 1 km (half a mile) from her house.</p>
<p>“I was told by the family that it was very moving when Malala visited her home.” said Jawad Iqbal Yousafzai, who is from the same Pashtun clan as Malala and said he had spoken to her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai.</p>
<p>He said that the family was expected to also visit a local army cadet college as well as a tourist resort.</p>
<p>With its scenic mountains and rivers, Swat is popular with holiday makers in Pakistan.</p>
<p>Yousafzai has been visiting Pakistan since Thursday, her first trip home since she was shot and airlifted abroad for treatment. The government and military have been providing security.</p>
<p>It had been uncertain whether Yousafzai would be able to visit Swat, parts of which spent nearly two years under the Pakistani Taliban militants’ harsh interpretation of Islamic law, due to continued concerns for her safety.</p> A helicopter carring Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai takes off after visiting her home in Mingora in Swat Valley, Pakistan March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood
<p>“I miss everything about Pakistan ... from the rivers, the mountains, to even the dirty streets and the garbage around our house, and my friends and how we used to have gossip ...to how we used to fight with our neighbors,” she told Reuters in an interview on Friday.</p>
<p>Two security officials told Reuters the trip by helicopter would likely be just for one day.</p>
<p>The Pakistani army wrested control of Swat back from the Taliban in 2009 and the area remains mostly peaceful, but the Taliban still occasionally launch attacks including one on the military a few weeks ago.</p>
<p>The Taliban claimed responsibility in 2012 for the attack on Yousafzai for her outspoken advocacy for girls’ education, which was forbidden under the militants’ rule over Swat.</p>
<p>She wrote an anonymous blog for the BBC Urdu service as a schoolgirl during the Taliban rule and later became outspoken in advocating more educational opportunities for girls.</p>
<p>In 2014, Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel laureate, honored for her work with the Malala Foundation, a charity she set up to support education advocacy groups with a focus on Pakistan, Nigeria, Jordan, Syria and Kenya.</p>
<p>This month, a new girls’ school built with her Nobel prize money opened in the village of Shangla in Swat Valley.</p>
<p>Writing by Kay Johnson; Editing by Kim Coghill</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | 3,140 |
<p>Washington plans to pour in $5 million into a radar facility to be erected at the Narva River, separating Estonia from Russia, Estonia’s Interior Ministry said. The new complex is set to significantly expand surveillance in the border area.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/374002-estonia-lithuania-us-troops/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The project costs will include the design and construction of radars, access roads and security systems in the easternmost point of Estonia, the town of Narva, sitting just across the river from the Russian city of Ivangorod.</p>
<p>Once completed, the facility will allow for “the immediate detection of activities near the border as well as processing of all incidents occurring at the border in real time,” Estonia Interior Minister Andres Anvelt said in a <a href="https://siseministeerium.ee/et/uudised/usa-toetab-5-miljoni-dollariga-eesti-idapiiri-ehitust" type="external">statement</a>&#160;Friday.</p>
<p>The US-funded radar is part of a $82 million project to bolster Estonia’s border with Russia, which includes outfitting it with technical surveillance along its entire length.</p>
<p>The radar, Anvelt said, is crucial for Estonia’s NATO allies as well.</p>
<p>“The building of the Eastern border is important for the whole of the European Union and NATO, besides Estonia, which is why it needs to be done thoroughly and in such a way as to last several generations of people,” he said, adding that he welcomes the contribution from “good partners from outside.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/op-edge/405798-nato-military-spending-us/" type="external">READ MORE:&#160;Road to nowhere: NATO increased military presence in Europe &#160;</a></p>
<p>The construction of a surveillance station in the immediate proximity to Russia falls in line with NATO’s continuing military build-up on Russia’s doorstep, that has exacerbated since the reunification of Crimea with Russia in 2014. Estonia together with other Baltic States and Poland have repeatedly called for stronger NATO military presence to counter what it calls “Russian aggression.”</p>
<p>Recently, four multinational battle groups consisting of some 4,500 NATO troops were deployed to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as part of Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) to demonstrate “the strength of the trans-Atlantic bond.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/381924-military-vehicles-estonia-nato/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The alliance constantly holds large-scale war games close to Russian border, with Baltic and North European countries being at the forefront of the effort.</p>
<p>Last month Latvia <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/402787-nato-commanders-exercise-latvia/" type="external">hosted</a> the Steadfast Pyramid 2017 military drills, that saw 40 commanders from NATO member states heading to the Baltic country to oversee the exercises.</p>
<p>Lithuania has lately <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/402536-lithuania-military-schengen-project/" type="external">proposed</a> a “military Schengen project,” aimed at facilitating the movement of troops across Europe, which has already enlisted support of several European countries, including Estonia and Finland.</p>
<p>NATO’s military activities near the Russian border have been repeatedly criticized by Moscow, which has accused the alliance of undermining the security balance with its eastward encroachment and military provocations.</p>
<p>“The West constructed its policy on the basis of the principle, ‘If you are not with us, you are against us’ and proceeded with a hideous expansion of NATO to the east,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/404137-lavrov-un-assembly-speech/" type="external">said</a> at the UN General Assembly in September.</p> | US to pay $5mn for Estonia's new radar on Russian border | false | https://newsline.com/us-to-pay-5mn-for-estonia039s-new-radar-on-russian-border/ | 2017-10-06 | 1right-center
| US to pay $5mn for Estonia's new radar on Russian border
<p>Washington plans to pour in $5 million into a radar facility to be erected at the Narva River, separating Estonia from Russia, Estonia’s Interior Ministry said. The new complex is set to significantly expand surveillance in the border area.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/374002-estonia-lithuania-us-troops/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The project costs will include the design and construction of radars, access roads and security systems in the easternmost point of Estonia, the town of Narva, sitting just across the river from the Russian city of Ivangorod.</p>
<p>Once completed, the facility will allow for “the immediate detection of activities near the border as well as processing of all incidents occurring at the border in real time,” Estonia Interior Minister Andres Anvelt said in a <a href="https://siseministeerium.ee/et/uudised/usa-toetab-5-miljoni-dollariga-eesti-idapiiri-ehitust" type="external">statement</a>&#160;Friday.</p>
<p>The US-funded radar is part of a $82 million project to bolster Estonia’s border with Russia, which includes outfitting it with technical surveillance along its entire length.</p>
<p>The radar, Anvelt said, is crucial for Estonia’s NATO allies as well.</p>
<p>“The building of the Eastern border is important for the whole of the European Union and NATO, besides Estonia, which is why it needs to be done thoroughly and in such a way as to last several generations of people,” he said, adding that he welcomes the contribution from “good partners from outside.”</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/op-edge/405798-nato-military-spending-us/" type="external">READ MORE:&#160;Road to nowhere: NATO increased military presence in Europe &#160;</a></p>
<p>The construction of a surveillance station in the immediate proximity to Russia falls in line with NATO’s continuing military build-up on Russia’s doorstep, that has exacerbated since the reunification of Crimea with Russia in 2014. Estonia together with other Baltic States and Poland have repeatedly called for stronger NATO military presence to counter what it calls “Russian aggression.”</p>
<p>Recently, four multinational battle groups consisting of some 4,500 NATO troops were deployed to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as part of Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) to demonstrate “the strength of the trans-Atlantic bond.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/381924-military-vehicles-estonia-nato/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The alliance constantly holds large-scale war games close to Russian border, with Baltic and North European countries being at the forefront of the effort.</p>
<p>Last month Latvia <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/402787-nato-commanders-exercise-latvia/" type="external">hosted</a> the Steadfast Pyramid 2017 military drills, that saw 40 commanders from NATO member states heading to the Baltic country to oversee the exercises.</p>
<p>Lithuania has lately <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/402536-lithuania-military-schengen-project/" type="external">proposed</a> a “military Schengen project,” aimed at facilitating the movement of troops across Europe, which has already enlisted support of several European countries, including Estonia and Finland.</p>
<p>NATO’s military activities near the Russian border have been repeatedly criticized by Moscow, which has accused the alliance of undermining the security balance with its eastward encroachment and military provocations.</p>
<p>“The West constructed its policy on the basis of the principle, ‘If you are not with us, you are against us’ and proceeded with a hideous expansion of NATO to the east,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/404137-lavrov-un-assembly-speech/" type="external">said</a> at the UN General Assembly in September.</p> | 3,141 |
<p>Polls show that Donald Trump is drawing approximately the same level of support from Republican voters as Hillary Clinton is drawing from Democrats. But that isn’t stopping Reince Priebus from going on the warpath against dissenting Republicans who refuse to get behind Trump. Yesterday, Priebus said, “Those people need to get on board. And if they’re thinking they’re going to run again someday, I think that we’re going to evaluate that process – of the nomination process and I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for them.”</p>
<p>He expanded on his plan: “People in our party are talking about what we’re going to do about this. I mean, there’s a ballot access issue in South Carolina. In order to be on the ballot in South Carolina, you actually have to pledge your support to the nominee, no matter who that person is. So what’s the penalty for that? It’s not a threat, but that’s just a question that we have a process in place.”</p>
<p>So Reince has found a spine to stand up against those who wouldn’t pledge to support the nominee.</p>
<p>A brief piece of history is in order here. In the very first Republican debate, Trump was the only candidate not to pledge to support the eventual nominee (he was right, I argued at the time – pledges to unspecified candidates are idiotic). In March, he said he wouldn’t support Ted Cruz or John Kasich. For all of this, Trump was barred from zero primaries and deprived of zero delegates, even though the nasty specter of a Trump third party run loomed over the proceedings for months.</p>
<p>Suddenly, though, Reince says that pledges matter.</p>
<p>How convenient.</p>
<p>But remember, folks, Trump is anti-establishment, and the only people who won’t support him at this point are establishment cucks. The head of the RNC, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate Majority Leader are the leaders of this broad anti-establishment movement.</p>
<p>This is political suicide for the Republican Party: demanding that everyone lash themselves to the Trump mast, no matter the storms of idiocy to which Trump subjects the Republican ship. Reince did not penalize Trump for ripping Mexican judges and war heroes; he didn’t say anything of impact when Trump insulted a fellow candidate’s wife. But now we all must line up behind Trump.</p>
<p>Good.</p>
<p>There will be a backlash to this sort of high-handed garbage from the RNC. Priebus is creating yet another backlash to the establishment, and that means the anti-establishment – the real, conservative anti-establishment – will have the moral high ground no matter what happens next.</p> | RNC Targets Its Real Enemies: Republicans Who Don't Cheer For Trump | true | https://dailywire.com/news/9247/rnc-targets-its-real-enemies-republicans-who-dont-ben-shapiro | 2016-09-19 | 0right
| RNC Targets Its Real Enemies: Republicans Who Don't Cheer For Trump
<p>Polls show that Donald Trump is drawing approximately the same level of support from Republican voters as Hillary Clinton is drawing from Democrats. But that isn’t stopping Reince Priebus from going on the warpath against dissenting Republicans who refuse to get behind Trump. Yesterday, Priebus said, “Those people need to get on board. And if they’re thinking they’re going to run again someday, I think that we’re going to evaluate that process – of the nomination process and I don’t think it’s going to be that easy for them.”</p>
<p>He expanded on his plan: “People in our party are talking about what we’re going to do about this. I mean, there’s a ballot access issue in South Carolina. In order to be on the ballot in South Carolina, you actually have to pledge your support to the nominee, no matter who that person is. So what’s the penalty for that? It’s not a threat, but that’s just a question that we have a process in place.”</p>
<p>So Reince has found a spine to stand up against those who wouldn’t pledge to support the nominee.</p>
<p>A brief piece of history is in order here. In the very first Republican debate, Trump was the only candidate not to pledge to support the eventual nominee (he was right, I argued at the time – pledges to unspecified candidates are idiotic). In March, he said he wouldn’t support Ted Cruz or John Kasich. For all of this, Trump was barred from zero primaries and deprived of zero delegates, even though the nasty specter of a Trump third party run loomed over the proceedings for months.</p>
<p>Suddenly, though, Reince says that pledges matter.</p>
<p>How convenient.</p>
<p>But remember, folks, Trump is anti-establishment, and the only people who won’t support him at this point are establishment cucks. The head of the RNC, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate Majority Leader are the leaders of this broad anti-establishment movement.</p>
<p>This is political suicide for the Republican Party: demanding that everyone lash themselves to the Trump mast, no matter the storms of idiocy to which Trump subjects the Republican ship. Reince did not penalize Trump for ripping Mexican judges and war heroes; he didn’t say anything of impact when Trump insulted a fellow candidate’s wife. But now we all must line up behind Trump.</p>
<p>Good.</p>
<p>There will be a backlash to this sort of high-handed garbage from the RNC. Priebus is creating yet another backlash to the establishment, and that means the anti-establishment – the real, conservative anti-establishment – will have the moral high ground no matter what happens next.</p> | 3,142 |
<p>The Syrian upheaval has gone through several stages. It began with relatively peaceful protests by crowds in a handful of small and medium-size cities outside the large metropolitan areas of Damascus and Aleppo. Severe repression by the national regime led some revolutionaries to turn to guerrilla tactics. The ruling Baath government subjected the quarters held by the Free Syrian Army to heavy artillery and tank assaults. More recently, as the rebellion continued to spread in small towns, the military has provided cover to death squads that have massacred civilians in an attempt to scare them into submission. The most frightening thing about this spiral of ever greater violence and brutality is that some of the now-hardened lines have been sectarian.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57453190/united-nations-observers-enter-cleansed-syrian-town-of-haffa-after-days-of-trying-to-gain-access/" type="external">Syrian army assault</a> on the rebellious Sunni village of al-Haffa in Latakia province, which has left it a ghost town, exemplifies this move toward religious war. Latakia is heavily <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/02/syrian-president-alawite-what-does-that-mean-and-why-does-it-matter.html%20" type="external">Alawite</a>, and protecting members of this religious group from Sunni dominance is one of the latent functions of the regime. The upper echelons of the ruling Baath Party and its officer corps are <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,MARP,,SYR,,469f3ad7c,0.html%20" type="external">dominated</a> by the Alawite sect of Shiite Islam. Only about 10 percent of Syrians are Alawite. On the order of 70 percent of Syrians belong to the rival Sunni branch of Islam. (Many Syrian Sunnis are secularists.) The <a href="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=middleeast&amp;xfile=data/middleeast/2012/June/middleeast_June160.xml" type="external">car bomb</a> that recently damaged the Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zaynab in Damascus may have primarily targeted nearby Intelligence Ministry buildings, but those who detonated it may have been happy enough to hurt Shiite religious sensibilities.</p>
<p>The death squads, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14482968%20" type="external">Shabiha</a>, deployed by the regime against the towns of Houla and Mazraat al-Qubair in recent weeks are drawn from the Alawi sect. Many of the Sunnis being targeted have been organized by the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood. Houla and Mazraat al-Qubair are largely Sunni hamlets surrounded by powerful Alawi towns.</p>
<p>The black-garbed Shabiha, or “ghost gangs,” began as criminal organizations in the Alawite-dominated port of Latakia in the 1970s after the Alawite Assad family came to power in Syria, and some of its members are drawn from the Assad and related Deeb and Makhlouf clans. Although the groups were curbed in the 1990s after they became too arrogant even for the Assads to countenance, they re-emerged in 2011 as paramilitary adjuncts to the army and security police. In Alawite areas, they have been accused of detaining Syrians with Sunni names at checkpoints and doing away with them.</p>
<p />
<p>The Baath Party was founded in the 1940s by two Christian intellectuals who advocated a secular Arab nationalism. In some ways, the “Resurrection,” or Baath, party was to resemble the Communist Party, but instead of championing the working class and being universal it would uplift ethnic Arabs and unite them to throw off the vestiges of Western, colonial domination. This attempt to subvert socialism with an appeal to essentially racist themes made the Baath an odd hybrid of fascism and Third-Worldism. Non-Arab minorities in Baath-ruled countries, such as the Kurds, often faced discrimination or worse.</p>
<p>Baathists came to power through coups in Syria and Iraq in the 1960s. Ironically, the Baath one-party state became a vehicle for well-organized minorities to take over the government. Thus, in Syria the Alawite Shiites dominated the Baath regime from 1970, whereas in Iraq control of the ruling Baath party was held by a Sunni clan from Tikrit (that of Saddam Hussein).</p>
<p>Syria’s Baath Party has lasted so long and attracted the loyalty of so many Syrians over the decades in part because it aided Syria’s transition from a rural, peasant country to an urban one. It carried out a land reform that redistributed land to peasants and liquidated the old big-landlord class. The Baathists built dams and irrigation works for farmers, earning the gratitude and support of many rural Sunni clans. Largely rural depot towns such as Deraa in the south near the Jordanian border were among the biggest beneficiaries of these Baath programs, and so were known as strong party backers, producing several high regime officials and officers.</p>
<p>Rural Syria has had a prolonged and severe drought, and the Baath government has not been good in this decade about managing water resources. Rural Sunni clans have suffered most from this water crisis.</p>
<p>A majority of Syrians now live in towns and cities, and their needs are different from those of their farming parents. The Baath Party’s <a href="http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/political-economy-syria?print" type="external">reduction of fuel and other subsidies</a> and encouragement of unaccountable big business have angered the urban population. (These policies, pushed by international banks and elites, are generally referred to as “Neoliberalism.”) Largely Sunni towns have seen high unemployment, especially in slums on outskirts full of former farmworkers forced to seek jobs in the cities, often unsuccessfully.</p>
<p>At its heart, the Syrian crisis is a conflict that pits the urban metropolises (Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia) that benefit from government largesse against the medium-size cities and rural towns that have suffered from drought and Neoliberal policies. It so happens that this divide also aligns, if unevenly, with sectarian cleavages, with the provincial cities and towns being mostly religiously conservative and Sunni, and the big-cities bastions of minority power and secular Sunni business classes dependent on the regime.</p>
<p>The Syrian government’s resort to Alawite death squads in recent weeks, however, has threatened the big-city alliance that has allowed the Baath to survive. The sight of Sunni women and children massacred by the Shabiha in Houla and Mazraat al-Qubair drove Sunni shopkeepers in the capital to instigate a <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2012-06-11/middleeast/world_meast_syria-battle-for-cities_1_damascus-merchants-joshua-landis-daraa?_s=PM:MIDDLEEAST" type="external">general strike</a>. Protests and small insurgencies are now taking place even in Damascus.</p>
<p>The regime of Bashar Assad squandered whatever good will it had in rural and small-town Syria by its heavy-handed repression of the protests. Among its few remaining assets was the support of Christian, Alawi and secular Sunni middle classes in the large cities, groups that fear the rise of Sunni fundamentalism, are disturbed by the decline of security for property, and benefit from Baath government licenses and contracts. The deployment of Shabiha death squads, however, has clearly pushed many of these former supporters into the opposition. It is now the regime that is threatening public security and fanning the flames of sectarian hatred. If the Syrian revolution finally succeeds, it will be because the Baath regime betrayed its commitments to secularism, socialism and public order, becoming in the eyes of the public just another sectarian mafia.</p> | Sectarian Violence Undermines Syrian Regime | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/sectarian-violence-undermines-syrian-regime/ | 2012-06-18 | 4left
| Sectarian Violence Undermines Syrian Regime
<p>The Syrian upheaval has gone through several stages. It began with relatively peaceful protests by crowds in a handful of small and medium-size cities outside the large metropolitan areas of Damascus and Aleppo. Severe repression by the national regime led some revolutionaries to turn to guerrilla tactics. The ruling Baath government subjected the quarters held by the Free Syrian Army to heavy artillery and tank assaults. More recently, as the rebellion continued to spread in small towns, the military has provided cover to death squads that have massacred civilians in an attempt to scare them into submission. The most frightening thing about this spiral of ever greater violence and brutality is that some of the now-hardened lines have been sectarian.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57453190/united-nations-observers-enter-cleansed-syrian-town-of-haffa-after-days-of-trying-to-gain-access/" type="external">Syrian army assault</a> on the rebellious Sunni village of al-Haffa in Latakia province, which has left it a ghost town, exemplifies this move toward religious war. Latakia is heavily <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2012/02/syrian-president-alawite-what-does-that-mean-and-why-does-it-matter.html%20" type="external">Alawite</a>, and protecting members of this religious group from Sunni dominance is one of the latent functions of the regime. The upper echelons of the ruling Baath Party and its officer corps are <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,MARP,,SYR,,469f3ad7c,0.html%20" type="external">dominated</a> by the Alawite sect of Shiite Islam. Only about 10 percent of Syrians are Alawite. On the order of 70 percent of Syrians belong to the rival Sunni branch of Islam. (Many Syrian Sunnis are secularists.) The <a href="http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=middleeast&amp;xfile=data/middleeast/2012/June/middleeast_June160.xml" type="external">car bomb</a> that recently damaged the Shiite shrine of Sayyida Zaynab in Damascus may have primarily targeted nearby Intelligence Ministry buildings, but those who detonated it may have been happy enough to hurt Shiite religious sensibilities.</p>
<p>The death squads, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14482968%20" type="external">Shabiha</a>, deployed by the regime against the towns of Houla and Mazraat al-Qubair in recent weeks are drawn from the Alawi sect. Many of the Sunnis being targeted have been organized by the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood. Houla and Mazraat al-Qubair are largely Sunni hamlets surrounded by powerful Alawi towns.</p>
<p>The black-garbed Shabiha, or “ghost gangs,” began as criminal organizations in the Alawite-dominated port of Latakia in the 1970s after the Alawite Assad family came to power in Syria, and some of its members are drawn from the Assad and related Deeb and Makhlouf clans. Although the groups were curbed in the 1990s after they became too arrogant even for the Assads to countenance, they re-emerged in 2011 as paramilitary adjuncts to the army and security police. In Alawite areas, they have been accused of detaining Syrians with Sunni names at checkpoints and doing away with them.</p>
<p />
<p>The Baath Party was founded in the 1940s by two Christian intellectuals who advocated a secular Arab nationalism. In some ways, the “Resurrection,” or Baath, party was to resemble the Communist Party, but instead of championing the working class and being universal it would uplift ethnic Arabs and unite them to throw off the vestiges of Western, colonial domination. This attempt to subvert socialism with an appeal to essentially racist themes made the Baath an odd hybrid of fascism and Third-Worldism. Non-Arab minorities in Baath-ruled countries, such as the Kurds, often faced discrimination or worse.</p>
<p>Baathists came to power through coups in Syria and Iraq in the 1960s. Ironically, the Baath one-party state became a vehicle for well-organized minorities to take over the government. Thus, in Syria the Alawite Shiites dominated the Baath regime from 1970, whereas in Iraq control of the ruling Baath party was held by a Sunni clan from Tikrit (that of Saddam Hussein).</p>
<p>Syria’s Baath Party has lasted so long and attracted the loyalty of so many Syrians over the decades in part because it aided Syria’s transition from a rural, peasant country to an urban one. It carried out a land reform that redistributed land to peasants and liquidated the old big-landlord class. The Baathists built dams and irrigation works for farmers, earning the gratitude and support of many rural Sunni clans. Largely rural depot towns such as Deraa in the south near the Jordanian border were among the biggest beneficiaries of these Baath programs, and so were known as strong party backers, producing several high regime officials and officers.</p>
<p>Rural Syria has had a prolonged and severe drought, and the Baath government has not been good in this decade about managing water resources. Rural Sunni clans have suffered most from this water crisis.</p>
<p>A majority of Syrians now live in towns and cities, and their needs are different from those of their farming parents. The Baath Party’s <a href="http://www.mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/political-economy-syria?print" type="external">reduction of fuel and other subsidies</a> and encouragement of unaccountable big business have angered the urban population. (These policies, pushed by international banks and elites, are generally referred to as “Neoliberalism.”) Largely Sunni towns have seen high unemployment, especially in slums on outskirts full of former farmworkers forced to seek jobs in the cities, often unsuccessfully.</p>
<p>At its heart, the Syrian crisis is a conflict that pits the urban metropolises (Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia) that benefit from government largesse against the medium-size cities and rural towns that have suffered from drought and Neoliberal policies. It so happens that this divide also aligns, if unevenly, with sectarian cleavages, with the provincial cities and towns being mostly religiously conservative and Sunni, and the big-cities bastions of minority power and secular Sunni business classes dependent on the regime.</p>
<p>The Syrian government’s resort to Alawite death squads in recent weeks, however, has threatened the big-city alliance that has allowed the Baath to survive. The sight of Sunni women and children massacred by the Shabiha in Houla and Mazraat al-Qubair drove Sunni shopkeepers in the capital to instigate a <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2012-06-11/middleeast/world_meast_syria-battle-for-cities_1_damascus-merchants-joshua-landis-daraa?_s=PM:MIDDLEEAST" type="external">general strike</a>. Protests and small insurgencies are now taking place even in Damascus.</p>
<p>The regime of Bashar Assad squandered whatever good will it had in rural and small-town Syria by its heavy-handed repression of the protests. Among its few remaining assets was the support of Christian, Alawi and secular Sunni middle classes in the large cities, groups that fear the rise of Sunni fundamentalism, are disturbed by the decline of security for property, and benefit from Baath government licenses and contracts. The deployment of Shabiha death squads, however, has clearly pushed many of these former supporters into the opposition. It is now the regime that is threatening public security and fanning the flames of sectarian hatred. If the Syrian revolution finally succeeds, it will be because the Baath regime betrayed its commitments to secularism, socialism and public order, becoming in the eyes of the public just another sectarian mafia.</p> | 3,143 |
<p />
<p>The popular Marxist slogan, “You have nothing to lose but your chains,” can now be changed to “I told you so.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p><a href="/mustreads/091300.html" type="external">9/13 – Patient rights, nurse wrongs</a></p>
<p><a href="/mustreads/091200.html" type="external">9/12 – Punjabi farmers killing selves</a></p>
<p><a href="/mustreads/090900.html" type="external">9/9 – Cat burglars beware</a></p>
<p><a href="/mustreads/090800.html" type="external">9/8 – Just stop it.</a></p>
<p>Though many journalists and social commentators threw their Marx anthologies out with the Cold War, many are now turning back to Marx as a prophet of globalization, according to BRITANNICA.COM.</p>
<p>The ideas Marx espoused about socialism may not have come to fruition — though many argue campaigns in his name never truly followed his teachings — but his 150-year-old premonitions about a world dominated by capital and the destruction of the value of labor have more than come true.</p>
<p>What remains to be seen is whether Marx’s theory that globalization will see its end when the under-classes rise up and the overlords get bored with the game. Which leads us to think that maybe we got it backward — maybe socialism comes after the destruction of globalization and not before.</p>
<p /> | Marx as globalization prophet | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2000/09/marx-globalization-prophet/ | 2000-09-14 | 4left
| Marx as globalization prophet
<p />
<p>The popular Marxist slogan, “You have nothing to lose but your chains,” can now be changed to “I told you so.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p><a href="/mustreads/091300.html" type="external">9/13 – Patient rights, nurse wrongs</a></p>
<p><a href="/mustreads/091200.html" type="external">9/12 – Punjabi farmers killing selves</a></p>
<p><a href="/mustreads/090900.html" type="external">9/9 – Cat burglars beware</a></p>
<p><a href="/mustreads/090800.html" type="external">9/8 – Just stop it.</a></p>
<p>Though many journalists and social commentators threw their Marx anthologies out with the Cold War, many are now turning back to Marx as a prophet of globalization, according to BRITANNICA.COM.</p>
<p>The ideas Marx espoused about socialism may not have come to fruition — though many argue campaigns in his name never truly followed his teachings — but his 150-year-old premonitions about a world dominated by capital and the destruction of the value of labor have more than come true.</p>
<p>What remains to be seen is whether Marx’s theory that globalization will see its end when the under-classes rise up and the overlords get bored with the game. Which leads us to think that maybe we got it backward — maybe socialism comes after the destruction of globalization and not before.</p>
<p /> | 3,144 |
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<p>A worker cleans an IQ compact car at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo, Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Toyota remains No. 1 in global vehicles sales after the first six months of this year, followed by Volkswagen which bumped General Motors out of second place as the U.S. automaker grapples with a recall scandal. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)</p>
<p>TOKYO — Toyota remains No. 1 in global vehicles sales after the first six months of this year, followed by Volkswagen which bumped General Motors out of second place as the U.S. automaker grapples with a recall scandal.</p>
<p>Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. announced Wednesday that January-June global sales totaled 5.097 million vehicles, up nearly 4 percent from a year earlier. Sales grew in its home Japanese market as well in the rest of Asia, U.S. and Europe.</p>
<p>Sales in Japan were strong because of a rush to beat the rise in the consumption tax that kicked in from April 1, according to Toyota.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Toyota’s vehicle sales soared 12 percent in China, while they also held up in North America, growing 5 percent. Toyota also did well in Europe, with sales edging up 8 percent.</p>
<p>Toyota declined comment on being No. 1. Toyota officials say they are merely trying to satisfy customers, one car at a time, and not competing to be at the top.</p>
<p>All auto officials tend to make such comments in public, but there is no question of the intense competition.</p>
<p>Volkswagen of Germany sold 4.97 million vehicles in the first half, outpacing General Motors Co. at 4.92 million vehicles, according to figures released earlier this month. VW’s sales are growing faster than that of Detroit-based GM, which is grappling with a major recall over faulty ignition switches.</p>
<p>Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, finished at the top last year with a record 9.98 million vehicles. GM was second and VW third.</p>
<p>Toyota expects to sell more than 10 million vehicles this year, a milestone in the industry.</p>
<p>GM had been the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008. GM retook the sales crown in 2011, when Toyota’s production was hurt by the quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.</p>
<p>Toyota made a powerful comeback in 2012, and appears on track to retain its title this year.</p>
<p>The battle among the three automakers remains tight, fought out in still largely untested territory in new markets.</p>
<p>Toyota is a relative latecomer in China, for instance, whereas GM and VW are longtime powerhouses there. Toyota, however, is rapidly catching up.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at twitter.com/yurikageyama</p> | Toyota remains at top in sales after first half | false | https://abqjournal.com/437747/toyota-remains-at-top-in-sales-after-first-half.html | 2least
| Toyota remains at top in sales after first half
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<p>A worker cleans an IQ compact car at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo, Wednesday, July 30, 2014. Toyota remains No. 1 in global vehicles sales after the first six months of this year, followed by Volkswagen which bumped General Motors out of second place as the U.S. automaker grapples with a recall scandal. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)</p>
<p>TOKYO — Toyota remains No. 1 in global vehicles sales after the first six months of this year, followed by Volkswagen which bumped General Motors out of second place as the U.S. automaker grapples with a recall scandal.</p>
<p>Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp. announced Wednesday that January-June global sales totaled 5.097 million vehicles, up nearly 4 percent from a year earlier. Sales grew in its home Japanese market as well in the rest of Asia, U.S. and Europe.</p>
<p>Sales in Japan were strong because of a rush to beat the rise in the consumption tax that kicked in from April 1, according to Toyota.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Toyota’s vehicle sales soared 12 percent in China, while they also held up in North America, growing 5 percent. Toyota also did well in Europe, with sales edging up 8 percent.</p>
<p>Toyota declined comment on being No. 1. Toyota officials say they are merely trying to satisfy customers, one car at a time, and not competing to be at the top.</p>
<p>All auto officials tend to make such comments in public, but there is no question of the intense competition.</p>
<p>Volkswagen of Germany sold 4.97 million vehicles in the first half, outpacing General Motors Co. at 4.92 million vehicles, according to figures released earlier this month. VW’s sales are growing faster than that of Detroit-based GM, which is grappling with a major recall over faulty ignition switches.</p>
<p>Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, finished at the top last year with a record 9.98 million vehicles. GM was second and VW third.</p>
<p>Toyota expects to sell more than 10 million vehicles this year, a milestone in the industry.</p>
<p>GM had been the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008. GM retook the sales crown in 2011, when Toyota’s production was hurt by the quake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.</p>
<p>Toyota made a powerful comeback in 2012, and appears on track to retain its title this year.</p>
<p>The battle among the three automakers remains tight, fought out in still largely untested territory in new markets.</p>
<p>Toyota is a relative latecomer in China, for instance, whereas GM and VW are longtime powerhouses there. Toyota, however, is rapidly catching up.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at twitter.com/yurikageyama</p> | 3,145 |
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<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/?p=26070" type="external" />Liberals are freaking out about the Halbig v. Burwell case. At issue is whether Obamacare, as written, allows for the provision of subsidies to participants in healthcare exchanges not established by the states. The Obama administration and its liberal allies argue that it does, or should, because that's what [?]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://freebeacon.com/blog/liberals-to-scotus-you-either-agree-with-us-or-you-want-people-to-die/" type="external">Click here to view original web page at freebeacon.com</a></p>
<p /> | Liberals to SCOTUS: You Either Agree With Us, Or You Want People To Die | true | http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/liberals-to-scotus-you-either-agree-with-us-or-you-want-people-to-die/ | 0right
| Liberals to SCOTUS: You Either Agree With Us, Or You Want People To Die
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/?p=26070" type="external" />Liberals are freaking out about the Halbig v. Burwell case. At issue is whether Obamacare, as written, allows for the provision of subsidies to participants in healthcare exchanges not established by the states. The Obama administration and its liberal allies argue that it does, or should, because that's what [?]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://freebeacon.com/blog/liberals-to-scotus-you-either-agree-with-us-or-you-want-people-to-die/" type="external">Click here to view original web page at freebeacon.com</a></p>
<p /> | 3,146 |
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<p>A large marijuana garden at a private residence in Pueblito was spotted from the air during a helicopter training exercise over the Rio Grande on the morning of Sept. 14, <a href="http://www.dchieftain.com/dc/index.php/news/2112-four-charged-with-illegal-cultivation-of-marijuana.html" type="external">El Defensor Chieftain</a> reported.</p>
<p>Bureau of Land Management law officer Mark Wheeler and Socorro Police Detective Rocky Fernandez were making flyovers of the bosque in New Mexico National Guard helicopters as part of a class on helicopter counter-drug operations, when they spotted about 100 marijuana plants at the residence on Bosquecito Road and a man running around the property, banging on doors, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>“When the helicopter flew over, the people tried to make a mass exodus,” Socorro County Sheriff Phillip Montoya told the paper. “We had officers on the ground, ready to intercept them.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A man, two women and four children were found leaving the scene, and a second man was found at the residence, and all were detained while authorities obtained a search warrant, according to the paper.</p>
<p>Officers on the ground searched the property and turned up 93 heavily budded marijuana plants inside a fenced yard, along with two handguns, a .22-caliber rifle, and multiple items of drug paraphernalia, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>The four adults were charged and the children were taken into state custody, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Kenneth Hart, 50, was charged with possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy, cultivation, possession of drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property and false imprisonment, and was released on a $20,000 cash or surety bond, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>Nathan Crowley, 40, was charged with possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy, cultivation and abandonment or abuse of a child, and was jailed on a $50,000 cash or surety bond, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Also charged at an arraignment Thursday were Greta Cederstrom, 44, who was jailed on a $50,000 bond, and Adrien Moses, 21, who was jailed on a $25,000 cash or surety bond, according to El Defensor Chieftain.</p>
<p>The estimated value of the so-called garden was close to $450,000, but while the Pueblito property was being searched, a second, much larger site was spotted from the air, about two miles south along the Rio Grande, where officers discovered some 1,200 marijuana plants valued at an estimated $6 million, the paper reported.</p>
<p>No arrests have been made in connection with the second, larger seizure, the paper said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>9:10am 9/16/10 — Huge Pot Plantation Spotted from Air Near Socorro: It’s the ninth pot-growing operation found in the Rio Grande bosque this year.</p>
<p>Another pot plantation was discovered Wednesday in the bosque near Socorro — the ninth pot plantation to be uncovered by law enforcement this year, <a href="http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/huge-pot-bust-in-socorro%2C-the-ninth-" type="external">KRQE News 13</a> reported.</p>
<p>A New Mexico National Guard helicopter spotted the plantation from the air, in the first combined operation by the National Guard, Socorro city police and Socorro County sheriff’s deputies, KRQE said.</p>
<p>“They spotted what they thought was 200 plants,” Chief Deputy P. “Shorty” Vaiza of the sheriff’s office, told News 13. But once the plantation in northern Socorro County was entered on the ground, authorities found a total of 1,202 plants — enough to fill a full-sized Dumpster, News 13 said.</p>
<p>“Probably in the last 20 years, no, I haven’t seen anything this big and this many plantations as we’ve gotten this year,” Vaiza told KRQE.</p>
<p>Authorities said the pot plantation found Wednesday was easily a multi-million-dollar operation, with underground drip systems, solar systems, electric pump and alarms to warn of intruders, News 13 reported.</p>
<p>Vaiza told the station he’s pretty sure there are more plantations to be found along the bosque, but said he is confident they won’t be there long.</p>
<p>“If it is out there, we will find it,” Vaiza told KRQE. “And if we find you, you are in a lot of trouble.”</p>
<p>Police said the 1,200-plus plants seized Wednesday were worth an estimated $6 million, News 13 said.</p>
<p>Seven arrests have been made in connection with the previous seven plantation busts, the station reported.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>7:00am 8/24/10 — Another Pot Plantation Wiped Out South of Socorro: Two men arrested after tip leads lawmen to diversion channel near San Marcial.</p>
<p>Two men were arrested early last Wednesday morning after a tip led Socorro County law officers to another large marijuana plantation in a secluded area south of Socorro, <a href="http://www.dchieftain.com/dc/index.php/news/1964-marijuana-eradicated-on-plantation-near-san-marcial.html" type="external">El Defensor Chieftain</a> reported.</p>
<p>Shannon Martin, 33, of Los Lunas, and Vincent Biancardi, 38, of Belen, were arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor possession of cultivation paraphernalia following a chase early Wednesday, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>Socorro County Sheriff Phillip Montoya said Detective Rocky Fernandez received a tip about a marijuana farm in a diversion channel near San Marcial and set up a surveillance Tuesday afternoon, the paper reported.</p>
<p>“We witnessed two guys go in, unload a boat and put it in the water,” Fernandez said. “We ran a license on their vehicle and waited for them to come out.”</p>
<p>The men didn’t re-emerge until around 2 a.m. Wednesday, saw the lawmen and took off, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>“I went up State Road 1 and saw the vehicle,” Montoya told the paper.</p>
<p>The sheriff, along with Officer Gilbert Padilla, stopped the vehicle, detained the two men, and when Fernandez arrived at the scene, the vehicle was searched, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>Approximately 20 full-grown, budding marijuana plants, along with potting trays and camping equipment were found in the suspects’ truck, along with a 9mm pistol, according to a police report.</p>
<p>About 180 plants were confiscated from the plantation itself, which was set up on an island in the diversion channel and was accessible only by boat, Montoya told El Defensor Chieftain.</p>
<p>Martin and Biancardi were released from the Socorro County Detention Center on $16,500 bonds each.</p>
<p>If convicted on all charges, each faces up to four years in prison and up to $6,000 on fines, the paper reported.</p> | Updated at 9:30am — Marijuana ‘Garden’ Leads to Socorro Co. Charges | false | https://abqjournal.com/9415/updated-at-930am-marijuana-garden-leads-to-socorro-co-charges.html | 2least
| Updated at 9:30am — Marijuana ‘Garden’ Leads to Socorro Co. Charges
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<p>A large marijuana garden at a private residence in Pueblito was spotted from the air during a helicopter training exercise over the Rio Grande on the morning of Sept. 14, <a href="http://www.dchieftain.com/dc/index.php/news/2112-four-charged-with-illegal-cultivation-of-marijuana.html" type="external">El Defensor Chieftain</a> reported.</p>
<p>Bureau of Land Management law officer Mark Wheeler and Socorro Police Detective Rocky Fernandez were making flyovers of the bosque in New Mexico National Guard helicopters as part of a class on helicopter counter-drug operations, when they spotted about 100 marijuana plants at the residence on Bosquecito Road and a man running around the property, banging on doors, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>“When the helicopter flew over, the people tried to make a mass exodus,” Socorro County Sheriff Phillip Montoya told the paper. “We had officers on the ground, ready to intercept them.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A man, two women and four children were found leaving the scene, and a second man was found at the residence, and all were detained while authorities obtained a search warrant, according to the paper.</p>
<p>Officers on the ground searched the property and turned up 93 heavily budded marijuana plants inside a fenced yard, along with two handguns, a .22-caliber rifle, and multiple items of drug paraphernalia, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>The four adults were charged and the children were taken into state custody, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Kenneth Hart, 50, was charged with possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy, cultivation, possession of drug paraphernalia, receiving stolen property and false imprisonment, and was released on a $20,000 cash or surety bond, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>Nathan Crowley, 40, was charged with possession with intent to distribute, conspiracy, cultivation and abandonment or abuse of a child, and was jailed on a $50,000 cash or surety bond, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Also charged at an arraignment Thursday were Greta Cederstrom, 44, who was jailed on a $50,000 bond, and Adrien Moses, 21, who was jailed on a $25,000 cash or surety bond, according to El Defensor Chieftain.</p>
<p>The estimated value of the so-called garden was close to $450,000, but while the Pueblito property was being searched, a second, much larger site was spotted from the air, about two miles south along the Rio Grande, where officers discovered some 1,200 marijuana plants valued at an estimated $6 million, the paper reported.</p>
<p>No arrests have been made in connection with the second, larger seizure, the paper said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>9:10am 9/16/10 — Huge Pot Plantation Spotted from Air Near Socorro: It’s the ninth pot-growing operation found in the Rio Grande bosque this year.</p>
<p>Another pot plantation was discovered Wednesday in the bosque near Socorro — the ninth pot plantation to be uncovered by law enforcement this year, <a href="http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/huge-pot-bust-in-socorro%2C-the-ninth-" type="external">KRQE News 13</a> reported.</p>
<p>A New Mexico National Guard helicopter spotted the plantation from the air, in the first combined operation by the National Guard, Socorro city police and Socorro County sheriff’s deputies, KRQE said.</p>
<p>“They spotted what they thought was 200 plants,” Chief Deputy P. “Shorty” Vaiza of the sheriff’s office, told News 13. But once the plantation in northern Socorro County was entered on the ground, authorities found a total of 1,202 plants — enough to fill a full-sized Dumpster, News 13 said.</p>
<p>“Probably in the last 20 years, no, I haven’t seen anything this big and this many plantations as we’ve gotten this year,” Vaiza told KRQE.</p>
<p>Authorities said the pot plantation found Wednesday was easily a multi-million-dollar operation, with underground drip systems, solar systems, electric pump and alarms to warn of intruders, News 13 reported.</p>
<p>Vaiza told the station he’s pretty sure there are more plantations to be found along the bosque, but said he is confident they won’t be there long.</p>
<p>“If it is out there, we will find it,” Vaiza told KRQE. “And if we find you, you are in a lot of trouble.”</p>
<p>Police said the 1,200-plus plants seized Wednesday were worth an estimated $6 million, News 13 said.</p>
<p>Seven arrests have been made in connection with the previous seven plantation busts, the station reported.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>7:00am 8/24/10 — Another Pot Plantation Wiped Out South of Socorro: Two men arrested after tip leads lawmen to diversion channel near San Marcial.</p>
<p>Two men were arrested early last Wednesday morning after a tip led Socorro County law officers to another large marijuana plantation in a secluded area south of Socorro, <a href="http://www.dchieftain.com/dc/index.php/news/1964-marijuana-eradicated-on-plantation-near-san-marcial.html" type="external">El Defensor Chieftain</a> reported.</p>
<p>Shannon Martin, 33, of Los Lunas, and Vincent Biancardi, 38, of Belen, were arrested on charges of possession with intent to distribute, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor possession of cultivation paraphernalia following a chase early Wednesday, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>Socorro County Sheriff Phillip Montoya said Detective Rocky Fernandez received a tip about a marijuana farm in a diversion channel near San Marcial and set up a surveillance Tuesday afternoon, the paper reported.</p>
<p>“We witnessed two guys go in, unload a boat and put it in the water,” Fernandez said. “We ran a license on their vehicle and waited for them to come out.”</p>
<p>The men didn’t re-emerge until around 2 a.m. Wednesday, saw the lawmen and took off, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>“I went up State Road 1 and saw the vehicle,” Montoya told the paper.</p>
<p>The sheriff, along with Officer Gilbert Padilla, stopped the vehicle, detained the two men, and when Fernandez arrived at the scene, the vehicle was searched, El Defensor Chieftain said.</p>
<p>Approximately 20 full-grown, budding marijuana plants, along with potting trays and camping equipment were found in the suspects’ truck, along with a 9mm pistol, according to a police report.</p>
<p>About 180 plants were confiscated from the plantation itself, which was set up on an island in the diversion channel and was accessible only by boat, Montoya told El Defensor Chieftain.</p>
<p>Martin and Biancardi were released from the Socorro County Detention Center on $16,500 bonds each.</p>
<p>If convicted on all charges, each faces up to four years in prison and up to $6,000 on fines, the paper reported.</p> | 3,147 |
|
<p>Jan 19 (Reuters) - Japan Lifeline Co Ltd :</p>
<p>* Says 4,000 units of its 2nd series options were exercised to 800,000 shares of its common stock at 2,254 yen per share, on Jan. 19</p>
<p>Source text in Japanese: <a href="https://goo.gl/UsJrvu" type="external">goo.gl/UsJrvu</a></p>
<p>Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUDAPEST, Hungary (Reuters) - Most polling stations closed and the vote count began in Hungary’s election on Sunday, after a very high turnout that could threaten Viktor Orban’s parliamentary majority.</p> Hungarian women, wearing traditional costumes, fill their ballot papers at a polling station during Hungarian parliamentary elections in Veresegyhaz, Hungary April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
<p>Following an acrimonious campaign in which the rightwing nationalist prime minister projected himself as a savior of Hungary’s Christian culture against Muslim migration into Europe, all opinion polls had put his Fidesz party well ahead.</p>
<p>A strong victory could embolden him to put more muscle into a Central European alliance against the European Union’s migration policies. Orban, Hungary’s longest-serving post-communist premier, opposes deeper integration of the bloc.</p>
<p>Interim data at 1630 GMT showed voter turnout at 68.13 percent, exceeding final turnout in the past three elections.</p>
<p>A high turnout in a 2002 vote consigned Orban to eight years of opposition. In contrast, the turnout was only 61.7 percent in the last election, in 2014, which gave him a massive victory.</p>
<p>Orban’s opponents were cheered by the enthusiasm of Hungarians to vote.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-hungary-election-majority/hungarys-fidesz-unlikely-to-win-two-thirds-majority-lawmaker-idUSKBN1HF0UZ" type="external">Hungary's Fidesz unlikely to win two-thirds majority: lawmaker</a>
<a href="/article/us-hungary-election-turnout/interim-turnout-in-hungarys-election-hits-68-13-percent-idUSKBN1HF0FA" type="external">Interim turnout in Hungary's election hits 68.13 percent</a>
<p>“We are convinced that high turnout definitely reflects ... that people want a change in government,” Socialist spokeswoman Bernadett Budai was quoted as saying by national news agency MTI.</p>
<p>Fidesz lawmaker Gergely Gulyas told private broadcaster ATV his party was unlikely to retain its two-thirds parliamentary majority.</p>
<p>“A two-thirds victory is possible if neither side loses more than 10 districts and there is a difference of at least 20 percent between the winner and the runner-up,” Gulyas said.</p>
<p>“I consider this unlikely. I think this is outside the category of reality.”</p>
<p>Voters were no longer allowed to join queues at polling stations from 1700 GMT, but those already in line were being allowed to cast their ballots, meaning voting could continue for hours more at the busiest stations.</p>
<p>In central London, emigre Hungarians queued for hundreds of meters in the rain to vote, some waiting for more than two hours.</p>
<p>Some pollsters said voter turnout above 70 percent could signal that the opposition was mobilizing supporters efficiently, and might even deprive Fidesz of its parliamentary majority.</p>
<p>“High turnout means, most probably, less mandates for Fidesz than in the previous term,” said Peter Kreko, director of think tank Political Capital.</p>
<p>But he added that since all parties, including Fidesz, had mobilized intensively, it did not necessarily mean Orban was threatened with defeat.</p>
<p>Orban has far-right admirers across Europe who like his tough line on migrants and a landslide win would show that his single-issue campaign, arguing that migration poses a security threat, had paid off.</p> A woman casts her ballot during Hungarian parliamentary election in Gyongyos, Hungary, April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger MIGRATION “LIKE RUST”
<p>Critics say Orban has put Hungary on an increasingly authoritarian path and his stance on immigration has fueled xenophobia.</p>
<p>After casting his vote in a wealthy district of Budapest, he said: “From here I will go and take part in mobilizing voters ... I am asking everyone to take part in the election.”</p>
<p>Asked by journalists if he was fighting the European Union, Orban said: “The EU is not in Brussels. The EU is in Berlin, in Budapest, in Prague and in Bucharest.”</p>
<p>He reiterated he would stand up for Hungary’s interests and said Hungary was a loyal member of international organizations.</p>
<p>“We love our country and we are fighting for our country,” he said.</p>
<p>A strong win for Orban would boost other right-wing nationalists in Central Europe, in Poland and in neighboring Austria, and expose cracks in the 28-nation EU.</p>
<p>While Fidesz led all opinion polls before the vote, there is a small chance that the fragmented opposition could strip Fidesz of its parliamentary majority if voters frustrated with Orban’s policies choose tactical voting in the 106 constituencies.</p>
<p>The strongest opposition party is the formerly far-right Jobbik, which has recast its image as a more moderate nationalist force. It has been campaigning on an anti-corruption agenda and urged higher wages to lure back hundreds of thousands of Hungarians who have left Hungary for western Europe.</p>
<p>Clad in a green jacket and white shirt, Jobbik leader Gabor Vona, 39, arrived to vote in the eastern city of Gyongyos, his home town and the district where he is likely to win a seat.</p>
<p>“Everyone should go to vote because this election determines Hungary’s course not for four years but for two generations at least,” he told reporters. “Emigration may or may not define Hungary, and I would prefer that it does not.”</p>
<p>The EU has struggled to respond as Orban’s government has, in the view of its critics, used its two landslide victories in 2010 and 2014 to erode democratic checks and balances. It has curbed the powers of the constitutional court, increased control of the media and appointed loyalists to key positions.</p> Slideshow (11 Images)
<p>Orban is credited with keeping the budget deficit under control, reducing unemployment and some of Hungary’s debt, and putting its economy on a growth track.</p>
<p>On Friday, at his closing campaign rally, he vowed to protect his nation from Muslim migrants, saying: “Migration is like rust that slowly but surely would consume Hungary.”</p> OUTSIDE CHANCE OF SURPRISE
<p>The anti-immigrant campaign has gone down well with many of the roughly two million core voters of Fidesz.</p>
<p>“My little daughter must be my primary concern, to make her future safe. Safety is first,” said Julia Scharle, 27, holding her child outside the polling station where Orban cast his vote. She would not reveal her voting preference.</p>
<p>In March the government gave pre-election handouts to millions of families and pensioners.</p>
<p>A poll by Zavecz research institute published on Friday showed Fidesz had 46 percent support among decided voters, while Jobbik had 19 percent. The Socialists came in third with 14 percent. Voter turnout was estimated between 64 and 68 percent.</p>
<p>However, one-third of voters were undecided.</p>
<p>In 2014, Fidesz won a two-thirds majority in the 199-seat parliament with 133 seats.</p>
<p>If Orban wins again, he is expected to continue his economic policies, with income tax cuts and incentives to boost growth.</p>
<p>His business allies are expected to expand their economic domains. Businessmen close to Fidesz have acquired stakes in major industries like banking, energy, construction and tourism, profiting from EU funds.</p>
<p>“Only a dramatic outcome of the election would force a significant shift in the direction of policymaking,” Barclays said in a note.</p>
<p>Writing by Krisztina Than; additional reporting by Simon Dawson; editing by Janet Lawrence and Andrew Roche</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary ruling Fidesz party is unlikely to win a two-thirds parliamentary majority, Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader Gergely Gulyas told private broadcaster ATV after Sunday’s election produced a higher-than-expected turnout.</p> Votes are counted in Hungarian parliamentary election, at the polling station in Budapest, Hungary, April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
<p>“Theoretically everything is still possible as we don’t know the data yet ... but in Hungary a two-thirds victory is possible if neither side loses more than 10 districts and there is a difference of at least 20 percent between the winner and the runner-up,” Gulyas said.</p>
<p>“I consider this unlikely. I think this is outside the category of reality.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Krisztina Than. Editing by Jane Merriman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday reports of a gas attack in Syria were not based on facts and were an “an excuse” by the United States and Western countries to take military action against Damascus, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.</p>
<p>“Such claims and allegations by the Americans and some Western countries point to a new plot against the Syrian government and people, and are an excuse to take military action against them,” IRNA reported foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.</p>
<p>The news agency also quoted Qasemi as saying that the reports of the gas attack “do not match facts.”</p>
<p>Iran has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most supportive ally against insurgents throughout the conflict. Iran-backed militias first helped his army stem rebel advances and, following Russia’s entry into the war in 2015, turn the tide decisively in Assad’s favor.</p> The mysterious Russian airlift helping Syria's Assad
<p>In a meeting with military commanders on Sunday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed confidence that enemies would fail in any confrontation with Iran.</p>
<p>“Despite all the conspiracies ... of the enemies, the power of the Islamic system will increase day by day,” IRNA quoted Khamenei as saying.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dubai newsroom. Editing by Jane Merriman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday there would be a “big price to pay” after medical aid groups reported dozens of people were killed by poison gas in a besieged rebel-held town in Syria.</p>
<p>As international officials worked to try to confirm the chemical attack which happened late on Saturday in the town of Douma, Trump took the rare step of directly criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the incident.</p>
<p>The Syrian state denied government forces had launched any chemical attack and Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, called the reports bogus.</p>
<p>“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay,” Trump wrote on Twitter.</p>
<p>The White House declined to clarify what consequences Trump had in mind. Last year, the United States launched a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base days after a sarin gas attack in northwestern Syria blamed on Assad.</p>
<p>The Russian Foreign Ministry warned against any military action on the basis of “invented and fabricated excuses”, saying this could lead to severe consequences.</p>
<p>A joint statement by the medical relief organization Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the civil defense service, which operates in rebel-held areas, said 49 people had died in the attack. Others put the toll even higher.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un/u-n-security-council-expected-to-meet-monday-on-syria-attack-diplomats-idUSKBN1HF0TU" type="external">U.N. Security Council expected to meet Monday on Syria attack: diplomats</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-iran/iran-says-syria-gas-attack-reports-excuse-for-military-action-idUSKBN1HF0R2" type="external">Iran says Syria gas attack reports 'excuse' for military action</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-gouta-eu/eu-calls-for-response-to-yet-another-chemical-attack-in-syria-idUSKBN1HF0PQ" type="external">EU calls for response to 'yet another chemical attack' in Syria</a>
<p>The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet Monday afternoon on the chemical attack at the request of the United States and eight other members, diplomats said.</p> ‘HORRIBLE’ IMAGES
<p>Last week Trump said he wanted to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, though his advisers have urged him to wait to ensure Islamic State militants are defeated and to prevent Assad’s ally Iran from gaining a foothold there.</p>
<p>There are about 2,000 U.S. troops on the ground in the country working to help fight Islamic State militants.</p>
<p>A top Trump security aide said on Sunday the United States would not rule out launching another missile attack. “I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” said Tom Bossert, the White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser, in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”</p>
<p>“We are looking into the attack at this point,” he said, adding that the photos of the incident are “horrible.”</p>
<p>In one video shared by activists, the bodies of around a dozen children, women and men, some with foam at the mouth, were seen. “Douma city, April 7 ... there is a strong smell here,” a voice can be heard saying.</p>
<p>Reuters could not independently verify the reports.</p>
<p>One factor in Trump’s decision to bomb Syria last year was the television images of dead children.</p>
<p>Trump will be joined at the White House on Monday by John Bolton, who takes over as White House national security adviser.</p>
<p>Trump has shaken up his core national security team in the past two weeks, replacing national security adviser H.R. McMaster and firing Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.</p>
<p>Bolton, a hard-charging former UN ambassador, praised Trump’s missile response last year, though he has generally focused more on Iran as a bigger national security threat.</p>
<p>Trump was set on Monday to talk with senior military leadership at a previously scheduled meeting at the White House.</p>
<p>U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had warned in March during a trip to Oman that chlorine attacks would be “very unwise,” saying Trump had “full political maneuver room” to respond, though he stopped short of threatening retaliation.</p> SHELTERING IN BASEMENTS
<p>The Syrian Observatory monitoring group said it could not confirm whether chemical weapons had been used in the attack on Saturday. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said 11 people had died in Douma as a result of suffocation caused by heavy bombardment.</p>
<p>Medical relief organization SAMS said a chlorine bomb hit Douma hospital, killing six people, and a second attack with “mixed agents”, including nerve agents, had hit a nearby building.</p>
<p>Basel Termanini, the U.S.-based vice president of SAMS, which operates medical facilities and supports medics in Syria, told Reuters another 35 people had been killed at a nearby apartment building, most of them women and children.</p>
<p>The joint statement from SAMS and the civil defense said medical centers had taken in more than 500 people suffering breathing difficulties, frothing from the mouth and smelling of chlorine.</p>
<p>Tawfik Chamaa, a Geneva-based Syrian doctor with the Syria-focused Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), a network of Syrian doctors, said 150 people were confirmed dead and the number was growing. “The majority were civilians, women and children trapped in underground shelters,” he told Reuters.</p>
<p>Douma is in the eastern Ghouta region near Damascus. Assad has won back control of nearly all of eastern Ghouta from rebel groups in a Russian-backed military campaign that began in February, leaving just Douma in rebel hands.</p>
<p>The Ghouta offensive has been one of the deadliest in Syria’s seven-year-long war, killing more than 1,600 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.</p>
<p>Taking Douma would seal Assad’s biggest victory since 2016, and underline his unassailable position in the war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it mushroomed from protests against his rule in 2011.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dahlia Nehme and Tom Perry in Beirut, Mustafa Hashem in Cairo, Roberta Rampton, John Walcott, Mark Hosenball, Michelle Price and Sarah Lynch in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Anthony Deutsch in Amstersdam, John Irish in Paris, and Polina Ivanova in Moscow; Writing by Tom Perry and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Adrian Croft and James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BRIEF-Japan Lifeline says exercise of options Vote count begins in Hungary's election as Orban fights to retain power Hungary's Fidesz unlikely to win two-thirds majority: lawmaker Iran says Syria gas attack reports 'excuse' for military action Trump says 'big price to pay' for Syria chemical attack | false | https://reuters.com/article/brief-japan-lifeline-says-exercise-of-op/brief-japan-lifeline-says-exercise-of-options-idUSL3N1PE2MF | 2018-01-19 | 2least
