news_text
stringlengths 0
312k
| title
stringlengths 0
11.1k
| hyperpartisan
bool 2
classes | url
stringlengths 20
344
| published_at
stringlengths 0
10
| bias
class label 5
classes | text
stringlengths 19
312k
| uid
int64 0
600k
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
<p>As <a href="http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsId=282198" type="external">MediaPost reports</a>, Google is starting to include selected animated banner ads into its <a href="https://www.google.com/adsense/?hl=en_US&amp;sourceid=aso&amp;subid=us-et-ads" type="external">AdSense</a> program, which until now has included strictly text ads. AdSense ads show up on Google's partner websites (including many media sites), and they are contextually relevant to the content of the page they appear on. (AdSense is the off-Google version of the search giant's successful <a href="https://adwords.google.com/select/main?cmd=Login&amp;sourceid=AWO&amp;subid=US-ET-ADS&amp;hl=en_US" type="external">AdWords</a> program; AdWords includes contextual text ads on Google search results.)The AdSense graphical banners (for now, from a small group of participating advertisers) are linked to keywords in the same way as AdSense and AdWords text ads. The graphical advertisers will pay in the same way as text advertisers -- on a per-click basis.The big question, of course, is if the contextual graphical ads will draw clicks as effectively as the text ads. I suspect not, but this will be an interesting experiment to watch.The MediaPost report suggests why this might not be a great idea: "The danger faced by Google is that advertisers will get the branding benefits of banner ads, but won't have to pay because consumers might not click on them."</p>
|
The Contextual Banner Ad
| false |
https://poynter.org/news/contextual-banner-ad
|
2004-12-09
| 2least
|
The Contextual Banner Ad
<p>As <a href="http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsId=282198" type="external">MediaPost reports</a>, Google is starting to include selected animated banner ads into its <a href="https://www.google.com/adsense/?hl=en_US&amp;sourceid=aso&amp;subid=us-et-ads" type="external">AdSense</a> program, which until now has included strictly text ads. AdSense ads show up on Google's partner websites (including many media sites), and they are contextually relevant to the content of the page they appear on. (AdSense is the off-Google version of the search giant's successful <a href="https://adwords.google.com/select/main?cmd=Login&amp;sourceid=AWO&amp;subid=US-ET-ADS&amp;hl=en_US" type="external">AdWords</a> program; AdWords includes contextual text ads on Google search results.)The AdSense graphical banners (for now, from a small group of participating advertisers) are linked to keywords in the same way as AdSense and AdWords text ads. The graphical advertisers will pay in the same way as text advertisers -- on a per-click basis.The big question, of course, is if the contextual graphical ads will draw clicks as effectively as the text ads. I suspect not, but this will be an interesting experiment to watch.The MediaPost report suggests why this might not be a great idea: "The danger faced by Google is that advertisers will get the branding benefits of banner ads, but won't have to pay because consumers might not click on them."</p>
| 4,800 |
<p>After a more than a month of intense protests against the exportation of Bolivia’s gas to the US through a Chilean port, many protesting sectors are focusing their demands solely on the resignation of their president, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. Bolivia’s president is currently left with support from only one coalition party, MIR, the armed forces and the US government.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, an increasing number of citizens are taking to the streets, stating that as long as Sánchez de Lozada remains in power, the protests, strikes and road blockades rocking the country will continue. Bolivian and international press report that Sánchez de Lozada will resign today. The president has yet to confirm these reports.</p>
<p>On October 13, US government spokesman, Richard Boucher, stated that the US government supports the presidency of Sánchez de Lozada, The statement was made even as the administration continues a campaign of excessive use of force which has left over one hundred dead as a result of confrontations between security forces and protesters in the last fourteen months. This is a greater number of killings in any presidency, including the years of military dictatorship.</p>
<p>Major Party Leader Demands President’s Resignation</p>
<p>Major parties and political leaders have pulled out their support of Sanchez de Lozada, demanding the resignation of the president as well.</p>
<p>At 10:30 a.m. October 17, Manfred Reyes Villa, the leader of the New Republican Force (NFR) pulled out of the coalition and demanded that the president resign. (Bolpress.com 10/17/03) This is the most recent case where a major political leader in the government has demanded the president’s resignation.</p>
<p>On October 13, Vice President, Carlos Mesa, pulled out his support and demanded that the president resign.</p>
<p>Mesa commented on October 16, “You have asked me if I am capable of killing, and my answer is no. Nor will I be tomorrow.” (Opinion, 10/17/03) He has further separated himself from Sanchez de Lozada, as well as from radical protesting sectors, presenting himself as viable middle of the road option for a democratic transition to president. Now that Reyes Villa has resigned, only one major coalition party remains, MIR, led by Jaime Paz Zamora, who at this time is meeting with members of his party to determine their next move. If MIR were to withdraw from the coalition, it would increase the possibility of Sánchez de Lozada’s resignation. Rumors have begun to circulate that the president may resign soon. He is scheduled to give an address at 4pm today. Meanwhile protests continue across the country.</p>
<p>“This cannot go on,” Reyes Villa said after demanding the president’s resignation. “The people of Bolivia do not believe in this government, we cannot continue fighting in the streets like this. Now the three ministers of the NFR have resigned.” Reyes Villa said the transition to a new president should follow the stipulations of the Bolivian constitution.</p>
<p>The spokesman for the government, Mauricio Antezana also resigned last night, although the new government spokesman refuses to confirm that.</p>
<p>Congress members have been helicoptered into La Paz. If sufficient quorum exists, Vice President Carlos Mesa will initiate the first congressional session in over a week. It is unclear what action, if any the legislature will take.</p>
<p>Crackdown on Media and Protesters</p>
<p>On October 15 a confrontation between protesters and security forces produced three more deaths and fifteen injuries in the town of Patacamaya, when the military refused to allow miners to continue their march to La Paz. The military received orders from the government to block the passage of the miners and opened fire. (La Razón, 10/16/03)</p>
<p>The same day, there were reports of multiple denunciations of security forces illegally entering people’s homes, supposedly looking for opposition leaders or proof of subversive activities. In the city of El Alto, security forces carried out a crackdown on protesters by reportedly arresting people arbitrarily without any legal justification. (El Diario, 10/16/03)</p>
<p>At around 6 p.m. the same day, a group of hooded men blew up the transmitter of Radio Pio XII, a progressive radio station in Oruro, cutting off news reports regarding the conflicts. That same day, numerous editions of Pulso, a progressive weekly publication, and El Diario, a newspaper from the capital, were stolen by unidentified groups of people in La Paz. Both publications contained article critiquing the U.S. role in the present conflict. Agents themselves also briefly detained journalist, Alex Contreras, at the Santa Cruz Airports. They claimed to be antinarcotics agents, but refused to show identification. They searched and filmed all his belongings, including documents.</p>
<p>Sánchez de Lozada’s Story</p>
<p>Many Bolivians refer to Sánchez de Lozada as “El Gringo.” He studied at the University of Chicago and speaks with a heavy American accent. Throughout his recent year as president he has enacted neo-liberal reforms encouraged by the US and the IMF, to boost the Bolivian economy. These reforms have been largely unpopular with the Bolivian public. His continued activities in the US-funded war on drugs have resulted in enormous human rights violations and violence paired with a lack of alternative development for coca farmers. In February of 2003, Sánchez de Lozada’s proposed income tax increase, which was supported by the IMF, led to riots, which resulted in 33 deaths and numerous injuries. Most recently, the president’s plan to export the nation’s gas to the US through a Chilean port has generated widespread discontent. Bolivia’s Gas War is the most recent case where the people of a Latin American country have rejected neo liberal economic plans. Larry Birns, Director of the Counsel of Hemispheric Affairs, commented on the situation in Bolivia. “The promoters of the privatization and the neoliberal model have said that everyone will benefit, but what has happened is that there are winners and losers, and that the losers are always the same; the poor.” (El Diario, 10/15/03)</p>
<p>President Says International Terrorists Fund Opposition Movement</p>
<p>In a public address on October 13, Sánchez de Lozada maintained that he was not going to step down as president, and that he was going to preserve the democracy of the country and not succumb to “a huge subversive project from outside the nation, which is attempting to destroy Bolivian democracy.” Shortly thereafter, in an interview on CNN in Spanish, the president was asked to specify about what international groups were against him. He responded by saying that the Peruvian Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and the Bolivian coca growers were plotting against him and that Colombian terrorist groups are training the coca growers in terrorist activities. He also noted that well-meaning NGO’s in Bolivia were funding these terrorist activities and that Libya was also possibly against him because Evo Morales had traveled there and had received a human rights prize from the country. On October 16, the president further sustained that protestors are “nacre-unionists, t hat wish to carry out a coup in the nation. In essence, he has portrayed a significant portion of the Bolivian population as criminals, refusing to recognize their right to advocate their interests. He has also repeatedly characterized himself as “the little Dutch Boy holding his finger in the hole in the dike of democracy.”</p>
<p>The president’s comments linking popular Bolivian protests to foreign terrorist groups prove either that he is out of touch with the harsh reality facing Bolivia or that he is simply misrepresenting the situation in order to justify his excessive use of force to quell the unrest the country.</p>
<p>US Government Support</p>
<p>Sánchez de Lozada, who won the presidential election a little over a year ago with less than 23 percent of the vote, now has next to no backing from the citizens of Bolivia. However, the US government has pledged their support of his presidency.</p>
<p>In a press statement on October 13, Richard Boucher, US government spokesman, , said that, “The American people and their government support Bolivia’s democratically elected president, Gonzalo Sanchez De Lozada, in his efforts to build a more prosperous and just future for all Bolivians. All of Bolivia’s political leaders should publicly express their support for democratic and constitutional order. The international community and the United States will not tolerate any interruption of constitutional order and will not support any regime that results from undemocratic means.”</p>
<p>On October 17, the U.S. announced that it would evacuate its employees out of the country.</p>
<p>US Citizens Reject US Government’s Endorsement of Sanchez de Lozada</p>
<p>Though many nations around the world have pledged their support of Sánchez de Lozada’s presidency, numerous individuals, besides those in the majority of the Bolivian population, have demanded his resignation.</p>
<p>A petition recently went out to the US ambassador in Bolivia where nearly two hundred American citizens demanded the cessation of the US government’s support of the Bolivian President:</p>
<p>Unconditional support for the incumbent president blocks the possibility of the president’s resignation, advocated by a significant portion of the population, and permitted by the Bolivian constitution. Once again, the U.S. Government is impeding peaceful conflict resolution through dialogue in Bolivia, as it has done in the past in regard to U.S.-funded forced coca eradication policy. As American citizens we call on the U.S. government to cease intervention in the present conflict. Bolivians must be allowed to determine their own political future, free from U.S. pressure or sanctions, within the framework of their own laws and constitution.</p>
<p>The Washington Office on Latin America stated that the institution deplores “the Bolivian government’s decision to respond to popular protest by deploying the armed forcesas Bolivians continue to exercise their democratic right to peaceful protest, WOLA urges the Bolivian government to refrain from responding with further use of violence.” and “Urges the Bush administration to offer its clear and firm support for dialogue between the government and opposition forces that can allow for a resolution of the crisis that is both peaceful and constitutional.”</p>
<p>Larry Birns, the Director of the Counsel of Hemispheric Affairs, stated, “When the president has only nine percent of the popularity, as is the case with Sánchez de Lozada, he is a clear candidate for the people to demand his renunciation. This was what the republicans demanded of their ex governor in California, and they were successful.” (El Diario, 10/15/03)</p>
<p>If The President Resigns, Vice President to Take Power</p>
<p>According to the Bolivian constitution, if the president resigns, the vice president will become the president.</p>
<p>Vice President Carlos Mesa, who on October 13 stopped supporting President Sánchez de Lozada and demanded his resignation, said, “We cannot refuse to listen to the voice of the people. We need to create a constitutional succession en order to end the confrontations and violence that the Bolivian people are living in now.” (El Diario, 10/14/03) However, opposition leaders, including Felipe Quispe and Evo Morales, reject the idea of Mesa becoming the next president.</p>
<p>Morales stated, “I prefer that country determines constitutional succession through consensus with the social movements that are currently fighting (in the country). Nevertheless, it would be an error in these moments to decide who should be the next president.” (La Razón, 10/14/03)</p>
<p>Many demand new presidential elections, but congress has not passed a law that would allow a recall vote, as they have been caught in a gridlock for months, arguing senselessly over political appointments and, in the recent week, have not even held session at all.</p>
<p>Armed Forces Continue to Support “Government”</p>
<p>In order to remain in power, President Sánchez de Lozada had relied to a great degree on the Armed Forces to help defend his position.</p>
<p>However, one retired military colonel recently demanded that all soldiers return to their barracks and stop supporting the president. Mothers of military conscripts demanded that their sons be sent back to the military bases because, they did not send their children to carry out mandatory military service so that they could shoot their fellow citizens.</p>
<p>When asked if the Armed Forces supported the president specifically, the Commander of the Armed Forces responded, in very nervous and vague terms, that the Armed Forces will continue to defend the constitution and the government.</p>
<p>Protests Continue Across Bolivia</p>
<p>Prominent political and social figures including Ana Maria Romero de Campero, Ex-Human Rights Ombudsperson, Sanchez Llorenti, Vice President of The Human Rights Assembly, and Silvia Rivera, Bolivian anthropologist, have started a hunger strike demanding the resignation of the president and the end of excessive use of force against protesters by military and police. There are now almost 50 groups across the nation.</p>
<p>Although Sánchez de Lozada told the press that “only one percent of the population has protested,” strikes, blockades and protests are raging across the country, intensifying each minute. Groups throughout Bolivia are declaring indefinite strikes until the president resigns. The current situation indicates that the resignation of the president is the only immediate solution to the violence wracking the country.</p>
<p>BENJAMIN DANGL works for the <a href="http://www.ain.org.bo/" type="external">Andean Information Network</a> in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>To receive AIN updates email : <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Bolivian Government Falling Apart
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2003/10/18/bolivian-government-falling-apart/
|
2003-10-18
| 4left
|
Bolivian Government Falling Apart
<p>After a more than a month of intense protests against the exportation of Bolivia’s gas to the US through a Chilean port, many protesting sectors are focusing their demands solely on the resignation of their president, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada. Bolivia’s president is currently left with support from only one coalition party, MIR, the armed forces and the US government.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, an increasing number of citizens are taking to the streets, stating that as long as Sánchez de Lozada remains in power, the protests, strikes and road blockades rocking the country will continue. Bolivian and international press report that Sánchez de Lozada will resign today. The president has yet to confirm these reports.</p>
<p>On October 13, US government spokesman, Richard Boucher, stated that the US government supports the presidency of Sánchez de Lozada, The statement was made even as the administration continues a campaign of excessive use of force which has left over one hundred dead as a result of confrontations between security forces and protesters in the last fourteen months. This is a greater number of killings in any presidency, including the years of military dictatorship.</p>
<p>Major Party Leader Demands President’s Resignation</p>
<p>Major parties and political leaders have pulled out their support of Sanchez de Lozada, demanding the resignation of the president as well.</p>
<p>At 10:30 a.m. October 17, Manfred Reyes Villa, the leader of the New Republican Force (NFR) pulled out of the coalition and demanded that the president resign. (Bolpress.com 10/17/03) This is the most recent case where a major political leader in the government has demanded the president’s resignation.</p>
<p>On October 13, Vice President, Carlos Mesa, pulled out his support and demanded that the president resign.</p>
<p>Mesa commented on October 16, “You have asked me if I am capable of killing, and my answer is no. Nor will I be tomorrow.” (Opinion, 10/17/03) He has further separated himself from Sanchez de Lozada, as well as from radical protesting sectors, presenting himself as viable middle of the road option for a democratic transition to president. Now that Reyes Villa has resigned, only one major coalition party remains, MIR, led by Jaime Paz Zamora, who at this time is meeting with members of his party to determine their next move. If MIR were to withdraw from the coalition, it would increase the possibility of Sánchez de Lozada’s resignation. Rumors have begun to circulate that the president may resign soon. He is scheduled to give an address at 4pm today. Meanwhile protests continue across the country.</p>
<p>“This cannot go on,” Reyes Villa said after demanding the president’s resignation. “The people of Bolivia do not believe in this government, we cannot continue fighting in the streets like this. Now the three ministers of the NFR have resigned.” Reyes Villa said the transition to a new president should follow the stipulations of the Bolivian constitution.</p>
<p>The spokesman for the government, Mauricio Antezana also resigned last night, although the new government spokesman refuses to confirm that.</p>
<p>Congress members have been helicoptered into La Paz. If sufficient quorum exists, Vice President Carlos Mesa will initiate the first congressional session in over a week. It is unclear what action, if any the legislature will take.</p>
<p>Crackdown on Media and Protesters</p>
<p>On October 15 a confrontation between protesters and security forces produced three more deaths and fifteen injuries in the town of Patacamaya, when the military refused to allow miners to continue their march to La Paz. The military received orders from the government to block the passage of the miners and opened fire. (La Razón, 10/16/03)</p>
<p>The same day, there were reports of multiple denunciations of security forces illegally entering people’s homes, supposedly looking for opposition leaders or proof of subversive activities. In the city of El Alto, security forces carried out a crackdown on protesters by reportedly arresting people arbitrarily without any legal justification. (El Diario, 10/16/03)</p>
<p>At around 6 p.m. the same day, a group of hooded men blew up the transmitter of Radio Pio XII, a progressive radio station in Oruro, cutting off news reports regarding the conflicts. That same day, numerous editions of Pulso, a progressive weekly publication, and El Diario, a newspaper from the capital, were stolen by unidentified groups of people in La Paz. Both publications contained article critiquing the U.S. role in the present conflict. Agents themselves also briefly detained journalist, Alex Contreras, at the Santa Cruz Airports. They claimed to be antinarcotics agents, but refused to show identification. They searched and filmed all his belongings, including documents.</p>
<p>Sánchez de Lozada’s Story</p>
<p>Many Bolivians refer to Sánchez de Lozada as “El Gringo.” He studied at the University of Chicago and speaks with a heavy American accent. Throughout his recent year as president he has enacted neo-liberal reforms encouraged by the US and the IMF, to boost the Bolivian economy. These reforms have been largely unpopular with the Bolivian public. His continued activities in the US-funded war on drugs have resulted in enormous human rights violations and violence paired with a lack of alternative development for coca farmers. In February of 2003, Sánchez de Lozada’s proposed income tax increase, which was supported by the IMF, led to riots, which resulted in 33 deaths and numerous injuries. Most recently, the president’s plan to export the nation’s gas to the US through a Chilean port has generated widespread discontent. Bolivia’s Gas War is the most recent case where the people of a Latin American country have rejected neo liberal economic plans. Larry Birns, Director of the Counsel of Hemispheric Affairs, commented on the situation in Bolivia. “The promoters of the privatization and the neoliberal model have said that everyone will benefit, but what has happened is that there are winners and losers, and that the losers are always the same; the poor.” (El Diario, 10/15/03)</p>
<p>President Says International Terrorists Fund Opposition Movement</p>
<p>In a public address on October 13, Sánchez de Lozada maintained that he was not going to step down as president, and that he was going to preserve the democracy of the country and not succumb to “a huge subversive project from outside the nation, which is attempting to destroy Bolivian democracy.” Shortly thereafter, in an interview on CNN in Spanish, the president was asked to specify about what international groups were against him. He responded by saying that the Peruvian Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and the Bolivian coca growers were plotting against him and that Colombian terrorist groups are training the coca growers in terrorist activities. He also noted that well-meaning NGO’s in Bolivia were funding these terrorist activities and that Libya was also possibly against him because Evo Morales had traveled there and had received a human rights prize from the country. On October 16, the president further sustained that protestors are “nacre-unionists, t hat wish to carry out a coup in the nation. In essence, he has portrayed a significant portion of the Bolivian population as criminals, refusing to recognize their right to advocate their interests. He has also repeatedly characterized himself as “the little Dutch Boy holding his finger in the hole in the dike of democracy.”</p>
<p>The president’s comments linking popular Bolivian protests to foreign terrorist groups prove either that he is out of touch with the harsh reality facing Bolivia or that he is simply misrepresenting the situation in order to justify his excessive use of force to quell the unrest the country.</p>
<p>US Government Support</p>
<p>Sánchez de Lozada, who won the presidential election a little over a year ago with less than 23 percent of the vote, now has next to no backing from the citizens of Bolivia. However, the US government has pledged their support of his presidency.</p>
<p>In a press statement on October 13, Richard Boucher, US government spokesman, , said that, “The American people and their government support Bolivia’s democratically elected president, Gonzalo Sanchez De Lozada, in his efforts to build a more prosperous and just future for all Bolivians. All of Bolivia’s political leaders should publicly express their support for democratic and constitutional order. The international community and the United States will not tolerate any interruption of constitutional order and will not support any regime that results from undemocratic means.”</p>
<p>On October 17, the U.S. announced that it would evacuate its employees out of the country.</p>
<p>US Citizens Reject US Government’s Endorsement of Sanchez de Lozada</p>
<p>Though many nations around the world have pledged their support of Sánchez de Lozada’s presidency, numerous individuals, besides those in the majority of the Bolivian population, have demanded his resignation.</p>
<p>A petition recently went out to the US ambassador in Bolivia where nearly two hundred American citizens demanded the cessation of the US government’s support of the Bolivian President:</p>
<p>Unconditional support for the incumbent president blocks the possibility of the president’s resignation, advocated by a significant portion of the population, and permitted by the Bolivian constitution. Once again, the U.S. Government is impeding peaceful conflict resolution through dialogue in Bolivia, as it has done in the past in regard to U.S.-funded forced coca eradication policy. As American citizens we call on the U.S. government to cease intervention in the present conflict. Bolivians must be allowed to determine their own political future, free from U.S. pressure or sanctions, within the framework of their own laws and constitution.</p>
<p>The Washington Office on Latin America stated that the institution deplores “the Bolivian government’s decision to respond to popular protest by deploying the armed forcesas Bolivians continue to exercise their democratic right to peaceful protest, WOLA urges the Bolivian government to refrain from responding with further use of violence.” and “Urges the Bush administration to offer its clear and firm support for dialogue between the government and opposition forces that can allow for a resolution of the crisis that is both peaceful and constitutional.”</p>
<p>Larry Birns, the Director of the Counsel of Hemispheric Affairs, stated, “When the president has only nine percent of the popularity, as is the case with Sánchez de Lozada, he is a clear candidate for the people to demand his renunciation. This was what the republicans demanded of their ex governor in California, and they were successful.” (El Diario, 10/15/03)</p>
<p>If The President Resigns, Vice President to Take Power</p>
<p>According to the Bolivian constitution, if the president resigns, the vice president will become the president.</p>
<p>Vice President Carlos Mesa, who on October 13 stopped supporting President Sánchez de Lozada and demanded his resignation, said, “We cannot refuse to listen to the voice of the people. We need to create a constitutional succession en order to end the confrontations and violence that the Bolivian people are living in now.” (El Diario, 10/14/03) However, opposition leaders, including Felipe Quispe and Evo Morales, reject the idea of Mesa becoming the next president.</p>
<p>Morales stated, “I prefer that country determines constitutional succession through consensus with the social movements that are currently fighting (in the country). Nevertheless, it would be an error in these moments to decide who should be the next president.” (La Razón, 10/14/03)</p>
<p>Many demand new presidential elections, but congress has not passed a law that would allow a recall vote, as they have been caught in a gridlock for months, arguing senselessly over political appointments and, in the recent week, have not even held session at all.</p>
<p>Armed Forces Continue to Support “Government”</p>
<p>In order to remain in power, President Sánchez de Lozada had relied to a great degree on the Armed Forces to help defend his position.</p>
<p>However, one retired military colonel recently demanded that all soldiers return to their barracks and stop supporting the president. Mothers of military conscripts demanded that their sons be sent back to the military bases because, they did not send their children to carry out mandatory military service so that they could shoot their fellow citizens.</p>
<p>When asked if the Armed Forces supported the president specifically, the Commander of the Armed Forces responded, in very nervous and vague terms, that the Armed Forces will continue to defend the constitution and the government.</p>
<p>Protests Continue Across Bolivia</p>
<p>Prominent political and social figures including Ana Maria Romero de Campero, Ex-Human Rights Ombudsperson, Sanchez Llorenti, Vice President of The Human Rights Assembly, and Silvia Rivera, Bolivian anthropologist, have started a hunger strike demanding the resignation of the president and the end of excessive use of force against protesters by military and police. There are now almost 50 groups across the nation.</p>
<p>Although Sánchez de Lozada told the press that “only one percent of the population has protested,” strikes, blockades and protests are raging across the country, intensifying each minute. Groups throughout Bolivia are declaring indefinite strikes until the president resigns. The current situation indicates that the resignation of the president is the only immediate solution to the violence wracking the country.</p>
<p>BENJAMIN DANGL works for the <a href="http://www.ain.org.bo/" type="external">Andean Information Network</a> in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>To receive AIN updates email : <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,801 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Heather Wilson</p>
<p>WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson’s official nomination to become secretary of the Air Force arrived on Capitol Hill this week, paving the way for a confirmation hearing Thursday.</p>
<p>The White House announced the Republican’s nomination in late January but did not formally submit the paperwork to the Senate Armed Services Committee until Tuesday, leading some on Capitol Hill to wonder whether her nomination had run into trouble.</p>
<p>Although Wilson comes highly recommended for the position from the White House and many in the national defense community, she’s likely to face questions at her hearing about a lucrative and controversial consulting contract she entered into with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque after leaving Congress.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Wilson, 56, has been serving as president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City since 2013. She is an Air Force Academy graduate and Rhodes scholar who represented New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1998 to 2009, serving on the Armed Forces and Intelligence committees. She lost a bid for the U.S. Senate to Democrat Martin Heinrich in the 2012 general election.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump has struggled to get top military leadership posts filled early in his administration. Army secretary nominee Vincent Viola withdrew in February, citing business conflicts. Navy secretary nominee Philip Bilden stepped aside earlier this month, also citing business conflicts.</p>
<p>Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both New Mexico Democrats who know Wilson well from her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, have declined to say whether they will support or oppose her nomination.</p>
<p>“I want to watch what the Senate Armed Services Committee does,” Udall told the Journal in a brief interview this week. “I’m going to let the committee do its work. The best thing to do is let the committee look hard and tough at those issues.”</p>
<p>Heinrich, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said Friday that Wilson could be an asset for New Mexico’s three Air Force bases.</p>
<p>“Heather Wilson’s distinguished service in the Air Force, experience working on the National Security Council, and her firsthand knowledge of New Mexico’s Air Force installations would offer a unique and valuable perspective at the Pentagon,” Heinrich said in a statement. “I look forward to meeting with her and receiving her testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.”</p>
<p>Wilson could not be reached for comment Friday.</p>
<p>A 2013 Department of Energy inspector general’s report alleged Sandia, then run by defense giant Lockheed Martin, had inappropriately paid Wilson about $226,000 in consulting fees beginning in January 2009, to lobby for Sandia to take on new assignments for the federal government. Sandia and Wilson have said no prohibited lobbying occurred.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>However, Sandia reimbursed the government more than $226,000 for fees paid to the consulting company run by Wilson, who was not mentioned in the settlement agreement between the Justice Department and Sandia Corp.</p>
<p>In 2015, Wilson told the Journal there was no impropriety.</p>
<p>“There is no finding of any contact by me with any member of Congress or executive branch official concerning the Sandia contract extension,” Wilson said. “That’s because there was none. I was not a lobbyist for Sandia, and I was not a member of the contract strategy team criticized by the inspector general’s report.”</p>
<p>Wilson’s financial paperwork and disclosures required of her by the Office of Government Ethics as part of the confirmation process have not yet been made public.</p>
<p>Lockheed Martin, which oversaw Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque before Honeywell nabbed the massive contract in a bidding contest late last year, is the Air Force’s largest contractor. If confirmed, Wilson would oversee ongoing negotiations between the federal government and Lockheed Martin related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive weapons system in military history.</p>
<p>Jay Coghlan, director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, a nuclear and defense watchdog group, urged senators to vote against Wilson’s nomination. He said her past lobbying work for Lockheed Martin should disqualify her.</p>
<p>Five days after nominating Wilson, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting administration officials from working on issues that are largely related to the work they did for private-sector clients, but it applies only to work done within the past two years. Wilson’s former consulting firm – Heather Wilson and Company LLC – received $226,378 between January 2009 and March 2011 by Sandia Corp. LLC, according to a June 2013 report by the Energy Department inspector general.</p>
<p>“She’s going to end up overseeing the Air Force’s biggest ever contract (the F-35 fighter) with Lockheed Martin when she acted as a paid agent for Lockheed Martin,” Coghlan said. “It’s reported to be a more than trillion-dollar contract, and it’s plagued with problems.”</p>
<p>Some observers have suggested Wilson could recuse herself from negotiations with Lockheed Martin if confirmed as Air Force secretary to avoid the appearance of impropriety.</p>
<p>Wilson would be the first Air Force Academy graduate to serve as secretary and the second consecutive woman in the position.</p>
<p />
<p />
|
Heather Wilson formally nominated to lead Air Force
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/975505/heather-wilsons-air-force-nomination-moves-forward.html
|
2017-03-24
| 2least
|
Heather Wilson formally nominated to lead Air Force
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Heather Wilson</p>
<p>WASHINGTON – Former U.S. Rep. Heather Wilson’s official nomination to become secretary of the Air Force arrived on Capitol Hill this week, paving the way for a confirmation hearing Thursday.</p>
<p>The White House announced the Republican’s nomination in late January but did not formally submit the paperwork to the Senate Armed Services Committee until Tuesday, leading some on Capitol Hill to wonder whether her nomination had run into trouble.</p>
<p>Although Wilson comes highly recommended for the position from the White House and many in the national defense community, she’s likely to face questions at her hearing about a lucrative and controversial consulting contract she entered into with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque after leaving Congress.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Wilson, 56, has been serving as president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City since 2013. She is an Air Force Academy graduate and Rhodes scholar who represented New Mexico in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1998 to 2009, serving on the Armed Forces and Intelligence committees. She lost a bid for the U.S. Senate to Democrat Martin Heinrich in the 2012 general election.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump has struggled to get top military leadership posts filled early in his administration. Army secretary nominee Vincent Viola withdrew in February, citing business conflicts. Navy secretary nominee Philip Bilden stepped aside earlier this month, also citing business conflicts.</p>
<p>Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both New Mexico Democrats who know Wilson well from her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, have declined to say whether they will support or oppose her nomination.</p>
<p>“I want to watch what the Senate Armed Services Committee does,” Udall told the Journal in a brief interview this week. “I’m going to let the committee do its work. The best thing to do is let the committee look hard and tough at those issues.”</p>
<p>Heinrich, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said Friday that Wilson could be an asset for New Mexico’s three Air Force bases.</p>
<p>“Heather Wilson’s distinguished service in the Air Force, experience working on the National Security Council, and her firsthand knowledge of New Mexico’s Air Force installations would offer a unique and valuable perspective at the Pentagon,” Heinrich said in a statement. “I look forward to meeting with her and receiving her testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.”</p>
<p>Wilson could not be reached for comment Friday.</p>
<p>A 2013 Department of Energy inspector general’s report alleged Sandia, then run by defense giant Lockheed Martin, had inappropriately paid Wilson about $226,000 in consulting fees beginning in January 2009, to lobby for Sandia to take on new assignments for the federal government. Sandia and Wilson have said no prohibited lobbying occurred.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>However, Sandia reimbursed the government more than $226,000 for fees paid to the consulting company run by Wilson, who was not mentioned in the settlement agreement between the Justice Department and Sandia Corp.</p>
<p>In 2015, Wilson told the Journal there was no impropriety.</p>
<p>“There is no finding of any contact by me with any member of Congress or executive branch official concerning the Sandia contract extension,” Wilson said. “That’s because there was none. I was not a lobbyist for Sandia, and I was not a member of the contract strategy team criticized by the inspector general’s report.”</p>
<p>Wilson’s financial paperwork and disclosures required of her by the Office of Government Ethics as part of the confirmation process have not yet been made public.</p>
<p>Lockheed Martin, which oversaw Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque before Honeywell nabbed the massive contract in a bidding contest late last year, is the Air Force’s largest contractor. If confirmed, Wilson would oversee ongoing negotiations between the federal government and Lockheed Martin related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the most expensive weapons system in military history.</p>
<p>Jay Coghlan, director of Nuclear Watch New Mexico, a nuclear and defense watchdog group, urged senators to vote against Wilson’s nomination. He said her past lobbying work for Lockheed Martin should disqualify her.</p>
<p>Five days after nominating Wilson, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting administration officials from working on issues that are largely related to the work they did for private-sector clients, but it applies only to work done within the past two years. Wilson’s former consulting firm – Heather Wilson and Company LLC – received $226,378 between January 2009 and March 2011 by Sandia Corp. LLC, according to a June 2013 report by the Energy Department inspector general.</p>
<p>“She’s going to end up overseeing the Air Force’s biggest ever contract (the F-35 fighter) with Lockheed Martin when she acted as a paid agent for Lockheed Martin,” Coghlan said. “It’s reported to be a more than trillion-dollar contract, and it’s plagued with problems.”</p>
<p>Some observers have suggested Wilson could recuse herself from negotiations with Lockheed Martin if confirmed as Air Force secretary to avoid the appearance of impropriety.</p>
<p>Wilson would be the first Air Force Academy graduate to serve as secretary and the second consecutive woman in the position.</p>
<p />
<p />
| 4,802 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" />A John Arthur Smith story: <a href="" type="internal">Critics of the fiscally conservative chairman</a> of the Senate Finance Committee portrayed the Deming Democrat as a stand-alone barrier to Senate consideration of a proposal to take more money from a permanent fund for early childhood programs.</p>
<p>The Senate Finance Committee's <a href="" type="internal">8-2 vote to table the measure</a> proved this implication to be simply not true.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A Michael Sanchez story: Respect for the Senate majority leader</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, makes sure a lottery scholarship bill passes the Legislature on Thursday. His wife, Lynn, a recently retired school teacher, sits behind him. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>never was clearer than in the 2014 session's final hour, when he worked both chambers to ensure passage of a solvency fix for New Mexico's college <a href="" type="internal">lottery scholarship fund.</a></p>
<p>This was his baby. He was was the original sponsor of the scholarships back in 1996, and he deeply believes in the program.</p>
<p>A 66-1 House vote to pass his amended fix came with an hour left. A Senate voice vote, with only a few audible dissents, came with about a minute to spare.</p>
<p>&#160;A minority&#160;courage story: In a far more articulate speech than normally offered in the House, <a href="" type="internal">Republican Rep. Jason Harper of Rio Rancho</a>stood up with an hour to go to put some fiscal sense, as he saw it, into the college lottery scholarship fix shaped largely by Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez.</p>
<p>Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, argues for an amendment to the lottery scholarship bill. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>The clock was ticking toward adjournment, and Sanchez and other Democrats were working mightily to get the scholarship bill through.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>"I know I will never get another bill out of the Senate," Harper told the House.</p>
<p>Harper's amendment, apparently aimed at a self-sustaining program in the long run instead of perennially dipping into new pots of money, apparently made sense to enough people. It was adopted 41-25 in a narrowly divided but still Democratic-dominated House. Moments later, the amended bill itself passed 66-1 and returned to the Senate for its concurrence in the final two minutes of the 30-day legislative session.</p>
<p>A Michael Sanchez follow-up: I suspect the Senate retribution part of Jason Harper's House speech probably won't come true. There is evidence that Michael Sanchez does not operate this way as majority leader, or at least that he is not that predictably vengeful. To wit: John Arthur Smith and the Senate Finance Committee have at least twice shot down Sanchez's constitutional proposals to take more money from a permanent fund for early childhood education program, most recently this session. The naysayer members are still around, and I've not seen evidence of abiding grudges.</p>
<p>A budget story: So the original <a href="" type="internal">$6 billion state budget</a>drafted by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee fails to pass the full House late in the session.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">John Arthur Smith and the Senate Finance Committee</a>take over the effort, probably relying heavily on the fundamental House committee work, and produce a budget that passes the Senate 42-0 and the House 58-8. The governor almost immediately calls it a good&#160;compromise.</p>
<p>This is amazing, folks.</p>
<p>Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, talks with Legislative Finance Committee Director David Abbey during a budget debate on the Senate floor. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)</p>
<p>But most of the real work happened behind the scenes. I can tell you this much: It wouldn't have happened without countless hours of staff work and constant, private discussion between the majorities and minorities of both the Senate and House and, probably, the Governor's Office as well.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Behind all the political bluster, there's always a lot more quiet, grown-up work going on than you might suspect.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
At the Roundhouse: Real deals
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/356965/at-the-roundhouse-real-deals.html
| 2least
|
At the Roundhouse: Real deals
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" />A John Arthur Smith story: <a href="" type="internal">Critics of the fiscally conservative chairman</a> of the Senate Finance Committee portrayed the Deming Democrat as a stand-alone barrier to Senate consideration of a proposal to take more money from a permanent fund for early childhood programs.</p>
<p>The Senate Finance Committee's <a href="" type="internal">8-2 vote to table the measure</a> proved this implication to be simply not true.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A Michael Sanchez story: Respect for the Senate majority leader</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez, D-Belen, makes sure a lottery scholarship bill passes the Legislature on Thursday. His wife, Lynn, a recently retired school teacher, sits behind him. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>never was clearer than in the 2014 session's final hour, when he worked both chambers to ensure passage of a solvency fix for New Mexico's college <a href="" type="internal">lottery scholarship fund.</a></p>
<p>This was his baby. He was was the original sponsor of the scholarships back in 1996, and he deeply believes in the program.</p>
<p>A 66-1 House vote to pass his amended fix came with an hour left. A Senate voice vote, with only a few audible dissents, came with about a minute to spare.</p>
<p>&#160;A minority&#160;courage story: In a far more articulate speech than normally offered in the House, <a href="" type="internal">Republican Rep. Jason Harper of Rio Rancho</a>stood up with an hour to go to put some fiscal sense, as he saw it, into the college lottery scholarship fix shaped largely by Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez.</p>
<p>Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, argues for an amendment to the lottery scholarship bill. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal)</p>
<p>The clock was ticking toward adjournment, and Sanchez and other Democrats were working mightily to get the scholarship bill through.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>"I know I will never get another bill out of the Senate," Harper told the House.</p>
<p>Harper's amendment, apparently aimed at a self-sustaining program in the long run instead of perennially dipping into new pots of money, apparently made sense to enough people. It was adopted 41-25 in a narrowly divided but still Democratic-dominated House. Moments later, the amended bill itself passed 66-1 and returned to the Senate for its concurrence in the final two minutes of the 30-day legislative session.</p>
<p>A Michael Sanchez follow-up: I suspect the Senate retribution part of Jason Harper's House speech probably won't come true. There is evidence that Michael Sanchez does not operate this way as majority leader, or at least that he is not that predictably vengeful. To wit: John Arthur Smith and the Senate Finance Committee have at least twice shot down Sanchez's constitutional proposals to take more money from a permanent fund for early childhood education program, most recently this session. The naysayer members are still around, and I've not seen evidence of abiding grudges.</p>
<p>A budget story: So the original <a href="" type="internal">$6 billion state budget</a>drafted by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee fails to pass the full House late in the session.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">John Arthur Smith and the Senate Finance Committee</a>take over the effort, probably relying heavily on the fundamental House committee work, and produce a budget that passes the Senate 42-0 and the House 58-8. The governor almost immediately calls it a good&#160;compromise.</p>
<p>This is amazing, folks.</p>
<p>Sen. John Arthur Smith, D-Deming, talks with Legislative Finance Committee Director David Abbey during a budget debate on the Senate floor. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Journal)</p>
<p>But most of the real work happened behind the scenes. I can tell you this much: It wouldn't have happened without countless hours of staff work and constant, private discussion between the majorities and minorities of both the Senate and House and, probably, the Governor's Office as well.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Behind all the political bluster, there's always a lot more quiet, grown-up work going on than you might suspect.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,803 |
|
<p>The United States is an enormously <a href="http://gabriel-zucman.eu/usdina/" type="external">wealthy country</a>. In 2015, total household wealth stood at $71.3 trillion.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>This is equal to $220,000 per person, or $880,000 for every family of four, if the wealth was distributed evenly throughout society.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The owners of this wealth, or capital, capture around 30 percent of the income produced by the country every year. This income flows to them, not because they work for it, but merely because they own income-generating assets like real estate, equity, and debt. In 2015, total US capital income was around $4.8 trillion.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>If this unearned portion of the national income was distributed equally to every individual in society, then each person would receive around $15,000 of income per year in addition to whatever else they receive from working. For a family of four, this dividend alone would bring their household income to $60,000 per year.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The problem is that wealth and capital income are not distributed evenly. In 2014, the average wealth of the bottom half was $349. For the top 1&#160;percent, it was over $16 million.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>This extraordinarily unequal distribution of wealth causes the nation’s capital income to also be distributed in a very uneven manner. In 2014, the bottom half had an average capital income of $826. For the top 1&#160;percent, it was over $750,000.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Rich people in our society don’t just have high capital income levels. They also have high capital income shares. That is, a large portion of the income collected at the top of our society comes from capital rather than from labor. In 2014, just 5.1 percent of the bottom half’s income came from capital. For the top 1&#160;percent, around 58.6 percent of income came from capital.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>It is worth emphasizing just how much income at the top of society comes from passive ownership of investments rather than from working. The top 0.01 percent of individuals in society have an average income of $28 million. Three-fourths of that income, or $21 million, came from capital in 2014.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>If we want to get serious about creating a fair and egalitarian society, we must confront capital directly. Wage levels are important. Benefit levels are important. But getting those things right will not be enough so long as nearly one-third of the national income flows out passively to a handful of people at the top of society.</p>
<p>Current liberal efforts to tackle wealth inequality are woefully inadequate. Policies aimed at building the assets of low-income families, the typical approach to this issue, rarely succeed on their own terms and even if they did succeed, would only be an insignificant drop in the bucket. For wealth and capital income to become more fairly distributed throughout society, the ownership of existing assets must be reordered towards that end.</p>
|
The Problem Is Capital
| true |
https://jacobinmag.com/2017/08/wealth-inequality-united-states-capital-income/
|
2018-10-07
| 4left
|
The Problem Is Capital
<p>The United States is an enormously <a href="http://gabriel-zucman.eu/usdina/" type="external">wealthy country</a>. In 2015, total household wealth stood at $71.3 trillion.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>This is equal to $220,000 per person, or $880,000 for every family of four, if the wealth was distributed evenly throughout society.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The owners of this wealth, or capital, capture around 30 percent of the income produced by the country every year. This income flows to them, not because they work for it, but merely because they own income-generating assets like real estate, equity, and debt. In 2015, total US capital income was around $4.8 trillion.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>If this unearned portion of the national income was distributed equally to every individual in society, then each person would receive around $15,000 of income per year in addition to whatever else they receive from working. For a family of four, this dividend alone would bring their household income to $60,000 per year.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The problem is that wealth and capital income are not distributed evenly. In 2014, the average wealth of the bottom half was $349. For the top 1&#160;percent, it was over $16 million.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>This extraordinarily unequal distribution of wealth causes the nation’s capital income to also be distributed in a very uneven manner. In 2014, the bottom half had an average capital income of $826. For the top 1&#160;percent, it was over $750,000.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Rich people in our society don’t just have high capital income levels. They also have high capital income shares. That is, a large portion of the income collected at the top of our society comes from capital rather than from labor. In 2014, just 5.1 percent of the bottom half’s income came from capital. For the top 1&#160;percent, around 58.6 percent of income came from capital.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>It is worth emphasizing just how much income at the top of society comes from passive ownership of investments rather than from working. The top 0.01 percent of individuals in society have an average income of $28 million. Three-fourths of that income, or $21 million, came from capital in 2014.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>If we want to get serious about creating a fair and egalitarian society, we must confront capital directly. Wage levels are important. Benefit levels are important. But getting those things right will not be enough so long as nearly one-third of the national income flows out passively to a handful of people at the top of society.</p>
<p>Current liberal efforts to tackle wealth inequality are woefully inadequate. Policies aimed at building the assets of low-income families, the typical approach to this issue, rarely succeed on their own terms and even if they did succeed, would only be an insignificant drop in the bucket. For wealth and capital income to become more fairly distributed throughout society, the ownership of existing assets must be reordered towards that end.</p>
| 4,804 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>SANTA FE — The streak lives on.</p>
<p>The New Mexico Senate “Lobos”&#160;defeated the House “Aggies”&#160;by a 36-29 score last night at Santa Fe High, extending its win streak in the annual legislative basketball game to four years.</p>
<p>Despite having a shallower bench — the Senate has 42 members, the House has 70 — the Senate rode the play of Bill Soules of Las Cruces, Howie Morales of Silver City, Bill O’Neill of Albuquerque and Cliff Pirtle of Roswell to notch the win.</p>
<p>There were no major injuries reported, though several senators complained today about the smell of Bengay permeating the chambers.</p>
<p>The charity game also raised $30,486 for the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, the event’s primary beneficiary.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
|
Senate beats House 36-29 in charity basketball game
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/960670/senate-beats-house-36-29-in-charity-basketball-game.html
| 2least
|
Senate beats House 36-29 in charity basketball game
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>SANTA FE — The streak lives on.</p>
<p>The New Mexico Senate “Lobos”&#160;defeated the House “Aggies”&#160;by a 36-29 score last night at Santa Fe High, extending its win streak in the annual legislative basketball game to four years.</p>
<p>Despite having a shallower bench — the Senate has 42 members, the House has 70 — the Senate rode the play of Bill Soules of Las Cruces, Howie Morales of Silver City, Bill O’Neill of Albuquerque and Cliff Pirtle of Roswell to notch the win.</p>
<p>There were no major injuries reported, though several senators complained today about the smell of Bengay permeating the chambers.</p>
<p>The charity game also raised $30,486 for the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, the event’s primary beneficiary.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
| 4,805 |
|
<p />
<p>Julian Bond speaks at the Lincoln Memorial in 2013 on the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. (Joseph Sohm / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-166038170/stock-photo-julian-bond-former-chairman-of-naacp-speaks-at-the-th-anniversary-of-the-march-on-washington-and.html?src=Hm2lNW0QU3EVVBEjSkDp8w-1-0" type="external">Shutterstock</a>)</p>
<p>He rose to national prominence as a vocal force in the civil rights movement, and over the long arc of his career, Julian Bond blended the personal and political in ways that created and transformed societal structures. Bond, 75, died Saturday in the Gulf Coast city of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.</p>
<p>Bond kicked off his early career as an advocate for African-American rights by taking a leadership role in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while an undergraduate at Atlanta’s Morehouse College. His geographical and ideological coordinates positioned him well to lend his formidable talents to the cause to which he devoted his life.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/us/julian-bond-former-naacp-chairman-and-civil-rights-leader-dies-at-75.html?emc=edit_na_20150816&amp;nlid=39699735&amp;ref=cta&amp;_r=0" type="external">The New York Times</a> on Sunday touched on some of the many highlights from Bond’s biography:</p>
<p>He gradually moved from the militancy of the student group to the leadership of the establishmentarian N.A.A.C.P. Along the way, Mr. Bond was a writer, poet, television commentator, lecturer and college teacher, and persistent opponent of the stubborn remnants of white supremacy.</p>
<p>He also served for 20 years in the Georgia General Assembly, mostly in conspicuous isolation from white colleagues who saw him as an interloper and a rabble-rouser.</p>
<p>Mr. Bond’s wit, cool personality and youthful face — he was often called dashing, handsome and urbane — became familiar to millions of television viewers in the 1960s and 1970s. On the strength of his personality and quick intellect, he moved to the center of the civil rights action in Atlanta, the unofficial capital of the movement, at the height of the struggle for racial equality in the early 1960s.</p>
<p>Moving beyond demonstrations, Mr. Bond became a founder, with Morris Dees, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy organization in Montgomery, Ala. Mr. Bond was its president from 1971 to 1979 and remained on its board for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>In July 2012, Bond was a featured commentator on Truthdig Radio. Click <a href="" type="internal">here</a> to find out why he said, “Things are better than they used to be; they’re worse than they should be.”</p>
<p>–Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Kasia Anderson</a></p>
|
Remembering Julian Bond: Civil Rights Luminary and Southern Poverty Law Center Co-Founder
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/remembering-julian-bond-civil-rights-luminary-and-southern-poverty-law-center-co-founder/
|
2015-08-17
| 4left
|
Remembering Julian Bond: Civil Rights Luminary and Southern Poverty Law Center Co-Founder
<p />
<p>Julian Bond speaks at the Lincoln Memorial in 2013 on the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. (Joseph Sohm / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-166038170/stock-photo-julian-bond-former-chairman-of-naacp-speaks-at-the-th-anniversary-of-the-march-on-washington-and.html?src=Hm2lNW0QU3EVVBEjSkDp8w-1-0" type="external">Shutterstock</a>)</p>
<p>He rose to national prominence as a vocal force in the civil rights movement, and over the long arc of his career, Julian Bond blended the personal and political in ways that created and transformed societal structures. Bond, 75, died Saturday in the Gulf Coast city of Fort Walton Beach, Fla.</p>
<p>Bond kicked off his early career as an advocate for African-American rights by taking a leadership role in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while an undergraduate at Atlanta’s Morehouse College. His geographical and ideological coordinates positioned him well to lend his formidable talents to the cause to which he devoted his life.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/us/julian-bond-former-naacp-chairman-and-civil-rights-leader-dies-at-75.html?emc=edit_na_20150816&amp;nlid=39699735&amp;ref=cta&amp;_r=0" type="external">The New York Times</a> on Sunday touched on some of the many highlights from Bond’s biography:</p>
<p>He gradually moved from the militancy of the student group to the leadership of the establishmentarian N.A.A.C.P. Along the way, Mr. Bond was a writer, poet, television commentator, lecturer and college teacher, and persistent opponent of the stubborn remnants of white supremacy.</p>
<p>He also served for 20 years in the Georgia General Assembly, mostly in conspicuous isolation from white colleagues who saw him as an interloper and a rabble-rouser.</p>
<p>Mr. Bond’s wit, cool personality and youthful face — he was often called dashing, handsome and urbane — became familiar to millions of television viewers in the 1960s and 1970s. On the strength of his personality and quick intellect, he moved to the center of the civil rights action in Atlanta, the unofficial capital of the movement, at the height of the struggle for racial equality in the early 1960s.</p>
<p>Moving beyond demonstrations, Mr. Bond became a founder, with Morris Dees, of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy organization in Montgomery, Ala. Mr. Bond was its president from 1971 to 1979 and remained on its board for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>In July 2012, Bond was a featured commentator on Truthdig Radio. Click <a href="" type="internal">here</a> to find out why he said, “Things are better than they used to be; they’re worse than they should be.”</p>
<p>–Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Kasia Anderson</a></p>
| 4,806 |
<p>By Anthony ViolantiThe Buffalo News Published: 11/23/05 Excerpt:</p>
<p>Many in the journalism world believe Woodward didn't adhere to basic journalism standards, and appears to have ignored a troubling conflict of interest. Nor is the Post itself unblemished by allowing Woodward to function as a protected newsroom star. "You have to hold to the same standard of journalism (for) every story," said Gregory E. Favre, who worked 47 years as an editor and managing editor. "Every newsroom has its stars, but you can't have a different standard for stars." [...] The irony is that Woodward, as Favre said, "is a superlative reporter" -- at least he is when he plays by the journalistic rules. And one rule hasn't changed. "If Woodward wants to write books that's fine, but he has to realize his first obligation is to his newspaper and the reader," added Favre, a former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and current distinguished fellow in journalism values for the Poynter Institute. "No individual is bigger than the newspaper, and no individual has a right to damage the paper." <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051123/1022473.asp" type="external">More of this article...</a> <a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&amp;ned=us&amp;q=%22Gregory+Favre%22&amp;btnG=Search+News" type="external">Search Google News for more quotes by Gregory Favre...</a></p>
|
Woodward debacle shows need for accountability
| false |
https://poynter.org/news/woodward-debacle-shows-need-accountability
|
2005-11-30
| 2least
|
Woodward debacle shows need for accountability
<p>By Anthony ViolantiThe Buffalo News Published: 11/23/05 Excerpt:</p>
<p>Many in the journalism world believe Woodward didn't adhere to basic journalism standards, and appears to have ignored a troubling conflict of interest. Nor is the Post itself unblemished by allowing Woodward to function as a protected newsroom star. "You have to hold to the same standard of journalism (for) every story," said Gregory E. Favre, who worked 47 years as an editor and managing editor. "Every newsroom has its stars, but you can't have a different standard for stars." [...] The irony is that Woodward, as Favre said, "is a superlative reporter" -- at least he is when he plays by the journalistic rules. And one rule hasn't changed. "If Woodward wants to write books that's fine, but he has to realize his first obligation is to his newspaper and the reader," added Favre, a former president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and current distinguished fellow in journalism values for the Poynter Institute. "No individual is bigger than the newspaper, and no individual has a right to damage the paper." <a href="http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20051123/1022473.asp" type="external">More of this article...</a> <a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&amp;ned=us&amp;q=%22Gregory+Favre%22&amp;btnG=Search+News" type="external">Search Google News for more quotes by Gregory Favre...</a></p>
| 4,807 |
<p>By Tim Radford, Climate News NetworkThis story first appeared at <a href="http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/2013/07/scientists-mull-arctics-slow-co2-loss/" type="external">Climate News Network</a>.</p>
<p>LONDON — Think of permafrost as a slush fund of so-far uncertain value. The levels of Arctic permafrost that thaw each year and freeze again are growing at depths of 1cm a year, but the carbon locked away in the soils is – so far – not being released at an accelerating rate.</p>
<p>This is good news for climate change worriers, but only for the time being. Bo Elberling of the Centre for Permafrost at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and colleagues report in Nature Climate Change that the soggy summer soils of Greenland, Svalbard and Canada where they have taken samples are not releasing carbon dioxide at the rate some had feared.</p>
<p>But the results are based on preliminary research and they still have to work out why carbon release is so slow – and whether it will remain slow.</p>
<p />
<p>The “active permafrost” is a natural feature of sub-Arctic life: there is a shallow thaw each summer, plants flower, insects arrive, migrating birds follow the insects, grazing animals forage, predators seize a chance to fatten, and then winter returns with the shorter days.</p>
<p>But of all the climate zones, the Arctic is responding fastest to global warming, with a startling loss of sea ice; the glaciers, too, are in retreat almost everywhere.</p>
<p>Professor Elberling and colleagues have been taking measurements over the three or four months of the thaw for the last 12 years; they have also modelled changing conditions in the laboratory.</p>
<p>Slow decay rate</p>
<p>There they could change the drainage and control the temperature, and they found that a layer of thawing permafrost could lose significant quantities of carbon, as the microbes resumed the business of decay: in 70 years of such annual thaw and freeze, up to 77% of the soil carbon could turn into carbon dioxide, with serious consequences for yet further global warming.</p>
<p>But, they report in Nature Climate Change, that does not seem to be happening at any of the sites under test: if the water content of the thawing soils remains high, then carbon decay is very slow, and the eventual release of this carbon could take hundreds of years.</p>
<p>So anyone who wants to model this release will have to think about whether there is enough oxygen to speed up the release, or whether cold water will dampen the process and slow it down.</p>
<p>“It is thought-provoking that micro-organisms are behind the entire problem – micro-organisms which break down the carbon pool and which are apparently already present in the permafrost. One of the critical decisive factors – the water content – is in the same way linked to the original high content of ice in most permafrost samples.</p>
<p>“Yes, the temperature is increasing, and the permafrost is thawing, but it is, still, the characteristics of the permafrost which determine the long-term release of carbon dioxide,” says Elberling.</p>
<p />
|
Scientists Mull Arctic’s Slow CO2 Loss
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/scientists-mull-arctics-slow-co2-loss/
|
2013-07-29
| 4left
|
Scientists Mull Arctic’s Slow CO2 Loss
<p>By Tim Radford, Climate News NetworkThis story first appeared at <a href="http://www.climatenewsnetwork.net/2013/07/scientists-mull-arctics-slow-co2-loss/" type="external">Climate News Network</a>.</p>
<p>LONDON — Think of permafrost as a slush fund of so-far uncertain value. The levels of Arctic permafrost that thaw each year and freeze again are growing at depths of 1cm a year, but the carbon locked away in the soils is – so far – not being released at an accelerating rate.</p>
<p>This is good news for climate change worriers, but only for the time being. Bo Elberling of the Centre for Permafrost at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and colleagues report in Nature Climate Change that the soggy summer soils of Greenland, Svalbard and Canada where they have taken samples are not releasing carbon dioxide at the rate some had feared.</p>
<p>But the results are based on preliminary research and they still have to work out why carbon release is so slow – and whether it will remain slow.</p>
<p />
<p>The “active permafrost” is a natural feature of sub-Arctic life: there is a shallow thaw each summer, plants flower, insects arrive, migrating birds follow the insects, grazing animals forage, predators seize a chance to fatten, and then winter returns with the shorter days.</p>
<p>But of all the climate zones, the Arctic is responding fastest to global warming, with a startling loss of sea ice; the glaciers, too, are in retreat almost everywhere.</p>
<p>Professor Elberling and colleagues have been taking measurements over the three or four months of the thaw for the last 12 years; they have also modelled changing conditions in the laboratory.</p>
<p>Slow decay rate</p>
<p>There they could change the drainage and control the temperature, and they found that a layer of thawing permafrost could lose significant quantities of carbon, as the microbes resumed the business of decay: in 70 years of such annual thaw and freeze, up to 77% of the soil carbon could turn into carbon dioxide, with serious consequences for yet further global warming.</p>
<p>But, they report in Nature Climate Change, that does not seem to be happening at any of the sites under test: if the water content of the thawing soils remains high, then carbon decay is very slow, and the eventual release of this carbon could take hundreds of years.</p>
<p>So anyone who wants to model this release will have to think about whether there is enough oxygen to speed up the release, or whether cold water will dampen the process and slow it down.</p>
<p>“It is thought-provoking that micro-organisms are behind the entire problem – micro-organisms which break down the carbon pool and which are apparently already present in the permafrost. One of the critical decisive factors – the water content – is in the same way linked to the original high content of ice in most permafrost samples.</p>
<p>“Yes, the temperature is increasing, and the permafrost is thawing, but it is, still, the characteristics of the permafrost which determine the long-term release of carbon dioxide,” says Elberling.</p>
<p />
| 4,808 |
<p />
<p>Many times it is so difficult to understand liberals for their hypocrisy, inconsistencies, and even for plain lack of common sense. The left's massive hatred and vile in their hearts often also cloud their judgment that they come out with the darkest and most sick attacks on just about anyone and anything associated with the object of their ire-the man who soundly beat them in the last presidential election, now President Donald Trump.</p>
<p />
<p>First daughter Ivanka Trump logically reacted to a wave of bomb threats leveled at the Jewish community centers on Monday with a sensitive, thoughtful and heartfelt message on Twitter. Ivanka posted the message: "America is a nation built on the principle of religious tolerance. We must protect our houses of worship and religious centers". The message was proper and logical, in fact, it would probably win unanimous shares and likes had it come from someone else. But the fact that the well-meaning message against the threat of violence and intolerance came from Ivanka, the liberals and pathetic left lost their minds over it and reacted viciously without rhyme nor reason.</p>
<p />
<p>Ivanka was unbelievably hit for supporting her father and even impossibly blamed for the threats against the Jewish community! Some reactions from these liberals were so bitter that the unequally unimaginative and sensational The Huffington Post even jumped on and wrote a story with the atrocious headline " Ivanka Trump Tweeted About Religious Tolerance. It Didn't Go Down Well".</p>
<p />
<p>Well, Ivanka's thoughtful tweet was not a hit only to the small sector of the vicious left. Those haters only focused on the fact that Ivanka is a Trump, and as she is the daughter of the man they despise, it is only 'logical' for them to automatically hate on her, too. It does not matter to them to pause and let this common sense fact sink in- that Ivanka is well within her rights to speak about the condemnable threats not only as an American, not only as a member of the First Family, but even more so for being a Jewish woman herself!</p>
<p />
<p>The hateful left is probably forgetting or concealing the all-important "little" detail that Ivanka has converted to Judaism before marrying Jared Kushner. Why then should unthinking liberals harshly criticize her for expressing her support to her religion, and for standing with them for the cause of religious tolerance?</p>
<p />
<p>The loud and vicious left is so big on shouting they are for respect, tolerance and diversity among so many virtues of political correctness which they are supposed to embrace and propagate yet they are also the first to show such intolerance, cruelty, disrespect and so much hatred to all things Trump-related to the point where their vile just does not make sense at all. With their thoughtless actions and inconsistencies, they are only succeeding in destroying their own cause, casting doubts on the credibility of their own supposed values and ideals, and losing more support from the public in the process.</p>
|
Vicious Left Hits Ivanka For Supporting Jewish Community, Forgetting That She's Jewish!
| true |
http://thegoldwater.com/news/1422-Vicious-Left-Hits-Ivanka-For-Supporting-Jewish-Community-Forgetting-That-She-s-Jewish
|
2017-02-21
| 0right
|
Vicious Left Hits Ivanka For Supporting Jewish Community, Forgetting That She's Jewish!
<p />
<p>Many times it is so difficult to understand liberals for their hypocrisy, inconsistencies, and even for plain lack of common sense. The left's massive hatred and vile in their hearts often also cloud their judgment that they come out with the darkest and most sick attacks on just about anyone and anything associated with the object of their ire-the man who soundly beat them in the last presidential election, now President Donald Trump.</p>
<p />
<p>First daughter Ivanka Trump logically reacted to a wave of bomb threats leveled at the Jewish community centers on Monday with a sensitive, thoughtful and heartfelt message on Twitter. Ivanka posted the message: "America is a nation built on the principle of religious tolerance. We must protect our houses of worship and religious centers". The message was proper and logical, in fact, it would probably win unanimous shares and likes had it come from someone else. But the fact that the well-meaning message against the threat of violence and intolerance came from Ivanka, the liberals and pathetic left lost their minds over it and reacted viciously without rhyme nor reason.</p>
<p />
<p>Ivanka was unbelievably hit for supporting her father and even impossibly blamed for the threats against the Jewish community! Some reactions from these liberals were so bitter that the unequally unimaginative and sensational The Huffington Post even jumped on and wrote a story with the atrocious headline " Ivanka Trump Tweeted About Religious Tolerance. It Didn't Go Down Well".</p>
<p />
<p>Well, Ivanka's thoughtful tweet was not a hit only to the small sector of the vicious left. Those haters only focused on the fact that Ivanka is a Trump, and as she is the daughter of the man they despise, it is only 'logical' for them to automatically hate on her, too. It does not matter to them to pause and let this common sense fact sink in- that Ivanka is well within her rights to speak about the condemnable threats not only as an American, not only as a member of the First Family, but even more so for being a Jewish woman herself!</p>
<p />
<p>The hateful left is probably forgetting or concealing the all-important "little" detail that Ivanka has converted to Judaism before marrying Jared Kushner. Why then should unthinking liberals harshly criticize her for expressing her support to her religion, and for standing with them for the cause of religious tolerance?</p>
<p />
<p>The loud and vicious left is so big on shouting they are for respect, tolerance and diversity among so many virtues of political correctness which they are supposed to embrace and propagate yet they are also the first to show such intolerance, cruelty, disrespect and so much hatred to all things Trump-related to the point where their vile just does not make sense at all. With their thoughtless actions and inconsistencies, they are only succeeding in destroying their own cause, casting doubts on the credibility of their own supposed values and ideals, and losing more support from the public in the process.</p>
| 4,809 |
<p>A new language, a new way</p>
<p>Our politics are disintegrating. We are losing our ability to govern ourselves. Today’s media amplify our differences, our biases, and our intolerances. Instead of labels, we need a common language to bring us together and to help us find common ground.</p>
<p>Politics is the process by which people live together. Politics is the manner in which people manage their collective affairs. Politics is the way in which groups of people make collective decisions.</p>
<p>We, The People, are the Body Politic. We may agree; we may disagree. We may have different viewpoints, skills, interests, desires, and ambitions. But, we are all The People. Not some of us, but all of us. The only way to live collective harmony is to find common ground, and this requires a common language that focuses on the positive and on our collective hopes and dreams for ourselves, our groups, and our nation. There is no alternative.</p>
<p>To be Devout is to respect values and the interests of others. To be Devout is to be passionate and compassionate. To be Devout is to have a higher purpose in one’s life than merely one’s daily existence. To be Devout is to be totally committed to a cause or belief. To believe in Devout Politics is to seek common ground for the common good.</p>
<p>Devout Politics is the way we must live together. It is not a dogma or a religion. It is not a political party or position. It is not a label or a set of rules or regulations. Devout Politics is a way of life.</p>
<p>The Devout Citizen recognizes that rights come with responsibilities. The Devout Citizen cherishes those rights and embraces those responsibilities.</p>
<p>The Devout Leader is thoughtful and wise, a teacher and an inspiration, a person whom others naturally wish to follow. The Devout Leader guides the Body Politic, the Devout Citizenry, in the interests of the common good. As time and distance shrink, and as our individual interests become ever more intertwined with those of our neighbors and with the far distant peoples of the world, we must manage our lives and ourselves differently from the way we’ve done so in the past. We must each live a life of Devout Politics. We must each be Devout Citizens, and we must seek Devout Leaders. There is no alternative.</p>
<p>Posted by Arthur Bushkin</p>
|
Devout Politics
| false |
https://nolabels.org/blog/devout-politics/
|
2011-06-11
| 2least
|
Devout Politics
<p>A new language, a new way</p>
<p>Our politics are disintegrating. We are losing our ability to govern ourselves. Today’s media amplify our differences, our biases, and our intolerances. Instead of labels, we need a common language to bring us together and to help us find common ground.</p>
<p>Politics is the process by which people live together. Politics is the manner in which people manage their collective affairs. Politics is the way in which groups of people make collective decisions.</p>
<p>We, The People, are the Body Politic. We may agree; we may disagree. We may have different viewpoints, skills, interests, desires, and ambitions. But, we are all The People. Not some of us, but all of us. The only way to live collective harmony is to find common ground, and this requires a common language that focuses on the positive and on our collective hopes and dreams for ourselves, our groups, and our nation. There is no alternative.</p>
<p>To be Devout is to respect values and the interests of others. To be Devout is to be passionate and compassionate. To be Devout is to have a higher purpose in one’s life than merely one’s daily existence. To be Devout is to be totally committed to a cause or belief. To believe in Devout Politics is to seek common ground for the common good.</p>
<p>Devout Politics is the way we must live together. It is not a dogma or a religion. It is not a political party or position. It is not a label or a set of rules or regulations. Devout Politics is a way of life.</p>
<p>The Devout Citizen recognizes that rights come with responsibilities. The Devout Citizen cherishes those rights and embraces those responsibilities.</p>
<p>The Devout Leader is thoughtful and wise, a teacher and an inspiration, a person whom others naturally wish to follow. The Devout Leader guides the Body Politic, the Devout Citizenry, in the interests of the common good. As time and distance shrink, and as our individual interests become ever more intertwined with those of our neighbors and with the far distant peoples of the world, we must manage our lives and ourselves differently from the way we’ve done so in the past. We must each live a life of Devout Politics. We must each be Devout Citizens, and we must seek Devout Leaders. There is no alternative.</p>
<p>Posted by Arthur Bushkin</p>
| 4,810 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>What keeps people playing recreational tennis year after year? A fondness for the sport, surely. A love for the comradeship and the exercise, probably.</p>
<p>How about the joy of being alive?</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>On a shelf in Julie Kilgore’s Southeast Heights home is a small book, the type once used to keep addresses. Time has caused most of the pages to fall out. Loose slips of paper, often gathered elsewhere, now pack the inside. Names and phone numbers fill those slips. Many, written in pencil, have blurred over time.&#160; The names are of doubles companions that Julie has played with and against since the 1960s. &#160;</p>
<p>She picks up a piece of paper, squints to read me the names. After each she stops&#160; to comment. “She died . . . She has Alzheimer’s . . . I don’t know what happened to her . . . She can’t play anymore; knees . . . She moved away, I think&#160; . . .&#160; Died&#160; . . . Died of cancer . . . Gone . . . Died, died, died.”</p>
<p>Very few of the people Julie started out playing tennis with in Albuquerque are around these days. Sadly,&#160; Julie isn’t playing either. It’s not that she isn’t able, for she is.&#160; She just can’t. I’ll tell you about that in a moment. First, some background.</p>
<p>In 1939, as Julie van der Biesen, Julie lived in Indonesia, where her family had resided for three generations. At her elementary school in Jakarta, Julie picked up tennis.&#160; There were grass courts at school and a coach showed her how to hit the ball.&#160; “It was so much fun.” Two years later, the fun stopped. World War II had broken out and Japanese soldiers had descended on Indonesia.&#160; The Van der Biesens — Julie and two siblings — were placed in an internment camp.&#160; Her mother was sent elsewhere, her father ordered to Burma to help build a railroad.</p>
<p>“I was always sick there,” Julie recalls of the camp. Beriberi, from an improper diet, ravaged her. If that were not bad enough, one day a movie truck struck her. Julie wound up with gangrene on one leg.&#160;&#160; “You know how I survived? Maggots came into my bed. They got rid of the rotted flesh.”</p>
<p>When the war ended, Julie and her siblings went home. Her mother soon returned as well, looking terribly sad. What happened to you? Julie asked.&#160; The older woman declined to say. Only after she died did Julie learn her mother had been forced by the Japanese to be a prostitute. Her father had it no better. In Burma, a guard cracked him on the head with the butt of a rifle, leaving him blind.</p>
<p>Julie endured the war’s horrors in part because she thought about tennis. She remembered how much she liked to play and yearned to do it again. Following the war, Indonesia sent all Dutch colonists to Holland. There, Julie resumed her love for tennis, now on old concrete courts at her school. “Playing helped me recover.”</p>
<p>She studied in England and then went to work for Shell Oil, on the island of Curacao, where she stayed for 11 years. More tennis, now along the Caribbean Sea.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In 1962, during at trip to Albuquerque to visit her sister, Julie met a handsome physician, widower Don Kilgore. She fell in love and soon married. In those days Tennis Central in&#160; Albuquerque was Beverly Park, which stood at the corner of Louisiana and I-40.&#160; Julie took lessons there from Fran Hanks and Vivien Bull. She developed friends for doubles matches at Los Altos Park.</p>
<p>The Albuquerque Tennis Complex opened in 1972, just east of what is now Isotopes Park. Julie started playing there three to four mornings a week. She began to build her “book,” as she calls the paper scraps with all the names.</p>
<p>For more than 30 years Julie played at the Complex. The fun ended in 2004 when&#160; the city turned the land into a BMX track. “Broke my heart,” Julie says. She turned to the Jerry Cline Center, opened in 1985, to replace nearby razed Beverly Park.&#160;&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Using her book, Julie played continually at Jerry Cline until last fall. Don Kilgore&#160; had been suffering kidney problems. He had gotten better, but then suddenly worse. For Julie, a new life began: She takes and picks up Don three times a week, four hours a day,&#160; for dialysis treatments. “When Don gets home,” she says, “he is a wet noodle. He can’t walk, he can’t do anything. Same for the weekend.”</p>
<p>I asked Fred Hultberg, a city sports supervisor, what Julie has meant to tennis. Fred thinks a plaque ought to be posted that salutes her&#160; for organizing thousands of doubles matches. “Julie has kept so many women playing tennis for so long.”</p>
<p>I asked Julie’s longtime tennis pal Dolores Canfield if she missed Julie. “Do I ever!&#160; But I admired her after what happened to her as a girl. She is so enthusiastic, keeping our group together, getting subs for players, just being there.”&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Julie could hire someone to look after her husband, lift him, bathe him, do all the physical tasks required of his caregiver each day.&#160; She refuses.</p>
<p>“It wouldn’t be fair to my partners or opponents on the tennis court,” she says. Simply, she’d worry all the time about what was happening at home.</p>
<p>So where, I wondered, does she get the strength to do what she does?</p>
<p>“If I hadn’t played tennis,” Julie says, “I never would be able to do anything.”</p>
<p>Including living to age 81.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Mixing The Joy of Tennis With a Long Healthy Life
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/232469/mixing-the-joy-of-tennis-with-a-long-healthy-life.html
| 2least
|
Mixing The Joy of Tennis With a Long Healthy Life
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>What keeps people playing recreational tennis year after year? A fondness for the sport, surely. A love for the comradeship and the exercise, probably.</p>
<p>How about the joy of being alive?</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>On a shelf in Julie Kilgore’s Southeast Heights home is a small book, the type once used to keep addresses. Time has caused most of the pages to fall out. Loose slips of paper, often gathered elsewhere, now pack the inside. Names and phone numbers fill those slips. Many, written in pencil, have blurred over time.&#160; The names are of doubles companions that Julie has played with and against since the 1960s. &#160;</p>
<p>She picks up a piece of paper, squints to read me the names. After each she stops&#160; to comment. “She died . . . She has Alzheimer’s . . . I don’t know what happened to her . . . She can’t play anymore; knees . . . She moved away, I think&#160; . . .&#160; Died&#160; . . . Died of cancer . . . Gone . . . Died, died, died.”</p>
<p>Very few of the people Julie started out playing tennis with in Albuquerque are around these days. Sadly,&#160; Julie isn’t playing either. It’s not that she isn’t able, for she is.&#160; She just can’t. I’ll tell you about that in a moment. First, some background.</p>
<p>In 1939, as Julie van der Biesen, Julie lived in Indonesia, where her family had resided for three generations. At her elementary school in Jakarta, Julie picked up tennis.&#160; There were grass courts at school and a coach showed her how to hit the ball.&#160; “It was so much fun.” Two years later, the fun stopped. World War II had broken out and Japanese soldiers had descended on Indonesia.&#160; The Van der Biesens — Julie and two siblings — were placed in an internment camp.&#160; Her mother was sent elsewhere, her father ordered to Burma to help build a railroad.</p>
<p>“I was always sick there,” Julie recalls of the camp. Beriberi, from an improper diet, ravaged her. If that were not bad enough, one day a movie truck struck her. Julie wound up with gangrene on one leg.&#160;&#160; “You know how I survived? Maggots came into my bed. They got rid of the rotted flesh.”</p>
<p>When the war ended, Julie and her siblings went home. Her mother soon returned as well, looking terribly sad. What happened to you? Julie asked.&#160; The older woman declined to say. Only after she died did Julie learn her mother had been forced by the Japanese to be a prostitute. Her father had it no better. In Burma, a guard cracked him on the head with the butt of a rifle, leaving him blind.</p>
<p>Julie endured the war’s horrors in part because she thought about tennis. She remembered how much she liked to play and yearned to do it again. Following the war, Indonesia sent all Dutch colonists to Holland. There, Julie resumed her love for tennis, now on old concrete courts at her school. “Playing helped me recover.”</p>
<p>She studied in England and then went to work for Shell Oil, on the island of Curacao, where she stayed for 11 years. More tennis, now along the Caribbean Sea.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In 1962, during at trip to Albuquerque to visit her sister, Julie met a handsome physician, widower Don Kilgore. She fell in love and soon married. In those days Tennis Central in&#160; Albuquerque was Beverly Park, which stood at the corner of Louisiana and I-40.&#160; Julie took lessons there from Fran Hanks and Vivien Bull. She developed friends for doubles matches at Los Altos Park.</p>
<p>The Albuquerque Tennis Complex opened in 1972, just east of what is now Isotopes Park. Julie started playing there three to four mornings a week. She began to build her “book,” as she calls the paper scraps with all the names.</p>
<p>For more than 30 years Julie played at the Complex. The fun ended in 2004 when&#160; the city turned the land into a BMX track. “Broke my heart,” Julie says. She turned to the Jerry Cline Center, opened in 1985, to replace nearby razed Beverly Park.&#160;&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Using her book, Julie played continually at Jerry Cline until last fall. Don Kilgore&#160; had been suffering kidney problems. He had gotten better, but then suddenly worse. For Julie, a new life began: She takes and picks up Don three times a week, four hours a day,&#160; for dialysis treatments. “When Don gets home,” she says, “he is a wet noodle. He can’t walk, he can’t do anything. Same for the weekend.”</p>
<p>I asked Fred Hultberg, a city sports supervisor, what Julie has meant to tennis. Fred thinks a plaque ought to be posted that salutes her&#160; for organizing thousands of doubles matches. “Julie has kept so many women playing tennis for so long.”</p>
<p>I asked Julie’s longtime tennis pal Dolores Canfield if she missed Julie. “Do I ever!&#160; But I admired her after what happened to her as a girl. She is so enthusiastic, keeping our group together, getting subs for players, just being there.”&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Julie could hire someone to look after her husband, lift him, bathe him, do all the physical tasks required of his caregiver each day.&#160; She refuses.</p>
<p>“It wouldn’t be fair to my partners or opponents on the tennis court,” she says. Simply, she’d worry all the time about what was happening at home.</p>
<p>So where, I wondered, does she get the strength to do what she does?</p>
<p>“If I hadn’t played tennis,” Julie says, “I never would be able to do anything.”</p>
<p>Including living to age 81.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,811 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, said Skandera will appear at tomorrow morning's committee hearing and the nine-member committee will take the first step in deciding whether to confirm Skandera's appointment.</p>
<p>"A vote will be taken," Lopez said.</p>
<p>The Senate Rules Committee spent 10 hours spread over three different days last year hearing testimony and debating the qualifications of Skandera, who has become a lightning rod in New Mexico.</p>
<p>Given that background, no more public testimony will be taken during tomorrow's hearing by the committee, Lopez said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The full Senate will likely then vote on Skandera's appointment after the Senate Rules Committee hearing.</p>
<p>Skandera, who previously worked in education policy in Florida and California, was appointed as Public Education Secretary-designate by Gov. Susana Martinez in December 2010.</p>
<p>She has sought to implement a range of controversial education initiatives, such as A-F school grades, a teacher evaluation system and merit-based pay for educators.</p>
<p>Her critics have noted that Skandera has no classroom education experience.</p>
|
Sen. Rules Chair: We'll vote Monday on Skandera appointment
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/354166/sen-rules-chair-well-vote-monday-on-skandera-appointment.html
| 2least
|
Sen. Rules Chair: We'll vote Monday on Skandera appointment
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, said Skandera will appear at tomorrow morning's committee hearing and the nine-member committee will take the first step in deciding whether to confirm Skandera's appointment.</p>
<p>"A vote will be taken," Lopez said.</p>
<p>The Senate Rules Committee spent 10 hours spread over three different days last year hearing testimony and debating the qualifications of Skandera, who has become a lightning rod in New Mexico.</p>
<p>Given that background, no more public testimony will be taken during tomorrow's hearing by the committee, Lopez said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The full Senate will likely then vote on Skandera's appointment after the Senate Rules Committee hearing.</p>
<p>Skandera, who previously worked in education policy in Florida and California, was appointed as Public Education Secretary-designate by Gov. Susana Martinez in December 2010.</p>
<p>She has sought to implement a range of controversial education initiatives, such as A-F school grades, a teacher evaluation system and merit-based pay for educators.</p>
<p>Her critics have noted that Skandera has no classroom education experience.</p>
| 4,812 |
|
<p />
<p>Harley-Davidson said motorcycle shipments for 2016 fell short of its estimates, and the company forecast shipments for this year to be flat to down modestly.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Milwaukee-based company's shares were down 2 percent at $56.81 in premarket trading on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Harley, which commands about half the U.S. big-bike market, said motorcycle shipments fell 11.9 percent to 42,414 units in the fourth-quarter ended Dec. 31.</p>
<p>The company shipped 262,221 motorcycles in 2016, below its expectation of 264,000-269,000 units.</p>
<p>Harley's retail sales in the United States, its biggest market were flat, compared with a year earlier.</p>
<p>The motorcycle maker's net income rose to $47.18 million, or 27 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, from $42.2 million, or 22 cents per share, a year earlier.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Revenue from motorcycles and related products fell to $933 million from $1.01 billion.</p>
<p>Analysts on average had expected earnings of 31 cents per share and revenue of $972.5 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Martina D'Couto)</p>
|
Harley's 2016 Shipments Fall Short, Forecasts Dull 2017
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/31/harleys-2016-shipments-fall-short-forecasts-dull-2017.html
|
2017-01-31
| 0right
|
Harley's 2016 Shipments Fall Short, Forecasts Dull 2017
<p />
<p>Harley-Davidson said motorcycle shipments for 2016 fell short of its estimates, and the company forecast shipments for this year to be flat to down modestly.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Milwaukee-based company's shares were down 2 percent at $56.81 in premarket trading on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Harley, which commands about half the U.S. big-bike market, said motorcycle shipments fell 11.9 percent to 42,414 units in the fourth-quarter ended Dec. 31.</p>
<p>The company shipped 262,221 motorcycles in 2016, below its expectation of 264,000-269,000 units.</p>
<p>Harley's retail sales in the United States, its biggest market were flat, compared with a year earlier.</p>
<p>The motorcycle maker's net income rose to $47.18 million, or 27 cents per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, from $42.2 million, or 22 cents per share, a year earlier.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Revenue from motorcycles and related products fell to $933 million from $1.01 billion.</p>
<p>Analysts on average had expected earnings of 31 cents per share and revenue of $972.5 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Martina D'Couto)</p>
| 4,813 |
<p>The Costa Concordia salvage operation began on Monday with engineers attempting to pull the&#160;114,500-ton cruise ship into an upright position for the first time since the January 2012 wreck.&#160;</p>
<p>In an exceptionally audacious engineering project that has been ongoing since last year, salvage workers have stabilized the ship and attached it to the coastline with "submarine blocks," <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/costa-concordia-salvage-project-what-s-at-stake-1.1854630" type="external">reports CBC.&#160;</a></p>
<p>Workers have built an undersea platform for the ship to rest on when it is moved into an upright position, while protective materials have been placed around its delicate bow.&#160;</p>
<p>The slow " <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parbuckle_salvage" type="external">parbuckling</a>" procedure, as it is known, will see engineers attempt to roll the ship upright using steel cables, as well as metal boxes filled with water welded to the ship's sides, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24102054" type="external">&#160;says the BBC.&#160;</a></p>
<p>The operation, which was scheduled to begin Monday at dawn, was briefly delayed due to bad weather, but later that morning engineer&#160;Sergio Girotto <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24104741" type="external">told reporters</a> that "Everything is going according to plan... There is no problem whatsoever."</p>
<p />
<p>Thirty-two people died when the Costa Concordia crashed into rocks off the Italian town of Giglio, in an incident that shocked the world. The salvage operation has already cost over $798 million, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/15/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-to-go-ahead-monday/" type="external">according to AFP,</a>and could reach $1.1 billion.</p>
<p>Five Costa Concordia crew members have been convicted of manslaughter in an Italian court over the tragedy, while the now-infamous captain, Franceso Schettino, has been accused of both abandoning ship and of manslaughter.&#160;</p>
<p>Here is striking aerial footage of the downed vessel:</p>
<p>.</p>
|
Costa Concordia salvage operation begins
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2013-09-15/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-begins
|
2013-09-15
| 3left-center
|
Costa Concordia salvage operation begins
<p>The Costa Concordia salvage operation began on Monday with engineers attempting to pull the&#160;114,500-ton cruise ship into an upright position for the first time since the January 2012 wreck.&#160;</p>
<p>In an exceptionally audacious engineering project that has been ongoing since last year, salvage workers have stabilized the ship and attached it to the coastline with "submarine blocks," <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/costa-concordia-salvage-project-what-s-at-stake-1.1854630" type="external">reports CBC.&#160;</a></p>
<p>Workers have built an undersea platform for the ship to rest on when it is moved into an upright position, while protective materials have been placed around its delicate bow.&#160;</p>
<p>The slow " <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parbuckle_salvage" type="external">parbuckling</a>" procedure, as it is known, will see engineers attempt to roll the ship upright using steel cables, as well as metal boxes filled with water welded to the ship's sides, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24102054" type="external">&#160;says the BBC.&#160;</a></p>
<p>The operation, which was scheduled to begin Monday at dawn, was briefly delayed due to bad weather, but later that morning engineer&#160;Sergio Girotto <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24104741" type="external">told reporters</a> that "Everything is going according to plan... There is no problem whatsoever."</p>
<p />
<p>Thirty-two people died when the Costa Concordia crashed into rocks off the Italian town of Giglio, in an incident that shocked the world. The salvage operation has already cost over $798 million, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/09/15/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-to-go-ahead-monday/" type="external">according to AFP,</a>and could reach $1.1 billion.</p>
<p>Five Costa Concordia crew members have been convicted of manslaughter in an Italian court over the tragedy, while the now-infamous captain, Franceso Schettino, has been accused of both abandoning ship and of manslaughter.&#160;</p>
<p>Here is striking aerial footage of the downed vessel:</p>
<p>.</p>
| 4,814 |
<p />
<p>Welcome to The Dust Off, where MoJo Riffers dig deep into the crates and revisit a song, video, or film that has stood the test of time.</p>
<p>This week I’m shaking dust off of “12,” or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Number_Count" type="external">Pinball Number Count</a>,” that funky Sesame Street song with the amazing pinball machine animation. Recently a friend back East emailed me this clip of the full segment, and I was blown away to finally learn that The Pointer Sisters are the ones singing. It’s a 1972 funk-jazz track with Hammond-sounding keyboards, hand percussion, and soprano sax, guitar, and steel drum solos.</p>
<p>If you’re like me, when you think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointer_Sisters" type="external">The Pointer Sisters</a>, you think 80s songs like “Jump (For My Love),” and “I’m So Excited,” and you almost lose control because you like it. I already thought the Oakland-based group was awesome, but I had no idea they had helped me learn how to count to 12 when I was a kid. Consider them officially dusted off:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
|
The Dust Off: Pointer Sisters
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2008/04/dust-pointer-sisters/
|
2008-04-25
| 4left
|
The Dust Off: Pointer Sisters
<p />
<p>Welcome to The Dust Off, where MoJo Riffers dig deep into the crates and revisit a song, video, or film that has stood the test of time.</p>
<p>This week I’m shaking dust off of “12,” or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinball_Number_Count" type="external">Pinball Number Count</a>,” that funky Sesame Street song with the amazing pinball machine animation. Recently a friend back East emailed me this clip of the full segment, and I was blown away to finally learn that The Pointer Sisters are the ones singing. It’s a 1972 funk-jazz track with Hammond-sounding keyboards, hand percussion, and soprano sax, guitar, and steel drum solos.</p>
<p>If you’re like me, when you think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointer_Sisters" type="external">The Pointer Sisters</a>, you think 80s songs like “Jump (For My Love),” and “I’m So Excited,” and you almost lose control because you like it. I already thought the Oakland-based group was awesome, but I had no idea they had helped me learn how to count to 12 when I was a kid. Consider them officially dusted off:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
| 4,815 |
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump pressed&#160;Chinese&#160;President Xi Jinping to do more to curb North Korea's nuclear program and help reduce the gaping U.S. trade deficit with Beijing in talks on Friday, even as he toned down the strident anti-China rhetoric of his election campaign.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Trump spoke publicly of progress on a range of issues in his first U.S.-China summit – as did several of his top aides – but they provided few concrete specifics other than China's agreement to work together to narrow disagreements and find common ground for cooperation.</p>
<p>As the two leaders wrapped up a Florida summit overshadowed by U.S. missile strikes in Syria overnight, Xi joined Trump in stressing the positive mood of the meetings while papering over deep differences that have caused friction between the world's two biggest economies.</p>
<p>Trump's aides insisted he had made good on his pledge to raise concerns about China's trade practices and said there was some headway, with Xi agreeing to a 100-day plan for trade talks aimed at boosting U.S. exports and reducing China's trade surplus with the United&#160;States.</p>
<p>Speaking after the two-day summit at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, U.S. Secretary ofState&#160;Rex Tillerson also said that Xi had agreed to increased cooperation in reining in North Korea's missile and nuclear programs – though he did not offer any new formula for cracking Pyongyang's defiant attitude.</p>
<p>Trump had promised during the campaign to stop what he called the theft of American jobs by China. Many blue-collar workers helped propel him to his unexpected election victory on Nov. 8 and Trump is under pressure to deliver for them.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Republican president tweeted last week that the United&#160;States could no longer tolerate massive trade deficits and job losses and that his meeting with Xi "will be a very difficult one."</p>
<p>On Friday, the unpredictable Trump not only set a different tone but also avoided any public lapses in protocol that&#160;Chinese&#160;officials had feared could embarrass their leader.</p>
<p>"We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China," Trump told reporters as the two delegations met around tables flanked by large U.S. and&#160;Chinese&#160;flags. "We will be making additional progress. The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding.</p>
<p>"And I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away," he added, without providing details.</p>
<p>"AGREE WITH YOU 100 PERCENT"</p>
<p>Xi also spoke in mostly positive terms.</p>
<p>"We have engaged in deeper understanding, and have built a trust," he said. "I believe we will keep developing in a stable way to form friendly relations ... For the peace and stability of the world, we will also fulfill our historical responsibility."</p>
<p>"Well, I agree with you 100 percent," Trump replied.</p>
<p>China's official Xinhua news agency said Xi had encouraged the United&#160;States to take part in the "One Belt, One Road" plan, Xi's signature foreign policy imitative aimed at infrastructure development across Asia, Africa and Europe, seen in some policy circles as a partial answer to the pivot to Asia strategy of Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.</p>
<p>Xi also hailed military to military exchanges and said China and the United&#160;States should "make good use of the dialog mechanism to be established between the two countries' joint staffs of the armed forces," although Xinhua did not give further details.</p>
<p>Chinese&#160;state&#160;media&#160;on Saturday cheered the meeting as one that showed the world that confrontation between the two powers was not inevitable and established the tone for the development of U.S.-China relations.</p>
<p>But in a sign that rough spots remained, Tillerson afterwards described the discussions as "very frank and candid."</p>
<p>"President Trump and President Xi agreed to work in concert to expand areas of cooperation while managing differences based on mutual respect," he said.</p>
<p>After the meeting, Trump took Xi on a walk around the manicured grounds of his lavish Spanish-style complex. Trump could be seen chatting and gesturing to Xi, who did the same.</p>
<p>Tillerson said Trump had accepted Xi's invitation to visit China and that they also agreed to upgrade a U.S.-China dialog by putting the two presidents at the head of the forum.</p>
<p>U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the&#160;Chinese&#160;had expressed an interest in reducing China's trade surplus as a way of controlling their own inflation. "That's the first time I've heard them say that in a bilateral context," he said.</p>
<p>Ross declined to say whether the United&#160;States was ready to designate China a currency manipulator, however, referring to an upcoming report in which that issue would be addressed.</p>
<p>Although Trump during the presidential election campaign had pledged to label China a currency manipulator on the first day of his administration, he has refrained from doing so.</p>
<p>The highly anticipated U.S.-China summit was upstaged by U.S. missile strikes overnight against a Syrian air base from which Trump said a deadly chemical weapon attack had been launched earlier in the week. It was the first direct U.S. assault on the Russian-backed government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in six years of civil war.</p>
<p>The swift action in Syria could be interpreted as a signal especially to defiant nuclear-armed North Korea – and by extension, its ally China – as well as other countries like Iran and Russia of Trump's willingness to use military force. North Korea is developing missiles capable of hitting the United&#160;States.</p>
<p>Tillerson said Xi agreed with Trump that North Korea's nuclear advances had reached a "very serious stage."</p>
<p>He said Trump also raised U.S.concerns about China's activities in the South China Sea. Beijing is building and fortifying islands in pursuit of expansive territorial claims in the strategic waterway.</p>
<p>(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe in Washington; and Michael Martina in Beijing and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Writing by Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Leslie Adler, Richard Pullin and Michael Perry)</p>
|
At U.S.-China Summit, Trump Presses Xi on Trade, N. Korea; Progress Cited
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/04/07/at-u-s-china-summit-trump-presses-xi-on-trade-n-korea-progress-cited.html
|
2017-04-08
| 0right
|
At U.S.-China Summit, Trump Presses Xi on Trade, N. Korea; Progress Cited
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump pressed&#160;Chinese&#160;President Xi Jinping to do more to curb North Korea's nuclear program and help reduce the gaping U.S. trade deficit with Beijing in talks on Friday, even as he toned down the strident anti-China rhetoric of his election campaign.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Trump spoke publicly of progress on a range of issues in his first U.S.-China summit – as did several of his top aides – but they provided few concrete specifics other than China's agreement to work together to narrow disagreements and find common ground for cooperation.</p>
<p>As the two leaders wrapped up a Florida summit overshadowed by U.S. missile strikes in Syria overnight, Xi joined Trump in stressing the positive mood of the meetings while papering over deep differences that have caused friction between the world's two biggest economies.</p>
<p>Trump's aides insisted he had made good on his pledge to raise concerns about China's trade practices and said there was some headway, with Xi agreeing to a 100-day plan for trade talks aimed at boosting U.S. exports and reducing China's trade surplus with the United&#160;States.</p>
<p>Speaking after the two-day summit at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, U.S. Secretary ofState&#160;Rex Tillerson also said that Xi had agreed to increased cooperation in reining in North Korea's missile and nuclear programs – though he did not offer any new formula for cracking Pyongyang's defiant attitude.</p>
<p>Trump had promised during the campaign to stop what he called the theft of American jobs by China. Many blue-collar workers helped propel him to his unexpected election victory on Nov. 8 and Trump is under pressure to deliver for them.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Republican president tweeted last week that the United&#160;States could no longer tolerate massive trade deficits and job losses and that his meeting with Xi "will be a very difficult one."</p>
<p>On Friday, the unpredictable Trump not only set a different tone but also avoided any public lapses in protocol that&#160;Chinese&#160;officials had feared could embarrass their leader.</p>
<p>"We have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China," Trump told reporters as the two delegations met around tables flanked by large U.S. and&#160;Chinese&#160;flags. "We will be making additional progress. The relationship developed by President Xi and myself I think is outstanding.</p>
<p>"And I believe lots of very potentially bad problems will be going away," he added, without providing details.</p>
<p>"AGREE WITH YOU 100 PERCENT"</p>
<p>Xi also spoke in mostly positive terms.</p>
<p>"We have engaged in deeper understanding, and have built a trust," he said. "I believe we will keep developing in a stable way to form friendly relations ... For the peace and stability of the world, we will also fulfill our historical responsibility."</p>
<p>"Well, I agree with you 100 percent," Trump replied.</p>
<p>China's official Xinhua news agency said Xi had encouraged the United&#160;States to take part in the "One Belt, One Road" plan, Xi's signature foreign policy imitative aimed at infrastructure development across Asia, Africa and Europe, seen in some policy circles as a partial answer to the pivot to Asia strategy of Trump's predecessor Barack Obama.</p>
<p>Xi also hailed military to military exchanges and said China and the United&#160;States should "make good use of the dialog mechanism to be established between the two countries' joint staffs of the armed forces," although Xinhua did not give further details.</p>
<p>Chinese&#160;state&#160;media&#160;on Saturday cheered the meeting as one that showed the world that confrontation between the two powers was not inevitable and established the tone for the development of U.S.-China relations.</p>
<p>But in a sign that rough spots remained, Tillerson afterwards described the discussions as "very frank and candid."</p>
<p>"President Trump and President Xi agreed to work in concert to expand areas of cooperation while managing differences based on mutual respect," he said.</p>
<p>After the meeting, Trump took Xi on a walk around the manicured grounds of his lavish Spanish-style complex. Trump could be seen chatting and gesturing to Xi, who did the same.</p>
<p>Tillerson said Trump had accepted Xi's invitation to visit China and that they also agreed to upgrade a U.S.-China dialog by putting the two presidents at the head of the forum.</p>
<p>U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the&#160;Chinese&#160;had expressed an interest in reducing China's trade surplus as a way of controlling their own inflation. "That's the first time I've heard them say that in a bilateral context," he said.</p>
<p>Ross declined to say whether the United&#160;States was ready to designate China a currency manipulator, however, referring to an upcoming report in which that issue would be addressed.</p>
<p>Although Trump during the presidential election campaign had pledged to label China a currency manipulator on the first day of his administration, he has refrained from doing so.</p>
<p>The highly anticipated U.S.-China summit was upstaged by U.S. missile strikes overnight against a Syrian air base from which Trump said a deadly chemical weapon attack had been launched earlier in the week. It was the first direct U.S. assault on the Russian-backed government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in six years of civil war.</p>
<p>The swift action in Syria could be interpreted as a signal especially to defiant nuclear-armed North Korea – and by extension, its ally China – as well as other countries like Iran and Russia of Trump's willingness to use military force. North Korea is developing missiles capable of hitting the United&#160;States.</p>
<p>Tillerson said Xi agreed with Trump that North Korea's nuclear advances had reached a "very serious stage."</p>
<p>He said Trump also raised U.S.concerns about China's activities in the South China Sea. Beijing is building and fortifying islands in pursuit of expansive territorial claims in the strategic waterway.</p>
<p>(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Ayesha Rascoe in Washington; and Michael Martina in Beijing and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Writing by Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Leslie Adler, Richard Pullin and Michael Perry)</p>
| 4,816 |
<p>Failure of a Dream?: Essays in the History of American Socialism, edited by John M. Laslett and Seymour Martin Lipset. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press, Doubleday. 754 pp.</p>
<p>As I read this collection of articles, both new and familiar, my reactions were generally ambivalent. At some points I loathed the book enough to write: "If you attempt to mate a rabbit and mule, you do not get a hybrid animal of average fertility. This collaborative effort seems to have had a similar issue." At other times, I thought the book quite good as an overview of the problem. My ambivalence was, I now believe, a reflection of the editors' own ambivalence about the purpose of their collaboration.</p>
<p>Three distinct, albeit related, purposes appear to have motivated Lipset, the liberal American sociologist, and Laslett, an English New Left labor historian. Their inability to choose among the three purposes resulted in an uneven, seriously flawed book.</p>
<p />
|
American Socialism
| true |
https://dissentmagazine.org/article/american-socialism
|
2018-10-04
| 4left
|
American Socialism
<p>Failure of a Dream?: Essays in the History of American Socialism, edited by John M. Laslett and Seymour Martin Lipset. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press, Doubleday. 754 pp.</p>
<p>As I read this collection of articles, both new and familiar, my reactions were generally ambivalent. At some points I loathed the book enough to write: "If you attempt to mate a rabbit and mule, you do not get a hybrid animal of average fertility. This collaborative effort seems to have had a similar issue." At other times, I thought the book quite good as an overview of the problem. My ambivalence was, I now believe, a reflection of the editors' own ambivalence about the purpose of their collaboration.</p>
<p>Three distinct, albeit related, purposes appear to have motivated Lipset, the liberal American sociologist, and Laslett, an English New Left labor historian. Their inability to choose among the three purposes resulted in an uneven, seriously flawed book.</p>
<p />
| 4,817 |
<p>&lt;a href="http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/photos/photodetails.aspx?ID=1047"&gt;Department of Energy&lt;/a&gt;</p>
<p />
<p>On April 5, 2009, President Barack Obama took the stage before 20,000 people in Prague’s Hradcany Square to offer an ambitious global vision. “Today, I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” he <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-By-President-Barack-Obama-In-Prague-As-Delivered/" type="external">told the open-air audience</a> in the former Eastern Bloc capital. “To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same.”</p>
<p>The timing of his bold promise seemed perfect. Russia was ready to whittle down its destructive power; a year later, Obama and President Dmitri Medvedev would sign a treaty limiting both countries to 1,500 active warheads—though still enough to <a href="http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/how-i-learnt-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-bomb/" type="external">annihilate millions of people</a>, a 50 percent reduction to each nation’s atomic arsenal. Back home, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were scrutinizing the federal budget for unnecessary spending, and nuclear weapons no longer appeared to be off limits.</p>
<p>Even the military brass was moving away from relying upon nuclear deterrence. The Pentagon’s <a href="http://bit.ly/tZtYRT" type="external">2010 Nuclear Posture Review</a> (PDF) concluded that “[t]he massive nuclear arsenal we inherited from the Cold War era of bipolar military confrontation is poorly suited to address the challenges posed by suicidal terrorists and unfriendly regimes seeking nuclear weapons.”</p>
<p>But shrinking America’s nuclear arsenal has turned out to be far easier said than done. Despite the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) cuts, federal spending on the atomic stockpile is actually beyond Cold War levels, driven by congressional hawks and powerful nuclear labs eager to “modernize” the arsenal and fund projects that could spark <a href="" type="internal">a new arms race</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>During the Cold War, the United States spent, on average, $35 billion a year on its nuclear weapons complex. Today, it spends an estimated $55 billion. The nuclear weapons budget is spread across the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security, and the government doesn’t publicly disclose how much it spends on its various aspects, from maintaining our nuclear arsenal to defending against other countries’ nukes. Altogether, it spent at least $52.4 billion on nuclear weapons in 2008, the last year anyone attempted to piece together the total cost, <a href="http://carnegieendowment.org/2009/01/12/nuclear-security-spending-assessing-costs-examining-priorities/6cf0" type="external">according to the Carnegie Endowment for Peace</a>. (And that doesn’t include classified programs.) That was five times the size of the State Department’s budget, seven times the EPA’s, and 14 times what the DOE spent on everything else it does.</p>
<p>So why is America’s nuclear capacity expanding even as it tells the world it plans to forsake its arsenal? A few little-known facts about the nuclear weapons complex provide some answers:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The United States currently has 5,113 atomic warheads deployed in silos, bombers, and submarines across the country and the world, ready for use at a moment’s notice. Under the New START treaty, 3,000 of these warheads will be taken out of deployment by 2018. The treaty also mandates deep cuts to both the United States’ and Russia’s nuclear-equipped bombers, submarine launchers, and ICBM silos.</p>
<p>In theory, warheads slated for destruction are trucked off to the <a href="http://www.pantex.com/" type="external">Pantex plant</a> on the sandy Staked Plains outside Amarillo, Texas. There, Department of Energy contractors inspect and gingerly denude them of their non-nuclear components and disassemble their “physics package,” a witch’s brew of high explosives surrounding cores of highly radioactive uranium, plutonium, tritium, and deuterium. Each of these hot, unstable materials is separated and put in storage—some will be carted off for commercial refining, some kept in reserve in case more bombs ever need to be built. The entire process is like performing a ballet blindfolded, in 300-degree heat, on a stage where one slip could kill all the performers.</p>
<p>During the much of the ’90s, the United States took apart its old nukes at a brisk pace—about 1,300 a year. But the process has slowed to a trickle during the past decade. Now a backlog of more than 3,000 warheads sits at the Pantex plant, which may soon run out of storage space altogether. Hans Kristensen, director of the <a href="http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/index.html" type="external">Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project</a>, says that this means most newly retired weapons will simply stay on the bases where they were deployed.</p>
<p>Some of these inactive “zombie” weapons sit in a state of suspended animation, ready to deploy immediately in a submarine, bomber, or silo. Others have specific components removed, though this hardware can be replaced on short notice. According to Peter Fedewa of the pro-disarmament Ploughshares Fund, that amounts to <a href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/Ploughshares-Fund-Infographics-Blog/1936185" type="external">several thousand more nukes</a> “that could be ‘raised from the dead’ and brought back into deployment with relative ease.” (Full disclosure:&#160;Ploughshares provides funding to Mother Jones for coverage of national security.)</p>
<p>The New START treaty limits the US and Russia to 1,550 deployed warheads each. It doesn’t, however, limit how many “nondeployed” ICBMs and sub-launched nuclear missiles a nation can keep on ice, just in case. None of these weapons are counted under New START, which means the United States has a shadow force of nuclear weapons waiting in the wings. All told, the United States has several thousand retired, almost-retired, and inactive warheads, according to the Pentagon.</p>
<p>Nuclear hawks in Congress have blunted New START’s planned reductions by stalling dismantlement while beefing up the country’s arsenal of “hedge” weapons—nuclear warheads that aren’t actively deployed for war and thus aren’t touched by the treaty. As Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, <a href="http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/07/26/congressman-michael-turner-on-u.s.-strategic-forces-policy/3lnp" type="external">told an audience</a> at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in July, the stockpile of inactive atomic weapons should be seen as a deterrent, implying that if the first 5,000 or so currently deployed warheads can’t deter or defeat America’s enemies, the other few thousand might.</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Making our nukes obsolete is one of the lowest priorities of the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Last summer, Congress and the White House agreed to reduce the amount spent on dismantlement, while agreeing to sink extra cash into plans to increase the usefulness of our semiretired atomic arsenal. In 2012, spending on new nuclear weapons experiments and the construction of “refurbishment” facilities for warheads will increase to $4.1 billion; the government will spend just $57 million on taking apart old nukes, close to half what was spent in 2010—and less than 1 percent of the nuclear complex’s total budget.</p>
<p>The contractors who take old bombs apart are the same ones who pimp out the updated ones. “The public perception is that Pantex is primarily about dismantlement. That’s false,” says Jay Coghlan, the director of <a href="http://www.nukewatch.org/index.php" type="external">Nuclear Watch New Mexico</a>, a source of open-source information on US nuclear weapons facilities. “Dismantlements are basically being done as filler between ‘life extension’ programs.” The dismantlement program, he adds, “is a little bit of a sideshow.”</p>
<p>“The Soviets are long gone, yet the stockpiles remain. The bombs collect dust, yet the bills are with us to this day,” wrote Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in a <a href="http://markey.house.gov/docs/2011_1011_freeze_the_nukes_letter_to_super_committee.pdf" type="external">recent letter</a> (PDF) to Congress’ budget supercommittee, urging it to slash an “outdated radioactive relic” whose billions could be better spent shoring up Medicare or Social Security. “Fewer nuclear weapons should equal less funding.”</p>
<p>Sixty-five Democratic members of Congress <a href="http://fcnl.org/issues/nuclear/freeze_the_nukes_fund_the_future_co-signers/" type="external">cosigned Markey’s letter</a>. But cutting the nuclear complex down to size remains a tough sell on Capitol Hill. “Nuclear abolition is a long way off,” declared Rep. Turner at a hearing about the nation’s nuclear stockpile in late July. He wasn’t complaining: Turner is one of many Republicans on Capitol Hill who want to keep spending billions on upgrading and “modernizing” our atomic weaponry. “Full funding for nuclear modernization is costly, and difficult in these challenging economic times,” <a href="http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=ea55a4be-317a-4057-9475-7f9f8a186908&amp;Statement_id=bd2b4ee6-772d-467f-a004-dbc6e191377d&amp;ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&amp;Group_id=41030bc2-0d05-4138-841f-90b0fbaa0f88&amp;MonthDisplay=7&amp;YearDisplay=2011" type="external">he insisted</a>.&#160;“But it is necessary.”</p>
<p>Generally, congressional conservatives’ advocacy for a robust nuclear program has not been tempered by their small-government rhetoric. When New START came before the Senate for ratification in 2010, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)—an atomic-weapons stalwart who’s now a member of the Senate budget supercommittee—blocked a vote until the Obama administration conceded to spending $87 billion “modernizing” the stockpile over the next 10 years.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Though the Pentagon controls the bulk of the nuclear weapons budget, the politically powerful National Nuclear Security Administration also has a tight grip on its purse strings. Part of the Department of Energy, the NNSA is responsible for securing the nation’s stockpile as well as overseeing sites where atomic weaponry is built and the nation’s three nuclear labs (Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia).</p>
<p>Much of the NNSA’s leadership is drawn from the labs and their allies from top government contracting firms. Its current No. 2 official previously worked in the private sector as a consultant for Sandia Lab and the DOE; its top administrator for defense programs spent three decades running Sandia’s biggest experiments. The NNSA is known for rarely saying no to its labs’ big-ticket demands. “The three labs are accustomed to the style in which they were born,” Coghlan says. “Large and lavish.” Half of NNSA’s budget goes to the labs’ research. Dr. Robert Civiak, a former physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who now researches the nuclear weapons complex for a network of anti-atomic activist groups, says much of that research is unnecessary. “Its purpose is to improve the fourth-decimal point of our understanding of behavior of nuclear weapons,” he says. “That’s a mature science we’ve had for 70 years.”</p>
<p>In just the past year, the Government Accountability Office has issued four reports criticizing NNSA’s ability to keep control of its operations and costs. “NNSA cannot accurately identify the total costs to operate and maintain weapons facilities and infrastructure,” <a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-582" type="external">one states</a>. Another knocks the agency for not properly inspecting its contractors’ work. Yet another found that the agency does not have estimated total costs or completion dates for 15 “vital” projects to keep the stockpile up to date. The reports made 20 recommendations for remedial action.</p>
<p>Yet the White House and Congress continue to increase the labs’ budget. Thanks to the administration’s concessions to congressional Republicans during the New START ratification process, the NNSA will get an additional $85 billion more over the next decade. At a time when federal programs are being scrutinized for fat, the NNSA’s 2012 budget is increasing by 19 percent to $7.6 billion.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>An hour’s drive from San Francisco, scientists are trying to create a miniature star here on Earth. That’s how the Livermore lab describes its <a href="https://lasers.llnl.gov/" type="external">National Ignition Facility</a>, a superlaser that’s supposed to produce nuclear fusion and temperatures of 100 million degrees—conditions found only in distant suns and nuclear explosions. So far, the 14-year old project has been a bust; the New York Times dubbed it a “taxpayer-funded science fiction.” Yet its expense has swelled: It was expected to cost $400 million but has cost $3.9 billion and counting.</p>
<p>Big bucks, little bang: promotional material for the $3.9 billion National Ignition Facility Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory</p>
<p>How does the lab justify keeping this far-out science experiment alive in a time of austerity? Simple: national security. Canceling the project, lab director George Miller <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/28/nation/na-laser28" type="external">told the Los Angeles Times</a> when some members of Congress challenged NIF’s funding, is to&#160; “seriously question the commitment to maintain nuclear weapons.” Livermore’s research budget has expanded 50 percent since 1994 to nearly $1.5 billion.</p>
<p>The laser project is one of dozens of gold-plated experiments run at the Department of Energy’s three nuclear weapons facilities. The <a href="http://www.y12.doe.gov/" type="external">Y-12 National Security Complex</a> in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is building a new plant to process uranium for the secondary explosives used in warheads, even though the country already has thousands of extra secondaries in storage. In 2004, the plant was expected to cost $600 million; the tab has since increased to $3.5 billion. The federal government is also sinking $4.5 billion into a 1.5 million square-foot plant in Kansas City, Missouri, which will build new components for nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>Y-12, Kansas City, and a nebulous new Los Alamos center for “Chemical and Metallurgy Research Replacement” constitute “grossly oversized facilities for building new bombs we don’t need,” Civiak says. Together, they could facilitate the construction of new warhead cores and missile skins. The labs could test those weapons without live explosions by using technology such as the NIF. “The production side of the US nuclear weapons complex is being rebuilt,” Coghlan says.</p>
<p>Proponents of spending more on the stockpile say that one way to get rid of more warheads is to make sure the ones you hang onto remain in tip-top condition. Rep. Turner has also defended a robust stockpile and modernization as “providing meaningful work to our talented scientists and engineers”—even as he warned that “strategy must drive force structure, not the other way around.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>But critics maintain that modernization is a boondoggle and an expensive make-work program for the nation’s nuclear labs. “There’s no rush to do this,” says Tom Collina, research director of the <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/" type="external">Arms Control Association</a>, a nonpartisan weapons-policy think tank. Though United States hasn’t built a new warhead since 1989, “it’s not like they’re falling apart; it’s not like they’re Swiss cheese.” The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JASON_%28advisory_group%29" type="external">JASON group</a>, a prestigious panel of scientists that advises the government on technology issues, studied the arsenal in 2007 and 2009 and concluded that existing measures could extend the warheads’ lifetimes “for decades, with no anticipated loss of confidence.”</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of things that need regular upkeep on nuclear weapons—batteries and tritium that decay over time,” Civiak explains. But life extension and modernization efforts, he says, are “going way beyond that, and they’re adding new capabilities.”</p>
<p>Upgrades include a “dial-a-yield” option that lets missile officers adjust a warhead’s explosive power; for example, dialing down a 340-kiloton city killer to be a 0.3-kiloton mini-Hiroshima. “Dumb” gravity bombs are being refitted so that the altitude at which they burst can be modified—essentially enabling them to act as “robust nuclear earth penetrators,” or bunker busters.</p>
<p>Civiak says new “safety measures” to adjust the accuracy of atomic missiles will in fact make them potential first-strike weapons. For example, improving missiles’ guidance can turn “countervalue weapons” —big bombs once aimed at population centers as a deterrent—into “counterforce weapons”—tactical nukes that could be used in “limited” nuclear attacks on military or terrorist targets. “Counterforce strays away from deterrence,” Coghlan says.</p>
<p>David Dearborn, a longtime nuclear weapons engineer at the Livermore lab, insists that most of these post-Cold War modifications have safety at their heart. “Earlier, it was about reducing size and weight or getting more bang,” but now “it’s about higher safety, designing things that you could machine-gun and hammer and they would not go off.” As long as the United States has a nuclear stockpile, he says, “You ought to know that it works.”</p>
<p>Advocates of nuclear reduction say that’s a canard. “That sounds nice in theory. Who in principle can be against greater safety?” Coghlan says. But combine all these “safety enhancements,” he says, and “in effect, they’re new warheads.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
|
We’re Spending More on Nukes Than We Did During the Cold War?!
