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<p>SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening’s drawing of the Illinois Lottery’s “Lotto” game were:</p>
<p>05-08-33-40-45-46, Extra Shot: 12</p>
<p>(five, eight, thirty-three, forty, forty-five, forty-six; Extra Shot: twelve)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $3.25 million</p>
<p>SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening’s drawing of the Illinois Lottery’s “Lotto” game were:</p>
<p>05-08-33-40-45-46, Extra Shot: 12</p>
<p>(five, eight, thirty-three, forty, forty-five, forty-six; Extra Shot: twelve)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $3.25 million</p>
|
Winning numbers drawn in ‘Lotto’ game
| false |
https://apnews.com/e81cff7d8c14496a81244fa814d2ea28
|
2018-01-14
| 2least
|
Winning numbers drawn in ‘Lotto’ game
<p>SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening’s drawing of the Illinois Lottery’s “Lotto” game were:</p>
<p>05-08-33-40-45-46, Extra Shot: 12</p>
<p>(five, eight, thirty-three, forty, forty-five, forty-six; Extra Shot: twelve)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $3.25 million</p>
<p>SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday evening’s drawing of the Illinois Lottery’s “Lotto” game were:</p>
<p>05-08-33-40-45-46, Extra Shot: 12</p>
<p>(five, eight, thirty-three, forty, forty-five, forty-six; Extra Shot: twelve)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $3.25 million</p>
| 6,100 |
<p />
<p>Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ratchets up the clamoring for Romney’s tax returns, suggesting that the Republican candidate has not paid any taxes. David Corn, DC&#160;bureau chief at Mother Jones, speculates on what could be so awful in those tax returns that Romney is not caving despite the intense pressure. Mother Jones blogger Kevin Drum has a <a href="" type="internal">take on Romney’s taxes too</a>.</p>
<p />
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<p />
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Corn on “Hardball”: What’s Romney Hiding in His Tax Returns?
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2012/08/corn-hardball-whats-romney-hiding-his-tax-returns/
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2012-08-04
| 4left
|
Corn on “Hardball”: What’s Romney Hiding in His Tax Returns?
<p />
<p>Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) ratchets up the clamoring for Romney’s tax returns, suggesting that the Republican candidate has not paid any taxes. David Corn, DC&#160;bureau chief at Mother Jones, speculates on what could be so awful in those tax returns that Romney is not caving despite the intense pressure. Mother Jones blogger Kevin Drum has a <a href="" type="internal">take on Romney’s taxes too</a>.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
| 6,101 |
<p />
<p>FOX Business: The Power to Prosper</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The bulls on Wall Street refused to cede any significant ground on Tuesday, largely preserving Columbus Day’s 330-point surge on the Dow as traders express cautious optimism about the kickoff to earnings season.</p>
<p>Today's Markets</p>
<p>The&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Dow&#160;Jones&#160;Industrial</a>&#160;Average fell 16.88 points, or 0.15%, to 11416.30, the Standard &amp; Poor's 500 gained 0.65 points, or 0.05%, to 1195.54 and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 16.98 points, or 0.66%, to 2583.03. The FOX 50 added 2.09 points, or 0.24%, to 874.45.</p>
<p>After displaying some early caution, U.S. markets managed to shrug off concerns about Europe's debt crisis tied to Slovakia's parliament voting on the stronger euro-zone bailout package. By avoiding a kneejerk selloff, Wall Street managed to keep and even add onto its strongest performance in almost two months.</p>
<p>“You’d expect to see the market to give back some and it really hasn’t done that. It’s been very resilient to the downside,” said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Traders are relieved earnings season began after Tuesday's closing bell, taking some of the attention away from the scary sovereign debt crisis in Europe and struggling U.S. economy. Aluminum maker Alcoa (NYSE:AA), which is traditionally the first Dow member to report results, is expected to say it earned 22 cents a share on revenue just north of $6 billion.</p>
<p>“I think investors are really looking forward to the kickoff to earnings season having a positive effect on this market,” said Jonathan Corpina, senior managing partner at Meridian Equity Partners. “I think investors have a little more to look at right now than just that one movie out of Europe.”</p>
<p>Analysts have been trimming their forecasts for earnings as concerns of a double-dip recession increased last month. S&amp;P 500 companies are expected to grow quarterly profits by 12.6% year-over-year, down from 17% on July 1, according to Thomson Reuters. Results from JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) are likely to make waves on Thursday.</p>
<p>Pado said at their current levels, stocks are pricing in a 10% decline in 2010 earnings -- a negative outcome few analysts are actually calling for.</p>
<p>“You’ve got this separation of the fear trade versus the rational mind,” said Pado. “Fear had won out to an extreme two weeks ago.”</p>
<p>Even though banks and the bond markets reopened after Monday's holiday, trading volume was very light on Tuesday, finishing just slightly above Columbus Day. The markets also saw very little volatility as the blue chips moved in a very tight trading range of just 82.19 points -- their narrowest range since July 30</p>
<p>“It seems like the uncertainty between both camps is keeping the market very tight right now," said Corpina.</p>
<p>Stocks did come under some early pressure on concerns that Slovakia's Parliament may reject the euro zone plan to increase the bailout fund to 440 euros ($600.34 billion). Slovakia is the last of the 17 nations that needs to approve the measure, which is seen as central to easing the crisis. However, the legislature can take the matter up again, likely under a different ruling government.</p>
<p>Policy makers must also decide how big of a haircut banks must take on their holdings of toxic Greek debt. According to Dow Jones Newswires, haircuts, or writedowns, of 40% to 60% are being mulled, well higher than the 21% tentatively agreed to in July.</p>
<p>“Yesterday was such an up day and there was so much euphoria tied to Europe. I think today people are sobering a little bit,” said Nick Kalivas, vice president of financial research at MF Global.</p>
<p>Tech stocks pushed the Nasdaq Composite solidly higher, making it the biggest winner of the major indexes. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) extended Monday's gains, rallying 3%. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) jumped more than 5% as pressure from institutional shareholders to consider its strategic alternatives, such as a sale, continues to mount.</p>
<p>About half of the Dow's 30 stocks closed in the red, led by defensive plays Traveler's (NYSE:TRV) and AT&amp;T (NYSE:T). The benchmark index's biggest percentage winners were cyclical stocks like Alcoa and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT).</p>
<p>In the commodities complex, crude oil reversed early losses and closed up 40 cents a barrel, or 0.47%, to $85.81. Gold slid $9.80 a troy ounce, or 0.59%, to $1,661.00. Economically-sensitive copper snapped a four-day winning streak, falling 2.22% a pound to $3.2875.</p>
<p>Corporate Movers</p>
<p>Dollar Thrifty (NYSE:DTG) abandoned its long-standing plans to sell itself after the car rental service failed to come to terms with rivals Avis (NYSE:CAR) or Hertz (NYSE:HTZ).</p>
<p>99 Cents Only Stores (NYSE:NDN) inked a $1.6 billion deal to be acquired by Ares Management and Canada Pension Plan Investment board, trumping a rejected $1.3 billion bid from Leonard Green in March. The offer represents a 32% premium to 99 Cents' closing price the day before the Leonard offer was made public.</p>
<p>Global Markets</p>
<p>London's&#160;FTSE 100&#160;slipped 0.06% to 5395.70, Germany's&#160;DAX&#160;gained 0.30% to 5865.01&#160;and France's&#160;CAC 40&#160;lost 0.25% to 3153.52.</p>
<p>In Asia, the Japanese&#160;Nikkei 225&#160;rallied 1.95% and Hong Kong's&#160;Hang Seng&#160;leaped 2.43% to 18141.60.</p>
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Waiting for Earnings, Markets Hit Pause After Big Rally
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/10/11/waiting-for-earnings-stocks-hit-pause-after-big-rally.html
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2016-03-07
| 0right
|
Waiting for Earnings, Markets Hit Pause After Big Rally
<p />
<p>FOX Business: The Power to Prosper</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The bulls on Wall Street refused to cede any significant ground on Tuesday, largely preserving Columbus Day’s 330-point surge on the Dow as traders express cautious optimism about the kickoff to earnings season.</p>
<p>Today's Markets</p>
<p>The&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Dow&#160;Jones&#160;Industrial</a>&#160;Average fell 16.88 points, or 0.15%, to 11416.30, the Standard &amp; Poor's 500 gained 0.65 points, or 0.05%, to 1195.54 and the Nasdaq Composite jumped 16.98 points, or 0.66%, to 2583.03. The FOX 50 added 2.09 points, or 0.24%, to 874.45.</p>
<p>After displaying some early caution, U.S. markets managed to shrug off concerns about Europe's debt crisis tied to Slovakia's parliament voting on the stronger euro-zone bailout package. By avoiding a kneejerk selloff, Wall Street managed to keep and even add onto its strongest performance in almost two months.</p>
<p>“You’d expect to see the market to give back some and it really hasn’t done that. It’s been very resilient to the downside,” said Marc Pado, U.S. market strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Traders are relieved earnings season began after Tuesday's closing bell, taking some of the attention away from the scary sovereign debt crisis in Europe and struggling U.S. economy. Aluminum maker Alcoa (NYSE:AA), which is traditionally the first Dow member to report results, is expected to say it earned 22 cents a share on revenue just north of $6 billion.</p>
<p>“I think investors are really looking forward to the kickoff to earnings season having a positive effect on this market,” said Jonathan Corpina, senior managing partner at Meridian Equity Partners. “I think investors have a little more to look at right now than just that one movie out of Europe.”</p>
<p>Analysts have been trimming their forecasts for earnings as concerns of a double-dip recession increased last month. S&amp;P 500 companies are expected to grow quarterly profits by 12.6% year-over-year, down from 17% on July 1, according to Thomson Reuters. Results from JPMorgan Chase (NYSE:JPM) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) are likely to make waves on Thursday.</p>
<p>Pado said at their current levels, stocks are pricing in a 10% decline in 2010 earnings -- a negative outcome few analysts are actually calling for.</p>
<p>“You’ve got this separation of the fear trade versus the rational mind,” said Pado. “Fear had won out to an extreme two weeks ago.”</p>
<p>Even though banks and the bond markets reopened after Monday's holiday, trading volume was very light on Tuesday, finishing just slightly above Columbus Day. The markets also saw very little volatility as the blue chips moved in a very tight trading range of just 82.19 points -- their narrowest range since July 30</p>
<p>“It seems like the uncertainty between both camps is keeping the market very tight right now," said Corpina.</p>
<p>Stocks did come under some early pressure on concerns that Slovakia's Parliament may reject the euro zone plan to increase the bailout fund to 440 euros ($600.34 billion). Slovakia is the last of the 17 nations that needs to approve the measure, which is seen as central to easing the crisis. However, the legislature can take the matter up again, likely under a different ruling government.</p>
<p>Policy makers must also decide how big of a haircut banks must take on their holdings of toxic Greek debt. According to Dow Jones Newswires, haircuts, or writedowns, of 40% to 60% are being mulled, well higher than the 21% tentatively agreed to in July.</p>
<p>“Yesterday was such an up day and there was so much euphoria tied to Europe. I think today people are sobering a little bit,” said Nick Kalivas, vice president of financial research at MF Global.</p>
<p>Tech stocks pushed the Nasdaq Composite solidly higher, making it the biggest winner of the major indexes. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) extended Monday's gains, rallying 3%. BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) jumped more than 5% as pressure from institutional shareholders to consider its strategic alternatives, such as a sale, continues to mount.</p>
<p>About half of the Dow's 30 stocks closed in the red, led by defensive plays Traveler's (NYSE:TRV) and AT&amp;T (NYSE:T). The benchmark index's biggest percentage winners were cyclical stocks like Alcoa and Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT).</p>
<p>In the commodities complex, crude oil reversed early losses and closed up 40 cents a barrel, or 0.47%, to $85.81. Gold slid $9.80 a troy ounce, or 0.59%, to $1,661.00. Economically-sensitive copper snapped a four-day winning streak, falling 2.22% a pound to $3.2875.</p>
<p>Corporate Movers</p>
<p>Dollar Thrifty (NYSE:DTG) abandoned its long-standing plans to sell itself after the car rental service failed to come to terms with rivals Avis (NYSE:CAR) or Hertz (NYSE:HTZ).</p>
<p>99 Cents Only Stores (NYSE:NDN) inked a $1.6 billion deal to be acquired by Ares Management and Canada Pension Plan Investment board, trumping a rejected $1.3 billion bid from Leonard Green in March. The offer represents a 32% premium to 99 Cents' closing price the day before the Leonard offer was made public.</p>
<p>Global Markets</p>
<p>London's&#160;FTSE 100&#160;slipped 0.06% to 5395.70, Germany's&#160;DAX&#160;gained 0.30% to 5865.01&#160;and France's&#160;CAC 40&#160;lost 0.25% to 3153.52.</p>
<p>In Asia, the Japanese&#160;Nikkei 225&#160;rallied 1.95% and Hong Kong's&#160;Hang Seng&#160;leaped 2.43% to 18141.60.</p>
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<p>The athletics department reported to the Journal last month the deficit for the 2016-17 fiscal year was $208,264. On Tuesday, at a Board of Regents Finance and Facilities committee meeting, UNM Controller Liz Metzger said officials recently determined that the actual number is closer to $372,000, though even that figure won’t be official until the annual external audit is completed in October.</p>
<p>Metzger told the Journal the discovery was made as part of the “normal accounting” process as staff reviewed reconciliations and year-end schedules ahead of the external audit.&#160; That audit is separate from the special audit undertaken earlier this summer by the Office of the State Auditor in response to concerns about athletics’ financial management and fundraising practices.</p>
<p>“We just needed to make a couple of accounting adjustments that were entries made last year-end that should’ve gotten reversed in FY17 and did not,” Metzger said.</p>
<p>Based on previous years’ numbers reported by UNM, that would bring athletics’ deficit to main campus to $4.8 million — the sum of the losses athletics has reported in eight of the last 10 years.</p>
<p>While the number grew Tuesday — not only beyond the $208,000 figure from last month but also since the department reported to the Regents in May a projected deficit of $97,000 — it is no indication of wrongdoing, Metzger insisted.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“No, no, no,” Metzger said.&#160; “It wasn’t even athletics. No, no, no. That’s not even a concern. It has nothing to do with athletics accounting staff. This is just a normal thing we go through in our controller’s division as we’re closing the books on the fiscal year. So we also found adjustments in other areas of campus that needed to be made.”</p>
<p>UNM has not released the specific adjustments and won’t until the external audit is complete, Metzger and Associate Vice President Chris Vallejos said Tuesday.</p>
<p>“Adjustments following a preliminary fiscal year end close are normal and typical, to make sure that all revenue and expenses are recorded in the appropriate fiscal year,” Metzger further explained in an email. “As an example, if the University receives an invoice in August 2017 that is for work done in June 2017, we must identify that invoice and payment and record it on our books as an FY17 expense, because the services were rendered in FY17.&#160; This is why we ‘keep the books open’ for adjustments such as these following the end of the fiscal year.”</p>
<p>The Journal reported the $208,264 deficit number after filing an Inspection of Public Records Act request on July 17 seeking “final fiscal year 2017 budget numbers for the department of athletics.” On Aug. 2, UNM released a one-page document with that figure with no mention of the numbers being “preliminary.”</p>
<p>But Metzger and Vallejos acknowledged Tuesday the document either shouldn’t have been released at all until finalized or at least should have indicated the numbers were pending the final audit before being considered complete.</p>
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UNM athletics deficit from last year higher than originally reported
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/1058945/unm-athletics-deficit-closer-to-372000.html
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2017-09-05
| 2least
|
UNM athletics deficit from last year higher than originally reported
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The athletics department reported to the Journal last month the deficit for the 2016-17 fiscal year was $208,264. On Tuesday, at a Board of Regents Finance and Facilities committee meeting, UNM Controller Liz Metzger said officials recently determined that the actual number is closer to $372,000, though even that figure won’t be official until the annual external audit is completed in October.</p>
<p>Metzger told the Journal the discovery was made as part of the “normal accounting” process as staff reviewed reconciliations and year-end schedules ahead of the external audit.&#160; That audit is separate from the special audit undertaken earlier this summer by the Office of the State Auditor in response to concerns about athletics’ financial management and fundraising practices.</p>
<p>“We just needed to make a couple of accounting adjustments that were entries made last year-end that should’ve gotten reversed in FY17 and did not,” Metzger said.</p>
<p>Based on previous years’ numbers reported by UNM, that would bring athletics’ deficit to main campus to $4.8 million — the sum of the losses athletics has reported in eight of the last 10 years.</p>
<p>While the number grew Tuesday — not only beyond the $208,000 figure from last month but also since the department reported to the Regents in May a projected deficit of $97,000 — it is no indication of wrongdoing, Metzger insisted.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“No, no, no,” Metzger said.&#160; “It wasn’t even athletics. No, no, no. That’s not even a concern. It has nothing to do with athletics accounting staff. This is just a normal thing we go through in our controller’s division as we’re closing the books on the fiscal year. So we also found adjustments in other areas of campus that needed to be made.”</p>
<p>UNM has not released the specific adjustments and won’t until the external audit is complete, Metzger and Associate Vice President Chris Vallejos said Tuesday.</p>
<p>“Adjustments following a preliminary fiscal year end close are normal and typical, to make sure that all revenue and expenses are recorded in the appropriate fiscal year,” Metzger further explained in an email. “As an example, if the University receives an invoice in August 2017 that is for work done in June 2017, we must identify that invoice and payment and record it on our books as an FY17 expense, because the services were rendered in FY17.&#160; This is why we ‘keep the books open’ for adjustments such as these following the end of the fiscal year.”</p>
<p>The Journal reported the $208,264 deficit number after filing an Inspection of Public Records Act request on July 17 seeking “final fiscal year 2017 budget numbers for the department of athletics.” On Aug. 2, UNM released a one-page document with that figure with no mention of the numbers being “preliminary.”</p>
<p>But Metzger and Vallejos acknowledged Tuesday the document either shouldn’t have been released at all until finalized or at least should have indicated the numbers were pending the final audit before being considered complete.</p>
| 6,103 |
<p>This US election year an unprecedented number of voters will likely head to the polls to cast their ballots in an exercise that should take just a few minutes to complete. But what about the rest of the minutes left in the year? Author and activist Chris Carlsson has some suggestions for social change beyond voting in Nowtopia, a new book about modern day rebels who, in his words, “aren’t waiting for an institutional change from on-high but are getting on with building the new world in the shell of the old.”</p>
<p>Chris Carlsson is a long-time community organizer, writer and radical historian based in San Fransisco. He helped launch the Critical Mass monthly bike-ins, which now take place in five continents and over 300 cities, and was a founder of the dissident magazine, Processed World, a publication reporting on the “underside of the Information Age.” These experiences enrich his enjoyable and fascinating new book, <a href="" type="internal">Nowtopia: How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today</a> (AK Press, 2008).</p>
<p>A driving argument throughout the book is that nowtopians are more than their jobs or class, and are working outside of the capitalist economy to create “A social revolt against being reduced to ‘mere workers,’ to being trapped in the objectified and commodified status of labor power.” It is this movement that the dynamic book focuses on, telling stories from across the garden plots, bicycle parties and kitchen tables that play essential roles in creating utopia now. Though there are many more examples of community organizing and activist work that could ever fit into the pages of one book, Nowtopia presents compelling stories of activism that anyone can learn from.</p>
<p>In a chapter on vacant-lot gardeners Carlsson digs into the roots and legacies of community gardening. Readers are informed that during World War I, a campaign was launched to “plant for freedom” and “hoe for liberty” in which five million gardeners produced $520 million in food in just two growing seasons. By 1944, in World War II, 18-20 million families had “Victory Gardens” which produced 40% of the nation’s vegetables. More recently, in 2004, 37 gardens in NYC produced more than 30,000 pounds of food. Globally, there are approximately 200 million urban gardeners producing food and income for around 700 million people.</p>
<p>Yet as this book illustrates, these gardens grow more than food, they grow community. Neighbors come together around gardens, experiences and knowledge are shared across generations, and empty city lots once full of fear and street violence are replaced by gardeners with flowers, vegetables and families. New York City gardener Sarah Ferguson describes the community gardens she’s been involved with, “Like the antic shrines and alters they construct in their flower beds, these eclectic havens are in a very real sense churches, where people find faith–both in themselves and in their neighbors.” But NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani waged a war on gardens, working to sell the lots off to real estate developers. In 2000, he told the New York Times, “If you live in an unrealistic world then you can say everything should be a community garden.” Yet many NYC neighbors banded together and resisted, preserving their garden lots and strengthening their community in the process.</p>
<p>Community gardening also offers a down to earth alternative to buying in to the corporate food world. Environmental justice activist Jessica Hayes, for example, who worked at The Food Project in Boston, said, “I can fight that [industrial agricultural system] until I die, but at the same time build an alternative so that at some point we can just cut the global system off.”</p>
<p>Another nowtopian activity understandably outlined in this book is bicycling. This mode of transport has long been applauded by activists against oil wars, oil dependency and cars. Like gardening, working together to fix and ride bikes can also build community. In Nowtopia, Ted White talks of his experience at the Center for Appropriate Transport in Eugene, Oregon, where he worked with young kids to fix and put bikes together. White says the work was empowering and confidence-building: “They took metal and rubber and plastic parts, put them together, fine tuned them, and then–voila!–they had literally made themselves a vehicle for both external exploration and self-discovery.” Similarly, Eric Welp, who teaches people how to fix their own bikes at “Chain Reaction” in Washington, DC, said “we’re not going to solve the world with bikes, but we can change it by changing a kid’s outlook” and mode of transportation.</p>
<p>Carlsson also guides readers through the rich history of bicycle zines, providing the example of the early 1990s zine called Mudflap by Greta Snider, where the author wrote a cartoon called Equipment Fetish, which goes, “you know how it feels… there’s something so good about MACHINE PARTS…knurled wheels, dials, level meters; the KA-CHUNK of a shutter, the clicks of indexed things falling into place…” In her zine, Snider also tells stories of “haunts for bike-punks in Toronto,” “rants against buying stolen bikes” and develops different city-specific games for bicyclists.</p>
<p>Other zines and publications cited by Carlsson critique the car culture of the US. An issue of Resist proclaims, “…all you habitual motorists are suckers. You’ve been hoodwinked. Your automobile is expensive, annoying, and anti-social. My bicycle is cheap, fun and at times, a traveling party.” Critical Mass bike rides–when bicyclists converge to take back the streets from cars–are another inspirational example of renegade bike culture redefining streets and protest. Carlsson says of these gatherings, “The bike ride is the premise, but the deeper transformation of imaginations and social connections is hard to measure.”</p>
<p>Nowtopia also moves off the streets and into cyberspace in another chapter called “The Virtual Spine of the Commons” which includes a brief people’s history of the internet, and a celebration of the rise of open and free software. This software movement, Carlsson writes, has “helped to radically reduce the price of software, providing access to thousands of new programmers and technically skilled people.” However, he laments the fact that with programs like Blogger, MySpace and YouTube, “A profitable business model arose by placing things people have been making privately for a long time (personal diaries, novels, photos, ramblings, poetry, school gazettes, etc.) in a public context of advertising and ecommerce, and then working to make those public, commercial platforms as monopolistic as possible.”</p>
<p>The author also shows many examples of how the internet has been an incredible organizing, media and fundraising tool for social movements and activists all over the world. From the Zapatistas getting their messages out via the internet, to non-profits and social organizations networking in ways that were unimaginable in pre-internet days, Carlsson analyzes the highs and lows of this powerful tool. He writes, “Typically, online communities are criticized for promoting disembodied and immaterial connections. Too often political campaigns that may once have mobilized a street action or something directly physical have instead turned into a cascade of emails and online petitions. But as the remarkable participation in the February 2003 global anti-war demonstrations revealed, the same electronic communities can network themselves to produce an unprecedented public demonstration.”</p>
<p>At the end of election day, many of the nowtopians we encounter in this book will likely still be teaching kids how to fix bikes instead of take standardized tests, crunching their shovels into new soil and democratizing cyberspace. Carlsson’s Nowtopia reminds us that there is much work to do beyond simply voting, and the examples he outlines in his book can be a good place to start, or expand, your own local revolutions. They are not necessarily end-all solutions, but could be catalysts toward broader social change and movements. As Carlsson writes, a nowtopia might be right around the corner: “An unfolding potential can and does erupt in the most surprising places, seemingly simple and limited but also embodying deeper aspirations for a more profound transformation.”</p>
<p>BENJAMIN DANGL is the author of “ <a href="" type="internal">The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia</a>,” (AK Press). He is an editor at UpsideDownWorld.org, a website on activism and politics in Latin America, and TowardFreedom.com, a progressive perspective on world events. Email bendangl(at)gmail.com</p>
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Beyond Voting
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2008/08/30/beyond-voting/
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2008-08-30
| 4left
|
Beyond Voting
<p>This US election year an unprecedented number of voters will likely head to the polls to cast their ballots in an exercise that should take just a few minutes to complete. But what about the rest of the minutes left in the year? Author and activist Chris Carlsson has some suggestions for social change beyond voting in Nowtopia, a new book about modern day rebels who, in his words, “aren’t waiting for an institutional change from on-high but are getting on with building the new world in the shell of the old.”</p>
<p>Chris Carlsson is a long-time community organizer, writer and radical historian based in San Fransisco. He helped launch the Critical Mass monthly bike-ins, which now take place in five continents and over 300 cities, and was a founder of the dissident magazine, Processed World, a publication reporting on the “underside of the Information Age.” These experiences enrich his enjoyable and fascinating new book, <a href="" type="internal">Nowtopia: How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists, and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today</a> (AK Press, 2008).</p>
<p>A driving argument throughout the book is that nowtopians are more than their jobs or class, and are working outside of the capitalist economy to create “A social revolt against being reduced to ‘mere workers,’ to being trapped in the objectified and commodified status of labor power.” It is this movement that the dynamic book focuses on, telling stories from across the garden plots, bicycle parties and kitchen tables that play essential roles in creating utopia now. Though there are many more examples of community organizing and activist work that could ever fit into the pages of one book, Nowtopia presents compelling stories of activism that anyone can learn from.</p>
<p>In a chapter on vacant-lot gardeners Carlsson digs into the roots and legacies of community gardening. Readers are informed that during World War I, a campaign was launched to “plant for freedom” and “hoe for liberty” in which five million gardeners produced $520 million in food in just two growing seasons. By 1944, in World War II, 18-20 million families had “Victory Gardens” which produced 40% of the nation’s vegetables. More recently, in 2004, 37 gardens in NYC produced more than 30,000 pounds of food. Globally, there are approximately 200 million urban gardeners producing food and income for around 700 million people.</p>
<p>Yet as this book illustrates, these gardens grow more than food, they grow community. Neighbors come together around gardens, experiences and knowledge are shared across generations, and empty city lots once full of fear and street violence are replaced by gardeners with flowers, vegetables and families. New York City gardener Sarah Ferguson describes the community gardens she’s been involved with, “Like the antic shrines and alters they construct in their flower beds, these eclectic havens are in a very real sense churches, where people find faith–both in themselves and in their neighbors.” But NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani waged a war on gardens, working to sell the lots off to real estate developers. In 2000, he told the New York Times, “If you live in an unrealistic world then you can say everything should be a community garden.” Yet many NYC neighbors banded together and resisted, preserving their garden lots and strengthening their community in the process.</p>
<p>Community gardening also offers a down to earth alternative to buying in to the corporate food world. Environmental justice activist Jessica Hayes, for example, who worked at The Food Project in Boston, said, “I can fight that [industrial agricultural system] until I die, but at the same time build an alternative so that at some point we can just cut the global system off.”</p>
<p>Another nowtopian activity understandably outlined in this book is bicycling. This mode of transport has long been applauded by activists against oil wars, oil dependency and cars. Like gardening, working together to fix and ride bikes can also build community. In Nowtopia, Ted White talks of his experience at the Center for Appropriate Transport in Eugene, Oregon, where he worked with young kids to fix and put bikes together. White says the work was empowering and confidence-building: “They took metal and rubber and plastic parts, put them together, fine tuned them, and then–voila!–they had literally made themselves a vehicle for both external exploration and self-discovery.” Similarly, Eric Welp, who teaches people how to fix their own bikes at “Chain Reaction” in Washington, DC, said “we’re not going to solve the world with bikes, but we can change it by changing a kid’s outlook” and mode of transportation.</p>
<p>Carlsson also guides readers through the rich history of bicycle zines, providing the example of the early 1990s zine called Mudflap by Greta Snider, where the author wrote a cartoon called Equipment Fetish, which goes, “you know how it feels… there’s something so good about MACHINE PARTS…knurled wheels, dials, level meters; the KA-CHUNK of a shutter, the clicks of indexed things falling into place…” In her zine, Snider also tells stories of “haunts for bike-punks in Toronto,” “rants against buying stolen bikes” and develops different city-specific games for bicyclists.</p>
<p>Other zines and publications cited by Carlsson critique the car culture of the US. An issue of Resist proclaims, “…all you habitual motorists are suckers. You’ve been hoodwinked. Your automobile is expensive, annoying, and anti-social. My bicycle is cheap, fun and at times, a traveling party.” Critical Mass bike rides–when bicyclists converge to take back the streets from cars–are another inspirational example of renegade bike culture redefining streets and protest. Carlsson says of these gatherings, “The bike ride is the premise, but the deeper transformation of imaginations and social connections is hard to measure.”</p>
<p>Nowtopia also moves off the streets and into cyberspace in another chapter called “The Virtual Spine of the Commons” which includes a brief people’s history of the internet, and a celebration of the rise of open and free software. This software movement, Carlsson writes, has “helped to radically reduce the price of software, providing access to thousands of new programmers and technically skilled people.” However, he laments the fact that with programs like Blogger, MySpace and YouTube, “A profitable business model arose by placing things people have been making privately for a long time (personal diaries, novels, photos, ramblings, poetry, school gazettes, etc.) in a public context of advertising and ecommerce, and then working to make those public, commercial platforms as monopolistic as possible.”</p>
<p>The author also shows many examples of how the internet has been an incredible organizing, media and fundraising tool for social movements and activists all over the world. From the Zapatistas getting their messages out via the internet, to non-profits and social organizations networking in ways that were unimaginable in pre-internet days, Carlsson analyzes the highs and lows of this powerful tool. He writes, “Typically, online communities are criticized for promoting disembodied and immaterial connections. Too often political campaigns that may once have mobilized a street action or something directly physical have instead turned into a cascade of emails and online petitions. But as the remarkable participation in the February 2003 global anti-war demonstrations revealed, the same electronic communities can network themselves to produce an unprecedented public demonstration.”</p>
<p>At the end of election day, many of the nowtopians we encounter in this book will likely still be teaching kids how to fix bikes instead of take standardized tests, crunching their shovels into new soil and democratizing cyberspace. Carlsson’s Nowtopia reminds us that there is much work to do beyond simply voting, and the examples he outlines in his book can be a good place to start, or expand, your own local revolutions. They are not necessarily end-all solutions, but could be catalysts toward broader social change and movements. As Carlsson writes, a nowtopia might be right around the corner: “An unfolding potential can and does erupt in the most surprising places, seemingly simple and limited but also embodying deeper aspirations for a more profound transformation.”</p>
<p>BENJAMIN DANGL is the author of “ <a href="" type="internal">The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia</a>,” (AK Press). He is an editor at UpsideDownWorld.org, a website on activism and politics in Latin America, and TowardFreedom.com, a progressive perspective on world events. Email bendangl(at)gmail.com</p>
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| 6,104 |
<p>You’ll be glad to know that anti-gun activists have finally found a scapegoat for last week’s <a href="" type="internal">mass shooting</a> at Umpqua Community College in Rosebud, Oregon.</p>
<p>They haven’t gone after the shooter(!), or the gun(!!), or the GOP(!!!); instead, they’ve decided to demand the head (and job) of Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin. Hanlin’s force responded to the situation at Umpqua, took the initial lead in the investigation, and handled the massive media response.</p>
<p />
<p>The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has issued a statement demanding Hanlin’s resignation following reports that Hanlin has expressed views contrary to the politically correct post-tragedy narrative espoused by pro-gun control advocates.</p>
<p>From the <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org/press-room/brady-campaign-calls-for-immediate-resignation-of-douglas-county-sheriff-john-hanlin" type="external">Brady Campaign</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is calling for the resignation of Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin, effective immediately. The Campaign has also called for his replacement as lead investigator of the Umpqua Community College shooting.</p>
<p>“John Hanlin should tender his resignation from the Douglas Country Sheriff’s Office and be immediately replaced as lead investigator on this case,” said Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.</p>
<p>“Citizens of Oregon voted for the expansion of Brady background checks in a law signed by Governor Brown this past May. In pledging not to enforce the new law, John Hanlin has clearly demonstrated that his political ideology trumps his responsibility to protect his community. The victims of last week’s shooting and the entire community deserve a thorough investigation that will get to the bottom of this heinous crime – an investigation that must be grounded in facts and evidence, not myth and bias.</p>
<p>“When questioning the realities of the September 11th attacks and the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, Sheriff John Hanlin posited a simple question – ‘Who can we trust anymore?’ He has made clear to Oregonians that it surely is not him.”</p>
<p>Where is all this coming from?</p>
<p>Last week, the New York Times published an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/us/oregon-sheriff-shared-sandy-hook-conspiracy-theory-on-facebook.html?smid=tw-share" type="external">article</a> focusing on Hanlin’s history of pushing back against federal regulations on firearm ownership. The article also drew attention to a 2013 letter Hanlin drafted to Vice President Joe Biden in the wake of the Sandy Hook Shootings, indicating his unwillingness to enforce regulations he deemed to be unconstitutional.</p>
<p>A photograph of the letter is still live on the Department Facebook page:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The article also shines light on a 2013 Facebook post from Hanlin’s personal timeline discussing a video touting conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook shooting and 9/11 attacks.</p>
<p>The Times has a screenshot of the post, which has since been deleted:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The video that Hanlin posted is still available on YouTube. It comes with a warning of graphic content:</p>
<p />
<p>Of note: nowhere in the Brady Campaign’s statement, the Times article, or anywhere else is it suggested that a failure to perform on Hanlin’s part in any way contributed to what happened in Oregon. No failures have been alleged on the part of law enforcement.</p>
<p>No—his crimes are thought crimes, dusted off and trotted out as evidence that he is unfit to serve or lead. We’re free to agree or disagree with Hanlin’s world views, but what the Brady Campaign is doing here is despicable. Instead of having the courage to dig deep at the true nature of the crime, these activists are happy to hoist up an innocent person as an example.</p>
<p>In other words, par for the course.</p>
<p>Follow Amy on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/thatamymiller" type="external">@ThatAmyMiller</a></p>
|
Anti-Gun Activists Call for Oregon Sheriff’s Head in Wake of Mass Shooting
| true |
http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/10/anti-gun-activists-call-for-oregon-sheriffs-head-in-wake-of-mass-shooting/
|
2015-10-05
| 0right
|
Anti-Gun Activists Call for Oregon Sheriff’s Head in Wake of Mass Shooting
<p>You’ll be glad to know that anti-gun activists have finally found a scapegoat for last week’s <a href="" type="internal">mass shooting</a> at Umpqua Community College in Rosebud, Oregon.</p>
<p>They haven’t gone after the shooter(!), or the gun(!!), or the GOP(!!!); instead, they’ve decided to demand the head (and job) of Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin. Hanlin’s force responded to the situation at Umpqua, took the initial lead in the investigation, and handled the massive media response.</p>
<p />
<p>The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has issued a statement demanding Hanlin’s resignation following reports that Hanlin has expressed views contrary to the politically correct post-tragedy narrative espoused by pro-gun control advocates.</p>
<p>From the <a href="http://www.bradycampaign.org/press-room/brady-campaign-calls-for-immediate-resignation-of-douglas-county-sheriff-john-hanlin" type="external">Brady Campaign</a>:</p>
<p />
<p>The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is calling for the resignation of Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin, effective immediately. The Campaign has also called for his replacement as lead investigator of the Umpqua Community College shooting.</p>
<p>“John Hanlin should tender his resignation from the Douglas Country Sheriff’s Office and be immediately replaced as lead investigator on this case,” said Dan Gross, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.</p>
<p>“Citizens of Oregon voted for the expansion of Brady background checks in a law signed by Governor Brown this past May. In pledging not to enforce the new law, John Hanlin has clearly demonstrated that his political ideology trumps his responsibility to protect his community. The victims of last week’s shooting and the entire community deserve a thorough investigation that will get to the bottom of this heinous crime – an investigation that must be grounded in facts and evidence, not myth and bias.</p>
<p>“When questioning the realities of the September 11th attacks and the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, Sheriff John Hanlin posited a simple question – ‘Who can we trust anymore?’ He has made clear to Oregonians that it surely is not him.”</p>
<p>Where is all this coming from?</p>
<p>Last week, the New York Times published an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/03/us/oregon-sheriff-shared-sandy-hook-conspiracy-theory-on-facebook.html?smid=tw-share" type="external">article</a> focusing on Hanlin’s history of pushing back against federal regulations on firearm ownership. The article also drew attention to a 2013 letter Hanlin drafted to Vice President Joe Biden in the wake of the Sandy Hook Shootings, indicating his unwillingness to enforce regulations he deemed to be unconstitutional.</p>
<p>A photograph of the letter is still live on the Department Facebook page:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The article also shines light on a 2013 Facebook post from Hanlin’s personal timeline discussing a video touting conspiracy theories about the Sandy Hook shooting and 9/11 attacks.</p>
<p>The Times has a screenshot of the post, which has since been deleted:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>The video that Hanlin posted is still available on YouTube. It comes with a warning of graphic content:</p>
<p />
<p>Of note: nowhere in the Brady Campaign’s statement, the Times article, or anywhere else is it suggested that a failure to perform on Hanlin’s part in any way contributed to what happened in Oregon. No failures have been alleged on the part of law enforcement.</p>
<p>No—his crimes are thought crimes, dusted off and trotted out as evidence that he is unfit to serve or lead. We’re free to agree or disagree with Hanlin’s world views, but what the Brady Campaign is doing here is despicable. Instead of having the courage to dig deep at the true nature of the crime, these activists are happy to hoist up an innocent person as an example.</p>
<p>In other words, par for the course.</p>
<p>Follow Amy on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/thatamymiller" type="external">@ThatAmyMiller</a></p>
| 6,105 |
<p>In the longest summer of my youth, I found myself in the passenger seat of a shoddy car with a stranger to the left of me, a stranger I would have to put all of my trust in. He drove us up and down Los Angeles’s Crenshaw Boulevard, waiting for a prepaid phone to ring. The men calling would ask for “the Asian one.”</p>
<p>Upon meeting, I would be paid $300, do my job, and walk away with 50 percent.</p>
<p>Over the following years I would go through the same routine in a number of cities. Sometimes I worked with a partner and sometimes I worked independently. Legally, I was engaged in sex trafficking. But for me, it was just work.</p>
<p>Recently, the cases of missing young girls in Washington DC went viral, driven by <a href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/DCs-Missing-Teens-Whats-True-and-Whats-Not-417021633.html" type="external">unsubstantiated claims</a> that they were victims of trafficking. This kind of misinformation, while common, stems from a simplistic understanding of the sex industry that does little to help actual trafficking victims while buoying high-profile NGOs with a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/opinion/the-price-of-a-sex-slave-rescue-fantasy.html?_r=0" type="external">savior complex</a>.</p>
<p>Misinformation about trafficking spreads quickly because data collection methods are inconsistent and not completely accurate. Polaris, the nonprofit organization that operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, has reported over twenty-two thousand&#160; <a href="https://polarisproject.org/sex-trafficking" type="external">cases</a> since 2007. However, it mines its <a href="https://humantraffickinghotline.org/states" type="external">data</a> solely from calls, emails, and web submissions. Most reports come from “community members” — not victims, their families, or case workers.</p>
<p>Other reports rely on figures from government and law enforcement agencies that pull hard numbers from arrests and court appearances. Because the legal definition of sex trafficking is intentionally broad, these data often include both consenting sex workers and genuine victims.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/7102" type="external">Legally</a>, trafficking describes the recruiting, harboring, transporting, provisioning, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Driving a sex worker, doing a sex worker’s taxes, seeing a sex worker, working with a sex worker ­­— all can get you arrested on trafficking charges. In fact, when two prostitutes work together, each one can be charged for trafficking the other. This definition, capacious to the point of absurdity, muddies discussions about trafficking while stripping consenting sex workers of any autonomy.</p>
<p>The prevailing discourse uses phrases like “modern slavery,” but downplays the role of economic coercion in shaping the sex industry. It claims to speak for the oppressed, yet fails to understand why so many women enter this high-risk, criminalized line of work in the first place. Many sex workers would explain their decision the same way a Walmart clerk, an Uber driver, or a waitress would: they need the money. Financial imperatives — not an abusive pimp or international gang — are often responsible for strong-arming people into sex work.</p>
<p>I started working in the sex industry when I was seventeen because I owed a debt: not to a pimp, but to my college. The institution I attended refused to let me start my first semester until I paid a down payment on the $3,000&#160;debt that my aid did not cover. I received this notice six days before classes started.</p>
<p>I knew sex work would yield quick results. Later in my life it would allow me to clothe, feed, and house myself, especially in my hardest times.</p>
<p>This kind of coercion is a symptom of capitalism, not just a feature of sex work. People are driven to work for a wage not out of want or desire but from need. The will to survive, to eat, to provide for our loved ones compels us to work.</p>
<p>Capitalism backs up this economic compulsion with an ideological story: if we can’t afford to get by, the fault lies with us; if we can’t afford life’s necessities, we didn’t try hard enough; if the state won’t assist us, it’s because we aren’t <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/drug-testing-and-public-assistance.aspx" type="external">good enough</a>. Like any member of the working class, sex workers are trying to get by, trying to attain a modicum of financial stability.</p>
<p>Sex workers, of course, carry out their job at <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/322/7285/524" type="external">great personal risk</a>. They compromise their emotions, safety, and sometimes their morals to put a roof over their heads.</p>
<p>I didn’t enter the industry because I thought it would be fun or easy or because I wanted to make a feminist statement: I did it because I was desperate for money.</p>
<p>But I’ve also never considered myself a victim of trafficking, even if I’ve had to work with a couple of managers or pimps. It was my choice to work with them and it was my decision to leave when I did. I only felt exploited because my rights as a worker were so lacking.</p>
<p>Sex trafficking is not a human rights issue. It is a labor issue. Elites refuse to see this because they refuse to recognize transactional sex as real work.</p>
<p>They view those who are trafficked as victims of circumstance rather than victims of an unjust economic system. They support rousting sex workers off the streets and throwing them in jail, making them prey to a justice system that delivers anything but. These “victims” are quite often just women who, like myself, were trying to make a living wage — victim only to the economic and political structures that never stood up for them in the first place.</p>
<p>When I first entered the sex industry as an adolescent, I choked down my anxiety along with my personal beliefs, and held it there for years.</p>
<p>I learned that any day you don’t work, any client you don’t see, and any hour you don’t upsell could be the difference between eating and starving. When your survival depends on the money you make, every dollar counts and how you get it&#160;doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Too many in our society have to make the same compromise every day.</p>
|
The Work in Sex Work
| true |
https://jacobinmag.com/2017/05/sex-work-criminalization-trafficking-labor-rights
|
2018-10-06
| 4left
|
The Work in Sex Work
<p>In the longest summer of my youth, I found myself in the passenger seat of a shoddy car with a stranger to the left of me, a stranger I would have to put all of my trust in. He drove us up and down Los Angeles’s Crenshaw Boulevard, waiting for a prepaid phone to ring. The men calling would ask for “the Asian one.”</p>
<p>Upon meeting, I would be paid $300, do my job, and walk away with 50 percent.</p>
<p>Over the following years I would go through the same routine in a number of cities. Sometimes I worked with a partner and sometimes I worked independently. Legally, I was engaged in sex trafficking. But for me, it was just work.</p>
<p>Recently, the cases of missing young girls in Washington DC went viral, driven by <a href="http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/DCs-Missing-Teens-Whats-True-and-Whats-Not-417021633.html" type="external">unsubstantiated claims</a> that they were victims of trafficking. This kind of misinformation, while common, stems from a simplistic understanding of the sex industry that does little to help actual trafficking victims while buoying high-profile NGOs with a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/opinion/the-price-of-a-sex-slave-rescue-fantasy.html?_r=0" type="external">savior complex</a>.</p>
<p>Misinformation about trafficking spreads quickly because data collection methods are inconsistent and not completely accurate. Polaris, the nonprofit organization that operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, has reported over twenty-two thousand&#160; <a href="https://polarisproject.org/sex-trafficking" type="external">cases</a> since 2007. However, it mines its <a href="https://humantraffickinghotline.org/states" type="external">data</a> solely from calls, emails, and web submissions. Most reports come from “community members” — not victims, their families, or case workers.</p>
<p>Other reports rely on figures from government and law enforcement agencies that pull hard numbers from arrests and court appearances. Because the legal definition of sex trafficking is intentionally broad, these data often include both consenting sex workers and genuine victims.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/22/7102" type="external">Legally</a>, trafficking describes the recruiting, harboring, transporting, provisioning, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act. Driving a sex worker, doing a sex worker’s taxes, seeing a sex worker, working with a sex worker ­­— all can get you arrested on trafficking charges. In fact, when two prostitutes work together, each one can be charged for trafficking the other. This definition, capacious to the point of absurdity, muddies discussions about trafficking while stripping consenting sex workers of any autonomy.</p>
<p>The prevailing discourse uses phrases like “modern slavery,” but downplays the role of economic coercion in shaping the sex industry. It claims to speak for the oppressed, yet fails to understand why so many women enter this high-risk, criminalized line of work in the first place. Many sex workers would explain their decision the same way a Walmart clerk, an Uber driver, or a waitress would: they need the money. Financial imperatives — not an abusive pimp or international gang — are often responsible for strong-arming people into sex work.</p>
<p>I started working in the sex industry when I was seventeen because I owed a debt: not to a pimp, but to my college. The institution I attended refused to let me start my first semester until I paid a down payment on the $3,000&#160;debt that my aid did not cover. I received this notice six days before classes started.</p>
<p>I knew sex work would yield quick results. Later in my life it would allow me to clothe, feed, and house myself, especially in my hardest times.</p>
<p>This kind of coercion is a symptom of capitalism, not just a feature of sex work. People are driven to work for a wage not out of want or desire but from need. The will to survive, to eat, to provide for our loved ones compels us to work.</p>
<p>Capitalism backs up this economic compulsion with an ideological story: if we can’t afford to get by, the fault lies with us; if we can’t afford life’s necessities, we didn’t try hard enough; if the state won’t assist us, it’s because we aren’t <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/drug-testing-and-public-assistance.aspx" type="external">good enough</a>. Like any member of the working class, sex workers are trying to get by, trying to attain a modicum of financial stability.</p>
<p>Sex workers, of course, carry out their job at <a href="http://www.bmj.com/content/322/7285/524" type="external">great personal risk</a>. They compromise their emotions, safety, and sometimes their morals to put a roof over their heads.</p>
<p>I didn’t enter the industry because I thought it would be fun or easy or because I wanted to make a feminist statement: I did it because I was desperate for money.</p>
<p>But I’ve also never considered myself a victim of trafficking, even if I’ve had to work with a couple of managers or pimps. It was my choice to work with them and it was my decision to leave when I did. I only felt exploited because my rights as a worker were so lacking.</p>
<p>Sex trafficking is not a human rights issue. It is a labor issue. Elites refuse to see this because they refuse to recognize transactional sex as real work.</p>
<p>They view those who are trafficked as victims of circumstance rather than victims of an unjust economic system. They support rousting sex workers off the streets and throwing them in jail, making them prey to a justice system that delivers anything but. These “victims” are quite often just women who, like myself, were trying to make a living wage — victim only to the economic and political structures that never stood up for them in the first place.</p>
<p>When I first entered the sex industry as an adolescent, I choked down my anxiety along with my personal beliefs, and held it there for years.</p>
<p>I learned that any day you don’t work, any client you don’t see, and any hour you don’t upsell could be the difference between eating and starving. When your survival depends on the money you make, every dollar counts and how you get it&#160;doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>Too many in our society have to make the same compromise every day.</p>
| 6,106 |
<p>A study has found that workers exposed to high levels of bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in the manufacture of plastics and other consumer goods, were at least four times likelier to report sexual problems, including erectile dysfunction.</p>
<p>The men surveyed for Kaiser Permanente’s research had been exposed to much larger quantities of the stuff than the average bottled water drinker, but the data appear to back up similar findings in animals.</p>
<p>BPA is most commonly found in Type 7 and Type 3 plastic containers (look for the number inside the triangular recycling symbol on plastic products). — PZS</p>
<p>WebMD Health News:</p>
<p />
<p>Compared to the unexposed factory workers in the study, BPA-exposed workers were four times more likely to report erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire, and less than optimal satisfaction with their sex lives. They were seven times more likely to report problems with ejaculation.</p>
<p>The findings must be replicated to prove the link between high levels of exposure to BPA and sexual dysfunction in men, Kaiser Permanente reproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.</p>
<p>“We also need to study lower levels of exposure closer to those consumers get,” he says. “But up until this point the critics have dismissed the idea that BPA has health effects at any level because most of the research has been in animals. They can no longer do this.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.webmd.com/erectile-dysfunction/news/20091111/study-high-bpa-linked-to-sex-issues-in-men" type="external">Read more</a></p>
|
Lousy Sex Life? Blame Plastic
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/lousy-sex-life-blame-plastic/
|
2009-11-11
| 4left
|
Lousy Sex Life? Blame Plastic
<p>A study has found that workers exposed to high levels of bisphenol A, a chemical widely used in the manufacture of plastics and other consumer goods, were at least four times likelier to report sexual problems, including erectile dysfunction.</p>
<p>The men surveyed for Kaiser Permanente’s research had been exposed to much larger quantities of the stuff than the average bottled water drinker, but the data appear to back up similar findings in animals.</p>
<p>BPA is most commonly found in Type 7 and Type 3 plastic containers (look for the number inside the triangular recycling symbol on plastic products). — PZS</p>
<p>WebMD Health News:</p>
<p />
<p>Compared to the unexposed factory workers in the study, BPA-exposed workers were four times more likely to report erectile dysfunction, low sexual desire, and less than optimal satisfaction with their sex lives. They were seven times more likely to report problems with ejaculation.</p>
<p>The findings must be replicated to prove the link between high levels of exposure to BPA and sexual dysfunction in men, Kaiser Permanente reproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, tells WebMD.</p>
<p>“We also need to study lower levels of exposure closer to those consumers get,” he says. “But up until this point the critics have dismissed the idea that BPA has health effects at any level because most of the research has been in animals. They can no longer do this.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.webmd.com/erectile-dysfunction/news/20091111/study-high-bpa-linked-to-sex-issues-in-men" type="external">Read more</a></p>
| 6,107 |
<p><a href="" type="internal">Download MP3</a> (right click)</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />This week on CounterSpin: The disappearance of 48 student activists in Mexico has brought hundreds of thousands of activists to the streets, demanding accountability from the US-allied president who just months ago was being cheered by Time magazine as the man who would save Mexico. We’ll talk to journalist Roberto Lovato about the crisis in Mexico and the reasons the story isn’t getting enough coverage in the US press.</p>
<p>Listen to this interview:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Also this week: US media presented the election of Ashraf Ghani as Afghanistan’s president as good news, largely because he would sign an agreement allowing US forces to remain in the country. Afghan women had different reasons to be tentatively hopeful; but then, who remembers Afghan women? We’ll talk with journalist Ann Jones about her new article, “The Missing Women of Afghanistan.” Listen to this interview:</p>
<p>LINKS: –“Mass Graves, Mass Deportations and Blossoming of Big Hope in&#160;América,” by Roberto Lovato (Of America, <a href="http://ofamerica.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/mass-graves-mass-deportations-and-blossoming-of-big-hope-in-america/" type="external">10/28/14</a>)</p>
<p>–“The Missing Women of Afghanistan:&#160;After 13 Years of War, the Rule of Men, Not Law,” by Ann Jones (TomDispatch, <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175914/tomgram%3A_ann_jones%2C_genuine%2C_handcrafted%2C_man-made_government/" type="external">10/30/14</a>)</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Subscribe: <a href="" type="internal">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="" type="internal">Android</a> | <a href="" type="internal">RSS</a></p>
|
Roberto Lovato on Mexico, Ann Jones on Afghanistan
| true |
http://fair.org/counterspin-radio/roberto-lovato-on-mexico-ann-jones-on-afghanistan/
|
2014-11-07
| 4left
|
Roberto Lovato on Mexico, Ann Jones on Afghanistan
<p><a href="" type="internal">Download MP3</a> (right click)</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />This week on CounterSpin: The disappearance of 48 student activists in Mexico has brought hundreds of thousands of activists to the streets, demanding accountability from the US-allied president who just months ago was being cheered by Time magazine as the man who would save Mexico. We’ll talk to journalist Roberto Lovato about the crisis in Mexico and the reasons the story isn’t getting enough coverage in the US press.</p>
<p>Listen to this interview:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Also this week: US media presented the election of Ashraf Ghani as Afghanistan’s president as good news, largely because he would sign an agreement allowing US forces to remain in the country. Afghan women had different reasons to be tentatively hopeful; but then, who remembers Afghan women? We’ll talk with journalist Ann Jones about her new article, “The Missing Women of Afghanistan.” Listen to this interview:</p>
<p>LINKS: –“Mass Graves, Mass Deportations and Blossoming of Big Hope in&#160;América,” by Roberto Lovato (Of America, <a href="http://ofamerica.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/mass-graves-mass-deportations-and-blossoming-of-big-hope-in-america/" type="external">10/28/14</a>)</p>
<p>–“The Missing Women of Afghanistan:&#160;After 13 Years of War, the Rule of Men, Not Law,” by Ann Jones (TomDispatch, <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175914/tomgram%3A_ann_jones%2C_genuine%2C_handcrafted%2C_man-made_government/" type="external">10/30/14</a>)</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Subscribe: <a href="" type="internal">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="" type="internal">Android</a> | <a href="" type="internal">RSS</a></p>
| 6,108 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A corn disease that is new to the heartland is infecting Kansas crops and may be contributing to this year’s decline in yield.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of bacterial leaf streak in a swath of land from Pratt County to Edwards County in late August, according to The Hutchinson News ( <a href="http://bit.ly/2ekqgog" type="external">http://bit.ly/2ekqgog</a> ).</p>
<p>Justin Gatz, a Preston-area farmer and crop consultant, said the disease is probably a factor in this year’s lower yield, but weather also had an impact.</p>
<p>“It might be one of those deals we see it this year and we won’t see it again — just because of the weather conditions we had this year,” said Gatz, who added that because the disease is bacterial, fungicide won’t work to kill it.</p>
<p>Edwards County farmer David Wood said other crops are doing well, but his corn yield potential has fallen by 40 to 60 bushels an acre compared with last year.</p>
<p>The federal department began a survey of cornfields across the region after the disease was discovered in samples submitted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2014, Kansas State University said in a statement. The disease is thought to have occurred on corn in South Africa, but it has been more widely associated with gumming disease of sugarcane, according to the statement. It is unknown how it entered the U.S.</p>
<p>The disease has been found in about a dozen states, including Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
|
Corn disease, weather affect crop yields in Kansas
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/864309/corn-disease-weather-affect-crop-yields-in-kansas.html
|
2016-10-10
| 2least
|
Corn disease, weather affect crop yields in Kansas
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A corn disease that is new to the heartland is infecting Kansas crops and may be contributing to this year’s decline in yield.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the presence of bacterial leaf streak in a swath of land from Pratt County to Edwards County in late August, according to The Hutchinson News ( <a href="http://bit.ly/2ekqgog" type="external">http://bit.ly/2ekqgog</a> ).</p>
<p>Justin Gatz, a Preston-area farmer and crop consultant, said the disease is probably a factor in this year’s lower yield, but weather also had an impact.</p>
<p>“It might be one of those deals we see it this year and we won’t see it again — just because of the weather conditions we had this year,” said Gatz, who added that because the disease is bacterial, fungicide won’t work to kill it.</p>
<p>Edwards County farmer David Wood said other crops are doing well, but his corn yield potential has fallen by 40 to 60 bushels an acre compared with last year.</p>
<p>The federal department began a survey of cornfields across the region after the disease was discovered in samples submitted to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2014, Kansas State University said in a statement. The disease is thought to have occurred on corn in South Africa, but it has been more widely associated with gumming disease of sugarcane, according to the statement. It is unknown how it entered the U.S.</p>
<p>The disease has been found in about a dozen states, including Nebraska, Colorado and Oklahoma.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
| 6,109 |
<p>The New York Times building in Manhattan. ( <a href="http://laughingsquid.com/" type="external">Scott Beale / Laughing Squid</a>)</p>
<p>Author and activist Nancy Levine on Thursday published <a href="https://medium.com/@nancylevine/an-open-letter-to-ny-times-public-editor-liz-spayd-from-survivors-of-child-sexual-abuse-and-a53363b39872#.mulwnihiu" type="external">an open letter</a> on Medium directed at Liz Spayd, The New York Times’ public editor. Levine asked the Times to provide better coverage of child sexual abuse.</p>
<p>Levine also asked for transparency about a potential conflict of interest she believes is limiting the publication’s coverage of the proposed <a href="http://nychildvictimsact.org/2.html" type="external">Child Victims Act</a>, a piece of New York state legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations for prosecuting cases of abuse against underage children. So far, 38 survivors of abuse and advocates fighting against the problem have signed Levine’s letter.</p>
<p />
<p>“As advocates working to raise awareness of issues surrounding child sexual abuse, we would like to ask The Times to elevate its editorial sensitivity to covering related news,” Levine writes. “Can we, the community of survivors of child sexual abuse and advocates, count on The Times to elevate its editorial sensitivity to covering news that affects us?”</p>
<p>In the letter, Levine also refers to “an appearance of a conflict of interest” in “The Times’ absence of recent coverage of the Child Victims Act of New York.” In <a href="https://medium.com/@nancylevine/https-medium-com-nancylevine-spotlight-2-0-child-sexual-abuse-and-the-new-york-times-acd50ae52c44#.rtxmrxtz3" type="external">a separate piece</a>, also published on Medium, Levine outlines the potential conflict and shares her correspondence with Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet.</p>
<p>Levine writes that John Mackey, a co-founder of Whole Foods, expressed support for Marc Gafni, who was revealed in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/26/us/marc-gafni-center-for-integral-wisdom.html?_r=0" type="external">a December 2015 article</a> published by the Times to have sexually abused a child. “As it happens,” Levine writes, “the wife of The New York Times Publisher and Chairman Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., Gabrielle Greene Sulzberger sits on the Whole Foods Market Board of Directors.” Levine continues:</p>
<p>Presumably there is no causal relationship between The Times’ absence of reporting on the Child Victims Act and the Sulzbergers’ financial interests in Whole Foods Market. But to quell any concern about a conflict of interest … wouldn’t The Times want to pay close attention to reporting on the bill?</p>
<p>The Times also has not followed up on its December story about Mackey’s association with Gafni. The newspaper did not report news of coordinated protests at Whole Foods stores in New York City and at the company’s widely heralded [launching of the first so-called 365 store] in Los Angeles in May.</p>
<p>Levine notes that other major publications, such as The Washington Post, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/05/25/first-whole-foods-365-store-met-with-protests-over-ceos-ties-to-ex-rabbi-who-allegedly-had-sex-with-underage-girls/" type="external">covered the story</a> of the protests.</p>
<p>Levine seems disheartened about her communications with Baquet, noting that he replied to her initial query about the Times’ transparency by writing that “[o]nly someone quite paranoid would see such a connection.”</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/pac-pushing-child-victims-act-endorses-long-island-democrat-article-1.2733838" type="external">the New York Daily News</a>, various versions of the Child Victims Act “would either extend the time that child sex abuse victims can bring legal cases, or eliminate the time limit for doing so.” As to the status of the legislation, the Daily News notes that Republicans in the state Senate blocked a vote from happening before the 2016 legislative session ended in June.</p>
<p>Levine writes: “I am asking Mr. Baquet and The Times to help expedite a shift?—changing the culture of silence that allows child sexual abuse to proliferate, and prevents long-festering wounds from healing. … In the midst of our boiling-over outrage about sexual violence, might The Times make a real difference to survivors and victims of child sexual abuse who are in serious need of a powerful ally?”</p>
<p>—Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Emma Niles</a></p>
|
Open Letter Urges New York Times to Help Reverse 'Culture of Silence' on Child Sexual Abuse
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/open-letter-urges-new-york-times-to-help-reverse-culture-of-silence-on-child-sexual-abuse/
|
2016-08-14
| 4left
|
Open Letter Urges New York Times to Help Reverse 'Culture of Silence' on Child Sexual Abuse
<p>The New York Times building in Manhattan. ( <a href="http://laughingsquid.com/" type="external">Scott Beale / Laughing Squid</a>)</p>
<p>Author and activist Nancy Levine on Thursday published <a href="https://medium.com/@nancylevine/an-open-letter-to-ny-times-public-editor-liz-spayd-from-survivors-of-child-sexual-abuse-and-a53363b39872#.mulwnihiu" type="external">an open letter</a> on Medium directed at Liz Spayd, The New York Times’ public editor. Levine asked the Times to provide better coverage of child sexual abuse.</p>
<p>Levine also asked for transparency about a potential conflict of interest she believes is limiting the publication’s coverage of the proposed <a href="http://nychildvictimsact.org/2.html" type="external">Child Victims Act</a>, a piece of New York state legislation that would eliminate the statute of limitations for prosecuting cases of abuse against underage children. So far, 38 survivors of abuse and advocates fighting against the problem have signed Levine’s letter.</p>
<p />
<p>“As advocates working to raise awareness of issues surrounding child sexual abuse, we would like to ask The Times to elevate its editorial sensitivity to covering related news,” Levine writes. “Can we, the community of survivors of child sexual abuse and advocates, count on The Times to elevate its editorial sensitivity to covering news that affects us?”</p>
<p>In the letter, Levine also refers to “an appearance of a conflict of interest” in “The Times’ absence of recent coverage of the Child Victims Act of New York.” In <a href="https://medium.com/@nancylevine/https-medium-com-nancylevine-spotlight-2-0-child-sexual-abuse-and-the-new-york-times-acd50ae52c44#.rtxmrxtz3" type="external">a separate piece</a>, also published on Medium, Levine outlines the potential conflict and shares her correspondence with Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet.</p>
<p>Levine writes that John Mackey, a co-founder of Whole Foods, expressed support for Marc Gafni, who was revealed in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/26/us/marc-gafni-center-for-integral-wisdom.html?_r=0" type="external">a December 2015 article</a> published by the Times to have sexually abused a child. “As it happens,” Levine writes, “the wife of The New York Times Publisher and Chairman Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr., Gabrielle Greene Sulzberger sits on the Whole Foods Market Board of Directors.” Levine continues:</p>
<p>Presumably there is no causal relationship between The Times’ absence of reporting on the Child Victims Act and the Sulzbergers’ financial interests in Whole Foods Market. But to quell any concern about a conflict of interest … wouldn’t The Times want to pay close attention to reporting on the bill?</p>
<p>The Times also has not followed up on its December story about Mackey’s association with Gafni. The newspaper did not report news of coordinated protests at Whole Foods stores in New York City and at the company’s widely heralded [launching of the first so-called 365 store] in Los Angeles in May.</p>
<p>Levine notes that other major publications, such as The Washington Post, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/05/25/first-whole-foods-365-store-met-with-protests-over-ceos-ties-to-ex-rabbi-who-allegedly-had-sex-with-underage-girls/" type="external">covered the story</a> of the protests.</p>
<p>Levine seems disheartened about her communications with Baquet, noting that he replied to her initial query about the Times’ transparency by writing that “[o]nly someone quite paranoid would see such a connection.”</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/pac-pushing-child-victims-act-endorses-long-island-democrat-article-1.2733838" type="external">the New York Daily News</a>, various versions of the Child Victims Act “would either extend the time that child sex abuse victims can bring legal cases, or eliminate the time limit for doing so.” As to the status of the legislation, the Daily News notes that Republicans in the state Senate blocked a vote from happening before the 2016 legislative session ended in June.</p>
<p>Levine writes: “I am asking Mr. Baquet and The Times to help expedite a shift?—changing the culture of silence that allows child sexual abuse to proliferate, and prevents long-festering wounds from healing. … In the midst of our boiling-over outrage about sexual violence, might The Times make a real difference to survivors and victims of child sexual abuse who are in serious need of a powerful ally?”</p>
<p>—Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Emma Niles</a></p>
| 6,110 |
<p>Wednesday, April 20, 2016 by <a href="author/mbundrandt" type="external">Michael Bundrant</a></p>
<p>//www.newstarget.com/2016-04-20-black-seed-oil-cumin.html</p>
<p />
<p>The fact that nature has an answer for most medical problems is no secret. People are becoming aware that there are options other than prescription <a href="//Medicine.news" type="external">medications</a>; they just aren’t sure where to begin!</p>
<p>One of the best kept secrets of natural medicines is black cumin seed oil. The list of medications that this seed can replace is almost disturbingly long. The benefits are substantial, and with none of the negative side effects.</p>
<p>An article titled “ <a href="//www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/black-seed-remedy-everything-death" type="external">Black Seed – The Remedy for Everything but Death</a>” published by Green Med Info says in regards to Type 2 Diabetics, “Two grams of black seed a day resulted in reduced fasting glucose, decreased insulin resistance, increased beta-cell function, and reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in human subjects.”</p>
<p>Meaning their glucose levels were lower before eating, they were processing it better once they did eat, and had better long-term control of the disease.</p>
<p>That’s just one disease that black cumin seed, or “black seed” oil has proven to help people with. From helping people that are battling addiction to opiates, to people that are battling cancer, this seed is truly a gift to humanity.</p>
<p>According to an article titled “ <a href="//www.naturalnews.com/053673_black_cumin_seed_honey_cancer_prevention.html" type="external">Combining black cumin seed with honey for incredible protection against carcinogenic elements, such as radiation and more</a>” published by Natural News, “As reported by Healthy Food Place, black cumin seed oil and its extract, thymoquinone, appear to be very effective at battling liver cancer, melanoma, lymphoma, cervical cancer, and pancreatic, bone, breast, stomach, prostate, colon and brain cancers as well.” With none of the harmful/deadly side-effects that come along with traditional Western cancer treatments.</p>
<p>If there is one thing that remains clear, it is that we, as a nation, should stop turning to a pill bottle every time we have a problem. I am not a doctor by any means, and cannot tell anyone how to handle their disease or medical problems. If you feel that you need a doctor, or medication, by all means, do what you feel you need to do to be healthy.</p>
<p>But if you feel that there might be a better alternative with no side-effects, turn to nature and you will surely find it. The black seed and all of its medicinal qualities are proof of that.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Sources:</p>
<p>Black Seed – ‘The Remedy For Everything But Death’ | GreenMedInfo. (n.d.). Retrieved from <a href="//www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/black-seed-remedy-everything-death" type="external">//www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/black-seed-remedy-everything-death</a></p>
<p>Combining black cumin seed with honey for incredible protection against carcinogenic elements, such as radiation and more – NaturalNews.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from <a href="//www.naturalnews.com/053673_black_cumin_seed_honey_cancer_prevention.html" type="external">//www.naturalnews.com/053673_black_cumin_seed_honey_cancer_prevention.html</a></p>
<p>Courtney, Living. – Living naturally, creating awareness, and making things simple. (n.d.). Retrieved from //www.courtneyliving.com/</p>
<p>Tagged Under: Tags: <a href="tag/black-seed-oil" type="external">Black Seed Oil</a>, <a href="tag/black-seeds" type="external">Black Seeds</a></p>
|
Curious Black Seed Oil Cures ‘Everything But Death’
| true |
https://newstarget.com/2016-04-20-black-seed-oil-cumin.html
| 0right
|
Curious Black Seed Oil Cures ‘Everything But Death’
<p>Wednesday, April 20, 2016 by <a href="author/mbundrandt" type="external">Michael Bundrant</a></p>
<p>//www.newstarget.com/2016-04-20-black-seed-oil-cumin.html</p>
<p />
<p>The fact that nature has an answer for most medical problems is no secret. People are becoming aware that there are options other than prescription <a href="//Medicine.news" type="external">medications</a>; they just aren’t sure where to begin!</p>
<p>One of the best kept secrets of natural medicines is black cumin seed oil. The list of medications that this seed can replace is almost disturbingly long. The benefits are substantial, and with none of the negative side effects.</p>
<p>An article titled “ <a href="//www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/black-seed-remedy-everything-death" type="external">Black Seed – The Remedy for Everything but Death</a>” published by Green Med Info says in regards to Type 2 Diabetics, “Two grams of black seed a day resulted in reduced fasting glucose, decreased insulin resistance, increased beta-cell function, and reduced glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in human subjects.”</p>
<p>Meaning their glucose levels were lower before eating, they were processing it better once they did eat, and had better long-term control of the disease.</p>
<p>That’s just one disease that black cumin seed, or “black seed” oil has proven to help people with. From helping people that are battling addiction to opiates, to people that are battling cancer, this seed is truly a gift to humanity.</p>
<p>According to an article titled “ <a href="//www.naturalnews.com/053673_black_cumin_seed_honey_cancer_prevention.html" type="external">Combining black cumin seed with honey for incredible protection against carcinogenic elements, such as radiation and more</a>” published by Natural News, “As reported by Healthy Food Place, black cumin seed oil and its extract, thymoquinone, appear to be very effective at battling liver cancer, melanoma, lymphoma, cervical cancer, and pancreatic, bone, breast, stomach, prostate, colon and brain cancers as well.” With none of the harmful/deadly side-effects that come along with traditional Western cancer treatments.</p>
<p>If there is one thing that remains clear, it is that we, as a nation, should stop turning to a pill bottle every time we have a problem. I am not a doctor by any means, and cannot tell anyone how to handle their disease or medical problems. If you feel that you need a doctor, or medication, by all means, do what you feel you need to do to be healthy.</p>
<p>But if you feel that there might be a better alternative with no side-effects, turn to nature and you will surely find it. The black seed and all of its medicinal qualities are proof of that.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Sources:</p>
<p>Black Seed – ‘The Remedy For Everything But Death’ | GreenMedInfo. (n.d.). Retrieved from <a href="//www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/black-seed-remedy-everything-death" type="external">//www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/black-seed-remedy-everything-death</a></p>
<p>Combining black cumin seed with honey for incredible protection against carcinogenic elements, such as radiation and more – NaturalNews.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from <a href="//www.naturalnews.com/053673_black_cumin_seed_honey_cancer_prevention.html" type="external">//www.naturalnews.com/053673_black_cumin_seed_honey_cancer_prevention.html</a></p>
<p>Courtney, Living. – Living naturally, creating awareness, and making things simple. (n.d.). Retrieved from //www.courtneyliving.com/</p>
<p>Tagged Under: Tags: <a href="tag/black-seed-oil" type="external">Black Seed Oil</a>, <a href="tag/black-seeds" type="external">Black Seeds</a></p>
| 6,111 |
|
<p>You may have&#160;heard about Maylin Reynoso’s death a few days ago. Reynoso, a 20-year-old Dominicana from the Bronx, was last seen leaving her job on July 27, 2016. Her&#160;body was found in the Harlem River&#160;three days later. &#160;</p>
<p>In the weeks&#160;since her disappearance, we’ve seen&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-maylin-reynoso-has-become-the-symbol-of-forgotten-latinas_us_57bc8cbae4b0b51733a616d7" type="external">tributes</a>,&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MaylinReynoso&amp;src=typd" type="external">hashtags</a>, and growing outrage, all asking: Why did it take a month for Maylin’s disappearance to receive media attention when the same week the death of&#160;a&#160;white female jogger in the same city became national headlines? Why are&#160;the disappearances and deaths of Latinas&#160;so often erased? And why are they often blamed for the violence against them?</p>
<p>The first article regarding Maylin’s death appeared in&#160; <a href="http://ensegundos.do/2016/08/10/encuentran-muerta-una-dominicana-que-habia-desaparecido-en-ny/" type="external">Ensegundos</a>&#160;on August 10, 2016, thirteen days after her&#160;disappearance. The first line of the article told us:&#160;“[she] suffered from depression and bipolar behavior.”&#160;The article did not&#160;introduce it’s reader&#160;to a young woman with unfulfilled potential and a zest for life;&#160;it introduced us to a&#160;tragic character, implicitly suggesting that she was destined for a violent ending. While Vanessa Marcotte—the white female jogger—was described by New York Magazine as&#160;having a “ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work, and love of Boston sports,” Maylin was declared unstable and suspect. After all, authorities had&#160;assumed Maylin&#160;ran away. Her disappearance, we were told, was not a “tragedy,” but a product of her&#160;own behavior.&#160;</p>
<p>Given&#160;this characterization, it is important to note that Maylin’s life wasn’t tragic. She was vibrant. Maylin&#160;lit up every time she&#160; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJVfuQLBWh0/" type="external">held her skateboard</a>. As if the very sun was captured in her grip. As if four wheels were all she&#160;needed to create magic.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/maylin116" type="external">Maylins’&#160;Facebook page</a>&#160;says she&#160;attended the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I wonder which house she&#160;imagined herself&#160;being&#160;sorted into. To me, Maylin&#160;seems like a Hufflepuff. She reminds me of Tonks: funny, charming, and as bright as her always-changing hair.&#160;Both of them&#160;brujas, witches. One&#160;received her wand from the Order of the Phoenix, the other her skateboard from the <a href="http://www.vogue.com/13452438/brujas-feminist-skate-crew/" type="external">Brujas of the Bronx</a>.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://ensegundos.do/2016/08/10/encuentran-muerta-una-dominicana-que-habia-desaparecido-en-ny/" type="external">Maylin’s&#160;body was identified by her&#160;tattoos</a>: her&#160;zodiac sign—Scorpio—on her&#160;right wrist, lotus flower petals on her&#160;left arm, her grandmother’s name—Milagros—on her&#160;left wrist. I wish the world could have given her a milagro, a miracle.&#160;I wish it&#160;could keep girls like her safe. I wish it&#160;would&#160;offer girls like her justice.&#160;</p>
<p>When Maylin’s&#160;body was found, they again assumed that because she&#160;heard voices, she&#160;must have played a part in her&#160;own death. Loca, crazy, betrayed by her&#160;own intuitions. They assumed that because she&#160;lived with depression and bipolar disorder, somehow she&#160;must’ve also wanted death. Latina girls, never the victimized. Latina girls, the culprits even in death.</p>
<p>I don’t believe these&#160;voices were a sign that Maylin&#160;lacked the will to live nor&#160;did they&#160;point to her&#160;lack of sanity. The voices pointed to a centuries long spiritual tradition where the women in our families have premonitions, read people phenomenally, and rely on an intuition often deemed “illogical” and “backwards.”&#160;The voices pointed to Maylin’s rootedness in&#160; <a href="http://www.academia.edu/6085866/Gloria_Anzald%C3%BAas_El_Mundo_Zurdo_Exploring_a_Relational_Feminist_Theology_of_Interconnectedness" type="external">el&#160;mundo zurdo,</a>&#160;the&#160;left-handed world as Gloria&#160;Anzaldúa terms&#160;it, a&#160;world inhabited by the colored, the queer, the poor, the forgotten, the discarded. <a href="http://www.vivala.com/identity/brujas-spirituality-intuition-feminism/3535" type="external">Maylin listened to her body</a> and was&#160;not afraid to follow its intuitions. She, unapologetically a bruja. She, unapologetically in love with herself.</p>
<p>I believe that we, the brujas who are still here, can&#160; <a href="http://www.yomairafigueroa.com/blog-1/" type="external">“faithfully witness”</a>&#160;that which may&#160;never be seen or known. When a Latina’s death is forgotten, when the victim becomes the primary suspect in her own death, we must speak up.&#160;We must use&#160;our&#160;voices and platforms to demand visibility for bodies that have been erased and bring to light truth(s) that remain buried in the Harlem River.&#160;</p>
<p>We are magic and we create magic, believing even when we cannot see, seeing what we are told does not exist, exposing what is visible only to our eyes.&#160;I never met Maylin&#160;but that doesn’t stop me from seeking&#160;justice&#160;for my fellow bruja. When I speak her name to&#160;others, I do not only tell them about her tragic death but also about her magical life. When&#160; <a href="http://www.vibe.com/2016/08/brujas-honor-fallen-sister-maylin-reynoso/" type="external">brujas gather together to celebrate Maylin</a>, we do something radical: we push back against the erasure of our stories.&#160;We, the&#160;witnesses and the witches, can conjure justice and healing even when it is denied us—even when we are told it does not exist for brujas&#160;like us.</p>
<p>You can donate money to Maylin’s family&#160; <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/2jj3q98" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>Header image via&#160; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/maylin116?fref=ts" type="external">Facebook</a>.</p>
|
For Maylin Reynoso and Other Forgotten Latinas
| true |
http://feministing.com/2016/08/29/for-maylin-reynoso-and-other-forgotten-latinas/
| 4left
|
For Maylin Reynoso and Other Forgotten Latinas
<p>You may have&#160;heard about Maylin Reynoso’s death a few days ago. Reynoso, a 20-year-old Dominicana from the Bronx, was last seen leaving her job on July 27, 2016. Her&#160;body was found in the Harlem River&#160;three days later. &#160;</p>
<p>In the weeks&#160;since her disappearance, we’ve seen&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-maylin-reynoso-has-become-the-symbol-of-forgotten-latinas_us_57bc8cbae4b0b51733a616d7" type="external">tributes</a>,&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23MaylinReynoso&amp;src=typd" type="external">hashtags</a>, and growing outrage, all asking: Why did it take a month for Maylin’s disappearance to receive media attention when the same week the death of&#160;a&#160;white female jogger in the same city became national headlines? Why are&#160;the disappearances and deaths of Latinas&#160;so often erased? And why are they often blamed for the violence against them?</p>
<p>The first article regarding Maylin’s death appeared in&#160; <a href="http://ensegundos.do/2016/08/10/encuentran-muerta-una-dominicana-que-habia-desaparecido-en-ny/" type="external">Ensegundos</a>&#160;on August 10, 2016, thirteen days after her&#160;disappearance. The first line of the article told us:&#160;“[she] suffered from depression and bipolar behavior.”&#160;The article did not&#160;introduce it’s reader&#160;to a young woman with unfulfilled potential and a zest for life;&#160;it introduced us to a&#160;tragic character, implicitly suggesting that she was destined for a violent ending. While Vanessa Marcotte—the white female jogger—was described by New York Magazine as&#160;having a “ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work, and love of Boston sports,” Maylin was declared unstable and suspect. After all, authorities had&#160;assumed Maylin&#160;ran away. Her disappearance, we were told, was not a “tragedy,” but a product of her&#160;own behavior.&#160;</p>
<p>Given&#160;this characterization, it is important to note that Maylin’s life wasn’t tragic. She was vibrant. Maylin&#160;lit up every time she&#160; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJVfuQLBWh0/" type="external">held her skateboard</a>. As if the very sun was captured in her grip. As if four wheels were all she&#160;needed to create magic.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/maylin116" type="external">Maylins’&#160;Facebook page</a>&#160;says she&#160;attended the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I wonder which house she&#160;imagined herself&#160;being&#160;sorted into. To me, Maylin&#160;seems like a Hufflepuff. She reminds me of Tonks: funny, charming, and as bright as her always-changing hair.&#160;Both of them&#160;brujas, witches. One&#160;received her wand from the Order of the Phoenix, the other her skateboard from the <a href="http://www.vogue.com/13452438/brujas-feminist-skate-crew/" type="external">Brujas of the Bronx</a>.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://ensegundos.do/2016/08/10/encuentran-muerta-una-dominicana-que-habia-desaparecido-en-ny/" type="external">Maylin’s&#160;body was identified by her&#160;tattoos</a>: her&#160;zodiac sign—Scorpio—on her&#160;right wrist, lotus flower petals on her&#160;left arm, her grandmother’s name—Milagros—on her&#160;left wrist. I wish the world could have given her a milagro, a miracle.&#160;I wish it&#160;could keep girls like her safe. I wish it&#160;would&#160;offer girls like her justice.&#160;</p>
