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<p>SEATTLE – The New Mexico State baseball team (16-12, 2-0) defeated Western Athletic Conference foe Seattle University (8-17, 1-4) 8-5 on Saturday afternoon. The win gives the Aggies their first road series win of the season, and they go for the sweep on Sunday at 1 p.m. MT.</p>
<p>Tristen Carranza hit a solo homer, his third in two games and ninth of the season. The Aggies also got back-to-back RBI triples by thid baseman Joey Ortiz and left fielder Austin Botello in a six-run second inning that broke a scoreless tie.</p>
<p>Marcel Renteria (4-2) earned the win for the Aggies, allowing four runs on four hits through seven innings. Alex Reyes got the game’s final two outs on a double play and earned his first save of the season.</p>
<p><a href="https://d3el53au0d7w62.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/01/SUBB25.pdf" type="external">Box score: NMSU 8, Seattle University 5</a></p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Baseball: Aggie bats stay hot in Seattle | false | https://abqjournal.com/980769/baseball-aggie-bats-stay-hot-in-seattle.html | 2 |
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<p />
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IONS), a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its proprietary antisense drug development platform to combat a host of ailments ranging from cancer to rare diseases, catapulted higher by 68% in November, according to data from <a href="https://www.spcapitaliq.com/" type="external">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a>. Four catalysts stood out as being responsible for Ionis Pharmaceuticals' November surge.</p>
<p>Hands down the biggest factor boosting Ionis' valuation was the Nov. 7 announcement from Ionis and partner Biogen (NASDAQ: BIIB) that Spinraza (formerly nusinersen) had met its primary endpoint at the interim analysis of the phase 3 CHERISH study in patients with later-onset spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The results demonstrated a significant improvement in motor function in the children taking Spinraza compared to those who hadn't taken the drug. The findings of CHERISH painted a similar story as the efficacy observed in the ENDEAR study. Given the lack of options in treating SMA and the success Spinraza has demonstrated thus far, Biogen and Ionis could have a blockbuster on their hands.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Second, on Nov. 15, Ionis reported positive phase 1/2a study results of IONIS-ANGPTL3-LRx in subjects with elevated triglycerides. The experimental drug, which is designed to lower angiopoietin-like 3 (a regulator of lipoprotein metabolism), demonstrated mean reductions of 83% for angiopoietin-like 3, 66% for triglycerides, and 35% for LDL-cholesterol, which is the bad kind. While early, this data would suggests that IONIS-ANGPTL3-LRx could have lipid-reducing qualities for patients presenting with high cardiovascular risk, and for patients who may be at risk for liver fat accumulation (i.e., nonalcoholic steatohepatitis).</p>
<p>Third, Ionis Pharmaceuticals benefited from its third-quarter earnings results, which were released early morning on Nov. 9. For the quarter, revenue rose by 126% to $110.9 million the prior-year period, with Ionis receiving the bulk of its boost from a $75 million milestone payment from Biogen because of Spinraza. Though the $110.9 million in revenue was $2.4 million below estimates, the $0.06-per-share profit was $0.01 per share better than expected.</p>
<p>Finally, Donald Trump winning the presidency is a general positive for the biotech industry since opponent Hillary Clinton was planning to take a tough stance on the pricing power of drugmakers. Trump, while he has criticized the cost of prescription drugs before, is more likely to tackle other issues first, giving drug developers some breathing room for the time being. Since Ionis' developed drugs use its proprietary antisense platform, they can be quite pricey.</p>
<p>With roughly 30 clinical trials ongoing and about one dozen development partners, November was a good reminder of why Ionis might be the developmental drug stock you should own in your portfolio.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>On one hand, it's probably going to take time for Ionis to be profitable on an ongoing basis based on its still-minimal approved product line. An approval of Spinraza will help, but that alone is unlikely to push Ionis into the black on a recurring basis.</p>
<p>Thankfully, Ionis has a number of other early , mid-, and late-stage products it can count on, as well as a veritable laundry list of milestone payments it can earn to keep the lights on without having to turn to capital raises via share offerings (as is common for publicly traded biotech companies). It also has its proprietary drug platform which has been churning out about five clinical-worthy drugs every year, which is exceptionally good considering the high failure rate in the discovery, lab, and preclinical stage for experimental drugs.</p>
<p>Ionis ended the third quarter with nearly $688 million in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments, meaning it has more than enough capital to reinvest heavily in research and development. As long as positive clinical catalysts keep hitting the newswire, then there's little stopping Ionis from heading higher over the long run.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Ionis Pharmaceuticals 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=cacc7d3f-87fc-40fc-ac6d-d801a11572da&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 Ionis Pharmaceuticals 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=cacc7d3f-87fc-40fc-ac6d-d801a11572da&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 November 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFUltraLong/info.aspx" type="external">Sean Williams Opens a New Window.</a>has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name <a href="http://caps.fool.com/player/tmfultralong.aspx" type="external">TMFUltraLong Opens a New Window.</a>, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/TMFUltraLong" type="external">@TMFUltraLong Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Biogen and Ionis Pharmaceuticals. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 4 Factors That Catapulted Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. 68% Higher in November | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/04/4-factors-that-catapulted-ionis-pharmaceuticals-inc-68-higher-in-november.html | 2016-12-04 | 0 |
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<p>Cleveland High School has added a new parking lot near its football stadium, and the school has a new traffic flow plan for after games this season.</p>
<p>The main student parking lot will outlet to the west, toward Paseo del Volcan and in the direction of the Santa Ana Star Center.</p>
<p>The new parking lot will exit to the east, toward the Sandia mountains.</p>
<p>Cleveland’s first home game is next Friday, against La Cueva.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | CHS announces new traffic plan | false | https://abqjournal.com/252554/chs-announces-new-traffic-plan.html | 2013-08-24 | 2 |
<p>It’s true that politics is the art of the possible, but it’s also true that great leaders expand the scope of possibility. Barack Obama took office pledging to be a transformational president. The fate of a government-run public health insurance option will be an early test of his ability to end the way Washington’s big-money, special-interest politics suffocates true reform.</p>
<p>Without that option, what Obama now calls “health insurance reform” still would be better than no reform at all, I think. But frankly, it’s becoming hard to tell. So many genuine reforms have already been taken off the table — fully universal coverage, the ability to negotiate prices with the drug companies — that expectations are ratcheted down almost daily.</p>
<p>Giving up the public option would send many of Obama’s progressive supporters into apoplexy, yet the administration has sent clear signals that this is the path of less resistance it’s prepared to take.</p>
<p>“The public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health care reform. This is just one sliver of it, one aspect of it,” Obama said Saturday at a town hall in Grand Junction, Colo. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, told CNN that a public option is “not the essential element” of comprehensive reform.</p>
<p />
<p>But what is the “essential element”? Where, if anywhere, does Obama draw a line in the sand? For reform to be meaningful, there must be some components that a final package absolutely should include. What on earth might they be?</p>
<p>Obama was wise to avoid the central mistake of Bill Clinton’s failed attempt at health reform, which was to hand Congress a fully elaborated package and say “take it or leave it.” Instead, Obama set broad — and, frankly, awfully fuzzy — policy outlines and let Congress fill in the details. But he followed this strategy to a fault, allowing the effort to be hijacked by special-interest lobbies determined to thwart genuine reform.</p>
<p>The let-Congress-do-it approach meant that multiple bills would be written in committees on both sides of the Capitol, which gave the health insurance and drug company lobbyists a target-rich environment. They could nibble a little here, gnaw a little there, find the weak points and exploit them. Republicans could find opportunities for demagoguery — the proposal to have Medicare pay for end-of-life counseling, for example, which was twisted into euthanizing the elderly and infirm. Opponents could write a script for chaos at town hall meetings, designed to create the impression that Americans love their health care system just the way it is.</p>
<p>Clearly, the White House feels itself on the defensive. But why?</p>
<p>Consider the political landscape. Democrats control the White House and both houses of Congress. No matter how disciplined Republicans are in opposing any reforms — even if Republican objections are accommodated — they don’t have the votes to kill a final bill.</p>
<p>If conservative “Blue Dog” Democrats are successful in nixing a public health insurance option and watering down other reforms, progressive voters have a right to ask why they went to such trouble to elect Democratic majorities and a Democratic president. But the Senate still has the option of resorting to a parliamentary maneuver that would require only 51 votes, rendering most objections irrelevant. Historical trends indicate that it’s unlikely the Democrats will expand their majorities in 2010. Politically, therefore, there’s not likely to be a better moment for health reform than right now.</p>
<p>It’s also true, politically, that failure to get any health reform measure passed and signed would be a severe blow to Obama — and a bad omen for the rest of his ambitious agenda to revolutionize U.S. policy on energy and education. It would be understandable if the White House decided that the important thing, at this point, was to get a “win” at all costs. Is this what the apparent retreat on the public option signals?</p>
<p>If so, that would not only be wrong but also — even at this point — unnecessary, or at least premature. What the president hasn’t done is the obvious: Tell Congress and the American public, clearly and forcefully, what has to be done and why. Take control of the debate. Consult less and insist more. Remind the Blue Dogs who’s president and who’s not.</p>
<p>Giving up on the public option might be expedient. But we didn’t elect Obama to be an expedient president. We elected him to be a great one.</p>
<p>Eugene Robinson’s e-mail address is eugenerobinson(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2009, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | Playing Defense Isn't Working | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/playing-defense-isnt-working/ | 2009-08-18 | 4 |
<p>HELENA, Mont. (AP) _ These Montana lotteries were drawn Monday:</p>
<p>Big Sky Bonus</p>
<p>05-10-12-21, Bonus: 14</p>
<p>(five, ten, twelve, twenty-one; Bonus: fourteen)</p>
<p>Lucky For Life</p>
<p>01-03-15-22-28, Lucky Ball: 15</p>
<p>(one, three, fifteen, twenty-two, twenty-eight; Lucky Ball: fifteen)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $40 million</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $40 million</p>
<p>HELENA, Mont. (AP) _ These Montana lotteries were drawn Monday:</p>
<p>Big Sky Bonus</p>
<p>05-10-12-21, Bonus: 14</p>
<p>(five, ten, twelve, twenty-one; Bonus: fourteen)</p>
<p>Lucky For Life</p>
<p>01-03-15-22-28, Lucky Ball: 15</p>
<p>(one, three, fifteen, twenty-two, twenty-eight; Lucky Ball: fifteen)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $40 million</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $40 million</p> | MT Lottery | false | https://apnews.com/6e1cc9e3556f4e27a063f3a8efdb6f00 | 2018-01-09 | 2 |
<p>GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP) — Palsy Higginbotham couldn't hear the gunshots from inside her classroom.</p>
<p>No one in the third-grade Oakland Elementary School classroom could hear the chaos outside their closed door on Sept. 26, 1988.</p>
<p>This past Tuesday evening, Lander University hosted a fine arts lecture, presenting perspectives from people who personally experienced the shooting 30 years ago.</p>
<p>James William Wilson Jr., then 19 years old, had stolen a handgun from his grandparents' house, bought hollow point bullets and gone into the school's lunchroom, where he emptied the gun's magazine. He shot a teacher and two children there, before reloading in a girl's restroom and proceeding to the third-grade hall.</p>
<p>"At this time, a lot of the teachers had heard the noise," Higginbotham said in a prerecorded video played at the lecture. "I was busy with the children and had my door closed, so I didn't hear anything."</p>
<p>Wilson walked into her room and fired straight at Higginbotham, narrowly missing her head. She screamed for the children to run, but the chaos only escalated.</p>
<p>"Every time a child stood up, he shot at them," she said.</p>
<p>Kat Finkbeiner, a physical education teacher, walked into the room and staunchly refused to move for the shooter, trying to stop him, recalled Josh Simms, who was a student in Higginbotham's class. Finkbeiner was shot in the hand and mouth.</p>
<p>Wilson then turned back toward Higginbotham, firing at her again, and hitting a girl.</p>
<p>"I pulled her out under a chair, under a table, so he wouldn't shoot her again," Higginbotham said. "He shot six of my children, and he killed two."</p>
<p>Shequila Bradley and Tequila Thomas, both 8, were killed in the shooting. They would have been about 38 years old now if they had lived.</p>
<p>"Shequila was this boisterous, larger than life little girl," Simms said. "And Tequila was really quiet, really quiet, and she was sweet as can be."</p>
<p>Wilson left to go into another classroom, and Higginbotham saw she had students who hadn't fled. She helped the students escape through a window, then sought someone to help the girl who had been shot — she was having seizures by that point. EMS staff arrived, and a man took the girl out through the window in his arms.</p>
<p>When Higginbotham left her classroom, there was a trail of blood leading from her door to the school's health room, with Shequila's body lying on the ground.</p>
<p>"We went through a lot before it was over with," she said. "Shequila was such a giving, sweet child. She'd even give her food away in the lunchroom.</p>
<p>"I never understood, even though he had problems, I never understood how he could do that," she said. "I'd like to find out his thoughts about why he did that. I don't know if he could say it now."</p>
<p>After the shooting, Higginbotham developed new ways to help cope with the trauma students felt, and took precautions against any future shootings. She put felt on the feet of the classroom chairs, because students would get upset at the sound of the chairs sliding. She put a cupboard by the door, so she would have something to block the entrance.</p>
<p>Simms felt he had gotten over it, or could push past it, but in preparing for his presentation, he said he realized how deeply it had affected him.</p>
<p>"I'm just a random guy, going to a school," he said. "Now, I always go in a room and look for the exits."</p>
<p>His desk was right by the door, but on the day of the shooting he had done something that got him in trouble, so he was seated beside Higginbotham — when the shooter stepped in, he dove behind her desk for safety.</p>
<p>"I'm sure there was a few seconds, it felt like a long time," he said. "I hid under that desk until the gunshots stopped, and most of the class had ran out — had ran past Jamie."</p>
<p>He recalled Higginbotham working to get the window open, so the children could escape. Once out, they were ushered into the library and piled into a book closet for safety while officers cleared the school.</p>
<p>"I was afraid of the dark," Simms said. "It's amazing how much this has really affected my life, and I guess I haven't acknowledge it throughout the years."</p>
<p>Retired State Supreme Court Justice James Moore presided over Wilson's trial. Wilson pleaded guilty, but mentally ill, to a number of charges</p>
<p>"It was an unusual proceeding — the first in South Carolina and perhaps the first in the United States," he said. "Could the death penalty be applied to someone guilty, but mentally ill, and what was the appropriate punishment?"</p>
<p>In the end, Wilson was sentenced to death for a charge of murder, and 175 years in prison total for assault and weapon charges. He is still on death row, awaiting a proceeding to determine his competency to be executed.</p>
<p>Lt. Dena Gossett and Cpl. James Burke of Lander police finished the presentation by teaching the students and guests in attendance how modern policing teaches people to respond in an active-shooter situation. The three tenants, Gossett said, were to avoid, deny and defend.</p>
<p>Avoidance includes situational awareness — knowing where exits are and assessing uncomfortable situations, Burke said. In the event a shooting breaks out, he said the first priority is to escape and call 911.</p>
<p>Denial, he said, includes locking and barricading doors, or cinching them with something as simple as a belt, to keep the shooter from gaining access to a room. In the event that the shooter can get in, he said it's time to fight.</p>
<p>People should position themselves against the wall and near the door, he said. It's not a fair fight, he said, so people are urged to do anything they can to incapacitate the shooter.</p>
<p>When police arrive, he said people need to listen to their commands, show their palms and stop moving. In the chaos, officers are trying to identify the shooter and any possible other shooters, so obeying all commands is key.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Index-Journal, <a href="http://www.indexjournal.com" type="external">http://www.indexjournal.com</a></p>
<p>GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP) — Palsy Higginbotham couldn't hear the gunshots from inside her classroom.</p>
<p>No one in the third-grade Oakland Elementary School classroom could hear the chaos outside their closed door on Sept. 26, 1988.</p>
<p>This past Tuesday evening, Lander University hosted a fine arts lecture, presenting perspectives from people who personally experienced the shooting 30 years ago.</p>
<p>James William Wilson Jr., then 19 years old, had stolen a handgun from his grandparents' house, bought hollow point bullets and gone into the school's lunchroom, where he emptied the gun's magazine. He shot a teacher and two children there, before reloading in a girl's restroom and proceeding to the third-grade hall.</p>
<p>"At this time, a lot of the teachers had heard the noise," Higginbotham said in a prerecorded video played at the lecture. "I was busy with the children and had my door closed, so I didn't hear anything."</p>
<p>Wilson walked into her room and fired straight at Higginbotham, narrowly missing her head. She screamed for the children to run, but the chaos only escalated.</p>
<p>"Every time a child stood up, he shot at them," she said.</p>
<p>Kat Finkbeiner, a physical education teacher, walked into the room and staunchly refused to move for the shooter, trying to stop him, recalled Josh Simms, who was a student in Higginbotham's class. Finkbeiner was shot in the hand and mouth.</p>
<p>Wilson then turned back toward Higginbotham, firing at her again, and hitting a girl.</p>
<p>"I pulled her out under a chair, under a table, so he wouldn't shoot her again," Higginbotham said. "He shot six of my children, and he killed two."</p>
<p>Shequila Bradley and Tequila Thomas, both 8, were killed in the shooting. They would have been about 38 years old now if they had lived.</p>
<p>"Shequila was this boisterous, larger than life little girl," Simms said. "And Tequila was really quiet, really quiet, and she was sweet as can be."</p>
<p>Wilson left to go into another classroom, and Higginbotham saw she had students who hadn't fled. She helped the students escape through a window, then sought someone to help the girl who had been shot — she was having seizures by that point. EMS staff arrived, and a man took the girl out through the window in his arms.</p>
<p>When Higginbotham left her classroom, there was a trail of blood leading from her door to the school's health room, with Shequila's body lying on the ground.</p>
<p>"We went through a lot before it was over with," she said. "Shequila was such a giving, sweet child. She'd even give her food away in the lunchroom.</p>
<p>"I never understood, even though he had problems, I never understood how he could do that," she said. "I'd like to find out his thoughts about why he did that. I don't know if he could say it now."</p>
<p>After the shooting, Higginbotham developed new ways to help cope with the trauma students felt, and took precautions against any future shootings. She put felt on the feet of the classroom chairs, because students would get upset at the sound of the chairs sliding. She put a cupboard by the door, so she would have something to block the entrance.</p>
<p>Simms felt he had gotten over it, or could push past it, but in preparing for his presentation, he said he realized how deeply it had affected him.</p>
<p>"I'm just a random guy, going to a school," he said. "Now, I always go in a room and look for the exits."</p>
<p>His desk was right by the door, but on the day of the shooting he had done something that got him in trouble, so he was seated beside Higginbotham — when the shooter stepped in, he dove behind her desk for safety.</p>
<p>"I'm sure there was a few seconds, it felt like a long time," he said. "I hid under that desk until the gunshots stopped, and most of the class had ran out — had ran past Jamie."</p>
<p>He recalled Higginbotham working to get the window open, so the children could escape. Once out, they were ushered into the library and piled into a book closet for safety while officers cleared the school.</p>
<p>"I was afraid of the dark," Simms said. "It's amazing how much this has really affected my life, and I guess I haven't acknowledge it throughout the years."</p>
<p>Retired State Supreme Court Justice James Moore presided over Wilson's trial. Wilson pleaded guilty, but mentally ill, to a number of charges</p>
<p>"It was an unusual proceeding — the first in South Carolina and perhaps the first in the United States," he said. "Could the death penalty be applied to someone guilty, but mentally ill, and what was the appropriate punishment?"</p>
<p>In the end, Wilson was sentenced to death for a charge of murder, and 175 years in prison total for assault and weapon charges. He is still on death row, awaiting a proceeding to determine his competency to be executed.</p>
<p>Lt. Dena Gossett and Cpl. James Burke of Lander police finished the presentation by teaching the students and guests in attendance how modern policing teaches people to respond in an active-shooter situation. The three tenants, Gossett said, were to avoid, deny and defend.</p>
<p>Avoidance includes situational awareness — knowing where exits are and assessing uncomfortable situations, Burke said. In the event a shooting breaks out, he said the first priority is to escape and call 911.</p>
<p>Denial, he said, includes locking and barricading doors, or cinching them with something as simple as a belt, to keep the shooter from gaining access to a room. In the event that the shooter can get in, he said it's time to fight.</p>
<p>People should position themselves against the wall and near the door, he said. It's not a fair fight, he said, so people are urged to do anything they can to incapacitate the shooter.</p>
<p>When police arrive, he said people need to listen to their commands, show their palms and stop moving. In the chaos, officers are trying to identify the shooter and any possible other shooters, so obeying all commands is key.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Index-Journal, <a href="http://www.indexjournal.com" type="external">http://www.indexjournal.com</a></p> | Lander lecture recalls Oakland shooting, 30 years later | false | https://apnews.com/amp/96ea493ae58b479eb7235d10e2bde4ab | 2018-01-20 | 2 |
<p>A bill making its way through the state Legislature seeks to publicly “shame” California businesses that employ a large number of workers who also receive public assistance benefits.</p>
<p>That’s the warning from the <a href="http://www.calchamber.com/Pages/default.aspx" type="external">California Chamber of Commerce</a> in a <a href="http://www.calchamber.com/Headlines/Pages/07302014-CalChamber-State-Agency-Question-Exposing-Employers-to-Public-Shame.aspx?sp_rid=MzA4NjQxMTQzMTMS1&amp;sp_mid=46588252&amp;spMailingID=46588252&amp;spUserID=MzA4NjQxMTQzMTMS1&amp;spJobID=483924462&amp;spReportId=NDgzOTI0NDYyS0" type="external">press release</a> headlined “CalChamber, State Agency Question Exposing Employers to Public Shame​​​​​​​​​.” <a href="http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/AD73/" type="external">Assemblywoman Diane Harkey</a>, R-Dana Point, said the bill’s effect would be akin to pillorying business owners in the stocks.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_1751-1800/ab_1792_bill_20140701_amended_sen_v96.htm" type="external">Assembly Bill 1792</a> by <a href="http://asmdc.org/members/a51/" type="external">Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez</a>, D-Los Angeles, would require the <a href="http://www.dof.ca.gov/" type="external">California Department of Finance</a> to issue and post online an annual report listing businesses with 25 or more employees enrolled in <a href="http://www.medi-cal.ca.gov/" type="external">Medi-Cal</a>, <a href="http://www.calfresh.ca.gov/" type="external">CalFresh</a> or <a href="http://www.cdss.ca.gov/calworks/" type="external">CalWORKS</a>. The report would also calculate the cost to the state of providing benefits for those companies’ employees.</p>
<p>Twenty-one million Californians receive state public assistance, according to the committee’s <a href="http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/asm/ab_1751-1800/ab_1792_cfa_20140623_193450_sen_comm.html" type="external">legislative analysis of the bill</a>, citing <a href="http://www.edd.ca.gov/" type="external">Employment Development Department</a> data. That equates to 55 percent of California’s 38 million residents on the dole.</p>
<p>AB1792 passed the Assembly along party lines on May 28, and the <a href="http://shea.senate.ca.gov/" type="external">Senate Health Committee</a> on June 25. It’s scheduled to be considered by the <a href="http://sapro.senate.ca.gov/" type="external">Senate Appropriations Committee</a> on Monday.</p>
<p>Gomez argued on the Assembly floor that his bill merely seeks to provide data in order to better inform legislative decision-making.</p>
<p>“Last year we had a major debate when it came to the impact certain business models have on our health care safety net and to our state budget,” he said. “But one of the criticisms I encountered was that our arguments were not based on real data. And the debate often relied too heavily on anecdotal evidence or projections of evidence from other states.</p>
<p>“As public policy makers and as legislators, we have an opportunity to make decisions that impact our economy, our budget and our residents. But we need to base those discussions and decisions not only on personal testimonies or arguments from proponents or opponents of a particular bill, but on data and facts from California. I believe this bill does just that. And it does it in a way that doesn’t raise costs on employers or additional burdens on them.”</p>
<p>Assemblyman&#160; <a href="http://asmdc.org/members/a37/" type="external">Das Williams</a>, D-Carpinteria, was the only Democrat to speak in favor of the bill. He said it will identify the businesses profiting from the state’s public assistance programs.</p>
<p>“If a business is making profits because they’re pushing benefits onto public assistance and onto the government, it’s something that taxpayers should at least have the right to know who they are indirectly subsidizing with their tax dollars,” he said.</p>
<p>“This is something that we need to be very consistent about. This Legislature has taken a stand against public bodies like community colleges pushing benefits onto the public dole. We should be opposed to businesses doing it as well. At least we should have the right to see when businesses are purposefully reducing hours or pushing benefits onto taxpayers.”</p>
<p>Several Republicans spoke against the bill, arguing that it would place another burden on the state’s beleaguered businesses.</p>
<p>“These public stockades, so to speak, where we just pillory everybody and make an example of them do lead to more litigation, do lead to more problems,” said Harkey. “And quite honestly, make us very, very more unbusiness-friendly than we are. The governor is trying to recruit business to the state of California. This is no time to put people in a stockade or businesses in a stockade for some kind of exhibition purposes or litigation.</p>
<p>“I … ask for everyone to, please, let’s try to just chill a little bit on our business community, because we cannot afford to be losing small businesses or large businesses out of the state of California. L.A. just had a huge hit between Boeing and Toyota. And there’s more going. These are thousands of jobs. So I respectfully ask for a no vote on anything more that penalizes or makes businesses in the state feel less welcome.”</p>
<p><a href="http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/AD34/" type="external">Shannon Grove</a>, R-Bakersfield, said businesses are already facing an increase in the FICA unemployment insurance tax along with additional costs from the Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>“I had an employer call my office,” she said. “He has to pay an additional $100,000 a year for this tax on 26 employees. That’s a huge dollar to come up with, especially if you’re a small business. This bill is just another attack on business. And businesses are doing everything they can to try to survive with all of the regulatory issues and all of the new laws that are being passed on them.</p>
<p>“I don’t think we need to keep attacking our employers. They are under so much pressure right now. Why don’t we reward them for providing a job?&#160; Why don’t we give them the opportunity to increase the pay on those jobs without sticking them with additional debt?”</p>
<p><a href="http://arc.asm.ca.gov/member/AD68/" type="external">Don Wagner</a>, R-Irvine, argued that because the bill applies only to businesses with at least 25 employees receiving public assistance, it would disincentivize some businesses from hiring more employees.</p>
<p>The debate before the Senate Health Committee was along similar lines.</p>
<p><a href="http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/staff/scott.shtml" type="external">Megan Scott</a>, a research and policy analyst at the <a href="http://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/" type="external">UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education</a>, argued in favor of collecting and publishing more information.</p>
<p>“As a researcher, I support any and all efforts to collect good quality, publicly accessible data,” she said. “When it comes to state-funded benefit programs, the state has a compelling interest to collect this data about program participation and cost, and to make the data available for public review and analysis. This will allow policy makers to better understand the trends in the labor market.</p>
<p>“As the economy recovers post-recession, we are seeing higher rates of job growth in low-wage sectors. And this suggests that a growing number of working families are relying on these public benefit programs to help make ends meet. And therefore we have as a state really a compelling interest to learn more about these trends and how to respond.”</p>
<p>About one-quarter of the workforce has a family member receiving public assistance, said Scott. More than half of fast-food workers nationally and more than a third in California have a family member enrolled in federal benefit programs. More than 250,000 Californians, working in companies with more than 500 employees, are enrolled in Medi-Cal.</p>
<p>“Our research would be even further enhanced if we had access to the data that this bill proposes to collect,” she said. “Right now we have to build our models and our estimates by combining a number of publicly available data sets. But the data that would be collected through this bill and issued as a public report would provide really a much better means to understand some of these trends and dynamics that I’ve talked about.”</p>
<p>Jessica Bartholow, legislative advocate for the <a href="http://www.wclp.org/" type="external">Western Center on Law and Poverty</a>, argued that the data will support the effort to further increase the minimum wage. <a href="http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201320140AB10" type="external">Assembly Bill 10</a> has raised the minimum wage to $9 an hour, with another increase to $10 an hour taking effect in 2016.</p>
<p>“Even with the changes implemented by AB10, a family of three with a full-time worker will land at 90 percent of the federal poverty line,” Bartholow said. “And here in California we know that that does not go far enough. Raising the wage for low-income workers is the single most effective way to move families with earners out of poverty.</p>
<p>“With regards to public benefits, 11 percent of California’s population receives CalFresh and over 10 million Medi-Cal. And California’s poverty rate is getting worse. While the rest of the country is getting better, California is one of just three states that had an increase in childhood poverty in 2012.</p>
<p>“We join the author and the cosponsors in supporting a robust public benefit program that supports everybody who needs it, and provides enough benefit for people to live healthy lives. But we also don’t think that the public benefit programs should be used to bolster low wages and the companies that pay them. We think that the information that comes from this [bill] will help us build towards a day where low-income workers are not below the poverty line.”</p>
<p>Opposition to the bill came from business groups, arguing that it would lead to misleading information, resulting in bad legislation.</p>
<p>“We oppose the bill not only because it drastically oversimplifies the conversation about how to help the working poor, but also because we believe the information it provides – and the narrow scope of the information it provides – is actually misleading and will be misleading to the public and to policy makers, and could be used to defend bad policy proposals in the future,” said <a href="http://www.calchamber.com/bios/pages/miraguertin.aspx" type="external">Mira Guertin</a>, policy advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce.</p>
<p>“As the Department of Finance points out in its analysis, where it opposes the measure, the bill suggests that no one with a job should ever need public assistance. And that’s simply not true. There are going to be circumstances, because there are myriad circumstances that cause people to need public assistance, many of which are not dependent at all upon the behavior of the employer.</p>
<p>“The bill also implies that every job in the state of California should provide enough to support a family of any size under all circumstances with one working adult. And we don’t believe that’s a fair assertion to make about every business in the state.”</p>
<p>Nicole Rice, policy director for the <a href="http://www.cmta.net/" type="external">California Manufacturers and Technology Association</a>, argued that the bill avoids the issue of how to help businesses provide better paying jobs in California.</p>
<p>“Should the discussion be about the names of companies that are on the list, or should it be about how to create middle class jobs?” she asked. “In the manufacturing community we would state that we are the answer to California’s middle class crisis.</p>
<p>“And that there needs to be discussion about how to expand and grow those opportunities so that individuals will have a place to transition from their entry level jobs into these middle-class opportunities. We’re very concerned that the information contained in this report will not give us enough information to have that very important conversation.”</p>
<p>Gomez acknowledged the criticism, but defended the bill as a step in the right direction.</p>
<p>“They are correct,” he said. “When it comes to taxes, our economy, economic development, the use of our public benefit system, it is complex. And this bill will, I believe, present a report that paints a more complicated picture.”</p>
<p>Gomez noted that Massachusetts provides this information, much to its chagrin.</p>
<p>“Most people would never assume that it was the state of Massachusetts that would have more people on the public assistance rolls than some of the brick-and-mortars,” he said. “And at the same time right now there’s brick-and-mortars that get blamed for every single problem we’re having, while others are just as culpable.</p>
<p>“So this bill is going to paint a picture that I believe will have benefits and negatives for different groups and individuals as well as elected officials who make these decisions.”</p> | Bill would mandate employee poverty data | false | https://calwatchdog.com/2014/08/01/bill-would-mandate-employee-poverty-data/ | 2018-08-20 | 3 |
<p>The scholarly sounding American Institute of Advanced Medicine is circulating a letter that asks newspaper editors to publish a promotional press release in exchange for $100 for every new customer the “editorial” ad creates.</p>
<p>The ad, which promises to cure a number of different skin disorders, is an example of how private interests attempt to influence journalism. Gary Schwitzer over at <a href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/26279?utm_content=&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=DailyHeadlines&amp;utm_source=WC&amp;userid=124025" type="external">MedPage Today</a> doesn’t think many publications will take the bait: “I’d like to offer a $100 reward to anyone who can find an example of a news organization that publishes the news release.” –ARK</p>
<p>Poynter:</p>
<p>Dear Editor or Health Editor:</p>
<p />
<p>Would you consider running our press release as a win-win project? We will pay $100 for every Skin Care Patient who sees the press release in your newspaper and commits to our exclusive and effective process. We monitor each incoming patient and where they heard about us. Our total costs are only $500. Call Gary Heesch, our Consulting Director at 1-877-414-2426 for arrangements.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/romenesko/130961/skin-care-firm-to-editors-you-could-get-100-for-running-our-press-release/" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Skin Product Company Offers Journalists Cash for Favorable Coverage | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/skin-product-company-offers-journalists-cash-for-favorable-coverage/ | 2011-05-10 | 4 |
<p />
<p>RUSH: Trump will not let go of this NFL thing. Normally in the old days of yore, something like this would happen and a powerful Republican would offer a bit of criticism of some institution, and that would be it. The institution would react in mock outrage and make fun of or attack the Republican accuser, and it would be over.</p>
<p>Trump is not letting it end. Trump is not stopping until the NFL bends to his will. I’ll tell you something. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys… Sorry. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Capboys — that’s how you have to say. How about them Capboys? C-a-p-b-o-y-s. “How about them Capboys?” Jerry Jones owns the Dallas Capboys, and Jerry Jones says you either stand for the anthem or you don’t play. You stand or you’re benched. Well, the Drive-Bys today, the sports Drive-Bys are all asking, “What is the NFL gonna do to Jerry Jones? How is the NFL gonna punish Jerry Jones.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />“Jerry Jones can’t do that,” is the inference when you read this. “What is the league gonna do to Jerry Jones?” Jerry Jones and the other owners are the league, number one. Number two, what’s gonna happen, and I got a little headline link that I just saw here on the Drudge Report, “ <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/10/nfl-owners-to-consider-rule-change-that-would-require-players-to-stand-for-national-anthem-report.html" type="external">NFL Owners Consider Rules Change Requiring Players to Stand</a>.” It sounds like what the league is gonna do is move in the direction of Jerry Jones. But the sports Drive-Bys, man, are they hoping the league comes down hard on old Jerry, ’cause Jerry can’t do this!</p>
<p>Jerry can’t require his employees to do this, and that is the whole point. These players are talking about their platform. It isn’t theirs! How many times, my friends, have I spoken of the field of play in professional sports is the equivalent of the stage? It is. It’s the stage. And I will tell you when I first made this reference. I’ll never forget it. Dusty Baker was the manager, I think, of the San Francisco Giants. I may getting the team wrong. I’m not sure he ever managed the Giants. At any rate, it was a playoff game.</p>
<p>I think it was Dusty Baker. The manager’s kid, like five or six years old, was in the dugout watching the game, and somehow ended up… I think he was playing bat boy. The owner’s kid was wearing a uniform, playing bat boy, very young, single-digit ages, and the kid ended up dangerous am close to home plate where there was going to be a collision, a runner was trying to score. One of the, I think, Giants players had to scoop up the kid to get him out of the way — in the middle of the game!</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>I remember saying, “You don’t let people on the stage that don’t belong there! You don’t let nonperformers on the stage.” The NFL field is a stage. The stage is owned by the owners. It is their platform; it’s their stage. They are the ones that invest and pay for every aspect of each week’s games. Now, I know that there are deals with cities and state governments on tax favorability for building a stadium. I’m not trying to get in the weeds here. My point is, the players don’t own any of it. They are employees like you and me.</p>
<p>And any employee taking time-out from the job to protest America, the flag, or whatever… If you went into McDonald’s, you wanted a Happy Meal and you had to sit there and listen to the clerk or the checkout person preach to you about police brutality and all, what would you do? Would you expect the media to come in and support the so-called right of free speech for McDonald’s employees to do this while you await your Happy Meal?</p>
<p>Put yourself in any business and have the same thing happen and ask if you would be expected to sit there and put up with it and shut up and not disagree with it and understand they have a right. “They have a platform! They’re protesting the evils of America, and you have to listen to it.” What’d you do? You’d walk out of the place. You wouldn’t put up with it. You’d tell other people what happened, and nobody else would show up. Which is exactly what’s happening in the NFL. Last night’s ratings, Monday Night Football, in the tank, according to what I just saw.</p>
<p>Not a record low, but way, way down. In fact, it was a dull game. You know, I didn’t watch it, but I’ll tell you what I did do. Well, I was working. I’m always working. It’s not work, but I mean to define the activity, I’m working. I’m reading. I’m preparing. I’m remembering. I’m logging. I’m injecting my memory with things that I expect to be there on immediate recall. And I decided to check the game. I had the TV on.</p>
<p>I was watching some shows I’d recorded last week and hadn’t had a chance to see. I tuned in and the score of the game near the end of the first half was 3-2. And I said, “This has gotta be the biggest bomb of an NFL Monday night game in recent –” 3-2? That means a field goal and a safety? Or maybe it was 2-2. I don’t know. Then the next time I checked it was 17-17 late in the fourth quarter, it looked like they might be heading to overtime. But that didn’t happen. And I was telling myself, this is not good.</p>
<p>And then I noticed something in all of the — you know, I look at video highlights. And I’m noticing, I’m not seeing any more shots of the upper decks at NFL stadiums. And I said to myself, “Why am I not seeing, you know, wide shots that show the full stadium dynamics?” It’s because there’s some empty seats up there, probably. And the broadcast networks obviously, their partners are the NFL, they’re doing what they can. They’re starting to televise the national anthem less.</p>
<p>But wait. I thought the players had a platform. I thought the players could demand. No, no, no, the players don’t own it; the owners do. This is why so many people, led by me, have been asking, what are the owners — they got a choice here. They’ve got one of two choices. And they’re choosing to go with the side that’s actually hurting them. The way they look at it, either choice they make is gonna hurt them.</p>
<p>Joe Namath was on Fox, was it this morning? Yeah, Joe Namath, Joe Willie, and they played a sound bite of me claiming — not claiming. I didn’t claim anything. I said that I don’t think the NFL knows its audience. The NFL, like the Democrats, they lead their own polls and believe them. These CEOs and marketing people, advertising people watch the media, and they really think the country’s gone left of center culturally, and that’s who they think the audience is. And they’re dead wrong about who their audience is, and that’s why they side with the players.</p>
<p>They think the players are actually exhibiting behavior that reflects a majority of thinking in the country. In other words, the people that run the NFL probably do believe that most of the country is livid at the cops. Because if they watch any news, other than Fox, if they read the New York Times, Washington Post, you know they do, that’s the picture of America they get every day. And as incurious as people on the left are, they may believe it.</p>
<p>That’s why I think that they really misunderstand who their audience is, despite their expertise in marketing and all that. You can tell who their audience is by looking at the most frequently advertised product. And it’s not the wine and brie crowd.</p>
<p>Well, anyway Namath made the point that the Afro-Americans — that’s what Al Davis said. That’s cultural too. At one time they were Afro-Americans, then became African-Americans, then black, and went back and forth. But there was a certain era in America’s recent past where the term was Afro-American.</p>
<p>Al Davis called me one day in the 90’s after seeing me talk about tax cuts with Paula Zahn on Fox News. He called me to tell me how his Afro-American players don’t understand their position, that they’re part of the wealthy that are being targeted. But they don’t think they are because of their life experience.</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: Anyway, I was gonna say, Joe Namath was saying that he really relates to the cause of the Afro-Americans and their belief that the police mistreat them and so forth. But then he went on, he made the point that he doesn’t understand the owners. The owners own the stage.</p>
<p>Here, grab audio sound bite number 17. It was Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade talking to him. Do you think this is crisis time for the NFL? Audio sound bite 17. Here it is.</p>
<p>NAMATH: I’m not sure it’s a crisis time. I don’t think the sport’s ever gonna go away. But going back to what Colin Kaepernick initially did, it was to point out some injustice that’s being done to the black race or to people that obviously, when you look — and I say “obviously” — some of these dash cams and shootings that were done to unarmed people and all, he was reaching out to try and get it more investigated. So that’s what’s where this oppression thing comes in.</p>
<p>RUSH: I’m going to give Joe a pass in misunderstanding what Kaepernick was up to because Joe, I know what Joe is doing here, and I don’t blame him. He’s royalty in the NFL and he’s not gonna start causing fights. But this is what he said about the owners.</p>
<p>NAMATH: I don’t understand the NFL owners. I mean, here we’re working, if somebody walks across here with a sign right now protesting, excuse me, you’re gonna let ’em do that? No. Well, initially when this took place, that’s the NFL ownership. They own that theater at the time; they own that stage. Are you gonna allow protests out there? They don’t allow players to wear different signs on their shoes. They don’t —</p>
<p>KILMEADE: The NBA has to stand for the national anthem.</p>
<p>NAMATH: You know what? That’s because they’ve been told to. But no one told Colin Kaepernick prior to that that they had to. We just assumed it was the right thing to do, it’s always been the right thing to do, to live in this country, thank the Good Lord.</p>
<p>RUSH: Joe is really wanting it both ways here. He goes out of the way to establish understanding and support for Kaepernick and then pulls it back by claiming, why’d the owners let him do it? Which really is the question, when you get right down to it.</p>
<p>By the way, I love all these people now referring to the field as a stage. Go back to the audio graveyard here and you’ll find that I initiated that, at least in the modern era. Probably can’t claim original credit. Somebody’s obviously said that. But he’s right.</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: Donald Trump has praised Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys threatening to bench anthem protesters. There were many calls for the league to come down on Jerry, and it looks like the opposite is gonna happen. I was looking at the sports Drive-Bys today and they were livid and they were eager… You could tell by the way they were writing that they were eager awaiting what they thought was forthcoming: The league coming down hard on Jerry Jones, telling him he can’t say things like that.</p>
<p>The way it’s turning out? “NFL Owners Consider Rules Change Requiring Players to Stand.” Things are moving in Jerry’s direction. Well-known activist Al Sharpton is demanding that… What is this? I put it on the bottom of the Stack. Al Sharpton Furious Over Jemele Hill Suspension, ‘We Won’t Stand for This.'” Grab the Mama Told Me Not to Run Al Sharpton parody tune, one of our all-time favorites here from the Grooveyard of Forgotten Favorites. We will have that coming up.</p>
<p>Mike Ditka, the former coach of the Chicago Bears, was on with Jim Gray on Westwood One’s Monday Night Football pregame show, and Mike Ditka said, “There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I’m not watching it as carefully as other people. I think the opportunity is there for everybody — race, religion, creed, color, nationality. If you want to work, if you want to try, if you want to put effort in, you can accomplish anything. And we have watched that throughout our history of our country.”</p>
<p>Jim Gray was interviewing him. Ditka said, “I don’t care who you are, or how much money you make, if you don’t respect our country then you shouldn’t in this country playing football. Go to another country and play football.” Then he was asked about sporting legends Muhammad Ali and Jesse Owens “using their platforms for social justice.” Ditka said, “Muhammad Ali rose to the top. Jesse Owens is one of the classiest individuals that ever lived. Is everything based on color?</p>
<p>“I don’t see it that way. You have to be colorblind in this country. You have to look at a person for what he is and what he stands for and how he produces, not by the color of his skin. That has never had anything to do with anything.” Ditka clearly doesn’t get identity politics. He hasn’t seen any oppression in the last 100 years. (summarized) “Muhammad Ali? What are you talking about? He rose to the top. He was the greatest ever. Where’s the oppression?”</p>
<p>That’s Ditka’s thinking on this, and another ESPN host has decided that Trump is winning and they can’t stand it. This host said that Trump is making football bow, and this is in reaction to the story that the owners and coaches are pressuring players to stop kneeling during the anthem. Another ESPN host, “Damn it, Trump’s winning! Damn it, the league is bowing!” That takes me to one of the points that I want to make here today about Trump and people that still to this day do not understand him and what he’s doing.</p>
<p>Here it is in one sentence: With Donald Trump as president, the Drive-By Media cannot drive by stories as they please any longer. Remember what the definition of the Drive-By Media is. They arrive on the scene of some event and they blow it up — filled with lies, misrepresentations, distortions, leaks, whatever — and they create and cause general havoc. And then they leave. And everybody else has to pick up the mess, people whose lives have been damaged or in some cases destroyed — institutions that were under assault, whatever.</p>
<p>The Drive-Bys come in; they blow things up. They head on down the road waiting for the next event. Well, with Donald Trump as president the media is not allowed to behave as they normally behave. In other words, they’re not getting away with driving by. Donald Trump is forcing them. Every issue Drive-Bys want to blow up, Donald Trump stays on that issue and counters them and fights against them and does not let them automatically create and drive the narrative. I think it is undeniable that Donald Trump serves as a roadblock, if you will, to the Drive-By Media.</p>
<p>By this I mean that stories that might have come and gone with issues and reputations all shot to hell and left to rot for the next narrative. These stories are kept alive. Trump can take to Twitter, make a comment. The media’s next narrative comes to a screeching halt and they’re forced to return to the scene of their previous crime. The media had their way. Time to target the NFL over concussions? Do it. Players start protesting police brutality? The media blows that up; supports the players. “Yes, America sucks! The cops are racist.” Trump arrives on the scene and the media doesn’t get the last word.</p>
<p>The media doesn’t get to own the story. Trump fights back. Trump keeps fighting back. Every response to Trump, he gives it right back again. The Drive-Bys do not get to own the narrative. In so doing, Trump is emboldening others to fight back. It took a while in the NFL, but now here is Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys fighting back. Not all the owners were on board with the media narrative in the first place, but they were silent. There were many owners that donated to Trump, voted for Trump. They haven’t said a word about this. Other people in their organizations have.</p>
<p>But these particular owners or head honchos haven’t. Trump is forcing the issue back down the media’s throat, back downs the players’ throat, keeping the media reporting on the story in a way they wish they didn’t have to. All of it’s kept alive, emboldening people to ultimately do the right thing or to bend to Trump’s view on this, as is now happening. And the Drive-Bys fit to be tied over it. The Drive-Bys and sports media are wishing the league would punish Jerry Jones for saying that his players that don’t stand are not gonna play.</p>