| BRIEF-Japan Lifeline says exercise of options Vote count begins in Hungary's election as Orban fights to retain power Hungary's Fidesz unlikely to win two-thirds majority: lawmaker Iran says Syria gas attack reports 'excuse' for military action Trump says 'big price to pay' for Syria chemical attack
<p>Jan 19 (Reuters) - Japan Lifeline Co Ltd :</p>
<p>* Says 4,000 units of its 2nd series options were exercised to 800,000 shares of its common stock at 2,254 yen per share, on Jan. 19</p>
<p>Source text in Japanese: <a href="https://goo.gl/UsJrvu" type="external">goo.gl/UsJrvu</a></p>
<p>Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUDAPEST, Hungary (Reuters) - Most polling stations closed and the vote count began in Hungary’s election on Sunday, after a very high turnout that could threaten Viktor Orban’s parliamentary majority.</p> Hungarian women, wearing traditional costumes, fill their ballot papers at a polling station during Hungarian parliamentary elections in Veresegyhaz, Hungary April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
<p>Following an acrimonious campaign in which the rightwing nationalist prime minister projected himself as a savior of Hungary’s Christian culture against Muslim migration into Europe, all opinion polls had put his Fidesz party well ahead.</p>
<p>A strong victory could embolden him to put more muscle into a Central European alliance against the European Union’s migration policies. Orban, Hungary’s longest-serving post-communist premier, opposes deeper integration of the bloc.</p>
<p>Interim data at 1630 GMT showed voter turnout at 68.13 percent, exceeding final turnout in the past three elections.</p>
<p>A high turnout in a 2002 vote consigned Orban to eight years of opposition. In contrast, the turnout was only 61.7 percent in the last election, in 2014, which gave him a massive victory.</p>
<p>Orban’s opponents were cheered by the enthusiasm of Hungarians to vote.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-hungary-election-majority/hungarys-fidesz-unlikely-to-win-two-thirds-majority-lawmaker-idUSKBN1HF0UZ" type="external">Hungary's Fidesz unlikely to win two-thirds majority: lawmaker</a>
<a href="/article/us-hungary-election-turnout/interim-turnout-in-hungarys-election-hits-68-13-percent-idUSKBN1HF0FA" type="external">Interim turnout in Hungary's election hits 68.13 percent</a>
<p>“We are convinced that high turnout definitely reflects ... that people want a change in government,” Socialist spokeswoman Bernadett Budai was quoted as saying by national news agency MTI.</p>
<p>Fidesz lawmaker Gergely Gulyas told private broadcaster ATV his party was unlikely to retain its two-thirds parliamentary majority.</p>
<p>“A two-thirds victory is possible if neither side loses more than 10 districts and there is a difference of at least 20 percent between the winner and the runner-up,” Gulyas said.</p>
<p>“I consider this unlikely. I think this is outside the category of reality.”</p>
<p>Voters were no longer allowed to join queues at polling stations from 1700 GMT, but those already in line were being allowed to cast their ballots, meaning voting could continue for hours more at the busiest stations.</p>
<p>In central London, emigre Hungarians queued for hundreds of meters in the rain to vote, some waiting for more than two hours.</p>
<p>Some pollsters said voter turnout above 70 percent could signal that the opposition was mobilizing supporters efficiently, and might even deprive Fidesz of its parliamentary majority.</p>
<p>“High turnout means, most probably, less mandates for Fidesz than in the previous term,” said Peter Kreko, director of think tank Political Capital.</p>
<p>But he added that since all parties, including Fidesz, had mobilized intensively, it did not necessarily mean Orban was threatened with defeat.</p>
<p>Orban has far-right admirers across Europe who like his tough line on migrants and a landslide win would show that his single-issue campaign, arguing that migration poses a security threat, had paid off.</p> A woman casts her ballot during Hungarian parliamentary election in Gyongyos, Hungary, April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger MIGRATION “LIKE RUST”
<p>Critics say Orban has put Hungary on an increasingly authoritarian path and his stance on immigration has fueled xenophobia.</p>
<p>After casting his vote in a wealthy district of Budapest, he said: “From here I will go and take part in mobilizing voters ... I am asking everyone to take part in the election.”</p>
<p>Asked by journalists if he was fighting the European Union, Orban said: “The EU is not in Brussels. The EU is in Berlin, in Budapest, in Prague and in Bucharest.”</p>
<p>He reiterated he would stand up for Hungary’s interests and said Hungary was a loyal member of international organizations.</p>
<p>“We love our country and we are fighting for our country,” he said.</p>
<p>A strong win for Orban would boost other right-wing nationalists in Central Europe, in Poland and in neighboring Austria, and expose cracks in the 28-nation EU.</p>
<p>While Fidesz led all opinion polls before the vote, there is a small chance that the fragmented opposition could strip Fidesz of its parliamentary majority if voters frustrated with Orban’s policies choose tactical voting in the 106 constituencies.</p>
<p>The strongest opposition party is the formerly far-right Jobbik, which has recast its image as a more moderate nationalist force. It has been campaigning on an anti-corruption agenda and urged higher wages to lure back hundreds of thousands of Hungarians who have left Hungary for western Europe.</p>
<p>Clad in a green jacket and white shirt, Jobbik leader Gabor Vona, 39, arrived to vote in the eastern city of Gyongyos, his home town and the district where he is likely to win a seat.</p>
<p>“Everyone should go to vote because this election determines Hungary’s course not for four years but for two generations at least,” he told reporters. “Emigration may or may not define Hungary, and I would prefer that it does not.”</p>
<p>The EU has struggled to respond as Orban’s government has, in the view of its critics, used its two landslide victories in 2010 and 2014 to erode democratic checks and balances. It has curbed the powers of the constitutional court, increased control of the media and appointed loyalists to key positions.</p> Slideshow (11 Images)
<p>Orban is credited with keeping the budget deficit under control, reducing unemployment and some of Hungary’s debt, and putting its economy on a growth track.</p>
<p>On Friday, at his closing campaign rally, he vowed to protect his nation from Muslim migrants, saying: “Migration is like rust that slowly but surely would consume Hungary.”</p> OUTSIDE CHANCE OF SURPRISE
<p>The anti-immigrant campaign has gone down well with many of the roughly two million core voters of Fidesz.</p>
<p>“My little daughter must be my primary concern, to make her future safe. Safety is first,” said Julia Scharle, 27, holding her child outside the polling station where Orban cast his vote. She would not reveal her voting preference.</p>
<p>In March the government gave pre-election handouts to millions of families and pensioners.</p>
<p>A poll by Zavecz research institute published on Friday showed Fidesz had 46 percent support among decided voters, while Jobbik had 19 percent. The Socialists came in third with 14 percent. Voter turnout was estimated between 64 and 68 percent.</p>
<p>However, one-third of voters were undecided.</p>
<p>In 2014, Fidesz won a two-thirds majority in the 199-seat parliament with 133 seats.</p>
<p>If Orban wins again, he is expected to continue his economic policies, with income tax cuts and incentives to boost growth.</p>
<p>His business allies are expected to expand their economic domains. Businessmen close to Fidesz have acquired stakes in major industries like banking, energy, construction and tourism, profiting from EU funds.</p>
<p>“Only a dramatic outcome of the election would force a significant shift in the direction of policymaking,” Barclays said in a note.</p>
<p>Writing by Krisztina Than; additional reporting by Simon Dawson; editing by Janet Lawrence and Andrew Roche</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary ruling Fidesz party is unlikely to win a two-thirds parliamentary majority, Fidesz’s parliamentary group leader Gergely Gulyas told private broadcaster ATV after Sunday’s election produced a higher-than-expected turnout.</p> Votes are counted in Hungarian parliamentary election, at the polling station in Budapest, Hungary, April 8, 2018. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
<p>“Theoretically everything is still possible as we don’t know the data yet ... but in Hungary a two-thirds victory is possible if neither side loses more than 10 districts and there is a difference of at least 20 percent between the winner and the runner-up,” Gulyas said.</p>
<p>“I consider this unlikely. I think this is outside the category of reality.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Gergely Szakacs and Krisztina Than. Editing by Jane Merriman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday reports of a gas attack in Syria were not based on facts and were an “an excuse” by the United States and Western countries to take military action against Damascus, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.</p>
<p>“Such claims and allegations by the Americans and some Western countries point to a new plot against the Syrian government and people, and are an excuse to take military action against them,” IRNA reported foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi as saying.</p>
<p>The news agency also quoted Qasemi as saying that the reports of the gas attack “do not match facts.”</p>
<p>Iran has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s most supportive ally against insurgents throughout the conflict. Iran-backed militias first helped his army stem rebel advances and, following Russia’s entry into the war in 2015, turn the tide decisively in Assad’s favor.</p> The mysterious Russian airlift helping Syria's Assad
<p>In a meeting with military commanders on Sunday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed confidence that enemies would fail in any confrontation with Iran.</p>
<p>“Despite all the conspiracies ... of the enemies, the power of the Islamic system will increase day by day,” IRNA quoted Khamenei as saying.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dubai newsroom. Editing by Jane Merriman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday there would be a “big price to pay” after medical aid groups reported dozens of people were killed by poison gas in a besieged rebel-held town in Syria.</p>
<p>As international officials worked to try to confirm the chemical attack which happened late on Saturday in the town of Douma, Trump took the rare step of directly criticizing Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with the incident.</p>
<p>The Syrian state denied government forces had launched any chemical attack and Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally, called the reports bogus.</p>
<p>“Many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay,” Trump wrote on Twitter.</p>
<p>The White House declined to clarify what consequences Trump had in mind. Last year, the United States launched a cruise missile strike on a Syrian air base days after a sarin gas attack in northwestern Syria blamed on Assad.</p>
<p>The Russian Foreign Ministry warned against any military action on the basis of “invented and fabricated excuses”, saying this could lead to severe consequences.</p>
<p>A joint statement by the medical relief organization Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the civil defense service, which operates in rebel-held areas, said 49 people had died in the attack. Others put the toll even higher.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un/u-n-security-council-expected-to-meet-monday-on-syria-attack-diplomats-idUSKBN1HF0TU" type="external">U.N. Security Council expected to meet Monday on Syria attack: diplomats</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-iran/iran-says-syria-gas-attack-reports-excuse-for-military-action-idUSKBN1HF0R2" type="external">Iran says Syria gas attack reports 'excuse' for military action</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-gouta-eu/eu-calls-for-response-to-yet-another-chemical-attack-in-syria-idUSKBN1HF0PQ" type="external">EU calls for response to 'yet another chemical attack' in Syria</a>
<p>The United Nations Security Council is likely to meet Monday afternoon on the chemical attack at the request of the United States and eight other members, diplomats said.</p> ‘HORRIBLE’ IMAGES
<p>Last week Trump said he wanted to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, though his advisers have urged him to wait to ensure Islamic State militants are defeated and to prevent Assad’s ally Iran from gaining a foothold there.</p>
<p>There are about 2,000 U.S. troops on the ground in the country working to help fight Islamic State militants.</p>
<p>A top Trump security aide said on Sunday the United States would not rule out launching another missile attack. “I wouldn’t take anything off the table,” said Tom Bossert, the White House Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser, in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”</p>
<p>“We are looking into the attack at this point,” he said, adding that the photos of the incident are “horrible.”</p>
<p>In one video shared by activists, the bodies of around a dozen children, women and men, some with foam at the mouth, were seen. “Douma city, April 7 ... there is a strong smell here,” a voice can be heard saying.</p>
<p>Reuters could not independently verify the reports.</p>
<p>One factor in Trump’s decision to bomb Syria last year was the television images of dead children.</p>
<p>Trump will be joined at the White House on Monday by John Bolton, who takes over as White House national security adviser.</p>
<p>Trump has shaken up his core national security team in the past two weeks, replacing national security adviser H.R. McMaster and firing Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.</p>
<p>Bolton, a hard-charging former UN ambassador, praised Trump’s missile response last year, though he has generally focused more on Iran as a bigger national security threat.</p>
<p>Trump was set on Monday to talk with senior military leadership at a previously scheduled meeting at the White House.</p>
<p>U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had warned in March during a trip to Oman that chlorine attacks would be “very unwise,” saying Trump had “full political maneuver room” to respond, though he stopped short of threatening retaliation.</p> SHELTERING IN BASEMENTS
<p>The Syrian Observatory monitoring group said it could not confirm whether chemical weapons had been used in the attack on Saturday. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said 11 people had died in Douma as a result of suffocation caused by heavy bombardment.</p>
<p>Medical relief organization SAMS said a chlorine bomb hit Douma hospital, killing six people, and a second attack with “mixed agents”, including nerve agents, had hit a nearby building.</p>
<p>Basel Termanini, the U.S.-based vice president of SAMS, which operates medical facilities and supports medics in Syria, told Reuters another 35 people had been killed at a nearby apartment building, most of them women and children.</p>
<p>The joint statement from SAMS and the civil defense said medical centers had taken in more than 500 people suffering breathing difficulties, frothing from the mouth and smelling of chlorine.</p>
<p>Tawfik Chamaa, a Geneva-based Syrian doctor with the Syria-focused Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), a network of Syrian doctors, said 150 people were confirmed dead and the number was growing. “The majority were civilians, women and children trapped in underground shelters,” he told Reuters.</p>
<p>Douma is in the eastern Ghouta region near Damascus. Assad has won back control of nearly all of eastern Ghouta from rebel groups in a Russian-backed military campaign that began in February, leaving just Douma in rebel hands.</p>
<p>The Ghouta offensive has been one of the deadliest in Syria’s seven-year-long war, killing more than 1,600 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.</p>
<p>Taking Douma would seal Assad’s biggest victory since 2016, and underline his unassailable position in the war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it mushroomed from protests against his rule in 2011.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dahlia Nehme and Tom Perry in Beirut, Mustafa Hashem in Cairo, Roberta Rampton, John Walcott, Mark Hosenball, Michelle Price and Sarah Lynch in Washington, Michelle Nichols in New York, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Anthony Deutsch in Amstersdam, John Irish in Paris, and Polina Ivanova in Moscow; Writing by Tom Perry and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Adrian Croft and James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | 3,148 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The document, titled “Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves,” was supposedly compiled by the Islamic State’s “Research and Fatwa Department,” according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors jihadist activity.</p>
<p>By some accounts, the Islamic State has kidnapped thousands of women during its months of rampage and slaughter this year. These include at least 2,500 Yazidi women, members of a religious sect deemed apostate by the jihadists.</p>
<p>The shocking testimony of Yazidi women who escaped the Islamic State’s clutches has given us a chilling insight into the militants’ brutality and vulgarity. A YouTube video circulated in November appeared to show the jihadists joking around about the many sex slaves in their possession.</p>
<p>The pamphlet says it is permissible to capture any “unbelieving” women and have sex with her “immediately” if she is a virgin. If she is not, though, it mandates that “her uterus must be purified” first. It offers no further detail on what that means.</p>
<p>The 27 “questions and answers” laid out in the pamphlet vary from the grotesque to the farcical. A man, it warns, “may not kiss the female slave of another.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Here is the Islamic State’s guidance regarding when it’s permissible to beat your female slave:</p>
<p>“It is permissible to beat the female slave as a [form of] darb ta’deeb [disciplinary beating], [but] it is forbidden to [use] darb al-takseer [literally, breaking beating], [darb] al-tashaffi [beating for the purpose of achieving gratification], or [darb] al-ta’dheeb [torture beating]. Further, it is forbidden to hit the face.”</p>
<p>It also gives a jihadist the right to have sex with a pre-pubescent girl: “It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse.”</p>
<p>For the Islamic State, such documents are a means of spreading their propaganda and burnishing their hardline, extremist chops. “The content, while it is abhorrent and shocking, is not surprising,” said Charlie Winter, a researcher at Quilliam, an anti-jihadist think tank in London, in an interview with the Independent. “We know that IS ideologues have justified and legitimated slavery in past publications.”</p>
<p /> | Islamic State outlines slave treatment | false | https://abqjournal.com/513580/islamic-state-outlines-slave-treatment.html | 2least
| Islamic State outlines slave treatment
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The document, titled “Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves,” was supposedly compiled by the Islamic State’s “Research and Fatwa Department,” according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors jihadist activity.</p>
<p>By some accounts, the Islamic State has kidnapped thousands of women during its months of rampage and slaughter this year. These include at least 2,500 Yazidi women, members of a religious sect deemed apostate by the jihadists.</p>
<p>The shocking testimony of Yazidi women who escaped the Islamic State’s clutches has given us a chilling insight into the militants’ brutality and vulgarity. A YouTube video circulated in November appeared to show the jihadists joking around about the many sex slaves in their possession.</p>
<p>The pamphlet says it is permissible to capture any “unbelieving” women and have sex with her “immediately” if she is a virgin. If she is not, though, it mandates that “her uterus must be purified” first. It offers no further detail on what that means.</p>
<p>The 27 “questions and answers” laid out in the pamphlet vary from the grotesque to the farcical. A man, it warns, “may not kiss the female slave of another.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Here is the Islamic State’s guidance regarding when it’s permissible to beat your female slave:</p>
<p>“It is permissible to beat the female slave as a [form of] darb ta’deeb [disciplinary beating], [but] it is forbidden to [use] darb al-takseer [literally, breaking beating], [darb] al-tashaffi [beating for the purpose of achieving gratification], or [darb] al-ta’dheeb [torture beating]. Further, it is forbidden to hit the face.”</p>
<p>It also gives a jihadist the right to have sex with a pre-pubescent girl: “It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse.”</p>
<p>For the Islamic State, such documents are a means of spreading their propaganda and burnishing their hardline, extremist chops. “The content, while it is abhorrent and shocking, is not surprising,” said Charlie Winter, a researcher at Quilliam, an anti-jihadist think tank in London, in an interview with the Independent. “We know that IS ideologues have justified and legitimated slavery in past publications.”</p>
<p /> | 3,149 |
|
<p>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The 2018 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards for film and television will be handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.</p> A statue of The Actor covered in plastic is pictured during a media opportunity in preparations for the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 18, 2018. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
<p>Following is a list of key nominations:</p> BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
<p>“The Big Sick”</p>
<p>“Get Out”</p>
<p>“Lady Bird”</p>
<p>“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p>
<p>“Mudbound”</p> BEST ACTOR
<p>Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”</p>
<p>James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”</p>
<p>Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”</p>
<p>Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”</p>
<p>Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”</p> BEST ACTRESS
<p>Judi Dench, “Victoria &amp; Abdul”</p>
<p>Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”</p>
<p>Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p>
<p>Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”</p>
<p>Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”</p> BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
<p>Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”</p>
<p>Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”</p>
<p>Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p>
<p>Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”</p>
<p>Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p> BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
<p>Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”</p>
<p>Hong Chau, “Downsizing”</p>
<p>Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”</p>
<p>Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”</p>
<p>Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”</p> BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A DRAMA SERIES
<p>“The Crown”</p>
<p>“Game of Thrones”</p>
<p>“The Handmaid’s Tale”</p>
<p>“Stranger Things”</p>
<p>“This is Us”</p> BEST DRAMA ACTOR
<p>Jason Bateman, “Ozark”</p>
<p>Sterling K. Brown, “This is Us”</p>
<p>Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”</p>
<p>David Harbour, “Stranger Things”</p>
<p>Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”</p> BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
<p>Milly Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”</p>
<p>Claire Foy, “The Crown”</p>
<p>Laura Linney, “Ozark”</p>
<p>Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”</p>
<p>Robin Wright, “House of Cards”</p> BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A COMEDY SERIES
<p>“Black-ish”</p>
<p>“Curb Your Enthusiasm”</p>
<p>“Glow”</p>
<p>“Orange is the New Black”</p>
<p>“Veep”</p> BEST COMEDY ACTOR
<p>Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”</p>
<p>Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”</p>
<p>Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”</p>
<p>Sean Hayes, “Will &amp; Grace”</p>
<p>William H. Macy, “Shameless”</p>
<p>Marc Maron, “Glow”</p> BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
<p>Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”</p>
<p>Alison Brie, “Glow”</p>
<p>Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”</p>
<p>Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”</p>
<p>Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”</p> BEST ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
<p>Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: The Lying Detective”</p>
<p>Jeff Daniels, “Godless”</p>
<p>Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”</p>
<p>Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”</p>
<p>Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”</p> BEST ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
<p>Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”</p>
<p>Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”</p>
<p>Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette and Joan”</p>
<p>Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette and Joan”</p>
<p>Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”</p> LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
<p>Morgan Freeman</p>
<p>Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>PARIS (Reuters) - LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury goods group, named Kris Van Assche as the new artistic director for its Berluti brand, following the departure of Haider Ackermann.</p> FILE PHOTO: Designer Kris Van Assche poses before attending the the Dior Haute Couture Fall Winter 2016/2017 fashion show in Paris, France, July 4, 2016. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
<p>LVMH said Van Assche would be in charge of shoes, leather goods, ready-to-wear and accessories collections at Berluti, and would present his first collection during the Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2019.</p>
<p>Van Assche had previously worked at LVMH’s Christian Dior division for around 11 years.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Christian Schmollinger</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of Hollywood’s top paid stars, said on Monday he struggled with depression after watching his mother’s attempted suicide and encouraged men suffering from the disease to open up about their struggles and seek help.</p>
<p>“Depression never discriminates,” the 45-year-old actor wrote to his 12.7 million Twitter followers. “Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”</p>
<p>Johnson, who is currently promoting the Warner Bros action film “Rampage,” told British newspaper Express on Sunday he faced his own demons after witnessing his mother’s suicide attempt as a teenager.</p>
<p>“I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere,” the “Fast &amp; Furious” film star said. “I was crying constantly.”</p>
<p>Johnson recounted that he was 15 when he watched his mother, Ata, walked into oncoming traffic on Interstate 65 in Nashville shortly after they were evicted from their apartment.</p>
<p>He said he was able to pull her from the highway but then sunk into several years of depression that were made more difficult by injuries that halted his would-be football career and a breakup with a girlfriend.</p>
<p>“We both healed,” Johnson said of himself and his mother, “but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain.”</p> Actor Dwayne Johnson signs autographs after unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
<p>Johnson rose to prominence as a professional wrestler in the 1990s as “The Rock” and has considered entering politics. Forbes has estimated he was Hollywood’s second highest paid actor with $65 million in 2017 earnings.</p>
<p>Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As far as the stock market is concerned, U.S. President Donald Trump is, right now, his own worst enemy.</p>
<p>The president - who frequently touted Wall Street’s rally following his 2016 election victory - was partly blamed for a sharp stock selloff on Monday that investors believe is likely to continue, deepening cracks in a nine-year-old bull run.</p>
<p>The selling was sparked by escalating fears of a trade war as China slapped tariffs on a host of U.S. goods as Trump prepares to impose tariffs of more than $50 billion on Chinese imports, and by Trump’s renewed criticism of Amazon.com Inc.</p>
<p>“The president’s behavior is now beginning to impact the capital markets - both the averages and individual equities,” said Doug Kass, president of Seabreeze Partners Management in Palm Beach, Florida.</p>
<p>Particularly worrisome to investors on Monday: more weakness in the tech sector, which led the market up in recent months, and a breach below a major S&amp;P 500 technical level.</p>
<p>In a Twitter post, Trump attacked Amazon for a second time in three days over the pricing of its deliveries through the United States Postal Service and promised unspecified changes.</p>
<p>Amazon’s stock slumped 5.2 percent and led the S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq down, pressuring other high-growth, technology-related stocks, including Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc and Facebook Inc. Outcry in recent weeks over Facebook’s handling of data about its users has shaken the tech sector with fears of greater governmental oversight.</p>
<p>“(One) big factor is Trump further going after the tech sector, namely Amazon,” said Tom di Galoma, managing director at Seaport Global Holdings in New York. “It casts a shadow effectively around all of the tech sector.”</p> TECH SECTOR PAIN = MARKET PAIN
<p>The selloff in technology-related stocks was seen as a particularly worrisome sign for investors who have banked on that sector continuing to drive the broader market.</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, U.S. for the Easter weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
<p>“It’s very significant,” said Michael Purves, chief global strategist at Weeden &amp; Co in New York. “Selling tech is not a sector rotation story, its a sell-the-market story.”</p>
<p>Technology stocks have been widely viewed in recent months as a “crowded trade” - with most investors having the same opinion, increasing the potential for a volatile selloff if sentiment changes.</p>
<p>“What we’ve learned over the past two weeks is just how overweight investors were in technology,” said Nicholas Colas, co-founder of Datatrek Research, New York.</p>
<p>Investors saw more selling pressure ahead, particularly after the S&amp;P 500 dipped below a major technical level, the 200-day moving average, for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union in June 2016. The index closed at 2,582, for a year-to-date decline of 3.4 percent.</p> People walk by a Wall Street sign close to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
<p>“We have been pounding on the 200-day for the last six sessions and now we’ve broken through,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading and derivatives for Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas. There may be support around the 2,537 level, he said, “but then below that we may be looking at 2,500 or so again, which is pretty scary.”</p>
<p>In Trump’s first year as president, the S&amp;P 500 surged 24 percent on bets he would boost the economy with fiscal spending, deregulation and deep tax cuts. Trump tweeted frequently about the stock market as it rallied through 2017. But since a selloff in February, he has been noticeably silent.</p>
<p>But this bull market has frequently staged swift recoveries, and some were poised for opportunity.</p>
<p>“I’m taking advantage of these markets and am heavily overweighted financials and banks,” said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer Of Cumberland Advisors in Sarasota, Florida. “I didn’t buy today, we’re in freefall, but I might tomorrow.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Noel Randewich; additional reporting by Kate Duguid, Karen Brettell, Jennifer Ablan and Megan Davies in New York; editing by Megan Davies and Leslie Adler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>IXTEPEC, Mexico/EDINBURG, Texas (Reuters) - In some of the Mexican towns playing host to a “caravan” of more than 1,200 Central American migrants heading to the U.S. border, the welcome mat has been rolled out despite President Donald Trump’s call for Mexican authorities to stop them.</p>
<p>Local officials have offered lodging in town squares and empty warehouses or arranged transport for the migrants, participants in a journey organized by the immigrant advocacy group Pueblo Sin Fronteras. The officials have conscripted buses, cars, ambulances and police trucks. But the help may not be entirely altruistic.</p>
<p>“The authorities want us to leave their cities,” said Rodrigo Abeja, an organizer from Pueblo Sin Fronteras. “They’ve been helping us, in part to speed the massive group out of their jurisdictions.”</p>
<p>At some point this spring, the caravan’s 2,000-mile (3,200-km) journey that began at Tapachula near the Guatemalan border on March 25 will end at the U.S. border, where some of its members will apply for asylum, while others will attempt to sneak into the United States.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-immigration-caravan-mexico/mexico-says-migrants-in-caravan-face-administrative-procedure-idUSKCN1HA06W" type="external">Mexico says migrants in caravan face administrative procedure</a>
<p>So far the Mexican federal government has provided little guidance on how to handle the migrants but Abeja worries that local reactions will change.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of pressure from authorities to stop the caravan because of Donald Trump’s reaction,” he said.</p>
<p>Trump railed on Twitter against the caravan on Monday, accusing Mexico of “doing very little, if not NOTHING” to stop the flow of immigrants crossing the U.S. border illegally. “They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA,” he concluded.</p>
<p>Mexico’s interior minister Alfonso Navarrete did not directly address the caravan, but he wrote on Twitter that he spoke to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Monday, and that the two had “agreed to analyze the best ways to attend to the flows of migrants in accordance with the laws of each country.”</p>
<p>Mexico must walk a delicate line with the United States as the countries are in the midst of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) along with Canada. At the same time, Mexican left-wing presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has an 18-point lead ahead of the July 1 election, according to a poll published on Monday. A Lopez Obrador victory could usher in a Mexican government less accommodating toward the United States on both trade and immigration issues.</p>
<p>Mexican Senator Angelica de la Pena, who presides over the Senate’s human rights commission, told Reuters that Mexico should protect migrants’ rights despite the pressure from Trump. &#160;</p>
<p>Former President Vicente Fox called for Mexican officials to take a stand against Trump’s attacks.&#160;Trump keeps “blackmailing, offending and denigrating Mexico and Mexicans,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.</p>
<p>Under Mexican law, Central Americans who enter Mexico legally are generally allowed to move freely through the country, even if their goal is to cross illegally into the United States.</p> ‘WE’RE SUFFERING’
<p>Migrants in the caravan cite a variety of reasons for joining it. Its members are disproportionately from Honduras, which has high levels of violence and has been rocked by political upheaval in recent months following the re-election of U.S.-backed president, Juan Orlando Hernández in an intensely disputed election.</p> Central American migrants participating in a caravan heading to the U.S. take a pause from their journey in Matias Romero, Oaxaca, Mexico April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Jose de Jesus Cortes
<p>Maria Elena Colindres Ortega, a member of caravan and, until January, a member of Congress in Honduras, said she is fleeing the political upheaval at home. “We’ve had to live through fraudulent electoral process,” she said. “We’re suffering a progressive militarization and lack of institutions, and … they’re criminalizing those who protested.”</p>
<p>Colindres Ortega, who opposed the ruling party in Honduras, said she spiraled into debt, after serving without pay for the last 18 months of her four-year term. She decided to head north after a fellow congressman from her party put out word on Facebook that a caravan of migrants was gathering in southern Mexico, leaving home with a small bag with necessities and photos of her children.</p>
<p>Pueblo Sin Fronteras has helped coordinate migrant caravans for the last several years, though previously they had a maximum of several hundred participants. During the journey members of the organization instruct the migrants about their rights.</p>
<p>“We accompany at least those who want to request asylum,” said Alex Mensing, Pueblo Sin Fronteras’ program director. “We help prepare them for the detention process and asylum process before they cross the border, because it’s so difficult for people to have success if they don’t have the information.”</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Typically, Central Americans have not fared well with U.S. asylum claims, particularly those from Honduras. A Reuters analysis of immigration court data found that Hondurans who come before the court receive deportation orders in more than 83 percent of cases, the highest rate of any nationality. Hondurans also face deportation in Mexico, where immigration data shows that 5,000 Hondurans were deported from Mexico in February alone, the highest number since May 2016.</p>
<p>Maunel Padilla, chief of the border patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector, one of the busiest crossing points on the U.S. Mexico border, said in an interview with Reuters that he worries the caravan could “generate interest for other groups to do the same thing,” but he was not terribly nervous about coping with the group currently traveling.</p>
<p>“Not to be flippant,” Padilla said, “but it’s similar numbers to what we are seeing every day pretty much.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Delphine Schrank and Mica Rosenberg; Additional reporting by Dave Graham, Lizbeth Diaz, Diego Ore and Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Sue Horton and Lisa Shumaker</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | Factbox - Key nominations for the 2018 Screen Actors Guild awards LVMH names Van Assche as new Berluti artistic director Actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson says he has struggled with depression As Wall Street sinks, Trump is his own worst enemy Migrant caravan heading to U.S. border puts Mexico in tough spot with Trump | false | https://reuters.com/article/us-awards-sag-nominations-factbox/factbox-key-nominations-for-the-2018-screen-actors-guild-awards-idUSKBN1FA0HZ | 2018-01-21 | 2least
| Factbox - Key nominations for the 2018 Screen Actors Guild awards LVMH names Van Assche as new Berluti artistic director Actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson says he has struggled with depression As Wall Street sinks, Trump is his own worst enemy Migrant caravan heading to U.S. border puts Mexico in tough spot with Trump
<p>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The 2018 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards for film and television will be handed out at a ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.</p> A statue of The Actor covered in plastic is pictured during a media opportunity in preparations for the 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, U.S., January 18, 2018. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
<p>Following is a list of key nominations:</p> BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE
<p>“The Big Sick”</p>
<p>“Get Out”</p>
<p>“Lady Bird”</p>
<p>“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p>
<p>“Mudbound”</p> BEST ACTOR
<p>Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”</p>
<p>James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”</p>
<p>Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”</p>
<p>Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”</p>
<p>Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”</p> BEST ACTRESS
<p>Judi Dench, “Victoria &amp; Abdul”</p>
<p>Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”</p>
<p>Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p>
<p>Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”</p>
<p>Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”</p> BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
<p>Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”</p>
<p>Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”</p>
<p>Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p>
<p>Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”</p>
<p>Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”</p> BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
<p>Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”</p>
<p>Hong Chau, “Downsizing”</p>
<p>Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”</p>
<p>Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”</p>
<p>Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”</p> BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A DRAMA SERIES
<p>“The Crown”</p>
<p>“Game of Thrones”</p>
<p>“The Handmaid’s Tale”</p>
<p>“Stranger Things”</p>
<p>“This is Us”</p> BEST DRAMA ACTOR
<p>Jason Bateman, “Ozark”</p>
<p>Sterling K. Brown, “This is Us”</p>
<p>Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”</p>
<p>David Harbour, “Stranger Things”</p>
<p>Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”</p> BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
<p>Milly Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”</p>
<p>Claire Foy, “The Crown”</p>
<p>Laura Linney, “Ozark”</p>
<p>Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”</p>
<p>Robin Wright, “House of Cards”</p> BEST ENSEMBLE CAST IN A COMEDY SERIES
<p>“Black-ish”</p>
<p>“Curb Your Enthusiasm”</p>
<p>“Glow”</p>
<p>“Orange is the New Black”</p>
<p>“Veep”</p> BEST COMEDY ACTOR
<p>Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”</p>
<p>Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”</p>
<p>Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”</p>
<p>Sean Hayes, “Will &amp; Grace”</p>
<p>William H. Macy, “Shameless”</p>
<p>Marc Maron, “Glow”</p> BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
<p>Uzo Aduba, “Orange is the New Black”</p>
<p>Alison Brie, “Glow”</p>
<p>Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”</p>
<p>Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”</p>
<p>Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”</p> BEST ACTOR, LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
<p>Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: The Lying Detective”</p>
<p>Jeff Daniels, “Godless”</p>
<p>Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”</p>
<p>Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”</p>
<p>Alexander Skarsgard, “Big Little Lies”</p> BEST ACTRESS, LIMITED SERIES/TV MOVIE
<p>Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”</p>
<p>Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies”</p>
<p>Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette and Joan”</p>
<p>Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette and Joan”</p>
<p>Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”</p> LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
<p>Morgan Freeman</p>
<p>Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jonathan Oatis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>PARIS (Reuters) - LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury goods group, named Kris Van Assche as the new artistic director for its Berluti brand, following the departure of Haider Ackermann.</p> FILE PHOTO: Designer Kris Van Assche poses before attending the the Dior Haute Couture Fall Winter 2016/2017 fashion show in Paris, France, July 4, 2016. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
<p>LVMH said Van Assche would be in charge of shoes, leather goods, ready-to-wear and accessories collections at Berluti, and would present his first collection during the Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January 2019.</p>
<p>Van Assche had previously worked at LVMH’s Christian Dior division for around 11 years.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Christian Schmollinger</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, one of Hollywood’s top paid stars, said on Monday he struggled with depression after watching his mother’s attempted suicide and encouraged men suffering from the disease to open up about their struggles and seek help.</p>
<p>“Depression never discriminates,” the 45-year-old actor wrote to his 12.7 million Twitter followers. “Took me a long time to realize it but the key is to not be afraid to open up. Especially us dudes have a tendency to keep it in. You’re not alone.”</p>
<p>Johnson, who is currently promoting the Warner Bros action film “Rampage,” told British newspaper Express on Sunday he faced his own demons after witnessing his mother’s suicide attempt as a teenager.</p>
<p>“I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere,” the “Fast &amp; Furious” film star said. “I was crying constantly.”</p>
<p>Johnson recounted that he was 15 when he watched his mother, Ata, walked into oncoming traffic on Interstate 65 in Nashville shortly after they were evicted from their apartment.</p>
<p>He said he was able to pull her from the highway but then sunk into several years of depression that were made more difficult by injuries that halted his would-be football career and a breakup with a girlfriend.</p>
<p>“We both healed,” Johnson said of himself and his mother, “but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain.”</p> Actor Dwayne Johnson signs autographs after unveiling his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California, U.S., December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
<p>Johnson rose to prominence as a professional wrestler in the 1990s as “The Rock” and has considered entering politics. Forbes has estimated he was Hollywood’s second highest paid actor with $65 million in 2017 earnings.</p>
<p>Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As far as the stock market is concerned, U.S. President Donald Trump is, right now, his own worst enemy.</p>
<p>The president - who frequently touted Wall Street’s rally following his 2016 election victory - was partly blamed for a sharp stock selloff on Monday that investors believe is likely to continue, deepening cracks in a nine-year-old bull run.</p>
<p>The selling was sparked by escalating fears of a trade war as China slapped tariffs on a host of U.S. goods as Trump prepares to impose tariffs of more than $50 billion on Chinese imports, and by Trump’s renewed criticism of Amazon.com Inc.</p>
<p>“The president’s behavior is now beginning to impact the capital markets - both the averages and individual equities,” said Doug Kass, president of Seabreeze Partners Management in Palm Beach, Florida.</p>
<p>Particularly worrisome to investors on Monday: more weakness in the tech sector, which led the market up in recent months, and a breach below a major S&amp;P 500 technical level.</p>
<p>In a Twitter post, Trump attacked Amazon for a second time in three days over the pricing of its deliveries through the United States Postal Service and promised unspecified changes.</p>
<p>Amazon’s stock slumped 5.2 percent and led the S&amp;P 500 and Nasdaq down, pressuring other high-growth, technology-related stocks, including Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc and Facebook Inc. Outcry in recent weeks over Facebook’s handling of data about its users has shaken the tech sector with fears of greater governmental oversight.</p>
<p>“(One) big factor is Trump further going after the tech sector, namely Amazon,” said Tom di Galoma, managing director at Seaport Global Holdings in New York. “It casts a shadow effectively around all of the tech sector.”</p> TECH SECTOR PAIN = MARKET PAIN
<p>The selloff in technology-related stocks was seen as a particularly worrisome sign for investors who have banked on that sector continuing to drive the broader market.</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, U.S. for the Easter weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
<p>“It’s very significant,” said Michael Purves, chief global strategist at Weeden &amp; Co in New York. “Selling tech is not a sector rotation story, its a sell-the-market story.”</p>
<p>Technology stocks have been widely viewed in recent months as a “crowded trade” - with most investors having the same opinion, increasing the potential for a volatile selloff if sentiment changes.</p>
<p>“What we’ve learned over the past two weeks is just how overweight investors were in technology,” said Nicholas Colas, co-founder of Datatrek Research, New York.</p>
<p>Investors saw more selling pressure ahead, particularly after the S&amp;P 500 dipped below a major technical level, the 200-day moving average, for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union in June 2016. The index closed at 2,582, for a year-to-date decline of 3.4 percent.</p> People walk by a Wall Street sign close to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
<p>“We have been pounding on the 200-day for the last six sessions and now we’ve broken through,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading and derivatives for Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas. There may be support around the 2,537 level, he said, “but then below that we may be looking at 2,500 or so again, which is pretty scary.”</p>
<p>In Trump’s first year as president, the S&amp;P 500 surged 24 percent on bets he would boost the economy with fiscal spending, deregulation and deep tax cuts. Trump tweeted frequently about the stock market as it rallied through 2017. But since a selloff in February, he has been noticeably silent.</p>
<p>But this bull market has frequently staged swift recoveries, and some were poised for opportunity.</p>
<p>“I’m taking advantage of these markets and am heavily overweighted financials and banks,” said David Kotok, chairman and chief investment officer Of Cumberland Advisors in Sarasota, Florida. “I didn’t buy today, we’re in freefall, but I might tomorrow.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Noel Randewich; additional reporting by Kate Duguid, Karen Brettell, Jennifer Ablan and Megan Davies in New York; editing by Megan Davies and Leslie Adler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>IXTEPEC, Mexico/EDINBURG, Texas (Reuters) - In some of the Mexican towns playing host to a “caravan” of more than 1,200 Central American migrants heading to the U.S. border, the welcome mat has been rolled out despite President Donald Trump’s call for Mexican authorities to stop them.</p>
<p>Local officials have offered lodging in town squares and empty warehouses or arranged transport for the migrants, participants in a journey organized by the immigrant advocacy group Pueblo Sin Fronteras. The officials have conscripted buses, cars, ambulances and police trucks. But the help may not be entirely altruistic.</p>
<p>“The authorities want us to leave their cities,” said Rodrigo Abeja, an organizer from Pueblo Sin Fronteras. “They’ve been helping us, in part to speed the massive group out of their jurisdictions.”</p>
<p>At some point this spring, the caravan’s 2,000-mile (3,200-km) journey that began at Tapachula near the Guatemalan border on March 25 will end at the U.S. border, where some of its members will apply for asylum, while others will attempt to sneak into the United States.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-immigration-caravan-mexico/mexico-says-migrants-in-caravan-face-administrative-procedure-idUSKCN1HA06W" type="external">Mexico says migrants in caravan face administrative procedure</a>
<p>So far the Mexican federal government has provided little guidance on how to handle the migrants but Abeja worries that local reactions will change.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of pressure from authorities to stop the caravan because of Donald Trump’s reaction,” he said.</p>
<p>Trump railed on Twitter against the caravan on Monday, accusing Mexico of “doing very little, if not NOTHING” to stop the flow of immigrants crossing the U.S. border illegally. “They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA,” he concluded.</p>
<p>Mexico’s interior minister Alfonso Navarrete did not directly address the caravan, but he wrote on Twitter that he spoke to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen on Monday, and that the two had “agreed to analyze the best ways to attend to the flows of migrants in accordance with the laws of each country.”</p>
<p>Mexico must walk a delicate line with the United States as the countries are in the midst of renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) along with Canada. At the same time, Mexican left-wing presidential candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has an 18-point lead ahead of the July 1 election, according to a poll published on Monday. A Lopez Obrador victory could usher in a Mexican government less accommodating toward the United States on both trade and immigration issues.</p>
<p>Mexican Senator Angelica de la Pena, who presides over the Senate’s human rights commission, told Reuters that Mexico should protect migrants’ rights despite the pressure from Trump. &#160;</p>
<p>Former President Vicente Fox called for Mexican officials to take a stand against Trump’s attacks.&#160;Trump keeps “blackmailing, offending and denigrating Mexico and Mexicans,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.</p>
<p>Under Mexican law, Central Americans who enter Mexico legally are generally allowed to move freely through the country, even if their goal is to cross illegally into the United States.</p> ‘WE’RE SUFFERING’
<p>Migrants in the caravan cite a variety of reasons for joining it. Its members are disproportionately from Honduras, which has high levels of violence and has been rocked by political upheaval in recent months following the re-election of U.S.-backed president, Juan Orlando Hernández in an intensely disputed election.</p> Central American migrants participating in a caravan heading to the U.S. take a pause from their journey in Matias Romero, Oaxaca, Mexico April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Jose de Jesus Cortes
<p>Maria Elena Colindres Ortega, a member of caravan and, until January, a member of Congress in Honduras, said she is fleeing the political upheaval at home. “We’ve had to live through fraudulent electoral process,” she said. “We’re suffering a progressive militarization and lack of institutions, and … they’re criminalizing those who protested.”</p>
<p>Colindres Ortega, who opposed the ruling party in Honduras, said she spiraled into debt, after serving without pay for the last 18 months of her four-year term. She decided to head north after a fellow congressman from her party put out word on Facebook that a caravan of migrants was gathering in southern Mexico, leaving home with a small bag with necessities and photos of her children.</p>
<p>Pueblo Sin Fronteras has helped coordinate migrant caravans for the last several years, though previously they had a maximum of several hundred participants. During the journey members of the organization instruct the migrants about their rights.</p>
<p>“We accompany at least those who want to request asylum,” said Alex Mensing, Pueblo Sin Fronteras’ program director. “We help prepare them for the detention process and asylum process before they cross the border, because it’s so difficult for people to have success if they don’t have the information.”</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Typically, Central Americans have not fared well with U.S. asylum claims, particularly those from Honduras. A Reuters analysis of immigration court data found that Hondurans who come before the court receive deportation orders in more than 83 percent of cases, the highest rate of any nationality. Hondurans also face deportation in Mexico, where immigration data shows that 5,000 Hondurans were deported from Mexico in February alone, the highest number since May 2016.</p>
<p>Maunel Padilla, chief of the border patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector, one of the busiest crossing points on the U.S. Mexico border, said in an interview with Reuters that he worries the caravan could “generate interest for other groups to do the same thing,” but he was not terribly nervous about coping with the group currently traveling.</p>
<p>“Not to be flippant,” Padilla said, “but it’s similar numbers to what we are seeing every day pretty much.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Delphine Schrank and Mica Rosenberg; Additional reporting by Dave Graham, Lizbeth Diaz, Diego Ore and Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Sue Horton and Lisa Shumaker</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | 3,150 |
<p />
<p>Conservatives have gone ballistic over&#160;the&#160;April 7 <a href="http://www.gordonunleashed.com/HSA%20-%20Rightwing%20Extremism%20-%2009%2004%2007.pdf" type="external">report</a> from the Department of Homeland Security, which purports to document the recent growth of the radical far-right. As <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE53D5SH20090414?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=topNews&amp;rpc=22&amp;sp=true" type="external">summarized by Reuters</a>:</p>
<p>Right-wing extremists in the United States are gaining new recruits by exploiting fears about the economy and the election of the first black U.S. president, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a report to law enforcement officials. The April 7 report…said such fears were driving a resurgence in “recruitment and radicalization activity” by white supremacist groups, antigovernment extremists and militia movements. It did not identify any by name.</p>
<p>DHS had no specific information about pending violence and said threats had so far been “largely rhetorical.” But it warned that home foreclosures, unemployment and other consequences of the economic recession “could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing extremists.” “To the extent that these factors persist, right-wing extremism is likely to grow in strength,” DHS said.</p>
<p>After the story of the report broke earler this week,&#160;it dominated the Drudge Report Feed, which featured a picture of DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano&#160;above the line, “SHE IS WATCHING YOU.” The Liberty Papers offered&#160;a&#160;&#160; <a href="http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2009/04/13/if-you-are-reading-this-you-may-well-be-a-terrorist/" type="external">blog</a> post headed, “If you are reading this, you may well be a terrorist.” Michelle Malkin quickly entered the fray, declaring what she called “the piece of crap report” to be “a sweeping indictment of&#160;conservatives.” And since she believes that “in Obama land there are no coincidences,”&#160;Malkin concluded that the report’s release was timed to coincide with Wednesday’s <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/08/check-foxnews-anti-tax-tea-party-coverage/" type="external">“Tax Day Tea Party”</a> protests. Even though the report was <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/15/fox-dhs-bush/" type="external">apparently conceived</a> under the Bush Administration, Malkin’s interpretation was repeated by <a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041409/content/01125108.guest.html" type="external">Rush Limbaugh</a>&#160;and others, and&#160;the fix was in.</p>
<p>So do conservatives really want to put themselves in the same boat with the racist, militant, often violent groups the report actually has in mind when&#160;it talks about “right-wing extremists?” Because that’s exactly what’s happened:&#160;Conservatives haven’t been branded dangerous extremist by DHS or the Obama administration; they’ve&#160;branded themselves.</p>
<p>It’s clear that in the last few months,&#160;conservatives have rediscovered the political and rhetorical advantages to depicting themselves as a downtrodden but&#160;courageous army, holding their own against an overwhelming onslaught of the mild liberalism they like to call “socialist.”&#160;But in fact, the DHS report does not even include the word&#160;”conservative.” It’s clearly not about rank-and-file conservatives, or even hard-core, Red State, tax-cutting, gun-toting, Obama-hating conservatives. So it’s&#160;strange&#160;how ready conservatives seem to be to&#160;identify with, rather than separate themselves from,&#160;the people the&#160;report is about:&#160;organized,&#160;militant&#160;groups on the far right.</p>
<p>In a lot of ways, the&#160;DHS report laid itself open to just this kind of response.&#160;It’s a&#160;stupid, ill-timed, and, worst of all, useless report, so vague&#160;&#160;that it ends up saying nothing that could be&#160;helpful to law enforcement, its supposed audience.&#160;Why wouldn’t&#160;the report talk about&#160;what groups exist where, and in what numbers, who they are and what they do? (The <a href="http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp" type="external">Southern Poverty Law Center</a> has this kind of information on its web site, available for public viewing.) Instead, the report focuses on&#160;what these extremists believe and how they seem to be interpreting current events—which is also a&#160;dangerous approach from a civil liberties point of view, since it fails to clearly separate Constitutionally protected thought&#160; from criminal action.&#160;</p>
<p>I’ve been covering racist far right movements in America&#160;(and they are virtually all deeply&#160;racist and anti-Semitic, even if that isn’t their main thrust) for more than 30 years; I’ve spent time&#160;at their&#160;gatherings and &#160;talked to their members and leaders; and I’ve produced a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Face-Nations-Skinheads-Culture/dp/156025100X" type="external">book</a> and a <a href="http://icarusfilms.com/cat97/a-e/blood_in.html" type="external">film</a> on the subject.&#160;&#160;There may be a margin of crossover between the far right and the&#160;right, especially on hot-button issues like immigration and gun control. But still, these are not ordinary church-picnic or Sarah-Palin-rally&#160;conservatives. They include&#160;the Ku Klux Klans, Aryan Republican Army, and various other neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups, as well as the Posse Comitatus, Militias, and others who deny the authority of the federal government.&#160;Various members or fellow travelers of these groups&#160;have committed bank robberies, assaults,&#160;and murders, and were implicated in the worst terrorist act on American soil before 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing. (And in my experience, these groups have usually gotten too little attention from law enforcement, not too much.)</p>
<p>These groups have seen periodic resurgences–in the 1960s&#160;in response to the Civil Rights Movement, in the 1980s during the farm crisis, and in the 1990s in the form of the anti-government militia movement,&#160;with its&#160;links to the Oklahoma City bombing.&#160;They then pretty much faded from view, replaced by the focus on Islamic terrorism. Yet remnants of the movement have clearly survived,&#160;regrouped, and in some cases expanded. Most prominently,&#160;these elements&#160;are present on&#160;the most violent&#160;end of the&#160;anti-immigrant vigilante movement, committing drive-by shootings of Mexican labourers. Some are part of biker gangs, including the Sons of Silence, who were implicated in a <a href="http://coloradoindependent.com/6857/court-docs-suicide-mission-planned-in-plot-to-kill-obama-at-dnc" type="external">threat against Obama</a> at the Democratic convention in Denver. Others are scattered around doing their own thing: picking fights in bars, beating up gay men or “foreigners.” And when I traveled across country last fall, covering the presidential election for the Guardian, I encountered neo-Nazis who saw the election of Barack Obama as the greatest recruiting tool they’d ever had.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Do the Tea Party attendees really want to paint themselves with the same brush as guys like this, just in order to get some victim cred?</p>
<p /> | Conservatives Branding Themselves “Right-Wing Extremists” | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/04/conservatives-branding-themselves-right-wing-extremists/ | 2009-04-17 | 4left
| Conservatives Branding Themselves “Right-Wing Extremists”
<p />
<p>Conservatives have gone ballistic over&#160;the&#160;April 7 <a href="http://www.gordonunleashed.com/HSA%20-%20Rightwing%20Extremism%20-%2009%2004%2007.pdf" type="external">report</a> from the Department of Homeland Security, which purports to document the recent growth of the radical far-right. As <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE53D5SH20090414?feedType=RSS&amp;feedName=topNews&amp;rpc=22&amp;sp=true" type="external">summarized by Reuters</a>:</p>
<p>Right-wing extremists in the United States are gaining new recruits by exploiting fears about the economy and the election of the first black U.S. president, the Department of Homeland Security warned in a report to law enforcement officials. The April 7 report…said such fears were driving a resurgence in “recruitment and radicalization activity” by white supremacist groups, antigovernment extremists and militia movements. It did not identify any by name.</p>
<p>DHS had no specific information about pending violence and said threats had so far been “largely rhetorical.” But it warned that home foreclosures, unemployment and other consequences of the economic recession “could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing extremists.” “To the extent that these factors persist, right-wing extremism is likely to grow in strength,” DHS said.</p>
<p>After the story of the report broke earler this week,&#160;it dominated the Drudge Report Feed, which featured a picture of DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano&#160;above the line, “SHE IS WATCHING YOU.” The Liberty Papers offered&#160;a&#160;&#160; <a href="http://www.thelibertypapers.org/2009/04/13/if-you-are-reading-this-you-may-well-be-a-terrorist/" type="external">blog</a> post headed, “If you are reading this, you may well be a terrorist.” Michelle Malkin quickly entered the fray, declaring what she called “the piece of crap report” to be “a sweeping indictment of&#160;conservatives.” And since she believes that “in Obama land there are no coincidences,”&#160;Malkin concluded that the report’s release was timed to coincide with Wednesday’s <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/08/check-foxnews-anti-tax-tea-party-coverage/" type="external">“Tax Day Tea Party”</a> protests. Even though the report was <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2009/04/15/fox-dhs-bush/" type="external">apparently conceived</a> under the Bush Administration, Malkin’s interpretation was repeated by <a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_041409/content/01125108.guest.html" type="external">Rush Limbaugh</a>&#160;and others, and&#160;the fix was in.</p>
<p>So do conservatives really want to put themselves in the same boat with the racist, militant, often violent groups the report actually has in mind when&#160;it talks about “right-wing extremists?” Because that’s exactly what’s happened:&#160;Conservatives haven’t been branded dangerous extremist by DHS or the Obama administration; they’ve&#160;branded themselves.</p>
<p>It’s clear that in the last few months,&#160;conservatives have rediscovered the political and rhetorical advantages to depicting themselves as a downtrodden but&#160;courageous army, holding their own against an overwhelming onslaught of the mild liberalism they like to call “socialist.”&#160;But in fact, the DHS report does not even include the word&#160;”conservative.” It’s clearly not about rank-and-file conservatives, or even hard-core, Red State, tax-cutting, gun-toting, Obama-hating conservatives. So it’s&#160;strange&#160;how ready conservatives seem to be to&#160;identify with, rather than separate themselves from,&#160;the people the&#160;report is about:&#160;organized,&#160;militant&#160;groups on the far right.</p>
<p>In a lot of ways, the&#160;DHS report laid itself open to just this kind of response.&#160;It’s a&#160;stupid, ill-timed, and, worst of all, useless report, so vague&#160;&#160;that it ends up saying nothing that could be&#160;helpful to law enforcement, its supposed audience.&#160;Why wouldn’t&#160;the report talk about&#160;what groups exist where, and in what numbers, who they are and what they do? (The <a href="http://www.splcenter.org/index.jsp" type="external">Southern Poverty Law Center</a> has this kind of information on its web site, available for public viewing.) Instead, the report focuses on&#160;what these extremists believe and how they seem to be interpreting current events—which is also a&#160;dangerous approach from a civil liberties point of view, since it fails to clearly separate Constitutionally protected thought&#160; from criminal action.&#160;</p>
<p>I’ve been covering racist far right movements in America&#160;(and they are virtually all deeply&#160;racist and anti-Semitic, even if that isn’t their main thrust) for more than 30 years; I’ve spent time&#160;at their&#160;gatherings and &#160;talked to their members and leaders; and I’ve produced a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Face-Nations-Skinheads-Culture/dp/156025100X" type="external">book</a> and a <a href="http://icarusfilms.com/cat97/a-e/blood_in.html" type="external">film</a> on the subject.&#160;&#160;There may be a margin of crossover between the far right and the&#160;right, especially on hot-button issues like immigration and gun control. But still, these are not ordinary church-picnic or Sarah-Palin-rally&#160;conservatives. They include&#160;the Ku Klux Klans, Aryan Republican Army, and various other neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups, as well as the Posse Comitatus, Militias, and others who deny the authority of the federal government.&#160;Various members or fellow travelers of these groups&#160;have committed bank robberies, assaults,&#160;and murders, and were implicated in the worst terrorist act on American soil before 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing. (And in my experience, these groups have usually gotten too little attention from law enforcement, not too much.)</p>
<p>These groups have seen periodic resurgences–in the 1960s&#160;in response to the Civil Rights Movement, in the 1980s during the farm crisis, and in the 1990s in the form of the anti-government militia movement,&#160;with its&#160;links to the Oklahoma City bombing.&#160;They then pretty much faded from view, replaced by the focus on Islamic terrorism. Yet remnants of the movement have clearly survived,&#160;regrouped, and in some cases expanded. Most prominently,&#160;these elements&#160;are present on&#160;the most violent&#160;end of the&#160;anti-immigrant vigilante movement, committing drive-by shootings of Mexican labourers. Some are part of biker gangs, including the Sons of Silence, who were implicated in a <a href="http://coloradoindependent.com/6857/court-docs-suicide-mission-planned-in-plot-to-kill-obama-at-dnc" type="external">threat against Obama</a> at the Democratic convention in Denver. Others are scattered around doing their own thing: picking fights in bars, beating up gay men or “foreigners.” And when I traveled across country last fall, covering the presidential election for the Guardian, I encountered neo-Nazis who saw the election of Barack Obama as the greatest recruiting tool they’d ever had.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Do the Tea Party attendees really want to paint themselves with the same brush as guys like this, just in order to get some victim cred?</p>
