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>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Tuesday evening’s drawing of the Missouri Lottery’s “Show Me Cash” game were:</p>
<p>13-19-29-32-36</p>
<p>(thirteen, nineteen, twenty-nine, thirty-two, thirty-six)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $467,000</p>
<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Tuesday evening’s drawing of the Missouri Lottery’s “Show Me Cash” game were:</p>
<p>13-19-29-32-36</p>
<p>(thirteen, nineteen, twenty-nine, thirty-two, thirty-six)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $467,000</p> | Winning numbers drawn in ‘Show Me Cash’ game | false | https://apnews.com/b779db3c872741b6acc128c3dd88608a | 2018-01-17 | 2least
| Winning numbers drawn in ‘Show Me Cash’ game
<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Tuesday evening’s drawing of the Missouri Lottery’s “Show Me Cash” game were:</p>
<p>13-19-29-32-36</p>
<p>(thirteen, nineteen, twenty-nine, thirty-two, thirty-six)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $467,000</p>
<p>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Tuesday evening’s drawing of the Missouri Lottery’s “Show Me Cash” game were:</p>
<p>13-19-29-32-36</p>
<p>(thirteen, nineteen, twenty-nine, thirty-two, thirty-six)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $467,000</p> | 599,500 |
<p>Four years later, Makadem says Kenyans are still on Obama's side.</p>
<p>But Kenyans have their own upcoming elections to think about.</p>
<p>And Makadem admits that's what he's concentrating on.</p>
<p>Kenya was supposed to a presidential election this year, but it's been pushed back to next March.</p>
<p>And as politicians actively campaign some Kenyans fear a repeat of the widespread ethnic violence that followed their last presidential vote.</p>
<p>More than a thousand people were killed in clashes after the election's outcome was disputed.</p>
<p>This time, Makadem hopes Kenya will avoid that despite some heated rhetoric in the campaign.</p>
<p>"I'm always a positive person and I'm quite optimistic that it will end up well, but the way it looks, it looks bad,"? he says. "But at the end of the day things always seem to work out. So that's what gives me the optimism that we'll have a new president and Kenya will come out on top."?</p>
<p>One campaign issue close to Makadem's heart is getting young people to vote.</p>
<p>He says there's a lot of work to be done on that front.</p>
<p>"There is something in Kenya about the youth not wanting to vote, especially the young girls, the under 25s,"? he says. "They don't want to vote. And I always tell them 'No, whether it is not directly coming to you it does affect your life. Because those guys sit in Parliament and they decide your future. So, you better be involved."?</p>
<p>To make his point, Makadem is planning to write a song directed at young potential voters.</p>
<p>He says the lyrics will declare that one of them could be president of Kenya some day.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Makadem already has a track that praises the young women of Nairobi.</p>
<p>It's called "Nya Nairobi"?.</p> | Nairobi Singer Makadem's Get Out the Vote Effort in Kenya | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-09-06/nairobi-singer-makadems-get-out-vote-effort-kenya | 2012-09-06 | 3left-center
| Nairobi Singer Makadem's Get Out the Vote Effort in Kenya
<p>Four years later, Makadem says Kenyans are still on Obama's side.</p>
<p>But Kenyans have their own upcoming elections to think about.</p>
<p>And Makadem admits that's what he's concentrating on.</p>
<p>Kenya was supposed to a presidential election this year, but it's been pushed back to next March.</p>
<p>And as politicians actively campaign some Kenyans fear a repeat of the widespread ethnic violence that followed their last presidential vote.</p>
<p>More than a thousand people were killed in clashes after the election's outcome was disputed.</p>
<p>This time, Makadem hopes Kenya will avoid that despite some heated rhetoric in the campaign.</p>
<p>"I'm always a positive person and I'm quite optimistic that it will end up well, but the way it looks, it looks bad,"? he says. "But at the end of the day things always seem to work out. So that's what gives me the optimism that we'll have a new president and Kenya will come out on top."?</p>
<p>One campaign issue close to Makadem's heart is getting young people to vote.</p>
<p>He says there's a lot of work to be done on that front.</p>
<p>"There is something in Kenya about the youth not wanting to vote, especially the young girls, the under 25s,"? he says. "They don't want to vote. And I always tell them 'No, whether it is not directly coming to you it does affect your life. Because those guys sit in Parliament and they decide your future. So, you better be involved."?</p>
<p>To make his point, Makadem is planning to write a song directed at young potential voters.</p>
<p>He says the lyrics will declare that one of them could be president of Kenya some day.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Makadem already has a track that praises the young women of Nairobi.</p>
<p>It's called "Nya Nairobi"?.</p> | 599,501 |
<p>That didn't take long.</p>
<p>After Donald Trump's upset victory over rival Hillary Clinton Tuesday, conservatives across various media platforms expressed just how critical it would be to hold Trump's feet to the fire concerning the promises he'd made. Now, it appears as though conservatives will have to reach for the president-elect's ankles much sooner than anticipated.</p>
<p>During an exclusive interview with <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-willing-to-keep-parts-of-health-law-1478895339" type="external">The Wall Street Journal</a>, Donald Trump walked back his "repeal and replace" rhetoric regarding President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) "after the president asked him to reconsider repealing it during their meeting at the White House on Thursday."</p>
<p>That's all it took for Trump to crumble.</p>
<p>"I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that...Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced."</p>
<p>Repealed and replaced...or amended. Trump told WSJ that he likes two provisions of the ACA: Not allowing insurance companies to refuse clients with pre-existing conditions, and allowing individuals to stay on their parents' healthcare plan until the age of 26.</p>
<p>It would be an overreaction to say that Trump's willingness to "look at" President Obama's suggestions is tantamount to giving in. That said, considering Trump's history of flip-flops, his words and behavior need to be intensely scrutinized. Moreover, Trump is on record saying that he's amenable to the exact opposite of market-based, patient-oriented healthcare reform, praising single-payer systems on multiple occasions.</p>
<p>What's troubling is that Trump doesn't seem to realize that a full "repeal and replace" strategy would <a href="http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/how-to-replace-obamacare" type="external">include solutions</a> to the pre-existing conditions issue, as well as any other problems one might believe have been dealt with under Obamacare.</p>
<p>The mission to repeal and replace the ACA comes from a basic conservative desire to tear a statist cancer out of the American body politic, and offer an alternative that's not only economically healthy, but beneficial to those in need of healthcare. The fact that Trump doesn't seem to understand that is cause for concern.</p>
<p>Three days in, and already conservatives need to smack Trump across the face with reason. As the president-elect himself would say: Bad!</p> | Trump Already Walking Back Promise To Repeal And Replace Obamacare | true | https://dailywire.com/news/10735/trump-already-walking-back-promise-repeal-and-frank-camp | 2016-11-11 | 0right
| Trump Already Walking Back Promise To Repeal And Replace Obamacare
<p>That didn't take long.</p>
<p>After Donald Trump's upset victory over rival Hillary Clinton Tuesday, conservatives across various media platforms expressed just how critical it would be to hold Trump's feet to the fire concerning the promises he'd made. Now, it appears as though conservatives will have to reach for the president-elect's ankles much sooner than anticipated.</p>
<p>During an exclusive interview with <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-willing-to-keep-parts-of-health-law-1478895339" type="external">The Wall Street Journal</a>, Donald Trump walked back his "repeal and replace" rhetoric regarding President Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) "after the president asked him to reconsider repealing it during their meeting at the White House on Thursday."</p>
<p>That's all it took for Trump to crumble.</p>
<p>"I told him I will look at his suggestions, and out of respect, I will do that...Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced."</p>
<p>Repealed and replaced...or amended. Trump told WSJ that he likes two provisions of the ACA: Not allowing insurance companies to refuse clients with pre-existing conditions, and allowing individuals to stay on their parents' healthcare plan until the age of 26.</p>
<p>It would be an overreaction to say that Trump's willingness to "look at" President Obama's suggestions is tantamount to giving in. That said, considering Trump's history of flip-flops, his words and behavior need to be intensely scrutinized. Moreover, Trump is on record saying that he's amenable to the exact opposite of market-based, patient-oriented healthcare reform, praising single-payer systems on multiple occasions.</p>
<p>What's troubling is that Trump doesn't seem to realize that a full "repeal and replace" strategy would <a href="http://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/how-to-replace-obamacare" type="external">include solutions</a> to the pre-existing conditions issue, as well as any other problems one might believe have been dealt with under Obamacare.</p>
<p>The mission to repeal and replace the ACA comes from a basic conservative desire to tear a statist cancer out of the American body politic, and offer an alternative that's not only economically healthy, but beneficial to those in need of healthcare. The fact that Trump doesn't seem to understand that is cause for concern.</p>
<p>Three days in, and already conservatives need to smack Trump across the face with reason. As the president-elect himself would say: Bad!</p> | 599,502 |
<p>Madeline Lewis was born to go to West Point. She says her parents brought her home from the hospital wearing a onesie with “West Point” emblazoned across the chest. For several Halloweens in a row, she dressed up as a West Point Cheerleader. A picture of her in costume sits on her grandmother’s desk.</p>
<p>“West Point was just something I grew up with,” Lewis says.</p>
<p>Lewis was a legacy cadet, the granddaughter of 1965 West Point grad Dennis Lewis Sr., who played for the practice football team, and was awarded the Bronze star with valor for his later service in Vietnam leading Army infantrymen.</p>
<p>As a child, Lewis was close to her grandfather. They would sit on his back porch in Ohio, eating cucumbers and tomatoes from his garden, and she would listen to his stories about West Point, “back in the days.”</p>
<p>A few days before Lewis’ grandfather died while waiting for a heart transplant in 2009, he gave her his Ranger tab, a military decoration signifying completion of the Army’s Ranger School, “the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer,” she said.</p>
<p>Dennis Lewis was buried with full military honors in West Point Cemetery. Nestled beneath a ginkgo tree, his headstone reads simply, “A West Point Football Player.”</p>
<p>After her grandfather's death Madeline Lewis became obsessed with the idea of following in his footsteps. She lost a hundred pounds, joined sports teams and won leadership positions within her Ohio high school. By senior year, she had landed two major nominations to the military academy, from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Representative Tim Ryan.</p>
<p>In 2014, Lewis was admitted to West Point.</p>
<p>A serious knee injury during basic training that summer and a difficult relationship with her roommate nearly spelled the end for Lewis, but she fought to stay—a decision she now regrets.</p>
<p>“I kick myself now for not just leaving after I got hurt,” she says. “But I wanted to be there.”</p>
<p>Three weeks into the 2014 school year, Lewis, who was still on crutches and needed surgery, says she met Ahmad Ali Bradshaw, a West Point quarterback who was best friends with her roommate.</p>
<p>One night, as Lewis later told West Point investigators, she came back to her room after a shower. Bradshaw was there and, she claimed, he raped her.</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>Bradshaw denied having any sexual contact with Lewis at all, according to an internal investigation report obtained by The Daily Beast. Bradshaw also chose to not render an official statement and invoked his right to remain silent. &#160;</p>
<p>West Point’s internal investigation concluded that a consensual sexual relationship between the cadets had occurred, and a second investigation, by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Staff Judge Advocate, found there was “insufficient evidence” to charge Bradshaw with sexual assault.</p>
<p>Bradshaw declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by a Daily Beast reporter, and West Point denied an interview with Bradshaw, saying in an email that it was a “really busy time given the classroom environment and the upcoming Army Navy activities.”</p>
<p>The annual rivalry game is Saturday and Bradshaw, a team captain, is expected to start as quarterback.</p>
<p>Mentorship for Him, Detention for Her</p>
<p>Lewis says her roommate—with whom she often argued—told on her for having sex in the barracks.</p>
<p>Lewis then filed a formal report, a copy which was viewed by The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>Following the report, Lewis says she underwent a rape test at the Army medical hospital, an experience she calls “invasive.” Then, she says, the medical team put her on 24/7 suicide watch.</p>
<p>“If you can think of someone holding a vial of poison, and handing it off to another person because no one wanted to touch it. That’s how I was treated.”</p>
<p>West Point launched an investigation into her claims, a school report obtained by The Daily Beast shows.</p>
<p>Despite Bradshaw’s denial of sex, West Point’s internal investigation led by Maj. Damon M. Torres concluded that a sexual relationship between the cadets had indeed occurred, but Torres called it consensual. It is unclear from the documents how Torres arrived at that conclusion, and West Point declined to share specifics, citing privacy for both parties.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Bradshaw was charged with a violation of Article 1 of the Cadet Disciplinary Code for improper use of government facilities by way of “sexual activity, which includes, but is not limited to: kissing, hand holding, and fondling,” according to West Point regulations.</p>
<p>Torres recommended Bradshaw be punished with a Brigade Board, one of the most serious blemishes a cadet can receive on their record, and be enrolled in the Respect Mentorship Program, according to West Point documents viewed by The Daily Beast. The program is designed to “educate cadets on moral-ethical topics, to challenge them with critical thinking experiences, and to provide structured reflection.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Lewis says she was punished by being forced to “do hours,” what amounted to isolated detention due to her injured knee.</p>
<p>A second investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Staff Judge Advocate, who advises West Point leaders on legal matters, found there was “insufficient evidence” to charge Bradshaw with sexual assault. Bradshaw was suspended from football for the duration of the criminal investigation, West Point told The Daily Beast in an email. West Point had previously attributed his absence from the field to “an unspecified Academy matter .”</p>
<p>When asked about Lewis’s claims, West Point told The Daily Beast in a statement:</p>
<p>“The U.S. Military Academy takes all allegations of criminal conduct seriously and thoroughly investigates alleged criminal activity. We also respect the privacy and rights of those accused and victims of crimes. The investigation concluded that there was no probable cause to believe that the alleged offenses occurred and has been closed.”</p>
<p>The Daily Beast first learned of Lewis’s report because of documents that a source inside the Army provided to The Daily Beast. The source was granted anonymity because the materials are marked “For Official Use Only.” (West Point said it is investigating the leak.)</p>
<p>The source, a high-ranking, highly decorated soldier, told The Daily Beast that the decision to disclose the files was based on his belief that Bradshaw’s documented honor code and behavior violations, negative observation reports, and below-average performance shows he does not have the integrity to lead men and women into potential combat or wear the uniform of a U.S. Army officer.</p>
<p>“The documents simply show that the institution…has to take a step back and ask itself if they are developing the next crop of America’s military leaders in a manner that drives the importance of good characters,” the source said.</p>
<p>Lewis’s complaint is one of 78 unrestricted reports of sexual assault made in the last four years at the military academy, according to statistics provided by West Point to The Daily Beast. Of those, investigators found only 27 to be “substantiated,” resulting in criminal charges in ten cases. Of the remaining reports, 23 were found “unsubstantiated.” In 16 cases, victims declined further investigation and in 11, an investigation is ongoing. One case is pending trial.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, a former cadet attempted to sue her West Point superiors, claiming their perpetration of a “sexually aggressive culture” contributed to her alleged rape in 2010.</p>
<p>A federal appeals court denied her request, writing that “civilian courts are ill-equipped to second-guess military decisions regarding basic choices about the discipline, supervision and control of service members.”</p>
<p>That cadet left West Point following her alleged rape in 2010, according to court documents . She went on to earn a degree from a civilian college.</p>
<p>“The Whore of the Corps”</p>
<p>Lewis finished the fall semester and then went on leave for knee surgery, after which she, too, doubted she’d be back. By February 2015, she was sure, posting to her Facebook, “I will never ever come back to a place as terrible and as small minded as West Point...I am not class of 2019 nor could you pay me enough to join an institution who treats their comrades in arms so poorly. USMA has got their work cut out for you.”</p>
<p>Lewis says she might have stayed, but her fellow cadets weren’t going to let that happen.</p>
<p>On yik yak—a social media platform, once popular on college campuses but now defunct, that allowed people in close proximity to chat anonymously—her classmates were talking about her.</p>
<p>People were writing that she should be “taken out back” and shot, “like Old Yeller,” according to screenshots viewed by The Daily Beast. Other cadets called Lewis “the whore of the corps,” and said Bradshaw’s suspension had cost them the Army-Navy game in 2014.&#160; When Lewis complained to her superiors, the cadets just took their chatter to a private Facebook group, she says.</p>
<p>Much of that talk involved her sexual activity. Lewis said she had a sexual relationship with a few other cadets during her time at West Point, a fact that she said her classmates used to discredit her at the time.</p>
<p>Lewis has now transferred to a state college far away from West Point.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Bradshaw became West Point’s star quarterback. He scored the game-winning touchdown against Navy last year, breaking Army’s 14-game losing streak to its archrival.</p>
<p>But perhaps Bradshaw shouldn’t have been playing at all.&#160;</p>
<p>Caught Cheating, Permitted to Play</p>
<p>According to a document provided by the Army source, Bradshaw has been the subject of numerous negative conduct reports besides the one involving Lewis—even violating West Point’s famed honor code for cheating in 2016, which should have seen him benched for the 2016 fall season but did not.</p>
<p>West Point’s honor code—“A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do”—is at the “center of the very being of the United States Military Academy,” it says.</p>
<p>West Point separated 56 cadets in 2016, 10 for honor violations and 18 for other misconduct conduct. Bradshaw was not among them despite being found guilty of “lying/cheating” by a Cadet Honor Committee at West Point in May 2016.</p>
<p>“His infraction involved failure to properly cite in an academic course,” West Point told The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A day after he was caught for an honor violation, Bradshaw’s tactical officer, wrote in his file: “Cadet Bradshaw struggles with grades, but always attends the football study sessions and strives to help his peers within the company, militarily. His military performance has improved this term, and he is doing well in the company. Pending the results of the honor investigation, I would recommend retain.”</p>
<p>Bradshaw's file shows the commandant imposed a series of standard sanctions, including a reduction in rank to private first class, loss of all privileges, and a suspension from “representing the Academy through participation in corps squad and or club squad activities, including participating in games and competition.”</p>
<p>Bradshaw’s file said these restrictions are “binding and continue through successful completion of the Honor Mentorship Program.” West Point told The Daily Beast that Bradshaw was placed into the program, a “rigorous six-month program, where a senior member of the staff or faculty provides one-on-one mentorship to the cadet.”</p>
<p>Yet Bradshaw started the season opener at Temple University on September 2, before he completed the program. That game he rushed 50 yards and scored a touchdown.</p>
<p>Bradshaw went on to set the Army’s all-time single-season rushing leader record with 244 yards on 27 carries against North Texas and lead the team to victory over Navy.</p>
<p>In an email to The Daily Beast, West Point said that “Cadet Bradshaw's subsequent participation in athletics at no time violated the terms of his honor adjudication...as the sanctions imposed by an adjudicated Honor Board are not effective until the Superintendent takes action on the case.”</p>
<p>West Point said Bradshaw’s May 2016 violation was not adjudicated until November 2016—after the football season was over—and did not become effective until West Point’s superintendent took action on the honor case in Feb. 2017, during the football off-season.&#160;</p>
<p>“The timing of the Honor Board and the action taken by the Superintendent followed the typical timeline for other cases that year and no special consideration was given to Cadet Bradshaw,” West Point said.</p>
<p>“The Superintendent's action document reflects that Cadet Bradshaw was to be suspended from participation in intercollegiate athletics,” West Point told The Daily Beast, meaning that Bradshaw would be barred from playing Army football games when there were no football games to play, between&#160; February and August 2017.</p>
<p>By mid-August, Bradshaw had completed a majority of the Senior Leadership Development Program for Honor requirements, according to West Point, and on August 14, 2017, his development coach formally requested that Bradshaw be able to represent the Academy. The request was approved by the Cadet Honor Committee, Bradshaw's chain of command, and the Superintendent just in time for Army football’s season opener against Fordham University on September 1, where Bradshaw led the team to victory 64-6.</p>
<p>In addition to his honor code violation, Bradshaw was disciplined by his company before the fall of 2016 for an undisclosed reason related to his conduct over the summer, according to his record reviewed by The Daily Beast. West Point declined to answer why Bradshaw was disciplined.</p>
<p>Bradshaw didn't attend the first football season practice in August 2016 because of “some administrative stuff for something on campus,” Army coach Jeff Monke <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/sports/20160816/army-qb-bradshaw-leaving-academy" type="external">said</a> at the time.</p>
<p>Bradshaw <a href="https://nytimes.com/2017/12/08/sports/army-navy-ahmad-bradshaw.html" type="external">also did not attend the Affirmation Ceremony</a> where cadets take the oath to finish their final two years at the academy and serve five years in the Army afterwards. Bradshaw later took the oath.</p>
<p>“Cadet Bradshaw is currently a below-average cadet physically and militarily,” his tactical officer wrote in a report after Bradshaw had failed a major course requirement for his major in system design and management in Jan. 2017.</p>
<p>“However, he is able to meet all requirements. He has an average reputation with the company and contributed this semester. He has great leadership potential, as demonstrated in football, but has not translated into his performance in the three cadet pillars [of academics, military and physical fitness]. I feel that he can overcome this deficiency, improve and succeed at the Academy.”</p>
<p>Bradshaw was also the subject of 15 negative cadet observation reports out of a total 20, according to a list reviewed by The Daily Beast. Four reports were positive and one neutral. The negative reports were written by Bradshaw’s fellow cadets and three U.S. Army majors.</p>
<p>West Point declined to detail the reports, but such reports generally concern “breach of regulations, improper appearance and bearing, demonstration of a surly or lackadaisical attitude, or apparent lack of professionalism definitely warrant the counseling of a cadet,” according to a West Point manual .</p>
<p>“Malaise that pervades the entire institution”</p>
<p>A West Point assistant professor, who retired from the Academy in August, blasted the academy’s “nonexistent” standards in an open letter to its graduates two months ago.</p>
<p>“The Superintendent refuses to enforce admissions standards or the cadet Honor Code, the Dean refuses to enforce academic standards, and the Commandant refuses to enforce standards of conduct and discipline,” wrote retired Army Lt. Col. Robert M. Heffington, who was an associate professor and graduate.</p>
<p>“The end result is a sort of malaise that pervades the entire institution. Nothing matters anymore. Cadets know this, and it has given rise to a level of cadet arrogance and entitlement the likes of which West Point has never seen in its history.”</p>
<p>Heffington’s letter came as no surprise to West Point. Three years earlier, West Point surveyed cadets and faculty who reported deficiencies in “trust, honor, and toleration.”&#160;</p>
<p>An assessment included with the survey that both cadets and faculty openly are aware of deficiencies in the academy’s administration of the honor system.</p>
<p>“Cadets believe the Honor System is too random in its outcomes, has different standards for different populations, and is subject to outside influence by lawyers and officers,” the report said. “Staff and faculty also mistrust the system because they believe too many cadets are not being found for obvious violations of the Honor Code.”</p>
<p>Lewis shares that opinion. &#160;</p>
<p>“I still feel like West Point has the right idea: to take the best of the best and test them,” she said. “I’m frustrated that they’re coddling the people who will win them games and don’t care about people like me.”</p>
<p>When asked whether she misses West Point, Lewis comes back to her grandfather.</p>
<p>On Monday nights, while she was still a cadet, Lewis said she would grab a sandwich and crutch her way over to the cemetery to have dinner by her grandfather’s grave. She hasn’t been back since July 2015.</p>
<p>“I miss the potential that I had there,” she says. “I wanted to say that I did it, that I graduated from West Point. And I don’t have that anymore.”</p> | Cadet Run Out of West Point After Accusing Army’s Star Quarterback of Rape | true | https://thedailybeast.com/cadet-run-out-of-west-point-after-accusing-armys-star-quarterback-of-rape | 2018-10-03 | 4left
| Cadet Run Out of West Point After Accusing Army’s Star Quarterback of Rape
<p>Madeline Lewis was born to go to West Point. She says her parents brought her home from the hospital wearing a onesie with “West Point” emblazoned across the chest. For several Halloweens in a row, she dressed up as a West Point Cheerleader. A picture of her in costume sits on her grandmother’s desk.</p>
<p>“West Point was just something I grew up with,” Lewis says.</p>
<p>Lewis was a legacy cadet, the granddaughter of 1965 West Point grad Dennis Lewis Sr., who played for the practice football team, and was awarded the Bronze star with valor for his later service in Vietnam leading Army infantrymen.</p>
<p>As a child, Lewis was close to her grandfather. They would sit on his back porch in Ohio, eating cucumbers and tomatoes from his garden, and she would listen to his stories about West Point, “back in the days.”</p>
<p>A few days before Lewis’ grandfather died while waiting for a heart transplant in 2009, he gave her his Ranger tab, a military decoration signifying completion of the Army’s Ranger School, “the most physically and mentally demanding leadership school the Army has to offer,” she said.</p>
<p>Dennis Lewis was buried with full military honors in West Point Cemetery. Nestled beneath a ginkgo tree, his headstone reads simply, “A West Point Football Player.”</p>
<p>After her grandfather's death Madeline Lewis became obsessed with the idea of following in his footsteps. She lost a hundred pounds, joined sports teams and won leadership positions within her Ohio high school. By senior year, she had landed two major nominations to the military academy, from U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and Representative Tim Ryan.</p>
<p>In 2014, Lewis was admitted to West Point.</p>
<p>A serious knee injury during basic training that summer and a difficult relationship with her roommate nearly spelled the end for Lewis, but she fought to stay—a decision she now regrets.</p>
<p>“I kick myself now for not just leaving after I got hurt,” she says. “But I wanted to be there.”</p>
<p>Three weeks into the 2014 school year, Lewis, who was still on crutches and needed surgery, says she met Ahmad Ali Bradshaw, a West Point quarterback who was best friends with her roommate.</p>
<p>One night, as Lewis later told West Point investigators, she came back to her room after a shower. Bradshaw was there and, she claimed, he raped her.</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>Bradshaw denied having any sexual contact with Lewis at all, according to an internal investigation report obtained by The Daily Beast. Bradshaw also chose to not render an official statement and invoked his right to remain silent. &#160;</p>
<p>West Point’s internal investigation concluded that a consensual sexual relationship between the cadets had occurred, and a second investigation, by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Staff Judge Advocate, found there was “insufficient evidence” to charge Bradshaw with sexual assault.</p>
<p>Bradshaw declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by a Daily Beast reporter, and West Point denied an interview with Bradshaw, saying in an email that it was a “really busy time given the classroom environment and the upcoming Army Navy activities.”</p>
<p>The annual rivalry game is Saturday and Bradshaw, a team captain, is expected to start as quarterback.</p>
<p>Mentorship for Him, Detention for Her</p>
<p>Lewis says her roommate—with whom she often argued—told on her for having sex in the barracks.</p>
<p>Lewis then filed a formal report, a copy which was viewed by The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>Following the report, Lewis says she underwent a rape test at the Army medical hospital, an experience she calls “invasive.” Then, she says, the medical team put her on 24/7 suicide watch.</p>
<p>“If you can think of someone holding a vial of poison, and handing it off to another person because no one wanted to touch it. That’s how I was treated.”</p>
<p>West Point launched an investigation into her claims, a school report obtained by The Daily Beast shows.</p>
<p>Despite Bradshaw’s denial of sex, West Point’s internal investigation led by Maj. Damon M. Torres concluded that a sexual relationship between the cadets had indeed occurred, but Torres called it consensual. It is unclear from the documents how Torres arrived at that conclusion, and West Point declined to share specifics, citing privacy for both parties.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Bradshaw was charged with a violation of Article 1 of the Cadet Disciplinary Code for improper use of government facilities by way of “sexual activity, which includes, but is not limited to: kissing, hand holding, and fondling,” according to West Point regulations.</p>
<p>Torres recommended Bradshaw be punished with a Brigade Board, one of the most serious blemishes a cadet can receive on their record, and be enrolled in the Respect Mentorship Program, according to West Point documents viewed by The Daily Beast. The program is designed to “educate cadets on moral-ethical topics, to challenge them with critical thinking experiences, and to provide structured reflection.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Lewis says she was punished by being forced to “do hours,” what amounted to isolated detention due to her injured knee.</p>
<p>A second investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Staff Judge Advocate, who advises West Point leaders on legal matters, found there was “insufficient evidence” to charge Bradshaw with sexual assault. Bradshaw was suspended from football for the duration of the criminal investigation, West Point told The Daily Beast in an email. West Point had previously attributed his absence from the field to “an unspecified Academy matter .”</p>
<p>When asked about Lewis’s claims, West Point told The Daily Beast in a statement:</p>
<p>“The U.S. Military Academy takes all allegations of criminal conduct seriously and thoroughly investigates alleged criminal activity. We also respect the privacy and rights of those accused and victims of crimes. The investigation concluded that there was no probable cause to believe that the alleged offenses occurred and has been closed.”</p>
<p>The Daily Beast first learned of Lewis’s report because of documents that a source inside the Army provided to The Daily Beast. The source was granted anonymity because the materials are marked “For Official Use Only.” (West Point said it is investigating the leak.)</p>
<p>The source, a high-ranking, highly decorated soldier, told The Daily Beast that the decision to disclose the files was based on his belief that Bradshaw’s documented honor code and behavior violations, negative observation reports, and below-average performance shows he does not have the integrity to lead men and women into potential combat or wear the uniform of a U.S. Army officer.</p>
<p>“The documents simply show that the institution…has to take a step back and ask itself if they are developing the next crop of America’s military leaders in a manner that drives the importance of good characters,” the source said.</p>
<p>Lewis’s complaint is one of 78 unrestricted reports of sexual assault made in the last four years at the military academy, according to statistics provided by West Point to The Daily Beast. Of those, investigators found only 27 to be “substantiated,” resulting in criminal charges in ten cases. Of the remaining reports, 23 were found “unsubstantiated.” In 16 cases, victims declined further investigation and in 11, an investigation is ongoing. One case is pending trial.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, a former cadet attempted to sue her West Point superiors, claiming their perpetration of a “sexually aggressive culture” contributed to her alleged rape in 2010.</p>
<p>A federal appeals court denied her request, writing that “civilian courts are ill-equipped to second-guess military decisions regarding basic choices about the discipline, supervision and control of service members.”</p>
<p>That cadet left West Point following her alleged rape in 2010, according to court documents . She went on to earn a degree from a civilian college.</p>
<p>“The Whore of the Corps”</p>
<p>Lewis finished the fall semester and then went on leave for knee surgery, after which she, too, doubted she’d be back. By February 2015, she was sure, posting to her Facebook, “I will never ever come back to a place as terrible and as small minded as West Point...I am not class of 2019 nor could you pay me enough to join an institution who treats their comrades in arms so poorly. USMA has got their work cut out for you.”</p>
<p>Lewis says she might have stayed, but her fellow cadets weren’t going to let that happen.</p>
<p>On yik yak—a social media platform, once popular on college campuses but now defunct, that allowed people in close proximity to chat anonymously—her classmates were talking about her.</p>
<p>People were writing that she should be “taken out back” and shot, “like Old Yeller,” according to screenshots viewed by The Daily Beast. Other cadets called Lewis “the whore of the corps,” and said Bradshaw’s suspension had cost them the Army-Navy game in 2014.&#160; When Lewis complained to her superiors, the cadets just took their chatter to a private Facebook group, she says.</p>
<p>Much of that talk involved her sexual activity. Lewis said she had a sexual relationship with a few other cadets during her time at West Point, a fact that she said her classmates used to discredit her at the time.</p>
<p>Lewis has now transferred to a state college far away from West Point.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Bradshaw became West Point’s star quarterback. He scored the game-winning touchdown against Navy last year, breaking Army’s 14-game losing streak to its archrival.</p>
<p>But perhaps Bradshaw shouldn’t have been playing at all.&#160;</p>
<p>Caught Cheating, Permitted to Play</p>
<p>According to a document provided by the Army source, Bradshaw has been the subject of numerous negative conduct reports besides the one involving Lewis—even violating West Point’s famed honor code for cheating in 2016, which should have seen him benched for the 2016 fall season but did not.</p>
<p>West Point’s honor code—“A Cadet will not lie, cheat, steal or tolerate those who do”—is at the “center of the very being of the United States Military Academy,” it says.</p>
<p>West Point separated 56 cadets in 2016, 10 for honor violations and 18 for other misconduct conduct. Bradshaw was not among them despite being found guilty of “lying/cheating” by a Cadet Honor Committee at West Point in May 2016.</p>
<p>“His infraction involved failure to properly cite in an academic course,” West Point told The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A day after he was caught for an honor violation, Bradshaw’s tactical officer, wrote in his file: “Cadet Bradshaw struggles with grades, but always attends the football study sessions and strives to help his peers within the company, militarily. His military performance has improved this term, and he is doing well in the company. Pending the results of the honor investigation, I would recommend retain.”</p>
<p>Bradshaw's file shows the commandant imposed a series of standard sanctions, including a reduction in rank to private first class, loss of all privileges, and a suspension from “representing the Academy through participation in corps squad and or club squad activities, including participating in games and competition.”</p>
<p>Bradshaw’s file said these restrictions are “binding and continue through successful completion of the Honor Mentorship Program.” West Point told The Daily Beast that Bradshaw was placed into the program, a “rigorous six-month program, where a senior member of the staff or faculty provides one-on-one mentorship to the cadet.”</p>
<p>Yet Bradshaw started the season opener at Temple University on September 2, before he completed the program. That game he rushed 50 yards and scored a touchdown.</p>
<p>Bradshaw went on to set the Army’s all-time single-season rushing leader record with 244 yards on 27 carries against North Texas and lead the team to victory over Navy.</p>
<p>In an email to The Daily Beast, West Point said that “Cadet Bradshaw's subsequent participation in athletics at no time violated the terms of his honor adjudication...as the sanctions imposed by an adjudicated Honor Board are not effective until the Superintendent takes action on the case.”</p>
<p>West Point said Bradshaw’s May 2016 violation was not adjudicated until November 2016—after the football season was over—and did not become effective until West Point’s superintendent took action on the honor case in Feb. 2017, during the football off-season.&#160;</p>
<p>“The timing of the Honor Board and the action taken by the Superintendent followed the typical timeline for other cases that year and no special consideration was given to Cadet Bradshaw,” West Point said.</p>
<p>“The Superintendent's action document reflects that Cadet Bradshaw was to be suspended from participation in intercollegiate athletics,” West Point told The Daily Beast, meaning that Bradshaw would be barred from playing Army football games when there were no football games to play, between&#160; February and August 2017.</p>
<p>By mid-August, Bradshaw had completed a majority of the Senior Leadership Development Program for Honor requirements, according to West Point, and on August 14, 2017, his development coach formally requested that Bradshaw be able to represent the Academy. The request was approved by the Cadet Honor Committee, Bradshaw's chain of command, and the Superintendent just in time for Army football’s season opener against Fordham University on September 1, where Bradshaw led the team to victory 64-6.</p>
<p>In addition to his honor code violation, Bradshaw was disciplined by his company before the fall of 2016 for an undisclosed reason related to his conduct over the summer, according to his record reviewed by The Daily Beast. West Point declined to answer why Bradshaw was disciplined.</p>
<p>Bradshaw didn't attend the first football season practice in August 2016 because of “some administrative stuff for something on campus,” Army coach Jeff Monke <a href="http://www.recordonline.com/sports/20160816/army-qb-bradshaw-leaving-academy" type="external">said</a> at the time.</p>
<p>Bradshaw <a href="https://nytimes.com/2017/12/08/sports/army-navy-ahmad-bradshaw.html" type="external">also did not attend the Affirmation Ceremony</a> where cadets take the oath to finish their final two years at the academy and serve five years in the Army afterwards. Bradshaw later took the oath.</p>
<p>“Cadet Bradshaw is currently a below-average cadet physically and militarily,” his tactical officer wrote in a report after Bradshaw had failed a major course requirement for his major in system design and management in Jan. 2017.</p>
<p>“However, he is able to meet all requirements. He has an average reputation with the company and contributed this semester. He has great leadership potential, as demonstrated in football, but has not translated into his performance in the three cadet pillars [of academics, military and physical fitness]. I feel that he can overcome this deficiency, improve and succeed at the Academy.”</p>
<p>Bradshaw was also the subject of 15 negative cadet observation reports out of a total 20, according to a list reviewed by The Daily Beast. Four reports were positive and one neutral. The negative reports were written by Bradshaw’s fellow cadets and three U.S. Army majors.</p>
<p>West Point declined to detail the reports, but such reports generally concern “breach of regulations, improper appearance and bearing, demonstration of a surly or lackadaisical attitude, or apparent lack of professionalism definitely warrant the counseling of a cadet,” according to a West Point manual .</p>
<p>“Malaise that pervades the entire institution”</p>
<p>A West Point assistant professor, who retired from the Academy in August, blasted the academy’s “nonexistent” standards in an open letter to its graduates two months ago.</p>
<p>“The Superintendent refuses to enforce admissions standards or the cadet Honor Code, the Dean refuses to enforce academic standards, and the Commandant refuses to enforce standards of conduct and discipline,” wrote retired Army Lt. Col. Robert M. Heffington, who was an associate professor and graduate.</p>
<p>“The end result is a sort of malaise that pervades the entire institution. Nothing matters anymore. Cadets know this, and it has given rise to a level of cadet arrogance and entitlement the likes of which West Point has never seen in its history.”</p>
<p>Heffington’s letter came as no surprise to West Point. Three years earlier, West Point surveyed cadets and faculty who reported deficiencies in “trust, honor, and toleration.”&#160;</p>
<p>An assessment included with the survey that both cadets and faculty openly are aware of deficiencies in the academy’s administration of the honor system.</p>
<p>“Cadets believe the Honor System is too random in its outcomes, has different standards for different populations, and is subject to outside influence by lawyers and officers,” the report said. “Staff and faculty also mistrust the system because they believe too many cadets are not being found for obvious violations of the Honor Code.”</p>
<p>Lewis shares that opinion. &#160;</p>
<p>“I still feel like West Point has the right idea: to take the best of the best and test them,” she said. “I’m frustrated that they’re coddling the people who will win them games and don’t care about people like me.”</p>
<p>When asked whether she misses West Point, Lewis comes back to her grandfather.</p>
<p>On Monday nights, while she was still a cadet, Lewis said she would grab a sandwich and crutch her way over to the cemetery to have dinner by her grandfather’s grave. She hasn’t been back since July 2015.</p>
<p>“I miss the potential that I had there,” she says. “I wanted to say that I did it, that I graduated from West Point. And I don’t have that anymore.”</p> | 599,503 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The Albuquerque Democrat said he was first made aware last week by a television reporter of his failure to report some contributions. When he looked into it, he found even more unreported donations, he said.</p>
<p>MAESTAS: Democrat re-elected last year</p>
<p>That boosted the total of unreported contributions from the $4,250 first reported by KOB-TV to $11,170, according to a list provided by Maestas.</p>
<p>In addition to adding 26 contributions to his campaign finance reports, Maestas amended reports to provide further detail for three separate $1,000 campaign expenditures. In those cases, the money went directly to Maestas for what he said was reimbursement for cash payments to campaign workers for signs and literature drops.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>That raises the question of whether the expenditures complied with a state law that requires disbursements from campaign accounts - except those of $100 or less from a petty cash fund - to be done by check.</p>
<p>The legislator said Wednesday that the unreported contributions were deposited last year into his campaign account, and he provided bank records to back that up "to eliminate any appearance of impropriety."</p>
<p>Maestas told Secretary of State Dianna Duran in a letter Wednesday that the checks that weren't reported were part of deposits that were not available online "when my volunteers filed my campaign reports."</p>
<p>"This was an error on my part that won't be repeated," Maestas said in a separate letter to Common Cause New Mexico and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.</p>
<p>In a statement provided to the Journal, Maestas said he was "grateful that this issue was brought to my attention and I take full responsibility for any inaccuracies in my reports."</p>
<p>Maestas amended two campaign finance reports for the 2014 primary election and three for the 2014 general election.</p>
<p>All told, Maestas - who has been a House member since 2007 - collected nearly $102,000 for his 2014 re-election campaign, according to online records in the Secretary of State's Office.</p>
<p>"At this point, Rep. Maestas' campaign finance reports have been assigned to our ethics staff for review to make a determination regarding whether further action is needed," said Ken Ortiz, a spokesman in Duran's office.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Duran herself was recently charged by the attorney general with crimes including illegally using her campaign contributions to cover personal spending at casinos.</p>
<p>According to Ortiz, Maestas paid fines of $1,175 in April of this year for a late 2014 filing, and $100 related to a late 2012 filing.</p>
<p>As reported by KOB-TV in February, Maestas was more than two months late filing a report that was due in early December.</p>
<p>By law, the secretary of state must review at least 10 percent of all reports - selected at random - filed during the year to determine compliance. Ortiz said Maestas had not been included in those random audits.</p>
<p />
<p /> | State lawmaker says $11K in donations went unreported | false | https://abqjournal.com/642468/rep-says-11k-in-donations-went-unreported.html | 2015-09-11 | 2least
| State lawmaker says $11K in donations went unreported
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The Albuquerque Democrat said he was first made aware last week by a television reporter of his failure to report some contributions. When he looked into it, he found even more unreported donations, he said.</p>
<p>MAESTAS: Democrat re-elected last year</p>
<p>That boosted the total of unreported contributions from the $4,250 first reported by KOB-TV to $11,170, according to a list provided by Maestas.</p>
<p>In addition to adding 26 contributions to his campaign finance reports, Maestas amended reports to provide further detail for three separate $1,000 campaign expenditures. In those cases, the money went directly to Maestas for what he said was reimbursement for cash payments to campaign workers for signs and literature drops.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>That raises the question of whether the expenditures complied with a state law that requires disbursements from campaign accounts - except those of $100 or less from a petty cash fund - to be done by check.</p>
<p>The legislator said Wednesday that the unreported contributions were deposited last year into his campaign account, and he provided bank records to back that up "to eliminate any appearance of impropriety."</p>
<p>Maestas told Secretary of State Dianna Duran in a letter Wednesday that the checks that weren't reported were part of deposits that were not available online "when my volunteers filed my campaign reports."</p>
<p>"This was an error on my part that won't be repeated," Maestas said in a separate letter to Common Cause New Mexico and the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government.</p>
<p>In a statement provided to the Journal, Maestas said he was "grateful that this issue was brought to my attention and I take full responsibility for any inaccuracies in my reports."</p>
<p>Maestas amended two campaign finance reports for the 2014 primary election and three for the 2014 general election.</p>
<p>All told, Maestas - who has been a House member since 2007 - collected nearly $102,000 for his 2014 re-election campaign, according to online records in the Secretary of State's Office.</p>
<p>"At this point, Rep. Maestas' campaign finance reports have been assigned to our ethics staff for review to make a determination regarding whether further action is needed," said Ken Ortiz, a spokesman in Duran's office.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Duran herself was recently charged by the attorney general with crimes including illegally using her campaign contributions to cover personal spending at casinos.</p>
<p>According to Ortiz, Maestas paid fines of $1,175 in April of this year for a late 2014 filing, and $100 related to a late 2012 filing.</p>
<p>As reported by KOB-TV in February, Maestas was more than two months late filing a report that was due in early December.</p>
<p>By law, the secretary of state must review at least 10 percent of all reports - selected at random - filed during the year to determine compliance. Ortiz said Maestas had not been included in those random audits.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 599,504 |
<p>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A former oil executive was sentenced to life in prison and a former high-ranking Vietnamese government official received a lengthy prison term Monday at the end of a major corruption trial.</p>
<p>The 22 defendants in the case were mostly current or former executives at PetroVietnam and were convicted of mismanagement, embezzlement or both in their tenures at the state energy giant.</p>
<p>Foreign media were not allowed to attend the two-week trial, though more than 100 Vietnamese gathered outside the courthouse as the sentences were announced.</p>
<p>Former PetroVietnam chairman Dinh La Thang, the first Politburo member to be jailed in decades, was sentenced to 13 years in jail by the People's Court in the capital, Hanoi. He was accused of deliberate economic mismanagement that cost the state millions.</p>
<p>Trinh Xuan Thanh, an ex-chairman of PetroVietnam's construction arm, was given life imprisonment for embezzlement. Thanh was also convicted of economic management. Germany accused Vietnam agents of snatching him from a Berlin park last year, a charge Vietnam denied, saying Thanh turned himself in to police voluntarily. The incident strained relations between the two countries.</p>
<p>In Germany, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said German, French, EU and U.S. diplomats were able to observe the trial, and that Germany had "taken note" of the fact that Thanh did not receive the death penalty. She declined to comment further, but voiced regret that the media and a German lawyer weren't allowed to attend the trial.</p>
<p>Thanh was also ordered to pay compensation of $1.5 million and Thang $1.3 million.</p>
<p>Three other former chairmen of PetroVietnam were sentenced to nine years in jail each for economic mismanagement. Punishment for the other defendants ranged from 22 years in prison to suspended sentences.</p>
<p>The Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted a judge as saying the prosecutions were "well-founded."</p>
<p>The Communist Party under the watch of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is waging an unprecedented crackdown on corruption, with PetroVietnam and the country's banking sector at the center.</p>
<p>Thang was convicted of "deliberately violating state economic management regulations, causing serious consequences" by choosing PetroVietnam's Construction Joint Stock Co., or PVC, to build a thermo power plant without a proper bidding and appraisal process.</p>
<p>Thang was accused of ordering an advance payment of $67 million to PVC, which did not use the funds for the proper purpose, causing losses of $5.5 million to the state.</p>
<p>A retired government official, speaking outside the court, said the sentences were tough enough.</p>
<p>"I think the sentences handed down were fair. It is necessary for the country to fight against corruption," the retiree, Hoang Dinh Thanh, 70, said.</p>
<p>Jonathan London, a lecturer at the Leiden University in the Netherlands and a Vietnam expert, said further reforms and commitments by the Communist authorities are needed to root out corruption.</p>
<p>He said while the jail sentences may be dramatic, history in other countries suggests in the longer term that corruption is not best fought by punishment "but precisely the kinds of institutional reforms and levels of commitment to transparency that Vietnamese public opinion has been calling for, but which Vietnamese leaders have been unfortunately unwilling to embrace."</p>
<p>Thang is accused of economic management in another case for his role in PetroVietnam's purchase of shares worth $36 million in Ocean commercial joint bank. PetroVietnam lost all of its investment when the State Bank of Vietnam bought the bank for nothing. He is expected to stand trial in the coming months.</p>
<p>Thang was once a rising political star but was dismissed from the all-powerful Politburo in May and was subsequently fired as Communist Party secretary of the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. He was arrested on Dec. 8.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Thanh is scheduled to be put on trial on Wednesday on charges of embezzling $622,000 from a property development project.</p>
<p>Another trial involving 46 defendants, including many former bankers, is currently taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story.</p>
<p>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A former oil executive was sentenced to life in prison and a former high-ranking Vietnamese government official received a lengthy prison term Monday at the end of a major corruption trial.</p>
<p>The 22 defendants in the case were mostly current or former executives at PetroVietnam and were convicted of mismanagement, embezzlement or both in their tenures at the state energy giant.</p>
<p>Foreign media were not allowed to attend the two-week trial, though more than 100 Vietnamese gathered outside the courthouse as the sentences were announced.</p>
<p>Former PetroVietnam chairman Dinh La Thang, the first Politburo member to be jailed in decades, was sentenced to 13 years in jail by the People's Court in the capital, Hanoi. He was accused of deliberate economic mismanagement that cost the state millions.</p>
<p>Trinh Xuan Thanh, an ex-chairman of PetroVietnam's construction arm, was given life imprisonment for embezzlement. Thanh was also convicted of economic management. Germany accused Vietnam agents of snatching him from a Berlin park last year, a charge Vietnam denied, saying Thanh turned himself in to police voluntarily. The incident strained relations between the two countries.</p>
<p>In Germany, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said German, French, EU and U.S. diplomats were able to observe the trial, and that Germany had "taken note" of the fact that Thanh did not receive the death penalty. She declined to comment further, but voiced regret that the media and a German lawyer weren't allowed to attend the trial.</p>
<p>Thanh was also ordered to pay compensation of $1.5 million and Thang $1.3 million.</p>
<p>Three other former chairmen of PetroVietnam were sentenced to nine years in jail each for economic mismanagement. Punishment for the other defendants ranged from 22 years in prison to suspended sentences.</p>
<p>The Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted a judge as saying the prosecutions were "well-founded."</p>
<p>The Communist Party under the watch of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is waging an unprecedented crackdown on corruption, with PetroVietnam and the country's banking sector at the center.</p>
<p>Thang was convicted of "deliberately violating state economic management regulations, causing serious consequences" by choosing PetroVietnam's Construction Joint Stock Co., or PVC, to build a thermo power plant without a proper bidding and appraisal process.</p>
<p>Thang was accused of ordering an advance payment of $67 million to PVC, which did not use the funds for the proper purpose, causing losses of $5.5 million to the state.</p>
<p>A retired government official, speaking outside the court, said the sentences were tough enough.</p>
<p>"I think the sentences handed down were fair. It is necessary for the country to fight against corruption," the retiree, Hoang Dinh Thanh, 70, said.</p>
<p>Jonathan London, a lecturer at the Leiden University in the Netherlands and a Vietnam expert, said further reforms and commitments by the Communist authorities are needed to root out corruption.</p>
<p>He said while the jail sentences may be dramatic, history in other countries suggests in the longer term that corruption is not best fought by punishment "but precisely the kinds of institutional reforms and levels of commitment to transparency that Vietnamese public opinion has been calling for, but which Vietnamese leaders have been unfortunately unwilling to embrace."</p>
<p>Thang is accused of economic management in another case for his role in PetroVietnam's purchase of shares worth $36 million in Ocean commercial joint bank. PetroVietnam lost all of its investment when the State Bank of Vietnam bought the bank for nothing. He is expected to stand trial in the coming months.</p>
<p>Thang was once a rising political star but was dismissed from the all-powerful Politburo in May and was subsequently fired as Communist Party secretary of the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. He was arrested on Dec. 8.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Thanh is scheduled to be put on trial on Wednesday on charges of embezzling $622,000 from a property development project.</p>
<p>Another trial involving 46 defendants, including many former bankers, is currently taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story.</p> | Vietnam jails former oil execs in high-profile graft case | false | https://apnews.com/amp/e7f017c580b74dffb0d36a4190d4c1fd | 2018-01-22 | 2least
| Vietnam jails former oil execs in high-profile graft case
<p>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A former oil executive was sentenced to life in prison and a former high-ranking Vietnamese government official received a lengthy prison term Monday at the end of a major corruption trial.</p>
<p>The 22 defendants in the case were mostly current or former executives at PetroVietnam and were convicted of mismanagement, embezzlement or both in their tenures at the state energy giant.</p>
<p>Foreign media were not allowed to attend the two-week trial, though more than 100 Vietnamese gathered outside the courthouse as the sentences were announced.</p>
<p>Former PetroVietnam chairman Dinh La Thang, the first Politburo member to be jailed in decades, was sentenced to 13 years in jail by the People's Court in the capital, Hanoi. He was accused of deliberate economic mismanagement that cost the state millions.</p>
<p>Trinh Xuan Thanh, an ex-chairman of PetroVietnam's construction arm, was given life imprisonment for embezzlement. Thanh was also convicted of economic management. Germany accused Vietnam agents of snatching him from a Berlin park last year, a charge Vietnam denied, saying Thanh turned himself in to police voluntarily. The incident strained relations between the two countries.</p>
<p>In Germany, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said German, French, EU and U.S. diplomats were able to observe the trial, and that Germany had "taken note" of the fact that Thanh did not receive the death penalty. She declined to comment further, but voiced regret that the media and a German lawyer weren't allowed to attend the trial.</p>
<p>Thanh was also ordered to pay compensation of $1.5 million and Thang $1.3 million.</p>
<p>Three other former chairmen of PetroVietnam were sentenced to nine years in jail each for economic mismanagement. Punishment for the other defendants ranged from 22 years in prison to suspended sentences.</p>
<p>The Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted a judge as saying the prosecutions were "well-founded."</p>
<p>The Communist Party under the watch of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is waging an unprecedented crackdown on corruption, with PetroVietnam and the country's banking sector at the center.</p>
<p>Thang was convicted of "deliberately violating state economic management regulations, causing serious consequences" by choosing PetroVietnam's Construction Joint Stock Co., or PVC, to build a thermo power plant without a proper bidding and appraisal process.</p>
<p>Thang was accused of ordering an advance payment of $67 million to PVC, which did not use the funds for the proper purpose, causing losses of $5.5 million to the state.</p>
<p>A retired government official, speaking outside the court, said the sentences were tough enough.</p>
<p>"I think the sentences handed down were fair. It is necessary for the country to fight against corruption," the retiree, Hoang Dinh Thanh, 70, said.</p>
<p>Jonathan London, a lecturer at the Leiden University in the Netherlands and a Vietnam expert, said further reforms and commitments by the Communist authorities are needed to root out corruption.</p>
<p>He said while the jail sentences may be dramatic, history in other countries suggests in the longer term that corruption is not best fought by punishment "but precisely the kinds of institutional reforms and levels of commitment to transparency that Vietnamese public opinion has been calling for, but which Vietnamese leaders have been unfortunately unwilling to embrace."</p>
<p>Thang is accused of economic management in another case for his role in PetroVietnam's purchase of shares worth $36 million in Ocean commercial joint bank. PetroVietnam lost all of its investment when the State Bank of Vietnam bought the bank for nothing. He is expected to stand trial in the coming months.</p>
<p>Thang was once a rising political star but was dismissed from the all-powerful Politburo in May and was subsequently fired as Communist Party secretary of the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. He was arrested on Dec. 8.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Thanh is scheduled to be put on trial on Wednesday on charges of embezzling $622,000 from a property development project.</p>
<p>Another trial involving 46 defendants, including many former bankers, is currently taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story.</p>
<p>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — A former oil executive was sentenced to life in prison and a former high-ranking Vietnamese government official received a lengthy prison term Monday at the end of a major corruption trial.</p>
<p>The 22 defendants in the case were mostly current or former executives at PetroVietnam and were convicted of mismanagement, embezzlement or both in their tenures at the state energy giant.</p>
<p>Foreign media were not allowed to attend the two-week trial, though more than 100 Vietnamese gathered outside the courthouse as the sentences were announced.</p>
<p>Former PetroVietnam chairman Dinh La Thang, the first Politburo member to be jailed in decades, was sentenced to 13 years in jail by the People's Court in the capital, Hanoi. He was accused of deliberate economic mismanagement that cost the state millions.</p>
<p>Trinh Xuan Thanh, an ex-chairman of PetroVietnam's construction arm, was given life imprisonment for embezzlement. Thanh was also convicted of economic management. Germany accused Vietnam agents of snatching him from a Berlin park last year, a charge Vietnam denied, saying Thanh turned himself in to police voluntarily. The incident strained relations between the two countries.</p>
<p>In Germany, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Adebahr said German, French, EU and U.S. diplomats were able to observe the trial, and that Germany had "taken note" of the fact that Thanh did not receive the death penalty. She declined to comment further, but voiced regret that the media and a German lawyer weren't allowed to attend the trial.</p>
<p>Thanh was also ordered to pay compensation of $1.5 million and Thang $1.3 million.</p>
<p>Three other former chairmen of PetroVietnam were sentenced to nine years in jail each for economic mismanagement. Punishment for the other defendants ranged from 22 years in prison to suspended sentences.</p>
<p>The Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted a judge as saying the prosecutions were "well-founded."</p>
<p>The Communist Party under the watch of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong is waging an unprecedented crackdown on corruption, with PetroVietnam and the country's banking sector at the center.</p>
<p>Thang was convicted of "deliberately violating state economic management regulations, causing serious consequences" by choosing PetroVietnam's Construction Joint Stock Co., or PVC, to build a thermo power plant without a proper bidding and appraisal process.</p>
<p>Thang was accused of ordering an advance payment of $67 million to PVC, which did not use the funds for the proper purpose, causing losses of $5.5 million to the state.</p>
<p>A retired government official, speaking outside the court, said the sentences were tough enough.</p>
<p>"I think the sentences handed down were fair. It is necessary for the country to fight against corruption," the retiree, Hoang Dinh Thanh, 70, said.</p>
<p>Jonathan London, a lecturer at the Leiden University in the Netherlands and a Vietnam expert, said further reforms and commitments by the Communist authorities are needed to root out corruption.</p>
<p>He said while the jail sentences may be dramatic, history in other countries suggests in the longer term that corruption is not best fought by punishment "but precisely the kinds of institutional reforms and levels of commitment to transparency that Vietnamese public opinion has been calling for, but which Vietnamese leaders have been unfortunately unwilling to embrace."</p>
<p>Thang is accused of economic management in another case for his role in PetroVietnam's purchase of shares worth $36 million in Ocean commercial joint bank. PetroVietnam lost all of its investment when the State Bank of Vietnam bought the bank for nothing. He is expected to stand trial in the coming months.</p>
<p>Thang was once a rising political star but was dismissed from the all-powerful Politburo in May and was subsequently fired as Communist Party secretary of the southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City. He was arrested on Dec. 8.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Thanh is scheduled to be put on trial on Wednesday on charges of embezzling $622,000 from a property development project.</p>
<p>Another trial involving 46 defendants, including many former bankers, is currently taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this story.</p> | 599,505 |
<p>It was Aug. 4, 1978, a Friday night, and there was just me and my big brother, Jeff, and the rain outside our open-air cabin at Camp Consecration Revival Retreat in upstate New York was pouring down through the trees like applause cheering on the foulness of our moods. There was something about the crackling and popping of the raindrops against the roof that seemed to place us at the center of a raging fire that refused to consume us, and why should it? As the only two avowed atheists in the entire campground, what good would such an Old Testament behavior modification technique such as divine incineration do for two pissed-off little boys unwilling to recognize the implicit existence of God outside of the word “goddamned”? Finding our blackened bones amid the smoldering ash of our collapsed cabin would’ve been explained by the fire department, no doubt, as an accidental death due to cigarette smoking, our newest passion, an explanation the camp pastors would’ve found impossible to believe because it might imply the existence of free will, or, even worse, it might expose God the Father as a crummy baby sitter, as if the whole of humanity and its tired eyes and feral disposition weren’t proof enough.</p>
<p>“Let’s bug out of this shit hole before everybody else gets back and gives me such a fucking pain in my ass that all the voodoo dolls that look like me all over the world will start crapping out porcupines, backwards,” said my brother, crunching his face into a fist with the blue smoke from the cigarette that hung out of his 12-year-old mouth curlicuing with the grace of a much older person’s signature around his eyes. He’d been reading “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and, in addition to calling me Ole Jim all week, had begun trying to make everything that he said sound as if it had some folksy backwoods wisdom to it.</p>
<p>“Where we supposed to go?” I asked, crushing out my own cigarette on the bottom of my sneaker and letting it fall to join the holocaust of butts on the floor. “It’s really raining out there.”</p>
<p>“I don’t care,” he said. “I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.” I didn’t say nothing. “You think they moved the Jamboree of Light into the mess hall or you think they’re still outside in that field?” he asked, looking out into the dark.</p>
<p />
<p>“Think I give a shit?” I said.</p>
<p>“I’m guessing that nobody noticed that we wasn’t there.”</p>
<p>“Think I give a shit?” I said.</p>
<p>“So let’s get out of here,” he said.</p>
<p>“And go where?”</p>
<p>“Home,” he said.</p>
<p>“Home?” I asked. “Home 90 miles away home?”</p>
<p>“I’m getting so powerful bored with all this Jesus bullshit, Jim,” he said, standing to put on his jacket, “and when all you can smell is how stinky everybody else is then you’re in mighty deep shit.”</p>
<p>“What are you going to do, walk home, you fucking moron?” I asked.</p>
<p>“Yup,” he said, pulling his knapsack out from under his bunk and brushing it free of spider webs.</p>
<p>“It’s 90 miles! Nine-zero!” I said.</p>
<p>“It’s only 90 miles when you’re standing still, jackass,” he said. “The distance becomes progressively shorter when you’re actually moving towards it.” Appreciating his big brotherishness for a moment, particularly the quickness with which he could sometimes ridicule me with common sense, I narrowed my eyes. I was unable to decide if there was something like real genius behind his words or if he was an idiot savant whose flashes of insight were episodic and no more useful than would be the ability to instantaneously count a fistful of toothpicks thrown into the air.</p>
<p>I thought about the incident at the lake earlier that day.</p>
<p>Assembling a group of us, all boys, at the water’s edge and supplying us with bamboo fishing poles and the unmistakable feeling that our young buttocks and thighs were being recorded by his frontal lobe for the purpose of being played back later in slow motion above a shower drain, counselor Dusty Woo paced back and forth behind us while we fished, the back of his flip-flops slapping his chubby heels as if each was a naughty little ham. With a smiling face that might’ve invited comparison with Buddha’s had it not been dotted with the eyes of Charles Manson and framed by a dyed blond hairdo that belonged on a cheerleader, he described how Jesus was a fisher of men’s souls and how it was our job to catch a fish and then to release it back into the lake. The lesson was supposed to demonstrate (a) the simple idea that all life is equally precious; (b) that a fish whose life has been spared will, on some level, communicate the virtues of the fisherman’s compassion to the rest of the universe; and (c) just as Jesus abhorred the appetite for violence, we too must recognize our own responsibility to limit the propagation of murder, particularly of those beings whose lives have been deemed to be somehow less miraculous than our own.</p>
<p>“What about the worms?” asked my big brother, Jeff, who always had a gazillion questions about everything and whose freckles — splattered recklessly enough across his face to make you want to check your own clothes for stains — gave the impression that he was comfortable causing explosions.</p>
<p>“What about them?” asked Dusty Woo.“Aren’t we killing worms just so we can catch a fish that we’re not going to kill just so we can show each other how much like Jesus we think we are, even though nobody’s a hundred percent sure there’s such a thing as Jesus, anyway?”</p>
<p>“What?” cried Dusty Woo, as if the sentence had been presented to him on a revolving Scrabble board.</p>
<p>“We’re baiting our hooks with worms, right?”</p>
<p>“You need a worm to catch a fish,” said Mr. Woo, only 40 percent sure of his statement, having never actually seen anything but eels and occasionally underpants that had been weighed down by rocks like murdered informants yanked out of Lake Admiration. “A fish isn’t just going to jump into your pocket, it has to be deceived,” he explained, holding up his index finger as a gesture of professorial wisdom.</p>
<p>“So we’re actually killing something to deceive something else.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“We’re killing something to save something and we’re only focusing on the thing that we’re saving just so we can say that we’re saviors, right, even though we’re murderers first?”</p>
<p>“What?” exclaimed Mr. Woo, using the word for a third time in a row, striking it one more time against his comprehension like a wet match against a wheel of cheddar cheese.</p>
<p>“All right, forget about the worm for a second,” said my brother, lowering his pole. “How is pulling a fish out of water and then putting it back into water saving it?”</p>
<p>“Turn around, Jeffrey, and pay attention to the water,” said Mr. Woo, suddenly feeling a fresh mosquito bite rising up on his ankle. His reach as far away from doing anything about it as a “gesundheit” would be blessing a sneeze suddenly detonated in El Salvador.</p>
<p>“We’re deceiving the fish?” asked somebody, whispering to his neighbor, causing poles to waver up and down the bank.</p>
<p>“Isn’t this the same thing as digging up a tree and then replanting it five feet away from where we dug it up and then saying that we saved it by not turning it into a picnic table?” asked Jeff.</p>
<p>“No, it’s completely different.”</p>
<p>“How?”</p>
<p>“You can’t build anything with a fish,” said Mr. Woo.</p>
<p>“My mother used to exfoliate her feet with a sea urchin,” said my brother. “It was freeze-dried and glued to the top of a paperweight. Now she uses a pineapple.”</p>
<p>“A sea urchin is not a fish.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?”</p>
<p>“Yes, and besides, even if it were, sandpapering your feet is not building anything,” said the counselor.</p>
<p>“Sure it is,” said my brother. “It’s building trust that you’re committed to not wearing away all the enamel in the bathtub by walking around in the shower and falling through the goddamn ceiling into the living room.”</p>
<p>“Look,” said Mr. Woo, stamping his left foot hard against the ground and then wiggling it some in the air, figuring that the atmosphere itself might be enough of a claw to rip his mosquito bite into glorious shreds, “let the fish save the worms if they want to, that’s not our responsibility! Our responsibility is to save the fish. Likewise, it’s the Lord’s responsibility to save us. See how there’s an order to it, kind of like the biggest animal to the smallest?”</p>
<p>“So shouldn’t we be saving monkeys and dogs then?”</p>
<p>“What monkeys?”</p>
<p>“I’m just saying that it’s a pretty big leap, a human being to a fish.”</p>
<p>“Well, maybe it’s not literally the biggest animal to the smallest.”</p>
<p>“And wasn’t Jesus only something like 5-4?”</p>
<p>“Nobody knows how tall he was.”</p>
<p>“My older sister, Maureen, is 5-11 and the idea of her saving anybody from anything is absurd. She can’t even button her shirt straight. My mother says it’s because she can’t see over her overbite.”</p>
<p>“OK, Mr. Booth, forget about it.”</p>
<p>“My father says it’s because she’s not buttoning her own shirt and that when you let everybody on the football team each take a button then you’re bound to come up a little lopsided sometimes.”</p>
<p>“Jeffrey!”</p>
<p>“Dad says that the only thing that separates her from Roto-Rooter is the fact that she doesn’t have a truck and a toll-free number.”</p>
<p>It was then that my fishing line stiffened and my pole began to bounce and I suddenly felt the unmistakable jolt of electricity that a fish makes when a barb of steel splits the roof of its mouth and its body falls into convulsions as it struggles to reverse time. Ninety seconds after that I was tearing through the woods with my brother and an hour after that we were being pushed into Father Sweat’s office after the camp janitor found us sitting in the camp mail truck with the motor running and a fish pinned to the radiator by a hot rock. Holding out the fish for Head Pastor Sweat to wave away like it was a copy of Darwin’s “The Origin of Species,” the janitor was asked to gather Mr. Woo and the rest of the group from Lake Admiration and to assemble them at the Sympathy Garden just outside the mess hall for a burial ceremony. “And if you know what’s good for you,” said Father Sweat across his desk through glasses thick enough to magnify the buffoonery in his face, “you both better have something nice to say about that fish.”“Where you fellas headed?” asked the state trooper who found us walking dog-tired along the interstate at half-past midnight. He had pulled up next to us and was shining a flashlight hard in our faces. We couldn’t tell what the heck he looked like.</p>
<p>“Home,” I said to the light.</p>
<p>“And where’s home?” asked the light.</p>
<p>“There aren’t no home like a raft, sir,” said my brother. “Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” The light didn’t respond.</p>
<p>“Broomall, Pennsylvania,” I finally said. “We’re headed to our grandparents’ house.”</p>
<p>“Do you have a guardian with you,” said the trooper, not buying a thing we were saying.</p>
<p>“Just God the Father,” said my brother, stepping forward to show the officer the front of his Camp Consecration Revival Retreat T-shirt.</p>
<p>Ten minutes later we were watching from our caged backseat as the great logged archway leading into Camp Consecration passed over our heads and the police car rolled slowly toward Head Pastor Sweat’s cabin and the insatiable appetite of the unforgiving. “What’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?” asked my brother to nobody in particular, with nobody answering, while I sat remembering Dusty Woo and the lesson at the lake, pleading the whole time with the empty heavens above to be full of some very real mercy.</p> | Worms and Fishes | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/worms-and-fishes/ | 2011-08-15 | 4left
| Worms and Fishes
<p>It was Aug. 4, 1978, a Friday night, and there was just me and my big brother, Jeff, and the rain outside our open-air cabin at Camp Consecration Revival Retreat in upstate New York was pouring down through the trees like applause cheering on the foulness of our moods. There was something about the crackling and popping of the raindrops against the roof that seemed to place us at the center of a raging fire that refused to consume us, and why should it? As the only two avowed atheists in the entire campground, what good would such an Old Testament behavior modification technique such as divine incineration do for two pissed-off little boys unwilling to recognize the implicit existence of God outside of the word “goddamned”? Finding our blackened bones amid the smoldering ash of our collapsed cabin would’ve been explained by the fire department, no doubt, as an accidental death due to cigarette smoking, our newest passion, an explanation the camp pastors would’ve found impossible to believe because it might imply the existence of free will, or, even worse, it might expose God the Father as a crummy baby sitter, as if the whole of humanity and its tired eyes and feral disposition weren’t proof enough.</p>
<p>“Let’s bug out of this shit hole before everybody else gets back and gives me such a fucking pain in my ass that all the voodoo dolls that look like me all over the world will start crapping out porcupines, backwards,” said my brother, crunching his face into a fist with the blue smoke from the cigarette that hung out of his 12-year-old mouth curlicuing with the grace of a much older person’s signature around his eyes. He’d been reading “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and, in addition to calling me Ole Jim all week, had begun trying to make everything that he said sound as if it had some folksy backwoods wisdom to it.</p>
<p>“Where we supposed to go?” I asked, crushing out my own cigarette on the bottom of my sneaker and letting it fall to join the holocaust of butts on the floor. “It’s really raining out there.”</p>
<p>“I don’t care,” he said. “I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before.” I didn’t say nothing. “You think they moved the Jamboree of Light into the mess hall or you think they’re still outside in that field?” he asked, looking out into the dark.</p>
<p />
<p>“Think I give a shit?” I said.</p>
<p>“I’m guessing that nobody noticed that we wasn’t there.”</p>
<p>“Think I give a shit?” I said.</p>
<p>“So let’s get out of here,” he said.</p>
<p>“And go where?”</p>
<p>“Home,” he said.</p>
<p>“Home?” I asked. “Home 90 miles away home?”</p>
<p>“I’m getting so powerful bored with all this Jesus bullshit, Jim,” he said, standing to put on his jacket, “and when all you can smell is how stinky everybody else is then you’re in mighty deep shit.”</p>
<p>“What are you going to do, walk home, you fucking moron?” I asked.</p>
<p>“Yup,” he said, pulling his knapsack out from under his bunk and brushing it free of spider webs.</p>
<p>“It’s 90 miles! Nine-zero!” I said.</p>
<p>“It’s only 90 miles when you’re standing still, jackass,” he said. “The distance becomes progressively shorter when you’re actually moving towards it.” Appreciating his big brotherishness for a moment, particularly the quickness with which he could sometimes ridicule me with common sense, I narrowed my eyes. I was unable to decide if there was something like real genius behind his words or if he was an idiot savant whose flashes of insight were episodic and no more useful than would be the ability to instantaneously count a fistful of toothpicks thrown into the air.</p>
<p>I thought about the incident at the lake earlier that day.</p>
<p>Assembling a group of us, all boys, at the water’s edge and supplying us with bamboo fishing poles and the unmistakable feeling that our young buttocks and thighs were being recorded by his frontal lobe for the purpose of being played back later in slow motion above a shower drain, counselor Dusty Woo paced back and forth behind us while we fished, the back of his flip-flops slapping his chubby heels as if each was a naughty little ham. With a smiling face that might’ve invited comparison with Buddha’s had it not been dotted with the eyes of Charles Manson and framed by a dyed blond hairdo that belonged on a cheerleader, he described how Jesus was a fisher of men’s souls and how it was our job to catch a fish and then to release it back into the lake. The lesson was supposed to demonstrate (a) the simple idea that all life is equally precious; (b) that a fish whose life has been spared will, on some level, communicate the virtues of the fisherman’s compassion to the rest of the universe; and (c) just as Jesus abhorred the appetite for violence, we too must recognize our own responsibility to limit the propagation of murder, particularly of those beings whose lives have been deemed to be somehow less miraculous than our own.</p>
<p>“What about the worms?” asked my big brother, Jeff, who always had a gazillion questions about everything and whose freckles — splattered recklessly enough across his face to make you want to check your own clothes for stains — gave the impression that he was comfortable causing explosions.</p>
<p>“What about them?” asked Dusty Woo.“Aren’t we killing worms just so we can catch a fish that we’re not going to kill just so we can show each other how much like Jesus we think we are, even though nobody’s a hundred percent sure there’s such a thing as Jesus, anyway?”</p>
<p>“What?” cried Dusty Woo, as if the sentence had been presented to him on a revolving Scrabble board.</p>
<p>“We’re baiting our hooks with worms, right?”</p>
<p>“You need a worm to catch a fish,” said Mr. Woo, only 40 percent sure of his statement, having never actually seen anything but eels and occasionally underpants that had been weighed down by rocks like murdered informants yanked out of Lake Admiration. “A fish isn’t just going to jump into your pocket, it has to be deceived,” he explained, holding up his index finger as a gesture of professorial wisdom.</p>
<p>“So we’re actually killing something to deceive something else.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“We’re killing something to save something and we’re only focusing on the thing that we’re saving just so we can say that we’re saviors, right, even though we’re murderers first?”</p>
<p>“What?” exclaimed Mr. Woo, using the word for a third time in a row, striking it one more time against his comprehension like a wet match against a wheel of cheddar cheese.</p>
<p>“All right, forget about the worm for a second,” said my brother, lowering his pole. “How is pulling a fish out of water and then putting it back into water saving it?”</p>
<p>“Turn around, Jeffrey, and pay attention to the water,” said Mr. Woo, suddenly feeling a fresh mosquito bite rising up on his ankle. His reach as far away from doing anything about it as a “gesundheit” would be blessing a sneeze suddenly detonated in El Salvador.</p>
<p>“We’re deceiving the fish?” asked somebody, whispering to his neighbor, causing poles to waver up and down the bank.</p>
<p>“Isn’t this the same thing as digging up a tree and then replanting it five feet away from where we dug it up and then saying that we saved it by not turning it into a picnic table?” asked Jeff.</p>
<p>“No, it’s completely different.”</p>
<p>“How?”</p>
<p>“You can’t build anything with a fish,” said Mr. Woo.</p>
<p>“My mother used to exfoliate her feet with a sea urchin,” said my brother. “It was freeze-dried and glued to the top of a paperweight. Now she uses a pineapple.”</p>
<p>“A sea urchin is not a fish.”</p>
<p>“Are you sure?”</p>
<p>“Yes, and besides, even if it were, sandpapering your feet is not building anything,” said the counselor.</p>
<p>“Sure it is,” said my brother. “It’s building trust that you’re committed to not wearing away all the enamel in the bathtub by walking around in the shower and falling through the goddamn ceiling into the living room.”</p>
<p>“Look,” said Mr. Woo, stamping his left foot hard against the ground and then wiggling it some in the air, figuring that the atmosphere itself might be enough of a claw to rip his mosquito bite into glorious shreds, “let the fish save the worms if they want to, that’s not our responsibility! Our responsibility is to save the fish. Likewise, it’s the Lord’s responsibility to save us. See how there’s an order to it, kind of like the biggest animal to the smallest?”</p>
<p>“So shouldn’t we be saving monkeys and dogs then?”</p>
<p>“What monkeys?”</p>
<p>“I’m just saying that it’s a pretty big leap, a human being to a fish.”</p>
<p>“Well, maybe it’s not literally the biggest animal to the smallest.”</p>
<p>“And wasn’t Jesus only something like 5-4?”</p>
<p>“Nobody knows how tall he was.”</p>
<p>“My older sister, Maureen, is 5-11 and the idea of her saving anybody from anything is absurd. She can’t even button her shirt straight. My mother says it’s because she can’t see over her overbite.”</p>
<p>“OK, Mr. Booth, forget about it.”</p>
<p>“My father says it’s because she’s not buttoning her own shirt and that when you let everybody on the football team each take a button then you’re bound to come up a little lopsided sometimes.”</p>
<p>“Jeffrey!”</p>
<p>“Dad says that the only thing that separates her from Roto-Rooter is the fact that she doesn’t have a truck and a toll-free number.”</p>
<p>It was then that my fishing line stiffened and my pole began to bounce and I suddenly felt the unmistakable jolt of electricity that a fish makes when a barb of steel splits the roof of its mouth and its body falls into convulsions as it struggles to reverse time. Ninety seconds after that I was tearing through the woods with my brother and an hour after that we were being pushed into Father Sweat’s office after the camp janitor found us sitting in the camp mail truck with the motor running and a fish pinned to the radiator by a hot rock. Holding out the fish for Head Pastor Sweat to wave away like it was a copy of Darwin’s “The Origin of Species,” the janitor was asked to gather Mr. Woo and the rest of the group from Lake Admiration and to assemble them at the Sympathy Garden just outside the mess hall for a burial ceremony. “And if you know what’s good for you,” said Father Sweat across his desk through glasses thick enough to magnify the buffoonery in his face, “you both better have something nice to say about that fish.”“Where you fellas headed?” asked the state trooper who found us walking dog-tired along the interstate at half-past midnight. He had pulled up next to us and was shining a flashlight hard in our faces. We couldn’t tell what the heck he looked like.</p>
<p>“Home,” I said to the light.</p>
<p>“And where’s home?” asked the light.</p>
<p>“There aren’t no home like a raft, sir,” said my brother. “Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” The light didn’t respond.</p>
<p>“Broomall, Pennsylvania,” I finally said. “We’re headed to our grandparents’ house.”</p>
<p>“Do you have a guardian with you,” said the trooper, not buying a thing we were saying.</p>
<p>“Just God the Father,” said my brother, stepping forward to show the officer the front of his Camp Consecration Revival Retreat T-shirt.</p>
<p>Ten minutes later we were watching from our caged backseat as the great logged archway leading into Camp Consecration passed over our heads and the police car rolled slowly toward Head Pastor Sweat’s cabin and the insatiable appetite of the unforgiving. “What’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?” asked my brother to nobody in particular, with nobody answering, while I sat remembering Dusty Woo and the lesson at the lake, pleading the whole time with the empty heavens above to be full of some very real mercy.</p> | 599,506 |
<p>German luxury-car maker Daimler AG (DAI.XE) on Wednesday said net profit rose slightly in the three months ended June 30, helped by a record quarter for global car and commercial-vehicle sales.</p>
<p>The maker of Mercedes-Benz cars said second-quarter net profit rose to 2.44 billion euros ($2.84 billion), up from EUR2.43 billion a year ago.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Revenue increased by 7% to EUR41.2 billion, the company said.</p>
<p>Analysts polled by Dow Jones had expected net profit of EUR2.62 billion and revenue of EUR41.28 billion.</p>
<p>The auto maker said earnings growth at its cars division was supported by new-model sales and favorable base effects. However, earnings at its trucks division fell, Daimler said.</p>
<p>The company confirmed its 2017 guidance, assuming revenue will increase significantly this year.</p>
<p>Write to William Wilkes at [email protected]</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>July 26, 2017 02:15 ET (06:15 GMT)</p> | Daimler 2nd-Quarter Net Profit Up Slightly at EUR2.44 Billion | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/07/26/daimler-2nd-quarter-net-profit-up-slightly-at-eur2-44-billion.html | 2017-07-26 | 0right
| Daimler 2nd-Quarter Net Profit Up Slightly at EUR2.44 Billion
<p>German luxury-car maker Daimler AG (DAI.XE) on Wednesday said net profit rose slightly in the three months ended June 30, helped by a record quarter for global car and commercial-vehicle sales.</p>
<p>The maker of Mercedes-Benz cars said second-quarter net profit rose to 2.44 billion euros ($2.84 billion), up from EUR2.43 billion a year ago.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Revenue increased by 7% to EUR41.2 billion, the company said.</p>
<p>Analysts polled by Dow Jones had expected net profit of EUR2.62 billion and revenue of EUR41.28 billion.</p>
<p>The auto maker said earnings growth at its cars division was supported by new-model sales and favorable base effects. However, earnings at its trucks division fell, Daimler said.</p>
<p>The company confirmed its 2017 guidance, assuming revenue will increase significantly this year.</p>
<p>Write to William Wilkes at [email protected]</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>July 26, 2017 02:15 ET (06:15 GMT)</p> | 599,507 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>DENVER (AP) — Colorado sheriffs trying to stop new state ammunition magazine limits go before a federal judge today to argue that the law, passed in the wake of mass shootings, is too vague to enforce.</p>
<p>The law bans magazines that hold more than 15 rounds and was a major victory for Colorado Democrats, who used majorities in the House and Senate this spring to pass it without Republican support. Democrats also expanded background checks to include online and private firearm sales.</p>
<p>Sheriffs in 54 of Colorado’s 64 counties filed a lawsuit in May seeking to overturn both laws, arguing that they violate the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. But it’s the magazine limit that will be under scrutiny when U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger hears arguments on whether to grant a preliminary injunction on the law while the lawsuit advances. A written ruling will be issued later.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Both laws took effect July 1. Most of the sheriffs behind the lawsuit represent rural, gun-friendly parts of the state.</p>