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/nuclear-weapons-complex-budget-disarmament/
|
2011-11-09
| 4left
|
We’re Spending More on Nukes Than We Did During the Cold War?!
<p>&lt;a href="http://www.nv.doe.gov/library/photos/photodetails.aspx?ID=1047"&gt;Department of Energy&lt;/a&gt;</p>
<p />
<p>On April 5, 2009, President Barack Obama took the stage before 20,000 people in Prague’s Hradcany Square to offer an ambitious global vision. “Today, I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” he <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-By-President-Barack-Obama-In-Prague-As-Delivered/" type="external">told the open-air audience</a> in the former Eastern Bloc capital. “To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same.”</p>
<p>The timing of his bold promise seemed perfect. Russia was ready to whittle down its destructive power; a year later, Obama and President Dmitri Medvedev would sign a treaty limiting both countries to 1,500 active warheads—though still enough to <a href="http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2009/how-i-learnt-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-bomb/" type="external">annihilate millions of people</a>, a 50 percent reduction to each nation’s atomic arsenal. Back home, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were scrutinizing the federal budget for unnecessary spending, and nuclear weapons no longer appeared to be off limits.</p>
<p>Even the military brass was moving away from relying upon nuclear deterrence. The Pentagon’s <a href="http://bit.ly/tZtYRT" type="external">2010 Nuclear Posture Review</a> (PDF) concluded that “[t]he massive nuclear arsenal we inherited from the Cold War era of bipolar military confrontation is poorly suited to address the challenges posed by suicidal terrorists and unfriendly regimes seeking nuclear weapons.”</p>
<p>But shrinking America’s nuclear arsenal has turned out to be far easier said than done. Despite the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) cuts, federal spending on the atomic stockpile is actually beyond Cold War levels, driven by congressional hawks and powerful nuclear labs eager to “modernize” the arsenal and fund projects that could spark <a href="" type="internal">a new arms race</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>During the Cold War, the United States spent, on average, $35 billion a year on its nuclear weapons complex. Today, it spends an estimated $55 billion. The nuclear weapons budget is spread across the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security, and the government doesn’t publicly disclose how much it spends on its various aspects, from maintaining our nuclear arsenal to defending against other countries’ nukes. Altogether, it spent at least $52.4 billion on nuclear weapons in 2008, the last year anyone attempted to piece together the total cost, <a href="http://carnegieendowment.org/2009/01/12/nuclear-security-spending-assessing-costs-examining-priorities/6cf0" type="external">according to the Carnegie Endowment for Peace</a>. (And that doesn’t include classified programs.) That was five times the size of the State Department’s budget, seven times the EPA’s, and 14 times what the DOE spent on everything else it does.</p>
<p>So why is America’s nuclear capacity expanding even as it tells the world it plans to forsake its arsenal? A few little-known facts about the nuclear weapons complex provide some answers:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The United States currently has 5,113 atomic warheads deployed in silos, bombers, and submarines across the country and the world, ready for use at a moment’s notice. Under the New START treaty, 3,000 of these warheads will be taken out of deployment by 2018. The treaty also mandates deep cuts to both the United States’ and Russia’s nuclear-equipped bombers, submarine launchers, and ICBM silos.</p>
<p>In theory, warheads slated for destruction are trucked off to the <a href="http://www.pantex.com/" type="external">Pantex plant</a> on the sandy Staked Plains outside Amarillo, Texas. There, Department of Energy contractors inspect and gingerly denude them of their non-nuclear components and disassemble their “physics package,” a witch’s brew of high explosives surrounding cores of highly radioactive uranium, plutonium, tritium, and deuterium. Each of these hot, unstable materials is separated and put in storage—some will be carted off for commercial refining, some kept in reserve in case more bombs ever need to be built. The entire process is like performing a ballet blindfolded, in 300-degree heat, on a stage where one slip could kill all the performers.</p>
<p>During the much of the ’90s, the United States took apart its old nukes at a brisk pace—about 1,300 a year. But the process has slowed to a trickle during the past decade. Now a backlog of more than 3,000 warheads sits at the Pantex plant, which may soon run out of storage space altogether. Hans Kristensen, director of the <a href="http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/index.html" type="external">Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project</a>, says that this means most newly retired weapons will simply stay on the bases where they were deployed.</p>
<p>Some of these inactive “zombie” weapons sit in a state of suspended animation, ready to deploy immediately in a submarine, bomber, or silo. Others have specific components removed, though this hardware can be replaced on short notice. According to Peter Fedewa of the pro-disarmament Ploughshares Fund, that amounts to <a href="http://www.behance.net/gallery/Ploughshares-Fund-Infographics-Blog/1936185" type="external">several thousand more nukes</a> “that could be ‘raised from the dead’ and brought back into deployment with relative ease.” (Full disclosure:&#160;Ploughshares provides funding to Mother Jones for coverage of national security.)</p>
<p>The New START treaty limits the US and Russia to 1,550 deployed warheads each. It doesn’t, however, limit how many “nondeployed” ICBMs and sub-launched nuclear missiles a nation can keep on ice, just in case. None of these weapons are counted under New START, which means the United States has a shadow force of nuclear weapons waiting in the wings. All told, the United States has several thousand retired, almost-retired, and inactive warheads, according to the Pentagon.</p>
<p>Nuclear hawks in Congress have blunted New START’s planned reductions by stalling dismantlement while beefing up the country’s arsenal of “hedge” weapons—nuclear warheads that aren’t actively deployed for war and thus aren’t touched by the treaty. As Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, <a href="http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/07/26/congressman-michael-turner-on-u.s.-strategic-forces-policy/3lnp" type="external">told an audience</a> at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in July, the stockpile of inactive atomic weapons should be seen as a deterrent, implying that if the first 5,000 or so currently deployed warheads can’t deter or defeat America’s enemies, the other few thousand might.</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Making our nukes obsolete is one of the lowest priorities of the nation’s nuclear weapons program. Last summer, Congress and the White House agreed to reduce the amount spent on dismantlement, while agreeing to sink extra cash into plans to increase the usefulness of our semiretired atomic arsenal. In 2012, spending on new nuclear weapons experiments and the construction of “refurbishment” facilities for warheads will increase to $4.1 billion; the government will spend just $57 million on taking apart old nukes, close to half what was spent in 2010—and less than 1 percent of the nuclear complex’s total budget.</p>
<p>The contractors who take old bombs apart are the same ones who pimp out the updated ones. “The public perception is that Pantex is primarily about dismantlement. That’s false,” says Jay Coghlan, the director of <a href="http://www.nukewatch.org/index.php" type="external">Nuclear Watch New Mexico</a>, a source of open-source information on US nuclear weapons facilities. “Dismantlements are basically being done as filler between ‘life extension’ programs.” The dismantlement program, he adds, “is a little bit of a sideshow.”</p>
<p>“The Soviets are long gone, yet the stockpiles remain. The bombs collect dust, yet the bills are with us to this day,” wrote Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in a <a href="http://markey.house.gov/docs/2011_1011_freeze_the_nukes_letter_to_super_committee.pdf" type="external">recent letter</a> (PDF) to Congress’ budget supercommittee, urging it to slash an “outdated radioactive relic” whose billions could be better spent shoring up Medicare or Social Security. “Fewer nuclear weapons should equal less funding.”</p>
<p>Sixty-five Democratic members of Congress <a href="http://fcnl.org/issues/nuclear/freeze_the_nukes_fund_the_future_co-signers/" type="external">cosigned Markey’s letter</a>. But cutting the nuclear complex down to size remains a tough sell on Capitol Hill. “Nuclear abolition is a long way off,” declared Rep. Turner at a hearing about the nation’s nuclear stockpile in late July. He wasn’t complaining: Turner is one of many Republicans on Capitol Hill who want to keep spending billions on upgrading and “modernizing” our atomic weaponry. “Full funding for nuclear modernization is costly, and difficult in these challenging economic times,” <a href="http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/hearings-display?ContentRecord_id=ea55a4be-317a-4057-9475-7f9f8a186908&amp;Statement_id=bd2b4ee6-772d-467f-a004-dbc6e191377d&amp;ContentType_id=14f995b9-dfa5-407a-9d35-56cc7152a7ed&amp;Group_id=41030bc2-0d05-4138-841f-90b0fbaa0f88&amp;MonthDisplay=7&amp;YearDisplay=2011" type="external">he insisted</a>.&#160;“But it is necessary.”</p>
<p>Generally, congressional conservatives’ advocacy for a robust nuclear program has not been tempered by their small-government rhetoric. When New START came before the Senate for ratification in 2010, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)—an atomic-weapons stalwart who’s now a member of the Senate budget supercommittee—blocked a vote until the Obama administration conceded to spending $87 billion “modernizing” the stockpile over the next 10 years.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Though the Pentagon controls the bulk of the nuclear weapons budget, the politically powerful National Nuclear Security Administration also has a tight grip on its purse strings. Part of the Department of Energy, the NNSA is responsible for securing the nation’s stockpile as well as overseeing sites where atomic weaponry is built and the nation’s three nuclear labs (Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia).</p>
<p>Much of the NNSA’s leadership is drawn from the labs and their allies from top government contracting firms. Its current No. 2 official previously worked in the private sector as a consultant for Sandia Lab and the DOE; its top administrator for defense programs spent three decades running Sandia’s biggest experiments. The NNSA is known for rarely saying no to its labs’ big-ticket demands. “The three labs are accustomed to the style in which they were born,” Coghlan says. “Large and lavish.” Half of NNSA’s budget goes to the labs’ research. Dr. Robert Civiak, a former physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory who now researches the nuclear weapons complex for a network of anti-atomic activist groups, says much of that research is unnecessary. “Its purpose is to improve the fourth-decimal point of our understanding of behavior of nuclear weapons,” he says. “That’s a mature science we’ve had for 70 years.”</p>
<p>In just the past year, the Government Accountability Office has issued four reports criticizing NNSA’s ability to keep control of its operations and costs. “NNSA cannot accurately identify the total costs to operate and maintain weapons facilities and infrastructure,” <a href="http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-582" type="external">one states</a>. Another knocks the agency for not properly inspecting its contractors’ work. Yet another found that the agency does not have estimated total costs or completion dates for 15 “vital” projects to keep the stockpile up to date. The reports made 20 recommendations for remedial action.</p>
<p>Yet the White House and Congress continue to increase the labs’ budget. Thanks to the administration’s concessions to congressional Republicans during the New START ratification process, the NNSA will get an additional $85 billion more over the next decade. At a time when federal programs are being scrutinized for fat, the NNSA’s 2012 budget is increasing by 19 percent to $7.6 billion.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>An hour’s drive from San Francisco, scientists are trying to create a miniature star here on Earth. That’s how the Livermore lab describes its <a href="https://lasers.llnl.gov/" type="external">National Ignition Facility</a>, a superlaser that’s supposed to produce nuclear fusion and temperatures of 100 million degrees—conditions found only in distant suns and nuclear explosions. So far, the 14-year old project has been a bust; the New York Times dubbed it a “taxpayer-funded science fiction.” Yet its expense has swelled: It was expected to cost $400 million but has cost $3.9 billion and counting.</p>
<p>Big bucks, little bang: promotional material for the $3.9 billion National Ignition Facility Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory</p>
<p>How does the lab justify keeping this far-out science experiment alive in a time of austerity? Simple: national security. Canceling the project, lab director George Miller <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jun/28/nation/na-laser28" type="external">told the Los Angeles Times</a> when some members of Congress challenged NIF’s funding, is to&#160; “seriously question the commitment to maintain nuclear weapons.” Livermore’s research budget has expanded 50 percent since 1994 to nearly $1.5 billion.</p>
<p>The laser project is one of dozens of gold-plated experiments run at the Department of Energy’s three nuclear weapons facilities. The <a href="http://www.y12.doe.gov/" type="external">Y-12 National Security Complex</a> in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is building a new plant to process uranium for the secondary explosives used in warheads, even though the country already has thousands of extra secondaries in storage. In 2004, the plant was expected to cost $600 million; the tab has since increased to $3.5 billion. The federal government is also sinking $4.5 billion into a 1.5 million square-foot plant in Kansas City, Missouri, which will build new components for nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>Y-12, Kansas City, and a nebulous new Los Alamos center for “Chemical and Metallurgy Research Replacement” constitute “grossly oversized facilities for building new bombs we don’t need,” Civiak says. Together, they could facilitate the construction of new warhead cores and missile skins. The labs could test those weapons without live explosions by using technology such as the NIF. “The production side of the US nuclear weapons complex is being rebuilt,” Coghlan says.</p>
<p>Proponents of spending more on the stockpile say that one way to get rid of more warheads is to make sure the ones you hang onto remain in tip-top condition. Rep. Turner has also defended a robust stockpile and modernization as “providing meaningful work to our talented scientists and engineers”—even as he warned that “strategy must drive force structure, not the other way around.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>But critics maintain that modernization is a boondoggle and an expensive make-work program for the nation’s nuclear labs. “There’s no rush to do this,” says Tom Collina, research director of the <a href="http://www.armscontrol.org/" type="external">Arms Control Association</a>, a nonpartisan weapons-policy think tank. Though United States hasn’t built a new warhead since 1989, “it’s not like they’re falling apart; it’s not like they’re Swiss cheese.” The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JASON_%28advisory_group%29" type="external">JASON group</a>, a prestigious panel of scientists that advises the government on technology issues, studied the arsenal in 2007 and 2009 and concluded that existing measures could extend the warheads’ lifetimes “for decades, with no anticipated loss of confidence.”</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of things that need regular upkeep on nuclear weapons—batteries and tritium that decay over time,” Civiak explains. But life extension and modernization efforts, he says, are “going way beyond that, and they’re adding new capabilities.”</p>
<p>Upgrades include a “dial-a-yield” option that lets missile officers adjust a warhead’s explosive power; for example, dialing down a 340-kiloton city killer to be a 0.3-kiloton mini-Hiroshima. “Dumb” gravity bombs are being refitted so that the altitude at which they burst can be modified—essentially enabling them to act as “robust nuclear earth penetrators,” or bunker busters.</p>
<p>Civiak says new “safety measures” to adjust the accuracy of atomic missiles will in fact make them potential first-strike weapons. For example, improving missiles’ guidance can turn “countervalue weapons” —big bombs once aimed at population centers as a deterrent—into “counterforce weapons”—tactical nukes that could be used in “limited” nuclear attacks on military or terrorist targets. “Counterforce strays away from deterrence,” Coghlan says.</p>
<p>David Dearborn, a longtime nuclear weapons engineer at the Livermore lab, insists that most of these post-Cold War modifications have safety at their heart. “Earlier, it was about reducing size and weight or getting more bang,” but now “it’s about higher safety, designing things that you could machine-gun and hammer and they would not go off.” As long as the United States has a nuclear stockpile, he says, “You ought to know that it works.”</p>
<p>Advocates of nuclear reduction say that’s a canard. “That sounds nice in theory. Who in principle can be against greater safety?” Coghlan says. But combine all these “safety enhancements,” he says, and “in effect, they’re new warheads.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
| 4,818 |
<p>Deborah Weiss is&#160;a Human Rights lawyer who is an expert on the subject of free speech and terrorism related issues. She is the author of The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Jihad on Free Speech. Visit her website at vigilancenow.org.</p>
<p>Deborah discusses “Ballet Jihad”, unveiling a Muslim convert’s agenda to restrict the world of ballet in the name of “tolerance.”</p>
|
Ballet Jihad
| true |
http://politichicks.com/2016/06/41482/
|
2016-06-04
| 0right
|
Ballet Jihad
<p>Deborah Weiss is&#160;a Human Rights lawyer who is an expert on the subject of free speech and terrorism related issues. She is the author of The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Jihad on Free Speech. Visit her website at vigilancenow.org.</p>
<p>Deborah discusses “Ballet Jihad”, unveiling a Muslim convert’s agenda to restrict the world of ballet in the name of “tolerance.”</p>
| 4,819 |
<p>On Monday the YouTube channel "All Lives Matter" posted a <a href="https://youtu.be/RC-Cqkq6zWc" type="external">video</a> of a debate hosted at Harvard where two of the country's top debaters from the University of West Georgia turned a discussion from renewable energy into a "white people should kill themselves" platform. Click above for the insanity.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://youtu.be/RC-Cqkq6zWc" type="external">video's description</a> the "pro-genocide activists" are Damiyr Davis and Miguel Feliciano, from the University of West Georgia. Though the publishers of the video claimed that the debate coaches at Harvard and Stanford University, Brian Manuel, Sherry Hall, and Dallas Perkins, attempted to supress the footage, they've published it for all to see.</p>
<p>The topic of the debate was supposed to be renewable energy — not race. The subject was: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reduce restrictions on and/or substantially increase financial incentives for energy production in the United States of one or more of the following: coal, crude oil, natural gas, nuclear power, solar power, wind power." The white team chose to advocate wind turbines. Instead of addressing that issue, the black debaters began arguing that all whites should kill themselves and that their white opponents should die. This was NOT a position that was assigned to them in class. They claimed that their pro-genocide movement was *REAL POLITICAL ACTIVISM.*</p>
<p>The West Georgia website proudly <a href="http://www.westga.edu/ucmassets/news/3546.php" type="external">touts David and Feliciano</a> and they've won national recognition for their debate prowess.</p>
<p>According to video's posters, the openly violent anti-white rhetoric falls in line with the the " <a href="https://i.imgur.com/FBjnaN9.png" type="external">Black Liberation Collective</a>," which calls for "armed self-defense" against "white supremacist suppressive violence," and apparently is fully on board with exterminating white folk.</p>
<p>The unedited recording of the Harvard debate was allegedly pulled from Vimeo after the above video went viral.</p>
<p>The only question left is are the two white debaters committing a racist act by not immediately killing themselves because of their inherited white privilege?</p>
<p>Spoiler: It's a trick question. Everything they do is racist because they are white.</p>
<p>Exit thought by Dawson Leery...</p>
<p />
|
Debater At Harvard Says White People Should Kill Themselves Because Of Their White Privilege
| true |
https://dailywire.com/news/4180/debater-harvard-says-white-people-should-kill-chase-stephens
|
2016-03-17
| 0right
|
Debater At Harvard Says White People Should Kill Themselves Because Of Their White Privilege
<p>On Monday the YouTube channel "All Lives Matter" posted a <a href="https://youtu.be/RC-Cqkq6zWc" type="external">video</a> of a debate hosted at Harvard where two of the country's top debaters from the University of West Georgia turned a discussion from renewable energy into a "white people should kill themselves" platform. Click above for the insanity.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="https://youtu.be/RC-Cqkq6zWc" type="external">video's description</a> the "pro-genocide activists" are Damiyr Davis and Miguel Feliciano, from the University of West Georgia. Though the publishers of the video claimed that the debate coaches at Harvard and Stanford University, Brian Manuel, Sherry Hall, and Dallas Perkins, attempted to supress the footage, they've published it for all to see.</p>
<p>The topic of the debate was supposed to be renewable energy — not race. The subject was: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reduce restrictions on and/or substantially increase financial incentives for energy production in the United States of one or more of the following: coal, crude oil, natural gas, nuclear power, solar power, wind power." The white team chose to advocate wind turbines. Instead of addressing that issue, the black debaters began arguing that all whites should kill themselves and that their white opponents should die. This was NOT a position that was assigned to them in class. They claimed that their pro-genocide movement was *REAL POLITICAL ACTIVISM.*</p>
<p>The West Georgia website proudly <a href="http://www.westga.edu/ucmassets/news/3546.php" type="external">touts David and Feliciano</a> and they've won national recognition for their debate prowess.</p>
<p>According to video's posters, the openly violent anti-white rhetoric falls in line with the the " <a href="https://i.imgur.com/FBjnaN9.png" type="external">Black Liberation Collective</a>," which calls for "armed self-defense" against "white supremacist suppressive violence," and apparently is fully on board with exterminating white folk.</p>
<p>The unedited recording of the Harvard debate was allegedly pulled from Vimeo after the above video went viral.</p>
<p>The only question left is are the two white debaters committing a racist act by not immediately killing themselves because of their inherited white privilege?</p>
<p>Spoiler: It's a trick question. Everything they do is racist because they are white.</p>
<p>Exit thought by Dawson Leery...</p>
<p />
| 4,820 |
<p>The following Spanish stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified the newspaper reports, and cannot vouch for their accuracy:</p> VERTICE 360
<p>Spain’s regulator (CNMV) has given authorization of exemption from obligation to launch takeover bid for Vertice 360 submitted by Squirrel Capital.</p> ABENGOA
<p>Abengoa said on Tuesday that the court had approved the insolvency agreement between Abengoa Mexico and majority of its creditors in accordance with the insolvency law.</p>
<p>For today’s European market outlook double click on.</p>
<p>For real-time moves on the Spanish blue-chip index IBEX please double click on</p>
<p>For IBEX constituent stocks highlight .IBEX in the command box and press the F3 button on your keyboard</p>
<p>For latest news on Spanish stock moves double click</p>
<p>For Spanish language market report double click on</p>
<p>For latest Eurostocks report please double click on</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Federal investigators on Thursday combed through the home of the 23-year-old they say was behind this month’s deadly Texas bombing spree, seeking clues about what motivated his attacks the day after he killed himself in a confrontation with police.</p> FILE PHOTO: Law enforcement personnel investigate a home where the bomber was suspected to have lived in Pflugerville, Texas, March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
<p>Mark Conditt, an unemployed man from the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, confessed to the three-week string of bombings in a 25-minute video found on his cellphone, police said. Conditt blew himself up with one of his own bombs on Wednesday as police closed in on him in his car.</p>
<p>The bombs, which killed two people and wounded five others, primarily targeted Austin, the Texas capital and a fast-growing city of 1 million people. Three were left as parcels outside victims’ homes, one by a sidewalk with a trip-wire mechanism attached and two shipped as FedEx parcels, which helped investigators unmask the bomber’s identity.</p>
<p>The attacks drew national attention when the second and third bombs went off while the city was hosting its annual South by Southwest music, movies and tech festival, which draws about half a million people.</p>
<p>The video showed a troubled young man, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, but did not outline a clear motive for the attacks that began March 2.</p> Texas blast suspect Mark Anthony Conditt is seen in this undated handout photo released by Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, U.S. March 21, 2018. Austin Community College/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT
<p>The police department was unlikely to make the video public while the investigation continued, said spokeswoman Destiny Wilson.</p>
<p>Investigators sought further clues from the home Conditt moved into last year and shared with two roommates in Pflugerville, which is within walking distance of his family’s house. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are helping Austin police.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Conditt and his three siblings had been home-schooled through high school, his mother wrote on Facebook. He attended classes at Austin Community College between 2010 and 2012, but did not graduate.</p>
<p>“Raised by both parents in a Christian home, Conditt reportedly walked away from his faith several years ago,” Texas Home School Association President Tim Lambert said in a statement late on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, no form of education, public or private, can ensure a tragedy like this will never happen.”</p> Related Video
<p>The Austin Stone Community Church, responding to reports that Conditt had attended, said in a statement late on Wednesday that it had no records of him being actively engaged with the church.</p>
<p>Five of Conditt’s bombs exploded, one was recovered before it went off, and the seventh Conditt detonated as officers rushed his vehicle.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Scott Malone</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK - The threat of a global trade war pushed the U.S. dollar to its lowest in over a month on Thursday and dragged benchmark equity indexes in the U.S. and Europe into the red, a day after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates as expected.</p>
<p>It was the dollar's third decline in four sessions and helped sterling <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=GBP&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">GBP=</a> climb to a six-week high after a Bank of England policy meeting laid the foundations for another British rate increase in the coming months.</p>
<p>The Fed raised its key rate by 25 basis points to a range of 1.50 percent to 1.75 percent on Wednesday and flagged at least two more increases for the year, short of the three that some economists had been predicting.</p>
<p>China also nudged up its borrowing costs overnight, as Beijing braced for fresh tariffs to be announced on Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump on Chinese imports worth as much as $60 billion.</p>
<p>Those jitters, plus weaker-than-expected German business confidence data, caused European shares to fall 1.7 percent to a two-week low.</p>
<p>Selling pressure intensified in morning trading on Wall Street.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> fell 340.32 points, or 1.38 percent, to 24,341.99, the S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> lost 34.8 points, or 1.28 percent, to 2,677.13 and the Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> dropped 101.62 points, or 1.38 percent, to 7,243.67.</p>
<p>Shares in U.S. tech giant Facebook fell 1.6 percent in morning trading, in the wake of news Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized for a “major breach of trust” over how it had handled data belonging to 50 million users.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>In the currency market, sterling <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=GBP&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">GBP=</a> hit a peak of $1.4216, its highest in more than a month.</p>
<p>The Bank of England kept rates steady on Thursday but two of its policymakers unexpectedly voted for an immediate rate rise, in a statement that will boost investors’ confidence that borrowing costs will rise in May.</p>
<p>Bond yields - which move inversely to price - fell broadly. Borrowing costs on 30-year German debt hit their lowest level of the year.</p>
<a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">Dow Jones &amp; Company Inc</a> 24682.31 .DJI Dow Jones Indexes -44.96 (-0.18%) .DJI .SPX .IXIC .N225
<p>Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last rose 24/32 in price to yield 2.819 percent, from 2.907 percent late on Wednesday.</p>
<p>World shares broadly retreated, with MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS shedding 0.66 percent. Japan's Nikkei <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.N225" type="external">.N225</a> rose 1.0 percent.</p>
<p>China said it hoped to hold talks with the United States to achieve a “win-win” solution on trade, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing.</p>
<p>Concern about a trade war between the world’s two largest economies also put commodity markets on guard.</p>
<p>U.S. crude CLcv1 fell 1.14 percent to $64.43 per barrel and Brent LCOcv1 was last at $68.90, down 0.82 percent on the day.</p>
<p>(This version of the story was refiled to add dropped word ‘fell’ in paragraph 8)</p>
<p>Editing by Bernadette Baum</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress raced on Thursday to approve a massive spending bill and send it to President Donald Trump before a midnight Friday government shutdown deadline, in a move that would significantly boost defense and non-military funding through Sept. 30.</p> People build a snowman outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
<p>The House of Representatives cleared the way for a vote on the measure later on Thursday, voting 211-207 to open debate. If it clears the chamber despite opposition from some conservatives protesting the measure’s crushing deficit spending, it is likely to have an easier time passing the Senate.</p>
<p>When coupled with recently enacted tax cuts, the bill is projected to result in budget deficits hitting more than $800 billion for this year. That could create political difficulties for Republicans running for re-election in November if the conservative wing of the party lashes out at this legislation.</p>
<p>Democrats complained that in the rush to pass the bill, few if any lawmakers had time to read through the 2,232-page tome to see what it actually contained.</p>
<p>For Trump, there are potential difficulties as well beyond the deficit-spending.</p>
<p>Trump, in a post on Twitter late on Wednesday, said the funding bill will allow him to start building a wall on the southwest U.S. border with Mexico. “Got $1.6 Billion to start Wall on Southern Border, rest will be forthcoming,” he wrote.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-fiscal-congress-freedomcaucus/house-freedom-caucus-rejects-1-3-trillion-u-s-spending-bill-idUSKBN1GY1K4" type="external">House Freedom Caucus rejects $1.3 trillion U.S. spending bill</a>
<p>But Democrats argued the added funds will help build or restore a range of other barriers, including existing fencing, and would not pay for a concrete edifice that Trump originally said would be financed by Mexico - a claim the Mexican government has denounced.</p>
<p>Passage of the spending bill would end several months of intense bickering between Republicans and Democrats over spending priorities, which led to two short government shutdowns earlier this year.</p>
<p>It also would deliver another setback to Trump, whose proposals for severe cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, State Department and other federal agencies would be scaled back.</p>
<p>The bill, which also excludes some of Trump’s immigration-related funding requests, was unveiled late on Wednesday. Senate No. 2 Republican John Cornyn said his chamber could take it up on Thursday night if no senator acts to slow it.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the White House signaled that Trump would sign the legislation if Congress sends it to him.</p> CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION
<p>House Republicans’ conservative Freedom Caucus on Thursday said its roughly three dozen members would not back the bill because it massively increases spending while not defunding Obamacare, Planned Parenthood and so-called sanctuary cities.</p>
<p>“You’re going to see lots of conservatives vote against it,” U.S. Representative Jim Jordan, a caucus member, told Fox News in an interview.</p>
<p>Trump at one point wanted $25 billion included in the bill to fully fund construction of his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, but negotiations with Democrats to make that happen fell apart early this week, according to congressional aides.</p>
<p>Instead, Trump would get nearly $1.6 billion more for border security this year. More border patrol agents could be hired, but there would not be the significant increase in immigration agents working the interior of the country.</p>
<p>The Department of Homeland Security had sought a big buildup in those officers to boost deportation of undocumented immigrants.</p>
<p>Besides the $80 billion boost in military spending, the largest in 15 years, the measure includes new money for infrastructure improvements and combating Russian election hacking.</p>
<p>In response to public anger and frustration over mass shootings, including a Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school, the bill contains modest improvements to background checks for gun sales and grants to help schools prevent gun violence.</p>
<p>These provisions were far short of steps many Democrats and gun control groups say are needed to stop the shooting deaths of school children, concert-goers, church worshipers and others.</p>
<p>A so-called “grain glitch” included in a tax law enacted at the end of last year would be repaired by the legislation.</p>
<p>Big grain buyers, such as Anheuser Busch Inbev NV, Cargill Inc and the ethanol industry, have complained the glitch gives lucrative tax breaks to grain producers for selling to farming cooperatives, and a lesser break for selling to agriculture companies.</p>
<p>The bill will provide a $307 million increase above the administration’s request for counter-intelligence efforts to fight Russian cyber attacks in 2018, when U.S. mid-term congressional elections will be held, and $380 million for grants to states to secure their election systems.</p>
<p>Other components of the bill include $10 billion in infrastructure spending for highways, airports, railroads and broadband, and a $2.8 billion increase to fund treatment and prevention of opioid addiction and research into the subject.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Amanda Becker and Susan Heavey; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Bill Trott</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - The main U.S. coal miners’ union is set to endorse two Democrats running for Congress in West Virginia, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday - a boost for Democrats trying to win over a constituency that voted heavily for Republican Donald Trump in 2016.</p> FILE PHOTO: United Mine Workers of America International President Cecil Roberts (top) leads his members in a rally outside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, DC, U.S., October 7, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
<p>The United Mine Workers of America on Friday will endorse Richard Ojeda for U.S. Representative in the state’s third district, as well as incumbent Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat and former West Virginia governor, the sources said. They asked not to be named as they were discussing a confidential matter.</p>
<p>The union sees Ojeda and Manchin as supportive of major issues facing coal miners, particularly efforts to preserve their pensions, the sources said. In addition, neither candidate has fully embraced the Democratic Party’s push for climate regulation, a sticking point for miners.</p>
<p>Trump’s White House win in 2016 was due in part to his promise to revive the ailing coal industry, which has lost more than 40 percent of its work force in less than a decade, by rolling back environmental regulation. While his administration has chipped away at regulations, the coal sector remains in the doldrums, under pressure from cheaper and cleaner natural gas, more than a year into Trump’s presidency.</p>
<p>Republican control of Congress will be at stake in midterm elections in November, when all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 Senate seats will be up for grabs.</p>
<p>The endorsements in West Virginia this week follow the union’s support for Conor Lamb in a special election for a House seat in Pennsylvania that he won earlier this month.</p>
<p>Political observers have said that upset could be a bellwether for future races in areas that had supported Trump. The UMWA had organized a&#160;rally, door-to-door canvassing, and&#160;phone bank operations for Lamb.</p>
<p>UMWA President Cecil Roberts told Reuters that Lamb - a former Marine who wore work boots while talking with voters - won because he focused on protecting miners’ pensions, which are at risk of insolvency due to bankruptcies and mine closures.</p>
<p>“That’s how Conor Lamb was able to swing those voters to his side,” Roberts said.</p>
<p>Roberts said Ojeda, a tough-talking former Army paratrooper who comes from a long line of coal miners, reminded him of Lamb.</p> FILE PHOTO: West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (R), who broke ranks to vote with Republicans for Jeff Sessions to become U.S. Attorney General, looks towards U.S President Donald Trump during a Supreme Court listening session at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo ‘FIST FIGHT FOR WORKERS’
<p>The UMWA has endorsed about three more Republicans than Democrats in House races so far in this cycle. But the tally will likely become evenly split between the two parties in the coming months as the union looks to races in Ohio, Colorado, and Arizona, said one of the sources.</p>
<p>It is unclear how much the endorsements will help the candidates, but miners are seen as an influential political constituency, particularly in Appalachia - the epicenter of the U.S. coal industry.</p>
<p>Ojeda, currently a state senator in West Virginia who is seen as a favorite in a Democratic primary to pick the party’s candidate on May 8, faces a tough election battle in his heavily Republican southern West Virginia district.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>Trump won the district by 49 percentage points against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Ojeda himself voted for Trump. Ojeda did not comment about the coming endorsement, but said in an brief interview, “I’m going to fist fight for workers who have been neglected.”</p>
<p>Ojeda has said he supports more coal mining, especially to fuel steel furnaces, but also backs biofuels, solar and wind power.</p>
<p>In 2016, the UMWA endorsed a Republican in Ojeda’s district, Evan Jenkins, who is retiring to run for the U.S. Senate.</p>
<p>Manchin, meanwhile, has long been the Democratic Party’s strongest supporter of coal interests, advocating more production and backing controversial subsidy proposals. But several Republicans are lining up against him in the midterm elections.</p>
<p>Among them is Don Blankenship, a former coal company executive who served a year-long prison sentence for conspiring to violate safety standards at the Upper Big Branch mine - where 29 miners died in 2010.</p>
<p>Manchin’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the coming endorsement.</p>
<p>The Democratic National Committee is not endorsing candidates before the primary votes, but the organization likes what it sees in coal country.</p>
<p>“Focusing on middle class families, on American workers, in these Appalachian and more rural areas is something that is successful for Democratic candidates to run on,” said Elizabeth Renda, a DNC spokeswoman.</p>
<p>Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Valerie Volcovici in Washington; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Frances Kerry</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
|
Spanish stocks - Factors to watch on Wednesday Investigators scour Texas bomber's home, searching for a motive Dollar, shares weighed down by trade war worries Congress rushes to pass funding bill before Friday deadline Exclusive: U.S. miners' union to endorse two more Democrats in coal country
| false |
https://reuters.com/article/markets-spain-factors/spanish-stocks-factors-to-watch-on-wednesday-idUSL8N1PJ0U6
|
2018-01-24
| 2least
|
Spanish stocks - Factors to watch on Wednesday Investigators scour Texas bomber's home, searching for a motive Dollar, shares weighed down by trade war worries Congress rushes to pass funding bill before Friday deadline Exclusive: U.S. miners' union to endorse two more Democrats in coal country
<p>The following Spanish stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Wednesday. Reuters has not verified the newspaper reports, and cannot vouch for their accuracy:</p> VERTICE 360
<p>Spain’s regulator (CNMV) has given authorization of exemption from obligation to launch takeover bid for Vertice 360 submitted by Squirrel Capital.</p> ABENGOA
<p>Abengoa said on Tuesday that the court had approved the insolvency agreement between Abengoa Mexico and majority of its creditors in accordance with the insolvency law.</p>
<p>For today’s European market outlook double click on.</p>
<p>For real-time moves on the Spanish blue-chip index IBEX please double click on</p>
<p>For IBEX constituent stocks highlight .IBEX in the command box and press the F3 button on your keyboard</p>
<p>For latest news on Spanish stock moves double click</p>
<p>For Spanish language market report double click on</p>
<p>For latest Eurostocks report please double click on</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Federal investigators on Thursday combed through the home of the 23-year-old they say was behind this month’s deadly Texas bombing spree, seeking clues about what motivated his attacks the day after he killed himself in a confrontation with police.</p> FILE PHOTO: Law enforcement personnel investigate a home where the bomber was suspected to have lived in Pflugerville, Texas, March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
<p>Mark Conditt, an unemployed man from the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, confessed to the three-week string of bombings in a 25-minute video found on his cellphone, police said. Conditt blew himself up with one of his own bombs on Wednesday as police closed in on him in his car.</p>
<p>The bombs, which killed two people and wounded five others, primarily targeted Austin, the Texas capital and a fast-growing city of 1 million people. Three were left as parcels outside victims’ homes, one by a sidewalk with a trip-wire mechanism attached and two shipped as FedEx parcels, which helped investigators unmask the bomber’s identity.</p>
<p>The attacks drew national attention when the second and third bombs went off while the city was hosting its annual South by Southwest music, movies and tech festival, which draws about half a million people.</p>
<p>The video showed a troubled young man, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley, but did not outline a clear motive for the attacks that began March 2.</p> Texas blast suspect Mark Anthony Conditt is seen in this undated handout photo released by Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, U.S. March 21, 2018. Austin Community College/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT
<p>The police department was unlikely to make the video public while the investigation continued, said spokeswoman Destiny Wilson.</p>
<p>Investigators sought further clues from the home Conditt moved into last year and shared with two roommates in Pflugerville, which is within walking distance of his family’s house. Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are helping Austin police.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Conditt and his three siblings had been home-schooled through high school, his mother wrote on Facebook. He attended classes at Austin Community College between 2010 and 2012, but did not graduate.</p>
<p>“Raised by both parents in a Christian home, Conditt reportedly walked away from his faith several years ago,” Texas Home School Association President Tim Lambert said in a statement late on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, no form of education, public or private, can ensure a tragedy like this will never happen.”</p> Related Video
<p>The Austin Stone Community Church, responding to reports that Conditt had attended, said in a statement late on Wednesday that it had no records of him being actively engaged with the church.</p>
<p>Five of Conditt’s bombs exploded, one was recovered before it went off, and the seventh Conditt detonated as officers rushed his vehicle.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jon Herskovitz in Austin and Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Scott Malone</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK - The threat of a global trade war pushed the U.S. dollar to its lowest in over a month on Thursday and dragged benchmark equity indexes in the U.S. and Europe into the red, a day after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates as expected.</p>
<p>It was the dollar's third decline in four sessions and helped sterling <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=GBP&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">GBP=</a> climb to a six-week high after a Bank of England policy meeting laid the foundations for another British rate increase in the coming months.</p>
<p>The Fed raised its key rate by 25 basis points to a range of 1.50 percent to 1.75 percent on Wednesday and flagged at least two more increases for the year, short of the three that some economists had been predicting.</p>
<p>China also nudged up its borrowing costs overnight, as Beijing braced for fresh tariffs to be announced on Thursday by U.S. President Donald Trump on Chinese imports worth as much as $60 billion.</p>
<p>Those jitters, plus weaker-than-expected German business confidence data, caused European shares to fall 1.7 percent to a two-week low.</p>
<p>Selling pressure intensified in morning trading on Wall Street.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> fell 340.32 points, or 1.38 percent, to 24,341.99, the S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> lost 34.8 points, or 1.28 percent, to 2,677.13 and the Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> dropped 101.62 points, or 1.38 percent, to 7,243.67.</p>
<p>Shares in U.S. tech giant Facebook fell 1.6 percent in morning trading, in the wake of news Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized for a “major breach of trust” over how it had handled data belonging to 50 million users.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>In the currency market, sterling <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=GBP&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">GBP=</a> hit a peak of $1.4216, its highest in more than a month.</p>
<p>The Bank of England kept rates steady on Thursday but two of its policymakers unexpectedly voted for an immediate rate rise, in a statement that will boost investors’ confidence that borrowing costs will rise in May.</p>
<p>Bond yields - which move inversely to price - fell broadly. Borrowing costs on 30-year German debt hit their lowest level of the year.</p>
<a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">Dow Jones &amp; Company Inc</a> 24682.31 .DJI Dow Jones Indexes -44.96 (-0.18%) .DJI .SPX .IXIC .N225
<p>Benchmark 10-year notes US10YT=RR last rose 24/32 in price to yield 2.819 percent, from 2.907 percent late on Wednesday.</p>
<p>World shares broadly retreated, with MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe .MIWD00000PUS shedding 0.66 percent. Japan's Nikkei <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.N225" type="external">.N225</a> rose 1.0 percent.</p>
<p>China said it hoped to hold talks with the United States to achieve a “win-win” solution on trade, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing.</p>
<p>Concern about a trade war between the world’s two largest economies also put commodity markets on guard.</p>
<p>U.S. crude CLcv1 fell 1.14 percent to $64.43 per barrel and Brent LCOcv1 was last at $68.90, down 0.82 percent on the day.</p>
<p>(This version of the story was refiled to add dropped word ‘fell’ in paragraph 8)</p>
<p>Editing by Bernadette Baum</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress raced on Thursday to approve a massive spending bill and send it to President Donald Trump before a midnight Friday government shutdown deadline, in a move that would significantly boost defense and non-military funding through Sept. 30.</p> People build a snowman outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein
<p>The House of Representatives cleared the way for a vote on the measure later on Thursday, voting 211-207 to open debate. If it clears the chamber despite opposition from some conservatives protesting the measure’s crushing deficit spending, it is likely to have an easier time passing the Senate.</p>
<p>When coupled with recently enacted tax cuts, the bill is projected to result in budget deficits hitting more than $800 billion for this year. That could create political difficulties for Republicans running for re-election in November if the conservative wing of the party lashes out at this legislation.</p>
<p>Democrats complained that in the rush to pass the bill, few if any lawmakers had time to read through the 2,232-page tome to see what it actually contained.</p>
<p>For Trump, there are potential difficulties as well beyond the deficit-spending.</p>
<p>Trump, in a post on Twitter late on Wednesday, said the funding bill will allow him to start building a wall on the southwest U.S. border with Mexico. “Got $1.6 Billion to start Wall on Southern Border, rest will be forthcoming,” he wrote.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-usa-fiscal-congress-freedomcaucus/house-freedom-caucus-rejects-1-3-trillion-u-s-spending-bill-idUSKBN1GY1K4" type="external">House Freedom Caucus rejects $1.3 trillion U.S. spending bill</a>
<p>But Democrats argued the added funds will help build or restore a range of other barriers, including existing fencing, and would not pay for a concrete edifice that Trump originally said would be financed by Mexico - a claim the Mexican government has denounced.</p>
<p>Passage of the spending bill would end several months of intense bickering between Republicans and Democrats over spending priorities, which led to two short government shutdowns earlier this year.</p>
<p>It also would deliver another setback to Trump, whose proposals for severe cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency, State Department and other federal agencies would be scaled back.</p>
<p>The bill, which also excludes some of Trump’s immigration-related funding requests, was unveiled late on Wednesday. Senate No. 2 Republican John Cornyn said his chamber could take it up on Thursday night if no senator acts to slow it.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the White House signaled that Trump would sign the legislation if Congress sends it to him.</p> CONSERVATIVE OPPOSITION
<p>House Republicans’ conservative Freedom Caucus on Thursday said its roughly three dozen members would not back the bill because it massively increases spending while not defunding Obamacare, Planned Parenthood and so-called sanctuary cities.</p>
<p>“You’re going to see lots of conservatives vote against it,” U.S. Representative Jim Jordan, a caucus member, told Fox News in an interview.</p>
<p>Trump at one point wanted $25 billion included in the bill to fully fund construction of his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, but negotiations with Democrats to make that happen fell apart early this week, according to congressional aides.</p>
<p>Instead, Trump would get nearly $1.6 billion more for border security this year. More border patrol agents could be hired, but there would not be the significant increase in immigration agents working the interior of the country.</p>
<p>The Department of Homeland Security had sought a big buildup in those officers to boost deportation of undocumented immigrants.</p>
<p>Besides the $80 billion boost in military spending, the largest in 15 years, the measure includes new money for infrastructure improvements and combating Russian election hacking.</p>
<p>In response to public anger and frustration over mass shootings, including a Feb. 14 massacre at a Florida high school, the bill contains modest improvements to background checks for gun sales and grants to help schools prevent gun violence.</p>
<p>These provisions were far short of steps many Democrats and gun control groups say are needed to stop the shooting deaths of school children, concert-goers, church worshipers and others.</p>
<p>A so-called “grain glitch” included in a tax law enacted at the end of last year would be repaired by the legislation.</p>
<p>Big grain buyers, such as Anheuser Busch Inbev NV, Cargill Inc and the ethanol industry, have complained the glitch gives lucrative tax breaks to grain producers for selling to farming cooperatives, and a lesser break for selling to agriculture companies.</p>
<p>The bill will provide a $307 million increase above the administration’s request for counter-intelligence efforts to fight Russian cyber attacks in 2018, when U.S. mid-term congressional elections will be held, and $380 million for grants to states to secure their election systems.</p>
<p>Other components of the bill include $10 billion in infrastructure spending for highways, airports, railroads and broadband, and a $2.8 billion increase to fund treatment and prevention of opioid addiction and research into the subject.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Amanda Becker and Susan Heavey; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Bill Trott</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - The main U.S. coal miners’ union is set to endorse two Democrats running for Congress in West Virginia, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday - a boost for Democrats trying to win over a constituency that voted heavily for Republican Donald Trump in 2016.</p> FILE PHOTO: United Mine Workers of America International President Cecil Roberts (top) leads his members in a rally outside the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, DC, U.S., October 7, 2014. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
<p>The United Mine Workers of America on Friday will endorse Richard Ojeda for U.S. Representative in the state’s third district, as well as incumbent Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat and former West Virginia governor, the sources said. They asked not to be named as they were discussing a confidential matter.</p>
<p>The union sees Ojeda and Manchin as supportive of major issues facing coal miners, particularly efforts to preserve their pensions, the sources said. In addition, neither candidate has fully embraced the Democratic Party’s push for climate regulation, a sticking point for miners.</p>
<p>Trump’s White House win in 2016 was due in part to his promise to revive the ailing coal industry, which has lost more than 40 percent of its work force in less than a decade, by rolling back environmental regulation. While his administration has chipped away at regulations, the coal sector remains in the doldrums, under pressure from cheaper and cleaner natural gas, more than a year into Trump’s presidency.</p>
<p>Republican control of Congress will be at stake in midterm elections in November, when all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 34 of the 100 Senate seats will be up for grabs.</p>
<p>The endorsements in West Virginia this week follow the union’s support for Conor Lamb in a special election for a House seat in Pennsylvania that he won earlier this month.</p>
<p>Political observers have said that upset could be a bellwether for future races in areas that had supported Trump. The UMWA had organized a&#160;rally, door-to-door canvassing, and&#160;phone bank operations for Lamb.</p>
<p>UMWA President Cecil Roberts told Reuters that Lamb - a former Marine who wore work boots while talking with voters - won because he focused on protecting miners’ pensions, which are at risk of insolvency due to bankruptcies and mine closures.</p>
<p>“That’s how Conor Lamb was able to swing those voters to his side,” Roberts said.</p>
<p>Roberts said Ojeda, a tough-talking former Army paratrooper who comes from a long line of coal miners, reminded him of Lamb.</p> FILE PHOTO: West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin (R), who broke ranks to vote with Republicans for Jeff Sessions to become U.S. Attorney General, looks towards U.S President Donald Trump during a Supreme Court listening session at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S., February 9, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo ‘FIST FIGHT FOR WORKERS’
<p>The UMWA has endorsed about three more Republicans than Democrats in House races so far in this cycle. But the tally will likely become evenly split between the two parties in the coming months as the union looks to races in Ohio, Colorado, and Arizona, said one of the sources.</p>
<p>It is unclear how much the endorsements will help the candidates, but miners are seen as an influential political constituency, particularly in Appalachia - the epicenter of the U.S. coal industry.</p>
<p>Ojeda, currently a state senator in West Virginia who is seen as a favorite in a Democratic primary to pick the party’s candidate on May 8, faces a tough election battle in his heavily Republican southern West Virginia district.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>Trump won the district by 49 percentage points against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in 2016, and Ojeda himself voted for Trump. Ojeda did not comment about the coming endorsement, but said in an brief interview, “I’m going to fist fight for workers who have been neglected.”</p>
<p>Ojeda has said he supports more coal mining, especially to fuel steel furnaces, but also backs biofuels, solar and wind power.</p>
<p>In 2016, the UMWA endorsed a Republican in Ojeda’s district, Evan Jenkins, who is retiring to run for the U.S. Senate.</p>
<p>Manchin, meanwhile, has long been the Democratic Party’s strongest supporter of coal interests, advocating more production and backing controversial subsidy proposals. But several Republicans are lining up against him in the midterm elections.</p>
<p>Among them is Don Blankenship, a former coal company executive who served a year-long prison sentence for conspiring to violate safety standards at the Upper Big Branch mine - where 29 miners died in 2010.</p>
<p>Manchin’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the coming endorsement.</p>
<p>The Democratic National Committee is not endorsing candidates before the primary votes, but the organization likes what it sees in coal country.</p>
<p>“Focusing on middle class families, on American workers, in these Appalachian and more rural areas is something that is successful for Democratic candidates to run on,” said Elizabeth Renda, a DNC spokeswoman.</p>
<p>Reporting by Timothy Gardner and Valerie Volcovici in Washington; Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Frances Kerry</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| 4,821 |
<p>By ANICK JESDANUN , Associated Press</p>
<p>What's the hottest thing in the world of technology these days? Your voice.</p>
<p>Some of the most popular gadgets over the holiday season were smart speakers with digital assistants from Amazon and Google . Apple is coming out with its own speaker this year; Microsoft and Samsung have partnered on another.</p>
<p>As the annual Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas this week, manufacturers are expected to unveil even more voice-controlled devices — speakers and beyond — as Amazon and Google make their digital assistants available on a wider array of products. If these prove popular, you'll soon be able to order around much more of your house, including kitchen appliances, washing machines and other devices.</p>
<p>CES is expected to draw more than 170,000 people, as some 4,000 exhibitors showcase their wares over the equivalent of nearly 50 football fields, or more than 11 New York city blocks. The show formally opens Tuesday, with media previews starting Sunday.</p>
<p>While major tech companies such as Apple and Google typically don't make big announcements at CES, their technologies will be powering products and services from startups and other small companies. Expect more gadgets using Google's Android operating software and Google's digital assistant, for instance, and products that work with Apple's HomeKit, a smart-home system getting a boost with the coming launch of Apple's HomePod smart speaker.</p>
<p>Here's what else to expect at CES.</p>
<p>ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE</p>
<p>Computers that learn your preferences and anticipate your needs are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Consumers are seeing practical applications in voice-assisted speakers such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home. These systems will get more useful as manufacturers design new ways to control their products with voice commands.</p>
<p>You might also see hints of where AI is heading. Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at CES organizer Consumer Technology Association, says that as more people use these AI systems, companies have more data to better train the machines.</p>
<p>Auto makers will also demonstrate self-driving vehicles propelled by AI. CES is increasing the space for self-driving technologies by more than a third this year. Startups are expected to unveil earphones that promise real-time translations of conversations in different languages, much as Google's Pixel Buds now do, but only for Google's Pixel phones. There are also conference sessions devoted to high-tech retailing, including the importance of collecting and analyzing data on customers.</p>
<p>SMART EVERYTHING</p>
<p>Cars, lights, washing machines and other everyday items are getting internet connections. That could mean checking what's left in your fridge from the grocery store, for instance. Expect more appliances and tasks for them to do online.</p>
<p>As more devices get connected, there's greater concern for security. We'll likely see more products and services designed to protect these smart-home devices from hacking.</p>
<p>Beyond that, companies will showcase the potential of smartening up entire cities so that maintenance crews can remotely detect roads needing repairs, and motorists can view and reserve parking spaces ahead of time. Better yet, how about traffic lights that aren't set with timers, but reflect actual traffic and pedestrian flows?</p>
<p>For the first time, CES has an area devoted to smart cities, with more than 40 companies set to exhibit. The smart-cities concept has been making the rounds at several tech shows, but what remains unanswered is when it will actually begin happening — and who will pay for it.</p>
<p>CONSUMER GADGETS</p>
<p>CES is typically when Samsung, LG and other manufacturers announce their TV lineups for the year. In a bid to get consumers to upgrade sooner, higher-end models will come with fancy technologies going by such names as "4K," ''HDR" and "OLED." Many sets will come with voice controls. They will sit alongside basic sets that work just fine for regular viewing.</p>
<p>Don't expect new iPhones or flagship Galaxy models. Apple and Samsung typically announce those at their own events. But CES is the place for less-known and lower-cost Android phones, along with tablets, laptops and other personal computers, not to mention storage drives and other accessories.</p>
<p>There will also be virtual-reality and augmented-reality technologies, some aimed at sports fans who want to feel they're more part of the game.</p>
<p>And while a few companies like Apple and Fitbit are currently dominant in wearable devices, many startups are eager to challenge them with new approaches for tracking fitness and medical issues.</p>
<p>There should also be no shortage of flying drones overhead and scurrying robots underfoot. There will even be a robot that folds your laundry — though at a snail's pace of one shirt every two minutes.</p>
<p>BEHIND THE SCENES</p>
<p>Although CES is about consumer electronics, consumers will never see many of the technologies on display. Network-equipment makers, for instance, might use the show to display technologies for next-generation 5G wireless networks, which promise to be much faster than the existing 4G LTE. Phones that can take advantage of 5G won't be around for a few more years.</p>
<p>Gary Shapiro, the head of the Consumer Technology Association, said that given the changing nature of technology, about a third of CES is now about back-end business deals rather than direct-to-consumer products.</p>
<p>"Twenty years ago, people bought products sold at retail stores in very defined categories," he said. "Now every company and business defines itself as a tech company."</p>
<p />
<p />
|
Here is what you can expect at CES this week
| false |
https://circa.com/story/2018/01/07/science/here-is-what-you-can-expect-at-ces-this-week
|
2018-01-08
| 1right-center
|
Here is what you can expect at CES this week
<p>By ANICK JESDANUN , Associated Press</p>
<p>What's the hottest thing in the world of technology these days? Your voice.</p>
<p>Some of the most popular gadgets over the holiday season were smart speakers with digital assistants from Amazon and Google . Apple is coming out with its own speaker this year; Microsoft and Samsung have partnered on another.</p>
<p>As the annual Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas this week, manufacturers are expected to unveil even more voice-controlled devices — speakers and beyond — as Amazon and Google make their digital assistants available on a wider array of products. If these prove popular, you'll soon be able to order around much more of your house, including kitchen appliances, washing machines and other devices.</p>
<p>CES is expected to draw more than 170,000 people, as some 4,000 exhibitors showcase their wares over the equivalent of nearly 50 football fields, or more than 11 New York city blocks. The show formally opens Tuesday, with media previews starting Sunday.</p>
<p>While major tech companies such as Apple and Google typically don't make big announcements at CES, their technologies will be powering products and services from startups and other small companies. Expect more gadgets using Google's Android operating software and Google's digital assistant, for instance, and products that work with Apple's HomeKit, a smart-home system getting a boost with the coming launch of Apple's HomePod smart speaker.</p>
<p>Here's what else to expect at CES.</p>
<p>ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE</p>
<p>Computers that learn your preferences and anticipate your needs are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Consumers are seeing practical applications in voice-assisted speakers such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home. These systems will get more useful as manufacturers design new ways to control their products with voice commands.</p>
<p>You might also see hints of where AI is heading. Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at CES organizer Consumer Technology Association, says that as more people use these AI systems, companies have more data to better train the machines.</p>
<p>Auto makers will also demonstrate self-driving vehicles propelled by AI. CES is increasing the space for self-driving technologies by more than a third this year. Startups are expected to unveil earphones that promise real-time translations of conversations in different languages, much as Google's Pixel Buds now do, but only for Google's Pixel phones. There are also conference sessions devoted to high-tech retailing, including the importance of collecting and analyzing data on customers.</p>
<p>SMART EVERYTHING</p>
<p>Cars, lights, washing machines and other everyday items are getting internet connections. That could mean checking what's left in your fridge from the grocery store, for instance. Expect more appliances and tasks for them to do online.</p>
<p>As more devices get connected, there's greater concern for security. We'll likely see more products and services designed to protect these smart-home devices from hacking.</p>
<p>Beyond that, companies will showcase the potential of smartening up entire cities so that maintenance crews can remotely detect roads needing repairs, and motorists can view and reserve parking spaces ahead of time. Better yet, how about traffic lights that aren't set with timers, but reflect actual traffic and pedestrian flows?</p>
<p>For the first time, CES has an area devoted to smart cities, with more than 40 companies set to exhibit. The smart-cities concept has been making the rounds at several tech shows, but what remains unanswered is when it will actually begin happening — and who will pay for it.</p>
<p>CONSUMER GADGETS</p>
<p>CES is typically when Samsung, LG and other manufacturers announce their TV lineups for the year. In a bid to get consumers to upgrade sooner, higher-end models will come with fancy technologies going by such names as "4K," ''HDR" and "OLED." Many sets will come with voice controls. They will sit alongside basic sets that work just fine for regular viewing.</p>
<p>Don't expect new iPhones or flagship Galaxy models. Apple and Samsung typically announce those at their own events. But CES is the place for less-known and lower-cost Android phones, along with tablets, laptops and other personal computers, not to mention storage drives and other accessories.</p>
<p>There will also be virtual-reality and augmented-reality technologies, some aimed at sports fans who want to feel they're more part of the game.</p>
<p>And while a few companies like Apple and Fitbit are currently dominant in wearable devices, many startups are eager to challenge them with new approaches for tracking fitness and medical issues.</p>
<p>There should also be no shortage of flying drones overhead and scurrying robots underfoot. There will even be a robot that folds your laundry — though at a snail's pace of one shirt every two minutes.</p>
<p>BEHIND THE SCENES</p>
<p>Although CES is about consumer electronics, consumers will never see many of the technologies on display. Network-equipment makers, for instance, might use the show to display technologies for next-generation 5G wireless networks, which promise to be much faster than the existing 4G LTE. Phones that can take advantage of 5G won't be around for a few more years.</p>
<p>Gary Shapiro, the head of the Consumer Technology Association, said that given the changing nature of technology, about a third of CES is now about back-end business deals rather than direct-to-consumer products.</p>
<p>"Twenty years ago, people bought products sold at retail stores in very defined categories," he said. "Now every company and business defines itself as a tech company."</p>
<p />
<p />
| 4,822 |
<p>Thursday was a bad day for stocks overall, with the Nasdaq Composite falling by more than half a percent and the broader S&amp;P 500 posting more modest losses on the session. Most market participants blamed the downturn on a reversal of fortune for technology stocks, which have led stocks higher throughout much of 2017. With major benchmarks having pushed well into record territory for an exceedingly long time without a correction, some investors believe that a bigger pullback is inevitable.</p>
<p>Yet earnings season brought good news to some companies, and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP), and Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ: SIRI) were among the best performers on the day. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of Verizon Communications climbed 8% after the <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/27/why-verizon-communications-inc-stock-jumped-today.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">telecom giant announced its second-quarter financial results Opens a New Window.</a>. Verizon said that its revenue was roughly flat from year-ago levels, and earnings rose just 2%. Yet the big news from the wireless telecom leader was that new subscriber counts in the postpaid smartphone arena jumped by 590,000, and churn rates remained below the key 1% level, indicating greater loyalty among Verizon customers. The company attributed part of its success to its decision to move forward with new unlimited wireless data plans, but <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/13/how-does-verizons-new-unlimited-plan-compare.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Verizon only did so Opens a New Window.</a> because competitive pressures from rivals had made it practically impossible not to follow suit. Now, attention will turn to whether Verizon can take the lead in rolling out a 5G network to improve on quality and reliability.</p>
<p>Automatic Data Processing stock picked up 9% in the wake of the company's fiscal fourth-quarter financial report. ADP said that revenue was up 6% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, but earnings were down slightly over the period. Strength in the employment administration outsourcing arena was particularly noteworthy, and ADP said that it expects revenue growth of 5% to 6% for fiscal 2018 and adjusted earnings to climb by 2% to 4%. Yet what really got the stock moving was a report that activist investor Bill Ackman had bought a stake in the business outsourcing company. No details were yet available, but shareholders looked forward to the notion that Ackman might take action to push ADP's share price higher in the near future. With <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/11/paycom-softwares-1-billion-ambitions.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">rising competition from up-and-coming providers Opens a New Window.</a>, ADP will need to work hard to sustain its leadership role in the industry.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Finally, shares of Sirius XM Holdings climbed 8%. The provider of satellite radio services reported record second-quarter revenue that was up 9% from the year-ago quarter, along with a 16% boost to net income. "Demand for our premium content bundle pushed our listener base to an all-time high of more than 32 million paying subscribers," said CEO Jim Meyer, and "we also made tremendous progress on strategic initiatives in the second quarter." In particular, the recapitalization of Sirius XM's Canada unit, the acquisition of Automatic Labs, and the purchase of a minority stake in Pandora Media all pointed to potential future growth for Sirius XM. With <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/22/sirius-xm-stock-has-a-lot-to-prove-on-thursday.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">investors having been slightly skeptical about Sirius XM's prospects Opens a New Window.</a> coming into the report, the gain in the share price reflects greater enthusiasm for the company's prospects going forward.</p>
<p>Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy nowMotley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the S&amp;P 500!*</p>
<p>Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.fool.com/mms/mark/sa-bbn-usat?aid=8867&amp;source=isausttxt0000002&amp;ftm_cam=sa-bbn-evergreen&amp;ftm_pit=6830&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here to get access to the full list! Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of July 6, 2017.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Pandora Media and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool recommends Automatic Data Processing. 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=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
|
Why Verizon Communications, Automatic Data Processing, and Sirius XM Holdings Jumped Today
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/07/28/why-verizon-communications-automatic-data-processing-and-sirius-xm-holdings-jumped-today.html
|
2017-07-28
| 0right
|
Why Verizon Communications, Automatic Data Processing, and Sirius XM Holdings Jumped Today
<p>Thursday was a bad day for stocks overall, with the Nasdaq Composite falling by more than half a percent and the broader S&amp;P 500 posting more modest losses on the session. Most market participants blamed the downturn on a reversal of fortune for technology stocks, which have led stocks higher throughout much of 2017. With major benchmarks having pushed well into record territory for an exceedingly long time without a correction, some investors believe that a bigger pullback is inevitable.</p>
<p>Yet earnings season brought good news to some companies, and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ), Automatic Data Processing (NASDAQ: ADP), and Sirius XM Holdings (NASDAQ: SIRI) were among the best performers on the day. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of Verizon Communications climbed 8% after the <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/27/why-verizon-communications-inc-stock-jumped-today.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">telecom giant announced its second-quarter financial results Opens a New Window.</a>. Verizon said that its revenue was roughly flat from year-ago levels, and earnings rose just 2%. Yet the big news from the wireless telecom leader was that new subscriber counts in the postpaid smartphone arena jumped by 590,000, and churn rates remained below the key 1% level, indicating greater loyalty among Verizon customers. The company attributed part of its success to its decision to move forward with new unlimited wireless data plans, but <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/13/how-does-verizons-new-unlimited-plan-compare.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Verizon only did so Opens a New Window.</a> because competitive pressures from rivals had made it practically impossible not to follow suit. Now, attention will turn to whether Verizon can take the lead in rolling out a 5G network to improve on quality and reliability.</p>
<p>Automatic Data Processing stock picked up 9% in the wake of the company's fiscal fourth-quarter financial report. ADP said that revenue was up 6% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, but earnings were down slightly over the period. Strength in the employment administration outsourcing arena was particularly noteworthy, and ADP said that it expects revenue growth of 5% to 6% for fiscal 2018 and adjusted earnings to climb by 2% to 4%. Yet what really got the stock moving was a report that activist investor Bill Ackman had bought a stake in the business outsourcing company. No details were yet available, but shareholders looked forward to the notion that Ackman might take action to push ADP's share price higher in the near future. With <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/11/paycom-softwares-1-billion-ambitions.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">rising competition from up-and-coming providers Opens a New Window.</a>, ADP will need to work hard to sustain its leadership role in the industry.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Finally, shares of Sirius XM Holdings climbed 8%. The provider of satellite radio services reported record second-quarter revenue that was up 9% from the year-ago quarter, along with a 16% boost to net income. "Demand for our premium content bundle pushed our listener base to an all-time high of more than 32 million paying subscribers," said CEO Jim Meyer, and "we also made tremendous progress on strategic initiatives in the second quarter." In particular, the recapitalization of Sirius XM's Canada unit, the acquisition of Automatic Labs, and the purchase of a minority stake in Pandora Media all pointed to potential future growth for Sirius XM. With <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/07/22/sirius-xm-stock-has-a-lot-to-prove-on-thursday.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">investors having been slightly skeptical about Sirius XM's prospects Opens a New Window.</a> coming into the report, the gain in the share price reflects greater enthusiasm for the company's prospects going forward.</p>
<p>Offer from The Motley Fool: The 10 best stocks to buy nowMotley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the S&amp;P 500!*</p>
<p>Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.fool.com/mms/mark/sa-bbn-usat?aid=8867&amp;source=isausttxt0000002&amp;ftm_cam=sa-bbn-evergreen&amp;ftm_pit=6830&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here to get access to the full list! Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of July 6, 2017.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Pandora Media and Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool recommends Automatic Data Processing. 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=6c100b2e-7302-11e7-b6c7-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
| 4,823 |
<p>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pitching a competition that would pit seven upstate regions against each other for a chance to win $1.5 billion in economic development money.</p>
<p>Cuomo announced the idea Thursday in Rochester.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>If approved by lawmakers, the regions would submit economic proposals by July 1. Three winning bids would be selected this fall. Each would win $500 million.</p>
<p>The competing regions would be western New York, the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, central New York, the Mohawk Valley, the Capital Region and the North Country.</p>
<p>The prize would be funded from the state's $5 billion surplus from recent settlements with financial institutions.</p>
<p>Cuomo says the money would help reverse the economic decline and depopulation of areas he says have long been ignored by state leaders.</p>
|
New York Gov. Cuomo proposes $1.5B upstate economic development competition
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/01/15/new-york-gov-cuomo-proposes-15b-upstate-economic-development-competition.html
|
2016-03-05
| 0right
|
New York Gov. Cuomo proposes $1.5B upstate economic development competition
<p>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pitching a competition that would pit seven upstate regions against each other for a chance to win $1.5 billion in economic development money.</p>
<p>Cuomo announced the idea Thursday in Rochester.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>If approved by lawmakers, the regions would submit economic proposals by July 1. Three winning bids would be selected this fall. Each would win $500 million.</p>
<p>The competing regions would be western New York, the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, central New York, the Mohawk Valley, the Capital Region and the North Country.</p>
<p>The prize would be funded from the state's $5 billion surplus from recent settlements with financial institutions.</p>
<p>Cuomo says the money would help reverse the economic decline and depopulation of areas he says have long been ignored by state leaders.</p>
| 4,824 |
<p>JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — A utility says electricity is now running through transmission lines that were buried after a storm cut power to a western Wyoming town earlier this year.</p>
<p>Jackson Hole News and Guide <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/local/buried-village-lines-energized/article_0ee3a75d-4061-5ff2-8f52-aec2cf95587b.html" type="external">reports</a> Lower Valley Energy last week energized the buried power lines connecting Teton Village.</p>
<p>The utility buried the lines along Highway 390 in June following the February storm that knocked down lines, leaving the town without power for more than four days.</p>
<p>Utility officials say the storm marked the worst disaster in the 80-year history of the energy cooperative.</p>
<p>Officials say having the lines buried should decrease the risk of outages and possible damage by wind, ice and trees.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external">http://www.jhnewsandguide.com</a></p>
<p>JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — A utility says electricity is now running through transmission lines that were buried after a storm cut power to a western Wyoming town earlier this year.</p>
<p>Jackson Hole News and Guide <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/local/buried-village-lines-energized/article_0ee3a75d-4061-5ff2-8f52-aec2cf95587b.html" type="external">reports</a> Lower Valley Energy last week energized the buried power lines connecting Teton Village.</p>
<p>The utility buried the lines along Highway 390 in June following the February storm that knocked down lines, leaving the town without power for more than four days.</p>
<p>Utility officials say the storm marked the worst disaster in the 80-year history of the energy cooperative.</p>
<p>Officials say having the lines buried should decrease the risk of outages and possible damage by wind, ice and trees.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external">http://www.jhnewsandguide.com</a></p>
|
Wyoming utility energizes buried lines connecting town
| false |
https://apnews.com/5afc925827de49ac8cf0e149e09175a7
|
2017-12-28
| 2least
|
Wyoming utility energizes buried lines connecting town
<p>JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — A utility says electricity is now running through transmission lines that were buried after a storm cut power to a western Wyoming town earlier this year.</p>
<p>Jackson Hole News and Guide <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/local/buried-village-lines-energized/article_0ee3a75d-4061-5ff2-8f52-aec2cf95587b.html" type="external">reports</a> Lower Valley Energy last week energized the buried power lines connecting Teton Village.</p>
<p>The utility buried the lines along Highway 390 in June following the February storm that knocked down lines, leaving the town without power for more than four days.</p>
<p>Utility officials say the storm marked the worst disaster in the 80-year history of the energy cooperative.</p>
<p>Officials say having the lines buried should decrease the risk of outages and possible damage by wind, ice and trees.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external">http://www.jhnewsandguide.com</a></p>
<p>JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — A utility says electricity is now running through transmission lines that were buried after a storm cut power to a western Wyoming town earlier this year.</p>
<p>Jackson Hole News and Guide <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/jackson_hole_daily/local/buried-village-lines-energized/article_0ee3a75d-4061-5ff2-8f52-aec2cf95587b.html" type="external">reports</a> Lower Valley Energy last week energized the buried power lines connecting Teton Village.</p>
<p>The utility buried the lines along Highway 390 in June following the February storm that knocked down lines, leaving the town without power for more than four days.</p>
<p>Utility officials say the storm marked the worst disaster in the 80-year history of the energy cooperative.</p>
<p>Officials say having the lines buried should decrease the risk of outages and possible damage by wind, ice and trees.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.jhnewsandguide.com" type="external">http://www.jhnewsandguide.com</a></p>
| 4,825 |
<p>WASHINGTON — There are cracks in the curtains President Donald Trump tried to draw around the government early in his presidency, but the slivers of light aren’t making it easier to hold federal officials accountable for their actions.</p>
<p>Trump still refuses to divest from his real estate and hotel empire or release virtually any of his tax returns. His administration is vigorously pursuing whistleblowers. Among scores of vacant senior jobs in the government is an inspector general for the Department of Energy—led by Secretary Rick Perry, former governor of Texas—as it helps drive the region’s recovery from Hurricane Harvey.</p>
<p>Rebuilding from the deadly storm seems certain to be a $100 billion-plus endeavor involving multiple federal departments and an army of government contractors. If the ghosts of Katrina, Sandy and other big storms are guides, the bonanza of taxpayer dollars is a recipe for corruption. And that makes transparency and accountability all the more critical for a president who has bristled at the suggestion of either one.</p>
<p>“This is an administration that wants to do things their own way and a president that wants to do things his own way,” said Rick Blum, director of News Media for Open Government, of which The Associated Press is a member. “(Trump) is frustrated by the institutions our founders established. And he’s going to have to learn that the public deserves a free and independent press.”</p>
<p />
<p>To be sure, Trump has not backed off his fury with the media or his branding of reporters as “enemies of the people” who want to harm the country. He still calls revelations he doesn’t like “fake news.” And he tweets untruths himself, including that he witnessed Harvey’s devastation “first hand” during his first visit to Texas on the edges of the disaster zone.</p>
<p>Still, a new slate of top aides, including White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, seems to have opened pinpricks of light and lowered the temperature in the daily White House briefing.</p>
<p>Trump has let fade his threat to scrap the daily question-and-answer sessions in favor of written questions and responses since the dismissals of Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon from his inner circle. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave the AP an interview about education policy.</p>
<p>“President Trump and his administration are committed to transparency and accountability throughout the government,” the White House said in a statement issued Saturday to The Associated Press. “The administration is responsive to public records requests, instituted new lobbying standards for political appointees—including a five-year ban on lobbying and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign countries—and expanded and elevated ethics within the White House Counsel’s office.”</p>
<p>Still, questions persist about how committed the administration will be in making its actions transparent. This past week, open government and First Amendment advocates criticized the administration’s response to a lawsuit that sought the visitor logs for the president’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. They said it’s important for the public to know who has access there to the president, who has made seven trips to his property this year.</p>
<p>The watchdog groups received only a list of 22 Japanese officials who had joined their country’s prime minister at the property during a February trip. In a letter, Justice Department officials said any records beyond those names were related to the president’s schedule and were therefore exempt from public records laws.</p>
<p>“The government believes that Presidential schedule information is not subject to” the Freedom of Information Act, they wrote. Noah Bookbinder, executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, described the move as “spitting in the eye of transparency.”</p>
<p>The Trump administration also has served notice that the executive branch could ignore some information requests from Congress, with a few exceptions.</p>
<p>“Nonsense,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, an outspoken advocate of open government. “Shutting down oversight requests doesn’t drain the swamp, Mr. President. It floods the swamp.”</p>
<p>Members of the administration have resisted being questioned. Some White House briefings were declared off-limits for video or audio. And in July, during the president’s second overseas trip, the administration insisted that a briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin be off-camera. Trump also barred the U.S. media from his White House meeting with Russian officials, only to see photos of the Oval Office session surface in the Russian media.</p>
<p>The signs of struggle included the resignation in July of the government’s ethics chief, Walter Shaub, after an extraordinary public fight with Trump’s lawyers over potential conflicts of interest. Shaub, an Obama appointee leaving short of the end of his five-year term, had tried unsuccessfully to get Trump to fully divest from his business empire.</p>
<p>As with most new administrations, Trump’s Justice Department has not issued its own its official policy on complying with one of the cornerstones of open government, the federal Freedom of Information Act.</p>
<p>“Trump and his closest aides appear to have little respect for the very processes of government, and therefore little appreciation of the public’s need to know of them as part of our democratic process,” said Daniel J. Metcalfe, the founding director of the Justice Department’s Office of Information and Privacy who teaches secrecy law at American University.</p>
<p>Trump’s core supporters seem to be OK with this, he said, “as if new degrees of federal government secrecy are actually better for the country.”</p>
<p>It’s not just the White House.</p>
<p>Proceedings of the House and Senate are televised live, as are many congressional hearings. But Senate leaders this year briefly tried to bar reporters from conducting televised hallway interviews without permission. And Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell opted to privately negotiate an ultimately unsuccessful bill to overhaul Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Closing the beginning of the bill-writing process is unusual, though when the original bill was passed, negotiators closed it at the end, to get a final deal.</p>
<p>The Obama administration in its final year spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs defending its refusal to turn over federal records under FOIA, an Associated Press analysis showed earlier this year. The Obama administration also set records for outright denial of access to files, refusing to quickly consider requests described as especially newsworthy, for example.</p>
<p>But Obama signed two executive orders and a set of memoranda on his first day in office that directed the government to revert toward openness. One directive reversed policy by President George W. Bush that made it easier for government agencies to deny Freedom of Information Act requests for records. Another effectively repealed a Bush executive order that allowed former presidents or their heirs to keep records secret by claiming executive privilege.</p>
<p>Part of the current administration’s resistance to openness may stem from Trump’s background running a family business.</p>
<p>“If you come out of the private company background and you didn’t have to report to anybody, you basically got to run your own shop and you can just fire people. That’s been Donald Trump’s life,” said Richard Painter, who served as George W. Bush’s White House ethics lawyer. “Then at age 70, suddenly he’s in a job where he’s accountable to other people; there’s a Constitution and a set of rules here.”</p>
|
Shadows of Secrecy Spread Across Federal Government
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/shadows-secrecy-begin-spread-across-federal-government/
|
2017-09-17
| 4left
|
Shadows of Secrecy Spread Across Federal Government
<p>WASHINGTON — There are cracks in the curtains President Donald Trump tried to draw around the government early in his presidency, but the slivers of light aren’t making it easier to hold federal officials accountable for their actions.</p>
<p>Trump still refuses to divest from his real estate and hotel empire or release virtually any of his tax returns. His administration is vigorously pursuing whistleblowers. Among scores of vacant senior jobs in the government is an inspector general for the Department of Energy—led by Secretary Rick Perry, former governor of Texas—as it helps drive the region’s recovery from Hurricane Harvey.</p>
<p>Rebuilding from the deadly storm seems certain to be a $100 billion-plus endeavor involving multiple federal departments and an army of government contractors. If the ghosts of Katrina, Sandy and other big storms are guides, the bonanza of taxpayer dollars is a recipe for corruption. And that makes transparency and accountability all the more critical for a president who has bristled at the suggestion of either one.</p>
<p>“This is an administration that wants to do things their own way and a president that wants to do things his own way,” said Rick Blum, director of News Media for Open Government, of which The Associated Press is a member. “(Trump) is frustrated by the institutions our founders established. And he’s going to have to learn that the public deserves a free and independent press.”</p>
<p />
<p>To be sure, Trump has not backed off his fury with the media or his branding of reporters as “enemies of the people” who want to harm the country. He still calls revelations he doesn’t like “fake news.” And he tweets untruths himself, including that he witnessed Harvey’s devastation “first hand” during his first visit to Texas on the edges of the disaster zone.</p>
<p>Still, a new slate of top aides, including White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, seems to have opened pinpricks of light and lowered the temperature in the daily White House briefing.</p>
<p>Trump has let fade his threat to scrap the daily question-and-answer sessions in favor of written questions and responses since the dismissals of Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer and Steve Bannon from his inner circle. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos gave the AP an interview about education policy.</p>
<p>“President Trump and his administration are committed to transparency and accountability throughout the government,” the White House said in a statement issued Saturday to The Associated Press. “The administration is responsive to public records requests, instituted new lobbying standards for political appointees—including a five-year ban on lobbying and a lifetime ban on lobbying for foreign countries—and expanded and elevated ethics within the White House Counsel’s office.”</p>
<p>Still, questions persist about how committed the administration will be in making its actions transparent. This past week, open government and First Amendment advocates criticized the administration’s response to a lawsuit that sought the visitor logs for the president’s Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida. They said it’s important for the public to know who has access there to the president, who has made seven trips to his property this year.</p>
<p>The watchdog groups received only a list of 22 Japanese officials who had joined their country’s prime minister at the property during a February trip. In a letter, Justice Department officials said any records beyond those names were related to the president’s schedule and were therefore exempt from public records laws.</p>
<p>“The government believes that Presidential schedule information is not subject to” the Freedom of Information Act, they wrote. Noah Bookbinder, executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, described the move as “spitting in the eye of transparency.”</p>
<p>The Trump administration also has served notice that the executive branch could ignore some information requests from Congress, with a few exceptions.</p>
<p>“Nonsense,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, an outspoken advocate of open government. “Shutting down oversight requests doesn’t drain the swamp, Mr. President. It floods the swamp.”</p>
<p>Members of the administration have resisted being questioned. Some White House briefings were declared off-limits for video or audio. And in July, during the president’s second overseas trip, the administration insisted that a briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin be off-camera. Trump also barred the U.S. media from his White House meeting with Russian officials, only to see photos of the Oval Office session surface in the Russian media.</p>
<p>The signs of struggle included the resignation in July of the government’s ethics chief, Walter Shaub, after an extraordinary public fight with Trump’s lawyers over potential conflicts of interest. Shaub, an Obama appointee leaving short of the end of his five-year term, had tried unsuccessfully to get Trump to fully divest from his business empire.</p>
<p>As with most new administrations, Trump’s Justice Department has not issued its own its official policy on complying with one of the cornerstones of open government, the federal Freedom of Information Act.</p>
<p>“Trump and his closest aides appear to have little respect for the very processes of government, and therefore little appreciation of the public’s need to know of them as part of our democratic process,” said Daniel J. Metcalfe, the founding director of the Justice Department’s Office of Information and Privacy who teaches secrecy law at American University.</p>
<p>Trump’s core supporters seem to be OK with this, he said, “as if new degrees of federal government secrecy are actually better for the country.”</p>
<p>It’s not just the White House.</p>
<p>Proceedings of the House and Senate are televised live, as are many congressional hearings. But Senate leaders this year briefly tried to bar reporters from conducting televised hallway interviews without permission. And Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell opted to privately negotiate an ultimately unsuccessful bill to overhaul Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Closing the beginning of the bill-writing process is unusual, though when the original bill was passed, negotiators closed it at the end, to get a final deal.</p>
<p>The Obama administration in its final year spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs defending its refusal to turn over federal records under FOIA, an Associated Press analysis showed earlier this year. The Obama administration also set records for outright denial of access to files, refusing to quickly consider requests described as especially newsworthy, for example.</p>
<p>But Obama signed two executive orders and a set of memoranda on his first day in office that directed the government to revert toward openness. One directive reversed policy by President George W. Bush that made it easier for government agencies to deny Freedom of Information Act requests for records. Another effectively repealed a Bush executive order that allowed former presidents or their heirs to keep records secret by claiming executive privilege.</p>
<p>Part of the current administration’s resistance to openness may stem from Trump’s background running a family business.</p>
<p>“If you come out of the private company background and you didn’t have to report to anybody, you basically got to run your own shop and you can just fire people. That’s been Donald Trump’s life,” said Richard Painter, who served as George W. Bush’s White House ethics lawyer. “Then at age 70, suddenly he’s in a job where he’s accountable to other people; there’s a Constitution and a set of rules here.”</p>
| 4,826 |
<p />
<p />
<p>In what appears to be an undercover mover, the FBI released additional documents on Sunday night, the documents relate to the investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. Surprisingly, the FBI posted the information on its website without sending out a release or announcing the move.</p>
<p />
<p>The whistle blowing site, WikiLeaks was the first one to report the news leading to the FBI release. The FBI has made the documents available on its site. The documents constitute information regarding the FBI's investigation into Crooked Hillary after receiving computer hardware and additional emails from lawyers of the Democratic nominee.</p>
<p />
<p>The FBI has unveiled five sets of documents on its site. The first one documents contains FBI statements that it discovered "that hostile foreign actors successfully gained access to the personal email accounts of individuals associated with whom Clinton was in regular contact and, in doing so, obtained emails sent to or received by Clinton on her personal account."</p>
<p />
<p>The first set also reveals that, of 940 e-mails that were associated with Clinton's personal account from October 25, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2010, 56 have been identified as highly confidential. An addition 302 of the 940 emails identified in the Gmail account were missing from the set of emails produced to the State Department in 2014. The FBI classified 302 emails, branding them as top secret.</p>
<p>In a report issued by LawNewz, the documents appear to focus on computer hardware that the agency obtained during the probe and communications that were held between the State Department and the Law enforcement over whether the documents were classified. Adding that the unannounced posting of the documents fell while many people were distracted by the Golden Globes telecast and the NFL Wildcard games.</p>
|
FBI Quietly Releases New Hillary Clinton Investigation Documents (part 5)
| true |
http://thegoldwater.com/news/1001-FBI-Quietly-Releases-New-Hillary-Clinton-Investigation-Documents-part-5
|
2017-01-09
| 0right
|
FBI Quietly Releases New Hillary Clinton Investigation Documents (part 5)
<p />
<p />
<p>In what appears to be an undercover mover, the FBI released additional documents on Sunday night, the documents relate to the investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server. Surprisingly, the FBI posted the information on its website without sending out a release or announcing the move.</p>
<p />
<p>The whistle blowing site, WikiLeaks was the first one to report the news leading to the FBI release. The FBI has made the documents available on its site. The documents constitute information regarding the FBI's investigation into Crooked Hillary after receiving computer hardware and additional emails from lawyers of the Democratic nominee.</p>
<p />
<p>The FBI has unveiled five sets of documents on its site. The first one documents contains FBI statements that it discovered "that hostile foreign actors successfully gained access to the personal email accounts of individuals associated with whom Clinton was in regular contact and, in doing so, obtained emails sent to or received by Clinton on her personal account."</p>
<p />
<p>The first set also reveals that, of 940 e-mails that were associated with Clinton's personal account from October 25, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2010, 56 have been identified as highly confidential. An addition 302 of the 940 emails identified in the Gmail account were missing from the set of emails produced to the State Department in 2014. The FBI classified 302 emails, branding them as top secret.</p>
<p>In a report issued by LawNewz, the documents appear to focus on computer hardware that the agency obtained during the probe and communications that were held between the State Department and the Law enforcement over whether the documents were classified. Adding that the unannounced posting of the documents fell while many people were distracted by the Golden Globes telecast and the NFL Wildcard games.</p>
| 4,827 |
<p>This story was edited after posting to correct an error in the seventh paragraph.</p>
<p>By Bob Allen</p>
<p>Baptists in South Africa denounced Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., for comments reported around the world claiming the country’s recently deceased former president Nelson Mandela is in hell.</p>
<p>The small congregation, consisting mostly of family members of founding pastor Fred Phelps, is best known in the United States for picketing military funerals with placards claiming dead soldiers are signs of God’s judgment on the nation’s sins.</p>
<p>Amid global praise for the leader regarded as South Africa’s moral compass and symbol of the struggle against racial oppression, the Westboro Baptist Church website denounced Mandela’s “blasphemous and unrepented sins” including divorce of his first wife, Evelyn, and his subsequent marriages to <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/10514814/Winnie-Mandela-describes-Nelsons-death-Then-he-drew-his-last-breath.-He-was-gone.html" type="external">Winnie Mandela</a> and <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/widow-graca-machel-farewells-nelson-mandela/story-e6frg6so-1226780922925" type="external">Graca Machel</a>.</p>
<p>The sect also criticized Mandela, “a nominal Methodist at best,” for battling AIDS, a disease Westboro members claim is God’s just punishment for the sin of homosexuality.</p>
<p>Leaders of the Baptist Convention of South Africa issued a statement to the global community clarifying the independent congregation, affiliated with no known Baptist denomination, does not speak for them.</p>
<p>“We, the Baptist Convention of South Africa, as represented by its leadership, have noted with utmost disdain the insensitive, unbaptistic and unchristian statements issued by the Westboro Baptist Church in USA about our former President, Dr. Nelson Mandela,” said the statement <a href="http://www.bwanet.org/news/news-releases" type="external">released</a> through the Baptist World Alliance, a network of 228 member bodies in 121 countries representing about 40 million Baptists worldwide.</p>
<p>The Baptist Conveniton of&#160;South Africa, numbering about 24,000 members in more than 150 churches, said the Westboro Baptist Church’s “statement and assertions are not at all representative, nor are they indicative, of the attitude and spirit of our brothers and sisters in the Baptist Convention of South Africa and indeed many other Baptists both here and elsewhere in the whole world.”</p>
<p>Leaders said the spirit and attitude of Westboro Baptist Church “has no resonance in the spirit and letter of the Holy Scriptures and our Baptist heritage and polity.”</p>
<p>BWA leaders <a href="http://www.bwanet.org/news/news-releases" type="external">earlier</a> voiced respect and admiration for Mandela, who died Dec. 5 at age 95 and will be buried Sunday in his remote ancestral home village after lying in state for three days at the capital in Pretoria.</p>
<p>“Nelson Mandela stood out as a giant among us in his humble way because those values are so seldom exercised in the course of human affairs,” said BWA President John Upton, executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and Virginia Baptist Mission Board.&#160;“He modeled understanding when retaliation was expected.&#160;He demonstrated peace when many wanted war.&#160;He extended a hand to his former enemies when disdain would have been easier.&#160;What a different world we would have if those commitments were common practices in human relationships.”</p>
<p>BWA General Secretary Neville Callam reflected on Mandela from his perspective as a citizen of Jamaica, the first country in the world to impose a trade embargo against apartheid South Africa in 1957.</p>
<p>“With the passing of this great man, the world has lost a remarkable emancipator,” Callam said. “Mandela blazed a trail of respect for human dignity and human rights. We cannot afford to forget the unbounded passion for freedom, the relentless striving for justice and the unshakeable commitment to peaceful human coexistence that Mandela exhibited.”</p>
<p>“Let us take time to ponder the legacy of this great world leader and let us be prepared, whatever the cost, to devote our lives to loving our neighbors, forgiving our enemies and pursuing all that makes for justice and peace in our communities,” Callam said.</p>
<p>Westboro Baptist Church, a hyper-Calvinist clan notorious for its “God Hates Fags” anti-homosexuality slogan, <a href="http://www.godhatesfags.com/wbcinfo/aboutwbc.html" type="external">claims</a> to have held 51,753 peaceful sidewalk demonstrations since June of 1991. The church has been featured in documentaries including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOrz5k0jWdU" type="external">The Most Hated Family in America</a>, which aired on BCC television in 2008.</p>
<p>The congregation marked the recent anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas as a reminder “that John F. Kennedy has been in hell for 50 years.”</p>
<p>“The fact is, JFK was an adulterous pervert who treated the White House like his personal whore house,” said a flyer on the church website.</p>
<p>American Baptist Churches USA carries a <a href="http://www.abc-usa.org/2012/12/16/statement-about-westboro-baptist-church/" type="external">statement</a> on its website stating that Westboro Baptist Church “is in no way affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA.”</p>
<p>“Fred Phelps, pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, is not and never has been an American Baptist,” the statement says. “Phelps’ ordination is not in an American Baptist church, and his credentials have never been recognized by any region of ABCUSA. Westboro is an independent, non-affiliated church.”</p>
<p>“The hostile, angry confrontations created by Phelps and his followers are an embarrassment to the gospel and the church,” the statement continues. “Hopefully, American Baptists will distance themselves from ministers like Phelps, not only by words, but by deeds.”</p>
|
South African Baptists rebuke Westboro
| false |
https://baptistnews.com/article/south-african-baptists-rebuke-westboro/
| 3left-center
|
South African Baptists rebuke Westboro
<p>This story was edited after posting to correct an error in the seventh paragraph.</p>
<p>By Bob Allen</p>
<p>Baptists in South Africa denounced Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., for comments reported around the world claiming the country’s recently deceased former president Nelson Mandela is in hell.</p>
<p>The small congregation, consisting mostly of family members of founding pastor Fred Phelps, is best known in the United States for picketing military funerals with placards claiming dead soldiers are signs of God’s judgment on the nation’s sins.</p>
<p>Amid global praise for the leader regarded as South Africa’s moral compass and symbol of the struggle against racial oppression, the Westboro Baptist Church website denounced Mandela’s “blasphemous and unrepented sins” including divorce of his first wife, Evelyn, and his subsequent marriages to <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/nelson-mandela/10514814/Winnie-Mandela-describes-Nelsons-death-Then-he-drew-his-last-breath.-He-was-gone.html" type="external">Winnie Mandela</a> and <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/widow-graca-machel-farewells-nelson-mandela/story-e6frg6so-1226780922925" type="external">Graca Machel</a>.</p>
<p>The sect also criticized Mandela, “a nominal Methodist at best,” for battling AIDS, a disease Westboro members claim is God’s just punishment for the sin of homosexuality.</p>
<p>Leaders of the Baptist Convention of South Africa issued a statement to the global community clarifying the independent congregation, affiliated with no known Baptist denomination, does not speak for them.</p>
<p>“We, the Baptist Convention of South Africa, as represented by its leadership, have noted with utmost disdain the insensitive, unbaptistic and unchristian statements issued by the Westboro Baptist Church in USA about our former President, Dr. Nelson Mandela,” said the statement <a href="http://www.bwanet.org/news/news-releases" type="external">released</a> through the Baptist World Alliance, a network of 228 member bodies in 121 countries representing about 40 million Baptists worldwide.</p>
<p>The Baptist Conveniton of&#160;South Africa, numbering about 24,000 members in more than 150 churches, said the Westboro Baptist Church’s “statement and assertions are not at all representative, nor are they indicative, of the attitude and spirit of our brothers and sisters in the Baptist Convention of South Africa and indeed many other Baptists both here and elsewhere in the whole world.”</p>
<p>Leaders said the spirit and attitude of Westboro Baptist Church “has no resonance in the spirit and letter of the Holy Scriptures and our Baptist heritage and polity.”</p>
<p>BWA leaders <a href="http://www.bwanet.org/news/news-releases" type="external">earlier</a> voiced respect and admiration for Mandela, who died Dec. 5 at age 95 and will be buried Sunday in his remote ancestral home village after lying in state for three days at the capital in Pretoria.</p>
<p>“Nelson Mandela stood out as a giant among us in his humble way because those values are so seldom exercised in the course of human affairs,” said BWA President John Upton, executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia and Virginia Baptist Mission Board.&#160;“He modeled understanding when retaliation was expected.&#160;He demonstrated peace when many wanted war.&#160;He extended a hand to his former enemies when disdain would have been easier.&#160;What a different world we would have if those commitments were common practices in human relationships.”</p>
<p>BWA General Secretary Neville Callam reflected on Mandela from his perspective as a citizen of Jamaica, the first country in the world to impose a trade embargo against apartheid South Africa in 1957.</p>
<p>“With the passing of this great man, the world has lost a remarkable emancipator,” Callam said. “Mandela blazed a trail of respect for human dignity and human rights. We cannot afford to forget the unbounded passion for freedom, the relentless striving for justice and the unshakeable commitment to peaceful human coexistence that Mandela exhibited.”</p>
<p>“Let us take time to ponder the legacy of this great world leader and let us be prepared, whatever the cost, to devote our lives to loving our neighbors, forgiving our enemies and pursuing all that makes for justice and peace in our communities,” Callam said.</p>
<p>Westboro Baptist Church, a hyper-Calvinist clan notorious for its “God Hates Fags” anti-homosexuality slogan, <a href="http://www.godhatesfags.com/wbcinfo/aboutwbc.html" type="external">claims</a> to have held 51,753 peaceful sidewalk demonstrations since June of 1991. The church has been featured in documentaries including <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOrz5k0jWdU" type="external">The Most Hated Family in America</a>, which aired on BCC television in 2008.</p>
<p>The congregation marked the recent anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas as a reminder “that John F. Kennedy has been in hell for 50 years.”</p>
<p>“The fact is, JFK was an adulterous pervert who treated the White House like his personal whore house,” said a flyer on the church website.</p>
<p>American Baptist Churches USA carries a <a href="http://www.abc-usa.org/2012/12/16/statement-about-westboro-baptist-church/" type="external">statement</a> on its website stating that Westboro Baptist Church “is in no way affiliated with American Baptist Churches USA.”</p>
<p>“Fred Phelps, pastor of Westboro Baptist Church, is not and never has been an American Baptist,” the statement says. “Phelps’ ordination is not in an American Baptist church, and his credentials have never been recognized by any region of ABCUSA. Westboro is an independent, non-affiliated church.”</p>
<p>“The hostile, angry confrontations created by Phelps and his followers are an embarrassment to the gospel and the church,” the statement continues. “Hopefully, American Baptists will distance themselves from ministers like Phelps, not only by words, but by deeds.”</p>
| 4,828 |
|
<p>NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump returned to a favorite target Friday, saying that Amazon.com should be charged more by the U.S. Postal Service for the packages it sends around the world.</p>
<p>Amazon has been a consistent recipient of Trump's ire. He has accused the company of failing to pay "internet taxes," though it's never been made clear by the White House what the president means by that.</p>
<p>In a tweet Friday, Trump said Amazon should be charged "MUCH MORE" by the post office because it's "losing many billions of dollars a year" while it makes "Amazon richer."</p>
<p>Amazon lives and dies by shipping, and an increase in the rates it pays could certainly do some damage. Amazon sends packages via the post office, FedEx, UPS and other services.</p>
<p>In the seconds after the tweet, shares of Amazon, which had been trading higher before the opening bell, began to fade and went into negative territory. The stock closed down more than 1 percent Friday. Broader markets also slipped.</p>
<p>Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post. The Post, as well as other major media, has been labeled as "fake news" by Trump after reporting unfavorable developments during his campaign and presidency.</p>
<p>He has labeled Bezos' Post the "AmazonWashingtonPost."</p>
<p>The Seattle company did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A spokeswoman for the Postal Service said, "We're looking into it."</p>
<p>Between July and September, Amazon paid $5.4 billion in worldwide shipping costs, a 39 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. That amounts to nearly 11 percent of the $43.7 billion in total revenue it reported in that same period.</p>