<p /> | 3,151 |
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">Target Corp</a> named Jeffrey Jones as its chief marketing officer on Monday, bringing in an executive with experience at advertising agencies, Gap Inc (NYSE:GPS) and elsewhere to fill a role that has been vacant for six months.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Jones, 44, most recently was president and a partner of McKinney, a North Carolina-based advertising agency, Target said.</p>
<p>Michael Francis, Target's chief marketing officer since 2008, left the retailer in October to become the new president of J.C. Penney Co Inc.</p>
<p>The chic discount chain said it had considered both internal and external candidates for the chief marketing officer position.</p>
<p>Before McKinney, Jones was chief marketing officer at Gap, where he led areas such as marketing strategy and retail store design and was president of its gift card subsidiary. He was also president and chief executive officer of LB Works, a Chicago-based advertising agency associated with Leo Burnett, and worked at <a href="" type="internal">Coca-Cola</a> Co, among other companies.</p>
<p>Shares of Target were up 6 cents at $58.33 in premarket trading.</p> | Target Hires Outsider as Chief Marketing Officer | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/04/02/target-hires-outsider-as-chief-marketing-officer.html | 2016-03-03 | 0right
| Target Hires Outsider as Chief Marketing Officer
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">Target Corp</a> named Jeffrey Jones as its chief marketing officer on Monday, bringing in an executive with experience at advertising agencies, Gap Inc (NYSE:GPS) and elsewhere to fill a role that has been vacant for six months.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Jones, 44, most recently was president and a partner of McKinney, a North Carolina-based advertising agency, Target said.</p>
<p>Michael Francis, Target's chief marketing officer since 2008, left the retailer in October to become the new president of J.C. Penney Co Inc.</p>
<p>The chic discount chain said it had considered both internal and external candidates for the chief marketing officer position.</p>
<p>Before McKinney, Jones was chief marketing officer at Gap, where he led areas such as marketing strategy and retail store design and was president of its gift card subsidiary. He was also president and chief executive officer of LB Works, a Chicago-based advertising agency associated with Leo Burnett, and worked at <a href="" type="internal">Coca-Cola</a> Co, among other companies.</p>
<p>Shares of Target were up 6 cents at $58.33 in premarket trading.</p> | 3,152 |
<p />
<p>On Friday, White House lawyers filed a motion in civil court, arguing against the House’s own filing last month in its attempt to enforce subpoenas against Josh Bolten and Harriet Miers. As I reported at the time, the White House <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10255.html" type="external">appears to be arguing</a> that the courts ought to stay out of the fight and let the House use other means of leverage to get the information it seeks from the executive branch.</p>
<p>the Legislative Branch may vindicate its interests without enlisting judicial support: Congress has a variety of other means by which it can exert pressure on the Executive Branch, such as the withholding of consent for Presidential nominations, reducing Executive Branch appropriations, and the exercise of other powers Congress has under the Constitution.</p>
<p>The entire document runs 83 pages. I’ll try to get my hands on a copy, to see what other dubious arguments the administration is making.</p>
<p /> | Contempt in Court | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2008/05/contempt-court/ | 2008-05-14 | 4left
| Contempt in Court
<p />
<p>On Friday, White House lawyers filed a motion in civil court, arguing against the House’s own filing last month in its attempt to enforce subpoenas against Josh Bolten and Harriet Miers. As I reported at the time, the White House <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10255.html" type="external">appears to be arguing</a> that the courts ought to stay out of the fight and let the House use other means of leverage to get the information it seeks from the executive branch.</p>
<p>the Legislative Branch may vindicate its interests without enlisting judicial support: Congress has a variety of other means by which it can exert pressure on the Executive Branch, such as the withholding of consent for Presidential nominations, reducing Executive Branch appropriations, and the exercise of other powers Congress has under the Constitution.</p>
<p>The entire document runs 83 pages. I’ll try to get my hands on a copy, to see what other dubious arguments the administration is making.</p>
<p /> | 3,153 |
<p>A mistake on Time magazine’s latest cover has opened a nationwide conversation about race and ethnicity; Rick Santorum belittles American public education, calling it an “anachronism”; is the U.S. finally done with Afghanistan? These discoveries and more below.</p>
<p>On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.</p>
<p>The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-alesan-dawkins/time-to-think-in-full-col_b_1301248.html" type="external">Time to Think in Full Color About Race &amp; Ethnicity</a> Time magazine’s latest cover story (Feb. 24) is called “Yo Decido. Why Latinos will pick the next President.” While the Latino vote is definitely interesting, the most interesting thing about this story isn’t the headline or the article’s statistics. It’s the cover.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/154252/the_republican_brain%3A_why_even_educated_conservatives_deny_science_--_and_reality" type="external">The Republican Brain: Why Even Educated Conservatives Deny Science — and Reality</a> People ignore data and evidence—and often, knowledge and education only make the problem worse.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/20122198353750111.html" type="external">Caught in the crossfire: Should musicians boycott Israel?</a> The former Dead Kennedys frontman goes to Israel and the West Bank, and shares his thoughts on the BDS movement.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175509/" type="external">The End in Afghanistan?</a> Is it all over but the (anti-American) shouting — and the killing? Are the exits finally coming into view?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nationalmemo.com/article/education-santorum-flunks-history" type="external">On Education, Santorum Flunks History</a> By disparaging public education and increased access to college, Rick Santorum is overlooking one of America’s greatest historical achievements.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/02/the_science_of_getting_out_of_jury_duty_.single.html" type="external">Can I use science to get out of jury duty?</a> Joel Warner recently received a jury-duty letter, a notice that inspired him to learn everything he could about the science of jury selection.</p>
<p><a href="http://electronicintifada.net/content/un-must-prosecute-israel-war-crimes-says-bloody-sunday-lawyer/10987" type="external">‘UN must prosecute Israel for war crimes,’ says Bloody Sunday lawyer</a> Israel was the focus of discussions by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) earlier this month.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/magazine/100978/form-fortune-steve-jobs-philosopher?passthru=NjBmMzkyYjk0Y2ZlMTY0MzgxYmIzMjY3NDhlMjRiOWM" type="external">Steve Jobs’s Pursuit of Perfection—and the Consequences</a> In 2010, Der Spiegel published a glowing profile of Steve Jobs, then at the helm of Apple. Jobs’s products are venerated in Germany, especially by young bohemian types.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/02/26/how_to_make_occupy_catch_on/?source=newsletter" type="external">How to make Occupy catch on</a> Were history a guide to today’s politics, progressives would be redoubling their efforts to turn the still-unraveling crisis of capitalism into an opportunity for system-changing reform.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/New-York-water-tanks-to-be-transformed-into-works-of-art/25702" type="external">New York water tanks to be transformed into works of art</a> Word Above the Street, a New York-based non-profit organisation, plans to transform 300 rooftop water tanks across New York City into works of art to raise awareness on the global water supply.</p> | Time Out: Let's Talk About Race | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/time-out-lets-talk-about-race/ | 2012-02-29 | 4left
| Time Out: Let's Talk About Race
<p>A mistake on Time magazine’s latest cover has opened a nationwide conversation about race and ethnicity; Rick Santorum belittles American public education, calling it an “anachronism”; is the U.S. finally done with Afghanistan? These discoveries and more below.</p>
<p>On a regular basis, Truthdig brings you the news items and odds and ends that have found their way to Larry Gross, director of the USC Annenberg School for Communication. A specialist in media and culture, art and communication, visual communication and media portrayals of minorities, Gross helped found the field of gay and lesbian studies.</p>
<p>The links below open in a new window. Newer ones are on top.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-alesan-dawkins/time-to-think-in-full-col_b_1301248.html" type="external">Time to Think in Full Color About Race &amp; Ethnicity</a> Time magazine’s latest cover story (Feb. 24) is called “Yo Decido. Why Latinos will pick the next President.” While the Latino vote is definitely interesting, the most interesting thing about this story isn’t the headline or the article’s statistics. It’s the cover.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/154252/the_republican_brain%3A_why_even_educated_conservatives_deny_science_--_and_reality" type="external">The Republican Brain: Why Even Educated Conservatives Deny Science — and Reality</a> People ignore data and evidence—and often, knowledge and education only make the problem worse.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/02/20122198353750111.html" type="external">Caught in the crossfire: Should musicians boycott Israel?</a> The former Dead Kennedys frontman goes to Israel and the West Bank, and shares his thoughts on the BDS movement.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175509/" type="external">The End in Afghanistan?</a> Is it all over but the (anti-American) shouting — and the killing? Are the exits finally coming into view?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nationalmemo.com/article/education-santorum-flunks-history" type="external">On Education, Santorum Flunks History</a> By disparaging public education and increased access to college, Rick Santorum is overlooking one of America’s greatest historical achievements.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2012/02/the_science_of_getting_out_of_jury_duty_.single.html" type="external">Can I use science to get out of jury duty?</a> Joel Warner recently received a jury-duty letter, a notice that inspired him to learn everything he could about the science of jury selection.</p>
<p><a href="http://electronicintifada.net/content/un-must-prosecute-israel-war-crimes-says-bloody-sunday-lawyer/10987" type="external">‘UN must prosecute Israel for war crimes,’ says Bloody Sunday lawyer</a> Israel was the focus of discussions by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) earlier this month.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/magazine/100978/form-fortune-steve-jobs-philosopher?passthru=NjBmMzkyYjk0Y2ZlMTY0MzgxYmIzMjY3NDhlMjRiOWM" type="external">Steve Jobs’s Pursuit of Perfection—and the Consequences</a> In 2010, Der Spiegel published a glowing profile of Steve Jobs, then at the helm of Apple. Jobs’s products are venerated in Germany, especially by young bohemian types.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/02/26/how_to_make_occupy_catch_on/?source=newsletter" type="external">How to make Occupy catch on</a> Were history a guide to today’s politics, progressives would be redoubling their efforts to turn the still-unraveling crisis of capitalism into an opportunity for system-changing reform.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/New-York-water-tanks-to-be-transformed-into-works-of-art/25702" type="external">New York water tanks to be transformed into works of art</a> Word Above the Street, a New York-based non-profit organisation, plans to transform 300 rooftop water tanks across New York City into works of art to raise awareness on the global water supply.</p> | 3,154 |
<p>North Korea has fired six short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korean officials said Thursday, according to media reports. The projectiles were either rockets or guided missiles, and were launched at around 10 a.m. local time from Wonsan on the east coast, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35713977" type="external">BBC reported Opens a New Window.</a>. The launches came just a few hours after the United Nations imposed unprecedentedly harsh new sanctions on Pyongyang. The UN move, led by the U.S. and China, was prompted by North Korea's recent nuclear test and missile launch in defiance of existing sanctions.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | North Korea Has Fired Off 6 'rockets Or Missiles': Reports | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/03/north-korea-has-fired-off-6-rockets-or-missiles-reports.html | 2016-03-03 | 0right
| North Korea Has Fired Off 6 'rockets Or Missiles': Reports
<p>North Korea has fired six short-range projectiles into the sea off its east coast, South Korean officials said Thursday, according to media reports. The projectiles were either rockets or guided missiles, and were launched at around 10 a.m. local time from Wonsan on the east coast, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35713977" type="external">BBC reported Opens a New Window.</a>. The launches came just a few hours after the United Nations imposed unprecedentedly harsh new sanctions on Pyongyang. The UN move, led by the U.S. and China, was prompted by North Korea's recent nuclear test and missile launch in defiance of existing sanctions.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | 3,155 |
<p>DOVER, Del. (AP) — A black man who suffered a broken jaw after being kicked in the head by a white officer was alert and belligerent shortly afterward, a Delaware police supervisor testified Tuesday in the trial of his fellow officer.</p>
<p>Dover Lt. Todd Case was the first witness called in the trial of Cpl. Thomas Webster IV, who is charged with felony assault.</p>
<p>A dashcam video from another officer’s car shows Webster kicking Lateef Dickerson in August 2013 while Dickerson was on his hands and knees. Dickerson was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw.</p>
<p>Webster’s attorney has argued the officer’s actions were justified as he and other officers responded to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a man matching Dickerson’s description armed with a gun.</p>
<p>Case, a platoon sergeant who supervised Webster and was on patrol that night, said he asked Dickerson how he was after arriving. Case said Dickerson responded by spewing profanities and telling police they were lucky they caught him.</p>
<p>“He seemed fine,” Case said, adding that Dickerson had blood on his lip and chin.</p>
<p>“He was coherent. He was alert. He was mad. He was belligerent,” said Case, who was called as a prosecution witness.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination by the defense, Case said Dickerson did not complain of anything after his encounter with Webster. He also said the police response to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a person armed with a gun was a “fluid, high-intensity situation.”</p>
<p>Officers were unable to locate a gun, however. Resisting-arrest charges against Dickerson were later dropped.</p>
<p>Prosecutors wasted no time in presenting the dashcam video, the crux of their case, to the jury. Deputy attorney general Mark Denney Jr. invited jurors during his opening statement to watch it “as many times as you like.”</p>
<p>“They say a picture is worth 1,000 words,” Denney said. “A video could be worth more than that.”</p>
<p>Denney also said the defense will try to portray Dickerson as “an awful person with a lengthy criminal history” but suggested Dickerson’s background does not matter.</p>
<p>“Thomas Webster used unjustified, unnecessary force on Lateef Dickerson. ... He assaulted him,” Denney said.</p>
<p>Defense attorney James Liguori told jurors to use common sense in deciding the case.</p>
<p>“You saw 14 seconds of what occurred. You will see those 14 seconds broken down,” said Liguori, adding that a use-of-force expert prosecutors plan to call as a witness has made misstatements and inaccurate assumptions.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination from Liguori, deputy police chief Marvin Mailey Jr. acknowledged that he decided that dashcam video from Webster’s own patrol car had no evidentiary value and did not need to be retained, even though it shows Dickerson just moments before his encounter with Webster.</p>
<p>“You were looking for the kick,” Liguori asserted.</p>
<p>“I was looking for the interaction, yes,” Mailey said.</p>
<p>Liguori has maintained Webster’s indictment in May was the result of “state machinations” and an “abuse of power.”</p>
<p>Following Webster’s encounter with Dickerson, then-Attorney General Beau Biden’s office took the case to a grand jury but failed to get an indictment. The current attorney general, Matt Denn, reviewed the case after taking office in January and ordered that it be taken to a second grand jury.</p>
<p>Liguori has argued in court papers that Denn’s decision to take the case to a second grand jury with no new evidence was a politically motivated response to nationwide scrutiny of police encounters with black citizens.</p>
<p>“We live in difficult times,” Liguori told jurors Tuesday. “The status of alleged victims has unfortunately been weaponized by certain factions in our society.”</p>
<p>If convicted of felony assault, Webster faces a maximum eight years in prison, although guidelines call for zero to two years behind bars. He also would be prohibited from owning guns or working as a police officer.</p>
<p>Webster rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault in return for surrendering his certification and promising to never work as a police officer again.</p>
<p>DOVER, Del. (AP) — A black man who suffered a broken jaw after being kicked in the head by a white officer was alert and belligerent shortly afterward, a Delaware police supervisor testified Tuesday in the trial of his fellow officer.</p>
<p>Dover Lt. Todd Case was the first witness called in the trial of Cpl. Thomas Webster IV, who is charged with felony assault.</p>
<p>A dashcam video from another officer’s car shows Webster kicking Lateef Dickerson in August 2013 while Dickerson was on his hands and knees. Dickerson was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw.</p>
<p>Webster’s attorney has argued the officer’s actions were justified as he and other officers responded to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a man matching Dickerson’s description armed with a gun.</p>
<p>Case, a platoon sergeant who supervised Webster and was on patrol that night, said he asked Dickerson how he was after arriving. Case said Dickerson responded by spewing profanities and telling police they were lucky they caught him.</p>
<p>“He seemed fine,” Case said, adding that Dickerson had blood on his lip and chin.</p>
<p>“He was coherent. He was alert. He was mad. He was belligerent,” said Case, who was called as a prosecution witness.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination by the defense, Case said Dickerson did not complain of anything after his encounter with Webster. He also said the police response to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a person armed with a gun was a “fluid, high-intensity situation.”</p>
<p>Officers were unable to locate a gun, however. Resisting-arrest charges against Dickerson were later dropped.</p>
<p>Prosecutors wasted no time in presenting the dashcam video, the crux of their case, to the jury. Deputy attorney general Mark Denney Jr. invited jurors during his opening statement to watch it “as many times as you like.”</p>
<p>“They say a picture is worth 1,000 words,” Denney said. “A video could be worth more than that.”</p>
<p>Denney also said the defense will try to portray Dickerson as “an awful person with a lengthy criminal history” but suggested Dickerson’s background does not matter.</p>
<p>“Thomas Webster used unjustified, unnecessary force on Lateef Dickerson. ... He assaulted him,” Denney said.</p>
<p>Defense attorney James Liguori told jurors to use common sense in deciding the case.</p>
<p>“You saw 14 seconds of what occurred. You will see those 14 seconds broken down,” said Liguori, adding that a use-of-force expert prosecutors plan to call as a witness has made misstatements and inaccurate assumptions.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination from Liguori, deputy police chief Marvin Mailey Jr. acknowledged that he decided that dashcam video from Webster’s own patrol car had no evidentiary value and did not need to be retained, even though it shows Dickerson just moments before his encounter with Webster.</p>
<p>“You were looking for the kick,” Liguori asserted.</p>
<p>“I was looking for the interaction, yes,” Mailey said.</p>
<p>Liguori has maintained Webster’s indictment in May was the result of “state machinations” and an “abuse of power.”</p>
<p>Following Webster’s encounter with Dickerson, then-Attorney General Beau Biden’s office took the case to a grand jury but failed to get an indictment. The current attorney general, Matt Denn, reviewed the case after taking office in January and ordered that it be taken to a second grand jury.</p>
<p>Liguori has argued in court papers that Denn’s decision to take the case to a second grand jury with no new evidence was a politically motivated response to nationwide scrutiny of police encounters with black citizens.</p>
<p>“We live in difficult times,” Liguori told jurors Tuesday. “The status of alleged victims has unfortunately been weaponized by certain factions in our society.”</p>
<p>If convicted of felony assault, Webster faces a maximum eight years in prison, although guidelines call for zero to two years behind bars. He also would be prohibited from owning guns or working as a police officer.</p>
<p>Webster rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault in return for surrendering his certification and promising to never work as a police officer again.</p> | Officer: Man kicked in head was alert, belligerent afterward | false | https://apnews.com/d7c0eb39ce4c44d58a427b321dbc7d9d | 2015-12-01 | 2least
| Officer: Man kicked in head was alert, belligerent afterward
<p>DOVER, Del. (AP) — A black man who suffered a broken jaw after being kicked in the head by a white officer was alert and belligerent shortly afterward, a Delaware police supervisor testified Tuesday in the trial of his fellow officer.</p>
<p>Dover Lt. Todd Case was the first witness called in the trial of Cpl. Thomas Webster IV, who is charged with felony assault.</p>
<p>A dashcam video from another officer’s car shows Webster kicking Lateef Dickerson in August 2013 while Dickerson was on his hands and knees. Dickerson was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw.</p>
<p>Webster’s attorney has argued the officer’s actions were justified as he and other officers responded to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a man matching Dickerson’s description armed with a gun.</p>
<p>Case, a platoon sergeant who supervised Webster and was on patrol that night, said he asked Dickerson how he was after arriving. Case said Dickerson responded by spewing profanities and telling police they were lucky they caught him.</p>
<p>“He seemed fine,” Case said, adding that Dickerson had blood on his lip and chin.</p>
<p>“He was coherent. He was alert. He was mad. He was belligerent,” said Case, who was called as a prosecution witness.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination by the defense, Case said Dickerson did not complain of anything after his encounter with Webster. He also said the police response to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a person armed with a gun was a “fluid, high-intensity situation.”</p>
<p>Officers were unable to locate a gun, however. Resisting-arrest charges against Dickerson were later dropped.</p>
<p>Prosecutors wasted no time in presenting the dashcam video, the crux of their case, to the jury. Deputy attorney general Mark Denney Jr. invited jurors during his opening statement to watch it “as many times as you like.”</p>
<p>“They say a picture is worth 1,000 words,” Denney said. “A video could be worth more than that.”</p>
<p>Denney also said the defense will try to portray Dickerson as “an awful person with a lengthy criminal history” but suggested Dickerson’s background does not matter.</p>
<p>“Thomas Webster used unjustified, unnecessary force on Lateef Dickerson. ... He assaulted him,” Denney said.</p>
<p>Defense attorney James Liguori told jurors to use common sense in deciding the case.</p>
<p>“You saw 14 seconds of what occurred. You will see those 14 seconds broken down,” said Liguori, adding that a use-of-force expert prosecutors plan to call as a witness has made misstatements and inaccurate assumptions.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination from Liguori, deputy police chief Marvin Mailey Jr. acknowledged that he decided that dashcam video from Webster’s own patrol car had no evidentiary value and did not need to be retained, even though it shows Dickerson just moments before his encounter with Webster.</p>
<p>“You were looking for the kick,” Liguori asserted.</p>
<p>“I was looking for the interaction, yes,” Mailey said.</p>
<p>Liguori has maintained Webster’s indictment in May was the result of “state machinations” and an “abuse of power.”</p>
<p>Following Webster’s encounter with Dickerson, then-Attorney General Beau Biden’s office took the case to a grand jury but failed to get an indictment. The current attorney general, Matt Denn, reviewed the case after taking office in January and ordered that it be taken to a second grand jury.</p>
<p>Liguori has argued in court papers that Denn’s decision to take the case to a second grand jury with no new evidence was a politically motivated response to nationwide scrutiny of police encounters with black citizens.</p>
<p>“We live in difficult times,” Liguori told jurors Tuesday. “The status of alleged victims has unfortunately been weaponized by certain factions in our society.”</p>
<p>If convicted of felony assault, Webster faces a maximum eight years in prison, although guidelines call for zero to two years behind bars. He also would be prohibited from owning guns or working as a police officer.</p>
<p>Webster rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault in return for surrendering his certification and promising to never work as a police officer again.</p>
<p>DOVER, Del. (AP) — A black man who suffered a broken jaw after being kicked in the head by a white officer was alert and belligerent shortly afterward, a Delaware police supervisor testified Tuesday in the trial of his fellow officer.</p>
<p>Dover Lt. Todd Case was the first witness called in the trial of Cpl. Thomas Webster IV, who is charged with felony assault.</p>
<p>A dashcam video from another officer’s car shows Webster kicking Lateef Dickerson in August 2013 while Dickerson was on his hands and knees. Dickerson was knocked unconscious and suffered a broken jaw.</p>
<p>Webster’s attorney has argued the officer’s actions were justified as he and other officers responded to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a man matching Dickerson’s description armed with a gun.</p>
<p>Case, a platoon sergeant who supervised Webster and was on patrol that night, said he asked Dickerson how he was after arriving. Case said Dickerson responded by spewing profanities and telling police they were lucky they caught him.</p>
<p>“He seemed fine,” Case said, adding that Dickerson had blood on his lip and chin.</p>
<p>“He was coherent. He was alert. He was mad. He was belligerent,” said Case, who was called as a prosecution witness.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination by the defense, Case said Dickerson did not complain of anything after his encounter with Webster. He also said the police response to reports of a fight involving a large group of people and a person armed with a gun was a “fluid, high-intensity situation.”</p>
<p>Officers were unable to locate a gun, however. Resisting-arrest charges against Dickerson were later dropped.</p>
<p>Prosecutors wasted no time in presenting the dashcam video, the crux of their case, to the jury. Deputy attorney general Mark Denney Jr. invited jurors during his opening statement to watch it “as many times as you like.”</p>
<p>“They say a picture is worth 1,000 words,” Denney said. “A video could be worth more than that.”</p>
<p>Denney also said the defense will try to portray Dickerson as “an awful person with a lengthy criminal history” but suggested Dickerson’s background does not matter.</p>
<p>“Thomas Webster used unjustified, unnecessary force on Lateef Dickerson. ... He assaulted him,” Denney said.</p>
<p>Defense attorney James Liguori told jurors to use common sense in deciding the case.</p>
<p>“You saw 14 seconds of what occurred. You will see those 14 seconds broken down,” said Liguori, adding that a use-of-force expert prosecutors plan to call as a witness has made misstatements and inaccurate assumptions.</p>
<p>Under cross-examination from Liguori, deputy police chief Marvin Mailey Jr. acknowledged that he decided that dashcam video from Webster’s own patrol car had no evidentiary value and did not need to be retained, even though it shows Dickerson just moments before his encounter with Webster.</p>
<p>“You were looking for the kick,” Liguori asserted.</p>
<p>“I was looking for the interaction, yes,” Mailey said.</p>
<p>Liguori has maintained Webster’s indictment in May was the result of “state machinations” and an “abuse of power.”</p>
<p>Following Webster’s encounter with Dickerson, then-Attorney General Beau Biden’s office took the case to a grand jury but failed to get an indictment. The current attorney general, Matt Denn, reviewed the case after taking office in January and ordered that it be taken to a second grand jury.</p>
<p>Liguori has argued in court papers that Denn’s decision to take the case to a second grand jury with no new evidence was a politically motivated response to nationwide scrutiny of police encounters with black citizens.</p>
<p>“We live in difficult times,” Liguori told jurors Tuesday. “The status of alleged victims has unfortunately been weaponized by certain factions in our society.”</p>
<p>If convicted of felony assault, Webster faces a maximum eight years in prison, although guidelines call for zero to two years behind bars. He also would be prohibited from owning guns or working as a police officer.</p>
<p>Webster rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault in return for surrendering his certification and promising to never work as a police officer again.</p> | 3,156 |
<p>TOKYO (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Thursday he welcomed the recent dialogue between North and South Korea but marching together at the Winter Olympics won't denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.</p>
<p>Turnbull, visiting Japan to talk with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about regional security, trade and other issues, cautioned against optimism.</p>
<p>"We have to be very clear-eyed about this," he told reporters. "History tells us a very bitter lesson about North Korea. They have a long habit of ratcheting up their militarization and then, you know, going into a lull for a while trying to persuade people that they're changing their ways, changing nothing and then ratcheting up again."</p>
<p>North and South Korea held rare talks in a border village this week where they agreed to form their first unified Olympic team, in women's ice hockey, and have their athletes parade together during the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea. They'll present the plan to the International Olympic Committee this weekend in Switzerland.</p>
<p>Turnbull said pressure and sanctions against North Korea over its weapons programs must be maintained.</p>
<p>In a news conference following their talks, Turnbull said he and Abe agreed on the importance of enforcing the sanctions "so this regime is brought to its senses and stop threatening in the manner that it does the peace and stability of our region."</p>
<p>Japan and Australia have been deepening their defense cooperation amid the tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile development and China's expansion in the Pacific.</p>
<p>The two leaders agreed to accelerate negotiations on a visiting forces pact that would specify the legal status of troops temporarily in each other's countries for drills and simplify procedures for defense equipment transport.</p>
<p>Abe and Turnbull also reaffirmed their cooperation to achieve a signing of the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement without the U.S. as early as possible. The pact had been cast into doubt after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out.</p>
<p>Earlier Thursday, Turnbull and Abe visited a Japanese military training camp just outside Tokyo, where they viewed a PAC-3 missile interceptor and got inside a Bushmaster armored vehicle, which was developed in Australia and adopted by Japan's military in 2014.</p>
<p>Turnbull said his country and Japan work for open markets and free trade, which "is underpinned by security."</p>
<p>He also attended a special session of Japan's national security council, spoke to business leaders and had dinner with Abe before leaving Japan.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>TOKYO (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Thursday he welcomed the recent dialogue between North and South Korea but marching together at the Winter Olympics won't denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.</p>
<p>Turnbull, visiting Japan to talk with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about regional security, trade and other issues, cautioned against optimism.</p>
<p>"We have to be very clear-eyed about this," he told reporters. "History tells us a very bitter lesson about North Korea. They have a long habit of ratcheting up their militarization and then, you know, going into a lull for a while trying to persuade people that they're changing their ways, changing nothing and then ratcheting up again."</p>
<p>North and South Korea held rare talks in a border village this week where they agreed to form their first unified Olympic team, in women's ice hockey, and have their athletes parade together during the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea. They'll present the plan to the International Olympic Committee this weekend in Switzerland.</p>
<p>Turnbull said pressure and sanctions against North Korea over its weapons programs must be maintained.</p>
<p>In a news conference following their talks, Turnbull said he and Abe agreed on the importance of enforcing the sanctions "so this regime is brought to its senses and stop threatening in the manner that it does the peace and stability of our region."</p>
<p>Japan and Australia have been deepening their defense cooperation amid the tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile development and China's expansion in the Pacific.</p>
<p>The two leaders agreed to accelerate negotiations on a visiting forces pact that would specify the legal status of troops temporarily in each other's countries for drills and simplify procedures for defense equipment transport.</p>
<p>Abe and Turnbull also reaffirmed their cooperation to achieve a signing of the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement without the U.S. as early as possible. The pact had been cast into doubt after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out.</p>
<p>Earlier Thursday, Turnbull and Abe visited a Japanese military training camp just outside Tokyo, where they viewed a PAC-3 missile interceptor and got inside a Bushmaster armored vehicle, which was developed in Australia and adopted by Japan's military in 2014.</p>
<p>Turnbull said his country and Japan work for open markets and free trade, which "is underpinned by security."</p>
<p>He also attended a special session of Japan's national security council, spoke to business leaders and had dinner with Abe before leaving Japan.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.</p> | Australia PM says Olympic unity won't denuclearize N. Korea | false | https://apnews.com/amp/b509e20b3d0640168253052203dc3aad | 2018-01-18 | 2least
| Australia PM says Olympic unity won't denuclearize N. Korea
<p>TOKYO (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Thursday he welcomed the recent dialogue between North and South Korea but marching together at the Winter Olympics won't denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.</p>
<p>Turnbull, visiting Japan to talk with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about regional security, trade and other issues, cautioned against optimism.</p>
<p>"We have to be very clear-eyed about this," he told reporters. "History tells us a very bitter lesson about North Korea. They have a long habit of ratcheting up their militarization and then, you know, going into a lull for a while trying to persuade people that they're changing their ways, changing nothing and then ratcheting up again."</p>
<p>North and South Korea held rare talks in a border village this week where they agreed to form their first unified Olympic team, in women's ice hockey, and have their athletes parade together during the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea. They'll present the plan to the International Olympic Committee this weekend in Switzerland.</p>
<p>Turnbull said pressure and sanctions against North Korea over its weapons programs must be maintained.</p>
<p>In a news conference following their talks, Turnbull said he and Abe agreed on the importance of enforcing the sanctions "so this regime is brought to its senses and stop threatening in the manner that it does the peace and stability of our region."</p>
<p>Japan and Australia have been deepening their defense cooperation amid the tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile development and China's expansion in the Pacific.</p>
<p>The two leaders agreed to accelerate negotiations on a visiting forces pact that would specify the legal status of troops temporarily in each other's countries for drills and simplify procedures for defense equipment transport.</p>
<p>Abe and Turnbull also reaffirmed their cooperation to achieve a signing of the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement without the U.S. as early as possible. The pact had been cast into doubt after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out.</p>
<p>Earlier Thursday, Turnbull and Abe visited a Japanese military training camp just outside Tokyo, where they viewed a PAC-3 missile interceptor and got inside a Bushmaster armored vehicle, which was developed in Australia and adopted by Japan's military in 2014.</p>
<p>Turnbull said his country and Japan work for open markets and free trade, which "is underpinned by security."</p>
<p>He also attended a special session of Japan's national security council, spoke to business leaders and had dinner with Abe before leaving Japan.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>TOKYO (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said Thursday he welcomed the recent dialogue between North and South Korea but marching together at the Winter Olympics won't denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.</p>
<p>Turnbull, visiting Japan to talk with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about regional security, trade and other issues, cautioned against optimism.</p>
<p>"We have to be very clear-eyed about this," he told reporters. "History tells us a very bitter lesson about North Korea. They have a long habit of ratcheting up their militarization and then, you know, going into a lull for a while trying to persuade people that they're changing their ways, changing nothing and then ratcheting up again."</p>
<p>North and South Korea held rare talks in a border village this week where they agreed to form their first unified Olympic team, in women's ice hockey, and have their athletes parade together during the opening ceremony of next month's Winter Olympics in South Korea. They'll present the plan to the International Olympic Committee this weekend in Switzerland.</p>
<p>Turnbull said pressure and sanctions against North Korea over its weapons programs must be maintained.</p>
<p>In a news conference following their talks, Turnbull said he and Abe agreed on the importance of enforcing the sanctions "so this regime is brought to its senses and stop threatening in the manner that it does the peace and stability of our region."</p>
<p>Japan and Australia have been deepening their defense cooperation amid the tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile development and China's expansion in the Pacific.</p>
<p>The two leaders agreed to accelerate negotiations on a visiting forces pact that would specify the legal status of troops temporarily in each other's countries for drills and simplify procedures for defense equipment transport.</p>
<p>Abe and Turnbull also reaffirmed their cooperation to achieve a signing of the 11-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement without the U.S. as early as possible. The pact had been cast into doubt after President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out.</p>
<p>Earlier Thursday, Turnbull and Abe visited a Japanese military training camp just outside Tokyo, where they viewed a PAC-3 missile interceptor and got inside a Bushmaster armored vehicle, which was developed in Australia and adopted by Japan's military in 2014.</p>
<p>Turnbull said his country and Japan work for open markets and free trade, which "is underpinned by security."</p>
<p>He also attended a special session of Japan's national security council, spoke to business leaders and had dinner with Abe before leaving Japan.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Ken Moritsugu in Tokyo and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.</p> | 3,157 |
<p>In a world of spin, no one expects truth from corporate executives or the politicians who serve them, but many of us hold out hope that in the classroom and sanctuary we can engage one another honestly in the struggle to understand the world and our place in it. So, while I’ve had my share of squabbles with schools and churches over the years, I remain committed to them as important truth-seeking institutions.</p>
<p>As a university professor who has recently returned to church membership, I have a lot riding on those hopes, which is why it was particularly disappointing in recent weeks to be scheduled for speaking engagements and then abruptly canceled by a Catholic diocese and a private high school in Texas. In both cases, some people in the institutions were eager to have me share my knowledge and experiences, only to have the leadership give in to complaints from conservatives.</p>
<p>My disappointment wasn’t personal — I’ve been rejected enough to be able to roll with these punches — but about a concern for the future if the institutions we count on to create space for dialogue are so easily cowed. The problem isn’t that I lost chances to speak, but that everyone lost a chance for engagement.</p>
<p>The first cancellation came from the Diocese of Victoria in September. Staff members organizing the annual “Conference for Catechesis and Ministry” asked if I would lead one session on media coverage of the Middle East and another on strategies for speaking with children about war. I signed on immediately, grateful for the opportunity to discuss these important issues.</p>
<p>After the conference schedule circulated, staff members heard from a conservative member of the diocese who objected on the grounds I am politically radical (true enough), anti-American (a nonsensical charge), and a promoter of anti-Catholic teachings (true, if one thinks that all Catholics who support the full humanity of gay/lesbian people and advocate abortion rights are anti-Catholic, too). The threat that this person’s campaign would spark public protests led the diocese to retract the invitation.</p>
<p>Last week I received a similar call from an administrator at St. Mary’s Hall, a college-preparatory day school in San Antonio. I had been asked to speak about power and privilege, drawing on my book on race and racism. I was looking forward to talking with young people about an important subject, but once again a complaint about my political writings and activism against U.S. policy led administrators to cancel my talk.</p>
<p>In both cases, of course I can’t know exactly what was behind these decisions. I assume the folks in charge decided it was safer to exclude someone with left/radical politics than to risk the backlash from more centrist and conservative constituencies. But I didn’t give the cancellations much thought until last week at the end of a long evening at a private school in California, where I had been invited to speak about power and privilege. When the formal program ended, a dozen people lingered, and we pulled chairs into a circle to continue the conversation about race and gender, capitalism and empire.</p>
<p>When I finally suggested that I was running out of steam and should head toward my hotel and bed, one of the parents from the school said, “I realize you are tired, but I would stay here all night if I could — I’m so hungry for this kind of conversation.”</p>
<p>That remark led to more talk about how these conversations are too rare in a depoliticized society where so many people are afraid to speak their minds. Others agreed that they wished for more spaces to talk honestly about fundamental questions: What it means to be a person in a complex world, to be a U.S. citizen in a time of imperial war, to be materially comfortable in a world where so many lived without the basics.</p>
<p>I can understand why church and school administrators would take the safe route and cancel a talk by me to avoid potential conflict; I don’t feel any personal resentment or hold any grudges.</p>
<p>But I can’t help but be disappointed in those officials, not for denying me the chance to speak but denying others a space in which collectively we can struggle to get closer to the truth. Who among us is not hungry for that? Even those who wanted to silence me — at some level don’t they yearn for that conversation?</p>
<p>As a university professor and freelance writer who is active in a variety of political movements, I will never lack for spaces in which I can be heard. I’m worried not about myself but about that man who was so starved for ethical and political engagement that he was willing to stay in that room all night to have that taste of an honest conversation about issues that are so difficult and so important.</p>
<p>When such space for engagement is gone, what hope is there for faith and education? Indeed, what hope is there for democracy?</p>
<p>ROBERT JENSEN is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the board of the <a href="http://thirdcoastactivist.org/" type="external">Third Coast Activist Resource Center</a>. He is the author of <a href="" type="internal">The Heart of Whiteness: Race, Racism, and White Privilege</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity</a>. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Opportunities Lost | true | https://counterpunch.org/2006/11/20/opportunities-lost/ | 2006-11-20 | 4left
| Opportunities Lost
<p>In a world of spin, no one expects truth from corporate executives or the politicians who serve them, but many of us hold out hope that in the classroom and sanctuary we can engage one another honestly in the struggle to understand the world and our place in it. So, while I’ve had my share of squabbles with schools and churches over the years, I remain committed to them as important truth-seeking institutions.</p>
<p>As a university professor who has recently returned to church membership, I have a lot riding on those hopes, which is why it was particularly disappointing in recent weeks to be scheduled for speaking engagements and then abruptly canceled by a Catholic diocese and a private high school in Texas. In both cases, some people in the institutions were eager to have me share my knowledge and experiences, only to have the leadership give in to complaints from conservatives.</p>
<p>My disappointment wasn’t personal — I’ve been rejected enough to be able to roll with these punches — but about a concern for the future if the institutions we count on to create space for dialogue are so easily cowed. The problem isn’t that I lost chances to speak, but that everyone lost a chance for engagement.</p>
<p>The first cancellation came from the Diocese of Victoria in September. Staff members organizing the annual “Conference for Catechesis and Ministry” asked if I would lead one session on media coverage of the Middle East and another on strategies for speaking with children about war. I signed on immediately, grateful for the opportunity to discuss these important issues.</p>
<p>After the conference schedule circulated, staff members heard from a conservative member of the diocese who objected on the grounds I am politically radical (true enough), anti-American (a nonsensical charge), and a promoter of anti-Catholic teachings (true, if one thinks that all Catholics who support the full humanity of gay/lesbian people and advocate abortion rights are anti-Catholic, too). The threat that this person’s campaign would spark public protests led the diocese to retract the invitation.</p>
<p>Last week I received a similar call from an administrator at St. Mary’s Hall, a college-preparatory day school in San Antonio. I had been asked to speak about power and privilege, drawing on my book on race and racism. I was looking forward to talking with young people about an important subject, but once again a complaint about my political writings and activism against U.S. policy led administrators to cancel my talk.</p>
<p>In both cases, of course I can’t know exactly what was behind these decisions. I assume the folks in charge decided it was safer to exclude someone with left/radical politics than to risk the backlash from more centrist and conservative constituencies. But I didn’t give the cancellations much thought until last week at the end of a long evening at a private school in California, where I had been invited to speak about power and privilege. When the formal program ended, a dozen people lingered, and we pulled chairs into a circle to continue the conversation about race and gender, capitalism and empire.</p>
<p>When I finally suggested that I was running out of steam and should head toward my hotel and bed, one of the parents from the school said, “I realize you are tired, but I would stay here all night if I could — I’m so hungry for this kind of conversation.”</p>
<p>That remark led to more talk about how these conversations are too rare in a depoliticized society where so many people are afraid to speak their minds. Others agreed that they wished for more spaces to talk honestly about fundamental questions: What it means to be a person in a complex world, to be a U.S. citizen in a time of imperial war, to be materially comfortable in a world where so many lived without the basics.</p>
<p>I can understand why church and school administrators would take the safe route and cancel a talk by me to avoid potential conflict; I don’t feel any personal resentment or hold any grudges.</p>
<p>But I can’t help but be disappointed in those officials, not for denying me the chance to speak but denying others a space in which collectively we can struggle to get closer to the truth. Who among us is not hungry for that? Even those who wanted to silence me — at some level don’t they yearn for that conversation?</p>
<p>As a university professor and freelance writer who is active in a variety of political movements, I will never lack for spaces in which I can be heard. I’m worried not about myself but about that man who was so starved for ethical and political engagement that he was willing to stay in that room all night to have that taste of an honest conversation about issues that are so difficult and so important.</p>
<p>When such space for engagement is gone, what hope is there for faith and education? Indeed, what hope is there for democracy?</p>
<p>ROBERT JENSEN is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the board of the <a href="http://thirdcoastactivist.org/" type="external">Third Coast Activist Resource Center</a>. He is the author of <a href="" type="internal">The Heart of Whiteness: Race, Racism, and White Privilege</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity</a>. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 3,158 |
<p>It’s the biggest feather in the president’s re-election cap: the confirmed killing of America’s most wanted criminal. But a new group plans to air commercials diminishing the president’s role in Osama bin Laden’s assassination.</p>
<p>Calling itself the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc., it’s a social welfare organization registered in Delaware — meaning it will probably be some time if and when we discover who is bankrolling the anti-Obama ads.</p>
<p>Reuters has more on the story:</p>
<p>The OPSEC group says it is not political and aims to save American lives. Its first public salvo is a 22-minute film that includes criticism of Obama and his administration. The film, to be released on Wednesday, was seen in advance by Reuters. “Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not,” Ben Smith, identified as a Navy SEAL, says in the film. “As a citizen, it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy,” Smith continues. “It will get Americans killed.”</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/special-ops-group-attacks-obama-over-bin-laden-011757844.html" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p>Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the <a href="" type="internal">Swift Boat Veterans for Truth</a>, and the successful campaign to rob John Kerry in 2004 of his major advantage over President George W. Bush — Kerry’s decorated military service.</p>
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Peter Z. Scheer</a>.</p> | Swift Boat Reborn: Group Shames Obama for Bin Laden Bragging | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/swift-boat-reborn-group-shames-obama-for-bin-laden-bragging/ | 2012-08-15 | 4left
| Swift Boat Reborn: Group Shames Obama for Bin Laden Bragging
<p>It’s the biggest feather in the president’s re-election cap: the confirmed killing of America’s most wanted criminal. But a new group plans to air commercials diminishing the president’s role in Osama bin Laden’s assassination.</p>
<p>Calling itself the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund Inc., it’s a social welfare organization registered in Delaware — meaning it will probably be some time if and when we discover who is bankrolling the anti-Obama ads.</p>
<p>Reuters has more on the story:</p>
<p>The OPSEC group says it is not political and aims to save American lives. Its first public salvo is a 22-minute film that includes criticism of Obama and his administration. The film, to be released on Wednesday, was seen in advance by Reuters. “Mr. President, you did not kill Osama bin Laden, America did. The work that the American military has done killed Osama bin Laden. You did not,” Ben Smith, identified as a Navy SEAL, says in the film. “As a citizen, it is my civic duty to tell the president to stop leaking information to the enemy,” Smith continues. “It will get Americans killed.”</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/special-ops-group-attacks-obama-over-bin-laden-011757844.html" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p>Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the <a href="" type="internal">Swift Boat Veterans for Truth</a>, and the successful campaign to rob John Kerry in 2004 of his major advantage over President George W. Bush — Kerry’s decorated military service.</p>
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Peter Z. Scheer</a>.</p> | 3,159 |
<p>Traders who bet on rate hikes using fed funds futures contracts marked up the odds of a rate hike in December after the Fed's policy statement was released. Traders now see a 46.3% chance of a rate hike in December, up from 41% before the policy statement was released, said John Canally, chief economic strategist at LPL Financial. Odds had briefly topped 50% before sliding back. Markets don't fully price in a rate hike until March of 2017.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | Odds Of Fed Rate Hike In December Marked Up After Policy Statement | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/07/27/odds-fed-rate-hike-in-december-marked-up-after-policy-statement.html | 2016-07-27 | 0right
| Odds Of Fed Rate Hike In December Marked Up After Policy Statement
<p>Traders who bet on rate hikes using fed funds futures contracts marked up the odds of a rate hike in December after the Fed's policy statement was released. Traders now see a 46.3% chance of a rate hike in December, up from 41% before the policy statement was released, said John Canally, chief economic strategist at LPL Financial. Odds had briefly topped 50% before sliding back. Markets don't fully price in a rate hike until March of 2017.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | 3,160 |
<p>Harvard University has reached a tentative labor agreement with 700 of its cafeteria workers who have been on strike for almost three weeks.</p>
<p>The school announced Tuesday that it agreed in principle to a five-year contract with Unite Here Local 26, the labor union representing Harvard's dining workers. The union went on strike Oct. 5 after months of negotiations failed to result in a new contract, forcing Harvard to scale back its dining operations.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Both sides declined to provide details of the agreement, which faces a union vote Wednesday. But union President Brian Lang said it "addresses all of the concerns" of the strikers.</p>
<p>At the heart of the dispute is a conflict over wages and benefits. The union asked Harvard to increase salaries to a minimum of $35,000 a year, and it opposed the university's plan to raise health care costs. Harvard officials said its dining workers already have better pay and benefits than others in the region.</p>
<p>The tentative deal could bring an end to a strike that some billed as a David and Goliath clash. Union members and their supporters highlighted that Harvard's $35 billion endowment is the largest in the nation, while many of its dining workers are paid $30,000 a year. Critics said Harvard studies poverty while its workers live it.</p>
<p>Daily picket lines outside Harvard drew celebrity supporters including Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a former Harvard Law professor, and actor Ben Stiller, who was in town filming a movie. The city council in Cambridge, where Harvard is located, unanimously voted to support the dining workers. Students staged campus protests backing the union.</p>
<p>Harvard officials previously said they had proposed a fair contract, with a 10 percent increase in hourly wages over five years, and more paid days off than many in the dining industry. The school noted that much of the money in its endowment is restricted, meaning donors dictate how it should be used.</p>
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<p>The university's executive vice president said in a statement Tuesday that the negotiation process had been challenging and contentious for many on campus.</p>
<p>"I would like to convey our gratitude, on behalf of the university, to all those who showed patience at a time of disruption and inconvenience," Katie Lapp said in her statement. "The university has been unequivocal in its belief that dining services workers are valued employees and vital members of the Harvard community."</p>
<p>Although labor disputes occasionally arise on colleges campuses, they're rare at Harvard. This was the school's first strike since 1983, when dining workers went on strike for a single day. It also flared at a time when wealthy schools have been under scrutiny for amassing large endowments as student costs increase.</p>
<p>During the strike, Harvard has closed some dining halls, reduced its offerings and recruited temporary workers to feed students. Lapp said she looks forward to welcoming the dining workers back as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Lang, the union president, said the strike will continue until dining workers ratify a new contract.</p> | Harvard reaches tentative deal with striking dining workers | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/25/harvard-reaches-tentative-deal-with-striking-dining-workers.html | 2016-10-25 | 0right
| Harvard reaches tentative deal with striking dining workers
<p>Harvard University has reached a tentative labor agreement with 700 of its cafeteria workers who have been on strike for almost three weeks.</p>
<p>The school announced Tuesday that it agreed in principle to a five-year contract with Unite Here Local 26, the labor union representing Harvard's dining workers. The union went on strike Oct. 5 after months of negotiations failed to result in a new contract, forcing Harvard to scale back its dining operations.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Both sides declined to provide details of the agreement, which faces a union vote Wednesday. But union President Brian Lang said it "addresses all of the concerns" of the strikers.</p>
<p>At the heart of the dispute is a conflict over wages and benefits. The union asked Harvard to increase salaries to a minimum of $35,000 a year, and it opposed the university's plan to raise health care costs. Harvard officials said its dining workers already have better pay and benefits than others in the region.</p>
<p>The tentative deal could bring an end to a strike that some billed as a David and Goliath clash. Union members and their supporters highlighted that Harvard's $35 billion endowment is the largest in the nation, while many of its dining workers are paid $30,000 a year. Critics said Harvard studies poverty while its workers live it.</p>
<p>Daily picket lines outside Harvard drew celebrity supporters including Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a former Harvard Law professor, and actor Ben Stiller, who was in town filming a movie. The city council in Cambridge, where Harvard is located, unanimously voted to support the dining workers. Students staged campus protests backing the union.</p>
<p>Harvard officials previously said they had proposed a fair contract, with a 10 percent increase in hourly wages over five years, and more paid days off than many in the dining industry. The school noted that much of the money in its endowment is restricted, meaning donors dictate how it should be used.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The university's executive vice president said in a statement Tuesday that the negotiation process had been challenging and contentious for many on campus.</p>
<p>"I would like to convey our gratitude, on behalf of the university, to all those who showed patience at a time of disruption and inconvenience," Katie Lapp said in her statement. "The university has been unequivocal in its belief that dining services workers are valued employees and vital members of the Harvard community."</p>
<p>Although labor disputes occasionally arise on colleges campuses, they're rare at Harvard. This was the school's first strike since 1983, when dining workers went on strike for a single day. It also flared at a time when wealthy schools have been under scrutiny for amassing large endowments as student costs increase.</p>
<p>During the strike, Harvard has closed some dining halls, reduced its offerings and recruited temporary workers to feed students. Lapp said she looks forward to welcoming the dining workers back as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Lang, the union president, said the strike will continue until dining workers ratify a new contract.</p> | 3,161 |
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<p>“Tomorrow all I want is peace,” Michael Brown Sr. told hundreds of people in St. Louis’ largest city park during brief remarks at a festival that promotes peace over violence. “That’s all I ask.”</p>
<p>The more than two weeks since Michael Brown’s death have been marked by nightly protests, some violent and chaotic, although tensions have eased in recent days.</p>
<p>Brown Sr. told the crowd that he and his son’s mother appreciate the love and support they’ve received from the community. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who will speak at the funeral, echoed his request for peace.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“We don’t want anything tomorrow to happen that might defile the name of Michael Brown,” Sharpton said. “This is not about our rage tomorrow. It’s about the legacy and memory of his son.”</p>
<p>Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown’s mother, appeared on stage with Sharpton, who told the crowd that McSpadden and her family saw Brown’s body for the first time today since the day of the shooting.</p>
<p>After McSpadden took the microphone, she broke down and covered her face with her left hand. The crowd began to chant, “We love you. We love you. We love you.” McSpadden composed herself for a moment and softly said, “Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.”</p>
<p>Peace Fest 2014 was already in the works before Officer Darren Wilson shot Brown Aug. 9 in a St. Louis suburb, but it took on new resonance in the aftermath.</p>
<p>The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin also spoke, urging the crowd to channel its anger into action by pushing to strengthen families and better educate youth and expressing support for the Brown family and the people of the St. Louis area.</p>
<p>“We’re going to stand tall with you all,” Trayvon Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, said.</p>
<p>Trayvon Martin, 17, was also unarmed when he was shot and killed in 2012. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who said he shot Martin in self-defense, was acquitted.</p>
<p>The nightly protests in Ferguson have been mostly peaceful in recent days, a contrast to images of police in riot gear firing tear gas canisters at angry protesters in the days after the Brown shooting. Tensions briefly flared then subsided late Saturday night and early Sunday.</p>
<p>Niesha Thomas, who attended Peace Fest, said she hopes the event marks “a new start” in which people put “irrelevant, unproductive” disputes behind them.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Dad of 18-year-old shot by officer asks for peace for funeral | false | https://abqjournal.com/451554/dad-of-18yearold-shot-by-officer-asks-for-peace-for-funeral.html | 2least
| Dad of 18-year-old shot by officer asks for peace for funeral
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<p />
<p>“Tomorrow all I want is peace,” Michael Brown Sr. told hundreds of people in St. Louis’ largest city park during brief remarks at a festival that promotes peace over violence. “That’s all I ask.”</p>
<p>The more than two weeks since Michael Brown’s death have been marked by nightly protests, some violent and chaotic, although tensions have eased in recent days.</p>
<p>Brown Sr. told the crowd that he and his son’s mother appreciate the love and support they’ve received from the community. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who will speak at the funeral, echoed his request for peace.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“We don’t want anything tomorrow to happen that might defile the name of Michael Brown,” Sharpton said. “This is not about our rage tomorrow. It’s about the legacy and memory of his son.”</p>
<p>Lesley McSpadden, Michael Brown’s mother, appeared on stage with Sharpton, who told the crowd that McSpadden and her family saw Brown’s body for the first time today since the day of the shooting.</p>
<p>After McSpadden took the microphone, she broke down and covered her face with her left hand. The crowd began to chant, “We love you. We love you. We love you.” McSpadden composed herself for a moment and softly said, “Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you.”</p>
<p>Peace Fest 2014 was already in the works before Officer Darren Wilson shot Brown Aug. 9 in a St. Louis suburb, but it took on new resonance in the aftermath.</p>
<p>The parents of slain Florida teen Trayvon Martin also spoke, urging the crowd to channel its anger into action by pushing to strengthen families and better educate youth and expressing support for the Brown family and the people of the St. Louis area.</p>
<p>“We’re going to stand tall with you all,” Trayvon Martin’s father, Tracy Martin, said.</p>
<p>Trayvon Martin, 17, was also unarmed when he was shot and killed in 2012. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer who said he shot Martin in self-defense, was acquitted.</p>
<p>The nightly protests in Ferguson have been mostly peaceful in recent days, a contrast to images of police in riot gear firing tear gas canisters at angry protesters in the days after the Brown shooting. Tensions briefly flared then subsided late Saturday night and early Sunday.</p>
<p>Niesha Thomas, who attended Peace Fest, said she hopes the event marks “a new start” in which people put “irrelevant, unproductive” disputes behind them.</p>
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<p>— Stevie Olson, Bernalillo</p>
<p>I AM SEEING disturbing similarities between UNM Athletic Director, Paul Krebs and APD Chief of Police, Gordon Eden. Both seem clueless as to their responsibilities, horrible stewards of taxpayer monies, and completely mired in inertia to move their departments forward. I believe both have overstayed their welcome, but more importantly, what do acting UNM President, Chaouki Abdallah and soon to be ex-Mayor, Richard Berry feel at this point. Hopefully the permanent UNM President and next Mayor will consider these high priority personnel issues that need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>— Bob, UNM Area</p>
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<p>LARRY CHAVEZ, do EVERYBODY a favor and buy out Krebs$$$.</p>
<p>— MHD</p>
<p>BOY, SEÑOR KREBS is one lucky man. Now after the naming of the Pit again, he has more money to misuse. He can take another long trip for his relaxation.</p>
<p>— Loboforever</p>
<p>IF KREBS WENT on a “Fund Raiser”, well how much did he raise on this trip? And why the heck did Noodles go? The only thing Noodles raised was the ticket prices.</p>
<p>— JG</p>
<p>NICE ARTICLE ON the ski team. The community needed that. And it needed to lead front page sports.</p>
<p>— Michael</p>
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<p>REALLY, JOURNAL? In the midst of the NBA and NHL playoffs, with MLB in full swing, and we get a 3/4 front page fluff piece on the love fest between Alan Branch and his high school. An athlete who, upon graduation, couldn’t wait to take his considerable talents out of the state of NM. Worthy of coverage? Sure. Front page? No way.</p>
<p>— Joe, ABQ</p>
<p>THREE ANTI-TRUMP rants last week and Randy upset with Mike’s comments. I wonder how offended Randy and the other morality sherrifs who lambast Trump were at Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy and the worst of all Bill Clinton, who used the lovely and gracious Nurse Ratchet Hillary to cover up his philandering. Why don’t you guys do your rants on ESPN or BSNBC where nobody will notice.</p>
<p>— Mo</p>
<p>HEY MP, this is New Mexico. The home teams are the Cowboys and the Broncos. (I don’t know why the Cardinals don’t get much love.) I’m a transplanted NorCal guy and through good years and bad years I’ve been a 49er fan for nearly 60 years. I don’t expect the Journal to cover them unless they are playing Dallas or Denver. If you want to read about the Steelers there’s this thing called the internet.</p>
<p>— Donn, Placitas</p> | Sports Speak Up! | false | https://abqjournal.com/999504/sports-speak-up-330.html | 2least
| Sports Speak Up!