<p>The lawsuit contends the magazine law lacks clarity because it bans magazines that are “designed to be readily converted” to hold more than 15 rounds.</p>
<p>“Nobody really knows what that means,” said David Kopel, the attorney representing the sheriffs. Opponents maintain that many magazines can be easily converted to hold more rounds. Kopel will also argue that the law is vague about what happens to larger magazines that were grandfathered in.</p>
<p>The sheriffs decided not to pursue a preliminary injunction for the expanded background checks, given the complexity of the new law and limited time at Wednesday’s hearing.</p>
<p>“In the context of something that size, how much can we show in this stage in this case?” Kopel said. He said it’s more appropriate to address issues surrounding background checks at trial.</p>
<p>The Colorado Attorney General’s office, which is defending the state, has previously issued guidance to law enforcement on how the magazine limit should be enforced, saying that magazines that hold 15 rounds or fewer can’t be defined as “large capacity” simply because they can be modified to include more.</p>
<p>Democrats argue both laws will improve public safety and are an appropriate response to the massacres at a suburban Denver movie theater last July and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December.</p>
<p>Fallout from the debate continues. Two Democrats — Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron — face potential recall elections because they supported the laws.</p>
<p>There’s never been a recall election for a Colorado state legislator.</p> | Colo. sheriffs seek to stop ammo limits | false | https://abqjournal.com/219384/colo-sheriffs-seek-to-stop-ammo-limits.html | 2013-07-10 | 2least
| Colo. sheriffs seek to stop ammo limits
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>DENVER (AP) — Colorado sheriffs trying to stop new state ammunition magazine limits go before a federal judge today to argue that the law, passed in the wake of mass shootings, is too vague to enforce.</p>
<p>The law bans magazines that hold more than 15 rounds and was a major victory for Colorado Democrats, who used majorities in the House and Senate this spring to pass it without Republican support. Democrats also expanded background checks to include online and private firearm sales.</p>
<p>Sheriffs in 54 of Colorado’s 64 counties filed a lawsuit in May seeking to overturn both laws, arguing that they violate the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. But it’s the magazine limit that will be under scrutiny when U.S. District Judge Marcia Krieger hears arguments on whether to grant a preliminary injunction on the law while the lawsuit advances. A written ruling will be issued later.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Both laws took effect July 1. Most of the sheriffs behind the lawsuit represent rural, gun-friendly parts of the state.</p>
<p>The lawsuit contends the magazine law lacks clarity because it bans magazines that are “designed to be readily converted” to hold more than 15 rounds.</p>
<p>“Nobody really knows what that means,” said David Kopel, the attorney representing the sheriffs. Opponents maintain that many magazines can be easily converted to hold more rounds. Kopel will also argue that the law is vague about what happens to larger magazines that were grandfathered in.</p>
<p>The sheriffs decided not to pursue a preliminary injunction for the expanded background checks, given the complexity of the new law and limited time at Wednesday’s hearing.</p>
<p>“In the context of something that size, how much can we show in this stage in this case?” Kopel said. He said it’s more appropriate to address issues surrounding background checks at trial.</p>
<p>The Colorado Attorney General’s office, which is defending the state, has previously issued guidance to law enforcement on how the magazine limit should be enforced, saying that magazines that hold 15 rounds or fewer can’t be defined as “large capacity” simply because they can be modified to include more.</p>
<p>Democrats argue both laws will improve public safety and are an appropriate response to the massacres at a suburban Denver movie theater last July and at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December.</p>
<p>Fallout from the debate continues. Two Democrats — Senate President John Morse and Sen. Angela Giron — face potential recall elections because they supported the laws.</p>
<p>There’s never been a recall election for a Colorado state legislator.</p> | 599,508 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>NEW YORK — After playing Wolverine in nine movies, Hugh Jackman arguably knows more about the superhero than anyone. But that wasn’t always the case.</p>
<p>He recalls researching the animal when he first got the role and being somewhat mistaken about the character. For one thing, he had no idea that a wolverine is a real creature.</p>
<p>When he stared shooting 2000’s “X-Men,” director Bryan Singer noticed something wasn’t right with Jackman’s performance. Jackman explained he’s been studying wolves.</p>
<p>The actor was gently told he was to portray a wolverine, not a wolf. “I said, ‘Well, there’s no such thing as a wolverine,'” Jackman said. Singer responded: “‘Go to the zoo, dude.'”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Hugh Jackman’s secret? He didn’t know wolverines are real | false | https://abqjournal.com/1005976/hugh-jackmans-secret-he-didnt-know-wolverines-are-real.html | 2017-05-19 | 2least
| Hugh Jackman’s secret? He didn’t know wolverines are real
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>NEW YORK — After playing Wolverine in nine movies, Hugh Jackman arguably knows more about the superhero than anyone. But that wasn’t always the case.</p>
<p>He recalls researching the animal when he first got the role and being somewhat mistaken about the character. For one thing, he had no idea that a wolverine is a real creature.</p>
<p>When he stared shooting 2000’s “X-Men,” director Bryan Singer noticed something wasn’t right with Jackman’s performance. Jackman explained he’s been studying wolves.</p>
<p>The actor was gently told he was to portray a wolverine, not a wolf. “I said, ‘Well, there’s no such thing as a wolverine,'” Jackman said. Singer responded: “‘Go to the zoo, dude.'”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 599,509 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Ismail al-Wawi, 54, right and Ghayda al-Wawi, 17, the father and the sister of 12 year old Palestinian girl imprisoned by Israel for allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement, pose for a photo at the family house in the West Bank village of Halhoul, Hebron, Monday, April 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)</p>
<p>JERUSALEM - Israel's prison service says it has approved the early release of a 12-year-old Palestinian girl who confessed to planning to carry out a stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement.</p>
<p>Prison service spokesman Assaf Librati said Monday that authorities have decided to release the girl on April 24 - six weeks before her scheduled release. He said the decision was made because of her "young age."</p>
<p>The case had put Israel's military justice system in a difficult spot and drew attention to the dual legal systems in the West Bank - one for Palestinians and one for Israelis.</p>
<p>The girl was arrested Feb. 9 outside a West Bank settlement with a knife hidden in her shirt and pleaded guilty to attempted manslaughter.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Israel to release young female Palestinian prisoner | false | https://abqjournal.com/754962/israel-to-release-young-female-palestinian-prisoner.html | 2least
| Israel to release young female Palestinian prisoner
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Ismail al-Wawi, 54, right and Ghayda al-Wawi, 17, the father and the sister of 12 year old Palestinian girl imprisoned by Israel for allegedly attempting to carry out a stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement, pose for a photo at the family house in the West Bank village of Halhoul, Hebron, Monday, April 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)</p>
<p>JERUSALEM - Israel's prison service says it has approved the early release of a 12-year-old Palestinian girl who confessed to planning to carry out a stabbing attack in a West Bank settlement.</p>
<p>Prison service spokesman Assaf Librati said Monday that authorities have decided to release the girl on April 24 - six weeks before her scheduled release. He said the decision was made because of her "young age."</p>
<p>The case had put Israel's military justice system in a difficult spot and drew attention to the dual legal systems in the West Bank - one for Palestinians and one for Israelis.</p>
<p>The girl was arrested Feb. 9 outside a West Bank settlement with a knife hidden in her shirt and pleaded guilty to attempted manslaughter.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 599,510 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Lobo guard Tim Jacobs, right, drives past George Mason guard Patrick Holloway during Friday’s game in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Ricardo Arduengo/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>So maybe this isn’t just the Hugh and Cullen Show for Lobo basketball, after all.</p>
<p>With the University of New Mexico’s leading scorer Cullen Neal sidelined with an injury and senior Hugh Greenwood struggling through as poor a shooting game as he’s had in 100-plus games as a Lobo, junior college transfers Deshawn Delaney and Jordan Goodman broke out with career-high scoring games Friday in a 69-58 win over George Mason in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.</p>
<p>“Really impressed with Deshawn Delaney and Jordan Goodman’s games tonight,” UNM coach Craig Neal said. “Gave Jordan a chance to get going and show where he is at right now and what he is capable of as he gets stronger. He has a long way still to go in coming back from his knee surgery, but really happy about the effort from all of my guys.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Delaney, the senior starter who transferred from Vincennes College in Indiana a year ago, scored 16 points (13 in the first half), and had eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, a blocked shot and a highlight reel dunk that made ESPN’s Sports Center Top 10. His previous career high was 14 in last season’s Mountain West Tournament win over Boise State.</p>
<p>Goodman, the junior from Harcum College in Pennsylvania who has been hampered by a slow recovery to a June knee surgery, scored 19 points in 19 minutes off the bench to go along with five rebounds. He had 10 points total in the team’s first three games.</p>
<p>“They played really well,” George Mason coach Paul Hewitt said. “In particular, Jordan Goodman stepped up big for them, made some huge shots and led their offense.”</p>
<p>The Delaney and Goodman outbursts were needed in the absence of Cullen Neal, who may be out an extended period after injuring his left ankle Thursday against Boston College. That injury moved Greenwood, who had a career-high 24 points while trying in vain to will the Lobos to a win Thursday, back to the primary point guard role where he struggled to get open shots or hit the ones he had. He missed his first eight shots and finished with 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting (1-of-7 from 3-point range), two assists and four turnovers.</p>
<p>“I know Greenwood didn’t have the game he would have liked to have,” Craig Neal said. “He was exhausted from his performance (Thursday) and he battled, but it just wasn’t happening for him.”</p>
<p>Freshman Sam Logwood added eight points and four rebounds off the bench for the Lobos, who had 34 bench points and scored 16 points off 18 turnovers.</p>
<p>George Mason (1-3) was led by 21 points and a tournament-record 19 rebounds from center Shevon Thompson, a junior college teammate of Goodman.</p>
<p>The Lobos play Texas A&amp;M (2-1) at noon Sunday.</p>
<p>INJURY UPDATE: Early Friday, Craig Neal told the Journal Cullen Neal “will be out for awhile” with his ankle injury. An X-ray of the sophomore guard’s ankle revealed “no major fracture,” the coach said, but there is still a concern for possible ligament damage. He will receive an MRI early next week when the team returns to Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Cullen Neal sat on the bench Friday with his foot heavily wrapped.</p>
<p><a href="https://d3el53au0d7w62.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/UNM-69-GMU-58.pdf" type="external">Box score: UNM-69 GMU-58</a></p>
<p>LOBO LINKS: <a href="" type="internal">Geoff Grammer’s blog</a> | <a href="" type="internal">Schedule/Results</a> | <a href="" type="internal">Roster</a></p> | Delaney, Goodman step up as Lobos handle George Mason | false | https://abqjournal.com/500074/lobos-handle-george-mason.html | 2least
| Delaney, Goodman step up as Lobos handle George Mason
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Lobo guard Tim Jacobs, right, drives past George Mason guard Patrick Holloway during Friday’s game in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Ricardo Arduengo/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>So maybe this isn’t just the Hugh and Cullen Show for Lobo basketball, after all.</p>
<p>With the University of New Mexico’s leading scorer Cullen Neal sidelined with an injury and senior Hugh Greenwood struggling through as poor a shooting game as he’s had in 100-plus games as a Lobo, junior college transfers Deshawn Delaney and Jordan Goodman broke out with career-high scoring games Friday in a 69-58 win over George Mason in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.</p>
<p>“Really impressed with Deshawn Delaney and Jordan Goodman’s games tonight,” UNM coach Craig Neal said. “Gave Jordan a chance to get going and show where he is at right now and what he is capable of as he gets stronger. He has a long way still to go in coming back from his knee surgery, but really happy about the effort from all of my guys.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Delaney, the senior starter who transferred from Vincennes College in Indiana a year ago, scored 16 points (13 in the first half), and had eight rebounds, four steals, three assists, a blocked shot and a highlight reel dunk that made ESPN’s Sports Center Top 10. His previous career high was 14 in last season’s Mountain West Tournament win over Boise State.</p>
<p>Goodman, the junior from Harcum College in Pennsylvania who has been hampered by a slow recovery to a June knee surgery, scored 19 points in 19 minutes off the bench to go along with five rebounds. He had 10 points total in the team’s first three games.</p>
<p>“They played really well,” George Mason coach Paul Hewitt said. “In particular, Jordan Goodman stepped up big for them, made some huge shots and led their offense.”</p>
<p>The Delaney and Goodman outbursts were needed in the absence of Cullen Neal, who may be out an extended period after injuring his left ankle Thursday against Boston College. That injury moved Greenwood, who had a career-high 24 points while trying in vain to will the Lobos to a win Thursday, back to the primary point guard role where he struggled to get open shots or hit the ones he had. He missed his first eight shots and finished with 13 points on 3-of-14 shooting (1-of-7 from 3-point range), two assists and four turnovers.</p>
<p>“I know Greenwood didn’t have the game he would have liked to have,” Craig Neal said. “He was exhausted from his performance (Thursday) and he battled, but it just wasn’t happening for him.”</p>
<p>Freshman Sam Logwood added eight points and four rebounds off the bench for the Lobos, who had 34 bench points and scored 16 points off 18 turnovers.</p>
<p>George Mason (1-3) was led by 21 points and a tournament-record 19 rebounds from center Shevon Thompson, a junior college teammate of Goodman.</p>
<p>The Lobos play Texas A&amp;M (2-1) at noon Sunday.</p>
<p>INJURY UPDATE: Early Friday, Craig Neal told the Journal Cullen Neal “will be out for awhile” with his ankle injury. An X-ray of the sophomore guard’s ankle revealed “no major fracture,” the coach said, but there is still a concern for possible ligament damage. He will receive an MRI early next week when the team returns to Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Cullen Neal sat on the bench Friday with his foot heavily wrapped.</p>
<p><a href="https://d3el53au0d7w62.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/UNM-69-GMU-58.pdf" type="external">Box score: UNM-69 GMU-58</a></p>
<p>LOBO LINKS: <a href="" type="internal">Geoff Grammer’s blog</a> | <a href="" type="internal">Schedule/Results</a> | <a href="" type="internal">Roster</a></p> | 599,511 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The ruling came in a state court lawsuit that was a spinoff from a federal civil rights action.</p>
<p>An excessive force lawsuit against Dennis O’Brien was filed in 2005 in U.S. District Court by now disbarred attorney Dennis Montoya, who obtained a $3 million default judgment against O’Brien, although O’Brien was never served with the complaint. Montoya filed a lien against O’Brien’s property in Santa Fe after getting the default judgment.</p>
<p>The federal lawsuit alleged excessive force by O’Brien, who, as a sergeant with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in 2002, shot at and injured a man who lunged at him with a sword. The man, Walter Mitchell, was later determined to be guilty but mentally ill after consuming a cup of Wal-Tussin.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>O’Brien said in his state lawsuit that he learned of the default judgment against him in 2010. He sued Montoya in 2011 for malicious abuse of process in state district court. It is in that case that 1st Judicial District Judge Raymond Ortiz issued his ruling over the summer, finding $192,000 in compensatory damages and ordering an additional $384,000 in punitive damages.</p>
<p>The court’s ruling said Montoya had filed complaints against O’Brien without probable cause and that Montoya had “proffered false testimony” in the federal half-day trial that resulted in the default judgment. County officials have said they weren’t aware of the brief trial when it took place.</p>
<p>Montoya, through his attorney, has asked Ortiz to reconsider his order. O’Brien opposes it.</p>
<p>In court documents, Montoya argued that an excessive force complaint is not precluded by a felony conviction on the part of the person filing, so his federal lawsuit on behalf of Mitchell did not constitute abuse of the judicial process. He said that a jury could have found O’Brien did not act as a prudent officer when he shot Mitchell three times.</p>
<p>Montoya’s federal lawsuit mistakenly listed the City of Santa Fe rather than the county, which operates the sheriff’s department, as a defendant, but he later decided not to include the county in the lawsuit.</p>
<p>“A typo on the caption of a complaint shouldn’t expose an attorney to liability to the opposing party,” said a Montoya pleading that urged the judge not to rule in O’Brien’s favor.</p>
<p>Montoya also said O’Brien had not been harmed by the lien filed on his property. “Sure Dennis O’Brien got a raw deal when a 3 million default judgment was entered against him, but it’s not like he ever had to pay it,” the document said. “… We’ve had to argue this three times now. Enough is enough.”</p>
<p />
<p /> | Ex-deputy awarded $576K in damages | false | https://abqjournal.com/465402/exdeputy-awarded-576k-in-damages.html | 2least
| Ex-deputy awarded $576K in damages
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The ruling came in a state court lawsuit that was a spinoff from a federal civil rights action.</p>
<p>An excessive force lawsuit against Dennis O’Brien was filed in 2005 in U.S. District Court by now disbarred attorney Dennis Montoya, who obtained a $3 million default judgment against O’Brien, although O’Brien was never served with the complaint. Montoya filed a lien against O’Brien’s property in Santa Fe after getting the default judgment.</p>
<p>The federal lawsuit alleged excessive force by O’Brien, who, as a sergeant with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office in 2002, shot at and injured a man who lunged at him with a sword. The man, Walter Mitchell, was later determined to be guilty but mentally ill after consuming a cup of Wal-Tussin.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>O’Brien said in his state lawsuit that he learned of the default judgment against him in 2010. He sued Montoya in 2011 for malicious abuse of process in state district court. It is in that case that 1st Judicial District Judge Raymond Ortiz issued his ruling over the summer, finding $192,000 in compensatory damages and ordering an additional $384,000 in punitive damages.</p>
<p>The court’s ruling said Montoya had filed complaints against O’Brien without probable cause and that Montoya had “proffered false testimony” in the federal half-day trial that resulted in the default judgment. County officials have said they weren’t aware of the brief trial when it took place.</p>
<p>Montoya, through his attorney, has asked Ortiz to reconsider his order. O’Brien opposes it.</p>
<p>In court documents, Montoya argued that an excessive force complaint is not precluded by a felony conviction on the part of the person filing, so his federal lawsuit on behalf of Mitchell did not constitute abuse of the judicial process. He said that a jury could have found O’Brien did not act as a prudent officer when he shot Mitchell three times.</p>
<p>Montoya’s federal lawsuit mistakenly listed the City of Santa Fe rather than the county, which operates the sheriff’s department, as a defendant, but he later decided not to include the county in the lawsuit.</p>
<p>“A typo on the caption of a complaint shouldn’t expose an attorney to liability to the opposing party,” said a Montoya pleading that urged the judge not to rule in O’Brien’s favor.</p>
<p>Montoya also said O’Brien had not been harmed by the lien filed on his property. “Sure Dennis O’Brien got a raw deal when a 3 million default judgment was entered against him, but it’s not like he ever had to pay it,” the document said. “… We’ve had to argue this three times now. Enough is enough.”</p>
<p />
<p /> | 599,512 |
|
<p>SEOUL, South Korea — In the classic Korean mystery film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260991/" type="external">JSA: Joint Security Area&#160;</a>(2000), a South Korean soldier strays north of the demilitarized zone at the border between North and South Korea and unexpectedly befriends a handful of North Korean enemies.</p>
<p>Later, the southern capitalist brings his new buddies a box of marshmallow-filled snacks known as Choco Pies. His North Korean pals stuff their faces in enjoyment.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choco_Pie" type="external">Choco Pies</a> are an iconic chocolate food in South Korea, much like Oreos are a cultural trademark of the US.&#160;</p>
<p>They're so tasty that the infantryman even offers them as a reason to defect south. "You can eat all the Choco Pies you want!" he exclaims.</p>
<p>Yesterday, the Guardian laid out <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/01/choco-pies-north-koreans" type="external">this love of Choco Pies in North Korea</a>, and how they first became a bonus for North Korean factory workers employed by South Korean managers at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex just north of the border. (North Korea outlawed cash bonuses because they were considered too capitalist.)</p>
<p>In the North, the snacks are resold at four times the price of a box at most mini-markets here in Seoul, where a box of twelve costs about $3.60.</p>
<p>The piece asks: Can Choco Pies be a force for change in North Korea? Korean specialist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Lankov" type="external">Andrei Lankov</a> tells the Guardian:</p>
<p>"It has become a symbol of South Korean prosperity – and North Koreans read it. They are suffering and starving, but thanks to Choco Pies, DVDs and large-scale labor migration to China, people don't buy the old story [that the South is even poorer] and the government does not sell it any more."</p>
<p>It's part of a larger story that many experts are putting forward, arguing that the garrison state is experiencing all sorts of changes from the bottom that could, at least eventually, upend the regime.&#160;</p> | Gulags? Missiles? Not to fear, Choco Pies are here | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-05-03/gulags-missiles-not-fear-choco-pies-are-here | 2013-05-03 | 3left-center
| Gulags? Missiles? Not to fear, Choco Pies are here
<p>SEOUL, South Korea — In the classic Korean mystery film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0260991/" type="external">JSA: Joint Security Area&#160;</a>(2000), a South Korean soldier strays north of the demilitarized zone at the border between North and South Korea and unexpectedly befriends a handful of North Korean enemies.</p>
<p>Later, the southern capitalist brings his new buddies a box of marshmallow-filled snacks known as Choco Pies. His North Korean pals stuff their faces in enjoyment.</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choco_Pie" type="external">Choco Pies</a> are an iconic chocolate food in South Korea, much like Oreos are a cultural trademark of the US.&#160;</p>
<p>They're so tasty that the infantryman even offers them as a reason to defect south. "You can eat all the Choco Pies you want!" he exclaims.</p>
<p>Yesterday, the Guardian laid out <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/01/choco-pies-north-koreans" type="external">this love of Choco Pies in North Korea</a>, and how they first became a bonus for North Korean factory workers employed by South Korean managers at the joint Kaesong Industrial Complex just north of the border. (North Korea outlawed cash bonuses because they were considered too capitalist.)</p>
<p>In the North, the snacks are resold at four times the price of a box at most mini-markets here in Seoul, where a box of twelve costs about $3.60.</p>
<p>The piece asks: Can Choco Pies be a force for change in North Korea? Korean specialist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Lankov" type="external">Andrei Lankov</a> tells the Guardian:</p>
<p>"It has become a symbol of South Korean prosperity – and North Koreans read it. They are suffering and starving, but thanks to Choco Pies, DVDs and large-scale labor migration to China, people don't buy the old story [that the South is even poorer] and the government does not sell it any more."</p>
<p>It's part of a larger story that many experts are putting forward, arguing that the garrison state is experiencing all sorts of changes from the bottom that could, at least eventually, upend the regime.&#160;</p> | 599,513 |
<p />
<p>Capital One (NYSE:COF) unveiled plans on Wednesday to scoop up the U.S. credit card operations&#160;of British lender HSBC (NYSE:HBC) for a premium of about $2.6 billion.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Coupled with its $9 billion cash-and-stock deal to acquire ING Groups U.S. online bank, the transaction represents a serious bulking up for McLean, Va.-based Capital One.</p>
<p>The $32.7 billion bid on Wednesday represents a premium of about $2.6 billion on the businesss assets of $30.4 billion. It also translates to an 8.75% premium to par value of all receivables.</p>
<p>Capital One said it expects the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2012 and boost its 2013 bottom line in the high teens. Return on invested capital is anticipated to exceed 25% in 2013.</p>
<p>The acquisition of HSBC's domestic credit card business is an attractive strategic and financial opportunity in a business we know well," Capital One CEO Richard Fairbank said in a statement. "Adding the HSBC card business to our own will enhance our credit card franchise and accelerate our achievement of a leadership position in retail card partnerships.</p>
<p>Capital One said it plans to incur restructuring costs of $420 million, but sees cost synergies of about $350 million.</p>
<p>Shareholders applauded the deal, bidding Capital Ones stock 1.32% higher to $41.36 ahead of the opening bell, compared with a steep drop in the premarkets.</p>
<p>Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Centerview Partners and The Kessler Group acted as financial advisers to Capital One.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | Capital One Snatches HSBC's Credit-Card Operations for $2.6B Premium | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/08/10/capital-one-buys-hsbc-credit-card-arm-in-327b-deal.html | 2016-01-28 | 0right
| Capital One Snatches HSBC's Credit-Card Operations for $2.6B Premium
<p />
<p>Capital One (NYSE:COF) unveiled plans on Wednesday to scoop up the U.S. credit card operations&#160;of British lender HSBC (NYSE:HBC) for a premium of about $2.6 billion.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Coupled with its $9 billion cash-and-stock deal to acquire ING Groups U.S. online bank, the transaction represents a serious bulking up for McLean, Va.-based Capital One.</p>
<p>The $32.7 billion bid on Wednesday represents a premium of about $2.6 billion on the businesss assets of $30.4 billion. It also translates to an 8.75% premium to par value of all receivables.</p>
<p>Capital One said it expects the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2012 and boost its 2013 bottom line in the high teens. Return on invested capital is anticipated to exceed 25% in 2013.</p>
<p>The acquisition of HSBC's domestic credit card business is an attractive strategic and financial opportunity in a business we know well," Capital One CEO Richard Fairbank said in a statement. "Adding the HSBC card business to our own will enhance our credit card franchise and accelerate our achievement of a leadership position in retail card partnerships.</p>
<p>Capital One said it plans to incur restructuring costs of $420 million, but sees cost synergies of about $350 million.</p>
<p>Shareholders applauded the deal, bidding Capital Ones stock 1.32% higher to $41.36 ahead of the opening bell, compared with a steep drop in the premarkets.</p>
<p>Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Centerview Partners and The Kessler Group acted as financial advisers to Capital One.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | 599,514 |
<p><a href="http://www.google.com" type="external">Google</a> has formally launched its <a href="https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/answer.py?answer=20012" type="external">program</a> to put contextually relevant ads into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_%28file_format%29" type="external">RSS feeds</a> (a.k.a., webfeeds). This is part of Google's <a href="http://www.google.com/adsense" type="external">AdSense</a> program, with which Web publishers can put Google text ads onto their own sites and share in revenues from the ads. Online publishers have been looking for ways to make money directly from RSS feeds (beyond receiving website traffic from them and making money from those visits). Google's offering probably will result in a change in how some sites handle RSS -- from relying on simple headline links to Web articles, to full article text with an AdSense ad included. Using the full text of blog items in RSS feeds makes sense if the RSS feeds themselves make money.I still favor a middle approach, where each RSS feed item features headline and the first one or two paragraphs, plus an AdSense ad. That serves most readers by allowing them to consume most of a website's content exclusively within the RSS reader, but still requiring them to click through to the website to read full articles (and see the rest of the site's advertising).To participate in the Google RSS program, publishers must be current AdSense clients and have at least 100 subscribers to their content feeds. ( <a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;client=firefox&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;tab=wn&amp;ie=ISO-8859-1&amp;ncl=http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm%3Ffuseaction%3DArticles.showArticleHomePage%26art_aid%3D30278" type="external">More news on this topic</a>.)</p> | Google Ads for RSS | false | https://poynter.org/news/google-ads-rss | 2005-05-18 | 2least
| Google Ads for RSS
<p><a href="http://www.google.com" type="external">Google</a> has formally launched its <a href="https://www.google.com/support/adsense/bin/answer.py?answer=20012" type="external">program</a> to put contextually relevant ads into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_%28file_format%29" type="external">RSS feeds</a> (a.k.a., webfeeds). This is part of Google's <a href="http://www.google.com/adsense" type="external">AdSense</a> program, with which Web publishers can put Google text ads onto their own sites and share in revenues from the ads. Online publishers have been looking for ways to make money directly from RSS feeds (beyond receiving website traffic from them and making money from those visits). Google's offering probably will result in a change in how some sites handle RSS -- from relying on simple headline links to Web articles, to full article text with an AdSense ad included. Using the full text of blog items in RSS feeds makes sense if the RSS feeds themselves make money.I still favor a middle approach, where each RSS feed item features headline and the first one or two paragraphs, plus an AdSense ad. That serves most readers by allowing them to consume most of a website's content exclusively within the RSS reader, but still requiring them to click through to the website to read full articles (and see the rest of the site's advertising).To participate in the Google RSS program, publishers must be current AdSense clients and have at least 100 subscribers to their content feeds. ( <a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;client=firefox&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;tab=wn&amp;ie=ISO-8859-1&amp;ncl=http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm%3Ffuseaction%3DArticles.showArticleHomePage%26art_aid%3D30278" type="external">More news on this topic</a>.)</p> | 599,515 |
<p>President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States will be forced to “totally destroy” North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear standoff, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a “rocket man” on a suicide mission.</p>
<p>Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled U.N. General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe.</p>
<p>Unless North Korea backs down, he said, “We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea.”</p>
<p>“Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime,” he said.</p>
<p>He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its “hostile” behavior.</p>
<p>A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation’s front-row seat for Trump’s speech, the North Korean U.N. mission said.</p>
<p>n speech to the world body to address what he has said is the top global challenge.</p>
<p>Beginning his speech shortly after arriving at U.N. headquarters in New York, Trump said the world faces destructive threats from rogue states and “terrorists and extremists.”</p>
<p>“Rogue regimes not only support terrorists but threaten other nations with the most destructive weapon known to humanity,” Trump said, referring to nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>It was Trump’s first appearance in the green-marbled U.N. General Assembly hall, where applause from world leaders is generally muted.</p>
<p>Reading carefully from a script, Trump promised the United States military would soon be the strongest it has ever been.</p>
<p>Trump, who came to power promoting an America First agenda, told world leaders that the United States does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries’ sovereignty.</p>
<p>“I will defend America’s interests above all else,” he said. “But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realize it’s in everyone’s interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure.”</p>
<p>Big day at the United Nations – many good things, and some tricky ones, happening. We have a great team. Big speech at 10:00 A.M.</p>
<p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/910101538336583680" type="external">September 19, 2017</a></p> | Trump at UN: US May Have to 'Totally Destroy' North Korea | false | https://newsline.com/trump-at-un-us-may-have-to-totally-destroy-north-korea/ | 2017-09-19 | 1right-center
| Trump at UN: US May Have to 'Totally Destroy' North Korea
<p>President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that the United States will be forced to “totally destroy” North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear standoff, mocking North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a “rocket man” on a suicide mission.</p>
<p>Loud murmurs filled the green-marbled U.N. General Assembly hall when Trump issued his sternest warning yet to North Korea, whose ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests have rattled the globe.</p>
<p>Unless North Korea backs down, he said, “We will have no choice than to totally destroy North Korea.”</p>
<p>“Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime,” he said.</p>
<p>He urged United Nations member states to work together to isolate the Kim government until it ceases its “hostile” behavior.</p>
<p>A junior North Korean diplomat remained in the delegation’s front-row seat for Trump’s speech, the North Korean U.N. mission said.</p>
<p>n speech to the world body to address what he has said is the top global challenge.</p>
<p>Beginning his speech shortly after arriving at U.N. headquarters in New York, Trump said the world faces destructive threats from rogue states and “terrorists and extremists.”</p>
<p>“Rogue regimes not only support terrorists but threaten other nations with the most destructive weapon known to humanity,” Trump said, referring to nuclear weapons.</p>
<p>It was Trump’s first appearance in the green-marbled U.N. General Assembly hall, where applause from world leaders is generally muted.</p>
<p>Reading carefully from a script, Trump promised the United States military would soon be the strongest it has ever been.</p>
<p>Trump, who came to power promoting an America First agenda, told world leaders that the United States does not seek to impose its will on other nations and will respect other countries’ sovereignty.</p>
<p>“I will defend America’s interests above all else,” he said. “But in fulfilling our obligations to other nations we also realize it’s in everyone’s interest to seek a future where all nations can be sovereign, prosperous and secure.”</p>
<p>Big day at the United Nations – many good things, and some tricky ones, happening. We have a great team. Big speech at 10:00 A.M.</p>
<p>— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/910101538336583680" type="external">September 19, 2017</a></p> | 599,516 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>LAS CRUCES – A federal jury in Las Cruces has convicted an Artesia woman of charges of methamphetamine trafficking.</p>
<p>The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque said 36-year-old Genevieve Hernandez was convicted Tuesday after a two-day trial.</p>
<p>Prosecutors say Hernandez faces at least 10 years in prison because she previously had been convicted of a narcotics trafficking crime.</p>
<p>A co-defendant in the case, 21-year-old Mickah Chavez of Artesia, pleaded guilty in March and has been sentenced to two years in prison.</p>
<p>According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, jurors heard testimony that Hernandez provided methamphetamine to Chavez and that Chavez then sold the methamphetamine to an undercover agent posing as a drug dealer.</p>
<p />
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Meth dealer faces at least 10 years | false | https://abqjournal.com/426999/meth-dealer-faces-at-least-10-years.html | 2least
| Meth dealer faces at least 10 years
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>LAS CRUCES – A federal jury in Las Cruces has convicted an Artesia woman of charges of methamphetamine trafficking.</p>
<p>The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Albuquerque said 36-year-old Genevieve Hernandez was convicted Tuesday after a two-day trial.</p>
<p>Prosecutors say Hernandez faces at least 10 years in prison because she previously had been convicted of a narcotics trafficking crime.</p>
<p>A co-defendant in the case, 21-year-old Mickah Chavez of Artesia, pleaded guilty in March and has been sentenced to two years in prison.</p>
<p>According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, jurors heard testimony that Hernandez provided methamphetamine to Chavez and that Chavez then sold the methamphetamine to an undercover agent posing as a drug dealer.</p>
<p />
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 599,517 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg LLP, both of Ontario, said in a statement that they filed the lawsuit on behalf of Canadians who subscribed to Ashley Madison and whose personal information was disclosed to the public. The website, with its slogan "Life is short. Have an affair," is marketed to facilitate extramarital relationships.</p>
<p>The lawsuit, filed Thursday, targets Avid Dating Life Inc. and Avid Life Media Inc., the Toronto-based companies that run AshleyMadison.com. Its class-action status "still needs to be certified by the court," the statement says.</p>
<p>Ashley Madison did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It has said that the personal details exposed in the initial data leak can't be used to prove the infidelity of their clients.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The plaintiff is Eliot Shore, an Ottawa widower. Shore said he joined the website for a short time in search of companionship after he lost his wife to breast cancer. He said he never cheated and never met up with any members of the site.</p>
<p>The lawsuit argues that the privacy of Canadian members was breached in July when hackers infiltrated Ashley Madison's website and downloaded private information. The data breach includes users' personal names, emails, home addresses and message history. On Tuesday, the information was posted publicly online.</p>
<p>The law firms' statement said numerous former users of the website have approached them to inquire about their privacy rights under Canadian law.</p>
<p>"They are outraged that AshleyMadison.com failed to protect its users' information. In many cases, the users paid an additional fee for the website to remove all of their user data, only to discover that the information was left intact and exposed," lawyer Ted Charney said in the statement.</p>
<p>The law firms said the lawsuit is not being brought against the hackers, who have said they attacked the website in an effort to close it down as punishment for collecting a fee without actually deleting users' data.</p>
<p>The law firms did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not clear in what court the class-action lawsuit was filed.</p>
<p>There are hundreds of email addresses in the data release that appear to be connected to federal, provincial and municipal workers across Canada, as well as to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the military.</p>
<p>According to the data breach, some of the website's customers made credit-card transactions from computers attached to the Department of National Defense and Canada's House of Commons.</p>
<p>The data, stored in more than 2,500 files, involved transactions spanning from March 2008 to several days in June of this year.</p>
<p>National Defense referred most questions to the federal Treasury Board, which has an overall responsibility.</p>
<p>Lisa Murphy, spokeswoman for the Treasury Board, would only say that the government has rules for the professional and personal use of its computers.</p>
<p>In a written statement, a DND spokeswoman echoed some of Murphy's statement, and said the department "has policies and practices in place to deter, detect and enforce unauthorized and prohibited computer use."</p>
<p>The credit-card information of U.S. government workers, some with sensitive jobs in the White House, Congress and the Justice Department, was also revealed in the data breach.</p> | Ashley Madison faces $578M Canadian class-action lawsuit | false | https://abqjournal.com/632260/ashley-madison-faces-578m-canadian-class-action-lawsuit.html | 2least
| Ashley Madison faces $578M Canadian class-action lawsuit
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg LLP, both of Ontario, said in a statement that they filed the lawsuit on behalf of Canadians who subscribed to Ashley Madison and whose personal information was disclosed to the public. The website, with its slogan "Life is short. Have an affair," is marketed to facilitate extramarital relationships.</p>
<p>The lawsuit, filed Thursday, targets Avid Dating Life Inc. and Avid Life Media Inc., the Toronto-based companies that run AshleyMadison.com. Its class-action status "still needs to be certified by the court," the statement says.</p>
<p>Ashley Madison did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It has said that the personal details exposed in the initial data leak can't be used to prove the infidelity of their clients.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The plaintiff is Eliot Shore, an Ottawa widower. Shore said he joined the website for a short time in search of companionship after he lost his wife to breast cancer. He said he never cheated and never met up with any members of the site.</p>
<p>The lawsuit argues that the privacy of Canadian members was breached in July when hackers infiltrated Ashley Madison's website and downloaded private information. The data breach includes users' personal names, emails, home addresses and message history. On Tuesday, the information was posted publicly online.</p>
<p>The law firms' statement said numerous former users of the website have approached them to inquire about their privacy rights under Canadian law.</p>
<p>"They are outraged that AshleyMadison.com failed to protect its users' information. In many cases, the users paid an additional fee for the website to remove all of their user data, only to discover that the information was left intact and exposed," lawyer Ted Charney said in the statement.</p>
<p>The law firms said the lawsuit is not being brought against the hackers, who have said they attacked the website in an effort to close it down as punishment for collecting a fee without actually deleting users' data.</p>
<p>The law firms did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not clear in what court the class-action lawsuit was filed.</p>
<p>There are hundreds of email addresses in the data release that appear to be connected to federal, provincial and municipal workers across Canada, as well as to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the military.</p>
<p>According to the data breach, some of the website's customers made credit-card transactions from computers attached to the Department of National Defense and Canada's House of Commons.</p>
<p>The data, stored in more than 2,500 files, involved transactions spanning from March 2008 to several days in June of this year.</p>
<p>National Defense referred most questions to the federal Treasury Board, which has an overall responsibility.</p>
<p>Lisa Murphy, spokeswoman for the Treasury Board, would only say that the government has rules for the professional and personal use of its computers.</p>
<p>In a written statement, a DND spokeswoman echoed some of Murphy's statement, and said the department "has policies and practices in place to deter, detect and enforce unauthorized and prohibited computer use."</p>
<p>The credit-card information of U.S. government workers, some with sensitive jobs in the White House, Congress and the Justice Department, was also revealed in the data breach.</p> | 599,518 |
|
<p>Jan 19 (Reuters) - Hengxin Technology Ltd:</p>
<p>* REQUEST FOR SUSPENSION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia’s military said an operation would begin on Sunday to bring fighters of the Jaish al-Islam rebel group out of their besieged enclave of Douma, Interfax reported, after the Syrian government said the group had asked for negotiations.</p>
<p>There was no immediate comment from Jaish al-Islam. The group so far has rejected a Russian offer of safe passage out of Douma, which is near Damascus, to rebel-held areas at the border with Turkey.</p>
<p>Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian peace and reconciliation center in Syria, said the operation to take “irreconciable militants” out of Douma would begin on Sunday.</p>
<p>Jaish al-Islam accused the Syrian government of carrying out a chemical attack on Douma on Saturday evening that a medical relief organization and rescue workers say killed dozens of people. The government has denied carrying out such an attack.</p>
<p>Citing sources in Jaish al-Islam, the pro-Syrian opposition Orient television said talks were underway between the group and Russia about reaching a final agreement for Douma.</p>
<p>Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won back control of nearly all of eastern Ghouta in a Russian-backed military campaign that began in February, leaving just Douma in rebel hands. After a lull of a few days, government forces began bombarding Douma again on Friday.</p>
<p>The offensive in Ghouta has been one of the deadliest of the seven-year-long war, killing more than 1,600 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dahlia Nehme in Beirut and Polina Ivanova in Moscow; Editing by Tom Perry, Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIRUT (Reuters) - A chemical attack on a rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta has killed dozens of people, medical services reported, and Washington said the reports - if confirmed - would demand an immediate international response.</p>
<p>A joint statement by the medical relief organization Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the civil defense service, which operates in rebel-held areas, said 49 people had died in the attack late on Saturday. Others put the toll at 150 or more.</p>
<p>The Russian-backed Syrian state denied government forces had launched any chemical attack as the reports began circulating and said the rebels were collapsing and fabricating news.</p>
<p>Reuters could not independently verify the reports.</p>
<p>The lifeless bodies of around a dozen children, women and men, some of them with foam at the mouth, were shown in one video circulated by activists. “Douma city, April 7 ... there is a strong smell here,” a voice can be heard saying.</p>
<p>The U.S. State Department said reports of mass casualties from the attack were “horrifying” and would, if confirmed, “demand an immediate response by the international community”.</p>
<p>Britain’s Foreign Office also called the reports, if confirmed, “very concerning” and said “an urgent investigation is needed and the international community must respond. We call on the Assad regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, to stop the violence against innocent civilians.”</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta/syria-says-ready-to-start-rebel-talks-after-alleged-gas-attack-idUSKBN1HF074" type="external">Syria says ready to start rebel talks after alleged gas attack</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-russia/russia-denies-chemical-weapons-used-in-syrias-douma-ifax-reports-idUSKBN1HF0AL" type="external">Russia denies chemical weapons used in Syria's Douma, Ifax reports</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-negotiati/negotiations-underway-between-rebel-group-and-russians-over-douma-idUSKBN1HF09Z" type="external">Negotiations underway between rebel group and Russians over Douma</a>
<p>Russia, however, dismissed the reports. “We decidedly refute this information,” Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian peace and reconciliation center in Syria, was cited as saying by Interfax news service.</p>
<p>Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won back control of nearly all of eastern Ghouta in a Russian-backed military campaign that began in February, leaving just Douma in rebel hands.</p>
<p>The Ghouta offensive has been one of the deadliest in Syria’s seven-year-long war, killing more than 1,600 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.</p>
<p>Facing military defeat, rebel groups in other parts of eastern Ghouta have taken safe passage to other opposition-held areas at the Turkish border. Until now, Jaish al-Islam has rejected that option, demanding it be allowed to stay in Douma.</p>
<p>However, Syrian state television said on Sunday Jaish al-Islam had asked for negotiations with the government. A pro-Syrian opposition TV station, Orient, said talks were underway between Jaish al-Islam and Russia to reach a final settlement for Douma.</p>
<p>Jaish al-Islam could not be reached for comment.</p> SHELTERING IN BASEMENTS
<p>The Syrian Observatory said it could not confirm whether chemical weapons had been used in the attack on Saturday. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said 11 people had died in Douma as a result of suffocation caused by heavy bombardment.</p>
<p>Medical relief organization SAMS said a chlorine bomb hit Douma hospital, killing six people, and a second attack with “mixed agents”, including nerve agents, had hit a nearby building.</p>
<p>Basel Termanini, the U.S.-based vice president of SAMS, which operates medical facilities and supports medics in Syria, told Reuters another 35 people had been killed at a nearby apartment building, most of them women and children.</p>
<p>The joint statement from SAMS and the civil defense said medical centers had taken in more than 500 people suffering breathing difficulties, frothing from the mouth and smelling of chlorine.</p>
<p>One of the victims was dead on arrival and six died later, it said. Civil defense volunteers reported more than 42 cases of people dead at their homes showing the same symptoms, it said.</p>
<p>Tawfik Chamaa, a Geneva-based Syrian doctor with the Syria-focused Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), a network of Syrian doctors, said 150 people were confirmed dead and the number was growing. “The majority were civilians, women and children trapped in underground shelters,” he told Reuters.</p>
<p>Syrian state news agency SANA said Jaish al-Islam was making “chemical attack fabrications in an exposed and failed attempt to obstruct advances by the Syrian Arab army,” citing an official source.</p>
<p>U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauret recalled a 2017 sarin gas attack in northwestern Syria that the West and the United Nations blamed on Assad’s government.</p>
<p>“The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented immediately,” she said.</p>
<p>“The United States calls on Russia to end this unmitigated support immediately and work with the international community to prevent further, barbaric chemical weapons attacks,” Nauert said in a statement.</p>
<p>The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons during the conflict.</p>
<p>“We have received report of many people killed and injured in Duma in the past 24 hours. We continue be extremely concerned for people who remain in Duma who are being subjected to escalating hostilities,” UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Linda Tom said.</p>
<p>Jan Egeland, the U.N. humanitarian adviser for Syria, called on Wednesday for access to Douma, where he said some 80,000 to 150,000 civilians were “on their knees” after years of siege and fighting.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dahlia Nehme and Mustafa Hashem; additional reporting by Patrick Rucker and Tim Ahmann in Washington, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Tom Perry in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - The chairman of the international affairs committee of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, said on Sunday that reports of a gas attack in Syria were bogus and convenient news for Washington.</p> FILE PHOTO: Russia's Konstantin Kosachev addresses the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during a debate on the consequences of war between Georgia and Russia in Strasbourg, France September 30, 2008. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo
<p>“This is yet another bogus claim by ‘fakemakers’ and there is a banally obvious reason for it: to undermine the exit of Jaish al-Islam rebels from Douma and impede the offensive by Syrian government forces,” Kosachev wrote on his social media page.</p>
<p>Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(This April 6 story repeats to add a graphic.)</p> FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>By Lewis Krauskopf</p>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The rockiest U.S. stock market in two years will meet a major test in the coming weeks as first-quarter earnings pour in, with expectations that tax cuts will help Corporate America show its biggest quarterly profit growth in seven years. Any disappointments could further upset the fragile market.</p>
<p>Hopes among stock investors are running high for corporate earnings season, which kicks off in earnest on Thursday and Friday with reports from several large financial institutions including BlackRock ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BLK.N" type="external">BLK.N</a>) and JP Morgan ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=JPM.N" type="external">JPM.N</a>).</p>
<p>Investors have counted on corporate profits to provide bedrock support as the market endured sharp swings in recent weeks over concerns about a trade war with China and tougher regulations for high-flying technology companies.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> has recovered some after swooning more than 10 percent in February from its Jan. 26 record high, confirming a market correction for the first time in just over two years. The benchmark index remains more than 7 percent off its all-time peak.</p>
<p>“There is an awful lot of pressure for corporate profits in this first quarter and especially the guidance the companies are going to give to really get this market back on its upward track,” said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services in Hammond, Indiana.</p>
<p>Analysts expect S&amp;P 500 profits to rise 18.4 percent in the first quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, the first full quarter since passage of President Donald Trump's tax cuts, which slashed the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. That would be the biggest profit rise since the first quarter of 2011. ( <a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/2H0PB4A" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2H0PB4A</a>)</p>
<p>Credit Suisse analysts calculated that more than one third of that growth in the first quarter can be attributed to tax benefits.</p>
<p>To view a graphic on Big first quarter seen for Corporate America, click: <a href="https://reut.rs/2q8lxdE" type="external">reut.rs/2q8lxdE</a></p>
<a href="https://reut.rs/2q8lxdE" type="external" />
<p>Given the tendency of companies to report results above Wall Street estimates, those numbers might be expected to come in even higher. For example, first-quarter profits should rise by 24 percent if results achieve the median out-performance of the past eight quarters, according to Thomson Reuters analyst David Aurelio.</p>
<p>“A downside risk is that everyone is hoping for the earnings to come through and that is really a main pillar for the bull case,” said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist with SunTrust Advisory Services in Atlanta. “And if earnings surprise to the downside then you have to say, what is the bull case hanging onto at this point?”</p>
<p>Expectations for first quarter profits have risen from an expectation of 12.2 percent growth on Jan. 1 to 18.4 percent now, an increase of 6.2 percentage points as analysts have factored in the new tax law.</p>
<p>That is unusual: In general, estimates decline by about 4 percentage points from the start of a quarter to the beginning of earnings season, according to Thomson Reuters data, which strategists say tends to help companies to post earnings “beats” when they ultimately report results.</p>
<p>“The expectation bar is a little bit higher this quarter because you didn’t see that cut ahead of time,” Lerner said.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BLK.N" type="external">BlackRock Inc</a> 519.92 BLK.N New York Stock Exchange -18.48 (-3.43%) BLK.N JPM.N .SPX C.N WFC.N
<p>The very early returns indicate first-quarter results show similar positive surprises to past quarters. Of 23 S&amp;P 500 companies reported so far, 74 percent have reported profits ahead of estimates, according to Thomson Reuters data.</p>
<p>Historically, 64 percent of companies beat estimates in a quarter. More recently, performance versus expectations has been better: over the past four quarters, 75 percent of companies beat earnings estimates.</p>
<p>To view a graphic on sector strength in Q1, click: <a href="https://reut.rs/2uUJZ7n" type="external">reut.rs/2uUJZ7n</a></p>
<a href="https://reut.rs/2uUJZ7n" type="external" />
<p>Seven more S&amp;P 500 companies are expected to report next week including BlackRock, which is the world’s largest asset manager, and three big banks: JP Morgan, Citigroup ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=C.N" type="external">C.N</a>) and Wells Fargo ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WFC.N" type="external">WFC.N</a>). More than 60 S&amp;P 500 reports are due the following week.</p>
<p>One cushion for investors is that stocks are generally trading at less expensive valuations following the market’s slide. The S&amp;P 500 recently traded at 16.3 times earnings estimates for the next 12 months, down from 18.6 times in January, according to Thomson Reuters Datastream.</p>
<p>S&amp;P 500 companies are expected to increase profits by 19.7 percent in 2018, which would be the biggest annual rise since 2010. In their quarterly reports, corporate executives will give forecasts or insight into prospects for the year. Some strategists said recent policy and market turbulence could lead companies to temper their views.</p>
<p>“Given the uncertainty that is in the market, especially regarding trade and potential tech regulation, we could see management teams be a little more cautious,” said Lindsey Bell, investment strategist at CFRA Research in New York.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BRIEF-Hengxin Technology Requests For Suspension Russia says Syrian rebels to be brought out of Douma - Interfax Dozens reported killed in suspected Syria gas attack; Damascus denies Russian lawmaker calls reports of Syria gas attack bogus High stakes, high expectations as earnings season heats up | false | https://reuters.com/article/brief-hengxin-technology-requests-for-su/brief-hengxin-technology-requests-for-suspension-idUSFWN1PE0C0 | 2018-01-19 | 2least
| BRIEF-Hengxin Technology Requests For Suspension Russia says Syrian rebels to be brought out of Douma - Interfax Dozens reported killed in suspected Syria gas attack; Damascus denies Russian lawmaker calls reports of Syria gas attack bogus High stakes, high expectations as earnings season heats up
<p>Jan 19 (Reuters) - Hengxin Technology Ltd:</p>
<p>* REQUEST FOR SUSPENSION Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia’s military said an operation would begin on Sunday to bring fighters of the Jaish al-Islam rebel group out of their besieged enclave of Douma, Interfax reported, after the Syrian government said the group had asked for negotiations.</p>
<p>There was no immediate comment from Jaish al-Islam. The group so far has rejected a Russian offer of safe passage out of Douma, which is near Damascus, to rebel-held areas at the border with Turkey.</p>
<p>Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian peace and reconciliation center in Syria, said the operation to take “irreconciable militants” out of Douma would begin on Sunday.</p>
<p>Jaish al-Islam accused the Syrian government of carrying out a chemical attack on Douma on Saturday evening that a medical relief organization and rescue workers say killed dozens of people. The government has denied carrying out such an attack.</p>
<p>Citing sources in Jaish al-Islam, the pro-Syrian opposition Orient television said talks were underway between the group and Russia about reaching a final agreement for Douma.</p>
<p>Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won back control of nearly all of eastern Ghouta in a Russian-backed military campaign that began in February, leaving just Douma in rebel hands. After a lull of a few days, government forces began bombarding Douma again on Friday.</p>
<p>The offensive in Ghouta has been one of the deadliest of the seven-year-long war, killing more than 1,600 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dahlia Nehme in Beirut and Polina Ivanova in Moscow; Editing by Tom Perry, Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIRUT (Reuters) - A chemical attack on a rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta has killed dozens of people, medical services reported, and Washington said the reports - if confirmed - would demand an immediate international response.</p>
<p>A joint statement by the medical relief organization Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the civil defense service, which operates in rebel-held areas, said 49 people had died in the attack late on Saturday. Others put the toll at 150 or more.</p>
<p>The Russian-backed Syrian state denied government forces had launched any chemical attack as the reports began circulating and said the rebels were collapsing and fabricating news.</p>
<p>Reuters could not independently verify the reports.</p>
<p>The lifeless bodies of around a dozen children, women and men, some of them with foam at the mouth, were shown in one video circulated by activists. “Douma city, April 7 ... there is a strong smell here,” a voice can be heard saying.</p>
<p>The U.S. State Department said reports of mass casualties from the attack were “horrifying” and would, if confirmed, “demand an immediate response by the international community”.</p>
<p>Britain’s Foreign Office also called the reports, if confirmed, “very concerning” and said “an urgent investigation is needed and the international community must respond. We call on the Assad regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, to stop the violence against innocent civilians.”</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta/syria-says-ready-to-start-rebel-talks-after-alleged-gas-attack-idUSKBN1HF074" type="external">Syria says ready to start rebel talks after alleged gas attack</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-russia/russia-denies-chemical-weapons-used-in-syrias-douma-ifax-reports-idUSKBN1HF0AL" type="external">Russia denies chemical weapons used in Syria's Douma, Ifax reports</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta-negotiati/negotiations-underway-between-rebel-group-and-russians-over-douma-idUSKBN1HF09Z" type="external">Negotiations underway between rebel group and Russians over Douma</a>
<p>Russia, however, dismissed the reports. “We decidedly refute this information,” Major-General Yuri Yevtushenko, head of the Russian peace and reconciliation center in Syria, was cited as saying by Interfax news service.</p>
<p>Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won back control of nearly all of eastern Ghouta in a Russian-backed military campaign that began in February, leaving just Douma in rebel hands.</p>
<p>The Ghouta offensive has been one of the deadliest in Syria’s seven-year-long war, killing more than 1,600 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.</p>
<p>Facing military defeat, rebel groups in other parts of eastern Ghouta have taken safe passage to other opposition-held areas at the Turkish border. Until now, Jaish al-Islam has rejected that option, demanding it be allowed to stay in Douma.</p>
<p>However, Syrian state television said on Sunday Jaish al-Islam had asked for negotiations with the government. A pro-Syrian opposition TV station, Orient, said talks were underway between Jaish al-Islam and Russia to reach a final settlement for Douma.</p>
<p>Jaish al-Islam could not be reached for comment.</p> SHELTERING IN BASEMENTS
<p>The Syrian Observatory said it could not confirm whether chemical weapons had been used in the attack on Saturday. Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said 11 people had died in Douma as a result of suffocation caused by heavy bombardment.</p>
<p>Medical relief organization SAMS said a chlorine bomb hit Douma hospital, killing six people, and a second attack with “mixed agents”, including nerve agents, had hit a nearby building.</p>
<p>Basel Termanini, the U.S.-based vice president of SAMS, which operates medical facilities and supports medics in Syria, told Reuters another 35 people had been killed at a nearby apartment building, most of them women and children.</p>
<p>The joint statement from SAMS and the civil defense said medical centers had taken in more than 500 people suffering breathing difficulties, frothing from the mouth and smelling of chlorine.</p>
<p>One of the victims was dead on arrival and six died later, it said. Civil defense volunteers reported more than 42 cases of people dead at their homes showing the same symptoms, it said.</p>
<p>Tawfik Chamaa, a Geneva-based Syrian doctor with the Syria-focused Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), a network of Syrian doctors, said 150 people were confirmed dead and the number was growing. “The majority were civilians, women and children trapped in underground shelters,” he told Reuters.</p>
<p>Syrian state news agency SANA said Jaish al-Islam was making “chemical attack fabrications in an exposed and failed attempt to obstruct advances by the Syrian Arab army,” citing an official source.</p>
<p>U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauret recalled a 2017 sarin gas attack in northwestern Syria that the West and the United Nations blamed on Assad’s government.</p>
<p>“The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented immediately,” she said.</p>
<p>“The United States calls on Russia to end this unmitigated support immediately and work with the international community to prevent further, barbaric chemical weapons attacks,” Nauert said in a statement.</p>
<p>The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons during the conflict.</p>
<p>“We have received report of many people killed and injured in Duma in the past 24 hours. We continue be extremely concerned for people who remain in Duma who are being subjected to escalating hostilities,” UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs spokeswoman Linda Tom said.</p>
<p>Jan Egeland, the U.N. humanitarian adviser for Syria, called on Wednesday for access to Douma, where he said some 80,000 to 150,000 civilians were “on their knees” after years of siege and fighting.</p>
<p>Reporting by Dahlia Nehme and Mustafa Hashem; additional reporting by Patrick Rucker and Tim Ahmann in Washington, Suleiman al-Khalidi in Amman and Tom Perry in Beirut, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - The chairman of the international affairs committee of Russia’s upper house of parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, said on Sunday that reports of a gas attack in Syria were bogus and convenient news for Washington.</p> FILE PHOTO: Russia's Konstantin Kosachev addresses the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe during a debate on the consequences of war between Georgia and Russia in Strasbourg, France September 30, 2008. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler/File Photo
<p>“This is yet another bogus claim by ‘fakemakers’ and there is a banally obvious reason for it: to undermine the exit of Jaish al-Islam rebels from Douma and impede the offensive by Syrian government forces,” Kosachev wrote on his social media page.</p>
<p>Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Editing by Larry King</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(This April 6 story repeats to add a graphic.)</p> FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 29, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>By Lewis Krauskopf</p>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The rockiest U.S. stock market in two years will meet a major test in the coming weeks as first-quarter earnings pour in, with expectations that tax cuts will help Corporate America show its biggest quarterly profit growth in seven years. Any disappointments could further upset the fragile market.</p>
<p>Hopes among stock investors are running high for corporate earnings season, which kicks off in earnest on Thursday and Friday with reports from several large financial institutions including BlackRock ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BLK.N" type="external">BLK.N</a>) and JP Morgan ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=JPM.N" type="external">JPM.N</a>).</p>
<p>Investors have counted on corporate profits to provide bedrock support as the market endured sharp swings in recent weeks over concerns about a trade war with China and tougher regulations for high-flying technology companies.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> has recovered some after swooning more than 10 percent in February from its Jan. 26 record high, confirming a market correction for the first time in just over two years. The benchmark index remains more than 7 percent off its all-time peak.</p>
<p>“There is an awful lot of pressure for corporate profits in this first quarter and especially the guidance the companies are going to give to really get this market back on its upward track,” said Chuck Carlson, chief executive officer at Horizon Investment Services in Hammond, Indiana.</p>
<p>Analysts expect S&amp;P 500 profits to rise 18.4 percent in the first quarter, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S, the first full quarter since passage of President Donald Trump's tax cuts, which slashed the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. That would be the biggest profit rise since the first quarter of 2011. ( <a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/2H0PB4A" type="external">tmsnrt.rs/2H0PB4A</a>)</p>
<p>Credit Suisse analysts calculated that more than one third of that growth in the first quarter can be attributed to tax benefits.</p>
<p>To view a graphic on Big first quarter seen for Corporate America, click: <a href="https://reut.rs/2q8lxdE" type="external">reut.rs/2q8lxdE</a></p>
<a href="https://reut.rs/2q8lxdE" type="external" />
<p>Given the tendency of companies to report results above Wall Street estimates, those numbers might be expected to come in even higher. For example, first-quarter profits should rise by 24 percent if results achieve the median out-performance of the past eight quarters, according to Thomson Reuters analyst David Aurelio.</p>
<p>“A downside risk is that everyone is hoping for the earnings to come through and that is really a main pillar for the bull case,” said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist with SunTrust Advisory Services in Atlanta. “And if earnings surprise to the downside then you have to say, what is the bull case hanging onto at this point?”</p>
<p>Expectations for first quarter profits have risen from an expectation of 12.2 percent growth on Jan. 1 to 18.4 percent now, an increase of 6.2 percentage points as analysts have factored in the new tax law.</p>
<p>That is unusual: In general, estimates decline by about 4 percentage points from the start of a quarter to the beginning of earnings season, according to Thomson Reuters data, which strategists say tends to help companies to post earnings “beats” when they ultimately report results.</p>
<p>“The expectation bar is a little bit higher this quarter because you didn’t see that cut ahead of time,” Lerner said.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BLK.N" type="external">BlackRock Inc</a> 519.92 BLK.N New York Stock Exchange -18.48 (-3.43%) BLK.N JPM.N .SPX C.N WFC.N
<p>The very early returns indicate first-quarter results show similar positive surprises to past quarters. Of 23 S&amp;P 500 companies reported so far, 74 percent have reported profits ahead of estimates, according to Thomson Reuters data.</p>
<p>Historically, 64 percent of companies beat estimates in a quarter. More recently, performance versus expectations has been better: over the past four quarters, 75 percent of companies beat earnings estimates.</p>
<p>To view a graphic on sector strength in Q1, click: <a href="https://reut.rs/2uUJZ7n" type="external">reut.rs/2uUJZ7n</a></p>
<a href="https://reut.rs/2uUJZ7n" type="external" />
<p>Seven more S&amp;P 500 companies are expected to report next week including BlackRock, which is the world’s largest asset manager, and three big banks: JP Morgan, Citigroup ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=C.N" type="external">C.N</a>) and Wells Fargo ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WFC.N" type="external">WFC.N</a>). More than 60 S&amp;P 500 reports are due the following week.</p>
<p>One cushion for investors is that stocks are generally trading at less expensive valuations following the market’s slide. The S&amp;P 500 recently traded at 16.3 times earnings estimates for the next 12 months, down from 18.6 times in January, according to Thomson Reuters Datastream.</p>
<p>S&amp;P 500 companies are expected to increase profits by 19.7 percent in 2018, which would be the biggest annual rise since 2010. In their quarterly reports, corporate executives will give forecasts or insight into prospects for the year. Some strategists said recent policy and market turbulence could lead companies to temper their views.</p>
<p>“Given the uncertainty that is in the market, especially regarding trade and potential tech regulation, we could see management teams be a little more cautious,” said Lindsey Bell, investment strategist at CFRA Research in New York.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lewis Krauskopf; Editing by David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | 599,519 |
<p />
<p>Nearly three years ago, Embraer announced plans to redesign its signature E-Jet product lineup, incorporating state-of-the-art engines and other design improvements. The goal was to ensure that Embraer's products remained competitive with new and updated narrowbody designs from Bombardier, Airbus , and Boeing .</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Last week, Embraer rolled out the first of its new E2-series jets -- on time and on budget. This puts it on pace to deliver the first one in early 2018. Embraer also revealed a key design change for its largest E-Jet model that could make it a lot more competitive with the alternatives.</p>
<p>The new E190-E2 arrivesEmbraer's E190-E2 made its public debut on Thursday. The plane seats approximately 100 passengers, like the older E190 jet. This makes it smaller than anything sold by Boeing and Airbus, putting it in a comfortable niche.</p>
<p>Embraer's E190-E2 made its first public appearance last week. Photo: Embraer</p>
<p>The E190-E2 maintains the same fuselage as its predecessor, which is great news for passengers. The E190 has ample headroom, wider seats than a Boeing 737, and no middle seats thanks to a two-by-two configuration.</p>
<p>Facing off with BombardierGoing forward, the E190-E2 will compete primarily with Bombardier's CS100 jet. The two planes are likely to be <a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/11/11/battle-of-the-regionals-comparing-the-products/" type="external">relatively similar Opens a New Window.</a> in terms of capacity and fuel efficiency, but the CS100 has more range.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>However, low prices will be a key selling point for the E190-E2. Embraer is still on target to keep development costs to just $1.7 billion for the whole E2 family of jets. It has been helped by the collapse of the Brazilian real, which has depreciated by nearly 50% since mid-2013.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/indicators/brazilian_exchange_rate" type="external">US Dollar to Brazilian Real Exchange Rate Opens a New Window.</a>. Data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>By contrast, Bombardier has spent more than $5 billion to develop its CSeries jets. Furthermore, CSeries production costs will probably be quite high for the first few years, due to it being a completely new design, leading to further losses. This limits Bombardier's ability to offer big discounts -- although it is becoming somewhat more aggressive.</p>
<p>Embraer's E190-E2 has a lower list price than the CS100. With low development costs and an expected smooth production ramp-up (due to its similarity to the E190), Embraer can also afford bigger discounts, giving it a big pricing advantage over its only major competitor in the 100-seat market.</p>
<p>The E195-E2 gets a boostOver the life of the first-generation E-Jet program, the E195 has been markedly less successful than the E190. It is only slightly larger than the E190, but in some configurations that's enough to require an extra flight attendant. It also has less range than the E190. As a result, the E195 has only received 166 firm orders, compared to 578 for the E190.</p>
<p>Embraer's E2-series jets will all provide big fuel efficiency gains. Image source: Embraer.</p>
<p>Embraer stretched the second-generation E195 by three rows to differentiate it from its smaller sibling. The stretch also means that the E195-E2 will offer a 23% fuel efficiency improvement over the E195: even better than the E190-E2's 16% improvement over the E190.</p>
<p>The E195-E2 has a lot going for it. Like the E190-E2, it's cheaper than the competition. And while it is closer in size to Boeing and Airbus' smallest offerings -- the 737 MAX 7 and A319neo -- the E195-E2 is more fuel-efficient than either of them. The E195-E2 also has significantly lower trip costs than the 737 MAX 7 and the A319neo because it is smaller and lighter.</p>
<p>The E195-E2's range is its biggest deficiency vis-a-vis the rival offerings from Bombardier, Airbus, and Boeing. It was originally advertised with a 2,000 nautical mile range. That's far below the 3,000 nautical mile-plus range of its competitors.</p>
<p>However, Embraer made a surprise announcement last week: The E195-E2 is getting a bigger wing, extra fuel capacity, and a higher maximum take-off weight. That will boost its range by up to 450 nautical miles.</p>
<p>This doesn't close the gap with Bombardier, Airbus, and Boeing, but it narrows it considerably. The E195-E2 still won't have transcontinental (U.S.) range, but airlines wouldn't typically fly a plane of that size on transcontinental routes anyway. The E195-E2's extra range will thus mitigate one concern that could have steered airlines toward competing models.</p>
<p>The future of Embraer is riding on the E190-E2 and E195-E2. So far, it looks like these two new planes will deliver on their potential and lift the world's No. 3 aircraft manufacturer to new heights.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/02/27/embraer-rolls-out-its-brand-new-jet.aspx" type="external">Embraer Rolls Out Its Brand New Jet Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGemHunter/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Adam Levine-Weinberg Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira and The Boeing Company and is long July 2016 $25 calls on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira. The Motley Fool recommends Embraer-Empresa Brasileira. 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> | Embraer Rolls Out Its Brand New Jet | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/02/27/embraer-rolls-out-its-brand-new-jet.html | 2016-03-27 | 0right
| Embraer Rolls Out Its Brand New Jet
<p />
<p>Nearly three years ago, Embraer announced plans to redesign its signature E-Jet product lineup, incorporating state-of-the-art engines and other design improvements. The goal was to ensure that Embraer's products remained competitive with new and updated narrowbody designs from Bombardier, Airbus , and Boeing .</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Last week, Embraer rolled out the first of its new E2-series jets -- on time and on budget. This puts it on pace to deliver the first one in early 2018. Embraer also revealed a key design change for its largest E-Jet model that could make it a lot more competitive with the alternatives.</p>
<p>The new E190-E2 arrivesEmbraer's E190-E2 made its public debut on Thursday. The plane seats approximately 100 passengers, like the older E190 jet. This makes it smaller than anything sold by Boeing and Airbus, putting it in a comfortable niche.</p>
<p>Embraer's E190-E2 made its first public appearance last week. Photo: Embraer</p>
<p>The E190-E2 maintains the same fuselage as its predecessor, which is great news for passengers. The E190 has ample headroom, wider seats than a Boeing 737, and no middle seats thanks to a two-by-two configuration.</p>
<p>Facing off with BombardierGoing forward, the E190-E2 will compete primarily with Bombardier's CS100 jet. The two planes are likely to be <a href="http://airwaysnews.com/blog/2015/11/11/battle-of-the-regionals-comparing-the-products/" type="external">relatively similar Opens a New Window.</a> in terms of capacity and fuel efficiency, but the CS100 has more range.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>However, low prices will be a key selling point for the E190-E2. Embraer is still on target to keep development costs to just $1.7 billion for the whole E2 family of jets. It has been helped by the collapse of the Brazilian real, which has depreciated by nearly 50% since mid-2013.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/indicators/brazilian_exchange_rate" type="external">US Dollar to Brazilian Real Exchange Rate Opens a New Window.</a>. Data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>By contrast, Bombardier has spent more than $5 billion to develop its CSeries jets. Furthermore, CSeries production costs will probably be quite high for the first few years, due to it being a completely new design, leading to further losses. This limits Bombardier's ability to offer big discounts -- although it is becoming somewhat more aggressive.</p>
<p>Embraer's E190-E2 has a lower list price than the CS100. With low development costs and an expected smooth production ramp-up (due to its similarity to the E190), Embraer can also afford bigger discounts, giving it a big pricing advantage over its only major competitor in the 100-seat market.</p>
<p>The E195-E2 gets a boostOver the life of the first-generation E-Jet program, the E195 has been markedly less successful than the E190. It is only slightly larger than the E190, but in some configurations that's enough to require an extra flight attendant. It also has less range than the E190. As a result, the E195 has only received 166 firm orders, compared to 578 for the E190.</p>
<p>Embraer's E2-series jets will all provide big fuel efficiency gains. Image source: Embraer.</p>
<p>Embraer stretched the second-generation E195 by three rows to differentiate it from its smaller sibling. The stretch also means that the E195-E2 will offer a 23% fuel efficiency improvement over the E195: even better than the E190-E2's 16% improvement over the E190.</p>
<p>The E195-E2 has a lot going for it. Like the E190-E2, it's cheaper than the competition. And while it is closer in size to Boeing and Airbus' smallest offerings -- the 737 MAX 7 and A319neo -- the E195-E2 is more fuel-efficient than either of them. The E195-E2 also has significantly lower trip costs than the 737 MAX 7 and the A319neo because it is smaller and lighter.</p>
<p>The E195-E2's range is its biggest deficiency vis-a-vis the rival offerings from Bombardier, Airbus, and Boeing. It was originally advertised with a 2,000 nautical mile range. That's far below the 3,000 nautical mile-plus range of its competitors.</p>
<p>However, Embraer made a surprise announcement last week: The E195-E2 is getting a bigger wing, extra fuel capacity, and a higher maximum take-off weight. That will boost its range by up to 450 nautical miles.</p>
<p>This doesn't close the gap with Bombardier, Airbus, and Boeing, but it narrows it considerably. The E195-E2 still won't have transcontinental (U.S.) range, but airlines wouldn't typically fly a plane of that size on transcontinental routes anyway. The E195-E2's extra range will thus mitigate one concern that could have steered airlines toward competing models.</p>
<p>The future of Embraer is riding on the E190-E2 and E195-E2. So far, it looks like these two new planes will deliver on their potential and lift the world's No. 3 aircraft manufacturer to new heights.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/02/27/embraer-rolls-out-its-brand-new-jet.aspx" type="external">Embraer Rolls Out Its Brand New Jet Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGemHunter/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Adam Levine-Weinberg Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira and The Boeing Company and is long July 2016 $25 calls on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira. The Motley Fool recommends Embraer-Empresa Brasileira. 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> | 599,520 |
<p><a href="http://variety.com/t/ifc/" type="external">IFC</a> Films has nabbed U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to <a href="http://variety.com/t/whitney-cummings/" type="external">Whitney Cummings</a>’s “ <a href="http://variety.com/t/the-female-brain/" type="external">The Female Brain</a>.” The ensemble comedy is based on a book of the same name by neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine — it’s a bestseller that made the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/443634a" type="external">controversial argument</a> that women’s behavior differed from that of men because of hormonal differences.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/global/whitney-cummings-female-brain-hyde-park-international-1201975918/" type="external">The Female Brain</a>” is directed by Cummings, who also stars as Dr. Brizendine. The cast includes Toby Kebbell, Beanie Feldstein, Cecily Strong, Sofia Vergara, Deon Cole, Blake Griffin, Lucy Punch, and James Marsden. The project was financed by Black Bicycle Entertainment and produced by Erika Olde and Night and Day Pictures’ Michael Roiff. <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/markets-festivals/gemma-arterton-ifc-the-escape-1202609114/" type="external">IFC</a> will release the picture on Feb. 9, 2018. Along with directing and appearing in the movie, Cummings co-wrote it with Neal Brennan.</p>
<p>Cummings, a popular stand-up comic, starred in the NBC sitcom “Whitney” and co-created CBS’ “2 Broke Girls.” This marks her feature film directing debut.</p>
<p>According to the logline, “The Female Brain” looks at the complications involved in modern romance. It zeroes in on Brizendine’s research into how male and female brains process things at varying stages of a romance — the topics she explores range from the difference in how genders express emotions to their varying reactions to a bathroom remodel gone awry. Ultimately, Brizendine is forced to contend with a bias that she did not initially consider.</p>
<p>“I feel very lucky that someone let me make a comedy about neurology, a topic that’s normally not associated with hilarity. I think given the current news cycle, a movie that scientifically proves that women are not ‘crazy’ or ‘psycho’ might just be kind of refreshing,” Cummings said in a statement.</p>
<p>The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, exec VP of acquisitions and productions at Sundance Selects/IFC Films, with CAA representing the filmmakers. Hyde Park Entertainment is selling the foreign rights.</p> | Whitney Cummings Comedy ‘The Female Brain’ Sells to IFC (EXCLUSIVE) | false | https://newsline.com/whitney-cummings-comedy-the-female-brain-sells-to-ifc-exclusive/ | 2017-11-14 | 1right-center
| Whitney Cummings Comedy ‘The Female Brain’ Sells to IFC (EXCLUSIVE)
<p><a href="http://variety.com/t/ifc/" type="external">IFC</a> Films has nabbed U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to <a href="http://variety.com/t/whitney-cummings/" type="external">Whitney Cummings</a>’s “ <a href="http://variety.com/t/the-female-brain/" type="external">The Female Brain</a>.” The ensemble comedy is based on a book of the same name by neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine — it’s a bestseller that made the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/443634a" type="external">controversial argument</a> that women’s behavior differed from that of men because of hormonal differences.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/global/whitney-cummings-female-brain-hyde-park-international-1201975918/" type="external">The Female Brain</a>” is directed by Cummings, who also stars as Dr. Brizendine. The cast includes Toby Kebbell, Beanie Feldstein, Cecily Strong, Sofia Vergara, Deon Cole, Blake Griffin, Lucy Punch, and James Marsden. The project was financed by Black Bicycle Entertainment and produced by Erika Olde and Night and Day Pictures’ Michael Roiff. <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/markets-festivals/gemma-arterton-ifc-the-escape-1202609114/" type="external">IFC</a> will release the picture on Feb. 9, 2018. Along with directing and appearing in the movie, Cummings co-wrote it with Neal Brennan.</p>
<p>Cummings, a popular stand-up comic, starred in the NBC sitcom “Whitney” and co-created CBS’ “2 Broke Girls.” This marks her feature film directing debut.</p>
<p>According to the logline, “The Female Brain” looks at the complications involved in modern romance. It zeroes in on Brizendine’s research into how male and female brains process things at varying stages of a romance — the topics she explores range from the difference in how genders express emotions to their varying reactions to a bathroom remodel gone awry. Ultimately, Brizendine is forced to contend with a bias that she did not initially consider.</p>
<p>“I feel very lucky that someone let me make a comedy about neurology, a topic that’s normally not associated with hilarity. I think given the current news cycle, a movie that scientifically proves that women are not ‘crazy’ or ‘psycho’ might just be kind of refreshing,” Cummings said in a statement.</p>
<p>The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, exec VP of acquisitions and productions at Sundance Selects/IFC Films, with CAA representing the filmmakers. Hyde Park Entertainment is selling the foreign rights.</p> | 599,521 |
<p>July 17 (UPI) — Amazon could be getting into the meal kit delivery business, new trademarks indicate, news that sent Blue Apron’s shares to a new low.</p>
<p>The online retailer filed three trademarks earlier this month that could indicate it plans to stomp on Blue Apron’s turf: “We do the prep. You be the chef,” “We prep. You cook” and “No-line meal kits.” <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/17/trademarks-show-amazon-has-eyes-on-meal-kits-single-cow-burgers-and-other-fast-food-options/" type="external">TechCrunch</a> discovered the filings while investigating what it believes is a new messaging app Amazon is working to produce.</p>
<p>Amazon describes the service for the first — and longest — trademark listing as:</p>
<p>“Prepared food kits composed of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruit and/or and vegetables and also including sauces or seasonings, ready for cooking and assembly as a meal; Frozen, prepared, and packaged meals consisting of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruit and/or vegetables; fruit salads and vegetable salads; soups and preparations for making soups.”</p>
<p>The details are similar to the services Blue Apron and other home delivery meal kits offer.</p>
<p>Blue Apron stock closed at its <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/17/amazon-files-meal-kits-trademark-treading-on-blue-aprons-turf.html" type="external">lowest point</a> since its initial public offering: $7.36 per share, down nearly 10 percent for the week.</p>
<p>Amazon has been stepping more and more into the fresh food business in recent years. In 2013, it started AmazonFresh for fresh grocery delivery, and in 2014, it launched Amazon Restaurants for restaurant delivery.</p>
<p>Perhaps its biggest step, though, <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/06/16/Amazoncom-acquires-Whole-Foods-for-137B/8001497622475/" type="external">was acquiring</a> Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in June.</p> | Amazon considering meal kit delivery? | false | https://newsline.com/amazon-considering-meal-kit-delivery/ | 2017-07-17 | 1right-center
| Amazon considering meal kit delivery?