<p>When Maylin’s&#160;body was found, they again assumed that because she&#160;heard voices, she&#160;must have played a part in her&#160;own death. Loca, crazy, betrayed by her&#160;own intuitions. They assumed that because she&#160;lived with depression and bipolar disorder, somehow she&#160;must’ve also wanted death. Latina girls, never the victimized. Latina girls, the culprits even in death.</p>
<p>I don’t believe these&#160;voices were a sign that Maylin&#160;lacked the will to live nor&#160;did they&#160;point to her&#160;lack of sanity. The voices pointed to a centuries long spiritual tradition where the women in our families have premonitions, read people phenomenally, and rely on an intuition often deemed “illogical” and “backwards.”&#160;The voices pointed to Maylin’s rootedness in&#160; <a href="http://www.academia.edu/6085866/Gloria_Anzald%C3%BAas_El_Mundo_Zurdo_Exploring_a_Relational_Feminist_Theology_of_Interconnectedness" type="external">el&#160;mundo zurdo,</a>&#160;the&#160;left-handed world as Gloria&#160;Anzaldúa terms&#160;it, a&#160;world inhabited by the colored, the queer, the poor, the forgotten, the discarded. <a href="http://www.vivala.com/identity/brujas-spirituality-intuition-feminism/3535" type="external">Maylin listened to her body</a> and was&#160;not afraid to follow its intuitions. She, unapologetically a bruja. She, unapologetically in love with herself.</p>
<p>I believe that we, the brujas who are still here, can&#160; <a href="http://www.yomairafigueroa.com/blog-1/" type="external">“faithfully witness”</a>&#160;that which may&#160;never be seen or known. When a Latina’s death is forgotten, when the victim becomes the primary suspect in her own death, we must speak up.&#160;We must use&#160;our&#160;voices and platforms to demand visibility for bodies that have been erased and bring to light truth(s) that remain buried in the Harlem River.&#160;</p>
<p>We are magic and we create magic, believing even when we cannot see, seeing what we are told does not exist, exposing what is visible only to our eyes.&#160;I never met Maylin&#160;but that doesn’t stop me from seeking&#160;justice&#160;for my fellow bruja. When I speak her name to&#160;others, I do not only tell them about her tragic death but also about her magical life. When&#160; <a href="http://www.vibe.com/2016/08/brujas-honor-fallen-sister-maylin-reynoso/" type="external">brujas gather together to celebrate Maylin</a>, we do something radical: we push back against the erasure of our stories.&#160;We, the&#160;witnesses and the witches, can conjure justice and healing even when it is denied us—even when we are told it does not exist for brujas&#160;like us.</p>
<p>You can donate money to Maylin’s family&#160; <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/2jj3q98" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>Header image via&#160; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/maylin116?fref=ts" type="external">Facebook</a>.</p>
| 6,112 |
|
<p>If there’s one parcel of waterfront turf South Florida real estate videos love to gush about, <a href="http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Sunset-Island_Miami-Beach_FL" type="external">&#160;it’s the Sunset Islands</a>.</p>
<p>Located just north of the Venetian Causeway, the four isles feature some of the ritziest properties in Miami — a Planet One-Percent where long yachts are docked next to multimillion-dollar mansions.</p>
<p>Superstar celebs like Shakira have digs there.</p>
<p>And until recently, so did the former head of Brazil’s national soccer federation, Ricardo Teixeira.</p>
<p>Four years ago, you could find Teixeira testifying before Brazil’s Congress — denying charges he took tens of millions of dollars in illegal, FIFA-scandal bribes to fix soccer broadcasting and marketing rights.</p>
<p>That same year, as Brazilian investigators closed in on him, Teixeira resigned as the country’s soccer chief and fled to Miami. He took his allegedly corrupt wealth with him — but he needed to hide it.</p>
<p>“And his wife did it for him,” says Annette Escobar, an attorney and expert on money-laundering at the Miami firm of Astigarraga Davis who has looked at the Teixeira case.</p>
<p>Escobar is referring to Ana Rodrigues — who did what so many foreigners trying to conceal questionable assets in Florida do: She set up a shell company in the Sunshine State.</p>
<p>That set-up “wasn’t clean or open,” says Escobar, “and it could be used for whatever he wanted — when he’s a bribe receiver.”</p>
<p>But the Florida law firm listed as Ochab’s representative did not have to know or report that Teixeira was the money’s real source.</p>
<p>Miami lawyers like Michael Diaz&#160;Jr. — who is also an expert on money-laundering and a managing partner at the firm of Diaz Reus &amp; Targ — say law firms should be subject to tougher reporting laws.</p>
<p>“Had legislation been in place requiring lawyers to disclose ultimate beneficiary owners of property, someone probably would have investigated [Ochab],”&#160;says Diaz.</p>
<p>Here’s what happened instead: When US&#160;officials started cracking down on soccer corruption last year, Ochab hurriedly put Teixeira’s Sunset Islands mansion on the block. In September, it sold for $9 million. In December,&#160; <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/sixteen-additional-fifa-officials-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and-corruption" type="external">the US&#160;indicted&#160;</a> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/sixteen-additional-fifa-officials-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and-corruption" type="external">Teixeira</a> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/sixteen-additional-fifa-officials-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and-corruption" type="external">&#160;on racketeering charges</a>. But by then he and his millions had fled back to Brazil, where he's safe from extradition to the US&#160;(though Brazilian prosecutors could still decide to indict him).</p>
<p>Panama Papers</p>
<p>In cases like this, says Diaz, “You have many potential laws being violated — tax laws, money-laundering laws.”</p>
<p>As a result, support for the kind of legislation Diaz mentions might be growing in Florida – especially now that&#160; <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article69248462.html" type="external">the Panama Papers</a>&#160;have exposed how abusive the practice of shell companies has become. Escobar calls it "long overdue" because Miami risks the image Panama and Latin America have saddled themselves with.</p>
<p>“We certainly do not want to be seen as just an extension of South America: 'Let’s just go launder our money there because they’re accepting of corruption,'” says Escobar.&#160;“People who have legitimate interests and legitimate money that they want to invest somewhere do not want to be associated with a place that is known for fraud.”</p>
<p>The federal government seems to agree. In January, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or&#160; <a href="https://www.fincen.gov/news_room/nr/html/20160113.html" type="external">FinCEN</a> <a href="https://www.fincen.gov/news_room/nr/html/20160113.html" type="external">, started a pilot program</a>&#160;in Manhattan&#160;and Miami.</p>
<p>It requires certain title insurance providers — who in Florida are often lawyers — to report who the real people are behind shell companies that buy high-end real estate with cash.</p>
<p>But state legislation? Other experts say: Don’t hold&#160;your breath.</p>
<p>“There are two sides to this: the growth issue and our reputation,” explains Fort Lauderdale attorney Martin Press, an expert on tax law and wealth-concealment issues at the Gunster law firm.</p>
<p>“In Florida,” says Press, “many of the legislators have looked at this as an economic growth issue. A lot of the construction in downtown Miami and [Miami] Beach is funded by a lot of investment from Latin America — and a lot of it is coming through anonymous entities.”</p>
<p>Press points out that sometimes that can be a good thing.</p>
<p>When Disney was scouting land near Orlando in the 1960s, it used an anonymous shell company. If not, revelations that Disney was the buyer might have sent prices skyrocketing out of reach. And one of Florida’s major economic engines — Disney World — might never have been built.</p>
<p>“So there are legitimate reasons for doing so,” Press says.</p>
<p>Even so, Press warns of one big pitfall of not requiring law firms here to report real shell company beneficiaries: We expect the rest of the world to do it, so the US&#160;can pursue international money-laundering cases.</p>
<p>And that inconsistency (which critics call hypocrisy) can make other countries — like, say, Ricardo Teixeira’s native Brazil — less enthusiastic about cooperating with the US.</p>
<p><a href="http://wlrn.org/post/sunset-mansions-vs-sunshine-laws-do-shell-companies-darken-floridas-image" type="external">This story initially appeared on WLRN.org, where Tim Padgett is Americas editor.</a></p>
|
Florida is apparently an easy place to set up shell companies if you're a foreign investor
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2016-04-19/florida-apparently-easy-place-set-shell-companies-if-youre-foreign-investor
|
2016-04-19
| 3left-center
|
Florida is apparently an easy place to set up shell companies if you're a foreign investor
<p>If there’s one parcel of waterfront turf South Florida real estate videos love to gush about, <a href="http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Sunset-Island_Miami-Beach_FL" type="external">&#160;it’s the Sunset Islands</a>.</p>
<p>Located just north of the Venetian Causeway, the four isles feature some of the ritziest properties in Miami — a Planet One-Percent where long yachts are docked next to multimillion-dollar mansions.</p>
<p>Superstar celebs like Shakira have digs there.</p>
<p>And until recently, so did the former head of Brazil’s national soccer federation, Ricardo Teixeira.</p>
<p>Four years ago, you could find Teixeira testifying before Brazil’s Congress — denying charges he took tens of millions of dollars in illegal, FIFA-scandal bribes to fix soccer broadcasting and marketing rights.</p>
<p>That same year, as Brazilian investigators closed in on him, Teixeira resigned as the country’s soccer chief and fled to Miami. He took his allegedly corrupt wealth with him — but he needed to hide it.</p>
<p>“And his wife did it for him,” says Annette Escobar, an attorney and expert on money-laundering at the Miami firm of Astigarraga Davis who has looked at the Teixeira case.</p>
<p>Escobar is referring to Ana Rodrigues — who did what so many foreigners trying to conceal questionable assets in Florida do: She set up a shell company in the Sunshine State.</p>
<p>That set-up “wasn’t clean or open,” says Escobar, “and it could be used for whatever he wanted — when he’s a bribe receiver.”</p>
<p>But the Florida law firm listed as Ochab’s representative did not have to know or report that Teixeira was the money’s real source.</p>
<p>Miami lawyers like Michael Diaz&#160;Jr. — who is also an expert on money-laundering and a managing partner at the firm of Diaz Reus &amp; Targ — say law firms should be subject to tougher reporting laws.</p>
<p>“Had legislation been in place requiring lawyers to disclose ultimate beneficiary owners of property, someone probably would have investigated [Ochab],”&#160;says Diaz.</p>
<p>Here’s what happened instead: When US&#160;officials started cracking down on soccer corruption last year, Ochab hurriedly put Teixeira’s Sunset Islands mansion on the block. In September, it sold for $9 million. In December,&#160; <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/sixteen-additional-fifa-officials-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and-corruption" type="external">the US&#160;indicted&#160;</a> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/sixteen-additional-fifa-officials-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and-corruption" type="external">Teixeira</a> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/sixteen-additional-fifa-officials-indicted-racketeering-conspiracy-and-corruption" type="external">&#160;on racketeering charges</a>. But by then he and his millions had fled back to Brazil, where he's safe from extradition to the US&#160;(though Brazilian prosecutors could still decide to indict him).</p>
<p>Panama Papers</p>
<p>In cases like this, says Diaz, “You have many potential laws being violated — tax laws, money-laundering laws.”</p>
<p>As a result, support for the kind of legislation Diaz mentions might be growing in Florida – especially now that&#160; <a href="http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article69248462.html" type="external">the Panama Papers</a>&#160;have exposed how abusive the practice of shell companies has become. Escobar calls it "long overdue" because Miami risks the image Panama and Latin America have saddled themselves with.</p>
<p>“We certainly do not want to be seen as just an extension of South America: 'Let’s just go launder our money there because they’re accepting of corruption,'” says Escobar.&#160;“People who have legitimate interests and legitimate money that they want to invest somewhere do not want to be associated with a place that is known for fraud.”</p>
<p>The federal government seems to agree. In January, the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or&#160; <a href="https://www.fincen.gov/news_room/nr/html/20160113.html" type="external">FinCEN</a> <a href="https://www.fincen.gov/news_room/nr/html/20160113.html" type="external">, started a pilot program</a>&#160;in Manhattan&#160;and Miami.</p>
<p>It requires certain title insurance providers — who in Florida are often lawyers — to report who the real people are behind shell companies that buy high-end real estate with cash.</p>
<p>But state legislation? Other experts say: Don’t hold&#160;your breath.</p>
<p>“There are two sides to this: the growth issue and our reputation,” explains Fort Lauderdale attorney Martin Press, an expert on tax law and wealth-concealment issues at the Gunster law firm.</p>
<p>“In Florida,” says Press, “many of the legislators have looked at this as an economic growth issue. A lot of the construction in downtown Miami and [Miami] Beach is funded by a lot of investment from Latin America — and a lot of it is coming through anonymous entities.”</p>
<p>Press points out that sometimes that can be a good thing.</p>
<p>When Disney was scouting land near Orlando in the 1960s, it used an anonymous shell company. If not, revelations that Disney was the buyer might have sent prices skyrocketing out of reach. And one of Florida’s major economic engines — Disney World — might never have been built.</p>
<p>“So there are legitimate reasons for doing so,” Press says.</p>
<p>Even so, Press warns of one big pitfall of not requiring law firms here to report real shell company beneficiaries: We expect the rest of the world to do it, so the US&#160;can pursue international money-laundering cases.</p>
<p>And that inconsistency (which critics call hypocrisy) can make other countries — like, say, Ricardo Teixeira’s native Brazil — less enthusiastic about cooperating with the US.</p>
<p><a href="http://wlrn.org/post/sunset-mansions-vs-sunshine-laws-do-shell-companies-darken-floridas-image" type="external">This story initially appeared on WLRN.org, where Tim Padgett is Americas editor.</a></p>
| 6,113 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>“I thought it would be nice if I could find a poem written by a woman, since a women’s ensemble is singing the piece,” he said. “I have 30 or 40 poetry books at my house and one of them is a book of poems by Denise Levertov.I really like Levertov’s poetry, although I had never composed music to any of her poems before I wrote this work for the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble.”</p>
<p>“That Passeth All Understanding” will receive its world premiere performance during the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble’s “A Winter Festival of Song” tonight at Loretto Chapel. The poem, which is about gratitude, inspired Ellingboe to write music reflecting calmness and joy.</p>
<p>“I chose to have the voices accompanied by a clarinet because the clarinet has the range I was looking for,” Ellingboe said. “I wanted high notes, but I also wanted some low notes I couldn’t get from another wind instrument.”</p>
<p>Ellingboe, who has won annual awards for his choral compositions from the American Society of Composers, Arrangers and Publishers (ASCAP) since 2000, has seen his choral music performed and recorded by groups including the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Philip Brunelle’s VocalEssence, the Saint Olaf Choir, the Harvard Glee Club, Craig Hella Johnson’s Conspirare and the choirs of the University of Michigan and Luther College.</p>
<p>The music performed in “A Winter Festival of Song” celebrates the peace and joy of the Christmas season. The Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble will sing a number of carols arranged by Greg Schneider, including “Somerset Carol,” “Hereford Carol,” “The Cherry Tree Carol” and “St. Day Carol.” The singers will open the concert by presenting the anonymous 15th century carol “What Tidings Bringest Thou, Messenger?” heralding the mystery of Christmas.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Several songs from around the world also are part of the program. “Shchedrik” is a Ukrainian carol often sung by Ukrainian singers as they give blessings to each household they visit. The traditional Cameroon carol “He Came Down” starts with a simple tune, building up to a thrilling ending.</p>
<p>Other works on the program include “Regina Coeli” by Johannes Brahms, “Alma Redemptoris Mater II” by Guillaume Dufay, “Two Andalusian Songs” by Stephen Paulus and “Salve Regina” by Palestrina.</p>
<p>Directed by Linda Raney, the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble is in its 32nd season. Fourteen singers from the Santa Fe area will perform music spanning many centuries, with an emphasis on early and contemporary works. Through commissions, the ensemble has added 29 pieces to the women’s choral repertory since its inception in 1981.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble received the 2012 Adventurous Programming Award from Chorus America and ASCAP..</p>
|
Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble Heralds Holidays
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/151624/santa-fe-womens-ensemble-heralds-holidays.html
|
2012-12-07
| 2least
|
Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble Heralds Holidays
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>“I thought it would be nice if I could find a poem written by a woman, since a women’s ensemble is singing the piece,” he said. “I have 30 or 40 poetry books at my house and one of them is a book of poems by Denise Levertov.I really like Levertov’s poetry, although I had never composed music to any of her poems before I wrote this work for the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble.”</p>
<p>“That Passeth All Understanding” will receive its world premiere performance during the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble’s “A Winter Festival of Song” tonight at Loretto Chapel. The poem, which is about gratitude, inspired Ellingboe to write music reflecting calmness and joy.</p>
<p>“I chose to have the voices accompanied by a clarinet because the clarinet has the range I was looking for,” Ellingboe said. “I wanted high notes, but I also wanted some low notes I couldn’t get from another wind instrument.”</p>
<p>Ellingboe, who has won annual awards for his choral compositions from the American Society of Composers, Arrangers and Publishers (ASCAP) since 2000, has seen his choral music performed and recorded by groups including the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Philip Brunelle’s VocalEssence, the Saint Olaf Choir, the Harvard Glee Club, Craig Hella Johnson’s Conspirare and the choirs of the University of Michigan and Luther College.</p>
<p>The music performed in “A Winter Festival of Song” celebrates the peace and joy of the Christmas season. The Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble will sing a number of carols arranged by Greg Schneider, including “Somerset Carol,” “Hereford Carol,” “The Cherry Tree Carol” and “St. Day Carol.” The singers will open the concert by presenting the anonymous 15th century carol “What Tidings Bringest Thou, Messenger?” heralding the mystery of Christmas.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Several songs from around the world also are part of the program. “Shchedrik” is a Ukrainian carol often sung by Ukrainian singers as they give blessings to each household they visit. The traditional Cameroon carol “He Came Down” starts with a simple tune, building up to a thrilling ending.</p>
<p>Other works on the program include “Regina Coeli” by Johannes Brahms, “Alma Redemptoris Mater II” by Guillaume Dufay, “Two Andalusian Songs” by Stephen Paulus and “Salve Regina” by Palestrina.</p>
<p>Directed by Linda Raney, the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble is in its 32nd season. Fourteen singers from the Santa Fe area will perform music spanning many centuries, with an emphasis on early and contemporary works. Through commissions, the ensemble has added 29 pieces to the women’s choral repertory since its inception in 1981.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble received the 2012 Adventurous Programming Award from Chorus America and ASCAP..</p>
| 6,114 |
<p>An audit 20 days into the school year proved it: Amundsen High School attracted 150 more students this year than central office projected last spring.</p>
<p>As a result, the Lincoln Square school was entitled to five additional teachers, plus a second assistant principal and a librarian. The audit proved no surprise to Principal Carlos Muñoz, who had expected at least 1,500 students and had appealed—with no success—the district’s projection of 1,461.</p>
<p>Muñoz, like dozens of principals put in a similar predicament every year, needed his new teachers on the first day of school, not the 20th. So to avoid a mid-semester shakeup of classes, he dug into the school’s own funds and hired several retired teachers to temporarily fill the gap.</p>
<p>In addition to Amundsen, the district missed the mark on enrollment at hundreds of other schools this year, often by wide enough margins to force changes to budgets and staffing. Pritzker Elementary lost, then gained, teaching positions, a snafu caused by inaccurate projections. (For more on Amundsen, Pritzker and other schools, <a href="" type="internal">see related story</a>.)</p>
<p>Like Muñoz, most principals appeal their projections. The stakes are high: When projections are too low, a school’s discretionary money can be stretched thin to keep teachers already on board and hire substitutes as needed. On the other hand, projections that are too high can mean losing teachers.</p>
<p>Either way, schools and students face potential classroom shakeups that hurt instruction. And principals are left to haggle with the budget office, a process that can be time-consuming and, according to some outside observers, political.</p>
<p>Muñoz says the budget office has been accommodating, especially after the audit. But he adds: “You have to be [persistent] in contacting them everyday.”</p>
<p>‘A tumultuous first month’</p>
<p>A Catalyst Chicago analysis of enrollment data for fiscal year 2008 shows that projections were off by 30 students or more (roughly the threshold at which budgets are affected) in approximately 40 percent of Chicago’s schools. The analysis also shows that:</p>
<p>* One in five schools had enrollment projections that were inaccurate by 10 percent or more.</p>
<p>* Projections for neighborhood schools were generally less accurate than those made for selective and magnet schools, which usually have enrollment caps.</p>
<p>* Schools were more likely to enroll fewer students than projected, putting them at risk of losing teachers once school began.</p>
<p>CPS, for its part, notes that citywide projections for this year were more than 99 percent accurate. And most staff positions are cemented over the spring and summer; according to the district, just 225 positions opened and 100 closed after the school year started.</p>
<p>But when projections are off target, CPS is to blame, says Marguerite Roza, a school finance and budget expert at the University of Washington who says flatly that the district relies too heavily on enrollment projections to drive budgets and staffing. Doing so is particularly problematic, she explains, in a system that offers students and families a wide range of schooling options—something top CPS officials are vocal about providing and, in fact, beefing up.</p>
<p>“The problem isn’t in the forecasting, it’s in the student assignment [system],” says Roza. “It’s the district’s fault.”</p>
<p>Other districts that offer widespread school choice have computer systems to manage student assignment, leaving far less chance for last-minute enrollment fluctuations. ( <a href="" type="internal">See story</a>)</p>
<p>The problem doesn’t surprise Christina Warden, a longtime budget watchdog. She says principals use a number of strategies to accommodate additional students who show up at the beginning of the year—from hiring substitutes, as Muñoz did at Amundsen, to allowing class sizes to balloon temporarily. Warden worked for the Chicago branch of the nonprofit Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform before its recent demise.</p>
<p>To solve the situation, principals must negotiate repeatedly with the budget office to get additional teachers. “Regardless of how the principal has configured it,” Warden says, “those kids have to go through a tumultuous first month of school.”</p>
<p>Under the leadership of David Vitale, the former chief administrative officer, the district started taking steps to eliminate politics and favoritism in the interaction between principals, the budget office and the demographics office, notes Warden. The new mantra: Stick very closely to the staffing formulas. If a school gets extra kids in September, it gets exactly as many teachers as formulas allow; fewer students mean fewer teachers.</p>
<p>But Warden doubts that politics will ever be completely eradicated, especially during the budget season and into the summer, when enrollment remains a guessing game.</p>
<p>Valencia Rias, a local school council advocate with the education group Designs for Change, puts it more bluntly: “Every year, these principals have to fight for [teaching] positions.”</p>
<p>How it works</p>
<p>In February, principals pore over enrollment projections that feed into various staffing formulas. In general, the formulas give schools one elementary teacher for every 28 students and one high school teacher for every five fully-enrolled classes.</p>
<p>The projections are made in January by the demographics and planning department, led by James Dispensa, which uses a computer algorithm that relies heavily on past enrollment data. But a number of factors complicate Dispensa’s job, including the opening of new schools and the closing of others, which can dramatically shift enrollment patterns; the fact that half of CPS students don’t attend neighborhood high schools, where enrollment shifts are prevalent; and ever-changing housing trends.</p>
<p>Dispensa says he tweaks the algorithm on a case-by-case basis to accommodate these factors. His office also is considering a revamp in the way students apply to selective high schools and programs, which could help the district solidify neighborhood high schools’ enrollment earlier on. For starters, the district will be automatically assigning all unclaimed 8th-graders to their neighborhood high school by April 26.</p>
<p>Even so, most schools dispute their enrollment projections, and this year was no exception: More than three-fourths of schools filed appeals that were reviewed by a group of district officials from various offices.</p>
<p>Last year, the committee made adjustments to very few appeals—just 60 in total. This year, the number rose to 86.</p>
<p>Facing the ax?</p>
<p>Typically, principals seek to boost their projections, often to save teachers hired the previous year. Where appeals are lost, the budget office cuts staff positions when the fiscal year begins in July. Several principals told Catalyst that they are particularly defensive about losing hard-to-find teachers, such as bilingual or special education instructors.</p>
<p>Budget officials say they will be tightening the rules even more next year if schools enroll fewer kids than projected, which was the trend this year. Schools will face a sharpened ax when it comes to cutting teachers, according to a Feb. 26 memo to principals from Schools CEO Arne Duncan.</p>
<p>In the memo, Duncan warns principals who won their appeals this spring to expect by-the-book staff cuts if their enrollment falls short. The same goes for schools without attendance boundaries, since those schools have more control over the number of children they enroll and should not have last-minute fluctuations.</p>
<p>Duncan is granting some latitude to schools with attendance boundaries. Principals at neighborhood elementary schools will be able to keep up to two additional teachers; in neighborhood high schools, principals will be able to keep one extra teacher. The district’s reasoning: Let schools keep the teachers to lessen the impact on class schedules, room assignments and other planning. (For more on the impact of late enrollment on high schools, <a href="" type="internal">see story</a>.)</p>
<p>Any change in staffing of special education teachers will be audited.</p>
<p>The budget tightening doesn’t sit well with Rias, who wants the district to ensure every child has a “stable teacher” on the first day of school.</p>
<p>“You may have 40 kids in a classroom waiting for that position to open up,” she contends. Even if the board approves extra teachers, “unfortunately, not every school has someone ready, willing and able to fill those spots.”</p>
<p>Intern Rebecca Harris contributed to this report.</p>
<p>Contact John Myers at (312) 673-3874 or [email protected].</p>
|
School budget forecast: cloudy
| false |
http://chicagoreporter.com/school-budget-forecast-cloudy/
|
2008-03-18
| 3left-center
|
School budget forecast: cloudy
<p>An audit 20 days into the school year proved it: Amundsen High School attracted 150 more students this year than central office projected last spring.</p>
<p>As a result, the Lincoln Square school was entitled to five additional teachers, plus a second assistant principal and a librarian. The audit proved no surprise to Principal Carlos Muñoz, who had expected at least 1,500 students and had appealed—with no success—the district’s projection of 1,461.</p>
<p>Muñoz, like dozens of principals put in a similar predicament every year, needed his new teachers on the first day of school, not the 20th. So to avoid a mid-semester shakeup of classes, he dug into the school’s own funds and hired several retired teachers to temporarily fill the gap.</p>
<p>In addition to Amundsen, the district missed the mark on enrollment at hundreds of other schools this year, often by wide enough margins to force changes to budgets and staffing. Pritzker Elementary lost, then gained, teaching positions, a snafu caused by inaccurate projections. (For more on Amundsen, Pritzker and other schools, <a href="" type="internal">see related story</a>.)</p>
<p>Like Muñoz, most principals appeal their projections. The stakes are high: When projections are too low, a school’s discretionary money can be stretched thin to keep teachers already on board and hire substitutes as needed. On the other hand, projections that are too high can mean losing teachers.</p>
<p>Either way, schools and students face potential classroom shakeups that hurt instruction. And principals are left to haggle with the budget office, a process that can be time-consuming and, according to some outside observers, political.</p>
<p>Muñoz says the budget office has been accommodating, especially after the audit. But he adds: “You have to be [persistent] in contacting them everyday.”</p>
<p>‘A tumultuous first month’</p>
<p>A Catalyst Chicago analysis of enrollment data for fiscal year 2008 shows that projections were off by 30 students or more (roughly the threshold at which budgets are affected) in approximately 40 percent of Chicago’s schools. The analysis also shows that:</p>
<p>* One in five schools had enrollment projections that were inaccurate by 10 percent or more.</p>
<p>* Projections for neighborhood schools were generally less accurate than those made for selective and magnet schools, which usually have enrollment caps.</p>
<p>* Schools were more likely to enroll fewer students than projected, putting them at risk of losing teachers once school began.</p>
<p>CPS, for its part, notes that citywide projections for this year were more than 99 percent accurate. And most staff positions are cemented over the spring and summer; according to the district, just 225 positions opened and 100 closed after the school year started.</p>
<p>But when projections are off target, CPS is to blame, says Marguerite Roza, a school finance and budget expert at the University of Washington who says flatly that the district relies too heavily on enrollment projections to drive budgets and staffing. Doing so is particularly problematic, she explains, in a system that offers students and families a wide range of schooling options—something top CPS officials are vocal about providing and, in fact, beefing up.</p>
<p>“The problem isn’t in the forecasting, it’s in the student assignment [system],” says Roza. “It’s the district’s fault.”</p>
<p>Other districts that offer widespread school choice have computer systems to manage student assignment, leaving far less chance for last-minute enrollment fluctuations. ( <a href="" type="internal">See story</a>)</p>
<p>The problem doesn’t surprise Christina Warden, a longtime budget watchdog. She says principals use a number of strategies to accommodate additional students who show up at the beginning of the year—from hiring substitutes, as Muñoz did at Amundsen, to allowing class sizes to balloon temporarily. Warden worked for the Chicago branch of the nonprofit Cross City Campaign for Urban School Reform before its recent demise.</p>
<p>To solve the situation, principals must negotiate repeatedly with the budget office to get additional teachers. “Regardless of how the principal has configured it,” Warden says, “those kids have to go through a tumultuous first month of school.”</p>
<p>Under the leadership of David Vitale, the former chief administrative officer, the district started taking steps to eliminate politics and favoritism in the interaction between principals, the budget office and the demographics office, notes Warden. The new mantra: Stick very closely to the staffing formulas. If a school gets extra kids in September, it gets exactly as many teachers as formulas allow; fewer students mean fewer teachers.</p>
<p>But Warden doubts that politics will ever be completely eradicated, especially during the budget season and into the summer, when enrollment remains a guessing game.</p>
<p>Valencia Rias, a local school council advocate with the education group Designs for Change, puts it more bluntly: “Every year, these principals have to fight for [teaching] positions.”</p>
<p>How it works</p>
<p>In February, principals pore over enrollment projections that feed into various staffing formulas. In general, the formulas give schools one elementary teacher for every 28 students and one high school teacher for every five fully-enrolled classes.</p>
<p>The projections are made in January by the demographics and planning department, led by James Dispensa, which uses a computer algorithm that relies heavily on past enrollment data. But a number of factors complicate Dispensa’s job, including the opening of new schools and the closing of others, which can dramatically shift enrollment patterns; the fact that half of CPS students don’t attend neighborhood high schools, where enrollment shifts are prevalent; and ever-changing housing trends.</p>
<p>Dispensa says he tweaks the algorithm on a case-by-case basis to accommodate these factors. His office also is considering a revamp in the way students apply to selective high schools and programs, which could help the district solidify neighborhood high schools’ enrollment earlier on. For starters, the district will be automatically assigning all unclaimed 8th-graders to their neighborhood high school by April 26.</p>
<p>Even so, most schools dispute their enrollment projections, and this year was no exception: More than three-fourths of schools filed appeals that were reviewed by a group of district officials from various offices.</p>
<p>Last year, the committee made adjustments to very few appeals—just 60 in total. This year, the number rose to 86.</p>
<p>Facing the ax?</p>
<p>Typically, principals seek to boost their projections, often to save teachers hired the previous year. Where appeals are lost, the budget office cuts staff positions when the fiscal year begins in July. Several principals told Catalyst that they are particularly defensive about losing hard-to-find teachers, such as bilingual or special education instructors.</p>
<p>Budget officials say they will be tightening the rules even more next year if schools enroll fewer kids than projected, which was the trend this year. Schools will face a sharpened ax when it comes to cutting teachers, according to a Feb. 26 memo to principals from Schools CEO Arne Duncan.</p>
<p>In the memo, Duncan warns principals who won their appeals this spring to expect by-the-book staff cuts if their enrollment falls short. The same goes for schools without attendance boundaries, since those schools have more control over the number of children they enroll and should not have last-minute fluctuations.</p>
<p>Duncan is granting some latitude to schools with attendance boundaries. Principals at neighborhood elementary schools will be able to keep up to two additional teachers; in neighborhood high schools, principals will be able to keep one extra teacher. The district’s reasoning: Let schools keep the teachers to lessen the impact on class schedules, room assignments and other planning. (For more on the impact of late enrollment on high schools, <a href="" type="internal">see story</a>.)</p>
<p>Any change in staffing of special education teachers will be audited.</p>
<p>The budget tightening doesn’t sit well with Rias, who wants the district to ensure every child has a “stable teacher” on the first day of school.</p>
<p>“You may have 40 kids in a classroom waiting for that position to open up,” she contends. Even if the board approves extra teachers, “unfortunately, not every school has someone ready, willing and able to fill those spots.”</p>
<p>Intern Rebecca Harris contributed to this report.</p>
<p>Contact John Myers at (312) 673-3874 or [email protected].</p>
| 6,115 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Donald Trump raised the question during his campaign, promising to turn up the heat against the Islamic State group if he became president. Now the growing controversy over the high number of civilian casualties believed caused by recent U.S. airstrikes has touched on a major part of the answer: The militants are mingled among tens of thousands of civilians in Mosul and are willing to take the population down with them.</p>
<p>Inevitably, the more force brought to bear to crush the fighters, the greater the danger civilians will be killed.</p>
<p>To avoid that, strikes must be more surgical and more cautiously used, and the battle turns to street-by-street fighting where the technological edge is often neutralized. Minimizing civilian deaths is more than just a humanitarian concern: Heavy bloodshed can fuel public resentments that push some to join militant groups.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Another factor is whether the extremists have support from at least part of the population. It’s even further complicated if they can claim to be fighting for national liberation — as, for example, with the Hamas group in its battles with Israel in Gaza. In Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group clearly holds the population hostage in many cases, but it also seeks to sway some support by claiming to defend Sunnis against a mostly Shiite force from Baghdad.</p>
<p>After a March 17 explosion that residents say killed at least 100 people in Mosul, the U.S. military acknowledged an airstrike was involved. But the top commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said investigations may reveal a more complicated explanation, including the possibility that militants rigged the building with explosives after forcing civilians inside.</p>
<p>Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend said recent civilian casualties in Mosul were “fairly predictable” given the densely populated urban neighborhoods the IS fighters are defending against Iraqi troops.</p>
<p>Over the past 2½ years, Iraqi forces backed by U.S. special forces and coalition airstrikes have managed to push IS out of most of the territory they overran in the summer of 2014 — retaking three major cities and numerous smaller communities. The fight for Mosul, launched in mid-October, has been the longest battle yet.</p>
<p>With each fight, the Islamic State group has adapted its use of civilians as human shields, creating increasingly deadly battlefields.</p>
<p>In Tikrit and Sinjar, IS let the population flee early on, allowing Iraqi and coalition forces to liberally use airstrikes and artillery to retake the areas by the autumn of 2015.</p>
<p>IS then tightened its grip on other cities and towns. It locked down Ramadi in western Anbar province with checkpoints to prevent civilians from fleeing. Only those with serious health conditions were allowed out — and only if they left behind a relative, property or thousands of dollars to guarantee their return.</p>
<p>After Iraqi forces punched into Ramadi, fleeing IS fighters forced civilians to go with them to thwart airstrikes. Moving west along the Euphrates River, Iraq’s military responded to the use of human shields by largely empting towns of their populations as they retook territory. The massive displacement resulted in humanitarian crises. Thousands were left without shelter and little food or water in desert camps.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>So the government changed tactics. It asked civilians to stay in their homes, a decision that was controversial with commanders faced with clearing militants from dense residential areas.</p>
<p>In Mosul, an estimated 1 million people were in the city when Iraqi forces breached its eastern edge. IS fighters fired from the rooftops of homes where civilians sheltered, targeting those who fled with mortars and gunfire. In denser neighborhoods, even precision munitions inflicted heavy casualties. In western Mosul, IS fighters forced civilians into explosives-rigged homes, then took up positions on the roofs, Iraqi and coalition officials said.</p>
<p>A similar battle looms in the Islamic State group’s Syrian stronghold of Raqqa.</p>
<p>There, the militants have taken even greater pains to trap the population. Land mines and checkpoints circle the city. And all the men have been ordered to wear the jihadis’ garb of baggy pants and long shirts, making it difficult to distinguish militants from civilians.</p>
<p>Here are other cases where advanced militaries have wrestled with the issue.</p>
<p>THE UNITED STATES</p>
<p>The U.S. has faced backlash over civilian deaths in nearly all its recent conflicts — Korea, Vietnam, and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan. Public fury in Iraq and Afghanistan over deaths in airstrikes and at checkpoints and abuses by U.S. troops has been a major factor shaping the evolution of U.S. tactics since 9/11. The response has been to turn increasingly to special operations forces and armed drones and to work with local fighters.</p>
<p>In Iraq from 2005 to 2007, the more secretive elements of U.S. special operations, led by Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, combined intelligence with night raids to capture or kill insurgents, including the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. This — and the enlisting of Sunni tribesmen to fight the insurgents — proved far more effective than conventional forces kicking in doors.</p>
<p>Still, drone strikes that kill civilians continue to raise an outcry in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere.</p>
<p>And militants also evolve. Al-Qaida in Iraq was all but extinguished by 2009, but a kernel of militant leaders who met in U.S.-run prisons transformed it into the Islamic State group by exploiting Iraq’s Sunni-Shiite divide, which worsened after U.S. forces left in 2011.</p>
<p>RUSSIA IN GROZNY</p>
<p>The Russian assault on the Chechen capital, Grozny, in 1999 and 2000 was the centerpiece of President Vladimir Putin’s drive to end Chechen separatist ambitions.</p>
<p>It was also a case of a military — and government — that seemingly cared little about how much destruction it wrought to crush the rebels. Russian forces unleashed heavy bombardment with artillery and airstrikes that leveled apartment buildings and even city blocks. Most of the population had fled but a significant number remained. There was an international outcry over the brutality, but public opinion in Russia strongly backed the assault, giving Putin freedom of action.</p>
<p>It took just four months before Putin declared Grozny liberated in February 2000. Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed, and the United Nations called Grozny the “most destroyed” city in the world.</p>
<p>ISRAEL IN GAZA</p>
<p>The Israeli military knows the challenges of fighting an enemy embedded in a civilian population. Wars against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 and against Hamas in Gaza in 2009, 2012 and 2014 killed hundreds of civilians. Israel blames its adversaries for the tolls, noting they used civilian areas to hide or to attack from.</p>
<p>The Israeli military says it takes numerous steps to minimize civilian casualties. It drops leaflets telling residents to leave. It makes phone calls and sends text messages to inhabitants of targeted buildings and sometimes strikes homes with nonexplosive shells as warnings to evacuate.</p>
<p>According to the United Nations, 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed during the 2014 Gaza fighting, including 551 children and 299 women. Israel disputes these figures. A U.N. report accused both Israel and Hamas of committing possible war crimes.</p>
<p>FRANCE IN ALGERIA</p>
<p>As France’s empire was coming undone in the 1950s, it fought its most brutal battle for one precious piece of turf: Algeria, colonized beginning in 1830. The war to hold onto Paris’ crown jewel lasted seven years, 1954-1962, and left scars that have yet to heal.</p>
<p>The conflict, which began as an insurgency and continued with urban terror-style attacks on the French, was ferocious. Some Algerian lawmakers still call for reparations. The toll remains debated, but a leading French historian says 350,000-400,000 Algerian civilians died.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Perry reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington and Howard Amos in Moscow contributed to this report.</p>
|
Mosul lays bare the challenge of asymmetric warfare
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/978995/mosul-lays-bare-the-challenge-of-asymmetric-warfare.html
|
2017-03-30
| 2least
|
Mosul lays bare the challenge of asymmetric warfare
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Donald Trump raised the question during his campaign, promising to turn up the heat against the Islamic State group if he became president. Now the growing controversy over the high number of civilian casualties believed caused by recent U.S. airstrikes has touched on a major part of the answer: The militants are mingled among tens of thousands of civilians in Mosul and are willing to take the population down with them.</p>
<p>Inevitably, the more force brought to bear to crush the fighters, the greater the danger civilians will be killed.</p>
<p>To avoid that, strikes must be more surgical and more cautiously used, and the battle turns to street-by-street fighting where the technological edge is often neutralized. Minimizing civilian deaths is more than just a humanitarian concern: Heavy bloodshed can fuel public resentments that push some to join militant groups.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Another factor is whether the extremists have support from at least part of the population. It’s even further complicated if they can claim to be fighting for national liberation — as, for example, with the Hamas group in its battles with Israel in Gaza. In Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group clearly holds the population hostage in many cases, but it also seeks to sway some support by claiming to defend Sunnis against a mostly Shiite force from Baghdad.</p>
<p>After a March 17 explosion that residents say killed at least 100 people in Mosul, the U.S. military acknowledged an airstrike was involved. But the top commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said investigations may reveal a more complicated explanation, including the possibility that militants rigged the building with explosives after forcing civilians inside.</p>
<p>Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend said recent civilian casualties in Mosul were “fairly predictable” given the densely populated urban neighborhoods the IS fighters are defending against Iraqi troops.</p>
<p>Over the past 2½ years, Iraqi forces backed by U.S. special forces and coalition airstrikes have managed to push IS out of most of the territory they overran in the summer of 2014 — retaking three major cities and numerous smaller communities. The fight for Mosul, launched in mid-October, has been the longest battle yet.</p>
<p>With each fight, the Islamic State group has adapted its use of civilians as human shields, creating increasingly deadly battlefields.</p>
<p>In Tikrit and Sinjar, IS let the population flee early on, allowing Iraqi and coalition forces to liberally use airstrikes and artillery to retake the areas by the autumn of 2015.</p>
<p>IS then tightened its grip on other cities and towns. It locked down Ramadi in western Anbar province with checkpoints to prevent civilians from fleeing. Only those with serious health conditions were allowed out — and only if they left behind a relative, property or thousands of dollars to guarantee their return.</p>
<p>After Iraqi forces punched into Ramadi, fleeing IS fighters forced civilians to go with them to thwart airstrikes. Moving west along the Euphrates River, Iraq’s military responded to the use of human shields by largely empting towns of their populations as they retook territory. The massive displacement resulted in humanitarian crises. Thousands were left without shelter and little food or water in desert camps.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>So the government changed tactics. It asked civilians to stay in their homes, a decision that was controversial with commanders faced with clearing militants from dense residential areas.</p>
<p>In Mosul, an estimated 1 million people were in the city when Iraqi forces breached its eastern edge. IS fighters fired from the rooftops of homes where civilians sheltered, targeting those who fled with mortars and gunfire. In denser neighborhoods, even precision munitions inflicted heavy casualties. In western Mosul, IS fighters forced civilians into explosives-rigged homes, then took up positions on the roofs, Iraqi and coalition officials said.</p>
<p>A similar battle looms in the Islamic State group’s Syrian stronghold of Raqqa.</p>
<p>There, the militants have taken even greater pains to trap the population. Land mines and checkpoints circle the city. And all the men have been ordered to wear the jihadis’ garb of baggy pants and long shirts, making it difficult to distinguish militants from civilians.</p>
<p>Here are other cases where advanced militaries have wrestled with the issue.</p>
<p>THE UNITED STATES</p>
<p>The U.S. has faced backlash over civilian deaths in nearly all its recent conflicts — Korea, Vietnam, and more recently Iraq and Afghanistan. Public fury in Iraq and Afghanistan over deaths in airstrikes and at checkpoints and abuses by U.S. troops has been a major factor shaping the evolution of U.S. tactics since 9/11. The response has been to turn increasingly to special operations forces and armed drones and to work with local fighters.</p>
<p>In Iraq from 2005 to 2007, the more secretive elements of U.S. special operations, led by Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, combined intelligence with night raids to capture or kill insurgents, including the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. This — and the enlisting of Sunni tribesmen to fight the insurgents — proved far more effective than conventional forces kicking in doors.</p>
<p>Still, drone strikes that kill civilians continue to raise an outcry in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere.</p>
<p>And militants also evolve. Al-Qaida in Iraq was all but extinguished by 2009, but a kernel of militant leaders who met in U.S.-run prisons transformed it into the Islamic State group by exploiting Iraq’s Sunni-Shiite divide, which worsened after U.S. forces left in 2011.</p>
<p>RUSSIA IN GROZNY</p>
<p>The Russian assault on the Chechen capital, Grozny, in 1999 and 2000 was the centerpiece of President Vladimir Putin’s drive to end Chechen separatist ambitions.</p>
<p>It was also a case of a military — and government — that seemingly cared little about how much destruction it wrought to crush the rebels. Russian forces unleashed heavy bombardment with artillery and airstrikes that leveled apartment buildings and even city blocks. Most of the population had fled but a significant number remained. There was an international outcry over the brutality, but public opinion in Russia strongly backed the assault, giving Putin freedom of action.</p>
<p>It took just four months before Putin declared Grozny liberated in February 2000. Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed, and the United Nations called Grozny the “most destroyed” city in the world.</p>
<p>ISRAEL IN GAZA</p>
<p>The Israeli military knows the challenges of fighting an enemy embedded in a civilian population. Wars against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006 and against Hamas in Gaza in 2009, 2012 and 2014 killed hundreds of civilians. Israel blames its adversaries for the tolls, noting they used civilian areas to hide or to attack from.</p>
<p>The Israeli military says it takes numerous steps to minimize civilian casualties. It drops leaflets telling residents to leave. It makes phone calls and sends text messages to inhabitants of targeted buildings and sometimes strikes homes with nonexplosive shells as warnings to evacuate.</p>
<p>According to the United Nations, 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed during the 2014 Gaza fighting, including 551 children and 299 women. Israel disputes these figures. A U.N. report accused both Israel and Hamas of committing possible war crimes.</p>
<p>FRANCE IN ALGERIA</p>
<p>As France’s empire was coming undone in the 1950s, it fought its most brutal battle for one precious piece of turf: Algeria, colonized beginning in 1830. The war to hold onto Paris’ crown jewel lasted seven years, 1954-1962, and left scars that have yet to heal.</p>
<p>The conflict, which began as an insurgency and continued with urban terror-style attacks on the French, was ferocious. Some Algerian lawmakers still call for reparations. The toll remains debated, but a leading French historian says 350,000-400,000 Algerian civilians died.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Perry reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington and Howard Amos in Moscow contributed to this report.</p>
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<p />
<p>Leonard Russell was charged in Farmington Magistrate Court on Monday with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence.</p>
<p>Russell is accused of stabbing Ernest Begay Jr., who police transported to San Juan Regional Medical Center shortly after midnight on Monday with life-threatening wounds.</p>
<p>Hospital spokeswoman Roberta Rogers said Begay, 34, was in fair condition as of Wednesday afternoon.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Russell and a second man, Lester Simpson, were found walking near the corner of South Behrend Avenue and West Elm Street shortly after the stabbing, according to an arrest warrant.</p>
<p>Simpson told police Russell stabbed Begay in the chest, and he led police to the location where Russell allegedly ditched the knife, the warrant states.</p>
<p>Russell admitted to stabbing Begay in the chest, saying Begay had bullied him and other friends, the warrant states.</p>
<p>He told a detective he and Begay had gotten into an altercation at a nearby gas station before the incident.</p>
<p>Simpson told a detective Russell said before stabbing Begay, “Let’s go kill that guy and put an end to his life,” according to the complaint.</p>
<p>According to court records, Russell was previously charged in April 2007 with false imprisonment, assault with intent to commit a violent felony, interference with communications and attempted criminal sexual contact.</p>
<p>He pleaded no contest to the false imprisonment and assault charges in October 2007, records state.</p>
<p>Russell is expected to appear at a preliminary examination hearing on Dec. 24.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Steve Garrison covers crime and courts for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4644 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SteveGarrisonDT on Twitter.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>©2014 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)</p>
<p>Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at <a href="http://www.daily-times.com" type="external">www.daily-times.com</a></p>
<p>Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC</p>
<p>———-</p>
<p>Topics: t000002458,t000027866,t000027879,t000149877,t000002465,g000219985,g000065627,g000362661,g000066164</p>
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Man charged in stabbing near Indian Center
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<p>Leonard Russell was charged in Farmington Magistrate Court on Monday with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and tampering with evidence.</p>
<p>Russell is accused of stabbing Ernest Begay Jr., who police transported to San Juan Regional Medical Center shortly after midnight on Monday with life-threatening wounds.</p>
<p>Hospital spokeswoman Roberta Rogers said Begay, 34, was in fair condition as of Wednesday afternoon.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Russell and a second man, Lester Simpson, were found walking near the corner of South Behrend Avenue and West Elm Street shortly after the stabbing, according to an arrest warrant.</p>
<p>Simpson told police Russell stabbed Begay in the chest, and he led police to the location where Russell allegedly ditched the knife, the warrant states.</p>
<p>Russell admitted to stabbing Begay in the chest, saying Begay had bullied him and other friends, the warrant states.</p>
<p>He told a detective he and Begay had gotten into an altercation at a nearby gas station before the incident.</p>
<p>Simpson told a detective Russell said before stabbing Begay, “Let’s go kill that guy and put an end to his life,” according to the complaint.</p>
<p>According to court records, Russell was previously charged in April 2007 with false imprisonment, assault with intent to commit a violent felony, interference with communications and attempted criminal sexual contact.</p>
<p>He pleaded no contest to the false imprisonment and assault charges in October 2007, records state.</p>
<p>Russell is expected to appear at a preliminary examination hearing on Dec. 24.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Steve Garrison covers crime and courts for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4644 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @SteveGarrisonDT on Twitter.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>©2014 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)</p>
<p>Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at <a href="http://www.daily-times.com" type="external">www.daily-times.com</a></p>
<p>Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC</p>
<p>———-</p>
<p>Topics: t000002458,t000027866,t000027879,t000149877,t000002465,g000219985,g000065627,g000362661,g000066164</p>
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<p>The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo said Thursday that its index dropped to a reading of 54 after climbing to 59 in September, the highest level since November 2005, right before the housing bubble burst.</p>
<p>Readings above 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as good rather than poor.</p>
<p>Analysts said readings in the mid-50s were in line with the current modest pace of recovery in housing. Sales of new homes did jump in August to the fastest pace since May 2008. But activity is still being held back by sluggish wage growth and a price surge that has put homes out of reach for many Americans.</p>
<p>The latest sentiment index showed that builders’ views on current sales, their outlook for sales over the next six months and traffic by prospective buyers all fell in October.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Economists said the small decline did not alter their views that housing prospects remained favorable in coming months.</p>
<p>“Historically low mortgage interest rates, steady job gains and significant pent up demand all point to continued growth of the housing market,” said David Crowe, chief economist for the home builders.</p>
<p>A separate report Thursday showed that mortgage rates hit new lows for the year this week. Mortgage company Freddie Mac said that the nationwide average for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped to 3.97 percent, down from 4.12 percent last week. It was the lowest level since June 20, 2013 when 30-year mortgages were at 3.93 percent.</p>
<p>By region of the country, builder sentiment in October was highest in the Midwest with a reading of 59 followed by readings of 58 in the South, 57 in the West and 41 in the Northeast.</p>
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Confidence among US homebuilders slips in October
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Confidence among US homebuilders slips in October
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<p />
<p>The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo said Thursday that its index dropped to a reading of 54 after climbing to 59 in September, the highest level since November 2005, right before the housing bubble burst.</p>
<p>Readings above 50 indicate more builders view sales conditions as good rather than poor.</p>
<p>Analysts said readings in the mid-50s were in line with the current modest pace of recovery in housing. Sales of new homes did jump in August to the fastest pace since May 2008. But activity is still being held back by sluggish wage growth and a price surge that has put homes out of reach for many Americans.</p>
<p>The latest sentiment index showed that builders’ views on current sales, their outlook for sales over the next six months and traffic by prospective buyers all fell in October.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Economists said the small decline did not alter their views that housing prospects remained favorable in coming months.</p>
<p>“Historically low mortgage interest rates, steady job gains and significant pent up demand all point to continued growth of the housing market,” said David Crowe, chief economist for the home builders.</p>
<p>A separate report Thursday showed that mortgage rates hit new lows for the year this week. Mortgage company Freddie Mac said that the nationwide average for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped to 3.97 percent, down from 4.12 percent last week. It was the lowest level since June 20, 2013 when 30-year mortgages were at 3.93 percent.</p>
<p>By region of the country, builder sentiment in October was highest in the Midwest with a reading of 59 followed by readings of 58 in the South, 57 in the West and 41 in the Northeast.</p>
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<p />
<p>Gertrude Lee, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Kirtland, was sworn in on Monday by Window Rock District Court Judge Geraldine Benally in Window Rock, Ariz., according to a press release from the tribe’s Department of Justice.</p>
<p>Lee graduated from Kirtland Central High School in 2002 and graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2009.</p>
<p>She is a licensed member of the New Mexico Bar Association and a member of the Navajo Nation Bar Association, according to both associations.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“I am excited to join the Office of the Prosecutor and I look forward to leading a staff of individuals who are dedicated to law enforcement and public safety on the Navajo Nation. My immediate priority in the position will be to bring the office up to full staff,” Lee said in the release.</p>
<p>Lee worked for six and half years with the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Division 2, in Gallup, where she started as an associate trial attorney and worked her way up to deputy district attorney.</p>
<p>The chief prosecutor is appointed by the tribe’s attorney general and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general, according to tribal law.</p>
<p>Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch described Lee as a “team player” and a “hard worker” in the release.</p>
<p>“I am confident she will make a difference in ensuring that our communities are safe and that our limited prosecutorial resources are leveraged to the maximum extent,” Branch said in the release.</p>
<p>In an email today, Branch stated that as chief prosecutor, Lee will serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the tribe.</p>
<p>“She will represent the interest of the Navajo Nation in prosecuting individuals charged with violating the laws of the Navajo Nation Code,” the attorney general wrote.</p>
<p>That includes overseeing 35 staff members and nine district offices located throughout the Navajo Nation, Branch wrote.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Lee succeeds Bernadine Martin.</p>
<p>During the 16 months the position had been vacant, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jaime High served as acting chief prosecutor and she will return to her post as deputy chief prosecutor, according to the tribe’s Justice Department.</p>
<p>Noel Lyn Smith covers the Navajo Nation for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4636.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>©2016 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)</p>
<p>Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at <a href="http://www.daily-times.com" type="external">www.daily-times.com</a></p>
<p>Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.</p>
<p>_____</p>
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Navajo Nation names new chief prosecutor
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Navajo Nation names new chief prosecutor
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<p />
<p>Gertrude Lee, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation from Kirtland, was sworn in on Monday by Window Rock District Court Judge Geraldine Benally in Window Rock, Ariz., according to a press release from the tribe’s Department of Justice.</p>
<p>Lee graduated from Kirtland Central High School in 2002 and graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 2009.</p>
<p>She is a licensed member of the New Mexico Bar Association and a member of the Navajo Nation Bar Association, according to both associations.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“I am excited to join the Office of the Prosecutor and I look forward to leading a staff of individuals who are dedicated to law enforcement and public safety on the Navajo Nation. My immediate priority in the position will be to bring the office up to full staff,” Lee said in the release.</p>
<p>Lee worked for six and half years with the 11th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Division 2, in Gallup, where she started as an associate trial attorney and worked her way up to deputy district attorney.</p>
<p>The chief prosecutor is appointed by the tribe’s attorney general and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general, according to tribal law.</p>
<p>Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch described Lee as a “team player” and a “hard worker” in the release.</p>
<p>“I am confident she will make a difference in ensuring that our communities are safe and that our limited prosecutorial resources are leveraged to the maximum extent,” Branch said in the release.</p>
<p>In an email today, Branch stated that as chief prosecutor, Lee will serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the tribe.</p>
<p>“She will represent the interest of the Navajo Nation in prosecuting individuals charged with violating the laws of the Navajo Nation Code,” the attorney general wrote.</p>
<p>That includes overseeing 35 staff members and nine district offices located throughout the Navajo Nation, Branch wrote.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Lee succeeds Bernadine Martin.</p>
<p>During the 16 months the position had been vacant, Deputy Chief Prosecutor Jaime High served as acting chief prosecutor and she will return to her post as deputy chief prosecutor, according to the tribe’s Justice Department.</p>
<p>Noel Lyn Smith covers the Navajo Nation for The Daily Times. She can be reached at 505-564-4636.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>©2016 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.)</p>
<p>Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at <a href="http://www.daily-times.com" type="external">www.daily-times.com</a></p>
<p>Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.</p>
<p>_____</p>
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<p>According to a senior Iranian military officer, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plans to build a statue of the ten US sailors who they briefly held captive in January. The IRGC is the branch of the Iranian armed forces responsible for capturing and humiliating US personnel found in the Persian Gulf on the eve of President Obama’s 2016 State of the Union address.</p>
<p>The Telegraph (UK) <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/12197979/Iran-to-build-a-statue-of-captured-US-sailors.html" type="external">reports</a>, “Commander Ali Fadavi, the head of the Guard’s naval forces, said the monument of the surrendering Americans would be a ‘tourist attraction.’”</p>
<p>“There are very many photographs of the major incident of arresting US Marines in the Persian Gulf in the media and we intend to build a symbol out of them inside one of our naval monuments," Fadavi <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/12197979/Iran-to-build-a-statue-of-captured-US-sailors.html" type="external">added</a>.</p>
<p>Iran builds statue of captured US <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sailors?src=hash" type="external">#sailors</a> (hands &amp; knees begging) <a href="https://t.co/csW7Ce4724" type="external">https://t.co/csW7Ce4724</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/patriots?src=hash" type="external">#patriots</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/veterans?src=hash" type="external">#veterans</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ccot?src=hash" type="external">#ccot</a> <a href="https://t.co/Sbp2LQA6zN" type="external">pic.twitter.com/Sbp2LQA6zN</a></p>
<p>This isn’t the first time Iran has gone out of its way to demean the honor of American servicemen. In February, the Iranian regime relentlessly mocked the ten Americans it had captured at its annual “Revolutionary Day” parade, which commemorates the 1979 Islamic Revolution.</p>
<p>Throngs of parade-goers dressed up like American service personnel and acted out scenes of the capture. Some revelers bent down in mock-submission as they gleefully celebrated the humiliation of US soldiers at the hands of IRGC thugs.</p>
<p>All of this comes after the IRGC published countless photos of detained US sailors in compromising, humiliating, and submissive positions.</p>
<p>Thanks to President Obama, Iran is now looking forward to expanding its tourist industry. The statue of our soldiers seems to be the country’s first highly publicized investment.</p>
<p>“The statue is likely to be built on Kharg, a small Iranian island in the Persian Gulf not far from where the sailors were captured,” <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/12197979/Iran-to-build-a-statue-of-captured-US-sailors.html" type="external">explains</a> The Telegraph. “The monument could feature as a stop for travelers on the Rahian-e-Nour, a semi-mandatory pro-regime pilgrimage that takes visitors to historical spots from the Iran-Iraq war and extols the virtues of the Iranian military.”</p>
<p>No word yet on whether Iran will build a gift shop nearby selling desecrated American and Israeli flags.</p>
|
Iran to Build Statue Commemorating Humiliation of Captured US Sailors as 'Tourist Attraction'
| true |
https://dailywire.com/news/4233/iran-build-statue-commemorating-humiliation-michael-qazvini
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2016-03-19
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Iran to Build Statue Commemorating Humiliation of Captured US Sailors as 'Tourist Attraction'
<p>According to a senior Iranian military officer, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plans to build a statue of the ten US sailors who they briefly held captive in January. The IRGC is the branch of the Iranian armed forces responsible for capturing and humiliating US personnel found in the Persian Gulf on the eve of President Obama’s 2016 State of the Union address.</p>
<p>The Telegraph (UK) <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/12197979/Iran-to-build-a-statue-of-captured-US-sailors.html" type="external">reports</a>, “Commander Ali Fadavi, the head of the Guard’s naval forces, said the monument of the surrendering Americans would be a ‘tourist attraction.’”</p>
<p>“There are very many photographs of the major incident of arresting US Marines in the Persian Gulf in the media and we intend to build a symbol out of them inside one of our naval monuments," Fadavi <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/12197979/Iran-to-build-a-statue-of-captured-US-sailors.html" type="external">added</a>.</p>
<p>Iran builds statue of captured US <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sailors?src=hash" type="external">#sailors</a> (hands &amp; knees begging) <a href="https://t.co/csW7Ce4724" type="external">https://t.co/csW7Ce4724</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/patriots?src=hash" type="external">#patriots</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/veterans?src=hash" type="external">#veterans</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ccot?src=hash" type="external">#ccot</a> <a href="https://t.co/Sbp2LQA6zN" type="external">pic.twitter.com/Sbp2LQA6zN</a></p>
<p>This isn’t the first time Iran has gone out of its way to demean the honor of American servicemen. In February, the Iranian regime relentlessly mocked the ten Americans it had captured at its annual “Revolutionary Day” parade, which commemorates the 1979 Islamic Revolution.</p>
<p>Throngs of parade-goers dressed up like American service personnel and acted out scenes of the capture. Some revelers bent down in mock-submission as they gleefully celebrated the humiliation of US soldiers at the hands of IRGC thugs.</p>
<p>All of this comes after the IRGC published countless photos of detained US sailors in compromising, humiliating, and submissive positions.</p>
<p>Thanks to President Obama, Iran is now looking forward to expanding its tourist industry. The statue of our soldiers seems to be the country’s first highly publicized investment.</p>
<p>“The statue is likely to be built on Kharg, a small Iranian island in the Persian Gulf not far from where the sailors were captured,” <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/12197979/Iran-to-build-a-statue-of-captured-US-sailors.html" type="external">explains</a> The Telegraph. “The monument could feature as a stop for travelers on the Rahian-e-Nour, a semi-mandatory pro-regime pilgrimage that takes visitors to historical spots from the Iran-Iraq war and extols the virtues of the Iranian military.”</p>
<p>No word yet on whether Iran will build a gift shop nearby selling desecrated American and Israeli flags.</p>
| 6,120 |
<p>"The promise of a crusade for a purified Christian America is precisely why evangelicals overwhelmingly gave Trump their vote."</p>
<p>Vice President Mike Pence, who likes to say that he is “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order,” grew up in Columbus, Indiana, a city of nearly 50,000 people about 40 miles south of Indianapolis. He was raised in an Irish Catholic family but wanted a more “personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” as he <a href="http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2010/February/Ind-Rep-Mike-Pence-It-All-Begins-with-Faith-" type="external">once told</a> the Christian Broadcasting Network, and in college he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/us/politics/mike-pence-religion.html" type="external">converted to evangelicalism</a> during a Christian music festival. As governor of Indiana from 2013 until January, he tried to remake the state in the image of a small Midwestern city like his hometown, largely untouched by the changes that have transformed the nation in recent decades.</p>
<p>Pence is a throwback to an earlier time, but it isn’t the basketball-obsessed, mid-century Indiana of the movie Hoosiers. He’s a throwback to the Indiana of the 1920s, when a populist, grassroots movement—the Ku Klux Klan— <a href="http://www.theindychannel.com/longform/the-ku-klux-klan-ran-indiana-once-could-it-happen-again" type="external">grew explosively</a>, becoming the most powerful state chapter in the nation and claiming the governor, half the legislature and 250,000 Hoosiers as members. The movement was always Christian at its core, defending the one true faith—Protestantism— <a href="" type="internal">against all heresies</a>, especially the religious tradition of so many eastern European immigrants in the early 20th century, Catholicism.</p>
<p>To say that Pence fits firmly within Indiana’s robust Klan tradition isn’t to say that he would ever associate with the organization, of course. There are occasional attempts to revive the KKK’s formal power in Indiana, but the marches usually highlight <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/indiana/2016/09/24/madison-residents-reject-ku-klux-klan-message/90934178/" type="external">its isolation</a> rather than its strength. A few dozen Klansmen shuffle around and bark into bullhorns, outnumbered by protestors and media.</p>
<p>The regalia, rituals and sparsely attended marches have become embarrassing and superfluous. With the rise of the Christian Right in the 1970s and 80s, the Klan’s agenda was largely absorbed into the mainstream of the Republican Party. Even at the organization’s height, racism was only one element in a <a href="http://www1.assumption.edu/ahc/1920s/Eugenics/Klan.html" type="external">much broader</a>vision. In 1923, a weekly Klan publication, The Fiery Cross, outlined the organization’s priorities, which included law enforcement, restricted immigration, clean politics, militant Protestantism, respect for the flag, getting back to the Constitution and an independent Klan press. The Klan was also a major force in the Prohibition movement. It’s the zeal to restore order and impose morality on world torn away from its moorings—a world gone mad—that connects Pence and the GOP to the Klan agenda of the 1920s.</p>
<p>That’s a negative project, in part, and the coverage of Pence often focuses on the things that he stigmatizes. His own version of Prohibition, for example, is an intense opposition to marijuana. Pence successfully pushed back against attempts to reform Indiana’s drug laws, which are among the harshest in the nation: Possession of any amount is still punishable with 180 days in prison in Indiana. And Pence’s moral crusade targets a wide swath&#160;of minority groups and civil rights. He anticipated the Trump administration’s moratorium on immigration by both blocking Syrian war refugees from settling in the state and attempting to cut off federal funds for those already living in Indiana. In halting that effort, a federal judge said that it “clearly constitutes national origin discrimination.” In 2015, Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which supporters say was designed to protect the civil rights of religious business owners. In practice, it was about empowering conservative Christians to discriminate against LGBT people. Similarly, Pence has spent much of his career waging war on reproductive rights. A year ago he signed <a href="http://theslot.jezebel.com/get-to-know-mike-pence-and-all-of-the-very-bad-legislat-1783733309" type="external">a bill</a>, subsequently blocked by a federal court, that would have required aborted fetuses be buried or cremated.</p>
<p>But stigmatization is just half the story. For Pence and the evangelicals he represents, as with the Klan of a century ago, politics is equally about reasserting the foundations for moral authority, which is why Pence’s record on education is so important and may well be the primary basis for whatever political legacy he leaves.</p>
<p>It has become awkward to talk about the vacuum of meaning in modern life: The language is too earnest, in an age of irony, and it leads easily into the fraught realm of religion and religious dogma. But in the era of the Klan’s peak, even secular writers weren’t shy about bringing it up. They were obsessed with it, and open-hearted about their angst. They feared that science had destroyed the basis for religious belief but hadn’t replaced it with anything substantial.</p>
<p>The Klan emerged in response to the vacuum. It was a deeply racist and nativist reaction to the demographic transformations of American life. It was also a militant reassertion of the Bible and Protestant theology as the legitimate anchors of meaning and authority. That agenda manifested in many ways, but especially in the Klan’s enthusiasm for Bible reading and religious education in public schools. The Klan, as historian Thomas Pegram <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=aplUFE1XIcQC&amp;pg=PA109&amp;lpg=PA109&amp;dq=ku+klux+klan+bible+reading+in+public+schools&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=28nynCHZdq&amp;sig=K3-sMzQSP0C2WjmvmWYgkpVduzI&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi46pa84r_RAhUDzoMKHY53A24Q6AEIHjAB#v=onepage&amp;q=ku%20klux%20klan%20bible%20reading%20in%20public%20schools&amp;f=false" type="external">writes</a> in One Hundred Percent American, “packed galleries in statehouses …&#160;in support of laws to expand the use of the Bible as an educational aid. And where state laws failed to pass, Klansmen pressure local school boards into adopting daily readings or launched political coalitions to elect new school boards that would implement the classroom use of scripture.”</p>
<p>The modern Christian Right, as it organized into a political force in the late 1970s and 80s, solved the problem of the lack of Bible reading in public schools by creating a separate sphere of <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133" type="external">private Christian institutions</a>. Over the past decade,&#160;in particular, evangelicals have also <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/as-the-religious-right-forces-its-gospel-into-public-schools-some-secular-parents-are-opting-to-homeschool/" type="external">turned to homeschooling</a> to control education. But the problem of secular schools has always haunted them and remained a priority. The public schools’ commitment to diversity and neutrality in religious matters means that a majority of children aren’t being indoctrinated in the one truth faith, which translates into a mounting moral crisis. The genius of Trump’s campaign slogan was that it spoke to both the disruptions of the globalizing economy and, maybe even more potently, to the sense of looming moral catastrophe that evangelicals feel. To make America great again means, bluntly, to make it Christian again. And Christianizing the schools is what the push for privatization is about, which is why Pence and Indiana have been at the forefront of it.</p>
<p>In the 2015-16 school year, more than 32,000 students in Indiana—about 3 percent statewide—attended a private school with the assistance of state “scholarships,” at a cost of more than $131 million to taxpayers. The program began in 2011, two years before Pence took office. But, under him, it became one of the largest voucher programs in the nation. The program was originally sold as a way to save money, but its expansion has become a drain on the state budget, siphoning money from public education. Last year, its <a href="http://indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact/2016/07/18/school-voucher-program-cost-state-18-million-year/" type="external">unfunded deficit</a> was $53 million. Overall, the state spent more than $131 million on vouchers.</p>
<p>Nearly all of the schools that benefit from the program have a religious mission. And though they receive indirect financial support through it, the government is barred from regulating their curriculums. Some of them use books by Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College, dominant players in fundamentalist Christian textbook publishing. Needless to say, many of the schools teach creationism.</p>
<p>Indiana’s devolution of education to private, religious institutions under Pence, in other words, is a fulfillment of the Klan’s obsession with getting scripture into schools, and into curriculums, at taxpayers’ expense, but without the burden of accountability to democratic oversight or educational standards. With Pence as vice president and an aggressive advocate for school privatization heading the Department of Education—Betsy DeVos—there is every reason to expect that the Trump administration will try to extend Indiana’s model to the nation.</p>
<p>The bigger-picture truth is that what has driven Trumpism all along, as with the Klan, is a crusade for one nation under a Christian God and the fiery cross, purified of foreign influences and restored to the racial and religious homogeneity of a romanticized era. Put another way: The Trump administration has initiated the latest battle in a long-running war over the essence of the nation’s “greatness.”</p>
<p>In Indiana, a century ago, the same battle flared over the same issues, as Christian Klansmen sought to take back their state, and their nation, by dramatically asserting the power of the white majority and reasserting the moral authority of Protestantism and the Bible. The spiritual descendants of those Klansmen are the base for Trump, who cares little about religious doctrine but gladly appoints people to carry out evangelicals’ mission in exchange for their votes. In this context, it makes sense that the new president tapped both Pence and, as an adviser, Steve Bannon—a man who <a href="" type="internal">seems obsessed</a> with the decay of the “Judeo-Christian tradition” and with fantasies of an apocalyptic war between the forces of good and evil.</p>
<p>In February, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said it was a “stunning thing that a white supremacist, Bannon, would be a permanent member of the National Security Council.” And in one sense, that’s true. It is stunning. Yet the promise of a crusade for a purified Christian America is precisely why evangelicals overwhelmingly gave Trump their vote. If the president succeeds, as he has promised, in gutting the <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/02/03/513187940/the-johnson-amendment-in-five-questions-and-answers?utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=politics&amp;utm_term=nprnews&amp;utm_content=20170203" type="external">Johnson Amendment</a>, which prohibits religious organizations from making political endorsements and contributions, the seamless merger of conservative Christianity with the state will be complete and an old Klan vision will be realized.</p>
<p>Nothing about current U.S. politics is predictable, but moral crusades of the kind that Pence and the GOP are waging under Trump’s banner often contain the seeds of their own undoing. It was a moral scandal, fittingly, that brought down the Indiana Klan. After a spectacular rise in the early 1920s, it fell apart in a single year after its most prominent leader was convicted of rape and murder in 1925. Obsessed with the foreign and immoral influences that it believed were corrupting society, the Indiana Klan was undone by the evil within.</p>
<p>Crusades can also be undone by incompetence, and one sliver of a silver lining is that&#160;Pence has a poor record of pushing his ideas and of governing. Though he was an evangelical Christian in a religious, Republican state, he wasn’t very popular with Hoosiers when Trump tapped him to be vice president. His approval ratings over the spring and summer last year hovered in the mid- to upper 40s, putting him near the bottom of the pack among governors nationwide. Part of it was that Indiana simply isn’t doing well by any measure. It <a href="http://info.healthways.com/hubfs/Gallup-Healthways%20State%20of%20American%20Well-Being_2016%20State%20Rankings%20vFINAL.pdf?t=1486138947444" type="external">placed 47th</a>, behind only Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia, in the 2016 Gallup-Healthways “State of American Well-Being” report, which ranks states based on metrics that include the social, financial and physical health of their populations. Pence’s reputation also suffered because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Pushback from the state’s business community, which feared for Indiana’s reputation, especially after several companies threatened to boycott the state, forced Pence to sign an amended version of the bill that guaranteed the rights of LGBT people.</p>
<p>The RFRA fiasco followed a pattern. When Pence struggled with the tension between his principles and political realities, he flailed, until forced to face the truth and cave. But the negative effects rippled out, and others suffered the consequences and cleaned up the mess. In the case of RFRA, after Pence signed the amended version of the bill, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation hired a public-relations firm to repair the damage. Three months after the $750,000 contract was signed, it was canceled for vague reasons. But IEDC had already paid the firm $365,000, with nothing to show for it.</p>
<p>Maybe the best-case scenario under a Trump presidency is that it will unfold as a series of RFRAs: Pence’s and Trump’s agenda will galvanize and focus the energy of the opposition, and undermine the administration’s efforts. Given Pence’s history of overreach and Trump’s reckless and rudderless impulses, and Bannon’s lunatic, nationalist fantasies, it wouldn’t be surprising if their administration meets a similar fate, and the extremism&#160;of their agenda creates the seeds of its undoing. As the Bible, itself, warns: Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.</p>
<p>Theo Anderson, an In These Times writing fellow, has contributed to the magazine since 2010. He has a Ph.D. in modern U.S. history from Yale and writes on the intellectual and religious history of conservatism and progressivism in the United States. Follow him on Twitter @Theoanderson7 and contact him at [email protected].</p>
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Mike Pence, Betsy DeVos and the Klan’s Long Shadow
| true |
http://inthesetimes.com/article/19904/mike-pence-betsy-devos-and-the-klans-long-shadow
|
2017-02-15
| 4left
|
Mike Pence, Betsy DeVos and the Klan’s Long Shadow
<p>"The promise of a crusade for a purified Christian America is precisely why evangelicals overwhelmingly gave Trump their vote."</p>
<p>Vice President Mike Pence, who likes to say that he is “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order,” grew up in Columbus, Indiana, a city of nearly 50,000 people about 40 miles south of Indianapolis. He was raised in an Irish Catholic family but wanted a more “personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” as he <a href="http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2010/February/Ind-Rep-Mike-Pence-It-All-Begins-with-Faith-" type="external">once told</a> the Christian Broadcasting Network, and in college he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/us/politics/mike-pence-religion.html" type="external">converted to evangelicalism</a> during a Christian music festival. As governor of Indiana from 2013 until January, he tried to remake the state in the image of a small Midwestern city like his hometown, largely untouched by the changes that have transformed the nation in recent decades.</p>
<p>Pence is a throwback to an earlier time, but it isn’t the basketball-obsessed, mid-century Indiana of the movie Hoosiers. He’s a throwback to the Indiana of the 1920s, when a populist, grassroots movement—the Ku Klux Klan— <a href="http://www.theindychannel.com/longform/the-ku-klux-klan-ran-indiana-once-could-it-happen-again" type="external">grew explosively</a>, becoming the most powerful state chapter in the nation and claiming the governor, half the legislature and 250,000 Hoosiers as members. The movement was always Christian at its core, defending the one true faith—Protestantism— <a href="" type="internal">against all heresies</a>, especially the religious tradition of so many eastern European immigrants in the early 20th century, Catholicism.</p>
<p>To say that Pence fits firmly within Indiana’s robust Klan tradition isn’t to say that he would ever associate with the organization, of course. There are occasional attempts to revive the KKK’s formal power in Indiana, but the marches usually highlight <a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/indiana/2016/09/24/madison-residents-reject-ku-klux-klan-message/90934178/" type="external">its isolation</a> rather than its strength. A few dozen Klansmen shuffle around and bark into bullhorns, outnumbered by protestors and media.</p>
<p>The regalia, rituals and sparsely attended marches have become embarrassing and superfluous. With the rise of the Christian Right in the 1970s and 80s, the Klan’s agenda was largely absorbed into the mainstream of the Republican Party. Even at the organization’s height, racism was only one element in a <a href="http://www1.assumption.edu/ahc/1920s/Eugenics/Klan.html" type="external">much broader</a>vision. In 1923, a weekly Klan publication, The Fiery Cross, outlined the organization’s priorities, which included law enforcement, restricted immigration, clean politics, militant Protestantism, respect for the flag, getting back to the Constitution and an independent Klan press. The Klan was also a major force in the Prohibition movement. It’s the zeal to restore order and impose morality on world torn away from its moorings—a world gone mad—that connects Pence and the GOP to the Klan agenda of the 1920s.</p>
<p>That’s a negative project, in part, and the coverage of Pence often focuses on the things that he stigmatizes. His own version of Prohibition, for example, is an intense opposition to marijuana. Pence successfully pushed back against attempts to reform Indiana’s drug laws, which are among the harshest in the nation: Possession of any amount is still punishable with 180 days in prison in Indiana. And Pence’s moral crusade targets a wide swath&#160;of minority groups and civil rights. He anticipated the Trump administration’s moratorium on immigration by both blocking Syrian war refugees from settling in the state and attempting to cut off federal funds for those already living in Indiana. In halting that effort, a federal judge said that it “clearly constitutes national origin discrimination.” In 2015, Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which supporters say was designed to protect the civil rights of religious business owners. In practice, it was about empowering conservative Christians to discriminate against LGBT people. Similarly, Pence has spent much of his career waging war on reproductive rights. A year ago he signed <a href="http://theslot.jezebel.com/get-to-know-mike-pence-and-all-of-the-very-bad-legislat-1783733309" type="external">a bill</a>, subsequently blocked by a federal court, that would have required aborted fetuses be buried or cremated.</p>
<p>But stigmatization is just half the story. For Pence and the evangelicals he represents, as with the Klan of a century ago, politics is equally about reasserting the foundations for moral authority, which is why Pence’s record on education is so important and may well be the primary basis for whatever political legacy he leaves.</p>