<p>In 2014, Amazon reached a deal with the Postal Service to offer delivery on Sundays.</p>
<p>Trump has also attacked U.S. corporations not affiliated in any way with the news media.</p>
<p>Just over a year ago, he tweeted "Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!"</p>
<p>Shares of Boeing Co. gave up almost 1 percent when trading opened that day, but recovered.</p>
<p>Several days later, and again on Twitter, he said that Lockheed-Martin, which is building the F-35 fighter jet, was "out of control." Its shares tumbled more than 5 percent, but they too recovered.</p>
<p>The Postal Service has lost money for 11 straight years, mostly because of pension and health care costs.</p>
<p>One part of the operation that is not suffering, however, is shipping and packages, which handles Amazon and other online orders from retailers. In the year that ended Sept. 30, the postal service reported higher-than-expected revenue of $19.5 billion, "due to e-commerce growth."</p>
<p>The post office does not break down what is driving that growth, but online orders from retailers, particularly Amazon.com, has revolutionized the way goods are bought and delivered. Analysts at Bain &amp; Co. expected Amazon to capture 50 percent of all online shopping growth during the holiday shopping season.</p>
<p>Amazon has taken some steps toward becoming more self-reliant in shipping. Earlier this year it announced that it would build a worldwide air cargo hub in Kentucky, about 13 miles southwest of Cincinnati.</p>
<p>Shares of Amazon.com Inc. slipped 1.4 percent Friday to close at $1,169.47. The Seattle company's stock is up more than 57 percent this year and surpassed $1,000 each for the first time in April.</p>
<p>____</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey contributed to this report from Palm Beach, Florida.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump returned to a favorite target Friday, saying that Amazon.com should be charged more by the U.S. Postal Service for the packages it sends around the world.</p>
<p>Amazon has been a consistent recipient of Trump's ire. He has accused the company of failing to pay "internet taxes," though it's never been made clear by the White House what the president means by that.</p>
<p>In a tweet Friday, Trump said Amazon should be charged "MUCH MORE" by the post office because it's "losing many billions of dollars a year" while it makes "Amazon richer."</p>
<p>Amazon lives and dies by shipping, and an increase in the rates it pays could certainly do some damage. Amazon sends packages via the post office, FedEx, UPS and other services.</p>
<p>In the seconds after the tweet, shares of Amazon, which had been trading higher before the opening bell, began to fade and went into negative territory. The stock closed down more than 1 percent Friday. Broader markets also slipped.</p>
<p>Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post. The Post, as well as other major media, has been labeled as "fake news" by Trump after reporting unfavorable developments during his campaign and presidency.</p>
<p>He has labeled Bezos' Post the "AmazonWashingtonPost."</p>
<p>The Seattle company did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A spokeswoman for the Postal Service said, "We're looking into it."</p>
<p>Between July and September, Amazon paid $5.4 billion in worldwide shipping costs, a 39 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. That amounts to nearly 11 percent of the $43.7 billion in total revenue it reported in that same period.</p>
<p>In 2014, Amazon reached a deal with the Postal Service to offer delivery on Sundays.</p>
<p>Trump has also attacked U.S. corporations not affiliated in any way with the news media.</p>
<p>Just over a year ago, he tweeted "Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!"</p>
<p>Shares of Boeing Co. gave up almost 1 percent when trading opened that day, but recovered.</p>
<p>Several days later, and again on Twitter, he said that Lockheed-Martin, which is building the F-35 fighter jet, was "out of control." Its shares tumbled more than 5 percent, but they too recovered.</p>
<p>The Postal Service has lost money for 11 straight years, mostly because of pension and health care costs.</p>
<p>One part of the operation that is not suffering, however, is shipping and packages, which handles Amazon and other online orders from retailers. In the year that ended Sept. 30, the postal service reported higher-than-expected revenue of $19.5 billion, "due to e-commerce growth."</p>
<p>The post office does not break down what is driving that growth, but online orders from retailers, particularly Amazon.com, has revolutionized the way goods are bought and delivered. Analysts at Bain &amp; Co. expected Amazon to capture 50 percent of all online shopping growth during the holiday shopping season.</p>
<p>Amazon has taken some steps toward becoming more self-reliant in shipping. Earlier this year it announced that it would build a worldwide air cargo hub in Kentucky, about 13 miles southwest of Cincinnati.</p>
<p>Shares of Amazon.com Inc. slipped 1.4 percent Friday to close at $1,169.47. The Seattle company's stock is up more than 57 percent this year and surpassed $1,000 each for the first time in April.</p>
<p>____</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey contributed to this report from Palm Beach, Florida.</p>
|
Trump trains crosshairs on favorite target, again - Amazon
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/e20b8aa1997f4f2e8960570d5c64ce80
|
2017-12-29
| 2least
|
Trump trains crosshairs on favorite target, again - Amazon
<p>NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump returned to a favorite target Friday, saying that Amazon.com should be charged more by the U.S. Postal Service for the packages it sends around the world.</p>
<p>Amazon has been a consistent recipient of Trump's ire. He has accused the company of failing to pay "internet taxes," though it's never been made clear by the White House what the president means by that.</p>
<p>In a tweet Friday, Trump said Amazon should be charged "MUCH MORE" by the post office because it's "losing many billions of dollars a year" while it makes "Amazon richer."</p>
<p>Amazon lives and dies by shipping, and an increase in the rates it pays could certainly do some damage. Amazon sends packages via the post office, FedEx, UPS and other services.</p>
<p>In the seconds after the tweet, shares of Amazon, which had been trading higher before the opening bell, began to fade and went into negative territory. The stock closed down more than 1 percent Friday. Broader markets also slipped.</p>
<p>Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post. The Post, as well as other major media, has been labeled as "fake news" by Trump after reporting unfavorable developments during his campaign and presidency.</p>
<p>He has labeled Bezos' Post the "AmazonWashingtonPost."</p>
<p>The Seattle company did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A spokeswoman for the Postal Service said, "We're looking into it."</p>
<p>Between July and September, Amazon paid $5.4 billion in worldwide shipping costs, a 39 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. That amounts to nearly 11 percent of the $43.7 billion in total revenue it reported in that same period.</p>
<p>In 2014, Amazon reached a deal with the Postal Service to offer delivery on Sundays.</p>
<p>Trump has also attacked U.S. corporations not affiliated in any way with the news media.</p>
<p>Just over a year ago, he tweeted "Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!"</p>
<p>Shares of Boeing Co. gave up almost 1 percent when trading opened that day, but recovered.</p>
<p>Several days later, and again on Twitter, he said that Lockheed-Martin, which is building the F-35 fighter jet, was "out of control." Its shares tumbled more than 5 percent, but they too recovered.</p>
<p>The Postal Service has lost money for 11 straight years, mostly because of pension and health care costs.</p>
<p>One part of the operation that is not suffering, however, is shipping and packages, which handles Amazon and other online orders from retailers. In the year that ended Sept. 30, the postal service reported higher-than-expected revenue of $19.5 billion, "due to e-commerce growth."</p>
<p>The post office does not break down what is driving that growth, but online orders from retailers, particularly Amazon.com, has revolutionized the way goods are bought and delivered. Analysts at Bain &amp; Co. expected Amazon to capture 50 percent of all online shopping growth during the holiday shopping season.</p>
<p>Amazon has taken some steps toward becoming more self-reliant in shipping. Earlier this year it announced that it would build a worldwide air cargo hub in Kentucky, about 13 miles southwest of Cincinnati.</p>
<p>Shares of Amazon.com Inc. slipped 1.4 percent Friday to close at $1,169.47. The Seattle company's stock is up more than 57 percent this year and surpassed $1,000 each for the first time in April.</p>
<p>____</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey contributed to this report from Palm Beach, Florida.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump returned to a favorite target Friday, saying that Amazon.com should be charged more by the U.S. Postal Service for the packages it sends around the world.</p>
<p>Amazon has been a consistent recipient of Trump's ire. He has accused the company of failing to pay "internet taxes," though it's never been made clear by the White House what the president means by that.</p>
<p>In a tweet Friday, Trump said Amazon should be charged "MUCH MORE" by the post office because it's "losing many billions of dollars a year" while it makes "Amazon richer."</p>
<p>Amazon lives and dies by shipping, and an increase in the rates it pays could certainly do some damage. Amazon sends packages via the post office, FedEx, UPS and other services.</p>
<p>In the seconds after the tweet, shares of Amazon, which had been trading higher before the opening bell, began to fade and went into negative territory. The stock closed down more than 1 percent Friday. Broader markets also slipped.</p>
<p>Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post. The Post, as well as other major media, has been labeled as "fake news" by Trump after reporting unfavorable developments during his campaign and presidency.</p>
<p>He has labeled Bezos' Post the "AmazonWashingtonPost."</p>
<p>The Seattle company did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A spokeswoman for the Postal Service said, "We're looking into it."</p>
<p>Between July and September, Amazon paid $5.4 billion in worldwide shipping costs, a 39 percent increase from the same period in the previous year. That amounts to nearly 11 percent of the $43.7 billion in total revenue it reported in that same period.</p>
<p>In 2014, Amazon reached a deal with the Postal Service to offer delivery on Sundays.</p>
<p>Trump has also attacked U.S. corporations not affiliated in any way with the news media.</p>
<p>Just over a year ago, he tweeted "Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!"</p>
<p>Shares of Boeing Co. gave up almost 1 percent when trading opened that day, but recovered.</p>
<p>Several days later, and again on Twitter, he said that Lockheed-Martin, which is building the F-35 fighter jet, was "out of control." Its shares tumbled more than 5 percent, but they too recovered.</p>
<p>The Postal Service has lost money for 11 straight years, mostly because of pension and health care costs.</p>
<p>One part of the operation that is not suffering, however, is shipping and packages, which handles Amazon and other online orders from retailers. In the year that ended Sept. 30, the postal service reported higher-than-expected revenue of $19.5 billion, "due to e-commerce growth."</p>
<p>The post office does not break down what is driving that growth, but online orders from retailers, particularly Amazon.com, has revolutionized the way goods are bought and delivered. Analysts at Bain &amp; Co. expected Amazon to capture 50 percent of all online shopping growth during the holiday shopping season.</p>
<p>Amazon has taken some steps toward becoming more self-reliant in shipping. Earlier this year it announced that it would build a worldwide air cargo hub in Kentucky, about 13 miles southwest of Cincinnati.</p>
<p>Shares of Amazon.com Inc. slipped 1.4 percent Friday to close at $1,169.47. The Seattle company's stock is up more than 57 percent this year and surpassed $1,000 each for the first time in April.</p>
<p>____</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey contributed to this report from Palm Beach, Florida.</p>
| 4,829 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Jan. 24, 2014</p>
<p>By John Hrabe</p>
<p>A&amp;E’s “ <a href="http://www.aetv.com/barter-kings/" type="external">Barter Kings</a>” make trading look easy.</p>
<p>In one recent episode, professional traders Antonio Palazzola and Steve McHugh started with a beer-making kit, and through a series of transactions, ultimately walked away with a food truck.</p>
<p>“This is a cashless society, everybody’s open to it, you just have to figure out why and how,” McHugh <a href="http://highdesertdaily.com/2012/06/local-traders-stars-ae%E2%80%99s-show-%E2%80%9Cbarter-kings%E2%80%9D-premieres-month/" type="external">told his hometown paper in an interview last year</a>. “It’s a great way to do things.”</p>
<p>With a depressed economy, more people are giving up buying new in favor of trading what’s old. The International Reciprocal Trade Association, the trade association for traders, <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/print-edition/2012/01/06/some-businesses-can-save-money-add.html" type="external">estimates</a>that as many as 400,000 companies exchange up to $4 billion worth of goods annually.</p>
<p>But, before down-and-out Californians try their hand at non-monetary trading, barterers beware. Money might not change hands but that doesn’t mean the exchange is exempt from state sales and use taxes.</p>
<p>“Simply trading your own property with someone else without being registered could lead to big trouble with the tax collector,” warned Board of Equalization member Michelle Steel, whose office helps taxpayers and small businesses navigate the state’s confusing web of tax laws. “These complex and rarely mentioned laws create serious pitfalls for Californians who are caught unaware.”</p>
<p>Barterers who don’t collect sales taxes could be running afoul of state law. That’s because state law doesn’t differentiate between monetary and non-monetary transactions for purposes of sales and use taxes. To better understand the tax implications of bartering, I reached out to my former colleagues at the state’s sales tax board to help explain the rules.</p>
<p>“A ‘sale’ and ‘purchase’ includes bartering under the Sales and Use Tax Law,” confirmed Jaime Garza, deputy director of external affairs at the Board of Equalization, which collects more than $53.7 billion annually in taxes and fees. “Sales tax is due on items that are bartered, and generally would be calculated based on the amount agreed upon between the parties or the fair market value, whichever is greater.”</p>
<p>And you don’t have to be a frequent trader to be subject to California’s strict tax laws. If you make as few as three transactions per year, you’re legally obligated to comply with the state’s sales tax regulations.</p>
<p>“There is no threshold for the number of bartering transactions per year,” Garza said. “Generally, if you make three or more sales, including bartering, in a 12-month period, you are required to hold a seller’s permit, collect sales tax, and send it in to the BOE.”</p>
<p>The High Desert’s “Barter Kings” hit that three trade sales threshold in almost every episode. In the series premiere, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/223820" type="external">“the pair worked their way up in a series of six trades from a framed gold Elvis record to a powerboat.”</a> Yet, the show never records the traders collecting sales tax or displaying their seller’s permit.</p>
<p>Due to taxpayer confidentiality, the Board of Equalization would not comment on whether the cable reality show is complying with state tax law. There’s reason to believe that the professional barterers are fully aware of the state’s tax laws. McHugh and his wife, Cindy, own <a href="http://www.expresspawnit.com/" type="external">Express Super Pawn</a>, a Hesperia pawn shop that is rebranded as “Express Trade” for the reality show. Pawn shops are one of the most heavily <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-06-06/news/9706060213_1_pawn-shops-secondhand" type="external">scrutinized</a>retailers in the country because of the increased potential to deal in stolen merchandise.</p>
<p>While it’s unlikely that the Board of Equalization would launch a formal investigation into occasional traders, small businesses should be careful because a trade might become a side complication during an audit. The “Barter Kings” Hollywood treatment of bartering could get California copycats into trouble — which is why the tax agency offers this hypothetical example for how to tax trades.</p>
<p>“For example, assume that you are a retailer of electronic equipment and owe $500 for dental care. In place of cash, you provide a television set from your inventory as full payment. The transaction is considered a taxable sale, and you must report and pay tax based on the $500,” Garza explained.</p>
<p>Of course, many barterers are trading goods precisely because they lack cash. If forced to pay additional taxes out-of-pocket, it might not be worth making the trade.</p>
<p>“Sales price, in many barter transactions, is a subjective, non-monetary value, based on the need or desire each person has for the items that are up for trade,” Steel argues. “Someone may be willing to trade a jacket for a vintage record, but they may not be willing to pay $30 for the same item.”</p>
<p>In the long run, the state should update the tax laws to grant a specific exemption for occasional traders, if for no other reason than to avoid the paperwork nightmare.</p>
<p>“It’s never too soon to start bartering!” the “Barter Kings” encourage on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarterKings" type="external">Facebook page</a>. Well, technically, make sure to get a seller’s permit first.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Barterers Beware: Taxman wants his take
| false |
https://calwatchdog.com/2013/01/24/barterers-beware-taxman-wants-his-take/
|
2018-01-20
| 3left-center
|
Barterers Beware: Taxman wants his take
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Jan. 24, 2014</p>
<p>By John Hrabe</p>
<p>A&amp;E’s “ <a href="http://www.aetv.com/barter-kings/" type="external">Barter Kings</a>” make trading look easy.</p>
<p>In one recent episode, professional traders Antonio Palazzola and Steve McHugh started with a beer-making kit, and through a series of transactions, ultimately walked away with a food truck.</p>
<p>“This is a cashless society, everybody’s open to it, you just have to figure out why and how,” McHugh <a href="http://highdesertdaily.com/2012/06/local-traders-stars-ae%E2%80%99s-show-%E2%80%9Cbarter-kings%E2%80%9D-premieres-month/" type="external">told his hometown paper in an interview last year</a>. “It’s a great way to do things.”</p>
<p>With a depressed economy, more people are giving up buying new in favor of trading what’s old. The International Reciprocal Trade Association, the trade association for traders, <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/print-edition/2012/01/06/some-businesses-can-save-money-add.html" type="external">estimates</a>that as many as 400,000 companies exchange up to $4 billion worth of goods annually.</p>
<p>But, before down-and-out Californians try their hand at non-monetary trading, barterers beware. Money might not change hands but that doesn’t mean the exchange is exempt from state sales and use taxes.</p>
<p>“Simply trading your own property with someone else without being registered could lead to big trouble with the tax collector,” warned Board of Equalization member Michelle Steel, whose office helps taxpayers and small businesses navigate the state’s confusing web of tax laws. “These complex and rarely mentioned laws create serious pitfalls for Californians who are caught unaware.”</p>
<p>Barterers who don’t collect sales taxes could be running afoul of state law. That’s because state law doesn’t differentiate between monetary and non-monetary transactions for purposes of sales and use taxes. To better understand the tax implications of bartering, I reached out to my former colleagues at the state’s sales tax board to help explain the rules.</p>
<p>“A ‘sale’ and ‘purchase’ includes bartering under the Sales and Use Tax Law,” confirmed Jaime Garza, deputy director of external affairs at the Board of Equalization, which collects more than $53.7 billion annually in taxes and fees. “Sales tax is due on items that are bartered, and generally would be calculated based on the amount agreed upon between the parties or the fair market value, whichever is greater.”</p>
<p>And you don’t have to be a frequent trader to be subject to California’s strict tax laws. If you make as few as three transactions per year, you’re legally obligated to comply with the state’s sales tax regulations.</p>
<p>“There is no threshold for the number of bartering transactions per year,” Garza said. “Generally, if you make three or more sales, including bartering, in a 12-month period, you are required to hold a seller’s permit, collect sales tax, and send it in to the BOE.”</p>
<p>The High Desert’s “Barter Kings” hit that three trade sales threshold in almost every episode. In the series premiere, according to Entrepreneur Magazine, <a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/223820" type="external">“the pair worked their way up in a series of six trades from a framed gold Elvis record to a powerboat.”</a> Yet, the show never records the traders collecting sales tax or displaying their seller’s permit.</p>
<p>Due to taxpayer confidentiality, the Board of Equalization would not comment on whether the cable reality show is complying with state tax law. There’s reason to believe that the professional barterers are fully aware of the state’s tax laws. McHugh and his wife, Cindy, own <a href="http://www.expresspawnit.com/" type="external">Express Super Pawn</a>, a Hesperia pawn shop that is rebranded as “Express Trade” for the reality show. Pawn shops are one of the most heavily <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-06-06/news/9706060213_1_pawn-shops-secondhand" type="external">scrutinized</a>retailers in the country because of the increased potential to deal in stolen merchandise.</p>
<p>While it’s unlikely that the Board of Equalization would launch a formal investigation into occasional traders, small businesses should be careful because a trade might become a side complication during an audit. The “Barter Kings” Hollywood treatment of bartering could get California copycats into trouble — which is why the tax agency offers this hypothetical example for how to tax trades.</p>
<p>“For example, assume that you are a retailer of electronic equipment and owe $500 for dental care. In place of cash, you provide a television set from your inventory as full payment. The transaction is considered a taxable sale, and you must report and pay tax based on the $500,” Garza explained.</p>
<p>Of course, many barterers are trading goods precisely because they lack cash. If forced to pay additional taxes out-of-pocket, it might not be worth making the trade.</p>
<p>“Sales price, in many barter transactions, is a subjective, non-monetary value, based on the need or desire each person has for the items that are up for trade,” Steel argues. “Someone may be willing to trade a jacket for a vintage record, but they may not be willing to pay $30 for the same item.”</p>
<p>In the long run, the state should update the tax laws to grant a specific exemption for occasional traders, if for no other reason than to avoid the paperwork nightmare.</p>
<p>“It’s never too soon to start bartering!” the “Barter Kings” encourage on their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BarterKings" type="external">Facebook page</a>. Well, technically, make sure to get a seller’s permit first.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,830 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Homicide detectives are investigating a shooting that left one person dead and critically injured two others outside a pizza restaurant on Gibson SE near University on Friday night, according to a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department.</p>
<p>Officer Daren DeAguero said shortly before 9 p.m. police were called to the Dion’s for reports of multiple shots being fired in the parking lot. He said when police arrived, they found three people with apparent gunshot wounds.</p>
<p>“All three subjects were transported to (University of New Mexico Hospital),” he said. “Unfortunately, one of those individuals has succumbed to their injuries.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>DeAguero said the other two people were in critical condition.</p>
<p>Officers set up a perimeter and were searching for the offender late Friday night.</p>
<p>“They are conducting a search on foot for a subject seen fleeing the Dion’s as the incident occurred,” DeAguero said.</p>
<p>He didn’t provide any information on the victims, including their names, but witnesses say they saw a young boy who had been shot, along with two adults.</p>
<p>Jerill Higginbotham said he was getting pizza when he heard a commotion and went outside, where he saw three injured people in the parking lot.</p>
<p>“We looked up to see what was going on and saw two people laying on the ground, one frantic, so I ran out here to see if I could help,” he said.</p>
<p>Higginbotham said he called 911 and tried to help the people, particularly a boy.</p>
<p>“I took my shirt off and gave it to my brother to try to help stop the bleeding on the young kid,” he said.</p>
<p>Higginbotham said the two older victims were conscious when the ambulance took them away, but the younger person appeared to be unconscious.</p>
<p />
<p />
|
Witnesses: 3 shot, including a child, at Dion’s pizza restaurant
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/1036632/witnesses-3-shot-including-a-child-at-dions-pizza-restaurant.html
|
2017-07-21
| 2least
|
Witnesses: 3 shot, including a child, at Dion’s pizza restaurant
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Homicide detectives are investigating a shooting that left one person dead and critically injured two others outside a pizza restaurant on Gibson SE near University on Friday night, according to a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department.</p>
<p>Officer Daren DeAguero said shortly before 9 p.m. police were called to the Dion’s for reports of multiple shots being fired in the parking lot. He said when police arrived, they found three people with apparent gunshot wounds.</p>
<p>“All three subjects were transported to (University of New Mexico Hospital),” he said. “Unfortunately, one of those individuals has succumbed to their injuries.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>DeAguero said the other two people were in critical condition.</p>
<p>Officers set up a perimeter and were searching for the offender late Friday night.</p>
<p>“They are conducting a search on foot for a subject seen fleeing the Dion’s as the incident occurred,” DeAguero said.</p>
<p>He didn’t provide any information on the victims, including their names, but witnesses say they saw a young boy who had been shot, along with two adults.</p>
<p>Jerill Higginbotham said he was getting pizza when he heard a commotion and went outside, where he saw three injured people in the parking lot.</p>
<p>“We looked up to see what was going on and saw two people laying on the ground, one frantic, so I ran out here to see if I could help,” he said.</p>
<p>Higginbotham said he called 911 and tried to help the people, particularly a boy.</p>
<p>“I took my shirt off and gave it to my brother to try to help stop the bleeding on the young kid,” he said.</p>
<p>Higginbotham said the two older victims were conscious when the ambulance took them away, but the younger person appeared to be unconscious.</p>
<p />
<p />
| 4,831 |
<p>Chinese manufacturing activity picked up pace in August, according to an official survey indicating a crucial component of the world's second-biggest economy is holding firm.</p>
<p>The data released Thursday showed the monthly factory purchasing managers' index rose to 51.7 from 51.4 in July.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The index is based on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate expansion.</p>
<p>It's the 13th straight month the PMI has posted an expansion, according to the data compiled by the Federation of Logistics &amp; Purchasing released through China's official statistics website.</p>
<p>Output rose and overall new orders expanded but export orders grew at a slower pace, according to the survey's sub-indexes, indicating that domestic demand was strengthening at the expense of global demand.</p>
<p>A separate index measuring non-manufacturing activity fell for a second month, slipping to 53.4 from 54.5 previously, reflecting slowing momentum in China's services sector.</p>
<p>Economists will also look for the release Friday of the private Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI to get a more comprehensive picture of the economy. The federation's survey is focused more on large, state-owned companies while the Caixin index is weighted more to smaller, private enterprises, and the two don't always move in the same direction.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The latest numbers follow trade data released earlier in August showing that growth in both exports and imports slowed from July, in a discouraging sign for demand.</p>
<p>Forecasters expect China's economic growth to slower this year as bank lending controls aimed at slowing rising debt levels start to take hold.</p>
|
China factory growth accelerates, service industries slip
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/08/30/china-factory-growth-accelerates-service-industries-slip.html
|
2017-08-30
| 0right
|
China factory growth accelerates, service industries slip
<p>Chinese manufacturing activity picked up pace in August, according to an official survey indicating a crucial component of the world's second-biggest economy is holding firm.</p>
<p>The data released Thursday showed the monthly factory purchasing managers' index rose to 51.7 from 51.4 in July.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The index is based on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate expansion.</p>
<p>It's the 13th straight month the PMI has posted an expansion, according to the data compiled by the Federation of Logistics &amp; Purchasing released through China's official statistics website.</p>
<p>Output rose and overall new orders expanded but export orders grew at a slower pace, according to the survey's sub-indexes, indicating that domestic demand was strengthening at the expense of global demand.</p>
<p>A separate index measuring non-manufacturing activity fell for a second month, slipping to 53.4 from 54.5 previously, reflecting slowing momentum in China's services sector.</p>
<p>Economists will also look for the release Friday of the private Caixin/Markit manufacturing PMI to get a more comprehensive picture of the economy. The federation's survey is focused more on large, state-owned companies while the Caixin index is weighted more to smaller, private enterprises, and the two don't always move in the same direction.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The latest numbers follow trade data released earlier in August showing that growth in both exports and imports slowed from July, in a discouraging sign for demand.</p>
<p>Forecasters expect China's economic growth to slower this year as bank lending controls aimed at slowing rising debt levels start to take hold.</p>
| 4,832 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Yahya Jammeh, the president of the West African nation, has been in power since he staged a coup 22 years ago. But in a December 1 election, Gambians voted for his opponent, Adama Barrow, by a five point margin, according to the country’s electoral commission. Jammeh shocked just about everyone when he conceded defeat.</p>
<p>The result thrilled a nation thirsty for democracy. But it was too good to be true. A little more than a week later, Jammeh reneged on his concession and has since vowed to remain president. His inauguration is scheduled for Thursday. As it stands, Jammeh will simply hold on. Barrow is in self-imposed exile in neighboring Senegal. He missed the funeral of his 5-year-old son who was mauled by a dog on Sunday in Gambia.</p>
<p>Thursday is just around the corner, and the storm clouds of a major crisis are gathering.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Within the country, Jammeh has ordered the closing of three radio stations and the arrests of numerous opposition activists. Throughout his years in power, Jammeh has wielded the state police as a hammer against dissent.</p>
<p>Gambia’s national assembly, mostly filled by Jammeh loyalists, declared a 90-day state of emergency on Tuesday morning.</p>
<p>Small numbers of people are fleeing the country because of the political turmoil. They are just a fraction of those who already have left in the past. Jammeh’s failure to provide economic opportunity for Gambians had already plunged the country into crisis. Despite only having 2 million inhabitants, more people from Gambia than Pakistan – a nation almost 100 times its size – made the treacherous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2016, according to the International Organization for Migration.</p>
<p>The country’s ministers of communications, finance, foreign affairs, trade and the environment have resigned, as has the mayor of its capital city, Banjul. Gambia’s ambassador to the United States was recalled after imploring Jammeh to resign but fears returning home. The resignations are being seen as defections.</p>
<p>More surprisingly, West Africa’s regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, seems to be preparing to intervene militarily should Jammeh not step down.</p>
<p>Led by Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, regional power brokers have been in and out of Banjul, trying to persuade Jammeh to concede before Thursday’s inauguration. On Monday, after yet another set of frustrating meetings with him, an unnamed Nigerian military source told Reuters that “some West African countries will be contributing troops, including Nigeria, for the operation,” adding that the United Nations and the African Union had offered support.</p>
<p>The Financial Times’ correspondent in Nigeria reported on Tuesday that the Nigerian military “has asked Britain to train 800 Nigerian troops as part of a joint force.” Britain is already training Nigerian soldiers while they fight Boko Haram in the country’s northeast.</p>
<p>The BBC reported that Nigeria has sent a “patrol vessel” to Gambia’s coast as a show of force and that Senegal is also preparing ground troops.</p>
<p>West Africa has seen a marked improvement in peaceful transitions of power after decades of coups. An ECOWAS intervention would send a clear signal that major players in West Africa, such as Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, which is sheltering Barrow, will enforce basic democratic processes in the region. ECOWAS nations have previously only sent troops to constituent countries during civil wars or as part of anti-terror operations. The bloc has not yet officially acknowledged any specific plans for military intervention in Gambia.</p>
<p>Beyond ECOWAS, the African Union has bluntly stated that it will not recognize Jammeh should he stay in power after Thursday. That sentiment has been echoed by the U.N. Security Council , the United States , the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. (Gambia is a majority-Muslim nation.)</p>
<p>What happens in the next few days will set a major regional precedent. Gambians as well as their neighbors saw a chance for change, and they aren’t ready to let it go just yet. But will regional powers really intervene against a despot?</p>
|
Across the Atlantic, a far more contentious inauguration will precede Trump’s
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/929358/across-the-atlantic-a-far-more-contentious-inauguration-will-precede-trumps.html
| 2least
|
Across the Atlantic, a far more contentious inauguration will precede Trump’s
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Yahya Jammeh, the president of the West African nation, has been in power since he staged a coup 22 years ago. But in a December 1 election, Gambians voted for his opponent, Adama Barrow, by a five point margin, according to the country’s electoral commission. Jammeh shocked just about everyone when he conceded defeat.</p>
<p>The result thrilled a nation thirsty for democracy. But it was too good to be true. A little more than a week later, Jammeh reneged on his concession and has since vowed to remain president. His inauguration is scheduled for Thursday. As it stands, Jammeh will simply hold on. Barrow is in self-imposed exile in neighboring Senegal. He missed the funeral of his 5-year-old son who was mauled by a dog on Sunday in Gambia.</p>
<p>Thursday is just around the corner, and the storm clouds of a major crisis are gathering.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Within the country, Jammeh has ordered the closing of three radio stations and the arrests of numerous opposition activists. Throughout his years in power, Jammeh has wielded the state police as a hammer against dissent.</p>
<p>Gambia’s national assembly, mostly filled by Jammeh loyalists, declared a 90-day state of emergency on Tuesday morning.</p>
<p>Small numbers of people are fleeing the country because of the political turmoil. They are just a fraction of those who already have left in the past. Jammeh’s failure to provide economic opportunity for Gambians had already plunged the country into crisis. Despite only having 2 million inhabitants, more people from Gambia than Pakistan – a nation almost 100 times its size – made the treacherous voyage across the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2016, according to the International Organization for Migration.</p>
<p>The country’s ministers of communications, finance, foreign affairs, trade and the environment have resigned, as has the mayor of its capital city, Banjul. Gambia’s ambassador to the United States was recalled after imploring Jammeh to resign but fears returning home. The resignations are being seen as defections.</p>
<p>More surprisingly, West Africa’s regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, seems to be preparing to intervene militarily should Jammeh not step down.</p>
<p>Led by Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari, regional power brokers have been in and out of Banjul, trying to persuade Jammeh to concede before Thursday’s inauguration. On Monday, after yet another set of frustrating meetings with him, an unnamed Nigerian military source told Reuters that “some West African countries will be contributing troops, including Nigeria, for the operation,” adding that the United Nations and the African Union had offered support.</p>
<p>The Financial Times’ correspondent in Nigeria reported on Tuesday that the Nigerian military “has asked Britain to train 800 Nigerian troops as part of a joint force.” Britain is already training Nigerian soldiers while they fight Boko Haram in the country’s northeast.</p>
<p>The BBC reported that Nigeria has sent a “patrol vessel” to Gambia’s coast as a show of force and that Senegal is also preparing ground troops.</p>
<p>West Africa has seen a marked improvement in peaceful transitions of power after decades of coups. An ECOWAS intervention would send a clear signal that major players in West Africa, such as Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal, which is sheltering Barrow, will enforce basic democratic processes in the region. ECOWAS nations have previously only sent troops to constituent countries during civil wars or as part of anti-terror operations. The bloc has not yet officially acknowledged any specific plans for military intervention in Gambia.</p>
<p>Beyond ECOWAS, the African Union has bluntly stated that it will not recognize Jammeh should he stay in power after Thursday. That sentiment has been echoed by the U.N. Security Council , the United States , the European Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. (Gambia is a majority-Muslim nation.)</p>
<p>What happens in the next few days will set a major regional precedent. Gambians as well as their neighbors saw a chance for change, and they aren’t ready to let it go just yet. But will regional powers really intervene against a despot?</p>
| 4,833 |
|
<p />
<p />
<p>Police say a mob in Spain has beaten a Muslim woman nearly to death as revenge for the Barcelona attacks. The crime appears to be purely racially motivated and the woman was wearing a hijab when she was set upon by the violent mob. Police in Spain have not released the woman's name but do say she is a 38-year-old Muslim woman. Doctors in Spain are reportedly keeping the woman in the hospital while she recovers from the beating.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>Credit: Google Maps</p>
<p />
<p>Spanish authorities are treating the assault as a racist attack and the Diversity Management Unit of Madrid's city police is investigating the crime. The assault took place outside of a Usera metro station in the Spanish capital. In a statement, the Madrid police say that the victim did not get a good look at her attackers' faces. This will make identifying them difficult and they are urging anyone with information about the crime to report it to the Madrid police. The victim did nothing to provoke the attack and investigators are saying the attackers did not have any armbands or other clothing that would link them to an anti-Islamic group.</p>
<p />
<p>Local authorities have stepped up police patrols near mosques in the Spanish capitol. The assault on the Muslim woman comes just days after a massive terrorist plot unfolded in Barcelona that killed 13 people and injured dozens more. Spanish police believe that all of the perpetrators in the terror attack have been arrested or shot but there is still an ongoing investigation to identify any other persons involved.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/muslim-woman-beaten-senseless-mob-11046988.amp" type="external">mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/muslim-woman-beaten-senseless-mob-11046988.amp</a></p>
<p />
<p>On Twitter:</p>
<p>@ErvinProduction</p>
<p>Tips? Info? Send me a message!</p>
|
Mob Nearly Beats Muslim Woman To Death In Response To Barcelona Terror Attack
| true |
http://thegoldwater.com/news/7105-Mob-Nearly-Beats-Muslim-Woman-To-Death-In-Response-To-Barcelona-Terror-Attack
|
2017-08-25
| 0right
|
Mob Nearly Beats Muslim Woman To Death In Response To Barcelona Terror Attack
<p />
<p />
<p>Police say a mob in Spain has beaten a Muslim woman nearly to death as revenge for the Barcelona attacks. The crime appears to be purely racially motivated and the woman was wearing a hijab when she was set upon by the violent mob. Police in Spain have not released the woman's name but do say she is a 38-year-old Muslim woman. Doctors in Spain are reportedly keeping the woman in the hospital while she recovers from the beating.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>Credit: Google Maps</p>
<p />
<p>Spanish authorities are treating the assault as a racist attack and the Diversity Management Unit of Madrid's city police is investigating the crime. The assault took place outside of a Usera metro station in the Spanish capital. In a statement, the Madrid police say that the victim did not get a good look at her attackers' faces. This will make identifying them difficult and they are urging anyone with information about the crime to report it to the Madrid police. The victim did nothing to provoke the attack and investigators are saying the attackers did not have any armbands or other clothing that would link them to an anti-Islamic group.</p>
<p />
<p>Local authorities have stepped up police patrols near mosques in the Spanish capitol. The assault on the Muslim woman comes just days after a massive terrorist plot unfolded in Barcelona that killed 13 people and injured dozens more. Spanish police believe that all of the perpetrators in the terror attack have been arrested or shot but there is still an ongoing investigation to identify any other persons involved.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/muslim-woman-beaten-senseless-mob-11046988.amp" type="external">mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/muslim-woman-beaten-senseless-mob-11046988.amp</a></p>
<p />
<p>On Twitter:</p>
<p>@ErvinProduction</p>
<p>Tips? Info? Send me a message!</p>
| 4,834 |
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/07/AR2005110701545.html" type="external">According</a> to the Washington Post, the Republican Congressional leadership is having trouble finding enough moderate Republican votes to agree to the 2006 budget, which would shave a mere 0.002 percent of federal spending—yes, that’s all—by hacking apart important programs for the poor and middle classes. Those cuts would include making Medicaid recipients pay more, hacking student loans, weakening child support enforcement, and limting food stamps. The president, compassionate guy that he is, has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/politics/02spend.html" type="external">promised to veto</a> the Senate’s alternative cuts, which would instead save $10 billion by getting rid of a “slush fund” for insurance companies buried in the 2003 Medicare bill. In fact, despite what the Post‘s headline says, this isn’t even fiscal discipline on the part of Congress—the full Republican budget would increase the deficit by $16 billion over five years, due to $70 billion in new tax cuts that were passed separately.</p>
<p>In the end, it seems likely that Hastert and company will get their budget passed, even if they have to twist moderate arms and resort to all the legislative gimmickry in the books. They’ve done it before. They might even have to jettison ANWR drilling from the bill in order to make it palatable to “moderates”—who will bravely vote to limit food stamps and health care for the powerless—and just sneak it back into the budget later on. Republicans are good at this. Nevertheless, “liberal activists”—at least that’s what the Post calls them; one might also say “people with decency”—are putting up a strong fight against the cuts, trying to pressure moderate Republicans:</p>
<p>“It’s a different group every week, coming in here, making calls,” said John Gentzel, communications director for Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), whose suburban Philadelphia district has been “saturated” with budget protests. “It’s just one group after another.”…</p>
<p>This week, Democrats will hold a conference call with a Wisconsin college student to talk about student loan cuts and will serve lunch at a District school to highlight the budget’s impact on subsidized school lunches. They will also stage a mock hearing to tar the entire budget as an effort to finance tax cuts for the rich on the backs of the poor.</p>
<p>Note the Post‘s language—it’s the Democrats who are going to “tar the entire budget.” What exactly does this mean? The budget quite obviously is an effort to finance tax cuts for the rich on the backs of the poor. What else would you possibly call it? Who benefits from tax cuts? Who benefits from Medicaid? Which one is getting passed, and which one hacked? The New York Times, refreshingly, actually <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/opinion/07mon1.html?ex=1289019600&amp;en=0e1ccf66c11e4697&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss" type="external">saw through</a> this budget nonsense, and tore it apart, but the Post can’t seem to do anything other than give friendly cover to the Republican Party. No doubt they think it’s more “objective” that way.</p>
|
On the Backs of the Poor
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2005/11/backs-poor-2/
|
2005-11-08
| 4left
|
On the Backs of the Poor
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/07/AR2005110701545.html" type="external">According</a> to the Washington Post, the Republican Congressional leadership is having trouble finding enough moderate Republican votes to agree to the 2006 budget, which would shave a mere 0.002 percent of federal spending—yes, that’s all—by hacking apart important programs for the poor and middle classes. Those cuts would include making Medicaid recipients pay more, hacking student loans, weakening child support enforcement, and limting food stamps. The president, compassionate guy that he is, has <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/02/politics/02spend.html" type="external">promised to veto</a> the Senate’s alternative cuts, which would instead save $10 billion by getting rid of a “slush fund” for insurance companies buried in the 2003 Medicare bill. In fact, despite what the Post‘s headline says, this isn’t even fiscal discipline on the part of Congress—the full Republican budget would increase the deficit by $16 billion over five years, due to $70 billion in new tax cuts that were passed separately.</p>
<p>In the end, it seems likely that Hastert and company will get their budget passed, even if they have to twist moderate arms and resort to all the legislative gimmickry in the books. They’ve done it before. They might even have to jettison ANWR drilling from the bill in order to make it palatable to “moderates”—who will bravely vote to limit food stamps and health care for the powerless—and just sneak it back into the budget later on. Republicans are good at this. Nevertheless, “liberal activists”—at least that’s what the Post calls them; one might also say “people with decency”—are putting up a strong fight against the cuts, trying to pressure moderate Republicans:</p>
<p>“It’s a different group every week, coming in here, making calls,” said John Gentzel, communications director for Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Pa.), whose suburban Philadelphia district has been “saturated” with budget protests. “It’s just one group after another.”…</p>
<p>This week, Democrats will hold a conference call with a Wisconsin college student to talk about student loan cuts and will serve lunch at a District school to highlight the budget’s impact on subsidized school lunches. They will also stage a mock hearing to tar the entire budget as an effort to finance tax cuts for the rich on the backs of the poor.</p>
<p>Note the Post‘s language—it’s the Democrats who are going to “tar the entire budget.” What exactly does this mean? The budget quite obviously is an effort to finance tax cuts for the rich on the backs of the poor. What else would you possibly call it? Who benefits from tax cuts? Who benefits from Medicaid? Which one is getting passed, and which one hacked? The New York Times, refreshingly, actually <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/07/opinion/07mon1.html?ex=1289019600&amp;en=0e1ccf66c11e4697&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss" type="external">saw through</a> this budget nonsense, and tore it apart, but the Post can’t seem to do anything other than give friendly cover to the Republican Party. No doubt they think it’s more “objective” that way.</p>
| 4,835 |
<p>RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Responding to disasters with immediate and long-term assistance has become a well-established practice of American religious groups — including Baptists, who frequently are almost as visible following devastating earthquakes and hurricanes as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross. But government dependence on these disaster-relief ministries mean church-state lines can become blurred when disaster strikes.</p>
<p>“There may be separation of church and state in government, but in a disaster we all work together,” FEMA administrator Craig Fugate recently told the Associated Press.</p>
<p>Baptist disaster-relief administrators say they strive to balance appropriate relations with government relief agencies with their commitment to church-state separation, and work hard to avoid using federal or state funds to proselytize.</p>
<p>“Most, if not all, people at the leadership level of Baptist relief agencies are going to focus on the disaster at hand,” said Dean Miller, who coordinates disaster relief for the Baptist General Association of Virginia. “Among both leaders and volunteers, there is a motive and desire to share faith with other people, and that should be a natural outcropping. But for most religious organizations that are utilizing any type of federal or state funds, the response to the disaster comes first.”</p>
<p>Charles Ray, one of two disaster-relief coordinators for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said he reflects on the question each time the CBF gears up to respond to a disaster.</p>
<p>“Even without the question of proselytizing, what about being trained [in disaster-relief methods] by the government?” he asked in an e-mail message. “On several occasions Reid Doster [another CBF disaster-relief coordinator] and I have attended training sessions at Homeland Security facilities in both Maryland and Alabama. In each case our transportation and lodging were paid for by the government. None of these sessions were mandatory and we attended by our choice. Did we violate my Baptist belief about separation of church and state? Will we urge other CBF disasters responders to take such training at taxpayers’ expense? Absolutely.”</p>
<p>Most religious groups in America participate in Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), a coalition of non-profit groups — both sectarian and secular — that respond to disasters as part of their overall mission. National VOAD includes as members the CBF, the Southern Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches USA and the National Baptist Convention, USA. Many Baptist state conventions, including those in Virginia and Texas, affiliate with state VOAD chapters. Mickey Caison, a disaster relief official at the SBC’s North American Mission Board, currently serves as president of VOAD’s 13-member board of directors.</p>
<p>VOAD aims to avoid wasteful duplication of disaster relief efforts and, following a disaster, communication between it and FEMA is a key component of the federal agency’s National Response Plan.</p>
<p>Last year, VOAD’s membership ratified a set of principles that promises, “Disaster response will not be used to further a particular political or religious perspective or cause.”</p>
<p>“VOAD’s values keep the issue [of church-state separation] on the table,” said Miller. “In my experience the lines aren’t blurred and we honor them. What I have witnessed at disaster sites, if there’s a prayer or some kind of spiritual sharing, it’s usually at the request of victims. They‘ve come over and said, ‘Will you have a prayer with me,’ or have asked why the volunteers are there. I don’t see any groups making disaster relief a quid pro quo for listening to a sermon or Bible study.”</p>
<p>“One place that I differ with many of our partners is in the distribution of religious tracts during a disaster response,” said Ray. “We do not do it. It is not a question of who paid for the literature, but why are we there? When the CBF responds we do not inquire about a certain church affiliation, or if the victim even attends church. We only go to help those with the greatest need and least resources, believer and non-believer alike. Yes, we wear shirts and hats with the CBF logo and everyone knows who we are. Nevertheless, I am convinced that we have been instrumental in many finding a close relationship with Christ through our helping their lives being put back in order.”</p>
<p>Miller acknowledged there will always be “exceptions to the rule.” But he said careful guidelines for allocating federal funds help avoid the worst offenses. Religious groups receive reimbursement for, say, food-distribution units from the Red Cross or the Salvation Army — though both of those groups receive money from federal agencies, as well as private sources.</p>
<p>“I don’t know of religious groups getting funding directly from government,” Miller said.</p>
<p>Ray is convinced religious groups can maintain a robust neutrality in providing disaster relief while at the same time accomplishing their mission.</p>
<p>“The beauty of disaster response is that we can leave our theological differences back at the church and find common ground in helping others,” he said.</p>
<p>“We can also learn from each other. I am reminded of responding to a major event a few years ago and working beside a non-CBF group of Baptists. On Saturday I asked the leader of the other group where they’d be on Sunday. The quick answer was, ‘In God’s house.’ Then he asked me where we would be and I explained that we would be here helping the folks that had lost everything. Early Sunday morning as our team gathered to begin work I was surprised to see the other group coming down the debris-covered road. I was brought to tears when the leader hugged me and said I had convinced him that this was God’s house. We had a prayer with the bewildered victims and went to work.”</p>
<p><a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">Robert Dilday</a> is managing editor of the Religious Herald.</p>
|
Church-state lines can blur when disasters strike
| false |
https://baptistnews.com/article/church-statelinescanblurwhendisastersstrike/
| 3left-center
|
Church-state lines can blur when disasters strike
<p>RICHMOND, Va. (ABP) — Responding to disasters with immediate and long-term assistance has become a well-established practice of American religious groups — including Baptists, who frequently are almost as visible following devastating earthquakes and hurricanes as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross. But government dependence on these disaster-relief ministries mean church-state lines can become blurred when disaster strikes.</p>
<p>“There may be separation of church and state in government, but in a disaster we all work together,” FEMA administrator Craig Fugate recently told the Associated Press.</p>
<p>Baptist disaster-relief administrators say they strive to balance appropriate relations with government relief agencies with their commitment to church-state separation, and work hard to avoid using federal or state funds to proselytize.</p>
<p>“Most, if not all, people at the leadership level of Baptist relief agencies are going to focus on the disaster at hand,” said Dean Miller, who coordinates disaster relief for the Baptist General Association of Virginia. “Among both leaders and volunteers, there is a motive and desire to share faith with other people, and that should be a natural outcropping. But for most religious organizations that are utilizing any type of federal or state funds, the response to the disaster comes first.”</p>
<p>Charles Ray, one of two disaster-relief coordinators for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, said he reflects on the question each time the CBF gears up to respond to a disaster.</p>
<p>“Even without the question of proselytizing, what about being trained [in disaster-relief methods] by the government?” he asked in an e-mail message. “On several occasions Reid Doster [another CBF disaster-relief coordinator] and I have attended training sessions at Homeland Security facilities in both Maryland and Alabama. In each case our transportation and lodging were paid for by the government. None of these sessions were mandatory and we attended by our choice. Did we violate my Baptist belief about separation of church and state? Will we urge other CBF disasters responders to take such training at taxpayers’ expense? Absolutely.”</p>
<p>Most religious groups in America participate in Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), a coalition of non-profit groups — both sectarian and secular — that respond to disasters as part of their overall mission. National VOAD includes as members the CBF, the Southern Baptist Convention, American Baptist Churches USA and the National Baptist Convention, USA. Many Baptist state conventions, including those in Virginia and Texas, affiliate with state VOAD chapters. Mickey Caison, a disaster relief official at the SBC’s North American Mission Board, currently serves as president of VOAD’s 13-member board of directors.</p>
<p>VOAD aims to avoid wasteful duplication of disaster relief efforts and, following a disaster, communication between it and FEMA is a key component of the federal agency’s National Response Plan.</p>
<p>Last year, VOAD’s membership ratified a set of principles that promises, “Disaster response will not be used to further a particular political or religious perspective or cause.”</p>
<p>“VOAD’s values keep the issue [of church-state separation] on the table,” said Miller. “In my experience the lines aren’t blurred and we honor them. What I have witnessed at disaster sites, if there’s a prayer or some kind of spiritual sharing, it’s usually at the request of victims. They‘ve come over and said, ‘Will you have a prayer with me,’ or have asked why the volunteers are there. I don’t see any groups making disaster relief a quid pro quo for listening to a sermon or Bible study.”</p>
<p>“One place that I differ with many of our partners is in the distribution of religious tracts during a disaster response,” said Ray. “We do not do it. It is not a question of who paid for the literature, but why are we there? When the CBF responds we do not inquire about a certain church affiliation, or if the victim even attends church. We only go to help those with the greatest need and least resources, believer and non-believer alike. Yes, we wear shirts and hats with the CBF logo and everyone knows who we are. Nevertheless, I am convinced that we have been instrumental in many finding a close relationship with Christ through our helping their lives being put back in order.”</p>
<p>Miller acknowledged there will always be “exceptions to the rule.” But he said careful guidelines for allocating federal funds help avoid the worst offenses. Religious groups receive reimbursement for, say, food-distribution units from the Red Cross or the Salvation Army — though both of those groups receive money from federal agencies, as well as private sources.</p>
<p>“I don’t know of religious groups getting funding directly from government,” Miller said.</p>
<p>Ray is convinced religious groups can maintain a robust neutrality in providing disaster relief while at the same time accomplishing their mission.</p>
<p>“The beauty of disaster response is that we can leave our theological differences back at the church and find common ground in helping others,” he said.</p>
<p>“We can also learn from each other. I am reminded of responding to a major event a few years ago and working beside a non-CBF group of Baptists. On Saturday I asked the leader of the other group where they’d be on Sunday. The quick answer was, ‘In God’s house.’ Then he asked me where we would be and I explained that we would be here helping the folks that had lost everything. Early Sunday morning as our team gathered to begin work I was surprised to see the other group coming down the debris-covered road. I was brought to tears when the leader hugged me and said I had convinced him that this was God’s house. We had a prayer with the bewildered victims and went to work.”</p>
<p><a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">Robert Dilday</a> is managing editor of the Religious Herald.</p>
| 4,836 |
|
<p>Citing tensions with North Korea, the Pentagon has asked Congress to move $416.4 million earmarked for other purposes to missile defense programs, among other things. Some lawmakers say the transfer would hurt the military’s readiness, however.</p>
<p>In the unclassified reprogramming request signed by Comptroller David Norquist on September 7, the Department of Defense asked Congress to transfer $330 million, the bulk of the funds, from Army operations and maintenance accounts that have not been fully used.</p>
<p>“This reprogramming action provides funding in support of higher priority items, based on unforeseen military requirement, than those for which originally appropriated; and are determined to be necessary in the national interest,” said the <a href="https://insidedefense.com/sites/insidedefense.com/files/documents/sep2017/09272017_rep.pdf" type="external">request</a>, published this week by InsideDefense.</p>
<p>While many of the destinations for redirected funds remain classified, the Pentagon did not classify a number of missile defense requests, including $81 million in funding for the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Midcourse Defense Segment. The funds would go toward adding 20 new Ground-based Interceptors (GBI) and silos at Missile Field 4 in Fort Greely, Alaska, boosting the number of interceptors to 64.</p>
<p>Missile Field 4 is one of the two ground-based missile defense units housing interceptors on the west coast. The unit was created to protect the United States from an intercontinental ballistic missile threat, according to the <a href="http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54585" type="external">Pentagon</a>.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/403895-us-may-not-be-capable-shooting-down-missile/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The Defense Department also requested $47 million to procure components for 10 of the 20 new silos at Missile Field 4. The funds would go toward “long lead materials and critical sole-source supplies required for the fabrication of silos and launch site support components to construct Silo Interface Vaults (SIVs) and silos for the new missile defense field (Missile Field 4),” according to the reprogramming request.</p>
<p>Another $22 million was requested for new BMD sensors, with $2.6 million set aside for a new-start Medium Range Discriminating Radar (MRDR) program.</p>
<p>“The MRDR is needed to address gaps in the BMDS and better protect the homeland and regional allies,” the document says. “The MRDR will include BMDS threat discrimination improvements to enhance BMD effectiveness against the evolving threat.”</p>
<p>An additional $16 million would go to extend the lifespan of the <a href="http://www.afspc.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1126403/cobra-dane-radar/" type="external">COBRA DANE</a> radar, which the Pentagon says “provides critical coverage of North Korean threats.”</p>
<p>Another $61 million would go toward testing the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missiles on <a href="http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2016/pdf/bmds/2016aegisbmd.pdf" type="external">Aegis BMD</a> ships, with $13 million for upgrading four of the ships to enable SM-3 launches and increase capacity.</p>
<p>The Pentagon further requested $48 million to fund classified cyber technology development, and $6 million for classified “air and missile defense systems engineering.”</p>
<p>The request would require congressional approval to take the money from unspent Army and Army Reserve operations and maintenance accounts allocated in the fiscal 2017 budget.</p>
<p>Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he does not foresee any issues with the Pentagon getting the transfer approved.</p>
<p>“I think it’s a really good idea,” Sullivan told <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/defense/353004-pentagon-urges-congress-to-move-416m-for-missile-defense" type="external">The Hill</a> on Thursday. “My view is we need to be accelerating that. I think that’s going to be moving. I have not heard of any [roadblocks].”</p>
<p>However, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said transferring the funds to build up the missile defense program would hurt the military’s readiness.</p>
<p>“Mr. Smith has significant concerns about taking that much money from near-term readiness and putting into missile defense programs that will not have an impact until the 2020s at the earliest,” the congressman’s spokesman told <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/space/2017/09/28/pentagon-asks-congress-to-move-416-million-for-missile-defense/" type="external">Defense News</a>.</p>
<p>In June, Pentagon officials <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/685227.pdf" type="external">told</a> the Government Accountability Office (GAO) auditors that “the result of the current state of readiness is that military forces are not strong enough to protect vital US national security interests from worldwide threats.”</p>
<p>They listed the threats as “Russian aggression in Europe and North Korea’s provocative threats in the Asia-Pacific.”</p>
<p>In August, President Donald Trump said his administration would increase spending on missile defense by “many billions of dollars.”</p>
<p>“We are going to be increasing our budget by many billions of dollars because of North Korea, and other reasons having to do with the anti-missile,” Trump said, according to <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/smr/space-missile-defense/2017/08/10/trump-pledges-billions-increase-in-missile-defense-spending/" type="external">Defense News</a>.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
|
Raid maintenance fund for missile defense, Pentagon asks Congress
| false |
https://newsline.com/raid-maintenance-fund-for-missile-defense-pentagon-asks-congress/
|
2017-09-29
| 1right-center
|
Raid maintenance fund for missile defense, Pentagon asks Congress
<p>Citing tensions with North Korea, the Pentagon has asked Congress to move $416.4 million earmarked for other purposes to missile defense programs, among other things. Some lawmakers say the transfer would hurt the military’s readiness, however.</p>
<p>In the unclassified reprogramming request signed by Comptroller David Norquist on September 7, the Department of Defense asked Congress to transfer $330 million, the bulk of the funds, from Army operations and maintenance accounts that have not been fully used.</p>
<p>“This reprogramming action provides funding in support of higher priority items, based on unforeseen military requirement, than those for which originally appropriated; and are determined to be necessary in the national interest,” said the <a href="https://insidedefense.com/sites/insidedefense.com/files/documents/sep2017/09272017_rep.pdf" type="external">request</a>, published this week by InsideDefense.</p>
<p>While many of the destinations for redirected funds remain classified, the Pentagon did not classify a number of missile defense requests, including $81 million in funding for the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Midcourse Defense Segment. The funds would go toward adding 20 new Ground-based Interceptors (GBI) and silos at Missile Field 4 in Fort Greely, Alaska, boosting the number of interceptors to 64.</p>
<p>Missile Field 4 is one of the two ground-based missile defense units housing interceptors on the west coast. The unit was created to protect the United States from an intercontinental ballistic missile threat, according to the <a href="http://archive.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=54585" type="external">Pentagon</a>.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/usa/403895-us-may-not-be-capable-shooting-down-missile/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The Defense Department also requested $47 million to procure components for 10 of the 20 new silos at Missile Field 4. The funds would go toward “long lead materials and critical sole-source supplies required for the fabrication of silos and launch site support components to construct Silo Interface Vaults (SIVs) and silos for the new missile defense field (Missile Field 4),” according to the reprogramming request.</p>
<p>Another $22 million was requested for new BMD sensors, with $2.6 million set aside for a new-start Medium Range Discriminating Radar (MRDR) program.</p>
<p>“The MRDR is needed to address gaps in the BMDS and better protect the homeland and regional allies,” the document says. “The MRDR will include BMDS threat discrimination improvements to enhance BMD effectiveness against the evolving threat.”</p>
<p>An additional $16 million would go to extend the lifespan of the <a href="http://www.afspc.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1126403/cobra-dane-radar/" type="external">COBRA DANE</a> radar, which the Pentagon says “provides critical coverage of North Korean threats.”</p>
<p>Another $61 million would go toward testing the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missiles on <a href="http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2016/pdf/bmds/2016aegisbmd.pdf" type="external">Aegis BMD</a> ships, with $13 million for upgrading four of the ships to enable SM-3 launches and increase capacity.</p>
<p>The Pentagon further requested $48 million to fund classified cyber technology development, and $6 million for classified “air and missile defense systems engineering.”</p>
<p>The request would require congressional approval to take the money from unspent Army and Army Reserve operations and maintenance accounts allocated in the fiscal 2017 budget.</p>
<p>Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he does not foresee any issues with the Pentagon getting the transfer approved.</p>
<p>“I think it’s a really good idea,” Sullivan told <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/defense/353004-pentagon-urges-congress-to-move-416m-for-missile-defense" type="external">The Hill</a> on Thursday. “My view is we need to be accelerating that. I think that’s going to be moving. I have not heard of any [roadblocks].”</p>
<p>However, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Washington), the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said transferring the funds to build up the missile defense program would hurt the military’s readiness.</p>
<p>“Mr. Smith has significant concerns about taking that much money from near-term readiness and putting into missile defense programs that will not have an impact until the 2020s at the earliest,” the congressman’s spokesman told <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/space/2017/09/28/pentagon-asks-congress-to-move-416-million-for-missile-defense/" type="external">Defense News</a>.</p>
<p>In June, Pentagon officials <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/685227.pdf" type="external">told</a> the Government Accountability Office (GAO) auditors that “the result of the current state of readiness is that military forces are not strong enough to protect vital US national security interests from worldwide threats.”</p>
<p>They listed the threats as “Russian aggression in Europe and North Korea’s provocative threats in the Asia-Pacific.”</p>
<p>In August, President Donald Trump said his administration would increase spending on missile defense by “many billions of dollars.”</p>
<p>“We are going to be increasing our budget by many billions of dollars because of North Korea, and other reasons having to do with the anti-missile,” Trump said, according to <a href="https://www.defensenews.com/smr/space-missile-defense/2017/08/10/trump-pledges-billions-increase-in-missile-defense-spending/" type="external">Defense News</a>.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
| 4,837 |
<p>The liberal indictment against Barack Obama is well-known by now: He is too passive as the Republicans set the terms of debate, and when he weighs in, he cuts a deal that is much too close to the conservative side of the spectrum.In short, many of the left think their president is getting rolled.But the view at the White House is very different, as a conversation with communications director Dan Pfeiffer made clear.He described the period leading up to the budget deal—the one that saved $38 billion, or 38 cents, according to the CBO—this way: “One option is to go out there and score political points against Republicans every single day. Certainly that would have made the pundits on cable TV feel better about themselves and better about us. But it would have reduced the chances of getting a deal.”This is very much in keeping with the president’s view of himself as a reasonable man who is willing to lead by consensus, if only the other side will abandon the extremism and engage in good-faith discussion. Pfeiffer goes a step further:“When people in Washington say the president's not engaged, what they mean is he's not out there beating up Republicans. He will not give in to partisan blood lust for blood lust's sake.”Not that Obama is completely opposed to beating up Republicans, of course; he just likes to do it in a high-minded way, as when he said Paul Ryan’s budget (now adopted by the House GOP) was horribly unfair to people with no political clout while lavishing tax breaks on millionaires and billionaires.The administration’s split with some of the lefty pundits reminds me of the campaign, when Obama was trailing Hillary for many months and liberals kept insisting that he whack her, or at least bloody her nose. He doggedly refused, and his discipline eventually paid off.But you can overlearn the lessons of a campaign. There is something to the argument that Obama watches from the sidelines as the game develops, coming off the bench in the final two minutes. Pfeiffer insists that his aides are fully engaged, adding: “For some there's an expectation I've never seen put on a president before, that his role is to be legislator-in-chief. It's not what the American people expect of him.”I spoke to Pfeiffer for this Newsweek story on the president’s negotiating style. He offered a final point in the wake of the deal that avoided a government shutdown. Such criticism of Obama's style, he said, is “a 4th-inning analysis of a 9-inning game. People say 'he screwed up the negotiations,' but the deal ends up being a very good deal given the political reality we're living with.”Not everyone thinks it’s a very good deal, of course, including many Hill Democrats who are fuming (and that would have to include Nancy Pelosi, who voted against the compromise). But it’s a window on how the White House views the political landscape heading into 2012.</p>
|
Why Obama Holds Back
| true |
https://thedailybeast.com/why-obama-holds-back
|
2018-10-06
| 4left
|
Why Obama Holds Back
<p>The liberal indictment against Barack Obama is well-known by now: He is too passive as the Republicans set the terms of debate, and when he weighs in, he cuts a deal that is much too close to the conservative side of the spectrum.In short, many of the left think their president is getting rolled.But the view at the White House is very different, as a conversation with communications director Dan Pfeiffer made clear.He described the period leading up to the budget deal—the one that saved $38 billion, or 38 cents, according to the CBO—this way: “One option is to go out there and score political points against Republicans every single day. Certainly that would have made the pundits on cable TV feel better about themselves and better about us. But it would have reduced the chances of getting a deal.”This is very much in keeping with the president’s view of himself as a reasonable man who is willing to lead by consensus, if only the other side will abandon the extremism and engage in good-faith discussion. Pfeiffer goes a step further:“When people in Washington say the president's not engaged, what they mean is he's not out there beating up Republicans. He will not give in to partisan blood lust for blood lust's sake.”Not that Obama is completely opposed to beating up Republicans, of course; he just likes to do it in a high-minded way, as when he said Paul Ryan’s budget (now adopted by the House GOP) was horribly unfair to people with no political clout while lavishing tax breaks on millionaires and billionaires.The administration’s split with some of the lefty pundits reminds me of the campaign, when Obama was trailing Hillary for many months and liberals kept insisting that he whack her, or at least bloody her nose. He doggedly refused, and his discipline eventually paid off.But you can overlearn the lessons of a campaign. There is something to the argument that Obama watches from the sidelines as the game develops, coming off the bench in the final two minutes. Pfeiffer insists that his aides are fully engaged, adding: “For some there's an expectation I've never seen put on a president before, that his role is to be legislator-in-chief. It's not what the American people expect of him.”I spoke to Pfeiffer for this Newsweek story on the president’s negotiating style. He offered a final point in the wake of the deal that avoided a government shutdown. Such criticism of Obama's style, he said, is “a 4th-inning analysis of a 9-inning game. People say 'he screwed up the negotiations,' but the deal ends up being a very good deal given the political reality we're living with.”Not everyone thinks it’s a very good deal, of course, including many Hill Democrats who are fuming (and that would have to include Nancy Pelosi, who voted against the compromise). But it’s a window on how the White House views the political landscape heading into 2012.</p>
| 4,838 |
<p>Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will votes yes on the GOP tax reform bill.</p>
<p>Republican leaders gained support from one more senator for the GOP tax bill on Friday, giving needed momentum to the effort and boosting leaders' hopes that they can push the $1.4 trillion legislation through the Senate later in the day.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., will now vote for the measure, according to an aide. In an interview with Wisconsin radio station WISN, Johnson said leaders had agreed to make tax breaks more generous for millions of businesses, which he's been demanding for weeks.</p>
<p>"I sought assurance and I was given assurance that I will be at the table" when Senate-House bargainers write a compromise version of the bill, Johnson said of talks he had with GOP leaders Thursday night.</p>
<p>Johnson's vote is crucial as top Republicans seek to nail down backing from at least 50 GOP senators. With the party controlling the Senate 52-48 and Democrats uniformly opposed, they need 50 votes to win approval for the bill; Vice President Mike Pence would break a tie.</p>
<p>The bill seemed to be sailing toward passage Thursday, until a report was released by Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation estimating the package would produce budget deficits totaling $1 trillion over the coming decade.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Trump administration officials and leading congressional Republicans have said the measure's tax cuts would spark enough economic growth to pay for the lowered levies. The projection left the votes of several GOP lawmakers in doubt, including Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Arizona's Jeff Flake.</p>
<p>Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, proposed an amendment to let homeowners deduct up to $10,000 in local property taxes on their federal returns. It's similar to a provision in the House-passed bill. Without the deduction, Collins said, it would be "very problematic for me" to vote for the bill.</p>
<p>Amid a whirl of meetings and dramatic votes Thursday evening, the Senate GOP leaders were rewriting the bill behind closed doors. Changes being discussed included rolling back some of the tax cuts after six years to appease deficit hawks — notably Corker and Flake. If leaders could win over Collins and there were no other defectors, Corker and Flake could oppose the measure, and it would still be approved.</p>
<p>At stake is a top priority for President Donald Trump and a Republican Party that considers passage of the measure the best way to preserve the GOP's congressional majorities in next year's midterm elections.</p>
<p>Another faction to be reckoned with: senators supporting millions of businesses whose owners report the firm's profits on their individual tax returns. The vast majority of U.S. businesses, big and small, are taxed this way. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., backed the tax legislation Wednesday after securing an increase in the deduction for business income from 17.4 percent to 20 percent.</p>
<p>Johnson said Friday that he was won over after GOP leaders offered to boost that deduction to 23 percent.</p>
<p>The scramble to alter the bill came after the Senate's parliamentarian ruled that automatic "triggers" designed to guard against big deficits would violate Senate rules. GOP leaders' main concern was winning over the hawks worried about adding more red ink to the mounting $20 trillion deficit.</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had expressed confidence early in the day, but he has little margin for error with a 52-48 Republican majority. He can afford to lose only two votes while counting on Vice President Mike Pence to break the tie.</p>
<p>Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said the bill will have "alternative, frankly, tax increases we don't want to do" to address deficit concerns.</p>
<p>Flake said the "trigger" tax increases would raise about $350 billion over 10 years, though he didn't specify which taxes would go up.</p>
<p>In a dramatic turn, Democrats forced a vote on whether to return the measure to the Senate Finance Committee so it could be rewritten to ensure smaller deficits. After holding out for nearly an hour during the vote, Corker, Flake and Johnson eventually joined fellow Republicans to scuttle the Democratic proposal.</p>
<p>Corker has pushed to add automatic tax increases in future years if the package doesn't raise as much revenue as projected.</p>
<p>The overall legislation would bring the first overhaul of the U.S. tax code in 31 years. It would slash the corporate tax rate, offer more modest cuts for families and individuals and eliminate several popular deductions.</p>
<p>Unlike the tax bill passed by the House two weeks ago, the Senate measure would end the requirement in President Barack Obama's health care law that people pay a tax penalty if they don't buy health insurance.</p>
<p>The tax cuts for individuals in the Senate plan would expire in 2026 while the corporate tax cuts would be permanent.</p>
<p>Both the House and Senate bills would nearly double the standard deduction to around $12,000 for individuals and about $24,000 for married couples.</p>
<p>After Senate passage, lawmakers will try to reconcile the Senate bill with the House version in hopes of delivering a first major legislative accomplishment to Trump by Christmas.</p>
|
Wisconsin senator to back tax bill, boosting GOP hopes
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/12/01/wisconsin-senator-to-back-tax-bill-boosting-gop-hopes.html
|
2017-12-01
| 0right
|
Wisconsin senator to back tax bill, boosting GOP hopes
<p>Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) will votes yes on the GOP tax reform bill.</p>
<p>Republican leaders gained support from one more senator for the GOP tax bill on Friday, giving needed momentum to the effort and boosting leaders' hopes that they can push the $1.4 trillion legislation through the Senate later in the day.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., will now vote for the measure, according to an aide. In an interview with Wisconsin radio station WISN, Johnson said leaders had agreed to make tax breaks more generous for millions of businesses, which he's been demanding for weeks.</p>
<p>"I sought assurance and I was given assurance that I will be at the table" when Senate-House bargainers write a compromise version of the bill, Johnson said of talks he had with GOP leaders Thursday night.</p>
<p>Johnson's vote is crucial as top Republicans seek to nail down backing from at least 50 GOP senators. With the party controlling the Senate 52-48 and Democrats uniformly opposed, they need 50 votes to win approval for the bill; Vice President Mike Pence would break a tie.</p>
<p>The bill seemed to be sailing toward passage Thursday, until a report was released by Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation estimating the package would produce budget deficits totaling $1 trillion over the coming decade.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Trump administration officials and leading congressional Republicans have said the measure's tax cuts would spark enough economic growth to pay for the lowered levies. The projection left the votes of several GOP lawmakers in doubt, including Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Arizona's Jeff Flake.</p>
<p>Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, proposed an amendment to let homeowners deduct up to $10,000 in local property taxes on their federal returns. It's similar to a provision in the House-passed bill. Without the deduction, Collins said, it would be "very problematic for me" to vote for the bill.</p>
<p>Amid a whirl of meetings and dramatic votes Thursday evening, the Senate GOP leaders were rewriting the bill behind closed doors. Changes being discussed included rolling back some of the tax cuts after six years to appease deficit hawks — notably Corker and Flake. If leaders could win over Collins and there were no other defectors, Corker and Flake could oppose the measure, and it would still be approved.</p>
<p>At stake is a top priority for President Donald Trump and a Republican Party that considers passage of the measure the best way to preserve the GOP's congressional majorities in next year's midterm elections.</p>
<p>Another faction to be reckoned with: senators supporting millions of businesses whose owners report the firm's profits on their individual tax returns. The vast majority of U.S. businesses, big and small, are taxed this way. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., backed the tax legislation Wednesday after securing an increase in the deduction for business income from 17.4 percent to 20 percent.</p>
<p>Johnson said Friday that he was won over after GOP leaders offered to boost that deduction to 23 percent.</p>
<p>The scramble to alter the bill came after the Senate's parliamentarian ruled that automatic "triggers" designed to guard against big deficits would violate Senate rules. GOP leaders' main concern was winning over the hawks worried about adding more red ink to the mounting $20 trillion deficit.</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had expressed confidence early in the day, but he has little margin for error with a 52-48 Republican majority. He can afford to lose only two votes while counting on Vice President Mike Pence to break the tie.</p>
<p>Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said the bill will have "alternative, frankly, tax increases we don't want to do" to address deficit concerns.</p>
<p>Flake said the "trigger" tax increases would raise about $350 billion over 10 years, though he didn't specify which taxes would go up.</p>
<p>In a dramatic turn, Democrats forced a vote on whether to return the measure to the Senate Finance Committee so it could be rewritten to ensure smaller deficits. After holding out for nearly an hour during the vote, Corker, Flake and Johnson eventually joined fellow Republicans to scuttle the Democratic proposal.</p>
<p>Corker has pushed to add automatic tax increases in future years if the package doesn't raise as much revenue as projected.</p>
<p>The overall legislation would bring the first overhaul of the U.S. tax code in 31 years. It would slash the corporate tax rate, offer more modest cuts for families and individuals and eliminate several popular deductions.</p>
<p>Unlike the tax bill passed by the House two weeks ago, the Senate measure would end the requirement in President Barack Obama's health care law that people pay a tax penalty if they don't buy health insurance.</p>
<p>The tax cuts for individuals in the Senate plan would expire in 2026 while the corporate tax cuts would be permanent.</p>
<p>Both the House and Senate bills would nearly double the standard deduction to around $12,000 for individuals and about $24,000 for married couples.</p>
<p>After Senate passage, lawmakers will try to reconcile the Senate bill with the House version in hopes of delivering a first major legislative accomplishment to Trump by Christmas.</p>
| 4,839 |
<p>Shares of Cablevision Systems Corp. were down less than 1% in premarket trade after the company reported net income of $32.15 million, or 12 cents per share for the fourth quarter. That's a significant decline compared with earnings of $55.98 million, or 21 cents per share in the year earlier period. The FactSet consensus for per share earnings during the quarter was 14 cents. Revenue for the quarter was $1.629 billion, a less than 1% decline compared with last year's $1.631 billion. FactSet's revenue consensus was $1.64 billion. Cable subscribers declined by 10,000, but that was offset by an addisition of 25,000 Internet subscribers. The cable, phone and Internet provider added 13,000 total customers in the quarter across all services. Cablevision suspended its share buyback program and doesn't plan to pay any dividends as it as awaits its acquisition by Altice to close. The company expects the deal to close during the second quarter.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
|
Cablevision Q4 Earnings, Revenue Fall Below Expectations
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/02/25/cablevision-q4-earnings-revenue-fall-below-expectations.html
|
2016-02-25
| 0right
|
Cablevision Q4 Earnings, Revenue Fall Below Expectations
<p>Shares of Cablevision Systems Corp. were down less than 1% in premarket trade after the company reported net income of $32.15 million, or 12 cents per share for the fourth quarter. That's a significant decline compared with earnings of $55.98 million, or 21 cents per share in the year earlier period. The FactSet consensus for per share earnings during the quarter was 14 cents. Revenue for the quarter was $1.629 billion, a less than 1% decline compared with last year's $1.631 billion. FactSet's revenue consensus was $1.64 billion. Cable subscribers declined by 10,000, but that was offset by an addisition of 25,000 Internet subscribers. The cable, phone and Internet provider added 13,000 total customers in the quarter across all services. Cablevision suspended its share buyback program and doesn't plan to pay any dividends as it as awaits its acquisition by Altice to close. The company expects the deal to close during the second quarter.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
| 4,840 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Residents of Adams Morgan enjoy a bevy of bars, restaurants, exercise studios and shopping, just steps from their row houses and condo buildings. Home values are reasonable relative to neighborhood incomes. And in general, the area schools rate as better than average nationally.</p>
<p>Across the country, just 14 percent of neighborhoods manage to be at once affordably priced, walkable and near decent schools. And many of those neighborhoods exist in only two cities: Washington and Seattle, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the real estate brokerage Redfin.</p>
<p>The findings suggest a substantial mismatch between the neighborhoods where people say they want to live and the homes actually available to them.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>"Cities have not kept up with consumer tastes," said Nela Richardson, Redfin's chief economist.</p>
<p>The analysis examined 170 neighborhoods in 20 cities, comparing home sales and income data with rankings from the organizations Walk Score and GreatSchools. Some cities, such as Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia, contained balanced neighborhoods - where people of different income classes could afford to live - but their schools performed poorly.</p>
<p>Others, such as Phoenix, San Antonio and Columbus, Ohio, enjoy above-average neighborhood schools. But their communities pretty much require cars for doing basic errands.</p>
<p>Homebuyers have long sought high-quality schools. But a rising emphasis on walkability reflects a generational shift. Compared with older generations, millennials, ages 18 to 34, disproportionately prefer walking, according to a survey released in July by the National Association of Realtors and the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University.</p>
<p>Nearly a third of millennials commute to work or school by foot, compared with 13 percent for the post-World War II baby boom generation.</p>
<p>In the Redfin report, only 24 neighborhoods in eight cities met all three criteria of walkability, affordability and schools. Seven of the neighborhoods were in Seattle. Its University District neighborhood - site of the University of Washington's campus - ranked as the highest.</p>
<p>Though housing in the University District is expensive - the median home value is near $620,000, roughly triple the national level - high area incomes tend to make it relatively affordable. More than 57 percent of families earned more than $100,000 in 2014, according to the Census Bureau.</p>
<p>Three of the top neighborhoods were in Washington, D.C. Adams Morgan - ranked third by Redfin - is packed with bars along its 18th Street corridor. Yet its residents are also relatively well-paid, with 61 percent of families making at least $100,000. Among the new condo buildings is Ontario 17, which has sold over 70 percent of its units since its pre-construction sales began a year ago. Its ground floor features a Pilates-style studio.</p>
<p>"A lot of the homeowners who did purchase already lived in Adams Morgan," said Brenda Moreno, the broker managing condo sales for the building. "People want to be very close to work."</p>
<p>But the increased popularity of walkable neighborhoods could mean that many will eventually lose their affordability. The Redfin analysis shows that few walkable communities also have access to better-than-average public and charter schools - meaning that their home values might rise and cause affordability to drop.</p>
<p>A separate measure by the real estate data firm Zillow shows that prices in Seattle's University District have shot up nearly 17 percent in the past 12 months, a sign that walkable neighborhoods may soon price out its least prosperous residents.</p>
<p>"These balanced neighborhoods are an endangered species right now," said Richardson, Redfin's chief economist.</p>
|
Few US neighborhoods affordable, walkable with good schools
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/713122/few-us-neighborhoods-affordable-walkable-with-good-schools.html
| 2least
|
Few US neighborhoods affordable, walkable with good schools
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Residents of Adams Morgan enjoy a bevy of bars, restaurants, exercise studios and shopping, just steps from their row houses and condo buildings. Home values are reasonable relative to neighborhood incomes. And in general, the area schools rate as better than average nationally.</p>
<p>Across the country, just 14 percent of neighborhoods manage to be at once affordably priced, walkable and near decent schools. And many of those neighborhoods exist in only two cities: Washington and Seattle, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by the real estate brokerage Redfin.</p>
<p>The findings suggest a substantial mismatch between the neighborhoods where people say they want to live and the homes actually available to them.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>"Cities have not kept up with consumer tastes," said Nela Richardson, Redfin's chief economist.</p>
<p>The analysis examined 170 neighborhoods in 20 cities, comparing home sales and income data with rankings from the organizations Walk Score and GreatSchools. Some cities, such as Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia, contained balanced neighborhoods - where people of different income classes could afford to live - but their schools performed poorly.</p>
<p>Others, such as Phoenix, San Antonio and Columbus, Ohio, enjoy above-average neighborhood schools. But their communities pretty much require cars for doing basic errands.</p>
<p>Homebuyers have long sought high-quality schools. But a rising emphasis on walkability reflects a generational shift. Compared with older generations, millennials, ages 18 to 34, disproportionately prefer walking, according to a survey released in July by the National Association of Realtors and the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University.</p>
<p>Nearly a third of millennials commute to work or school by foot, compared with 13 percent for the post-World War II baby boom generation.</p>
<p>In the Redfin report, only 24 neighborhoods in eight cities met all three criteria of walkability, affordability and schools. Seven of the neighborhoods were in Seattle. Its University District neighborhood - site of the University of Washington's campus - ranked as the highest.</p>
<p>Though housing in the University District is expensive - the median home value is near $620,000, roughly triple the national level - high area incomes tend to make it relatively affordable. More than 57 percent of families earned more than $100,000 in 2014, according to the Census Bureau.</p>
<p>Three of the top neighborhoods were in Washington, D.C. Adams Morgan - ranked third by Redfin - is packed with bars along its 18th Street corridor. Yet its residents are also relatively well-paid, with 61 percent of families making at least $100,000. Among the new condo buildings is Ontario 17, which has sold over 70 percent of its units since its pre-construction sales began a year ago. Its ground floor features a Pilates-style studio.</p>
<p>"A lot of the homeowners who did purchase already lived in Adams Morgan," said Brenda Moreno, the broker managing condo sales for the building. "People want to be very close to work."</p>
<p>But the increased popularity of walkable neighborhoods could mean that many will eventually lose their affordability. The Redfin analysis shows that few walkable communities also have access to better-than-average public and charter schools - meaning that their home values might rise and cause affordability to drop.</p>
<p>A separate measure by the real estate data firm Zillow shows that prices in Seattle's University District have shot up nearly 17 percent in the past 12 months, a sign that walkable neighborhoods may soon price out its least prosperous residents.</p>
<p>"These balanced neighborhoods are an endangered species right now," said Richardson, Redfin's chief economist.</p>
| 4,841 |
|
<p>Glenn Ford, a former death row inmate who served 30 years in a Louisiana prison for a murder he didn't commit, died early Monday morning in New Orleans of cancer, according to a release from Resurrection After Exoneration, the non-profit where Ford was living. He was 65.</p>
<p>Ford was exonerated last March of robbing and killing a watchmaker in Shreveport in 1983, after the state said it uncovered evidence proving he wasn't at the crime scene.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the prosecutor who sent Ford to death row, A.M. "Marty" Stroud III, <a href="" type="internal">apologized for the conviction</a>.</p>
<p>Alison McCrary, a civil rights attorney who volunteered at Resurrection After Exoneration, told NBC News that Ford hadn’t been diagnosed at Angola, the state prison where he was incarcerated, with the various cancers that killed him, including lung, brain and bone cancer. His medical costs — about $2,000 a week — were paid by private donations, she said.</p>
<p>Ford hadn’t been able to speak for roughly the last week, and he was in “excruciating pain” when he died at 2 a.m., McCrary said. Still, she added, “There’s also a peacefulness about Glenn. He had no hatred in his heart. He was really looking forward to the afterlife.”</p>
<p>A funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Charbonnet Funeral Home in New Orleans.</p>
|
Exonerated Death Row Inmate Dies of Cancer in New Orleans
| false |
http://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-death-row-inmate-dies-cancer-new-orleans-n383956
|
2015-06-29
| 3left-center
|
Exonerated Death Row Inmate Dies of Cancer in New Orleans
<p>Glenn Ford, a former death row inmate who served 30 years in a Louisiana prison for a murder he didn't commit, died early Monday morning in New Orleans of cancer, according to a release from Resurrection After Exoneration, the non-profit where Ford was living. He was 65.</p>
<p>Ford was exonerated last March of robbing and killing a watchmaker in Shreveport in 1983, after the state said it uncovered evidence proving he wasn't at the crime scene.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the prosecutor who sent Ford to death row, A.M. "Marty" Stroud III, <a href="" type="internal">apologized for the conviction</a>.</p>
<p>Alison McCrary, a civil rights attorney who volunteered at Resurrection After Exoneration, told NBC News that Ford hadn’t been diagnosed at Angola, the state prison where he was incarcerated, with the various cancers that killed him, including lung, brain and bone cancer. His medical costs — about $2,000 a week — were paid by private donations, she said.</p>
<p>Ford hadn’t been able to speak for roughly the last week, and he was in “excruciating pain” when he died at 2 a.m., McCrary said. Still, she added, “There’s also a peacefulness about Glenn. He had no hatred in his heart. He was really looking forward to the afterlife.”</p>
<p>A funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Charbonnet Funeral Home in New Orleans.</p>
| 4,842 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>UNMH now expects to receive the vaccine in mid- to late-October, said epidemiologist Meghan Brett.</p>
<p>The UNM Health Sciences Center and UNM Hospitals had scheduled seven free clinics across Albuquerque in October and November. The first, scheduled for this Saturday at the UNM Westside Clinic, has been postponed.</p>
<p>Other October clinics, including the popular drive-thru clinics, remain tentatively scheduled but could also be postponed, depending on the vaccine supply.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>UNMH will try to reschedule any postponed clinics.</p>
<p>Flu season typically ramps up in December and peaks later in the winter.</p>
<p>“Even with the delayed delivery, there’s still plenty of time to get your flu shot,” Brett said.</p>
<p>Those who visit the free drive-thru clinics, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 18 and Oct. 25, can receive flu vaccines without getting out of their cars.</p>
<p>Drive-thru vaccinations are available for adults and children ages 9 and older. All other clinics offer flu shots to adults and children ages 6 months and older.</p>
<p>For an updated flu shot clinic schedule, visit <a href="http://hsc.unm.edu" type="external">hsc.unm.edu</a> or call the hospital switchboard at 272-2111.</p>
<p>Following are the times and locations of the flu shot clinics. UNMH will try to reschedule any postponed clinics.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Oct. 4 (Postponed) – UNM Westside Clinic, 4808 McMahon NW, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older;</p>
<p>Oct. 11 (Tentative) – 1209 Family Health Clinic, 1209 University Blvd. NE, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older;</p>
<p>Oct. 18 (Tentative) – Drive-thru clinic, NE Heights Family Health Clinic, 7801 Academy NE, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9 years and older;</p>
<p>Oct. 25 (Tentative) – Drive-thru clinic, Family Practice Center (UNM North Campus), 2400 Tucker NE, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9 years and older;</p>
<p>Nov. 1 – Southwest Mesa Clinic, 301 Unser Blvd. NW, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older;</p>
<p>Nov. 8 – Lobocare and Senior Clinic, 1101-4A Medical Arts Ave. NE, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older; and</p>
<p>Nov. 15 – Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older.</p>
<p />
<p />
|
UNMH flu clinics on hold, vaccines delayed
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/471387/vaccine-delays-postpone-unmh-flu-shot-clinics.html
| 2least
|
UNMH flu clinics on hold, vaccines delayed
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>UNMH now expects to receive the vaccine in mid- to late-October, said epidemiologist Meghan Brett.</p>
<p>The UNM Health Sciences Center and UNM Hospitals had scheduled seven free clinics across Albuquerque in October and November. The first, scheduled for this Saturday at the UNM Westside Clinic, has been postponed.</p>
<p>Other October clinics, including the popular drive-thru clinics, remain tentatively scheduled but could also be postponed, depending on the vaccine supply.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>UNMH will try to reschedule any postponed clinics.</p>
<p>Flu season typically ramps up in December and peaks later in the winter.</p>
<p>“Even with the delayed delivery, there’s still plenty of time to get your flu shot,” Brett said.</p>
<p>Those who visit the free drive-thru clinics, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 18 and Oct. 25, can receive flu vaccines without getting out of their cars.</p>
<p>Drive-thru vaccinations are available for adults and children ages 9 and older. All other clinics offer flu shots to adults and children ages 6 months and older.</p>
<p>For an updated flu shot clinic schedule, visit <a href="http://hsc.unm.edu" type="external">hsc.unm.edu</a> or call the hospital switchboard at 272-2111.</p>
<p>Following are the times and locations of the flu shot clinics. UNMH will try to reschedule any postponed clinics.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Oct. 4 (Postponed) – UNM Westside Clinic, 4808 McMahon NW, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older;</p>
<p>Oct. 11 (Tentative) – 1209 Family Health Clinic, 1209 University Blvd. NE, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older;</p>
<p>Oct. 18 (Tentative) – Drive-thru clinic, NE Heights Family Health Clinic, 7801 Academy NE, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9 years and older;</p>
<p>Oct. 25 (Tentative) – Drive-thru clinic, Family Practice Center (UNM North Campus), 2400 Tucker NE, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 9 years and older;</p>
<p>Nov. 1 – Southwest Mesa Clinic, 301 Unser Blvd. NW, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older;</p>
<p>Nov. 8 – Lobocare and Senior Clinic, 1101-4A Medical Arts Ave. NE, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older; and</p>
<p>Nov. 15 – Southeast Heights Clinic, 8200 Central SE, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 6 months and older.</p>
<p />
<p />
| 4,843 |
|
<p>Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.).&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48445211@N06/7645564316/in/photolist-cDBvUq-cDBpeJ-cDBsEo-cDBwnW-cDBKUU-cDBKdY-cDBSmw-cDBW8b-cDBWTE-cDBJ8b-cDBwEG-cDBp3C-cDBBsY-cDBMLA-cDBX7m-cDBoHd-cDBrWC-cDC4QG-cDCcru-cDBJs1-cDC4Gu-cDC6X5-cDBuwJ-cDBHGE-cDBZXw-cDCdqh-cDBqaC-cDC2s5-cDC8AN-cDCcUN-cDC41L-cDCdXy-cDBFUL-cDBt6h-cDBtuG-cDByBf-cDBZd7-cDCcFW-cDBnVS-cDBorQ-cDBToL-cDBrKh-cDBKzu-cDBLDo-cDBXy5-cDBTg5-cDC2db-cDBz5s-cDBNch-cDCand-cDBpYh"&gt;US Department of Education&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p />
<p>The immigration reform debate has heated up again this week on Capitol Hill, but a flurry of activity in the House on Wednesday ended with no clear path forward for comprehensive reform. In the words of Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Border Caucus, “Who the hell knows what’s going to come out of [the House]?”</p>
<p>This morning Grijalva and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, all Democrats, met with President Obama at the White House to discuss reform. Later in the day, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House minority leader, held a press conference with four members of the Congressional Border Caucus, including Grijalva, who voiced their concerns about the Senate bill’s $40 billion-plus border security measures and urged a more humanitarian approach. Meanwhile, from Dallas, former president George W. Bush, whose own immigration reform efforts fell short in 2007, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/former-president-bush-says-benevolent-spirit-must-drive-debate-over-immigration-reform/2013/07/10/226abd76-e96c-11e2-818e-aa29e855f3ab_story.html" type="external">urged Congress</a> to reach a “positive resolution.” But the day’s most-anticipated event was a closed-door meeting of House Republicans who are unlikely to heed the ex-president’s advice.</p>
<p>Republicans emerging from Wednesday’s meeting indicated that they still plan to take a piecemeal approach, passing a series of law enforcement-centric bills through committees rather than a comprehensive bill mirroring the Senate’s. “Today House Republicans affirmed that rather than take up the flawed legislation rushed through the Senate, House committees will continue their work on a step-by-step, common-sense approach to fixing what has long been a broken system,” Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the House speaker, <a href="http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/joint-statement-house-gop-leaders-immigration-reform" type="external">said in a joint statement</a> with other Republican leaders. (The House’s bipartisan “Group of Seven,” which includes three Republicans, has been working on a comprehensive bill&#160;but has yet to unveil it after a series of delays.)</p>
<p>Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters that Republicans remained concerned that the Senate bill’s border security measures don’t go far enough because they would not have to be implemented before up to 11 million undocumented immigrants are granted provisional legal status. As the Senate bill stands, Goodlatte said, Republicans worry that President Obama could unilaterally delay border security measures in a manner similar to his decision last week to <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/310201-carney-harkin-willfully-ignorant-on-obamacare-delay" type="external">delay the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandates</a>. But any efforts to further restrict their path to citizenship could be a deal-breaker for Democrats, many of whom think the Senate bill is <a href="" type="internal">already too conservative</a> and have decried such proposals as “poison pills.”</p>
<p>On Wednesday morning, before Obama’s meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the White House <a href="http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/07/white-house-builds-pressure-on-immigration-167925.html" type="external">released a report</a> playing up the Senate bill’s economic benefits. Grijalva kept the details of the White House meeting under wraps at Pelosi’s press conference. “We all had an understanding with the president that the consequences of much of the very honest and blunt discussion was going to stay private,” he said.</p>
<p>Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas), who resigned from the CHC last week in protest of its support for the Senate immigration bill despite the border security measures, was also at the press conference but did not attend the White House meeting. Asked if Vela’s resignation was a sign of further splintering to come on the left, Grijalva said simply, “No.”</p>
<p />
|
The State of Immigration Reform in the House: “Who the Hell Knows”
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/fate-immigration-reform-house-unclear/
|
2013-07-10
| 4left
|
The State of Immigration Reform in the House: “Who the Hell Knows”
<p>Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.).&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/48445211@N06/7645564316/in/photolist-cDBvUq-cDBpeJ-cDBsEo-cDBwnW-cDBKUU-cDBKdY-cDBSmw-cDBW8b-cDBWTE-cDBJ8b-cDBwEG-cDBp3C-cDBBsY-cDBMLA-cDBX7m-cDBoHd-cDBrWC-cDC4QG-cDCcru-cDBJs1-cDC4Gu-cDC6X5-cDBuwJ-cDBHGE-cDBZXw-cDCdqh-cDBqaC-cDC2s5-cDC8AN-cDCcUN-cDC41L-cDCdXy-cDBFUL-cDBt6h-cDBtuG-cDByBf-cDBZd7-cDCcFW-cDBnVS-cDBorQ-cDBToL-cDBrKh-cDBKzu-cDBLDo-cDBXy5-cDBTg5-cDC2db-cDBz5s-cDBNch-cDCand-cDBpYh"&gt;US Department of Education&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p />
<p>The immigration reform debate has heated up again this week on Capitol Hill, but a flurry of activity in the House on Wednesday ended with no clear path forward for comprehensive reform. In the words of Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Border Caucus, “Who the hell knows what’s going to come out of [the House]?”</p>
<p>This morning Grijalva and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, all Democrats, met with President Obama at the White House to discuss reform. Later in the day, Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House minority leader, held a press conference with four members of the Congressional Border Caucus, including Grijalva, who voiced their concerns about the Senate bill’s $40 billion-plus border security measures and urged a more humanitarian approach. Meanwhile, from Dallas, former president George W. Bush, whose own immigration reform efforts fell short in 2007, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/former-president-bush-says-benevolent-spirit-must-drive-debate-over-immigration-reform/2013/07/10/226abd76-e96c-11e2-818e-aa29e855f3ab_story.html" type="external">urged Congress</a> to reach a “positive resolution.” But the day’s most-anticipated event was a closed-door meeting of House Republicans who are unlikely to heed the ex-president’s advice.</p>
<p>Republicans emerging from Wednesday’s meeting indicated that they still plan to take a piecemeal approach, passing a series of law enforcement-centric bills through committees rather than a comprehensive bill mirroring the Senate’s. “Today House Republicans affirmed that rather than take up the flawed legislation rushed through the Senate, House committees will continue their work on a step-by-step, common-sense approach to fixing what has long been a broken system,” Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), the House speaker, <a href="http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/joint-statement-house-gop-leaders-immigration-reform" type="external">said in a joint statement</a> with other Republican leaders. (The House’s bipartisan “Group of Seven,” which includes three Republicans, has been working on a comprehensive bill&#160;but has yet to unveil it after a series of delays.)</p>
<p>Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters that Republicans remained concerned that the Senate bill’s border security measures don’t go far enough because they would not have to be implemented before up to 11 million undocumented immigrants are granted provisional legal status. As the Senate bill stands, Goodlatte said, Republicans worry that President Obama could unilaterally delay border security measures in a manner similar to his decision last week to <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/310201-carney-harkin-willfully-ignorant-on-obamacare-delay" type="external">delay the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandates</a>. But any efforts to further restrict their path to citizenship could be a deal-breaker for Democrats, many of whom think the Senate bill is <a href="" type="internal">already too conservative</a> and have decried such proposals as “poison pills.”</p>
<p>On Wednesday morning, before Obama’s meeting with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the White House <a href="http://www.politico.com/politico44/2013/07/white-house-builds-pressure-on-immigration-167925.html" type="external">released a report</a> playing up the Senate bill’s economic benefits. Grijalva kept the details of the White House meeting under wraps at Pelosi’s press conference. “We all had an understanding with the president that the consequences of much of the very honest and blunt discussion was going to stay private,” he said.</p>
<p>Rep. Filemon Vela (D-Texas), who resigned from the CHC last week in protest of its support for the Senate immigration bill despite the border security measures, was also at the press conference but did not attend the White House meeting. Asked if Vela’s resignation was a sign of further splintering to come on the left, Grijalva said simply, “No.”</p>
<p />
| 4,844 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Feb. 29, 2012, left a black stain on the UNM women’s basketball team’s collective psyche.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Air Force handed the Lobos a 52-47 defeat on that infamous day last season, ending New Mexico’s 31-game winning streak in the series. The Falcons’ only Mountain West Conference victory came in the regular-season finale.</p>
<p>The Lobos (11-9, 3-4 MWC) venture back to Clune Arena tonight hoping to even their conference record and put bitter memories of the 2012 Leap Day disaster to rest.</p>
<p>“Some of the girls were talking about that and they still can’t believe it,” said UNM junior Deeva Vaughn, one of several Lobos who missed last season’s game at Air Force because of injury. “We’ve got to come out ready to play this year, not take (the Falcons) for granted. That’s what I believe happened last year.”</p>
<p>The circumstances are different for UNM this time around. Coach Yvonne Sanchez’s team is not so wounded and has more at stake.</p>
<p>Last season’s Lobos went to AFA locked into the No. 7 seeding position for the MWC tournament. This year’s squad has an opportunity to do much better.</p>
<p>Tonight’s game marks the halfway point in the MWC race, with UNM currently in fifth place, one game behind UNLV. The Lobos have five of their final eight conference games at home, starting with the Rebels on Saturday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In typical coaches’ fashion, Sanchez preferred not to look ahead.</p>
<p>“Things will look a lot better if we beat Air Force,” she said. “That’s our priority right now.”</p>
<p>The Lobos are coming off a 69-66 win at Nevada that seemed to help settle a few nagging issues. UNM established a post presence, got balanced scoring and hit 15 of 19 free-throw attempts.</p>
<p>Sanchez wants more of the same tonight.</p>
<p>“Against Air Force we’ve got to get the ball inside early and often,” she said. “(The Falcons) can be vulnerable in the post, so we can’t settle for jump shots, especially early. We have to have a post presence.”</p>
<p>Vaughn not only agreed, she suggested that consistent post play and aggressive defense will determine UNM’s success through the season’s homestretch.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Air Force is very physical, more so than Nevada,” she said, “but they’re not as big inside. If we get the ball inside, I feel like our post players can have a field day. Establishing our posts and pushing ourselves on the defensive end are really the keys for this team.”</p>
<p>Air Force scored an early conference win this season (over UNLV), but things haven’t changed much otherwise since 2011-12. The Falcons (2-18, 1-6) rank at or near the bottom of most MWC statistical categories, including home attendance, where they draw a league-worst 296 fans per contest.</p>
<p>They’ll likely exceed that number tonight. Air Force is holding a “Pack the House” promotion featuring $3 tickets, $2 hot dogs and $1 soft drinks for tonight’s contest.</p>
<p>Sanchez was hardly surprised to hear of it.</p>
<p>“Everybody pulls out the stops for us,” she said. “We’ll get (the Falcons’) best shot on the court, too. They know they beat us at home last year, and I’m sure they’ll go all-out to do it again.”</p>
<p>Seniors Alicia Leipprandt and Dymond James are the primary scoring threats for Air Force, averaging a combined 21 points per game. UNM focused on stopping both players during practice this week, and the Lobos believe they’re prepared to make this Colorado trip a positive one.</p>
<p>“Slowly but surely we’re starting to build that team chemistry,” Vaughn said. “It’s taken longer than we wanted, but I’d rather have it happen now, so we can peak late in the conference season.” Lobos Recall a Bitter Defeat Upset Loss to Falcons Last Year Still Stings</p>