<p>July 17 (UPI) — Amazon could be getting into the meal kit delivery business, new trademarks indicate, news that sent Blue Apron’s shares to a new low.</p>
<p>The online retailer filed three trademarks earlier this month that could indicate it plans to stomp on Blue Apron’s turf: “We do the prep. You be the chef,” “We prep. You cook” and “No-line meal kits.” <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/17/trademarks-show-amazon-has-eyes-on-meal-kits-single-cow-burgers-and-other-fast-food-options/" type="external">TechCrunch</a> discovered the filings while investigating what it believes is a new messaging app Amazon is working to produce.</p>
<p>Amazon describes the service for the first — and longest — trademark listing as:</p>
<p>“Prepared food kits composed of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruit and/or and vegetables and also including sauces or seasonings, ready for cooking and assembly as a meal; Frozen, prepared, and packaged meals consisting of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruit and/or vegetables; fruit salads and vegetable salads; soups and preparations for making soups.”</p>
<p>The details are similar to the services Blue Apron and other home delivery meal kits offer.</p>
<p>Blue Apron stock closed at its <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/17/amazon-files-meal-kits-trademark-treading-on-blue-aprons-turf.html" type="external">lowest point</a> since its initial public offering: $7.36 per share, down nearly 10 percent for the week.</p>
<p>Amazon has been stepping more and more into the fresh food business in recent years. In 2013, it started AmazonFresh for fresh grocery delivery, and in 2014, it launched Amazon Restaurants for restaurant delivery.</p>
<p>Perhaps its biggest step, though, <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/06/16/Amazoncom-acquires-Whole-Foods-for-137B/8001497622475/" type="external">was acquiring</a> Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in June.</p> | 599,522 |
<p>Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said he hasn’t given up on the idea of playing professional baseball.</p>
<p>Wilson told Bryant Gumbel in a recent interview for HBO’s Real Sports that he hasn’t entirely shut the door on the idea of being a two-sport athlete, stating that “you never want to kill the dream of playing two sports,” according to a <a href="http://www.bendbulletin.com/sports/3063421-151/wilson-says-he-hasnt-closed-door-on-baseball" type="external">Seattle Times report</a>.</p>
<p>Asked what’s keeping him from doing so, he said he didn’t know and that he may “push the envelope” someday soon.</p>
<p>All of this should probably be taken with a grain of salt as he is in the midst of negotiating a contract extension with the Seahawks. Wilson could potentially become the highest-piad player in the NFL with the new deal, beating out the $22 million salary of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.</p>
<p>Seattle coach Pete Carroll would only say that talks have been ongoing, and that there isn’t much more they can say. The Seahawks want the deal done before the next season begins, and if it’s a big deal, you can expect Wilson to give up on his baseball dreams. Until that happens, however, Wilson appears to want to keep those doors wide open.</p>
<p>Wilson has attended spring training with the Texas Rangers in the past, and once hit a home run in batting practice this year. He played minor league baseball in 2010 and 2011 as a member of the Colorado Rockies, achieving an OPS of .713 in 2010 and .708 in 2011.</p>
<p>Wilson also discussed the final play in the Super Bowl, which resulted in the Seahawks defeat and denied him his second consecutive championship. He said he was expecting to get a touchdown, and that he had tried not to watch that play too much anymore.</p>
<p /> | Russell Wilson: I may start playing baseball soon | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/04/13/will-russell-wilson-start-playing-baseball-seahawks-quarterback-says-hes-thinking-about-it/ | 2015-04-13 | 3left-center
| Russell Wilson: I may start playing baseball soon
<p>Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson said he hasn’t given up on the idea of playing professional baseball.</p>
<p>Wilson told Bryant Gumbel in a recent interview for HBO’s Real Sports that he hasn’t entirely shut the door on the idea of being a two-sport athlete, stating that “you never want to kill the dream of playing two sports,” according to a <a href="http://www.bendbulletin.com/sports/3063421-151/wilson-says-he-hasnt-closed-door-on-baseball" type="external">Seattle Times report</a>.</p>
<p>Asked what’s keeping him from doing so, he said he didn’t know and that he may “push the envelope” someday soon.</p>
<p>All of this should probably be taken with a grain of salt as he is in the midst of negotiating a contract extension with the Seahawks. Wilson could potentially become the highest-piad player in the NFL with the new deal, beating out the $22 million salary of Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers.</p>
<p>Seattle coach Pete Carroll would only say that talks have been ongoing, and that there isn’t much more they can say. The Seahawks want the deal done before the next season begins, and if it’s a big deal, you can expect Wilson to give up on his baseball dreams. Until that happens, however, Wilson appears to want to keep those doors wide open.</p>
<p>Wilson has attended spring training with the Texas Rangers in the past, and once hit a home run in batting practice this year. He played minor league baseball in 2010 and 2011 as a member of the Colorado Rockies, achieving an OPS of .713 in 2010 and .708 in 2011.</p>
<p>Wilson also discussed the final play in the Super Bowl, which resulted in the Seahawks defeat and denied him his second consecutive championship. He said he was expecting to get a touchdown, and that he had tried not to watch that play too much anymore.</p>
<p /> | 599,523 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Watch out for 1 billion dancing women — they might just shake the planet.</p>
<p>On Feb. 14 in Santa Fe, New Mexico women and the men who love them will join people in 178 countries for One Billion Rising, a global action calling for an end to violence against women.</p>
<p>The event marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the international movement to stop violence against women and girls started by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, who is best known for her play “The Vagina Monologues.”</p>
<p>Brigitte Lacombe/Courtesy of OneBillionRising.org Eve Ensler, playwright and activist, author of "The Vagina Monologues" and founder of V-Day, an international movement to stop violence against women and girls. Ensler and others started One Billion Rising as a call to action based on the United Nations statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. With the worlds population topping 7 billion, that adds up to more than one billion women and girls.</p>
<p>When Ensler started V-Day in 1998, she had an ambitious goal to end violence against women within five years, says Santa Fe resident Cecile Lipworth, managing director at V-Day. While that didn’t happen, Ensler and others wanted to keep up the fight while celebrating the achievements of women in the past 15 years.</p>
<p>They started One Billion Rising as a call to action based on the United Nations statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. With the world’s population topping 7 billion, that adds up to more than 1 billion women and girls.</p>
<p>“It was about showing the world what a billion really looks like,” Lipworth says.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The numbers are also startling in New Mexico. Here, one in four women will be raped or stalked in their lifetime and one in three will experience domestic violence, Lipworth says.</p>
<p>To support the effort, music producer Tena Clark wrote an anthem, “Break the Chain” and renowned choreographer Debbie Allen created a dance that participants can see and learn at <a href="http://www.onebillionrising.org" type="external">onebillionrising.org</a>.</p>
<p>In Santa Fe, participants will meet at 9 a.m. at the roundhouse and walk, dance and drum their way to the Rotunda, where speakers will address the crowd. At 10 a.m., the New Mexico Coalition on Domestic Violence will discuss goals for 2013, including efforts to increase funding for domestic violence, legislation to add strangulation to the aggravated assault statute and improvements to the confidential address program, which allows victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to receive mail at a confidential address while keeping actual addresses secret, Lipworth says.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Then, participants will hold a flash mob to perform the Break the Chain dance.</p>
<p>On Feb. 14 in Santa Fe, New Mexico women and the men who love them will join people in 178 countries for One Billion Rising, a global action calling for an end to violence against women.</p>
<p>&#160;The event marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the international movement to stop violence against women and girls started by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, who is best known for her play “The Vagina Monologues.”</p>
<p>&#160;Here is the updated schedule:</p>
<p>&#160;■ 9 a.m. at the roundhouse, “Why I’m Rising” testimonials.</p>
<p>&#160;■ 10 a.m., also at the roundhouse, the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence holds a press conference.</p>
<p>&#160;■ Noon, outside the roundhouse, a flash mob dance urging people to “strike, dance, rise,” along with other festivities.</p>
<p>&#160;■ Approximately 12:45 p.m., participants march from the roundhouse to the Farmers’ Market Pavilion.</p>
<p>&#160;■ From 12:45 p.m. to 6 p.m., Farmers’ Market Pavilion, showings of risings from around the world.</p>
<p>&#160;■ 6:30 p.m., Railyard Performance Center, EmbodyDance holds a dance session.</p>
<p>&#160;The event marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the movement started by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, best known for her play, “The Vagina Monologues.”</p>
<p>&#160;To find out more about the movement, go to onebillionrising.org.</p>
<p>Dance is key to the action.</p>
<p>“Dance is dangerous, joyous, sexual, holy, disruptive, contagious, it breaks the rules,” Ensler writes on the One Billion Rising site. “It can happen anywhere, anytime, with anyone and everyone, and it’s free. Dancing insists we take up space, we go there together in community.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In the past year, One Billion Rising organizers have traveled the world to meet with activists working to stop violence, including a summit of people from 17 African countries and women in Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.</p>
<p>The message spread fast. Activists in Afghanistan, Nepal and South Africa, among others, have Facebook pages describing One Billion Rising events. In some places, women are in danger just by speaking out against violence, Lipworth says.</p>
<p>At one meeting, Lipworth and Ensler met a woman who fights sex trafficking in Mexico City. She took them to a street where young girls are prostituted after they are kidnapped. They also met a girl who is in hiding after pressing charges.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The stories are horrific and they’re frightening but at the same time the people working are so positive and working on such a great cause,” Lipworth says. “At the end of every meeting we all danced and put music on. When we dance we’re in our bodies, we’re ourselves. We can let go and be joyful and not be mired in the victimhood but in survivorship.”</p>
<p>Joining the Santa Fe action is an act of solidarity with women worldwide as well as a call to end violence at home, she says. Violence against women does not happen only in Africa or the Middle East.</p>
<p>“There isn’t a country in the world where it isn’t happening,” Lipworth says.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>New Mexico artists are finding ways to raise awareness about violence at home.</p>
<p>Jerry Wellman and Matthew Chase-Daniel will park their van, a mobile art installation called Axle Contemporary Art, outside the Rotunda on Feb. 14. On the outside of the van, they will spell “vagina” with 250,000 dots to represent women impacted by violence in New Mexico.</p>
<p>Inside, an installation by Santa Fe artist Shirley Klinghoffer called “V-Day,” will show white plaster castings of vaginas linked in a steel frame. The piece is intended to represent a sisterhood of women supporting each other, says Klinghoffer.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Wellman decided to use art to raise awareness about One Billion Rising after he heard Lipworth describe how many women are affected by violence in New Mexico.</p>
<p>“Half of us are women,” Wellman says. “I have a daughter. I have a wife. I have a mother, just like we all do. That number was very high and this sort of shocked me.”</p>
<p>Santa Fe Rising co-organizer Audri Marie Roybal, a pre-med student at the University of New Mexico, is also speaking out against violence.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Roybal, 21, joined V-Day after she was chosen to perform in a play adapted from Ensler’s book “I Am An Emotional Creature,” at the Lensic in Santa Fe while she was still in high school.</p>
<p>“From then on, I became hooked,” she says. “It was kind of like fishing. I got hooked on V-Day.”</p>
<p>The performance and a meeting with Ensler sparked an “a-ha” moment as Roybal realized she needed to end a relationship. Violence had already impacted her family — when Roybal was about 10, her great-aunt was murdered.</p>
<p>Roybal decided to help other women leave bad situations. She joined the V-Girls Action Team, a group of 12 young women from all over the world who focus on empowering girls in their home communities. As a V-Girl, Roybal meets with girls to discuss issues such as body image, domestic violence and bullying.</p>
<p>For her, the goal of One Billion Rising is to help people see that violence is a terrible reality for many women but that they can also find strength and independence in solidarity. The dance is about freedom, she says. It is a way of shouting “we’re not going to let this happen anymore.”</p> | Hear them roar | false | https://abqjournal.com/511329/hear-them-roar-2.html | 2least
| Hear them roar
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Watch out for 1 billion dancing women — they might just shake the planet.</p>
<p>On Feb. 14 in Santa Fe, New Mexico women and the men who love them will join people in 178 countries for One Billion Rising, a global action calling for an end to violence against women.</p>
<p>The event marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the international movement to stop violence against women and girls started by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, who is best known for her play “The Vagina Monologues.”</p>
<p>Brigitte Lacombe/Courtesy of OneBillionRising.org Eve Ensler, playwright and activist, author of "The Vagina Monologues" and founder of V-Day, an international movement to stop violence against women and girls. Ensler and others started One Billion Rising as a call to action based on the United Nations statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. With the worlds population topping 7 billion, that adds up to more than one billion women and girls.</p>
<p>When Ensler started V-Day in 1998, she had an ambitious goal to end violence against women within five years, says Santa Fe resident Cecile Lipworth, managing director at V-Day. While that didn’t happen, Ensler and others wanted to keep up the fight while celebrating the achievements of women in the past 15 years.</p>
<p>They started One Billion Rising as a call to action based on the United Nations statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. With the world’s population topping 7 billion, that adds up to more than 1 billion women and girls.</p>
<p>“It was about showing the world what a billion really looks like,” Lipworth says.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The numbers are also startling in New Mexico. Here, one in four women will be raped or stalked in their lifetime and one in three will experience domestic violence, Lipworth says.</p>
<p>To support the effort, music producer Tena Clark wrote an anthem, “Break the Chain” and renowned choreographer Debbie Allen created a dance that participants can see and learn at <a href="http://www.onebillionrising.org" type="external">onebillionrising.org</a>.</p>
<p>In Santa Fe, participants will meet at 9 a.m. at the roundhouse and walk, dance and drum their way to the Rotunda, where speakers will address the crowd. At 10 a.m., the New Mexico Coalition on Domestic Violence will discuss goals for 2013, including efforts to increase funding for domestic violence, legislation to add strangulation to the aggravated assault statute and improvements to the confidential address program, which allows victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to receive mail at a confidential address while keeping actual addresses secret, Lipworth says.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Then, participants will hold a flash mob to perform the Break the Chain dance.</p>
<p>On Feb. 14 in Santa Fe, New Mexico women and the men who love them will join people in 178 countries for One Billion Rising, a global action calling for an end to violence against women.</p>
<p>&#160;The event marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the international movement to stop violence against women and girls started by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, who is best known for her play “The Vagina Monologues.”</p>
<p>&#160;Here is the updated schedule:</p>
<p>&#160;■ 9 a.m. at the roundhouse, “Why I’m Rising” testimonials.</p>
<p>&#160;■ 10 a.m., also at the roundhouse, the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence holds a press conference.</p>
<p>&#160;■ Noon, outside the roundhouse, a flash mob dance urging people to “strike, dance, rise,” along with other festivities.</p>
<p>&#160;■ Approximately 12:45 p.m., participants march from the roundhouse to the Farmers’ Market Pavilion.</p>
<p>&#160;■ From 12:45 p.m. to 6 p.m., Farmers’ Market Pavilion, showings of risings from around the world.</p>
<p>&#160;■ 6:30 p.m., Railyard Performance Center, EmbodyDance holds a dance session.</p>
<p>&#160;The event marks the 15th anniversary of V-Day, the movement started by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, best known for her play, “The Vagina Monologues.”</p>
<p>&#160;To find out more about the movement, go to onebillionrising.org.</p>
<p>Dance is key to the action.</p>
<p>“Dance is dangerous, joyous, sexual, holy, disruptive, contagious, it breaks the rules,” Ensler writes on the One Billion Rising site. “It can happen anywhere, anytime, with anyone and everyone, and it’s free. Dancing insists we take up space, we go there together in community.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In the past year, One Billion Rising organizers have traveled the world to meet with activists working to stop violence, including a summit of people from 17 African countries and women in Guatemala, Mexico and Peru.</p>
<p>The message spread fast. Activists in Afghanistan, Nepal and South Africa, among others, have Facebook pages describing One Billion Rising events. In some places, women are in danger just by speaking out against violence, Lipworth says.</p>
<p>At one meeting, Lipworth and Ensler met a woman who fights sex trafficking in Mexico City. She took them to a street where young girls are prostituted after they are kidnapped. They also met a girl who is in hiding after pressing charges.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The stories are horrific and they’re frightening but at the same time the people working are so positive and working on such a great cause,” Lipworth says. “At the end of every meeting we all danced and put music on. When we dance we’re in our bodies, we’re ourselves. We can let go and be joyful and not be mired in the victimhood but in survivorship.”</p>
<p>Joining the Santa Fe action is an act of solidarity with women worldwide as well as a call to end violence at home, she says. Violence against women does not happen only in Africa or the Middle East.</p>
<p>“There isn’t a country in the world where it isn’t happening,” Lipworth says.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>New Mexico artists are finding ways to raise awareness about violence at home.</p>
<p>Jerry Wellman and Matthew Chase-Daniel will park their van, a mobile art installation called Axle Contemporary Art, outside the Rotunda on Feb. 14. On the outside of the van, they will spell “vagina” with 250,000 dots to represent women impacted by violence in New Mexico.</p>
<p>Inside, an installation by Santa Fe artist Shirley Klinghoffer called “V-Day,” will show white plaster castings of vaginas linked in a steel frame. The piece is intended to represent a sisterhood of women supporting each other, says Klinghoffer.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Wellman decided to use art to raise awareness about One Billion Rising after he heard Lipworth describe how many women are affected by violence in New Mexico.</p>
<p>“Half of us are women,” Wellman says. “I have a daughter. I have a wife. I have a mother, just like we all do. That number was very high and this sort of shocked me.”</p>
<p>Santa Fe Rising co-organizer Audri Marie Roybal, a pre-med student at the University of New Mexico, is also speaking out against violence.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Roybal, 21, joined V-Day after she was chosen to perform in a play adapted from Ensler’s book “I Am An Emotional Creature,” at the Lensic in Santa Fe while she was still in high school.</p>
<p>“From then on, I became hooked,” she says. “It was kind of like fishing. I got hooked on V-Day.”</p>
<p>The performance and a meeting with Ensler sparked an “a-ha” moment as Roybal realized she needed to end a relationship. Violence had already impacted her family — when Roybal was about 10, her great-aunt was murdered.</p>
<p>Roybal decided to help other women leave bad situations. She joined the V-Girls Action Team, a group of 12 young women from all over the world who focus on empowering girls in their home communities. As a V-Girl, Roybal meets with girls to discuss issues such as body image, domestic violence and bullying.</p>
<p>For her, the goal of One Billion Rising is to help people see that violence is a terrible reality for many women but that they can also find strength and independence in solidarity. The dance is about freedom, she says. It is a way of shouting “we’re not going to let this happen anymore.”</p> | 599,524 |
|
<p>FBN's Peter Barnes and Joanie Ruge of Monster Worldwide break down the September jobs</p>
<p>After a delay of more than two weeks caused by the budget impasse in Congress, the Labor Department said Tuesday the U.S. economy added just 148,000 jobs in September, an amount unlikely to persuade the Federal Reserve to begin scaling back its easy-money policies any time soon.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The headline unemployment rate fell to 7.2% -- the lowest since November 2008. Economists had predicted the addition of 180,000 new jobs last month and that the rate would hold steady at 7.3%. However, labor force participation rate -- a closely-watched measure of the proportion of the population employed or seeking employment -- held steady at 63.2%.</p>
<p>"The bottom line for today's report is 'more of the same,'" Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, a market maker, wrote in an email to clients. "Wage growth is weak, job creation is relatively weak and, perhaps most worrisome, appears to be slowing."</p>
<p>Average hourly earnings rose 3 cents to&#160;$24.09, and are up just 2.1% so far for the year, highlighting the relatively stagnant earnings growth among American workers. The average workweek, meanwhile, held steady at 34.5 hours.</p>
<p>'Sub-Par Job Growth' Could Delay Taper Until March&#160;</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The tepid data have caused Wall Street analysts to push back the date at which they expect the Federal Reserve to begin paring back its massive bond-buying program. Indeed, Barclays chief U.S. economist Dean Maki said he now expects to the central bank to begin tapering QE3 in March.</p>
<p>"While we believe these figures are strong enough to keep the unemployment rate on a downward trend, in September (Fed) Chairman Bernanke downplayed the falling unemployment rate and focused instead on what the Fed views as subpar job growth," Maki wrote to clients on the heels of the report.</p>
<p>"Given this trend in job growth, the uncertainty created by the government shutdown, and the impending change in Fed leadership, we now expect the FOMC to wait at least until March to begin the tapering process."</p>
<p>Fed officials have said for months the central bank will maintain its stimulus programs until labor markets show sustained improvement. But that hasn't happened.</p>
<p>The disarray that pervaded Washington, D.C. earlier this month only added to employers' uncertainty regarding U.S. fiscal policy. That combined with unanswered questions related to health-care reform laws that take effect in 2014 have pushed employers toward hiring more part-time workers, a situation that saps the strength of the broader economy.</p>
<p>"The shutdown has caused an additional headache for an already puzzled sounding Fed, which has sent confusing messages to the markets about when it will start tapering its asset purchase program," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at U.K.-based market-data firm Markit.</p>
<p>"The Fed was already keen to await more data on the health of the economy before its makes any decisions on policy, but now also needs to gauge the impact the shutdown itself has had on the economy."</p>
<p>Williamson, echoing Maki, sees the Fed starting to pare back its asset-buying program next year, "possibly as late as March."</p>
<p>The unemployment rate has come down from 10% in October 2009 at the height of the financial crisis, but the jobs data released since then have been mixed. In recent months, whenever the unemployment rate has ticked lower, a primary reason for the reduction has been that thousands of Americans leaving the workforce out of frustration they can't find a job.</p>
<p>The Fed's two central monetary strategies - the bond purchases known as quantitative easing and holding interest rates near zero - are intended to spur borrowing and serve as a catalyst for economic activity and growth.</p>
<p>Housing data released on Monday could serve as additional fodder for Fed members reluctant to ease off the stimulus gas pedal. The National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes fell by 1.9% in September and revised its August sales numbers sharply lower.</p>
<p>The lower numbers suggest &#160;rising mortgage rates, pushed higher because bond markets believed the Fed was going to start scaling back on stimulus last month, are giving potential home-buyers second thoughts, a situation that could serve as a roadblock to the broader housing recovery.</p> | Tepid U.S. Job Growth Could Delay Fed Tapering Plans | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2013/10/21/us-economy-added-148000-jobs-in-september.html | 2016-03-09 | 0right
| Tepid U.S. Job Growth Could Delay Fed Tapering Plans
<p>FBN's Peter Barnes and Joanie Ruge of Monster Worldwide break down the September jobs</p>
<p>After a delay of more than two weeks caused by the budget impasse in Congress, the Labor Department said Tuesday the U.S. economy added just 148,000 jobs in September, an amount unlikely to persuade the Federal Reserve to begin scaling back its easy-money policies any time soon.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The headline unemployment rate fell to 7.2% -- the lowest since November 2008. Economists had predicted the addition of 180,000 new jobs last month and that the rate would hold steady at 7.3%. However, labor force participation rate -- a closely-watched measure of the proportion of the population employed or seeking employment -- held steady at 63.2%.</p>
<p>"The bottom line for today's report is 'more of the same,'" Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, a market maker, wrote in an email to clients. "Wage growth is weak, job creation is relatively weak and, perhaps most worrisome, appears to be slowing."</p>
<p>Average hourly earnings rose 3 cents to&#160;$24.09, and are up just 2.1% so far for the year, highlighting the relatively stagnant earnings growth among American workers. The average workweek, meanwhile, held steady at 34.5 hours.</p>
<p>'Sub-Par Job Growth' Could Delay Taper Until March&#160;</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The tepid data have caused Wall Street analysts to push back the date at which they expect the Federal Reserve to begin paring back its massive bond-buying program. Indeed, Barclays chief U.S. economist Dean Maki said he now expects to the central bank to begin tapering QE3 in March.</p>
<p>"While we believe these figures are strong enough to keep the unemployment rate on a downward trend, in September (Fed) Chairman Bernanke downplayed the falling unemployment rate and focused instead on what the Fed views as subpar job growth," Maki wrote to clients on the heels of the report.</p>
<p>"Given this trend in job growth, the uncertainty created by the government shutdown, and the impending change in Fed leadership, we now expect the FOMC to wait at least until March to begin the tapering process."</p>
<p>Fed officials have said for months the central bank will maintain its stimulus programs until labor markets show sustained improvement. But that hasn't happened.</p>
<p>The disarray that pervaded Washington, D.C. earlier this month only added to employers' uncertainty regarding U.S. fiscal policy. That combined with unanswered questions related to health-care reform laws that take effect in 2014 have pushed employers toward hiring more part-time workers, a situation that saps the strength of the broader economy.</p>
<p>"The shutdown has caused an additional headache for an already puzzled sounding Fed, which has sent confusing messages to the markets about when it will start tapering its asset purchase program," said Chris Williamson, chief economist at U.K.-based market-data firm Markit.</p>
<p>"The Fed was already keen to await more data on the health of the economy before its makes any decisions on policy, but now also needs to gauge the impact the shutdown itself has had on the economy."</p>
<p>Williamson, echoing Maki, sees the Fed starting to pare back its asset-buying program next year, "possibly as late as March."</p>
<p>The unemployment rate has come down from 10% in October 2009 at the height of the financial crisis, but the jobs data released since then have been mixed. In recent months, whenever the unemployment rate has ticked lower, a primary reason for the reduction has been that thousands of Americans leaving the workforce out of frustration they can't find a job.</p>
<p>The Fed's two central monetary strategies - the bond purchases known as quantitative easing and holding interest rates near zero - are intended to spur borrowing and serve as a catalyst for economic activity and growth.</p>
<p>Housing data released on Monday could serve as additional fodder for Fed members reluctant to ease off the stimulus gas pedal. The National Association of Realtors said sales of existing homes fell by 1.9% in September and revised its August sales numbers sharply lower.</p>
<p>The lower numbers suggest &#160;rising mortgage rates, pushed higher because bond markets believed the Fed was going to start scaling back on stimulus last month, are giving potential home-buyers second thoughts, a situation that could serve as a roadblock to the broader housing recovery.</p> | 599,525 |
<p>North Carolina's governor argues in letters to the French and Irish governments that farmers and manufacturers in the top tobacco-producing state would be hurt by proposals in those countries to package cigarettes in blank containers.</p>
<p>In a letter dated Oct. 6 to France's ambassador, Gov. Pat McCrory said there's little evidence that plain packaging deters smokers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>He wrote a similar letter to Irish officials. In both letters, he compares North Carolina's tobacco industry to Ireland and France's famed vineyards, breweries and distilleries.</p>
<p>Both countries are considering proposals that would require nondescript packaging for cigarettes.</p>
<p>Australia became the first country in the world to mandate plain cigarette packs with no brand logo or colors permitted with a law that went into effect in 2012.</p> | North Carolina governor to Irish, French officials: Give up plan for plain cigarette packaging | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/10/15/north-carolina-governor-to-irish-french-officials-give-up-plan-for-plain.html | 2016-03-09 | 0right
| North Carolina governor to Irish, French officials: Give up plan for plain cigarette packaging
<p>North Carolina's governor argues in letters to the French and Irish governments that farmers and manufacturers in the top tobacco-producing state would be hurt by proposals in those countries to package cigarettes in blank containers.</p>
<p>In a letter dated Oct. 6 to France's ambassador, Gov. Pat McCrory said there's little evidence that plain packaging deters smokers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>He wrote a similar letter to Irish officials. In both letters, he compares North Carolina's tobacco industry to Ireland and France's famed vineyards, breweries and distilleries.</p>
<p>Both countries are considering proposals that would require nondescript packaging for cigarettes.</p>
<p>Australia became the first country in the world to mandate plain cigarette packs with no brand logo or colors permitted with a law that went into effect in 2012.</p> | 599,526 |
<p>On Sept. 11, 2012, riots erupted in Egypt, Libya and now Yemen, ostensibly over what the media call an anti-Muslim Youtube video made in America. In Bengazi, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/us-protests-idUSBRE88C0J320120913" type="external">militants murdered the United States ambassador to Libya and three U.S. diplomats</a>.</p>
<p>American blood was shed and mobs of Muslims continue to burn American flags and chant “ <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/09/13/Death-To-America-Crowd-Storm-US-Embassy-in-Yemen-Torch-US-Flag--Vehicles" type="external">Death to America!”</a> around multiple U.S. consulates. It’s a scene that’s played out on almost a regular basis. A media story (about flushing Korans or other slights to Islam real or imagined) provides some pretext and the “Arab Street” explodes with raging mobs. The ambassador’s death is what sets the current situation apart.</p>
<p>In each case the establishment media is quick to tell audiences the violence isn’t representative of Islam, and to explain how sensitive Muslims are about symbols of their religion. Eager to find moderate Muslims, reporters seldom look into the statements of Imams or fact-check the claims of Islamic organizations.</p>
<p>Instead, acts of Islamist violence are met with hand-wringing about fragile “diversity,” and backlash, the New York Times did earlier this year with a jihadi massacre of French children. Reports ignore the terrorist designations of militant groups like Boko Haram and fawn over supposedly moderate Islamic religious leaders who end up as leaders of Al Qaeda</p>
<p>Now that a U.S. ambassador has been killed and U.S. assets in the Middle East attacked, it would be a good time for reporters to start reporting the facts about Islamist violence. But their track record doesn’t give much hope. And so far, liberal journalists are playing true to type.</p>
<p>Mike Barnicle from MSNBC suggested on the Sept.r 12 “Morning Joe” that American pastor Terry Jones be prosecuted for Ambassador Stevens’s death at the hands of Libyan extremists. Jones supported the so-called “anti-Islamic” move that sparked the riots. Fellow Morning Joe panelist Donny Deustch said he “thought the same thing” as Barnicle.</p>
<p>And merely one day after the Libya tragedy ABC journalist Christiane Amanpour blamed extremists in America for “whipping up hatred” and called the media proclaimed anti-Islamic movie a “deliberate provocation.”</p>
<p>Hope Springs Eternal</p>
<p>The media desire to explain away or change the subject from Islamist violence is almost pathological.</p>
<p>On March 27, 2012 New York Times reporter Scott Sayare <a href="" type="internal">focused on Muslims as “victims”</a> after a professed Jihadi killed seven children in France.</p>
<p>“Sayare focused not on the victims, which include Jewish children, or what the killing signifies about Islamic integration into French society -- only the fear that the killings would foster ethnic "tensions" against Muslims,” MRC’s TimesWatch wrote.</p>
<p>Often, journalists refuse to acknowledge the avowed terrorist ideology of the perpetrators. For example, Boko Haram is a Nigerian “Muslim sect that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish sharia law in the country.” In June the group bombed several churches in Nigeria.</p>
<p>In a June 17 article about the bombings both the <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2012/06/17/nigerian-violence-ap-reuters-wont-label-boko-haram-muslim-terrorist-grou" type="external">Associated Press and Reuters failed to name Boko Haram</a> as a terrorist group, instead opting to label the group as “attackers” and “militants.”</p>
<p>Such anti-Christian violence is too common in the Muslim world, but journalists rarely call it what it is. Masses of peaceful Arab Spring Christians were <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2011/10/10/Arab-Spring-Christians-Massacred-In-Cairo" type="external">massacred in Cairo</a> by the Egyptian Army last year. Media reporting rarely linked such incidents to Islam.</p>
<p>The assurances of explicitly militant groups like the Muslim Brotherhood – now the governing party in Egypt that allowed the attack on the Cairo embassy – are reported at face value. Journalists still hold out hope that the Arab Spring will thaw more than latent Islamist violence, and they’re reluctant to part with nostalgia about it. In October 2011 NBC’s Chris Jansing <a href="" type="internal">featured</a> a man who pronounced Occupy Wall Street to be “America’s Arab Spring.”</p>
<p>The network’s Ann Curry even <a href="" type="internal">asked</a> on December 14, 2011, “Are there links between what had happened in the Arab Spring and also what's happening now on Wall Street and all across this country?"</p>
<p>Even in the face of horrible evil, journalists looked for ways to change the subject from Islamic violence. In 2011 CBS’s <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/02/21/daily-mail-lara-logan-stripped-punched-and-whipped-flag-poles" type="external">Lara Logan was raped and beaten by a crowd in Cairo’s Tahir Square while she reported on Hosni Mubarak’s resignation.</a></p>
<p>Brotherly Love</p>
<p>The media declared the Muslim Brotherhood to be "relatively peaceful," "non-violent" and responsible for "charitable works," concluded a <a href="" type="internal">CMI report</a>.</p>
<p>“For more than 17 years, since the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the news programming on ABC, CBS, and NBC have treated the Muslim Brotherhood with kid gloves, giving the radical Islamic group a passing mention here or there, but hardly ever exploring on air its fundamentalist religious connections and extreme ideology. “</p>
<p>NBC’s Richard Engel reported the Muslim Brotherhood was “ <a href="" type="internal">not al-Qaeda and not the Taliban</a>” and they were “much more similar to Hamas.” Engel must have forgotten Hamas is a known terrorist group that likes to lob rockets into Israeli neighborhoods.</p>
<p>Similarly, The New York Times <a href="" type="internal">buried facts</a> that the Muslim Brotherhood is an ally of Hamas.</p>
<p>Despite clear association with terrorist cells, the Muslim Brotherhood maintains a friendship with President Obama. The <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/06/24/Obama-s-Arab-Spring-Was-Not-Based-On-Reality" type="external">president extended official invitations</a> to Muslim Brotherhood members to attend his speech in Cairo in 2009.</p>
<p>And he’s extended an invitation for an official visit from Egyptian president Mori, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the country’s recent elections.</p>
<p>America’s Fault</p>
<p>Christiane Amanpour is not the first reporter to excoriate Americans for being outraged over Islamist violence. According to the mainstream media America views Muslims too harshly, and reporters howl that America is overrun with “Islamophobia.”</p>
<p>On the same day the U.S. embassies were attacked, Salon.com accused FoxNews of being at the “at the heart of the public scare-mongering about Islam and that [the network] has become the home for a slew of right-wing activists who regularly inhabit its airwaves to distort the truth to push stereotypes about Muslims.”</p>
<p>In 2009, after Nidal Hasan, the U.S. Army major and self-described “soldier of Islam” fired more than 100 rounds into a Ft. Hood military processing center, Foreign Policy magazine declared the <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/carolyn-plocher/2009/11/20/foreign-policy-magazine-ft-hood-happened-because-muslims-aren-t-com" type="external">Ft. Hood tragedy happened because Muslims weren’t comfortable</a>.</p>
<p>As CMI reported at the time, “According to [authors] Simon and Stevenson, Major Nidal Malik Hasan was simply another American Muslim that was the victim of ‘innumerable stresses, including discrimination and the strain of divided loyalties in their country's eight-year-long war against Muslims in the Middle East and Central Asia.’"</p>
<p>The New York Times claimed the FBI <a href="" type="internal">“sowed anger and fear among Muslims”</a> in the wake of Hasan’s attack.</p>
<p>And the assertions of Islamophobia aren’t just reactive. In 2008, ABC <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/02/27/abc-fakes-muslim-prejudice-unsurprisingly-finds-islamophobia-ame" type="external">lied and distorted American views on Islam</a> in a fake documentary titled, “Witness to Discrimination: What Would You Do?” The network pretended all Americans hated Muslims and decided to create their own “prejudice.”</p>
<p>ABC hired “an actress to put on Muslim dress and get ‘confronted’ by a Muslim hating coffee store server -- also an actor hired by ABC. Then, they rolled the cameras, opened the doors to the public and, viola, ABC "found" prejudice in America.”</p>
<p>Even worse, the entire charade was staged at the request of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The media <a href="" type="internal">frequently goes to bat for CAIR</a>, an organization which touted the Ground Zero Mosque, and raged about Islamic discrimination in America.</p>
<p>Looking for Imam GoodBar</p>
<p>Before and, especially, after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the media were desperate to find and highlight moderate Muslims. A favorite in those days was <a href="" type="internal">American-born Anwar al-Awlaki</a>, who preached at a Northern Virginia mosque. NPR, The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun were among those to hold up the imam “as a new generation of Muslim leader capable of merging East and West,” in The New York Times’ formulation.</p>
<p>In Nov. 2001, just two months after the 9/11 attacks, the Post did a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/post-archive-2001-profile-of-anwar-al-aulaqi/2011/09/30/gIQAKDDi9K_video.html?hpid=z1" type="external">video profile</a> of Al Awlaki and hosted him in an on-line Q &amp; A session with readers.</p>
<p>The media celebrated imam Anwar Al Awlaki as a “bridge-builder” between the West and Islam. A U.S. drone attack killed Awlaki last year in Yemen, where he was an Al Qaeda chieftain.</p>
<p>By 2009, Al-Awlaki was the head of Al Qaeda in Yemen, and played some part in <a href="http://www.meforum.org/2649/anwar-al-awlaki-pray-allah-destroys-america" type="external">radicalizing Major Hasan</a>. Al-Awlaki praised Hasan for the Ft. Hood massacre and called him a “hero.” By 2011, Al-Awlaki was the first U.S. citizen ever killed by executive order.</p>
<p>Many of the same outlets fooled by Al-Awlaki’s pose as a moderate went to bat for another imam in 2011. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the proposed “Ground Zero Mosque,” was painted in nearly identical terms to Al-Awlaki, despite having called for Islamic shariah law in the U.S.</p>
<p>Apologists Not Accepted</p>
<p>For a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with its not being a product of Western Civilization, lefties are smitten with Islam, and are happy to paint a pretty picture around a religion that approves of <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/03/parents-found-guilty-murdering-daughter-in-uk722265/" type="external">killing females for disobedience</a>, and protect its followers from the slightest “offense” with bloody outrage. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/03/parents-found-guilty-murdering-daughter-in-uk722265/" type="external">It continues</a> even after the death of a U.S. official.</p>
<p>The media’s deference to and defense of radical Islam is inexcusable, and deadly.</p> | Islam’s Media Apologists Keep Excusing, Ignoring Violence | true | http://mrc.org/node/41233 | 2012-09-14 | 0right
| Islam’s Media Apologists Keep Excusing, Ignoring Violence
<p>On Sept. 11, 2012, riots erupted in Egypt, Libya and now Yemen, ostensibly over what the media call an anti-Muslim Youtube video made in America. In Bengazi, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/13/us-protests-idUSBRE88C0J320120913" type="external">militants murdered the United States ambassador to Libya and three U.S. diplomats</a>.</p>
<p>American blood was shed and mobs of Muslims continue to burn American flags and chant “ <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/09/13/Death-To-America-Crowd-Storm-US-Embassy-in-Yemen-Torch-US-Flag--Vehicles" type="external">Death to America!”</a> around multiple U.S. consulates. It’s a scene that’s played out on almost a regular basis. A media story (about flushing Korans or other slights to Islam real or imagined) provides some pretext and the “Arab Street” explodes with raging mobs. The ambassador’s death is what sets the current situation apart.</p>
<p>In each case the establishment media is quick to tell audiences the violence isn’t representative of Islam, and to explain how sensitive Muslims are about symbols of their religion. Eager to find moderate Muslims, reporters seldom look into the statements of Imams or fact-check the claims of Islamic organizations.</p>
<p>Instead, acts of Islamist violence are met with hand-wringing about fragile “diversity,” and backlash, the New York Times did earlier this year with a jihadi massacre of French children. Reports ignore the terrorist designations of militant groups like Boko Haram and fawn over supposedly moderate Islamic religious leaders who end up as leaders of Al Qaeda</p>
<p>Now that a U.S. ambassador has been killed and U.S. assets in the Middle East attacked, it would be a good time for reporters to start reporting the facts about Islamist violence. But their track record doesn’t give much hope. And so far, liberal journalists are playing true to type.</p>
<p>Mike Barnicle from MSNBC suggested on the Sept.r 12 “Morning Joe” that American pastor Terry Jones be prosecuted for Ambassador Stevens’s death at the hands of Libyan extremists. Jones supported the so-called “anti-Islamic” move that sparked the riots. Fellow Morning Joe panelist Donny Deustch said he “thought the same thing” as Barnicle.</p>
<p>And merely one day after the Libya tragedy ABC journalist Christiane Amanpour blamed extremists in America for “whipping up hatred” and called the media proclaimed anti-Islamic movie a “deliberate provocation.”</p>
<p>Hope Springs Eternal</p>
<p>The media desire to explain away or change the subject from Islamist violence is almost pathological.</p>
<p>On March 27, 2012 New York Times reporter Scott Sayare <a href="" type="internal">focused on Muslims as “victims”</a> after a professed Jihadi killed seven children in France.</p>
<p>“Sayare focused not on the victims, which include Jewish children, or what the killing signifies about Islamic integration into French society -- only the fear that the killings would foster ethnic "tensions" against Muslims,” MRC’s TimesWatch wrote.</p>
<p>Often, journalists refuse to acknowledge the avowed terrorist ideology of the perpetrators. For example, Boko Haram is a Nigerian “Muslim sect that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish sharia law in the country.” In June the group bombed several churches in Nigeria.</p>
<p>In a June 17 article about the bombings both the <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-blumer/2012/06/17/nigerian-violence-ap-reuters-wont-label-boko-haram-muslim-terrorist-grou" type="external">Associated Press and Reuters failed to name Boko Haram</a> as a terrorist group, instead opting to label the group as “attackers” and “militants.”</p>
<p>Such anti-Christian violence is too common in the Muslim world, but journalists rarely call it what it is. Masses of peaceful Arab Spring Christians were <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2011/10/10/Arab-Spring-Christians-Massacred-In-Cairo" type="external">massacred in Cairo</a> by the Egyptian Army last year. Media reporting rarely linked such incidents to Islam.</p>
<p>The assurances of explicitly militant groups like the Muslim Brotherhood – now the governing party in Egypt that allowed the attack on the Cairo embassy – are reported at face value. Journalists still hold out hope that the Arab Spring will thaw more than latent Islamist violence, and they’re reluctant to part with nostalgia about it. In October 2011 NBC’s Chris Jansing <a href="" type="internal">featured</a> a man who pronounced Occupy Wall Street to be “America’s Arab Spring.”</p>
<p>The network’s Ann Curry even <a href="" type="internal">asked</a> on December 14, 2011, “Are there links between what had happened in the Arab Spring and also what's happening now on Wall Street and all across this country?"</p>
<p>Even in the face of horrible evil, journalists looked for ways to change the subject from Islamic violence. In 2011 CBS’s <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/02/21/daily-mail-lara-logan-stripped-punched-and-whipped-flag-poles" type="external">Lara Logan was raped and beaten by a crowd in Cairo’s Tahir Square while she reported on Hosni Mubarak’s resignation.</a></p>
<p>Brotherly Love</p>
<p>The media declared the Muslim Brotherhood to be "relatively peaceful," "non-violent" and responsible for "charitable works," concluded a <a href="" type="internal">CMI report</a>.</p>
<p>“For more than 17 years, since the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, the news programming on ABC, CBS, and NBC have treated the Muslim Brotherhood with kid gloves, giving the radical Islamic group a passing mention here or there, but hardly ever exploring on air its fundamentalist religious connections and extreme ideology. “</p>
<p>NBC’s Richard Engel reported the Muslim Brotherhood was “ <a href="" type="internal">not al-Qaeda and not the Taliban</a>” and they were “much more similar to Hamas.” Engel must have forgotten Hamas is a known terrorist group that likes to lob rockets into Israeli neighborhoods.</p>
<p>Similarly, The New York Times <a href="" type="internal">buried facts</a> that the Muslim Brotherhood is an ally of Hamas.</p>
<p>Despite clear association with terrorist cells, the Muslim Brotherhood maintains a friendship with President Obama. The <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/06/24/Obama-s-Arab-Spring-Was-Not-Based-On-Reality" type="external">president extended official invitations</a> to Muslim Brotherhood members to attend his speech in Cairo in 2009.</p>
<p>And he’s extended an invitation for an official visit from Egyptian president Mori, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the country’s recent elections.</p>
<p>America’s Fault</p>
<p>Christiane Amanpour is not the first reporter to excoriate Americans for being outraged over Islamist violence. According to the mainstream media America views Muslims too harshly, and reporters howl that America is overrun with “Islamophobia.”</p>
<p>On the same day the U.S. embassies were attacked, Salon.com accused FoxNews of being at the “at the heart of the public scare-mongering about Islam and that [the network] has become the home for a slew of right-wing activists who regularly inhabit its airwaves to distort the truth to push stereotypes about Muslims.”</p>
<p>In 2009, after Nidal Hasan, the U.S. Army major and self-described “soldier of Islam” fired more than 100 rounds into a Ft. Hood military processing center, Foreign Policy magazine declared the <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/carolyn-plocher/2009/11/20/foreign-policy-magazine-ft-hood-happened-because-muslims-aren-t-com" type="external">Ft. Hood tragedy happened because Muslims weren’t comfortable</a>.</p>
<p>As CMI reported at the time, “According to [authors] Simon and Stevenson, Major Nidal Malik Hasan was simply another American Muslim that was the victim of ‘innumerable stresses, including discrimination and the strain of divided loyalties in their country's eight-year-long war against Muslims in the Middle East and Central Asia.’"</p>
<p>The New York Times claimed the FBI <a href="" type="internal">“sowed anger and fear among Muslims”</a> in the wake of Hasan’s attack.</p>
<p>And the assertions of Islamophobia aren’t just reactive. In 2008, ABC <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/warner-todd-huston/2008/02/27/abc-fakes-muslim-prejudice-unsurprisingly-finds-islamophobia-ame" type="external">lied and distorted American views on Islam</a> in a fake documentary titled, “Witness to Discrimination: What Would You Do?” The network pretended all Americans hated Muslims and decided to create their own “prejudice.”</p>
<p>ABC hired “an actress to put on Muslim dress and get ‘confronted’ by a Muslim hating coffee store server -- also an actor hired by ABC. Then, they rolled the cameras, opened the doors to the public and, viola, ABC "found" prejudice in America.”</p>
<p>Even worse, the entire charade was staged at the request of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The media <a href="" type="internal">frequently goes to bat for CAIR</a>, an organization which touted the Ground Zero Mosque, and raged about Islamic discrimination in America.</p>
<p>Looking for Imam GoodBar</p>
<p>Before and, especially, after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the media were desperate to find and highlight moderate Muslims. A favorite in those days was <a href="" type="internal">American-born Anwar al-Awlaki</a>, who preached at a Northern Virginia mosque. NPR, The Washington Post and The Baltimore Sun were among those to hold up the imam “as a new generation of Muslim leader capable of merging East and West,” in The New York Times’ formulation.</p>
<p>In Nov. 2001, just two months after the 9/11 attacks, the Post did a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/post-archive-2001-profile-of-anwar-al-aulaqi/2011/09/30/gIQAKDDi9K_video.html?hpid=z1" type="external">video profile</a> of Al Awlaki and hosted him in an on-line Q &amp; A session with readers.</p>
<p>The media celebrated imam Anwar Al Awlaki as a “bridge-builder” between the West and Islam. A U.S. drone attack killed Awlaki last year in Yemen, where he was an Al Qaeda chieftain.</p>
<p>By 2009, Al-Awlaki was the head of Al Qaeda in Yemen, and played some part in <a href="http://www.meforum.org/2649/anwar-al-awlaki-pray-allah-destroys-america" type="external">radicalizing Major Hasan</a>. Al-Awlaki praised Hasan for the Ft. Hood massacre and called him a “hero.” By 2011, Al-Awlaki was the first U.S. citizen ever killed by executive order.</p>
<p>Many of the same outlets fooled by Al-Awlaki’s pose as a moderate went to bat for another imam in 2011. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, the man behind the proposed “Ground Zero Mosque,” was painted in nearly identical terms to Al-Awlaki, despite having called for Islamic shariah law in the U.S.</p>
<p>Apologists Not Accepted</p>
<p>For a variety of reasons, most of them having to do with its not being a product of Western Civilization, lefties are smitten with Islam, and are happy to paint a pretty picture around a religion that approves of <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/03/parents-found-guilty-murdering-daughter-in-uk722265/" type="external">killing females for disobedience</a>, and protect its followers from the slightest “offense” with bloody outrage. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/08/03/parents-found-guilty-murdering-daughter-in-uk722265/" type="external">It continues</a> even after the death of a U.S. official.</p>
<p>The media’s deference to and defense of radical Islam is inexcusable, and deadly.</p> | 599,527 |
<p>A video that shows Fox News contributor Steven Crowder getting punched in the face and threatened with gun violence in the midst of a right-to-work protest in Lansing, Mich., may have been heavily edited.</p>
<p>“As it turns out, significant portions of it were faked and creative Breitbart-style editing helped it along much more,” according to Eclectablog, which notes that portions of the video were taken hours apart, making it difficult to discern the time frame of events.</p>
<p>The Huffington Post has more on the possible sequence that led up to the physical confrontation.</p>
<p>Crowder argued with protesters who began to tear down a tent pitched on the Capitol lawn by the pro-right-to-work group Americans For Prosperity. According to MLive, Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said they were contacted because several people, including two in wheelchairs, were trapped under the tent.</p>
<p />
<p>He was then punched repeatedly in the face by a protester, while another man speaking off-camera threatened to kill Crowder with a gun. Crowder said there was no police presence in the area during the altercation.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/stephen-crowder-punched-michigan-right-to-work-protests_n_2279609.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p>Crowder wasted no time uploading the video to his YouTube channel. Not surprisingly, his video of the incident is now in heavy rotation on Fox News. The conservative cable channel is using it to further its anti-union agenda.</p>
<p>However, media outlets like Eclectablog are questioning Crowder’s version of what happened.</p>
<p>This video is actually a composite of a things that happened over the course of the day, many of them hours apart. The initial conversation happened early in the morning. At about 0:16, it cuts to Crowder saying, “You’ve already destroyed one tent, leave this one alone.” That happened hours after the interview with the union workers that starts the segment. The guy he’s talking to is standing quite a distance from the tent but Crowder insists that he’s somehow tearing down the tent.</p>
<p>…What they apparently don’t want you to see is union members using knives to cut the tent open to let people inside out. Rather, the message that is being sent by the conservative media and blogosphere is that the union members deliberately cut the tent to pieces in an act of malicious vandalism. As was pointed out on Reddit <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/14p6ef/fox_news_is_airing_blatantly_doctored_footage_of/c7fa3ja" type="external">here</a>, the union members actually ask, “Is everybody out?” and then proceed to make sure that they are.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.eclectablog.com/2012/12/fox-news-steven-crowder-americans-for-prosperity-use-breitbart-style-film-editing-to-show-union-thug-brutality.html" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p>The Huffington Post also raises the possibility that the part of the video where a demonstrator threatens to kill Crowder was doctored.</p>
<p>“Another video posted on YouTube by FTRMediaLive suggests that protesters were confronting a person possibly in possession of a firearm who may have been associated with the Americans For Prosperity,” the website is reporting.</p>
<p>Here’s the edited version of the video:</p>
<p>And a longer version:</p>
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Tracy Bloom</a>.</p> | Watch: Fox News Contributor Gets Punched in Face During Union Protest | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/watch-fox-news-contributor-gets-punched-in-face-during-union-protest/ | 2012-12-13 | 4left
| Watch: Fox News Contributor Gets Punched in Face During Union Protest
<p>A video that shows Fox News contributor Steven Crowder getting punched in the face and threatened with gun violence in the midst of a right-to-work protest in Lansing, Mich., may have been heavily edited.</p>
<p>“As it turns out, significant portions of it were faked and creative Breitbart-style editing helped it along much more,” according to Eclectablog, which notes that portions of the video were taken hours apart, making it difficult to discern the time frame of events.</p>
<p>The Huffington Post has more on the possible sequence that led up to the physical confrontation.</p>
<p>Crowder argued with protesters who began to tear down a tent pitched on the Capitol lawn by the pro-right-to-work group Americans For Prosperity. According to MLive, Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said they were contacted because several people, including two in wheelchairs, were trapped under the tent.</p>
<p />
<p>He was then punched repeatedly in the face by a protester, while another man speaking off-camera threatened to kill Crowder with a gun. Crowder said there was no police presence in the area during the altercation.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/11/stephen-crowder-punched-michigan-right-to-work-protests_n_2279609.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p>Crowder wasted no time uploading the video to his YouTube channel. Not surprisingly, his video of the incident is now in heavy rotation on Fox News. The conservative cable channel is using it to further its anti-union agenda.</p>
<p>However, media outlets like Eclectablog are questioning Crowder’s version of what happened.</p>
<p>This video is actually a composite of a things that happened over the course of the day, many of them hours apart. The initial conversation happened early in the morning. At about 0:16, it cuts to Crowder saying, “You’ve already destroyed one tent, leave this one alone.” That happened hours after the interview with the union workers that starts the segment. The guy he’s talking to is standing quite a distance from the tent but Crowder insists that he’s somehow tearing down the tent.</p>
<p>…What they apparently don’t want you to see is union members using knives to cut the tent open to let people inside out. Rather, the message that is being sent by the conservative media and blogosphere is that the union members deliberately cut the tent to pieces in an act of malicious vandalism. As was pointed out on Reddit <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/14p6ef/fox_news_is_airing_blatantly_doctored_footage_of/c7fa3ja" type="external">here</a>, the union members actually ask, “Is everybody out?” and then proceed to make sure that they are.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.eclectablog.com/2012/12/fox-news-steven-crowder-americans-for-prosperity-use-breitbart-style-film-editing-to-show-union-thug-brutality.html" type="external">Read more</a></p>
<p>The Huffington Post also raises the possibility that the part of the video where a demonstrator threatens to kill Crowder was doctored.</p>
<p>“Another video posted on YouTube by FTRMediaLive suggests that protesters were confronting a person possibly in possession of a firearm who may have been associated with the Americans For Prosperity,” the website is reporting.</p>
<p>Here’s the edited version of the video:</p>
<p>And a longer version:</p>
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Tracy Bloom</a>.</p> | 599,528 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Health Minister Ousmane Kone made the announcement on Malian television, saying that the patient was a 2-year-old girl who had come from neighboring Guinea, where the Ebola epidemic began last December.</p>
<p>The child was tested for the virus Wednesday at a hospital in the Malian town of Kayes, which is about 375 miles (600 kilometers) from the capital of Bamako.</p>
<p>“The sick child and the people who were in contact with her in Kayes were immediately identified and taken care of,” Kone said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick people, and caregivers and health workers have borne the brunt of the crisis. Protocol calls for those who have been exposed to be isolated and monitored for symptoms for up to 21 days.</p>
<p>Health officials have long viewed Mali as one of the most vulnerable to Ebola’s spread as the nation borders Guinea — one of the hardest-hit countries — and Senegal.</p>
<p>The World Health Organization said Wednesday that Ebola now has killed at least 4,877 people and infected 9,936 across West Africa. Nearly all the cases and deaths, though, have occurred in three countries — Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.</p>
<p>Like the reported case in Mali, neighboring Senegal also had an imported case from Guinea. Senegal and Nigeria, though, both have now been declared Ebola-free after no new cases emerged after 42 days.</p>
<p>Also Thursday, dozens of people quarantined for Ebola monitoring in western Liberia were threatening to break out of isolation because they have no food, Liberian state radio reported.</p>
<p>Forty-three people were put in quarantine after four people died of Ebola in Jenewonda, a town near the Sierra Leonean border. The U.N. World Food Program said it was working to help those in isolation.</p>
<p>“WFP in Liberia heard about this community being isolated only two days ago via the radio and staff immediately began organizing a mission to bring food to the quarantined people,” said spokesman Alexis Masciarelli in an email to The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the head of the U.N. Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, Anthony Banbury, told a news conference Thursday in Sierra Leone’s capital that “we are working to put this fire under control.”</p>
<p>An internal U.N. World Health Organization report obtained by The Associated Press blames a series of blunders for allowing the epidemic to spiral out of control, notably the organization’s own “failure to see that conditions for explosive spread were present right at the start.”</p>
<p>“The world has never seen a serious, grave and complex crisis of this nature where people are dying every day with unsafe burial practices,” he said.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia, Liberia and Clarence Roy-Macaulay in Freetown, Sierra Leone contributed to this report.</p> | 1st Ebola case in W. African nation of Mali | false | https://abqjournal.com/485402/1st-ebola-case-in-w-african-nation-of-mali.html | 2least
| 1st Ebola case in W. African nation of Mali
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Health Minister Ousmane Kone made the announcement on Malian television, saying that the patient was a 2-year-old girl who had come from neighboring Guinea, where the Ebola epidemic began last December.</p>
<p>The child was tested for the virus Wednesday at a hospital in the Malian town of Kayes, which is about 375 miles (600 kilometers) from the capital of Bamako.</p>
<p>“The sick child and the people who were in contact with her in Kayes were immediately identified and taken care of,” Kone said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Ebola is spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of sick people, and caregivers and health workers have borne the brunt of the crisis. Protocol calls for those who have been exposed to be isolated and monitored for symptoms for up to 21 days.</p>
<p>Health officials have long viewed Mali as one of the most vulnerable to Ebola’s spread as the nation borders Guinea — one of the hardest-hit countries — and Senegal.</p>
<p>The World Health Organization said Wednesday that Ebola now has killed at least 4,877 people and infected 9,936 across West Africa. Nearly all the cases and deaths, though, have occurred in three countries — Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.</p>
<p>Like the reported case in Mali, neighboring Senegal also had an imported case from Guinea. Senegal and Nigeria, though, both have now been declared Ebola-free after no new cases emerged after 42 days.</p>
<p>Also Thursday, dozens of people quarantined for Ebola monitoring in western Liberia were threatening to break out of isolation because they have no food, Liberian state radio reported.</p>
<p>Forty-three people were put in quarantine after four people died of Ebola in Jenewonda, a town near the Sierra Leonean border. The U.N. World Food Program said it was working to help those in isolation.</p>
<p>“WFP in Liberia heard about this community being isolated only two days ago via the radio and staff immediately began organizing a mission to bring food to the quarantined people,” said spokesman Alexis Masciarelli in an email to The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the head of the U.N. Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, Anthony Banbury, told a news conference Thursday in Sierra Leone’s capital that “we are working to put this fire under control.”</p>
<p>An internal U.N. World Health Organization report obtained by The Associated Press blames a series of blunders for allowing the epidemic to spiral out of control, notably the organization’s own “failure to see that conditions for explosive spread were present right at the start.”</p>
<p>“The world has never seen a serious, grave and complex crisis of this nature where people are dying every day with unsafe burial practices,” he said.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia, Liberia and Clarence Roy-Macaulay in Freetown, Sierra Leone contributed to this report.</p> | 599,529 |
|
<p>JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli military said on Sunday it destroyed an outpost belonging to the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after Gaza militants fired a rocket toward Israel.</p>
<p>The rocket set off air raid sirens in southern Israel but fell short, landing inside Palestinian territory, the Israeli military said in a statement.</p>
<p>“In response, an (Israeli) tank targeted and destroyed a Hamas outpost in the southern Gaza Strip,” it said.</p>
<p>Officials in Gaza said no one was injured when the tank shell struck a Hamas observation post near the border with Israel.</p>
<p>There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Palestinian rocket fire. Israel said that it holds Hamas accountable for what happens in the territory.</p>
<p>The group has observed a de-facto ceasefire with Israel since a 2014 war, but small armed cells of jihadist Salafis have continued to occasionally launch rockets at Israel. When those attacks occur, Hamas usually orders its fighters to vacate potential targets for Israeli retaliation.</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | Israel strikes Hamas post after Gaza rocket fire | false | https://newsline.com/israel-strikes-hamas-post-after-gaza-rocket-fire/ | 2017-10-08 | 1right-center
| Israel strikes Hamas post after Gaza rocket fire
<p>JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli military said on Sunday it destroyed an outpost belonging to the Islamist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Sunday after Gaza militants fired a rocket toward Israel.</p>
<p>The rocket set off air raid sirens in southern Israel but fell short, landing inside Palestinian territory, the Israeli military said in a statement.</p>
<p>“In response, an (Israeli) tank targeted and destroyed a Hamas outpost in the southern Gaza Strip,” it said.</p>
<p>Officials in Gaza said no one was injured when the tank shell struck a Hamas observation post near the border with Israel.</p>
<p>There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Palestinian rocket fire. Israel said that it holds Hamas accountable for what happens in the territory.</p>
<p>The group has observed a de-facto ceasefire with Israel since a 2014 war, but small armed cells of jihadist Salafis have continued to occasionally launch rockets at Israel. When those attacks occur, Hamas usually orders its fighters to vacate potential targets for Israeli retaliation.</p>
<p />
<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | 599,530 |
<p />
<p>Massachusetts gun owners are furiously contacting state lawmakers in an effort to derail anti-gun legislation that was <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H3951/Amendments/House" type="external">suddenly introduced</a> without notice Wednesday in the state House of Representatives and passed almost unanimously.</p>
<p>The legislation, Amendment 1, would outlaw all kinds of accessories and upgrades to firearms used for competition, hunting, target shooting and/or self-defense. Submitted presumably as a response to the Las Vegas massacre, the bill does not mention “bump fire stocks” that are currently at the center of a gun control storm.</p>
<p>According to Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners’ Action League of Massachusetts (GOAL), the legislation was introduced without warning by State Rep. David Linsky, a 5th District Democrat. Here’s what it says:</p>
<p>“Whoever possesses, owns or offers for sale any device which attaches to a rifle, shotgun or firearm, except a magazine, that is designed to increase the rate of discharge of the rifle, shotgun or firearm or whoever modifies any rifle, shotgun or firearm with the intent to increase its rate of discharge, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison by not less than 3 nor more than 20 years.”</p>
<p>If the bill passes, it takes effect 180 days after it is signed by the governor.</p>
<p>The National Rifle Association has <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20171011/massachusetts-gun-control-bill-on-the-move" type="external">alerted its members</a> in Massachusetts, but some critics are using social media to blame the NRA for this, alleging that the gun rights organization folded on the “bump stock” issue last week. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and chief lobbyist Chris Cox issued this <a href="https://home.nra.org/joint-statement/" type="external">joint statement</a>:</p>
<p>“In the aftermath of the evil and senseless attack in Las Vegas, the American people are looking for answers as to how future tragedies can be prevented.&#160;</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the first response from some politicians has been to call for more gun control.&#160; Banning guns from law-abiding Americans based on the criminal act of a madman will do nothing to prevent future attacks.&#160;</p>
<p>This is a fact that has been proven time and again in countries across the world.&#160; In Las Vegas, reports indicate that certain devices were used to modify the firearms involved. Despite the fact that the Obama administration approved the sale of bump fire stocks on at least two occasions, the National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law.&#160;</p>
<p>The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.&#160;In an increasingly dangerous world, the NRA remains focused on our mission: strengthening Americans’ Second Amendment freedom to defend themselves, their families and their communities.&#160;To that end, on behalf of our five million members across the country, we urge Congress to pass National Right-to-Carry reciprocity, which will allow law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and their families from acts of violence.”</p>
<p>GOAL is urging its members to call the State Senate at (617) 722-2000 and urge them to oppose the language of Amendment 1.</p>
<p>Wallace, in his alert to gun owners, noted that, “The first part is loosely worded and doesn’t provide definition as to what rate of fire is.&#160;As written it will include any gun including a bolt-action rifle.&#160;In other words, if a bolt-action rifle is modified so that the bolt can operate with more ease, or less friction, it could be considered a felony.</p>
<p>“The third part is extremely egregious,” Wallace added, “as it will give the state regulatory authority over the maintenance and enhancement of all firearms. &#160;Can you imagine what our Attorney General will do with this?”</p> | Mass. gun owner frenzy to derail gun accessory ban bill | true | http://conservativefiringline.com/mass-gun-owner-frenzy-derail-gun-accessory-ban-bill/ | 2017-10-12 | 0right
| Mass. gun owner frenzy to derail gun accessory ban bill
<p />
<p>Massachusetts gun owners are furiously contacting state lawmakers in an effort to derail anti-gun legislation that was <a href="https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H3951/Amendments/House" type="external">suddenly introduced</a> without notice Wednesday in the state House of Representatives and passed almost unanimously.</p>
<p>The legislation, Amendment 1, would outlaw all kinds of accessories and upgrades to firearms used for competition, hunting, target shooting and/or self-defense. Submitted presumably as a response to the Las Vegas massacre, the bill does not mention “bump fire stocks” that are currently at the center of a gun control storm.</p>
<p>According to Jim Wallace, executive director of the Gun Owners’ Action League of Massachusetts (GOAL), the legislation was introduced without warning by State Rep. David Linsky, a 5th District Democrat. Here’s what it says:</p>
<p>“Whoever possesses, owns or offers for sale any device which attaches to a rifle, shotgun or firearm, except a magazine, that is designed to increase the rate of discharge of the rifle, shotgun or firearm or whoever modifies any rifle, shotgun or firearm with the intent to increase its rate of discharge, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison by not less than 3 nor more than 20 years.”</p>
<p>If the bill passes, it takes effect 180 days after it is signed by the governor.</p>
<p>The National Rifle Association has <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20171011/massachusetts-gun-control-bill-on-the-move" type="external">alerted its members</a> in Massachusetts, but some critics are using social media to blame the NRA for this, alleging that the gun rights organization folded on the “bump stock” issue last week. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and chief lobbyist Chris Cox issued this <a href="https://home.nra.org/joint-statement/" type="external">joint statement</a>:</p>
<p>“In the aftermath of the evil and senseless attack in Las Vegas, the American people are looking for answers as to how future tragedies can be prevented.&#160;</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the first response from some politicians has been to call for more gun control.&#160; Banning guns from law-abiding Americans based on the criminal act of a madman will do nothing to prevent future attacks.&#160;</p>
<p>This is a fact that has been proven time and again in countries across the world.&#160; In Las Vegas, reports indicate that certain devices were used to modify the firearms involved. Despite the fact that the Obama administration approved the sale of bump fire stocks on at least two occasions, the National Rifle Association is calling on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) to immediately review whether these devices comply with federal law.&#160;</p>
<p>The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.&#160;In an increasingly dangerous world, the NRA remains focused on our mission: strengthening Americans’ Second Amendment freedom to defend themselves, their families and their communities.&#160;To that end, on behalf of our five million members across the country, we urge Congress to pass National Right-to-Carry reciprocity, which will allow law-abiding Americans to defend themselves and their families from acts of violence.”</p>
<p>GOAL is urging its members to call the State Senate at (617) 722-2000 and urge them to oppose the language of Amendment 1.</p>
<p>Wallace, in his alert to gun owners, noted that, “The first part is loosely worded and doesn’t provide definition as to what rate of fire is.&#160;As written it will include any gun including a bolt-action rifle.&#160;In other words, if a bolt-action rifle is modified so that the bolt can operate with more ease, or less friction, it could be considered a felony.</p>
<p>“The third part is extremely egregious,” Wallace added, “as it will give the state regulatory authority over the maintenance and enhancement of all firearms. &#160;Can you imagine what our Attorney General will do with this?”</p> | 599,531 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Sally Pipes is the <a href="http://www.pacificresearch.org/home/about/board-of-directors/" type="external">president and CEO</a> of CalWatchDog.com’s parent think tank, the Pacific Research Institute. She already has written <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/177-9589394-3403163?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=sally%20pipes&amp;sprefix=sally+pipe%2Caps&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asally%20pipes" type="external">three books about Obamacare</a>, the latest being “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Cure-Obamacare-Encounter-Broadsides/dp/1594037140/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1388082069&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sally+pipes" type="external">The Cure for Obamacare</a>,” only a couple of months old. So she knows this policy.</p>
<p>Her new article in Forbes updates the reader on the latest developments, “ <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/12/23/dont-be-fooled-by-kathleen-sebeliuss-healthcare-gov-progress-report/" type="external">Don’t Be Fooled By Kathleen Sebelius’s Healthcare.gov ‘Progress’ Report.</a>” Excerpt:</p>
<p>This month, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius trudged up to Capitol Hill for her second public grilling over the flaws with the Obamacare healthcare exchanges. Sebelius was insistent that HealthCare.gov has vastly improved since its October launch, noting that about a quarter of a million new people signed up in November.</p>
<p>That brings total site enrollment to about 365,000. That’s nowhere near the White House’s initial enrollment projection for 2014 of 7 million. But the administration would have you believe it represents a profound step-up from the glitch-plagued weeks of the initial rollout.</p>
<p>But these sign-up numbers are deceiving. Don’t let them fool you. Just because someone has successfully submitted an application through an exchange doesn’t actually mean he or she will have health coverage come January. The exchange network is still so opaque and plagued by operational flaws that many applicants are likely to get their plans covertly cancelled….</p>
<p>Tony Felts, a spokesman for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, has a particularly politic way of describing the situation: “As far as the quality of the data that’s coming in, I can’t say that everything has been completely accurate.”</p>
<p>Truth be told, the government is hard at work fixing this mounting mass of 834 errors — by hand. Literally. During her congressional testimony, Secretary Sebelius said — proudly and publicly — that “we are in the process of actually hand-matching individuals to insurance companies.”</p>
<p>Yes. You read that right. In an age of iPhones, self-driving cars, and interstellar space exploration, that’s the sophisticated problem-solving tool now deployed by public healthcare bureaucrats.</p>
<p>Come January 1, millions of exchange enrollees are likely in for a rude awakening. They thought they’d signed up for coverage. But government incompetence led to that plan getting cancelled. And they’re still uninsured. This is life under the liberal lunacy of Obamacare.</p>
<p>Read the rest <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/12/23/dont-be-fooled-by-kathleen-sebeliuss-healthcare-gov-progress-report/" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Sally Pipes: No ‘Progress’ under Obamacare | false | https://calwatchdog.com/2013/12/26/sally-pipes-no-progress-under-obamacare/ | 2018-12-20 | 3left-center
| Sally Pipes: No ‘Progress’ under Obamacare
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Sally Pipes is the <a href="http://www.pacificresearch.org/home/about/board-of-directors/" type="external">president and CEO</a> of CalWatchDog.com’s parent think tank, the Pacific Research Institute. She already has written <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/177-9589394-3403163?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=sally%20pipes&amp;sprefix=sally+pipe%2Caps&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Asally%20pipes" type="external">three books about Obamacare</a>, the latest being “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Cure-Obamacare-Encounter-Broadsides/dp/1594037140/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1388082069&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sally+pipes" type="external">The Cure for Obamacare</a>,” only a couple of months old. So she knows this policy.</p>
<p>Her new article in Forbes updates the reader on the latest developments, “ <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/12/23/dont-be-fooled-by-kathleen-sebeliuss-healthcare-gov-progress-report/" type="external">Don’t Be Fooled By Kathleen Sebelius’s Healthcare.gov ‘Progress’ Report.</a>” Excerpt:</p>
<p>This month, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius trudged up to Capitol Hill for her second public grilling over the flaws with the Obamacare healthcare exchanges. Sebelius was insistent that HealthCare.gov has vastly improved since its October launch, noting that about a quarter of a million new people signed up in November.</p>
<p>That brings total site enrollment to about 365,000. That’s nowhere near the White House’s initial enrollment projection for 2014 of 7 million. But the administration would have you believe it represents a profound step-up from the glitch-plagued weeks of the initial rollout.</p>
<p>But these sign-up numbers are deceiving. Don’t let them fool you. Just because someone has successfully submitted an application through an exchange doesn’t actually mean he or she will have health coverage come January. The exchange network is still so opaque and plagued by operational flaws that many applicants are likely to get their plans covertly cancelled….</p>
<p>Tony Felts, a spokesman for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, has a particularly politic way of describing the situation: “As far as the quality of the data that’s coming in, I can’t say that everything has been completely accurate.”</p>
<p>Truth be told, the government is hard at work fixing this mounting mass of 834 errors — by hand. Literally. During her congressional testimony, Secretary Sebelius said — proudly and publicly — that “we are in the process of actually hand-matching individuals to insurance companies.”</p>
<p>Yes. You read that right. In an age of iPhones, self-driving cars, and interstellar space exploration, that’s the sophisticated problem-solving tool now deployed by public healthcare bureaucrats.</p>
<p>Come January 1, millions of exchange enrollees are likely in for a rude awakening. They thought they’d signed up for coverage. But government incompetence led to that plan getting cancelled. And they’re still uninsured. This is life under the liberal lunacy of Obamacare.</p>
<p>Read the rest <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2013/12/23/dont-be-fooled-by-kathleen-sebeliuss-healthcare-gov-progress-report/" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,532 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy wants to send an extra $19 million to Los Alamos National Laboratory this year to clean up radioactive and other wastes.</p>
<p>The DOE has asked Congress to approve a “reprogramming” of its current-year budgets — or a shifting of money among existing accounts — to expedite cleanup at several sites around the country, including LANL.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Across-the-board federal budget cuts that went into effect March 1, commonly referred to as sequestration, have crimped cleanup budgets.</p>
<p>Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and Rep. Ben Ray Luján, all New Mexico Democrats, wrote to House and Senate appropriators on Monday. They urged approval of the DOE’s request for additional money for the cleanup, saying it could help save jobs.</p>
<p>The current budget amount for LANL cleanup for FY 2013 is $173 million, not including the extra money now requested by the DOE.</p>
<p>“We would like to impress upon you the importance of this reprogramming and the urgency of its approval,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without additional funding, environmental management will begin to slow operations and issue furlough notices as soon as this week, with full operations scheduled to shut down next month.</p>
<p>“This would have serious impacts to the productivity of LANL’s workforce, the surrounding environment, the security of the transuranic waste and the federal government’s legal obligations to the state of New Mexico,” the letter said.</p>
<p>Udall is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.</p>
<p>Transuranic nuclear and other waste has been stored above ground and kept in drums and other containers stacked at the Los Alamos lab’s Area G for decades.</p>
<p>Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration and members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation have urged the DOE to speed up removal of the waste since a massive wildfire burned to within 3 1/2 miles of Area G in 2011. Last year, the lab leadership committed to having all the drums shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad by the end of 2014.</p>
<p>Enrique Knell, the governor’s spokesman, said Martinez hopes the budget reprogramming request is “a sign that the federal government shares her desire to get this work done quickly.</p>
<p>“This funding should help save some of the area jobs that have been threatened or lost, particularly among contractors in the Los Alamos area,” Knell said. “Governor Martinez urges Congress to move swiftly to approve this reprogramming request.”</p>
<p /> | DOE bid to boost LANL budget | false | https://abqjournal.com/196460/doe-bid-to-boost-lanl-budget-2.html | 2013-05-07 | 2least
| DOE bid to boost LANL budget
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Energy wants to send an extra $19 million to Los Alamos National Laboratory this year to clean up radioactive and other wastes.</p>
<p>The DOE has asked Congress to approve a “reprogramming” of its current-year budgets — or a shifting of money among existing accounts — to expedite cleanup at several sites around the country, including LANL.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Across-the-board federal budget cuts that went into effect March 1, commonly referred to as sequestration, have crimped cleanup budgets.</p>
<p>Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and Rep. Ben Ray Luján, all New Mexico Democrats, wrote to House and Senate appropriators on Monday. They urged approval of the DOE’s request for additional money for the cleanup, saying it could help save jobs.</p>
<p>The current budget amount for LANL cleanup for FY 2013 is $173 million, not including the extra money now requested by the DOE.</p>
<p>“We would like to impress upon you the importance of this reprogramming and the urgency of its approval,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without additional funding, environmental management will begin to slow operations and issue furlough notices as soon as this week, with full operations scheduled to shut down next month.</p>
<p>“This would have serious impacts to the productivity of LANL’s workforce, the surrounding environment, the security of the transuranic waste and the federal government’s legal obligations to the state of New Mexico,” the letter said.</p>
<p>Udall is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.</p>
<p>Transuranic nuclear and other waste has been stored above ground and kept in drums and other containers stacked at the Los Alamos lab’s Area G for decades.</p>
<p>Gov. Susana Martinez’s administration and members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation have urged the DOE to speed up removal of the waste since a massive wildfire burned to within 3 1/2 miles of Area G in 2011. Last year, the lab leadership committed to having all the drums shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad by the end of 2014.</p>
<p>Enrique Knell, the governor’s spokesman, said Martinez hopes the budget reprogramming request is “a sign that the federal government shares her desire to get this work done quickly.</p>
<p>“This funding should help save some of the area jobs that have been threatened or lost, particularly among contractors in the Los Alamos area,” Knell said. “Governor Martinez urges Congress to move swiftly to approve this reprogramming request.”</p>
<p /> | 599,533 |
<p>Houston’s biggest gathering on Saturday didn’t see national television news crews. It didn’t draw out protestors. It didn’t spark its own Twitter handle. And the event — which attracted an <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1USjCykTq" type="external">estimated 100,0000 people</a> to a convention center just seven miles down the road from Gov. Rick Perry (R) and The Response prayer rally — had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with <a href="http://www.trustyredpen.com/?p=218" type="external">Texas families struggling</a> through hard economic times:</p>
<p>“Some families camped out for hours to gain admittance into <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">Houston’s first-ever, citywide back-to-school event</a> at George R. Brown Convention Center, where free backpacks, school supplies, uniforms, haircut vouchers, immunizations, and fresh produce were provided.</p>
<p>Others were turned away.</p>
<p>“It was getting beyond capacity,” [Houstan Independent School District] spokesman Jason Spencer said. “If nothing else, it shows the need.”</p>
<p>In 2009, more than <a href="http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Houston-Texas.html" type="external">one-fifth of Houston-area residents</a> lived below the poverty level, 3 percentage points higher than the state average. Given the scope of the need, the HISD event provided more than just school supplies; the City of Houston donated <a href="https://mail.americanprogress.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=116195887853424ab939ffe637342516&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fdept.houstonisd.org%2fBacktoSchoolFest%2fBack-to-School_post_event.pdf" type="external">20,000 boxed lunches</a>, and the local Food Bank gave <a href="https://mail.americanprogress.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=116195887853424ab939ffe637342516&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fdept.houstonisd.org%2fBacktoSchoolFest%2fBack-to-School_post_event.pdf" type="external">25,000 three-pound bags</a> of food.</p>
<p>The event planners, who had expected around <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">25,000 children</a> to attend along with their parents, found themselves overwhelmed with <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">nearly four times</a> that number, forcing police to close the doors around 10 a.m., <a href="http://www.trustyredpen.com/?p=218" type="external">two hours earlier</a> than expected. Every supply was distributed, every immunization given out, and yet still Texans came up empty-handed.</p>
<p>“They were supposed to have school supplies, but all we got was sweating and <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">paid parking</a>,” Houston mother Beatrice Jones said.</p>
<p>Only a few miles down the road from Jones, her governor prayed alongside <a href="http://www.texastribune.org/texas-people/rick-perry/thousands-attend-prayer-rally-houston/" type="external">30,000 people</a> for all those “ <a href="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/08/06/full_transcript_of_perrys_rema.html?cxntfid=blogs_postcards" type="external">who have lost hope</a>.” He did not see fit to mention either the thousands of his constituents lined up for free back-to-school items or the <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-08/perry-puts-focus-on-sonograms-pat-downs.html" type="external">multi-million dollar cuts</a> his budget will inflict upon the Texas education system.</p>
<p>— <a href="" type="internal">Sarah Bufkin</a></p> | Prayer Rally Dwarfed By Texans Who Flock To Nearby Convention Center, Desperate For Free School Supplies | true | http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2011/08/08/290973/prayer-rally-school-supplies/ | 2011-08-08 | 4left
| Prayer Rally Dwarfed By Texans Who Flock To Nearby Convention Center, Desperate For Free School Supplies
<p>Houston’s biggest gathering on Saturday didn’t see national television news crews. It didn’t draw out protestors. It didn’t spark its own Twitter handle. And the event — which attracted an <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1USjCykTq" type="external">estimated 100,0000 people</a> to a convention center just seven miles down the road from Gov. Rick Perry (R) and The Response prayer rally — had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with <a href="http://www.trustyredpen.com/?p=218" type="external">Texas families struggling</a> through hard economic times:</p>
<p>“Some families camped out for hours to gain admittance into <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">Houston’s first-ever, citywide back-to-school event</a> at George R. Brown Convention Center, where free backpacks, school supplies, uniforms, haircut vouchers, immunizations, and fresh produce were provided.</p>
<p>Others were turned away.</p>
<p>“It was getting beyond capacity,” [Houstan Independent School District] spokesman Jason Spencer said. “If nothing else, it shows the need.”</p>
<p>In 2009, more than <a href="http://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-Houston-Texas.html" type="external">one-fifth of Houston-area residents</a> lived below the poverty level, 3 percentage points higher than the state average. Given the scope of the need, the HISD event provided more than just school supplies; the City of Houston donated <a href="https://mail.americanprogress.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=116195887853424ab939ffe637342516&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fdept.houstonisd.org%2fBacktoSchoolFest%2fBack-to-School_post_event.pdf" type="external">20,000 boxed lunches</a>, and the local Food Bank gave <a href="https://mail.americanprogress.org/owa/redir.aspx?C=116195887853424ab939ffe637342516&amp;URL=http%3a%2f%2fdept.houstonisd.org%2fBacktoSchoolFest%2fBack-to-School_post_event.pdf" type="external">25,000 three-pound bags</a> of food.</p>
<p>The event planners, who had expected around <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">25,000 children</a> to attend along with their parents, found themselves overwhelmed with <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">nearly four times</a> that number, forcing police to close the doors around 10 a.m., <a href="http://www.trustyredpen.com/?p=218" type="external">two hours earlier</a> than expected. Every supply was distributed, every immunization given out, and yet still Texans came up empty-handed.</p>
<p>“They were supposed to have school supplies, but all we got was sweating and <a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7686252.html#ixzz1UT6FcCL8" type="external">paid parking</a>,” Houston mother Beatrice Jones said.</p>
<p>Only a few miles down the road from Jones, her governor prayed alongside <a href="http://www.texastribune.org/texas-people/rick-perry/thousands-attend-prayer-rally-houston/" type="external">30,000 people</a> for all those “ <a href="http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/politics/entries/2011/08/06/full_transcript_of_perrys_rema.html?cxntfid=blogs_postcards" type="external">who have lost hope</a>.” He did not see fit to mention either the thousands of his constituents lined up for free back-to-school items or the <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-08/perry-puts-focus-on-sonograms-pat-downs.html" type="external">multi-million dollar cuts</a> his budget will inflict upon the Texas education system.</p>
<p>— <a href="" type="internal">Sarah Bufkin</a></p> | 599,534 |
<p />
<p>Image source: SunPower.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>What: Shares of residential solar installer Sunrun Inc jumped 15% in March as investors speculated that its future might get a bit brighter.</p>
<p>So what: Sunrun did report fourth quarter earnings during March, and there was some good and some bad news. Deployments grew 83% from a year ago to 68 MW, and bookings jumped 117% to 80 MW in the fourth quarter. But cost per watt was $3.64, which is nearly $1 above industry leader SolarCity, which is a huge challenge for Sunrun long-term.</p>
<p>The more encouraging news was from competitor Vivint Solar, which called off its acquisition by SunEdison. The company was supposed to be acquired by SunEdison, creating an even bigger competitor, but SunEdison's financial trouble scuttled the deal, and now it appears Vivint Solar is a weaker company than it was just nine months ago. That's a benefit to Sunrun.</p>
<p>Now what: The residential solar industry has a challenging year ahead given slowing growth and rising costs to acquire customers. Sunrun's cost structure is higher than that of its competitors, which is also a big concern. Investors may be rushing back into residential solar today, but if that's a space you're interested in I think SolarCity or even SunPower are better plays. Sunrun is a high cost competitor with no technical differentiation, not a position I would like to be in in solar right now.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/07/why-sunrun-incs-shares-jumped-15-in-march.aspx" type="external">Why Sunrun Inc's Shares Jumped 15% in March Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFFlushDraw/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Travis Hoium Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of SunPower. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends SolarCity. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Sunrun Inc's Shares Jumped 15% in March | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/07/why-sunrun-inc-shares-jumped-15-in-march.html | 2016-04-07 | 0right
| Why Sunrun Inc's Shares Jumped 15% in March
<p />
<p>Image source: SunPower.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>What: Shares of residential solar installer Sunrun Inc jumped 15% in March as investors speculated that its future might get a bit brighter.</p>
<p>So what: Sunrun did report fourth quarter earnings during March, and there was some good and some bad news. Deployments grew 83% from a year ago to 68 MW, and bookings jumped 117% to 80 MW in the fourth quarter. But cost per watt was $3.64, which is nearly $1 above industry leader SolarCity, which is a huge challenge for Sunrun long-term.</p>
<p>The more encouraging news was from competitor Vivint Solar, which called off its acquisition by SunEdison. The company was supposed to be acquired by SunEdison, creating an even bigger competitor, but SunEdison's financial trouble scuttled the deal, and now it appears Vivint Solar is a weaker company than it was just nine months ago. That's a benefit to Sunrun.</p>
<p>Now what: The residential solar industry has a challenging year ahead given slowing growth and rising costs to acquire customers. Sunrun's cost structure is higher than that of its competitors, which is also a big concern. Investors may be rushing back into residential solar today, but if that's a space you're interested in I think SolarCity or even SunPower are better plays. Sunrun is a high cost competitor with no technical differentiation, not a position I would like to be in in solar right now.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/07/why-sunrun-incs-shares-jumped-15-in-march.aspx" type="external">Why Sunrun Inc's Shares Jumped 15% in March Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFFlushDraw/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Travis Hoium Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of SunPower. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends SolarCity. 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> | 599,535 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In a fascinating interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , reporters <a href="http://www.bravenewfilms.org/blog/3472-speaker-pelosi-on-the-war-impeachment-and-accountability" type="external">Mike Stark and Dave Johnson</a> get Pelosi to admit that she had decided “at least a year ago,” before Democrats had even taken control of the House and Senate, “that impeachment was something that we could not be successful with, and that would take up the time we needed to do some positive things to establish a record of our priorities and [Republican] short-comings.”</p>
<p>She then goes on to say, “The President isn’t worth it … he’s not worth impeaching. We’ve got important work to do.”</p>
<p>Stark then says, “Respectfully, the question is whether or not the Constitution is worth it,” to which Pelosi responds, “Well, yeah, the constitution is worth it if you can succeed.”</p>
<p>That the leading Democrat in the House, and one of the most powerful people in the Democratic Party leadership, could be so dismissive of the Constitution, so seemingly ignorant of the workings of the impeachment clause, and so openly pessimistic and negative about the power of her opposition party, is simply astonishing.</p>
<p>Pelosi is admitting here that back in early 2006, before the off-year election campaign had even gotten fully underway, she had already concluded that Democrats could never hope to obtain a majority vote in the House for impeachment!</p>
<p>If Democrats in 1974 had adopted such a defeatist attitude in confronting the crimes of Richard Nixon (who after all was midway through his second term, after having won a landslide victory over George McGovern in 1972), he would have slid through his second term like Bush and Cheney are hoping to do. Remember, when bills of impeachment were first filed against Nixon, only some 25 members of Congress supported the idea of impeachment, and no one thought that the idea had a chance.</p>
<p>The whole point of impeachment hearings is to investigate and make the case for impeachment. Until that is done, it is simply nonsense to say the process “could not be successful.”</p>
<p>This is especially true when one considers that this president, unlike Nixon, has actually already admitted to major crimes. There is no question that he has seriously abused power by refusing to enact laws passed by the Congress. Furthermore, in the case of his ordering the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without obtaining court orders–in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act–a federal district judge trying that activity has ruled that it was a serial Class A felony. And even after that August 2006 decision, the president continued with the illegal program for another six months.</p>
<p>Not to impeach the president for these high crimes against law and the Constitution is a dereliction of duty on the part of Pelosi and the rest of Congress or major proportions. It is not as though she has a choice. We objectively have a president who is willfully violating the law and undermining the Constitution. How can Congress, all of whose members take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, not initiate impeachment proceedings?</p>
<p>Pelosi tells Stark and Johnson it is only worth protecting the Constitution if there is a certainty that the impeachment process can be won. She is wrong on several counts.</p>
<p>First of all, it should not at all be assumed that following impeachment hearings, a majority of the House would not vote for impeachment–at least on the issues of the signing statements and the NSA FISA crimes. And should they so vote, at that point the president would be impeached, and for all time, his crimes and abuses of power would be labeled as wrong, thus letting future presidents know that such behavior is unconstitutional and will not go unchallenged. The corollary is that if Bush is not confronted for these and other crimes, future presidents will free to adopt his cavalier attitude towards the Constitution, and his usurpation of the legislative authority of Congress.</p>
<p>Second, there is not even a requirement in the Constitution that the Senate try and remove an impeached federal official. That is something that the Senate decides on its own whether to do. Once the House votes for impeachment, a president stands impeached. That in itself would be an important act, and is hardly one that Pelosi can declare to be an impossible goal.</p>
<p>Pelosi made another important admission in her interview with Stark and Johnson, confirming something I have been saying for some time now. That is, she admits that she and the Democratic leadership have known all along that they couldn’t pass any significant legislation. Rather, they are simply hoping to use their legislative ability to pass bills (knowing that nothing of consequence could survive a veto or a signing statement), in order to “establish a record of our priorities” and of the Republican Party’s “shortcomings.”</p>
<p>Talk about setting the bar low!</p>
<p>This of course is hardly what Pelosi and the Democratic National Committee and congressional campaign committees were telling voters during last year’s election campaign, or even what they were saying when they took control of Congress in January. Back then the bold talk was all about passing an “important Democratic agenda” of measures like health care reform, electoral reform, education reform and, or course, ending the Iraq War.</p>
<p>I’ve always said that this was just for show, and that the only real aim of Pelosi et al has been to position themselves to win in 2008-a narrow partisan goal that has led them to sacrifice both ending the war and defending the Constitution.</p>
<p>Now we know that this is exactly what Pelosi and her colleagues in the Democratic Party leadership had in mind all along.</p>
<p>It’s not really that she doesn’t think Congress couldn’t succeed in impeaching Bush and/or Cheney. It’s that trying to do that would interfere with her only real goal-getting herself and her Democratic colleagues re-elected.</p>
<p>My own view, and it is being borne out by the amazing collapse in public support that Democrats have suffered over the course of Pelosi’s and Sen. Harry Reid’s five months in control of Congress (a fall from 65 percent support to under 20 percent!), is that the Democratic leadership’s political strategy is all wrong: they could win big in 2008 by standing up forcefully on the issues of ending the war and defending the Constitution, and they are likely to lose by taking this minimalist, self-serving approach.</p>