<p>It has become awkward to talk about the vacuum of meaning in modern life: The language is too earnest, in an age of irony, and it leads easily into the fraught realm of religion and religious dogma. But in the era of the Klan’s peak, even secular writers weren’t shy about bringing it up. They were obsessed with it, and open-hearted about their angst. They feared that science had destroyed the basis for religious belief but hadn’t replaced it with anything substantial.</p>
<p>The Klan emerged in response to the vacuum. It was a deeply racist and nativist reaction to the demographic transformations of American life. It was also a militant reassertion of the Bible and Protestant theology as the legitimate anchors of meaning and authority. That agenda manifested in many ways, but especially in the Klan’s enthusiasm for Bible reading and religious education in public schools. The Klan, as historian Thomas Pegram <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=aplUFE1XIcQC&amp;pg=PA109&amp;lpg=PA109&amp;dq=ku+klux+klan+bible+reading+in+public+schools&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=28nynCHZdq&amp;sig=K3-sMzQSP0C2WjmvmWYgkpVduzI&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi46pa84r_RAhUDzoMKHY53A24Q6AEIHjAB#v=onepage&amp;q=ku%20klux%20klan%20bible%20reading%20in%20public%20schools&amp;f=false" type="external">writes</a> in One Hundred Percent American, “packed galleries in statehouses …&#160;in support of laws to expand the use of the Bible as an educational aid. And where state laws failed to pass, Klansmen pressure local school boards into adopting daily readings or launched political coalitions to elect new school boards that would implement the classroom use of scripture.”</p>
<p>The modern Christian Right, as it organized into a political force in the late 1970s and 80s, solved the problem of the lack of Bible reading in public schools by creating a separate sphere of <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133" type="external">private Christian institutions</a>. Over the past decade,&#160;in particular, evangelicals have also <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/as-the-religious-right-forces-its-gospel-into-public-schools-some-secular-parents-are-opting-to-homeschool/" type="external">turned to homeschooling</a> to control education. But the problem of secular schools has always haunted them and remained a priority. The public schools’ commitment to diversity and neutrality in religious matters means that a majority of children aren’t being indoctrinated in the one truth faith, which translates into a mounting moral crisis. The genius of Trump’s campaign slogan was that it spoke to both the disruptions of the globalizing economy and, maybe even more potently, to the sense of looming moral catastrophe that evangelicals feel. To make America great again means, bluntly, to make it Christian again. And Christianizing the schools is what the push for privatization is about, which is why Pence and Indiana have been at the forefront of it.</p>
<p>In the 2015-16 school year, more than 32,000 students in Indiana—about 3 percent statewide—attended a private school with the assistance of state “scholarships,” at a cost of more than $131 million to taxpayers. The program began in 2011, two years before Pence took office. But, under him, it became one of the largest voucher programs in the nation. The program was originally sold as a way to save money, but its expansion has become a drain on the state budget, siphoning money from public education. Last year, its <a href="http://indianapublicmedia.org/stateimpact/2016/07/18/school-voucher-program-cost-state-18-million-year/" type="external">unfunded deficit</a> was $53 million. Overall, the state spent more than $131 million on vouchers.</p>
<p>Nearly all of the schools that benefit from the program have a religious mission. And though they receive indirect financial support through it, the government is barred from regulating their curriculums. Some of them use books by Bob Jones University and Pensacola Christian College, dominant players in fundamentalist Christian textbook publishing. Needless to say, many of the schools teach creationism.</p>
<p>Indiana’s devolution of education to private, religious institutions under Pence, in other words, is a fulfillment of the Klan’s obsession with getting scripture into schools, and into curriculums, at taxpayers’ expense, but without the burden of accountability to democratic oversight or educational standards. With Pence as vice president and an aggressive advocate for school privatization heading the Department of Education—Betsy DeVos—there is every reason to expect that the Trump administration will try to extend Indiana’s model to the nation.</p>
<p>The bigger-picture truth is that what has driven Trumpism all along, as with the Klan, is a crusade for one nation under a Christian God and the fiery cross, purified of foreign influences and restored to the racial and religious homogeneity of a romanticized era. Put another way: The Trump administration has initiated the latest battle in a long-running war over the essence of the nation’s “greatness.”</p>
<p>In Indiana, a century ago, the same battle flared over the same issues, as Christian Klansmen sought to take back their state, and their nation, by dramatically asserting the power of the white majority and reasserting the moral authority of Protestantism and the Bible. The spiritual descendants of those Klansmen are the base for Trump, who cares little about religious doctrine but gladly appoints people to carry out evangelicals’ mission in exchange for their votes. In this context, it makes sense that the new president tapped both Pence and, as an adviser, Steve Bannon—a man who <a href="" type="internal">seems obsessed</a> with the decay of the “Judeo-Christian tradition” and with fantasies of an apocalyptic war between the forces of good and evil.</p>
<p>In February, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said it was a “stunning thing that a white supremacist, Bannon, would be a permanent member of the National Security Council.” And in one sense, that’s true. It is stunning. Yet the promise of a crusade for a purified Christian America is precisely why evangelicals overwhelmingly gave Trump their vote. If the president succeeds, as he has promised, in gutting the <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/02/03/513187940/the-johnson-amendment-in-five-questions-and-answers?utm_source=facebook.com&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=politics&amp;utm_term=nprnews&amp;utm_content=20170203" type="external">Johnson Amendment</a>, which prohibits religious organizations from making political endorsements and contributions, the seamless merger of conservative Christianity with the state will be complete and an old Klan vision will be realized.</p>
<p>Nothing about current U.S. politics is predictable, but moral crusades of the kind that Pence and the GOP are waging under Trump’s banner often contain the seeds of their own undoing. It was a moral scandal, fittingly, that brought down the Indiana Klan. After a spectacular rise in the early 1920s, it fell apart in a single year after its most prominent leader was convicted of rape and murder in 1925. Obsessed with the foreign and immoral influences that it believed were corrupting society, the Indiana Klan was undone by the evil within.</p>
<p>Crusades can also be undone by incompetence, and one sliver of a silver lining is that&#160;Pence has a poor record of pushing his ideas and of governing. Though he was an evangelical Christian in a religious, Republican state, he wasn’t very popular with Hoosiers when Trump tapped him to be vice president. His approval ratings over the spring and summer last year hovered in the mid- to upper 40s, putting him near the bottom of the pack among governors nationwide. Part of it was that Indiana simply isn’t doing well by any measure. It <a href="http://info.healthways.com/hubfs/Gallup-Healthways%20State%20of%20American%20Well-Being_2016%20State%20Rankings%20vFINAL.pdf?t=1486138947444" type="external">placed 47th</a>, behind only Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia, in the 2016 Gallup-Healthways “State of American Well-Being” report, which ranks states based on metrics that include the social, financial and physical health of their populations. Pence’s reputation also suffered because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Pushback from the state’s business community, which feared for Indiana’s reputation, especially after several companies threatened to boycott the state, forced Pence to sign an amended version of the bill that guaranteed the rights of LGBT people.</p>
<p>The RFRA fiasco followed a pattern. When Pence struggled with the tension between his principles and political realities, he flailed, until forced to face the truth and cave. But the negative effects rippled out, and others suffered the consequences and cleaned up the mess. In the case of RFRA, after Pence signed the amended version of the bill, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation hired a public-relations firm to repair the damage. Three months after the $750,000 contract was signed, it was canceled for vague reasons. But IEDC had already paid the firm $365,000, with nothing to show for it.</p>
<p>Maybe the best-case scenario under a Trump presidency is that it will unfold as a series of RFRAs: Pence’s and Trump’s agenda will galvanize and focus the energy of the opposition, and undermine the administration’s efforts. Given Pence’s history of overreach and Trump’s reckless and rudderless impulses, and Bannon’s lunatic, nationalist fantasies, it wouldn’t be surprising if their administration meets a similar fate, and the extremism&#160;of their agenda creates the seeds of its undoing. As the Bible, itself, warns: Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.</p>
<p>Theo Anderson, an In These Times writing fellow, has contributed to the magazine since 2010. He has a Ph.D. in modern U.S. history from Yale and writes on the intellectual and religious history of conservatism and progressivism in the United States. Follow him on Twitter @Theoanderson7 and contact him at [email protected].</p>
| 6,121 |
<p>The partisan squabbling over the killing of Osama bin Laden is a typical election-year distraction, effectively squelching discussion of more important matters one year after the execution of the al-Qaeda chief executive.</p>
<p>Aided by cable-TV talking heads, Americans are spending too much time speculating over whether presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney would have given the order to get bin Laden, and also issuing paeans to President Obama’s “courage.” (We have a strange notion of courage. Did Obama risk his own life? Of course not. He was safe in the White House Situation Room. Perhaps he “risked” his political career, but even that isn’t certain. A failed operation might have won him sympathy for a good try. On the other hand, the men under his command were ordered to risk their lives and the lives of others.)</p>
<p>While the commentators are engaged in trivialities, big foreign-policy questions are ignored.</p>
<p>For instance, although bin Laden is dead, his strategy of sucking the United States into bloody, expensive imperial wars in the Muslim world has worked like a charm. In a video released in 2004, bin Laden said, “We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah.” He compared what was happening in Afghanistan then to the previous Soviet debacle there. “We, alongside the mujahideen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat.”</p>
<p>Ironically, President Jimmy Carter’s national-security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has bragged that he helped draw the Soviet Union into Afghanistan in 1979 precisely to mire the Russians in their own “Vietnam.” That experience failed to deter President George W. Bush from blindly following in the Soviets’ footsteps; nor did it keep Obama from redoubling this futile effort, including a major expansion of drone attacks in Pakistan, which have killed at least 1,400 people since Obama took office. The U.S. government has been fighting the same people it helped fight the Soviets.</p>
<p>“All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private corporations,” bin Laden said.</p>
<p>Right he was. The Obama administration ruthlessly drone-bombs Yemen and Somalia to eradicate the “threat” from real or potential al-Qaeda affiliates in those countries. Even American officials are aware that this policy creates anti-American militants. This is not rocket science. Bomb people, and they will dislike you — and perhaps seek revenge.</p>
<p>Bin Laden got his wish. America’s fiscal house couldn’t be more disorderly. The debt is over $15 trillion, larger than the GDP. The Congressional Research Service says that from 2001 to 2011 the Afghan war cost $443 billion. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, and many more maimed. American deaths total more than 1,800, with well over 15,000 wounded. The number of survivors whose lives have been effectively destroyed is uncountable. And that leaves the Iraq war out of the account. Al-Qaeda wasn’t even in that country until George W. Bush invaded in 2003.</p>
<p>The point is that we let bin Laden take our eyes off the ball. He and al-Qaeda were creatures of American policy, though not in the sense that U.S. agents funded him or set up his organization. Rather, he turned his wrath toward America (and away from U.S.-backed Middle Eastern oppressors) as it became apparent that so much of the misery inflicted on the Muslim world had its origins in Washington, D.C.</p>
<p>The sources of misery include the decade-long economic sanctions on Iraq, which killed half a million children — a price pronounced “worth it” in 1996 by President Clinton’s then-UN ambassador and later secretary of state Madeleine Albright; the stationing of U.S. troops near holy places in Saudi Arabia; and the continuing subjugation of Palestinians by U.S.-backed Israel. In the absence of those and related policies, bin Laden would have had no interest in seeing U.S. territory attacked.</p>
<p>To be sure, bin Laden is gone. But the abominable foreign policy goes on.</p>
<p>Sheldon Richman&#160;is editor of The Freeman, senior fellow at the Future of Freedom Foundation, and an advisory board member of the Center for a Stateless Society. He is&#160; author of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Tethered Citizens: Time to Repeal the Welfare State</a>.&#160;Visit his blog “Free Association” at&#160; <a href="http://www.sheldonrichman.com/" type="external">www.sheldonrichman.com.</a>&#160;Send him&#160; <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">email</a>.</p>
|
Obama, Bin Laden, and Mitt
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2012/05/08/obama-bin-laden-and-mitt/
|
2012-05-08
| 4left
|
Obama, Bin Laden, and Mitt
<p>The partisan squabbling over the killing of Osama bin Laden is a typical election-year distraction, effectively squelching discussion of more important matters one year after the execution of the al-Qaeda chief executive.</p>
<p>Aided by cable-TV talking heads, Americans are spending too much time speculating over whether presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney would have given the order to get bin Laden, and also issuing paeans to President Obama’s “courage.” (We have a strange notion of courage. Did Obama risk his own life? Of course not. He was safe in the White House Situation Room. Perhaps he “risked” his political career, but even that isn’t certain. A failed operation might have won him sympathy for a good try. On the other hand, the men under his command were ordered to risk their lives and the lives of others.)</p>
<p>While the commentators are engaged in trivialities, big foreign-policy questions are ignored.</p>
<p>For instance, although bin Laden is dead, his strategy of sucking the United States into bloody, expensive imperial wars in the Muslim world has worked like a charm. In a video released in 2004, bin Laden said, “We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah.” He compared what was happening in Afghanistan then to the previous Soviet debacle there. “We, alongside the mujahideen, bled Russia for 10 years until it went bankrupt and was forced to withdraw in defeat.”</p>
<p>Ironically, President Jimmy Carter’s national-security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, has bragged that he helped draw the Soviet Union into Afghanistan in 1979 precisely to mire the Russians in their own “Vietnam.” That experience failed to deter President George W. Bush from blindly following in the Soviets’ footsteps; nor did it keep Obama from redoubling this futile effort, including a major expansion of drone attacks in Pakistan, which have killed at least 1,400 people since Obama took office. The U.S. government has been fighting the same people it helped fight the Soviets.</p>
<p>“All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private corporations,” bin Laden said.</p>
<p>Right he was. The Obama administration ruthlessly drone-bombs Yemen and Somalia to eradicate the “threat” from real or potential al-Qaeda affiliates in those countries. Even American officials are aware that this policy creates anti-American militants. This is not rocket science. Bomb people, and they will dislike you — and perhaps seek revenge.</p>
<p>Bin Laden got his wish. America’s fiscal house couldn’t be more disorderly. The debt is over $15 trillion, larger than the GDP. The Congressional Research Service says that from 2001 to 2011 the Afghan war cost $443 billion. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, and many more maimed. American deaths total more than 1,800, with well over 15,000 wounded. The number of survivors whose lives have been effectively destroyed is uncountable. And that leaves the Iraq war out of the account. Al-Qaeda wasn’t even in that country until George W. Bush invaded in 2003.</p>
<p>The point is that we let bin Laden take our eyes off the ball. He and al-Qaeda were creatures of American policy, though not in the sense that U.S. agents funded him or set up his organization. Rather, he turned his wrath toward America (and away from U.S.-backed Middle Eastern oppressors) as it became apparent that so much of the misery inflicted on the Muslim world had its origins in Washington, D.C.</p>
<p>The sources of misery include the decade-long economic sanctions on Iraq, which killed half a million children — a price pronounced “worth it” in 1996 by President Clinton’s then-UN ambassador and later secretary of state Madeleine Albright; the stationing of U.S. troops near holy places in Saudi Arabia; and the continuing subjugation of Palestinians by U.S.-backed Israel. In the absence of those and related policies, bin Laden would have had no interest in seeing U.S. territory attacked.</p>
<p>To be sure, bin Laden is gone. But the abominable foreign policy goes on.</p>
<p>Sheldon Richman&#160;is editor of The Freeman, senior fellow at the Future of Freedom Foundation, and an advisory board member of the Center for a Stateless Society. He is&#160; author of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Tethered Citizens: Time to Repeal the Welfare State</a>.&#160;Visit his blog “Free Association” at&#160; <a href="http://www.sheldonrichman.com/" type="external">www.sheldonrichman.com.</a>&#160;Send him&#160; <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">email</a>.</p>
| 6,122 |
<p>On Friday, President Trump, struggling to work with Senate Republicans to pass Obamacare reform, suggested a possible solution: maybe, just maybe, Republicans should repeal Obamacare and then replace it piecemeal. He tweeted:</p>
<p>Naturally, conservatives have been promoting this policy since literally before the 2016 campaign. And Trump and the Republicans refused to follow that policy prescription, because they believed that simple repeal wouldn’t be a good campaign slogan – they wanted the cop-out of being able to tell Americans that they had a super-double-secret plan to “replace” Obamacare.</p>
<p>It turns out no such plan existed, and that the Republican caucus is fractious and bickering, that it unites big spending “moderates” with conservative free marketers – that it’s more difficult to replace Obamacare than to repeal it outright. But only now, after months of talk about how Republicans want to destroy Medicaid and throw poor people off cliffs, does Trump come to this eminently obvious solution.</p>
<p>One of the great ironies, of course, is that Trump says this directly after meeting with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). You’ll recall that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wanted to first repeal Obamacare wholesale, then replace – but it was Paul who urged him not to do so, and told Trump that to do so would be a mistake. Now Paul has flipped:</p>
<p>This follows hard on pressure from conservative Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Ben Sasse (R-NE), who said they would push to separate repeal and replace into two pieces.</p>
<p>Well, better late than never. But Republicans are running out of time. They made a promise to the American people. Now it’s time to keep that promise.</p>
|
GOOD TRUMP: Trump Finally Suggests That Republicans Ought To REPEAL Obamacare, Replace It Later
| true |
https://dailywire.com/news/18148/good-trump-trump-finally-suggests-republicans-ben-shapiro
|
2017-06-30
| 0right
|
GOOD TRUMP: Trump Finally Suggests That Republicans Ought To REPEAL Obamacare, Replace It Later
<p>On Friday, President Trump, struggling to work with Senate Republicans to pass Obamacare reform, suggested a possible solution: maybe, just maybe, Republicans should repeal Obamacare and then replace it piecemeal. He tweeted:</p>
<p>Naturally, conservatives have been promoting this policy since literally before the 2016 campaign. And Trump and the Republicans refused to follow that policy prescription, because they believed that simple repeal wouldn’t be a good campaign slogan – they wanted the cop-out of being able to tell Americans that they had a super-double-secret plan to “replace” Obamacare.</p>
<p>It turns out no such plan existed, and that the Republican caucus is fractious and bickering, that it unites big spending “moderates” with conservative free marketers – that it’s more difficult to replace Obamacare than to repeal it outright. But only now, after months of talk about how Republicans want to destroy Medicaid and throw poor people off cliffs, does Trump come to this eminently obvious solution.</p>
<p>One of the great ironies, of course, is that Trump says this directly after meeting with Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). You’ll recall that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wanted to first repeal Obamacare wholesale, then replace – but it was Paul who urged him not to do so, and told Trump that to do so would be a mistake. Now Paul has flipped:</p>
<p>This follows hard on pressure from conservative Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Ben Sasse (R-NE), who said they would push to separate repeal and replace into two pieces.</p>
<p>Well, better late than never. But Republicans are running out of time. They made a promise to the American people. Now it’s time to keep that promise.</p>
| 6,123 |
<p>ARLINGTON, Va. — Selling people is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world and the third largest criminal industry after drugs and weapons, according to information distributed by the United Nations.</p>
<p>UNICEF statistics indicate that nearly two million children have been forced into the commercial sex trade worldwide and the U.S. Department of State says 80 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls; as many as 50 percent are minors.&#160;</p>
<p>Tom Lynch of Arlington, Va., a member of McLean (Va.) Baptist Church, was among 130 individuals from 30 states who met with 130 congressional officials to build support for the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.</p>
<p>The Washington, D.C., event was part of a day of advocacy organized by the human rights agency International Justice Mission. Among those meeting with the group were representatives of two Virginia congressmen — Robert Hurt of the 5th district and Jim Moran of the 8th — and Sen. Jim Webb.</p>
<p>“I was taught at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies that giving a voice to the voiceless was integral in joining in the mission of God in the way of Jesus,” said Lynch. “I want my students to know I’m doing all I can to be part of the voice that eradicates modern slavery.”</p>
<p>The bi-partisan legislation, originally enacted in 2000, established the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (commonly known as the “TIP Office”) to coordinate U.S. anti-trafficking programs overseas and to make human trafficking a federal offense within U.S. borders.</p>
<p>The legislation must be reauthorized every two years, providing an opportunity to strengthen domestic laws that protect victims and to fine-tune U.S. anti-trafficking programs internationally. The TIP Office funds programs internationally to combat human trafficking with a focus on perpetrator accountability and victim relief.</p>
<p>Anti-trafficking advocates asked members of Congress for additional resources for the TIP Office to combat child trafficking in target countries, and for funding to respond to emergencies, enabling the TIP Office to respond quickly to humanitarian crises. Disasters like the earthquake in Haiti put women and children at particular risk for trafficking and exploitation.</p>
<p>The TIP Office’s current budget for grant-making is approximately $22 million, given annually to organizations in over 43 countries. The TIP Office’s budget makes up just .05 percent of the U.S. government’s foreign aid budget, which is about 1 percent of the overall U.S. federal budget.</p>
<p>“Congress is making hard choices about the federal budget,” said Holly Burkhalter, vice president of government relations for the International Justice Mission, “but Americans around the country and across the political spectrum are asking our leaders to maintain America’s role in ending the scourge of modern-day slavery.</p>
<p>“Policymakers who may not agree on other issues share a common commitment to this cause, and their constituents at home strongly support that,” she said.</p>
<p>Groups like IJM say they are seeing big improvements over short periods of time. In just four years of collaboration between IJM and local authorities in Cebu, Philippines, the number of minors available in the commercial sex trade was reduced by 79 percent in that city.</p>
<p>“IJM secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression — this is urgent, difficult, and transformational work,” Lynch emphasized. “IJM has rescued more than 14,000 victims. I want to be part of that Kingdom work.”</p>
<p>Additional information about International Justice Mission’s efforts to secure justice for victims of sexual exploitation, slavery and other forms of violent oppression can be found at <a href="http://www.ijm.org/" type="external">www.ijm.org</a>.</p>
|
Virginia Baptist working to secure passage of bill to prohibit trafficking
| false |
https://baptistnews.com/article/virginiabaptistworkingtosecurepassageofbilltoprohibittrafficking/
| 3left-center
|
Virginia Baptist working to secure passage of bill to prohibit trafficking
<p>ARLINGTON, Va. — Selling people is the fastest growing criminal activity in the world and the third largest criminal industry after drugs and weapons, according to information distributed by the United Nations.</p>
<p>UNICEF statistics indicate that nearly two million children have been forced into the commercial sex trade worldwide and the U.S. Department of State says 80 percent of human trafficking victims are women and girls; as many as 50 percent are minors.&#160;</p>
<p>Tom Lynch of Arlington, Va., a member of McLean (Va.) Baptist Church, was among 130 individuals from 30 states who met with 130 congressional officials to build support for the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.</p>
<p>The Washington, D.C., event was part of a day of advocacy organized by the human rights agency International Justice Mission. Among those meeting with the group were representatives of two Virginia congressmen — Robert Hurt of the 5th district and Jim Moran of the 8th — and Sen. Jim Webb.</p>
<p>“I was taught at the John Leland Center for Theological Studies that giving a voice to the voiceless was integral in joining in the mission of God in the way of Jesus,” said Lynch. “I want my students to know I’m doing all I can to be part of the voice that eradicates modern slavery.”</p>
<p>The bi-partisan legislation, originally enacted in 2000, established the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (commonly known as the “TIP Office”) to coordinate U.S. anti-trafficking programs overseas and to make human trafficking a federal offense within U.S. borders.</p>
<p>The legislation must be reauthorized every two years, providing an opportunity to strengthen domestic laws that protect victims and to fine-tune U.S. anti-trafficking programs internationally. The TIP Office funds programs internationally to combat human trafficking with a focus on perpetrator accountability and victim relief.</p>
<p>Anti-trafficking advocates asked members of Congress for additional resources for the TIP Office to combat child trafficking in target countries, and for funding to respond to emergencies, enabling the TIP Office to respond quickly to humanitarian crises. Disasters like the earthquake in Haiti put women and children at particular risk for trafficking and exploitation.</p>
<p>The TIP Office’s current budget for grant-making is approximately $22 million, given annually to organizations in over 43 countries. The TIP Office’s budget makes up just .05 percent of the U.S. government’s foreign aid budget, which is about 1 percent of the overall U.S. federal budget.</p>
<p>“Congress is making hard choices about the federal budget,” said Holly Burkhalter, vice president of government relations for the International Justice Mission, “but Americans around the country and across the political spectrum are asking our leaders to maintain America’s role in ending the scourge of modern-day slavery.</p>
<p>“Policymakers who may not agree on other issues share a common commitment to this cause, and their constituents at home strongly support that,” she said.</p>
<p>Groups like IJM say they are seeing big improvements over short periods of time. In just four years of collaboration between IJM and local authorities in Cebu, Philippines, the number of minors available in the commercial sex trade was reduced by 79 percent in that city.</p>
<p>“IJM secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression — this is urgent, difficult, and transformational work,” Lynch emphasized. “IJM has rescued more than 14,000 victims. I want to be part of that Kingdom work.”</p>
<p>Additional information about International Justice Mission’s efforts to secure justice for victims of sexual exploitation, slavery and other forms of violent oppression can be found at <a href="http://www.ijm.org/" type="external">www.ijm.org</a>.</p>
| 6,124 |
|
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The company had planned the project in response to recommendations by federal and state regulators after an unusually severe cold spell in 2011 disrupted its supply system, leading to service shutdowns to many of its 500,000 customers statewide.</p>
<p>In September, city councilors approved a zone change, franchise fee agreement and resolution of support that allowed the company to seek the required approval from the state Public Regulation Commission for the project.</p>
<p>The gas company made the filing with the PRC in October but withdrew it this week.</p>
<p>“We knew that the PRC and the Attorney General would be filing testimony in opposition,” said company spokeswoman Teala Kail.</p>
<p>Kail said they understood there were questions regarding the cost, need for and the proposed method of recovery of the cost of the project.</p>
<p>She said the company had planned to recover the cost of building the facility through an increase in rates but it hadn’t established what the increase would be.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Rather than moving forward with building the facility with opposition, we wanted to work collaboratively to address their concerns,” she said.</p>
<p>Bernalillo Mayor Jack Torres, whose town lost gas service during the 2011 cold snap, said he hoped the gas company would not walk away from the problem.</p>
<p>Kail said the company may pursue another form of the project or other projects.</p>
<p>The company had hoped to begin construction in 2014 on the storage facility in the southeast corner of the never-developed Quail Ranch community in a remote part of Rio Rancho, just northwest of Double Eagle Airport. The site was near an existing transmission line through which the gas could be transported to customers as needed.</p>
<p>— This article appeared on page 30 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
|
Gas Co. rethinking storage site
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/183475/gas-co-rethinking-storage-site.html
|
2013-03-30
| 2least
|
Gas Co. rethinking storage site
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The company had planned the project in response to recommendations by federal and state regulators after an unusually severe cold spell in 2011 disrupted its supply system, leading to service shutdowns to many of its 500,000 customers statewide.</p>
<p>In September, city councilors approved a zone change, franchise fee agreement and resolution of support that allowed the company to seek the required approval from the state Public Regulation Commission for the project.</p>
<p>The gas company made the filing with the PRC in October but withdrew it this week.</p>
<p>“We knew that the PRC and the Attorney General would be filing testimony in opposition,” said company spokeswoman Teala Kail.</p>
<p>Kail said they understood there were questions regarding the cost, need for and the proposed method of recovery of the cost of the project.</p>
<p>She said the company had planned to recover the cost of building the facility through an increase in rates but it hadn’t established what the increase would be.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Rather than moving forward with building the facility with opposition, we wanted to work collaboratively to address their concerns,” she said.</p>
<p>Bernalillo Mayor Jack Torres, whose town lost gas service during the 2011 cold snap, said he hoped the gas company would not walk away from the problem.</p>
<p>Kail said the company may pursue another form of the project or other projects.</p>
<p>The company had hoped to begin construction in 2014 on the storage facility in the southeast corner of the never-developed Quail Ranch community in a remote part of Rio Rancho, just northwest of Double Eagle Airport. The site was near an existing transmission line through which the gas could be transported to customers as needed.</p>
<p>— This article appeared on page 30 of the Albuquerque Journal</p>
| 6,125 |
<p>HENRICO, Va. — Bill Korman is a high energy, let’s-get-it-done Richmond businessman and a deacon of <a href="http://www.poplarspringsbc.com/" type="external">Poplar Springs Baptist Church</a> in Henrico, Va. He is also the driving force behind a unique outreach ministry aimed at boaters who spend their Sundays on the James River just east of Richmond.</p>
<p />
<p>For the past two summers, he and a few other members of the church have provided worship opportunities on a floating platform they call “The Dock” which they move every Sunday morning to its designated place on the river side of the barricade at Hatcher Island.</p>
<p>Every Sunday about 30 boaters gather on <a href="http://www.poplarspringsbc.com/Ministries/TheDock/tabid/129/Default.aspx" type="external">The Dock</a> for worship. On any given Sunday, seven or eight will be first-time visitors. Some choose to sit in their boats rather than sit on the dock. A few have become consistent attenders and have assisted in worship.</p>
<p>As the summer ended, church members asked for a “mock dock” service to be held on the church’s front lawn. “We wanted to give everyone a feel for what it is like to worship in the outdoors at The Dock by bringing some of the physical surroundings like the benches, umbrellas, solar lights, dock ferry, flags, etc. to the church,” said Korman.</p>
<p>It was my privilege to have attended this celebration and to worship with this innovative congregation on Sept. 30. But I soon began to realize that the real story is not about the “mock dock” service, but about the boating ministry itself. For that reason, I have elected to use Korman’s own words to tell the story in hopes that it will not only inform, but inspire other churches to try new things as well.</p>
<p>A church for boaters, and how it came to be</p>
<p>By Bill Korman</p>
<p>In 2010 the deacon-led outreach and evangelism team of Poplar Springs Baptist Church brainstormed new ideas our church might embrace to improve its witness and outreach in the community. This was in connection with a visioning process that pastor Steve Crane and the church council initiated earlier, including thinking outside the box. &#160;</p>
<p />
<p>As a result, we ended up doing some movie presentations, a fall festival, Monday night visitation, bulk mailouts,and exploratory trips to other churches like the Richmond Outreach Center, which has a weekly attendance of over 10,000.</p>
<p>Our focus was on how to reach out to folks in everyday life. People we don´t know pass our church all the time and never take the initiative to come in. Unless we find a way to go to them, we’ll never meet them.</p>
<p>But how do we penetrate the mindset and lifestyles of today with the good news of Jesus Christ with all the competitive forces life offers? Are there any new ideas we could capitalize on?</p>
<p>One day a member of the team was bush-hogging a field at Hatcher Island and every time he completed a pass and the tractor was pointed towards the river, he saw boat after boat go by full of passengers, fishermen and kids.</p>
<p>He shared that observation with the team and somehow we came up with the idea that perhaps the river might be a fertile outreach and evangelistic field we could pursue as a church.</p>
<p>Images of Jesus’ ministry on the Sea of Galilee prompted us to wonder if there was a way we could venture out in faith to share the gospel message in word and action and reach out to these folks.</p>
<p />
<p>In our weekly outreach visitation meetings at Martin’s [a local supermarket], we discussed the river ministry concept and over time it slowly gained traction and interest. We discussed the casual environment of water recreation and wondered if a casual service in an informal setting on the water — where you come as you are — would be attractive to boaters and fishermen who spend their day on the river.</p>
<p>How would we design a service format to meet that need in their own backyard and element, so to speak? Could we provide a worship venue that would attract the boater, the family, the fisherman, the canoeist, etc? Is there an out-of-the box format/setting that without compromise might allow the opportunity to minister to the river community that the church might not reach otherwise? “Yes,” was the answer to all of these questions, but we were not sure of the place, shape or form. We kept talking and praying.</p>
<p>Our prayers and vision encountered divine intervention. There is no other explanation. Gradually, the idea of a floating dock located off the main traffic channel of the James River emerged, but how do we do this? What will it look like? How big? How do we anchor? What about sound?</p>
<p>By New Years Day of 2011 we had nailed down the concept of a floating church capable of holding 100 people and 92,000 pounds. We envisioned using Hatcher Island to store the unit during the week and then on Saturday or Sunday transporting the vessel to the river just outside the Hatcher Island Lake barricade which we discovered was a perfect location — highly visible and easily accessible.</p>
<p>We used a Tom-Sawyer-like raft constructed from the same materials as the floating dock to ferry worship participants. The project had now become doable.</p>
<p />
<p>Unexpectedly, another decisive piece of the river ministry fell into place. Two members of the team attended the 60th wedding anniversary of some friends and were highly impressed with the voice of the young woman providing entertainment. They left saying to themselves, “Wow, wouldn´t it be something to have a talent like that be part of our river ministry effort?”</p>
<p>To make a long story short, we discovered this young lady to be Amber Chandler, who was singing at a local restaurant which we visited clandestinely to check her out. She just happened to be the daughter of a Baptist preacher in Tennessee. Eventually we made contact and asked if she would like to be a part of this ministry. She said, “Yes!” even before we could get the question out! Her talent, passion and spiritual input has been a blessing in so many ways and her gift of music has taken our witness on the river to a higher plateau.</p>
<p>We kept the pastor and the church council abreast of these developments, and received their encouragement and official approval in March 2011.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, we began a crash course in building a floating church and furnishing it in a way that would be attractive, comfortable and safe. The pulpit design, which includes the image of a cross and an attached life ring suggesting the saving power of the cross of Christ, became our logo. Without too much trouble we came up with the name “The Dock” and ended up making a banner with the words “Boaters Church” in large letters to publicize the purpose of our presence on the river each weekend.</p>
<p>By late spring, we were ready for our first test voyage and dedication service attended by 41. Over the past two summers we have had a total of 28 services lasting from Memorial Day to Labor Day. We meet at 12:30 p.m. to accommodate those who serve in our regular morning worship service, including our pastor who brings a message at The Dock as well.</p>
<p>The services continue to evolve, but we attempt to use music and themes that appeal to folks without a church background. We have used music from Jerry Lee Lewis, Gladys Knight and many others because a song dealt with a subject we wanted to talk about in the service.</p>
<p>It is hard to measure the actual impact of our witness and outreach through The Dock ministry. Many come by and take pictures and express interest and appreciation. The setting is so unique that people in many circles on and off the river talk freely about what we are doing. And aside from those boaters who may attend, the spiritual impact on those associated with the river ministry is far reaching. The lives this ministry has been able to touch with our witness for Christ is the testimony of our purpose.</p>
|
‘Mock dock’ service points to ministry success in reaching boaters on summer Sundays on river
| false |
https://baptistnews.com/article/mockdockservicepointstoministrysuccessinreachingboatersonsummersundaysonriver/
| 3left-center
|
‘Mock dock’ service points to ministry success in reaching boaters on summer Sundays on river
<p>HENRICO, Va. — Bill Korman is a high energy, let’s-get-it-done Richmond businessman and a deacon of <a href="http://www.poplarspringsbc.com/" type="external">Poplar Springs Baptist Church</a> in Henrico, Va. He is also the driving force behind a unique outreach ministry aimed at boaters who spend their Sundays on the James River just east of Richmond.</p>
<p />
<p>For the past two summers, he and a few other members of the church have provided worship opportunities on a floating platform they call “The Dock” which they move every Sunday morning to its designated place on the river side of the barricade at Hatcher Island.</p>
<p>Every Sunday about 30 boaters gather on <a href="http://www.poplarspringsbc.com/Ministries/TheDock/tabid/129/Default.aspx" type="external">The Dock</a> for worship. On any given Sunday, seven or eight will be first-time visitors. Some choose to sit in their boats rather than sit on the dock. A few have become consistent attenders and have assisted in worship.</p>
<p>As the summer ended, church members asked for a “mock dock” service to be held on the church’s front lawn. “We wanted to give everyone a feel for what it is like to worship in the outdoors at The Dock by bringing some of the physical surroundings like the benches, umbrellas, solar lights, dock ferry, flags, etc. to the church,” said Korman.</p>
<p>It was my privilege to have attended this celebration and to worship with this innovative congregation on Sept. 30. But I soon began to realize that the real story is not about the “mock dock” service, but about the boating ministry itself. For that reason, I have elected to use Korman’s own words to tell the story in hopes that it will not only inform, but inspire other churches to try new things as well.</p>
<p>A church for boaters, and how it came to be</p>
<p>By Bill Korman</p>
<p>In 2010 the deacon-led outreach and evangelism team of Poplar Springs Baptist Church brainstormed new ideas our church might embrace to improve its witness and outreach in the community. This was in connection with a visioning process that pastor Steve Crane and the church council initiated earlier, including thinking outside the box. &#160;</p>
<p />
<p>As a result, we ended up doing some movie presentations, a fall festival, Monday night visitation, bulk mailouts,and exploratory trips to other churches like the Richmond Outreach Center, which has a weekly attendance of over 10,000.</p>
<p>Our focus was on how to reach out to folks in everyday life. People we don´t know pass our church all the time and never take the initiative to come in. Unless we find a way to go to them, we’ll never meet them.</p>
<p>But how do we penetrate the mindset and lifestyles of today with the good news of Jesus Christ with all the competitive forces life offers? Are there any new ideas we could capitalize on?</p>
<p>One day a member of the team was bush-hogging a field at Hatcher Island and every time he completed a pass and the tractor was pointed towards the river, he saw boat after boat go by full of passengers, fishermen and kids.</p>
<p>He shared that observation with the team and somehow we came up with the idea that perhaps the river might be a fertile outreach and evangelistic field we could pursue as a church.</p>
<p>Images of Jesus’ ministry on the Sea of Galilee prompted us to wonder if there was a way we could venture out in faith to share the gospel message in word and action and reach out to these folks.</p>
<p />
<p>In our weekly outreach visitation meetings at Martin’s [a local supermarket], we discussed the river ministry concept and over time it slowly gained traction and interest. We discussed the casual environment of water recreation and wondered if a casual service in an informal setting on the water — where you come as you are — would be attractive to boaters and fishermen who spend their day on the river.</p>
<p>How would we design a service format to meet that need in their own backyard and element, so to speak? Could we provide a worship venue that would attract the boater, the family, the fisherman, the canoeist, etc? Is there an out-of-the box format/setting that without compromise might allow the opportunity to minister to the river community that the church might not reach otherwise? “Yes,” was the answer to all of these questions, but we were not sure of the place, shape or form. We kept talking and praying.</p>
<p>Our prayers and vision encountered divine intervention. There is no other explanation. Gradually, the idea of a floating dock located off the main traffic channel of the James River emerged, but how do we do this? What will it look like? How big? How do we anchor? What about sound?</p>
<p>By New Years Day of 2011 we had nailed down the concept of a floating church capable of holding 100 people and 92,000 pounds. We envisioned using Hatcher Island to store the unit during the week and then on Saturday or Sunday transporting the vessel to the river just outside the Hatcher Island Lake barricade which we discovered was a perfect location — highly visible and easily accessible.</p>
<p>We used a Tom-Sawyer-like raft constructed from the same materials as the floating dock to ferry worship participants. The project had now become doable.</p>
<p />
<p>Unexpectedly, another decisive piece of the river ministry fell into place. Two members of the team attended the 60th wedding anniversary of some friends and were highly impressed with the voice of the young woman providing entertainment. They left saying to themselves, “Wow, wouldn´t it be something to have a talent like that be part of our river ministry effort?”</p>
<p>To make a long story short, we discovered this young lady to be Amber Chandler, who was singing at a local restaurant which we visited clandestinely to check her out. She just happened to be the daughter of a Baptist preacher in Tennessee. Eventually we made contact and asked if she would like to be a part of this ministry. She said, “Yes!” even before we could get the question out! Her talent, passion and spiritual input has been a blessing in so many ways and her gift of music has taken our witness on the river to a higher plateau.</p>
<p>We kept the pastor and the church council abreast of these developments, and received their encouragement and official approval in March 2011.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, we began a crash course in building a floating church and furnishing it in a way that would be attractive, comfortable and safe. The pulpit design, which includes the image of a cross and an attached life ring suggesting the saving power of the cross of Christ, became our logo. Without too much trouble we came up with the name “The Dock” and ended up making a banner with the words “Boaters Church” in large letters to publicize the purpose of our presence on the river each weekend.</p>
<p>By late spring, we were ready for our first test voyage and dedication service attended by 41. Over the past two summers we have had a total of 28 services lasting from Memorial Day to Labor Day. We meet at 12:30 p.m. to accommodate those who serve in our regular morning worship service, including our pastor who brings a message at The Dock as well.</p>
<p>The services continue to evolve, but we attempt to use music and themes that appeal to folks without a church background. We have used music from Jerry Lee Lewis, Gladys Knight and many others because a song dealt with a subject we wanted to talk about in the service.</p>
<p>It is hard to measure the actual impact of our witness and outreach through The Dock ministry. Many come by and take pictures and express interest and appreciation. The setting is so unique that people in many circles on and off the river talk freely about what we are doing. And aside from those boaters who may attend, the spiritual impact on those associated with the river ministry is far reaching. The lives this ministry has been able to touch with our witness for Christ is the testimony of our purpose.</p>
| 6,126 |
|
<p>The United States lifted sanctions on Iran this week, so Non-Governmental Organizations may send financial aid to victims of the earthquakes that hit northern Iran a couple of weeks ago.</p>
<p>But National Iranian-American Council President Trita Parsi tells anchor Marco Werman that even though though money transfers will be legal for the next 45 days, banks are still reluctant to send money there.</p>
|
US Lifts Sanctions for Sending Aid to Iran, Banks Reluctant to Transfer Funds
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2012-08-22/us-lifts-sanctions-sending-aid-iran-banks-reluctant-transfer-funds
|
2012-08-22
| 3left-center
|
US Lifts Sanctions for Sending Aid to Iran, Banks Reluctant to Transfer Funds
<p>The United States lifted sanctions on Iran this week, so Non-Governmental Organizations may send financial aid to victims of the earthquakes that hit northern Iran a couple of weeks ago.</p>
<p>But National Iranian-American Council President Trita Parsi tells anchor Marco Werman that even though though money transfers will be legal for the next 45 days, banks are still reluctant to send money there.</p>
| 6,127 |
<p />
<p />
<p>Oh yeah! #Deflategate! The Patriots! (Why are they called “the Patriots”? I get that it’s about the American Revolution and Massachusetts played a key role in that but come on, we’re all patriots here, FOX News. Even the Bengals fans.) I don’t like the Patriots because they’re from Boston and Boston is the home of the worst NBA team in the whole wide world, the Celtics, who had the audacity to beat my Los Angeles Lakers a couple of times in the 1980s. Also, the Red Sox! They’re pretty awful! And Boston is a very cold city, at least in the winter. A <a href="http://gawker.com/5946312/the-most-racist-city-in-america-boston" type="external">not-so-long ago history of racism</a>, Boston also has, let’s not forget. And New England clam chowder is garbage compared to Manhattan clam chowder. So, I say this just to be transparent. I don’t think I personally want the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Maybe I do. The Seahawks don’t sound great. <a href="http://deadspin.com/is-pete-carroll-a-9-11-truther-513149713" type="external">Pete Carroll is apparently a 9/11 truther</a>, which is a turnoff.</p>
<p>Let’s veer this ramble towards the news: #Deflategate! Bill Belichick says he didn’t do it. It wasn’t him. It was Mr Blue in the Library with the piano wire. Or, something. He has a scientific explanation for why the balls were tested to be <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24992056/bill-nye-the-science-guy-on-belichick-what-he-said-didnt-make-any-sense" type="external">under-inflated</a>.</p>
<p>“We simulated a game-day situation, in terms of the preparation of the footballs, and where the footballs were at various points in time during the day or night. … I would say that our preparation process for the footballs is what we do —I can’t speak for anybody else — and that process raises the PSI approximately one pound,” Belichick said. “That process of creating a tackiness, a texture — a right feel, whatever that feel is, whatever that feel is. It’s a sensation for the quarterback. What’s the right feel — that process elevates the PSI one pound, based on what our study showed. Which was multiple balls, multiple examples in the process, as we would do for a game.”</p>
<p>I don’t know what any of that really means. It reads like gibberish to me. I, like so many Republican politicians, am not a scientist. Bill Nye is though and <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/through-the-looking-glass--bill-nye--science-guy--refutes-bill-belichick-s-science-164442433.html" type="external">he says it’s gibberish too</a>:</p>
<p>“What he said didn’t make any sense…Rubbing the football, I don’t think, can change the pressure.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>And that’s the news. Goodnight and good luck.</p>
<p>P.S. One of the things I was confused about was how deflated balls would give an advantage to a football team, because presumably it would make them less aerodynamic, but as my colleague <a href="" type="internal">Tim McDonnell notes, it’s about “grippiness.”</a></p>
|
Bill Nye Slams Bill Belichick: “What He Said Didn’t Make Any Sense”
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2015/01/what-is-an-engagement-editor-anyway/
|
2015-01-25
| 4left
|
Bill Nye Slams Bill Belichick: “What He Said Didn’t Make Any Sense”
<p />
<p />
<p>Oh yeah! #Deflategate! The Patriots! (Why are they called “the Patriots”? I get that it’s about the American Revolution and Massachusetts played a key role in that but come on, we’re all patriots here, FOX News. Even the Bengals fans.) I don’t like the Patriots because they’re from Boston and Boston is the home of the worst NBA team in the whole wide world, the Celtics, who had the audacity to beat my Los Angeles Lakers a couple of times in the 1980s. Also, the Red Sox! They’re pretty awful! And Boston is a very cold city, at least in the winter. A <a href="http://gawker.com/5946312/the-most-racist-city-in-america-boston" type="external">not-so-long ago history of racism</a>, Boston also has, let’s not forget. And New England clam chowder is garbage compared to Manhattan clam chowder. So, I say this just to be transparent. I don’t think I personally want the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Maybe I do. The Seahawks don’t sound great. <a href="http://deadspin.com/is-pete-carroll-a-9-11-truther-513149713" type="external">Pete Carroll is apparently a 9/11 truther</a>, which is a turnoff.</p>
<p>Let’s veer this ramble towards the news: #Deflategate! Bill Belichick says he didn’t do it. It wasn’t him. It was Mr Blue in the Library with the piano wire. Or, something. He has a scientific explanation for why the balls were tested to be <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24992056/bill-nye-the-science-guy-on-belichick-what-he-said-didnt-make-any-sense" type="external">under-inflated</a>.</p>
<p>“We simulated a game-day situation, in terms of the preparation of the footballs, and where the footballs were at various points in time during the day or night. … I would say that our preparation process for the footballs is what we do —I can’t speak for anybody else — and that process raises the PSI approximately one pound,” Belichick said. “That process of creating a tackiness, a texture — a right feel, whatever that feel is, whatever that feel is. It’s a sensation for the quarterback. What’s the right feel — that process elevates the PSI one pound, based on what our study showed. Which was multiple balls, multiple examples in the process, as we would do for a game.”</p>
<p>I don’t know what any of that really means. It reads like gibberish to me. I, like so many Republican politicians, am not a scientist. Bill Nye is though and <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/through-the-looking-glass--bill-nye--science-guy--refutes-bill-belichick-s-science-164442433.html" type="external">he says it’s gibberish too</a>:</p>
<p>“What he said didn’t make any sense…Rubbing the football, I don’t think, can change the pressure.”</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>And that’s the news. Goodnight and good luck.</p>
<p>P.S. One of the things I was confused about was how deflated balls would give an advantage to a football team, because presumably it would make them less aerodynamic, but as my colleague <a href="" type="internal">Tim McDonnell notes, it’s about “grippiness.”</a></p>
| 6,128 |
<p>Secretary of State John Kerry in blunt terms told a group of Syrian civilians last week that U.S. diplomatic efforts to stop the killing in Syria haven’t been supported by threats of military force, in a seeming acknowledgement of his frustrations with an inability to halt the bloodshed, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/30/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria-audio.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">the New York Times reported Friday.</a></p>
<p>"I think you’re looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument,” Kerry said <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/30/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria-audio.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">in the audio published by the Times</a>.</p>
<p>"I’ve argued for use of force. I stood up, I’m the guy who stood up and announced we’re going to attack Assad because of the weapons, and then you know things evolved into a different process," Kerry said in the audio. "But the bottom line is that Congress refused to even vote to allow that."</p>
<p>The comments were recorded during a 40-minute meeting during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the Times reported.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Evidence of Cluster Bombs at Bombed Hospital in Aleppo</a></p>
<p>Kerry and the U.S. have been negotiating with the Russian government for weeks to put in place a nationwide cease-fire aimed at ending the five-year civil war. Previous agreements have collapsed due to violations.</p>
<p>The most recent brief ceasefire collapsed as Syrian government forces — and allegedly Russian forces — have bombarded the besieged city of Aleppo in a massive new offensive.</p>
<p>Around 400 civilians have been killed in Aleppo in a the last eight days, 100 of them children, Kerry said Thursday.</p>
<p>Kerry <a href="" type="internal">had indicated his support</a> for a strike against Syria in the past, in 2013 after it was revealed Syrian forces used chemical weapons against rebels. He courted support among European allies for an attack in September of 2013, NBC news reported at the time.</p>
<p>Kerry at the meeting said the U.S. had no legal justification to attack Syria, the Times reported.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Kerry Says U.S. on Verge of Ending Russia-Syria Talks Over Bombings</a></p>
<p>The Times characterized the meeting in which the audio was recorded as being held at the Dutch Mission to the U.N. on Sept. 22, and involving a small group that included representatives from groups providing education and rescue services in rebel-held areas, and diplomats. The report does not say who recorded the audio.</p>
<p>State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to comment Friday on the audio reported by the Times, but confirmed the meeting took place.</p>
<p>"While we will decline to comment on a private conversation, Secretary Kerry was grateful for the chance to meet with this group of Syrians, to hear their concerns firsthand and to express our continued focus on ending this civil war," Kirby said.</p>
<p>In the audio, Kerry also says he is frustrated by the diplomatic process, and said: “The problem is the Russians don’t care about international law, and we do."</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">War of Words Between Russia and West Is Worst in Decades</a></p>
<p>He said that Congress and the American people would not support sending U.S. troops to end the conflict. He told the group that efforts to arm more rebel groups could cause other states involved, like Iran and Russia, to "up the ante."</p>
<p>"Russia puts in more, Iran puts in more; Hezbollah is there more and Nusra is more; and Saudi Arabia and Turkey put all their surrogate money in, and you all are destroyed," Kerry said in the audio published by the Times.</p>
<p>Kerry also suggested that an election could be set up in an effort overseen by the United Nations — an election which could include Assad, the Times reported. He said that any refugee anywhere in the world is eligible to vote.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama in 2011 called for Assad to step aside, and the Obama administration's position has been that Assad must go, but through a political transition.</p>
<p>Talks between the Syrian regime and the Syrian opposition have been stalled since May. Previous meetings have yielded no concrete progress towards that goal.</p>
<p />
|
Kerry Audio Shows Frustration With Inability to Stop Syria Bloodshed
| false |
http://nbcnews.com/storyline/syria-peace-talks/kerry-audio-shows-frustration-inability-stop-syria-bloodshed-n657791
|
2016-10-01
| 3left-center
|
Kerry Audio Shows Frustration With Inability to Stop Syria Bloodshed
<p>Secretary of State John Kerry in blunt terms told a group of Syrian civilians last week that U.S. diplomatic efforts to stop the killing in Syria haven’t been supported by threats of military force, in a seeming acknowledgement of his frustrations with an inability to halt the bloodshed, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/30/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria-audio.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">the New York Times reported Friday.</a></p>
<p>"I think you’re looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument,” Kerry said <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/30/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria-audio.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">in the audio published by the Times</a>.</p>
<p>"I’ve argued for use of force. I stood up, I’m the guy who stood up and announced we’re going to attack Assad because of the weapons, and then you know things evolved into a different process," Kerry said in the audio. "But the bottom line is that Congress refused to even vote to allow that."</p>
<p>The comments were recorded during a 40-minute meeting during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, the Times reported.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Evidence of Cluster Bombs at Bombed Hospital in Aleppo</a></p>
<p>Kerry and the U.S. have been negotiating with the Russian government for weeks to put in place a nationwide cease-fire aimed at ending the five-year civil war. Previous agreements have collapsed due to violations.</p>
<p>The most recent brief ceasefire collapsed as Syrian government forces — and allegedly Russian forces — have bombarded the besieged city of Aleppo in a massive new offensive.</p>
<p>Around 400 civilians have been killed in Aleppo in a the last eight days, 100 of them children, Kerry said Thursday.</p>
<p>Kerry <a href="" type="internal">had indicated his support</a> for a strike against Syria in the past, in 2013 after it was revealed Syrian forces used chemical weapons against rebels. He courted support among European allies for an attack in September of 2013, NBC news reported at the time.</p>
<p>Kerry at the meeting said the U.S. had no legal justification to attack Syria, the Times reported.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Kerry Says U.S. on Verge of Ending Russia-Syria Talks Over Bombings</a></p>
<p>The Times characterized the meeting in which the audio was recorded as being held at the Dutch Mission to the U.N. on Sept. 22, and involving a small group that included representatives from groups providing education and rescue services in rebel-held areas, and diplomats. The report does not say who recorded the audio.</p>
<p>State Department spokesman John Kirby declined to comment Friday on the audio reported by the Times, but confirmed the meeting took place.</p>
<p>"While we will decline to comment on a private conversation, Secretary Kerry was grateful for the chance to meet with this group of Syrians, to hear their concerns firsthand and to express our continued focus on ending this civil war," Kirby said.</p>
<p>In the audio, Kerry also says he is frustrated by the diplomatic process, and said: “The problem is the Russians don’t care about international law, and we do."</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">War of Words Between Russia and West Is Worst in Decades</a></p>
<p>He said that Congress and the American people would not support sending U.S. troops to end the conflict. He told the group that efforts to arm more rebel groups could cause other states involved, like Iran and Russia, to "up the ante."</p>
<p>"Russia puts in more, Iran puts in more; Hezbollah is there more and Nusra is more; and Saudi Arabia and Turkey put all their surrogate money in, and you all are destroyed," Kerry said in the audio published by the Times.</p>
<p>Kerry also suggested that an election could be set up in an effort overseen by the United Nations — an election which could include Assad, the Times reported. He said that any refugee anywhere in the world is eligible to vote.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama in 2011 called for Assad to step aside, and the Obama administration's position has been that Assad must go, but through a political transition.</p>
<p>Talks between the Syrian regime and the Syrian opposition have been stalled since May. Previous meetings have yielded no concrete progress towards that goal.</p>
<p />
| 6,129 |
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<p />
<p>There were the nine months he spent in a German prisoner of war camp; a Kansas tornado; the death of the love of his life; the onset of multiple sclerosis; a broken hip last May; and the theft of his military medals.</p>
<p>But the good things in life always outweighed the bad, he said, which likely explains his sunny outlook, subtle wit and ready laugh.</p>
<p>Hopper’s friends gathered at his home last Friday to celebrate his 90th birthday, presenting him with a new flagpole and U.S. and POW flags.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Oh, it was something,” Hopper said.</p>
<p>“Staying positive and avoiding the negative are pillars of Roy’s life,” said Andy Stone, an Afghanistan war veteran who, along with a cadre of volunteers, helps Hopper live as independently as possible.</p>
<p>Roy Hopper joined the Army in September 1943.</p>
<p>Stone, who got to know Hopper through Northeast Church of Christ, helped his friend after the then-octogenarian suffered a broken hip. While hospitalized, burglars ransacked Hopper’s home, making off with some cash, guns and the medals he received for his service in World War II – including two Bronze Stars. The loss of the medals, friend Lewis Wasson said at the time, was particularly hard on Hopper.</p>
<p>Through good police work, the medals were recovered and returned to Hopper two weeks later. He displays the medals proudly, along with photos of him being honored for his military service by retired four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former First Lady Laura Bush.</p>
<p>The Arkansas farm boy, the second-youngest of seven children, joined the Army in September 1943. Nine months later, his infantry unit landed on Utah Beach, just a week after the D-Day invasion of Normandy.</p>
<p>Hopper’s unit joined the fray as Allied troops fought back well-entrenched German forces, but their luck ran out on July 7, 1944, when he and his three-man mortar team were forced to surrender after becoming surrounded by German soldiers and tanks.</p>
<p>Hopper later learned that a fellow Arkansan he had known since boot camp, Dale Hembright, was killed that day.</p>
<p>After nine months at a labor camp – where the 6-foot, 4-inch Hopper often was singled out for latrine-cleaning duty – he and two other soldiers escaped during an Allied bombing raid. After days of making their way through the countryside, the freezing, starving and thirsty trio eventually ran into a group of U.S. soldiers.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>After weeks of hospitalization – Hopper’s weight fell to about 95 pounds while imprisoned – he returned home to Arkansas. Making good on a promise he had made to Hembright, Hopper traveled to the young man’s hometown to meet his family – and soon met Hembright’s sister, Barbara. They were married more than 56 years when she passed away in 2001.</p>
<p>World War II veteran Roy Hopper’s image appears on the cake friends gave him for his 90th birthday party last Friday. Hopper spent nine months in a German prisoner of war camp before escaping during an Allied air raid.</p>
<p>After the war, and a brief time farming in Kansas, Hopper built a successful commercial construction company in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>“Over the years people have asked me if I was bitter about the war,” Hopper said earlier this week. “I tell them I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Why would I be bitter? I lived through a war where everybody was killing each other. Afterward, I was able to make a living – until my health made me have to quit. All my life, things have gone my way.”</p>
<p>Despite an affinity for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Hopper says he’s always been thin – a key to his longevity, he says.</p>
<p>Another tip to living a long life: “Use your brain,” he said, and stay as active as you can.</p>
<p>“These days my legs are pretty worthless, so I don’t dare try to walk,” he said. But he’s a master at navigating his motorized wheelchair and scooter.</p>
<p>“He still cooks his own meals and washes his dishes,” Stone said, adding with a laugh, “He’s even been telling me how I should install the new flagpole.”</p>
<p />
<p />
|
‘Things have gone my way’
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/508483/things-have-gone-my-way.html
| 2least
|
‘Things have gone my way’
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>There were the nine months he spent in a German prisoner of war camp; a Kansas tornado; the death of the love of his life; the onset of multiple sclerosis; a broken hip last May; and the theft of his military medals.</p>
<p>But the good things in life always outweighed the bad, he said, which likely explains his sunny outlook, subtle wit and ready laugh.</p>
<p>Hopper’s friends gathered at his home last Friday to celebrate his 90th birthday, presenting him with a new flagpole and U.S. and POW flags.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Oh, it was something,” Hopper said.</p>
<p>“Staying positive and avoiding the negative are pillars of Roy’s life,” said Andy Stone, an Afghanistan war veteran who, along with a cadre of volunteers, helps Hopper live as independently as possible.</p>
<p>Roy Hopper joined the Army in September 1943.</p>
<p>Stone, who got to know Hopper through Northeast Church of Christ, helped his friend after the then-octogenarian suffered a broken hip. While hospitalized, burglars ransacked Hopper’s home, making off with some cash, guns and the medals he received for his service in World War II – including two Bronze Stars. The loss of the medals, friend Lewis Wasson said at the time, was particularly hard on Hopper.</p>
<p>Through good police work, the medals were recovered and returned to Hopper two weeks later. He displays the medals proudly, along with photos of him being honored for his military service by retired four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell and former First Lady Laura Bush.</p>
<p>The Arkansas farm boy, the second-youngest of seven children, joined the Army in September 1943. Nine months later, his infantry unit landed on Utah Beach, just a week after the D-Day invasion of Normandy.</p>
<p>Hopper’s unit joined the fray as Allied troops fought back well-entrenched German forces, but their luck ran out on July 7, 1944, when he and his three-man mortar team were forced to surrender after becoming surrounded by German soldiers and tanks.</p>
<p>Hopper later learned that a fellow Arkansan he had known since boot camp, Dale Hembright, was killed that day.</p>
<p>After nine months at a labor camp – where the 6-foot, 4-inch Hopper often was singled out for latrine-cleaning duty – he and two other soldiers escaped during an Allied bombing raid. After days of making their way through the countryside, the freezing, starving and thirsty trio eventually ran into a group of U.S. soldiers.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>After weeks of hospitalization – Hopper’s weight fell to about 95 pounds while imprisoned – he returned home to Arkansas. Making good on a promise he had made to Hembright, Hopper traveled to the young man’s hometown to meet his family – and soon met Hembright’s sister, Barbara. They were married more than 56 years when she passed away in 2001.</p>
<p>World War II veteran Roy Hopper’s image appears on the cake friends gave him for his 90th birthday party last Friday. Hopper spent nine months in a German prisoner of war camp before escaping during an Allied air raid.</p>
<p>After the war, and a brief time farming in Kansas, Hopper built a successful commercial construction company in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>“Over the years people have asked me if I was bitter about the war,” Hopper said earlier this week. “I tell them I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Why would I be bitter? I lived through a war where everybody was killing each other. Afterward, I was able to make a living – until my health made me have to quit. All my life, things have gone my way.”</p>
<p>Despite an affinity for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Hopper says he’s always been thin – a key to his longevity, he says.</p>
<p>Another tip to living a long life: “Use your brain,” he said, and stay as active as you can.</p>
<p>“These days my legs are pretty worthless, so I don’t dare try to walk,” he said. But he’s a master at navigating his motorized wheelchair and scooter.</p>
<p>“He still cooks his own meals and washes his dishes,” Stone said, adding with a laugh, “He’s even been telling me how I should install the new flagpole.”</p>
<p />
<p />
| 6,130 |
|
<p>OSLO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The spot price for farmed salmon fell by 1.40 Norwegian crowns to an average of 52.59 Norwegian crowns ($6.69)per kilo last week, according to statistics from the Nasdaq Salmon Index.</p>
<p>The price is for producers and applies to freshly sliced salmon for delivery in Oslo.</p>
<p>$1 = 7.8569 Norwegian crowns Reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian business to the region’s bigger rival Grab, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Sunday, in what would be the U.S. company’s second retreat from Asia.</p> Uber's logo is pictured at its office in Tokyo, Japan, November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
<p>As part of the transaction, Uber would get a stake of as much as 30 percent in the combined business, the source said. He did not want to be identified as the deal is not public yet.</p>
<p>A multi-billion dollar investment in Uber earlier this year by Japan’s SoftBank Group, already one of Grab’s main investors, had stoked expectations that Uber would consolidate its Southeast Asian business with Grab.</p>
<p>The source said Uber and Grab are expected to announce the deal as early as Monday. Uber declined comment and Grab was not immediately available for a comment.</p>
<p>Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Miyoung Kim</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BARCELONA (Reuters) - Former Catalan secessionist leader Carles Puigdemont was detained on Sunday in Germany by police acting on an international arrest warrant issued by Spain, his lawyer said.</p> Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont speaks during his briefing on the situation in Catalonia at Finnish Parliament in Helsinki, Finland March 22, 2018. Lehtikuva/Martti Kainulainen via REUTERS
<p>Puigdemont had entered Germany from Denmark after leaving Finland on Friday when it appeared police would arrest him there and launch an extradition process requested by Spain.</p>
<p>The lawyer, Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, did not say exactly where Puigdemont was in custody in Germany. He said only that Puigdemont, the former Catalan regional president, had been en route to Belgium where he has been living in self-imposed exile since late last year.</p>
<p>Puigdemont faces up to 25 years in prison in Spain on charges of rebellion and sedition for organizing an illegal referendum for Catalonia that led to a unilateral declaration of independence in October.</p>
<p>“The president was going to Belgium to put himself, as always, at the disposal of Belgian justice,” Joan Maria Pique, Puigdemont’s spokesman, told Reuters.</p>
<p>On Friday Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena ruled that 25 Catalan separatist politicians would face charges of rebellion, embezzlement and disobeying the state for their roles in organizing the vote on secession.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sam Edwards; Writing by Julien Toyer; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, starting Holy Week services leading to Easter, urged young people on Sunday to keep shouting and not allow the older generations to silence their voices or anesthetize their idealism.</p> Pope Francis blesses faithful gathered to attend the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 25, 2018 REUTERS/Tony Gentile
<p>Francis spoke a day after hundreds of thousands of young Americans and their supporters answered a call to action from survivors of last month’s Florida high school massacre and rallied across the United States to demand tighter gun laws. He did not mention the demonstrations.</p>
<p>The 81-year-old Roman Catholic leader led a long and solemn Palm Sunday service before tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square, many of them young people there for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Youth.</p>
<p>Carrying a woven palm branch known as a “palmurello,” Francis led a procession in front of the largest church in Christendom to commemorate the day the Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed as a savior, only to be crucified five days later.</p>
<p>Drawing on biblical parallels, Francis urged the young people in the crowd not to let themselves be manipulated.</p>
<p>“The temptation to silence young people has always existed,” Francis said in the homily of a Mass.</p>
<p>“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible. Many ways to anesthetize them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive,” he said.</p> Pope Francis holds palm as he leads the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 25, 2018 REUTERS/Tony Gentile
<p>“Dear young people, you have it in you to shout,” he told young people, urging them to be like the people who welcomed Jesus with palms rather than those who shouted for his crucifixion only days later.</p>
<p>“It is up to you not to keep quiet. Even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders, some corrupt, keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: Will you cry out?”</p> Slideshow (10 Images)
<p>The young people in the crowd shouted, “Yes!”</p>
<p>While Francis did not mention Saturday’s marches in the United States, he has often condemned weapons manufacturing and mass shootings.</p>
<p>Palm Sunday marked the start of a hectic week of activities for the pope.</p>
<p>On Holy Thursday he is due to preside at two services, including one in which he will wash the feet of 12 inmates in a Rome jail to commemorate Jesus’ gesture of humility toward his apostles the night before he died.</p>
<p>On Good Friday, he is due to lead a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at Rome’s Colosseum. On Saturday night he leads a Easter vigil service and on Easter Sunday he delivers his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message.</p>
<p>Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Britain’s accusations that Moscow was behind the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in England “border on banditry”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA news agency on Sunday.</p> Police officers prepare equipment as inspectors from the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) begin work at the scene of the nerve agent attack on former Russian agent Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury, Britain March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
<p>“We are stating that this is quite unprecedented - international affairs bordering, maybe, on banditry. What stands behind this? Is it Britain’s internal problems or the problems of Britain’s cooperation with its allies or something else? Looks like this is not our business,” RIA quoted Peskov as saying by RIA on an NTV program.</p>
<p>Moscow has denied responsibility for the March 4 attack on Skripal and his daughter, the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War Two. Britain expelled 23 Russians as a result and Moscow retaliated by ordering out the same number of Britons.</p>
<p>Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
|
Salmon price fell to NOK 52.59 per kilo last week -Nasdaq Salmon Index Uber to sell Southeast operations to Grab, get stake in combined business: source Former Catalan leader Puigdemont detained in Germany: lawyer Keep shouting, don't become anesthetized, pope tells young people Kremlin: British accusations over Skripal poisoning 'border on banditry'
| false |
https://reuters.com/article/salmon-weekly-price-nasdaq/salmon-price-fell-to-nok-5259-per-kilo-last-week-nasdaq-salmon-index-idUSL8N1PI4Y1
|
2018-01-23
| 2least
|
Salmon price fell to NOK 52.59 per kilo last week -Nasdaq Salmon Index Uber to sell Southeast operations to Grab, get stake in combined business: source Former Catalan leader Puigdemont detained in Germany: lawyer Keep shouting, don't become anesthetized, pope tells young people Kremlin: British accusations over Skripal poisoning 'border on banditry'
<p>OSLO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The spot price for farmed salmon fell by 1.40 Norwegian crowns to an average of 52.59 Norwegian crowns ($6.69)per kilo last week, according to statistics from the Nasdaq Salmon Index.</p>
<p>The price is for producers and applies to freshly sliced salmon for delivery in Oslo.</p>
<p>$1 = 7.8569 Norwegian crowns Reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian business to the region’s bigger rival Grab, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Sunday, in what would be the U.S. company’s second retreat from Asia.</p> Uber's logo is pictured at its office in Tokyo, Japan, November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
<p>As part of the transaction, Uber would get a stake of as much as 30 percent in the combined business, the source said. He did not want to be identified as the deal is not public yet.</p>
<p>A multi-billion dollar investment in Uber earlier this year by Japan’s SoftBank Group, already one of Grab’s main investors, had stoked expectations that Uber would consolidate its Southeast Asian business with Grab.</p>
<p>The source said Uber and Grab are expected to announce the deal as early as Monday. Uber declined comment and Grab was not immediately available for a comment.</p>
<p>Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Miyoung Kim</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BARCELONA (Reuters) - Former Catalan secessionist leader Carles Puigdemont was detained on Sunday in Germany by police acting on an international arrest warrant issued by Spain, his lawyer said.</p> Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont speaks during his briefing on the situation in Catalonia at Finnish Parliament in Helsinki, Finland March 22, 2018. Lehtikuva/Martti Kainulainen via REUTERS
<p>Puigdemont had entered Germany from Denmark after leaving Finland on Friday when it appeared police would arrest him there and launch an extradition process requested by Spain.</p>
<p>The lawyer, Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, did not say exactly where Puigdemont was in custody in Germany. He said only that Puigdemont, the former Catalan regional president, had been en route to Belgium where he has been living in self-imposed exile since late last year.</p>
<p>Puigdemont faces up to 25 years in prison in Spain on charges of rebellion and sedition for organizing an illegal referendum for Catalonia that led to a unilateral declaration of independence in October.</p>
<p>“The president was going to Belgium to put himself, as always, at the disposal of Belgian justice,” Joan Maria Pique, Puigdemont’s spokesman, told Reuters.</p>
<p>On Friday Spanish Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena ruled that 25 Catalan separatist politicians would face charges of rebellion, embezzlement and disobeying the state for their roles in organizing the vote on secession.</p>
<p>Reporting by Sam Edwards; Writing by Julien Toyer; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis, starting Holy Week services leading to Easter, urged young people on Sunday to keep shouting and not allow the older generations to silence their voices or anesthetize their idealism.</p> Pope Francis blesses faithful gathered to attend the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 25, 2018 REUTERS/Tony Gentile
<p>Francis spoke a day after hundreds of thousands of young Americans and their supporters answered a call to action from survivors of last month’s Florida high school massacre and rallied across the United States to demand tighter gun laws. He did not mention the demonstrations.</p>
<p>The 81-year-old Roman Catholic leader led a long and solemn Palm Sunday service before tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square, many of them young people there for the Catholic Church’s World Day of Youth.</p>
<p>Carrying a woven palm branch known as a “palmurello,” Francis led a procession in front of the largest church in Christendom to commemorate the day the Bible says Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was hailed as a savior, only to be crucified five days later.</p>
<p>Drawing on biblical parallels, Francis urged the young people in the crowd not to let themselves be manipulated.</p>
<p>“The temptation to silence young people has always existed,” Francis said in the homily of a Mass.</p>
<p>“There are many ways to silence young people and make them invisible. Many ways to anesthetize them, to make them keep quiet, ask nothing, question nothing. There are many ways to sedate them, to keep them from getting involved, to make their dreams flat and dreary, petty and plaintive,” he said.</p> Pope Francis holds palm as he leads the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, March 25, 2018 REUTERS/Tony Gentile
<p>“Dear young people, you have it in you to shout,” he told young people, urging them to be like the people who welcomed Jesus with palms rather than those who shouted for his crucifixion only days later.</p>
<p>“It is up to you not to keep quiet. Even if others keep quiet, if we older people and leaders, some corrupt, keep quiet, if the whole world keeps quiet and loses its joy, I ask you: Will you cry out?”</p> Slideshow (10 Images)
<p>The young people in the crowd shouted, “Yes!”</p>
<p>While Francis did not mention Saturday’s marches in the United States, he has often condemned weapons manufacturing and mass shootings.</p>
<p>Palm Sunday marked the start of a hectic week of activities for the pope.</p>
<p>On Holy Thursday he is due to preside at two services, including one in which he will wash the feet of 12 inmates in a Rome jail to commemorate Jesus’ gesture of humility toward his apostles the night before he died.</p>
<p>On Good Friday, he is due to lead a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession at Rome’s Colosseum. On Saturday night he leads a Easter vigil service and on Easter Sunday he delivers his twice-yearly “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world) message.</p>
<p>Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Britain’s accusations that Moscow was behind the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in England “border on banditry”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by RIA news agency on Sunday.</p> Police officers prepare equipment as inspectors from the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) begin work at the scene of the nerve agent attack on former Russian agent Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury, Britain March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
<p>“We are stating that this is quite unprecedented - international affairs bordering, maybe, on banditry. What stands behind this? Is it Britain’s internal problems or the problems of Britain’s cooperation with its allies or something else? Looks like this is not our business,” RIA quoted Peskov as saying by RIA on an NTV program.</p>
<p>Moscow has denied responsibility for the March 4 attack on Skripal and his daughter, the first known offensive use of a nerve toxin in Europe since World War Two. Britain expelled 23 Russians as a result and Moscow retaliated by ordering out the same number of Britons.</p>
<p>Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Mark Heinrich</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| 6,131 |
<p>Wampanoag is a&#160;Native language of Massachusetts&#160;and, like many Native American languages, it's fighting to survive.</p>
<p>The Wampanoag nation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island&#160;has&#160;more than 2,000 tribal members, but until recently, none of them actually spoke their own language.&#160;</p>
<p>The Native tongue disappeared soon after English settlers arrived in the area in the 17th century.</p>
<p>"There was a very brief period where Wampanoag and English co-existed, but unfortunately the great migration happened. Tens of thousands of English immigrants poured into New England and largely began to displace Wampanoag people from their homelands," said Jennifer Weston, immersion school developer for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. Wôpanâak is how the tribe spells the name of their language; Wampanoag is the spelling that's used in English.</p>
<p>"The language, it persisted for awhile but it really did start to fall off by the mid-1700s. There was a very long period of time where the language really only existed as a written record," she added.</p>
<p>But after lying dormant for centuries, the Wampanoag language is finally waking up. That's thanks to Weston's project, based in Mashpee, Massachusetts.&#160;</p>
<p>"The&#160;Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project was founded about 22 years ago to reclaim the Wampanoag language and return it as the principle means of expression to tribal households," Weston said. The WLRP serves four Wampanoag tribes in Massachusetts: the Aquinnah, the Assonetband, the Herring Pond and the Mashpee.</p>
<p>WLRP has been able to bring back Wampanoag through linguists trained by the program. These experts managed to reclaim the Native language from written texts, including a 17th-century King James Bible, letters, wills, deeds and other documents belonging to Wampanoag people. There are now 15 adult speakers of the Wampanoag language and around 75 children at various levels of fluency.</p>
<p />
<p>As a way to teach kids their Native Language, teachers apart of the Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project translate common objects into Wampanoag. These drawing feature pieces of clothing translated into Wampanoag.</p>
<p>Shondiin Silversmith/PRI's The World</p>
<p>The project operates several language programs geared toward helping tribal members learn to speak Wampanoag, but its main focus is on youth ages 2 to 16.</p>
<p>Six teachers work with WLRP, and they've developed thousands of lesson plans in the Wampanoag language.&#160;One of the&#160;WLRP's Native youth programs is called Neekun, which means "our house" in the Wampanoag language. Weston describes it as a means for Native youth to learn the language through fun activities — which is more effective than rote learning, especially after kids have already spent a full day at school.</p>
<p>"We try to keep it activity based," she explained.</p>
<p>Neekun started in 2015, and it is one of four youth-based programs hosted by WLRP.&#160;</p>
<p>Within the programs, the kids are always trying to learn ways to easily incorporate the Wampanoag language into their daily lives. This is why one of the first things they learn is how to introduce themselves.</p>
<p />
<p>Amyiah Peters, 12, from Mashpee, Mass. has been learning to speak&#160;Wampanoag for the past six years, saying it's a privilege for her to learn.&#160;</p>
<p>Shondiin Silversmith/PRI's The World</p>
<p>One of the students who introduced herself during The World's visit to the Neekun program was Amiyah Peters.</p>
<p>Peters, 12, lives in Mashpee, Massachusetts, and has been learning the Wampanoag language for the past six years.</p>
<p>"I learn it because I love our culture and I want to know more about it," Peters said, which is why she pays attention whenever the teachers give new lessons.</p>
<p>She wants to be able to learn as much as she can because she believes it's a privilege to be able to learn.</p>
<p>"Not all Wampanoag speak Wampanoag, but it's a privilege that we have cousins and family that get to know and teach it to us," she said. "It's a privilege that we get to have it."</p>
<p>Weston credits the linguists and linguists-in-training at WLRP for doing the hard work of laboring over original texts so they could create a dictionary and curriculum, as well as age-appropriate materials and activities for children.</p>
<p />
<p>Teachers have developed animal flash card with their names translated to the Wampanoag language. They use the flash cards to teach the youth how to say animal names in Wampanoag.</p>
<p>Shondiin Silversmith/PRI's The World</p>
<p>WLRP's linguist-in-residence, Eleanor Coombs, teaches the kids animal names in Wampanoag with the help of picture flash cards.</p>
<p>"I think playing the games in the language is a way of getting them to want to learn it and want to know what's the next thing," she said.</p>
<p>Coombs has been with WLRP since 2012. Most of the kids she teaches today have been with her for several years, and she's noticed their fluency grow.</p>
<p>"As a teacher, it's my responsibility to kind of just keep enforcing it and just letting them hear it," she said of the Wampanoag language. "It's been quite a journey but I feel that the children are grasping [the] language and we have to figure out ways to get them to do that."</p>
<p>Ultimately, Coombs wants the children to take pride in learning and speaking their Native language.</p>
<p>"When we talk about any culture, language is the first part or foundation of a culture. I want them to be proud of learning to speak their language," she said. "Not just learning it but just speaking it on a regular basis just like we do English."</p>