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>— Stevie Olson, Bernalillo</p>
<p>I AM SEEING disturbing similarities between UNM Athletic Director, Paul Krebs and APD Chief of Police, Gordon Eden. Both seem clueless as to their responsibilities, horrible stewards of taxpayer monies, and completely mired in inertia to move their departments forward. I believe both have overstayed their welcome, but more importantly, what do acting UNM President, Chaouki Abdallah and soon to be ex-Mayor, Richard Berry feel at this point. Hopefully the permanent UNM President and next Mayor will consider these high priority personnel issues that need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>— Bob, UNM Area</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>LARRY CHAVEZ, do EVERYBODY a favor and buy out Krebs$$$.</p>
<p>— MHD</p>
<p>BOY, SEÑOR KREBS is one lucky man. Now after the naming of the Pit again, he has more money to misuse. He can take another long trip for his relaxation.</p>
<p>— Loboforever</p>
<p>IF KREBS WENT on a “Fund Raiser”, well how much did he raise on this trip? And why the heck did Noodles go? The only thing Noodles raised was the ticket prices.</p>
<p>— JG</p>
<p>NICE ARTICLE ON the ski team. The community needed that. And it needed to lead front page sports.</p>
<p>— Michael</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>REALLY, JOURNAL? In the midst of the NBA and NHL playoffs, with MLB in full swing, and we get a 3/4 front page fluff piece on the love fest between Alan Branch and his high school. An athlete who, upon graduation, couldn’t wait to take his considerable talents out of the state of NM. Worthy of coverage? Sure. Front page? No way.</p>
<p>— Joe, ABQ</p>
<p>THREE ANTI-TRUMP rants last week and Randy upset with Mike’s comments. I wonder how offended Randy and the other morality sherrifs who lambast Trump were at Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy and the worst of all Bill Clinton, who used the lovely and gracious Nurse Ratchet Hillary to cover up his philandering. Why don’t you guys do your rants on ESPN or BSNBC where nobody will notice.</p>
<p>— Mo</p>
<p>HEY MP, this is New Mexico. The home teams are the Cowboys and the Broncos. (I don’t know why the Cardinals don’t get much love.) I’m a transplanted NorCal guy and through good years and bad years I’ve been a 49er fan for nearly 60 years. I don’t expect the Journal to cover them unless they are playing Dallas or Denver. If you want to read about the Steelers there’s this thing called the internet.</p>
<p>— Donn, Placitas</p> | 3,163 |
|
<p>Bank holding company BB&amp;T is closing a call center in central Pennsylvania and laying off 82 employees in the process.</p>
<p>The Winston-Salem, North Carolina company is selling the call center building in Lititz. The company announced the move Tuesday and say the workers will be cut in December.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The building is the former headquarters of Susquehanna Bank, which BB&amp;T bought three years ago.</p>
<p>BB&amp;T spokesman says the company already has a buyer for the building under contract, but wouldn't divulge other details.</p>
<p>The company says it will help the laid off employees find jobs inside and outside BB&amp;T and offer them severance packages.</p>
<p>BB&amp;T had previously laid off 89 workers at the same call center in September 2015.</p> | Bank holding company BB&T closing Pennsylvania call center | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/10/04/bank-holding-company-bb-t-closing-pennsylvania-call-center.html | 2017-10-04 | 0right
| Bank holding company BB&T closing Pennsylvania call center
<p>Bank holding company BB&amp;T is closing a call center in central Pennsylvania and laying off 82 employees in the process.</p>
<p>The Winston-Salem, North Carolina company is selling the call center building in Lititz. The company announced the move Tuesday and say the workers will be cut in December.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The building is the former headquarters of Susquehanna Bank, which BB&amp;T bought three years ago.</p>
<p>BB&amp;T spokesman says the company already has a buyer for the building under contract, but wouldn't divulge other details.</p>
<p>The company says it will help the laid off employees find jobs inside and outside BB&amp;T and offer them severance packages.</p>
<p>BB&amp;T had previously laid off 89 workers at the same call center in September 2015.</p> | 3,164 |
<p>NEW YORK CITY - <a href="http://www.occupywallst.org/" type="external">Occupy Wall Street</a> protesters held a <a href="http://www.occupywallst.org/article/mass-day-action-2-month-anniversary-occupy-wall-st/" type="external">day of action</a> all over the United States Thursday, to mark the movement's two-month anniversary. By Thursday afternoon, there had been more than 200 arrests, and one protester was left with a bloody face after allegedly knocking off a police officer's cap.</p>
<p>Two days after they were forcibly removed from their encampment in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuccotti_Park" type="external">Zuccotti Park</a>, organizers in New York were calling on supporters to shut down <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_street" type="external">Wall Street</a>, occupy the subways, and take Manhattan's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_Square" type="external">Foley Square</a>.</p>
<p>GlobalPost's full coverage of the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/series/occupy-world-protest-movement-goes-global" type="external">Occupy World</a> movement</p>
<p>The protest began peacefully in Liberty Square at 7 a.m. Together they marched to the New York Stock Exchange, where they intended to block traders from entering and starting to trade by 9:30 a.m. While some traders had a tough time getting into the NYSE at first, they eventually made it in on time, <a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/protesters-and-officers-clash-near-wall-street/?hp" type="external">The New York Times</a> reported.&#160;</p>
<p>But by mid-morning protesters and police clashed, leading to about 177 arrests, The Times reported. After the march ended the protesters returned to Zuccotti Park.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://occupywallst.org/" type="external">OWS's blog</a>, protesters and the media were denied access past police blockades at Liberty Square. Moments later they began to tear down the blockades, chanting, "Whose Park? Our Park!" and outnumbering the police.</p>
<p>One protester was arrested for throwing liquid at four New York City police officers, the Associated Press reported. The officers were reportedly injured after the liquid, believed to be vinegar, was thrown at their faces. The officers were then taken to the hospital.</p>
<p>Protests continued to turn violent as Occupiers made their way uptown towards Union Square, when one protester allegedly knocked off the a police officer's cap, the New York Daily News reported. According to the Daily News, the unruly moment led to a scuffle, which led to the protester suffering a head injury. Photos on the <a href="http://live.nydailynews.com/Event/Showdown_at_Zuccotti_Park_The_NYPDs_raid_on_Occupy_Wall_Street_NYC" type="external">Daily News' live blog</a>and in the slideshow above show the young male protester with a bloody skull. He was later put in a police paddy wagon. <a href="http://gawker.com/5860584/police-clash-with-protesters-in-zuccotti-park" type="external">Gawker's live blog</a> also reported on the incident, including graphic photos of the injured man.</p>
<p><a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/protesters-and-officers-clash-near-wall-street/?hp" type="external">The Times</a> reported that protesters and a Reuters photographer believe police were responsible for the protester's bloody head after he flicked the cop's hat off. GlobalPost has not independently confirmed whether the head injury was from the police or the near riot that broke out.</p>
<p>The Daily News also reported that earlier a police officer suffered a hand injury after a glass bottle was thrown. A New York City police spokesperson told the Daily News,</p>
<p>"The officer who was injured was responding to a call for help inside the park. The cop responded inside. One of the protesters threw something. It was an object that had glass in it. I can't even describe it because I haven't seen it. It was something that was being held that was thrown at the officer. He's got a nasty cut on his left hand. Its probably going to take a about 20 stitches."</p>
<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly met with the injured officer at a Manhattan hospital, the Daily News reported. In a press conference about the incident held in the afternoon, Bloomberg said that violent protesters would not be tolerated.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111117/bloomberg" type="external">Bloomberg: OWS assaults on police officers will not be tolerated</a></p>
<p>After the workday ended in New York, labor union activists joined the Occupy protesters in marching across the Brooklyn Bridge, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/17/usa-protests-newyork-idUSN1E7AG0DD20111117" type="external">Reuters reported</a>.</p>
<p>The Day of Action also hit the West coast, where protesters shut down intersections in Los Angeles, according to the <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/hundreds-of-protesters-block-downtown-la-intersection.html" type="external">Los Angeles Times</a>. Several protesters were arrested, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/17/us/occupy-protests-roundup/" type="external">CNN reported</a>, but unlike in New York City, the L.A. protests remained peaceful throughout the early afternoon. Remaining tents in LA were surrounded by about 20 protesters who linked arms and refused to leave although the police permit to protest had expired. Just about 1,000 protesters cleared the street and remained on the sidewalks during the protest.</p>
<p>A bit further North in Portland, Oregon, protesters gathered at the Steel Bridge, which the police closed for all modes of transportation, rerouting commuters. Police arrested 25 protesters for disorderly conduct at the bridge, CNN reported. In the afternoon, hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside banks in downtown Portland, and police arrested several marchers who went into a Wells Fargo Bank branch, <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/occupy_portland_gathers_at_ste.html" type="external">Oregon Live</a>reported.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111117/ows-day-action-videos-show-protests-new-york" type="external">OWS Day of Action videos show protests in New York</a></p>
<p>Organizers stressed that they wanted the rallies to be <a href="http://www.occupywallst.org/article/ows-calls-nonviolent-solidarity-november-17th/" type="external">nonviolent</a>.</p>
<p>Throughout this week, New York City students held protests at multiple colleges, fighting back against tuition hikes, student debt and university ties to Wall Street, <a href="http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20111114160915401" type="external">The Paramus Post</a>reported. Actions were scheduled to take place at City of New York (CUNY), Columbia University, New York University and the New School campuses. Their actions are in solidarity with Occupy Cal Berkeley students.</p>
<p>Many of the protesters cleared out Tuesday were preparing to be arrested again Thursday, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/11/17/142432835/at-a-quiet-zuccotti-park-occupy-wall-street-prepares-for-big-protests" type="external">NPR said</a>. They had even been practicing nonviolent protest techniques to enable them to "gracefully get arrested," according to Mother Jones.</p>
<p>One protester was arrested in Zuccotti Park Wednesday night for aggravated harassment and making terrorist threats, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/17/us/new-york-occupy/?hpt=us_c1" type="external">CNN reported</a>. Nkrumah Tinsley, 29, was reportedly filmed threatening to firebomb Macy's department store and "burn New York City to the ground."</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111116/zuccotti-park-protesters-return-tents" type="external">Zuccotti Park: Protesters return without tents</a></p>
<p>Police and transport officials had braced for a day of disruption.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15767829" type="external">The BBC</a> cites New York's Deputy mayor Howard Wolfson:</p>
<p>"We are certainly anticipating tens of thousands of people protesting, aimed at significant disruption of the daily lives of people of this city.</p>
<p>"We take it seriously. Our forces will be deployed accordingly."</p>
<p>There was a total of 458 events planned across the US for Thursday's anniversary, according to <a href="http://civic.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=260" type="external">MoveOn's protest locator</a>.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111116/police-pepper-sprayed-pregnant-teen-and-84-year-" type="external">Occupy Seattle: Police pepper spray pregnant teen and 84-year-old activist</a></p>
<p>Lillian Rizzo is reporting from New York City and Jessica Phelan is reporting from Berlin.</p> | OWS: Occupy protesters mark 2-month anniversary with nationwide day of action (UPDATES) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-11-17/ows-occupy-protesters-mark-2-month-anniversary-nationwide-day-action-updates | 2011-11-17 | 3left-center
| OWS: Occupy protesters mark 2-month anniversary with nationwide day of action (UPDATES)
<p>NEW YORK CITY - <a href="http://www.occupywallst.org/" type="external">Occupy Wall Street</a> protesters held a <a href="http://www.occupywallst.org/article/mass-day-action-2-month-anniversary-occupy-wall-st/" type="external">day of action</a> all over the United States Thursday, to mark the movement's two-month anniversary. By Thursday afternoon, there had been more than 200 arrests, and one protester was left with a bloody face after allegedly knocking off a police officer's cap.</p>
<p>Two days after they were forcibly removed from their encampment in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuccotti_Park" type="external">Zuccotti Park</a>, organizers in New York were calling on supporters to shut down <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_street" type="external">Wall Street</a>, occupy the subways, and take Manhattan's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_Square" type="external">Foley Square</a>.</p>
<p>GlobalPost's full coverage of the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/series/occupy-world-protest-movement-goes-global" type="external">Occupy World</a> movement</p>
<p>The protest began peacefully in Liberty Square at 7 a.m. Together they marched to the New York Stock Exchange, where they intended to block traders from entering and starting to trade by 9:30 a.m. While some traders had a tough time getting into the NYSE at first, they eventually made it in on time, <a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/protesters-and-officers-clash-near-wall-street/?hp" type="external">The New York Times</a> reported.&#160;</p>
<p>But by mid-morning protesters and police clashed, leading to about 177 arrests, The Times reported. After the march ended the protesters returned to Zuccotti Park.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://occupywallst.org/" type="external">OWS's blog</a>, protesters and the media were denied access past police blockades at Liberty Square. Moments later they began to tear down the blockades, chanting, "Whose Park? Our Park!" and outnumbering the police.</p>
<p>One protester was arrested for throwing liquid at four New York City police officers, the Associated Press reported. The officers were reportedly injured after the liquid, believed to be vinegar, was thrown at their faces. The officers were then taken to the hospital.</p>
<p>Protests continued to turn violent as Occupiers made their way uptown towards Union Square, when one protester allegedly knocked off the a police officer's cap, the New York Daily News reported. According to the Daily News, the unruly moment led to a scuffle, which led to the protester suffering a head injury. Photos on the <a href="http://live.nydailynews.com/Event/Showdown_at_Zuccotti_Park_The_NYPDs_raid_on_Occupy_Wall_Street_NYC" type="external">Daily News' live blog</a>and in the slideshow above show the young male protester with a bloody skull. He was later put in a police paddy wagon. <a href="http://gawker.com/5860584/police-clash-with-protesters-in-zuccotti-park" type="external">Gawker's live blog</a> also reported on the incident, including graphic photos of the injured man.</p>
<p><a href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/protesters-and-officers-clash-near-wall-street/?hp" type="external">The Times</a> reported that protesters and a Reuters photographer believe police were responsible for the protester's bloody head after he flicked the cop's hat off. GlobalPost has not independently confirmed whether the head injury was from the police or the near riot that broke out.</p>
<p>The Daily News also reported that earlier a police officer suffered a hand injury after a glass bottle was thrown. A New York City police spokesperson told the Daily News,</p>
<p>"The officer who was injured was responding to a call for help inside the park. The cop responded inside. One of the protesters threw something. It was an object that had glass in it. I can't even describe it because I haven't seen it. It was something that was being held that was thrown at the officer. He's got a nasty cut on his left hand. Its probably going to take a about 20 stitches."</p>
<p>Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly met with the injured officer at a Manhattan hospital, the Daily News reported. In a press conference about the incident held in the afternoon, Bloomberg said that violent protesters would not be tolerated.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111117/bloomberg" type="external">Bloomberg: OWS assaults on police officers will not be tolerated</a></p>
<p>After the workday ended in New York, labor union activists joined the Occupy protesters in marching across the Brooklyn Bridge, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/17/usa-protests-newyork-idUSN1E7AG0DD20111117" type="external">Reuters reported</a>.</p>
<p>The Day of Action also hit the West coast, where protesters shut down intersections in Los Angeles, according to the <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/hundreds-of-protesters-block-downtown-la-intersection.html" type="external">Los Angeles Times</a>. Several protesters were arrested, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/17/us/occupy-protests-roundup/" type="external">CNN reported</a>, but unlike in New York City, the L.A. protests remained peaceful throughout the early afternoon. Remaining tents in LA were surrounded by about 20 protesters who linked arms and refused to leave although the police permit to protest had expired. Just about 1,000 protesters cleared the street and remained on the sidewalks during the protest.</p>
<p>A bit further North in Portland, Oregon, protesters gathered at the Steel Bridge, which the police closed for all modes of transportation, rerouting commuters. Police arrested 25 protesters for disorderly conduct at the bridge, CNN reported. In the afternoon, hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside banks in downtown Portland, and police arrested several marchers who went into a Wells Fargo Bank branch, <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/11/occupy_portland_gathers_at_ste.html" type="external">Oregon Live</a>reported.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111117/ows-day-action-videos-show-protests-new-york" type="external">OWS Day of Action videos show protests in New York</a></p>
<p>Organizers stressed that they wanted the rallies to be <a href="http://www.occupywallst.org/article/ows-calls-nonviolent-solidarity-november-17th/" type="external">nonviolent</a>.</p>
<p>Throughout this week, New York City students held protests at multiple colleges, fighting back against tuition hikes, student debt and university ties to Wall Street, <a href="http://www.paramuspost.com/article.php/20111114160915401" type="external">The Paramus Post</a>reported. Actions were scheduled to take place at City of New York (CUNY), Columbia University, New York University and the New School campuses. Their actions are in solidarity with Occupy Cal Berkeley students.</p>
<p>Many of the protesters cleared out Tuesday were preparing to be arrested again Thursday, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/11/17/142432835/at-a-quiet-zuccotti-park-occupy-wall-street-prepares-for-big-protests" type="external">NPR said</a>. They had even been practicing nonviolent protest techniques to enable them to "gracefully get arrested," according to Mother Jones.</p>
<p>One protester was arrested in Zuccotti Park Wednesday night for aggravated harassment and making terrorist threats, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/17/us/new-york-occupy/?hpt=us_c1" type="external">CNN reported</a>. Nkrumah Tinsley, 29, was reportedly filmed threatening to firebomb Macy's department store and "burn New York City to the ground."</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111116/zuccotti-park-protesters-return-tents" type="external">Zuccotti Park: Protesters return without tents</a></p>
<p>Police and transport officials had braced for a day of disruption.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15767829" type="external">The BBC</a> cites New York's Deputy mayor Howard Wolfson:</p>
<p>"We are certainly anticipating tens of thousands of people protesting, aimed at significant disruption of the daily lives of people of this city.</p>
<p>"We take it seriously. Our forces will be deployed accordingly."</p>
<p>There was a total of 458 events planned across the US for Thursday's anniversary, according to <a href="http://civic.moveon.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=260" type="external">MoveOn's protest locator</a>.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/111116/police-pepper-sprayed-pregnant-teen-and-84-year-" type="external">Occupy Seattle: Police pepper spray pregnant teen and 84-year-old activist</a></p>
<p>Lillian Rizzo is reporting from New York City and Jessica Phelan is reporting from Berlin.</p> | 3,165 |
<p>What if you knew that your congregation was on a collision course with its demise? What would you do? Who would you tell? How would it change the way you lead? Would it affect your sense of urgency? Would it help you better distinguish between minor and major issues?</p>
<p>The painful truth of the 21st century traditional congregation is that it faces a very grim future without significant intervention. More than the usual hyperbole or alarmist rhetoric, the crisis is real. David Olson of the American Church Project ( <a href="http://www.theamericanchurch.org/" type="external">www.theamericanchurch.org</a>) has documented the painful truth carefully. Olson, using realistic counts of attendees, reveals that traditional, established congregations that are more than 40 years old are in steady and persistent decline. Some are in dramatic decline. This tends to hold true regardless of theology, worship style, denomination or locale.</p>
<p />
<p>Ominously, the percentage of the American public actively attending local congregations of any type is dropping precipitously. Despite self-reporting that suggests more than 40 percent of U.S. citizens are active attenders, the truth appears to be radically different. Olson’s studies reveal that less than 20 percent of Americans attend a Christian church on a given weekend.</p>
<p>Other researchers confirm the facts in a variety of studies. The only growing segments for most denominations are new church starts, mega-churches or ethnic congregations. That leaves the vast majority of American Protestant congregations which have been in existence more than 40 years facing a very uncertain future.</p>
<p>So how do congregational leaders lead when facing such fierce headwinds?</p>
<p>In watching congregations attempt to deal with these realities in healthy ways, I have come to appreciate these practices:</p>
<p>Initiate some honest assessment. The starting point for creating a hopeful future is a realistic assessment of where you are. Many clergy and lay leaders live in denial of the truth about their congregational life. Someone will need to have the courage to point out the obvious, raise awareness and wrestle with complex issues.</p>
<p>Resist the blame game. One of the reasons clergy are hesitant to point out the truth of declining metrics is that they know there is a high likelihood that the congregation will point an accusing finger at them. My observation is that, when confronted with the painful truth about their metrics, most congregations react with predictable knee-jerk reactions and seek a quick fix to a deeply complex set of issues. If leaders can agree to hold off on blaming and focus on understanding and prayerful analysis, then honest and helpful conversation is a possibility.</p>
<p>Develop new metrics that fit today. Our measurements tend to fall into the “nickels and noses” variety. We think the only measure of spiritual health or success for a congregation is bodies in the seats on Sunday mornings and dollars in the plate. We are woefully ill-prepared for the realities of the 21st century. Such metrics are a holdover from the churched era when congregational involvement was a given and our faith traditions were the exclusive option for the religiously inclined. Dramatically new ways of measuring success and engagement are needed and available for thoughtful congregations.</p>
<p>Engage in Spirit-led proactive planning. Many congregations and leadership groups have neglected proactive planning and fallen victim to reactionary planning. We fail to look beyond the next quarter or 12 months, and find ourselves in a reactive stance, juggling whatever the culture or the economy or demographics or anxious congregants throw at us. Far healthier are the leaders who insist that their congregation invest resources and time to look ahead anticipating rather than reacting.</p>
<p>Reclaim your heritage. Living in the mid- to late 20th century has spoiled us. The church of Jesus Christ has always had its best days when facing the steepest odds or under the most intense persecution. We have grown lazy and sloppy in our outreach, discipleship and stewardship. Our heritage as God’s people on mission reminds us: “When we are weak, then we are strong.” Many of us will have the chance to live out that historic lineage in the near future.</p>
<p>Lead. When we are in a crisis, we need leaders. Don’t go at it alone but don’t think your congregation can navigate these turbulent waters without clear leadership from you.</p>
<p>The Titanic? Really?</p>
<p>Perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic. But honestly, I sense that this is the truth we all need to face and wrestle with. Business as usual for established churches is going to lead us to a world of declining resources, dwindling congregants, and the loss of vision and passion. Many of you are already there. Now is the time to speak the truth, reclaim our hope and launch a realistic and thoughtful plan for our future as God’s people.</p>
<p>The iceberg looms. Really. Take action now.</p>
<p>Bill Wilson ( <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>) is president of the Center for Congregational Health in Winston-Salem, N.C.</p> | VITAL SIGNS: When you pastor the Titanic | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/vitalsignswhenyoupastorthetitanic/ | 3left-center
| VITAL SIGNS: When you pastor the Titanic
<p>What if you knew that your congregation was on a collision course with its demise? What would you do? Who would you tell? How would it change the way you lead? Would it affect your sense of urgency? Would it help you better distinguish between minor and major issues?</p>
<p>The painful truth of the 21st century traditional congregation is that it faces a very grim future without significant intervention. More than the usual hyperbole or alarmist rhetoric, the crisis is real. David Olson of the American Church Project ( <a href="http://www.theamericanchurch.org/" type="external">www.theamericanchurch.org</a>) has documented the painful truth carefully. Olson, using realistic counts of attendees, reveals that traditional, established congregations that are more than 40 years old are in steady and persistent decline. Some are in dramatic decline. This tends to hold true regardless of theology, worship style, denomination or locale.</p>
<p />
<p>Ominously, the percentage of the American public actively attending local congregations of any type is dropping precipitously. Despite self-reporting that suggests more than 40 percent of U.S. citizens are active attenders, the truth appears to be radically different. Olson’s studies reveal that less than 20 percent of Americans attend a Christian church on a given weekend.</p>
<p>Other researchers confirm the facts in a variety of studies. The only growing segments for most denominations are new church starts, mega-churches or ethnic congregations. That leaves the vast majority of American Protestant congregations which have been in existence more than 40 years facing a very uncertain future.</p>
<p>So how do congregational leaders lead when facing such fierce headwinds?</p>
<p>In watching congregations attempt to deal with these realities in healthy ways, I have come to appreciate these practices:</p>
<p>Initiate some honest assessment. The starting point for creating a hopeful future is a realistic assessment of where you are. Many clergy and lay leaders live in denial of the truth about their congregational life. Someone will need to have the courage to point out the obvious, raise awareness and wrestle with complex issues.</p>
<p>Resist the blame game. One of the reasons clergy are hesitant to point out the truth of declining metrics is that they know there is a high likelihood that the congregation will point an accusing finger at them. My observation is that, when confronted with the painful truth about their metrics, most congregations react with predictable knee-jerk reactions and seek a quick fix to a deeply complex set of issues. If leaders can agree to hold off on blaming and focus on understanding and prayerful analysis, then honest and helpful conversation is a possibility.</p>
<p>Develop new metrics that fit today. Our measurements tend to fall into the “nickels and noses” variety. We think the only measure of spiritual health or success for a congregation is bodies in the seats on Sunday mornings and dollars in the plate. We are woefully ill-prepared for the realities of the 21st century. Such metrics are a holdover from the churched era when congregational involvement was a given and our faith traditions were the exclusive option for the religiously inclined. Dramatically new ways of measuring success and engagement are needed and available for thoughtful congregations.</p>
<p>Engage in Spirit-led proactive planning. Many congregations and leadership groups have neglected proactive planning and fallen victim to reactionary planning. We fail to look beyond the next quarter or 12 months, and find ourselves in a reactive stance, juggling whatever the culture or the economy or demographics or anxious congregants throw at us. Far healthier are the leaders who insist that their congregation invest resources and time to look ahead anticipating rather than reacting.</p>
<p>Reclaim your heritage. Living in the mid- to late 20th century has spoiled us. The church of Jesus Christ has always had its best days when facing the steepest odds or under the most intense persecution. We have grown lazy and sloppy in our outreach, discipleship and stewardship. Our heritage as God’s people on mission reminds us: “When we are weak, then we are strong.” Many of us will have the chance to live out that historic lineage in the near future.</p>
<p>Lead. When we are in a crisis, we need leaders. Don’t go at it alone but don’t think your congregation can navigate these turbulent waters without clear leadership from you.</p>
<p>The Titanic? Really?</p>
<p>Perhaps I am being a bit melodramatic. But honestly, I sense that this is the truth we all need to face and wrestle with. Business as usual for established churches is going to lead us to a world of declining resources, dwindling congregants, and the loss of vision and passion. Many of you are already there. Now is the time to speak the truth, reclaim our hope and launch a realistic and thoughtful plan for our future as God’s people.</p>
<p>The iceberg looms. Really. Take action now.</p>
<p>Bill Wilson ( <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>) is president of the Center for Congregational Health in Winston-Salem, N.C.</p> | 3,166 |
|
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<p>Pavlina Peskova, a University of New Mexico graduate student from the Czech Republic, says learning English and dealing with cultural differences were the most difficult aspects of being a foreign student. UNM, under President Bob Frank, has started The Global Initiatives effort to increase the number of foreign exchange students. (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Pavlina Peskova was born and bred in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, but today the 27-year-old is a full-time student at the University of New Mexico.</p>
<p>She earned her bachelor’s degree at UNM in 2011 and is now completing a master’s program in linguistics. She has also applied to the university’s Ph.D. program, again in linguistics.</p>
<p>Peskova is one of 3,535 foreign students studying at New Mexico universities. This year, each will spend an average of $23,000 in the local marketplace, for a total of $81 million. It’s fair to say foreign students are a boon to the state and local economies.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Meanwhile, for reasons that are not entirely clear, U.S. university students who study abroad for a semester or two – foreign exchange students – tend to get better grades overall and are considerably more likely to graduate than their stay-at-home peers.</p>
<p>Armed with these intriguing bits of information about international and foreign exchange students, UNM has adopted a program to increase the numbers of both. The Global Initiatives effort was launched soon after UNM President Bob Frank took over last year.</p>
<p>These handprints made by international students at the University of New Mexico mark the old front door stairway at the university’s Global Initiatives office. (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>“By 2020, President Frank wants 100 percent of UNM students to have some sort of foreign contact,” says Mary Anne Saunders, head of the Global Initiatives office.</p>
<p>After a year, the program is succeeding. The numbers of students studying abroad and foreign students are up over last year. Last year, 559 UNM students went abroad to study; this year, the number was 604, an 8 percent increase.</p>
<p>The number of students studying English as a Second Language has also risen.</p>
<p>According to the Institute of International Education, more foreign students attend New Mexico State University than UNM. Of the state’s 3,535 foreign students – up from 3,419 last year – 1,244 attend NMSU compared to 1,157 at UNM.</p>
<p>Saunders says NMSU got started first. “They are at least five years ahead of us,” she says.</p>
<p>Among other schools: New Mexico Highlands has 147 foreign students; St. Johns College, 53; and the New Mexico Military Institute has 48.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>More foreign students come from China than any other country – 555 or nearly 16 percent of the total. Second is Mexico, with more than 400 or 11.5 percent, and third is India, with nearly 350 or 10 percent. Significant numbers also come from Saudi Arabia and South Korea.</p>
<p>Apparently, very few hail from the Czech Republic. Peskova remembers the difficulties she encountered when she first moved here. She had visited before as a tourist – the first time in 2004 – but still enrolled in the Center for English Language and American Culture, UNM’s ESL program. Because her family was oriented toward Germany, she explains, she had never visited England and thus didn’t speak English as well as some other foreign students.</p>
<p>Language, she recalls, was the hardest aspect of studying abroad. Then, in addition to the new tongue, she encountered other cultural differences. It wasn’t easy to make friends, especially since the international campus community is forever changing.</p>
<p>Peskova didn’t begin feeling comfortable with English until her third semester at UNM. She notes that the few Czechs who live here are so scattered that even the word “community” would be a stretch. But the tall, blue-eyed Czech is fortunate: Her sister, Kristyna, is a fine arts student at UNM, and, for a while, her brother, Dominik, attended school here as well, until he went to Nicaragua on an internship.</p>
<p>She doesn’t consider herself an expert on American culture, but she loves New Mexico – particularly the abundant sunshine and the openness and friendliness of the people.</p>
<p>“The people here smile more,” she says, flashing her own bright smile.</p>
<p>Saunders notes with some irony that the United States hosts more Vietnamese than Mexican students. There are about 14,000 Mexicans studying in this country, a number President Obama would like to see climb to 50,000. At the same time, between 3,000 and 4,000 Americans study at Mexican universities.</p>
<p>New Mexico ranks 39th on the list of states attracting foreign students, but the state is 36th in overall population. Saunders notes that California pulls in $3.595 billion from its 112,000 foreign students. Arizona and Texas have been more aggressive and successful than New Mexico in drawing foreign students.</p>
<p>Last year, UNM opened a recruiting office in Beijing. Discussions are under way for another in Mexico City, but such endeavors are costly. The hope is to find financial partners, such as the city of Albuquerque or Bernalillo County, to share the costs – and benefits – of attracting foreign students.</p>
<p>Businessweek, the influential Bloomberg publication, reporting in June on a Duke University study, said “precious little research has been done on whether a large international population is beneficial,” but it is assumed that “interacting with students from other cultures would prepare graduates better to compete in a global economy.” That is what the researchers at Duke found.</p>
<p>“Not only did graduates who interacted with international students in college go on to acquire the skills you’d expect – speaking a foreign language and relating well to people of different cultures – they also developed a host of cognitive skills that are seemingly unrelated,” Businessweek said.</p>
<p>In each case, graduates who reported high levels of interaction with international students reported ‘significantly higher levels of skill development’ than those who reported little or no interaction.”</p>
<p>A 2010 study from the University of Georgia found that four-year graduation rates for students who stay in the United States was about 42 percent, compared to nearly 50 percent for those who study abroad. Six-year rates showed a similar correlation. The study also found that before going abroad, the average student’s grade point average was 3.2. Afterward, the average GPA rose to 3.3. That may not seem like much, but the average for students who stayed home rose less, from 3.03 to 3.06.</p>
<p>Moreover, students who began college with low SAT scores and stayed in the United States had lower GPAs than their cohort who studied abroad.</p>
<p>“Study abroad helps at-risk students,” Saunders concludes.</p>
<p /> | UNM working to increase students’ foreign exposure | false | https://abqjournal.com/321332/unm-working-to-increase-students-foreign-exposure.html | 2least
| UNM working to increase students’ foreign exposure
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Pavlina Peskova, a University of New Mexico graduate student from the Czech Republic, says learning English and dealing with cultural differences were the most difficult aspects of being a foreign student. UNM, under President Bob Frank, has started The Global Initiatives effort to increase the number of foreign exchange students. (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Pavlina Peskova was born and bred in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, but today the 27-year-old is a full-time student at the University of New Mexico.</p>
<p>She earned her bachelor’s degree at UNM in 2011 and is now completing a master’s program in linguistics. She has also applied to the university’s Ph.D. program, again in linguistics.</p>
<p>Peskova is one of 3,535 foreign students studying at New Mexico universities. This year, each will spend an average of $23,000 in the local marketplace, for a total of $81 million. It’s fair to say foreign students are a boon to the state and local economies.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Meanwhile, for reasons that are not entirely clear, U.S. university students who study abroad for a semester or two – foreign exchange students – tend to get better grades overall and are considerably more likely to graduate than their stay-at-home peers.</p>
<p>Armed with these intriguing bits of information about international and foreign exchange students, UNM has adopted a program to increase the numbers of both. The Global Initiatives effort was launched soon after UNM President Bob Frank took over last year.</p>
<p>These handprints made by international students at the University of New Mexico mark the old front door stairway at the university’s Global Initiatives office. (Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>“By 2020, President Frank wants 100 percent of UNM students to have some sort of foreign contact,” says Mary Anne Saunders, head of the Global Initiatives office.</p>
<p>After a year, the program is succeeding. The numbers of students studying abroad and foreign students are up over last year. Last year, 559 UNM students went abroad to study; this year, the number was 604, an 8 percent increase.</p>
<p>The number of students studying English as a Second Language has also risen.</p>
<p>According to the Institute of International Education, more foreign students attend New Mexico State University than UNM. Of the state’s 3,535 foreign students – up from 3,419 last year – 1,244 attend NMSU compared to 1,157 at UNM.</p>
<p>Saunders says NMSU got started first. “They are at least five years ahead of us,” she says.</p>
<p>Among other schools: New Mexico Highlands has 147 foreign students; St. Johns College, 53; and the New Mexico Military Institute has 48.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>More foreign students come from China than any other country – 555 or nearly 16 percent of the total. Second is Mexico, with more than 400 or 11.5 percent, and third is India, with nearly 350 or 10 percent. Significant numbers also come from Saudi Arabia and South Korea.</p>
<p>Apparently, very few hail from the Czech Republic. Peskova remembers the difficulties she encountered when she first moved here. She had visited before as a tourist – the first time in 2004 – but still enrolled in the Center for English Language and American Culture, UNM’s ESL program. Because her family was oriented toward Germany, she explains, she had never visited England and thus didn’t speak English as well as some other foreign students.</p>
<p>Language, she recalls, was the hardest aspect of studying abroad. Then, in addition to the new tongue, she encountered other cultural differences. It wasn’t easy to make friends, especially since the international campus community is forever changing.</p>
<p>Peskova didn’t begin feeling comfortable with English until her third semester at UNM. She notes that the few Czechs who live here are so scattered that even the word “community” would be a stretch. But the tall, blue-eyed Czech is fortunate: Her sister, Kristyna, is a fine arts student at UNM, and, for a while, her brother, Dominik, attended school here as well, until he went to Nicaragua on an internship.</p>
<p>She doesn’t consider herself an expert on American culture, but she loves New Mexico – particularly the abundant sunshine and the openness and friendliness of the people.</p>
<p>“The people here smile more,” she says, flashing her own bright smile.</p>
<p>Saunders notes with some irony that the United States hosts more Vietnamese than Mexican students. There are about 14,000 Mexicans studying in this country, a number President Obama would like to see climb to 50,000. At the same time, between 3,000 and 4,000 Americans study at Mexican universities.</p>
<p>New Mexico ranks 39th on the list of states attracting foreign students, but the state is 36th in overall population. Saunders notes that California pulls in $3.595 billion from its 112,000 foreign students. Arizona and Texas have been more aggressive and successful than New Mexico in drawing foreign students.</p>
<p>Last year, UNM opened a recruiting office in Beijing. Discussions are under way for another in Mexico City, but such endeavors are costly. The hope is to find financial partners, such as the city of Albuquerque or Bernalillo County, to share the costs – and benefits – of attracting foreign students.</p>
<p>Businessweek, the influential Bloomberg publication, reporting in June on a Duke University study, said “precious little research has been done on whether a large international population is beneficial,” but it is assumed that “interacting with students from other cultures would prepare graduates better to compete in a global economy.” That is what the researchers at Duke found.</p>
<p>“Not only did graduates who interacted with international students in college go on to acquire the skills you’d expect – speaking a foreign language and relating well to people of different cultures – they also developed a host of cognitive skills that are seemingly unrelated,” Businessweek said.</p>
<p>In each case, graduates who reported high levels of interaction with international students reported ‘significantly higher levels of skill development’ than those who reported little or no interaction.”</p>
<p>A 2010 study from the University of Georgia found that four-year graduation rates for students who stay in the United States was about 42 percent, compared to nearly 50 percent for those who study abroad. Six-year rates showed a similar correlation. The study also found that before going abroad, the average student’s grade point average was 3.2. Afterward, the average GPA rose to 3.3. That may not seem like much, but the average for students who stayed home rose less, from 3.03 to 3.06.</p>
<p>Moreover, students who began college with low SAT scores and stayed in the United States had lower GPAs than their cohort who studied abroad.</p>
<p>“Study abroad helps at-risk students,” Saunders concludes.</p>
<p /> | 3,167 |
|
<p>The transition from authoritarian rule to democracy in Myanmar has been hailed by the United States.</p>
<p>But it's been a challenging transition.</p>
<p>The Burmese government has faced serious tensions involving the country's numerous ethnic minority groups.</p>
<p>The government has reached ceasefire agreements with many of them.</p>
<p>Still, violence between Buddhists and Muslims has left scores dead and thousands displaced.</p>
<p>Buddhists, by the way, represent roughly 90 percent of the population.</p>
<p>The World's Aaron Schachter just got back from Burma.</p>
<p>He was there as a Jefferson fellow with the University of Hawaii's East West Center.</p> | Ethnic & Religious Violence Challenge Democratic Transition in Myanmar | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-07-16/ethnic-religious-violence-challenge-democratic-transition-myanmar | 2013-07-16 | 3left-center
| Ethnic & Religious Violence Challenge Democratic Transition in Myanmar
<p>The transition from authoritarian rule to democracy in Myanmar has been hailed by the United States.</p>
<p>But it's been a challenging transition.</p>
<p>The Burmese government has faced serious tensions involving the country's numerous ethnic minority groups.</p>
<p>The government has reached ceasefire agreements with many of them.</p>
<p>Still, violence between Buddhists and Muslims has left scores dead and thousands displaced.</p>
<p>Buddhists, by the way, represent roughly 90 percent of the population.</p>
<p>The World's Aaron Schachter just got back from Burma.</p>
<p>He was there as a Jefferson fellow with the University of Hawaii's East West Center.</p> | 3,168 |
<p />
<p>A soldier calls in description of person of interest to higher ups. Afghanistan National Police in partnership with Charlie Company, 1-24 Infantry Regiment, search the villages of Musa Khely and Nowrak with the purpose of disrupting a recent string of IED attacks. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/6291905007/in/photostream" type="external">Photo</a> by the US Army.</p>
<p /> | We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for November 2, 2011 | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/were-still-war-photo-day-november-2-2011/ | 2011-11-02 | 4left
| We’re Still at War: Photo of the Day for November 2, 2011
<p />
<p>A soldier calls in description of person of interest to higher ups. Afghanistan National Police in partnership with Charlie Company, 1-24 Infantry Regiment, search the villages of Musa Khely and Nowrak with the purpose of disrupting a recent string of IED attacks. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/6291905007/in/photostream" type="external">Photo</a> by the US Army.</p>
<p /> | 3,169 |
<p>BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — When Heather Brasse Accardo started riding horses as a girl, she had no idea how far her pastime would take her. This summer, it's taking her all the way to Mongolia.</p>
<p>Accardo, a dental hygienist by day and horse woman by weekend, will ride in the 2018 Mongol Derby, which bills itself as the longest and toughest horse race on earth. Riders have only 10 days to cover 621 miles through the remote and windswept steppes in the landlocked Asian nation bordered by China and Russia.</p>
<p>The August race, which pays homage to the postal route established by Genghis Khan in 1224, began in 2009. Riders apply from all over the world, and Accardo knew it would be a long shot to get one of the 40 slots.</p>
<p>"I kind of put it on my bucket list that one day, that's what I want to do," she said. "This past year, some things have happened. Some friends of mine, for various reasons, passed away, and I thought, 'What am I waiting for? Why am I waiting?' Just as a whim, I decided to apply."</p>
<p>Then race organizers called her.</p>
<p>They questioned the 37-year-old Prairieville resident about her background, her commitment to taking care of horses and her respect for different cultures.</p>
<p>Accardo's background is varied — dressage, Western pleasure riding, barrel racing — but she more recently took up endurance events in which she might ride 25 to 100 miles in a weekend. The Mongol Derby, obviously, is a far bigger test.</p>
<p>First, there's no marked path. In fact, there's no course at all — yet. The exact course changes each year and is kept secret until shortly before the launch.</p>
<p>The terrain, organizers says, is likely to include mountain passes, valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetlands, sandy semi-arid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and open steppes or grassy plains.</p>
<p>Just completing the course in the 10-day limit is considered an accomplishment.</p>
<p>Accardo, however, wants to do better than finish. She hopes to, if not win, finish near the front of the pack. The Advocate will report back on her performance.</p>
<p>The race calls for riders to stop at all 25 checkpoints — roughly 25 miles apart — where they change horses. At each stop, which riders can use GPS to find, veterinarians check the horses' condition and may assess time penalties on those who push their mounts too hard.</p>
<p>To protect the horses, they can only be ridden between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., which is checked by GPS.</p>
<p>At the checkpoints, there are tents where riders can elect to sleep and, as organizers say, "hang out with the herders, imbibe some airag (mare's milk) and eat an awful lot of mutton."</p>
<p>That creates an interesting dilemma for riders who arrive early.</p>
<p>"I can either choose to stay there that night and have a semi-roof over my head, have food in my belly and people to talk to, have companionship," Accardo said. "Or, after riding 75 miles that day, I can decide to ride on for another hour. The problem is I'm riding on a fresh horse out into the wilderness in the dark, could be cold and raining, whatever, and by myself. . You're camping under the stars. You hope the horse is there in the morning or you're going to be hiking to the next checkpoint."</p>
<p>To prepare for that possibility, Accardo has been ramping up her already strong fitness regimen. She plans to run 31 miles at a February event and do a 50-mile run in March.</p>
<p>An alternative to sleeping out in the open is finding a Mongolian family willing to put her up for the night.</p>
<p>Although Accardo has never been in an event like this, she said her endurance riding background will help her pick the right horses at the checkpoints.</p>
<p>"These horses are not very well-trained," she said. "They're semi-feral. If you get a horse that's really wild and fast, they may take you to the checkpoint faster, however, you may have trouble controlling them. If you have a horse that's a little calmer, he may listen a little better, but he may not be as fast as the other horse."</p>
<p>In addition to the physical exertion, the Mongol Derby requires a big financial commitment. The entry fee is nearly $13,000, and riders also have to raise money for charities. Accardo has created a crowdsourcing account for those who want to help her get there.</p>
<p>Accardo said her husband and son support her quest.</p>
<p>"The only regrets you have in life are not from the things you've done but from the things you didn't do," Accardo said. "I don't want to get to the end of my life on my deathbed wishing I had done this when I was physically capable to."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Advocate, <a href="http://theadvocate.com" type="external">http://theadvocate.com</a></p>
<p>BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — When Heather Brasse Accardo started riding horses as a girl, she had no idea how far her pastime would take her. This summer, it's taking her all the way to Mongolia.</p>
<p>Accardo, a dental hygienist by day and horse woman by weekend, will ride in the 2018 Mongol Derby, which bills itself as the longest and toughest horse race on earth. Riders have only 10 days to cover 621 miles through the remote and windswept steppes in the landlocked Asian nation bordered by China and Russia.</p>
<p>The August race, which pays homage to the postal route established by Genghis Khan in 1224, began in 2009. Riders apply from all over the world, and Accardo knew it would be a long shot to get one of the 40 slots.</p>
<p>"I kind of put it on my bucket list that one day, that's what I want to do," she said. "This past year, some things have happened. Some friends of mine, for various reasons, passed away, and I thought, 'What am I waiting for? Why am I waiting?' Just as a whim, I decided to apply."</p>
<p>Then race organizers called her.</p>
<p>They questioned the 37-year-old Prairieville resident about her background, her commitment to taking care of horses and her respect for different cultures.</p>
<p>Accardo's background is varied — dressage, Western pleasure riding, barrel racing — but she more recently took up endurance events in which she might ride 25 to 100 miles in a weekend. The Mongol Derby, obviously, is a far bigger test.</p>
<p>First, there's no marked path. In fact, there's no course at all — yet. The exact course changes each year and is kept secret until shortly before the launch.</p>
<p>The terrain, organizers says, is likely to include mountain passes, valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetlands, sandy semi-arid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and open steppes or grassy plains.</p>
<p>Just completing the course in the 10-day limit is considered an accomplishment.</p>
<p>Accardo, however, wants to do better than finish. She hopes to, if not win, finish near the front of the pack. The Advocate will report back on her performance.</p>
<p>The race calls for riders to stop at all 25 checkpoints — roughly 25 miles apart — where they change horses. At each stop, which riders can use GPS to find, veterinarians check the horses' condition and may assess time penalties on those who push their mounts too hard.</p>
<p>To protect the horses, they can only be ridden between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., which is checked by GPS.</p>
<p>At the checkpoints, there are tents where riders can elect to sleep and, as organizers say, "hang out with the herders, imbibe some airag (mare's milk) and eat an awful lot of mutton."</p>
<p>That creates an interesting dilemma for riders who arrive early.</p>
<p>"I can either choose to stay there that night and have a semi-roof over my head, have food in my belly and people to talk to, have companionship," Accardo said. "Or, after riding 75 miles that day, I can decide to ride on for another hour. The problem is I'm riding on a fresh horse out into the wilderness in the dark, could be cold and raining, whatever, and by myself. . You're camping under the stars. You hope the horse is there in the morning or you're going to be hiking to the next checkpoint."</p>
<p>To prepare for that possibility, Accardo has been ramping up her already strong fitness regimen. She plans to run 31 miles at a February event and do a 50-mile run in March.</p>
<p>An alternative to sleeping out in the open is finding a Mongolian family willing to put her up for the night.</p>
<p>Although Accardo has never been in an event like this, she said her endurance riding background will help her pick the right horses at the checkpoints.</p>
<p>"These horses are not very well-trained," she said. "They're semi-feral. If you get a horse that's really wild and fast, they may take you to the checkpoint faster, however, you may have trouble controlling them. If you have a horse that's a little calmer, he may listen a little better, but he may not be as fast as the other horse."</p>
<p>In addition to the physical exertion, the Mongol Derby requires a big financial commitment. The entry fee is nearly $13,000, and riders also have to raise money for charities. Accardo has created a crowdsourcing account for those who want to help her get there.</p>
<p>Accardo said her husband and son support her quest.</p>
<p>"The only regrets you have in life are not from the things you've done but from the things you didn't do," Accardo said. "I don't want to get to the end of my life on my deathbed wishing I had done this when I was physically capable to."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Advocate, <a href="http://theadvocate.com" type="external">http://theadvocate.com</a></p> | Prairieville woman takes on 1,000-km Mongolian horse race | false | https://apnews.com/amp/58b49b384d2e4632ac7d7e219eeefcdd | 2018-01-13 | 2least
| Prairieville woman takes on 1,000-km Mongolian horse race
<p>BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — When Heather Brasse Accardo started riding horses as a girl, she had no idea how far her pastime would take her. This summer, it's taking her all the way to Mongolia.</p>
<p>Accardo, a dental hygienist by day and horse woman by weekend, will ride in the 2018 Mongol Derby, which bills itself as the longest and toughest horse race on earth. Riders have only 10 days to cover 621 miles through the remote and windswept steppes in the landlocked Asian nation bordered by China and Russia.</p>
<p>The August race, which pays homage to the postal route established by Genghis Khan in 1224, began in 2009. Riders apply from all over the world, and Accardo knew it would be a long shot to get one of the 40 slots.</p>
<p>"I kind of put it on my bucket list that one day, that's what I want to do," she said. "This past year, some things have happened. Some friends of mine, for various reasons, passed away, and I thought, 'What am I waiting for? Why am I waiting?' Just as a whim, I decided to apply."</p>
<p>Then race organizers called her.</p>
<p>They questioned the 37-year-old Prairieville resident about her background, her commitment to taking care of horses and her respect for different cultures.</p>
<p>Accardo's background is varied — dressage, Western pleasure riding, barrel racing — but she more recently took up endurance events in which she might ride 25 to 100 miles in a weekend. The Mongol Derby, obviously, is a far bigger test.</p>