<p>But even if they were right, and they could gain seats and perhaps the White House by doing nothing of consequence and by avoiding taking any serious confrontational stances for two years, it is unconscionable that they would allow more Americans and innocent Iraqis to die in a pointless, illegal war, and that they would allow the Constitution to be raped and plundered by a criminal administration, simply for their own narrow political gain.</p>
<p>Yet now we have it from the speaker’s own mouth. She isn’t about defending the Constitution. It’s just not worth it.</p>
<p>DAVE LINDORFF is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567512283/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Killing Time: an Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal</a>. His n book of CounterPunch columns titled “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567512984/counterpunchmaga" type="external">This Can’t be Happening!</a>” is published by Common Courage Press. Lindorff’s newest book is “ <a href="" type="internal">The Case for Impeachment</a>“, co-authored by Barbara Olshansky.</p>
<p>He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Nancy Pelosi and the Low Bar Democrats | true | https://counterpunch.org/2007/07/03/nancy-pelosi-and-the-low-bar-democrats/ | 2007-07-03 | 4left
| Nancy Pelosi and the Low Bar Democrats
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>In a fascinating interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , reporters <a href="http://www.bravenewfilms.org/blog/3472-speaker-pelosi-on-the-war-impeachment-and-accountability" type="external">Mike Stark and Dave Johnson</a> get Pelosi to admit that she had decided “at least a year ago,” before Democrats had even taken control of the House and Senate, “that impeachment was something that we could not be successful with, and that would take up the time we needed to do some positive things to establish a record of our priorities and [Republican] short-comings.”</p>
<p>She then goes on to say, “The President isn’t worth it … he’s not worth impeaching. We’ve got important work to do.”</p>
<p>Stark then says, “Respectfully, the question is whether or not the Constitution is worth it,” to which Pelosi responds, “Well, yeah, the constitution is worth it if you can succeed.”</p>
<p>That the leading Democrat in the House, and one of the most powerful people in the Democratic Party leadership, could be so dismissive of the Constitution, so seemingly ignorant of the workings of the impeachment clause, and so openly pessimistic and negative about the power of her opposition party, is simply astonishing.</p>
<p>Pelosi is admitting here that back in early 2006, before the off-year election campaign had even gotten fully underway, she had already concluded that Democrats could never hope to obtain a majority vote in the House for impeachment!</p>
<p>If Democrats in 1974 had adopted such a defeatist attitude in confronting the crimes of Richard Nixon (who after all was midway through his second term, after having won a landslide victory over George McGovern in 1972), he would have slid through his second term like Bush and Cheney are hoping to do. Remember, when bills of impeachment were first filed against Nixon, only some 25 members of Congress supported the idea of impeachment, and no one thought that the idea had a chance.</p>
<p>The whole point of impeachment hearings is to investigate and make the case for impeachment. Until that is done, it is simply nonsense to say the process “could not be successful.”</p>
<p>This is especially true when one considers that this president, unlike Nixon, has actually already admitted to major crimes. There is no question that he has seriously abused power by refusing to enact laws passed by the Congress. Furthermore, in the case of his ordering the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without obtaining court orders–in direct violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act–a federal district judge trying that activity has ruled that it was a serial Class A felony. And even after that August 2006 decision, the president continued with the illegal program for another six months.</p>
<p>Not to impeach the president for these high crimes against law and the Constitution is a dereliction of duty on the part of Pelosi and the rest of Congress or major proportions. It is not as though she has a choice. We objectively have a president who is willfully violating the law and undermining the Constitution. How can Congress, all of whose members take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution, not initiate impeachment proceedings?</p>
<p>Pelosi tells Stark and Johnson it is only worth protecting the Constitution if there is a certainty that the impeachment process can be won. She is wrong on several counts.</p>
<p>First of all, it should not at all be assumed that following impeachment hearings, a majority of the House would not vote for impeachment–at least on the issues of the signing statements and the NSA FISA crimes. And should they so vote, at that point the president would be impeached, and for all time, his crimes and abuses of power would be labeled as wrong, thus letting future presidents know that such behavior is unconstitutional and will not go unchallenged. The corollary is that if Bush is not confronted for these and other crimes, future presidents will free to adopt his cavalier attitude towards the Constitution, and his usurpation of the legislative authority of Congress.</p>
<p>Second, there is not even a requirement in the Constitution that the Senate try and remove an impeached federal official. That is something that the Senate decides on its own whether to do. Once the House votes for impeachment, a president stands impeached. That in itself would be an important act, and is hardly one that Pelosi can declare to be an impossible goal.</p>
<p>Pelosi made another important admission in her interview with Stark and Johnson, confirming something I have been saying for some time now. That is, she admits that she and the Democratic leadership have known all along that they couldn’t pass any significant legislation. Rather, they are simply hoping to use their legislative ability to pass bills (knowing that nothing of consequence could survive a veto or a signing statement), in order to “establish a record of our priorities” and of the Republican Party’s “shortcomings.”</p>
<p>Talk about setting the bar low!</p>
<p>This of course is hardly what Pelosi and the Democratic National Committee and congressional campaign committees were telling voters during last year’s election campaign, or even what they were saying when they took control of Congress in January. Back then the bold talk was all about passing an “important Democratic agenda” of measures like health care reform, electoral reform, education reform and, or course, ending the Iraq War.</p>
<p>I’ve always said that this was just for show, and that the only real aim of Pelosi et al has been to position themselves to win in 2008-a narrow partisan goal that has led them to sacrifice both ending the war and defending the Constitution.</p>
<p>Now we know that this is exactly what Pelosi and her colleagues in the Democratic Party leadership had in mind all along.</p>
<p>It’s not really that she doesn’t think Congress couldn’t succeed in impeaching Bush and/or Cheney. It’s that trying to do that would interfere with her only real goal-getting herself and her Democratic colleagues re-elected.</p>
<p>My own view, and it is being borne out by the amazing collapse in public support that Democrats have suffered over the course of Pelosi’s and Sen. Harry Reid’s five months in control of Congress (a fall from 65 percent support to under 20 percent!), is that the Democratic leadership’s political strategy is all wrong: they could win big in 2008 by standing up forcefully on the issues of ending the war and defending the Constitution, and they are likely to lose by taking this minimalist, self-serving approach.</p>
<p>But even if they were right, and they could gain seats and perhaps the White House by doing nothing of consequence and by avoiding taking any serious confrontational stances for two years, it is unconscionable that they would allow more Americans and innocent Iraqis to die in a pointless, illegal war, and that they would allow the Constitution to be raped and plundered by a criminal administration, simply for their own narrow political gain.</p>
<p>Yet now we have it from the speaker’s own mouth. She isn’t about defending the Constitution. It’s just not worth it.</p>
<p>DAVE LINDORFF is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567512283/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Killing Time: an Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal</a>. His n book of CounterPunch columns titled “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567512984/counterpunchmaga" type="external">This Can’t be Happening!</a>” is published by Common Courage Press. Lindorff’s newest book is “ <a href="" type="internal">The Case for Impeachment</a>“, co-authored by Barbara Olshansky.</p>
<p>He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,536 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Ralph Lauren.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Ralph Lauren Corp.(NYSE: RL)shares are down more than 11% as of noon EST today after a disappointing fiscal Q3 earnings report and news that CEO Stefan Larssonis leaving the company.</p>
<p>In the fiscal third quarter reported today before the market opened, Ralph Lauren Corp. posted sales down 12% year over year. Earnings fell a whopping 37% year over year on a reported basis, or 18% adjusted for restructuring and other costs. The company is facing issues in North America, where revenue dropped 15%, with no relief internationally as those sales fell 6%. Shares are down 44% over the last two years.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Additionally, its CEO announced that he would be leaving his position effective May 1. In the release, the company said that the decision was "mutually agreed" on, and that a search for a new chief executive would start immediately. Statements from the company and others paint a picture of a falling-out between Larsson and founder Ralph Lauren, who is stillexecutive chairman and chief creative officer.</p>
<p>The fashion industry has been a tricky one to be in over the last few years, even for some of the most well-positioned brands.The company has been pushing its "Way Forward Plan," as announced in summer 2016, which includes "focusing and evolving our iconic product core, cutting our lead times, and aligning supply with demand," according toLarsson. The Way Forward Plan is meant to bring $180 million to $220 million of annual cost savings, andwill continue to be executed by CFOJane Nielsen until a new CEO is found.</p>
<p>Part of this plan seems to be limiting inventory so that the company can discount less, which could improve gross margin and drive earnings growth once the company hits a floor for declining demand. Still, how far down that floor is has yet to be tested -- and as of now, the company expects a mid-teens decline in Q4 sales year over year and a drop in the low teens in fiscal 2017.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Ralph Lauren Corp When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=f044a73b-d0c3-4557-8354-0c4c5c366782&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and Ralph Lauren Corp wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=f044a73b-d0c3-4557-8354-0c4c5c366782&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFMcNew/info.aspx" type="external">Seth McNew Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Shares of Ralph Lauren Corp. Are Dropping Today | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/02/why-shares-ralph-lauren-corp-are-dropping-today.html | 2017-02-02 | 0right
| Why Shares of Ralph Lauren Corp. Are Dropping Today
<p />
<p>Image source: Ralph Lauren.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Ralph Lauren Corp.(NYSE: RL)shares are down more than 11% as of noon EST today after a disappointing fiscal Q3 earnings report and news that CEO Stefan Larssonis leaving the company.</p>
<p>In the fiscal third quarter reported today before the market opened, Ralph Lauren Corp. posted sales down 12% year over year. Earnings fell a whopping 37% year over year on a reported basis, or 18% adjusted for restructuring and other costs. The company is facing issues in North America, where revenue dropped 15%, with no relief internationally as those sales fell 6%. Shares are down 44% over the last two years.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Additionally, its CEO announced that he would be leaving his position effective May 1. In the release, the company said that the decision was "mutually agreed" on, and that a search for a new chief executive would start immediately. Statements from the company and others paint a picture of a falling-out between Larsson and founder Ralph Lauren, who is stillexecutive chairman and chief creative officer.</p>
<p>The fashion industry has been a tricky one to be in over the last few years, even for some of the most well-positioned brands.The company has been pushing its "Way Forward Plan," as announced in summer 2016, which includes "focusing and evolving our iconic product core, cutting our lead times, and aligning supply with demand," according toLarsson. The Way Forward Plan is meant to bring $180 million to $220 million of annual cost savings, andwill continue to be executed by CFOJane Nielsen until a new CEO is found.</p>
<p>Part of this plan seems to be limiting inventory so that the company can discount less, which could improve gross margin and drive earnings growth once the company hits a floor for declining demand. Still, how far down that floor is has yet to be tested -- and as of now, the company expects a mid-teens decline in Q4 sales year over year and a drop in the low teens in fiscal 2017.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Ralph Lauren Corp When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=f044a73b-d0c3-4557-8354-0c4c5c366782&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and Ralph Lauren Corp wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=f044a73b-d0c3-4557-8354-0c4c5c366782&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of January 4, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFMcNew/info.aspx" type="external">Seth McNew Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 599,537 |
<p>The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it would hear a lawsuit, known as King v. Burwell, seeking to <a href="" type="internal">undermine the Affordable Care Act</a> by cutting of subsidies intended to help millions of Americans pay for health insurance. Obamacare gives every state government a choice. They can either set up their own health care exchange where their residents can purchase health insurance and receive subsidies if they qualify, or they can elect to have the federal government set this exchange up for them. The plaintiffs argue that only exchanges that are operated by a state government may offer subsidies, while people who live in states with federally run exchanges are left out.</p>
<p>The plaintiffs’ arguments are deceptively simple, while the government’s argument defending the subsidies are somewhat more complicated — even though, as we will explain, the government’s arguments are correct and the plaintiffs’ arguments are misleading. To understand why, however, it is important to first understand one of the most basic principles courts must apply when interpreting an act of Congress. Legislatures have the power to define words and phrases in ways that are bizarre, counterintuitive or confusing — here, for example, is a <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/542" type="external">federal law which defines the word “individual” to include trusts and private foundations</a> — and courts have an obligation to read those words or phrases the way the legislature defined them, even if that definition seems strange.</p>
<p>To explain, imagine that Congress enacted a law providing that “no person may keep a dog in their home.” This law seems straight forward. It forbids anyone within the federal government’s jurisdiction from keeping a member of the subspecies canis lupus familiaris as a pet or otherwise allowing such an animal to live in their home. Now, however, imagine that Congress enacted a slightly different law:</p>
<p>(a) In general: No person may keep a dog in their home.</p>
<p>(b) Definition: As used in this chapter, the term “dog” includes all four-legged animals.</p>
<p>Notice the definition section of this hypothetical law. The word “dog” has been redefined for purposes of this law to include not just the animals commonly referred to as “dogs,” but to also include animals like cats, mice, gerbils and hamsters that also walk on four legs. A court applying this statute, moreover, would be obligated to follow this strange definition of the word “dog,” even though that is not how that word is typically used.</p>
<p>This may seem like very basic stuff, but understanding this concept is the key to understanding the flaw in the plaintiffs’ argument in King. It is also important to understand that Congress may define words in ways that are completely unlike or even opposite their normal meaning, and Congress is obligated to follow that definition as well. To explain, consider one more hypothetical law:</p>
<p>(a) In general: No person may keep a dog in their home.</p>
<p>(b) Definition: As used in this chapter, the term “dog” only includes animals of the species felis catus. Under no circumstances shall the term “dog” be construed to include animals of the subspecies canis lupus familiaris.</p>
<p>Here, the hypothetical law defines “dog” to mean “cat,” and it specifically instructs courts not to read the word “dog” to mean “dog.” Once again, courts are obligated to follow this definition, even though it completely redefines a common English word.</p>
<p>That brings us to the plaintiffs’ argument in King. The plaintiffs rest their case on a provision of the Affordable Care Act which suggests that subsidies shall only be available to people who are enrolled in a health plan purchased “ <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr3590/text" type="external">through an Exchange established by the State</a>.” And, indeed, when this passage is read in isolation, it seems obvious that their argument must be correct. As two judges who sided with the plaintiffs explained, “a federal Exchange is not an ‘Exchange established by the State,’” and, at first glance, that looks like all you need to know in order to decide this case.</p>
<p>The reality, however, is that Congress can define the phrase “Exchange established by the State” to also include exchanges established by the federal government — just like they can define the word “dog” to mean “cat” — and that is exactly what Congress did in the Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>Two provisions of the law accomplish this task. The first provides that “[a]n Exchange shall be a governmental agency or nonprofit entity that is established by a State.” Read in isolation, this passage can be read in one of two ways. One way to read it is as a passage limiting who can set up exchanges. If an Exchange “shall be” an “entity that is established by a State,” that seems to mean that no other kind of “Exchange” can exist. If the passage is read this way, federally run exchanges would be illegal, because they are not an “entity that is established by a State.”</p>
<p>The other plausible interpretation of this provision, however, is that it is meant to define the term “Exchange.” Under this second possible reading, the word “Exchange” is defined so that any Exchange is deemed to be “established by a State,” even if it was actually established by the federal government.</p>
<p>Read in isolation, there is no way to decide which one of these two possible readings of this provision is correct. A third provision of the law clarifies this ambiguity, however. That third passage provides that if a state elects not to set up its own exchange, “the Secretary shall (directly or through agreement with a not-for-profit entity) establish and operate such Exchange within the State and the Secretary shall take such actions as are necessary to implement such other requirements.” This is an explicit provision authorizing the federal government to establish Exchanges. Thus the ambiguous passage cannot be read to require all “Exchanges” to be “established by a State.” The only remaining possibility is that any “Exchange,” whether state or federally run, shall be deemed an “Exchange established by the State.”</p>
<p>The phrase “Exchange established by the State,” in other words, is defined to mean “Exchange established by the State or the federal government.” This may seem as bizarre as using the word “dog” when you really mean “cat,” but Congress has the power to define words in counterintuitive ways, and courts are obligated to follow those definitions. The Supreme Court is obligated to follow Congress’s decision to define the phrase “Exchange established by the State” in a way that also includes federally run exchanges. If the justices do anything else, they will be thumbing their nose at the law Congress drafted.</p>
<p>King v. Burwell, in other words, is a straightforward case of statutory interpretation, and the law is clearly on the government’s side. Nor are the flaws in the plaintiffs’ arguments limited to the one described above, as the Affordable Care Act’s text contains <a href="" type="internal">numerous other indications</a> that Congress intended both state and federally run exchanges to be able to provide subsidies:</p>
<p>Ultimately, however, it is not even necessary to examine these four other passages of the law to determine that it unambiguously promises subsidies to Americans in all fifty states. Congress may have chosen to define a five-word phrase in a counterintuitive way, but courts are obligated to apply that definition. That’s the end of the story.</p> | A Non-Lawyer’s Guide To The Latest Supreme Court Case Attacking Obamacare | true | http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/11/12/3591081/a-simple-non-lawyers-guide-to-the-latest-supreme-court-case-attacking-obamacare/ | 2014-11-12 | 4left
| A Non-Lawyer’s Guide To The Latest Supreme Court Case Attacking Obamacare
<p>The Supreme Court announced on Friday that it would hear a lawsuit, known as King v. Burwell, seeking to <a href="" type="internal">undermine the Affordable Care Act</a> by cutting of subsidies intended to help millions of Americans pay for health insurance. Obamacare gives every state government a choice. They can either set up their own health care exchange where their residents can purchase health insurance and receive subsidies if they qualify, or they can elect to have the federal government set this exchange up for them. The plaintiffs argue that only exchanges that are operated by a state government may offer subsidies, while people who live in states with federally run exchanges are left out.</p>
<p>The plaintiffs’ arguments are deceptively simple, while the government’s argument defending the subsidies are somewhat more complicated — even though, as we will explain, the government’s arguments are correct and the plaintiffs’ arguments are misleading. To understand why, however, it is important to first understand one of the most basic principles courts must apply when interpreting an act of Congress. Legislatures have the power to define words and phrases in ways that are bizarre, counterintuitive or confusing — here, for example, is a <a href="http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/542" type="external">federal law which defines the word “individual” to include trusts and private foundations</a> — and courts have an obligation to read those words or phrases the way the legislature defined them, even if that definition seems strange.</p>
<p>To explain, imagine that Congress enacted a law providing that “no person may keep a dog in their home.” This law seems straight forward. It forbids anyone within the federal government’s jurisdiction from keeping a member of the subspecies canis lupus familiaris as a pet or otherwise allowing such an animal to live in their home. Now, however, imagine that Congress enacted a slightly different law:</p>
<p>(a) In general: No person may keep a dog in their home.</p>
<p>(b) Definition: As used in this chapter, the term “dog” includes all four-legged animals.</p>
<p>Notice the definition section of this hypothetical law. The word “dog” has been redefined for purposes of this law to include not just the animals commonly referred to as “dogs,” but to also include animals like cats, mice, gerbils and hamsters that also walk on four legs. A court applying this statute, moreover, would be obligated to follow this strange definition of the word “dog,” even though that is not how that word is typically used.</p>
<p>This may seem like very basic stuff, but understanding this concept is the key to understanding the flaw in the plaintiffs’ argument in King. It is also important to understand that Congress may define words in ways that are completely unlike or even opposite their normal meaning, and Congress is obligated to follow that definition as well. To explain, consider one more hypothetical law:</p>
<p>(a) In general: No person may keep a dog in their home.</p>
<p>(b) Definition: As used in this chapter, the term “dog” only includes animals of the species felis catus. Under no circumstances shall the term “dog” be construed to include animals of the subspecies canis lupus familiaris.</p>
<p>Here, the hypothetical law defines “dog” to mean “cat,” and it specifically instructs courts not to read the word “dog” to mean “dog.” Once again, courts are obligated to follow this definition, even though it completely redefines a common English word.</p>
<p>That brings us to the plaintiffs’ argument in King. The plaintiffs rest their case on a provision of the Affordable Care Act which suggests that subsidies shall only be available to people who are enrolled in a health plan purchased “ <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr3590/text" type="external">through an Exchange established by the State</a>.” And, indeed, when this passage is read in isolation, it seems obvious that their argument must be correct. As two judges who sided with the plaintiffs explained, “a federal Exchange is not an ‘Exchange established by the State,’” and, at first glance, that looks like all you need to know in order to decide this case.</p>
<p>The reality, however, is that Congress can define the phrase “Exchange established by the State” to also include exchanges established by the federal government — just like they can define the word “dog” to mean “cat” — and that is exactly what Congress did in the Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>Two provisions of the law accomplish this task. The first provides that “[a]n Exchange shall be a governmental agency or nonprofit entity that is established by a State.” Read in isolation, this passage can be read in one of two ways. One way to read it is as a passage limiting who can set up exchanges. If an Exchange “shall be” an “entity that is established by a State,” that seems to mean that no other kind of “Exchange” can exist. If the passage is read this way, federally run exchanges would be illegal, because they are not an “entity that is established by a State.”</p>
<p>The other plausible interpretation of this provision, however, is that it is meant to define the term “Exchange.” Under this second possible reading, the word “Exchange” is defined so that any Exchange is deemed to be “established by a State,” even if it was actually established by the federal government.</p>
<p>Read in isolation, there is no way to decide which one of these two possible readings of this provision is correct. A third provision of the law clarifies this ambiguity, however. That third passage provides that if a state elects not to set up its own exchange, “the Secretary shall (directly or through agreement with a not-for-profit entity) establish and operate such Exchange within the State and the Secretary shall take such actions as are necessary to implement such other requirements.” This is an explicit provision authorizing the federal government to establish Exchanges. Thus the ambiguous passage cannot be read to require all “Exchanges” to be “established by a State.” The only remaining possibility is that any “Exchange,” whether state or federally run, shall be deemed an “Exchange established by the State.”</p>
<p>The phrase “Exchange established by the State,” in other words, is defined to mean “Exchange established by the State or the federal government.” This may seem as bizarre as using the word “dog” when you really mean “cat,” but Congress has the power to define words in counterintuitive ways, and courts are obligated to follow those definitions. The Supreme Court is obligated to follow Congress’s decision to define the phrase “Exchange established by the State” in a way that also includes federally run exchanges. If the justices do anything else, they will be thumbing their nose at the law Congress drafted.</p>
<p>King v. Burwell, in other words, is a straightforward case of statutory interpretation, and the law is clearly on the government’s side. Nor are the flaws in the plaintiffs’ arguments limited to the one described above, as the Affordable Care Act’s text contains <a href="" type="internal">numerous other indications</a> that Congress intended both state and federally run exchanges to be able to provide subsidies:</p>
<p>Ultimately, however, it is not even necessary to examine these four other passages of the law to determine that it unambiguously promises subsidies to Americans in all fifty states. Congress may have chosen to define a five-word phrase in a counterintuitive way, but courts are obligated to apply that definition. That’s the end of the story.</p> | 599,538 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>LAS CRUCES – Prosecutors have dropped embezzlement and fraud charges against a former planning consultant for the southern New Mexico city of Sunland Park.</p>
<p>The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the District Attorney’s Office dropped charges against Annette Morales last week, more than a year after she was arrested.</p>
<p>Morales denied any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>District Attorney Mark D’Antonio says problems with the investigation and intake process prompted the dismissal.</p>
<p>The charges accused Morales of diverting payments from the city for what were called “noncontract purposes.”</p>
<p />
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Sunland Park case dismissed | false | https://abqjournal.com/266237/sunland-park-case-dismissed.html | 2013-09-20 | 2least
| Sunland Park case dismissed
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>LAS CRUCES – Prosecutors have dropped embezzlement and fraud charges against a former planning consultant for the southern New Mexico city of Sunland Park.</p>
<p>The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the District Attorney’s Office dropped charges against Annette Morales last week, more than a year after she was arrested.</p>
<p>Morales denied any wrongdoing.</p>
<p>District Attorney Mark D’Antonio says problems with the investigation and intake process prompted the dismissal.</p>
<p>The charges accused Morales of diverting payments from the city for what were called “noncontract purposes.”</p>
<p />
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 599,539 |
<p />
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: SINA CORPORATION.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>SINA Corporation(NASDAQ: SINA) announced strong second-quarter 2016 results Monday after the market closed. The Chinese online media company benefited as usual from its large stake in fast-growing microblogging websiteWeibo(NASDAQ: WB), but also touted the continued execution of its mobile-centric strategy for monetizing its core portal business.With shares up 15% Tuesday as of this writing, let's see what drove SINA's quarterly beat:</p>
<p>DATA SOURCE: SINA CORPORATION.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>SINA CEO Charles Chao called the quarter "solid," further stating the company is "delighted" with SINA's progress in mobile monetization within the portal business. Commenting on Weibo, Chao elaborated:</p>
<p>Given its strong results year to date, SINA now expects adjusted 2016 revenue between $950 million and $1 billion, good for growth of 9% to 15% over fiscal 2015, and an increase from its previous guidance for adjusted full-year revenue of $850 million to $950 million.</p>
<p>Apart from its relative outperformance as it heads into the second half of the year, more than anything, this quarter represents a continuation of the same encouraging progress we've seen from SINA over the past few quarters. As SINA continues to deliver on its mobile strategy with its portal business, while also enjoying the fruits of its stake in fast-growing Weibo, it's no surprise to see shares trading at a fresh 52-week high right now.</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/TMFSymington/info.aspx" type="external">Steve Symington Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Sina. 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> | SINA Corp. Delivers a Beat and Raise | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/08/09/sina-corp-delivers-beat-and-raise.html | 2016-08-09 | 0right
| SINA Corp. Delivers a Beat and Raise
<p />
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: SINA CORPORATION.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>SINA Corporation(NASDAQ: SINA) announced strong second-quarter 2016 results Monday after the market closed. The Chinese online media company benefited as usual from its large stake in fast-growing microblogging websiteWeibo(NASDAQ: WB), but also touted the continued execution of its mobile-centric strategy for monetizing its core portal business.With shares up 15% Tuesday as of this writing, let's see what drove SINA's quarterly beat:</p>
<p>DATA SOURCE: SINA CORPORATION.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>SINA CEO Charles Chao called the quarter "solid," further stating the company is "delighted" with SINA's progress in mobile monetization within the portal business. Commenting on Weibo, Chao elaborated:</p>
<p>Given its strong results year to date, SINA now expects adjusted 2016 revenue between $950 million and $1 billion, good for growth of 9% to 15% over fiscal 2015, and an increase from its previous guidance for adjusted full-year revenue of $850 million to $950 million.</p>
<p>Apart from its relative outperformance as it heads into the second half of the year, more than anything, this quarter represents a continuation of the same encouraging progress we've seen from SINA over the past few quarters. As SINA continues to deliver on its mobile strategy with its portal business, while also enjoying the fruits of its stake in fast-growing Weibo, it's no surprise to see shares trading at a fresh 52-week high right now.</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/TMFSymington/info.aspx" type="external">Steve Symington Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Sina. 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> | 599,540 |
<p />
<p>Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL) is set to buy Shapell Homes for $1.6 billion in cash, a deal that will expand the luxury homebuilder’s footprint in California.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Shapell Industries unit has built more than 70,000 homes since its founding in 1955. It owns roughly 5,200 plots in Los Angeles, Orange County, Carlsbad and the San Francisco Bay area.</p>
<p>Horsham, Pa.-based Toll Brothers plans to sell up to $500 million worth of land it acquires in the deal, which will be paid for in debt and equity. New equity will cover about 10% to 15% of the total price, and on Thursday, Toll Brothers announced an offering of 6.25 million shares.</p>
<p>The company said it believes the lot sales and delivery of existing backlog will give Toll Brothers a “significant return of its investment within 18 months.”</p>
<p>Toll Brothers currently offers homes in nine communicates in affluent coastal California markets. Those homes are priced at an average of roughly $1 million.</p>
<p>The acquisition of Shapell Homes will give Toll Brothers a total of 9,200 lots in the state.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Toll Brothers CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the Shapell family’s land portfolio “presents an incredible opportunity” for the company.</p>
<p>“This acquisition will provide significant growth over the coming years and, we believe, will be accretive to earnings in the first year, excluding transaction costs,” he added.</p>
<p>Toll Brothers also announced preliminary fourth-quarter results. Revenue soared to $1.04 billion from $632.8 million a year earlier, as the number of units sold rose to 1,485 from 1,088. Average selling prices checked in at $703,000, well above last year’s $582,000 and $651,000 in the third quarter.</p>
<p>The company’s final quarterly earnings report is due out in late December.</p>
<p>The housing industry is “still in the early stages of recovery,” Executive Chairman Robert Toll said. “New home production remains well below volumes needed to meet current demand not to mention the pent-up demand of the last seven years.”</p>
<p>Shares rallied 4.8% to $34.10 in early morning trading Thursday. Through Wednesday’s close, the stock was up less than 1% since the start of the year.</p> | Toll Brothers to Buy Shapell Homes for $1.6B, 4Q Revenue Soars | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/11/07/toll-brothers-to-buy-shapell-homes-for-16b-4q-revenue-soars.html | 2016-03-05 | 0right
| Toll Brothers to Buy Shapell Homes for $1.6B, 4Q Revenue Soars
<p />
<p>Toll Brothers (NYSE:TOL) is set to buy Shapell Homes for $1.6 billion in cash, a deal that will expand the luxury homebuilder’s footprint in California.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Shapell Industries unit has built more than 70,000 homes since its founding in 1955. It owns roughly 5,200 plots in Los Angeles, Orange County, Carlsbad and the San Francisco Bay area.</p>
<p>Horsham, Pa.-based Toll Brothers plans to sell up to $500 million worth of land it acquires in the deal, which will be paid for in debt and equity. New equity will cover about 10% to 15% of the total price, and on Thursday, Toll Brothers announced an offering of 6.25 million shares.</p>
<p>The company said it believes the lot sales and delivery of existing backlog will give Toll Brothers a “significant return of its investment within 18 months.”</p>
<p>Toll Brothers currently offers homes in nine communicates in affluent coastal California markets. Those homes are priced at an average of roughly $1 million.</p>
<p>The acquisition of Shapell Homes will give Toll Brothers a total of 9,200 lots in the state.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Toll Brothers CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the Shapell family’s land portfolio “presents an incredible opportunity” for the company.</p>
<p>“This acquisition will provide significant growth over the coming years and, we believe, will be accretive to earnings in the first year, excluding transaction costs,” he added.</p>
<p>Toll Brothers also announced preliminary fourth-quarter results. Revenue soared to $1.04 billion from $632.8 million a year earlier, as the number of units sold rose to 1,485 from 1,088. Average selling prices checked in at $703,000, well above last year’s $582,000 and $651,000 in the third quarter.</p>
<p>The company’s final quarterly earnings report is due out in late December.</p>
<p>The housing industry is “still in the early stages of recovery,” Executive Chairman Robert Toll said. “New home production remains well below volumes needed to meet current demand not to mention the pent-up demand of the last seven years.”</p>
<p>Shares rallied 4.8% to $34.10 in early morning trading Thursday. Through Wednesday’s close, the stock was up less than 1% since the start of the year.</p> | 599,541 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Charges against Gilbert "Gordo" Romero, 20, who was turned in to authorities by his mother earlier this month, have been dismissed by a Mora County judge because the state wasn’t ready to go to trial within 10 days of his arrest, <a href="http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&amp;id=24956&amp;cat=HOME" type="external">KOB-TV</a> is reporting on its Web site.</p>
<p>Romero was arrested by Region 4 Narcotics Task Force agents on March 9 after his mother, 40-year-old Carole Romero of Encinal, was arrested and charged with trafficking crack cocaine and other charges, according to earlier <a href="../../../../north/442161north_news03-16-06.htm" type="external">Journal</a> reports.</p>
<p>Agents were trying to serve a search warrant on the Romero home on March 8 when Carole Romero was allegedly found with 17 rocks of crack cocaine on her person, the Journal reported.</p>
<p>Mora County law officers said the mother then implicated her son, who was arrested the following day and charged with trafficking and with receiving stolen property, according to the Journal.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Lawmen said they found in the home and in a storage shed power tools, electric generators, computers, DVD players, video game consoles, digital cameras, stereos, wood splitters and rifles, the Journal said.</p>
<p>The loot, estimated at more than $10,000 in value, was believed to have been stolen by addicts and turned over in exchange for drugs, said Mora County lawmen, who described Gilbert Romero as the county’s "No. 1 drug dealer."</p>
<p>A Mora County judge, however, dismissed the charges against Gilbert Romero last week, saying prosecutors weren’t ready to go to trail within 10 days of the arrest, KOB-TV reported.</p>
<p>Gilbert Romero’s attorney Anna Aragon also has challenged the validity of the search undertaken by officers after the mother had given her consent but before obtaining a search warrant, according to KOB-TV.</p>
<p>Prosecutors are weighing whether to refile the charges, the station reported.</p> | 7:15am — Drug Case Dropped | false | https://abqjournal.com/22424/715am-drug-case-dropped.html | 2least
| 7:15am — Drug Case Dropped
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Charges against Gilbert "Gordo" Romero, 20, who was turned in to authorities by his mother earlier this month, have been dismissed by a Mora County judge because the state wasn’t ready to go to trial within 10 days of his arrest, <a href="http://www.kobtv.com/index.cfm?viewer=storyviewer&amp;id=24956&amp;cat=HOME" type="external">KOB-TV</a> is reporting on its Web site.</p>
<p>Romero was arrested by Region 4 Narcotics Task Force agents on March 9 after his mother, 40-year-old Carole Romero of Encinal, was arrested and charged with trafficking crack cocaine and other charges, according to earlier <a href="../../../../north/442161north_news03-16-06.htm" type="external">Journal</a> reports.</p>
<p>Agents were trying to serve a search warrant on the Romero home on March 8 when Carole Romero was allegedly found with 17 rocks of crack cocaine on her person, the Journal reported.</p>
<p>Mora County law officers said the mother then implicated her son, who was arrested the following day and charged with trafficking and with receiving stolen property, according to the Journal.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Lawmen said they found in the home and in a storage shed power tools, electric generators, computers, DVD players, video game consoles, digital cameras, stereos, wood splitters and rifles, the Journal said.</p>
<p>The loot, estimated at more than $10,000 in value, was believed to have been stolen by addicts and turned over in exchange for drugs, said Mora County lawmen, who described Gilbert Romero as the county’s "No. 1 drug dealer."</p>
<p>A Mora County judge, however, dismissed the charges against Gilbert Romero last week, saying prosecutors weren’t ready to go to trail within 10 days of the arrest, KOB-TV reported.</p>
<p>Gilbert Romero’s attorney Anna Aragon also has challenged the validity of the search undertaken by officers after the mother had given her consent but before obtaining a search warrant, according to KOB-TV.</p>
<p>Prosecutors are weighing whether to refile the charges, the station reported.</p> | 599,542 |
|
<p>If there’s one other person the Obama inner circle wants to run for the presidency besides former Vice-President Joe Biden, it appears to be former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, according to <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/01/obamas-inner-circle-is-urging-deval-patrick-to-run-215443" type="external">Politico</a>.</p>
<p>Obama strategist David Axelrod has been broaching the idea with Patrick; Obama Svengali Valerie Jarrett said a President Patrick is what “my heart desires.”</p>
<p>David Simas, Obama’s political director in the White House and now the CEO of his foundation, was Patrick’s deputy chief of staff.</p>
<p>Most of all, according to Politico, “ Obama … has privately encouraged him to think about it.” Politico notes, “Patrick is the only politician on the Obama Foundation board.”</p>
<p>A former senior White House aide said, “If you were to poll 100 notable Obama alumni, the only two people who would win that 2020 straw poll right now are [Joe] Biden and Patrick.” Another former top Obama White House official echoed, “the center of gravity would really shift in his direction in Obama world if he were to decide to run.”</p>
<p>John Walsh, his 2006 campaign manager and close adviser, cautioned, “At a time like this, you hope there are people who have some of Deval Patrick’s motivations and skills that are thinking about public service, but from my interactions with him, elected office is not his career.”</p>
<p>Patrick played cagey with Politico, saying, “I’m trying to think about how to be helpful, because I care about the country, and I’m a patriot first. It’s way, way too soon to be making plans for 2020. So I’ll just leave it at that … don’t lead me down that path because it turns into something it isn’t, and I don’t want to go there. I have no plans to make plans.”</p>
<p>But Patrick wasn’t shy about slamming President Trump, asserting, “The president, I believe, is at risk of diminishing the voice of the presidency because he pops off so often, and so, kind of, carelessly. I think there is a risk both domestically, and internationally for that matter, that we’ll begin to tune him out.”</p>
<p>Patrick has been piling up money working as a managing director at Bain Capital, the same company Democrats vilified when they attacked Mitt Romney. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1982, he failed the State Bar of California twice before he passed on his third try.</p>
<p>In 1994; Bill Clinton appointed him as the United States assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the DOJ. He later worked as General Counsel of Texaco, then Executive Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary at the Coca-Cola Company.</p>
<p>Jarrett concluded, “He has the ability to touch people's hearts as well as their minds. I think our country is ready for that now—let alone in three years.”</p>
<p>Despite his protestations regarding running, Patrick asserted:</p>
<p>I think we can’t be just about what we’re against. We have to be about what we’re for. I think offering an alternative vision for the future of this country, and the role of government alongside the private sector, alongside philanthropy, alongside individuals exercising their free creativity, is enormously important. We can do that as a party. We have done it in the past, and we can do it again. I think we have to, to win.”</p>
<p>That sounds like he’s quite interested.</p> | There's One Other Person Besides Joe Biden The Obama Inner Circle Wants For 2020. Guess Who. | true | https://dailywire.com/news/19232/theres-one-other-person-besides-joe-biden-obama-hank-berrien | 2017-08-01 | 0right
| There's One Other Person Besides Joe Biden The Obama Inner Circle Wants For 2020. Guess Who.
<p>If there’s one other person the Obama inner circle wants to run for the presidency besides former Vice-President Joe Biden, it appears to be former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, according to <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/01/obamas-inner-circle-is-urging-deval-patrick-to-run-215443" type="external">Politico</a>.</p>
<p>Obama strategist David Axelrod has been broaching the idea with Patrick; Obama Svengali Valerie Jarrett said a President Patrick is what “my heart desires.”</p>
<p>David Simas, Obama’s political director in the White House and now the CEO of his foundation, was Patrick’s deputy chief of staff.</p>
<p>Most of all, according to Politico, “ Obama … has privately encouraged him to think about it.” Politico notes, “Patrick is the only politician on the Obama Foundation board.”</p>
<p>A former senior White House aide said, “If you were to poll 100 notable Obama alumni, the only two people who would win that 2020 straw poll right now are [Joe] Biden and Patrick.” Another former top Obama White House official echoed, “the center of gravity would really shift in his direction in Obama world if he were to decide to run.”</p>
<p>John Walsh, his 2006 campaign manager and close adviser, cautioned, “At a time like this, you hope there are people who have some of Deval Patrick’s motivations and skills that are thinking about public service, but from my interactions with him, elected office is not his career.”</p>
<p>Patrick played cagey with Politico, saying, “I’m trying to think about how to be helpful, because I care about the country, and I’m a patriot first. It’s way, way too soon to be making plans for 2020. So I’ll just leave it at that … don’t lead me down that path because it turns into something it isn’t, and I don’t want to go there. I have no plans to make plans.”</p>
<p>But Patrick wasn’t shy about slamming President Trump, asserting, “The president, I believe, is at risk of diminishing the voice of the presidency because he pops off so often, and so, kind of, carelessly. I think there is a risk both domestically, and internationally for that matter, that we’ll begin to tune him out.”</p>
<p>Patrick has been piling up money working as a managing director at Bain Capital, the same company Democrats vilified when they attacked Mitt Romney. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1982, he failed the State Bar of California twice before he passed on his third try.</p>
<p>In 1994; Bill Clinton appointed him as the United States assistant attorney general for the civil rights division of the DOJ. He later worked as General Counsel of Texaco, then Executive Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary at the Coca-Cola Company.</p>
<p>Jarrett concluded, “He has the ability to touch people's hearts as well as their minds. I think our country is ready for that now—let alone in three years.”</p>
<p>Despite his protestations regarding running, Patrick asserted:</p>
<p>I think we can’t be just about what we’re against. We have to be about what we’re for. I think offering an alternative vision for the future of this country, and the role of government alongside the private sector, alongside philanthropy, alongside individuals exercising their free creativity, is enormously important. We can do that as a party. We have done it in the past, and we can do it again. I think we have to, to win.”</p>
<p>That sounds like he’s quite interested.</p> | 599,543 |
<p>___</p>
<p>US vs. China: a 'slap-fight,' not a trade war. So far</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — First, the United States imposed a tax on Chinese steel and aluminum. Then, China counterpunched Monday with tariffs on a host of U.S. products, including apples, pork and ginseng. On Wall Street, the stock market buckled on the prospect of an all-out trade war between the world's two biggest economies. But it hasn't come to that — not yet, anyway.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>China raises tariffs on US pork, fruit in trade dispute</p>
<p>BEIJING (AP) — China's move to raise import duties on U.S. pork, apples and other products will hit American farm states, many of which voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump isn't going to back down in the escalating trade dispute with China. She tells "Fox and Friends" that Trump is "going to fight back and he's going to push back." China's government says it's responding to a U.S. tariff hike on steel and aluminum.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Tech woes, worsening tensions with China sink US stocks</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks tumbled Monday after China raised import duties on a number of U.S. exports, bringing the two economic giants closer to a full-on trade conflict. Big technology companies, long investor favorites, suffered heavy losses. The worries over newly protectionist U.S. trade policies combined with blowback over Facebook's ever-widening privacy scandal have prompted investors to take money off the table. That has meant steep drops in former big winners including Netflix, Microsoft and Alphabet.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>EPA to ease back emissions standards</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency has set a plan to roll back emissions standards for cars and trucks but it didn't specify details. The regulator said Monday standards set by President Barack Obama were inappropriate and too high.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Facebook CEO defends advertising-supported business model</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — The CEO of Facebook is defending its advertising-supported business model. Mark Zuckerberg's defense comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company wouldn't be in Facebook's situation because Apple doesn't sell ads based on customer data the way Facebook does. Zuckerberg responded Monday that an advertising-supported business model is the only way that the service can survive because not everyone would be able to pay for Facebook if it charged a fee.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Pace of US factory growth slipped in March</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturers say they expanded at a slower pace in March. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, reports that its manufacturing index slipped to 59.3 last month from February's reading of 60.8, which had been the highest since 2004. Any score above 50 signals growth. Multiple companies surveyed for the index said that the introduction of steel and aluminum tariffs by President Donald Trump were causing concerns about rising prices.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>EPA says Pruitt's condo lease didn't violate ethics rules</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — An agency ethics official at the Environmental Protection Agency says Administrator Scott Pruitt's lease of a Capitol Hill condo tied to a prominent fossil-fuels lobbyist didn't violate federal rules. A memo signed by the official concludes that Pruitt's $50-a-night rental payments constitute a fair market rate. Pruitt paid just for nights he occupied the unit, averaging $1,000 a month. Two-bedroom apartments in the neighborhood typically rent for three to four times that amount per month.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Puerto Rico gov defies board, rejects reform, pension cuts</p>
<p>SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The powers of a federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances could soon be tested as the U.S. territory's governor defies its calls to implement more austerity measures amid an 11-year recession. Gov. Ricardo Rossello on Monday rejected demands that his administration submit a revised fiscal plan to include a labor reform and a 10 percent cut to a pension system facing nearly $50 billion in liabilities. He said the plan he will submit Thursday also will not contain any layoffs.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>French train strikes aim to disrupt travel, test Macron</p>
<p>PARIS (AP) — Trains around France are grinding to a stop as unions stage a mass strike to challenge President Emmanuel Macron's strategy for making his country more economically competitive. Passengers are sharing cars or canceling trips after national railway SNCF said the strike will halt 85 percent of France's high-speed trains and 75 percent of regional trains. A quarter of Air France flights will be grounded Tuesday by a separate strike over pay.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index gave up 58.99 points, or 2.2 percent, to 2,581.88. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 458.92 points, or 1.9 percent, to 23,644.19. The Nasdaq composite slumped 193.33 points, or 2.7 percent, to 6,870.12. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks fell 36.90 points, or 2.4 percent, to 1,492.53.</p>
<p>Benchmark U.S. crude lost $1.93, or 3 percent, to $63.01 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, slid $1.70, or 2.5 percent, to $67.64 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline dropped 5 cents to $1.97 a gallon. Heating oil fell 4 cents to $1.98 a gallon. Natural gas slid 5 cents to $2.68 per 1,000 cubic feet.</p> | Business Highlights | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/13/business-highlights.html | 2018-04-02 | 0right
| Business Highlights
<p>___</p>
<p>US vs. China: a 'slap-fight,' not a trade war. So far</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — First, the United States imposed a tax on Chinese steel and aluminum. Then, China counterpunched Monday with tariffs on a host of U.S. products, including apples, pork and ginseng. On Wall Street, the stock market buckled on the prospect of an all-out trade war between the world's two biggest economies. But it hasn't come to that — not yet, anyway.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>China raises tariffs on US pork, fruit in trade dispute</p>
<p>BEIJING (AP) — China's move to raise import duties on U.S. pork, apples and other products will hit American farm states, many of which voted for Donald Trump in 2016. But spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump isn't going to back down in the escalating trade dispute with China. She tells "Fox and Friends" that Trump is "going to fight back and he's going to push back." China's government says it's responding to a U.S. tariff hike on steel and aluminum.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Tech woes, worsening tensions with China sink US stocks</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks tumbled Monday after China raised import duties on a number of U.S. exports, bringing the two economic giants closer to a full-on trade conflict. Big technology companies, long investor favorites, suffered heavy losses. The worries over newly protectionist U.S. trade policies combined with blowback over Facebook's ever-widening privacy scandal have prompted investors to take money off the table. That has meant steep drops in former big winners including Netflix, Microsoft and Alphabet.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>EPA to ease back emissions standards</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Environmental Protection Agency has set a plan to roll back emissions standards for cars and trucks but it didn't specify details. The regulator said Monday standards set by President Barack Obama were inappropriate and too high.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Facebook CEO defends advertising-supported business model</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — The CEO of Facebook is defending its advertising-supported business model. Mark Zuckerberg's defense comes after Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company wouldn't be in Facebook's situation because Apple doesn't sell ads based on customer data the way Facebook does. Zuckerberg responded Monday that an advertising-supported business model is the only way that the service can survive because not everyone would be able to pay for Facebook if it charged a fee.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Pace of US factory growth slipped in March</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturers say they expanded at a slower pace in March. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, reports that its manufacturing index slipped to 59.3 last month from February's reading of 60.8, which had been the highest since 2004. Any score above 50 signals growth. Multiple companies surveyed for the index said that the introduction of steel and aluminum tariffs by President Donald Trump were causing concerns about rising prices.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>EPA says Pruitt's condo lease didn't violate ethics rules</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — An agency ethics official at the Environmental Protection Agency says Administrator Scott Pruitt's lease of a Capitol Hill condo tied to a prominent fossil-fuels lobbyist didn't violate federal rules. A memo signed by the official concludes that Pruitt's $50-a-night rental payments constitute a fair market rate. Pruitt paid just for nights he occupied the unit, averaging $1,000 a month. Two-bedroom apartments in the neighborhood typically rent for three to four times that amount per month.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Puerto Rico gov defies board, rejects reform, pension cuts</p>
<p>SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The powers of a federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico's finances could soon be tested as the U.S. territory's governor defies its calls to implement more austerity measures amid an 11-year recession. Gov. Ricardo Rossello on Monday rejected demands that his administration submit a revised fiscal plan to include a labor reform and a 10 percent cut to a pension system facing nearly $50 billion in liabilities. He said the plan he will submit Thursday also will not contain any layoffs.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>French train strikes aim to disrupt travel, test Macron</p>
<p>PARIS (AP) — Trains around France are grinding to a stop as unions stage a mass strike to challenge President Emmanuel Macron's strategy for making his country more economically competitive. Passengers are sharing cars or canceling trips after national railway SNCF said the strike will halt 85 percent of France's high-speed trains and 75 percent of regional trains. A quarter of Air France flights will be grounded Tuesday by a separate strike over pay.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 index gave up 58.99 points, or 2.2 percent, to 2,581.88. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 458.92 points, or 1.9 percent, to 23,644.19. The Nasdaq composite slumped 193.33 points, or 2.7 percent, to 6,870.12. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks fell 36.90 points, or 2.4 percent, to 1,492.53.</p>
<p>Benchmark U.S. crude lost $1.93, or 3 percent, to $63.01 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, slid $1.70, or 2.5 percent, to $67.64 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline dropped 5 cents to $1.97 a gallon. Heating oil fell 4 cents to $1.98 a gallon. Natural gas slid 5 cents to $2.68 per 1,000 cubic feet.</p> | 599,544 |
<p>The Iranian military must be enjoying the latest spectacle of Pentagon waste and bungling.</p>
<p>Only a few weeks ago, the US attempted to ramp up the pressure on Iran by deploying to the Persian Gulf at the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, just across the gulf from Iran, a squadron of the Air Force’s spanking new and never battle-tested supersonic F-22 stealth fighter-bombers.</p>
<p>Stealth technology would be a key to any US attack on Iran because a central tenet of US imperial war strategy is that US losses have to be kept to a very low number so that the American public will continue shopping and watching American Idol and ignoring the endless wars.&#160; Since the Iranians, over the years, have been supplied with sophisticated Russian and Chinese radars and anti-aircraft missiles, a conventional attack could lead to heavy and politically dangerous losses.</p>
<p>The problem is that those F-22 Raptors are duds. They may fly fast, and may even be hard to spot on radar (though that claim has been debunked by many experts), but they have a fatal defect in their life-support system. Pilots who fly them have been having their oxygen supply cut off with disturbing regularity, leading to deaths, crashes and to forced landings by pilots who realized they were getting dopey or losing consciousness.</p>
<p>According to a number of news reports, pilots have been refusing to fly these new airborne coffins. That’s a pretty big deal. Remember, we’re talking about members of the military saying no to superior officers who have ordered them to climb into a <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external" />cockpit. I would call that a kind of strike, functionally speaking.</p>
<p>Now, if the US were to launch an attack on Iran, refusing to fly would be a more serious matter of course, and so probably few of the pilots in the doomed squadron at Al Dhafra would likely risk court martial by refusing to take off, but this raises the possibility that we could have sophisticated, heavily armed <a href="" type="internal">$421-million planes</a> dropping out of the skies all over Iran as they try to reach their assigned targets.</p>
<p>Not a pretty picture for Americans back home, but surely entertaining for Iranians watching from their porches or on their TVs.</p>
<p>According to an <a href="" type="internal">AP report</a>, War Secretary Leon Panetta has finally acknowledged&#160; the F-22’s problems, though two investigations over the past year have failed to find a cause or a fix, and in an “unusual move” for a Secretary has placed flight restrictions on the plane. Under Panetta’s order, the F-22s need to stay close to their base, so they can be landed in a hurry if the pilot senses problems with his air supply.&#160; That could definitely make conducting a run of several hundred miles to some Iranian target area a challenge.</p>
<p>Of course, maybe the shifting of that squadron of flawed planes to the Persian Gulf was really just a bluff anyway. Why on earth would President Obama and his generals and his war secretary want to kick off a war using a bunch of untested weapons with a known history for killing their pilots and falling out of the sky on routine training missions?</p>
<p>Maybe that “combat” deployment all has more to do with winning votes from the workers at Lockheed Martin locations (makers of this flying white elephant) than with scaring the Iranians.</p>
<p>Dave Lindorff&#160;is a founder of This Can’t Be Happening and a contributor&#160;to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion</a>, published by AK Press.&#160;Hopeless is also available in a&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Kindle edition</a>.&#160;He lives in Philadelphia.&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Dropping Planes, Not Bombs | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/05/18/dropping-planes-not-bombs/ | 2012-05-18 | 4left
| Dropping Planes, Not Bombs
<p>The Iranian military must be enjoying the latest spectacle of Pentagon waste and bungling.</p>
<p>Only a few weeks ago, the US attempted to ramp up the pressure on Iran by deploying to the Persian Gulf at the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, just across the gulf from Iran, a squadron of the Air Force’s spanking new and never battle-tested supersonic F-22 stealth fighter-bombers.</p>
<p>Stealth technology would be a key to any US attack on Iran because a central tenet of US imperial war strategy is that US losses have to be kept to a very low number so that the American public will continue shopping and watching American Idol and ignoring the endless wars.&#160; Since the Iranians, over the years, have been supplied with sophisticated Russian and Chinese radars and anti-aircraft missiles, a conventional attack could lead to heavy and politically dangerous losses.</p>
<p>The problem is that those F-22 Raptors are duds. They may fly fast, and may even be hard to spot on radar (though that claim has been debunked by many experts), but they have a fatal defect in their life-support system. Pilots who fly them have been having their oxygen supply cut off with disturbing regularity, leading to deaths, crashes and to forced landings by pilots who realized they were getting dopey or losing consciousness.</p>
<p>According to a number of news reports, pilots have been refusing to fly these new airborne coffins. That’s a pretty big deal. Remember, we’re talking about members of the military saying no to superior officers who have ordered them to climb into a <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external" />cockpit. I would call that a kind of strike, functionally speaking.</p>
<p>Now, if the US were to launch an attack on Iran, refusing to fly would be a more serious matter of course, and so probably few of the pilots in the doomed squadron at Al Dhafra would likely risk court martial by refusing to take off, but this raises the possibility that we could have sophisticated, heavily armed <a href="" type="internal">$421-million planes</a> dropping out of the skies all over Iran as they try to reach their assigned targets.</p>
<p>Not a pretty picture for Americans back home, but surely entertaining for Iranians watching from their porches or on their TVs.</p>
<p>According to an <a href="" type="internal">AP report</a>, War Secretary Leon Panetta has finally acknowledged&#160; the F-22’s problems, though two investigations over the past year have failed to find a cause or a fix, and in an “unusual move” for a Secretary has placed flight restrictions on the plane. Under Panetta’s order, the F-22s need to stay close to their base, so they can be landed in a hurry if the pilot senses problems with his air supply.&#160; That could definitely make conducting a run of several hundred miles to some Iranian target area a challenge.</p>
<p>Of course, maybe the shifting of that squadron of flawed planes to the Persian Gulf was really just a bluff anyway. Why on earth would President Obama and his generals and his war secretary want to kick off a war using a bunch of untested weapons with a known history for killing their pilots and falling out of the sky on routine training missions?</p>
<p>Maybe that “combat” deployment all has more to do with winning votes from the workers at Lockheed Martin locations (makers of this flying white elephant) than with scaring the Iranians.</p>
<p>Dave Lindorff&#160;is a founder of This Can’t Be Happening and a contributor&#160;to&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion</a>, published by AK Press.&#160;Hopeless is also available in a&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Kindle edition</a>.&#160;He lives in Philadelphia.&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,545 |
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Air Force veteran and airplane mechanic plotted to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group and was arrested on terrorism charges, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.</p>
<p>Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, of Neptune, New Jersey, was due Wednesday in a New York federal court after being indicted on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group and obstructing justice.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh had been stopped at a Turkish airport in January carrying a laptop with information on Turkey-Syria border crossing points, 180 jihadist propaganda videos including footage of an Islamic State prisoner beheading, and a letter declaring: "I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States."</p>
<p>"There is only two possible outcomes for me. Victory or martyr," continued the letter, which authorities believe was to Pugh's Egyptian wife, investigators said in court papers.</p>
<p>Pugh's lawyer, Michael K. Schneider, said Pugh would plead not guilty. Schneider declined to comment further.</p>
<p>The 47-year-old Pugh served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 and was trained in installing and maintaining aircraft engines and navigation and weapons systems, according to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch's office. An airman first class, Pugh was assigned to the Woodbridge Air Base in England in July 1987 and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona in July 1989, the Air Force said.</p>
<p>Pugh converted to Islam around 1998, court papers said.</p>
<p>After leaving the Air Force, he worked as an avionics specialist and airplane mechanic for a number of companies in the Middle East and the U.S. — including American Airlines, where the FBI got a 2001 tip about him from a co-worker who said Pugh expressed sympathy for Osama bin Laden, according to court papers. The airline said he left in early 2000 after a few months at American.</p>
<p>In 2002, an associate of Pugh's told the FBI that Pugh was interested in traveling to Chechnya to wage war, the investigators' court filing said.</p>
<p>Pugh worked on for DynCorp International in Iraq as an Army contractor in 2009 and 2010, the filing said. McLean, Virginia-based DynCorp declined to comment.</p>
<p>Pugh has been living overseas for the past year and a half, most recently in Egypt, investigators said. Last summer, Kuwait-based charter airline Gryphon Airlines considered hiring Pugh for a project but decided he didn't meet the requirements, the company said in a statement. He told an acquaintance in a December email that he'd been fired from his most recent job, according to investigators.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh then decided to join the Islamic State group, traveling from Egypt to Turkey to ultimately cross the border into Syria. He was stopped at the Turkish border Jan. 10, turned away and returned to Egypt, where he was detained to be returned to the U.S.</p>
<p>Pugh variously told authorities in Turkey and Egypt that he had gone to Turkey for vacation and to look for a job, and he said had no desire to go to Syria, court papers said.</p>
<p>But investigators said they found a chart of crossing points between Turkey and Syria, plus information about whether the border checkpoints were staffed, on Pugh's laptop. Investigators said his cellphone also had photos of a machine gun and airplanes, including an airplane bathroom and an area under passenger seats.</p>
<p>He was flown back to the U.S. on Jan. 15.</p>
<p>The Department of Justice has charged roughly 20 people in the past year with planning to travel to the Middle East to fight alongside militants such as the Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq. Federal officials have been concerned about Americans going overseas to train with these groups and returning with plots to carry out attacks at home.</p>
<p>"We will continue to vigorously prosecute extremists, whether based here or abroad, to stop them before they are able to threaten the United States and its allies," Lynch said in a statement Tuesday.</p>
<p>Three men were arrested late last month in a plot to travel to Syria; they have pleaded not guilty.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Air Force veteran and airplane mechanic plotted to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group and was arrested on terrorism charges, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.</p>
<p>Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, of Neptune, New Jersey, was due Wednesday in a New York federal court after being indicted on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group and obstructing justice.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh had been stopped at a Turkish airport in January carrying a laptop with information on Turkey-Syria border crossing points, 180 jihadist propaganda videos including footage of an Islamic State prisoner beheading, and a letter declaring: "I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States."</p>
<p>"There is only two possible outcomes for me. Victory or martyr," continued the letter, which authorities believe was to Pugh's Egyptian wife, investigators said in court papers.</p>
<p>Pugh's lawyer, Michael K. Schneider, said Pugh would plead not guilty. Schneider declined to comment further.</p>
<p>The 47-year-old Pugh served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 and was trained in installing and maintaining aircraft engines and navigation and weapons systems, according to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch's office. An airman first class, Pugh was assigned to the Woodbridge Air Base in England in July 1987 and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona in July 1989, the Air Force said.</p>
<p>Pugh converted to Islam around 1998, court papers said.</p>
<p>After leaving the Air Force, he worked as an avionics specialist and airplane mechanic for a number of companies in the Middle East and the U.S. — including American Airlines, where the FBI got a 2001 tip about him from a co-worker who said Pugh expressed sympathy for Osama bin Laden, according to court papers. The airline said he left in early 2000 after a few months at American.</p>
<p>In 2002, an associate of Pugh's told the FBI that Pugh was interested in traveling to Chechnya to wage war, the investigators' court filing said.</p>
<p>Pugh worked on for DynCorp International in Iraq as an Army contractor in 2009 and 2010, the filing said. McLean, Virginia-based DynCorp declined to comment.</p>
<p>Pugh has been living overseas for the past year and a half, most recently in Egypt, investigators said. Last summer, Kuwait-based charter airline Gryphon Airlines considered hiring Pugh for a project but decided he didn't meet the requirements, the company said in a statement. He told an acquaintance in a December email that he'd been fired from his most recent job, according to investigators.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh then decided to join the Islamic State group, traveling from Egypt to Turkey to ultimately cross the border into Syria. He was stopped at the Turkish border Jan. 10, turned away and returned to Egypt, where he was detained to be returned to the U.S.</p>
<p>Pugh variously told authorities in Turkey and Egypt that he had gone to Turkey for vacation and to look for a job, and he said had no desire to go to Syria, court papers said.</p>
<p>But investigators said they found a chart of crossing points between Turkey and Syria, plus information about whether the border checkpoints were staffed, on Pugh's laptop. Investigators said his cellphone also had photos of a machine gun and airplanes, including an airplane bathroom and an area under passenger seats.</p>
<p>He was flown back to the U.S. on Jan. 15.</p>
<p>The Department of Justice has charged roughly 20 people in the past year with planning to travel to the Middle East to fight alongside militants such as the Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq. Federal officials have been concerned about Americans going overseas to train with these groups and returning with plots to carry out attacks at home.</p>
<p>"We will continue to vigorously prosecute extremists, whether based here or abroad, to stop them before they are able to threaten the United States and its allies," Lynch said in a statement Tuesday.</p>
<p>Three men were arrested late last month in a plot to travel to Syria; they have pleaded not guilty.</p> | Feds: US Air Force vet tried to join Islamic State group | false | https://apnews.com/amp/861210f4da8347899a1d25193fd03150 | 2015-03-18 | 2least
| Feds: US Air Force vet tried to join Islamic State group
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Air Force veteran and airplane mechanic plotted to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group and was arrested on terrorism charges, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.</p>
<p>Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, of Neptune, New Jersey, was due Wednesday in a New York federal court after being indicted on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group and obstructing justice.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh had been stopped at a Turkish airport in January carrying a laptop with information on Turkey-Syria border crossing points, 180 jihadist propaganda videos including footage of an Islamic State prisoner beheading, and a letter declaring: "I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States."</p>
<p>"There is only two possible outcomes for me. Victory or martyr," continued the letter, which authorities believe was to Pugh's Egyptian wife, investigators said in court papers.</p>
<p>Pugh's lawyer, Michael K. Schneider, said Pugh would plead not guilty. Schneider declined to comment further.</p>
<p>The 47-year-old Pugh served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 and was trained in installing and maintaining aircraft engines and navigation and weapons systems, according to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch's office. An airman first class, Pugh was assigned to the Woodbridge Air Base in England in July 1987 and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona in July 1989, the Air Force said.</p>
<p>Pugh converted to Islam around 1998, court papers said.</p>
<p>After leaving the Air Force, he worked as an avionics specialist and airplane mechanic for a number of companies in the Middle East and the U.S. — including American Airlines, where the FBI got a 2001 tip about him from a co-worker who said Pugh expressed sympathy for Osama bin Laden, according to court papers. The airline said he left in early 2000 after a few months at American.</p>
<p>In 2002, an associate of Pugh's told the FBI that Pugh was interested in traveling to Chechnya to wage war, the investigators' court filing said.</p>
<p>Pugh worked on for DynCorp International in Iraq as an Army contractor in 2009 and 2010, the filing said. McLean, Virginia-based DynCorp declined to comment.</p>
<p>Pugh has been living overseas for the past year and a half, most recently in Egypt, investigators said. Last summer, Kuwait-based charter airline Gryphon Airlines considered hiring Pugh for a project but decided he didn't meet the requirements, the company said in a statement. He told an acquaintance in a December email that he'd been fired from his most recent job, according to investigators.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh then decided to join the Islamic State group, traveling from Egypt to Turkey to ultimately cross the border into Syria. He was stopped at the Turkish border Jan. 10, turned away and returned to Egypt, where he was detained to be returned to the U.S.</p>
<p>Pugh variously told authorities in Turkey and Egypt that he had gone to Turkey for vacation and to look for a job, and he said had no desire to go to Syria, court papers said.</p>
<p>But investigators said they found a chart of crossing points between Turkey and Syria, plus information about whether the border checkpoints were staffed, on Pugh's laptop. Investigators said his cellphone also had photos of a machine gun and airplanes, including an airplane bathroom and an area under passenger seats.</p>
<p>He was flown back to the U.S. on Jan. 15.</p>
<p>The Department of Justice has charged roughly 20 people in the past year with planning to travel to the Middle East to fight alongside militants such as the Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq. Federal officials have been concerned about Americans going overseas to train with these groups and returning with plots to carry out attacks at home.</p>
<p>"We will continue to vigorously prosecute extremists, whether based here or abroad, to stop them before they are able to threaten the United States and its allies," Lynch said in a statement Tuesday.</p>
<p>Three men were arrested late last month in a plot to travel to Syria; they have pleaded not guilty.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. Air Force veteran and airplane mechanic plotted to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group and was arrested on terrorism charges, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.</p>
<p>Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, of Neptune, New Jersey, was due Wednesday in a New York federal court after being indicted on charges of attempting to provide material support to a terrorist group and obstructing justice.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh had been stopped at a Turkish airport in January carrying a laptop with information on Turkey-Syria border crossing points, 180 jihadist propaganda videos including footage of an Islamic State prisoner beheading, and a letter declaring: "I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States."</p>
<p>"There is only two possible outcomes for me. Victory or martyr," continued the letter, which authorities believe was to Pugh's Egyptian wife, investigators said in court papers.</p>
<p>Pugh's lawyer, Michael K. Schneider, said Pugh would plead not guilty. Schneider declined to comment further.</p>
<p>The 47-year-old Pugh served in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990 and was trained in installing and maintaining aircraft engines and navigation and weapons systems, according to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch's office. An airman first class, Pugh was assigned to the Woodbridge Air Base in England in July 1987 and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona in July 1989, the Air Force said.</p>
<p>Pugh converted to Islam around 1998, court papers said.</p>
<p>After leaving the Air Force, he worked as an avionics specialist and airplane mechanic for a number of companies in the Middle East and the U.S. — including American Airlines, where the FBI got a 2001 tip about him from a co-worker who said Pugh expressed sympathy for Osama bin Laden, according to court papers. The airline said he left in early 2000 after a few months at American.</p>
<p>In 2002, an associate of Pugh's told the FBI that Pugh was interested in traveling to Chechnya to wage war, the investigators' court filing said.</p>
<p>Pugh worked on for DynCorp International in Iraq as an Army contractor in 2009 and 2010, the filing said. McLean, Virginia-based DynCorp declined to comment.</p>
<p>Pugh has been living overseas for the past year and a half, most recently in Egypt, investigators said. Last summer, Kuwait-based charter airline Gryphon Airlines considered hiring Pugh for a project but decided he didn't meet the requirements, the company said in a statement. He told an acquaintance in a December email that he'd been fired from his most recent job, according to investigators.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Pugh then decided to join the Islamic State group, traveling from Egypt to Turkey to ultimately cross the border into Syria. He was stopped at the Turkish border Jan. 10, turned away and returned to Egypt, where he was detained to be returned to the U.S.</p>
<p>Pugh variously told authorities in Turkey and Egypt that he had gone to Turkey for vacation and to look for a job, and he said had no desire to go to Syria, court papers said.</p>
<p>But investigators said they found a chart of crossing points between Turkey and Syria, plus information about whether the border checkpoints were staffed, on Pugh's laptop. Investigators said his cellphone also had photos of a machine gun and airplanes, including an airplane bathroom and an area under passenger seats.</p>
<p>He was flown back to the U.S. on Jan. 15.</p>
<p>The Department of Justice has charged roughly 20 people in the past year with planning to travel to the Middle East to fight alongside militants such as the Islamic State group, which controls parts of Syria and Iraq. Federal officials have been concerned about Americans going overseas to train with these groups and returning with plots to carry out attacks at home.</p>
<p>"We will continue to vigorously prosecute extremists, whether based here or abroad, to stop them before they are able to threaten the United States and its allies," Lynch said in a statement Tuesday.</p>
<p>Three men were arrested late last month in a plot to travel to Syria; they have pleaded not guilty.</p> | 599,546 |
<p>Throughout the first several weeks of Occupy Oakland’s existence the analysis and discussion at the General Assembly and elsewhere has been about the need to construct an entirely different social order.&#160; It is not so much that “the system is broken” but that it is, and always has been, set up to deliberately benefit, a small minority.&#160; The few social provisions that allowed many people in Oakland to survive off of low or no wages have been cut, largely to maintain a police budget that consumes 2/3rds of the city budget.&#160; Budget cuts to education and services, police brutality, unemployment and housing foreclosures all serve to multiply the pain and precariousness of a growing number of Oaklanders, displacing many more, including <a href="" type="internal">25% of Oakland’s black population</a> in the last 10 years. This reality is not unlike many other cities and towns throughout the country and not entirely dissimilar to the realities of most people throughout the world living through the last four decades of neoliberal, free market capitalism.</p>
<p>The goal of this piece is to illustrate how the vacancies of capitalism, shuttered homes, abandoned factories, closed schools, de-funded libraries and social programs are a vacancy in two senses – and how Occupy Oakland, as well as cities and towns throughout the Occupy movement, are attempting to fill them.&#160; First, they are an obvious gap or a lack – a lack of jobs, housing, affordable healthy food, medical care, etc. – that are either embodied in empty homes and factories or in emptiness inside the residents of Oakland, whether a physical hunger from lack of food, or a metaphorical hunger for a better world.&#160; Second, these vacancies are not just a lack, they a political, social and economic opening within the existing social order that capital and the State have ceded for the sake of short-term profit.&#160; The long history of the failures of the existing order, and the current crisis we find ourselves in, are an opportunity to fill the vacancies of a dying world while building a better one.&#160; We have seen this all over the globe – Argentina, Greece, Egypt and elsewhere – when the social order makes life impossible for a large number of people, and relatively deprives another large group that is not accustomed to barely getting by, they self-organize their communities while fighting for a just society that meets peoples’ needs.&#160; Oakland, and cities all over the US, have begun this process and are preparing to take this next step – occupying these multiple vacancies.</p>
<p>The Power of Solidarity: Occupy Strikes Back</p>
<p>The vacancies of capitalism in Oakland overlap each other and effect different communities in different ways.&#160; Undocumented day laborers from the Fruitvale face different struggles than the 50% of black young adults who are unemployed and over-policed in East Oakland.&#160; College students who contribute to rising rents that even they can’t afford with their massive student loans in North Oakland are in a different position than single mothers who can’t afford $1000 every month for childcare for one child in West Oakland.&#160; The language of the 99% tends to lump people in a way that erases relative class privilege as well as gender and race inequalities.&#160; While we need to develop this conversation and what it means for our short-term and long-term political work – we should also appreciate the fact that despite our differences in lived experience, and unsympathetic media efforts to highlight them, a large portion of Oakland’s population support the anti-capitalist goals of Occupy Oakland for a radically different society.&#160; Our potential grows out of our own strength and solidarity, but also out of the vacancies of capitalism – economically in its inability to provide jobs or decent wages, and politically in its inability to learn from its past and current crises by attempting to lessen peoples’ pain.&#160; Though this pain is not evenly distributed among us, the key to its alleviation is collective action and solidarity.</p>
<p>Oakland is preparing for several major actions in the next two weeks.&#160; On November 30th, there will be a rally in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland in solidarity with efforts in Arizona to shut down the ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) summit which constructs policies that criminalize communities of color, including crafting SB 1070.&#160; On December 6th, Oakland will be participating in a nation-wide day of action against foreclosures, helping to put evicted families back in their homes.&#160; On the 12th, all of the ports on the West Coast will be shut down in solidarity with longshoreman resisting scab labor on the docks in Longview, WA as well as highly exploited independent truckers.&#160; Major banks have their hands in all of these efforts to criminalize and exploit workers.&#160; These are not just fleeting days of actions, but ongoing political work in Oakland and elsewhere, harnessing our collective social power to transform the existing society through solidarity and collective action.</p>
<p>The System Isn’t Broken, the System Needs to be Broken</p>
<p>The housing and economic crises as well as social cuts do not exist in a vacuum, nor are they particularly new.&#160; They are however being exacerbated by record levels of racialized economic disparity.&#160; The distribution of resources in a society is an easy way to evaluate not just economic inequality, but political power of various groups in society as well as the values and morals of those who are in a position to decide the allocation of those resources.&#160; Economic inequality nationally is at the highest level ever recorded.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">71.5 % of all wealth is controlled by the top 10%</a>, with the 1% controlling 34% by themselves.&#160; The racialized economic wealth gap shows an even greater contrast, with <a href="" type="internal">median white wealth</a> 20 times greater than black wealth and 18 times greater than Latinos.&#160; Our cities also visually illustrate this stark economic disparity.&#160; Of all the cities in the entire world <a href="" type="internal">New York</a> has the 9th highest level of economic inequality.&#160; The Bay Area metro region has the <a href="" type="internal">7th highest</a> level of inequality in the country.</p>
<p>This inequity is, and has been, compounded by political policies designed to shift money away from the poor and working class and towards benefits for the rich and State apparatuses of social control – with police, prisons, and foreign wars topping the list.&#160; At the national level, the federal budget that spends almost half of its money on the military also gave several billion dollars to the banks that recklessly created this crisis&#160; – not so they can help people stay in their homes, but so they can buy smaller banks in the aftermath of the crisis they created, deny people loans and mortgage modifications, and (often literally) take our last dollars in bank fees, or leave us to the predation of check-cashers and pay-day loans.</p>
<p>In Oakland the city budget gives the best overview of the priorities of those in power.&#160; The police control 2/3rds of an indebted and shrinking budget, with social services making up roughly 20% of city expenses – facing heavy budget cuts again this year.&#160; School funding, which comes out of a separate budget, has been steadily de-funded, compounded by the social costs of housing foreclosures (discussed below), leading to 5 school closures this year and the potential for a much higher number of school closures next year.&#160; The politico-economic system works in mutually beneficial ways for the rich and mutually detrimental ways for the rest of us – their splendor is our pain.&#160; The Occupy movement in Oakland is addressing this through coordinated direct action and solidarity, not through petitioning a system that is deliberately designed to do exactly what it has been doing for decades.</p>
<p>Factories and Housing: From Usefulness to Speculation</p>
<p>Banks, other financial institutions and major corporate players in real estate have thus far succeeded in making their crisis our crisis.&#160; The several billion dollars in bailout money, and the billions more loaned out of the Federal Reserve, are only one part of the story.&#160; Through a combination of international competition and waves of deregulation in the last four decades, capitalism has permanently shifted to pursuing profit through unstable forms of speculation.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Noam Chomsky</a> points out that in the early 1970s 90% of global trade (market exchanges) were of real goods and services (i.e. cars, food, teachers’ salaries) and 10% was speculation (i.e. hedge funds, stock futures, etc.).&#160; Today 90% of trade is speculation and 10% is in real goods and services.&#160; This means that our economic system is firmly rooted in real estate speculation, complex financial instruments that the banks don’t even understand, government, corporate and household debt, currency speculation, and various insurance and bailout schemes to protect these corporate gamblers from risk.</p>
<p>US taxpayers are currently paying several billion dollars for bailouts on declining wages from the most current crisis that began in 2008.&#160; To compound the situation these same banks and assorted speculators have used this money to take advantage of those most harmed in the crisis.&#160; As homeowners lose their houses due to predatory loans or outright bank fraud, and renters get evicted because they either lost their jobs or can’t pay continuously <a href="" type="internal">rising rents in cities like Oakland</a>, the already bloated vultures have swept in to flip foreclosed houses into gentrification pads and have bought whole portions of neighborhoods in Oakland at rock-bottom prices, speculating that the aforementioned gentrification will increase the value of their investment in the coming years.&#160; This leaves a landscape of empty homes and homeless families.&#160; This is modern primitive accumulation in US cities, where market processes destroy peoples’ ability to get by with the intention of appropriating resources – land, homes, city budget funds.&#160; Plainly, this is economic profit through perpetuating social crisis.&#160; This process is not new, nor is it unique to Oakland.</p>
<p>The extent of this housing crisis in Oakland is acute, with 33% of homeowners behind on their mortgages, as real estate developers like the Fitzgerald Group take advantage of declining property values, in neighborhoods like West Oakland, to speculate on future gentrification.&#160; California has the second highest foreclosure rate in the US. In Oakland <a href="http://oaklandlocal.com/article/notes-scene-w-oakland-occupy-camp-faces-uncertain-future-police-make-them-leave" type="external">1 in 241 homes were foreclosed</a> on in just one month, this past August, at a cost to the city of <a href="http://www.calorganize.org/wreckingball" type="external">$20,000 in city services</a> to evict each family.&#160; While the costs to the City of Oakland to carry out these evictions, in a city with a population below 400,000, has totaled <a href="http://www.calorganize.org/wreckingball" type="external">$224 million</a>, an additional <a href="" type="internal">$75 million</a> has been lost in property taxes.&#160; This $75 million is a rough estimate of the overall budget deficit of the entire City of Oakland for this coming year.&#160; From 2008, Oakland property values will have fallen by $12 billion by the end of 2012.&#160; The gutting of the tax base, will further decimate what little is left of Oakland’s social services and the public schools, forcing more families out, bringing in more privatization.&#160; This accumulation through dispossession is a deliberate political policy designed to perpetuate a social crisis for the potential economic enrichment of the few.</p>
<p>They Have Made Their Crisis Our Crisis; Now It’s Time to Make Our Crisis Theirs’&#160;</p>
<p>The government, both locally and nationally, have met the crisis of capitalism and the Occupy movement that has grown out of it with an extraordinary amount of hubris.&#160; At the federal level, bank bailouts and corporate tax breaks, failure to provide medical care to tens of millions of Americans, unending wars and continuous saber rattling, school budget cuts, and continued criminalization of immigrants and communities of color, demonstrate an overwhelming bipartisan commitment to the unholy alliance of trickle-down economics and militarism, both outside and inside the borders of the US.&#160; The federally coordinated raids on the Occupy movement in recent weeks and perpetual rounds of police violence around the country mark a conscious effort to suppress dissent with <a href="" type="internal">military tactics</a>.</p>
<p>As the movement spreads deeper into communities of color facing eviction and police profiling, to immigrant communities being criminalized and ruthlessly separated from their families; to college students going into lifelong debt in exchange for a steadily degraded quality of education and lack of job prospects; to rank and file unionists tired of the boss and the business unions that have steadily compromised their interests; to the much broader working class that scrapes by paying a second or third mortgage or holding off grocery shopping for weeks to be able to pay rent while working long hours or multiple jobs, as 36% of the workforce are <a href="" type="internal">excluded from full-time employment</a> – a growing number of people are seeing beyond the weak, racist scapegoat arguments, empty nationalism and media distractions that have worked in the past.&#160; There also exists a vibrant and viable movement pursuing a set of radical social changes that are increasingly being seen, not only as desirable, but necessary.&#160; By the time the State scrambles to make concessions it will be too late for them and all of those they tirelessly represent.</p>
<p>When Your Politics Make Life Impossible, “The Politics of the Impossible” Become Reality</p>
<p>The US is undergoing heightened neoliberal “restructuring” after decades of subjecting the rest of the world to structural adjustment programs and free trade that guts the public sector and social safety nets, and bleeds workers to subsidize corporate profit from a number of angles.&#160; The response from around the world has been militant resistance, the construction of democratic counter-institutions, and revolution.&#160; As E.P. Thompson so eloquently described in “The Moral Economy of the English Crowd in the 18th Century,” when they raise the price of bread people have bread riots; this is as old as capitalism itself.</p>
<p>In Argentina when they closed factories, workers occupied them and now run them collectively.&#160; When school budgets were cut in Mexico City, the students took over the university.&#160; The Brazilian labor movement, along with masses of the urban poor, have addressed poverty by winning control over city resources to provide development, services and jobs to the poor through directly-democratic, participatory budgeting.&#160; Elsewhere is Brazil, landless peasants have been occupying the idle land of the rich in order to survive for decades.&#160; South Africans have steadily fought privatization, South Koreans waged a massive General Strike when asked to make sacrifices.&#160; Venezuela has taken control of their resources to fund free hospitals and build decentralized democracy, amid US coup attempts.&#160; In Greece, anarchists and other militants have responded to austerity with widespread ungovernability.&#160; From Tunisia to London to Oakland, the people have rioted against the prevalent violence reaped by the police on the poor and racialized.&#160; In Egypt a broad-based movement led to the ouster of a neoliberal US-propped dictator through occupying public space.&#160; When the police attacked them they burnt the police station to a crisp.&#160; This movement didn’t start with Occupy Wall Street and it won’t end with a bunch of camps getting raided or with pepper spray from <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-pepper-spraying-cop-meme" type="external">lazy cops</a>.</p>
<p>The dynamics that shape the conflict between the Occupy movement, workers and the dispossessed on one side and the State and capital on the other are being made clear as the struggle progresses.&#160; The coming together of various tensions is putting the radical transformation of society on a realistic horizon.&#160; With protracted socio-economic crisis and record inequality being facilitated by an unaccountable government, forming the political ground upon which we stand, a growing anti-capitalist consciousness, mass mobilizations, solidarity and self-organization are beginning to coalesce as we march towards that horizon to build a new day.</p>
<p>Mike King is a PhD candidate at UC–Santa Cruz and East Bay activist.&#160; He can be reached at mking(at)ucsc.edu</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | The Vacancies of Capitalism | true | https://counterpunch.org/2011/11/30/the-vacancies-of-capitalism/ | 2011-11-30 | 4left
| The Vacancies of Capitalism
<p>Throughout the first several weeks of Occupy Oakland’s existence the analysis and discussion at the General Assembly and elsewhere has been about the need to construct an entirely different social order.&#160; It is not so much that “the system is broken” but that it is, and always has been, set up to deliberately benefit, a small minority.&#160; The few social provisions that allowed many people in Oakland to survive off of low or no wages have been cut, largely to maintain a police budget that consumes 2/3rds of the city budget.&#160; Budget cuts to education and services, police brutality, unemployment and housing foreclosures all serve to multiply the pain and precariousness of a growing number of Oaklanders, displacing many more, including <a href="" type="internal">25% of Oakland’s black population</a> in the last 10 years. This reality is not unlike many other cities and towns throughout the country and not entirely dissimilar to the realities of most people throughout the world living through the last four decades of neoliberal, free market capitalism.</p>
<p>The goal of this piece is to illustrate how the vacancies of capitalism, shuttered homes, abandoned factories, closed schools, de-funded libraries and social programs are a vacancy in two senses – and how Occupy Oakland, as well as cities and towns throughout the Occupy movement, are attempting to fill them.&#160; First, they are an obvious gap or a lack – a lack of jobs, housing, affordable healthy food, medical care, etc. – that are either embodied in empty homes and factories or in emptiness inside the residents of Oakland, whether a physical hunger from lack of food, or a metaphorical hunger for a better world.&#160; Second, these vacancies are not just a lack, they a political, social and economic opening within the existing social order that capital and the State have ceded for the sake of short-term profit.&#160; The long history of the failures of the existing order, and the current crisis we find ourselves in, are an opportunity to fill the vacancies of a dying world while building a better one.&#160; We have seen this all over the globe – Argentina, Greece, Egypt and elsewhere – when the social order makes life impossible for a large number of people, and relatively deprives another large group that is not accustomed to barely getting by, they self-organize their communities while fighting for a just society that meets peoples’ needs.&#160; Oakland, and cities all over the US, have begun this process and are preparing to take this next step – occupying these multiple vacancies.</p>
<p>The Power of Solidarity: Occupy Strikes Back</p>
<p>The vacancies of capitalism in Oakland overlap each other and effect different communities in different ways.&#160; Undocumented day laborers from the Fruitvale face different struggles than the 50% of black young adults who are unemployed and over-policed in East Oakland.&#160; College students who contribute to rising rents that even they can’t afford with their massive student loans in North Oakland are in a different position than single mothers who can’t afford $1000 every month for childcare for one child in West Oakland.&#160; The language of the 99% tends to lump people in a way that erases relative class privilege as well as gender and race inequalities.&#160; While we need to develop this conversation and what it means for our short-term and long-term political work – we should also appreciate the fact that despite our differences in lived experience, and unsympathetic media efforts to highlight them, a large portion of Oakland’s population support the anti-capitalist goals of Occupy Oakland for a radically different society.&#160; Our potential grows out of our own strength and solidarity, but also out of the vacancies of capitalism – economically in its inability to provide jobs or decent wages, and politically in its inability to learn from its past and current crises by attempting to lessen peoples’ pain.&#160; Though this pain is not evenly distributed among us, the key to its alleviation is collective action and solidarity.</p>
<p>Oakland is preparing for several major actions in the next two weeks.&#160; On November 30th, there will be a rally in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland in solidarity with efforts in Arizona to shut down the ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) summit which constructs policies that criminalize communities of color, including crafting SB 1070.&#160; On December 6th, Oakland will be participating in a nation-wide day of action against foreclosures, helping to put evicted families back in their homes.&#160; On the 12th, all of the ports on the West Coast will be shut down in solidarity with longshoreman resisting scab labor on the docks in Longview, WA as well as highly exploited independent truckers.&#160; Major banks have their hands in all of these efforts to criminalize and exploit workers.&#160; These are not just fleeting days of actions, but ongoing political work in Oakland and elsewhere, harnessing our collective social power to transform the existing society through solidarity and collective action.</p>
<p>The System Isn’t Broken, the System Needs to be Broken</p>
<p>The housing and economic crises as well as social cuts do not exist in a vacuum, nor are they particularly new.&#160; They are however being exacerbated by record levels of racialized economic disparity.&#160; The distribution of resources in a society is an easy way to evaluate not just economic inequality, but political power of various groups in society as well as the values and morals of those who are in a position to decide the allocation of those resources.&#160; Economic inequality nationally is at the highest level ever recorded.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">71.5 % of all wealth is controlled by the top 10%</a>, with the 1% controlling 34% by themselves.&#160; The racialized economic wealth gap shows an even greater contrast, with <a href="" type="internal">median white wealth</a> 20 times greater than black wealth and 18 times greater than Latinos.&#160; Our cities also visually illustrate this stark economic disparity.&#160; Of all the cities in the entire world <a href="" type="internal">New York</a> has the 9th highest level of economic inequality.&#160; The Bay Area metro region has the <a href="" type="internal">7th highest</a> level of inequality in the country.</p>