<p>More information about the Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project can be found <a href="http://www.wlrp.org" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Jennifer Weston's title. She is the immersion school developer for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.</p>
|
This lost Native language of Massachusetts is waking up again
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2016-12-29/lost-native-language-massachusetts-waking-again
|
2016-12-29
| 3left-center
|
This lost Native language of Massachusetts is waking up again
<p>Wampanoag is a&#160;Native language of Massachusetts&#160;and, like many Native American languages, it's fighting to survive.</p>
<p>The Wampanoag nation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island&#160;has&#160;more than 2,000 tribal members, but until recently, none of them actually spoke their own language.&#160;</p>
<p>The Native tongue disappeared soon after English settlers arrived in the area in the 17th century.</p>
<p>"There was a very brief period where Wampanoag and English co-existed, but unfortunately the great migration happened. Tens of thousands of English immigrants poured into New England and largely began to displace Wampanoag people from their homelands," said Jennifer Weston, immersion school developer for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project. Wôpanâak is how the tribe spells the name of their language; Wampanoag is the spelling that's used in English.</p>
<p>"The language, it persisted for awhile but it really did start to fall off by the mid-1700s. There was a very long period of time where the language really only existed as a written record," she added.</p>
<p>But after lying dormant for centuries, the Wampanoag language is finally waking up. That's thanks to Weston's project, based in Mashpee, Massachusetts.&#160;</p>
<p>"The&#160;Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project was founded about 22 years ago to reclaim the Wampanoag language and return it as the principle means of expression to tribal households," Weston said. The WLRP serves four Wampanoag tribes in Massachusetts: the Aquinnah, the Assonetband, the Herring Pond and the Mashpee.</p>
<p>WLRP has been able to bring back Wampanoag through linguists trained by the program. These experts managed to reclaim the Native language from written texts, including a 17th-century King James Bible, letters, wills, deeds and other documents belonging to Wampanoag people. There are now 15 adult speakers of the Wampanoag language and around 75 children at various levels of fluency.</p>
<p />
<p>As a way to teach kids their Native Language, teachers apart of the Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project translate common objects into Wampanoag. These drawing feature pieces of clothing translated into Wampanoag.</p>
<p>Shondiin Silversmith/PRI's The World</p>
<p>The project operates several language programs geared toward helping tribal members learn to speak Wampanoag, but its main focus is on youth ages 2 to 16.</p>
<p>Six teachers work with WLRP, and they've developed thousands of lesson plans in the Wampanoag language.&#160;One of the&#160;WLRP's Native youth programs is called Neekun, which means "our house" in the Wampanoag language. Weston describes it as a means for Native youth to learn the language through fun activities — which is more effective than rote learning, especially after kids have already spent a full day at school.</p>
<p>"We try to keep it activity based," she explained.</p>
<p>Neekun started in 2015, and it is one of four youth-based programs hosted by WLRP.&#160;</p>
<p>Within the programs, the kids are always trying to learn ways to easily incorporate the Wampanoag language into their daily lives. This is why one of the first things they learn is how to introduce themselves.</p>
<p />
<p>Amyiah Peters, 12, from Mashpee, Mass. has been learning to speak&#160;Wampanoag for the past six years, saying it's a privilege for her to learn.&#160;</p>
<p>Shondiin Silversmith/PRI's The World</p>
<p>One of the students who introduced herself during The World's visit to the Neekun program was Amiyah Peters.</p>
<p>Peters, 12, lives in Mashpee, Massachusetts, and has been learning the Wampanoag language for the past six years.</p>
<p>"I learn it because I love our culture and I want to know more about it," Peters said, which is why she pays attention whenever the teachers give new lessons.</p>
<p>She wants to be able to learn as much as she can because she believes it's a privilege to be able to learn.</p>
<p>"Not all Wampanoag speak Wampanoag, but it's a privilege that we have cousins and family that get to know and teach it to us," she said. "It's a privilege that we get to have it."</p>
<p>Weston credits the linguists and linguists-in-training at WLRP for doing the hard work of laboring over original texts so they could create a dictionary and curriculum, as well as age-appropriate materials and activities for children.</p>
<p />
<p>Teachers have developed animal flash card with their names translated to the Wampanoag language. They use the flash cards to teach the youth how to say animal names in Wampanoag.</p>
<p>Shondiin Silversmith/PRI's The World</p>
<p>WLRP's linguist-in-residence, Eleanor Coombs, teaches the kids animal names in Wampanoag with the help of picture flash cards.</p>
<p>"I think playing the games in the language is a way of getting them to want to learn it and want to know what's the next thing," she said.</p>
<p>Coombs has been with WLRP since 2012. Most of the kids she teaches today have been with her for several years, and she's noticed their fluency grow.</p>
<p>"As a teacher, it's my responsibility to kind of just keep enforcing it and just letting them hear it," she said of the Wampanoag language. "It's been quite a journey but I feel that the children are grasping [the] language and we have to figure out ways to get them to do that."</p>
<p>Ultimately, Coombs wants the children to take pride in learning and speaking their Native language.</p>
<p>"When we talk about any culture, language is the first part or foundation of a culture. I want them to be proud of learning to speak their language," she said. "Not just learning it but just speaking it on a regular basis just like we do English."</p>
<p>More information about the Wopanaak Language Reclamation Project can be found <a href="http://www.wlrp.org" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Jennifer Weston's title. She is the immersion school developer for the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.</p>
| 6,132 |
<p>The 7-Year Period Of Great Tribulation Also Known As The Time Of Jacob's Trouble</p>
<p>What Jeremiah saw We are first introduced to the time of the Tribulation in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, and the prophet calls it the time of 'Jacob's trouble' because it will primarily center on the Jews in Israel. This is our first clue as to who will go through the Tribulation and who it will affect. As we have shown throughout this series on the Rapture, when Jesus returns for His Church, made up of believing Jews and Gentiles, and 'catches them away' to be with Him in Heaven, the Bible says that God will once again focus on the Jews, and the great and terrible time of the Great Tribualtion will begin. And that's why Jeremiah calls it the time of 'Jacob's' trouble - because it's about the Jews even though it will have ramifications that affects the entire world. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">Matthew 24: 21</a> There are those that would interpret this passage in Matthew to mean the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in70 AD at the hands of the Romans, but could not possible fit. This tribulation that Jesus refers to is the greatest tribulation that this world will ever see, eclipsing even that of Hitler's Holocaust which killed 12,000,000 people, half of those being Jews. So let's once again turn to our friend Clarence Larkin and see what the bible has to see about this soon to be fulfilled prophecy of Scripture. The Tribulation is focused on the Jews and Israel "Turning to the Old Testament we find in <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Jer.%2030.4-6" type="external">Jer. 30:4-6</a>, that it is the time of "Jacob's Trouble," and is compared in its sufferings to the "birth-pangs" of a woman. In <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Eze%2026.34" type="external">Eze 26:34</a> it is spoken of as the time when-Israel shall "Pass under the Rod; " and in <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Eze.%2022.19-21" type="external">Eze. 22:19-21</a>, we read how that God is going to cast Israel into His "Melting Pot, " where they are to be refined as "gold is refined." See also <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Mal.%203.1-3" type="external">Mal. 3:1-3</a>, and <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Zech.%2013.9" type="external">Zech. 13:9</a>. Daniel speaks of it as a "Time of Trouble" for his people, the Jews. <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.1" type="external">Dan. 12:1</a>.</p>
<p>From these references we see that "The Great Tribulation" is something that has to do with the Jewish people, and is a judgment through which they must pass as a "refining process" to fit them to again be God's chosen people. Indirectly the Gentiles will be affected by it, but the Church will be "caught out" before that "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord." The Prophet Daniel in his Vision of the "Seventy Weeks" ( <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%209.20-22" type="external">Dan. 9:20-22</a>) was told that it would be 69 weeks from the going forth of the Edict "to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince." Those were "Prophetic Weeks, " in which each week stood for "seven years, " and they were literally fulfilled, for it was exactly 483 years of 360 days, from the going forth of that Edict, B.C. 445, until Jesus rode in triumph into Jerusalem, A. D. 30, and was hailed as the promised Son of David.</p>
<p>Within a week the Jews had Jesus crucified and then "God's Clock" stopped, and the remaining "one" week, the "Seventieth, " has still to be fulfilled. In the meantime, in the break between the "sixty-ninth" and "seventieth" week, the Holy Spirit is gathering out the Church, and when it is complete it will be taken away, and then "God's Clock" will begin to tick again, because He will again be dealing with. His People the Jews.</p>
<p>It is during this last, or "Seventieth Week" of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks, " that the Tribulation is to occur, and as the "weeks" of the already fulfilled "sixty-nine" weeks, were each "seven years" in length, so this last, or "Seventieth Week, " must be the same. The length then of the "Tribulation Period" should be "seven years, " but Jesus tells us in <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Matt.%2024.22" type="external">Matt. 24:22</a>, that for the "ELECT'S SAKE" Those Days Shall Be Shortened. Not the "Elect" of the Church, for they are "caught out" before the Tribulation, but the "Elect" of Israel, the 144, 000 "Sealed Ones" of <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%207.1-3" type="external">Rev. 7:1-3</a>. <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Dispensational Truth by Larkin</a> The coming restoration of the Jews</p>
<p>I have always found it interesting that in the very end of Time, God decides to wrap things up in the same place and with the same people that He started with - the Jews and in Israel. You have to remember that the Jews are the one who wrote the New Testament, and in the early church there was no such thing as a non-Jewish Christian. We Gentiles are forever indebted to the Jews for that. This is what Paul says in the book of Romans - "Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be graffed into their own olive tree?" <a href="javascript:;" type="external">Romans 11: 20-24</a> See what Paul is telling us? That we Gentiles (non-Jews) have been 'grafted in' to the Olive Tree that is Israel and the Jews, and as such we should not be "boasting' but we should have respect and fear. Because it is a special privledge to be grafted into the family of God, and Paul promised that the Day is coming when the Jews will once again recover from their 'blindness' and see for themselves that Yeshua is indeed the Promised Messiah, and this is what will happen to them - "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">Romans 11: 25-27</a> When Israel was restored on May 14, 1948 ( <a href="../israel/apple_of_Gods_eye.htm" type="external">click here</a> to read about that fulfillment of prophecy), that was just the beginning of God's Plan in the end times for the Jews. The character of the Tribulation</p>
<p>While the "Tribulation Period" shall last for about seven years, as to its severity it will be divided into two parts of three and a half years each. The second or last part so far exceeding in its severity the first part as to be known as "The GREAT TRIBULATION." <a href="javascript:;" type="external" /> Click image to view full-size chart by Clarence Larkin</p>
<p>What was to happen during Daniel's "Seventieth Week" was not revealed to Daniel. He received a communication which he did not understand and was told to "seal the Book up until the Time of the End." <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.4" type="external">Dan. 12:4</a>, <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.8" type="external">Dan. 12:8</a>, <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.9" type="external">Dan. 12:9</a>. All Daniel knew was that the contents of the Book had reference to the "Time of Trouble" that should befall his People at the "Time of the End" (of their sorrows), not the "End of Time." What that "Sealed Book" contained is no longer a Mystery, for the Apostle John saw the "seals" of that Book broken, and was told to record what it contained. The "Seven-Sealed Book" of the Book of Revelation is the Book that Daniel was told to seal up.</p>
<p>If we want to know then about what is to happen during the Tribulation, all we have to do is to read and study the Book of Revelation from <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%206.1" type="external">Rev. 6:1</a> to 19:2 to 19:1.</p>
<p>As the Dragon is cast out of the Heavenlies in chapter 12, and he is cast out in the "Middle of the Week, " it follows that chapters 6 to 11 inclusive cover the "First Half" of the Week, and chapters 13 to 19 inclusive the "Second Half." See the Charts on "Revelation" and "Daniel's Seventieth Week." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Dispensational Truth by Larkin</a></p>
<p>The Seven Seals</p>
<p>Revelation talks about a series of seals that are opened, as as they are it triggers certain events. Here is a brief overview of these seals and what will happen when they are opened. All the seals occur in the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation, or the first half of Daniel's 70th week.</p>
<p>Between the breaking of the "Sixth" and "Seventh" Seals there will be a pause or interval, during which 144, 000 of the Children of Israel, 12, 000 from each of the Twelve Tribes, will be "sealed." As there were 7000 in Ahab's time who would not bow the knee to Baal ( <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/1Kings%2019.18" type="external">1Kings 19:18</a>), so in the Tribulation there shall be 144, 000 of Israel who will not bow the knee to Antichrist. They are "sealed" by an angel, and the "Seal" is the imprint of the "Father's Name" on their foreheads. <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%2014.1" type="external">Rev. 14:1</a> ; 22:4.</p>
<p>Then John saw a "Blood Washed Multitude." <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%207.9-11" type="external">Rev. 7:9-11</a>. This introduces us to another class of saved of the "End Time." They are not the Church, for they come out of the "Great Tribulation." They are probably Gentiles who accept Christ as their Saviour after the Church is caught out. They are saved and shall serve God in His Heavenly Temple, and never hunger or thirst any more, but they are not part of the Church and shall not participate in any Millennial blessings on the earth.</p>
<p />
<p /> What Jeremiah saw The Tribulation is focused on the Jews and Israel The Sixth Seal - The Interval
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The 7-Year Period Of Great Tribulation Also Known As The Time Of Jacob's Trouble Also Known As The Time Of Jacob's Trouble
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http://nowtheendbegins.com/pages/rapture/the-great-tribulation.htm
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The 7-Year Period Of Great Tribulation Also Known As The Time Of Jacob's Trouble Also Known As The Time Of Jacob's Trouble
<p>The 7-Year Period Of Great Tribulation Also Known As The Time Of Jacob's Trouble</p>
<p>What Jeremiah saw We are first introduced to the time of the Tribulation in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, and the prophet calls it the time of 'Jacob's trouble' because it will primarily center on the Jews in Israel. This is our first clue as to who will go through the Tribulation and who it will affect. As we have shown throughout this series on the Rapture, when Jesus returns for His Church, made up of believing Jews and Gentiles, and 'catches them away' to be with Him in Heaven, the Bible says that God will once again focus on the Jews, and the great and terrible time of the Great Tribualtion will begin. And that's why Jeremiah calls it the time of 'Jacob's' trouble - because it's about the Jews even though it will have ramifications that affects the entire world. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">Matthew 24: 21</a> There are those that would interpret this passage in Matthew to mean the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in70 AD at the hands of the Romans, but could not possible fit. This tribulation that Jesus refers to is the greatest tribulation that this world will ever see, eclipsing even that of Hitler's Holocaust which killed 12,000,000 people, half of those being Jews. So let's once again turn to our friend Clarence Larkin and see what the bible has to see about this soon to be fulfilled prophecy of Scripture. The Tribulation is focused on the Jews and Israel "Turning to the Old Testament we find in <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Jer.%2030.4-6" type="external">Jer. 30:4-6</a>, that it is the time of "Jacob's Trouble," and is compared in its sufferings to the "birth-pangs" of a woman. In <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Eze%2026.34" type="external">Eze 26:34</a> it is spoken of as the time when-Israel shall "Pass under the Rod; " and in <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Eze.%2022.19-21" type="external">Eze. 22:19-21</a>, we read how that God is going to cast Israel into His "Melting Pot, " where they are to be refined as "gold is refined." See also <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Mal.%203.1-3" type="external">Mal. 3:1-3</a>, and <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Zech.%2013.9" type="external">Zech. 13:9</a>. Daniel speaks of it as a "Time of Trouble" for his people, the Jews. <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.1" type="external">Dan. 12:1</a>.</p>
<p>From these references we see that "The Great Tribulation" is something that has to do with the Jewish people, and is a judgment through which they must pass as a "refining process" to fit them to again be God's chosen people. Indirectly the Gentiles will be affected by it, but the Church will be "caught out" before that "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord." The Prophet Daniel in his Vision of the "Seventy Weeks" ( <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%209.20-22" type="external">Dan. 9:20-22</a>) was told that it would be 69 weeks from the going forth of the Edict "to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince." Those were "Prophetic Weeks, " in which each week stood for "seven years, " and they were literally fulfilled, for it was exactly 483 years of 360 days, from the going forth of that Edict, B.C. 445, until Jesus rode in triumph into Jerusalem, A. D. 30, and was hailed as the promised Son of David.</p>
<p>Within a week the Jews had Jesus crucified and then "God's Clock" stopped, and the remaining "one" week, the "Seventieth, " has still to be fulfilled. In the meantime, in the break between the "sixty-ninth" and "seventieth" week, the Holy Spirit is gathering out the Church, and when it is complete it will be taken away, and then "God's Clock" will begin to tick again, because He will again be dealing with. His People the Jews.</p>
<p>It is during this last, or "Seventieth Week" of Daniel's "Seventy Weeks, " that the Tribulation is to occur, and as the "weeks" of the already fulfilled "sixty-nine" weeks, were each "seven years" in length, so this last, or "Seventieth Week, " must be the same. The length then of the "Tribulation Period" should be "seven years, " but Jesus tells us in <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Matt.%2024.22" type="external">Matt. 24:22</a>, that for the "ELECT'S SAKE" Those Days Shall Be Shortened. Not the "Elect" of the Church, for they are "caught out" before the Tribulation, but the "Elect" of Israel, the 144, 000 "Sealed Ones" of <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%207.1-3" type="external">Rev. 7:1-3</a>. <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Dispensational Truth by Larkin</a> The coming restoration of the Jews</p>
<p>I have always found it interesting that in the very end of Time, God decides to wrap things up in the same place and with the same people that He started with - the Jews and in Israel. You have to remember that the Jews are the one who wrote the New Testament, and in the early church there was no such thing as a non-Jewish Christian. We Gentiles are forever indebted to the Jews for that. This is what Paul says in the book of Romans - "Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be graffed into their own olive tree?" <a href="javascript:;" type="external">Romans 11: 20-24</a> See what Paul is telling us? That we Gentiles (non-Jews) have been 'grafted in' to the Olive Tree that is Israel and the Jews, and as such we should not be "boasting' but we should have respect and fear. Because it is a special privledge to be grafted into the family of God, and Paul promised that the Day is coming when the Jews will once again recover from their 'blindness' and see for themselves that Yeshua is indeed the Promised Messiah, and this is what will happen to them - "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">Romans 11: 25-27</a> When Israel was restored on May 14, 1948 ( <a href="../israel/apple_of_Gods_eye.htm" type="external">click here</a> to read about that fulfillment of prophecy), that was just the beginning of God's Plan in the end times for the Jews. The character of the Tribulation</p>
<p>While the "Tribulation Period" shall last for about seven years, as to its severity it will be divided into two parts of three and a half years each. The second or last part so far exceeding in its severity the first part as to be known as "The GREAT TRIBULATION." <a href="javascript:;" type="external" /> Click image to view full-size chart by Clarence Larkin</p>
<p>What was to happen during Daniel's "Seventieth Week" was not revealed to Daniel. He received a communication which he did not understand and was told to "seal the Book up until the Time of the End." <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.4" type="external">Dan. 12:4</a>, <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.8" type="external">Dan. 12:8</a>, <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Dan.%2012.9" type="external">Dan. 12:9</a>. All Daniel knew was that the contents of the Book had reference to the "Time of Trouble" that should befall his People at the "Time of the End" (of their sorrows), not the "End of Time." What that "Sealed Book" contained is no longer a Mystery, for the Apostle John saw the "seals" of that Book broken, and was told to record what it contained. The "Seven-Sealed Book" of the Book of Revelation is the Book that Daniel was told to seal up.</p>
<p>If we want to know then about what is to happen during the Tribulation, all we have to do is to read and study the Book of Revelation from <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%206.1" type="external">Rev. 6:1</a> to 19:2 to 19:1.</p>
<p>As the Dragon is cast out of the Heavenlies in chapter 12, and he is cast out in the "Middle of the Week, " it follows that chapters 6 to 11 inclusive cover the "First Half" of the Week, and chapters 13 to 19 inclusive the "Second Half." See the Charts on "Revelation" and "Daniel's Seventieth Week." <a href="javascript:;" type="external">source - Dispensational Truth by Larkin</a></p>
<p>The Seven Seals</p>
<p>Revelation talks about a series of seals that are opened, as as they are it triggers certain events. Here is a brief overview of these seals and what will happen when they are opened. All the seals occur in the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation, or the first half of Daniel's 70th week.</p>
<p>Between the breaking of the "Sixth" and "Seventh" Seals there will be a pause or interval, during which 144, 000 of the Children of Israel, 12, 000 from each of the Twelve Tribes, will be "sealed." As there were 7000 in Ahab's time who would not bow the knee to Baal ( <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/1Kings%2019.18" type="external">1Kings 19:18</a>), so in the Tribulation there shall be 144, 000 of Israel who will not bow the knee to Antichrist. They are "sealed" by an angel, and the "Seal" is the imprint of the "Father's Name" on their foreheads. <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%2014.1" type="external">Rev. 14:1</a> ; 22:4.</p>
<p>Then John saw a "Blood Washed Multitude." <a href="http://bible.logos.com/passage/kjv/Rev.%207.9-11" type="external">Rev. 7:9-11</a>. This introduces us to another class of saved of the "End Time." They are not the Church, for they come out of the "Great Tribulation." They are probably Gentiles who accept Christ as their Saviour after the Church is caught out. They are saved and shall serve God in His Heavenly Temple, and never hunger or thirst any more, but they are not part of the Church and shall not participate in any Millennial blessings on the earth.</p>
<p />
<p /> What Jeremiah saw The Tribulation is focused on the Jews and Israel The Sixth Seal - The Interval
| 6,133 |
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<p>TOP STORIES</p>
<p>Wheat Futures Pop on Plains Drought</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A drought in the Great Plains sparked a rally in wheat prices Tuesday.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that the condition of the hard red winter wheat crop, primarily grown in southern Plains states like Kansas, dropped sharply as farmers in the region struggle through dry conditions.</p>
<p>Drought Dampens South Africa's 2018 Corn Plantings -- Market Talk</p>
<p>1544 GMT -- South African corn farmers have slashed plantings for the 2018 season as Africa's top producer of the grain grapples with drought, says the government's Crop Estimates Committee. Plantings likely will drop 12% to 2.3 million hectares as the dry spell pressures growers in the main producing region in the country's west. Plantings for white corn--a regional staple--are down 22% while acreage for yellow corn--used mainly in animal feeds--is 4% higher on year. It is a reversal of fortunes for a country that posted a record crop of 16.7 million tons last year, more than double the 7.8 million tons produced in 2016 after rains aided a recovery from the 2015-2016 drought fueled by El Nino. ([email protected];@Nicholasbariyo)</p>
<p>STORIES OF INTEREST</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>USDA Says 132,000 Tons of Corn Sold to Spain in 2017-18</p>
<p>WASHINGTON--Private exporters reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales of 132,000 metric tons of corn for delivery to Spain during the 2017/2018 marketing year.</p>
<p>The marketing year for corn began Sept. 1.</p>
<p>Value Meals Drive McDonald's Sales - 2nd Update</p>
<p>McDonald's Corp. gained sales again by luring core customers to its cheapest meals and drinks.</p>
<p>The burger giant attributed U.S. sales growth in the fourth quarter to a "McPick 2" meal deal and low-price beverages, as well as to higher-priced Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. The chain introduced a new nationwide value menu this month with items priced at $1, $2 and $3, hoping consumers drawn in for cheap sodas and burgers will also order more expensive items.</p>
<p>THE MARKETS</p>
<p>Live Cattle Futures Ease</p>
<p>Cattle futures were mixed Tuesday, easing off multimonth highs.</p>
<p>The futures market started the week by hitting a two-month high, after cash prices for physical cattle rose more than expected. But analysts say futures bumped up against selling pressure after falling from those highs, with chart signals suggesting to traders that prices were headed lower.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>January 30, 2018 17:52 ET (22:52 GMT)</p>
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Grain Highlights: Top Stories of the Day
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http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/03/grain-highlights-top-stories-day.html
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2018-01-30
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Grain Highlights: Top Stories of the Day
<p>TOP STORIES</p>
<p>Wheat Futures Pop on Plains Drought</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A drought in the Great Plains sparked a rally in wheat prices Tuesday.</p>
<p>The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that the condition of the hard red winter wheat crop, primarily grown in southern Plains states like Kansas, dropped sharply as farmers in the region struggle through dry conditions.</p>
<p>Drought Dampens South Africa's 2018 Corn Plantings -- Market Talk</p>
<p>1544 GMT -- South African corn farmers have slashed plantings for the 2018 season as Africa's top producer of the grain grapples with drought, says the government's Crop Estimates Committee. Plantings likely will drop 12% to 2.3 million hectares as the dry spell pressures growers in the main producing region in the country's west. Plantings for white corn--a regional staple--are down 22% while acreage for yellow corn--used mainly in animal feeds--is 4% higher on year. It is a reversal of fortunes for a country that posted a record crop of 16.7 million tons last year, more than double the 7.8 million tons produced in 2016 after rains aided a recovery from the 2015-2016 drought fueled by El Nino. ([email protected];@Nicholasbariyo)</p>
<p>STORIES OF INTEREST</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>USDA Says 132,000 Tons of Corn Sold to Spain in 2017-18</p>
<p>WASHINGTON--Private exporters reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture export sales of 132,000 metric tons of corn for delivery to Spain during the 2017/2018 marketing year.</p>
<p>The marketing year for corn began Sept. 1.</p>
<p>Value Meals Drive McDonald's Sales - 2nd Update</p>
<p>McDonald's Corp. gained sales again by luring core customers to its cheapest meals and drinks.</p>
<p>The burger giant attributed U.S. sales growth in the fourth quarter to a "McPick 2" meal deal and low-price beverages, as well as to higher-priced Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. The chain introduced a new nationwide value menu this month with items priced at $1, $2 and $3, hoping consumers drawn in for cheap sodas and burgers will also order more expensive items.</p>
<p>THE MARKETS</p>
<p>Live Cattle Futures Ease</p>
<p>Cattle futures were mixed Tuesday, easing off multimonth highs.</p>
<p>The futures market started the week by hitting a two-month high, after cash prices for physical cattle rose more than expected. But analysts say futures bumped up against selling pressure after falling from those highs, with chart signals suggesting to traders that prices were headed lower.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>January 30, 2018 17:52 ET (22:52 GMT)</p>
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<p>"They can call me a gadfly. They can call me whatever they want to call me." Courtesy of Edward Peruta</p>
<p />
<p>“The NRA asked me to keep my mouth shut, but I’ve never run from a fuckin’ interview in my life,” Edward Peruta barks into the phone. The 66-year-old Vietnam vet, ex-cop, public-access TV host, worm farmer, legal investigator, crime scene videographer, and serial litigant has never been one to hold his tongue, and he’s not about to start now that he’s at the center of a high-profile case that could upend California’s gun laws and wind up before the Supreme Court. “I am who I am,” he says. “People know there’s usually a hurricane comin’ if they step on my rights.”&#160;</p>
<p>Peruta is the lead plaintiff in <a href="http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/content/view.php?pk_id=0000000722" type="external">Peruta v. County of San Diego</a>, a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn California’s system of issuing concealed-weapon permits. Currently, the state’s police chiefs and sheriffs may require applicants to show “good cause” for carrying a concealed gun in public. Such discretion is applied arbitrarily and violates the Second Amendment, according to Peruta and his legal team, which is <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150326/california-the-battle-for-shall-issue-is-on" type="external">backed by the National Rifle Association</a>.</p>
<p>That argument swayed two judges on the 9th Circuit Court, who ruled in Peruta’s favor in February. For a moment, it seemed that California would join the <a href="http://smartgunlaws.org/concealed-weapons-permitting-policy-summary/#state" type="external">37 “shall issue” states</a> that issue concealed-carry permits to anyone who meets basic requirements such as a background check. Then California Attorney General Kamala Harris successfully petitioned the court to reconsider the ruling en banc. Next Tuesday, an 11-judge panel in San Francisco will hear oral arguments in the case.</p>
<p>Both sides of the gun debate are watching Peruta intently. “If the California permitting system were struck down, that could be the difference between tens of thousands of people and a million or more people carrying in public,” predicts Mike McLively, a staff attorney at the <a href="http://smartgunlaws.org/" type="external">Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence</a>, which has filed an amicus brief in support of the current law. Gene Hoffman, chairman of the <a href="https://www.calgunsfoundation.org/" type="external">Calguns Foundation</a>, which is sponsoring <a href="http://michellawyers.com/guncasetracker/richardsvprieto/" type="external">a similar case</a> that will be heard alongside Peruta’s, expects the Supreme Court to step in after the 9th rules: “I think they’re gonna take this case whatever direction it goes.” Likewise, the NRA <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150326/california-the-battle-for-shall-issue-is-on" type="external">has said</a> Peruta “presents an opportunity for the Supreme Court to settle some Second Amendment issues that desperately need resolving.”</p>
<p>“I’m not a gun advocate,” Peruta says. “I don’t know about all kinds of different guns. But I know how to use one.” What triggered his case is what has set off a lot of his crusades over the years: A public official told him he couldn’t have what he believed he was entitled to by law.</p>
<p>In 2008, Peruta applied for a permit to carry a concealed handgun in San Diego, where he spends part of the year living in his 40-foot Country Coach mobile home. He told the county sheriff’s office that he needed a gun for self-defense in his RV and while working as a legal investigator and spot-news videographer who sells shots of crime scenes and accidents to media outlets. The sheriff’s office denied his application and appeal, finding that he wasn’t a San Diego resident and could not demonstrate any specific threats to his safety. Peruta, who has gun permits in Connecticut, Florida, and Utah, recalls meeting with an administrator in the sheriff’s office: “I asked him where the hell he thought he came from. He asked me what I meant. And I said, ‘Is there a federal court in this town?’ And the rest is history.”</p>
<p>Over the years, Peruta’s refusal to take no for an answer has gained him a reputation in his home state of Connecticut as a bane of bureaucrats and a liberator of public information. But his bluster and hard-charging manner have also earned him some less flattering labels. “What did they call Sam Adams in Boston in 1775?” he snaps. “They can call me a gadfly. They can call me whatever they want to call me.” And his contentious, “colorful” life, which includes a long list of legal scuffles, a brief and turbulent stint as a police officer, and involvement in a securities-fraud case, has led some pro-gun advocates to wonder whether he should be the poster boy for their efforts to ease restrictions on hidden firearms.</p>
<p />
<p>Peruta’s battles began in 1967, when he dropped out of high school and shipped out to Vietnam with the Marine Corps. He fought through the Tet Offensive, got noticed for his impressive marksmanship, and made a vow to keep fighting when he got back stateside. “I have a lot of people that aren’t around anymore,” he says. “They’re still 18, 19, 20 years old, laying in a fuckin’ box in national cemeteries. We all promised each other that we would never, never give up. We would never yield to bad government decisions.”</p>
<p>After coming home to Connecticut, Peruta joined the Wethersfield Police Department in 1969. “I went to the police academy and came out third in my class,” he recalls. “I learned the law. They did teach me how to read the law, how to understand the law, and how to implement the law.” However, he was fired as a patrolman in 1971 before his probationary period was over, and the following year, he unsuccessfully applied to join the force in neighboring Rocky Hill.</p>
<p>Peruta’s thwarted law enforcement career came up again when he moved to Vero Beach, Florida, in the late ’70s. After Peruta complained about the city’s failure to restore his power after a hurricane, <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&amp;dat=19791023&amp;id=d6lUAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=lzsNAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=4955,484326&amp;hl=en" type="external">the mayor grumbled</a> that he was part of the “2 percent lunatic fringe.” (“I am very proud of that title,” Peruta says.) The mayor also asked the police to secretly look into Peruta’s background, expressing concern that he “might do something erratic at a council meeting with a lot of people present.” According to documents Peruta obtained, the Vero Beach police chief contacted Wethersfield’s then police chief, T. William Knapp, who said Peruta had been “a disorganizing factor on his department.” Knapp also reported that “Peruta wishes to be controversial and take opposite views of others. In plain English, he is an ass, but nothing in his past would indicate that Peruta would engage in any violent action.”</p>
<p>“That’s when I declared war on Vero Beach,” says Peruta, who recalls his righteous grudges against past nemeses in exhaustive detail. (He tells me that the Vero Beach police captain who did the background check was later caught using official equipment to photograph nude women; sure enough, <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&amp;dat=19800906&amp;id=7P8sAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=j80FAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=5615,2884312&amp;hl=en" type="external">he’s right</a>.) In 1981, Peruta sued Knapp, who happens to be his first cousin, for making “false and malicious” statements about him in the background check; that case, filed in Connecticut, was eventually withdrawn. Peruta also sued Knapp in federal court; that case was dismissed. He also unsuccessfully sued Wethersfield and Rocky Hill for $3 million in damages.</p>
<p />
<p>“He sued me two or three times when I was police chief. But I think what’s he’s doing is right,” says Knapp, who served 15 years as Wethersfield’s chief of police before overseeing Connecticut’s police training program. Knapp says Peruta can be intense and abrasive, but stands up for his beliefs: “Eddie Peruta is a champion of the underdog in a variety of cases, not just guns.”</p>
<p>Unemployed and on the hook for for child support, in 1984 Peruta took a job with a Vero Beach firm running what police later termed a “boiler room operation” selling gold- and silver-backed investments. Peruta says he had no idea any laws were being broken. He pleaded no contest to three third-degree felonies with no adjudication of guilt and was sentenced to three years’ probation. Peruta states that he has fully disclosed the case whenever he has applied for firearms permits.</p>
<p>He then returned to Rocky Hill, where he became a fixture of its small-town political scene. “I can’t fart in Connecticut without making the news,” he says. A showdown flared in 1990 after he admitted to the police chief that he had spanked his son. Peruta filed a federal civil rights suit against the chief for initiating child abuse and fraud investigations against him and eventually got a <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1995-01-24/news/9501240702_1_rocky-hill-schnabel-town-manager" type="external">$35,000 settlement</a>. (He says he could have asked for more, but wanted to deprive his lawyer of a bigger contingency fee.) He also took his revenge by forcing the public disclosure of the chief’s 790-page work diary, which was crammed with <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1994-09-29/news/9409290180_1_schnabel-police-officers-diary" type="external">lurid allegations</a> about local residents and officials. Peruta took another scalp in 1996, after his son was <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1996-06-20/news/9606200711_1_pellet-gun-grasso-private-school" type="external">suspended</a> from high school for reportedly smoking pot. Peruta requested the school’s student discipline records; the principal <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1996-05-30/news/9605300315_1_grasso-board-students" type="external">resigned</a> after he was accused of withholding them.</p>
<p>In 1995, Peruta opened a motocross track. When the town and the state tried to shut it down, he responded that the land was in fact a worm farm and that riders were free to collect as many wrigglers as they liked. “As yet, none have exercised their worming rights,” the Hartford Courant <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1997-02-19/news/9702190734_1_site-plan-worm-farm-zoning-commission" type="external">observed dryly</a> when the operation was approved after a two-year fight.</p>
<p>Peruta set up a news organization, American News and Information Services, rushing to shoot video of crime scenes and accidents, which he’d sell to media outlets. “I get the flames and the mainstream brick and mortar media gets the ashes,” he boasts. He got tips from cops, but also sparred with them over his right to film in public. He also took to the airwaves as the host of his own public-access cable show. (He still appears on a program called <a href="http://sjtalkshow.com/" type="external">Summary Judgment</a>.) In 1999, he was criticized for putting on a curly black wig during an on-air discussion of the shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer. Peruta publicly apologized while accusing his critics of “racial extortion and intimidation.” In 2000, the local cable provider tried to move Peruta’s 8 p.m. show to a late-night time slot due to his use of profanity; Peruta went to federal court and won.&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>“He was a gadfly,” recalls Scott Coleman, a computer store owner and fellow activist who clashed with Peruta. “He could be very aggressive and loud. But there is a good side of him; he sticks up for the little guy.” In 1996, the Hartford Courant <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1996-01-29/news/9601290262_1_frivolous-lawsuits-town-hall-town-council" type="external">estimated</a> that Peruta had sued Rocky Hill six times and had lodged 70 freedom of information complaints against the town. Peruta <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1995-04-09/news/9504070168_1_rocky-hill-gray-areas-blind-faith" type="external">told the newspaper</a> that he was “not a crazy, insane gadfly with no other purpose in life but to harass public officials. There is a reason for what I do.”</p>
<p />
<p>Between the time he left the Wethersfield Police Department and the mid-2000s, Peruta says he never owned a gun. “I had no desire,” he says. “I was more involved in watching government and helping people get unjammed.” He first became active in gun rights in 2007, when he became <a href="http://rachelbairdlaw.com/Team/Details/2" type="external">a legal investigator</a> for Rachel Baird, a Connecticut firearms lawyer.</p>
<p>Yet as his focus expanded beyond the First Amendment to the Second, his past followed him. In December 2007, an anonymous user on the OpenCarry.org forum posted a link to a 45-page file called the “Peruta Papers.” It included news articles about Peruta’s various exploits, including the Florida securities case. The file also contained what appeared to be transcripts of documents from his personnel file as a rookie cop in the early ’70s. In a grainy copy of a report filed in 1971, Knapp, then a lieutenant, described responding to a domestic incident that resulted in him temporarily removing Peruta’s service pistol and a snub-nose revolver from his home. In another document, Knapp told the Wethersfield police chief that he did not think that Peruta should be retained as an officer due to his “immaturity” and volatility.</p>
<p>As Peruta’s case against San Diego progressed and started to make headlines, the Peruta Papers popped up again. In January 2010, Hoffman, the chairman of the Calguns Foundation, alluded to the dossier on his group’s busy message board. Hoffman questioned Peruta’s suitability as the public face of an increasingly visible case, citing his apparent “odd separation with law enforcement.” Hoffman <a href="http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=259383&amp;page=3" type="external">continued</a>, “None of it rises to the level that should deny you a right to carry, but it may not make you the best plaintiff to represent gun owners under any intense media scrutiny.” In 2011, Hoffman posted a link to the Peruta Papers, <a href="http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/archive/index.php/t-490941.html" type="external">warning</a>, “I think the other side could make some serious hay with these facts.”</p>
<p />
<p>Peruta says that while the documents in the Peruta Papers aren’t fake, his “quote unquote personnel file” was part of a “hatchet job” that ended his dream of being a cop. “You can’t believe everything you read—and I was there when the script was written,” he says. He acknowledges that Knapp took his guns and returned them two days later. As for Knapp’s comments about his temperament as a cop, “in 1970, 1971, based on what was going on, that may have been a fair assessment.” He says he lost his job as a patrolman because a vindictive superior wrote him up for failing to shoot an African American man who fled from a traffic stop. More than 40 years later, his anger over the affair hasn’t abated. “It was a fuckin’ lie!”</p>
<p>Knapp, who is close to his cousin despite their past tussles, agrees that the documents don’t tell the whole story of Peruta’s short law enforcement career. Asked if he ever questioned Peruta’s maturity to be an officer, Knapp replies, “I might have said that. I don’t think Eddie would have been a very efficient police officer. He’s very intense and doesn’t particularly care to take orders.” But, he adds, “I never worried about him shooting anybody.”&#160;</p>
<p>Peruta declined to provide a copy of his complete personnel file, which he’s had since he sued Knapp for it in 1976. The Wethersfield Police Department says it no longer has it. The Peruta Papers can be traced back to a now-dormant community message board in Rocky Hill, which included a section dedicated to Peruta. Coleman, who ran the site, insists the documents are accurate. He says he received them from “somebody in Wethersfield who didn’t have a love for Peruta.” He claims he can’t recall who it was. While Peruta has never asked that the documents be taken down, he told me, “Anybody who publishes something about me that’s not correct, I have the option to say, ‘Now it’s game time.'”</p>
<p>Hoffman says his concerns about Peruta have eased, though he is relieved that other rejected concealed-carry applicants have joined Peruta v. San Diego. “The NRA has added plaintiffs who are legitimate public interest plaintiffs,” he says, such as a retired doctor who wanted a concealed weapon to protect himself from antiabortion extremists. Despite its financial support for his litigation, the NRA has not profiled Peruta in any of its promotional materials.</p>
<p>Though he’ll go to San Francisco to watch the oral arguments in his case, Peruta says what happens next is out of his hands. The plan after the 9th Circuit Court delivers its ruling is “not my plan, it’s the NRA’s plan.” But he’s busy with new causes, dropping hints about a potential case involving a cop who told him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lf90ZWrZ6o" type="external">not to film a murder scene</a> and assisting with a <a href="http://rachelbairdlaw.com/NewsArticle/Details/25" type="external">defamation lawsuit</a> against Everytown for Gun Safety.</p>
<p>“Do I believe that everybody should have a firearm? Absolutely not. Do I believe that there’s people who should be prohibited? Absolutely.” Yet the way California currently determines who can or can’t carry a gun in public clearly infringes on the Second Amendment, he says. As usual, Peruta is certain that the law is on his side. “You don’t like it?” he booms. “Change the fuckin’ Constitution!”</p>
<p />
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Meet the F-Bomb-Spewing Ex-Cop Behind the NRA’s Move to Topple California’s Gun Laws
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2015/06/edward-peruta-san-diego-concealed-carry/
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2015-06-10
| 4left
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Meet the F-Bomb-Spewing Ex-Cop Behind the NRA’s Move to Topple California’s Gun Laws
<p>"They can call me a gadfly. They can call me whatever they want to call me." Courtesy of Edward Peruta</p>
<p />
<p>“The NRA asked me to keep my mouth shut, but I’ve never run from a fuckin’ interview in my life,” Edward Peruta barks into the phone. The 66-year-old Vietnam vet, ex-cop, public-access TV host, worm farmer, legal investigator, crime scene videographer, and serial litigant has never been one to hold his tongue, and he’s not about to start now that he’s at the center of a high-profile case that could upend California’s gun laws and wind up before the Supreme Court. “I am who I am,” he says. “People know there’s usually a hurricane comin’ if they step on my rights.”&#160;</p>
<p>Peruta is the lead plaintiff in <a href="http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/content/view.php?pk_id=0000000722" type="external">Peruta v. County of San Diego</a>, a federal lawsuit that seeks to overturn California’s system of issuing concealed-weapon permits. Currently, the state’s police chiefs and sheriffs may require applicants to show “good cause” for carrying a concealed gun in public. Such discretion is applied arbitrarily and violates the Second Amendment, according to Peruta and his legal team, which is <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150326/california-the-battle-for-shall-issue-is-on" type="external">backed by the National Rifle Association</a>.</p>
<p>That argument swayed two judges on the 9th Circuit Court, who ruled in Peruta’s favor in February. For a moment, it seemed that California would join the <a href="http://smartgunlaws.org/concealed-weapons-permitting-policy-summary/#state" type="external">37 “shall issue” states</a> that issue concealed-carry permits to anyone who meets basic requirements such as a background check. Then California Attorney General Kamala Harris successfully petitioned the court to reconsider the ruling en banc. Next Tuesday, an 11-judge panel in San Francisco will hear oral arguments in the case.</p>
<p>Both sides of the gun debate are watching Peruta intently. “If the California permitting system were struck down, that could be the difference between tens of thousands of people and a million or more people carrying in public,” predicts Mike McLively, a staff attorney at the <a href="http://smartgunlaws.org/" type="external">Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence</a>, which has filed an amicus brief in support of the current law. Gene Hoffman, chairman of the <a href="https://www.calgunsfoundation.org/" type="external">Calguns Foundation</a>, which is sponsoring <a href="http://michellawyers.com/guncasetracker/richardsvprieto/" type="external">a similar case</a> that will be heard alongside Peruta’s, expects the Supreme Court to step in after the 9th rules: “I think they’re gonna take this case whatever direction it goes.” Likewise, the NRA <a href="https://www.nraila.org/articles/20150326/california-the-battle-for-shall-issue-is-on" type="external">has said</a> Peruta “presents an opportunity for the Supreme Court to settle some Second Amendment issues that desperately need resolving.”</p>
<p>“I’m not a gun advocate,” Peruta says. “I don’t know about all kinds of different guns. But I know how to use one.” What triggered his case is what has set off a lot of his crusades over the years: A public official told him he couldn’t have what he believed he was entitled to by law.</p>
<p>In 2008, Peruta applied for a permit to carry a concealed handgun in San Diego, where he spends part of the year living in his 40-foot Country Coach mobile home. He told the county sheriff’s office that he needed a gun for self-defense in his RV and while working as a legal investigator and spot-news videographer who sells shots of crime scenes and accidents to media outlets. The sheriff’s office denied his application and appeal, finding that he wasn’t a San Diego resident and could not demonstrate any specific threats to his safety. Peruta, who has gun permits in Connecticut, Florida, and Utah, recalls meeting with an administrator in the sheriff’s office: “I asked him where the hell he thought he came from. He asked me what I meant. And I said, ‘Is there a federal court in this town?’ And the rest is history.”</p>
<p>Over the years, Peruta’s refusal to take no for an answer has gained him a reputation in his home state of Connecticut as a bane of bureaucrats and a liberator of public information. But his bluster and hard-charging manner have also earned him some less flattering labels. “What did they call Sam Adams in Boston in 1775?” he snaps. “They can call me a gadfly. They can call me whatever they want to call me.” And his contentious, “colorful” life, which includes a long list of legal scuffles, a brief and turbulent stint as a police officer, and involvement in a securities-fraud case, has led some pro-gun advocates to wonder whether he should be the poster boy for their efforts to ease restrictions on hidden firearms.</p>
<p />
<p>Peruta’s battles began in 1967, when he dropped out of high school and shipped out to Vietnam with the Marine Corps. He fought through the Tet Offensive, got noticed for his impressive marksmanship, and made a vow to keep fighting when he got back stateside. “I have a lot of people that aren’t around anymore,” he says. “They’re still 18, 19, 20 years old, laying in a fuckin’ box in national cemeteries. We all promised each other that we would never, never give up. We would never yield to bad government decisions.”</p>
<p>After coming home to Connecticut, Peruta joined the Wethersfield Police Department in 1969. “I went to the police academy and came out third in my class,” he recalls. “I learned the law. They did teach me how to read the law, how to understand the law, and how to implement the law.” However, he was fired as a patrolman in 1971 before his probationary period was over, and the following year, he unsuccessfully applied to join the force in neighboring Rocky Hill.</p>
<p>Peruta’s thwarted law enforcement career came up again when he moved to Vero Beach, Florida, in the late ’70s. After Peruta complained about the city’s failure to restore his power after a hurricane, <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&amp;dat=19791023&amp;id=d6lUAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=lzsNAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=4955,484326&amp;hl=en" type="external">the mayor grumbled</a> that he was part of the “2 percent lunatic fringe.” (“I am very proud of that title,” Peruta says.) The mayor also asked the police to secretly look into Peruta’s background, expressing concern that he “might do something erratic at a council meeting with a lot of people present.” According to documents Peruta obtained, the Vero Beach police chief contacted Wethersfield’s then police chief, T. William Knapp, who said Peruta had been “a disorganizing factor on his department.” Knapp also reported that “Peruta wishes to be controversial and take opposite views of others. In plain English, he is an ass, but nothing in his past would indicate that Peruta would engage in any violent action.”</p>
<p>“That’s when I declared war on Vero Beach,” says Peruta, who recalls his righteous grudges against past nemeses in exhaustive detail. (He tells me that the Vero Beach police captain who did the background check was later caught using official equipment to photograph nude women; sure enough, <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&amp;dat=19800906&amp;id=7P8sAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=j80FAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=5615,2884312&amp;hl=en" type="external">he’s right</a>.) In 1981, Peruta sued Knapp, who happens to be his first cousin, for making “false and malicious” statements about him in the background check; that case, filed in Connecticut, was eventually withdrawn. Peruta also sued Knapp in federal court; that case was dismissed. He also unsuccessfully sued Wethersfield and Rocky Hill for $3 million in damages.</p>
<p />
<p>“He sued me two or three times when I was police chief. But I think what’s he’s doing is right,” says Knapp, who served 15 years as Wethersfield’s chief of police before overseeing Connecticut’s police training program. Knapp says Peruta can be intense and abrasive, but stands up for his beliefs: “Eddie Peruta is a champion of the underdog in a variety of cases, not just guns.”</p>
<p>Unemployed and on the hook for for child support, in 1984 Peruta took a job with a Vero Beach firm running what police later termed a “boiler room operation” selling gold- and silver-backed investments. Peruta says he had no idea any laws were being broken. He pleaded no contest to three third-degree felonies with no adjudication of guilt and was sentenced to three years’ probation. Peruta states that he has fully disclosed the case whenever he has applied for firearms permits.</p>
<p>He then returned to Rocky Hill, where he became a fixture of its small-town political scene. “I can’t fart in Connecticut without making the news,” he says. A showdown flared in 1990 after he admitted to the police chief that he had spanked his son. Peruta filed a federal civil rights suit against the chief for initiating child abuse and fraud investigations against him and eventually got a <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1995-01-24/news/9501240702_1_rocky-hill-schnabel-town-manager" type="external">$35,000 settlement</a>. (He says he could have asked for more, but wanted to deprive his lawyer of a bigger contingency fee.) He also took his revenge by forcing the public disclosure of the chief’s 790-page work diary, which was crammed with <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1994-09-29/news/9409290180_1_schnabel-police-officers-diary" type="external">lurid allegations</a> about local residents and officials. Peruta took another scalp in 1996, after his son was <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1996-06-20/news/9606200711_1_pellet-gun-grasso-private-school" type="external">suspended</a> from high school for reportedly smoking pot. Peruta requested the school’s student discipline records; the principal <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1996-05-30/news/9605300315_1_grasso-board-students" type="external">resigned</a> after he was accused of withholding them.</p>
<p>In 1995, Peruta opened a motocross track. When the town and the state tried to shut it down, he responded that the land was in fact a worm farm and that riders were free to collect as many wrigglers as they liked. “As yet, none have exercised their worming rights,” the Hartford Courant <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1997-02-19/news/9702190734_1_site-plan-worm-farm-zoning-commission" type="external">observed dryly</a> when the operation was approved after a two-year fight.</p>
<p>Peruta set up a news organization, American News and Information Services, rushing to shoot video of crime scenes and accidents, which he’d sell to media outlets. “I get the flames and the mainstream brick and mortar media gets the ashes,” he boasts. He got tips from cops, but also sparred with them over his right to film in public. He also took to the airwaves as the host of his own public-access cable show. (He still appears on a program called <a href="http://sjtalkshow.com/" type="external">Summary Judgment</a>.) In 1999, he was criticized for putting on a curly black wig during an on-air discussion of the shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer. Peruta publicly apologized while accusing his critics of “racial extortion and intimidation.” In 2000, the local cable provider tried to move Peruta’s 8 p.m. show to a late-night time slot due to his use of profanity; Peruta went to federal court and won.&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>“He was a gadfly,” recalls Scott Coleman, a computer store owner and fellow activist who clashed with Peruta. “He could be very aggressive and loud. But there is a good side of him; he sticks up for the little guy.” In 1996, the Hartford Courant <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1996-01-29/news/9601290262_1_frivolous-lawsuits-town-hall-town-council" type="external">estimated</a> that Peruta had sued Rocky Hill six times and had lodged 70 freedom of information complaints against the town. Peruta <a href="http://articles.courant.com/1995-04-09/news/9504070168_1_rocky-hill-gray-areas-blind-faith" type="external">told the newspaper</a> that he was “not a crazy, insane gadfly with no other purpose in life but to harass public officials. There is a reason for what I do.”</p>
<p />
<p>Between the time he left the Wethersfield Police Department and the mid-2000s, Peruta says he never owned a gun. “I had no desire,” he says. “I was more involved in watching government and helping people get unjammed.” He first became active in gun rights in 2007, when he became <a href="http://rachelbairdlaw.com/Team/Details/2" type="external">a legal investigator</a> for Rachel Baird, a Connecticut firearms lawyer.</p>
<p>Yet as his focus expanded beyond the First Amendment to the Second, his past followed him. In December 2007, an anonymous user on the OpenCarry.org forum posted a link to a 45-page file called the “Peruta Papers.” It included news articles about Peruta’s various exploits, including the Florida securities case. The file also contained what appeared to be transcripts of documents from his personnel file as a rookie cop in the early ’70s. In a grainy copy of a report filed in 1971, Knapp, then a lieutenant, described responding to a domestic incident that resulted in him temporarily removing Peruta’s service pistol and a snub-nose revolver from his home. In another document, Knapp told the Wethersfield police chief that he did not think that Peruta should be retained as an officer due to his “immaturity” and volatility.</p>
<p>As Peruta’s case against San Diego progressed and started to make headlines, the Peruta Papers popped up again. In January 2010, Hoffman, the chairman of the Calguns Foundation, alluded to the dossier on his group’s busy message board. Hoffman questioned Peruta’s suitability as the public face of an increasingly visible case, citing his apparent “odd separation with law enforcement.” Hoffman <a href="http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=259383&amp;page=3" type="external">continued</a>, “None of it rises to the level that should deny you a right to carry, but it may not make you the best plaintiff to represent gun owners under any intense media scrutiny.” In 2011, Hoffman posted a link to the Peruta Papers, <a href="http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/archive/index.php/t-490941.html" type="external">warning</a>, “I think the other side could make some serious hay with these facts.”</p>
<p />
<p>Peruta says that while the documents in the Peruta Papers aren’t fake, his “quote unquote personnel file” was part of a “hatchet job” that ended his dream of being a cop. “You can’t believe everything you read—and I was there when the script was written,” he says. He acknowledges that Knapp took his guns and returned them two days later. As for Knapp’s comments about his temperament as a cop, “in 1970, 1971, based on what was going on, that may have been a fair assessment.” He says he lost his job as a patrolman because a vindictive superior wrote him up for failing to shoot an African American man who fled from a traffic stop. More than 40 years later, his anger over the affair hasn’t abated. “It was a fuckin’ lie!”</p>
<p>Knapp, who is close to his cousin despite their past tussles, agrees that the documents don’t tell the whole story of Peruta’s short law enforcement career. Asked if he ever questioned Peruta’s maturity to be an officer, Knapp replies, “I might have said that. I don’t think Eddie would have been a very efficient police officer. He’s very intense and doesn’t particularly care to take orders.” But, he adds, “I never worried about him shooting anybody.”&#160;</p>
<p>Peruta declined to provide a copy of his complete personnel file, which he’s had since he sued Knapp for it in 1976. The Wethersfield Police Department says it no longer has it. The Peruta Papers can be traced back to a now-dormant community message board in Rocky Hill, which included a section dedicated to Peruta. Coleman, who ran the site, insists the documents are accurate. He says he received them from “somebody in Wethersfield who didn’t have a love for Peruta.” He claims he can’t recall who it was. While Peruta has never asked that the documents be taken down, he told me, “Anybody who publishes something about me that’s not correct, I have the option to say, ‘Now it’s game time.'”</p>
<p>Hoffman says his concerns about Peruta have eased, though he is relieved that other rejected concealed-carry applicants have joined Peruta v. San Diego. “The NRA has added plaintiffs who are legitimate public interest plaintiffs,” he says, such as a retired doctor who wanted a concealed weapon to protect himself from antiabortion extremists. Despite its financial support for his litigation, the NRA has not profiled Peruta in any of its promotional materials.</p>
<p>Though he’ll go to San Francisco to watch the oral arguments in his case, Peruta says what happens next is out of his hands. The plan after the 9th Circuit Court delivers its ruling is “not my plan, it’s the NRA’s plan.” But he’s busy with new causes, dropping hints about a potential case involving a cop who told him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lf90ZWrZ6o" type="external">not to film a murder scene</a> and assisting with a <a href="http://rachelbairdlaw.com/NewsArticle/Details/25" type="external">defamation lawsuit</a> against Everytown for Gun Safety.</p>
<p>“Do I believe that everybody should have a firearm? Absolutely not. Do I believe that there’s people who should be prohibited? Absolutely.” Yet the way California currently determines who can or can’t carry a gun in public clearly infringes on the Second Amendment, he says. As usual, Peruta is certain that the law is on his side. “You don’t like it?” he booms. “Change the fuckin’ Constitution!”</p>
<p />
| 6,135 |
<p>As 2018 begins, the oil and gas industry seems to be caught in an upward trend for a change. Oil prices are rising, and so are company share prices.</p>
<p>Take, for instance, British oil major BP (NYSE: BP) and U.S. independent producer ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). Both have seen double-digit share price increases in the past year, with BP and Conoco both higher by about 12%. The companies' managements have high hopes for 2018.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Let's compare these companies on three metrics to try to determine which is the better buy heading into the new year.</p>
<p>A dividend is an important piece of the value equation for an oil and gas company, and luckily for investors, both BP and Conoco reward shareholders through dividends. But BP's yield is fully three times what Conoco is yielding: 5.7%, to Conoco's 1.9%. Both yields have dropped a bit as the companies' stock prices have risen, but that's still a huge difference.</p>
<p>It's not all about current yield, though. A company's payout history is important, too, and both of these companies have slashed their dividends in recent memory. BP, of course, was forced to cut its payout in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. ConocoPhillips cut its dividend by nearly two-thirds more recently, in 2015 as a result of the oil price slump.</p>
<p>So neither company is a stranger to a cut, and both have had a spotty history in recent quarters as far as dividend coverage is concerned. Given these similarities, the superiority of BP's yield has to carry the day.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Winner: BP.</p>
<p>Metrics such as return on capital employed (ROCE), return on invested capital (ROIC), and return on equity (ROE) measure how successful a company's management has been in deploying investors' cash. And in all three of these metrics, you'll notice something very different about BP's numbers vs. Conoco's:</p>
<p>BP's return metrics are all positive, while Conoco's returns are all negative. That would seem to indicate that BP's management has been doing a far better job of managing the company's capital than Conoco's has. But those numbers don't tell the whole story.</p>
<p>As an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, Conoco's business was hit particularly hard by the oil price downturn. While the larger BP had a profitable downstream refining and marketing business to help buoy the company's finances, Conoco did not. So while both companies' returns have taken a hit since 2014, Conoco's were hit far harder. Both companies have improved their returns since mid-2016, but Conoco has had a deeper hole to climb out of. In other words, this may say less about Conoco's management than it does about the inherent strength of diversification at BP.</p>
<p>Still, whether it's coming from better management, a better business model, or luck of the draw, BP still comes out ahead in this category.</p>
<p>Winner: BP.</p>
<p>Past returns and current yield can only tell us so much, though. Investors should also consider what these companies are planning for the future.</p>
<p>Conoco is definitely looking to turn the page on an unprofitable couple of years. The company has made big strides since 2015 to right its business model, selling off underperforming Canadian assets and introducing <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/11/this-oil-giant-is-putting-investors-first.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">a shareholder-friendly business plan Opens a New Window.</a>. It's hoping to grow its dividend, buy back shares, and continue reducing its debt. Those plans have already been rewarded, as the market has bid up the company's stock by about 25% in the past six months alone.</p>
<p>But BP has big plans, too, recently announcing plans to <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/01/bp-just-beat-the-rest-of-big-oil-to-a-big-mileston.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">restart its share-buyback program Opens a New Window.</a>, making it the first of the oil majors to do so. It's seeing big production gains from some major projects it began in 2017, including big gas projects in Egypt and offshore Trinidad, which should also pay off for investors.</p>
<p>This one's a tough call, but I'm going to give it to Conoco because of the level of detail in its plan.</p>
<p>Winner: ConocoPhillips.</p>
<p>BP has by far the better dividend yield and return metrics, and a comparable plan to reward shareholders in the future. And while it's tough to compare the companies' valuations because of recent gaps in positive quarterly earnings or positive quarterly free cash flow, BP's enterprise value-to-EBITDA ratio -- another valuation metric -- is more favorable than Conoco's on both a forward and trailing basis. In light of all that, BP is clearly the better buy right now.</p>
<p>That said, it's entirely possible that Conoco will flawlessly execute its plan while BP stumbles. And, of course, there's always the possibility that some unforeseen event -- a la Deepwater Horizon -- could come along and derail either company. Oil and gas investors should keep an eye on both companies, but for those buying in now, BP looks like the best bet.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than BPWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=346f4469-355d-4f62-8348-cdf12f8a51bc&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and BP wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=346f4469-355d-4f62-8348-cdf12f8a51bc&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&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 December 4, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFTruth2Power/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">John Bromels Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of BP. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
|
Better Buy: ConocoPhillips vs. BP
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/30/better-buy-conocophillips-vs-bp.html
|
2018-01-05
| 0right
|
Better Buy: ConocoPhillips vs. BP
<p>As 2018 begins, the oil and gas industry seems to be caught in an upward trend for a change. Oil prices are rising, and so are company share prices.</p>
<p>Take, for instance, British oil major BP (NYSE: BP) and U.S. independent producer ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP). Both have seen double-digit share price increases in the past year, with BP and Conoco both higher by about 12%. The companies' managements have high hopes for 2018.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Let's compare these companies on three metrics to try to determine which is the better buy heading into the new year.</p>
<p>A dividend is an important piece of the value equation for an oil and gas company, and luckily for investors, both BP and Conoco reward shareholders through dividends. But BP's yield is fully three times what Conoco is yielding: 5.7%, to Conoco's 1.9%. Both yields have dropped a bit as the companies' stock prices have risen, but that's still a huge difference.</p>
<p>It's not all about current yield, though. A company's payout history is important, too, and both of these companies have slashed their dividends in recent memory. BP, of course, was forced to cut its payout in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. ConocoPhillips cut its dividend by nearly two-thirds more recently, in 2015 as a result of the oil price slump.</p>
<p>So neither company is a stranger to a cut, and both have had a spotty history in recent quarters as far as dividend coverage is concerned. Given these similarities, the superiority of BP's yield has to carry the day.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Winner: BP.</p>
<p>Metrics such as return on capital employed (ROCE), return on invested capital (ROIC), and return on equity (ROE) measure how successful a company's management has been in deploying investors' cash. And in all three of these metrics, you'll notice something very different about BP's numbers vs. Conoco's:</p>
<p>BP's return metrics are all positive, while Conoco's returns are all negative. That would seem to indicate that BP's management has been doing a far better job of managing the company's capital than Conoco's has. But those numbers don't tell the whole story.</p>
<p>As an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, Conoco's business was hit particularly hard by the oil price downturn. While the larger BP had a profitable downstream refining and marketing business to help buoy the company's finances, Conoco did not. So while both companies' returns have taken a hit since 2014, Conoco's were hit far harder. Both companies have improved their returns since mid-2016, but Conoco has had a deeper hole to climb out of. In other words, this may say less about Conoco's management than it does about the inherent strength of diversification at BP.</p>
<p>Still, whether it's coming from better management, a better business model, or luck of the draw, BP still comes out ahead in this category.</p>
<p>Winner: BP.</p>
<p>Past returns and current yield can only tell us so much, though. Investors should also consider what these companies are planning for the future.</p>
<p>Conoco is definitely looking to turn the page on an unprofitable couple of years. The company has made big strides since 2015 to right its business model, selling off underperforming Canadian assets and introducing <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/11/this-oil-giant-is-putting-investors-first.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">a shareholder-friendly business plan Opens a New Window.</a>. It's hoping to grow its dividend, buy back shares, and continue reducing its debt. Those plans have already been rewarded, as the market has bid up the company's stock by about 25% in the past six months alone.</p>
<p>But BP has big plans, too, recently announcing plans to <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/01/bp-just-beat-the-rest-of-big-oil-to-a-big-mileston.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">restart its share-buyback program Opens a New Window.</a>, making it the first of the oil majors to do so. It's seeing big production gains from some major projects it began in 2017, including big gas projects in Egypt and offshore Trinidad, which should also pay off for investors.</p>
<p>This one's a tough call, but I'm going to give it to Conoco because of the level of detail in its plan.</p>
<p>Winner: ConocoPhillips.</p>
<p>BP has by far the better dividend yield and return metrics, and a comparable plan to reward shareholders in the future. And while it's tough to compare the companies' valuations because of recent gaps in positive quarterly earnings or positive quarterly free cash flow, BP's enterprise value-to-EBITDA ratio -- another valuation metric -- is more favorable than Conoco's on both a forward and trailing basis. In light of all that, BP is clearly the better buy right now.</p>
<p>That said, it's entirely possible that Conoco will flawlessly execute its plan while BP stumbles. And, of course, there's always the possibility that some unforeseen event -- a la Deepwater Horizon -- could come along and derail either company. Oil and gas investors should keep an eye on both companies, but for those buying in now, BP looks like the best bet.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than BPWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=346f4469-355d-4f62-8348-cdf12f8a51bc&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and BP wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=346f4469-355d-4f62-8348-cdf12f8a51bc&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&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 December 4, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFTruth2Power/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">John Bromels Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of BP. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=4ff58f72-ea76-11e7-945f-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
| 6,136 |
<p>LONDON (Reuters) – British telecoms giant Vodafone (LON:) said on Thursday it would partner with CityFibre, a wholesale fiber network infrastructure provider, to bring ultrafast broadband to up to 5 million homes and businesses in Britain by 2025.</p>
<p>Vodafone said the deal would give it access to a superior product at a lower cost and under better conditions than the regulated wholesale terms offered by the current operator, BT’s Openreach, which it said had left Britain trailing major rivals.</p>
<p>“The UK has fallen far behind the rest of the world, trapped by the limited choice available on legacy networks. We look forward to working with CityFibre to build the Gigabit fiber network that the UK needs and deserves,” said Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery.</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>
|
Vodafone and CityFibre partner on ultrafast broadband in UK
| false |
https://newsline.com/vodafone-and-cityfibre-partner-on-ultrafast-broadband-in-uk/
|
2017-11-09
| 1right-center
|
Vodafone and CityFibre partner on ultrafast broadband in UK
<p>LONDON (Reuters) – British telecoms giant Vodafone (LON:) said on Thursday it would partner with CityFibre, a wholesale fiber network infrastructure provider, to bring ultrafast broadband to up to 5 million homes and businesses in Britain by 2025.</p>
<p>Vodafone said the deal would give it access to a superior product at a lower cost and under better conditions than the regulated wholesale terms offered by the current operator, BT’s Openreach, which it said had left Britain trailing major rivals.</p>
<p>“The UK has fallen far behind the rest of the world, trapped by the limited choice available on legacy networks. We look forward to working with CityFibre to build the Gigabit fiber network that the UK needs and deserves,” said Vodafone UK Chief Executive Nick Jeffery.</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>
| 6,137 |
<p />
<p>How employers classify their employees can hold serious tax implications.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Some employers misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid paying payroll taxes when they should pay them as employees. But the IRS will catch on and check to see if workers are properly classified.</p>
<p>During income tax audits of businesses the IRS will look at how you treat your workers to determine if you are following the guidelines. And if you are not, the penalties can be very expensive. Now, thanks to a new program, business owners may enjoy an overall reduction of liabilities and a reprieve from IRS penalties.</p>
<p>Recently, The Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP) was set up to provide taxpayers with an opportunity to reclassify workers as employees for future tax periods for employment tax purposes. Employers will enjoy some relief from federal employment taxes if they come into compliance.</p>
<p>According to the IRS, “To participate in this new voluntary program, the taxpayer must meet certain eligibility requirements, apply to participate in the VCSP by filing Form 8952, Application for Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, and enter into a closing agreement with the IRS.”</p>
<p>So if you’re under an income tax audit – not an employment tax audit – the auditor may be scrutinizing your outside services or subcontractor expense categories and questioning whether your 1099 recipients should really be classified as employees. This is your opportunity to enter the VCSP program.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>It’s important to know how the IRS defines an independent contractor versus an employee. Generally, anyone who offers the same service that your firm offers should be considered an employee. So if you have a pet store and you have clerks who run the cash registers and help customers, they should be classified as employees. It’s all about behavioral control and financial control. Even if your workers agree to be treated as independent contractors and take responsibility for their own taxes, the IRS will reclassify them as employees and penalize you for not following the rules.</p>
<p>If, however, you employ a web designer to put your pet store on the map and that’s all this designer does for you, he or she can likely be treated as an independent contractor. In fact, if he has a string of other clients, a business license, insurance, an office, and a contract with you, there is no question that you are dealing with an independent contractor.</p>
<p>But let’s say you own a day spa and you hire a masseuse to work on call. The masseuse has his/her own business and a set of clients, a business license, insurance and you agree to payment of a percentage of completed massages. Sounds like an independent contractor, right? The answer is no. The masseuse offers the same service that your business offers, so he or she <a type="external" href="" />should be treated as an employee.</p>
<p>If you are eligible for The Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, you will be required to pay 10% of the employment tax liability that would have been due on current year compensation determined at reduced rates listed in the Internal Revenue Service tax code, section 3509(a). In return, the IRS promises not to perform employment tax audits for prior years and you will not be required to pay penalties and interest.</p>
<p>A pretty good deal if you ask me.</p>
<p><a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">Bonnie Lee Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;is an Enrolled Agent admitted to practice and representing taxpayers in all fifty states at all levels within the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Internal Revenue Service</a>. She is the owner of Taxpertise in Sonoma, CA and the author of Entrepreneur Press book, “Taxpertise, The Complete Book of Dirty Little Secrets and Hidden Deductions for Small Business that the IRS Doesn't Want You to Know.” Follow Bonnie Lee on&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Twitter</a>&#160;at BLTaxpertise and at&#160; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/taxpertise.bonnielee." type="external">Facebook Opens a New Window.</a>.&#160;</p>
|
Misclassify a Worker on Your Taxes? IRS Offers Help
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/02/08/misclassify-worker-on-your-taxes-irs-offers-help.html
|
2016-03-23
| 0right
|
Misclassify a Worker on Your Taxes? IRS Offers Help
<p />
<p>How employers classify their employees can hold serious tax implications.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Some employers misclassify workers as independent contractors to avoid paying payroll taxes when they should pay them as employees. But the IRS will catch on and check to see if workers are properly classified.</p>
<p>During income tax audits of businesses the IRS will look at how you treat your workers to determine if you are following the guidelines. And if you are not, the penalties can be very expensive. Now, thanks to a new program, business owners may enjoy an overall reduction of liabilities and a reprieve from IRS penalties.</p>
<p>Recently, The Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP) was set up to provide taxpayers with an opportunity to reclassify workers as employees for future tax periods for employment tax purposes. Employers will enjoy some relief from federal employment taxes if they come into compliance.</p>
<p>According to the IRS, “To participate in this new voluntary program, the taxpayer must meet certain eligibility requirements, apply to participate in the VCSP by filing Form 8952, Application for Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, and enter into a closing agreement with the IRS.”</p>
<p>So if you’re under an income tax audit – not an employment tax audit – the auditor may be scrutinizing your outside services or subcontractor expense categories and questioning whether your 1099 recipients should really be classified as employees. This is your opportunity to enter the VCSP program.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>It’s important to know how the IRS defines an independent contractor versus an employee. Generally, anyone who offers the same service that your firm offers should be considered an employee. So if you have a pet store and you have clerks who run the cash registers and help customers, they should be classified as employees. It’s all about behavioral control and financial control. Even if your workers agree to be treated as independent contractors and take responsibility for their own taxes, the IRS will reclassify them as employees and penalize you for not following the rules.</p>
<p>If, however, you employ a web designer to put your pet store on the map and that’s all this designer does for you, he or she can likely be treated as an independent contractor. In fact, if he has a string of other clients, a business license, insurance, an office, and a contract with you, there is no question that you are dealing with an independent contractor.</p>
<p>But let’s say you own a day spa and you hire a masseuse to work on call. The masseuse has his/her own business and a set of clients, a business license, insurance and you agree to payment of a percentage of completed massages. Sounds like an independent contractor, right? The answer is no. The masseuse offers the same service that your business offers, so he or she <a type="external" href="" />should be treated as an employee.</p>
<p>If you are eligible for The Voluntary Classification Settlement Program, you will be required to pay 10% of the employment tax liability that would have been due on current year compensation determined at reduced rates listed in the Internal Revenue Service tax code, section 3509(a). In return, the IRS promises not to perform employment tax audits for prior years and you will not be required to pay penalties and interest.</p>
<p>A pretty good deal if you ask me.</p>
<p><a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">Bonnie Lee Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;is an Enrolled Agent admitted to practice and representing taxpayers in all fifty states at all levels within the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Internal Revenue Service</a>. She is the owner of Taxpertise in Sonoma, CA and the author of Entrepreneur Press book, “Taxpertise, The Complete Book of Dirty Little Secrets and Hidden Deductions for Small Business that the IRS Doesn't Want You to Know.” Follow Bonnie Lee on&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Twitter</a>&#160;at BLTaxpertise and at&#160; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/taxpertise.bonnielee." type="external">Facebook Opens a New Window.</a>.&#160;</p>
| 6,138 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The Shiprock Chapter of the Navajo Nation has decided against going along with a tribal operation to round up feral horses.</p>
<p><a href="http://bit.ly/18MdWAa" type="external">The Farmington Times reported</a> Tuesday that chapter members voted 33-0 to rescind a July 28 resolution to have the Navajo Nation Agriculture Department conduct horse roundups.</p>
<p>Chapter officials say people are concerned the department’s process of rounding up the horses is not humane.</p>
<p>They say members had concerns about the sale of horses for slaughter, abandoned colts and the use of all-terrain vehicles during roundups.</p>
<p>Navajo Nation rangers have already gathered numerous horses in northwestern New Mexico as part of the tribe’s response to the continuing drought.</p>
<p>Chapter leaders say they will develop their own roundup program.</p>
<p>They will also focus on adoption and horse rehabilitation.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
|
Navajo chapter not joining horse roundup
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/260681/navajo-chapter-not-joining-horse-roundup.html
| 2least
|
Navajo chapter not joining horse roundup
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>FARMINGTON, N.M. (AP) — The Shiprock Chapter of the Navajo Nation has decided against going along with a tribal operation to round up feral horses.</p>
<p><a href="http://bit.ly/18MdWAa" type="external">The Farmington Times reported</a> Tuesday that chapter members voted 33-0 to rescind a July 28 resolution to have the Navajo Nation Agriculture Department conduct horse roundups.</p>
<p>Chapter officials say people are concerned the department’s process of rounding up the horses is not humane.</p>
<p>They say members had concerns about the sale of horses for slaughter, abandoned colts and the use of all-terrain vehicles during roundups.</p>
<p>Navajo Nation rangers have already gathered numerous horses in northwestern New Mexico as part of the tribe’s response to the continuing drought.</p>
<p>Chapter leaders say they will develop their own roundup program.</p>
<p>They will also focus on adoption and horse rehabilitation.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
| 6,139 |
|
<p>As host of her very own MSNBC program, the loquacious Rachel Maddow pretty much always has something to say about the day’s issues. But occasionally, even Maddow gets tongue-tied. Like, for example, when she tried to explain actor Clint Eastwood’s dialogue with an empty chair at the Republican National Convention.</p>
<p>“I don’t — I don’t — I don’t know what was going on there,” she said. “Clint Eastwood is 82 years old and I think that — I don’t know if that’s what was going on there.” Maddow then tried to go through what the speech was all about, but seemed to be having a difficult time piecing together Eastwood’s rambling and oft-times bizarre speech.</p>
<p>She finally concluded, “That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention in my entire life, and it will be the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen if I live to be 100.”</p>
<p />
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Tracy Bloom</a>.</p>
<p />
|
Rachel Maddow at a Loss for Words After Clint's RNC Speech
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/rachel-maddow-at-a-loss-for-words-after-clints-rnc-speech/
|
2012-08-31
| 4left
|
Rachel Maddow at a Loss for Words After Clint's RNC Speech
<p>As host of her very own MSNBC program, the loquacious Rachel Maddow pretty much always has something to say about the day’s issues. But occasionally, even Maddow gets tongue-tied. Like, for example, when she tried to explain actor Clint Eastwood’s dialogue with an empty chair at the Republican National Convention.</p>
<p>“I don’t — I don’t — I don’t know what was going on there,” she said. “Clint Eastwood is 82 years old and I think that — I don’t know if that’s what was going on there.” Maddow then tried to go through what the speech was all about, but seemed to be having a difficult time piecing together Eastwood’s rambling and oft-times bizarre speech.</p>
<p>She finally concluded, “That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen at a political convention in my entire life, and it will be the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen if I live to be 100.”</p>
<p />
<p>— Posted by <a href="" type="internal">Tracy Bloom</a>.</p>
<p />
| 6,140 |
<p />
<p>Claim to fame: Blew whistle on a Maryland cemetery In her line of fire: Cemeteries that take advantage of customers</p>
<p>When Annette Branche sold plots for Maryland National Memorial Park in Laurel, Md., she was careful to show customers precisely where the graves would be located.</p>
<p>Then she began to hear stories. Portia-serena Richmond, whose father died in 1987, told Branche that when her family gathered at the hilltop plot they had purchased, they were shocked to find a grave bearing an unfamiliar name. Eventually, Richmond found her father’s grave at the bottom of the hill.</p>
<p>When she heard this, Branche says, “It made me ill.” Convinced her employer, HIG Corp., deceived clients, she fed the story to a newspaper and, a month later, was fired. But the publicity spurred a state investigation, ending with a $350,000 court settlement for families allegedly overcharged interest on unused goods, such as plots and vaults.</p>
<p>In 1991, Branche founded War Against Cemeteries’ Unfair Practices (WACUP, and yes, it’s pronounced “wake up”), a consumer group that lobbies for cemetery regulation. In light of recent news coverage of ghoulish stories (like the one about a California cemetery, which dug up and discarded coffins to create more plot space), WACUP is determined to educate people so they aren’t so vulnerable when they lose a loved one. Otherwise, she says, “They are prime targets.”</p>
<p>For more information about WACUP, call (717) 232-6086, or write to: WACUP, P.O. Box 5, Highspire, PA 17034.</p>
<p />
|
MoJo’s February Hellraiser!
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/1996/01/mojos-february-hellraiser-3/
|
2018-01-01
| 4left
|
MoJo’s February Hellraiser!