<p>UNM WOMEN — This article appeared on page D2 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
|
Lobo Women Recall Loss to Falcons
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/238829/lobo-women-recall-loss-to-falcons.html
| 2least
|
Lobo Women Recall Loss to Falcons
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Feb. 29, 2012, left a black stain on the UNM women’s basketball team’s collective psyche.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Air Force handed the Lobos a 52-47 defeat on that infamous day last season, ending New Mexico’s 31-game winning streak in the series. The Falcons’ only Mountain West Conference victory came in the regular-season finale.</p>
<p>The Lobos (11-9, 3-4 MWC) venture back to Clune Arena tonight hoping to even their conference record and put bitter memories of the 2012 Leap Day disaster to rest.</p>
<p>“Some of the girls were talking about that and they still can’t believe it,” said UNM junior Deeva Vaughn, one of several Lobos who missed last season’s game at Air Force because of injury. “We’ve got to come out ready to play this year, not take (the Falcons) for granted. That’s what I believe happened last year.”</p>
<p>The circumstances are different for UNM this time around. Coach Yvonne Sanchez’s team is not so wounded and has more at stake.</p>
<p>Last season’s Lobos went to AFA locked into the No. 7 seeding position for the MWC tournament. This year’s squad has an opportunity to do much better.</p>
<p>Tonight’s game marks the halfway point in the MWC race, with UNM currently in fifth place, one game behind UNLV. The Lobos have five of their final eight conference games at home, starting with the Rebels on Saturday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In typical coaches’ fashion, Sanchez preferred not to look ahead.</p>
<p>“Things will look a lot better if we beat Air Force,” she said. “That’s our priority right now.”</p>
<p>The Lobos are coming off a 69-66 win at Nevada that seemed to help settle a few nagging issues. UNM established a post presence, got balanced scoring and hit 15 of 19 free-throw attempts.</p>
<p>Sanchez wants more of the same tonight.</p>
<p>“Against Air Force we’ve got to get the ball inside early and often,” she said. “(The Falcons) can be vulnerable in the post, so we can’t settle for jump shots, especially early. We have to have a post presence.”</p>
<p>Vaughn not only agreed, she suggested that consistent post play and aggressive defense will determine UNM’s success through the season’s homestretch.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Air Force is very physical, more so than Nevada,” she said, “but they’re not as big inside. If we get the ball inside, I feel like our post players can have a field day. Establishing our posts and pushing ourselves on the defensive end are really the keys for this team.”</p>
<p>Air Force scored an early conference win this season (over UNLV), but things haven’t changed much otherwise since 2011-12. The Falcons (2-18, 1-6) rank at or near the bottom of most MWC statistical categories, including home attendance, where they draw a league-worst 296 fans per contest.</p>
<p>They’ll likely exceed that number tonight. Air Force is holding a “Pack the House” promotion featuring $3 tickets, $2 hot dogs and $1 soft drinks for tonight’s contest.</p>
<p>Sanchez was hardly surprised to hear of it.</p>
<p>“Everybody pulls out the stops for us,” she said. “We’ll get (the Falcons’) best shot on the court, too. They know they beat us at home last year, and I’m sure they’ll go all-out to do it again.”</p>
<p>Seniors Alicia Leipprandt and Dymond James are the primary scoring threats for Air Force, averaging a combined 21 points per game. UNM focused on stopping both players during practice this week, and the Lobos believe they’re prepared to make this Colorado trip a positive one.</p>
<p>“Slowly but surely we’re starting to build that team chemistry,” Vaughn said. “It’s taken longer than we wanted, but I’d rather have it happen now, so we can peak late in the conference season.” Lobos Recall a Bitter Defeat Upset Loss to Falcons Last Year Still Stings</p>
<p>UNM WOMEN — This article appeared on page D2 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
| 4,845 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>President Vladimir Putin’s seizure of Crimea just over a year ago has now broadened into what some U.S. officials see as a wider Russian challenge to the post-Cold War order. Reading recent news reports, it’s almost as if U.S.-Russia relations have fallen through a black hole back toward the deadly confrontations of the 1980s.</p>
<p>The debate about Russian aggression isn’t just about Ukraine. Putin’s activities are rekindling core concerns that created the NATO alliance. Unfortunately, this time around, there appears to be less trans-Atlantic resolve to combat Russian threats.</p>
<p>The Obama administration is debating how to augment its Russia policy, but there are clear internal disagreements. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, appear to favor sending lethal arms to Ukraine. But President Obama seems caught between a desire to contain Russian actions and his continuing hope for Moscow’s cooperation, both in the Iran nuclear talks and in settling the Syrian civil war.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A vivid example of the Cold War time-warp was Putin’s revelation in a Russian documentary last weekend that he considered putting Russian nuclear forces on alert early last year when Russia intervened in Crimea after the Ukraine government collapsed. His comment illustrated anew the danger that the Ukraine conflict could spiral out of control.</p>
<p>The arms control process, which helped steady the Cold War, now seems to be running in reverse. Russia withdrew last week from consultations about the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, signaling that it has effectively abandoned that pact. Moscow has also balked at discussing any additional cuts in nuclear weapons in a once-planned expansion of the 2010 “New START” treaty.</p>
<p>The most worrisome breakdown of U.S.-Russian détente may be the unraveling of the 1987 pact governing medium-range nuclear forces in Europe, known as the INF treaty. Last July, the U.S. accused Russia of breaching that pact by testing a ground-launched cruise missile that violated agreed limits. The Russians countered with accusations about alleged U.S. violations.</p>
<p>Carter warned in congressional testimony last month that the U.S. would consider military options if Russia didn’t return to compliance with the INF treaty. Those might include “active defenses” to stop nuclear-armed cruise missiles and “countervailing strike capabilities,” he said.</p>
<p>The potential demise of the INF agreement is especially significant because it was a crucial step toward ending the Cold War. The treaty was negotiated after the U.S. and its European allies decided to counter Russian deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles by installing comparable Pershing missiles in Europe. That led Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to halt the SS-20 plan and sign the treaty, encouraging what Putin now sees as an era of Russian weakness and defeat.</p>
<p>As Putin has moved to restore Russia’s power, he has used tactics, such as arming the separatists in eastern Ukraine, that are closer to intelligence operations than to conventional military action. This approach, dubbed “hybrid warfare” by Western analysts, has confounded the U.S. and its NATO allies; they have so far refrained from providing Ukraine with lethal weapons that might combat the Russian-armed proxy forces.</p>
<p>Ukraine isn’t a NATO member and the U.S. has tried to signal since the crisis began that it would use military force to stop similar aggression against a NATO member under Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty. But the commitment to retaliate against outright attacks begs the question of how NATO would respond to Ukraine-style subversion against a member by “men in green” proxy forces. If Russian-speaking separatists seized territory in a Baltic country, for example, would NATO strike Russia? Such contingencies need more discussion.</p>
<p>And does NATO still have the military muscle to mount an effective response, assuming it has the political will? The U.S. has cut its forces in Europe to a fraction of what they were during the Cold War and European nations, distracted by economic crisis, haven’t implemented pledges to boost their own forces. Even Britain, traditionally America’s most stalwart NATO ally, isn’t meeting the defense spending target set last year at a summit in Wales.</p>
<p>It’s back to the future in Putin’s Europe. But the muscle memory of deterrence seems to have atrophied. It has been so long since NATO was really tested that alliance members may have forgotten what collective self-defense really means.</p>
<p>Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.</p>
<p />
<p />
|
Back to the future in Putin’s Europe
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/557847/back-to-the-future-in-putins-europe.html
| 2least
|
Back to the future in Putin’s Europe
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>President Vladimir Putin’s seizure of Crimea just over a year ago has now broadened into what some U.S. officials see as a wider Russian challenge to the post-Cold War order. Reading recent news reports, it’s almost as if U.S.-Russia relations have fallen through a black hole back toward the deadly confrontations of the 1980s.</p>
<p>The debate about Russian aggression isn’t just about Ukraine. Putin’s activities are rekindling core concerns that created the NATO alliance. Unfortunately, this time around, there appears to be less trans-Atlantic resolve to combat Russian threats.</p>
<p>The Obama administration is debating how to augment its Russia policy, but there are clear internal disagreements. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, appear to favor sending lethal arms to Ukraine. But President Obama seems caught between a desire to contain Russian actions and his continuing hope for Moscow’s cooperation, both in the Iran nuclear talks and in settling the Syrian civil war.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A vivid example of the Cold War time-warp was Putin’s revelation in a Russian documentary last weekend that he considered putting Russian nuclear forces on alert early last year when Russia intervened in Crimea after the Ukraine government collapsed. His comment illustrated anew the danger that the Ukraine conflict could spiral out of control.</p>
<p>The arms control process, which helped steady the Cold War, now seems to be running in reverse. Russia withdrew last week from consultations about the 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, signaling that it has effectively abandoned that pact. Moscow has also balked at discussing any additional cuts in nuclear weapons in a once-planned expansion of the 2010 “New START” treaty.</p>
<p>The most worrisome breakdown of U.S.-Russian détente may be the unraveling of the 1987 pact governing medium-range nuclear forces in Europe, known as the INF treaty. Last July, the U.S. accused Russia of breaching that pact by testing a ground-launched cruise missile that violated agreed limits. The Russians countered with accusations about alleged U.S. violations.</p>
<p>Carter warned in congressional testimony last month that the U.S. would consider military options if Russia didn’t return to compliance with the INF treaty. Those might include “active defenses” to stop nuclear-armed cruise missiles and “countervailing strike capabilities,” he said.</p>
<p>The potential demise of the INF agreement is especially significant because it was a crucial step toward ending the Cold War. The treaty was negotiated after the U.S. and its European allies decided to counter Russian deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles by installing comparable Pershing missiles in Europe. That led Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to halt the SS-20 plan and sign the treaty, encouraging what Putin now sees as an era of Russian weakness and defeat.</p>
<p>As Putin has moved to restore Russia’s power, he has used tactics, such as arming the separatists in eastern Ukraine, that are closer to intelligence operations than to conventional military action. This approach, dubbed “hybrid warfare” by Western analysts, has confounded the U.S. and its NATO allies; they have so far refrained from providing Ukraine with lethal weapons that might combat the Russian-armed proxy forces.</p>
<p>Ukraine isn’t a NATO member and the U.S. has tried to signal since the crisis began that it would use military force to stop similar aggression against a NATO member under Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty. But the commitment to retaliate against outright attacks begs the question of how NATO would respond to Ukraine-style subversion against a member by “men in green” proxy forces. If Russian-speaking separatists seized territory in a Baltic country, for example, would NATO strike Russia? Such contingencies need more discussion.</p>
<p>And does NATO still have the military muscle to mount an effective response, assuming it has the political will? The U.S. has cut its forces in Europe to a fraction of what they were during the Cold War and European nations, distracted by economic crisis, haven’t implemented pledges to boost their own forces. Even Britain, traditionally America’s most stalwart NATO ally, isn’t meeting the defense spending target set last year at a summit in Wales.</p>
<p>It’s back to the future in Putin’s Europe. But the muscle memory of deterrence seems to have atrophied. It has been so long since NATO was really tested that alliance members may have forgotten what collective self-defense really means.</p>
<p>Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.</p>
<p />
<p />
| 4,846 |
|
<p />
<p>Many in Congress and the Pentagon boast that American Soldiers and Marines have the best equipment in the world. Reports from the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan say otherwise. The information about the failures is not new; solutions are long overdue.</p>
<p>Reports from the Army’s Natick Soldier Center and its Tank-automotive and Armaments Command and the Marine’s Systems Command Liaison Team in Iraq, all from 2002 and 2003, tell us, for example, troops’ “dislikes,” including uniforms that rip easily, eyewear that fogs up and fits poorly under helmets, and boots that blister, crack, and burst, and are “poor for movement,” or as in one soldier’s e-mail are “truly awful and also painful.”</p>
<p>Troops buy some equipment with their own money, usually because Government Issue performs poorly. Such items include gloves, socks, flashlights, padding for backpacks, “CamelBak” hydration systems, and weapons cleaning equipment. Banal items? Perhaps to us back home, but certainly not for Soldiers fighting in the winter mountains of Afghanistan and the desert heat of Iraq, doing whatever it takes to keep their bodies and their weapons working.</p>
<p>It is remarkable that the Pentagon refuses to pay out enough for top quality supplies while spending over $1 billion per day. The Defense Department is only now implementing procedures for reimbursing troops for their personal expenses—an idea thrust on it by Congress.</p>
<p>The most disturbing information is about infantry weapons. In one official report, 13 to 20 percent of soldiers reported jamming in the M-4 carbine, even though many augmented their cleaning kits with special brushes and picks. Fifty-four percent of those equipped with the M249 machine gun reported maintenance problems, and up to 35 percent said they were not confident in the weapon. There were also complaints about the M9 pistol, that it suffers from corrosion problems and the weak magazine spring does not reliably feed rounds into the chamber. Complaints about poor performing M16 magazines are also common. These are not problems for the enemy; the Soviet-designed AK-47 assault rifle and its magazines operate unaffected in virtually all climates and conditions, even when not properly maintained.</p>
<p>An even more serious issue is lethality. The small size of the 5.56 mm bullet for the U.S. M4 carbine, M16 rifle, and M249 machine gun is highly controversial among some troops. One official report said troops “asked for a weapon with a larger round, ‘so it will drop a man with one shot.’” Even the M9 pistol, which shoots a sizeable 9 mm round, impressed few. Soldiers’ blogs and e-mails report many of them like the small caliber weapons’ lightness and the large amount of ammunition troops can carry, but some say those bullets are “too small and too stabilized” thus making them “woefully inadequate as a man stopper.” The complaints seem widespread, but it is unclear how many are from direct experience or just word of mouth. Deserved or not, there appears to be a real crisis of confidence in these small caliber weapons.</p>
<p>That the large 9mm caliber M9 pistol is collecting similar complaints brings into question just what it is that troops are complaining about. Up to now, neither the Army nor the Marines have performed any service-wide survey of troops’ experiences in combat and therefore do not know how widespread is the low confidence or to what extent it is based on experience rather than rumor.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the Army and Marine Corps seem to have decided what the solution is: Their reports state the rounds are lethal, for example, “as long as the shots were in the head or chest.” But not all troops are, or can be, expert marksmen, and most rarely have the time and presence of mind in combat for minutely aimed shots. Telling soldiers and Marines in the chaos of war to aim better is a bureaucrat’s solution, not a real one.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there might be a way to address the problem. The DOD’s Inspector General has announced it will study whether U.S. troops in Iraq have the equipment they need, and the Marines have announced an inquiry of returning troops. This research should include a broad, representative survey of troops’ direct experiences in combat with their weapons. If the valid complaints about poor lethality are widespread, there should be an immediate, thorough, and independent evaluation of the nature of the problem. Only then, can meaningful solutions be identified.</p>
<p>In the meantime, troops who do not have confidence in their weapons should be permitted to equip themselves with alternate assault rifles and pistols, either from stocks of previous designs currently available in DOD’s inventory or weapons, such as AK-47s, which are available, complete with ammunition, in huge numbers in Iraq right now.</p>
<p>In 2004, a furor broke out when reports reached Washington many Humvee vehicles in Iraq lacked armor and Americans were maimed and killed as a result. Congress quickly flooded defense budgets with funding for armor. Any problems in American infantry weapons are far more serious and can mean even more needless American casualties. If the DOD Inspector General and the services do not move out on the needed research immediately, they should be ordered to do so by Congress.</p>
<p>This article first appeared at Military.com.</p>
<p />
|
Huge Defense Budget, Lousy Equipment
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2006/01/huge-defense-budget-lousy-equipment/
|
2006-01-06
| 4left
|
Huge Defense Budget, Lousy Equipment
<p />
<p>Many in Congress and the Pentagon boast that American Soldiers and Marines have the best equipment in the world. Reports from the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan say otherwise. The information about the failures is not new; solutions are long overdue.</p>
<p>Reports from the Army’s Natick Soldier Center and its Tank-automotive and Armaments Command and the Marine’s Systems Command Liaison Team in Iraq, all from 2002 and 2003, tell us, for example, troops’ “dislikes,” including uniforms that rip easily, eyewear that fogs up and fits poorly under helmets, and boots that blister, crack, and burst, and are “poor for movement,” or as in one soldier’s e-mail are “truly awful and also painful.”</p>
<p>Troops buy some equipment with their own money, usually because Government Issue performs poorly. Such items include gloves, socks, flashlights, padding for backpacks, “CamelBak” hydration systems, and weapons cleaning equipment. Banal items? Perhaps to us back home, but certainly not for Soldiers fighting in the winter mountains of Afghanistan and the desert heat of Iraq, doing whatever it takes to keep their bodies and their weapons working.</p>
<p>It is remarkable that the Pentagon refuses to pay out enough for top quality supplies while spending over $1 billion per day. The Defense Department is only now implementing procedures for reimbursing troops for their personal expenses—an idea thrust on it by Congress.</p>
<p>The most disturbing information is about infantry weapons. In one official report, 13 to 20 percent of soldiers reported jamming in the M-4 carbine, even though many augmented their cleaning kits with special brushes and picks. Fifty-four percent of those equipped with the M249 machine gun reported maintenance problems, and up to 35 percent said they were not confident in the weapon. There were also complaints about the M9 pistol, that it suffers from corrosion problems and the weak magazine spring does not reliably feed rounds into the chamber. Complaints about poor performing M16 magazines are also common. These are not problems for the enemy; the Soviet-designed AK-47 assault rifle and its magazines operate unaffected in virtually all climates and conditions, even when not properly maintained.</p>
<p>An even more serious issue is lethality. The small size of the 5.56 mm bullet for the U.S. M4 carbine, M16 rifle, and M249 machine gun is highly controversial among some troops. One official report said troops “asked for a weapon with a larger round, ‘so it will drop a man with one shot.’” Even the M9 pistol, which shoots a sizeable 9 mm round, impressed few. Soldiers’ blogs and e-mails report many of them like the small caliber weapons’ lightness and the large amount of ammunition troops can carry, but some say those bullets are “too small and too stabilized” thus making them “woefully inadequate as a man stopper.” The complaints seem widespread, but it is unclear how many are from direct experience or just word of mouth. Deserved or not, there appears to be a real crisis of confidence in these small caliber weapons.</p>
<p>That the large 9mm caliber M9 pistol is collecting similar complaints brings into question just what it is that troops are complaining about. Up to now, neither the Army nor the Marines have performed any service-wide survey of troops’ experiences in combat and therefore do not know how widespread is the low confidence or to what extent it is based on experience rather than rumor.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the Army and Marine Corps seem to have decided what the solution is: Their reports state the rounds are lethal, for example, “as long as the shots were in the head or chest.” But not all troops are, or can be, expert marksmen, and most rarely have the time and presence of mind in combat for minutely aimed shots. Telling soldiers and Marines in the chaos of war to aim better is a bureaucrat’s solution, not a real one.</p>
<p>Fortunately, there might be a way to address the problem. The DOD’s Inspector General has announced it will study whether U.S. troops in Iraq have the equipment they need, and the Marines have announced an inquiry of returning troops. This research should include a broad, representative survey of troops’ direct experiences in combat with their weapons. If the valid complaints about poor lethality are widespread, there should be an immediate, thorough, and independent evaluation of the nature of the problem. Only then, can meaningful solutions be identified.</p>
<p>In the meantime, troops who do not have confidence in their weapons should be permitted to equip themselves with alternate assault rifles and pistols, either from stocks of previous designs currently available in DOD’s inventory or weapons, such as AK-47s, which are available, complete with ammunition, in huge numbers in Iraq right now.</p>
<p>In 2004, a furor broke out when reports reached Washington many Humvee vehicles in Iraq lacked armor and Americans were maimed and killed as a result. Congress quickly flooded defense budgets with funding for armor. Any problems in American infantry weapons are far more serious and can mean even more needless American casualties. If the DOD Inspector General and the services do not move out on the needed research immediately, they should be ordered to do so by Congress.</p>
<p>This article first appeared at Military.com.</p>
<p />
| 4,847 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>First reported by 9to5Google on Wednesday, the drone cancellation took place early in 2016, according to a representative from the X subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. The representative told PCMag that X plans to refocus its efforts on development of a high-altitude balloon called Loon that can deliver Internet access to remote areas, as well as the Project Wing drone delivery service.</p>
<p>“The team from Titan was brought into X in late 2015,” X Communications Manager Jacquelyn Miller wrote in an email to PCMag. “We ended our exploration of high altitude UAVs for internet access shortly after.”</p>
<p>Miller explained that the decision to stop drone research was one of several reorganizations that occurred after Alphabet was established, but that X’s overall mission to expiriment with alternative ways of delivering Internet access hadn’t changed.</p>
<p>“By comparison, at this stage the economics and technical feasibility of Project Loon present a much more promising way to connect rural and remote parts of the world,” she wrote. “Many people from the Titan team are now using their expertise as part of other high flying projects at X, including Loon and Project Wing.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The challenges of delivering Internet access via solar-powered drones have not deterred Facebook, which performed a test flight of its own Aquila drone last year. That flight ended in disaster, however, when the prototype crashed due to a structural failure.</p>
<p>Facebook was also rumored to be interested in Titan Aerospace before Google acquired it in 2014. The company instead picked up UK-based Ascenta, which had also been working on solar-powered drones.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.</p>
|
Google Is No Longer Working on High-Altitude Drones
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/926058/google-is-no-longer-working-on-high-altitude-drones.html
| 2least
|
Google Is No Longer Working on High-Altitude Drones
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>First reported by 9to5Google on Wednesday, the drone cancellation took place early in 2016, according to a representative from the X subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. The representative told PCMag that X plans to refocus its efforts on development of a high-altitude balloon called Loon that can deliver Internet access to remote areas, as well as the Project Wing drone delivery service.</p>
<p>“The team from Titan was brought into X in late 2015,” X Communications Manager Jacquelyn Miller wrote in an email to PCMag. “We ended our exploration of high altitude UAVs for internet access shortly after.”</p>
<p>Miller explained that the decision to stop drone research was one of several reorganizations that occurred after Alphabet was established, but that X’s overall mission to expiriment with alternative ways of delivering Internet access hadn’t changed.</p>
<p>“By comparison, at this stage the economics and technical feasibility of Project Loon present a much more promising way to connect rural and remote parts of the world,” she wrote. “Many people from the Titan team are now using their expertise as part of other high flying projects at X, including Loon and Project Wing.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The challenges of delivering Internet access via solar-powered drones have not deterred Facebook, which performed a test flight of its own Aquila drone last year. That flight ended in disaster, however, when the prototype crashed due to a structural failure.</p>
<p>Facebook was also rumored to be interested in Titan Aerospace before Google acquired it in 2014. The company instead picked up UK-based Ascenta, which had also been working on solar-powered drones.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.</p>
| 4,848 |
|
<p>BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Defence Ministry on Thursday denied that former senior military officer Fan Changlong was being investigated on suspicion of corruption, pointing to a recent article in the military’s official newspaper in which his name was mentioned.</p> FILE PHOTO: China's Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Fan Changlong attends the sixth Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, China, in this October 17, 2015 file photo. REUTERS/Jason Lee/Files
<p>Hong Kong media reported earlier this month that Fan, a former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission which President Xi Jinping heads and which runs the country’s armed forces, was being investigated.</p>
<p>Asked whether Fan was indeed being probed, Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian referred reporters to a Jan. 18 article in the People’s Liberation Army Daily about soldiers’ training, in which Fan was cited as talking about the importance of drills.</p>
<p>“As for this rumor, I suggest you read the article in the Jan. 18 edition of the People’s Liberation Army Daily, ‘On using the fervor of troop training to answer the question of winning in battle’,” Wu told a monthly news briefing, without elaborating.</p>
<p>Pictures of Fan, looking relaxed in civilian clothes and writing calligraphy, also appeared on Chinese social media this week in an article about his post-retirement life.</p>
<p>Pictures of officials rumored to be in trouble are often leaked online as a way of denying anything untoward has happened to them in China.</p>
<p>The Defence Ministry has previously either declined to answer questions on officers suspected of corruption before the probes are actually announced, or said they don’t know anything about the subject.</p>
<p>Fan was on the Central Military Commission until last October when he stepped down as part of a sweeping leadership reshuffle at a once-every-five-years Communist Party Congress.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Britain’s response to the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal on its soil, using a nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union, could hit members of the Russian elite hard if it closes the door on their London lifestyles.</p> Members of the emergency services wearing protective clothing work next to a children's play area near the bench where former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned in Salisbury, Britain, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>Britain gave Russian President Vladimir Putin until midnight on Tuesday to provide an explanation for the attack, and is due to consider its official response on Wednesday.</p>
<p>One possible counter-measure, suggested by British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, could involve denying Russia’s so-called oligarchs access to the luxuries of London, where many have channeled their fortunes, traded their companies and relocated their family lives.</p>
<p>Most prominent among the residents of “Londongrad”, as the British capital has been nicknamed for its popularity among the Russian elite, are Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov, respectively owner and major shareholder of the English football clubs Chelsea and Arsenal.</p>
<p>But they are far from alone. Around 10-15 percent of the 96 Russians on the so-called “oligarch list” published by the U.S. Treasury Department in January could have close ties to Britain, according to Vladimir Ashurkov, a businessman and critic of the Kremlin based in London.</p>
<p>“It’s very possible that Britain will take measures that could affect these individuals,” Ashurkov said.</p>
<p>“We know that London is a large haven for money that come from Russia ... Britain has the capacity to investigate this money and the activity of specific people,” he added.</p>
<p>Among the best-known are a group of long-time business partners associated with the investment vehicle LetterOne, which sports three offices in London’s wealthy Mayfair district alone.</p>
<p>The firm’s founder, Mikhail Fridman, owns a mansion in London’s Highgate, according to the company restoring the property.</p>
<p>One of the firm’s investors, Petr Aven, has given journalists tours around his estate in Surrey, in the southeast of England.</p> Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich applauds fans after winning the Premier League, May 21, 2017. Reuters / Hannah McKay Livepic
<p>Cutting Russians off from the British education system would also sting. One of Fridman’s children attends a prestigious British boarding school, photos on his social media account suggest.</p>
<p>Two sons of Russian entrepreneur and Tinkoff Bank owner Oleg Tinkov attend private school in Britain, according to their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.</p>
<p>And two of Aven’s children have described attending school in Britain before going on to study at Yale University in the United States.</p>
<p>Some wealthy Russians are in London specifically because they have fallen foul of the Kremlin.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>After being fired as Moscow mayor in 2010, Yuri Luzhkov moved his family to London, saying he feared for their safety.</p>
<p>Last December Yelena Baturina, his wife and Russia’s wealthiest woman, was made a director of the charity the Mayor’s Fund for London, according to Britain’s business directory Companies House.</p>
<p>Their daughter Olga studied at University College London, her social media accounts show.</p> Related Video
<p>It is by no means certain that oligarchs bringing their money home would receive a warm welcome, said Christopher Weafer, senior partner at Macro-Advisory, a consultancy in Moscow.</p>
<p>“Oligarchs could find themselves in the middle, in the firing ground as it were,” Weafer said.</p>
<p>“They could be the target of sanctions applied by the UK government, but on the other hand they will get absolutely no sympathy in Russia, because they brought their money out and spent it outside the country.”</p>
<p>Reuters has no evidence that any of the people mentioned, or their businesses, are going to be subject to any new British restrictions.</p>
<p>Editing by Kevin Liffey</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s new foreign minister, Heiko Maas, criticized Russia on Wednesday over its stance towards a nerve agent attack in England for which the British government has blamed Moscow and he said it could not go unpunished.</p> German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrives for the first cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
<p>In his first speech as foreign minister shortly after taking up the post in Germany’s new coalition government, Maas also criticized Russia’s behavior in Ukraine but said he still hoped to improve relations with Moscow through dialogue.</p>
<p>“We take the assessment of the British government (on the chemical attack) seriously and it is disappointing that Russia seems not to be willing to contribute to clearing up (this case),” Maas told foreign ministry staff and reporters.</p>
<p>“Moscow should be ready to be transparent... And it is clear this cannot go without consequences,” he said, adding that Germany would stay in close contact with its NATO ally Britain on the matter.</p>
<p>“The perpetrators must be held accountable... We can fully understand why Britain had to react to this (attack).”</p>
<p>Russia denies any involvement in the attack on Russian ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. They were found unconscious on March 4 on a bench in the English city of Salisbury and remain in a critical condition in hospital.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May announced earlier on Wednesday that Britain would kick out 23 Russian diplomats, the biggest expulsion since the Cold War, over the attack, which she blamed squarely on President Vladimir Putin.</p>
<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other Western leaders have already condemned the attack and backed Britain’s demands that Russia cooperate with the investigation.</p>
<p>Maas said German foreign policy had had to adapt to a situation in which Russia increasingly defined itself as an antagonist to Western countries.</p>
<p>“We continue to disapprove of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the ongoing aggression against Ukraine,” he said, referring to a four-year conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev’s forces and pro-Russian separatists.</p>
<p>Maas, who was speaking after lawmakers re-elected Merkel as chancellor for a fourth, and likely final, term, said Germany must live up to its international responsibilities, and he vowed not to avoid confronting difficult issues.</p>
<p>Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is facing calls to take a more active approach on issues ranging from euro zone reforms to the threat of U.S. trade sanctions and a more assertive Russia.</p>
<p>Maas was due to hold talks in Paris later on Wednesday with his French counterpart.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Madeline Chambers,; writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Gareth Jones</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May’s response to Russia after a nerve agent attack on British soil is unlikely to trouble Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin unduly, despite the expression of outrage that greeted it in Moscow.</p> Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, in London, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville
<p>After the first known use of a military-grade nerve toxin on British soil since World War Two, May expelled 23 Russian spies using diplomatic cover and promised to freeze Russian State assets if they were used to threaten British interests.</p>
<p>May also said Britain would work on new powers to defend against hostile state activity, beef up counter espionage powers and cut back official participation in the soccer World Cup. Other measures may be considered, she said.</p>
<p>But her announcement, just days before an election in which Putin, a former KGB officer, is expected to coast to a fourth term, gave no examples of Russian officials or companies that would be targeted or barred from London’s financial center.</p>
<p>London remains open to Russian investment, albeit with a political chill. Other than the expulsions, May went no further than current EU sanctions which include travel restrictions and asset freezes against 150 people and 38 companies.</p>
<p>“The Kremlin will understand this as a very mild response,” said Mathieu Boulègue, a Russia expert at Chatham House think-tank in London. “Putin is unlikely to be worried by this.”</p>
<p>A senior British government official said further options remained on the table: “Economic, diplomatic, legislative, and our security capabilities can all be brought to bear if needed.”</p>
<p>But after days of full-volume rhetoric from London about the suspected Russian attack and a midnight deadline that Moscow scorned, May has shown just how little appetite Britain has for a fight on the eve of Brexit.</p>
<p>While the United States and European Union joined criticism of Moscow - albeit with a delayed response from U.S. President Donald Trump - there was little evidence of appetite in Paris, Berlin or Washington for anything beyond a scolding.</p> Russian president Vladimir Putin addresses the audience during a rally marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
<p>Russia denied any involvement in the attack and simply declined to say anything about how a Soviet-era nerve toxin ended up striking down a former double agent on the normally genteel streets of the English city of Salisbury.</p>
<p>The foreign ministry described May’s measures as a flagrant provocation and promised a speedy response.</p>
<p>If Russia - or Russians - were behind the nerve attack, some of their aims may have been achieved: Britain has shown just how little power it is willing to exercise while every Kremlin opponent will be more nervous about retribution.</p>
<p>For many Russian experts, the attack on Sergei Skripal, a former GRU military intelligence officer who betrayed dozens of Russian agents to MI6, was a test for Britain after years of turning a blind eye to the reality of modern Russia.</p>
<p>Part of that policy is due to money.</p>
<p>One of the biggest exports since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union was money and London, as one of the top two financial capitals in the world, is a major beneficiary.</p>
<p>London, or Londongrad as it is sometimes dubbed, is the Western capital of choice for the oligarchs and Russian officials who flaunt their wealth across Europe’s most luxurious destinations.</p>
<p>France, with its own business ties to Russia, has been more muted on the issue of Russian involvement in the attack on Skripal than Germany or the United States.</p>
<p>“Britain has tied itself up in knots,” said a French official who spoke on condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>“It’s had a very open policy on Russian private investment and émigrés for years and now it wants European to offer support in taking steps against Moscow. This is for them (Britain) to respond to. It’s shocking that it happened, but ultimately it’s up to Britain.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Luke Baker in Paris and Elizabeth Piper in London; editing by Philippa Fletcher</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it had information that the United States planned to bomb the government quarter in Damascus on an invented pretext, and said it would respond militarily if it felt Russian lives were threatened by such an attack.</p> Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, arrives for the opening ceremony of the International Army Games 2017 in Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia, July 29, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
<p>Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia’s General Staff, said Moscow had information that rebels in the enclave of eastern Ghouta were planning to fake a chemical weapons attack against civilians and blame it on the Syrian army.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-south/rebels-say-syrian-jets-start-second-day-of-strikes-in-south-idUSKCN1GP1AX" type="external">Rebels say Syrian jets start second day of strikes in south</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-russia/russias-lavrov-says-more-de-escalation-zones-in-syria-not-a-priority-idUSKCN1GP1AL" type="external">Russia's Lavrov says more de-escalation zones in Syria not a priority</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-manbij/u-s-backed-syrian-militia-alliance-says-unaware-of-any-turkish-u-s-deal-for-manbij-town-idUSKCN1GP1AS" type="external">U.S.-backed Syrian militia alliance says unaware of any Turkish-U.S. deal for Manbij town</a>
<p>He said the United States intended to use the fake attack as a pretext to bomb the government quarter in nearby Damascus where he said Russian military advisers, Russian military police and Russian ceasefire monitors were based.</p>
<p>“In the event of a threat to the lives of our servicemen, Russia’s armed forces will take retaliatory measures against the missiles and launchers used,” Gerasimov said in a statement.</p>
<p>He did not say when the alleged attack would take place or provide detailed evidence to back his assertions.</p>
<p>Russia has previously accused rebels in Syria of preparing to use toxic agents in eastern Ghouta so they could later accuse Damascus of employing chemical weapons.</p>
<p>Damascus denies Western allegations that government forces have used chemical weapons.</p>
<p>U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned on Monday that Washington “remains prepared to act if we must,” if the U.N. Security Council failed to act on Syria, as the Syrian army’s onslaught in eastern Ghouta continued unabated.</p>
<p>Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Andrey Ostroukh</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
|
China denies former senior officer being investigated After spy is poisoned, Britain mulls closing door to London for Russia's rich New German foreign minister criticizes Russian response to chemical attack British PM May expels 23 Russian spies but stops well short of bothering Putin Russia says U.S. plans to strike Damascus, pledges military response
| false |
https://reuters.com/article/us-china-defence-corruption/china-denies-former-senior-officer-being-investigated-idUSKBN1FE170
|
2018-01-25
| 2least
|
China denies former senior officer being investigated After spy is poisoned, Britain mulls closing door to London for Russia's rich New German foreign minister criticizes Russian response to chemical attack British PM May expels 23 Russian spies but stops well short of bothering Putin Russia says U.S. plans to strike Damascus, pledges military response
<p>BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Defence Ministry on Thursday denied that former senior military officer Fan Changlong was being investigated on suspicion of corruption, pointing to a recent article in the military’s official newspaper in which his name was mentioned.</p> FILE PHOTO: China's Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Fan Changlong attends the sixth Xiangshan Forum in Beijing, China, in this October 17, 2015 file photo. REUTERS/Jason Lee/Files
<p>Hong Kong media reported earlier this month that Fan, a former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission which President Xi Jinping heads and which runs the country’s armed forces, was being investigated.</p>
<p>Asked whether Fan was indeed being probed, Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian referred reporters to a Jan. 18 article in the People’s Liberation Army Daily about soldiers’ training, in which Fan was cited as talking about the importance of drills.</p>
<p>“As for this rumor, I suggest you read the article in the Jan. 18 edition of the People’s Liberation Army Daily, ‘On using the fervor of troop training to answer the question of winning in battle’,” Wu told a monthly news briefing, without elaborating.</p>
<p>Pictures of Fan, looking relaxed in civilian clothes and writing calligraphy, also appeared on Chinese social media this week in an article about his post-retirement life.</p>
<p>Pictures of officials rumored to be in trouble are often leaked online as a way of denying anything untoward has happened to them in China.</p>
<p>The Defence Ministry has previously either declined to answer questions on officers suspected of corruption before the probes are actually announced, or said they don’t know anything about the subject.</p>
<p>Fan was on the Central Military Commission until last October when he stepped down as part of a sweeping leadership reshuffle at a once-every-five-years Communist Party Congress.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Britain’s response to the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal on its soil, using a nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union, could hit members of the Russian elite hard if it closes the door on their London lifestyles.</p> Members of the emergency services wearing protective clothing work next to a children's play area near the bench where former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found poisoned in Salisbury, Britain, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>Britain gave Russian President Vladimir Putin until midnight on Tuesday to provide an explanation for the attack, and is due to consider its official response on Wednesday.</p>
<p>One possible counter-measure, suggested by British lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, could involve denying Russia’s so-called oligarchs access to the luxuries of London, where many have channeled their fortunes, traded their companies and relocated their family lives.</p>
<p>Most prominent among the residents of “Londongrad”, as the British capital has been nicknamed for its popularity among the Russian elite, are Roman Abramovich and Alisher Usmanov, respectively owner and major shareholder of the English football clubs Chelsea and Arsenal.</p>
<p>But they are far from alone. Around 10-15 percent of the 96 Russians on the so-called “oligarch list” published by the U.S. Treasury Department in January could have close ties to Britain, according to Vladimir Ashurkov, a businessman and critic of the Kremlin based in London.</p>
<p>“It’s very possible that Britain will take measures that could affect these individuals,” Ashurkov said.</p>
<p>“We know that London is a large haven for money that come from Russia ... Britain has the capacity to investigate this money and the activity of specific people,” he added.</p>
<p>Among the best-known are a group of long-time business partners associated with the investment vehicle LetterOne, which sports three offices in London’s wealthy Mayfair district alone.</p>
<p>The firm’s founder, Mikhail Fridman, owns a mansion in London’s Highgate, according to the company restoring the property.</p>
<p>One of the firm’s investors, Petr Aven, has given journalists tours around his estate in Surrey, in the southeast of England.</p> Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich applauds fans after winning the Premier League, May 21, 2017. Reuters / Hannah McKay Livepic
<p>Cutting Russians off from the British education system would also sting. One of Fridman’s children attends a prestigious British boarding school, photos on his social media account suggest.</p>
<p>Two sons of Russian entrepreneur and Tinkoff Bank owner Oleg Tinkov attend private school in Britain, according to their LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.</p>
<p>And two of Aven’s children have described attending school in Britain before going on to study at Yale University in the United States.</p>
<p>Some wealthy Russians are in London specifically because they have fallen foul of the Kremlin.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>After being fired as Moscow mayor in 2010, Yuri Luzhkov moved his family to London, saying he feared for their safety.</p>
<p>Last December Yelena Baturina, his wife and Russia’s wealthiest woman, was made a director of the charity the Mayor’s Fund for London, according to Britain’s business directory Companies House.</p>
<p>Their daughter Olga studied at University College London, her social media accounts show.</p> Related Video
<p>It is by no means certain that oligarchs bringing their money home would receive a warm welcome, said Christopher Weafer, senior partner at Macro-Advisory, a consultancy in Moscow.</p>
<p>“Oligarchs could find themselves in the middle, in the firing ground as it were,” Weafer said.</p>
<p>“They could be the target of sanctions applied by the UK government, but on the other hand they will get absolutely no sympathy in Russia, because they brought their money out and spent it outside the country.”</p>
<p>Reuters has no evidence that any of the people mentioned, or their businesses, are going to be subject to any new British restrictions.</p>
<p>Editing by Kevin Liffey</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s new foreign minister, Heiko Maas, criticized Russia on Wednesday over its stance towards a nerve agent attack in England for which the British government has blamed Moscow and he said it could not go unpunished.</p> German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrives for the first cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
<p>In his first speech as foreign minister shortly after taking up the post in Germany’s new coalition government, Maas also criticized Russia’s behavior in Ukraine but said he still hoped to improve relations with Moscow through dialogue.</p>
<p>“We take the assessment of the British government (on the chemical attack) seriously and it is disappointing that Russia seems not to be willing to contribute to clearing up (this case),” Maas told foreign ministry staff and reporters.</p>
<p>“Moscow should be ready to be transparent... And it is clear this cannot go without consequences,” he said, adding that Germany would stay in close contact with its NATO ally Britain on the matter.</p>
<p>“The perpetrators must be held accountable... We can fully understand why Britain had to react to this (attack).”</p>
<p>Russia denies any involvement in the attack on Russian ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. They were found unconscious on March 4 on a bench in the English city of Salisbury and remain in a critical condition in hospital.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May announced earlier on Wednesday that Britain would kick out 23 Russian diplomats, the biggest expulsion since the Cold War, over the attack, which she blamed squarely on President Vladimir Putin.</p>
<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other Western leaders have already condemned the attack and backed Britain’s demands that Russia cooperate with the investigation.</p>
<p>Maas said German foreign policy had had to adapt to a situation in which Russia increasingly defined itself as an antagonist to Western countries.</p>
<p>“We continue to disapprove of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and the ongoing aggression against Ukraine,” he said, referring to a four-year conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev’s forces and pro-Russian separatists.</p>
<p>Maas, who was speaking after lawmakers re-elected Merkel as chancellor for a fourth, and likely final, term, said Germany must live up to its international responsibilities, and he vowed not to avoid confronting difficult issues.</p>
<p>Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, is facing calls to take a more active approach on issues ranging from euro zone reforms to the threat of U.S. trade sanctions and a more assertive Russia.</p>
<p>Maas was due to hold talks in Paris later on Wednesday with his French counterpart.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Madeline Chambers,; writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Gareth Jones</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May’s response to Russia after a nerve agent attack on British soil is unlikely to trouble Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin unduly, despite the expression of outrage that greeted it in Moscow.</p> Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, in London, March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville
<p>After the first known use of a military-grade nerve toxin on British soil since World War Two, May expelled 23 Russian spies using diplomatic cover and promised to freeze Russian State assets if they were used to threaten British interests.</p>
<p>May also said Britain would work on new powers to defend against hostile state activity, beef up counter espionage powers and cut back official participation in the soccer World Cup. Other measures may be considered, she said.</p>
<p>But her announcement, just days before an election in which Putin, a former KGB officer, is expected to coast to a fourth term, gave no examples of Russian officials or companies that would be targeted or barred from London’s financial center.</p>
<p>London remains open to Russian investment, albeit with a political chill. Other than the expulsions, May went no further than current EU sanctions which include travel restrictions and asset freezes against 150 people and 38 companies.</p>
<p>“The Kremlin will understand this as a very mild response,” said Mathieu Boulègue, a Russia expert at Chatham House think-tank in London. “Putin is unlikely to be worried by this.”</p>
<p>A senior British government official said further options remained on the table: “Economic, diplomatic, legislative, and our security capabilities can all be brought to bear if needed.”</p>
<p>But after days of full-volume rhetoric from London about the suspected Russian attack and a midnight deadline that Moscow scorned, May has shown just how little appetite Britain has for a fight on the eve of Brexit.</p>
<p>While the United States and European Union joined criticism of Moscow - albeit with a delayed response from U.S. President Donald Trump - there was little evidence of appetite in Paris, Berlin or Washington for anything beyond a scolding.</p> Russian president Vladimir Putin addresses the audience during a rally marking the fourth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
<p>Russia denied any involvement in the attack and simply declined to say anything about how a Soviet-era nerve toxin ended up striking down a former double agent on the normally genteel streets of the English city of Salisbury.</p>
<p>The foreign ministry described May’s measures as a flagrant provocation and promised a speedy response.</p>
<p>If Russia - or Russians - were behind the nerve attack, some of their aims may have been achieved: Britain has shown just how little power it is willing to exercise while every Kremlin opponent will be more nervous about retribution.</p>
<p>For many Russian experts, the attack on Sergei Skripal, a former GRU military intelligence officer who betrayed dozens of Russian agents to MI6, was a test for Britain after years of turning a blind eye to the reality of modern Russia.</p>
<p>Part of that policy is due to money.</p>
<p>One of the biggest exports since the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union was money and London, as one of the top two financial capitals in the world, is a major beneficiary.</p>
<p>London, or Londongrad as it is sometimes dubbed, is the Western capital of choice for the oligarchs and Russian officials who flaunt their wealth across Europe’s most luxurious destinations.</p>
<p>France, with its own business ties to Russia, has been more muted on the issue of Russian involvement in the attack on Skripal than Germany or the United States.</p>
<p>“Britain has tied itself up in knots,” said a French official who spoke on condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>“It’s had a very open policy on Russian private investment and émigrés for years and now it wants European to offer support in taking steps against Moscow. This is for them (Britain) to respond to. It’s shocking that it happened, but ultimately it’s up to Britain.”</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Luke Baker in Paris and Elizabeth Piper in London; editing by Philippa Fletcher</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it had information that the United States planned to bomb the government quarter in Damascus on an invented pretext, and said it would respond militarily if it felt Russian lives were threatened by such an attack.</p> Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, arrives for the opening ceremony of the International Army Games 2017 in Alabino, outside Moscow, Russia, July 29, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
<p>Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia’s General Staff, said Moscow had information that rebels in the enclave of eastern Ghouta were planning to fake a chemical weapons attack against civilians and blame it on the Syrian army.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-south/rebels-say-syrian-jets-start-second-day-of-strikes-in-south-idUSKCN1GP1AX" type="external">Rebels say Syrian jets start second day of strikes in south</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-russia/russias-lavrov-says-more-de-escalation-zones-in-syria-not-a-priority-idUSKCN1GP1AL" type="external">Russia's Lavrov says more de-escalation zones in Syria not a priority</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-turkey-manbij/u-s-backed-syrian-militia-alliance-says-unaware-of-any-turkish-u-s-deal-for-manbij-town-idUSKCN1GP1AS" type="external">U.S.-backed Syrian militia alliance says unaware of any Turkish-U.S. deal for Manbij town</a>
<p>He said the United States intended to use the fake attack as a pretext to bomb the government quarter in nearby Damascus where he said Russian military advisers, Russian military police and Russian ceasefire monitors were based.</p>
<p>“In the event of a threat to the lives of our servicemen, Russia’s armed forces will take retaliatory measures against the missiles and launchers used,” Gerasimov said in a statement.</p>
<p>He did not say when the alleged attack would take place or provide detailed evidence to back his assertions.</p>
<p>Russia has previously accused rebels in Syria of preparing to use toxic agents in eastern Ghouta so they could later accuse Damascus of employing chemical weapons.</p>
<p>Damascus denies Western allegations that government forces have used chemical weapons.</p>
<p>U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned on Monday that Washington “remains prepared to act if we must,” if the U.N. Security Council failed to act on Syria, as the Syrian army’s onslaught in eastern Ghouta continued unabated.</p>
<p>Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Andrey Ostroukh</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| 4,849 |
<p>“I don’t want to live in a city where ISIS is,” Hasan said. “I don’t accept their faith, I don’t accept their ideas, their opinions. There is no city for ISIS and I. No city can hold us together.”</p>
<p>Even over the electronically distorted crackle of a Skype connection, Hasan sounded exhausted. It was only 7:00 in the evening here in Washington, D.C., but he was in Duhok, Iraq, where it was almost 2:00AM. He had trouble sleeping, but not for reasons usually cited by young people in their 20s, such as late nights with friends or stress over final exams. Instead, Hasan, who requested ThinkProgress not publish his real name out of safety concerns, couldn’t sleep because he was still recovering from his narrow escape from murderous religious extremists.</p>
<p>“Life here&#160;… it changes the way you live,” he said, his voice soft so as not to arouse slumbering neighbors or suspicion. “All the families that I arrived with have insomnia, so usually we don’t actually get to sleep until 6:00AM.”</p>
<p>A student from Mosul, Hasan is one of <a href="" type="internal">over a million Iraqis</a> who have abandoned their homes in recent months* to escape the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an armed group of Muslim extremists that has been paving a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/world/middleeast/maliki-says-fight-against-isis-is-iraqs-top-priority.html?_r=0" type="external">terrifying path of violence and destruction</a> across Syria and Iraq for over a year. Their rampage in Iraq in particular has sparked a <a href="" type="internal">traditional refugee crisis</a> with bordering nations and created thousands of what humanitarian organizations often call “IDPs” —  <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c146.html" type="external">Internally Displaced Persons</a>. Hasan and more than <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27789229" type="external">500,000 Mosul residents</a> are among these IDPs, and the situation is especially grave for the country’s religious minorities — including Christians who have seen their <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/07/isis-is-about-to-destroy-biblical-history-in-iraq.html" type="external">ancient religious artifacts destroyed</a> and the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/40000-iraqis-stranded-mountain-isis-death-threat" type="external">tens of thousands of Yazidi Iraqis recently trapped on the Sinjar Mountains</a>. This is because ISIS’s reign of terror has been largely guided by the idea that religious difference in Iraq — especially when it disagrees with ISIS theology — can only end in bloodshed.</p>
<p>Yet Hasan’s story is of a very different Iraq, one where people of various religions and ethnicities aren’t tearing each other apart, but banding together to survive ISIS’s onslaught. Hasan, for example, is a Sunni Muslim, a mainstream branch of Islam of which ISIS claims to be a uniquely radical subset. But Hasan worries ISIS’s actions could incite division and perpetuate the false idea that average Iraqis like himself — especially Sunnis — somehow endorse ISIS.</p>
<p>“The way some Congressmen and people in the White House are talking about this in the media&#160;… Basically they’re saying that Sunnis support ISIS, and they’re not going to target ISIS if they are in Sunni areas,” he said. “So imagine a Kurd or a Shia Muslim reading that news in Mosul. It just [worsens] feelings of hatred [between groups].”</p>
<p>Hasan said he remembered ISIS’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Iraq_offensive_%28June_2014%29" type="external">arrival in Mosul</a> on June 6 as an explosive one, marked by loud, booming, and unsettlingly indiscriminate exchanges of artillery fire between the Iraqi Army and the black-clad militants.</p>
<p>“It started on a Friday night,” he said. “If you can imagine, my heart skipped a beat with every [artillery shell] that I heard fired. All you heard was about how these places [near the front] were getting shelled, randomly shelled — houses were getting hit there. [I could hear] the artillery being shot to the far side [of the city], to fall randomly…Maybe on terrorists, or maybe on civilian people.”</p>
<p>The situation quickly worsened, with roughly <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/mosul-isis-gunmen-middle-east-states" type="external">800 ISIS soldiers</a> wreaking havoc and pushing frightened Mosul residents to the eastern section of the city. Still, Hasan said he and many others expected the Iraqi Army to eventually beat back the extremists.</p>
<p>“[The military] had a huge base, and it was a really, really massive base,” he said. “We thought they would fight for a really long time and it wouldn’t fall that easily.”</p>
<p>But as ISIS forces laid siege to the city for “4 or 5 days,” according to Hasan, the resolve of the Iraqi military appeared to weaken. Hasan said ISIS concentrated their attacks on bridges that connected the two sides of Mosul, spurring families to huddle with strangers in their homes behind military checkpoints. As the fighting escalated, Hasan reported hearing a “massive explosion” — presumably a bomb — on one of the main bridges, signaling a breach of the eastern section of the city and the slow collapse of the Iraqi military. Rumors still fly as to what actually triggered the breakdown of national military forces in Mosul, which reportedly <a href="http://www.vox.com/cards/things-about-isis-you-need-to-know/iraqi-army-sectarian-lines" type="external">outnumbered ISIS forces 40:1</a>. Some point to the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iraqi-army-faces-death-and-desertions-as-it-struggles-with-anbar-offensive/2014/05/08/83720f79-6cd2-4c7c-883b-dfe181ce7a5b_story.html" type="external">wave of desertions</a> in the lead up to the battle, a number of whom were Sunni, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/world/middleeast/exhausted-and-bereft-iraqi-soldiers-quit-fight.html" type="external">giving rise</a> the belief among some that the army is simply a tool for Shiites to maintain power in the country — even though many Shiite soldiers also left their posts.</p>
<p>But Hasan said he thought ISIS’s <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/06/uk-iraq-security-idUKKBN0EH1YD20140606" type="external">notorious use of suicide-bomber tactics</a> were also partly to blame.</p>
<p>“We heard news that the [Iraqi Army] Second brigade and their base was threatened; that, if they fought hard, they would get a truck full of explosives,” he said.</p>
<p>Whatever the reason, Hasan said that Iraqi military forces steadily <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/10/world/meast/iraq-violence/" type="external">retreated from ISIS forces</a>, leaving behind a skeleton crew of police officers to fend off the militants.</p>
<p>“[Iraqi] generals and officers started abandoning their soldiers, rank by rank,” Hasan said. “Only the local police force stayed there in their police stations. They’re the only ones who really fought ISIS.”</p>
<p>Hasan and his family held out for as long as they could, hopeful that the Iraqi Army would stand their ground. But eventually ISIS’s black flag — and the ravages of war — found its way to their streets.</p>
<p>“At around 1:00AM-2:00AM, we started hearing gunshots,” he said. “We thought that ISIS was in our neighborhood and the [army] was going to fight them. But after a half an hour, my brother called and said all the personnel&#160;… had fled the base. So we decided to flee the city.”</p>
<p>Hearing the angry pop of small arms fire outside his family’s hideout, Hasan was initially wary of leaving the safe house. “We didn’t want to get caught up in the crossfire,” he said. But as fear and desperation set in, he and his family grabbed what they could and fled in the middle of the night towards the northern city of Duhok, Iraq. Hundreds of thousands have left Mosul since it fell into the hands of ISIS in June, most of whom journeyed to cities and villages in northern Iraq. Duhok in particular has become something of a haven for IDPs, currently harboring <a href="" type="internal">around 200,000 displaced Iraqis</a>, according to the United Nations High Commission For Refugees.</p>
<p>I saw all the cars&#160;… burning in the road, Iraqi flags burned up pretty much everywhere, and where there were once Iraqi flags raised now there were ISIS&#160;flags.</p>
<p>But harboring this massive influx of people is a complicated process, and cities in northern Iraq initially struggled to control the flow of frightened masses. Hasan’s late-night flight from Mosul, for instance, was abruptly halted when he arrived at a checkpoint guarded by the peshmerga, the military fighting force of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Kurdistan" type="external">Iraqi Kurdistan</a>, an autonomous region in northern Iraq. The Kurdish people, originally from Iran, currently populate whole sections of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, but have long clashed with other nations and ethnic groups in their pursuit of an independent nation to call their own. They speak their own language and claim a number of different religious traditions — including multiple brands of Islam. The Kurds, like virtually everyone else, vehemently oppose ISIS, and have become <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/iran-at-saban/posts/2014/08/11-pollack-isis-offensive-against-iraq-kurds" type="external">increasingly involved</a> in efforts to combat them as the extremist group pushes further into their territory. The U.S. has even agreed to begin <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/11/us-arm-peshmerga-iraq-kurdistan-isis" type="external">directly providing Kurdish soldiers with light weapons</a>.</p>
<p>“We arrived at [the Kurdish checkpoint] at about 10:00am in the morning,” Hasan said. “And, wow, like, the entire city was there. Half of the people who had fled the city that night were there&#160;… There were lots and lots of people, and lots of cars&#160;… some were Kurdish, some were Christian, and some were [Muslim] Arabs. But they wouldn’t allow anyone in — they wouldn’t even allow the Kurdish to enter until 11:00am the next day. So we stayed the whole night there till 11:00am. We slept in our cars.”</p>
<p>The wait was grueling, but Hasan said he doesn’t harbor ill feelings toward those guarding the checkpoint. He said he understood their fear — the fear of massive crushes of people, and the fear of ISIS.</p>
<p>“They had every right to be scared,” he said. “The city was falling, people were fleeing. They had the right to be scared at that point.”</p>
<p>Ultimately, the wait proved too much for Hasan and his family — especially for his young niece, only two months old. Stuck on a road with <a href="http://www.wkyc.com/video/3619847382001/1/Refugees-gather-at-Iraqi-checkpoint" type="external">thousands of other refugees</a> and sweltering in blistering Iraqi heat that <a href="http://www.weather.com/weather/5-day/IZXX0054" type="external">can exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit</a>, their situation became dire. Hasan’s family was eventually faced with an agonizing choice: stick by the checkpoint and risk harming the baby, or hole up in Mosul and await the wrath of ISIS. After a brief, difficult discussion, Hasan said they decided that the best way to protect the newborn was to return to the city and “accept fate.”</p>
<p>But when the family arrived in Mosul, they were confronted with the grim hallmarks of an ISIS occupation. “When I got back, I saw all the cars — Army cars — burning in the road, Iraqi flags burned up pretty much everywhere, and where there were once Iraqi flags raised now there were ISIS flags,” Hasan said.</p>
<p>“And we started hearing stories of people who were…” Hasan said, his voice trailing off. “It was just too much for me. I decided it’s not the city for me anymore.”</p>
<p>The ruthless tactics of ISIS are well documented. Reports abound of ISIS forces <a href="" type="internal">destroying ancient religious shrines and grave sites</a>, <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/8/10/yazidi-iraq-islamic.html" type="external">murdering groups of people en mass</a>, and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10933851/Isis-crucifies-nine-people-in-Syrian-villages.html" type="external">crucifying</a> the bodies of those they accuse of apostasy. They have also reportedly enacted multiple beheadings, with one Iraqi woman in Mosul <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2655977/ISIS-militants-march-Baghdad-trademark-bullet-head-gets-way-control-north.html" type="external">telling the BBC</a> that she saw a “row of decapitated soldiers and policemen” in the city. In most cases, ISIS provides its potential victims with a choice between <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/22/isis-robs-christians-fleeing-its-edict-in-mosul-convert-leave-or-die.html" type="external">three grim options</a>: convert to a radical form of Islam, pay a tax and live under their tyrannical rule, or die.</p>
<p>But for Hasan in Mosul, there was a fourth choice: run. After witnessing the carnage wrought by ISIS, he immediately renewed his efforts to escape the city, making two more attempts to flee. He tapped into his diverse network of friends for assistance — first staying with a Yazidi friend in a nearby village, then holing up with a Shia Muslim companion. He was grateful for their kindness, but it wasn’t enough to unblock the roads or erase the looming threat of death at the hands of extremists. When Hasan was staying with his Shia friend, news broke that the road connecting the village to Mosul was no longer secure, exposing the region to an attack by ISIS. Fearing for his life, Hasan’s family returned and whisked him away — just in time.</p>
<p>“About 30 or 40 minutes after my brother picked me up, [ISIS] got access to their village,” Hasan said.</p>
<p>Finally, on his fourth attempt to escape Mosul — or after about three days of trying — Hasan was allowed through a peshmerga checkpoint and into Duhok. The passage brought a wave of relief, but also reawakened an aching concern for those left behind.</p>
<p>“No one was 100 percent secure in Mosul,” he said.</p>
<p>My mother had to go back to Mosul&#160;… Because my dad is suffering from a terminal illness. He is in the last&#160;stages.</p>
<p>ISIS’s increasingly brazen tactics have garnered international attention, and nations such as the U.S. are beginning to mobilize cautious responses to help IDPs like Hasan. But when asked about President Barack Obama’s recent decision allowing U.S. forces to begin <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/08/07/338591195/as-isis-advances-in-iraqs-north-u-s-weighs-airstrikes-humanitarian-aid?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=tomr20090326" type="external">targeted air strikes against ISIS</a> and drop aid to refugees recently trapped on the Sinjar Mountains, Hasan was only cautiously optimistic.</p>
<p>“Generally, I feel glad,” he said. “I’m kind of relieved that finally some action is being taken. But&#160;… [the strikes] are so limited. I think it’s only going to find a minor solution to the problem. And the way they came so late&#160;… It does not give us much hope.”</p>
<p>Hasan was relatively measured about the global political debate over how to respond to ISIS’s campaign of terror, but admitted the issue remained very personal for him: he still has family trapped in Mosul.</p>
<p>“My brother left [to return to his family], and mother stayed with for as long as she could — for another week,” he said. “But my mother had to go back to Mosul&#160;… Because my dad is suffering from a terminal illness. He is in the last stages. And being away from my mother for him is…”</p>
<p>Hasan’s voice cracked, suppressing a sob. He paused for a moment, then expressed deep sadness over not being able to visit parents during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.</p>
<p>“[During Ramadan], I wasn’t able to wake up and hold her hand and kiss her hand and say ‘eid mubarak [blessed celebration], mother,” he said, sighing. “But we talk all the time. And we’re thankful to God because&#160;… I see a lot of people who have it much worse than us. We thank God we didn’t go through so much that a lot of people are still going through.”</p>
<p>Even as Hasan described chilling events that reflect humanity at its worst, he was quick to point out unexpected glimmers of compassion from people different from himself. By contrast, ISIS has been universally condemned by political and faith leaders around the world for its unmitigated hatred of any group that disagrees with its totalitarian religious beliefs. They have backed up their radical disposition with ruthless, real-world violence, <a href="http://time.com/3093732/isis-iraq-yazidis-and-christians/" type="external">ignoring the Qur’an’s peaceful teachings</a> and enacting <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/08/isis-persecution-iraqi-christians-genocide-asylum" type="external">unspeakable atrocities</a> on Muslims, Christians, and the Yazidis, a religious minority that ISIS is threatening to wipe out because they <a href="" type="internal">(falsely) believe they worship the devil</a>.</p>
<p>ISIS’s hatred of other religions is rooted in their <a href="" type="internal">radical version of Salafi Muslim theology</a>, a ( <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salafi_movement" type="external">contested</a>) subset of Sunnism, which seeks a return to a way of life that closely mimics the habits of the first Muslim community — or at least ISIS’s interpretation thereof. Their beliefs also include the <a href="" type="internal">reestablishment of a caliphate</a>, an older Muslim concept whereby an Islamic state is founded by a leader, or caliph, who serves as the political and religious authority for all Muslims.</p>
<p>It was, like, every component of Iraq! Shia, Sunni, Kurd, Arab, Christian!</p>
<p>Granted, ISIS’s audacious claim to a caliphate has been <a href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon%E2%80%99s-islamists-view-declaration-caliphate-heresy" type="external">widely rejected</a> by Sunni as well as Shia Muslims — the latter of which makes up <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iz.html" type="external">around 65 percent</a> of Iraq’s faithful. This is partly because ISIS’s version of an Islamic state includes the systemic oppression of religious minorities, a policy not shared by past iterations of the caliphate. Still, the radical beliefs and violent practices of ISIS could exacerbate longstanding religious divisions in Iraq, where minority faith groups such as Shabaks, Mandaeans, Yazidis, Yarsan, and Christians are <a href="http://www.minorityrights.org/11106/reports/iraqs-minorities-participation-in-public-life.html" type="external">often targets of religious violence</a>. ISIS also stands to worsen ancient tensions between Sunnis and Shias — who split several hundred years ago over conflicting claims about the identity of Islam’s first legitimate caliph — and the growing immigrant crisis threatens to renew conflicts between Arabs and Kurds.</p>
<p>But Hasan, who is Sunni, said he has seen a very different face of Iraq’s religious and ethnic landscape over the past few weeks. He noted that during his multiple frantic attempts to flee Mosul, he was taken in by representatives of at least three different Iraqi religious groups — none of whom belonged to his own faith tradition. Despite the intolerant claims of self-righteous militants, Hasan said it is kindness, not apostasy, that binds together those most hated by ISIS.</p>
<p>“After 3 days of trying, spending one night in [my car], one night in a Yazidi village in a Yazidi house with a friend of mine, and another in a Shia village…My first day in Duhok I slept in a Christian home,” he said. “It was, like, every component of Iraq! Shia, Sunni, Kurd, Arab, Christian!”</p>
<p>* Although Hasan’s account of the battle for Mosul and the subsequent refugee situation closely reflects information reported by the United Nations and several major news outlets, ThinkProgress cannot independently verify most of the specific details of his story.</p>
|
Shell Shocked: The Extraordinary Story Of How One Man Escaped ISIS
| true |
http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/08/16/3471781/one-iraqi-explains-his-flight-from-isis/
|
2014-08-16
| 4left
|
Shell Shocked: The Extraordinary Story Of How One Man Escaped ISIS
<p>“I don’t want to live in a city where ISIS is,” Hasan said. “I don’t accept their faith, I don’t accept their ideas, their opinions. There is no city for ISIS and I. No city can hold us together.”</p>
<p>Even over the electronically distorted crackle of a Skype connection, Hasan sounded exhausted. It was only 7:00 in the evening here in Washington, D.C., but he was in Duhok, Iraq, where it was almost 2:00AM. He had trouble sleeping, but not for reasons usually cited by young people in their 20s, such as late nights with friends or stress over final exams. Instead, Hasan, who requested ThinkProgress not publish his real name out of safety concerns, couldn’t sleep because he was still recovering from his narrow escape from murderous religious extremists.</p>
<p>“Life here&#160;… it changes the way you live,” he said, his voice soft so as not to arouse slumbering neighbors or suspicion. “All the families that I arrived with have insomnia, so usually we don’t actually get to sleep until 6:00AM.”</p>
<p>A student from Mosul, Hasan is one of <a href="" type="internal">over a million Iraqis</a> who have abandoned their homes in recent months* to escape the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an armed group of Muslim extremists that has been paving a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/world/middleeast/maliki-says-fight-against-isis-is-iraqs-top-priority.html?_r=0" type="external">terrifying path of violence and destruction</a> across Syria and Iraq for over a year. Their rampage in Iraq in particular has sparked a <a href="" type="internal">traditional refugee crisis</a> with bordering nations and created thousands of what humanitarian organizations often call “IDPs” —  <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c146.html" type="external">Internally Displaced Persons</a>. Hasan and more than <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27789229" type="external">500,000 Mosul residents</a> are among these IDPs, and the situation is especially grave for the country’s religious minorities — including Christians who have seen their <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/07/isis-is-about-to-destroy-biblical-history-in-iraq.html" type="external">ancient religious artifacts destroyed</a> and the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/40000-iraqis-stranded-mountain-isis-death-threat" type="external">tens of thousands of Yazidi Iraqis recently trapped on the Sinjar Mountains</a>. This is because ISIS’s reign of terror has been largely guided by the idea that religious difference in Iraq — especially when it disagrees with ISIS theology — can only end in bloodshed.</p>
<p>Yet Hasan’s story is of a very different Iraq, one where people of various religions and ethnicities aren’t tearing each other apart, but banding together to survive ISIS’s onslaught. Hasan, for example, is a Sunni Muslim, a mainstream branch of Islam of which ISIS claims to be a uniquely radical subset. But Hasan worries ISIS’s actions could incite division and perpetuate the false idea that average Iraqis like himself — especially Sunnis — somehow endorse ISIS.</p>
<p>“The way some Congressmen and people in the White House are talking about this in the media&#160;… Basically they’re saying that Sunnis support ISIS, and they’re not going to target ISIS if they are in Sunni areas,” he said. “So imagine a Kurd or a Shia Muslim reading that news in Mosul. It just [worsens] feelings of hatred [between groups].”</p>
<p>Hasan said he remembered ISIS’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Iraq_offensive_%28June_2014%29" type="external">arrival in Mosul</a> on June 6 as an explosive one, marked by loud, booming, and unsettlingly indiscriminate exchanges of artillery fire between the Iraqi Army and the black-clad militants.</p>
<p>“It started on a Friday night,” he said. “If you can imagine, my heart skipped a beat with every [artillery shell] that I heard fired. All you heard was about how these places [near the front] were getting shelled, randomly shelled — houses were getting hit there. [I could hear] the artillery being shot to the far side [of the city], to fall randomly…Maybe on terrorists, or maybe on civilian people.”</p>
<p>The situation quickly worsened, with roughly <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/11/mosul-isis-gunmen-middle-east-states" type="external">800 ISIS soldiers</a> wreaking havoc and pushing frightened Mosul residents to the eastern section of the city. Still, Hasan said he and many others expected the Iraqi Army to eventually beat back the extremists.</p>
<p>“[The military] had a huge base, and it was a really, really massive base,” he said. “We thought they would fight for a really long time and it wouldn’t fall that easily.”</p>
<p>But as ISIS forces laid siege to the city for “4 or 5 days,” according to Hasan, the resolve of the Iraqi military appeared to weaken. Hasan said ISIS concentrated their attacks on bridges that connected the two sides of Mosul, spurring families to huddle with strangers in their homes behind military checkpoints. As the fighting escalated, Hasan reported hearing a “massive explosion” — presumably a bomb — on one of the main bridges, signaling a breach of the eastern section of the city and the slow collapse of the Iraqi military. Rumors still fly as to what actually triggered the breakdown of national military forces in Mosul, which reportedly <a href="http://www.vox.com/cards/things-about-isis-you-need-to-know/iraqi-army-sectarian-lines" type="external">outnumbered ISIS forces 40:1</a>. Some point to the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iraqi-army-faces-death-and-desertions-as-it-struggles-with-anbar-offensive/2014/05/08/83720f79-6cd2-4c7c-883b-dfe181ce7a5b_story.html" type="external">wave of desertions</a> in the lead up to the battle, a number of whom were Sunni, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/world/middleeast/exhausted-and-bereft-iraqi-soldiers-quit-fight.html" type="external">giving rise</a> the belief among some that the army is simply a tool for Shiites to maintain power in the country — even though many Shiite soldiers also left their posts.</p>
<p>But Hasan said he thought ISIS’s <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/06/uk-iraq-security-idUKKBN0EH1YD20140606" type="external">notorious use of suicide-bomber tactics</a> were also partly to blame.</p>
<p>“We heard news that the [Iraqi Army] Second brigade and their base was threatened; that, if they fought hard, they would get a truck full of explosives,” he said.</p>
<p>Whatever the reason, Hasan said that Iraqi military forces steadily <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/06/10/world/meast/iraq-violence/" type="external">retreated from ISIS forces</a>, leaving behind a skeleton crew of police officers to fend off the militants.</p>
<p>“[Iraqi] generals and officers started abandoning their soldiers, rank by rank,” Hasan said. “Only the local police force stayed there in their police stations. They’re the only ones who really fought ISIS.”</p>
<p>Hasan and his family held out for as long as they could, hopeful that the Iraqi Army would stand their ground. But eventually ISIS’s black flag — and the ravages of war — found its way to their streets.</p>
<p>“At around 1:00AM-2:00AM, we started hearing gunshots,” he said. “We thought that ISIS was in our neighborhood and the [army] was going to fight them. But after a half an hour, my brother called and said all the personnel&#160;… had fled the base. So we decided to flee the city.”</p>
<p>Hearing the angry pop of small arms fire outside his family’s hideout, Hasan was initially wary of leaving the safe house. “We didn’t want to get caught up in the crossfire,” he said. But as fear and desperation set in, he and his family grabbed what they could and fled in the middle of the night towards the northern city of Duhok, Iraq. Hundreds of thousands have left Mosul since it fell into the hands of ISIS in June, most of whom journeyed to cities and villages in northern Iraq. Duhok in particular has become something of a haven for IDPs, currently harboring <a href="" type="internal">around 200,000 displaced Iraqis</a>, according to the United Nations High Commission For Refugees.</p>
<p>I saw all the cars&#160;… burning in the road, Iraqi flags burned up pretty much everywhere, and where there were once Iraqi flags raised now there were ISIS&#160;flags.</p>
<p>But harboring this massive influx of people is a complicated process, and cities in northern Iraq initially struggled to control the flow of frightened masses. Hasan’s late-night flight from Mosul, for instance, was abruptly halted when he arrived at a checkpoint guarded by the peshmerga, the military fighting force of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Kurdistan" type="external">Iraqi Kurdistan</a>, an autonomous region in northern Iraq. The Kurdish people, originally from Iran, currently populate whole sections of Iran, Iraq, Turkey, and Syria, but have long clashed with other nations and ethnic groups in their pursuit of an independent nation to call their own. They speak their own language and claim a number of different religious traditions — including multiple brands of Islam. The Kurds, like virtually everyone else, vehemently oppose ISIS, and have become <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/iran-at-saban/posts/2014/08/11-pollack-isis-offensive-against-iraq-kurds" type="external">increasingly involved</a> in efforts to combat them as the extremist group pushes further into their territory. The U.S. has even agreed to begin <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/11/us-arm-peshmerga-iraq-kurdistan-isis" type="external">directly providing Kurdish soldiers with light weapons</a>.</p>
<p>“We arrived at [the Kurdish checkpoint] at about 10:00am in the morning,” Hasan said. “And, wow, like, the entire city was there. Half of the people who had fled the city that night were there&#160;… There were lots and lots of people, and lots of cars&#160;… some were Kurdish, some were Christian, and some were [Muslim] Arabs. But they wouldn’t allow anyone in — they wouldn’t even allow the Kurdish to enter until 11:00am the next day. So we stayed the whole night there till 11:00am. We slept in our cars.”</p>
<p>The wait was grueling, but Hasan said he doesn’t harbor ill feelings toward those guarding the checkpoint. He said he understood their fear — the fear of massive crushes of people, and the fear of ISIS.</p>
<p>“They had every right to be scared,” he said. “The city was falling, people were fleeing. They had the right to be scared at that point.”</p>
<p>Ultimately, the wait proved too much for Hasan and his family — especially for his young niece, only two months old. Stuck on a road with <a href="http://www.wkyc.com/video/3619847382001/1/Refugees-gather-at-Iraqi-checkpoint" type="external">thousands of other refugees</a> and sweltering in blistering Iraqi heat that <a href="http://www.weather.com/weather/5-day/IZXX0054" type="external">can exceed 115 degrees Fahrenheit</a>, their situation became dire. Hasan’s family was eventually faced with an agonizing choice: stick by the checkpoint and risk harming the baby, or hole up in Mosul and await the wrath of ISIS. After a brief, difficult discussion, Hasan said they decided that the best way to protect the newborn was to return to the city and “accept fate.”</p>
<p>But when the family arrived in Mosul, they were confronted with the grim hallmarks of an ISIS occupation. “When I got back, I saw all the cars — Army cars — burning in the road, Iraqi flags burned up pretty much everywhere, and where there were once Iraqi flags raised now there were ISIS flags,” Hasan said.</p>
<p>“And we started hearing stories of people who were…” Hasan said, his voice trailing off. “It was just too much for me. I decided it’s not the city for me anymore.”</p>
<p>The ruthless tactics of ISIS are well documented. Reports abound of ISIS forces <a href="" type="internal">destroying ancient religious shrines and grave sites</a>, <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/8/10/yazidi-iraq-islamic.html" type="external">murdering groups of people en mass</a>, and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10933851/Isis-crucifies-nine-people-in-Syrian-villages.html" type="external">crucifying</a> the bodies of those they accuse of apostasy. They have also reportedly enacted multiple beheadings, with one Iraqi woman in Mosul <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2655977/ISIS-militants-march-Baghdad-trademark-bullet-head-gets-way-control-north.html" type="external">telling the BBC</a> that she saw a “row of decapitated soldiers and policemen” in the city. In most cases, ISIS provides its potential victims with a choice between <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/22/isis-robs-christians-fleeing-its-edict-in-mosul-convert-leave-or-die.html" type="external">three grim options</a>: convert to a radical form of Islam, pay a tax and live under their tyrannical rule, or die.</p>
<p>But for Hasan in Mosul, there was a fourth choice: run. After witnessing the carnage wrought by ISIS, he immediately renewed his efforts to escape the city, making two more attempts to flee. He tapped into his diverse network of friends for assistance — first staying with a Yazidi friend in a nearby village, then holing up with a Shia Muslim companion. He was grateful for their kindness, but it wasn’t enough to unblock the roads or erase the looming threat of death at the hands of extremists. When Hasan was staying with his Shia friend, news broke that the road connecting the village to Mosul was no longer secure, exposing the region to an attack by ISIS. Fearing for his life, Hasan’s family returned and whisked him away — just in time.</p>
<p>“About 30 or 40 minutes after my brother picked me up, [ISIS] got access to their village,” Hasan said.</p>
<p>Finally, on his fourth attempt to escape Mosul — or after about three days of trying — Hasan was allowed through a peshmerga checkpoint and into Duhok. The passage brought a wave of relief, but also reawakened an aching concern for those left behind.</p>
<p>“No one was 100 percent secure in Mosul,” he said.</p>
<p>My mother had to go back to Mosul&#160;… Because my dad is suffering from a terminal illness. He is in the last&#160;stages.</p>
<p>ISIS’s increasingly brazen tactics have garnered international attention, and nations such as the U.S. are beginning to mobilize cautious responses to help IDPs like Hasan. But when asked about President Barack Obama’s recent decision allowing U.S. forces to begin <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/08/07/338591195/as-isis-advances-in-iraqs-north-u-s-weighs-airstrikes-humanitarian-aid?utm_medium=RSS&amp;utm_campaign=tomr20090326" type="external">targeted air strikes against ISIS</a> and drop aid to refugees recently trapped on the Sinjar Mountains, Hasan was only cautiously optimistic.</p>
<p>“Generally, I feel glad,” he said. “I’m kind of relieved that finally some action is being taken. But&#160;… [the strikes] are so limited. I think it’s only going to find a minor solution to the problem. And the way they came so late&#160;… It does not give us much hope.”</p>
<p>Hasan was relatively measured about the global political debate over how to respond to ISIS’s campaign of terror, but admitted the issue remained very personal for him: he still has family trapped in Mosul.</p>
<p>“My brother left [to return to his family], and mother stayed with for as long as she could — for another week,” he said. “But my mother had to go back to Mosul&#160;… Because my dad is suffering from a terminal illness. He is in the last stages. And being away from my mother for him is…”</p>
<p>Hasan’s voice cracked, suppressing a sob. He paused for a moment, then expressed deep sadness over not being able to visit parents during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.</p>
<p>“[During Ramadan], I wasn’t able to wake up and hold her hand and kiss her hand and say ‘eid mubarak [blessed celebration], mother,” he said, sighing. “But we talk all the time. And we’re thankful to God because&#160;… I see a lot of people who have it much worse than us. We thank God we didn’t go through so much that a lot of people are still going through.”</p>
<p>Even as Hasan described chilling events that reflect humanity at its worst, he was quick to point out unexpected glimmers of compassion from people different from himself. By contrast, ISIS has been universally condemned by political and faith leaders around the world for its unmitigated hatred of any group that disagrees with its totalitarian religious beliefs. They have backed up their radical disposition with ruthless, real-world violence, <a href="http://time.com/3093732/isis-iraq-yazidis-and-christians/" type="external">ignoring the Qur’an’s peaceful teachings</a> and enacting <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/08/isis-persecution-iraqi-christians-genocide-asylum" type="external">unspeakable atrocities</a> on Muslims, Christians, and the Yazidis, a religious minority that ISIS is threatening to wipe out because they <a href="" type="internal">(falsely) believe they worship the devil</a>.</p>
<p>ISIS’s hatred of other religions is rooted in their <a href="" type="internal">radical version of Salafi Muslim theology</a>, a ( <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salafi_movement" type="external">contested</a>) subset of Sunnism, which seeks a return to a way of life that closely mimics the habits of the first Muslim community — or at least ISIS’s interpretation thereof. Their beliefs also include the <a href="" type="internal">reestablishment of a caliphate</a>, an older Muslim concept whereby an Islamic state is founded by a leader, or caliph, who serves as the political and religious authority for all Muslims.</p>
<p>It was, like, every component of Iraq! Shia, Sunni, Kurd, Arab, Christian!</p>
<p>Granted, ISIS’s audacious claim to a caliphate has been <a href="http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon%E2%80%99s-islamists-view-declaration-caliphate-heresy" type="external">widely rejected</a> by Sunni as well as Shia Muslims — the latter of which makes up <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/iz.html" type="external">around 65 percent</a> of Iraq’s faithful. This is partly because ISIS’s version of an Islamic state includes the systemic oppression of religious minorities, a policy not shared by past iterations of the caliphate. Still, the radical beliefs and violent practices of ISIS could exacerbate longstanding religious divisions in Iraq, where minority faith groups such as Shabaks, Mandaeans, Yazidis, Yarsan, and Christians are <a href="http://www.minorityrights.org/11106/reports/iraqs-minorities-participation-in-public-life.html" type="external">often targets of religious violence</a>. ISIS also stands to worsen ancient tensions between Sunnis and Shias — who split several hundred years ago over conflicting claims about the identity of Islam’s first legitimate caliph — and the growing immigrant crisis threatens to renew conflicts between Arabs and Kurds.</p>
<p>But Hasan, who is Sunni, said he has seen a very different face of Iraq’s religious and ethnic landscape over the past few weeks. He noted that during his multiple frantic attempts to flee Mosul, he was taken in by representatives of at least three different Iraqi religious groups — none of whom belonged to his own faith tradition. Despite the intolerant claims of self-righteous militants, Hasan said it is kindness, not apostasy, that binds together those most hated by ISIS.</p>
<p>“After 3 days of trying, spending one night in [my car], one night in a Yazidi village in a Yazidi house with a friend of mine, and another in a Shia village…My first day in Duhok I slept in a Christian home,” he said. “It was, like, every component of Iraq! Shia, Sunni, Kurd, Arab, Christian!”</p>
<p>* Although Hasan’s account of the battle for Mosul and the subsequent refugee situation closely reflects information reported by the United Nations and several major news outlets, ThinkProgress cannot independently verify most of the specific details of his story.</p>
| 4,850 |
<p>Published time: 9 Nov, 2017 12:01Edited time: 9 Nov, 2017 12:03</p>
<p>Theresa May had a ‘Priti’ bad day at the office yesterday, after it emerged that her International Development Secretary Priti Patel had been meeting Israeli politicians behind her back. Still, a ticking off and a resignation letter later, the prime minister got spruced up and headed out for a party.</p>
<p>A banquet, in fact, held in honour of Paul Dacre, who has just celebrated a quarter of a century at the helm of the Daily Mail – which withdrew its support for May days before the snap election in June when it appeared that she was not going to win.&#160;</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/409278-priti-patel-resigns-israel/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The Daily Mail is seen as representing the voice of middle Britain, being anti-immigration, pro-establishment, and a loud campaigner for Brexit. Its editor, the deeply unpopular Dacre, was once described as “evil” by Tony Blair’s former director of communications, Alastair Campbell.</p>
<p>The Mail was reportedly the first newspaper that Blair would read every morning.</p>
<p>Priti Patel was the second cabinet minister to lose her job in a week, after the resignation of Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. Such has been the extent of comings and goings from May’s inner circle, a revolving door may soon be required.</p>
<p>Some suggest Boris Johnson could be next on her hit list, after a clumsy speech potentially landed a British woman with an extra five years in jail in Iran.</p>
<p>Utterly nauseating that as government implodes May goes to a ‘banquet’ to ‘celebrate’ the career of hard right sociopathic hypocrite Dacre</p>
<p>— Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) <a href="https://twitter.com/campbellclaret/status/928384252651229185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">November 8, 2017</a></p>
<p>The foreign minister said she was teaching journalism – while she claims that she was on holiday. Big difference when you’re behind bars for “propaganda against the state”.</p>
<p>Anyway, the cabinet ministers and their leader are very much enjoying their liberty. May’s appearance at the Dacre’s party caused outrage among the opposition. Alastair Campbell said her decision to honor the powerful media man was in bad taste.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/409062-theresa-may-patel-johnson/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“Utterly nauseating that as government implodes, May goes to a ‘banquet’ to ‘celebrate’ the career of hard-right, sociopathic hypocrite Dacre,” he said.</p>
<p>“May sycophancy to sociopathic hard-right Paul Dacre tonight further proof Brexit is of the hard right for the hard right by the hard right.”</p>
<p>David Lammy MP also had something to say.</p>
<p>“Last night of all nights the PM went to a banquet to ‘celebrate’ Paul Dacre’s 25 years as Editor of Daily Mail? That stinks,” He tweeted.</p>
<p>Labour officials have demanded to know how aware Theresa May really was of Priti Patel’s meetings while on holiday in Israel. The international development secretary met with Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netinyahu, and later held meetings in London and New York with other powerful figures.</p>
<p>After her holiday, she looked into the possibility of providing aid to the Israeli Army for distribution among the refugee population in Golan Heights, Syria – an illegally occupied territory.</p>
<p>Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson has written to Mrs May for answers.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
|
Theresa May wound down a 'Priti' bad day with a toast to Daily Mail Editor Paul Dacre
| false |
https://newsline.com/theresa-may-wound-down-a-039priti039-bad-day-with-a-toast-to-daily-mail-editor-paul-dacre/
|
2017-11-09
| 1right-center
|
Theresa May wound down a 'Priti' bad day with a toast to Daily Mail Editor Paul Dacre
<p>Published time: 9 Nov, 2017 12:01Edited time: 9 Nov, 2017 12:03</p>
<p>Theresa May had a ‘Priti’ bad day at the office yesterday, after it emerged that her International Development Secretary Priti Patel had been meeting Israeli politicians behind her back. Still, a ticking off and a resignation letter later, the prime minister got spruced up and headed out for a party.</p>
<p>A banquet, in fact, held in honour of Paul Dacre, who has just celebrated a quarter of a century at the helm of the Daily Mail – which withdrew its support for May days before the snap election in June when it appeared that she was not going to win.&#160;</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/409278-priti-patel-resigns-israel/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The Daily Mail is seen as representing the voice of middle Britain, being anti-immigration, pro-establishment, and a loud campaigner for Brexit. Its editor, the deeply unpopular Dacre, was once described as “evil” by Tony Blair’s former director of communications, Alastair Campbell.</p>
<p>The Mail was reportedly the first newspaper that Blair would read every morning.</p>
<p>Priti Patel was the second cabinet minister to lose her job in a week, after the resignation of Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon. Such has been the extent of comings and goings from May’s inner circle, a revolving door may soon be required.</p>
<p>Some suggest Boris Johnson could be next on her hit list, after a clumsy speech potentially landed a British woman with an extra five years in jail in Iran.</p>
<p>Utterly nauseating that as government implodes May goes to a ‘banquet’ to ‘celebrate’ the career of hard right sociopathic hypocrite Dacre</p>
<p>— Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret) <a href="https://twitter.com/campbellclaret/status/928384252651229185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">November 8, 2017</a></p>
<p>The foreign minister said she was teaching journalism – while she claims that she was on holiday. Big difference when you’re behind bars for “propaganda against the state”.</p>
<p>Anyway, the cabinet ministers and their leader are very much enjoying their liberty. May’s appearance at the Dacre’s party caused outrage among the opposition. Alastair Campbell said her decision to honor the powerful media man was in bad taste.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/409062-theresa-may-patel-johnson/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“Utterly nauseating that as government implodes, May goes to a ‘banquet’ to ‘celebrate’ the career of hard-right, sociopathic hypocrite Dacre,” he said.</p>
<p>“May sycophancy to sociopathic hard-right Paul Dacre tonight further proof Brexit is of the hard right for the hard right by the hard right.”</p>
<p>David Lammy MP also had something to say.</p>
<p>“Last night of all nights the PM went to a banquet to ‘celebrate’ Paul Dacre’s 25 years as Editor of Daily Mail? That stinks,” He tweeted.</p>
<p>Labour officials have demanded to know how aware Theresa May really was of Priti Patel’s meetings while on holiday in Israel. The international development secretary met with Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netinyahu, and later held meetings in London and New York with other powerful figures.</p>
<p>After her holiday, she looked into the possibility of providing aid to the Israeli Army for distribution among the refugee population in Golan Heights, Syria – an illegally occupied territory.</p>
<p>Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson has written to Mrs May for answers.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
| 4,851 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>LONDON — A day after the Dow Jones industrial average finished above 25,000 for the first time, global stock markets remained firm Friday. A mixed U.S. jobs report did little to alter the underlying mood.</p>
<p>KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany’s DAX was up 1.1 percent at 13,319 while the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares rose 0.2 percent to 7,714. France’s CAC 40 index was 0.8 percent higher at 5,458. U.S. stocks were poised to extend gains, with both Dow futures and the broader S&amp;P 500 futures up 0.4 percent.</p>
<p>US JOBS: U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December, below market expectations for a 190,000 increase. Still, there are few signs that the U.S. economy has taken a turn for the worse and the unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent for the third month in a row, its lowest level since 2000. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to carry on raising interest rates this year. Over the course of the year, employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs last year, bringing the unemployment rate down from 4.7 percent. Still, average job gains have slowed to 171,000 this year from a peak of 250,000 in 2014. That typically happens when the unemployment falls to ultra-low levels and fewer people are available to be hired.</p>
<p>ANALYST TAKE: “The slightly disappointing 148,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in December will not prevent the Fed from continuing to normalize interest rates, with the next hike probably coming in March,” said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>KOREAS: On Friday, the rival Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years next week to discuss ways to cooperate on the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South. Earlier, the United States and South Korea agreed to delay annual joint military exercises until after the Games, being held in Pyeongchang from Feb. 9-25.</p>
<p>THE DAY IN ASIA: Hopes of an easing in tensions on the Korean peninsula shored up Asian markets earlier. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.9 percent to 23,714.53 and South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.3 percent to 2,497.52. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 0.3 percent to 30,814.64 while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2 percent to 3,391.75. Australia’s S&amp;P/ASX 200 advanced 0.7 percent to 6,122.30.</p>
<p>OIL: Benchmark U.S. crude lost 57 cents to $61.44 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 62 cents to $67.45 per barrel in London.</p>
<p>CURRENCIES: The euro was flat at $1.2055 while the dollar rose 0.4 percent to 113.14.</p>
|
Dow breakthrough buoys markets despite mixed US jobs report
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/1115088/asian-stocks-gain-as-dow-breaks-record-koreas-agree-to-talk.html
|
2018-01-05
| 2least
|
Dow breakthrough buoys markets despite mixed US jobs report
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>LONDON — A day after the Dow Jones industrial average finished above 25,000 for the first time, global stock markets remained firm Friday. A mixed U.S. jobs report did little to alter the underlying mood.</p>
<p>KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany’s DAX was up 1.1 percent at 13,319 while the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares rose 0.2 percent to 7,714. France’s CAC 40 index was 0.8 percent higher at 5,458. U.S. stocks were poised to extend gains, with both Dow futures and the broader S&amp;P 500 futures up 0.4 percent.</p>
<p>US JOBS: U.S. employers added 148,000 jobs in December, below market expectations for a 190,000 increase. Still, there are few signs that the U.S. economy has taken a turn for the worse and the unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent for the third month in a row, its lowest level since 2000. The Federal Reserve is widely expected to carry on raising interest rates this year. Over the course of the year, employers added nearly 2.1 million jobs last year, bringing the unemployment rate down from 4.7 percent. Still, average job gains have slowed to 171,000 this year from a peak of 250,000 in 2014. That typically happens when the unemployment falls to ultra-low levels and fewer people are available to be hired.</p>
<p>ANALYST TAKE: “The slightly disappointing 148,000 gain in non-farm payrolls in December will not prevent the Fed from continuing to normalize interest rates, with the next hike probably coming in March,” said Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>KOREAS: On Friday, the rival Koreas agreed to hold their first official dialogue in more than two years next week to discuss ways to cooperate on the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South. Earlier, the United States and South Korea agreed to delay annual joint military exercises until after the Games, being held in Pyeongchang from Feb. 9-25.</p>
<p>THE DAY IN ASIA: Hopes of an easing in tensions on the Korean peninsula shored up Asian markets earlier. Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.9 percent to 23,714.53 and South Korea’s Kospi jumped 1.3 percent to 2,497.52. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index climbed 0.3 percent to 30,814.64 while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2 percent to 3,391.75. Australia’s S&amp;P/ASX 200 advanced 0.7 percent to 6,122.30.</p>
<p>OIL: Benchmark U.S. crude lost 57 cents to $61.44 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 62 cents to $67.45 per barrel in London.</p>
<p>CURRENCIES: The euro was flat at $1.2055 while the dollar rose 0.4 percent to 113.14.</p>
| 4,852 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Joe Anthony Montoya looks back at the courtroom during one of the many meetings of the judge and attorneys during the first day of trial on Monday. Montoya and his company Advantage Asphalt and Seal Coating face several charges of bribery and fraud in connection with Santa Fe County roadwork contracts. (Eddie Moore/ Journal)</p>
<p>James A. Martinez, 54, who formerly worked in the county public works department, entered a guilty plea to a bribery charge — for accepting a trip to Las Vegas, Nev. — in early February 2012.</p>
<p>But records of his indictment and plea were temporarily sealed from public view at the time, and his prosecution wasn’t announced by the district attorney’s office when Advantage Asphalt’s owners and others were indicted about two weeks after his plea.</p>
<p>The Martinez plea came up Monday in a prosecutor’s opening statement as a trial on bribery and fraud charges against Advantage Asphalt owner Joe Anthony Montoya and the company itself got started. Martinez has not been sentenced.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Court documents from 2012 say Martinez was expected to testify before a grand jury in the Advantage Asphalt case. The DA’s office maintained that his indictment and plea needed to be sealed from public view “to preserve the secrecy of the Grand Jury proceedings,” the court records indicate.</p>
<p>Later in the same month, a Santa Fe County grand jury indicted Advantage Asphalt as a company; Advantage owners Joe Anthony and Marlene Montoya; the county public works director at the time, James Lujan; and Lujan’s assistant int he public works department. The charges alleged bribery and fraud in connection with Advantage’s roadwork contracts with the county and with the private developers of the Rancho Viejo subdivision.</p>
<p>About two weeks after those indictments, in March 2012, the DA asked a judge to unseal Martinez’s court records, noting that since the grand jury had indicted the other defendants, it was “no longer necessary to preserve the secrecy of the grand jury.” The request was granted by a judge.</p>
<p>Martinez’s admission of accepting a trip to Las Vegas dovetails with the charges faced by his former boss, Lujan. Lujan was fired from his public works director job shortly after the Advantage investigation became public in 2010. Last year, he admitted accepting three Vegas trips and as much as $20,000 from Joe Anthony Montoya and pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges.</p>
<p>Marlene Montoya last week pleaded to two bribery counts, also in connection with the Vegas trips accepted by county officials, and a conspiracy count.</p>
<p>The guilty pleas of Marlene Montoya, Martinez and Lujan, and dismissal by the prosecution last year of the related charges against Lujan’s county assistant, has left only Joe Anthony Montoya and Advantage Asphalt as a company to face charges in the ongoing District Court trial that started Monday.</p>
<p>Marlene Montoya has exercised spousal privilege and won’t testify. Lujan and Martinez are expected to be witnesses for the prosecution. The case centers on the allegations of bribes and other counts alleging overbilling and substandard paving work by Advantage Asphalt, which had more than $7 million in county road contracts.</p>
<p>Court records show that as of last year, Martinez was working for the state Department of Transportation.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Another ex-Santa Fe County employee admitted a bribe, back in 2012
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/507933/another-ex-santa-fe-county-employee-admitted-a-bribe-back-in-2012.html
| 2least
|
Another ex-Santa Fe County employee admitted a bribe, back in 2012
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Joe Anthony Montoya looks back at the courtroom during one of the many meetings of the judge and attorneys during the first day of trial on Monday. Montoya and his company Advantage Asphalt and Seal Coating face several charges of bribery and fraud in connection with Santa Fe County roadwork contracts. (Eddie Moore/ Journal)</p>
<p>James A. Martinez, 54, who formerly worked in the county public works department, entered a guilty plea to a bribery charge — for accepting a trip to Las Vegas, Nev. — in early February 2012.</p>
<p>But records of his indictment and plea were temporarily sealed from public view at the time, and his prosecution wasn’t announced by the district attorney’s office when Advantage Asphalt’s owners and others were indicted about two weeks after his plea.</p>
<p>The Martinez plea came up Monday in a prosecutor’s opening statement as a trial on bribery and fraud charges against Advantage Asphalt owner Joe Anthony Montoya and the company itself got started. Martinez has not been sentenced.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Court documents from 2012 say Martinez was expected to testify before a grand jury in the Advantage Asphalt case. The DA’s office maintained that his indictment and plea needed to be sealed from public view “to preserve the secrecy of the Grand Jury proceedings,” the court records indicate.</p>
<p>Later in the same month, a Santa Fe County grand jury indicted Advantage Asphalt as a company; Advantage owners Joe Anthony and Marlene Montoya; the county public works director at the time, James Lujan; and Lujan’s assistant int he public works department. The charges alleged bribery and fraud in connection with Advantage’s roadwork contracts with the county and with the private developers of the Rancho Viejo subdivision.</p>
<p>About two weeks after those indictments, in March 2012, the DA asked a judge to unseal Martinez’s court records, noting that since the grand jury had indicted the other defendants, it was “no longer necessary to preserve the secrecy of the grand jury.” The request was granted by a judge.</p>
<p>Martinez’s admission of accepting a trip to Las Vegas dovetails with the charges faced by his former boss, Lujan. Lujan was fired from his public works director job shortly after the Advantage investigation became public in 2010. Last year, he admitted accepting three Vegas trips and as much as $20,000 from Joe Anthony Montoya and pleaded guilty to bribery and conspiracy charges.</p>
<p>Marlene Montoya last week pleaded to two bribery counts, also in connection with the Vegas trips accepted by county officials, and a conspiracy count.</p>
<p>The guilty pleas of Marlene Montoya, Martinez and Lujan, and dismissal by the prosecution last year of the related charges against Lujan’s county assistant, has left only Joe Anthony Montoya and Advantage Asphalt as a company to face charges in the ongoing District Court trial that started Monday.</p>
<p>Marlene Montoya has exercised spousal privilege and won’t testify. Lujan and Martinez are expected to be witnesses for the prosecution. The case centers on the allegations of bribes and other counts alleging overbilling and substandard paving work by Advantage Asphalt, which had more than $7 million in county road contracts.</p>
<p>Court records show that as of last year, Martinez was working for the state Department of Transportation.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,853 |
|
<p>Caracas.</p>
<p>A myth has long existed in commentary on Venezuela, which goes something like the following: when discussing the Venezuelan revolution, the relevant actors can be expressed through the binary “Chavista/Anti-Chavista.” This myth, it should be mentioned, has a certain political efficacy, and is indeed necessary in situations like the recent elections, in which my enemy’s enemy was indeed my friend.</p>
<p>But the errors facilitated by such a binary framework are too many to count. These include, for example, the facile view that Chávez is little more than an autocrat running a personalistic movement bent on centralizing power in his own hands. Moreover, we cannot even begin to grasp the recent call for a unitary socialist party and the dissolution of the MVR within the framework of Chavistas versus the opposition. But the danger of such a framework is above all political: by lumping the entire “Chavista” voting bloc into one homogeneous mass, we run the risk of missing precisely what is most radical about the process.</p>
<p>While the internal dynamics of the revolutionary movement are variegated and shifting, with multiple axes, criteria, and alliances, for analytical and political purposes, it is useful to introduce the idea that there are two Chavismos. These are, on the one hand, the middle-of-the-road, social democratic Chavistas, who occupy some of the highest posts in the government, and who are largely represented by the centrist current of the MVR and PODEMOS. This latter organization, an admittedly social democratic electoral alliance, has a revealing history, having only recently (in 2003) split from the opposition centrist MAS party headed by Teodoro Petkoff.</p>