<p>This inequity is, and has been, compounded by political policies designed to shift money away from the poor and working class and towards benefits for the rich and State apparatuses of social control – with police, prisons, and foreign wars topping the list.&#160; At the national level, the federal budget that spends almost half of its money on the military also gave several billion dollars to the banks that recklessly created this crisis&#160; – not so they can help people stay in their homes, but so they can buy smaller banks in the aftermath of the crisis they created, deny people loans and mortgage modifications, and (often literally) take our last dollars in bank fees, or leave us to the predation of check-cashers and pay-day loans.</p>
<p>In Oakland the city budget gives the best overview of the priorities of those in power.&#160; The police control 2/3rds of an indebted and shrinking budget, with social services making up roughly 20% of city expenses – facing heavy budget cuts again this year.&#160; School funding, which comes out of a separate budget, has been steadily de-funded, compounded by the social costs of housing foreclosures (discussed below), leading to 5 school closures this year and the potential for a much higher number of school closures next year.&#160; The politico-economic system works in mutually beneficial ways for the rich and mutually detrimental ways for the rest of us – their splendor is our pain.&#160; The Occupy movement in Oakland is addressing this through coordinated direct action and solidarity, not through petitioning a system that is deliberately designed to do exactly what it has been doing for decades.</p>
<p>Factories and Housing: From Usefulness to Speculation</p>
<p>Banks, other financial institutions and major corporate players in real estate have thus far succeeded in making their crisis our crisis.&#160; The several billion dollars in bailout money, and the billions more loaned out of the Federal Reserve, are only one part of the story.&#160; Through a combination of international competition and waves of deregulation in the last four decades, capitalism has permanently shifted to pursuing profit through unstable forms of speculation.&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Noam Chomsky</a> points out that in the early 1970s 90% of global trade (market exchanges) were of real goods and services (i.e. cars, food, teachers’ salaries) and 10% was speculation (i.e. hedge funds, stock futures, etc.).&#160; Today 90% of trade is speculation and 10% is in real goods and services.&#160; This means that our economic system is firmly rooted in real estate speculation, complex financial instruments that the banks don’t even understand, government, corporate and household debt, currency speculation, and various insurance and bailout schemes to protect these corporate gamblers from risk.</p>
<p>US taxpayers are currently paying several billion dollars for bailouts on declining wages from the most current crisis that began in 2008.&#160; To compound the situation these same banks and assorted speculators have used this money to take advantage of those most harmed in the crisis.&#160; As homeowners lose their houses due to predatory loans or outright bank fraud, and renters get evicted because they either lost their jobs or can’t pay continuously <a href="" type="internal">rising rents in cities like Oakland</a>, the already bloated vultures have swept in to flip foreclosed houses into gentrification pads and have bought whole portions of neighborhoods in Oakland at rock-bottom prices, speculating that the aforementioned gentrification will increase the value of their investment in the coming years.&#160; This leaves a landscape of empty homes and homeless families.&#160; This is modern primitive accumulation in US cities, where market processes destroy peoples’ ability to get by with the intention of appropriating resources – land, homes, city budget funds.&#160; Plainly, this is economic profit through perpetuating social crisis.&#160; This process is not new, nor is it unique to Oakland.</p>
<p>The extent of this housing crisis in Oakland is acute, with 33% of homeowners behind on their mortgages, as real estate developers like the Fitzgerald Group take advantage of declining property values, in neighborhoods like West Oakland, to speculate on future gentrification.&#160; California has the second highest foreclosure rate in the US. In Oakland <a href="http://oaklandlocal.com/article/notes-scene-w-oakland-occupy-camp-faces-uncertain-future-police-make-them-leave" type="external">1 in 241 homes were foreclosed</a> on in just one month, this past August, at a cost to the city of <a href="http://www.calorganize.org/wreckingball" type="external">$20,000 in city services</a> to evict each family.&#160; While the costs to the City of Oakland to carry out these evictions, in a city with a population below 400,000, has totaled <a href="http://www.calorganize.org/wreckingball" type="external">$224 million</a>, an additional <a href="" type="internal">$75 million</a> has been lost in property taxes.&#160; This $75 million is a rough estimate of the overall budget deficit of the entire City of Oakland for this coming year.&#160; From 2008, Oakland property values will have fallen by $12 billion by the end of 2012.&#160; The gutting of the tax base, will further decimate what little is left of Oakland’s social services and the public schools, forcing more families out, bringing in more privatization.&#160; This accumulation through dispossession is a deliberate political policy designed to perpetuate a social crisis for the potential economic enrichment of the few.</p>
<p>They Have Made Their Crisis Our Crisis; Now It’s Time to Make Our Crisis Theirs’&#160;</p>
<p>The government, both locally and nationally, have met the crisis of capitalism and the Occupy movement that has grown out of it with an extraordinary amount of hubris.&#160; At the federal level, bank bailouts and corporate tax breaks, failure to provide medical care to tens of millions of Americans, unending wars and continuous saber rattling, school budget cuts, and continued criminalization of immigrants and communities of color, demonstrate an overwhelming bipartisan commitment to the unholy alliance of trickle-down economics and militarism, both outside and inside the borders of the US.&#160; The federally coordinated raids on the Occupy movement in recent weeks and perpetual rounds of police violence around the country mark a conscious effort to suppress dissent with <a href="" type="internal">military tactics</a>.</p>
<p>As the movement spreads deeper into communities of color facing eviction and police profiling, to immigrant communities being criminalized and ruthlessly separated from their families; to college students going into lifelong debt in exchange for a steadily degraded quality of education and lack of job prospects; to rank and file unionists tired of the boss and the business unions that have steadily compromised their interests; to the much broader working class that scrapes by paying a second or third mortgage or holding off grocery shopping for weeks to be able to pay rent while working long hours or multiple jobs, as 36% of the workforce are <a href="" type="internal">excluded from full-time employment</a> – a growing number of people are seeing beyond the weak, racist scapegoat arguments, empty nationalism and media distractions that have worked in the past.&#160; There also exists a vibrant and viable movement pursuing a set of radical social changes that are increasingly being seen, not only as desirable, but necessary.&#160; By the time the State scrambles to make concessions it will be too late for them and all of those they tirelessly represent.</p>
<p>When Your Politics Make Life Impossible, “The Politics of the Impossible” Become Reality</p>
<p>The US is undergoing heightened neoliberal “restructuring” after decades of subjecting the rest of the world to structural adjustment programs and free trade that guts the public sector and social safety nets, and bleeds workers to subsidize corporate profit from a number of angles.&#160; The response from around the world has been militant resistance, the construction of democratic counter-institutions, and revolution.&#160; As E.P. Thompson so eloquently described in “The Moral Economy of the English Crowd in the 18th Century,” when they raise the price of bread people have bread riots; this is as old as capitalism itself.</p>
<p>In Argentina when they closed factories, workers occupied them and now run them collectively.&#160; When school budgets were cut in Mexico City, the students took over the university.&#160; The Brazilian labor movement, along with masses of the urban poor, have addressed poverty by winning control over city resources to provide development, services and jobs to the poor through directly-democratic, participatory budgeting.&#160; Elsewhere is Brazil, landless peasants have been occupying the idle land of the rich in order to survive for decades.&#160; South Africans have steadily fought privatization, South Koreans waged a massive General Strike when asked to make sacrifices.&#160; Venezuela has taken control of their resources to fund free hospitals and build decentralized democracy, amid US coup attempts.&#160; In Greece, anarchists and other militants have responded to austerity with widespread ungovernability.&#160; From Tunisia to London to Oakland, the people have rioted against the prevalent violence reaped by the police on the poor and racialized.&#160; In Egypt a broad-based movement led to the ouster of a neoliberal US-propped dictator through occupying public space.&#160; When the police attacked them they burnt the police station to a crisp.&#160; This movement didn’t start with Occupy Wall Street and it won’t end with a bunch of camps getting raided or with pepper spray from <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-pepper-spraying-cop-meme" type="external">lazy cops</a>.</p>
<p>The dynamics that shape the conflict between the Occupy movement, workers and the dispossessed on one side and the State and capital on the other are being made clear as the struggle progresses.&#160; The coming together of various tensions is putting the radical transformation of society on a realistic horizon.&#160; With protracted socio-economic crisis and record inequality being facilitated by an unaccountable government, forming the political ground upon which we stand, a growing anti-capitalist consciousness, mass mobilizations, solidarity and self-organization are beginning to coalesce as we march towards that horizon to build a new day.</p>
<p>Mike King is a PhD candidate at UC–Santa Cruz and East Bay activist.&#160; He can be reached at mking(at)ucsc.edu</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,547 |
<p>Singapore's foray into the $300 billion-a-year space industry may seem like a lucrative venture, but the path is lined with risks, especially in satellite manufacturing where Western firms have long dominated and entry barriers are high.</p>
<p>The push into space technology, announced earlier this year, will initially focus on satellites to meet growing demand for top-speed Internet connections as well as high-resolution images commonly used in surveillance, forestry and energy exploration.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The venture may also help rekindle Singapore's electronics sector by creating high-paying jobs in the satellites and components segment to replace jobs lost with the decline of disc media and computer parts manufacturing.</p>
<p>Industry observers say success is hardly assured, as the tiny city-state will be fighting tooth and nail for satellite orders with big names such as Thales SA and Lockheed Martin Corp .</p>
<p>Asian contenders include companies in China and India that are already involved in domestic space programs, as well as emerging firms like South Korea's Satrec Initiative Co Ltd &lt;099320.KQ&gt; that build satellites at competitive prices.</p>
<p>"In the satellite manufacturing industries where existing firms have a big headstart, new entrants might face high hurdles to succeeding," said Thiam Hee Ng, a senior economist at the Manila-based Asian Development Bank.</p>
<p>"The high cost and limited launch windows may discourage firms from experimenting with new suppliers."</p>
<p>As it did with biomedicals, Singapore's bid to carve out a niche in the space industry involves supporting local champions and enticing industry leaders to set up or expand operations in the country through a mix of favorable laws, tax incentives and skilled workers.</p>
<p>Officials declined to say how much the effort is expected to cost, but it could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars if projects by government-linked firms are included.</p>
<p>"In the immediate term, our efforts are focused on developing our satellite industry, particularly in areas of small satellite design and manufacturing and satellite-based services," said Gian Yi-Hsen, director of Singapore's Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn).</p>
<p>In its satellites venture, Singapore will take advantage of the city-state's capabilities in areas like precision engineering, electronics and infocommunications, he said.</p>
<p>Singapore is already a base for communication satellite operators such as Eutelsat Communications SA , Inmarsat PLC and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd , and can build on these capabilities to help broadcasters transmit programs and ships communicate with other vessels.</p>
<p>Adrian Ballintine, founder and chief executive of Australian satellite firm NewSat Ltd , which has an office in Singapore, said growth areas include providing high-speed Internet services to airline passengers.</p>
<p>Singapore Airlines Ltd said last year it will provide wi-fi and mobile phone connectivity on its long-haul flights using services provided by Inmarsat.</p>
<p>Satellite-based surveillance systems are also in high demand to monitor everything from forest fires to illegal migrants trying to get to Australia by boat, Ballintine said.</p>
<p>High-quality images of so-called hot spots in Sumatra are currently in demand after bush fires on the Indonesian island produced a thick haze that smothered neighboring Singapore and Malaysia earlier this year.</p>
<p>OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS</p>
<p>Singapore Technologies Electronics, a unit of defense conglomerate Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd , has already set up a unit to build and operate observation satellites with help from two local state-funded universities.</p>
<p>The government has also agreed to bear part of the cost to hire more researchers at smaller firms such as Addvalue Technologies Ltd .</p>
<p>Products by the satellite communication systems maker include terminals used to transmit results from far-flung polling stations in this year's elections in the Philippines.</p>
<p>NewSat's Ballintine and other industry players said satellite operators will more than make up for the huge upfront investments as they stand to pocket up to 80 percent of their revenues as gross profits.</p>
<p>Large communications satellites are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Smaller ones, such as those used for weather forecasts and mapping forests and the sea, typically cost $60 million to $100 million.</p>
<p>Singapore, with its cutting-edge data analytics, is likely do best in satellite-related services, said Ashwin Malshe, an assistant professor of marketing at Essec Business School.</p>
<p>"If you speak to professionals from the space industry, they'll tell you that one of their biggest challenges is analyzing the enormous amount of satellite data they are generating," he said.</p>
<p>"You do not have to go for capital-intensive operations and at the same time have very high margins."</p>
<p>According to the Space Foundation, a U.S.-based industry body, the global space economy grew 6.7 percent to $304.3 billion last year. Commercial activity drove much of the expansion.</p>
<p>THE RIGHT NICHES</p>
<p>Asked about its relatively late entry, ST Electronics said it was confident of getting a niche in small earth observation satellites that could be built in two to three years, in contrast to larger models that would require up to five years.</p>
<p>"Our business model is to own and operate the satellites, sell the imagery data and provide value-added services," said a spokeswoman for the firm, which already makes satellite receivers and components for terrestrial stations.</p>
<p>Essec's Malshe, who has worked with companies in the space industry, said Singapore could also focus on the small but fast-growing market for space travel by tapping into its huge private banking base. A ticket may cost as much as $300,000.</p>
<p>Astrium, the aerospace unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co (EADS) , hopes to launch its first commercial space flight in 2017 using a craft that can take off from ordinary airport runways and carry four passengers to a height of around 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the Earth's surface.</p>
<p>EADS officials have said they hoped to base some of their space planes at Singapore's Changi Airport.</p>
<p>"One of the biggest problems when it comes to selling to ultra-rich people is getting in touch with them," Malshe said. "Tying up with a private bank that has an established client list will help."</p>
<p>(Editing by John O'Callaghan and Ryan Woo)</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | Singapore plots economic lift-off with satellites, spacecraft | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/07/23/singapore-plots-economic-lift-off-with-satellites-spacecraft.html | 2016-01-29 | 0right
| Singapore plots economic lift-off with satellites, spacecraft
<p>Singapore's foray into the $300 billion-a-year space industry may seem like a lucrative venture, but the path is lined with risks, especially in satellite manufacturing where Western firms have long dominated and entry barriers are high.</p>
<p>The push into space technology, announced earlier this year, will initially focus on satellites to meet growing demand for top-speed Internet connections as well as high-resolution images commonly used in surveillance, forestry and energy exploration.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The venture may also help rekindle Singapore's electronics sector by creating high-paying jobs in the satellites and components segment to replace jobs lost with the decline of disc media and computer parts manufacturing.</p>
<p>Industry observers say success is hardly assured, as the tiny city-state will be fighting tooth and nail for satellite orders with big names such as Thales SA and Lockheed Martin Corp .</p>
<p>Asian contenders include companies in China and India that are already involved in domestic space programs, as well as emerging firms like South Korea's Satrec Initiative Co Ltd &lt;099320.KQ&gt; that build satellites at competitive prices.</p>
<p>"In the satellite manufacturing industries where existing firms have a big headstart, new entrants might face high hurdles to succeeding," said Thiam Hee Ng, a senior economist at the Manila-based Asian Development Bank.</p>
<p>"The high cost and limited launch windows may discourage firms from experimenting with new suppliers."</p>
<p>As it did with biomedicals, Singapore's bid to carve out a niche in the space industry involves supporting local champions and enticing industry leaders to set up or expand operations in the country through a mix of favorable laws, tax incentives and skilled workers.</p>
<p>Officials declined to say how much the effort is expected to cost, but it could be in the hundreds of millions of dollars if projects by government-linked firms are included.</p>
<p>"In the immediate term, our efforts are focused on developing our satellite industry, particularly in areas of small satellite design and manufacturing and satellite-based services," said Gian Yi-Hsen, director of Singapore's Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn).</p>
<p>In its satellites venture, Singapore will take advantage of the city-state's capabilities in areas like precision engineering, electronics and infocommunications, he said.</p>
<p>Singapore is already a base for communication satellite operators such as Eutelsat Communications SA , Inmarsat PLC and Singapore Telecommunications Ltd , and can build on these capabilities to help broadcasters transmit programs and ships communicate with other vessels.</p>
<p>Adrian Ballintine, founder and chief executive of Australian satellite firm NewSat Ltd , which has an office in Singapore, said growth areas include providing high-speed Internet services to airline passengers.</p>
<p>Singapore Airlines Ltd said last year it will provide wi-fi and mobile phone connectivity on its long-haul flights using services provided by Inmarsat.</p>
<p>Satellite-based surveillance systems are also in high demand to monitor everything from forest fires to illegal migrants trying to get to Australia by boat, Ballintine said.</p>
<p>High-quality images of so-called hot spots in Sumatra are currently in demand after bush fires on the Indonesian island produced a thick haze that smothered neighboring Singapore and Malaysia earlier this year.</p>
<p>OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS</p>
<p>Singapore Technologies Electronics, a unit of defense conglomerate Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd , has already set up a unit to build and operate observation satellites with help from two local state-funded universities.</p>
<p>The government has also agreed to bear part of the cost to hire more researchers at smaller firms such as Addvalue Technologies Ltd .</p>
<p>Products by the satellite communication systems maker include terminals used to transmit results from far-flung polling stations in this year's elections in the Philippines.</p>
<p>NewSat's Ballintine and other industry players said satellite operators will more than make up for the huge upfront investments as they stand to pocket up to 80 percent of their revenues as gross profits.</p>
<p>Large communications satellites are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Smaller ones, such as those used for weather forecasts and mapping forests and the sea, typically cost $60 million to $100 million.</p>
<p>Singapore, with its cutting-edge data analytics, is likely do best in satellite-related services, said Ashwin Malshe, an assistant professor of marketing at Essec Business School.</p>
<p>"If you speak to professionals from the space industry, they'll tell you that one of their biggest challenges is analyzing the enormous amount of satellite data they are generating," he said.</p>
<p>"You do not have to go for capital-intensive operations and at the same time have very high margins."</p>
<p>According to the Space Foundation, a U.S.-based industry body, the global space economy grew 6.7 percent to $304.3 billion last year. Commercial activity drove much of the expansion.</p>
<p>THE RIGHT NICHES</p>
<p>Asked about its relatively late entry, ST Electronics said it was confident of getting a niche in small earth observation satellites that could be built in two to three years, in contrast to larger models that would require up to five years.</p>
<p>"Our business model is to own and operate the satellites, sell the imagery data and provide value-added services," said a spokeswoman for the firm, which already makes satellite receivers and components for terrestrial stations.</p>
<p>Essec's Malshe, who has worked with companies in the space industry, said Singapore could also focus on the small but fast-growing market for space travel by tapping into its huge private banking base. A ticket may cost as much as $300,000.</p>
<p>Astrium, the aerospace unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co (EADS) , hopes to launch its first commercial space flight in 2017 using a craft that can take off from ordinary airport runways and carry four passengers to a height of around 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the Earth's surface.</p>
<p>EADS officials have said they hoped to base some of their space planes at Singapore's Changi Airport.</p>
<p>"One of the biggest problems when it comes to selling to ultra-rich people is getting in touch with them," Malshe said. "Tying up with a private bank that has an established client list will help."</p>
<p>(Editing by John O'Callaghan and Ryan Woo)</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | 599,548 |
<p>Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking in Sacramento, Calif., in April at a conference of Californians for Safety and Justice. Newsom and a gun control advocacy group are now proposing a 2016 ballot initiative to strengthen the state’s gun laws by restricting ammunition sales, barring possession of large-capacity assault-style magazines and requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen guns to law enforcement. ( <a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/California-Gun-Control-/7387f7c73f044a338ec70a5aa41a1cbb/2/0" type="external">Rich Pedroncelli / AP</a>)</p>
<p>In reflecting on the tragic shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., earlier this month in which 14 people were killed and 21 injured, let’s not be distracted from the gun debate by cries of “terrorism.”</p>
<p>Of course it’s necessary to look at what led a young Muslim couple to abandon their 6-month-old baby and join Islamic State’s call to slaughter. But what the shooters, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, appeared to have in common with other people driven to carry out such mass murders—in many cases white, male, American citizens—appears to be anger, alienation and easy access to semi-automatic assault weapons.</p>
<p />
<p>Whether or not Farook and Malik were terrorists, the assault rifles they used were purchased legally and then modified to make them more lethal. In addition, they legally acquired 6,000 rounds of ammunition. Had those weapons and ammunition been harder to come by, perhaps they might have thought longer and harder about other ways to vent their rage.</p>
<p>Although hotly debated, certain “common sense” gun laws have been statistically proved to significantly reduce bloodshed.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/three-common-sense-gun-policies-that-would-save-lives/2015/10/15/3fd8cb80-735f-11e5-9cbb-790369643cf9_story.html" type="external">These include</a>:</p>
<p>● Permit-to-purchase laws, which are contingent on the purchaser passing a background check. ● Prohibiting people with domestic violence restraining orders from owning a gun. ● Expanding federal denial criteria to include those who have been convicted of violent misdemeanors. ● Making gun manufacturers adopt more stringent safety features, among them “smart” guns that can be discharged only by an authorized user.</p>
<p>According to Evan DeFilippis and Devin Hughes, the founders of <a href="http://www.armedwithreason.com" type="external">Armed With Reason</a>, “… [T]he combined influence of these policies could prevent only ten percent of our nation’s more than 33,000 annual gun deaths. That would still be the equivalent of preventing the 9/11 terrorist attacks, every single year.”</p>
<p>California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to add one more item to this list: a ballot measure, slated for 2016, that would require background checks on ammunition purchases, ban large-capacity magazines and institute mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns. This would make California the first state to require background checks at the point of sale for ammunition.</p>
<p>Then there’s a more radical approach, one that requires the political courage to put popularity and gun lobby donations aside in the name of doing what it takes. Australia is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_buyback_program" type="external">oft-touted example</a> of how a mandatory gun buy-back program changed a nation’s course.</p>
<p>But there are other issues that need addressing as well. Outreach to Muslim communities in the United States and abroad would do worlds to heal rifts, just as increased funding of mental health services and anti-bullying programs in schools might have prevented homegrown acts of terrorism by boys who felt separate, unequal and lost. But uncontrolled anger plus guns equals a recipe for only one kind of ending.</p>
<p>Here’s a startling fact, from <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/a-land-without-guns-how-japan-has-virtually-eliminated-shooting-deaths/260189/" type="external">an article in The Atlantic</a>: “America’s gun control laws are the loosest in the developed world and its rate of gun-related homicide is the highest. Of the world’s 23 ‘rich’ countries, the US gun-related murder rate is almost 20 times that of the other 22. With almost one privately owned firearm per person, America’s ownership rate is the highest in the world; tribal-conflict-torn Yemen is ranked second.”</p>
<p>Gun violence isn’t like Ebola or any other communicable disease for which we haven’t found a cure. When it comes to gun violence, the “doctors” are hemming and hawing, worrying that “we might make some of our patients (and board members) unhappy if we give them medicine that tastes bad.”</p>
<p>On the heels of the San Bernardino shooting, our Democratic leaders once again offered feeble promises, while for Republicans the incident appeared to offer more fodder to prove that Muslims are the enemy, and that we should all go out and arm ourselves to the teeth.</p>
<p>Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz held a <a href="http://www.cc.com/video-clips/c6usaz/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-nobody-likes-ted-cruz" type="external">pro-gun rally</a> at an Iowa range, Smith &amp; Wesson stocks rose, and the Senate voted down <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/issues/guns/vote_2015.php" type="external">two gun control measures</a>, one to expand background checks and one to forbid individuals on the Terror Watchlist to purchase firearms. Republican front-runner Donald Trump declared he would ban Muslims from entering the country, while some other Republicans defended the rights of individuals on the Terror Watchlist to bear arms. Are they for real?</p>
<p>Meanwhile, apparently bloodshed by bullets is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/us/in-wake-of-shootings-a-familiar-call-to-arms-drives-latest-jump-in-weapon-sales.html?&amp;moduleDetail=section-&amp;mtrref=undefined&amp;gwh=D1D606D14AB6A7E2811300CCA18D4900&amp;gwt=pay" type="external">good for the gun industry</a>, because gun sales are booming. In some states, sheriffs are encouraging residents to arm themselves.</p>
<p>Here’s a small <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org/sites/default/files/Gun-Death-Injury-Stat-Sheet-5-Year-Average-2012-Updates-October-2014.pdf" type="external">sampling of the facts</a>:</p>
<p>● Every day in the U.S., there’s more than one gun massacre; most don’t make the national news. According to <a href="http://www.shootingtracker.com/" type="external">shootingtracker.com</a> and <a href="http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/" type="external">gunviolencearchive.org</a>, shootings of four or more victims occur almost daily, on average.</p>
<p>● Every day in our country, 88 people die from gun violence: 31 are murdered; 53 kill themselves; two die unintentionally; one is killed by police intervention; and one dies from unknown intent.</p>
<p>● Every day, 208 people are shot and survive: 151 are shot in an assault; 10 survive a suicide attempt; 45 are shot unintentionally; two are shot in a police intervention.</p>
<p>● Since the Newtown, Conn., school slaughter three years ago, there have been <a href="http://everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/" type="external">more than 160 school shootings</a>.</p>
<p>I was beginning to wonder if this is our new normal recently when I ran into some military pilots on leave from service in Dubai, Afghanistan, Iraq and places they did not have permission to disclose. This led to a conversation on war, raising boys and gun control. Had you asked what I thought a group of military men would say about gun control, I’d have been 100 percent wrong—because these men turned out to be Australian.</p>
<p>Over the course of the discussion, the men gave me a glimpse into how Australians view American paralysis in the face of gun violence. Two of them agreed to let me quote them anonymously, on account of military restrictions about speaking to the press.</p>
<p>One of the pilots grew up in the small island state of Tasmania, the site of Australia’s worst mass shooting, in 1996. His father was one of the schoolteachers who taught the boy who would grow up to become the shooter. After the massacre, he said, “Our government went, ‘You know what? We’re going to do something about it.’&#160;”</p>
<p>He watched as members of his church parish reluctantly handed in their weapons during the famous mandatory gun buyback of 1996, pushed through by John Howard, then Australia’s prime minister. He was “pretty much our Ronald Reagan,” the pilot told me, “and there was massive backlash.”</p>
<p>“We look back 20 years later and you won’t find many Australians that will go that wasn’t a great idea,” he said. “We haven’t had a single mass shooting in 20 years. [Even] suicides went down. I’ve married an American who will refuse to raise her kids in [the U.S.].”</p>
<p>According to a study by Andrew Leigh of Australian National University and Christine Neill of Wilfrid Laurier University, total intentional <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/world/australia/australia-gun-ban-shooting.html?_r=0" type="external">gun deaths fell</a> by half in the decade after the 1996 restrictions were put in place, even as Australia’s population grew nearly 14 percent. Gun suicides dropped 65 percent from 1995 to 2006, and gun homicides fell 59 percent.</p>
<p>Even <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/another-massacre-another-charade/2015/10/08/e45d0004-6dec-11e5-b31c-d80d62b53e28_story.html" type="external">conservative U.S. columnist Charles Krauthammer</a> recently hailed this kind of confiscation program as the only viable solution to gun violence, but also said it was doomed because of the Second Amendment and the power of the National Rifle Association. “As for the only remotely plausible solution, Obama dare not speak its name. … There’s a reason he didn’t bring up confiscation. … In this country, with its traditions, public sentiment and, most importantly, Second Amendment, them’s fightin’ words.”</p>
<p>On the other side, DeFilippis and Hughes—whose blog is “dedicated to academically refuting pro-gun myths, and providing a scholarly defense of gun control”—say, “We don’t need gun confiscation to save lives. We can do it through common-sense gun reform.”</p>
<p>Whichever solution you opt for, extreme gun violence in a land that is supposed to be the home of the free necessitates extreme measures. Whose freedom are we protecting these days? Freedom for those who seek to arm themselves or freedom for our children to go to school, freedom for the rest of us to go to work, to attend our place of worship, to go to college and come back home alive?</p>
<p>Another of the Australian pilots joined in our conversation, while one of his friends showed me photos of how to refuel a fighter jet at 36,000 feet above a warring country at 50 below zero Celsius.</p>
<p>“When you have the ability to go and purchase an automatic weapon with copious amounts of ammunition, and then you have the ability to walk into a primary school and shoot 6-year-olds in the face … that’s the worst. I cannot understand,” he said. “We go into shops here and there’s guns everywhere. Then a massacre happens and everyone’s saying, ‘It’s not the gun’s fault. … If that [kid] had a gun, he’d have been able to shoot the gunman and there wouldn’t have been any problem.’ To me that’s just crazy.”</p> | Those Radical Aussies, and How They Tackled Gun Violence | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/those-radical-aussies-and-how-they-tackled-gun-violence/ | 2015-12-15 | 4left
| Those Radical Aussies, and How They Tackled Gun Violence
<p>Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom speaking in Sacramento, Calif., in April at a conference of Californians for Safety and Justice. Newsom and a gun control advocacy group are now proposing a 2016 ballot initiative to strengthen the state’s gun laws by restricting ammunition sales, barring possession of large-capacity assault-style magazines and requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen guns to law enforcement. ( <a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/California-Gun-Control-/7387f7c73f044a338ec70a5aa41a1cbb/2/0" type="external">Rich Pedroncelli / AP</a>)</p>
<p>In reflecting on the tragic shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., earlier this month in which 14 people were killed and 21 injured, let’s not be distracted from the gun debate by cries of “terrorism.”</p>
<p>Of course it’s necessary to look at what led a young Muslim couple to abandon their 6-month-old baby and join Islamic State’s call to slaughter. But what the shooters, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, appeared to have in common with other people driven to carry out such mass murders—in many cases white, male, American citizens—appears to be anger, alienation and easy access to semi-automatic assault weapons.</p>
<p />
<p>Whether or not Farook and Malik were terrorists, the assault rifles they used were purchased legally and then modified to make them more lethal. In addition, they legally acquired 6,000 rounds of ammunition. Had those weapons and ammunition been harder to come by, perhaps they might have thought longer and harder about other ways to vent their rage.</p>
<p>Although hotly debated, certain “common sense” gun laws have been statistically proved to significantly reduce bloodshed.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/three-common-sense-gun-policies-that-would-save-lives/2015/10/15/3fd8cb80-735f-11e5-9cbb-790369643cf9_story.html" type="external">These include</a>:</p>
<p>● Permit-to-purchase laws, which are contingent on the purchaser passing a background check. ● Prohibiting people with domestic violence restraining orders from owning a gun. ● Expanding federal denial criteria to include those who have been convicted of violent misdemeanors. ● Making gun manufacturers adopt more stringent safety features, among them “smart” guns that can be discharged only by an authorized user.</p>
<p>According to Evan DeFilippis and Devin Hughes, the founders of <a href="http://www.armedwithreason.com" type="external">Armed With Reason</a>, “… [T]he combined influence of these policies could prevent only ten percent of our nation’s more than 33,000 annual gun deaths. That would still be the equivalent of preventing the 9/11 terrorist attacks, every single year.”</p>
<p>California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom hopes to add one more item to this list: a ballot measure, slated for 2016, that would require background checks on ammunition purchases, ban large-capacity magazines and institute mandatory reporting of lost or stolen guns. This would make California the first state to require background checks at the point of sale for ammunition.</p>
<p>Then there’s a more radical approach, one that requires the political courage to put popularity and gun lobby donations aside in the name of doing what it takes. Australia is the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_buyback_program" type="external">oft-touted example</a> of how a mandatory gun buy-back program changed a nation’s course.</p>
<p>But there are other issues that need addressing as well. Outreach to Muslim communities in the United States and abroad would do worlds to heal rifts, just as increased funding of mental health services and anti-bullying programs in schools might have prevented homegrown acts of terrorism by boys who felt separate, unequal and lost. But uncontrolled anger plus guns equals a recipe for only one kind of ending.</p>
<p>Here’s a startling fact, from <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/a-land-without-guns-how-japan-has-virtually-eliminated-shooting-deaths/260189/" type="external">an article in The Atlantic</a>: “America’s gun control laws are the loosest in the developed world and its rate of gun-related homicide is the highest. Of the world’s 23 ‘rich’ countries, the US gun-related murder rate is almost 20 times that of the other 22. With almost one privately owned firearm per person, America’s ownership rate is the highest in the world; tribal-conflict-torn Yemen is ranked second.”</p>
<p>Gun violence isn’t like Ebola or any other communicable disease for which we haven’t found a cure. When it comes to gun violence, the “doctors” are hemming and hawing, worrying that “we might make some of our patients (and board members) unhappy if we give them medicine that tastes bad.”</p>
<p>On the heels of the San Bernardino shooting, our Democratic leaders once again offered feeble promises, while for Republicans the incident appeared to offer more fodder to prove that Muslims are the enemy, and that we should all go out and arm ourselves to the teeth.</p>
<p>Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz held a <a href="http://www.cc.com/video-clips/c6usaz/the-daily-show-with-trevor-noah-nobody-likes-ted-cruz" type="external">pro-gun rally</a> at an Iowa range, Smith &amp; Wesson stocks rose, and the Senate voted down <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/news/issues/guns/vote_2015.php" type="external">two gun control measures</a>, one to expand background checks and one to forbid individuals on the Terror Watchlist to purchase firearms. Republican front-runner Donald Trump declared he would ban Muslims from entering the country, while some other Republicans defended the rights of individuals on the Terror Watchlist to bear arms. Are they for real?</p>
<p>Meanwhile, apparently bloodshed by bullets is <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/us/in-wake-of-shootings-a-familiar-call-to-arms-drives-latest-jump-in-weapon-sales.html?&amp;moduleDetail=section-&amp;mtrref=undefined&amp;gwh=D1D606D14AB6A7E2811300CCA18D4900&amp;gwt=pay" type="external">good for the gun industry</a>, because gun sales are booming. In some states, sheriffs are encouraging residents to arm themselves.</p>
<p>Here’s a small <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org/sites/default/files/Gun-Death-Injury-Stat-Sheet-5-Year-Average-2012-Updates-October-2014.pdf" type="external">sampling of the facts</a>:</p>
<p>● Every day in the U.S., there’s more than one gun massacre; most don’t make the national news. According to <a href="http://www.shootingtracker.com/" type="external">shootingtracker.com</a> and <a href="http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/" type="external">gunviolencearchive.org</a>, shootings of four or more victims occur almost daily, on average.</p>
<p>● Every day in our country, 88 people die from gun violence: 31 are murdered; 53 kill themselves; two die unintentionally; one is killed by police intervention; and one dies from unknown intent.</p>
<p>● Every day, 208 people are shot and survive: 151 are shot in an assault; 10 survive a suicide attempt; 45 are shot unintentionally; two are shot in a police intervention.</p>
<p>● Since the Newtown, Conn., school slaughter three years ago, there have been <a href="http://everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/" type="external">more than 160 school shootings</a>.</p>
<p>I was beginning to wonder if this is our new normal recently when I ran into some military pilots on leave from service in Dubai, Afghanistan, Iraq and places they did not have permission to disclose. This led to a conversation on war, raising boys and gun control. Had you asked what I thought a group of military men would say about gun control, I’d have been 100 percent wrong—because these men turned out to be Australian.</p>
<p>Over the course of the discussion, the men gave me a glimpse into how Australians view American paralysis in the face of gun violence. Two of them agreed to let me quote them anonymously, on account of military restrictions about speaking to the press.</p>
<p>One of the pilots grew up in the small island state of Tasmania, the site of Australia’s worst mass shooting, in 1996. His father was one of the schoolteachers who taught the boy who would grow up to become the shooter. After the massacre, he said, “Our government went, ‘You know what? We’re going to do something about it.’&#160;”</p>
<p>He watched as members of his church parish reluctantly handed in their weapons during the famous mandatory gun buyback of 1996, pushed through by John Howard, then Australia’s prime minister. He was “pretty much our Ronald Reagan,” the pilot told me, “and there was massive backlash.”</p>
<p>“We look back 20 years later and you won’t find many Australians that will go that wasn’t a great idea,” he said. “We haven’t had a single mass shooting in 20 years. [Even] suicides went down. I’ve married an American who will refuse to raise her kids in [the U.S.].”</p>
<p>According to a study by Andrew Leigh of Australian National University and Christine Neill of Wilfrid Laurier University, total intentional <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/05/world/australia/australia-gun-ban-shooting.html?_r=0" type="external">gun deaths fell</a> by half in the decade after the 1996 restrictions were put in place, even as Australia’s population grew nearly 14 percent. Gun suicides dropped 65 percent from 1995 to 2006, and gun homicides fell 59 percent.</p>
<p>Even <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/another-massacre-another-charade/2015/10/08/e45d0004-6dec-11e5-b31c-d80d62b53e28_story.html" type="external">conservative U.S. columnist Charles Krauthammer</a> recently hailed this kind of confiscation program as the only viable solution to gun violence, but also said it was doomed because of the Second Amendment and the power of the National Rifle Association. “As for the only remotely plausible solution, Obama dare not speak its name. … There’s a reason he didn’t bring up confiscation. … In this country, with its traditions, public sentiment and, most importantly, Second Amendment, them’s fightin’ words.”</p>
<p>On the other side, DeFilippis and Hughes—whose blog is “dedicated to academically refuting pro-gun myths, and providing a scholarly defense of gun control”—say, “We don’t need gun confiscation to save lives. We can do it through common-sense gun reform.”</p>
<p>Whichever solution you opt for, extreme gun violence in a land that is supposed to be the home of the free necessitates extreme measures. Whose freedom are we protecting these days? Freedom for those who seek to arm themselves or freedom for our children to go to school, freedom for the rest of us to go to work, to attend our place of worship, to go to college and come back home alive?</p>
<p>Another of the Australian pilots joined in our conversation, while one of his friends showed me photos of how to refuel a fighter jet at 36,000 feet above a warring country at 50 below zero Celsius.</p>
<p>“When you have the ability to go and purchase an automatic weapon with copious amounts of ammunition, and then you have the ability to walk into a primary school and shoot 6-year-olds in the face … that’s the worst. I cannot understand,” he said. “We go into shops here and there’s guns everywhere. Then a massacre happens and everyone’s saying, ‘It’s not the gun’s fault. … If that [kid] had a gun, he’d have been able to shoot the gunman and there wouldn’t have been any problem.’ To me that’s just crazy.”</p> | 599,549 |
<p />
<p>U.S. college students can buy Spotify Premium music streaming and Hulu TV streaming for a combined, deeply discounted $4.99 per month, in a new student subscription bundle the companies announced on Thursday to lure younger consumers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The entertainment bundle, $13 cheaper than the regular combined price, is the latest effort in the industry to gain young millennial customers, who favor inexpensive online streaming and listening.</p>
<p>The package is Spotify's first TV and movie partnership, and combines with Hulu's limited commercials plan. Hulu's shows include original content like the hit drama "The Handmaid's Tale," and exclusives such as "Seinfeld" and "Fear the Walking Dead."</p>
<p>Mark Mulligan, managing director of MIDiA Research, a media and technology research company, said in a blog post Thursday the partnership gives Spotify "a smart way to get into the video market without getting in over its head."</p>
<p>Spotify had more than 60 million paid subscribers as of July, but can use the video subscribers as it fends off competition from Apple Music, which had 27 million subscribers, according to Apple Inc in June.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The partnership with Spotify may also help Hulu to compete with rival streaming service Netflix Inc. T-Mobile US Inc said Wednesday it will offer a free Netflix subscription with its unlimited data family plans.</p>
<p>Spotify plans to go public with a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange later this year or early next year.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Anna Driver and Steve Orlofsky)</p> | Spotify, Hulu target students with discounted bundle | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/07/spotify-hulu-target-students-with-discounted-bundle.html | 2017-09-07 | 0right
| Spotify, Hulu target students with discounted bundle
<p />
<p>U.S. college students can buy Spotify Premium music streaming and Hulu TV streaming for a combined, deeply discounted $4.99 per month, in a new student subscription bundle the companies announced on Thursday to lure younger consumers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The entertainment bundle, $13 cheaper than the regular combined price, is the latest effort in the industry to gain young millennial customers, who favor inexpensive online streaming and listening.</p>
<p>The package is Spotify's first TV and movie partnership, and combines with Hulu's limited commercials plan. Hulu's shows include original content like the hit drama "The Handmaid's Tale," and exclusives such as "Seinfeld" and "Fear the Walking Dead."</p>
<p>Mark Mulligan, managing director of MIDiA Research, a media and technology research company, said in a blog post Thursday the partnership gives Spotify "a smart way to get into the video market without getting in over its head."</p>
<p>Spotify had more than 60 million paid subscribers as of July, but can use the video subscribers as it fends off competition from Apple Music, which had 27 million subscribers, according to Apple Inc in June.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The partnership with Spotify may also help Hulu to compete with rival streaming service Netflix Inc. T-Mobile US Inc said Wednesday it will offer a free Netflix subscription with its unlimited data family plans.</p>
<p>Spotify plans to go public with a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange later this year or early next year.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Anna Driver and Steve Orlofsky)</p> | 599,550 |
<p>When President Carter appointed Andrew Young ambassador to the United Nations, a new era began. For the first time in this century,a key figure in the foreign-policy establishment was Afro-American, with his writ&#160;extending especially to African affairs. Young's appointment enabled blacks, for the first time, to feel capable of tilting American&#160;power in behalf of Africa's quest for development.</p>
<p>Though such policy leverage is new, the African-related concerns are not. They were preceded by earlier attempts by Afro-Americans to convert their ethnicity into an international or transnational force for African advancement.</p>
<p /> | What is Africa to Me? | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/what-is-africa-to-me-2 | 4left
| What is Africa to Me?
<p>When President Carter appointed Andrew Young ambassador to the United Nations, a new era began. For the first time in this century,a key figure in the foreign-policy establishment was Afro-American, with his writ&#160;extending especially to African affairs. Young's appointment enabled blacks, for the first time, to feel capable of tilting American&#160;power in behalf of Africa's quest for development.</p>
<p>Though such policy leverage is new, the African-related concerns are not. They were preceded by earlier attempts by Afro-Americans to convert their ethnicity into an international or transnational force for African advancement.</p>
<p /> | 599,551 |
|
<p />
<p />
<p>Smart Dust and Nanochips are the latest technological means through which the human microchipping agenda is being furthered. This is due to their incredibly tiny size that has the capacity to infiltrate the human body, become lodged within, and begin to set up a synthetic network on the inside which can be remotely controlled from the outside.</p>
<p />
<p>This technology has dire privacy, freedom and health consequences since it allows the New World Order to not only control the outside world but to also control your body.</p>
<p />
<p>There has always been two categories of people in the human society: rulers and slaves. The rulers have always kept the slaves in check because they had access to and control over the resources, such as money, food, water, weapons or other necessities of life.</p>
<p />
<p>In the recent past, humanity is being controlled by the monopolization of resources and also through mind control (propaganda). This is evident in societies such as the caste system in India, the royal bloodlines in Rome, the Middle East, and Europe, the centralization of power in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia during the 1930s, and finally in the West, with the advent of specialized PR and mind control techniques that were refined by the CIA.</p>
<p />
<p>Techniques such MKUltra gave the NWO controllers unheard of power to remotely and subconsciously influence people without them ever knowing, including the ability to create sex slaves and sleeper assassins.</p>
<p />
<p>Currently, we are entering an era where technological advancements are giving the NWO conspirators influence over a new realm, which is the control of the emotions, or more accurately, control over the entire mind-emotion nexus in the human body.</p>
<p />
<p>Microchips are tiny electronic devices which can be embedded under your skin, and which receive and transmit information. Microchips are now outdated due to their size, we are now facing something much tinier than a microchip, and therefore much more of a threat: nanochips and smart dust.</p>
<p />
<p>The word "nano" is 3 orders of magnitude smaller than "micro". It simply implies one billionth while micro means one millionth. Although microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and measured in millimeters, nanochips are completely invisible to the human eye.</p>
<p />
<p>There are nanochips that are far smaller than a human hair. Back in 2015, IBM announced that they had a functional nanochip measuring just 7 nm or nanometers (7 billionths of 1 meter). Nanochips power themselves from their environment they don't need batteries and have a 100-year lifespan.</p>
<p />
<p>Plans are underway to have the nanochips rolled out first on products before they can be used inside people's bodies. The company HP (Hewlett Packard) is alleged to be the executor of the plan to construct a synthetic central nervous system for the Earth - linking all resources and people in real time.</p>
<p />
<p>The "Smart" agenda or better yet the Smart Deception is meant to create a giant electromagnetic grid or network that encompasses the entire Earth. All things that move are to be made or injected with sensor or mote that connects them to the grid, this will include household products, appliances, food/drink items, animals, plants, and humans.</p>
<p />
<p>Smart dust is another name that refers to the motes that act as minicomputers, broadcasting and receiving. They are simply small wireless microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS). Back in 2013, a mote was about the size of a grain of rice, however, with technology advancing all the time, these will keep on reducing in size.</p>
<p />
<p>This smart agenda is synonymous with the UN Agenda 21 or Agenda 2030, while the Smart grid is synonymous with the IoT (Internet of Things) which is also going to use the new 5G network to achieve its desired saturation levels.</p>
<p />
<p>This technology is being weaponized. Smart dust forms a massive threat to the sovereignty of every human being alive. The whole thing is nothing less than the attempted technological possession of humanity.</p>
<p />
<p>The vaccines, GMOs, bioengineered food and geoengineering/chemtrails are all connected since they are delivery systems by which this miniature technology of nanochips and Smart dust is planned to be inserted into our bodies.</p>
<p />
<p>There are chemtrails that contain Smart dust motes which can readily infiltrate the body, communicate with other motes in your body, set up their own network and which can, unfortunately, be remotely controlled.</p>
<p />
<p>A combination of motes and nanochips inside the body can allow the NWO criminals to combine the IoT smart grid with brain mapping and other technological information in their attempt to remotely influence and control an entire population by overriding the thoughts, feelings and actions crowds.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="http://freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/nanochips-smart-dust-microchipping/" type="external">freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/nanochips-smart-dust-microchipping</a></p> | Human Microchipping Agenda: Smart Dust and Nano Chips | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/10492-Human-Microchipping-Agenda-Smart-Dust-and-Nano-Chips | 2017-10-28 | 0right
| Human Microchipping Agenda: Smart Dust and Nano Chips
<p />
<p />
<p>Smart Dust and Nanochips are the latest technological means through which the human microchipping agenda is being furthered. This is due to their incredibly tiny size that has the capacity to infiltrate the human body, become lodged within, and begin to set up a synthetic network on the inside which can be remotely controlled from the outside.</p>
<p />
<p>This technology has dire privacy, freedom and health consequences since it allows the New World Order to not only control the outside world but to also control your body.</p>
<p />
<p>There has always been two categories of people in the human society: rulers and slaves. The rulers have always kept the slaves in check because they had access to and control over the resources, such as money, food, water, weapons or other necessities of life.</p>
<p />
<p>In the recent past, humanity is being controlled by the monopolization of resources and also through mind control (propaganda). This is evident in societies such as the caste system in India, the royal bloodlines in Rome, the Middle East, and Europe, the centralization of power in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia during the 1930s, and finally in the West, with the advent of specialized PR and mind control techniques that were refined by the CIA.</p>
<p />
<p>Techniques such MKUltra gave the NWO controllers unheard of power to remotely and subconsciously influence people without them ever knowing, including the ability to create sex slaves and sleeper assassins.</p>
<p />
<p>Currently, we are entering an era where technological advancements are giving the NWO conspirators influence over a new realm, which is the control of the emotions, or more accurately, control over the entire mind-emotion nexus in the human body.</p>
<p />
<p>Microchips are tiny electronic devices which can be embedded under your skin, and which receive and transmit information. Microchips are now outdated due to their size, we are now facing something much tinier than a microchip, and therefore much more of a threat: nanochips and smart dust.</p>
<p />
<p>The word "nano" is 3 orders of magnitude smaller than "micro". It simply implies one billionth while micro means one millionth. Although microchips are about the size of a grain of rice and measured in millimeters, nanochips are completely invisible to the human eye.</p>
<p />
<p>There are nanochips that are far smaller than a human hair. Back in 2015, IBM announced that they had a functional nanochip measuring just 7 nm or nanometers (7 billionths of 1 meter). Nanochips power themselves from their environment they don't need batteries and have a 100-year lifespan.</p>
<p />
<p>Plans are underway to have the nanochips rolled out first on products before they can be used inside people's bodies. The company HP (Hewlett Packard) is alleged to be the executor of the plan to construct a synthetic central nervous system for the Earth - linking all resources and people in real time.</p>
<p />
<p>The "Smart" agenda or better yet the Smart Deception is meant to create a giant electromagnetic grid or network that encompasses the entire Earth. All things that move are to be made or injected with sensor or mote that connects them to the grid, this will include household products, appliances, food/drink items, animals, plants, and humans.</p>
<p />
<p>Smart dust is another name that refers to the motes that act as minicomputers, broadcasting and receiving. They are simply small wireless microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS). Back in 2013, a mote was about the size of a grain of rice, however, with technology advancing all the time, these will keep on reducing in size.</p>
<p />
<p>This smart agenda is synonymous with the UN Agenda 21 or Agenda 2030, while the Smart grid is synonymous with the IoT (Internet of Things) which is also going to use the new 5G network to achieve its desired saturation levels.</p>
<p />
<p>This technology is being weaponized. Smart dust forms a massive threat to the sovereignty of every human being alive. The whole thing is nothing less than the attempted technological possession of humanity.</p>
<p />
<p>The vaccines, GMOs, bioengineered food and geoengineering/chemtrails are all connected since they are delivery systems by which this miniature technology of nanochips and Smart dust is planned to be inserted into our bodies.</p>
<p />
<p>There are chemtrails that contain Smart dust motes which can readily infiltrate the body, communicate with other motes in your body, set up their own network and which can, unfortunately, be remotely controlled.</p>
<p />
<p>A combination of motes and nanochips inside the body can allow the NWO criminals to combine the IoT smart grid with brain mapping and other technological information in their attempt to remotely influence and control an entire population by overriding the thoughts, feelings and actions crowds.</p>
<p />
<p>Source: <a href="http://freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/nanochips-smart-dust-microchipping/" type="external">freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/nanochips-smart-dust-microchipping</a></p> | 599,552 |
<p>The Pentagon has lost up to $500 million in military aid given to <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a>.</p>
<p>Aircraft, weapons, and other equipment donated to <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a> prior to the collapse of its government to Houthi rebels last month is now out of the Defense Department’s reach, officials have confirmed with Fox News and The Washington Post.</p>
<p>Officials told The Post on Tuesday that they feared the weapons could now wind up in the hands of Iranian militias or al Qaeda. Sources also told Fox that the matter has been discussed with officials on Capitol Hill.</p>
<p>“We have to assume it’s completely compromised and gone,” a legislative aide on Capitol Hill told The Post.</p>
<p>At least a portion of the military aid sent to <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a> since 2007 was part of the “Section 1206” program that aimed to train its security forces. The Post added that there have been an “array” of programs spearheaded by the Defense Department and State Department that are linked to the funding.</p>
<p>“The administration really wanted to stick with this narrative that <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a> was different from Iraq, that we were going to do it with fewer people, that we were going to do it on the cheap,” Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told The Post. “They were trying to do with a minimalist approach because it needed to fit with this narrative … that we’re not going to have a repeat of Iraq.”</p>
<p>Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. <a href="http://license.icopyright.net/3.7280?icx_id=/news/2015/mar/18/pentagon-lost-500m-weapons-aid-yemen-assume-its-co/" type="external">Click here for reprint permission</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Pentagon lost $500M in weapons, aid to Yemen: ‘Assume it’s completely compromised’ | true | http://washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/18/pentagon-lost-500m-weapons-aid-yemen-assume-its-co/ | 2015-03-18 | 0right
| Pentagon lost $500M in weapons, aid to Yemen: ‘Assume it’s completely compromised’
<p>The Pentagon has lost up to $500 million in military aid given to <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a>.</p>
<p>Aircraft, weapons, and other equipment donated to <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a> prior to the collapse of its government to Houthi rebels last month is now out of the Defense Department’s reach, officials have confirmed with Fox News and The Washington Post.</p>
<p>Officials told The Post on Tuesday that they feared the weapons could now wind up in the hands of Iranian militias or al Qaeda. Sources also told Fox that the matter has been discussed with officials on Capitol Hill.</p>
<p>“We have to assume it’s completely compromised and gone,” a legislative aide on Capitol Hill told The Post.</p>
<p>At least a portion of the military aid sent to <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a> since 2007 was part of the “Section 1206” program that aimed to train its security forces. The Post added that there have been an “array” of programs spearheaded by the Defense Department and State Department that are linked to the funding.</p>
<p>“The administration really wanted to stick with this narrative that <a href="/topics/yemen/" type="external">Yemen</a> was different from Iraq, that we were going to do it with fewer people, that we were going to do it on the cheap,” Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told The Post. “They were trying to do with a minimalist approach because it needed to fit with this narrative … that we’re not going to have a repeat of Iraq.”</p>
<p>Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. <a href="http://license.icopyright.net/3.7280?icx_id=/news/2015/mar/18/pentagon-lost-500m-weapons-aid-yemen-assume-its-co/" type="external">Click here for reprint permission</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,553 |
<p>President Barack Obama voting in Chicago in 2012. Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/ZUMAPress</p>
<p />
<p>The health insurance exchanges set up under Obamacare are required by federal law to help millions of uninsured Americans register to vote. But the Obama administration is refusing to fully comply with that law, <a href="" type="internal">according to two voting rights organizations</a>.</p>
<p>Here’s what the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has to do with voting:&#160;The 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), known as the Motor Voter law, requires departments of motor vehicles and other agencies that provide public assistance to offer voter registration services. The new health care exchanges fall under this requirement, <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/nvra/nvra_faq.php" type="external">according to the Department of Justice</a> (DOJ) and <a href="" type="internal">the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)</a>. The federally run exchange (which was set up to provide a health insurance portal for residents in states where Republican governors refused to establish their own insurance marketplaces)&#160;and several state-run exchanges provide a link to the federal voter registration website in their health insurance applications. But the Motor Voter law requires that covered agencies do more than this, and in the case of Obamacare, that means the navigators hired by HHS who walk uninsured Americans through the sign-up process must also&#160; <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/nvra/nvra_faq.php" type="external">offer to guide applicants through the voter registration process</a>. Yet <a href="" type="internal">in a letter sent to the White House on Thursday</a>, voting rights groups Demos and Project Vote charge that HHS is not complying with this aspect of the law.&#160;</p>
<p>“This looks like [the administration is] running from a political fight,” says Lawrence Jacobs,&#160;a political science professor at the University of Minnesota and author of Health Care Reform and American Politics.</p>
<p>Jacobs sees HHS’s decision to not provide Americans full voter registration services through the federal exchange as a capitulation to Republicans. Republicans&#160;have&#160; <a href="http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/obamacare_draft_application.pdf" type="external">been</a> <a href="http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=325353" type="external">complaining</a> <a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2013/06/20/obamacare_health_care_exchanges_are_democrat_party_front_organizations" type="external">that</a> Obamacare could make it easier for uninsured Americans—who are largely low-income, minority, and young people who tend to vote Democratic—to register to vote. “Republicans are growling, and the administration is running,” Jacobs says. A House Democratic aide notes that the Obama administration “is trying to minimize political vulnerabilities.”</p>
<p>Last September, before the exchanges opened, <a href="" type="internal">Mother Jones reported</a> that the administration was wavering on whether it would comply with the Motor Voter law in this regard. Since then, Demos and Project Vote have pressured&#160;the White House&#160;behind the scenes, urging the administration&#160;to require the federal exchange to offer full voter registration services, which would entail more detailed notification in the health insurance application regarding voter registration. It would also mean that the federal exchange has to treat voter registration as a part of its own application process; if an uninsured person needs help with their insurance application, that person would also automatically be offered help with their voter registration application. The administration’s response has been “sympathetic indifference,” says Michael Slater, executive director of Project Vote.</p>
<p>Jacobs notes that “HHS has really dropped the ball…[on] a very important effort to link health reform to political equality.” Obamacare, he points out, has the potential to add millions of Americans to the voter rolls. <a href="" type="internal">Over 50 million Americans</a> are not registered to vote. And the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/16/stateline-voting-insurance-exchanges/2664483/" type="external">24 million uninsured Americans</a> who are expected to buy health insurance through the exchanges are particularly likely to be unregistered to vote, according to <a href="http://www.lakeresearch.com/people/index.asp" type="external">Lake Research</a>, a political strategy research firm.</p>
<p>The letter from Demos and Project Vote urges Obama to ensure HHS fully complies with the Motor Voter law, and it comes a day after the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which Obama created last year to examine voting problems in the country, <a href="https://www.supportthevoter.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Amer-Voting-Exper-final-draft-01-09-14-508.pdf" type="external">issued a report</a> that found that “the election statute most often ignored…is the National Voter Registration Act.” The study calls for increased enforcement of government agencies’ compliance with the Motor Voter law.&#160;</p>
<p>Some conservative legal scholars <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/16/stateline-voting-insurance-exchanges/2664483/" type="external">say that the exchanges don’t have to provide voter registration</a> because they offer private insurance and, consequently, don’t fall under the Motor Voter law’s definition of a public assistance agency. But the Obama administration itself disagrees with this argument. It has <a href="" type="internal">acknowledged several times</a> that the exchanges are covered by the Motor Voter law generally, though it has not addressed the part of the law that requires the training of navigators. HHS is “ignoring” the law, Slater says.</p>
<p>An HHS spokesperson says the agency is complying with the requirement that voter registration be offered in the exchange application. But he didn’t&#160;explain why it is not training navigators to assist&#160;voters in the registration process. The White House and the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p /> | Is Obama Running Away From a Voter Registration Fight With the GOP? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/01/obamacare-motor-voter-law-health-exchange/ | 2014-01-23 | 4left
| Is Obama Running Away From a Voter Registration Fight With the GOP?
<p>President Barack Obama voting in Chicago in 2012. Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/ZUMAPress</p>
<p />
<p>The health insurance exchanges set up under Obamacare are required by federal law to help millions of uninsured Americans register to vote. But the Obama administration is refusing to fully comply with that law, <a href="" type="internal">according to two voting rights organizations</a>.</p>
<p>Here’s what the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has to do with voting:&#160;The 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), known as the Motor Voter law, requires departments of motor vehicles and other agencies that provide public assistance to offer voter registration services. The new health care exchanges fall under this requirement, <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/nvra/nvra_faq.php" type="external">according to the Department of Justice</a> (DOJ) and <a href="" type="internal">the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)</a>. The federally run exchange (which was set up to provide a health insurance portal for residents in states where Republican governors refused to establish their own insurance marketplaces)&#160;and several state-run exchanges provide a link to the federal voter registration website in their health insurance applications. But the Motor Voter law requires that covered agencies do more than this, and in the case of Obamacare, that means the navigators hired by HHS who walk uninsured Americans through the sign-up process must also&#160; <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/nvra/nvra_faq.php" type="external">offer to guide applicants through the voter registration process</a>. Yet <a href="" type="internal">in a letter sent to the White House on Thursday</a>, voting rights groups Demos and Project Vote charge that HHS is not complying with this aspect of the law.&#160;</p>
<p>“This looks like [the administration is] running from a political fight,” says Lawrence Jacobs,&#160;a political science professor at the University of Minnesota and author of Health Care Reform and American Politics.</p>
<p>Jacobs sees HHS’s decision to not provide Americans full voter registration services through the federal exchange as a capitulation to Republicans. Republicans&#160;have&#160; <a href="http://waysandmeans.house.gov/uploadedfiles/obamacare_draft_application.pdf" type="external">been</a> <a href="http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=325353" type="external">complaining</a> <a href="http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2013/06/20/obamacare_health_care_exchanges_are_democrat_party_front_organizations" type="external">that</a> Obamacare could make it easier for uninsured Americans—who are largely low-income, minority, and young people who tend to vote Democratic—to register to vote. “Republicans are growling, and the administration is running,” Jacobs says. A House Democratic aide notes that the Obama administration “is trying to minimize political vulnerabilities.”</p>
<p>Last September, before the exchanges opened, <a href="" type="internal">Mother Jones reported</a> that the administration was wavering on whether it would comply with the Motor Voter law in this regard. Since then, Demos and Project Vote have pressured&#160;the White House&#160;behind the scenes, urging the administration&#160;to require the federal exchange to offer full voter registration services, which would entail more detailed notification in the health insurance application regarding voter registration. It would also mean that the federal exchange has to treat voter registration as a part of its own application process; if an uninsured person needs help with their insurance application, that person would also automatically be offered help with their voter registration application. The administration’s response has been “sympathetic indifference,” says Michael Slater, executive director of Project Vote.</p>
<p>Jacobs notes that “HHS has really dropped the ball…[on] a very important effort to link health reform to political equality.” Obamacare, he points out, has the potential to add millions of Americans to the voter rolls. <a href="" type="internal">Over 50 million Americans</a> are not registered to vote. And the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/16/stateline-voting-insurance-exchanges/2664483/" type="external">24 million uninsured Americans</a> who are expected to buy health insurance through the exchanges are particularly likely to be unregistered to vote, according to <a href="http://www.lakeresearch.com/people/index.asp" type="external">Lake Research</a>, a political strategy research firm.</p>
<p>The letter from Demos and Project Vote urges Obama to ensure HHS fully complies with the Motor Voter law, and it comes a day after the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, which Obama created last year to examine voting problems in the country, <a href="https://www.supportthevoter.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Amer-Voting-Exper-final-draft-01-09-14-508.pdf" type="external">issued a report</a> that found that “the election statute most often ignored…is the National Voter Registration Act.” The study calls for increased enforcement of government agencies’ compliance with the Motor Voter law.&#160;</p>
<p>Some conservative legal scholars <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/16/stateline-voting-insurance-exchanges/2664483/" type="external">say that the exchanges don’t have to provide voter registration</a> because they offer private insurance and, consequently, don’t fall under the Motor Voter law’s definition of a public assistance agency. But the Obama administration itself disagrees with this argument. It has <a href="" type="internal">acknowledged several times</a> that the exchanges are covered by the Motor Voter law generally, though it has not addressed the part of the law that requires the training of navigators. HHS is “ignoring” the law, Slater says.</p>
<p>An HHS spokesperson says the agency is complying with the requirement that voter registration be offered in the exchange application. But he didn’t&#160;explain why it is not training navigators to assist&#160;voters in the registration process. The White House and the Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p /> | 599,554 |
<p>Volkswagen’s Beetle coupe, reimagined for 2012, now has a convertible stablemate for 2013. <a href="" type="internal" />Just like the hardtop released as a 2012 model, the new ragtop features a wider track and longer wheelbase, contributing to its newfound sporty, hunkered-down stance. While its silhouette remains instantly recognizable, the new convertible looks more purposeful and less toylike than its predecessor. VW wanted to give the Beetle an evolutionary makeover, but one that would attract more male buyers who may have been put off by the earlier car’s reputation as a “lady’s car.” Chalk up a success for the stylists at Wolfsburg. The coupe and convertible, while maintaining an historic linkage to VWs of yore, now exude hints of early Porsche with a dash of Audi for good measure. That’s pretty sweet company. <a href="" type="internal" />The interior too has undergone a total makeover. While maintaining the traditional body-colored door-cap and dash surfaces, the gauges and controls are smack up-to-date. Big, legible meters are grouped together in a semicircle arrangement, along with a multifunction display integrated in the speedometer. Audio and navigation controls are logically grouped high in the center of the dash, along with a display screen. Below those are the knobs and buttons for climate controls. The front seats are typically firm and supportive in the Germanic style, with proper side bolsters to hold driver and passenger in place. The rear seats are easily accessed as both front buckets fold and slide forward with a simple, one-hand maneuver, but then return to their original positions. A nice touch. Even with the car’s sleeker design, headroom for rear-seat riders is improved, as is front-seat legroom.</p>
<p>Our tester featured VW’s unusual 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine (driving the front wheels, of course). The six-speed automatic delivered smooth, snappy shifts, and although eager to get into a higher gear — for economy’s sake — it also can be shifted manually for enhanced driver involvement. Driving the new Beetle reveals an unexpected spunkiness with taut, sure handling and an appealing lightness to the steering and brakes. Even though not endowed with a load of power (there’s a Turbo version for those kind of people), the Beetle is a still hoot to drive. With the padded top up, the vehicle is remarkably quiet on the highway. Credit too the car’s vaultlike build quality for its rattle- and squeak-free performance. With fewer affordable, four-place convertibles on the market, the new Beetle is the right car at the right time.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Redesigned soft-top VW Beetle breezes in for 2013 | false | https://abqjournal.com/154261/redesigned-soft-top-vw-beetle-breezes-in-for-2013.html | 2012-12-22 | 2least
| Redesigned soft-top VW Beetle breezes in for 2013
<p>Volkswagen’s Beetle coupe, reimagined for 2012, now has a convertible stablemate for 2013. <a href="" type="internal" />Just like the hardtop released as a 2012 model, the new ragtop features a wider track and longer wheelbase, contributing to its newfound sporty, hunkered-down stance. While its silhouette remains instantly recognizable, the new convertible looks more purposeful and less toylike than its predecessor. VW wanted to give the Beetle an evolutionary makeover, but one that would attract more male buyers who may have been put off by the earlier car’s reputation as a “lady’s car.” Chalk up a success for the stylists at Wolfsburg. The coupe and convertible, while maintaining an historic linkage to VWs of yore, now exude hints of early Porsche with a dash of Audi for good measure. That’s pretty sweet company. <a href="" type="internal" />The interior too has undergone a total makeover. While maintaining the traditional body-colored door-cap and dash surfaces, the gauges and controls are smack up-to-date. Big, legible meters are grouped together in a semicircle arrangement, along with a multifunction display integrated in the speedometer. Audio and navigation controls are logically grouped high in the center of the dash, along with a display screen. Below those are the knobs and buttons for climate controls. The front seats are typically firm and supportive in the Germanic style, with proper side bolsters to hold driver and passenger in place. The rear seats are easily accessed as both front buckets fold and slide forward with a simple, one-hand maneuver, but then return to their original positions. A nice touch. Even with the car’s sleeker design, headroom for rear-seat riders is improved, as is front-seat legroom.</p>
<p>Our tester featured VW’s unusual 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine (driving the front wheels, of course). The six-speed automatic delivered smooth, snappy shifts, and although eager to get into a higher gear — for economy’s sake — it also can be shifted manually for enhanced driver involvement. Driving the new Beetle reveals an unexpected spunkiness with taut, sure handling and an appealing lightness to the steering and brakes. Even though not endowed with a load of power (there’s a Turbo version for those kind of people), the Beetle is a still hoot to drive. With the padded top up, the vehicle is remarkably quiet on the highway. Credit too the car’s vaultlike build quality for its rattle- and squeak-free performance. With fewer affordable, four-place convertibles on the market, the new Beetle is the right car at the right time.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 599,555 |
<p>Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and the other “Left, Right &amp; Center” panelists, including this week former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, <a href="http://www.kcrw.com/news/programs/lr/lr140328crimea_naivete_hobby" type="external">discuss</a> former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s claim that he could handle Russia better. Also, the Supreme Court hears arguments about religious freedom, and can we trust anything the NSA says?</p>
<p>Joining Scheer and Spitzer, who moderates from the center, are former GOP Congressman Vin Weber on the right and special guest Dahlia Lithwick of Slate.com.</p>
<p>KCRW:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>— Adapted from KCRW by <a href="" type="internal">Alexander Reed Kelly</a>.</p> | 'Left, Right & Center': Crimea Naivete, Hobby Lobby, Trusting the NSA | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/left-right-center-crimea-naivete-hobby-lobby-trusting-the-nsa/ | 2014-03-29 | 4left
| 'Left, Right & Center': Crimea Naivete, Hobby Lobby, Trusting the NSA
<p>Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer and the other “Left, Right &amp; Center” panelists, including this week former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, <a href="http://www.kcrw.com/news/programs/lr/lr140328crimea_naivete_hobby" type="external">discuss</a> former GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s claim that he could handle Russia better. Also, the Supreme Court hears arguments about religious freedom, and can we trust anything the NSA says?</p>
<p>Joining Scheer and Spitzer, who moderates from the center, are former GOP Congressman Vin Weber on the right and special guest Dahlia Lithwick of Slate.com.</p>
<p>KCRW:</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>— Adapted from KCRW by <a href="" type="internal">Alexander Reed Kelly</a>.</p> | 599,556 |
<p>&amp;amp;lt;i&amp;amp;gt;This post originally ran on Robert Reich&amp;amp;amp;#8217;s Web page, &amp;amp;lt;a href="http://robertreich.org"&amp;amp;gt;www.robertreich.org&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;. &amp;amp;lt;/i&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;Democrats, here are eight principles to guide you in the coming showdown over the fiscal cliff:&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;ONE: HOLD YOUR GROUND.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; The wealthy have to pay their fair share of taxes. That’s what the election was all about, and we won. It’s only fair they pay more. They’re taking home record share of national income and wealth, and have lowest effective tax rate in living memory.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;TWO: NO DEAL IS BETTER THAN A BAD DEAL.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; You’re in a strong bargaining position. If you do nothing, the Bush tax cuts automatically expire in January, and we go back to rates during Clinton administration. Which isn’t such a bad thing. As I recall we had a pretty good economy during the Clinton years.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div class="sidebar__ad-label"&amp;amp;gt;Advertisement&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;broadstreet-zone zone-id="58577"&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/broadstreet-zone&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;THREE: MAKE REPUBLICANS VOTE ON EXTENDING THE TAX CUTS JUST FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; After all the Bush tax cuts expire, have Republicans vote on an extending the Bush tax cut just for the middle-class. If they refuse and try to hold those tax cuts hostage to tax cuts for the wealthy, it will show whose side they’re on. They’ll pay the price in 2014.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;FOUR: DEMAND HIGHER TAX RATES ON WEALTHY, NOT JUST LIMITS ON DEDUCTIONS.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Don’t fall for Republican offers to limit some tax deductions on the wealthy. Demand we go back to higher tax rates on the wealthy and eliminate their unfair tax loopholes, so they truly start paying their fair share.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;FIVE: DON’T CUT SAFETY NETS.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Don’t sacrifice Medicare or Social Security, or programs for the poor. Americans depend on these safety nets and can’t afford any benefit cuts.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;SIX: DON’T CUT INVESTMENTS IN OUR FUTURE PRODUCTIVITY.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Education, basic R&amp;amp;amp;#038;D, and infrastructure aren’t spending; they’re investments in our future prosperity. If the return on these investments is greater than the cost, they ought to be made, period.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;SEVEN: CUT SPENDING ON MILITARY AND CORPORATE WELFARE.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; You want to cut, cut spending on the military — which now exceeds the military spending of the next 13 largest military spenders in the world combined. And cut corporate welfare — support to agribusiness, oil and gas, Big Pharma, big insurance, and Wall Street.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;EIGHT: PUT JOBS BEFORE DEFICIT REDUCTION.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Finally, Don’t cut the budget deficit as long as unemployment remains high. Otherwise you’ll cause the economy to contract, making the deficit even larger in proportion. That’s the austerity trap Europe has fallen into. We need to create American prosperity, not European austerity.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;Remember: Jobs come first.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;i&amp;amp;gt;Robert B. Reich, chancellor’s professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, was secretary of labor in the Clinton administration. Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective Cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written 13 books, including the best-sellers “Aftershock&amp;amp;amp;#8221; and “The Work of Nations.&amp;amp;amp;#8221; His latest, &amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780345804372?aff=Truthdig" title='"Beyond Outrage,"'&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;#8220;Beyond Outrage,&amp;amp;amp;#8221;&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt; is now out in paperback. He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.&amp;amp;lt;/i&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;</p> | Understanding the Fiscal Cliff (in 2 Minutes 30 Seconds) | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/understanding-the-fiscal-cliff-in-2-minutes-30-seconds/ | 2012-12-04 | 4left
| Understanding the Fiscal Cliff (in 2 Minutes 30 Seconds)
<p>&amp;amp;lt;i&amp;amp;gt;This post originally ran on Robert Reich&amp;amp;amp;#8217;s Web page, &amp;amp;lt;a href="http://robertreich.org"&amp;amp;gt;www.robertreich.org&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt;. &amp;amp;lt;/i&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;Democrats, here are eight principles to guide you in the coming showdown over the fiscal cliff:&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;ONE: HOLD YOUR GROUND.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; The wealthy have to pay their fair share of taxes. That’s what the election was all about, and we won. It’s only fair they pay more. They’re taking home record share of national income and wealth, and have lowest effective tax rate in living memory.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;TWO: NO DEAL IS BETTER THAN A BAD DEAL.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; You’re in a strong bargaining position. If you do nothing, the Bush tax cuts automatically expire in January, and we go back to rates during Clinton administration. Which isn’t such a bad thing. As I recall we had a pretty good economy during the Clinton years.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;div class="sidebar__ad-label"&amp;amp;gt;Advertisement&amp;amp;lt;/div&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;broadstreet-zone zone-id="58577"&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/broadstreet-zone&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;THREE: MAKE REPUBLICANS VOTE ON EXTENDING THE TAX CUTS JUST FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; After all the Bush tax cuts expire, have Republicans vote on an extending the Bush tax cut just for the middle-class. If they refuse and try to hold those tax cuts hostage to tax cuts for the wealthy, it will show whose side they’re on. They’ll pay the price in 2014.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;FOUR: DEMAND HIGHER TAX RATES ON WEALTHY, NOT JUST LIMITS ON DEDUCTIONS.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Don’t fall for Republican offers to limit some tax deductions on the wealthy. Demand we go back to higher tax rates on the wealthy and eliminate their unfair tax loopholes, so they truly start paying their fair share.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;FIVE: DON’T CUT SAFETY NETS.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Don’t sacrifice Medicare or Social Security, or programs for the poor. Americans depend on these safety nets and can’t afford any benefit cuts.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;SIX: DON’T CUT INVESTMENTS IN OUR FUTURE PRODUCTIVITY.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Education, basic R&amp;amp;amp;#038;D, and infrastructure aren’t spending; they’re investments in our future prosperity. If the return on these investments is greater than the cost, they ought to be made, period.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;SEVEN: CUT SPENDING ON MILITARY AND CORPORATE WELFARE.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; You want to cut, cut spending on the military — which now exceeds the military spending of the next 13 largest military spenders in the world combined. And cut corporate welfare — support to agribusiness, oil and gas, Big Pharma, big insurance, and Wall Street.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;b&amp;amp;gt;EIGHT: PUT JOBS BEFORE DEFICIT REDUCTION.&amp;amp;lt;/b&amp;amp;gt; Finally, Don’t cut the budget deficit as long as unemployment remains high. Otherwise you’ll cause the economy to contract, making the deficit even larger in proportion. That’s the austerity trap Europe has fallen into. We need to create American prosperity, not European austerity.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;Remember: Jobs come first.&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;i&amp;amp;gt;Robert B. Reich, chancellor’s professor of public policy at UC Berkeley, was secretary of labor in the Clinton administration. Time magazine named him one of the 10 most effective Cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written 13 books, including the best-sellers “Aftershock&amp;amp;amp;#8221; and “The Work of Nations.&amp;amp;amp;#8221; His latest, &amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780345804372?aff=Truthdig" title='"Beyond Outrage,"'&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;#8220;Beyond Outrage,&amp;amp;amp;#8221;&amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;gt; is now out in paperback. He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause.&amp;amp;lt;/i&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;</p> | 599,557 |
<p>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Cash 5" game were:</p>
<p>10-22-24-36-41</p>
<p>(ten, twenty-two, twenty-four, thirty-six, forty-one)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $281,000</p>
<p>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Cash 5" game were:</p>
<p>10-22-24-36-41</p>
<p>(ten, twenty-two, twenty-four, thirty-six, forty-one)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $281,000</p> | Winning numbers drawn in 'Cash 5' game | false | https://apnews.com/amp/d00e956fb23a44bdb287c7e1597cc358 | 2018-01-19 | 2least
| Winning numbers drawn in 'Cash 5' game
<p>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Cash 5" game were:</p>
<p>10-22-24-36-41</p>
<p>(ten, twenty-two, twenty-four, thirty-six, forty-one)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $281,000</p>
<p>INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Indiana Lottery's "Cash 5" game were:</p>
<p>10-22-24-36-41</p>
<p>(ten, twenty-two, twenty-four, thirty-six, forty-one)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $281,000</p> | 599,558 |
<p>The Grammy Museum is about to open its new location in New Jersey.</p>
<p>NJ.com reports that the 8,200-square-foot Grammy Museum Experience at the Prudential Center arena in Newark will open Oct. 20.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The museum will include a section dedicated to New Jersey musicians such as Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen. It also will have a fashion section with outfits worn by Michael Jackson and Jennifer Lopez.</p>
<p>The Los Angeles-based museum says the New Jersey location will be the first on the East Coast. Other locations include Cleveland, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee.</p>
<p>The museum will be open six days a week, with tickets ranging between $9 and $12.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show there is a Grammy museum in Cleveland, Mississippi, not Cleveland, Ohio.</p> | Grammy Museum set to open its new site in Newark next month | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/12/grammy-museum-set-to-open-its-new-site-in-newark-next-month.html | 2017-09-12 | 0right
| Grammy Museum set to open its new site in Newark next month
<p>The Grammy Museum is about to open its new location in New Jersey.</p>
<p>NJ.com reports that the 8,200-square-foot Grammy Museum Experience at the Prudential Center arena in Newark will open Oct. 20.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The museum will include a section dedicated to New Jersey musicians such as Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen. It also will have a fashion section with outfits worn by Michael Jackson and Jennifer Lopez.</p>
<p>The Los Angeles-based museum says the New Jersey location will be the first on the East Coast. Other locations include Cleveland, Mississippi, and Nashville, Tennessee.</p>
<p>The museum will be open six days a week, with tickets ranging between $9 and $12.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show there is a Grammy museum in Cleveland, Mississippi, not Cleveland, Ohio.</p> | 599,559 |
<p>This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (August 22, 2017).</p>
<p>J.P. Morgan Chase &amp; Co. is planning up to $2 million in donations to human- and civil-rights organizations following the recent clashes in Charlottesville, Va.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The largest U.S. bank by assets will donate $1 million split between the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League "to further their work in tracking, exposing and fighting hate groups and other extremist organizations," according to an internal bank memo sent Monday that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.</p>
<p>This follows bank Chief Executive James Dimon saying in an employee memo last week that he strongly disagreed with President Donald Trump's reaction to Charlottesville and personally supported the disbanding of the president's strategic and policy council of which he was a member.</p>
<p>"It is a leader's role, in business or government, to bring people together, not tear them apart," Mr. Dimon wrote in the internal memo sent Aug. 16, the day the strategic council disbanded.</p>
<p>The debate over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, a top commander of Confederate forces in the Civil War, sparked racially charged protests in Charlottesville. One woman was killed during the violence when a car driven by an alleged white supremacist plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters.</p>
<p>Mr. Trump said both sides -- white nationalists and counterprotesters -- were to blame for the clashes.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>"Now more than ever, America's leading institutions must speak out against white supremacism," said the Southern Poverty Law Center.</p>
<p>J.P. Morgan said in Monday's memo that beginning in September, it would match employees' donations to a range of human- and civil-rights organizations two for one. The bank will donate up to an additional $1 million, according to the memo, sent by Peter Scher, the bank's chairman of the Washington, D.C., region and corporate responsibility head.</p>
<p>J.P. Morgan will also give $50,000 to support the work of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation for its immediate and longer-term reconciliation efforts.</p>
<p>"The events in Charlottesville have increased the urgency to confront hate, intolerance and discrimination wherever it exists," the bank said, according to Monday's memo.</p>
<p>Write to Emily Glazer at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>August 22, 2017 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)</p> | J.P. Morgan Will Donate To Rights Groups -- WSJ | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/08/22/j-p-morgan-will-donate-to-rights-groups-wsj.html | 2017-08-22 | 0right
| J.P. Morgan Will Donate To Rights Groups -- WSJ
<p>This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (August 22, 2017).</p>
<p>J.P. Morgan Chase &amp; Co. is planning up to $2 million in donations to human- and civil-rights organizations following the recent clashes in Charlottesville, Va.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The largest U.S. bank by assets will donate $1 million split between the Southern Poverty Law Center and Anti-Defamation League "to further their work in tracking, exposing and fighting hate groups and other extremist organizations," according to an internal bank memo sent Monday that was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.</p>
<p>This follows bank Chief Executive James Dimon saying in an employee memo last week that he strongly disagreed with President Donald Trump's reaction to Charlottesville and personally supported the disbanding of the president's strategic and policy council of which he was a member.</p>
<p>"It is a leader's role, in business or government, to bring people together, not tear them apart," Mr. Dimon wrote in the internal memo sent Aug. 16, the day the strategic council disbanded.</p>
<p>The debate over the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, a top commander of Confederate forces in the Civil War, sparked racially charged protests in Charlottesville. One woman was killed during the violence when a car driven by an alleged white supremacist plowed into a crowd of counterprotesters.</p>
<p>Mr. Trump said both sides -- white nationalists and counterprotesters -- were to blame for the clashes.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>"Now more than ever, America's leading institutions must speak out against white supremacism," said the Southern Poverty Law Center.</p>
<p>J.P. Morgan said in Monday's memo that beginning in September, it would match employees' donations to a range of human- and civil-rights organizations two for one. The bank will donate up to an additional $1 million, according to the memo, sent by Peter Scher, the bank's chairman of the Washington, D.C., region and corporate responsibility head.</p>
<p>J.P. Morgan will also give $50,000 to support the work of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation for its immediate and longer-term reconciliation efforts.</p>
<p>"The events in Charlottesville have increased the urgency to confront hate, intolerance and discrimination wherever it exists," the bank said, according to Monday's memo.</p>
<p>Write to Emily Glazer at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>August 22, 2017 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)</p> | 599,560 |
<p>Will the tea party sell out for a mess of pottage in the form of a ban on earmarks?</p>
<p>That’s one possibility. But another is that this embrace of a purely symbolic approach to deficit reduction is a sign that the tea party’s central goals may lie elsewhere — in an effort to push the Republican Party away from those aspects of George W. Bush’s legacy that tried to steer the conservative movement in a new direction. The real point may be to get the GOP to say goodbye to the idea of a compassionate conservatism and to Bush’s peculiar but real brand of multiculturalism.</p>
<p>It was entertaining to watch Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reluctantly capitulate to the tea party by supporting a two-year ban on requests for earmarks from his chamber’s Republicans.</p>
<p>McConnell knows perfectly well that ending earmarks will transfer more authority over spending to the executive branch while saving little, if any, money. Earmarks, after all, are nothing more than a legislative gimmick empowering individual senators and representatives to direct pieces of federal largesse toward their favorite projects.</p>
<p />
<p>The tea party talks a lot about “constitutionalism,” yet this move flies in the face of the Constitution’s clear preference for congressional control over spending. It’s odd to see so much energy devoted to securing a decision that actually gives more power to President Obama, the politician who inspires so much loathing in the tea party.</p>
<p>But here’s a heretical thought: For many who have rallied to the tea party, the spending issue may be secondary. In the course of researching a paper on religion and the 2010 elections that my Brookings Institution colleague William Galston and I published on Wednesday, I ran across a remarkable essay by Gary Gerstle, a Vanderbilt University historian, in which he argues that Bush’s unique contribution to conservatism was the embrace of a “multiculturalism of the godly.”</p>
<p>Published in “The Presidency of George W. Bush: A First Historical Assessment” (Princeton, 2010), the essay sees Bush as attempting to offer “groups of minority voters reason to rethink their traditional hostility to the GOP.”</p>
<p>Gerstle notes that on “questions of immigration and diversity, Bush was worlds apart from Patrick Buchanan and the social-conservative wing of the Republican Party.” Bush “was comfortable with diversity, bilingualism, and cultural pluralism, as long as members of America’s ethnic and racial subcultures shared his patriotism, religious faith, and political conservatism.”</p>
<p>It is notable, Gerstle adds, that at “a time in which the United States was at war and Europe was exploding with tension and violence over Islam, Bush played a positive role in keeping interethnic and interracial relations in the United States relatively calm.”</p>
<p>Christopher Caldwell, a columnist for The Financial Times, was one of the first political writers to pick up on the significance of Gerstle’s essay. Caldwell, an American conservative, used it to critique Bush’s multicultural and compassion agenda and to explain the tea party’s rise. Intriguingly, he suggests that “many of the tea party’s gripes about President Barack Obama can also be laid at the door of Mr. Bush.”</p>
<p>For example, the main effect of Bush’s faith-based initiative, in Caldwell’s view, was to funnel “a lot of federal money to urban welfare and substance abuse programs.” The No Child Left Behind Act, which “meant to improve educational outcomes for minorities, did so at the price of centralizing authority in Washington.” And of course, there was Bush’s 2007 immigration reform proposal, “the clearest sign that he was losing the ear of his party.”</p>
<p>I don’t share Caldwell’s substantive take on these issues — in particular, the problem with Bush’s domestic compassion agenda was how little money he put behind it — but the column is a shrewd reflection on some of the central sources of tea party discontent.</p>
<p>For liberals, the publication of Bush’s memoirs has largely been an occasion for revisiting all the areas in which they rate his presidency a catastrophic failure: the rush to war in Iraq, torture, tax cuts for the rich, the response to Hurricane Katrina. It’s hard for liberals (believe me, I know) to fathom that there are any parts of the Bush legacy we might miss.</p>
<p>But imagine if the main result of the tea party is a “correction” of the Bush creed involving a move away from its most open and tolerant features and a rebellion against even the idea that compassion is a legitimate object of public policy. A conservatism that abandons the redeeming side of Bushism will not be an improvement on the old model.</p>
<p>E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is ejdionne(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2010, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | Saying Goodbye to Compassionate Conservatism | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/saying-goodbye-to-compassionate-conservatism/ | 2010-11-18 | 4left
| Saying Goodbye to Compassionate Conservatism
<p>Will the tea party sell out for a mess of pottage in the form of a ban on earmarks?</p>
<p>That’s one possibility. But another is that this embrace of a purely symbolic approach to deficit reduction is a sign that the tea party’s central goals may lie elsewhere — in an effort to push the Republican Party away from those aspects of George W. Bush’s legacy that tried to steer the conservative movement in a new direction. The real point may be to get the GOP to say goodbye to the idea of a compassionate conservatism and to Bush’s peculiar but real brand of multiculturalism.</p>
<p>It was entertaining to watch Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reluctantly capitulate to the tea party by supporting a two-year ban on requests for earmarks from his chamber’s Republicans.</p>
<p>McConnell knows perfectly well that ending earmarks will transfer more authority over spending to the executive branch while saving little, if any, money. Earmarks, after all, are nothing more than a legislative gimmick empowering individual senators and representatives to direct pieces of federal largesse toward their favorite projects.</p>