<p>First, there's no marked path. In fact, there's no course at all — yet. The exact course changes each year and is kept secret until shortly before the launch.</p>
<p>The terrain, organizers says, is likely to include mountain passes, valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetlands, sandy semi-arid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and open steppes or grassy plains.</p>
<p>Just completing the course in the 10-day limit is considered an accomplishment.</p>
<p>Accardo, however, wants to do better than finish. She hopes to, if not win, finish near the front of the pack. The Advocate will report back on her performance.</p>
<p>The race calls for riders to stop at all 25 checkpoints — roughly 25 miles apart — where they change horses. At each stop, which riders can use GPS to find, veterinarians check the horses' condition and may assess time penalties on those who push their mounts too hard.</p>
<p>To protect the horses, they can only be ridden between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., which is checked by GPS.</p>
<p>At the checkpoints, there are tents where riders can elect to sleep and, as organizers say, "hang out with the herders, imbibe some airag (mare's milk) and eat an awful lot of mutton."</p>
<p>That creates an interesting dilemma for riders who arrive early.</p>
<p>"I can either choose to stay there that night and have a semi-roof over my head, have food in my belly and people to talk to, have companionship," Accardo said. "Or, after riding 75 miles that day, I can decide to ride on for another hour. The problem is I'm riding on a fresh horse out into the wilderness in the dark, could be cold and raining, whatever, and by myself. . You're camping under the stars. You hope the horse is there in the morning or you're going to be hiking to the next checkpoint."</p>
<p>To prepare for that possibility, Accardo has been ramping up her already strong fitness regimen. She plans to run 31 miles at a February event and do a 50-mile run in March.</p>
<p>An alternative to sleeping out in the open is finding a Mongolian family willing to put her up for the night.</p>
<p>Although Accardo has never been in an event like this, she said her endurance riding background will help her pick the right horses at the checkpoints.</p>
<p>"These horses are not very well-trained," she said. "They're semi-feral. If you get a horse that's really wild and fast, they may take you to the checkpoint faster, however, you may have trouble controlling them. If you have a horse that's a little calmer, he may listen a little better, but he may not be as fast as the other horse."</p>
<p>In addition to the physical exertion, the Mongol Derby requires a big financial commitment. The entry fee is nearly $13,000, and riders also have to raise money for charities. Accardo has created a crowdsourcing account for those who want to help her get there.</p>
<p>Accardo said her husband and son support her quest.</p>
<p>"The only regrets you have in life are not from the things you've done but from the things you didn't do," Accardo said. "I don't want to get to the end of my life on my deathbed wishing I had done this when I was physically capable to."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Advocate, <a href="http://theadvocate.com" type="external">http://theadvocate.com</a></p>
<p>BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — When Heather Brasse Accardo started riding horses as a girl, she had no idea how far her pastime would take her. This summer, it's taking her all the way to Mongolia.</p>
<p>Accardo, a dental hygienist by day and horse woman by weekend, will ride in the 2018 Mongol Derby, which bills itself as the longest and toughest horse race on earth. Riders have only 10 days to cover 621 miles through the remote and windswept steppes in the landlocked Asian nation bordered by China and Russia.</p>
<p>The August race, which pays homage to the postal route established by Genghis Khan in 1224, began in 2009. Riders apply from all over the world, and Accardo knew it would be a long shot to get one of the 40 slots.</p>
<p>"I kind of put it on my bucket list that one day, that's what I want to do," she said. "This past year, some things have happened. Some friends of mine, for various reasons, passed away, and I thought, 'What am I waiting for? Why am I waiting?' Just as a whim, I decided to apply."</p>
<p>Then race organizers called her.</p>
<p>They questioned the 37-year-old Prairieville resident about her background, her commitment to taking care of horses and her respect for different cultures.</p>
<p>Accardo's background is varied — dressage, Western pleasure riding, barrel racing — but she more recently took up endurance events in which she might ride 25 to 100 miles in a weekend. The Mongol Derby, obviously, is a far bigger test.</p>
<p>First, there's no marked path. In fact, there's no course at all — yet. The exact course changes each year and is kept secret until shortly before the launch.</p>
<p>The terrain, organizers says, is likely to include mountain passes, valleys, wooded hills, river crossings, wetlands, sandy semi-arid dunes, rolling hills, dry riverbeds and open steppes or grassy plains.</p>
<p>Just completing the course in the 10-day limit is considered an accomplishment.</p>
<p>Accardo, however, wants to do better than finish. She hopes to, if not win, finish near the front of the pack. The Advocate will report back on her performance.</p>
<p>The race calls for riders to stop at all 25 checkpoints — roughly 25 miles apart — where they change horses. At each stop, which riders can use GPS to find, veterinarians check the horses' condition and may assess time penalties on those who push their mounts too hard.</p>
<p>To protect the horses, they can only be ridden between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., which is checked by GPS.</p>
<p>At the checkpoints, there are tents where riders can elect to sleep and, as organizers say, "hang out with the herders, imbibe some airag (mare's milk) and eat an awful lot of mutton."</p>
<p>That creates an interesting dilemma for riders who arrive early.</p>
<p>"I can either choose to stay there that night and have a semi-roof over my head, have food in my belly and people to talk to, have companionship," Accardo said. "Or, after riding 75 miles that day, I can decide to ride on for another hour. The problem is I'm riding on a fresh horse out into the wilderness in the dark, could be cold and raining, whatever, and by myself. . You're camping under the stars. You hope the horse is there in the morning or you're going to be hiking to the next checkpoint."</p>
<p>To prepare for that possibility, Accardo has been ramping up her already strong fitness regimen. She plans to run 31 miles at a February event and do a 50-mile run in March.</p>
<p>An alternative to sleeping out in the open is finding a Mongolian family willing to put her up for the night.</p>
<p>Although Accardo has never been in an event like this, she said her endurance riding background will help her pick the right horses at the checkpoints.</p>
<p>"These horses are not very well-trained," she said. "They're semi-feral. If you get a horse that's really wild and fast, they may take you to the checkpoint faster, however, you may have trouble controlling them. If you have a horse that's a little calmer, he may listen a little better, but he may not be as fast as the other horse."</p>
<p>In addition to the physical exertion, the Mongol Derby requires a big financial commitment. The entry fee is nearly $13,000, and riders also have to raise money for charities. Accardo has created a crowdsourcing account for those who want to help her get there.</p>
<p>Accardo said her husband and son support her quest.</p>
<p>"The only regrets you have in life are not from the things you've done but from the things you didn't do," Accardo said. "I don't want to get to the end of my life on my deathbed wishing I had done this when I was physically capable to."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Advocate, <a href="http://theadvocate.com" type="external">http://theadvocate.com</a></p> | 3,170 |
<p />
<p>China stocks advanced to a one-month high on Tuesday as Beijing's plan to cut massive corporate debt triggered bets on mergers and restructuring among listed state-owned companies.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The blue-chip CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen rose 0.4 percent to 3,306.56 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.6 percent to 3,065.25.</p>
<p>Investors welcomed guideliness issued by China's cabinet on Monday to reduce rising corporate debt, which will include encouraging mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies, debt-to-equity swaps and debt securitisation.</p>
<p>"For such a plan to be successful, you need a vibrant equity market," said Yang Hai, analyst at Kaiyuan Securities.</p>
<p>Investors are now betting that consolidation among debt-laden state-owned companies will accelerate.</p>
<p>China's major listed shipbuilders, including CSSC Offshore &amp; Marine Engineering Group Co, China Shipbuilding and China CSSC Holdings surged on expectations that their state-owned parents will merge.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Also reflecting growing interest in state sector restructuring, shares of China United Network Communications jumped 10 percent, rising for a second day after saying over the weekend that its parent company is studying plans for "mixed ownership" reforms.</p>
<p>Banking is the only main sector that fell on Tuesday, as investors believe Beijing's debt-to-equity plan would weaken lenders' balance sheets.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Samuel Shen and John Ruwitch; Editing by Kim Coghill)</p> | China Shares Continue to Rise | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/11/china-shares-continue-to-rise.html | 2016-10-11 | 0right
| China Shares Continue to Rise
<p />
<p>China stocks advanced to a one-month high on Tuesday as Beijing's plan to cut massive corporate debt triggered bets on mergers and restructuring among listed state-owned companies.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The blue-chip CSI300 index of the largest listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen rose 0.4 percent to 3,306.56 points, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.6 percent to 3,065.25.</p>
<p>Investors welcomed guideliness issued by China's cabinet on Monday to reduce rising corporate debt, which will include encouraging mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies, debt-to-equity swaps and debt securitisation.</p>
<p>"For such a plan to be successful, you need a vibrant equity market," said Yang Hai, analyst at Kaiyuan Securities.</p>
<p>Investors are now betting that consolidation among debt-laden state-owned companies will accelerate.</p>
<p>China's major listed shipbuilders, including CSSC Offshore &amp; Marine Engineering Group Co, China Shipbuilding and China CSSC Holdings surged on expectations that their state-owned parents will merge.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Also reflecting growing interest in state sector restructuring, shares of China United Network Communications jumped 10 percent, rising for a second day after saying over the weekend that its parent company is studying plans for "mixed ownership" reforms.</p>
<p>Banking is the only main sector that fell on Tuesday, as investors believe Beijing's debt-to-equity plan would weaken lenders' balance sheets.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Samuel Shen and John Ruwitch; Editing by Kim Coghill)</p> | 3,171 |
<p>The EU has “bent over backwards” for Britain, Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt has said, shooting down David Davis’s claims that Brussels’ approach to the talks are inflexible.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/401567-brexit-insults-davis-barnier/" type="external" /></p>
<p>During the third round of Brexit negotiations this week, Britain’s Brexit Secretary called for a less rigid approach to negotiations. Verhofstadt hit back, claiming “the facts do not support this mantra.”</p>
<p>Writing in the Telegraph on Friday, Verhofstadt, chief Brexit negotiator of the European Parliament, said that since the UK joined the EU, it has enjoyed a “bespoke form of membership that is unique.”</p>
<p>“An opt-out from the euro, but banker to the Eurozone. An opt-out from Schengen, but access to the security databases linked to it. A blanket opt-out from Justice and Home Affairs, with the possibility to opt back into the most effective crime-fighting measures. The list goes on.”</p>
<p>Verhofstadt said any suggestions the EU forced the UK out of the bloc by refusing to agree to former Prime Minister David Cameron’s renegotiation requests ahead of the referendum last year are incorrect.</p>
<p>“I was in the room at the time of renegotiation and substantial additional exceptions were offered – a new special status of EU membership, with an opt-out from the core principle of ‘ever closer union’ and an emergency brake on benefits for EU workers.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/401434-brexit-brussels-block-may/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“I even offered to work with the UK to develop a new form of associate EU membership, but UK members rejected it, as they argued it would mean losing the UK’s seat at the top table.</p>
<p>“If this is not showing flexibility, I don’t know what is.”</p>
<p>Verhofstadt says now UK ministers seem to want to devise a new customs union and seek to recreate all of EU’s structures in order to “benefit from the best elements of the EU, without it being called the EU.”</p>
<p>He said this was “not serious, fair or even possible” given the negotiating time remaining, which had been “significantly limited by the UK’s own decision to call a general election after the triggering of Article 50.”</p>
<p>Verhofstadt also slapped down any hopes harbored by Britain of conducting simultaneous divorce and future relationship talks, saying there must be an agreement on the divorce – financial liabilities, the Irish border, and EU citizens’ rights – “before planning a new future together.”</p>
<p>“This is not a ploy to derail talks, but an inevitable consequence of the Brexit decision.</p>
<p>“It’s time for UK politicians to be more honest about the complexities Brexit creates and for them to recognize that other governments also have obligations to their own taxpayers.”</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>The third round of Brexit negotiations, focused on settling the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU, ended on Thursday with a warning from Brussels that more work needed to be done before they moved on to discuss future ties.</p> | ‘Inflexible’ EU has ‘bent over backwards’ for UK – Guy Verhofstadt | false | https://newsline.com/inflexible-eu-has-bent-over-backwards-for-uk-guy-verhofstadt/ | 2017-09-01 | 1right-center
| ‘Inflexible’ EU has ‘bent over backwards’ for UK – Guy Verhofstadt
<p>The EU has “bent over backwards” for Britain, Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt has said, shooting down David Davis’s claims that Brussels’ approach to the talks are inflexible.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/401567-brexit-insults-davis-barnier/" type="external" /></p>
<p>During the third round of Brexit negotiations this week, Britain’s Brexit Secretary called for a less rigid approach to negotiations. Verhofstadt hit back, claiming “the facts do not support this mantra.”</p>
<p>Writing in the Telegraph on Friday, Verhofstadt, chief Brexit negotiator of the European Parliament, said that since the UK joined the EU, it has enjoyed a “bespoke form of membership that is unique.”</p>
<p>“An opt-out from the euro, but banker to the Eurozone. An opt-out from Schengen, but access to the security databases linked to it. A blanket opt-out from Justice and Home Affairs, with the possibility to opt back into the most effective crime-fighting measures. The list goes on.”</p>
<p>Verhofstadt said any suggestions the EU forced the UK out of the bloc by refusing to agree to former Prime Minister David Cameron’s renegotiation requests ahead of the referendum last year are incorrect.</p>
<p>“I was in the room at the time of renegotiation and substantial additional exceptions were offered – a new special status of EU membership, with an opt-out from the core principle of ‘ever closer union’ and an emergency brake on benefits for EU workers.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/401434-brexit-brussels-block-may/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“I even offered to work with the UK to develop a new form of associate EU membership, but UK members rejected it, as they argued it would mean losing the UK’s seat at the top table.</p>
<p>“If this is not showing flexibility, I don’t know what is.”</p>
<p>Verhofstadt says now UK ministers seem to want to devise a new customs union and seek to recreate all of EU’s structures in order to “benefit from the best elements of the EU, without it being called the EU.”</p>
<p>He said this was “not serious, fair or even possible” given the negotiating time remaining, which had been “significantly limited by the UK’s own decision to call a general election after the triggering of Article 50.”</p>
<p>Verhofstadt also slapped down any hopes harbored by Britain of conducting simultaneous divorce and future relationship talks, saying there must be an agreement on the divorce – financial liabilities, the Irish border, and EU citizens’ rights – “before planning a new future together.”</p>
<p>“This is not a ploy to derail talks, but an inevitable consequence of the Brexit decision.</p>
<p>“It’s time for UK politicians to be more honest about the complexities Brexit creates and for them to recognize that other governments also have obligations to their own taxpayers.”</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>The third round of Brexit negotiations, focused on settling the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU, ended on Thursday with a warning from Brussels that more work needed to be done before they moved on to discuss future ties.</p> | 3,172 |
<p>Aug. 8 (UPI) — Commercial flights without pilots could save the aviation industry billions every year — but few passengers seem to be willing to fly that way, a new survey indicates.</p>
<p>Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is planning to test cargo planes that can fly by remote control, using technology similar to those of autonomous-driving cars, starting next year. Pilotless commercial flights may follow, but a study by financial services company <a href="http://abc7ny.com/travel/pilotless-planes-could-mean-big-savings-but-would-people-fly-in-one/2285577/" type="external">UBS found reluctance</a> on the part of potential passengers to board one.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40860911" type="external">survey says</a> airlines could save $35 billion per year without pilots, but only 17 percent of 8,000 respondents said they would board an automated plane.</p>
<p>The 25-to-34-year-old age group surveyed was the most enthusiastic about the idea, but 54 percent overall said they would be unlikely to fly without a pilot. Over half of those questioned 45 and older said they would be resistant to try it.</p>
<p>The UBS report noted that 70 to 80 percent of aircraft accidents are caused by human error, with crew fatigue responsible for 15 to 20 percent of accidents — suggesting that safety would be enhanced by eliminating the pilot.</p>
<p>“We have concerns that in the excitement of this futuristic idea, some may be forgetting the reality of pilotless air travel. Automation in the cockpit is not a new thing; it already supports operations,” Steve Landells, of the British Airline Pilots Association, said. “However, every single day pilots have to intervene when the automatics don’t do what they’re supposed to. Computers can fail, and often do, and someone is still going to be needed to work that computer.”</p>
<p>The report said the savings by airlines could come from reductions in pilot costs, lower insurance premiums and opportunities for additional cargo and commercial flights.</p> | Pilotless planes worth $35B, but most passengers wouldn't fly: report | false | https://newsline.com/pilotless-planes-worth-35b-but-most-passengers-wouldnt-fly-report/ | 2017-08-08 | 1right-center
| Pilotless planes worth $35B, but most passengers wouldn't fly: report
<p>Aug. 8 (UPI) — Commercial flights without pilots could save the aviation industry billions every year — but few passengers seem to be willing to fly that way, a new survey indicates.</p>
<p>Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is planning to test cargo planes that can fly by remote control, using technology similar to those of autonomous-driving cars, starting next year. Pilotless commercial flights may follow, but a study by financial services company <a href="http://abc7ny.com/travel/pilotless-planes-could-mean-big-savings-but-would-people-fly-in-one/2285577/" type="external">UBS found reluctance</a> on the part of potential passengers to board one.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-40860911" type="external">survey says</a> airlines could save $35 billion per year without pilots, but only 17 percent of 8,000 respondents said they would board an automated plane.</p>
<p>The 25-to-34-year-old age group surveyed was the most enthusiastic about the idea, but 54 percent overall said they would be unlikely to fly without a pilot. Over half of those questioned 45 and older said they would be resistant to try it.</p>
<p>The UBS report noted that 70 to 80 percent of aircraft accidents are caused by human error, with crew fatigue responsible for 15 to 20 percent of accidents — suggesting that safety would be enhanced by eliminating the pilot.</p>
<p>“We have concerns that in the excitement of this futuristic idea, some may be forgetting the reality of pilotless air travel. Automation in the cockpit is not a new thing; it already supports operations,” Steve Landells, of the British Airline Pilots Association, said. “However, every single day pilots have to intervene when the automatics don’t do what they’re supposed to. Computers can fail, and often do, and someone is still going to be needed to work that computer.”</p>
<p>The report said the savings by airlines could come from reductions in pilot costs, lower insurance premiums and opportunities for additional cargo and commercial flights.</p> | 3,173 |
<p>This week’s announcement that plans for the coal-fired Highwood Generation Project in Great Falls, Montana were being deferred was good news for the environment. Coincidentally, it came on the very same day that Montana’s Nobel Laureate, University of Montana climate scientist Steven Running, was addressing the Montana Legislature on global climate change. What’s puzzling is why certain Republicans continue to deny science, direct evidence and economic realities in their endless quest to blame environmentalists and burn more coal.</p>
<p>The Highwood project was, in many ways, doomed from the start. First, it was a coal-fired plant trying to come online during a period of significant concern over the effect emissions from such plants were having on atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), a so-called “greenhouse gas,” and their relationship to global climate change. Since coal-fired power plants are one of the largest contributors to atmospheric CO2, it’s not surprising that any proposed new plant would receive considerably more scrutiny than similar operations garnered in the past.</p>
<p>The options for dealing with large CO2 emitters have been debated for years now. Cap and trade schemes, for instance, would “cap” emissions at current levels and require industrial facilities that wanted to emit more CO2 to trade with less-polluting facilities. Then there’s the direct carbon tax, where a per ton fee for emitting CO2 would be assessed to facilities that produce the pollution in hopes that economic forces would eventually turn toward cleaner energy sources. Considering coal-fired plants typically emit millions of tons of CO2 during their operational life, even a small fee would obviously constitute a significant economic incentive.</p>
<p>The problem, at least for Highwood’s backers, is that none of the CO2 control options have been adopted into law. Hence, uncertainty plagues the coal-fired energy sector and particularly those seeking new loans to build and operate such facilities. In Highwood’s case, the project’s first death knell sounded when the Rural Utility Service (RUS), a federal agency that makes large loans to fund utility projects, rejected Highwood’s application for nearly $600 million to build the plant. Adding another nail in Highwood’s coffin was the skyrocketing cost of construction materials that eventually doubled the estimated project total from $456 to $900 million.</p>
<p>But that wasn’t the only problem. Highwood’s huckster-in-chief, Tim Gregori, tried to talk several Montana municipalities into jumping on the coal-fired bus, promising lower rates for the electricity it was supposed to eventually produce. Those promises, as it turned out, were based on the original cost estimates of the plant and the expected RUS loan, and didn’t factor in any potential additional costs associated with new carbon taxes or pollution control measures. Missoula, much to its credit, did not fall for the scheme and rejected the offer, as did Helena and Bozeman. While cost uncertainties played a major part in the decision, the concern over the increasing impacts of global climate change-and the plant’s considerable input to same-proved a motivating factor in the rejection by municipal officials.</p>
<p>As the economic collapse picked up steam last year, Highwood’s backers, a collection of smaller utility co-ops who joined together to develop the project, began to jump ship. The rapidly mounting costs had already drained millions of dollars from the co-ops to achieve basically nothing and the future looked to hold more of the same. Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative estimated it spent between $7 and $8 million on the project before it decided to pull out of the venture and was eventually forced to turn to the courts for relief, seeking not only recompense for its investment and damages, but also a return of the cheaper power the co-op had enjoyed from the Western Area Power Administration. That lawsuit, and its effect upon the future of the Highwood venture, remains a burden going forward.</p>
<p>Finally, there were numerous other problems with the Highwood project. A group of local Great Falls residents formed Citizens for Clean Energy to oppose the plant and, with tremendous help from the Montana Environmental Information Center, fought hard at every turn to ensure that the plant’s operating permits contained the most advanced technical pollution control measures available. One of those, the control of very tiny particulates that constitute significant human health hazards because they can be inhaled directly into the lungs, marked the first time such regulation was required of any power plant in Montana. Plus, the Army Corps of Engineers withdrew a key federal building permit because of the plant’s proximity to the trail Lewis and Clark used to portage around the Missouri River waterfalls-a National Historic Landmark.</p>
<p>Highwood’s developers say they will now seek to build a smaller, 250-megawatt natural gas-fired plant augmented with six megawatts of wind power. But even this proposal, while considerably cleaner than a coal-fired plant, remains uncertain. Funding for large construction projects has been very difficult to obtain since the financial collapse. Plus, natural gas prices tend to fluctuate rapidly and often radically. How those costs will accrue to the co-ops has yet to be revealed. But recent rate increases are already raising the hackles of the co-ops’ ratepayers.</p>
<p>Given the well-documented series of events that led to Highwood’s apparent demise, what’s puzzling is why certain key Republicans in the Legislature seem intent on blaming environmentalists and what they call a “flawed permitting process.” Protecting Montana’s environment, after all, is what every legislator promises to do when they take office and swear to uphold Montana’s Constitution. Article IX, Section 1 states: “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.”</p>
<p>Maybe, instead of trying to trash what’s left of our environmental laws, these throwbacks to the past should read our Constitution, remember their oath of office, and put the blame for failed industrial projects like Highwood right where it belongs-on those who tried to sell us a poorly planned, poorly conducted, dirty energy project and then failed through their own incompetence.</p>
<p>GEORGE OCHENSKI writes from Helena, Montana. He may be contacted at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p> | A Blow to Big Coal in Montana | true | https://counterpunch.org/2009/02/05/a-blow-to-big-coal-in-montana/ | 2009-02-05 | 4left
| A Blow to Big Coal in Montana
<p>This week’s announcement that plans for the coal-fired Highwood Generation Project in Great Falls, Montana were being deferred was good news for the environment. Coincidentally, it came on the very same day that Montana’s Nobel Laureate, University of Montana climate scientist Steven Running, was addressing the Montana Legislature on global climate change. What’s puzzling is why certain Republicans continue to deny science, direct evidence and economic realities in their endless quest to blame environmentalists and burn more coal.</p>
<p>The Highwood project was, in many ways, doomed from the start. First, it was a coal-fired plant trying to come online during a period of significant concern over the effect emissions from such plants were having on atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), a so-called “greenhouse gas,” and their relationship to global climate change. Since coal-fired power plants are one of the largest contributors to atmospheric CO2, it’s not surprising that any proposed new plant would receive considerably more scrutiny than similar operations garnered in the past.</p>
<p>The options for dealing with large CO2 emitters have been debated for years now. Cap and trade schemes, for instance, would “cap” emissions at current levels and require industrial facilities that wanted to emit more CO2 to trade with less-polluting facilities. Then there’s the direct carbon tax, where a per ton fee for emitting CO2 would be assessed to facilities that produce the pollution in hopes that economic forces would eventually turn toward cleaner energy sources. Considering coal-fired plants typically emit millions of tons of CO2 during their operational life, even a small fee would obviously constitute a significant economic incentive.</p>
<p>The problem, at least for Highwood’s backers, is that none of the CO2 control options have been adopted into law. Hence, uncertainty plagues the coal-fired energy sector and particularly those seeking new loans to build and operate such facilities. In Highwood’s case, the project’s first death knell sounded when the Rural Utility Service (RUS), a federal agency that makes large loans to fund utility projects, rejected Highwood’s application for nearly $600 million to build the plant. Adding another nail in Highwood’s coffin was the skyrocketing cost of construction materials that eventually doubled the estimated project total from $456 to $900 million.</p>
<p>But that wasn’t the only problem. Highwood’s huckster-in-chief, Tim Gregori, tried to talk several Montana municipalities into jumping on the coal-fired bus, promising lower rates for the electricity it was supposed to eventually produce. Those promises, as it turned out, were based on the original cost estimates of the plant and the expected RUS loan, and didn’t factor in any potential additional costs associated with new carbon taxes or pollution control measures. Missoula, much to its credit, did not fall for the scheme and rejected the offer, as did Helena and Bozeman. While cost uncertainties played a major part in the decision, the concern over the increasing impacts of global climate change-and the plant’s considerable input to same-proved a motivating factor in the rejection by municipal officials.</p>
<p>As the economic collapse picked up steam last year, Highwood’s backers, a collection of smaller utility co-ops who joined together to develop the project, began to jump ship. The rapidly mounting costs had already drained millions of dollars from the co-ops to achieve basically nothing and the future looked to hold more of the same. Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative estimated it spent between $7 and $8 million on the project before it decided to pull out of the venture and was eventually forced to turn to the courts for relief, seeking not only recompense for its investment and damages, but also a return of the cheaper power the co-op had enjoyed from the Western Area Power Administration. That lawsuit, and its effect upon the future of the Highwood venture, remains a burden going forward.</p>
<p>Finally, there were numerous other problems with the Highwood project. A group of local Great Falls residents formed Citizens for Clean Energy to oppose the plant and, with tremendous help from the Montana Environmental Information Center, fought hard at every turn to ensure that the plant’s operating permits contained the most advanced technical pollution control measures available. One of those, the control of very tiny particulates that constitute significant human health hazards because they can be inhaled directly into the lungs, marked the first time such regulation was required of any power plant in Montana. Plus, the Army Corps of Engineers withdrew a key federal building permit because of the plant’s proximity to the trail Lewis and Clark used to portage around the Missouri River waterfalls-a National Historic Landmark.</p>
<p>Highwood’s developers say they will now seek to build a smaller, 250-megawatt natural gas-fired plant augmented with six megawatts of wind power. But even this proposal, while considerably cleaner than a coal-fired plant, remains uncertain. Funding for large construction projects has been very difficult to obtain since the financial collapse. Plus, natural gas prices tend to fluctuate rapidly and often radically. How those costs will accrue to the co-ops has yet to be revealed. But recent rate increases are already raising the hackles of the co-ops’ ratepayers.</p>
<p>Given the well-documented series of events that led to Highwood’s apparent demise, what’s puzzling is why certain key Republicans in the Legislature seem intent on blaming environmentalists and what they call a “flawed permitting process.” Protecting Montana’s environment, after all, is what every legislator promises to do when they take office and swear to uphold Montana’s Constitution. Article IX, Section 1 states: “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations.”</p>
<p>Maybe, instead of trying to trash what’s left of our environmental laws, these throwbacks to the past should read our Constitution, remember their oath of office, and put the blame for failed industrial projects like Highwood right where it belongs-on those who tried to sell us a poorly planned, poorly conducted, dirty energy project and then failed through their own incompetence.</p>
<p>GEORGE OCHENSKI writes from Helena, Montana. He may be contacted at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p> | 3,174 |
<p>WASHINGTON — If the truism holds that nothing is certain in politics, then the frantic run-up to the Iowa caucuses is perhaps the least certain indicator of the forces that will shape the national agenda come Jan. 20, 2009, Inauguration Day.</p>
<p>In 2000, also a year when no incumbent president was running, these were the issues that proved successful for the two Iowa winners, Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush: Gore easily beat Bill Bradley by arguing in part that the former senator from New Jersey would jeopardize the future of Medicare. Democrats who caucused that night said their most important issues were the meat and potatoes of the party’s politics — Social Security, Medicare and education.</p>
<p>Bush won handily as the pick of those Republicans who placed moral issues at the top of their agenda, as well as those who based their choice on which Republican seemed most electable in November.</p>
<p>The cliché that everything has changed over the past seven years is not really a cliché. It is a cold, hard, dangerous reality.</p>
<p />
<p>The world is more imperiled. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, which touched off a round of campaign bickering in both parties, has again laid bare the disastrous slide into instability in crucial regions, and the failures of American policy in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. All have become more threatening to world security from the myopic and incompetent prosecution of the so-called global war on terror as practiced by the Bush administration.</p>
<p>This is why Rudy Giuliani’s incessant recollections of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and his ad promoting the valor of rescue workers (and by extension, his own) seem as outdated as a Gore pitch about Medicare. The deterioration of security abroad — chaotic Pakistan is a nuclear power, the new base of al-Qaida and the presumed hide-out of Osama bin Laden — makes the remembrance of 9/11, and the Giuliani commercial’s linkage of it to an even more distant World War II, seem jarring. The next president’s most immediate job will be to begin repairing the worldwide damage done to the nation’s image and its foreign policy interests over the past seven years. It is the only conceivable way to prevent some other mayor in some other city from having to confront what Giuliani did on 9/11.</p>
<p>If Giuliani seems passé, the emergence of Mike Huckabee as a top-tier Republican contender is ludicrous. Huckabee is the choice of many social conservatives disgruntled with a Republican field they suspect of infidelity to their core concerns. But the former Arkansas governor’s bizarre linkage of the Bhutto assassination with the issue of illegal immigration from across the Mexican border exposes him as ill-prepared, if not too incompetent, to hold presidency.</p>
<p>Among Democrats, the Barack Obama phenomenon is a replay of the Jimmy Carter experiment. Carter emerged from obscurity to win the Iowa caucuses — and eventually the White House — in precisely the sort of political moment that Obama attempts to seize now. The country felt a fundamental disgust at Washington after Watergate. It looked to the fresh face of an outsider to become its healer, if not its savior.</p>
<p>History tells us how the Carter presidency turned out. The former Georgia governor was incapable of dealing effectively with a Congress that was controlled by his own party, let alone the dramatic foreign threats that flared on his watch.</p>
<p>Carter has succeeded on a global scale as a former president — proof that experience does indeed count.</p>
<p>It is possible to envision only four potential presidents in the current crop of candidates. John McCain, with his long experience in military affairs and his well-founded — if too-occasional — pique at business-as-usual, is the sole Republican who could conceivably be trusted in the job. Bill Richardson and Joe Biden, two Democrats who have languished near the bottom of the Democratic pack, have foreign policy experience and wisdom. Hillary Clinton, whose unprecedented travels abroad as first lady brought her face to face with the abject poverty, political oppression and historical injustices that roil so much of the world, has a legitimate claim as well.</p>
<p>In 2004, John Kerry invigorated what had been a moribund campaign by asking Iowans not just to send a message but to “send them a president.” Clinton’s recent campaign slogan is that it is “time to pick a president.”</p>
<p>Kerry was right and Clinton is right. The rest of us can only hope that Iowa listens.</p>
<p>Marie Cocco’s e-mail address is mariecocco(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2008, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | Picking a President | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/picking-a-president/ | 2008-01-02 | 4left
| Picking a President
<p>WASHINGTON — If the truism holds that nothing is certain in politics, then the frantic run-up to the Iowa caucuses is perhaps the least certain indicator of the forces that will shape the national agenda come Jan. 20, 2009, Inauguration Day.</p>
<p>In 2000, also a year when no incumbent president was running, these were the issues that proved successful for the two Iowa winners, Democrat Al Gore and Republican George W. Bush: Gore easily beat Bill Bradley by arguing in part that the former senator from New Jersey would jeopardize the future of Medicare. Democrats who caucused that night said their most important issues were the meat and potatoes of the party’s politics — Social Security, Medicare and education.</p>
<p>Bush won handily as the pick of those Republicans who placed moral issues at the top of their agenda, as well as those who based their choice on which Republican seemed most electable in November.</p>
<p>The cliché that everything has changed over the past seven years is not really a cliché. It is a cold, hard, dangerous reality.</p>
<p />
<p>The world is more imperiled. The assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, which touched off a round of campaign bickering in both parties, has again laid bare the disastrous slide into instability in crucial regions, and the failures of American policy in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. All have become more threatening to world security from the myopic and incompetent prosecution of the so-called global war on terror as practiced by the Bush administration.</p>
<p>This is why Rudy Giuliani’s incessant recollections of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and his ad promoting the valor of rescue workers (and by extension, his own) seem as outdated as a Gore pitch about Medicare. The deterioration of security abroad — chaotic Pakistan is a nuclear power, the new base of al-Qaida and the presumed hide-out of Osama bin Laden — makes the remembrance of 9/11, and the Giuliani commercial’s linkage of it to an even more distant World War II, seem jarring. The next president’s most immediate job will be to begin repairing the worldwide damage done to the nation’s image and its foreign policy interests over the past seven years. It is the only conceivable way to prevent some other mayor in some other city from having to confront what Giuliani did on 9/11.</p>
<p>If Giuliani seems passé, the emergence of Mike Huckabee as a top-tier Republican contender is ludicrous. Huckabee is the choice of many social conservatives disgruntled with a Republican field they suspect of infidelity to their core concerns. But the former Arkansas governor’s bizarre linkage of the Bhutto assassination with the issue of illegal immigration from across the Mexican border exposes him as ill-prepared, if not too incompetent, to hold presidency.</p>
<p>Among Democrats, the Barack Obama phenomenon is a replay of the Jimmy Carter experiment. Carter emerged from obscurity to win the Iowa caucuses — and eventually the White House — in precisely the sort of political moment that Obama attempts to seize now. The country felt a fundamental disgust at Washington after Watergate. It looked to the fresh face of an outsider to become its healer, if not its savior.</p>
<p>History tells us how the Carter presidency turned out. The former Georgia governor was incapable of dealing effectively with a Congress that was controlled by his own party, let alone the dramatic foreign threats that flared on his watch.</p>
<p>Carter has succeeded on a global scale as a former president — proof that experience does indeed count.</p>
<p>It is possible to envision only four potential presidents in the current crop of candidates. John McCain, with his long experience in military affairs and his well-founded — if too-occasional — pique at business-as-usual, is the sole Republican who could conceivably be trusted in the job. Bill Richardson and Joe Biden, two Democrats who have languished near the bottom of the Democratic pack, have foreign policy experience and wisdom. Hillary Clinton, whose unprecedented travels abroad as first lady brought her face to face with the abject poverty, political oppression and historical injustices that roil so much of the world, has a legitimate claim as well.</p>
<p>In 2004, John Kerry invigorated what had been a moribund campaign by asking Iowans not just to send a message but to “send them a president.” Clinton’s recent campaign slogan is that it is “time to pick a president.”</p>
<p>Kerry was right and Clinton is right. The rest of us can only hope that Iowa listens.</p>
<p>Marie Cocco’s e-mail address is mariecocco(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2008, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | 3,175 |
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<p />
<p>The existence of the small cadre of informants within one of the country’s most popular computer repair services was revealed in the case of a California doctor who is facing federal charges after his hard drive was flagged by a technician. The doctor’s lawyers found that the FBI had cultivated eight “confidential human sources” in the Geek Squad over a four-year period, according to a judge’s order in the case, with all of them receiving some payment.</p>
<p>The case raises issues about privacy and the government use of informants. If a customer turns over their computer for repair, do they forfeit their expectation of privacy, and their Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches? And if an informant is paid, does it compromise their credibility or effectively convert them into an agent of the government?</p>
<p>Best Buy searching a computer is legal – the customer authorized it, and the law does not prohibit private searches. But if Best Buy serves as an arm of the government, then a warrant or specific consent is needed. And a federal judge in the child pornography case against Mark Rettenmaier is going to allow defense attorneys to probe the relationship between Best Buy and the FBI at a hearing in Los Angeles starting Wednesday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Their relationship is so cozy,” said defense attorney James D. Riddet, “and so extensive that it turns searches by Best Buy into government searches. If they’re going to set up that network between Best Buy supervisors and FBI agents, you run the risk that Best Buy is a branch of the FBI.”</p>
<p>The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment. Federal prosecutors argued in California that when a technician doing repairs “stumbles across images of child pornography” and the government wasn’t aware of the search, “the technician is clearly not performing the search with the intent of assisting law enforcement efforts.”</p>
<p>Best Buy spokesman Jeff Shelsaid in a statement Monday that “Best Buy and Geek Squad have no relationship with the FBI. From time to time, our repair agents discover material that may be child pornography and we have a legal and moral obligation to turn that material over to law enforcement. We are proud of our policy and share it with our customers before we begin any repair.”</p>
<p>Shelman added, “Any circumstances in which an employee received payment from the FBI is the result of extremely poor individual judgment, is not something we tolerate and is certainly not a part of our normal business behavior.” Court records did not detail how often or how much the technicians were paid, other than one $500 payment to one supervisor.</p>
<p>But emails between Geek Squad technicians and FBI agents in the Louisville field office indicate a long-running relationship. In revealing those publicly in a Dec. 19 order, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney required technicians and agents to take the witness stand this week. The ruling was first reported by Orange County Weekly.</p>
<p>Many of the documents establishing the ties between the FBI and the technicians are sealed, but Carney discussed some in his order. He noted that the FBI acknowledged it considered technician supervisor Justin Meade a confidential human source for all but a few months between October 2008 and November 2012.</p>
<p>Different agents handled the Geek Squad technicians, Carney wrote. In October 2009, Agent Jennifer Cardwell emailed Meade to express interest in meeting “to discuss some other ideas for collaboration,” Carney disclosed.</p>
<p>In an internal FBI communication in July 2010, Agent Tracey L. Riley told her supervisor that “Source reported all has been quiet for about the last 5-6 months, however source agreed that once school started again, they may see an influx of CP [child pornography].” Meade was later identified as the “source.” Other internal communications show the “source” referring possible cases to Riley from computers sent to the Geek Squad from across the country.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“This two-way thoroughfare of information,” Riddet, the defense attorney. argued in his motion to suppress the evidence, “suggests that the FBI considers [Meade] . . . to be a partner in the ongoing effort of law enforcement to detect and prosecute child pornography violators. . . . Here it is very clear that Best Buy, and specifically the supervisor who reports its technician’s discovery of ‘inappropriate’ content on customers’ computers, are not only working together, but actually planning to conduct more such searches in the future.”</p>
<p>The case started in November 2011, when Rettenmaier, a gynecological oncologist in Orange County, Calif., took his HP Pavilion desktop to the Best Buy in Mission Viejo, Calif., because it wouldn’t boot up. The technicians at the store told him he had a faulty hard drive. If he wanted to retain information from the hard drive, he would need the Geek Squad’s data recovery services in Kentucky.</p>
<p>Rettenmaier signed a service order that prosecutors argue “waived any right to raise a Fourth Amendment claim” because it contained the admonition: “I am on notice that any product containing child pornography will be turned over to the authorities.”</p>
<p>Rettenmaier’s hard drive was shipped to Geek Squad City in Brooks, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville. In December 2011, one of Meade’s technicians located a photo that Riddet described as a nude prepubescent girl on a bed. In January 2012, court records show Meade emailed Agent Riley in Louisville and said, “We have another one out of California we want you to take a look at, when can you swing by?”</p>
<p>Meade did not respond to phone and email messages. Prosecutors acknowledged that the FBI paid him $500 in October 2011, two months before his co-worker discovered the photo. Meade filed a sworn declaration last year that “I do not remember ever being paid by the FBI.”</p>
<p>The search of Rettenmaier’s hard drive has a further wrinkle. The image was located on “unallocated space,” which is where deleted items reside on a computer until they are overwritten when the space is needed. Unallocated space is not easily accessed – it requires special forensic software.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said that the Geek Squad technician who searched the unallocated space was merely trying to recover all the data Rettenmaier had asked to be restored. Riddet argued that the technician was going beyond the regular search to deleted material to find evidence the FBI might want.</p>
<p>In addition, a federal appeals court has ruled that pornography found on unallocated space is insufficient to prove that the user possessed it, since information about when it was accessed, altered or deleted is no longer available. “There was no evidence of how the contraband got onto Dr. Rettenmaier’s hard drive,” Riddet wrote, “and it could have gotten there before he possessed the computer or against his will.”</p>
<p>An internal FBI email indicated that agents knew charges were unlikely based on an image in unallocated space. But prosecutors did authorize a search warrant for Rettenmaier’s computer and home, which was executed in February 2012. It is unclear why Rettenmaier was not indicted until almost three years later, in November 2014.</p>
<p>Judge Carney will allow Rettenmaier’s lawyer to question not only the Best Buy technicians and FBI agents involved in the case, but also the federal prosecutor who authorized the searches at the upcoming hearing. “The relationship between the FBI and Best Buy [informants] prior to Rettenmaier’s hard drive’s repair,” Carney wrote, “is relevant to how Meade understood his role as an informant and the possibility of an agency relationship between those who specified [the technician’s] procedures and the government.”</p>
<p>Best Buy’s Shelman said, “To be clear, our agents unintentionally find child pornography as they try to make the repairs the customer is paying for. They are not looking for it.” He said store policy bars agents from doing “anything other than what is necessary to solve the customer’s problem.”</p>
<p>Stan Goldman, a law professor at Loyola Law School, likened Best Buy’s search to the “plain view” doctrine for police: If officers can see something in plain view, they have reason to search or seize it. “Whatever they see while searching within the scope of what they were asked to do would be admissible, in my view,” Goldman said. “If they start searching on their own, they’ve gone beyond what is ‘plain view.’ ” He said what a customer consents to when ordering the work is crucial. “Have people actually understood that they’ve agreed to have their entire computer searched? I don’t think so, but you can’t be 100 percent certain.”</p> | Ties between Best Buy’s Geek Squad, FBI probed in porn case | false | https://abqjournal.com/924135/ties-between-best-buys-geek-squad-fbi-probed-in-porn-case.html | 2least
| Ties between Best Buy’s Geek Squad, FBI probed in porn case
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<p />
<p>The existence of the small cadre of informants within one of the country’s most popular computer repair services was revealed in the case of a California doctor who is facing federal charges after his hard drive was flagged by a technician. The doctor’s lawyers found that the FBI had cultivated eight “confidential human sources” in the Geek Squad over a four-year period, according to a judge’s order in the case, with all of them receiving some payment.</p>
<p>The case raises issues about privacy and the government use of informants. If a customer turns over their computer for repair, do they forfeit their expectation of privacy, and their Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches? And if an informant is paid, does it compromise their credibility or effectively convert them into an agent of the government?</p>
<p>Best Buy searching a computer is legal – the customer authorized it, and the law does not prohibit private searches. But if Best Buy serves as an arm of the government, then a warrant or specific consent is needed. And a federal judge in the child pornography case against Mark Rettenmaier is going to allow defense attorneys to probe the relationship between Best Buy and the FBI at a hearing in Los Angeles starting Wednesday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Their relationship is so cozy,” said defense attorney James D. Riddet, “and so extensive that it turns searches by Best Buy into government searches. If they’re going to set up that network between Best Buy supervisors and FBI agents, you run the risk that Best Buy is a branch of the FBI.”</p>
<p>The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment. Federal prosecutors argued in California that when a technician doing repairs “stumbles across images of child pornography” and the government wasn’t aware of the search, “the technician is clearly not performing the search with the intent of assisting law enforcement efforts.”</p>
<p>Best Buy spokesman Jeff Shelsaid in a statement Monday that “Best Buy and Geek Squad have no relationship with the FBI. From time to time, our repair agents discover material that may be child pornography and we have a legal and moral obligation to turn that material over to law enforcement. We are proud of our policy and share it with our customers before we begin any repair.”</p>
<p>Shelman added, “Any circumstances in which an employee received payment from the FBI is the result of extremely poor individual judgment, is not something we tolerate and is certainly not a part of our normal business behavior.” Court records did not detail how often or how much the technicians were paid, other than one $500 payment to one supervisor.</p>
<p>But emails between Geek Squad technicians and FBI agents in the Louisville field office indicate a long-running relationship. In revealing those publicly in a Dec. 19 order, U.S. District Judge Cormac J. Carney required technicians and agents to take the witness stand this week. The ruling was first reported by Orange County Weekly.</p>
<p>Many of the documents establishing the ties between the FBI and the technicians are sealed, but Carney discussed some in his order. He noted that the FBI acknowledged it considered technician supervisor Justin Meade a confidential human source for all but a few months between October 2008 and November 2012.</p>
<p>Different agents handled the Geek Squad technicians, Carney wrote. In October 2009, Agent Jennifer Cardwell emailed Meade to express interest in meeting “to discuss some other ideas for collaboration,” Carney disclosed.</p>
<p>In an internal FBI communication in July 2010, Agent Tracey L. Riley told her supervisor that “Source reported all has been quiet for about the last 5-6 months, however source agreed that once school started again, they may see an influx of CP [child pornography].” Meade was later identified as the “source.” Other internal communications show the “source” referring possible cases to Riley from computers sent to the Geek Squad from across the country.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“This two-way thoroughfare of information,” Riddet, the defense attorney. argued in his motion to suppress the evidence, “suggests that the FBI considers [Meade] . . . to be a partner in the ongoing effort of law enforcement to detect and prosecute child pornography violators. . . . Here it is very clear that Best Buy, and specifically the supervisor who reports its technician’s discovery of ‘inappropriate’ content on customers’ computers, are not only working together, but actually planning to conduct more such searches in the future.”</p>
<p>The case started in November 2011, when Rettenmaier, a gynecological oncologist in Orange County, Calif., took his HP Pavilion desktop to the Best Buy in Mission Viejo, Calif., because it wouldn’t boot up. The technicians at the store told him he had a faulty hard drive. If he wanted to retain information from the hard drive, he would need the Geek Squad’s data recovery services in Kentucky.</p>
<p>Rettenmaier signed a service order that prosecutors argue “waived any right to raise a Fourth Amendment claim” because it contained the admonition: “I am on notice that any product containing child pornography will be turned over to the authorities.”</p>
<p>Rettenmaier’s hard drive was shipped to Geek Squad City in Brooks, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville. In December 2011, one of Meade’s technicians located a photo that Riddet described as a nude prepubescent girl on a bed. In January 2012, court records show Meade emailed Agent Riley in Louisville and said, “We have another one out of California we want you to take a look at, when can you swing by?”</p>
<p>Meade did not respond to phone and email messages. Prosecutors acknowledged that the FBI paid him $500 in October 2011, two months before his co-worker discovered the photo. Meade filed a sworn declaration last year that “I do not remember ever being paid by the FBI.”</p>
<p>The search of Rettenmaier’s hard drive has a further wrinkle. The image was located on “unallocated space,” which is where deleted items reside on a computer until they are overwritten when the space is needed. Unallocated space is not easily accessed – it requires special forensic software.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said that the Geek Squad technician who searched the unallocated space was merely trying to recover all the data Rettenmaier had asked to be restored. Riddet argued that the technician was going beyond the regular search to deleted material to find evidence the FBI might want.</p>
<p>In addition, a federal appeals court has ruled that pornography found on unallocated space is insufficient to prove that the user possessed it, since information about when it was accessed, altered or deleted is no longer available. “There was no evidence of how the contraband got onto Dr. Rettenmaier’s hard drive,” Riddet wrote, “and it could have gotten there before he possessed the computer or against his will.”</p>