<p>While the elimination of Chávez’s former mentor Luis Miquilena and many of his moderate disciples in 2002 surely dealt a blow to this tendency, its persistence is clearly reflected in both the political centrism of many MVR leaders as well as in the fact that on December 3rd, PODEMOS was second only to the MVR among the Chavista ranks, earning more than 750,000 votes.</p>
<p>Perhaps more salient than their centrist orientation, this sector is ideologically the least hostile to and hence most susceptible to bureaucratization and corruption. Chávez himself has recently spoken of the need to brandish “two swordsone against corruption and the other against bureaucratization.” It is for this above all that centrist Chavistas are viewed with disdain by the more radical sectors.</p>
<p>On the other hand, we have radical Chavistas. These are represented electorally in some sectors of the MVR and some currents within the cadre-style Homeland for All (PPT) party, but above all in the Venezuelan Communist Party (PCV), the Tupamaros, and Lina Ron’s hardline Venezuelan Popular Unity (UPV). But beyond being a properly electoral current, radical Chavismo is more than anything else a grassroots phenomenon, visible in those mobilized masses who are pushing the deepening of the process and consistently attacking bureaucratization and corruption in all their forms.</p>
<p>This can be seen in the fact that while both the UPV and the Tupamaros are minor players electorally, their grassroots influence is considerably greater (the former serving as Chavista shock troops and the latter dedicating themselves to local self-defense). Many who vote for the predominant MVR due to its identification with Chávez attack the leadership of the party for its moderation and presumed corruption (one could even speculate that these are the majority among MVR voters). In these sectors, socialism and participation merge into one coherent current, effectively distinguishing them from the center.</p>
<p>What does this rupture within Chavismo do to our understanding of Venezuelan society more broadly? Rather than a binary understanding of society, we gain the subtlety of a more broadly tripartite schema constituted by anti-Chavistas, moderate Chavistas, and radical Chavistas. Rather than seeing merely elections and the “consolidation of power,” we are more sensitive to the fact that the “deepening of the Bolivarian Revolution” means the attacking of one sector of Chavistas by another, within the context of a formal electoral unity. We can see, moreover, that Chávez’s recent dissolution of the MVR is more like a cultural revolution than a step toward authoritarianism, as it aims to purify the movement of corrupt moderates.</p>
<p>Besides these programmatic and ideological differences, we could also constitute such a tripartite vision quantitatively. The official “opposition” represented by the Rosales campaign garnered just over one-third of the vote, a proportion that could be adjusted downward since the candidate’s blatant populism (his “Mi Negra” debit card which, it was claimed, would directly distribute oil wealth to the poor) undoubtedly drew away some whose politics might under other conditions favor Chavismo.</p>
<p>The other two-thirds, then, can be divided between moderate and radical Chavismo. The calculation is difficult given the tendency for Chavistas of all stripes to vote MVR (the party gained 66 percent of total Chavista votes), but is visible schematically in the breakdown of votes garnered by PODEMOS (31 percent of non-MVR Chavista votes), PPT (23 percent of the same) and the PCV (13 percent), respectively.</p>
<p>What, in turn, is the effect of starting from a tripartite rather than a binary division of Venezuelan society? Firstly, we would be forced to de-emphasize the role of the traditional “opposition.” Here, the political stakes of the distinction are clear: a binary division between Chavistas and the opposition gives entirely too much weight to the wealthiest oligarchic sectors of Venezuelan society. The opposition press, the most powerful weapon of these oligarchs, expressed this with the utmost of clarity when they regularly described Rosales as the “candidate of national unity.” This “opposition,” constituting a mere third (or less) of the electorate, should be granted no more analytical privilege than the sectors constituting Chavismo.</p>
<p>The second effect of this tripartite view is an undermining of common understandings of what constitutes the political “center.” This category is dubious wherever it is found, favoring as it does an arbitrary two-party view of the world that discourages all forms of radicalism, but it is even less sustainable in the current Venezuelan conjuncture. Seeking a “center” between Chavismo and the right-wing opposition leads to the same problem mentioned above: by privileging the official “opposition” as one of two poles in a binary relation, we again do the work of the oligarchs.</p>
<p>In short, by beginning from a more accurate view of the dynamics of Chavismo, our entire view of Venezuelan political society is disrupted: the fallacies of the single “opposition” and the firm “center” lose all value. Things are immediately more complicated, but also more palpably revolutionary: we have broken the analytical stranglehold that the long history of oligarchic domination has imposed upon our concepts, a domination in which 10 percent of the population count as much as the remaining 90 percent, and in so doing, we perform theoretically precisely the same gesture that the Bolivarian Revolution has performed politically.</p>
<p>But, one might ask, what are the political stakes of doing so? These stakes lie in the need to be attentive to the subtle infiltration of this liberal-oligarchic binary, especially in nominally radical or leftist discussions of Venezuela.</p>
<p>We could take, for example, the recent efforts by Nikolas Kozloff to “set progressives straight” on Venezuela (see his various articles at Venezuela Analysis and Counterpunch). A brief survey of Kozloff’s articles shows that almost every single one draws its substantive content from a single interview source: the centrist “human rights organization” Provea. Kozloff justifies his deference to Provea by claiming that the organization is “hardly a tool of the right wing opposition.” This is true, but this gesture also demonstrates that the validity of Provea’s perspective derives, for Kozloff, from the fact that it represents a “less biased view,” occupying a middle ground between the “government” and the “opposition.”</p>
<p>Even more disturbing is the fact that, in a recent Counterpunch article ostensibly devoted to the elections (but which spends remarkably little time on the subject), Kozloff goes even further (“Chávez Against Rosales,” December 2nd/3rd 2006). “To get more perspective about social polarization,” Kozloff inexplicably turns to former Primero Justicia (Justice First) General Secretary Gerardo Blyde. Primero Justicia, despite current attempts to masquerade as “centrist humanist,” is widely known to be a far-right party and heir to the ailing Christian democratic COPEI.</p>
<p>Both in turning to the center for “a less biased view” and to the far right for “more perspective,” Kozloff is performing the same gesture: referring to an imaginary center which favors the right. This might be forgivable were it not for the fact that, aside from people on the street to whom he turns for quotidian observations, Kozloff appears not to have interviewed a single Chavista! No representative of the various Chavista political organizations, Bolivarian Circles, or local councils. No mayors, ministers, or representatives to the national assembly.</p>
<p>Hence in a recent Counterpunch article on crime in Caracas (an article which, incidentally, demonstrates an extreme distaste for all but the wealthiest parts of the very city that the author seeks to “save”), Kozloff’s choice of sources prevents him from providing a substantial explanation for the intransigence of violence in the city (“Saving Caracas,” December 27th 2006).</p>
<p>There is no mention of the fact that the problem emerged during the neoliberal reforms: the murder rate in Caracas more than tripled between 1986 and 1989 (from 14 to 45), and peaked in 1994 at 96 per 100,000, considerably higher than the current rate (which most, even the opposition, put around 60-70). Kozloff is content to quote the head of Provea, who simplistically and erroneously asserts that, “during the Chávez mandate, the security situation has worsened.”</p>
<p>Moreover, there is only the briefest mention of the various actors involved in perpetuating this situation, and specifically the fact that the Metropolitan Police are guilty of both looking the other way in return for bribes or actively participating in crime. There is no mention of the fact that this very force was under the control of opposition mayor Alfredo Peña until 2004, thereby preventing any effort at reform (Peña even called in the head of the NYPD, of all people, to train the Metropolitan Police).</p>
<p>Most importantly, Kozloff makes no mention of government efforts to tackle crime, specifically the successful deployment of the National Guard to violent areas and the ongoing process of police reform, one which began in 2005 and is beginning to bear fruit. Given the fact that the police are often the problem but also indispensable to the solution, a reform process was considered the necessary precondition for any effort to attack violent crime at its roots. Such omissions are not surprising for someone whose perspective is limited to the “center,” as located between the government and the right.</p>
<p>Caracas indeed needs “saving,” but we won’t be able to help if we limit ourselves to the Chavista/Anti-Chavista binary, one which in the pursuit of objectivity effectively does the work of the oligarchic opposition. There are a multitude of revolutionaries on the ground struggling for their city and their country, attacking both the right and the corrupt and bureaucratic Chavista center, and we will understand little if we systematically ignore their efforts or rob them of their autonomy through fidelity to an analytic binary whose very validity has been decisively ruptured by the Bolivarian Revolution.</p>
<p>GEORGE CICCARIELLO-MAHER is a Ph.D candidate in political theory at the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Caracas. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Beyond Chavistas and Anti-Chavistas
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2007/01/06/beyond-chavistas-and-anti-chavistas/
|
2007-01-06
| 4left
|
Beyond Chavistas and Anti-Chavistas
<p>Caracas.</p>
<p>A myth has long existed in commentary on Venezuela, which goes something like the following: when discussing the Venezuelan revolution, the relevant actors can be expressed through the binary “Chavista/Anti-Chavista.” This myth, it should be mentioned, has a certain political efficacy, and is indeed necessary in situations like the recent elections, in which my enemy’s enemy was indeed my friend.</p>
<p>But the errors facilitated by such a binary framework are too many to count. These include, for example, the facile view that Chávez is little more than an autocrat running a personalistic movement bent on centralizing power in his own hands. Moreover, we cannot even begin to grasp the recent call for a unitary socialist party and the dissolution of the MVR within the framework of Chavistas versus the opposition. But the danger of such a framework is above all political: by lumping the entire “Chavista” voting bloc into one homogeneous mass, we run the risk of missing precisely what is most radical about the process.</p>
<p>While the internal dynamics of the revolutionary movement are variegated and shifting, with multiple axes, criteria, and alliances, for analytical and political purposes, it is useful to introduce the idea that there are two Chavismos. These are, on the one hand, the middle-of-the-road, social democratic Chavistas, who occupy some of the highest posts in the government, and who are largely represented by the centrist current of the MVR and PODEMOS. This latter organization, an admittedly social democratic electoral alliance, has a revealing history, having only recently (in 2003) split from the opposition centrist MAS party headed by Teodoro Petkoff.</p>
<p>While the elimination of Chávez’s former mentor Luis Miquilena and many of his moderate disciples in 2002 surely dealt a blow to this tendency, its persistence is clearly reflected in both the political centrism of many MVR leaders as well as in the fact that on December 3rd, PODEMOS was second only to the MVR among the Chavista ranks, earning more than 750,000 votes.</p>
<p>Perhaps more salient than their centrist orientation, this sector is ideologically the least hostile to and hence most susceptible to bureaucratization and corruption. Chávez himself has recently spoken of the need to brandish “two swordsone against corruption and the other against bureaucratization.” It is for this above all that centrist Chavistas are viewed with disdain by the more radical sectors.</p>
<p>On the other hand, we have radical Chavistas. These are represented electorally in some sectors of the MVR and some currents within the cadre-style Homeland for All (PPT) party, but above all in the Venezuelan Communist Party (PCV), the Tupamaros, and Lina Ron’s hardline Venezuelan Popular Unity (UPV). But beyond being a properly electoral current, radical Chavismo is more than anything else a grassroots phenomenon, visible in those mobilized masses who are pushing the deepening of the process and consistently attacking bureaucratization and corruption in all their forms.</p>
<p>This can be seen in the fact that while both the UPV and the Tupamaros are minor players electorally, their grassroots influence is considerably greater (the former serving as Chavista shock troops and the latter dedicating themselves to local self-defense). Many who vote for the predominant MVR due to its identification with Chávez attack the leadership of the party for its moderation and presumed corruption (one could even speculate that these are the majority among MVR voters). In these sectors, socialism and participation merge into one coherent current, effectively distinguishing them from the center.</p>
<p>What does this rupture within Chavismo do to our understanding of Venezuelan society more broadly? Rather than a binary understanding of society, we gain the subtlety of a more broadly tripartite schema constituted by anti-Chavistas, moderate Chavistas, and radical Chavistas. Rather than seeing merely elections and the “consolidation of power,” we are more sensitive to the fact that the “deepening of the Bolivarian Revolution” means the attacking of one sector of Chavistas by another, within the context of a formal electoral unity. We can see, moreover, that Chávez’s recent dissolution of the MVR is more like a cultural revolution than a step toward authoritarianism, as it aims to purify the movement of corrupt moderates.</p>
<p>Besides these programmatic and ideological differences, we could also constitute such a tripartite vision quantitatively. The official “opposition” represented by the Rosales campaign garnered just over one-third of the vote, a proportion that could be adjusted downward since the candidate’s blatant populism (his “Mi Negra” debit card which, it was claimed, would directly distribute oil wealth to the poor) undoubtedly drew away some whose politics might under other conditions favor Chavismo.</p>
<p>The other two-thirds, then, can be divided between moderate and radical Chavismo. The calculation is difficult given the tendency for Chavistas of all stripes to vote MVR (the party gained 66 percent of total Chavista votes), but is visible schematically in the breakdown of votes garnered by PODEMOS (31 percent of non-MVR Chavista votes), PPT (23 percent of the same) and the PCV (13 percent), respectively.</p>
<p>What, in turn, is the effect of starting from a tripartite rather than a binary division of Venezuelan society? Firstly, we would be forced to de-emphasize the role of the traditional “opposition.” Here, the political stakes of the distinction are clear: a binary division between Chavistas and the opposition gives entirely too much weight to the wealthiest oligarchic sectors of Venezuelan society. The opposition press, the most powerful weapon of these oligarchs, expressed this with the utmost of clarity when they regularly described Rosales as the “candidate of national unity.” This “opposition,” constituting a mere third (or less) of the electorate, should be granted no more analytical privilege than the sectors constituting Chavismo.</p>
<p>The second effect of this tripartite view is an undermining of common understandings of what constitutes the political “center.” This category is dubious wherever it is found, favoring as it does an arbitrary two-party view of the world that discourages all forms of radicalism, but it is even less sustainable in the current Venezuelan conjuncture. Seeking a “center” between Chavismo and the right-wing opposition leads to the same problem mentioned above: by privileging the official “opposition” as one of two poles in a binary relation, we again do the work of the oligarchs.</p>
<p>In short, by beginning from a more accurate view of the dynamics of Chavismo, our entire view of Venezuelan political society is disrupted: the fallacies of the single “opposition” and the firm “center” lose all value. Things are immediately more complicated, but also more palpably revolutionary: we have broken the analytical stranglehold that the long history of oligarchic domination has imposed upon our concepts, a domination in which 10 percent of the population count as much as the remaining 90 percent, and in so doing, we perform theoretically precisely the same gesture that the Bolivarian Revolution has performed politically.</p>
<p>But, one might ask, what are the political stakes of doing so? These stakes lie in the need to be attentive to the subtle infiltration of this liberal-oligarchic binary, especially in nominally radical or leftist discussions of Venezuela.</p>
<p>We could take, for example, the recent efforts by Nikolas Kozloff to “set progressives straight” on Venezuela (see his various articles at Venezuela Analysis and Counterpunch). A brief survey of Kozloff’s articles shows that almost every single one draws its substantive content from a single interview source: the centrist “human rights organization” Provea. Kozloff justifies his deference to Provea by claiming that the organization is “hardly a tool of the right wing opposition.” This is true, but this gesture also demonstrates that the validity of Provea’s perspective derives, for Kozloff, from the fact that it represents a “less biased view,” occupying a middle ground between the “government” and the “opposition.”</p>
<p>Even more disturbing is the fact that, in a recent Counterpunch article ostensibly devoted to the elections (but which spends remarkably little time on the subject), Kozloff goes even further (“Chávez Against Rosales,” December 2nd/3rd 2006). “To get more perspective about social polarization,” Kozloff inexplicably turns to former Primero Justicia (Justice First) General Secretary Gerardo Blyde. Primero Justicia, despite current attempts to masquerade as “centrist humanist,” is widely known to be a far-right party and heir to the ailing Christian democratic COPEI.</p>
<p>Both in turning to the center for “a less biased view” and to the far right for “more perspective,” Kozloff is performing the same gesture: referring to an imaginary center which favors the right. This might be forgivable were it not for the fact that, aside from people on the street to whom he turns for quotidian observations, Kozloff appears not to have interviewed a single Chavista! No representative of the various Chavista political organizations, Bolivarian Circles, or local councils. No mayors, ministers, or representatives to the national assembly.</p>
<p>Hence in a recent Counterpunch article on crime in Caracas (an article which, incidentally, demonstrates an extreme distaste for all but the wealthiest parts of the very city that the author seeks to “save”), Kozloff’s choice of sources prevents him from providing a substantial explanation for the intransigence of violence in the city (“Saving Caracas,” December 27th 2006).</p>
<p>There is no mention of the fact that the problem emerged during the neoliberal reforms: the murder rate in Caracas more than tripled between 1986 and 1989 (from 14 to 45), and peaked in 1994 at 96 per 100,000, considerably higher than the current rate (which most, even the opposition, put around 60-70). Kozloff is content to quote the head of Provea, who simplistically and erroneously asserts that, “during the Chávez mandate, the security situation has worsened.”</p>
<p>Moreover, there is only the briefest mention of the various actors involved in perpetuating this situation, and specifically the fact that the Metropolitan Police are guilty of both looking the other way in return for bribes or actively participating in crime. There is no mention of the fact that this very force was under the control of opposition mayor Alfredo Peña until 2004, thereby preventing any effort at reform (Peña even called in the head of the NYPD, of all people, to train the Metropolitan Police).</p>
<p>Most importantly, Kozloff makes no mention of government efforts to tackle crime, specifically the successful deployment of the National Guard to violent areas and the ongoing process of police reform, one which began in 2005 and is beginning to bear fruit. Given the fact that the police are often the problem but also indispensable to the solution, a reform process was considered the necessary precondition for any effort to attack violent crime at its roots. Such omissions are not surprising for someone whose perspective is limited to the “center,” as located between the government and the right.</p>
<p>Caracas indeed needs “saving,” but we won’t be able to help if we limit ourselves to the Chavista/Anti-Chavista binary, one which in the pursuit of objectivity effectively does the work of the oligarchic opposition. There are a multitude of revolutionaries on the ground struggling for their city and their country, attacking both the right and the corrupt and bureaucratic Chavista center, and we will understand little if we systematically ignore their efforts or rob them of their autonomy through fidelity to an analytic binary whose very validity has been decisively ruptured by the Bolivarian Revolution.</p>
<p>GEORGE CICCARIELLO-MAHER is a Ph.D candidate in political theory at the University of California, Berkeley. He lives in Caracas. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,854 |
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday morning's drawing of the Texas Lottery's "All or Nothing Morning" game were:</p>
<p>03-04-08-11-12-13-15-16-17-19-20-21</p>
<p>(three, four, eight, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one)</p>
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday morning's drawing of the Texas Lottery's "All or Nothing Morning" game were:</p>
<p>03-04-08-11-12-13-15-16-17-19-20-21</p>
<p>(three, four, eight, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one)</p>
|
Winning numbers drawn in 'All or Nothing Morning' game
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/bd5fcf8609734c10984c67e8c6599f70
|
2018-01-13
| 2least
|
Winning numbers drawn in 'All or Nothing Morning' game
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday morning's drawing of the Texas Lottery's "All or Nothing Morning" game were:</p>
<p>03-04-08-11-12-13-15-16-17-19-20-21</p>
<p>(three, four, eight, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one)</p>
<p>AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday morning's drawing of the Texas Lottery's "All or Nothing Morning" game were:</p>
<p>03-04-08-11-12-13-15-16-17-19-20-21</p>
<p>(three, four, eight, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one)</p>
| 4,855 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Bernin Sensation, an allowance winner in his New Mexico debut on July 8, is one of six 3-year-olds entered in Saturday’s 5½-furlong, $50,000 Duke City Sprint Stakes at Albuquerque Downs.</p>
<p>Trained by Todd Fincher for owners R.D. Hubbard, Shaun Hubbard, and Ray Willis, Bernin Sensation is coming off of a 1¼-length victory as the even-money favorite in a July 8 6-furlong, non-winners-of-three allowance race. The Kentucky-bred son of 2006 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Bernardini drew the rail post and will be ridden by Alfredo Juarez Jr.</p>
<p>Teed Off Stable’s Pink Cotton, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, returns to New Mexico off of a sixth-place finish in the 1-mile, $65,000 Prairie Mile Stakes at Prairie Meadows near Des Moines, Iowa, on June 9. The bay colt has won two of four starts, including a 6-furlong first-level allowance at Prairie Meadows on May 25 and has earned $36,750.</p>
<p>Pink Cotton drew post 5 and will be ridden by Elvin Gonzalez for trainer Bart Hone.</p>
<p>The Duke City Sprint will be the fourth race on Albuquerque Downs’ 10-race program. Estimated post time for the stakes is 7:20 p.m. (MDT). The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:</p>
<p>DOWNS NOTES: Racing secretary Gerald Richards has received 23 nominations for the track’s signature Thoroughbred race, the 1⅛-mile, $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap. One of the nominations, defending champion Smack Smack, is a homebred 6-year-old gelding trained by Don Von Hemel for country music star Toby Keith’s Dream Walkin Farms Inc. Bob Baffert, a four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, has nominated Cat Burglar, a 7-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song who ran third in the 1-1/16-mile, $300,000 TVG San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar on July 22. Entries for the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap, which runs Aug. 6, will be drawn Saturday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
|
Duke City Sprint Stakes highlights ABQ Downs program
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/1040159/duke-city-sprint-stakes-highlights-abq-downs-program.html
| 2least
|
Duke City Sprint Stakes highlights ABQ Downs program
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Bernin Sensation, an allowance winner in his New Mexico debut on July 8, is one of six 3-year-olds entered in Saturday’s 5½-furlong, $50,000 Duke City Sprint Stakes at Albuquerque Downs.</p>
<p>Trained by Todd Fincher for owners R.D. Hubbard, Shaun Hubbard, and Ray Willis, Bernin Sensation is coming off of a 1¼-length victory as the even-money favorite in a July 8 6-furlong, non-winners-of-three allowance race. The Kentucky-bred son of 2006 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Bernardini drew the rail post and will be ridden by Alfredo Juarez Jr.</p>
<p>Teed Off Stable’s Pink Cotton, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, returns to New Mexico off of a sixth-place finish in the 1-mile, $65,000 Prairie Mile Stakes at Prairie Meadows near Des Moines, Iowa, on June 9. The bay colt has won two of four starts, including a 6-furlong first-level allowance at Prairie Meadows on May 25 and has earned $36,750.</p>
<p>Pink Cotton drew post 5 and will be ridden by Elvin Gonzalez for trainer Bart Hone.</p>
<p>The Duke City Sprint will be the fourth race on Albuquerque Downs’ 10-race program. Estimated post time for the stakes is 7:20 p.m. (MDT). The complete lineup, in post position order including jockey assignments and morning-line odds:</p>
<p>DOWNS NOTES: Racing secretary Gerald Richards has received 23 nominations for the track’s signature Thoroughbred race, the 1⅛-mile, $200,000 Downs at Albuquerque Handicap. One of the nominations, defending champion Smack Smack, is a homebred 6-year-old gelding trained by Don Von Hemel for country music star Toby Keith’s Dream Walkin Farms Inc. Bob Baffert, a four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, has nominated Cat Burglar, a 7-year-old son of Unbridled’s Song who ran third in the 1-1/16-mile, $300,000 TVG San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar on July 22. Entries for the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap, which runs Aug. 6, will be drawn Saturday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
| 4,856 |
|
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump lashed out at hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico on Thursday, insisting in tweets that the federal government can’t keep sending help “forever” and suggesting the U.S. territory was to blame for its financial struggles.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>His broadsides triggered an outcry from Democrats in Washington and officials on the island, which has been reeling since Hurricane Maria struck three weeks ago, leaving death and destruction in an unparalleled humanitarian crisis.</p>
<p>San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, with whom Trump has had a running war of words, tweeted that the president’s comments were “unbecoming” to a commander in chief and “seem more to come from a ‘Hater in Chief.’”</p>
<p>“Mr. President, you seem to want to disregard the moral imperative that your administration has been unable to fulfill,” the mayor said in a statement.</p>
<p>The debate played out as the House headed toward passage of a $36.5 billion disaster aid package, including assistance for Puerto Rico. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the government needs to ensure that Puerto Rico can “begin to stand on its own two feet” and said the U.S. has “got to do more to help Puerto Rico rebuild its own economy.”</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Wildfires that raged across California wine country left little more than smoldering ashes and eye-stinging smoke in their wake. House after house is gone, with only brick chimneys and charred laundry machines to mark what were once homes. (Oct. 11)</p>
<p>Forty-five deaths in Puerto Rico have been blamed on Maria, about 85 percent of Puerto Rico residents still lack electricity and the government says it hopes to have electricity restored completely by March.</p>
<p>Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited the island last week to offer the U.S. commitment to the island’s recovery. But Trump’s tweets on Thursday raised questions about whether the U.S. resolve. He tweeted: “We cannot keep FEMA, the Military &amp; the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!”</p>
<p>In a series of tweets, the president added, “electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes.” He blamed Puerto Rico for its looming financial crisis and “a total lack of accountability.”</p>
<p>The tweets conflicted with Trump’s past statements on Puerto Rico. During an event last week honoring the heritage of Hispanics, for example, the president said, “We will be there all the time to help Puerto Rico recover, restore, rebuild.”</p>
<p>Democrats said Trump’s attacks were “shameful,” given that the 3 million-plus U.S. citizens on Puerto Rico are confronting the kind of hardships that would draw howls of outrage if they affected a state. One-third of the island lacks clean running water and just 8 percent of its roads are passable, according to government statistics.</p>
<p>“It is shameful that President Trump is threatening to abandon these Americans when they most need the federal government’s help,” said Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking House Democrat.</p>
<p>The legislative aid package totals $36.5 billion and sticks close to a White House request. For now, it ignores huge demands from the powerful Florida and Texas delegations, which together pressed for some $40 billion more.</p>
<p>A steady series of disasters could put 2017 on track to rival Hurricane Katrina and other 2005 storms as the most costly set of disasters ever. Katrina required about $110 billion in emergency appropriations.</p>
<p>The bill combines $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency with $16 billion to permit the financially troubled federal flood insurance program pay an influx of Harvey-related claims. An additional $577 million would pay for western firefighting efforts.</p>
<p>Up to $5 billion of the FEMA money could be used to help local governments remain functional as they endure unsustainable cash shortfalls in the aftermath of Maria, which has choked off revenues and strained resources.</p>
<p>Ryan, the House speaker, planned to visit Puerto Rico on Friday. He has promised that the island will get what it needs.</p>
<p>“It’s not easy when you’re used to living in an American way of life, and then somebody tell you that you’re going to be without power for six or eight months,” said Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, who represents Puerto Rico as a nonvoting member of Congress. “It’s not easy when you are continue to suffer — see the suffering of the people without food, without water, and actually living in a humanitarian crisis.”</p>
<p>The GOP-run Congress had protracted debates last year on modest requests by former President Barack Obama to combat the Zika virus and help Flint, Michigan, repair its lead-tainted water system. Now, it is moving quickly to take care of this year’s crises, quickly passing a $15.3 billion measure last month and signaling that another installment is coming next month.</p>
<p>Several lawmakers from hurricane-hit states said a third interim aid request is anticipated shortly — with a final, huge hurricane recovery and rebuilding package likely to be acted upon by the end of the year.</p>
|
Trump lashes out at Puerto Rico as House weighs aid package
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/12/trump-lashes-out-at-puerto-rico-as-house-weighs-aid-package.html
|
2017-10-12
| 0right
|
Trump lashes out at Puerto Rico as House weighs aid package
<p />
<p>President Donald Trump lashed out at hurricane-devastated Puerto Rico on Thursday, insisting in tweets that the federal government can’t keep sending help “forever” and suggesting the U.S. territory was to blame for its financial struggles.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>His broadsides triggered an outcry from Democrats in Washington and officials on the island, which has been reeling since Hurricane Maria struck three weeks ago, leaving death and destruction in an unparalleled humanitarian crisis.</p>
<p>San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, with whom Trump has had a running war of words, tweeted that the president’s comments were “unbecoming” to a commander in chief and “seem more to come from a ‘Hater in Chief.’”</p>
<p>“Mr. President, you seem to want to disregard the moral imperative that your administration has been unable to fulfill,” the mayor said in a statement.</p>
<p>The debate played out as the House headed toward passage of a $36.5 billion disaster aid package, including assistance for Puerto Rico. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the government needs to ensure that Puerto Rico can “begin to stand on its own two feet” and said the U.S. has “got to do more to help Puerto Rico rebuild its own economy.”</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Wildfires that raged across California wine country left little more than smoldering ashes and eye-stinging smoke in their wake. House after house is gone, with only brick chimneys and charred laundry machines to mark what were once homes. (Oct. 11)</p>
<p>Forty-five deaths in Puerto Rico have been blamed on Maria, about 85 percent of Puerto Rico residents still lack electricity and the government says it hopes to have electricity restored completely by March.</p>
<p>Both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited the island last week to offer the U.S. commitment to the island’s recovery. But Trump’s tweets on Thursday raised questions about whether the U.S. resolve. He tweeted: “We cannot keep FEMA, the Military &amp; the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!”</p>
<p>In a series of tweets, the president added, “electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes.” He blamed Puerto Rico for its looming financial crisis and “a total lack of accountability.”</p>
<p>The tweets conflicted with Trump’s past statements on Puerto Rico. During an event last week honoring the heritage of Hispanics, for example, the president said, “We will be there all the time to help Puerto Rico recover, restore, rebuild.”</p>
<p>Democrats said Trump’s attacks were “shameful,” given that the 3 million-plus U.S. citizens on Puerto Rico are confronting the kind of hardships that would draw howls of outrage if they affected a state. One-third of the island lacks clean running water and just 8 percent of its roads are passable, according to government statistics.</p>
<p>“It is shameful that President Trump is threatening to abandon these Americans when they most need the federal government’s help,” said Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking House Democrat.</p>
<p>The legislative aid package totals $36.5 billion and sticks close to a White House request. For now, it ignores huge demands from the powerful Florida and Texas delegations, which together pressed for some $40 billion more.</p>
<p>A steady series of disasters could put 2017 on track to rival Hurricane Katrina and other 2005 storms as the most costly set of disasters ever. Katrina required about $110 billion in emergency appropriations.</p>
<p>The bill combines $18.7 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency with $16 billion to permit the financially troubled federal flood insurance program pay an influx of Harvey-related claims. An additional $577 million would pay for western firefighting efforts.</p>
<p>Up to $5 billion of the FEMA money could be used to help local governments remain functional as they endure unsustainable cash shortfalls in the aftermath of Maria, which has choked off revenues and strained resources.</p>
<p>Ryan, the House speaker, planned to visit Puerto Rico on Friday. He has promised that the island will get what it needs.</p>
<p>“It’s not easy when you’re used to living in an American way of life, and then somebody tell you that you’re going to be without power for six or eight months,” said Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon, who represents Puerto Rico as a nonvoting member of Congress. “It’s not easy when you are continue to suffer — see the suffering of the people without food, without water, and actually living in a humanitarian crisis.”</p>
<p>The GOP-run Congress had protracted debates last year on modest requests by former President Barack Obama to combat the Zika virus and help Flint, Michigan, repair its lead-tainted water system. Now, it is moving quickly to take care of this year’s crises, quickly passing a $15.3 billion measure last month and signaling that another installment is coming next month.</p>
<p>Several lawmakers from hurricane-hit states said a third interim aid request is anticipated shortly — with a final, huge hurricane recovery and rebuilding package likely to be acted upon by the end of the year.</p>
| 4,857 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>I was at a conference titled Build the Left, Fight the Right this past June. The speakers and workshops at the conference ranged from the war in Iraq to the immigrant rights movement in the United States. One of the most interesting (and there were many) and hopeful (in terms of a brighter future for the world’s majority) was a well-attended presentation by Justin Akers Chacon, co-author of No One Is Illegal, and Nativo V. Lopez, the National President of the Mexican American Political Association, and National Director of the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana. The conversation after with the audience the two spoke covered topics ranging from immigrant organizing to the Democratic Party and union sellouts and working class solidarity. I recently exchanged a series of emails with Nativo Lopez, who has been touring the United States.</p>
<p>Ron: Nativo. I heard that you were on a national tour. What is its focus? Who do you hope to reach? What has been the response so far?</p>
<p>Nativo: The focus of the tour is to meet with the base organizations and coalitions of immigrants who were responsible for the mega-marches throughout the country, invite them to the National Immigrant Strategy Convention held in Chicago on August 11-13, and make the national links between our organizations to strengthen the movement from the bottom up. A mega-march does not a national social movement make. In other words, for us to sustain a truly national social movement for the rights of immigrants, we must build mass organizations of the immigrants, and strengthen those that already exist, as the backbone of the movement ­ in a politically independent current that draws its strength from the immigrants themselves who know best what they want and what they are willing to fight for.</p>
<p>The response from grassroots organizations and coalitions has been magnificent, and gives one every confidence that the movement is on the right track. There exist grassroots organizations in every community ­ even if only in elementary form because of the newness of the immigrant community in a given locale. Where there is oppression and repression, there exist the seeds of organization with the immigrant workers and families.</p>
<p>I heard you talk in New York during the Socialism 2006 conference. During that talk, you told the audience that the SEIU, UNITE and the leadership of the UFW were selling out the immigrant rights movement. What did you mean by that comment? Why do you think they are siding with the Democrats in favor of legislation that would penalize migrant men and women looking for work in the US?</p>
<p>Nativo: The public, and private, positions taken by leaders of these three unions is well known. All three have agreed to a more onerous form of employer sanctions than currently exist in federal law, and they support a massive contract labor program much beyond the scale ever witnessed in U.S. history. It is hard to discern why they have taken this position even though it is tantamount to support perpetual servitude for the immigrants and undermining wage and other labor standards for all workers. Perhaps it has something to do with their affiliation and participation in the Essential Worker Coalition, which is comprised principally with corporate and agri-business employers who advocate the same positions. Perhaps this is the trade-off they are willing to accept (without having consulted their respective membership, or the immigrant communities) for some form of legalization for some workers. Perhaps it is a strategy to build their unions on the short-term basis by obtaining contracts from these employers who would potentially be the employers of the “guest-workers” in the various industries where they could be employed. This is all supposition, however, because they refuse to explain their positions to our organizations. We are only left to judge by the practical implications of their positions on the legislation. And, we have certainly concluded that it is not in the interest of the immigrant workers, their families, or workers generally.</p>
<p>Are you surprised at the stance taken by these unions? Or is this about par for the course?</p>
<p>Nativo: In fact, I was surprised in that these unions have traditionally been at the forefront in defense of the rights of immigrants, and played a progressive role in shaping the new policies of the AFL-CIO when they were affiliated with the labor federation. I have said that Cesar Chavez, Bert Corona, and Ernesto Galarza, all three iconic figures in Mexican American labor and immigration history, are turning over in their graves by what they are witnessing in relation to the advocacy for a massive contract-labor program. All three individuals played a role in the elimination of the old Bracero Program in 1964.</p>
<p>At the conference you made a clear and concise equation. You essentially stated that if the fruits of immigrant labor wasn’t illegal, than neither should the producers of those fruits. Would you mind elaborating on that statement?</p>
<p>Nativo:: All serious economists recognize that labor produces value. This is the basis for the comment above. If all workers (labor) produce value, wealth for the country, immigrant workers do so to a greater degree. They do not enjoy a collective bargaining agreement, vacations, pensions, health insurance, etc. as do many other workers ­ particularly those who belong to a union. Therefore, they are producing greater value for the employer. It is no secret why corporations “outsource” and go abroad in search of cheaper labor, land, natural resources, etc. But, only labor of the three factors just mentioned produce value over and above what is required to sustain the worker. Certainly this value is not considered illegal, therefore, neither should the producers of such value be considered illegal. Contrariwise, the term could just as easily be applied to all those workers throughout the world who are employed by U.S. corporations, but then again, that would be just silly. Now, this equation has another dimension to it. If we recognize that all workers produce value irrespective of their immigration status, and immigrant workers produce greater amounts, a fair exchange for their value would be legal permanent residence. It is a known fact that immigrant workers in the U.S. have a higher labor participation rate than native-born workers. This becomes the basis for our demand of legalization for ALL. The immigrant worker is producing more than enough value to warrant permanent residence status in exchange, a fair exchange.</p>
<p>Over the past year or so, the anti-immigrant organization The Minutemen have received a high (and often positive) profile in the corporate US media. Why do you think this is happening?</p>
<p>Nativo: Every right-wing movement requires its shock troops and these are generally found within the lower middle classes, popular sectors, and even amongst workers. The U.S. experience is no different. Certainly it comes in a different form, but this phenomenon is connected to political circles in the U.S. Congress and even sectors of capital that oppose globalization, which does not serve its interest. Capital, in this sense, is divided. Remember the comment I made earlier about the Essential Worker Coalition, which advocates for a massive contract-labor program. This group is representative of a different sector of capital. Again, circles within the corporate media also represent different sectors of capital. The Lou Dobbs and O’Reillys of the media world are given free rein to spill their venom nightly only because they represent a view corresponding to a certain sector of capital. Therein you have complementary remarks by these television hosts about the Minutemen.</p>
<p>As regards the Minutemen and similar organizations, what do you see as the best strategy for negating their essentially racist agenda?</p>
<p>Nativo: The best response to these organizations is to build mass organizations within the immigrant communities, and broad coalitions representative of the majorities ­ labor, church, business, youth, African-American, and across national origin lines, within the peace, environmental, and women movements, and across international borders with international and bi-national organizations and social movements, for fair and progressive immigration reform legislation, policies, and practices. Second, it is important to conduct education within those sectors targeted for recruitment by the hate-mongers ­ as difficult as this may be. And, third, support those individuals and organizations which have the courage to organize counter-protests to those of the Minutemen in order to reduce the social space of operation and message of these racists.</p>
<p>What do you say to people that blame immigrants for the declining wages almost all workers face in the US (and other northern countries)?</p>
<p>Nativo: This is difficult, but we must be honest with people. We should not play word games, for example, not mention amnesty and instead call it a “path to citizenship.” We should be willing to explain the role of capital in undermining wage and working standards for all workers in the U.S., and other advanced industrial and technological countries. In many ways, capital has made our explanation easier to make the logical and economic connections of the devastation wrought on community after community. Wal-Mart has made it easier for us to make the argument that big-box is not necessarily better for our communities ­ especially when you consider that the local community is subsidizing this corporation by way of land write-downs, government-sponsored health services, deferred taxes, etc.</p>
<p>One of the defining aspects of Marxist analysis (at least in my mind) has been the fact that workers around the world have more in common with each other than they do with the ruling elites in their own countries. What are your thoughts on this and how do you think this relates to immigration? Also, if this internationalism is key to any movement for immigrant rights, how can that best be organized and expressed?</p>
<p>Nativo: The internationalization of capital (commonly referred to as globalization) breeds its opposite ­ international labor organization, social movements, and solidarity. The information and technology revolutions have made the world smaller, and the sharing of experiences between communities vexed by the same or similar corporate enemies easier and faster. The World Social Forums are a good example of this expression of internationalization of organization, movement, and solidarity. This will only grow stronger. The national movement for immigrants’ rights in the U.S. will only become stronger by formalizing connections with other social movements, but especially those from whence the immigrants sojourn. This movement will soon develop a clearer international dimension in terms of what it advocates for itself within the U.S., and what it advocates for its brethren left at home and left to fend for themselves against unfair trade agreements concluded between the elites.</p>
<p>Can you elaborate a little on why the Sensenbrenner Bill and the subsequent “compromises” should all be rejected?</p>
<p>Nativo: These immigration legislative proposals are restrictionist, exclusionary, and criminalizing by their very nature. While the first, Sensenbrenner, is all enforcement, the second, Hagel-Martinez (S.2611) is enforcement, plus the illusion of something beneficial to the vast majority of immigrants currently in the U.S. Both would codify in law provisions to criminalize workers, build a border wall, deploy the national guard on the U.S.-Mexico border, eliminate legal rights to judicial review, require local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and create massive detention facilities for prolonged and indefinite incarceration of immigrants. Both would result in the separation and deportation of millions of families, and undermine the legal rights of U.S. citizens. Neither proposal fairly address the current need to legalize the estimated 12 million undocumented in the U.S., or provide for future flows of immigrants. They both represent the tendency towards criminalization and militarization of our immigration issues. This will only lead to social conflict, death on the border, and potential social explosion.</p>
<p>What about the immigrant rights movement? Are there elements that organizers and other interested folks should be aware of? Trends they should combat?</p>
<p>Nativo: I believe that the immigrants’ rights movement is in good hands to the degree that we invest faith and confidence in the immigrants themselves. They know what they want. They know what they are willing to fight for. While the movement has a spontaneous element to it ­ as do all movements ­ there has always existed the organizational element. This is the kernel of leadership that exist in all communities ­ some more experienced than others, and some more independent than others. The real test of the movement is whether it will be able to develop a strong enough independent leadership, build mass organization within the immigrant communities, and steer the movement in a direction that accords with the legitimate interest of the immigrants and not those that are extraneous to the immigrant or the movement. Only time will tell.</p>
<p>RON JACOBS is author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1859841678/counterpunchmaga" type="external">The Way the Wind Blew: a history of the Weather Underground</a>, which is just republished by Verso. Jacobs’ essay on Big Bill Broonzy is featured in CounterPunch’s new collection on music, art and sex, <a href="http://www.easycarts.net/ecarts/CounterPunch/CP_Books.html" type="external">Serpents in the Garden</a>. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
"The Immigrants’ Rights Movement is in Good Hands"
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2006/08/28/quot-the-immigrants-rights-movement-is-in-good-hands-quot/
|
2006-08-28
| 4left
|
"The Immigrants’ Rights Movement is in Good Hands"
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>I was at a conference titled Build the Left, Fight the Right this past June. The speakers and workshops at the conference ranged from the war in Iraq to the immigrant rights movement in the United States. One of the most interesting (and there were many) and hopeful (in terms of a brighter future for the world’s majority) was a well-attended presentation by Justin Akers Chacon, co-author of No One Is Illegal, and Nativo V. Lopez, the National President of the Mexican American Political Association, and National Director of the Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana. The conversation after with the audience the two spoke covered topics ranging from immigrant organizing to the Democratic Party and union sellouts and working class solidarity. I recently exchanged a series of emails with Nativo Lopez, who has been touring the United States.</p>
<p>Ron: Nativo. I heard that you were on a national tour. What is its focus? Who do you hope to reach? What has been the response so far?</p>
<p>Nativo: The focus of the tour is to meet with the base organizations and coalitions of immigrants who were responsible for the mega-marches throughout the country, invite them to the National Immigrant Strategy Convention held in Chicago on August 11-13, and make the national links between our organizations to strengthen the movement from the bottom up. A mega-march does not a national social movement make. In other words, for us to sustain a truly national social movement for the rights of immigrants, we must build mass organizations of the immigrants, and strengthen those that already exist, as the backbone of the movement ­ in a politically independent current that draws its strength from the immigrants themselves who know best what they want and what they are willing to fight for.</p>
<p>The response from grassroots organizations and coalitions has been magnificent, and gives one every confidence that the movement is on the right track. There exist grassroots organizations in every community ­ even if only in elementary form because of the newness of the immigrant community in a given locale. Where there is oppression and repression, there exist the seeds of organization with the immigrant workers and families.</p>
<p>I heard you talk in New York during the Socialism 2006 conference. During that talk, you told the audience that the SEIU, UNITE and the leadership of the UFW were selling out the immigrant rights movement. What did you mean by that comment? Why do you think they are siding with the Democrats in favor of legislation that would penalize migrant men and women looking for work in the US?</p>
<p>Nativo: The public, and private, positions taken by leaders of these three unions is well known. All three have agreed to a more onerous form of employer sanctions than currently exist in federal law, and they support a massive contract labor program much beyond the scale ever witnessed in U.S. history. It is hard to discern why they have taken this position even though it is tantamount to support perpetual servitude for the immigrants and undermining wage and other labor standards for all workers. Perhaps it has something to do with their affiliation and participation in the Essential Worker Coalition, which is comprised principally with corporate and agri-business employers who advocate the same positions. Perhaps this is the trade-off they are willing to accept (without having consulted their respective membership, or the immigrant communities) for some form of legalization for some workers. Perhaps it is a strategy to build their unions on the short-term basis by obtaining contracts from these employers who would potentially be the employers of the “guest-workers” in the various industries where they could be employed. This is all supposition, however, because they refuse to explain their positions to our organizations. We are only left to judge by the practical implications of their positions on the legislation. And, we have certainly concluded that it is not in the interest of the immigrant workers, their families, or workers generally.</p>
<p>Are you surprised at the stance taken by these unions? Or is this about par for the course?</p>
<p>Nativo: In fact, I was surprised in that these unions have traditionally been at the forefront in defense of the rights of immigrants, and played a progressive role in shaping the new policies of the AFL-CIO when they were affiliated with the labor federation. I have said that Cesar Chavez, Bert Corona, and Ernesto Galarza, all three iconic figures in Mexican American labor and immigration history, are turning over in their graves by what they are witnessing in relation to the advocacy for a massive contract-labor program. All three individuals played a role in the elimination of the old Bracero Program in 1964.</p>
<p>At the conference you made a clear and concise equation. You essentially stated that if the fruits of immigrant labor wasn’t illegal, than neither should the producers of those fruits. Would you mind elaborating on that statement?</p>
<p>Nativo:: All serious economists recognize that labor produces value. This is the basis for the comment above. If all workers (labor) produce value, wealth for the country, immigrant workers do so to a greater degree. They do not enjoy a collective bargaining agreement, vacations, pensions, health insurance, etc. as do many other workers ­ particularly those who belong to a union. Therefore, they are producing greater value for the employer. It is no secret why corporations “outsource” and go abroad in search of cheaper labor, land, natural resources, etc. But, only labor of the three factors just mentioned produce value over and above what is required to sustain the worker. Certainly this value is not considered illegal, therefore, neither should the producers of such value be considered illegal. Contrariwise, the term could just as easily be applied to all those workers throughout the world who are employed by U.S. corporations, but then again, that would be just silly. Now, this equation has another dimension to it. If we recognize that all workers produce value irrespective of their immigration status, and immigrant workers produce greater amounts, a fair exchange for their value would be legal permanent residence. It is a known fact that immigrant workers in the U.S. have a higher labor participation rate than native-born workers. This becomes the basis for our demand of legalization for ALL. The immigrant worker is producing more than enough value to warrant permanent residence status in exchange, a fair exchange.</p>
<p>Over the past year or so, the anti-immigrant organization The Minutemen have received a high (and often positive) profile in the corporate US media. Why do you think this is happening?</p>
<p>Nativo: Every right-wing movement requires its shock troops and these are generally found within the lower middle classes, popular sectors, and even amongst workers. The U.S. experience is no different. Certainly it comes in a different form, but this phenomenon is connected to political circles in the U.S. Congress and even sectors of capital that oppose globalization, which does not serve its interest. Capital, in this sense, is divided. Remember the comment I made earlier about the Essential Worker Coalition, which advocates for a massive contract-labor program. This group is representative of a different sector of capital. Again, circles within the corporate media also represent different sectors of capital. The Lou Dobbs and O’Reillys of the media world are given free rein to spill their venom nightly only because they represent a view corresponding to a certain sector of capital. Therein you have complementary remarks by these television hosts about the Minutemen.</p>
<p>As regards the Minutemen and similar organizations, what do you see as the best strategy for negating their essentially racist agenda?</p>
<p>Nativo: The best response to these organizations is to build mass organizations within the immigrant communities, and broad coalitions representative of the majorities ­ labor, church, business, youth, African-American, and across national origin lines, within the peace, environmental, and women movements, and across international borders with international and bi-national organizations and social movements, for fair and progressive immigration reform legislation, policies, and practices. Second, it is important to conduct education within those sectors targeted for recruitment by the hate-mongers ­ as difficult as this may be. And, third, support those individuals and organizations which have the courage to organize counter-protests to those of the Minutemen in order to reduce the social space of operation and message of these racists.</p>
<p>What do you say to people that blame immigrants for the declining wages almost all workers face in the US (and other northern countries)?</p>
<p>Nativo: This is difficult, but we must be honest with people. We should not play word games, for example, not mention amnesty and instead call it a “path to citizenship.” We should be willing to explain the role of capital in undermining wage and working standards for all workers in the U.S., and other advanced industrial and technological countries. In many ways, capital has made our explanation easier to make the logical and economic connections of the devastation wrought on community after community. Wal-Mart has made it easier for us to make the argument that big-box is not necessarily better for our communities ­ especially when you consider that the local community is subsidizing this corporation by way of land write-downs, government-sponsored health services, deferred taxes, etc.</p>
<p>One of the defining aspects of Marxist analysis (at least in my mind) has been the fact that workers around the world have more in common with each other than they do with the ruling elites in their own countries. What are your thoughts on this and how do you think this relates to immigration? Also, if this internationalism is key to any movement for immigrant rights, how can that best be organized and expressed?</p>
<p>Nativo: The internationalization of capital (commonly referred to as globalization) breeds its opposite ­ international labor organization, social movements, and solidarity. The information and technology revolutions have made the world smaller, and the sharing of experiences between communities vexed by the same or similar corporate enemies easier and faster. The World Social Forums are a good example of this expression of internationalization of organization, movement, and solidarity. This will only grow stronger. The national movement for immigrants’ rights in the U.S. will only become stronger by formalizing connections with other social movements, but especially those from whence the immigrants sojourn. This movement will soon develop a clearer international dimension in terms of what it advocates for itself within the U.S., and what it advocates for its brethren left at home and left to fend for themselves against unfair trade agreements concluded between the elites.</p>
<p>Can you elaborate a little on why the Sensenbrenner Bill and the subsequent “compromises” should all be rejected?</p>
<p>Nativo: These immigration legislative proposals are restrictionist, exclusionary, and criminalizing by their very nature. While the first, Sensenbrenner, is all enforcement, the second, Hagel-Martinez (S.2611) is enforcement, plus the illusion of something beneficial to the vast majority of immigrants currently in the U.S. Both would codify in law provisions to criminalize workers, build a border wall, deploy the national guard on the U.S.-Mexico border, eliminate legal rights to judicial review, require local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities, and create massive detention facilities for prolonged and indefinite incarceration of immigrants. Both would result in the separation and deportation of millions of families, and undermine the legal rights of U.S. citizens. Neither proposal fairly address the current need to legalize the estimated 12 million undocumented in the U.S., or provide for future flows of immigrants. They both represent the tendency towards criminalization and militarization of our immigration issues. This will only lead to social conflict, death on the border, and potential social explosion.</p>
<p>What about the immigrant rights movement? Are there elements that organizers and other interested folks should be aware of? Trends they should combat?</p>
<p>Nativo: I believe that the immigrants’ rights movement is in good hands to the degree that we invest faith and confidence in the immigrants themselves. They know what they want. They know what they are willing to fight for. While the movement has a spontaneous element to it ­ as do all movements ­ there has always existed the organizational element. This is the kernel of leadership that exist in all communities ­ some more experienced than others, and some more independent than others. The real test of the movement is whether it will be able to develop a strong enough independent leadership, build mass organization within the immigrant communities, and steer the movement in a direction that accords with the legitimate interest of the immigrants and not those that are extraneous to the immigrant or the movement. Only time will tell.</p>
<p>RON JACOBS is author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1859841678/counterpunchmaga" type="external">The Way the Wind Blew: a history of the Weather Underground</a>, which is just republished by Verso. Jacobs’ essay on Big Bill Broonzy is featured in CounterPunch’s new collection on music, art and sex, <a href="http://www.easycarts.net/ecarts/CounterPunch/CP_Books.html" type="external">Serpents in the Garden</a>. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,858 |
<p />
<p>Someone recently plowed into the mailbox in front of my house. I decided to replace it with a similar model.&#160;I was so familiar with this mailbox (so I thought) I barely glanced at the instructions.&#160;As I approached the end of my project, I realized I was holding pieces that should have gone in along the way.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>This example serves as the backdrop for the social media experience created by many aloof businesses.&#160;They assume that traditional marketing tactics will readily translate over to the social media framework – a huge mistake.&#160;As you look to strengthen your presence here, it is imperative to install the appropriate pieces for this particular environment.&#160; Understand that people largely participate in social media for fun. They are there for a brief respite and to connect with those relevant in their life.</p>
<p>So if you’ve discovered that you’re not picking up followers or find that no one will “like” your company’s page, it may be time to examine whether you’re leaving out the parts people want.</p>
<p>Here are a few pieces you may have been looking for:</p>
<p>ContestsKeep the audience coming back with short-cycle contests. Make entry for prizes incredibly easy; no forms, no logging in – just a “like” or “retweet” in order to participate.&#160;Be sure the prizes are attractive enough to generate the buzz you seek. As you create contests, avoid the type that declares winners after many months or a year.&#160;The absence of intervening incentives will inevitably cause you to lose the attention you wish to maintain.</p>
<p>CouponsReward followers with generous coupons - exclusive to your social networks.&#160;The goal is to make your audience feel like they’re members of an exclusive club where real savings come with participation. If they happen to see the same offer from your company in the newspaper, it really doesn’t feel special anymore. Finally, push your coupons to the next level by providing free items or services (not free with other purchase, just free) – the buzz will be incredible.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>EntertainmentLose the virtual shirt and tie and relax a bit in this environment. Have some fun and provide your followers with a little entertainment.&#160;You can do things like post the joke of the day, viral videos, funny stories from your industry and much more.&#160;Just be sure that these fun posts are clean and family-friendly.</p>
<p>Informative TipsDraw the audience in by creating posts that contain relevant tips, ideas and even trivia. The goal is to become a trusted resource for all things (insert your specialty here). Providing fresh, insightful tidbits may prove to be a lifesaver for you and your social media following.</p>
<p>At this point, I’ve yet to mention much about “selling” within social media. That’s because it should be done intermittently. In other words, you shouldn’t view social media purely as an advertising vehicle.&#160; My belief is that it works best as a public-relations/marketing hybrid.</p>
<p>Walter Dailey is a <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/ad-consulting/" type="external">marketing speaker Opens a New Window.</a> and proven creative professional. He’s the lead consultant and executive producer for <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com" type="external">Dailey Sound Vector Media Opens a New Window.</a>, a creative services organization that specializes in <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/" type="external">commercial Opens a New Window.</a>, <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/" type="external">jingle</a> and <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/" type="external">marketing campaign development</a> for small businesses throughout the US.&#160; Ask Walter your questions at <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected] Opens a New Window.</a></p>
|
Does Social Media 'Like' You?
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/03/23/does-social-media-like.html
|
2016-03-23
| 0right
|
Does Social Media 'Like' You?
<p />
<p>Someone recently plowed into the mailbox in front of my house. I decided to replace it with a similar model.&#160;I was so familiar with this mailbox (so I thought) I barely glanced at the instructions.&#160;As I approached the end of my project, I realized I was holding pieces that should have gone in along the way.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>This example serves as the backdrop for the social media experience created by many aloof businesses.&#160;They assume that traditional marketing tactics will readily translate over to the social media framework – a huge mistake.&#160;As you look to strengthen your presence here, it is imperative to install the appropriate pieces for this particular environment.&#160; Understand that people largely participate in social media for fun. They are there for a brief respite and to connect with those relevant in their life.</p>
<p>So if you’ve discovered that you’re not picking up followers or find that no one will “like” your company’s page, it may be time to examine whether you’re leaving out the parts people want.</p>
<p>Here are a few pieces you may have been looking for:</p>
<p>ContestsKeep the audience coming back with short-cycle contests. Make entry for prizes incredibly easy; no forms, no logging in – just a “like” or “retweet” in order to participate.&#160;Be sure the prizes are attractive enough to generate the buzz you seek. As you create contests, avoid the type that declares winners after many months or a year.&#160;The absence of intervening incentives will inevitably cause you to lose the attention you wish to maintain.</p>
<p>CouponsReward followers with generous coupons - exclusive to your social networks.&#160;The goal is to make your audience feel like they’re members of an exclusive club where real savings come with participation. If they happen to see the same offer from your company in the newspaper, it really doesn’t feel special anymore. Finally, push your coupons to the next level by providing free items or services (not free with other purchase, just free) – the buzz will be incredible.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>EntertainmentLose the virtual shirt and tie and relax a bit in this environment. Have some fun and provide your followers with a little entertainment.&#160;You can do things like post the joke of the day, viral videos, funny stories from your industry and much more.&#160;Just be sure that these fun posts are clean and family-friendly.</p>
<p>Informative TipsDraw the audience in by creating posts that contain relevant tips, ideas and even trivia. The goal is to become a trusted resource for all things (insert your specialty here). Providing fresh, insightful tidbits may prove to be a lifesaver for you and your social media following.</p>
<p>At this point, I’ve yet to mention much about “selling” within social media. That’s because it should be done intermittently. In other words, you shouldn’t view social media purely as an advertising vehicle.&#160; My belief is that it works best as a public-relations/marketing hybrid.</p>
<p>Walter Dailey is a <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/ad-consulting/" type="external">marketing speaker Opens a New Window.</a> and proven creative professional. He’s the lead consultant and executive producer for <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com" type="external">Dailey Sound Vector Media Opens a New Window.</a>, a creative services organization that specializes in <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/" type="external">commercial Opens a New Window.</a>, <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/" type="external">jingle</a> and <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/" type="external">marketing campaign development</a> for small businesses throughout the US.&#160; Ask Walter your questions at <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected] Opens a New Window.</a></p>
| 4,859 |
<p>Ivo Daalder, America’s former permanent representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), just reacted to President Trump’s speech to NATO world leaders with a factual appraisal that clearly illustrates how little Trump seems to understand about the organization.</p>
<p>World leaders, journalists, and historical experts have largely responded to Trump’s speech with slack-jawed astonishment at the speech, but Daalder’s breakdown is perhaps the most concisely illuminating:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>“NATO&#160;members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations,” Trump said today, lecturing a full two minutes&#160;about allied nations’ defense spending. “But 23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying, and what they are supposed to be paying, for their defense. This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>Nathan Wellman is a Los Angeles-based journalist, author, and playwright. His less-political Youtube channel&#160; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgTX2M68DdRvR5Jd2YHEH7A" type="external">can be found here</a>.&#160;Follow him on Twitter: @LightningWOW</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Former NATO Ambassador Reacts to Trump’s Speech In Blistering Tweetstorm
| true |
http://resistancereport.com/world/former-us-nato-ambassador-trump/
|
2017-05-25
| 4left
|
Former NATO Ambassador Reacts to Trump’s Speech In Blistering Tweetstorm
<p>Ivo Daalder, America’s former permanent representative on the Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), just reacted to President Trump’s speech to NATO world leaders with a factual appraisal that clearly illustrates how little Trump seems to understand about the organization.</p>
<p>World leaders, journalists, and historical experts have largely responded to Trump’s speech with slack-jawed astonishment at the speech, but Daalder’s breakdown is perhaps the most concisely illuminating:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>“NATO&#160;members must finally contribute their fair share and meet their financial obligations,” Trump said today, lecturing a full two minutes&#160;about allied nations’ defense spending. “But 23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying, and what they are supposed to be paying, for their defense. This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>Nathan Wellman is a Los Angeles-based journalist, author, and playwright. His less-political Youtube channel&#160; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgTX2M68DdRvR5Jd2YHEH7A" type="external">can be found here</a>.&#160;Follow him on Twitter: @LightningWOW</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,860 |
<p>There wasn’t a whole lot of love in the room for cable news channel MSNBC during a luncheon in Beverly Hills on Monday for television executives and actors from both ends of the political spectrum.</p>
<p>The Hollywood Reporter:</p>
<p>The cable news channel is “completely out of control,” said writer-producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat.</p>
<p>She added that she would prefer a lunch date with right-leaning Fox News star Sean Hannity over left-leaning MSNBC star Keith Olbermann.</p>
<p />
<p>Olbermann was criticized by many who attended Monday’s luncheon sponsored by the Caucus for Producers, Writers &amp; Directors at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The event was dubbed “Hollywood, America and Election ’08.”</p>
<p>Bloodworth-Thomason and others seemed especially critical of the way MSNBC — and other media — has attacked Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin while demeaning her supporters.</p>
<p>“We should stop the demonizing,” she said, adding that Democrats have been worse than Republicans as far as personal attacks on candidates are concerned. “It diminishes us,” she said of her fellow Democrats.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i28df3fc9f6707d1478700b7bc78273ae" type="external">Read more</a></p>
|
MSNBC Slammed by Media Execs
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/msnbc-slammed-by-media-execs/
|
2008-10-28
| 4left
|
MSNBC Slammed by Media Execs
<p>There wasn’t a whole lot of love in the room for cable news channel MSNBC during a luncheon in Beverly Hills on Monday for television executives and actors from both ends of the political spectrum.</p>
<p>The Hollywood Reporter:</p>
<p>The cable news channel is “completely out of control,” said writer-producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat.</p>
<p>She added that she would prefer a lunch date with right-leaning Fox News star Sean Hannity over left-leaning MSNBC star Keith Olbermann.</p>
<p />
<p>Olbermann was criticized by many who attended Monday’s luncheon sponsored by the Caucus for Producers, Writers &amp; Directors at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The event was dubbed “Hollywood, America and Election ’08.”</p>
<p>Bloodworth-Thomason and others seemed especially critical of the way MSNBC — and other media — has attacked Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin while demeaning her supporters.</p>
<p>“We should stop the demonizing,” she said, adding that Democrats have been worse than Republicans as far as personal attacks on candidates are concerned. “It diminishes us,” she said of her fellow Democrats.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i28df3fc9f6707d1478700b7bc78273ae" type="external">Read more</a></p>
| 4,861 |
<p />
<p>After the initial reports, it seems that Black Friday sales fell below the level they were last year. &#160;That is true for pretty much everything across the board. &#160;Everything EXCEPT firearms.</p>
<p>The irony is pretty amusing if you think about it. &#160;You see, when an economy is sluggish, people have lost faith in the government, and hope for the future is bleak, people do not go out and melt their credit cards on Black Friday. &#160;This is an indictment against the peoples faith in President Obama.</p>
<p>How amusing it is then that the ONE sector that saw an overwhelming increase in growth was the one thing that Obama has hated and sought to undermine since the day he took office; GUNS.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://libertyunyielding.com" type="external">Liberty Unyielding</a>:</p>
<p>The staggering number of checks — an average of almost three per second, nearly three times the daily average — falls on the shoulders of 600 FBI and contract call center employees who will endure 17-hour workdays in an attempt to complete the background reviews in three business days, as required by law, FBI spokesman Stephen Fischer said.</p>
<p>Indeed, Friday saw the highest number of background checks ever for a Black Friday, and second in history. The highest day on record was December 21, 2012, with more than 177,000 background checks.</p>
<p>“We are averaging three checks per second, The challenge is to have staff keep up with this volume. We do that by limiting personal leave, asking employees to work extra shifts and reutilizing former … employees to serve in NICS during this busy period.”</p>
<p>You can read the entire article here with more in depth view on the sales here:&#160; <a href="http://libertyunyielding.com/2014/12/01/black-friday-sales-bummer-except-item-obamas-hit-list/" type="external">Black Friday sales a bummer, except for this item on Obama’s hit list</a></p>
<p>Right next to pumpkin pie this delicious delicious irony is a holiday favorite of mine.</p>
<p>Just think about the numbers…three per second. &#160;That’s 180 per minute. &#160;10800 an hour. &#160;295,200 a day. &#160;Over the course of a the weekend, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday over a million guns will have been sold and a good chunk of thanks goes to the firearm salesman of the decade, Barack Hussein Obama.</p>
<p>See…he’s good for something!</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.</p>
|
Gun Sales ROAR as Black Friday Whimpers
| true |
http://bulletsfirst.net/2014/12/01/gun-sales-roar-black-friday-whimpers/
| 0right
|
Gun Sales ROAR as Black Friday Whimpers
<p />
<p>After the initial reports, it seems that Black Friday sales fell below the level they were last year. &#160;That is true for pretty much everything across the board. &#160;Everything EXCEPT firearms.</p>
<p>The irony is pretty amusing if you think about it. &#160;You see, when an economy is sluggish, people have lost faith in the government, and hope for the future is bleak, people do not go out and melt their credit cards on Black Friday. &#160;This is an indictment against the peoples faith in President Obama.</p>
<p>How amusing it is then that the ONE sector that saw an overwhelming increase in growth was the one thing that Obama has hated and sought to undermine since the day he took office; GUNS.</p>
<p>From <a href="http://libertyunyielding.com" type="external">Liberty Unyielding</a>:</p>
<p>The staggering number of checks — an average of almost three per second, nearly three times the daily average — falls on the shoulders of 600 FBI and contract call center employees who will endure 17-hour workdays in an attempt to complete the background reviews in three business days, as required by law, FBI spokesman Stephen Fischer said.</p>
<p>Indeed, Friday saw the highest number of background checks ever for a Black Friday, and second in history. The highest day on record was December 21, 2012, with more than 177,000 background checks.</p>
<p>“We are averaging three checks per second, The challenge is to have staff keep up with this volume. We do that by limiting personal leave, asking employees to work extra shifts and reutilizing former … employees to serve in NICS during this busy period.”</p>
<p>You can read the entire article here with more in depth view on the sales here:&#160; <a href="http://libertyunyielding.com/2014/12/01/black-friday-sales-bummer-except-item-obamas-hit-list/" type="external">Black Friday sales a bummer, except for this item on Obama’s hit list</a></p>
<p>Right next to pumpkin pie this delicious delicious irony is a holiday favorite of mine.</p>
<p>Just think about the numbers…three per second. &#160;That’s 180 per minute. &#160;10800 an hour. &#160;295,200 a day. &#160;Over the course of a the weekend, from Black Friday to Cyber Monday over a million guns will have been sold and a good chunk of thanks goes to the firearm salesman of the decade, Barack Hussein Obama.</p>
<p>See…he’s good for something!</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse.</p>
| 4,862 |
|
<p>Kiara Nirghin, a 16-year-old school girl from Johannesburg, South Africa, wowed the judges at the Google Science Fair's Community Impact Award for the Middle East and Africa with her winning submission "No More Thirsty Crops."</p>
<p>Nirghin, who's living through South Africa's worst drought in recorded history, may have just found a cheap and sustainable way to help farmers keep those dying crops alive. Her invention: a new polymer that can store reserves of water hundreds of times its own weight using orange peels and avocado skins.</p>
<p>"I wanted to minimize the effect that drought has on the community and the main thing it affects is the crops," says Nirghin, of St. Martin's School. "That was the springboard for the idea."</p>
<p />
<p>Not only is it sustainable, being that it's made from biodegradable waste products, it's also a very low cost way for farmers to store water reserves.</p>
<p>The agricultural union Agri SA has requested over $1 billion in government subsidies to help farmers through the crisis, but Nirghin​'s new polymer could drastically reduce that price.</p>
<p>"Commercially used acrylic SAP retail for around $2,000 to $3,000 per metric ton, whereas the ‘orange peel mixture’ could retail at $30 to $60 per metric ton," said Nirghin.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/africa/orange-drought-kiara-nirghin/" type="external">CNN</a>, "As a regional winner, Nirghin has been assigned a mentor from Google to work with her on developing the polymer, and hopes it could be tested in the field. She will soon discover if she is one of the tech giant's sixteen global finalists."</p>
<p />
<p>Nirghin says it took quite a bit of trial and error to get to where she is. "I started researching what an SAP was, and what they all had in common was a chain molecule polysaccharide," Nirghin recalls. "I found that orange peel has 64% polysaccharide and also the gelling agent pectin, so I saw it as a good (option). I used avocado skin due to the oil."</p>
<p>Essentially, the young inventor made a mixture of orange skin and avocado peels that when left in the sun, forms to create a super absorbent polymer.</p>
<p>Dr. Jinwen Zhang, a professor of materials engineering at Washington State University, who is developing absorbent hydrogels to address drought, said he believes that Nirghin's invention will work. If it does, the orange peel SAP could increase food security by 73% in a drought disaster.</p>
<p>Nirghin​'s video of her invention, below:</p>
|
Teen Invents Miracle Material To Help Fight Drought
| true |
https://dailywire.com/news/8246/teen-invents-miracle-material-help-fight-drought-chase-stephens
|
2016-08-10
| 0right
|
Teen Invents Miracle Material To Help Fight Drought
<p>Kiara Nirghin, a 16-year-old school girl from Johannesburg, South Africa, wowed the judges at the Google Science Fair's Community Impact Award for the Middle East and Africa with her winning submission "No More Thirsty Crops."</p>
<p>Nirghin, who's living through South Africa's worst drought in recorded history, may have just found a cheap and sustainable way to help farmers keep those dying crops alive. Her invention: a new polymer that can store reserves of water hundreds of times its own weight using orange peels and avocado skins.</p>
<p>"I wanted to minimize the effect that drought has on the community and the main thing it affects is the crops," says Nirghin, of St. Martin's School. "That was the springboard for the idea."</p>
<p />
<p>Not only is it sustainable, being that it's made from biodegradable waste products, it's also a very low cost way for farmers to store water reserves.</p>
<p>The agricultural union Agri SA has requested over $1 billion in government subsidies to help farmers through the crisis, but Nirghin​'s new polymer could drastically reduce that price.</p>
<p>"Commercially used acrylic SAP retail for around $2,000 to $3,000 per metric ton, whereas the ‘orange peel mixture’ could retail at $30 to $60 per metric ton," said Nirghin.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/09/africa/orange-drought-kiara-nirghin/" type="external">CNN</a>, "As a regional winner, Nirghin has been assigned a mentor from Google to work with her on developing the polymer, and hopes it could be tested in the field. She will soon discover if she is one of the tech giant's sixteen global finalists."</p>
<p />
<p>Nirghin says it took quite a bit of trial and error to get to where she is. "I started researching what an SAP was, and what they all had in common was a chain molecule polysaccharide," Nirghin recalls. "I found that orange peel has 64% polysaccharide and also the gelling agent pectin, so I saw it as a good (option). I used avocado skin due to the oil."</p>
<p>Essentially, the young inventor made a mixture of orange skin and avocado peels that when left in the sun, forms to create a super absorbent polymer.</p>
<p>Dr. Jinwen Zhang, a professor of materials engineering at Washington State University, who is developing absorbent hydrogels to address drought, said he believes that Nirghin's invention will work. If it does, the orange peel SAP could increase food security by 73% in a drought disaster.</p>
<p>Nirghin​'s video of her invention, below:</p>
| 4,863 |
<p>“I propose the following definition of the nation: it is an imagined political community-and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign. It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion….”</p>
<p>— Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, 1983</p>
<p>&#160;Here is some of what President-elect Donald Trump has already told us:</p>
<p>The nonpartisan, independent Office of Congressional Ethics and the nonpartisan, independent Office of Government Ethics are unethical; the intelligence community is untrustworthy and not to be believed; the Fourth Estate and all journalists are the “lying press”; Muslims can be unconstitutionally banned from entrance to the U.S.; Constitution’s guarantee of equality and due process doesn’t apply to deporting people en masse.</p>
<p>His appointees show us clearly what to expect:</p>
<p>The Labor secretary discredits and dismisses wage earners;</p>
<p>The Education Secretary seeks to end public education;</p>
<p>The Health and Human Services Secretary seeks to returns health care to free market solutions which when in effect before the ACA left 46 million uninsured, and left the US Health system ranked last on measures of access, equity, quality, efficiency, and healthy lives;</p>
<p>The Transportation Secretary promises to make infrastructure building a new marketing frontier for investors, eliminating governmental funding and regulation;</p>
<p>The Secretary for Housing and Urban Development believes “poverty is a personal choice”;</p>
<p>The Interior Secretary will scuttle Obama’s attempts to mitigate the effects of climate change;</p>
<p>The Head of the EPA has made a career of suing the EPA:</p>
<p>The Energy Secretary seeks to abolish the Energy Department, if he can remember its name;</p>
<p>The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Head of the Council of Economic Advisors, the Head of the SEC, and the Commerce Secretary come from the Wall Street crowd that led us into the 2007 Great Recession.</p>
<p>The chief strategist and Senior Counselor was the executive chair of Breitbart News, the platform of the Internet-based alt-right, a group far to the right of the conservatives that froze Obama in place.</p>
<p>If we take an optimistic view here, on what are we betting?</p>
<p>We are betting that President Trump will be too “inattentive, unpredictable and basically uninterested in anything but his own status” to do much harm.</p>
<p>We are betting that the political and civil institutions, practices and discourse already in place will act as a wall defending liberal democracy from a descent into any form of populist or authoritarian illiberalism.</p>
<p>We are betting that Trump’s appointees will put aside the belief that the best way to serve the country is make themselves and their fellow investors rich. We’re also betting that they know how to do something other than maximizing profits to investors, which is not the goal of any governmental department or agency.</p>
<p>The global winds, however, are heading against this optimism.</p>
<p>“All over the world, people in democratic societies have grown disgusted with politics as usual. The rise of Donald Trump, who has focused the anger of Americans at the elites in both major political parties, is mirrored by similar populist leaders elsewhere: Viktor Orban in Hungary, Vladimir Putin in Russia, Jaroslaw Kaczynski in Poland, Marine Le Pen in France, Nigel Farage in the UK, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, Narendra Modi in India.” (John Feffer, “Trump and the Transformation of Politics,” Foreign Policy in Focus, 2016)</p>
<p>Social orders arise out of the affinities of cultural imaginaries. The discourse, practices and institutions of a liberal democratic social order stand like a powerful regime to keep us protected from disruption and dissolution. The infrastructure of civilized life, or, more particularly the phrasing we now use when we argue that a Donald Trump presidency can do little harm, refers to the structures of a constitutionally grounded liberal democracy long in place supplemented by civil society, civic culture, and social capital that support this democracy.</p>
<p>In other words, there are rules of the game, Constitutionally established, as well as an already woven social fabric individuals and institutions are enveloped which determine boundaries that cannot be violated without censure, indictment or impeachment.</p>
<p>We are, however, not as safe as we think we are if both our Constitutional legacy and our civil societal fabric are themselves shaped by what Benedict Anderson describes and that I argue we have clearly lost:</p>
<p>“The nation is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately, it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willing to die for such limited imaginings.”&#160;(Imagined Communities, 1983).</p>
<p>I would argue that we do not have “a deep, horizontal comradeship” in the US and therefore we really do not have the resistance that many believe exist to offset the damage the Trump disorder is sure to do.</p>
<p>We can’t pretend that a unity exists in this country on a telling profound subliminal level nor can we pretend that Trump’s idiocies, nothing less, mostly dispatched in tweets, will upon inauguration be transformed into sense. We are having a difficult time issuing sense over nonsense because of an epidemic of suspicion and distrust of every reporting authority, especially governmental and journalistic. That suspicion has been on the boil since Reagan asserted government was the problem, not the solution, thus deflecting attention from the problems that would emerge as he moved wealth to the top. Trump has expanded that suspicion to the Fourth Estate, a bedrock force in any democracy, and to any authority that counters his own understanding.</p>
<p>The number of matters to which we now express a disbelieving scorn, from climate change and Darwinism to the role of public education in a democracy and the destructive effects of a severe wealth gap, are corrosive to the life of an imagined community.</p>
<p>Suspicion and distrust can be shaped, nevertheless, by real, causative conditions. The dysfunction and plight of a whole class positioned by Reaganomics to be denied any of the benefits of an increasing globalized techno-capitalism has inevitably led to a call for upheaval. But what the election of Donald Trump tells us is that we are far from redirecting anger and skepticism to real instigators, far from tracing symptoms to causes. Trump is an effect, a product of a serious misinterpretation of what has been going on since Reagan’s administration but he now looms as a potential destructive cause in the eyes of some and as both an avenger and champion in the eyes of others.</p>
<p>Trump rises from a one picturing of what the American community is or should be and is bitterly resisted by those who imagine within a wholly different community. Ironically, it is impossible to say what imaginary community Trump himself lives within but it seems a good bet to say a community of one, himself. That does not discount the fact that as a campaigner he has as deftly profiled his constituency as Johnny Cochran profiled the O.J. Simpson jury. How long a confidence man can hold his mark we are destined to see. He may be an outsized example of a self-enclosed reality but he shares this with a population that is increasingly enclosing themselves within enclaves of support, impervious to outside voices. This is not new in human society but opportunities for such self-enclosure have increased with the establishment of our alternate-reality of cyberspace.</p>
<p>The economically “challenged” are not all against Trump nor are the Wall Street winners all for Trump. His is not a class revolution. There is, for instance, a “deep, horizontal comradeship” in the US between those who have money and those who are yearning for it, money being the horizontal link. The fascinating aspect of the American Dream is that it inspires both the winners and losers, neither disturbed by the eventual unfairness of the game generated by a grossly lopsided split of money and opportunity. What has also been a support of this dream is a belief in a kind of public road accessibility, an economic and social mobility that remains sturdy in the imaginary of this dream. However, whatever attachments were made to our American Dream in the past, it is now in a society aggressively damaged by a severe wealth divide not bonding but antagonistic. The antagonism generated, however, remains in search of its antagonists, although Trump tweets a new one every day.</p>
<p>A sense of being captive in ways that show no path to release, a haunted sense that one is scheduled for extinction, fosters antagonism and not the bonds of imagined community. This is by no means anything like a “deep, horizontal comradeship,” which is what we need to defend ourselves against the coming illiberal regime.</p>
<p>The wealth gap, like a disease, has slowly but steadily destroyed any sense of the common Good and the general Welfare. From the very start, being rich and “enlightened self-interest” were only bonding when illusions, delusions, suppressions and repressions did their job. But such goals were also challenged by other values whose authority did not come from market drives but from a Federal government upholding the equal rights clause and restraining the attempt to make return on investment a king in a democratic society.</p>
<p>Such challenge also emerges from a free press which does not serve any corporate state regime but rather holds government accountable to all citizens while providing a pluralist platform for variant expressions which are neither marketing or political campaigns. Neither a Federal government nor a Fourth Estate serving the public good escape mockery at this moment, What we face now at the beginning of a Trump presidency is the absence of respect on the part of far too many for any authority beyond the personal.</p>
<p>The attempt to create an imagined community that was more inclusive than the imagined community of the working and middle classes but resisted, in a passive aggressive way, by those classes, was a tectonic plate clash erupting in Trump’s presidency. Called upon by the politics of equal identity to summon their better angels, &#160;the already displaced wage earner class worked their way through personal, gut feeling to targeting marginal groups as&#160; their antagonists. Nothing now challenges the supremacy of those feelings. The fading American middle class core imaginary was not multi-plexing but was digging in, or, more precisely, grasping a branding of themselves that could no longer be held and at the same time accepting a hit list of those who had brought about their decline.</p>
<p>Rather than being deeply into a common imaginary, too many are in the present in a whirlwind of frustration and anger, blocked from a return to the “glory days” of the past. Such anger is fueled by the bold demands for identity by those who didn’t share in that “glory,” but &#160;such demands nonetheless expose the dire limitations of an imagined community that was never an inclusive “deep, horizontal comradeship.”</p>
<p>Trump’s promise to bring back a former glory is then implicitly a promise to re-create an America in which every issue and every race and gender put in a locked box back then would be put back into the box. The futility and unattainability of this, like closing Pandora’s Box once opened (which is our plight with social media), will very quickly dawn on Trump and his constituency. It is at that moment we can expect the distortions of reality that illiberal regimes enforce to retain the supremacy of power. In Mr. Trump’s case, we have the added scary consequences of what denial and rejection do to a narcissistic ego that feeds on the admiration and subservience of others.</p>
<p>Getting deeper into a corporate model of democratic governance as well as building even greater distrust, anger and hatred against the marginal groups Liberals will undoubtedly continue to fight for seems to be an effective strategy to shatter whatever is left of our American imagined community. Ironically, there is no return to that core image of former middle class rule as long as we remain deep within an economics that moves toward the feudal not the egalitarian. That the economics can be changed and plutocracy upended was Bernie Sanders’ message, resisted by both parties. An egalitarianism beyond the boundaries of a white middle class, that is, an imagined community that does not exclude, and stands on an economics that nurtures the equitable, also awaits its party.</p>
<p>We are imaginatively transitioning toward something but in a fractured, confusing manner, both of which have led to a debilitation of any intelligent, coherent understanding of where we are. We cannot fathom the politics we need to create not a remodeled older imaginary but a new one.</p>
<p>Our confusion itself has led to the Trump presidency. And it is that confusion and our great distance from any deep, horizontal comradeship that makes us vulnerable to the damage a Trump presidency is sure to wreak. A symptom — Trump as president&#160; —&#160; of such a great loss of imaginative identity and thus imaginative community threatens now to become the fatal disease itself.</p>
|
A Defensive Wall Against an Illiberal Regime
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2017/01/27/a-defensive-wall-against-an-illiberal-regime/
|
2017-01-27
| 4left
|
A Defensive Wall Against an Illiberal Regime
<p>“I propose the following definition of the nation: it is an imagined political community-and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign. It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion….”</p>
<p>— Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities, 1983</p>
<p>&#160;Here is some of what President-elect Donald Trump has already told us:</p>
<p>The nonpartisan, independent Office of Congressional Ethics and the nonpartisan, independent Office of Government Ethics are unethical; the intelligence community is untrustworthy and not to be believed; the Fourth Estate and all journalists are the “lying press”; Muslims can be unconstitutionally banned from entrance to the U.S.; Constitution’s guarantee of equality and due process doesn’t apply to deporting people en masse.</p>
<p>His appointees show us clearly what to expect:</p>
<p>The Labor secretary discredits and dismisses wage earners;</p>
<p>The Education Secretary seeks to end public education;</p>
<p>The Health and Human Services Secretary seeks to returns health care to free market solutions which when in effect before the ACA left 46 million uninsured, and left the US Health system ranked last on measures of access, equity, quality, efficiency, and healthy lives;</p>
<p>The Transportation Secretary promises to make infrastructure building a new marketing frontier for investors, eliminating governmental funding and regulation;</p>
<p>The Secretary for Housing and Urban Development believes “poverty is a personal choice”;</p>
<p>The Interior Secretary will scuttle Obama’s attempts to mitigate the effects of climate change;</p>
<p>The Head of the EPA has made a career of suing the EPA:</p>
<p>The Energy Secretary seeks to abolish the Energy Department, if he can remember its name;</p>
<p>The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Head of the Council of Economic Advisors, the Head of the SEC, and the Commerce Secretary come from the Wall Street crowd that led us into the 2007 Great Recession.</p>
<p>The chief strategist and Senior Counselor was the executive chair of Breitbart News, the platform of the Internet-based alt-right, a group far to the right of the conservatives that froze Obama in place.</p>
<p>If we take an optimistic view here, on what are we betting?</p>
<p>We are betting that President Trump will be too “inattentive, unpredictable and basically uninterested in anything but his own status” to do much harm.</p>
<p>We are betting that the political and civil institutions, practices and discourse already in place will act as a wall defending liberal democracy from a descent into any form of populist or authoritarian illiberalism.</p>
<p>We are betting that Trump’s appointees will put aside the belief that the best way to serve the country is make themselves and their fellow investors rich. We’re also betting that they know how to do something other than maximizing profits to investors, which is not the goal of any governmental department or agency.</p>
<p>The global winds, however, are heading against this optimism.</p>
<p>“All over the world, people in democratic societies have grown disgusted with politics as usual. The rise of Donald Trump, who has focused the anger of Americans at the elites in both major political parties, is mirrored by similar populist leaders elsewhere: Viktor Orban in Hungary, Vladimir Putin in Russia, Jaroslaw Kaczynski in Poland, Marine Le Pen in France, Nigel Farage in the UK, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, Narendra Modi in India.” (John Feffer, “Trump and the Transformation of Politics,” Foreign Policy in Focus, 2016)</p>
<p>Social orders arise out of the affinities of cultural imaginaries. The discourse, practices and institutions of a liberal democratic social order stand like a powerful regime to keep us protected from disruption and dissolution. The infrastructure of civilized life, or, more particularly the phrasing we now use when we argue that a Donald Trump presidency can do little harm, refers to the structures of a constitutionally grounded liberal democracy long in place supplemented by civil society, civic culture, and social capital that support this democracy.</p>
<p>In other words, there are rules of the game, Constitutionally established, as well as an already woven social fabric individuals and institutions are enveloped which determine boundaries that cannot be violated without censure, indictment or impeachment.</p>
<p>We are, however, not as safe as we think we are if both our Constitutional legacy and our civil societal fabric are themselves shaped by what Benedict Anderson describes and that I argue we have clearly lost:</p>
<p>“The nation is imagined as a community, because, regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately, it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willing to die for such limited imaginings.”&#160;(Imagined Communities, 1983).</p>
<p>I would argue that we do not have “a deep, horizontal comradeship” in the US and therefore we really do not have the resistance that many believe exist to offset the damage the Trump disorder is sure to do.</p>
<p>We can’t pretend that a unity exists in this country on a telling profound subliminal level nor can we pretend that Trump’s idiocies, nothing less, mostly dispatched in tweets, will upon inauguration be transformed into sense. We are having a difficult time issuing sense over nonsense because of an epidemic of suspicion and distrust of every reporting authority, especially governmental and journalistic. That suspicion has been on the boil since Reagan asserted government was the problem, not the solution, thus deflecting attention from the problems that would emerge as he moved wealth to the top. Trump has expanded that suspicion to the Fourth Estate, a bedrock force in any democracy, and to any authority that counters his own understanding.</p>
<p>The number of matters to which we now express a disbelieving scorn, from climate change and Darwinism to the role of public education in a democracy and the destructive effects of a severe wealth gap, are corrosive to the life of an imagined community.</p>
<p>Suspicion and distrust can be shaped, nevertheless, by real, causative conditions. The dysfunction and plight of a whole class positioned by Reaganomics to be denied any of the benefits of an increasing globalized techno-capitalism has inevitably led to a call for upheaval. But what the election of Donald Trump tells us is that we are far from redirecting anger and skepticism to real instigators, far from tracing symptoms to causes. Trump is an effect, a product of a serious misinterpretation of what has been going on since Reagan’s administration but he now looms as a potential destructive cause in the eyes of some and as both an avenger and champion in the eyes of others.</p>
<p>Trump rises from a one picturing of what the American community is or should be and is bitterly resisted by those who imagine within a wholly different community. Ironically, it is impossible to say what imaginary community Trump himself lives within but it seems a good bet to say a community of one, himself. That does not discount the fact that as a campaigner he has as deftly profiled his constituency as Johnny Cochran profiled the O.J. Simpson jury. How long a confidence man can hold his mark we are destined to see. He may be an outsized example of a self-enclosed reality but he shares this with a population that is increasingly enclosing themselves within enclaves of support, impervious to outside voices. This is not new in human society but opportunities for such self-enclosure have increased with the establishment of our alternate-reality of cyberspace.</p>
<p>The economically “challenged” are not all against Trump nor are the Wall Street winners all for Trump. His is not a class revolution. There is, for instance, a “deep, horizontal comradeship” in the US between those who have money and those who are yearning for it, money being the horizontal link. The fascinating aspect of the American Dream is that it inspires both the winners and losers, neither disturbed by the eventual unfairness of the game generated by a grossly lopsided split of money and opportunity. What has also been a support of this dream is a belief in a kind of public road accessibility, an economic and social mobility that remains sturdy in the imaginary of this dream. However, whatever attachments were made to our American Dream in the past, it is now in a society aggressively damaged by a severe wealth divide not bonding but antagonistic. The antagonism generated, however, remains in search of its antagonists, although Trump tweets a new one every day.</p>
<p>A sense of being captive in ways that show no path to release, a haunted sense that one is scheduled for extinction, fosters antagonism and not the bonds of imagined community. This is by no means anything like a “deep, horizontal comradeship,” which is what we need to defend ourselves against the coming illiberal regime.</p>
<p>The wealth gap, like a disease, has slowly but steadily destroyed any sense of the common Good and the general Welfare. From the very start, being rich and “enlightened self-interest” were only bonding when illusions, delusions, suppressions and repressions did their job. But such goals were also challenged by other values whose authority did not come from market drives but from a Federal government upholding the equal rights clause and restraining the attempt to make return on investment a king in a democratic society.</p>
<p>Such challenge also emerges from a free press which does not serve any corporate state regime but rather holds government accountable to all citizens while providing a pluralist platform for variant expressions which are neither marketing or political campaigns. Neither a Federal government nor a Fourth Estate serving the public good escape mockery at this moment, What we face now at the beginning of a Trump presidency is the absence of respect on the part of far too many for any authority beyond the personal.</p>
<p>The attempt to create an imagined community that was more inclusive than the imagined community of the working and middle classes but resisted, in a passive aggressive way, by those classes, was a tectonic plate clash erupting in Trump’s presidency. Called upon by the politics of equal identity to summon their better angels, &#160;the already displaced wage earner class worked their way through personal, gut feeling to targeting marginal groups as&#160; their antagonists. Nothing now challenges the supremacy of those feelings. The fading American middle class core imaginary was not multi-plexing but was digging in, or, more precisely, grasping a branding of themselves that could no longer be held and at the same time accepting a hit list of those who had brought about their decline.</p>
<p>Rather than being deeply into a common imaginary, too many are in the present in a whirlwind of frustration and anger, blocked from a return to the “glory days” of the past. Such anger is fueled by the bold demands for identity by those who didn’t share in that “glory,” but &#160;such demands nonetheless expose the dire limitations of an imagined community that was never an inclusive “deep, horizontal comradeship.”</p>
<p>Trump’s promise to bring back a former glory is then implicitly a promise to re-create an America in which every issue and every race and gender put in a locked box back then would be put back into the box. The futility and unattainability of this, like closing Pandora’s Box once opened (which is our plight with social media), will very quickly dawn on Trump and his constituency. It is at that moment we can expect the distortions of reality that illiberal regimes enforce to retain the supremacy of power. In Mr. Trump’s case, we have the added scary consequences of what denial and rejection do to a narcissistic ego that feeds on the admiration and subservience of others.</p>
<p>Getting deeper into a corporate model of democratic governance as well as building even greater distrust, anger and hatred against the marginal groups Liberals will undoubtedly continue to fight for seems to be an effective strategy to shatter whatever is left of our American imagined community. Ironically, there is no return to that core image of former middle class rule as long as we remain deep within an economics that moves toward the feudal not the egalitarian. That the economics can be changed and plutocracy upended was Bernie Sanders’ message, resisted by both parties. An egalitarianism beyond the boundaries of a white middle class, that is, an imagined community that does not exclude, and stands on an economics that nurtures the equitable, also awaits its party.</p>
<p>We are imaginatively transitioning toward something but in a fractured, confusing manner, both of which have led to a debilitation of any intelligent, coherent understanding of where we are. We cannot fathom the politics we need to create not a remodeled older imaginary but a new one.</p>
<p>Our confusion itself has led to the Trump presidency. And it is that confusion and our great distance from any deep, horizontal comradeship that makes us vulnerable to the damage a Trump presidency is sure to wreak. A symptom — Trump as president&#160; —&#160; of such a great loss of imaginative identity and thus imaginative community threatens now to become the fatal disease itself.</p>
| 4,864 |
<p>There’s plenty of research that shows that bus rapid transit is far the most cost-effective type of mass transit, with a flexibility that’s particularly helpful to the less affluent. This is from a <a href="http://reason.org/news/show/bus-rapid-transit-and-managed-lanes" type="external">Reason Foundation study</a> released in January about the shortfalls of the traditional, rail-centric approach to mass transit:</p>
<p>“Yet despite transit’s importance, most metropolitan transit systems are inadequate. In no major metropolitan area, for example, are more than 12.6% of jobs accessible within a 45-minute, one-way commute via transit. This is particularly problematic for poorer metropolitan-area residents, who are most likely to be transit-dependent.</p>
<p>“Why is transit so inadequate? One reason is that while many metropolitan areas maintain&#160; ‘radial’ transit networks designed to transport workers to and from a traditional central business district, patterns of economic activity have actually become increasingly decentralized. Research shows that nearly half the jobs in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are located more than 10 miles from the edge of the central business district, while only 20% of jobs are located within three miles of downtown. In this context, ‘grid’ transit networks—which do a much better job of connecting suburbs with one another—are more effective than radial ones.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Fixed-rail mass transit just can’t compare with small bus fleets in getting people from where they live to where they work. So one would think that as a matter of social justice, bus rapid transit would be hugely popular in liberal communities?</p>
<p>Nope. Not even close. A <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Why-bus-rapid-transit-has-stalled-in-Bay-Area-5461409.php" type="external">San Francisco Chronicle story</a> shows that in the Bay Area, the transit approach has been stalled:</p>
<p>“Bus rapid transit was supposed to be the future of public&#160;transportation.</p>
<p>“A technology combining more efficient buses and relatively simple improvements to streets, BRT, as it’s known, has been heralded as a fairly cheap high-capacity transit system — a subway on tires — that can be put on the streets&#160;quickly.</p>
<p>“But in the Bay Area, the introduction of bus rapid transit is advancing at a pace akin to that of a Muni bus stuck in rush-hour traffic. More than a dozen years after the region started talking about the speedy buses, the Bay Area is still waiting for its first&#160;one.</p>
<p>“Bus rapid transit projects in San Francisco, the East Bay and the South Bay are still in the works, but they have stalled after running into community skepticism and opposition to the removal of traffic lanes and parking spaces. The opposition from merchants and residents has caused some cities, even progressive bastions like Berkeley, to refuse to allow transit-only lanes or to drop out of BRT projects&#160;altogether.”</p>
<p>The Chronicle article ignores two crucial issues. The first is that the Bay Area loves the mass transit program whose main ridership is middle-class and upper-middle-class — the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. The second is that historically one of the reasons bus rapid transit has been so opposed is because it involves vehicles. Even if they’re vehicles that don’t have internal combustion engines, liberals don’t like vehicles — outside of their own.</p>
<p>In the early 1990s, this attitude led to a social-justice lawsuit in Los Angeles. This <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1996-12-31/local/me-14193_1_bus-riders-union" type="external">story</a> is from the Dec. 31, 1996, Los Angeles Times:</p>
<p>“When it began in 1992 as the brainchild of labor and environmental activist Eric Mann, the Bus Riders Union was seen by some as a gadfly group whose members had been escorted out of MTA meetings by transit police.</p>
<p>“Now, the group has won official recognition and a place at the decision-making table. With the October settlement of its lawsuit against the MTA, the Bus Riders Union is included in a joint working group with MTA officials that will oversee the implementation of future bus improvements.</p>
<p>“But the group’s recent success is just one part of its broader goals.</p>
<p>“‘Building a first-class bus system is part of building a social movement,’ organizer Kikanza Ramsey said. To the Bus Riders Union, better buses are an important improvement–along with better wages and working conditions and a cleaner environment–to the quality of life of poor and minority Los Angeles residents.</p>
<p>“The union contends that improving the bus system is a civil rights issue because most bus riders are minorities and have low incomes. Forty-seven percent of bus riders are Latinos, 23% are African American, 19% are white and 8% are Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders.</p>
<p>“Its suit alleged that massive spending on rail projects diverted funds from poor and minority bus riders.”</p>
<p>Bingo.</p>
|
Mass transit for poor frowned on in Bay Area
| false |
https://calwatchdog.com/2014/05/08/mass-transit-for-poor-frowned-on-in-bay-area/
|
2018-05-20
| 3left-center
|
Mass transit for poor frowned on in Bay Area
<p>There’s plenty of research that shows that bus rapid transit is far the most cost-effective type of mass transit, with a flexibility that’s particularly helpful to the less affluent. This is from a <a href="http://reason.org/news/show/bus-rapid-transit-and-managed-lanes" type="external">Reason Foundation study</a> released in January about the shortfalls of the traditional, rail-centric approach to mass transit:</p>
<p>“Yet despite transit’s importance, most metropolitan transit systems are inadequate. In no major metropolitan area, for example, are more than 12.6% of jobs accessible within a 45-minute, one-way commute via transit. This is particularly problematic for poorer metropolitan-area residents, who are most likely to be transit-dependent.</p>
<p>“Why is transit so inadequate? One reason is that while many metropolitan areas maintain&#160; ‘radial’ transit networks designed to transport workers to and from a traditional central business district, patterns of economic activity have actually become increasingly decentralized. Research shows that nearly half the jobs in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are located more than 10 miles from the edge of the central business district, while only 20% of jobs are located within three miles of downtown. In this context, ‘grid’ transit networks—which do a much better job of connecting suburbs with one another—are more effective than radial ones.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Fixed-rail mass transit just can’t compare with small bus fleets in getting people from where they live to where they work. So one would think that as a matter of social justice, bus rapid transit would be hugely popular in liberal communities?</p>
