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<p>Ann Coulter, avid Donald Trump supporter and conservative author, poured some gasoline on the already-blazing fire when she tweeted out that she “would like to see a little more violence from the innocent Trump supporters set upon by violent leftist hoodlums,” late Sunday night. Coulter was seemingly reacting to the barbaric, celebrated shut-down of free speech by left-wing fascists after a Donald Trump rally was canceled due to safety concerns on Friday night in Chicago.</p>
<p>I would like to see a little more violence from the innocent Trump supporters set upon by violent leftist hoodlums.</p>
<p>Coulter added another tweet, ripping Trump-rival Florida Senator Marco Rubio, whom The Donald often refers to as “Little Marco”, and commending Trump supporters for their “manly temper.”</p>
<p>Trump supporters exhibiting manly temper--the same manly temper that drives the U.S. Marine Corps that Rubio wants to send around the world.</p>
<p>The left-wing fascists, many reportedly wielding Bernie Sanders signs, organized protests in effort to shut down the First Amendment rights of others with dissenting views. This same old-school tactic by the left was used mere weeks ago when Daily Wire editor-in-chief Ben Shapiro was <a href="http://townhall.com/tipsheet/christinerousselle/2016/02/23/conservative-writer-ben-shapiro-banned-from-csula-n2123430" type="external">initially banned</a> from speaking at a public university; <a href="" type="internal">protesters violently barred entry</a> from those who wished to hear him speak.</p>
<p>Pro-Bernie Sanders group, “The People for Bernie”, disgracefully celebrated the anti-American shutdown of free speech and encouraged more.</p>
<p>Remember the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpRally?src=hash" type="external">#TrumpRally</a> wasn't just luck. It took organizers from dozens of organizations and thousands of people to pull off. Great work.</p>
<p>Domestic terrorist Bill Ayers was in attendance and George Soros-backed Moveon.org <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/2885453/george-soros-funded-moveon-org-takes-responsibility-for-violent-donald-trump-protest-promises-more-protests-are-to-come/" type="external">reportedly</a> helped to mobilize the violent protesters and have since vowed to continue their mission.</p>
<p>Shocking...Domestic Terrorist Bill Ayers showing up 2 Chicago TRUMP protest is like Dahmer going 2 a vegan buffet. <a href="https://t.co/0wheO6a31d" type="external">pic.twitter.com/0wheO6a31d</a></p>
<p>"I would like to see a little more violence from the innocent Trump supporters set upon by violent leftist hoodlums."</p>
<p>Ann Coulter</p>
<p>Of course, the “shut it down” sentiment of the left is despicable and unsurprising, but Coulter’s call to see “more violence” only succumbs to the left’s abhorrent behavior and is obviously unacceptable and should be condemned.</p>
<p>Coulter’s comments have since <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/272864-coulter-id-like-to-see-a-little-more-violence-from-trump" type="external">blown up</a> in the media.</p> | Ann Coulter Says Something Nuts About Violence At Rallies | true | https://dailywire.com/news/4103/ann-coulter-says-something-nuts-about-violence-amanda-prestigiacomo | 2016-03-14 | 0 |
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<p>The birds of New Mexico have a new advocate well versed in forming community partnerships to enhance conservation efforts.</p>
<p>The National Audubon Society announced in early December that it has named Jonathan Hayes as executive director of Audubon New Mexico. Hayes’ office is located at the Historic Randall Davey Audubon Center &amp; Sanctuary in Santa Fe. The 140-acre sanctuary sits in the Santa Fe National Forest and was once the property of artist Randall Davey.</p>
<p>“Birds are a means to conserve ecosystems,” Hayes said. “I know coming here and helping birds I’m going to help the natural world.”</p>
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<p>Hayes, 34, is a native of Michigan and grew up enjoying outdoor activities. A backpacking trip to Oregon as a child solidified his love for the natural world and his desire to protect it.</p>
<p>“I realized how valuable the lands are,” he said. “That put the hook into me.”</p>
<p>The Audubon’s main focus is to conserve native bird species and their habitats, which in New Mexico are rivers, grasslands and forests. Hayes said New Mexico has 542 bird species. As the new director, Hayes is responsible for bird conservation efforts around the state, managing the sanctuary, and building relationships with private citizens, other government organizations, community groups and private corporations.</p>
<p>Strong partners</p>
<p>The New Mexico organization is part of the National Audubon Society. Brian Trusty, the Central Flyway vice president, called Hayes a rising star in the conservation field. He said Hayes’ strengths lined up with the society’s values.</p>