<p>An internal FBI email indicated that agents knew charges were unlikely based on an image in unallocated space. But prosecutors did authorize a search warrant for Rettenmaier’s computer and home, which was executed in February 2012. It is unclear why Rettenmaier was not indicted until almost three years later, in November 2014.</p>
<p>Judge Carney will allow Rettenmaier’s lawyer to question not only the Best Buy technicians and FBI agents involved in the case, but also the federal prosecutor who authorized the searches at the upcoming hearing. “The relationship between the FBI and Best Buy [informants] prior to Rettenmaier’s hard drive’s repair,” Carney wrote, “is relevant to how Meade understood his role as an informant and the possibility of an agency relationship between those who specified [the technician’s] procedures and the government.”</p>
<p>Best Buy’s Shelman said, “To be clear, our agents unintentionally find child pornography as they try to make the repairs the customer is paying for. They are not looking for it.” He said store policy bars agents from doing “anything other than what is necessary to solve the customer’s problem.”</p>
<p>Stan Goldman, a law professor at Loyola Law School, likened Best Buy’s search to the “plain view” doctrine for police: If officers can see something in plain view, they have reason to search or seize it. “Whatever they see while searching within the scope of what they were asked to do would be admissible, in my view,” Goldman said. “If they start searching on their own, they’ve gone beyond what is ‘plain view.’ ” He said what a customer consents to when ordering the work is crucial. “Have people actually understood that they’ve agreed to have their entire computer searched? I don’t think so, but you can’t be 100 percent certain.”</p> | 3,176 |
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<p>Three matches. Three wins. No goals conceded.</p>
<p>If only the defense of its English Premier League title was going so well.</p>
<p>Few expected Leicester to replicate the feats of last season, when the unheralded team from central England went from relegation favorites to title winners in one of the most amazing stories in all of sports.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Few, though, would have expected such a drop-off in the league the following season.</p>
<p>“When I think of the Premier League, I’m very, very angry,” said Leicester’s usually amiable coach, Claudio Ranieri.</p>
<p>Leicester heads into Saturday’s home match against Crystal Palace in 13th place in the 20-team league, having lost four of its opening eight games. The team only lost three league matches in the whole of last season.</p>
<p>The most obvious explanation for the drastic dip in form is a change of focus. This season, it increasingly seems, is all about the Champions League, which Leicester is competing in for the first time.</p>
<p>“It’s just psychological,” Ranieri explained. “Because when we play in the Champions League, all the specials are switched on. You’re very, very smart, focused in every situation.”</p>
<p>The same can’t be said in the Premier League. Leicester has lost to Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea by three-goal margins and also has been defeated by promoted Hull. Its only wins have come against Burnley and Swansea, both of whom — like Hull — are among the contenders for relegation.</p>
<p>There are other factors to blame apart from a preoccupation with the Champions League.</p>
<p>The loss of N’Golo Kante to Chelsea has hit Leicester hard. It felt at times like the energetic Kante did the work of two players in central midfield last season, providing protection for the defense and also a springboard for the attack. Offseason recruits Daniel Amartey and Nampalys Mendy (currently injured) just aren’t in Kante’s league.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>As a consequence, Leicester’s defense looks vulnerable, with center backs Wes Morgan and Robert Huth exposed and making errors. That, however, doesn’t explain the team’s tendency to concede at set pieces this season, which is simply down to a lack of concentration and awareness.</p>
<p>Another factor is Ranieri’s squad strengthening over the summer, which included signing forwards Ahmed Musa and Islam Slimani for what were club-record fees. It has given the Italian coach more options for his lineup but he might no longer know what his best team is.</p>
<p>Last season, everyone knew Leicester’s first-choice lineup and Ranieri — nicknamed “Tinkerman” during his time at Chelsea — rarely rotated, but that has changed. Shinji Okazaki, for example, rarely starts now and the Japan forward was a key member of the title-winning team because of his work rate, unselfishness and qualities in linking the midfield and attack.</p>
<p>Then there’s the dip in form of star players from last season — striker Jamie Vardy and winger Riyad Mahrez. Vardy has scored twice this season, and not since Sept. 10, while Mahrez hasn’t been the same effervescent force that once flustered defenses. Have opponents worked out how to play them?</p>
<p>A mid-table finish in the Premier League and getting to the knockout stage of the Champions League would be acceptable in this most unusual of seasons for Leicester. But for Ranieri, the quicker the team gets to the 40-point mark — a figure widely regarded as the safety net against relegation — the better.</p>
<p>Here are some other things to watch out for this weekend in the ninth round of games:</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>CHELSEA VS. MANCHESTER UNITED</p>
<p>United manager Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the first time since getting fired by Chelsea in December, which ended his second spell at the London club.</p>
<p>It will be the latest game in a tough period for United, which played away to Liverpool on Monday and hosts Manchester City in the League Cup on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Mourinho adopted a defensive, containing approach at Liverpool, which eked out a 0-0 draw for United. He may do the same against a Chelsea team that has won both of its games since manager Antonio Conte switched to a three-man defense.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>MANCHESTER CITY VS. SOUTHAMPTON</p>
<p>Sergio Aguero has found himself in an unusual position in City’s last two games: on the substitutes’ bench.</p>
<p>Rested against Everton in the Premier League after exertions on international duty, the Argentina striker was controversially left out for tactical reasons in the 4-0 loss at Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Aguero should return on Sunday for the league leaders against Southampton, which hasn’t lost any of its last four games in the league.</p> | Ranieri calls for Leicester focus in stumbling title defense | false | https://abqjournal.com/871122/ranieri-calls-for-leicester-focus-in-stumbling-title-defense.html | 2016-10-20 | 2least
| Ranieri calls for Leicester focus in stumbling title defense
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<p />
<p>Three matches. Three wins. No goals conceded.</p>
<p>If only the defense of its English Premier League title was going so well.</p>
<p>Few expected Leicester to replicate the feats of last season, when the unheralded team from central England went from relegation favorites to title winners in one of the most amazing stories in all of sports.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Few, though, would have expected such a drop-off in the league the following season.</p>
<p>“When I think of the Premier League, I’m very, very angry,” said Leicester’s usually amiable coach, Claudio Ranieri.</p>
<p>Leicester heads into Saturday’s home match against Crystal Palace in 13th place in the 20-team league, having lost four of its opening eight games. The team only lost three league matches in the whole of last season.</p>
<p>The most obvious explanation for the drastic dip in form is a change of focus. This season, it increasingly seems, is all about the Champions League, which Leicester is competing in for the first time.</p>
<p>“It’s just psychological,” Ranieri explained. “Because when we play in the Champions League, all the specials are switched on. You’re very, very smart, focused in every situation.”</p>
<p>The same can’t be said in the Premier League. Leicester has lost to Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea by three-goal margins and also has been defeated by promoted Hull. Its only wins have come against Burnley and Swansea, both of whom — like Hull — are among the contenders for relegation.</p>
<p>There are other factors to blame apart from a preoccupation with the Champions League.</p>
<p>The loss of N’Golo Kante to Chelsea has hit Leicester hard. It felt at times like the energetic Kante did the work of two players in central midfield last season, providing protection for the defense and also a springboard for the attack. Offseason recruits Daniel Amartey and Nampalys Mendy (currently injured) just aren’t in Kante’s league.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>As a consequence, Leicester’s defense looks vulnerable, with center backs Wes Morgan and Robert Huth exposed and making errors. That, however, doesn’t explain the team’s tendency to concede at set pieces this season, which is simply down to a lack of concentration and awareness.</p>
<p>Another factor is Ranieri’s squad strengthening over the summer, which included signing forwards Ahmed Musa and Islam Slimani for what were club-record fees. It has given the Italian coach more options for his lineup but he might no longer know what his best team is.</p>
<p>Last season, everyone knew Leicester’s first-choice lineup and Ranieri — nicknamed “Tinkerman” during his time at Chelsea — rarely rotated, but that has changed. Shinji Okazaki, for example, rarely starts now and the Japan forward was a key member of the title-winning team because of his work rate, unselfishness and qualities in linking the midfield and attack.</p>
<p>Then there’s the dip in form of star players from last season — striker Jamie Vardy and winger Riyad Mahrez. Vardy has scored twice this season, and not since Sept. 10, while Mahrez hasn’t been the same effervescent force that once flustered defenses. Have opponents worked out how to play them?</p>
<p>A mid-table finish in the Premier League and getting to the knockout stage of the Champions League would be acceptable in this most unusual of seasons for Leicester. But for Ranieri, the quicker the team gets to the 40-point mark — a figure widely regarded as the safety net against relegation — the better.</p>
<p>Here are some other things to watch out for this weekend in the ninth round of games:</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>CHELSEA VS. MANCHESTER UNITED</p>
<p>United manager Jose Mourinho returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the first time since getting fired by Chelsea in December, which ended his second spell at the London club.</p>
<p>It will be the latest game in a tough period for United, which played away to Liverpool on Monday and hosts Manchester City in the League Cup on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Mourinho adopted a defensive, containing approach at Liverpool, which eked out a 0-0 draw for United. He may do the same against a Chelsea team that has won both of its games since manager Antonio Conte switched to a three-man defense.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>MANCHESTER CITY VS. SOUTHAMPTON</p>
<p>Sergio Aguero has found himself in an unusual position in City’s last two games: on the substitutes’ bench.</p>
<p>Rested against Everton in the Premier League after exertions on international duty, the Argentina striker was controversially left out for tactical reasons in the 4-0 loss at Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Aguero should return on Sunday for the league leaders against Southampton, which hasn’t lost any of its last four games in the league.</p> | 3,177 |
<p />
<p>Japanese stocks fell more than 1 percent on Tuesday, with investor sentiment soured after Toshiba Corp delayed its earnings release, including details of a multibillion dollar charge related to cost overruns at its U.S. nuclear arm.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The mood was also hurt by the dollar's weakening after President Donald Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn quit.</p>
<p>The Nikkei share average dropped 1.1 percent to 19,238.98 points.</p>
<p>Toshiba's stock nosedived 8 percent after it announced during the midday market recess that it would delay its earnings release, which was originally scheduled for 0300 GMT.</p>
<p>"The delay shows that the company is in a mess," said Makoto Kikuchi, chief executive of Myojo Asset Management.</p>
<p>"We can assume that the company is not delaying its earnings release for good news. The market speculates that Toshiba will be releasing figures worse than what is being reported already."</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The broader Topix dropped 1.0 percent to 1,539.12 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 fell 1.1 percent to 13,794.36.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Kim Coghill)</p> | Nikkei Falls After Toshiba Earnings Delay | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/14/nikkei-falls-after-toshiba-earnings-delay.html | 2017-02-14 | 0right
| Nikkei Falls After Toshiba Earnings Delay
<p />
<p>Japanese stocks fell more than 1 percent on Tuesday, with investor sentiment soured after Toshiba Corp delayed its earnings release, including details of a multibillion dollar charge related to cost overruns at its U.S. nuclear arm.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The mood was also hurt by the dollar's weakening after President Donald Trump's national security adviser Michael Flynn quit.</p>
<p>The Nikkei share average dropped 1.1 percent to 19,238.98 points.</p>
<p>Toshiba's stock nosedived 8 percent after it announced during the midday market recess that it would delay its earnings release, which was originally scheduled for 0300 GMT.</p>
<p>"The delay shows that the company is in a mess," said Makoto Kikuchi, chief executive of Myojo Asset Management.</p>
<p>"We can assume that the company is not delaying its earnings release for good news. The market speculates that Toshiba will be releasing figures worse than what is being reported already."</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The broader Topix dropped 1.0 percent to 1,539.12 and the JPX-Nikkei Index 400 fell 1.1 percent to 13,794.36.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Ayai Tomisawa; Editing by Kim Coghill)</p> | 3,178 |
<p>Fake news by <a href="" type="internal">Andy Borowitz</a></p>
<p>WASHINGTON — In a three-way swap that may be unprecedented in U.S. history, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to become vice president of the United States, Vice President Joe Biden will become president of Afghanistan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will be traded to the Minnesota Vikings.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama made the stunning announcement at the White House today, using a PowerPoint demonstration to explain a personnel move that still left many scratching their heads. “I am confident that Hillary and Joe are up to speed and ready to go in their new jobs,” he said. “And I expect Karzai to be in shape by midseason.”</p>
<p>When asked whether the complicated swap might confuse voters in advance of the midterm elections, the president said, “I certainly hope so.”</p>
<p />
<p>If all goes according to plan, Clinton and Biden will assume their new roles effective immediately, while Karzai is expected to start at wide receiver against the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 7.</p>
<p>While many in official Washington were trying to make sense of the announcement, former President Bill Clinton gave the three-way swap a thumbs up: “Everything about the phrase ‘three-way swap’ appeals to me.”</p>
<p>Journalist Bob Woodward, who was privy to the negotiations behind the swap, portrayed Mrs. Clinton and Biden as amenable to their new jobs, with only Karzai dragging his feet: “He was concerned that a football helmet would not fit over his precious hat.” Woodward said he had more inside information about the deal, “but I’m writing about it in a new book, which will be out later this week.”</p>
<p>Reached at the Vikings’ practice facility, Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre said he was “blown away” by the news: “I actually retired this morning, but this changes everything.”</p>
<p>Award-winning humorist, television personality and film actor Andy Borowitz is author of the book “The Republican Playbook.”</p>
<p>© 2010 Creators Syndicate</p>
<p /> | Karzai to Take His Talents to Minneapolis | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/karzai-to-take-his-talents-to-minneapolis/ | 2010-10-10 | 4left
| Karzai to Take His Talents to Minneapolis
<p>Fake news by <a href="" type="internal">Andy Borowitz</a></p>
<p>WASHINGTON — In a three-way swap that may be unprecedented in U.S. history, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to become vice president of the United States, Vice President Joe Biden will become president of Afghanistan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai will be traded to the Minnesota Vikings.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama made the stunning announcement at the White House today, using a PowerPoint demonstration to explain a personnel move that still left many scratching their heads. “I am confident that Hillary and Joe are up to speed and ready to go in their new jobs,” he said. “And I expect Karzai to be in shape by midseason.”</p>
<p>When asked whether the complicated swap might confuse voters in advance of the midterm elections, the president said, “I certainly hope so.”</p>
<p />
<p>If all goes according to plan, Clinton and Biden will assume their new roles effective immediately, while Karzai is expected to start at wide receiver against the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 7.</p>
<p>While many in official Washington were trying to make sense of the announcement, former President Bill Clinton gave the three-way swap a thumbs up: “Everything about the phrase ‘three-way swap’ appeals to me.”</p>
<p>Journalist Bob Woodward, who was privy to the negotiations behind the swap, portrayed Mrs. Clinton and Biden as amenable to their new jobs, with only Karzai dragging his feet: “He was concerned that a football helmet would not fit over his precious hat.” Woodward said he had more inside information about the deal, “but I’m writing about it in a new book, which will be out later this week.”</p>
<p>Reached at the Vikings’ practice facility, Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre said he was “blown away” by the news: “I actually retired this morning, but this changes everything.”</p>
<p>Award-winning humorist, television personality and film actor Andy Borowitz is author of the book “The Republican Playbook.”</p>
<p>© 2010 Creators Syndicate</p>
<p /> | 3,179 |
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<p />
<p>Meanwhile, URENCO USA's uranium enrichment plant in Eunice, which began operations in 2010 as the first enrichment facility to be built in the United States in 30 years, continues expansion. It plans to build an interim storage site for spent nuclear fuel in an effort to attract more nuclear-related projects.</p>
<p>And recently, Joule Unlimited received an additional $40 million in financing to further its effort to commercialize a biocatalyst fuel production process currently under development in Hobbs.</p>
<p>Joule launched the Hobbs production on state-owned land in 2012, and the latest round of funding brings to $200 million the amount of private-equity and venture-debt financing that Joule has secured.</p>
<p>Engineered biocatalysts, which are basically bacteria, are mixed with carbon dioxide, non-potable water and micronutrients - add sunlight and solar power, make a few molecular changes, and voil?, you've got biofuel.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Thus, be it oil, nuclear or algae-driven power, it's a good time to hobnob in Hobbs if you want to talk real and economic power.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p>
<p /> | Editorial: NM's big-time power play | false | https://abqjournal.com/611164/nms-bigtime-power-play.html | 2least
| Editorial: NM's big-time power play
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<p />
<p>Meanwhile, URENCO USA's uranium enrichment plant in Eunice, which began operations in 2010 as the first enrichment facility to be built in the United States in 30 years, continues expansion. It plans to build an interim storage site for spent nuclear fuel in an effort to attract more nuclear-related projects.</p>
<p>And recently, Joule Unlimited received an additional $40 million in financing to further its effort to commercialize a biocatalyst fuel production process currently under development in Hobbs.</p>
<p>Joule launched the Hobbs production on state-owned land in 2012, and the latest round of funding brings to $200 million the amount of private-equity and venture-debt financing that Joule has secured.</p>
<p>Engineered biocatalysts, which are basically bacteria, are mixed with carbon dioxide, non-potable water and micronutrients - add sunlight and solar power, make a few molecular changes, and voil?, you've got biofuel.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Thus, be it oil, nuclear or algae-driven power, it's a good time to hobnob in Hobbs if you want to talk real and economic power.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p>
<p /> | 3,180 |
|
<p>HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court sentenced democracy activist Joshua Wong to three months in prison Wednesday for contempt, his second prison term stemming from his role in the 2014 “Umbrella Movement” protests.</p>
<p>The 21-year-old Wong and another defendant were immediately taken into custody at Hong Kong’s High Court, while 14 others, including another prominent former student leader, Lester Shum, received suspended sentences.</p>
<p>“Keep it up, everyone!” Wong called out to the court before officers escorted him away.</p>
<p>Ahead of the hearing, he said he had no regrets and vowed to keep fighting for democracy. “They can lock up our body, but they can’t lock up our mind,” he told reporters.</p>
<p>It’s the latest legal setback for Wong, who has been involved in multiple court cases in the aftermath of the protests including one that also resulted in a prison sentence, which he’s appealing.</p>
<p>In Wednesday’s case, Wong had pleaded guilty last year for failing to comply with a court order to clear out of a protest camp blocking a main road during the 79-day protests that were held to oppose Beijing’s plans to restrict elections for the top leader of the semiautonomous Chinese city.</p>
<p>High Court Judge Andrew Chan said in the ruling that although Wong only stayed in the camp briefly, his involvement in obstruction was deep and extensive. “He played a leading role on that day. In view of his overall involvement, I am of the view that the only appropriate punishment for Mr. Wong will be one of immediate imprisonment.”</p>
<p>Wong helped lead the protests while still a teenager and gained global attention as a result.</p>
<p>Last year he served about two months of a six-month sentence in a separate unlawful assembly case, before being granted bail so he could file an appeal in a hearing on Tuesday. But the judges in that case are not expected to issue their ruling until a later date.</p>
<p>HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court sentenced democracy activist Joshua Wong to three months in prison Wednesday for contempt, his second prison term stemming from his role in the 2014 “Umbrella Movement” protests.</p>
<p>The 21-year-old Wong and another defendant were immediately taken into custody at Hong Kong’s High Court, while 14 others, including another prominent former student leader, Lester Shum, received suspended sentences.</p>
<p>“Keep it up, everyone!” Wong called out to the court before officers escorted him away.</p>
<p>Ahead of the hearing, he said he had no regrets and vowed to keep fighting for democracy. “They can lock up our body, but they can’t lock up our mind,” he told reporters.</p>
<p>It’s the latest legal setback for Wong, who has been involved in multiple court cases in the aftermath of the protests including one that also resulted in a prison sentence, which he’s appealing.</p>
<p>In Wednesday’s case, Wong had pleaded guilty last year for failing to comply with a court order to clear out of a protest camp blocking a main road during the 79-day protests that were held to oppose Beijing’s plans to restrict elections for the top leader of the semiautonomous Chinese city.</p>
<p>High Court Judge Andrew Chan said in the ruling that although Wong only stayed in the camp briefly, his involvement in obstruction was deep and extensive. “He played a leading role on that day. In view of his overall involvement, I am of the view that the only appropriate punishment for Mr. Wong will be one of immediate imprisonment.”</p>
<p>Wong helped lead the protests while still a teenager and gained global attention as a result.</p>
<p>Last year he served about two months of a six-month sentence in a separate unlawful assembly case, before being granted bail so he could file an appeal in a hearing on Tuesday. But the judges in that case are not expected to issue their ruling until a later date.</p> | Young Hong Kong activist Wong gets second prison term | false | https://apnews.com/ad5ec794a7594e00afd216a35f0018cb | 2018-01-17 | 2least
| Young Hong Kong activist Wong gets second prison term
<p>HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court sentenced democracy activist Joshua Wong to three months in prison Wednesday for contempt, his second prison term stemming from his role in the 2014 “Umbrella Movement” protests.</p>
<p>The 21-year-old Wong and another defendant were immediately taken into custody at Hong Kong’s High Court, while 14 others, including another prominent former student leader, Lester Shum, received suspended sentences.</p>
<p>“Keep it up, everyone!” Wong called out to the court before officers escorted him away.</p>
<p>Ahead of the hearing, he said he had no regrets and vowed to keep fighting for democracy. “They can lock up our body, but they can’t lock up our mind,” he told reporters.</p>
<p>It’s the latest legal setback for Wong, who has been involved in multiple court cases in the aftermath of the protests including one that also resulted in a prison sentence, which he’s appealing.</p>
<p>In Wednesday’s case, Wong had pleaded guilty last year for failing to comply with a court order to clear out of a protest camp blocking a main road during the 79-day protests that were held to oppose Beijing’s plans to restrict elections for the top leader of the semiautonomous Chinese city.</p>
<p>High Court Judge Andrew Chan said in the ruling that although Wong only stayed in the camp briefly, his involvement in obstruction was deep and extensive. “He played a leading role on that day. In view of his overall involvement, I am of the view that the only appropriate punishment for Mr. Wong will be one of immediate imprisonment.”</p>
<p>Wong helped lead the protests while still a teenager and gained global attention as a result.</p>
<p>Last year he served about two months of a six-month sentence in a separate unlawful assembly case, before being granted bail so he could file an appeal in a hearing on Tuesday. But the judges in that case are not expected to issue their ruling until a later date.</p>
<p>HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court sentenced democracy activist Joshua Wong to three months in prison Wednesday for contempt, his second prison term stemming from his role in the 2014 “Umbrella Movement” protests.</p>
<p>The 21-year-old Wong and another defendant were immediately taken into custody at Hong Kong’s High Court, while 14 others, including another prominent former student leader, Lester Shum, received suspended sentences.</p>
<p>“Keep it up, everyone!” Wong called out to the court before officers escorted him away.</p>
<p>Ahead of the hearing, he said he had no regrets and vowed to keep fighting for democracy. “They can lock up our body, but they can’t lock up our mind,” he told reporters.</p>
<p>It’s the latest legal setback for Wong, who has been involved in multiple court cases in the aftermath of the protests including one that also resulted in a prison sentence, which he’s appealing.</p>
<p>In Wednesday’s case, Wong had pleaded guilty last year for failing to comply with a court order to clear out of a protest camp blocking a main road during the 79-day protests that were held to oppose Beijing’s plans to restrict elections for the top leader of the semiautonomous Chinese city.</p>
<p>High Court Judge Andrew Chan said in the ruling that although Wong only stayed in the camp briefly, his involvement in obstruction was deep and extensive. “He played a leading role on that day. In view of his overall involvement, I am of the view that the only appropriate punishment for Mr. Wong will be one of immediate imprisonment.”</p>
<p>Wong helped lead the protests while still a teenager and gained global attention as a result.</p>
<p>Last year he served about two months of a six-month sentence in a separate unlawful assembly case, before being granted bail so he could file an appeal in a hearing on Tuesday. But the judges in that case are not expected to issue their ruling until a later date.</p> | 3,181 |
<p>With elementary school reforms underway, Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas shifted focus last summer and revved up a team for high school redesign. In a kick-off speech last July he called for “quick and lasting” reforms for the city’s high schools.</p>
<p>A steering committee and seven task forces made up the redesign team. Vallas cast a wide net, drawing in reform groups with whom he had often been at odds, businesses, universities, local school council members, foundations and principals.</p>
<p>However, when the task forces convened last summer, no teacher had been appointed. Chicago Teachers Union President Thomas Reece, a steering committee member, urged Vallas to correct the oversight.</p>
<p>Vallas agreed, and two teachers and seven CTU officials and representatives joined the task forces. “We have been in this position before,” remarks CTU Vice President Norma White. “We squeak, and they put a little oil on us.” Still, with a total of some 130 task force members—the number fluctuated—White feels that teachers were underrepresented.</p>
<p>Among participants, satisfaction with the task force process varied.</p>
<p>Greg Darneider, executive director of the Steans Family Foundation, who chaired the Student Development task force, suspects that participation also varied from one group to another.</p>
<p>“If the co-chairs were coming to the table with specific philosophies, that limited the input,” he observes. “I think some committees kept themselves pretty tightly knit around 1819 Pershing Road and didn’t look for much outside input.”</p>
<p>Teacher Lawrence Laughlin of Kennedy High School says that due to the late invitation to teachers, he missed several Curriculum and Instruction task force meetings. On arrival, he found some proposals already set.</p>
<p>“You can have input, but if the decisions have already been made, it’s not going to make a difference,” he notes.</p>
<p>Also, the deadline prevented in-depth discussion, he believes. “For the most part, we didn’t touch on any issues related to instruction.”</p>
<p>The Vocational Technical Education task force had limited participation. Only four of 12 members were from outside the school system. Three did not attend, and the other declined to comment on the process. One member from outside the administrative staff also declined to comment.</p>
<p>However, Principal Lona Bibbs of Westinghouse Vocational felt “quite comfortable” with her task force. “We were free to express what concerns we had,” she says.</p>
<p>Other task forces report strong participation. Heather Steans of the Steans Family Foundation notes “very high” turnout for the High School Restructuring task force. She finds items in the draft plan “true to what the group had talked about.”</p>
<p>Julie Woestehoff of Parents United for Responsible Education was similarly satisfied with the Student Development group.</p>
<p>In November, each task force issued a thick report, which the administration distilled into a readable 79-page draft. Originally, the administration intended to distribute copies by mid-November, but it didn’t get them out until the first week of December.</p>
<p>Public hearings were held the following week at three area high schools. Many who testified said they’d received the draft report only that day. Perhaps as a result, many teachers addressed the plan’s most obvious impact: It might cut jobs for voc-ed, art and physical education.</p>
<p>Chief of Staff Cozette Buckney estimates that 60 percent of the complaints from the hearings were about potential job loss rather than about the impact of the plan on students.</p>
<p>She found most comments along the lines of: “‘I prepared my whole life to teach this course, and now you’re saying it’s not important.’ … That colors it,” she says.</p>
<p>Hearings continued into the third week of December—with six regional meetings for teachers and counselors, and three more at central office for the general public. Eight “informational sessions” were scheduled at regional offices over Christmas break.</p>
<p>Teacher Beverly Helm of Bowen High attended one on Christmas eve. “It was a joke,” she says, “There was no information. They showed us into a conference room, we sat down, we wrote our comments, and that was it. They obviously did not expect anybody to show up. We surprised them.”</p>
<p>Scheduling hearings for the hectic month of December led some to question the board’s sincerity about soliciting public feedback. Buckney regrets the rush but says it was unavoidable. The original goal was to have a final plan ready in time for schools to incorporate changes—initially, expected to be major—into their school improvement plans for next school year.</p>
<p>Now that the scope of change has been narrowed, school planning can proceed without benefit of the final report, she says, noting that schools on probation already have picked up on some items.</p>
<p>Currently departments are debating the proposals and consulting with Reform Board trustees and task force members, says Buckney. The final plan is scheduled for release in March.</p> | Reform groups in, teachers out at first | false | http://chicagoreporter.com/reform-groups-in-teachers-out-first/ | 2005-07-25 | 3left-center
| Reform groups in, teachers out at first
<p>With elementary school reforms underway, Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas shifted focus last summer and revved up a team for high school redesign. In a kick-off speech last July he called for “quick and lasting” reforms for the city’s high schools.</p>
<p>A steering committee and seven task forces made up the redesign team. Vallas cast a wide net, drawing in reform groups with whom he had often been at odds, businesses, universities, local school council members, foundations and principals.</p>
<p>However, when the task forces convened last summer, no teacher had been appointed. Chicago Teachers Union President Thomas Reece, a steering committee member, urged Vallas to correct the oversight.</p>
<p>Vallas agreed, and two teachers and seven CTU officials and representatives joined the task forces. “We have been in this position before,” remarks CTU Vice President Norma White. “We squeak, and they put a little oil on us.” Still, with a total of some 130 task force members—the number fluctuated—White feels that teachers were underrepresented.</p>
<p>Among participants, satisfaction with the task force process varied.</p>
<p>Greg Darneider, executive director of the Steans Family Foundation, who chaired the Student Development task force, suspects that participation also varied from one group to another.</p>
<p>“If the co-chairs were coming to the table with specific philosophies, that limited the input,” he observes. “I think some committees kept themselves pretty tightly knit around 1819 Pershing Road and didn’t look for much outside input.”</p>
<p>Teacher Lawrence Laughlin of Kennedy High School says that due to the late invitation to teachers, he missed several Curriculum and Instruction task force meetings. On arrival, he found some proposals already set.</p>
<p>“You can have input, but if the decisions have already been made, it’s not going to make a difference,” he notes.</p>
<p>Also, the deadline prevented in-depth discussion, he believes. “For the most part, we didn’t touch on any issues related to instruction.”</p>
<p>The Vocational Technical Education task force had limited participation. Only four of 12 members were from outside the school system. Three did not attend, and the other declined to comment on the process. One member from outside the administrative staff also declined to comment.</p>
<p>However, Principal Lona Bibbs of Westinghouse Vocational felt “quite comfortable” with her task force. “We were free to express what concerns we had,” she says.</p>
<p>Other task forces report strong participation. Heather Steans of the Steans Family Foundation notes “very high” turnout for the High School Restructuring task force. She finds items in the draft plan “true to what the group had talked about.”</p>
<p>Julie Woestehoff of Parents United for Responsible Education was similarly satisfied with the Student Development group.</p>
<p>In November, each task force issued a thick report, which the administration distilled into a readable 79-page draft. Originally, the administration intended to distribute copies by mid-November, but it didn’t get them out until the first week of December.</p>
<p>Public hearings were held the following week at three area high schools. Many who testified said they’d received the draft report only that day. Perhaps as a result, many teachers addressed the plan’s most obvious impact: It might cut jobs for voc-ed, art and physical education.</p>
<p>Chief of Staff Cozette Buckney estimates that 60 percent of the complaints from the hearings were about potential job loss rather than about the impact of the plan on students.</p>
<p>She found most comments along the lines of: “‘I prepared my whole life to teach this course, and now you’re saying it’s not important.’ … That colors it,” she says.</p>
<p>Hearings continued into the third week of December—with six regional meetings for teachers and counselors, and three more at central office for the general public. Eight “informational sessions” were scheduled at regional offices over Christmas break.</p>
<p>Teacher Beverly Helm of Bowen High attended one on Christmas eve. “It was a joke,” she says, “There was no information. They showed us into a conference room, we sat down, we wrote our comments, and that was it. They obviously did not expect anybody to show up. We surprised them.”</p>
<p>Scheduling hearings for the hectic month of December led some to question the board’s sincerity about soliciting public feedback. Buckney regrets the rush but says it was unavoidable. The original goal was to have a final plan ready in time for schools to incorporate changes—initially, expected to be major—into their school improvement plans for next school year.</p>
<p>Now that the scope of change has been narrowed, school planning can proceed without benefit of the final report, she says, noting that schools on probation already have picked up on some items.</p>
<p>Currently departments are debating the proposals and consulting with Reform Board trustees and task force members, says Buckney. The final plan is scheduled for release in March.</p> | 3,182 |
<p />
<p>Shares of SolarCity (NASDAQ:SCTY) jumped more than 18% on Thursday after the largest residential solar panel installer raised its full-year outlook, predicting a rise in installations.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The San Mateo, Calif.-based provider of solar energy systems, backed by Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) founder Elon Musk, raised its current-year forecast to between 500 and 550 megawatts from 475-525M MW previously.</p>
<p>It also said it expects to double installations in 2015 to 900 MW-1,000 MW, citing “growing confidence in the outlook for both demand and the scaling of [its] operations.”</p>
<p>The outlook was met with applause on Wall Street, including two upgrades: to “overweight” from “neutral” by JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) and to “buy” from “neutral” from Roth Capital.</p>
<p>Baird Capital raised its price target on the stock to $80 from $75 and maintained its “outperform” rating.</p>
<p>Shares of SolarCity were up 17.4% to $56 in recent trade, pushing them up some 133% over the last 12 months.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Roth Capital told clients on Thursday that SolarCity has demonstrated “material progress across nearly every aspect of its business.” It expects the company’s strong outlook to help “drive shares higher.”</p>
<p>“Even with large, well-capitalized competitors encroaching on residential solar, we believe that the total addressable market is substantial enough to accommodate multiple large players,” Roth said.</p>
<p>Of course, broader industry challenges remain, including further lowering the cost of solar cells, seen as one of the biggest impediments to demand.</p>
<p>SolarCity has helped to popularize residential solar panels by making them more affordable through a 20-year financing plan.</p> | SolarCity Forecasts Fresh Solar Demand, Shares Jump 18% | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2014/05/08/solarcity-forecasts-fresh-solar-demand-shares-jump-18.html | 2016-03-06 | 0right
| SolarCity Forecasts Fresh Solar Demand, Shares Jump 18%
<p />
<p>Shares of SolarCity (NASDAQ:SCTY) jumped more than 18% on Thursday after the largest residential solar panel installer raised its full-year outlook, predicting a rise in installations.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The San Mateo, Calif.-based provider of solar energy systems, backed by Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) founder Elon Musk, raised its current-year forecast to between 500 and 550 megawatts from 475-525M MW previously.</p>
<p>It also said it expects to double installations in 2015 to 900 MW-1,000 MW, citing “growing confidence in the outlook for both demand and the scaling of [its] operations.”</p>
<p>The outlook was met with applause on Wall Street, including two upgrades: to “overweight” from “neutral” by JPMorgan (NYSE:JPM) and to “buy” from “neutral” from Roth Capital.</p>
<p>Baird Capital raised its price target on the stock to $80 from $75 and maintained its “outperform” rating.</p>
<p>Shares of SolarCity were up 17.4% to $56 in recent trade, pushing them up some 133% over the last 12 months.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Roth Capital told clients on Thursday that SolarCity has demonstrated “material progress across nearly every aspect of its business.” It expects the company’s strong outlook to help “drive shares higher.”</p>
<p>“Even with large, well-capitalized competitors encroaching on residential solar, we believe that the total addressable market is substantial enough to accommodate multiple large players,” Roth said.</p>
<p>Of course, broader industry challenges remain, including further lowering the cost of solar cells, seen as one of the biggest impediments to demand.</p>
<p>SolarCity has helped to popularize residential solar panels by making them more affordable through a 20-year financing plan.</p> | 3,183 |
<p>Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) continued selling off its income-producing properties, which caused earnings to follow. That trend doesn't show any signs of ceasing since it has several more properties in various stages of the sales process.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Earnings fell with the property count:</p>
<p>CEO David Helfand commented on Equity Commonwealth's results during the accompanying conference call, noting that:</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Helfand pointed out that the underlying results of its retained portfolio continue heading in the right direction due to recently signed leases. One evidence of this was the increase in same-property net operating income (NOI), which rose 4.7% versus last year after leasing out existing space at higher rates. These higher-priced leases make those properties more valuable, which should help the company net a higher sales price from buyers. Because of that, it plans to continue selling properties and already has seven more on the market, which would shrink its portfolio another 35% and cut leasable space by 47%.</p>
<p>Given the healthy buyer appetite for real estate assets, Equity Commonwealth plans to continue selling properties. That said, its aim isn't to sell the entire company off one by one, but to shrink down to a strong core from which it can grow. That was clear by comments from CFO Adam Markman, who stated on that call:</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFmd19/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b46b9b52-b8ff-11e7-915c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Matthew DiLallo Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Equity Commonwealth. The Motley Fool recommends Equity Commonwealth. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b46b9b52-b8ff-11e7-915c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Equity Commonwealth Continues Emptying Out Its Portfolio | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/10/25/equity-commonwealth-continues-emptying-out-its-portfolio.html | 2017-10-25 | 0right
| Equity Commonwealth Continues Emptying Out Its Portfolio
<p>Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) continued selling off its income-producing properties, which caused earnings to follow. That trend doesn't show any signs of ceasing since it has several more properties in various stages of the sales process.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Earnings fell with the property count:</p>
<p>CEO David Helfand commented on Equity Commonwealth's results during the accompanying conference call, noting that:</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Helfand pointed out that the underlying results of its retained portfolio continue heading in the right direction due to recently signed leases. One evidence of this was the increase in same-property net operating income (NOI), which rose 4.7% versus last year after leasing out existing space at higher rates. These higher-priced leases make those properties more valuable, which should help the company net a higher sales price from buyers. Because of that, it plans to continue selling properties and already has seven more on the market, which would shrink its portfolio another 35% and cut leasable space by 47%.</p>
<p>Given the healthy buyer appetite for real estate assets, Equity Commonwealth plans to continue selling properties. That said, its aim isn't to sell the entire company off one by one, but to shrink down to a strong core from which it can grow. That was clear by comments from CFO Adam Markman, who stated on that call:</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFmd19/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b46b9b52-b8ff-11e7-915c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Matthew DiLallo Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Equity Commonwealth. The Motley Fool recommends Equity Commonwealth. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=b46b9b52-b8ff-11e7-915c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 3,184 |
<p>On Tuesday, Muhammad Mohsan, 18, was arrested and jailed in London after preying on lone women riding public buses and sexually assaulting them. Convicted on nine counts of sexual assault, which involved five different women ranging in age from 15 to 55, Mohsan was sentenced to serve only 16 months behind bars.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://news.met.police.uk/news/man-jailed-for-series-of-sexual-assaults-244971" type="external">Metropolitan Police</a>, Mohsan attacked the five lone women between March 2015 and January of this year, at various locations throughout London.</p>
<p />
<p>"Mohsan is a predatory offender who has brazenly targeted lone women in public, counting on their isolation and vulnerability to avoid being detected," said investigation officer DC Simon Osborne.</p>
<p>"He has shown little remorse for his actions or empathy for those he has assaulted. The lives of several of the women he attacked have been significantly impacted by his actions and the court has rightly taken this into consideration in determining his sentence," he said.</p>
<p>Mohsan's first attack was carried out on a 55-year-old woman. Sitting next to the woman on a bus as she rode home from work, "Mohsan began rubbing his leg against hers and despite her trying to move away from him in her seat, he persisted and then sexually assaulted her." After the woman departed from the bus, the perpetrator followed her until she confronted him, when he fled the scene.</p>
<p>Mohsan then preyed on a 16-year-old in December 2015: "He encouraged her to sit next to him and then proceeded to try to kiss her despite her resisting him. He then took her on a 205 bus to a secluded alley near a park where he sexually assaulted her, before taking her on another bus, the 274, and sexually assaulting her again. When they got off the bus, the victim lied about where she was going as she feared Mohsan was going to follow her. Mohsan was subsequently identified from his telephone number which he had given the girl and was arrested," reports Metro Police.</p>
<p>His next victim was a 35-year-old woman: "He began rubbing her leg with his leg before putting his hand on her leg. When she got off the bus, he followed and tried to engage her in conversation, asking if he could come to her home to charge his phone and telling the victim he would pay her £10 if she came to the park with him."</p>
<p>A 20-year-old victim was also sexually assaulted by Mohsan on a bus; "He started rubbing her leg and thigh and then sexually assaulted her. The victim got off the bus and Mohsan followed her. The victim then went into a nearby shop and Mohsan stopped following her. ... He also used his clothing and a bag to hide his hands while he sexually assaulted the victim."</p>
<p>His last reported victim was a 15-year-old girl who was riding the 110 bus home after visiting a friend's house. After attempting to engage in conversation with the victim, which, due to her young age, was a violation per his assault charge from December, Mohsan followed the girl when she got off the bus. "Becoming fearful of his behaviour and that he might follow her home, the victim walked in the opposite direction but he followed her and grabbed her, pulling her into a nearby area screened from the road by a bush. He then sexually assaulted her before releasing her and the victim made her way home."</p>
<p>Mohsan was arrested on March 16 and charged the following day.</p>
<p>"All of the women in this case have shown great bravery in coming forward and providing police with the necessary information for us to bring a prosecution and we thank them all for their support and assistance in our investigation," said Osborne.</p>
<p>The officer then encouraged "anyone who is the subject of a similar attack" to come forward. Osborne added that this case should be an "indication of the seriousness with which the police treat such matters and hope that this will give them confidence that if they do choose to report something to the police, the matter will be investigated thoroughly and positive outcomes can be achieved."</p>
<p>The criminal who sought out lone women and sexually attacked them on at least nine different occasions is set to serve only 16 months behind bars.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/may/26/rape-sentence-average-eight-years-justice-figures" type="external">average sentence</a> in the U.K. for rape is roughly eight years behind bars. It is unclear, though unlikely, if any of the acts of sexual assault perpetrated by Mohsan included rape, meaning penetration.</p> | London: Man Preyed On Lone Women Riding Buses, Sexually Assaulted 5 Of Them. His Sentence Is INSANE. | true | https://dailywire.com/news/17304/london-man-preyed-lone-women-riding-buses-sexually-amanda-prestigiacomo | 2017-06-08 | 0right
| London: Man Preyed On Lone Women Riding Buses, Sexually Assaulted 5 Of Them. His Sentence Is INSANE.
<p>On Tuesday, Muhammad Mohsan, 18, was arrested and jailed in London after preying on lone women riding public buses and sexually assaulting them. Convicted on nine counts of sexual assault, which involved five different women ranging in age from 15 to 55, Mohsan was sentenced to serve only 16 months behind bars.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://news.met.police.uk/news/man-jailed-for-series-of-sexual-assaults-244971" type="external">Metropolitan Police</a>, Mohsan attacked the five lone women between March 2015 and January of this year, at various locations throughout London.</p>
<p />
<p>"Mohsan is a predatory offender who has brazenly targeted lone women in public, counting on their isolation and vulnerability to avoid being detected," said investigation officer DC Simon Osborne.</p>
<p>"He has shown little remorse for his actions or empathy for those he has assaulted. The lives of several of the women he attacked have been significantly impacted by his actions and the court has rightly taken this into consideration in determining his sentence," he said.</p>
<p>Mohsan's first attack was carried out on a 55-year-old woman. Sitting next to the woman on a bus as she rode home from work, "Mohsan began rubbing his leg against hers and despite her trying to move away from him in her seat, he persisted and then sexually assaulted her." After the woman departed from the bus, the perpetrator followed her until she confronted him, when he fled the scene.</p>
<p>Mohsan then preyed on a 16-year-old in December 2015: "He encouraged her to sit next to him and then proceeded to try to kiss her despite her resisting him. He then took her on a 205 bus to a secluded alley near a park where he sexually assaulted her, before taking her on another bus, the 274, and sexually assaulting her again. When they got off the bus, the victim lied about where she was going as she feared Mohsan was going to follow her. Mohsan was subsequently identified from his telephone number which he had given the girl and was arrested," reports Metro Police.</p>
<p>His next victim was a 35-year-old woman: "He began rubbing her leg with his leg before putting his hand on her leg. When she got off the bus, he followed and tried to engage her in conversation, asking if he could come to her home to charge his phone and telling the victim he would pay her £10 if she came to the park with him."</p>
<p>A 20-year-old victim was also sexually assaulted by Mohsan on a bus; "He started rubbing her leg and thigh and then sexually assaulted her. The victim got off the bus and Mohsan followed her. The victim then went into a nearby shop and Mohsan stopped following her. ... He also used his clothing and a bag to hide his hands while he sexually assaulted the victim."</p>
<p>His last reported victim was a 15-year-old girl who was riding the 110 bus home after visiting a friend's house. After attempting to engage in conversation with the victim, which, due to her young age, was a violation per his assault charge from December, Mohsan followed the girl when she got off the bus. "Becoming fearful of his behaviour and that he might follow her home, the victim walked in the opposite direction but he followed her and grabbed her, pulling her into a nearby area screened from the road by a bush. He then sexually assaulted her before releasing her and the victim made her way home."</p>
<p>Mohsan was arrested on March 16 and charged the following day.</p>
<p>"All of the women in this case have shown great bravery in coming forward and providing police with the necessary information for us to bring a prosecution and we thank them all for their support and assistance in our investigation," said Osborne.</p>
<p>The officer then encouraged "anyone who is the subject of a similar attack" to come forward. Osborne added that this case should be an "indication of the seriousness with which the police treat such matters and hope that this will give them confidence that if they do choose to report something to the police, the matter will be investigated thoroughly and positive outcomes can be achieved."</p>
<p>The criminal who sought out lone women and sexually attacked them on at least nine different occasions is set to serve only 16 months behind bars.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2011/may/26/rape-sentence-average-eight-years-justice-figures" type="external">average sentence</a> in the U.K. for rape is roughly eight years behind bars. It is unclear, though unlikely, if any of the acts of sexual assault perpetrated by Mohsan included rape, meaning penetration.</p> | 3,185 |
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<p />
<p>Many New Mexico voters are concerned about the economy. So it is important they ask their legislative candidates who should lead the way in drumming up emerging business in the Land of Enchantment:</p>
<p>Entrepreneurs or trial lawyers?</p>
<p>Because so far the New Mexico Legislature has been swayed by trial attorney lobbyists who have successfully argued to keep Spaceport America decidedly uncompetitive. They claim individuals who fork over $200,000 to ride into suborbital space, are briefed for days about the risks and sign legal waivers should still be able to sue parts companies if something not involving “gross negligence evidencing willful/wanton disregard for safety” goes wrong.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>To be clear, the limited liability legislation that will be proposed again next legislative session affects only passengers who have signed waivers to fly into space.</p>
<p>Yet the trial lawyer lobby has to date persuaded the Legislature to set a course that will help ground the viability of a $209 million state investment.</p>
<p>It’s not a new phenomenon in New Mexico. Roswell Republican Rep. Dennis Kintigh pointed out in an opinion piece in the Journal last month that the state’s anti-business taxation, regulation and litigation environments are well known outside state borders. This year Chief Executive Magazine surveyed 650 business leaders, who ranked New Mexico 33rd based on taxation and regulation. Two years ago the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform surveyed more than 1,400 attorneys and senior executives, who rated New Mexico 41st for its “litigation environment.” And in July CNBC released its annual “Top States for Business,” in which New Mexico came in tied for 36th; every surrounding state ranked higher, with Texas in first, Utah second, Colorado eighth, Arizona 22nd and Oklahoma 23rd.</p>
<p>It all makes New Mexico look like a good place to do business and create jobs — if you want to lose money or get sued.</p>
<p>The trial attorneys’ Spaceport argument has already cost the state and the local economy a tenant, according to Executive Director Christine Anderson. She says that company opted to locate its headquarters in Florida, which provides legal immunity to parts manufacturers. Texas, Virginia and Colorado — all states that want to get in on the ground floor of this cutting-edge business — have similar laws.</p>
<p>And while New Mexico already has provided legal immunity for anchor Virgin Galactic and any other spaceflight companies, what it needs is a synergy involving those types of companies and their ancillary suppliers. Anderson makes a brutally strong point that “we can’t have a spaceport with only one tenant.” We need the manufacturing and support companies that go with it.</p>
<p>New Mexico taxpayers have already invested $209 million in this economic experiment involving the final frontier. It made sense that the state would be at the head of the competition, considering its airspace, Air Force bases, White Sands Missile Range and national labs.</p>
<p>But it’s not.</p>
<p>So before voters who are worried about the economy go to the polls, they should ask their legislative candidates where they stand on investments like Spaceport America, and whether lawmakers should give it the power it needs to really take off.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p> | Editorial: Will Legislature Ground Spaceport’s Chances? | false | https://abqjournal.com/127865/will-legislature-ground-spaceports-chances.html | 2012-09-02 | 2least
| Editorial: Will Legislature Ground Spaceport’s Chances?