<p>Nope. Not even close. A <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Why-bus-rapid-transit-has-stalled-in-Bay-Area-5461409.php" type="external">San Francisco Chronicle story</a> shows that in the Bay Area, the transit approach has been stalled:</p>
<p>“Bus rapid transit was supposed to be the future of public&#160;transportation.</p>
<p>“A technology combining more efficient buses and relatively simple improvements to streets, BRT, as it’s known, has been heralded as a fairly cheap high-capacity transit system — a subway on tires — that can be put on the streets&#160;quickly.</p>
<p>“But in the Bay Area, the introduction of bus rapid transit is advancing at a pace akin to that of a Muni bus stuck in rush-hour traffic. More than a dozen years after the region started talking about the speedy buses, the Bay Area is still waiting for its first&#160;one.</p>
<p>“Bus rapid transit projects in San Francisco, the East Bay and the South Bay are still in the works, but they have stalled after running into community skepticism and opposition to the removal of traffic lanes and parking spaces. The opposition from merchants and residents has caused some cities, even progressive bastions like Berkeley, to refuse to allow transit-only lanes or to drop out of BRT projects&#160;altogether.”</p>
<p>The Chronicle article ignores two crucial issues. The first is that the Bay Area loves the mass transit program whose main ridership is middle-class and upper-middle-class — the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. The second is that historically one of the reasons bus rapid transit has been so opposed is because it involves vehicles. Even if they’re vehicles that don’t have internal combustion engines, liberals don’t like vehicles — outside of their own.</p>
<p>In the early 1990s, this attitude led to a social-justice lawsuit in Los Angeles. This <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1996-12-31/local/me-14193_1_bus-riders-union" type="external">story</a> is from the Dec. 31, 1996, Los Angeles Times:</p>
<p>“When it began in 1992 as the brainchild of labor and environmental activist Eric Mann, the Bus Riders Union was seen by some as a gadfly group whose members had been escorted out of MTA meetings by transit police.</p>
<p>“Now, the group has won official recognition and a place at the decision-making table. With the October settlement of its lawsuit against the MTA, the Bus Riders Union is included in a joint working group with MTA officials that will oversee the implementation of future bus improvements.</p>
<p>“But the group’s recent success is just one part of its broader goals.</p>
<p>“‘Building a first-class bus system is part of building a social movement,’ organizer Kikanza Ramsey said. To the Bus Riders Union, better buses are an important improvement–along with better wages and working conditions and a cleaner environment–to the quality of life of poor and minority Los Angeles residents.</p>
<p>“The union contends that improving the bus system is a civil rights issue because most bus riders are minorities and have low incomes. Forty-seven percent of bus riders are Latinos, 23% are African American, 19% are white and 8% are Asian Americans or Pacific Islanders.</p>
<p>“Its suit alleged that massive spending on rail projects diverted funds from poor and minority bus riders.”</p>
<p>Bingo.</p>
| 4,865 |
<p />
<p>Stocks briefly touched positive territory Thursday morning, but marched lower through the rest of the trading session to end with losses. By the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had given up 112 points, or 0.6%, and the S&amp;P 500 shed 11 points, or 0.5%:</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/indices/%5EDJI" type="external">^DJI</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Individual stocks on the move included Under Armour and Mattel , which both posted quarterly results before the opening bell.</p>
<p>Under Armour's slam-dunk quarter Under Armour spiked 7% higher after beating consensus estimates on both the top and bottom lines. The apparel-and-footwear giant booked a 30% bounce in Q1 sales as earnings rose to $0.04 per share from $0.03 per share a year ago, rather than <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/20/could-under-armour-inc-lose-a-step-in-q1-3-things.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">dropping as Wall Street expected Opens a New Window.</a>. That marked Under Armour's 24th consecutive quarter of at least 20% revenue growth.</p>
<p>Image source: Under Armour.</p>
<p>The footwear business was the standout performer, thanks to blockbuster demand for the Stephen Curry basketball line. That division grew by 64%, and now accounts for 26% of the business -- up from 20% last year. Under Armour's international expansion also seems to be gaining steam as revenue from outside the U.S. jumped 55%. "The strong results posted this quarter truly demonstrate the balanced growth of our brand across product categories, channels and geographies," CEO Kevin Plank said in a press release.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Gross margin slipped to 46% of sales from 47%, and while that's likely not a reflection of pricing pressures, investors will still want to keep an eye on this metric as we move through fiscal 2016. It should be a notably strong growth year, too: Under Armour executives raised their sales and profit outlook on Thursday to reflect the latest operating momentum.</p>
<p>Mattel loses a princess Mattel's 6% drop on Thursday made it one of the S&amp;P 500's worst performers after Q1 earnings failed to impress investors. Sales declined 6%, and the toys-and-games maker posted a <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/21/mattel-stock-drops-q1-loss-wider-than-expected-on.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">wider-than-expected operating loss Opens a New Window.</a>. The shrinking numbers contrasted sharply with rival Hasbro , which last week touched a new all-time high on the back of double-digit sales growth, and a near doubling of profits.</p>
<p>Barbie's growth pace declined this quarter. Image source: Mattel.</p>
<p>The common thread in these two results is Disney , which moved its Princess and Frozen-branded toy lineup over to Hasbro from Mattel beginning this quarter. It isn't hard to trace the impact of that switch, either: Hasbro's girls segment <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/19/hasbro-stock-q1-earnings-show-its-lucrative-to-be.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">jumped by 41% Opens a New Window.</a>, while Mattel's girls business (not including Barbie) plunged 62%.</p>
<p>Given the loss of the Disney Princess franchise, things could have been worse. In fact, despite flat sales for the core Barbie brand, Mattel executives believe the company is in a solid position, and that growth should pick up in the second half of the year. "Our performance is in line with our expectations, and we remain on track to deliver on our outlook for the year," CEO Chris Sinclair said in a press release.</p>
<p>It's encouraging that Mattel's expenses are dropping, and that the Fisher-Price franchise is selling well. However, declines in several of its other key brands -- and flat sales for Barbie -- won't be enough to completely offset its lost Disney licensing partnership.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/21/under-armour-inc-soars-and-mattel-sinks-as-stocks.aspx" type="external">Under Armour Inc. Soars and Mattel Sinks as Stocks Drop Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSigma/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Demitrios Kalogeropoulos Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Hasbro and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Hasbro, Under Armour, and Walt Disney. 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>
|
Under Armour Inc. Soars and Mattel Sinks as Stocks Drop
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/21/under-armour-inc-soars-and-mattel-sinks-as-stocks-drop.html
|
2016-04-21
| 0right
|
Under Armour Inc. Soars and Mattel Sinks as Stocks Drop
<p />
<p>Stocks briefly touched positive territory Thursday morning, but marched lower through the rest of the trading session to end with losses. By the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had given up 112 points, or 0.6%, and the S&amp;P 500 shed 11 points, or 0.5%:</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/indices/%5EDJI" type="external">^DJI</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Individual stocks on the move included Under Armour and Mattel , which both posted quarterly results before the opening bell.</p>
<p>Under Armour's slam-dunk quarter Under Armour spiked 7% higher after beating consensus estimates on both the top and bottom lines. The apparel-and-footwear giant booked a 30% bounce in Q1 sales as earnings rose to $0.04 per share from $0.03 per share a year ago, rather than <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/20/could-under-armour-inc-lose-a-step-in-q1-3-things.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">dropping as Wall Street expected Opens a New Window.</a>. That marked Under Armour's 24th consecutive quarter of at least 20% revenue growth.</p>
<p>Image source: Under Armour.</p>
<p>The footwear business was the standout performer, thanks to blockbuster demand for the Stephen Curry basketball line. That division grew by 64%, and now accounts for 26% of the business -- up from 20% last year. Under Armour's international expansion also seems to be gaining steam as revenue from outside the U.S. jumped 55%. "The strong results posted this quarter truly demonstrate the balanced growth of our brand across product categories, channels and geographies," CEO Kevin Plank said in a press release.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Gross margin slipped to 46% of sales from 47%, and while that's likely not a reflection of pricing pressures, investors will still want to keep an eye on this metric as we move through fiscal 2016. It should be a notably strong growth year, too: Under Armour executives raised their sales and profit outlook on Thursday to reflect the latest operating momentum.</p>
<p>Mattel loses a princess Mattel's 6% drop on Thursday made it one of the S&amp;P 500's worst performers after Q1 earnings failed to impress investors. Sales declined 6%, and the toys-and-games maker posted a <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/21/mattel-stock-drops-q1-loss-wider-than-expected-on.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">wider-than-expected operating loss Opens a New Window.</a>. The shrinking numbers contrasted sharply with rival Hasbro , which last week touched a new all-time high on the back of double-digit sales growth, and a near doubling of profits.</p>
<p>Barbie's growth pace declined this quarter. Image source: Mattel.</p>
<p>The common thread in these two results is Disney , which moved its Princess and Frozen-branded toy lineup over to Hasbro from Mattel beginning this quarter. It isn't hard to trace the impact of that switch, either: Hasbro's girls segment <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/19/hasbro-stock-q1-earnings-show-its-lucrative-to-be.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">jumped by 41% Opens a New Window.</a>, while Mattel's girls business (not including Barbie) plunged 62%.</p>
<p>Given the loss of the Disney Princess franchise, things could have been worse. In fact, despite flat sales for the core Barbie brand, Mattel executives believe the company is in a solid position, and that growth should pick up in the second half of the year. "Our performance is in line with our expectations, and we remain on track to deliver on our outlook for the year," CEO Chris Sinclair said in a press release.</p>
<p>It's encouraging that Mattel's expenses are dropping, and that the Fisher-Price franchise is selling well. However, declines in several of its other key brands -- and flat sales for Barbie -- won't be enough to completely offset its lost Disney licensing partnership.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/21/under-armour-inc-soars-and-mattel-sinks-as-stocks.aspx" type="external">Under Armour Inc. Soars and Mattel Sinks as Stocks Drop Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSigma/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Demitrios Kalogeropoulos Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Hasbro and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Hasbro, Under Armour, and Walt Disney. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
| 4,866 |
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 25,000 points for the first time Thursday, five weeks after it first closed above 24,000.</p>
<p>Here are other times the Dow first closed above 1,000-point milestones.</p>
<p>1,000: Nov. 14, 1972</p>
<p>2,000: Jan. 8, 1987</p>
<p>3,000: April 17, 1991</p>
<p>4,000: Feb. 23, 1995</p>
<p>5,000: Nov. 21, 1995</p>
<p>6,000: Oct. 14, 1996</p>
<p>7,000: Feb. 13, 1997</p>
<p>8,000: July 16, 1997</p>
<p>9,000: April 6, 1998</p>
<p>10,000: Mar. 29, 1999</p>
<p>11,000: May 3, 1999</p>
<p>12,000: Oct. 19, 2006</p>
<p>13,000: April 25, 2007</p>
<p>14,000: July 19, 2007</p>
<p>15,000: May 7, 2013</p>
<p>16,000: Nov. 21, 2013</p>
<p>17,000: July 3, 2014</p>
<p>18,000: Dec. 23, 2014</p>
<p>19,000: Nov. 22, 2016</p>
<p>20,000: Jan. 25, 2017</p>
<p>21,000: March 1, 2017</p>
<p>22,000: August 2, 2017</p>
<p>23,000: October 18, 2017</p>
<p>24,000: November 30, 2017</p>
<p>25,000: January 4, 2018</p>
<p>Source: S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 25,000 points for the first time Thursday, five weeks after it first closed above 24,000.</p>
<p>Here are other times the Dow first closed above 1,000-point milestones.</p>
<p>1,000: Nov. 14, 1972</p>
<p>2,000: Jan. 8, 1987</p>
<p>3,000: April 17, 1991</p>
<p>4,000: Feb. 23, 1995</p>
<p>5,000: Nov. 21, 1995</p>
<p>6,000: Oct. 14, 1996</p>
<p>7,000: Feb. 13, 1997</p>
<p>8,000: July 16, 1997</p>
<p>9,000: April 6, 1998</p>
<p>10,000: Mar. 29, 1999</p>
<p>11,000: May 3, 1999</p>
<p>12,000: Oct. 19, 2006</p>
<p>13,000: April 25, 2007</p>
<p>14,000: July 19, 2007</p>
<p>15,000: May 7, 2013</p>
<p>16,000: Nov. 21, 2013</p>
<p>17,000: July 3, 2014</p>
<p>18,000: Dec. 23, 2014</p>
<p>19,000: Nov. 22, 2016</p>
<p>20,000: Jan. 25, 2017</p>
<p>21,000: March 1, 2017</p>
<p>22,000: August 2, 2017</p>
<p>23,000: October 18, 2017</p>
<p>24,000: November 30, 2017</p>
<p>25,000: January 4, 2018</p>
<p>Source: S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices</p>
|
Here are the other times the Dow has crossed milestones
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/93aec530b7734d38a1e1533d60612e22
|
2018-01-04
| 2least
|
Here are the other times the Dow has crossed milestones
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 25,000 points for the first time Thursday, five weeks after it first closed above 24,000.</p>
<p>Here are other times the Dow first closed above 1,000-point milestones.</p>
<p>1,000: Nov. 14, 1972</p>
<p>2,000: Jan. 8, 1987</p>
<p>3,000: April 17, 1991</p>
<p>4,000: Feb. 23, 1995</p>
<p>5,000: Nov. 21, 1995</p>
<p>6,000: Oct. 14, 1996</p>
<p>7,000: Feb. 13, 1997</p>
<p>8,000: July 16, 1997</p>
<p>9,000: April 6, 1998</p>
<p>10,000: Mar. 29, 1999</p>
<p>11,000: May 3, 1999</p>
<p>12,000: Oct. 19, 2006</p>
<p>13,000: April 25, 2007</p>
<p>14,000: July 19, 2007</p>
<p>15,000: May 7, 2013</p>
<p>16,000: Nov. 21, 2013</p>
<p>17,000: July 3, 2014</p>
<p>18,000: Dec. 23, 2014</p>
<p>19,000: Nov. 22, 2016</p>
<p>20,000: Jan. 25, 2017</p>
<p>21,000: March 1, 2017</p>
<p>22,000: August 2, 2017</p>
<p>23,000: October 18, 2017</p>
<p>24,000: November 30, 2017</p>
<p>25,000: January 4, 2018</p>
<p>Source: S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 25,000 points for the first time Thursday, five weeks after it first closed above 24,000.</p>
<p>Here are other times the Dow first closed above 1,000-point milestones.</p>
<p>1,000: Nov. 14, 1972</p>
<p>2,000: Jan. 8, 1987</p>
<p>3,000: April 17, 1991</p>
<p>4,000: Feb. 23, 1995</p>
<p>5,000: Nov. 21, 1995</p>
<p>6,000: Oct. 14, 1996</p>
<p>7,000: Feb. 13, 1997</p>
<p>8,000: July 16, 1997</p>
<p>9,000: April 6, 1998</p>
<p>10,000: Mar. 29, 1999</p>
<p>11,000: May 3, 1999</p>
<p>12,000: Oct. 19, 2006</p>
<p>13,000: April 25, 2007</p>
<p>14,000: July 19, 2007</p>
<p>15,000: May 7, 2013</p>
<p>16,000: Nov. 21, 2013</p>
<p>17,000: July 3, 2014</p>
<p>18,000: Dec. 23, 2014</p>
<p>19,000: Nov. 22, 2016</p>
<p>20,000: Jan. 25, 2017</p>
<p>21,000: March 1, 2017</p>
<p>22,000: August 2, 2017</p>
<p>23,000: October 18, 2017</p>
<p>24,000: November 30, 2017</p>
<p>25,000: January 4, 2018</p>
<p>Source: S&amp;P Dow Jones Indices</p>
| 4,867 |
<p>This past December 18, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the head of the department of external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, received an honorary degree from the Faculty of Theology of Apulia in Bari, on Italy’s Adriatic coast. During his remarks on that occasion, Hilarion thanked the Holy See “per la sua posizione di equilibrio riguardo al conflitto in corso in Ucraina” (for its balanced position regarding the conflict underway in Ukraine). Did anyone in the Vatican blush in shame at that compliment? A lot of high-ranking Roman churchmen should have.</p>
<p>Once again, as he has often done in the past, Metropolitan Hilarion used an ecumenical event to carry water for Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin and its war on independent Ukraine. Once again, the chief ecumenical officer of the Russian Orthodox Church misrepresented what is afoot in Ukraine, which is not a “conflict” but a Russian invasion and a low-intensity war, which has already cost more than ten thousand lives while displacing over a million persons and wreaking economic and social havoc in Ukraine’s Donbas region. And once again, Metropolitan Hilarion implicated the Holy See in that misrepresentation by praising the Vatican’s &#160;“balanced position.”</p>
<p>But what is a “balanced position” in this situation? A refusal to pronounce the words “invasion” and “annexation” when describing the reality of what Putin’s Russia has done in Crimea? A studied disinclination to use the word “war” to name what Russia has been conducting in the Donbas for the past several years? That, surely, would be more accurately described as pusillanimity and appeasement, rather than balance or equilibrium.</p>
<p>This “balance” is not only an abdication of moral responsibility; it is badly undercutting other Vatican goals in world politics. Shortly before Hilarion’s speech in Bari, a Vatican conference urged intensified efforts toward nuclear disarmament. Well, what has been the single greatest blow to nuclear non-proliferation in recent years? The Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea. Why? Because Russia’s actions effectively abrogated the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, according to which Ukraine agreed to give up all its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for a guarantee (signed by Russia, the United States, and Great Britain) of its territorial integrity and borders. Since Russia got away with its Crimean gambit, it’s a safe bet that no nuclear weapons power will give up its arsenal in exchange for paper security guarantees, for at least the next several decades.</p>
<p>In brief: It’s impossible to take a “balanced position” on the “conflict underway in Ukraine” and, at the same time, passionately promote nuclear disarmament. The former drastically undercuts the latter. Can no one in the Holy See connect the dots here?</p>
<p>In the face of what reasonable people will judge the Roman appeasement of its enemies, the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine—the largest Catholic martyr-Church of the twentieth century—has been a model of fidelity to Rome: which is another reason why those responsible for Vatican policy toward Russia and Ukraine ought to have blushed in embarrassment at Metropolitan Hilarion’s compliment. No one would blame the Greek Catholic leadership in Ukraine for feeling, if not betrayed, then at the very least ill-served by the “balanced position” praised by Metropolitan Hilarion. Yet, under the most trying circumstances, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk and his colleagues, both clergy and laity, have gotten on with the New Evangelization in their war-torn country, providing a model of spiritual vitality and effective public engagement that a lot of Latin-rite Catholicism would do well to study and then emulate.</p>
<p>Here is one dimension of the Vatican’s ecumenical and diplomatic activity that cries out for radical reform. It is long past time for a thorough reexamination of the default positions that govern thinking about Russia, Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Catholic-Russian Orthodox ecumenical dialogue in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State and at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The relevant officials in those Vatican offices might begin that reexamination with a close reading of Serhii Plokhy’s fine new book,&#160; <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Kingdom-Empire-Making-Russian/dp/0465098495?tag=firstthings20-20" type="external">Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation from 1470 to the Present</a>. Among other things, the Harvard-based Plokhy explores the subservient relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church to Russian state power for over five centuries: a history that puts Metropolitan Hilarion’s latest propaganda exercise in Bari into its proper context.</p>
<p>George Weigel&#160;is Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington, D.C.’s Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p>
|
“Equilibrium” and Ignominy
| false |
https://eppc.org/publications/equilibrium-and-ignominy/
| 1right-center
|
“Equilibrium” and Ignominy
<p>This past December 18, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the head of the department of external relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, received an honorary degree from the Faculty of Theology of Apulia in Bari, on Italy’s Adriatic coast. During his remarks on that occasion, Hilarion thanked the Holy See “per la sua posizione di equilibrio riguardo al conflitto in corso in Ucraina” (for its balanced position regarding the conflict underway in Ukraine). Did anyone in the Vatican blush in shame at that compliment? A lot of high-ranking Roman churchmen should have.</p>
<p>Once again, as he has often done in the past, Metropolitan Hilarion used an ecumenical event to carry water for Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin and its war on independent Ukraine. Once again, the chief ecumenical officer of the Russian Orthodox Church misrepresented what is afoot in Ukraine, which is not a “conflict” but a Russian invasion and a low-intensity war, which has already cost more than ten thousand lives while displacing over a million persons and wreaking economic and social havoc in Ukraine’s Donbas region. And once again, Metropolitan Hilarion implicated the Holy See in that misrepresentation by praising the Vatican’s &#160;“balanced position.”</p>
<p>But what is a “balanced position” in this situation? A refusal to pronounce the words “invasion” and “annexation” when describing the reality of what Putin’s Russia has done in Crimea? A studied disinclination to use the word “war” to name what Russia has been conducting in the Donbas for the past several years? That, surely, would be more accurately described as pusillanimity and appeasement, rather than balance or equilibrium.</p>
<p>This “balance” is not only an abdication of moral responsibility; it is badly undercutting other Vatican goals in world politics. Shortly before Hilarion’s speech in Bari, a Vatican conference urged intensified efforts toward nuclear disarmament. Well, what has been the single greatest blow to nuclear non-proliferation in recent years? The Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea. Why? Because Russia’s actions effectively abrogated the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, according to which Ukraine agreed to give up all its Soviet-era nuclear weapons in exchange for a guarantee (signed by Russia, the United States, and Great Britain) of its territorial integrity and borders. Since Russia got away with its Crimean gambit, it’s a safe bet that no nuclear weapons power will give up its arsenal in exchange for paper security guarantees, for at least the next several decades.</p>
<p>In brief: It’s impossible to take a “balanced position” on the “conflict underway in Ukraine” and, at the same time, passionately promote nuclear disarmament. The former drastically undercuts the latter. Can no one in the Holy See connect the dots here?</p>
<p>In the face of what reasonable people will judge the Roman appeasement of its enemies, the Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine—the largest Catholic martyr-Church of the twentieth century—has been a model of fidelity to Rome: which is another reason why those responsible for Vatican policy toward Russia and Ukraine ought to have blushed in embarrassment at Metropolitan Hilarion’s compliment. No one would blame the Greek Catholic leadership in Ukraine for feeling, if not betrayed, then at the very least ill-served by the “balanced position” praised by Metropolitan Hilarion. Yet, under the most trying circumstances, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk and his colleagues, both clergy and laity, have gotten on with the New Evangelization in their war-torn country, providing a model of spiritual vitality and effective public engagement that a lot of Latin-rite Catholicism would do well to study and then emulate.</p>
<p>Here is one dimension of the Vatican’s ecumenical and diplomatic activity that cries out for radical reform. It is long past time for a thorough reexamination of the default positions that govern thinking about Russia, Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and Catholic-Russian Orthodox ecumenical dialogue in the Holy See’s Secretariat of State and at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. The relevant officials in those Vatican offices might begin that reexamination with a close reading of Serhii Plokhy’s fine new book,&#160; <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Kingdom-Empire-Making-Russian/dp/0465098495?tag=firstthings20-20" type="external">Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation from 1470 to the Present</a>. Among other things, the Harvard-based Plokhy explores the subservient relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church to Russian state power for over five centuries: a history that puts Metropolitan Hilarion’s latest propaganda exercise in Bari into its proper context.</p>
<p>George Weigel&#160;is Distinguished Senior Fellow of Washington, D.C.’s Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he holds the William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p>
| 4,868 |
|
<p>“Hello, Tip, is it after six o’clock?”</p>
<p>This is how President Reagan would address Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill after a long day of political duels. “After six o’clock” meant work was over, and the two party leaders could put away their swords and bring out their Irish whiskey and wit.</p>
<p>Elected officials regularly talking and socializing seems like a no-brainer. They are, after all, co-workers; just because they might disagree on issues doesn’t mean they should never talk.</p>
<p>But President Reagan and Speaker O’Neill&#160;seem more like exceptions than the rule in recent years. It took nearly 20 months for President Obama and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to meet one-on-one, and President Bush rarely met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Today it’s not out of the ordinary for presidents to go months without speaking to congressional leaders of the opposing party.</p>
<p>Polarization between parties and their leaders makes it harder for the president to gain bipartisan support for legislation. Leaders from opposing parties are increasingly alienated from one another and unwilling to work across the aisle. From a young age we are all taught that the best way to solve a problem is to use your words. Congress and the president should use this age-old wisdom and talk to each other.</p>
<p>No Labels has a solution. We want opposition leaders to meet with the president at least once a quarter. That’s only four times a year, but it’s far more often than is currently happening. Regular communication would give leaders the opportunity to talk to one another and learn about each other’s points of view. This would help foster the trust and openness that our leaders need to negotiate effective policy.</p>
<p>Our Founding Fathers established deliberate checks and balances within our government to ensure that no one branch ever became too powerful. But checks and balances were set up to&#160;regulate&#160;the various branches, not inhibit their functionality. They can only work properly with proper communication.</p>
<p>The American public elects a president to do a job. Let’s allow him to do it. Let’s make the presidency, and Congress, work!</p>
<p>By Jim Cooper</p>
<p>Jim Cooper is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee’s fifth district. He has served in Congress since 2003 and is a sponsor of the No Budget, No Pay Act.</p>
|
Regular Meetings Between the President and Congress
| false |
https://nolabels.org/blog/regular-meetings-between-the-president-and-congress/
|
2012-07-02
| 2least
|
Regular Meetings Between the President and Congress
<p>“Hello, Tip, is it after six o’clock?”</p>
<p>This is how President Reagan would address Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill after a long day of political duels. “After six o’clock” meant work was over, and the two party leaders could put away their swords and bring out their Irish whiskey and wit.</p>
<p>Elected officials regularly talking and socializing seems like a no-brainer. They are, after all, co-workers; just because they might disagree on issues doesn’t mean they should never talk.</p>
<p>But President Reagan and Speaker O’Neill&#160;seem more like exceptions than the rule in recent years. It took nearly 20 months for President Obama and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to meet one-on-one, and President Bush rarely met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Today it’s not out of the ordinary for presidents to go months without speaking to congressional leaders of the opposing party.</p>
<p>Polarization between parties and their leaders makes it harder for the president to gain bipartisan support for legislation. Leaders from opposing parties are increasingly alienated from one another and unwilling to work across the aisle. From a young age we are all taught that the best way to solve a problem is to use your words. Congress and the president should use this age-old wisdom and talk to each other.</p>
<p>No Labels has a solution. We want opposition leaders to meet with the president at least once a quarter. That’s only four times a year, but it’s far more often than is currently happening. Regular communication would give leaders the opportunity to talk to one another and learn about each other’s points of view. This would help foster the trust and openness that our leaders need to negotiate effective policy.</p>
<p>Our Founding Fathers established deliberate checks and balances within our government to ensure that no one branch ever became too powerful. But checks and balances were set up to&#160;regulate&#160;the various branches, not inhibit their functionality. They can only work properly with proper communication.</p>
<p>The American public elects a president to do a job. Let’s allow him to do it. Let’s make the presidency, and Congress, work!</p>
<p>By Jim Cooper</p>
<p>Jim Cooper is a member of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee’s fifth district. He has served in Congress since 2003 and is a sponsor of the No Budget, No Pay Act.</p>
| 4,869 |
<p>HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday afternoon's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Pick 5 Day" game were:</p>
<p>0-9-5-9-8, Wild: 6</p>
<p>(zero, nine, five, nine, eight; Wild: six)</p>
<p>HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday afternoon's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Pick 5 Day" game were:</p>
<p>0-9-5-9-8, Wild: 6</p>
<p>(zero, nine, five, nine, eight; Wild: six)</p>
|
Winning numbers drawn in 'Pick 5 Day' game
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/5d0592d934754df4ae5bb7748a3b3516
|
2018-01-07
| 2least
|
Winning numbers drawn in 'Pick 5 Day' game
<p>HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday afternoon's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Pick 5 Day" game were:</p>
<p>0-9-5-9-8, Wild: 6</p>
<p>(zero, nine, five, nine, eight; Wild: six)</p>
<p>HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Sunday afternoon's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Pick 5 Day" game were:</p>
<p>0-9-5-9-8, Wild: 6</p>
<p>(zero, nine, five, nine, eight; Wild: six)</p>
| 4,870 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Cooler temperatures and rain will break up Albuquerque’s unseasonably warm fall weather this week.</p>
<p>Tim Shy, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said that by Wednesday temperatures will fall to the low 70s during the day and the low 40s at night. Daytime temperatures will drop to the upper 60s by the weekend.</p>
<p>Two storms will be moving into the area from California during the week, bringing with them precipitation and a cooling effect, Shy said.</p>
<p>The first storm will come through sometime on Wednesday and last through Thursday. As that storm moves out of the state on Friday, another storm will move in and last through the weekend.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Albuquerque could see up to a half-inch of rain from the storms, Shy said.</p>
<p>The storms could bring snow to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the northern part of the state and perhaps even to the highest elevations of the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Shy said some areas in the southern part of the state could see hail, damaging wind and possibly isolated tornadoes as part of the storm.</p>
|
Two Storms Will Bring Cooler Temps, Rain to ABQ
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/9834/two-storms-will-bring-cooler-temps-rain-to-abq.html
| 2least
|
Two Storms Will Bring Cooler Temps, Rain to ABQ
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Cooler temperatures and rain will break up Albuquerque’s unseasonably warm fall weather this week.</p>
<p>Tim Shy, senior forecaster for the National Weather Service in Albuquerque, said that by Wednesday temperatures will fall to the low 70s during the day and the low 40s at night. Daytime temperatures will drop to the upper 60s by the weekend.</p>
<p>Two storms will be moving into the area from California during the week, bringing with them precipitation and a cooling effect, Shy said.</p>
<p>The first storm will come through sometime on Wednesday and last through Thursday. As that storm moves out of the state on Friday, another storm will move in and last through the weekend.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Albuquerque could see up to a half-inch of rain from the storms, Shy said.</p>
<p>The storms could bring snow to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the northern part of the state and perhaps even to the highest elevations of the Sandia Mountains near Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Shy said some areas in the southern part of the state could see hail, damaging wind and possibly isolated tornadoes as part of the storm.</p>
| 4,871 |
|
<p>MW– It seems like people in the US are not really paying much attention to the problems in Europe, but these problems appear to be getting worse all the time. Would you say that we are on the brink of another financial crisis?</p>
<p>MT—We could&#160;very be possibly on the brink of another financial crisis. It is very important to track the build up in liquidity&#160;issues. Most financial crisis&#160;originate from liquidity issues, when interbanking market starts freezing. We&#160;have not yet reached that point, but there are definitely&#160;some ongoing concerns with rumours right now involving some major European banks.</p>
<p>MW–Can you explain what’s going on in eurozone credit markets in terms that the average guy can understand?&#160;</p>
<p>MT–The recent significant increase in credit spreads for many financial institutions&#160;have been driven by the markets concerned about the ability of the weaker players to access credit at reasonable rates, not only for peripheral countries but, for financial institutions located in these peripherals countries and to some&#160;extent, financial institutions exposed to these peripheral countries via their bond exposure. Although&#160;most European banks have covered their funding needs&#160;for 2011, as well as having the European Central Banks providing liquidity&#160;support, liquidity assessments were not included in the latest European Banking Association stress tests we had in July. The lack of disclosure is problematic because as suspicion rises between banks, liquidity is dwindling, and in effect term funding markets are shut down for weaker players.</p>
<p>So far larger&#160;banks have only been able to secure funding via covered bonds which are bonds secured by pools of prime loans. If&#160;issuance remains at a very low level for European banks, it will&#160;become at some point problematic.</p>
<p>The lack of disclosure of liquidity coverage ratio, which in effect would&#160;allow market participants to&#160;reassure their&#160;banking counterparties that they&#160;have sufficient high liquidity assets to withstand acute stress test scenario for 30 days,&#160;is a big&#160;issue. Under Basel III banks will have to comply, meaning that&#160;for banks, the stock of highly&#160;quality liquid assets should be sufficient to cover 30 days of cash outflows under an adverse scenario.</p>
<p>You would have thought that following the 2008 debacle banks would have disclosed more information and&#160;become more transparent, unfortunately, it is not the case, hence the heightened tensions we are currently seeing.</p>
<p>MW–I was shocked by the charts that you have on your blogsite,&#160; <a href="http://macronomy.blogspot.com/" type="external">macronomy.blogspot.com</a>&#160;It looks to me like the lights are “blinking red”. EU countries in the south are paying more for capital, it’s getting harder for the banks to fund themselves, and insuring against default is getting more expensive. Even if the financial system doesn’t blow up, don’t these things suggest a slowdown in economic activity that will trigger another recession?</p>
<p>MT–Yes, indeed it does suggest a risk of a slow down in economic activity in&#160;southern european countries. Potentially it could trigger another recession.&#160;Because&#160;bank funding is a key source for bank earnings, and their ability to lend to their domestic&#160;economy, therefore a drag on the economic recovery if it doesn’t happen smoothly.&#160;Lack of funding could mean that bank will have no choice but to shrink their loan books. If it happens, you will have another credit crunch in weaker European economies, meaning a huge drag on their economic recovery so another recession. As a reminder, 50% of banks earnings for average commercial banks come from the loan book: no funding, no loan; no loan, no growth; and; no growth means no earnings.</p>
<p>MW–The Financial Times reported that many EU banks have been selling their best assets to build their capital cushions. But–if that’s the case–then all they have left is illiquid assests that no one’s going to want to buy if conditions continue to deteriorate. Do you see this as a possiblity? Do you think the ECB will have to buy up a lot of garbage assets like the Fed did after Lehman Brothers crashed?</p>
<p>MT–At the moment, with covered bonds issuance, banks are pledging their best assets. In relation to your assertion relating&#160;to illiquid assets, and “garbage”, the ECB is already acccepting&#160;lower rated collateral from the weaker players, which cannot access funding at reasonable rates, namely&#160;banks from peripheral countries in distress, Ireland, Portugal, Greece. But, the FED also accepted dubious&#160;lower rated collateral, from US banks&#160;during the financial crisis of 2008. I do not think the ECB will do like the FED, first because the ECB is not the FED and&#160;does not&#160;have the same powers and the same balance sheet&#160; size, and that is a big&#160;difference.</p>
<p>Second, the ECB has been supporting Italian and Spanish bonds since the 8th of August, by buying Italian and Spanish government&#160;bonds on the secondary market. But it can only be temporary. The ECB’s balance sheet is&#160;limited currently. It&#160;has to step in,&#160;because the EFSF&#160;extended firepower has yet to be approved by numerous European parliaments. The resignation of Juergen Stark from the board of the ECB is linked to the unconventional purchases from the ECB of government bonds in the secondary market which he clearly disapproved.&#160;What Europe lacks in effect is&#160;a&#160;Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program which was implemented in the US by the FDIC, which would&#160;alleviate funding costs for European banks.&#160;Unsecured bond issuance is key for European banks and given the market is completely shut down at the moment, a similar Debt Guarantee Program&#160;(the Debt Guarantee Program was to provide liquidity to the inter-bank lending market and promote stability in the unsecured funding market and not to encourage innovative, exotic or complex funding structures or to protect lenders who make risky loans) which was set up in October 2008 in the US, would drastically alleviate ongoing funding concerns.</p>
<p>MW– Here’s an excerpt from an article in Bloomberg that I’d like you to comment on. Bloomberg News:</p>
<p>“The eight largest U.S. money-market funds halved investments in German and U.K. banks over the past 12 months, eliminated their lending to Italian and Spanish firms and reduced investments in French banks, data compiled by Bloomberg and published in today’s Bloomberg Risk newsletter showed.”</p>
<p>Is this a “bank run”?</p>
<p>MT–No&#160;it is not a bank run. It is basically tied up to what I discussed in your previous question, namely that, because of lack of disclosure and&#160;more transparency from European banks regarding their liquidity position, as suspicion arise,&#160;lack of trust develops and create dangerous situations. If the situation goes on for too long,&#160;it could become&#160;problematic, particularly in relation to 2012 funding needs which are consequent for European banks.</p>
<p>MW–Here’s a “shocker” that appeared in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal in an article titled “The Trouble With French Banks; A BNP Paribas executive makes his concerns known”:</p>
<p>‘We can no longer borrow dollars. U.S. money-market funds are not lending to us anymore,” a bank executive for BNP Paribas, who declines to be named, told me last week. “Since we don’t have access to dollars anymore, we’re creating a market in euros. This is a first. . . . We hope it will work, otherwise the downward spiral will be hell. We will no longer be trusted at all and no one will lend to us anymore.” (Wall Street Journal)</p>
<p>How close are we to disaster?</p>
<p>MT–We are getting closer to a disaster because of lack of political solution relating to the ongoing Greek crisis, and the contagion effect we are seeing building up in the peripherals&#160;but, mostly beacause Europe lacks a similar US&#160;TLGP program. So, because this mechanism is absent in the European space, continuous funding pressures, mean that banks, such as BNP Paribas and Societe Generale&#160;will be&#160;selling some assets to built capital cushions as you mentioned in your question 4. On top of that, you have a few major elections coming up in Europe&#160;(Spain in November, France presidential election in May next year, etc.), which are slowing down even more critical decision making.</p>
<p>MW–There are a lot of very smart people trying to figure out how the eurozone can&#160;get through this mess, but I don’t see how. The political obstacles appear to be&#160;insurmountable. What do you think will happen; will the eurozone muddle through this mess or is this the “end of the line”?</p>
<p>MT–It is not going to be a smooth ride for sure. I do not&#160;think it is the end of the&#160;line, end of the day if Germany decides to leave the euro they have too much to lose. They have been very big beneficiaries of the euro zone so far, although&#160;in Europe we are clearly staring at the abyss. The ball is&#160;in the political camp, but, given the politicial agendas showing up with upcoming elections,&#160;there is potential for the situation to turn nasty.</p>
<p>What markets hate most&#160;are uncertainties, we are going through a period of lasting volatility and heightened tensions. It did not have to be that way in the first place, but the can kicking game in Europe has been decisively played to maximum effect, for too long. Unfortunately for European politicians, it is decision time, make or break, and we can only watch and hope for a good outcome from the sidelines.</p>
<p />
|
Disaster in the Eurozone
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2011/09/15/disaster-in-the-eurozone/
|
2011-09-15
| 4left
|
Disaster in the Eurozone
<p>MW– It seems like people in the US are not really paying much attention to the problems in Europe, but these problems appear to be getting worse all the time. Would you say that we are on the brink of another financial crisis?</p>
<p>MT—We could&#160;very be possibly on the brink of another financial crisis. It is very important to track the build up in liquidity&#160;issues. Most financial crisis&#160;originate from liquidity issues, when interbanking market starts freezing. We&#160;have not yet reached that point, but there are definitely&#160;some ongoing concerns with rumours right now involving some major European banks.</p>
<p>MW–Can you explain what’s going on in eurozone credit markets in terms that the average guy can understand?&#160;</p>
<p>MT–The recent significant increase in credit spreads for many financial institutions&#160;have been driven by the markets concerned about the ability of the weaker players to access credit at reasonable rates, not only for peripheral countries but, for financial institutions located in these peripherals countries and to some&#160;extent, financial institutions exposed to these peripheral countries via their bond exposure. Although&#160;most European banks have covered their funding needs&#160;for 2011, as well as having the European Central Banks providing liquidity&#160;support, liquidity assessments were not included in the latest European Banking Association stress tests we had in July. The lack of disclosure is problematic because as suspicion rises between banks, liquidity is dwindling, and in effect term funding markets are shut down for weaker players.</p>
<p>So far larger&#160;banks have only been able to secure funding via covered bonds which are bonds secured by pools of prime loans. If&#160;issuance remains at a very low level for European banks, it will&#160;become at some point problematic.</p>
<p>The lack of disclosure of liquidity coverage ratio, which in effect would&#160;allow market participants to&#160;reassure their&#160;banking counterparties that they&#160;have sufficient high liquidity assets to withstand acute stress test scenario for 30 days,&#160;is a big&#160;issue. Under Basel III banks will have to comply, meaning that&#160;for banks, the stock of highly&#160;quality liquid assets should be sufficient to cover 30 days of cash outflows under an adverse scenario.</p>
<p>You would have thought that following the 2008 debacle banks would have disclosed more information and&#160;become more transparent, unfortunately, it is not the case, hence the heightened tensions we are currently seeing.</p>
<p>MW–I was shocked by the charts that you have on your blogsite,&#160; <a href="http://macronomy.blogspot.com/" type="external">macronomy.blogspot.com</a>&#160;It looks to me like the lights are “blinking red”. EU countries in the south are paying more for capital, it’s getting harder for the banks to fund themselves, and insuring against default is getting more expensive. Even if the financial system doesn’t blow up, don’t these things suggest a slowdown in economic activity that will trigger another recession?</p>
<p>MT–Yes, indeed it does suggest a risk of a slow down in economic activity in&#160;southern european countries. Potentially it could trigger another recession.&#160;Because&#160;bank funding is a key source for bank earnings, and their ability to lend to their domestic&#160;economy, therefore a drag on the economic recovery if it doesn’t happen smoothly.&#160;Lack of funding could mean that bank will have no choice but to shrink their loan books. If it happens, you will have another credit crunch in weaker European economies, meaning a huge drag on their economic recovery so another recession. As a reminder, 50% of banks earnings for average commercial banks come from the loan book: no funding, no loan; no loan, no growth; and; no growth means no earnings.</p>
<p>MW–The Financial Times reported that many EU banks have been selling their best assets to build their capital cushions. But–if that’s the case–then all they have left is illiquid assests that no one’s going to want to buy if conditions continue to deteriorate. Do you see this as a possiblity? Do you think the ECB will have to buy up a lot of garbage assets like the Fed did after Lehman Brothers crashed?</p>
<p>MT–At the moment, with covered bonds issuance, banks are pledging their best assets. In relation to your assertion relating&#160;to illiquid assets, and “garbage”, the ECB is already acccepting&#160;lower rated collateral from the weaker players, which cannot access funding at reasonable rates, namely&#160;banks from peripheral countries in distress, Ireland, Portugal, Greece. But, the FED also accepted dubious&#160;lower rated collateral, from US banks&#160;during the financial crisis of 2008. I do not think the ECB will do like the FED, first because the ECB is not the FED and&#160;does not&#160;have the same powers and the same balance sheet&#160; size, and that is a big&#160;difference.</p>
<p>Second, the ECB has been supporting Italian and Spanish bonds since the 8th of August, by buying Italian and Spanish government&#160;bonds on the secondary market. But it can only be temporary. The ECB’s balance sheet is&#160;limited currently. It&#160;has to step in,&#160;because the EFSF&#160;extended firepower has yet to be approved by numerous European parliaments. The resignation of Juergen Stark from the board of the ECB is linked to the unconventional purchases from the ECB of government bonds in the secondary market which he clearly disapproved.&#160;What Europe lacks in effect is&#160;a&#160;Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program which was implemented in the US by the FDIC, which would&#160;alleviate funding costs for European banks.&#160;Unsecured bond issuance is key for European banks and given the market is completely shut down at the moment, a similar Debt Guarantee Program&#160;(the Debt Guarantee Program was to provide liquidity to the inter-bank lending market and promote stability in the unsecured funding market and not to encourage innovative, exotic or complex funding structures or to protect lenders who make risky loans) which was set up in October 2008 in the US, would drastically alleviate ongoing funding concerns.</p>
<p>MW– Here’s an excerpt from an article in Bloomberg that I’d like you to comment on. Bloomberg News:</p>
<p>“The eight largest U.S. money-market funds halved investments in German and U.K. banks over the past 12 months, eliminated their lending to Italian and Spanish firms and reduced investments in French banks, data compiled by Bloomberg and published in today’s Bloomberg Risk newsletter showed.”</p>
<p>Is this a “bank run”?</p>
<p>MT–No&#160;it is not a bank run. It is basically tied up to what I discussed in your previous question, namely that, because of lack of disclosure and&#160;more transparency from European banks regarding their liquidity position, as suspicion arise,&#160;lack of trust develops and create dangerous situations. If the situation goes on for too long,&#160;it could become&#160;problematic, particularly in relation to 2012 funding needs which are consequent for European banks.</p>
<p>MW–Here’s a “shocker” that appeared in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal in an article titled “The Trouble With French Banks; A BNP Paribas executive makes his concerns known”:</p>
<p>‘We can no longer borrow dollars. U.S. money-market funds are not lending to us anymore,” a bank executive for BNP Paribas, who declines to be named, told me last week. “Since we don’t have access to dollars anymore, we’re creating a market in euros. This is a first. . . . We hope it will work, otherwise the downward spiral will be hell. We will no longer be trusted at all and no one will lend to us anymore.” (Wall Street Journal)</p>
<p>How close are we to disaster?</p>
<p>MT–We are getting closer to a disaster because of lack of political solution relating to the ongoing Greek crisis, and the contagion effect we are seeing building up in the peripherals&#160;but, mostly beacause Europe lacks a similar US&#160;TLGP program. So, because this mechanism is absent in the European space, continuous funding pressures, mean that banks, such as BNP Paribas and Societe Generale&#160;will be&#160;selling some assets to built capital cushions as you mentioned in your question 4. On top of that, you have a few major elections coming up in Europe&#160;(Spain in November, France presidential election in May next year, etc.), which are slowing down even more critical decision making.</p>
<p>MW–There are a lot of very smart people trying to figure out how the eurozone can&#160;get through this mess, but I don’t see how. The political obstacles appear to be&#160;insurmountable. What do you think will happen; will the eurozone muddle through this mess or is this the “end of the line”?</p>
<p>MT–It is not going to be a smooth ride for sure. I do not&#160;think it is the end of the&#160;line, end of the day if Germany decides to leave the euro they have too much to lose. They have been very big beneficiaries of the euro zone so far, although&#160;in Europe we are clearly staring at the abyss. The ball is&#160;in the political camp, but, given the politicial agendas showing up with upcoming elections,&#160;there is potential for the situation to turn nasty.</p>
<p>What markets hate most&#160;are uncertainties, we are going through a period of lasting volatility and heightened tensions. It did not have to be that way in the first place, but the can kicking game in Europe has been decisively played to maximum effect, for too long. Unfortunately for European politicians, it is decision time, make or break, and we can only watch and hope for a good outcome from the sidelines.</p>
<p />
| 4,872 |
<p />
<p>Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, wants his state to re-instate the death penalty. Last week, a commission appointed by Romney said that if its recommendations are fully implemented, “a fair capital punishment statute … that is narrowly tailored and as infallible as humanly possible” will be created.</p>
<p>So persuaded is Romney that the commission’s report delivered a blueprint for a <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/03/%20%20commission_outlines_its_plan_for_infallible_death_penalty/" type="external">foolproof death penalty system</a> that he told the Boston Globe: “I would be happy to stake my own life on the outcome of a process of this nature.”</p>
<p>The commission—officially the Governor’s Council on Capital Punishment—was co-chaired by Joseph Hoffmann, a law professor at Indiana University and Dr. Fred Bieber, who teaches pathology at Harvard Medical School. It narrowed the application of the death penalty to “the worst of the worst”—offenses such as terrorism, murder of police officers, and serial killings. Scientific evidence, such as DNA, would be required for a conviction. Juries would have to have <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0507/p11s01-usju.html" type="external">“no doubt,”</a> as to a defendant’s guilt, as opposed to “reasonable doubt” as to his or her innocence. Each defendant would be represented by two attorneys with a track record of “exemplary performance.” In the case of a guilty verdict, the defendant could choose a different jury to determine sentencing. Independent commissions would examine the forensic evidence and all the convictions would be subject to automatic review.</p>
<p>Massachusetts is one of 12 states that does not have a death penalty, which was overturned by the state’s Supreme Court in 1984. There has been no state execution since 1947.</p>
<p>Romney has widespread public support to change the status quo. A November University of Massachusetts poll found that <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/03/%20%20commission_outlines_its_plan_for_infallible_death_penalty/" type="external">54 percent</a> of people in the state want the state’s death penalty reinstated, with 45 percent opposed. Some 62 percent, though, don’t think Romney can create a foolproof system. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, opposes the death penalty other than for acts of terrorism. President George Bush, on the hand, is a strong proponent of the death penalty. In his previous job as the governor of Texas, Bush presided over <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views/061700-102.htm" type="external">131 executions</a>—the highest number of any state in the country.</p>
<p>Although <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61418-2004May2.html" type="external">more than 100 death row inmates</a> nationwide have been exonerated in recent years, in part because of DNA testing, public support for the death penalty has only grown in recent years. Americans who support the death penalty concede that innocent people will be executed, but do not deem this sufficiently troubling to reverse their support. As a <a href="http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=431" type="external">2003 Harris poll</a> found:</p>
<p>…large 69 percent to 22 percent majority of the public still favors capital punishment and this majority is actually somewhat higher than it was in 2001 and in 2000 (when it had fallen to 64 percent to 25 percent).</p>
<p>This majority support for the death penalty holds even though almost everyone (95 percent) believes that innocent people are sometimes convicted of murder. On average they believe that 11 percent of all those convicted are innocent. But the two-thirds of the public who support the death penalty seem to feel that that is an acceptable price to pay.”</p>
<p>Not even Romney himself believes that the reinstating the death penalty will have much of a deterrent effect, since it would be applied to a small spectrum of all homicides. However, the <a href="http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105%7E4746%7E2126533,00.html" type="external">governor</a> insists that:</p>
<p>“If this would deter one heinous crime in a year, it’s certainly worth whatever costs, time and effort by the commonwealth. We have a duty as elected officials to do everything within our power to protect our citizens…”</p>
<p>When it comes to wrongful convictions, the state’s justice system is far from foolproof. The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is currently preparing a proposal for the state to form an “Innocence Commission” that would investigate <a href="http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=22001" type="external">22 wrongful convictions</a>, including those for rape and murder.</p>
<p>District attorneys are concerned about the cost of implementing Romney’s plan. The state’s forensic labs are overburdened, as are its public defenders. As <a href="http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/3266357/detail.html" type="external">Boston Channel</a> reported:</p>
<p>“Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating estimated it would cost the state at least $5 million to prosecute someone in a death penalty case because of the added costs of a review by a death penalty commission, a separate sentencing phase, and appeals. That’s about $4 million more than if the person is incarcerated for life, rather than executed, he said.”</p>
<p>The strongest argument against Romney’s plan is that no guidelines, however well-intentioned and well-funded, can eliminate human error. We also know that the death penalty is disproportionately applied to poor and minority defendants. All of these reasons are why former Illinois Governor George Ryan— like Romney, a Republican—commuted the sentences of the state’s death row inmates when he left office in 2003. As <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/11/illinois.death.row/" type="external">Ryan</a> said then:</p>
<p>“Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error: error in determining guilt and error in determining who among the guilty deserves to die.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this is still the case today.</p>
<p>Massachusetts has enough problems with its justice system to take on Romney’s Herculean challenge. As Josh Rubenstein, northeast regional director for <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/03/%20%20commission_outlines_its_plan_for_infallible_death_penalty/" type="external">Amnesty International</a>, put it: “We have a foolproof system now—we don’t execute anyone.”</p>
<p />
|
No Doubt?
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2004/05/no-doubt/
|
2004-05-10
| 4left
|
No Doubt?
<p />
<p>Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, a Republican, wants his state to re-instate the death penalty. Last week, a commission appointed by Romney said that if its recommendations are fully implemented, “a fair capital punishment statute … that is narrowly tailored and as infallible as humanly possible” will be created.</p>
<p>So persuaded is Romney that the commission’s report delivered a blueprint for a <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/03/%20%20commission_outlines_its_plan_for_infallible_death_penalty/" type="external">foolproof death penalty system</a> that he told the Boston Globe: “I would be happy to stake my own life on the outcome of a process of this nature.”</p>
<p>The commission—officially the Governor’s Council on Capital Punishment—was co-chaired by Joseph Hoffmann, a law professor at Indiana University and Dr. Fred Bieber, who teaches pathology at Harvard Medical School. It narrowed the application of the death penalty to “the worst of the worst”—offenses such as terrorism, murder of police officers, and serial killings. Scientific evidence, such as DNA, would be required for a conviction. Juries would have to have <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0507/p11s01-usju.html" type="external">“no doubt,”</a> as to a defendant’s guilt, as opposed to “reasonable doubt” as to his or her innocence. Each defendant would be represented by two attorneys with a track record of “exemplary performance.” In the case of a guilty verdict, the defendant could choose a different jury to determine sentencing. Independent commissions would examine the forensic evidence and all the convictions would be subject to automatic review.</p>
<p>Massachusetts is one of 12 states that does not have a death penalty, which was overturned by the state’s Supreme Court in 1984. There has been no state execution since 1947.</p>
<p>Romney has widespread public support to change the status quo. A November University of Massachusetts poll found that <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/03/%20%20commission_outlines_its_plan_for_infallible_death_penalty/" type="external">54 percent</a> of people in the state want the state’s death penalty reinstated, with 45 percent opposed. Some 62 percent, though, don’t think Romney can create a foolproof system. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, opposes the death penalty other than for acts of terrorism. President George Bush, on the hand, is a strong proponent of the death penalty. In his previous job as the governor of Texas, Bush presided over <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/views/061700-102.htm" type="external">131 executions</a>—the highest number of any state in the country.</p>
<p>Although <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61418-2004May2.html" type="external">more than 100 death row inmates</a> nationwide have been exonerated in recent years, in part because of DNA testing, public support for the death penalty has only grown in recent years. Americans who support the death penalty concede that innocent people will be executed, but do not deem this sufficiently troubling to reverse their support. As a <a href="http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=431" type="external">2003 Harris poll</a> found:</p>
<p>…large 69 percent to 22 percent majority of the public still favors capital punishment and this majority is actually somewhat higher than it was in 2001 and in 2000 (when it had fallen to 64 percent to 25 percent).</p>
<p>This majority support for the death penalty holds even though almost everyone (95 percent) believes that innocent people are sometimes convicted of murder. On average they believe that 11 percent of all those convicted are innocent. But the two-thirds of the public who support the death penalty seem to feel that that is an acceptable price to pay.”</p>
<p>Not even Romney himself believes that the reinstating the death penalty will have much of a deterrent effect, since it would be applied to a small spectrum of all homicides. However, the <a href="http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105%7E4746%7E2126533,00.html" type="external">governor</a> insists that:</p>
<p>“If this would deter one heinous crime in a year, it’s certainly worth whatever costs, time and effort by the commonwealth. We have a duty as elected officials to do everything within our power to protect our citizens…”</p>
<p>When it comes to wrongful convictions, the state’s justice system is far from foolproof. The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is currently preparing a proposal for the state to form an “Innocence Commission” that would investigate <a href="http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=22001" type="external">22 wrongful convictions</a>, including those for rape and murder.</p>
<p>District attorneys are concerned about the cost of implementing Romney’s plan. The state’s forensic labs are overburdened, as are its public defenders. As <a href="http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/3266357/detail.html" type="external">Boston Channel</a> reported:</p>
<p>“Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating estimated it would cost the state at least $5 million to prosecute someone in a death penalty case because of the added costs of a review by a death penalty commission, a separate sentencing phase, and appeals. That’s about $4 million more than if the person is incarcerated for life, rather than executed, he said.”</p>
<p>The strongest argument against Romney’s plan is that no guidelines, however well-intentioned and well-funded, can eliminate human error. We also know that the death penalty is disproportionately applied to poor and minority defendants. All of these reasons are why former Illinois Governor George Ryan— like Romney, a Republican—commuted the sentences of the state’s death row inmates when he left office in 2003. As <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/11/illinois.death.row/" type="external">Ryan</a> said then:</p>
<p>“Our capital system is haunted by the demon of error: error in determining guilt and error in determining who among the guilty deserves to die.”</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this is still the case today.</p>
<p>Massachusetts has enough problems with its justice system to take on Romney’s Herculean challenge. As Josh Rubenstein, northeast regional director for <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/05/03/%20%20commission_outlines_its_plan_for_infallible_death_penalty/" type="external">Amnesty International</a>, put it: “We have a foolproof system now—we don’t execute anyone.”</p>
<p />
| 4,873 |
<p>Jobs report to steer rate expectations</p>
<p>-- Apple jumps in premarket trading</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>-- Spanish stocks drop on political tensions</p>
<p>Technology companies led gains in global stock markets Friday after Apple reported better-than-expected results, and stocks extended gains after the U.S. jobs report showed employers hired at a strong pace in October.</p>
<p>S&amp;P 500 futures and the Stoxx Europe 600 were both up 0.1% after a torpid trading session in Asia.</p>
<p>Nasdaq-100 futures rose 0.5% and global technology companies moved higher after Apple said late Thursday that it delivered its best quarterly growth in two years.</p>
<p>Apple shares jumped 3.9% in premarket trading after climbing around 45% so far in 2017, playing a large role in this year's rally in U.S. stocks. A close for Apple above $174.24 on Friday would take its market value over $900 billion for the first time.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Global technology shares mostly moved higher in concert, also supported by upbeat results from Alibaba and other U.S. tech giants earlier this week. In Europe, shares of chip-gear firm ASML Holding rose 1.2%, chip maker Infineon Technologies rose 1.8% and semiconductor maker STMicroelectronics rose 2%. In Taiwan, shares of Largan Precision were up 3.6% and Hon Hai Precision Industry up 0.4%.</p>
<p>The Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 261,000 in October, a pickup from the prior month. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, its lowest level since December 2000. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected 315,000 new jobs and a 4.2% unemployment rate last month.</p>
<p>After September numbers that showed the first monthly drop in seven years -- attributed to the hurricane effect -- "expectations are quite high" for the October reading, said OM Financial client adviser Stuart Ive.</p>
<p>The WSJ Dollar Index, which weighs the U.S. currency against a basket of 16 others, ticked 0.2% lower after the report as investors continued to parse the details of a Republican tax bill and the nomination of Fed governor Jerome Powell to be the next chairman of the central bank.</p>
<p>Gold prices turned higher, rising 0.1% after the jobs report.</p>
<p>The Dow industrials fell more than 80 points Thursday after a detailed summary of the tax plan was reported, but the blue-chip index climbed later in the session to end higher.</p>
<p>"We think tax reform is more likely than the market thinks it is," said Jon Adams, investment strategist with BMO Global Asset Management, noting expectations for a tax cut in 2018 are one of the reasons for the asset manager's modest preference for equities over bonds.</p>
<p>Still, "this is a very fluid process and it's likely that there will be a lot of change to what is currently being proposed," he added.</p>
<p>U.S. 10-year government bond yields edged down to 2.322% from 2.347% Thursday. German 10-year government bond yields edged down to 0.360% from 0.369%. Yields move inversely to prices.</p>
<p>In Europe, shares of Renault rose 4.4% after the French government said it was selling part of its stake in the company. That helped offset declines in the banking sector, with shares of Société Générale down 3.1% after it said its third-quarter profit fell significantly.</p>
<p>Spanish bank shares also fell, dragging Spain's IBEX 35 down 1.3%. A prosecutor asked a Spanish court on Thursday to issue an arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont, the leader of Catalonia's secessionist movement who fled to Belgium to escape authorities in Spain.</p>
<p>"I don't think [Catalonia] is played out yet -- the [request for] arrests have probably inflamed the situation and there's no doubt going to be a populist response to arrests," said Gautam Batra, head of investments at Mediolanum Asset Management.</p>
<p>The British pound edged up 0.2% to $1.3086 after its biggest daily decline since June. The Bank of England on Thursday raised interest rates for the first time in more than 10 years but signaled that further increases weren't imminent, causing the pound to slump 1.4% against the U.S. dollar.</p>
<p>"More important than the decision were the comments during the press conference and inflation report, which were quite dovish," said Markus Stadlmann, chief investment officer at Lloyds Banking Group. "There are so many moving parts with regards to the economic situation for the U.K. at the moment that for investors, we have to take it step by step."</p>
<p>Asia-Pacific equities were little changed, with Japanese markets closed for a holiday.</p>
<p>Chinese tech giant Tencent rose 1.7% to a fresh record after peer Alibaba reported positive quarterly results. The gain helped Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index -- of which Tencent is the largest component -- rise 0.3%.</p>
<p>Australia's S&amp;P/ASX 200 gained 0.5% to finish at its highest since April 2015 as commodity-price gains lifted materials and mining companies. Steel and key steel ingredient iron ore were among the leaders in this week's metals rebound, while nickel jumped 23% over the past month on expectations that rising demand from electric-vehicle producers will tighten supplies.</p>
<p>-Lucy Craymer contributed to this article</p>
<p>Write to David Hodari at [email protected] and Riva Gold at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>November 03, 2017 08:54 ET (12:54 GMT)</p>
|
Apple Results, Jobs Report Steer Markets
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/03/apple-results-jobs-report-steer-markets.html
|
2017-11-03
| 0right
|
Apple Results, Jobs Report Steer Markets
<p>Jobs report to steer rate expectations</p>
<p>-- Apple jumps in premarket trading</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>-- Spanish stocks drop on political tensions</p>
<p>Technology companies led gains in global stock markets Friday after Apple reported better-than-expected results, and stocks extended gains after the U.S. jobs report showed employers hired at a strong pace in October.</p>
<p>S&amp;P 500 futures and the Stoxx Europe 600 were both up 0.1% after a torpid trading session in Asia.</p>
<p>Nasdaq-100 futures rose 0.5% and global technology companies moved higher after Apple said late Thursday that it delivered its best quarterly growth in two years.</p>
<p>Apple shares jumped 3.9% in premarket trading after climbing around 45% so far in 2017, playing a large role in this year's rally in U.S. stocks. A close for Apple above $174.24 on Friday would take its market value over $900 billion for the first time.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Global technology shares mostly moved higher in concert, also supported by upbeat results from Alibaba and other U.S. tech giants earlier this week. In Europe, shares of chip-gear firm ASML Holding rose 1.2%, chip maker Infineon Technologies rose 1.8% and semiconductor maker STMicroelectronics rose 2%. In Taiwan, shares of Largan Precision were up 3.6% and Hon Hai Precision Industry up 0.4%.</p>
<p>The Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 261,000 in October, a pickup from the prior month. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%, its lowest level since December 2000. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had expected 315,000 new jobs and a 4.2% unemployment rate last month.</p>
<p>After September numbers that showed the first monthly drop in seven years -- attributed to the hurricane effect -- "expectations are quite high" for the October reading, said OM Financial client adviser Stuart Ive.</p>
<p>The WSJ Dollar Index, which weighs the U.S. currency against a basket of 16 others, ticked 0.2% lower after the report as investors continued to parse the details of a Republican tax bill and the nomination of Fed governor Jerome Powell to be the next chairman of the central bank.</p>
<p>Gold prices turned higher, rising 0.1% after the jobs report.</p>
<p>The Dow industrials fell more than 80 points Thursday after a detailed summary of the tax plan was reported, but the blue-chip index climbed later in the session to end higher.</p>
<p>"We think tax reform is more likely than the market thinks it is," said Jon Adams, investment strategist with BMO Global Asset Management, noting expectations for a tax cut in 2018 are one of the reasons for the asset manager's modest preference for equities over bonds.</p>
<p>Still, "this is a very fluid process and it's likely that there will be a lot of change to what is currently being proposed," he added.</p>
<p>U.S. 10-year government bond yields edged down to 2.322% from 2.347% Thursday. German 10-year government bond yields edged down to 0.360% from 0.369%. Yields move inversely to prices.</p>
<p>In Europe, shares of Renault rose 4.4% after the French government said it was selling part of its stake in the company. That helped offset declines in the banking sector, with shares of Société Générale down 3.1% after it said its third-quarter profit fell significantly.</p>
<p>Spanish bank shares also fell, dragging Spain's IBEX 35 down 1.3%. A prosecutor asked a Spanish court on Thursday to issue an arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont, the leader of Catalonia's secessionist movement who fled to Belgium to escape authorities in Spain.</p>
<p>"I don't think [Catalonia] is played out yet -- the [request for] arrests have probably inflamed the situation and there's no doubt going to be a populist response to arrests," said Gautam Batra, head of investments at Mediolanum Asset Management.</p>
<p>The British pound edged up 0.2% to $1.3086 after its biggest daily decline since June. The Bank of England on Thursday raised interest rates for the first time in more than 10 years but signaled that further increases weren't imminent, causing the pound to slump 1.4% against the U.S. dollar.</p>
<p>"More important than the decision were the comments during the press conference and inflation report, which were quite dovish," said Markus Stadlmann, chief investment officer at Lloyds Banking Group. "There are so many moving parts with regards to the economic situation for the U.K. at the moment that for investors, we have to take it step by step."</p>
<p>Asia-Pacific equities were little changed, with Japanese markets closed for a holiday.</p>
<p>Chinese tech giant Tencent rose 1.7% to a fresh record after peer Alibaba reported positive quarterly results. The gain helped Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index -- of which Tencent is the largest component -- rise 0.3%.</p>
<p>Australia's S&amp;P/ASX 200 gained 0.5% to finish at its highest since April 2015 as commodity-price gains lifted materials and mining companies. Steel and key steel ingredient iron ore were among the leaders in this week's metals rebound, while nickel jumped 23% over the past month on expectations that rising demand from electric-vehicle producers will tighten supplies.</p>
<p>-Lucy Craymer contributed to this article</p>
<p>Write to David Hodari at [email protected] and Riva Gold at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>November 03, 2017 08:54 ET (12:54 GMT)</p>
| 4,874 |
<p>Every week the Truthdig editorial staff selects a Truthdigger of the Week, a group or person worthy of recognition for speaking truth to power, breaking the story or blowing the whistle. It is not a lifetime achievement award. Rather, we’re looking for newsmakers whose actions in a given week are worth celebrating.</p>
<p>If our unhealthy appetite for the drug war—fed by a recent proliferation of films, books and TV miniseries like “Sicario” and “Narcos”—is anything to go by, then the media frenzy surrounding the recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the head of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, will no doubt add to the billionaire criminal’s near-mythical status. Complete with a bizarre Hollywood plotline involving actor-cum-gonzo-journalist Sean Penn (who has since admitted to <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/sean-penn-has-terrible-regret-about-meeting-with-el-chapo" type="external">regretting the encounter</a>), El Chapo’s downfall, like that of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, was ultimately fueled by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/09/el-chapo-capture-mexico-drug-lords-desire-to-make-biopic-helped-agents-find-him" type="external">his own hubris</a>.</p>
<p>But earlier this month, a very different and tragically all-too-familiar story served as a reminder of the real toll of Mexico’s drug business.</p>
<p>On New Year’s Day, just before midnight, 33-year-old Gisela Mota returned home at the end of her first day as the first female mayor of her hometown of Temixco in Morelos. She had just given her maiden speech at the town hall, where, in a vow to root out political corruption, she quoted the leftist Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano.</p>
<p />
<p>Mota “met with her new cabinet, then ate a late dinner before returning home exhausted. She went straight to bed, but her proud family stayed up late, talking about her historic achievement,” The Guardian reports.</p>
<p>An armed gang approached her parents’ house, and as members of her family prepared a bottle for her newborn nephew, the assassins smashed the door open. “They said, ‘We’ve been sent here with an order to kill; which one is she?’&#160;” Mota’s mother told The Guardian. “I thought they’d come to kidnap her, so I was thinking how we’d pay the ransom.” After she identified herself, Mota was reportedly dragged face down and shot at least four times, just meters away from where the baby lay in his cot.</p>
<p>Now Mota is part of a list of public officials—including almost 100 mayors—who have been killed since the escalation of the country’s war on drugs, which in recent years has claimed more lives than the combined number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq for the same period. In July the Mexican government released new data showing that between 2007 and 2014 more than 164,000 people were victims of homicide in Mexico. According to a <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-staggering-death-toll-of-mexicos-drug-war/" type="external">“Frontline” report</a>, “nearly 20,000 died [in 2014] alone, a substantial number, but still a decrease from the 27,000 killed at the peak of fighting in 2011.”</p>
<p>Not all the homicides can be linked directly to the drug war, but these staggering figures reveal how the war is evolving far beyond the drug trade in Mexico, where cartels now fight for political power. After arresting two of the men suspected of killing Mota, the police blamed her murder on a regional campaign by the Los Rojos drug gang to control town halls and steal local resources.</p>
<p>With a population of just 1.9 million people, the state of Morelos has the fourth highest murder rate in the country, behind only Sinaloa, Guerrero and Chiapas. It ranks in the top two for kidnappings, extortion and rape, according to the nongovernmental organization Citizen Council for Security and Criminal Justice. In recent years Morelos has become a <a href="http://www.eldailypost.com/security/2016/01/whats-matter-morelos/" type="external">battleground for two rival criminal gangs</a>, Los Rojos and Guerreros Unidos, which emerged from the powerful Beltrán-Leyva cartel after its leader was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/17/mexican-drug-boss-killed-beltran-leyva" type="external">killed in the state capital</a>, Cuernavaca, in 2009. Both groups are implicated in one of Mexico’s most notorious recent crimes: <a href="" type="internal">the 2014 “disappearance”</a> of 43 trainee teachers from Iguala, 60 miles southwest of Temixco.</p>
<p>Morelos’ state governor, Graco Ramírez, told the press that Mota’s assasination was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/03/mexico-temixco-mayor-killed-gisela-mota-suspects" type="external">a clear warning to local officials</a> to not accept unified state control of police forces, a new system aimed at tackling corruption in local police forces. In a January news conference, Ramírez revealed that Los Rojos had threatened 13 other Morelos mayors in recent months. Instead of the old method of handing out bribes, Mexico’s criminal gangs are making the mayors pay them. “Politics,” explains The New York Times, “is not just a way to help their criminal businesses; it is a business in itself. And as they take control of these politicians, the cartels transform themselves into an ominous shadow power, using the tools of the state to affect anyone who lives or works in its jurisdiction.”</p>
<p>“Since Gisela was a child, she wanted to get into politics, to change things,” Mota’s mother <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/why-cartels-are-killing-mexicos-mayors.html?_r=2" type="external">said after her daughter’s death</a>. Although she was aware that the idealistic young politician may have made herself a target, her mother said, “I had never imagined that something like this could happen.” She added, “I hope there is justice. Or we will have to take actions to demand that justice is done and the case is cleared up.”</p>
<p>Mota, who started attending political rallies and protests at the age of 12, decided to pursue a career in politics after studying law at university. Focusing on gender equality and environmental issues while holding important party positions at local and national levels, she was elected as a national deputy in the country’s lower chamber in 2012. “Gisela wanted to do things differently, and that can obviously generate a reaction in those accustomed to corruption,” said Anastasio Solís, her former campaign manager.</p>
<p>In her hope of helping to build a new Mexico, Gisela Mota paid with her life. She is our Truthdigger of the Week.</p>
|
Truthdigger of the Week: Mexico’s Gisela Mota
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/truthdigger-of-the-week-mexicos-gisela-mota-2/
|
2016-01-24
| 4left
|
Truthdigger of the Week: Mexico’s Gisela Mota
<p>Every week the Truthdig editorial staff selects a Truthdigger of the Week, a group or person worthy of recognition for speaking truth to power, breaking the story or blowing the whistle. It is not a lifetime achievement award. Rather, we’re looking for newsmakers whose actions in a given week are worth celebrating.</p>
<p>If our unhealthy appetite for the drug war—fed by a recent proliferation of films, books and TV miniseries like “Sicario” and “Narcos”—is anything to go by, then the media frenzy surrounding the recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the head of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, will no doubt add to the billionaire criminal’s near-mythical status. Complete with a bizarre Hollywood plotline involving actor-cum-gonzo-journalist Sean Penn (who has since admitted to <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/01/sean-penn-has-terrible-regret-about-meeting-with-el-chapo" type="external">regretting the encounter</a>), El Chapo’s downfall, like that of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, was ultimately fueled by <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/09/el-chapo-capture-mexico-drug-lords-desire-to-make-biopic-helped-agents-find-him" type="external">his own hubris</a>.</p>
<p>But earlier this month, a very different and tragically all-too-familiar story served as a reminder of the real toll of Mexico’s drug business.</p>
<p>On New Year’s Day, just before midnight, 33-year-old Gisela Mota returned home at the end of her first day as the first female mayor of her hometown of Temixco in Morelos. She had just given her maiden speech at the town hall, where, in a vow to root out political corruption, she quoted the leftist Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano.</p>
<p />
<p>Mota “met with her new cabinet, then ate a late dinner before returning home exhausted. She went straight to bed, but her proud family stayed up late, talking about her historic achievement,” The Guardian reports.</p>
<p>An armed gang approached her parents’ house, and as members of her family prepared a bottle for her newborn nephew, the assassins smashed the door open. “They said, ‘We’ve been sent here with an order to kill; which one is she?’&#160;” Mota’s mother told The Guardian. “I thought they’d come to kidnap her, so I was thinking how we’d pay the ransom.” After she identified herself, Mota was reportedly dragged face down and shot at least four times, just meters away from where the baby lay in his cot.</p>
<p>Now Mota is part of a list of public officials—including almost 100 mayors—who have been killed since the escalation of the country’s war on drugs, which in recent years has claimed more lives than the combined number of civilian deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq for the same period. In July the Mexican government released new data showing that between 2007 and 2014 more than 164,000 people were victims of homicide in Mexico. According to a <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-staggering-death-toll-of-mexicos-drug-war/" type="external">“Frontline” report</a>, “nearly 20,000 died [in 2014] alone, a substantial number, but still a decrease from the 27,000 killed at the peak of fighting in 2011.”</p>
<p>Not all the homicides can be linked directly to the drug war, but these staggering figures reveal how the war is evolving far beyond the drug trade in Mexico, where cartels now fight for political power. After arresting two of the men suspected of killing Mota, the police blamed her murder on a regional campaign by the Los Rojos drug gang to control town halls and steal local resources.</p>
<p>With a population of just 1.9 million people, the state of Morelos has the fourth highest murder rate in the country, behind only Sinaloa, Guerrero and Chiapas. It ranks in the top two for kidnappings, extortion and rape, according to the nongovernmental organization Citizen Council for Security and Criminal Justice. In recent years Morelos has become a <a href="http://www.eldailypost.com/security/2016/01/whats-matter-morelos/" type="external">battleground for two rival criminal gangs</a>, Los Rojos and Guerreros Unidos, which emerged from the powerful Beltrán-Leyva cartel after its leader was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/dec/17/mexican-drug-boss-killed-beltran-leyva" type="external">killed in the state capital</a>, Cuernavaca, in 2009. Both groups are implicated in one of Mexico’s most notorious recent crimes: <a href="" type="internal">the 2014 “disappearance”</a> of 43 trainee teachers from Iguala, 60 miles southwest of Temixco.</p>
<p>Morelos’ state governor, Graco Ramírez, told the press that Mota’s assasination was <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/03/mexico-temixco-mayor-killed-gisela-mota-suspects" type="external">a clear warning to local officials</a> to not accept unified state control of police forces, a new system aimed at tackling corruption in local police forces. In a January news conference, Ramírez revealed that Los Rojos had threatened 13 other Morelos mayors in recent months. Instead of the old method of handing out bribes, Mexico’s criminal gangs are making the mayors pay them. “Politics,” explains The New York Times, “is not just a way to help their criminal businesses; it is a business in itself. And as they take control of these politicians, the cartels transform themselves into an ominous shadow power, using the tools of the state to affect anyone who lives or works in its jurisdiction.”</p>
<p>“Since Gisela was a child, she wanted to get into politics, to change things,” Mota’s mother <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/opinion/sunday/why-cartels-are-killing-mexicos-mayors.html?_r=2" type="external">said after her daughter’s death</a>. Although she was aware that the idealistic young politician may have made herself a target, her mother said, “I had never imagined that something like this could happen.” She added, “I hope there is justice. Or we will have to take actions to demand that justice is done and the case is cleared up.”</p>
<p>Mota, who started attending political rallies and protests at the age of 12, decided to pursue a career in politics after studying law at university. Focusing on gender equality and environmental issues while holding important party positions at local and national levels, she was elected as a national deputy in the country’s lower chamber in 2012. “Gisela wanted to do things differently, and that can obviously generate a reaction in those accustomed to corruption,” said Anastasio Solís, her former campaign manager.</p>
<p>In her hope of helping to build a new Mexico, Gisela Mota paid with her life. She is our Truthdigger of the Week.</p>
| 4,875 |
<p>ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan came to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday promising to take a harder line on Iran's ballistic missile program and its regional proxies, and saying he was open to imposing new economic sanctions.</p>
<p>His Emirati hosts couldn't have been happier. "We could have given that exact same speech," Emirati Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef al-Otaiba said.</p>
<p>Gulf Arab nations, which view Iran as a regional menace and opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, have welcomed the hard line adopted by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. But there are differences lingering beneath the smiles and handshakes, including over Washington's alliance with Qatar, which is being boycotted by the UAE and three other Arab nations.</p>
<p>Ryan said the nuclear deal should remain in place, but that more economic sanctions should be imposed to counter the "Iranian threat." He pointed to Iran's ballistic missiles and its "land bridge" to Syria, where it has provided crucial military and economic support to President Bashar Assad.</p>
<p>"This is an existential threat to you, it is an existential threat to Saudi Arabia," the Wisconsin Republican told an audience at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, the day after his delegation visited Saudi Arabia and met with its king.</p>
<p>"I want you to know that we see this issue the same way that you do," he said. "Let me be clear: Congress will not repeat the mistakes of the past. And we will not remain silent about the plight of the Iranian people who have faced brutal repression at the hands of the regime in Tehran."</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, a well-known figure in Washington, also said Iran must be confronted.</p>
<p>"If you live in the UAE, the biggest problem is Iranian support for terrorist proxies, its missile program, its funding and subversion of friendly countries in this part of the world," he said. "I couldn't be happier to hear a speech like this from the Speaker of the House."</p>
<p>The UAE is a major U.S. ally that hosts some 5,000 American troops and the U.S. Navy's busiest foreign port of call. The UAE also has purchased billions in American armaments, including the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD.</p>
<p>The UAE is also a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Yemen's Houthi rebels. The U.S., which is providing some support to the coalition, and its Arab allies accuse Iran of providing increasingly sophisticated weapons to the Shiite rebels, including a ballistic missile fired at the Saudi capital on Nov. 4. Iran denies arming the Houthis.</p>
<p>The war has been locked in a stalemate for most of the last three years, with more than 10,000 civilians killed, many in Saudi-led airstrikes using American armaments. Ryan did not mention the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which the U.N. has described as the worst in the world.</p>
<p>The U.S. is still waging a longstanding campaign of drone strikes targeting suspected members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. A January 2017 raid ordered by Trump killed a U.S. Navy SEAL and 30 other people, including women, children and an estimated 14 militants.</p>
<p>"You fight this battle every single day against al-Qaida in Yemen," Ryan said. "You understand firsthand why we must take these threats very seriously."</p>
<p>No one mentioned Qatar at Thursday's event.</p>
<p>The U.S. ally has faced a boycott since last June by the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia over allegations it supports extremists and maintains too-close ties to Iran.</p>
<p>Qatar, which has supported Islamists who the UAE views a threat to its system of hereditary rule, denies backing extremists. It also shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran and has increasingly relied on Iranian airspace for flights of its state carrier Qatar Airways.</p>
<p>Qatar hosts some 10,000 American soldiers at the al-Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward operating base of the U.S. military's Central Command.</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, who had his personal emails hacked and released publicly during the Qatar crisis, has been a vocal critic of Doha. He's also suggested U.S. forces relocate from al-Udeid to somewhere else, perhaps the UAE, but did not offer that suggestion publicly Thursday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . His work can be found at <a href="http://apne.ws/2galNpz" type="external">http://apne.ws/2galNpz</a></p>
<p>ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan came to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday promising to take a harder line on Iran's ballistic missile program and its regional proxies, and saying he was open to imposing new economic sanctions.</p>
<p>His Emirati hosts couldn't have been happier. "We could have given that exact same speech," Emirati Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef al-Otaiba said.</p>
<p>Gulf Arab nations, which view Iran as a regional menace and opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, have welcomed the hard line adopted by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. But there are differences lingering beneath the smiles and handshakes, including over Washington's alliance with Qatar, which is being boycotted by the UAE and three other Arab nations.</p>
<p>Ryan said the nuclear deal should remain in place, but that more economic sanctions should be imposed to counter the "Iranian threat." He pointed to Iran's ballistic missiles and its "land bridge" to Syria, where it has provided crucial military and economic support to President Bashar Assad.</p>
<p>"This is an existential threat to you, it is an existential threat to Saudi Arabia," the Wisconsin Republican told an audience at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, the day after his delegation visited Saudi Arabia and met with its king.</p>
<p>"I want you to know that we see this issue the same way that you do," he said. "Let me be clear: Congress will not repeat the mistakes of the past. And we will not remain silent about the plight of the Iranian people who have faced brutal repression at the hands of the regime in Tehran."</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, a well-known figure in Washington, also said Iran must be confronted.</p>
<p>"If you live in the UAE, the biggest problem is Iranian support for terrorist proxies, its missile program, its funding and subversion of friendly countries in this part of the world," he said. "I couldn't be happier to hear a speech like this from the Speaker of the House."</p>
<p>The UAE is a major U.S. ally that hosts some 5,000 American troops and the U.S. Navy's busiest foreign port of call. The UAE also has purchased billions in American armaments, including the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD.</p>
<p>The UAE is also a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Yemen's Houthi rebels. The U.S., which is providing some support to the coalition, and its Arab allies accuse Iran of providing increasingly sophisticated weapons to the Shiite rebels, including a ballistic missile fired at the Saudi capital on Nov. 4. Iran denies arming the Houthis.</p>
<p>The war has been locked in a stalemate for most of the last three years, with more than 10,000 civilians killed, many in Saudi-led airstrikes using American armaments. Ryan did not mention the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which the U.N. has described as the worst in the world.</p>
<p>The U.S. is still waging a longstanding campaign of drone strikes targeting suspected members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. A January 2017 raid ordered by Trump killed a U.S. Navy SEAL and 30 other people, including women, children and an estimated 14 militants.</p>
<p>"You fight this battle every single day against al-Qaida in Yemen," Ryan said. "You understand firsthand why we must take these threats very seriously."</p>
<p>No one mentioned Qatar at Thursday's event.</p>
<p>The U.S. ally has faced a boycott since last June by the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia over allegations it supports extremists and maintains too-close ties to Iran.</p>
<p>Qatar, which has supported Islamists who the UAE views a threat to its system of hereditary rule, denies backing extremists. It also shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran and has increasingly relied on Iranian airspace for flights of its state carrier Qatar Airways.</p>
<p>Qatar hosts some 10,000 American soldiers at the al-Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward operating base of the U.S. military's Central Command.</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, who had his personal emails hacked and released publicly during the Qatar crisis, has been a vocal critic of Doha. He's also suggested U.S. forces relocate from al-Udeid to somewhere else, perhaps the UAE, but did not offer that suggestion publicly Thursday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . His work can be found at <a href="http://apne.ws/2galNpz" type="external">http://apne.ws/2galNpz</a></p>
|
On Mideast visit, US house speaker vows to confront Iran
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/2c67d9157e2d4e7ea091ba470ad5d0a4
|
2018-01-25
| 2least
|
On Mideast visit, US house speaker vows to confront Iran
<p>ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan came to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday promising to take a harder line on Iran's ballistic missile program and its regional proxies, and saying he was open to imposing new economic sanctions.</p>
<p>His Emirati hosts couldn't have been happier. "We could have given that exact same speech," Emirati Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef al-Otaiba said.</p>
<p>Gulf Arab nations, which view Iran as a regional menace and opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, have welcomed the hard line adopted by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. But there are differences lingering beneath the smiles and handshakes, including over Washington's alliance with Qatar, which is being boycotted by the UAE and three other Arab nations.</p>
<p>Ryan said the nuclear deal should remain in place, but that more economic sanctions should be imposed to counter the "Iranian threat." He pointed to Iran's ballistic missiles and its "land bridge" to Syria, where it has provided crucial military and economic support to President Bashar Assad.</p>
<p>"This is an existential threat to you, it is an existential threat to Saudi Arabia," the Wisconsin Republican told an audience at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, the day after his delegation visited Saudi Arabia and met with its king.</p>
<p>"I want you to know that we see this issue the same way that you do," he said. "Let me be clear: Congress will not repeat the mistakes of the past. And we will not remain silent about the plight of the Iranian people who have faced brutal repression at the hands of the regime in Tehran."</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, a well-known figure in Washington, also said Iran must be confronted.</p>
<p>"If you live in the UAE, the biggest problem is Iranian support for terrorist proxies, its missile program, its funding and subversion of friendly countries in this part of the world," he said. "I couldn't be happier to hear a speech like this from the Speaker of the House."</p>
<p>The UAE is a major U.S. ally that hosts some 5,000 American troops and the U.S. Navy's busiest foreign port of call. The UAE also has purchased billions in American armaments, including the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD.</p>
<p>The UAE is also a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Yemen's Houthi rebels. The U.S., which is providing some support to the coalition, and its Arab allies accuse Iran of providing increasingly sophisticated weapons to the Shiite rebels, including a ballistic missile fired at the Saudi capital on Nov. 4. Iran denies arming the Houthis.</p>
<p>The war has been locked in a stalemate for most of the last three years, with more than 10,000 civilians killed, many in Saudi-led airstrikes using American armaments. Ryan did not mention the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which the U.N. has described as the worst in the world.</p>
<p>The U.S. is still waging a longstanding campaign of drone strikes targeting suspected members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. A January 2017 raid ordered by Trump killed a U.S. Navy SEAL and 30 other people, including women, children and an estimated 14 militants.</p>
<p>"You fight this battle every single day against al-Qaida in Yemen," Ryan said. "You understand firsthand why we must take these threats very seriously."</p>
<p>No one mentioned Qatar at Thursday's event.</p>
<p>The U.S. ally has faced a boycott since last June by the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia over allegations it supports extremists and maintains too-close ties to Iran.</p>
<p>Qatar, which has supported Islamists who the UAE views a threat to its system of hereditary rule, denies backing extremists. It also shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran and has increasingly relied on Iranian airspace for flights of its state carrier Qatar Airways.</p>
<p>Qatar hosts some 10,000 American soldiers at the al-Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward operating base of the U.S. military's Central Command.</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, who had his personal emails hacked and released publicly during the Qatar crisis, has been a vocal critic of Doha. He's also suggested U.S. forces relocate from al-Udeid to somewhere else, perhaps the UAE, but did not offer that suggestion publicly Thursday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . His work can be found at <a href="http://apne.ws/2galNpz" type="external">http://apne.ws/2galNpz</a></p>
<p>ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan came to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday promising to take a harder line on Iran's ballistic missile program and its regional proxies, and saying he was open to imposing new economic sanctions.</p>
<p>His Emirati hosts couldn't have been happier. "We could have given that exact same speech," Emirati Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef al-Otaiba said.</p>
<p>Gulf Arab nations, which view Iran as a regional menace and opposed the 2015 nuclear deal, have welcomed the hard line adopted by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. But there are differences lingering beneath the smiles and handshakes, including over Washington's alliance with Qatar, which is being boycotted by the UAE and three other Arab nations.</p>
<p>Ryan said the nuclear deal should remain in place, but that more economic sanctions should be imposed to counter the "Iranian threat." He pointed to Iran's ballistic missiles and its "land bridge" to Syria, where it has provided crucial military and economic support to President Bashar Assad.</p>
<p>"This is an existential threat to you, it is an existential threat to Saudi Arabia," the Wisconsin Republican told an audience at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi, the day after his delegation visited Saudi Arabia and met with its king.</p>
<p>"I want you to know that we see this issue the same way that you do," he said. "Let me be clear: Congress will not repeat the mistakes of the past. And we will not remain silent about the plight of the Iranian people who have faced brutal repression at the hands of the regime in Tehran."</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, a well-known figure in Washington, also said Iran must be confronted.</p>
<p>"If you live in the UAE, the biggest problem is Iranian support for terrorist proxies, its missile program, its funding and subversion of friendly countries in this part of the world," he said. "I couldn't be happier to hear a speech like this from the Speaker of the House."</p>
<p>The UAE is a major U.S. ally that hosts some 5,000 American troops and the U.S. Navy's busiest foreign port of call. The UAE also has purchased billions in American armaments, including the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD.</p>
<p>The UAE is also a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Yemen's Houthi rebels. The U.S., which is providing some support to the coalition, and its Arab allies accuse Iran of providing increasingly sophisticated weapons to the Shiite rebels, including a ballistic missile fired at the Saudi capital on Nov. 4. Iran denies arming the Houthis.</p>
<p>The war has been locked in a stalemate for most of the last three years, with more than 10,000 civilians killed, many in Saudi-led airstrikes using American armaments. Ryan did not mention the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, which the U.N. has described as the worst in the world.</p>
<p>The U.S. is still waging a longstanding campaign of drone strikes targeting suspected members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. A January 2017 raid ordered by Trump killed a U.S. Navy SEAL and 30 other people, including women, children and an estimated 14 militants.</p>
<p>"You fight this battle every single day against al-Qaida in Yemen," Ryan said. "You understand firsthand why we must take these threats very seriously."</p>
<p>No one mentioned Qatar at Thursday's event.</p>
<p>The U.S. ally has faced a boycott since last June by the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia over allegations it supports extremists and maintains too-close ties to Iran.</p>
<p>Qatar, which has supported Islamists who the UAE views a threat to its system of hereditary rule, denies backing extremists. It also shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Iran and has increasingly relied on Iranian airspace for flights of its state carrier Qatar Airways.</p>
<p>Qatar hosts some 10,000 American soldiers at the al-Udeid Air Base, which hosts the forward operating base of the U.S. military's Central Command.</p>
<p>Al-Otaiba, who had his personal emails hacked and released publicly during the Qatar crisis, has been a vocal critic of Doha. He's also suggested U.S. forces relocate from al-Udeid to somewhere else, perhaps the UAE, but did not offer that suggestion publicly Thursday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Jon Gambrell on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jongambrellap . His work can be found at <a href="http://apne.ws/2galNpz" type="external">http://apne.ws/2galNpz</a></p>
| 4,876 |
<p>Jan 24 (Reuters) - Online estate agent Purplebricks Group Plc said it planned to launch in New York in the second quarter of 2018, expanding further in the U.S. market, having built a leading position in a fragmented industry at home.</p>
<p>Purplebricks, backed by star fund manager Neil Woodford, said it was recruiting local real estate experts in New York and has established an office in Midtown Manhattan.</p>
<p>“With higher-than-average rates of commission and transaction volumes, New York was the natural first move on the East Coast for Purplebricks,” Chief Executive Michael Bruce said. (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Shares of Facebook Inc fell 1.5 percent in premarket trading on Thursday as an apology from Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg failed to quell Wall Street nerves about the company’s handling of a row over user privacy.</p> A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration photo March 20, 2018. Picture taken March 20. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
<p>Zuckerberg on Wednesday promised tougher steps to restrict developers’ access to user information, his first response to allegations that consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data to build profiles on American voters it used in the 2016 presidential election.</p>
<p>Analysts from several brokerages expressed relief that there were no signs in Zuckerberg’s first public comments on the row of a more fundamental shift in the company’s revenue model.</p>
<p>Facebook shares, however, have fallen for two of the last three days, knocking nearly $46 billion off its market value, and some analysts said it was clear the company would have to carry extra costs to shore up its reputation in the months ahead.</p>
<p>“We expect more cautious FB investors to point to the potential for FB to spend more this year due to these increased safeguards...which will hold back earnings power,” Morgan Stanley’s Brian Nowak said in a morning note.</p>
<p>Stifel analyst Scott Devitt was the fourth major Wall Street name to cut his price target on Facebook by $27 to $168, saying the uncertainty generated by the row demanded a higher discount.</p>
<p>“Facebook’s current plight reminds us of eBay in 2004 – an unstructured content business built on trust that lost that trust prior to implementing policies to add structure and process,” Devitt said.</p>
<p>“We would buy all of our Buy-rated stocks and many of our Hold-rated stocks before we would buy Facebook shares, given the information available to us,” Devitt added. He has a ‘Hold’ rating on Facebook.</p>
<p>Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; editing by Patrick Graham and Dan Burns</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s justice minister said on Thursday she had asked to speak to Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) executives to find out whether the social media site’s 30 million users in the country were affected by a scandal involving the handling of personal data.</p> FILE PHOTO - German Justice Minister Katarina Barley leaves after receiving her certificate of appointment from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
<p>The world’s largest social media network is facing government scrutiny in Europe and the United States about a whistleblower’s allegations that London-based consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed user information to build profiles on American voters that were later used to help elect U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016.</p>
<p>Katarina Barley said it must be possible for users of social media sites to specify whether they are happy for their data to be used in certain ways, rather than just giving them the option to tick “yes” or not be able to use the service.</p>
<p>“I demand clarification on whether German users and accounts are affected and what Facebook plans to do to prevent this from happening again,” she told a news conference.</p>
<p>She said a day for the talks next week had not been set.</p> 3D-printed models of people are seen in front of a Facebook logo in this photo illustration taken June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
<p>Germany has been a leading proponent of tougher regulation on social media. It passed a tough law to clamp down on online hate speech last year, and Facebook also faces a German anti-trust inquiry over the monetizing of personal data.</p>
<p>Privacy rights are a particularly sensitive and emotional issue in Germany after decades of state surveillance carried out by the Nazi regime and later in Communist East Germany.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">Facebook Inc</a> 169.39 FB.O Nasdaq +1.24 (+0.74%) FB.O TWTR.N SNAP.N
<p>Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized on Wednesday for mistakes his company made in how it handled the data of 50 million of its users and promised tougher steps to restrict developers’ access to such information.</p>
<p>The revelation has knocked nearly $50 billion off Facebook’s stock market value in two days and hit the shares of Twitter ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TWTR.N" type="external">TWTR.N</a>) and Snap ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SNAP.N" type="external">SNAP.N</a>) over fears that a failure by big tech firms to protect personal data could deter advertisers and users and invite tougher regulation.</p>
<p>Barley said that the issue was best dealt with at a European, rather than a national, level. New European Union privacy rules take effect in May.</p>
<p>“We know that companies respect the rules when sanctions are particularly painful,” she said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Joseph Nasr and Emma Thomasson; Editing by Hugh Lawson</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said its application to search Cambridge Analytica, the company at the center of a firestorm over its use of Facebook data, had been adjourned by a British judge until Friday.</p> The nameplate of political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica, is seen in central London, Britain March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>ICO head Elizabeth Denham said on Monday she was seeking a warrant to access the offices of Cambridge Analytica after Britain’s Channel 4 news secretly recorded its executives boasting of their ability to sway elections.</p>
<p>An ICO spokesperson said on Thursday: “A High Court judge has adjourned the ICO’s application for a warrant relating to Cambridge Analytica until Friday. The ICO will be in court to continue to pursue the warrant to obtain access to data and information to take forward our investigation.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Costas Pitas</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - British consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica lies at the center of a storm for using data obtained from millions of Facebook users without their permission after it was hired by Donald Trump for his 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.</p> The offices of political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica, are seen in central London, Britain March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>However, the analytics firm is also under scrutiny over campaigning for the 2016 referendum when Britons voted to leave the European Union.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica and the leaders of the Leave.EU group have previously boasted about working together during the Brexit campaign. However, they have since retracted their claims, saying no contract was signed and no work was completed.</p>
<p>Parliament is investigating the links between Cambridge Analytica and Leave.EU as part of an investigation into fake news.</p>
<p>Did Cambridge Analytica and Leave.EU work together?</p>
<p>Arron Banks, the co-founder of Leave.EU, said in a book that in October 2015 his group hired Cambridge Analytica, a company that uses “big data and advanced psychographics” to influence people. In a November 2015, Leave.EU said on its website that Cambridge Analytica “will be helping us map the British electorate and what they believe in, enabling us to better engage with voters”.</p>
<p>In the same month, Cambridge Analytica director Brittany Kaiser spoke at a Leave.EU news conference. She said her organization would be “running large-scale research of the nation to really understand why people are interested in staying in or out of the EU”.</p>
<p>In February 2016, Cambridge Analytica chief executive Alexander Nix wrote in Campaign magazine that his company was working for Leave.EU. “We have already helped supercharge Leave.EU’s social media campaign by ensuring the right messages are getting to the right voters online,” said Nix, who was suspended by the company this week.</p>
<p>Leave.EU’s communications director Andy Wigmore also said on Twitter last year that his campaign group had used the company. “You should use Cambridge Analytics,” he said, adding that he could “highly recommend them”.</p> FILE PHOTO: A still image taken from video shows Brittany Kaiser of Cambridge Analytica, Arron Banks, Gerry Gunster and Liz Bilney at the launch of the Leave.EU campaigning organisation, in London, Britain November 18, 2015. REUTERS/Reuters TV/File Photo
<p>What does Leave.EU say now?</p>
<p>Banks says Cambridge Analytica sought work with the Leave.EU before the referendum but that ultimately it never did any - paid or otherwise - for the campaign.</p>
<p>“We did have dealings with Cambridge Analytica – they put forward a pitch that went into the designation document submitted to the electoral commission,” Banks told Reuters.</p>
<p>No work was done with Cambridge Analytica because Leave.EU did not win the designation as the official leave campaign and due to concerns about the consultancy, Banks said.</p>
<p>When asked if Leave.EU paid or accepted any services from Cambridge Analytica, Banks said: “No benefit in kind, no data, no nothing.”</p>
<p>Banks told a parliamentary committee earlier this month that when he referred to Cambridge Analytica being “hired” in his book this was a reference to the intention to work them.</p>
<p>What does Cambridge Analytica say now?</p>
<p>Nix told a parliamentary committee last month that he contacted Banks and Wigmore and their statements were not true.</p>
<p>The article written in the Campaign magazine was a mistake and “drafted by a slightly overzealous PR consultant”, he said.</p>
<p>This “referenced work that we hoped and intended to undertake for the campaign. Subsequently, work was never undertaken. The moment that that statement went out we were absolutely crystal clear to all the media outlets that we were not involved and that it had been released in error,” he said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by David Stamp</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
|
UK's Purplebricks taps into U.S. East Coast with New York launch No relief yet for Facebook shares after Zuckerberg apology German justice minister calls in Facebook over data scandal Cambridge Analytica London search warrant adjourned until Friday: ICO What are the links between Cambridge Analytica and a Brexit campaign group?
| false |
https://reuters.com/article/purplebricks-grp-expansion/uks-purplebricks-taps-into-us-east-coast-with-new-york-launch-idUSL4N1PJ2OJ
|
2018-01-24
| 2least
|
UK's Purplebricks taps into U.S. East Coast with New York launch No relief yet for Facebook shares after Zuckerberg apology German justice minister calls in Facebook over data scandal Cambridge Analytica London search warrant adjourned until Friday: ICO What are the links between Cambridge Analytica and a Brexit campaign group?