<p />
<p>The tea party talks a lot about “constitutionalism,” yet this move flies in the face of the Constitution’s clear preference for congressional control over spending. It’s odd to see so much energy devoted to securing a decision that actually gives more power to President Obama, the politician who inspires so much loathing in the tea party.</p>
<p>But here’s a heretical thought: For many who have rallied to the tea party, the spending issue may be secondary. In the course of researching a paper on religion and the 2010 elections that my Brookings Institution colleague William Galston and I published on Wednesday, I ran across a remarkable essay by Gary Gerstle, a Vanderbilt University historian, in which he argues that Bush’s unique contribution to conservatism was the embrace of a “multiculturalism of the godly.”</p>
<p>Published in “The Presidency of George W. Bush: A First Historical Assessment” (Princeton, 2010), the essay sees Bush as attempting to offer “groups of minority voters reason to rethink their traditional hostility to the GOP.”</p>
<p>Gerstle notes that on “questions of immigration and diversity, Bush was worlds apart from Patrick Buchanan and the social-conservative wing of the Republican Party.” Bush “was comfortable with diversity, bilingualism, and cultural pluralism, as long as members of America’s ethnic and racial subcultures shared his patriotism, religious faith, and political conservatism.”</p>
<p>It is notable, Gerstle adds, that at “a time in which the United States was at war and Europe was exploding with tension and violence over Islam, Bush played a positive role in keeping interethnic and interracial relations in the United States relatively calm.”</p>
<p>Christopher Caldwell, a columnist for The Financial Times, was one of the first political writers to pick up on the significance of Gerstle’s essay. Caldwell, an American conservative, used it to critique Bush’s multicultural and compassion agenda and to explain the tea party’s rise. Intriguingly, he suggests that “many of the tea party’s gripes about President Barack Obama can also be laid at the door of Mr. Bush.”</p>
<p>For example, the main effect of Bush’s faith-based initiative, in Caldwell’s view, was to funnel “a lot of federal money to urban welfare and substance abuse programs.” The No Child Left Behind Act, which “meant to improve educational outcomes for minorities, did so at the price of centralizing authority in Washington.” And of course, there was Bush’s 2007 immigration reform proposal, “the clearest sign that he was losing the ear of his party.”</p>
<p>I don’t share Caldwell’s substantive take on these issues — in particular, the problem with Bush’s domestic compassion agenda was how little money he put behind it — but the column is a shrewd reflection on some of the central sources of tea party discontent.</p>
<p>For liberals, the publication of Bush’s memoirs has largely been an occasion for revisiting all the areas in which they rate his presidency a catastrophic failure: the rush to war in Iraq, torture, tax cuts for the rich, the response to Hurricane Katrina. It’s hard for liberals (believe me, I know) to fathom that there are any parts of the Bush legacy we might miss.</p>
<p>But imagine if the main result of the tea party is a “correction” of the Bush creed involving a move away from its most open and tolerant features and a rebellion against even the idea that compassion is a legitimate object of public policy. A conservatism that abandons the redeeming side of Bushism will not be an improvement on the old model.</p>
<p>E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is ejdionne(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2010, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | 599,561 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>They say Loraine Olivas is being held at the Eddy County Detention Center on suspicion of child abuse, abandonment and interference with a child abuse investigation.</p>
<p>It was unclear Monday if she has a lawyer yet.</p>
<p>KOB-TV reports that an Amber Alert was issued for the boy while police searched for Olivas on Saturday.</p>
<p>A short time later, a woman called police after finding the child wandering and crying alone at Lake Arthur Cemetery.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Carlsbad police located Olivas about 5 miles out of the town after she ran out of gas.</p>
<p>A criminal complaint states Olivas told police she left the child at his father's house, but the man says that did not happen.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: KOB-TV, <a href="http://www.kob.com" type="external">http://www.kob.com</a></p> | Roswell woman is accused of abandoning her son at a cemetery | false | https://abqjournal.com/579449/roswell-woman-is-accused-of-abandoning-her-son-at-a-cemetery.html | 2least
| Roswell woman is accused of abandoning her son at a cemetery
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>They say Loraine Olivas is being held at the Eddy County Detention Center on suspicion of child abuse, abandonment and interference with a child abuse investigation.</p>
<p>It was unclear Monday if she has a lawyer yet.</p>
<p>KOB-TV reports that an Amber Alert was issued for the boy while police searched for Olivas on Saturday.</p>
<p>A short time later, a woman called police after finding the child wandering and crying alone at Lake Arthur Cemetery.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Carlsbad police located Olivas about 5 miles out of the town after she ran out of gas.</p>
<p>A criminal complaint states Olivas told police she left the child at his father's house, but the man says that did not happen.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: KOB-TV, <a href="http://www.kob.com" type="external">http://www.kob.com</a></p> | 599,562 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Starting this month, Medicare will pay primary care doctors a monthly fee to better coordinate care for the most vulnerable seniors – those with multiple chronic illnesses – even if they don’t have a face-to-face exam.</p>
<p>The goal is to help patients stay healthier between doctor visits, and avoid pricey hospitals and nursing homes.</p>
<p>“We all need care coordination. Medicare patients need it more than ever,” said Sean Cavanaugh, deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>About two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease. Their care is infamously fragmented. They tend to visit numerous doctors for different illnesses.</p>
<p>Too often, no one oversees their overall health – making sure multiple treatments don’t mix badly, that X-rays and other tests aren’t repeated just because one doctor didn’t know another already had ordered them, and that nothing falls between the cracks.</p>
<p>Medicare’s new fee, which is about $40 a month per qualified patient, marks a big policy shift. Usually, the program pays for services in the doctor’s office.</p>
<p>“We’re hoping to spur change, getting physicians to be much more willing to spend time working on the needs of these patients without necessitating the patient to come into the office,” Cavanaugh told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>To earn the new fee, doctors must come up with a care plan for qualified patients, and spend time each month on such activities as coordinating their care with other health providers and monitoring their medications. Also, patients must have a way to reach someone with the care team who can access their health records 24 hours a day, for proper evaluation of an after-hours complaint.</p>
<p>Many primary care physicians already do some of that.</p>
<p>“Quite honestly, I just didn’t get paid for it,” said Dr. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.</p>
<p>Wergin estimates he spends about two hours a day doing such things as calling elderly patients who have a hard time visiting his office in rural Milford, Neb.</p>
<p>Say someone with heart failure reports a little weight gain, a possible sign of fluid buildup but not enough to make the patient call for an appointment. Wergin might adjust the medication dose over the phone, and urge an in-person exam in a few days if that doesn’t solve the problem.</p>
<p>The new fee could enable physicians to hire extra nurses or care managers to do more of that preventive work, Wergin said. Patients must agree to care coordination; the fee is subject to Medicare’s standard deductible and coinsurance. Wergin plans to explain it as, “This is how we’re going to hopefully manage your illnesses better at home.”</p>
<p>But for some patients, care coordination can require a lot more work.</p>
<p>It’s like being a quarterback, Dr. Matthew Press wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine last summer in describing the 80 days between diagnosing a man’s liver cancer and his surgery. The internist, while at Weill Cornell Medical College, sent 32 emails and had eight phone calls with the patient’s 11 other physicians. That’s something CMS’ Cavanaugh said a doctor in private practice would find hard to squeeze in.</p>
<p /> | Medicare paying doctors to coordinate chronic care | false | https://abqjournal.com/524489/medicare-paying-doctors-to-coordinate-chronic-care.html | 2least
| Medicare paying doctors to coordinate chronic care
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Starting this month, Medicare will pay primary care doctors a monthly fee to better coordinate care for the most vulnerable seniors – those with multiple chronic illnesses – even if they don’t have a face-to-face exam.</p>
<p>The goal is to help patients stay healthier between doctor visits, and avoid pricey hospitals and nursing homes.</p>
<p>“We all need care coordination. Medicare patients need it more than ever,” said Sean Cavanaugh, deputy administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>About two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries have two or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease. Their care is infamously fragmented. They tend to visit numerous doctors for different illnesses.</p>
<p>Too often, no one oversees their overall health – making sure multiple treatments don’t mix badly, that X-rays and other tests aren’t repeated just because one doctor didn’t know another already had ordered them, and that nothing falls between the cracks.</p>
<p>Medicare’s new fee, which is about $40 a month per qualified patient, marks a big policy shift. Usually, the program pays for services in the doctor’s office.</p>
<p>“We’re hoping to spur change, getting physicians to be much more willing to spend time working on the needs of these patients without necessitating the patient to come into the office,” Cavanaugh told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>To earn the new fee, doctors must come up with a care plan for qualified patients, and spend time each month on such activities as coordinating their care with other health providers and monitoring their medications. Also, patients must have a way to reach someone with the care team who can access their health records 24 hours a day, for proper evaluation of an after-hours complaint.</p>
<p>Many primary care physicians already do some of that.</p>
<p>“Quite honestly, I just didn’t get paid for it,” said Dr. Robert Wergin, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians.</p>
<p>Wergin estimates he spends about two hours a day doing such things as calling elderly patients who have a hard time visiting his office in rural Milford, Neb.</p>
<p>Say someone with heart failure reports a little weight gain, a possible sign of fluid buildup but not enough to make the patient call for an appointment. Wergin might adjust the medication dose over the phone, and urge an in-person exam in a few days if that doesn’t solve the problem.</p>
<p>The new fee could enable physicians to hire extra nurses or care managers to do more of that preventive work, Wergin said. Patients must agree to care coordination; the fee is subject to Medicare’s standard deductible and coinsurance. Wergin plans to explain it as, “This is how we’re going to hopefully manage your illnesses better at home.”</p>
<p>But for some patients, care coordination can require a lot more work.</p>
<p>It’s like being a quarterback, Dr. Matthew Press wrote in the New England Journal of Medicine last summer in describing the 80 days between diagnosing a man’s liver cancer and his surgery. The internist, while at Weill Cornell Medical College, sent 32 emails and had eight phone calls with the patient’s 11 other physicians. That’s something CMS’ Cavanaugh said a doctor in private practice would find hard to squeeze in.</p>
<p /> | 599,563 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>PARIS — Researchers with the Japanese anti-virus firm Trend Micro say the campaign of French presidential front-runner Emmanuel Macron has been targeted by Russia-linked hackers, adding more details to previous suggestions that the centrist politician was being singled out for electronic eavesdropping by the Kremlin.</p>
<p>The campaign’s digital chief, Mounir Mahjoubi, confirmed the attempted intrusions in a telephone interview late Monday but said they had all been thwarted.</p>
<p>“It’s serious, but nothing was compromised,” he said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The French presidential race is not yet over. Macron faces far-right rival Marine Le Pen in France’s presidential runoff on May 7. Macron favors a strong European Union, while Le Pen wants to pull France out of the bloc, weakening it.</p>
<p>Trend Micro said it discovered the campaign by monitoring the creation of rogue, lookalike websites often used by hackers to trick victims into giving up their passwords. The Tokyo-based firm recently detected four Macron-themed fake domains being set up on digital infrastructure used by a group it calls Pawn Storm, according to Trend Micro researcher Feike Hacquebord.</p>
<p>Mahjoubi confirmed that at least one of the sites had recently been used as part of an attempt to steal campaign staffers’ online credentials.</p>
<p>Unmasking which group is behind this or that spying campaign is one of the most challenging aspects of cybersecurity, but Hacquebord said he was confident Trend Micro had gotten it right.</p>
<p>“This is not a 100 percent confirmation, but it’s very, very likely,” Hacquebord said, adding the political nature of the targeting was “really in line with what they’ve been doing in the last two years.”</p>
<p>Trend Micro has stopped short of accusing any country of pulling Pawn Storm’s strings, but American spy agencies and a variety of threat intelligence firms say that Pawn Storm, an extraordinarily prolific group also known as Fancy Bear or APT28, of being an arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.</p>
<p>French officials have also tended to be more circumspect than their American counterparts, repeatedly declining to tie Pawn Storm to any specific actor.</p>
<p>Russian government officials have long denied claims of state-sanctioned hacking. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the most recent coverage as “anonymous, unsubstantiated reports.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The Associated Press left several messages with the hacker or hackers who registered the rogue Macron websites. None was returned.</p>
<p>Mahjoubi said the attempts to penetrate the Macron campaign date back to December. In February, the campaign complained publicly of being targeted by Russia-linked electronic spying operations, although it offered no proof at the time.</p>
<p>Trend Micro’s report, which was produced independently of the Macron campaign and lists 160 electronic espionage operations across a series of targets, adds a measure of evidence to the notion, even if the fact that the rogue websites were registered in March and April doesn’t line up with the campaign’s timeline.</p>
<p>The French election, the first round of which Macron won Sunday with just over 24 percent of the vote, has been closely watched for signs of digital interference of any kind.</p>
<p>Many observers feared a repeat of the U.S. electoral contest in 2016, when hackers allegedly backed by Moscow broke into the email inboxes of the Democratic National Committee and other political operatives. Pilfered documents subsequently appeared on WikiLeaks and other more mysterious websites, putting the Democrats on the defensive during their losing campaign against Donald Trump.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>Raphael Satter is reachable on: <a href="http://raphaelsatter.com" type="external">http://raphaelsatter.com</a></p> | Researchers: Russia-linked hackers targeted Macron campaign | false | https://abqjournal.com/993025/researchers-russia-linked-hackers-targeted-macron-campaign.html | 2017-04-25 | 2least
| Researchers: Russia-linked hackers targeted Macron campaign
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>PARIS — Researchers with the Japanese anti-virus firm Trend Micro say the campaign of French presidential front-runner Emmanuel Macron has been targeted by Russia-linked hackers, adding more details to previous suggestions that the centrist politician was being singled out for electronic eavesdropping by the Kremlin.</p>
<p>The campaign’s digital chief, Mounir Mahjoubi, confirmed the attempted intrusions in a telephone interview late Monday but said they had all been thwarted.</p>
<p>“It’s serious, but nothing was compromised,” he said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The French presidential race is not yet over. Macron faces far-right rival Marine Le Pen in France’s presidential runoff on May 7. Macron favors a strong European Union, while Le Pen wants to pull France out of the bloc, weakening it.</p>
<p>Trend Micro said it discovered the campaign by monitoring the creation of rogue, lookalike websites often used by hackers to trick victims into giving up their passwords. The Tokyo-based firm recently detected four Macron-themed fake domains being set up on digital infrastructure used by a group it calls Pawn Storm, according to Trend Micro researcher Feike Hacquebord.</p>
<p>Mahjoubi confirmed that at least one of the sites had recently been used as part of an attempt to steal campaign staffers’ online credentials.</p>
<p>Unmasking which group is behind this or that spying campaign is one of the most challenging aspects of cybersecurity, but Hacquebord said he was confident Trend Micro had gotten it right.</p>
<p>“This is not a 100 percent confirmation, but it’s very, very likely,” Hacquebord said, adding the political nature of the targeting was “really in line with what they’ve been doing in the last two years.”</p>
<p>Trend Micro has stopped short of accusing any country of pulling Pawn Storm’s strings, but American spy agencies and a variety of threat intelligence firms say that Pawn Storm, an extraordinarily prolific group also known as Fancy Bear or APT28, of being an arm of Russia’s intelligence apparatus.</p>
<p>French officials have also tended to be more circumspect than their American counterparts, repeatedly declining to tie Pawn Storm to any specific actor.</p>
<p>Russian government officials have long denied claims of state-sanctioned hacking. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the most recent coverage as “anonymous, unsubstantiated reports.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The Associated Press left several messages with the hacker or hackers who registered the rogue Macron websites. None was returned.</p>
<p>Mahjoubi said the attempts to penetrate the Macron campaign date back to December. In February, the campaign complained publicly of being targeted by Russia-linked electronic spying operations, although it offered no proof at the time.</p>
<p>Trend Micro’s report, which was produced independently of the Macron campaign and lists 160 electronic espionage operations across a series of targets, adds a measure of evidence to the notion, even if the fact that the rogue websites were registered in March and April doesn’t line up with the campaign’s timeline.</p>
<p>The French election, the first round of which Macron won Sunday with just over 24 percent of the vote, has been closely watched for signs of digital interference of any kind.</p>
<p>Many observers feared a repeat of the U.S. electoral contest in 2016, when hackers allegedly backed by Moscow broke into the email inboxes of the Democratic National Committee and other political operatives. Pilfered documents subsequently appeared on WikiLeaks and other more mysterious websites, putting the Democrats on the defensive during their losing campaign against Donald Trump.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>Raphael Satter is reachable on: <a href="http://raphaelsatter.com" type="external">http://raphaelsatter.com</a></p> | 599,564 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Aggies won by 12 strokes as Sam Houston State finished in second with a 6-under-par <a href="callto:846%20%28283-284-279" type="external">846 (283-284-279</a>).&#160; The 834 NM State posted during the two-day, three-round tournament is a new school record.&#160; The previous school record during a three-round tournament was an 836 at the Cowboy Classic during the 2005-06 season.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The hard work is paying off. It’s hard to win at home as there can be a lot of pressure that comes with that,” said head coach Mike Dirks. “There was a lot of quality play out there.&#160; We’re excited about winning and it is fun to win, plus I feel like we learned a lot this week.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Three Aggie golfers tied for the individual title and helped the team win the team title.&#160; Senior Brett Walker, senior Pat Beyhan and sophomore Luis Medina all tied for first&#160; with a 2-under-par 206.&#160; Both Walker and Beyhan holed an eagle during the tournament while Beyhan had a team-best 13 birdies in the three rounds of play.&#160; Walker had 11 birdies while Medina tallied 39 pars and was 4-under on par-5 holes.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>“When you are trying to win a team championship, and that is what our first goal is, and have three guys know and understand that they are playing for both the team and themselves and a tie for the championship, it seems to produce quality play,” said Dirks. “It also shows how deep we are and hopefully how far we can go this year.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Freshman Isaac Merry had the fourth score that counted towards the final-team score and he tied for 28th with a 3-over-par 216 after marking a 2-under-par 69 in the final round of the tournament. Merry finished with 10 birdies in the three rounds of play this week.&#160; Junior Kenneth Fadke wrapped up the lineup for the Aggies as he tied for 39th with a 6-over-par 219.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Playing as individuals for NM State this week, freshman Keith Bennett tied for 36th with a 218, sophomore Travis Benson tied for 48th with a 221, junior Taylor Mihok tied for 71st with a 229 and junior Joey Martinez finished in 74th with a 231.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Aggies also won the 2013 Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate with a 6-over-par 858.&#160; Brett Walker finished with a 207 to win the individual title.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>NM State now looks forward to the “Price’s Give Em Five” hosted by UTEP in El Paso, Texas, Oct. 24-26.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>1 – NM State – <a href="callto:276-284-274--834" type="external">276-284-274–834</a></p>
<p>T1 – Brett Walker – <a href="callto:67-7-%2069--206" type="external">67-7- 69–206</a></p>
<p>T1 – Pat Beyhan – <a href="callto:67-72-67--206" type="external">67-72-67–206</a></p>
<p>T1 – Luis Medina – <a href="callto:68-69-69--206" type="external">68-69-69–206</a></p>
<p>T28 – Isaac Merry – <a href="callto:74-73-69--216" type="external">74-73-69–216</a></p>
<p>T39 – Kenneth Fadke – <a href="callto:74-73-72--219" type="external">74-73-72–219</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Individuals</p>
<p>T36 – Keith Bennett – <a href="callto:71-72-75--218" type="external">71-72-75–218</a></p>
<p>T48 – Travis Benson – <a href="callto:70-77-74--221" type="external">70-77-74–221</a></p>
<p>T52 – David Wilson – <a href="callto:71-73-78--222" type="external">71-73-78–222</a></p>
<p>T71- Taylor Mihok – <a href="callto:72-78-79--229" type="external">72-78-79–229</a></p>
<p>74 – Joey Martinez – <a href="callto:79-76-76--231" type="external">79-76-76–231</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Aggie golf team repeats as Wimberly champ | false | https://abqjournal.com/483822/aggie-golf-team-repeats-as-wimberly-champ.html | 2least
| Aggie golf team repeats as Wimberly champ
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Aggies won by 12 strokes as Sam Houston State finished in second with a 6-under-par <a href="callto:846%20%28283-284-279" type="external">846 (283-284-279</a>).&#160; The 834 NM State posted during the two-day, three-round tournament is a new school record.&#160; The previous school record during a three-round tournament was an 836 at the Cowboy Classic during the 2005-06 season.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The hard work is paying off. It’s hard to win at home as there can be a lot of pressure that comes with that,” said head coach Mike Dirks. “There was a lot of quality play out there.&#160; We’re excited about winning and it is fun to win, plus I feel like we learned a lot this week.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Three Aggie golfers tied for the individual title and helped the team win the team title.&#160; Senior Brett Walker, senior Pat Beyhan and sophomore Luis Medina all tied for first&#160; with a 2-under-par 206.&#160; Both Walker and Beyhan holed an eagle during the tournament while Beyhan had a team-best 13 birdies in the three rounds of play.&#160; Walker had 11 birdies while Medina tallied 39 pars and was 4-under on par-5 holes.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>“When you are trying to win a team championship, and that is what our first goal is, and have three guys know and understand that they are playing for both the team and themselves and a tie for the championship, it seems to produce quality play,” said Dirks. “It also shows how deep we are and hopefully how far we can go this year.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Freshman Isaac Merry had the fourth score that counted towards the final-team score and he tied for 28th with a 3-over-par 216 after marking a 2-under-par 69 in the final round of the tournament. Merry finished with 10 birdies in the three rounds of play this week.&#160; Junior Kenneth Fadke wrapped up the lineup for the Aggies as he tied for 39th with a 6-over-par 219.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Playing as individuals for NM State this week, freshman Keith Bennett tied for 36th with a 218, sophomore Travis Benson tied for 48th with a 221, junior Taylor Mihok tied for 71st with a 229 and junior Joey Martinez finished in 74th with a 231.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The Aggies also won the 2013 Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate with a 6-over-par 858.&#160; Brett Walker finished with a 207 to win the individual title.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>NM State now looks forward to the “Price’s Give Em Five” hosted by UTEP in El Paso, Texas, Oct. 24-26.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>1 – NM State – <a href="callto:276-284-274--834" type="external">276-284-274–834</a></p>
<p>T1 – Brett Walker – <a href="callto:67-7-%2069--206" type="external">67-7- 69–206</a></p>
<p>T1 – Pat Beyhan – <a href="callto:67-72-67--206" type="external">67-72-67–206</a></p>
<p>T1 – Luis Medina – <a href="callto:68-69-69--206" type="external">68-69-69–206</a></p>
<p>T28 – Isaac Merry – <a href="callto:74-73-69--216" type="external">74-73-69–216</a></p>
<p>T39 – Kenneth Fadke – <a href="callto:74-73-72--219" type="external">74-73-72–219</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Individuals</p>
<p>T36 – Keith Bennett – <a href="callto:71-72-75--218" type="external">71-72-75–218</a></p>
<p>T48 – Travis Benson – <a href="callto:70-77-74--221" type="external">70-77-74–221</a></p>
<p>T52 – David Wilson – <a href="callto:71-73-78--222" type="external">71-73-78–222</a></p>
<p>T71- Taylor Mihok – <a href="callto:72-78-79--229" type="external">72-78-79–229</a></p>
<p>74 – Joey Martinez – <a href="callto:79-76-76--231" type="external">79-76-76–231</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,565 |
|
<p>Donald Trump’s pledge Sunday night that he would order his attorney general to investigate Hillary Clinton, and his quip that she should “be in jail,” is a direct breach of the tradition of nonpartisan rule of law.</p>
<p>“If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. Because there has never been so many lies, so much deception, there has never been anything like it,” Trump said during the second presidential debate.</p>
<p>A president is not typically authorized to order specific criminal investigations of individuals, let alone a public pledge to investigate a political opponent. Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted that President Richard Nixon’s attorney general “courageously resigned” after being asked to fire a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal.</p>
<p>When Attorney General Elliot Richardson refused, Nixon went on to fire several members of his administration in what became known as the "Saturday Night Massacre."</p>
<p>The FBI and Department of Justice have formally closed the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state. So the notion of a new president seeking to force the re-opening of the case, because a new party is in office, is essentially unprecedented.</p>
<p>Also note that while Trump has previously talked about investigating Clinton on the campaign trail, including discussing the statute of limitations for charges related to the email issue, his language then was less definitive than what he said Sunday night.</p>
<p>In July, he said he expected "the attorney general will take a very good look at it, from a fair standpoint," referring to the email inquiry.</p>
<p /> | Trump’s Pledge to ‘Jail’ Clinton Unprecedented | false | http://nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-s-pledge-jail-clinton-would-be-unprecedented-n663351 | 2016-10-10 | 3left-center
| Trump’s Pledge to ‘Jail’ Clinton Unprecedented
<p>Donald Trump’s pledge Sunday night that he would order his attorney general to investigate Hillary Clinton, and his quip that she should “be in jail,” is a direct breach of the tradition of nonpartisan rule of law.</p>
<p>“If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation. Because there has never been so many lies, so much deception, there has never been anything like it,” Trump said during the second presidential debate.</p>
<p>A president is not typically authorized to order specific criminal investigations of individuals, let alone a public pledge to investigate a political opponent. Former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted that President Richard Nixon’s attorney general “courageously resigned” after being asked to fire a special prosecutor investigating the Watergate scandal.</p>
<p>When Attorney General Elliot Richardson refused, Nixon went on to fire several members of his administration in what became known as the "Saturday Night Massacre."</p>
<p>The FBI and Department of Justice have formally closed the inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of state. So the notion of a new president seeking to force the re-opening of the case, because a new party is in office, is essentially unprecedented.</p>
<p>Also note that while Trump has previously talked about investigating Clinton on the campaign trail, including discussing the statute of limitations for charges related to the email issue, his language then was less definitive than what he said Sunday night.</p>
<p>In July, he said he expected "the attorney general will take a very good look at it, from a fair standpoint," referring to the email inquiry.</p>
<p /> | 599,566 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Beginning today, the&#160; Sandoval County Treasurer’s office will be open longer hours for the convenience of those who need to come in person to pay taxes.</p>
<p>Staff will be at the windows on the first floor of the County Administration Building from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until June 28, when the period to pay the first half of the year’s property tax ends.</p>
<p>The first-half tax payment season starts May 10. The new hours will accommodate citizens who want to make payments on delinquent taxes as well as anyone who wants to pay the current year’s taxes early.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Sandoval Treasurer extends hours during tax season | false | https://abqjournal.com/186466/sandoval-treasurer-extends-hours-during-tax-season.html | 2least
| Sandoval Treasurer extends hours during tax season
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Beginning today, the&#160; Sandoval County Treasurer’s office will be open longer hours for the convenience of those who need to come in person to pay taxes.</p>
<p>Staff will be at the windows on the first floor of the County Administration Building from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until June 28, when the period to pay the first half of the year’s property tax ends.</p>
<p>The first-half tax payment season starts May 10. The new hours will accommodate citizens who want to make payments on delinquent taxes as well as anyone who wants to pay the current year’s taxes early.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | 599,567 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>“A lot of those songs we haven’t played in years, and some of those songs we probably never even played out back then,” said Buzz McCoy, Thrill Kill Kult co-founder. “It will be fun to kind of revisit that and play the first two albums, kind of mark the milestone, and then we’ll move on.”</p>
<p>The tour comes in the middle of the making a new album.</p>
<p>“We’ve been working on it a little over a year, and it’s about 80 percent done, actually,” McCoy said. “It’s actually a good thing that the tour came up, so I can give my ears a rest from the new stuff and take a couple of months off and just, you know, have fun and play some of the old stuff. When I go back to the new stuff at the end of the tour, say end of November or whatever, I’ll have fresh ears and a fresh look at it. … Hopefully, we’ll have it out in the spring.”</p>
<p>In the future, when the band decides to stop touring, McCoy hopes to write a rock opera or musical.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>But Thrill Kill Kult is not close to stopping. The band continues to appreciate its 30-year career.</p>
<p>“The highlight of it all is still being able to do it, I think, because when we started out we weren’t planning on being a band or being a big band or anything,” McCoy said. “We were just kind of making some music, you know, in the basement. And, I don’t know, 30 years later I’m just blessed that what we get to do for a living is create music that is our art and people like it and we get to go out and play it for them and they jump up and down and have fun.”</p>
<p /> | Mortal memories: Thrill Kill Kult marks 30 years by revisiting first 2 albums | false | https://abqjournal.com/1073627/thrill-kill-kult-marks-30-years-by-revisiting-first-2-albums.html | 2least
| Mortal memories: Thrill Kill Kult marks 30 years by revisiting first 2 albums
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>“A lot of those songs we haven’t played in years, and some of those songs we probably never even played out back then,” said Buzz McCoy, Thrill Kill Kult co-founder. “It will be fun to kind of revisit that and play the first two albums, kind of mark the milestone, and then we’ll move on.”</p>
<p>The tour comes in the middle of the making a new album.</p>
<p>“We’ve been working on it a little over a year, and it’s about 80 percent done, actually,” McCoy said. “It’s actually a good thing that the tour came up, so I can give my ears a rest from the new stuff and take a couple of months off and just, you know, have fun and play some of the old stuff. When I go back to the new stuff at the end of the tour, say end of November or whatever, I’ll have fresh ears and a fresh look at it. … Hopefully, we’ll have it out in the spring.”</p>
<p>In the future, when the band decides to stop touring, McCoy hopes to write a rock opera or musical.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>But Thrill Kill Kult is not close to stopping. The band continues to appreciate its 30-year career.</p>
<p>“The highlight of it all is still being able to do it, I think, because when we started out we weren’t planning on being a band or being a big band or anything,” McCoy said. “We were just kind of making some music, you know, in the basement. And, I don’t know, 30 years later I’m just blessed that what we get to do for a living is create music that is our art and people like it and we get to go out and play it for them and they jump up and down and have fun.”</p>
<p /> | 599,568 |
|
<p>Water technology companies from Israel could one day set up research and production facilities in Nevada under a first-of-its-kind cooperative agreement between a U.S. state and the Middle Eastern nation.</p>
<p>The memorandum of understanding signed Monday during a water conference in Las Vegas establishes a framework for cooperation and collaboration among water-use innovators from the two arid landscapes half a world apart.</p>
<p>Under the deal, Nevada’s WaterStart, a public-private joint venture, and Israel’s National Technological Innovation Authority agreed to promote cooperation between their respective tech sectors and help identify specific projects and partnerships that could lead to shared innovations in water management.</p>
<p>The two groups signed the memorandum at the conclusion of Monday’s BusinessH2O Summit at Bellagio. The one-day conference, organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, focused on improving water governance to spur economic growth, promoting investment in water innovation and strengthening U.S. collaboration with Israel on water policy and technology.</p>
<p>“As a significant user of water, the business community has a critical role to play in driving solutions to water challenges through greater efficiencies and conservation” said Myron Brilliant, the U.S. chamber’s executive vice president and head of international affairs. “Our private sector needs to partner with water-advanced countries like Israel to adopt new technologies and best practices in water management, which will help create jobs and grow our economy.”</p>
<p>Those in attendance at Monday’s conference included Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Steve Hill, executive director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.</p>
<p>Contact Henry Brean at [email protected] or 702-383-0350. Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/RefriedBrean" type="external">@RefriedBrean</a> on Twitter.</p> | Nevada, Israel at Las Vegas summit agree to collaborate on water innovation | false | http://reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/nevada-israel-at-las-vegas-summit-agree-to-collaborate-on-water-innovation/ | 2016-12-13 | 1right-center
| Nevada, Israel at Las Vegas summit agree to collaborate on water innovation
<p>Water technology companies from Israel could one day set up research and production facilities in Nevada under a first-of-its-kind cooperative agreement between a U.S. state and the Middle Eastern nation.</p>
<p>The memorandum of understanding signed Monday during a water conference in Las Vegas establishes a framework for cooperation and collaboration among water-use innovators from the two arid landscapes half a world apart.</p>
<p>Under the deal, Nevada’s WaterStart, a public-private joint venture, and Israel’s National Technological Innovation Authority agreed to promote cooperation between their respective tech sectors and help identify specific projects and partnerships that could lead to shared innovations in water management.</p>
<p>The two groups signed the memorandum at the conclusion of Monday’s BusinessH2O Summit at Bellagio. The one-day conference, organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, focused on improving water governance to spur economic growth, promoting investment in water innovation and strengthening U.S. collaboration with Israel on water policy and technology.</p>
<p>“As a significant user of water, the business community has a critical role to play in driving solutions to water challenges through greater efficiencies and conservation” said Myron Brilliant, the U.S. chamber’s executive vice president and head of international affairs. “Our private sector needs to partner with water-advanced countries like Israel to adopt new technologies and best practices in water management, which will help create jobs and grow our economy.”</p>
<p>Those in attendance at Monday’s conference included Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Steve Hill, executive director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development.</p>
<p>Contact Henry Brean at [email protected] or 702-383-0350. Follow <a href="https://twitter.com/RefriedBrean" type="external">@RefriedBrean</a> on Twitter.</p> | 599,569 |
<p />
<p>Vance Vergon has been driving 18 wheelers from coast to coast for 28 years. He’s made a life on the road: he’s carted fruit from California to New Jersey and has gone to Alaska during fish season. He’s encountered all sorts of weather conditions and challenges on the road, but he now says his biggest battle is newly-imposed regulations.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>“I’ve been doing this on my own for a long time now and for government officials to come in and try to tell us the best way to do our jobs, which is a very complicated and unforgiving occupation, is absurd,” the 49-year-old driver says.</p>
<p>New rules went into effect in July that limit a trucker's work week to 70 hours from 82, require a 34-hour “restart” period extending over two nights after working 70 hours (which must include two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. time periods) and mandate drivers take a 30-minute break during the first eight hours of a shift.</p>
<p>Proponents of the new regulations, which have and will continue to be debated in court and on Capitol Hill, say they help reduce driver fatigue and related accidents and fatalities. According to the <a href="http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/LTCO2011/2011LargeTruckCrashOverview.aspx" type="external">Department of Transportation Opens a New Window.</a>, fatalities involving large trucks dropped 25% from 2007 to 2011. And the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expects the new rules to avert 1,400 crashes and 19 deaths a year.</p>
<p>But the trucking industry has a different take.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>“That 34-hour restart requirement is the biggest bugaboo out there,” says Lyndon Finney, editor of <a href="http://www.thetrucker.com" type="external">The Trucker. Opens a New Window.</a> “Truckers are getting stuck on the road.” He points to a recently released survey that shows a 2-4% loss of productivity since the regulations went into place.</p>
<p>“If they don’t have the ability to go as far as they used to, that means they aren’t making as much money. If you take a guy driving 700 miles a week and cut 5%, over time that becomes a huge money deal,” he says.</p>
<p>Henry Jasny, vice president of <a href="http://www.saferoads.org" type="external">Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Opens a New Window.</a>, says it’s still too early to make any conclusions about the possible implications of the rules. “We don’t have a lot of basic research to draw any sort of conclusions. What we hear from the industry is that the sky is falling, but we don’t have any scientific or independent research to verify anything.”</p>
<p>“That 34-hour restart requirement is the biggest bugaboo out there. Truckers are getting stuck on the road. If you take a guy driving 700 miles a week and cut 5%, over time that becomes a huge money deal.”</p>
<p>In a subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill last week, Anne Ferro, administrator of the <a href="http://www.overdriveonline.com/fmcsas-ferro-defends-hours-rule-says-agency-wont-overturn" type="external">Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Opens a New Window.</a>, reportedly defended the hours-of-service rule. “It’s absolutely data-based, research-based, fully vetted, with an unprecedented level of transparency throughout the development of this rule process,” she said.</p>
<p>The necessity of the restart mandate is up for debate, but Vergon is more worried that it’s costing him money.</p>
<p>Earlier this week he went from East Tennessee to Colorado Springs and then onto Denver, but the new law dragged out the process. “There was a good load for me in Denver to pick up Saturday but because of the new 34, I cannot pick it up and go with it Sunday night. My last 34 started on Saturday night which means I left Monday morning. My new 34 has to start and finish Saturday night to Monday morning. Now I must give up that load in Denver and wait until Monday morning to start looking for a load.”</p>
<p>He explains that if he gets stuck “sitting” on a Friday because of a restart, he will lose the entire weekend since Sunday pickups are rare -- and that can cost him hundreds of dollars.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t impact regional drivers, it’s the long-distance drivers like me that gets hurt financially. We can lose thousands of dollars a month because of restarts,” he says.</p>
<p>Some early anecdotal evidence is hinting that the regulations are pushing out long-haul drivers not wanting to deal with the hassle, and scaring off new drivers. “We will see an increase in drivers dropping out next year,” predicts Finney. “The number of people employed in the long-haul segment has dropped about one to two thousand, and these rules won’t help. We’ve seen a movement away from cross-country drivers to those that can be home every night.”</p>
<p>Rebecca Reed, who is a regional truck driver and has been in the industry for 10 years, says the restart period doesn’t impact her as much since she is home pretty much every night. She points to the required 30-minute breaks as more disruptive to her schedule, &#160;and even to her paycheck.</p>
<p>“Some days I can take it no problem, but it’s such an unpredictable industry. If I hit traffic or a supplier is late or slow loading up and I am forced to take that break, I could miss a deadline and that not only makes me feel bad -- I look bad.”</p>
<p>She adds that there’s more regulators can do than impose rest requirements to combat driver fatigue. “There are times where I will wait eight hours for a load that is late or not ready to go.”</p>
<p>Experts have also said changing the pay by mile standard could also help reduce driver fatigue without imposing regulations, but that could be an uphill battle as well.</p>
<p>“You are never going to see that,” says Finney. “You can squawk all you want to, but as long as the carriers are getting paid by the shippers by the mile, this payment style will stay. You can’t disconnect from the methods of payments.”</p> | Truckers Cry Foul Over New Government Regulations | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/11/26/truckers-cry-foul-over-new-government-regulations.html | 2016-03-06 | 0right
| Truckers Cry Foul Over New Government Regulations
<p />
<p>Vance Vergon has been driving 18 wheelers from coast to coast for 28 years. He’s made a life on the road: he’s carted fruit from California to New Jersey and has gone to Alaska during fish season. He’s encountered all sorts of weather conditions and challenges on the road, but he now says his biggest battle is newly-imposed regulations.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>“I’ve been doing this on my own for a long time now and for government officials to come in and try to tell us the best way to do our jobs, which is a very complicated and unforgiving occupation, is absurd,” the 49-year-old driver says.</p>
<p>New rules went into effect in July that limit a trucker's work week to 70 hours from 82, require a 34-hour “restart” period extending over two nights after working 70 hours (which must include two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. time periods) and mandate drivers take a 30-minute break during the first eight hours of a shift.</p>
<p>Proponents of the new regulations, which have and will continue to be debated in court and on Capitol Hill, say they help reduce driver fatigue and related accidents and fatalities. According to the <a href="http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/facts-research/LTCO2011/2011LargeTruckCrashOverview.aspx" type="external">Department of Transportation Opens a New Window.</a>, fatalities involving large trucks dropped 25% from 2007 to 2011. And the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration expects the new rules to avert 1,400 crashes and 19 deaths a year.</p>
<p>But the trucking industry has a different take.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>“That 34-hour restart requirement is the biggest bugaboo out there,” says Lyndon Finney, editor of <a href="http://www.thetrucker.com" type="external">The Trucker. Opens a New Window.</a> “Truckers are getting stuck on the road.” He points to a recently released survey that shows a 2-4% loss of productivity since the regulations went into place.</p>
<p>“If they don’t have the ability to go as far as they used to, that means they aren’t making as much money. If you take a guy driving 700 miles a week and cut 5%, over time that becomes a huge money deal,” he says.</p>
<p>Henry Jasny, vice president of <a href="http://www.saferoads.org" type="external">Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Opens a New Window.</a>, says it’s still too early to make any conclusions about the possible implications of the rules. “We don’t have a lot of basic research to draw any sort of conclusions. What we hear from the industry is that the sky is falling, but we don’t have any scientific or independent research to verify anything.”</p>
<p>“That 34-hour restart requirement is the biggest bugaboo out there. Truckers are getting stuck on the road. If you take a guy driving 700 miles a week and cut 5%, over time that becomes a huge money deal.”</p>
<p>In a subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill last week, Anne Ferro, administrator of the <a href="http://www.overdriveonline.com/fmcsas-ferro-defends-hours-rule-says-agency-wont-overturn" type="external">Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Opens a New Window.</a>, reportedly defended the hours-of-service rule. “It’s absolutely data-based, research-based, fully vetted, with an unprecedented level of transparency throughout the development of this rule process,” she said.</p>
<p>The necessity of the restart mandate is up for debate, but Vergon is more worried that it’s costing him money.</p>
<p>Earlier this week he went from East Tennessee to Colorado Springs and then onto Denver, but the new law dragged out the process. “There was a good load for me in Denver to pick up Saturday but because of the new 34, I cannot pick it up and go with it Sunday night. My last 34 started on Saturday night which means I left Monday morning. My new 34 has to start and finish Saturday night to Monday morning. Now I must give up that load in Denver and wait until Monday morning to start looking for a load.”</p>
<p>He explains that if he gets stuck “sitting” on a Friday because of a restart, he will lose the entire weekend since Sunday pickups are rare -- and that can cost him hundreds of dollars.</p>
<p>“It doesn’t impact regional drivers, it’s the long-distance drivers like me that gets hurt financially. We can lose thousands of dollars a month because of restarts,” he says.</p>
<p>Some early anecdotal evidence is hinting that the regulations are pushing out long-haul drivers not wanting to deal with the hassle, and scaring off new drivers. “We will see an increase in drivers dropping out next year,” predicts Finney. “The number of people employed in the long-haul segment has dropped about one to two thousand, and these rules won’t help. We’ve seen a movement away from cross-country drivers to those that can be home every night.”</p>
<p>Rebecca Reed, who is a regional truck driver and has been in the industry for 10 years, says the restart period doesn’t impact her as much since she is home pretty much every night. She points to the required 30-minute breaks as more disruptive to her schedule, &#160;and even to her paycheck.</p>
<p>“Some days I can take it no problem, but it’s such an unpredictable industry. If I hit traffic or a supplier is late or slow loading up and I am forced to take that break, I could miss a deadline and that not only makes me feel bad -- I look bad.”</p>
<p>She adds that there’s more regulators can do than impose rest requirements to combat driver fatigue. “There are times where I will wait eight hours for a load that is late or not ready to go.”</p>
<p>Experts have also said changing the pay by mile standard could also help reduce driver fatigue without imposing regulations, but that could be an uphill battle as well.</p>
<p>“You are never going to see that,” says Finney. “You can squawk all you want to, but as long as the carriers are getting paid by the shippers by the mile, this payment style will stay. You can’t disconnect from the methods of payments.”</p> | 599,570 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The most hopeful sign so far arrived Thursday, with the Latin phrase per curiam: Not only did the federal appeals court reject the Trump administration’s high-handed argument that its immigration order was not subject to judicial review, it did so unanimously.</p>
<p>A judge appointed by President George W. Bush joined two judges appointed by Democratic presidents (Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter) to uphold a decision by a district court judge named by Bush. The appeals court spoke as one. Not as partisans or ideologues but as judges, calmly and convincingly applying the law in State of Washington v. Donald J. Trump.</p>
<p>Of course, the court acknowledged, judges “owe substantial deference to the immigration and national security policy determinations of the political branches.” But the Trump administration, the court said, was making a far more audacious argument – not that the court should refrain from substituting its judgment for the president’s, but that it had no business reviewing his action in the first place.</p>
<p>The court, accurately, characterized the administration’s position: “The president’s decisions about immigration policy, particularly when motivated by national security concerns, are unreviewable, even if those actions potentially contravene constitutional rights and protections.”</p>
<p>Not only that, as the court put it, the Trump administration “asserts that it violates separation of powers for the judiciary to entertain a constitutional challenge to executive actions such as this one.” In other words, even to consider the state’s argument against the order would be an unconstitutional incursion on presidential authority.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The judges were having none of it. The administration’s argument, the court said, “runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.”</p>
<p>Rage Trump might, because the implications of the court’s action resonate far beyond the immigration order itself. Other courts will hear other cases involving Trump actions yet to come. Yet the 9th Circuit ruling, suffused with bristling at the notion that courts should remain supine in the face of claims of unbridled executive power, offers an illustration of judicial willingness to provide a needed brake on Trumpian overreach.</p>
<p>Consider that at oral argument, the Bush-appointed judge, Richard Clifton, seemed most inclined to side with the government. It is not fanciful to imagine that the sweeping nature of the government’s claims had the boomerang effect of leading Clifton to align with the two Democratic appointees.</p>
<p>On that score, the appeals court’s action is not merely a teachable moment for the country – it is a reassuring one, at a time when that is sorely needed.</p>
<p /> | Court’s backbone offers hope | false | https://abqjournal.com/949443/courts-backbone-offers-hope.html | 2least
| Court’s backbone offers hope
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The most hopeful sign so far arrived Thursday, with the Latin phrase per curiam: Not only did the federal appeals court reject the Trump administration’s high-handed argument that its immigration order was not subject to judicial review, it did so unanimously.</p>
<p>A judge appointed by President George W. Bush joined two judges appointed by Democratic presidents (Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter) to uphold a decision by a district court judge named by Bush. The appeals court spoke as one. Not as partisans or ideologues but as judges, calmly and convincingly applying the law in State of Washington v. Donald J. Trump.</p>
<p>Of course, the court acknowledged, judges “owe substantial deference to the immigration and national security policy determinations of the political branches.” But the Trump administration, the court said, was making a far more audacious argument – not that the court should refrain from substituting its judgment for the president’s, but that it had no business reviewing his action in the first place.</p>
<p>The court, accurately, characterized the administration’s position: “The president’s decisions about immigration policy, particularly when motivated by national security concerns, are unreviewable, even if those actions potentially contravene constitutional rights and protections.”</p>
<p>Not only that, as the court put it, the Trump administration “asserts that it violates separation of powers for the judiciary to entertain a constitutional challenge to executive actions such as this one.” In other words, even to consider the state’s argument against the order would be an unconstitutional incursion on presidential authority.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The judges were having none of it. The administration’s argument, the court said, “runs contrary to the fundamental structure of our constitutional democracy.”</p>
<p>Rage Trump might, because the implications of the court’s action resonate far beyond the immigration order itself. Other courts will hear other cases involving Trump actions yet to come. Yet the 9th Circuit ruling, suffused with bristling at the notion that courts should remain supine in the face of claims of unbridled executive power, offers an illustration of judicial willingness to provide a needed brake on Trumpian overreach.</p>
<p>Consider that at oral argument, the Bush-appointed judge, Richard Clifton, seemed most inclined to side with the government. It is not fanciful to imagine that the sweeping nature of the government’s claims had the boomerang effect of leading Clifton to align with the two Democratic appointees.</p>
<p>On that score, the appeals court’s action is not merely a teachable moment for the country – it is a reassuring one, at a time when that is sorely needed.</p>
<p /> | 599,571 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Results of the statewide Standards Based Assessment, which measures student proficiency in math and reading for grades three through eight, and 10 and 11, were released last week. And, as expected, they were down statewide.</p>
<p>At Rio Rancho Public Schools, they were either down or flat. District officials attribute the lower scores to the transition to Common Core standards, although students are still taking SBAs.</p>
<p>“Therefore, we knew that there would be some misalignment between what was taught and what was tested,” said Happy Miller, the district’s executive director of research, assessment, data and accountability. “The misalignment is greater in math than in reading because many skills are now taught at different grade levels.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>But despite Rio Rancho’s small decline compared to the 2013 scores, the district’s 2014 scores are still significantly higher than scores statewide and at Albuquerque Public Schools.</p>
<p>And that is something to be proud of, even though there’s always room for everyone to do better.</p>
<p>The state average for students testing proficient or above in reading was 49 percent, while Rio Rancho’s average was 65.1 percent. In math, the statewide figure was 40.7 percent, while RRPS’ was 55 percent. APS scored 49.6 percent proficient in reading and tied the state average at 40.7 percent in math.</p>
<p>Next year, the state is switching to what is said to be an even tougher test – the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test. PARCC, the Common Core standards test, replaces the SBA.</p>
<p>Each time new tests, curricula or even laws governing education, such as No Child Left Behind, are implemented, there is “a disturbance in the force” when it comes to assessing student achievement. Nothing quite matches what went before and comparisons year to year are elusive. However, state Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera says her department will make the transition go smoothly and comparisons next year will be a “non-issue.”</p>
<p>Some school officials aren’t so sure and are braced for lower results next year, even though they are gearing up to scour this year’s SBA results for ways to improve.</p>
<p>Rio Rancho officials say PARCC will set a baseline for scores in following years to be measured against – until or unless the next set of rules is implemented and PARCC is discarded for something believed to be better.</p>
<p>Still, data is important in assessing if students are learning and improving.</p>
<p>The PARCC is expected to be much different and much tougher than the SBA. It will focus on critical thinking skills and complex problem-solving. And officials have said they expect fewer students to test proficient or above. “However, it does not mean that students will have learned less during the school year,” Miller said. “Instead, the definition of proficiency will have changed.”</p>
<p>But, for this year, good work Rio Rancho students – and keep it up. Your parents and district are counting on it.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Editorial: RRPS test scores dip slightly, but beat out statewide results | false | https://abqjournal.com/443349/rrps-test-scores-dip-slightly-but-beat-out-statewide-results.html | 2least
| Editorial: RRPS test scores dip slightly, but beat out statewide results
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Results of the statewide Standards Based Assessment, which measures student proficiency in math and reading for grades three through eight, and 10 and 11, were released last week. And, as expected, they were down statewide.</p>
<p>At Rio Rancho Public Schools, they were either down or flat. District officials attribute the lower scores to the transition to Common Core standards, although students are still taking SBAs.</p>
<p>“Therefore, we knew that there would be some misalignment between what was taught and what was tested,” said Happy Miller, the district’s executive director of research, assessment, data and accountability. “The misalignment is greater in math than in reading because many skills are now taught at different grade levels.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>But despite Rio Rancho’s small decline compared to the 2013 scores, the district’s 2014 scores are still significantly higher than scores statewide and at Albuquerque Public Schools.</p>
<p>And that is something to be proud of, even though there’s always room for everyone to do better.</p>
<p>The state average for students testing proficient or above in reading was 49 percent, while Rio Rancho’s average was 65.1 percent. In math, the statewide figure was 40.7 percent, while RRPS’ was 55 percent. APS scored 49.6 percent proficient in reading and tied the state average at 40.7 percent in math.</p>
<p>Next year, the state is switching to what is said to be an even tougher test – the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers test. PARCC, the Common Core standards test, replaces the SBA.</p>
<p>Each time new tests, curricula or even laws governing education, such as No Child Left Behind, are implemented, there is “a disturbance in the force” when it comes to assessing student achievement. Nothing quite matches what went before and comparisons year to year are elusive. However, state Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera says her department will make the transition go smoothly and comparisons next year will be a “non-issue.”</p>
<p>Some school officials aren’t so sure and are braced for lower results next year, even though they are gearing up to scour this year’s SBA results for ways to improve.</p>
<p>Rio Rancho officials say PARCC will set a baseline for scores in following years to be measured against – until or unless the next set of rules is implemented and PARCC is discarded for something believed to be better.</p>
<p>Still, data is important in assessing if students are learning and improving.</p>
<p>The PARCC is expected to be much different and much tougher than the SBA. It will focus on critical thinking skills and complex problem-solving. And officials have said they expect fewer students to test proficient or above. “However, it does not mean that students will have learned less during the school year,” Miller said. “Instead, the definition of proficiency will have changed.”</p>
<p>But, for this year, good work Rio Rancho students – and keep it up. Your parents and district are counting on it.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 599,572 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Thus spake Joan Crawford in “Feud: Bette and Joan,” Ryan Murphy’s juicy FX miniseries that revisits the notorious – and probably overhyped – rivalry between Crawford and Bette Davis, and their joint effort, when they were both in their mid-50s, to make a comeback in the horror classic “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”</p>
<p>“Feud,” which stars Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis, promises to be a delicious dive into Hollywood during the interregnum between its Golden Age and the arrival of the generation personified by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Martin Scorsese. Through Murphy’s sensitive lens, it will also cast into bold relief how little has changed from those eras into this one, when female actresses are still punished for aging, either by the industry tossing them aside once they’ve passed peak pulchritude, or relegating them to roles as mommies or monsters.</p>
<p>Of course, in an industry built on images, not to mention the audience’s wish-fulfillment fantasies, men aren’t immune to ageism: Witness Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway at this year’s Oscars, gamely trying to salvage the best picture mix-up while most viewers assumed they were befuddled and maybe even senile. (Throwing them onstage with no immediate support was “a clear act of elder abuse,” as my colleague, Washington Post TV critic Hank Stuever, put it.)</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Still, there’s no doubt that women are far more affected by the movie industry’s obsession with sex appeal and physical beauty, resulting in a giant absence in female roles once actresses reach their 50s and 60s. Forget a Day Without a Woman; in Hollywood, it’s a Groundhog Day Without a Woman, at least when it comes to the portrayal of recognizable, fully-realized, flawed and compelling human beings of which great female characters are made.</p>
<p>And the slide can start disconcertingly early. Consider, if you will, Brie Larson, who co-stars in “Kong: Skull Island” and serves as a cautionary poster girl for aspiring actresses everywhere: One year you’re winning an Oscar for a sensitive, skillfully layered performance in an emotionally demanding drama; the next, you’re widening your eyes and gasping your way through a great big monkey movie.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Larson’s “Kong” director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, offers just as textbook an example, of what dudes can accomplish – in this case, getting an enormous studio franchise-builder after making one well-received coming-of-age indie (“The Kings of Summer”). Somehow, success for men is defined as increasing the degree of technical difficulty of their projects, while women may get “bigger” movies, but with far less to actually do.</p>
<p>“Feud” makes an oblique point very eloquently, which is how rare it has become to find movies centered on fascinating grown-up female characters: The kinds of movies that made Crawford and Davis into legendary divas – “Mildred Pierce,””Johnny Guitar,” “Now, Voyager,””All About Eve” – have been supplanted by comic-book adaptations and superhero spectacles that the studios once made to appeal to teenage boys, and now make to appeal to audiences in Latin America and China who don’t want to bother with too many subtitles.</p>
<p>The films that Crawford and Davis made once went under the slightly condescending sobriquet of “women’s pictures,” suggesting weepy melodramas and mushy romance. In the fullness of time, though, the term has come to mean movies in which adult women are allowed to be smart (or crafty), sensitive (or manipulative), strong (or bullying) and sexy (if only incidentally).</p>
<p>What’s more, the women’s pictures of yore now seem exceptionally sophisticated, even prescient, when it comes to understanding audiences, which are at least half female, with the other half’s choices being strongly influenced by wives, mothers, friends and lovers. The purveyors of women’s pictures understood women’s economic power long before the term was codified in focus groups and market research.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, women’s pictures are still being made – just not at the studios. Over the past few years, a slew of independent films have come out featuring mature women that have become sleeper hits and – not incidentally – impressively profitable, from “Grandma” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” with Lily Tomlin and Blythe Danner, respectively, to “Woman in Gold” and “Eye in the Sky,” both starring Helen Mirren. Shirley MacLaine has found a new indie career in her 80s with films like Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” and the new release “The Last Word.” Beholding the 60-ish Isabelle Huppert in the French psychological thriller “Elle” has permanently tabled the notion that actresses “of a certain age” can’t be supremely seductive, as well as maddeningly contradictory and complex.</p>
<p>In a way, today’s seasoned actresses are living out what “Feud” presents almost as a proof of concept: “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” after all, wasn’t a studio film. Instead, it came into being through the efforts of director Robert Aldrich and Crawford, who really did approach Davis in her Broadway dressing room during her run in “The Night of the Iguana” to persuade her to play the title role. The gamble paid off, reigniting both actresses’ careers.</p>
<p>Feminism – the simple belief in the political, economic and social equality of the sexes – has always been interwoven with women’s independence. What Crawford and Davis found out, and what their successors still discover once the roles for ingenues, mothers and gorgons run out, is that for actresses, equality is just as firmly rooted in independents.</p> | New indy films value age before beauty | false | https://abqjournal.com/965675/new-indy-films-value-age-before-beauty.html | 2017-03-09 | 2least
| New indy films value age before beauty
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Thus spake Joan Crawford in “Feud: Bette and Joan,” Ryan Murphy’s juicy FX miniseries that revisits the notorious – and probably overhyped – rivalry between Crawford and Bette Davis, and their joint effort, when they were both in their mid-50s, to make a comeback in the horror classic “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”</p>
<p>“Feud,” which stars Jessica Lange as Crawford and Susan Sarandon as Davis, promises to be a delicious dive into Hollywood during the interregnum between its Golden Age and the arrival of the generation personified by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Martin Scorsese. Through Murphy’s sensitive lens, it will also cast into bold relief how little has changed from those eras into this one, when female actresses are still punished for aging, either by the industry tossing them aside once they’ve passed peak pulchritude, or relegating them to roles as mommies or monsters.</p>
<p>Of course, in an industry built on images, not to mention the audience’s wish-fulfillment fantasies, men aren’t immune to ageism: Witness Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway at this year’s Oscars, gamely trying to salvage the best picture mix-up while most viewers assumed they were befuddled and maybe even senile. (Throwing them onstage with no immediate support was “a clear act of elder abuse,” as my colleague, Washington Post TV critic Hank Stuever, put it.)</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Still, there’s no doubt that women are far more affected by the movie industry’s obsession with sex appeal and physical beauty, resulting in a giant absence in female roles once actresses reach their 50s and 60s. Forget a Day Without a Woman; in Hollywood, it’s a Groundhog Day Without a Woman, at least when it comes to the portrayal of recognizable, fully-realized, flawed and compelling human beings of which great female characters are made.</p>
<p>And the slide can start disconcertingly early. Consider, if you will, Brie Larson, who co-stars in “Kong: Skull Island” and serves as a cautionary poster girl for aspiring actresses everywhere: One year you’re winning an Oscar for a sensitive, skillfully layered performance in an emotionally demanding drama; the next, you’re widening your eyes and gasping your way through a great big monkey movie.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Larson’s “Kong” director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, offers just as textbook an example, of what dudes can accomplish – in this case, getting an enormous studio franchise-builder after making one well-received coming-of-age indie (“The Kings of Summer”). Somehow, success for men is defined as increasing the degree of technical difficulty of their projects, while women may get “bigger” movies, but with far less to actually do.</p>
<p>“Feud” makes an oblique point very eloquently, which is how rare it has become to find movies centered on fascinating grown-up female characters: The kinds of movies that made Crawford and Davis into legendary divas – “Mildred Pierce,””Johnny Guitar,” “Now, Voyager,””All About Eve” – have been supplanted by comic-book adaptations and superhero spectacles that the studios once made to appeal to teenage boys, and now make to appeal to audiences in Latin America and China who don’t want to bother with too many subtitles.</p>
<p>The films that Crawford and Davis made once went under the slightly condescending sobriquet of “women’s pictures,” suggesting weepy melodramas and mushy romance. In the fullness of time, though, the term has come to mean movies in which adult women are allowed to be smart (or crafty), sensitive (or manipulative), strong (or bullying) and sexy (if only incidentally).</p>
<p>What’s more, the women’s pictures of yore now seem exceptionally sophisticated, even prescient, when it comes to understanding audiences, which are at least half female, with the other half’s choices being strongly influenced by wives, mothers, friends and lovers. The purveyors of women’s pictures understood women’s economic power long before the term was codified in focus groups and market research.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, women’s pictures are still being made – just not at the studios. Over the past few years, a slew of independent films have come out featuring mature women that have become sleeper hits and – not incidentally – impressively profitable, from “Grandma” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams,” with Lily Tomlin and Blythe Danner, respectively, to “Woman in Gold” and “Eye in the Sky,” both starring Helen Mirren. Shirley MacLaine has found a new indie career in her 80s with films like Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” and the new release “The Last Word.” Beholding the 60-ish Isabelle Huppert in the French psychological thriller “Elle” has permanently tabled the notion that actresses “of a certain age” can’t be supremely seductive, as well as maddeningly contradictory and complex.</p>
<p>In a way, today’s seasoned actresses are living out what “Feud” presents almost as a proof of concept: “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” after all, wasn’t a studio film. Instead, it came into being through the efforts of director Robert Aldrich and Crawford, who really did approach Davis in her Broadway dressing room during her run in “The Night of the Iguana” to persuade her to play the title role. The gamble paid off, reigniting both actresses’ careers.</p>
<p>Feminism – the simple belief in the political, economic and social equality of the sexes – has always been interwoven with women’s independence. What Crawford and Davis found out, and what their successors still discover once the roles for ingenues, mothers and gorgons run out, is that for actresses, equality is just as firmly rooted in independents.</p> | 599,573 |
<p>The “Oath Keepers” are your <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/elmer-stewart-rhodes-0" type="external">typical right-wing extremists</a>. Heavily armed with knowledge of the 2nd amendment and nothing else, these so-called “patriots” preach armed insurrection, secession and treason all over social media. According to their website:</p>
<p>“Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to ‘defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.’”</p>
<p>In other words, they’re conservative, <a href="" type="internal">far-right extremists</a> who buy into the mantra that the president has “usurped” the constitution, that all Muslims should be executed, and that what nut job Alex Jones sells them about things like Jade Helm and FEMA camps is reality, not conspiracy theories trumped-up to keep the ignorant…ignorant.</p>
<p>When Jones decided that the reporters sent from his trash site, Infowars, to cover the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, he hired these thugs to show up, armed to the teeth with assault rifles and dressed in what look like military uniforms, to “protect” them.</p>
<p>While these terrorists have every right to carry weapons in public, Police Chief Jon Belmar <a href="http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/08/11/alex-jones-ferguson-oath-keepers/" type="external">told CBS News</a> that their presence was “both unnecessary and inflammatory.” That may be a bit of an understatement. On the streets of Ferguson, where keeping the peace will be a struggle to begin with as tensions still run high over the Michael Brown case and institutional racism, this is the last thing that needed to happen:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">screen capture via NBC</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">screen capture via NBC</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">screen capture via NBC</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Complete with tactical gear, large guns and <a href="" type="internal">small penises</a>, these a-holes had but one purpose and everyone knows it: find a reason to chamber a round and shoot someone. These guys have a <a href="http://oathkeepers.org/oktester/about/" type="external">list of ten orders</a> they say they will never obey, including martial law or a “state of emergency.” Ferguson had been&#160;declared in a state of emergency, making their mere presence a threat.</p>
<p>They were never confronted by police, most likely because they didn’t fit the description of a man in Missouri automatically assumed to be guilty of a crime, or “black,” but they did <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">answer questions</a> as to how they were able to carry their weapons in public. Citizens seemed to be visibly confused as to why nobody was screaming at them to put their hands up or get on the ground, and none of them appeared in danger of being fired at for looking “menacing,” even though the very nature of their group meant they were there to refuse to be lawful.</p>
<p>The bottom line here is that these right-wing terrorist groups are becoming <a href="" type="internal">more and more brazen</a> all the time. Had the Black Panthers shown up armed with assault rifles, Ferguson would be on fire. There would be death and destruction as police came down with the full force of their suspicion and fear. Why the Oath Keepers are allowed to continue to build an organization for the purpose of taking over the government with a membership they claim is over 30,000&#160;lunatics strong boggles the mind.</p>
<p>Featured image via&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/kodacohen/status/630991900820934657/photo/1" type="external">Twitter</a></p> | Alex Jones Hires Right Wing Terrorists With Assault Rifles For ‘Protection’ In Ferguson (IMAGES) | true | http://addictinginfo.org/2015/08/11/alex-jones-hires-right-wing-terrorists-with-assault-rifles-for-protection-in-ferguson-images/ | 2015-08-11 | 4left
| Alex Jones Hires Right Wing Terrorists With Assault Rifles For ‘Protection’ In Ferguson (IMAGES)
<p>The “Oath Keepers” are your <a href="https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/individual/elmer-stewart-rhodes-0" type="external">typical right-wing extremists</a>. Heavily armed with knowledge of the 2nd amendment and nothing else, these so-called “patriots” preach armed insurrection, secession and treason all over social media. According to their website:</p>
<p>“Oath Keepers is a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to ‘defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.’”</p>
<p>In other words, they’re conservative, <a href="" type="internal">far-right extremists</a> who buy into the mantra that the president has “usurped” the constitution, that all Muslims should be executed, and that what nut job Alex Jones sells them about things like Jade Helm and FEMA camps is reality, not conspiracy theories trumped-up to keep the ignorant…ignorant.</p>
<p>When Jones decided that the reporters sent from his trash site, Infowars, to cover the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death in Ferguson, Missouri, he hired these thugs to show up, armed to the teeth with assault rifles and dressed in what look like military uniforms, to “protect” them.</p>
<p>While these terrorists have every right to carry weapons in public, Police Chief Jon Belmar <a href="http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2015/08/11/alex-jones-ferguson-oath-keepers/" type="external">told CBS News</a> that their presence was “both unnecessary and inflammatory.” That may be a bit of an understatement. On the streets of Ferguson, where keeping the peace will be a struggle to begin with as tensions still run high over the Michael Brown case and institutional racism, this is the last thing that needed to happen:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">screen capture via NBC</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">screen capture via NBC</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">screen capture via NBC</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Complete with tactical gear, large guns and <a href="" type="internal">small penises</a>, these a-holes had but one purpose and everyone knows it: find a reason to chamber a round and shoot someone. These guys have a <a href="http://oathkeepers.org/oktester/about/" type="external">list of ten orders</a> they say they will never obey, including martial law or a “state of emergency.” Ferguson had been&#160;declared in a state of emergency, making their mere presence a threat.</p>
<p>They were never confronted by police, most likely because they didn’t fit the description of a man in Missouri automatically assumed to be guilty of a crime, or “black,” but they did <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/oath-keepers-turn-michael-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri-n407696" type="external">answer questions</a> as to how they were able to carry their weapons in public. Citizens seemed to be visibly confused as to why nobody was screaming at them to put their hands up or get on the ground, and none of them appeared in danger of being fired at for looking “menacing,” even though the very nature of their group meant they were there to refuse to be lawful.</p>
<p>The bottom line here is that these right-wing terrorist groups are becoming <a href="" type="internal">more and more brazen</a> all the time. Had the Black Panthers shown up armed with assault rifles, Ferguson would be on fire. There would be death and destruction as police came down with the full force of their suspicion and fear. Why the Oath Keepers are allowed to continue to build an organization for the purpose of taking over the government with a membership they claim is over 30,000&#160;lunatics strong boggles the mind.</p>
<p>Featured image via&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/kodacohen/status/630991900820934657/photo/1" type="external">Twitter</a></p> | 599,574 |
<p />
<p>Taking a cue from competing online services like Slack, which let workers chat and share information on the job, Microsoft is adding a new program called "Teams" to its Office 365 suite of internet productivity software.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Analysts say Microsoft is catching up to a trend in which numerous companies — even Facebook — are competing to offer specialized online networks for organizations, as workers increasingly look beyond email and simple document-sharing services to communicate and collaborate.</p>
<p>Microsoft's newest internet service provides a central place for workplace groups to chat, share files and use other Microsoft programs like Outlook for email and calendars and Skype for voice and video conferences and workplace groups to chat. "Teams" can also incorporate artificially intelligent "bots" and other software programs created by outside developers.</p> | Microsoft adds new chat-based service for workers | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/11/02/microsoft-adds-new-chat-based-service-for-workers.html | 2016-11-02 | 0right
| Microsoft adds new chat-based service for workers
<p />
<p>Taking a cue from competing online services like Slack, which let workers chat and share information on the job, Microsoft is adding a new program called "Teams" to its Office 365 suite of internet productivity software.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Analysts say Microsoft is catching up to a trend in which numerous companies — even Facebook — are competing to offer specialized online networks for organizations, as workers increasingly look beyond email and simple document-sharing services to communicate and collaborate.</p>
<p>Microsoft's newest internet service provides a central place for workplace groups to chat, share files and use other Microsoft programs like Outlook for email and calendars and Skype for voice and video conferences and workplace groups to chat. "Teams" can also incorporate artificially intelligent "bots" and other software programs created by outside developers.</p> | 599,575 |
<p>True pioneers across all fields of scientific research were lauded at the 27th annual Ig Nobel Awards at Harvard University. A parody of their namesake, the awards celebrate research that makes people “laugh and then think.”</p>
<p>Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, founded the spoof prize in 1991, awarding neither the best nor worst submissions to the body of scientific research, but rather the most thought-provoking.</p>
<p>“We hope that this will get people back into the habits they probably had when they were kids; of paying attention to odd things and holding out for a moment and deciding whether they are good or bad only after they have a chance to think,” Abrahams told Reuters in an interview.</p>
<p>Paper airplanes, human spotlights and a psychology-themed opera helped liven up an already light-hearted evening as researchers accepted their parody awards from actual Nobel Prize winners.</p>
<p>“They are unusual approaches to things,” Abrahams added. “It would be difficult for some people to decide whether they are important or the opposite. If you had sleep apnea for a long time, the didgeridoo thing would sound quite intriguing.”</p>
<p>Here are just some of the highlights from this year’s <a href="http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2017" type="external">Ig Nobel Awards winners</a>:</p>
<p>In a paper published in <a href="http://www.rheology.org/sor/publications/rheology_b/RB2014Jul.pdf#page=16" type="external">2014</a>, Marc-Antoine Fardin used the physics of fluid dynamics to determine whether cats could be considered both liquid and solid given their ability to quickly conform to whatever vessel they decide to rest in. For this, he was awarded this year’s physics prize.</p>
<p>“Cats are proving to be a rich model system for rheological research (the study of the flow of matter),” Fardin said, as cited by The Smithsonian Magazine. “[It] raised some interesting questions about what it means to be a fluid.”</p>
<p>Many believe that playing music to unborn babies can stimulate their minds and their development while in utero.</p>
<p>After studying the facial expressions of fetuses in the womb and how they reacted to speakers placed in different locations, Spanish researchers took the concept one step further and created the a <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/ES2546919B1/en" type="external">“fetal acoustic stimulation device”</a> called the ‘Babypod.’</p>
<p>Believe it or not, this is a speaker that is inserted directly into the vagina. This improves the audio quality by reducing the amount of skin and muscle that dampens the music, according to the team’s paper published in <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1742271x15609367" type="external">2015</a>. Their work earned them the 2017 Ig Nobel Prize for obstetrics, the science of childbirth and the care of pregnant women.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/332/7536/266?ref=driverlayer.com" type="external">2006</a>, group of Swiss researchers came up with a novel treatment for sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by excessive snoring followed by pauses in breathing or extended periods of very shallow breathing.</p>
<p>While typical treatments include invasive airway pressure devices that pump air into a snorer’s throat, the scientists studied 25 participants whom they asked to learn to play the didgeridoo.</p>
<p>The objective was to determine whether strengthened muscles in their airways might help the test subjects breathe better. In the study’s findings, published in 2006, the patients and their partners reported greatly improved sleep with significantly reduced snoring.</p>
<p>For this, the researchers were awarded the 2017 Ig Nobel Peace Prize.</p>
<p>Matthew Rockloff and Nancy Greer won the Ig Nobel prize for economics for their unique <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10899-009-9174-4" type="external">2010</a> study on problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers.</p>
<p>The participants were asked to play a simulated slot machine game – and were then given a live 1-meter (3.3-foot) crocodile to hold just before playing.</p>
<p>The researchers found that the problem gamblers were more likely to place higher bets as the adrenaline rush from holding the reptiles carried over into the slot game, tricking their brains into believing they were on a winning streak.</p>
<p>Kazunori Yoshizawa, Rodrigo Ferreira, Yoshitaka Kamimura, and Charles Lienhard won the prize for biology for their discovery of a gender-bending cave insect, the Neotrogla.</p>
<p>The insects possess the opposite body parts for their biological sex; the animal with the penis also carries the eggs, while the one who receives the penis fertilizes the eggs.</p>
<p>The team believes these bugs and their sex lives could improve humanity’s understanding of sexual selection in evolutionary biology.</p>
<p>Other notable winners include: (fluid dynamics) Jiwon ‘Jesse’ Han from South Korea and his sterling work into the fluid dynamics “of liquid-sloshing” as it pertains to a “person walk[ing] backward carrying a cup of coffee”; (medicine) the international team who used advanced brain scans “to measure the extent to which some people are disgusted by cheese”; (Cognition) The Italian researcher team who tested whether identical twins could distinguish between their own face and their sibling’s.</p> | Ig Nobel prize 2017: Cats are liquid, Didgeridoos for snoring & gender-bending insects | false | https://newsline.com/ig-nobel-prize-2017-cats-are-liquid-didgeridoos-for-snoring-gender-bending-insects/ | 2017-09-16 | 1right-center
| Ig Nobel prize 2017: Cats are liquid, Didgeridoos for snoring & gender-bending insects
<p>True pioneers across all fields of scientific research were lauded at the 27th annual Ig Nobel Awards at Harvard University. A parody of their namesake, the awards celebrate research that makes people “laugh and then think.”</p>
<p>Marc Abrahams, editor of the Annals of Improbable Research, founded the spoof prize in 1991, awarding neither the best nor worst submissions to the body of scientific research, but rather the most thought-provoking.</p>
<p>“We hope that this will get people back into the habits they probably had when they were kids; of paying attention to odd things and holding out for a moment and deciding whether they are good or bad only after they have a chance to think,” Abrahams told Reuters in an interview.</p>
<p>Paper airplanes, human spotlights and a psychology-themed opera helped liven up an already light-hearted evening as researchers accepted their parody awards from actual Nobel Prize winners.</p>
<p>“They are unusual approaches to things,” Abrahams added. “It would be difficult for some people to decide whether they are important or the opposite. If you had sleep apnea for a long time, the didgeridoo thing would sound quite intriguing.”</p>
<p>Here are just some of the highlights from this year’s <a href="http://www.improbable.com/ig/winners/#ig2017" type="external">Ig Nobel Awards winners</a>:</p>
<p>In a paper published in <a href="http://www.rheology.org/sor/publications/rheology_b/RB2014Jul.pdf#page=16" type="external">2014</a>, Marc-Antoine Fardin used the physics of fluid dynamics to determine whether cats could be considered both liquid and solid given their ability to quickly conform to whatever vessel they decide to rest in. For this, he was awarded this year’s physics prize.</p>
<p>“Cats are proving to be a rich model system for rheological research (the study of the flow of matter),” Fardin said, as cited by The Smithsonian Magazine. “[It] raised some interesting questions about what it means to be a fluid.”</p>
<p>Many believe that playing music to unborn babies can stimulate their minds and their development while in utero.</p>
<p>After studying the facial expressions of fetuses in the womb and how they reacted to speakers placed in different locations, Spanish researchers took the concept one step further and created the a <a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/ES2546919B1/en" type="external">“fetal acoustic stimulation device”</a> called the ‘Babypod.’</p>
<p>Believe it or not, this is a speaker that is inserted directly into the vagina. This improves the audio quality by reducing the amount of skin and muscle that dampens the music, according to the team’s paper published in <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1742271x15609367" type="external">2015</a>. Their work earned them the 2017 Ig Nobel Prize for obstetrics, the science of childbirth and the care of pregnant women.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/332/7536/266?ref=driverlayer.com" type="external">2006</a>, group of Swiss researchers came up with a novel treatment for sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by excessive snoring followed by pauses in breathing or extended periods of very shallow breathing.</p>
<p>While typical treatments include invasive airway pressure devices that pump air into a snorer’s throat, the scientists studied 25 participants whom they asked to learn to play the didgeridoo.</p>
<p>The objective was to determine whether strengthened muscles in their airways might help the test subjects breathe better. In the study’s findings, published in 2006, the patients and their partners reported greatly improved sleep with significantly reduced snoring.</p>
<p>For this, the researchers were awarded the 2017 Ig Nobel Peace Prize.</p>
<p>Matthew Rockloff and Nancy Greer won the Ig Nobel prize for economics for their unique <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10899-009-9174-4" type="external">2010</a> study on problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers.</p>
<p>The participants were asked to play a simulated slot machine game – and were then given a live 1-meter (3.3-foot) crocodile to hold just before playing.</p>
<p>The researchers found that the problem gamblers were more likely to place higher bets as the adrenaline rush from holding the reptiles carried over into the slot game, tricking their brains into believing they were on a winning streak.</p>
<p>Kazunori Yoshizawa, Rodrigo Ferreira, Yoshitaka Kamimura, and Charles Lienhard won the prize for biology for their discovery of a gender-bending cave insect, the Neotrogla.</p>
<p>The insects possess the opposite body parts for their biological sex; the animal with the penis also carries the eggs, while the one who receives the penis fertilizes the eggs.</p>
<p>The team believes these bugs and their sex lives could improve humanity’s understanding of sexual selection in evolutionary biology.</p>
<p>Other notable winners include: (fluid dynamics) Jiwon ‘Jesse’ Han from South Korea and his sterling work into the fluid dynamics “of liquid-sloshing” as it pertains to a “person walk[ing] backward carrying a cup of coffee”; (medicine) the international team who used advanced brain scans “to measure the extent to which some people are disgusted by cheese”; (Cognition) The Italian researcher team who tested whether identical twins could distinguish between their own face and their sibling’s.</p> | 599,576 |
<p>The Associated Press’ Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee’s three Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through January 15, total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote:</p>
<p>The Associated Press’ Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee’s three Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through January 15, total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote:</p> | Tennessee Girls Basketball Prep Poll | false | https://apnews.com/09c321428c0e4b17be8140f8e120d4f2 | 2018-01-15 | 2least
| Tennessee Girls Basketball Prep Poll
<p>The Associated Press’ Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee’s three Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through January 15, total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote:</p>
<p>The Associated Press’ Top 10 teams in each of Tennessee’s three Division I non-financial aid classifications and in the combined Division II financial aid classification as selected by Tennessee AP-member sportswriters and broadcasters. With first-place votes in parentheses, records through January 15, total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote:</p> | 599,577 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Navy leaders are dumping a plan announced in September to eliminate dozens of enlisted sailors’ job titles, some ending in “man.” They said sailors’ anger over the changes had become a distraction and they will look for other ways to modernize the system.</p>
<p>“The bottom line is, we’re going to preserve all the good, we’re going to throw all the distractions overboard and we’re going to move on, stay on course,” Navy Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, told sailors gathered in the Pentagon on Wednesday. “You showed us the way forward. … Thanks for teaching us that lesson.”</p>
<p>The decision to drop long-held traditional titles and instead refer to sailors by their rank had signaled a sharp cultural shift for the Navy. Efforts to change titles that ended in “man” were in response to the Pentagon decision to open all combat jobs to women.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In a memo, Richardson said that modernizing the job ratings or titles was designed to give sailors more flexibility in training and assignments. Switching to names more understandable to the civilian world, Navy leaders argued, would make it easier to get jobs once sailors left the service.</p>
<p>But after hearing angry reactions from thousands of sailors, Richardson said Navy leaders believe they can find a way to provide better job flexibility without dropping the titles.</p>
<p>The memo was released Wednesday morning, and Richardson and Master Chief Petty Officer Steven Giordano, the top Navy enlisted officer, announced it in the Pentagon.</p>
<p>Giordano said the focus on titles had become a distraction from “our missions, our operations, our warfighting efforts.”</p>
<p>Richardson outlined what he called a “course correction” in the memo, saying the Navy will continue to review ways to update the names.</p>
<p>“Modernizing our industrial-age personnel system in order to provide sailors choice and flexibility still remains a priority for us,” he said. “We will need to tackle the issue of managing rating names.”</p>
<p>The Navy called for a review of the titles in January, shortly after the Pentagon ordered that all combat jobs would now be open to women. The idea was to eliminate titles such as “chief yeoman,” “corpsman” or “boatswain’s mate” — titles steeped in tradition but difficult for the public to translate or understand.</p>
<p>Under the plan, sailors would have been known by their ranks, such as petty officer or chief. And job titles would be made more gender-neutral.</p>
<p>Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who pushed the plan, said at the time that he wanted titles to better convey the job a sailor is doing.</p>
<p>For example, few civilians know what a hospital corpsman does, Mabus said in June. A corpsman could be called a medic or an emergency medical technician, much like “messman” was previously changed to culinary specialist, he added.</p>
<p>Sailors opposing the decision launched a White House petition and gained some support from Capitol Hill. They said that while they liked the idea of more flexibility, they wanted to hold onto their traditional titles.</p> | In reversal, Navy won’t scrap traditional job titles | false | https://abqjournal.com/913533/in-reversal-navy-wont-scrap-traditional-job-titles.html | 2016-12-21 | 2least
| In reversal, Navy won’t scrap traditional job titles
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Navy leaders are dumping a plan announced in September to eliminate dozens of enlisted sailors’ job titles, some ending in “man.” They said sailors’ anger over the changes had become a distraction and they will look for other ways to modernize the system.</p>
<p>“The bottom line is, we’re going to preserve all the good, we’re going to throw all the distractions overboard and we’re going to move on, stay on course,” Navy Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, told sailors gathered in the Pentagon on Wednesday. “You showed us the way forward. … Thanks for teaching us that lesson.”</p>
<p>The decision to drop long-held traditional titles and instead refer to sailors by their rank had signaled a sharp cultural shift for the Navy. Efforts to change titles that ended in “man” were in response to the Pentagon decision to open all combat jobs to women.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In a memo, Richardson said that modernizing the job ratings or titles was designed to give sailors more flexibility in training and assignments. Switching to names more understandable to the civilian world, Navy leaders argued, would make it easier to get jobs once sailors left the service.</p>
<p>But after hearing angry reactions from thousands of sailors, Richardson said Navy leaders believe they can find a way to provide better job flexibility without dropping the titles.</p>
<p>The memo was released Wednesday morning, and Richardson and Master Chief Petty Officer Steven Giordano, the top Navy enlisted officer, announced it in the Pentagon.</p>
<p>Giordano said the focus on titles had become a distraction from “our missions, our operations, our warfighting efforts.”</p>
<p>Richardson outlined what he called a “course correction” in the memo, saying the Navy will continue to review ways to update the names.</p>
<p>“Modernizing our industrial-age personnel system in order to provide sailors choice and flexibility still remains a priority for us,” he said. “We will need to tackle the issue of managing rating names.”</p>
<p>The Navy called for a review of the titles in January, shortly after the Pentagon ordered that all combat jobs would now be open to women. The idea was to eliminate titles such as “chief yeoman,” “corpsman” or “boatswain’s mate” — titles steeped in tradition but difficult for the public to translate or understand.</p>
<p>Under the plan, sailors would have been known by their ranks, such as petty officer or chief. And job titles would be made more gender-neutral.</p>
<p>Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who pushed the plan, said at the time that he wanted titles to better convey the job a sailor is doing.</p>
<p>For example, few civilians know what a hospital corpsman does, Mabus said in June. A corpsman could be called a medic or an emergency medical technician, much like “messman” was previously changed to culinary specialist, he added.</p>
<p>Sailors opposing the decision launched a White House petition and gained some support from Capitol Hill. They said that while they liked the idea of more flexibility, they wanted to hold onto their traditional titles.</p> | 599,578 |
<p>When the President’s schedule was released for this weekend there was nothing on it. He wasn’t going to Mar-A-Lago, or a campaign rally in coal country, or to visit a bunch of wall prototypes in the California desert. He wasn’t occupied with Little Rocket Man or Russia’s assassinations in the U.K. And having just fired his Secretary of State, he is probably gonna avoid further dismantling his cabinet for a few days so he doesn’t appear to be unstable (too late). But this abundance of leisure time for Donald Trump is never a good sign. Idle tiny hands are the Devil’s plaything.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewsCorpse/posts/2077506438930807" type="external" /></p>
<p>As expected, Trump filled the empty morning hours on Saturday with adventures on Twitter. Even after a year it is surprising and disturbing that the leader of the free world can occupy himself so frequently with mini-tantrums on social media. But there he was in the White House residence tweeting away. And the subject that was dominating his infantile thoughts was, as usual, himself.</p>
<p>Trump was clearly obsessed with the reaction to the firing of Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe. Never mind that he likely directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to execute the petty and vindictive termination. The timing was obviously intended to deprive a twenty-year veteran of law enforcement of his rightfully earned pension. But the larger purpose was to discredit McCabe as a witness against Trump in the still unfolding legal melodrama. Unfortunately for Trump, though, his tweets only serve to exacerbate his guilt. For instance:</p>
<p />
<p>In this missive Trump is proving that the firing of McCabe was tied directly to the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. A major target of that probe is obstruction of justice partly demonstrated by Trump firing FBI Director James Comey. And if Trump thinks he’s making points by referencing “the hard working men and women of the FBI,” then he’s apparently unaware that those worker greatly admire and support Comey and McCabe, and resent they way they’ve been treated. Which leads us to this:</p>
<p />
<p>Once again Trump is connecting recent events to the Mueller inquiry. However, he falsely asserts that the House Intelligence Committee cleared him when it is only the bitterly partisan Republican members who signed onto the committee’s disinformation report. And Trump’s accusations against the FBI don’t do anything to help his legal cause. Nor does the last of his morning tweets:</p>
<p />
<p>Trump’s moaning about “fake news” is just becoming tedious and a satire of itself. All he’s doing is reminding everyone that the press is reporting what is actually happening and that Trump hates it when they do that. And in this tweet he unwisely asks the questions “How many lies? How many leaks?” Which most people are already asking, but about Trump. But the best part is where Trump notes that “Comey knew it all, and much more!” Indeed he does. And he’s anxious to share what he knows with the American people.</p>
<p />
<p>Trump, on the other hand, is desperate to keep Americans from learning about what he has done, and is doing. That’s why his attorney is calling for an abrupt end to the Mueller investigation. It’s why his other attorney is trying to gag Stormy Daniels. At every turn Trump is focused on keeping his affairs (both sexual and political) secret. That’s what legal professionals call “consciousness of guilt.” And it’s what Trump displays with each new tweet he posts. It’s almost as if he has a legal death wish. He must hate the White House so much that he’s doing everything he can to get out of it. If only he knew how much we would all like to help him do that.</p>
<p>How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QSSMOES/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00QSSMOES&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=newscorpsecom-20&amp;linkId=TLI6JC2OYE22MUTS" type="external">Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.</a> Available now at Amazon.</p>
<p>LATE BREAKING: Trump posted another guilt-dripping tweet Saturday afternoon:</p>
<p />
<p>No matter how many times he says there was no collusion, it doesn’t make it true. There is abundant evidence of collusion and he knows it. That’s why he keeps telling the same already debunked lies. Like that the Steele dossier (of which much was verified) was the basis for the special counsel investigation (it wasn’t). Or that the FISA court was mislead (they weren’t). And if this is a witch hunt, they have already nailed nineteen witches (indictments) with five pleading guilty. And they’ve only just begun.</p> | Saturday Tweetstorm: Is Donald Trump TRYING to Get Himself Impeached? | true | http://newscorpse.com/ncWP/?p%3D33699 | 4left
| Saturday Tweetstorm: Is Donald Trump TRYING to Get Himself Impeached?