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<p />
<p>Many New Mexico voters are concerned about the economy. So it is important they ask their legislative candidates who should lead the way in drumming up emerging business in the Land of Enchantment:</p>
<p>Entrepreneurs or trial lawyers?</p>
<p>Because so far the New Mexico Legislature has been swayed by trial attorney lobbyists who have successfully argued to keep Spaceport America decidedly uncompetitive. They claim individuals who fork over $200,000 to ride into suborbital space, are briefed for days about the risks and sign legal waivers should still be able to sue parts companies if something not involving “gross negligence evidencing willful/wanton disregard for safety” goes wrong.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>To be clear, the limited liability legislation that will be proposed again next legislative session affects only passengers who have signed waivers to fly into space.</p>
<p>Yet the trial lawyer lobby has to date persuaded the Legislature to set a course that will help ground the viability of a $209 million state investment.</p>
<p>It’s not a new phenomenon in New Mexico. Roswell Republican Rep. Dennis Kintigh pointed out in an opinion piece in the Journal last month that the state’s anti-business taxation, regulation and litigation environments are well known outside state borders. This year Chief Executive Magazine surveyed 650 business leaders, who ranked New Mexico 33rd based on taxation and regulation. Two years ago the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform surveyed more than 1,400 attorneys and senior executives, who rated New Mexico 41st for its “litigation environment.” And in July CNBC released its annual “Top States for Business,” in which New Mexico came in tied for 36th; every surrounding state ranked higher, with Texas in first, Utah second, Colorado eighth, Arizona 22nd and Oklahoma 23rd.</p>
<p>It all makes New Mexico look like a good place to do business and create jobs — if you want to lose money or get sued.</p>
<p>The trial attorneys’ Spaceport argument has already cost the state and the local economy a tenant, according to Executive Director Christine Anderson. She says that company opted to locate its headquarters in Florida, which provides legal immunity to parts manufacturers. Texas, Virginia and Colorado — all states that want to get in on the ground floor of this cutting-edge business — have similar laws.</p>
<p>And while New Mexico already has provided legal immunity for anchor Virgin Galactic and any other spaceflight companies, what it needs is a synergy involving those types of companies and their ancillary suppliers. Anderson makes a brutally strong point that “we can’t have a spaceport with only one tenant.” We need the manufacturing and support companies that go with it.</p>
<p>New Mexico taxpayers have already invested $209 million in this economic experiment involving the final frontier. It made sense that the state would be at the head of the competition, considering its airspace, Air Force bases, White Sands Missile Range and national labs.</p>
<p>But it’s not.</p>
<p>So before voters who are worried about the economy go to the polls, they should ask their legislative candidates where they stand on investments like Spaceport America, and whether lawmakers should give it the power it needs to really take off.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p> | 3,186 |
<p>It is 1939 all over again.&#160; The world waits helplessly for the next act of naked aggression by rogue states.&#160; Only this time the rogue states are not the Third Reich and Fascist Italy.&#160; They are the United States and Israel.</p>
<p>The targeted victims are not Poland and France, but Iran, Syria, the remains of the Palestinian West Bank and southern Lebanon.</p>
<p>The American mass media is overjoyed.&#160; War coverage attracts viewers and sells advertising.</p>
<p>The neoconservatives are ecstatic. Hegemony uber alles is back on track.</p>
<p>The US Air Force can’t wait “to show what it can do.”</p>
<p>Defense contractors see no end of the profits.</p>
<p>Under cover of the mayhem and propaganda, Israel can grab the remains of the West Bank and have another go at grabbing the water resources of southern Lebanon.</p>
<p>Unlike the US and Israel, Iran is neither occupying any other country’s territory nor threatening to invade another country.&#160; Nevertheless, propaganda against Iran is spouting from US and Israeli mouths at an increasing rate.&#160; Lie after lie rolls off the tongues of leaders of the “two great democracies.”</p>
<p>On April 27 Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, blamed Iran for “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq.&#160; Has Admiral Mullen forgot that it is the US, not Iran, that is responsible for as many as one million dead Iraqis and four million displaced Iraqis, the “collateral damage” of a “cakewalk war” now into its sixth year?</p>
<p>On April 26 the Washington Post reported that “the Pentagon is planning for potential military courses of action” against Iran. The Bush Regime’s national security advisor says Iran is a threat in Iraq, an accusation echoed endlessly by secretary of defense Robert Gates, secretary of state Rice, vice president Cheney, and president Bush.&#160; The US, which has 150,000 troops in Iraq, is not a threat. The US troops are protecting Iraq from Iran, al Qaeda, and the Taliban.&#160; Just ask Fox “News.”</p>
<p>Doing its part to egg on war with Iran, the US TV news program, “60 MInutes,” gave air time to the commander of the Israeli Air Force, General Eliezer Shkedi, who declared in a special interview that Iranian president Ahmadinejad was the new Hitler and that we must not again make the mistake of disbelieving a Hitler.</p>
<p>There are better candidates for the role than Ahmadinejad. Gen. Shkedi himself sounds like Hitler blaming Poland for the outbreak of the second world war. Ahmadinejad has attacked no country, whereas Israel repeatedly invades its neighbors and continues 40-year occupations of Syrian and Palestinian territory.</p>
<p>As Noam Chomsky has written, the US government thinks that it owns the world (Chomsky could have added that Israel thinks it owns the Middle East and America).&#160; Americans can wallow in indignation over China’s occupation of Tibet, but be perfectly content with America’s occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel can wax eloquently about “Palestinian terrorism” while its military and Zionist settlers terrorize Palestinians.</p>
<p>Americans see no hypocrisy in “their” government’s damning of Russia for opposing the incorporation of former Russian satellites and constituent parts in a US military alliance.</p>
<p>Americans see manifest destiny, not US aggression, when “their” government drops bombs on Serbia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Pakistan.&#160; Americans do not think it is aggression for them to develop war plans to attack Iran or China or N. Korea or whomever, or to maintain hundreds of military bases all over the globe.&#160; The same Americans work themselves into hysterical frenzies over “Iranian influence in Iraq” and “al Qaeda plans to bring the war to America.”</p>
<p>As Chomsky says, we own the world.&#160; No one else counts. Except Israel.</p>
<p>Israel counts so much that every presidential candidate has declared his and her willingness to expend whatever American blood and treasure are necessary “to protect Israel.”&#160; There are no limits on the promise “to defend Israel,” no matter what Israel does, no matter if Israel initiates (yet again) war with its neighbors, no matter if it continues to force Palestinians out of their homes and villages in order to “create living room” for Israelis.</p>
<p>With this sort of promise, why should Israel ever settle for anything less than “greater Israel”?</p>
<p>Just as the US government launched its illegal invasion of Iraq on the back of lies about weapons of mass destruction and mushroom clouds, the US government claims it must attack Iran or Iran will build a nuclear weapon.&#160; The Bush Regime has learned never to discard a lie as long as it works.</p>
<p>The lie works for the US Congress, the US media and much of the US public, but it is breaking down abroad.&#160; On April 27 the British newspaper, the Independent, responded to the recent US government claim that the Syrian facility attacked last September by Israel in an act of naked aggression was a nuclear reactor built by N. Korea:</p>
<p>“There is no independent way to verify any of this, especially since the installation has now been destroyed. We must rely on the integrity of the Israeli and US intelligence.&#160; That is where we hit a problem. The former US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented similar evidence to the United Nations Security Council in February 2003 showing what we were told was strong evidence of Iraqi storage of weapons of mass destruction. As we all know, that intelligence turned out to be bogus.”</p>
<p>A needless war, a country destroyed, all for bogus intelligence.</p>
<p>Why must we repeat our crime in Iran?</p>
<p>Why do we persist in our crime in Iraq?&#160; On April 27 McClatchy Newspapers reported that 50 Iraqi political leaders representing numerous political groups including Sunnis went to Sadr City to protest the siege by the US military.&#160; Why is al Sadr under seige?</p>
<p>He called for a halt to bloodshed between Iraqis, for a “liberation of ourselves and our lands from the occupier,” for “a real government and real sovereignty.”&#160; However, for the Bush Regime, rhetoric about “freedom and democracy” is but a mask behind which to impose a US puppet government.&#160; Real Iraqi leaders like al Sadr are “terrorists” who must be eliminated.</p>
<p>Why do the American people and “their” representatives in Congress continue to tolerate a criminal Bush Regime that uses lies and propaganda to mask its acts of naked aggression, war crimes under the Nuremberg standard?</p>
<p>Why does the rest of the world continue to receive political representatives from a war criminal government?</p>
<p>What if the rest of the world told the US to close its bases, its embassies, its CIA operations and to go home?</p>
<p>Self-righteous Americans would regard such demands as effrontery!&#160; We own the world.</p>
<p>PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of <a href="" type="internal">The Tyranny of Good Intentions.</a>He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | The Iraq War Morphs Into the Iran War | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/04/29/the-iraq-war-morphs-into-the-iran-war/ | 2008-04-29 | 4left
| The Iraq War Morphs Into the Iran War
<p>It is 1939 all over again.&#160; The world waits helplessly for the next act of naked aggression by rogue states.&#160; Only this time the rogue states are not the Third Reich and Fascist Italy.&#160; They are the United States and Israel.</p>
<p>The targeted victims are not Poland and France, but Iran, Syria, the remains of the Palestinian West Bank and southern Lebanon.</p>
<p>The American mass media is overjoyed.&#160; War coverage attracts viewers and sells advertising.</p>
<p>The neoconservatives are ecstatic. Hegemony uber alles is back on track.</p>
<p>The US Air Force can’t wait “to show what it can do.”</p>
<p>Defense contractors see no end of the profits.</p>
<p>Under cover of the mayhem and propaganda, Israel can grab the remains of the West Bank and have another go at grabbing the water resources of southern Lebanon.</p>
<p>Unlike the US and Israel, Iran is neither occupying any other country’s territory nor threatening to invade another country.&#160; Nevertheless, propaganda against Iran is spouting from US and Israeli mouths at an increasing rate.&#160; Lie after lie rolls off the tongues of leaders of the “two great democracies.”</p>
<p>On April 27 Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, blamed Iran for “increasingly lethal and malign influence” in Iraq.&#160; Has Admiral Mullen forgot that it is the US, not Iran, that is responsible for as many as one million dead Iraqis and four million displaced Iraqis, the “collateral damage” of a “cakewalk war” now into its sixth year?</p>
<p>On April 26 the Washington Post reported that “the Pentagon is planning for potential military courses of action” against Iran. The Bush Regime’s national security advisor says Iran is a threat in Iraq, an accusation echoed endlessly by secretary of defense Robert Gates, secretary of state Rice, vice president Cheney, and president Bush.&#160; The US, which has 150,000 troops in Iraq, is not a threat. The US troops are protecting Iraq from Iran, al Qaeda, and the Taliban.&#160; Just ask Fox “News.”</p>
<p>Doing its part to egg on war with Iran, the US TV news program, “60 MInutes,” gave air time to the commander of the Israeli Air Force, General Eliezer Shkedi, who declared in a special interview that Iranian president Ahmadinejad was the new Hitler and that we must not again make the mistake of disbelieving a Hitler.</p>
<p>There are better candidates for the role than Ahmadinejad. Gen. Shkedi himself sounds like Hitler blaming Poland for the outbreak of the second world war. Ahmadinejad has attacked no country, whereas Israel repeatedly invades its neighbors and continues 40-year occupations of Syrian and Palestinian territory.</p>
<p>As Noam Chomsky has written, the US government thinks that it owns the world (Chomsky could have added that Israel thinks it owns the Middle East and America).&#160; Americans can wallow in indignation over China’s occupation of Tibet, but be perfectly content with America’s occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel can wax eloquently about “Palestinian terrorism” while its military and Zionist settlers terrorize Palestinians.</p>
<p>Americans see no hypocrisy in “their” government’s damning of Russia for opposing the incorporation of former Russian satellites and constituent parts in a US military alliance.</p>
<p>Americans see manifest destiny, not US aggression, when “their” government drops bombs on Serbia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Pakistan.&#160; Americans do not think it is aggression for them to develop war plans to attack Iran or China or N. Korea or whomever, or to maintain hundreds of military bases all over the globe.&#160; The same Americans work themselves into hysterical frenzies over “Iranian influence in Iraq” and “al Qaeda plans to bring the war to America.”</p>
<p>As Chomsky says, we own the world.&#160; No one else counts. Except Israel.</p>
<p>Israel counts so much that every presidential candidate has declared his and her willingness to expend whatever American blood and treasure are necessary “to protect Israel.”&#160; There are no limits on the promise “to defend Israel,” no matter what Israel does, no matter if Israel initiates (yet again) war with its neighbors, no matter if it continues to force Palestinians out of their homes and villages in order to “create living room” for Israelis.</p>
<p>With this sort of promise, why should Israel ever settle for anything less than “greater Israel”?</p>
<p>Just as the US government launched its illegal invasion of Iraq on the back of lies about weapons of mass destruction and mushroom clouds, the US government claims it must attack Iran or Iran will build a nuclear weapon.&#160; The Bush Regime has learned never to discard a lie as long as it works.</p>
<p>The lie works for the US Congress, the US media and much of the US public, but it is breaking down abroad.&#160; On April 27 the British newspaper, the Independent, responded to the recent US government claim that the Syrian facility attacked last September by Israel in an act of naked aggression was a nuclear reactor built by N. Korea:</p>
<p>“There is no independent way to verify any of this, especially since the installation has now been destroyed. We must rely on the integrity of the Israeli and US intelligence.&#160; That is where we hit a problem. The former US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented similar evidence to the United Nations Security Council in February 2003 showing what we were told was strong evidence of Iraqi storage of weapons of mass destruction. As we all know, that intelligence turned out to be bogus.”</p>
<p>A needless war, a country destroyed, all for bogus intelligence.</p>
<p>Why must we repeat our crime in Iran?</p>
<p>Why do we persist in our crime in Iraq?&#160; On April 27 McClatchy Newspapers reported that 50 Iraqi political leaders representing numerous political groups including Sunnis went to Sadr City to protest the siege by the US military.&#160; Why is al Sadr under seige?</p>
<p>He called for a halt to bloodshed between Iraqis, for a “liberation of ourselves and our lands from the occupier,” for “a real government and real sovereignty.”&#160; However, for the Bush Regime, rhetoric about “freedom and democracy” is but a mask behind which to impose a US puppet government.&#160; Real Iraqi leaders like al Sadr are “terrorists” who must be eliminated.</p>
<p>Why do the American people and “their” representatives in Congress continue to tolerate a criminal Bush Regime that uses lies and propaganda to mask its acts of naked aggression, war crimes under the Nuremberg standard?</p>
<p>Why does the rest of the world continue to receive political representatives from a war criminal government?</p>
<p>What if the rest of the world told the US to close its bases, its embassies, its CIA operations and to go home?</p>
<p>Self-righteous Americans would regard such demands as effrontery!&#160; We own the world.</p>
<p>PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of <a href="" type="internal">The Tyranny of Good Intentions.</a>He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
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<p>Oct. 11 (UPI) — Spanish Prime Minister <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Mariano_Rajoy/" type="external">Mariano Rajoy</a> convened an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday — the first step toward a possible a “nuclear option” to suspend Catalonia’s potential independence.</p>
<p>Rajoy called the meeting to discuss Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which would allow the leader to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy and order new elections.</p>
<p>First, though, <a href="https://www.thelocal.es/20171011/spanish-pm-rajoy-asks-catalan-government-to-clarify-if-it-declared-independence" type="external">Rajoy said it needs to be determined</a> whether Catalonia’s leader, Carles Puigdemont, declared independence on Tuesday.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dw.com/en/mariano-rajoy-mulls-nuclear-option-on-catalan-autonomy/a-40901521" type="external">Spain’s actions</a> will depend on Puigdemont’s explanation of whether or not Catalonia regards itself as a breakaway republic.</p>
<p>“This requirement is necessary when activating Article 155 of the constitution. With it we want to offer certainty to citizens,” Rajoy said. “If Puigdemont respects the law, it will end a period of illegality and uncertainty. That’s what everyone is waiting for in order to end the situation Catalonia is experiencing.”</p>
<p>The region, in eastern Spain, has some governmental autonomy due to its unique culture and history. A decades-long push for independence resulted <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/10/01/Catalan-signals-move-toward-independence-Rajoy-says-no-vote-took-place/1671506867646/" type="external">in a referendum</a> on Oct. 1, when the overwhelming majority of the 2.3 million voters favored independence. Police, directed from the federal capital of Madrid, occupied some polling stations to prevent voting — leading to some violence in Catalonian cities, like Barcelona.</p>
<p>Pro-independence leaders promised a breakaway state within 48 hours of the referendum.</p>
<p>Tuesday, Puigdemont symbolically declared independence — but did not expressly pledge it.</p>
<p>“I assume the mandate for Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic,” he said, also calling for “a reasonable dialogue, a mediation with the Spanish state.”</p>
<p>Over the weekend, Rajoy threatened to suspend Catalonia’s semi-autonomy and impose direct rule from Madrid.</p>
<p>Prior to Puigdemont’s address Tuesday, the Catalan leader received <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/catalonia-seccession/4063821.html" type="external">numerous pleas</a> from European leaders to continue negotiations with the Spanish government on the issue.</p>
<p>“A man who knows what it feels like to be hit with a police baton, today I ask you to respect, in your intentions, the constitutional order and not to announce a decision that would make such a dialogue impossible,” Daniel Tusk, a Polish diplomat and president of the European Commission, said.</p>
<p>Tusk added that he asked Rajoy to look for a solution to the problem without the use of force.</p>
<p>“Because the force of arguments is always better than the argument of force.”</p> | Spanish PM eyes 'nuclear option,' wants clarification on Catalonia's plans | false | https://newsline.com/spanish-pm-eyes-nuclear-option-wants-clarification-on-catalonias-plans/ | 2017-10-11 | 1right-center
| Spanish PM eyes 'nuclear option,' wants clarification on Catalonia's plans
<p>Oct. 11 (UPI) — Spanish Prime Minister <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Mariano_Rajoy/" type="external">Mariano Rajoy</a> convened an emergency cabinet meeting on Wednesday — the first step toward a possible a “nuclear option” to suspend Catalonia’s potential independence.</p>
<p>Rajoy called the meeting to discuss Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which would allow the leader to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy and order new elections.</p>
<p>First, though, <a href="https://www.thelocal.es/20171011/spanish-pm-rajoy-asks-catalan-government-to-clarify-if-it-declared-independence" type="external">Rajoy said it needs to be determined</a> whether Catalonia’s leader, Carles Puigdemont, declared independence on Tuesday.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dw.com/en/mariano-rajoy-mulls-nuclear-option-on-catalan-autonomy/a-40901521" type="external">Spain’s actions</a> will depend on Puigdemont’s explanation of whether or not Catalonia regards itself as a breakaway republic.</p>
<p>“This requirement is necessary when activating Article 155 of the constitution. With it we want to offer certainty to citizens,” Rajoy said. “If Puigdemont respects the law, it will end a period of illegality and uncertainty. That’s what everyone is waiting for in order to end the situation Catalonia is experiencing.”</p>
<p>The region, in eastern Spain, has some governmental autonomy due to its unique culture and history. A decades-long push for independence resulted <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/10/01/Catalan-signals-move-toward-independence-Rajoy-says-no-vote-took-place/1671506867646/" type="external">in a referendum</a> on Oct. 1, when the overwhelming majority of the 2.3 million voters favored independence. Police, directed from the federal capital of Madrid, occupied some polling stations to prevent voting — leading to some violence in Catalonian cities, like Barcelona.</p>
<p>Pro-independence leaders promised a breakaway state within 48 hours of the referendum.</p>
<p>Tuesday, Puigdemont symbolically declared independence — but did not expressly pledge it.</p>
<p>“I assume the mandate for Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic,” he said, also calling for “a reasonable dialogue, a mediation with the Spanish state.”</p>
<p>Over the weekend, Rajoy threatened to suspend Catalonia’s semi-autonomy and impose direct rule from Madrid.</p>
<p>Prior to Puigdemont’s address Tuesday, the Catalan leader received <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/catalonia-seccession/4063821.html" type="external">numerous pleas</a> from European leaders to continue negotiations with the Spanish government on the issue.</p>
<p>“A man who knows what it feels like to be hit with a police baton, today I ask you to respect, in your intentions, the constitutional order and not to announce a decision that would make such a dialogue impossible,” Daniel Tusk, a Polish diplomat and president of the European Commission, said.</p>
<p>Tusk added that he asked Rajoy to look for a solution to the problem without the use of force.</p>
<p>“Because the force of arguments is always better than the argument of force.”</p> | 3,188 |
<p>More than $1 billion of the district’s $4 billion operating budget is allocated to “citywide services,” a catch-all pot of money that makes it difficult to track where the money is spent.</p>
<p>Roughly $200 million of this pot comes from state and federal grants that are distributed to schools at the discretion of the CPS leadership. These grants pay for educational programs, such as the reading initiative and the math and science initiative.</p>
<p>Salaries for reading coaches who are assigned to work with schools on probation are paid out of this fund because staffing formulas would not allow for such extra supports.</p>
<p>Other expenses budgeted to citywide services include teacher pensions and student transportation. Also, some lunchroom and facility operations staff who work in schools are budgeted centrally.</p>
<p>CPS Budget Director Pedro Martinez admits the current system makes it impossible to track all of its school-level spending. “We don’t have a cost accounting system,” he says. “Most organizations can tell to the unit, to the dollar, the labor and material costs.”</p>
<p>Martinez says a new CPS financial system, slated for launch next fall, will help shed more light on how district funds are budgeted, and scrapping staffing formulas for per-pupil budgeting will ensure equity.</p>
<p>However, watchdog groups complain that the CPS budget is “impenetrable” and are skeptical of the planned improvements.</p>
<p>Clearing up longstanding mysteries would be a plus, but “with the CPS budget, just know that you will never know,” says Diana Lauber, managing director of Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform, which supports per-pupil budgeting.</p>
<p>“I’m astounded by all the money that’s in [citywide services],” notes Christina Warden, also of Cross City. Warden analyzed CPS small high school budgets and found dozens had circumvented staffing formulas, which meant the official budget was “virtually useless.”</p>
<p>She also explains that small high schools get grant money directly from private foundations; funds that are accounted for in the schools’ internal budget, but not in the official district document.</p>
<p>Andrea Lee, who until recently tracked the CPS budget for Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, says monitoring the district’s capital funding is a “nightmare.” She tracks funding from year-to-year and routinely sees entire projects “disappear” from the capital budget without explanation.</p>
<p>The district’s efforts to improving budget transparency is prompted, in part, by pressure from the U.S. Justice Department to comply with an ongoing desegregation consent decree. For the first time last year, for instance, CPS conducted its own analysis of school-level spending by race.</p>
<p>Since then, it has embarked on a process to allocate citywide and administrative costs to schools in an effort to figure out how much it costs to educate a child here.</p>
<p>To contact John Myers, call (312) 673-3874 or send an e-mail to [email protected].</p> | Tracking elusive school-level spending | false | http://chicagoreporter.com/tracking-elusive-school-level-spending/ | 2006-01-06 | 3left-center
| Tracking elusive school-level spending
<p>More than $1 billion of the district’s $4 billion operating budget is allocated to “citywide services,” a catch-all pot of money that makes it difficult to track where the money is spent.</p>
<p>Roughly $200 million of this pot comes from state and federal grants that are distributed to schools at the discretion of the CPS leadership. These grants pay for educational programs, such as the reading initiative and the math and science initiative.</p>
<p>Salaries for reading coaches who are assigned to work with schools on probation are paid out of this fund because staffing formulas would not allow for such extra supports.</p>
<p>Other expenses budgeted to citywide services include teacher pensions and student transportation. Also, some lunchroom and facility operations staff who work in schools are budgeted centrally.</p>
<p>CPS Budget Director Pedro Martinez admits the current system makes it impossible to track all of its school-level spending. “We don’t have a cost accounting system,” he says. “Most organizations can tell to the unit, to the dollar, the labor and material costs.”</p>
<p>Martinez says a new CPS financial system, slated for launch next fall, will help shed more light on how district funds are budgeted, and scrapping staffing formulas for per-pupil budgeting will ensure equity.</p>
<p>However, watchdog groups complain that the CPS budget is “impenetrable” and are skeptical of the planned improvements.</p>
<p>Clearing up longstanding mysteries would be a plus, but “with the CPS budget, just know that you will never know,” says Diana Lauber, managing director of Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform, which supports per-pupil budgeting.</p>
<p>“I’m astounded by all the money that’s in [citywide services],” notes Christina Warden, also of Cross City. Warden analyzed CPS small high school budgets and found dozens had circumvented staffing formulas, which meant the official budget was “virtually useless.”</p>
<p>She also explains that small high schools get grant money directly from private foundations; funds that are accounted for in the schools’ internal budget, but not in the official district document.</p>
<p>Andrea Lee, who until recently tracked the CPS budget for Neighborhood Capital Budget Group, says monitoring the district’s capital funding is a “nightmare.” She tracks funding from year-to-year and routinely sees entire projects “disappear” from the capital budget without explanation.</p>
<p>The district’s efforts to improving budget transparency is prompted, in part, by pressure from the U.S. Justice Department to comply with an ongoing desegregation consent decree. For the first time last year, for instance, CPS conducted its own analysis of school-level spending by race.</p>
<p>Since then, it has embarked on a process to allocate citywide and administrative costs to schools in an effort to figure out how much it costs to educate a child here.</p>
<p>To contact John Myers, call (312) 673-3874 or send an e-mail to [email protected].</p> | 3,189 |
<p>Technology shares worst hit, down 0.9%</p>
<p>U.S. stocks lost ground Thursday, pulling back from all-time highs as traders fretted over possible delays to passing Republican tax-cut legislation in Washington.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A selloff in so-called FANG stocks, that include Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Google's parent Alphabet, were also weighing on sentiment.</p>
<p>What are stock indexes doing?</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 fell 13 points, or 0.5%, to 2,580, with nine of the 11 main sectors trading lower. Technology stocks were leading the losses, down 1.1%. The FANG+ futures of 10 stocks that include the largest technology companies were down 0.8%.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq Composite Index slid 51 points, or 0.8%, to 6,737.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 128 points, or 0.5%, to 23,435.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The losses come after all three major gauges pushed further into record territory on Wednesday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-set-to-cool-its-heels-after-another-record-close-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>The three indexes finished at all-time highs on the same day for the 27th time in 2017. For the Dow, it was the 59th closing high of the year so far, while it was the 53rd for the S&amp;P 500 and the 64th for the Nasdaq.</p>
<p>What's driving the market?</p>
<p>Hopes that President Donald Trump's administration will deliver a major U.S. tax overhaul--including a business-friendly tax cut--have boosted markets recently. But investors seem to be increasingly concerned the Republicans' tax reform bill will be delayed or not passed at all.</p>
<p>On Thursday, Senate Republicans are expected to unveil a tax plan that diverges from that of House Republicans by not fully repealing the estate tax (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-claims-hed-be-big-loser-from-tax-plan-how-the-senates-bill-may-differ-from-houses-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>See:How the Republican tax plan would affect homeowners and buyers (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-claims-hed-be-big-loser-from-tax-plan-how-the-senates-bill-may-differ-from-houses-2017-11-08)</p>
<p>The Federal Reserve isn't factoring the tax bill into its monetary policy forecasts because it is unclear still what will and won't be included, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said on CNBC Thursday morning. "I need to see more of the details," she said. Mester isn't a voting member of the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee this year.</p>
<p>The tax bill written by House Republicans would boost the U.S. deficit by $300 billion more (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cbo-says-tax-bill-would-increase-deficit-by-17-trillion-2017-11-08) than lawmakers estimated, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. And over a decade, it would increase the deficit by $1.7 trillion, beyond the $1.5 trillion required to meet Senate rules under the recently passed budget.</p>
<p>Read:1 in 5 would see tax hike in a decade under Republican bill, congressional analysis finds (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-in-five-would-see-tax-hike-in-a-decade-under-republican-bill-congressional-analysis-finds-2017-11-07).</p>
<p>What are strategists saying?</p>
<p>"Sometimes you don't need a reason for markets to have a normal 3%-5% correction after a huge run-up. It is possible today is one of those days," said Mark Kepner, managing director of sales and trading at Themis Trading.</p>
<p>Kepner said worries over the Republican-controlled House's ability to pass the tax bill is likely weighing on small-cap stocks.</p>
<p>"Smaller companies and businesses are more sensitive to the corporate tax cut, so their prices will reflect such fears, unlike multinationals, that already have low effective tax rates," Kepner said.</p>
<p>Which stocks are in focus?</p>
<p>Roku Inc.(ROKU) shares soared 34%. The video-streaming company in its first earnings report as a public company late Wednesday, posting profit and revenue that both beat forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/here-are-the-numbers-that-sent-roku-stock-soaring-after-its-first-earnings-report-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>Kohl's Corp. (KSS) shares tumbled 6.1% after lowering its 2018 earnings outlook and reporting quarterly profit that was slightly weaker than expected, though earnings exceeded estimates.</p>
<p>Office Depot Inc. (ODP) shares jumped 7.3% after the firm reported quarterly results that were better than expected (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/office-depot-beats-estimates-despite-hurricane-impact-2017-11-09).</p>
<p>Sage Therapeutics Inc. shares surged 42% after the company said its postpartum-depression therapy (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sage-therapeutics-stock-surges-50-on-positive-trial-results-in-postpartum-depression-2017-11-09) has positive results in two late-stage clinical trials.</p>
<p>Shares of Vista Outdoor Inc. (VSTO) dropped 28% after the gun and outdoor-sports-products company beat fiscal second-quarter profit expectations (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/vista-outdoors-stock-tumbles-after-sales-miss-and-slashed-outlook-offsets-profit-beat-2017-11-09), but missed on sales and slashed its full-year outlook.</p>
<p>D.R. Horton Inc.(DHI) stock rose 2% after beating profit and sales forecasts.</p>
<p>Shares of Macy's Inc.(M) rose 4.5% as the retailers earnings came ahead of expectations.</p>
<p>After the market closes, results from Walt Disney Co.(DIS), Nordstrom Inc.(JWN) and Nvidia Corp.(NVDA) are slated to release earnings. News Corp.(NWS.AU)--the owner of MarketWatch--is also on the earnings docket after hours.</p>
<p>Disney earnings preview:It's a transition period for the media and entertainment company (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/disney-earnings-its-a-transition-period-for-the-media-and-entertainment-company-2017-11-01)</p>
<p>Shares of Snap Inc.(SNAP) fell 4.6% after a 15% loss posted on Wednesday that came after the company posted disappointing quarterly results (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/snaps-stock-sinks-as-disappointing-results-outweigh-large-tencent-stake-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>Opinion:The outlook for Snap isn't as gloomy as the stock market suggests (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-death-of-snap-is-being-greatly-exaggerated-2017-11-08)</p>
<p>Perrigo Co. PLC(PRGO) jumped 10% after the health-products maker reported better-than-expected earnings.</p>
<p>What's on the economic calendar?</p>
<p>Weekly jobless claims (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/four-week-jobless-claims-average-falls-to-lowest-level-since-march-1973-2017-11-09)for the week ended Nov. 4 rose by 10,000 to 239,000, but the more stable monthly average of claims decreased by 1,250 to 231,250 to the lowest level since March 1973.</p>
<p>See:MarketWatch's economic calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)</p>
<p>What are other markets doing?</p>
<p>Asian markets closed mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index turning a 2% gain at midday into a 0.2% loss by the close.</p>
<p>European markets swung lower (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-head-for-3rd-loss-as-burberry-plunges-2017-11-09), with the Stoxx Europe 600 index down 0.8% at the latest.</p>
<p>Crude-oil prices (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-steady-near-2-year-high-as-geopolitics-stir-supply-concerns-2017-11-09) and gold were both marginally higher, while the ICE Dollar Index slipped 0.1% to 94.818.</p>
<p>--Mark DeCambre contributed to this article</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>November 09, 2017 11:30 ET (16:30 GMT)</p> | MARKET SNAPSHOT: Stock Market Retreats From Records As Worries About Tax Plan Weigh | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/09/market-snapshot-stock-market-retreats-from-records-as-worries-about-tax-plan-weigh0.html | 2017-11-09 | 0right
| MARKET SNAPSHOT: Stock Market Retreats From Records As Worries About Tax Plan Weigh
<p>Technology shares worst hit, down 0.9%</p>
<p>U.S. stocks lost ground Thursday, pulling back from all-time highs as traders fretted over possible delays to passing Republican tax-cut legislation in Washington.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A selloff in so-called FANG stocks, that include Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Google's parent Alphabet, were also weighing on sentiment.</p>
<p>What are stock indexes doing?</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 fell 13 points, or 0.5%, to 2,580, with nine of the 11 main sectors trading lower. Technology stocks were leading the losses, down 1.1%. The FANG+ futures of 10 stocks that include the largest technology companies were down 0.8%.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq Composite Index slid 51 points, or 0.8%, to 6,737.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 128 points, or 0.5%, to 23,435.</p>
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<p>The losses come after all three major gauges pushed further into record territory on Wednesday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-set-to-cool-its-heels-after-another-record-close-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>The three indexes finished at all-time highs on the same day for the 27th time in 2017. For the Dow, it was the 59th closing high of the year so far, while it was the 53rd for the S&amp;P 500 and the 64th for the Nasdaq.</p>
<p>What's driving the market?</p>
<p>Hopes that President Donald Trump's administration will deliver a major U.S. tax overhaul--including a business-friendly tax cut--have boosted markets recently. But investors seem to be increasingly concerned the Republicans' tax reform bill will be delayed or not passed at all.</p>
<p>On Thursday, Senate Republicans are expected to unveil a tax plan that diverges from that of House Republicans by not fully repealing the estate tax (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-claims-hed-be-big-loser-from-tax-plan-how-the-senates-bill-may-differ-from-houses-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>See:How the Republican tax plan would affect homeowners and buyers (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-claims-hed-be-big-loser-from-tax-plan-how-the-senates-bill-may-differ-from-houses-2017-11-08)</p>
<p>The Federal Reserve isn't factoring the tax bill into its monetary policy forecasts because it is unclear still what will and won't be included, Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said on CNBC Thursday morning. "I need to see more of the details," she said. Mester isn't a voting member of the central bank's Federal Open Market Committee this year.</p>
<p>The tax bill written by House Republicans would boost the U.S. deficit by $300 billion more (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/cbo-says-tax-bill-would-increase-deficit-by-17-trillion-2017-11-08) than lawmakers estimated, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. And over a decade, it would increase the deficit by $1.7 trillion, beyond the $1.5 trillion required to meet Senate rules under the recently passed budget.</p>
<p>Read:1 in 5 would see tax hike in a decade under Republican bill, congressional analysis finds (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/one-in-five-would-see-tax-hike-in-a-decade-under-republican-bill-congressional-analysis-finds-2017-11-07).</p>
<p>What are strategists saying?</p>
<p>"Sometimes you don't need a reason for markets to have a normal 3%-5% correction after a huge run-up. It is possible today is one of those days," said Mark Kepner, managing director of sales and trading at Themis Trading.</p>
<p>Kepner said worries over the Republican-controlled House's ability to pass the tax bill is likely weighing on small-cap stocks.</p>
<p>"Smaller companies and businesses are more sensitive to the corporate tax cut, so their prices will reflect such fears, unlike multinationals, that already have low effective tax rates," Kepner said.</p>
<p>Which stocks are in focus?</p>
<p>Roku Inc.(ROKU) shares soared 34%. The video-streaming company in its first earnings report as a public company late Wednesday, posting profit and revenue that both beat forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/here-are-the-numbers-that-sent-roku-stock-soaring-after-its-first-earnings-report-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>Kohl's Corp. (KSS) shares tumbled 6.1% after lowering its 2018 earnings outlook and reporting quarterly profit that was slightly weaker than expected, though earnings exceeded estimates.</p>
<p>Office Depot Inc. (ODP) shares jumped 7.3% after the firm reported quarterly results that were better than expected (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/office-depot-beats-estimates-despite-hurricane-impact-2017-11-09).</p>
<p>Sage Therapeutics Inc. shares surged 42% after the company said its postpartum-depression therapy (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sage-therapeutics-stock-surges-50-on-positive-trial-results-in-postpartum-depression-2017-11-09) has positive results in two late-stage clinical trials.</p>
<p>Shares of Vista Outdoor Inc. (VSTO) dropped 28% after the gun and outdoor-sports-products company beat fiscal second-quarter profit expectations (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/vista-outdoors-stock-tumbles-after-sales-miss-and-slashed-outlook-offsets-profit-beat-2017-11-09), but missed on sales and slashed its full-year outlook.</p>
<p>D.R. Horton Inc.(DHI) stock rose 2% after beating profit and sales forecasts.</p>
<p>Shares of Macy's Inc.(M) rose 4.5% as the retailers earnings came ahead of expectations.</p>
<p>After the market closes, results from Walt Disney Co.(DIS), Nordstrom Inc.(JWN) and Nvidia Corp.(NVDA) are slated to release earnings. News Corp.(NWS.AU)--the owner of MarketWatch--is also on the earnings docket after hours.</p>
<p>Disney earnings preview:It's a transition period for the media and entertainment company (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/disney-earnings-its-a-transition-period-for-the-media-and-entertainment-company-2017-11-01)</p>
<p>Shares of Snap Inc.(SNAP) fell 4.6% after a 15% loss posted on Wednesday that came after the company posted disappointing quarterly results (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/snaps-stock-sinks-as-disappointing-results-outweigh-large-tencent-stake-2017-11-08).</p>
<p>Opinion:The outlook for Snap isn't as gloomy as the stock market suggests (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-death-of-snap-is-being-greatly-exaggerated-2017-11-08)</p>
<p>Perrigo Co. PLC(PRGO) jumped 10% after the health-products maker reported better-than-expected earnings.</p>
<p>What's on the economic calendar?</p>
<p>Weekly jobless claims (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/four-week-jobless-claims-average-falls-to-lowest-level-since-march-1973-2017-11-09)for the week ended Nov. 4 rose by 10,000 to 239,000, but the more stable monthly average of claims decreased by 1,250 to 231,250 to the lowest level since March 1973.</p>
<p>See:MarketWatch's economic calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)</p>
<p>What are other markets doing?</p>
<p>Asian markets closed mixed, with Japan's Nikkei 225 index turning a 2% gain at midday into a 0.2% loss by the close.</p>
<p>European markets swung lower (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-head-for-3rd-loss-as-burberry-plunges-2017-11-09), with the Stoxx Europe 600 index down 0.8% at the latest.</p>
<p>Crude-oil prices (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-steady-near-2-year-high-as-geopolitics-stir-supply-concerns-2017-11-09) and gold were both marginally higher, while the ICE Dollar Index slipped 0.1% to 94.818.</p>
<p>--Mark DeCambre contributed to this article</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>November 09, 2017 11:30 ET (16:30 GMT)</p> | 3,190 |
<p>It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And nothing says 'Christmas' more than the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center.</p>
<p>Thousands of people jammed into midtown Manhattan to watch the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.</p>
<p>New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio flipped the switch Wednesday night, illuminating the 75-foot-tall, 12-plus ton Norway spruce with 50,000 multicolored solar powered lights.</p>
<p>The 85th annual ceremony was televised by NBC and included live performances by Brett Eldredge, Leslie Odom Jr., Pentatonix, Train, Harry Connick Jr. and the Radio City Rockettes.</p>
<p>One notable absence this year was NBC host Matt Lauer, who was abruptly fired on Wednesday for “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a colleague.</p>
<p>The holiday tradition started in 1931. This year’s tree came from State College, Pennsylvania. The tree will stay lit until January 7th and after the holidays, it will be milled into lumber for <a href="https://www.rockefellercenter.com/blog/2016/11/18/how-tree-becomes-home/?sf81748191=1" type="external">Habitat for Humanity</a>.</p>
<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p> | It's officially Christmas time! The Rockefeller Center Tree has been lit! | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/11/29/whoa/its-officially-christmas-time-the-rockefeller-center-tree-has-been-lit | 2017-11-30 | 1right-center
| It's officially Christmas time! The Rockefeller Center Tree has been lit!
<p>It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! And nothing says 'Christmas' more than the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Center.</p>
<p>Thousands of people jammed into midtown Manhattan to watch the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.</p>
<p>New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio flipped the switch Wednesday night, illuminating the 75-foot-tall, 12-plus ton Norway spruce with 50,000 multicolored solar powered lights.</p>
<p>The 85th annual ceremony was televised by NBC and included live performances by Brett Eldredge, Leslie Odom Jr., Pentatonix, Train, Harry Connick Jr. and the Radio City Rockettes.</p>
<p>One notable absence this year was NBC host Matt Lauer, who was abruptly fired on Wednesday for “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a colleague.</p>
<p>The holiday tradition started in 1931. This year’s tree came from State College, Pennsylvania. The tree will stay lit until January 7th and after the holidays, it will be milled into lumber for <a href="https://www.rockefellercenter.com/blog/2016/11/18/how-tree-becomes-home/?sf81748191=1" type="external">Habitat for Humanity</a>.</p>
<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p> | 3,191 |
<p>The Israeli Interior Ministry has approved the construction of 900 housing units, four or five bedrooms each, on annexed Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman said any settlement deal with the U.S. would not include Jerusalem.</p>
<p>It’s another setback for the Obama administration, which has tried to revive the peace process while having to deal with a conservative, expansionist Israeli government and a divided and discredited Palestinian Authority.</p>
<p>The White House has been trying for a full stoppage of new settlement construction, a basic precondition of restarting negotiations, but Netanyahu’s government has only been willing to agree to a partial freeze, excluding Jerusalem and the “natural growth” of existing settlements. — PZS</p>
<p>BBC:</p>
<p />
<p>Settlements on occupied territory are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.</p>
<p>Israeli media reported earlier that the government had rejected a request from Washington to freeze the construction work at Gilo.</p>
<p>US President Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, is said to have made the request to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting in London on Monday.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8364815.stm" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Israel Deals Peace Process Another Blow | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/israel-deals-peace-process-another-blow/ | 2009-11-18 | 4left
| Israel Deals Peace Process Another Blow
<p>The Israeli Interior Ministry has approved the construction of 900 housing units, four or five bedrooms each, on annexed Palestinian territory in East Jerusalem. Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman said any settlement deal with the U.S. would not include Jerusalem.</p>
<p>It’s another setback for the Obama administration, which has tried to revive the peace process while having to deal with a conservative, expansionist Israeli government and a divided and discredited Palestinian Authority.</p>
<p>The White House has been trying for a full stoppage of new settlement construction, a basic precondition of restarting negotiations, but Netanyahu’s government has only been willing to agree to a partial freeze, excluding Jerusalem and the “natural growth” of existing settlements. — PZS</p>
<p>BBC:</p>
<p />
<p>Settlements on occupied territory are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.</p>
<p>Israeli media reported earlier that the government had rejected a request from Washington to freeze the construction work at Gilo.</p>
<p>US President Barack Obama’s Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, is said to have made the request to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting in London on Monday.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8364815.stm" type="external">Read more</a></p> | 3,192 |
<p>The lesson Democrats appear to have learned from losing to Donald Trump is that they need to move further to the left.</p>
<p>We see that in the roll-out of a pathetic new slogan focusing on language invoking FDR’s New Deal. As first reported by <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_Vox/status/888119019688964096" type="external">Jeff Stein at Vox</a>, the slogan is … (I’m embarrassed for the Dems to even have to type it, it’s so bad) …</p>
<p>“A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages”</p>
<p>Stein <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_Vox/status/888093654472151040" type="external">further notes</a> that the slogan is “the result of months of polling and internal deliberations among the House Democratic caucus.”</p>
<p>Democrat activists/journalists are not loving it:</p>
<p />
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/888095012705116160" type="external" /></p>
<p>Yes, really. GQ magazine laments how close it is to Papa John’s slogan, “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa John’s.” <a href="http://www.gq.com/story/democrats-2018-slogan-very-bad" type="external">The Democrats Unveiled a New Slogan and It’s Infuriatingly Stupid</a>:</p>
<p>Congratulations to those of you who reflexively whispered “…Papa John’s” before burying your head in your arms and sobbing quietly.</p>
<p>Many people are making the Papa John’s comparison, as the <a href="http://freebeacon.com/politics/democrat-slogan-papa-johns/" type="external">Free Beacon</a> documents, including this from <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/democrats-stealing-papa-johns-slogan-2018-639904" type="external">Newsweek</a>:</p>
<p>But the real inspiration for the slogan and tagline likely isn’t a late-night pizza order. Ezra Levin, co-executive director of liberal grassroots organization the Indivisible Project, pointed out on Twitter that the new slogan appeared to be co-opted from an op-ed written by Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who was Clinton’s running mate in 2016.</p>
<p>As it stands Thursday, the Democrats have yet to actually unveil the slogan and tagline, so it could perhaps change before 2018. But if “A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages” does stick around for ’18, there’s no word just yet if the Democrats plan to offer complimentary garlic sauce to every American.</p>
<p>Yes. They. Can.</p>
<p />
<p>As the Democrats are rolling out the focus-grouped slogan, they also are signaling a move to the left on healthcare, with many Democrats coming out in favor of single payer. The Atlantic reports, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/healthcare-congress-bernie-sanders-single-payer-obamacare/533595/" type="external">Why So Many Democrats Are Embracing Single-Payer Health Care</a>:</p>
<p>Since losing the White House last year, a growing number of Democrats in Congress have embraced the idea of universal, single-payer health care, setting up an inevitable confrontation between the liberal and centrist wings of the party over its future.</p>
<p>Emboldened by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat, and the Republican effort to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law, progressive lawmakers and activists are trying to move single payer into the party mainstream. There are signs the idea is winning traction: For the first time ever, a majority of House Democrats have signed up to support “Medicare for all” single-payer legislation, a threshold crossed in the aftermath of the presidential election. A number of influential Senate Democrats have also expressed support for single payer in the midst of the current Republican health-care push…</p>
<p>Sanders, the most popular figure on the American left, has used his higher post-election profile to advocate for single payer, while progressive firebrand Senator Elizabeth Warren&#160; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/article_email/elizabeth-warren-tries-to-win-back-voters-in-trump-country-1498555802-lMyQjAxMTA3OTIyNzMyMjc2Wj/?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=pubexchange_article" type="external">has called</a>&#160;single payer “the next step” for the party. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand&#160; <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/30/politics/2020-vision-kirsten-gillibrand-single-payer/index.html" type="external">has</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TimeForAllofUs/status/880494748020158464" type="external">&#160;publicly said</a>&#160;that “we should have Medicare for all.” Senator Kamala Harris, frequently buzzed about as a rising star in the party,&#160; <a href="http://abc7.com/politics/sen-harris-on-gop-health-care-bill-dont-take-our-stuff/2181690/" type="external">recently told a crowd</a>&#160;in her home state of California that “as a concept, I’m completely in support of single payer,” though she added the caveat: “but we’ve got to work out the details, and the details matter on that.”</p>
<p>Dem Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also went there this morning on <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/chuck-schumer-single-payer-is-on-the-table-for-democrats/article/2629442" type="external">ABC News This Week</a>:</p>
<p>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed Sunday that Democrats are going to consider supporting the idea of a single-payer healthcare system as they roll out an economic agenda this week.</p>
<p>The New York Democrat told ABC’s “This Week” that while the economic plan will get the attention coming up, they will look at single-payer amid continued chatter from high-profile Democrats about how to attack on the healthcare issue.</p>
<p>“Week after week, month after month, we’re going to roll out specific pieces here that are quite different than the Democratic Party you heard in the past,” Schumer said. “We were too cautious. We were too mamby-pamby.”</p>
<p>“This is sharp, bold and will appeal to both the old Obama coalition … and the Democratic voters who deserted us for Trump, the blue-collar workers. Economics are our strength, and we are going to go at it,” Schumer said before being pressed by host George Stephanopoulos on single-payer specifically.</p>
<p />
<p>It’s *almost* like Democrats want Republicans to hold the House and Senate, because single-payer is popular only among Democrats. Who already vote for Democrats.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/23/public-support-for-single-payer-health-coverage-grows-driven-by-democrats/" type="external">Pew Survey</a> found:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/23/public-support-for-single-payer-health-coverage-grows-driven-by-democrats/" type="external" /></p>
<p>And then there is the cost. The pro-Democrat Editorial Board of the Washington Post tries to throw some reality on the single-payer mania, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/single-payer-health-care-would-have-an-astonishingly-high-price-tag/2017/06/18/9c70dae6-52d2-11e7-be25-3a519335381c_story.html?utm_term=.7524d0e62d3d" type="external">Single-payer health care would have an astonishingly high price tag</a>:</p>
<p>The single-payer model has some strong advantages. It is much simpler for most people — no more insurance forms or related hassles. Employers would no longer be mixed up in providing health-care benefits, and taxpayers would no longer subsidize that form of private compensation. Government experts could conduct research on treatments and use that information to directly cut costs across the system.</p>
<p>But the government’s price tag would be astonishing. When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed a “Medicare for all” health plan in his presidential campaign, the nonpartisan Urban Institute figured that it would raise government spending by $32 trillion over 10 years, requiring a tax increase so huge that even the democratic socialist Mr. Sanders did not propose anything close to it….</p>
<p>To realize the single-payer dream of coverage for all and big savings, medical industry players, including doctors, would likely have to get paid less and patients would have to accept different standards of access and comfort. There is little evidence most Americans are willing to accept such tradeoffs.</p>
<p>While the 2018 midterms are still over a year away, it seems like Democrats are struggling to come up with a strategy other than hating Trump and Russia Russia Russia.</p>
<p>That’s not enough according to none other than <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-had-the-art-of-the-deal-now-democrats-say-their-economic-agenda-is-a-better-deal/2017/07/22/c1f54b8c-6d56-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html?utm_term=.577ef0b09c7d" type="external">Chuck Schumer</a> in justifying the rollout of the new slogan:</p>
<p>The rollout comes as Democrats continue to struggle to sell a coherent message to voters. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 37 percent of Americans said that the party “currently stands for something,” while 52 percent said it “just stands against Trump.” The same poll found that Trump’s overall approval rating has deteriorated to 36 percent — making him the most unpopular president of the modern era at this point in his presidency.</p>
<p>Those findings resonate with party leaders who are still stunned by Trump’s come-from-behind victory last year.</p>
<p>“When you lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity, you don’t blame other things — Comey, Russia — you blame yourself,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview previewing the new plan. “So what did we do wrong? People didn’t know what we stood for, just that we were against Trump. And still believe that.”</p>
<p>Republicans are in disarray. Democrats are the best thing Republicans have going for them heading into 2018 midterms.</p> | Strategery 2018: Dems unveil crappy new slogan, plan to promote single-payer | true | http://legalinsurrection.com/2017/07/strategery-2018-dems-unveil-crappy-new-slogan-plan-to-promote-single-payer/ | 2017-07-23 | 0right
| Strategery 2018: Dems unveil crappy new slogan, plan to promote single-payer
<p>The lesson Democrats appear to have learned from losing to Donald Trump is that they need to move further to the left.</p>
<p>We see that in the roll-out of a pathetic new slogan focusing on language invoking FDR’s New Deal. As first reported by <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_Vox/status/888119019688964096" type="external">Jeff Stein at Vox</a>, the slogan is … (I’m embarrassed for the Dems to even have to type it, it’s so bad) …</p>
<p>“A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages”</p>
<p>Stein <a href="https://twitter.com/JStein_Vox/status/888093654472151040" type="external">further notes</a> that the slogan is “the result of months of polling and internal deliberations among the House Democratic caucus.”</p>
<p>Democrat activists/journalists are not loving it:</p>
<p />
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/TVietor08/status/888095012705116160" type="external" /></p>
<p>Yes, really. GQ magazine laments how close it is to Papa John’s slogan, “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza. Papa John’s.” <a href="http://www.gq.com/story/democrats-2018-slogan-very-bad" type="external">The Democrats Unveiled a New Slogan and It’s Infuriatingly Stupid</a>:</p>
<p>Congratulations to those of you who reflexively whispered “…Papa John’s” before burying your head in your arms and sobbing quietly.</p>
<p>Many people are making the Papa John’s comparison, as the <a href="http://freebeacon.com/politics/democrat-slogan-papa-johns/" type="external">Free Beacon</a> documents, including this from <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/democrats-stealing-papa-johns-slogan-2018-639904" type="external">Newsweek</a>:</p>
<p>But the real inspiration for the slogan and tagline likely isn’t a late-night pizza order. Ezra Levin, co-executive director of liberal grassroots organization the Indivisible Project, pointed out on Twitter that the new slogan appeared to be co-opted from an op-ed written by Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who was Clinton’s running mate in 2016.</p>
<p>As it stands Thursday, the Democrats have yet to actually unveil the slogan and tagline, so it could perhaps change before 2018. But if “A Better Deal: Better Skills, Better Jobs, Better Wages” does stick around for ’18, there’s no word just yet if the Democrats plan to offer complimentary garlic sauce to every American.</p>
<p>Yes. They. Can.</p>
<p />
<p>As the Democrats are rolling out the focus-grouped slogan, they also are signaling a move to the left on healthcare, with many Democrats coming out in favor of single payer. The Atlantic reports, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/07/healthcare-congress-bernie-sanders-single-payer-obamacare/533595/" type="external">Why So Many Democrats Are Embracing Single-Payer Health Care</a>:</p>
<p>Since losing the White House last year, a growing number of Democrats in Congress have embraced the idea of universal, single-payer health care, setting up an inevitable confrontation between the liberal and centrist wings of the party over its future.</p>
<p>Emboldened by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat, and the Republican effort to dismantle former President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law, progressive lawmakers and activists are trying to move single payer into the party mainstream. There are signs the idea is winning traction: For the first time ever, a majority of House Democrats have signed up to support “Medicare for all” single-payer legislation, a threshold crossed in the aftermath of the presidential election. A number of influential Senate Democrats have also expressed support for single payer in the midst of the current Republican health-care push…</p>
<p>Sanders, the most popular figure on the American left, has used his higher post-election profile to advocate for single payer, while progressive firebrand Senator Elizabeth Warren&#160; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/article_email/elizabeth-warren-tries-to-win-back-voters-in-trump-country-1498555802-lMyQjAxMTA3OTIyNzMyMjc2Wj/?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=pubexchange_article" type="external">has called</a>&#160;single payer “the next step” for the party. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand&#160; <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/30/politics/2020-vision-kirsten-gillibrand-single-payer/index.html" type="external">has</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TimeForAllofUs/status/880494748020158464" type="external">&#160;publicly said</a>&#160;that “we should have Medicare for all.” Senator Kamala Harris, frequently buzzed about as a rising star in the party,&#160; <a href="http://abc7.com/politics/sen-harris-on-gop-health-care-bill-dont-take-our-stuff/2181690/" type="external">recently told a crowd</a>&#160;in her home state of California that “as a concept, I’m completely in support of single payer,” though she added the caveat: “but we’ve got to work out the details, and the details matter on that.”</p>
<p>Dem Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also went there this morning on <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/chuck-schumer-single-payer-is-on-the-table-for-democrats/article/2629442" type="external">ABC News This Week</a>:</p>
<p>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., revealed Sunday that Democrats are going to consider supporting the idea of a single-payer healthcare system as they roll out an economic agenda this week.</p>
<p>The New York Democrat told ABC’s “This Week” that while the economic plan will get the attention coming up, they will look at single-payer amid continued chatter from high-profile Democrats about how to attack on the healthcare issue.</p>
<p>“Week after week, month after month, we’re going to roll out specific pieces here that are quite different than the Democratic Party you heard in the past,” Schumer said. “We were too cautious. We were too mamby-pamby.”</p>
<p>“This is sharp, bold and will appeal to both the old Obama coalition … and the Democratic voters who deserted us for Trump, the blue-collar workers. Economics are our strength, and we are going to go at it,” Schumer said before being pressed by host George Stephanopoulos on single-payer specifically.</p>
<p />
<p>It’s *almost* like Democrats want Republicans to hold the House and Senate, because single-payer is popular only among Democrats. Who already vote for Democrats.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/23/public-support-for-single-payer-health-coverage-grows-driven-by-democrats/" type="external">Pew Survey</a> found:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/06/23/public-support-for-single-payer-health-coverage-grows-driven-by-democrats/" type="external" /></p>
<p>And then there is the cost. The pro-Democrat Editorial Board of the Washington Post tries to throw some reality on the single-payer mania, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/single-payer-health-care-would-have-an-astonishingly-high-price-tag/2017/06/18/9c70dae6-52d2-11e7-be25-3a519335381c_story.html?utm_term=.7524d0e62d3d" type="external">Single-payer health care would have an astonishingly high price tag</a>:</p>
<p>The single-payer model has some strong advantages. It is much simpler for most people — no more insurance forms or related hassles. Employers would no longer be mixed up in providing health-care benefits, and taxpayers would no longer subsidize that form of private compensation. Government experts could conduct research on treatments and use that information to directly cut costs across the system.</p>
<p>But the government’s price tag would be astonishing. When Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) proposed a “Medicare for all” health plan in his presidential campaign, the nonpartisan Urban Institute figured that it would raise government spending by $32 trillion over 10 years, requiring a tax increase so huge that even the democratic socialist Mr. Sanders did not propose anything close to it….</p>
<p>To realize the single-payer dream of coverage for all and big savings, medical industry players, including doctors, would likely have to get paid less and patients would have to accept different standards of access and comfort. There is little evidence most Americans are willing to accept such tradeoffs.</p>
<p>While the 2018 midterms are still over a year away, it seems like Democrats are struggling to come up with a strategy other than hating Trump and Russia Russia Russia.</p>
<p>That’s not enough according to none other than <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-had-the-art-of-the-deal-now-democrats-say-their-economic-agenda-is-a-better-deal/2017/07/22/c1f54b8c-6d56-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html?utm_term=.577ef0b09c7d" type="external">Chuck Schumer</a> in justifying the rollout of the new slogan:</p>
<p>The rollout comes as Democrats continue to struggle to sell a coherent message to voters. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 37 percent of Americans said that the party “currently stands for something,” while 52 percent said it “just stands against Trump.” The same poll found that Trump’s overall approval rating has deteriorated to 36 percent — making him the most unpopular president of the modern era at this point in his presidency.</p>
<p>Those findings resonate with party leaders who are still stunned by Trump’s come-from-behind victory last year.</p>
<p>“When you lose to somebody who has 40 percent popularity, you don’t blame other things — Comey, Russia — you blame yourself,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview previewing the new plan. “So what did we do wrong? People didn’t know what we stood for, just that we were against Trump. And still believe that.”</p>
<p>Republicans are in disarray. Democrats are the best thing Republicans have going for them heading into 2018 midterms.</p> | 3,193 |
<p>Wells Fargo &amp; Co. (WFC) agreed to sell its shareowner services business to the U.K.'s Equiniti Group PLC (EQN.LN) for $227 million.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo said Wednesday that its shareowner business provides services like stock transfer and registrar as well as other corporate actions to more than 1,200 public and private companies in the U.S. Equiniti, which provides share registration and associated investor services in the U.K., said the deal would help it to expand globally.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>As part of the deal, more than 400 Wells Fargo workers are expected to transition to Equiniti.</p>
<p>Equiniti said it would finance the deal from a $160 million rights issue and $155 million in new debt. Equiniti also said it expected cost savings of at least $10 million a year by the third full year of ownership.</p>
<p>The acquisition, pending regulatory and Equiniti shareholder approvals, is expected to close before the end of the year.</p>
<p>In afternoon trading in London, Equiniti shares added 9.5% to GBP2.66. Wells Fargo shares slid 0.3% to $54.88 in premarket trading in the U.S.</p>
<p>-Write to Razak Musah Baba at [email protected]; Twitter: @Raztweet</p>
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<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>July 12, 2017 09:21 ET (13:21 GMT)</p> | Wells Fargo to Sell Shareowner Services Business for $227 Million--Update | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/07/12/equiniti-to-buy-wells-fargos-share-registration-business-for-227-million.html | 2017-07-12 | 0right
| Wells Fargo to Sell Shareowner Services Business for $227 Million--Update
<p>Wells Fargo &amp; Co. (WFC) agreed to sell its shareowner services business to the U.K.'s Equiniti Group PLC (EQN.LN) for $227 million.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo said Wednesday that its shareowner business provides services like stock transfer and registrar as well as other corporate actions to more than 1,200 public and private companies in the U.S. Equiniti, which provides share registration and associated investor services in the U.K., said the deal would help it to expand globally.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>As part of the deal, more than 400 Wells Fargo workers are expected to transition to Equiniti.</p>
<p>Equiniti said it would finance the deal from a $160 million rights issue and $155 million in new debt. Equiniti also said it expected cost savings of at least $10 million a year by the third full year of ownership.</p>
<p>The acquisition, pending regulatory and Equiniti shareholder approvals, is expected to close before the end of the year.</p>
<p>In afternoon trading in London, Equiniti shares added 9.5% to GBP2.66. Wells Fargo shares slid 0.3% to $54.88 in premarket trading in the U.S.</p>
<p>-Write to Razak Musah Baba at [email protected]; Twitter: @Raztweet</p>
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<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>July 12, 2017 09:21 ET (13:21 GMT)</p> | 3,194 |
<p>(Reuters) – Christian Pulisic pulled the strings and Jozy Altidore grabbed a brace as the United States overran Panama 4-0 in Orlando on Friday to leave them on the verge of automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup finals in Russia.</p>
<p>The victory lifted the United States into third place in the six-team CONCACAF group, above Panama, who started the day a point ahead of them.</p>
<p>A win in their final match against Trinidad and Tobago will likely be enough to see the United States through as Honduras would need to win both their remaining games and overturn a goal difference currently at 12.</p>
<p>Top team Mexico are already through from the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation and second-placed Costa Rica need just a point from their final two matches to join them.</p>
<p>Costa Rica’s scheduled qualifier with Honduras on Friday in San Jose was postponed until Saturday due to severe rainfall caused by tropical storm Nate.</p>
<p>The top three teams qualify automatically, while the fourth-placed side goes into a play-off against a team from the Asian confederation.</p>
<p>Pulisic got the opener after eight minutes when he sprinted free of the defense and slotted the ball home from a tight angle after rounding the goalkeeper.</p>
<p>Altidore made it two 11 minutes later when he side-footed home an inviting low cross from Pulisic. The burly striker made it 3-0 just seconds before half time when he chipped home a penalty after Bobby Wood was upended in the box.</p>
<p>Wood got the goal his play deserved 18 minutes into the second half when he spun inside the box and fired past goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.</p>
<p>The United States should have scored more but profligate finishing and a fine performance from Penedo kept the score down.</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | U.S. overrun Panama 4-0, boost 2018 qualification chances | false | https://newsline.com/u-s-overrun-panama-4-0-boost-2018-qualification-chances/ | 2017-10-06 | 1right-center