<p>They want the league, they want the commissioner — who any other day of the week they despise. They want the commissioner to come down on Jones. They want him to fine Jerry Jones. They want him suspended. They want Jerry Jones made an example of. The story’s now circulating that Jerry Jones is the epitome of modern-day slave owners, and Trump is not having it. Like I said many times: <a href="" type="internal">This is what pushing back looks like.</a> This is what fighting back looks like. It’s not gonna be pretty. It’s going to be messy.</p>
<p>The Drive-Bys and their agents on the left are used to getting their way. They get to write the narrative of the story; they get to decide who gets punished. They get to decide who gets harmed — and then they’re done, on the road, down to the next event to cause the same type of thing. Trump is keeping them at the scene of the crime. Trump is not letting them define things. For example, Donald Trump is not going to let the Colin Kaepernick-inspired anthem inspired protest go until he’s good and ready to let them go.</p>
<p>And because Trump is not done with them, there is a better chance of a long-term resolution to this rather than a continued deterioration. Because Trump stays on it. Because Trump doesn’t let go and doesn’t let others up for air. The league is going to be forced to do the right thing and deal with this and shut it down so people can return free and able to watch a football game without being preached to by a bunch of radicals.</p>
<p>The solution is going to be for the players to find some other way to express their grievance, but not on the stage they don’t own. They’re not gonna be silenced. They’re not gonna be shut down. They’re just going to be told, “You can’t do it on my stage, buddy. You don’t own it, and I am not gonna support this.” That’s a dire consequence change from the original owner reaction.</p>
<p>The original owner reaction was based in fear and fright. They all felt they had to join the players in this or otherwise lose their locker rooms and maybe, in the worst-case scenario, deal with players who would not show up and play. And so they took the path of least resistance, which is letting the inmates run the asylum.</p>
<p>Not Trump, though. There’s gonna be conflict. But direct confrontation is better than leaving an infected wound untreated. A bitter, direct confrontation where victory emerges and the right thing ends up happening is worth it. <a href="" type="internal">Trump’s tweet about ESPN this morning has added a new dimension</a>. ESPN’s attached to the NFL’s hip. Multiple billion-dollar industries are at risk of alienating lots of zeros off of their checks. This call for a sponsor boycott? Guess who’s not putting up with it? It’s not just ESPN. It’s Trump joining the fray.</p>
<p>It would be easy — I’ll give you another example — it would be easy to let Republicans drop the ball on Obamacare and then blame ’em in 2020. It’d be easy to let the Republicans drop the ball on tax reform or immigration. You remember the Drive-Bys said Obamacare’s dead, Obamacare’s the law of the land. Nobody told Trump. He’s still fighting for it. The Drive-Bys say tax reform, not enough time to do it, isn’t gonna get done by Thanksgiving, Congress isn’t gonna do anything, they’re proclaiming victory over Trump.</p>
<p>Trump says, “Wait a minute. I’m not through here. We’re gonna get tax reform. We’re gonna get immigration done.” Introduces a 70-point immigration plan, tells Chuck and Nancy if you want your DREAMer deal, you’re gonna get along with all the rest of these points, we’re gonna build the wall. Chuck and Nancy expectedly say “no way, Jose.” Everybody else would have dropped it.</p>
<p>When the media said it’s over, Obamacare remains the law of the land, other Republicans — and they did. “Okay. Well, we tried. We tried. Our voters know we tried and we’ll kick the can down the road and we’ll stop ’em on the debt ceiling in six months. That’s where we’ll really confront ’em,” which we’ve been hearing for seven years, but they never confront and they never stop.</p>
<p>Trump is keeping these issues alive. He’s keeping the issue alive. In the process he’s making it possible to kill Obamacare by continuing to return to Obamacare as an issue. He keeps pressure on Republicans to act. The media can’t just move on. The media can’t proclaim victory for the Democrats or for Obama on Obamacare as they did because Trump doesn’t let go of it. They have to cover what President Trump says and does. And if he says we’re still gonna build a wall and we’re gonna have a massive immigration reform plan with these 70 things in it, they’ve gotta cover it.</p>
<p>They can’t say Trump lost. Just like they can’t say Trump lost to the players of the NFL. The media is 100 percent invested in protecting the legacy of Barack Hussein O. If Trump even hints at diminishing Obama’s regulations or policies, the media has to speed back to the issue hoping to shoot down Trump’s plans before he acts. But it is Trump that is driving the train. It is Trump driving the issue. It’s Trump refusing to let ultimate victory be claimed by the Democrats or by the media.</p>
<p>He will not let border safety go. The media would love nothing more to leave that issue for dead and to claim that Trump lost. Not gonna happen. The Drive-By Media is as worried today as Hillary Clinton. They’re all asking, “What the hell is happening? We’ve got the dumbest guy we’ve ever had in the White House. We got a guy that doesn’t know what he’s doing, he’s an open idiot, he’s such a clown that he’s not even running the country. His subordinates have to run the country ’cause he’s so dangerous,” and yet he keeps beating them. This is what pushing back looks like. Trump is a roadblock to the Drive-By Media.</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: Steve in Orange County, California. Hi. What’s happening?</p>
<p>CALLER: Sir, Rush, what you were just saying about Trump is what I was calling about, which is that people forget he’s a real estate developer and spent his whole career being told “no” for years and years until finally someone said “yes” and made it happen. And so the media, the Drive-Bys, they cover what he does almost like a failed jailbreak attempt every week, right? It’s sensational and look at this, we got Trump again, right?</p>
<p>But, meanwhile, he’s breaking out of jail more like that guy in Shawshank Redemption, like three pocketfuls of dirt every day and then one day he’s gone, right? But Trump’s got the patience and the determination to just wear everybody down. I think people forget that, that he’s used to dealing in timeframes that are years or even a decade long, and they all have an attention span that lasts like eight minutes.</p>
<p>RUSH: Well, the thing about his timeline that he’s working on, I think you’re right about. But the important point you made is actually an echo of a point I just made, but I’m not accusing you of anything because you called before I said it. Trump is the one — folks, ask yourself. I remember the Drudge headline. It was a lead headline above the fold of the Drudge Report: Obamacare: Law of the Land, after the supposed last vote had failed, one of many so-called bills in the Republican Senate, and of course Susan Collins and whoever the hell else, Murkowski voted “no” and McCain, and everybody said that’s it, Obamacare survives, and yet who is still trying to get rid of it?</p>
<p>Just today while sitting next to Henry Kissinger, Trump said, “The reason I called the Democrats is because it’s imploding. It’s hurting people. We’ve got to do something about it.” Trump doesn’t take “no” for an answer. How many times have they claimed in the Drive-By Media that Obamacare has failed for good since March? Why is Trump still even messing with it? The media has told us at least three times since March that every effort to get rid of it has failed and it is now with us forever. And yet Trump’s still on the case.</p>
<p>This is exactly what I’m talking about, roadblock for the Drive-By Media. He’s not letting them move on, after they have in their own minds successfully repelled yet another Republican attempt. And the same thing’s happening on tax reform and a number of other things, immigration, you name it. He’s not letting go. Defeat is not permanent.</p>
<p>BREAK TRANSCRIPT</p>
<p>RUSH: Do you all remember when the NFL scandal began? Now “the scandal.” But when Trump first called out the NFL and suggested that the owners should fire these SOBs for not standing, do you remember what I said? Among the many things, do you remember what I said? I said, “No way Trump does not win this thing. There is no way Trump loses this.” Everybody else said, “Why did he do this? There’s no way Trump can win this!” I said, “Ah, ah, ah, ah! It’s the exact opposite.”</p>
<p>There’s no way you can lose standing up for the flag and the anthem and the American military. The people that are gonna lose are the people who want permission to openly disrespect it or protest against it. I have here in my formerly nicotine-stained fingers a memo from the commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, sent to chief executives and club presidents. Today. Subject: “Fall Meeting/National Anthem.” It opens thus: “We live in a country that can feel very divided.</p>
<p>“Sports, and especially the NFL, brings people together and lets them set aside those divisions, at least for a few hours.” Do you see where this is going? “The current dispute over the national anthem is threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country. I’m very proud of our players and owners who have done the hard work over the past year to listen, understand and attempt to address the underlying issues within their communities.” Da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da.</p>
<p>“Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the national anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.”</p>
<p>Translation: Commissioner Goodell of the National Football League has sent a memo to owners, executives, and presidents to stand for the national anthem. (interruption) “What happened to him?” (chuckles) What do you mean, “What happened to him?” (interruption) No… (interruption) No, of course it wasn’t… (interruption) I told you: There’s no way the people standing for the right to oppose the flag, disrespecting the flag, the anthem, the military — no way that was gonna end up winning this. That Trump was gonna win it.</p>
<p>“What’s happening?” Have you seen the TV ratings? Now you’ve got NBC and New Black Panther anchors calling for a boycott of the sponsors, to both the NFL and ESPN? (Unknowingly, I think.) You’ve got television ratings dropping. You have got fewer and fewer people going to the games. What’s happened is, the NFL’s learned who its audience is. What do you mean, “What’s happened?” (interruption) I know, they all were. They all were thinking this Trump guy’s a buffoon! He can’t tell us what to do! Our players are the greatest players in the world!”</p>
<p>This is why you keep fighting! This is why you don’t let the issue go, why you don’t let the media decide who wins and who loses it. There’s only one reason this happened, only one. No, that’s not true, because actually the fans made this happen. But without Donald Trump, the fans would not have been listened to. Without Donald Trump, the fans would have, “(Raspberry) you!” I guaran-damn-tee you, folks. I’m telling you, this IS what everybody’s talking about when they say, “You don’t win it all in one election.” Once you win the election, this is the kind of stand-up to this stuff that has to happen issue by issue.</p> | Trump Will Not Let Up on the NFL | true | https://rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2017/10/10/trump-will-not-let-up-on-the-nfl/ | 2017-10-10 | 0 |
<p>Athens -- Greeks have become seasoned protesters, so much so that many of them don't leave home without a few essentials. Among the items on the checklist are gas masks, swimming goggles, dust masks, a motorcycle helmet, and Maalox.</p>
<p>Yes, Maalox.</p>
<p>"I came prepared today," said Lefteris Kirousis, a 60-year-old university professor who spread white-colored liquid Maalox on his face to protect against the burning sensation of tear gas.</p>
<p>He also donned a dust mask Thursday. The math professor is a fast learner. On Wednesday, he and his sister were surprised to see riot police charging toward them, south of Syntagma Square. Officers were trying to clear the square after masked protesters threw Molotov cocktails at them during demonstrations against austerity measures.</p>
<p>"There was nobody provoking anything. Nobody was wearing black masks, nothing. We were normally dressed," he said. "Suddenly, police started throwing chemicals at us. I couldn't breathe. I almost fainted."</p>
<p>A quick check of three pharmacies in the area proved the professor is not alone. All three had sold out of Maalox and dust masks. One pharmacist said she sold more than 20 bottles of Maalox, which is made to provide relief to heartburn and diarrhea.</p>
<p>Closer to Parliament, 23-year-old Nick, who declined to give his last name, wore a gas mask around his neck, and carried swimming goggles.</p>
<p>"It's not enough, unfortunately," he said. "Police have much more equipment. You can't defend yourself enough to survive here. So you have to leave or you hide."</p>
<p>His parting thought: "A motorcycle jacket would be good. It has padding."</p>
<p>Vendors walked through he crowds of protesters Thursday selling goggles, dust masks and bottled water. The asking price for the mask was three euros, but it dropped to two after a brief negotiation.</p>
<p>Freelance photojournalist Kostas Tsironis said protests turned especially violent after the December 2008 shooting death of a 15-year-old boy by police. His hard-shelled helmet is attached to his belt.</p>
<p>"It's a must-have," he said of the helmet "because you don't know who is going to attack you, the police or the protesters."</p>
<p>A recent report by the nonprofit Reporters Without Borders said photojournalists are targeted by both sides during protests; by police who don't want their faces in the newspaper, and by protesters who have a strong distrust of the Greek media in general. &#160;</p> | Protestor chic: How Greeks prepare for tear gas | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-10-20/protestor-chic-how-greeks-prepare-tear-gas | 2011-10-20 | 3 |
<p>There has been talk of Donald Trump “pivoting” for months. Trump surrogate <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/carson-you-re-going-to-see-trump-pivoting-643931203611" type="external">Ben Carson</a> said in March, “You’re going to see Trump pivoting." In July, Reince Priebus used the word <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-john-kerry-reince-priebus/story?id=40638971" type="external">four times</a> in an interview on ABC: “I think as he pivots to the general election, picking Mike Pence, I think he’s much more precise in his rhetoric, in his tone, in his attack,” “He knows the pivot is important. He has been better and I think he’s going to be great moving forward,” “He’s getting there and he’s going to pivot there,” and “Donald Trump on the stage delivering a great speech is going to go a long way for Donald Trump in pivoting to the general.”</p>
<p>It ain’t gonna happen, if the last word belongs to Trump.</p>
<p><a href="http://time.com/4447611/donald-trump-time-cover-interview-transcript/" type="external">Speaking with TIME</a> on Tuesday, Trump revealed he’s not interested in toning down his rhetoric. TIME asked, “Going back to the polls, some showed you down six, seven, eight points nationally and in swing states by a similar margin. You won the primary, but the general election is obviously a very different electorate. What do you have to do differently?”</p>
<p>Trump responded:</p>
<p>Well, I’m running it differently than I did the primaries. I am listening to so-called experts to ease up the rhetoric, and so far, I’m liking the way I ran in the primaries better … But I’m now listening to people that are telling me to be easier, to be nicer, be softer. That’s OK, and I’m doing that. Personally, I don’t know if that’s what the country wants. When we’re having heads chopped off in the Middle East, when things are happening that have never happened before in terms of the atrocities, in terms of giving $400 million in cash and all other things, I think maybe they want tougher rhetoric. They would like me to be a little bit different than I was in the primaries. And in the primaries, I broke the all-time record for votes.</p>
<p>TIME pressed, “So do you intend to revert?”</p>
<p>Trump doubled down: “I’m not agreeing or disagreeing with anybody. I think I may do better the other way. They would like to see it be a little bit different, a little more modified. I don’t like to modify. But that’s what I’ve done. We’ll see where it takes me.”</p>
<p>"I am listening to so-called experts to ease up the rhetoric, and so far, I’m liking the way I ran in the primaries better."</p>
<p>Donald Trump</p>
<p>When TIME remarked, “You seem to want to return to the way things used to be during the primary,” Trump replied, “I am having a good time. Again, you see the difference. Let’s say between yesterday and go back into the rallies. I would say that I like the previous better. I can always revert to that if I want. It was more of an attacking style, which perhaps is a more natural style for me. There’s always a chance that I will do that and can go back to that.”</p> | PIVOT: Trump Wants To Go Back To The Way He Campaigned During The Primaries | true | https://dailywire.com/news/8296/pivot-trump-wants-go-back-way-he-campaigned-during-hank-berrien | 2016-08-11 | 0 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>A: You don't say that the child is upset about this situation, only that he or she may need an explanation. I would suggest a response like this: "For some reason your mom hasn't been able to contact you. We don't know why that is, but we have to keep in mind what we do know, and that is that you love each other. We'll hope together that you do hear from her soon."</p>
<p>Children have a great capacity to love and to forgive, if we allow them to use it. By keeping our own prejudgments about the situation or the person to ourselves, we can help that child to preserve the good feelings he or she has concerning that important relationship.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>When we prejudge, we place a label on a person. Often times, that label prevents us from clear communication, causing us to focus on the label rather than on the content of a conversation or the action. None of us is free of this and it's something we can work to avoid if we seek healthy communication as a part of our lives, even with people who frustrate us.</p>
<p>Dear Thelma: In line at a store, I was privy to a cellphone conversation involving raised voices and foul language. It was very disturbing. I was ready to put my purchases down and leave the store. What is the appropriate way to handle such a situation?</p>
<p>A: The least gracious and possibly the most unsafe thing to do is to elevate the situation by causing a confrontation between yourself and the person who has offended you.</p>
<p>If you feel you must intervene, start by contacting the store manager or other personnel and ask that person to speak with the cellphone offender.</p>
<p>If that's not possible and you feel compelled to intervene personally, place special attention on what you say and by your tone of voice. With a calm voice and a friendly face you might say, "Excuse me, I can't help overhearing your conversation. Would you be able to lower your voice?"</p>
<p>If the person has an interest in graciousness and simply let himself or herself get caught up in the conversation, he or she may honor your request. However, be prepared for the fact that some people don't understand or don't care about phone boundaries or manners and may ignore your request or even lash out at you. Respond graciously by simply leaving the situation as best and as quickly as you can.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Dear Thelma: I recently attended a fundraising event that included a dinner and dance. The dance floor was small and sometimes very crowded. That didn't to matter to a number of couples who put on elaborate swing dance numbers. Are my partner and I to make way for them or are they obliged to tone it down when the floor is crowded?</p>
<p>A: Common courtesy and common sense tell us that when the dance floor is crowded, everyone should make an effort to keep their dancing compact and their elbows in close.</p>
<p>It may even require you to alter your style until more space is available or to move to a more open area if there is one. Respect those around you by doing so.</p>
<p>Giving everyone the chance to dance and good manners never go out of style.</p>
<p>Agree or disagree with Thelma's advice? Post your comments or ask a question about etiquette at <a href="http://thelmadomenici.com" type="external">thelmadomenici.com</a>. Thelma Domenici is CEO of Thelma Domenici &amp; Associates, offering corporate coaching and contemporary social skills development programs to all ages.</p>
<p /> | Protect child's relationship with absent mom | false | https://abqjournal.com/361404/protect-childs-relationship-with-absent-mom.html | 2 |
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<p>Things are starting to heat up as those seeking the Republican presidential nomination are trying to stand apart from both Obama and each other. In particular, opinions on foreign policy have brought much debate and recently, some serious mudslinging.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/lindsey-graham-even-obama-is-stronger-than-rand-paul-on-foreign-policy/" type="external">In an interview on Monday</a>, Senator Lindsey Graham (R- South Carolina) called Senator Rand Paul (R- Kentucky) weak on&#160;foreign policy. He went as far as to say that Paul was even less aggressive than President Obama.</p>
<p>“Generally speaking, [Paul’s] been more wrong than right,” said Graham. “He has an isolationist view of the world that I don’t share.”</p>
<p>Although reluctant to elaborate at first, Graham eventually opened up on how he thinks Paul compares with Obama or Hilary Clinton on foreign policy.</p>
<p>“Rand Paul is one step behind leading from behind. So yes, even Obama is more aggressive. Obama believes you can kill Anwar al-Awlaki without getting a court order. Obama believes you can hold enemy combatants, unlawful enemy combatants at Gitmo, with a criminal trial because this is law-of-war detention. So Rand Paul is behind Obama, not just Hilary Clinton.”</p>
<p>In a race that will most likely focus on international relations rather than the economy, these are fighting words. In less than 24 hours, Senator Paul responded <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/rand-paul-slams-lindsey-graham-john-mccain-foreign-policy-117190.html" type="external">in an interview on Fox News.</a></p>
<p>“These people are essentially the lapdogs for President Obama and I think they’re sensitive about that,” said Paul, referring to Lindsey Graham as well as John McCain.</p>
<p>The Kentucky Senator went on to explain how the two Congressman had been “wrong about every policy issue over the last two decades.”</p>
<p>“They supported Hillary Clinton’s war in Libya; they supported President Obama’s bombing of Assad; they also support President Obama’s foreign aid to countries that hate us. So if there is anyone who is most opposed to President Obama’s foreign policy, it’s me. People who call loudest to criticize me are great proponents of President Obama’s foreign policy — they just want to do it ten times over,” said Paul, reciting the list off the top of his head.</p>
<p>Senator Paul declared his intention to run for president in 2016 earlier this month. Senator Graham is currently “91 percent sure” he will run.</p>
<p /> | War of words: Rand vs. Graham on foreign policy | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/04/21/war-of-words-rand-vs-graham-on-foreign-policy/ | 2015-04-21 | 3 |
<p>Editor &amp; PublisherIndianapolis Star editor Dennis Ryerson is challenging former business editor Vickie Elmer's <a href="" type="internal">claim</a> that she had been unable to hire new people for her staff. "I am looking to replace her, as well as hire a deputy business editor, a reporter and a business columnist," he says. Meanwhile, Elmer tells Joe Strupp that the Star experience "has given me pause about Gannett. The whole staffing resources issue. They're not hiring a sizeable enough staff. There is not enough of a sense of being able to do good work."</p> | Indy Star editor: I don't want to argue with Elmer, but... | false | https://poynter.org/news/indy-star-editor-i-dont-want-argue-elmer | 2005-01-14 | 2 |
<p>Rep. Ron Paul really wants to speak at the Republican convention. He’s been getting the cold shoulder from the GOP, so now Paul is planning to hold his own convention in a nearby arena during the week that John McCain officially becomes the nominee.</p>
<p><a href="http://politicalwire.com" type="external">(via PoliticalWire)</a></p>
<p>MSNBC / First Read:</p>
<p>Ron Paul’s campaign is planning an event at a “large venue” with a “sizable” crowd Sept. 2 — the Tuesday of convention week — in the St. Paul-Minneapolis area a couple of miles from the convention site.</p>
<p />
<p>Paul spokesman Jesse Benton confirms this is certainly in the works but details are being worked out and not yet finalized. He wouldn’t divulge the specific location because contracts have not yet been signed, though this report indicates Williams Arena at the University of Minnesota.</p>
<p>Paul hopes to fill the arena the day before the vice presidential nominee would speak. On that Thursday, McCain will officially be selected as the nominee.</p>
<p><a href="http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/06/10/1129290.aspx" type="external">Read more</a></p> | It's My Party and I'll Convene if I Want to | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/its-my-party-and-ill-convene-if-i-want-to/ | 2008-06-11 | 4 |
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<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shareholders of drugmaker Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: VRX) have had a rough go of things over the trailing 12-month period. After peaking at $264 per share in 2015, shares of Valeant have retreated 90% from their all-time high.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, more salt was rubbed in the wounds of the company's shareholders.</p>
<p>Once every quarter, institutional investment managers -- those with $100 million or more in qualified assets -- are required to report their portfolio holdings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although the data can be 45 to 135 days old, it gives Wall Street and investors an idea of what some of the biggest money-managers were up to during the previous quarter.</p>
<p>Institutional investors ended the second quarter owning 219.8 million shares of Valeant, with 123 funds adding to an existing position and 53 funds creating a new position. Unfortunately, 106 funds reduced their positions during Q2, and 92 funds that closed out their positions, reducing total institutional ownership of Valeant shares by a whopping 18.3%. In simpler terms, big money-managers are holding 49.1 million fewer Valeant shares than they were during Q1 2016.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Here are some of the most notable sellers of Valeant stock during Q2:</p>
<p>In total, more than a dozen funds sold at least 1 million shares each of Valeant Pharmaceuticals during the second quarter.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Money managers' disdain for Valeant boils down to three major concerns.</p>
<p>The first issue is that Valeant's pricing power has been compromised -- and pricing power is everything when it comes to developing drugs. Drugmakers typically use their exceptional pricing power on branded therapeutics to cover not only the costs of developing the drug in question, but also the expenses tied to previously failed therapies, ongoing legal costs, and marketing expenses.</p>
<p>Valeant's pricing power went down the tubes when former CEO J. Michael Pearson admitted that his company made a mistake when it dramatically raised the price of two acquired cardiovascular products, Nitropress and Isuprel. Following the acquisition of both drugs in Feb. 2015, Valeant increased their respective selling prices by 525% and 212% without changing the chemical formulation or manufacturing process for either drug. This action drew the unwanted attention of U.S. lawmakers, which now have a very watchful eye on Valeant and its pricing practices.</p>
<p>I'd suggest that the far bigger issue for Valeant is the company's crippling debt load, which stood at $30.8 billion as of the end of Q2, or just shy of $30 billion on a net debt basis.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Valeant's primary method of growth over the past couple of years has been purchasing pipelines, approved drugs, and companies. It has funded these purchases by leaning on its ability to borrow, which its lenders had no issue with while it was rapidly growing. However, with Valeant's pricing power drastically reduced, and the company's profit and EBITDA forecast falling, Valeant's primary method of growth, M&amp;A, has been cut off by its lenders.</p>
<p>Making matters significantly worse, an accounting issue that arose in 2015 with former drug distributor Philidor Rx Services (specifically, the improper recognition of $58 million in revenue) caused Valeant to take a fine-toothed comb through its fiscal 2015 figures. The result was both a late 2015 annual filing and a late Q1 2016 filing. In both instances the late filing triggered notices of default from the company's numerous lenders. Though Valeant was able to work out new terms with its lenders, such as a lowered EBITDA-to-interest cost coverage on its debt, the company also accepted a $50,000 fee for every $10 million borrowed, as well as a 1-percentage-point increase in its interest rate.</p>
<p>Even the new deal the company worked out with its lenders could be in jeopardy. Valeant is required to generate at least 2.75 times more EBITDA than the amount it pays in interest on its debt each year. With a forecast of $4.8 billion to $5 billion in EBITDA in 2016 and $892 million in first-half interest costs, Valeant could be on track to come in right at, or below, this 2.75-to-1 ratio. If Valeant violates its debt covenants, then lenders could opt to accelerate repayment.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Lastly, I wouldn't go so far as to say that Valeant's business model is broken, but it's definitely suffering from adverse effects tied to its ongoing bad PR.</p>
<p>For example, on Aug. 11, The Wall Street Journal reported that Valeant was under investigation by the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York pertaining to its working relationship with its former drug distributor Philidor. The attorney's office is investigating whether or not Philidor disclosed the closeness of its relationship with Valeant to insurers. If the attorney's office decides that relationship wasn't disclosed, then Philidor could have been working in Valeant's interests, instead of as a neutral party, by selling higher-priced brand-name therapies to insurers when cheaper alternatives were available. Though Valeant is cooperating, criminal charges against Philidor executives and Valeant as a company are possible, with the result possibly being fines or sale restrictions for Valeant.</p>
<p>Valeant is also struggling under its new distribution relationship with Walgreens Boots Alliance. Valeant has noted that some of its scripts are being filled at a loss, which was the main reason its dermatology sales plunged 55% year-over-year during the second quarter. This isn't an overnight fix for either party.</p>
<p>These ongoing problems, and big money's exodus from Valeant during Q2, provide very good reasons for investors to ignore its deeply discounted P/E and remain on the sidelines until we see a tangible improvement in its underlying business and debt situation.</p>
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<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFUltraLong/info.aspx" type="external">Sean Williams Opens a New Window.</a>has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name <a href="http://caps.fool.com/player/tmfultralong.aspx" type="external">TMFUltraLong Opens a New Window.</a>, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/TMFUltraLong" type="external">@TMFUltraLong Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Valeant Pharmaceuticals. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Big Money Really Wants Nothing to Do With Valeant Pharmaceuticals -- Here's Proof | true | http://foxbusiness.com/investing/2016/08/19/big-money-really-wants-nothing-to-do-with-valeant-pharmaceuticals-here-proof.html | 2016-08-19 | 0 |
<p>&lt;a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pentatonix-kevin.jpg"&gt;Igor N. da Silva&lt;/a&gt;/Wikimedia Commons</p>
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<p>In college, when I played violin in the Yale Symphony Orchestra, our principal cellist was a guy named Kevin Olusola, a goofy, Chinese-studying, bear-hugging premed. Nowadays, Kevin (a.k.a “KO”) is known among YouTube fans as the beatboxer for Pentatonix (PTX), the a cappella group whose version of “Little Drummer Boy” is hovering at the very top of Billboard‘s <a href="http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-holiday-songs" type="external">Holiday chart</a>. In 2011, a Texas vocal trio came across a video clip of his “ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVNrrrNxU0" type="external">celloboxing</a>“—beatboxing and playing the cello at the same time. They tracked him down and asked him to join them for NBC’s <a href="http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/" type="external">“The Sing-Off.</a>“</p>
<p>Two years later, he’s helped the group rack up more than 230 million YouTube views, score gigs on Conan and The Today Show, and release three albums. Kevin’s look has evolved since college—less backpack, more swagger—but he’s just as enthusiastic in a leather jacket, laying down the beat for an <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE2GCa-_nyU" type="external">Imagine Dragons song</a>, as he once was in a tux performing Beethoven symphonies. I caught up with Kevin to talk about how he got started, the trickiest sounds to make, and Pentatonix’s runaway success. But first, the celloboxing video:</p>
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<p>MJ: Let’s start with the basics. How did you get into beatboxing?</p>
<p>KO: There was a song by Musiq Soul Child called “ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7zsG3XFUd8" type="external">Just Friends</a>.” It starts off with a melody line where he’s beatboxing also. When I heard that, I got hooked. I kept doing it and doing it.</p>
<p>MJ: Did you drive your parents and teachers&#160;crazy?</p>
<p>KO: Oh my goodness, I can’t even begin to tell you. My dad and my mom! Especially my dad. I would do it all the time in the car, and he just always thought it was annoying. He was like, “Stop making that noise!” My junior year of high school, I joined the a capella group at Andover and we produced a CD, and I showed it to him and he got it then. When I started pairing cello and beatboxing and he saw that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVNrrrNxU0" type="external">video</a>, he was like, “I can’t believe this is possible!” Now, with Pentatonix, he’s heard our record and he’s our biggest fan. I’m so thankful that he gave me a chance to pursue this, because for Nigerian parents I think it’s very difficult to let their child do something artistic. That’s not necessarily a stable path to making money or having success.</p>
<p>MJ: Is there any overlap in the skills it takes to be a good cellist and the skills it takes to be a good beatboxer?</p>
<p>KO: The thing I’ve really gained from my classical music training is how to be a musical person. The band, before they found me, had gone through six different beatboxers. There were some that were good at keeping time, but they didn’t do anything impressive with their mouths. The beatboxer before me did all these different sounds, but he couldn’t keep tempo, and he didn’t understand how to build a song musically. I think that having the two is really important, because we’re trying to make music, at the end of the day.</p>
<p>MJ: Is there any particular instrument or sound that’s surprisingly easy to make, or else surprisingly difficult to make?</p>
<p>KO: The throat bass thing for me is still a little bit difficult. It doesn’t come out as naturally as I want, and it’s something that I have to practice every single time.</p>
<p>MJ: The throat what?</p>
<p>KO: Throat bass. It goes like this. [Listen:]</p>
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<p>MJ: How do you learn to make a new sound?</p>
<p>KO: I just try random things, and if I hear something that fits, I’ll work at it and see if I can refine it. If I hear things in music that I really like, like some kind of crazy snare that works for hip-hop music, I’ll definitely try to emulate it. It’s really a lot about listening. And I’ve watched tutorials online, then listened to myself and said, “It sounds like I’m not doing this right, it sounds like I’m not doing that right.” A lot of tutorials teach you how to do it, but they don’t teach you the refining process. So you kind of just have to learn on your own. It’s not like cello, where you go to conservatory to study, and they can help you.</p>
<p>MJ: Do you ever feel left out as the one non-singer in the crew?</p>
<p>KO: I don’t feel left out at all, because I think musical inspiration comes from anywhere. I give ideas on how the arrangement should go. They give ideas on how the beatboxing should go. A lot of the time, I’m helping them with the harmonies because, with the training I’ve had, I can figure that out. It’s a very collaborative process.</p>
<p>MJ: Can you talk a little more about that process?</p>
<p>KO: We go to one of our apartments and we sit down and start arranging the song. I’ll start with beats. Avi will figure out a baseline. And then we figure out who’s gonna be the soloist. Then we just start trying to figure out harmonies that work with what the soloist is doing. Once we’ve figured out how we want this thing to build, we go back and start refining it, start adding moments. Things that will make people say, “Wow, I can’t believe they just did that with their voices.” We want to show people that the voice has this incredible power to do things that you’d never think possible.</p>
<p>MJ: Why cover “Little Drummer Boy,” of all songs?</p>
<p>KO: It’s funny, it was kind of a natural decision for the group: We’re like, “Well, that makes sense for us. We have a little drummer boy.” But I don’t think we expected it to blow up like it did. We found out today [December 18] that it dethroned Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You” as the No. 1 holiday single on Billboard.</p>
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<p>MJ: You guys have a massive YouTube viewership. How do you take advantage of that?</p>
<p>KO: We put out good content and that translates into record sales, which has been absolutely awesome. It also translates into ticket sales. We didn’t really think that was going to happen, but it has. You just see these numbers go up and you know people are watching [the videos], but you don’t realize they’re real people until they come to your concert. It’s insane to all of us. I think people are starting to catch on to what we do and what makes us unique. This is a time in music where we think that people are looking for a more raw, organic sound. Everything is so <a href="" type="internal">Auto-Tuned</a>, so processed, that we want to show people, “Hey, we can make a song that’s very organic and raw, but infectious and catchy so that people would love to hear it.”</p>
<p /> | Meet Pentatonix’s “Little Drummer Boy” | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2013/12/pentatonix-little-drummer-boy-kevin-olusola/ | 2013-12-23 | 4 |
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<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>It's been a whirlwind week-and-a-half since Donald Trump took office. In his first 10-1/2 days, Trump has issued more executive orders and proclamations than any other modern-day president. Last night, the trend of action continued, with the American public privy to another long-awaited decision from the Trump administration: the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.</p>
<p>This nomination is obviously a big deal with a vacancy needing to be filled since the passing of former Justice Antonin Scalia in Feb. 2016. Having a ninth Justice added to the highest court in the land should resolve the possibility of any voting stalemates, and it could wind up shaping policy in America for years or decades to come.</p>
<p>While there are a number of big issues and industries that could be impacted by the Gorsuch nomination (should he be confirmed), the marijuana industry and marijuana stocks have to be wondering how this nomination could impact them.</p>
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<p>In recent years, the cannabis industry has been scorching hot. Last year alone, five new states approved medical pot for legal use, while the number of recreation-legal weed states doubled to eight from four. Without Arizona, where a recreational marijuana measure failed by just two percentage points, marijuana initiatives would have had a clean sweep in the November elections.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>We've also witnessed a discernable shift in the public's opinion on pot. National pollster Gallup shows that the percentage of adults who want to see marijuana legalized nationwide has jumped from 25% in 1995 to an all-time high of 60% as of 2016. In terms of medical marijuana, a 2015 CBS News poll found that 84% of respondents wanted to see it legalized.</p>
<p>However, these figures mean nothing if the Trump administration limits or removes some of the freedoms that have been bestowed upon the marijuana industry. The Obama administration took a hands-off approach to state-level regulation of the cannabis industry despite the fact the federal government maintains a schedule 1 status on the drug. Schedule 1 drugs, by definition, have no medical benefits and are illegal. The big question going forward is whether that hands-off approach will persist if Jeff Sessions, an ardent opponent to marijuana's legalization, is confirmed as America's next attorney general, and Gorsuch, widely viewed as a judge with conservative views, is confirmed to the Supreme Court.</p>
<p>The unfortunate answers for marijuana stocks and in the industry is that we don't know a whole lot, despite the fact that Gorsuch served as a federal judge in the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and actually oversaw a pot dispensary case in 2015.</p>
<p>The case in question involved Colorado dispensary Total Health Concepts, which wound up having to pay federal income taxes on previously taken business deductions. U.S. Tax Code 280E is a thorn in the side to nearly all dispensaries and marijuana stocks since it disallows businesses that primary sell illegal substances (which includes marijuana) from taking normal business tax deduction. Total Health Concepts' argument was that it shouldn't have to disclose the nature of its business due to the potential to self-incriminate, as <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/supreme-court-nominee-gorsuch-stance-issues-article-1.2960950" type="external">reported by the New York Daily News Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Gorsuch ultimately wound up denying Total Health Concepts' motion, but not without laying into the Obama administration for allowing a confusing double-standard to exist. On one hand, Gorsuch argued,</p>
<p>Later in the case document, Gorsuch points out that,</p>
<p>This doesn't exactly tell us one way or another how Gorsuch will side, but there's clearly some discontent on his part about the confusing nature of the federal approach to federal cannabis enforcement.</p>
<p>For the time being, the long-term outlook for marijuana stocks remains somewhat in limbo.</p>
<p>If Jeff Sessions (assuming confirmation) holds true to his word during his confirmation hearings and uphold the views of President Trump when it comes to federal marijuana policy, then pot stocks may do just fine. Trump has previously advocated legalizing medical marijuana at the federal level but leaving recreational marijuana up to state choice and regulation.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>But, Trump's cannabis ideology could have a hard time getting through a conservative and Republican-led Congress. Of the 22 states that haven't legalized medical marijuana, many are Republican-led states. Additionally, Sessions is a longtime marijuana legalization opponent, and it may be difficult for him to maintain a hands-off federal approach to a drug he clearly opposes.</p>
<p>What's likely for marijuana stocks is more of the status quo. This means a continuation of being unable to take normal business tax deductions, as well as having little to no access to basic banking services. Since banks ultimately answer to the federal government, working with pot shops could be construed by the federal government as money laundering. This connect-the-dots scenario and the mixed message today's federal marijuana laws are sendingare probably going to keep most financial institutions firmly on the sidelines, forcing pot businesses to deal with cash, which is a security concern and growth inhibitor.</p>
<p>While there's nothing to signal that marijuana stocks are doomed if Gorsuch is confirmed, there's still no clear catalyst to suggest things will be better, either.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better thanWal-MartWhen investing geniuses David and TomGardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter theyhave run for over a decade, the Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tomjust revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/e-sa-bbn-eg?aid=8867&amp;source=isaeditxt0000476&amp;ftm_cam=sa-bbn-evergreen&amp;ftm_pit=6627&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">ten best stocks Opens a New Window.</a>for investors to buy right now... and Wal-Mart wasn't one of them! That's right -- theythink these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/e-sa-bbn-eg?aid=8867&amp;source=isaeditxt0000476&amp;ftm_cam=sa-bbn-evergreen&amp;ftm_pit=6627&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&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>*StockAdvisor returns as of December 12, 2016The author(s) may have a position in any stocks mentioned.</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> | Should Marijuana Stocks Fear Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/01/should-marijuana-stocks-fear-supreme-court-nominee-neil-gorsuch.html | 2017-02-01 | 0 |
<p>GM Fuel Cell Business Executive Director Charlie Freese and Next Generation Combat Vehicle Program Integrator Lt. Col. David Centeno on the benefits of the new Chevrolet Colorado ZH2.</p>
<p>The U.S. Army is testing a hydrogen-powered pickup truck from General Motors (NYSE:GM), and the stealthy Chevrolet Colorado ZH2 could soon make its way to the battlefield.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>GM, working with the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC), completed initial development of the Colorado ZH2 earlier this year. The Army is now putting the truck through its paces to determine whether hydrogen vehicles are viable options for military missions.</p>
<p>Lt. Col. David Centeno, Next Generation Combat Vehicle Program Integrator for the Army, noted that using hydrogen fuel cells can protect soldiers by cutting noise. Hydrogen fuel cells also reduce the truck’s heat signature compared to a gasoline- or diesel-powered engine.</p>
<p>“To be able to reduce that noise signature and heat signature means that I can get closer to the enemy undetected, which equates [to] survivability increase and mission success in a safe manner,” Lt. Col. Centeno told Maria Bartiromo on FOX Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria.”</p>
<p>“From a soldier’s perspective, we’re very excited about this technology and the opportunity to partner with GM,” he added.</p>
<p>The Colorado ZH2 also offers benefits beyond combat applications. Soldiers can use the Colorado ZH2’s fuel cell as a power source in the field, essentially turning the truck into a portable generator. Also, the by-product of hydrogen-powered vehicles is water.</p>
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<p>Charlie Freese, executive director of GM’s fuel cell business, said the Colorado ZH2 can generate 300 to 400 miles of range in about three minutes using hydrogen.</p>
<p>“Hydrogen is starting to find its way into some markets like California. The Army brings their fuel with them, so that’s one advantage,” Fresse said. “Hydrogen can be made from all sorts of different energy sources, and that’s one of the advantages that it offers.”</p>
<p>The Colorado ZH2, which was first revealed in October, shares some features and technology with the <a href="" type="internal">Colorado ZR2 off-road midsize truck Opens a New Window.</a>. For instance, both trucks sport an advanced suspension system that maximizes comfort on various types of terrain. The ZR2’s use of Dynamic Suspensions Spool Valve (DSSV) dampers from Canadian supplier Multimatic marked the first off-road application of the technology.</p>
<p>After driving the truck, Lt. Col. Centeno was “very impressed with the mobility and maneuverability on-road and off-road,” he said. “I drove through some pretty tough terrain.”</p> | GM's hydrogen-powered Army truck put to the test | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/08/16/gms-hydrogen-powered-army-truck-put-to-test.html | 2017-08-16 | 0 |
<p>Panoramic/Zuma</p>
<p>If you put out a complaint box for customers of US banks and financial firms, you will get hundreds of thousands of complaints. That’s what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—which was set up by Elizabeth Warren before she became a US senator—has discovered. And the bank that has drawn the most complaints is Bank of America. Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, and Citibank were other top targets of consumer wrath.</p>
<p>In June 2012, the CFPB launched a consumer help center where Americans can lodge complaints against banks and financial institutions they believe are ripping them off. The information in the center’s&#160; <a href="http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaintdatabase/" type="external">data base</a> is public. So you can tell which Wall Street entities provoke the most gripes. Ranked by number of complaints, the top five most reviled institutions are Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Equifax, which is a credit-reporting agency, JPMorgan Chase, and Citibank. Debt collectors, mortgage servicers, and student loan servicing companies also fall within the top 20. As of this weekend, consumers had filed over 265,000 complaints. Bank of America earned 38,833 complaints, Wells Fargo drew 26,055, and JPMorgan Chase was the subject of 20,057. Check it out:</p>
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<p>These numbers show that bigger is not necessarily better. The number of complaints largely corresponds with the size of the bank. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo are <a href="http://www.ffiec.gov/nicpubweb/nicweb/top50form.aspx" type="external">the largest four US banks by assets</a>. All other banks on the list above are among the 20 largest.</p>
<p>The majority of complaints targeting Bank of America—over 27,500 of them—concern mortgage practices, including foreclosure processing. In 2012, Bank of America, Citi, Chase, Wells Fargo, and Ally Bank—the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers—entered into a <a href="http://www.nationalmortgagesettlement.com/about" type="external">$25 billion settlement</a> with 49 states and the federal government over the banks’ use of faulty foreclosure documents. (Bank of America recently agreed to pay a fine of <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/24/us-bankofamerica-sanctions-settlement-idUSKBN0FT1V220140724" type="external">$16.6 million</a> to the Treasury Department to settle allegations that it processed nearly $100,000 in transactions for drug traffickers between 2005 and 2009.)</p>
<p>Out of the 26,055 complaints filed against Wells Fargo—which is accused of <a href="http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/July/12-dag-869.html" type="external">directing minority borrowers into subprime loans</a> in the lead-up to the financial crisis—close to 6,000 concerned issues consumers had with their checking or savings accounts, including complaints over fees and charges. In 2010, Wells was ordered to pay <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/10/business/la-fi-wells-20100810" type="external">hundreds of millions</a> of dollars to customers for manipulating debit card transactions in order to rack up overdraft fees.</p>
<p>About 5,100 of the consumer complaints about Citibank concerned mortgages and foreclosures. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice slapped a record penalty on Citi for violations on the investor side of the bank’s mortgage business. The DOJ fined Citi <a href="" type="internal">$7 billion</a> for telling investors that the toxic mortgage-backed securities it sold in the mid-2000s were high-quality.</p>
<p>Over 3,700 of the complaints against JPMorgan Chase concerned problems with consumer bank accounts, including disputed fees. Last September, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ordered Chase to fork over <a href="" type="internal">$309 million to 2.1 million customers</a> for charging them for services such as identity theft protection and fraud monitoring without obtaining consent.</p>
<p>Americans filed over 5,000 complaints with the consumer agency regarding debt collection, more than 27,000 over mortgage servicing practices, and north of 5,500 concerning student loan servicing.</p> | America’s 10 Most Hated Banks | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/07/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-complaints-banks/ | 2014-07-29 | 4 |
<p>Scott C. Smith, Founder &amp; Inventor of OPFLEX Technology, is a Harvard Business School graduate living wherever there is oil and toxic chemicals to filter from water and has been involved in over 20 patents. His creative and environmentally responsible vision for his company is setting new standards for Low Carbon Impact (LCI®) solutions not only to filter oil and other related contamination from the Worlds’ waterways,&#160;as endorsed by BP in the Gulf of Mexico in a 2010&#160;USA Today Article,&#160;but also setting&#160;unprecedented&#160;standards to fingerprint and detect oil and related toxic chemicals in the water column. &#160;Mr. Smith has invested his life and over $25 million in developing and commercializing the Open-Celled OPFLEX® Technology, &#160;which is based on biomimicry of the human lungs with the Open-Cells of OPFLEX behaving as the Alveoli of the human lungs, but only breathing contamination and exhaling clear water 1 drop at a time. &#160;Mr. Smith has firsthand experience on the ground in many disasters which include the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Dalian China oil spill, ExxonMobil Yellowstone River oil spill, Costa Concordia disaster in Italy, ExxonMobil Mayflower, AR diluted bitumen "Tar Sands" oil spill, Gowanus Canal ongoing oil spill in Brooklyn, NY, Lac-Megantic, Quebec Bakken oil train disaster, and&#160;recently&#160;the Aliceville, AL Bakken oil train disaster.&#160;</p>
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<p /> JESSICA DESVARIEUX, TRNN PRODUCER: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Jessica Desvarieux in Baltimore.