<p>When the President’s schedule was released for this weekend there was nothing on it. He wasn’t going to Mar-A-Lago, or a campaign rally in coal country, or to visit a bunch of wall prototypes in the California desert. He wasn’t occupied with Little Rocket Man or Russia’s assassinations in the U.K. And having just fired his Secretary of State, he is probably gonna avoid further dismantling his cabinet for a few days so he doesn’t appear to be unstable (too late). But this abundance of leisure time for Donald Trump is never a good sign. Idle tiny hands are the Devil’s plaything.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewsCorpse/posts/2077506438930807" type="external" /></p>
<p>As expected, Trump filled the empty morning hours on Saturday with adventures on Twitter. Even after a year it is surprising and disturbing that the leader of the free world can occupy himself so frequently with mini-tantrums on social media. But there he was in the White House residence tweeting away. And the subject that was dominating his infantile thoughts was, as usual, himself.</p>
<p>Trump was clearly obsessed with the reaction to the firing of Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe. Never mind that he likely directed Attorney General Jeff Sessions to execute the petty and vindictive termination. The timing was obviously intended to deprive a twenty-year veteran of law enforcement of his rightfully earned pension. But the larger purpose was to discredit McCabe as a witness against Trump in the still unfolding legal melodrama. Unfortunately for Trump, though, his tweets only serve to exacerbate his guilt. For instance:</p>
<p />
<p>In this missive Trump is proving that the firing of McCabe was tied directly to the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. A major target of that probe is obstruction of justice partly demonstrated by Trump firing FBI Director James Comey. And if Trump thinks he’s making points by referencing “the hard working men and women of the FBI,” then he’s apparently unaware that those worker greatly admire and support Comey and McCabe, and resent they way they’ve been treated. Which leads us to this:</p>
<p />
<p>Once again Trump is connecting recent events to the Mueller inquiry. However, he falsely asserts that the House Intelligence Committee cleared him when it is only the bitterly partisan Republican members who signed onto the committee’s disinformation report. And Trump’s accusations against the FBI don’t do anything to help his legal cause. Nor does the last of his morning tweets:</p>
<p />
<p>Trump’s moaning about “fake news” is just becoming tedious and a satire of itself. All he’s doing is reminding everyone that the press is reporting what is actually happening and that Trump hates it when they do that. And in this tweet he unwisely asks the questions “How many lies? How many leaks?” Which most people are already asking, but about Trump. But the best part is where Trump notes that “Comey knew it all, and much more!” Indeed he does. And he’s anxious to share what he knows with the American people.</p>
<p />
<p>Trump, on the other hand, is desperate to keep Americans from learning about what he has done, and is doing. That’s why his attorney is calling for an abrupt end to the Mueller investigation. It’s why his other attorney is trying to gag Stormy Daniels. At every turn Trump is focused on keeping his affairs (both sexual and political) secret. That’s what legal professionals call “consciousness of guilt.” And it’s what Trump displays with each new tweet he posts. It’s almost as if he has a legal death wish. He must hate the White House so much that he’s doing everything he can to get out of it. If only he knew how much we would all like to help him do that.</p>
<p>How Fox News Deceives and Controls Their Flock: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QSSMOES/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=B00QSSMOES&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=newscorpsecom-20&amp;linkId=TLI6JC2OYE22MUTS" type="external">Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Cult of Ignorance.</a> Available now at Amazon.</p>
<p>LATE BREAKING: Trump posted another guilt-dripping tweet Saturday afternoon:</p>
<p />
<p>No matter how many times he says there was no collusion, it doesn’t make it true. There is abundant evidence of collusion and he knows it. That’s why he keeps telling the same already debunked lies. Like that the Steele dossier (of which much was verified) was the basis for the special counsel investigation (it wasn’t). Or that the FISA court was mislead (they weren’t). And if this is a witch hunt, they have already nailed nineteen witches (indictments) with five pleading guilty. And they’ve only just begun.</p> | 599,579 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>It’s believed to be a first-time proposal; no similar bill has been introduced in the Legislature over at least the past 45 years.</p>
<p>House Bill 249 was rejected and then quickly revived Monday in the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee, clearing the panel on a 7-2 vote.</p>
<p>It would next have to win the approval of the House Judiciary Committee before reaching the full House for a vote.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Supporters said it would open school board elections – which draw only a fraction of eligible voters – to a potential 50,000 young New Mexicans who now have no say over who makes the decisions that affect them.</p>
<p>“I believe this is going to create lifelong, civically engaged voters,” said Adrian Carver, co-director of the New Mexico Youth Alliance.</p>
<p>The legislation would allow those 16 and over to register to vote, but only in school elections. It may also have the effect of allowing those young voters to run for school boards, according to testimony to the committee.</p>
<p>Its sponsor, freshman Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, pointed to the dismal turnout in recent school board elections. Recently, 3.7 percent of eligible voters showed up to elect Albuquerque Public Schools board members. In Hagerman, no one turned out – not even the candidates.</p>
<p>“This is an embarrassment, and it requires drastic action,” said Martinez, who pointed out that 16-year-olds drive cars, work and pay taxes.</p>
<p>Republicans suggested that students of that age aren’t ready for the responsibility of voting and should instead play an advisory role.</p>
<p>Rep. Dianne Hamilton, R-Silver City, said students should be “trying to get their parents out” to vote in school board elections.</p>
<p>In the committee’s first vote, Republicans outvoted Democrats to reject the bill. But a follow-up motion to send the bill along without recommendation to the Judiciary Committee was approved with the backing of Democrats and some Republicans.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Bill lets some students vote in school board elections | false | https://abqjournal.com/542395/bill-okd-for-16-17-year-olds-to-vote-in-school-elections.html | 2015-02-16 | 2least
| Bill lets some students vote in school board elections
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>It’s believed to be a first-time proposal; no similar bill has been introduced in the Legislature over at least the past 45 years.</p>
<p>House Bill 249 was rejected and then quickly revived Monday in the House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee, clearing the panel on a 7-2 vote.</p>
<p>It would next have to win the approval of the House Judiciary Committee before reaching the full House for a vote.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Supporters said it would open school board elections – which draw only a fraction of eligible voters – to a potential 50,000 young New Mexicans who now have no say over who makes the decisions that affect them.</p>
<p>“I believe this is going to create lifelong, civically engaged voters,” said Adrian Carver, co-director of the New Mexico Youth Alliance.</p>
<p>The legislation would allow those 16 and over to register to vote, but only in school elections. It may also have the effect of allowing those young voters to run for school boards, according to testimony to the committee.</p>
<p>Its sponsor, freshman Rep. Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, pointed to the dismal turnout in recent school board elections. Recently, 3.7 percent of eligible voters showed up to elect Albuquerque Public Schools board members. In Hagerman, no one turned out – not even the candidates.</p>
<p>“This is an embarrassment, and it requires drastic action,” said Martinez, who pointed out that 16-year-olds drive cars, work and pay taxes.</p>
<p>Republicans suggested that students of that age aren’t ready for the responsibility of voting and should instead play an advisory role.</p>
<p>Rep. Dianne Hamilton, R-Silver City, said students should be “trying to get their parents out” to vote in school board elections.</p>
<p>In the committee’s first vote, Republicans outvoted Democrats to reject the bill. But a follow-up motion to send the bill along without recommendation to the Judiciary Committee was approved with the backing of Democrats and some Republicans.</p>
<p />
<p /> | 599,580 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Kentucky landed a lucrative project Tuesday as e-commerce giant Amazon announced plans to build a worldwide air cargo hub at a northern Kentucky airport south of Cincinnati in a nearly $1.5 billion investment expected to create 2,700 jobs.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Gov. Matt Bevin called it a “transformative and exciting venture,” and said the Amazon shipping hub will strengthen the Bluegrass state’s position as a top global logistics center.</p>
<p>Amazon, which already employs thousands at distribution centers in the state, deepened its ties with Kentucky by choosing Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport as the place to support its growing fleet of Prime Air cargo planes.</p>
<p>“This new project will pay dividends to both the company and our state, and we are truly grateful for the jobs and economic impact it will bring to the commonwealth,” Bevin said in a statement.</p>
<p>Seattle-based Amazon said the airport at Hebron, Kentucky, quickly “rose to the top of the list” of contenders for the air hub due to the area’s workforce, centralized location and proximity to regional distribution centers.</p>
<p>“We feel strongly that with these qualities as a place to do business, our investments will support Amazon and customers well into the future,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Amazon will build a sorting, loading and unloading facility on airport property, Kentucky officials said. Local airport board members approved a 50-year lease expandable to 900 acres of property, state officials said. The project will create 2,700 full- and part-time jobs, they said.</p>
<p>The Kentucky Economic Development Authority gave preliminary approval to a tax-incentive package worth up to $40 million for Amazon over the next 10 years. Amazon could reduce its tax bill by $4 million a year if it meets annual job and wage targets, including paying an average hourly wage of $26.</p>
<p>The online retail giant hasn’t set a date for the project’s groundbreaking.</p>
<p>Amazon’s announcement looms as the largest single investment ever by a company in northern Kentucky, said Dan Tobergte, president of a regional economic development organization in northern Kentucky.</p>
<p>“It’s certainly transformational for us in northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati region,” he said. “It’s up there with the most impactful projects that we’ve ever worked.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Amazon will join UPS and DHL with major shipping hubs in Kentucky. UPS has a massive air hub in Louisville, while DHL has an international shipping hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.</p>
<p>Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover noted that Amazon’s announcement comes weeks after the state’s Republican-led legislature passed “right-to-work” legislation aimed at making it illegal to require workers to pay union dues to keep a job. The measure, signed into law by Bevin, created “an immediate opportunity for major investment and serious job creation,” Hoover said.</p>
<p>However, UPS and DHL already had shipping hubs in the state before Kentucky became a right-to-work state.</p>
<p>Across the Ohio River, meanwhile, the leader of the Ohio House reacted glumly to news that Amazon had picked northern Kentucky instead of Wilmington, Ohio, for the air hub project.</p>
<p>“To say I am disappointed by today’s news from Amazon is an understatement,” said Ohio House Speaker Clifford A. Rosenberger. He promised to work with elected officials and business leaders to “move past this unfortunate news and continue to spur economic growth in our region of Ohio.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Schreiner reported from Louisville, Kentucky; Beam reported from Frankfort, Kentucky.</p> | Amazon picks Kentucky airport as site for air cargo hub | false | https://abqjournal.com/939764/amazon-picks-kentucky-airport-as-site-for-air-cargo-hub.html | 2017-01-31 | 2least
| Amazon picks Kentucky airport as site for air cargo hub
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Kentucky landed a lucrative project Tuesday as e-commerce giant Amazon announced plans to build a worldwide air cargo hub at a northern Kentucky airport south of Cincinnati in a nearly $1.5 billion investment expected to create 2,700 jobs.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Gov. Matt Bevin called it a “transformative and exciting venture,” and said the Amazon shipping hub will strengthen the Bluegrass state’s position as a top global logistics center.</p>
<p>Amazon, which already employs thousands at distribution centers in the state, deepened its ties with Kentucky by choosing Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport as the place to support its growing fleet of Prime Air cargo planes.</p>
<p>“This new project will pay dividends to both the company and our state, and we are truly grateful for the jobs and economic impact it will bring to the commonwealth,” Bevin said in a statement.</p>
<p>Seattle-based Amazon said the airport at Hebron, Kentucky, quickly “rose to the top of the list” of contenders for the air hub due to the area’s workforce, centralized location and proximity to regional distribution centers.</p>
<p>“We feel strongly that with these qualities as a place to do business, our investments will support Amazon and customers well into the future,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president of worldwide operations.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Amazon will build a sorting, loading and unloading facility on airport property, Kentucky officials said. Local airport board members approved a 50-year lease expandable to 900 acres of property, state officials said. The project will create 2,700 full- and part-time jobs, they said.</p>
<p>The Kentucky Economic Development Authority gave preliminary approval to a tax-incentive package worth up to $40 million for Amazon over the next 10 years. Amazon could reduce its tax bill by $4 million a year if it meets annual job and wage targets, including paying an average hourly wage of $26.</p>
<p>The online retail giant hasn’t set a date for the project’s groundbreaking.</p>
<p>Amazon’s announcement looms as the largest single investment ever by a company in northern Kentucky, said Dan Tobergte, president of a regional economic development organization in northern Kentucky.</p>
<p>“It’s certainly transformational for us in northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati region,” he said. “It’s up there with the most impactful projects that we’ve ever worked.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Amazon will join UPS and DHL with major shipping hubs in Kentucky. UPS has a massive air hub in Louisville, while DHL has an international shipping hub at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.</p>
<p>Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover noted that Amazon’s announcement comes weeks after the state’s Republican-led legislature passed “right-to-work” legislation aimed at making it illegal to require workers to pay union dues to keep a job. The measure, signed into law by Bevin, created “an immediate opportunity for major investment and serious job creation,” Hoover said.</p>
<p>However, UPS and DHL already had shipping hubs in the state before Kentucky became a right-to-work state.</p>
<p>Across the Ohio River, meanwhile, the leader of the Ohio House reacted glumly to news that Amazon had picked northern Kentucky instead of Wilmington, Ohio, for the air hub project.</p>
<p>“To say I am disappointed by today’s news from Amazon is an understatement,” said Ohio House Speaker Clifford A. Rosenberger. He promised to work with elected officials and business leaders to “move past this unfortunate news and continue to spur economic growth in our region of Ohio.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Schreiner reported from Louisville, Kentucky; Beam reported from Frankfort, Kentucky.</p> | 599,581 |
<p>A deadly bus fire <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-bus-fire-kills-at-least-42" type="external">that killed at least 42 people</a> in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen was not an accident but a criminal act, according to <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/07/c_124830352.htm" type="external">Chinese news agency Xinhua.</a></p>
<p>Police in Xiamen reportedly found evidence of gasoline even though the bus uses diesel as fuel.</p>
<p>"According to on-site checks and findings by relevant experts and the local police, the bus’s tires and fuel tank were in complete form when the fire took place," <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-08/china-bus-fire-that-killed-47-is-a-criminal-case-xinhua-reports.html" type="external">Xinhua reported,</a>citing a statement from the local government of Xiamen.</p>
<p>"Therefore, it can be ruled out that it’s a safety accident. Initial findings conclude that it is a serious criminal case."</p>
<p>The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle erupted into flames around 6:30 p.m. local time. About 33 people were also injured in the fire.&#160;</p>
<p>One slightly injured passenger told Xinhua that she smelled gasoline and saw another passenger smashing the window in an attempt to escape the bus.</p>
<p>Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun has arrived in Xiamen to lead a State Council team overseeing the investigation.</p>
<p>President Xi Jinping, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/politics/world-leaders/130607/obama-xi-jinping-meeting-california-shirt-sleeves-summit-china-us" type="external">who is currently meeting with US President Barack Obama</a> at a summit in California, has warned against pursing development at the cost of people's lives.</p>
<p>"Major accidents have occurred one after another and incurred heavy casualties and property losses. Great attention must be aroused," Xi ordered, <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/07/c_124830352.htm" type="external">according to a statement released</a> by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China late Friday evening.</p>
<p>China's public system has expanded rapidly over the past decade, prompting concerns that safety is being sacrificed in the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-bus-fire-kills-at-least-42" type="external">rush to provide more modern services</a>to its citizens.</p>
<p>In 2011, a <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-bus-fire-kills-at-least-42" type="external">train accident near the city of Wenzhou</a> killed 40 people. Later that same year, a collision on a new subway line in Shanghai injured hundreds of people.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/politics/world-leaders/130607/obama-xi-jinping-meeting-california-shirt-sleeves-summit-china-us" type="external">Obama, Xi Jinping meeting: 5 pressure points</a></p> | Report: China bus fire was criminal act, not an accident | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-06-08/report-china-bus-fire-was-criminal-act-not-accident | 2013-06-08 | 3left-center
| Report: China bus fire was criminal act, not an accident
<p>A deadly bus fire <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-bus-fire-kills-at-least-42" type="external">that killed at least 42 people</a> in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen was not an accident but a criminal act, according to <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/07/c_124830352.htm" type="external">Chinese news agency Xinhua.</a></p>
<p>Police in Xiamen reportedly found evidence of gasoline even though the bus uses diesel as fuel.</p>
<p>"According to on-site checks and findings by relevant experts and the local police, the bus’s tires and fuel tank were in complete form when the fire took place," <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-08/china-bus-fire-that-killed-47-is-a-criminal-case-xinhua-reports.html" type="external">Xinhua reported,</a>citing a statement from the local government of Xiamen.</p>
<p>"Therefore, it can be ruled out that it’s a safety accident. Initial findings conclude that it is a serious criminal case."</p>
<p>The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle erupted into flames around 6:30 p.m. local time. About 33 people were also injured in the fire.&#160;</p>
<p>One slightly injured passenger told Xinhua that she smelled gasoline and saw another passenger smashing the window in an attempt to escape the bus.</p>
<p>Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun has arrived in Xiamen to lead a State Council team overseeing the investigation.</p>
<p>President Xi Jinping, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/politics/world-leaders/130607/obama-xi-jinping-meeting-california-shirt-sleeves-summit-china-us" type="external">who is currently meeting with US President Barack Obama</a> at a summit in California, has warned against pursing development at the cost of people's lives.</p>
<p>"Major accidents have occurred one after another and incurred heavy casualties and property losses. Great attention must be aroused," Xi ordered, <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/07/c_124830352.htm" type="external">according to a statement released</a> by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China late Friday evening.</p>
<p>China's public system has expanded rapidly over the past decade, prompting concerns that safety is being sacrificed in the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-bus-fire-kills-at-least-42" type="external">rush to provide more modern services</a>to its citizens.</p>
<p>In 2011, a <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/130607/china-bus-fire-kills-at-least-42" type="external">train accident near the city of Wenzhou</a> killed 40 people. Later that same year, a collision on a new subway line in Shanghai injured hundreds of people.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/politics/world-leaders/130607/obama-xi-jinping-meeting-california-shirt-sleeves-summit-china-us" type="external">Obama, Xi Jinping meeting: 5 pressure points</a></p> | 599,582 |
<p>WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani did a fine job of achieving their objectives in Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate: Each thoroughly discredited the other.</p>
<p>They also disgraced themselves as they pandered relentlessly to the growing anti-immigrant feeling in their party.</p>
<p>Mike Huckabee and John McCain were the only candidates willing to suggest what now seems unmentionable: Immigrants, even those here illegally, are human beings and shouldn’t be used as political playthings.</p>
<p>At least Tom Tancredo, the Colorado congressman whose railing against immigration has become his mission in life, was consistent with his past. He had every right to say, with glee, that his rivals were “trying to out-Tancredo Tancredo.” It was a perfect description of the evening.</p>
<p />
<p>The CNN/YouTube debate was a depressing spectacle. There was little inspiration for the future, no sense that Republicans are grappling with why their party has become so unpopular, and few departures from rigid adherence to the party line on taxes, guns, gay rights and a slew of other questions.</p>
<p>Oh, yes, the candidates were all for big spending cuts — but only of the vague, across-the-board variety. When the brave foes of Washington’s largess were confronted with a question about eliminating farm subsidies, they morphed into big-government guys.</p>
<p>Bold about slashing budgets earlier in the debate, Giuliani was judiciousness itself when it came to farmers. Farm spending cuts, he insisted, should not be done “simplistically.” No, no, “we’ve got to do this very carefully.”</p>
<p>Romney, who kept coming back to the dangers of runaway government outlays, insisted that farm subsidies were different because “it’s important for us to make sure that our farmers are able to stay on the farm.” Romney helpfully explained all this opportunism by ticking off the list of states besides Iowa, home of the first presidential nominating caucus, where farmers loom large. He sounded as if he were merrily counting delegate votes in his head.</p>
<p>But it was on immigration where Giuliani and Romney demonstrated for all to see that winning matters more to them than anything else.</p>
<p>Giuliani in particular had been warmly inclined toward immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, when he was mayor of liberal and diverse New York City.</p>
<p>Here’s Giuliani in 1996: “The anti-immigration issue that’s now sweeping the country in my view is no different than the movements that swept the country in the past,” he said. “You look back at the Chinese Exclusionary Act, or the Know-Nothing movement — these were movements that encouraged Americans to fear foreigners, to fear something that is different, and to stop immigration.” That’s an excellent description of the current moment.</p>
<p>But on Wednesday, Giuliani played right into the feelings he once condemned and downplayed his past — even if he couldn’t fully deny it. After Romney assailed Giuliani for turning New York into a “sanctuary city,” the former mayor said that Romney had employed illegal immigrants to do work on his Massachusetts home, transforming it into a “sanctuary mansion.”</p>
<p>Romney, in turn, asked Giuliani if he was saying that a person who hired a company for home improvement work should be expected to ask someone in the work crew who had “a funny accent” to prove he was here legally. The exchange made both men look very small.</p>
<p>But there did come the heroic moments from Huckabee and McCain — moments that may have done them little good with the GOP’s primary voters.</p>
<p>When Romney attacked Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, for supporting a state program under which some children of illegal immigrants got help to attend college, Huckabee stuck to his guns. “In all due respect, we’re a better country than to punish children for what their parents did,” Huckabee said. I hope he’s right.</p>
<p>Huckabee, the first male in his family to graduate from high school, got in a nice dig at Romney’s very privileged background by noting: “I worked my way through college.”</p>
<p>As for McCain, he seemed disgusted by the odor of the nativist compost being spread around the stage. “This whole debate saddens me a little bit,” he said. Of immigrants, he dared to declare: “These are God’s children as well, and they need some protections under the law and they need some of our love and compassion.” I hope God blesses McCain for that.</p>
<p>What happened on Wednesday night is actually scary. A legitimate concern over the failures of our national immigration policy is being transformed into an ugly attempt to turn immigrants into scapegoats for all our discontents. The real shame is that both Romney and Giuliani know better.</p>
<p>E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is postchat(at)aol.com.</p>
<p>© 2007, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | The YouSnooze Debate | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/the-yousnooze-debate/ | 2007-11-30 | 4left
| The YouSnooze Debate
<p>WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani did a fine job of achieving their objectives in Wednesday’s Republican presidential debate: Each thoroughly discredited the other.</p>
<p>They also disgraced themselves as they pandered relentlessly to the growing anti-immigrant feeling in their party.</p>
<p>Mike Huckabee and John McCain were the only candidates willing to suggest what now seems unmentionable: Immigrants, even those here illegally, are human beings and shouldn’t be used as political playthings.</p>
<p>At least Tom Tancredo, the Colorado congressman whose railing against immigration has become his mission in life, was consistent with his past. He had every right to say, with glee, that his rivals were “trying to out-Tancredo Tancredo.” It was a perfect description of the evening.</p>
<p />
<p>The CNN/YouTube debate was a depressing spectacle. There was little inspiration for the future, no sense that Republicans are grappling with why their party has become so unpopular, and few departures from rigid adherence to the party line on taxes, guns, gay rights and a slew of other questions.</p>
<p>Oh, yes, the candidates were all for big spending cuts — but only of the vague, across-the-board variety. When the brave foes of Washington’s largess were confronted with a question about eliminating farm subsidies, they morphed into big-government guys.</p>
<p>Bold about slashing budgets earlier in the debate, Giuliani was judiciousness itself when it came to farmers. Farm spending cuts, he insisted, should not be done “simplistically.” No, no, “we’ve got to do this very carefully.”</p>
<p>Romney, who kept coming back to the dangers of runaway government outlays, insisted that farm subsidies were different because “it’s important for us to make sure that our farmers are able to stay on the farm.” Romney helpfully explained all this opportunism by ticking off the list of states besides Iowa, home of the first presidential nominating caucus, where farmers loom large. He sounded as if he were merrily counting delegate votes in his head.</p>
<p>But it was on immigration where Giuliani and Romney demonstrated for all to see that winning matters more to them than anything else.</p>
<p>Giuliani in particular had been warmly inclined toward immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, when he was mayor of liberal and diverse New York City.</p>
<p>Here’s Giuliani in 1996: “The anti-immigration issue that’s now sweeping the country in my view is no different than the movements that swept the country in the past,” he said. “You look back at the Chinese Exclusionary Act, or the Know-Nothing movement — these were movements that encouraged Americans to fear foreigners, to fear something that is different, and to stop immigration.” That’s an excellent description of the current moment.</p>
<p>But on Wednesday, Giuliani played right into the feelings he once condemned and downplayed his past — even if he couldn’t fully deny it. After Romney assailed Giuliani for turning New York into a “sanctuary city,” the former mayor said that Romney had employed illegal immigrants to do work on his Massachusetts home, transforming it into a “sanctuary mansion.”</p>
<p>Romney, in turn, asked Giuliani if he was saying that a person who hired a company for home improvement work should be expected to ask someone in the work crew who had “a funny accent” to prove he was here legally. The exchange made both men look very small.</p>
<p>But there did come the heroic moments from Huckabee and McCain — moments that may have done them little good with the GOP’s primary voters.</p>
<p>When Romney attacked Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, for supporting a state program under which some children of illegal immigrants got help to attend college, Huckabee stuck to his guns. “In all due respect, we’re a better country than to punish children for what their parents did,” Huckabee said. I hope he’s right.</p>
<p>Huckabee, the first male in his family to graduate from high school, got in a nice dig at Romney’s very privileged background by noting: “I worked my way through college.”</p>
<p>As for McCain, he seemed disgusted by the odor of the nativist compost being spread around the stage. “This whole debate saddens me a little bit,” he said. Of immigrants, he dared to declare: “These are God’s children as well, and they need some protections under the law and they need some of our love and compassion.” I hope God blesses McCain for that.</p>
<p>What happened on Wednesday night is actually scary. A legitimate concern over the failures of our national immigration policy is being transformed into an ugly attempt to turn immigrants into scapegoats for all our discontents. The real shame is that both Romney and Giuliani know better.</p>
<p>E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is postchat(at)aol.com.</p>
<p>© 2007, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | 599,583 |
<p>The federal government has conducted more than 200,000 deportations of parents who said their children are U.S. citizens in a timespan of just over two years, according to new data obtained by Colorlines. The figures represent the longest view to date of the scale of parental deportation.</p>
<p>Between July 1, 2010, and Sept. 31, 2012, nearly 23 percent of all deportations—or, 204,810 deportations—were issued for parents with citizen children, according to federal data unearthed through a Freedom of Information Act request. [ <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/12/deportations_of_parents_of_us-born_citizens_122012.html" type="external">See the full data set here</a>.]</p>
<p>Because some people may have been deported more than once in the time period, the data represents total deportations conducted, not the number of individuals removed from the country. However, experts say that the total number of deportations of parents may be higher because some mothers and fathers fear telling authorities that they have kids. An additional group of parents whose kids are not U.S. citizens are not reflected in the numbers.</p>
<p>As Congress and the White House promise immigration reform legislation in the new year, the numbers raise questions about the impact of the government’s immigration policies on families and about what happens to the children whose mothers and fathers are deported from the United States.</p>
<p>“We are in a crisis situation in which we need to start taking action immediately to prevent these needless and often-times permanent separations of American children from their families,” California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard said in an interview with Colorlines. Roybal-Allard, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, introduced legislation last year that would protect detained and deported immigrant parents from losing their children.</p>
<p>“We have to make sure that all children are protected,” Roybal-Allard said. “We’re talking about U.S. citizens; their pleas and cries for help are pretty much being ignored at this point.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-111hrpt298/html/CRPT-111hrpt298.htm" type="external">Congress in 2009</a> ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to compile data on parental deportation beginning on July 1, 2010, and to release it every six months. Since then, however, the federal government has <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/ice_finally_gives_congress_data_on_number_of_parents_deported.html" type="external">released the figures just once</a>, and only for the first six months of 2011.</p>
<p>The new data includes all deported mothers and fathers who reported having U.S.-citizen kids since July 1, 2010, including those in the previously reported six-month period. Rates of parental deportation have remained more or less level since the government began collecting the data, and annually, more than 90,000 parents with U.S.-citizen kids are removed from the United States.</p>
<p>Families Torn Apart</p>
<p>Questions remain about what happens to the children of deportees.</p>
<p>“We don’t know how many [children] stay here and how many go with their parents,” said Luis H. Zayas, the dean of the University of Texas School of Social Work who is at work on a federally funded study on the mental health impacts on children when mothers and fathers are deported</p>
<p>“We know there are traumatic effects on the kids,” Zayas added. “We are talking about separating families from children. That’s not something our government should be doing.”</p>
<p>Zayas said that when children follow their parents to Mexico, the country where most deportees are from, they often struggle with stigma and deep poverty. “Many of their parents fled poverty, fled government oppression and when they return, they return to these origins. That puts kids at risk.”</p>
<p>It’s clear, however, that a disturbing number of children are separated from their families for significant stretches of time, and some permanently. A <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/11/thousands_of_kids_lost_in_foster_homes_after_parents_deportation.html" type="external">Colorlines investigation</a> in November 2011 estimated that there were at least 5,100 children in foster care who faced significant barriers to reunifying with their detained and deported parents. We projected that if deportation and child welfare policies remained unchanged, another 15,000 kids could face a similar fate over the three years between 2012 and 2014.</p>
<p>Among them were the children of Felipe Montes, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was deported from his home in North Carolina in December 2010 because he had racked up a series of driving violations. He left behind three young U.S.-citizen children and a wife, Marie Montes. The kids initially remained with their mother, but Felipe Montes had been the primary caretaker and wage earner in the family and without the support of her husband the county child welfare department soon determined that Marie Montes, who had long struggled with mental illness and drug abuse, could not care for them. The three young boys were shuttled into foster care with couples who hoped to adopt them and the child welfare department refused to reunite the kids with their father in Mexico.</p>
<p>Last month, after a long court battle that drew national attention, a state judge in North Carolina granted Montes <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/11/nc_judge_reunites_deported_father_with_three_us_citizen_children.html" type="external">custody of his three kids</a>. The 32-year-old father expects to take them with him to Mexico after the child welfare case is closed as planned in February.</p>
<p>The Administration’s ‘Discretion’</p>
<p>The new figures show that rates of parental deportation have remained largely level since Congress ordered ICE to begin collecting the data, quashing hopes from some advocates that the agency’s 2011 “prosecutorial discretion” guidelines would lead to a decline in these removals.</p>
<p>The guidelines, released on June 17, 2011, in a memo from ICE director John Morton, instructed ICE agents to focus deportation efforts on people with serious criminal convictions, those picked up crossing the border into the U.S., and those who had previously been deported from the country.</p>
<p>The memo also ordered agents making deportation decisions to weigh “the person’s ties and contributions to the community, including family relationships,” and “whether the person has a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, child, or parent.”</p>
<p>In answer to questions about the parental deportation data, ICE officials told Colorlines the continued pace of deportations does not reflect a failure to implement prosecutorial discretion, because most deported parents have other factors weighing against them.</p>
<p>“Evaluation of this data in the past has repeatedly shown that the overwhelming majority of these individuals have significant criminal and/or immigration histories placing them within ICE’s enforcement priorities,” wrote agency spokesperson Gillian Christensen in an emailed statement, “therefore making them ineligible for an exercise of prosecutorial discretion.”</p>
<p>In April, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20120404deportation-stats-detail-parents-american-born-children.html?nclick_check=1#ixzz2F3bY9mCQ" type="external">the Arizona Republic</a> reported over 74 percent of deported parents had been convicted of crimes, according to ICE figures. Another 13 percent had been deported previously.</p>
<p>But the devil is in the details. And the question for parental deportation is the same as for other groups the federal government have said are criminals: what’s considered “significant” criminal background? Figures on deportations though the Secure Communities, an ICE program that picks up immigrants in local jails, reveals that nearly 40 percent of deportees with convictions were charged with the lowest level crimes, including driving offenses.</p>
<p>Advocates note that regardless of whether a deported mother or father falls into one of the government’s priority groups, the impact on their kids the same. “Any deportation of a parent is a horrible thing for the child,” said Emily Butera, senior program officer at the Women’s Refugee Commission who advocates in Washington for greater protections for these families. “The reason for the deportation is immaterial for the kid.”</p>
<p>Officials say they’ve made strides to protect parents who fall outside of their target populations and are the primary caretakers for children.</p>
<p>“ICE works with individuals in removal proceedings to ensure they have ample opportunity to make important decisions regarding the care and custody of their children,” Christensen noted. “ICE is sensitive to the fact that encountering those who violate our immigration laws may impact families.”</p>
<p>As a sign of this, agency officials point to Felipe Montes, to whom the agency granted a rare “humanitarian parole” to reenter the country in August so that he could attend court hearings on his parental rights.</p>
<p>But immigration attorneys say the Montes case is a rare exception and that few, if any other deported parents have the opportunity to come back. Meanwhile, attorneys say that immigrants held in immigration detention centers continue to struggle to maintain contact with their children.</p>
<p>The data does show a slight decline in the number of parental deportations in the most recently reported three month period. From July until September of this year, ICE deported 20,878 parents, about 10 percent less than average. The overall deportation numbers for August to September of this year have yet to be released however, so it’s impossible to know whether this also marks a decline in the larger rate of deportation.</p>
<p>One reason for the small decline could be that in recent months, ICE appears to have had less luck getting judges to order the deportation of parents. Before January of this year, ICE was able to obtain deportation orders from immigration judges in 50 to 58 percent of cases. Since April, courts have handed down deportation orders in fewer than 43 percent of cases.</p>
<p>Concern over what happens to the children of deportees is now squarely at the center of recent advocacy and congressional promises about an immigration reform bill likely to be introduced next year. Last week, dozens of children, some whose own parents have been deported, arrived on Capitol Hill to deliver boxes of letters from other kids asking Congress to stop deporting parents. The <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/11/dear_president_obama_stop_deporting_people_thanks.html" type="external">“We Belong Together”</a> campaign, as the effort convened by several advocacy groups is called, aims to call attention to the impact of deportations on kids.</p>
<p>White House officials and members of Congress have promised to push an immigration reform bill early next year, after deliberations over the “fiscal cliff” settle. Rep. Roybal-Allard, who joined a briefing with the group of children last week, told Colorlines that she and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are demanding that any comprehensive immigration reform bill focus on family unity. She wants the bill she introduced last year, the Help Separated Families Act, to be folded into the comprehensive immigration legislation passed by Congress. The bill would provide protections for deported parents and for undocumented family members who care for their young relatives</p>
<p>“There needs to be a path to citizenship for those here, and there needs to be provision to keep families together,” she said. “I’m not sure that my colleagues in general are aware of the information that you are now bringing to light.”</p> | 205,000 Parents of U.S. Citizens Deported in Two Years | true | http://occupy.com/article/205000-parents-us-citizens-deported-two-years | 4left
| 205,000 Parents of U.S. Citizens Deported in Two Years
<p>The federal government has conducted more than 200,000 deportations of parents who said their children are U.S. citizens in a timespan of just over two years, according to new data obtained by Colorlines. The figures represent the longest view to date of the scale of parental deportation.</p>
<p>Between July 1, 2010, and Sept. 31, 2012, nearly 23 percent of all deportations—or, 204,810 deportations—were issued for parents with citizen children, according to federal data unearthed through a Freedom of Information Act request. [ <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/12/deportations_of_parents_of_us-born_citizens_122012.html" type="external">See the full data set here</a>.]</p>
<p>Because some people may have been deported more than once in the time period, the data represents total deportations conducted, not the number of individuals removed from the country. However, experts say that the total number of deportations of parents may be higher because some mothers and fathers fear telling authorities that they have kids. An additional group of parents whose kids are not U.S. citizens are not reflected in the numbers.</p>
<p>As Congress and the White House promise immigration reform legislation in the new year, the numbers raise questions about the impact of the government’s immigration policies on families and about what happens to the children whose mothers and fathers are deported from the United States.</p>
<p>“We are in a crisis situation in which we need to start taking action immediately to prevent these needless and often-times permanent separations of American children from their families,” California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard said in an interview with Colorlines. Roybal-Allard, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, introduced legislation last year that would protect detained and deported immigrant parents from losing their children.</p>
<p>“We have to make sure that all children are protected,” Roybal-Allard said. “We’re talking about U.S. citizens; their pleas and cries for help are pretty much being ignored at this point.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-111hrpt298/html/CRPT-111hrpt298.htm" type="external">Congress in 2009</a> ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement to compile data on parental deportation beginning on July 1, 2010, and to release it every six months. Since then, however, the federal government has <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/03/ice_finally_gives_congress_data_on_number_of_parents_deported.html" type="external">released the figures just once</a>, and only for the first six months of 2011.</p>
<p>The new data includes all deported mothers and fathers who reported having U.S.-citizen kids since July 1, 2010, including those in the previously reported six-month period. Rates of parental deportation have remained more or less level since the government began collecting the data, and annually, more than 90,000 parents with U.S.-citizen kids are removed from the United States.</p>
<p>Families Torn Apart</p>
<p>Questions remain about what happens to the children of deportees.</p>
<p>“We don’t know how many [children] stay here and how many go with their parents,” said Luis H. Zayas, the dean of the University of Texas School of Social Work who is at work on a federally funded study on the mental health impacts on children when mothers and fathers are deported</p>
<p>“We know there are traumatic effects on the kids,” Zayas added. “We are talking about separating families from children. That’s not something our government should be doing.”</p>
<p>Zayas said that when children follow their parents to Mexico, the country where most deportees are from, they often struggle with stigma and deep poverty. “Many of their parents fled poverty, fled government oppression and when they return, they return to these origins. That puts kids at risk.”</p>
<p>It’s clear, however, that a disturbing number of children are separated from their families for significant stretches of time, and some permanently. A <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/11/thousands_of_kids_lost_in_foster_homes_after_parents_deportation.html" type="external">Colorlines investigation</a> in November 2011 estimated that there were at least 5,100 children in foster care who faced significant barriers to reunifying with their detained and deported parents. We projected that if deportation and child welfare policies remained unchanged, another 15,000 kids could face a similar fate over the three years between 2012 and 2014.</p>
<p>Among them were the children of Felipe Montes, an undocumented Mexican immigrant who was deported from his home in North Carolina in December 2010 because he had racked up a series of driving violations. He left behind three young U.S.-citizen children and a wife, Marie Montes. The kids initially remained with their mother, but Felipe Montes had been the primary caretaker and wage earner in the family and without the support of her husband the county child welfare department soon determined that Marie Montes, who had long struggled with mental illness and drug abuse, could not care for them. The three young boys were shuttled into foster care with couples who hoped to adopt them and the child welfare department refused to reunite the kids with their father in Mexico.</p>
<p>Last month, after a long court battle that drew national attention, a state judge in North Carolina granted Montes <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/11/nc_judge_reunites_deported_father_with_three_us_citizen_children.html" type="external">custody of his three kids</a>. The 32-year-old father expects to take them with him to Mexico after the child welfare case is closed as planned in February.</p>
<p>The Administration’s ‘Discretion’</p>
<p>The new figures show that rates of parental deportation have remained largely level since Congress ordered ICE to begin collecting the data, quashing hopes from some advocates that the agency’s 2011 “prosecutorial discretion” guidelines would lead to a decline in these removals.</p>
<p>The guidelines, released on June 17, 2011, in a memo from ICE director John Morton, instructed ICE agents to focus deportation efforts on people with serious criminal convictions, those picked up crossing the border into the U.S., and those who had previously been deported from the country.</p>
<p>The memo also ordered agents making deportation decisions to weigh “the person’s ties and contributions to the community, including family relationships,” and “whether the person has a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, child, or parent.”</p>
<p>In answer to questions about the parental deportation data, ICE officials told Colorlines the continued pace of deportations does not reflect a failure to implement prosecutorial discretion, because most deported parents have other factors weighing against them.</p>
<p>“Evaluation of this data in the past has repeatedly shown that the overwhelming majority of these individuals have significant criminal and/or immigration histories placing them within ICE’s enforcement priorities,” wrote agency spokesperson Gillian Christensen in an emailed statement, “therefore making them ineligible for an exercise of prosecutorial discretion.”</p>
<p>In April, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/20120404deportation-stats-detail-parents-american-born-children.html?nclick_check=1#ixzz2F3bY9mCQ" type="external">the Arizona Republic</a> reported over 74 percent of deported parents had been convicted of crimes, according to ICE figures. Another 13 percent had been deported previously.</p>
<p>But the devil is in the details. And the question for parental deportation is the same as for other groups the federal government have said are criminals: what’s considered “significant” criminal background? Figures on deportations though the Secure Communities, an ICE program that picks up immigrants in local jails, reveals that nearly 40 percent of deportees with convictions were charged with the lowest level crimes, including driving offenses.</p>
<p>Advocates note that regardless of whether a deported mother or father falls into one of the government’s priority groups, the impact on their kids the same. “Any deportation of a parent is a horrible thing for the child,” said Emily Butera, senior program officer at the Women’s Refugee Commission who advocates in Washington for greater protections for these families. “The reason for the deportation is immaterial for the kid.”</p>
<p>Officials say they’ve made strides to protect parents who fall outside of their target populations and are the primary caretakers for children.</p>
<p>“ICE works with individuals in removal proceedings to ensure they have ample opportunity to make important decisions regarding the care and custody of their children,” Christensen noted. “ICE is sensitive to the fact that encountering those who violate our immigration laws may impact families.”</p>
<p>As a sign of this, agency officials point to Felipe Montes, to whom the agency granted a rare “humanitarian parole” to reenter the country in August so that he could attend court hearings on his parental rights.</p>
<p>But immigration attorneys say the Montes case is a rare exception and that few, if any other deported parents have the opportunity to come back. Meanwhile, attorneys say that immigrants held in immigration detention centers continue to struggle to maintain contact with their children.</p>
<p>The data does show a slight decline in the number of parental deportations in the most recently reported three month period. From July until September of this year, ICE deported 20,878 parents, about 10 percent less than average. The overall deportation numbers for August to September of this year have yet to be released however, so it’s impossible to know whether this also marks a decline in the larger rate of deportation.</p>
<p>One reason for the small decline could be that in recent months, ICE appears to have had less luck getting judges to order the deportation of parents. Before January of this year, ICE was able to obtain deportation orders from immigration judges in 50 to 58 percent of cases. Since April, courts have handed down deportation orders in fewer than 43 percent of cases.</p>
<p>Concern over what happens to the children of deportees is now squarely at the center of recent advocacy and congressional promises about an immigration reform bill likely to be introduced next year. Last week, dozens of children, some whose own parents have been deported, arrived on Capitol Hill to deliver boxes of letters from other kids asking Congress to stop deporting parents. The <a href="http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/11/dear_president_obama_stop_deporting_people_thanks.html" type="external">“We Belong Together”</a> campaign, as the effort convened by several advocacy groups is called, aims to call attention to the impact of deportations on kids.</p>
<p>White House officials and members of Congress have promised to push an immigration reform bill early next year, after deliberations over the “fiscal cliff” settle. Rep. Roybal-Allard, who joined a briefing with the group of children last week, told Colorlines that she and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus are demanding that any comprehensive immigration reform bill focus on family unity. She wants the bill she introduced last year, the Help Separated Families Act, to be folded into the comprehensive immigration legislation passed by Congress. The bill would provide protections for deported parents and for undocumented family members who care for their young relatives</p>
<p>“There needs to be a path to citizenship for those here, and there needs to be provision to keep families together,” she said. “I’m not sure that my colleagues in general are aware of the information that you are now bringing to light.”</p> | 599,584 |
|
<p />
<p>What: According to data provided by <a href="http://www.spcapitaliq.com" type="external">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a>, shares of the clinical-stage biotech Sarepta Therapeutics gained nearly 14% last month. The stock's rebound -- after falling by nearly 70% the month before -- was due to the FDA extending the review period for the company's experimental Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug, eteplirsen, to May 26, 2016. Duchenne is a rare muscle-wasting disordercharacterized by the inability to produce a sufficient amount of the protein dystrophin, which plays a critical role in strengthening muscle fibers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Public domain.</p>
<p>So what: Because of the fairly harsh briefing documents released by the FDA ahead of the drug's former advisory committee review date and the rejection of BioMarin's competing therapy drisapersen around the same time, the market abruptly decided that eteplirsen's regulatory review was doomed -- causing the massive sell-off in Sarepta's shares in January. However, this extension by the FDA seems to have sparked at least some renewed optimism that the drug may garner a conditional approval from the agency later this year.</p>
<p>Now what: While this extension might mean that the FDA hasn't shut the book on eteplirsen, the fact remains that company has yet to even receive an updated advisory committee date from the agency. This panel review was supposed to occur on Jan. 20, but was canceled due to inclement weather. The bottom line is that this public review will provide significant insight into the agency's overarching view of the drug, and until that event takes place, it's impossible to handicap eteplirsen's chances of getting a green light from the FDA. That's why I think investors may want to remain cautious with this speculative stock for the time being.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/03/13/heres-why-sarepta-therapeutics-shares-rebounded-in.aspx" type="external">Here's Why Sarepta Therapeutics' Shares Rebounded in February Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/gbudwell/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">George Budwell Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BioMarin Pharmaceutical. 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>Advertisement</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> | Here's Why Sarepta Therapeutics' Shares Rebounded in February | true | http://foxbusiness.com/investing/2016/03/13/here-why-sarepta-therapeutics-shares-rebounded-in-february.html | 2016-03-13 | 0right
| Here's Why Sarepta Therapeutics' Shares Rebounded in February
<p />
<p>What: According to data provided by <a href="http://www.spcapitaliq.com" type="external">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a>, shares of the clinical-stage biotech Sarepta Therapeutics gained nearly 14% last month. The stock's rebound -- after falling by nearly 70% the month before -- was due to the FDA extending the review period for the company's experimental Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug, eteplirsen, to May 26, 2016. Duchenne is a rare muscle-wasting disordercharacterized by the inability to produce a sufficient amount of the protein dystrophin, which plays a critical role in strengthening muscle fibers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Public domain.</p>
<p>So what: Because of the fairly harsh briefing documents released by the FDA ahead of the drug's former advisory committee review date and the rejection of BioMarin's competing therapy drisapersen around the same time, the market abruptly decided that eteplirsen's regulatory review was doomed -- causing the massive sell-off in Sarepta's shares in January. However, this extension by the FDA seems to have sparked at least some renewed optimism that the drug may garner a conditional approval from the agency later this year.</p>
<p>Now what: While this extension might mean that the FDA hasn't shut the book on eteplirsen, the fact remains that company has yet to even receive an updated advisory committee date from the agency. This panel review was supposed to occur on Jan. 20, but was canceled due to inclement weather. The bottom line is that this public review will provide significant insight into the agency's overarching view of the drug, and until that event takes place, it's impossible to handicap eteplirsen's chances of getting a green light from the FDA. That's why I think investors may want to remain cautious with this speculative stock for the time being.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/03/13/heres-why-sarepta-therapeutics-shares-rebounded-in.aspx" type="external">Here's Why Sarepta Therapeutics' Shares Rebounded in February Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/gbudwell/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">George Budwell Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends BioMarin Pharmaceutical. 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>Advertisement</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> | 599,585 |
<p />
<p>The strikes in Syria tore apart President Trump's top two advisers. The White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon was&#160;reported to have said that he loves gunfight&#160;and for his sake he better hope that is true. The battle for President Trump's soul is at an all-time high between Bannon and Kushner.</p>
<p />
<p>Despite Bannon's objection on the Syria missile strikes, President Trump went ahead and executed the attack. Bannon argued that the strikes violated Trump's America First ideology while Jared Kushner insisted they were necessary as a response to Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons.</p>
<p />
<p>President Trump turned to his top aides and told them that he had had enough of their ceaseless fights in the media. Mr. Trump urged the two to work things out. The warning shots were fired at Stephen K. Bannon, the turbulent chief strategist, and Reince Priebus, the gentle chief of staff, over a series of arguments with Jared Kushner.</p>
<p />
<p>President Trump is aware that it will take a lot of effort for the two to reconcile. This because Mr. Bannon sees himself as the keeper of Mr. Trump's campaign promises, and the competing ideologies of Mr. Kushner and Mr. Cohn, a longtime Wall Street executive and a Democrat. Mr. Trump is considering a shake-up his senior staff.</p>
<p />
<p>Kushner has seen it fit to challenge Bannon's populist ideology. As a result, the two no longer have the uncle-nephew thing going. Kushner's centrist team constitutes National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump.</p>
<p />
<p>The feud spilled out into the open this week after it was announced that Bannon was removed from Trump's National Security Council. The move was widely seen as an indication of Bannon's fading influence in the White House, though Bannon immediately disputed that notion.</p>
<p />
<p>The NSC shift, over which&#160;Bannon allegedly threatened to quit, coincided with Kushner being given more responsibility and the president's daughter Ivanka being hired in an official role in the West Wing.</p>
<p />
<p>Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner has been on the rise, this has only further isolated Bannon, the chief strategist, from the President and his inner circle.</p>
<p>Several Republicans think that Trump is not ready to make a change, even though they feel that Priebus, chief of staff, and Bannon should go. While Bannon still has a seat at the table, his position seems to be slipping. Kushner, meanwhile, appears ascending.</p>
<p />
<p>SOURCE: <a href="http://8ch.net/pol/res/9661258.html" type="external">8ch.net/pol/res/9661258.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/04/07/the-kushner-bannon-feud-is-about-ideology-and-steve-bannon-is-losing/" type="external">salon.com/2017/04/07/the-kushner-bannon-feud-is-about-ideology-and-steve-bannon-is-losing</a></p> | False Flag #FireKushner Hashtag Pushed Hard By The Left | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/2148-False-Flag-FireKushner-Hashtag-Pushed-Hard-By-The-Left | 2017-04-08 | 0right
| False Flag #FireKushner Hashtag Pushed Hard By The Left
<p />
<p>The strikes in Syria tore apart President Trump's top two advisers. The White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon was&#160;reported to have said that he loves gunfight&#160;and for his sake he better hope that is true. The battle for President Trump's soul is at an all-time high between Bannon and Kushner.</p>
<p />
<p>Despite Bannon's objection on the Syria missile strikes, President Trump went ahead and executed the attack. Bannon argued that the strikes violated Trump's America First ideology while Jared Kushner insisted they were necessary as a response to Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons.</p>
<p />
<p>President Trump turned to his top aides and told them that he had had enough of their ceaseless fights in the media. Mr. Trump urged the two to work things out. The warning shots were fired at Stephen K. Bannon, the turbulent chief strategist, and Reince Priebus, the gentle chief of staff, over a series of arguments with Jared Kushner.</p>
<p />
<p>President Trump is aware that it will take a lot of effort for the two to reconcile. This because Mr. Bannon sees himself as the keeper of Mr. Trump's campaign promises, and the competing ideologies of Mr. Kushner and Mr. Cohn, a longtime Wall Street executive and a Democrat. Mr. Trump is considering a shake-up his senior staff.</p>
<p />
<p>Kushner has seen it fit to challenge Bannon's populist ideology. As a result, the two no longer have the uncle-nephew thing going. Kushner's centrist team constitutes National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn and the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump.</p>
<p />
<p>The feud spilled out into the open this week after it was announced that Bannon was removed from Trump's National Security Council. The move was widely seen as an indication of Bannon's fading influence in the White House, though Bannon immediately disputed that notion.</p>
<p />
<p>The NSC shift, over which&#160;Bannon allegedly threatened to quit, coincided with Kushner being given more responsibility and the president's daughter Ivanka being hired in an official role in the West Wing.</p>
<p />
<p>Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner has been on the rise, this has only further isolated Bannon, the chief strategist, from the President and his inner circle.</p>
<p>Several Republicans think that Trump is not ready to make a change, even though they feel that Priebus, chief of staff, and Bannon should go. While Bannon still has a seat at the table, his position seems to be slipping. Kushner, meanwhile, appears ascending.</p>
<p />
<p>SOURCE: <a href="http://8ch.net/pol/res/9661258.html" type="external">8ch.net/pol/res/9661258.html</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/04/07/the-kushner-bannon-feud-is-about-ideology-and-steve-bannon-is-losing/" type="external">salon.com/2017/04/07/the-kushner-bannon-feud-is-about-ideology-and-steve-bannon-is-losing</a></p> | 599,586 |
<p>In the 15 years since Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule, a few things have changed, but not as the Chinese government may have wanted or predicted.</p>
<p>A population once thought to be apolitical and commercially focused has found its protesting mojo. There were almost 1,500 separate demonstrations in Hong Kong over the past year. Sunday's was one of the biggest, and it wasn't just about Hong Kong, it was also about China.</p>
<p>"We think as long as the one-party dictatorship remains, Hong Kong will not gain real democracy," said Eric Lai, head of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organized the rally. "Especially CY Leung is now the new Chief Executive and he is believed to be an underground Communist Party member. And it means 'One County Two Systems,' and 'Hong Kong people rule Hong Kong,' is disappearing."</p>
<p>Lai said under the "One Country Two Systems" policy, Hong Kong was supposed to have autonomy for 50 years, even an increased degree of democracy — a prospect that interests many Chinese across the border, too.</p>
<p>"As we know, many mainland people are watching our rally through the Internet," he said. "And some of the mainlanders came to Hong Kong weeks ago, as tourists, so they can try to join the rally. And they think that it is a peaceful rally for all the local citizens, and it is even a model for China, to promote a democratic movement."</p>
<p>The Chinese government had stopped issuing permits for mainland Chinese to visit Hong Kong about a week ago, but some mainland Chinese were still out on the streets Sunday.</p>
<p>One was 27-year-old James Zhang, who's from the eastern province of Zhejiang but now works in the finance sector in Hong Kong. I asked what he makes of the fact that tens of thousands of Hong Kong protesters can take to the streets peacefully, but that the Chinese government fears what would happen if it allowed the same thing to happen on the mainland.</p>
<p>Zhang said the people in Hong Kong have long been exposed to different opinions, so they wouldn't be prone to aggressive behavior, but in mainland China, they might be different.</p>
<p>"But if it did happen in mainland China, it wouldn't have much effect," he said. "It wouldn't change government policies."</p>
<p>Chinese government policies, in the lead-up to a once-a-decade leadership transition this autumn, have been to tighten up on the press, the Internet, free speech, and any perceived challenges to its rule. One came about a month ago, from a former Tiananmen pro-democracy protester, Li Wangyang, who spent 22 years in prison, gave a defiant interview to Hong Kong cable television.</p>
<p>Wangyang talked about being tortured, shackled, kept in solitary confinement, but still reinforced the need "to speed up the democratization of China."</p>
<p>"I won't retreat even if I'm beheaded," he said.</p>
<p>Days later, he was found dead in the hospital where he was being treated, with his neck wrapped tightly to a pole with a bandage, his feet on the ground. The death hit Hong Kongers hard. They jeered at the Chinese government's initial claim of suicide, which was later retracted and called an accident. Many of this weekend's demonstrators cited the Wangyang case as one reason why they came out.</p>
<p>"I want to know what really happened to Li Wangyang," said 16-year-old protester Stone Chen. "The Chinese government should tell us."</p>
<p>One hundred thousand other Hong Kongers signed a petition asking for a transparent investigation. Popular blogger Bei Feng said when he called online for a full investigation into Wangyang's death, Chinese police contacted his parents, and said they should warn their son not to do anything controversial in Hong Kong, because he still has family in mainland China.</p>
<p>"I found it unbelievable and unreasonable because I was just trying to demand the truth of the death of Wangyang," he said. "I did everything legally in Hong Kong, and I will continue to do it, with no fear. I need to (keep going), because I need to show them that their threat is useless, to avoid them threatening my family again."</p>
<p>Many Hong Kongers this weekend seemed determined to show they weren't about to be cowed, not by China's leaders, not by their new Chief Executive.</p>
<p>As China's leaders try to import their political culture to Hong Kong, Hong Kongers are finding ever more reason to push back. They have another 35 years before their relative autonomy under One Country, Two Systems is supposed to come to an end and it is looking unlikely they'll go quietly, even then.</p> | Hong Kong Protests to Express Dissatisfaction with Authorities | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-07-02/hong-kong-protests-express-dissatisfaction-authorities | 2012-07-02 | 3left-center
| Hong Kong Protests to Express Dissatisfaction with Authorities
<p>In the 15 years since Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese rule, a few things have changed, but not as the Chinese government may have wanted or predicted.</p>
<p>A population once thought to be apolitical and commercially focused has found its protesting mojo. There were almost 1,500 separate demonstrations in Hong Kong over the past year. Sunday's was one of the biggest, and it wasn't just about Hong Kong, it was also about China.</p>
<p>"We think as long as the one-party dictatorship remains, Hong Kong will not gain real democracy," said Eric Lai, head of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organized the rally. "Especially CY Leung is now the new Chief Executive and he is believed to be an underground Communist Party member. And it means 'One County Two Systems,' and 'Hong Kong people rule Hong Kong,' is disappearing."</p>
<p>Lai said under the "One Country Two Systems" policy, Hong Kong was supposed to have autonomy for 50 years, even an increased degree of democracy — a prospect that interests many Chinese across the border, too.</p>
<p>"As we know, many mainland people are watching our rally through the Internet," he said. "And some of the mainlanders came to Hong Kong weeks ago, as tourists, so they can try to join the rally. And they think that it is a peaceful rally for all the local citizens, and it is even a model for China, to promote a democratic movement."</p>
<p>The Chinese government had stopped issuing permits for mainland Chinese to visit Hong Kong about a week ago, but some mainland Chinese were still out on the streets Sunday.</p>
<p>One was 27-year-old James Zhang, who's from the eastern province of Zhejiang but now works in the finance sector in Hong Kong. I asked what he makes of the fact that tens of thousands of Hong Kong protesters can take to the streets peacefully, but that the Chinese government fears what would happen if it allowed the same thing to happen on the mainland.</p>
<p>Zhang said the people in Hong Kong have long been exposed to different opinions, so they wouldn't be prone to aggressive behavior, but in mainland China, they might be different.</p>
<p>"But if it did happen in mainland China, it wouldn't have much effect," he said. "It wouldn't change government policies."</p>
<p>Chinese government policies, in the lead-up to a once-a-decade leadership transition this autumn, have been to tighten up on the press, the Internet, free speech, and any perceived challenges to its rule. One came about a month ago, from a former Tiananmen pro-democracy protester, Li Wangyang, who spent 22 years in prison, gave a defiant interview to Hong Kong cable television.</p>
<p>Wangyang talked about being tortured, shackled, kept in solitary confinement, but still reinforced the need "to speed up the democratization of China."</p>
<p>"I won't retreat even if I'm beheaded," he said.</p>
<p>Days later, he was found dead in the hospital where he was being treated, with his neck wrapped tightly to a pole with a bandage, his feet on the ground. The death hit Hong Kongers hard. They jeered at the Chinese government's initial claim of suicide, which was later retracted and called an accident. Many of this weekend's demonstrators cited the Wangyang case as one reason why they came out.</p>
<p>"I want to know what really happened to Li Wangyang," said 16-year-old protester Stone Chen. "The Chinese government should tell us."</p>
<p>One hundred thousand other Hong Kongers signed a petition asking for a transparent investigation. Popular blogger Bei Feng said when he called online for a full investigation into Wangyang's death, Chinese police contacted his parents, and said they should warn their son not to do anything controversial in Hong Kong, because he still has family in mainland China.</p>
<p>"I found it unbelievable and unreasonable because I was just trying to demand the truth of the death of Wangyang," he said. "I did everything legally in Hong Kong, and I will continue to do it, with no fear. I need to (keep going), because I need to show them that their threat is useless, to avoid them threatening my family again."</p>
<p>Many Hong Kongers this weekend seemed determined to show they weren't about to be cowed, not by China's leaders, not by their new Chief Executive.</p>
<p>As China's leaders try to import their political culture to Hong Kong, Hong Kongers are finding ever more reason to push back. They have another 35 years before their relative autonomy under One Country, Two Systems is supposed to come to an end and it is looking unlikely they'll go quietly, even then.</p> | 599,587 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>HARTFORD, Conn. — Anguished mothers with mentally ill children have sought out Liza Long for help ever since she wrote an essay, “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother,” comparing experiences with her son to the emotionally troubled 20-year-old who carried out the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.</p>
<p>The massacre sounded alarms nationally about gaps in mental health care and led to calls for better screening and services, especially for young people showing a propensity for violence, but some key reforms enacted in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting depend on funding that has yet to be delivered by Congress. And Long still hears almost daily from families overwhelmed by their children’s behaviors and struggling to get treatment.</p>
<p>“We’re still not seeing the health access, the access to mental health care,” said Long, an Idaho mother of four and community college instructor who credited her essay with attracting the attention of a physician who correctly diagnosed and treated her then-13-year-old son for bipolar disorder.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Like other mass shootings before and since, the tragedy prompted calls for tighter controls on guns and improved mental health treatment. Five years later, mental health care providers are waiting for promised boosts in funding, and many families are still battling insurance companies to cover their children’s services.</p>
<p>While advocates say the quality of mental health care varies widely by state, they also see reason for optimism in a push for more early intervention programs and changing public attitudes about mental illness.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of reason to feel optimistic,” said Ron Honberg, senior policy adviser at the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “But there are a lot of challenges too, particularly around financing these services.”</p>
<p>The 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in December 2016, was inspired in part by the tragedy and included what proponents touted as the first major mental health reform package in nearly a decade. The measures that were included in the law but still await funding include grants for intensive early intervention for infants and young children showing signs of mental illness.</p>
<p>“There were a lot of things people took credit for passing,” said U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, a Democrat whose district includes Newtown. “If they’re not funded, it’s a nice piece of paper and something hanging on somebody’s wall, but it’s not going to help save lives.”</p>
<p>Mental health experts point out the vast majority of people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders do not commit violent crimes, and no motive has ever been determined for the Dec. 14, 2012, massacre in which Lanza fatally shot his mother at home and then gunned down 20 children and six educators at the school in Newtown.</p>
<p>A report by the Connecticut Child Advocate noted Lanza’s mother rejected recommendations that her son be medicated and get treatment for anxiety and other conditions, but it concluded his actions were not directly caused by his psychiatric problems.</p>
<p>Rather, it said, his “severe and deteriorating internalized mental health problems,” when combined with a preoccupation with violence and access to deadly weapons, “proved a recipe for mass murder.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In her column, Long wrote that she was terrified of her son, who was prone to violent rages and had been placed in juvenile detention facilities four times. Only a few weeks earlier, her son had pulled out a knife and threatened to kill her. Since receiving treatment, her son, who is now 18, has not had another violent episode.</p>
<p>“People don’t understand the world that parents live in when they have a child with mental illness,” Long said. When other mothers reach out to her, she tries to match them up with resources in their states.</p>
<p>Many patients find the right treatment only after going through a lot of detours, said Dr. Vinod Srihari, director of the clinic for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis at the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven.</p>
<p>“The nature of these illnesses is that they’re often misunderstood,” said Srihari, also an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. “And so, families with a young person with psychosis can often not rely on others around them to assist because what they’re struggling with is misunderstood and could be a source of shame and embarrassment. And that means that they can’t leverage their community supports to get the care they need.”</p>
<p>The tragedy also spurred some to focus more on the root causes of violence, including Jeremy Richman, a neuroscientist who started a nonprofit dedicated to brain health in his daughter’s name.</p>
<p>“There are answers,” he said. “We just need to start turning over the rocks and looking under them.”</p>
<p>U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said he expects it will be difficult to secure funding for the new programs in the Republican-controlled Congress. But, he said, there are other recent reforms that are also making a difference.</p>
<p>The creation of an assistant secretary position at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to improving behavioral health care has put pressure on insurance companies to cover the cost of mental health conditions equally as physical health, he said.</p>
<p>The 21st Century Cures Act also created a committee to advise Congress and federal agencies on the needs of adults and young people with serious mental illness. It is scheduled to meet Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre, to discuss the group’s first report to Congress.</p>
<p>Committee member John Snook, executive director of the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center, said there is cautious optimism about improvements to come from the focus the Sandy Hook shooting put on mental health.</p>
<p>“We are definitely cognizant that the window is closing and attention is shifting,” Snook said. “You don’t want another tragedy to be the reason people are reminded they need to focus on these issues.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Robert Bumsted in New Haven, Connecticut, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More coverage of the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting: <a href="http://apnews.com/tag/Newtown" type="external">http://apnews.com/tag/Newtown</a> .</p> | Mental health care worries linger 5 years after Sandy Hook | false | https://abqjournal.com/1106008/mental-health-care-worries-linger-5-years-after-sandy-hook.html | 2017-12-13 | 2least
| Mental health care worries linger 5 years after Sandy Hook
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>HARTFORD, Conn. — Anguished mothers with mentally ill children have sought out Liza Long for help ever since she wrote an essay, “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother,” comparing experiences with her son to the emotionally troubled 20-year-old who carried out the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.</p>
<p>The massacre sounded alarms nationally about gaps in mental health care and led to calls for better screening and services, especially for young people showing a propensity for violence, but some key reforms enacted in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting depend on funding that has yet to be delivered by Congress. And Long still hears almost daily from families overwhelmed by their children’s behaviors and struggling to get treatment.</p>
<p>“We’re still not seeing the health access, the access to mental health care,” said Long, an Idaho mother of four and community college instructor who credited her essay with attracting the attention of a physician who correctly diagnosed and treated her then-13-year-old son for bipolar disorder.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Like other mass shootings before and since, the tragedy prompted calls for tighter controls on guns and improved mental health treatment. Five years later, mental health care providers are waiting for promised boosts in funding, and many families are still battling insurance companies to cover their children’s services.</p>
<p>While advocates say the quality of mental health care varies widely by state, they also see reason for optimism in a push for more early intervention programs and changing public attitudes about mental illness.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of reason to feel optimistic,” said Ron Honberg, senior policy adviser at the National Alliance on Mental Illness. “But there are a lot of challenges too, particularly around financing these services.”</p>
<p>The 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law by then-President Barack Obama in December 2016, was inspired in part by the tragedy and included what proponents touted as the first major mental health reform package in nearly a decade. The measures that were included in the law but still await funding include grants for intensive early intervention for infants and young children showing signs of mental illness.</p>
<p>“There were a lot of things people took credit for passing,” said U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, a Democrat whose district includes Newtown. “If they’re not funded, it’s a nice piece of paper and something hanging on somebody’s wall, but it’s not going to help save lives.”</p>
<p>Mental health experts point out the vast majority of people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders do not commit violent crimes, and no motive has ever been determined for the Dec. 14, 2012, massacre in which Lanza fatally shot his mother at home and then gunned down 20 children and six educators at the school in Newtown.</p>
<p>A report by the Connecticut Child Advocate noted Lanza’s mother rejected recommendations that her son be medicated and get treatment for anxiety and other conditions, but it concluded his actions were not directly caused by his psychiatric problems.</p>
<p>Rather, it said, his “severe and deteriorating internalized mental health problems,” when combined with a preoccupation with violence and access to deadly weapons, “proved a recipe for mass murder.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In her column, Long wrote that she was terrified of her son, who was prone to violent rages and had been placed in juvenile detention facilities four times. Only a few weeks earlier, her son had pulled out a knife and threatened to kill her. Since receiving treatment, her son, who is now 18, has not had another violent episode.</p>
<p>“People don’t understand the world that parents live in when they have a child with mental illness,” Long said. When other mothers reach out to her, she tries to match them up with resources in their states.</p>
<p>Many patients find the right treatment only after going through a lot of detours, said Dr. Vinod Srihari, director of the clinic for Specialized Treatment Early in Psychosis at the Connecticut Mental Health Center in New Haven.</p>
<p>“The nature of these illnesses is that they’re often misunderstood,” said Srihari, also an associate professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. “And so, families with a young person with psychosis can often not rely on others around them to assist because what they’re struggling with is misunderstood and could be a source of shame and embarrassment. And that means that they can’t leverage their community supports to get the care they need.”</p>
<p>The tragedy also spurred some to focus more on the root causes of violence, including Jeremy Richman, a neuroscientist who started a nonprofit dedicated to brain health in his daughter’s name.</p>
<p>“There are answers,” he said. “We just need to start turning over the rocks and looking under them.”</p>
<p>U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, said he expects it will be difficult to secure funding for the new programs in the Republican-controlled Congress. But, he said, there are other recent reforms that are also making a difference.</p>
<p>The creation of an assistant secretary position at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to improving behavioral health care has put pressure on insurance companies to cover the cost of mental health conditions equally as physical health, he said.</p>
<p>The 21st Century Cures Act also created a committee to advise Congress and federal agencies on the needs of adults and young people with serious mental illness. It is scheduled to meet Thursday, the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre, to discuss the group’s first report to Congress.</p>
<p>Committee member John Snook, executive director of the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center, said there is cautious optimism about improvements to come from the focus the Sandy Hook shooting put on mental health.</p>
<p>“We are definitely cognizant that the window is closing and attention is shifting,” Snook said. “You don’t want another tragedy to be the reason people are reminded they need to focus on these issues.”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Robert Bumsted in New Haven, Connecticut, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More coverage of the fifth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting: <a href="http://apnews.com/tag/Newtown" type="external">http://apnews.com/tag/Newtown</a> .</p> | 599,588 |
<p>White House Press Secretary Jay Carney <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_23079972/boston-bustling-week-after-bombing-moment-silence-at" type="external">said on Monday</a>that Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will not be considered an “enemy combatant” and instead will be processed through the U.S. criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Republicans <a href="" type="internal">led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)</a> have been calling on the Obama administration to designate Tsarnaev as such but Carney today put the idea to rest. “He will not be treated as an enemy combatant,” Carney <a href="http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/22/17863706-white-house-tsarnaev-wont-be-treated-as-enemy-combatant?lite" type="external">said</a> at Monday’s press briefing. “We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice.”</p>
<p>ThinkProgress’ Ian Milhiser <a href="" type="internal">has noted</a> that holding Tsarnaev as an enemy combatant <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/opinion/how-to-handle-a-terrorism-case.html?hp&amp;_r=0" type="external">is problematic</a>, in part, because that means that he could be held indefinitely if he is not convicted (although the case against him is strong). “To hold the suspect as an enemy combatant under these circumstances would be contrary to our laws and may even jeopardize our efforts to prosecute him for his crimes,” Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/us/gop-lawmakers-push-to-hold-boston-suspect-as-enemy-combatant.html?_r=0" type="external">said last week</a>.</p>
<p>Also on Monday, U.S. officials officially brought charges against Tsarnaev. “There has been a sealed complaint filed,” said Gary Wente, circuit executive for the U.S. Courts for the First Circuit, who, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-explosions-boston-shootingbre93i0gq-20130419,0,4943879.story" type="external">according to Reuters</a>, said that a magistrate judge was present when Tsarnaev was charged at his bed in Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston.</p>
<p>Federal authorities charged Tsarnaev with using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death. Read the complaint <a href="http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/marathon-complaint.pdf" type="external">here</a>.</p> | Boston Bombing Suspect Won’t Be Considered An Enemy Combatant | true | http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/04/22/1903011/tsarnaev-enemy-combatant/ | 2013-04-22 | 4left
| Boston Bombing Suspect Won’t Be Considered An Enemy Combatant
<p>White House Press Secretary Jay Carney <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/nation-world/ci_23079972/boston-bustling-week-after-bombing-moment-silence-at" type="external">said on Monday</a>that Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will not be considered an “enemy combatant” and instead will be processed through the U.S. criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Republicans <a href="" type="internal">led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)</a> have been calling on the Obama administration to designate Tsarnaev as such but Carney today put the idea to rest. “He will not be treated as an enemy combatant,” Carney <a href="http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/22/17863706-white-house-tsarnaev-wont-be-treated-as-enemy-combatant?lite" type="external">said</a> at Monday’s press briefing. “We will prosecute this terrorist through our civilian system of justice.”</p>
<p>ThinkProgress’ Ian Milhiser <a href="" type="internal">has noted</a> that holding Tsarnaev as an enemy combatant <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/opinion/how-to-handle-a-terrorism-case.html?hp&amp;_r=0" type="external">is problematic</a>, in part, because that means that he could be held indefinitely if he is not convicted (although the case against him is strong). “To hold the suspect as an enemy combatant under these circumstances would be contrary to our laws and may even jeopardize our efforts to prosecute him for his crimes,” Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/22/us/gop-lawmakers-push-to-hold-boston-suspect-as-enemy-combatant.html?_r=0" type="external">said last week</a>.</p>
<p>Also on Monday, U.S. officials officially brought charges against Tsarnaev. “There has been a sealed complaint filed,” said Gary Wente, circuit executive for the U.S. Courts for the First Circuit, who, <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-explosions-boston-shootingbre93i0gq-20130419,0,4943879.story" type="external">according to Reuters</a>, said that a magistrate judge was present when Tsarnaev was charged at his bed in Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston.</p>
<p>Federal authorities charged Tsarnaev with using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death. Read the complaint <a href="http://legaltimes.typepad.com/files/marathon-complaint.pdf" type="external">here</a>.</p> | 599,589 |
<p>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says utility companies that stand to save an estimated $100 million in new federal corporate tax cuts should pass those savings onto Oklahoma residents.</p>
<p>Hunter announced Thursday he has filed five motions with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission seeking a reduction in rates for Oklahoma customers.</p>
<p>The utility companies include Oklahoma Gas &amp; Electric, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Gas, CenterPoint Energy, and Arkansas Oklahoma Gas.</p>
<p>Hunter filed the motions on the day President Donald Trump signed the sweeping overhaul of federal tax law that includes a reduction in the highest corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.</p>
<p>A hearing on the matter is scheduled for next week.</p>
<p>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says utility companies that stand to save an estimated $100 million in new federal corporate tax cuts should pass those savings onto Oklahoma residents.</p>
<p>Hunter announced Thursday he has filed five motions with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission seeking a reduction in rates for Oklahoma customers.</p>
<p>The utility companies include Oklahoma Gas &amp; Electric, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Gas, CenterPoint Energy, and Arkansas Oklahoma Gas.</p>
<p>Hunter filed the motions on the day President Donald Trump signed the sweeping overhaul of federal tax law that includes a reduction in the highest corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.</p>
<p>A hearing on the matter is scheduled for next week.</p> | Oklahoma attorney general seeks rate cut for consumers | false | https://apnews.com/067b26bf45e7481d94aacb55f3f5559e | 2017-12-28 | 2least
| Oklahoma attorney general seeks rate cut for consumers
<p>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says utility companies that stand to save an estimated $100 million in new federal corporate tax cuts should pass those savings onto Oklahoma residents.</p>
<p>Hunter announced Thursday he has filed five motions with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission seeking a reduction in rates for Oklahoma customers.</p>
<p>The utility companies include Oklahoma Gas &amp; Electric, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Gas, CenterPoint Energy, and Arkansas Oklahoma Gas.</p>
<p>Hunter filed the motions on the day President Donald Trump signed the sweeping overhaul of federal tax law that includes a reduction in the highest corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.</p>
<p>A hearing on the matter is scheduled for next week.</p>
<p>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says utility companies that stand to save an estimated $100 million in new federal corporate tax cuts should pass those savings onto Oklahoma residents.</p>
<p>Hunter announced Thursday he has filed five motions with the Oklahoma Corporation Commission seeking a reduction in rates for Oklahoma customers.</p>
<p>The utility companies include Oklahoma Gas &amp; Electric, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Natural Gas, CenterPoint Energy, and Arkansas Oklahoma Gas.</p>
<p>Hunter filed the motions on the day President Donald Trump signed the sweeping overhaul of federal tax law that includes a reduction in the highest corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.</p>
<p>A hearing on the matter is scheduled for next week.</p> | 599,590 |
<p>Photo by Maryland GovPics | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>Last week there was another tragic mass shooting. The media went on to make this young man a celebrity. Some, including Donald Trump, even painted him as a victim. I still don’t understand why we have to give the names of the shooters in the media. Probably because it makes a better story. CBS head Leslie Moonves said of Trump: “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.” The same can be said for these shootings.&#160; If stardom has anything to do with the shootings, it is irresponsible to make these people into fixtures of the American psyche. Anyone who watches Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, or most any American blockbuster would get the sense that violence, although tragic, is normal and heroic.</p>
<p>The personal story of this kid shouldn’t surprise us—white nationalist and animal abuser. This “lonely” guy made his vengeful killing on Valentine’s Day, but if he did have a Valentine he may have been like most of his predecessors, a domestic abuser. Republicans, bought by the NRA, talk about mental health (even though Donald Trump repealed an Obama protection on the mentally ill buying guns). The Democrats, who don’t have many organizations left that haven’t bought their silence made sure to rail against the NRA and the GOP. They are right of course but they don’t have much credibility left given how they act 99% of the time.</p>
<p>The mental health issue is valid too but the Republicans are trying to make all of us as mentally ill as they are. Schools are turning into prisons, in both their physical structure and their philosophical one. Prisons themselves are crowded enough to be schools. The argument what kills (guns or people) is a silly one because they both do. Who could deny that Barack Obama was mentally ill as he dropped drones around the world and expanded the nuclear arsenal? But there is also the obvious point that if Obama was the President of say, a garden club, he wouldn’t be killing as many people because he wouldn’t have the weapons to do so (Obama’s Garden Club would be snooty and pretentious I’m sure, even for a garden club).</p>
<p>We do not hear about the mental illness of our Presidents or their financiers (well we do for Trump but that is only because he tweets as morbidly as he acts). We do not hear about the mental illness of the police, ICE, or generals. We do not hear about the mental illness of the gun manufacturers themselves. No, you are only mentally ill if you kill without a badge. As long as you are an agent of the state (and it’s financiers) you are killing for a purpose—for freedom, democracy, safety—so you are sane, you are often even revered.</p>
<p>To a certain extent the cops are being exposed, although little will change until we gain community control of the police. Let’s give full credit to Black Lives Matter here. But we are still quite behind on the issue of war and peace. The idea that football players kneeling during the anthem is somehow patriotic is an absurd argument made by liberals. We shouldn’t just be upset that America can’t grant freedom to us while we send soldiers to fight for it elsewhere—-we should be saying that putting soldiers in other countries is itself a violation of freedom for people abroad.</p>
<p>A life lost is a life lost though, so we should take these shootings seriously. When a mass shooting happens it is always inexplicable. Therefore it needs explanation. Behind every mass shooter must be a story that we could prevent. It was because gun laws were lenient. It was because his mental health was not treated. It was because of a political agenda. All of these things are true and there is no doubt ways to reduce gun violence through reformative change that are important.</p>
<p>What is not said enough is that gun violence is a natural consequence of a society that solves its problems through violence and conquest abroad. A society that promises an American dream and never gives anything in return leaves a trail of despair. A society that defines success as profit off of others no doubt makes others into adversaries. As long as the cost of living a life that does not do these things is so high the soul splinters making the very act of existing in a capitalist society surreal.</p>
<p>All that being said perhaps we are all tired too of the romanticism of the left when the Republican leaders stomp on common decency. Yet we must know that such outbursts from the margins of society are a result of something larger. That cruelty and violence are so often legalized and celebrated in our society that it creates people who take capitalism and its consequences to their logical conclusion. That for every beaten down person there are only so many ways out and most of the easy ones involve bringing other people down.</p>
<p>That is why more than ever we need to embrace the principles of community and peace in our society. Unions are being busted. Schools are being privatized. People are being evicted from their neighborhoods. People are addicted to their screens. Small businesses are going under. The positive, productive, and peaceful ways to revolt against our rulers are being taken away.</p>
<p>When a mass shooting happens it is scary. In our society it could happen anywhere at any time. It is a glitch in an old broken machine. A spurt of anger that could come from anyone with a grievance. The victims are random. There is no meaning to these tragedies. We all feel powerless. Yet we are addicted to the story. How? I knew it. But how?</p>
<p>Along with our fear comes a rational for our protection. More gun laws. More surveillance. More wars. More police. More violence that follows rules. More violence that has a chain of command.</p>
<p>If we started to talk to each other again maybe we could see that our enemy is common. Our despair is shared. Instead a hero rises from the ashes. He is misunderstood. He is evil. But he is free. His victimhood is recognized as mental illness. Or at the very least he is recognized as the powerful monster he has become. The rest of us clammer for our own break from the foot of capitalism. It never comes. Except on TV.</p>
<p>Anyone who kills us in the name of chaos and terror should be condemned. Yet the refugees dying everyday as they flee climate change and proxy wars get no coverage. The people who have pipelines running through their yards get no coverage. The slaves in prison get no coverage. Neither do the animals in cages on the big farms. We hear about the monsters next door. The “everyday” Americans lurking behind every corner. If only the intelligence groups could have stopped them they say.</p>