<p>“He’s extremely entrepreneurial and creative in building strong partnerships with both private and public interests,” he said. “It’s such a complex challenge that solutions must include an inclusive approach.”</p>
<p>Hayes attended college at the University of Colorado-Boulder where he earned his wildlife biology degree. He met his wife while living in Colorado and the two moved to Missoula, Mont., where he attended graduate school.</p>
<p>“I became interested in not just wildlife but the human proponent,” he said. “We do not have much luck telling animals where and how to live but we can with people. We need to be able to work with people to find solutions.”</p>
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<p>For his thesis, he studied ranchers in the area and what impacts their decisions when it comes to resources and wildlife. Hayes said he learned a valuable lesson. He said conservation is almost always the goal for both groups but how they get there is sometimes the sticking point that lands the two on opposing sides of conservation efforts.</p>
<p>“They (ranchers) really have a sense of stewardship,” he said. “There’s common ground. Eighty percent we agree on but we get caught up in the 20 percent.”</p>
<p>Focus on education</p>
<p>The Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents several farming and ranching groups in New Mexico including New Mexico Wool Growers Inc., New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association and the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, filed a petition in 2015 with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting the removal of the Southwestern willow flycatcher from the endangered species list. The willow depends on a healthy riparian, or river, environment to thrive. Fish and Wildlife denied the request in December, saying that although some improvements have occurred, the birds and their environment are still threatened.</p>
<p>Ranchers have argued that protective measures they took on their own before the species was listed as endangered actually helped secure the bird’s continued existence. Ranchers must also fence off livestock from streams and rivers to protect the flycatcher’s habitat, a costly task.</p>
<p>“Audubon approaches conservation issues in a solution-oriented way,” Hayes said. “They want to help wildlife and people at the same time. That appeals to me.”</p>
<p>He said one of the best ways to secure conservation efforts is through education.</p>
<p>“When I look at the long game and how we are going to have tangible outcomes I think it’s by supporting a generation that is connected to the outdoors and cares about it,” he said. “The most immediate impact is to build a community of people who are conservation minded.”</p>
<p>Hayes and his wife relocated to central Texas after graduate school where he once again was in a position to interact with the public. He was an on-staff biologist for the state of Texas, working with private landowners to restore grassland habitats. Just a year ago he took a job with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in New Mexico as a wildlife biologist. He said he decided to make a change when the new president was elected because he was unsure how much support there would be for the work he wants to do.</p>
<p>“What were the priorities going to be?” he said. “I want to do work where we are talking about and can talk about climate change and looking to find solutions.”</p> | Audubon New Mexico’s new executive director wants to find conservation solutions | false | https://abqjournal.com/1114659/audubon-new-mexicos-new-executive-director-wants-to-work-with-others-to-find-conservation-solutions.html | 2 |
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<p>Trump wrote that Obama did “NOTHING about Russia after being notified by the CIA of meddling” because he expected Hillary Clinton to win. Trump added that Obama “didn’t ‘choke,’ he colluded or obstructed.”</p>
<p>Trump, who has a long history of deflecting criticism from himself to others, seemed to be trying to redefine what it means to collude or obstruct as he pushed back against an investigation into whether Trump’s own team colluded with Russian officials during the campaign and transition.</p>
<p>Trump appeared to be referencing a Washington Post story about the Obama administration’s handling of Russia’s attempts to influence voters in which some officials questioned whether the president had done enough to stop Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Obama ordered a review of Russia’s actions and imposed new sanctions after the election.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, revealed through his attorney that he has turned to a prominent defense lawyer, Abbe Lowell, to represent him in Russia-related investigations.</p>