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<p />McClatchy news recently published a report which states that there have been more oil spills from trains in 2013 than in the previous four decades combined. The figures are based on data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
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<p />With us to discuss these staggering figures is Scott Smith. He's the founder and inventor of Opflex technology. And if you want to find out more information about this, you can read his extended bio below.
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<p />Welcome back to The Real News, Scott.
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<p />SCOTT SMITH, FOUNDER/INVENTOR, OPFLEX® TECHNOLOGY: Thank you. Glad to be here.
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<p />DESVARIEUX: So, Scott, let's take a look at the graph here. There were about 800,000 gallons of crude oil spilled in rail accidents between 1975 and 2012, and 1.15&#160;million gallons spilled in 2013 alone. Why such a vast jump in the number of oil spills?
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<p />SMITH: Well, a couple simple reasons: a dramatic increase in volume from about 9,000 railcars in 2008 to 400,000 in 2013; and you've got an aging infrastructure for all this transport that's not adequately prepared to deal with the amount of traffic and the new explosive oils that are being pumped from beneath the surface of the earth.
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<p />DESVARIEUX: Okay. I'm going to push back a little bit here, Scott, because based on the increased volume of crude oil being transported via rail, it means even though about a million gallons were spilled last year, 99.99&#160;percent of the shipments arrive safely. You know, some people would say that's a pretty good record. What would your response be?
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<p />SMITH: Well, that's a--you know, 99.9&#160;percent, that's a great record, but I don't think the people that--47 people that died in Lac-Mégantic or their families would really agree with that, because 0.01&#160;percent of--you know, if the accident rate is 0.01&#160;percent of the volume, it really needs to be 100&#160;percent when people's lives are at stake, especially with the day and age of technology. There is adequate technology out there to monitor and protect human life, and it's just simply not being done.
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<p />So my comeback on that is: when human lives are at stake, I think we need to have a 100.00&#160;percent record of safety.
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<p />DESVARIEUX: Alright. Alright. Fair enough. And on January&#160;23, the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, that famous pipeline we all know about, the tar sands oil started flowing to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. The company responsible for the pipeline, TransCanada, says that they have done everything they can to prevent spills. But with an additional 590,000 barrels being sent to the Gulf, are we going to start seeing a lot more spills along the way?
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<p />SMITH: Well, you're pumping a dramatic volume. And my response to that is: take Boston, New York, Los Angeles. As the population has grown, you're going to have certain percentages of accidents. Humans make mistakes and there's human error. So my answer to that is: as you increase the volume, you're still going to have accidents. And the question is: is the best available technology being used to monitor the flow of the oil, monitor the waterways? And are these companies prepared, when there is a spill, to remove the oil as rapidly as possible with the best available technology?
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<p />DESVARIEUX: And you've witnessed these companies in how they clean up any oil spills firsthand. Can you talk about the cleanup process, specifically in Alabama and that big oil spill?
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<p />SMITH: I would recommend Aliceville, Alabama--the pictures and the video that I provided to you that were sent to me by John Wathen, who works with me, speak for themselves. That happened on November&#160;8, I believe, and that spill is anything but cleaned up. And those are in wetlands--flows in the Tombigbee River, flows into the Mobile River, flows into the Gulf of Mexico. So for people that think they're not affected by it, they are. All these waterways are connected, one way or another. And now they're saying that that spill is somewhere around 700,000 to 800,000 gallons potentially. And you can see that dark oil flowing around all the--you know, basically the white booms and the technology they deployed. It's--there's oil everywhere.
<p />
<p />DESVARIEUX: And what's going on with the cleanup process right now?
<p />
<p />SMITH: The cleanup process, basically the responsible party, you know, contracts the third-party contractors, and the contractors right now get paid by how many trips they make to the landfill. And the contractors will say specifically that, listen, we don't want to get the oil out of the water. We'll make less money. We don't want to use a recyclable, reusable product. And that's--it's very, very sad that that is going on, because they're playing with people's lives and the environment. That oil needs to be removed from the water.
<p />
<p />DESVARIEUX: Alright. And last week, Washington regulators met with railroad and oil industry representatives to discuss making changes to how crude oil is shipped by rail. We have Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. He said changes would be announced sometime within the month to improve the safety of crude oil trains. Do you think we'll see the regulatory changes that are needed to make these sort of disasters rare occasions? And what would you propose?
<p />
<p />SMITH: Well, herein lies the problem. Tony Foxx--great leader. Glad to have him as secretary of transportation. But the way our federal government works is the foxes are in charge of the henhouse here. My question is is: why is the secretary meeting with the drilling companies, the pipelines? He should be meeting with scientists from all over North America to talk about what their recommendations are.
<p />
<p />And let me make a point here. If this were an FDA drug to help with cancer, there'd be a lot of third-party scientists. It wouldn't be relying solely on the drug company trying to sell the drug. And I think that's a very simple point that people really need to understand.
<p />
<p />So why--for some reason, when it comes to transportation and this oil transportation, the companies involved are the ones setting the policies through their lobbyists.
<p />
<p />DESVARIEUX: And what would you advocate for, then?
<p />
<p />SMITH: I would advocate for an independent panel of scientific experts from the railcars and how to restructure these railcars, and from the rail lines themselves, and also transparency as to what is coming out of the ground and the oil before it gets loaded in a railcar or a pipeline. Now, I point to, you know, CrudeMonitor.ca. That's--Crude Monitor is something developed by the Canadian government and the energy companies up there. It is a transparent site you can go to to see exactly what is coming out of the ground. And we need transparency in this country with third-party information. And we need to monitor things constantly.
<p />
<p />DESVARIEUX: Alright. Scott Smith, a call for transparency. Thank you so much for joining us.
<p />
<p />SMITH: You're welcome.
<p />
<p />DESVARIEUX: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network.
<p />
<p />End
<p />
<p />DISCLAIMER: Please note that transcripts for The Real News Network are typed from a recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. | More Oil Spills From Railroad Accidents in 2013 Than Past 40 Years Combined | true | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D31%26Itemid%3D74%26jumival%3D11374 | 2014-01-27 | 4 |
<p>NORTHERN IRAQ — When the Islamic State captured the city of Sinjar on Aug. 3, locals say hundreds of Yazidi men were killed and thousands of Yazidi women and children kidnapped.</p>
<p>An estimated 50,000 members of the persecuted religious minority fled to the nearby Sinjar Mountains to escape capture by the terror group. But they were quickly surrounded by IS extremists, stranded along the mountain range without food, water or shelter. Dozens died. Days later, fearing " <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/140807/pentagon-denies-us-has-bombed-islamic-state-positions-iraq" type="external">genocide</a>," the United States and other countries began humanitarian aid drops to the Yazidis while the US also launched a bombing campaign against IS at the base of the mountains. Survivors who escaped, however, say they were not freed by the US bombing campaign, but instead by Kurdish separatists riding tractors into the mountains from Syria.</p>
<p>At least 200,000 Yazidis are now spread throughout Kurdish Iraq with no permanent home.</p>
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<p />
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/iraq/140810/man-lost-63-relatives-the-islamic-state" type="external">This man has lost 63 relatives to the Islamic State</a></p> | On Location Video: The Yazidis who survived the assault on Sinjar | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-08-27/location-video-yazidis-who-survived-assault-sinjar | 2014-08-27 | 3 |
<p>At the heart of Louisiana’s prison system sits the Louisiana State Prison at Angola, a former slave plantation where little has changed in the last several hundred years. Angola has been made notorious from books and films such as Dead Man Walking and The Farm: Life at Angola, as well as its legendary bi-annual prison rodeo and The Angolite, a prisoner-written magazine published within its walls. Visitors are often overwhelmed by its size – 18,000 acres that include a golf course (for use by prison staff and some guests), a radio station, and a massive farming operation that ranges from staples like soybeans and wheat to traditional Southern plantation crops like cotton.</p>
<p>Recent congressional attention has again brought Angola into the media limelight. The focus this time is on the prison’s practice of keeping some inmates in solitary confinement for decades, especially two of Angola’s most well-known residents – Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox. Woodfox and Wallace are the remaining members of the Angola Three, political activists widely seen as having been interned in solitary confinement as punishment for their political activism.</p>
<p>Modern plantation</p>
<p>Norris Henderson, co-director of Safe Streets/Strong Communities, a grassroots criminal justice organization in New Orleans, spent twenty years at Angola – a relatively short time in a prison where 85 percent of its 5,100 prisoners are expected to die behind its walls. “Six hundred folks been there over 25 years,” he explains. “Lots of these guys been there over 35 years. Think about that: a population that’s been there since the 1970s. Once you’re in this place, it’s almost like you ain’t going nowhere, that barring some miracle, you’re going to die there.” Prisoners at Angola still do the same work that enslaved Africans did there when it was a slave plantation. “Angola is a plantation,” Henderson explains. “Eighteen-thousand acres of choice farmland. Even to this day, you could have machinery that can do all that work, but you still have prisoners doing it instead.” Not only do prisoners at Angola toil at the same work as enslaved Africans hundreds of years ago, but many of the white guards come from families that have lived on the grounds since the plantation days.</p>
<p>Nathaniel Anderson, a current inmate at Angola who has served nearly thirty years of a lifetime sentence, agrees. “People on the outside should know that Angola is still a plantation with every type and kind of slave conceivable,” he says.</p>
<p>Prison organizing</p>
<p>In 1971, the Black Panther Party was seen as a threat to this country’s power structure – not only in the inner cities, but even in the prisons. At Orleans Parish Prison, the New Orleans city jail, the entire jail population refused to cooperate for one day in solidarity with New Orleans Panthers who were on trial. “I was in the jail at the time of their trial,” Henderson tells me. “The power that came from those guys in the jail, the camaraderie…Word went out through the jail, because no one thought the Panthers were going to get a fair trial. We decided to do something. We said, ‘The least we can do is to say the day they are going to court, no one is going to court.’”</p>
<p>The action was successful, and inspired prisoners to do more. “People saw what happened and said, ‘We shut down the whole system that day,’” he remembers. “That taught the guys that if we stick together we can accomplish a whole lot of things.”</p>
<p>Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox were inmates who had recently become members of the Black Panther Party, and as activists, they were seen as threats to the established order of the prison. They were organizing among the other prisoners, conducting political education, and mobilizing for civil disobedience to improve conditions.</p>
<p>Robert King Wilkerson, like many inmates, joined the Black Panther Party while already imprisoned at Orleans Parish Prison. He was transferred to Angola, and immediately placed in solitary confinement (known at Angola as Closed Cell Restriction or CCR) – confined alone in his cell with no human contact for 23 hours a day. He later found out he had been transferred to solitary because he was accused of an attack he could not have committed – it had happened at Angola before he had been moved there.</p>
<p>In March of 1972, not long after they began organizing for reform from within Angola, Wallace and Woodfox were accused of killing a correctional officer. They were also moved to solitary, where they remained for nearly 36 years, until March of this year, when they were moved out four days after a congressional delegation led by Congressman John Conyers arranged a visit to the prison. Legal experts have said this is the longest time anyone in the US has spent in solitary. Amnesty International recently declared, “the prisoners’ prolonged isolation breached international treaties which the US has ratified, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture.”</p>
<p>Wilkerson, Wallace, and Woodfox became known internationally as the Angola Three – Black Panthers held in solitary confinement because of their political activism. Wilkerson remained in solitary for nearly 29 years, until he was exonerated and released from prison in 2001. Since his release, Wilkerson has been a tireless advocate for his friends still incarcerated. “I’m free of Angola,” he often says, “but Angola will never be free of me.”</p>
<p>This history of struggle and resistance brings a special urgency to the case of the Angola Three. Kgalema Motlante, a leader of the African National Congress, said in 2003 that the case of the Angola Three “has the potential of laying bare, exposing the shortcomings, in the entire US system.”</p>
<p>Purchasing testimony</p>
<p>Wallace and Woodfox have the facts on their side. Bloody fingerprints at the scene of the crime do not match their prints. Witnesses against them have recanted, while witnesses with nothing to gain have testified that they were nowhere near the crime. There is evidence of prosecutorial misconduct, such as purchasing inmate testimony and not disclosing it to the defense. Even the widow of the slain guard has spoken out on their behalf. Most recently, their case has received attention from Representative Conyers, head of the House Judiciary Committee, and Cedric Richmond, chair of the Louisiana House Judiciary Committee, who has scheduled hearings on the issue to begin this month.</p>
<p>But this is more than the story of innocent men railroaded by a system. The story of the Panthers at Angola is both inspiring and shocking. It is a struggle for justice while in the hardest of situations.</p>
<p>“They swam against the current in Blood Alley,” says Nathaniel Anderson, a current inmate at Angola who has been inspired by Wallace and Woodfox’s legacy. “For men to actually have the audacity to organize for the protection of young brothers who were being victimized ruthlessly was an extreme act of rebellion.”</p>
<p>Like many prisoners during that time, Norris Henderson was introduced to organizing by Black Panthers in prison, and later became a leader of prison activism during his time at Angola. The efforts of Wilkerson, Woodfox, Wallace, and other Panthers in prison were vital to bringing improvements in conditions, stopping sexual assault, and building alliances among different groups of prisoners. “They were part of the Panther Movement,” Henderson tells me. “This was at the height of the Black power movement, we were understanding that we all got each other. In the night-time there would be open talk, guys in the jail talking, giving history lessons, discussing why we find ourselves in the situation we find ourselves. They started educating folks around how we could treat each other. The Nation of Islam was growing in the prison at the same time. You had these different folk bringing knowledge. You had folks who were hustlers that then were listening and learning. Everybody was coming into consciousness.”</p>
<p>Insatiable machine</p>
<p>The US has the largest incarcerated population in the world – twenty-five percent of the world’s prisoners are here. If Louisiana, which has the largest percentage imprisoned of any US state, were a country, it would have by far the world’s largest percentage of its population locked up, at one out of every 45 people. Nationwide, more than seven million people are in US jails, on probation, or on parole, and African Americans are incarcerated at nearly ten times the rate of whites. Our criminal justice system has become an insatiable machine – even when crime rates go down, the prison population keeps rising.</p>
<p>The efforts of the Angola Three and other politically conscious prisoners represented a fundamental challenge to this system. The organizing of Wallace, Woodfox, and Wilkerson, though cut short by their move to solitary, had an effect that continues to this day.</p>
<p>Prison activism, and outside support for activists behind bars, can be tremendously powerful, says Henderson. “In the early 1970s people started realizing we’re all in this situation together. First, at Angola, we pushed for a reform to get a law library. That was one of the first conditions to change. Then, we got the library; guys became aware of what their rights were. We started to push to improve the quality of food, and to get better medical care. Once they started pushing the envelope, a whole bunch of things started to change. Angola was real violent then, you had inmate violence and rape. The people running the prison system benefit from people being ignorant. But we educated ourselves. Eventually, you had guys in prison proposing legislation.”</p>
<p>This was a time of reforms and grassroots struggles happening in prisons across the US. Uprisings such as the Attica Rebellion were resulting in real change. Today, many of the gains from those victories have been overturned, and prisoners have even less recourse to change than ever before. “Another major difference,” Henderson explains, is that “you had federal oversight over the prisons at that time, someone you could complain to, and say my rights are being violated. Today, we’ve lost that right.”</p>
<p>Working for criminal justice is work that benefits us all, says Henderson. “Most folks in prison are going to come out of prison,” he states. “We should invest in the quality of that person. We should start investing in the redemption of people.”</p>
<p>After decades of efforts by their lawyers and by activists, Wallace and Woodfox have been released from solitary, but the struggle continues.&#160; Wallace and Woodfox remain behind bars, punished for standing up against a system that has grown even larger and more deadly. And the abuse does not end there. “There are hundreds more guys who have been in [solitary] a long time too,” Henderson adds. “This is like the first step in a thousand-mile journey.”</p>
<p>JORDAN FLAHERTY is an editor of <a href="http://www.leftturn.org" type="external">Left Turn Magazine</a>, and a journalist based in New Orleans.&#160; Most recently, his writing can be seen in the anthology <a href="" type="internal">Red State Rebels</a>, released this month by AK Press.&#160; He can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal">Your Ad Here</a> &#160;</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | Organizing for Freedom | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/06/10/organizing-for-freedom/ | 2008-06-10 | 4 |
<p>Glenn Beck launched a sordid smear campaign against&#160;Teresa Heinz Kerry,&#160;the hospitalized wife of Secretary of State John Kerry,&#160;accusing her and the State Department of orchestrating her medical scare to divert public attention&#160;away from reports about the whereabouts of her husband during Egypt's most recent transition of power.&#160;In a pair of cheap shots on his radio program and web show, Beck speculated that Heinz Kerry is lying and drew an institutional connection between what he baselessly suggests is Heinz Kerry's fake injury and the 2012 concussion suffered by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which Beck referred to at the time as a "scam."</p>
<p>On July 3, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57592217/egypt-military-president-morsi-ousted-constitution-suspended/" type="external">deposed</a> by the country's military leaders amidst popular protests. That same day, CBS <a href="http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/07/03/report-kerry-on-yacht-in-nantucket-during-egyptian-presidents-ouster/" type="external">reported</a> that one of its producers had spotted Secretary Kerry aboard a yacht in the Nantucket Boat Basin.&#160;The State Department <a href="http://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/07/03/report-kerry-on-yacht-in-nantucket-during-egyptian-presidents-ouster/" type="external">denied</a> the allegations,&#160;and noted that Kerry was "working all day and on the phone dealing with the crisis in Egypt."</p>
<p>Four days later on July 7, 74-year-old Heinz Kerry, Kerry's wife, was <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/08/politics/kerry-wife-hospitalized/index.html" type="external">hospitalized</a> with symptoms of a seizure that left her in critical condition. Doctors upgraded her condition to "fair" on Monday morning.&#160;</p>
<p>On his radio show, Beck compared Heinz Kerry's hospitalization to that of then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a blood clot, which he suggested was orchestrated to distract the press from the Benghazi attacks. Beck <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/glenn-beck-suspicious-about-teresa-heinz-kerry-and-hillary-clinton-hospitalizations" type="external">called</a>&#160;the State Department's denial of Kerry's whereabouts a "huge scandal" and wondered if Heinz Kerry's injury -- which took place four days after Morsi's ouster -- was also orchestrated as a distraction, asking "You expect me to believe that Mrs. Ketchup is in critical condition? I mean, no offense, maybe she is." Beck then compared Heinz Kerry's medical scare to Clinton's in 2012, wondering of Clinton's treatment, "Was that just a scam?"</p>
<p>Beck repeated his accusation on his web show, saying of Clinton's hospitalization and treatment, "I didn't believe that. That was to get out of Benghazi." He equated this with Heinz Kerry, adding:</p>
<p>BECK: I mean, I wish Teresa Heinz Kerry the best. But I find it fascinating that she is in critical condition this weekend after the State Department was caught in a lie. The same day the State Department is caught in a massive, massive lie, &#160;the same the press is no longer asking anybody about that, because Teresa Heinz is now in the hospital. So, you can't ask any tough questions. This government has zero credibility.</p>
<p />
<p>Beck has a history of capitalizing on his media presence to lob attacks against powerful women during their most vulnerable moments. In December, when Clinton first sustained a concussion, Beck ridiculed her&#160;and asked whether Clinton's injury was a "scam,"&#160; <a href="http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/glenn-beck-suspicious-about-teresa-heinz-kerry-and-hillary-clinton-hospitalizations" type="external">claiming</a>, "She shouldn't be President of the United States if she's going into the hospital for some sort of heart condition or brain condition or whatever she was in the hospital for."</p>
<p>Other right-wing media figures joined in mocking Clinton's injury. Several pundits on Fox News Channel <a href="/blog/2012/12/20/foxs-evening-shows-mock-hillary-clintons-concus/191920" type="external">accused</a> Clinton of <a href="/blog/2013/01/02/foxs-stubborn-ridicule-of-hillary-clintons-heal/191974" type="external">faking her injury</a> in order to avoid testifying before Congress about the 2012 attacks on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.</p> | Glenn Beck: Hospitalized Heinz Kerry May Be Faking | true | http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/07/08/glenn-beck-hospitalized-heinz-kerry-may-be-faki/194775 | 2013-07-09 | 4 |
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SChumer.jpg" type="external" />Senator Chuck Schumer has a somewhat unusual hobby: showing up at colleges across New York State and telling young graduates how he fell in love with a woman who subsequently dumped him. According to a Wall Street Journal report &#160;published Thursday night, Schumer oftentimes waits until the last minute [?]</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/chuck-schumer-breakup-story-2014-6" type="external">Click here to view original web page at www.businessinsider.com</a></p>
<p /> | Chuck Schumer Can't Stop Bragging About Being A Loser | true | http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/chuck-schumer-cant-stop-telling-young-people-about-his-college-breakup/ | 0 |
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<p>A new CDC study highlighting the scale of <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html" type="external">America's obesity epidemic</a> shows that at least 20 percent of people in every state are obese.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html" type="external">The 2011 map</a>, which is based on a continous wide-ranging series of surveys shows that obesity is most prevalent in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Lousiana, Michigan, Missisipi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia.</p>
<p>"Overall the obesity rate remains high, and it shows that more concerted efforts need to be invested in by states to make healthy choices available," said Heidi Blanck, of the Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the CDC, reported <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-13/us-statistics-show-24-dot-5-percent-of-ny-adults-obese" type="external">Bloomberg Businessweek.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Strokes/34169" type="external">According to Medpagetoday.com</a>, the CDC data shows that the state with the highest obesity rate is Missisippi, where 34.9 percent of all people are obese, and Colorado, where 20.7 percent of people are obese.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/08/cdc-everyone-fat/" type="external">According to Wired,</a> the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention based the map with data gathered through a project called the BRFSS or Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The CDC warns, however, that this year's data cannot be compared with other years as the methodology is different. For the first time, households with only cell phones were included.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/photo-galleries/5682400/top-10-most-obese-countries-the-world-photos" type="external">Top 10 most obese countries in the world (PHOTOS)&#160;</a></p> | CDC: 20% of people in each state are obese | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-08-14/cdc-20-people-each-state-are-obese | 2012-08-14 | 3 |
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<p>VAIL, Colo. — A man is missing and presumed drowned after diving from a popular rock into a north-central Colorado reservoir and failing to surface.</p>
<p>Summit County officials were notified of the accident at Green Mountain Reservoir about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday. Others with the missing man began searching for him immediately.</p>
<p>Deputies arrived at about 5 p.m. and interviewed witnesses and searched the area where the man was last seen.</p>
<p>Additional searchers with a boat and sonar equipment arrived at about 6:30 p.m. The man’s body had not been located as of Wednesday afternoon.</p>
<p>The man’s name, age and hometown have not been released.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Man is presumed drowned in north-central Colorado reservoir | false | https://abqjournal.com/1042242/man-is-presumed-drowned-in-north-central-colorado-reservoir.html | 2 |
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<p>Ah, <a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2013/06/james-gandolfini-effect/66455/" type="external">James Gandolfini</a>, thank you for a job well done. You will be missed.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.policymic.com/articles/49157/prism-surveillance-the-nsa-isn-t-to-blame-for-our-surveillance-state-congress-is" type="external">Polymic</a>: More than anyone, Congress is to blame for the surveillance state.</p>
<p><a href="http://feministajones.com/blog/my-name-is-not/" type="external">Feminista Jones</a>: A guest blogger details some every day sexism she wouldn't stand for.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.balloon-juice.com/2013/06/20/the-best-part-about-the-farm-bill-fail/" type="external">Balloon Juice</a>: Republicans: Loving the fetus, but hating the woman it's in.</p>
<p><a href="http://egbertowillies.com/2013/06/11/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-a-reason-to-get-rid-of-government-contracting/" type="external">Egberto Willies</a>: Is Edward Snowden a reason to get rid of government contractors?</p>
<p>Finally, let's all remember the <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Business/ohio-92-year-olds-offer-buy-back-home/story?id=19430456#.UcOTRfkUiSp" type="external">Greatest Generation</a> by screwing them over..</p>
<p>Round-up by Bill Wolfrum of <a href="http://www.williamkwolfrum.com/" type="external">William K. Wolfrum Chronicles</a>. Send tips to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com.</p> | Mike's Blog Round Up | true | http://crooksandliars.com/william-k-wolfrum/mikes-blog-round-78 | 2013-06-21 | 4 |
<p>They’re at it again.</p>
<p>An administration that can’t be bothered to look two days ahead to plan for the landfall of a hurricane in New Orleans, that can’t be bothered to look three months ahead to plan for the eventuality of conquering and having to run a country, that isn’t worried about the inevitable crisis that will be caused for the dollar by running up huge fiscal deficits, that refuses to take steps to curb US fuel consumption despite the clear knowledge that the price of imported oil will only be going up-this almost congenitally unprepared and unforward-looking group of national leaders–is pushing the same tired old scare story again about Social Security funds “running out” in 2040.</p>
<p>The new alarm makes the scary claim that the funds are even worse than we wer told a year ago, and instead of running out in 2041, will run out in 2040. Worse yet, they say, the Medicare fund will be bankrupt in 2018, instead of 2020!</p>
<p>Woe are us! What will we do!</p>
<p>Does anyone really take this gang seriously?</p>
<p>2040 is 34 years from now. As a Baby Boomer-one of that demographic cohort that is routinely blamed for causing the Social Security crisis by being too many, by being the pig in the python-I look at this and think, well, in 34 years, I’ll be 91, if I’m lucky. If I’m not lucky, and I’m not around, so much the better for the Social Security fund.</p>
<p>The point is, this is so far in the future, anything could happen. Thirty-four years ago, Nixon was running for re-election and bugging the Watergate Hotel, the war in Vietnam looked like it would never end, Russia seemed like an implacable enemy and we still had all the Beetles. Who would have thought we’d be where we are today?</p>
<p>In fact, there are much bigger things to worry about than how well the Trust Fund will hold up over that length of time. Hell, the whole eastern seaboard may be underwater by then. My house north of Philadelphia could be ocean-front property, which would be great for my heirs.</p>
<p>You certainly don’t hear Bush and Cheney, and the Republican scaremongers in the Congress, calling for drastic action to deal with the global warming threat, which will be manifesting itself in a big way by 2040. No, they’re worried about Social Security.</p>
<p>If this were a government that was into dealing with future crises, and with planning ahead, these same people wouldn’t be bankrupting the country by blowing hundreds of billions of dollars blowing things up in Iraq while cutting trillions of dollars in taxes for the rich.</p>
<p>What, after all, is the point in worrying about the fiscal health of the Social Security Trust Fund when you’re bankrupting the whole damned country? It’s a little like parents who take out a balloon mortgage to buy a McMansion for half a million bucks and then complain that they don’t have the money to send their kid to college.</p>
<p>And of course, we have to think about another point. Social Security is basically a program that takes care of the working poor. It isn’t a program for the well off, for whom those monthly checks are just chump change anyhow. And when else, besides this Social Security thing, have you heard Republicans acting concerned about a welfare program, except to complain that it’s too wasteful?</p>
<p>So what’s up here? Why all the words of “concern”?</p>
<p>The answer is that the Republicans’ paymasters-the business leaders-don’t like Social Security. They absolutely loath paying that 7.5 percent matching contribution every month into to their employees’ Social Security accounts. And the way they can get out of that annoying bill is to get people so worried about the future of Social Security that they start calling for an end to the program, in favor of privatized investing.</p>
<p>Of course, they also are listening to another special interest group-the banking industry and the investment banking industry-which want to get their hands on trillions of dollars of Social Security money by having the public switch out of a government program and into private accounts, which they would “handle” ­for a fee of course.</p>
<p>Me, I don’t worry about Social Security. I start getting my checks in eight years, and I’m not the slightest bit worried about whether the money will be there. The reason for my confidence is numbers, but not financial numbers. Population numbers. My fellow Boomers and I are going to be the most powerful damned senior lobby you’ve ever seen. We’ll way outnumber today’s grayhairs, and look at their political clout already.</p>
<p>We’re going to get what we need out of Congress, even if it means getting money out of the general treasury.</p>
<p>It’s appropriate that the administration should come out with this latest scare-mongering story about Social Security on May 1. After all, May 1 is coming to be symbolic of all that’s wrong and fraudulent about Bush the Lesser’s whole presidency. It’s the day he pretended to be a Top Gun pilot, and pretended that his splendid little war was over, in 2003. It’s also the day his whole war-mongering fraud was exposed by the Downing Street memo, revealed by the Times in London in 2005.</p>
<p>Now it’s also the day he tried to revive his campaign to end Social Security by scaring the public into thinking that the system was going bankrupt.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | The Looters of Social Security | true | https://counterpunch.org/2006/05/05/the-looters-of-social-security/ | 2006-05-05 | 4 |
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<p>A central criticism of the Occupy movement has been the group's wide array of mission statements, so it's odd that a recent ideologically-focused OWS protest received relatively little media attention.</p>
<p>Occupy submitted its 325-page technical comment letter – written by the working group Occupy the SEC in the atrium of 60 Wall Street – to U.S. regulators this week.</p>
<p>The submitted letter is an impressive document (Felix Salmon calls it " <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2012/02/14/occupys-amazing-volcker-rule-letter/" type="external">absolutely astonishing</a>") calling for the SEC to strengthen and enforce the Volcker Rule, named after former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker, a reform that would curb the same risky speculative trading that tanked the world's economies in 2008. (The letter can be read in its entirety <a href="http://www.occupythesec.org/letter/OSEC%20-%20OCC-2011-14%20-%20Comment%20Letter.pdf" type="external">here</a>, PDF).</p>
<p>Occupy the SEC's working group is comprised of <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2012/02/15/occupy-wall-street-comes-to-the-aid-of-volcker-rule/" type="external">a remarkable gathering of wonks and legal experts</a>: a former derivatives trader, a former compliance officer at a major financial firm, a corporate lawyer, and a technology expert who helped Wall Street firms design proprietary software for "volatility surface modelling."</p>
<p>The goal of their very detailed letter: “We want the regulators to enforce the Volcker rule vigorously,” said Akshat Tewary, the lawyer, in an interview. “There’s obviously a lot of pressure” on regulators coming from foreign governments, banks and “pretty much everyone to try to dilute and winnow away the rule as much as possible. So we want to take the counterpoint position and try to have it enforced as much as possible.”</p>
<p>Since the working group's members are&#160;savvy&#160;industry players, they took the opportunity of penning a response letter to regulators about some of Wall Street's claims that any proposed regulation would damage financial markets.</p>
<p>The Occupy group argues the banks are exaggerating the impact the proposal would have on liquidity, noting that junk bond trading volumes “are at record levels” even as firms begin to fall in line with Volcker rule prohibitions.</p>
<p>“The idea put forth by industry lobbyists and trade groups, that the removal of a government subsidy within a segment of market makers will cause serious and permanent market-wide reductions in liquidity defies both common sense and the foundations of free-market capitalism,” the Occupy letter argues.</p>
<p>Occupy the SEC held a march <a href="http://www.salon.com/2012/02/15/occupy_defends_the_volcker_rule/singleton/" type="external">Monday night</a> in New York City to celebrate the release of the letter to the SEC. The publication of a seriously wonky letter is part of what Occupy calls its " diversity of tactics." Yes, OWS is famous for its camps and disruptive protests, but the movement also wants to become a force at the policy-crafting stages.</p>
<p><a href="http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/02/occupy-sec-letter-volcker-rule" type="external">Josh Harkinson</a> explains what makes Occupy SEC so unique and a potentially potent force:</p>
<p>On the one hand, it's authentically grassroots, forged in Zuccotti Park's crucible of discontent. As such, it is transparent, open to anyone, and accountable to everyone. On the other hand, it includes financial insiders with the education and regulatory vocabulary to challenge high-powered lobbyists at their own game. That's a powerful combination that the SEC can't easily ignore.&#160;</p>
<p>But even the wonks within Occupy are aware most citizens nod off when experts start droning on about derivatives trading and collateralized debt obligation. Occupy the SEC hopes to wage a broad educational campaign to teach the public about the inner workings of the financial industry.</p>
<p>At its <a href="http://www.occupythesec.org/" type="external">website</a>, Occupy the SEC encourages concerned citizens to read through the Volcker rule and related documents listed at its site, and to write their own comment letters.&#160;</p>
<p>Regulators are currently facing some <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-volcker-rule-20120215,0,3620518.story" type="external">15,000 public letters</a> attempting to shape the final outcome of the 2010 financial reform bill, and the banking lobby will certainly be an influential player in the process.</p>
<p>"The banking lobby exerted inordinate influence on Congress and succeeded in diluting the statute, despite the catastrophic failures that bank policies have produced and continue to produce," the group's letter says.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/81484886" type="external">Occupy the SEC Comment Letter on the Volcker Rule</a></p> | Occupy Hearts The Volcker Rule | true | http://inthesetimes.com/uprising/entry/12756/occupy_hearts_the_volcker_rule/ | 2012-02-16 | 4 |
<p>Despite scads of <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/10/07/james-woods-retires-from-acting-after-saying-hes-blacklisted-because-hes-conservative.html" type="external">recent reports</a> and his own claims of being <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2017/08/22/james-woods-republicans-in-hollywood-terrified-over-being-blacklisted/" type="external">blacklisted</a> in Hollywood because of his conservative socio-political views and staunch support of Donald Trump, 70-year-old veteran actor <a href="http://variety.com/t/james-woods/" type="external">James Woods</a> is <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/10/08/actor-james-woods-retirement-announcement-mistake/744219001/" type="external">not retiring</a> from show business but, as he announced late last week via <a href="https://twitter.com/RealJamesWoods/status/915912204330913792" type="external">Twitter</a>, he is selling a picturesque lakefront compound near Exeter, R.I., with an asking price of $1.399 million. The Emmy and Golden Globe winner, twice nominated for an Oscar, first in 1987 for “Salvador” and again in 1997 for “Ghosts of Mississippi,” has owned roughly half of the Boone Lake compound since 1998 when it was purchased for $120,000 while the other portion has been in his family for decades before that.</p>
<p>Composed of three waterfront parcels, the .88-acre spread includes a two-story, cedar-shingled main residence custom designed and built for Woods in 2001 with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms in 2,087-square-feet. A lush stretch of grass sits between the main house and guesthouse, a charmingly rustic, board-and-batten-clad Cape Cod-style cottage that dates to 1949 and includes one bedroom, one bathroom, a stone fireplace and a couple of waterside decks that step down to a large antique brick patio.</p>
<p>The main residence has an open-plan living space with honey-blond hardwood floors, a granite-hearth corner fireplace, a Craftsman-style kitchen with center island snack counter and a built-in dining banquette with serene, tree-framed lake views. Wood-trimmed glass sliders open the living room to a covered deck for al fresco lakeside lounging and the kitchen leads to a spacious and also lakeside glassed-in porch. Two guest bedrooms on the main floor flank a compartmentalized Jack ‘n’ Jill bathroom while the master suite privately occupies the entire second floor with a corner fireplace, a wall of built-in cabinetry that incorporates a desk area, a roomy lakeside deck and a private bathroom with double-sink vanity, jetted garden tub and separate shower lined in flesh-colored ceramic tiles.</p>
<p>Marketing materials make no secret of the property’s famous owner and indicate nearly $250,000 was spent over the last couple of years “reworking” the compound’s extensive waterfront that incorporates extensive decks and terraces, several sandy beaches, a cobblestone boat ramp, two fire pits—one on land and one in the water, multiple dock areas and an extensively outfitted outdoor kitchen and barbecue area.</p>
<p>The avid and accomplished poker player, much in the tabloid news earlier this year after actress Amber Tamblyn <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/news/amber-tamblyn-james-woods-open-letter-1202557447/" type="external">publicly accused</a> him of trying to pick her up when she was just sixteen years old, an allegation he has denied, continues to&#160;own a modest, two-bedroom and two-bathroom home in a private community on the edge of downtown Warwick, R.I. that is just a few doors away from a similarly humble home owned by his mother. We’ve long heard unsubstantiated rumors from well-connected tattletales that Woods maintains a residence in Los Angeles—a Buff &amp; Hensman-designed mid-century modern in the Hollywood Hills that last sold in 2014 for $2.2 million—where he previously owned a spectacular hilltop estate in Beverly Hills sold in 2002 for $5 million to documentarian Peter Jones and writer Peter Haldeman who, in turn, sold the property in 2013 for $8.5 million to a developer who spec-built a massive, über-modern mansion that was sold earlier this year for $38.5 million to a mysterious foreign corporate entity.</p>
<p>Listing photos: <a href="http://www.bhhsgammons.com/" type="external">Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices</a></p> | James Woods Lists Lakefront Compound on Rhode Island’s Beautiful Boone Lake | false | https://newsline.com/james-woods-lists-lakefront-compound-on-rhode-islands-beautiful-boone-lake/ | 2017-10-09 | 1 |
<p>The church I go to, Church by the Glades, usually has the main guy on a big screen.&#160; I know, I know.&#160; It’s close to my house, I don’t have to dress up, and they give you coffee.&#160; Sue me.</p>
<p>But two Sundays ago, we got a rare treat.&#160; The blonde lady was the preacher (as soon as I get her name, I’ll amend this).&#160; But every time she teaches, it’s a treat.&#160; Trust me.&#160; This time was no exception.&#160; While most of what I’m about to say wasn’t in her sermon, something she said inspired my thought process leading to this.</p>
<p>The Bible itself is a metaphor for life with God, in a very real sense.&#160; When it talks of creation and early civilization, it’s talking not of the past, but of me, personally.&#160; Or you, I suppose.</p>
<p>In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.&#160; And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.&#160; And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.&#160; And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.&#160; And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.</p>
<p>Such it is when we first come into His kingdom.&#160; Now take that passage, and substitute the earth with the word you.&#160; See what happens.</p>
<p>Before we allow God into our lives, we are without form and void, and darkness is over the depths of us.&#160; But once God says to us, Let there be light, our lives are forever changed, and we begin to divide from the darkness.</p>
<p>The next story is of Adam and Eve, and of the birth of sin.&#160; Such it is with us when we begin our journey under the light.&#160; We become aware of the sin in our lives.&#160; Follow this with Noah’s flood, where God cleanses us of the past and brings us to a new beginning.</p>
<p>After that, we are introduced to Abraham and a host of others.&#160; Now if we are honest, some of these men are complete scoundrels.&#160; Abraham pimped out his own wife, twice, and that’s how he got wealthy.&#160; But the zeal with which these people followed their faith is remarkable.&#160; Such it is with us.&#160; When we first come into God’s presence, we are insane with our new found faith, even though we often come up with stupid ideas and do some heinous things.&#160; We fall into bad habits, but are carried forward by this zeal so that we don’t see how we stumble.&#160; This leads to our enslavement in Egypt.&#160; At some point, our new zealous, blind faith leads us into a trap from which many never come out.&#160; We give up.&#160; We find we were wrong, and lose hope, and find ourselves once again in bondage.</p>
<p>But once again, God sends his message to lift us out of it, with promises to deliver us to a better life if we but follow him.&#160; That’s Moses, in case you missed the reference.&#160; From there, we wander in desolation, living off nothing but faith.</p>
<p>And here’s where it gets interesting.&#160; As the Hebrews came into the Promised Land, it wasn’t handed to them.&#160; They didn’t just move in and the existing tenants moved out; they had to fight for it.&#160; They bled for it.&#160; So it is with us.&#160; God gives us his promise, and we often look for some silver platter with all the riches of his glory being foisted over us like a winning lottery ticket, but it doesn’t work that way.&#160; In reality, and this is what I have come to accept, is that while the promise of God is there for the taking, the onus to take it remains with us, and yes, there will be blood.&#160; It won’t stop there, either.&#160; Even after the Hebrews conquered the holy land, they were constantly being led astray, and constantly being overtaken by some powerful enemy.&#160; Again and again, they had to call out for rescue from some enemy-of-the-week.</p>
<p>I was baptized into Christ by my friend Paul Carter on May 12, 1993, in the Puget Sound, right by the ferry dock in Edmonds, WA.&#160; Two weeks ago, I started to see that my entire spiritual journey since that day aligns perfectly with the stories of the Old Testament.&#160; Up until that point, I’d been looking for the easy path that I thought God promised.</p>
<p>But this is life.&#160; There is no easy path.</p>
<p>Michael Patrick Lewis is a teacher, and bestselling author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Edge-God-Michael-Patrick-Lewis-ebook/dp/B016TSYNJA" type="external">Edge Of God</a>, and <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/538086" type="external">Preferred Rewards</a>.&#160; You can also find him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/fakemikelewis" type="external">@fakeMikeLewis</a>.</p>
<p /> | Life is a Struggle | false | http://natmonitor.com/2017/08/09/life-is-a-struggle/ | 2017-08-09 | 3 |
<p />
<p>As the markets try to digest the consequences of a Donald Trump presidency, investors should consider a low volatility, dividend-focused exchange traded fund strategy.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>"The best time to be in low volatility is when markets are complacent," Mike LaBella, Portfolio Manager at QS Investors, told ETF Trends. "It is best to get ahead of volatility by going in when volatility is low."</p>
<p>Specifically, the CBOE Volatility Index or VIX, the so-called fear index, spiked to above 20 in the days following the presidential election. However, the VIX has now dipped to 12.88, reflecting the growing complacency in the equities market on speculation that President-elect Trump would fuel inflation and economic growth. The index has reflected a relatively complacent market for most of the year, compared to an average VIX value of 19.8 or a median value of 17.9 since January 1990.</p>
<p>Long-term investors who want to generate income and achieve principal growth while maintaining enough stability in their portfolio to ride out short-term market swings should consider an ETF strategy that focuses on low volatility and high dividends, such as the the Legg Mason Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (NASDAQ: <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_etf-2Dresume.php-3Fquote-3Dlvhd&amp;d=DgMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=AkJcGFpW4PmpLKOzW9XQKNMIpmIUl1ojbrF14BT4WNk&amp;s=2gz-M19vEesYgVyA3sZGvQJHmndPK0fTGBE64bYm3Sk&amp;e=" type="external">LVHD Opens a New Window.</a>), Legg Mason International Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (BATS: LVHI) and recently launched Legg Mason Emerging Markets Low Volatility High Dividend ETF (BATS: LVHE).</p>
<p>The low volatility high dividend suite should help investors who are seeking new sources of yield in a changing market environment. The funds focus on companies with relatively high yield and low price and earnings volatility, and the funds also target profitable companies. Furthermore, LVHI and LVHE employ currency hedging to further mitigate international risk exposure.</p>
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<p>This type of strategy has proven to help investors capture growing markets while limiting drawdowns during periods of increased volatility to generate improved risk-adjusted returns over the long haul.</p>
<p>The low volatility and high dividend strategy "has been shown to deliver both capital appreciation and income competitive with, or superior to, other reasonable alternatives," Rosemary Macedo, Chief Investment Officer at QS Investors, said in a research note. "These results have come with more stability and attractive upside/downside capture."</p>
<p>LaBella explained that investors would typically utilize a low volatility and high dividend methodology to generate income, preserve capital and supplement traditional fixed-income exposure.</p>
<p>The strategy could act as an alternative to traditional yield-generation investments, provide a steady stream of income from quality stocks and help manager portfolio risks.</p>
<p>The funds may help preserve capital as the low volatility focus may help the ETFs outperform over the long term due to lower drawdowns during periods of increased volatility. The low volatility factor also allows investors to hedge against uncertainty, such as geopolitical risks and shifting monetary or fiscal policies.</p>
<p>Lastly, the low vol/dividend strategy can act as an alternative to fixed-income assets as the three-decade long bull rally in bonds comes to an end. Money managers may find it harder to hit the required 60/40 stock/bond returns of yesteryear, but a low volatility and high dividend strategy may help fill in the gap.</p>
<p>"Low volatility and dividends help address the shift in portfolio risk," LaBella said.</p>
<p>This article is courtesy of our partners at <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.etftrends.com_&amp;d=DgMFAg&amp;c=cnx1hdOQtepEQkpermZGwQ&amp;r=GRqff5l5MHpejHoKHot8Gp2SY_ZPxrunht950uhDnYCPYyIIU0YyzTG5vMXJEgC6&amp;m=AkJcGFpW4PmpLKOzW9XQKNMIpmIUl1ojbrF14BT4WNk&amp;s=UMIkgVnX_HM4YPCK-nHNGslqWOgvjkH6jo_LugaofDM&amp;e=" type="external">etftrends.com Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | An Investing Playbook For a Trump White House | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/21/investing-playbook-for-trump-white-house.html | 2016-11-21 | 0 |
<p>It’s been gaining traction in broad circles, but Charles Duhigg’s work on Apple and the iEconomy in the New York Times is alarming in its revelations, though few can claim to be too surprised by them.&#160; The world’s most profitable company is also a global expert in tax avoidance. Some call it minimisation, others good old theft which by any name would still be theft.</p>