<p>Jan 24 (Reuters) - Online estate agent Purplebricks Group Plc said it planned to launch in New York in the second quarter of 2018, expanding further in the U.S. market, having built a leading position in a fragmented industry at home.</p>
<p>Purplebricks, backed by star fund manager Neil Woodford, said it was recruiting local real estate experts in New York and has established an office in Midtown Manhattan.</p>
<p>“With higher-than-average rates of commission and transaction volumes, New York was the natural first move on the East Coast for Purplebricks,” Chief Executive Michael Bruce said. (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Shares of Facebook Inc fell 1.5 percent in premarket trading on Thursday as an apology from Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg failed to quell Wall Street nerves about the company’s handling of a row over user privacy.</p> A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen in front of displayed stock graph in this illustration photo March 20, 2018. Picture taken March 20. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
<p>Zuckerberg on Wednesday promised tougher steps to restrict developers’ access to user information, his first response to allegations that consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data to build profiles on American voters it used in the 2016 presidential election.</p>
<p>Analysts from several brokerages expressed relief that there were no signs in Zuckerberg’s first public comments on the row of a more fundamental shift in the company’s revenue model.</p>
<p>Facebook shares, however, have fallen for two of the last three days, knocking nearly $46 billion off its market value, and some analysts said it was clear the company would have to carry extra costs to shore up its reputation in the months ahead.</p>
<p>“We expect more cautious FB investors to point to the potential for FB to spend more this year due to these increased safeguards...which will hold back earnings power,” Morgan Stanley’s Brian Nowak said in a morning note.</p>
<p>Stifel analyst Scott Devitt was the fourth major Wall Street name to cut his price target on Facebook by $27 to $168, saying the uncertainty generated by the row demanded a higher discount.</p>
<p>“Facebook’s current plight reminds us of eBay in 2004 – an unstructured content business built on trust that lost that trust prior to implementing policies to add structure and process,” Devitt said.</p>
<p>“We would buy all of our Buy-rated stocks and many of our Hold-rated stocks before we would buy Facebook shares, given the information available to us,” Devitt added. He has a ‘Hold’ rating on Facebook.</p>
<p>Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; editing by Patrick Graham and Dan Burns</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s justice minister said on Thursday she had asked to speak to Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) executives to find out whether the social media site’s 30 million users in the country were affected by a scandal involving the handling of personal data.</p> FILE PHOTO - German Justice Minister Katarina Barley leaves after receiving her certificate of appointment from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at Bellevue Palace in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
<p>The world’s largest social media network is facing government scrutiny in Europe and the United States about a whistleblower’s allegations that London-based consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed user information to build profiles on American voters that were later used to help elect U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016.</p>
<p>Katarina Barley said it must be possible for users of social media sites to specify whether they are happy for their data to be used in certain ways, rather than just giving them the option to tick “yes” or not be able to use the service.</p>
<p>“I demand clarification on whether German users and accounts are affected and what Facebook plans to do to prevent this from happening again,” she told a news conference.</p>
<p>She said a day for the talks next week had not been set.</p> 3D-printed models of people are seen in front of a Facebook logo in this photo illustration taken June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
<p>Germany has been a leading proponent of tougher regulation on social media. It passed a tough law to clamp down on online hate speech last year, and Facebook also faces a German anti-trust inquiry over the monetizing of personal data.</p>
<p>Privacy rights are a particularly sensitive and emotional issue in Germany after decades of state surveillance carried out by the Nazi regime and later in Communist East Germany.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">Facebook Inc</a> 169.39 FB.O Nasdaq +1.24 (+0.74%) FB.O TWTR.N SNAP.N
<p>Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg apologized on Wednesday for mistakes his company made in how it handled the data of 50 million of its users and promised tougher steps to restrict developers’ access to such information.</p>
<p>The revelation has knocked nearly $50 billion off Facebook’s stock market value in two days and hit the shares of Twitter ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TWTR.N" type="external">TWTR.N</a>) and Snap ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SNAP.N" type="external">SNAP.N</a>) over fears that a failure by big tech firms to protect personal data could deter advertisers and users and invite tougher regulation.</p>
<p>Barley said that the issue was best dealt with at a European, rather than a national, level. New European Union privacy rules take effect in May.</p>
<p>“We know that companies respect the rules when sanctions are particularly painful,” she said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Joseph Nasr and Emma Thomasson; Editing by Hugh Lawson</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said its application to search Cambridge Analytica, the company at the center of a firestorm over its use of Facebook data, had been adjourned by a British judge until Friday.</p> The nameplate of political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica, is seen in central London, Britain March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>ICO head Elizabeth Denham said on Monday she was seeking a warrant to access the offices of Cambridge Analytica after Britain’s Channel 4 news secretly recorded its executives boasting of their ability to sway elections.</p>
<p>An ICO spokesperson said on Thursday: “A High Court judge has adjourned the ICO’s application for a warrant relating to Cambridge Analytica until Friday. The ICO will be in court to continue to pursue the warrant to obtain access to data and information to take forward our investigation.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Paul Sandle; editing by Costas Pitas</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - British consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica lies at the center of a storm for using data obtained from millions of Facebook users without their permission after it was hired by Donald Trump for his 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign.</p> The offices of political consultancy, Cambridge Analytica, are seen in central London, Britain March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>However, the analytics firm is also under scrutiny over campaigning for the 2016 referendum when Britons voted to leave the European Union.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica and the leaders of the Leave.EU group have previously boasted about working together during the Brexit campaign. However, they have since retracted their claims, saying no contract was signed and no work was completed.</p>
<p>Parliament is investigating the links between Cambridge Analytica and Leave.EU as part of an investigation into fake news.</p>
<p>Did Cambridge Analytica and Leave.EU work together?</p>
<p>Arron Banks, the co-founder of Leave.EU, said in a book that in October 2015 his group hired Cambridge Analytica, a company that uses “big data and advanced psychographics” to influence people. In a November 2015, Leave.EU said on its website that Cambridge Analytica “will be helping us map the British electorate and what they believe in, enabling us to better engage with voters”.</p>
<p>In the same month, Cambridge Analytica director Brittany Kaiser spoke at a Leave.EU news conference. She said her organization would be “running large-scale research of the nation to really understand why people are interested in staying in or out of the EU”.</p>
<p>In February 2016, Cambridge Analytica chief executive Alexander Nix wrote in Campaign magazine that his company was working for Leave.EU. “We have already helped supercharge Leave.EU’s social media campaign by ensuring the right messages are getting to the right voters online,” said Nix, who was suspended by the company this week.</p>
<p>Leave.EU’s communications director Andy Wigmore also said on Twitter last year that his campaign group had used the company. “You should use Cambridge Analytics,” he said, adding that he could “highly recommend them”.</p> FILE PHOTO: A still image taken from video shows Brittany Kaiser of Cambridge Analytica, Arron Banks, Gerry Gunster and Liz Bilney at the launch of the Leave.EU campaigning organisation, in London, Britain November 18, 2015. REUTERS/Reuters TV/File Photo
<p>What does Leave.EU say now?</p>
<p>Banks says Cambridge Analytica sought work with the Leave.EU before the referendum but that ultimately it never did any - paid or otherwise - for the campaign.</p>
<p>“We did have dealings with Cambridge Analytica – they put forward a pitch that went into the designation document submitted to the electoral commission,” Banks told Reuters.</p>
<p>No work was done with Cambridge Analytica because Leave.EU did not win the designation as the official leave campaign and due to concerns about the consultancy, Banks said.</p>
<p>When asked if Leave.EU paid or accepted any services from Cambridge Analytica, Banks said: “No benefit in kind, no data, no nothing.”</p>
<p>Banks told a parliamentary committee earlier this month that when he referred to Cambridge Analytica being “hired” in his book this was a reference to the intention to work them.</p>
<p>What does Cambridge Analytica say now?</p>
<p>Nix told a parliamentary committee last month that he contacted Banks and Wigmore and their statements were not true.</p>
<p>The article written in the Campaign magazine was a mistake and “drafted by a slightly overzealous PR consultant”, he said.</p>
<p>This “referenced work that we hoped and intended to undertake for the campaign. Subsequently, work was never undertaken. The moment that that statement went out we were absolutely crystal clear to all the media outlets that we were not involved and that it had been released in error,” he said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by David Stamp</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| 4,877 |
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Angry.jpg" type="external" />Topics: National News WASHINGTON (AP) - Top members of Congress were briefed more than two years ago about the possibility of exchanging an American soldier held captive by the Taliban for five terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, senior Democrats and Republicans said Tuesday. In a statement, House Speaker [?]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/congress-kept-in-dark-on-bergdahl-swap-since-2012/article/feed/2138526?custom_click=rss" type="external">Click here to view original web page at m.washingtonexaminer.com</a></p>
<p />
|
Congress kept in dark on Bergdahl swap since 2012
| true |
http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/congress-kept-in-dark-on-bergdahl-swap-since-2012/
| 0right
|
Congress kept in dark on Bergdahl swap since 2012
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Angry.jpg" type="external" />Topics: National News WASHINGTON (AP) - Top members of Congress were briefed more than two years ago about the possibility of exchanging an American soldier held captive by the Taliban for five terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, senior Democrats and Republicans said Tuesday. In a statement, House Speaker [?]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/congress-kept-in-dark-on-bergdahl-swap-since-2012/article/feed/2138526?custom_click=rss" type="external">Click here to view original web page at m.washingtonexaminer.com</a></p>
<p />
| 4,878 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The Make-A-Wish organization, a well-respected non-profit that grants wishes to very sick children, finds itself at the center of a recent scam.</p>
<p>It works like this: someone pretending to be from the Federal Trade Commission is calling people to say they have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in a sweepstakes supposedly conducted by Make-A-Wish.</p>
<p>The next part will sound familiar because it’s the hallmark of many a scam: People can’t just collect their supposed winnings. Instead, they must first cough up thousands of dollars to cover taxes and/or insurance on the award.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The scammers are using the name of the well-known Make-A-Wish so their calls will be more believable. On top of that, they may be calling, or appear to be calling, from a 202 area code used in Washington, D.C., where most federal agencies are headquartered.</p>
<p>Make-A-Wish, in a posting on its website, says the organization “does NOT conduct – nor is it affiliated with – any sweepstakes whatsoever.” Likewise, the FTC has posted a warning saying that it does not oversee sweepstakes, and its employees do not give out sweepstakes prizes.</p>
<p>“We do, however, go after sweepstakes scams like this one,” the agency says.</p>
<p>Remember that any time you have to pay to get a prize, it’s a scam.</p>
<p>If you get this kind of call, report it to the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP or ftc.gov/complaint. Make-A-Wish also wants to be notified at [email protected], or at (800) 722-9474.</p>
<p>“Plenty of contests are run by reputable marketers and non-profits,” the FTC says. “But every day, people lose thousands of dollars to prize scams.”</p>
<p>A few other ways to tell that you have not really won a big sweepstakes:</p>
<p>• It’s not likely you’ve won a huge prize if your notification was mailed by bulk rate.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>• Did you even enter the sweepstakes? If not and you are told you won, this falls under the category of “if it’s too good to be true, it’s not true.”</p>
<p>LinedIn scam</p>
<p>LinkedIn users are the targets in the latest scam hitting the networking service.</p>
<p>It starts with a message asking you to apply for a job, and when you check out the recruiter’s LinkedIn profile, the whole thing looks completely genuine. You may even have several connections in common, according to a recent alert from the Better Business Bureau.</p>
<p>In some versions of the scam, the message will contain a link that claims to take you to an online job application. You are then supposed to upload your résumé and provide certain personal information. Examples are addresses and Social Security numbers.</p>
<p>In other versions, you respond to the message and are told you have been hired. At that point, they’ll hit you up for training or other supposed job-related expenses, the BBB says.</p>
<p>“No matter the details of the scam, the job never materializes,” acording to the BBB alert. “The scammer takes the money or information and disappears. Victims who share personal details are at risk for identity theft.”</p>
<p>Here are some ways to stay safe while using LinkedIn:</p>
<p>• Set your LinkedIn privacy settings.</p>
<p>• Don’t accept every request. Take a look at the user’s profile for completeness and good grammar. Don’t be fooled if it appears you have several connections in common. A bogus recruiter can create a large network to look more legitimate.</p>
<p>• If a recruiter contacts you through email, ask to speak by phone. “Scammers will try to dodge this with excuses, such as being out the country,” the BBB says.</p>
<p>Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at [email protected] or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
|
Fake Make-A-Wish sweepstakes stir real warnings
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/1033517/fake-makeawishsweepstakes-stirreal-warnings.html
| 2least
|
Fake Make-A-Wish sweepstakes stir real warnings
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The Make-A-Wish organization, a well-respected non-profit that grants wishes to very sick children, finds itself at the center of a recent scam.</p>
<p>It works like this: someone pretending to be from the Federal Trade Commission is calling people to say they have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in a sweepstakes supposedly conducted by Make-A-Wish.</p>
<p>The next part will sound familiar because it’s the hallmark of many a scam: People can’t just collect their supposed winnings. Instead, they must first cough up thousands of dollars to cover taxes and/or insurance on the award.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The scammers are using the name of the well-known Make-A-Wish so their calls will be more believable. On top of that, they may be calling, or appear to be calling, from a 202 area code used in Washington, D.C., where most federal agencies are headquartered.</p>
<p>Make-A-Wish, in a posting on its website, says the organization “does NOT conduct – nor is it affiliated with – any sweepstakes whatsoever.” Likewise, the FTC has posted a warning saying that it does not oversee sweepstakes, and its employees do not give out sweepstakes prizes.</p>
<p>“We do, however, go after sweepstakes scams like this one,” the agency says.</p>
<p>Remember that any time you have to pay to get a prize, it’s a scam.</p>
<p>If you get this kind of call, report it to the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP or ftc.gov/complaint. Make-A-Wish also wants to be notified at [email protected], or at (800) 722-9474.</p>
<p>“Plenty of contests are run by reputable marketers and non-profits,” the FTC says. “But every day, people lose thousands of dollars to prize scams.”</p>
<p>A few other ways to tell that you have not really won a big sweepstakes:</p>
<p>• It’s not likely you’ve won a huge prize if your notification was mailed by bulk rate.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>• Did you even enter the sweepstakes? If not and you are told you won, this falls under the category of “if it’s too good to be true, it’s not true.”</p>
<p>LinedIn scam</p>
<p>LinkedIn users are the targets in the latest scam hitting the networking service.</p>
<p>It starts with a message asking you to apply for a job, and when you check out the recruiter’s LinkedIn profile, the whole thing looks completely genuine. You may even have several connections in common, according to a recent alert from the Better Business Bureau.</p>
<p>In some versions of the scam, the message will contain a link that claims to take you to an online job application. You are then supposed to upload your résumé and provide certain personal information. Examples are addresses and Social Security numbers.</p>
<p>In other versions, you respond to the message and are told you have been hired. At that point, they’ll hit you up for training or other supposed job-related expenses, the BBB says.</p>
<p>“No matter the details of the scam, the job never materializes,” acording to the BBB alert. “The scammer takes the money or information and disappears. Victims who share personal details are at risk for identity theft.”</p>
<p>Here are some ways to stay safe while using LinkedIn:</p>
<p>• Set your LinkedIn privacy settings.</p>
<p>• Don’t accept every request. Take a look at the user’s profile for completeness and good grammar. Don’t be fooled if it appears you have several connections in common. A bogus recruiter can create a large network to look more legitimate.</p>
<p>• If a recruiter contacts you through email, ask to speak by phone. “Scammers will try to dodge this with excuses, such as being out the country,” the BBB says.</p>
<p>Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at [email protected] or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
| 4,879 |
|
<p>The shocking election result in the United Kingdom – the Conservatives losing their majority and the creation of a hung Parliament; and Jeremy Corbyn being more successful than any recent Labor candidate – cutting a 20 point Theresa May lead down to&#160;a near tie – gives hope to many that the global shift to the right, <a href="https://popularresistance.org/poverty-fuels-european-extremism/" type="external">&#160;fueled by the failures of governments</a> to meet the basic needs of their population and growing economic insecurity, may be ending.</p>
<p>Corbyn is a lifelong activist whose message and actions have been consistent. He presented a platform directed at ending austerity and the wealth divide and was openly anti-war. There are a lot of lessons for the Labor Party in the UK from this election but there are also lessons for people in the United States. We review what happened and consider the possibilities for&#160;creating transformative change in the United States.</p>
<p>The Corbyn Campaign Results</p>
<p>The Corbyn campaign showed that a political leader urging a radical progressive transformative agenda can succeed. Many in his own party, the neo-liberal pro-war Blairites, claimed Corbyn could not win, tried to remove him from leadership, and sabotaged and refused to&#160;assist his campaign.</p>
<p>Corbyn showed he could win the leadership of the UK in the future, maybe sooner than later. While&#160;Theresa May is in the process of forming a minority government with a small radical conservative party from Northern Ireland, there has already been a&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-dup-coalition-deal-backlash-talks-government-politics-a7783846.html" type="external">backlash</a>,&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-dup-alliance-petition-conservative-democrat-unionist-minority-government-hung-parliament-a7783651.html" type="external">mass petitions</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/protest-parliament-theresa-may-conservatives-dup-deal-hung-parliament-minority-government-a7783796.html" type="external">protests</a>&#160;against it and&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jeremy-corbyn-prime-minister-ted-heath-harold-wilson-labour-party-minority-government-a7783336.html" type="external">UK history has shown in similar circumstances</a>&#160;that the second place finisher, may, in the end form the government. Corbyn is taking bold and radical actions.&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-queens-speech-labour-form-government-theresa-may-tory-party-election-result-hung-a7783256.html" type="external">He is preparing to present a Queen’s speech</a>&#160;in which he will say that he and his party are “ready to&#160;serve” and will continue to push his program through Parliament. He is&#160; <a href="" type="internal">calling on other parties to defeat the government in Parliament</a>.</p>
<p>Corbyn did better than any recent Labor&#160;leader. Jonathan Cook, a British political commentator, writes in “ <a href="" type="internal">The Facts Proving Corbyn’s Election Triumph</a>” that&#160;Corbyn received 41 percent of the vote against May’s 44 percent. This was a big improvement in Labor’s share of seats, the largest increase since 1945. Cook points out that Corbyn won more votes than “Ed Miliband, Gordon Brown and Neil Kinnock, who were among those that, sometimes noisily, opposed his leadership of the party.” Even Tony Blair does not look all that good compared to Corbyn, Cook recounts:</p>
<p>“Here are the figures for Blair’s three wins. He got a 36 per cent share of the vote in 2005 – much less than Corbyn. He received a 41 per cent of the vote – about the same as Corbyn – in 2001. And Blair’s landslide victory in 1997 was secured on 43 per cent of the vote, just two percentage points ahead of Corbyn last night.</p>
<p>“In short, Corbyn has proved himself the most popular Labour leader with the electorate in more than 40 years, apart from Blair’s landslide victory in 1997.”</p>
<p><a href="https://popularresistance.org/lessons-from-the-corbyn-campaign/" type="external">Bhaskar Sunkara, the founding editor of&#160;Jacobin, writes</a>&#160;that Corbyn was not only campaigning against the Tories and Theresa May, but&#160;battling his own party – yet he still “won”:</p>
<p>“This is the first election Labour has won seats in since 1997, and the party got its largest share of the vote since 2005 — all while closing&#160;a twenty-four point deficit. Since Corbyn assumed leadership in late 2015, he has survived attack after attack from his own party, culminating in a failed coup attempt against him. As Labour leader he was unable to rely on his parliamentary colleagues or his party staff. The small team around him was bombarded with&#160; <a href="" type="internal">hostile internal leaks</a>&#160;and misinformation, and an unprecedented media smear campaign.</p>
<p>“Every elite interest in the United Kingdom tried to knock down Jeremy Corbyn, but still he stands.”</p>
<p>The Blairites were taught a lesson by Corbyn. Many of his&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/corbyn-election-result-labour-party-critics-change-tune-tories-a7782776.html" type="external">harshest critics are now changing their tune</a>&#160;and embracing Corbyn. Hopefully they will join in&#160;creating a party in Corbyn’s&#160;image – a party for the many, not the few. Corbyn has rebuilt the mass base of Labor. The party is now the largest in Europe with half a million members. It is time for the “leaders” of Labor to follow the lead of the people and of Jeremy Corbyn.</p>
<p>What can we learn regarding US politics?</p>
<p>Sunkara argues Corbyn demonstrated that a winning campaign strategy is “to offer hopes and dreams to people, not just fear and diminished expectations.”&#160;In current US terms that means it is insufficient just to oppose Trump, a positive vision for the future that shows what a candidate and party stand for is needed, e.g. it is not just enough to defend the failing Affordable Care Act and oppose the Republican’s American Health Care Act, you must stand for something positive: National Improved Medicare for All. This is one example of many.</p>
<p>Sunkara provides more detail:</p>
<p>“Labour’s surge confirms what the Left has long argued: people like an honest defense of public goods.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Labour’s manifesto was sweeping</a>&#160;— its most socialist in decades. It was a straightforward document, calling for nationalization of key utilities, access to education, housing, and health services for all, and measures to redistribute income from corporations and the rich to ordinary people.</p>
<p>“£6.3 billion into primary schools, the protection of pensions, free tuition, public housing construction — it was clear what Labour would do for British workers. The plan was attacked in the press for its old-fashioned simplicity — “for the many, not the few” — but it resonated with popular desires, with a view of fairness that seemed elementary to millions.</p>
<p>“The Labour left remembered that you don’t win by tacking to an imaginary center — you win by letting people know you feel their anger and giving them a constructive end to channel it towards. ‘We demand the full fruits of our labor,’ the party’s election video said it all.”</p>
<p>Corbyn showed how important it is to have the correct analysis on foreign policy. Twice during the campaign, the UK was hit by a terrorist attack. Corbyn responded by telling the truth:&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/corbyn-tells-truth-about-counterproductive-war-on-terror/" type="external">part of the reason for terrorism is the UK foreign policy, especially in Libya</a>. He also opposed the use of nuclear weapons. The Conservatives thought these anti-war positions would hurt Corbyn, instead they helped.</p>
<p>This is even more true in the United States with the never ending wars the country is fighting. But, the&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/unspeakable-the-black-book-of-imperial-terrorism/" type="external">unspeakable in the United States, as Paul Street calls it</a>, is acknowledging that terrorism is conducted by the US. This taboo subject makes it&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/america-commits-acts-of-terrorism-why-is-that-so-hard-to-understand/" type="external">hard for people&#160;to understand</a>&#160;that the US is constantly committing acts of terrorism around the world, which lead to predictable blow back from US militarism, regime change and war. No elected official will tell these obvious truths, which the people of the United States would instinctively understand if they were voiced.</p>
<p>Although the U.S. is&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/the-people-are-with-us/" type="external">often portrayed as a ‘center-right’ nation</a>&#160;and progressives are called extremists, the reality is that there is majority support for a progressive agenda.&#160;There is a developing&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/national-consensus-builds-for-transformational-change-action-needed/" type="external">national consensus</a>&#160;in the United States for transformational change, and Bernie Sanders articulated some of that consensus, at least on domestic issues, in his run for president, but the problem is that U.S. elections are manipulated by the elites in power who make sure that their interests are represented by the winner</p>
<p>Sunkara ends his article on Corbyn saying “Also, Bernie Sanders would have won.” We do not know what would have happened in a Trump-Sanders election. The closest example may be McGovern’s 1972 campaign against Nixon which he&#160; <a href="" type="internal">lost in a landslide</a>. In that campaign, the Democrats&#160; <a href="" type="internal">deserted their candidate, even the AFL-CIO</a>&#160;and big unions did not support McGovern and Nixon demonized him in the media. Would Clinton-Democrats have stood with Sanders or would they have sabotaged him like the party did to McGovern?</p>
<p>A key to Corbyn’s success was retail politics. &#160;The population of the UK is 65 million, compared to the US population of 321 million. Retail politics can work in the UK, while in the US paid media advertising drives the campaign, which means money often determines the outcome. This gives great power to big business interests, and while it can be overcome, it is a steep hill to climb.</p>
<p>Despite their significant losses, the Democrats are still controlled by Clinton-Obama Wall Street and war neo-liberals as we saw in the recent DNC chair election where Clinton protégé, Tom Perez, was elected. We are not optimistic that the US can apply the Corbyn model within the Democratic Party because it has been a party representing the oligarchs from its origins as the party of plantation slave-owners.</p>
<p>The duopoly parties that represent Wall Street, war and empire will not allow voices that represent “the many, not the few” to participate in US elections. They shut them out whether they run as an insurgent inside a party, as people learned&#160;from the mistreatment of Bernie Sanders by the DNC, or if they run outside of the two parties. The bi-partisans make independent party runs nearly impossible with unfair ballot access laws, barriers to voter registration, secret vote counting on unverifiable election machines, exclusion from the debates and exclusion by the corporate media, who are in cahoots with the bi-partisans.</p>
<p>It Comes Down to Building An Independent Mass Political Movement</p>
<p>We live in&#160; <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14489-lifting-the-veil-of-mirage-democracy-in-the-united-states" type="external">a mirage democracy with managed elections</a>, as we describe in the article “ <a href="https://popularresistance.org/fighting-for-a-legitimate-democracy-by-and-for-the-people/" type="external">Fighting for A Legitimate Democracy By and For the People</a>,” on the long history of wealth dominating politics in the U.S.</p>
<p>Historically, transformations have occurred because of mass social movements demanding change and participating in elections through independent parties that have grown out of a movement with candidates from the movement (Corbyn has been involved in every anti-war movement, anti-apartheid, anti-austerity, pro-peace and human rights movements among others). Showing mass electoral support, even without winning, has resulted in significant changes – union rights, women’s voting rights, the eight-hour workday – indeed the New Deal came out of third party platforms. It is important to&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/resist-the-duopoly-because-judass-party-cant-defeat-trumps/" type="external">resist the duopoly parties</a>&#160;in order to get to the root of the problems we face;&#160;as Patrick Walker explains, the “grassroots resistance must oppose Democrats as well as Trump.”</p>
<p>A broad and diverse social movement whose demands are articulated by an independent party platform has forced one of the two parties to capitulate to the movement or disappear. That still seems to be the most likely path to real change for the US.</p>
<p>Corbyn teaches that we should embrace the radical transformational change that is needed, whether in elections or as a movement, to inspire people to take action and shift the realm of the possible. The people thirst for change as their economic situation becomes more insecure. There needs to be a movement that addresses that insecurity through a human rights lens, or else the insecurity will be channeled towards hatred and violence.</p>
<p>The key first step is to show the many, we are with them; that we are listening and acting consistent with their beliefs. Taking this correct first step, lights the path ahead of us.</p>
<p>Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers co-direct <a href="http://www.PopularResistance.org" type="external">Popular Resistance</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Corbyn’s Lesson: Embrace Change We Need
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2017/06/12/corbyns-lesson-embrace-change-we-need/
|
2017-06-12
| 4left
|
Corbyn’s Lesson: Embrace Change We Need
<p>The shocking election result in the United Kingdom – the Conservatives losing their majority and the creation of a hung Parliament; and Jeremy Corbyn being more successful than any recent Labor candidate – cutting a 20 point Theresa May lead down to&#160;a near tie – gives hope to many that the global shift to the right, <a href="https://popularresistance.org/poverty-fuels-european-extremism/" type="external">&#160;fueled by the failures of governments</a> to meet the basic needs of their population and growing economic insecurity, may be ending.</p>
<p>Corbyn is a lifelong activist whose message and actions have been consistent. He presented a platform directed at ending austerity and the wealth divide and was openly anti-war. There are a lot of lessons for the Labor Party in the UK from this election but there are also lessons for people in the United States. We review what happened and consider the possibilities for&#160;creating transformative change in the United States.</p>
<p>The Corbyn Campaign Results</p>
<p>The Corbyn campaign showed that a political leader urging a radical progressive transformative agenda can succeed. Many in his own party, the neo-liberal pro-war Blairites, claimed Corbyn could not win, tried to remove him from leadership, and sabotaged and refused to&#160;assist his campaign.</p>
<p>Corbyn showed he could win the leadership of the UK in the future, maybe sooner than later. While&#160;Theresa May is in the process of forming a minority government with a small radical conservative party from Northern Ireland, there has already been a&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-dup-coalition-deal-backlash-talks-government-politics-a7783846.html" type="external">backlash</a>,&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-dup-alliance-petition-conservative-democrat-unionist-minority-government-hung-parliament-a7783651.html" type="external">mass petitions</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/protest-parliament-theresa-may-conservatives-dup-deal-hung-parliament-minority-government-a7783796.html" type="external">protests</a>&#160;against it and&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/jeremy-corbyn-prime-minister-ted-heath-harold-wilson-labour-party-minority-government-a7783336.html" type="external">UK history has shown in similar circumstances</a>&#160;that the second place finisher, may, in the end form the government. Corbyn is taking bold and radical actions.&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-queens-speech-labour-form-government-theresa-may-tory-party-election-result-hung-a7783256.html" type="external">He is preparing to present a Queen’s speech</a>&#160;in which he will say that he and his party are “ready to&#160;serve” and will continue to push his program through Parliament. He is&#160; <a href="" type="internal">calling on other parties to defeat the government in Parliament</a>.</p>
<p>Corbyn did better than any recent Labor&#160;leader. Jonathan Cook, a British political commentator, writes in “ <a href="" type="internal">The Facts Proving Corbyn’s Election Triumph</a>” that&#160;Corbyn received 41 percent of the vote against May’s 44 percent. This was a big improvement in Labor’s share of seats, the largest increase since 1945. Cook points out that Corbyn won more votes than “Ed Miliband, Gordon Brown and Neil Kinnock, who were among those that, sometimes noisily, opposed his leadership of the party.” Even Tony Blair does not look all that good compared to Corbyn, Cook recounts:</p>
<p>“Here are the figures for Blair’s three wins. He got a 36 per cent share of the vote in 2005 – much less than Corbyn. He received a 41 per cent of the vote – about the same as Corbyn – in 2001. And Blair’s landslide victory in 1997 was secured on 43 per cent of the vote, just two percentage points ahead of Corbyn last night.</p>
<p>“In short, Corbyn has proved himself the most popular Labour leader with the electorate in more than 40 years, apart from Blair’s landslide victory in 1997.”</p>
<p><a href="https://popularresistance.org/lessons-from-the-corbyn-campaign/" type="external">Bhaskar Sunkara, the founding editor of&#160;Jacobin, writes</a>&#160;that Corbyn was not only campaigning against the Tories and Theresa May, but&#160;battling his own party – yet he still “won”:</p>
<p>“This is the first election Labour has won seats in since 1997, and the party got its largest share of the vote since 2005 — all while closing&#160;a twenty-four point deficit. Since Corbyn assumed leadership in late 2015, he has survived attack after attack from his own party, culminating in a failed coup attempt against him. As Labour leader he was unable to rely on his parliamentary colleagues or his party staff. The small team around him was bombarded with&#160; <a href="" type="internal">hostile internal leaks</a>&#160;and misinformation, and an unprecedented media smear campaign.</p>
<p>“Every elite interest in the United Kingdom tried to knock down Jeremy Corbyn, but still he stands.”</p>
<p>The Blairites were taught a lesson by Corbyn. Many of his&#160; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/corbyn-election-result-labour-party-critics-change-tune-tories-a7782776.html" type="external">harshest critics are now changing their tune</a>&#160;and embracing Corbyn. Hopefully they will join in&#160;creating a party in Corbyn’s&#160;image – a party for the many, not the few. Corbyn has rebuilt the mass base of Labor. The party is now the largest in Europe with half a million members. It is time for the “leaders” of Labor to follow the lead of the people and of Jeremy Corbyn.</p>
<p>What can we learn regarding US politics?</p>
<p>Sunkara argues Corbyn demonstrated that a winning campaign strategy is “to offer hopes and dreams to people, not just fear and diminished expectations.”&#160;In current US terms that means it is insufficient just to oppose Trump, a positive vision for the future that shows what a candidate and party stand for is needed, e.g. it is not just enough to defend the failing Affordable Care Act and oppose the Republican’s American Health Care Act, you must stand for something positive: National Improved Medicare for All. This is one example of many.</p>
<p>Sunkara provides more detail:</p>
<p>“Labour’s surge confirms what the Left has long argued: people like an honest defense of public goods.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Labour’s manifesto was sweeping</a>&#160;— its most socialist in decades. It was a straightforward document, calling for nationalization of key utilities, access to education, housing, and health services for all, and measures to redistribute income from corporations and the rich to ordinary people.</p>
<p>“£6.3 billion into primary schools, the protection of pensions, free tuition, public housing construction — it was clear what Labour would do for British workers. The plan was attacked in the press for its old-fashioned simplicity — “for the many, not the few” — but it resonated with popular desires, with a view of fairness that seemed elementary to millions.</p>
<p>“The Labour left remembered that you don’t win by tacking to an imaginary center — you win by letting people know you feel their anger and giving them a constructive end to channel it towards. ‘We demand the full fruits of our labor,’ the party’s election video said it all.”</p>
<p>Corbyn showed how important it is to have the correct analysis on foreign policy. Twice during the campaign, the UK was hit by a terrorist attack. Corbyn responded by telling the truth:&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/corbyn-tells-truth-about-counterproductive-war-on-terror/" type="external">part of the reason for terrorism is the UK foreign policy, especially in Libya</a>. He also opposed the use of nuclear weapons. The Conservatives thought these anti-war positions would hurt Corbyn, instead they helped.</p>
<p>This is even more true in the United States with the never ending wars the country is fighting. But, the&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/unspeakable-the-black-book-of-imperial-terrorism/" type="external">unspeakable in the United States, as Paul Street calls it</a>, is acknowledging that terrorism is conducted by the US. This taboo subject makes it&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/america-commits-acts-of-terrorism-why-is-that-so-hard-to-understand/" type="external">hard for people&#160;to understand</a>&#160;that the US is constantly committing acts of terrorism around the world, which lead to predictable blow back from US militarism, regime change and war. No elected official will tell these obvious truths, which the people of the United States would instinctively understand if they were voiced.</p>
<p>Although the U.S. is&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/the-people-are-with-us/" type="external">often portrayed as a ‘center-right’ nation</a>&#160;and progressives are called extremists, the reality is that there is majority support for a progressive agenda.&#160;There is a developing&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/national-consensus-builds-for-transformational-change-action-needed/" type="external">national consensus</a>&#160;in the United States for transformational change, and Bernie Sanders articulated some of that consensus, at least on domestic issues, in his run for president, but the problem is that U.S. elections are manipulated by the elites in power who make sure that their interests are represented by the winner</p>
<p>Sunkara ends his article on Corbyn saying “Also, Bernie Sanders would have won.” We do not know what would have happened in a Trump-Sanders election. The closest example may be McGovern’s 1972 campaign against Nixon which he&#160; <a href="" type="internal">lost in a landslide</a>. In that campaign, the Democrats&#160; <a href="" type="internal">deserted their candidate, even the AFL-CIO</a>&#160;and big unions did not support McGovern and Nixon demonized him in the media. Would Clinton-Democrats have stood with Sanders or would they have sabotaged him like the party did to McGovern?</p>
<p>A key to Corbyn’s success was retail politics. &#160;The population of the UK is 65 million, compared to the US population of 321 million. Retail politics can work in the UK, while in the US paid media advertising drives the campaign, which means money often determines the outcome. This gives great power to big business interests, and while it can be overcome, it is a steep hill to climb.</p>
<p>Despite their significant losses, the Democrats are still controlled by Clinton-Obama Wall Street and war neo-liberals as we saw in the recent DNC chair election where Clinton protégé, Tom Perez, was elected. We are not optimistic that the US can apply the Corbyn model within the Democratic Party because it has been a party representing the oligarchs from its origins as the party of plantation slave-owners.</p>
<p>The duopoly parties that represent Wall Street, war and empire will not allow voices that represent “the many, not the few” to participate in US elections. They shut them out whether they run as an insurgent inside a party, as people learned&#160;from the mistreatment of Bernie Sanders by the DNC, or if they run outside of the two parties. The bi-partisans make independent party runs nearly impossible with unfair ballot access laws, barriers to voter registration, secret vote counting on unverifiable election machines, exclusion from the debates and exclusion by the corporate media, who are in cahoots with the bi-partisans.</p>
<p>It Comes Down to Building An Independent Mass Political Movement</p>
<p>We live in&#160; <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/14489-lifting-the-veil-of-mirage-democracy-in-the-united-states" type="external">a mirage democracy with managed elections</a>, as we describe in the article “ <a href="https://popularresistance.org/fighting-for-a-legitimate-democracy-by-and-for-the-people/" type="external">Fighting for A Legitimate Democracy By and For the People</a>,” on the long history of wealth dominating politics in the U.S.</p>
<p>Historically, transformations have occurred because of mass social movements demanding change and participating in elections through independent parties that have grown out of a movement with candidates from the movement (Corbyn has been involved in every anti-war movement, anti-apartheid, anti-austerity, pro-peace and human rights movements among others). Showing mass electoral support, even without winning, has resulted in significant changes – union rights, women’s voting rights, the eight-hour workday – indeed the New Deal came out of third party platforms. It is important to&#160; <a href="https://popularresistance.org/resist-the-duopoly-because-judass-party-cant-defeat-trumps/" type="external">resist the duopoly parties</a>&#160;in order to get to the root of the problems we face;&#160;as Patrick Walker explains, the “grassroots resistance must oppose Democrats as well as Trump.”</p>
<p>A broad and diverse social movement whose demands are articulated by an independent party platform has forced one of the two parties to capitulate to the movement or disappear. That still seems to be the most likely path to real change for the US.</p>
<p>Corbyn teaches that we should embrace the radical transformational change that is needed, whether in elections or as a movement, to inspire people to take action and shift the realm of the possible. The people thirst for change as their economic situation becomes more insecure. There needs to be a movement that addresses that insecurity through a human rights lens, or else the insecurity will be channeled towards hatred and violence.</p>
<p>The key first step is to show the many, we are with them; that we are listening and acting consistent with their beliefs. Taking this correct first step, lights the path ahead of us.</p>
<p>Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers co-direct <a href="http://www.PopularResistance.org" type="external">Popular Resistance</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,880 |
<p>RACINE, Wisconsin — Who better to react to Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) <a href="" type="internal">recent comments</a> blaming poverty on “inner city” men who don’t have “the culture of work” than his own constituents who live in the inner city?</p>
<p>ThinkProgress spoke with voters in Racine, a relatively impoverished city in Ryan’s district, on Tuesday about the congressman’s assertion.</p>
<p>“He’s out of touch with reality,” said Ricky McMorris, who noted that he was laid off when a company shipped its operations overseas. He said that he’s been hustling every day to find a job. Ann Sevino said Ryan’s comments were “very inappropriate” and “racially motivated.” Similarly, Eric Dunnegan called Ryan’s comments “stereotypical and judgmental.”</p>
<p>Watch highlights from their interviews:</p>
<p>Ryan initially <a href="" type="internal">defended</a> his comments, which were first reported by ThinkProgress, saying they had “nothing to do with race whatsoever.” However, after <a href="" type="internal">criticism</a> from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ryan <a href="" type="internal">backpedaled</a>, though he notably stopped short of apologizing.</p>
|
What Paul Ryan’s ‘Inner City’ Constituents Had To Say About His Comments
| true |
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/03/19/3415975/paul-ryan-inner-city-constituents/
|
2014-03-19
| 4left
|
What Paul Ryan’s ‘Inner City’ Constituents Had To Say About His Comments
<p>RACINE, Wisconsin — Who better to react to Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) <a href="" type="internal">recent comments</a> blaming poverty on “inner city” men who don’t have “the culture of work” than his own constituents who live in the inner city?</p>
<p>ThinkProgress spoke with voters in Racine, a relatively impoverished city in Ryan’s district, on Tuesday about the congressman’s assertion.</p>
<p>“He’s out of touch with reality,” said Ricky McMorris, who noted that he was laid off when a company shipped its operations overseas. He said that he’s been hustling every day to find a job. Ann Sevino said Ryan’s comments were “very inappropriate” and “racially motivated.” Similarly, Eric Dunnegan called Ryan’s comments “stereotypical and judgmental.”</p>
<p>Watch highlights from their interviews:</p>
<p>Ryan initially <a href="" type="internal">defended</a> his comments, which were first reported by ThinkProgress, saying they had “nothing to do with race whatsoever.” However, after <a href="" type="internal">criticism</a> from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Ryan <a href="" type="internal">backpedaled</a>, though he notably stopped short of apologizing.</p>
| 4,881 |
<p>Well, our long national nightmare known as ELECTION SEASON is almost over. Later tonight, we will (probably) know who will be the President of the United States for the next four years. Will <a href="" type="internal">Barack Obama</a> secure himself another term? Or will <a href="" type="internal">Mitt Romney</a> succeed in getting me to move to Mexico? In addition to updating this post with relevant news as the returns come in, I’ll be sitting on my couch, bottle of cheap champagne in hand, livetweeting the whole nerve-racking debacle. You can follow me on Twitter at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/xoamelia/" type="external">@xoamelia</a>– where more of my bleeding heart liberal spewing will occur — and also <a href="https://www.twitter.com/thefrisky/" type="external">@TheFrisky</a>. Play our <a href="" type="internal">Election Night Drinking Game</a> with me! It’ll be fun.</p>
<p>7:15 p.m. EST: <a href="" type="external">MSNBC has called</a> Indiana and Kentucky for Mitt Romney and Vermont for Barack Obama. Virginia, one of the most closely watched battleground states, is too close to call. (Drink!)</p>
<p>7:30 p.m. EST: NBC News is calling Romney as the winner of West Virginia and South Carolina. North Carolina and Ohio are still too close to call. &#160;(Oh lord, just keep drinking you guys.)</p>
<p>7:37 p.m. EST: That hottie Chris Hayes from MSNBC (drink!) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/265976167524356096" type="external">just tweeted</a> that in Ohio (a major battleground state) “white working class exit numbers look really bad for Romney.”</p>
<p>7:53 p.m. EST: Let’s play Marry Fuck Kill: MSNBC Pundit Edition! Your choices: Chuck Todd, Chris Matthews, and Al Sharpton!</p>
<p>7:56 p.m. EST: Not surprisingly, NBC News has called Georgia for Romney.</p>
<p>8:00 p,m. EST: Florida and New Hampshire are too close to call. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/main?hpt=elec_flippertkr" type="external">According to CNN</a>, Obama is projected to win Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, and the District Of Columbia. Romney is the projected winner of Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Missouri are too early to call.</p>
<p>8:19 p.m. EST:&#160;According to&#160; <a href="https://on.msnbc.com/YUOPaf" type="external">NBCNews&#160;exit poll data</a>, Obama is doing better with white working class voters in Ohio.</p>
<p>8:31 p.m. EST: Romney continues to carry a number of Southern states, as expected, and is the projected winner of Arkansas.</p>
<p>And in deeply upsetting voter disenfranchisement news! <a href="http://americablog.com/2012/11/2nd-pennsylvania-voting-machine-wont-let-people-vote-for-obama.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Americablog+%28AMERICAblog+News%29" type="external">Two voting machines in Pennsylvania — so far! — have reportedly prevented voters for casting their votes for Obama.</a></p>
<p>9:00 p.m. EST:&#160;A whole mess of new poll closings. Right now, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Arizona are too early to call. Colorado is too close to call. Mitt Romney is the projected winner of Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska (4 or 5 electoral votes), North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. President Obama is the projected winner of New York, New Mexico, and Michigan.</p>
<p>9:07 p.m. EST: And President Obama is the projected winner of New Jersey.</p>
<p>News outlets are projecting that the GOP will retain control of the House of Representatives.</p>
<p>9:15 p.m. EST : MSNBC has called Pennsylvania for President Obama.</p>
<p>9:29 p.m. EST: President Obama is the projected winner of Wisconsin.</p>
<p>9:50 p.m. EST: President Obama is the projected winner of New Hampshire.</p>
<p>10:00 p.m. EST: More poll closings. Iowa and Nevada are too early to call. Romney is the projected winner of Utah and Montana. The candidates are currently tied in electoral votes.</p>
<p>10:09 p.m. EST: On another note, both <a href="" type="internal">Todd “Women Can’t Get Pregnant From Rape” Akin</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Richard “Pregnancy From Rape Is A Blessing” Mourdock</a> have both lost their respective races.</p>
<p>10;34 p.m. EST: MSNBC says Mitt Romney is the projected winner of Arizona.</p>
<p>10:44 p.m. EST: Obama is the projected winner of Minnesota. Mitt Romney is the projected winner of Missouri.</p>
<p>11:00 p.m. EST: Obama is the projected winner of California, Hawaii, and Washington. Romney is the projected winner of Idaho and Montana. Oregon is too early to call. CNN is projecting that the battleground state of North Carolina will go to Mitt Romney.</p>
<p>11:09 p.m. EST: Obama is the projected winner of Iowa.</p>
<p>11:14 p.m. EST: MSNBC has called Ohio for President Obama and thus the Presidency of the United States for another four years. He has also won Oregon.</p>
|
2012 Election Night Live Blog!
| true |
http://thefrisky.com/2012-11-06/2012-election-night-live-blog/
|
2018-10-03
| 4left
|
2012 Election Night Live Blog!
<p>Well, our long national nightmare known as ELECTION SEASON is almost over. Later tonight, we will (probably) know who will be the President of the United States for the next four years. Will <a href="" type="internal">Barack Obama</a> secure himself another term? Or will <a href="" type="internal">Mitt Romney</a> succeed in getting me to move to Mexico? In addition to updating this post with relevant news as the returns come in, I’ll be sitting on my couch, bottle of cheap champagne in hand, livetweeting the whole nerve-racking debacle. You can follow me on Twitter at <a href="https://www.twitter.com/xoamelia/" type="external">@xoamelia</a>– where more of my bleeding heart liberal spewing will occur — and also <a href="https://www.twitter.com/thefrisky/" type="external">@TheFrisky</a>. Play our <a href="" type="internal">Election Night Drinking Game</a> with me! It’ll be fun.</p>
<p>7:15 p.m. EST: <a href="" type="external">MSNBC has called</a> Indiana and Kentucky for Mitt Romney and Vermont for Barack Obama. Virginia, one of the most closely watched battleground states, is too close to call. (Drink!)</p>
<p>7:30 p.m. EST: NBC News is calling Romney as the winner of West Virginia and South Carolina. North Carolina and Ohio are still too close to call. &#160;(Oh lord, just keep drinking you guys.)</p>
<p>7:37 p.m. EST: That hottie Chris Hayes from MSNBC (drink!) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/265976167524356096" type="external">just tweeted</a> that in Ohio (a major battleground state) “white working class exit numbers look really bad for Romney.”</p>
<p>7:53 p.m. EST: Let’s play Marry Fuck Kill: MSNBC Pundit Edition! Your choices: Chuck Todd, Chris Matthews, and Al Sharpton!</p>
<p>7:56 p.m. EST: Not surprisingly, NBC News has called Georgia for Romney.</p>
<p>8:00 p,m. EST: Florida and New Hampshire are too close to call. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/main?hpt=elec_flippertkr" type="external">According to CNN</a>, Obama is projected to win Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland, and the District Of Columbia. Romney is the projected winner of Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Missouri are too early to call.</p>
<p>8:19 p.m. EST:&#160;According to&#160; <a href="https://on.msnbc.com/YUOPaf" type="external">NBCNews&#160;exit poll data</a>, Obama is doing better with white working class voters in Ohio.</p>
<p>8:31 p.m. EST: Romney continues to carry a number of Southern states, as expected, and is the projected winner of Arkansas.</p>
<p>And in deeply upsetting voter disenfranchisement news! <a href="http://americablog.com/2012/11/2nd-pennsylvania-voting-machine-wont-let-people-vote-for-obama.html?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Americablog+%28AMERICAblog+News%29" type="external">Two voting machines in Pennsylvania — so far! — have reportedly prevented voters for casting their votes for Obama.</a></p>
<p>9:00 p.m. EST:&#160;A whole mess of new poll closings. Right now, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Arizona are too early to call. Colorado is too close to call. Mitt Romney is the projected winner of Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska (4 or 5 electoral votes), North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. President Obama is the projected winner of New York, New Mexico, and Michigan.</p>
<p>9:07 p.m. EST: And President Obama is the projected winner of New Jersey.</p>
<p>News outlets are projecting that the GOP will retain control of the House of Representatives.</p>
<p>9:15 p.m. EST : MSNBC has called Pennsylvania for President Obama.</p>
<p>9:29 p.m. EST: President Obama is the projected winner of Wisconsin.</p>
<p>9:50 p.m. EST: President Obama is the projected winner of New Hampshire.</p>
<p>10:00 p.m. EST: More poll closings. Iowa and Nevada are too early to call. Romney is the projected winner of Utah and Montana. The candidates are currently tied in electoral votes.</p>
<p>10:09 p.m. EST: On another note, both <a href="" type="internal">Todd “Women Can’t Get Pregnant From Rape” Akin</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Richard “Pregnancy From Rape Is A Blessing” Mourdock</a> have both lost their respective races.</p>
<p>10;34 p.m. EST: MSNBC says Mitt Romney is the projected winner of Arizona.</p>
<p>10:44 p.m. EST: Obama is the projected winner of Minnesota. Mitt Romney is the projected winner of Missouri.</p>
<p>11:00 p.m. EST: Obama is the projected winner of California, Hawaii, and Washington. Romney is the projected winner of Idaho and Montana. Oregon is too early to call. CNN is projecting that the battleground state of North Carolina will go to Mitt Romney.</p>
<p>11:09 p.m. EST: Obama is the projected winner of Iowa.</p>
<p>11:14 p.m. EST: MSNBC has called Ohio for President Obama and thus the Presidency of the United States for another four years. He has also won Oregon.</p>
| 4,882 |
<p>By Sarah Smith / ProPublica</p>
<p />
<p>&#160; &#160; Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. (Robert F. Bukaty / AP)</p>
<p>This piece originally ran on <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-best-reporting-on-bernie-sanders-over-the-years" type="external">ProPublica</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>Bernie Sanders became the first socialist mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and ran successfully as an Independent for the House of Representatives and then the Senate. Now, the Democratic challenger to Hillary Clinton has young voters “feeling the Bern.”</p>
<p>The political career of Bernie Sanders nearly ended before it began. In the early 1970s, he <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/young-bernie-sanders-liberty-union-vermont?src=longreads&amp;utm_content=bufferf52eb&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" type="external">lost</a> his first four races — two for the Senate and two for governor — running on the ticket of Vermont’s radical Liberty Union Party, while espousing positions such as ending the Vietnam War and <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/bernie-sanders-cia-219451" type="external">abolishing the CIA</a>. But when he ran as an Independent for mayor of Burlington in 1981, the socialist Sanders <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&amp;dat=19810305&amp;id=sVxNAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=LPsDAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=5864,1569916&amp;hl=en" type="external">beat</a> the five-term Democratic incumbent.</p>
<p>As mayor, Sanders <a href="http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/27/mayor-bernie-sanders-had-wait-revolution/80984640/" type="external">clashed</a> with Burlington’s Board of Aldermen, which didn’t allow him to hire his own staff and went so far as to fire his secretary. He got a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/20/us/mayor-a-socialist-is-encountering-hostility-in-vermont-city.html" type="external">ticket</a> for parking in the mayor’s parking spot. He held meetings in his apartment to avoid eavesdropping. But the 1982 election helped turn the tide towards Sanders, giving him a majority on the board that could sustain a veto (he used it twice in 1982). His supporters eventually <a href="http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/eight-years-that-shook-vermont/Content?oid=2434446" type="external">coalesced</a> into the Progressive Party, still a Vermont fixture. During his eight years as Burlington mayor, Sanders launched (another) unsuccessful bid for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/13/us/socialist-opens-vermont-drive-to-be-governor.html" type="external">governor</a> in 1986.</p>
<p>Sanders was elected to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/11/for-vermonts-sanders-victory-followed-long-path/36a3036c-d738-4039-a728-891ae9aba9f5/" type="external">House of Representatives</a> by a 17-point margin in 1990, after Vermont Democrats either endorsed him or stepped aside to clear his path. In Washington, Sanders caucused with the Democrats, but didn’t win many friends among them when he called Congress “impotent” and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/magazine/21Sanders.t.html?login=email&amp;mtrref=undefined&amp;_r=2&amp;mtrref=undefined" type="external">said he wouldn’t mind</a> if 80 percent of its members lost their bids for re-election. He voted against the pro-gun-control <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/07/09/vermonts-man-from-left-field/961856de-d5f8-4f3f-bd04-7a1512751a3d/" type="external">Brady bill</a> (which has led to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-checking-hillary-clintons-claims-about-bernie-sanders-gun-record/" type="external">attacks on his record</a> in the 2016 race) and opposed the <a href="http://journaltimes.com/news/national/nafta-still-a-few-votes-shy/article_bb9936c5-dc94-5b00-8b95-22ec69c50017.html" type="external">North American Free Trade Agreement</a>. Sanders led a 2000 effort to allow <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/27/national/27DRUG.html" type="external">more imports</a> of low-cost prescription drugs (it was killed by President Bill Clinton) and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/12/politics/12DRUG.html" type="external">failed again</a> in 2001.</p>
<p>Rolling Stone dubbed Sanders the House’s “ <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-horror-show-that-is-congress-20050825" type="external">amendment king</a>.” Between 1995 and 2005, no one got more of his or her amendments approved by roll-call vote.</p>
<p>Sanders moved up to the Senate in 2006. In the wake of the financial crisis, he tried to hold up the re-nomination of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in 2009, saying he was “one of the <a href="http://archive.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2010/01/09/sanders_a_growing_force_on_the_far_far_left/" type="external">key architects</a> of the Bush economy.” The following year, Sanders got an amendment into the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_05/023750.php" type="external">audit the loans</a>the Fed made to banks during the emergency. (He had originally supported a proposal by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, for a full audit of the Fed, an idea <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704402404574525570583604860" type="external">criticized</a> as undermining the central bank’s independence from politics.) Sanders also launched a campaign to improve <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/taking-dental-crisis-qa-bernie-sanders/" type="external">dental health</a> for the poor.</p>
<p>As chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee from 2013 to 2015, Sanders was responsible for oversight as the backlog grew for medical appointments at VA hospitals. In response to initial news reports of long wait times in 2014, Sanders said, “There is, right now, as we speak, a concerted effort to <a href="http://northamptontv.org/a-conversation-with-bernie-sanders/" type="external">undermine the VA.</a>” Critics said he was slow to respond, going on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sRsIfQFB8M" type="external">defense</a> because he was blinded by his <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/us/politics/faith-in-agency-clouded-bernie-sanderss-va-response.html?_r=1" type="external">faith in the agency</a>. Sanders eventually became critical of the VA and supported a damning report by the agency’s inspector general. He worked with Republicans on <a href="http://www.rollcall.com/wgdb/va-health-care-deal-reached-miller-sanders-plan-to-announce-monday/" type="external">legislation</a> to fix the crisis. In 2016, he said of his time overseeing the VA: “We should have <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/04/politics/bernie-sanders-veterans-affairs-delays/" type="external">done better</a>.”</p>
<p>In 2012, Sanders suggested that he’d be open to seeing a <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/118406-bernie-sanders-speaking-independently/" type="external">primary challenger</a> to Barack Obama to move the president to the left.</p>
<p>The Brooklyn-born Sanders launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination from Burlington in May 2015, joining a small field that was led by Hillary Clinton. He drew <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/12/the-populist-prophet" type="external">young voters</a> with a message focused on income inequality.</p>
<p>Under the scrutiny of the national spotlight, a Politico story found that Sanders’ <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/bernie-sanders-vermont-119927" type="external">first son</a>, Levi, was not from his first marriage, as had been previously reported and re-reported, but from a girlfriend Sanders dated between marriages. In December 2015, a data breach allowed the Sanders campaign to see the Clinton campaign’s voter files, so the Democratic National Committee barred Sanders from accessing its voter database. The Sanders campaign fired one of its aides and then <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/03/bernie-sanders-campaign-still-suing-dnc.html" type="external">sued</a> the DNC to regain access.</p>
<p>Sanders, whose call for free tuition at public colleges is a campaign centerpiece, ran into <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/apr/04/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-says-wall-street-tax-would-pay-his-/" type="external">skepticism</a> about how he would pay for such a program. The Sanders family has experience with the challenges of higher education finances. While Sanders was in Congress, his wife Jane Sanders led Burlington College, a small private liberal arts school in Vermont, from 2004 to 2011. During her tenure, the school spent <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/bernie-sanders-jane-vermont-burlington-college-219114" type="external">$10 million</a> on a new campus but couldn’t get enough students or donations to pay back the expansion debt and almost lost its accreditation. Sanders resigned, but neither she nor the board gave specific reasons. In 2015, Burlington College sold all but six of the 33 acres bought when Jane Sanders was in charge.</p>
<p>As the New York Democratic primary approached, Sanders was criticized for stumbling over policy specifics in an <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/transcript-bernie-sanders-meets-news-editorial-board-article-1.2588306" type="external">interview</a> with the New York Daily News.</p>
<p>ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their <a href="http://www.propublica.org/forms/newsletter_daily_email" type="external">newsletter</a>.</p>
<p />
|
The Best Reporting on Bernie Sanders Over the Years
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/the-best-reporting-on-bernie-sanders-over-the-years/
|
2016-04-17
| 4left
|
The Best Reporting on Bernie Sanders Over the Years
<p>By Sarah Smith / ProPublica</p>
<p />
<p>&#160; &#160; Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. (Robert F. Bukaty / AP)</p>
<p>This piece originally ran on <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/the-best-reporting-on-bernie-sanders-over-the-years" type="external">ProPublica</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>Bernie Sanders became the first socialist mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and ran successfully as an Independent for the House of Representatives and then the Senate. Now, the Democratic challenger to Hillary Clinton has young voters “feeling the Bern.”</p>
<p>The political career of Bernie Sanders nearly ended before it began. In the early 1970s, he <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/05/young-bernie-sanders-liberty-union-vermont?src=longreads&amp;utm_content=bufferf52eb&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" type="external">lost</a> his first four races — two for the Senate and two for governor — running on the ticket of Vermont’s radical Liberty Union Party, while espousing positions such as ending the Vietnam War and <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/bernie-sanders-cia-219451" type="external">abolishing the CIA</a>. But when he ran as an Independent for mayor of Burlington in 1981, the socialist Sanders <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&amp;dat=19810305&amp;id=sVxNAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=LPsDAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=5864,1569916&amp;hl=en" type="external">beat</a> the five-term Democratic incumbent.</p>
<p>As mayor, Sanders <a href="http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/27/mayor-bernie-sanders-had-wait-revolution/80984640/" type="external">clashed</a> with Burlington’s Board of Aldermen, which didn’t allow him to hire his own staff and went so far as to fire his secretary. He got a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/20/us/mayor-a-socialist-is-encountering-hostility-in-vermont-city.html" type="external">ticket</a> for parking in the mayor’s parking spot. He held meetings in his apartment to avoid eavesdropping. But the 1982 election helped turn the tide towards Sanders, giving him a majority on the board that could sustain a veto (he used it twice in 1982). His supporters eventually <a href="http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/eight-years-that-shook-vermont/Content?oid=2434446" type="external">coalesced</a> into the Progressive Party, still a Vermont fixture. During his eight years as Burlington mayor, Sanders launched (another) unsuccessful bid for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/13/us/socialist-opens-vermont-drive-to-be-governor.html" type="external">governor</a> in 1986.</p>
<p>Sanders was elected to the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/11/for-vermonts-sanders-victory-followed-long-path/36a3036c-d738-4039-a728-891ae9aba9f5/" type="external">House of Representatives</a> by a 17-point margin in 1990, after Vermont Democrats either endorsed him or stepped aside to clear his path. In Washington, Sanders caucused with the Democrats, but didn’t win many friends among them when he called Congress “impotent” and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/magazine/21Sanders.t.html?login=email&amp;mtrref=undefined&amp;_r=2&amp;mtrref=undefined" type="external">said he wouldn’t mind</a> if 80 percent of its members lost their bids for re-election. He voted against the pro-gun-control <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/07/09/vermonts-man-from-left-field/961856de-d5f8-4f3f-bd04-7a1512751a3d/" type="external">Brady bill</a> (which has led to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fact-checking-hillary-clintons-claims-about-bernie-sanders-gun-record/" type="external">attacks on his record</a> in the 2016 race) and opposed the <a href="http://journaltimes.com/news/national/nafta-still-a-few-votes-shy/article_bb9936c5-dc94-5b00-8b95-22ec69c50017.html" type="external">North American Free Trade Agreement</a>. Sanders led a 2000 effort to allow <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/27/national/27DRUG.html" type="external">more imports</a> of low-cost prescription drugs (it was killed by President Bill Clinton) and <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2001/07/12/politics/12DRUG.html" type="external">failed again</a> in 2001.</p>
<p>Rolling Stone dubbed Sanders the House’s “ <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-horror-show-that-is-congress-20050825" type="external">amendment king</a>.” Between 1995 and 2005, no one got more of his or her amendments approved by roll-call vote.</p>
<p>Sanders moved up to the Senate in 2006. In the wake of the financial crisis, he tried to hold up the re-nomination of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in 2009, saying he was “one of the <a href="http://archive.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2010/01/09/sanders_a_growing_force_on_the_far_far_left/" type="external">key architects</a> of the Bush economy.” The following year, Sanders got an amendment into the Dodd-Frank financial reform law to <a href="http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_05/023750.php" type="external">audit the loans</a>the Fed made to banks during the emergency. (He had originally supported a proposal by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, for a full audit of the Fed, an idea <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704402404574525570583604860" type="external">criticized</a> as undermining the central bank’s independence from politics.) Sanders also launched a campaign to improve <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/taking-dental-crisis-qa-bernie-sanders/" type="external">dental health</a> for the poor.</p>
<p>As chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee from 2013 to 2015, Sanders was responsible for oversight as the backlog grew for medical appointments at VA hospitals. In response to initial news reports of long wait times in 2014, Sanders said, “There is, right now, as we speak, a concerted effort to <a href="http://northamptontv.org/a-conversation-with-bernie-sanders/" type="external">undermine the VA.</a>” Critics said he was slow to respond, going on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sRsIfQFB8M" type="external">defense</a> because he was blinded by his <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/us/politics/faith-in-agency-clouded-bernie-sanderss-va-response.html?_r=1" type="external">faith in the agency</a>. Sanders eventually became critical of the VA and supported a damning report by the agency’s inspector general. He worked with Republicans on <a href="http://www.rollcall.com/wgdb/va-health-care-deal-reached-miller-sanders-plan-to-announce-monday/" type="external">legislation</a> to fix the crisis. In 2016, he said of his time overseeing the VA: “We should have <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/04/politics/bernie-sanders-veterans-affairs-delays/" type="external">done better</a>.”</p>
<p>In 2012, Sanders suggested that he’d be open to seeing a <a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/118406-bernie-sanders-speaking-independently/" type="external">primary challenger</a> to Barack Obama to move the president to the left.</p>
<p>The Brooklyn-born Sanders launched his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination from Burlington in May 2015, joining a small field that was led by Hillary Clinton. He drew <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/12/the-populist-prophet" type="external">young voters</a> with a message focused on income inequality.</p>
<p>Under the scrutiny of the national spotlight, a Politico story found that Sanders’ <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/bernie-sanders-vermont-119927" type="external">first son</a>, Levi, was not from his first marriage, as had been previously reported and re-reported, but from a girlfriend Sanders dated between marriages. In December 2015, a data breach allowed the Sanders campaign to see the Clinton campaign’s voter files, so the Democratic National Committee barred Sanders from accessing its voter database. The Sanders campaign fired one of its aides and then <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/03/bernie-sanders-campaign-still-suing-dnc.html" type="external">sued</a> the DNC to regain access.</p>
<p>Sanders, whose call for free tuition at public colleges is a campaign centerpiece, ran into <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/apr/04/bernie-s/bernie-sanders-says-wall-street-tax-would-pay-his-/" type="external">skepticism</a> about how he would pay for such a program. The Sanders family has experience with the challenges of higher education finances. While Sanders was in Congress, his wife Jane Sanders led Burlington College, a small private liberal arts school in Vermont, from 2004 to 2011. During her tenure, the school spent <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/bernie-sanders-jane-vermont-burlington-college-219114" type="external">$10 million</a> on a new campus but couldn’t get enough students or donations to pay back the expansion debt and almost lost its accreditation. Sanders resigned, but neither she nor the board gave specific reasons. In 2015, Burlington College sold all but six of the 33 acres bought when Jane Sanders was in charge.</p>
<p>As the New York Democratic primary approached, Sanders was criticized for stumbling over policy specifics in an <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/transcript-bernie-sanders-meets-news-editorial-board-article-1.2588306" type="external">interview</a> with the New York Daily News.</p>
<p>ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for their <a href="http://www.propublica.org/forms/newsletter_daily_email" type="external">newsletter</a>.</p>
<p />
| 4,883 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 Albuquerque Journal</p>
<p>AZTEC – Two students were killed when a gunman opened fire during first period at Aztec High School in northwestern New Mexico on Thursday morning, authorities say.</p>
<p>The suspected gunman is also dead, according to San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen, although he would not say whether he was a student at the school.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Authorities late Thursday identified the victims as Casey Marquez and Francisco Fernandez, but they didn’t give their ages.</p>
<p>Christesen said the suspect was male, but did not release his name or age.</p>
<p>Authorities have not said whether the suspect knew Marquez and Fernandez, why he shot them, or what he was armed with. They also would not say whether the suspect killed himself or was killed.</p>
<p>“We’re going to be processing the crime scene at the school through the night and probably into the next day,” New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas told a news conference Thursday afternoon. “Then we’ll be conducting the investigation from the interview standpoint and re-creating exactly what happened.”</p>
<p>Heads of several state and local law enforcement agencies spoke at the news conference, as did Gov. Susana Martinez.</p>
<p>“In the face of evil in the community of Aztec, we will stand with you, and we ask that you stand with us as well,” she said.</p>
<p>Martinez said officials from the White House had called her to express their condolences and offer federal resources.</p>
<p>Authorities added folding chairs to accommodate everyone who attended the news conference to hear the updates, including more than a dozen shaken parents and youths.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>One high school student who attended was Autumn Petersen, 17, who was with her mother.</p>
<p>Petersen said she was still in shock after she and her classmates spent almost an hour hiding in a storage closet after the shooting started.</p>
<p>She said she was in history class around 8 a.m. when she and her classmates heard what sounded like someone banging on lockers in the hallway. They soon realized the sound was gunshots and heard more than 20 rounds fired.</p>
<p>“I was really scared,” Petersen said. “Like, ‘This is really happening at our school.’ ”</p>
<p>During the lockdown, she said, many students were crying and texting their parents.</p>
<p>“Throughout the whole process, we heard a bunch of gunshots,” Petersen said. “I never thought this would ever happen to us, especially since it’s such a small community.”</p>
<p>When the lockdown was lifted and students were allowed to leave the classroom, Petersen said, they were told to keep their eyes focused straight ahead.</p>
<p>“They told us not to look to the right,” she said. “I did … there was a body bag right outside our door.”</p>
<p>During the ordeal, the teenager and her mother, Angela Hobbs, texted back and forth.</p>
<p>“I told her to hide behind something,” Hobbs said.</p>
<p>The two were reunited just after noon at McGee Park in Farmington, joining hundreds of other parents and students.</p>
<p>Aztec Police Chief Mike Heal said the first 911 calls about the shooting came into dispatch shortly after 8 a.m. and four officers immediately headed to the school, with two officers getting there in about a minute.</p>
<p>“I am so thankful for the men and women in the Aztec Police Department,” Heal said. “They responded in less than a minute to get there and help secure the scene and do what they needed to do. I think they helped save lives today.”</p>
<p>Heal said he and a couple of the officers had to climb in through a window because the school was on lockdown.</p>
<p>Reports circulated early about multiple injuries in addition to the three who were dead, but State Police Chief Kassetas reiterated that those were false and no one else was injured. He also said that there is no evidence of threats to other schools and that there are no other suspects.</p>
<p>The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is now leading the investigation, with help from State Police and the FBI in processing the crime scene.</p>
<p>Thursday afternoon, a group drove a truck to the scene and offered hot cocoa and coffee to police and community members.</p>
<p>Thoughts and prayers poured into the small town throughout the day from politicians and community leaders.</p>
<p>At the Capitol in Santa Fe, members of the Legislative Finance Committee in a morning meeting observed a moment of silence as word circulated of the school shooting. And when the Aztec High School basketball team didn’t attend a tournament at Albuquerque Academy on Thursday evening, the basketball players and spectators bowed their heads and fell silent in light of the tragedy.</p>
<p>Aztec High School is one of two high schools in Aztec, a town with a population of about 6,000 in northwestern New Mexico near Farmington and Bloomfield. It is the San Juan County seat of government.</p>
<p>Superintendent Kirk Carpenter said all the schools in the Aztec Municipal Schools District will be closed today.</p>
<p>“This isn’t something that will just affect those students,” Carpenter said. “Aztec is a small community. We shut down main street for homecoming. We want to make sure we address the needs of every family.”</p>
<p>He said the teachers, staff and students had practiced drills on what to do in case of a shooting.</p>
<p>“It’s at times like this you feel violated because of the way schools are set up – they’re supposed to be where we send our kids to stay safe,” Carpenter said. “And they still are safe places, but sometimes evil intrudes on it.”</p>
<p>More from ABQJournal.com</p>
<p>After hearing shots, she quickly led students into an office, barricaded the door… continue reading »</p>
<p>More from ABQJournal.com</p>
<p>The man who shot and killed two students at Aztec High School Thursday morning planned the shooting in advance and… continue reading »</p>
<p>Journal staff writers Ryan Boetel and Dan Boyd contributed to this story.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p />
|
Two students killed at Aztec High School
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/1103823/sheriffs-office-identifies-2-dead-in-aztec-high-shooting.html
|
2017-12-07
| 2least
|
Two students killed at Aztec High School
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 Albuquerque Journal</p>
<p>AZTEC – Two students were killed when a gunman opened fire during first period at Aztec High School in northwestern New Mexico on Thursday morning, authorities say.</p>
<p>The suspected gunman is also dead, according to San Juan County Sheriff Ken Christesen, although he would not say whether he was a student at the school.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Authorities late Thursday identified the victims as Casey Marquez and Francisco Fernandez, but they didn’t give their ages.</p>
<p>Christesen said the suspect was male, but did not release his name or age.</p>
<p>Authorities have not said whether the suspect knew Marquez and Fernandez, why he shot them, or what he was armed with. They also would not say whether the suspect killed himself or was killed.</p>
<p>“We’re going to be processing the crime scene at the school through the night and probably into the next day,” New Mexico State Police Chief Pete Kassetas told a news conference Thursday afternoon. “Then we’ll be conducting the investigation from the interview standpoint and re-creating exactly what happened.”</p>
<p>Heads of several state and local law enforcement agencies spoke at the news conference, as did Gov. Susana Martinez.</p>
<p>“In the face of evil in the community of Aztec, we will stand with you, and we ask that you stand with us as well,” she said.</p>
<p>Martinez said officials from the White House had called her to express their condolences and offer federal resources.</p>
<p>Authorities added folding chairs to accommodate everyone who attended the news conference to hear the updates, including more than a dozen shaken parents and youths.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>One high school student who attended was Autumn Petersen, 17, who was with her mother.</p>
<p>Petersen said she was still in shock after she and her classmates spent almost an hour hiding in a storage closet after the shooting started.</p>
<p>She said she was in history class around 8 a.m. when she and her classmates heard what sounded like someone banging on lockers in the hallway. They soon realized the sound was gunshots and heard more than 20 rounds fired.</p>
<p>“I was really scared,” Petersen said. “Like, ‘This is really happening at our school.’ ”</p>
<p>During the lockdown, she said, many students were crying and texting their parents.</p>
<p>“Throughout the whole process, we heard a bunch of gunshots,” Petersen said. “I never thought this would ever happen to us, especially since it’s such a small community.”</p>
<p>When the lockdown was lifted and students were allowed to leave the classroom, Petersen said, they were told to keep their eyes focused straight ahead.</p>
<p>“They told us not to look to the right,” she said. “I did … there was a body bag right outside our door.”</p>
<p>During the ordeal, the teenager and her mother, Angela Hobbs, texted back and forth.</p>
<p>“I told her to hide behind something,” Hobbs said.</p>
<p>The two were reunited just after noon at McGee Park in Farmington, joining hundreds of other parents and students.</p>
<p>Aztec Police Chief Mike Heal said the first 911 calls about the shooting came into dispatch shortly after 8 a.m. and four officers immediately headed to the school, with two officers getting there in about a minute.</p>
<p>“I am so thankful for the men and women in the Aztec Police Department,” Heal said. “They responded in less than a minute to get there and help secure the scene and do what they needed to do. I think they helped save lives today.”</p>
<p>Heal said he and a couple of the officers had to climb in through a window because the school was on lockdown.</p>
<p>Reports circulated early about multiple injuries in addition to the three who were dead, but State Police Chief Kassetas reiterated that those were false and no one else was injured. He also said that there is no evidence of threats to other schools and that there are no other suspects.</p>
<p>The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office is now leading the investigation, with help from State Police and the FBI in processing the crime scene.</p>
<p>Thursday afternoon, a group drove a truck to the scene and offered hot cocoa and coffee to police and community members.</p>
<p>Thoughts and prayers poured into the small town throughout the day from politicians and community leaders.</p>
<p>At the Capitol in Santa Fe, members of the Legislative Finance Committee in a morning meeting observed a moment of silence as word circulated of the school shooting. And when the Aztec High School basketball team didn’t attend a tournament at Albuquerque Academy on Thursday evening, the basketball players and spectators bowed their heads and fell silent in light of the tragedy.</p>
<p>Aztec High School is one of two high schools in Aztec, a town with a population of about 6,000 in northwestern New Mexico near Farmington and Bloomfield. It is the San Juan County seat of government.</p>
<p>Superintendent Kirk Carpenter said all the schools in the Aztec Municipal Schools District will be closed today.</p>
<p>“This isn’t something that will just affect those students,” Carpenter said. “Aztec is a small community. We shut down main street for homecoming. We want to make sure we address the needs of every family.”</p>
<p>He said the teachers, staff and students had practiced drills on what to do in case of a shooting.</p>
<p>“It’s at times like this you feel violated because of the way schools are set up – they’re supposed to be where we send our kids to stay safe,” Carpenter said. “And they still are safe places, but sometimes evil intrudes on it.”</p>
<p>More from ABQJournal.com</p>
<p>After hearing shots, she quickly led students into an office, barricaded the door… continue reading »</p>
<p>More from ABQJournal.com</p>
<p>The man who shot and killed two students at Aztec High School Thursday morning planned the shooting in advance and… continue reading »</p>
<p>Journal staff writers Ryan Boetel and Dan Boyd contributed to this story.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p />
| 4,884 |
<p>In January 2013 after a lengthy dispute with the French government over taxes on the wealthy, Gérard Depardieu famously invoked rage amongst some of his fellow French nationals when he first moved to Belgium and then dropped his French citizenship for a <a href="" type="internal">Russian passport</a>.&#160; More specifically, Depardieu’s departure was in defiance of President Francois Hollande’s Socialist party which imposes a 75 percent tax rate on incomes above one million Euros ($1.3 million).&#160; This move divided France as many celebrities lined up to critique Depardieu, there were just as many who defended his actions.&#160; Since then, there has been a media focus upon such cases where taxes have become the primary reason for people to drop their citizenship in one country in favour of another.</p>
<p>And today the country which is forcefully going after its citizens who live abroad is the United States, one of only two countries in the world which has citizenship-based taxation.&#160; The only other country that has citizenship-based taxation is Eritrea.&#160; In 2011, there were 1,781 Americans who renounced their citizenship compared with just 231 three years earlier when US tax laws changed.&#160; The rates have been steadily increasing from 2012 with the most recent data showing that 5,411 Americans <a href="" type="internal">renounced their citizenship</a> in 2016.&#160; Even former London mayor, Boris Johnson, New York born, recently renounced his citizenship.&#160; The reasons for these renunciations is well known in the financial sector:&#160; taxes.</p>
<p>Still, there are many who are unaware of the depth of tax law for U.S. citizens and dual nationals living abroad.&#160; Take for instance last week’s case of <a href="" type="internal">Jeffrey Pomerantz</a>, a Vancouver-based resident with dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship who didn’t file the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). The U.S. government is now suing him for $860,300 US and before he can even consider renouncing his U.S. citizenship, Pomerantz must put his accounts in order with the “tax man.”</p>
<p>The spike in numbers of citizenship renunciations is largely due to newer tax laws, including the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ( <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/foreign-account-tax-compliance-act-fatca" type="external">FATCA</a>) of 2010. While FATCA attempts to&#160; “combat tax evasion by U.S. persons holding accounts and other financial assets offshore,” it penalises those without means to pay taxes in two countries and becomes an onerous task for anyone who is poor or middle class.&#160; For instance, FATCA necessitates the reporting of U.S.&#160; taxpayers on their foreign financial accounts and offshore assets; their foreign financial institutions regarding financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers; and foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest.&#160; Under FATCA, certain U.S. taxpayers with financial assets outside the U.S. that total more than the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/do-i-need-to-file-form-8938-statement-of-specified-foreign-financial-assets" type="external">reporting threshold</a> must report their assets to the IRS, using Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets (today this would apply for those with “specified foreign assets”&#160; <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/do-i-need-to-file-form-8938-statement-of-specified-foreign-financial-assets" type="external">upwards of $200,000</a>).</p>
<p>FATCA requirements are in addition to the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), which has been the long-standing process for reporting foreign financial accounts. The penalties for failing to comply are significant, and, in some cases, involve criminal liability.&#160; In the UK, for instance, many banks are <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/35383435" type="external">refusing accounts</a> to U.S. citizens due to the extra burden it puts on the bank to report to the U.S. government.&#160; Additionally, these laws affect middle-class and poor American citizens who are expected to pay capital gains tax to the U.S. government if they sell a property abroad even if that property is their main residence.&#160; And there is the issue of double taxation which citizen-based taxation imposes. While foreign tax credits and the <a href="" type="internal">1031 exchange</a> can reduce the tax burden, they do not eliminate all double taxes, particularly for higher-income earners (the threshold today is $106,000 before double taxation kicks in) who end up filing and paying taxes both in the U.S. and abroad.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the cases of Depardieu and the many Americans living outside the United States, raise many questions as to the links between citizenship and participation in the state through taxation.&#160; In ancient Greece, taxation was the primary source of revenue for the city-state and demonstrated the citizen’s participation to this political system and inextricably intertwined with the construction of the city-state and citizenship.&#160; There was an accepted principle in Greek cities that the wealthy had a moral obligation to pay taxes intended to be spent on the public good.&#160; Thus, in many cities like Athens, citizens were obliged to undertake what were called liturgies [λειτουργία], a type of community service which took two forms:&#160; gymnasiarchia [γυμνασιαρχία], the financial maintenance of the gymnasium, and the choregia [χορηγία], the public duty of financing the choir members of the theater for dramatic competitions.&#160; Another tax on the rich was known as the trierarchy [Τριηραρχία] where the citizen who performed this was responsible for the outfitting, maintenance, commissioning, and command of a warship known as a trireme.&#160; The eisphorá (εἰσφορά) was a tax on the wealth of the very rich which was usually only levied only when needed, such as in times of war.&#160; Economic activity was also taxed within the city-state as well which often took the form of indirect taxes were levied on houses, slaves, herds and flocks, wines, and hay, among other forms of trade.&#160; The metics (non citizens) in Athens had to pay a special tax called a metoikion [μετοίκιον] which was set up to symbolically to value them less than citizens.&#160; But the link between political or economic participation in the state was clearly linked to citizenship early on.</p>
<p>Citizenship originated with the “city-state,” a sovereign area of a city and often its dependent territories, a collection of settlements with political unity, known as the polis [πόλις].&#160; The members of the polis would make up the collectivity of citizens creating a political state&#160; connecting a human community and a determinate territory.&#160; Aristotle writes in Politics of the polis:&#160; “The partnership finally composed of several villages is the city-state; it has at last attained the limit of virtually complete self-sufficiency, and thus, while it comes into existence for the sake of life, it exists for the good life.”&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Herodotus</a> notes that the the polis went beyond this grouping of geographical and political commonality and turned on the concept of “equality,” where power is diffused.&#160; This format of citizenship remained the leading model of citizenship in Greece from approximately the eight through the fourth centuries BCE.&#160; There was another model of citizenship within Greece which was a flexible form of association over a broad territory, sometimes composed of city-states, called the&#160; ethnos [ἔθνος].&#160; Based on ethnic identity, the ethnos was a grouping of people who lived in small, free communities political joined in league or federation with others&#160; (ie. the Athenians, the Lacedaemonians, the Corinthians), each ethnos being independent and having no unity other than political. Thus every city-state enjoyed territorial sovereignty and in accordance with it its politeia [πολιτεία] (community of citizens) made its own laws.</p>
<p>Three governmental institutions were common to all the city-states: a large Assembly that brought together all or part of the polites [πολίτες] (“citizens,” though in exclusion of&#160; minors, foreigners, “metics,” women, and slaves); one or more smaller councils, generally entrusted with preparing and executing the decisions made by the Assembly; and a certain number of public offices (the archai [ἀρχαί], magistracies), exercised in alternation by certain people. The politeia specific to each polis presented different challenges from the writings of Herodotus to Plato.&#160; The&#160; politês who is the member of the polis incurred two types of framing within the city-state depending on this citizen’s participation: the politeia designates either the citizens’ participation in the city-state constituting “citizenship” or the citizen was part of a collective organisation of all citizens into a whole, thus forming a “constitution” or “regime.”&#160; In both definitions, however, the citizen participates in the city-state either through direct participation or through membership, belonging.</p>
<p>Over time, the system of tax changed, such that during the Roman Empire citizens were more generally taxed 1% and over the centuries taxes grew as did the ethos for taxation. For instance, the eighteenth century employed&#160; microeconomic (Utilitarian) theories of maximising social welfare in the individual’s responsibility to the society of which they are participating members.</p>
<p>As for Depardieu and others handing in their passports to opt out of this civic participation—to include those who must get “creative” in avoiding the payment of taxes—there are other duties expected of expatriates abroad such as the notable task of <a href="https://www.lingoda.com/" type="external">learning a foreign language</a> or the <a href="https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/handbook/qlts/content.page" type="external">transfer of professional qualifications</a> to another country.&#160; At the end of the day, one might interrogate the standard of civic participation in an era where citizenship has been become a rally cry for political agendas ranging from putting up walls to kicking out <a href="" type="internal">foreigners</a>.&#160; If money is now the standard of citizenship, which it certainly is in countries like the U.S. and the U.K., we ought to better understand why those with investments of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/tier-1-investor" type="external">£2,000,000</a> are given a paved road to citizenship while Americans without means living abroad must pay extortionate rates just to rescind their citizenship.&#160; While money is a driving force for those who do opt out of their natal citizenship, there are others who have made a U-turn in their desire to return to their homeland for other rewards.&#160; When French author, Michel Houellebecq returned from his own tax exile in Ireland where there is a <a href="http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax/artists_exemption_from_income_tax.html" type="external">special exemption</a> of taxes for writers and artists, he said, “Let’s say that money is important, but it’s not the most important thing.”</p>
|
The Limits of Citizenship
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2017/03/20/the-limits-of-citizenship/
|
2017-03-20
| 4left
|
The Limits of Citizenship
<p>In January 2013 after a lengthy dispute with the French government over taxes on the wealthy, Gérard Depardieu famously invoked rage amongst some of his fellow French nationals when he first moved to Belgium and then dropped his French citizenship for a <a href="" type="internal">Russian passport</a>.&#160; More specifically, Depardieu’s departure was in defiance of President Francois Hollande’s Socialist party which imposes a 75 percent tax rate on incomes above one million Euros ($1.3 million).&#160; This move divided France as many celebrities lined up to critique Depardieu, there were just as many who defended his actions.&#160; Since then, there has been a media focus upon such cases where taxes have become the primary reason for people to drop their citizenship in one country in favour of another.</p>
<p>And today the country which is forcefully going after its citizens who live abroad is the United States, one of only two countries in the world which has citizenship-based taxation.&#160; The only other country that has citizenship-based taxation is Eritrea.&#160; In 2011, there were 1,781 Americans who renounced their citizenship compared with just 231 three years earlier when US tax laws changed.&#160; The rates have been steadily increasing from 2012 with the most recent data showing that 5,411 Americans <a href="" type="internal">renounced their citizenship</a> in 2016.&#160; Even former London mayor, Boris Johnson, New York born, recently renounced his citizenship.&#160; The reasons for these renunciations is well known in the financial sector:&#160; taxes.</p>
<p>Still, there are many who are unaware of the depth of tax law for U.S. citizens and dual nationals living abroad.&#160; Take for instance last week’s case of <a href="" type="internal">Jeffrey Pomerantz</a>, a Vancouver-based resident with dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship who didn’t file the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR). The U.S. government is now suing him for $860,300 US and before he can even consider renouncing his U.S. citizenship, Pomerantz must put his accounts in order with the “tax man.”</p>
<p>The spike in numbers of citizenship renunciations is largely due to newer tax laws, including the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ( <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/foreign-account-tax-compliance-act-fatca" type="external">FATCA</a>) of 2010. While FATCA attempts to&#160; “combat tax evasion by U.S. persons holding accounts and other financial assets offshore,” it penalises those without means to pay taxes in two countries and becomes an onerous task for anyone who is poor or middle class.&#160; For instance, FATCA necessitates the reporting of U.S.&#160; taxpayers on their foreign financial accounts and offshore assets; their foreign financial institutions regarding financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers; and foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest.&#160; Under FATCA, certain U.S. taxpayers with financial assets outside the U.S. that total more than the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/do-i-need-to-file-form-8938-statement-of-specified-foreign-financial-assets" type="external">reporting threshold</a> must report their assets to the IRS, using Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets (today this would apply for those with “specified foreign assets”&#160; <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/corporations/do-i-need-to-file-form-8938-statement-of-specified-foreign-financial-assets" type="external">upwards of $200,000</a>).</p>
<p>FATCA requirements are in addition to the Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), which has been the long-standing process for reporting foreign financial accounts. The penalties for failing to comply are significant, and, in some cases, involve criminal liability.&#160; In the UK, for instance, many banks are <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/35383435" type="external">refusing accounts</a> to U.S. citizens due to the extra burden it puts on the bank to report to the U.S. government.&#160; Additionally, these laws affect middle-class and poor American citizens who are expected to pay capital gains tax to the U.S. government if they sell a property abroad even if that property is their main residence.&#160; And there is the issue of double taxation which citizen-based taxation imposes. While foreign tax credits and the <a href="" type="internal">1031 exchange</a> can reduce the tax burden, they do not eliminate all double taxes, particularly for higher-income earners (the threshold today is $106,000 before double taxation kicks in) who end up filing and paying taxes both in the U.S. and abroad.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the cases of Depardieu and the many Americans living outside the United States, raise many questions as to the links between citizenship and participation in the state through taxation.&#160; In ancient Greece, taxation was the primary source of revenue for the city-state and demonstrated the citizen’s participation to this political system and inextricably intertwined with the construction of the city-state and citizenship.&#160; There was an accepted principle in Greek cities that the wealthy had a moral obligation to pay taxes intended to be spent on the public good.&#160; Thus, in many cities like Athens, citizens were obliged to undertake what were called liturgies [λειτουργία], a type of community service which took two forms:&#160; gymnasiarchia [γυμνασιαρχία], the financial maintenance of the gymnasium, and the choregia [χορηγία], the public duty of financing the choir members of the theater for dramatic competitions.&#160; Another tax on the rich was known as the trierarchy [Τριηραρχία] where the citizen who performed this was responsible for the outfitting, maintenance, commissioning, and command of a warship known as a trireme.&#160; The eisphorá (εἰσφορά) was a tax on the wealth of the very rich which was usually only levied only when needed, such as in times of war.&#160; Economic activity was also taxed within the city-state as well which often took the form of indirect taxes were levied on houses, slaves, herds and flocks, wines, and hay, among other forms of trade.&#160; The metics (non citizens) in Athens had to pay a special tax called a metoikion [μετοίκιον] which was set up to symbolically to value them less than citizens.&#160; But the link between political or economic participation in the state was clearly linked to citizenship early on.</p>
<p>Citizenship originated with the “city-state,” a sovereign area of a city and often its dependent territories, a collection of settlements with political unity, known as the polis [πόλις].&#160; The members of the polis would make up the collectivity of citizens creating a political state&#160; connecting a human community and a determinate territory.&#160; Aristotle writes in Politics of the polis:&#160; “The partnership finally composed of several villages is the city-state; it has at last attained the limit of virtually complete self-sufficiency, and thus, while it comes into existence for the sake of life, it exists for the good life.”&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Herodotus</a> notes that the the polis went beyond this grouping of geographical and political commonality and turned on the concept of “equality,” where power is diffused.&#160; This format of citizenship remained the leading model of citizenship in Greece from approximately the eight through the fourth centuries BCE.&#160; There was another model of citizenship within Greece which was a flexible form of association over a broad territory, sometimes composed of city-states, called the&#160; ethnos [ἔθνος].&#160; Based on ethnic identity, the ethnos was a grouping of people who lived in small, free communities political joined in league or federation with others&#160; (ie. the Athenians, the Lacedaemonians, the Corinthians), each ethnos being independent and having no unity other than political. Thus every city-state enjoyed territorial sovereignty and in accordance with it its politeia [πολιτεία] (community of citizens) made its own laws.</p>
<p>Three governmental institutions were common to all the city-states: a large Assembly that brought together all or part of the polites [πολίτες] (“citizens,” though in exclusion of&#160; minors, foreigners, “metics,” women, and slaves); one or more smaller councils, generally entrusted with preparing and executing the decisions made by the Assembly; and a certain number of public offices (the archai [ἀρχαί], magistracies), exercised in alternation by certain people. The politeia specific to each polis presented different challenges from the writings of Herodotus to Plato.&#160; The&#160; politês who is the member of the polis incurred two types of framing within the city-state depending on this citizen’s participation: the politeia designates either the citizens’ participation in the city-state constituting “citizenship” or the citizen was part of a collective organisation of all citizens into a whole, thus forming a “constitution” or “regime.”&#160; In both definitions, however, the citizen participates in the city-state either through direct participation or through membership, belonging.</p>
<p>Over time, the system of tax changed, such that during the Roman Empire citizens were more generally taxed 1% and over the centuries taxes grew as did the ethos for taxation. For instance, the eighteenth century employed&#160; microeconomic (Utilitarian) theories of maximising social welfare in the individual’s responsibility to the society of which they are participating members.</p>
<p>As for Depardieu and others handing in their passports to opt out of this civic participation—to include those who must get “creative” in avoiding the payment of taxes—there are other duties expected of expatriates abroad such as the notable task of <a href="https://www.lingoda.com/" type="external">learning a foreign language</a> or the <a href="https://www.sra.org.uk/solicitors/handbook/qlts/content.page" type="external">transfer of professional qualifications</a> to another country.&#160; At the end of the day, one might interrogate the standard of civic participation in an era where citizenship has been become a rally cry for political agendas ranging from putting up walls to kicking out <a href="" type="internal">foreigners</a>.&#160; If money is now the standard of citizenship, which it certainly is in countries like the U.S. and the U.K., we ought to better understand why those with investments of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/tier-1-investor" type="external">£2,000,000</a> are given a paved road to citizenship while Americans without means living abroad must pay extortionate rates just to rescind their citizenship.&#160; While money is a driving force for those who do opt out of their natal citizenship, there are others who have made a U-turn in their desire to return to their homeland for other rewards.&#160; When French author, Michel Houellebecq returned from his own tax exile in Ireland where there is a <a href="http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money_and_tax/tax/income_tax/artists_exemption_from_income_tax.html" type="external">special exemption</a> of taxes for writers and artists, he said, “Let’s say that money is important, but it’s not the most important thing.”</p>
| 4,885 |
<p />
<p>Staff Changes</p>
<p>Jerry M. Bailey, to James Square Church, Lawrenceville, as pastor.</p>
<p>James McLendon, to Ocean View Church, Norfolk, as senior pastor, effective April 17.</p>
<p>Joseph McKissick, resigning as pastor of Trinity Church, Martinsville.</p>
<p>Lynn Blue, to Poplar Springs Church, Richmond, as music director.</p>
<p>David Simpson, resigning as young lives minister of Northside Church, Mechanicsville.</p>
<p>Carson Rich, to First Church, Springfield, as interim student minister.</p>
<p>Church News</p>
<p>The Virginia Baptist Women's Chorale will be in concert on April 16 at 6:00 p.m. at Burkeville Church, Burkeville. The chorale consists of women in Virginia who have a leadership role in the music ministry of their church.</p>
<p>There will be a Tsunami Benefit Concert at Louisa Church, Louisa, on April 16 at 7:00 p.m.</p>
<p>Death</p>
<p>Former Virginia Baptist pastor Edwin Clay Thornton Jr. died March 25 in Midlothian at the age of 88. Thornton served as pastor of Fountain Creek and Fountain Grove churches in Emporia; Zion and Forest Hill churches in Skippers, Winn's and Hunton churches in Glen Allen; and Beaver Dam Church, Franklin, where he served for 32 years until his retirement in 1981. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Adams Thornton; a daughter, Kathy Beery; three sons, William, Clay and James Thornton; a brother; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A graveside service was held March 28 in Emporia.</p>
<p>Other</p>
<p>Randall J. Stoda Jr., and his wife Angela, were appointed as missionaries to Central and Eastern Europe by the International Mission Board on March 15. A native of Warrenton, Randall will be engaged in evangelism and church planting.</p>
<p>Revivals</p>
<p>Corner Stone Church, Monroe; revival April 11-14; Glenn Matthews, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Crooked Oak Church, Hillsville; revival April 17-21; Fred Hawks, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Ebenezer Church, South Hill; revival April 10-13; Habacuc Diaz Lopez, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Fairlawn Church, Fairlawn; revival April 17-20; Murrill and Deborah Boitnott, guest evangelists.</p>
<p>Faith Church, Hampton; revival April 17-20; Richard Land, president of SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Floyd Church, Floyd; community revival April 24-26.</p>
<p>Fox Hill Road Church, Hampton; revival April 17-20; Jim Ailor, director of missions for Peninsula Association; guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Glade Spring Church, Glade Spring; revival April 24-27; Sherrell Dunn, pastor of Mountain View Church, Meadowview; guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Memorial Church, Port Royal; revival April 10-13; Roger Roller, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Oakland Church, Disputanta; revival April 10-13; Don Campbell, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Rocks Church, Pamplin; revival April 17-20; Alden Hicks, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Shalom Church, Mechanicsville; revival April 17-20; Jim White, Virginia Baptist Mission Board, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Winfall Church, Gladys; revival April 17-20; Bert Johnson, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Zoan Church, Fredericksburg; revival April 17-20; Scott Roberts and Jarvis Bailey, guest evangelists.</p>
|
Church & People News for April 7, 2005
| false |
https://baptistnews.com/article/churchpeoplenewsforapril72005/
| 3left-center
|
Church & People News for April 7, 2005
<p />
<p>Staff Changes</p>
<p>Jerry M. Bailey, to James Square Church, Lawrenceville, as pastor.</p>
<p>James McLendon, to Ocean View Church, Norfolk, as senior pastor, effective April 17.</p>
<p>Joseph McKissick, resigning as pastor of Trinity Church, Martinsville.</p>
<p>Lynn Blue, to Poplar Springs Church, Richmond, as music director.</p>
<p>David Simpson, resigning as young lives minister of Northside Church, Mechanicsville.</p>
<p>Carson Rich, to First Church, Springfield, as interim student minister.</p>
<p>Church News</p>
<p>The Virginia Baptist Women's Chorale will be in concert on April 16 at 6:00 p.m. at Burkeville Church, Burkeville. The chorale consists of women in Virginia who have a leadership role in the music ministry of their church.</p>
<p>There will be a Tsunami Benefit Concert at Louisa Church, Louisa, on April 16 at 7:00 p.m.</p>
<p>Death</p>
<p>Former Virginia Baptist pastor Edwin Clay Thornton Jr. died March 25 in Midlothian at the age of 88. Thornton served as pastor of Fountain Creek and Fountain Grove churches in Emporia; Zion and Forest Hill churches in Skippers, Winn's and Hunton churches in Glen Allen; and Beaver Dam Church, Franklin, where he served for 32 years until his retirement in 1981. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Adams Thornton; a daughter, Kathy Beery; three sons, William, Clay and James Thornton; a brother; eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A graveside service was held March 28 in Emporia.</p>
<p>Other</p>
<p>Randall J. Stoda Jr., and his wife Angela, were appointed as missionaries to Central and Eastern Europe by the International Mission Board on March 15. A native of Warrenton, Randall will be engaged in evangelism and church planting.</p>
<p>Revivals</p>
<p>Corner Stone Church, Monroe; revival April 11-14; Glenn Matthews, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Crooked Oak Church, Hillsville; revival April 17-21; Fred Hawks, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Ebenezer Church, South Hill; revival April 10-13; Habacuc Diaz Lopez, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Fairlawn Church, Fairlawn; revival April 17-20; Murrill and Deborah Boitnott, guest evangelists.</p>
<p>Faith Church, Hampton; revival April 17-20; Richard Land, president of SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Floyd Church, Floyd; community revival April 24-26.</p>
<p>Fox Hill Road Church, Hampton; revival April 17-20; Jim Ailor, director of missions for Peninsula Association; guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Glade Spring Church, Glade Spring; revival April 24-27; Sherrell Dunn, pastor of Mountain View Church, Meadowview; guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Memorial Church, Port Royal; revival April 10-13; Roger Roller, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Oakland Church, Disputanta; revival April 10-13; Don Campbell, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Rocks Church, Pamplin; revival April 17-20; Alden Hicks, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Shalom Church, Mechanicsville; revival April 17-20; Jim White, Virginia Baptist Mission Board, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Winfall Church, Gladys; revival April 17-20; Bert Johnson, guest evangelist.</p>
<p>Zoan Church, Fredericksburg; revival April 17-20; Scott Roberts and Jarvis Bailey, guest evangelists.</p>
| 4,886 |
|
<p>Five men suspected of terror-related offences are one step closer to being sent from Britain to the United States.</p>
<p>Europe's top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the extraditions can go ahead.</p>
<p>The five suspects include Abu Hamza al-Masri, a radical Islamist cleric who's blind in one eye and has a hook for a hand. Hamza, who was known for preaching outside Finsbury Park mosque in London, once praised the September 11th attacks.</p>
<p>Also known as Mustafa Kamal Mustafa, Hamza was sentenced to seven years in a British prison for inciting murder and racial hatred. While he was still in prison, the U.S. issued its extradition request.</p>
<p>One man who served as an informant against Hamza was delighted to hear of the European court's ruling today.</p>
<p>"For me he was already a terrorist-in-chief because he was the spiritual leader of the Algerian group, the JAA. He was raising money for them. He was recruiting people here in London. So when I used to see him, he'd speak about killing the unbelievers," the informant said. "He used to call America — the United Snake of America."</p>
<p>U.S. authorities want Abu Hamza on 11 charges, including planning a terrorist training camp in Oregon and plotting to provide material support to terrorists.</p>
<p>Hamza and the other defendants argued that long prison sentences that they might serve in solitary confinement in American prisons would violate their human rights.</p>
<p>Claire Ovey, a lawyer speaking for the European Court, said today the judges disagreed.</p>
<p>"The Court has held that if these applicants are convicted and are sentenced to all-life sentences without possibility of parole in the U.S., that will mean that they have basically been convicted of very serious offences, and that these sentences will not be grossly disproportionate, and will not therefore amount to inhuman and degrading treatment," Ovey said.</p>
<p>The ruling comes as a bitter disappointment to the family of another defendant, Babar Ahmad. He's accused of creating websites that raised money, recruited fighters and provided equipment for terrorists. Ahmad has been held without trial for eight years.</p>
<p>Today, his father, Ashfaq, said his son has been a victim of abuse of process.</p>
<p>"Babar is a British citizen accused of a crime said to have been committed in the UK," his father said, "and all the evidence against him was gathered in this country. Nevertheless, British justice appears to have been subcontracted to the U.S."</p>
<p>The case has been seen as a judgment, in effect, on the U.S. prison system.</p>
<p>"This is an entirely sensible decision. The United States is a friendly country, it has a fair justice system," said Lord Alex Carlile, the terrorism law watchdog under Tony Blair's government. "I don't like some aspects of its penal system, but it's a sovereign and lawful system. It would have been extraordinary if the European Court of Human Rights had discriminated against the American justice system. These men are accused of very serious offences in the United States, and it's right that they should be tried in the United States."</p>
<p>The decision is not just a win for the U.S. Justice Department. It's also an important victory for the British government, which has been facing increasing criticism for its enforcement of laws on deportation and extradition, particularly to the United States.</p>
<p>Still, these men won't be boarding planes to America anytime soon.</p>
<p>The court's procedures call for a three-month waiting period before the ruling is final. The men still have one, slim chance to appeal to the Grand Chamber, which could tie up the case for many more months to come.</p>
|
Extradition of Alleged Terror Suspects to US Backed by European Court
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2012-04-10/extradition-alleged-terror-suspects-us-backed-european-court
|
2012-04-10
| 3left-center
|
Extradition of Alleged Terror Suspects to US Backed by European Court
<p>Five men suspected of terror-related offences are one step closer to being sent from Britain to the United States.</p>
<p>Europe's top human rights court ruled on Tuesday that the extraditions can go ahead.</p>
<p>The five suspects include Abu Hamza al-Masri, a radical Islamist cleric who's blind in one eye and has a hook for a hand. Hamza, who was known for preaching outside Finsbury Park mosque in London, once praised the September 11th attacks.</p>
<p>Also known as Mustafa Kamal Mustafa, Hamza was sentenced to seven years in a British prison for inciting murder and racial hatred. While he was still in prison, the U.S. issued its extradition request.</p>
<p>One man who served as an informant against Hamza was delighted to hear of the European court's ruling today.</p>
<p>"For me he was already a terrorist-in-chief because he was the spiritual leader of the Algerian group, the JAA. He was raising money for them. He was recruiting people here in London. So when I used to see him, he'd speak about killing the unbelievers," the informant said. "He used to call America — the United Snake of America."</p>
<p>U.S. authorities want Abu Hamza on 11 charges, including planning a terrorist training camp in Oregon and plotting to provide material support to terrorists.</p>
<p>Hamza and the other defendants argued that long prison sentences that they might serve in solitary confinement in American prisons would violate their human rights.</p>
<p>Claire Ovey, a lawyer speaking for the European Court, said today the judges disagreed.</p>
<p>"The Court has held that if these applicants are convicted and are sentenced to all-life sentences without possibility of parole in the U.S., that will mean that they have basically been convicted of very serious offences, and that these sentences will not be grossly disproportionate, and will not therefore amount to inhuman and degrading treatment," Ovey said.</p>
<p>The ruling comes as a bitter disappointment to the family of another defendant, Babar Ahmad. He's accused of creating websites that raised money, recruited fighters and provided equipment for terrorists. Ahmad has been held without trial for eight years.</p>
<p>Today, his father, Ashfaq, said his son has been a victim of abuse of process.</p>
<p>"Babar is a British citizen accused of a crime said to have been committed in the UK," his father said, "and all the evidence against him was gathered in this country. Nevertheless, British justice appears to have been subcontracted to the U.S."</p>
<p>The case has been seen as a judgment, in effect, on the U.S. prison system.</p>
<p>"This is an entirely sensible decision. The United States is a friendly country, it has a fair justice system," said Lord Alex Carlile, the terrorism law watchdog under Tony Blair's government. "I don't like some aspects of its penal system, but it's a sovereign and lawful system. It would have been extraordinary if the European Court of Human Rights had discriminated against the American justice system. These men are accused of very serious offences in the United States, and it's right that they should be tried in the United States."</p>
<p>The decision is not just a win for the U.S. Justice Department. It's also an important victory for the British government, which has been facing increasing criticism for its enforcement of laws on deportation and extradition, particularly to the United States.</p>
<p>Still, these men won't be boarding planes to America anytime soon.</p>
<p>The court's procedures call for a three-month waiting period before the ruling is final. The men still have one, slim chance to appeal to the Grand Chamber, which could tie up the case for many more months to come.</p>
| 4,887 |
<p>Have you ever hoped your cell phone would ring in order to extricate you from a boring date or an unpleasant meeting? Well, <a href="http://popularitydialer.com/" type="external">The Popularity Dialer</a>, via a Web interface, will ring you up and supply half of a conversation you can use to make your apologies and get the hell out.</p>
<p>From The Populariy Dialer:</p>
<p>With “The Popularity Dialer”, you can plan ahead. Via a web interface, you can choose to have your phone called at a particular time (or several times). At the elected time, your phone will be dialed and you will hear a prerecorded message that’s one half of a conversation. Thus, you will be prompted to have a fake conversation and will easily fool those around you.</p>
<p><a href="http://popularitydialer.com/" type="external">Link</a></p>
<p />
|
'Popularity Dialer' Offers Phone Escape Route
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/popularity-dialer-offers-phone-escape-route/
|
2006-08-04
| 4left
|
'Popularity Dialer' Offers Phone Escape Route
<p>Have you ever hoped your cell phone would ring in order to extricate you from a boring date or an unpleasant meeting? Well, <a href="http://popularitydialer.com/" type="external">The Popularity Dialer</a>, via a Web interface, will ring you up and supply half of a conversation you can use to make your apologies and get the hell out.</p>
<p>From The Populariy Dialer:</p>
<p>With “The Popularity Dialer”, you can plan ahead. Via a web interface, you can choose to have your phone called at a particular time (or several times). At the elected time, your phone will be dialed and you will hear a prerecorded message that’s one half of a conversation. Thus, you will be prompted to have a fake conversation and will easily fool those around you.</p>
<p><a href="http://popularitydialer.com/" type="external">Link</a></p>
<p />
| 4,888 |
<p />
<p>Wow, <a href="http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_5841&amp;pageNum=4" type="external">the gap</a> is worse than Obama’s people might have feared. As Ryan Lizza wrote in GQ, back in the spring:</p>
<p>Obama’s pollsters were finding alarming evidence that their candidate was vulnerable to the same phenomenon. When they compared the percentage of Democrats who said they strongly approved of Obama with the percentage who said they would vote for him, they found that the latter number was significantly lower than the former. Inside the campaign, aides dubbed this “the Gap.” It was a sobering, hard number that quantified the difference between vague enthusiasm and actual votes. For Hillary Clinton, the gap is much smaller. The majority of voters who strongly approve of her also say they will vote for her.</p>
<p>And that seems to be borne out by some shocking new poll results (California only folks) today (via the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/08/17/MNG7RJV1E1.DTL&amp;type=politics" type="external">SF Chron</a>):</p>
<p>New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, bolstered by an aggressive campaign organization in California, has amassed a whopping 30-point lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama &amp;mdash and enjoys more support among likely voters in the state Democratic primary than all of her Democratic presidential rivals combined, a Field Poll released today shows.</p>
<p>The poll solidifies Clinton’s position as the clear front-runner in the nation’s most populous state &amp;mdash and raises questions about Obama’s effort in California, whose primary is Feb. 5. The Illinois senator has seen his support drop by one-third since the previous Field Poll taken in March….</p>
<p>Clinton’s strengths in California include a crushing 4-1 lead among Latino voters, a more than 2-1 lead among women and African American voters, and at least a 2-1 lead in every geographic region in the state, the poll showed. She is also the overwhelming favorite in all age groups and ethnic groups and at every education level.</p>
<p>The robust poll findings, DiCamillo said, suggest Clinton may be putting to rest some of the commonly cited worries of Democrats regarding her campaign — that she could be too divisive and therefore less attractive to independent and swing voters.</p>
<p>“I was looking for hints of vulnerability… and it’s not really there in the data,” DiCamillo said. “One theory was she is going to do very poorly among Republicans … (but) you don’t really see any evidence to support that.”</p>
<p>The poll showed that all three top Democratic candidates would defeat the four leading Republicans: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and Arizona Sen. John McCain.</p>
<p>But Clinton appears strongest in head-to-head matchups &amp;mdash leading all the GOP candidates by 15 to 20 percentage points.</p>
<p>Did Obama peak too early? Or is it too early to tell much from poll numbers? It’s an impressive ground effort in California, that much seems clear.</p>
<p />
|
Clinton Leaving Obama in the Dust: New Cali Poll Results
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/clinton-leaving-obama-dust-new-cali-poll-results/
|
2007-08-17
| 4left
|
Clinton Leaving Obama in the Dust: New Cali Poll Results
<p />
<p>Wow, <a href="http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_5841&amp;pageNum=4" type="external">the gap</a> is worse than Obama’s people might have feared. As Ryan Lizza wrote in GQ, back in the spring:</p>
<p>Obama’s pollsters were finding alarming evidence that their candidate was vulnerable to the same phenomenon. When they compared the percentage of Democrats who said they strongly approved of Obama with the percentage who said they would vote for him, they found that the latter number was significantly lower than the former. Inside the campaign, aides dubbed this “the Gap.” It was a sobering, hard number that quantified the difference between vague enthusiasm and actual votes. For Hillary Clinton, the gap is much smaller. The majority of voters who strongly approve of her also say they will vote for her.</p>
<p>And that seems to be borne out by some shocking new poll results (California only folks) today (via the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2007/08/17/MNG7RJV1E1.DTL&amp;type=politics" type="external">SF Chron</a>):</p>
<p>New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, bolstered by an aggressive campaign organization in California, has amassed a whopping 30-point lead over Illinois Sen. Barack Obama &amp;mdash and enjoys more support among likely voters in the state Democratic primary than all of her Democratic presidential rivals combined, a Field Poll released today shows.</p>
<p>The poll solidifies Clinton’s position as the clear front-runner in the nation’s most populous state &amp;mdash and raises questions about Obama’s effort in California, whose primary is Feb. 5. The Illinois senator has seen his support drop by one-third since the previous Field Poll taken in March….</p>
<p>Clinton’s strengths in California include a crushing 4-1 lead among Latino voters, a more than 2-1 lead among women and African American voters, and at least a 2-1 lead in every geographic region in the state, the poll showed. She is also the overwhelming favorite in all age groups and ethnic groups and at every education level.</p>
<p>The robust poll findings, DiCamillo said, suggest Clinton may be putting to rest some of the commonly cited worries of Democrats regarding her campaign — that she could be too divisive and therefore less attractive to independent and swing voters.</p>
<p>“I was looking for hints of vulnerability… and it’s not really there in the data,” DiCamillo said. “One theory was she is going to do very poorly among Republicans … (but) you don’t really see any evidence to support that.”</p>
<p>The poll showed that all three top Democratic candidates would defeat the four leading Republicans: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson and Arizona Sen. John McCain.</p>
<p>But Clinton appears strongest in head-to-head matchups &amp;mdash leading all the GOP candidates by 15 to 20 percentage points.</p>
<p>Did Obama peak too early? Or is it too early to tell much from poll numbers? It’s an impressive ground effort in California, that much seems clear.</p>
<p />
| 4,889 |
<p>DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - The head of China’s second-biggest e-commerce company, JD.com Inc, accused the United States on Wednesday of practicing “serious” protectionism against Chinese firms and said this would ultimately backfire on the world’s largest economy.</p>
<p>“Many friends from other countries discuss protectionism in China but I think things have completely reversed,” JD.com Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Liu said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.</p>
<p>“One day it will hurt the U.S. economy too,” said Liu, whose $67 billion online retailer competes with bigger rival Alibaba Group Holding.</p>
<p>The United States on Tuesday slapped steep import tariffs on washing machines and solar panels in moves billed as a way to protect American jobs by President Donald Trump. They sparked condemnations from China and South Korea.</p>
<p>The U.S. government also recently rejected Chinese firm Ant Financial’s plan to acquire U.S. money transfer firm MoneyGram International Inc over national security concerns, the most high-profile Chinese deal to be torpedoed under the Trump administration.</p> FILE PHOTO: An employee works at a JD.com logistics centre in Langfang, Hebei province, November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo
<p>The U.S. government has toughened its stance on the sale of American companies to Chinese entities, at a time of already tense trade ties, with Washington vowing to narrow a large trade deficit with China which reached $347 billion in 2016.</p>
<p>Liu said Nasdaq-listed JD.com not only wants to overtake Alibaba as the largest online retailer in China, but also become a global player. But like other Chinese CEOs, he said he had found it difficult to make forays into the U.S. market.</p>
<p>For now, the company is focused on Southeast Asia, and would look to grow in the region both organically and by acquisition.</p>
<p>“It’s hard to use only one model. In Southeast Asia, we look for local partners to develop business, but we don’t want to exclude acquisitions,” Liu said.</p>
<p>In January, JD.com said it had made an investment in Vietnamese e-commerce firm Tiki.vn, the latest move in a strategic push into the region where Alibaba and Amazon have also made significant investments in the past year.</p>
<p>Reporting by Soyoung Kim; Editing by Mark Bendeich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - British data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica is at the center of controversy in the United States and Britain after two newspapers reported on Sunday that the company harvested personal data about Facebook users beginning in 2014.</p> FILE PHOTO: CEO of Cambridge Analytica, Alexander Nix, speaks during the Web Summit, Europe's biggest tech conference, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo
<p>Best known for assisting the 2016 presidential campaign of U.S. President Donald Trump, Cambridge Analytica is now facing a government search of its London office, questions from U.S. state authorities, and a demand by Facebook that it submit to a forensic audit.</p>
<p>Here is some of what is known about the company.</p> HOW DID IT START?