| U.S. overrun Panama 4-0, boost 2018 qualification chances
<p>(Reuters) – Christian Pulisic pulled the strings and Jozy Altidore grabbed a brace as the United States overran Panama 4-0 in Orlando on Friday to leave them on the verge of automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup finals in Russia.</p>
<p>The victory lifted the United States into third place in the six-team CONCACAF group, above Panama, who started the day a point ahead of them.</p>
<p>A win in their final match against Trinidad and Tobago will likely be enough to see the United States through as Honduras would need to win both their remaining games and overturn a goal difference currently at 12.</p>
<p>Top team Mexico are already through from the North, Central American and Caribbean Confederation and second-placed Costa Rica need just a point from their final two matches to join them.</p>
<p>Costa Rica’s scheduled qualifier with Honduras on Friday in San Jose was postponed until Saturday due to severe rainfall caused by tropical storm Nate.</p>
<p>The top three teams qualify automatically, while the fourth-placed side goes into a play-off against a team from the Asian confederation.</p>
<p>Pulisic got the opener after eight minutes when he sprinted free of the defense and slotted the ball home from a tight angle after rounding the goalkeeper.</p>
<p>Altidore made it two 11 minutes later when he side-footed home an inviting low cross from Pulisic. The burly striker made it 3-0 just seconds before half time when he chipped home a penalty after Bobby Wood was upended in the box.</p>
<p>Wood got the goal his play deserved 18 minutes into the second half when he spun inside the box and fired past goalkeeper Jaime Penedo.</p>
<p>The United States should have scored more but profligate finishing and a fine performance from Penedo kept the score down.</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | 3,195 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>In a series of tweets, Ben Sasse of Nebraska explained his decision to get behind the wheel by saying he works “alongside and for” the people of the Cornhusker state.</p>
<p>He said the money he earned is going to charity. As a senator, he’s not allowed to make any money outside his congressional service.</p>
<p>Sasse worked late Saturday night and found that at least a few of his fares had been partying a little too much. He said they were “three sheets to the wind,” according to one tweet.</p>
<p>“If you throw up in an Uber, the surcharge can be substantial,” he quipped. But the risk has rewards. He says it’s a “market incentive to get drivers to agree to” Saturday night shifts.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Sasse emerged as one of Donald Trump’s harshest critics before the election. After Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton last week, Sasse congratulated Trump and said he and his family will pray that the billionaire businessman will lead “wisely and faithfully keep his oath to a Constitution of limited government.”</p>
<p>But the senator, a former college president who was elected in 2014 with support from the tea party, also said he will do everything he can to hold Trump to promises he made during the campaign.</p>
<p>He called on Trump last month to abandon his presidential bid after the release of old video footage that featured Trump making vulgar sexual comments.</p>
<p>Sasse, who does not face re-election until 2020, acknowledged earlier this year that his anti-Trump stance would be unpopular in his strongly Republican state.</p> | Nebraska senator moonlights as driver for ride-sharing Uber | false | https://abqjournal.com/888529/nebraska-senator-moonlights-as-driver-for-ride-sharing-uber.html | 2least
| Nebraska senator moonlights as driver for ride-sharing Uber
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>In a series of tweets, Ben Sasse of Nebraska explained his decision to get behind the wheel by saying he works “alongside and for” the people of the Cornhusker state.</p>
<p>He said the money he earned is going to charity. As a senator, he’s not allowed to make any money outside his congressional service.</p>
<p>Sasse worked late Saturday night and found that at least a few of his fares had been partying a little too much. He said they were “three sheets to the wind,” according to one tweet.</p>
<p>“If you throw up in an Uber, the surcharge can be substantial,” he quipped. But the risk has rewards. He says it’s a “market incentive to get drivers to agree to” Saturday night shifts.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Sasse emerged as one of Donald Trump’s harshest critics before the election. After Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton last week, Sasse congratulated Trump and said he and his family will pray that the billionaire businessman will lead “wisely and faithfully keep his oath to a Constitution of limited government.”</p>
<p>But the senator, a former college president who was elected in 2014 with support from the tea party, also said he will do everything he can to hold Trump to promises he made during the campaign.</p>
<p>He called on Trump last month to abandon his presidential bid after the release of old video footage that featured Trump making vulgar sexual comments.</p>
<p>Sasse, who does not face re-election until 2020, acknowledged earlier this year that his anti-Trump stance would be unpopular in his strongly Republican state.</p> | 3,196 |
|
<p>CIA Director Mike Pompeo sees China rather than Russia or Iran as the biggest threat to America’s dominant position in the world. Beijing merited its position on the US spymaster’s threat list due to its stronger economy and population, he said.</p>
<p>Speaking to the Washington Free Beacon, Pompeo marked terrorism and North Korea as the biggest short-term threats to US security interests, but selected China, Russia and Iran as mid-to-long-term concerns.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/397436-china-us-jets-interception/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“It’s hard to pick between China, Russia and Iran to be honest with you. I guess if I had to pick one with a nose above the others, I’d probably pick China,” he <a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/interview-cia-director-pompeo-cia-changing-president-trump/" type="external">told</a> Bill Gertz, the Beacon’s senior editor and national security reporter.</p>
<p>“They have a real economy that they have built, unlike Russia that lives and dies on how many barrels of oil they can pluck out of the ground. And Iran that is similarly very single sector derivative and not to the scale of China population-wise,” he explained.</p>
<p>Pompeo added that Beijing’s defense strategy is based on confronting the US and its capabilities.</p>
<p>“They are probably trying either to steal our stuff or make sure they can defeat it. And most often both,” he said. “I think it’s very clear when they think about their place in the world, they measure their success in placing themselves in the world where they want to be vis-à-vis the United States and not as against anyone else.”</p>
<p>The director declined to comment on reports that since 2012 China has pivoted its espionage offensively in the US, but said the Chinese effort was “an active campaign”.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/223947-snowden-pentagon-china-hack/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“It began with really commercial attacks. Trying to steal our stuff. That continues. They’ve always tried to get at our military resources, our R&amp;D programs and the like. So those have long histories,” he said.</p>
<p>“But it is also the case that the Chinese have moved to a place where they, I think, see themselves as a rival superpower and so intend to conduct their version of espionage programs in a way that reflects their superpower status,” Pompeo added.</p>
<p>“They have as part of their mission to reduce the relative power of the United States vis-à-vis their own country. And one of the ways they do that is through these active measures, these spying efforts.”</p>
<p>The US and China, while remaining major trade and investment partners, have several points of contention. Arguably the most acute involves Beijing’s territorial claims over a large part of the South China Sea, through which a major part of its maritime transport goes. The claims conflict with those of other nations, including close US allies, South Korea and the Philippines.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/396077-philippines-china-trade-economy/" type="external">READ MORE: Philippines wants less confrontation in favor of more trade with China</a></p>
<p>The US supports neither nation and believes that the sea should be neutral waters. To back its position, it regularly sends its warships and military aircraft through what China sees as part of its territory. Beijing protests those “freedom of navigation” missions and deploys its own military assets to counter the US projection of power.</p>
<p>The two nations are also at odds over how to handle the North Korean nuclear issue, with the administration of President Donald Trump trying to pressure Beijing into being more aggressive toward its neighbor. China, which opposes Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, believes that overexerting pressure on North Korea may lead to a major crisis, which would hurt all nations in the region and beyond.</p>
<p>Washington and Beijing have also quarrelled about China’s alleged currency manipulation, production of counterfeit brand products in China, alleged theft of intellectual property and state secrets by Chinese actors, and other issues. The two powers also have competing regional integration projects, with the US seeking to counteract China’s growing influence on its neighbors.</p>
<p>Speaking on Russia, Pompeo commented on what Gertz described as “a kind of anti-Russia hysteria” over Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. The CIA chief said it was a “decades-old challenge for America” to counter Russia’s supposed attempts to influence public opinion in other nations.</p>
<p>“We have an obligation to push back, defeat it, to work to make it painful for them so that they’ll reduce the magnitude of what they’re doing,” he explained.</p>
<p>He added that the US and Russia can work together on counterterrorism to their mutual benefit.</p>
<p>“You have Americans that fly on Russian airplanes. They might have information that we need. It seems to me if we can find a way to share counterterrorism information with them, we ought to,” he said.</p>
<p>Pompeo also suggested that Russia’s campaign in Syria, while possibly taxing economically, gave Moscow valuable experience in overseas operations.</p>
<p>“When you exercise a force, you get better. So now they’ve had a chance to exercise their navy. They’ve had a chance to exercise their army. They’ve had a chance to do combined operations. Cruise missiles. Combined arms operations with their aviation assets,” he said. “And so they will be better prepared in the event we’re in a scenario where deterrence hasn’t worked, whether that’s in Eastern Europe or someplace else.”</p> | CIA chief: China tops Russia & Iran as biggest long-term threat to US | false | https://newsline.com/cia-chief-china-tops-russia-iran-as-biggest-long-term-threat-to-us/ | 2017-07-26 | 1right-center
| CIA chief: China tops Russia & Iran as biggest long-term threat to US
<p>CIA Director Mike Pompeo sees China rather than Russia or Iran as the biggest threat to America’s dominant position in the world. Beijing merited its position on the US spymaster’s threat list due to its stronger economy and population, he said.</p>
<p>Speaking to the Washington Free Beacon, Pompeo marked terrorism and North Korea as the biggest short-term threats to US security interests, but selected China, Russia and Iran as mid-to-long-term concerns.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/397436-china-us-jets-interception/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“It’s hard to pick between China, Russia and Iran to be honest with you. I guess if I had to pick one with a nose above the others, I’d probably pick China,” he <a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/interview-cia-director-pompeo-cia-changing-president-trump/" type="external">told</a> Bill Gertz, the Beacon’s senior editor and national security reporter.</p>
<p>“They have a real economy that they have built, unlike Russia that lives and dies on how many barrels of oil they can pluck out of the ground. And Iran that is similarly very single sector derivative and not to the scale of China population-wise,” he explained.</p>
<p>Pompeo added that Beijing’s defense strategy is based on confronting the US and its capabilities.</p>
<p>“They are probably trying either to steal our stuff or make sure they can defeat it. And most often both,” he said. “I think it’s very clear when they think about their place in the world, they measure their success in placing themselves in the world where they want to be vis-à-vis the United States and not as against anyone else.”</p>
<p>The director declined to comment on reports that since 2012 China has pivoted its espionage offensively in the US, but said the Chinese effort was “an active campaign”.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/223947-snowden-pentagon-china-hack/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“It began with really commercial attacks. Trying to steal our stuff. That continues. They’ve always tried to get at our military resources, our R&amp;D programs and the like. So those have long histories,” he said.</p>
<p>“But it is also the case that the Chinese have moved to a place where they, I think, see themselves as a rival superpower and so intend to conduct their version of espionage programs in a way that reflects their superpower status,” Pompeo added.</p>
<p>“They have as part of their mission to reduce the relative power of the United States vis-à-vis their own country. And one of the ways they do that is through these active measures, these spying efforts.”</p>
<p>The US and China, while remaining major trade and investment partners, have several points of contention. Arguably the most acute involves Beijing’s territorial claims over a large part of the South China Sea, through which a major part of its maritime transport goes. The claims conflict with those of other nations, including close US allies, South Korea and the Philippines.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/396077-philippines-china-trade-economy/" type="external">READ MORE: Philippines wants less confrontation in favor of more trade with China</a></p>
<p>The US supports neither nation and believes that the sea should be neutral waters. To back its position, it regularly sends its warships and military aircraft through what China sees as part of its territory. Beijing protests those “freedom of navigation” missions and deploys its own military assets to counter the US projection of power.</p>
<p>The two nations are also at odds over how to handle the North Korean nuclear issue, with the administration of President Donald Trump trying to pressure Beijing into being more aggressive toward its neighbor. China, which opposes Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, believes that overexerting pressure on North Korea may lead to a major crisis, which would hurt all nations in the region and beyond.</p>
<p>Washington and Beijing have also quarrelled about China’s alleged currency manipulation, production of counterfeit brand products in China, alleged theft of intellectual property and state secrets by Chinese actors, and other issues. The two powers also have competing regional integration projects, with the US seeking to counteract China’s growing influence on its neighbors.</p>
<p>Speaking on Russia, Pompeo commented on what Gertz described as “a kind of anti-Russia hysteria” over Moscow’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. The CIA chief said it was a “decades-old challenge for America” to counter Russia’s supposed attempts to influence public opinion in other nations.</p>
<p>“We have an obligation to push back, defeat it, to work to make it painful for them so that they’ll reduce the magnitude of what they’re doing,” he explained.</p>
<p>He added that the US and Russia can work together on counterterrorism to their mutual benefit.</p>
<p>“You have Americans that fly on Russian airplanes. They might have information that we need. It seems to me if we can find a way to share counterterrorism information with them, we ought to,” he said.</p>
<p>Pompeo also suggested that Russia’s campaign in Syria, while possibly taxing economically, gave Moscow valuable experience in overseas operations.</p>
<p>“When you exercise a force, you get better. So now they’ve had a chance to exercise their navy. They’ve had a chance to exercise their army. They’ve had a chance to do combined operations. Cruise missiles. Combined arms operations with their aviation assets,” he said. “And so they will be better prepared in the event we’re in a scenario where deterrence hasn’t worked, whether that’s in Eastern Europe or someplace else.”</p> | 3,197 |
<p>http://stylemagazine.com/news/2014/feb/22/ole-miss-racial-incidents-have-many-feeling-uneasy/</p>
<p>The University of Mississippi just can’t outrun its association with bigotry.</p>
<p>In 2012, a crowd of angry white students expressed their displeasure in the wake of Barack Obama’s re-election.</p>
<p>And just last week, a small group of freshmen wrapped an old Georgia flag bearing the Confederate stars and bars around the statue of James Meredith, the man who integrated “Ole Miss” in 1962. In case somebody didn’t catch the symbolism, the students then wrapped a noose around the statue’s neck.</p>
<p>None of this bears a passing resemblance to the massive riots sparked by Mr. Meredith’s arrival on campus in 1962 that left two people dead. But the mix of sophomoric immaturity, alcohol and Old South pride can still be toxic. According to a CNN story, Kiesha Reeves, a black Ole Miss Senior, told police that, days after the statue incident, someone in a passing car carrying several white students threw alcohol on her and shouted a racial slur.</p>
<p>Mississippi, and its flagship university, have come a long way in the past 52 years; but Old South bigotry continues to smolder, largely because the folks in charge of institutions like Ole Miss routinely fail to denounce the hate with sufficient sincerity. Everybody knows that racial resentment, in various degrees, continues to stalk the campus and that a small but significant minority of the white student body is working hard to keep the spirit of ’62 alive. So, what can you do but make the best of a bad situation. After all, things aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be.</p>
<p>Recent reports suggest that federal charges may be filed against the alleged perpetrators. Is that really the answer? If these students are a symptom of a larger social malady, (and they are), sending them to prison for six months or a year will simply create a scapegoat and sweep the nasty business under the rug yet again.</p>
<p>The problem here isn’t overt racial hatred. The kids who defaced the Meredith statue may have black friends for all I know.</p>
<p>These kids just don’t want to let go of the Southern pride they imbibed with their mother’s milk.</p>
<p>They want to feel good about being white southerners.</p>
<p>They don’t want to reckon with the past or chart a fresh course.</p>
<p>They just want to leave the past in the past, and they can’t do that with Mr. Meredith’s statue standing just a stone’s throw away from the Confederate memorial that still dominates the campus (along with hundreds of city squares and court houses across the Old South).</p>
<p>You have to sympathize with these white kids. Over yonder stands a tribute to a defiant James Meredith striding boldly into the teeth of vicious white bigotry. And then there’s the Confederate shrine close by. Nobody tells you how to make sense of the contradiction.</p>
<p>The University of Mississippi decides to do away with the team name “the Rebels” only to have the legislature pass a law reversing that decision. The state of Mississippi allows its citizens to celebrate Martin Luther King Day or Robert E. Lee Day, whichever floats your boat.</p>
<p>In a final indignity, the people of Mississippi recently voted to retain a state flag that features the stars and bars. I am taken aback every time I return to the state and see that flag snapping proudly in the wind. And I’m white. How do you expect a historically savvy African American student to feel?</p>
<p>Nowhere is the failure to grapple with the sins of the fathers more palpable than in the churches. Mississippi segregation, like the slave state it replaced, was an anti-Christian institution that called into question the faith of the planet’s most pious people. How could followers of Jesus Christ, think and behave with such craven malice?</p>
<p>That is precisely the question the kids who draped the flag and fastened the noose are desperate to avoid.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Latest outrage at Ole Miss points to a deeper distress | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/latest-outrage-at-ole-miss-points-to-a-deeper-distress/ | 3left-center
| Latest outrage at Ole Miss points to a deeper distress
<p>http://stylemagazine.com/news/2014/feb/22/ole-miss-racial-incidents-have-many-feeling-uneasy/</p>
<p>The University of Mississippi just can’t outrun its association with bigotry.</p>
<p>In 2012, a crowd of angry white students expressed their displeasure in the wake of Barack Obama’s re-election.</p>
<p>And just last week, a small group of freshmen wrapped an old Georgia flag bearing the Confederate stars and bars around the statue of James Meredith, the man who integrated “Ole Miss” in 1962. In case somebody didn’t catch the symbolism, the students then wrapped a noose around the statue’s neck.</p>
<p>None of this bears a passing resemblance to the massive riots sparked by Mr. Meredith’s arrival on campus in 1962 that left two people dead. But the mix of sophomoric immaturity, alcohol and Old South pride can still be toxic. According to a CNN story, Kiesha Reeves, a black Ole Miss Senior, told police that, days after the statue incident, someone in a passing car carrying several white students threw alcohol on her and shouted a racial slur.</p>
<p>Mississippi, and its flagship university, have come a long way in the past 52 years; but Old South bigotry continues to smolder, largely because the folks in charge of institutions like Ole Miss routinely fail to denounce the hate with sufficient sincerity. Everybody knows that racial resentment, in various degrees, continues to stalk the campus and that a small but significant minority of the white student body is working hard to keep the spirit of ’62 alive. So, what can you do but make the best of a bad situation. After all, things aren’t nearly as bad as they used to be.</p>
<p>Recent reports suggest that federal charges may be filed against the alleged perpetrators. Is that really the answer? If these students are a symptom of a larger social malady, (and they are), sending them to prison for six months or a year will simply create a scapegoat and sweep the nasty business under the rug yet again.</p>
<p>The problem here isn’t overt racial hatred. The kids who defaced the Meredith statue may have black friends for all I know.</p>
<p>These kids just don’t want to let go of the Southern pride they imbibed with their mother’s milk.</p>
<p>They want to feel good about being white southerners.</p>
<p>They don’t want to reckon with the past or chart a fresh course.</p>
<p>They just want to leave the past in the past, and they can’t do that with Mr. Meredith’s statue standing just a stone’s throw away from the Confederate memorial that still dominates the campus (along with hundreds of city squares and court houses across the Old South).</p>
<p>You have to sympathize with these white kids. Over yonder stands a tribute to a defiant James Meredith striding boldly into the teeth of vicious white bigotry. And then there’s the Confederate shrine close by. Nobody tells you how to make sense of the contradiction.</p>
<p>The University of Mississippi decides to do away with the team name “the Rebels” only to have the legislature pass a law reversing that decision. The state of Mississippi allows its citizens to celebrate Martin Luther King Day or Robert E. Lee Day, whichever floats your boat.</p>
<p>In a final indignity, the people of Mississippi recently voted to retain a state flag that features the stars and bars. I am taken aback every time I return to the state and see that flag snapping proudly in the wind. And I’m white. How do you expect a historically savvy African American student to feel?</p>
<p>Nowhere is the failure to grapple with the sins of the fathers more palpable than in the churches. Mississippi segregation, like the slave state it replaced, was an anti-Christian institution that called into question the faith of the planet’s most pious people. How could followers of Jesus Christ, think and behave with such craven malice?</p>
<p>That is precisely the question the kids who draped the flag and fastened the noose are desperate to avoid.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 3,198 |
|
<p />
<p><a href="#one" type="external">War Echoes</a> Iraq is not Vietnam. So why does the rhetoric sound so hideously familiar?</p>
<p><a href="#two" type="external">Nuclear Welfare</a> Senate Republicans see a brave new energy future for America. It’s radioactive.</p>
<p><a href="#three" type="external">A Man of Peace?</a> Does Ariel Sharon really want peace? Even mainstream Israelis are beginning to wonder.</p>
<p><a href="#four" type="external">The Feds’ Last Round-Up</a> Having been taken to task for its prior treatment of Arab immigrants, Washington goes for broke.</p>
<p><a href="#five" type="external">Same-Sex, Same Sanctity?</a> For gay couples in Canada, the long engagement may soon be over.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">War Echoes</a> Do you remember when, in the wake of Gulf War I, our then president, Bush the Father, exulted that we had finally kicked the “Vietnam thing,” that heinous “Vietnam syndrome,” that seemed to be all that was left of America’s staggering defeat? Well, here’s the strange thing — now, we’ve supposedly kicked it all over again in the wake of Gulf War II. You know, quick war, low casualties, no quagmire, stupid critics who predicted otherwise (although most didn’t) disarmed, the press well embedded, and so on, and so forth.</p>
<p>But “Vietnam,” which like some deadly virus morphs and morphs, seems unwilling to perform the disappearing act our leaders have long prepared for it. And there are reasons for that. I’ve been carefully watching recent coverage of the upsurge of fighting in Iraq, and the Vietnam analogy is buried deep not just in the reportorial mind, but in the military and governmental mind as well.</p>
<p>On Saturday, for instance, Michael R. Gordon of the New York Times wrote <a href="" type="external">a think piece</a> that had these all-too-familiar, if slightly shocked, lines: “Unlike the rush to Baghdad, this fight will not be measured in days, but in months, if not years… For the Americans, this is a campaign of raids, bombing strikes and dragnets, as American commanders try to isolate and destroy remnants of the old older. It is more like a counterinsurgency than an invasion.”</p>
<p>I mark that as the first appearance of “counterinsurgency” in the recent record. Here then are a few other startling appearances:</p>
<p>Vietnam had its “triangles.” (Remember the “Iron Triangle”?) Now Iraq has its own “Sunni Triangle,” as our military are calling it. Remember the various military statements in Gulf Wars I and II that we weren’t about to count the enemy dead? (One post-Vietnam no-no was reviving the feared “body count” which became the way the military measured the Vietnam War and then a target of critics.) Well, this week, in operations in that “Sunni Triangle,” the body count was revived, along with the weapons count. There were a series of official US military announcements of how many enemy (often identified as Ba’athist “remnants” or “Arab” fighters) our troops had killed in various operations, the numbers in some cases exceedingly precise, all clearly meant to provide concrete indicators of success in a not-quite-war in which taking territory has no particular meaning. Along with the body count came another old classic of Vietnam, the weapons count (how many we captured), and on the heels of these, another classic Vietnam tradition, the revised body count. See, for instance, the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A60041-2003Jun14?language=printer" type="external">front-page Washington Post piece by William Booth</a>, which begins:</p>
<p />
<p>Another phrase to make a remarkably early appearance in coverage, again attributed to the military, is “hearts and minds,” a notorious Vietnam-era phrase. I found it in <a href="http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-mili14jun14001418,0,4408791.story" type="external">a Saturday Los Angeles Times piece by Paul Richter and Michael Slackman</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>The piece also had passages of a sort appearing more frequently these days that rang with a familiar Vietnam-era conundrum — how do you carry out brutal assaults on hard to find guerrilla forces in civilian areas without knowing the language, area or culture without alienating that population when some of them die, others are mistreated, and many are humiliated?</p>
<p />
<p>Or this from a Reuters report appended to that LA Times piece:</p>
<p />
<p>The Washington Post journalist Anthony Shadid, whose reportage through this period has been of the highest level (and who has the advantage of knowing Arabic), writes on Sunday of a raid on a Sunni town, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A60042-2003Jun14?language=printer" type="external">so blunt-edged that it turned local opinion</a>.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>On Monday morning, after a harrowing raid into this town by U.S. troops that deployed gunships, armored vehicles and soldiers edgy with anticipation, the family found Aani’s body, two gunshots to his stomach, next to a bale of hay and a rusted can of vegetable oil.”</p>
<p>Two other key lines in the piece that have a familiar ring to them: “The Americans were shouting in English, and we didn’t know what they were saying.” And of the situation of those detained for a time and then released: “U.S. soldiers tossed military meals and bottles of water to the crowd. ‘They treated us like monkeys — who’s the first one who can jump up and catch the food,’ said Mohammed, who was captured by Iran in the Iran-Iraq war and kept as a prisoner for 11 years.”</p>
<p>Finally, here’s another word that implicitly or explicitly can’t keep itself out of the news: Quagmire. It just comes to mind. It features in a recent <a href="http://www.prolog.net/webnews/wed/bo/Qus-iraq-attacks.Rae3_DuC.html" type="external">Agence France-Presse headline</a>, but the word’s been poking up, explicitly or implicitly everywhere.</p>
<p>I know, I know, Iraq’s not Vietnam. Quite right in so many ways. But the essential problem may in some ways be worse today than in the Vietnam era. The Bush administration has decided to run its imperial policy based almost solely on the military (and various military-related defense industries) and in an explosive situation like Iraq — where we don’t even have a Ngo Dinh Diem or a population of supportive Catholics — the military is a painfully blunt instrument with which to create a new state. Every act of mass and messy act of suppression is bound to be an act of creation as well — the creation of opposition.</p>
<p>Now, let me turn to a different matter — those weapons of mass destruction. By the end of last week, it seemed, the White House/Pentagon may have been counterattacking within the bureaucracy. Greg Miller of the Los Angeles Times had a fascinating report on <a href="http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-intel14jun14,0,1372289.story" type="external">the fates of two key CIA analysts</a> who had been in charge of the Agency’s assessments of Iraqi WMD intelligence. These reassignments were, of course, presented as simply well-deserved changes. But an unnamed Agency source told Miller that the two analysts had “essentially been sent into deep exile.” The moment was described aptly as “a time when top officials have been alarmed by anonymous complaints showing up in the press.” The whole matter has officially been turned over to CIA director Tenet, a leading candidate, if things get worse, to be hung out to dry. “‘They handed the whole ball to George,’ said one intelligence source familiar with the details of the assignment. He said the message being sent to Tenet seemed clear: ‘You said [the banned weapons] were there. You go find them.'”</p>
<p>And there’s another Vietnam-era oldie-but-goodie to be found in Miller’s piece: “They’ll be hard-pressed to find any kind of smoking gun, a case of somebody coming in and saying, ‘I wrote it this way and it came back from the 7th floor telling me to write it another way,'” the official said, referring to the location at CIA headquarters where Director George J. Tenet and other top officials have offices.</p>
<p>Now, none of this is likely to have an immediate effect here. After all, according to recent polls, large numbers of Americans <a href="http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/6086632.htm" type="external">believe we already found WMD in Iraq. (“Poll shows errors in beliefs on Iraq</a>. Still, Nancy Pelosi and other Senate Democrats are now fighting for open hearings in Congress. This is one to stay tuned to.</p>
<p>Finally, David Wise, who has been writing about the intelligence community since perhaps Neolithic times, reviews the recent WMD record in The Washington Post‘s Outlook section. Wise considers the striking on-the-record statements of this administration on the subject, and a far longer record of lying in Washington, and then reminds us of another Vietnam-era phrase, “ <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57402-2003Jun13?language=printer" type="external">credibility gap.</a>” And Eric Margolis, in his weekly column in the Toronto Sun, coins a new phrase based on an older one that might soon gain traction, “Weaponsgate,” as he considers <a href="http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/margolis_jun15.html" type="external">why Americans seem to care so little</a> about administration lies.</p>
<p>Additional contributions from Tom Engelhardt can be found throughout the week at <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com" type="external">TomDispatch.com</a>, a weblog of The Nation Institute.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">Nuclear Welfare</a> In 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant failed, triggering a meltdown and the <a href="http://www.world-nuclear.orginf36.htm" type="external">worst nuclear accident in American history</a>. Since then, not one new nuclear power plant has gone on-line.</p>
<p>That’s set to change if Senate Republicans get their way. As part of its proposed <a href="http://energy.senate.gov/legislation/energybill2003/energybill2003.html" type="external">energy bill</a>, the Senate voted to give massive subsidies to the nuclear power industry last week — despite its spotty safety record and chronic inability to operate in the black. Among the bill’s many handouts, the San Jose Mercury News‘ Seth Borenstein reports, are federal loans that would cover half of all new nuclear R&amp;D costs, and a governmental commitment to buy the lion’s share of power once it’s produced. Even with such official generosity, however, <a href="http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/6073891.htm" type="external">nuclear power doesn’t look like much of deal</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“The Congressional Budget Office in May estimated ‘the risk of default on such a loan guarantee to be very high — well above 50 percent.’</p>
<p>A report June 4 from Standard and Poor’s said: ‘The industry’s legacy of cost growth, technology problems, cumbersome political and regulatory oversight and the newer risks brought about by competition and terrorism concerns may keep credit risk too high for even the Senate bill to overcome.'”</p>
<p>In other words, safety concerns notwithstanding, reviving the nuclear power insustry doesn’t make sense financially. So why is the government pressing for these breaks? As the editors of the Atlanta Journal Constitution note, nuclear power is just getting the same <a href="http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0603/13nuke.html" type="external">red-carpet treatment</a> afforded other big industries, from Enron-style electricity traders to the White House’s buddies in the oil and gas business.</p>
<p />
<p>“This week, a slim Senate majority voted to grant the industry $16 billion in taxpayer-funded handouts, loan guarantees and other goodies, producing one of the sweetest sweetheart deals in recent history.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>The nuclear power industry argues that other industries also get subsidies, and they do. Bills in both houses of Congress include handouts for other mature industries that are equally undeserved.</p>
<p>But their ‘me too’ defense neither explains nor excuses the Senate’s efforts to use taxpayers’ money as a crutch for an industry that’s been around long enough to stand on its own.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">A Man of Peace?</a> As the “roadmap” deteriorates under a hail of missiles and bus bombings, questions are mounting about Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s commitment to the peace process.</p>
<p>On Friday, the widely-read Israeli paper Yediot Ahronot published a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2786022,00.html" type="external">reader’s poll</a>. The results showed that a surprising 67 percent opposed the intensified resumption of targeted killings in the past week. Out of the 67, 58 percent support a temporary end to military attacks in order to give Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas a chance to control the militant Islamic fringe groups. Another nine percent oppose all targeted killings of Palestinians.</p>
<p>In addition to the Yediot poll, the editorial pages of Israel’s newspapers were filled with critiques of Sharon’s recent attacks in Gaza. Friday’s editorial in Ha’aretz calls for Sharon to stop the children’s games — he has taken to calling Abbas a <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=303097&amp;contrassID=2&amp;subContrassID=1&amp;sbSubContrassID=0&amp;listSrc=Y" type="external">crybaby</a> — and give the man a chance to <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=303129&amp;contrassID=2&amp;subContrassID=3&amp;sbSubContrassID=0&amp;listSrc=Y" type="external">control Hamas, Islamic Jihad, et al</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“A poor decision by Sharon, to attack a leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, contributed to the escalation. The timing and method of the operation, shooting from helicopters into the heart of a populated urban area, reinvigorated doubts regarding Sharon’s sincerity and commitment to Bush’s vision for the Middle East and its implementation. Sharon brought onto himself this question mark, and therefore on all of Israel. He can act positively only if he moves with extreme zeal to prevent further escalation and grants time for Abu Mazen to harness his political and security forces.</p>
<p>During this period, Israel must show as much restraint as possible and opt for defensive, rather than offensive, operations.”</p>
<p>But is Sharon interested in showing restraint? As Israeli columnist Tanya Reinhart tells us, the Israeli press has been <a href="http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&amp;ItemID=3763" type="external">deeply involved in debating Sharon’s psyche</a>. Despite all the back-and-forth, the question remains: “[H]as Sharon really changed his heart and mind or is it just the US pressure talking?”</p>
<p>Clearly not all Israelis felt that the IDFs attack on the Hamas chief was a mistake. The Jerusalem Post shared Bush’s “ <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&amp;cid=1055211705395" type="external">troubled</a>” feelings, but the paper’s editorial board saw a different culprit.</p>
<p />
<p>“Like Bush, we too are deeply troubled by yesterday’s attempt to take out a mass murderer of our fellow citizens. We are troubled because Rantisi has lived to murder another day. We wish the air force better luck in the future in carrying out its mission of safeguarding the lives of Israeli citizens from the murderous likes of Rantisi.”</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada <a href="http://electronicIntifada.net/v2/article1594.shtml" type="external">doesn’t think Sharon has mended his Hawkish ways</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“What made Sharon’s strategy so transparent — and therefore so infuriating to the US — was that it came after Hamas had put out a statement declaring: ‘We will study Abu Mazen’s (Mahmoud Abbas) call for a dialogue while bearing in mind the interests of our nation, its rights, the strengthening of national unity, and first and foremost the question of the prisoners, the right of return, Jerusalem and an end to the occupation.’ With the attacks on the soldiers, Hamas had lethally made the point that it would never accept Abbas’ Aqaba concession equating attacks on the occupying army with ‘terrorism’ against Israeli civilians. Having done so, a wise Hamas would have quickly agreed with Abbas to immediately stop attacks. This, it appears, is what Sharon feared most. With an effective cease-fire, he would no longer have any excuse to delay implementing the road map, most notably the required freeze on all colony construction.</p>
<p>But unfortunately there is no evidence that Hamas is capable of acting wisely or restraining itself. If Sharon set out to provoke Hamas, one has to wonder why Hamas — stupidly and criminally — handed Sharon the ladder he needed to get out of his hole, with the reprehensible suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem. As Arab-American activist Hussein Ibish stated on Fox News in a debate with the Israeli consul-general in New York, ‘Sharon and Hamas have developed a strategic partnership against peace.'”</p>
<p>Somehow, the analysts agree, the extremist bandits have made off with Bush’s roadmap. As Ha’aretz‘s Gideon Samet suggests, “ <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=303107&amp;contrassID=2&amp;subContrassID=4&amp;sbSubContrassID=0&amp;listSrc=Y" type="external">As they sow, so shall we weep</a>.” Sharon, he writes, needs to acknowledge that the Palestinians are fighting to end Israeli occupation — not because they want to push the Jews into the sea.</p>
<p />
<p>“Those who reject the road map, both in Israel and in the territories, chalked up an impressive victory this week, as if in a conspiracy. In the territories, the dissident organizations continued to sow death and to undermine the government of the Palestinian state-to-be.</p>
<p>As if just waiting for the inevitable mass terror attack, Sharon unsheathed his claws from the thin film of moderation. The victims, he said, were killed only because they were Jews. This was a supra-lie that covered the thicket of contradictions and fuzziness in his approach to the road map. People were killed and wounded in Jerusalem because there is a prolonged conflict here (not much less violent than the struggle for Jewish independence) between two peoples. Not Jewish and Muslim, but Israeli and Palestinian.”</p>
<p>Sadly, it already looks like Yediot Ahronot‘s June 5 headline was <a href="http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&amp;ItemID=3763" type="external">a little off</a>: “In Akaba, the State of Palestine was founded.” At the moment, Israelis and Palestinians are burying their latest victims and wondering if they are travelling down the same old tear-stained road.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">The Feds’ Last Round-Up</a> In another ham-handed attempt to combat terrorism, the Bush Administration and the Immigration and Naturalization Service have launched the National Security Entry Exit System — a program designed to rid America of <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/ap/20030613/ap_on_re_us/registering_aliens_2" type="external">“high-risk”</a> illegal (read: unwanted) immigrants. Critics charge, however, that the program’s only real effect will be to wrench Arab and Muslim men from their families and livelihoods.</p>
<p>The program requires non-citizen men from 25 Arab and Muslim countries to register with US immigration services by the end of this year. So far, nearly 16 percent of those who complied with the mandatory registration <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/afp/20030607/pl_afp/us_justice_immigration_030607193401" type="external">now face deportation</a>. And of the 13,000 that face deportation, only 11 have alleged “terrorist ties” — <a href="/news/warwatch/2003/06/we_428_04.html#two" type="external">whatever that means</a>.</p>
<p>So, while Bush and Co. tout family values, their policies are <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/ap/20030613/ap_on_re_us/registering_aliens_2" type="external">wreaking havoc on thousands of families</a>. The reason for all of these deportation orders? According to the Associated Press, many of the men simply overstayed their visas — and in many cases, they had already applied for permanent residency.</p>
<p />
<p>“Most of the men have overstayed their visas or are otherwise in the country illegally, although many have applications pending to legalize their status. They mistakenly thought their decision to come forward would be rewarded with leniency in their immigration cases, advocates said.</p>
<p>‘Thousands of children will be separated from their fathers because of misguided and discriminatory policies,’ said Emira Habiby Browne, director of the Arab-American Family Support Center.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>‘My family is all that matters to me,’ Abdel Hakim Ben Bader said while cradling his infant son at a news conference in Brooklyn called by immigration advocates. ‘I hope I can stay here and live my life.'”</p>
<p>Civil rights activists are furious. As an ACLU spokesman noted, the round-up appears not only to be an outright assault on Muslim and Arabic men living in the US, but also <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/afp/20030607/pl_afp/us_justice_immigration_030607193401" type="external">an attack on the most fundamental civil liberties in America</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“‘What the government is doing is very aggressively targeting particular nationalities for enforcement of immigration law … The identical violation committed by, say, a Mexican immigrant is not enforced in the same way.'”</p>
<p>Moreover, as Agence France-Presse points out, due to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/afp/20030607/pl_afp/us_justice_immigration_030607193401" type="external">neglect</a> to distinguish between actual terrorism suspects and mere non-citizens, the latter are being held by the INS until they are deported — meaning that thousands of innocent men convicted of no crime could face months in a detention center <a href="http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial_profiling/profiling_terrorism.html" type="external">bunking down</a> with hard-nosed criminals.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">Same-Sex, Same Sanctity?</a> Three Divisional Court Judges in Canada <a href="http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&amp;c=Article&amp;cid=1026143395953&amp;call_page=TS_News&amp;call_pageid=968332188492&amp;call_pagepath=News/News&amp;col=968793972154" type="external">rocked the “sanctity” of marriage boat</a> by ruling the country’s current definition of marriage unconstitutional. According to Tracy Huffman of the Toronto Star, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that laws and benefits that serve “one man and one woman,” as the constitution now reads, should instead benefit “two persons” — giving the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gendered community the same protections married heterosexual couples receive.</p>
<p>One of the many barriers to validating same-sex marriage was the argument that the purpose of a marriage was to procreate and support a family. But Canadian Justice Robert Blair explained that the current institution of marriage does not support that mentality:</p>
<p />
<p>“There is much more to marriage as a societal institution, in my view, than the act of heterosexual intercourse leading to the birth of children,” Mr. Justice Robert Blair wrote in his reasons for the ruling. “Moreover,the authorities are clear that marriage is not dependent upon the presence of children.”</p>
<p>The court’s ruling is seen as a victory for Canada’s GLBT community, but its practical and legal actuality still has far to go. In order for a gay marriage to be recognized like a heterosexual marriage, both the <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030612.wdelay/BNStory/National/" type="external">provincial and federal governments must accept the Ontario verdict</a>. Acccording to the Canadian Press, some of Canada’s federal legislators support the ruling, while some others are pushing for an appeal to the country’s Supreme Court.</p>
<p>States within the US may not be far behind the Canadian verdict, according to the Associated Press. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial court is considering whether the state’s constitution allows same-sex marriage. While the state’s Catholic Bishops have issued a statement staunchly opposing same-sex union, a coalition of clergy from other religious denominations have stepped forward in defense of gay civil unions, asserting that “the right of gay and lesbian couples is <a href="http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/newengla2003/ma__samesexmarriage_07_2003.shtml" type="external">a matter of civil, and not religious law,</a>” as the co-chairwoman of the Religions Coalition for Freedom to Marry put it. E.J Graff of the Boston Globe reports that the Netherlands and Belgium both recognize gay marriages as equal to straight marriages, and <a href="http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/159/focus/Here_come_the_brides+.shtml" type="external">many other Western countries recognize at least some same-sex couples’ rights</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>“Same-sex marriage is also imminent in Canada and South Africa, where the law already grants lesbian and gay couples rights to just about everything except the M-word. Meanwhile, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Germany, Hungary, France, New Zealand, Portugal, most of Australia, half the provinces in Spain, and two Argentinian states give gay couples many to most of marriage’s legal rights and responsibilities.”</p>
<p /> | Daily MoJo | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2003/06/daily-mojo-8/ | 2003-06-16 | 4left
| Daily MoJo
<p />
<p><a href="#one" type="external">War Echoes</a> Iraq is not Vietnam. So why does the rhetoric sound so hideously familiar?</p>
<p><a href="#two" type="external">Nuclear Welfare</a> Senate Republicans see a brave new energy future for America. It’s radioactive.</p>
<p><a href="#three" type="external">A Man of Peace?</a> Does Ariel Sharon really want peace? Even mainstream Israelis are beginning to wonder.</p>
<p><a href="#four" type="external">The Feds’ Last Round-Up</a> Having been taken to task for its prior treatment of Arab immigrants, Washington goes for broke.</p>
<p><a href="#five" type="external">Same-Sex, Same Sanctity?</a> For gay couples in Canada, the long engagement may soon be over.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">War Echoes</a> Do you remember when, in the wake of Gulf War I, our then president, Bush the Father, exulted that we had finally kicked the “Vietnam thing,” that heinous “Vietnam syndrome,” that seemed to be all that was left of America’s staggering defeat? Well, here’s the strange thing — now, we’ve supposedly kicked it all over again in the wake of Gulf War II. You know, quick war, low casualties, no quagmire, stupid critics who predicted otherwise (although most didn’t) disarmed, the press well embedded, and so on, and so forth.</p>
<p>But “Vietnam,” which like some deadly virus morphs and morphs, seems unwilling to perform the disappearing act our leaders have long prepared for it. And there are reasons for that. I’ve been carefully watching recent coverage of the upsurge of fighting in Iraq, and the Vietnam analogy is buried deep not just in the reportorial mind, but in the military and governmental mind as well.</p>
<p>On Saturday, for instance, Michael R. Gordon of the New York Times wrote <a href="" type="external">a think piece</a> that had these all-too-familiar, if slightly shocked, lines: “Unlike the rush to Baghdad, this fight will not be measured in days, but in months, if not years… For the Americans, this is a campaign of raids, bombing strikes and dragnets, as American commanders try to isolate and destroy remnants of the old older. It is more like a counterinsurgency than an invasion.”</p>
<p>I mark that as the first appearance of “counterinsurgency” in the recent record. Here then are a few other startling appearances:</p>
<p>Vietnam had its “triangles.” (Remember the “Iron Triangle”?) Now Iraq has its own “Sunni Triangle,” as our military are calling it. Remember the various military statements in Gulf Wars I and II that we weren’t about to count the enemy dead? (One post-Vietnam no-no was reviving the feared “body count” which became the way the military measured the Vietnam War and then a target of critics.) Well, this week, in operations in that “Sunni Triangle,” the body count was revived, along with the weapons count. There were a series of official US military announcements of how many enemy (often identified as Ba’athist “remnants” or “Arab” fighters) our troops had killed in various operations, the numbers in some cases exceedingly precise, all clearly meant to provide concrete indicators of success in a not-quite-war in which taking territory has no particular meaning. Along with the body count came another old classic of Vietnam, the weapons count (how many we captured), and on the heels of these, another classic Vietnam tradition, the revised body count. See, for instance, the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A60041-2003Jun14?language=printer" type="external">front-page Washington Post piece by William Booth</a>, which begins:</p>
<p />
<p>Another phrase to make a remarkably early appearance in coverage, again attributed to the military, is “hearts and minds,” a notorious Vietnam-era phrase. I found it in <a href="http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-mili14jun14001418,0,4408791.story" type="external">a Saturday Los Angeles Times piece by Paul Richter and Michael Slackman</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>The piece also had passages of a sort appearing more frequently these days that rang with a familiar Vietnam-era conundrum — how do you carry out brutal assaults on hard to find guerrilla forces in civilian areas without knowing the language, area or culture without alienating that population when some of them die, others are mistreated, and many are humiliated?</p>
<p />
<p>Or this from a Reuters report appended to that LA Times piece:</p>
<p />
<p>The Washington Post journalist Anthony Shadid, whose reportage through this period has been of the highest level (and who has the advantage of knowing Arabic), writes on Sunday of a raid on a Sunni town, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A60042-2003Jun14?language=printer" type="external">so blunt-edged that it turned local opinion</a>.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>On Monday morning, after a harrowing raid into this town by U.S. troops that deployed gunships, armored vehicles and soldiers edgy with anticipation, the family found Aani’s body, two gunshots to his stomach, next to a bale of hay and a rusted can of vegetable oil.”</p>
<p>Two other key lines in the piece that have a familiar ring to them: “The Americans were shouting in English, and we didn’t know what they were saying.” And of the situation of those detained for a time and then released: “U.S. soldiers tossed military meals and bottles of water to the crowd. ‘They treated us like monkeys — who’s the first one who can jump up and catch the food,’ said Mohammed, who was captured by Iran in the Iran-Iraq war and kept as a prisoner for 11 years.”</p>
<p>Finally, here’s another word that implicitly or explicitly can’t keep itself out of the news: Quagmire. It just comes to mind. It features in a recent <a href="http://www.prolog.net/webnews/wed/bo/Qus-iraq-attacks.Rae3_DuC.html" type="external">Agence France-Presse headline</a>, but the word’s been poking up, explicitly or implicitly everywhere.</p>
<p>I know, I know, Iraq’s not Vietnam. Quite right in so many ways. But the essential problem may in some ways be worse today than in the Vietnam era. The Bush administration has decided to run its imperial policy based almost solely on the military (and various military-related defense industries) and in an explosive situation like Iraq — where we don’t even have a Ngo Dinh Diem or a population of supportive Catholics — the military is a painfully blunt instrument with which to create a new state. Every act of mass and messy act of suppression is bound to be an act of creation as well — the creation of opposition.</p>
<p>Now, let me turn to a different matter — those weapons of mass destruction. By the end of last week, it seemed, the White House/Pentagon may have been counterattacking within the bureaucracy. Greg Miller of the Los Angeles Times had a fascinating report on <a href="http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-intel14jun14,0,1372289.story" type="external">the fates of two key CIA analysts</a> who had been in charge of the Agency’s assessments of Iraqi WMD intelligence. These reassignments were, of course, presented as simply well-deserved changes. But an unnamed Agency source told Miller that the two analysts had “essentially been sent into deep exile.” The moment was described aptly as “a time when top officials have been alarmed by anonymous complaints showing up in the press.” The whole matter has officially been turned over to CIA director Tenet, a leading candidate, if things get worse, to be hung out to dry. “‘They handed the whole ball to George,’ said one intelligence source familiar with the details of the assignment. He said the message being sent to Tenet seemed clear: ‘You said [the banned weapons] were there. You go find them.'”</p>
<p>And there’s another Vietnam-era oldie-but-goodie to be found in Miller’s piece: “They’ll be hard-pressed to find any kind of smoking gun, a case of somebody coming in and saying, ‘I wrote it this way and it came back from the 7th floor telling me to write it another way,'” the official said, referring to the location at CIA headquarters where Director George J. Tenet and other top officials have offices.</p>
<p>Now, none of this is likely to have an immediate effect here. After all, according to recent polls, large numbers of Americans <a href="http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/6086632.htm" type="external">believe we already found WMD in Iraq. (“Poll shows errors in beliefs on Iraq</a>. Still, Nancy Pelosi and other Senate Democrats are now fighting for open hearings in Congress. This is one to stay tuned to.</p>
<p>Finally, David Wise, who has been writing about the intelligence community since perhaps Neolithic times, reviews the recent WMD record in The Washington Post‘s Outlook section. Wise considers the striking on-the-record statements of this administration on the subject, and a far longer record of lying in Washington, and then reminds us of another Vietnam-era phrase, “ <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A57402-2003Jun13?language=printer" type="external">credibility gap.</a>” And Eric Margolis, in his weekly column in the Toronto Sun, coins a new phrase based on an older one that might soon gain traction, “Weaponsgate,” as he considers <a href="http://www.canoe.ca/Columnists/margolis_jun15.html" type="external">why Americans seem to care so little</a> about administration lies.</p>
<p>Additional contributions from Tom Engelhardt can be found throughout the week at <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com" type="external">TomDispatch.com</a>, a weblog of The Nation Institute.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">Nuclear Welfare</a> In 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant failed, triggering a meltdown and the <a href="http://www.world-nuclear.orginf36.htm" type="external">worst nuclear accident in American history</a>. Since then, not one new nuclear power plant has gone on-line.</p>
<p>That’s set to change if Senate Republicans get their way. As part of its proposed <a href="http://energy.senate.gov/legislation/energybill2003/energybill2003.html" type="external">energy bill</a>, the Senate voted to give massive subsidies to the nuclear power industry last week — despite its spotty safety record and chronic inability to operate in the black. Among the bill’s many handouts, the San Jose Mercury News‘ Seth Borenstein reports, are federal loans that would cover half of all new nuclear R&amp;D costs, and a governmental commitment to buy the lion’s share of power once it’s produced. Even with such official generosity, however, <a href="http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/6073891.htm" type="external">nuclear power doesn’t look like much of deal</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“The Congressional Budget Office in May estimated ‘the risk of default on such a loan guarantee to be very high — well above 50 percent.’</p>
<p>A report June 4 from Standard and Poor’s said: ‘The industry’s legacy of cost growth, technology problems, cumbersome political and regulatory oversight and the newer risks brought about by competition and terrorism concerns may keep credit risk too high for even the Senate bill to overcome.'”</p>
<p>In other words, safety concerns notwithstanding, reviving the nuclear power insustry doesn’t make sense financially. So why is the government pressing for these breaks? As the editors of the Atlanta Journal Constitution note, nuclear power is just getting the same <a href="http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0603/13nuke.html" type="external">red-carpet treatment</a> afforded other big industries, from Enron-style electricity traders to the White House’s buddies in the oil and gas business.</p>
<p />
<p>“This week, a slim Senate majority voted to grant the industry $16 billion in taxpayer-funded handouts, loan guarantees and other goodies, producing one of the sweetest sweetheart deals in recent history.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>The nuclear power industry argues that other industries also get subsidies, and they do. Bills in both houses of Congress include handouts for other mature industries that are equally undeserved.</p>
<p>But their ‘me too’ defense neither explains nor excuses the Senate’s efforts to use taxpayers’ money as a crutch for an industry that’s been around long enough to stand on its own.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">A Man of Peace?</a> As the “roadmap” deteriorates under a hail of missiles and bus bombings, questions are mounting about Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s commitment to the peace process.</p>
<p>On Friday, the widely-read Israeli paper Yediot Ahronot published a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-2786022,00.html" type="external">reader’s poll</a>. The results showed that a surprising 67 percent opposed the intensified resumption of targeted killings in the past week. Out of the 67, 58 percent support a temporary end to military attacks in order to give Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas a chance to control the militant Islamic fringe groups. Another nine percent oppose all targeted killings of Palestinians.</p>
<p>In addition to the Yediot poll, the editorial pages of Israel’s newspapers were filled with critiques of Sharon’s recent attacks in Gaza. Friday’s editorial in Ha’aretz calls for Sharon to stop the children’s games — he has taken to calling Abbas a <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=303097&amp;contrassID=2&amp;subContrassID=1&amp;sbSubContrassID=0&amp;listSrc=Y" type="external">crybaby</a> — and give the man a chance to <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=303129&amp;contrassID=2&amp;subContrassID=3&amp;sbSubContrassID=0&amp;listSrc=Y" type="external">control Hamas, Islamic Jihad, et al</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“A poor decision by Sharon, to attack a leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz Rantisi, contributed to the escalation. The timing and method of the operation, shooting from helicopters into the heart of a populated urban area, reinvigorated doubts regarding Sharon’s sincerity and commitment to Bush’s vision for the Middle East and its implementation. Sharon brought onto himself this question mark, and therefore on all of Israel. He can act positively only if he moves with extreme zeal to prevent further escalation and grants time for Abu Mazen to harness his political and security forces.</p>
<p>During this period, Israel must show as much restraint as possible and opt for defensive, rather than offensive, operations.”</p>
<p>But is Sharon interested in showing restraint? As Israeli columnist Tanya Reinhart tells us, the Israeli press has been <a href="http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&amp;ItemID=3763" type="external">deeply involved in debating Sharon’s psyche</a>. Despite all the back-and-forth, the question remains: “[H]as Sharon really changed his heart and mind or is it just the US pressure talking?”</p>
<p>Clearly not all Israelis felt that the IDFs attack on the Hamas chief was a mistake. The Jerusalem Post shared Bush’s “ <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/ShowFull&amp;cid=1055211705395" type="external">troubled</a>” feelings, but the paper’s editorial board saw a different culprit.</p>
<p />
<p>“Like Bush, we too are deeply troubled by yesterday’s attempt to take out a mass murderer of our fellow citizens. We are troubled because Rantisi has lived to murder another day. We wish the air force better luck in the future in carrying out its mission of safeguarding the lives of Israeli citizens from the murderous likes of Rantisi.”</p>
<p>Not surprisingly, Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada <a href="http://electronicIntifada.net/v2/article1594.shtml" type="external">doesn’t think Sharon has mended his Hawkish ways</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“What made Sharon’s strategy so transparent — and therefore so infuriating to the US — was that it came after Hamas had put out a statement declaring: ‘We will study Abu Mazen’s (Mahmoud Abbas) call for a dialogue while bearing in mind the interests of our nation, its rights, the strengthening of national unity, and first and foremost the question of the prisoners, the right of return, Jerusalem and an end to the occupation.’ With the attacks on the soldiers, Hamas had lethally made the point that it would never accept Abbas’ Aqaba concession equating attacks on the occupying army with ‘terrorism’ against Israeli civilians. Having done so, a wise Hamas would have quickly agreed with Abbas to immediately stop attacks. This, it appears, is what Sharon feared most. With an effective cease-fire, he would no longer have any excuse to delay implementing the road map, most notably the required freeze on all colony construction.</p>
<p>But unfortunately there is no evidence that Hamas is capable of acting wisely or restraining itself. If Sharon set out to provoke Hamas, one has to wonder why Hamas — stupidly and criminally — handed Sharon the ladder he needed to get out of his hole, with the reprehensible suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem. As Arab-American activist Hussein Ibish stated on Fox News in a debate with the Israeli consul-general in New York, ‘Sharon and Hamas have developed a strategic partnership against peace.'”</p>
<p>Somehow, the analysts agree, the extremist bandits have made off with Bush’s roadmap. As Ha’aretz‘s Gideon Samet suggests, “ <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=303107&amp;contrassID=2&amp;subContrassID=4&amp;sbSubContrassID=0&amp;listSrc=Y" type="external">As they sow, so shall we weep</a>.” Sharon, he writes, needs to acknowledge that the Palestinians are fighting to end Israeli occupation — not because they want to push the Jews into the sea.</p>
<p />
<p>“Those who reject the road map, both in Israel and in the territories, chalked up an impressive victory this week, as if in a conspiracy. In the territories, the dissident organizations continued to sow death and to undermine the government of the Palestinian state-to-be.</p>
<p>As if just waiting for the inevitable mass terror attack, Sharon unsheathed his claws from the thin film of moderation. The victims, he said, were killed only because they were Jews. This was a supra-lie that covered the thicket of contradictions and fuzziness in his approach to the road map. People were killed and wounded in Jerusalem because there is a prolonged conflict here (not much less violent than the struggle for Jewish independence) between two peoples. Not Jewish and Muslim, but Israeli and Palestinian.”</p>
<p>Sadly, it already looks like Yediot Ahronot‘s June 5 headline was <a href="http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=22&amp;ItemID=3763" type="external">a little off</a>: “In Akaba, the State of Palestine was founded.” At the moment, Israelis and Palestinians are burying their latest victims and wondering if they are travelling down the same old tear-stained road.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">The Feds’ Last Round-Up</a> In another ham-handed attempt to combat terrorism, the Bush Administration and the Immigration and Naturalization Service have launched the National Security Entry Exit System — a program designed to rid America of <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/ap/20030613/ap_on_re_us/registering_aliens_2" type="external">“high-risk”</a> illegal (read: unwanted) immigrants. Critics charge, however, that the program’s only real effect will be to wrench Arab and Muslim men from their families and livelihoods.</p>
<p>The program requires non-citizen men from 25 Arab and Muslim countries to register with US immigration services by the end of this year. So far, nearly 16 percent of those who complied with the mandatory registration <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/afp/20030607/pl_afp/us_justice_immigration_030607193401" type="external">now face deportation</a>. And of the 13,000 that face deportation, only 11 have alleged “terrorist ties” — <a href="/news/warwatch/2003/06/we_428_04.html#two" type="external">whatever that means</a>.</p>
<p>So, while Bush and Co. tout family values, their policies are <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/ap/20030613/ap_on_re_us/registering_aliens_2" type="external">wreaking havoc on thousands of families</a>. The reason for all of these deportation orders? According to the Associated Press, many of the men simply overstayed their visas — and in many cases, they had already applied for permanent residency.</p>
<p />
<p>“Most of the men have overstayed their visas or are otherwise in the country illegally, although many have applications pending to legalize their status. They mistakenly thought their decision to come forward would be rewarded with leniency in their immigration cases, advocates said.</p>
<p>‘Thousands of children will be separated from their fathers because of misguided and discriminatory policies,’ said Emira Habiby Browne, director of the Arab-American Family Support Center.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>‘My family is all that matters to me,’ Abdel Hakim Ben Bader said while cradling his infant son at a news conference in Brooklyn called by immigration advocates. ‘I hope I can stay here and live my life.'”</p>
<p>Civil rights activists are furious. As an ACLU spokesman noted, the round-up appears not only to be an outright assault on Muslim and Arabic men living in the US, but also <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/afp/20030607/pl_afp/us_justice_immigration_030607193401" type="external">an attack on the most fundamental civil liberties in America</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>“‘What the government is doing is very aggressively targeting particular nationalities for enforcement of immigration law … The identical violation committed by, say, a Mexican immigrant is not enforced in the same way.'”</p>
<p>Moreover, as Agence France-Presse points out, due to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s <a href="http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&amp;u=/afp/20030607/pl_afp/us_justice_immigration_030607193401" type="external">neglect</a> to distinguish between actual terrorism suspects and mere non-citizens, the latter are being held by the INS until they are deported — meaning that thousands of innocent men convicted of no crime could face months in a detention center <a href="http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial_profiling/profiling_terrorism.html" type="external">bunking down</a> with hard-nosed criminals.</p>
<p />
<p><a type="external" href="">Same-Sex, Same Sanctity?</a> Three Divisional Court Judges in Canada <a href="http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&amp;c=Article&amp;cid=1026143395953&amp;call_page=TS_News&amp;call_pageid=968332188492&amp;call_pagepath=News/News&amp;col=968793972154" type="external">rocked the “sanctity” of marriage boat</a> by ruling the country’s current definition of marriage unconstitutional. According to Tracy Huffman of the Toronto Star, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that laws and benefits that serve “one man and one woman,” as the constitution now reads, should instead benefit “two persons” — giving the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans-gendered community the same protections married heterosexual couples receive.</p>
<p>One of the many barriers to validating same-sex marriage was the argument that the purpose of a marriage was to procreate and support a family. But Canadian Justice Robert Blair explained that the current institution of marriage does not support that mentality:</p>
<p />
<p>“There is much more to marriage as a societal institution, in my view, than the act of heterosexual intercourse leading to the birth of children,” Mr. Justice Robert Blair wrote in his reasons for the ruling. “Moreover,the authorities are clear that marriage is not dependent upon the presence of children.”</p>
<p>The court’s ruling is seen as a victory for Canada’s GLBT community, but its practical and legal actuality still has far to go. In order for a gay marriage to be recognized like a heterosexual marriage, both the <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030612.wdelay/BNStory/National/" type="external">provincial and federal governments must accept the Ontario verdict</a>. Acccording to the Canadian Press, some of Canada’s federal legislators support the ruling, while some others are pushing for an appeal to the country’s Supreme Court.</p>
<p>States within the US may not be far behind the Canadian verdict, according to the Associated Press. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial court is considering whether the state’s constitution allows same-sex marriage. While the state’s Catholic Bishops have issued a statement staunchly opposing same-sex union, a coalition of clergy from other religious denominations have stepped forward in defense of gay civil unions, asserting that “the right of gay and lesbian couples is <a href="http://www.cmonitor.com/stories/news/newengla2003/ma__samesexmarriage_07_2003.shtml" type="external">a matter of civil, and not religious law,</a>” as the co-chairwoman of the Religions Coalition for Freedom to Marry put it. E.J Graff of the Boston Globe reports that the Netherlands and Belgium both recognize gay marriages as equal to straight marriages, and <a href="http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/159/focus/Here_come_the_brides+.shtml" type="external">many other Western countries recognize at least some same-sex couples’ rights</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>“Same-sex marriage is also imminent in Canada and South Africa, where the law already grants lesbian and gay couples rights to just about everything except the M-word. Meanwhile, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, Germany, Hungary, France, New Zealand, Portugal, most of Australia, half the provinces in Spain, and two Argentinian states give gay couples many to most of marriage’s legal rights and responsibilities.”</p>
<p /> | 3,199 |
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