<p>The payment of taxes is not a pleasant task. Often, there is a feeling of managed theft being committed, a violation of pocket exercised by anonymous agents.&#160; The individuals who collect tax are less popular than pox doctors or manic, jaw drilling dentists.&#160; But the payment of tax, if we are to take the view put forth by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., is the sacrifice one pays for a civilised society, a necessary tariff that prevents us turning into savages.</p>
<p>The antithesis of such a society is the corporate jungle world that Apple inhabits.&#160; There, in true Hobbesian fashion, Apple rules with a degree of impunity, avoiding filling treasuries, both in the US and elsewhere, and forging a global network of suppliers it refuses to disclose.&#160; The response by Apple is to blame the insatiable consumer.&#160; In the words of an unnamed Apple executive, ‘You can either manufacture in comfortable, worker-friendly factories, or you can reinvent the product each year, and make it better and faster and cheaper, which requires factories that seem harsh by American standards’ (NYT, Jan 26).</p>
<p>The last thing on the mind of Apple officials is forking out for a tax bill and replenishing the milk of human kindness with community projects.&#160; Particularly devastating on this score are the tax receipts from corporations at the state level.&#160; As a joint report between the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and Citizens for Tax Justice notes, state corporate taxes as a share of Gross State product have halved over the last 25 years to 0.28 percent of GSP.</p>
<p>The report titled Corporate Tax Dodging In the Fifty States, 2008-2010, makes rather glum reading.&#160; In 2009, 32 companies paid no state income tax. Between 2009 and 2010, 265 companies on the Fortune 500 corporations list paid state income taxes equal to a paltry 3 percent of their US profits. The authors summarise the implications of their study – ‘the trickle down impact of federal corporate tax cuts, ill-advised tax “incentives” intentionally enacted by state lawmakers, and unintended tax shelters created by companies armed with creative accounting staffs’.</p>
<p>Apple’s own behaviour is hardly surprising, given the assortment of tics and allergies America’s politicians simulate when confronted by the issue of taxation.&#160; Talk about tax – that is, attempts to increase receipts – is less popular than a discourse on garbage collection.&#160; Last year, South Carolina Nikki Haley suggested that the state’s corporate income tax would be gradually repealed.&#160; Florida and Arizona have voiced similar suggestions.&#160; The erosive nexus between state income tax and federal taxes is there for all to see. The tax collector has been run out of town.</p>
<p>The tax platform Apple endorses simply receives a shrug from political advisors and members of Congress. So Apple showed the business acumen to move operations to Nevada.&#160; Or Ireland.&#160; The beast of competition must thrive – that before anything else.&#160; Advantages to opponents must be avoided – corporate America is a vicious, uncongenial place.&#160; Indeed, the underlying conservative approach to Apple is that tax avoidance is a patriotic duty, exercised in order to conserve profits that can, in turn, push prices down and stimulate employment.&#160; This is ideology as fantasy, not so much voodoo as mind altering.</p>
<p>Such attitudes suggests less the triumph of competition than the spirit of anti-competition.&#160; Christopher Newfield, writing for Huffington Post (Apr 30), suggests that Apple, by virtue of its stance on taxation, is inherently disposed to anti-innovation, profiting by a tax system it helped build and undermining the distribution of resources to parts of the ‘iEconomy’. That is a true recipe for the de-civilising of society.</p>
<p>Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge.&#160; He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne.&#160; Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p /> | Apple’s Tax Avoidance Scheme | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/05/03/apples-tax-avoidance-scheme/ | 2012-05-03 | 4 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Put Jake Peavy on the San Francisco Giants, and he suddenly turns into quite a postseason performer.</p>
<p>Same for a couple of rookies, Hunter Strickland and Joe Panik.</p>
<p>Seems that October aura manager Bruce Bochy has cultivated with the Giants rubs off on anyone joining the club.</p>
<p>The intense Peavy took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, Strickland and the rest of San Francisco’s rested bullpen barely protected a lead, and the wild-card Giants won their league-record ninth consecutive postseason game by beating Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Friday in an NL Division Series opener.</p>
<p>“Nobody is scared of the moment,” said Peavy, who won the 2007 NL Cy Young Award with San Diego and last year’s World Series with Boston, but was 0-3 with a 9.27 ERA in five previous starts beyond the regular season. “We understand that we might not be, man for man, the favorites.”</p>
<p>Perhaps they should be.</p>
<p>Peavy, the 33-year-old right-hander with the tattoo sleeve on his left arm, finally earned his first postseason win, allowing only two hits in 5 2-3 scoreless innings, and getting plenty of help.</p>
<p>Strickland spent much of the season at High-A and Double-A in the minors, and has all of seven major league innings on his resume, but struck out Ian Desmond swinging at a 100 mph fastball with the bases loaded in the sixth after Peavy left, cussing up a storm.</p>
<p>Panik provided a nice defensive play at second base to end the seventh and contributed one of San Francisco’s three RBI singles.</p>
<p>No swinging from the heels for this bunch. No costly misplays in the field, either, such as the passed ball by Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos that led to an unearned run. That was one of a couple examples of jumpy play by a Washington team that won its division and led the NL with 96 wins but has never won a postseason series.</p>
<p>Under Bochy, the Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012. They have not lost a postseason game since trailing 3-1 against St. Louis in the NLCS two years ago.</p>
<p>When the lights are brightest, the stage biggest, the stakes highest, San Francisco comes through.</p>
<p>“We’ve done it so many times now, it seems to be part of our DNA,” said Hunter Pence, who stole a base in the fourth and came home on Brandon Belt’s hit off Strasburg. “But I think the thing that we know is: What’s in the past is in the past, and we’ve got to move forward and we’ve got to be ready for the game tomorrow. Because if not, they’ll jump all over us.”</p>
<p>Game 2 is Saturday, with Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann — who threw a no-hitter in the regular-season finale — facing Tim Hudson.</p>
<p>Strasburg took the loss in his playoff debut; he was shut down in 2012 to protect his surgically repaired elbow. He showed up with his best material Friday, reaching 99 mph.</p>
<p>“He gave us a chance,” manager Matt Williams said. “Jake was a little bit better.”</p>
<p>The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2009 lasted five-plus innings, allowing eight hits — all singles, all to center or right field — and two runs, one earned. He tied for the NL lead this season with a career-high 242 strikeouts, but only managed two, in part because the Giants rarely missed.</p>
<p>“Wasn’t like they were hitting me all around the yard,” Strasburg said. “Hit it where we weren’t.”</p>
<p>Peavy didn’t top 92 mph, but that didn’t matter. He put pitches where he wanted, often barely over the black edge of the plate.</p>
<p>“He mixed really well. He’s a very smart pitcher,” said catcher Buster Posey, the 2012 NL MVP, who drove in a run. “He knows when not to give in.”</p>
<p>The first hit Peavy allowed was by Bryce Harper in the fifth, a bouncing single off the glove of diving first baseman Belt. As Harper ran through the bag, he yelled, “Let’s go!” But any notion of a rally was quickly silenced when Peavy got Ramos to ground into a first-pitch, 4-6-3 double play, followed by Asdrubal Cabrera’s inning-ending foul pop.</p>
<p>Peavy was lifted with two runners aboard in the sixth, and Javier Lopez loaded the bases with a walk. Bochy turned to Strickland, who, calm as a 10-year veteran, took care of Desmond — 8 for 12 with a grand slam and 17 RBIs with the bases full this season — on four fastballs, the slowest at 98 mph.</p>
<p>“He just stepped into as big a fire as you can step into,” Pence said about Strickland, “and he came up huge.”</p>
<p>But in the seventh, Strickland served up a pair of 97 mph fastballs that were turned into homers, one by Harper into the third deck, the other by Cabrera, making it 3-2.</p>
<p>Bochy knew his relievers were rested after Madison Bumgarner’s four-hit shutout in the wild-card victory at Pittsburgh on Wednesday — a day the Nationals played an intrasquad scrimmage to fight rust.</p>
<p>Jeremy Affeldt got the last out in the seventh. Sergio Romo struck out Desmond and got Harper on a grounder to end a threat in the eighth. And Santiago Casilla pitched a perfect ninth for the save.</p>
<p>“These guys, they have been through it. They have a calmness about them,” Bochy said about his bunch. “When you have your back as many times against the wall as you can in the postseason, that experience is invaluable.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>RHP Hudson is 18-5 with a 2.35 ERA in his career against Washington. Only RF Jayson Werth has a good track record: .386, four homers, 12 RBIs. Pence is 8 for 20 with two homers against Zimmermann.</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Put Jake Peavy on the San Francisco Giants, and he suddenly turns into quite a postseason performer.</p>
<p>Same for a couple of rookies, Hunter Strickland and Joe Panik.</p>
<p>Seems that October aura manager Bruce Bochy has cultivated with the Giants rubs off on anyone joining the club.</p>
<p>The intense Peavy took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, Strickland and the rest of San Francisco’s rested bullpen barely protected a lead, and the wild-card Giants won their league-record ninth consecutive postseason game by beating Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Friday in an NL Division Series opener.</p>
<p>“Nobody is scared of the moment,” said Peavy, who won the 2007 NL Cy Young Award with San Diego and last year’s World Series with Boston, but was 0-3 with a 9.27 ERA in five previous starts beyond the regular season. “We understand that we might not be, man for man, the favorites.”</p>
<p>Perhaps they should be.</p>
<p>Peavy, the 33-year-old right-hander with the tattoo sleeve on his left arm, finally earned his first postseason win, allowing only two hits in 5 2-3 scoreless innings, and getting plenty of help.</p>
<p>Strickland spent much of the season at High-A and Double-A in the minors, and has all of seven major league innings on his resume, but struck out Ian Desmond swinging at a 100 mph fastball with the bases loaded in the sixth after Peavy left, cussing up a storm.</p>
<p>Panik provided a nice defensive play at second base to end the seventh and contributed one of San Francisco’s three RBI singles.</p>
<p>No swinging from the heels for this bunch. No costly misplays in the field, either, such as the passed ball by Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos that led to an unearned run. That was one of a couple examples of jumpy play by a Washington team that won its division and led the NL with 96 wins but has never won a postseason series.</p>
<p>Under Bochy, the Giants won the World Series in 2010 and 2012. They have not lost a postseason game since trailing 3-1 against St. Louis in the NLCS two years ago.</p>
<p>When the lights are brightest, the stage biggest, the stakes highest, San Francisco comes through.</p>
<p>“We’ve done it so many times now, it seems to be part of our DNA,” said Hunter Pence, who stole a base in the fourth and came home on Brandon Belt’s hit off Strasburg. “But I think the thing that we know is: What’s in the past is in the past, and we’ve got to move forward and we’ve got to be ready for the game tomorrow. Because if not, they’ll jump all over us.”</p>
<p>Game 2 is Saturday, with Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann — who threw a no-hitter in the regular-season finale — facing Tim Hudson.</p>
<p>Strasburg took the loss in his playoff debut; he was shut down in 2012 to protect his surgically repaired elbow. He showed up with his best material Friday, reaching 99 mph.</p>
<p>“He gave us a chance,” manager Matt Williams said. “Jake was a little bit better.”</p>
<p>The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2009 lasted five-plus innings, allowing eight hits — all singles, all to center or right field — and two runs, one earned. He tied for the NL lead this season with a career-high 242 strikeouts, but only managed two, in part because the Giants rarely missed.</p>
<p>“Wasn’t like they were hitting me all around the yard,” Strasburg said. “Hit it where we weren’t.”</p>
<p>Peavy didn’t top 92 mph, but that didn’t matter. He put pitches where he wanted, often barely over the black edge of the plate.</p>
<p>“He mixed really well. He’s a very smart pitcher,” said catcher Buster Posey, the 2012 NL MVP, who drove in a run. “He knows when not to give in.”</p>
<p>The first hit Peavy allowed was by Bryce Harper in the fifth, a bouncing single off the glove of diving first baseman Belt. As Harper ran through the bag, he yelled, “Let’s go!” But any notion of a rally was quickly silenced when Peavy got Ramos to ground into a first-pitch, 4-6-3 double play, followed by Asdrubal Cabrera’s inning-ending foul pop.</p>
<p>Peavy was lifted with two runners aboard in the sixth, and Javier Lopez loaded the bases with a walk. Bochy turned to Strickland, who, calm as a 10-year veteran, took care of Desmond — 8 for 12 with a grand slam and 17 RBIs with the bases full this season — on four fastballs, the slowest at 98 mph.</p>
<p>“He just stepped into as big a fire as you can step into,” Pence said about Strickland, “and he came up huge.”</p>
<p>But in the seventh, Strickland served up a pair of 97 mph fastballs that were turned into homers, one by Harper into the third deck, the other by Cabrera, making it 3-2.</p>
<p>Bochy knew his relievers were rested after Madison Bumgarner’s four-hit shutout in the wild-card victory at Pittsburgh on Wednesday — a day the Nationals played an intrasquad scrimmage to fight rust.</p>
<p>Jeremy Affeldt got the last out in the seventh. Sergio Romo struck out Desmond and got Harper on a grounder to end a threat in the eighth. And Santiago Casilla pitched a perfect ninth for the save.</p>
<p>“These guys, they have been through it. They have a calmness about them,” Bochy said about his bunch. “When you have your back as many times against the wall as you can in the postseason, that experience is invaluable.”</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>RHP Hudson is 18-5 with a 2.35 ERA in his career against Washington. Only RF Jayson Werth has a good track record: .386, four homers, 12 RBIs. Pence is 8 for 20 with two homers against Zimmermann.</p> | Peavy, Giants edge Strasburg, Nats in NLDS opener | false | https://apnews.com/81cd0a5e908c4930ba5cf7095339a42d | 2014-10-04 | 2 |
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/01/20/baby-contracts-rare-case-of-scurvy-after-drinking-only-almond-milk/?tid=sm_tw" type="external">Spanish doctors have diagnosed an&#160;11 month baby old with scurvy</a>, citing the child’s almond-milk-only diet as the cause of the condition.</p>
<p>There are a lot of questions here, like, “Wow, scurvy is not just a disease that pirates get?” and “Why was this baby eating like a insane yogi on a fad diet?”</p>
<p>By way of answers, we have <a href="http://www.jpeds.com/" type="external">a report in the journal of Pediatrics</a>&#160;from the doctors who treated the infant.&#160;“ <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/01/15/peds.2015-2781" type="external">This case presents scurvy as a new and severe complication</a> of improper use of almond beverage in the first year of life,” they write.</p>
<p>The authors also go on to note that almond milk is not the problem, so much as&#160;literally only almond milk, noting that when it is the “exclusive diet… it can result in severe nutritional problems.”</p>
<p>In general, they further caution readers that “plant-based beverages are not a complete food,” which, I guess, is advice we could all use from time to time.</p> | Don’t Feed Your Infant Only Almond Milk Unless You Want A Scurvy Baby | true | http://thefrisky.com/2016-01-20/dont-feed-your-infant-only-almond-milk-unless-you-want-a-scurvy-baby/?utm_source%3Dsc-fb%26utm_medium%3Dref%26utm_campaign | 2018-10-06 | 4 |
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<p>DETROIT — A former Michigan State Police trooper was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder in the death of a Detroit teenager who crashed an all-terrain vehicle after being shot with a stun gun.</p>
<p>Mark Bessner had no “legal justification” to fire his Taser from a moving patrol car while trying to stop Damon Grimes from driving an ATV on a city street, said Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy.</p>
<p>“He created a very high risk of death,” Worthy said, explaining the second-degree murder charge. “He may not have meant to kill him.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Damon, 15, was driving an ATV at 35 to 40 mph when he crashed on Aug. 26. An autopsy revealed remnants of a stun gun were in the boy’s hair. He died from multiples injuries.</p>
<p>Bessner, 43, will appear in court Thursday. His lawyer, Richard Convertino, didn’t return a message seeking comment, although he said in August that the officer was forced to make a “split-second decision” to use a Taser when Damon refused to stop. Bessner resigned from the state police.</p>
<p>Besides murder, he also is charged with involuntary manslaughter. Since the teen’s death, state police no longer conduct high-speed chases in Detroit unless they’re investigating a major crime.</p>
<p>State police spokesman Lt. Mike Shaw said: “We fully support” the charges.</p>
<p>“I want to apologize on behalf of my department, the Michigan State Police, to the Grimes family,” Shaw said. “We don’t teach this type of thing in our department. Bessner acted totally on his own.”</p>
<p>Damon’s mother, Monique Grimes, said Bessner’s partner that day also should be charged.</p>
<p>“They both stand for the state police. One could have prevented the other. … I just want justice for Damon,” Grimes said.</p>
<p>Detroit Police Chief James Craig said a Taser typically would not be fired from a moving car and would be used only when an officer believes a suspect is resisting. He acknowledged that he’s had to ease concerns in the community after Damon’s death, although the case involved the state police.</p>
<p>“These things cause a lot of public angst. … I am the face of policing in the city of Detroit,” Craig told reporters.</p>
<p>The teen’s family has filed a $50 million lawsuit.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Ed White at <a href="http://twitter.com/edwhiteap" type="external">http://twitter.com/edwhiteap</a></p> | Ex-Michigan trooper charged with murder in boy’s death | false | https://abqjournal.com/1109019/ex-michigan-trooper-charged-with-murder-in-boys-death.html | 2017-12-20 | 2 |
<p>The Hill newspaper <a href="http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/healthcare-taxes-could-shift-to-deficit-reduction-2009-07-16.html" type="external">reported today</a> that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is already spending "leftover" money from a proposed new tax surcharge:</p>
<p>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats could use a proposed new tax on the wealthy to pay down the deficit, if there’s money left over after funding healthcare reform.</p>
<p>Pelosi (D-Calif.) said if more savings are found than the initial amount estimated to help offset the $1 trillion-plus healthcare plan, the tax revenues carved out to offset the bill’s cost could be funneled toward deficit reduction.</p>
<p>That "if" is so big that it renders the whole statement nonsensical. Far from having extra money, proponents of the health care bill have not yet shown that they can fully pay for the changes they propose. Democrats are counting on financing much of their expansion of health coverage with "savings" in existing programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Pelosi is even more optimistic. She told reporters July 16: ""I believe all the costs of the health care reform bill can come out of squeezing costs out of the health care system." If all the cost could somehow come from "savings" then no tax increase would be required at all.</p>
<p>But on the same day, Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Elmendorf <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124775966602252285.html" type="external">said in a hearing</a> with the Senate Budget Committee that, so far, ""We do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount." In other words, no "significant" savings at all.</p>
<p>The Congressional Budget Office <a href="http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/104xx/doc10430/House_Tri-Committee-Rangel.pdf" type="external">calculates</a> that, without new taxes or savings, the preliminary proposals it evaluated would add more than $1 trillion to the federal deficit over 10 years, and that’s <a href="" type="internal">at the low end</a> of the cost estimates. That net cost takes into account revenues from penalties and fees that House Democrats propose as part of their program, but not from their proposed <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/14/AR2009071403709.html?hpid=topnews" type="external">new surtax</a>, which would fall on family incomes over $350,000 and individual incomes over $280,000.&#160; The New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/17/us/politics/17cbo.html?pagewanted=2&amp;_r=2&amp;ref=health" type="external">reports</a> that the surtax would bring in about $550 billion, barely more than half of what the CBO estimates the total cost to be. That leaves at least $450 billion to be made up, even assuming that such savings materialize. Congress members are still working on plans to further contain costs, and CBO is still working on more refined estimates based on the changing legislative language of the House proposal as it works its way through committees. But at this point, planning to spend the "excess" from the surtax amounts to selling drumsticks from your chickens before they hatch.</p> | Pelosi: Dubious “Leftovers” | false | https://factcheck.org/2009/07/3215/ | 2009-07-17 | 2 |
<p>GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (RNS) — The 2008 murder of 35-year-old Mashonda Griffin in her home was a blow to her fellow church members — especially when they learned one of the people charged in her death was a former parishioner whom Griffin had helped in the past.</p>
<p>Griffin’s death — an apparent botched robbery that landed the two suspects in prison with life terms — filled her pastor with anguish.</p>
<p>“It pretty much was the biggest thing I faced as a pastor,” James Stokes said of the woman, who had been a member of Stokes’ congregation 16 years.</p>
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<p>Stokes said he would have wallowed in grief longer had it not been for an e-mail he received two days before Griffin’s funeral from John Smith, national and regional director of PastorCare, a national clergy support network, who asked to meet with Stokes.</p>
<p>Smith fast-tracked his level of credibility with Stokes because of a similar tragedy the PastorCare leader faced when, as pastor of a church in Long Island, N.Y., a member of his congregation committed a brutal murder.</p>
<p>Smith infused Stokes with some much-needed solace.</p>
<p>“I was able to talk and release a lot of emotions, release a lot of things I was going through as a result of the murder,” Stokes said. “John was there for me in every sense of the word.”</p>
<p>Helping ministers get through their rough patches has been PastorCare’s mission since Filbert Moore founded the nondenominational ministry in 1995 on the campus of Peace College in Raleigh, N.C. Smith now runs the ministry from his Grand Rapids office.</p>
<p>From the start, the intent has been to provide confidential, Christ-centered ministry nationwide for pastors and their spouses, with the primary plan of helping them stay in ministry.</p>
<p>It’s a mission that regularly requires Smith to make the initial contact with ministers who sometimes are reluctant to reach out because of a compelling desire to keep their problems private, or because they are unsure who they can trust.</p>
<p>“What I’ve learned is many times, pastors are not good at seeking help themselves,” Smith said. “There’s a fear of how this will be used against them. We always give them a choice of where we will meet.”</p>
<p>The ministry uses the term “coaching” instead of counseling, since its staff members are not licensed therapists. One-on-one sessions and small-group seminars are available.</p>
<p>The bulk of pastors’ problems are related to burnout — packing too many hours in a workweek that cuts into personal time with their spouses and family, Smith said.</p>
<p>Others have experienced some sort of moral failing, while still others wrestle with marital problems.</p>
<p>Perhaps the thorniest heartache ministers face is when they’re ousted from their pastorates, Smith said.</p>
<p>It’s often a double whammy for ministers who not only find themselves without a job, but also cut off from church friends and spiritual confidants.</p>
<p>That’s the quandary David Korsen and his wife, Joanie, found themselves immersed in when they relocated from Bellingham, Wash., in 2004 to serve a Reformed congregation.</p>
<p>On the surface, several visits to the church before accepting the call indicated a good fit, Korsen said.</p>
<p>Initially it was, Korsen said. His first year as pastor saw his new church add 60 people to its roster and another 40 the following year.</p>
<p>But those early victories hit a snag when a group of people Korsen calls “the gang of six” didn’t care for new outreach programs, or his stance that women are equally qualified to be ordained ministers and lay leaders.</p>
<p>“I didn’t quite grasp the church had a history with a certain group of people of power who weren’t real thrilled with some of the new innovations,” Korsen said.</p>
<p>By 2008, for the first time in his life, Korsen found himself unemployed following an evening phone call that ordered him not to set foot on church premises, despite John Smith’s attempts to represent Korsen as his advocate.</p>
<p>“John was at the door the next day at 9 a.m.,” Korsen said. “One of John’s great abilities is to listen and provide a safe place when there’s no safe place for pastors to process.”</p>
<p>Since then, Korsen said he and his wife are on the mend. He works part-time as PastorCare’s national communications director and has rolled up his sleeves to launch a new Reformed congregation in the Kalamazoo area.</p>
<p>“If people would understand the power and value of encouragement, a lot of pastors’ problems would be different,” Smith said.</p>
<p>“Too often they only say something when they have a complaint. They’re too self-focused and too self-absorbed.” Helping ministers get through their rough patches is also a concern for Ministering to Ministers, another national organization that helps wounded pastors and their spouses.</p>
<p>MTM executive director Charles Chandler founded the Richmond-based ministry in 1994. It specializes in providing support for ministers involuntarily dismissed from their pastoral or staff positions.</p>
<p>Chandler and MTM provide Healthy Transitions Wellness Retreats to help ministers and spouses who have experienced or are in danger of experiencing forced termination. Last month, MTM held its 92nd wellness retreat at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn.</p>
<p>The Baptist General Association of Virginia provides scholarship funds for ministers whose churches are part of the BGAV.</p> | Ministry helps wounded pastors stay in the pulpit | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/ministryhelpswoundedpastorsstayinthepulpit/ | 3 |
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<p>The US commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, is reported to have asked for up to forty-thousand more soldiers to head to the region. And he's hoping many of those troops will come from outside the US. The World's Laura Lynch reports that other coalition countries are concerned about the future of the military operations there.</p> | US allies await decision on Afghanistan | false | https://pri.org/stories/2009-10-07/us-allies-await-decision-afghanistan | 2009-10-07 | 3 |
<p>FOR THE LAST several issues, the thrust of Dissent has been increasingly hard to take. It reminds me of the early years of the Vietnam War era, when some Dissent editors apparently thought the New Left was a greater menace than the Johnson administration's war policy. Surely we don't need instructions from Michael Kazin, Mitchell Cohen, and Michael Walzer on how to be a "decent left." Major bookstores are flooded with patriotic Americanism from Daniel J. Flynn's Why the Left Hates America, Sean Hannity's Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty over Liberalism, Chris Matthews's America Beyond Our Grandest Dreams to Stephen Ambrose'sTo America: Personal Reflections of an Historian. David Corn, the Washington editor of the Nation, attacks the organizers of the October 26, 2002, march on Washington as kooky sectarians and seems unimpressed that they managed to mobilize more than a hundred thousand antiwar protesters across the spectrum. With all of this going on, Dissent informs us that we should speak "patriotically to our fellow citizens."</p>
<p /> | Confessions of an 'Anti-American' | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/confessions-of-an-anti-american | 2018-10-06 | 4 |
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<p><a href="" type="internal">a katz</a>&#160;|&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Shutterstock.com</a></p>
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<p>What&#160;is happening in America? The city of Milwaukee in the State of Wisconsin was convulsed in violence after the fatal shooting of a black man by police officers on August 13. The riot went on for two days.</p>
<p>Milwaukee is a powder keg. Long histories of racism combined with recent incidents of police shooting held the city on edge. “It’s a series of things that have happened over a period of time,” said Sharlen Moore, who runs Urban Underground, a non-profit group committed to ending violence in communities of colour. “And right now,” says Sharlen Moore, “you shake a soda bottle and you open the top and it explodes. This is what it is.”</p>
<p>Sharlen Moore’s statement from 2016 echoes that of writer James Baldwin’s declaration from 1960. In the heart of urban poverty in America, wrote Baldwin, rage festers. Tension increases and the police appear more and more like an occupying army. “One day, to everyone’s astonishment,” wrote Baldwin, “someone drops a match in the powder keg and everything blows up.” It is the “astonishment” that rankled Baldwin. How can one be innocent of the social crisis in urban America? A riot ensues. “Before the dust has settled or the blood congealed,” Baldwin noted, “editorials, speeches and civil-rights commissions are loud in the land, demanding to know what happened. What happened is that Negroes want to be treated like men.”</p>
<p>At 3.30 p.m., Milwaukee police stopped a car with two young black men, who, the officers later said, appeared to be suspicious. Twenty seconds into the traffic stop, one of the young men, Sylville Smith, was shot in the chest and arms. The police <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1784783161/counterpunchmaga" type="external" /> said that he ran, had a gun in his hand and pointed that gun at the policemen. He died immediately. The other man was arrested. Smith is one of the 600 Americans killed by the police so far this year. Last year, 990 people were shot dead by the police.</p>
<p>The names of police officers who have killed people, many of them disproportionately black men, are worn like a talisman by protesters: Darren Wilson, Timothy Loehmann and Jason van Dyke. “The police have long accepted that they are above the law,” says Bakari Kitwana, an activist and journalist who directs Rap Sessions. Rap Sessions has collaborated with Milwaukee’s Urban Underground to hold conversations about race, police violence and poverty. “The recent high-profile videotaped police killings where officers get away with murder have emboldened police officers across the country in their belief that their job description includes serving as judge, jury and executioner no matter how slight, real or imagined the infraction,” Kitwana told me.</p>
<p>Smith was not unknown to the law. In 2014, he was arrested for carrying a concealed weapon. It should be noted that he was never arrested on a felony charge —namely a crime that involved violence. His crimes were mostly for poor driving (carrying a gun is not a violent crime in the United States). Smith was a suspect in a shooting in 2015, but the judge in the case dismissed the charges against him. Smith’s sister, Sherelle, said that the officer who shot her brother knew him from when they were young. “He didn’t like my brother,” she said. “The officer had a career, but my brother was more popular. He used to harass Sylville.”</p>
<p>The officer who shot Smith is also black. Goddess Mathews, a community activist, said “a black man did the shooting, but he was wearing a blue uniform with a badge. He represented the mentality that people around here are less than human. We’re enemies of the state.”</p>
<p>Goddess Mathews’ views are widely shared in Sherman Park, the neighbourhood of Milwaukee that is at the epicentre of this incident. Unemployment rates are hard to calculate here. Schools are in great distress. Violence is under the surface. “A public policy agenda hell-bent on elite wealth accumulation at the expense of the majority poor has, ironically,” says Kitwana, “politicised a defiant generation whose brand of resistance insists that the criminal justice system will no longer have the last say.”</p>
<p>With the collapse of the economy came a transformation of the state. The main institution that interacts with the community is the police. Milwaukee police chief Edward Flynn says that his officers are not trained to deal with the kind of social crisis that pervades his city. What is implied by Flynn’s statement is that his officers are not social workers. They do not know how to help people solve their everyday problems. The police seem, therefore, as an occupying army. That is why Goddess Mathews uses such strong words—“We’re enemies of the state.” American elites, says Kitwana, “still imagine that they can escape an economic plan to ease the suffering of the majority poor and working class. I expect more Milwaukees,” he tells me sadly.</p>
<p>The riots over Smith’s death follow major protests that took place after the shooting by the police of Dontre Hamilton in 2014. Hamilton, who suffered from mental illness, was shot 14 times by a police officer. He was not charged with murder. He was merely dismissed from his job. It was a police officer with a gun rather than a social worker that came to tend to Hamilton. After Hamilton’s death, the Black Lives Matter protests took hold of the city. These demonstrations included families frustrated over the everyday disrespect they faced from the police and the close to 2,000 high school students who walked out of school onto the streets out of solidarity with Hamilton. “It is grassroots activists in Milwaukee,” says Kitwana, “who stepped up to help youth process pain and channel rage that comes with the realisation that their citizenship is tentative and America has failed them.”</p>
<p>“We are summoned here,” Reverend Darius Butler of the Tabernacle Baptist Community Church said at a protest in Milwaukee, “because of America’s unfinished business with respect to its citizens of African descent.” This was an echo of Baldwin again—we are here, he seemed to say, to demand that we be treated as humans.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, as if to add insult to injury, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump came to a mostly white community—West Bend, Wisconsin—to berate the black community for its support of the Democrats. “Those peddling the narrative of cops as a racist force in our society, a narrative supported with a nod by my opponent [Hillary Clinton],” Trump said, “share directly in the responsibility for the unrest in Milwaukee and many other places within our country.” Trump said he wanted African Americans to vote for him, but from the location where he spoke; he seemed to want to use the unrest to underline his position on “law and order”. It is toughness that is his policy—more police and more jails. Trump poked directly at the raw nerves in Milwaukee.</p>
<p>During the 1964 elections, Governor George Wallace of Alabama ran for president on a racist ticket. He went on a tour of the northern States, including Wisconsin, where he was warmly received in sections of the State. Debates in Milwaukee at that time over civil rights brought this confirmed racist to campaign against “racial integration”. On April 1, Wallace went to the south side of Milwaukee and spoke on behalf of segregation. Two African Americans were in the hall. When the national anthem played, they did not get up, and one of the other speakers pointed to them. “Send them back to Africa,” someone shouted. One of Wallace’s supporters had the microphone. He said of African Americans: “They beat up old ladies, they rape our women folk. How long can we tolerate this?” It was incendiary rhetoric. It replicates in its particulars the events of Trump rallies. Little seems to have changed. But demography is against both the racists and Trump. They simply do not have the numbers behind them.</p>
<p>Resources of Hope</p>
<p>President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice has done important studies of the police departments of Ferguson, Cleveland and Baltimore—all three epicentres of police violence and civic unrest. Each report showed that reform of the police seems very difficult. “Change has been too slow,” Obama said in July, “and we have to have a greater sense of urgency about this.” But Obama also admitted that police reform was a long-term project. He had no means to hasten the pace. The White House Task Force on 21st Century Policing signalled the need for “culture change”—a way to talk about the need to end racism.</p>
<p>Trump’s opponent, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, straddles the Black Lives Matter sentiment and her support for “law and order”. This is an impossible position to take, but it is familiar to the Clintons. When Bill Clinton was the President, he pushed a draconian Crime Bill in 1992 alongside an end to welfare. There was harshness here. But Bill Clinton never paid for it. He was still able to draw on consistent support from the black community. Hillary Clinton is heir to that support base, and yet she is eager for the moderate Republicans for whom the taste of “law and order” is mother’s milk. Standing before a largely white crowd in Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton said, “Look at what’s happening in Milwaukee right now. We’ve got urgent work to do to rebuild trust between police and communities and get back to the fundamental principle: Everyone should have respect for the law and be respected by the law.” These are words vague enough to mean anything.</p>
<p>The emergence of the Movement for Black Lives and other such platforms has sent another, clearer, message to the country. They demand change now. These groups have developed economic platforms, which include revitalisation of black communities, which will be funded by reparations for slavery. A new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1784783161/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Policing the Planet: Why the Policing Crisis Led to Black Lives Matter</a> edited by Jordan T. Camp and Christina Heatherton, makes the point that no solution can come from the policing crisis unless the inequality crisis is resolved. Massive investment in the police has come as jobs have vanished and social networks have been underfunded. Patrisse Cullors, one of the founders of Black Lives Matter, tells Heatherton in the book that the time has come to imagine the abolition of the police. “There’s an amazing campaign happening in New York that is calling on our movement to reclaim the idea of public safety as access to jobs, healthy food, and shelter—in other words, having a framework that is about the community’s response to social ills instead of a police response to social ills.”</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on <a href="http://www.frontline.in/" type="external">Frontline</a> (India).</p> | Powder Keg: the Rage in Urban America | true | https://counterpunch.org/2016/09/02/powder-keg-the-rage-in-urban-america/ | 2016-09-02 | 4 |
<p>Oil and energy exchange traded funds bounced higher Monday on speculation that major crude producers will work alongside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to curtail output and help support depressed prices.</p>
<p>On Monday, the United States Oil Fund (NYSEArca: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/etf-resume.php?quote=uso" type="external">USO Opens a New Window.</a>), which tracks West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures, gained 3.3% and the United States Brent Oil Fund (NYSEArca: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/etf-resume.php?quote=bno" type="external">BNO Opens a New Window.</a>), which tracks Brent crude oil futures, rose 2.9%. The oil-related ETFs have been on a streak after OPEC signaled it would diminish production, with USO up 7.7% and BNO 6.8% higher over the past week.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Meanwhile, WTI crude oil futures increased 3.1% to $51.4 per barrel and Brent crude advanced 2.5% to $53.2 per barrel on Monday.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/etf-resume.php?quote=xle" type="external">XLE Opens a New Window.</a>), the largest equity-based energy ETF, was up 1.5% and was the best performing S&amp;P 500 sector as of mid-Monday.</p>
<p>The energy market rallied after President Vladimir Putin said Russia, the world’s largest energy exporter, is ready to join OPEC in limiting oil production with either a freeze or a cut, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-10/putin-says-russia-ready-to-freeze-or-even-cut-output-with-opec" type="external">Bloomberg Opens a New Window.</a>reports.</p>
<p>“Russia is ready to join in joint measures to limit output and calls on other oil exporters to do the same,” Putin said at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul. “In the current situation, we think that a freeze or even a cut in oil production is probably the only proper decision to preserve stability in the global energy market.”</p>
<p>OPEC has already reversed its policy of pumping oil without constraints, which helped bolster crude oil prices. The cartel previously adhered to an oil production policy aimed at defending its market share by undercutting costlier crude producers, namely the upstart U.S. shale oil industry, contributing to the increased global supply glut that depressed prices to multi-year lows.</p>
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<p>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/2016/10/supply-still-a-problem-for-oil-etfs/" type="external">Supply Still a Problem for Oil ETFs Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Looking ahead, Putin hoped OPEC would agree in November to limit crude oil production and promised Russia was ready to back such a decision.</p>
<p>“We support OPEC’s recent initiative to cap output and think that at the OPEC meeting in November this idea will materialize in a specific agreement, giving a positive signal to the markets and investors,” Putin added.</p>
<p>Energy stocks also rallied on expectations of higher oil prices in light of potential production cuts.</p>
<p>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/2016/09/energy-etfs-may-be-seeing-clearer-skies-ahead/" type="external">Energy ETFs May Be Seeing Clearer Skies Ahead Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>“The gains today could be because Putin has said that he’s willing to reduce output and freeze production,” John Conlon, the chief equity strategist at People’s United Wealth Management, told Bloomberg.</p>
<p>For more information on the crude oil market, visit our <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/tag/oil/" type="external">oil category Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>United States Oil Fund</p>
<p><a href="http://www.etftrends.com/2016/10/energy-etfs-rally-as-russia-joins-opec-in-considering-supply-limits/" type="external">This article Opens a New Window.</a> was provided by our partners at ETFTrends.</p> | Energy ETFs Rally as Russia Joins OPEC in Considering Supply Limits | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/10/energy-etfs-rally-as-russia-joins-opec-in-considering-supply-limits.html | 2016-10-10 | 0 |
<p>By Nick Carey</p>
<p>(Reuters) – Avis Budget Group Inc said on Thursday it has launched in the Kansas City, Missouri, area its first fleet of cars that are fully connected to the internet, other vehicles, and to the car rental company via wireless technology as it seeks to enhance its fleet-management services.</p>
<p>The Parsippany, New Jersey-based company’s so-called Mobility Lab will connect all 5,000 cars in its Kansas City fleet and share live data with the city from those vehicles so it can sharpen computerized traffic flow models, and collaborate on ways to improve tourists’ experiences when they rent through Avis.</p>
<p>A “connected car” is linked wirelessly to the internet, other vehicles and, in Avis’ case, to a centralized network, which the company said will enable it to automate many processes that are currently performed manually.</p>
<p>Vehicle connectivity is a building block in the process of developing self-driving cars, which major automakers are rushing to bring to the market.</p>
<p>In June, Waymo, Alphabet (NASDAQ:) Inc’s self-driving car unit, signed a multi-year agreement for Avis to manage its growing autonomous vehicle fleet. [nL1N1JN1E4]</p>
<p>“As we think about how we’re managing our own fleet, we’re also looking to see how we can do this for others as well,” Avis Chief Executive Officer Larry De Shon told Reuters. “There’s a lot of learnings that will come out of this that will be beneficial as we look at fleet management as a service.”</p>
<p>Major automakers are racing to roll out alternatives to private car ownership including ride sharing amid the rise of Uber [UBER.UL] and Lyft Inc. The rush is based on the notion that instead of buying cars, future consumers – especially city dwellers – will generate revenue through vehicle usage.</p>
<p>A challenge for automakers is how to manage fleets of vehicles when their core traditional business is building cars.</p>
<p>Avis has said its global fleet will be fully connected by 2020. According to industry estimates, the company’s U.S. rental fleet numbered close to 400,000 vehicles in 2016.</p>
<p>Worries about overcapacity and industry pricing have weighed on shares of rental companies like Avis and rival Hertz Global Holdings inc, as have concerns that off-lease cars are flooding the used-car market. The rise of car- and ride-sharing companies also makes some investors wary.</p>
<p>De Shon said a fully connected fleet will help automate manual processes and manage the entire life cycle of its vehicles, allowing each car “to say ‘I’m on the lot, I’m cleaned and serviced, and I’m ready to be rented.'”</p>
<p>“You can’t really start changing your business processes and improve fleet management when some of the cars are connected and some are not, so we really needed a lab where we could get our hands dirty,” De Shon added.</p>
<p>Connected cars allow Avis customers to manage their entire rental through an app, including locking and unlocking car doors via smartphone or honking the vehicle’s horn when they cannot locate their car.</p>
<p>Bob Bennett, the chief innovation officer for Kansas City, Missouri, said Avis’ connected car fleet will augment the city’s wireless network covering 54 contiguous blocks, providing data to enhance its traffic flow models.</p>
<p>The city will hold talks with Avis in the coming months on how to use connected cars to improve Kansas City’s parking apps and tourist experience, Bennett said. For instance, if a consumer’s telephone shows they are interested in baseball or history, they may receive a “push notification” from their car recommending the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum or the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.</p>
<p>“This is fertile soil that has not yet been farmed,” Bennett said. “I think it’s going to be a bumper crop, I just don’t know what the hell it’s going to be yet.”</p> | Avis tests fully connected wireless car fleet in Kansas City | false | https://newsline.com/avis-tests-fully-connected-wireless-car-fleet-in-kansas-city/ | 2017-11-30 | 1 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Even before considering how the Dream Act in the Senate will play out this week, it seems to be making ripples with a prominent Republican leader who might be considering a 2012 run.&#160; Mother Jones <a href="http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/12/newt-gingrich-latinos-immigration" type="external">pointed out in a recent article</a>&#160;that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich seems to have taken a much more moderate approach on immigration reform than in the past.&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; “We are not going to deport 11 million people…There has to be some zone between deportation and amnesty…People who have been here obeying every law except immigration…you’re not going to send them home,” the magazine quoted him as saying at a recent conference discussing such reform.</p>
<p>The magazine went on to speculate on the notion that Gingrich would support some sort of reform if it came up for a vote.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/45873.html#ixzz174W7fTTo" type="external">&#160;Politico</a>, Gingrich even called the Dream Act useful.&#160; This recent stance adds to the notion that the former Speaker isn’t as hardline of a conservative as many think him to be. His moderate stance on immigration adds to his moderate resume of appearing in a climate change ad with current Speaker Nancy Pelosi.</p>
<p>On immigration, if there is anyone who might have some significant clout in chipping away at the Democratic base, it would likely be a moderate candidate like Gingrich. In addition to supporting immigration reform, Gingrich has fairly recently professed to be a Roman Catholic, which could be key to gaining some traction with Hispanics.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/election-catholic-hispanics-remain-strongly-democratic/2443/" type="external">Pew Hispanic Center</a>, 65 percent of Hispanic voters said that they would be supporting the Democratic candidate in the November 2010 midterms. Of the Hispanics polled ahead of that election, 64 percent were Roman Catholic. 22 percent of Hispanics identified themselves as Protestants, which would be more along the lines of what the current president claims to be.&#160; In political terms, this is the base with whom Gingrich could have some influence.</p>
<p>The former Speaker adds his voice to a small number of Republicans who have called for toning down the immigration rhetoric.</p>
<p>Last week, it was pointed out how former Florida Governor Jeb Bush is leading efforts with former Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman to reach out to the Hispanic community with a Republican message. While buzz has surrounded the possibility of the younger Bush throwing his hat into the ring for a run at the presidency, he has not explicitly indicated that he will pursue that goal. Yet, his voice can also still be influential in helping Republicans have a moment of redemption with Hispanics.&#160; With Bush’s <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16782092" type="external">recent comments</a>&#160;that cast a negative light upon the Arizona immigration law, the Republican’s voice, along with Gingrich’s, certainly adds some interesting dialogue to a party that has struggled to win over Hispanics devoted to a solidly Democratic base.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter, however, is that Hispanics are frustrated with both parties. Many have viewed Republican rhetoric overall as having been too harsh. Meanwhile, Hispanics have also been frustrated with Democrats, who they view as having been weak on the matter.</p>
<p>The frustration over immigration reform gridlock isn’t confined to a limited segment of the American people. Discontent with the current political system is a widespread matter. With immigration reform seemingly going nowhere, and with more losing faith in a government that is supposed to look out for the well-being of Americans, it will take a whole lot on the part of government officials to win back the faith of its disillusioned citizens. &#160;</p> | Newt Gingrich offers more moderate immigration stance | false | https://ivn.us/2010/12/07/newt-gingrich-offers-more-moderate-immigration-stance/ | 2010-12-07 | 2 |
<p>Out Apple CEO Tim Cook&#160;(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)</p>
<p>Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed he carefully strategized his public coming out for almost a year, and conferred with Anderson Cooper, in an interview with <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/on-leadership/wp/2016/08/15/why-tim-cook-talked-with-anderson-cooper-before-publicly-coming-out-as-gay/" type="external">The Washington Post.&#160;</a></p>
<p>“I wanted it to be in a business [publication]. That’s what I know, that’s who I am. There was a lot of work there. I visited people. I talked to Anderson Cooper at length — multiple times,” Cook, who came out in an essay published in&#160; <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-10-30/tim-cook-speaks-up" type="external">Bloomberg BusinessWeek</a>in 2014, told The Washington Post. “Because I thought that the way that he handled his announcement was really classy. I was getting advice from people who I thought were really great people who had really deeply thought about it.”</p>
<p>Cook also says a big reason he chose to come out was due to messages he received from LGBT children.</p>