<p>Kushner’s attorney, Jamie Gorelick, said in a statement that Kushner sought independent advice on whether to stay with her law firm, WilmerHale, after the appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel in the investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.</p>
<p>Mueller left the firm to take the special counsel position and took several colleagues with him. The firm’s lawyers also represent former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.</p>
<p>Lowell won the acquittal of former Sen. John Edwards in a campaign finance prosecution in North Carolina and currently represents New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez in a corruption case that’s pending trial.</p>
<p>As president, Trump has frequently disparaged the Russia probe as a “witch hunt” promoted by Democrats. Monday’s tweets appeared aimed at delegitimizing some of the allegations frequently hurled at him by his political opponents.</p>
<p>He tweeted that after months of reviewing Russia “under a magnifying glass, they have zero ‘tapes’ of T people colluding. There is no collusion &amp; no obstruction. I should be given apology!”</p>
<p>During his presidential campaign, Trump frequently sought to muddy some of the criticism raised by his opponents. When rival Clinton argued he was unfit to hold office, Trump pointed to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ primary campaign assertions that Clinton lacked judgment. When Trump faced scrutiny over his vulgar comments in a 2005 video, he sought to revive allegations of sexual impropriety against former President Bill Clinton.</p>
<p>Wayne Fields, a Washington University professor who has studied political rhetoric, said Trump appeared to be co-opting terms like collusion and obstruction as part of a larger strategy to “invalidate” some of the arguments made against him.</p>
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<p>“You take words and you do everything you can to make them meaningless. You take any kind of precision out of public discourse so it can’t be used against you,” Fields said.</p>
<p>Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University in Detroit who has written about public corruption, said Trump appeared to be taking the term “obstruction,” which means impeding an investigation, and applying it to a decision by his predecessor not to pursue an investigation as vigorously as possible.</p>
<p>“Inaction is not an obstruction, but of course it has some potency as a political attack,” Henning said.</p>
<p>Asked about the comments, White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters there were “some serious questions” about what the Obama administration “did or did not do in terms of acting” after evidence of Russian meddling surfaced during the campaign.</p>
<p>“Obviously I don’t have all the understanding of what they knew or when they knew it, but there does seem to be a bit of hypocrisy in terms of what they didn’t clearly do if they truly believe all of this was happening,” Spicer said. He insisted, “If they did know all this, then they clearly do know that there wasn’t a collusion.”</p>
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<p>Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.</p>
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<p>On Twitter follow Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC</p> | In defense, Trump seeks to redefine meaning of obstruction | false | https://abqjournal.com/1024143/in-defense-trump-seeks-to-redefine-meaning-of-obstruction.html | 2017-06-26 | 2 |
<p>Having exhausted their appeal efforts, the Cuban Five petitioned the Supreme Court to review their case. They were not asking too much. It was a case deserving the attention of the Justices for a number of reasons, some of a really exceptional nature.</p>
<p>All along the legal process – one of the most prolonged at the time in American history – a number of constitutional rights were violated, as well rulings which contradicted with the holdings in other Circuits – which are considered to be the main business of the Justices – on important issues such as venue, racial discrimination in jury selection, sentencing, and defendants and defense lawyers’ rights.</p>
<p>It was a case, furthermore, having a direct connection with terrorist groups and their activities within the US territory – at a time when terrorism was supposed to be the biggest issue – and with clear implications in terms of international relations; a case in which generals and top military chiefs and even a president’s special advisor had appeared on the witness stand. It had the distinction of being unique in several respects.</p>
<p>The original Court of Appeals panel’s unanimous determination, after having examined all aspects of the case for several years, to set aside all the convictions and order a new trial, was in itself unique, as was the 93-page document explaining the ruling. Very exceptional was the US government decision, taken at the highest level, to demand the en banc Court to reverse the decision and very rare getting the Court agreeing to such an uncommon petition.</p>