<p>Violence by the rich is slightly more predictable because it aims to control. Certain neighborhoods, certain countries, certain acts of resistance merit your punishment. As long as you behave we will save you from those who act evil. The good (the rich, the police, the bosses) will save you from the bad (the poor, the criminal, the worker).</p>
<p>They want us to be scared of each other. They want us to be angry. They want us to feel defeated and powerless. That doesn’t mean the problem isn’t real. There is an answer. It isn’t to hand over the keys to the people who have created a culture that finds power through violence, connection through individualism, and worth through wealth.</p>
<p>As liberals cower in the age of Trump they turn to the FBI, the CIA, the military and the police. They long for the authoritarian smooth talker Barack Obama. They say it is the everyday people who elected Trump and that it is the everyday people who must be stopped. They want the order of their old lives back. Trump is an authoritarian but he is an unpredictable one. Therefore any of us could get struck by a stray bullet as he lashes out against anybody who challenges him.</p>
<p>Liberals want the guns in the hands of the rich. Chaos in Africa and the Middle East will be ignored. So will police occupation of nonwhite neighborhoods. Despite the United States interfering in elections across the globe, 100,000$ from Russia on Facebook means something “serious” must be done (could we get more ominous?). They say calling a mass shooting by a Muslim “Islamic Extremism” is “racist” but they also say we shouldn’t let even let 1% of their refugee population into the country for fear that it would upset the order of society here.</p>
<p>What the latest shooting tells us is that when we pick up arms we are playing by the master’s rules. We are using the master’s tools. And we are shooting our own schools. The revolution towards peace and equality must be nonviolent. Because it seems that sadly most of us still have no idea who our enemy is.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | The Gun Violence the Media Shows Us and the State Violence They Don’t | true | https://counterpunch.org/2018/02/20/the-gun-violence-the-media-shows-us-and-the-state-violence-they-dont/ | 2018-02-20 | 4left
| The Gun Violence the Media Shows Us and the State Violence They Don’t
<p>Photo by Maryland GovPics | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
<p>Last week there was another tragic mass shooting. The media went on to make this young man a celebrity. Some, including Donald Trump, even painted him as a victim. I still don’t understand why we have to give the names of the shooters in the media. Probably because it makes a better story. CBS head Leslie Moonves said of Trump: “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.” The same can be said for these shootings.&#160; If stardom has anything to do with the shootings, it is irresponsible to make these people into fixtures of the American psyche. Anyone who watches Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, or most any American blockbuster would get the sense that violence, although tragic, is normal and heroic.</p>
<p>The personal story of this kid shouldn’t surprise us—white nationalist and animal abuser. This “lonely” guy made his vengeful killing on Valentine’s Day, but if he did have a Valentine he may have been like most of his predecessors, a domestic abuser. Republicans, bought by the NRA, talk about mental health (even though Donald Trump repealed an Obama protection on the mentally ill buying guns). The Democrats, who don’t have many organizations left that haven’t bought their silence made sure to rail against the NRA and the GOP. They are right of course but they don’t have much credibility left given how they act 99% of the time.</p>
<p>The mental health issue is valid too but the Republicans are trying to make all of us as mentally ill as they are. Schools are turning into prisons, in both their physical structure and their philosophical one. Prisons themselves are crowded enough to be schools. The argument what kills (guns or people) is a silly one because they both do. Who could deny that Barack Obama was mentally ill as he dropped drones around the world and expanded the nuclear arsenal? But there is also the obvious point that if Obama was the President of say, a garden club, he wouldn’t be killing as many people because he wouldn’t have the weapons to do so (Obama’s Garden Club would be snooty and pretentious I’m sure, even for a garden club).</p>
<p>We do not hear about the mental illness of our Presidents or their financiers (well we do for Trump but that is only because he tweets as morbidly as he acts). We do not hear about the mental illness of the police, ICE, or generals. We do not hear about the mental illness of the gun manufacturers themselves. No, you are only mentally ill if you kill without a badge. As long as you are an agent of the state (and it’s financiers) you are killing for a purpose—for freedom, democracy, safety—so you are sane, you are often even revered.</p>
<p>To a certain extent the cops are being exposed, although little will change until we gain community control of the police. Let’s give full credit to Black Lives Matter here. But we are still quite behind on the issue of war and peace. The idea that football players kneeling during the anthem is somehow patriotic is an absurd argument made by liberals. We shouldn’t just be upset that America can’t grant freedom to us while we send soldiers to fight for it elsewhere—-we should be saying that putting soldiers in other countries is itself a violation of freedom for people abroad.</p>
<p>A life lost is a life lost though, so we should take these shootings seriously. When a mass shooting happens it is always inexplicable. Therefore it needs explanation. Behind every mass shooter must be a story that we could prevent. It was because gun laws were lenient. It was because his mental health was not treated. It was because of a political agenda. All of these things are true and there is no doubt ways to reduce gun violence through reformative change that are important.</p>
<p>What is not said enough is that gun violence is a natural consequence of a society that solves its problems through violence and conquest abroad. A society that promises an American dream and never gives anything in return leaves a trail of despair. A society that defines success as profit off of others no doubt makes others into adversaries. As long as the cost of living a life that does not do these things is so high the soul splinters making the very act of existing in a capitalist society surreal.</p>
<p>All that being said perhaps we are all tired too of the romanticism of the left when the Republican leaders stomp on common decency. Yet we must know that such outbursts from the margins of society are a result of something larger. That cruelty and violence are so often legalized and celebrated in our society that it creates people who take capitalism and its consequences to their logical conclusion. That for every beaten down person there are only so many ways out and most of the easy ones involve bringing other people down.</p>
<p>That is why more than ever we need to embrace the principles of community and peace in our society. Unions are being busted. Schools are being privatized. People are being evicted from their neighborhoods. People are addicted to their screens. Small businesses are going under. The positive, productive, and peaceful ways to revolt against our rulers are being taken away.</p>
<p>When a mass shooting happens it is scary. In our society it could happen anywhere at any time. It is a glitch in an old broken machine. A spurt of anger that could come from anyone with a grievance. The victims are random. There is no meaning to these tragedies. We all feel powerless. Yet we are addicted to the story. How? I knew it. But how?</p>
<p>Along with our fear comes a rational for our protection. More gun laws. More surveillance. More wars. More police. More violence that follows rules. More violence that has a chain of command.</p>
<p>If we started to talk to each other again maybe we could see that our enemy is common. Our despair is shared. Instead a hero rises from the ashes. He is misunderstood. He is evil. But he is free. His victimhood is recognized as mental illness. Or at the very least he is recognized as the powerful monster he has become. The rest of us clammer for our own break from the foot of capitalism. It never comes. Except on TV.</p>
<p>Anyone who kills us in the name of chaos and terror should be condemned. Yet the refugees dying everyday as they flee climate change and proxy wars get no coverage. The people who have pipelines running through their yards get no coverage. The slaves in prison get no coverage. Neither do the animals in cages on the big farms. We hear about the monsters next door. The “everyday” Americans lurking behind every corner. If only the intelligence groups could have stopped them they say.</p>
<p>Violence by the rich is slightly more predictable because it aims to control. Certain neighborhoods, certain countries, certain acts of resistance merit your punishment. As long as you behave we will save you from those who act evil. The good (the rich, the police, the bosses) will save you from the bad (the poor, the criminal, the worker).</p>
<p>They want us to be scared of each other. They want us to be angry. They want us to feel defeated and powerless. That doesn’t mean the problem isn’t real. There is an answer. It isn’t to hand over the keys to the people who have created a culture that finds power through violence, connection through individualism, and worth through wealth.</p>
<p>As liberals cower in the age of Trump they turn to the FBI, the CIA, the military and the police. They long for the authoritarian smooth talker Barack Obama. They say it is the everyday people who elected Trump and that it is the everyday people who must be stopped. They want the order of their old lives back. Trump is an authoritarian but he is an unpredictable one. Therefore any of us could get struck by a stray bullet as he lashes out against anybody who challenges him.</p>
<p>Liberals want the guns in the hands of the rich. Chaos in Africa and the Middle East will be ignored. So will police occupation of nonwhite neighborhoods. Despite the United States interfering in elections across the globe, 100,000$ from Russia on Facebook means something “serious” must be done (could we get more ominous?). They say calling a mass shooting by a Muslim “Islamic Extremism” is “racist” but they also say we shouldn’t let even let 1% of their refugee population into the country for fear that it would upset the order of society here.</p>
<p>What the latest shooting tells us is that when we pick up arms we are playing by the master’s rules. We are using the master’s tools. And we are shooting our own schools. The revolution towards peace and equality must be nonviolent. Because it seems that sadly most of us still have no idea who our enemy is.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,591 |
<p>Now, companies that sell policies on mobile and internet platforms are targeting the largest and most technologically-resistant part of the sector: the life-insurance industry.</p>
<p>Chinese technology giants including the financial affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. have been accumulating stakes in Asian life-insurance companies and online insurers over the past year. They are eyeing a large untapped opportunity: the hundreds of millions of uninsured people in China.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Life insurance is a "meaningful product," said Wayne Xu, chief operating officer for ZhongAn Online P&amp;C Insurance Co., a four-year-old company co-founded by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma that calls itself China's first online-only insurer.</p>
<p>ZhongAn, which went public recently and counts Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial Services Group and Tencent as significant shareholders, has built a high-volume business around selling online insurance on everything from drone accidents to flight delays. The company has applied for a license to sell life insurance, seeing it as a way to form more lasting relationships with individuals versus the short-term policies it currently sells.</p>
<p>With life products, "the connection between the customer and the product can last 30 years, 50 years, or longer," Mr. Xu said in an interview. "Few other products can reach such a level."</p>
<p>The challenge is that selling and underwriting life insurance over the internet is much more complex than selling policies to cover small financial losses. Life insurance has also been traditionally marketed by individual agents who have cultivated personal relationships with their clientele. One way online insurers could bridge the gap is by selling cheaper life-insurance policies and targeting a younger demographic that is generally in better health.</p>
<p>ZhongAn, which primarily markets and sells insurance through Ant's popular Alipay mobile-payments network, may try to use its access to a hoard of customer data to develop life-insurance products, according to Mr. Xu.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>ZhongAn is leading a crop of so-called insurance technology, or insurtech, platforms into new areas. Other financial-technology companies are also trying to build up or broaden life-insurance offerings, in some cases by working with old-line insurance companies.</p>
<p>In January, Chinese social-media giant Tencent bought a 20% stake in the Hong Kong life-insurance business of British life insurer Aviva PLC. The companies are currently working together to find ways to sell policies online.</p>
<p>"China is the real test bed at the forefront of the disruption," said Alex Kimura, Asia chief strategy officer for Aviva. Tencent, he noted, has embedded itself deeply in Chinese lifestyles, thanks to its popular WeChat messaging platform, and has increasingly used that to sell consumer products to individuals.</p>
<p>Life insurance, however, "is the hardest one to do online" relative to other types of policies like health-care or property insurance, Mr. Kimura added.</p>
<p>The industry's growth potential, especially among a younger generation of tech-savvy Chinese consumers, could be massive. China counted 330 million online-insurance customers last year, up 43% from a year earlier. About 80% of the individuals were born in the 1980s and 1990s, according to financial-data platform CBN. Most of them bought non-life insurance policies.</p>
<p>Premiums written in China totaled $470 billion last year, with life insurance accounting for around 60% of the sum, according to Swiss Reinsurance Co. Online sales for life products made up just 6% of the segment, which was dominated by traditional insurers that have tie-ups with Chinese state-owned banks. They include companies such as Sun Life Everbright Life Insurance Co. and ICBC-AXA Life Insurance Co.</p>
<p>China posted 30% year-over-year growth in life premiums in 2016, compared with 9% in non-life premiums, according to data from Allianz Group.</p>
<p>This past summer, Yunfeng Financial Group Ltd., a brokerage and financial-technology company controlled by Mr. Ma, joined a consortium acquiring the Hong Kong-based business of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. Ant Financial was also part of the investor group.</p>
<p>Yunfeng is interested in finding ways to leverage MassMutual's team of 3,000 agents in Hong Kong and Macau. "That is great value to us," Yunfeng Chief Executive Ting Li said in an interview.</p>
<p>She said the agent force is "very complementary" to Yunfeng's financial technology, which includes things like mobile apps for wealth management and personal investing, areas that dovetail with insurance products. The company is aiming to sell life insurance online but needs regulatory approval before it can proceed.</p>
<p>Another way for companies to break into the online life-insurance market could be by initially selling simple variations such as policies that cover loan payments if borrowers die or become disabled, said Cliff Sheng, a partner at consultancy Oliver Wyman. "Online distribution of traditional life products is obviously more difficult," he said.</p>
<p>Write to Chuin-Wei Yap at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>November 02, 2017 01:56 ET (05:56 GMT)</p> | Chinese Tech Giants Target the Next Frontier in Online Insurance: Life | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/02/chinese-tech-giants-target-next-frontier-in-online-insurance-life.html | 2017-11-02 | 0right
| Chinese Tech Giants Target the Next Frontier in Online Insurance: Life
<p>Now, companies that sell policies on mobile and internet platforms are targeting the largest and most technologically-resistant part of the sector: the life-insurance industry.</p>
<p>Chinese technology giants including the financial affiliate of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. have been accumulating stakes in Asian life-insurance companies and online insurers over the past year. They are eyeing a large untapped opportunity: the hundreds of millions of uninsured people in China.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Life insurance is a "meaningful product," said Wayne Xu, chief operating officer for ZhongAn Online P&amp;C Insurance Co., a four-year-old company co-founded by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma that calls itself China's first online-only insurer.</p>
<p>ZhongAn, which went public recently and counts Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial Services Group and Tencent as significant shareholders, has built a high-volume business around selling online insurance on everything from drone accidents to flight delays. The company has applied for a license to sell life insurance, seeing it as a way to form more lasting relationships with individuals versus the short-term policies it currently sells.</p>
<p>With life products, "the connection between the customer and the product can last 30 years, 50 years, or longer," Mr. Xu said in an interview. "Few other products can reach such a level."</p>
<p>The challenge is that selling and underwriting life insurance over the internet is much more complex than selling policies to cover small financial losses. Life insurance has also been traditionally marketed by individual agents who have cultivated personal relationships with their clientele. One way online insurers could bridge the gap is by selling cheaper life-insurance policies and targeting a younger demographic that is generally in better health.</p>
<p>ZhongAn, which primarily markets and sells insurance through Ant's popular Alipay mobile-payments network, may try to use its access to a hoard of customer data to develop life-insurance products, according to Mr. Xu.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>ZhongAn is leading a crop of so-called insurance technology, or insurtech, platforms into new areas. Other financial-technology companies are also trying to build up or broaden life-insurance offerings, in some cases by working with old-line insurance companies.</p>
<p>In January, Chinese social-media giant Tencent bought a 20% stake in the Hong Kong life-insurance business of British life insurer Aviva PLC. The companies are currently working together to find ways to sell policies online.</p>
<p>"China is the real test bed at the forefront of the disruption," said Alex Kimura, Asia chief strategy officer for Aviva. Tencent, he noted, has embedded itself deeply in Chinese lifestyles, thanks to its popular WeChat messaging platform, and has increasingly used that to sell consumer products to individuals.</p>
<p>Life insurance, however, "is the hardest one to do online" relative to other types of policies like health-care or property insurance, Mr. Kimura added.</p>
<p>The industry's growth potential, especially among a younger generation of tech-savvy Chinese consumers, could be massive. China counted 330 million online-insurance customers last year, up 43% from a year earlier. About 80% of the individuals were born in the 1980s and 1990s, according to financial-data platform CBN. Most of them bought non-life insurance policies.</p>
<p>Premiums written in China totaled $470 billion last year, with life insurance accounting for around 60% of the sum, according to Swiss Reinsurance Co. Online sales for life products made up just 6% of the segment, which was dominated by traditional insurers that have tie-ups with Chinese state-owned banks. They include companies such as Sun Life Everbright Life Insurance Co. and ICBC-AXA Life Insurance Co.</p>
<p>China posted 30% year-over-year growth in life premiums in 2016, compared with 9% in non-life premiums, according to data from Allianz Group.</p>
<p>This past summer, Yunfeng Financial Group Ltd., a brokerage and financial-technology company controlled by Mr. Ma, joined a consortium acquiring the Hong Kong-based business of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. Ant Financial was also part of the investor group.</p>
<p>Yunfeng is interested in finding ways to leverage MassMutual's team of 3,000 agents in Hong Kong and Macau. "That is great value to us," Yunfeng Chief Executive Ting Li said in an interview.</p>
<p>She said the agent force is "very complementary" to Yunfeng's financial technology, which includes things like mobile apps for wealth management and personal investing, areas that dovetail with insurance products. The company is aiming to sell life insurance online but needs regulatory approval before it can proceed.</p>
<p>Another way for companies to break into the online life-insurance market could be by initially selling simple variations such as policies that cover loan payments if borrowers die or become disabled, said Cliff Sheng, a partner at consultancy Oliver Wyman. "Online distribution of traditional life products is obviously more difficult," he said.</p>
<p>Write to Chuin-Wei Yap at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>November 02, 2017 01:56 ET (05:56 GMT)</p> | 599,592 |
<p>Democrats are running misleading ads in several House and Senate races accusing Republicans of supporting a "23 percent national sales tax." The ads fail to mention that the proposed tax — while controversial — is designed to replace all federal income and payroll taxes, and comes with cash rebates to offset the sales tax on essentials such as food, clothing and medical care for everyone. Some of those being attacked have not actually said that they support the tax plan specifically, or have only voiced mild support for it.</p>
<p>Some examples:</p>
<p>This line of attack has emerged as a major Democratic theme. We counted at least 33 TV spots since August that make this claim, and it’s being repeated in an unknown number of mailers and in ads running on radio or local cable channels, which we cannot monitor.</p>
<p>The claim refers to the FairTax proposal, a controversial idea that was considered and rejected by President George W. Bush’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. The panel said the tax would have to be set at 34 percent (not 23 percent) to achieve its goals. It also calculated that the levy and its accompanying cash rebates would benefit both low-income and high-income taxpayers but increase the tax burden on those in the middle — raising taxes on those making between $15,000 and $200,000 a year.</p>
<p>But the Democratic attacks omit all those subtleties and simply strive to create the impression that the new sales tax would come on top of all existing taxes. And that’s not the case.</p>
<p>We’ve <a href="" type="internal">written</a> <a href="" type="internal">twice</a> this year already about Democrats using this particular line of attack against Republican candidates, and it’s popping up more and more the closer we get to Nov. 2. Since August, we counted at least 33 ads in 20 different House and Senate races.</p>
<p>That’s based on ads monitored by the Campaign Media Analysis Group (a unit of Kantar Media), and it’s just a minimum figure. CMAG does not monitor ads on local cable outlets, where many House candidates run ads. And it doesn’t count radio ads, or the direct mail pieces that are common in House districts where TV is too expensive.</p>
<p>One such mailer was sent to us by one of our readers. It was produced by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and attacked the Republican opponent of Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly. "Jackie Walorski thinks you don’t pay enough taxes to Washington," the mailer says. "She wants a 23% federal sales tax on nearly everything you buy."</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>It’s true that Walorski has voiced support for this general idea. She <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=die_PgMT5NQ" type="external">said earlier</a> this year on a tea party radio show that she is "very interested" in the&#160;FairTax plan, and "supports the concept." And it’s true that <a href="http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer" type="external">the idea’s backers</a> describe it as a 23 precent tax on newly purchased goods and services, including items such as groceries, gasoline and medicine.</p>
<p>This attack — and others like it — omit mention of two key points, however.</p>
<p>The basic concept behind the plan is to tax everyone on purchases instead of earnings. Americans For Fair Taxation, the group pushing the proposal, claims it is " <a href="http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_basics_tagline" type="external">a fair, efficient, transparent, and intelligent solution to the frustration and inequity of our current tax system</a>." But the idea was examined and rejected in 2005 by <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/members.html" type="external">a bipartisan panel</a> that President George W. Bush set up to recommend ways to simplify the tax system and promote long-term economic growth. For one thing, the panel said the "prebate" feature would in practice become <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/final-report/TaxPanel_8-9.pdf" type="external">"a new entitlement program — by far the largest in American history."</a> And another problem it found was that — even with the "prebate"&#160;— the proposal would greatly increase the federal tax burden on middle-income Americans. Taxes would be lower for those making less than $15,000 a year, and also for those making $200,000 and more:</p>
<p>President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, Nov. 1, 2005: A typical married couple at the bottom 25th percentile of the income distribution earns $39,300 per year and would pay $5,625 dollars in federal taxes in 2006. Under the retail sales tax with a Prebate, the same family would pay $7,997 in net federal taxes after subtracting the Prebate of $6,694, resulting in a tax increase of $2,372, or 42 percent</p>
<p>We neither endorse nor oppose the FairTax idea, or any other tax proposal. We did criticize some of the misleading claims made by FairTax supporters in a 2007 article, " <a href="" type="internal">Unspinning the FairTax</a>." For example, we noted that the 23 percent figure used by backers is misleading. Even under their optimistic assumptions, a $100 purchase would have a $30 tax added on — normally thought of as a 30 percent sales tax. (FairTax proponents prefer to figure the tax as a percentage of the total price including the tax. So in their sales pitch, the $30 becomes 23 percent — of $130.) But even a 30 percent tax would not generate enough revenue to replace the other taxes, the <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/final-report/TaxPanel_8-9.pdf" type="external">president’s panel concluded</a>. The rate would need to be "at least 34 percent, and likely higher."</p>
<p>But the fact that FairTax backers are overselling their proposal is no excuse for Democrats to misrepresent it as a simple 23 percent sales tax with no offsetting tax eliminations or low-income cash payments.</p>
<p>Who Really Backs the FairTax?</p>
<p>Some of the candidates whom Democrats accuse of pushing the FairTax idea are distancing themselves from the proposal, or have voiced only lukewarm backing.</p>
<p>Michael Bennet Ad: "Ken Buck’s Price Tag," aired Sept. 30</p>
<p>In Colorado, Ken Buck, who has been the target of attacks from Sen. Michael Bennet, said in March that he liked "a simplified version of the income tax," a "flat tax," or a "fair tax." But Buck denies that he is specifically pushing the sales tax plan. The <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_16273492" type="external">Denver Post reported</a> that Buck recently said: "In the primary season, I was asked about it over and over, and I think it has to be recognized as an alternative, but it was never my alternative."</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoPlJQI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Michael Bennet: I’m Michael Bennet, and I approve this message.</p>
<p>Announcer: Ken Buck wants to add a new 23 percent national sales tax to everything you buy. A bag of groceries — eleven dollars more. A tank of gas — ten dollars more. The medicine you need — 105 dollars more. Ken Buck’s plan would even get rid of your home mortgage deduction, costing Colorado families thousands. Ken Buck, a 23 percent national sales tax, extremely wrong for Colorado. [/TET]</p>
<p>Gabrielle&#160;Giffords Ad: "He’s Not Looking Out for My Family," aired Oct. 3</p>
<p>In Arizona, an ad from Rep. Gabrielle Giffords claimed that the state’s families "could never afford" to pay "Jesse Kelly’s sales tax" of "23 percent more on groceries or gas." Kelly is on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVeozni3klY" type="external">video saying</a>that he does support the FairTax plan and that he would vote for it. But he also admits that the plan is very unlikely to pass in Congress, and that he would focus on implementing a "flat tax" instead.</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoSDSwI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Rachel: We’re really struggling at this point, to make ends meet. We could never afford to pay 23 percent more on groceries or gas. Jesse Kelly’s sales tax is gonna hurt my family. And other families in the middle class. People like Jesse Kelly are going to be supporting corporations over people. He’s not looking out for me. He’s not looking out for my family. We could not afford Jesse Kelly’s tax. We absolutely couldn’t.</p>
<p>Gabrielle Giffords: I’m Gabrielle Giffords and I approved this message. [/TET]</p>
<p>DCCC Ad: "Alan Nunnelee is Guilty of Raising Taxes," aired Oct. 1</p>
<p>In Mississippi, Alan Nunnelee has been attacked by Democratic Rep. Travis Childers and the DCCC for supporting the plan. But Nunnelee has "never publicly voiced support for the FairTax bill," <a href="http://nems360.com/bookmark/9749891" type="external">according to the</a> Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. And the Associated Press <a href="http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=7885" type="external">reported</a> that during one interview, Nunnelee refused to say whether or not he backed the plan.</p>
<p>The claim that he supports the tax is based on the fact that he lists the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/fairtax.org?ref=sgm" type="external">FairTax page</a> as one of his "likes" on his <a href="http://www.facebook.com/alannunnelee" type="external">campaign’s Facebook page</a>. Nunnelee <a href="http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=7885" type="external">told</a> the AP that doesn’t mean he agrees with the plan, though. "I will support taxes that are lower, that are simpler and more transparent," he said.</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoXSOwI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Announcer: Travis Childers and Alan Nunnelee — who’s better on taxes? You be the judge. Childers worked to cut taxes for small businesses, the backbone of our economy, with investment incentives and 300 billion dollars in tax cuts. Nunnelee voted for more property and energy taxes, and signed up to support a new 23 percent national sales tax. It’s an open-and-shut case. Alan Nunnelee is guilty of raising our taxes.</p>
<p>Announcer: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. [/TET]</p>
<p>Mary Jo Kilroy Ad: "Slick," aired Sept. 30 – Oct. 2</p>
<p>Similarly, Steve Stivers has "never publicly spoken in favor of a national sales tax," <a href="http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/09/24/copy/kilroyadwatch-art-gsva13l5-1.html?sid=101" type="external">according to</a> a Columbus Dispatch political blog. Stivers — who is challenging Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy in Ohio’s 15th District — indicated on a <a href="http://912ohio.com/mtc/pdf/912Survey-Stivers.pdf" type="external">Union County &amp; Galloway 912 Project survey</a> that he would support eliminating the current "progressive income tax" in favor of "a flat income tax or a national sales tax." But Stivers didn’t specify which option he would favor. His campaign says that he is actually in favor of a "flat tax."</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoXTPgI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Mary Jo Kilroy: I’m Mary Jo Kilroy and I approved this ad.</p>
<p>Susan: Hi, it’s Susan again. So we know Steve Stivers was a bank lobbyist, but did you know, he voted for the biggest sales tax increase in Ohio history! Now Steve’s got another swift idea. Create a new, national Sales Tax. We’d lose our mortgage, our child deductions, and pay 23 percent on everything we buy. Even groceries! The rich pay less, we pay more. Stivers is pretty slick, watch your wallet. [/TET]</p>
<p>Allen Boyd Ad: "Great Question," aired Sept. 27</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoXSYgI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Woman: Do you pay your taxes?</p>
<p>Steve Southerland: That’s a great question.</p>
<p>Steve Southerland: Uh, I do pay my taxes.</p>
<p>Announcer: Steve Southerland did not pay his taxes in 05,6,7,8 or 09. In fact Southerland didn’t pay his taxes until he ran for Congress. Now he wants to raise sales taxes by 23 percent. You just can’t trust Steve Southerland.</p>
<p>Allen Boyd: I’m Allen Boyd and I approved this message.</p>
<p>Woman: Do you pay your taxes?</p>
<p>Steve Southerland: That’s a great question. [/TET]</p>
<p>Florida’s Steve Southerland has said that he does like the FairTax proposal "very much." He’s challenging Democratic Rep.&#160;Allen Boyd in the 2nd District. But our fellow fact-checkers at <a href="http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2010/oct/11/allen-boyd/allen-boyd-campaign-ad-claims-steve-southerland-di/" type="external">Politifact.com noted</a> that Southerland said back in July that the FairTax would not be a "centerpiece of my positions in Congress."</p>
<p>More important, Boyd’s ad, like these other Democratic attacks, leaves out the fact that the FairTax proposal would eliminate income, payroll and other taxes. It’s not a national sales tax on top of what Americans already pay.</p>
<p>— by D’Angelo Gore and Brooks Jackson</p>
<p>Miller, Joe. " <a href="" type="internal">Unspinning the FairTax</a>." FactCheck.org. 31 May 2007.</p>
<p>Drobnic Holan, Angie. " <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/jan/23/adding-fairtax/" type="external">Adding Up the Fair Tax</a>." Politifact.com, 23 Jan 2008.</p>
<p>President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/final-report/TaxPanel_8-9.pdf" type="external">Final Report</a>. Washington: GPO, 2005.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer" type="external">FairTax.org</a>. Americans For Fair Taxation. Accessed 14 Oct 2010.</p>
<p>" <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sns-ap-us-taxes-politics,0,59792.story" type="external">Democrats seize on Republicans’ support for reforming tax code in final days of campaign</a>." Associated Press. 15 Oct 2010.</p>
<p>Sherry, Allison. " <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_16273492" type="external">GOP Senate candidate Buck backs off stance on consumption tax</a>." Denver Post. 7 Oct 2010.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=die_PgMT5NQ" type="external">Jackie Walorski Supports the FairTax and Social Security Privatization</a>. YouTube. 24 Aug 2010.</p>
<p>Kelly, Andrea. " <a href="http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/article_0f40a5c5-fff5-5909-9514-9589027ae3db.html" type="external">Giffords, Kelly differ on fairness of Fair Tax plan</a>." Arizona Daily Star. 28 Sep 2010.</p>
<p>Nash, James. " <a href="http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/09/24/copy/kilroyadwatch-art-gsva13l5-1.html?sid=101" type="external">Campaign Ad Watch – Slick: Kilroy for Congress</a>." Disptach Politics. 24 Sep 2010</p>
<p>Le Coz, Emily. " <a href="http://nems360.com/bookmark/9749891" type="external">Political claims not what they seem</a>." North East Mississipp Daily Journal. 3 Oct 2010.</p>
<p>Farley, Robert. " <a href="http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2010/oct/11/allen-boyd/allen-boyd-campaign-ad-claims-steve-southerland-di/" type="external">Allen Boyd campaign ad claims Steve Southerland didn’t pay taxes for five years</a>." Politifact.com. 27 Sep 2010.</p>
<p>Hurst, Nathan. " <a href="http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/conventionblog/index.php?blogid=231" type="external">DCCC stands by FairTax ad in 1st District</a>." Detroit News 201 Elections Blog. 18 Oct 2010.</p> | Sales Tax Spin | false | https://factcheck.org/2010/10/sales-tax-spin/ | 2010-10-20 | 2least
| Sales Tax Spin
<p>Democrats are running misleading ads in several House and Senate races accusing Republicans of supporting a "23 percent national sales tax." The ads fail to mention that the proposed tax — while controversial — is designed to replace all federal income and payroll taxes, and comes with cash rebates to offset the sales tax on essentials such as food, clothing and medical care for everyone. Some of those being attacked have not actually said that they support the tax plan specifically, or have only voiced mild support for it.</p>
<p>Some examples:</p>
<p>This line of attack has emerged as a major Democratic theme. We counted at least 33 TV spots since August that make this claim, and it’s being repeated in an unknown number of mailers and in ads running on radio or local cable channels, which we cannot monitor.</p>
<p>The claim refers to the FairTax proposal, a controversial idea that was considered and rejected by President George W. Bush’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. The panel said the tax would have to be set at 34 percent (not 23 percent) to achieve its goals. It also calculated that the levy and its accompanying cash rebates would benefit both low-income and high-income taxpayers but increase the tax burden on those in the middle — raising taxes on those making between $15,000 and $200,000 a year.</p>
<p>But the Democratic attacks omit all those subtleties and simply strive to create the impression that the new sales tax would come on top of all existing taxes. And that’s not the case.</p>
<p>We’ve <a href="" type="internal">written</a> <a href="" type="internal">twice</a> this year already about Democrats using this particular line of attack against Republican candidates, and it’s popping up more and more the closer we get to Nov. 2. Since August, we counted at least 33 ads in 20 different House and Senate races.</p>
<p>That’s based on ads monitored by the Campaign Media Analysis Group (a unit of Kantar Media), and it’s just a minimum figure. CMAG does not monitor ads on local cable outlets, where many House candidates run ads. And it doesn’t count radio ads, or the direct mail pieces that are common in House districts where TV is too expensive.</p>
<p>One such mailer was sent to us by one of our readers. It was produced by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and attacked the Republican opponent of Indiana Rep. Joe Donnelly. "Jackie Walorski thinks you don’t pay enough taxes to Washington," the mailer says. "She wants a 23% federal sales tax on nearly everything you buy."</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>It’s true that Walorski has voiced support for this general idea. She <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=die_PgMT5NQ" type="external">said earlier</a> this year on a tea party radio show that she is "very interested" in the&#160;FairTax plan, and "supports the concept." And it’s true that <a href="http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer" type="external">the idea’s backers</a> describe it as a 23 precent tax on newly purchased goods and services, including items such as groceries, gasoline and medicine.</p>
<p>This attack — and others like it — omit mention of two key points, however.</p>
<p>The basic concept behind the plan is to tax everyone on purchases instead of earnings. Americans For Fair Taxation, the group pushing the proposal, claims it is " <a href="http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_basics_tagline" type="external">a fair, efficient, transparent, and intelligent solution to the frustration and inequity of our current tax system</a>." But the idea was examined and rejected in 2005 by <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/members.html" type="external">a bipartisan panel</a> that President George W. Bush set up to recommend ways to simplify the tax system and promote long-term economic growth. For one thing, the panel said the "prebate" feature would in practice become <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/final-report/TaxPanel_8-9.pdf" type="external">"a new entitlement program — by far the largest in American history."</a> And another problem it found was that — even with the "prebate"&#160;— the proposal would greatly increase the federal tax burden on middle-income Americans. Taxes would be lower for those making less than $15,000 a year, and also for those making $200,000 and more:</p>
<p>President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, Nov. 1, 2005: A typical married couple at the bottom 25th percentile of the income distribution earns $39,300 per year and would pay $5,625 dollars in federal taxes in 2006. Under the retail sales tax with a Prebate, the same family would pay $7,997 in net federal taxes after subtracting the Prebate of $6,694, resulting in a tax increase of $2,372, or 42 percent</p>
<p>We neither endorse nor oppose the FairTax idea, or any other tax proposal. We did criticize some of the misleading claims made by FairTax supporters in a 2007 article, " <a href="" type="internal">Unspinning the FairTax</a>." For example, we noted that the 23 percent figure used by backers is misleading. Even under their optimistic assumptions, a $100 purchase would have a $30 tax added on — normally thought of as a 30 percent sales tax. (FairTax proponents prefer to figure the tax as a percentage of the total price including the tax. So in their sales pitch, the $30 becomes 23 percent — of $130.) But even a 30 percent tax would not generate enough revenue to replace the other taxes, the <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/final-report/TaxPanel_8-9.pdf" type="external">president’s panel concluded</a>. The rate would need to be "at least 34 percent, and likely higher."</p>
<p>But the fact that FairTax backers are overselling their proposal is no excuse for Democrats to misrepresent it as a simple 23 percent sales tax with no offsetting tax eliminations or low-income cash payments.</p>
<p>Who Really Backs the FairTax?</p>
<p>Some of the candidates whom Democrats accuse of pushing the FairTax idea are distancing themselves from the proposal, or have voiced only lukewarm backing.</p>
<p>Michael Bennet Ad: "Ken Buck’s Price Tag," aired Sept. 30</p>
<p>In Colorado, Ken Buck, who has been the target of attacks from Sen. Michael Bennet, said in March that he liked "a simplified version of the income tax," a "flat tax," or a "fair tax." But Buck denies that he is specifically pushing the sales tax plan. The <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_16273492" type="external">Denver Post reported</a> that Buck recently said: "In the primary season, I was asked about it over and over, and I think it has to be recognized as an alternative, but it was never my alternative."</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoPlJQI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Michael Bennet: I’m Michael Bennet, and I approve this message.</p>
<p>Announcer: Ken Buck wants to add a new 23 percent national sales tax to everything you buy. A bag of groceries — eleven dollars more. A tank of gas — ten dollars more. The medicine you need — 105 dollars more. Ken Buck’s plan would even get rid of your home mortgage deduction, costing Colorado families thousands. Ken Buck, a 23 percent national sales tax, extremely wrong for Colorado. [/TET]</p>
<p>Gabrielle&#160;Giffords Ad: "He’s Not Looking Out for My Family," aired Oct. 3</p>
<p>In Arizona, an ad from Rep. Gabrielle Giffords claimed that the state’s families "could never afford" to pay "Jesse Kelly’s sales tax" of "23 percent more on groceries or gas." Kelly is on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVeozni3klY" type="external">video saying</a>that he does support the FairTax plan and that he would vote for it. But he also admits that the plan is very unlikely to pass in Congress, and that he would focus on implementing a "flat tax" instead.</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoSDSwI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Rachel: We’re really struggling at this point, to make ends meet. We could never afford to pay 23 percent more on groceries or gas. Jesse Kelly’s sales tax is gonna hurt my family. And other families in the middle class. People like Jesse Kelly are going to be supporting corporations over people. He’s not looking out for me. He’s not looking out for my family. We could not afford Jesse Kelly’s tax. We absolutely couldn’t.</p>
<p>Gabrielle Giffords: I’m Gabrielle Giffords and I approved this message. [/TET]</p>
<p>DCCC Ad: "Alan Nunnelee is Guilty of Raising Taxes," aired Oct. 1</p>
<p>In Mississippi, Alan Nunnelee has been attacked by Democratic Rep. Travis Childers and the DCCC for supporting the plan. But Nunnelee has "never publicly voiced support for the FairTax bill," <a href="http://nems360.com/bookmark/9749891" type="external">according to the</a> Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. And the Associated Press <a href="http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=7885" type="external">reported</a> that during one interview, Nunnelee refused to say whether or not he backed the plan.</p>
<p>The claim that he supports the tax is based on the fact that he lists the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/fairtax.org?ref=sgm" type="external">FairTax page</a> as one of his "likes" on his <a href="http://www.facebook.com/alannunnelee" type="external">campaign’s Facebook page</a>. Nunnelee <a href="http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=7885" type="external">told</a> the AP that doesn’t mean he agrees with the plan, though. "I will support taxes that are lower, that are simpler and more transparent," he said.</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoXSOwI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Announcer: Travis Childers and Alan Nunnelee — who’s better on taxes? You be the judge. Childers worked to cut taxes for small businesses, the backbone of our economy, with investment incentives and 300 billion dollars in tax cuts. Nunnelee voted for more property and energy taxes, and signed up to support a new 23 percent national sales tax. It’s an open-and-shut case. Alan Nunnelee is guilty of raising our taxes.</p>
<p>Announcer: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is responsible for the content of this advertising. [/TET]</p>
<p>Mary Jo Kilroy Ad: "Slick," aired Sept. 30 – Oct. 2</p>
<p>Similarly, Steve Stivers has "never publicly spoken in favor of a national sales tax," <a href="http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/09/24/copy/kilroyadwatch-art-gsva13l5-1.html?sid=101" type="external">according to</a> a Columbus Dispatch political blog. Stivers — who is challenging Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy in Ohio’s 15th District — indicated on a <a href="http://912ohio.com/mtc/pdf/912Survey-Stivers.pdf" type="external">Union County &amp; Galloway 912 Project survey</a> that he would support eliminating the current "progressive income tax" in favor of "a flat income tax or a national sales tax." But Stivers didn’t specify which option he would favor. His campaign says that he is actually in favor of a "flat tax."</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoXTPgI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Mary Jo Kilroy: I’m Mary Jo Kilroy and I approved this ad.</p>
<p>Susan: Hi, it’s Susan again. So we know Steve Stivers was a bank lobbyist, but did you know, he voted for the biggest sales tax increase in Ohio history! Now Steve’s got another swift idea. Create a new, national Sales Tax. We’d lose our mortgage, our child deductions, and pay 23 percent on everything we buy. Even groceries! The rich pay less, we pay more. Stivers is pretty slick, watch your wallet. [/TET]</p>
<p>Allen Boyd Ad: "Great Question," aired Sept. 27</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;param value="http://video.factcheck.org/play/hIUWgoXSYgI" name="src" /&amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;lt;param value="true" name="allowfullscreen" /&amp;amp;gt;</p>
<p>[TET ]</p>
<p>Woman: Do you pay your taxes?</p>
<p>Steve Southerland: That’s a great question.</p>
<p>Steve Southerland: Uh, I do pay my taxes.</p>
<p>Announcer: Steve Southerland did not pay his taxes in 05,6,7,8 or 09. In fact Southerland didn’t pay his taxes until he ran for Congress. Now he wants to raise sales taxes by 23 percent. You just can’t trust Steve Southerland.</p>
<p>Allen Boyd: I’m Allen Boyd and I approved this message.</p>
<p>Woman: Do you pay your taxes?</p>
<p>Steve Southerland: That’s a great question. [/TET]</p>
<p>Florida’s Steve Southerland has said that he does like the FairTax proposal "very much." He’s challenging Democratic Rep.&#160;Allen Boyd in the 2nd District. But our fellow fact-checkers at <a href="http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2010/oct/11/allen-boyd/allen-boyd-campaign-ad-claims-steve-southerland-di/" type="external">Politifact.com noted</a> that Southerland said back in July that the FairTax would not be a "centerpiece of my positions in Congress."</p>
<p>More important, Boyd’s ad, like these other Democratic attacks, leaves out the fact that the FairTax proposal would eliminate income, payroll and other taxes. It’s not a national sales tax on top of what Americans already pay.</p>
<p>— by D’Angelo Gore and Brooks Jackson</p>
<p>Miller, Joe. " <a href="" type="internal">Unspinning the FairTax</a>." FactCheck.org. 31 May 2007.</p>
<p>Drobnic Holan, Angie. " <a href="http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/jan/23/adding-fairtax/" type="external">Adding Up the Fair Tax</a>." Politifact.com, 23 Jan 2008.</p>
<p>President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/taxreformpanel/final-report/TaxPanel_8-9.pdf" type="external">Final Report</a>. Washington: GPO, 2005.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer" type="external">FairTax.org</a>. Americans For Fair Taxation. Accessed 14 Oct 2010.</p>
<p>" <a href="http://www.latimes.com/sns-ap-us-taxes-politics,0,59792.story" type="external">Democrats seize on Republicans’ support for reforming tax code in final days of campaign</a>." Associated Press. 15 Oct 2010.</p>
<p>Sherry, Allison. " <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/election2010/ci_16273492" type="external">GOP Senate candidate Buck backs off stance on consumption tax</a>." Denver Post. 7 Oct 2010.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=die_PgMT5NQ" type="external">Jackie Walorski Supports the FairTax and Social Security Privatization</a>. YouTube. 24 Aug 2010.</p>
<p>Kelly, Andrea. " <a href="http://azstarnet.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/article_0f40a5c5-fff5-5909-9514-9589027ae3db.html" type="external">Giffords, Kelly differ on fairness of Fair Tax plan</a>." Arizona Daily Star. 28 Sep 2010.</p>
<p>Nash, James. " <a href="http://www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/09/24/copy/kilroyadwatch-art-gsva13l5-1.html?sid=101" type="external">Campaign Ad Watch – Slick: Kilroy for Congress</a>." Disptach Politics. 24 Sep 2010</p>
<p>Le Coz, Emily. " <a href="http://nems360.com/bookmark/9749891" type="external">Political claims not what they seem</a>." North East Mississipp Daily Journal. 3 Oct 2010.</p>
<p>Farley, Robert. " <a href="http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2010/oct/11/allen-boyd/allen-boyd-campaign-ad-claims-steve-southerland-di/" type="external">Allen Boyd campaign ad claims Steve Southerland didn’t pay taxes for five years</a>." Politifact.com. 27 Sep 2010.</p>
<p>Hurst, Nathan. " <a href="http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/conventionblog/index.php?blogid=231" type="external">DCCC stands by FairTax ad in 1st District</a>." Detroit News 201 Elections Blog. 18 Oct 2010.</p> | 599,593 |
<p>Billionaire Carl Icahn says an oil industry push for structural changes to the U.S. biofuels mandate will persist, even if the Environmental Protection Agency rebuffs requests from refiners to relieve them of the regulatory burden.</p>
<p>Icahn’s remarks came as convenience store owners took the fight to federal court and mark the investor’s first public comments since&#160;an Aug. 18 open letter announcing his departure as a special regulatory adviser to President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Independent oil refiners are convinced the design of the Renewable Fuel Standard program is flawed and have a number of tools to pursue changes, including litigation, Icahn said.&#160;</p>
<p>That includes a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Small Retailers Coalition, a trade group representing about 200 convenience store owners and independent fuel retailers. The group is challenging the EPA’s latest slate of annual biofuel quotas, arguing the requirements give an advantage to big refiners and truck stops at their expense.</p>
<p>At issue is the structure of the EPA’s renewable fuel program, which puts the onus on refiners and importers to satisfy annual quotas for biofuel use. Like Icahn, the majority owner of independent oil refiner CVR Energy Inc., the group has said changes are required to that compliance burden, called the “point of obligation.”</p>
<p>Without revisions, the group says in its filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, coalition members “will be forced to cease operations or sell their businesses to their larger competitors.”</p>
<p>Icahn has argued that costs to comply with the biofuels requirements are burdensome and that the onus for compliance should be moved away from refiners and shifted further down the fuel supply chain to entities such as fuel blenders.&#160;Icahn was named a special adviser to Trump in December, spurring criticism about conflicts of interest with his business dealings,&#160;given his public criticism of the biofuel program.&#160;</p>
<p>Icahn pointed to a White House statement in a New Yorker story asserting ‘‘there was no ‘effective’ end date” to his role as a special adviser, “because there was never a formal appointment or title after Jan. 20.”&#160;</p>
<p>“I only spoke to Donald a handful of times after Jan. 20 and the subject of the title never came up. So what the White House said might well be true,” Icahn said in response to the statement.</p>
<p>Congressional Democrats have questioned Icahn’s involvement in the debate over the biofuel program while he served as a regulatory adviser, suggesting the arrangement ran afoul of ethics laws. &#160;In May, eight Democratic senators asked financial regulators at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission to open an insider trading investigation.</p>
<p>Icahn said he wrote editorials and criticized the structure of the Renewable Fuel Standard before he knew Trump would be president. Compliance with the program is tracked by credits called Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). Prices have been volatile amid escalating biofuel consumption targets. On July 27, CVR said it expects to spend between $200 million and $215 million on the credits this year.</p>
<p>“The fight over the point of obligation is certainly not over,” Icahn said. “There are a number of refineries in trouble because of it, and many are continuing to fight it.”</p>
<p>With the EPA preparing to formally reject requests by Valero Energy Corp. and other refiners to shift the biofuel compliance burden, that fight is shifting to federal court. The new legal challenge from the Small Retailers Coalition isn’t the first lawsuit challenging the structure of the U.S. biofuels program — Valero also sued the EPA over the issue last year — but it’s the first by retailers and the first of its kind focusing on how that affects small businesses.</p>
<p>The coalition is using a novel approach for its claim, bringing it under a 21-year-old law designed to blunt the impact of regulations on small businesses by requiring agencies to develop alternative approaches for compliance.</p>
<p>“The point of obligation has created a multi-billion dollar financial windfall for large retailers who control the vast majority of blending terminals across the country,” the coalition says in its legal filing. “Large retailers with blending capabilities are profiting from the sale of RINs, which allows them to artificially lower the price of gasoline to undercut small retailers and push them out of the market.”</p> | Icahn Sees Biofuels Fight Deepening as Refinery Losses Mount | false | https://newsline.com/icahn-sees-biofuels-fight-deepening-as-refinery-losses-mount/ | 2017-08-29 | 1right-center
| Icahn Sees Biofuels Fight Deepening as Refinery Losses Mount
<p>Billionaire Carl Icahn says an oil industry push for structural changes to the U.S. biofuels mandate will persist, even if the Environmental Protection Agency rebuffs requests from refiners to relieve them of the regulatory burden.</p>
<p>Icahn’s remarks came as convenience store owners took the fight to federal court and mark the investor’s first public comments since&#160;an Aug. 18 open letter announcing his departure as a special regulatory adviser to President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Independent oil refiners are convinced the design of the Renewable Fuel Standard program is flawed and have a number of tools to pursue changes, including litigation, Icahn said.&#160;</p>
<p>That includes a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Small Retailers Coalition, a trade group representing about 200 convenience store owners and independent fuel retailers. The group is challenging the EPA’s latest slate of annual biofuel quotas, arguing the requirements give an advantage to big refiners and truck stops at their expense.</p>
<p>At issue is the structure of the EPA’s renewable fuel program, which puts the onus on refiners and importers to satisfy annual quotas for biofuel use. Like Icahn, the majority owner of independent oil refiner CVR Energy Inc., the group has said changes are required to that compliance burden, called the “point of obligation.”</p>
<p>Without revisions, the group says in its filing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, coalition members “will be forced to cease operations or sell their businesses to their larger competitors.”</p>
<p>Icahn has argued that costs to comply with the biofuels requirements are burdensome and that the onus for compliance should be moved away from refiners and shifted further down the fuel supply chain to entities such as fuel blenders.&#160;Icahn was named a special adviser to Trump in December, spurring criticism about conflicts of interest with his business dealings,&#160;given his public criticism of the biofuel program.&#160;</p>
<p>Icahn pointed to a White House statement in a New Yorker story asserting ‘‘there was no ‘effective’ end date” to his role as a special adviser, “because there was never a formal appointment or title after Jan. 20.”&#160;</p>
<p>“I only spoke to Donald a handful of times after Jan. 20 and the subject of the title never came up. So what the White House said might well be true,” Icahn said in response to the statement.</p>
<p>Congressional Democrats have questioned Icahn’s involvement in the debate over the biofuel program while he served as a regulatory adviser, suggesting the arrangement ran afoul of ethics laws. &#160;In May, eight Democratic senators asked financial regulators at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission to open an insider trading investigation.</p>
<p>Icahn said he wrote editorials and criticized the structure of the Renewable Fuel Standard before he knew Trump would be president. Compliance with the program is tracked by credits called Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs). Prices have been volatile amid escalating biofuel consumption targets. On July 27, CVR said it expects to spend between $200 million and $215 million on the credits this year.</p>
<p>“The fight over the point of obligation is certainly not over,” Icahn said. “There are a number of refineries in trouble because of it, and many are continuing to fight it.”</p>
<p>With the EPA preparing to formally reject requests by Valero Energy Corp. and other refiners to shift the biofuel compliance burden, that fight is shifting to federal court. The new legal challenge from the Small Retailers Coalition isn’t the first lawsuit challenging the structure of the U.S. biofuels program — Valero also sued the EPA over the issue last year — but it’s the first by retailers and the first of its kind focusing on how that affects small businesses.</p>
<p>The coalition is using a novel approach for its claim, bringing it under a 21-year-old law designed to blunt the impact of regulations on small businesses by requiring agencies to develop alternative approaches for compliance.</p>
<p>“The point of obligation has created a multi-billion dollar financial windfall for large retailers who control the vast majority of blending terminals across the country,” the coalition says in its legal filing. “Large retailers with blending capabilities are profiting from the sale of RINs, which allows them to artificially lower the price of gasoline to undercut small retailers and push them out of the market.”</p> | 599,594 |
<p>BOSTON — It was “the decade from hell,” as Time magazine dubbed it on its cover this week. Ten years of terror and war, of economic crisis and climate change. It’s not hard to say goodbye to this one.</p>
<p>The enormous burdens of this decade began in lower Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 — unleashing a global struggle against terrorism and two wars. The closing act of the decade was set on that same scarred patch of earth in lower Manhattan where terror struck. It was the autumn of 2008 when we saw a very different kind of destruction, a different kind of peril down on Wall Street: The implosion of the global economy.</p>
<p>And these towering, twin events — the attacks of 9/11 and the global economic downturn — not only define the decade, but also shape the challenges ahead. Both events confirmed that this was a decade that tested the limits of American power militarily, politically and economically.</p>
<p>But 2009, the capstone to this dark first decade of the 21st century, was also a year that began with promises of hope and change, a transition to a new era. The <a href="" type="external">newly inaugurated President Barack Obama</a> announced a new approach to the world which stood in stark contrast to his predecessor. This president would engage with the world and vowed to work together with leaders to confront the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead.</p>
<p>It was just before the Obama inauguration that GlobalPost launched on Jan. 12 and set out with a stellar team of some 70 correspondents in 50 countries to cover the complex issues America faces in the world. Just as so many traditional news organizations were experiencing a dizzying collapse of their economic model, GlobalPost has raised a new voice for global news. And our journey has begun at a time when we all desperately need to be more informed about the world around us, and the challenges it presents. <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/mission-statement" type="external">It was a big first year for us at GlobalPost</a> filled with accomplishments and gratitude to those of you who have joined a rapidly growing community of engaged visitors to our site.</p>
<p>We began our coverage of this new era of the Obama presidency with a series of pieces titled “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/america-and-the-world/090428/for-which-it-stands" type="external">For Which It Stands</a>,” a set of 50 different stories and essays from around the world examining what America means to the world and what the world means to America. Looking back, “For Which It Stands” provides an interesting gauge by which we can measure just how much improved America’s image is in the world one year after saying goodbye to George W. Bush and what many historians agree was one of the most damaging and divisive presidencies in modern American history.</p>
<p>After he stumbled through his oath of office on the same bible used by Abraham Lincoln, the greatest challenge facing Obama was the global economic crisis. And GlobalPost believes the long, climb out of the crisis was the biggest story of 2009, and quite likely 2010 as well.</p>
<p>GlobalPost correspondents in 20 countries around the world covered the crisis throughout the year in a series of special reports titled “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/commerce/090212/special-report" type="external">World of Trouble</a>.” Our correspondents reported on the growing unrest among <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/commerce/090910/china-economy-migrant-workers-economic-crisis" type="external">migrant laborers in China</a> and “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china-taiwan/091103/silicon-sweatshops-globalpost-investigation" type="external">Silicon Sweatshops</a>” and interesting angles on the economic downturn from the other so-called BRIC countries of <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090813/indias-economy-grow-rich-think-poor" type="external">India</a>, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/russia-and-its-neighbors/090203/civil-unrest-russia-mounts" type="external">Russia</a> and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/brazil/090530/brazilian-tax-holiday" type="external">Brazil</a>. We covered other corners of the crisis from <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/united-kingdom/090118/pound-collapses-london-feels-new-yorks-pain" type="external">London’s well-heeled financial district</a> and the more recent shattering of <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/node/4851268" type="external">Dubai’s gilded, fragile economy</a>.</p>
<p>Like an ocean, the global economic crisis can sometimes seem too deep to fathom and too wide to cover. But sometimes there are stories that are all about one person caught in the ocean; like <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/america-and-the-world/090410/where-strong-values-breed-heroes" type="external">the story of the sea captain, Richard Phillips</a>. His heroic surrendering of himself to save his crew from Somali pirates and his daring rescue by U.S. Navy Seals on Easter weekend was a tale straight out of a pirate book.</p>
<p>As spring turned to summer, the most unexpected story of the year suddenly erupted on the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/middle-east/090614/more-street-protests-tehran" type="external">streets of Tehran</a> following the much-contested elections. Our correspondents covered every turn of the story and did so at great risk. The lowest, personal moment of the year for us at GlobalPost was when we learned that one of our correspondents had been arrested and detained in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. After three harrowing weeks of working with his family and colleagues to win his release, we finally had him out. We are thankful to have him <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/middle-east/091224/scope-protests-widens-iran" type="external">staying on top of the story</a> still from his sounding post in Istanbul.</p>
<p>There was also a very different kind of simmering violence on a very different set of streets. And that was the low boil and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/mexico/090506/interview-hitman" type="external">deadly toll of the Mexican drug wars</a>, which have been covered with great commitment by our team. More people died in the drug-related violence south of the U.S. border than American soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>But there was no foreign policy question more fateful and consequential in the first year of Obama’s presidency than the war in Afghanistan. In August of this year, GlobalPost published a special report titled <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/taliban" type="external">“Life, Death and the Taliban,”</a> which set out to provide the history and context of the struggle against the Taliban and Al Qaeda through writing, photography, video and an interactive timeline. The series also broke news that <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/afghanistan/090902/usaid-taliban-funding" type="external">the Taliban was funding its insurgency in part through a protection racket that involved subcontractors on USAID</a> projects and the article’s findings prompted a federal probe. As Obama announced earlier this month that he would go forward with an <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/worldview/091201/obama-troop-surge" type="external">escalation of the war with 30,000 more troops</a>, it is now more clear than ever that Afghanistan is Obama’s war. We hope “Life, Death and the Taliban” might stand as a resource as we all try to understand the events unfolding there.</p>
<p>In one of the most perplexing turn of events this year, President <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/europe/091210/obama-oslo-nobel-peace-prize" type="external">Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize</a> just one week after he announced the troop surge in Afghanistan. So here was a president being recognized for peace while managing two wars. The irony hung in the room and echoed around the world, but then again Alfred Nobel, for whom the prize is named, was a 19th century industrialist and weapons manufacturer famous for inventing dynamite. In accepting the award, Obama delivered one of the most powerfully philosophical speeches of his presidency on the idea of “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/america-and-the-world/091210/obama-nobel-peace-prize" type="external">just war</a>” in the post 9/11 age.</p>
<p>There were so many stories that grabbed our attention from the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/global-green/091215/copenhagen-2009-climate-change" type="external">climate change conference in Copenhagen</a>, which ended not with a bang but a whimper, to the dramatic <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/brazil/091224/sean-goldman-us-brazil" type="external">custody battle in Brazil</a> over nine-year-old Sean Goldman.</p>
<p>But we didn’t only cover the big stories.&#160; We have tried to make it our signature at GlobalPost to offer a wide array of coverage from the hidden corners of the countries where our correspondents live. We’ve told you about <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/video/general/091120/senegal-dakar-breakdancers" type="external">break dancing in Senegal</a> and written about <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/italy/091027/libera-terra-food" type="external">food</a> and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china/091012/chinese-wine-production" type="external">wine</a> around the world.</p>
<p>We’ve taken you to the under-reported conflicts, such as the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/091204/congo-war-minerals" type="external">war in the Congo</a> and other struggles you may not know about, such as the effort to promote <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/kenya/091117/male-circumcision-kenya-AIDS" type="external">male circumcision</a> in the war against AIDS.</p>
<p>We covered the <a href="http://mobile.globalpost.com/dispatch/china-and-its-neighbors/091027/michael-jackson-lives-beijing" type="external">death of Michael Jackson</a> and the tarnishing of a brand that was always a global gold standard: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/sports/091212/tiger-woods-elin-nordegren-stockholm-sweden" type="external">Tiger Woods</a>.</p>
<p>We’ve covered <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/france/090817/paris-graffiti-exhibit" type="external">arts</a> and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/video/general/090914/indonesia09-14-09-bakkalapulomajinalpunk" type="external">culture</a> in every corner of the world, but at GlobalPost we believe the biggest cultural story of the year for an American audience was born of the union between Bollywood and Hollywood: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090223/bollywoods-big-night-at-oscars" type="external">Slumdog Millionaire</a>.</p>
<p>We covered the story not from the red carpet in Hollywood, where the the film won no less than eight Oscars, but from the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090211/the-real-slumdogs" type="external">slums of India,</a>like those in which the film was set.</p>
<p>The movie introduced a side of India that so many Americans had not seen. It was a chance to see the riot of color and chaos and, of course, capitalism and crude poverty that is India.</p>
<p>The theme song “Jai Ho” says it all about India, a song about destiny whose title translates as “victory” or perhaps overcoming odds. “Jai Ho” seems a fitting anthem for us all as we say goodbye to 2009 and greet a set of challenges that will require the kind of resiliency shown by the characters in Slumdog. The year 2009 ends a decade of destiny where America confronted many limits, but it also introduces a new era of hope and the idea that there is always a chance for overcoming the odds. Jai Ho!</p> | GlobalPost's greatest hits from the year gone by | false | https://pri.org/stories/2009-12-31/globalposts-greatest-hits-year-gone | 2009-12-31 | 3left-center
| GlobalPost's greatest hits from the year gone by
<p>BOSTON — It was “the decade from hell,” as Time magazine dubbed it on its cover this week. Ten years of terror and war, of economic crisis and climate change. It’s not hard to say goodbye to this one.</p>
<p>The enormous burdens of this decade began in lower Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 — unleashing a global struggle against terrorism and two wars. The closing act of the decade was set on that same scarred patch of earth in lower Manhattan where terror struck. It was the autumn of 2008 when we saw a very different kind of destruction, a different kind of peril down on Wall Street: The implosion of the global economy.</p>
<p>And these towering, twin events — the attacks of 9/11 and the global economic downturn — not only define the decade, but also shape the challenges ahead. Both events confirmed that this was a decade that tested the limits of American power militarily, politically and economically.</p>
<p>But 2009, the capstone to this dark first decade of the 21st century, was also a year that began with promises of hope and change, a transition to a new era. The <a href="" type="external">newly inaugurated President Barack Obama</a> announced a new approach to the world which stood in stark contrast to his predecessor. This president would engage with the world and vowed to work together with leaders to confront the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead.</p>
<p>It was just before the Obama inauguration that GlobalPost launched on Jan. 12 and set out with a stellar team of some 70 correspondents in 50 countries to cover the complex issues America faces in the world. Just as so many traditional news organizations were experiencing a dizzying collapse of their economic model, GlobalPost has raised a new voice for global news. And our journey has begun at a time when we all desperately need to be more informed about the world around us, and the challenges it presents. <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/mission-statement" type="external">It was a big first year for us at GlobalPost</a> filled with accomplishments and gratitude to those of you who have joined a rapidly growing community of engaged visitors to our site.</p>
<p>We began our coverage of this new era of the Obama presidency with a series of pieces titled “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/america-and-the-world/090428/for-which-it-stands" type="external">For Which It Stands</a>,” a set of 50 different stories and essays from around the world examining what America means to the world and what the world means to America. Looking back, “For Which It Stands” provides an interesting gauge by which we can measure just how much improved America’s image is in the world one year after saying goodbye to George W. Bush and what many historians agree was one of the most damaging and divisive presidencies in modern American history.</p>
<p>After he stumbled through his oath of office on the same bible used by Abraham Lincoln, the greatest challenge facing Obama was the global economic crisis. And GlobalPost believes the long, climb out of the crisis was the biggest story of 2009, and quite likely 2010 as well.</p>
<p>GlobalPost correspondents in 20 countries around the world covered the crisis throughout the year in a series of special reports titled “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/commerce/090212/special-report" type="external">World of Trouble</a>.” Our correspondents reported on the growing unrest among <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/commerce/090910/china-economy-migrant-workers-economic-crisis" type="external">migrant laborers in China</a> and “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china-taiwan/091103/silicon-sweatshops-globalpost-investigation" type="external">Silicon Sweatshops</a>” and interesting angles on the economic downturn from the other so-called BRIC countries of <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090813/indias-economy-grow-rich-think-poor" type="external">India</a>, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/russia-and-its-neighbors/090203/civil-unrest-russia-mounts" type="external">Russia</a> and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/brazil/090530/brazilian-tax-holiday" type="external">Brazil</a>. We covered other corners of the crisis from <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/united-kingdom/090118/pound-collapses-london-feels-new-yorks-pain" type="external">London’s well-heeled financial district</a> and the more recent shattering of <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/node/4851268" type="external">Dubai’s gilded, fragile economy</a>.</p>
<p>Like an ocean, the global economic crisis can sometimes seem too deep to fathom and too wide to cover. But sometimes there are stories that are all about one person caught in the ocean; like <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/america-and-the-world/090410/where-strong-values-breed-heroes" type="external">the story of the sea captain, Richard Phillips</a>. His heroic surrendering of himself to save his crew from Somali pirates and his daring rescue by U.S. Navy Seals on Easter weekend was a tale straight out of a pirate book.</p>
<p>As spring turned to summer, the most unexpected story of the year suddenly erupted on the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/middle-east/090614/more-street-protests-tehran" type="external">streets of Tehran</a> following the much-contested elections. Our correspondents covered every turn of the story and did so at great risk. The lowest, personal moment of the year for us at GlobalPost was when we learned that one of our correspondents had been arrested and detained in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. After three harrowing weeks of working with his family and colleagues to win his release, we finally had him out. We are thankful to have him <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/middle-east/091224/scope-protests-widens-iran" type="external">staying on top of the story</a> still from his sounding post in Istanbul.</p>
<p>There was also a very different kind of simmering violence on a very different set of streets. And that was the low boil and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/mexico/090506/interview-hitman" type="external">deadly toll of the Mexican drug wars</a>, which have been covered with great commitment by our team. More people died in the drug-related violence south of the U.S. border than American soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>But there was no foreign policy question more fateful and consequential in the first year of Obama’s presidency than the war in Afghanistan. In August of this year, GlobalPost published a special report titled <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/taliban" type="external">“Life, Death and the Taliban,”</a> which set out to provide the history and context of the struggle against the Taliban and Al Qaeda through writing, photography, video and an interactive timeline. The series also broke news that <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/afghanistan/090902/usaid-taliban-funding" type="external">the Taliban was funding its insurgency in part through a protection racket that involved subcontractors on USAID</a> projects and the article’s findings prompted a federal probe. As Obama announced earlier this month that he would go forward with an <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/worldview/091201/obama-troop-surge" type="external">escalation of the war with 30,000 more troops</a>, it is now more clear than ever that Afghanistan is Obama’s war. We hope “Life, Death and the Taliban” might stand as a resource as we all try to understand the events unfolding there.</p>
<p>In one of the most perplexing turn of events this year, President <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/europe/091210/obama-oslo-nobel-peace-prize" type="external">Obama was awarded the Nobel peace prize</a> just one week after he announced the troop surge in Afghanistan. So here was a president being recognized for peace while managing two wars. The irony hung in the room and echoed around the world, but then again Alfred Nobel, for whom the prize is named, was a 19th century industrialist and weapons manufacturer famous for inventing dynamite. In accepting the award, Obama delivered one of the most powerfully philosophical speeches of his presidency on the idea of “ <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/america-and-the-world/091210/obama-nobel-peace-prize" type="external">just war</a>” in the post 9/11 age.</p>
<p>There were so many stories that grabbed our attention from the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/global-green/091215/copenhagen-2009-climate-change" type="external">climate change conference in Copenhagen</a>, which ended not with a bang but a whimper, to the dramatic <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/brazil/091224/sean-goldman-us-brazil" type="external">custody battle in Brazil</a> over nine-year-old Sean Goldman.</p>
<p>But we didn’t only cover the big stories.&#160; We have tried to make it our signature at GlobalPost to offer a wide array of coverage from the hidden corners of the countries where our correspondents live. We’ve told you about <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/video/general/091120/senegal-dakar-breakdancers" type="external">break dancing in Senegal</a> and written about <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/italy/091027/libera-terra-food" type="external">food</a> and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/china/091012/chinese-wine-production" type="external">wine</a> around the world.</p>
<p>We’ve taken you to the under-reported conflicts, such as the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/091204/congo-war-minerals" type="external">war in the Congo</a> and other struggles you may not know about, such as the effort to promote <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/kenya/091117/male-circumcision-kenya-AIDS" type="external">male circumcision</a> in the war against AIDS.</p>
<p>We covered the <a href="http://mobile.globalpost.com/dispatch/china-and-its-neighbors/091027/michael-jackson-lives-beijing" type="external">death of Michael Jackson</a> and the tarnishing of a brand that was always a global gold standard: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/sports/091212/tiger-woods-elin-nordegren-stockholm-sweden" type="external">Tiger Woods</a>.</p>
<p>We’ve covered <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/france/090817/paris-graffiti-exhibit" type="external">arts</a> and <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/video/general/090914/indonesia09-14-09-bakkalapulomajinalpunk" type="external">culture</a> in every corner of the world, but at GlobalPost we believe the biggest cultural story of the year for an American audience was born of the union between Bollywood and Hollywood: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090223/bollywoods-big-night-at-oscars" type="external">Slumdog Millionaire</a>.</p>
<p>We covered the story not from the red carpet in Hollywood, where the the film won no less than eight Oscars, but from the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/090211/the-real-slumdogs" type="external">slums of India,</a>like those in which the film was set.</p>
<p>The movie introduced a side of India that so many Americans had not seen. It was a chance to see the riot of color and chaos and, of course, capitalism and crude poverty that is India.</p>
<p>The theme song “Jai Ho” says it all about India, a song about destiny whose title translates as “victory” or perhaps overcoming odds. “Jai Ho” seems a fitting anthem for us all as we say goodbye to 2009 and greet a set of challenges that will require the kind of resiliency shown by the characters in Slumdog. The year 2009 ends a decade of destiny where America confronted many limits, but it also introduces a new era of hope and the idea that there is always a chance for overcoming the odds. Jai Ho!</p> | 599,595 |
<p>JACKSON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure and Hurricane Harbor amusement park has a new president.</p>
<p>John Winkler succeeds Neal Thurman, who has taken over as park president of Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor in California. In a news release Monday, the company says Winkler comes to the Jackson park with a focus on team member development and “a passion for incorporating technology into delivering outstanding guest service.”</p>
<p>Winkler served as park president for six years at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Winkler started working for Six Flags as a front-line team member at Astroworld in 1983 and advanced through the ranks.</p>
<p>JACKSON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure and Hurricane Harbor amusement park has a new president.</p>
<p>John Winkler succeeds Neal Thurman, who has taken over as park president of Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor in California. In a news release Monday, the company says Winkler comes to the Jackson park with a focus on team member development and “a passion for incorporating technology into delivering outstanding guest service.”</p>
<p>Winkler served as park president for six years at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Winkler started working for Six Flags as a front-line team member at Astroworld in 1983 and advanced through the ranks.</p> | New president for Six Flags Great Adventure | false | https://apnews.com/e3f3057ed6934af0be23463255bfa3de | 2018-01-08 | 2least
| New president for Six Flags Great Adventure
<p>JACKSON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure and Hurricane Harbor amusement park has a new president.</p>
<p>John Winkler succeeds Neal Thurman, who has taken over as park president of Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor in California. In a news release Monday, the company says Winkler comes to the Jackson park with a focus on team member development and “a passion for incorporating technology into delivering outstanding guest service.”</p>
<p>Winkler served as park president for six years at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Winkler started working for Six Flags as a front-line team member at Astroworld in 1983 and advanced through the ranks.</p>
<p>JACKSON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s Six Flags Great Adventure and Hurricane Harbor amusement park has a new president.</p>
<p>John Winkler succeeds Neal Thurman, who has taken over as park president of Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor in California. In a news release Monday, the company says Winkler comes to the Jackson park with a focus on team member development and “a passion for incorporating technology into delivering outstanding guest service.”</p>
<p>Winkler served as park president for six years at Six Flags New England in Agawam, Massachusetts.</p>
<p>Winkler started working for Six Flags as a front-line team member at Astroworld in 1983 and advanced through the ranks.</p> | 599,596 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Las Cruces police say 31-year-old Sean Paul Halpern is being held in the Dona Ana County Detention Center on a $90,000 bond.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>He was arrested Tuesday on an outstanding warrant. Authorities say Halpern now is facing three additional counts of drug trafficking.</p>
<p>Police and Metro Narcotics agents say they spotted Halpern in the Mesquite Historic District and he was arrested after a short chase.</p>
<p>They say a glass pipe with burnt residue fell out of Halpern’s pocket.</p>
<p>Authorities say he also was carrying a large sum of cash and a scanner apparently using to monitor police radio traffic.</p>
<p>Police didn’t immediately know if Halpern has a lawyer.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Man With Drugs in Underwear Arrested in Las Cruces | false | https://abqjournal.com/160883/man-with-drugs-in-underwear-arrested-in-las-cruces.html | 2least
| Man With Drugs in Underwear Arrested in Las Cruces
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Las Cruces police say 31-year-old Sean Paul Halpern is being held in the Dona Ana County Detention Center on a $90,000 bond.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>He was arrested Tuesday on an outstanding warrant. Authorities say Halpern now is facing three additional counts of drug trafficking.</p>
<p>Police and Metro Narcotics agents say they spotted Halpern in the Mesquite Historic District and he was arrested after a short chase.</p>
<p>They say a glass pipe with burnt residue fell out of Halpern’s pocket.</p>
<p>Authorities say he also was carrying a large sum of cash and a scanner apparently using to monitor police radio traffic.</p>
<p>Police didn’t immediately know if Halpern has a lawyer.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | 599,597 |
|
<p>NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a 16-year-old boy has been stabbed by another student inside a suburban New York City high school.</p>
<p><a href="http://abc7ny.com/student-stabbed-inside-new-rochelle-high-school/2963355/" type="external">WABC</a> says police were called to New Rochelle High School around 9 a.m. Thursday.</p>
<p>The teen was stabbed twice in the torso but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.</p>
<p>The 15-year-old suspect was seen leaving the building.</p>
<p>On Jan. 10, another 16-year-old New Rochelle student, Valaree Schwab, was stabbed to death at a Dunkin’ Donuts.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WABC-TV, <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external">http://www.7online.com</a></p>
<p>NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a 16-year-old boy has been stabbed by another student inside a suburban New York City high school.</p>
<p><a href="http://abc7ny.com/student-stabbed-inside-new-rochelle-high-school/2963355/" type="external">WABC</a> says police were called to New Rochelle High School around 9 a.m. Thursday.</p>
<p>The teen was stabbed twice in the torso but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.</p>
<p>The 15-year-old suspect was seen leaving the building.</p>
<p>On Jan. 10, another 16-year-old New Rochelle student, Valaree Schwab, was stabbed to death at a Dunkin’ Donuts.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WABC-TV, <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external">http://www.7online.com</a></p> | 16-year-old stabbed in suburban NYC school | false | https://apnews.com/795282342f264d54b833d8bd6308b538 | 2018-01-18 | 2least
| 16-year-old stabbed in suburban NYC school
<p>NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a 16-year-old boy has been stabbed by another student inside a suburban New York City high school.</p>
<p><a href="http://abc7ny.com/student-stabbed-inside-new-rochelle-high-school/2963355/" type="external">WABC</a> says police were called to New Rochelle High School around 9 a.m. Thursday.</p>
<p>The teen was stabbed twice in the torso but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.</p>
<p>The 15-year-old suspect was seen leaving the building.</p>
<p>On Jan. 10, another 16-year-old New Rochelle student, Valaree Schwab, was stabbed to death at a Dunkin’ Donuts.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WABC-TV, <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external">http://www.7online.com</a></p>
<p>NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities say a 16-year-old boy has been stabbed by another student inside a suburban New York City high school.</p>
<p><a href="http://abc7ny.com/student-stabbed-inside-new-rochelle-high-school/2963355/" type="external">WABC</a> says police were called to New Rochelle High School around 9 a.m. Thursday.</p>
<p>The teen was stabbed twice in the torso but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.</p>
<p>The 15-year-old suspect was seen leaving the building.</p>
<p>On Jan. 10, another 16-year-old New Rochelle student, Valaree Schwab, was stabbed to death at a Dunkin’ Donuts.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WABC-TV, <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.7online.com" type="external">http://www.7online.com</a></p> | 599,598 |
<p />
<p>Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump differed sharply on the economy in the final stretch of their race for the White House on Friday, with Clinton praising the latest U.S. jobs report while Trump dismissed it as a fraudulent disaster.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>With four days left in a tight contest, the candidates hammered each other as unfit to be president as they made a late push for votes in battleground states that could decide the outcome in next Tuesday's election.</p>
<p>At a rally in Pittsburgh, Clinton offered an optimistic view of Friday's government report, which showed a strong rate of hiring and higher wages for workers. The economy added 161,000 jobs in October as the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent from 5 percent the Labor Department said.</p>
<p>"I believe our economy is poised to really take off and thrive," Clinton told the gathering, after being introduced by billionaire investor Mark Cuban. "When the middle class thrives, America thrives."</p>
<p>Trump disputed Clinton's rosy view, telling a crowd in New Hampshire the jobs report was "an absolute disaster" and was skewed by the large number of people who have stopped looking for jobs and are not in the labor market anymore.</p>
<p>"Nobody believes the numbers anyway. The numbers they put out are phony," he said at a rally in Atkinson.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The economy and the candidates' competing visions for the future could be critical in swaying voters in ailing Rust Belt states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.</p>
<p>Both candidates planned to visit Ohio and Pennsylvania on Friday, with Trump adding a stop in New Hampshire and Clinton in Michigan. Each of those states is critical in the state-by-state quest for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.</p>
<p>The race tightened significantly in the past week, as several swing states that Trump must win shifted from favoring Clinton to toss-ups, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project.</p>
<p>The two candidates are now tied in Florida and North Carolina, and Clinton’s lead in Michigan has narrowed so much that the state is too close to call. Ohio remains a dead heat and Clinton has a slight lead in Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>Clinton is still the favorite to win Tuesday's election, but Trump now has a plausible route to victory, especially if there is a sharp fall in turnout among African-Americans from the levels of the 2012 election.</p>
<p>'A BLUE-COLLAR APPEAL'</p>
<p>Trump, a New York businessman and former reality TV star, has made a pitch for blue-collar workers who have been angered by free-trade deals and feel abandoned by Washington. But Trump’s protectionist rhetoric - he has promised to review trade agreements - appears to be having mixed success in the Rust Belt.</p>
<p>Reuters/Ipsos polling from mid-October found a majority in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans, agree international trade benefits Americans by keeping the cost of goods low although they also think it hurts "average Americans" by depressing wages and causing job losses at home.</p>
<p>Clinton appears to be leading among labor union households in both states, the poll found. She has a double-digit lead with women in both, while Trump has a more modest lead with men. Among whites, Trump has a 7-point lead over Clinton in Ohio and a 3-point lead over Clinton in Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>In the final stretch, the two candidates continued to paint a dire scenario of life in the United States if their opponent captures the White House. Trump said the FBI's fresh examination of emails that may be related to Clinton's use of a private email server for government work while she was secretary of state could lead to "a constitutional crisis."</p>
<p>"Aren't we tired of all this stuff?" he asked. "America deserves a government that can go to work on Day One."</p>
<p>HISPANIC VOTER PUSH</p>
<p>Clinton suggested the volatile Trump, who has feuded with and insulted a wide array of people and groups including Muslims, Mexican immigrants and women, was too unpredictable to trust.</p>
<p>"Think about what it would mean to entrust the nuclear codes to someone with very thin skin who lashes out at anyone who insults him," Clinton said.</p>
<p>Hispanic groups in swing states cranked up their get-out-the-vote efforts for the final stretch of the race on Friday, hoping to push the contest Clinton's way.</p>
<p>Lizet Ocampo, director of the Latinos Vote! program for People for the American Way, said the group has Spanish-language radio and television ads up in Nevada and North Carolina and radio ads in Pennsylvania, and will soon launch Arizona radio ads as well.</p>
<p>The group focuses in part on states where the Latino population might not be huge, "but even if they’re a small part they can make the difference" in tight races, Ocampo said, adding the group also will kick off voter canvassing in Pennsylvania and Arizona.</p>
<p>The Love Bus - an old school bus repainted in various colors by nine Miami-based immigrant artists - will make the rounds in south Florida all weekend offering to take voters to the polls early in Haitian and migrant worker communities, said Ruth Moreno, state coordinator for the immigrant rights group iAmerica Action.</p> | Clinton, Trump Take Conflicting Stances On U.S. Jobs Growth | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2016/11/04/clinton-trump-take-conflicting-stances-on-u-s-jobs-growth.html | 2016-11-04 | 0right
| Clinton, Trump Take Conflicting Stances On U.S. Jobs Growth
<p />
<p>Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump differed sharply on the economy in the final stretch of their race for the White House on Friday, with Clinton praising the latest U.S. jobs report while Trump dismissed it as a fraudulent disaster.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>With four days left in a tight contest, the candidates hammered each other as unfit to be president as they made a late push for votes in battleground states that could decide the outcome in next Tuesday's election.</p>
<p>At a rally in Pittsburgh, Clinton offered an optimistic view of Friday's government report, which showed a strong rate of hiring and higher wages for workers. The economy added 161,000 jobs in October as the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent from 5 percent the Labor Department said.</p>
<p>"I believe our economy is poised to really take off and thrive," Clinton told the gathering, after being introduced by billionaire investor Mark Cuban. "When the middle class thrives, America thrives."</p>
<p>Trump disputed Clinton's rosy view, telling a crowd in New Hampshire the jobs report was "an absolute disaster" and was skewed by the large number of people who have stopped looking for jobs and are not in the labor market anymore.</p>
<p>"Nobody believes the numbers anyway. The numbers they put out are phony," he said at a rally in Atkinson.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The economy and the candidates' competing visions for the future could be critical in swaying voters in ailing Rust Belt states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.</p>
<p>Both candidates planned to visit Ohio and Pennsylvania on Friday, with Trump adding a stop in New Hampshire and Clinton in Michigan. Each of those states is critical in the state-by-state quest for the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.</p>
<p>The race tightened significantly in the past week, as several swing states that Trump must win shifted from favoring Clinton to toss-ups, according to the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project.</p>
<p>The two candidates are now tied in Florida and North Carolina, and Clinton’s lead in Michigan has narrowed so much that the state is too close to call. Ohio remains a dead heat and Clinton has a slight lead in Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>Clinton is still the favorite to win Tuesday's election, but Trump now has a plausible route to victory, especially if there is a sharp fall in turnout among African-Americans from the levels of the 2012 election.</p>
<p>'A BLUE-COLLAR APPEAL'</p>
<p>Trump, a New York businessman and former reality TV star, has made a pitch for blue-collar workers who have been angered by free-trade deals and feel abandoned by Washington. But Trump’s protectionist rhetoric - he has promised to review trade agreements - appears to be having mixed success in the Rust Belt.</p>
<p>Reuters/Ipsos polling from mid-October found a majority in both Ohio and Pennsylvania, including a majority of both Democrats and Republicans, agree international trade benefits Americans by keeping the cost of goods low although they also think it hurts "average Americans" by depressing wages and causing job losses at home.</p>
<p>Clinton appears to be leading among labor union households in both states, the poll found. She has a double-digit lead with women in both, while Trump has a more modest lead with men. Among whites, Trump has a 7-point lead over Clinton in Ohio and a 3-point lead over Clinton in Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>In the final stretch, the two candidates continued to paint a dire scenario of life in the United States if their opponent captures the White House. Trump said the FBI's fresh examination of emails that may be related to Clinton's use of a private email server for government work while she was secretary of state could lead to "a constitutional crisis."</p>
<p>"Aren't we tired of all this stuff?" he asked. "America deserves a government that can go to work on Day One."</p>
<p>HISPANIC VOTER PUSH</p>
<p>Clinton suggested the volatile Trump, who has feuded with and insulted a wide array of people and groups including Muslims, Mexican immigrants and women, was too unpredictable to trust.</p>
<p>"Think about what it would mean to entrust the nuclear codes to someone with very thin skin who lashes out at anyone who insults him," Clinton said.</p>
<p>Hispanic groups in swing states cranked up their get-out-the-vote efforts for the final stretch of the race on Friday, hoping to push the contest Clinton's way.</p>
<p>Lizet Ocampo, director of the Latinos Vote! program for People for the American Way, said the group has Spanish-language radio and television ads up in Nevada and North Carolina and radio ads in Pennsylvania, and will soon launch Arizona radio ads as well.</p>
<p>The group focuses in part on states where the Latino population might not be huge, "but even if they’re a small part they can make the difference" in tight races, Ocampo said, adding the group also will kick off voter canvassing in Pennsylvania and Arizona.</p>
<p>The Love Bus - an old school bus repainted in various colors by nine Miami-based immigrant artists - will make the rounds in south Florida all weekend offering to take voters to the polls early in Haitian and migrant worker communities, said Ruth Moreno, state coordinator for the immigrant rights group iAmerica Action.</p> | 599,599 |
Subsets and Splits