<p>“I was thinking about kids. I was getting notes from kids who knew I was gay, or assumed I was, because of something they had read on the Web. And they were kids who were distraught. Some had been pushed out by their families,” Cook says. “They thought they couldn’t achieve anything. They couldn’t do anything. They were seeing the national discourse around it and feeling isolated and depressed. And I just thought — I’ve got to do something…I thought it would minimally say you can do pretty good in this world and be gay. That it’s not a limiter. It’s okay to be. That it’s okay to be honest about it. I figured if I could help one person, it would be worth it.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Anderson Cooper</a> <a href="" type="internal">Apple</a> <a href="" type="internal">The Washington Post</a> <a href="" type="internal">Tim Cook</a></p> | Tim Cook credits Anderson Cooper for helping him come out | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2016/08/16/tim-cook-credits-anderson-cooper-helping-come/ | 3 |
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<p>LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia's army has stepped in after some residents in the capital rioted over the removal of market vendors amid a deadly cholera outbreak.</p>
<p>Security forces have been clearing streets of the vendors as cholera cases in Lusaka have risen above 2,500 with at least 58 deaths.</p>
<p>Residents of the densely packed Kanyama slum rioted in protest on Friday, destroying property and looting nearby shops.</p>
<p>Army officers moved in after armed police officers struggled to contain the situation.</p>
<p>The cholera outbreak in the southern African nation has forced schools to close and public gatherings such as church meetings to be restricted.</p>
<p>LUSAKA, Zambia (AP) — Zambia's army has stepped in after some residents in the capital rioted over the removal of market vendors amid a deadly cholera outbreak.</p>
<p>Security forces have been clearing streets of the vendors as cholera cases in Lusaka have risen above 2,500 with at least 58 deaths.</p>
<p>Residents of the densely packed Kanyama slum rioted in protest on Friday, destroying property and looting nearby shops.</p>
<p>Army officers moved in after armed police officers struggled to contain the situation.</p>
<p>The cholera outbreak in the southern African nation has forced schools to close and public gatherings such as church meetings to be restricted.</p> | Zambia's army moves in as slum riots amid cholera outbreak | false | https://apnews.com/amp/55a462c6ba6d402ea78bdaf8b7f3ac7f | 2018-01-12 | 2 |
<p>From the Sac Bee:</p>
<p>If you are a Californian seeking frugal, honest government, we have this conundrum to pose to you:</p>
<p>Would you rather have your state lawmakers here in Sacramento, blowing budget deadlines and spending state funds – your&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/tax+money/" type="external">tax money</a>&#160;– on meals for themselves?</p>
<p>Or would you rather have them off in Maui, getting dined and wined (and mai tai’ed) by big business and labor interests?</p>
<p>We ask, because this convergence of alternatives presented itself Wednesday. Following a story in the&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/Los+Angeles+Times/" type="external">Los Angeles Times</a>&#160;on Sunday, state Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg announced he was ending the practice of using&#160; <a href="http://topics.sacbee.com/taxpayer+funds/" type="external">taxpayer funds</a>&#160;to feed senators when they are in session past normal dining hours. The Times had reported that the Senate had spent $111,316 on food for senators this year, including $23,000 worth of meals during the Legislature’s 115-day budget standoff.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2011/11/10/4043483/lawmakers-dont-need-a-luau-to.html#mi_rss=Editorials" type="external">(Read Full Article)</a></p> | Lawmakers don’t need a luau to do their jobs | false | http://capoliticalreview.com/trending/lawmakers-dont-need-a-luau-to-do-their-jobs/ | 2011-11-11 | 1 |
<p />
<p>It is about 4 p.m. on Monday, May 23. Updates have been trickling in all day after a tornado clawed through the south side of Joplin less than 24 hours earlier, leaving a death toll of at least 116 in its wake. In a town of 50,000, the most recent estimates suggest 2,000 homes and businesses were damaged, many reduced to rubble.</p>
<p>The morning-after photos show dazed residents walking through former neighborhoods and past former places of business, vehicles strewn like piles of toys around them. In some of those shots, the terrain has been skinned as far as the eye can see. Indeed, the tornado winds hugged the landscape for six miles.</p>
<p>By all appearances, Joplin is a war zone. The tornado slammed the multi-story St. John's Regional Medical Center and flattened the local high school. Fortunately, graduation ceremonies were held the day before the violent tornado attack. Churches related to various denominations were not spared either. Across the street from the high school, three people perished as Harmony Heights Baptist Church was destroyed. Another Baptist church, Empire, suffered severe damage as well.</p>
<p>Joplin sits along I-44 in the far southwest corner of Missouri, within 10 miles of the Oklahoma border and about 50 miles north of Arkansas. A section of the interstate was closed to traffic as scores of emergency vehicles screamed into the city and then sped away, carrying the injured to hospitals in Neosho, Lamar, Nevada, Carthage, Monett and Springfield, all in Missouri, as well as Tulsa and Miami, Okla., and Pittsburg, Kan.</p>
<p>Triage centers were set up around the city in places such as the campus of Missouri Southern State University, a downtown entertainment venue and stores like Home Depot. Victims were delivered to some of them in the back of pickup trucks manned by medical personnel. The American Medical Association issued a plea for medical personnel from other cities to sign up to help.</p>
<p>At least two fire stations were damaged by the tornado; basic services were halted; natural gas fires burned overnight; and search and rescue workers systemically worked their way across town.</p>
<p>First responders provided rescue services and emergency medical care even as disaster relief specialists representing Missouri Baptists and Southern Baptists began mobilizing and planning for services such as food preparation, child care, chainsaw work and counseling.</p>
<p>The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship also had a representative in Joplin anticipating how that organization will be able to augment the efforts of others.</p>
<p>Baptist disaster relief units in adjacent states are on standby, awaiting the call for mobilization — standard procedure for the "yellow jackets."</p>
<p>It is numbing to read updates on the Joplin situation and to glance through the accumulations of news photos. But those trained to respond to such massive disasters aren't sitting still.</p>
<p>Because the process of helping restore normalcy to the estimated quarter of the city directly affected by the tornado will require helping families one person at a time and restoring homes, schools, churches and businesses in the same fashion, efforts to help will require meticulous planning, strategic use of resources, long-term commitments and energetic execution.</p>
<p>To be sure, government will be called upon to render assistance in this situation, but as is always the case, volunteers will give selflessly to administer the human touch. Churches will respond, not only to other congregations whose facilities have been damaged but to the community at large. Members will do whatever is required to meet human needs and to provide moral and spiritual support.</p>
<p>Baptists from outside affected communities have become recognized experts in situations like these, in part because they are generous and well resourced and volunteers have discovered the significance of responding to human needs in situations like the tragedy in Joplin.</p>
<p>And it is not just Southern Baptist state units but regional associations; CBF Baptists and — in Missouri — Baptist-General-Convention-of-Missouri Baptists. Frankly, in disaster situations, there is a place for all of us. And there is always a need for all of us.</p>
<p>It seems to me that Baptists have an opportunity to do something we haven't always done, and that is to work in a complementary and cooperative way to minister in Joplin. Baptist differences do not amount to a hill of beans where people are grieving the loss of loved ones, loss of livelihood and loss of homes.</p>
<p>People in communities across our state have noticed that we do not always play well together. That is a reputation we improve only when we determine to put aside competitive and critical attitudes toward each other and demonstrate the unity we have in serving God and in serving other people.</p>
<p>Bill Webb is editor of Word&amp;Way.</p> | OPINION: An opportunity to work together | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/opinionanopportunitytoworktogether/ | 3 |
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<p>The stock market continued to ascend on Tuesday, sending the Dow and S&amp;P 500 up through new milestone levels. Stocks tend to perform fairly well near major U.S. holidays, and enthusiasm about the future prospects for the U.S. economy have outweighed any concerns about future uncertainty regarding the geopolitical and macroeconomic situation. Even with major market benchmarks gaining on the day, some stocks still fell, and Dycom Industries (NYSE: DY), CF Industries (NYSE: CF), and FireEye (NASDAQ: FEYE) were among the worst performers on the day. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so poorly.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Dycom Industries.</p>
<p>Dycom Industries plunged 20% after reporting its fiscal first-quarter financial results. The provider of specialty contracting services for corporate telecommunications and utility customers seemed to post fairly solid results, including a 21% rise in contract revenues and net income that climbed by two-thirds from year-ago levels. Yet investors reacted negatively to future-looking news, which included statements that one of its customers has "modified its plans" in such a way as to cut full-year revenue projections by $80 million and contract backlogs by more than $400 million. In addition, the company cut its outlook for one of its recently acquired units, leading to more than $200 million in backlog cuts. Those amounts add up to just over a tenth of the company's current backlog of just over $5.2 billion, but Dycom shareholders clearly worry that further deterioration could be lying in wait for the company in the near future.</p>
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<p>CF Industries dropped 5% in the wake of getting a downgrade from analysts at RBC Capital Markets. The analyst company moved CF from sector perform to underperform, arguing that recent increases in prices for nitrogen-based fertilizers aren't likely to continue at their current pace, pointing to further capacity coming online in response to strong gains. If the commodity fertilizer markets don't cooperate, then CF Industries could see a direct hit to its earnings, thwarting those who had hoped that the long drought in the fertilizer industry might be coming to an end. For now, investors in CF can expect substantial volatility as market participants try to parse out the likely course of fertilizer prices over the next year or so.</p>
<p>Finally, FireEye fell more than 5%. The cybersecurity specialist got a negative assessment from analysts at Goldman Sachs, with comments that point to greater difficulty in capturing the huge opportunity in the space than investors currently believe. Moreover, despite the likelihood of consolidation in the cybersecurity industry, Goldman's analyst team isn't quite as optimistic as some other investors about the prospects for FireEye becoming an acquisition target. In response, the analyst moved the rating on the stock from neutral to sell, but with the caveat that if cyber-related attacks start to ramp up again and become larger in scope, FireEye could easily take advantage of increased demand for its services and have more success in getting contracts to cover major clients in the government and private sectors.</p>
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<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGalagan/info.aspx" type="external">Dan Caplinger Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends FireEye. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Dycom Industries, CF Industries, and FireEye Slumped Today | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/22/why-dycom-industries-cf-industries-and-fireeye-slumped-today.html | 2016-11-22 | 0 |
<p>The news: In January, the U.S. Senate approved a measure that would expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to insure an additional 4.1 million children.</p>
<p>Behind the news: More than two years after its launch, Illinois’ All Kids health insurance program is covering about 1.4 million children, according to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. But census figures show an additional 210,000 children under 18 remained uninsured in 2007, the latest year for which the data are available.</p>
<p>The state program, which covers children under 19, costs about $2.4 billion per year, at an average of about $1,700 per child, according to Annie Thompson, spokesperson for the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. This means that, if the state were to extend the program to the 210,000 children, it would cost at least an additional $357 million per year.</p>
<p>Robyn Gabel, executive director for the Illinois Maternal and Child Health Coalition, said extending coverage to all children in Illinois is a financially attainable goal.</p>
<p>“Children are the healthiest population,” she said. “Most of their services are preventive. Covering all kids is a smart, fiscally responsible action.”</p>
<p>Thompson said her department plans to conduct a study to determine the number of uninsured children.</p>
<p>“Even one [un]insured child is too many, and the department will not rest until all parents in Illinois know how to register their children for affordable, quality healthcare,” Thompson said.</p> | Not all kids in ‘All Kids’ | false | http://chicagoreporter.com/not-all-kids-all-kids/ | 2009-03-01 | 3 |
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<p>The vote Thursday by EU lawmakers – calling to end the visa waiver for Americans – was seen as mostly an attention-grabbing stunt ahead of a June 15 meeting between European and American envoys.</p>
<p>But it also runs up against tighter border-control policies by the Trump administration and could leave Europe in a political bind if Washington refuses to bend.</p>
<p>Passport holders from all but five EU nations can travel to the United States without seeking an advance visa. The entire European Union gives the same welcome mat to Americans.</p>
<p>The European Parliament, however, insists that the United States should give the visa-free allowance to the five left out: Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus.</p>
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<p>The European Parliament does not have the authority to change visa policies on its own. Also, imposing visas for American travelers would likely touch off huge economic disruptions and could force a retaliatory move by the United States.</p>
<p>But the vote suggests growing frustration with Washington in a running spat that began in 2014.</p>
<p>What remains unclear is whether the Trump administration would be in the mood to open its European visa policies. Officials have already urged greater border checks and seek to reimpose a court-blocked travel ban that originally covered seven Muslim-majority nations.</p>
<p>One sticking point in the past has been U.S. concern about potentially lax passport-issuing rules in some of the five EU countries outside the visa-free list.</p> | European lawmakers threaten visa rules for Americans in spat over travel policies | false | https://abqjournal.com/961640/european-lawmakers-threaten-visa-rules-for-americans-in-spat-over-travel-policies.html | 2 |
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<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – Verizon Communications Inc (N:) and the National Football League have reached an agreement for a multi-year digital streaming deal, Verizon said on Monday.</p>
<p>Under the five-year deal, Verizon renews its agreement to stream NFL games on its mobile devices but loses its exclusive rights to the airings.</p>
<p>“Verizon’s portfolio of premium digital and mobile media properties, including Yahoo (NASDAQ:) Sports, will stream in-market and national games, including national pre-season, regular season, playoff games, and the Super Bowl nationwide to sports fans – regardless of mobile network,” Verizon, the no. 1 U.S. wireless carrier, said in a statement.</p>
<p>The partnership takes effect in January.</p>
<p>The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.</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> | Verizon and NFL reach digital streaming agreement | false | https://newsline.com/verizon-and-nfl-reach-digital-streaming-agreement/ | 2017-12-11 | 1 |
<p>(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un had insulted him by calling him “old” and said he would never call Kim “short and fat.”</p>
<p>Trump made the comment Sunday morning after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam.</p>
<p>In a series of tweets he also said Chinese President Xi Jinping was “upping sanctions” on North Korea in response to its nuclear and missile programs and that Xi wants Pyongyang to “denuclearize.”</p>
<p>Trump tweeted: “Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’ Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend – and maybe someday that will happen!”</p>
<p>Trump has traded insults and threats with Kim in the past amid escalating tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.</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> | Trump says North Korea's Kim insulted him by calling him 'old' | false | https://newsline.com/trump-says-north-korea039s-kim-insulted-him-by-calling-him-039old039/ | 2017-11-11 | 1 |
<p>Editor’s Note: This two-part series explores the situation of Syrian women refugees in Lebanon. Part I illuminates the political background that led to the refugee crisis and its particular consequences for women. Part II shows how refugees and the organizations that assist them are playing a leading role in combating all forms of violence against women and creating programs that will give them a future.</p>
<p>Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful. … Pity the nation whose statesman is like a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.</p>
<p>—Khalil Gibran</p>
<p>In 1923, Lebanese poet, philosopher and artist Khalil Gibran wrote “Pity the Nation,” a poem that is particularly meaningful during our current global crises of leaders, nations and nationalism. Renowned journalist Robert Fisk used Gibran’s title, “Pity the Nation,” for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pity-Nation-Abduction-Lebanon-Books/dp/1560254424" type="external">his trenchant history</a> of the Lebanese civil war from 1975 to 1990, a war in which Lebanon’s neighboring country of Syria played a leading role.</p>
<p />
<p>Lebanon is never far from Syria in history and politics. Today, as foxlike statesmen juggle Lebanon and Syria in their regional maneuvers, Gibran’s words are sobering. The unbreakable web trussing these two countries together, while Syria experiences the culmination of its own civil war, could be lamented as “Pity the Nations.”</p>
<p>In October, I was part of a nongovernmental organization visit to the Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon. We were a team of three from the international Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Italy’s Association IROKO and the American Traprock Center for Peace and Justice. Our goals were to document not only the situation of women in the camps but also to spotlight the significant role that women are playing as political actors, combating all forms of violence against women and creating programs that give them a future.</p>
<p>We traveled from Beirut to a town roughly three miles from the Syrian border in the Bekaa Valley. More than <a href="http://www.unocha.org/syrian-arab-republic/syria-crisis-regional-overview/lebanon-country-office/bekaa-and-baalbekhermel-g" type="external">365,000 of Syria’s registered refugees</a> live in this poorest region of Lebanon. We walked through labyrinthine lanes of makeshift shelters housing hundreds of refugees, euphemistically called a camp. In actuality, this “camp” was nothing more than a patchwork of improvised structures that looked like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that never quite fit together.</p>
<p>There are several portable toilets throughout the camp, but the refugees told us they don’t use them because they are filthy. Instead, they create pits outside their tents to dispose of human waste. Those in tents on the edge of the camp dump their waste into shallow gullies where children often play. Many refugees have lived this way since 2011.</p>
<p>Since the beginning of the civil war in Syria, <a href="http://curtisresearch.org/publications/invisible-lives-how-the-international-community-is-failing-syrian-women-refugees/" type="external">1.5 million refugees</a> have fled to Lebanon. Earlier, <a href="https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/lebanon" type="external">over 450,000</a> Palestinian refugees also had sought refuge in the country. In contrast to Syria, Lebanon is a small country, with a population of 6 million. This means that refugees make up one-third of the Lebanese population, the <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/lebanon-syrian-refugees/3625462.html" type="external">highest concentration of refugees</a> per capita of any country in the world.</p>
<p>It’s important to understand the rabbit hole into which Syrian refugees have fallen in Lebanon. Although the country has not closed its borders, it does not recognize the fleeing Syrians as refugees. There are no official refugee camps in Lebanon, so these people must <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/thousands-syrians-face-eviction-lebanon-camps-170415042553730.html" type="external">fend for themselves</a>. Refugees cannot obtain residency or work permits and are often forced to rent land from extortionate landlords. The government provides no tents, no food or water, and no sanitary facilities. Syrian children cannot be educated in Lebanese public schools.</p>
<p>Women and girls make up almost <a href="http://data.unhcr.org/syrianrefugees/country.php?id=122" type="external">53 percent</a> of the refugees. Before the civil war, Syria had one of the highest rates of educated women in the Middle East. <a href="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002335/233557E.pdf" type="external">UNESCO estimates</a> that since the war, Syrian girls are almost 2.5 times more likely than boys to be kept from attending school in conflict zones.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Since the beginning of the war in 2011, nearly <a href="http://sn4hr.org/wp-content/pdf/english/22823_Woman_killed_in_Syria_since_March_2011_en.pdf" type="external">14,000 women and girls</a> have been arbitrarily imprisoned in Syria, where many have been raped and tortured. A <a href="http://wilpf.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/WILPF_VAW_HC-2016_WEB-ONEPAGE.pdf" type="external">2016 nongovernmental organization report</a> found the Syrian government guilty of arresting women for purposes of trading them for weapons. Even Syrian rebel groups have captured women in an attempt to use them <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/rights-group-women-children-held-by-syrian-rebels/" type="external">as bargaining chips</a> for their fighters held as hostages.</p>
<p>In Lebanon, landlords have demanded a woman or girl from families that can’t pay the rent. Desperate families have traded women into marriage for various goods and services. Eman Obeid, a refugee now working for the Danish Refugee Council, said, “It’s like the price of a year rental is a young female.”</p>
<p>Syrian women crossing into Lebanon, especially single women, have reported violence and sexual assault at the border and after they enter Lebanon. Hada, one of the refugees we interviewed, shared her own brutal experience: Married in Syria at age 13, she left the country when a sniper injured her 5-year-old son in 2012. At the border crossing, one of the guards heard the boy say, “[Syrian President] Bashar [Assad] is a jackass.” They became violent with her and interrogated her for 12 hours.</p>
<p>When she arrived in Lebanon, she met a group of women who brought her to a large house with many other women. Hada noticed a steady stream of men entering and leaving at all hours, and when she asked the woman running the house what was going on, she said, “You give them favors, they give you favors.”</p>
<p>In the early hours of the morning, Hada fled the house with her son. After walking for many hours, she found a construction site shack where they stayed at night. During the day, she begged on the streets and in the back of restaurants for food. Not wanting to tell us what subsequently happened to her, she gave permission to her nongovernmental organization caseworker to divulge that she had been gang-raped. As author Janine di Giovanni <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=OEOAAwAAQBAJ&amp;lpg=PT60&amp;ots=5-RjsDqMcn&amp;dq=It%E2%80%99s%20so%20hard%20to%20remember%20what%20you%20wish%20you%20could%20forget%20janine%20di%20giovanni&amp;pg=PT60#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false" type="external">has written</a>, “It’s so hard to remember what you wish you could forget.”</p>
<p>Later, Hada met her second husband, whom she married “mostly for protection” but who battered her. The caseworker added that, in addition to the rape she experienced during her journey into Lebanon, Hada was abused by her father as a child and by her first husband in Syria. She now has serious health problems. “It’s amazing that she’s still alive,” the caseworker said. “She and her young son, who witnessed his mother’s gang-rape, are receiving assistance.”</p>
<p>In 2013, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) said that <a href="https://www.rescue.org/press-release/syria-displacement-crisis-worsens-protracted-humanitarian-emergency-looms" type="external">reports of mass rape</a> in Syria were “the primary reason … families fled the country.” In Syria, rape has become weaponized, with <a href="http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/wps/2017/02/01/you-want-freedom-this-is-your-freedom-rape-as-a-tactic-of-the-assad-regime-marie-forestier-32016/" type="external">most reported crimes</a> committed by pro-government forces during regime incursions into opposition areas, interrogations in prisons and at checkpoints.</p>
<p>Many women raped in detention were either political activists against the Assad regime, relatives of activists, residents of opposition strongholds or resistance fighters. In some detention centers, guards distributed contraceptive pills or abortifacients to women. The availability and distribution of these pills attest to planned medical intervention and the fact that widespread rapes were part of a strategic state policy of repression.</p>
<p>Rape is always a primary tactic in war. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wartime_sexual_violence#Gender" type="external">Some scholars note</a> that rape in war is more frequently perpetrated on women than on men. And the consequences of what men and women suffer in detention are different. Male detainees are often hailed as heroes for what they have endured in combat and prison. But women detainees are not honored for being raped and often will conceal what has happened to them. They are dishonored if they speak about it and are stigmatized as damaged goods.</p>
<p>Nearly every refugee and organization official we spoke with mentioned the <a href="http://www.un.org/youthenvoy/2017/02/new-study-finds-child-marriage-rising-among-vulnerable-syrian-refugees/" type="external">growing incidence</a> of early marriage among Syrian refugee girls. The IRC staff member we interviewed said that since the Syrian conflict, there has been a 23 percent increase in early marriages of girls, especially in the Bekaa Valley. She also noted the “huge gap” in marital ages between the young girls and older men.</p>
<p>Early marriage was a traditional practice in rural Syria even before the war. Many of the refugee women we interviewed had been married in adolescence, some as young as 13. In the camps, where there is little security for those living in tented areas or abandoned houses, many fathers consider early marriage a safeguard for a girl, as well as income for the family.</p>
<p>Child marriage can easily obscure what effectively amounts to coercion, because girls cannot give informed consent to a relationship that is essentially controlled by her father or other relatives, and later by a husband. The girl cannot leave or end the marriage, potentially leading to a lifetime of legal sexual exploitation and/or domestic servitude.</p>
<p>She will have little control over her reproductive life and health, especially if she has children at an early age.</p>
<p>Early marriage increases the confinement of girls in the home, particularly where the cultural expectation is that boys venture out and can take care of themselves, but girls need to be protected. As a result, girls are more likely to be kept inside and become adults who seldom leave their dwellings, and then only with a male family member. The IRC staff member remarked that she has seen entire villages of homes with carpeted windows through which no daylight shines, allegedly so no potential predator will see the women and girls and kidnap them.</p>
<p>Sex traffickers are exploiting women refugees for prostitution. In 2016, Lebanese authorities broke up <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/04/13/lebanon-shocked-over-sex-trafficking-young-syrian-women.html" type="external">a sex trafficking ring</a> of 75 women north of Beirut. Desperate to leave Syria, the women involved had been promised jobs in Lebanese restaurants and hotels. As soon as they crossed the border, all their possessions were taken, and they were locked up in two hotels and held prisoner.</p>
<p>Workers from KAFA (meaning “Enough”), one of the <a href="http://www.kafa.org.lb/" type="external">leading nongovernmental organizations</a> in Lebanon providing services to victims of violence against women, told us that the traffickers tortured, raped and forced the women to have sex with 10 to 20 men per day. Lebanese officials reported that the traffickers garnered $1 million per month. Four women were able to escape and notify Lebanese authorities, who then arrested eight of the guards. After the arrests, the Lebanese Health Ministry <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/30/syrians-forced-sexual-slavery-lebanon" type="external">charged a doctor</a> who had allegedly performed 200 abortions on women in the trafficking ring.</p>
<p>In the Bekaa Valley, we interviewed a Syrian woman I’ll call Rima. Rima had been trafficked into a forced marriage by a man who had offered to help carry her handicapped sister to Lebanon. She discovered he was a pimp when he compelled her to have sex with men he brought to their quarters. Later, she found out he had pimped other women. When we asked if there were women in the camps whose husbands were selling wives or daughters for sexual exploitation, she told us there was “much talk about women who were trying to obtain divorces because husbands had sold them or threatened to sell them.”</p>
<p>Yet media and international organizations continue to describe accounts of trafficking and prostitution as “sex work.” The term is increasingly being <a href="https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/8x5ppg/syrian-refugee-lebanon-sex-work-trafficking" type="external">slipped into reports</a> that quite clearly document the most horrific aspects of women’s sexual exploitation. There is a disconnect between the reality and the language used to describe sex trafficking and prostitution.</p>
<p>In a report funded by the Freedom Foundation titled “ <a href="http://freedomfund.org/wp-content/uploads/Lebanon-Report-FINAL-8April16.pdf" type="external">Struggling to Survive: Slavery and Exploitation of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon</a>,” the author recommends improving anti-trafficking legislation by amending the penal code so that victims of sex trafficking cannot be prosecuted for engaging in “sex work.” Of course, no victim should be prosecuted for her exploitation. However, what we increasingly see in many nongovernmental and U.N. reports on sex trafficking is the term “sex work” applied to prostitution, and the disturbing trend to separate sex trafficking and prostitution in order to institutionalize the distinction that trafficking is forced and prostitution is voluntary.</p>
<p>The continued normalization of prostitution has been stamped with the U.N. imprimatur in the “ <a href="http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/2015_terminology_guidelines_en.pdf" type="external">UNAIDS Terminology Guidelines</a>,” which advises authors to use “sex work” and “sex worker” instead of “prostitution” and “prostituted woman,” allegedly because they are nonjudgmental terms. But “sex work” is filled with judgments about how prostitution should be viewed and legislated as a “sexual service.” Surely the term “sex worker” doesn’t dignify Syrian women refugees, or any woman who has been prostituted. It mainly dignifies the pimps and buyers and renders the harm to prostituted women invisible.</p> | Pity the Nations: Women Refugees in Lebanon | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/pity-nations-female-refugees-lebanon/ | 2017-12-06 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Millions of Medicare Advantage customers are fast approaching a deadline for a task they'd rather avoid: Researching and then settling on coverage plans for 2015.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The annual enrollment window for the privately run versions of the government's Medicare program for the elderly and disabled people closes on Sunday. This is the main opportunity most customers have each year to adjust their health coverage, and it may be worth paying extra attention to the details.</p>
<p>Insurers frequently tweak their coverage plans from year to year, but brokers and other industry insiders say they're seeing more changes over the past few years.</p>
<p>About 4 percent of Medicare Advantage enrollees, roughly 480,000 people, will have to find new coverage for 2015 because their current plan won't exist, according the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation.</p> | Medicare Advantage Enrollment Deadline Looms | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/12/03/coverage-changes-greet-medicare-advantage-customers-as-annual-enrollment.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
<p>Twelve people have died after a chartered passenger jet crashed in <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-14605410" type="external">Canada's Arctic</a> region.</p>
<p>Three people survived Saturday's downing of the First Air flight, which was traveling from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay, when it came down not far from its destination.</p>
<p>Fifteen people were aboard the flight, including four crew members, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.</p>
<p>The flight's passenger list has not been released, but police said the survivors were two adults and a child.</p>
<p>They were taken to the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, with one of the adults reported to be in critical condition.</p>
<p>The plane crashed shortly before 1pm local time, with witnesses telling the Associated Press news agency that it had slammed into a small hill near Resolute Bay's airport.</p>
<p>In a statement, <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/08/20/north-air-crash.html" type="external">First Air</a> said the plane's last reported communication came 10 minutes before the crash.</p>
<p>CBC News reported that helicopters and medical personnel from the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre at CFB Trenton were at the site.</p>
<p>The cause of the crash is being investigated. &#160;</p> | Plane crash in Canadian Arctic kills 12 | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-08-21/plane-crash-canadian-arctic-kills-12 | 2011-08-21 | 3 |
<p>For Wednesday's third and final presidential debate in Las Vegas, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have both invited guests intended to get under the others' skin.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/18/politics/hillary-clinton-debate-guests-mark-cuban-meg-whitman/" type="external">CNN reported</a> Tuesday that Trump invited President Barack Obama's Kenyan-born half-brother, Malik, and the mother of Benghazi victim Sean Smith, while Clinton will bring Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman and billionaire investor Mark Cuban.</p>
<p>News of Trump's surprise guest came hours after Obama publicly <a href="" type="internal">chastised</a> the Republican nominee for his "irresponsible" efforts to "discredit" the U.S. elections process, suggesting the invitation to his half-brother was meant in part as a rebuke to the president. Whitman is a major Republican donor who crossed the aisle to <a href="" type="internal">endorse</a> Clinton and has campaigned on her behalf.</p>
<p>Patricia Smith, who has accused Clinton of "murdering" her son, was a featured guest at Trump's Republican National Convention, and the Democratic nominee gave Cuban, who has publicly sparred with Trump over his net worth and erratic behavior, a front-row seat at the first debate.</p>
<p>While the debate guests are left up to the discretion of each candidate, Clinton's campaign has reportedly taken steps to avoid the kind of high-profile confrontation Trump tried to stage at the last event by inviting three women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct as his guests.</p>
<p>Clinton's staff gained approval to avoid the traditional pre-debate handshake between each candidate's spouses, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/19/us/politics/melania-trump-bill-clinton.html?_r=0" type="external">The New York Times reported</a> Wednesday. Their request came after Trump's team tried to force Bill Clinton to shake the hands of his accusers at the last debate in St. Louis, before the Commission on Presidential Debates intervened.</p> | Debate Guests: Trump To Bring Obama's Half-Brother, Clinton Inviting Cuban | true | http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/debate-guests-las-vegas-trump-malik-obama-clinton-cuban | 4 |
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<p>One of the tea party groups targeted by the <a href="/topics/internal-revenue-service/" type="external">IRS</a> asked <a href="/topics/congress/" type="external">Congress</a> Monday to demand the private emails of some agency employees, while a top committee chairman issued a request for instant-chat messages from the <a href="/topics/environmental-protection-agency/" type="external">EPA</a>, as the Clinton emails scandal begins to envelop other parts of the Obama administration.</p>
<p>The <a href="/topics/white-house/" type="external">White House</a>, meanwhile, tried to keep the burgeoning scandal at arm’s length, with spokesman <a href="/topics/josh-earnest/" type="external">Josh Earnest</a> acknowledging President Obama and <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a> did email, but insisting the <a href="/topics/white-house/" type="external">White House</a> followed all record-keeping laws, and the president didn’t know <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a> was exclusively using a private email until reports surfaced last week.</p>
<p><a href="/topics/josh-earnest/" type="external">Mr. Earnest</a> said it’s up to <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a> to demonstrate she followed the laws and to figure out whether she needs to release more.</p>
<p><a href="/news/2015/mar/9/obama-talked-hillary-clinton-via-email-white-house/" type="external">SEE ALSO: Obama emailed Hillary Clinton at private address, didn’t know ‘details’ of account</a></p>
<p>“If Secretary <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Clinton</a>’s team decides that they want to go to even greater lengths than they already have, then, you know, that’s ultimately a decision for them to make,” <a href="/topics/josh-earnest/" type="external">Mr. Earnest</a> said. “They are the ones that are in charge of the email server.”</p>
<p><a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a> was revealed last week to have used a private email account kept on her own server when conducting official businesses.</p>
<p>She reportedly waved off questions from reporters in New York on Monday, and her only comment has come via a Twitter post in which she said she wants the public to see her emails.</p>
<p><a href="/news/2015/mar/9/sarah-palin-hillary-clintons-private-email-use-fli/" type="external">SEE ALSO: Sarah Palin: Hillary Clinton’s private email use ‘flies in the face’ of transparency</a></p>
<p>Her silence has left fellow Democrats to field pointed questions, with some saying she needs to be more forthcoming, while others have wavered, saying they believe the issue has been stoked by Republicans eager to score political points on the presumptive front-runner for Democrats’ 2016 presidential nomination.</p>
<p>For now, the issue has major partisan overtones. A Pew Research Center poll found 34 percent of self-identified Republicans were very closely following the Clinton emails story last week, but only 16 percent of self-identified Democrats closely followed it.</p>
<p>In Washington, though, the emails are coming to be seen as just part of a problem with an administration that Mr. Obama said would be the most transparent ever.</p>
<p>Catherine Engelbrecht, founder of True the Vote, which had its tax-exempt application blocked for years by <a href="/topics/internal-revenue-service/" type="external">IRS</a> employees, said more than a dozen current and former <a href="/topics/internal-revenue-service/" type="external">IRS</a> employees may have used personal emails to try to avoid public scrutiny as they targeted tea party groups with intrusive scrutiny.</p>
<p>Ms. Engelbrecht said in light of the revelation that former Secretary of State <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Hillary Rodham Clinton</a> used her own private email address and server to conduct official department business, the congressional committees investigating the <a href="/topics/internal-revenue-service/" type="external">IRS</a> should pry more deeply into whether any agency employees did the same.</p>
<p>“Former Secretary <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Clinton</a>’s latest news regarding third-party email use is just a continuation of a thriving culture of concealment within the Obama administration, which is growing increasingly apparent to the American public,” Ms. Engelbrecht said.</p>
<p>Emails from former <a href="/topics/internal-revenue-service/" type="external">IRS</a> employee Lois G. Lerner, a central figure in the investigation, have already become a flashpoint in <a href="/topics/congress/" type="external">Congress</a>‘ probe into the tax agency, with an inspector general last month saying investigators were quickly able to find backup tapes to restore some of Ms. Lerner’s lost emails, despite the <a href="/topics/internal-revenue-service/" type="external">IRS</a> insisting the emails were irretrievably gone.</p>
<p>The <a href="/topics/internal-revenue-service/" type="external">IRS</a> isn’t the only agency facing scrutiny.</p>
<p>A federal judge last week blasted the <a href="/topics/environmental-protection-agency/" type="external">Environmental Protection Agency</a> for failing to follow open records laws, saying it was a black eye on an administration that touted transparency.</p>
<p>On Monday, House Committee on Science, Space and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith said the <a href="/topics/environmental-protection-agency/" type="external">agency</a> had better start turning over more documents, including emails and text messages, or else he’ll use subpoena powers to try to pry them loose.</p>
<p>“Documents provided by <a href="/topics/environmental-protection-agency/" type="external">EPA</a> demonstrate a continued lack of transparency at the <a href="/topics/environmental-protection-agency/" type="external">agency</a>,” the Texas Republican wrote after the <a href="/topics/environmental-protection-agency/" type="external">agency</a> replied two weeks late to one of his requests for documents, and provided only information that was already publicly available.</p>
<p>Ms. Engelbrecht said <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a>’s case is emblematic of the problems.</p>
<p>“Corruption trickles downhill,” she said. “When government leaders blatantly disregard the rule of law, they send a message to the broader bureaucracy that the body politic is untouchable.”</p>
<p><a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a> left the State Department two years ago, but her email practices are only just now coming to light.</p>
<p>The department says every previous secretary of state also used a private email account, and it is going back and requesting copies of official emails so its records can be complete.</p>
<p>Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a> turned 55,000 unclassified emails over to the department, but said it’s not clear when they will be released. The spokeswoman said they have already culled the 300 emails that relate to the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and have turned those over to <a href="/topics/congress/" type="external">Congress</a>.</p>
<p>Ms. Psaki also said it’s not automatically against the law to have used private email for public business, despite that being the best practice.</p>
<p>“It’s a policy, it’s not a federal regulation,” she said.</p>
<p>At the <a href="/topics/white-house/" type="external">White House</a>, <a href="/topics/josh-earnest/" type="external">Mr. Earnest</a> said that policy is why the State Department was asking <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a> to turn her business-related messages over.</p>
<p>But <a href="/topics/josh-earnest/" type="external">Mr. Earnest</a> wouldn’t speculate on whether an independent arbiter should be called in to look through <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Mrs. Clinton</a>’s emails to determine what should be turned over.</p>
<p>“Ultimately, this is a decision that is going to be left up to Secretary <a href="/topics/hillary-rodham-clinton/" type="external">Clinton</a>’s team to make on this,” he said.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. <a href="http://license.icopyright.net/3.7280?icx_id=/news/2015/mar/9/hillary-clinton-email-scandal-spreads-as-tea-party/" type="external">Click here for reprint permission</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Hillary Clinton scandal spreads as tea party group seeks private IRS emails | true | http://washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/9/hillary-clinton-email-scandal-spreads-as-tea-party/ | 2015-03-09 | 0 |
<p>In an August 25 Washington Post op-ed, Martin Luther King III discussed Glenn Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally planned to take place on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Martin Lulther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Writing that "it is clear from the timing and location that the rally's organizers present this event as also honoring the ideals and contributions of Martin Luther King Jr.," he stated, "I would like to be clear about what those ideals are." From the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/24/AR2010082405003.html" type="external">op-ed</a>:</p>
<p>Although he was a profoundly religious man, my father did not claim to have an exclusionary "plan" that laid out God's word for only one group or ideology. He marched side by side with members of every religious faith. Like Abraham Lincoln, my father did not claim that God was on his side; he prayed humbly that he was on God's side.</p>
<p>He did, however, wholeheartedly embrace the "social gospel." His spiritual and intellectual mentors included the great theologians of the social gospel Walter Rauschenbush and Howard Thurman. He said that any religion that is not concerned about the poor and disadvantaged, "the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them[,] is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial." In his "Dream" speech, my father paraphrased the prophet Amos, saying, "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream."</p>
<p>[...]</p>
<p>I pray that all Americans will embrace the challenge of social justice and the unifying spirit that my father shared with his compatriots. With this commitment, we can begin to find new ways to reach out to one another, to heal our divisions, and build bridges of hope and opportunity benefiting all people. In so doing, we will not merely be seeking the dream; we will at long last be living it.</p> | Martin Luther King III responds to Beck's Aug. 28 rally: My father "wholeheartedly embrace[d] the 'social gospel'" | true | http://mediamatters.org/blog/201008250001 | 2010-08-25 | 4 |
<p>A UK graveyard made famous by Dracula author Bram Stoker is once again frightening local residents.</p>
<p>The town of Whitby, where Dracula arrived from Romania in the famous novel, saw a landslip this week that uncovered a number of human remains.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/09/whitby-church-threat-landslips-dracula" type="external">The Guardian reported</a> that the landslip that uncovered the bones was caused by blocked and broken drainage that became vulnerable to heavy rains.</p>
<p>The soil and rock began falling from the cliff side town threatening homes, which were eventually demolished.</p>
<p>The graveyard, perched on a promontory overlooking the sea, is also threatened by the rapid erosion.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2259560/Dracula-church-raining-bones-Debris-cliff-graves-falls-town-landslide.html" type="external">The Daily Mail reported</a> that debris continues to fall from the site as workers scramble to secure the area.</p>
<p>A pathway to the graveyard featured in Stoker's novel has signs indicating danger.</p>
<p>Local stores at the bottom of the cliff are also threatened.</p>
<p>"If anything more comes down we are going to have to shut the shop because it will be too dangerous," shopkeeper Barry Brown <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/jan/09/whitby-church-threat-landslips-dracula" type="external">told the Guardian</a>.</p>
<p>The cemetery has been closed since 1865.</p>
<p>Dracula was written in 1897.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/health/130109/bilingual-people-have-sharper-brains-their-monolingual-peers" type="external">Bilingual people have sharper brains than their monolingual peers</a></p> | Dracula graveyard landslip reveals human bones | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-01-10/dracula-graveyard-landslip-reveals-human-bones | 2013-01-10 | 3 |
<p>New White House chief of staff John Kelly, in one of his first acts in his new post, called Attorney General Jeff Sessions to reassure him that his position was safe despite the recent onslaught of criticism he has taken from President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Kelly called Sessions on Saturday to stress that the White House was supportive of his work and wanted him to continue his job, according to two people familiar with the call. The people demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about a private conversation. Kelly, who was appointed to the post the day before, described the president as still miffed at Sessions but did not plan to fire him or hope he would resign.</p>
<p>Trump has seethed at Sessions, his one-time close ally, since the attorney general recused himself from the probe into Russia’s meddling into the 2016 election. The president viewed that decision as disloyal — the most grievous sin in Trump’s orbit.</p>
<p>That simmering anger burst to the surface last week. In an unprecedented display of a president publicly criticizing a sitting member of his own Cabinet, Trump unleashed repeated attacks via Twitter.</p>
<p>He called Sessions “beleaguered” and “very weak” and belittled his decision not to investigate Hillary Clinton. He said he was “disappointed” in Sessions and suggested that, had he known he would recuse himself, he never would had offered him the attorney general post. And he dismissed the value in Sessions’ early endorsement — he was the first senator to back Trump — while privately musing to aides about firing the attorney general.</p>
<p>“We will see what happens,” Trump said of Sessions’ future when asked at a news conference last week. “Time will well. Time will tell.”</p>
<p>Trump is known for openly considering staffing changes without following through. Likewise, Sessions’ newfound job security could also be viewed as temporary and subject to the president’s whims.</p>
<p>The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the conversation. The Department of Justice also did not immediately respond.</p>
<p>White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that “the president has 100 percent confidence in all members of his Cabinet” and dismissed talk that Sessions or other Cabinet members could be moved.</p>
<p>Kelly, a retired general, was brought in from the Department of Homeland Secretary to restore some discipline and stability to a chaotic White House. The outreach to Sessions appears to have been a top priority in that effort.</p>
<p>Despite Trump’s continuing anger, his allies quickly recognized the danger in attacking Sessions. The longtime Alabama senator was the forefather of many of Trump’s hardline immigration policies and remains very popular among the president’s conservative base.</p>
<p>Sessions and Kelly have also been allies and traveled together to the Mexican border in April to highlight immigration plans when the chief of staff was in his former post as head of homeland security.</p>
<p>Moreover, many Republican senators and influential members of the conservative media rushed to the attorney general’s defense when Trump went on the attack last week. They suggested that Sessions has been the most effective member of Trump’s Cabinet delivering on campaign promises, while some White House aides feared that firing Sessions could spark a significant political backlash.</p>
<p>Instead, the White House has recently embraced some of Sessions’ directives. On Friday, Trump traveled to Long Island, New York, to tout his administration’s efforts to combat the MS-13 gang at the same time Sessions was in El Salvador for events concerning the same violent cartel. Though Trump did not mention Sessions by name, the attorney general told The Associated Press that he hoped to remain in the post and would serve as long as Trump wanted him.</p>