<p />
<p>Claim to fame: Blew whistle on a Maryland cemetery In her line of fire: Cemeteries that take advantage of customers</p>
<p>When Annette Branche sold plots for Maryland National Memorial Park in Laurel, Md., she was careful to show customers precisely where the graves would be located.</p>
<p>Then she began to hear stories. Portia-serena Richmond, whose father died in 1987, told Branche that when her family gathered at the hilltop plot they had purchased, they were shocked to find a grave bearing an unfamiliar name. Eventually, Richmond found her father’s grave at the bottom of the hill.</p>
<p>When she heard this, Branche says, “It made me ill.” Convinced her employer, HIG Corp., deceived clients, she fed the story to a newspaper and, a month later, was fired. But the publicity spurred a state investigation, ending with a $350,000 court settlement for families allegedly overcharged interest on unused goods, such as plots and vaults.</p>
<p>In 1991, Branche founded War Against Cemeteries’ Unfair Practices (WACUP, and yes, it’s pronounced “wake up”), a consumer group that lobbies for cemetery regulation. In light of recent news coverage of ghoulish stories (like the one about a California cemetery, which dug up and discarded coffins to create more plot space), WACUP is determined to educate people so they aren’t so vulnerable when they lose a loved one. Otherwise, she says, “They are prime targets.”</p>
<p>For more information about WACUP, call (717) 232-6086, or write to: WACUP, P.O. Box 5, Highspire, PA 17034.</p>
<p />
| 6,141 |
<p><a href="http://variety.com/t/christina-ricci/" type="external">Christina Ricci</a> and <a href="http://variety.com/t/judith-light/" type="external">Judith Light</a> have signed on to star in a <a href="http://variety.com/t/lifetime/" type="external">Lifetime</a> movie based on the work of Nellie Bly,&#160;Variety has learned.</p>
<p>Bly was the pen name of&#160;Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, a groundbreaking 19th century journalist who sought to expose the mistreatment of patients at the notorious&#160;Women’s Lunatic Asylum in New York. Ricci will star as Bly, who feigned mental illness in order to be institutionalized at the asylum and report on the conditions from the inside. Light will play&#160;Matron Grady, the head nurse who tortured her patients into submission. Josh Bowman will play Dr. Josiah.</p>
<p>The movie will deliver a fictionalized account of actual events surrounding Nellie’s stay beginning after Nellie has undergone treatment, leaving her with no recollection of how she came to the asylum or her real identity. Production has already begun with the movie eyed for a 2018 debut on <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/reviews/i-am-elizabeth-smart-review-lifetime-1202617906/" type="external">Lifetime</a>.&#160;This marks Ricci’s return to the network following her performance in the limited series “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” and the prequel movie, “Lizzie Borden Took An Axe.”</p>
<p>“Nellie Bly” is executive Produced by Howard Braunstein of Howard Braunstein Films, along with Ricci via Grey Team Productions. Michael Tive, David Sigal, Peter Werner and Jonathan Baruch also serve as executive producers with Karen Moncrieff directing from a screenplay by Helen Childress.</p>
<p>Ricci is repped by ICM and Management 360. Light is repped by Gersh. Bowman is repped by&#160;Gersh and Management 360.</p>
<p />
|
Christina Ricci, Judith Light to Star in Lifetime Movie ‘Nellie Bly’
| false |
https://newsline.com/christina-ricci-judith-light-to-star-in-lifetime-movie-nellie-bly/
|
2017-11-28
| 1right-center
|
Christina Ricci, Judith Light to Star in Lifetime Movie ‘Nellie Bly’
<p><a href="http://variety.com/t/christina-ricci/" type="external">Christina Ricci</a> and <a href="http://variety.com/t/judith-light/" type="external">Judith Light</a> have signed on to star in a <a href="http://variety.com/t/lifetime/" type="external">Lifetime</a> movie based on the work of Nellie Bly,&#160;Variety has learned.</p>
<p>Bly was the pen name of&#160;Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, a groundbreaking 19th century journalist who sought to expose the mistreatment of patients at the notorious&#160;Women’s Lunatic Asylum in New York. Ricci will star as Bly, who feigned mental illness in order to be institutionalized at the asylum and report on the conditions from the inside. Light will play&#160;Matron Grady, the head nurse who tortured her patients into submission. Josh Bowman will play Dr. Josiah.</p>
<p>The movie will deliver a fictionalized account of actual events surrounding Nellie’s stay beginning after Nellie has undergone treatment, leaving her with no recollection of how she came to the asylum or her real identity. Production has already begun with the movie eyed for a 2018 debut on <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/reviews/i-am-elizabeth-smart-review-lifetime-1202617906/" type="external">Lifetime</a>.&#160;This marks Ricci’s return to the network following her performance in the limited series “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” and the prequel movie, “Lizzie Borden Took An Axe.”</p>
<p>“Nellie Bly” is executive Produced by Howard Braunstein of Howard Braunstein Films, along with Ricci via Grey Team Productions. Michael Tive, David Sigal, Peter Werner and Jonathan Baruch also serve as executive producers with Karen Moncrieff directing from a screenplay by Helen Childress.</p>
<p>Ricci is repped by ICM and Management 360. Light is repped by Gersh. Bowman is repped by&#160;Gersh and Management 360.</p>
<p />
| 6,142 |
<p>On Thursday, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" type="external">New York Times</a> published a bombshell report <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/news/harvey-weinstein-sexual-harassment-leave-of-absence-new-york-times-1202581677/" type="external">that cited “dozens” of allegations</a> detailing inappropriate sexual behavior by producer <a href="http://variety.com/tag/harvey-weinstein/" type="external">Harvey Weinstein</a>.</p>
<p>Weinstein responded to the allegations by telling the Times that he would take a leave of absence, and also issued a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/05/us/statement-from-harvey-weinstein.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=b-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">lengthy apology statement</a> quoting Jay-Z and promising to turn his attention to the NRA. He also claims to be taking advice from high-profile lawyer Lisa Bloom.</p>
<p>Among the women who came forward in the Times’ exposé is actress Ashley Judd, who detailed an experience where she arrived at what she thought was a breakfast meeting to find Weinstein in only a bathrobe. He then asked if she could watch him shower, according to the report (Judd previously described such an encounter in an <a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/news/ashley-judd-sexual-harassment-studio-mogul-shower-1201610666/" type="external">interview with&#160;Variety in 2015</a>, but did not name Weinstein at the time).</p>
<p>The report also says that Weinstein has reached confidential settlements with at least eight women, including actress Rose McGowan. A former Weinstein Co. employee, Lauren O’Connor, detailed some of the allegations over a two-year period in a memo cited by the Times report.</p>
<p>Read Weinstein’s full statement below.</p>
<p>I came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.</p>
<p>I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office — or out of it. To anyone.</p>
<p>I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person, and my interactions with the people I work with have changed.</p>
<p>I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.</p>
<p>Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go. That is my commitment. My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons. Over the last year, I’ve asked Lisa Bloom to tutor me, and she’s put together a team of people. I’ve brought on therapists, and I plan to take a leave of absence from my company and to deal with this issue head on. I so respect all women, and regret what happened. I hope that my actions will speak louder than words and that one day we will all be able to earn their trust and sit down together with Lisa to learn more. Jay Z wrote in 4:44 “I’m not the man I thought I was, and I better be that man for my children.” The same is true for me. I want a second chance in the community, but I know I’ve got work to do to earn it. I have goals that are now priorities. Trust me, this isn’t an overnight process. I’ve been trying to do this for 10 years, and this is a wake-up call. I cannot be more remorseful about the people I hurt, and I plan to do right by all of them.</p>
<p>I am going to need a place to channel that anger, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give the NRA my full attention. I hope Wayne LaPierre will enjoy his retirement party. I’m going to do it at the same I had my Bar Mitzvah. I’m making a movie about our President, perhaps we can make it a joint retirement party. One year ago, I began organizing a $5 million foundation to give scholarships to women directors at USC. While this might seem coincidental, it has been in the works for a year. It will be named after my mom, and I won’t disappoint her.</p>
|
Harvey Weinstein Mentions Jay-Z, NRA in Bizarre Apology After New York Times Report
| false |
https://newsline.com/harvey-weinstein-mentions-jay-z-nra-in-bizarre-apology-after-new-york-times-report/
|
2017-10-05
| 1right-center
|
Harvey Weinstein Mentions Jay-Z, NRA in Bizarre Apology After New York Times Report
<p>On Thursday, the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us/harvey-weinstein-harassment-allegations.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" type="external">New York Times</a> published a bombshell report <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/news/harvey-weinstein-sexual-harassment-leave-of-absence-new-york-times-1202581677/" type="external">that cited “dozens” of allegations</a> detailing inappropriate sexual behavior by producer <a href="http://variety.com/tag/harvey-weinstein/" type="external">Harvey Weinstein</a>.</p>
<p>Weinstein responded to the allegations by telling the Times that he would take a leave of absence, and also issued a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/10/05/us/statement-from-harvey-weinstein.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=b-lede-package-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news" type="external">lengthy apology statement</a> quoting Jay-Z and promising to turn his attention to the NRA. He also claims to be taking advice from high-profile lawyer Lisa Bloom.</p>
<p>Among the women who came forward in the Times’ exposé is actress Ashley Judd, who detailed an experience where she arrived at what she thought was a breakfast meeting to find Weinstein in only a bathrobe. He then asked if she could watch him shower, according to the report (Judd previously described such an encounter in an <a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/news/ashley-judd-sexual-harassment-studio-mogul-shower-1201610666/" type="external">interview with&#160;Variety in 2015</a>, but did not name Weinstein at the time).</p>
<p>The report also says that Weinstein has reached confidential settlements with at least eight women, including actress Rose McGowan. A former Weinstein Co. employee, Lauren O’Connor, detailed some of the allegations over a two-year period in a memo cited by the Times report.</p>
<p>Read Weinstein’s full statement below.</p>
<p>I came of age in the ’60s and ’70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.</p>
<p>I have since learned it’s not an excuse, in the office — or out of it. To anyone.</p>
<p>I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person, and my interactions with the people I work with have changed.</p>
<p>I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.</p>
<p>Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go. That is my commitment. My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons. Over the last year, I’ve asked Lisa Bloom to tutor me, and she’s put together a team of people. I’ve brought on therapists, and I plan to take a leave of absence from my company and to deal with this issue head on. I so respect all women, and regret what happened. I hope that my actions will speak louder than words and that one day we will all be able to earn their trust and sit down together with Lisa to learn more. Jay Z wrote in 4:44 “I’m not the man I thought I was, and I better be that man for my children.” The same is true for me. I want a second chance in the community, but I know I’ve got work to do to earn it. I have goals that are now priorities. Trust me, this isn’t an overnight process. I’ve been trying to do this for 10 years, and this is a wake-up call. I cannot be more remorseful about the people I hurt, and I plan to do right by all of them.</p>
<p>I am going to need a place to channel that anger, so I’ve decided that I’m going to give the NRA my full attention. I hope Wayne LaPierre will enjoy his retirement party. I’m going to do it at the same I had my Bar Mitzvah. I’m making a movie about our President, perhaps we can make it a joint retirement party. One year ago, I began organizing a $5 million foundation to give scholarships to women directors at USC. While this might seem coincidental, it has been in the works for a year. It will be named after my mom, and I won’t disappoint her.</p>
| 6,143 |
<p>New research has found that wearing makeup can not only give women a confidence boost but can also make them feel smarter.</p>
<p>Carried out by researchers from Harvard Medical School, USA, and the University of Chieti, Italy, the team looked into the “lipstick effect” among 186 female undergraduate students.</p>
<p>The “lipstick effect” is a known psychological phenomenon in which wearing makeup can give individuals a confidence boost by making them feel more physically attractive, increasing feelings of self-esteem, attitude, and personality.</p>
<p>However, a less well-known effect is that a boost in self esteem can also boost cognitive abilities. As previous research has already shown that positive emotions can improve academic performance, the new study set out to see if the positive boost in self esteem from wearing makeup could have the same effect.</p>
<p>The female undergraduates were placed into different groups and given a series of tests to complete, which consisted of answering multiple choice questions about a chapter from a general psychology textbook.</p>
<p>Before taking the test, members of one group were asked to apply makeup, another group listened to “a positive music excerpt,” and a third colored a drawing of a human face.</p>
<p>The team believed that those wearing makeup would experience the greatest boost in positive feelings, and therefore would perform better in the tests than the other two groups.</p>
<p>The results showed that although there was a significant increase in cognitive performance from the group who listened to positive music, as predicted it was those in the makeup group who performed significantly better than females in the other two groups.</p>
<p>The team pointed out that although makeup wasn’t the only way of boosting test results, the findings do offer new understanding into the ways in which boosting physical self-esteem through using makeup may interact with cognition.</p>
<p>They now suggest further research to look into whether makeup has longer lasting effects on cognitive performance.&#160;</p>
<p>The findings can be found published online in the journal&#160;Cogent Psychology.</p>
|
Wearing Makeup Makes Women Feel Smarter: Harvard
| false |
https://newsline.com/wearing-makeup-makes-women-feel-smarter-harvard/
|
2017-07-31
| 1right-center
|
Wearing Makeup Makes Women Feel Smarter: Harvard
<p>New research has found that wearing makeup can not only give women a confidence boost but can also make them feel smarter.</p>
<p>Carried out by researchers from Harvard Medical School, USA, and the University of Chieti, Italy, the team looked into the “lipstick effect” among 186 female undergraduate students.</p>
<p>The “lipstick effect” is a known psychological phenomenon in which wearing makeup can give individuals a confidence boost by making them feel more physically attractive, increasing feelings of self-esteem, attitude, and personality.</p>
<p>However, a less well-known effect is that a boost in self esteem can also boost cognitive abilities. As previous research has already shown that positive emotions can improve academic performance, the new study set out to see if the positive boost in self esteem from wearing makeup could have the same effect.</p>
<p>The female undergraduates were placed into different groups and given a series of tests to complete, which consisted of answering multiple choice questions about a chapter from a general psychology textbook.</p>
<p>Before taking the test, members of one group were asked to apply makeup, another group listened to “a positive music excerpt,” and a third colored a drawing of a human face.</p>
<p>The team believed that those wearing makeup would experience the greatest boost in positive feelings, and therefore would perform better in the tests than the other two groups.</p>
<p>The results showed that although there was a significant increase in cognitive performance from the group who listened to positive music, as predicted it was those in the makeup group who performed significantly better than females in the other two groups.</p>
<p>The team pointed out that although makeup wasn’t the only way of boosting test results, the findings do offer new understanding into the ways in which boosting physical self-esteem through using makeup may interact with cognition.</p>
<p>They now suggest further research to look into whether makeup has longer lasting effects on cognitive performance.&#160;</p>
<p>The findings can be found published online in the journal&#160;Cogent Psychology.</p>
| 6,144 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The Obama administration announced the decision in a letter from Gregory J. Gould, director of Interior’s office of natural resources revenue, to New Mexico state Treasurer James Lewis. The decision means New Mexico is expected to collect an additional $26 million this year.</p>
<p>Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat who had moved to block the revenue withholding through legislation, cheered the decision.</p>
<p>“This is extremely good news for New Mexico,” Udall said in a statement provided to the Journal. “I’m very pleased that the administration has seen reason and will return the revenue owed to states from energy production on federal lands. These funds are the result of an existing agreement for mineral development.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Sen. Martin Heinrich, who had also asked the administration to reverse its decision in May letter, said the money is critical to cash-strapped New Mexico and other states.</p>
<p>“Our federal lands and natural resources provide significant revenue that fund infrastructure, education, and flood protection projects, which are especially critical for rural communities across New Mexico,” Heinrich said. “I will work to ensure every dollar is returned and continue to protect these much-needed funds that belong to our state.”</p>
<p>Udall had teamed with Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, to craft the legislation aimed at protecting a key revenue stream for Western states. Wyoming is the only state facing a royalty loss larger than that of New Mexico, one of the nation’s largest onshore oil and gas producers. Wyoming stood to lose $53 million, compared with a projected $26 million loss for New Mexico.</p>
<p>The Department of Interior announced in March that it would withhold a portion of the energy and minerals royalties it collects from companies extracting oil, gas and minerals from federal lands as part of the federal budget sequester. About half of that money normally is paid to the states where the extraction occurs. Udall’s bill would restore that money and do away with an additional 2 percent fee that the Interior Department charges the states.</p>
<p>Udall has argued that the states’ full share of the money is protected under the Mineral Leasing Act.</p>
<p>At a Senate budget hearing in May, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Pam Haze, the department’s deputy director for budget, told Udall that the federal government was authorized to take the money under the Budget Control Act of 2011, which launched the sequester on March 1. The sequester calls for automatic across-the-board 5.1 percent federal cuts for most federal programs.</p>
<p>“We actually made determinations based on the Budget Control Act and evaluation of the law and what was exempt or not,” Haze told Udall at the time. “It is unfortunately consistent for revenues and payments … the sequester does impact those.”</p>
<p>Haze likened the mineral royalties to other federal programs that disburse money to the states, such as payment in lieu of taxes and federal money for rural schools.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Udall argued that the royalty agreements are different because the states are producing the revenue.</p>
<p>“They provide a vital source of funding for public education and other functions New Mexicans rely on, and the federal government shouldn’t be using them to balance its books,” Udall said.</p>
<p>Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., on Thursday asked the director of the federal Office of Management and Budget to return to New Mexico energy and mineral revenues that will be withheld from the state this year because of the budget sequester.</p>
<p>Sen. Tom Udall took a different approach this week when he introduced&#160; <a href="" type="internal">bipartisan legislation</a>that would bar federal withholding of the money under law. Heinrich made his request to OMB Director Sylvia Burwell as part of joint letter from 10 senators from western states, including Republicans and Democrats. Udall, Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. and Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., also signed the letter to Burwell.</p>
<p>The lawmakers’s letter said when a similar sequestration procedure was in place in the mid-1980’s, law required that the money be returned to the states. The letter asks that the money withheld from the states this year be returned to the states in 2014.</p>
<p>New Mexico is slated to lose $25 million in the mineral revenues this fiscal year under the Department of Interior’s plan to implement the sequester.</p>
<p>“If MLA revenue sequestered in FY 2013 is not returned to the states, local communities across the West will experience severe hardships,” the letter said. <a type="external" href="">&#160; [scribd id=163310122 key=key-jocbc7xeu7h7db4novc mode=scroll] &#160;</a></p>
|
Feds reverse decision to withhold mineral royalties from states
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/253607/breaking-feds-reverse-decision-to-withhold-mineral-royalties-from-states.html
|
2013-08-26
| 2least
|
Feds reverse decision to withhold mineral royalties from states
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The Obama administration announced the decision in a letter from Gregory J. Gould, director of Interior’s office of natural resources revenue, to New Mexico state Treasurer James Lewis. The decision means New Mexico is expected to collect an additional $26 million this year.</p>
<p>Sen. Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat who had moved to block the revenue withholding through legislation, cheered the decision.</p>
<p>“This is extremely good news for New Mexico,” Udall said in a statement provided to the Journal. “I’m very pleased that the administration has seen reason and will return the revenue owed to states from energy production on federal lands. These funds are the result of an existing agreement for mineral development.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Sen. Martin Heinrich, who had also asked the administration to reverse its decision in May letter, said the money is critical to cash-strapped New Mexico and other states.</p>
<p>“Our federal lands and natural resources provide significant revenue that fund infrastructure, education, and flood protection projects, which are especially critical for rural communities across New Mexico,” Heinrich said. “I will work to ensure every dollar is returned and continue to protect these much-needed funds that belong to our state.”</p>
<p>Udall had teamed with Sen. Mike Enzi, a Wyoming Republican, to craft the legislation aimed at protecting a key revenue stream for Western states. Wyoming is the only state facing a royalty loss larger than that of New Mexico, one of the nation’s largest onshore oil and gas producers. Wyoming stood to lose $53 million, compared with a projected $26 million loss for New Mexico.</p>
<p>The Department of Interior announced in March that it would withhold a portion of the energy and minerals royalties it collects from companies extracting oil, gas and minerals from federal lands as part of the federal budget sequester. About half of that money normally is paid to the states where the extraction occurs. Udall’s bill would restore that money and do away with an additional 2 percent fee that the Interior Department charges the states.</p>
<p>Udall has argued that the states’ full share of the money is protected under the Mineral Leasing Act.</p>
<p>At a Senate budget hearing in May, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Pam Haze, the department’s deputy director for budget, told Udall that the federal government was authorized to take the money under the Budget Control Act of 2011, which launched the sequester on March 1. The sequester calls for automatic across-the-board 5.1 percent federal cuts for most federal programs.</p>
<p>“We actually made determinations based on the Budget Control Act and evaluation of the law and what was exempt or not,” Haze told Udall at the time. “It is unfortunately consistent for revenues and payments … the sequester does impact those.”</p>
<p>Haze likened the mineral royalties to other federal programs that disburse money to the states, such as payment in lieu of taxes and federal money for rural schools.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Udall argued that the royalty agreements are different because the states are producing the revenue.</p>
<p>“They provide a vital source of funding for public education and other functions New Mexicans rely on, and the federal government shouldn’t be using them to balance its books,” Udall said.</p>
<p>Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., on Thursday asked the director of the federal Office of Management and Budget to return to New Mexico energy and mineral revenues that will be withheld from the state this year because of the budget sequester.</p>
<p>Sen. Tom Udall took a different approach this week when he introduced&#160; <a href="" type="internal">bipartisan legislation</a>that would bar federal withholding of the money under law. Heinrich made his request to OMB Director Sylvia Burwell as part of joint letter from 10 senators from western states, including Republicans and Democrats. Udall, Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M. and Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., also signed the letter to Burwell.</p>
<p>The lawmakers’s letter said when a similar sequestration procedure was in place in the mid-1980’s, law required that the money be returned to the states. The letter asks that the money withheld from the states this year be returned to the states in 2014.</p>
<p>New Mexico is slated to lose $25 million in the mineral revenues this fiscal year under the Department of Interior’s plan to implement the sequester.</p>
<p>“If MLA revenue sequestered in FY 2013 is not returned to the states, local communities across the West will experience severe hardships,” the letter said. <a type="external" href="">&#160; [scribd id=163310122 key=key-jocbc7xeu7h7db4novc mode=scroll] &#160;</a></p>
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<p>Randy Brewster</p>
<p>Randy Dewain Brewster died on March 27 at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., according to clergy at his church. He was 54. No cause of death was given.</p>
<p>Brewster was born July 19, 1961. A native of Washington, Brewster moved to Rehoboth Beach 15 years ago.</p>
<p>He worked for nearly 30 years as a financial specialist. Over the last decade, he worked for Right Property Management.</p>
<p>He was active in choral singing and was a member of the parish choir of All Saints Church and St. George’s Chapel, the Mixed Blessing chorus and formerly the Southern Delaware Choral Society, the Clear Space Chorus and other choirs in Washington. He also enjoyed entertaining at local restaurants.</p>
<p>Brewster is survived by friends Joe Pinto and John Klenert, business partners Martha and Jerry Wright and other parishioners at All Saints. He was preceded in death by his dog, Baxter.</p>
<p>A service is planned on Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. at All Saints Church (18 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.). A reception will follow in the parish hall. Donations to the church music fund may be contributed in Brewster’s memory.</p>
<p>Singers who wish to sing at his service may contact Jackson Borges, director of music, at 302-227-7202, ext. 108 or <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a> for details.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">All Saints Church</a> <a href="" type="internal">Clear Space Chorus</a> <a href="" type="internal">Delaware</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jackson Borges</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jerry Wright</a> <a href="" type="internal">Joe Pinto</a> <a href="" type="internal">John Klenert</a> <a href="" type="internal">Martha Wright</a> <a href="" type="internal">Mixed Blessing chorus</a> <a href="" type="internal">Randy Brewster</a> <a href="" type="internal">Rehoboth Beach</a> <a href="" type="internal">Right Property Management</a> <a href="" type="internal">Southern Delaware Choral Society</a> <a href="" type="internal">St. George's Chapel</a></p>
|
Randy Brewster dies at 54
| false |
http://washingtonblade.com/2016/04/06/randy-brewster-dies-at-54/
| 3left-center
|
Randy Brewster dies at 54
<p>Randy Brewster</p>
<p>Randy Dewain Brewster died on March 27 at his home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., according to clergy at his church. He was 54. No cause of death was given.</p>
<p>Brewster was born July 19, 1961. A native of Washington, Brewster moved to Rehoboth Beach 15 years ago.</p>
<p>He worked for nearly 30 years as a financial specialist. Over the last decade, he worked for Right Property Management.</p>
<p>He was active in choral singing and was a member of the parish choir of All Saints Church and St. George’s Chapel, the Mixed Blessing chorus and formerly the Southern Delaware Choral Society, the Clear Space Chorus and other choirs in Washington. He also enjoyed entertaining at local restaurants.</p>
<p>Brewster is survived by friends Joe Pinto and John Klenert, business partners Martha and Jerry Wright and other parishioners at All Saints. He was preceded in death by his dog, Baxter.</p>
<p>A service is planned on Saturday, April 9 at 11 a.m. at All Saints Church (18 Olive Ave., Rehoboth Beach, Del.). A reception will follow in the parish hall. Donations to the church music fund may be contributed in Brewster’s memory.</p>
<p>Singers who wish to sing at his service may contact Jackson Borges, director of music, at 302-227-7202, ext. 108 or <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a> for details.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">All Saints Church</a> <a href="" type="internal">Clear Space Chorus</a> <a href="" type="internal">Delaware</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jackson Borges</a> <a href="" type="internal">Jerry Wright</a> <a href="" type="internal">Joe Pinto</a> <a href="" type="internal">John Klenert</a> <a href="" type="internal">Martha Wright</a> <a href="" type="internal">Mixed Blessing chorus</a> <a href="" type="internal">Randy Brewster</a> <a href="" type="internal">Rehoboth Beach</a> <a href="" type="internal">Right Property Management</a> <a href="" type="internal">Southern Delaware Choral Society</a> <a href="" type="internal">St. George's Chapel</a></p>
| 6,146 |
|
<p>We're now almost done with our first presidential campaign since the Supreme Court's&amp;nbsp;Citizens United&amp;nbsp;ruling. And just as the Supreme Court predicted, the consequences have in no way&amp;nbsp;at all totally corrupted our politics. *COUGH* *COUGH*&amp;nbsp;Truth is, it's been a complete and total disaster. So what else do you do when the fundamentals of our democracy are threatened? Well, one San Francisco cab driver organized with the good people at&amp;nbsp;The Other 98%&amp;nbsp;and hit the beach!&amp;nbsp;</p>
|
This San Francisco Cab Driver Got 1,000 People To Stand Up And Spell Out 3 Words
| true |
http://upworthy.com/this-san-francisco-cab-driver-got-1000-people-to-lie-down-and-spell-out-3-words
|
2018-10-16
| 4left
|
This San Francisco Cab Driver Got 1,000 People To Stand Up And Spell Out 3 Words
<p>We're now almost done with our first presidential campaign since the Supreme Court's&amp;nbsp;Citizens United&amp;nbsp;ruling. And just as the Supreme Court predicted, the consequences have in no way&amp;nbsp;at all totally corrupted our politics. *COUGH* *COUGH*&amp;nbsp;Truth is, it's been a complete and total disaster. So what else do you do when the fundamentals of our democracy are threatened? Well, one San Francisco cab driver organized with the good people at&amp;nbsp;The Other 98%&amp;nbsp;and hit the beach!&amp;nbsp;</p>
| 6,147 |
<p>ATLANTA (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Georgia Lottery's "Fantasy 5" game were:</p>
<p>09-28-34-39-42</p>
<p>(nine, twenty-eight, thirty-four, thirty-nine, forty-two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $764,000</p>
<p>ATLANTA (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Georgia Lottery's "Fantasy 5" game were:</p>
<p>09-28-34-39-42</p>
<p>(nine, twenty-eight, thirty-four, thirty-nine, forty-two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $764,000</p>
|
Winning numbers drawn in 'Fantasy 5' game
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/badd532651cd44b990e04f7159243021
|
2018-01-19
| 2least
|
Winning numbers drawn in 'Fantasy 5' game
<p>ATLANTA (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Georgia Lottery's "Fantasy 5" game were:</p>
<p>09-28-34-39-42</p>
<p>(nine, twenty-eight, thirty-four, thirty-nine, forty-two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $764,000</p>
<p>ATLANTA (AP) _ The winning numbers in Thursday evening's drawing of the Georgia Lottery's "Fantasy 5" game were:</p>
<p>09-28-34-39-42</p>
<p>(nine, twenty-eight, thirty-four, thirty-nine, forty-two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $764,000</p>
| 6,148 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>During a school visit on Friday, President Donald Trump gave a fourth grader great advice about her future career choices that will surely have liberals incensed over all the common sense coming their way.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p>During a visit to St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, senior advisor Jared Kushner, and first daughter Ivanka Trump, the president asked the students what they wanted to be when they grew up.</p>
<p>Trump spoke to the fourth grader:&#160;“So you want your own business? And you’re going to make a lot of money, right?”</p>
<p>Breaking news updates and daily headlines from a news source you can trust.</p>
<p>After what sounded like the kid said, “Yeah,” Trump continued, “But don’t run for politics after you do it,” which set the room laughing in response.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
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<p>[otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-1″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars]</p>
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<p>The Hill <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/322240-trump-jokes-to-student-dont-run-for-politics" type="external">reported</a>:</p>
<p>The joke came after teacher Jane Jones prepared her class to meet Trump with a lesson on the U.S. political system. A whiteboard behind Jones displayed a number of vocabulary words, including government, U.S. Constitution, limit, president, governor and naturalization.</p>
<p>Jones kept her waiting students busy by discussing the presidency. “One day this could be for you,” she said, a reference to security and press also awaiting the president.</p>
<p>Trump visited the school in order to highlight his education agenda, which includes school-choice and voucher programs to expand access to private and religious schools.</p>
<p>After the stop, Trump will travel to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., where he will spend the weekend.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Of course, leftists will likely be aghast at the smart advice Trump gave.</p>
<p>How dare he encourage a kid to make money, that’s crazy talk! We should encourage students to all get useless degrees, depend on the government or their parents, and burn things down when the don’t get their way! Success is bad and everybody’s a winner — here’s a trophy.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
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<p>[otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-3″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars]</p>
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<p>Anywho, it was a funny, light-hearted exchange with some good advice attached to it — although millions of Americans are surely very glad that Trump didn’t take his own advice and did in fact run for office.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p>Still, the smart fourth grader spoke about starting a business and Trump told her to work hard and make lots of money.</p>
<p>Sounds like smart advice to me and surely better than, you know, not making any money; unless you live in leftist fantasy land, it does make the world go round. But then again it’s tougher for the left to manipulate people that are self-sufficient and they can’t have that.</p>
<p>Yes I know, money isn’t everything (and I’m guessing Trump knows that too), but it is pretty important — just ask the Democrats that constantly want to take it from us and redistribute it.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p>[otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-5″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars][easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,google,pinterest,mail” counters=0 native=”no”][otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-2″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars]</p>
<p>What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</p>
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Trump’s Advice to This Fourth Grader About Career Choices Has Liberals Fuming
| true |
http://thefederalistpapers.org/us/trumps-advice-to-this-fourth-grader-about-career-choices-has-liberals-fuming
| 0right
|
Trump’s Advice to This Fourth Grader About Career Choices Has Liberals Fuming
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>During a school visit on Friday, President Donald Trump gave a fourth grader great advice about her future career choices that will surely have liberals incensed over all the common sense coming their way.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p>During a visit to St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Florida with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, senior advisor Jared Kushner, and first daughter Ivanka Trump, the president asked the students what they wanted to be when they grew up.</p>
<p>Trump spoke to the fourth grader:&#160;“So you want your own business? And you’re going to make a lot of money, right?”</p>
<p>Breaking news updates and daily headlines from a news source you can trust.</p>
<p>After what sounded like the kid said, “Yeah,” Trump continued, “But don’t run for politics after you do it,” which set the room laughing in response.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>[otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-1″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars]</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>The Hill <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/322240-trump-jokes-to-student-dont-run-for-politics" type="external">reported</a>:</p>
<p>The joke came after teacher Jane Jones prepared her class to meet Trump with a lesson on the U.S. political system. A whiteboard behind Jones displayed a number of vocabulary words, including government, U.S. Constitution, limit, president, governor and naturalization.</p>
<p>Jones kept her waiting students busy by discussing the presidency. “One day this could be for you,” she said, a reference to security and press also awaiting the president.</p>
<p>Trump visited the school in order to highlight his education agenda, which includes school-choice and voucher programs to expand access to private and religious schools.</p>
<p>After the stop, Trump will travel to his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla., where he will spend the weekend.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Of course, leftists will likely be aghast at the smart advice Trump gave.</p>
<p>How dare he encourage a kid to make money, that’s crazy talk! We should encourage students to all get useless degrees, depend on the government or their parents, and burn things down when the don’t get their way! Success is bad and everybody’s a winner — here’s a trophy.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>[otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-3″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars]</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>Anywho, it was a funny, light-hearted exchange with some good advice attached to it — although millions of Americans are surely very glad that Trump didn’t take his own advice and did in fact run for office.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p>Still, the smart fourth grader spoke about starting a business and Trump told her to work hard and make lots of money.</p>
<p>Sounds like smart advice to me and surely better than, you know, not making any money; unless you live in leftist fantasy land, it does make the world go round. But then again it’s tougher for the left to manipulate people that are self-sufficient and they can’t have that.</p>
<p>Yes I know, money isn’t everything (and I’m guessing Trump knows that too), but it is pretty important — just ask the Democrats that constantly want to take it from us and redistribute it.</p>
<p>Advertisement - story continues below</p>
<p>[otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-5″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars][easy-share buttons=”facebook,twitter,google,pinterest,mail” counters=0 native=”no”][otw_shortcode_sidebars sidebar_id=”otw-sidebar-2″][/otw_shortcode_sidebars]</p>
<p>What do you think? Scroll down to comment below.</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />It took California more than a century to rid itself of&#160;Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads yellow fever, by the 1970s. It has taken less than 40 years for it to make a comeback, a clear sign that California quickly is descending to Third World status. <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/12/deadly-yellow-fever-mosquito-resurfaces-in-menlo-park/" type="external">CBS San Fran reported</a>:</p>
<p>MENLO PARK (KCBS) — A deadly mosquito that hasn’t been widely seen&#160;in the Bay Area since the 1970s has been detected in San Mateo County.</p>
<p>It’s called&#160;Aedes aegypti&#160;and it was found in&#160;January at the Holy Cross cemetery in Menlo Park.</p>
<p>HOW TO SPOT THE YELLOW FEVER MOSQUITO: <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/14/how-to-identify-deadly-yellow-fever-mosquito-as-invasive-species-spreads-in-bay-area-photo-picture/" type="external">&#160;Look For Distinctive White Markings (Photo)</a></p>
<p>It’s the mosquito that spreads yellow fever, chicken fever, the dengue fever and other diseases. Officials call it “one of the worst most effective vectors of disease around the world.”</p>
<p>The mosquito is tiny and its bite is hardly noticeable. Unlike other mosquitoes, it bites during the day.</p>
<p>Another yellow fever mosquito was also discovered in Menlo Park&#160;last August.</p>
<p>Officials are asking homeowners in the area to check their yards for containers of standing water, including bird baths, so it can be eradicated quickly.</p>
<p>SECRET SPOTS MOSQUITOES BREED:&#160; <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/14/how-to-identify-deadly-yellow-fever-mosquito-as-invasive-species-spreads-in-bay-area-photo-picture/" type="external">What To Check In Your Yard</a></p>
<p>I checked the symptoms of Yellow Fever. According to the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/symptoms/index.html" type="external">Centers for Disease Control</a>:</p>
<p>No need to worry. Obamacare will take care of you.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
CA going Third World
| false |
https://calwatchdog.com/2014/04/16/ca-going-third-world/
|
2018-04-20
| 3left-center
|
CA going Third World
<p><a href="" type="internal" />It took California more than a century to rid itself of&#160;Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that spreads yellow fever, by the 1970s. It has taken less than 40 years for it to make a comeback, a clear sign that California quickly is descending to Third World status. <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/12/deadly-yellow-fever-mosquito-resurfaces-in-menlo-park/" type="external">CBS San Fran reported</a>:</p>
<p>MENLO PARK (KCBS) — A deadly mosquito that hasn’t been widely seen&#160;in the Bay Area since the 1970s has been detected in San Mateo County.</p>
<p>It’s called&#160;Aedes aegypti&#160;and it was found in&#160;January at the Holy Cross cemetery in Menlo Park.</p>
<p>HOW TO SPOT THE YELLOW FEVER MOSQUITO: <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/14/how-to-identify-deadly-yellow-fever-mosquito-as-invasive-species-spreads-in-bay-area-photo-picture/" type="external">&#160;Look For Distinctive White Markings (Photo)</a></p>
<p>It’s the mosquito that spreads yellow fever, chicken fever, the dengue fever and other diseases. Officials call it “one of the worst most effective vectors of disease around the world.”</p>
<p>The mosquito is tiny and its bite is hardly noticeable. Unlike other mosquitoes, it bites during the day.</p>
<p>Another yellow fever mosquito was also discovered in Menlo Park&#160;last August.</p>
<p>Officials are asking homeowners in the area to check their yards for containers of standing water, including bird baths, so it can be eradicated quickly.</p>
<p>SECRET SPOTS MOSQUITOES BREED:&#160; <a href="http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2014/04/14/how-to-identify-deadly-yellow-fever-mosquito-as-invasive-species-spreads-in-bay-area-photo-picture/" type="external">What To Check In Your Yard</a></p>
<p>I checked the symptoms of Yellow Fever. According to the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/yellowfever/symptoms/index.html" type="external">Centers for Disease Control</a>:</p>
<p>No need to worry. Obamacare will take care of you.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 6,150 |
<p>Not even <a href="" type="external">Oktoberfest</a> is immune from the euro zone crisis.</p>
<p>Oktoberfest opened today in Munich, Germany with much rejoicing and beer prices that have climbed 35 cents per liter this year.</p>
<p>Oh, the humanity.</p>
<p>In the last decade, beer prices for a in Munich have jumped from a low of 6.30 euros to as much as 9.50 ($12.30) this year, Oktoberfest officials announced before the festival.</p>
<p>They suggest you don't worry.</p>
<p>"This means an increase of almost 43 percent," organizers said on the <a href="" type="external">Oktoberfest website</a>. "Still, there is no need to call beer 'liquid gold,' as the price for gold has increased by 300 percent."</p>
<p>Whatever.</p>
<p>Like that's going to help.</p>
<p>Not that a price increase is expected to dampen spirits, because not even rain could do that today in Munich.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="" type="external">The 20 most expensive cities on the planet</a></p>
<p>Mayor Christian Ude tapped the first keg to the joyous cheers of thousands as the 179th edition of the festival opened under rainy skies.</p>
<p>With two swings of an oversized hammer, Ude shouted "O'zapft is," or "It's tapped" and the suds started flowing, <a href="" type="external">The Associated Press</a>said.</p>
<p>The first Oktoberfest in 1810 began when Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.</p>
<p>It was so popular (like, really popular) the tradition continues now as a 16-day festival.</p>
<p>It's only been canceled 24 times because of wars or other disasters, <a href="" type="external">Deutsche Welle</a>said.</p>
<p>Wonder what the price of beer was in 1810.</p>
<p>Of course it was a different game back then.</p>
<p>This year, 6 million visitors are expected in Germany, and vendors expect to sell 7.5 million liters.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/germany/120829/world-war-two-wwii-bomb-explodes-munich-germany-video" type="external">WWII-era bomb explodes in Munich (VIDEO)</a></p>
|
Oktoberfest opens in Munich, Germany (PHOTOS)
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2012-09-22/oktoberfest-opens-munich-germany-photos
|
2012-09-22
| 3left-center
|
Oktoberfest opens in Munich, Germany (PHOTOS)
<p>Not even <a href="" type="external">Oktoberfest</a> is immune from the euro zone crisis.</p>
<p>Oktoberfest opened today in Munich, Germany with much rejoicing and beer prices that have climbed 35 cents per liter this year.</p>
<p>Oh, the humanity.</p>
<p>In the last decade, beer prices for a in Munich have jumped from a low of 6.30 euros to as much as 9.50 ($12.30) this year, Oktoberfest officials announced before the festival.</p>
<p>They suggest you don't worry.</p>
<p>"This means an increase of almost 43 percent," organizers said on the <a href="" type="external">Oktoberfest website</a>. "Still, there is no need to call beer 'liquid gold,' as the price for gold has increased by 300 percent."</p>
<p>Whatever.</p>
<p>Like that's going to help.</p>
<p>Not that a price increase is expected to dampen spirits, because not even rain could do that today in Munich.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="" type="external">The 20 most expensive cities on the planet</a></p>
<p>Mayor Christian Ude tapped the first keg to the joyous cheers of thousands as the 179th edition of the festival opened under rainy skies.</p>
<p>With two swings of an oversized hammer, Ude shouted "O'zapft is," or "It's tapped" and the suds started flowing, <a href="" type="external">The Associated Press</a>said.</p>
<p>The first Oktoberfest in 1810 began when Bavaria's Crown Prince Ludwig married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.</p>
<p>It was so popular (like, really popular) the tradition continues now as a 16-day festival.</p>
<p>It's only been canceled 24 times because of wars or other disasters, <a href="" type="external">Deutsche Welle</a>said.</p>
<p>Wonder what the price of beer was in 1810.</p>
<p>Of course it was a different game back then.</p>
<p>This year, 6 million visitors are expected in Germany, and vendors expect to sell 7.5 million liters.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/germany/120829/world-war-two-wwii-bomb-explodes-munich-germany-video" type="external">WWII-era bomb explodes in Munich (VIDEO)</a></p>
| 6,151 |
<p />
<p>Every year, Medicare participants have to make decisions about their coverage, and they typically have set time periods during which they can figure out what they'll do for a given year. The regular Medicare open enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and that gives Medicare participants the broadest set of choices to make changes in coverage. However, the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period is different from the open enrollment period, and it's currently available to those who are considering whether to keep their Medicare Advantage coverage or not. However, this period ends on Feb. 14, giving participants just 10 days to make their final decisions for 2017.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period runs from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 each year. If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, then you choose to leave the plan during the period and switch back to original Medicare coverage under Part A hospital coverage and Part B medical coverage. You're also allowed to enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan, with the idea that many Medicare Advantage plans include integrated drug coverage, and so participants leaving Medicare Advantage need replacement prescription insurance.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period is very limited. As its name suggests, its only function is to give participants an opportunity to go from Medicare Advantage back to original Medicare.</p>
<p>Specifically, you're not allowed to switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another during the period, nor are you allowed to go in the reverse direction from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan. Switches between Part D prescription drug plans are also not allowed. For these moves, the only period available is the regular open enrollment from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.</p>
<p>No. If you have what's known as a Medicare Medical Savings Account or Medicare MSA Plan, then you're not allowed to drop the plan during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period. Medicare MSA Plans are a form of Medicare Advantage, combining a high-deductible Medicare Advantage plan with a medical savings account into which the plan deposits money toward your healthcare expenses.</p>
<p>Changes that you make during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period take effect on the first day of the following month. Therefore, those who are acting now can expect an effective date of March 1.</p>
<p>Also, it's important to note that if you need to get prescription drug coverage along with the switch, you need to get signed up by the Feb. 14 deadline. That change also takes effect on the first day of the following month after enrolling.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that Medicare Advantage plans tend to be more comprehensive than original Medicare. In particular, Medicare Advantage plans often make it unnecessary to purchase additional Medigap supplemental insurance coverage, which many original Medicare participants use to supplement their coverage.</p>
<p>If you use the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period to switch back to original Medicare, then you aren't necessarily guaranteed the right to sign up for a Medigap policy. Without that coverage, you would be on the hook for the various deductibles and copayments required under Medicare, including the 20% of medical coverage costs that Medicare doesn't pay and the expensive deductibles that can apply to long hospital stays. Some states offer access to what's known as Medigap Select, which can be available even when other Medigap coverage might not be. But you should know your options before you make a final decision.</p>
<p>Using the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period is an option for those participants who aren't satisfied with Medicare Advantage and want to return to original Medicare. Just bear in mind that the clock is ticking, and you're running out of time to make a move for 2017.</p>
<p>The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-social-security?aid=8727&amp;source=irreditxt0000002&amp;ftm_cam=ryr-ss-intro-report&amp;ftm_pit=3186&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>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>
|
Medicare Participants: You Have 10 Days Left to Do This
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/04/medicare-participants-have-10-days-left-to-do-this.html
|
2017-02-04
| 0right
|
Medicare Participants: You Have 10 Days Left to Do This
<p />
<p>Every year, Medicare participants have to make decisions about their coverage, and they typically have set time periods during which they can figure out what they'll do for a given year. The regular Medicare open enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and that gives Medicare participants the broadest set of choices to make changes in coverage. However, the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period is different from the open enrollment period, and it's currently available to those who are considering whether to keep their Medicare Advantage coverage or not. However, this period ends on Feb. 14, giving participants just 10 days to make their final decisions for 2017.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period runs from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 each year. If you're in a Medicare Advantage plan, then you choose to leave the plan during the period and switch back to original Medicare coverage under Part A hospital coverage and Part B medical coverage. You're also allowed to enroll in a Part D prescription drug plan, with the idea that many Medicare Advantage plans include integrated drug coverage, and so participants leaving Medicare Advantage need replacement prescription insurance.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period is very limited. As its name suggests, its only function is to give participants an opportunity to go from Medicare Advantage back to original Medicare.</p>
<p>Specifically, you're not allowed to switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another during the period, nor are you allowed to go in the reverse direction from original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage plan. Switches between Part D prescription drug plans are also not allowed. For these moves, the only period available is the regular open enrollment from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.</p>
<p>No. If you have what's known as a Medicare Medical Savings Account or Medicare MSA Plan, then you're not allowed to drop the plan during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period. Medicare MSA Plans are a form of Medicare Advantage, combining a high-deductible Medicare Advantage plan with a medical savings account into which the plan deposits money toward your healthcare expenses.</p>
<p>Changes that you make during the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period take effect on the first day of the following month. Therefore, those who are acting now can expect an effective date of March 1.</p>
<p>Also, it's important to note that if you need to get prescription drug coverage along with the switch, you need to get signed up by the Feb. 14 deadline. That change also takes effect on the first day of the following month after enrolling.</p>
<p>One thing to keep in mind is that Medicare Advantage plans tend to be more comprehensive than original Medicare. In particular, Medicare Advantage plans often make it unnecessary to purchase additional Medigap supplemental insurance coverage, which many original Medicare participants use to supplement their coverage.</p>
<p>If you use the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period to switch back to original Medicare, then you aren't necessarily guaranteed the right to sign up for a Medigap policy. Without that coverage, you would be on the hook for the various deductibles and copayments required under Medicare, including the 20% of medical coverage costs that Medicare doesn't pay and the expensive deductibles that can apply to long hospital stays. Some states offer access to what's known as Medigap Select, which can be available even when other Medigap coverage might not be. But you should know your options before you make a final decision.</p>
<p>Using the Medicare Advantage Disenrollment Period is an option for those participants who aren't satisfied with Medicare Advantage and want to return to original Medicare. Just bear in mind that the clock is ticking, and you're running out of time to make a move for 2017.</p>
<p>The $15,834 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $15,834 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-social-security?aid=8727&amp;source=irreditxt0000002&amp;ftm_cam=ryr-ss-intro-report&amp;ftm_pit=3186&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>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>
| 6,152 |
<p>Make stock picks like Warren Buffett and hear what Donald Rumsfeld says are the fundamentals of leadership. In case you missed it, here is a recap of some of the top newsmakers and expert analysis from last night on FOX Business Network.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Gerri Willis discusses Warren Buffet’s current stock picks with Accent Asset Management CEO Scott Martin.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>On Money with Melissa Francis, former Shell Oil President John Hofmeister and Yale professor Jonathan Macey discuss a possible price-fixing scheme across three major oil companies.</p>
<p>Lou Dobbs speaks with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Benghazi, which he says from the beginning has been a “cover-up.”</p>
<p>Former Reagan budget director David Stockman tells Neil Cavuto that the White House’s scandals have been distracting lawmakers from the growing government debt – which needs attention.</p>
|
Steal Warren Buffett’s Stock Picks
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2013/05/16/steal-warren-buffetts-stock-picks.html
|
2016-06-14
| 0right
|
Steal Warren Buffett’s Stock Picks
<p>Make stock picks like Warren Buffett and hear what Donald Rumsfeld says are the fundamentals of leadership. In case you missed it, here is a recap of some of the top newsmakers and expert analysis from last night on FOX Business Network.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Gerri Willis discusses Warren Buffet’s current stock picks with Accent Asset Management CEO Scott Martin.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>On Money with Melissa Francis, former Shell Oil President John Hofmeister and Yale professor Jonathan Macey discuss a possible price-fixing scheme across three major oil companies.</p>
<p>Lou Dobbs speaks with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on Benghazi, which he says from the beginning has been a “cover-up.”</p>
<p>Former Reagan budget director David Stockman tells Neil Cavuto that the White House’s scandals have been distracting lawmakers from the growing government debt – which needs attention.</p>
| 6,153 |
<p />
<p>In two recent articles we explained <a href="" type="internal">the hows</a> <a href="" type="internal">and whys</a> of gold price manipulation. The manipulations are becoming more and more blatant. On February 6 the prices of gold and stock market futures were simultaneously manipulated.</p>
<p>On several recent occasions gold has attempted to push through the $1,270 per ounce price. If the gold price rises beyond this level, it would trigger a flood of short-covering by the hedge funds who are “piggy-backing” on the bullion banks’ manipulation of gold. The purchases by the hedge funds in order to cover their short positions would drive the gold price higher.</p>
<p>With pressure being exerted by tight supplies of physical gold bars available for delivery to China, the Fed is growing more desperate to keep a lid on the price of gold. The recent large decline in the stock market threatened the Fed’s policy of taking pressure off the dollar by cutting back bond purchases and reducing the amount of debt monetization.</p>
<p>Thursday, February 6, provided a clear picture of how the Fed protects its policy by manipulating the gold and stock markets. Gold started to move higher the night before as the Asian markets opened for trading. Gold rose steadily from $1254 up to a high of $1267 per ounce right after the Comex opened (8:20 a.m. NY time). The spike up at the open of the Comex reflected a rush of short-covering, and the stock market futures looked like they were about to turn negative on the day. However, starting at 8:50 a.m., here’s what happened with Comex futures and S&amp;P 500 stock futures:</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-19465" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/pcr-1-470x322.jpg" alt="Comex" width="470" height="322" /&gt;</p>
<p>At 8:50 a.m. NY time (the graph time-scale is Denver time), 3,225 contracts hit the Comex floor. During the course of the previous 14 hours and 50 minutes of trading, about 76,000 total April contracts had traded (Globex computer system + Comex floor), less than an average of 85 contracts per minute. The 3,225 futures contracts sold in one minute caused a $15 dollar decline in the price of gold. At the same time, the stock market futures mysteriously spiked higher:</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-19466" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/pcr-2-470x317.jpg" alt="Comex" width="470" height="317" /&gt;</p>
<p>As you can see from the graphs, gold was forced lower while the stock market futures were forced higher. There was no apparent news or market events that would have triggered this type of reaction in either the gold or stock market. If anything, the trade deficit report, which showed a higher than expected trade deficit for December, should have been mildly bullish for gold and bearish for the stock market. Furthermore, at the same time that gold was being forced lower on the Comex, the U.S. dollar index experienced a sharp drop in price and traded below the 81 level of support. The fall in the dollar is normally bullish for gold.</p>
<p>The economy is getting weaker. Fed policy is obviously failing despite recent official pronouncements that the economy is improving and that Bernanke’s monetary policies succeeded. A <a href="http://econweb.ucsd.edu/~faxia/pdfs/JMP.pdf" type="external">just published study</a> by Jing Cynthia Wu and Fan Dora Zia concludes that the the positive impact of the Federal Reserve’s policy of quantitative easing is so slight as to be insignificant. The multi-trillion dollar expansion in the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet lowered the unemployment rate by little more than two-tenths of one percent, raised the industrial production index by 2 percent, and brought about a mere 34,000 housing starts.&#160; <a href="http://econweb.ucsd.edu/~faxia/pdfs/JMP.pdf" type="external" /></p>
<p>The renewal of the battle over the debt ceiling limit is bullish for gold and bearish for stocks. However, with the ongoing manipulation of the gold price and stock averages via gold and stock market futures, the normal workings of markets that establish true values are disrupted.</p>
<p>A rising problem for the manipulators is that the West is running low on gold available for delivery to China and other Asian buyers. In January China took delivery of a record amount of gold. China has been closed since last Friday in observance of the Chinese New Year. As China resumes purchases, default on delivery moves closer.</p>
<p>One way for the Fed and bullion banks to hold off defaulting on Chinese purchases is to coerce holders of gold futures contracts to settle in cash, not in delivery of gold, by driving down the price during heavy Comex delivery periods. This is what likely occurred on Feb. 6 in addition to the Fed’s routine price maintenance of gold.</p>
<p>As of Thurday’s (Feb. 6) Comex report for Wednesday’s (Feb. 5) close, there were about 616,000 ounces of gold available to be delivered from Comex vaults for February contracts totaling slightly more than 400,000 ounces, of which delivery notices for 100,000 ounces were given last Wednesday night. If the holders of the other 300,000 contracts opt to take delivery instead of cash settlement, February contracts would absorb two-thirds of Comex gold available for delivery.</p>
<p>The Comex gold inventory has been a big source of gold shipments from the West to the East, resulting in a decline of the Comex gold inventory by over 4 million ounces–113 tonnes–during the course of 2013. We know from reports from Swiss bar refiners that the 100 ounce Comex gold bars are being received by these refiners and recast into the kilo bars that the Chinese prefer and shipped to Hong Kong. With the amount of physical gold in Comex vaults rapidly being removed, the Fed/bullion banks use market ambush tactics such as those we describe above to augment and conserve the supply of gold available for delivery.</p>
<p>Readers have asked if gold can continue to be shorted on the Comex once no gold is left for delivery. From what we have seen–the fixing of the LIBOR rate, the London gold price, foreign exchange rates, the price of bonds and the manipulation of gold and stock market futures prices–we don’t know what the limit is to the ability of the Fed, the Treasury, the Plunge Protection Team, the Exchange Stabilization Fund, and the banks to manipulate the markets.</p>
<p>This article was originally published at&#160; <a href="http://www.paulcraigroberts.org" type="external">PaulCraigRoberts.org</a>&#160;and has been used here with permission.</p>
|
Fed’s Market Manipulations Become More Extreme, More Desperate
| false |
http://foreignpolicyjournal.com/2014/02/10/feds-market-manipulations-become-more-extreme-more-desperate/
|
2014-02-10
| 1right-center
|
Fed’s Market Manipulations Become More Extreme, More Desperate
<p />
<p>In two recent articles we explained <a href="" type="internal">the hows</a> <a href="" type="internal">and whys</a> of gold price manipulation. The manipulations are becoming more and more blatant. On February 6 the prices of gold and stock market futures were simultaneously manipulated.</p>
<p>On several recent occasions gold has attempted to push through the $1,270 per ounce price. If the gold price rises beyond this level, it would trigger a flood of short-covering by the hedge funds who are “piggy-backing” on the bullion banks’ manipulation of gold. The purchases by the hedge funds in order to cover their short positions would drive the gold price higher.</p>
<p>With pressure being exerted by tight supplies of physical gold bars available for delivery to China, the Fed is growing more desperate to keep a lid on the price of gold. The recent large decline in the stock market threatened the Fed’s policy of taking pressure off the dollar by cutting back bond purchases and reducing the amount of debt monetization.</p>
<p>Thursday, February 6, provided a clear picture of how the Fed protects its policy by manipulating the gold and stock markets. Gold started to move higher the night before as the Asian markets opened for trading. Gold rose steadily from $1254 up to a high of $1267 per ounce right after the Comex opened (8:20 a.m. NY time). The spike up at the open of the Comex reflected a rush of short-covering, and the stock market futures looked like they were about to turn negative on the day. However, starting at 8:50 a.m., here’s what happened with Comex futures and S&amp;P 500 stock futures:</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-19465" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/pcr-1-470x322.jpg" alt="Comex" width="470" height="322" /&gt;</p>
<p>At 8:50 a.m. NY time (the graph time-scale is Denver time), 3,225 contracts hit the Comex floor. During the course of the previous 14 hours and 50 minutes of trading, about 76,000 total April contracts had traded (Globex computer system + Comex floor), less than an average of 85 contracts per minute. The 3,225 futures contracts sold in one minute caused a $15 dollar decline in the price of gold. At the same time, the stock market futures mysteriously spiked higher:</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-19466" src="https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/pcr-2-470x317.jpg" alt="Comex" width="470" height="317" /&gt;</p>
<p>As you can see from the graphs, gold was forced lower while the stock market futures were forced higher. There was no apparent news or market events that would have triggered this type of reaction in either the gold or stock market. If anything, the trade deficit report, which showed a higher than expected trade deficit for December, should have been mildly bullish for gold and bearish for the stock market. Furthermore, at the same time that gold was being forced lower on the Comex, the U.S. dollar index experienced a sharp drop in price and traded below the 81 level of support. The fall in the dollar is normally bullish for gold.</p>
<p>The economy is getting weaker. Fed policy is obviously failing despite recent official pronouncements that the economy is improving and that Bernanke’s monetary policies succeeded. A <a href="http://econweb.ucsd.edu/~faxia/pdfs/JMP.pdf" type="external">just published study</a> by Jing Cynthia Wu and Fan Dora Zia concludes that the the positive impact of the Federal Reserve’s policy of quantitative easing is so slight as to be insignificant. The multi-trillion dollar expansion in the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet lowered the unemployment rate by little more than two-tenths of one percent, raised the industrial production index by 2 percent, and brought about a mere 34,000 housing starts.&#160; <a href="http://econweb.ucsd.edu/~faxia/pdfs/JMP.pdf" type="external" /></p>
<p>The renewal of the battle over the debt ceiling limit is bullish for gold and bearish for stocks. However, with the ongoing manipulation of the gold price and stock averages via gold and stock market futures, the normal workings of markets that establish true values are disrupted.</p>
<p>A rising problem for the manipulators is that the West is running low on gold available for delivery to China and other Asian buyers. In January China took delivery of a record amount of gold. China has been closed since last Friday in observance of the Chinese New Year. As China resumes purchases, default on delivery moves closer.</p>
<p>One way for the Fed and bullion banks to hold off defaulting on Chinese purchases is to coerce holders of gold futures contracts to settle in cash, not in delivery of gold, by driving down the price during heavy Comex delivery periods. This is what likely occurred on Feb. 6 in addition to the Fed’s routine price maintenance of gold.</p>
<p>As of Thurday’s (Feb. 6) Comex report for Wednesday’s (Feb. 5) close, there were about 616,000 ounces of gold available to be delivered from Comex vaults for February contracts totaling slightly more than 400,000 ounces, of which delivery notices for 100,000 ounces were given last Wednesday night. If the holders of the other 300,000 contracts opt to take delivery instead of cash settlement, February contracts would absorb two-thirds of Comex gold available for delivery.</p>
<p>The Comex gold inventory has been a big source of gold shipments from the West to the East, resulting in a decline of the Comex gold inventory by over 4 million ounces–113 tonnes–during the course of 2013. We know from reports from Swiss bar refiners that the 100 ounce Comex gold bars are being received by these refiners and recast into the kilo bars that the Chinese prefer and shipped to Hong Kong. With the amount of physical gold in Comex vaults rapidly being removed, the Fed/bullion banks use market ambush tactics such as those we describe above to augment and conserve the supply of gold available for delivery.</p>
<p>Readers have asked if gold can continue to be shorted on the Comex once no gold is left for delivery. From what we have seen–the fixing of the LIBOR rate, the London gold price, foreign exchange rates, the price of bonds and the manipulation of gold and stock market futures prices–we don’t know what the limit is to the ability of the Fed, the Treasury, the Plunge Protection Team, the Exchange Stabilization Fund, and the banks to manipulate the markets.</p>
<p>This article was originally published at&#160; <a href="http://www.paulcraigroberts.org" type="external">PaulCraigRoberts.org</a>&#160;and has been used here with permission.</p>
| 6,154 |
<p>Hundreds of Jordanians staged protests outside the Israeli embassy in Amman, Friday, demanding the dissolution of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty among other demands. This actions follows from a week-old shooting incident that left two Jordanians dead.</p>
<p>The protesters marched from the Kalouti Mosque to the embassy following Friday prayers, the New Arab reports. They called for the termination of the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan as well as withdrawing from the gas deal the kingdom struck with Tel Aviv in September 2016.</p>
<p>The demonstrators also demanded the Israeli embassy be shut down. They tried to advance towards the building but were blocked by police, the Times of Israel reports.</p>
<p>Earlier, dozens of Jordanian MPs reportedly signed a motion calling for the embassy’s closure. The document also demanded the Jordanian ambassador to Israel be recalled.</p>
<p>Friday’s protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations that has followed the fatal shooting incident at the embassy. On July 28, hundreds of people joined a similar rally outside the Israeli embassy. They were also calling for the abolition of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/397498-jordan-teen-israeli-embassy/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Three days earlier, thousands of Jordanians joined the funeral procession of the teenager shot dead by an Israeli security guard during a standoff at the embassy. “No to an Israeli embassy or ambassador on Jordanian land” and “Death to Israel,” people chanted.</p>
<p>On July 23, an Israeli guard shot dead 17-year-old Mohammed Jawawdeh, a furniture assembler, who allegedly attempted to attack him inside the embassy compound. Another Jordanian, bystander Bashar Hamarneh, was reported killed by accidental fire during the standoff, Israel said.</p>
<p>The incident is viewed as the most serious since Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994 and has brought on a diplomatic spat between the neighboring states. The guard, who shot the teenager, was allowed to leave for Israel together with the rest of the embassy staff after the investigators heard “his account of the incident” at the embassy.</p>
<p>On his return to Israel, the guard received a warm welcome from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This prompted further outrage in Jordan and in some other Arab countries, as people on social media expressed indignation at his release and the greeting he received at home.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/397741-abdullah-jordan-netanyahu-embassy/" type="external" /></p>
<p>On July 27, Jordanian King Abdullah II slammed Netanyahu for giving a hero’s welcome to the guard and called on the Israeli prime minister to put him on trial. On Friday, Israel said it would launch a preliminary investigation in the July 23 shooting incident.</p>
<p>The Israeli justice ministry said the country’s attorney-general ordered police to look into the shooting, as reported by Reuters.</p>
<p>“Further along, as findings arise, the option will be considered of asking the Jordanian authorities… to provide additional material to the police,” the ministry added.</p>
<p>The Israeli authorities has also considered offering compensation to the family of the bystander killed in the incident, according to Reuters.</p>
<p>In Jordan, the guard has meanwhile been charged in absentia with two counts of murder and bearing an unlicensed firearm, Jordanian media report, citing the country’s Attorney General, Dr Akram Masaadeh.</p>
|
Hundreds demand closure of Israeli embassy in Jordan after shooting of teenager
| false |
https://newsline.com/hundreds-demand-closure-of-israeli-embassy-in-jordan-after-shooting-of-teenager/
|
2017-08-04
| 1right-center
|
Hundreds demand closure of Israeli embassy in Jordan after shooting of teenager
<p>Hundreds of Jordanians staged protests outside the Israeli embassy in Amman, Friday, demanding the dissolution of the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty among other demands. This actions follows from a week-old shooting incident that left two Jordanians dead.</p>
<p>The protesters marched from the Kalouti Mosque to the embassy following Friday prayers, the New Arab reports. They called for the termination of the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan as well as withdrawing from the gas deal the kingdom struck with Tel Aviv in September 2016.</p>
<p>The demonstrators also demanded the Israeli embassy be shut down. They tried to advance towards the building but were blocked by police, the Times of Israel reports.</p>
<p>Earlier, dozens of Jordanian MPs reportedly signed a motion calling for the embassy’s closure. The document also demanded the Jordanian ambassador to Israel be recalled.</p>
<p>Friday’s protest is the latest in a series of demonstrations that has followed the fatal shooting incident at the embassy. On July 28, hundreds of people joined a similar rally outside the Israeli embassy. They were also calling for the abolition of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/397498-jordan-teen-israeli-embassy/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Three days earlier, thousands of Jordanians joined the funeral procession of the teenager shot dead by an Israeli security guard during a standoff at the embassy. “No to an Israeli embassy or ambassador on Jordanian land” and “Death to Israel,” people chanted.</p>
<p>On July 23, an Israeli guard shot dead 17-year-old Mohammed Jawawdeh, a furniture assembler, who allegedly attempted to attack him inside the embassy compound. Another Jordanian, bystander Bashar Hamarneh, was reported killed by accidental fire during the standoff, Israel said.</p>
<p>The incident is viewed as the most serious since Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty in 1994 and has brought on a diplomatic spat between the neighboring states. The guard, who shot the teenager, was allowed to leave for Israel together with the rest of the embassy staff after the investigators heard “his account of the incident” at the embassy.</p>
<p>On his return to Israel, the guard received a warm welcome from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This prompted further outrage in Jordan and in some other Arab countries, as people on social media expressed indignation at his release and the greeting he received at home.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/397741-abdullah-jordan-netanyahu-embassy/" type="external" /></p>
<p>On July 27, Jordanian King Abdullah II slammed Netanyahu for giving a hero’s welcome to the guard and called on the Israeli prime minister to put him on trial. On Friday, Israel said it would launch a preliminary investigation in the July 23 shooting incident.</p>
<p>The Israeli justice ministry said the country’s attorney-general ordered police to look into the shooting, as reported by Reuters.</p>
<p>“Further along, as findings arise, the option will be considered of asking the Jordanian authorities… to provide additional material to the police,” the ministry added.</p>
<p>The Israeli authorities has also considered offering compensation to the family of the bystander killed in the incident, according to Reuters.</p>
<p>In Jordan, the guard has meanwhile been charged in absentia with two counts of murder and bearing an unlicensed firearm, Jordanian media report, citing the country’s Attorney General, Dr Akram Masaadeh.</p>
| 6,155 |
<p>Roche Holding AG's Genentech said Monday afternoon that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug for diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can cause blindness. The drug, Lucentis, is the first approved for patients with or without swelling in the back of the eye called diabetic macular edema. Genentech estimates that diabetic retinopathy affects nearly 7.7 million Americans, and said the condition is the leading cause of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74. Roche shares have surged 9.4% over the last three months, compared with a 3.2% rise in the S&amp;P 500 .</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
|
Roche's Genentech Says Its Drug For Diabetes Complication Has Been Approved By FDA
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/04/17/roche-genentech-says-its-drug-for-diabetes-complication-has-been-approved-by.html
|
2017-04-17
| 0right
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Roche's Genentech Says Its Drug For Diabetes Complication Has Been Approved By FDA
<p>Roche Holding AG's Genentech said Monday afternoon that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its drug for diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can cause blindness. The drug, Lucentis, is the first approved for patients with or without swelling in the back of the eye called diabetic macular edema. Genentech estimates that diabetic retinopathy affects nearly 7.7 million Americans, and said the condition is the leading cause of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74. Roche shares have surged 9.4% over the last three months, compared with a 3.2% rise in the S&amp;P 500 .</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
| 6,156 |
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<p>Dominic Garcia, 39 (Crime Stoppers)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The family of a 19-year-old woman who police say was killed by her boyfriend two weeks ago is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.</p>
<p>Crime Stoppers is assisting with the reward, according to an emailed release.</p>
<p>Samantha Sandoval, 19 (Crime Stoppers)</p>
<p>A warrant has been issued for Dominic Garcia, 39, in the death of Samantha Sandoval after detectives say he ran her over with a car during a fight near Pennsylvania and Indian School NE on Nov. 14.</p>
<p>Witnesses told police they saw Garcia run into Sandoval and reverse over her. Then, they said, he and another man took her to the hospital where she later died of her injuries.</p>
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Family offers reward for man accused of killing 19-year-old girlfriend
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https://abqjournal.com/1098513/family-offers-reward-for-man-accused-of-killing-19-year-old-girlfriend.html
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Family offers reward for man accused of killing 19-year-old girlfriend
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<p>Dominic Garcia, 39 (Crime Stoppers)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The family of a 19-year-old woman who police say was killed by her boyfriend two weeks ago is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.</p>
<p>Crime Stoppers is assisting with the reward, according to an emailed release.</p>
<p>Samantha Sandoval, 19 (Crime Stoppers)</p>
<p>A warrant has been issued for Dominic Garcia, 39, in the death of Samantha Sandoval after detectives say he ran her over with a car during a fight near Pennsylvania and Indian School NE on Nov. 14.</p>
<p>Witnesses told police they saw Garcia run into Sandoval and reverse over her. Then, they said, he and another man took her to the hospital where she later died of her injuries.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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<p>A sharp increase has been recorded in the numbers of desperate Somali refugees risking their lives in often overcrowded and unseaworthy boats to cross the treacherous Gulf of Aden to Yemen fleeing violence and famine back home.</p>
<p>They arrive in one of the hungriest countries, with the third highest rates of malnutrition in the world.</p>
<p>Read: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-casbah/yemen-silent-emergency" type="external">Yemen's silent emergency</a></p>
<p>Already 3,700 Somali refugees have reached the coast of Yemen so far in August alone making it the highest monthly arrival rate this year, according to the UN agency for refugees, <a href="" type="external">UNHCR</a>.</p>
<p>The arrivals also mark an earlier than normal start to the traditional peak season for smugglers' boats to arrive from the coastal town of Bossaso in northern Somalia.</p>
<p>The refugees are crossing what aid agencies have termed "the world's most dangerous refugee route", fleeing "the unstable security situation, severe drought, high food prices and lack of job opportunities," they tell UNHCR.</p>
<p>"It is testament to the refugees' desperation that they have chosen to flee to Yemen, which is itself affected by serious <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-casbah/south-yemen-the-new-frontline-the-fight-against-al-qaeda" type="external">unrest</a>,"&#160; said UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards on Friday. "They cross the Gulf of Aden on what are often unseaworthy and overcrowded boats. Many do not survive the dangerous crossing. On Monday, two Somalis drowned when their boat capsized."</p>
<p>Read: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/101228/somalia-yemen-refugees" type="external">Somali refugees flee one hell for another</a></p>
<p>Yemen, which has seen growing unrest since the beginning of the uprising in the beginning of 2011 and a worsening <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-casbah/yemen-news-protests-drone-saleh-abyan" type="external">humanitarian situation</a>, hosts the second-largest population of Somali refugees in the region, numbering nearly 192,000 people. Some 15,000 of these have arrived since January, according to the UNHCR.</p>
<p>Numbers of Somali refugees seeking humanitarian help have declined in neighboring Kenya, which houses nearly 498,000 Somali refugees, from 1,500 arrivals per day to 1,000-1,200 people per day.</p>
<p>A significant drop in internally displaced people inside Somalia has also been reported by UNHCR's Population Movement Tracking (PMT) partners who say that the number of displaced people arriving to Mogadishu, the country's capital, fell from 28,000 in July to just over 5,000 this month. That is a drop from more than 1,000 arrivals per day last month to an estimated 200 in August.</p>
<p>The UNHCR believes that more Somalis are expected to arrive in Yemen in the coming months. "We believe many who fled their homes are already waiting in Bossaso for calmer seas before starting their journey," Edwards said.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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Somalis flee famine for malnourished Yemen
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2011-08-26/somalis-flee-famine-malnourished-yemen
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2011-08-26
| 3left-center
|
Somalis flee famine for malnourished Yemen
<p>A sharp increase has been recorded in the numbers of desperate Somali refugees risking their lives in often overcrowded and unseaworthy boats to cross the treacherous Gulf of Aden to Yemen fleeing violence and famine back home.</p>
<p>They arrive in one of the hungriest countries, with the third highest rates of malnutrition in the world.</p>
<p>Read: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-casbah/yemen-silent-emergency" type="external">Yemen's silent emergency</a></p>
<p>Already 3,700 Somali refugees have reached the coast of Yemen so far in August alone making it the highest monthly arrival rate this year, according to the UN agency for refugees, <a href="" type="external">UNHCR</a>.</p>
<p>The arrivals also mark an earlier than normal start to the traditional peak season for smugglers' boats to arrive from the coastal town of Bossaso in northern Somalia.</p>
<p>The refugees are crossing what aid agencies have termed "the world's most dangerous refugee route", fleeing "the unstable security situation, severe drought, high food prices and lack of job opportunities," they tell UNHCR.</p>
<p>"It is testament to the refugees' desperation that they have chosen to flee to Yemen, which is itself affected by serious <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-casbah/south-yemen-the-new-frontline-the-fight-against-al-qaeda" type="external">unrest</a>,"&#160; said UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards on Friday. "They cross the Gulf of Aden on what are often unseaworthy and overcrowded boats. Many do not survive the dangerous crossing. On Monday, two Somalis drowned when their boat capsized."</p>
<p>Read: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/africa/101228/somalia-yemen-refugees" type="external">Somali refugees flee one hell for another</a></p>
<p>Yemen, which has seen growing unrest since the beginning of the uprising in the beginning of 2011 and a worsening <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-casbah/yemen-news-protests-drone-saleh-abyan" type="external">humanitarian situation</a>, hosts the second-largest population of Somali refugees in the region, numbering nearly 192,000 people. Some 15,000 of these have arrived since January, according to the UNHCR.</p>
<p>Numbers of Somali refugees seeking humanitarian help have declined in neighboring Kenya, which houses nearly 498,000 Somali refugees, from 1,500 arrivals per day to 1,000-1,200 people per day.</p>
<p>A significant drop in internally displaced people inside Somalia has also been reported by UNHCR's Population Movement Tracking (PMT) partners who say that the number of displaced people arriving to Mogadishu, the country's capital, fell from 28,000 in July to just over 5,000 this month. That is a drop from more than 1,000 arrivals per day last month to an estimated 200 in August.</p>
<p>The UNHCR believes that more Somalis are expected to arrive in Yemen in the coming months. "We believe many who fled their homes are already waiting in Bossaso for calmer seas before starting their journey," Edwards said.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
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<p />
<p>Nonetheless, heading into the 2017 season, the league will have eight minority head coaches — Todd Bowles (N.Y. Jets), Jim Caldwell (Detroit), Hue Jackson (Cleveland), Vance Joseph (Denver), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati), Anthony Lynn (L.A. Chargers), Ron Rivera (Carolina) and Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh).</p>
<p>With an eye toward increasing that number, NFL officials in December agreed that the principles of the Rooney Rule should be extended to offense and defensive coordinator jobs starting with the 2017 offseason.</p>
<p>“For this momentum to continue, we need to give people a fighting chance at other positions – including coordinators,” explained Cyrus Mehri, a Washington-based lawyer who was instrumental in drafting the Rooney Rule as counsel to the Fritz Pollard Alliance, in a recent telephone interview. “All we’ve ever asked for is just give people a fighting chance. When we started in 2002, there was almost no chance [for minorities] of being head coach. Now we’re giving people a fighting chance.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>At the moment, the Washington Redskins account for two of the NFL’s six coordinator vacancies – the only NFL team seeking both an offensive and defensive coordinator, after Sean McVay was named head coach of the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 12 and Joe Barry was let go as defensive coordinator on Jan. 5.</p>
<p>In Mehri’s view, that represents an opportunity for the Redskins to take a leadership role on diversity by ensuring a broad search for their next coordinators.</p>
<p>“It’s all the more reason for Coach [Jay] Gruden to set an example, here in the nation’s capital,” Mehri said. “It would be a great thing for the league and for the team. You don’t know if you have the best until you cast a wide net.”</p>
<p>It has been eight years since the Redskins have had a minority in either coordinator job. During the Jim Zorn era (2008-09), Greg Blache was defensive coordinator and Sherman Smith was offensive coordinator. Two of the predecessors, Marvin Lewis (Redskins defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2002) and Hue Jackson (Redskins offensive coordinator in 2003) went on to head coach jobs.</p>
<p>So far, there’s no evidence the Redskins have interviewed a minority candidate for either opening. If the team is seeking to expand its pool of candidates, that could explain the relative silence on the hiring front.</p>
<p>Soon after firing Barry following back-to-back 28th-ranked defensive performances, the Redskins sought and were granted permission to interview Carolina Panthers defensive backs coach Steve Wilks. But Wilks was promoted to the Panthers’ defensive coordinator job before the interview.</p>
<p>The only known candidates interviewed for the defensive coordinator job are Gus Bradley, a former NFL defensive coordinator and head coach, who’s believed to be leaning toward joining Lynn with the Chargers; Mike Pettine, also a former NFL defensive coordinator and head coach; and longtime NFL coordinator Rob Ryan. They will reported interview Jason Tarver, linebackers coach for the 49ers, later this week. They were interested in two others: Paul Guenther of Cincinnati and Wade Phillips, but the Bengals denied permission to speak to Guenther, and Phillips took the job with the Rams. Greg Manusky, the Redskins’ outside linebackers coach, who has five years’ experience as a defensive coordinator, is also regarded as a candidate. None of these seven is a minority.</p>
<p>The Redskins’ offensive coordinator job has been vacant less than one week. Most speculation centers on an “in-house” hire, with Gruden taking over play-calling duties. Of the Redskins’ five position coaches on offense, all three non-minorities have been mentioned in the media as candidates: offensive line coach Bill Callahan (a former head coach and offensive coordinator), quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh (12 years’ experience as an offensive coordinator) and tight ends coach Wes Phillips. Neither of the Redskins’ minority position-coaches have gotten mention but could be under consideration: wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard and running backs coach Randy Jordan.</p>
<p>According to Mehri, the NFL’s pipeline for minority coaches on the offensive side needs particular attention. “There are so few offensive coordinators who are minorities and so few calling plays,” he said. “You need to build up the pipeline by giving many guys who are running backs coaches and wide receiver coaches a chance to go to the next level.”</p>
<p>– Master Tesfatsion contributed to this report.</p>
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Redskins yet to interview minority candidate for coordinator vacancies
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https://abqjournal.com/928880/redskins-yet-to-interview-minority-candidate-for-coordinator-vacancies.html
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Redskins yet to interview minority candidate for coordinator vacancies
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<p />
<p>Nonetheless, heading into the 2017 season, the league will have eight minority head coaches — Todd Bowles (N.Y. Jets), Jim Caldwell (Detroit), Hue Jackson (Cleveland), Vance Joseph (Denver), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati), Anthony Lynn (L.A. Chargers), Ron Rivera (Carolina) and Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh).</p>
<p>With an eye toward increasing that number, NFL officials in December agreed that the principles of the Rooney Rule should be extended to offense and defensive coordinator jobs starting with the 2017 offseason.</p>
<p>“For this momentum to continue, we need to give people a fighting chance at other positions – including coordinators,” explained Cyrus Mehri, a Washington-based lawyer who was instrumental in drafting the Rooney Rule as counsel to the Fritz Pollard Alliance, in a recent telephone interview. “All we’ve ever asked for is just give people a fighting chance. When we started in 2002, there was almost no chance [for minorities] of being head coach. Now we’re giving people a fighting chance.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>At the moment, the Washington Redskins account for two of the NFL’s six coordinator vacancies – the only NFL team seeking both an offensive and defensive coordinator, after Sean McVay was named head coach of the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 12 and Joe Barry was let go as defensive coordinator on Jan. 5.</p>
<p>In Mehri’s view, that represents an opportunity for the Redskins to take a leadership role on diversity by ensuring a broad search for their next coordinators.</p>
<p>“It’s all the more reason for Coach [Jay] Gruden to set an example, here in the nation’s capital,” Mehri said. “It would be a great thing for the league and for the team. You don’t know if you have the best until you cast a wide net.”</p>
<p>It has been eight years since the Redskins have had a minority in either coordinator job. During the Jim Zorn era (2008-09), Greg Blache was defensive coordinator and Sherman Smith was offensive coordinator. Two of the predecessors, Marvin Lewis (Redskins defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2002) and Hue Jackson (Redskins offensive coordinator in 2003) went on to head coach jobs.</p>
<p>So far, there’s no evidence the Redskins have interviewed a minority candidate for either opening. If the team is seeking to expand its pool of candidates, that could explain the relative silence on the hiring front.</p>
<p>Soon after firing Barry following back-to-back 28th-ranked defensive performances, the Redskins sought and were granted permission to interview Carolina Panthers defensive backs coach Steve Wilks. But Wilks was promoted to the Panthers’ defensive coordinator job before the interview.</p>
<p>The only known candidates interviewed for the defensive coordinator job are Gus Bradley, a former NFL defensive coordinator and head coach, who’s believed to be leaning toward joining Lynn with the Chargers; Mike Pettine, also a former NFL defensive coordinator and head coach; and longtime NFL coordinator Rob Ryan. They will reported interview Jason Tarver, linebackers coach for the 49ers, later this week. They were interested in two others: Paul Guenther of Cincinnati and Wade Phillips, but the Bengals denied permission to speak to Guenther, and Phillips took the job with the Rams. Greg Manusky, the Redskins’ outside linebackers coach, who has five years’ experience as a defensive coordinator, is also regarded as a candidate. None of these seven is a minority.</p>
<p>The Redskins’ offensive coordinator job has been vacant less than one week. Most speculation centers on an “in-house” hire, with Gruden taking over play-calling duties. Of the Redskins’ five position coaches on offense, all three non-minorities have been mentioned in the media as candidates: offensive line coach Bill Callahan (a former head coach and offensive coordinator), quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh (12 years’ experience as an offensive coordinator) and tight ends coach Wes Phillips. Neither of the Redskins’ minority position-coaches have gotten mention but could be under consideration: wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard and running backs coach Randy Jordan.</p>
<p>According to Mehri, the NFL’s pipeline for minority coaches on the offensive side needs particular attention. “There are so few offensive coordinators who are minorities and so few calling plays,” he said. “You need to build up the pipeline by giving many guys who are running backs coaches and wide receiver coaches a chance to go to the next level.”</p>
<p>– Master Tesfatsion contributed to this report.</p>
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<p />
<p>The visit comes as President Donald Trump’s administration is working to prepare a new Afghan war strategy amid a resurgent Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate in the country.</p>
<p>McCain, an Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters after the meetings that the Unites States needs to have a new strategy to win in Afghanistan but that “the strongest nation on earth should be able to win this conflict.”</p>
<p>“The old effort certainly didn’t work,” McCain said at the press conference.</p>
<p>“They (Taliban) are not going to negotiate unless they think they are losing,” he added. “So we need to win and have the advantage on the battlefield and then enter into a serious negotiation to resolve the conflict.”</p>
<p>Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he would tell Trump after returning home that 8,600 American troops currently in Afghanistan “will not get the job done” and that more American troops along with more NATO troops should be deployed to “turn stalemate into success.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Earlier Tuesday, a senior police official was killed by a bomb planted in his car in Kabul, according to Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for the police chief in the Afghan capital.</p>
<p>And on Monday, a U.S. drone strike killed four Islamic State militants, including a senior commander, in a mountainous area in eastern Kunar province controlled by the militant group, according to the provincial governor, Waheedullah Kalimzai.</p>
<p>The governor said Tuesday that authorities learned of the death of the militant commander, Hazrat Gul, and three other fighters, from intelligence reports.</p>
<p>The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is drawn largely from disgruntled former Taliban fighters. It operates mostly in eastern Afghanistan, where it has clashed with Afghan forces as well as the more established Taliban.</p>
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US senators say new strategy is needed to win in Afghanistan
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https://abqjournal.com/1027996/us-senators-say-new-strategy-is-needed-to-win-in-afghanistan.html
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2017-07-04
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US senators say new strategy is needed to win in Afghanistan
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The visit comes as President Donald Trump’s administration is working to prepare a new Afghan war strategy amid a resurgent Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate in the country.</p>
<p>McCain, an Arizona Republican and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters after the meetings that the Unites States needs to have a new strategy to win in Afghanistan but that “the strongest nation on earth should be able to win this conflict.”</p>
<p>“The old effort certainly didn’t work,” McCain said at the press conference.</p>
<p>“They (Taliban) are not going to negotiate unless they think they are losing,” he added. “So we need to win and have the advantage on the battlefield and then enter into a serious negotiation to resolve the conflict.”</p>
<p>Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he would tell Trump after returning home that 8,600 American troops currently in Afghanistan “will not get the job done” and that more American troops along with more NATO troops should be deployed to “turn stalemate into success.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Earlier Tuesday, a senior police official was killed by a bomb planted in his car in Kabul, according to Basir Mujahid, a spokesman for the police chief in the Afghan capital.</p>
<p>And on Monday, a U.S. drone strike killed four Islamic State militants, including a senior commander, in a mountainous area in eastern Kunar province controlled by the militant group, according to the provincial governor, Waheedullah Kalimzai.</p>
<p>The governor said Tuesday that authorities learned of the death of the militant commander, Hazrat Gul, and three other fighters, from intelligence reports.</p>
<p>The IS affiliate in Afghanistan is drawn largely from disgruntled former Taliban fighters. It operates mostly in eastern Afghanistan, where it has clashed with Afghan forces as well as the more established Taliban.</p>
| 6,160 |
<p />
<p>Days before Congress recessed for the month of August, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which was sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn and Barack Obama, was blocked from floor consideration by an anonymous senator. Since that time reporters and bloggers have sought to find out who it was.</p>
<p>On the heels of yesterday’s disclosure that Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican, was the culprit, Mother Jones has learned that a second senator was impeding the bill – Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV). According to Byrd’s office, the senator released his hold earlier today; Byrd blocked the bill because he felt that the legislation was moving through the senate too fast.</p>
<p>Byrd, known for being an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and President Bush, has always been a strong lobbyist for&#160;the coal industry, which is largely based&#160;in West Virginia.</p>
<p />
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UPDATE: Second Senator Had Hold on Transparency Bill
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https://motherjones.com/politics/2006/08/update-second-senator-had-hold-transparency-bill/
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2006-08-31
| 4left
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UPDATE: Second Senator Had Hold on Transparency Bill
<p />
<p>Days before Congress recessed for the month of August, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, which was sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn and Barack Obama, was blocked from floor consideration by an anonymous senator. Since that time reporters and bloggers have sought to find out who it was.</p>
<p>On the heels of yesterday’s disclosure that Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaska Republican, was the culprit, Mother Jones has learned that a second senator was impeding the bill – Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV). According to Byrd’s office, the senator released his hold earlier today; Byrd blocked the bill because he felt that the legislation was moving through the senate too fast.</p>
<p>Byrd, known for being an outspoken critic of the Iraq war and President Bush, has always been a strong lobbyist for&#160;the coal industry, which is largely based&#160;in West Virginia.</p>
<p />
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<p>An employee of the Falestine al-Youm or "Palestine Today," TV station inspects damaged equipment at it's offices after it was raided by Israeli forces early Friday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, March 11, 2016. Israeli forces raided the TV station run by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, detained Farouq Elayan the head of the station and two other employees and confiscated their equipment, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)</p>
<p>JERUSALEM - Israeli forces on Friday raided a TV station run by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the West Bank as part of a crackdown to curb months of violence that Israel says has been fueled by incitement in the Palestinian media, police said.</p>
<p>Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the head of the Falestine al-Youm - or "Palestine Today" - was detained in the raid in Ramallah early Friday morning. She said Farouq Elayan, 34, had been incarcerated in the past for activities in the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad group. The outlet, which also publishes material on social media sites, encouraged Palestinians to attack Israelis, she said.</p>
<p>In a statement, Falestine al-Youm said two other two staff members had also been arrested and that their equipment was confiscated. Islamic Jihad has carried out suicide bombings and shootings in the past.</p>
<p>Samri said shutting the station was part of efforts to stop incitement to violence.</p>
<p>The raid came as Israel struggles to contain near-daily Palestinian assaults on civilians and security forces that have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans since September.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>At least 179 Palestinians have died by Israeli fire in that time, the majority of them said by Israel to have been attackers while the rest died in clashes with Israeli forces.</p>
<p>On Friday afternoon, a Palestinian attacker stabbed and wounded a 29-year-old Israeli man, before running ran away in Jerusalem's Old City, police said. It later displayed a picture of the weapon used, a kitchen knife with a white handle that had been left at the scene. The Palestinian attacker was found and arrested after a short chase, police said.</p>
<p>Israel has long pointed to the glorification of attackers in Palestinian media and social networking sites as a major factor in the recent bloodshed.</p>
<p>Palestinians say it stems from anger at nearly five decades of Israeli rule in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and frustrations at not achieving statehood.</p>
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Israeli forces shut Palestinian Islamic Jihad station
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https://abqjournal.com/738918/israeli-forces-shut-palestinian-islamic-jihad-station.html
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Israeli forces shut Palestinian Islamic Jihad station
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<p>An employee of the Falestine al-Youm or "Palestine Today," TV station inspects damaged equipment at it's offices after it was raided by Israeli forces early Friday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Friday, March 11, 2016. Israeli forces raided the TV station run by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, detained Farouq Elayan the head of the station and two other employees and confiscated their equipment, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)</p>
<p>JERUSALEM - Israeli forces on Friday raided a TV station run by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the West Bank as part of a crackdown to curb months of violence that Israel says has been fueled by incitement in the Palestinian media, police said.</p>
<p>Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the head of the Falestine al-Youm - or "Palestine Today" - was detained in the raid in Ramallah early Friday morning. She said Farouq Elayan, 34, had been incarcerated in the past for activities in the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad group. The outlet, which also publishes material on social media sites, encouraged Palestinians to attack Israelis, she said.</p>
<p>In a statement, Falestine al-Youm said two other two staff members had also been arrested and that their equipment was confiscated. Islamic Jihad has carried out suicide bombings and shootings in the past.</p>
<p>Samri said shutting the station was part of efforts to stop incitement to violence.</p>
<p>The raid came as Israel struggles to contain near-daily Palestinian assaults on civilians and security forces that have killed 28 Israelis and two Americans since September.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>At least 179 Palestinians have died by Israeli fire in that time, the majority of them said by Israel to have been attackers while the rest died in clashes with Israeli forces.</p>
<p>On Friday afternoon, a Palestinian attacker stabbed and wounded a 29-year-old Israeli man, before running ran away in Jerusalem's Old City, police said. It later displayed a picture of the weapon used, a kitchen knife with a white handle that had been left at the scene. The Palestinian attacker was found and arrested after a short chase, police said.</p>
<p>Israel has long pointed to the glorification of attackers in Palestinian media and social networking sites as a major factor in the recent bloodshed.</p>
<p>Palestinians say it stems from anger at nearly five decades of Israeli rule in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and frustrations at not achieving statehood.</p>
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<p>Israeli President Shimon Peres <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peres-to-haaretz-israel-could-reach-a-peace-deal-with-abbas-1.425899" type="external">told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz</a> last week that he believed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was a worthy partner in the quest for peace and Israel still had a chance for peace in the next three years.</p>
<p>Referring to Abbas by his informal name, Abu Mazen, Peres said, "I've had no small number of conversations with Abu Mazen. All of them were with the prime minister's knowledge. He knows all the details. Based on these conversations, I'm convinced we could have achieved peace with Abu Mazen. He's a worthy partner and can deliver the goods."</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/israel-and-palestine/120422/google-street-view-launches-israel" type="external">Google Street View launches in Israel</a></p>
<p>Peres said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had removed roadblocks in the West Bank, leading to a strengthening of the Palestinian economy and "building a state-in-the-making" but there were no negotiations because the prime minister "thinks there's a different way," <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peres-to-haaretz-israel-could-reach-a-peace-deal-with-abbas-1.425899" type="external">according to Haaretz</a>.</p>
<p>Peres said, "We also built a state before we became a state. To a great degree, that's what the Palestinians are doing today."</p>
<p><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" type="external">According to the Associated Press</a>, talks between the two parties collapsed more than three years ago. The Palestinians have said they will not come to the negotiation table while Israel continues building settlements on what they believe would form a future Palestinian state.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/120422/egypt-terminates-israel-gas-supply-deal" type="external">Egypt terminates Israel gas supply deal</a></p>
<p>Last week, Abbas said he had no intention of dissolving the Palestinian Authority, though its reason for existing was largely undermined by Israel, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hN54OjZjCnc80exQvxhyuYEqvR8w?docId=CNG.b4da00e4ddb0abd97d44011656c9a640.3d1" type="external">reported AFP.</a> Abbas sent a letter to Netanyahu stating that the PA's raison d'etre had been stripped.</p>
<p>The letter said, "As a result of actions taken by successive Israeli governments, the Palestinian National Authority no longer has any authority, and no meaningful jurisdiction in the political, economic, territorial and security spheres," <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hN54OjZjCnc80exQvxhyuYEqvR8w?docId=CNG.b4da00e4ddb0abd97d44011656c9a640.3d1" type="external">according to AFP</a>.</p>
<p>Speaking about the chances for a peace agreement in the next three years, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peres-to-haaretz-israel-could-reach-a-peace-deal-with-abbas-1.425899" type="external">Peres told Haaretz</a>, "There's a reasonable chance. I don't know any prime minister who has influenced reality more than reality has influenced him. There is no prime minister who isn't eventually influenced by reality."</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/israel-and-palestine/120217/israel-economy-gdp-debt-crisis" type="external">Has Israel's regional isolation helped protect its economy?</a></p>
|
Shimon Peres: Israel could have achieved peace with Mahmoud Abbas
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2012-04-23/shimon-peres-israel-could-have-achieved-peace-mahmoud-abbas
|
2012-04-23
| 3left-center
|
Shimon Peres: Israel could have achieved peace with Mahmoud Abbas
<p>Israeli President Shimon Peres <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peres-to-haaretz-israel-could-reach-a-peace-deal-with-abbas-1.425899" type="external">told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz</a> last week that he believed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was a worthy partner in the quest for peace and Israel still had a chance for peace in the next three years.</p>
<p>Referring to Abbas by his informal name, Abu Mazen, Peres said, "I've had no small number of conversations with Abu Mazen. All of them were with the prime minister's knowledge. He knows all the details. Based on these conversations, I'm convinced we could have achieved peace with Abu Mazen. He's a worthy partner and can deliver the goods."</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/israel-and-palestine/120422/google-street-view-launches-israel" type="external">Google Street View launches in Israel</a></p>
<p>Peres said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had removed roadblocks in the West Bank, leading to a strengthening of the Palestinian economy and "building a state-in-the-making" but there were no negotiations because the prime minister "thinks there's a different way," <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peres-to-haaretz-israel-could-reach-a-peace-deal-with-abbas-1.425899" type="external">according to Haaretz</a>.</p>
<p>Peres said, "We also built a state before we became a state. To a great degree, that's what the Palestinians are doing today."</p>
<p><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_ISRAEL_PALESTINIANS?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" type="external">According to the Associated Press</a>, talks between the two parties collapsed more than three years ago. The Palestinians have said they will not come to the negotiation table while Israel continues building settlements on what they believe would form a future Palestinian state.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/120422/egypt-terminates-israel-gas-supply-deal" type="external">Egypt terminates Israel gas supply deal</a></p>
<p>Last week, Abbas said he had no intention of dissolving the Palestinian Authority, though its reason for existing was largely undermined by Israel, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hN54OjZjCnc80exQvxhyuYEqvR8w?docId=CNG.b4da00e4ddb0abd97d44011656c9a640.3d1" type="external">reported AFP.</a> Abbas sent a letter to Netanyahu stating that the PA's raison d'etre had been stripped.</p>
<p>The letter said, "As a result of actions taken by successive Israeli governments, the Palestinian National Authority no longer has any authority, and no meaningful jurisdiction in the political, economic, territorial and security spheres," <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hN54OjZjCnc80exQvxhyuYEqvR8w?docId=CNG.b4da00e4ddb0abd97d44011656c9a640.3d1" type="external">according to AFP</a>.</p>
<p>Speaking about the chances for a peace agreement in the next three years, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/peres-to-haaretz-israel-could-reach-a-peace-deal-with-abbas-1.425899" type="external">Peres told Haaretz</a>, "There's a reasonable chance. I don't know any prime minister who has influenced reality more than reality has influenced him. There is no prime minister who isn't eventually influenced by reality."</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/israel-and-palestine/120217/israel-economy-gdp-debt-crisis" type="external">Has Israel's regional isolation helped protect its economy?</a></p>
| 6,163 |
<p>(Shutterstock)</p>
<p>This post originally ran on <a href="http://www.juancole.com/2015/06/achievements-obamacare-millions.html" type="external">Juan Cole’s website</a>.</p>
<p>Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare) has <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fitch-aca-subsidy-upheld-positive-170300860.html;_ylt=AwrC0CYtAY1V7wwAjALQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--%20" type="external">beaten back all judicial challenges</a>, it is worth revisiting its <a href="http://jaybookman.blog.ajc.com/2015/05/07/by-any-non-political-metric-obamacare-is-a-major-success/%20" type="external">vast success.</a> A single-payer system would have been far preferable. But the present system is substantially better than nothing. As Jay Bookman pointed out in early May in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, none of the dire predictions of its critics have come true. There has been no jump in health-care costs. In fact, medical inflation has leveled off. The number of people who lost their insurance was no higher after the advent of Obamacare than it had been in previous years. It hasn’t killed employment– rather employment is up. Let us consider the success of the ACA.</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/early/2015/05/04/hlthaff.2015.0266.full%20" type="external">Rand reports that</a> in summer of 2013, there were 42 million uninsured Americans. By February of 2015, that number had fallen to 25.8 million. That is, nearly 17 million more Americans have health care than before Obamacare.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.juancole.com/images/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-26-at-1.52.44-AM.png" type="external" /></p>
<p>2. With regard to <a href="http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20150610/NEWS03/150619983/white-house-obama-health-care-reform-affordable-care-act?tags=%7C62%7C74%7C307%7C329%7C278%20" type="external">percentages,</a> the country’s uninsured rate was 17.1% in 2013, and it declined dramatically to 11.9% during the first quarter of 2015.</p>
<p>3. People without health care are in a very uncertain situation– they could have a medical emergency any time, and they have nothing to pay the hospital with. They also don’t get preventive care because they don’t pay to go see a doctor if they don’t have to. Obamacare will save an estimated <a href="http://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2014/05/05/could-obamacare-save-24000-lives-a-year/%20" type="external">24,000 lives</a> a year.</p>
<p>4. The <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/obamacare-2015-uninsured-rates-lowest-four-decades-despite-republican-criticisms-1848620%20" type="external">International Business Times</a> observed on the implications of the law for racial equality that:</p>
<p>“All racial and ethnic groups showed gains in coverage, but the biggest improvement came among minority groups. The uninsured rate for Hispanics dropped by more than 12 percent; African-American uninsured rates fell more than 9 percent and white uninsured rates fell more than 5 percent.”</p>
<p>5. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/01/09/great-strides-women-s-health-under-affordable-care-act%20" type="external">Women have been especially helped</a> by Obamacare. They now pay the same premiums as men, which did not used to be the case. Even by early January, there had been a 5.5% decline in the number of uninsured women since 2013:</p>
<p>“Up until last year, insurance companies could — and often did — charge women different premiums than men for the same coverage. As of January 1, 2014, the ACA prohibits this gender discrimination. In part because of improved options and affordability, today’s report outlines a significant 5.5 percentage point decline in the uninsured rate among women between the ages of 18 and 64 since 2013.”</p>
<p>6. Many more children how have health care. It had <a href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/editorial-and-commentary/commentary/protecting-fifty-years-of-child-health-progress/%20" type="external">earlier been found</a> that:</p>
<p>“New research documents the long-term benefits of Medicaid coverage in childhood. The National Bureau of Economic Research compared children eligible for Medicaid during childhood to their non-eligible peers and found that the Medicaid-eligible children were more likely to attend college, make greater contributions as adult taxpayers, and live longer than those without coverage.”</p>
<p>Obamacare, some of which is covered by medicaid expansion in sane states, should have the same effect, enriching these lives and enriching us all.</p>
|
Top 6 Achievements of Obamacare (Hint: Millions More Insured)
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/top-6-achievements-of-obamacare-hint-millions-more-insured/
|
2015-06-27
| 4left
|
Top 6 Achievements of Obamacare (Hint: Millions More Insured)
<p>(Shutterstock)</p>
<p>This post originally ran on <a href="http://www.juancole.com/2015/06/achievements-obamacare-millions.html" type="external">Juan Cole’s website</a>.</p>
<p>Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare) has <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/fitch-aca-subsidy-upheld-positive-170300860.html;_ylt=AwrC0CYtAY1V7wwAjALQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByOHZyb21tBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--%20" type="external">beaten back all judicial challenges</a>, it is worth revisiting its <a href="http://jaybookman.blog.ajc.com/2015/05/07/by-any-non-political-metric-obamacare-is-a-major-success/%20" type="external">vast success.</a> A single-payer system would have been far preferable. But the present system is substantially better than nothing. As Jay Bookman pointed out in early May in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, none of the dire predictions of its critics have come true. There has been no jump in health-care costs. In fact, medical inflation has leveled off. The number of people who lost their insurance was no higher after the advent of Obamacare than it had been in previous years. It hasn’t killed employment– rather employment is up. Let us consider the success of the ACA.</p>
<p>1. <a href="http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/early/2015/05/04/hlthaff.2015.0266.full%20" type="external">Rand reports that</a> in summer of 2013, there were 42 million uninsured Americans. By February of 2015, that number had fallen to 25.8 million. That is, nearly 17 million more Americans have health care than before Obamacare.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.juancole.com/images/2015/06/Screen-Shot-2015-06-26-at-1.52.44-AM.png" type="external" /></p>
<p>2. With regard to <a href="http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20150610/NEWS03/150619983/white-house-obama-health-care-reform-affordable-care-act?tags=%7C62%7C74%7C307%7C329%7C278%20" type="external">percentages,</a> the country’s uninsured rate was 17.1% in 2013, and it declined dramatically to 11.9% during the first quarter of 2015.</p>
<p>3. People without health care are in a very uncertain situation– they could have a medical emergency any time, and they have nothing to pay the hospital with. They also don’t get preventive care because they don’t pay to go see a doctor if they don’t have to. Obamacare will save an estimated <a href="http://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2014/05/05/could-obamacare-save-24000-lives-a-year/%20" type="external">24,000 lives</a> a year.</p>
<p>4. The <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/obamacare-2015-uninsured-rates-lowest-four-decades-despite-republican-criticisms-1848620%20" type="external">International Business Times</a> observed on the implications of the law for racial equality that:</p>
<p>“All racial and ethnic groups showed gains in coverage, but the biggest improvement came among minority groups. The uninsured rate for Hispanics dropped by more than 12 percent; African-American uninsured rates fell more than 9 percent and white uninsured rates fell more than 5 percent.”</p>
<p>5. <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/01/09/great-strides-women-s-health-under-affordable-care-act%20" type="external">Women have been especially helped</a> by Obamacare. They now pay the same premiums as men, which did not used to be the case. Even by early January, there had been a 5.5% decline in the number of uninsured women since 2013:</p>
<p>“Up until last year, insurance companies could — and often did — charge women different premiums than men for the same coverage. As of January 1, 2014, the ACA prohibits this gender discrimination. In part because of improved options and affordability, today’s report outlines a significant 5.5 percentage point decline in the uninsured rate among women between the ages of 18 and 64 since 2013.”</p>
<p>6. Many more children how have health care. It had <a href="http://laprensa-sandiego.org/editorial-and-commentary/commentary/protecting-fifty-years-of-child-health-progress/%20" type="external">earlier been found</a> that:</p>
<p>“New research documents the long-term benefits of Medicaid coverage in childhood. The National Bureau of Economic Research compared children eligible for Medicaid during childhood to their non-eligible peers and found that the Medicaid-eligible children were more likely to attend college, make greater contributions as adult taxpayers, and live longer than those without coverage.”</p>
<p>Obamacare, some of which is covered by medicaid expansion in sane states, should have the same effect, enriching these lives and enriching us all.</p>
| 6,164 |
<p>Consumer spending saw its biggest increase since February, rising by 0.8% in September, the Commerce Department said Monday.</p>
<p>It's the third straight month of increased numbers, which analysts say reflects higher confidence in the economy.&#160;</p>
<p>"This means the fiscal cliff is not worrying consumers at this point like it is the business sector," Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist for the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi in New York <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mo-consumer-spending-personal-income-20121029,0,6623767.story" type="external">told the Los Angeles Times</a>, referring to a drop in business investment reported in the figures on third-quarter economic growth.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-29/consumer-spending-in-u-s-increases-0-8-as-incomes-climb-0-4-.html" type="external">Bloomberg reports</a> that household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of gross domestic product, was expected to rise by only&#160;0.6 percent.</p>
<p>"The strength in September gives consumer spending a good lift for the fourth quarter," Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities LLC told Bloomberg.</p>
<p>"The housing market seems to have turned. Consumers are clearly feeling better and are going out and spending a bit more."</p>
<p>Incomes climbed by a much smaller amount but still managed a gain of 0.4 percent, the most since March.</p>
<p>The figures might get closer scrutiny than usual with only eight days left until the presidential election. The economy is front and center of the fight between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.&#160;</p>
<p>The economy has shown signs of improving, <a href="http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/29/14779353-consumers-spend-more-than-expected-income-rises?lite" type="external">reports NBC News</a>, but it's unclear whether the positive data will help the president's chances of re-election.&#160;</p>
<p>The small increase in wages was offset by inflation and taxes. Mixed with sluggish job growth, it could have an impact on consumer spending over the long term.&#160;</p>
<p>NBC reports that the saving rate slipped to 3.3 percent last month, the lowest since November 2011, from 3.7 percent the prior month.</p>
|
Consumer spending beats expectations
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2012-10-29/consumer-spending-beats-expectations
|
2012-10-29
| 3left-center
|
Consumer spending beats expectations
<p>Consumer spending saw its biggest increase since February, rising by 0.8% in September, the Commerce Department said Monday.</p>
<p>It's the third straight month of increased numbers, which analysts say reflects higher confidence in the economy.&#160;</p>
<p>"This means the fiscal cliff is not worrying consumers at this point like it is the business sector," Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist for the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi in New York <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-mo-consumer-spending-personal-income-20121029,0,6623767.story" type="external">told the Los Angeles Times</a>, referring to a drop in business investment reported in the figures on third-quarter economic growth.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-29/consumer-spending-in-u-s-increases-0-8-as-incomes-climb-0-4-.html" type="external">Bloomberg reports</a> that household purchases, which account for about 70 percent of gross domestic product, was expected to rise by only&#160;0.6 percent.</p>
<p>"The strength in September gives consumer spending a good lift for the fourth quarter," Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities LLC told Bloomberg.</p>
<p>"The housing market seems to have turned. Consumers are clearly feeling better and are going out and spending a bit more."</p>
<p>Incomes climbed by a much smaller amount but still managed a gain of 0.4 percent, the most since March.</p>
<p>The figures might get closer scrutiny than usual with only eight days left until the presidential election. The economy is front and center of the fight between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.&#160;</p>
<p>The economy has shown signs of improving, <a href="http://economywatch.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/29/14779353-consumers-spend-more-than-expected-income-rises?lite" type="external">reports NBC News</a>, but it's unclear whether the positive data will help the president's chances of re-election.&#160;</p>
<p>The small increase in wages was offset by inflation and taxes. Mixed with sluggish job growth, it could have an impact on consumer spending over the long term.&#160;</p>
<p>NBC reports that the saving rate slipped to 3.3 percent last month, the lowest since November 2011, from 3.7 percent the prior month.</p>
| 6,165 |
<p>As the devastating siege of eastern Aleppo ends, the world watches, parses&#160;and argues over the meaning of the media messages being shared by those remaining within it.</p>
<p>We follow the tweets of 7-year-old <a href="https://twitter.com/alabedbana" type="external">Bana Alabed</a> and her mother; the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38309852" type="external">last messages</a> of activists and fighters waiting to surrender or die; and seek to <a href="https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/12/19/the-cl2-before-the-storm/" type="external">verify chemical attacks</a> or conflicting stories about the bombings of hospitals. And at the same time, we struggle to understand whether this information fits into our existing worldviews, or upends them.</p>
<p>The Syrian civil war may be the most documented war in history. Millions of images, videos, blogs, tweets and audio files have been created about the war, the life that continues on in Syria despite the war, and the affiliated refugee crisis. These media — created by journalists, citizens, activists, combatants and victims — are the product of our burgeoning participatory media culture, of the overlay of digital documentation and reflection that accompanies much of modern life.</p>
<p>Syria, prior to the war, had reasonably robust and growing communications technology, with access to mass media networks, satellite TV, internet and mobile data. Access to those technologies gave Syrians the tools both to communicate among themselves and to connect with the rest of the world. Enough remnants of those networks exist now to allow people in conflict zones to continue sharing information. Despite the war (or perhaps because of it), Syrian citizen media networks, with increasing knowledge and skill, have been a major conduit for the documentation of the war.</p>
<p>But access to huge online archives of information about the war doesn’t guarantee that it is organized or presented in ways that accord with our expectations of war reporting. That’s because information in modern conflict isn’t simply about impartially reporting the facts as they occur. Information instead is part of the battle for perception about the war and its combatants. That, in turn, forms opinions about who is just and moral, who is worth supporting politically or with resources, and who will be a target of attack.</p>
<p>Information and its manipulation have been a vital strategic element in this conflict, and the control of information has become a weapon. The <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/08/201181191530456997.html" type="external">Syrian Electronic Army</a>, a parastatal force supporting the Assad regime, in the early days of the struggle targeted activists with "distributed denial-of-service" (DDoS) attacks, hacks&#160;and malware. Meanwhile, both the Assad regime and ISIS targeted journalists for their work.</p>
<p>ISIS managed to change the course of the war through the precise, vicious use of violence, especially in <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/02/world/meast/isis-american-journalist-sotloff/" type="external">documenting the beheading</a> of Western journalists and promoting those videos through media channels.</p>
<p>The fog of war doesn’t simply happen; combatants contribute to it strategically, with their attempts to mystify and confuse adversaries.</p>
<p>Against the forces of misinformation, finding and building coherent narratives about the war is an immense challenge. We now know the <a href="https://community.globalvoices.org/guide/editorial-guides/toolbox-for-authors/verifying-social-media-content/" type="external">principles and techniques</a> for organizing, prioritizing and verifying information coming out of Syria. We can identify facts and establish evidence through careful analysis, and with media forensics techniques such as reverse image search, geolocation&#160;and metadata analysis. We can build and maintain trusted relationships with friends, colleagues&#160;and sources who are proximate to the conflict.</p>
<p>We can know a lot about this war, but simply knowing facts isn’t nearly enough to change its course. Demonstrated facts do not necessarily influence the outcome of events. That is the essence of understanding power, and its limits.</p>
<p>Ivan Sigal is the executive director of <a href="https://globalvoices.org/" type="external">Global Voices</a>.</p>
|
Syria's war may be the most documented ever. And yet, we know so little.