<p>On the other hand, it is not a regular thing for an appellate judge to ask the Supreme Court to review a case, much less to do so twice as did Judge Birch, who repeated that demand while strangely joining Judge Pryor in his shameful judgement.</p>
<p>It was unique also in terms of concern and interest all over the world.</p>
<p>In 2005, prior to the determination of the Appeal’s Court panel, a very important and also unique decision was unanimously adopted by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. This is a completely independent entity, not an intergovernmental body, with five judges – one for each Continent – not representing any UN member state and conducting themselves exclusively in a personal capacity.&#160; The UN group studied the situation of the Five at the request of their wives and mothers. The group spent several years researching the case in its entirety and interacting with the US in official correspondence. The Cuban government was never consulted, as it should not be, because Cuba was not a party to that process.</p>
<p>It was a history-making decision. The UN group concluded that the deprivation of liberty for the Five was arbitrary and in contravention of the relevant UN Human Rights Conventions and called on the government of the United States to take steps to remedy the situation.</p>
<p>The Group stated that: “the trial did not take place in a climate of objectivity and impartiality which is required” and “the Government [of the United States] has not denied that the climate of bias and prejudice against the accused in Miami persisted and helped to present the accused as guilty from the beginning. It was not contested by the Government that one year later it admitted that Miami was an unsuitable place for a trial where it proved almost impossible to select an impartial jury in a case linked with Cuba.”</p>
<p>“The Government had not contested the fact that defense lawyers had very limited access to evidence because of the classification of the case by the Government as one of national security” which “undermined the equal balance between the prosecution and the defense and negatively affected the ability [of the defense] to present counter evidence.”</p>
<p>The UN experts noted that the accused “were kept in solitary confinement for 17 months,” and as a consequence “communication with their attorneys and access to evidence and thus, possibilities to an adequate defense were weakened.”</p>
<p>In conclusion they determined that these “three elements, combined together, are of such gravity that they confer the deprivation of liberty of these five persons an arbitrary character.” (Report of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention E/CN.4/2006/7/Add.1 at p. 60, Opinion No. 19/2005 – United States of America)</p>
<p>This was the first and only time in the history of the United States and in the history of the United Nations that a UN body had found a trial process in the US to be unfair and contrary to universally established standards of human rights and international law.</p>
<p>But that finding of five independent judges, none of them, by the way, a leftist or a radical, was not easily available in the American media and most Americans probably have never heard of it.</p>
<p>Many Americans do not know about the Cuban Five because they have not been permitted to know.</p>
<p>Not only was the long trial of the Five maintained in the dark, Americans have not even been allowed to know that this case has been very much in the minds of many millions around the globe. The big corporate media that didn’t report their legal battle threw a similar curtain of silence around the wide, ever growing, movement of solidarity that the Cuban Five have received practically everywhere from Ireland to Tasmania, from Canada to Namibia. Churches, parliaments, human rights organizations, labor unions, writers, lawyers and peoples from all walks of life have expressed their concern and interest in all languages, English included.</p>
<p>But the Supreme Court did not bother to listen.</p>
<p>RICARDO ALARCÓN de QUESADA is president of the Cuban National Assembly.</p> | The Unheard Call | true | https://counterpunch.org/2009/09/16/the-unheard-call/ | 2009-09-16 | 4 |
<p>On Tuesday, a new image of <a href="http://variety.com/t/david-harbour/" type="external">David Harbour</a>’s <a href="http://variety.com/t/hellboy/" type="external">Hellboy</a> was released, giving fans their first look at the character since the reboot film was announced.</p>
<p>The image was posted on both the film’s official Twitter page and by Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy. Mignola summed up his reaction with a simple, “Holy crap.”</p>
<p>Many fans were excited about the image and noted the darker take on the character.</p>
<p>A few fans responded with nostalgia for Ron Perlman’s take on the character.</p>
<p>Others were impressed by the similarity of the two actors in costume.</p>