<p>And on Wednesday, senior White House aide Stephen Miller — a former Sessions staffer who has written most of Trump’s speeches on immigration — delivered a full-throated case for slashing legal immigration. The proposal is unlikely to become law since it is opposed by several Republican senators, yet it is popular among much of the president’s base.</p> | Kelly Assures Sessions His Job Is Safe | false | https://newsline.com/kelly-assures-sessions-his-job-is-safe/ | 2017-08-02 | 1 |
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<p>handout photo</p>
<p>FARMINGTON — Administrator Tom Havel of the San Juan County Adult Detention Center said he will introduce new policies, training and tactics at the facility in response to the Dec. 28 riot.</p>
<p>Havel said that new policies will make it more difficult for inmates to conceal prescription medication and jailhouse liquor, or “hooch.”</p>
<p>He said there will be more patrols within the jail pods, and guards will receive more training.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Next week, jail officials will meet with local law enforcement officials to develop an action plan so that guards and police are better prepared to respond to future incidents at the jail, Havel said.</p>
<p>County Executive Officer Kim Carpenter said the county’s finances are tight, but he is considering the purchase of a body scanner that would allow for nonintrusive searches at the facility.</p>
<p>He said that staffing at the jail is also being evaluated to determine whether a new security task force is required to monitor contraband at the facility.</p>
<p>“The biggest thing is really looking at working with the law enforcement to collaborate a little bit more to get their presence in the facility on a regular basis, whether through training or shakedowns,” Carpenter said.</p>
<p>The changes come after an investigation by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office revealed that the more than 30 inmates involved in the Dec. 28 riot at the jail were drinking jailhouse liquor on the night of the incident.</p>
<p>Both Carpenter and Havel dispute the characterization of the incident as a riot.</p>
<p>Several more inmates are suspected of snorting a prescription medication used to treat depression shortly before the riot occurred.</p>
<p>One jail guard suffered a fractured eye socket in the fracas, and several other guards and inmates suffered minor injuries. Four inmates face felony charges in connection to the incident.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Havel said his staff has almost finished an internal review of the incident. The findings will be made publicly available in a report once the review is complete, he said.</p>
<p>He said his staff has briefed him on its findings, and he is taking corrective action as a result. However, nothing in the report was shocking, he said.</p>
<p>“I haven’t seen anything in there that suggested a total breakdown or anything,” he said. “Things happen, and policies need to be reviewed, but we have a lot of good people that work their tails off, and they do it with pride and dignity.”</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>©2015 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,t000002481,t000183274</p> | Jail to implement new training, tactics following alcohol-fueled riot | false | https://abqjournal.com/534037/jail-to-implement-new-training-tactics-following-alcohol-fueled-riot.html | 2 |
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<p>J.P. Morgan Chase &amp; Co. (NYSE:JPM) said that it agreed to buy payments company WePay Inc. in the bank's first sizable acquisition of a financial-technology startup.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The banking giant plans to roll out WePay's technology to J.P. Morgan's four million small-business customers, said Matt Kane, CEO of Chase Merchant Services. WePay, which has roughly 200 employees, helps online marketplaces and crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe process payments.</p>
<p>The two companies didn't disclose terms of the deal. But a person familiar with the matter said the price was above the roughly $220 million valuation that Redwood City, Calif.-based WePay achieved in a 2015 fundraising.</p>
<p>The growing popularity of e-commerce and mobile shopping has fueled deal making in the payments sector of late. There have been 166 deals involving payments companies in 2017 for a total of at least $29.3 billion, the most in any segment of fintech, according to investment bank Financial Technology Partners LP.</p>
<p>Financial institutions have been eager to snap up tech companies like WePay that embed payments into the background of software that businesses use to handle their main tasks. Over the past five years, First Data Corp., Vantiv Inc. and other traditional payment providers have spent more than $10 billion on acquisitions of so-called integrated payments firms, according to 451 Research, which focuses on technology advisory work.</p>
<p>Even though J.P. Morgan, led by CEO James Dimon, hasn't made many large acquisitions of fintech companies, it has been an active investor in startups there. Over the past 12 months, it participated in a $100 million fundraising for business-to-business payments firm Bill.com Inc. and a $50 million fundraising for LevelUp, which enables customers to pay at restaurants and coffee shops using their smartphones.</p>
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<p>Earlier this year, J.P. Morgan also acquired the technology behind MCX, a mobile-payments network of big merchants such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. that failed to gain widespread adoption. The bank hoped the deal would expand the reach of its Chase Pay mobile wallet.</p>
<p>J.P. Morgan also joined with On Deck Capital Inc. in 2016 to help make loans to some of the bank's small business customers.</p> | J.P. Morgan to buy payments firm WePay in first major fintech acquisition | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/17/j-p-morgan-to-buy-payments-firm-wepay-in-first-major-fintech-acquisition.html | 2017-10-17 | 0 |
<p>PARIS (AP) — French authorities are searching five sites run by dairy giant Lactalis in an investigation into the botched mass recall of baby milk products after a salmonella scare.</p>
<p>The Paris prosecutor’s office said sites being searched Wednesday include Lactalis headquarters in Laval in western France and the factory in Craon, where salmonella bacteria was found last year. The factory has been shut.</p>
<p>Government fraud and health authorities are investigating the handling of the scare and a subsequent mass recall. Recalled baby milk products remained available in French hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets weeks after they were ordered pulled from shelves.</p>
<p>The head of Lactalis says the recall affected over 12 million products in 83 countries.</p>
<p>French authorities have said more than 30 babies fell ill after consuming the products, though all recovered.</p>
<p>PARIS (AP) — French authorities are searching five sites run by dairy giant Lactalis in an investigation into the botched mass recall of baby milk products after a salmonella scare.</p>
<p>The Paris prosecutor’s office said sites being searched Wednesday include Lactalis headquarters in Laval in western France and the factory in Craon, where salmonella bacteria was found last year. The factory has been shut.</p>
<p>Government fraud and health authorities are investigating the handling of the scare and a subsequent mass recall. Recalled baby milk products remained available in French hospitals, pharmacies and supermarkets weeks after they were ordered pulled from shelves.</p>
<p>The head of Lactalis says the recall affected over 12 million products in 83 countries.</p>
<p>French authorities have said more than 30 babies fell ill after consuming the products, though all recovered.</p> | Searches at French baby milk maker after salmonella scare | false | https://apnews.com/d1ec698719494e029b4c28b655fa358d | 2018-01-17 | 2 |
<p>HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (AP) — A sheriff says the gunman who killed a suburban Denver deputy and wounded four other officers used video surveillance equipment in and outside his apartment to monitor authorities responding to a complaint before he opened fire.</p>
<p>Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said Matthew Riehl fired a shotgun, an M16 rifle, a pistol and an M4 rifle.</p>
<p>Spurlock says Riehl legally owned 15 weapons purchased between 2011 and 2016, and 11 of the guns were functional at the time of the New Year’s Eve shooting.</p>
<p>Police and Veterans Affairs records indicate Riehl had mental health issues but would not have been barred from owning guns.</p>
<p>Spurlock says deputies thought Riehl was a danger to himself and were preparing to take him into custody on a mental health hold when the attack occurred.</p>
<p>HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (AP) — A sheriff says the gunman who killed a suburban Denver deputy and wounded four other officers used video surveillance equipment in and outside his apartment to monitor authorities responding to a complaint before he opened fire.</p>
<p>Douglas County Sheriff Tony Spurlock said Matthew Riehl fired a shotgun, an M16 rifle, a pistol and an M4 rifle.</p>
<p>Spurlock says Riehl legally owned 15 weapons purchased between 2011 and 2016, and 11 of the guns were functional at the time of the New Year’s Eve shooting.</p>
<p>Police and Veterans Affairs records indicate Riehl had mental health issues but would not have been barred from owning guns.</p>
<p>Spurlock says deputies thought Riehl was a danger to himself and were preparing to take him into custody on a mental health hold when the attack occurred.</p> | Sheriff: Colorado gunman monitored deputies before shooting | false | https://apnews.com/672462491eed473fbc137bc64d1b1586 | 2018-01-10 | 2 |
<p>Published time: 9 Sep, 2017 23:12</p>
<p>Ahead of a crucial Brexit bill vote, thousands of protesters took to the streets of London to call for a U-turn on the decision to leave the EU.</p>
<p>The People’s March For Europe saw an estimated 50,000 people walk from London’s Hyde Park to Parliament Square, where a number of speakers included Liberal Democrat MP Ed Davey and Labour MEP Mary Honeyball.</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>Speaking at Saturday’s event, Liberal Democrat MP Vince Cable slammed the Conservative government for its incompetence.</p>
<p>“We’ve got to absolutely stop the Brexit which this rather incompetent, dysfunctional, disunited government are trying to force upon us. Europe matters to this country and we’ve got to keep it,” Cable said.</p>
<p>He described the government’s process of leaving the EU as a “train crash” and said Brexit was already having an adverse impact on the nation.</p>
<p>“We can already begin to see what will happen with this train crash in slow motion that is already beginning to evolve. We see first of all a government that is disunited, badly organised, [and] is leaving perilously late important negotiations.”</p>
<p>“We’re beginning to see, for example, large numbers of European nationals – some of the best people we have – feeling insecure, unwanted, drifting away from the country.</p>
<p>“We’re seeing the living standards are already beginning to be squeezed, the devaluation of the currency.”</p>
<p>On Monday, MPs will vote on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. The Labour party is expected to oppose the legislation that would put in motion the UK’s pull back from the EU.</p> | Exit from Brexit’: Protesters march in London to demand U-turn on EU withdrawal (VIDEO) | false | https://newsline.com/exit-from-brexit-protesters-march-in-london-to-demand-u-turn-on-eu-withdrawal-video/ | 2017-09-09 | 1 |
<p>Harrisburg (PA) Patriot-News | RogerEbert.comRoger Ebert says he received more <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050301/ESSAYS/50303001" type="external">e-mails</a> about his one-star <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050224/REVIEWS/50214001/1001" type="external">review</a> of "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" than he's received for any other review. Li Wang notes that across the nation, most critics panned the film, including black reviewers Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe and Lisa Kennedy of the Denver Post. &gt; <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050302/ESSAYS/50301001" type="external">Ebert: I don't buy theory that I'm a racist for panning "Black Woman" (RE)</a></p> | Ebert, other critics hear from angry "Black Woman" fans | false | https://poynter.org/news/ebert-other-critics-hear-angry-black-woman-fans | 2005-03-08 | 2 |
<p>Even though "Snakes on a Plane" (which premieres today) promises to be a ludicrous action movie, it heralds a <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0818/p13s01-almo.html" type="external">new paradigm in film</a>: direct fan-filmmaker collaboration.</p>
<p>Responding to the pleas of fans on the Internet, the makers of “Snakes” added more violence, more nudity, and even the above line of profane dialogue. Never before have fans so directly influenced the production of a movie. Experts say the ripple effects across the industry could be huge.</p>
<p>The Internet is rife with “Snakes”-themed material:</p>
<p>Christian Science Monitor:</p>
<p />
<p>Film has often been called a collaborative medium. But few movies are as collaborative as “Snakes on a Plane,” with its self-explanatory premise that can only be described as “fangtastic.”</p>
<p>With its patently ridiculous storyline about 500 deadly serpents terrorizing a commercial flight, “Snake on a Plane” – or “SoaP” as it’s commonly abbreviated – has slithered into the consciousness of film fans over the past year. So much so that a Google search of the title generates more than 16 million hits and reveals home-made SoaP paraphenalia such as amateur music videos, paintings, board games, T-shirts, jewelry, and mock movie posters. (Example: “Hamlet 2: Snakes on a Dane.”)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0818/p13s01-almo.html" type="external">Link</a></p> | The Dawn of a New Era in Film? | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/the-dawn-of-a-new-era-in-film/ | 2006-08-18 | 4 |
<p>BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar police opened fire at hundreds of protesters angry about a ban on a local festival, killing seven people, officials said Wednesday.</p>
<p>The protesters in Rakhine state marched through the ancient city of Mrauk-U and ransacked a government building on Tuesday after authorities banned the anniversary celebration of the founding of the old kingdom, saying they were not informed about it beforehand.</p>
<p>Deputy director of the regional government Tin Maung Swe said police warned the mob to stop but they were being physically attacked and officers had to respond after initially using rubber bullets.</p>
<p>The protest involved Rakhine Buddhists. Rakhine is also home to minority Rohingya Muslims, who have long faced persecution that has seen about 650,000 people driven away from their homes into Bangladesh since August.</p>
<p>The U.N. office in Myanmar said it was concerned with reports of violent clashes and urged respect for the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. It also called on security forces and demonstrators to act with restraint and avoid further violence, and for authorities to investigate any disproportionate use of force.</p>
<p>BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar police opened fire at hundreds of protesters angry about a ban on a local festival, killing seven people, officials said Wednesday.</p>
<p>The protesters in Rakhine state marched through the ancient city of Mrauk-U and ransacked a government building on Tuesday after authorities banned the anniversary celebration of the founding of the old kingdom, saying they were not informed about it beforehand.</p>
<p>Deputy director of the regional government Tin Maung Swe said police warned the mob to stop but they were being physically attacked and officers had to respond after initially using rubber bullets.</p>
<p>The protest involved Rakhine Buddhists. Rakhine is also home to minority Rohingya Muslims, who have long faced persecution that has seen about 650,000 people driven away from their homes into Bangladesh since August.</p>
<p>The U.N. office in Myanmar said it was concerned with reports of violent clashes and urged respect for the rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. It also called on security forces and demonstrators to act with restraint and avoid further violence, and for authorities to investigate any disproportionate use of force.</p> | 7 dead as Myanmar police open fire to disperse protesters | false | https://apnews.com/a34f69e6e3904308b0b77efe6a1813ca | 2018-01-17 | 2 |
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<p>Or, maybe,&#160; “Ow.”</p>
<p>For most of the 1990s, the Manuel Lujan Exhibit Complex on the State Fairgrounds — now Expo New Mexico — was the boxing capital of Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Then, in the early 2000s, the tribal casinos came to the fore. According to information found on boxrec.com, — and this is not official — the Lujan building last hosted a boxing card in 1998.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The drought ends on Saturday, when Legacy Promotions will stage an 11-fight pro card there.</p>
<p>Legacy’s Eric Martinez has been in the boxing business only since 2015, but he’s aware of the history.</p>
<p>“The Lujan building has always been recognized as one of the top places for a boxing event, back when Johnny Tapia (was fighting there),” Martinez said in a phone interview.</p>
<p>Martinez, who is from Española, has promoted three cards at Camel Rock Casino north of Santa Fe. In Albuquerque, he and partners Aaron and Jordan Perez have staged events at the Convention Center, outdoors at the National Hispanic Cultural Center and at MCM Elegante Hotel.</p>
<p>In seeking a venue for Saturday’s card, he said, he talked with representatives from several casinos. But he settled on the Lujan building.</p>
<p>“The Expo (staff) were over and above accommodating,” he said. “Everybody knows where to go, and it’s right in the middle of Albuquerque, so it makes it a lot of fun.”</p>
<p>No definitive decision to stage more shows there, he said, will be made until after Saturday. But he and the Perez brothers are keenly interested in returning.</p>
<p>“Most likely, yeah,” he said. “I think we’ll stick with the Expo for at least two or three more events, probably until 2018.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“But this one’s huge. We’ll see what the success is on this one and we’ll go from there.”</p>
<p>For more than a decade, area boxing fans flocked to Lujan to watch New Mexico promoters like Frankie Montaño, Stan Love, Jack Luce and Lenny Fresquez stage cards featuring local stars like Tapia, Tommy Cordova, Danny Romero, Henry Anaya Jr., Daniel Perez and Frankie Archuleta. National and international promotional firms like Top Rank, Cedric Kushner Productions and America Presents also dropped in.</p>
<p>According to&#160; boxrec.com — again, this is by no means official — boxing first came to the Lujan Building on March 29, 1986. That night, Cordova defeated Robert Anderson by fourth-round disqualification when the Phoenix fighter persisted in throwing elbows.</p>
<p>Neither fighter was happy with the stoppage, each insisting that the other had initiated the dirty tactics — nor was a crowd of about 1,000.</p>
<p>The last boxing event at the Lujan found by the Journal took place on Dec. 4, 1998. In the main event, Archuleta, of Las Vegas, N.M., improved his record to 15-0 with a unanimous 10-round decision over Texan Javier Diaz.</p>
<p>In perhaps the most momentous boxing event held there, on Oct. 26, 1990, Tapia defeated Venezuela’s Santiago Caballero by seventh-round technical decision after the Albuquerquean took a thumb to the eye.</p>
<p>Days later, it was revealed that Tapia had tested positive for cocaine. He would not fight, while dealing with his addiction, for another 3½ years.</p>
<p>After 1998, boxing continued to be staged on the Fairgrounds at Tingley Coliseum and at the outdoor pavilion. But, for whatever reason, the Lujan fell out of favor.</p>
<p>Saturday, it’s back.</p>
<p>MMA: April will be a typically busy month for area fighters.</p>
<p>On April 8 at the Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho welterweight Anthony Rozema (4-1) is scheduled to face Desmond Hill (8-4) of Odessa, Texas, in the main event of a King of the Cage card.</p>
<p>On April 15 on a UFC Fight Night card in Kansas City, Mo., Albuquerque’s Michelle Waterson (14-4) is matched against Rose Namajunas (6-3) of Milwaukee on the main card, to be televised on Fox. UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk has said she would like her next title defense to be against Waterson.</p>
<p>On April 22 in a Fight Night card in Nashville, featherweight Cub Swanson (24-7), Waterson’s Jackson-Wink teammate, is scheduled to face Russia’s Artem Lobov (14-12-1) in the main event of the FS1-televised show.</p>
<p>Jackson-Wink fighters Diego Sanchez (29-9) vs. Al Iaquinta (12-3-1) and John Dodson (18-8) vs. Eddie Wineland (23-11-1) also are on the card.</p>
<p>Saturday: Fidel Maldonado Jr. vs. Mohamed Rodrigues, 10 other fights, State Fairgrounds. Tickets: $25-$50</p> | Lujan facility looks to get back in the fight game | false | https://abqjournal.com/978901/lujan-facility-looks-to-get-back-in-the-fight-game.html | 2 |
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<p>The seemingly endless political chaos in the nation’s capital reportedly is sparking fears that the record-setting stock market may be poised to take a dive.</p>
<p>Hopes of a Republican-controlled Congress “delivering tax cuts, infrastructure spending and deregulation have steadily faded since Donald Trump entered the Oval office in January,” the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/73a6e196-852c-11e7-8bb1-5ba57d47eff7" type="external">Financial Times</a> reported.</p>
<p>The dollar has tumbled this year despite soaring after the election. “Meanwhile, a rally in the small, domestically focused US companies seen as the biggest beneficiaries of corporate taxes cuts and a stronger economy has fizzled,” the FT explained.</p>
<p>While the benchmark S&amp;P 500 index is still up 13.5 percent since the election, it had fallen 2.1 percent in the last two weeks. That’s the most since the two weeks before the election,&#160; <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-idUSKCN1B11AB" type="external">Reuters reported.</a></p>
<p>Concerns over lofty valuations have caused some investors to cut their exposure to U.S. stocks, instead favoring valuation multiples of companies based in Europe,&#160; <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/investors-grapple-with-signs-of-unrest-1503237600" type="external">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported.</p>
<p>“At these valuation levels, the rubber band is stretched pretty tight and it could snap,” James Norman, president of QS Investors told the FT. Norman has been shifting clients to high dividend-paying stocks with low price and earnings volatility in the consumer staples, industrials and technology sectors, such as Kimberly-Clark, Dow Chemical and IBM, to insulate against a sudden downturn.</p>
<p>“There are a number of things coming up where we need leadership — the debt ceiling is a perfect example,” Norman said as Congress has vowed to raise the Treasury’s borrowing limit to avoid a potential default. “There is no shortage of things that people are concerned about with this administration in terms of getting things done or preventing things from happening,” Norman said.</p>
<p>To be sure, many other respected market pundits have predicted a volatile future for the stock market.</p>
<p>Former Republican congressman and two-time GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul warns that a hefty plunge looms for the stock market, but savvy investors can hardly blame Trump for the carnage.</p>
<p>The former Republican Congressman from Texas blames a buildup of political dysfunction in Washington over recent years.</p>
<p>“A 50 percent pullback is conceivable,” <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/08/17/ron-paul-predicts-stocks-will-drop-by-50-percent.html" type="external">Paul told recently CNBC.</a> “I don’t believe it’s 10 years off. I don’t even believe it’s a year off. “</p>
<p>Other experts agree.</p>
<p>“There is a line between political and economic risk,” Terry Simpson, a multi-asset strategist at BlackRock, told the FT. “[Last week] has proven that it is hard to separate that risk. The message [Trump] gave on some social issues was not in agreement with what many Republicans believe. That may hinder the passage of some pro-business policies and that may stall the rally.”</p>
<p>(Newsmax wires services contributed to this report).</p> | FT: Trump's Market Honeymoon Turning Into Risky Divorce | false | https://newsline.com/ft-trumps-market-honeymoon-turning-into-risky-divorce/ | 2017-08-22 | 1 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Paxton, a Republican who was indicted eight months after winning his 2014 election in a landslide, signaled he isn’t giving up. His attorneys said they anticipate asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reconsider its decision, though seldom are such requests granted.</p>
<p>A trial for Paxton would likely begin next year. He has pleaded not guilty to accusations of misleading wealthy investors he personally recruited in 2011 for a high-tech startup called Servergy Inc., which allegedly paid Paxton with 100,000 shares.</p>
<p>A federal judge, however, met those allegations with skepticism last week. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had filed a civil lawsuit against Paxton that mirrored his criminal case, but U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant threw out those charges Friday, saying federal regulators lacked evidence of Paxton duping investors.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The charges against Ken Paxton are without merit. A federal court, following a lower legal standard, ruled that the fraud charges were baseless,” Paxton attorney Philip Hilder said.</p>
<p>The collapse of the civil case gave Paxton a long-sought court victory over the accusations that have marred his political rise. Among those he allegedly misled was a fellow Republican lawmaker who at the time served with Paxton in the Texas Legislature.</p>
<p>Mazzant “conditionally granted” the dismissal of the SEC charges after concluding that Paxton was under no obligation to tell investors he was being paid by Servergy. Mazzant gave the SEC two weeks to bring new arguments against Paxton.</p>
<p>But three criminal courts in Texas have decided the indictments are sound enough to let the case proceed to trial. The latest court to reject Paxton is the same Republican-dominated panel that earlier this year threw out felony abuse-of-power charges against former Gov. Rick Perry.</p>
<p>The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals gave no explanation in rejecting Paxton’s request Wednesday.</p>
<p>“Today’s ruling marks an end to Mr. Paxton’s almost yearlong attempt to avoid being judged by a jury of his peers. We look forward to going to trial and seeking justice on behalf of the people of Texas,” special prosecutor Brian Wice said.</p>
<p>Paxton has spent most of his 22 months on the job under felony indictment. The allegations have hounded Paxton while building his profile nationally, leading lawsuits against the Obama administration over immigration, transgender rights and Syrian refugees.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Paul J. Weber on Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/pauljweber" type="external">www.twitter.com/pauljweber</a></p> | Texas attorney general’s appeal rejected, trial likely | false | https://abqjournal.com/865482/texas-attorney-generals-appeal-rejected-trial-likely.html | 2016-10-12 | 2 |
<p>Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) will report its next earnings on Jan 25 BMO. The company reported the earnings of $1.5/Share in the last quarter where the estimated EPS by analysts was $1.49/share. The difference between the expected and actual EPS was $0.01/share, which represents an Earnings surprise of 0.7%.</p>
<p>Many analysts are providing their Estimated Earnings analysis for Union Pacific Corporation and for the current quarter 25 analysts have projected that the stock could give an Average Earnings estimate of $1.53/share. These analysts have also projected a Low Estimate of $1.46/share and a High Estimate of $1.6/share.</p>
<p>In case of Revenue Estimates, 19 analysts have provided their consensus Average Revenue Estimates for Union Pacific Corporation as 5.39 Billion. According to these analysts, the Low Revenue Estimate for Union Pacific Corporation is 5.28 Billion and the High Revenue Estimate is 5.52 Billion. The company had Year Ago Sales of 5.17 Billion.</p>
<p>These analysts also forecasted Growth Estimates for the Current Quarter for UNP to be 10.1%. They are projecting Next Quarter growth of 8.3%. For the next 5 years, Union Pacific Corporation is expecting Growth of 13.3% per annum, whereas in the past 5 years the growth was 4.46% per annum.</p>
<p>Some buy side analysts are also providing their Analysis on Union Pacific Corporation, where 3 analysts have rated the stock as Strong buy, 0 analysts have given a Buy signal, 5 said it’s a HOLD, and 0 analysts rated the stock as Sell. (These Recommendations are for the Current Month Only reported by Yahoo Finance.)</p>
<p>When it comes to the Analysis of a Stock, Price Target plays a vital role. Analysts reported that the Price Target for Union Pacific Corporation might touch $153 high while the Average Price Target and Low price Target is $127.52 and $103 respectively.</p>
<p>The Relative Volume of the company is 1.39 and Average Volume (3 months) is 3.53 million. The company’s P/E (price to earnings) ratio is 22.84 and Forward P/E ratio of 19.91.</p>
<p>The company shows its Return on Assets (ROA) value of 8.1%. The Return on Equity (ROE) value stands at 23.4%. While it’s Return on Investment (ROI) value is 13.6%.</p>
<p>While looking at the Stock’s Performance, Union Pacific Corporation currently shows a Weekly Performance of -0.79%, where Monthly Performance is 10.23%, Quarterly performance is 18.96%, 6 Months performance is 15.7% and yearly performance percentage is 22.92%. Year to Date performance value (YTD perf) value is 24.47%. The Stock currently has a Weekly Volatility of 1.29% and Monthly Volatility of 1.79%.</p> | What Are Analysts Suggestions On Union Pacific Corporation (UNP) | false | https://newsline.com/what-are-analysts-suggestions-on-union-pacific-corporation-unp/ | 2017-12-12 | 1 |
<p />
<p>Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) speaks at the ‘We Are Here To Stay’ immigrant rights rally at Metropolitan AME Church on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)</p>
<p />
<p>He told the thousands of people who attended the pro-immigrant “We Are Here to Stay” rally at the Metropolitan AME Church in Northwest D.C. on Saturday that his mother worked as a housekeeper after she arrived in this country, even though she had graduated from a university in Guatemala. Cifuentes, who is now a U.S. citizen, said he only understood why she brought him and his brother to the U.S. when he came out to her in 2002.</p>
<p>“At an early age my mother realized that I was queer,” he said as the crowd that was gathered a few blocks north of the White House began to applaud. “Fearing for my safety and knowing that the opportunities that I would have here would be less limited by my identity than they would be at home, my mother gave up her own dreams so I could live an authentic live.”</p>
<p>Cifuentes is among those who spoke at the rally that CASA de Maryland, United We Dream and other groups organized. It is one of dozens of pro-immigrant events that took place around the country ahead of President-elect Trump’s inauguration.</p>
<p>“We are not going to allow Donald Trump or anybody else turn back the clock on social justice in the United States of America,” said U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) as he spoke at the Metropolitan AME Church. “We are going to continue to move forward to build a more perfect union in this country.”</p>
<p>Van Hollen pointed to a new Human Rights Watch <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2017/country-chapters/united-states" type="external">report</a> that notes Trump’s election “capped a campaign marked by misogynistic, xenophobic and racist rhetoric” and the president-elect’s “embrace of policies that would cause tremendous harm to vulnerable communities contravene the United States’ core human rights obligations or both.” Van Hollen also said “we are not going to allow Donald Trump to bury the Statue of Liberty.”</p>
<p>“We are a nation of all peoples, regardless of religion, regardless of background, regardless of who you love,” said Van Hollen.</p>
<p>Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, who announced earlier this week that he would boycott Trump’s inauguration, told the crowd in Spanish the president-elect’s comments towards women are “not normal” and “not acceptable.” The Illinois Democrat who is of Puerto Rican descent cited his vote against the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 and his support of immigrants, which includes the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that President Obama signed in 2012.</p>
<p>Trump <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/policies/immigration" type="external">wrote on his campaign website</a> that “anyone who enters the U.S. illegally is subject to deportation.” He has also spoken in support of banning Muslims from entering the country.</p>
<p>Trump in 2015 described Mexicans as “rapists” when he announced his campaign. He has also called for the construction of a wall along the Mexican border to stop undocumented immigrants from entering the country.</p>
<p>“We are here because the immigrants in this country sacrificed everything,” said Gutiérrez, speaking at the rally in Spanish.</p>
<p>Martin Batalla Vidal, an undocumented immigrant with Make the Road New York who identifies as “queer,” said the incoming administration “should preserve DACA.”</p>
<p>“It works and I’m living proof of it,” he said.</p>
<p>Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry and New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito are among those who also spoke at rally.</p>
<p>Attendees held signs and posters that read, “We will resist Trump’s hate,” among other things. A young boy who was attending the rally with his mother was wearing a hoodie that said, “Don’t deport my mom.”</p>
<p>The Metropolitan AME Church can accommodate 3,000 people. Rally organizers said more than 300 people were marching outside during the event because it had reached capacity.</p>
<p>“Nobody should live in fear of deportation,” said United We Dream Executive Director Cristina Jiménez. “Nobody should live in fear or in the shadows because of our immigration status and nobody should live in the closet with fear.”</p>
<p>Cifuentes told the Washington Blade after the rally that his mother is “terrified” about the incoming administration. Bryan Ellicott, a transgender rights advocate from Staten Island, N.Y., who traveled to D.C. with <a href="http://www.atlasdiy.org/" type="external">Atlas: DIY,</a> a group that advocates on behalf of immigrants, said it was important for him to show his solidarity.</p>
<p>“As a member of the LGBT — specifically bi and trans community from Staten Island — it’s extremely important to me to show support to the immigrant/undocumented community,” Ellicott told the Blade.</p>
<p>The “We Are Here to Stay” rally at Metropolitan AME Church coincided with the “We Shall Not Be Moved” march from the Washington Monument to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial that Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network organized.</p>
<p>Media reports <a href="http://www.amny.com/news/al-sharpton-s-we-shall-not-be-moved-march-in-washington-draws-civil-rights-advocates-1.12956099" type="external">indicate</a> thousands of people participated in the march. Rev. MacArthur Flournoy, director of faith partnerships and mobilization at HRC, is among those who spoke.</p>
<p>“With fierce urgency and courageous solidarity we must forge new partnerships and coalitions to protect civil freedoms and equal protection under the law for everyone — particularly, for those whose voices are seldom heard in the halls of power,” said Flournoy.</p>
<p>Georgia Congressman John Lewis on Friday told Chuck Todd of <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/john-lewis-trump-won-t-be-legitimate-president-n706676" type="external">NBC’s “Meet the Press”</a> that he does not consider Trump a “legitimate president” because of Russia’s efforts to interfere with the election.</p>
<p>Trump on Saturday criticized the civil rights icon in a series of tweets.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>HRC President Chad Griffin is among the advocates and lawmakers who quickly rebuked Trump.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">Al Sharpton</a> <a href="" type="internal">bisexual</a> <a href="" type="internal">Bryan Elliott</a> <a href="" type="internal">CASA de Maryland</a> <a href="" type="internal">Cecile Richards</a> <a href="" type="internal">Chad Griffin</a> <a href="" type="internal">Chris Van Hollen</a> <a href="" type="internal">Donald Trump</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay</a> <a href="" type="internal">Guatemala</a> <a href="" type="internal">Human Rights Campaign</a> <a href="" type="internal">immigration</a> <a href="" type="internal">Javier Cifuentes</a> <a href="" type="internal">John Lewis</a> <a href="" type="internal">lesbian</a> <a href="" type="internal">Luis Gutierrez</a> <a href="" type="internal">MacArthur Flournoy</a> <a href="" type="internal">Make the Road New York</a> <a href="" type="internal">Martin Batalla Vidal</a> <a href="" type="internal">Mary Kay Henry</a> <a href="" type="internal">Melissa Mark-Viverito</a> <a href="" type="internal">Metropolitan AME Church</a> <a href="" type="internal">National Action Network</a> <a href="" type="internal">Planned Parenthood</a> <a href="" type="internal">queer</a> <a href="" type="internal">SEIU</a> <a href="" type="internal">transgender</a> <a href="" type="internal">United We Dream</a></p> | Immigrant advocates rally against Trump | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/01/14/immigrant-advocates-rally-trump/ | 3 |
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<p>Every week the Truthdig editorial staff selects a <a href="" type="internal">Truthdigger of the Week</a>, a group or person worthy of recognition for speaking truth to power, breaking the story or blowing the whistle. It is not a lifetime achievement award. Rather, we’re looking for newsmakers whose actions in a given week are worth celebrating. Nominate our next Truthdigger <a href="" type="internal">here</a>.</p>
<p>Michael Hastings, the American journalist whose 2010 <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-runaway-general-20100622" type="external">article</a> on Gen. Stanley McChrystal led to the officer’s resignation as head of the coalition forces in Afghanistan, died in a fiery car crash when his Mercedes collided with a palm tree at high speed early Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. We was 33 years old.</p>
<p>Hastings has been described throughout the press as having been a “fearless” reporter. After earning a journalism degree at New York University, he began his career as a reporter for Newsweek, for which he covered the Iraq War during the deadliest years of that conflict. His successes enabled him to become a regular contributor to GQ and a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. In 2012 he was hired as a staff writer and reporter for BuzzFeed. With that site’s support, he covered the presidential campaign.</p>
<p>He was also despised by his more straight-laced colleagues. Guardian national security editor Spencer Ackerman <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/jun/19/michael-hastings-friend-enemies" type="external">described</a> the way members of the traditional press corps regarded Hastings after his McChrystal profile. In the McChrystal piece, Hastings published disparaging comments made over drinks by the general’s staffers about their civilian leadership in the Obama administration. According to Ackerman, the objections made by journalists in Afghanistan were as follows:</p>
<p />
<p>How could Hastings publish off-the-record jibes made by officers who were trying to be welcoming to him,&#160;the complaints went; what kind of arrogance led him to want to make a name for himself like this? What was his problem with McChrystal, anyway? Didn’t he know McChrystal was trying to rein in the war?</p>
<p>Ackerman explains that Hastings didn’t publish anything that was explicitly off the record. But few people wanted to explore that issue. Instead, they “simply wanted to feel superior” to him.</p>
<p>What his detractors seemed not to realize was that Hastings was practicing a cold commitment to the journalist’s craft: He recorded what he observed and dutifully reported it to the public, without getting mushy and sanctimonious about the broadly accepted rules of professional propriety that make the work of so many reporters irrelevant and useless to the public.</p>
<p>At a media conference in Washington five months after the publication of the McChrystal critique, Hastings put the response from his fellow journalists as follows, <a href="http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130618/NEWS/306180039/Journalist-who-took-down-Army-four-star-dies-car-wreck" type="external">according</a> to the Air Force Times:</p>
<p>When someone who’s not part of the club comes in and does a story … people get very territorial about their field. And they’ll try to frame it as though it’s about journalism’s ethics or it’s about ground rules. It’s not. It’s about power, it’s about who has the authority.</p>
<p>The writer’s working life was not just a series of victories on the way to establishing a bright career and the respect of his more irreverent peers. In 2007 Hastings lost his fiancee to an ambush on her car by Sunni insurgents in Iraq. Andrea Parhamovich was in the country to teach the principles of democracy to Iraqis through a nongovernmental organization. His memoir of the war, their relationship and her tragic death became his first book, “I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story,” published in 2008.</p>
<p>His other books are “The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan,” published last year, and “Panic 2012: The Sublime and Terrifying Inside Story of Obama’s Final Campaign,” published in January of this year.</p>
<p>Hastings’ death is a loss to those who loved him as well as audiences who would have continued to profit from his devotion to telling the stories of American politics and the military with fewer inhibitions than lesser reporters. For setting that example, we honor Michael Hastings as our Truthdigger of the Week.</p>
<p /> | Truthdigger of the Week: Michael Hastings | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/truthdigger-of-the-week-michael-hastings/ | 2013-06-23 | 4 |
<p>Just as consumer goods like automobiles and cellphones come with a price tag, so do shares of stock issued by companies. The price per share, or PPS, is the monetary amount paid or received for a given share of stock. The price per share can help investors decide whether a given company's stock is worth buying.</p>
<p>Changes in price per shareThe price per share for a company's stock can fluctuate based on the company's performance, as well as market conditions. For example, a company might start off the trading week with a price per share of $20, but if it releases a negative earnings report that same week, then its price per share could drop to $15.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Another way to think of price per share is the market price, or going rate, for the stock in question. Stock prices of publicly traded companies are quoted on public exchanges, so you always have the option of getting the most up-to-date pricing before pulling the trigger on an investment.</p>
<p>Opening price per share in an IPODuring the initial public offering (IPO) process, financial analysts will make their best estimate of how much a company is worth, decide how many shares will be offered to the public, and set the price for each share of common stock issued. These determinations are based on comparisons to similar companies and factors such as projected growth. The number of shares a company issues can impact the price per share. If a company's value is estimated at $20 million and it issues 20 million shares, then the initial price per share will be $1. On the other hand, if that company issues 10 million shares, the initial price per share will be $2.</p>
<p>Significance of PPSPrice per share is an important figure for investors to consider. In many cases, the decision to purchase or sell a given stock is based on its current price per share. If you're looking to buy a certain stock, you'll want to do so when the price per share is at a relative low, as this gives you the greatest chance of making money on your investment. On the other hand, if you're looking to sell a stock that you currently hold, you generally want to wait until the price per share is higher than the price you paid so that you can make money from the sale.</p>
<p>PPS and other financial calculationsOnce you know the price per share for a company's stock, you can use that information to calculate other metrics that can help you determine whether the stock in question is a good investment. For example, the P/E ratio, which measures the relationship between a company's price per share and its earnings per share, can indicate whether a stock is overvalued or undervalued.</p>
<p>If a stock is overvalued and you buy it when its price per share is higher than it should be, then you run the risk of losing money. On the other hand, if a stock is undervalued and you buy it when its price per share is lower than it should be, you could end up profiting if the price per share rises to reflect that stock's true value.</p>
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<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | What Does PPS Mean? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/18/what-does-pps-mean.html | 2016-03-19 | 0 |
<p>Tara Lynn Belcher’s racism has gotten her into quite a bit of trouble. First, she was&#160; <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/florida-woman-arrested-after-spitting-on-black-man-during-racist-rant-lying-to-cops/" type="external">fired from her job for hurling racist slurs at customers</a> and arguing with them. Later that same afternoon, Belcher was <a href="" type="internal">filmed going on a violent, profanity-laced racist rant during which she spit on a black man who was filming her</a> during Myrtle Beach’s Black Bike Week. When questioned by police about this incident, Belcher admitted that she had been fired from her job for– &#160;you guessed it– being a flaming racist.</p>
<p>Well, this time, for once, it seems an internet-famous racist is getting her comeuppance. She decided it would be a good idea to lie to the cops about her part in the incident that led to her spitting in a black man’s face and subsequently being knocked to the ground. This ultimately led to Belcher’s arrest. According to police, Belcher was trying to&#160;find a taxi to take her home after she was thrown out from her now-former workplace. Apparently, the man who was filming her, who she would eventually spit on, had heard her using racist language against her customers, and chose to question her on camera. According to <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/florida-woman-arrested-after-spitting-on-black-man-during-racist-rant-lying-to-cops/" type="external">Raw Story</a>, the exchange went as follows:</p>
<p>The video, posted May 25, starts with the&#160;man holding the camera on Belcher and saying, “But you called that man a n***er for no reason,” to which Belcher responds, “F*ck you. Because he’s a n***er.”</p>
<p>She then launches into&#160;a racial slur-laden rant.</p>
<p>“I call people n***ers if they act like n***ers,” she says into the camera, then to someone on her cell phone she says, “Yeah this filthy n***er is filming me so you need to hurry up.”[ <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/florida-woman-arrested-after-spitting-on-black-man-during-racist-rant-lying-to-cops/" type="external">source</a>]</p>
<p>Watch the video of the encounter below:</p>
<p />
<p>Well, Belcher must be used to using her white (read: white trash) privilege to get away with being a racist bitch, but it didn’t work with the Myrtle Beach police. She decided to lie and say that the black man filming her had spit on her and taken her phone, but the video shows that she was the one doing the spitting. Her lies and violent behavior landed her right where she belongs: Downtown in the clink. She was arrested for possession of marijuana, as well as assault and battery. She is out of jail on $1,401 bond. Who wants to take bets on how long before being a flaming racist lands this woman in trouble again?</p>
<p>The bigger issue here, though, is the fact that Tara Lynn Belcher and others believe, even in the year 2015, that being this openly bigoted against people of different races-even in the workplace –&#160;is okay. It speaks to just how far we have to go to truly solve America’s problems when it comes to racism. Sorry, SCOTUS, GOP, and clueless, privileged white people. Having a black president does not equal a post-racial America. Here’s your proof.</p>
<p>Featured image via video screen capture via <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/florida-woman-arrested-after-spitting-on-black-man-during-racist-rant-lying-to-cops/" type="external">Raw Story</a></p> | Racist Calls Black Man A ‘Filthy N*gger,’ Arrested For Spitting On Him, Lying To Cops (NSFW VIDEO) | true | http://addictinginfo.org/2015/06/03/racist-calls-black-man-a-filthy-ngger-arrested-for-spitting-on-him-lying-to-cops-nsfw-video/ | 2015-06-03 | 4 |
<p><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/node/1275406/saudi-arabia" type="external">Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s</a>&#160;charm offensive in New York allegedly involved meeting Oprah Winfrey, which may be the only canny thing I’ve ever heard of him doing. He also had some religious leaders over to his condominium in New York City to stress the importance of religious tolerance.</p>
<p>He may be sincere, but here is an area where he has to put his money where his mouth is.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia is not religiously tolerant. It is religiously intolerant in ways that contradict Islam and give the religion a bad name. Muslim-majority countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt have lots of churches and Christmas festivities.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia has none?</p>
<p />
<p>Saudi Arabia has none.</p>
<p>You can’t even blame the Wahhabi or Unitarian strain of Islam favored by Riyadh for this problem, though its traditional texts are not innocent in it.</p>
<p>Neighboring Wahhabi Qatar has a clause in its constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia does not.</p>
<p>Qatar has licensed churches for its Filipino guest workers.</p>
<p>Saudi Arabia has not.</p>
<p>I was wandering around the back alleys of Dubai one time and came upon a small Hindu temple. There are hundreds of thousands of Hindus in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. You’d be more likely to find a unicorn in Saudi Arabia than a Hindu temple. But note that nearby Hindu-majority India has a huge Muslim minority and mosques all over the place.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.arabnews.com/node/1275406/saudi-arabia" type="external">Bin Salman’s</a> hypocrisy is not a new thing in Saudi policy. Under the last king, Riyadh established a King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna. That’s great, and from all accounts the center has done good work.</p>
<p>But if <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/node/1275406/saudi-arabia" type="external">bin Salman</a> wants to be taken seriously on religious tolerance, he has to bring the principle home from Vienna. He has already slashed the power of the bigoted religious police who controlled public behavior on Saudi streets. Sometimes they have been more interested in enforcing gender segregation than in allowing firefighters to get to the scene of a conflagration, putting women at risk or even becoming responsible for their deaths. The old Saudi religious police would not like religious tolerance.</p>
<p>Not only members of other religions, but other Muslims, including Shiites (15 percent of the Saudi population), non-Wahhabi Sunnis and Sufis, have often felt persecution. Some observers think that Saudi Arabia is only 40 percent Wahhabi, but it is that sect that sets state policy.</p>
<p>So <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/node/1275406/saudi-arabia" type="external">bin Salman</a> would be better not to open his mouth on the subject until Christmas can be celebrated at a church in Riyadh, as it is at churches throughout the Muslim world. And as Muslim Eids are commemorated at mosques throughout the Christian world.</p>
<p>Ironically enough, the Qur’an, the scripture revered by Muslims, has poignant passages about Jesus’s nativity longer than the accounts in the New Testament. But the people of Jesus can’t commemorate that nativity publicly in <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/node/1275406/saudi-arabia" type="external">bin Salman’s</a> Muslim country.</p>
<p>—–</p>
<p>&amp;amp;lt;span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/span&amp;amp;gt;</p> | Saudi Prince Hypocritically Touts Religious Tolerance in New York City | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/saudi-crown-prince-hypocritically-touts-religious-tolerance-in-new-york-city/ | 2018-03-29 | 4 |
<p>TORONTO (Reuters) - <a href="" type="internal">Research In Motion</a> shares neared a two-year low on Monday after the <a href="" type="internal">BlackBerry</a> maker said it had recalled about 1,000 of its Playbook tablet computers due to an operating system flaw.</p>
<p>The Canadian company has been dogged by troubles in recent months, disappointing investors by slashing sales and earnings forecasts soon after revealing a weak earnings outlook.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>RIM said the batch of 16 GB devices were shipped with "an OS build that may result in the devices being unable to properly load software upon initial set-up."</p>
<p>The PlayBook runs a QNX platform RIM bought last year and plans to migrate into its new smartphones starting in 2012.</p>
<p>"It probably doesn't move the needle financially but it's just another blemish from an execution standpoint," Avian Securities analyst Matthew Thornton said of the recall.</p>
<p>Most of the affected devices were still in distribution and had not reached customers, RIM said in an emailed statement.</p>
<p>The faulty batch was sent to office supply chain <a href="" type="internal">Staples</a> Inc , technology blog Engadget reported on Saturday.</p>