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2016-12-19/syrias-war-may-be-most-documented-ever-and-yet-we-know-so-little
|
2016-12-19
| 3left-center
|
Syria's war may be the most documented ever. And yet, we know so little.
<p>As the devastating siege of eastern Aleppo ends, the world watches, parses&#160;and argues over the meaning of the media messages being shared by those remaining within it.</p>
<p>We follow the tweets of 7-year-old <a href="https://twitter.com/alabedbana" type="external">Bana Alabed</a> and her mother; the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38309852" type="external">last messages</a> of activists and fighters waiting to surrender or die; and seek to <a href="https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2016/12/19/the-cl2-before-the-storm/" type="external">verify chemical attacks</a> or conflicting stories about the bombings of hospitals. And at the same time, we struggle to understand whether this information fits into our existing worldviews, or upends them.</p>
<p>The Syrian civil war may be the most documented war in history. Millions of images, videos, blogs, tweets and audio files have been created about the war, the life that continues on in Syria despite the war, and the affiliated refugee crisis. These media — created by journalists, citizens, activists, combatants and victims — are the product of our burgeoning participatory media culture, of the overlay of digital documentation and reflection that accompanies much of modern life.</p>
<p>Syria, prior to the war, had reasonably robust and growing communications technology, with access to mass media networks, satellite TV, internet and mobile data. Access to those technologies gave Syrians the tools both to communicate among themselves and to connect with the rest of the world. Enough remnants of those networks exist now to allow people in conflict zones to continue sharing information. Despite the war (or perhaps because of it), Syrian citizen media networks, with increasing knowledge and skill, have been a major conduit for the documentation of the war.</p>
<p>But access to huge online archives of information about the war doesn’t guarantee that it is organized or presented in ways that accord with our expectations of war reporting. That’s because information in modern conflict isn’t simply about impartially reporting the facts as they occur. Information instead is part of the battle for perception about the war and its combatants. That, in turn, forms opinions about who is just and moral, who is worth supporting politically or with resources, and who will be a target of attack.</p>
<p>Information and its manipulation have been a vital strategic element in this conflict, and the control of information has become a weapon. The <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/08/201181191530456997.html" type="external">Syrian Electronic Army</a>, a parastatal force supporting the Assad regime, in the early days of the struggle targeted activists with "distributed denial-of-service" (DDoS) attacks, hacks&#160;and malware. Meanwhile, both the Assad regime and ISIS targeted journalists for their work.</p>
<p>ISIS managed to change the course of the war through the precise, vicious use of violence, especially in <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/02/world/meast/isis-american-journalist-sotloff/" type="external">documenting the beheading</a> of Western journalists and promoting those videos through media channels.</p>
<p>The fog of war doesn’t simply happen; combatants contribute to it strategically, with their attempts to mystify and confuse adversaries.</p>
<p>Against the forces of misinformation, finding and building coherent narratives about the war is an immense challenge. We now know the <a href="https://community.globalvoices.org/guide/editorial-guides/toolbox-for-authors/verifying-social-media-content/" type="external">principles and techniques</a> for organizing, prioritizing and verifying information coming out of Syria. We can identify facts and establish evidence through careful analysis, and with media forensics techniques such as reverse image search, geolocation&#160;and metadata analysis. We can build and maintain trusted relationships with friends, colleagues&#160;and sources who are proximate to the conflict.</p>
<p>We can know a lot about this war, but simply knowing facts isn’t nearly enough to change its course. Demonstrated facts do not necessarily influence the outcome of events. That is the essence of understanding power, and its limits.</p>
<p>Ivan Sigal is the executive director of <a href="https://globalvoices.org/" type="external">Global Voices</a>.</p>
| 6,166 |
<p>Americans have been talking about their weight problem for a while now.</p>
<p>But, it turns out, in the past 33 years, not a single country has reduced its rate of obesity. All told, about 30 percent of humanity, some 2.1 billion people, are either overweight or obese. But obesity doesn't affect everyone in the same ways. In the developed world, for example, more men are obese or overweight than women. The opposite is true in the developing world.</p>
<p><a href="http://time.com/134206/a-third-of-the-world-is-now-obese-or-overweight/" type="external">Time magazine looks</a> at some other notable statistics about our increasingly bulging world.</p>
<p>(Editor's note: The Global Scan can be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Just&#160; <a href="" type="internal">register and sign up&#160;</a>today.)</p>
<p>US officials are looking into whether a man using the nom de guerre&#160;Abu Hurayra al-Amriki is an American — and whether he just became the first American suicide bomber in Syria. Since Sunday, al-Qaeda-linked social media accounts have been buzzing with an account of a successful suicide bombing operation carried out by four men, including this one American. <a href="https://news.vice.com/article/a-us-citizen-just-blew-himself-up-in-syria-rebels-say?utm_source=vicetwitteruk" type="external">Vice looks at</a> the proliferation of foreign fighters among the extremist rebel groups in Syria.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="" type="internal">PRI's The World is asking</a> what it means that now Americans are going to Syria and taking part in suicide attacks. In an interview, Time's Middle East bureau chief says American officials may be concerned that some of these Americans who go to Syria looking to blow themselves up their in service to jihad may be turned back and convinced to instead press their attack at home in the US.</p>
<p>Back in February, <a href="http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2014-02/04-/boko-haram-nigeria-islamic-terrorists/viewall" type="external">GQ magazine took time</a> out of photographing men in suits and overpriced watches and sent a reporter to do detailed coverage on Boko Haram, the Islamist movement which kidnapped hundreds of Nigerian schools girls. The results were remarkable. It's been more than four years since Boko Haram began its rebellion, and their methods are becoming ever more violent and extreme.</p>
<p>In one recent raid by government officials, the discoveries were downright grisly.&#160;"We found bodies with their hands tied together, their throats cut. ...&#160;Piles of bones; decomposing flesh. On the shelves of the huts, there were jars and containers full of blood that made us think that Boko Haram had cannibalised the bodies."</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">PRI's The World traveled</a> to&#160;Parán, Peru, recently — a small Andean mountain community where for years, many, many years, almost all of the town's men grow blind by the age of 50. This isn't some environmental disaster story, or a story of bad diets. This is a story of genetics, and one, little-known disease that is ravaging the town. Until recently, no one in the town even knew the disease's name, just that most men would be blind by the time they were 50.</p>
<p>Scientists came to the town recently and diagnosed the problem. Unfortunately, there's nothing they can do. No cure. And for the town, that's almost worse than not knowing why so many people go blind.</p>
<p>It was a scorcher in east Asia on Thursday, with high temperatures nearing or breaking records in cities from Seoul to Beijing to Shanghai. <a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/heat-wave-beijing-to-shanghai/27623831" type="external">According to AccuWeather</a>, the high temperature in Beijing Thursday was 108 degrees (42 degrees Celsisus) — the first time the temperature has exceeded 104 since 2010. Highs near 100 are expected through the weekend.</p>
|
We're all getting fatter — and nowhere in the world is immune
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2014-05-29/were-all-getting-fatter-and-nowhere-world-immune
|
2014-05-29
| 3left-center
|
We're all getting fatter — and nowhere in the world is immune
<p>Americans have been talking about their weight problem for a while now.</p>
<p>But, it turns out, in the past 33 years, not a single country has reduced its rate of obesity. All told, about 30 percent of humanity, some 2.1 billion people, are either overweight or obese. But obesity doesn't affect everyone in the same ways. In the developed world, for example, more men are obese or overweight than women. The opposite is true in the developing world.</p>
<p><a href="http://time.com/134206/a-third-of-the-world-is-now-obese-or-overweight/" type="external">Time magazine looks</a> at some other notable statistics about our increasingly bulging world.</p>
<p>(Editor's note: The Global Scan can be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday. Just&#160; <a href="" type="internal">register and sign up&#160;</a>today.)</p>
<p>US officials are looking into whether a man using the nom de guerre&#160;Abu Hurayra al-Amriki is an American — and whether he just became the first American suicide bomber in Syria. Since Sunday, al-Qaeda-linked social media accounts have been buzzing with an account of a successful suicide bombing operation carried out by four men, including this one American. <a href="https://news.vice.com/article/a-us-citizen-just-blew-himself-up-in-syria-rebels-say?utm_source=vicetwitteruk" type="external">Vice looks at</a> the proliferation of foreign fighters among the extremist rebel groups in Syria.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, <a href="" type="internal">PRI's The World is asking</a> what it means that now Americans are going to Syria and taking part in suicide attacks. In an interview, Time's Middle East bureau chief says American officials may be concerned that some of these Americans who go to Syria looking to blow themselves up their in service to jihad may be turned back and convinced to instead press their attack at home in the US.</p>
<p>Back in February, <a href="http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/comment/articles/2014-02/04-/boko-haram-nigeria-islamic-terrorists/viewall" type="external">GQ magazine took time</a> out of photographing men in suits and overpriced watches and sent a reporter to do detailed coverage on Boko Haram, the Islamist movement which kidnapped hundreds of Nigerian schools girls. The results were remarkable. It's been more than four years since Boko Haram began its rebellion, and their methods are becoming ever more violent and extreme.</p>
<p>In one recent raid by government officials, the discoveries were downright grisly.&#160;"We found bodies with their hands tied together, their throats cut. ...&#160;Piles of bones; decomposing flesh. On the shelves of the huts, there were jars and containers full of blood that made us think that Boko Haram had cannibalised the bodies."</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">PRI's The World traveled</a> to&#160;Parán, Peru, recently — a small Andean mountain community where for years, many, many years, almost all of the town's men grow blind by the age of 50. This isn't some environmental disaster story, or a story of bad diets. This is a story of genetics, and one, little-known disease that is ravaging the town. Until recently, no one in the town even knew the disease's name, just that most men would be blind by the time they were 50.</p>
<p>Scientists came to the town recently and diagnosed the problem. Unfortunately, there's nothing they can do. No cure. And for the town, that's almost worse than not knowing why so many people go blind.</p>
<p>It was a scorcher in east Asia on Thursday, with high temperatures nearing or breaking records in cities from Seoul to Beijing to Shanghai. <a href="http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/heat-wave-beijing-to-shanghai/27623831" type="external">According to AccuWeather</a>, the high temperature in Beijing Thursday was 108 degrees (42 degrees Celsisus) — the first time the temperature has exceeded 104 since 2010. Highs near 100 are expected through the weekend.</p>
| 6,167 |
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<p>LONDON — Russia faces the strong possibility of being excluded from a second Paralympics over its state-sponsored doping scheme.</p>
<p>The International Paralympic Committee said on Monday it remains unconvinced Russia has adopted a new anti-doping culture and implemented the changes required to prove it is cleaning up in time for the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang.</p>
<p>The Russian Paralympic Committee claims it has fulfilled 62 of 67 criteria on the IPC reinstatement plan. But the IPC said if Russia “does not meet its obligations in full by early September then there is a strong chance” of the team missing out on South Korea.</p>
<p>“This is not quite a final warning, but it is saying we are running out of time fast,” IPC President Philip Craven said. “With each day that passes there’s time to sort this one out.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The IPC remains concerned about Russia’s “closed” cities where many athletes train but that limit access to drug testers, a matter in the control of the government rather than the Paralympic organization in Russia.</p>
<p>“Ultimately, Russia has to restore confidence in the wider sporting world,” Craven said. “The RPC and Russian authorities need to build trust in their actions and prove to us all that from now on sport really is about morals over medals and not the other way round.”</p>
<p>Russia remains critical of the IPC’s demands that it must demonstrate a change of culture and mentality in a country that denies there was a state-orchestrated doping operation.</p>
<p>“Such statements are of an extremely subjective and vague nature,” the Russian Paralympic Committee said, “and make it extremely hard to discuss the road map in terms of concrete dates and measures.”</p>
|
Russia facing ban from Paralympics for 2018 Games
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/1006884/russia-facing-ban-from-paralympics-for-2018-games.html
|
2017-05-22
| 2least
|
Russia facing ban from Paralympics for 2018 Games
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>LONDON — Russia faces the strong possibility of being excluded from a second Paralympics over its state-sponsored doping scheme.</p>
<p>The International Paralympic Committee said on Monday it remains unconvinced Russia has adopted a new anti-doping culture and implemented the changes required to prove it is cleaning up in time for the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang.</p>
<p>The Russian Paralympic Committee claims it has fulfilled 62 of 67 criteria on the IPC reinstatement plan. But the IPC said if Russia “does not meet its obligations in full by early September then there is a strong chance” of the team missing out on South Korea.</p>
<p>“This is not quite a final warning, but it is saying we are running out of time fast,” IPC President Philip Craven said. “With each day that passes there’s time to sort this one out.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The IPC remains concerned about Russia’s “closed” cities where many athletes train but that limit access to drug testers, a matter in the control of the government rather than the Paralympic organization in Russia.</p>
<p>“Ultimately, Russia has to restore confidence in the wider sporting world,” Craven said. “The RPC and Russian authorities need to build trust in their actions and prove to us all that from now on sport really is about morals over medals and not the other way round.”</p>
<p>Russia remains critical of the IPC’s demands that it must demonstrate a change of culture and mentality in a country that denies there was a state-orchestrated doping operation.</p>
<p>“Such statements are of an extremely subjective and vague nature,” the Russian Paralympic Committee said, “and make it extremely hard to discuss the road map in terms of concrete dates and measures.”</p>
| 6,168 |
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<p>BRUSSELS – Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ratcheted up pressure on NATO allies Friday to increase their defense spending, despite pushback from Germany’s top diplomat over President Donald Trump’s determination to make members of the Western military alliance boost their military budgets.</p>
<p>Addressing a meeting of NATO’s 28 foreign ministers, Tillerson said he wanted alliance leaders to agree at a May summit to come up with concrete plans by the end of the year to meet budget guidelines. Friday’s conference – hastily moved up after Tillerson initially announced he would skip it so he could attend meetings between Trump and China’s leader next week – was held amid concerns about the U.S. commitment to NATO following Trump’s calls to increase spending.</p>
<p>“As President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the U.S. to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO’s defense expenditures,” Tillerson told the foreign ministers. “Allies must increase defense spending.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The effort has met with resistance from German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who said the push from Washington was unrealistic and based on a mistaken interpretation of the spending targets, which are not binding. Germany is NATO’s largest economy after the United States, but it lags far behind in its defense spending. Twisting Berlin’s arm to increase its military expenditures is key to Trump’s effort to shift more of the burden for Europe’s defense to Washington’s NATO partners.</p>
<p>“More money doesn’t mean more security,” said Gabriel, who is a member of Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party and has long been skeptical of defense spending increases. He said that meeting NATO spending guidelines would require Germany to pour an additional $37 billion a year into its defense budget, which he said was “totally unrealistic.” NATO leaders have pledged to increase annual defense outlays to 2 percent of their gross domestic products by 2024, but those shares are targets rather than requirements.</p>
<p>After Trump met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in mid-March, he wrote on Twitter that “Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO &amp; the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!”</p>
<p>That approach misstated the way NATO works, since allies contribute military capabilities rather than actual money to the alliance.</p>
<p>Tillerson’s trip built on an ongoing pattern from the Trump administration: The president says something at odds with U.S. policy or existing commitments, then leaves it to subordinates to reassure allies. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence engaged in the same exercise during February trips to Europe.</p>
<p>At the NATO summit May 25, Trump will sit down with a wide array of allied leaders for the first time. Allies will see whether his personal message is consistent with the basic bargains worked out by U.S. officials ahead of time, or whether he will make different, tougher demands as leaders hammer out their positions.</p>
<p>The inconsistencies are not confined to the United States: Merkel and her center-right Christian Democratic Union allies, who rule in a coalition with Gabriel’s center-left party, have been more willing than Gabriel to entertain Trump’s requests.Defense increases are broadly unpopular in Germany ahead of September elections, and some of Gabriel’s aggressive push was for domestic electoral consumption. But he rejected out of hand Tillerson’s proposal that nations create spending plans with specific, year-by-year targets, setting up a potential showdown at the summit.</p>
<p>“We need many different tools to stabilize our neighborhood,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after the meeting, countering the German position that development aid should also be counted toward security spending. “It’s not either development or security, it’s development and security.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>NATO diplomats said the closed-door meetings with Tillerson were cordial. But some quietly criticized him for spending less than five hours on the ground in Brussels and returning to Washington before the conference concluded. Previous secretaries of state have often held news conferences at the end of such conclaves; Tillerson took no questions in Brussels.</p>
<p>Many diplomats counted it as a victory to have persuaded Tillerson to come in the first place. The gathering was initially scheduled for next week, overlapping with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Florida to meet Trump. Tillerson planned to skip the NATO event, meaning that he would have met with Chinese and Russian leaders before he met with his alliance counterparts.</p>
<p>“Going to Moscow before seeing members of the alliance did not go down well,” a senior NATO diplomat said ahead of the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk frankly about allied perceptions of the Trump administration.</p>
<p>NATO allies have been concerned about Trump’s approach to Russia, one that prioritizes cooperation with the Kremlin to defeat the Islamic State.</p>
<p>But Tillerson took a hard line against Russia during the meeting, saying that the United States would maintain its refusal to recognize Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and would keep deploying troops to Eastern Europe as a deterrent.</p>
<p>NATO is “fundamental to countering both nonviolent, but at times violent, Russian agitation and Russian aggression,” Tillerson told his fellow foreign ministers.</p>
<p>The message was reassuring to NATO nations that border Russia, which have felt especially vulnerable since tensions increased in 2014.</p>
<p>“Those were things that my part of the world was very happy to hear,” said Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, who also met with Tillerson in Washington earlier this week alongside his counterparts from the other Baltic nations of Lithuania and Estonia.</p>
<p>Tillerson repeated U.S. desires for NATO to do more to fight terrorism, but he offered no concrete requests and said the Trump administration was still working on specific roles in which NATO could contribute. Although NATO has increased training for Iraqi troops and offered its AWACS surveillance planes to help efforts to defeat the Islamic State, many alliance nations remain skeptical about how well NATO’s structures are suited for counterterrorism.</p>
<p>Skeptical diplomats say the intelligence agencies and police forces of individual NATO nations are better-adapted to fighting domestic terrorism threats. Direct intervention on the ground in Syria and Iraq may be most effective if countries offer their militaries on an individual basis rather than in a joint effort through NATO structures, they say.</p>
<p>The NATO meeting came after a one-day trip to Ankara, where Tillerson met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top deputies in a bid to build ties despite tensions over clashing approaches to fighting the Islamic State in Syria. It was Tillerson’s second trip to Europe since he hopped to the State Department from his previous position as chief executive of ExxonMobil.</p>
<p>Sign up for the Today’s WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.</p>
|
Tillerson clashes with NATO allies on defense spending during brief meeting
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/980081/tillerson-clashes-with-nato-allies-on-defense-spending-during-brief-meeting.html
|
2017-03-31
| 2least
|
Tillerson clashes with NATO allies on defense spending during brief meeting
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>BRUSSELS – Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ratcheted up pressure on NATO allies Friday to increase their defense spending, despite pushback from Germany’s top diplomat over President Donald Trump’s determination to make members of the Western military alliance boost their military budgets.</p>
<p>Addressing a meeting of NATO’s 28 foreign ministers, Tillerson said he wanted alliance leaders to agree at a May summit to come up with concrete plans by the end of the year to meet budget guidelines. Friday’s conference – hastily moved up after Tillerson initially announced he would skip it so he could attend meetings between Trump and China’s leader next week – was held amid concerns about the U.S. commitment to NATO following Trump’s calls to increase spending.</p>
<p>“As President Trump has made clear, it is no longer sustainable for the U.S. to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO’s defense expenditures,” Tillerson told the foreign ministers. “Allies must increase defense spending.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The effort has met with resistance from German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who said the push from Washington was unrealistic and based on a mistaken interpretation of the spending targets, which are not binding. Germany is NATO’s largest economy after the United States, but it lags far behind in its defense spending. Twisting Berlin’s arm to increase its military expenditures is key to Trump’s effort to shift more of the burden for Europe’s defense to Washington’s NATO partners.</p>
<p>“More money doesn’t mean more security,” said Gabriel, who is a member of Germany’s center-left Social Democratic Party and has long been skeptical of defense spending increases. He said that meeting NATO spending guidelines would require Germany to pour an additional $37 billion a year into its defense budget, which he said was “totally unrealistic.” NATO leaders have pledged to increase annual defense outlays to 2 percent of their gross domestic products by 2024, but those shares are targets rather than requirements.</p>
<p>After Trump met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in mid-March, he wrote on Twitter that “Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO &amp; the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!”</p>
<p>That approach misstated the way NATO works, since allies contribute military capabilities rather than actual money to the alliance.</p>
<p>Tillerson’s trip built on an ongoing pattern from the Trump administration: The president says something at odds with U.S. policy or existing commitments, then leaves it to subordinates to reassure allies. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Vice President Mike Pence engaged in the same exercise during February trips to Europe.</p>
<p>At the NATO summit May 25, Trump will sit down with a wide array of allied leaders for the first time. Allies will see whether his personal message is consistent with the basic bargains worked out by U.S. officials ahead of time, or whether he will make different, tougher demands as leaders hammer out their positions.</p>
<p>The inconsistencies are not confined to the United States: Merkel and her center-right Christian Democratic Union allies, who rule in a coalition with Gabriel’s center-left party, have been more willing than Gabriel to entertain Trump’s requests.Defense increases are broadly unpopular in Germany ahead of September elections, and some of Gabriel’s aggressive push was for domestic electoral consumption. But he rejected out of hand Tillerson’s proposal that nations create spending plans with specific, year-by-year targets, setting up a potential showdown at the summit.</p>
<p>“We need many different tools to stabilize our neighborhood,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after the meeting, countering the German position that development aid should also be counted toward security spending. “It’s not either development or security, it’s development and security.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>NATO diplomats said the closed-door meetings with Tillerson were cordial. But some quietly criticized him for spending less than five hours on the ground in Brussels and returning to Washington before the conference concluded. Previous secretaries of state have often held news conferences at the end of such conclaves; Tillerson took no questions in Brussels.</p>
<p>Many diplomats counted it as a victory to have persuaded Tillerson to come in the first place. The gathering was initially scheduled for next week, overlapping with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Florida to meet Trump. Tillerson planned to skip the NATO event, meaning that he would have met with Chinese and Russian leaders before he met with his alliance counterparts.</p>
<p>“Going to Moscow before seeing members of the alliance did not go down well,” a senior NATO diplomat said ahead of the meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk frankly about allied perceptions of the Trump administration.</p>
<p>NATO allies have been concerned about Trump’s approach to Russia, one that prioritizes cooperation with the Kremlin to defeat the Islamic State.</p>
<p>But Tillerson took a hard line against Russia during the meeting, saying that the United States would maintain its refusal to recognize Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and would keep deploying troops to Eastern Europe as a deterrent.</p>
<p>NATO is “fundamental to countering both nonviolent, but at times violent, Russian agitation and Russian aggression,” Tillerson told his fellow foreign ministers.</p>
<p>The message was reassuring to NATO nations that border Russia, which have felt especially vulnerable since tensions increased in 2014.</p>
<p>“Those were things that my part of the world was very happy to hear,” said Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, who also met with Tillerson in Washington earlier this week alongside his counterparts from the other Baltic nations of Lithuania and Estonia.</p>
<p>Tillerson repeated U.S. desires for NATO to do more to fight terrorism, but he offered no concrete requests and said the Trump administration was still working on specific roles in which NATO could contribute. Although NATO has increased training for Iraqi troops and offered its AWACS surveillance planes to help efforts to defeat the Islamic State, many alliance nations remain skeptical about how well NATO’s structures are suited for counterterrorism.</p>
<p>Skeptical diplomats say the intelligence agencies and police forces of individual NATO nations are better-adapted to fighting domestic terrorism threats. Direct intervention on the ground in Syria and Iraq may be most effective if countries offer their militaries on an individual basis rather than in a joint effort through NATO structures, they say.</p>
<p>The NATO meeting came after a one-day trip to Ankara, where Tillerson met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top deputies in a bid to build ties despite tensions over clashing approaches to fighting the Islamic State in Syria. It was Tillerson’s second trip to Europe since he hopped to the State Department from his previous position as chief executive of ExxonMobil.</p>
<p>Sign up for the Today’s WorldView Newsletter The Washington Post.</p>
| 6,169 |
<p>On February 18, federal prosecutors <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/saint-paul-man-indicted-dealing-firearms-without-license" type="external">announced</a> a rare indictment for unlicensed gun dealing. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota charged Eitan Benjamin Feldman, a 28-year-old St. Paul resident, with selling firearms without a license and lying on federal background check forms. It marks the government’s first high profile case against an unlicensed gun seller since President Barack Obama unveiled an executive action in January to clarify who is “engaged in the business” of selling guns.</p>
<p>The indictment alleges that Feldman essentially flipped guns the way a small-time developer might flip houses. Purchasing weapons from out-of-state sellers on Armslist — a <a href="" type="internal">website likened to Craigslist</a>, where anyone can post classifieds and arrange private sales — he then had them shipped to a local gun store, where he’d undergo a background check before briefly taking possession of them. Days or weeks later, Feldman would relist the guns on Armslist and sell them at a markup to in-state buyers, without putting the new buyers&#160;through background checks. Over a period of two years, ending this January, he allegedly sold 41 guns through his scheme.</p>
<p>Despite the timing of the prosecutor’s announcement, it does not appear that President Obama’s executive actions pushed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Attorney to pursue the case. Feldman was already on the ATF’s radar in <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/file/826366/download" type="external">July of last year</a>, when agents learned that a gun he’d resold had been recovered at a crime scene. When the Bureau searched his home, Feldman claimed he was merely a collector offloading old guns. No charges were filed.</p>
<p>Three months later, in October, another gun Feldman had sold turned up in a criminal investigation. This time the ATF issued a written warning. Finally, in December, a month before Obama’s televised address, Feldman sold guns to undercover federal agents in a shopping mall parking lot. On Thursday, he was arrested.</p>
<p>Put together, Feldman’s purported actions fit the mold for an ideal case against an unlicensed gun dealer. Several of the guns he sold were used in crimes, a clear indication that his operation posed a threat to public safety. He allegedly often resold guns for a profit only days after purchasing them, which cast doubt on his explanation that he was just rotating his personal collection. And he was warned by the ATF but continued selling guns anyway.</p>
<p>Successful prosecutions of unlicensed sellers have been very rare. Offenders must exhibit patterns of criminal behavior that are so flagrant and well-documented that law enforcement officers and prosecutors believe that charges will stick. (According to the <a href="http://www.startribune.com/federal-charges-brought-against-st-paul-man-accused-of-illegally-selling-guns-online/369301451/" type="external">Minneapolis Star Tribune</a>, Thursday’s announcement represents only the third case against an unlicensed dealer prosecuted in Minnesota in the last decade.) That’s because the law against unlicensed dealing relies on a <a href="" type="internal">vague definition</a> of who is “engaged in the business” of selling guns, which rests on motive rather than a numerical threshold for number of guns sold or amount of revenue generated. Investigators and prosecutors must prove defendants intended to make a profit, and proving intent in court is difficult.</p>
<p>Except for when it’s not. “Wherever that line is,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said at a press conference yesterday, “Mr. Feldman crossed it some time ago.”</p>
<p>[Photo: Shutterstock]</p>
|
Rare Federal Charges Brought Against Minnesota Man Who Flipped Guns Like Real Estate
| false |
https://thetrace.org/2016/02/federal-charges-unlicensed-gun-dealer-minnesota/
|
2016-02-19
| 3left-center
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Rare Federal Charges Brought Against Minnesota Man Who Flipped Guns Like Real Estate
<p>On February 18, federal prosecutors <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/saint-paul-man-indicted-dealing-firearms-without-license" type="external">announced</a> a rare indictment for unlicensed gun dealing. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota charged Eitan Benjamin Feldman, a 28-year-old St. Paul resident, with selling firearms without a license and lying on federal background check forms. It marks the government’s first high profile case against an unlicensed gun seller since President Barack Obama unveiled an executive action in January to clarify who is “engaged in the business” of selling guns.</p>
<p>The indictment alleges that Feldman essentially flipped guns the way a small-time developer might flip houses. Purchasing weapons from out-of-state sellers on Armslist — a <a href="" type="internal">website likened to Craigslist</a>, where anyone can post classifieds and arrange private sales — he then had them shipped to a local gun store, where he’d undergo a background check before briefly taking possession of them. Days or weeks later, Feldman would relist the guns on Armslist and sell them at a markup to in-state buyers, without putting the new buyers&#160;through background checks. Over a period of two years, ending this January, he allegedly sold 41 guns through his scheme.</p>
<p>Despite the timing of the prosecutor’s announcement, it does not appear that President Obama’s executive actions pushed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Attorney to pursue the case. Feldman was already on the ATF’s radar in <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/file/826366/download" type="external">July of last year</a>, when agents learned that a gun he’d resold had been recovered at a crime scene. When the Bureau searched his home, Feldman claimed he was merely a collector offloading old guns. No charges were filed.</p>
<p>Three months later, in October, another gun Feldman had sold turned up in a criminal investigation. This time the ATF issued a written warning. Finally, in December, a month before Obama’s televised address, Feldman sold guns to undercover federal agents in a shopping mall parking lot. On Thursday, he was arrested.</p>
<p>Put together, Feldman’s purported actions fit the mold for an ideal case against an unlicensed gun dealer. Several of the guns he sold were used in crimes, a clear indication that his operation posed a threat to public safety. He allegedly often resold guns for a profit only days after purchasing them, which cast doubt on his explanation that he was just rotating his personal collection. And he was warned by the ATF but continued selling guns anyway.</p>
<p>Successful prosecutions of unlicensed sellers have been very rare. Offenders must exhibit patterns of criminal behavior that are so flagrant and well-documented that law enforcement officers and prosecutors believe that charges will stick. (According to the <a href="http://www.startribune.com/federal-charges-brought-against-st-paul-man-accused-of-illegally-selling-guns-online/369301451/" type="external">Minneapolis Star Tribune</a>, Thursday’s announcement represents only the third case against an unlicensed dealer prosecuted in Minnesota in the last decade.) That’s because the law against unlicensed dealing relies on a <a href="" type="internal">vague definition</a> of who is “engaged in the business” of selling guns, which rests on motive rather than a numerical threshold for number of guns sold or amount of revenue generated. Investigators and prosecutors must prove defendants intended to make a profit, and proving intent in court is difficult.</p>
<p>Except for when it’s not. “Wherever that line is,” U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said at a press conference yesterday, “Mr. Feldman crossed it some time ago.”</p>
<p>[Photo: Shutterstock]</p>
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<p>This <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175198/" type="external">story</a> first appeared on the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/" type="external">TomDispatch</a> website.</p>
<p>[Note for TomDispatch Readers: In May 2005, Howard Zinn graduated TomDispatchers into the world via a commencement address posted at this site. He had delivered it at Spelman College, the school that, decades earlier, fired him as chair of its history department because of his civil rights activities. It had the perfect Zinnian title that summed up the man: <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/2728/howard_zinn_against_discouragement" type="external">“Against Discouragement.”</a>&#160;&#160;When, that September, I sat down with him to conduct the&#160; <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/20715/howard_zinn_the_outer_limits_of_empire" type="external">first ever TomDispatch interview</a>, I wrote: “At 83 (though he looks a decade younger), he is… a veteran of a rugged century and yet there’s nothing backward looking about him. His voice is quiet and he clearly takes himself with a grain of salt, chuckling wryly on occasion at his own comments. From time to time, when a thought pleases him and his well-used face lights up or breaks out in a bona fide grin, he looks positively boyish.”&#160;</p>
<p>In August 2009, when I last saw the man who put Americans back in their own history, he seemed thinner and a little more stooped, but no less vibrantly alive, no less eager to face the world to come. He was talking with gusto and amusement about a TV show based on his classic book&#160; <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174913" type="external">A People’s History of the United States</a>, which he&#160; <a href="http://howardzinn.org/default/" type="external">lived to see</a>&#160;broadcast. He spoke about being amazed that the History channel would agree to do such a show—until he met its new chief, a woman who told him she had been in a class of his 30 years earlier. That was Howard. He had an everyday way of inspiring and he stuck with you. He&#160; <a href="http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/122681.html" type="external">died</a>&#160;last Thursday at 87. I can almost see him now and I feel filled with sadness. Tom]</p>
<p>Sometimes it pays to read a news story to the last paragraph where a reporter can slip in that little gem for the news jockeys, or maybe just for the hell of it. You know, the irresistible bit that doesn’t fit comfortably into the larger news frame, but that can be packed away in the place most of your readers will never get near, where your editor is likely to give you a free pass.</p>
<p>So it was, undoubtedly, with New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller, who accompanied Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as he&#160; <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8471789.stm" type="external">stumbled</a>&#160;through a challenge-filled,&#160; <a href="http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/16-gates-faux-pas-opens-the-door-to-criticism-hs-05" type="external">error-prone</a>&#160;two-day trip to Pakistan. Gates must have felt a little like a punching bag by the time he boarded his plane for home having, as Juan Cole&#160; <a href="http://www.juancole.com/2010/01/gates-strikes-out-in-pakistan.html" type="external">pointed out</a>, managed to signal “that the U.S. is now increasingly tilting to India and wants to put it in charge of Afghanistan security; that Pakistan is isolated… and that Pakistani conspiracy theories about Blackwater were perfectly correct and he had admitted it. In baseball terms, Gates struck out.”</p>
<p>In any case, here are the last two paragraphs of Bumiller’s parting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/world/asia/24military.html" type="external">January 23rd piece</a> on the trip:</p>
<p>Mr. Gates, who repeatedly told the Pakistanis that he regretted their country’s ‘trust deficit’ with the United States and that Americans had made a grave mistake in abandoning Pakistan after the Russians left Afghanistan, promised the military officers that the United States would do better.</p>
<p>His final message delivered, he relaxed on the 14-hour trip home by watching ‘Seven Days in May,’ the cold war-era film about an attempted military coup in the United States.”</p>
<p>Just in case you’ve forgotten, three major cautionary political films came out in the anxiety-ridden year of 1964, not so long after the Cuban Missile crisis—of which only <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/" type="external">Dr. Strangelove</a>, Stanley Kubrick’s classic vision of the end of the world, American-style, is much remembered today. (“I don’t say we wouldn’t get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than ten to twenty million people killed.”)</p>
<p>All three concerned nuclear politics, “oops” moments, and Washington. The second was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058083/" type="external">Fail Safe</a>, in which a computerized nuclear response system too fast for human intervention malfunctions and fails to stop an erroneous nuclear attack on Moscow, forcing an American president to save the world by nuking New York City. It was basically Dr. Strangelove done straight (though it’s worth pointing out that Americans loved to stomp New York City in their fantasies long <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/118775/9_11_an_explosion_out_of_the_towering_inferno_" type="external">before 9/11</a>).</p>
<p>The third was the Secretary of Defense’s top pick, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058576/" type="external">Seven Days in May</a>, which came with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi813826329/" type="external">this tagline</a>: “You are soon to be shaken by the most awesome seven days in your life!” In it, a right-wing four-star general linked to an incipient fascist movement attempts to carry out a coup d’état against a dovish president who has just signed a nuclear disarmament pact with the Soviet Union. The plot is uncovered and defused by a Marine colonel played by Kirk Douglas. (“I’m suggesting, Mr. President, there’s a military plot to take over the government, and it may occur sometime this coming Sunday…”)</p>
<p>These were, of course, the liberal worries of a long-gone time. Now, one of the films is iconic and the other two clunky hoots. All three would make a perfect film festival for a Secretary of Defense with 14 hours to spare. Just the sort of retro fantasy stuff you could kick back and enjoy after a couple of rocky days on the road, especially if you were headed for a “homeland” where <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175196/tomgram%3A_our_wars_are_killing_us__/" type="external">no one</a> had a bad, or even a challenging, thing to say about you. After all, in the last two decades our fantasies about nuclear apocalypse <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/01/25/a_failure_to_imagine_the_worst?page=0,1" type="external">have shrunk</a> to a far more localized scale, and a military plot to take over the government is entertainingly outré exactly because, in the Washington of 2010, such a thought is ludicrous. After all, every week in Washington is now the twenty-first century equivalent of Seven Days in May come true.</p>
<p>Think of the week after the Secretary of Defense flew home, for instance, as Seven Days in January.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/155849586X/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external" />After all, if Gates was blindsided in Pakistan, he already knew that a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34488925" type="external">$626 billion Pentagon budget</a>, including more than $128 billion in war-fighting funds, had passed Congress in December and that his next budget for fiscal year 2011 (soon to be submitted) might well cross the <a href="http://wire.antiwar.com/2010/01/13/obama-wants-record-708-billion-for-wars-next-year-3/" type="external">$700 billion mark</a>. He probably also knew that, in the upcoming <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-state-union-address" type="external">State of the Union Address</a>, President Obama was going to announce a three-year freeze on discretionary domestic spending starting in 2011, but leave national security expenditures of any sort <a href="" type="internal">distinctly unfrozen</a>. He undoubtedly knew as well that, in the week after his return, news would come out that the president was going to <a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE60P01K20100126" type="external">ask</a> Congress for $14.2 billion extra, most for 2011, to train and massively bulk up the Afghan security forces, <a href="http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0110/012210cdam1.htm" type="external">more than doubling</a> the funds already approved by Congress for 2010.</p>
<p>Or consider that only days after his plane landed, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2611591520100126?type=marketsNews" type="external">released</a> its latest “budget outlook” indicating that the Iraq and Afghan Wars had already cost the American taxpayer more than $1 trillion in Congressionally-approved dollars, with no end in sight. Just as the non-freeze on defense spending in the State of the Union Address <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2242790/" type="external">caused</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/28/pelosi-defense-pork-shoul_n_440389.html" type="external">next to</a> no <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/26-2" type="external">mainstream comment</a>, so there would be no significant media response to this (and these costs didn’t even include the massive projected societal price of the two wars, including future care for wounded soldiers and the replacement of worn out or destroyed equipment, which will run <a href="http://news.antiwar.com/2010/01/26/price-of-us-wars-1-trillion-and-rising/" type="external">so much higher</a>).</p>
<p>Each of these announcements could be considered another little coup for the Pentagon and the U.S. military to count. Each was part of Pentagon blank-check-ism in Washington. Each represented a national security establishment ascendant in a way that the makers of Seven Days in May might have found hard to grasp.</p>
<p>To put just the president’s domestic cost-cutting plan in a Pentagon context: If his freeze on domestic programs were to go through Congress intact (an unlikely possibility), it would still be chicken-feed in the cost-cutting sweepstakes. The president’s team estimates savings of <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/26/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6142388.shtml" type="external">$250 billion</a> over 10 years. On the other hand, the <a href="http://www.nationalpriorities.org/" type="external">National Priorities Project</a> has done some sober figuring, based on projections from the Office of Management and Budget, and finds that, over the same decade, the total increase in the Pentagon budget should come to $522 billion. (And keep in mind that that figure doesn’t include possible increases in the budgets of the <a href="http://www.hstoday.us/content/view/11968/151/" type="external">Department of Homeland Security</a>, non-military intelligence agencies, or even any future war-fighting supplemental funds appropriated by Congress.) That $250 billion in cuts, then, would be but a small brake on the guaranteed further rise of national-security spending. American life, in other words, is being sacrificed to the very infrastructure meant to provide this country’s citizens with “safety.” That’s what seven days in January really means.</p>
<p>Or consider that $14.2 billion meant for the Afghan military and police. Forget, for a moment, all the <a href="http://rethinkafghanistan.com/blog/?p=1442" type="external">obvious doubts</a> about training, by 2014, up to <a href="http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_afghan_army_illiteracy_091409/" type="external">400,000</a> Afghans for a force <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175128/ann_jones_us_or_them_in_afghanistan" type="external">bleeding deserters</a> and evidently whipping future Taliban fighters into shape, or the fact that impoverished Afghanistan will never be able to afford such a vast security apparatus (which means it’s ours to fund into the distant future), or even that many of those training dollars may go to <a href="http://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/article_058674ac-d398-5c12-8dab-9bd408341d90.html" type="external">Xe Services</a> (formerly Blackwater) or other mercenary private contracting companies. Just think for a minute, instead, about the fact that the State of the Union Address offered not a hint that a single further dollar would go to train an adult American, especially an out-of-work one, in anything whatsoever.</p>
<p>Hollywood loves remakes, but a word of advice to those who admire the Secretary of Defense’s movie tastes: do as he did and get the old Seven Days in May from Netflix. Unlike Star Trek, James Bond, Bewitched, and other sixties “classics,” Seven Days isn’t likely to come back, not even if Matt Damon were available to play the Marine colonel who saves the country from a military takeover, because these days there’s little left to save—and every week is the Pentagon’s week in Washington.</p>
<p>[Note: My thanks to Chris Hellman, director of research for the National Priorities Project, and <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175179/tomgram:_jo_comerford,_afghan_war_costs_101/" type="external">Jo Comerford</a>, its executive director, for checking on, and crunching, some Pentagon numbers for me. A small bow as well to TomDispatch regular William Astore for <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175193/tomgram:_william_astore,_going_rogue_in_combat_boots__/" type="external">first bringing up</a> the issue of military coups at this site in mid-January and beating the Secretary of Defense to the punch with this sentence: “Don’t expect a Seven Days in May scenario.”]</p>
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Seven Days in January
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https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/02/seven-days-january-robert-gates/
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2010-02-01
| 4left
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Seven Days in January
<p>This <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175198/" type="external">story</a> first appeared on the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/" type="external">TomDispatch</a> website.</p>
<p>[Note for TomDispatch Readers: In May 2005, Howard Zinn graduated TomDispatchers into the world via a commencement address posted at this site. He had delivered it at Spelman College, the school that, decades earlier, fired him as chair of its history department because of his civil rights activities. It had the perfect Zinnian title that summed up the man: <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/2728/howard_zinn_against_discouragement" type="external">“Against Discouragement.”</a>&#160;&#160;When, that September, I sat down with him to conduct the&#160; <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/20715/howard_zinn_the_outer_limits_of_empire" type="external">first ever TomDispatch interview</a>, I wrote: “At 83 (though he looks a decade younger), he is… a veteran of a rugged century and yet there’s nothing backward looking about him. His voice is quiet and he clearly takes himself with a grain of salt, chuckling wryly on occasion at his own comments. From time to time, when a thought pleases him and his well-used face lights up or breaks out in a bona fide grin, he looks positively boyish.”&#160;</p>
<p>In August 2009, when I last saw the man who put Americans back in their own history, he seemed thinner and a little more stooped, but no less vibrantly alive, no less eager to face the world to come. He was talking with gusto and amusement about a TV show based on his classic book&#160; <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174913" type="external">A People’s History of the United States</a>, which he&#160; <a href="http://howardzinn.org/default/" type="external">lived to see</a>&#160;broadcast. He spoke about being amazed that the History channel would agree to do such a show—until he met its new chief, a woman who told him she had been in a class of his 30 years earlier. That was Howard. He had an everyday way of inspiring and he stuck with you. He&#160; <a href="http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/122681.html" type="external">died</a>&#160;last Thursday at 87. I can almost see him now and I feel filled with sadness. Tom]</p>
<p>Sometimes it pays to read a news story to the last paragraph where a reporter can slip in that little gem for the news jockeys, or maybe just for the hell of it. You know, the irresistible bit that doesn’t fit comfortably into the larger news frame, but that can be packed away in the place most of your readers will never get near, where your editor is likely to give you a free pass.</p>
<p>So it was, undoubtedly, with New York Times reporter Elisabeth Bumiller, who accompanied Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as he&#160; <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8471789.stm" type="external">stumbled</a>&#160;through a challenge-filled,&#160; <a href="http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/16-gates-faux-pas-opens-the-door-to-criticism-hs-05" type="external">error-prone</a>&#160;two-day trip to Pakistan. Gates must have felt a little like a punching bag by the time he boarded his plane for home having, as Juan Cole&#160; <a href="http://www.juancole.com/2010/01/gates-strikes-out-in-pakistan.html" type="external">pointed out</a>, managed to signal “that the U.S. is now increasingly tilting to India and wants to put it in charge of Afghanistan security; that Pakistan is isolated… and that Pakistani conspiracy theories about Blackwater were perfectly correct and he had admitted it. In baseball terms, Gates struck out.”</p>
<p>In any case, here are the last two paragraphs of Bumiller’s parting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/world/asia/24military.html" type="external">January 23rd piece</a> on the trip:</p>
<p>Mr. Gates, who repeatedly told the Pakistanis that he regretted their country’s ‘trust deficit’ with the United States and that Americans had made a grave mistake in abandoning Pakistan after the Russians left Afghanistan, promised the military officers that the United States would do better.</p>
<p>His final message delivered, he relaxed on the 14-hour trip home by watching ‘Seven Days in May,’ the cold war-era film about an attempted military coup in the United States.”</p>
<p>Just in case you’ve forgotten, three major cautionary political films came out in the anxiety-ridden year of 1964, not so long after the Cuban Missile crisis—of which only <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/" type="external">Dr. Strangelove</a>, Stanley Kubrick’s classic vision of the end of the world, American-style, is much remembered today. (“I don’t say we wouldn’t get our hair mussed, but I do say no more than ten to twenty million people killed.”)</p>
<p>All three concerned nuclear politics, “oops” moments, and Washington. The second was <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058083/" type="external">Fail Safe</a>, in which a computerized nuclear response system too fast for human intervention malfunctions and fails to stop an erroneous nuclear attack on Moscow, forcing an American president to save the world by nuking New York City. It was basically Dr. Strangelove done straight (though it’s worth pointing out that Americans loved to stomp New York City in their fantasies long <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/118775/9_11_an_explosion_out_of_the_towering_inferno_" type="external">before 9/11</a>).</p>
<p>The third was the Secretary of Defense’s top pick, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058576/" type="external">Seven Days in May</a>, which came with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi813826329/" type="external">this tagline</a>: “You are soon to be shaken by the most awesome seven days in your life!” In it, a right-wing four-star general linked to an incipient fascist movement attempts to carry out a coup d’état against a dovish president who has just signed a nuclear disarmament pact with the Soviet Union. The plot is uncovered and defused by a Marine colonel played by Kirk Douglas. (“I’m suggesting, Mr. President, there’s a military plot to take over the government, and it may occur sometime this coming Sunday…”)</p>
<p>These were, of course, the liberal worries of a long-gone time. Now, one of the films is iconic and the other two clunky hoots. All three would make a perfect film festival for a Secretary of Defense with 14 hours to spare. Just the sort of retro fantasy stuff you could kick back and enjoy after a couple of rocky days on the road, especially if you were headed for a “homeland” where <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175196/tomgram%3A_our_wars_are_killing_us__/" type="external">no one</a> had a bad, or even a challenging, thing to say about you. After all, in the last two decades our fantasies about nuclear apocalypse <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/01/25/a_failure_to_imagine_the_worst?page=0,1" type="external">have shrunk</a> to a far more localized scale, and a military plot to take over the government is entertainingly outré exactly because, in the Washington of 2010, such a thought is ludicrous. After all, every week in Washington is now the twenty-first century equivalent of Seven Days in May come true.</p>
<p>Think of the week after the Secretary of Defense flew home, for instance, as Seven Days in January.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/155849586X/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external" />After all, if Gates was blindsided in Pakistan, he already knew that a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34488925" type="external">$626 billion Pentagon budget</a>, including more than $128 billion in war-fighting funds, had passed Congress in December and that his next budget for fiscal year 2011 (soon to be submitted) might well cross the <a href="http://wire.antiwar.com/2010/01/13/obama-wants-record-708-billion-for-wars-next-year-3/" type="external">$700 billion mark</a>. He probably also knew that, in the upcoming <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-state-union-address" type="external">State of the Union Address</a>, President Obama was going to announce a three-year freeze on discretionary domestic spending starting in 2011, but leave national security expenditures of any sort <a href="" type="internal">distinctly unfrozen</a>. He undoubtedly knew as well that, in the week after his return, news would come out that the president was going to <a href="http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE60P01K20100126" type="external">ask</a> Congress for $14.2 billion extra, most for 2011, to train and massively bulk up the Afghan security forces, <a href="http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0110/012210cdam1.htm" type="external">more than doubling</a> the funds already approved by Congress for 2010.</p>
<p>Or consider that only days after his plane landed, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2611591520100126?type=marketsNews" type="external">released</a> its latest “budget outlook” indicating that the Iraq and Afghan Wars had already cost the American taxpayer more than $1 trillion in Congressionally-approved dollars, with no end in sight. Just as the non-freeze on defense spending in the State of the Union Address <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2242790/" type="external">caused</a> <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/28/pelosi-defense-pork-shoul_n_440389.html" type="external">next to</a> no <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/01/26-2" type="external">mainstream comment</a>, so there would be no significant media response to this (and these costs didn’t even include the massive projected societal price of the two wars, including future care for wounded soldiers and the replacement of worn out or destroyed equipment, which will run <a href="http://news.antiwar.com/2010/01/26/price-of-us-wars-1-trillion-and-rising/" type="external">so much higher</a>).</p>
<p>Each of these announcements could be considered another little coup for the Pentagon and the U.S. military to count. Each was part of Pentagon blank-check-ism in Washington. Each represented a national security establishment ascendant in a way that the makers of Seven Days in May might have found hard to grasp.</p>
<p>To put just the president’s domestic cost-cutting plan in a Pentagon context: If his freeze on domestic programs were to go through Congress intact (an unlikely possibility), it would still be chicken-feed in the cost-cutting sweepstakes. The president’s team estimates savings of <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/26/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6142388.shtml" type="external">$250 billion</a> over 10 years. On the other hand, the <a href="http://www.nationalpriorities.org/" type="external">National Priorities Project</a> has done some sober figuring, based on projections from the Office of Management and Budget, and finds that, over the same decade, the total increase in the Pentagon budget should come to $522 billion. (And keep in mind that that figure doesn’t include possible increases in the budgets of the <a href="http://www.hstoday.us/content/view/11968/151/" type="external">Department of Homeland Security</a>, non-military intelligence agencies, or even any future war-fighting supplemental funds appropriated by Congress.) That $250 billion in cuts, then, would be but a small brake on the guaranteed further rise of national-security spending. American life, in other words, is being sacrificed to the very infrastructure meant to provide this country’s citizens with “safety.” That’s what seven days in January really means.</p>
<p>Or consider that $14.2 billion meant for the Afghan military and police. Forget, for a moment, all the <a href="http://rethinkafghanistan.com/blog/?p=1442" type="external">obvious doubts</a> about training, by 2014, up to <a href="http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/09/ap_afghan_army_illiteracy_091409/" type="external">400,000</a> Afghans for a force <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175128/ann_jones_us_or_them_in_afghanistan" type="external">bleeding deserters</a> and evidently whipping future Taliban fighters into shape, or the fact that impoverished Afghanistan will never be able to afford such a vast security apparatus (which means it’s ours to fund into the distant future), or even that many of those training dollars may go to <a href="http://www.heraldextra.com/news/world/article_058674ac-d398-5c12-8dab-9bd408341d90.html" type="external">Xe Services</a> (formerly Blackwater) or other mercenary private contracting companies. Just think for a minute, instead, about the fact that the State of the Union Address offered not a hint that a single further dollar would go to train an adult American, especially an out-of-work one, in anything whatsoever.</p>
<p>Hollywood loves remakes, but a word of advice to those who admire the Secretary of Defense’s movie tastes: do as he did and get the old Seven Days in May from Netflix. Unlike Star Trek, James Bond, Bewitched, and other sixties “classics,” Seven Days isn’t likely to come back, not even if Matt Damon were available to play the Marine colonel who saves the country from a military takeover, because these days there’s little left to save—and every week is the Pentagon’s week in Washington.</p>
<p>[Note: My thanks to Chris Hellman, director of research for the National Priorities Project, and <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175179/tomgram:_jo_comerford,_afghan_war_costs_101/" type="external">Jo Comerford</a>, its executive director, for checking on, and crunching, some Pentagon numbers for me. A small bow as well to TomDispatch regular William Astore for <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175193/tomgram:_william_astore,_going_rogue_in_combat_boots__/" type="external">first bringing up</a> the issue of military coups at this site in mid-January and beating the Secretary of Defense to the punch with this sentence: “Don’t expect a Seven Days in May scenario.”]</p>
| 6,171 |
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>SAN FRANCISCO -- The nation's newspapers are filled with reports of baby sitters, coaches, educators and priests accused of sexually assaulting minors decades ago. Most such allegations come in lawsuits seeking monetary damages, partly because the cases are so old they can't be criminally prosecuted.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
|
U.S. Supreme Court To Review Molestation Ruling
| false |
https://poynter.org/news/us-supreme-court-review-molestation-ruling
|
2003-03-22
| 2least
|
U.S. Supreme Court To Review Molestation Ruling
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p>SAN FRANCISCO -- The nation's newspapers are filled with reports of baby sitters, coaches, educators and priests accused of sexually assaulting minors decades ago. Most such allegations come in lawsuits seeking monetary damages, partly because the cases are so old they can't be criminally prosecuted.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
| 6,172 |
<p>Further to my posts <a href="" type="internal">below</a> about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/23/opinion/frum-guns/index.html" type="external">guns</a> and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/30/opinion/frum-guns-safer/index.html" type="external">safety</a>:</p>
<p>Twitter follower <a href="https://twitter.com/reedfrich" type="external">@reedfrich</a> forwards another <a href="http://www.stat.duke.edu/~dalene/chance/chanceweb/103.myth0.pdf" type="external">study</a> debunking the claim of "2.5 million defensive gun uses per year."</p>
<p>The estimate of 2.5 million self-defense gun uses per year leads to many other absurd conclusions. For example, the number of respondents who claim to have used a gun against rape and robbery suggests that victims of these attempted crimes are more likely to use a gun against the offender than the attackers are to use a gun against the victim - even though the criminal chooses the time and place for the attack, most citizens do not own guns, and very few carry guns.</p>
<p>David Hemenway, the author of this debunking, traces the overstatement of defensive gun uses to an inherent statistical problem: with very rare events (like defensive gun use), seemingly small sampling errors can lead to very large overstatements of incidence.</p>
<p>Say that survey findings are a 1% overestimate of the true incidence. If the true incidence were 40%, estimating it at 41% might not be a problem. But if the true incidence were .2%, measuring it as 1.2% would be six times higher than the true rate, and if the true incidence were .1%, measuring it at 1.1% would be a teen fold overestimate.</p>
<p>How might this work in practice? Hemenway offers a funny example.</p>
<p>In May 1994, ABC News and The Washington Post conducted a national random-digit-dial telephone survey of over 1,500 adults. One question asked: "Have you yourself ever seen anything that you believe was a spacecraft from another planet?" Ten percent of respondents answered in the affirmative. These 150 individuals were then asked, "Have you personally ever been in contact with aliens from another planet or not?" and 6% answered "Yes."</p>
<p>Extrapolating to the U.S. population as a whole, we might conclude that 20 million Americans have seen an alien spacecraft, and 1.2 million have been in actual contact with beings from other planets.</p>
<p>I wouldn't want to suggest that defensive gun use against real dangers (i.e, not carrying a shotgun to investigate raccoons rooting through the trash) is quite so rare as contact with extra-terrestrials. But it's rare enough that conscientious people should think very hard about exposing themselves, their children, and their loved ones to the large and amply documented dangers of a weapon in the house.</p>
|
Guns Don't Make You Safer, Ctd.
| true |
https://thedailybeast.com/guns-dont-make-you-safer-ctd
|
2018-10-06
| 4left
|
Guns Don't Make You Safer, Ctd.