<p>Cambridge Analytica is an offshoot of SCL Group, a government and military contractor that says it works on everything from food security research to counter-narcotics to political campaigns. SCL was founded more than 25 years ago, according to its website.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica was created around 2013 initially with a focus on U.S. elections, with $15 million in backing from billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer and a name chosen by future Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, the New York Times reported.</p>
<p>The company, which the New York Times reported was staffed by mostly British workers then, assisted Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign before helping Trump’s.</p> WHAT DO THEY DO?
<p>Cambridge Analytica markets itself as providing consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients.</p>
<p>It does not list its corporate clients but on its website describes them as including a daily newspaper that wanted to know more about its subscribers, a women’s clothing brand that sought research on its customers and a U.S. auto insurer interested in marketing itself.</p>
<p>Britain’s Channel 4 News reported on Monday, based on secretly recorded video, that Cambridge Analytica secretly stage-managed Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta’s campaigns in the hotly contested 2013 and 2017 elections. Cambridge Analytica denied the report.</p>
<p>The company’s website lists five office locations in New York, Washington, London, Brazil and Malaysia.</p> WHEN DID IT FIRST GET ATTENTION?
<p>After Trump won the White House in 2016, in part with the firm’s help, Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix went to more clients to pitch his services, the Times reported last year. The company boasted it could develop psychological profiles of consumers and voters which was a “secret sauce” it used to sway them more effectively than traditional advertising could.</p>
<p>Rival consultants and campaign aides, though, expressed doubts about the company’s claims. Brad Parscale, who ran Trump’s digital operations in 2016, said the campaign did not use Cambridge Analytica’s data, relying instead on voter data from a Republican National Committee operation.</p> WHAT IS IT ACCUSED OF?
<p>Cambridge Analytica beginning in 2014 obtained data on 50 million Facebook users via means that deceived both the users and Facebook, the New York Times and London’s Observer reported on Saturday.</p>
<p>The data was harvested by an application developed by a British academic, Aleksandr Kogan, the newspapers said. Some 270,000 people downloaded the application and logged in with their Facebook credentials, according to Facebook. The application gathered their data and data about their friends, and then Kogan passed the data to Cambridge Analytica, according to both Cambridge Analytica and Facebook.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica said on Saturday that it did not initially know Kogan violated Facebook’s terms, and that it deleted the data once it found out in 2015. Kogan could not be reached for comment.</p>
<p>The data, though, was not deleted, the two newspapers reported on Saturday. Cambridge Analytica said that the allegation was not true. Facebook said it was investigating to verify the accuracy of the claim.</p> WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
<p>Facebook said it was pressing Cambridge Analytica for answers, after getting assurances from the firm in 2015 that it had deleted all data. Facebook has hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to help.</p>
<p>While Facebook investigates, the social network said it was suspending Cambridge Analytica, its parent SCL, Kogan and another man, Christopher Wylie, formerly of Cambridge Analytica, from its platform for violating Facebook rules.</p>
<p>Facebook’s probe, though, may have to wait until government authorities complete their investigation. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office is pursuing a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica’s office and asked Facebook’s auditors to stand down in the meantime, according to Facebook.</p>
<p>Attorneys general from the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Connecticut have launched investigations into how the Facebook data was handled, and the attorney general’s office in California, where Facebook is based, said it had concerns.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Ingram</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat-owner Snap fell further on Tuesday as Wall Street fretted over potential regulatory scrutiny that could hobble the business of the social networks.</p>
<p>Facebook lost 4.75 percent after it said it faced questions from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission about how its users’ personal data was mined by a political consultancy hired by Donald Trump’s campaign.</p>
<p>Since revelations on Saturday that a political consulting firm had improperly obtained personal data on 50 million Facebook users, the world’s largest social media company has lost $60 billion of its stock market value.</p>
<p>With concerns that Facebook’s handling of users’ data would lead to stepped up government regulation, social media rival Twitter slumped 9.0 percent and was on track for its worst day since July last year.</p>
<p>Snap fell nearly 4.0 percent to $15.86, dipping further below the $17 price set in its public listing a year ago.</p>
<p>Adding to regulatory jitters, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz <a href="http://bit.ly/2FR8BDa" type="external">bit.ly/2FR8BDa</a> reported that Israel Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked accused Twitter of "lack of cooperation," saying terrorist groups were using the site and that Israel was considering a law to combat such activity.</p> A figurine is seen in front of the Facebook logo in this illustration taken, March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
<p>Longbow Asset Management Chief Executive Jake Dollarhide said his firm’s Twitter stake was in negative territory due to this week’s drop. He has no plan to sell because he believes Twitter faces less regulatory risk than Facebook or Snap.</p>
<p>“The average guy or gal uses it as a news feed,” Dollarhide said. “I don’t know what personal information I’ve ever shared on Twitter.”</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>New European Union privacy rules that go into effect in May will require letting European users opt out of highly targeted online ads, or face fines of up to 4.0 percent of annual revenues.</p>
<p>San Francisco-based Baker Avenue Asset Management chief investment strategist King Lip said Facebook and other social media companies face more regulatory risk from European governments than in the United States.</p>
<p>Credit reporting agency Equifax’s massive breach of consumers’ sensitive financial data disclosed last September led to government probes but no major regulatory or legal changes.</p>
<p>“Equifax’s breach was far more egregious than the Facebook issue, and there hasn’t been any significant legislation,” Lip said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of chatter about privacy issues surrounding Facebook, but I don’t think any significant legislation is going to be passed.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Noel Randewich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is investigating whether Facebook did enough to protect data after a whistleblower said a London-based political consultancy hired by Donald Trump improperly accessed information on 50 million Facebook users to sway public opinion.</p>
<p>Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) shares closed down nearly 7 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that damage to the reputation of the world’s largest social media network would deter users and advertisers.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Denham, the head of Britain’s Information Commission, is seeking a warrant to search the offices of consultancy Cambridge Analytica after a whistleblower revealed it had harvested the private information of millions of people to support Trump’s 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.</p>
<p>“We are looking at whether or not Facebook secured and safeguarded personal information on the platform and whether when they found out about the loss of the data they acted robustly and whether or not people were informed,” Denham told BBC Radio.</p>
<p>U.S. and European lawmakers have demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm gained access to the data in 2014 and why Facebook failed to inform its users, raising broader industry questions about consumer privacy.</p>
<p>In Washington, the Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee sent a letter on Monday to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg requesting information and a briefing on the Facebook user data.</p>
<p>“The possibility that Facebook has either not been transparent with consumers or has not been able to verify that third party app developers are transparent with consumers is troubling,” read the letter which was also addressed to Nigel Oakes, chief executive of Cambridge Analytica’s affiliate SCL.</p>
<p>Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating Facebook. Its shares fell a further 1.8 percent.</p>
<p>In London, the head of Britain’s cross-party Media parliamentary committee also wrote to Zuckerberg asking for more information. “We would like to receive your response by Monday 26 March,” lawmaker Damian Collins wrote.</p>
<p>In Dublin, Ireland’s privacy watchdog said it was following up with Facebook to clarify its oversight. The Irish body is the lead regulator for Facebook in the European Union because the network’s European headquarters are in Dublin.</p>
<p>Created in 2013, Cambridge Analytica markets itself as a source of consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients.</p>
<p>According to the New York Times, it was launched with $15 million in backing from billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer and a name chosen by the-then future Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon.</p>
<p>Facebook says the data were harvested by a British academic, Aleksandr Kogan, who created an app on the platform that was downloaded by 270,000 people, providing access not only to their own personal data but also their friends’.</p>
<p>Facebook said Kogan then violated its policies by passing the data to Cambridge Analytica. Facebook has since suspended both the consulting firm and SCL (Strategic Communication Laboratories), a government and military contractor.</p>
<p>Facebook said it had been told that the data were destroyed.</p>
<p>Kogan says he changed the terms and conditions of his personality-test app on Facebook from academic to commercial part way through the project, according to an email to Cambridge University colleagues obtained and cited by CNN.</p> Slideshow (9 Images)
<p>Kogan says Facebook made no objection, but Facebook says it was not informed of the change, CNN reported. Kogan was not immediately reachable for comment.</p> GRAVE VIOLATION
<p>“If this data still exists, it would be a grave violation of Facebook’s policies and an unacceptable violation of trust and the commitments these groups made,” Facebook said.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica has denied all the media claims and said it deleted the data after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.</p>
<p>On Tuesday people were seen carrying multiple plastic storage containers into and out of the building that houses Cambridge Analytica’s London office, among other companies. It was not clear which firm they were going to.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">Facebook Inc</a> 168.15 FB.O Nasdaq -4.41 (-2.56%) FB.O
<p>“We are not alone in using data from social media sites to extract user information,” Cambridge Analytica said. “No Facebook data was used by our data science team in the 2016 presidential campaign.”</p>
<p>Denham, head of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said on Monday she was seeking a warrant to access the offices of Cambridge Analytica after seeing an investigation by Britain’s Channel 4 news which secretly recorded its executives boasting of their ability to sway elections.</p>
<p>She said it would not take long to obtain the warrant.</p>
<p>“We have offered to share with the ICO all the information that it asked for and for the ICO to attend our office voluntarily, subject to our agreeing the scope of the inspection,” Cambridge Analytica said.</p>
<p>Facebook said it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data. The auditors were in Cambridge Analytica’s offices on Monday night but left at the request of the British authorities.</p>
<p>The Information Commissioner can currently impose fines of up to 500,000 pounds ($700,000) but will gain the power to fine an organization up to 4 percent of its global turnover when new data protection legislation comes into force in May.</p>
<p>The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook, which is already under attack over Russia’s alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election.</p>
<p>“This story comes on the back of increasing scrutiny and societal unease with FB’s potential impact on kids as well as increasing concerns around the power of mega cap Internet names, setting the stage for deeper investigation,” Deutsche Bank analyst Lloyd Walmsley wrote in a note, keeping his “buy” rating on Facebook stock.</p>
<p>Walmsley said he was worried “about how scrutiny could ultimately impact Facebook’s ability to gather and deploy data for ad targeting, which has been critical to ad efficacy and budget growth”.</p>
<p>The company said last month it had 1.4 billion active daily users, up 14 percent from a year earlier. But the number of daily users in the United States and Canada fell for the first time in its history, dipping in the company’s home market by 700,000 from a quarter earlier to 184 million.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-funds/index-provider-msci-says-it-is-reviewing-facebook-data-privacy-issue-idUSKBN1GW22H" type="external">Index provider MSCI says it is reviewing Facebook data privacy issue</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridgeanalytica-malaysia/malaysia-says-never-hired-british-data-firm-at-center-of-scrutiny-idUSKBN1GW1YU" type="external">Malaysia says never hired British data firm at center of scrutiny</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-kogan/uks-cambridge-university-questions-facebook-about-academics-role-in-data-breach-idUSKBN1GW1YR" type="external">UK's Cambridge University questions Facebook about academic's role in data breach</a>
<p>($1 = 0.7136 pounds)</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington; editing by David Stamp; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and David Stamp</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - British privacy regulators are seeking a warrant to search the offices of the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica late Monday following reports that the company may have improperly gained access to data on 50 million Facebook users, according to a Channel 4 television report.</p>
<p>The move came as U.S. and European lawmakers demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm, which worked on President Donald Trump's election campaign, gained access to the data. In the U.S., members of Congress called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about Facebook's actions. ( <a href="http://reut.rs/2pn8btD" type="external">reut.rs/2pn8btD</a>)</p>
<p>Facebook said on Monday it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data.</p>
<p>“Auditors from Stroz Friedberg were on site at Cambridge Analytica’s London office this evening,” the company said in a statement late Monday. “At the request of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, which has announced it is pursuing a warrant to conduct its own on-site investigation, the Stroz Friedberg auditors stood down.”</p>
<p>Facebook shares closed down nearly 7.0 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company’s advertising business.</p>
<p>“The lid is being opened on the black box of Facebook data practices, and the picture is not pretty,” said Frank Pasquale, a University of Maryland law professor who has written about Silicon Valley’s use of data.</p>
<p>Also on Monday, a source said that Facebook head of security, Alex Stamos, plans to leave the company over disagreements about the company’s policies on misinformation. He had been a strong advocate for an aggressive approach to alleged Russian activity on the platform aimed at manipulating elections. His departure was first reported by the New York Times. Facebook declined immediate comment.</p>
<p>In a tweet, Stamos did not deny he was leaving but said: “Despite the rumors, I’m still fully engaged with my work at Facebook. It’s true that my role did change.”</p>
<p>The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook’s reputation, which is already under attack over Russia’s alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election.</p>
<p>London-based Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denied the media claims, and that it deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party application in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.</p>
<p>However, further allegations about the firm’s tactics were reported late Monday by British broadcaster Channel 4 which said it secretly taped interviews with senior Cambridge Analytica executives in which they boasted of their ability to sway elections in countries around the world with digital manipulation and traditional political trickery.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica rejected the allegations, saying in a statement that the Channel 4 report “is edited and scripted to grossly misrepresent the nature of those conversations and how the company conducts its business.”</p>
<p>Facebook was already facing calls on Saturday for regulation from the U.S. Congress after the reports in the New York Times and London’s Observer over the weekend.</p> FILE PHOTO: A picture illustration shows a Facebook logo reflected in a person's eye, in Zenica, March 13, 2015. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
<p>Republican Senator John Kennedy called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, and Democratic Senator Ron Widen sent a letter to Zuckerberg asking about company policies for sharing user data with third parties.</p>
<p>Facebook usually sends lawyers to testify to Congress, or allows trade organizations to represent it and other technology companies in front of lawmakers.</p>
<p>Facebook and other social media companies including Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube have taken voluntary steps to restrict possible foreign interference and combat false news, but they have not been forced by law or regulation to make changes and legislation on the issue has stalled.</p>
<p>Late on Monday, the Connecticut Attorney General said the office will initiate an inquiry into Facebook data policies.</p>
<p>The Senate was expected to move forward on Monday with a bill that would chip away at the internet industry’s legal shield, a decades-old law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, with a bill intended to address online sex trafficking. The measure has already passed the House and is expected to soon become law.</p> A 3D-printed Facebook logo are seen in front of displayed binary digits in this illustration taken, March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
<p>Facebook said on Friday it had learned in 2015 that a Cambridge University psychology professor lied to the company and violated its policies by passing data to Cambridge Analytica from a psychology testing application he had built.</p>
<p>Facebook said it suspended the firms and researchers involved and said the data had been misused but not stolen, because users gave permission.</p>
<p>Facebook shares fell 6.8 percent to $172.56, dragging the U.S. S&amp;P 500 technology sector index down 2.1 percent and broadly weighing on U.S. equities. Fears of increased regulation also weighed on shares of Twitter, Google parent Alphabet and Snapchat parent Snap Inc.</p>
<p>“(Tech companies) are going to get a lot more scrutiny over what data they are collecting and how they are using it,” said Shawn Cruz, senior trading specialist at TD Ameritrade in Chicago.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-funds-an/socially-responsible-investors-reassess-facebook-ownership-idUSKBN1GV318" type="external">'Socially responsible' investors reassess Facebook ownership</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-privacy-costs-analysis/privacy-issues-emerge-as-major-business-risk-for-facebook-idUSKBN1GW01F" type="external">Privacy issues emerge as major business risk for Facebook</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-executives-stamos/facebooks-security-chief-to-depart-source-says-idUSKBN1GV2Z2" type="external">Facebook's security chief to depart, source says</a> ‘VERY CONCERNING’
<p>European officials, who have been more willing to regulate Silicon Valley companies than their U.S. counterparts, were strident in criticism of Facebook.</p>
<p>The revelations about Cambridge Analytica were “horrifying, if confirmed,” said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova. “We don’t want this in the EU and will take all possible legal measures” including stricter rules under the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation that takes effect in May, she said.</p>
<p>A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said the allegations were “clearly very concerning.”</p>
<p>The head of the European Parliament said EU lawmakers will investigate possible data misuse, calling the allegations an unacceptable violation of citizens’ privacy rights.</p>
<p>(This version of the story refiles to fix spell check errors of proper names and ticker symbol)</p>
<p>Reporting by Dustin Volz and Munsif Vengattil; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak, Sruthi Shankar, David Ingram and Julia Fioretti; Editing by Nick Zieminski</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
|
China's JD.com complains of 'serious' U.S. protectionism Factbox: Who is Cambridge Analytica and what did it do? Social media stocks tumble as Wall Street fears regulation UK investigates Facebook over data breach, to raid Cambridge Analytica Facebook under pressure as U.S., EU urge probes of data practices
| false |
https://reuters.com/article/us-davos-meeting-china-usa/chinas-jdcom-complains-of-serious-us-protectionism-idUSKBN1FD2AP
|
2018-01-24
| 2least
|
China's JD.com complains of 'serious' U.S. protectionism Factbox: Who is Cambridge Analytica and what did it do? Social media stocks tumble as Wall Street fears regulation UK investigates Facebook over data breach, to raid Cambridge Analytica Facebook under pressure as U.S., EU urge probes of data practices
<p>DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - The head of China’s second-biggest e-commerce company, JD.com Inc, accused the United States on Wednesday of practicing “serious” protectionism against Chinese firms and said this would ultimately backfire on the world’s largest economy.</p>
<p>“Many friends from other countries discuss protectionism in China but I think things have completely reversed,” JD.com Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Liu said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.</p>
<p>“One day it will hurt the U.S. economy too,” said Liu, whose $67 billion online retailer competes with bigger rival Alibaba Group Holding.</p>
<p>The United States on Tuesday slapped steep import tariffs on washing machines and solar panels in moves billed as a way to protect American jobs by President Donald Trump. They sparked condemnations from China and South Korea.</p>
<p>The U.S. government also recently rejected Chinese firm Ant Financial’s plan to acquire U.S. money transfer firm MoneyGram International Inc over national security concerns, the most high-profile Chinese deal to be torpedoed under the Trump administration.</p> FILE PHOTO: An employee works at a JD.com logistics centre in Langfang, Hebei province, November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Jason Lee/File Photo
<p>The U.S. government has toughened its stance on the sale of American companies to Chinese entities, at a time of already tense trade ties, with Washington vowing to narrow a large trade deficit with China which reached $347 billion in 2016.</p>
<p>Liu said Nasdaq-listed JD.com not only wants to overtake Alibaba as the largest online retailer in China, but also become a global player. But like other Chinese CEOs, he said he had found it difficult to make forays into the U.S. market.</p>
<p>For now, the company is focused on Southeast Asia, and would look to grow in the region both organically and by acquisition.</p>
<p>“It’s hard to use only one model. In Southeast Asia, we look for local partners to develop business, but we don’t want to exclude acquisitions,” Liu said.</p>
<p>In January, JD.com said it had made an investment in Vietnamese e-commerce firm Tiki.vn, the latest move in a strategic push into the region where Alibaba and Amazon have also made significant investments in the past year.</p>
<p>Reporting by Soyoung Kim; Editing by Mark Bendeich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - British data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica is at the center of controversy in the United States and Britain after two newspapers reported on Sunday that the company harvested personal data about Facebook users beginning in 2014.</p> FILE PHOTO: CEO of Cambridge Analytica, Alexander Nix, speaks during the Web Summit, Europe's biggest tech conference, in Lisbon, Portugal, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Pedro Nunes/File Photo
<p>Best known for assisting the 2016 presidential campaign of U.S. President Donald Trump, Cambridge Analytica is now facing a government search of its London office, questions from U.S. state authorities, and a demand by Facebook that it submit to a forensic audit.</p>
<p>Here is some of what is known about the company.</p> HOW DID IT START?
<p>Cambridge Analytica is an offshoot of SCL Group, a government and military contractor that says it works on everything from food security research to counter-narcotics to political campaigns. SCL was founded more than 25 years ago, according to its website.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica was created around 2013 initially with a focus on U.S. elections, with $15 million in backing from billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer and a name chosen by future Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon, the New York Times reported.</p>
<p>The company, which the New York Times reported was staffed by mostly British workers then, assisted Republican Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign before helping Trump’s.</p> WHAT DO THEY DO?
<p>Cambridge Analytica markets itself as providing consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients.</p>
<p>It does not list its corporate clients but on its website describes them as including a daily newspaper that wanted to know more about its subscribers, a women’s clothing brand that sought research on its customers and a U.S. auto insurer interested in marketing itself.</p>
<p>Britain’s Channel 4 News reported on Monday, based on secretly recorded video, that Cambridge Analytica secretly stage-managed Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta’s campaigns in the hotly contested 2013 and 2017 elections. Cambridge Analytica denied the report.</p>
<p>The company’s website lists five office locations in New York, Washington, London, Brazil and Malaysia.</p> WHEN DID IT FIRST GET ATTENTION?
<p>After Trump won the White House in 2016, in part with the firm’s help, Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix went to more clients to pitch his services, the Times reported last year. The company boasted it could develop psychological profiles of consumers and voters which was a “secret sauce” it used to sway them more effectively than traditional advertising could.</p>
<p>Rival consultants and campaign aides, though, expressed doubts about the company’s claims. Brad Parscale, who ran Trump’s digital operations in 2016, said the campaign did not use Cambridge Analytica’s data, relying instead on voter data from a Republican National Committee operation.</p> WHAT IS IT ACCUSED OF?
<p>Cambridge Analytica beginning in 2014 obtained data on 50 million Facebook users via means that deceived both the users and Facebook, the New York Times and London’s Observer reported on Saturday.</p>
<p>The data was harvested by an application developed by a British academic, Aleksandr Kogan, the newspapers said. Some 270,000 people downloaded the application and logged in with their Facebook credentials, according to Facebook. The application gathered their data and data about their friends, and then Kogan passed the data to Cambridge Analytica, according to both Cambridge Analytica and Facebook.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica said on Saturday that it did not initially know Kogan violated Facebook’s terms, and that it deleted the data once it found out in 2015. Kogan could not be reached for comment.</p>
<p>The data, though, was not deleted, the two newspapers reported on Saturday. Cambridge Analytica said that the allegation was not true. Facebook said it was investigating to verify the accuracy of the claim.</p> WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
<p>Facebook said it was pressing Cambridge Analytica for answers, after getting assurances from the firm in 2015 that it had deleted all data. Facebook has hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to help.</p>
<p>While Facebook investigates, the social network said it was suspending Cambridge Analytica, its parent SCL, Kogan and another man, Christopher Wylie, formerly of Cambridge Analytica, from its platform for violating Facebook rules.</p>
<p>Facebook’s probe, though, may have to wait until government authorities complete their investigation. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office is pursuing a warrant to search Cambridge Analytica’s office and asked Facebook’s auditors to stand down in the meantime, according to Facebook.</p>
<p>Attorneys general from the U.S. states of Massachusetts and Connecticut have launched investigations into how the Facebook data was handled, and the attorney general’s office in California, where Facebook is based, said it had concerns.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Ingram</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat-owner Snap fell further on Tuesday as Wall Street fretted over potential regulatory scrutiny that could hobble the business of the social networks.</p>
<p>Facebook lost 4.75 percent after it said it faced questions from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission about how its users’ personal data was mined by a political consultancy hired by Donald Trump’s campaign.</p>
<p>Since revelations on Saturday that a political consulting firm had improperly obtained personal data on 50 million Facebook users, the world’s largest social media company has lost $60 billion of its stock market value.</p>
<p>With concerns that Facebook’s handling of users’ data would lead to stepped up government regulation, social media rival Twitter slumped 9.0 percent and was on track for its worst day since July last year.</p>
<p>Snap fell nearly 4.0 percent to $15.86, dipping further below the $17 price set in its public listing a year ago.</p>
<p>Adding to regulatory jitters, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz <a href="http://bit.ly/2FR8BDa" type="external">bit.ly/2FR8BDa</a> reported that Israel Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked accused Twitter of "lack of cooperation," saying terrorist groups were using the site and that Israel was considering a law to combat such activity.</p> A figurine is seen in front of the Facebook logo in this illustration taken, March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
<p>Longbow Asset Management Chief Executive Jake Dollarhide said his firm’s Twitter stake was in negative territory due to this week’s drop. He has no plan to sell because he believes Twitter faces less regulatory risk than Facebook or Snap.</p>
<p>“The average guy or gal uses it as a news feed,” Dollarhide said. “I don’t know what personal information I’ve ever shared on Twitter.”</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>New European Union privacy rules that go into effect in May will require letting European users opt out of highly targeted online ads, or face fines of up to 4.0 percent of annual revenues.</p>
<p>San Francisco-based Baker Avenue Asset Management chief investment strategist King Lip said Facebook and other social media companies face more regulatory risk from European governments than in the United States.</p>
<p>Credit reporting agency Equifax’s massive breach of consumers’ sensitive financial data disclosed last September led to government probes but no major regulatory or legal changes.</p>
<p>“Equifax’s breach was far more egregious than the Facebook issue, and there hasn’t been any significant legislation,” Lip said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of chatter about privacy issues surrounding Facebook, but I don’t think any significant legislation is going to be passed.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Noel Randewich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is investigating whether Facebook did enough to protect data after a whistleblower said a London-based political consultancy hired by Donald Trump improperly accessed information on 50 million Facebook users to sway public opinion.</p>
<p>Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) shares closed down nearly 7 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that damage to the reputation of the world’s largest social media network would deter users and advertisers.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Denham, the head of Britain’s Information Commission, is seeking a warrant to search the offices of consultancy Cambridge Analytica after a whistleblower revealed it had harvested the private information of millions of people to support Trump’s 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.</p>
<p>“We are looking at whether or not Facebook secured and safeguarded personal information on the platform and whether when they found out about the loss of the data they acted robustly and whether or not people were informed,” Denham told BBC Radio.</p>
<p>U.S. and European lawmakers have demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm gained access to the data in 2014 and why Facebook failed to inform its users, raising broader industry questions about consumer privacy.</p>
<p>In Washington, the Republican chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee sent a letter on Monday to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg requesting information and a briefing on the Facebook user data.</p>
<p>“The possibility that Facebook has either not been transparent with consumers or has not been able to verify that third party app developers are transparent with consumers is troubling,” read the letter which was also addressed to Nigel Oakes, chief executive of Cambridge Analytica’s affiliate SCL.</p>
<p>Bloomberg reported that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating Facebook. Its shares fell a further 1.8 percent.</p>
<p>In London, the head of Britain’s cross-party Media parliamentary committee also wrote to Zuckerberg asking for more information. “We would like to receive your response by Monday 26 March,” lawmaker Damian Collins wrote.</p>
<p>In Dublin, Ireland’s privacy watchdog said it was following up with Facebook to clarify its oversight. The Irish body is the lead regulator for Facebook in the European Union because the network’s European headquarters are in Dublin.</p>
<p>Created in 2013, Cambridge Analytica markets itself as a source of consumer research, targeted advertising and other data-related services to both political and corporate clients.</p>
<p>According to the New York Times, it was launched with $15 million in backing from billionaire Republican donor Robert Mercer and a name chosen by the-then future Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon.</p>
<p>Facebook says the data were harvested by a British academic, Aleksandr Kogan, who created an app on the platform that was downloaded by 270,000 people, providing access not only to their own personal data but also their friends’.</p>
<p>Facebook said Kogan then violated its policies by passing the data to Cambridge Analytica. Facebook has since suspended both the consulting firm and SCL (Strategic Communication Laboratories), a government and military contractor.</p>
<p>Facebook said it had been told that the data were destroyed.</p>
<p>Kogan says he changed the terms and conditions of his personality-test app on Facebook from academic to commercial part way through the project, according to an email to Cambridge University colleagues obtained and cited by CNN.</p> Slideshow (9 Images)
<p>Kogan says Facebook made no objection, but Facebook says it was not informed of the change, CNN reported. Kogan was not immediately reachable for comment.</p> GRAVE VIOLATION
<p>“If this data still exists, it would be a grave violation of Facebook’s policies and an unacceptable violation of trust and the commitments these groups made,” Facebook said.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica has denied all the media claims and said it deleted the data after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.</p>
<p>On Tuesday people were seen carrying multiple plastic storage containers into and out of the building that houses Cambridge Analytica’s London office, among other companies. It was not clear which firm they were going to.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">Facebook Inc</a> 168.15 FB.O Nasdaq -4.41 (-2.56%) FB.O
<p>“We are not alone in using data from social media sites to extract user information,” Cambridge Analytica said. “No Facebook data was used by our data science team in the 2016 presidential campaign.”</p>
<p>Denham, head of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said on Monday she was seeking a warrant to access the offices of Cambridge Analytica after seeing an investigation by Britain’s Channel 4 news which secretly recorded its executives boasting of their ability to sway elections.</p>
<p>She said it would not take long to obtain the warrant.</p>
<p>“We have offered to share with the ICO all the information that it asked for and for the ICO to attend our office voluntarily, subject to our agreeing the scope of the inspection,” Cambridge Analytica said.</p>
<p>Facebook said it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data. The auditors were in Cambridge Analytica’s offices on Monday night but left at the request of the British authorities.</p>
<p>The Information Commissioner can currently impose fines of up to 500,000 pounds ($700,000) but will gain the power to fine an organization up to 4 percent of its global turnover when new data protection legislation comes into force in May.</p>
<p>The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook, which is already under attack over Russia’s alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election.</p>
<p>“This story comes on the back of increasing scrutiny and societal unease with FB’s potential impact on kids as well as increasing concerns around the power of mega cap Internet names, setting the stage for deeper investigation,” Deutsche Bank analyst Lloyd Walmsley wrote in a note, keeping his “buy” rating on Facebook stock.</p>
<p>Walmsley said he was worried “about how scrutiny could ultimately impact Facebook’s ability to gather and deploy data for ad targeting, which has been critical to ad efficacy and budget growth”.</p>
<p>The company said last month it had 1.4 billion active daily users, up 14 percent from a year earlier. But the number of daily users in the United States and Canada fell for the first time in its history, dipping in the company’s home market by 700,000 from a quarter earlier to 184 million.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-funds/index-provider-msci-says-it-is-reviewing-facebook-data-privacy-issue-idUSKBN1GW22H" type="external">Index provider MSCI says it is reviewing Facebook data privacy issue</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridgeanalytica-malaysia/malaysia-says-never-hired-british-data-firm-at-center-of-scrutiny-idUSKBN1GW1YU" type="external">Malaysia says never hired British data firm at center of scrutiny</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-kogan/uks-cambridge-university-questions-facebook-about-academics-role-in-data-breach-idUSKBN1GW1YR" type="external">UK's Cambridge University questions Facebook about academic's role in data breach</a>
<p>($1 = 0.7136 pounds)</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Doina Chiacu in Washington; editing by David Stamp; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and David Stamp</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - British privacy regulators are seeking a warrant to search the offices of the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica late Monday following reports that the company may have improperly gained access to data on 50 million Facebook users, according to a Channel 4 television report.</p>
<p>The move came as U.S. and European lawmakers demanded an explanation of how the consulting firm, which worked on President Donald Trump's election campaign, gained access to the data. In the U.S., members of Congress called on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify about Facebook's actions. ( <a href="http://reut.rs/2pn8btD" type="external">reut.rs/2pn8btD</a>)</p>
<p>Facebook said on Monday it had hired forensic auditors from the firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate and determine whether Cambridge Analytica still had the data.</p>
<p>“Auditors from Stroz Friedberg were on site at Cambridge Analytica’s London office this evening,” the company said in a statement late Monday. “At the request of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, which has announced it is pursuing a warrant to conduct its own on-site investigation, the Stroz Friedberg auditors stood down.”</p>
<p>Facebook shares closed down nearly 7.0 percent on Monday, wiping nearly $40 billion off its market value as investors worried that new legislation could damage the company’s advertising business.</p>
<p>“The lid is being opened on the black box of Facebook data practices, and the picture is not pretty,” said Frank Pasquale, a University of Maryland law professor who has written about Silicon Valley’s use of data.</p>
<p>Also on Monday, a source said that Facebook head of security, Alex Stamos, plans to leave the company over disagreements about the company’s policies on misinformation. He had been a strong advocate for an aggressive approach to alleged Russian activity on the platform aimed at manipulating elections. His departure was first reported by the New York Times. Facebook declined immediate comment.</p>
<p>In a tweet, Stamos did not deny he was leaving but said: “Despite the rumors, I’m still fully engaged with my work at Facebook. It’s true that my role did change.”</p>
<p>The criticism of Cambridge Analytica presents a new threat to Facebook’s reputation, which is already under attack over Russia’s alleged use of Facebook tools to sway U.S. voters with divisive and false news posts before and after the 2016 election.</p>
<p>London-based Cambridge Analytica said it strongly denied the media claims, and that it deleted all Facebook data it obtained from a third-party application in 2014 after learning the information did not adhere to data protection rules.</p>
<p>However, further allegations about the firm’s tactics were reported late Monday by British broadcaster Channel 4 which said it secretly taped interviews with senior Cambridge Analytica executives in which they boasted of their ability to sway elections in countries around the world with digital manipulation and traditional political trickery.</p>
<p>Cambridge Analytica rejected the allegations, saying in a statement that the Channel 4 report “is edited and scripted to grossly misrepresent the nature of those conversations and how the company conducts its business.”</p>
<p>Facebook was already facing calls on Saturday for regulation from the U.S. Congress after the reports in the New York Times and London’s Observer over the weekend.</p> FILE PHOTO: A picture illustration shows a Facebook logo reflected in a person's eye, in Zenica, March 13, 2015. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
<p>Republican Senator John Kennedy called on Zuckerberg to testify before Congress, and Democratic Senator Ron Widen sent a letter to Zuckerberg asking about company policies for sharing user data with third parties.</p>
<p>Facebook usually sends lawyers to testify to Congress, or allows trade organizations to represent it and other technology companies in front of lawmakers.</p>
<p>Facebook and other social media companies including Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube have taken voluntary steps to restrict possible foreign interference and combat false news, but they have not been forced by law or regulation to make changes and legislation on the issue has stalled.</p>
<p>Late on Monday, the Connecticut Attorney General said the office will initiate an inquiry into Facebook data policies.</p>
<p>The Senate was expected to move forward on Monday with a bill that would chip away at the internet industry’s legal shield, a decades-old law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, with a bill intended to address online sex trafficking. The measure has already passed the House and is expected to soon become law.</p> A 3D-printed Facebook logo are seen in front of displayed binary digits in this illustration taken, March 18, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
<p>Facebook said on Friday it had learned in 2015 that a Cambridge University psychology professor lied to the company and violated its policies by passing data to Cambridge Analytica from a psychology testing application he had built.</p>
<p>Facebook said it suspended the firms and researchers involved and said the data had been misused but not stolen, because users gave permission.</p>
<p>Facebook shares fell 6.8 percent to $172.56, dragging the U.S. S&amp;P 500 technology sector index down 2.1 percent and broadly weighing on U.S. equities. Fears of increased regulation also weighed on shares of Twitter, Google parent Alphabet and Snapchat parent Snap Inc.</p>
<p>“(Tech companies) are going to get a lot more scrutiny over what data they are collecting and how they are using it,” said Shawn Cruz, senior trading specialist at TD Ameritrade in Chicago.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-funds-an/socially-responsible-investors-reassess-facebook-ownership-idUSKBN1GV318" type="external">'Socially responsible' investors reassess Facebook ownership</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-privacy-costs-analysis/privacy-issues-emerge-as-major-business-risk-for-facebook-idUSKBN1GW01F" type="external">Privacy issues emerge as major business risk for Facebook</a>
<a href="/article/us-facebook-executives-stamos/facebooks-security-chief-to-depart-source-says-idUSKBN1GV2Z2" type="external">Facebook's security chief to depart, source says</a> ‘VERY CONCERNING’
<p>European officials, who have been more willing to regulate Silicon Valley companies than their U.S. counterparts, were strident in criticism of Facebook.</p>
<p>The revelations about Cambridge Analytica were “horrifying, if confirmed,” said EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova. “We don’t want this in the EU and will take all possible legal measures” including stricter rules under the bloc’s General Data Protection Regulation that takes effect in May, she said.</p>
<p>A spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said the allegations were “clearly very concerning.”</p>
<p>The head of the European Parliament said EU lawmakers will investigate possible data misuse, calling the allegations an unacceptable violation of citizens’ privacy rights.</p>
<p>(This version of the story refiles to fix spell check errors of proper names and ticker symbol)</p>
<p>Reporting by Dustin Volz and Munsif Vengattil; Additional reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak, Sruthi Shankar, David Ingram and Julia Fioretti; Editing by Nick Zieminski</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| 4,890 |
<p>Beijing has long been working to assert its sovereignty over the seas it shares with its neighbors. Its newly-declared air defense zone over the East China Sea is the latest tactic. And China has been working on another front — underwater. Its tool is archaeology.</p>
<p>China has a spectacular, but largely unknown maritime history. Beijing wants to make that history better known to the world and give substance to that narrative with archaeological evidence. For example, it would like to prove that islands disputed with Japan (known as Senkaku in Japan, and as Diaoyu in China) were first occupied by the Chinese and used as a base to combat Japanese pirates in the 16th century.</p>
<p>By digging up artificacts, China hopes to establish a historic claim of sovereignty over the islands, which would also give it a claim to the natural resources that may exist in and under the surrounding waters.</p>
<p>China has had a schizophrenic relationship with the sea. During 3000 years of history, China has had episodes of total isolationism, turning its back on the sea and literally removing all its citizens from within 10-20 miles of the sea, on pain of death. It has also had briefer episodes of widespread engagement, exploration and trade. Some people now talk about the 'maritime silk road.'</p>
<p>More commonly, China's maritime history has been something in-between. Most recently — and recent in Chinese terms is the last 200 years — the sea has represented humiliation. The 19th century witnessed repeated Chinese defeats at the hands of foreigners trying to gain influence and power over China's trade. In naval terms, this culminated in the trauma of the Sino-Japanese war of 1895, largely forgotten or unknown outside of Asia, which ended with the destruction of the Chinese Navy at the hands of the Japanese.</p>
<p>Since the late 1980s, China has been been in one of those episodes of heavy engagement with the outside world, seen most vividly in the spectacular growth of its international trade.</p>
<p>In terms of history, though, Beijing is emphasising what was the golden age of China's seapower. This was the early part of the Ming dynasty, or the 1400s in the Western calendar. It was an age personified by the admiral Zheng He, who led seven enormous expeditions, each lasting several years, around the littoral of the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. His fleets reached as far as Kenya and Somalia, bringing giraffes and other tribute back to Beijing.&#160;</p>
<p>To back up this history, China is making a massive investment in underwater archaeology. And it is using its navy to kick foreign salvage crews out of disputed waters. Jeffrey Adams, an independent expert in international archaeological heritage management, says these efforts are signs that China is politicizing its maritime history.</p>
<p>"First, by celebrating their maritime golden age, and their great admiral Zheng," he says, "they reflect and reinforce the sense of nationalism for a domestic audience." For a foreign audience, he says, the Chinese can "peddle the image of Zheng He as [an] iron fist in a velvet glove as part of their soft power efforts toward promoting themselves culturally for foreign audiences to both reassure them and signal China's intentions."</p>
<p>Adams says the government could get further leverage from its archaeology by providing the information and artifacts for tourism and exhibits, and by partnering with Chinese technological and industrial concerns in its work. Finally, he says, the Chinese are using it as a hard power tactic, providing evidence for its territorial claims, and "pretence for conducting surveillance operations and enforcement of their claims."</p>
|
China goes undersea to justify its claims to disputed waters and islands
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2013-12-05/china-goes-undersea-justify-its-claims-disputed-waters-and-islands
|
2013-12-06
| 3left-center
|
China goes undersea to justify its claims to disputed waters and islands
<p>Beijing has long been working to assert its sovereignty over the seas it shares with its neighbors. Its newly-declared air defense zone over the East China Sea is the latest tactic. And China has been working on another front — underwater. Its tool is archaeology.</p>
<p>China has a spectacular, but largely unknown maritime history. Beijing wants to make that history better known to the world and give substance to that narrative with archaeological evidence. For example, it would like to prove that islands disputed with Japan (known as Senkaku in Japan, and as Diaoyu in China) were first occupied by the Chinese and used as a base to combat Japanese pirates in the 16th century.</p>
<p>By digging up artificacts, China hopes to establish a historic claim of sovereignty over the islands, which would also give it a claim to the natural resources that may exist in and under the surrounding waters.</p>
<p>China has had a schizophrenic relationship with the sea. During 3000 years of history, China has had episodes of total isolationism, turning its back on the sea and literally removing all its citizens from within 10-20 miles of the sea, on pain of death. It has also had briefer episodes of widespread engagement, exploration and trade. Some people now talk about the 'maritime silk road.'</p>
<p>More commonly, China's maritime history has been something in-between. Most recently — and recent in Chinese terms is the last 200 years — the sea has represented humiliation. The 19th century witnessed repeated Chinese defeats at the hands of foreigners trying to gain influence and power over China's trade. In naval terms, this culminated in the trauma of the Sino-Japanese war of 1895, largely forgotten or unknown outside of Asia, which ended with the destruction of the Chinese Navy at the hands of the Japanese.</p>
<p>Since the late 1980s, China has been been in one of those episodes of heavy engagement with the outside world, seen most vividly in the spectacular growth of its international trade.</p>
<p>In terms of history, though, Beijing is emphasising what was the golden age of China's seapower. This was the early part of the Ming dynasty, or the 1400s in the Western calendar. It was an age personified by the admiral Zheng He, who led seven enormous expeditions, each lasting several years, around the littoral of the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. His fleets reached as far as Kenya and Somalia, bringing giraffes and other tribute back to Beijing.&#160;</p>
<p>To back up this history, China is making a massive investment in underwater archaeology. And it is using its navy to kick foreign salvage crews out of disputed waters. Jeffrey Adams, an independent expert in international archaeological heritage management, says these efforts are signs that China is politicizing its maritime history.</p>
<p>"First, by celebrating their maritime golden age, and their great admiral Zheng," he says, "they reflect and reinforce the sense of nationalism for a domestic audience." For a foreign audience, he says, the Chinese can "peddle the image of Zheng He as [an] iron fist in a velvet glove as part of their soft power efforts toward promoting themselves culturally for foreign audiences to both reassure them and signal China's intentions."</p>
<p>Adams says the government could get further leverage from its archaeology by providing the information and artifacts for tourism and exhibits, and by partnering with Chinese technological and industrial concerns in its work. Finally, he says, the Chinese are using it as a hard power tactic, providing evidence for its territorial claims, and "pretence for conducting surveillance operations and enforcement of their claims."</p>
| 4,891 |
<p>We’ll see how long he’s able to keep this up, but at least for the immediate future, Barack Obama is aiming to keep lobbyists at bay, issuing strict guidelines for his transition team that Obama aide John Podesta described Tuesday on a conference call to reporters.</p>
<p>TPM Election Central:</p>
<p>• There will be strong restrictions against lobbyist involvement in the transition: Lobbyists can’t contribute or raise money to fund the transition; anybody who has worked as a lobbyist over the last 12 months can’t shape policy and will have to cease all lobbying during the transition; and any transition staffers who become lobbyists afterwards won’t be able to lobby the White House for 12 months.</p>
<p><a href="http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/11/obama_team_bars_lobbyists_from.php" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p />
|
Obama Cracks Down on Lobbyists During Transition
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/obama-cracks-down-on-lobbyists-during-transition/
|
2008-11-12
| 4left
|
Obama Cracks Down on Lobbyists During Transition
<p>We’ll see how long he’s able to keep this up, but at least for the immediate future, Barack Obama is aiming to keep lobbyists at bay, issuing strict guidelines for his transition team that Obama aide John Podesta described Tuesday on a conference call to reporters.</p>
<p>TPM Election Central:</p>
<p>• There will be strong restrictions against lobbyist involvement in the transition: Lobbyists can’t contribute or raise money to fund the transition; anybody who has worked as a lobbyist over the last 12 months can’t shape policy and will have to cease all lobbying during the transition; and any transition staffers who become lobbyists afterwards won’t be able to lobby the White House for 12 months.</p>
<p><a href="http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/11/obama_team_bars_lobbyists_from.php" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p />
| 4,892 |
<p />
<p>Barbara Bowman gives her account of Cosby’s sexual assault. Quite horrific.</p>
<p>In 2004, when Andrea&#160;Constand&#160;filed&#160; <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/bill-cosbys-prior-bad-acts" type="external">a lawsuit</a>&#160;against Bill Cosby&#160;for sexual assault, her lawyers asked me to testify. Cosby&#160;had drugged and raped me, too, I told them. The lawyers said I could testify anonymously as a Jane Doe, but I ardently rejected that idea. My name is&#160;not&#160;Jane Doe. My name is Barbara Bowman, and I wanted to tell my story in court. In the end, I didn’t have the opportunity to do that, because Cosby&#160; <a href="http://articles.philly.com/2006-11-09/news/25406830_1_temple-university-employee-bill-cosby-andrea-constand" type="external">settled the suit</a>for an undisclosed amount of money.</p>
<p>Over the years, I’ve struggled to get people to take my story seriously. So last month, when reporter&#160;Lycia Naff contacted me for an interview for the Daily Mail, I gave her&#160; <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2806437/Bill-Cosby-threw-bed-pinned-neck-ll-never-forget-sound-clinking-belt-buckle-Actress-lifts-lid-harrowing-years-rape-hands-TV-legend.html" type="external">a detailed account</a>. I told her how Cosby&#160;won my trust as a 17-year-old aspiring actress in 1985, brainwashed me into viewing him as a father figure, and then assaulted me multiple times. In one case, I blacked out after having dinner and one glass of wine at his New York City brownstone, where he had offered to mentor me and discuss&#160;the entertainment industry.</p>
<p>When I came to, I was in my panties and a man’s t-shirt, and Cosby&#160;was looming over me. I’m certain now that he drugged and raped me. But as a teenager, I tried to convince myself I had imagined it.&#160;I even tried to rationalize it:&#160;Bill Cosby&#160;was going to make me a star and this was part of the deal.</p>
<p>The final incident was in Atlantic City, where we had traveled for an industry event. I was staying in a separate bedroom of Cosby’s&#160;hotel suite, but&#160;he pinned me down in his own&#160;bed while I screamed for help. I’ll never forget the clinking of his belt buckle as he struggled to pull his pants off. I furiously tried to wrestle from his grasp until he eventually gave up, angrily called me “a baby” and sent me home to Denver.</p>
<p>Back then, the incident was so horrifying that I had trouble admitting it to myself, let alone to others. But I first told my agent, who did nothing. (Cosby sometimes came to her office&#160;to interview people for “The Cosby Show” and other acting jobs.) A girlfriend took me to a lawyer, but he accused me of making the story up.</p>
<p>Their dismissive responses crushed any hope I had of getting help; I was convinced no one would listen to me. That feeling of futility is what ultimately kept me from going to the police. I told friends what had happened, and although they sympathized with me, they were just as helpless to do anything about it.</p>
<p>I was a teenager from Denver acting in McDonald’s commercials. He was Bill Cosby: consummate American dad&#160; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hdVXI6dTbA" type="external">Cliff Huxtable</a>&#160;and the&#160; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVIoBoFkoiM" type="external">Jell-O spokesman</a>. Eventually, I had to move on with my life and my career.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/13/bill-cosby-raped-me-why-did-it-take-30-years-for-people-to-believe-my-story/" type="external">This article continues on washingtonpost.com</a></p>
|
Barbara Bowman: Bill Cosby raped me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?
| true |
http://girlsjustwannahaveguns.com/barbara-bowman-bill-cosby-raped-take-30-years-people-believe-story/
| 0right
|
Barbara Bowman: Bill Cosby raped me. Why did it take 30 years for people to believe my story?
<p />
<p>Barbara Bowman gives her account of Cosby’s sexual assault. Quite horrific.</p>
<p>In 2004, when Andrea&#160;Constand&#160;filed&#160; <a href="http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/bill-cosbys-prior-bad-acts" type="external">a lawsuit</a>&#160;against Bill Cosby&#160;for sexual assault, her lawyers asked me to testify. Cosby&#160;had drugged and raped me, too, I told them. The lawyers said I could testify anonymously as a Jane Doe, but I ardently rejected that idea. My name is&#160;not&#160;Jane Doe. My name is Barbara Bowman, and I wanted to tell my story in court. In the end, I didn’t have the opportunity to do that, because Cosby&#160; <a href="http://articles.philly.com/2006-11-09/news/25406830_1_temple-university-employee-bill-cosby-andrea-constand" type="external">settled the suit</a>for an undisclosed amount of money.</p>
<p>Over the years, I’ve struggled to get people to take my story seriously. So last month, when reporter&#160;Lycia Naff contacted me for an interview for the Daily Mail, I gave her&#160; <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2806437/Bill-Cosby-threw-bed-pinned-neck-ll-never-forget-sound-clinking-belt-buckle-Actress-lifts-lid-harrowing-years-rape-hands-TV-legend.html" type="external">a detailed account</a>. I told her how Cosby&#160;won my trust as a 17-year-old aspiring actress in 1985, brainwashed me into viewing him as a father figure, and then assaulted me multiple times. In one case, I blacked out after having dinner and one glass of wine at his New York City brownstone, where he had offered to mentor me and discuss&#160;the entertainment industry.</p>
<p>When I came to, I was in my panties and a man’s t-shirt, and Cosby&#160;was looming over me. I’m certain now that he drugged and raped me. But as a teenager, I tried to convince myself I had imagined it.&#160;I even tried to rationalize it:&#160;Bill Cosby&#160;was going to make me a star and this was part of the deal.</p>
<p>The final incident was in Atlantic City, where we had traveled for an industry event. I was staying in a separate bedroom of Cosby’s&#160;hotel suite, but&#160;he pinned me down in his own&#160;bed while I screamed for help. I’ll never forget the clinking of his belt buckle as he struggled to pull his pants off. I furiously tried to wrestle from his grasp until he eventually gave up, angrily called me “a baby” and sent me home to Denver.</p>
<p>Back then, the incident was so horrifying that I had trouble admitting it to myself, let alone to others. But I first told my agent, who did nothing. (Cosby sometimes came to her office&#160;to interview people for “The Cosby Show” and other acting jobs.) A girlfriend took me to a lawyer, but he accused me of making the story up.</p>
<p>Their dismissive responses crushed any hope I had of getting help; I was convinced no one would listen to me. That feeling of futility is what ultimately kept me from going to the police. I told friends what had happened, and although they sympathized with me, they were just as helpless to do anything about it.</p>
<p>I was a teenager from Denver acting in McDonald’s commercials. He was Bill Cosby: consummate American dad&#160; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hdVXI6dTbA" type="external">Cliff Huxtable</a>&#160;and the&#160; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVIoBoFkoiM" type="external">Jell-O spokesman</a>. Eventually, I had to move on with my life and my career.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/13/bill-cosby-raped-me-why-did-it-take-30-years-for-people-to-believe-my-story/" type="external">This article continues on washingtonpost.com</a></p>
| 4,893 |
|
<p />
<p>Pop quiz: Do the following quotes refer to smartphone giant Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) or Samsung (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF)?</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>If you're guessing the answer isn't what most might expect, you're spot-on. Both quotes refer to South Korean giant Samsung's past two editions of its flagship smartphones.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, Samsung launched the latest edition of its Note smartphone lineup in a likely attempt to extend its momentum ahead of what will probably be the year's most highly anticipated smartphone launch -- the Apple iPhone 7, expected to roll out in mid-September. Let's review whether Samsung's Note 7 seems up to the task.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Samsung opted to skip from last year's Note 5 straight to the Note 7 this year, probably in a bid to simplify the product numbers across its Galaxy and Note high-end handset families.</p>
<p>In terms of family resemblances go, Samsung's Note 7 is something like the fraternal twin of the Galaxy S7 Edge, the device that was the subject of one of the introductory quotes. In fact, the Note 7 was reportedly built using the same curved screen and Edge software that powers the Edge S7.</p>
<p>Image source: Samsung.</p>
<p>The two devices also share the same 5-megapixel front-facing and 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras. The same powerhouse Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor also powers them, though Samsung will purportedly use its own Exynos-branded processors in some geographies.</p>
<p>The Note 7 enjoys a slightly larger screen size over the Galaxy S7 Edge -- 5.7 inches, versus 5.5 -- though the difference will be negligible to the average user. The Note 7 and Galaxy S7 also share the same waterproof exterior that Samsung implemented to widespread praise.</p>
<p>The biggest difference between the two is the Note 7's S-Pen stylus. Though it appears to largely share the core functionality of the Note 5, the Note 7 does come with a few new tricks, including tap magnification and GIF-making capabilities. The Note 7 also comes with a new Iris scanner that allows users to unlock their phones completely hands-free.</p>
<p>Price is another key difference. Thanks to some new features and the added component cost of the S-Pen, the standard edition of the Note 7 retails at $849, whereas the Galaxy S7 starts $100 cheaper at $749.</p>
<p>Overall, the Note appears to be another great iteration of Samsung's successful smartphone lineup. So what does this do for the competitive balance ahead of Apple's iPhone 7 launch later this year?</p>
<p>Heading toward the holiday months, Samsung enjoys an edge over Apple with its smartphone lineup. The wild card is what surprises Apple could have up its sleeve.</p>
<p>One downside of Apple's historic size and scale -- particularly in regard to its iPhone business, its largest segment by far -- is that details of its device plans tend to leak more easily than in its days as a smaller, nimbler company. The consensus so far, bearing in mind that they are just rumors at this point, is that Apple's forthcoming iPhone 7 will offer only moderate improvements over its predecessor.</p>
<p>Should that be the case, Samsung could steal some market share from Apple at the high end of the smartphone market. It will bear watching to see whether Apple's ironclad ecosystem can help insulate it from Samsung's compelling new devices.</p>
<p>Apple reportedly has a sweeping iPhone redesign in the works for fall 2017, the device's 10th anniversary. Assuming the rumors are correct, consumers could opt to wait for this potentially game-changing iPhone next year.</p>
<p>Either way, the competitive balance in the most profitable part of the smartphone market appears tilted in Samsung's favor more than at any other time in recent memory. Especially if Apple lays an egg with this year's iPhone, the next year will be a fascinating one to watch in this important tech market.</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=2668&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/TMFTheDude/info.aspx" type="external">Andrew Tonner Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. 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://wiki.fool.com/Motley" 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>
|
Samsung Gears Up for Apple's iPhone 7 With the Note 7
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/08/07/samsung-gears-up-for-apple-iphone-7-with-note-7.html
|
2016-08-07
| 0right
|
Samsung Gears Up for Apple's iPhone 7 With the Note 7
<p />
<p>Pop quiz: Do the following quotes refer to smartphone giant Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) or Samsung (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF)?</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>If you're guessing the answer isn't what most might expect, you're spot-on. Both quotes refer to South Korean giant Samsung's past two editions of its flagship smartphones.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, Samsung launched the latest edition of its Note smartphone lineup in a likely attempt to extend its momentum ahead of what will probably be the year's most highly anticipated smartphone launch -- the Apple iPhone 7, expected to roll out in mid-September. Let's review whether Samsung's Note 7 seems up to the task.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Samsung opted to skip from last year's Note 5 straight to the Note 7 this year, probably in a bid to simplify the product numbers across its Galaxy and Note high-end handset families.</p>
<p>In terms of family resemblances go, Samsung's Note 7 is something like the fraternal twin of the Galaxy S7 Edge, the device that was the subject of one of the introductory quotes. In fact, the Note 7 was reportedly built using the same curved screen and Edge software that powers the Edge S7.</p>
<p>Image source: Samsung.</p>
<p>The two devices also share the same 5-megapixel front-facing and 12-megapixel rear-facing cameras. The same powerhouse Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor also powers them, though Samsung will purportedly use its own Exynos-branded processors in some geographies.</p>
<p>The Note 7 enjoys a slightly larger screen size over the Galaxy S7 Edge -- 5.7 inches, versus 5.5 -- though the difference will be negligible to the average user. The Note 7 and Galaxy S7 also share the same waterproof exterior that Samsung implemented to widespread praise.</p>
<p>The biggest difference between the two is the Note 7's S-Pen stylus. Though it appears to largely share the core functionality of the Note 5, the Note 7 does come with a few new tricks, including tap magnification and GIF-making capabilities. The Note 7 also comes with a new Iris scanner that allows users to unlock their phones completely hands-free.</p>
<p>Price is another key difference. Thanks to some new features and the added component cost of the S-Pen, the standard edition of the Note 7 retails at $849, whereas the Galaxy S7 starts $100 cheaper at $749.</p>
<p>Overall, the Note appears to be another great iteration of Samsung's successful smartphone lineup. So what does this do for the competitive balance ahead of Apple's iPhone 7 launch later this year?</p>
<p>Heading toward the holiday months, Samsung enjoys an edge over Apple with its smartphone lineup. The wild card is what surprises Apple could have up its sleeve.</p>
<p>One downside of Apple's historic size and scale -- particularly in regard to its iPhone business, its largest segment by far -- is that details of its device plans tend to leak more easily than in its days as a smaller, nimbler company. The consensus so far, bearing in mind that they are just rumors at this point, is that Apple's forthcoming iPhone 7 will offer only moderate improvements over its predecessor.</p>
<p>Should that be the case, Samsung could steal some market share from Apple at the high end of the smartphone market. It will bear watching to see whether Apple's ironclad ecosystem can help insulate it from Samsung's compelling new devices.</p>
<p>Apple reportedly has a sweeping iPhone redesign in the works for fall 2017, the device's 10th anniversary. Assuming the rumors are correct, consumers could opt to wait for this potentially game-changing iPhone next year.</p>
<p>Either way, the competitive balance in the most profitable part of the smartphone market appears tilted in Samsung's favor more than at any other time in recent memory. Especially if Apple lays an egg with this year's iPhone, the next year will be a fascinating one to watch in this important tech market.</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=2668&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/TMFTheDude/info.aspx" type="external">Andrew Tonner Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. 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://wiki.fool.com/Motley" 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>
| 4,894 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>A vendor at last year's Albuquerque Hopfest pours a sample of a pilsner for a festival-goer to taste. (Courtesy of Albuquerque Hopfest)</p>
<p>This year Albuquerque Hopfest is taking things to the extreme.</p>
<p>The event on Saturday, Aug. 29 will feature a combination of its usual craft beers, ciders and spirits tastings but this time with extreme BMX performances throughout the day.</p>
<p>"It's entertaining and fun and fits well with craft beer," Hopfest organizer Marne Gaston said. "People who love outdoor sports usually love craft beer and love doing outdoor things."</p>
<p>There will be three different performances throughout the day featuring four BMX riders from Arizona doing some hair-raising stunts. Other stages set around the festival will feature music acts Eric Owens Project, Great States, DNA, Lenin &amp; McCarthy, Carlos the Tall, The Real Matt Jones and Shane Wallin.</p>
<p>There will be 70 breweries, cideries and distillers at this year's event. Twenty-two of those are from New Mexico including Abbey Beverage Co., B2B Bistronomy, Back Alley Draft House, Boese Brothers Brewery, Canteen Brewhouse, Cazuela's, Firkin BrewHouse, Marble Brewery, Red Door Brewing Co., Rio Grande &amp; Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Sandia Chile Grill &amp; Brewery, Santa Fe Brewing Co. and others.</p>
<p>If you don't have the opportunity to cross state lines, Hopfest is bringing the beers of a number of states to you. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont and other states will be providing tastings of their libations. They include Alaskan Brewing Company, Mother Road Brewing Co., Lagunitas Brewing Co., Ska Brewing, Kona Brewing Co., Big Sky Brewing Co., Deschutes Brewery, Shiner Beers, Wasatch Beers and Magic Hat.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>All ticketholders with the exception of nonsampling guests will receive a commemorative sampling glass. The number of sampling tokens will range according to ticket level.</p>
<p>Xtreme VIP gets you in the door at 2 p.m., which is an hour earlier than general admission guests. You can also be privy to exclusive pours starting at 3 p.m. in the Xtreme VIP Room as well as food pairings. A festival souvenir also will be thrown in for good measure.</p>
<p>Exclusive Extra Hoppy Hour ticket-holders get an extra hour of sampling including 10 extra drink tokens, for a total of 40, beginning at 2 p.m. General admission receive the souvenir tasting glass as well as 30 drink tokens for beer sampling beginning at 3 p.m.</p>
<p>For a full lineup of participants and information, visit <a href="http://albuquerquehopfest.com" type="external">albuquerquehopfest.com</a>.</p>
<p />
|
Albuquerque Hopfest gets hardcore with BMX performances and an 'Extra Hoppy Hour'
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/631567/albuquerque-beverage-54.html
| 2least
|
Albuquerque Hopfest gets hardcore with BMX performances and an 'Extra Hoppy Hour'
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>A vendor at last year's Albuquerque Hopfest pours a sample of a pilsner for a festival-goer to taste. (Courtesy of Albuquerque Hopfest)</p>
<p>This year Albuquerque Hopfest is taking things to the extreme.</p>
<p>The event on Saturday, Aug. 29 will feature a combination of its usual craft beers, ciders and spirits tastings but this time with extreme BMX performances throughout the day.</p>
<p>"It's entertaining and fun and fits well with craft beer," Hopfest organizer Marne Gaston said. "People who love outdoor sports usually love craft beer and love doing outdoor things."</p>
<p>There will be three different performances throughout the day featuring four BMX riders from Arizona doing some hair-raising stunts. Other stages set around the festival will feature music acts Eric Owens Project, Great States, DNA, Lenin &amp; McCarthy, Carlos the Tall, The Real Matt Jones and Shane Wallin.</p>
<p>There will be 70 breweries, cideries and distillers at this year's event. Twenty-two of those are from New Mexico including Abbey Beverage Co., B2B Bistronomy, Back Alley Draft House, Boese Brothers Brewery, Canteen Brewhouse, Cazuela's, Firkin BrewHouse, Marble Brewery, Red Door Brewing Co., Rio Grande &amp; Sierra Blanca Brewing Co., Sandia Chile Grill &amp; Brewery, Santa Fe Brewing Co. and others.</p>
<p>If you don't have the opportunity to cross state lines, Hopfest is bringing the beers of a number of states to you. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont and other states will be providing tastings of their libations. They include Alaskan Brewing Company, Mother Road Brewing Co., Lagunitas Brewing Co., Ska Brewing, Kona Brewing Co., Big Sky Brewing Co., Deschutes Brewery, Shiner Beers, Wasatch Beers and Magic Hat.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>All ticketholders with the exception of nonsampling guests will receive a commemorative sampling glass. The number of sampling tokens will range according to ticket level.</p>
<p>Xtreme VIP gets you in the door at 2 p.m., which is an hour earlier than general admission guests. You can also be privy to exclusive pours starting at 3 p.m. in the Xtreme VIP Room as well as food pairings. A festival souvenir also will be thrown in for good measure.</p>
<p>Exclusive Extra Hoppy Hour ticket-holders get an extra hour of sampling including 10 extra drink tokens, for a total of 40, beginning at 2 p.m. General admission receive the souvenir tasting glass as well as 30 drink tokens for beer sampling beginning at 3 p.m.</p>
<p>For a full lineup of participants and information, visit <a href="http://albuquerquehopfest.com" type="external">albuquerquehopfest.com</a>.</p>
<p />
| 4,895 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The state Department of Corrections says 74-year-old Wayne Bent must appear before a parole board before any decision is made.</p>
<p>Cult leader Wayne Bent testifies during his trial in District Court in Taos in 2008, demonstrating for a jury where he touched two nude teens. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of lying naked in bed with the two teenage girls at his northern New Mexico compound near Clayton. (JOURNAL FILE)</p>
<p>KRQE-TV reported Tuesday that a Jan. 26 hearing has been set to clarify the judge's amended motion to release Bent from prison so he can get medical treatment.</p>
<p>A jury sentenced Bent to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of lying naked in bed with two teenage girls at his northern New Mexico compound near Clayton, in the state's northeast corner.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Bent, who's been in prison for nearly seven years, also was convicted of criminal sexual contact and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.</p>
<p>Bent, also known as Michael Travesser, was the leader of a religious community called the Strong City compound. He was charged with criminal sexual contact with minors based on ceremonies he claimed were cleansing ceremonies, convicted in a jury trial in Taos in 2008 and sentenced to 10 years.</p>
<p>Bent claims God spoke to him in 2000 and told him he was the messiah.</p>
<p>He was accused of lying in bed with naked 14- and 16-year-old sisters in separate incidents in 2006. He and the girls testified that the incidents were spiritual exercises and that nothing happened sexually.</p>
<p>In October 2012, the New Mexico Supreme Court overturned a state Court of Appeals ruling and reinstated Bent's convictions, saying that even though his sex crimes indictment was flawed, the remedy could not be a new trial.</p>
<p>"At this point in the proceedings - post conviction - there is simply no adequate remedy available for (the) defendant," the high court said then.</p>
<p>In its June 2011 opinion, the Court of Appeals had ordered a new trial, agreeing with Bent's defense that a grand jury that indicted him three years earlier had no authority to act at the time, because it was long past the 90 days of its authority.</p>
<p>But Bent, whose arrest made national headlines, was never released while the Supreme Court had the case under consideration.</p>
<p>For a time, based on a court order, Bent was fed a liquid diet by a feeding tube after refusing to eat while locked up at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
NM judge wants to cut sex-offense sentence for cult leader Wayne Bent
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/701338/judge-wants-to-cut-sentence-for-cult-leader-wayne-bent.html
|
2016-01-05
| 2least
|
NM judge wants to cut sex-offense sentence for cult leader Wayne Bent
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The state Department of Corrections says 74-year-old Wayne Bent must appear before a parole board before any decision is made.</p>
<p>Cult leader Wayne Bent testifies during his trial in District Court in Taos in 2008, demonstrating for a jury where he touched two nude teens. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of lying naked in bed with the two teenage girls at his northern New Mexico compound near Clayton. (JOURNAL FILE)</p>
<p>KRQE-TV reported Tuesday that a Jan. 26 hearing has been set to clarify the judge's amended motion to release Bent from prison so he can get medical treatment.</p>
<p>A jury sentenced Bent to 10 years in prison after he was found guilty of lying naked in bed with two teenage girls at his northern New Mexico compound near Clayton, in the state's northeast corner.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Bent, who's been in prison for nearly seven years, also was convicted of criminal sexual contact and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.</p>
<p>Bent, also known as Michael Travesser, was the leader of a religious community called the Strong City compound. He was charged with criminal sexual contact with minors based on ceremonies he claimed were cleansing ceremonies, convicted in a jury trial in Taos in 2008 and sentenced to 10 years.</p>
<p>Bent claims God spoke to him in 2000 and told him he was the messiah.</p>
<p>He was accused of lying in bed with naked 14- and 16-year-old sisters in separate incidents in 2006. He and the girls testified that the incidents were spiritual exercises and that nothing happened sexually.</p>
<p>In October 2012, the New Mexico Supreme Court overturned a state Court of Appeals ruling and reinstated Bent's convictions, saying that even though his sex crimes indictment was flawed, the remedy could not be a new trial.</p>
<p>"At this point in the proceedings - post conviction - there is simply no adequate remedy available for (the) defendant," the high court said then.</p>
<p>In its June 2011 opinion, the Court of Appeals had ordered a new trial, agreeing with Bent's defense that a grand jury that indicted him three years earlier had no authority to act at the time, because it was long past the 90 days of its authority.</p>
<p>But Bent, whose arrest made national headlines, was never released while the Supreme Court had the case under consideration.</p>
<p>For a time, based on a court order, Bent was fed a liquid diet by a feeding tube after refusing to eat while locked up at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 4,896 |
<p />
<p>The <a href="" type="internal">International Monetary Fund</a> on Friday warned that advanced economies could fall back into recession unless policy-makers move with greater urgency to agree on policies to boost growth.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In a note prepared for the G20 summit in Cannes, France, last week but only published on Friday, the IMF said the economic recovery in advanced economies "remains in low gear."</p>
<p>"Policy paralysis and incoherence have contributed to exacerbating uncertainty, a loss of confidence, and heightened financial market stress," the IMF said.</p>
<p>The fund said advanced economies urgently need to spell out credible medium-term fiscal plans and outline further financial sector reforms. In key emerging economies, governments should allow for faster exchange-rate appreciation, it added.</p>
<p>In particular, the IMF said there was "considerable uncertainty" about how fiscal sustainability will be achieved in the United States, Japan, and some euro area economies.</p>
<p>"To reduce this uncertainty, these economies need to move quickly to put in place credible medium-term consolidation plans, which will help preserve room for adequate short-term fiscal support to the recovery," it added.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The G20 summit was taken up with trying to avert a euro- zone meltdown, in particular in Greece and Italy.</p>
|
IMF Warns Rich Economies May Fall Back Into Recession
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2011/11/11/imf-warns-rich-economies-may-fall-back-into-recession.html
|
2016-03-07
| 0right
|
IMF Warns Rich Economies May Fall Back Into Recession
<p />
<p>The <a href="" type="internal">International Monetary Fund</a> on Friday warned that advanced economies could fall back into recession unless policy-makers move with greater urgency to agree on policies to boost growth.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In a note prepared for the G20 summit in Cannes, France, last week but only published on Friday, the IMF said the economic recovery in advanced economies "remains in low gear."</p>
<p>"Policy paralysis and incoherence have contributed to exacerbating uncertainty, a loss of confidence, and heightened financial market stress," the IMF said.</p>
<p>The fund said advanced economies urgently need to spell out credible medium-term fiscal plans and outline further financial sector reforms. In key emerging economies, governments should allow for faster exchange-rate appreciation, it added.</p>
<p>In particular, the IMF said there was "considerable uncertainty" about how fiscal sustainability will be achieved in the United States, Japan, and some euro area economies.</p>
<p>"To reduce this uncertainty, these economies need to move quickly to put in place credible medium-term consolidation plans, which will help preserve room for adequate short-term fiscal support to the recovery," it added.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The G20 summit was taken up with trying to avert a euro- zone meltdown, in particular in Greece and Italy.</p>
| 4,897 |
<p>Confess or die.</p>
<p>That's what some inmates were told by jailhouse informants whom prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies in Orange County, California, recruited to illegally “coerce” confessions out of prisoners, according to a <a href="https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/aclu_socal_people_rackauckas_20180404_complaint.pdf" type="external">bombshell lawsuit filed Wednesday</a> by the ACLU.</p>
<p>Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens—who are being sued by the ACLU for violating a defendants’ rights to an attorney—are accused of paying the “professional” informants and promising to reduce their sentences if they elicited confessions from their fellow inmates.</p>
<p>The sheriff’s department has been operating the “secret jailhouse informant program” for “well over thirty years,” with the district attorney’s knowledge, the 41-page complaint states.</p>
<p>“They have won countless convictions based on unreliable information — the results of jailhouse informants’ coercion of defendants — that they passed off in court as solid, sound, and legal,” ACLU Staff Attorney Brendan Hamme said in a <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-sues-orange-county-district-attorney-and-sheriff-over-secret-illegal-jail-informant" type="external">press release</a>. “Hiding the facts of the coercion from the defense is just one of the many ways they broke the law and endangered justice.”</p>
<p>Some informants threatened prisoners with violence—even telling them they were “greenlit”—or “on a hit list to be assaulted or even executed on sight,” the lawsuit alleges. The ACLU claims that those subjected to the threats had little choice, their only options being to “confess or die.”</p>
<p>Informants were richly rewarded, the suit says.</p>
<p>“Informants were paid handsomely—hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases—and often given time off their own sentences in exchange for unlawfully collecting this information,” the court papers state.</p>
<p>The conversations and confessions were used by county prosecutors, according to the ACLU. In one case, a tape recorder placed in an informant's cell captured over 100 hours of conversation with an inmate, the lawsuit charges. In another case, an informant wore a wire during conversations with an inmate.</p>
<p>Jailhouse informants are a legal way to obtain information, but only to “thwart crimes being planned inside or outside the jail”—and only if the prisoner gives details unprompted, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/04/orange-county-prison-aclu-lawsuit-illegal-scheme-confessions" type="external">The Guardian</a>. It's illegal for the state or affiliated individuals to interview a prisoner without offering them legal representation.</p>
<p>The sheriff’s department, the district attorney’s office, and the informants allegedly worked in tandem, with law enforcement identifying a “target inmate” and the sheriff’s department moving the informant close to the target—which often meant being in the same cell or the cell next door.</p>
<p>Law enforcement allegedly went so far as to group informants and targets together in one area, often called the “informants tank.” Court documents state that law enforcement created a “core group” of informants who were often “members of criminal street gangs, such as the Mexican Mafia.”</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>Then there’s the alleged cover-up. The lawsuit claims that the sheriff's department “repeatedly lied under oath about the program’s existence and participants.” Those in the scheme also suppressed evidence that would reveal the nature of the program, including information that would prove “favorable to criminal defendants who have interacted with these informants,” the lawsuit says.</p>
<p>For example, two informants independently determined that Luis Vega, a 14-year-old who was arrested on an attempted murder charge in 2009, was innocent, the court papers allege. The informants told law enforcement that another inmate who'd been arrested for the same murder, Alvaro Sanchez, was solely responsible for the crime, according to the lawsuit.</p>
<p>But that information was never shared with Vega’s lawyer, and the teen spent two years in jail before the district attorney's office dropped his charges–“all because they wanted to hide the existence of the illegal Informant Program,” the lawsuit says.</p>
<p>“The fact [Vega] was allowed to languish in jail for two years, despite two different informants providing information that he was innocent, is an outrage and shows the depths to which the [Orange County District Attorney]’s office is willing to sink to conceal evidence of their illegal informant program,” Hamme told The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>The Orange County Sheriff's Department said they “do not comment on pending litigation” but have “cooperated fully with the CA Attorney General and Department of Justice investigations into the use of informants in the OC Jail.”</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://orangecountyda.org/civica/press/display.asp?layout=2&amp;Entry=5527" type="external">statement</a>, the DA's Office said the “use of informants has been consistently upheld by the United States Supreme Court."</p>
<p>"Therefore, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office will continue to lawfully use all evidence lawfully developed by local law enforcement,” it said.</p>
|
Orange County Prosecutors Used Jailhouse Informants to Illegally ‘Coerce’ Confessions, ACLU Charges
| true |
https://thedailybeast.com/orange-county-prosecutors-used-jailhouse-informants-to-illegally-coerce-confessions-aclu-charges
|
2018-10-05
| 4left
|
Orange County Prosecutors Used Jailhouse Informants to Illegally ‘Coerce’ Confessions, ACLU Charges
<p>Confess or die.</p>
<p>That's what some inmates were told by jailhouse informants whom prosecutors and sheriff’s deputies in Orange County, California, recruited to illegally “coerce” confessions out of prisoners, according to a <a href="https://www.aclusocal.org/sites/default/files/aclu_socal_people_rackauckas_20180404_complaint.pdf" type="external">bombshell lawsuit filed Wednesday</a> by the ACLU.</p>
<p>Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas and Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens—who are being sued by the ACLU for violating a defendants’ rights to an attorney—are accused of paying the “professional” informants and promising to reduce their sentences if they elicited confessions from their fellow inmates.</p>
<p>The sheriff’s department has been operating the “secret jailhouse informant program” for “well over thirty years,” with the district attorney’s knowledge, the 41-page complaint states.</p>
<p>“They have won countless convictions based on unreliable information — the results of jailhouse informants’ coercion of defendants — that they passed off in court as solid, sound, and legal,” ACLU Staff Attorney Brendan Hamme said in a <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-sues-orange-county-district-attorney-and-sheriff-over-secret-illegal-jail-informant" type="external">press release</a>. “Hiding the facts of the coercion from the defense is just one of the many ways they broke the law and endangered justice.”</p>
<p>Some informants threatened prisoners with violence—even telling them they were “greenlit”—or “on a hit list to be assaulted or even executed on sight,” the lawsuit alleges. The ACLU claims that those subjected to the threats had little choice, their only options being to “confess or die.”</p>
<p>Informants were richly rewarded, the suit says.</p>
<p>“Informants were paid handsomely—hundreds of thousands of dollars, in some cases—and often given time off their own sentences in exchange for unlawfully collecting this information,” the court papers state.</p>
<p>The conversations and confessions were used by county prosecutors, according to the ACLU. In one case, a tape recorder placed in an informant's cell captured over 100 hours of conversation with an inmate, the lawsuit charges. In another case, an informant wore a wire during conversations with an inmate.</p>
<p>Jailhouse informants are a legal way to obtain information, but only to “thwart crimes being planned inside or outside the jail”—and only if the prisoner gives details unprompted, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/04/orange-county-prison-aclu-lawsuit-illegal-scheme-confessions" type="external">The Guardian</a>. It's illegal for the state or affiliated individuals to interview a prisoner without offering them legal representation.</p>
<p>The sheriff’s department, the district attorney’s office, and the informants allegedly worked in tandem, with law enforcement identifying a “target inmate” and the sheriff’s department moving the informant close to the target—which often meant being in the same cell or the cell next door.</p>
<p>Law enforcement allegedly went so far as to group informants and targets together in one area, often called the “informants tank.” Court documents state that law enforcement created a “core group” of informants who were often “members of criminal street gangs, such as the Mexican Mafia.”</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>Then there’s the alleged cover-up. The lawsuit claims that the sheriff's department “repeatedly lied under oath about the program’s existence and participants.” Those in the scheme also suppressed evidence that would reveal the nature of the program, including information that would prove “favorable to criminal defendants who have interacted with these informants,” the lawsuit says.</p>
<p>For example, two informants independently determined that Luis Vega, a 14-year-old who was arrested on an attempted murder charge in 2009, was innocent, the court papers allege. The informants told law enforcement that another inmate who'd been arrested for the same murder, Alvaro Sanchez, was solely responsible for the crime, according to the lawsuit.</p>
<p>But that information was never shared with Vega’s lawyer, and the teen spent two years in jail before the district attorney's office dropped his charges–“all because they wanted to hide the existence of the illegal Informant Program,” the lawsuit says.</p>
<p>“The fact [Vega] was allowed to languish in jail for two years, despite two different informants providing information that he was innocent, is an outrage and shows the depths to which the [Orange County District Attorney]’s office is willing to sink to conceal evidence of their illegal informant program,” Hamme told The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>The Orange County Sheriff's Department said they “do not comment on pending litigation” but have “cooperated fully with the CA Attorney General and Department of Justice investigations into the use of informants in the OC Jail.”</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://orangecountyda.org/civica/press/display.asp?layout=2&amp;Entry=5527" type="external">statement</a>, the DA's Office said the “use of informants has been consistently upheld by the United States Supreme Court."</p>
<p>"Therefore, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office will continue to lawfully use all evidence lawfully developed by local law enforcement,” it said.</p>
| 4,898 |
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — Fish that primarily feed on algae and weeds in canals that deliver water to the Phoenix area are overeating and getting even bigger.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project made the discovery as crews move fish to different parts of the canal system for maintenance. The white amur fish that typically measure around 30 inches (76 centimeters) are up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) longer, said SRP spokesman Jeff Lane.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project has been using the sterile fish native to China to help clear the canals since 1989 and avoid treating the water with chemicals, The Arizona Republic <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2018/01/11/fish-clean-phoenixs-canals-gorging-themselves-and-getting-even-bigger/1016928001/" type="external">reported</a> . The largest of them were found near Mesa's Granite Reef Diversion Dam, an area thick with vegetation.</p>
<p>The utility looks for a certain type of fish for clearing canals — ones with heads big enough that they cannot wiggle through grates. Wide-headed fish also mean the grates can have fewer bars and allow water to flow through more freely, said Brian Moorhead, an environmental scientist and engineer with SRP.</p>
<p>The crews drain portions of the major canals annually to repair cracks, remove trash and clear debris. A crane with a net scoops the fish out of the canal.</p>
<p>While they're coveted for the amount of vegetation they can eat — up to two-thirds of their body weight daily — the cold can halt the fish's work.</p>
<p>Moorhead said the fish stop eating when the temperatures dip to 65 degrees, but vegetation has a lower threshold for growing at 60 degrees.</p>
<p>"We want them to eat all the vegetation," he said.</p>
<p>The cleanup of the canal system is scheduled to run through Feb. 5. The maintenance also gives local governments an opportunity to do roadwork or improve bridges over the canals, the Salt River Project said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Arizona Republic, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com" type="external">http://www.azcentral.com</a></p>
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — Fish that primarily feed on algae and weeds in canals that deliver water to the Phoenix area are overeating and getting even bigger.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project made the discovery as crews move fish to different parts of the canal system for maintenance. The white amur fish that typically measure around 30 inches (76 centimeters) are up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) longer, said SRP spokesman Jeff Lane.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project has been using the sterile fish native to China to help clear the canals since 1989 and avoid treating the water with chemicals, The Arizona Republic <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2018/01/11/fish-clean-phoenixs-canals-gorging-themselves-and-getting-even-bigger/1016928001/" type="external">reported</a> . The largest of them were found near Mesa's Granite Reef Diversion Dam, an area thick with vegetation.</p>
<p>The utility looks for a certain type of fish for clearing canals — ones with heads big enough that they cannot wiggle through grates. Wide-headed fish also mean the grates can have fewer bars and allow water to flow through more freely, said Brian Moorhead, an environmental scientist and engineer with SRP.</p>
<p>The crews drain portions of the major canals annually to repair cracks, remove trash and clear debris. A crane with a net scoops the fish out of the canal.</p>
<p>While they're coveted for the amount of vegetation they can eat — up to two-thirds of their body weight daily — the cold can halt the fish's work.</p>
<p>Moorhead said the fish stop eating when the temperatures dip to 65 degrees, but vegetation has a lower threshold for growing at 60 degrees.</p>
<p>"We want them to eat all the vegetation," he said.</p>
<p>The cleanup of the canal system is scheduled to run through Feb. 5. The maintenance also gives local governments an opportunity to do roadwork or improve bridges over the canals, the Salt River Project said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Arizona Republic, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com" type="external">http://www.azcentral.com</a></p>
|
Fish that clean Phoenix's canals are gorging themselves
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/1c0650f921d94a229668b87495643744
|
2018-01-16
| 2least
|
Fish that clean Phoenix's canals are gorging themselves
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — Fish that primarily feed on algae and weeds in canals that deliver water to the Phoenix area are overeating and getting even bigger.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project made the discovery as crews move fish to different parts of the canal system for maintenance. The white amur fish that typically measure around 30 inches (76 centimeters) are up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) longer, said SRP spokesman Jeff Lane.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project has been using the sterile fish native to China to help clear the canals since 1989 and avoid treating the water with chemicals, The Arizona Republic <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2018/01/11/fish-clean-phoenixs-canals-gorging-themselves-and-getting-even-bigger/1016928001/" type="external">reported</a> . The largest of them were found near Mesa's Granite Reef Diversion Dam, an area thick with vegetation.</p>
<p>The utility looks for a certain type of fish for clearing canals — ones with heads big enough that they cannot wiggle through grates. Wide-headed fish also mean the grates can have fewer bars and allow water to flow through more freely, said Brian Moorhead, an environmental scientist and engineer with SRP.</p>
<p>The crews drain portions of the major canals annually to repair cracks, remove trash and clear debris. A crane with a net scoops the fish out of the canal.</p>
<p>While they're coveted for the amount of vegetation they can eat — up to two-thirds of their body weight daily — the cold can halt the fish's work.</p>
<p>Moorhead said the fish stop eating when the temperatures dip to 65 degrees, but vegetation has a lower threshold for growing at 60 degrees.</p>
<p>"We want them to eat all the vegetation," he said.</p>
<p>The cleanup of the canal system is scheduled to run through Feb. 5. The maintenance also gives local governments an opportunity to do roadwork or improve bridges over the canals, the Salt River Project said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Arizona Republic, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com" type="external">http://www.azcentral.com</a></p>
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — Fish that primarily feed on algae and weeds in canals that deliver water to the Phoenix area are overeating and getting even bigger.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project made the discovery as crews move fish to different parts of the canal system for maintenance. The white amur fish that typically measure around 30 inches (76 centimeters) are up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) longer, said SRP spokesman Jeff Lane.</p>
<p>The Salt River Project has been using the sterile fish native to China to help clear the canals since 1989 and avoid treating the water with chemicals, The Arizona Republic <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-environment/2018/01/11/fish-clean-phoenixs-canals-gorging-themselves-and-getting-even-bigger/1016928001/" type="external">reported</a> . The largest of them were found near Mesa's Granite Reef Diversion Dam, an area thick with vegetation.</p>
<p>The utility looks for a certain type of fish for clearing canals — ones with heads big enough that they cannot wiggle through grates. Wide-headed fish also mean the grates can have fewer bars and allow water to flow through more freely, said Brian Moorhead, an environmental scientist and engineer with SRP.</p>
<p>The crews drain portions of the major canals annually to repair cracks, remove trash and clear debris. A crane with a net scoops the fish out of the canal.</p>
<p>While they're coveted for the amount of vegetation they can eat — up to two-thirds of their body weight daily — the cold can halt the fish's work.</p>
<p>Moorhead said the fish stop eating when the temperatures dip to 65 degrees, but vegetation has a lower threshold for growing at 60 degrees.</p>
<p>"We want them to eat all the vegetation," he said.</p>
<p>The cleanup of the canal system is scheduled to run through Feb. 5. The maintenance also gives local governments an opportunity to do roadwork or improve bridges over the canals, the Salt River Project said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Arizona Republic, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com" type="external">http://www.azcentral.com</a></p>
| 4,899 |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.