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<p>Staples did not respond to requests for comment.</p>
<p>RIM's Nasdaq-listed shares fell as low as $42.61, just 9 cents above an August 2010 trough. A fall below $42.52 would be the lowest price since March 2009 and give the company a market capitalization of $22.2 billion.</p>
<p>The shares have lost a quarter of their value this year.</p>
<p>RIM hoped the launch of the long-awaited PlayBook tablet could revive its fortunes, but the product garnered poor reviews and complaints it had been rushed out before it was ready.</p>
<p>Its aging BlackBerry smartphone lineup has steadily lost market share, especially in the hyper-competitive U.S. market, to snazzier devices such as Apple's <a href="" type="internal">iPhone</a> and a slew of devices running Google's Android software.</p>
<p>RIM is expected to ship some 3 million PlayBooks this year, far fewer than the 15 million iPads rival Apple shipped in a similar period last year to single-handedly create a market for touchscreen devices halfway between a smartphone and a laptop.</p>
<p>In April, RIM cut its first-quarter earnings outlook citing fewer smartphone shipments, particularly in the United States and Latin America, formerly a strong growth market for RIM as it expanded globally.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Alastair Sharp in Toronto and Renju Jose in Bangalore; Editing by Frank McGurty)</p> | RIM nears 2-year low after recalling some Playbooks | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/05/16/rim-nears-2-year-low-after-recalling-some-playbooks.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
<p>Jan 24 (Reuters) - F5 Networks Inc:</p> * Q1 GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE $1.41
<p>* Q1 REVENUE $523.2 MILLION VERSUS I/B/E/S VIEW $522 MILLION</p>
<p>* Q1 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $2.04 — THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S</p>
<p>* Q1 NON-GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE $2.26 EXCLUDING ITEMS</p>
<p>* ‍FOR Q2 OF FISCAL 2018, ENDING MARCH 31, COMPANY HAS SET A REVENUE GOAL OF $525 MILLION TO $535 MILLION​</p>
<p>* ‍FOR Q2 OF FISCAL 2018, ENDING MARCH 31, COMPANY HAS SET A GAAP EARNINGS TARGET OF $1.66 TO $1.69 PER DILUTED SHARE​</p>
<p>* ‍ FOR Q2 OF FISCAL 2018, ENDING MARCH 31, COMPANY HAS SET A NON-GAAP EARNINGS TARGET OF $2.24 TO $2.27 PER DILUTED SHARE​</p>
<p>* Q2 EARNINGS PER SHARE VIEW $2.12, REVENUE VIEW $528.2 MILLION — THOMSON REUTERS I/B/E/S Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK, 2018 - A rise in oil prices to three-week highs helped lift equity markets worldwide on Tuesday, while the U.S. dollar jumped ahead of a meeting of Federal Reserve policymakers, who are expected to go ahead with the first of at least three U.S. rate hikes this year.</p>
<p>U.S. technology stocks lagged broader markets, continuing a sell-off sparked by reports of large-scale misuse of Facebook user data. Facebook Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) shares lost 2.5 percent, continuing a slide that took nearly 7 percent off their price on Monday. While stocks on Wall Street climbed, Facebook’s drop kept the gains in check.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.DJI" type="external">.DJI</a> rose 116.36 points, or 0.47 percent, to 24,727.27, the S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> gained 4.02 points, or 0.15 percent, to 2,716.94 and the Nasdaq Composite <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.IXIC" type="external">.IXIC</a> rose 20.06 points, or 0.27 percnet, to 7,364.30.</p>
<p>There were other tech-related problems, as well. An accident with an Uber test car UBER.UL on Monday that resulted in the first fatality involving a fully autonomous vehicle also weighed on Silicon Valley sentiment.</p>
<p>Shares in European chipmakers faced pressure, while Germany’s SAP ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SAPG.DE" type="external">SAPG.DE</a>) declined 0.5 percent, hit by a knock-on effect from U.S. business software peer Oracle, whose quarterly revenue missed analysts’ estimates.</p>
<p>“There certainly are some stocks where valuations look somewhat stretched... so we’re focusing our exposure within the technology sector on the cheaper end of the market,” said Mike Bell, global market strategist at JPMorgan Asset Management.</p>
<p>“We’re a bit more cautious on the more expensive and some of the more popular names in the sector,” he added.</p> FOCUS ON THE DOLLAR
<p>The U.S. dollar climbed to a one-week high against the Japanese yen as traders limbered up for the start of a two-day Fed Reserve meeting.</p>
<p>With a quarter-point hike - its sixth since the Fed began raising interest rates in late 2015 - baked into market prices, major currencies were largely moving in ranges.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>“Euro/dollar is being buffeted by cross currents, especially as both central banks (Fed and the ECB) are normalizing policy, but it needs an unexpected policy action to jolt markets,” said Neil Jones, Mizuho’s London head of currency hedge fund sales.</p>
<p>Markets expect at least two more U.S. rate hikes after Wednesday this year, although analysts acknowledged that the central bank’s ‘dot plot’ could potentially point to as many as four.</p>
<p>The Fed bets kept long-term U.S. bond yields edging higher, with short-dated yields up too.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">Facebook Inc</a> 168.15 FB.O Nasdaq -4.41 (-2.56%) FB.O .DJI .SPX .IXIC SAPG.DE
<p>The yield on 10-year Treasuries was up at almost 2.89 percent US10YT=RR, 6 basis points below the four-year high of 2.957 percent touched a month ago. Two-year notes US2YT=RR hit a 9-1/2-year high of 2.33 percent.</p>
<p>Among major commodities, oil prices jumped in line with the dollar as investors remained wary of growing crude supply, although tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran provided some support. [O/R]</p>
<p>U.S. crude CLcv1 rose 2.24 percent to $63.52 per barrel and Brent LCOcv1 was last at $67.37, up 2 percent.</p>
<p>The potential for a trade war cast a shadow over export currencies after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on steel and aluminum. The government is expected to unveil up to $60 billion in new tariffs on Chinese imports by Friday.</p>
<p>U.S. businesses were alarmed, with several large U.S. retail companies, including Wal-Mart Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WMT.N" type="external">WMT.N</a>) and Target Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TGT.N" type="external">TGT.N</a>), on Monday urging Trump not to impose massive tariffs on goods imported from China.</p>
<p>The dollar index .DXY, tracking the greenback against a basket of major currencies, rose 0.74 percent, with the euro <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=EUR&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">EUR=</a> down 0.75 percent to $1.2241.</p>
<p>The Japanese yen weakened 0.42 percent versus the greenback to 106.54 per dollar, while sterling <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=GBP&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">GBP=</a> was at $1.3996, down 0.19 percent on the day.</p>
<p>Editing by Bernadette Baum and Dan Grebler</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Unfair trade and an overproduction of steel are at the root of international tensions over commerce, France’s finance minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday after a G20 gathering in Buenos Aires.</p> France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire speaks during a news conference at the G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>“This G20 meeting has been really useful because it has helped us to understand the difficulties of every nation and it has helped us make a path, a step in the right direction,” said Le Maire, adding that G20 members had acknowledged the issue of steel over-capacity.</p>
<p>“Unfair trade conditions are also at the root of our difficulties,” he said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Francesco Canepa; Editing by Paul Simao</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The G20 communique’s new reference on recent market volatility reflected Japan’s proposal to send a coordinated message on the risks it entailed, Japan’s vice finance minister Minoru Kihara said on Tuesday.</p> Japan's State Minister of Finance Minoru Kihara and Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda during a news conference at the G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers in Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Martin Acosta
<p>“I told the G20 we need to send a joint message on this point, and our view was taken into account in the communique,” Kihara told a news conference after the G20 finance leaders’ gathering.</p>
<p>The G20 communique said “recent market volatility despite sound fundamentals of the global economy is a reminder of risks and vulnerabilities,” a wording that was not included in previous communiques.</p>
<p>Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Andrea Ricci</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Opening statements in the trial to decide if AT&amp;T Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=T.N" type="external">T.N</a>) may buy Time Warner Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=TWX.N" type="external">TWX.N</a>) were delayed by one day until Thursday because of forecasts of bad weather in Washington.</p> FILE PHOTO - The AT&amp;T logo is pictured during the Forbes Forum 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico, September 18, 2017. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=T.N" type="external">AT&amp;T Inc</a> 36.34 T.N New York Stock Exchange -0.24 (-0.66%) T.N TWX.N
<p>Opening statements were expected Wednesday before Judge Richard Leon, who will decide if the U.S. Justice Department was correct to seek to block the $85 billion deal on the grounds that it would hurt cable television rivals and, by extension, their consumers.</p>
<p>Reporting by Diane Bartz; Writing by Eric Beech; Editing by Eric Walsh</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BRIEF-F5 Networks Q1 Earnings Per Share $1.41 Global stocks get lift from oil prices; Fed bets boost dollar France's Le Maire blames 'unfair trade' for global commerce woes G20 reference on market volatility reflects Japan's view: vice finance minister Start of AT&T-Time Warner trial delayed until Thursday due to bad weather | false | https://reuters.com/article/brief-f5-networks-q1-earnings-per-share/brief-f5-networks-q1-earnings-per-share-141-idUSASB0C26V | 2018-01-24 | 2 |
<p>Shares of EOG Resources&#160;(NYSE: EOG), extending their 8% decline through the first seven months of the year, fell 10% in August, according to&#160; <a href="http://marketintelligence.spglobal.com/" type="external">S&amp;P Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a>. Although there were several <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/08/03/3-things-from-eog-resources-incs-2q-results-you-wo.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=20ec4f9e-93c9-11e7-bb6a-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">highlights Opens a New Window.</a> from the company's second-quarter earnings report, the company, overall, disappointed investors.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Booking revenue of $2.6 billion in the second quarter -- a 47% increase year over year -- EOG Resources beat analysts' expectations of $2.4 billion. Unimpressed with the top-line improvement, investors emphasized the company's inability to meet analysts' earnings estimate of $0.10 per share for Q2. EOG Resources reported earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, of $0.08.</p>
<p>Besides missing analysts' estimates, investors were disheartened by the company's rising costs. EOG Resources reported operating expenses of $2.49 billion in Q2, which, compared with the $2.06 billion it reported in Q2 2016, represented a 20% increase year over year. According to the company's 10-Q, the increase was driven by a $37 million year-over-year-increase in lease and well expenses related to increased operating and maintenance costs in both the United States and United Kingdom.</p>
<p>But the blemishes in the company's earnings report weren't the only reason the stock fell in August.</p>
<p>The price of West Texas Intermediate crude reversed course from its 11% rise throughout July, falling nearly 4% in August.</p>
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<p>The dog days of summer may have taken a bite out of EOG's stock, but investors should recognize this as an overreaction -- not as a red flag. They should focus, instead, on the causes for celebration in the company's earnings report. EOG, for example, reported total crude oil volumes of 334,700 barrels of oil per day. In addition to a company oil production record, this also represented a 25% increase year over year. According to the company's press release, the future looks bright as well. Because of strong well productivity improvements, management increased its full-year 2017 U.S. crude oil growth target from 18% to 20%. Further contributing to an auspicious outlook, management expects the depreciation, depletion, and amortization rate will drop 9% in 2017 from where it was in 2016.</p>
<p>There are other signs that suggest an auspicious future. The company, for example, reported that it signed a new multi-year contract to supply future natural gas volumes to the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago Limited beginning in 2019. In the press release, management noted, "The new contract opens opportunities for additional investments that can deliver rates of return competitive with EOG's premier on-shore oil plays." And looking further into the future, management, on the conference call, noted, "In addition to strong growth this year, we continue to execute our robust exploration program to capture low-cost acreage in plays that we believe could contain premium quality rock that would add to our growing 10-year inventory of premium drilling locations."</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than EOG ResourcesWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
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<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of September 5, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFProudMonkey/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=20ec4f9e-93c9-11e7-bb6a-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Scott Levine Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=20ec4f9e-93c9-11e7-bb6a-0050569d32b9&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Why Did Shares of EOG Resources Drop 10% in August? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/08/why-did-shares-eog-resources-drop-10-in-august.html | 2017-09-08 | 0 |
<p>One down, one to go. That’s the mind-set of nuclear power opponents who rejoiced over the 2012 closure of the malfunctioning San Onofre nuclear plant in northern San Diego County and are now setting their sights on Pacific Gas &amp; Electric’s <a href="http://www.pge.com/en/safety/systemworks/dcpp/index.page" type="external">Diablo Canyon</a> nuclear plant near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County.</p>
<p>But there’s a twist to this story. Recent coverage suggests that PG&amp;E might not put up a fight when its 40-year federal licenses for Diablo Canyon’s two Westinghouse-made nuclear reactors expire in 2024 and 2025. While PG&amp;E’s <a href="http://www.pge.com/en/safety/systemworks/dcpp/aboutus/index.page" type="external">website</a> depicts a 20-year extension of the licenses as a no-brainer way to keep supplying clean, non-greenhouse-gas power to more than 3 million people, the company’s dithering on the regulatory front has caught environmentalists’ attention.</p>
<p>This is from a recent Los Angeles Times <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-hiltzik-20160103-column.html" type="external">account</a>:</p>
<p>Although PG&amp;E has asserted that the plant’s continued operation would save its customers as much as $16 billion during the additional 20 years, the cost of bringing Diablo Canyon into compliance with environmental and seismic mandates may in fact not be worth the effort.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Energy regulators and advocates have few clues to whether PG&amp;E’s goal is to seek Diablo Canyon’s renewal or find an easy excuse for shutting it down early. “They’re so cagey about the future that I can’t help thinking there’s a strategy here,” says Matthew Freedman, a staff attorney for the consumer watchdog group Turn.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Freedman believes the utility’s intention is to delay the renewal proceeding long enough to hamper any opposition. In 2007, the state Public Utilities Commission directed the utility to decide whether to seek renewal at least 10 years in advance of the license expirations, so energy planners would have time to figure out how to replace Diablo Canyon’s output if the plant went dark. Waiting much longer would be “reckless and gambling with the public interest,” the PUC said.</p>
<p>A San Francisco Chronicle <a href="http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Nuclear-power-s-last-stand-in-California-Will-6630933.php" type="external">report</a>, however, is less conspiratorial in its analysis, depicting PG&amp;E leaders as more interested in other issues — starting with damage control with the utility’s reputation over its <a href="http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/article/NE/20151224/NEWS/151229840" type="external">pending</a>federal criminal trial:</p>
<p>Once eager to extend Diablo’s licenses, company executives now say they aren’t sure. Since the deadly 2010 explosion of a PG&amp;E natural gas pipeline beneath San Bruno, their focus has been on reforming the company and repairing its image, not relicensing Diablo.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>And any extension will involve a fight. The plant sits within a maze of earthquake faults, all of them discovered after construction began in 1968. Seismic safety fears have dogged the nuclear industry in California for more than 50 years, forcing PG&amp;E to abandon plans for one of its first reactors.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>“We’ve got a lot on our plates, and we just don’t need to take on another big public issue right now,” said Tony Earley, PG&amp;E Corp.’s CEO.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>If Diablo closes, no nuclear plant will take its place. California law forbids building more until federal officials come up with a permanent way to deal with the waste. Thirty-nine years after the law passed, that still hasn’t happened.</p>
<p>This aggravates nuclear power advocates, who thought the deep concerns many have about global warming would lead to a <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-nuclear-power-can-stop-global-warming/" type="external">renaissance</a>for nuclear power in California and elsewhere. Instead, Japan’s 2011 disaster at its Fukushima nuclear plant has blunted momentum.</p>
<p>Anti-nuclear activists have spent years <a href="http://nuclear-news.net/2015/03/27/diablo-canyon-an-american-nuclear-plant-with-troubling-similarities-to-fukushima/" type="external">comparing</a>conditions at Diablo Canyon with those in Fukushima, suggesting its location on or near several seismic fault lines could lead to a Fukushima-style tragedy along the Central California coast. But the claims of close parallels have generally been discounted by conventional California media.</p> | Diablo Canyon’s fate: Greens suspect PG&E con game | false | https://calwatchdog.com/2016/01/13/diablo-canyons-fate-greens-suspect-pge-con-game/ | 2018-01-20 | 3 |
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/JB.jpg" type="external" />Jeb Bush hasn't announced whether he's decided to run for president in 2016, but the former Florida governor has promised that if he does he will strive to govern like former Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson . Speaking at Saint Leo University in San Antonio, Fla., the Republican praised [?]</p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/15/jeb-bush-praises-lyndon-b-johnson-he-did-what-lead/" type="external">Click here to view original web page at www.washingtontimes.com</a></p>
<p /> | Jeb Bush praises Lyndon B. Johnson: 'He did what leaders do' | true | http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/jeb-bush-praises-lyndon-b-johnson-he-did-what-leaders-do/ | 0 |
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<p>WASHINGTON — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EDT):</p>
<p>8:45 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump is touting the embattled House Republican health care plan, telling his supporters that “the House legislation does so much for you.”</p>
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<p>But he’s making clear that he’s open to debate and negotiation.</p>
<p>Trump tells supporters at a campaign-style rally in Nashville, Tennessee, that “we’re going to all get together, we’re going to get something done.”</p>
<p>The plan has been criticized by some conservatives as “Obamacare lite” and by others because of projections that millions would lose coverage.</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>8:35 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump is blasting a court for halting what he’s calling a “watered-down version” of his travel ban.</p>
<p>Trump is telling supporters at a campaign-style rally in Nashville, Tennessee, that he learned moments ago that a district judge in Hawaii had halted his order, which temporarily suspends the U.S. refugee program and bars the entry of people from certain Muslim-majority countries.</p>
<p>Trump says the ruling is “unprecedented judicial overreach” and “makes us look weak.”</p>
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<p>He says he’s going to fight the decision and take it all the way to the Supreme Court, if necessary. And he says, “We’re going to win.”</p>
<p>__</p>
<p>8 p.m.</p>
<p>The White House is planning to make senior aide Dina Powell a deputy national security adviser, according to two people familiar with the details.</p>
<p>Powell will be deputy national security adviser for strategy, working with national security adviser H.R. McMaster. A person familiar with the move says K.T. McFarland will continue to hold a position as deputy national security adviser.</p>
<p>Both people requested anonymity to discuss the plans ahead of an official announcement.</p>
<p>Powell currently serves as an assistant to the president and senior counselor for economic initiatives. She has been a key adviser for first daughter Ivanka Trump inside the White House.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>6:02 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump is celebrating his predecessor Andrew Jackson, hailing the former president as an inspiration and drawing comparisons between them.</p>
<p>Trump says on the 250th anniversary of Jackson’s birth that Jackson was “one of our great presidents.”</p>
<p>He says Jackson opposed the “arrogant elite” and asked the audience: “Does that sound familiar to you?”</p>
<p>Trump is speaking in front of the Hermitage – Jackson’s home in Nashville, Tennessee — which he toured before delivering remarks.</p>
<p>He says the visit was “inspirational,” and added that “I’m a fan.”</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>5:53 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump is laying a wreath at the tomb of Andrew Jackson on the 250th anniversary of the former president’s birth.</p>
<p>Trump stood at the grave, his hand raised in a salute, as taps was played.</p>
<p>The president also toured Jackson’s home, the Hermitage, in Nashville, before holding a rally in the Tennessee city later Wednesday.</p>
<p>Jackson has enjoyed a moment of resurgence thanks to Trump. During the campaign, some of Trump’s aides took to comparing him to the former president — a fellow populist outsider who took on a member of the Washington establishment and ran a campaign railing against corrupt elites.</p>
<p>The museum’s president says attendance has surged since the November election.</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>5:20 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump’s decision to re-examine Obama-era fuel economy standards is meeting with strong opposition from officials on both coasts.</p>
<p>California Gov. Jerry Brown is denouncing the Trump administration’s move, telling EPA director Scott Pruitt in a letter Wednesday it was a “gift to polluters.”</p>
<p>Brown warns automakers in another letter Wednesday that his state will take the “necessary steps” to preserve its current emissions standards.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says in a statement that the president’s action “represents a dramatic wrong turn in our nation’s efforts to fight air pollution from passenger cars and trucks, and protect the health of our children, seniors, and all communities.”</p>
<p>Schneiderman says he is speaking for a coalition of attorneys general from nine states, including Maryland, Massachusetts and Oregon.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>4:27 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump is standing by his tweet that the Obama administration wiretapped him last year.</p>
<p>Speaking on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” Trump says “wiretap covers a lot of different things.”</p>
<p>Trump also says in the interview that he expects “some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next 2 weeks.”</p>
<p>Republican and Democratic leaders of the House Intelligence Committee say they have seen no evidence supporting Trump’s claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him.</p>
<p>The full interview will be aired Wednesday night.</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>4:22 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump says he has “no idea” how his 2005 tax documents were made public but says the move was “illegal” and a “disgrace.”</p>
<p>Trump says in an interview with Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that the tax records should not have been leaked but he says “it’s certainly not an embarrassing tax return at all.”</p>
<p>Reporter David Cay Johnston revealed the tax documents in an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. The two pages showed that the president earned $150 million in 2005 and paid $38 million in income taxes that year.</p>
<p>Trump refused to release his tax returns during his campaign, breaking precedent with previous presidential nominees.</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>4:20 p.m.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump is praising the Senate for its support of his national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.</p>
<p>The statement Wednesday followed a vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee to re-appoint McMaster as a three-star general “to a position of importance and responsibility.”</p>
<p>National security advisers aren’t subject to Senate confirmation, but McMaster elected to remain in uniform rather than retire from military service, and generals need the chamber’s approval when they’re promoted or change assignments.</p>
<p>Trump says in the statement that “the Senate’s broad, bipartisan support for General McMaster affirms that he is the right person for this job.”</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>12:15 p.m.</p>
<p>The lottery for tickets to next month’s White House Easter Egg Roll opened Wednesday. But hurry, it closes in three days.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump previously announced that the 139-year-old tradition of rolling pastel-colored, hard-boiled eggs across the White House South Lawn will take place April 17.</p>
<p>Tickets are available only through the lottery, which opened at noon Wednesday and closes at noon Saturday. The website is <a href="http://www.recreation.gov." type="external">http://www.recreation.gov.</a> It doesn’t cost anything to enter; tickets are also free.</p>
<p>The White House says winners will be notified by email on March 31.</p>
<p>Families with children ages 13 and under may participate in the day of festivities. The annual Easter Egg Roll dates to 1878 and the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes.</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>11:02 a.m.</p>
<p>The White House says President Donald Trump told a Saudi delegation that he hopes to continue their consultations for regional issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.</p>
<p>The statement from the White House, released a day after the president’s meeting with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, emphasized Trump’s “strong desire to achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”</p>
<p>The statement also says that both sides noted the importance of “confronting Iran’s destabilizing regional activities” while continuing to enforce the Iran nuclear deal.</p>
<p>Trump and the Saudi delegation also discussed their mutual commitment to fighting “Daesh” — the Trump administration using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group for the first time.</p>
<p>_____</p>
<p>7:30 a.m.</p>
<p>The journalist who received a copy of a portion of President Donald Trump’s 2005 tax returns says Trump doesn’t want the American people to know who “he’s beholden to.”</p>
<p>In an interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, journalist David Cay Johnston says it’s possible that either Trump or someone close to him sent him two pages of Trump’s tax return.</p>
<p>Johnston, who says he received the documents by mail, unsolicited, revealed his findings Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”</p>
<p>He says it’s possible that he only received two pages of the returns because “somebody isn’t going to take the time to copy the entire tax form.”</p>
<p>But he notes that the documents still leave many questions unanswered, including “who he’s beholden to and what the sources of his income are.”</p> | Trump touts GOP health care plan at Tenn. rally | false | https://abqjournal.com/969899/the-latest-trump-lays-wreath-at-the-tomb-of-andrew-jackson.html | 2017-03-15 | 2 |
<p>Whirlpool whacked after earnings</p>
<p>U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday, with the Dow hitting the latest in a series of records as earnings continued to come in largely ahead of expectations.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Both Caterpillar and 3M boosted the blue-chip average's advance, while broader gains were limited by declines in health-care shares.</p>
<p>What are the main benchmarks doing?</p>
<p>The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 174 points, or 0.8%, to 23,447, hitting an intraday record in early trading. The S&amp;P 500 was up 3.5 points, or 0.1%, to 2,568, with six of the 11 main sectors trading higher. Financials were leading gains, up 0.8%, with materials and industrials not far behind, up 0.6%. Meanwhile, health-care stocks faltered, largely due to declines in biotech shares.</p>
<p>The Nasdaq Composite rose 13 points, or 0.2%, to 6,599. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) was down 0.8%, limiting gains on the Nasdaq.</p>
<p>Both the S&amp;P and the Nasdaq remain within 1 percentage point of their own records.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Which stocks look like key movers?</p>
<p>Heavy-machinery manufacturer Caterpillar Inc.(CAT) jumped 5% in its biggest one-day percentage gain since July after its earnings beat forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/caterpillar-shares-jump-7-after-company-beats-wall-street-q3-earnings-expectations-2017-10-24). Fellow Dow component (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/3ms-stock-jumps-after-profit-and-revenue-rise-above-expectations-2017-10-24)3M Co.(MMM) gained about 7% after its own results, putting it on track for its biggest one-day pop since July 2009. Both stocks were among the biggest gainers on the Dow and the S&amp;P.</p>
<p>Shares in Whirlpool(WHR) fell 11% a day after the appliance manufacturer posted weaker-than-anticipated results and lowered its outlook (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/whirlpool-shares-tank-on-earnings-miss-lower-outlook-2017-10-23), and Sears Holdings Corp.(SHLD) reportedly plans to stop selling Whirlpool appliances (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sears-to-stop-selling-whirlpool-appliances-2017-10-24) in its stores. Whirlpool was the S&amp;P's biggest loser. Sears shares lost 9%.</p>
<p>McDonald's(MCD) rose 0.4% after reporting third-quarter results that met expectations (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/mcdonalds-reports-earnings-and-revenue-in-line-with-expectations-2017-10-24). Global same-store sales rose 6% in the quarter, above forecasts.</p>
<p>Lockheed Martin Corp.(LMT) fell 2.5% after its third-quarter profit came in below analyst forecasts.</p>
<p>General Motors Co.(GM) rose 3% after it posted earnings and revenue that topped forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gm-shares-rise-after-earnings-and-revenue-beat-2017-10-24).</p>
<p>Drug giant (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/eli-lilly-beats-profit-and-sales-expectations-as-diabetes-sales-soar-39-2017-10-24)Eli Lilly &amp; Co.(LLY) fell 4.5% after its results while Biogen Inc. (BIIB) sank 4.1% despite results that topped forecasts (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/biogen-shares-rise-14-after-q3-profit-revenue-beats-2017-10-24).</p>
<p>Read:EarningsWatch--Amazon, Alphabet and AMD form tech's A list (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/earningswatch-amazon-alphabet-and-amd-form-techs-a-list-2017-10-23)</p>
<p>Facebook Inc.(FB) edged 0.8% higher after the social network late Monday denied that it's planning to charge publications (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/facebook-denies-plans-to-charge-publications-for-posts-2017-10-23) to post in its main product.</p>
<p>What could help drive markets?</p>
<p>Check out:MarketWatch's Economic Calendar (http://www.marketwatch.com/economy-politics/calendars/economic)</p>
<p>No Federal Reserve officials are scheduled to make speeches on Tuesday, but traders may be bracing for Thursday's European Central Bank gathering and Friday's release on third-quarter gross domestic product. There are also expectations that President Trump will announce a new Federal Reserve boss before he starts a trip to Asia on Nov. 3.</p>
<p>See:Trump says he's 'very, very close' to naming pick for Fed chief (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-today-president-says-hes-very-very-close-to-naming-pick-for-fed-chief-2017-10-23)</p>
<p>What are strategists saying?</p>
<p>"For the most part, earnings across sectors are coming in strong, and Caterpillar is significant today. Not only did they blow their numbers out of the water, but they export so much, suggesting that the whole concept of the global economy becoming synchronized and moving higher is in play," said John Brady, managing director at R.J. O'Brien &amp; Associates, a futures brokerage and clearing company.</p>
<p>"I'm not concerned about valuations yet, though it is hard to find cheap stocks. But there is just no compelling investment alternative to equities right now."</p>
<p>What are other assets doing?</p>
<p>Oil futures (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-prices-churn-as-geopolitical-risks-set-against-high-us-crude-exports-remains-key-market-feature-2017-10-24) settled at their highest level since mid-April at $52.47 a barrel. Gold futures (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gold-pushed-down-by-mild-dollar-strength-expected-recovery-for-stocks-2017-10-24) finished lower, at $1,278.30 an ounce. The ICE U.S. Dollar Index (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dollar-finds-support-from-rising-treasury-yields-while-euro-languishes-2017-10-24) traded slightly lower. European stocks (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-wobble-in-muted-action-but-earnings-provide-some-uplift-2017-10-24) were a mixed bag (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/european-stocks-wobble-in-muted-action-but-earnings-provide-some-uplift-2017-10-24), as were Asian markets (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nikkei-pushes-to-extend-win-streak-to-16-sessions-even-as-dow-sp-runs-are-halted-2017-10-23).</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>October 24, 2017 15:24 ET (19:24 GMT)</p> | MARKET SNAPSHOT: Dow Hits Record, Boosted By Earnings-driven Gains From Caterpillar, 3M | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/24/market-snapshot-dow-hits-record-boosted-by-earnings-driven-gains-from-caterpillar-3m.html | 2017-10-24 | 0 |
<p>Being an activist for social justice is not an easy task. You seldom get paid and often lose partners, family, friends or your job when it is discovered that you equate the welfare of others with your own. This somehow makes you a pariah, a target for derision.</p>
<p>So why do it you ask?</p>
<p>I believe that if you see injustice and fail to act, then you are just as guilty as the perpetrators of the injustice. I bring this up now because our nations ‘volunteer’ armed services are being forced, not asked, to continue the perpetration of injustice on the people of Iraq. An injustice all the more because it has nothing to with liberation of people but liberation of natural resources for exploitation. U.S. servicepersons are forbidden to choose whether or not they will facilitate or actively engage in this slaughter of innocent civilians for the interests of the oil barons, I mean national security. They, mostly poor African American, Latino and White enlisted men and women enticed by the promises of education, medical benefits and ‘job’ training, are bound by oath to obey the orders of their arbitrarily appointed superiors and ‘elected’ officials even when those orders result in the commission of war crimes which they and not there chain of command or political masters can be charged with and convicted of. Our refusal to join the world court ensured this. My recruiter never revealed that information to me. To be fair I never asked because I never thought that I could be in such a situation.</p>
<p>Having recently read “Up Against the Brass”, the story of Pvt. Andy Stapp, who founded the American Servicemen’s Union in 1967 to support GI’s in opposition to the war in Vietnam and to fight the hypocrisy of the Military in general, I decided to try and carry on this endeavor in a small way by relaying my own experiences and offering reasons why our men and women in uniform and those pondering enlistment should oppose this war and resist serving in it by all means necessary.</p>
<p>In August of 1999 at the ripe ‘old’ age of 29, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Why? The truth is, to this day I really do not know the answer to that loaded question. Maybe I was deluded in to thinking that I was championing the cause of freedom and democracy. Perhaps I felt I was serving my fellow Americans by ensuring their safety. The heroic deeds of General Smedley Butler and many other war ‘heroes’ are methodically drilled into your head during Marine recruit training. Their names and accomplishments are recited by boots while waiting in the endless lines for hair cuts, toiletries, forced vaccinations, urination and chow. This is done to ensure that each and every Marine feels pressure to aspire to greatness in battle and bring honor to their country and themselves.</p>
<p>Sadly, I came across General Butler’s enlightening ‘War is Just A Racket’ speech after being discharged from the Corps. This, the most important of the General’s accomplishments is conveniently left out during ‘indoctrination’ even though it was delivered in 1933!</p>
<p>Being the police protection for big business in the third world is neither honorable nor just. If the rank and file service members knew whom they really represented, I have no doubt that they would refuse to do so. Boot camp is like the first day at a new school with all the fear and anxiety of being alone in a foreign place except in this school the teachers control your every waking moment. You are admonished never to call the drill instructor a drill ‘sergeant’, that’s the nasty Army terminology and Marines are superior to all other branches, or look them in the eye for any reason. You do not speak unless spoken to and in the case that you need to urinate, permission must be requested in the proper military manner. I witnessed more than one boot piss on himself at the position of attention because he failed repeatedly to request permission in the proper military manner. This is truly a proud moment in someone’s life. It doesn’t pay to have a stammer or nervously mix up your words. It also doesn’t ‘behoove’ you to stand to close to a drill instructor. It is made clear to you at the beginning of training that if an instructor feels ‘threatened’ by a recruit he or she may respond with extreme force and violence in ‘self-defense’. Lets say that some kids never heard this because I saw a few black eyes while I was there.</p>
<p>The only words that make the loneliness, the physical torture, the verbal abuse, the humiliation, the gas chamber, the group punishment for individual mistakes, the endless hours of make your bunk, unmake your bunk worthwhile are, “It gets much better at your next duty station”. The School of Infantry, I assume from the word ‘infantile’, was my next duty station.</p>
<p>It does not get any better. When in formation you must stand at attention and keep your eyes straight. One of our Sergeants used to take great pleasure in walking up to a Marine and asking him, “Do you know what my favorite city in Thailand is?” When the Marine, without moving, answered no, the Sergeant would slap him in the genitals and exclaim, “Bangkok!” After a few rounds of this we learned to answer correctly while shielding our groins.</p>
<p>I still am not sure what this sort of ‘training’ was preparing us for. After 3 months of learning how to kill ‘Luke the gook’, ‘Jackie the Iraqi’, and ‘Joe rag head’ with all means available and reciting cadences like ‘Napalm sticks to kids’ and ‘We’re gonna rape, kill, pillage and burn’ while we ran on the streets of the base, I began to really question what the hell I was doing in the Marine Corps. Why were we de-humanizing these people? Does racism make the job of killing them easier? That certainly couldn’t be what this was all about. Could it?</p>
<p>The most sobering experience, even for the hard-core would-be killers in my class, was Urban Combat training. When it was learned that a 30% casualty rate was expected in house to house fighting more than a few of them regretted signing the ‘contract’! Imagine that, at least 3 out 10 GIs will DIE when they invade Iraqi towns and cities. Haven’t were learned from Viet Nam that people will fight furiously to defend their homes? Wouldn’t you?</p>
<p>Another duty station and nothing changed. This time I was enrolled in electronics school at 29 Palms. My career in Infantry had thankfully been scrapped after an injury during Reconnaissance training and due to much pleading on my own behalf to be out of the combat ‘arts’. Who knows, I might have gone on to protect former Unocal Oil spokesman and now President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, from his own brethren. More than likely, I would still be in the brig for refusing to crash wedding parties.</p>
<p>Marine Corps Base 29 Palms is just about the most desolate and bizarre piece of real estate in the country. Located in the high desert outside Palm Springs, it is hard to believe you are not on Mars. Morale here is said to be the lowest of any duty station in the Corps. If my new superiors were any indication, the reason is clear. Every morning before class the platoon would get into formation for inspection. They look at your uniform, your haircut and most importantly, your shave. One of the young Corporals in charge of our class liked to pace up and down the ranks and indiscriminately swat an unsuspecting Marine in the crotch. Non commissioned officers seem to have an affinity for this in the Marine Corps. Was this the secret to defeating your enemy? Why do they fight so hard to exclude homosexuals from military service? I think they have a lot more respect for fellow soldiers than this.</p>
<p>One particular morning stands out in my memory. A few Marines had been found to have, in the class Sergeants opinion, unsatisfactory shaves. Protests and verbal abuse, including threats of bodily harm and death, over the situation caught the attention of our instructors, two Staff Sergeants. One of them produced a pink lady bic shaver and handed it to Corporal ‘slaps your nuts’. Brimming with satisfaction he ordered the offending parties to dry shave right there on the spot. I was pissed. After a few moments one of the instructors ordered them into the head so as not to attract attention. Death threats and sharing a lady’s razor because of poor hygiene? I could see that the only battles we were being trained for were among ourselves. When one human being believes they are above another then they become their own enemy. Needless to say, I vowed then and there to get out any way I could.</p>
<p>I was losing weight. I was unable to eat without severe stomach cramps and diarrhea. I missed almost all of my physical training sessions due to weakness and the frequent visits to the hospital for dehydration. More than once I needed I.V. fluids. Their solution to ‘my’ problem was not the discharge that I sought but the idea that I buck up and get with the program. They even suggested putting me on anti-depressants! I told them under no circumstances was I going to medicate myself in order to put up with this shitty existence. And I certainly wasn’t going to engage in the universal military pastime of drunkenness in order to deal with it.</p>
<p>After seeing a shrink on base it was determined that I was suffering from a ‘personality disorder’ and should be let go. It was the best news I had heard in a long time.</p>
<p>My Master Sergeant, however, was not going to let me go. “My wife has been bi-polar for 22 years. We are all depressed. Get over it.” he shouted. I wasn’t quite sure how his unhappiness with his wife or her illness had anything to do with me.</p>
<p>My memory flashed back to Recon training. I had witnessed three Marines attempt suicide because they felt they had no other way out. They requested discharges and were denied and given orders to fleet combat units. This had so devastated their moral that they traveled to Mexico and bought a large amount of Valium in their desperation. Lucky for them Valium is a poor choice for poisoning. The dose one would have to take is almost impossible to swallow. They were groggy as hell for the first few days and spent at least a week in the psych ward for observation. I won’t forget having overheard one of their instructor’s remark that they should have died because they were pussies. Semper Fidelis!</p>
<p>I can only imagine what the parents of these young men must have gone through. I was just glad that they had survived and would be on there way home in a few short weeks.</p>
<p>In truth I was jealous. I could not bring myself to even think about taking my life. After all, I had so much to live for. But I knew I had to get away from this demoralizing machine.</p>
<p>I decided, after a letter I wrote to my commanding officer failed to get the ball rolling, to go U.A. That’s the Marine Corps version of AWOL.</p>
<p>After five days, in which my mother was pressured and frightened to divulge my whereabouts, I contacted legal counsel and turned myself in.</p>
<p>There are some good people in the Marine Corps. One of them spoke up on my behalf at my adjudication proceeding. My Master Sergeant, on the other hand, advised punishment to the fullest extent allowed. My commanding officer agreed. I received 45 days restriction to barracks and 30 days extra duty to run concurrent. I was also fined half a months pay for two months. More importantly, and as I greatly desired, they were processing me for discharge.</p>
<p>During this period I came into contact with all the ‘mal-contents’ that were in various stages of separation or legal limbo. I found most of them on the whole to be decent, hard working individuals and we all had one thing in common; we were not going to be broken and used to propagate the degradation and cruelty of militarism.</p>
<p>Some take to military life very well. Especially senior NCOs and officers. The enlisted however live in constant anxiety. The pay is low, racism and sexual harassment are rampant and domestic violence is a harsh reality. Fort Bragg has recently come to everyone’s attention because of the number of murder suicides that have taken place there. Vaccinations that are FDA approved for experimentation only are routinely given to U.S. soldiers with the threat of court martial for refusal. Ground troops are in constant danger from ‘friendly fire’ by USAF pilots. These pilots are given amphetamines to increase their stamina for longer missions and downers when they land to allow them to sleep. Could the Canadian unit in Afghanistan have been bombed as a result of this criminally negligent policy?</p>
<p>Times have changed little. Soldiers in Vietnam were given speed to increase there killing efficiency. This gives a new meaning to the ‘War’ on drugs. Not only do troops have to be wary of there own forces but now civilian contractors almost outnumber them on the battlefield. According to a recent report, the Army does not have any idea how many contractors they employ! Many new combat systems are totally dependant on civilian maintenance. What’s more, they are upset because in their words, “You can shoot a soldier when he fails to show up, but you can’t shoot a civilian contractor”.</p>
<p>A soldier is expendable. Remember that. 167,000 veterans of the last war in Iraq are being denied benefits because the government refuses to acknowledge Gulf War Syndrome. They also deny that Depleted Uranium is hazardous. Many U.S. and allied soldiers still pass uranium in there urine! Still others deliver hideously deformed children or watch as seemingly normal ones die of rare cancers. Be all that you can be: Do Not Go To Iraq.</p>
<p>I guess the reason why I joined the Marine Corps was so that I could speak to others on this subject and have them listen. My work, as an activists with A.N.S.W.E.R., Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, and the International Action Center, afforded me the opportunity to be in Washington D.C. on October 26th with the rest of the over 200,000 civilians and veterans of previous wars who came to show their opposition to this unjust military aggression.</p>
<p>Helping to organize this important event will always be one of the greatest achievements of my life. I spoke with veterans from Korea, Vietnam and the first Gulf War. They all had the same thing to say, “No War On Iraq”. To those who are currently enlisted and those thinking about it I say this, Iraq is not a threat to this country. There is no proof that Iraq sponsors terrorism or has any connections to those that do. They are barely able to feed themselves or treat their sick. Why would they provoke even more devastation than has already been visited upon them?</p>
<p>The U.S. government used Saddam while he was capable of ‘punishing’ Iran. Donald Rumsfeld was present in Iraq when the Kurds were being gassed with technology that the U.S. government provided and said nothing! Our ambassador to Iraq told Saddam we would not interfere in Iraq’s conflict with Kuwait. A conflict that was about territorial integrity and the illegal pumping of oil from Iraqi fields.</p>
<p>We LIED!</p>
<p>The first Gulf War reduced Iraq from the most industrialized, educated and progressively secular nation in the Middle East to beggar status. Sanctions and daily bombing for nearly 11 years have killed over a million innocent people without one loss of an American life. Now that Saudi Arabia is becoming more and more non-cooperative with the U.S., the oil companies need to gain access somewhere else. Iraq just happens to possess the second largest oil reserves in the world and by coincidence is a militarily weak and ostracized country.</p>
<p>If they could defend themselves effectively, say like China, then would the U.S. be so bold? The U.S. corporate media thoroughly demonizes Iraq and grossly mis-reports the demonstrations against this war that are taking place in this country and around the world on a daily basis. George Bush is using fear and patriotism to justify the restriction of civil liberties, racial profiling and Imperial aggression on behalf of corporations. Save yourselves.</p>
<p>Don’t become thugs for big business. Instead use your talents to help alleviate the conditions that breed terrorism in the first place. Stand up and be counted among the majority that say, “Money for Jobs, Education, Health care and Housing, not for War!”</p>
<p>SCOTT COSSETTE can be reached at: <a href="" type="internal">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | To Serve or Not to Serve? | true | https://counterpunch.org/2002/11/11/to-serve-or-not-to-serve/ | 2002-11-11 | 4 |
<p>On a bad day, you cannot see forever in Mexico City.</p>
<p>That's how it has been lately, ever since the city government rang the alarm bells over its air pollution, as it surpassed the recommended ozone limits set by the World Health Organization. It was the first time such alarms went off in more than a decade. The city banned cars, old and new, from roads once a week, along with other measures that will continue until June and perhaps longer.</p>
<p>It all raises the question: Will Mexico City risk the gains it made in the 1990s and return to its image as a pollution-choked city?</p>
<p>It’s a question that especially worries Catalina Guardado, who works at a nursery school in Mexico City. Like many other schools and nurseries here, it was shut down for a day in April, when ozone levels hit emergency levels. After it reopened, kids were kept indoors for days.</p>
<p>“We kept the windows and doors closed,” she says. The kids went stir crazy, but better that than risking their still-developing lungs.</p>
<p>What’s happening? Air quality has generally improved in Mexico’s capital over the last 20 years or so. Back then, locals used to say that living here was like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. Memories are also fresh from the 1980s, when the air was particularly bad.</p>
<p>“We saw birds that suddenly fell down. They fell out of the sky and they were dead,” says Gabriela Alarcón, who researches pollution at the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness,&#160;a think-tank in Mexico City.</p>
<p>Since then, officials have pushed out big refineries, banned leaded gas, and built more public transportation. It all made a difference, for a while. But now things seem to be backsliding. By this time last year, 75 percent of the days had been considered bad air days. So far this year, it’s more than 80 percent.&#160;</p>
<p />