<p>Further to my posts <a href="" type="internal">below</a> about <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/23/opinion/frum-guns/index.html" type="external">guns</a> and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/30/opinion/frum-guns-safer/index.html" type="external">safety</a>:</p>
<p>Twitter follower <a href="https://twitter.com/reedfrich" type="external">@reedfrich</a> forwards another <a href="http://www.stat.duke.edu/~dalene/chance/chanceweb/103.myth0.pdf" type="external">study</a> debunking the claim of "2.5 million defensive gun uses per year."</p>
<p>The estimate of 2.5 million self-defense gun uses per year leads to many other absurd conclusions. For example, the number of respondents who claim to have used a gun against rape and robbery suggests that victims of these attempted crimes are more likely to use a gun against the offender than the attackers are to use a gun against the victim - even though the criminal chooses the time and place for the attack, most citizens do not own guns, and very few carry guns.</p>
<p>David Hemenway, the author of this debunking, traces the overstatement of defensive gun uses to an inherent statistical problem: with very rare events (like defensive gun use), seemingly small sampling errors can lead to very large overstatements of incidence.</p>
<p>Say that survey findings are a 1% overestimate of the true incidence. If the true incidence were 40%, estimating it at 41% might not be a problem. But if the true incidence were .2%, measuring it as 1.2% would be six times higher than the true rate, and if the true incidence were .1%, measuring it at 1.1% would be a teen fold overestimate.</p>
<p>How might this work in practice? Hemenway offers a funny example.</p>
<p>In May 1994, ABC News and The Washington Post conducted a national random-digit-dial telephone survey of over 1,500 adults. One question asked: "Have you yourself ever seen anything that you believe was a spacecraft from another planet?" Ten percent of respondents answered in the affirmative. These 150 individuals were then asked, "Have you personally ever been in contact with aliens from another planet or not?" and 6% answered "Yes."</p>
<p>Extrapolating to the U.S. population as a whole, we might conclude that 20 million Americans have seen an alien spacecraft, and 1.2 million have been in actual contact with beings from other planets.</p>
<p>I wouldn't want to suggest that defensive gun use against real dangers (i.e, not carrying a shotgun to investigate raccoons rooting through the trash) is quite so rare as contact with extra-terrestrials. But it's rare enough that conscientious people should think very hard about exposing themselves, their children, and their loved ones to the large and amply documented dangers of a weapon in the house.</p>
| 6,173 |
<p>LIMA, Peru - Salsa blares from the cells and the pungent smell of cannabis smoke hangs in the air.</p>
<p>In the crowded, dingy corridors, prisoners cook lunch on tiny electric stoves, play cards and shoot the breeze. Tattooed, shirtless men hurry by, barely stopping as they exchange greetings.</p>
<p>One inmate pours me a shake from his blender. Made from a uniquely Peruvian mix of quinoa, oatmeal, banana, honey and cacao - it is delicious.</p>
<p>I am inside Lurigancho, Peru's largest prison, reputedly one of the toughest in South America. Built to house 2,500, its grimy, crumbling wings are currently home to some 7,000 inmates.</p>
<p>Other than sex offenders, there is no segregation. Hardened career criminals and violent offenders freely mingle with youngsters locked up for stealing a pair of sneakers.</p>
<p>Prisoners wear their own clothes and, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., are free to wander almost wherever they want in the jail.</p>
<p>Most are Peruvians but there is also a smattering of foreigners, everything from Americans to Africans. Many are cocaine mules - a low-profit, high-risk crime only committed by the desperate or the desperately stupid.</p>
<p>Read more: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/series/latin-america-prison-problems" type="external">In-depth series on Latin America's prison problems</a></p>
<p>Outside the wing, in the "market," entrepreneurial convicts hawk everything from second-hand clothes and pirate DVDs to fresh fruit and vegetables. One hires out cell phones, supposedly prohibited inside the jail.</p>
<p>Above us, on the roof of the wing, fighting cocks cluck and strut inside their pens.</p>
<p>Nearby, two prostitutes haggle with several inmates. Today is a men-only visitors' day but they have managed to get in somehow to service what must surely be the ultimate captive market.</p>
<p>"Nurses," an inmate grins, when I ask him about the women. "A social service," another explains, adding: "This place would explode without them."</p>
<p>It would not be the first time.</p>
<p>In 1986, Lurigancho and two other Peruvian prisons rioted. Taken by surprise, the government responded with indiscriminate violence, according to Peru's official Truth and Reconciliation Report.</p>
<p>At Lurigancho, police were responsible for the extra-judicial killings of more than 90 inmates, the report <a href="" type="external">states</a>.</p>
<p>That notorious incident has given rise to Lurigancho's lurid reputation. <a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/national-geographic-channel/all-videos/av-5991-6255/ngc-where-inmates-rule/" type="external">National Geographic</a> has even erroneously blamed most of those deaths on the prisoners themselves, using it to justify labeling Lurigancho as "one of South America's toughest prisons."</p>
<p>The truth is more prosaic but no less fascinating.</p>
<p>Shocking acts of violence do occur here - including the recent case of a Dutch inmate who <a href="http://www.larepublica.pe/30-11-2010/reo-holandes-asesina-joven-peruana-y-la-entierra-en-su-celda-de-lurigancho" type="external">killed</a> his Peruvian girlfriend and then entombed her below his cell's concrete floor.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/peru/120511/drug-rehab-fires-kill-addicts-lima" type="external">No escapting Peru's drug rehab fires</a></p>
<p>Yet most prisoners here are not dangerous. Otherwise, allowing them to move largely unhindered around the jail would be impossible. And Lurigancho would require far more than the 150 police officers who currently staff it.</p>
<p>The inmates I spoke with were nothing but courteous and friendly - and eager to explain how they were rebuilding their shattered lives. That included giving me a tour of the pottery and weaving workshops where they are mastering vocational skills as well as making products that are marketed as far away as Japan. (Pictured here are some of the prisoners' crafts. The Santa Claus-looking figure is known as an "equeco" and brings good luck.)</p>
<p />
<p>Yet what is truly shocking is the rampant, brazen corruption of the guards.</p>
<p>To enter Lurigancho, you have to pass multiple checks. The police officer at each barrier openly, shamelessly demands a bribe from me, usually "for a soft drink."</p>
<p>Once inside, I spot another officer at an internal checkpoint demanding cash from inmates to allow them to move from one area of the jail to another. "They are the biggest crooks here," a convict says in disgust.</p>
<p>Jose Avila, head of the prisons program at the Defensoria del Pueblo, Peru's official human rights ombudsman, <a href="http://www.defensoria.gob.pe/modules/Downloads/prensa/notas/2011/NP-316-11.pdf" type="external">says</a> corruption pervades the prison system.</p>
<p>"Corruption is very serious because if you have alcohol, drugs, arms and other forbidden objects, as well as unauthorized people, entering a jail, it puts the entire prison population at risk," he told GlobalPost.</p>
<p>Other woes highlighted by Avila <a href="http://www.defensoria.gob.pe/modules/Downloads/prensa/notas/2011/NP-306-11.pdf" type="external">include</a> the fact that Peru's prison population of 50,000 is roughly 70 percent more than the planned capacity of its 66 jails, with Lurigancho the most overcrowded of the lot.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, there are just 23 doctors to care for those prisoners. Predictably perhaps, the rate of TB among jail inmates is 20 times higher than outside.</p>
<p>Another problem is that the prisons authority, INPE, largely fails to meet its statutory obligation to provide opportunities for rehabilitation. The vast weaving and pottery workshops I saw were set up by a nonprofit group founded by a Catholic activist and funded by foreign aid.</p>
<p>According to the inmates, INPE has even attempted to shutter the workshops. Meanwhile, corrupt officials charge to let raw materials such as clay or wool into Lurigancho and finished products out to market.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/120217/peru-latin-america-economy-growth" type="external">Latin America's hidden growth story</a></p>
<p>INPE declined GlobalPost's request for an interview with its head, Jose Luis Perez.</p>
<p>In a country where many still live in grinding poverty, few are willing to argue for more resources for convicted criminals. Meanwhile, most fail to last long enough in Perez's challenging job to make any real impact.</p>
<p>"There are always going to be escapes or a riot within the first few months of someone taking up the job," Leonardo Caparros, a former acting head of INPE, told GlobalPost.</p>
<p>"There needs to be a political commitment to the president of INPE to give him time and protection. Otherwise some in the media will sensationalize what has happened, the president will lose his job and we will just be back to square one."&#160;</p>
|
Peru prison: from pot smoke to pottery class
| false |
https://pri.org/stories/2012-05-14/peru-prison-pot-smoke-pottery-class
|
2012-05-14
| 3left-center
|
Peru prison: from pot smoke to pottery class
<p>LIMA, Peru - Salsa blares from the cells and the pungent smell of cannabis smoke hangs in the air.</p>
<p>In the crowded, dingy corridors, prisoners cook lunch on tiny electric stoves, play cards and shoot the breeze. Tattooed, shirtless men hurry by, barely stopping as they exchange greetings.</p>
<p>One inmate pours me a shake from his blender. Made from a uniquely Peruvian mix of quinoa, oatmeal, banana, honey and cacao - it is delicious.</p>
<p>I am inside Lurigancho, Peru's largest prison, reputedly one of the toughest in South America. Built to house 2,500, its grimy, crumbling wings are currently home to some 7,000 inmates.</p>
<p>Other than sex offenders, there is no segregation. Hardened career criminals and violent offenders freely mingle with youngsters locked up for stealing a pair of sneakers.</p>
<p>Prisoners wear their own clothes and, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., are free to wander almost wherever they want in the jail.</p>
<p>Most are Peruvians but there is also a smattering of foreigners, everything from Americans to Africans. Many are cocaine mules - a low-profit, high-risk crime only committed by the desperate or the desperately stupid.</p>
<p>Read more: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/series/latin-america-prison-problems" type="external">In-depth series on Latin America's prison problems</a></p>
<p>Outside the wing, in the "market," entrepreneurial convicts hawk everything from second-hand clothes and pirate DVDs to fresh fruit and vegetables. One hires out cell phones, supposedly prohibited inside the jail.</p>
<p>Above us, on the roof of the wing, fighting cocks cluck and strut inside their pens.</p>
<p>Nearby, two prostitutes haggle with several inmates. Today is a men-only visitors' day but they have managed to get in somehow to service what must surely be the ultimate captive market.</p>
<p>"Nurses," an inmate grins, when I ask him about the women. "A social service," another explains, adding: "This place would explode without them."</p>
<p>It would not be the first time.</p>
<p>In 1986, Lurigancho and two other Peruvian prisons rioted. Taken by surprise, the government responded with indiscriminate violence, according to Peru's official Truth and Reconciliation Report.</p>
<p>At Lurigancho, police were responsible for the extra-judicial killings of more than 90 inmates, the report <a href="" type="external">states</a>.</p>
<p>That notorious incident has given rise to Lurigancho's lurid reputation. <a href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/national-geographic-channel/all-videos/av-5991-6255/ngc-where-inmates-rule/" type="external">National Geographic</a> has even erroneously blamed most of those deaths on the prisoners themselves, using it to justify labeling Lurigancho as "one of South America's toughest prisons."</p>
<p>The truth is more prosaic but no less fascinating.</p>
<p>Shocking acts of violence do occur here - including the recent case of a Dutch inmate who <a href="http://www.larepublica.pe/30-11-2010/reo-holandes-asesina-joven-peruana-y-la-entierra-en-su-celda-de-lurigancho" type="external">killed</a> his Peruvian girlfriend and then entombed her below his cell's concrete floor.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/peru/120511/drug-rehab-fires-kill-addicts-lima" type="external">No escapting Peru's drug rehab fires</a></p>
<p>Yet most prisoners here are not dangerous. Otherwise, allowing them to move largely unhindered around the jail would be impossible. And Lurigancho would require far more than the 150 police officers who currently staff it.</p>
<p>The inmates I spoke with were nothing but courteous and friendly - and eager to explain how they were rebuilding their shattered lives. That included giving me a tour of the pottery and weaving workshops where they are mastering vocational skills as well as making products that are marketed as far away as Japan. (Pictured here are some of the prisoners' crafts. The Santa Claus-looking figure is known as an "equeco" and brings good luck.)</p>
<p />
<p>Yet what is truly shocking is the rampant, brazen corruption of the guards.</p>
<p>To enter Lurigancho, you have to pass multiple checks. The police officer at each barrier openly, shamelessly demands a bribe from me, usually "for a soft drink."</p>
<p>Once inside, I spot another officer at an internal checkpoint demanding cash from inmates to allow them to move from one area of the jail to another. "They are the biggest crooks here," a convict says in disgust.</p>
<p>Jose Avila, head of the prisons program at the Defensoria del Pueblo, Peru's official human rights ombudsman, <a href="http://www.defensoria.gob.pe/modules/Downloads/prensa/notas/2011/NP-316-11.pdf" type="external">says</a> corruption pervades the prison system.</p>
<p>"Corruption is very serious because if you have alcohol, drugs, arms and other forbidden objects, as well as unauthorized people, entering a jail, it puts the entire prison population at risk," he told GlobalPost.</p>
<p>Other woes highlighted by Avila <a href="http://www.defensoria.gob.pe/modules/Downloads/prensa/notas/2011/NP-306-11.pdf" type="external">include</a> the fact that Peru's prison population of 50,000 is roughly 70 percent more than the planned capacity of its 66 jails, with Lurigancho the most overcrowded of the lot.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, there are just 23 doctors to care for those prisoners. Predictably perhaps, the rate of TB among jail inmates is 20 times higher than outside.</p>
<p>Another problem is that the prisons authority, INPE, largely fails to meet its statutory obligation to provide opportunities for rehabilitation. The vast weaving and pottery workshops I saw were set up by a nonprofit group founded by a Catholic activist and funded by foreign aid.</p>
<p>According to the inmates, INPE has even attempted to shutter the workshops. Meanwhile, corrupt officials charge to let raw materials such as clay or wool into Lurigancho and finished products out to market.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/120217/peru-latin-america-economy-growth" type="external">Latin America's hidden growth story</a></p>
<p>INPE declined GlobalPost's request for an interview with its head, Jose Luis Perez.</p>
<p>In a country where many still live in grinding poverty, few are willing to argue for more resources for convicted criminals. Meanwhile, most fail to last long enough in Perez's challenging job to make any real impact.</p>
<p>"There are always going to be escapes or a riot within the first few months of someone taking up the job," Leonardo Caparros, a former acting head of INPE, told GlobalPost.</p>
<p>"There needs to be a political commitment to the president of INPE to give him time and protection. Otherwise some in the media will sensationalize what has happened, the president will lose his job and we will just be back to square one."&#160;</p>
| 6,174 |
<p>There are some sick minds out there on the internet. Here are some of the nastiest memes that these people can come up with:</p>
<p>We’ve all been in this interview.</p>
<p>I groaned a bit.</p>
<p>Yes, this asshole is our president.</p>
<p>This llama isn’t taking your shit.</p>
<p>Jupiter rocks!</p>
<p>Once I’m in bed, I never want to get out of it.</p>
<p>Impressive.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>I might be okay with this.</p>
<p>This is totally me.</p>
<p>Featured image via <a href="https://twitter.com/ltsKermit/status/831231529158316033" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p>
|
Top 10 Memes Of The Week
| true |
http://offthemainpage.com/2017/02/23/top-10-memes-of-the-week/
|
2017-02-23
| 4left
|
Top 10 Memes Of The Week
<p>There are some sick minds out there on the internet. Here are some of the nastiest memes that these people can come up with:</p>
<p>We’ve all been in this interview.</p>
<p>I groaned a bit.</p>
<p>Yes, this asshole is our president.</p>
<p>This llama isn’t taking your shit.</p>
<p>Jupiter rocks!</p>
<p>Once I’m in bed, I never want to get out of it.</p>
<p>Impressive.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>I might be okay with this.</p>
<p>This is totally me.</p>
<p>Featured image via <a href="https://twitter.com/ltsKermit/status/831231529158316033" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p>
| 6,175 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Martha Evelia Janssen</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>AGE: 37</p>
<p>EDUCATION: I have a degree in Law from the Universidad Autonoma de Guerrero Mexico and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from UNM.</p>
<p>OCCUPATION: I work as an executive assistant for a financial advisory firm.</p>
<p>FAMILY: I have been married to Scott Janssen for 10 years and we have two daughters that currently attend Rio Rancho Public Schools.</p>
<p>POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: I do not have any government experience. I served as Distance Student Representative for the Public Administration Graduate Students Association (PAGSA) 2011-2012.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: Master’s degree.</p>
<p>MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: My family.</p>
<p>1. I definitely approve the concept of student performance as a factor in teacher evaluation but I think that there are several variables that need to be considered (for example school attendance) and can impact student performance.</p>
<p>2. We need to review areas that provide safety and security for all students and staff as well as the areas that would most positively impact teaching and learning, especially those related to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.</p>
<p>3. It is hard for me to evaluate Dr. Cleveland because I have not worked with her directly. As a new board member I will come with an open mind about the superintendent and her work as well as all staff.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>4. My priority is to do what is in the best interest of the students of the Rio Rancho Public Schools. My goal as a board member is to listen and to push for continuous improvement and to support and serve our community, students, parents, and staff.</p>
<p>5. I believe it is the funding. Rio Rancho has one of the lowest per pupil allocation rates in the state and still has been recognized for the quality of the institutional programs. I would like to see additional state funds to make sure we meet the educational needs of our students.</p>
<p>6. I am running for the school board because I strongly believe in the power of education and the community. I believe the success of a community is based on the education of its children.</p>
<p>7. It is my understanding that all board business should be conducted at the board table in a public meeting therefore I would not conduct business via email.</p>
<p>8. No.</p>
<p>9. No.</p>
<p>10. No.</p>
|
Rio Rancho Public Schools District 3
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/164870/headline-here-54.html
|
2013-01-31
| 2least
|
Rio Rancho Public Schools District 3
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Martha Evelia Janssen</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>AGE: 37</p>
<p>EDUCATION: I have a degree in Law from the Universidad Autonoma de Guerrero Mexico and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from UNM.</p>
<p>OCCUPATION: I work as an executive assistant for a financial advisory firm.</p>
<p>FAMILY: I have been married to Scott Janssen for 10 years and we have two daughters that currently attend Rio Rancho Public Schools.</p>
<p>POLITICAL/GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: I do not have any government experience. I served as Distance Student Representative for the Public Administration Graduate Students Association (PAGSA) 2011-2012.</p>
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<p>MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: Master’s degree.</p>
<p>MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT: My family.</p>
<p>1. I definitely approve the concept of student performance as a factor in teacher evaluation but I think that there are several variables that need to be considered (for example school attendance) and can impact student performance.</p>
<p>2. We need to review areas that provide safety and security for all students and staff as well as the areas that would most positively impact teaching and learning, especially those related to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.</p>
<p>3. It is hard for me to evaluate Dr. Cleveland because I have not worked with her directly. As a new board member I will come with an open mind about the superintendent and her work as well as all staff.</p>
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<p>4. My priority is to do what is in the best interest of the students of the Rio Rancho Public Schools. My goal as a board member is to listen and to push for continuous improvement and to support and serve our community, students, parents, and staff.</p>
<p>5. I believe it is the funding. Rio Rancho has one of the lowest per pupil allocation rates in the state and still has been recognized for the quality of the institutional programs. I would like to see additional state funds to make sure we meet the educational needs of our students.</p>
<p>6. I am running for the school board because I strongly believe in the power of education and the community. I believe the success of a community is based on the education of its children.</p>
<p>7. It is my understanding that all board business should be conducted at the board table in a public meeting therefore I would not conduct business via email.</p>
<p>8. No.</p>
<p>9. No.</p>
<p>10. No.</p>
| 6,176 |
<p>Abusers appear when we are most vulnerable. Mistaking their sweet nothings for REAL somethings, we slowly allow harmony to lose its last three letters.</p>
<p>Among the most calculating manipulators are the men and women we elect to represent our interests—but don’t. They have a vast menu from which to select their tactics.</p>
<p>They speak to our individualism and, then, tell us what all they’re doing on our behalf.</p>
<p>They demand our loyalty. Our servitude.</p>
<p>They juggle fear and hope, throwing sounds to our ears and images to our eyes, pushing beyond the bearable so gradually that the once unthinkable becomes commonplace.</p>
<p>They encourage us to shop and travel but to ALWAYS be alert, and report anything suspicious. “If you see something, say something,” Fascism Security Chief Janet Napolitano says, promoting the psychology of fear with a four-pronged campaign that includes locally run “fusion centers” for intelligence sharing. Fusion?</p>
<p>They offer engagement. Elections to provide the illusion of democracy. And meetings with constituents, another illusion of democracy. And websites, phone numbers, and emails addresses for our participation, more illusions of democracy.</p>
<p>And this security illusion: At the airport, we can move through Michael Chertoff’s radiation dose OR choose the great grope out, a search and seizure, to identify those who have something that’s ready to rumble in a crevice or cavity. Both are government-mandated condoms, for our protection. Our acquiescence is a partnership for Corporate America. A business. Uncle business.</p>
<p>They want us to believe that they are leveling the playing field. But “leveling” is code for reducing to rubble. They have reduced to rubble our civil liberties, opportunities, and our children’s future while further elevating the highest of the high rollers.</p>
<p>We have been rubbled raw.</p>
<p>They talk about health care but mean who cares. Their allegiance is to Big Insurance, at the table, writing the legislation, calling a plan ObamaCare when it should be named BigInsuranceCaresLess.</p>
<p>They repeal Glass-Steagall. Then, when the banks brew a toxic mess and are turning belly up and need bailing out, the Federal Reserve gives the Treasury to the Banksters. And, yes, that’s an upper class B with a whole lot of print, print, printing (out of thin air) going on, courtesy of taxpayer trillions. This is grand larceny. So, the same people who create the chaos have money at their fingertips, for themselves. Because they, the insatiably avaricious, gluttonous uber rich, fancy another yacht, a 12th mansion, island paradises, and STUFF.</p>
<p>They invade and occupy countries, demonizing and propagandizing, maiming and killing, and funding war with borrowed money and borrowed lives, while telling us that a democratic Middle East will vanquish the “jealousy” on which our “enemies” act. Meanwhile, they maintain ruthless regimes, planting dictators, seeding hatred, and spending billions on puppets who brutalize their own people at the bidding of U.S. Empire.</p>
<p>And we, as in We the People, crawl through weeds, past foreclosure signs, or sit, zombied, in front of television sets tuned to reality shows or “reporters” and guests who fictionalize both history and the news.</p>
<p>Exploitation continues until it doesn’t, when we say we won’t take it anymore. Sparks ignite dissent.</p>
<p>Right now, Egyptians non-violently are protesting what they will no longer tolerate. Justice must be long in arrears to form the healthy shape of uprising. Here, at home, justice remains unsettled.</p>
<p>Missy Beattie lives in Baltimore. She can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
|
Rubbled Raw
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2011/02/11/rubbled-raw/
|
2011-02-11
| 4left
|
Rubbled Raw
<p>Abusers appear when we are most vulnerable. Mistaking their sweet nothings for REAL somethings, we slowly allow harmony to lose its last three letters.</p>
<p>Among the most calculating manipulators are the men and women we elect to represent our interests—but don’t. They have a vast menu from which to select their tactics.</p>
<p>They speak to our individualism and, then, tell us what all they’re doing on our behalf.</p>
<p>They demand our loyalty. Our servitude.</p>
<p>They juggle fear and hope, throwing sounds to our ears and images to our eyes, pushing beyond the bearable so gradually that the once unthinkable becomes commonplace.</p>
<p>They encourage us to shop and travel but to ALWAYS be alert, and report anything suspicious. “If you see something, say something,” Fascism Security Chief Janet Napolitano says, promoting the psychology of fear with a four-pronged campaign that includes locally run “fusion centers” for intelligence sharing. Fusion?</p>
<p>They offer engagement. Elections to provide the illusion of democracy. And meetings with constituents, another illusion of democracy. And websites, phone numbers, and emails addresses for our participation, more illusions of democracy.</p>
<p>And this security illusion: At the airport, we can move through Michael Chertoff’s radiation dose OR choose the great grope out, a search and seizure, to identify those who have something that’s ready to rumble in a crevice or cavity. Both are government-mandated condoms, for our protection. Our acquiescence is a partnership for Corporate America. A business. Uncle business.</p>
<p>They want us to believe that they are leveling the playing field. But “leveling” is code for reducing to rubble. They have reduced to rubble our civil liberties, opportunities, and our children’s future while further elevating the highest of the high rollers.</p>
<p>We have been rubbled raw.</p>
<p>They talk about health care but mean who cares. Their allegiance is to Big Insurance, at the table, writing the legislation, calling a plan ObamaCare when it should be named BigInsuranceCaresLess.</p>
<p>They repeal Glass-Steagall. Then, when the banks brew a toxic mess and are turning belly up and need bailing out, the Federal Reserve gives the Treasury to the Banksters. And, yes, that’s an upper class B with a whole lot of print, print, printing (out of thin air) going on, courtesy of taxpayer trillions. This is grand larceny. So, the same people who create the chaos have money at their fingertips, for themselves. Because they, the insatiably avaricious, gluttonous uber rich, fancy another yacht, a 12th mansion, island paradises, and STUFF.</p>
<p>They invade and occupy countries, demonizing and propagandizing, maiming and killing, and funding war with borrowed money and borrowed lives, while telling us that a democratic Middle East will vanquish the “jealousy” on which our “enemies” act. Meanwhile, they maintain ruthless regimes, planting dictators, seeding hatred, and spending billions on puppets who brutalize their own people at the bidding of U.S. Empire.</p>
<p>And we, as in We the People, crawl through weeds, past foreclosure signs, or sit, zombied, in front of television sets tuned to reality shows or “reporters” and guests who fictionalize both history and the news.</p>
<p>Exploitation continues until it doesn’t, when we say we won’t take it anymore. Sparks ignite dissent.</p>
<p>Right now, Egyptians non-violently are protesting what they will no longer tolerate. Justice must be long in arrears to form the healthy shape of uprising. Here, at home, justice remains unsettled.</p>
<p>Missy Beattie lives in Baltimore. She can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
<p />
| 6,177 |
<p>FOX Business: Capitalism Lives Here</p>
<p>The broad S&amp;P 500 notched yet another fresh all-time high Thursday as dovish commentary from Fed chair nominee Janet Yellen whetted traders' buying appetites.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Today's Markets</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 54.6 points, or 0.35%, to 15876, the S&amp;P 500 advanced 8.6 points, or 0.48%, to 1791 and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 7.2 points, or 0.18%, to 3972.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 logged a record high for the 35th time this year on the day. Since January, the broad-market barometer has surged close to 25% as the Federal Reserve has kept its foot firmly on the economy accelerator and the economy and business sectors have perked up.</p>
<p>Two pieces of economic data shed fresh light on the situation.</p>
<p>The Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit expanded in September to $41.78 billion from $38.7 billion the month prior. Economists were looking for the gap to widen to $39 billion.While international trade is a lagging indicator, it will figure directly into third-quarter gross domestic product estimates.&#160;In fact, Barclays cut its third-quarter GDP view by 0.2 percentage point to 2.6% on the back of the data.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Labor Department reported number of people filing for first-time jobless benefits fell to 339,000 last week from an upwardly-revised 341,000 the week prior. Economists expected claims to rise to 339,000 from an initially-reported 336,000.The Fed has been paying close attention to data on the labor market as the central bank determines when it should begin paring back its $85-billion-dollar-a-month bond-buying program.</p>
<p>Also on that front, Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen, who is President Barack Obama's pick to take over the chairman role from Ben Bernanke, testified before the Senate.</p>
<p>In her wide-ranging remark, she said there isn't evidence investors are reaching for yield, which is to say they're not taking on excessively risky investments in the face of low interest rates. Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, said that's an "important" development, because that would mean "there’s no need, right now, to worry about an aggressive unwind" of the central banks aggressive policies.</p>
<p>In corporate news, Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) shares slumped after the world's biggest retailer posted quarterly sales that missed expectations. Still, per-share profits beat Wall Street's estimates.</p>
<p>In commodities, U.S. crude oil futures rose 2 cents, or 0.02%, to $93.90 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline soared 2.1% to $2.684 a gallon. Gold climbed $18.20, or 1.4%, to $1,287 a troy ounce.</p>
|
Fed Optimism Lifts Stocks; S&P Logs New High
| true |
http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2013/11/14/fed-optimism-lifts-stocks-sp-logs-new-high.html
|
2016-03-06
| 0right
|
Fed Optimism Lifts Stocks; S&P Logs New High
<p>FOX Business: Capitalism Lives Here</p>
<p>The broad S&amp;P 500 notched yet another fresh all-time high Thursday as dovish commentary from Fed chair nominee Janet Yellen whetted traders' buying appetites.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Today's Markets</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 54.6 points, or 0.35%, to 15876, the S&amp;P 500 advanced 8.6 points, or 0.48%, to 1791 and the Nasdaq Composite climbed 7.2 points, or 0.18%, to 3972.</p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 logged a record high for the 35th time this year on the day. Since January, the broad-market barometer has surged close to 25% as the Federal Reserve has kept its foot firmly on the economy accelerator and the economy and business sectors have perked up.</p>
<p>Two pieces of economic data shed fresh light on the situation.</p>
<p>The Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit expanded in September to $41.78 billion from $38.7 billion the month prior. Economists were looking for the gap to widen to $39 billion.While international trade is a lagging indicator, it will figure directly into third-quarter gross domestic product estimates.&#160;In fact, Barclays cut its third-quarter GDP view by 0.2 percentage point to 2.6% on the back of the data.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Labor Department reported number of people filing for first-time jobless benefits fell to 339,000 last week from an upwardly-revised 341,000 the week prior. Economists expected claims to rise to 339,000 from an initially-reported 336,000.The Fed has been paying close attention to data on the labor market as the central bank determines when it should begin paring back its $85-billion-dollar-a-month bond-buying program.</p>
<p>Also on that front, Fed Vice Chair Janet Yellen, who is President Barack Obama's pick to take over the chairman role from Ben Bernanke, testified before the Senate.</p>
<p>In her wide-ranging remark, she said there isn't evidence investors are reaching for yield, which is to say they're not taking on excessively risky investments in the face of low interest rates. Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG, said that's an "important" development, because that would mean "there’s no need, right now, to worry about an aggressive unwind" of the central banks aggressive policies.</p>
<p>In corporate news, Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) shares slumped after the world's biggest retailer posted quarterly sales that missed expectations. Still, per-share profits beat Wall Street's estimates.</p>
<p>In commodities, U.S. crude oil futures rose 2 cents, or 0.02%, to $93.90 a barrel. Wholesale New York Harbor gasoline soared 2.1% to $2.684 a gallon. Gold climbed $18.20, or 1.4%, to $1,287 a troy ounce.</p>
| 6,178 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The missile launches Sunday came as a ballistic missile fired from Yemen apparently targeted a Saudi air base near the Muslim holy city of Mecca, the deepest strike yet into the kingdom by Shiite rebels and their allies.</p>
<p>Yemen’s Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies offered no reason for the launches, though they came after a Saudi-led airstrike targeting a funeral in Yemen’s capital killed over 140 people and wounded 525 on Saturday.</p>
<p>In a statement, the Navy said no American sailors were injured and no damage was done to the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyer whose home port is Norfolk, Virginia. Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for U.S. Navy Forces Central Command, said that it’s unclear if the USS Mason was specifically targeted, though the missiles were fired in its direction over an hour’s time period, starting at around 7 p.m.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>An American defense official said the USS Mason used onboard defensive measures after the first missile was fired, but it wasn’t clear if that caused the missile to splash harmlessly into the sea. The destroyer at the time of the missile fire was north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as a gateway for oil tankers headed to Europe through the Suez Canal, the official said.</p>
<p>The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the incident that haven’t been made public.</p>
<p>However, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency of Yemen quoted an anonymous army official denying its forces fired on the USS Mason, without elaborating.</p>
<p>Last week, an Emirati-leased Swift boat came under rocket fire near the same area and sustained serious damage. The United Arab Emirates described the vessel as carrying humanitarian aid and having a crew of civilians, while the Houthis called the boat a warship.</p>
<p>U.S. Navy officials declined to immediately discuss what kind of rockets were used in the USS Mason incident.</p>
<p>Analysts with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy suggested in a report that the Houthis may have targeted the Emirati ship with an Iranian anti-shipping cruise missile, based on purported video of the attack.</p>
<p>Shiite power Iran has supported the Houthis, but denied supplying them with weapons. Any Iranian involvement could stoke tension between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., which already have had a series of tense naval encounters since the nuclear deal with world powers.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Saudi state television aired a brief clip of what appeared to be a projectile that was said to have landed in Taif in the ballistic missile attack. The video shows the flash of an explosion, followed by images of emergency vehicles. Taif is home to Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Air Base, which hosts U.S. military personnel training the kingdom’s armed forces.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The Saudi military said the missile fired late Saturday night was intercepted and caused no damage. The U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees troops in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>Al-Masirah, a satellite news channel run by Yemen’s Shiite rebels known as the Houthis, identified the missile as a local variant of a Soviet-era Scud missile. It said the Volcano-1 missile targeted the air base.</p>
<p>The Houthis have fired a series of ballistic missiles in Saudi Arabia since a kingdom-led coalition of Arab countries has launched an offensive against them in Yemen in March 2015. Most of those ballistic missiles have hit areas far closer to Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen, like an attack Friday night that targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.</p>
<p>In the Taif attack, however, the missile struck a target more than 520 kilometers (325 miles) from the border. Taif also is just outside of Mecca, which is home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that all of the world’s Muslims pray toward.</p>
<p>The Saudi military also said it earlier intercepted another ballistic missile fired Sunday on the Yemeni city of Marib.</p>
<p>The Houthis gave no reason for their targeting of Taif, but it comes after a Saudi-led airstrike Saturday targeting a funeral in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. On Sunday, thousands marched through the streets of Sanaa to protest the strike, one of the deadliest single attacks in the impoverished Arab country’s relentless civil war.</p>
<p>The Saudi Foreign Ministry said its U.N. mission sent a letter on Sunday to the Security Council, expressing the kingdom’s “deep regret of the reported attack” on the funeral. Saudi officials have promised to investigate the bombing.</p>
<p>Yemen’s war is largely overshadowed by the conflict against the Islamic State group elsewhere in the Middle East, though rights groups have mounted increased criticism of the Saudi-led airstrikes in recent months for killing civilians. The U.N. and rights groups estimate the conflict has killed at least 9,000 people and displaced nearly 3 million more.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Sanaa, Yemen, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show that the missile fire happened in the Red Sea, not the Persian Gulf.</p>
|
Missiles fired from rebel-held Yemen land near US destroyer
| false |
https://abqjournal.com/863917/missiles-fired-from-rebel-held-yemen-land-near-us-destroyer.html
|
2016-10-09
| 2least
|
Missiles fired from rebel-held Yemen land near US destroyer
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>The missile launches Sunday came as a ballistic missile fired from Yemen apparently targeted a Saudi air base near the Muslim holy city of Mecca, the deepest strike yet into the kingdom by Shiite rebels and their allies.</p>
<p>Yemen’s Shiite rebels known as Houthis and their allies offered no reason for the launches, though they came after a Saudi-led airstrike targeting a funeral in Yemen’s capital killed over 140 people and wounded 525 on Saturday.</p>
<p>In a statement, the Navy said no American sailors were injured and no damage was done to the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyer whose home port is Norfolk, Virginia. Lt. Ian McConnaughey, a spokesman for U.S. Navy Forces Central Command, said that it’s unclear if the USS Mason was specifically targeted, though the missiles were fired in its direction over an hour’s time period, starting at around 7 p.m.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>An American defense official said the USS Mason used onboard defensive measures after the first missile was fired, but it wasn’t clear if that caused the missile to splash harmlessly into the sea. The destroyer at the time of the missile fire was north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as a gateway for oil tankers headed to Europe through the Suez Canal, the official said.</p>
<p>The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the incident that haven’t been made public.</p>
<p>However, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency of Yemen quoted an anonymous army official denying its forces fired on the USS Mason, without elaborating.</p>
<p>Last week, an Emirati-leased Swift boat came under rocket fire near the same area and sustained serious damage. The United Arab Emirates described the vessel as carrying humanitarian aid and having a crew of civilians, while the Houthis called the boat a warship.</p>
<p>U.S. Navy officials declined to immediately discuss what kind of rockets were used in the USS Mason incident.</p>
<p>Analysts with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy suggested in a report that the Houthis may have targeted the Emirati ship with an Iranian anti-shipping cruise missile, based on purported video of the attack.</p>
<p>Shiite power Iran has supported the Houthis, but denied supplying them with weapons. Any Iranian involvement could stoke tension between the Islamic Republic and the U.S., which already have had a series of tense naval encounters since the nuclear deal with world powers.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Saudi state television aired a brief clip of what appeared to be a projectile that was said to have landed in Taif in the ballistic missile attack. The video shows the flash of an explosion, followed by images of emergency vehicles. Taif is home to Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Air Base, which hosts U.S. military personnel training the kingdom’s armed forces.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The Saudi military said the missile fired late Saturday night was intercepted and caused no damage. The U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees troops in the Middle East, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<p>Al-Masirah, a satellite news channel run by Yemen’s Shiite rebels known as the Houthis, identified the missile as a local variant of a Soviet-era Scud missile. It said the Volcano-1 missile targeted the air base.</p>
<p>The Houthis have fired a series of ballistic missiles in Saudi Arabia since a kingdom-led coalition of Arab countries has launched an offensive against them in Yemen in March 2015. Most of those ballistic missiles have hit areas far closer to Saudi Arabia’s border with Yemen, like an attack Friday night that targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.</p>
<p>In the Taif attack, however, the missile struck a target more than 520 kilometers (325 miles) from the border. Taif also is just outside of Mecca, which is home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that all of the world’s Muslims pray toward.</p>
<p>The Saudi military also said it earlier intercepted another ballistic missile fired Sunday on the Yemeni city of Marib.</p>
<p>The Houthis gave no reason for their targeting of Taif, but it comes after a Saudi-led airstrike Saturday targeting a funeral in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. On Sunday, thousands marched through the streets of Sanaa to protest the strike, one of the deadliest single attacks in the impoverished Arab country’s relentless civil war.</p>
<p>The Saudi Foreign Ministry said its U.N. mission sent a letter on Sunday to the Security Council, expressing the kingdom’s “deep regret of the reported attack” on the funeral. Saudi officials have promised to investigate the bombing.</p>
<p>Yemen’s war is largely overshadowed by the conflict against the Islamic State group elsewhere in the Middle East, though rights groups have mounted increased criticism of the Saudi-led airstrikes in recent months for killing civilians. The U.N. and rights groups estimate the conflict has killed at least 9,000 people and displaced nearly 3 million more.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Sanaa, Yemen, and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show that the missile fire happened in the Red Sea, not the Persian Gulf.</p>
| 6,179 |
<p>President Obama spoke to the nation just after the Senate passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling and shortly before he signed it into law.</p>
<p>He began the speech thanking the American people for putting pressure on elected officials to “put politics aside and work together for the good of the country,” then went on to say that issues raised during the debt ceiling debate are still open for discussion in the future.</p>
<p>“And since you can’t close the deficit with just spending cuts, we’ll need a balanced approach where everything is on the table. Yes, that means making some adjustments to protect health care programs like Medicare so they’re there for future generations. It also means reforming our tax code so that the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations pay their fair share. And it means getting rid of taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies, and tax loopholes that help billionaires pay a lower tax rate than teachers and nurses.”</p>
<p>Watch the full speech below.</p>
<p />
<p />
|
Moving Forward, Obama Says Medicare, Taxes Still Open for Discussion
| true |
https://truthdig.com/articles/moving-forward-obama-says-medicare-taxes-still-open-for-discussion/
|
2011-08-02
| 4left
|
Moving Forward, Obama Says Medicare, Taxes Still Open for Discussion
<p>President Obama spoke to the nation just after the Senate passed a bill to raise the debt ceiling and shortly before he signed it into law.</p>
<p>He began the speech thanking the American people for putting pressure on elected officials to “put politics aside and work together for the good of the country,” then went on to say that issues raised during the debt ceiling debate are still open for discussion in the future.</p>
<p>“And since you can’t close the deficit with just spending cuts, we’ll need a balanced approach where everything is on the table. Yes, that means making some adjustments to protect health care programs like Medicare so they’re there for future generations. It also means reforming our tax code so that the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations pay their fair share. And it means getting rid of taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies, and tax loopholes that help billionaires pay a lower tax rate than teachers and nurses.”</p>
<p>Watch the full speech below.</p>
<p />
<p />
| 6,180 |
<p />
<p>When planning for retirement, boomers need to consider two scenarios: what happens to their estate when they die, and what happens to the estate if they live but aren’t healthy and need to rely on others for assistance on a permanent basis.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Creating an estate plan can help protect boomers’ assets and make sure their wishes are played out in the event of death or if they become disabled and need long-term care and support.</p>
<p>David Cutner, partner at <a href="http://www.lamson-cutner.com" type="external">Lamson &amp; Cutner Opens a New Window.</a>, attorneys for the elderly and disabled offered the following tips for both estate planning and long-term care for boomers:</p>
<p>Boomer: Why should I hire an elder law attorney?</p>
<p>Cutner: Most seniors today ignore the greatest financial risk they are facing -- the ruinous costs of long-term care.&#160; According to the U.S. Department of Health, 70% of our population over the age of 65 will need some type of long-term care, and more than 40% will need nursing home care for some period of time.</p>
<p>Most people don’t have insurance coverage for this risk (note that Medicare doesn’t cover long-term care), and, if care is needed, their life's savings will be rapidly depleted and their homes may end up in jeopardy as well if they need it to finance their costs.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Fortunately, solutions are available to protect assets and income, while accessing long-term care benefits under government programs such as Medicaid.&#160; An elder law attorney will have the knowledge and experience to provide the advice that you need, and will be able to implement proper and reliable strategies to achieve your goals in this area.&#160; It just makes sense at least to have a consultation with an elder law attorney to learn about your options and correct any mistakes you may have made along the way.</p>
<p>Boomer: What makes up a well-designed estate plan?</p>
<p>Cutner: A lot of people worry or wonder about estate taxes, but with the federal exemption now over $5 million, the truth is that only about one-tenth of 1% (0.1%) of estates pays federal estate tax.</p>
<p>However, having a well-designed estate plan still makes a lot of sense to make sure that your assets are passed on in the most efficient way to your beneficiaries and avoid conflicts among your heirs and to minimize court costs and proceedings (probate or administration).</p>
<p>At the same time, I believe that a well-designed estate plan must take into account the financial risks of health care that may be needed, especially long-term care.&#160;Otherwise, you could wind up with no assets in the estate, and it won't matter how good your estate plan was.&#160; Your Elder Law planning will avoid or minimize these risks, resulting in a larger estate in most cases. The legal documents used to implement your elder law plan (typically one or more trusts) are also your estate planning documents -- they help protect your assets from the ruinous costs of long-term care during your lifetime, and they provide for distribution of those assets according to your wishes at the time of your death.</p>
<p>Boomer: What are some common long-term care mistakes and how can I avoid them?</p>
<p>Cutner:&#160;The list of possible mistakes is a long one:</p>
<p>1) Don't tie up your money in long-term investments where you have no liquidity, or have to pay a penalty to get your money back (e.g., annuities).</p>
<p>2) If you are considering long-term care insurance, make sure that the benefits are adequate, that you have an inflation rider and that you can afford the premium (including any likely increases in premium over time). You don't want to find that you do not have sufficient cash flows to cover gaps in coverage, and then have to rapidly deplete your assets to supplement your insurance.</p>
<p>3) Make sure that you have proper and adequate advance directives in place, i.e., power of attorney and health care proxy.&#160; Be aware that "standard forms" downloaded from the Internet may not be valid, or may lack an adequate scope of powers.&#160; The alternative is likely to be an expensive and frustrating guardianship proceeding in court.</p>
<p>4) Poor management of your real estate, e.g., life estates or reverse mortgages can have unfortunate consequences in some cases.</p>
<p>5) Failing to take advantage of possible penalty-free transfers when applying for government benefits such as Medicaid, and spending down on private pay home or nursing home care.&#160; Most people believe that they must spend down their life's savings before they can apply for Medicaid, but this is simply not true.</p>
<p>6) Don't stay in an investment that should be sold to diversify just because you don't want to pay capital gains taxes. Taxes should always be considered but a good investment strategy must consider the risk of staying in one or two investments that could lose value, especially if you may need funds for your long-term care needs.</p>
<p>Boomer: What are the top estate planning mistakes and how can I avoid them?</p>
<p>Cutner: Most mistakes can be avoided, but here’s a look at a few common ones:</p>
<p>1) Failing to plan for liabilities and expenses that can be foreseen -- particularly long-term care.</p>
<p>2) Failing to update beneficiary designations on bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and insurance policies.&#160; Don't just "set it and forget it."</p>
<p>3) Failing to take steps to avoid conflicts and potential litigation among heirs and family members.&#160; A Trust or Will that makes your intentions clear about excluding, as well as including, certain people as beneficiaries can be very helpful.</p>
<p>4) Downloading a will from a legal software company online and signing the document without consulting an attorney.&#160; These forms may not comply with the law of your state, and a computer program cannot provide you with proper advice.</p>
<p>5) Transfers of real estate during lifetime, rather than through wills or trusts, may result in high capital gains taxes that could have been avoided.</p>
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Estate Planning Mistakes Every Boomer Should Avoid
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2016-03-06
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Estate Planning Mistakes Every Boomer Should Avoid
<p />
<p>When planning for retirement, boomers need to consider two scenarios: what happens to their estate when they die, and what happens to the estate if they live but aren’t healthy and need to rely on others for assistance on a permanent basis.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Creating an estate plan can help protect boomers’ assets and make sure their wishes are played out in the event of death or if they become disabled and need long-term care and support.</p>
<p>David Cutner, partner at <a href="http://www.lamson-cutner.com" type="external">Lamson &amp; Cutner Opens a New Window.</a>, attorneys for the elderly and disabled offered the following tips for both estate planning and long-term care for boomers:</p>
<p>Boomer: Why should I hire an elder law attorney?</p>
<p>Cutner: Most seniors today ignore the greatest financial risk they are facing -- the ruinous costs of long-term care.&#160; According to the U.S. Department of Health, 70% of our population over the age of 65 will need some type of long-term care, and more than 40% will need nursing home care for some period of time.</p>
<p>Most people don’t have insurance coverage for this risk (note that Medicare doesn’t cover long-term care), and, if care is needed, their life's savings will be rapidly depleted and their homes may end up in jeopardy as well if they need it to finance their costs.</p>
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<p>Fortunately, solutions are available to protect assets and income, while accessing long-term care benefits under government programs such as Medicaid.&#160; An elder law attorney will have the knowledge and experience to provide the advice that you need, and will be able to implement proper and reliable strategies to achieve your goals in this area.&#160; It just makes sense at least to have a consultation with an elder law attorney to learn about your options and correct any mistakes you may have made along the way.</p>
<p>Boomer: What makes up a well-designed estate plan?</p>
<p>Cutner: A lot of people worry or wonder about estate taxes, but with the federal exemption now over $5 million, the truth is that only about one-tenth of 1% (0.1%) of estates pays federal estate tax.</p>
<p>However, having a well-designed estate plan still makes a lot of sense to make sure that your assets are passed on in the most efficient way to your beneficiaries and avoid conflicts among your heirs and to minimize court costs and proceedings (probate or administration).</p>
<p>At the same time, I believe that a well-designed estate plan must take into account the financial risks of health care that may be needed, especially long-term care.&#160;Otherwise, you could wind up with no assets in the estate, and it won't matter how good your estate plan was.&#160; Your Elder Law planning will avoid or minimize these risks, resulting in a larger estate in most cases. The legal documents used to implement your elder law plan (typically one or more trusts) are also your estate planning documents -- they help protect your assets from the ruinous costs of long-term care during your lifetime, and they provide for distribution of those assets according to your wishes at the time of your death.</p>
<p>Boomer: What are some common long-term care mistakes and how can I avoid them?</p>
<p>Cutner:&#160;The list of possible mistakes is a long one:</p>
<p>1) Don't tie up your money in long-term investments where you have no liquidity, or have to pay a penalty to get your money back (e.g., annuities).</p>
<p>2) If you are considering long-term care insurance, make sure that the benefits are adequate, that you have an inflation rider and that you can afford the premium (including any likely increases in premium over time). You don't want to find that you do not have sufficient cash flows to cover gaps in coverage, and then have to rapidly deplete your assets to supplement your insurance.</p>
<p>3) Make sure that you have proper and adequate advance directives in place, i.e., power of attorney and health care proxy.&#160; Be aware that "standard forms" downloaded from the Internet may not be valid, or may lack an adequate scope of powers.&#160; The alternative is likely to be an expensive and frustrating guardianship proceeding in court.</p>
<p>4) Poor management of your real estate, e.g., life estates or reverse mortgages can have unfortunate consequences in some cases.</p>
<p>5) Failing to take advantage of possible penalty-free transfers when applying for government benefits such as Medicaid, and spending down on private pay home or nursing home care.&#160; Most people believe that they must spend down their life's savings before they can apply for Medicaid, but this is simply not true.</p>
<p>6) Don't stay in an investment that should be sold to diversify just because you don't want to pay capital gains taxes. Taxes should always be considered but a good investment strategy must consider the risk of staying in one or two investments that could lose value, especially if you may need funds for your long-term care needs.</p>
<p>Boomer: What are the top estate planning mistakes and how can I avoid them?</p>
<p>Cutner: Most mistakes can be avoided, but here’s a look at a few common ones:</p>
<p>1) Failing to plan for liabilities and expenses that can be foreseen -- particularly long-term care.</p>
<p>2) Failing to update beneficiary designations on bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and insurance policies.&#160; Don't just "set it and forget it."</p>
<p>3) Failing to take steps to avoid conflicts and potential litigation among heirs and family members.&#160; A Trust or Will that makes your intentions clear about excluding, as well as including, certain people as beneficiaries can be very helpful.</p>
<p>4) Downloading a will from a legal software company online and signing the document without consulting an attorney.&#160; These forms may not comply with the law of your state, and a computer program cannot provide you with proper advice.</p>
<p>5) Transfers of real estate during lifetime, rather than through wills or trusts, may result in high capital gains taxes that could have been avoided.</p>
| 6,181 |
<p>Watch out for the ‘safety drill’, it’s a killer At the exact time of the Newtown School Shooting in Sandy Hook, our federal government was running an <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.infowars.com/sandy-hook-shooting-active-shooter-drill-confirmed-by-law-enforcement-raises-suspicion-of-false-flag-operation/" type="external">active shooter drill staged around a school shooting</a>. At the time of the Boston Marathon Shooting, our federal government was conducting <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.infowars.com/confirmed-by-eyewitness-bomb-squad-drill-was-under-way-at-boston-maratho/" type="external">a drill based on what would happen if a shooter started hitting runners</a>. So now that word comes that a “drill” will be conducted in the New York City subway system around toxic gas being released, it’s nearly a sure bet that actual toxic gas will be released resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. One thing is for sure, though: if our federal government comes to your town to conduct a “safety drill”, run as far away and as fast as you can. From RT: The New York City Police Department announced Wednesday that it will deploy, then track, what it calls “harmless” gases into the city’s subway system over three non-consecutive days this summer. The plan, to be enacted in July, will investigate New York’s readiness to handle a chemical terrorist attack by dispersing the colorless gas and tracing it as it flows through the city, according to Scientific American. The test is expected to cost $3.4 million and is scheduled to be carried out in all five boroughs and dozens of stations on 21 of the city’s 34 subway lines. <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?attachment_id=13987" type="external" /> “The NYPD works for the best but plans for the worst when it comes to potentially catastrophic attacks such as ones employing radiological contaminants or weaponized anthrax,” police commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement. The police will use roughly 200 detectors to monitor the gas. Dubbed the Subway-Surface Air Flow Exchange, the test will be the largest of its kind and organized in cooperation with the energy department’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. They’ll use perfluorocarbon tracer gases (PFTs), which are frequently used to measure potential sites for underground construction. Despite the science fiction catastrophe a plan of this magnitude naturally conjures, Fernando Ferrer, the acting chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority maintained that it will not impact commuters.</p>
<p>“The NYPD, in partnership with the MTA, is responsible for keeping more than 5 million daily subway customers safe and secure,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “This study will bolster the NYPD’s understanding of contaminant dispersion within the subway system as well as between the subway system and street, thereby improving its ability to better protect both customers and the city population at large.”</p>
<p>The scheduled gas deployment comes years after investigators foiled an Al-Qaeda terrorist plot to bomb the New York subways, the largest public transportation system in the world. Three men had planned to detonate suicide vests just days before the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in what US Attorney General Eric Holder at the time called “one of the most serious threats” to the United States since 2001. <a href="/r2/?url=http://rt.com/usa/nypd-gas-subway-terror-drill-416/" type="external">source – RT</a> &#160;</p>
<p>The post <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=13986" type="external">Will NYC ‘Harmless’ Toxic Gas Subway Drill Explode Into Terror?</a> appeared first on <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog" type="external">Now The End Begins</a>.</p>
<p><a href="/" type="external">We encourage you to Share our Reports, Analyses, Breaking News and Videos. Simply Click your Favorite Social Media Button and Share.</a></p>
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Will NYC ‘Harmless’ Toxic Gas Subway Drill Explode Into Terror?
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http://beforeitsnews.com/global-unrest/2013/05/will-nyc-harmless-toxic-gas-subway-drill-explode-into-terror-2455042.html
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2013-05-17
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Will NYC ‘Harmless’ Toxic Gas Subway Drill Explode Into Terror?
<p>Watch out for the ‘safety drill’, it’s a killer At the exact time of the Newtown School Shooting in Sandy Hook, our federal government was running an <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.infowars.com/sandy-hook-shooting-active-shooter-drill-confirmed-by-law-enforcement-raises-suspicion-of-false-flag-operation/" type="external">active shooter drill staged around a school shooting</a>. At the time of the Boston Marathon Shooting, our federal government was conducting <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.infowars.com/confirmed-by-eyewitness-bomb-squad-drill-was-under-way-at-boston-maratho/" type="external">a drill based on what would happen if a shooter started hitting runners</a>. So now that word comes that a “drill” will be conducted in the New York City subway system around toxic gas being released, it’s nearly a sure bet that actual toxic gas will be released resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. One thing is for sure, though: if our federal government comes to your town to conduct a “safety drill”, run as far away and as fast as you can. From RT: The New York City Police Department announced Wednesday that it will deploy, then track, what it calls “harmless” gases into the city’s subway system over three non-consecutive days this summer. The plan, to be enacted in July, will investigate New York’s readiness to handle a chemical terrorist attack by dispersing the colorless gas and tracing it as it flows through the city, according to Scientific American. The test is expected to cost $3.4 million and is scheduled to be carried out in all five boroughs and dozens of stations on 21 of the city’s 34 subway lines. <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?attachment_id=13987" type="external" /> “The NYPD works for the best but plans for the worst when it comes to potentially catastrophic attacks such as ones employing radiological contaminants or weaponized anthrax,” police commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement. The police will use roughly 200 detectors to monitor the gas. Dubbed the Subway-Surface Air Flow Exchange, the test will be the largest of its kind and organized in cooperation with the energy department’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. They’ll use perfluorocarbon tracer gases (PFTs), which are frequently used to measure potential sites for underground construction. Despite the science fiction catastrophe a plan of this magnitude naturally conjures, Fernando Ferrer, the acting chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority maintained that it will not impact commuters.</p>
<p>“The NYPD, in partnership with the MTA, is responsible for keeping more than 5 million daily subway customers safe and secure,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “This study will bolster the NYPD’s understanding of contaminant dispersion within the subway system as well as between the subway system and street, thereby improving its ability to better protect both customers and the city population at large.”</p>
<p>The scheduled gas deployment comes years after investigators foiled an Al-Qaeda terrorist plot to bomb the New York subways, the largest public transportation system in the world. Three men had planned to detonate suicide vests just days before the eighth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in what US Attorney General Eric Holder at the time called “one of the most serious threats” to the United States since 2001. <a href="/r2/?url=http://rt.com/usa/nypd-gas-subway-terror-drill-416/" type="external">source – RT</a> &#160;</p>
<p>The post <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=13986" type="external">Will NYC ‘Harmless’ Toxic Gas Subway Drill Explode Into Terror?</a> appeared first on <a href="/r2/?url=http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog" type="external">Now The End Begins</a>.</p>
<p><a href="/" type="external">We encourage you to Share our Reports, Analyses, Breaking News and Videos. Simply Click your Favorite Social Media Button and Share.</a></p>
| 6,182 |
<p />
<p>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday ordered state oil company PDVSA to look into legal action against JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co after the U.S. investment bank reported delays in $404 million in bond interest payments.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>PDVSA said on Monday it was using a 30-day grace period for coupon payments on its 2035 bond but that reports of other payment delays were wrong. It suggested paying agent Citibank was creating a backlog that had spooked markets.</p>
<p>"JPMorgan's attitude is of a criminal nature," Maduro said during a salsa music program he broadcasts from the presidential palace. He said local and foreign opponents were conspiring to give a false impression that Venezuela is on the verge of a debt default.</p>
<p>Maduro accused JPMorgan of falsely reporting that PDVSA was in default.</p>
<p>In fact, the report in question said payments on three bonds were not made on time and that the company had a "30-day grace period to make payments on the coupons before (the situation) becomes an event of default."</p>
<p>Maduro said he had asked PDVSA head Eulogio Del Pino to study legal options.</p>
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<p>"The least JPMorgan can do is apologize to the Venezuelan people," Maduro said.</p>
<p>Maduro also said the U.S. Treasury Department was behind a campaign against PDVSA.</p>
<p>JPMorgan, Citibank and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>PDVSA said it had "punctually" paid this month's obligations for 2021, 2024 and 2026 paper but had activated the grace period for the 2035 bond.</p>
<p>For years, investors have been concerned that PDVSA might ultimately be unable to meet its hefty debt obligations during a severe recession at home and a fall in oil prices.</p>
<p>"I'd tell the bondholders to call Citibank and ask why they are delaying payment of money that is already in their accounts," Del Pino said on state television late on Monday night.</p>
<p>Del Pino suggested Citibank was participating in "attacks" on Venezuela's socialist government and implied that it had reneged on its contract, but later said the bank confirmed it was making payments.</p>
<p>The Citigroup Inc unit told bondholders in a letter in July that PDVSA would need to name a new paying agent for seven outstanding dollar-denominated bonds.</p>
<p>Citigroup will stay on as paying agent until PDVSA finds a new one, said the letter, which Reuters saw.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Eyanir Chinea; Writing by Girish Gupta and Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Alexandra Ulmer and Lisa Von Ahn)</p>
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Venezuela's Maduro threatens legal action against JPMorgan
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2016-11-22
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Venezuela's Maduro threatens legal action against JPMorgan
<p />
<p>Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday ordered state oil company PDVSA to look into legal action against JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co after the U.S. investment bank reported delays in $404 million in bond interest payments.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>PDVSA said on Monday it was using a 30-day grace period for coupon payments on its 2035 bond but that reports of other payment delays were wrong. It suggested paying agent Citibank was creating a backlog that had spooked markets.</p>
<p>"JPMorgan's attitude is of a criminal nature," Maduro said during a salsa music program he broadcasts from the presidential palace. He said local and foreign opponents were conspiring to give a false impression that Venezuela is on the verge of a debt default.</p>
<p>Maduro accused JPMorgan of falsely reporting that PDVSA was in default.</p>
<p>In fact, the report in question said payments on three bonds were not made on time and that the company had a "30-day grace period to make payments on the coupons before (the situation) becomes an event of default."</p>
<p>Maduro said he had asked PDVSA head Eulogio Del Pino to study legal options.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>"The least JPMorgan can do is apologize to the Venezuelan people," Maduro said.</p>
<p>Maduro also said the U.S. Treasury Department was behind a campaign against PDVSA.</p>
<p>JPMorgan, Citibank and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>PDVSA said it had "punctually" paid this month's obligations for 2021, 2024 and 2026 paper but had activated the grace period for the 2035 bond.</p>
<p>For years, investors have been concerned that PDVSA might ultimately be unable to meet its hefty debt obligations during a severe recession at home and a fall in oil prices.</p>
<p>"I'd tell the bondholders to call Citibank and ask why they are delaying payment of money that is already in their accounts," Del Pino said on state television late on Monday night.</p>
<p>Del Pino suggested Citibank was participating in "attacks" on Venezuela's socialist government and implied that it had reneged on its contract, but later said the bank confirmed it was making payments.</p>
<p>The Citigroup Inc unit told bondholders in a letter in July that PDVSA would need to name a new paying agent for seven outstanding dollar-denominated bonds.</p>
<p>Citigroup will stay on as paying agent until PDVSA finds a new one, said the letter, which Reuters saw.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Eyanir Chinea; Writing by Girish Gupta and Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by Alexandra Ulmer and Lisa Von Ahn)</p>
| 6,183 |
<p />
<p>Hit by slowing economic growth in developed markets, consumer-products giant Procter &amp; Gamble (NYSE:PG) on Wednesday trimmed its earnings targets for the current quarter and full year.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of the parent of Tide laundry detergent and Bounty paper towels ticked almost 2% lower in the wake of the gloomier outlook.</p>
<p>Cincinnati-based P&amp;G said it expects to post core EPS of 75 cents to 79 cents in the April-June quarter, down from 79 cents to 85 cents previously and below the Street’s view of 82 cents.</p>
<p>Net sales are expected to sink 1% to 2%, compared with an earlier call for a rise of 1% to 2%. Organic sales are expected to rise 2% to 3%.</p>
<p>P&amp;G, which also makes Swiffer and Duracell batteries, among many other products, blamed “slower than anticipated” sales growth triggered by “market-share softness” in developed countries and negative impact from currency fluctuations.</p>
<p>For fiscal 2013, P&amp;G said it expects core EPS to be flat to up single digits.</p>
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<p>“We must and we will improve,” CEO Bob McDonald said at a conference in Paris, according to media reports.</p>
<p>P&amp;G also reaffirmed its intent to slash costs by $10 billion by the end of fiscal 2013 through a slew of moves, including cutting 5,700 non-manufacturing jobs.</p>
<p>“We are making the necessary adjustments to our growth strategy to increase focus on our core business and to achieve more balanced growth across geographies, product categories and the top and bottom lines,” McDonald said in a statement.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, analysts at BMO Capital (NYSE:BMO) cut their price target on P&amp;G to $72 from $74 but maintained an “outperform” rating on the shares.</p>
<p>Shares of P&amp;G declined 1.6% to $61.22 early Wednesday, leaving them on track to extend their 2012 slump of about 7%.</p>
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P&G Trims Growth Targets as Developed Economies Slow
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http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/06/20/pg-trims-growth-targets-as-market-expansion-slows.html
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2016-03-03
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P&G Trims Growth Targets as Developed Economies Slow
<p />
<p>Hit by slowing economic growth in developed markets, consumer-products giant Procter &amp; Gamble (NYSE:PG) on Wednesday trimmed its earnings targets for the current quarter and full year.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of the parent of Tide laundry detergent and Bounty paper towels ticked almost 2% lower in the wake of the gloomier outlook.</p>
<p>Cincinnati-based P&amp;G said it expects to post core EPS of 75 cents to 79 cents in the April-June quarter, down from 79 cents to 85 cents previously and below the Street’s view of 82 cents.</p>
<p>Net sales are expected to sink 1% to 2%, compared with an earlier call for a rise of 1% to 2%. Organic sales are expected to rise 2% to 3%.</p>
<p>P&amp;G, which also makes Swiffer and Duracell batteries, among many other products, blamed “slower than anticipated” sales growth triggered by “market-share softness” in developed countries and negative impact from currency fluctuations.</p>
<p>For fiscal 2013, P&amp;G said it expects core EPS to be flat to up single digits.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>“We must and we will improve,” CEO Bob McDonald said at a conference in Paris, according to media reports.</p>
<p>P&amp;G also reaffirmed its intent to slash costs by $10 billion by the end of fiscal 2013 through a slew of moves, including cutting 5,700 non-manufacturing jobs.</p>
<p>“We are making the necessary adjustments to our growth strategy to increase focus on our core business and to achieve more balanced growth across geographies, product categories and the top and bottom lines,” McDonald said in a statement.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, analysts at BMO Capital (NYSE:BMO) cut their price target on P&amp;G to $72 from $74 but maintained an “outperform” rating on the shares.</p>
<p>Shares of P&amp;G declined 1.6% to $61.22 early Wednesday, leaving them on track to extend their 2012 slump of about 7%.</p>
| 6,184 |
<p>Two weeks ago, United Airlines got hit with a slew of horrible headlines after airline security forcibly removed a passenger from a flight after he was seated and refused to obey airline orders to vacate the plane. The man, Dr. David Dao, alleges that security broke his nose and knocked out teeth, among other injuries.</p>
<p>The story led to a bevy of narratives about supposed anti-Asian discrimination on airlines, as well as general anger at the airline industry.</p>
<p>On Monday, lawyer Tom Demetrio announced on NBC’s Today that a female passenger on American Airlines had contacted him about suing the airline. What happened? A video <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/330187-lawyer-of-dragged-united-passenger-representing-mother-in-american" type="external">shows the woman crying</a> and carrying her baby, as well as another passenger talking to a flight attendant; the woman claims that a flight attendant hit her with a stroller while taking it away from her, nearly hitting her kid, too. American Airlines immediately took action to suspend the flight attendant in question, and apologized “for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident.” According to a Reddit commentor who says he saw the incident:</p>
<p>The Argentinian lady and her two children were in the mid to back of the plane, she was somehow able to get her stroller on board and back to near her seat. Since I was near the front, I cannot know what happened. If she tried to put the stroller in the overhead bin or what. The flight attendant told her she could not have the stroller on the plane and he needs to take it. She refused to let him take it and was to the near point of shouting. The flight attendant shouted up for security very soon on, escalating the situation more… The flight attendant and the woman started making their way to the front of the plane (I forgot who had the stroller at this point). She had her two kids. She shouted something about being an Argentinian woman and yada yada. It was this point where things escalated a bit more. The flight attendant and Argentinian woman were at the front of the plane in the crew area / next to the front door of the plane. She was hanging onto the stroller and refusing to let go. The flight attendant was trying to remove it from the plane. Both were at fault here in my opinion. The flight attendant's tone was overly aggressive. The woman was refusing to let it go and made an aggressive move grabbing the flight attendant (which she should not have done). This angered him and he responded by jerking the stroller harder knocking the Argentinian woman in the head and nearly missing her kids. The flight attendant should not have been so aggressive and should have been aware of the kids.</p>
<p>So, here’s the problem.</p>
<p>What we now have is an attempt to target one of the more unpopular industries in the country. Everybody hates the airlines, the same way most Americans hate their insurance company. Sure, we need the airlines. But we despise them because they control how we fly, they charge us too much, they jack us around, they force us to pay for checked baggage, and the like. We have to deal with pissy flight attendants, idiot TSA agents, and airlines that don’t seem to care very much about cancelling or delaying flights.</p>
<p>And so now, individuals see a ripe target.</p>
<p>Here’s the truth: David Dao should have gotten off the plane. They had the legal right to remove him from the plane. Should they have changed their process for encouraging people to leave? Of course. But as <a href="" type="internal">Mike Rowe rightly says</a>:</p>
<p>I don’t want to fly across the country in a steel tube filled with people who get to decide which rules they will follow and which they will ignore. I’ve been on too many flights with too many angry people to worry about the specific circumstances of their outrage, or the details of why they took it upon themselves to ignore a direct command. A plane is not a democracy, and the main cabin is no place to organize a sit-in. The main cabin is a place to follow orders.</p>
<p>The same holds true for this woman on the American Airlines flight. I have two children under the age of four. We always travel with a double stroller. We have never attempted to put it on the plane itself, and if we did so and were asked to check the stroller instead, we would obey the command. But this woman apparently did not, then allegedly got rowdy before being clocked with the stroller in stupid fashion by a flight attendant. How is this the sort of behavior we want to promulgate as a society? We’re now incentivizing every person on every flight to argue with every annoyance, then sue based on the reaction from the airline. Those costs will be passed on to other consumers.</p>
<p>Enough.</p>
<p>We’ve had politics dominated by hatred for particular industries for years now. We’ve already destroyed the health insurance industry because we hate it but need it. Now we’ll target the airlines. Here’s an idea: If you don’t like how an airline acts, choose a different airline. Otherwise, we’ll just ruin all of them in a fit of pique.</p>
|
Another Day, Another Lawsuit Against A Major Airline For Bad Passenger Behavior. Enough.
| true |
https://dailywire.com/news/15676/another-day-another-lawsuit-against-major-airline-ben-shapiro
|
2017-04-24
| 0right
|
Another Day, Another Lawsuit Against A Major Airline For Bad Passenger Behavior. Enough.
<p>Two weeks ago, United Airlines got hit with a slew of horrible headlines after airline security forcibly removed a passenger from a flight after he was seated and refused to obey airline orders to vacate the plane. The man, Dr. David Dao, alleges that security broke his nose and knocked out teeth, among other injuries.</p>
<p>The story led to a bevy of narratives about supposed anti-Asian discrimination on airlines, as well as general anger at the airline industry.</p>
<p>On Monday, lawyer Tom Demetrio announced on NBC’s Today that a female passenger on American Airlines had contacted him about suing the airline. What happened? A video <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/330187-lawyer-of-dragged-united-passenger-representing-mother-in-american" type="external">shows the woman crying</a> and carrying her baby, as well as another passenger talking to a flight attendant; the woman claims that a flight attendant hit her with a stroller while taking it away from her, nearly hitting her kid, too. American Airlines immediately took action to suspend the flight attendant in question, and apologized “for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident.” According to a Reddit commentor who says he saw the incident:</p>
<p>The Argentinian lady and her two children were in the mid to back of the plane, she was somehow able to get her stroller on board and back to near her seat. Since I was near the front, I cannot know what happened. If she tried to put the stroller in the overhead bin or what. The flight attendant told her she could not have the stroller on the plane and he needs to take it. She refused to let him take it and was to the near point of shouting. The flight attendant shouted up for security very soon on, escalating the situation more… The flight attendant and the woman started making their way to the front of the plane (I forgot who had the stroller at this point). She had her two kids. She shouted something about being an Argentinian woman and yada yada. It was this point where things escalated a bit more. The flight attendant and Argentinian woman were at the front of the plane in the crew area / next to the front door of the plane. She was hanging onto the stroller and refusing to let go. The flight attendant was trying to remove it from the plane. Both were at fault here in my opinion. The flight attendant's tone was overly aggressive. The woman was refusing to let it go and made an aggressive move grabbing the flight attendant (which she should not have done). This angered him and he responded by jerking the stroller harder knocking the Argentinian woman in the head and nearly missing her kids. The flight attendant should not have been so aggressive and should have been aware of the kids.</p>
<p>So, here’s the problem.</p>
<p>What we now have is an attempt to target one of the more unpopular industries in the country. Everybody hates the airlines, the same way most Americans hate their insurance company. Sure, we need the airlines. But we despise them because they control how we fly, they charge us too much, they jack us around, they force us to pay for checked baggage, and the like. We have to deal with pissy flight attendants, idiot TSA agents, and airlines that don’t seem to care very much about cancelling or delaying flights.</p>
<p>And so now, individuals see a ripe target.</p>
<p>Here’s the truth: David Dao should have gotten off the plane. They had the legal right to remove him from the plane. Should they have changed their process for encouraging people to leave? Of course. But as <a href="" type="internal">Mike Rowe rightly says</a>:</p>
<p>I don’t want to fly across the country in a steel tube filled with people who get to decide which rules they will follow and which they will ignore. I’ve been on too many flights with too many angry people to worry about the specific circumstances of their outrage, or the details of why they took it upon themselves to ignore a direct command. A plane is not a democracy, and the main cabin is no place to organize a sit-in. The main cabin is a place to follow orders.</p>
<p>The same holds true for this woman on the American Airlines flight. I have two children under the age of four. We always travel with a double stroller. We have never attempted to put it on the plane itself, and if we did so and were asked to check the stroller instead, we would obey the command. But this woman apparently did not, then allegedly got rowdy before being clocked with the stroller in stupid fashion by a flight attendant. How is this the sort of behavior we want to promulgate as a society? We’re now incentivizing every person on every flight to argue with every annoyance, then sue based on the reaction from the airline. Those costs will be passed on to other consumers.</p>
<p>Enough.</p>
<p>We’ve had politics dominated by hatred for particular industries for years now. We’ve already destroyed the health insurance industry because we hate it but need it. Now we’ll target the airlines. Here’s an idea: If you don’t like how an airline acts, choose a different airline. Otherwise, we’ll just ruin all of them in a fit of pique.</p>
| 6,185 |
<p>Studying inequality in America reveals some facts that are truly hard to believe. Amidst all the absurdity a few stand out.</p>
<p>1. U.S. companies in total pay a smaller percentage of taxes than the lowest-income 20% of Americans.</p>
<p>Total corporate profits for 2011 were $1.97 trillion. Corporations paid $181 billion in federal taxes (9%) and $40 billion in state taxes (2%), for a total tax burden of 11%. The poorest 20% of&#160;American citizens pay 17.4% in federal, state, and local taxes.</p>
<p>2. The high-profit, tax-avoiding tech industry was built on publicly-funded research.</p>
<p>The technology sector has been more dependent on government research and development than any other industry. The U.S. government provided about half of the funding for basic research in&#160;technology and communications well into the 1980s. Even today, federal grants support about 60 percent of research performed at universities.</p>
<p>IBM was founded in 1911, Hewlett-Packard in 1947, Intel in 1968, Microsoft in 1975, Apple and Oracle in 1977, Cisco in 1984. All relied on government and military innovations. The more recently&#160;incorporated Google, which started in 1996, grew out of the Defense Department’s ARPANET system and the National Science Foundation’s Digital Library Initiative.</p>
<p>The combined 2011 federal tax payment for the eight companies was just 10.6%.</p>
<p>3. The sales tax on a quadrillion dollars of financial sales is ZERO.</p>
<p>The Bank for International Settlements reported in 2008 that total annual derivatives trades were $1.14 quadrillion. The same year, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange reported a trading volume of&#160;$1.2 quadrillion.</p>
<p>A quadrillion dollars is the entire world economy, 12 times over. It’s enough to give 3 million dollars to every person in the United States. But in a sense it’s not real money. Most of it is high-volume&#160;nanosecond computer trading, the type that almost crashed our economy. So it’s a good candidate for a tiny sales tax. But there is no sales tax.</p>
<p>Go out and buy shoes or an iPhone and you pay up to a 10% sales tax. But walk over to Wall Street and buy a million dollar high-risk credit default swap and pay 0%.</p>
<p>4. Many Americans get just a penny on the dollar.</p>
<p>— For every dollar of NON-HOME wealth owned by white families, people of color have only one cent.</p>
<p>— For every dollar the richest .1% earned in 1980, they’ve added three more dollars. The poorest 90% have added one cent.</p>
<p>— For every dollar of financial securities (e.g., bonds) in the U.S., the bottom 90% of Americans have a penny and a half’s worth.</p>
<p>— For every dollar of 2008-2010 profits from Boeing, DuPont, Wells Fargo, Verizon, General Electric, and Dow Chemicals, the American public got a penny in taxes.</p>
<p>5. Our society allows one man or one family to possess enough money to feed every hungry person on earth.</p>
<p>The United Nations estimates that $30 billion is needed to eradicate hunger. Several individuals have more than this amount in personal wealth.</p>
<p>There are 925 million people in the world with insufficient food. According to the World Food Program, it takes about $100 a year to feed a human being. That’s $92 billion, about equal to the&#160;fortune of the six Wal-Mart heirs.</p>
<p>One Final Outrage…</p>
<p>In 2007 a hedge fund manager (John Paulson) conspired with a financial company (Goldman Sachs) to create packages of risky subprime mortgages, so that in anticipation of a housing crash he&#160;could use other people’s money to bet against his personally designed sure-to-fail financial instruments. His successful gamble paid him $3.7 billion. Three years later he made another $5 billion,&#160;which in the real world would have been enough to pay the salaries of 100,000 health care workers.</p>
<p>As an added insult to middle-class taxpayers, the tax rate on most of Paulson’s income was just 15%. As a double insult, he may have paid no tax at all, since hedge fund profits can be deferred&#160;indefinitely. As a triple insult, some of his payoff came from the middle-class taxpayers themselves, who bailed out the company (AIG) that had to pay off his bets.</p>
<p>And the people we elect to protect our interests are unable or unwilling to do anything about it.</p>
<p>Paul Buchheit teaches Economic Inequality at DePaul University. He is the founder and developer of social justice and educational websites ( <a href="http://UsAgainstGreed.org/" type="external">UsAgainstGreed.org</a>,&#160; <a href="http://PayUpNow.org/" type="external">PayUpNow.org</a>, <a href="http://RappingHistory.org/" type="external">RappingHistory.org</a>), and the editor and main author of “American Wars: Illusions and Realities” (Clarity Press). He can be reached at&#160; <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
|
Some Outrageous Facts About Inequality
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2012/07/02/some-outrageous-facts-about-inequality/
|
2012-07-02
| 4left
|
Some Outrageous Facts About Inequality
<p>Studying inequality in America reveals some facts that are truly hard to believe. Amidst all the absurdity a few stand out.</p>
<p>1. U.S. companies in total pay a smaller percentage of taxes than the lowest-income 20% of Americans.</p>
<p>Total corporate profits for 2011 were $1.97 trillion. Corporations paid $181 billion in federal taxes (9%) and $40 billion in state taxes (2%), for a total tax burden of 11%. The poorest 20% of&#160;American citizens pay 17.4% in federal, state, and local taxes.</p>
<p>2. The high-profit, tax-avoiding tech industry was built on publicly-funded research.</p>
<p>The technology sector has been more dependent on government research and development than any other industry. The U.S. government provided about half of the funding for basic research in&#160;technology and communications well into the 1980s. Even today, federal grants support about 60 percent of research performed at universities.</p>
<p>IBM was founded in 1911, Hewlett-Packard in 1947, Intel in 1968, Microsoft in 1975, Apple and Oracle in 1977, Cisco in 1984. All relied on government and military innovations. The more recently&#160;incorporated Google, which started in 1996, grew out of the Defense Department’s ARPANET system and the National Science Foundation’s Digital Library Initiative.</p>
<p>The combined 2011 federal tax payment for the eight companies was just 10.6%.</p>
<p>3. The sales tax on a quadrillion dollars of financial sales is ZERO.</p>
<p>The Bank for International Settlements reported in 2008 that total annual derivatives trades were $1.14 quadrillion. The same year, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange reported a trading volume of&#160;$1.2 quadrillion.</p>
<p>A quadrillion dollars is the entire world economy, 12 times over. It’s enough to give 3 million dollars to every person in the United States. But in a sense it’s not real money. Most of it is high-volume&#160;nanosecond computer trading, the type that almost crashed our economy. So it’s a good candidate for a tiny sales tax. But there is no sales tax.</p>
<p>Go out and buy shoes or an iPhone and you pay up to a 10% sales tax. But walk over to Wall Street and buy a million dollar high-risk credit default swap and pay 0%.</p>
<p>4. Many Americans get just a penny on the dollar.</p>
<p>— For every dollar of NON-HOME wealth owned by white families, people of color have only one cent.</p>
<p>— For every dollar the richest .1% earned in 1980, they’ve added three more dollars. The poorest 90% have added one cent.</p>
<p>— For every dollar of financial securities (e.g., bonds) in the U.S., the bottom 90% of Americans have a penny and a half’s worth.</p>
<p>— For every dollar of 2008-2010 profits from Boeing, DuPont, Wells Fargo, Verizon, General Electric, and Dow Chemicals, the American public got a penny in taxes.</p>
<p>5. Our society allows one man or one family to possess enough money to feed every hungry person on earth.</p>
<p>The United Nations estimates that $30 billion is needed to eradicate hunger. Several individuals have more than this amount in personal wealth.</p>
<p>There are 925 million people in the world with insufficient food. According to the World Food Program, it takes about $100 a year to feed a human being. That’s $92 billion, about equal to the&#160;fortune of the six Wal-Mart heirs.</p>
<p>One Final Outrage…</p>
<p>In 2007 a hedge fund manager (John Paulson) conspired with a financial company (Goldman Sachs) to create packages of risky subprime mortgages, so that in anticipation of a housing crash he&#160;could use other people’s money to bet against his personally designed sure-to-fail financial instruments. His successful gamble paid him $3.7 billion. Three years later he made another $5 billion,&#160;which in the real world would have been enough to pay the salaries of 100,000 health care workers.</p>
<p>As an added insult to middle-class taxpayers, the tax rate on most of Paulson’s income was just 15%. As a double insult, he may have paid no tax at all, since hedge fund profits can be deferred&#160;indefinitely. As a triple insult, some of his payoff came from the middle-class taxpayers themselves, who bailed out the company (AIG) that had to pay off his bets.</p>
<p>And the people we elect to protect our interests are unable or unwilling to do anything about it.</p>
<p>Paul Buchheit teaches Economic Inequality at DePaul University. He is the founder and developer of social justice and educational websites ( <a href="http://UsAgainstGreed.org/" type="external">UsAgainstGreed.org</a>,&#160; <a href="http://PayUpNow.org/" type="external">PayUpNow.org</a>, <a href="http://RappingHistory.org/" type="external">RappingHistory.org</a>), and the editor and main author of “American Wars: Illusions and Realities” (Clarity Press). He can be reached at&#160; <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
| 6,186 |
<p>CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's agriculture commissioner has recommended the Legislature and Gov. Jim Justice kill a bill that would open state parks to logging.</p>
<p>Commissioner Kent Leonhardt says the initiative to harvest trees within the parks system to fund park improvements is "poorly thought out."</p>
<p>He predicts a negative effect on visitors and tourism, saying a better approach is instead using excess funds from more logging in state forests.</p>
<p>The bill calls for logging limits not exceeding "the average of four trees per acre per tract" and not to exceed half the sellable timber on an acre.</p>
<p>Conservation groups oppose lifting the 80-year ban on commercial logging of parklands.</p>
<p>CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's agriculture commissioner has recommended the Legislature and Gov. Jim Justice kill a bill that would open state parks to logging.</p>
<p>Commissioner Kent Leonhardt says the initiative to harvest trees within the parks system to fund park improvements is "poorly thought out."</p>
<p>He predicts a negative effect on visitors and tourism, saying a better approach is instead using excess funds from more logging in state forests.</p>
<p>The bill calls for logging limits not exceeding "the average of four trees per acre per tract" and not to exceed half the sellable timber on an acre.</p>
<p>Conservation groups oppose lifting the 80-year ban on commercial logging of parklands.</p>
|
West Virginia commissioner opposes parkland logging
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/8900f25805194f26ac656c66c5b534de
|
2018-01-23
| 2least
|
West Virginia commissioner opposes parkland logging
<p>CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's agriculture commissioner has recommended the Legislature and Gov. Jim Justice kill a bill that would open state parks to logging.</p>
<p>Commissioner Kent Leonhardt says the initiative to harvest trees within the parks system to fund park improvements is "poorly thought out."</p>
<p>He predicts a negative effect on visitors and tourism, saying a better approach is instead using excess funds from more logging in state forests.</p>
<p>The bill calls for logging limits not exceeding "the average of four trees per acre per tract" and not to exceed half the sellable timber on an acre.</p>
<p>Conservation groups oppose lifting the 80-year ban on commercial logging of parklands.</p>
<p>CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's agriculture commissioner has recommended the Legislature and Gov. Jim Justice kill a bill that would open state parks to logging.</p>
<p>Commissioner Kent Leonhardt says the initiative to harvest trees within the parks system to fund park improvements is "poorly thought out."</p>
<p>He predicts a negative effect on visitors and tourism, saying a better approach is instead using excess funds from more logging in state forests.</p>
<p>The bill calls for logging limits not exceeding "the average of four trees per acre per tract" and not to exceed half the sellable timber on an acre.</p>
<p>Conservation groups oppose lifting the 80-year ban on commercial logging of parklands.</p>
| 6,187 |
<p>The assassination of General Abdul Fatah Younis, Muammar Gaddafi’s interior minister who defected to the opposition in February, and news of fighting between rebel factions near their “capital” Benghazi, resulting in growing lawlessness in the rebel-held east, further signify the makings of a disaster in Libya. These developments expose the true nature of the conflict and Western policy in that country. After the initial confusion, some elements associated with the insurrection have blamed “pro-Gaddafi forces.” Nonetheless, a rebel minister has admitted that General Younis was murdered by gunmen from an Islamist group belonging to his own side.</p>
<p>Younis, with two aides, was captured and killed, his body burned. The remains of all three were found on the edge of Benghazi. That large crowds attended his funeral indicates that Younis had his supporters in the rebel-held territory. The presence of antagonistic factions in areas under the nominal control of the Transitional National Council does not bode well for a quick end to the Libyan conflict, even if Gaddafi is eventually removed.</p>
<p>The Libyan conflict gets extensive coverage in the media. CNN and Al Jazeera look like strange allies in their pro-rebel stance. But the true nature of the war does not receive the attention it deserves. The assassination and subsequent clashes in Benghazi bring into focus the tribal nature of Libya’s war, which Britain, France and the United States, above all, portray as a straightforward contest between good and evil. The gun battles among rival factions and threats from General Younis’s Obeidi tribe raise the prospect of Libya sinking into a deeper tribal war over oil resources. The scenario is far removed from the delusion in Western capitals that a Bedouin society of six-and-a-half million people, scattered over a vast North African desert, will be transformed into a democratic nation, sitting in the Western camp engaged in free trade.</p>
<p>Politicians in power seem to have a disastrous tendency to ignore advice from their diplomats and legal experts. It happened in Iraq at the time of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The West may have secured the United Nations Security Council’s approval for “humanitarian intervention” in Libya, but an increasing number of governments are becoming critical of Nato’s conduct in the war. Only the day before Younis’s assassination and factional fighting in Benghazi, Foreign Secretary William Hague had announced in London that Britain was recognizing the rebel Transitional National Council as Libya’s legitimate government.</p>
<p>In an overtly political and ill-judged move, all Libyan diplomats and staff in London were ordered out and the TNC was invited to move into the embassy. As Sir Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to Washington, said afterward, Younis’s killing “underlines [the] folly of Nato getting drawn into the Libyan civil war … We should have created a safe haven in Benghazi, left it at that.”</p>
<p>Libya is a much smaller country, but there are emerging parallels with Afghanistan and U.S. policy of backing Mujahideen, riven by ethnic and tribal rivalries, in the 1980s. In 2011, the West’s energy sources and transit routes are not under threat of the Soviet kind. But the need to guarantee supplies from an increasingly turbulent oil-rich region is perhaps more acute. The current economic downturn represents a temporary cycle, after which zealous capitalism sees only opportunities.</p>
<p>An alliance based on opportunism was the beginning of the West’s involvement with the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, a conservative society with a deep-rooted tribal system. The lessons of Afghanistan, and Iraq, seem not to have been learned in Washington, London and Paris, for the war in Libya is heading that way.</p>
<p>Political maneuverings are like a pendulum, swinging from one side to another. For many years, the West saw Gaddafi as a foe. Then the British and Italian government leaders, in particular, wooed Gaddafi in a manner that was nothing short of embarrassing. Faced with a growing wave of popular uprisings in the Muslim world in recent months, the United States and allies were at first slow to respond. Then they seized on the “freedom agenda,” abandoning support for Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian dictator, and turning on Libya and Syria, but sparing friendly autocratic regimes in the region, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.</p>
<p>The latest turn of events reinforces the impression that in focusing mainly on Libya with massive military force, the West has yet again embarked on a highly selective policy and a risky venture.</p>
<p>Deepak Tripathi is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Breeding Ground: Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamist Terrorism</a> (Potomac Books, Incorporated, Washington, D.C., 2011) and <a href="" type="internal">Overcoming the Bush Legacy in Iraq and Afghanistan</a> (also Potomac, 2010). His works can be found at: <a href="http://deepaktripathi.wordpress.com" type="external">http://deepaktripathi.wordpress.com</a> and he can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
|
The Libyan Fiasco
| true |
https://counterpunch.org/2011/08/01/the-libyan-fiasco/
|
2011-08-01
| 4left
|
The Libyan Fiasco
<p>The assassination of General Abdul Fatah Younis, Muammar Gaddafi’s interior minister who defected to the opposition in February, and news of fighting between rebel factions near their “capital” Benghazi, resulting in growing lawlessness in the rebel-held east, further signify the makings of a disaster in Libya. These developments expose the true nature of the conflict and Western policy in that country. After the initial confusion, some elements associated with the insurrection have blamed “pro-Gaddafi forces.” Nonetheless, a rebel minister has admitted that General Younis was murdered by gunmen from an Islamist group belonging to his own side.</p>
<p>Younis, with two aides, was captured and killed, his body burned. The remains of all three were found on the edge of Benghazi. That large crowds attended his funeral indicates that Younis had his supporters in the rebel-held territory. The presence of antagonistic factions in areas under the nominal control of the Transitional National Council does not bode well for a quick end to the Libyan conflict, even if Gaddafi is eventually removed.</p>
<p>The Libyan conflict gets extensive coverage in the media. CNN and Al Jazeera look like strange allies in their pro-rebel stance. But the true nature of the war does not receive the attention it deserves. The assassination and subsequent clashes in Benghazi bring into focus the tribal nature of Libya’s war, which Britain, France and the United States, above all, portray as a straightforward contest between good and evil. The gun battles among rival factions and threats from General Younis’s Obeidi tribe raise the prospect of Libya sinking into a deeper tribal war over oil resources. The scenario is far removed from the delusion in Western capitals that a Bedouin society of six-and-a-half million people, scattered over a vast North African desert, will be transformed into a democratic nation, sitting in the Western camp engaged in free trade.</p>
<p>Politicians in power seem to have a disastrous tendency to ignore advice from their diplomats and legal experts. It happened in Iraq at the time of the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The West may have secured the United Nations Security Council’s approval for “humanitarian intervention” in Libya, but an increasing number of governments are becoming critical of Nato’s conduct in the war. Only the day before Younis’s assassination and factional fighting in Benghazi, Foreign Secretary William Hague had announced in London that Britain was recognizing the rebel Transitional National Council as Libya’s legitimate government.</p>
<p>In an overtly political and ill-judged move, all Libyan diplomats and staff in London were ordered out and the TNC was invited to move into the embassy. As Sir Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to Washington, said afterward, Younis’s killing “underlines [the] folly of Nato getting drawn into the Libyan civil war … We should have created a safe haven in Benghazi, left it at that.”</p>
<p>Libya is a much smaller country, but there are emerging parallels with Afghanistan and U.S. policy of backing Mujahideen, riven by ethnic and tribal rivalries, in the 1980s. In 2011, the West’s energy sources and transit routes are not under threat of the Soviet kind. But the need to guarantee supplies from an increasingly turbulent oil-rich region is perhaps more acute. The current economic downturn represents a temporary cycle, after which zealous capitalism sees only opportunities.</p>
<p>An alliance based on opportunism was the beginning of the West’s involvement with the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan, a conservative society with a deep-rooted tribal system. The lessons of Afghanistan, and Iraq, seem not to have been learned in Washington, London and Paris, for the war in Libya is heading that way.</p>
<p>Political maneuverings are like a pendulum, swinging from one side to another. For many years, the West saw Gaddafi as a foe. Then the British and Italian government leaders, in particular, wooed Gaddafi in a manner that was nothing short of embarrassing. Faced with a growing wave of popular uprisings in the Muslim world in recent months, the United States and allies were at first slow to respond. Then they seized on the “freedom agenda,” abandoning support for Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian dictator, and turning on Libya and Syria, but sparing friendly autocratic regimes in the region, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.</p>
<p>The latest turn of events reinforces the impression that in focusing mainly on Libya with massive military force, the West has yet again embarked on a highly selective policy and a risky venture.</p>
<p>Deepak Tripathi is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Breeding Ground: Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamist Terrorism</a> (Potomac Books, Incorporated, Washington, D.C., 2011) and <a href="" type="internal">Overcoming the Bush Legacy in Iraq and Afghanistan</a> (also Potomac, 2010). His works can be found at: <a href="http://deepaktripathi.wordpress.com" type="external">http://deepaktripathi.wordpress.com</a> and he can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
| 6,188 |
<p>DALLAS (AP) — A black man shot by a police officer who mistook him for a thief as he tried to unlock his own truck has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Dallas suburb where the shooting happened and the since-fired officer.</p>
<p>Lyndo Jones, who was injured in the November shooting, filed the lawsuit Thursday, saying his recovery has been "fraught with multiple returns to emergency rooms."</p>
<p>The lawsuit seeks "answers and compensation" from former officer Derick Wiley and the city of Mesquite.</p>
<p>Wiley, who also is black, was fired for use-of-force violations after the shooting. A grand jury indicted him in December on an aggravated assault charge.</p>
<p>A spokesman for Mesquite said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.</p>
<p>DALLAS (AP) — A black man shot by a police officer who mistook him for a thief as he tried to unlock his own truck has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Dallas suburb where the shooting happened and the since-fired officer.</p>
<p>Lyndo Jones, who was injured in the November shooting, filed the lawsuit Thursday, saying his recovery has been "fraught with multiple returns to emergency rooms."</p>
<p>The lawsuit seeks "answers and compensation" from former officer Derick Wiley and the city of Mesquite.</p>
<p>Wiley, who also is black, was fired for use-of-force violations after the shooting. A grand jury indicted him in December on an aggravated assault charge.</p>
<p>A spokesman for Mesquite said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.</p>
|
Black Texas man sues cop who mistook him for thief, shot him
| false |
https://apnews.com/amp/91fb074fff64482eb75d5f664264b773
|
2018-01-18
| 2least
|
Black Texas man sues cop who mistook him for thief, shot him
<p>DALLAS (AP) — A black man shot by a police officer who mistook him for a thief as he tried to unlock his own truck has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Dallas suburb where the shooting happened and the since-fired officer.</p>
<p>Lyndo Jones, who was injured in the November shooting, filed the lawsuit Thursday, saying his recovery has been "fraught with multiple returns to emergency rooms."</p>
<p>The lawsuit seeks "answers and compensation" from former officer Derick Wiley and the city of Mesquite.</p>
<p>Wiley, who also is black, was fired for use-of-force violations after the shooting. A grand jury indicted him in December on an aggravated assault charge.</p>
<p>A spokesman for Mesquite said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.</p>
<p>DALLAS (AP) — A black man shot by a police officer who mistook him for a thief as he tried to unlock his own truck has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Dallas suburb where the shooting happened and the since-fired officer.</p>
<p>Lyndo Jones, who was injured in the November shooting, filed the lawsuit Thursday, saying his recovery has been "fraught with multiple returns to emergency rooms."</p>
<p>The lawsuit seeks "answers and compensation" from former officer Derick Wiley and the city of Mesquite.</p>
<p>Wiley, who also is black, was fired for use-of-force violations after the shooting. A grand jury indicted him in December on an aggravated assault charge.</p>
<p>A spokesman for Mesquite said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.</p>
| 6,189 |
<p />
<p>The jury is still out on Snap (NYSE: SNAP) stock.After soaring in its first day of trading on secondary markets, Snap shares have fallen below their first-day opening price of $24 per share.However, the shares still remain above their initial public offering (IPO) pricing value of $17 per share.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/SNAP" type="external">SNAP</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Numerous commentators -- <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/24/history-shows-you-shouldnt-buy-the-snap-ipo.aspx?source=iaasitlnk0000003&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">myself included Opens a New Window.</a> -- have argued that Snap shares are observably overvalued in the near term, because the arithmetic just doesn't add up. However, the company's long-term trajectory could see it become the next roaring social-media success, like Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), or struggle to define itself, like Twitter (NYSE: TWTR). Here's what Snap needs to do to avoid succumbing to a fate like Twitter's.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the company's current size and the growth rates it demonstrated in its IPO prospectus suggest Snap may not enjoy the kind of mass-market opportunity that has propelled Facebook into the corporate stratosphere. Here's a quick comparison of Facebook's and Snap's daily active user (DAU) counts from each of their IPO prospectuses.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Data source: Facebook and Snap Inc S-1 filings.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, Facebook was nearly eight-years-old when it conducted its May 2012 IPO, and Snap is about seven-years-old today. Additionally, Twitter reported having a frustratingly vague "more than 100 million daily active users" in its own S-1 filing, when it, too, was about seven-years-old.</p>
<p>Moreover, Snap's growth is slowing, which also suggests that acquiring a Facebook-sized user base -- and profit base, by extension -- is unlikely under present circumstances. Snap detailed its growth-rate history, noting that DAU growth rates had halved from 92% in December 2014 to 46% in December 2016. If the company can't maintain that mid-double-digit growth rate for a very long time, or develop an implausibly profitable advertising business overnight, the basic arithmetic underpinning its whopping valuation seems likely to collapse under its own weight.</p>
<p>Given the number of Snap clones Facebook continues to launch across its ecosystem -- four at last count -- Snap will need a way to stay ahead of the competition and its own market cap. Thankfully, the company isn't operating in a vacuum, and has hinted that it does not plan to sit idly by as this situation unfolds.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Snap has signaled to the marketplace and investors that it understands this exact dynamic. In its S-1 filing, Snap shrewdly defined itself as a "camera company" rather than a mobile app for sharing disappearing images.</p>
<p>Though a cynic could argue that Snap did so to paint as grand a picture as possible during its pre-IPO road show, doing so also could suggest the company is aware of its need to evolve in order to continue to acquire new users, grow its business, and support its stock price. In fact, I recently saw a tweet from famed venture capitalist Chris Sacca that I thought nicely summarized the real investing narrative that anyone interested in owning Snap stock needs to understand.</p>
<p>I couldn't agree with this more. Like it or not, buying Snap at its current valuation is an explicit bet that CEO Evan Spiegel and his team can continue to rollout hit products that will attract new hoards of users. Without that, Snap can eventually become a very profitable company, but it's also unlikely the company will be able to justify its lofty valuation in the near term.</p>
<p>Spiegel is indeed a gifted product leader. No one disputes that. He created one of the most popular tech products in the world today as an undergraduate at Stanford. That's a rare level of success few of us can ever hope to attain.</p>
<p>However, the tech industry also has a long and riddled history of failed second acts. Lightning doesn't always strike twice, a parable that Twitter's recent struggles exemplify. Twitter's co-founder and current part-time CEO Jack Dorsey enjoys a reputation as a guru himself. He founded Twitter and Square. However, for whatever reason, Dorsey has been unable to reignite the kind of major product innovation during his current tenure that will truly move the needle for the company.</p>
<p>Everyone knows exactly what Snap needs to do in order to have this story enjoy a happy ending. However, it's important to note that the odds of doing so might not be as favorable as some investors think. Should Snap fail to live up its current "golden boy" status, current shareholders will likely be in for quite a route. Just ask Twitter.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Snap Inc.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=dfa1b184-63cd-40a5-9137-16bb1364638b&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 Snap Inc. 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=dfa1b184-63cd-40a5-9137-16bb1364638b&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 February 6, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFTheDude/info.aspx" type="external">Andrew Tonner Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Twitter. 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>
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What Twitter's Troubles Can Teach Snap Investors
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http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/18/what-twitter-troubles-can-teach-snap-investors.html
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2017-03-18
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What Twitter's Troubles Can Teach Snap Investors
<p />
<p>The jury is still out on Snap (NYSE: SNAP) stock.After soaring in its first day of trading on secondary markets, Snap shares have fallen below their first-day opening price of $24 per share.However, the shares still remain above their initial public offering (IPO) pricing value of $17 per share.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/SNAP" type="external">SNAP</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Numerous commentators -- <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/24/history-shows-you-shouldnt-buy-the-snap-ipo.aspx?source=iaasitlnk0000003&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">myself included Opens a New Window.</a> -- have argued that Snap shares are observably overvalued in the near term, because the arithmetic just doesn't add up. However, the company's long-term trajectory could see it become the next roaring social-media success, like Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), or struggle to define itself, like Twitter (NYSE: TWTR). Here's what Snap needs to do to avoid succumbing to a fate like Twitter's.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the company's current size and the growth rates it demonstrated in its IPO prospectus suggest Snap may not enjoy the kind of mass-market opportunity that has propelled Facebook into the corporate stratosphere. Here's a quick comparison of Facebook's and Snap's daily active user (DAU) counts from each of their IPO prospectuses.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Data source: Facebook and Snap Inc S-1 filings.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, Facebook was nearly eight-years-old when it conducted its May 2012 IPO, and Snap is about seven-years-old today. Additionally, Twitter reported having a frustratingly vague "more than 100 million daily active users" in its own S-1 filing, when it, too, was about seven-years-old.</p>
<p>Moreover, Snap's growth is slowing, which also suggests that acquiring a Facebook-sized user base -- and profit base, by extension -- is unlikely under present circumstances. Snap detailed its growth-rate history, noting that DAU growth rates had halved from 92% in December 2014 to 46% in December 2016. If the company can't maintain that mid-double-digit growth rate for a very long time, or develop an implausibly profitable advertising business overnight, the basic arithmetic underpinning its whopping valuation seems likely to collapse under its own weight.</p>
<p>Given the number of Snap clones Facebook continues to launch across its ecosystem -- four at last count -- Snap will need a way to stay ahead of the competition and its own market cap. Thankfully, the company isn't operating in a vacuum, and has hinted that it does not plan to sit idly by as this situation unfolds.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Snap has signaled to the marketplace and investors that it understands this exact dynamic. In its S-1 filing, Snap shrewdly defined itself as a "camera company" rather than a mobile app for sharing disappearing images.</p>
<p>Though a cynic could argue that Snap did so to paint as grand a picture as possible during its pre-IPO road show, doing so also could suggest the company is aware of its need to evolve in order to continue to acquire new users, grow its business, and support its stock price. In fact, I recently saw a tweet from famed venture capitalist Chris Sacca that I thought nicely summarized the real investing narrative that anyone interested in owning Snap stock needs to understand.</p>
<p>I couldn't agree with this more. Like it or not, buying Snap at its current valuation is an explicit bet that CEO Evan Spiegel and his team can continue to rollout hit products that will attract new hoards of users. Without that, Snap can eventually become a very profitable company, but it's also unlikely the company will be able to justify its lofty valuation in the near term.</p>
<p>Spiegel is indeed a gifted product leader. No one disputes that. He created one of the most popular tech products in the world today as an undergraduate at Stanford. That's a rare level of success few of us can ever hope to attain.</p>
<p>However, the tech industry also has a long and riddled history of failed second acts. Lightning doesn't always strike twice, a parable that Twitter's recent struggles exemplify. Twitter's co-founder and current part-time CEO Jack Dorsey enjoys a reputation as a guru himself. He founded Twitter and Square. However, for whatever reason, Dorsey has been unable to reignite the kind of major product innovation during his current tenure that will truly move the needle for the company.</p>
<p>Everyone knows exactly what Snap needs to do in order to have this story enjoy a happy ending. However, it's important to note that the odds of doing so might not be as favorable as some investors think. Should Snap fail to live up its current "golden boy" status, current shareholders will likely be in for quite a route. Just ask Twitter.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Snap Inc.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=dfa1b184-63cd-40a5-9137-16bb1364638b&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 Snap Inc. 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=dfa1b184-63cd-40a5-9137-16bb1364638b&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 February 6, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFTheDude/info.aspx" type="external">Andrew Tonner Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Twitter. 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>
| 6,190 |
<p>(Heat Street) – Facebook has come under fire after German Newspaper SZ-Magazin revealed internal secret rules of deletion that show the platform flagging up the content as hate speech if it doesn’t abide to bizarre mathematical formulas.</p>
<p>The newspaper has acquired internal documents created by the department at Facebook that sets the rules of deletion.</p>
<p>According to the paper “these rules are then often applied by external service providers, such as the Bertelsmann subsidiary Arvato in Berlin. Employees attend internal training workshops where they learn what should be deleted and what shouldn’t.”</p>
<p>The documents show that Facebook actively tries to fight so-called hate speech on their platform, coining “protected categories” that help to define when the speech is hateful.</p>
<p>Attacks based on sex, religion, nationality, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability will be flagged as hate speech and deleted.</p>
<p><a href="http://8a086oj8u04o5u91zhusr95mas.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SPECIALTRUMPTSHIRT" type="external" /></p>
<p>However, despite Facebook taking an active stance in combating hate speech, it allows some forms of hate speech.</p>
<p>There are sub-categories that enjoy some protection. These include age, employment status, continent of origin, social status, appearance, political affiliation, and religions.</p>
<p>Despite these categories having some protection in theory, Facebook users are generally allowed to speak badly about them as long as it doesn’t include condemning actual people for being part of them.</p>
<p>Also, a “protected category” combined with another “protected category” will result in another category which, if spoken badly, can lead to censorship.</p>
<p>For instance, writing “Irish women are dumb,” which includes both “national origins” and “sex” categories, will break the community rules, meaning that such a post would be deleted.</p>
<p>But a post saying “Irish teenagers are dumb” won’t break the community rules, because a combination of a protected category with an unprotected category results in an unprotected category, thus is allowed.</p>
<p>The internal documents related to migrants and refugees also raise questions about how well the rules are enforced.</p>
<p>For example, writing “fucking Muslims” is prohibited because religious affiliation is a protected category. However, writing “fucking migrants” is allowed, as “migrant” isn’t a category Facebook wants to protect.</p>
<p>The rule claims that advocating hate against migrants is allowed under certain circumstances: posts saying “migrants are dirty” are allowed, while “migrants are dirt” aren’t.</p>
<p>The revelations by the newspaper also expose the dire conditions in which Facebook moderators work. According to the paper, 600 people in Berlin are working for as little as the minimum wage. Some anonymously complained that they are inadequately prepared. Struggling to comprehend the ill-defined rules of moderation, they feel stressed and overloaded.</p>
<p>Some employees of the Facebook moderation team have reported considerable psychological problems because of their exposure to shocking content, such as torture, murder, or child pornography.</p>
<p>heatst.com/tech/internal-documents-reveal-bizarre-facebook-rules-for-censorship-of-hate-speech/</p>
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Internal Documents Reveal Bizarre Facebook Rules for Censorship of ‘Hate Speech’
| true |
http://teaparty.org/internal-documents-reveal-bizarre-facebook-rules-censorship-hate-speech-208232/
| 0right
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Internal Documents Reveal Bizarre Facebook Rules for Censorship of ‘Hate Speech’
<p>(Heat Street) – Facebook has come under fire after German Newspaper SZ-Magazin revealed internal secret rules of deletion that show the platform flagging up the content as hate speech if it doesn’t abide to bizarre mathematical formulas.</p>
<p>The newspaper has acquired internal documents created by the department at Facebook that sets the rules of deletion.</p>
<p>According to the paper “these rules are then often applied by external service providers, such as the Bertelsmann subsidiary Arvato in Berlin. Employees attend internal training workshops where they learn what should be deleted and what shouldn’t.”</p>
<p>The documents show that Facebook actively tries to fight so-called hate speech on their platform, coining “protected categories” that help to define when the speech is hateful.</p>
<p>Attacks based on sex, religion, nationality, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability will be flagged as hate speech and deleted.</p>
<p><a href="http://8a086oj8u04o5u91zhusr95mas.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=SPECIALTRUMPTSHIRT" type="external" /></p>
<p>However, despite Facebook taking an active stance in combating hate speech, it allows some forms of hate speech.</p>
<p>There are sub-categories that enjoy some protection. These include age, employment status, continent of origin, social status, appearance, political affiliation, and religions.</p>
<p>Despite these categories having some protection in theory, Facebook users are generally allowed to speak badly about them as long as it doesn’t include condemning actual people for being part of them.</p>
<p>Also, a “protected category” combined with another “protected category” will result in another category which, if spoken badly, can lead to censorship.</p>
<p>For instance, writing “Irish women are dumb,” which includes both “national origins” and “sex” categories, will break the community rules, meaning that such a post would be deleted.</p>
<p>But a post saying “Irish teenagers are dumb” won’t break the community rules, because a combination of a protected category with an unprotected category results in an unprotected category, thus is allowed.</p>
<p>The internal documents related to migrants and refugees also raise questions about how well the rules are enforced.</p>
<p>For example, writing “fucking Muslims” is prohibited because religious affiliation is a protected category. However, writing “fucking migrants” is allowed, as “migrant” isn’t a category Facebook wants to protect.</p>
<p>The rule claims that advocating hate against migrants is allowed under certain circumstances: posts saying “migrants are dirty” are allowed, while “migrants are dirt” aren’t.</p>
<p>The revelations by the newspaper also expose the dire conditions in which Facebook moderators work. According to the paper, 600 people in Berlin are working for as little as the minimum wage. Some anonymously complained that they are inadequately prepared. Struggling to comprehend the ill-defined rules of moderation, they feel stressed and overloaded.</p>
<p>Some employees of the Facebook moderation team have reported considerable psychological problems because of their exposure to shocking content, such as torture, murder, or child pornography.</p>
<p>heatst.com/tech/internal-documents-reveal-bizarre-facebook-rules-for-censorship-of-hate-speech/</p>
| 6,191 |
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<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUPYEONG, South Korea (Reuters) - When Lee Bum-yeon lost his job along with nearly 2,000 other union workers in 2001 after South Korea’s Daewoo Motor went bankrupt, his neighbors at supermarkets and bakeries gave his young daughters free snacks and bread.</p> FILE PHOTO: The logo of GM Korea is seen at its Bupyeong plant in Incheon, South Korea March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
<p>“People felt sorry. People felt heart-broken. They were worried how we were going to make a living,” 55-year-old Lee said.</p>
<p>Now, with General Motors cutting some 2,600 jobs and threatening to leave South Korea in the absence of steep union concessions, the once sympathetic public is nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p>“I don’t think anyone is feeling for us anymore,” a grim-faced Lee, who was rehired by GM a year after it bought Daewoo in 2002, told Reuters outside GM’s Bupyeong factory near Seoul.</p>
<p>South Korea’s reputation for militant unions and rigid labor practices have long been cited as contributing to high labor costs and a persistent discount for corporate Korea. Shares of South Korean companies are typically undervalued in comparison to their global peers, a phenomenon known as the “Korea Discount”.</p>
<p>Now, like unions in other major auto producing countries, Korean labor leaders are under pressure to make concessions as automakers look to shift jobs and investment to countries with lower costs.</p>
<p>“I expect militant unions to become more reasonable, which would lead to enhanced labor flexibility,” said Kim Sung-soo, a fund manager at LS Asset Management. “Unions have learned a lesson from past incidents where they can lose all if they go militant.”</p> DEMOCRACY TO MILITANCY
<p>Unions at large firms spearheaded South Korea’s fight for wages and basic labor rights against powerful family-run conglomerates known as chaebol, during the country’s rapid industrialization in the 1980s and 1990s.</p>
<p>They also led South Korea’s democracy movement under then authoritarian governments, enjoying backing from non-unionised workers at small firms and the broader public.</p>
<p>But the power and influence of the unions has been weakening. Much of the public now seeing them as an “interest group which seeks to maximize their own interest”, said Kim Tai-gi, an economics professor at Dankook University in Seoul.</p>
<p>Images of auto workers with shaved heads and red head bands clashing with riot police have come to epitomize today’s public perception of unions.</p>
<p>Union membership has halved in the last two decades to just 10 percent of workers in 2016, according to labor ministry data. That is the second-lowest after Turkey among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.</p>
<p>GM, which employees 16,000 South Korean workers, announced in February it would close its Gunsan plant and weigh options for its three other factories in the country.</p>
<p>GM’s union already said it will not seek a pay rise or bonuses this year, the first time it will forgo such demands during annual wage talks since GM acquired Daewoo.</p>
<p>But GM warned its loss-making South Korean operations would file for bankruptcy unless the union agreed to further cost cuts by April 20. [nL3N1R86MN]</p>
<p>Cha Min-song, a 29-year-old nurse from Suwon, south of Seoul, couldn’t care less about the plight of the big auto unions.</p>
<p>“They already earn way more than most South Koreans, but young people are struggling to find jobs, many of them are just temporary workers,” Cha said.</p> ‘OBSESSED’ WITH OWN INTEREST
<p>The 1987 democracy movement and the creation of unions at Hyundai Group and other large conglomerates led to widespread wage increases in the early 1990s.</p>
<p>But after massive layoffs following the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, workers at big companies became “obsessed” with their own job security, said Yoo Hyung-geun, a professor at Pusan National University.</p>
<p>Their fight for job security and more wages often came at the expense of young job seekers, and workers at smaller firms.</p> FILE PHOTO: Hwang Ho-in, a forklift truck driver at GM Korea's Bupyeong plant, stands outside the plant in Incheon, South Korea March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
<p>Workers at firms with 30 to 99 employees earned only 68 percent of what those at companies with more than 300 employees made last year, according to Reuters’ analysis of labor ministry data. The corresponding figure was 78 percent in 1993.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, youth unemployment in South Korea hit a record 9.8 percent in 2017, almost three times the national rate, and worse than Japan’s 4 percent and 8.1 percent in the United States.</p>
<p>The government of President Moon Jae-in, a former human rights lawyer who defended union activists, is advocating for non-unionised temporary workers, while calling on unions to try to regain public support.</p>
<p>“We feel very betrayed by the government and Moon,” said a union official at Kumho Tire. “Not just the president but many cabinet members were engaged in the labor movement in the past, but they are now saying no to us.”</p>
<p>Kumho’s labor union protested and threatened to strike when creditors agreed to sell the troubled company to China’s Qingdao Doublestar last month. In the face of public and government pressure, the union eventually agreed to the deal.</p>
<p>“The public do not understand why highly paid regular workers are protesting and walking out, when temporary workers can’t even strike because they are at risk of losing their jobs at any moment,” the Kumho union official said.</p>
<p>Others acknowledge changes are needed at the unions.</p>
<p>About 50 GM union officials breached a security door to executive offices then damaged company property, GM Korea said in a memo to employees last week.</p>
<p>“We have to honestly admit that we have lost our way,” said Lee, the GM worker.</p>
<p>Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Haejin Choi, Ju-min Park and Christine Kim in SEOUL, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Lincoln Feast.</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan (Reuters) - For the small farming community of Humboldt in the prairies of Canada’s Saskatchewan province, the game of ice hockey unified the town and gave it its identity, bringing home two national championships.</p> Community members leave notes and flowers at a memorial for the Humboldt Broncos team leading into the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt Saskatchewan, Canada April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Matt Smith
<p>The crash that killed at least 15 people when a bus being used by the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team collided with a tractor trailer on Friday dealt a harsh blow to the fewer than 6,000 people who call Humboldt home.</p>
<p>“It’s just gut-wrenching. It tears your heart out to think that these are fine young guys, that their futures have been wiped out,” said one local, Gordon Lees, who has been a fan of the team since it was formed in 1970 when he was ten years old.</p>
<p>He spent three years billeting Broncos members, he said, and knows many of the affected players’ parents well.</p>
<p>Lees was one of many residents who have descended on Humboldt’s sports and education complex, the Elgar Petersen Arena, since the tragedy to comfort and console one another, and to share updates on the condition of survivors.</p>
<p>Many wore jerseys and sweatshirts with the green Broncos logo. The stairs to the arena, where the team plays its home games, were covered with a memorial of flowers and stuffed toys.</p>
<p>In communities across rural Saskatchewan, such hockey venues are important focal points for locals, whether it be parents chatting in the stands during their children’s early morning practices, fans gathering to cheer on their local champions, or adult part-timers squeezing in a friendly game after work.</p> Head coach Darcy Haugan talks to the 2017-2018 Humboldt Broncos Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team on the bench during a game in this undated handout photo. Amanda Brochu/Handout via REUTERS
<p>Perhaps the most famous player to hail from Humboldt, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Glenn Hall, said no words could convey how he felt after learning about the tragedy.</p>
<p>“I’m sure that Humboldt is devastated, and I don’t know if it will ever come back from a situation like this,” Hall told NHL.com on Saturday from his farm in Stony Plain, Alberta.</p>
<p>Gordon Lees’ 24-year-old daughter Shelby said that the Broncos were a vital symbol of their town: the team twice won Canada’s Junior A championship, the Royal Bank Cup, as well as the provincial league championship several times.</p>
<p>“They represent our community and they have represented it across this nation,” said Shelby Lees.</p>
<p>Her boyfriend, Rhett Blackmur, spent four seasons playing for the Broncos and was a teammate of the captain, 20-year-old Logan Schatz, who was among those killed. Blackmur now coaches the town’s Midget AA team.</p>
<p>Dean Brockman, who coached the Broncos for 17 years before leaving in 2014, drove the 112 km (70 miles) back from Saskatoon where he lives now. He said he recalled Schatz as “one of those kids that you just don’t forget.”</p>
<p>“He always came with a smile on. He wanted to be a hockey player. That’s all he kind of lived and breathed,” Brockman said. “For me, I think you’ve got to try and find some positives out of a terrible situation.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Katherine Fitzpatrick in Humboldt, Saskatchewan; Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by Daniel Wallis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend a vigil at a small farming town in Saskatchewan province on Sunday evening to mourn the survivors of a bus crash which killed 15 people and left 14 others in hospital.</p> A Humboldt Broncos team jersey is seen among notes and flowers at a memorial for the Humboldt Broncos team leading into the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Matt Smith
<p>The Friday night accident sent shock waves across a hockey-loving nation, devastated the Humboldt Broncos ice hockey team and plunged the community of fewer than 6,000 people into grief.</p> Apr 7, 2018; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The logo of the Humboldt Broncos is displayed on the ice and scoreboard during a moments silence in tribute to the team before a game between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
<p>Trudeau will attend the vigil, his office said on Sunday. Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale will join him.</p>
<p>Former National Hockey League (NHL) player Sheldon Kennedy tweeted that he would be in Humboldt on Sunday evening to support players and families, along with former players Bob Wilkie and Peter Soberlak.</p>
<p>Kennedy was on board a bus involved in another fatal crash in 1986, in which four members of the Swift Current Broncos were killed.</p>
<p>Friday’s crash happened while the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team was traveling to a league playoff game in the town of Nipawin, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Humboldt.</p> Slideshow (16 Images)
<p>The bus collided with a semi-trailer truck. Canadian police are looking into road, weather and vehicle conditions.</p>
<p>For the prairies community of Humboldt, ice hockey is a sport that unifies the town and gives it its identity, bringing home two national championships.</p>
<p>Townspeople and team supporters gathered at the local Uniplex sports and education complex to comfort each other. An online fund-raising initiative to help the victims’ families has raised C$3.05 million ($2.4 million).</p>
<p>Rob Eichorst, the team’s governor, said Sunday’s interdenominational vigil was organized by local religious leaders “for healing of the community, the hockey team, the province, the country.”</p>
<p>“There’s no playbook on how to handle this,” Eichorst said. “People are bringing food ... We’ve got multinational companies helping us, we’ve got national companies offering stuff. The support is overwhelming and truly appreciated.”</p>
<p>He estimated 300 to 400 people had gathered at the complex on Friday evening. Grief counselors were on hand and the Red Cross was providing support to players’ families as well as the families who billet players.</p>
<p>($1 = 1.2778 Canadian dollars)</p>
<p>Reporting by Katherine Fitzpatrick&#160;in HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan; Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by James Dalgleish and Rosalba O'Brien</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Christian Sewing has been named the new chief executive of Deutsche Bank ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DBKGn.DE" type="external">DBKGn.DE</a>) with immediate effect, replacing John Cryan, the bank said on Sunday.</p> Christian Sewing, member of the board of Germany's Deutsche Bank is pictured in Frankfurt, Germany, February 2, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DBKGn.DE" type="external">Deutsche Bank AG</a> 11.352 DBKGn.DE Xetra -0.31 (-2.64%) DBKGn.DE
<p>The decision was taken by the bank’s board during a hastily arranged conference call and ends two weeks of intense speculation about the bank’s leadership.</p>
<p>Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Edward Taylor</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
|
LIVE MARKETS-"It was a good week for Europe Equity Funds" As GM union faces big job losses, South Koreans turn cold shoulder Hockey-loving Canada town mourns 'fine young guys' after crash Trudeau, ex-NHL stars to attend vigil for Canada bus crash victims Christian Sewing named new CEO of Deutsche Bank
| false |
https://reuters.com/article/europe-stocks/live-markets-it-was-a-good-week-for-europe-equity-funds-idUSL8N1PE0PZ
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2018-01-19
| 2least
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LIVE MARKETS-"It was a good week for Europe Equity Funds" As GM union faces big job losses, South Koreans turn cold shoulder Hockey-loving Canada town mourns 'fine young guys' after crash Trudeau, ex-NHL stars to attend vigil for Canada bus crash victims Christian Sewing named new CEO of Deutsche Bank
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUPYEONG, South Korea (Reuters) - When Lee Bum-yeon lost his job along with nearly 2,000 other union workers in 2001 after South Korea’s Daewoo Motor went bankrupt, his neighbors at supermarkets and bakeries gave his young daughters free snacks and bread.</p> FILE PHOTO: The logo of GM Korea is seen at its Bupyeong plant in Incheon, South Korea March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
<p>“People felt sorry. People felt heart-broken. They were worried how we were going to make a living,” 55-year-old Lee said.</p>
<p>Now, with General Motors cutting some 2,600 jobs and threatening to leave South Korea in the absence of steep union concessions, the once sympathetic public is nowhere to be seen.</p>
<p>“I don’t think anyone is feeling for us anymore,” a grim-faced Lee, who was rehired by GM a year after it bought Daewoo in 2002, told Reuters outside GM’s Bupyeong factory near Seoul.</p>
<p>South Korea’s reputation for militant unions and rigid labor practices have long been cited as contributing to high labor costs and a persistent discount for corporate Korea. Shares of South Korean companies are typically undervalued in comparison to their global peers, a phenomenon known as the “Korea Discount”.</p>
<p>Now, like unions in other major auto producing countries, Korean labor leaders are under pressure to make concessions as automakers look to shift jobs and investment to countries with lower costs.</p>
<p>“I expect militant unions to become more reasonable, which would lead to enhanced labor flexibility,” said Kim Sung-soo, a fund manager at LS Asset Management. “Unions have learned a lesson from past incidents where they can lose all if they go militant.”</p> DEMOCRACY TO MILITANCY
<p>Unions at large firms spearheaded South Korea’s fight for wages and basic labor rights against powerful family-run conglomerates known as chaebol, during the country’s rapid industrialization in the 1980s and 1990s.</p>
<p>They also led South Korea’s democracy movement under then authoritarian governments, enjoying backing from non-unionised workers at small firms and the broader public.</p>
<p>But the power and influence of the unions has been weakening. Much of the public now seeing them as an “interest group which seeks to maximize their own interest”, said Kim Tai-gi, an economics professor at Dankook University in Seoul.</p>
<p>Images of auto workers with shaved heads and red head bands clashing with riot police have come to epitomize today’s public perception of unions.</p>
<p>Union membership has halved in the last two decades to just 10 percent of workers in 2016, according to labor ministry data. That is the second-lowest after Turkey among member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.</p>
<p>GM, which employees 16,000 South Korean workers, announced in February it would close its Gunsan plant and weigh options for its three other factories in the country.</p>
<p>GM’s union already said it will not seek a pay rise or bonuses this year, the first time it will forgo such demands during annual wage talks since GM acquired Daewoo.</p>
<p>But GM warned its loss-making South Korean operations would file for bankruptcy unless the union agreed to further cost cuts by April 20. [nL3N1R86MN]</p>
<p>Cha Min-song, a 29-year-old nurse from Suwon, south of Seoul, couldn’t care less about the plight of the big auto unions.</p>
<p>“They already earn way more than most South Koreans, but young people are struggling to find jobs, many of them are just temporary workers,” Cha said.</p> ‘OBSESSED’ WITH OWN INTEREST
<p>The 1987 democracy movement and the creation of unions at Hyundai Group and other large conglomerates led to widespread wage increases in the early 1990s.</p>
<p>But after massive layoffs following the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, workers at big companies became “obsessed” with their own job security, said Yoo Hyung-geun, a professor at Pusan National University.</p>
<p>Their fight for job security and more wages often came at the expense of young job seekers, and workers at smaller firms.</p> FILE PHOTO: Hwang Ho-in, a forklift truck driver at GM Korea's Bupyeong plant, stands outside the plant in Incheon, South Korea March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo
<p>Workers at firms with 30 to 99 employees earned only 68 percent of what those at companies with more than 300 employees made last year, according to Reuters’ analysis of labor ministry data. The corresponding figure was 78 percent in 1993.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, youth unemployment in South Korea hit a record 9.8 percent in 2017, almost three times the national rate, and worse than Japan’s 4 percent and 8.1 percent in the United States.</p>
<p>The government of President Moon Jae-in, a former human rights lawyer who defended union activists, is advocating for non-unionised temporary workers, while calling on unions to try to regain public support.</p>
<p>“We feel very betrayed by the government and Moon,” said a union official at Kumho Tire. “Not just the president but many cabinet members were engaged in the labor movement in the past, but they are now saying no to us.”</p>
<p>Kumho’s labor union protested and threatened to strike when creditors agreed to sell the troubled company to China’s Qingdao Doublestar last month. In the face of public and government pressure, the union eventually agreed to the deal.</p>
<p>“The public do not understand why highly paid regular workers are protesting and walking out, when temporary workers can’t even strike because they are at risk of losing their jobs at any moment,” the Kumho union official said.</p>
<p>Others acknowledge changes are needed at the unions.</p>
<p>About 50 GM union officials breached a security door to executive offices then damaged company property, GM Korea said in a memo to employees last week.</p>
<p>“We have to honestly admit that we have lost our way,” said Lee, the GM worker.</p>
<p>Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Additional reporting by Haejin Choi, Ju-min Park and Christine Kim in SEOUL, Editing by Soyoung Kim and Lincoln Feast.</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan (Reuters) - For the small farming community of Humboldt in the prairies of Canada’s Saskatchewan province, the game of ice hockey unified the town and gave it its identity, bringing home two national championships.</p> Community members leave notes and flowers at a memorial for the Humboldt Broncos team leading into the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt Saskatchewan, Canada April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Matt Smith
<p>The crash that killed at least 15 people when a bus being used by the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team collided with a tractor trailer on Friday dealt a harsh blow to the fewer than 6,000 people who call Humboldt home.</p>
<p>“It’s just gut-wrenching. It tears your heart out to think that these are fine young guys, that their futures have been wiped out,” said one local, Gordon Lees, who has been a fan of the team since it was formed in 1970 when he was ten years old.</p>
<p>He spent three years billeting Broncos members, he said, and knows many of the affected players’ parents well.</p>
<p>Lees was one of many residents who have descended on Humboldt’s sports and education complex, the Elgar Petersen Arena, since the tragedy to comfort and console one another, and to share updates on the condition of survivors.</p>
<p>Many wore jerseys and sweatshirts with the green Broncos logo. The stairs to the arena, where the team plays its home games, were covered with a memorial of flowers and stuffed toys.</p>
<p>In communities across rural Saskatchewan, such hockey venues are important focal points for locals, whether it be parents chatting in the stands during their children’s early morning practices, fans gathering to cheer on their local champions, or adult part-timers squeezing in a friendly game after work.</p> Head coach Darcy Haugan talks to the 2017-2018 Humboldt Broncos Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team on the bench during a game in this undated handout photo. Amanda Brochu/Handout via REUTERS
<p>Perhaps the most famous player to hail from Humboldt, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Glenn Hall, said no words could convey how he felt after learning about the tragedy.</p>
<p>“I’m sure that Humboldt is devastated, and I don’t know if it will ever come back from a situation like this,” Hall told NHL.com on Saturday from his farm in Stony Plain, Alberta.</p>
<p>Gordon Lees’ 24-year-old daughter Shelby said that the Broncos were a vital symbol of their town: the team twice won Canada’s Junior A championship, the Royal Bank Cup, as well as the provincial league championship several times.</p>
<p>“They represent our community and they have represented it across this nation,” said Shelby Lees.</p>
<p>Her boyfriend, Rhett Blackmur, spent four seasons playing for the Broncos and was a teammate of the captain, 20-year-old Logan Schatz, who was among those killed. Blackmur now coaches the town’s Midget AA team.</p>
<p>Dean Brockman, who coached the Broncos for 17 years before leaving in 2014, drove the 112 km (70 miles) back from Saskatoon where he lives now. He said he recalled Schatz as “one of those kids that you just don’t forget.”</p>
<p>“He always came with a smile on. He wanted to be a hockey player. That’s all he kind of lived and breathed,” Brockman said. “For me, I think you’ve got to try and find some positives out of a terrible situation.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Katherine Fitzpatrick in Humboldt, Saskatchewan; Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by Daniel Wallis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will attend a vigil at a small farming town in Saskatchewan province on Sunday evening to mourn the survivors of a bus crash which killed 15 people and left 14 others in hospital.</p> A Humboldt Broncos team jersey is seen among notes and flowers at a memorial for the Humboldt Broncos team leading into the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Matt Smith
<p>The Friday night accident sent shock waves across a hockey-loving nation, devastated the Humboldt Broncos ice hockey team and plunged the community of fewer than 6,000 people into grief.</p> Apr 7, 2018; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The logo of the Humboldt Broncos is displayed on the ice and scoreboard during a moments silence in tribute to the team before a game between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
<p>Trudeau will attend the vigil, his office said on Sunday. Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale will join him.</p>
<p>Former National Hockey League (NHL) player Sheldon Kennedy tweeted that he would be in Humboldt on Sunday evening to support players and families, along with former players Bob Wilkie and Peter Soberlak.</p>
<p>Kennedy was on board a bus involved in another fatal crash in 1986, in which four members of the Swift Current Broncos were killed.</p>
<p>Friday’s crash happened while the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team was traveling to a league playoff game in the town of Nipawin, about 200 km (125 miles) northeast of Humboldt.</p> Slideshow (16 Images)
<p>The bus collided with a semi-trailer truck. Canadian police are looking into road, weather and vehicle conditions.</p>
<p>For the prairies community of Humboldt, ice hockey is a sport that unifies the town and gives it its identity, bringing home two national championships.</p>
<p>Townspeople and team supporters gathered at the local Uniplex sports and education complex to comfort each other. An online fund-raising initiative to help the victims’ families has raised C$3.05 million ($2.4 million).</p>
<p>Rob Eichorst, the team’s governor, said Sunday’s interdenominational vigil was organized by local religious leaders “for healing of the community, the hockey team, the province, the country.”</p>
<p>“There’s no playbook on how to handle this,” Eichorst said. “People are bringing food ... We’ve got multinational companies helping us, we’ve got national companies offering stuff. The support is overwhelming and truly appreciated.”</p>
<p>He estimated 300 to 400 people had gathered at the complex on Friday evening. Grief counselors were on hand and the Red Cross was providing support to players’ families as well as the families who billet players.</p>
<p>($1 = 1.2778 Canadian dollars)</p>
<p>Reporting by Katherine Fitzpatrick&#160;in HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan; Writing by Denny Thomas; Editing by James Dalgleish and Rosalba O'Brien</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Christian Sewing has been named the new chief executive of Deutsche Bank ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DBKGn.DE" type="external">DBKGn.DE</a>) with immediate effect, replacing John Cryan, the bank said on Sunday.</p> Christian Sewing, member of the board of Germany's Deutsche Bank is pictured in Frankfurt, Germany, February 2, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=DBKGn.DE" type="external">Deutsche Bank AG</a> 11.352 DBKGn.DE Xetra -0.31 (-2.64%) DBKGn.DE
<p>The decision was taken by the bank’s board during a hastily arranged conference call and ends two weeks of intense speculation about the bank’s leadership.</p>
<p>Reporting by Tom Sims; Editing by Edward Taylor</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
| 6,192 |
<p>Sanctuary cities are now going to great lengths to protect foreigners in the United States.</p>
<p>On Monday, Denver voted to reduce the penalty for first -- and even second -- instances of domestic violence from 365 days to a maximum 300 days in jail. The <a href="https://archive.fo/a7eCM#selection-4049.93-4091.399" type="external">Washington Post</a> says the new law is "aimed at protecting legal immigrants from being deported for committing relatively petty crimes, those carrying maximum sentences of 365 days — the federal government’s tripwire for kicking people out."</p>
<p>Yes, the top minds in Denver and the Washington Post think that beating your spouse -- not once but twice -- is a "relatively petty" crime.</p>
<p>Under federal law, an immigrant living in the United States legally can be deported for committing a low-level crime, like shoplifting or trespassing, as long as that offense carries a potential sentence of one year.</p>
<p>This means that even someone living in the country with a green card or student visa can be flagged to immigration officials — and deported — for such misdemeanors.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of legal residents have been deported for relatively minor offenses in recent decades. But under previous administrations, immigration authorities have often let low-level offenders off the hook. Now, under Trump, immigrants feel the threat of deportation more than ever, advocates say, whether they are residing here legally or not.</p>
<p>The proposal passed Denver’s city council Monday night. In making the change, Denver is sending a clear message to the federal government that it will not “bend to a broken immigration system,” said the city’s mayor, Michael Hancock, who proposed the sentencing revisions. They will help “keep families together by ensuring low level offenses, like park curfew, are not a deportation tool,” he said.</p>
<p>The move came at the same time that the governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, longtime friend and aide to Hillary and Bill Clinton, took an extraordinary action to protect an illegal alien. He granted a pardon to a woman who "came to the U.S. from El Salvador a decade ago, and was stopped for a broken taillight in 2013," the Associated Press reports.</p>
<p>But Liliana Cruz Mendez was actually arrested for driving without a license, a far more serious infraction. More, she is in the country illegally and has been defying a deportation order since 2006.</p>
<p>“Tearing this family apart will not make our commonwealth or our country safer,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “If President Trump and his administration are serious about making our nation safer, they will release Ms. Mendez, focus their immigration enforcement efforts on legitimate threats to our public safety and get behind the comprehensive immigration reform our nation needs.”</p>
<p>Now, we don't want to sound hard-hearted, but this is like coming home to your house, finding some squatters inside and saying, "Well, these folks have made themselves comfortable so who am I to disrupt them?"</p>
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Denver Reduces Jail Time for Domestic Assault -- To Aid Immigrants!
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2017-05-25
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Denver Reduces Jail Time for Domestic Assault -- To Aid Immigrants!
<p>Sanctuary cities are now going to great lengths to protect foreigners in the United States.</p>
<p>On Monday, Denver voted to reduce the penalty for first -- and even second -- instances of domestic violence from 365 days to a maximum 300 days in jail. The <a href="https://archive.fo/a7eCM#selection-4049.93-4091.399" type="external">Washington Post</a> says the new law is "aimed at protecting legal immigrants from being deported for committing relatively petty crimes, those carrying maximum sentences of 365 days — the federal government’s tripwire for kicking people out."</p>
<p>Yes, the top minds in Denver and the Washington Post think that beating your spouse -- not once but twice -- is a "relatively petty" crime.</p>
<p>Under federal law, an immigrant living in the United States legally can be deported for committing a low-level crime, like shoplifting or trespassing, as long as that offense carries a potential sentence of one year.</p>
<p>This means that even someone living in the country with a green card or student visa can be flagged to immigration officials — and deported — for such misdemeanors.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of legal residents have been deported for relatively minor offenses in recent decades. But under previous administrations, immigration authorities have often let low-level offenders off the hook. Now, under Trump, immigrants feel the threat of deportation more than ever, advocates say, whether they are residing here legally or not.</p>
<p>The proposal passed Denver’s city council Monday night. In making the change, Denver is sending a clear message to the federal government that it will not “bend to a broken immigration system,” said the city’s mayor, Michael Hancock, who proposed the sentencing revisions. They will help “keep families together by ensuring low level offenses, like park curfew, are not a deportation tool,” he said.</p>
<p>The move came at the same time that the governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, longtime friend and aide to Hillary and Bill Clinton, took an extraordinary action to protect an illegal alien. He granted a pardon to a woman who "came to the U.S. from El Salvador a decade ago, and was stopped for a broken taillight in 2013," the Associated Press reports.</p>
<p>But Liliana Cruz Mendez was actually arrested for driving without a license, a far more serious infraction. More, she is in the country illegally and has been defying a deportation order since 2006.</p>
<p>“Tearing this family apart will not make our commonwealth or our country safer,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “If President Trump and his administration are serious about making our nation safer, they will release Ms. Mendez, focus their immigration enforcement efforts on legitimate threats to our public safety and get behind the comprehensive immigration reform our nation needs.”</p>
<p>Now, we don't want to sound hard-hearted, but this is like coming home to your house, finding some squatters inside and saying, "Well, these folks have made themselves comfortable so who am I to disrupt them?"</p>
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<p>But what were we to make of that message? If the temple’s members had been Muslims, would the attack have then been justified?</p>
<p>We say we don’t endorse prejudice against one group or another, but for some reason we also want to make sure people know who the “we” and the “they” really are. CNN would probably say it was simply trying to clear up a common misunderstanding that, in this case, may have been shared by the gunman himself. Fair enough.</p>
<p>But in the post-9/11 context of a deadly act committed by an apparent white supremacist against a congregation that is largely ethnically South Asian – a congregation that includes bearded men in turbans – broadcasting the mantra that “Sikhs are not Muslims” takes on a far more insidious subtext: Don’t blame these people, it implies, for the unspeakable crimes of 9/11. It’s Muslims you want.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The media aren’t alone in conveying, however unintentionally, this sinister message. When Barack Obama was running for president in 2008, he responded to the inaccurate but surprisingly persistent assertion that he was a Muslim with this statement in a 2008 debate: “The facts are I am Christian. I have been sworn in (as a U.S. senator) with a Bible.”</p>
<p>As president, Obama has made an effort to stress how important Muslims are to the fabric of U.S. society and has praised the enormous contributions made by Islamic civilization to human history. Still, his behavior as a candidate was disappointing. When “accused” of being a Muslim, he didn’t challenge the darker assumptions behind the assertion. He simply tried to distance himself from Muslims. His campaign also made sure there were no photo-ops in mosques and no women in hijab as part of the diversity tableau that served as a backdrop to his stump speeches.</p>
<p>John McCain got into the act when attempting a noble defense of his opponent in the 2008 race. At a Republican rally late in the campaign, a woman said she couldn’t trust Obama because “he’s an Arab.” McCain objected: “No, ma’am; no, ma’am. He’s a … decent family man, (a) citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues.” It was a defense that undoubtedly left many Arab Americans (as well as Arabs around the world) horrified by the implication that Arab men must be, therefore, indecent and un-American.</p>
<p>At the height of the accusations that Obama was a closet Muslim, the only public figure I saw get it right was former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, the first black man ever to hold that office. In his famous “Meet the Press” appearance on Oct. 19, 2008, Powell, like others, condemned the “false intimations” that Obama was a Muslim. But he then went on to say: “But really the right answer is, what if he is (a Muslim)? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s ‘No; that’s not America.’ ”</p>
<p>It’s time for all of us – Democrats and Republicans, “tea partyers” and occupiers, conservative evangelicals and progressive Episcopalians, Latinos, blacks, Asians and whites alike – to take the kind of wise and principled stand that Powell took. We need to insist with one voice that American Muslims are not a “they” to be demonized but a treasured part of who “we” are as a people, and that the demonization of any minority group runs contrary to the spirit of this great country. In fact, we need to go even further and declare that Muslims the world over are an important and vital part of the one human family.</p>
<p>If presidential candidates and television networks have trouble understanding these basic concepts, then there is obviously much work that has to be done.</p>
<p>We can begin by taking a good hard look at the groups to which we belong and by inviting “outsiders” to help us see the ways in which any aspect of the religious or civic identities we espouse urge us to reject entire groups of “others.” As we do this, we need to embrace the truth that hatred can never be the touchstone of authentic faith or authentic patriotism.</p>
<p>For as tragedies such as 9/11 and Oak Creek remind us, hatred of any kind is nothing less than a profound betrayal of both God and country.</p>
<p>Scott C. Alexander is an associate professor of Islamic studies and director of Catholic-Muslim studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Distributed by MCT Information Services.</p>
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No Hatred of ‘Others’ Is Justified in God’s Word
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https://abqjournal.com/124321/no-hatred-of-others-is-justified-in-gods-word.html
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2012-08-15
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No Hatred of ‘Others’ Is Justified in God’s Word
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<p />
<p>But what were we to make of that message? If the temple’s members had been Muslims, would the attack have then been justified?</p>
<p>We say we don’t endorse prejudice against one group or another, but for some reason we also want to make sure people know who the “we” and the “they” really are. CNN would probably say it was simply trying to clear up a common misunderstanding that, in this case, may have been shared by the gunman himself. Fair enough.</p>
<p>But in the post-9/11 context of a deadly act committed by an apparent white supremacist against a congregation that is largely ethnically South Asian – a congregation that includes bearded men in turbans – broadcasting the mantra that “Sikhs are not Muslims” takes on a far more insidious subtext: Don’t blame these people, it implies, for the unspeakable crimes of 9/11. It’s Muslims you want.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The media aren’t alone in conveying, however unintentionally, this sinister message. When Barack Obama was running for president in 2008, he responded to the inaccurate but surprisingly persistent assertion that he was a Muslim with this statement in a 2008 debate: “The facts are I am Christian. I have been sworn in (as a U.S. senator) with a Bible.”</p>
<p>As president, Obama has made an effort to stress how important Muslims are to the fabric of U.S. society and has praised the enormous contributions made by Islamic civilization to human history. Still, his behavior as a candidate was disappointing. When “accused” of being a Muslim, he didn’t challenge the darker assumptions behind the assertion. He simply tried to distance himself from Muslims. His campaign also made sure there were no photo-ops in mosques and no women in hijab as part of the diversity tableau that served as a backdrop to his stump speeches.</p>
<p>John McCain got into the act when attempting a noble defense of his opponent in the 2008 race. At a Republican rally late in the campaign, a woman said she couldn’t trust Obama because “he’s an Arab.” McCain objected: “No, ma’am; no, ma’am. He’s a … decent family man, (a) citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues.” It was a defense that undoubtedly left many Arab Americans (as well as Arabs around the world) horrified by the implication that Arab men must be, therefore, indecent and un-American.</p>
<p>At the height of the accusations that Obama was a closet Muslim, the only public figure I saw get it right was former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, the first black man ever to hold that office. In his famous “Meet the Press” appearance on Oct. 19, 2008, Powell, like others, condemned the “false intimations” that Obama was a Muslim. But he then went on to say: “But really the right answer is, what if he is (a Muslim)? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s ‘No; that’s not America.’ ”</p>
<p>It’s time for all of us – Democrats and Republicans, “tea partyers” and occupiers, conservative evangelicals and progressive Episcopalians, Latinos, blacks, Asians and whites alike – to take the kind of wise and principled stand that Powell took. We need to insist with one voice that American Muslims are not a “they” to be demonized but a treasured part of who “we” are as a people, and that the demonization of any minority group runs contrary to the spirit of this great country. In fact, we need to go even further and declare that Muslims the world over are an important and vital part of the one human family.</p>
<p>If presidential candidates and television networks have trouble understanding these basic concepts, then there is obviously much work that has to be done.</p>
<p>We can begin by taking a good hard look at the groups to which we belong and by inviting “outsiders” to help us see the ways in which any aspect of the religious or civic identities we espouse urge us to reject entire groups of “others.” As we do this, we need to embrace the truth that hatred can never be the touchstone of authentic faith or authentic patriotism.</p>
<p>For as tragedies such as 9/11 and Oak Creek remind us, hatred of any kind is nothing less than a profound betrayal of both God and country.</p>
<p>Scott C. Alexander is an associate professor of Islamic studies and director of Catholic-Muslim studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Distributed by MCT Information Services.</p>
| 6,194 |
<p>I recently read an article by Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal. He offered some reflections on the national economic disaster faced by the nation of Greece. He makes the point that Greece’s problems are only partially economic. The other major part is one of character. The problem is not that the Greek people are themselves the problem, but rather they have allowed to stand for far too long a system in which cheating the system is the only good way to survive. As a result, they often default to cheating the system and to electing politicians who promise to help them do so both as a people and as a nation. Stephen’s final point is that with the election of a far left socialist leader, the Greek people have very well hastened the day when they reach the end of their rope and their economic fantasy trip will end.</p>
<p>As I read the article I couldn’t help but think about the arguments made by Anthony Codevilla in his book, The Character of Nations. It’s depressingly soaked in pessimism regarding the state of the world, but it’s a good read and he makes a number of good (and well researched) points regarding the way the policies of a nation affect the character of people of that nation, but also how the character of the people of a nation affect the policies of that nation. There is a back and forth relationship wherein one affects the other and vice versa. He uses Russia under Soviet control as an example. The character of the people dissolved almost entirely under that evil, evil system. Like the Greek system, it encouraged laziness and lying and cheating. Well, it turned many of the people into lazy, lying cheaters.</p>
<p>The same thing seems to have happened in Greece. The people have been told for so long that they can get something for nothing if they know the right ways to work around the system that they won’t accept for their national leaders anyone but those who assure them they can continue getting something for nothing (the other part is communicated in a sly wink to the side). The complete dissolution of the Greek economy will affect markets around the world to be sure. But, traders will be wise to have the moral fortitude to recognize that the compassionate thing to do for the Greek people at this point is not to prop them up yet again with another loan they cannot and will not repay, but to let them fail and finally taste the fruit of their choices. What Greece needs is a real spiritual revival to restore their character. Perhaps if they took time as a nation to study the most widely published and sold book in the world that was originally written entirely in Greek they might help themselves.</p>
<p>Stephens expresses hope that they will belatedly discover&#160;“the virtues of free markets that allow the rule of law to take root.” I see his point, but with due respect to his no doubt being profoundly more economically astute and trained than I am, I think he’s mistaken. There are not virtues inherent in free markets. Virtues are found in the people taking part in the free markets. Free markets do not remain free if the people participating in them are not virtuous. Furthermore, it is the rule of law that allows free markets to flourish, not the other way around. Historically speaking, the rule of law has arisen and held sway only in those places where the Christian worldview has been embraced on a national level. Indeed, no other worldview has anything like the commitment to rule of law that Christians have given to the world. The Founding Fathers of this nation recognized all this and understood in an incredibly prescient way that the system they were establishing would only last as long as the virtue of the people did. That’s why Washington was such an important choice for our first leader. His commitment to virtue (and specifically&#160;Christian virtue whether he was really a deist at heart or not) was absolute. Well, foundational leaders have a lasting impact on their people and we are fortunate to have his.</p>
<p>But notice that as the moral character of our nation has declined and precipitously so in recent years, our markets have become less and less free. Regulations have blossomed. Freedom has decreased. We are still a good ways ahead of the rest of the world, but we are now heading in the same direction they are instead of leading. Os Guinness’s book, A Free People’s Suicide, makes this point and rather profoundly so. Prayerfully Greece will serve as a warning call to the rest of the world (and us in particular) of not simply the dangers of socialism as an economic system by revealing its logical end, but of the impact of character on national economies. I would, however, be lying if I said I was terribly hopeful.</p>
<p>As Greece approaches the brink of failure we as Christians need to pray for the people living there as the days ahead of them are likely to be much more difficult than those behind them. In particular we need to pray for our brothers and sisters who are no doubt working feverishly to effect a change in the hearts and minds of their fellow citizens and allow their teetering nation to survive. Let us also be sure to not miss the lessons inherent in this tragedy. Character counts. It counts individually. It counts nationally. Yet without the power and impact of the gospel, character cannot survive. Let us continue striving to impact our culture with the gospel power we bear as representatives of Jesus the Christ that we might shore up the kind of character that will allow the freedom — both economic and otherwise — we so cherish to last for many generations to come.</p>
|
When character fails
| false |
https://baptistnews.com/article/when-character-fails/
| 3left-center
|
When character fails
<p>I recently read an article by Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal. He offered some reflections on the national economic disaster faced by the nation of Greece. He makes the point that Greece’s problems are only partially economic. The other major part is one of character. The problem is not that the Greek people are themselves the problem, but rather they have allowed to stand for far too long a system in which cheating the system is the only good way to survive. As a result, they often default to cheating the system and to electing politicians who promise to help them do so both as a people and as a nation. Stephen’s final point is that with the election of a far left socialist leader, the Greek people have very well hastened the day when they reach the end of their rope and their economic fantasy trip will end.</p>
<p>As I read the article I couldn’t help but think about the arguments made by Anthony Codevilla in his book, The Character of Nations. It’s depressingly soaked in pessimism regarding the state of the world, but it’s a good read and he makes a number of good (and well researched) points regarding the way the policies of a nation affect the character of people of that nation, but also how the character of the people of a nation affect the policies of that nation. There is a back and forth relationship wherein one affects the other and vice versa. He uses Russia under Soviet control as an example. The character of the people dissolved almost entirely under that evil, evil system. Like the Greek system, it encouraged laziness and lying and cheating. Well, it turned many of the people into lazy, lying cheaters.</p>
<p>The same thing seems to have happened in Greece. The people have been told for so long that they can get something for nothing if they know the right ways to work around the system that they won’t accept for their national leaders anyone but those who assure them they can continue getting something for nothing (the other part is communicated in a sly wink to the side). The complete dissolution of the Greek economy will affect markets around the world to be sure. But, traders will be wise to have the moral fortitude to recognize that the compassionate thing to do for the Greek people at this point is not to prop them up yet again with another loan they cannot and will not repay, but to let them fail and finally taste the fruit of their choices. What Greece needs is a real spiritual revival to restore their character. Perhaps if they took time as a nation to study the most widely published and sold book in the world that was originally written entirely in Greek they might help themselves.</p>
<p>Stephens expresses hope that they will belatedly discover&#160;“the virtues of free markets that allow the rule of law to take root.” I see his point, but with due respect to his no doubt being profoundly more economically astute and trained than I am, I think he’s mistaken. There are not virtues inherent in free markets. Virtues are found in the people taking part in the free markets. Free markets do not remain free if the people participating in them are not virtuous. Furthermore, it is the rule of law that allows free markets to flourish, not the other way around. Historically speaking, the rule of law has arisen and held sway only in those places where the Christian worldview has been embraced on a national level. Indeed, no other worldview has anything like the commitment to rule of law that Christians have given to the world. The Founding Fathers of this nation recognized all this and understood in an incredibly prescient way that the system they were establishing would only last as long as the virtue of the people did. That’s why Washington was such an important choice for our first leader. His commitment to virtue (and specifically&#160;Christian virtue whether he was really a deist at heart or not) was absolute. Well, foundational leaders have a lasting impact on their people and we are fortunate to have his.</p>
<p>But notice that as the moral character of our nation has declined and precipitously so in recent years, our markets have become less and less free. Regulations have blossomed. Freedom has decreased. We are still a good ways ahead of the rest of the world, but we are now heading in the same direction they are instead of leading. Os Guinness’s book, A Free People’s Suicide, makes this point and rather profoundly so. Prayerfully Greece will serve as a warning call to the rest of the world (and us in particular) of not simply the dangers of socialism as an economic system by revealing its logical end, but of the impact of character on national economies. I would, however, be lying if I said I was terribly hopeful.</p>
<p>As Greece approaches the brink of failure we as Christians need to pray for the people living there as the days ahead of them are likely to be much more difficult than those behind them. In particular we need to pray for our brothers and sisters who are no doubt working feverishly to effect a change in the hearts and minds of their fellow citizens and allow their teetering nation to survive. Let us also be sure to not miss the lessons inherent in this tragedy. Character counts. It counts individually. It counts nationally. Yet without the power and impact of the gospel, character cannot survive. Let us continue striving to impact our culture with the gospel power we bear as representatives of Jesus the Christ that we might shore up the kind of character that will allow the freedom — both economic and otherwise — we so cherish to last for many generations to come.</p>
| 6,195 |
|
<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The McConnell Center at the University of Louisville is starting its latest lecture series with a discussion about hunger in Kentucky.</p>
<p>The center says state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles will give a free, public talk on the subject on Jan. 24 at the Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium on the UofL campus.</p>
<p>Quarles’ talk will cover a range of public policy issues, including the role of health care and education in rural and urban parts of Kentucky.</p>
<p>Quarles formed the Kentucky Hunger Initiative, which is an effort to bring together farmers, charitable organizations, faith groups, community leaders and government officials to help reduce hunger in the state.</p>
<p>According to a 2016 study by Feeding America, 17 percent of Kentuckians struggle with hunger.</p>
<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The McConnell Center at the University of Louisville is starting its latest lecture series with a discussion about hunger in Kentucky.</p>
<p>The center says state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles will give a free, public talk on the subject on Jan. 24 at the Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium on the UofL campus.</p>
<p>Quarles’ talk will cover a range of public policy issues, including the role of health care and education in rural and urban parts of Kentucky.</p>
<p>Quarles formed the Kentucky Hunger Initiative, which is an effort to bring together farmers, charitable organizations, faith groups, community leaders and government officials to help reduce hunger in the state.</p>
<p>According to a 2016 study by Feeding America, 17 percent of Kentuckians struggle with hunger.</p>
|
Kentucky’s ag commissioner to discuss anti-hunger efforts
| false |
https://apnews.com/0809ad2b4b1348c3b92a4fa7c6eec3e1
|
2018-01-16
| 2least
|
Kentucky’s ag commissioner to discuss anti-hunger efforts
<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The McConnell Center at the University of Louisville is starting its latest lecture series with a discussion about hunger in Kentucky.</p>
<p>The center says state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles will give a free, public talk on the subject on Jan. 24 at the Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium on the UofL campus.</p>
<p>Quarles’ talk will cover a range of public policy issues, including the role of health care and education in rural and urban parts of Kentucky.</p>
<p>Quarles formed the Kentucky Hunger Initiative, which is an effort to bring together farmers, charitable organizations, faith groups, community leaders and government officials to help reduce hunger in the state.</p>
<p>According to a 2016 study by Feeding America, 17 percent of Kentuckians struggle with hunger.</p>
<p>LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The McConnell Center at the University of Louisville is starting its latest lecture series with a discussion about hunger in Kentucky.</p>
<p>The center says state Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles will give a free, public talk on the subject on Jan. 24 at the Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium on the UofL campus.</p>
<p>Quarles’ talk will cover a range of public policy issues, including the role of health care and education in rural and urban parts of Kentucky.</p>
<p>Quarles formed the Kentucky Hunger Initiative, which is an effort to bring together farmers, charitable organizations, faith groups, community leaders and government officials to help reduce hunger in the state.</p>
<p>According to a 2016 study by Feeding America, 17 percent of Kentuckians struggle with hunger.</p>
| 6,196 |
<p>Illustration: Mark Matcho</p>
<p />
<p>“My grandmother’s house is right there behind us,” Anne DeCourcy says, pointing past a tall, flower-lined fence to one of the many single-family homes that now crowd the streets of suburban Leesburg, Virginia, about 45 minutes northwest of Washington, DC. “I grew up playing in what was a field right here, but it’s not the same; it’s very different, and it happened so fast that the people in the rest of Virginia are kind of shell-shocked.” Shell-shocked by northern Virginia’s explosive growth, yes, but also by the cultural and political transformation that has accompanied it—a transformation that, come November’s presidential election, could make itself felt at the national level.</p>
<p>DeCourcy, middle-aged with long blond hair and blue eyes and described to me before we met as a “rabid Republican,” has never voted for a Democrat in a presidential election, but this morning she drove in from her home in nearby Lovettsville (pop. 1,160) to tell me why she is supporting Barack Obama. We sit at her friend Joan Tellechea’s kitchen table. While Tellechea, a self-described independent, plies me with coffee and fresh banana bread, DeCourcy explains her decision to defect. “I’ll vote for anybody who can get more than half the vote,” she says. “It’s upsetting to me that the country is 50/50. I’m sick of it! And I think a lot of people that lean more conservative feel the same way.”</p>
<p>The Obama campaign is counting on it. Virginia, with its 13 electoral votes, is thought to be in play for the first time since 1964, as are other traditionally red states like North Carolina, Missouri, Montana, and Colorado. On the face of it, peeling Republican voters away from John McCain may seem like a stretch for a senator who last year was dubbed “most liberal” by National Journal. (Chris Saxman, McCain’s state campaign cochair, has characterized Obama’s positions as, “‘I don’t like guns. I’m going to raise your taxes. I don’t like coal.’ That’s a tough sell in Virginia.”) But Obama has made a point of reaching across the partisan divide, targeting the state’s moderate Republicans, primarily fiscal conservatives, concentrated in northern counties adjacent to the nation’s capital. The almost 2-1 margin by which Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in last February’s Virginia Democratic primary was attributed to record turnout among African Americans, but was also augmented by Republicans who took advantage of the state’s open system, allowing voters to cast ballots in both primaries; of the 7 percent of Republicans who voted in Virginia’s Democratic contest, an estimated 70 percent backed Obama. (McCain prevailed in the state’s Republican primary.)</p>
<p>It was no accident, then, that Obama’s first campaign stop after clinching the nomination was an amphitheater in northern Virginia—even if in many cases the so-called Obamacans had cast their votes not so much for Obama as against Clinton. That was what DeCourcy originally planned to do. “I was going to do it simply as a spoiler with no idea in the world of voting for him later on,” she says. But then, after Obama won in Iowa, she heard his victory speech. “He said, ‘We’re not red states or blue states; we are the United States,’ and I thought, ‘Finally, somebody said it!’ It literally made me cry. Then again, I’m menopausal.” The story reminds Tellechea of her own Obama conversion, which she also experienced while listening to one of his speeches. “I was washing the dishes,” she tells me. “The TV was turned this way. I wasn’t watching it; I was just listening. All of a sudden, I just got chills all over me, and I started laughing because it was so unexpected. I don’t even remember what it was he said.”</p>
<p>What exactly the Illinois senator says seems of less importance to many Obamacans than how he says it. According to Steve Robin, a land-use attorney in Leesburg who describes himself as an independent, his conservative friends have been surprisingly open to Obama’s candidacy, in large part due to the senator’s “distinctive personality” and “the strength of his charisma.” “Dyed-in-the-wool Republicans are saying Obama is not that awfully bad,” he says.</p>
<p>For Evan Pivonka, the issue is character. A doctoral candidate in political theory who, before enrolling at the University of Virginia, worked for the influential conservative writer Victor Davis Hanson, Pivonka attributes his support for Obama to a “gut feeling.” Last fall, his then-girlfriend dragged him to an Obama fundraiser, from which he left “completely blown away.” Pivonka explains, “He appeals to me at some level that, even though I can’t account for it in terms of issues, I’m going to listen to my gut and support a candidate that is just appealing to me for whatever reason. Whether that’s shallow or because he’s marketed well, I’m not sure.”</p>
<p>Back at Tellechea’s kitchen table, DeCourcy lists all the ways she disagrees with Obama, often passionately, on issues like immigration, health care, welfare, and taxes. She also worries about whom he might appoint to the Supreme Court. Still, she prefers him to McCain, who she doubts will be able to break the partisan stalemate in Washington. “If McCain had stood up and given the best speech of his life and had people electrified to vote for him, then I’d vote for him,” she explains. “But it just so happens that it was Obama. He has touched something in me and in a whole lot of friends of mine that have never voted for a Democrat and in a lot of people who honestly would never consider voting for a black man. We all feel that something has to change, and now, for the first time, there’s the possibility that something can be different.”</p>
<p>Just how much difference will the defection of moderate Republicans make in November’s election? It’s hard to say. According to Larry Sabato, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia, “In presidential elections, you have between 4 and 11 percent of each party regularly defecting to the other side. Think of it the other way: That means 90 percent or more of partisans vote for the candidate of their party.” If so, McCain retains more than a fighting chance in Virginia.</p>
<p>“We will be very strong in the rural areas for a long time,” then-Virginia gop chairman John H. Hager told the Washington Post last winter. “It’s the nascar crowd. It’s our crowd.” Nevertheless, Virginia has been turning purple in recent years, electing Democrats like Jim Webb to the Senate, and Mark Warner followed by Tim Kaine to the governor’s mansion.</p>
<p>In late June, Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, told reporters that he expects to put significant effort (read: money) into the fight for states like Virginia, noting that if Obama wins Iowa in addition to the states won by John Kerry in 2004 he could reach the White House by bagging just a couple more medium-size swing states. And, Plouffe added, in purple states like Virginia the campaign will be relying on Republican and independent Obama enthusiasts to proselytize to friends and relatives as part of a “persuasion army.”</p>
<p>So DeCourcy and other Virginia Obamacans are not mere political oddities. Whether they realize it or not, they are part of Obama’s grand plan for victory.</p>
<p />
|
Yes, Republicans Can
| true |
https://motherjones.com/politics/2008/08/yes-republicans-can/
|
2018-09-01
| 4left
|
Yes, Republicans Can
<p>Illustration: Mark Matcho</p>
<p />
<p>“My grandmother’s house is right there behind us,” Anne DeCourcy says, pointing past a tall, flower-lined fence to one of the many single-family homes that now crowd the streets of suburban Leesburg, Virginia, about 45 minutes northwest of Washington, DC. “I grew up playing in what was a field right here, but it’s not the same; it’s very different, and it happened so fast that the people in the rest of Virginia are kind of shell-shocked.” Shell-shocked by northern Virginia’s explosive growth, yes, but also by the cultural and political transformation that has accompanied it—a transformation that, come November’s presidential election, could make itself felt at the national level.</p>
<p>DeCourcy, middle-aged with long blond hair and blue eyes and described to me before we met as a “rabid Republican,” has never voted for a Democrat in a presidential election, but this morning she drove in from her home in nearby Lovettsville (pop. 1,160) to tell me why she is supporting Barack Obama. We sit at her friend Joan Tellechea’s kitchen table. While Tellechea, a self-described independent, plies me with coffee and fresh banana bread, DeCourcy explains her decision to defect. “I’ll vote for anybody who can get more than half the vote,” she says. “It’s upsetting to me that the country is 50/50. I’m sick of it! And I think a lot of people that lean more conservative feel the same way.”</p>
<p>The Obama campaign is counting on it. Virginia, with its 13 electoral votes, is thought to be in play for the first time since 1964, as are other traditionally red states like North Carolina, Missouri, Montana, and Colorado. On the face of it, peeling Republican voters away from John McCain may seem like a stretch for a senator who last year was dubbed “most liberal” by National Journal. (Chris Saxman, McCain’s state campaign cochair, has characterized Obama’s positions as, “‘I don’t like guns. I’m going to raise your taxes. I don’t like coal.’ That’s a tough sell in Virginia.”) But Obama has made a point of reaching across the partisan divide, targeting the state’s moderate Republicans, primarily fiscal conservatives, concentrated in northern counties adjacent to the nation’s capital. The almost 2-1 margin by which Obama defeated Hillary Clinton in last February’s Virginia Democratic primary was attributed to record turnout among African Americans, but was also augmented by Republicans who took advantage of the state’s open system, allowing voters to cast ballots in both primaries; of the 7 percent of Republicans who voted in Virginia’s Democratic contest, an estimated 70 percent backed Obama. (McCain prevailed in the state’s Republican primary.)</p>
<p>It was no accident, then, that Obama’s first campaign stop after clinching the nomination was an amphitheater in northern Virginia—even if in many cases the so-called Obamacans had cast their votes not so much for Obama as against Clinton. That was what DeCourcy originally planned to do. “I was going to do it simply as a spoiler with no idea in the world of voting for him later on,” she says. But then, after Obama won in Iowa, she heard his victory speech. “He said, ‘We’re not red states or blue states; we are the United States,’ and I thought, ‘Finally, somebody said it!’ It literally made me cry. Then again, I’m menopausal.” The story reminds Tellechea of her own Obama conversion, which she also experienced while listening to one of his speeches. “I was washing the dishes,” she tells me. “The TV was turned this way. I wasn’t watching it; I was just listening. All of a sudden, I just got chills all over me, and I started laughing because it was so unexpected. I don’t even remember what it was he said.”</p>
<p>What exactly the Illinois senator says seems of less importance to many Obamacans than how he says it. According to Steve Robin, a land-use attorney in Leesburg who describes himself as an independent, his conservative friends have been surprisingly open to Obama’s candidacy, in large part due to the senator’s “distinctive personality” and “the strength of his charisma.” “Dyed-in-the-wool Republicans are saying Obama is not that awfully bad,” he says.</p>
<p>For Evan Pivonka, the issue is character. A doctoral candidate in political theory who, before enrolling at the University of Virginia, worked for the influential conservative writer Victor Davis Hanson, Pivonka attributes his support for Obama to a “gut feeling.” Last fall, his then-girlfriend dragged him to an Obama fundraiser, from which he left “completely blown away.” Pivonka explains, “He appeals to me at some level that, even though I can’t account for it in terms of issues, I’m going to listen to my gut and support a candidate that is just appealing to me for whatever reason. Whether that’s shallow or because he’s marketed well, I’m not sure.”</p>
<p>Back at Tellechea’s kitchen table, DeCourcy lists all the ways she disagrees with Obama, often passionately, on issues like immigration, health care, welfare, and taxes. She also worries about whom he might appoint to the Supreme Court. Still, she prefers him to McCain, who she doubts will be able to break the partisan stalemate in Washington. “If McCain had stood up and given the best speech of his life and had people electrified to vote for him, then I’d vote for him,” she explains. “But it just so happens that it was Obama. He has touched something in me and in a whole lot of friends of mine that have never voted for a Democrat and in a lot of people who honestly would never consider voting for a black man. We all feel that something has to change, and now, for the first time, there’s the possibility that something can be different.”</p>
<p>Just how much difference will the defection of moderate Republicans make in November’s election? It’s hard to say. According to Larry Sabato, a professor of politics at the University of Virginia, “In presidential elections, you have between 4 and 11 percent of each party regularly defecting to the other side. Think of it the other way: That means 90 percent or more of partisans vote for the candidate of their party.” If so, McCain retains more than a fighting chance in Virginia.</p>
<p>“We will be very strong in the rural areas for a long time,” then-Virginia gop chairman John H. Hager told the Washington Post last winter. “It’s the nascar crowd. It’s our crowd.” Nevertheless, Virginia has been turning purple in recent years, electing Democrats like Jim Webb to the Senate, and Mark Warner followed by Tim Kaine to the governor’s mansion.</p>
<p>In late June, Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, told reporters that he expects to put significant effort (read: money) into the fight for states like Virginia, noting that if Obama wins Iowa in addition to the states won by John Kerry in 2004 he could reach the White House by bagging just a couple more medium-size swing states. And, Plouffe added, in purple states like Virginia the campaign will be relying on Republican and independent Obama enthusiasts to proselytize to friends and relatives as part of a “persuasion army.”</p>
<p>So DeCourcy and other Virginia Obamacans are not mere political oddities. Whether they realize it or not, they are part of Obama’s grand plan for victory.</p>
<p />
| 6,197 |
<p>Robert Bishun, 36, was&#160;found strangled in the back of his BMW in the Fieldston section of the Bronx, N.Y., Tuesday after being abducted from his auto body shop,&#160; <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/witness-set-testify-killed-don-corleone-style-article-1.2802590" type="external">the New York Daily News reports</a>.</p>
<p>Bishun was a cooperating witness who was set to testify against Police Officer Merlin Alston, who was charged with narcotic conspiracy and accused of being a helper, driver and shotgun-toting bodyguard for Bishun over a period of four years.</p>
<p>According to the Daily News, federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York said that Bishun's death was ordered by Alston.</p>
<p>Alston had his bail revoked and was ordered remanded to custody after news of Bishun's death.&#160;His&#160;attorney, Bradley Henry, argued&#160;that there was no evidence linking&#160;Bishun's death to Alston.</p>
<p>According to the New York City Police Department, Alston, whose wife is also a police officer,&#160;remains suspended pending the outcome of his criminal case.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p />
<p>Read more at <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/witness-set-testify-killed-don-corleone-style-article-1.2802590" type="external">the New York Daily News</a>.</p>
|
Witness Who Was Set to Testify Against NYPD Cop Is Brutally Killed
| true |
https://theroot.com/witness-who-was-set-to-testify-against-nypd-cop-is-brut-1790856908
|
2016-09-23
| 4left
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Witness Who Was Set to Testify Against NYPD Cop Is Brutally Killed
<p>Robert Bishun, 36, was&#160;found strangled in the back of his BMW in the Fieldston section of the Bronx, N.Y., Tuesday after being abducted from his auto body shop,&#160; <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/witness-set-testify-killed-don-corleone-style-article-1.2802590" type="external">the New York Daily News reports</a>.</p>
<p>Bishun was a cooperating witness who was set to testify against Police Officer Merlin Alston, who was charged with narcotic conspiracy and accused of being a helper, driver and shotgun-toting bodyguard for Bishun over a period of four years.</p>
<p>According to the Daily News, federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York said that Bishun's death was ordered by Alston.</p>
<p>Alston had his bail revoked and was ordered remanded to custody after news of Bishun's death.&#160;His&#160;attorney, Bradley Henry, argued&#160;that there was no evidence linking&#160;Bishun's death to Alston.</p>
<p>According to the New York City Police Department, Alston, whose wife is also a police officer,&#160;remains suspended pending the outcome of his criminal case.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
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<p>Read more at <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx/witness-set-testify-killed-don-corleone-style-article-1.2802590" type="external">the New York Daily News</a>.</p>
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<p>Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, a musician from Bursa, Turkey, lives in Boston these days. But he goes back to Turkey every chance he gets, and on his latest trip last month, he noticed some major changes.</p>
<p>What struck him the most was the combination of Syrian refugees and Arab tourists flocking into Turkey. This was something new, certainly nothing like the tourists he saw before he left 21 years ago.</p>
<p>Back then, most of the visitors were from Western nations. There was certainly no flood of refugees fleeing a war just across the border. But even then, there were cultural and social divides in the country:&#160;rural vs. urban, elite vs. poor.</p>
<p>Not even music was exempt. For example, one of the most "hotly debated topics was this 'Arabesque' music movement. The so-called white Turks were really annoyed" by this music, Sanlikol remembers.</p>
<p>You might think&#160; <a href="http://www.turkishmusicclub.com/arabesque.htm" type="external">Turkish Arabesque</a> is a nod to the Arab world, but, as Sanlikol explains, it's much more than that.</p>
<p>"It's actually a true blend of many Anatolian internal Turkish cultures," he says. That includes influences from different backgrounds you might find in the Turkish countryside, including "Turkish, Kurdish, etc. So it really is, in fact, a rich ... type of social phenomenon." He likens the fusion to the racially mixed roots of rock-and-roll in the US.</p>
<p>On his latest CD, called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whatsnext-Mehmet-Ali-Sanl-kol/dp/B00IL93KSG/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1412185436&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Mehmet+Ali+Sanl%3Fkol" type="external">Whatsnext</a>, Sanlikol uses Turkish Arabesque melodies, but he's <a href="http://sanlikol.com/" type="external">also a jazz musician</a>. So, on this album he merges both east and west.</p>
<p>This blending of two worlds is most evident in the song "Palindrome."</p>
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This musical style was once a dividing line in Turkish culture
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https://pri.org/stories/2014-10-01/musical-style-was-once-dividing-line-turkish-culture
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2014-10-01
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This musical style was once a dividing line in Turkish culture
<p>Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, a musician from Bursa, Turkey, lives in Boston these days. But he goes back to Turkey every chance he gets, and on his latest trip last month, he noticed some major changes.</p>
<p>What struck him the most was the combination of Syrian refugees and Arab tourists flocking into Turkey. This was something new, certainly nothing like the tourists he saw before he left 21 years ago.</p>
<p>Back then, most of the visitors were from Western nations. There was certainly no flood of refugees fleeing a war just across the border. But even then, there were cultural and social divides in the country:&#160;rural vs. urban, elite vs. poor.</p>
<p>Not even music was exempt. For example, one of the most "hotly debated topics was this 'Arabesque' music movement. The so-called white Turks were really annoyed" by this music, Sanlikol remembers.</p>
<p>You might think&#160; <a href="http://www.turkishmusicclub.com/arabesque.htm" type="external">Turkish Arabesque</a> is a nod to the Arab world, but, as Sanlikol explains, it's much more than that.</p>
<p>"It's actually a true blend of many Anatolian internal Turkish cultures," he says. That includes influences from different backgrounds you might find in the Turkish countryside, including "Turkish, Kurdish, etc. So it really is, in fact, a rich ... type of social phenomenon." He likens the fusion to the racially mixed roots of rock-and-roll in the US.</p>
<p>On his latest CD, called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Whatsnext-Mehmet-Ali-Sanl-kol/dp/B00IL93KSG/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1412185436&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=Mehmet+Ali+Sanl%3Fkol" type="external">Whatsnext</a>, Sanlikol uses Turkish Arabesque melodies, but he's <a href="http://sanlikol.com/" type="external">also a jazz musician</a>. So, on this album he merges both east and west.</p>
<p>This blending of two worlds is most evident in the song "Palindrome."</p>
<p />
<p />
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