<p>Tanya Müller&#160;García, minister of the environment for Mexico City, show her office displays that track air pollution in&#160;real&#160;time. She also show a smartphone app created by the city&#160;that lets the public monitor the city's air and receive alerts&#160;about traffic restrictions and whether to curtail outdoor activities because of&#160;air pollution. &#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Monica Campbell</p>
<p>Yet despite those improvements, Mexico City’s population continues to grow, up roughly 10&#160;percent over the last decade, to more than 21 million. Most new residents live on the outskirts, and Alarcón says more sprawl, means “longer trips with more people driving cars.”</p>
<p>About 200,000 more cars are on the road every year here, according to the city. Many are new and cleaner (Mexico is a major car-making country and dealers offer consumers a raft of attractive financing options). But plenty of cars are still dirty, and smog checks can be avoided with bribes.</p>
<p>Alarcón also adds that many people who do not own cars rely on old, smoke-spewing buses.</p>
<p>She says a lot of people agree on what’s needed: “The best bet is to increase the quality and quantity of public transportation,” she says.</p>
<p>However, where there is cleaner and better public transportation, people pack in to use it, and the system is overwhelmed. Yet plans for new buses and subways in Mexico City are lagging. For now, the city is doubling down on a program that takes cars off the road once a week. (The ban does not apply to certain vehicles, including electric and hybrid cars, of which there are still very few in Mexico). Alarcón says that plan, known as Hoy No Circula&#160;(“No Driving Today”)&#160;is just a Band-Aid, and what’s really needed is more money and stronger political leadership.</p>
<p>City officials acknowledge that they’re having trouble keeping up with the air pollution problem. But they also say it needs to be put in context. “For example, China, there’s a huge difference between 100 parts per billion of ozone [in Mexico City] and 350 or 400 [in China],” says Tanya Müller&#160;García, Mexico City’s environment minister. She says Mexico City is doing better than many of the world’s megacities, and points out an important difference here from years past. “We’ve strengthened the levels at which we say we have bad air quality,” she says.&#160;</p>
<p>In other words, standards have tightened. Pollution alarms go off sooner here now than they used to, so what’s considered a bad air day now isn’t necessarily the same as a bad air day years ago.</p>
<p>That’s partly because we’ve learned a lot since the 80s about how air pollution can harm people. Someone who thinks about this — and studies what exactly fills the air here — is Michel Grutter de la Mora. He runs a large monitoring station in the southern part of the city, located at the Center of Atmospheric Studies, part of the National Autonomous University&#160;of&#160;Mexico.</p>
<p>On the center’s roof, where several instruments are set up, there is a 360-degree&#160;view of the city. On a clear day, you can see the Popocatépetl volcano, about 50 miles&#160;southeast. On a recent afternoon, the smog was heavy, and you could see only the volcano’s snow-covered top.</p>
<p />
<p>In April, smog shrouded&#160;Mexico City's iconic Torre Latinoamericana.&#160;</p>
<p>REUTERS/Edgard Garrido</p>
<p>Grutter says ozone pollution can be very dangerous, but what he worries about most is something else: “The smaller particles, like&#160; <a href="http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/TF.asp?id=38&amp;tid=14" type="external">benzene</a>,” which can be carcinogenic, he says.</p>
<p><a href="http://www3.epa.gov/pm/basic.html" type="external">Small particles</a>, or particulates, are a complex group of air pollutants that share a key feature. “They are sufficiently small that they reach our lungs and can be inserted into the blood stream,” Grutter says.</p>
<p>And when it comes to those smaller particles, we know now what we weren’t sure about a few decades ago.</p>
<p><a href="https://www3.epa.gov/pm/health.html" type="external">Long-term exposure to small particles</a> can make asthma worse, hurt kids’&#160; <a href="http://grist.org/cities/pollution-could-land-your-kid-at-the-back-of-the-class-and-in-prison/" type="external">cognitive and emotional</a>&#160;development, even cause premature death.&#160;But Grutter also says Mexico City’s new air pollution crisis has an upside. He has noticed that public consciousness is up.</p>
<p>It’s definitely on the mind of Guardado, at the nursery school. She­­ says that when the air was particularly bad, she worried about the kids and noticed they all seemed to have flu symptoms. “There were runny noses, headaches,” she says.</p>
<p>But the culprit was unclear. Was it the flu or the air? If it was the air, she says, she wants more done about it, not just some cars taken off the streets until the rainy season comes and the air gets better — for&#160;a while.</p>
<p>Correction: An earlier version of this story quoted Michel Grutter de la Mora of the Center of Atmospheric Studies at the National Autonomous University&#160;of&#160;Mexico as saying that toluene, often a component of particulate air pollution, is carcinogenic. The <a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-03/documents/toluene_toxicology_review_0118tr_3v.pdf" type="external">US EPA</a>, <a href="http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/substances/toxsubstance.asp?toxid=29" type="external">US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry</a>, and <a href="http://www.inchem.org/documents/iarc/vol71/030-toluene.html" type="external">International Agency for Research on Cancer</a> have all determined that there's insufficient evidence to classify toluene as carcinogenic.</p> | Why Mexico City's bad air can't be ignored — or easily fixed | false | https://pri.org/stories/2016-05-12/why-mexico-citys-bad-air-cant-be-ignored-or-easily-fixed | 2016-05-12 | 3 |
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<p>MANILA, Philippines — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said it’s unlikely his country will adopt nuclear energy during his six-year term because of safety concerns.</p>
<p>Duterte said nuclear energy remains an important option in the future, but the Philippines needs to undertake a study and put “really tight safeguards” in place.</p>
<p>“Not, maybe, during my presidency. … Not now because we have to come up with safeguards, really, really tight safeguards, to assure that there will be no disasters if there is a nuclear leak or explosion,” Duterte said late Tuesday in response to a reporter’s question about his view of nuclear energy.</p>
<p>Proponents argue that nuclear energy would lessen the country’s dependence on dirty fossil fuels and help the economy take off. Critics, however, are concerned about safety in a country crisscrossed by seismic fault lines with a history of destructive earthquakes.</p>
<p>Construction of the Philippines’ first nuclear power plant began in 1977 under dictator Ferdinand Marcos in Bataan province about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Manila. The plant was completed in 1985, but in early 1986 then President Corazon Aquino ordered it mothballed because of safety concerns and allegations that its builder, Westinghouse Electric Corp., had bribed Marcos through a local businessman to win the contract. The plant was allegedly constructed near a fault line and a dormant volcano.</p>
<p>The plant cost the government more than $2 billion, considerably increasing the country’s foreign debt.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Philippine leader wary of nuclear energy over safety issues | false | https://abqjournal.com/880189/philippine-leader-wary-of-nuclear-energy-over-safety-issues.html | 2016-11-02 | 2 |
<p>Running back <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Reggie_Bush/" type="external">Reggie Bush</a>, who has not played since last season, says “I’m done” after 11 NFL seasons and wants to retire as a <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/New-Orleans-Saints/" type="external">New Orleans Saints</a> player.</p>
<p>Prior to the 2017 season, Bush indicated he wanted one more chance to play in the NFL and felt he still had “a lot left to give” on the field.</p>
<p>Bush, who turns 33 in March, told NFL Network’s Dan Hellie and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Maurice_Jones/" type="external">Maurice Jones</a>-Drew on Friday that his career has come to an end.</p>
<p>“I’m done,” Bush said. “Yeah, I’m done. I said it. It’s not breaking news. I’ve been saying it. I said it all season long, I said, ‘Listen, if I don’t play this year, I’m going to retire.’ Because I’m not going to spend a whole year off, come back, 33 years old, trying to get back in the league. Listen, once you get to a certain age as a running back, they just start to slowly weed you out.”</p>
<p>Bush entered the NFL with the Saints as the second overall pick out of USC in the 2006 NFL Draft and played his first five seasons in New Orleans (2006-10). The tailback went on to play for the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Miami-Dolphins/" type="external">Miami Dolphins</a> (2011-12), <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Detroit-Lions/" type="external">Detroit Lions</a> (2013-14), <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/San-Francisco-49ers/" type="external">San Francisco 49ers</a> (2015) and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Buffalo-Bills/" type="external">Buffalo Bills</a> (2016), but he still considers himself a Saint.</p>
<p>“The Saints know I’m coming home at some point,” Bush said. “I’m going to come home to retire as a Saint. But yeah, man, I’m done. For sure. I’m done.”</p>
<p>Bush finished his last season playing for the Bills with minus-3 rushing yards on 12 carries and 90 receiving yards on seven receptions.</p>
<p>The 6-foot, 205-pound Bush, a former <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Heisman_Trophy/" type="external">Heisman Trophy</a> winner, played in 134 games and gained 9,088 yards from scrimmage during his career. He finished his career with 1,286 carries for 5,490 yards and 477 receptions for 3,598 yards. He scored 58 career touchdowns — 36 rushing, 18 receiving and four returning punts.</p> | Reggie Bush: 'I'm done' after 11 NFL seasons | false | https://newsline.com/reggie-bush-039i039m-done039-after-11-nfl-seasons/ | 2017-12-17 | 1 |
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<p>file photo</p>
<p>PHOENIX — Lawyers for an Arizona sheriff facing a possible a civil contempt hearing are asking a federal judge to hold a closed-door settlement conference in a racial profiling case.</p>
<p>The request Friday by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s lawyers said a settlement conference could lead to “productive settlement discussions” that could narrow issues before U.S. District Judge Murray Snow.</p>
<p>Snow told lawyers in the case on Jan. 15 that Arpaio may face an April 21-24 hearing.</p>
<p>The judge previously sent strong signals that he intended to pursue contempt cases that could expose Arpaio to fines and perhaps jail time.</p>
<p>Nineteen months ago, Snow found Arpaio’s office had systematically singled out Latinos in regular traffic and special immigration patrols.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Arpaio requests settlement conference in race profiling case | false | https://abqjournal.com/535213/arpaio-requests-settlement-conference-in-race-profiling-case.html | 2 |
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The leader of New Mexico's largest Roman Catholic diocese said Wednesday he believes comments about immigration attributed to President Donald Trump "reflect bigotry" and that immigrants from poor countries made the U.S. great.</p>
<p>Archbishop John C. Wester said the United States is prosperous because of people who came from developing countries and that he is bothered by Trump's "circle the wagons" approach to immigration and diplomacy.</p>
<p>Last week, while meeting with lawmakers about a potential deal on immigration, Trump questioned why the U.S. should allow more people from Africa or Haiti.</p>
<p>Several people who attended the meeting said Trump disparaged those countries in vulgar, racially tinged terms. He also said he would prefer more immigrants come from countries such as Norway.</p>
<p>"Those kind of quotes reflect bigotry, and bigotry is just wrong, period," Wester said. "We're great because of the people who came from developing countries in past years, countries that were less fortunate, countries that may not have been able to do much for us."</p>
<p>Wester spoke on the sidelines of a breakfast sponsored by the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops for state lawmakers at a parish hall in Santa Fe.</p>
<p>The curb outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish is a meeting spot where day laborers who are mostly immigrants seek work.</p>
<p>Wester said he believes in the right of any sovereign nation to determine its immigration policies.</p>
<p>"I agree with that right," he said. "But we cannot forget ... we're blessed in this country and we have to share those blessing."</p>
<p>Wester's advocacy for immigrant rights predates his appointment in 2015 as archbishop of Santa Fe by Pope Francis.</p>
<p>He previously criticized the Obama administration for not giving due process to detained migrant children from Central America.</p>
<p>SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The leader of New Mexico's largest Roman Catholic diocese said Wednesday he believes comments about immigration attributed to President Donald Trump "reflect bigotry" and that immigrants from poor countries made the U.S. great.</p>
<p>Archbishop John C. Wester said the United States is prosperous because of people who came from developing countries and that he is bothered by Trump's "circle the wagons" approach to immigration and diplomacy.</p>
<p>Last week, while meeting with lawmakers about a potential deal on immigration, Trump questioned why the U.S. should allow more people from Africa or Haiti.</p>
<p>Several people who attended the meeting said Trump disparaged those countries in vulgar, racially tinged terms. He also said he would prefer more immigrants come from countries such as Norway.</p>
<p>"Those kind of quotes reflect bigotry, and bigotry is just wrong, period," Wester said. "We're great because of the people who came from developing countries in past years, countries that were less fortunate, countries that may not have been able to do much for us."</p>
<p>Wester spoke on the sidelines of a breakfast sponsored by the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops for state lawmakers at a parish hall in Santa Fe.</p>
<p>The curb outside Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish is a meeting spot where day laborers who are mostly immigrants seek work.</p>
<p>Wester said he believes in the right of any sovereign nation to determine its immigration policies.</p>
<p>"I agree with that right," he said. "But we cannot forget ... we're blessed in this country and we have to share those blessing."</p>
<p>Wester's advocacy for immigrant rights predates his appointment in 2015 as archbishop of Santa Fe by Pope Francis.</p>
<p>He previously criticized the Obama administration for not giving due process to detained migrant children from Central America.</p> | Archbishop in New Mexico sees bigotry in Trump comments | false | https://apnews.com/amp/6a11ee82cf9d44ef910f8a97fc8cd95a | 2018-01-17 | 2 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a 90-year-old community event that began in the Williams area of South Broadway, and for the 43rd year, the South Broadway Cultural Center and Library will join in the celebration.</p>
<p>An altar and traditional religious art will be on display in the gallery and library beginning on Saturday, Dec. 13.</p>
<p>The celebration is organized by Los Guadalupanos and St. Francis Xavier Church, and encompasses community altars and a procession.</p>
<p>Each year Los Guadalupanos selects a family from the community to create and erect an altar in the gallery, and the curator selects various artists who make traditional retablos and contemporary works which are shown in both the gallery and library.</p>
<p>The exhibition will be open through Jan. 3. A free public reception for the artists will be held from 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13.</p>
<p>South Broadway Cultural Center is at 1025 Broadway SE. There is free parking immediately adjacent to the center.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Event celebrates Lady of Guadalupe | false | https://abqjournal.com/506887/event-celebrates-lady-of-guadalupe.html | 2 |
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<p />
<p>The attorneys for RRPS argue the secretary-designate’s decision to grant the waiver is “arbitrary and capricious and not supported by the facts or law,” according to their filing Monday at state district court in Santa Fe.</p>
<p>State law allows charter schools to expand to additional locations, so long as they are in the same district, with approval of its chartering authority. RRPS argues the waiver releases AIMS from those conditions and frees the school to enter another district.</p>
<p>AIMS was chartered by the state in 2007 to operate a school on the University of New Mexico South Campus. It proposes to expand to Rio Rancho, starting with 40 sixth-graders at UNM West this fall, which is opposed by RRPS.</p>
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<p>The RRPS action is not a lawsuit, nor is the district suing the secretary, RRPS spokeswoman Kim Vesely said. Instead, the RRPS attorneys used a state rule to petition the court for judicial review of the waiver Skandera granted AIMS in mid-May.</p>
<p>“We look forward to clarification from the courts on the legal issues raised,” RRPS Superintendent Sue Cleveland said, which “will help not only Rio Rancho, but schools and districts throughout the state.”</p>
<p>AIMS Director Kathy Sandoval-Snider responded to the RRPS legal appeal in an email: “I will make the observation that this tiny little school, and the parental choice it offers, must be a big enough threat to RRPS to warrant these extreme measures and their accompanying costs.</p>
<p>“Perhaps the essential question for RRPS is exactly who is being served by these actions; certainly not their children and families,” she said.</p>
<p>The Public Education Department also weighed in.</p>
<p>“We believe in putting students and parents first by not disrupting effective options for education,” said department spokesman Larry Behrens. “Our decision has bipartisan support from members of the Legislature and even more support from the Rio Rancho city council.”</p>
<p>In its appeal, RRPS names the PED and the Public Education Commission as defendants.</p>
<p>Skandera, RRPS argues, cannot “pick and choose to waive any provision of the Charter School Act,” a power it says is reserved to the PEC for approving applications and renewals from state-authorized charter schools.</p>
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<p>It asks the court to review any proceedings relating to AIMS’ request to establish a location Rio Rancho.</p>
<p>“The only reasonable outcome is to set aside the waiver granted by the secretary-designate and deny AIMS’ request to open a facility in Rio Rancho Public Schools attendance area,” the appeal says.</p>
<p>Daniel Ivey-Soto.</p>
<p>The charter school’s legal counsel, Daniel Ivey-Soto, a state senator in Albuquerque, asserted RRPS attorneys went beyond a request for judicial review and included an alternative writ of mandamus in their appeal, which is like requesting a restraining order. Vesely declined comment.</p>
<p>Since AIMS is not a defendant in the appeal, it lacks automatic standing in the case and does not have the right to respond in court. Ivey-Soto said he would research options to determine if AIMS can join the case as an intervener.</p>
<p>AIMS educated about 330 students in 2013-14 at its facility on the south campus. Ivey-Soto said it was granted the waiver, in part, because it obtained preliminary approval from the PEC in February 2013 of a charter amendment to move forward with its proposed expansion.</p>
<p>The law governing educational waivers requires evidence of support from the “requesting school’s local school board,” which might not be its chartering authority.</p>
<p />
<p>Sandoval County officials requested help from the school last fall. They saw the school’s success with inmates at Metropolitan Detention Center and wanted similar services at the county jail in the town of Bernalillo, according to Greta Roskom, school director.</p>
<p>The school signed agreements with APS and Bernalillo Public Schools, according to Norma Binder, deputy superintendent for the latter, who said there was no conflict over who would serve the inmates.</p>
<p>In April, Gordon Bernell opened its satellite campus in Sandoval County, which awarded its first high school diploma earlier this month.</p>
<p>PED issued an opinion in that case that said if there is agreement between two school districts a charter school can expand from one district to the other, said Mark Tolley, director of charter schools for APS.</p>
<p>Patricia Matthews, legal counsel for the school, said she is perplexed when the question is not the people being served but a battle over territories. She added Gordon Bernell is neither an apples-to-apples comparison to AIMS nor an absolute precedent for the latter.</p>
<p>— Sterling Fluharty</p>
<p>At its May 13 meeting, the PEC cited that law and argued AIMS’ request for the waiver was inadequate, because it was accompanied by a letter of support from the AIMS Governance Council, rather than from the Albuquerque Public Schools board.</p>
<p>The New Mexico Legislature revised the Charter School Act in 2006, partly in response to charter school chains that wanted to operate in the state. It made the PEC the governing body for state-approved charter schools, such as AIMS. Some schools are chartered by local districts.</p>
<p>Attorneys and legislators disagree on whether that law prohibits a charter school from opening additional locations in another school district. Some say it depends on the type of charter school and whether the affected districts agree to the expansion.</p>
<p>“I am not in favor of a (charter) school in two or more districts without the district’s approval,” said state Rep. Rick Miera, D-Albuquerque, who chaired the House Education Committee in 2006, in an email.</p>
<p>“I believe the law is clear on that. That is why we did not approve it early on — multiple schools from outside to exist without going through the normal, legal channels,” he added.</p>
<p>The Rio Rancho district has argued that AIMS didn’t give timely notice or hold a hearing on the plan in Rio Rancho as the state requires for new charter schools. The RRPS board, Vesely said, “supported UNM in last fall’s GRT vote with the understanding the UNM West facility would be used to expand higher education programs.”</p>
<p>RRPS officials estimate the district will lose about $250,000 if 40 sixth-graders leave RRPS to attend AIMS classes at UNM West in City Center, as AIMS proposes. The board earlier this month approved a $124.4 million budget for 2014-15.</p>
<p>Vesley said the legal review sought is primarily based on documentation and review of the law and “therefore, is not as time-consuming as a full court proceeding, so we anticipate the cost will be very modest.”</p>
<p>Ivey-Soto said the charter school pays him a flat fee of $45,000 each year.</p>
<p>UNM West, meanwhile, is holding two classrooms for AIMS until the situation is resolved.</p>
<p>“That in itself looms as a challenge, since as of today we are running approximately 40 percent ahead of last year’s enrollment numbers,” said campus CEO Wynn Goering.</p>
<p>AIMS cannot offer the parents of the 40 sixth-graders “any assurances right now, because of the extreme actions taken by (RRPS),” Ivey-Soto said.</p>
<p>“It is unfortunate it has got to this point,” said Jack Fortner, UNM Regents president. He feels the matter can be resolved without going to court. UNM is checking to see if there is additional space for AIMS on its south campus. “The last thing UNM wants is not to be a good neighbor to Rio Rancho,” he added.</p>
<p>Sandoval-Snider and Ivey-Soto declined to comment on backup plans.</p> | RRPS asks court to review state AIMS waiver | false | https://abqjournal.com/418721/rrps-asks-court-to-review-state-aims-waiver-district-lawyers-call-waiver-arbitrary-and-capricious.html | 2 |
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<p>The latest on developments in financial markets (All times local):</p>
<p>4 p.m.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Technology stocks led U.S. indexes broadly lower on Wall Street, outweighing gains for energy producers and other companies.</p>
<p>Facebook and chipmaker Nvidia each lost 4.5 percent Monday.</p>
<p>Retailers were also lower. Amazon lost 1.6 percent.</p>
<p>Energy companies rose along with the price of crude oil. Marathon Oil gained 3.1 percent.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 fell 5 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,496.</p>
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<p>The Dow Jones industrial average lost 53 points, or 0.2 percent, to 22,295. The Nasdaq composite declined 56 points, or 0.9 percent, to 6,370.</p>
<p>Small-company stocks held up better than the rest of the market. The Russell 2000 index edged up 1 point to 1,451, another record high.</p>
<p>Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.22 percent.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>11:45 a.m.</p>
<p>Technology companies are leading stocks lower in midday trading on Wall Street, outweighing gains for energy produces.</p>
<p>Facebook lost 3.8 percent Monday, and chipmaker Nvidia fell 3.7 percent.</p>
<p>Materials companies and retailers were also lower. International Paper fell 0.7 percent and Amazon lost 1.5 percent.</p>
<p>Energy companies rose along with the price of crude oil. Marathon Oil gained 2.6 percent.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 fell 10 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,491.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average fell 82 points, or 0.4 percent, to 22,266. The Nasdaq composite fell 66 points, or 1 percent, to 6,360.</p>
<p>Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.22 percent.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>9:35 a.m.</p>
<p>Stocks are opening modestly lower on Wall Street, led by declines in technology companies.</p>
<p>Apple fell 1.3 percent in early trading Monday following a report that it was telling parts suppliers to slow down delivery of iPhone X components.</p>
<p>Materials companies and retailers were also lower. International Paper fell 1.1 percent and Amazon lost 1.5 percent.</p>
<p>The Standard &amp; Poor's 500 fell 3 points, or 0.1 percent, to 2,499.</p>
<p>The Dow Jones industrial average fell 10 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 22,341. The Nasdaq lost 36 points, or 0.6 percent, to 6,391.</p> | Markets Right Now: Tech stocks lead indexes broadly lower | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/25/markets-right-now-stocks-are-opening-modestly-lower.html | 2017-09-25 | 0 |
<p>Photo Illustration: &lt;a href="http://www.motherjones.com/authors/dave-gilson"&gt;Dave Gilson&lt;/a&gt;; &lt;a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/cat.mhtml?lang=en&amp;search_source=search_form&amp;version=llv1&amp;anyorall=all&amp;safesearch=1&amp;searchterm=college+campus+girls+bench&amp;search_group=&amp;orient=&amp;search_cat=&amp;searchtermx=&amp;photographer_name=&amp;people_gender=&amp;people_age=&amp;people_ethnicity=&amp;people_number=&amp;commercial_ok=&amp;color=&amp;show_color_wheel=1#id=85571599&amp;src=30d981fe624f7591fe605aaa7d20a25d-1-4"&gt;Tyler Olson&lt;/a&gt;/Shutterstock.</p>
<p>Last year, when Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett <a href="http://www.eriedems.com/?q=node/1263" type="external">suggested</a> offsetting college tuition fees by leasing parts of state-owned college campuses to natural gas drillers, more than a few Pennsylvanians were left blinking and rubbing their eyes. But it was no idle threat: After quietly moving through the state Senate and House, this week the governor <a href="http://www.heraldonline.com/2012/10/09/4324803/pennsylvania-governor-corbett.html" type="external">signed into law</a> a bill that opens up 14 of the state’s public universities to fracking, oil drilling, and coal mining on campus.</p>
<p>For a system starved by budget cuts, it’s an appetizing deal: The <a href="" type="internal">Indigenous Mineral Resources Development Act</a> mandates that 50 percent of all fees and royalties from the mineral leases will be retained by the university where those minerals are mined, 35 percent will be distributed across the state system, and another 15 percent will go towards subsidizing student tuition.</p>
<p>Of course, those benefits don’t take into account externalized costs.</p>
<p>Environmentalists and educators are concerned that fracking and other resource exploitation on campus could leave students directly exposed to harms like <a href="http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/explosion-rocks-natural-gas-compressor-station-1.1292502" type="external">explosions</a>, <a href="" type="internal">water contamination</a>, and <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2012/mar/20/local/la-me-gs-fracking-increases-air-pollution-health-risks-to-residents-20120320" type="external">air pollution</a>. They’re also worried oil and gas development would leave campuses ruined for future generations. It doesn’t help that Pennsylvania has a lousy regulation record, with a tally of violations that have increased <a href="http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/pennsylvania_oil_gas_enforcement_violations" type="external">more than fourfold</a> since 2005. According to the <a href="http://pennenvironmentcenter.org/reports/pac/risky-business-analysis-marcellus-shale-gas-drilling-violations-pennsylvania-2008-2011?__utma=1.1110132366.1349812366.1349812366.1349812366.1&amp;__utmb=1.8.10.1349812366&amp;__utmc=1&amp;__utmx=-&amp;__utmz=1.1349812366.1.1.utmcsr=google%7Cutmccn=%28organic%29%7Cutmcmd=organic%7Cutmctr=%28not%20provided%29&amp;__utmv=-&amp;__utmk=268156174" type="external">PennEnvironment Research and Policy Center</a>, Pennsylvania drilling companies racked up a total of 3,355 violations of environmental law between 2008 and 2011, 2,392 of which posed a direct threat to the environment and safety of communities. Meanwhile, in 2010, the state left 82,602 active wells go uninspected, more than all the active wells in New York and Ohio put together.</p>
<p>“Students need a place to learn and grow, but they’re being forced to jeopardize their health to get that education,” says Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of <a href="http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/" type="external">Delaware Riverkeeper</a>, a local water quality watchdog. “This has been a big giveaway by the state of Pennsylvania to drilling interests, and it’s at the expense of students and the public.”</p>
<p>Still, that giveaway deal can look awfully sweet, especially when the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has been struggling under Governor Corbett’s draconian budget cuts. In 2011, Corbett, who received <a href="http://www.followthemoney.org/press/ReportView.phtml?r=455" type="external">$1.3 million from the oil and gas industry</a> in his 2010 election, slashed funding for PASSHE’s 14 schools by 18 percent. Though he briefly floated the idea of cutting another 20 percent from the system in February, cuts remained at the previous year’s levels in the final draft of budget deliberations. That same budget also included a <a href="http://www.shalereporter.com/government/article_a6cb6b5c-af47-11e1-acc3-0019bb30f31a.html" type="external">$1.7 billion tax break</a> for Shell in order to coax a refinery into Western PA.</p>
<p>Professor Bob Myers, who runs the environmental studies program at Lock Haven University, one of the schools at the edge of the Marcellus, says he understands the school system’s economic concerns. Still, he’s horrified at the prospect that PASSHE might install rigs near students. “I’ve become extremely concerned, disturbed, and disgusted by the environmental consequences of fracking,” Myers says. “They’ve had explosions, tens of thousands of gallons of chemicals spilled. And we’re going to put this on campus?”</p>
<p />
<p>Pennsylvania isn’t alone, nor was it the first to come up with the idea of funding higher education with natural gas revenue. A couple of colleges in West Virginia have leased their land to fracking companies, and Ohio has <a href="http://ohio.mediatrackers.org/2012/05/15/ohio-university-explores-extra-legal-options-to-fight-the-state-over-fracking/" type="external">a similar law</a> to Pennsylvania’s. The University of Texas also makes money from natural gas well pads on its land, and even installed one <a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/environment/drilling-on-campus-marcellus-shale-boom-puts-colleges-at-crossroads-322630/?print=1" type="external">400 feet away</a> from a daycare center at its Arlington campus. (The daycare center has <a href="http://www.uta.edu/news/releases/2012/09/YWCAchildcare-opening.php" type="external">now moved</a>.)</p>
<p>While the new Pennsylvania law will apply to all 14 member universities within the State System of Higher Education, the six schools that sit on top of (or are adjacent to) Marcellus Shale are likely the most economically viable to frack. Below is a map of the Pennsylvania schools that are subject to the provisions of the act, the PA schools that sit on top of the coveted shale, and universities outside of Pennsylvania that are leasing or considering leasing natural gas acreage on their land.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>But natural gas is shaping more than just the physical landscape of public education. Penn State&#160;University, which is part of a separate state school system from PASSHE, has been dealing with a backlash of public criticism over oil and gas-funded fracking research. Last week, the Marcellus Shale Coalition, a fracking advocacy group, <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-10-03/penn-state-faculty-snub-of-fracking-study-ends-research" type="external">pulled a Penn State study</a> it had paid nearly $150,000 to support after faculty members declined to participate. Earlier reports from that study, co-authored by former Penn State professor and paid industry researcher Tim Considine, were met with <a href="" type="internal">accusations of bias</a>, similar to the infamous SUNY-Buffalo study produced by its industry-funded <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/nyregion/university-at-buffalo-faces-scrutiny-over-gas-drilling-report.html" type="external">Shale Resources and Society Institute</a>, and a University of Texas at Austin report that was actually authored by a millionaire drilling company board member.</p>
<p>It seems, however, that there might be one obstacle in the bum rush of the fossil fuel industry into state schools. Under Corbett’s Indigenous Mineral Resources Development Act, presidents of the state universities would have to provide written authorization to allow drilling on campus. This could potentially provide a critical window for student voices to petition their university heads.</p>
<p>Ryan Patrick Egan, a junior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, one of the colleges on Marcellus Shale, and active member of the college’s environmental club, says that even with the tuition benefit, he still would see a decision to allow fracking on campus as one of purely short-term gain. His club has been hard at work trying to get the IUP president to sign onto the <a href="http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/" type="external">Presidents’ Climate Commitment</a>, which would pledge a target date for the institution’s carbon neutrality. Drilling rigs near the quad also wouldn’t be a good look against the university’s recent efforts at promoting sustainability through LEED certified buildings. “If this bill is implemented to full strength it’ll negate the progress that’s been made and push us two steps back,” Egan says.</p>
<p>Evidence suggests that college presidents aren’t immune to the influence of oil and gas companies. IUP’s current president Mike Driscoll, assumed his role at the university after a vice chancellorship at the University of Anchorage Alaska, where one of his crowning achievements was nailing down UAA’s largest corporate gift in its history— <a href="http://www.iup.edu/page.aspx?id=122577" type="external">a $15 million donation from ConocoPhillips</a> for an arctic engineering endowment and the name of the college’s new science center.</p>
<p>Myers sees the future buyout of PASSHE campuses as a sad consequence of Pennsylvania’s long entanglement in resource exploitation and get-rich-quick schemes. “We gave [the fossil fuel industry] carte blanche to the state,” he says. “And it’s just because Pennsylvania needed the money.”</p> | Pennsylvania Fracking Law Opens Up Drilling on College Campuses | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2012/10/pennsylvania-fracking-law-opens-drilling-college-campuses/ | 2012-10-12 | 4 |
<p>I don't think we talk enough about what a complete idiot Donald Trump is.</p>
<p>There's lots of focus these days on his "moods," his temper, his insanity. His doddering old man on the edge-ness. Hell, he almost forgot to sign the damn thing.</p>
<p>But there's also the totally ignorant, stupid, numbskull part, too.</p>
<p>Take this executive order he is signing today to "end the nightmare known as Obamacare."</p>
<p>The fact that it includes the STUPID "sell policies across state lines" BS is just the cherry on top of what is really stupid policy that will not work, ever.</p>
<p>He is "allowing" insurance companies to sell "mini plans" of three to six months of coverage for those who are between jobs.</p>
<p>Dude, that's what COBRA is. And COBRA is notoriously expensive. Do you want to know why? Of course you don't! You are on purpose ignorant about why things ARE in health insurance.</p>
<p>But for people who can read paragraphs that don't have their picture on them, I will explain: COBRA is expensive because it has no employer contribution, and no government subsidy attached to it. And because insurance companies are taking the entire risk for your health while you are unemployed (and very many times more likely to abuse alcohol and engage in other self-damaging behaviors) it costs you. No matter how young and healthy you are, it costs you.</p>
<p>A three-month plan for a 27-year-old newly unemployed male? Oh my god. He's UNEMPLOYED, dumbass. And in a pool of other unemployed people.</p>
<p>AND the plan doesn't have to comply with Obamacare basic coverage. Which means it can have a $5000 deductible and not cover pre-existing? No one knows yet. No insurance company has jumped forward to say they would even waste the typing time on such a plan.</p>
<p>And EVERYONE on Twitter now announces, it's now Trumpcare forever and always. He and Rand Effing Paul can never run against Obamacare again. He owns the healthcare situation in the United States of America because he signed off on it.</p>
<p>PS. Rand Paul is totally behind the president now! Or is he?</p>
<p>Giving my colleague Karoli the last word:</p> | Trump Signs TrumpCare Executive Order While Bragging That He Is 'Ending Obamacare' | true | http://crooksandliars.com/2017/10/trumpcare-executive-order-bound-bring | 2017-10-12 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Jim <a href="" type="internal">Ridgeway</a>—who leaves MoJo’s staff roster this week to become a contributing reporter—is, though he’d never put it this way, one of the legends of modern muckraking. Back in 1965 he helped establish the nascent field of consumer reporting when he revealed that GM had run a dark-ops campaign against a young Ralph Nader, whose book <a href="http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Design/Gartman/Books/BK_Unsafe_Any_Speed.htm" type="external">Unsafe at Any Speed</a> detailed how automakers had knowingly sacrificed safety for sales. He went on to break more stories than we can count, digging into everything from energy politics to national security to the sex industry. <a href="" type="internal">MoJo co-founder Adam Hochschild</a> remembers becoming a Ridgeway reader in 1968, when Jim and the late Andrew Kopkind started a newsletter called first&#160;Mayday and later Hard Times.</p>
<p>I still remember the yellow paper it came on, how eagerly I waited for each issue to arrive, and the pleasure of instantly knowing we shared a view of the world if I found that a new acquaintance was also a reader. It is sobering, in a way, to see how many of the problems Jim wrote about half a century ago are still with us. But it’s inspiring to see someone keep the faith all these years, especially someone who could have very easily had a successful and doubtless much more lucrative career writing unthreatening stories for the mainstream media. That, in fact, is where more than of few of the dissenters of the 1960s ended up.</p>
<p>Also among Ridgeway’s admirers was Rupert Murdoch, who bought the Village Voice (where Ridgeway had become a staff writer) as part of his New York Magazine Co. <a href="http://www.pophistorydig.com/?tag=village-voice-history" type="external">acquisition</a> in 1977.</p>
<p>“We did our reporting in a way that most people in the press would die for,” Ridgeway <a href="" type="internal">wrote</a> last year, after the death of his fellow Voice alum Alexander Cockburn.</p>
<p>Nobody censored what we wrote. Nobody messed with how things were written, or dreamed of questioning a political opinion. Rupert Murdoch, when he owned the Voice, was said to gag on some of Alex’s pointed epithets, but he never did anything about it. He actually had us both to lunch and offered us a column.</p>
<p>Talk to journos who started their careers in those years and many of them will mention having been inspired, encouraged, or mentored by Ridgeway; throughout his career, he’s made a point of launching others. “I was somewhat in awe of him,” recalls columnist and Voice alum <a href="http://www2.nationalmemo.com/?author_name=joeconason" type="external">Joe Conason</a>, now editor of National Memo.</p>
<p>We did some reporting together around the time of Iran-contra. The occasion that comes to mind most vividly was our trip to Marion, Illinois—what was then the highest-security federal prison in the country. Possibly the most dangerous guy in the place was Edwin Wilson, the ex-CIA agent whom we hoped would tell us about several former intelligence cronies who were caught up in the scandal. We had to walk down a long series of stairways, through doors with loud, slamming electronic locks, to get to the K-Unit, where Wilson lived in a solitary cell alongside various spies, terrorists, murderers, etc.</p>
<p>Wilson was an enormous guy, at least in my memory. He had certainly killed people and was probably mentally disturbed. I felt distinctly uncomfortable and a drop of perspiration may have appeared on my brow. Then I looked over at&#160;Ridgeway and could see that he was utterly calm, with a thin little smile. He greeted Wilson coolly but cordially, and soon got him chatting about how awful it was in this hellhole, how he wanted to be transferred to another prison in South Carolina, a little gossip about the other inmates.</p>
<p>In circumstances like that, it wasn’t so easy to be from the hippie paper from Greenwich Village. But Jim was old school. He could always pull it off.</p>
<p>Jim is also old-school in the way he shares credit and deflects praise. He came on board as our senior Washington correspondent after being fired by yet another set of new Voice <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2006/4/13/village_voice_shakeup_top_investigative_journalist" type="external">owners</a>; many of his investigations here were collaborations like this <a href="" type="internal">expose</a> of highway privatization, and this <a href="" type="internal">scoop</a> about a private security firm spying on green groups on behalf of its corporate clients, both reported along with then-reporting fellow (and now senior editor) Daniel Schulman. More recently, he broke a series of stories about <a href="" type="internal">prison conditions</a> with his longtime collaborator, Jean Casella. (It was only a few times that we managed to convince him to mine his own experience for a story—but the results were compelling, like <a href="" type="internal">this story</a> on what the Medicare prescription benefit really means.)</p>
<p>A few months back, Jim told us that he wanted to go freelance to focus full-time on his work on <a href="http://solitarywatch.com/" type="external">solitary confinement</a>, with help from an <a href="http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/about/programs/us-programs/grantees/james-ridgeway-jean-casella" type="external">Open Society Institute fellowship</a> he and <a href="" type="internal">Casella</a> won last year. When we asked if we could put together a sendoff for him, he suggested that instead we contribute a few bucks to his Kickstarter project to send holiday cards to inmates.</p>
<p>It’s not often that reporters launch a new phase of their career more than four decades after breaking their first major national scandal (unless you count getting into a <a href="" type="internal">pissing match with the White House</a>). We’re honored to have been Jim’s reporting home base for seven years, and we look forward to working with him on what’s next.</p>
<p /> | Salute to James Ridgeway | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2013/03/salute-james-ridgeway/ | 2013-03-05 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Wells Fargo &amp; Co's decision not to introduce new names onto its board or into the ranks of its senior management in the wake of a sales scandal has raised questions about whether it can truly fix the culture which caused its problems.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The United States' third-largest bank by assets has been plunged into crisis by revelations that its branch staff created as many as 2 million accounts without customers' knowledge in order to meet internal sales targets.</p>
<p>John Stumpf, the bank's chairman and chief executive, left last week in response to a public outcry and the bank put Tim Sloan, a 29-year Wells Fargo veteran and Stumpf's heir apparent, into the CEO role.</p>
<p>Once viewed as an unambiguous asset, Sloan's long tenure at the bank is now prompting questions about whether he has the necessary critical distance to overhaul an aggressive sales culture that allowed the misconduct to fester for years.</p>
<p>"There's something wrong with Wells on a cultural basis and you'd think they'd need to bring in an outsider to fix it," said Paul Miller, an analyst with FBR Capital Markets.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo declined comment.</p>
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<p>The San Francisco-based bank has long had a reputation as a place where a tight-knit group of senior managers worked together to deliver industry-leading returns.</p>
<p>But the recent episode has made the closeness of top executives look like a handicap.</p>
<p>During Sloan's first earnings call last week, Miller asked him whether the bank would bring an outsider into its executive leadership ranks.</p>
<p>"It's a fair question and one we've been getting asked," the new CEO replied. However, Sloan said that following recent changes, the board "is comfortable with and very supportive of the management team."</p>
<p>CHANGE IS HARD</p>
<p>While the bank needed to make a change quickly and Sloan is a proven commodity, Columbia Business School professor William Klepper said the board should have named Sloan CEO on an interim basis so it could conduct a thorough search including outside candidates.</p>
<p>"It's very difficult for anyone within that organization to make a change," Klepper said. "The last thing they might sense is the water they're swimming in."</p>
<p>Klepper pointed to Lou Gerstner, a longtime American Express Co executive who came in as Chairman and CEO of International Business Machines Corp in 1993 to lead a successful turnaround of the lumbering computer giant, as the prime example in U.S. business of the value of bringing in fresh blood.</p>
<p>Most major U.S. and European banks have seen shake-ups of top management and their boards of directors following the financial crisis of 2008.</p>
<p>Wells Fargo, which avoided the sort of crises suffered by rivals during the financial meltdown, has seen very little change at the top, and that seems set to continue.</p>
<p>The bank did separate the roles of chairman and chief executive following Stumpf's departure, with Stephen Sanger, the board���s lead director, chosen as chairman.</p>
<p>But the bank did not announce any new faces to its board, which has some of the longest-tenured members among major U.S. banks.</p>
<p>BOARD VETERANS</p>
<p>Three of Wells Fargo's directors have been in place since the 1990s. The trio helps put the average duration of service for a Wells Fargo director at 9.7 years, compared to 8.5 years for companies in the S&amp;P 500 Index, according to a report by executive search firm Spencer Stuart.</p>
<p>There have also been questions about the wisdom of appointing Mary Mack, a former wealth management executive, to lead the retail division at the center of the scandal.</p>
<p>The consumer bank had previously been led by Carrie Tolstedt, a 27-year Wells Fargo veteran. She left the bank last month.</p>
<p>Mack joined Wells Fargo when it acquired Wachovia at the end of 2008. Wells Fargo declined to make Mack available for an interview.</p>
<p>"Can you just give us a sense why, because we're looking for a culture shift or culture enhancement change in the business model and that's a big ask, so I'm just wondering what you saw in her," Morgan Stanley analyst Betsy Graseck asked Sloan last week on the earnings call.</p>
<p>Sloan responded: "I saw an executive with decades of experience in the financial services industry and decades of experience at Wachovia and Wells Fargo, who has been through a variety of challenges in her career, and who is an incredibly effective leader."</p>
<p>(Additional reporting by Olivia Oran; Editing by Carmel Crimmins and Bill Rigby)</p> | Lack of new blood casts doubt over Wells Fargo's change plan | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/10/17/lack-new-blood-casts-doubt-over-wells-fargo-change-plan.html | 2016-10-17 | 0 |
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<p>The clash occurred late Sunday and early Monday as protesters trying to push past a long-blocked bridge on a state highway were turned back by authorities using tear gas, rubber bullets and water hoses. One officer was injured when struck in the head with a rock. One protester was arrested.</p>
<p>Protesters and officers massed at the bridge again late Monday morning, but protesters dispersed a few hours later at the request of tribal elders after police warned the crowd that they’d identified firearms and that anyone with a weapon should leave.</p>
<p>The Standing Rock Sioux and others oppose the 1,200-mile, four-state pipeline being built to carry oil from western North Dakota to a shipping point in Illinois because they say it threatens drinking water on their nearby reservation and cultural sites. Pipeline developer Energy Transfer Partners has said no sites have been disturbed and that the $3.8 billion pipeline will be safe.</p>
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<p>The pipeline is largely complete except for the section under a Missouri River reservoir in southern North Dakota, and ETP Chief Executive Kelcy Warren said Friday the company is unwilling to reroute the project.</p>
<p>What’s known as the Backwater Bridge on state Highway 1806 has been shut down for weeks because authorities say it might be unsafe due to earlier fires set by protesters. Protesters say the closed bridge near their main camp blocks emergency services, and they accuse authorities of keeping it shut down to block their access to pipeline construction sites.</p>
<p>Authorities dispute that. Additional testing is needed to make sure the bridge is safe, and that can’t be done until the area is deemed safe for inspectors, said state Transportation Department spokeswoman Jamie Olson.</p>
<p>At least 17 protesters were injured severely enough to be taken to hospitals during the overnight skirmish at the bridge, said Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network.</p>
<p>“Hypothermia, a number of head injuries from being shot with rubber bullets, one individual had a heart attack,” he said.</p>
<p>Daniel Kanahele, 64, a native Hawaiian, said he was hit with tear gas, water spray and a rubber bullet in a leg, and “it took me off my feet.” He was treated at the scene.</p>
<p>Although Goldtooth said a water cannon was used to douse the protesters, Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier said only fire hoses were used. Sheriff’s spokesman Rob Keller said a tactical vehicle spraying tear gas has been mistaken by some people as a water cannon.</p>
<p>Kirchmeier defended the use of water hoses, saying protesters were using aggressive tactics themselves.</p>
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<p>“We’re just not going to let people or protesters in large groups come in and threaten officers. That’s not happening,” the sheriff said.</p>
<p>Mandan Police Chief Jason Ziegler said authorities won’t rule out using water again if it’s deemed necessary “to maintain control and order.”</p>
<p>Margaret Huang, executive director of the human rights organization Amnesty International, sent a letter to Kirchmeier on Monday saying the water tactic “risks potential injury and hypothermia.” Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune issued a statement calling the use of water an “act of brutality” and “inhumane.” Greenpeace spokeswoman Mary Sweeters called it “nothing short of horrific.”</p>
<p>U.S. Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, calling the use of water “excessive and unnecessary” and urging the Justice Department to “prevent further escalation of violence.”</p>
<p>Protesters also were active Monday in Bismarck, about 50 miles to the north. A group briefly blocked streets in the downtown area, and protesters later locked arms outside the police station and refused to leave. There was one arrest in the first incident and 16 arrests in the second.</p>
<p>Doors at the state Capitol, where protesters have previously demonstrated, were locked due to the protest activity in the city. Access to the building was granted only to workers with security key cards and members of the public with legitimate business, according to Highway Patrol Lt. Tom Iverson. The patrol provides security at the Capitol.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Blake Nicholson reported from Bismarck. Follow him on Twitter at: <a href="http://twitter.com/NicholsonBlake" type="external">http://twitter.com/NicholsonBlake</a></p> | Officers douse pipeline protesters in subfreezing weather | false | https://abqjournal.com/893278/police-protesters-face-off-at-dakota-access-pipeline-2.html | 2016-11-21 | 2 |
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