<p>Harbour, known for his role as Jim Hopper on “Stranger Things,” posted a black-and-white image of himself as the character captioned, “Please allow to introduce myself, I’m a man of wealth and taste…” which references the Rolling Stones song “Sympathy for the Devil.” The tweet was later deleted, however.</p>
<p>“ <a href="http://variety.com/t/hellboy-rise-of-the-blood-queen/" type="external">Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen</a>” will reboot the franchise after director Guillermo del Toro was unable to pull the film together. Neil Marshall will direct the new movie. The reboot recently made headlines due to whitewashing after Ed Skrein was cast to play a character of Japanese origin. <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/news/ed-skrein-exits-hellboy-whitewashing-1202540677/" type="external">Skrein has since stepped down</a> from the role and <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/news/daniel-dae-kim-hellboy-replaces-ed-skrein-1202554652/" type="external">Daniel Dae Kim</a> is set to replace him.</p>
<p>“Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen” is scheduled for release in 2018 and will co-star Milla Jovovich <a href="http://variety.com/2017/film/news/ian-mcshane-hellboy-reboot-david-harbour-1202512915/" type="external">and Ian McShane</a>.</p> | First Photo of David Harbour in ‘Hellboy’ Reboot Revealed | false | https://newsline.com/first-photo-of-david-harbour-in-hellboy-reboot-revealed/ | 2017-09-13 | 1 |
<p>Oct. 10 (UPI) — <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ron_Howard/" type="external">Ron Howard</a> has shared on Instagram another on-set image from his upcoming Star Wars standalone film about a young Han Solo.</p>
<p>“Tough neighborhoods contain Doorways to adventure, mystery &amp; excitement #UntitledHanSoloMovie,” the filmmaker <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ_OtC1FN5_/?taken-by=realronhoward" type="external">wrote</a> alongside a mysterious image that appears to resemble a entrance or doorway full of blue lighting.</p>
<p>The on-set photo is the latest tease shared by Howard who previously gave fans a hint that the <a href="https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Movies/2017/09/21/Ron-Howard-shares-cryptic-on-set-image-from-Han-Solo-spinoff-film/6781505995129/" type="external">Kessel Run</a> mentioned throughout Star Wars lore would be making an appearance in the film, along with a small taste of how <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Donald-Glover/" type="external">Donald Glover</a> will <a href="https://www.upi.com/Ron-Howard-shares-glimpse-of-Donald-Glover-as-Lando-from-Han-Solo-spinoff/7181500459166/" type="external">look</a> as Lando Calrissian in the film and a <a href="https://www.upi.com/Ron-Howard-shares-photo-of-new-droid-in-Han-Solo-spinoff/3531501766381/" type="external">glimpse</a> at a new droid.</p>
<p>Howard took over <a href="https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Movies/2017/06/22/Ron-Howard-takes-over-as-director-of-untitled-Han-Solo-movie/1061498145164/?st_rec=3531501766381" type="external">directing duties</a> on the film in June in place of filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller who were booted off the project over “different creative visions.”</p>
<p>The film also stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, along with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Emilia_Clarke/" type="external">Emilia Clarke</a>, <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Woody_Harrelson/" type="external">Woody Harrelson</a> and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Thandie_Newton/" type="external">Thandie Newton</a>. The untitled Han Solo film is set to open in theaters on May 25, 2018.</p>
<p>On Sunday, Howard released a photo of the <a href="https://twitter.com/RealRonHoward/status/917010451023642624" type="external">editing room</a> he uses to work on the film writing, “Spending more time in the editing rooms each day now after we wrap shooting.”</p>
<p>The 63-year-old followed up that tweet by responding to a fans comment about the film perhaps being almost finished. “Almost finished shooting but months of post production work ahead. Tremendous team so lots to look forward to creatively,” Howard <a href="https://twitter.com/RealRonHoward/status/917119983368404992" type="external">said</a>.</p>
<p>Almost finished shooting but months of post production work ahead. Tremendous team so lots to look forward to creatively <a href="https://t.co/yLurHhcmpv" type="external">https://t.co/yLurHhcmpv</a></p>
<p>— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealRonHoward/status/917119983368404992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" type="external">October 8, 2017</a></p> | Ron Howard shares mysterious, on-set image from Han Solo spinoff film | false | https://newsline.com/ron-howard-shares-mysterious-on-set-image-from-han-solo-spinoff-film/ | 2017-10-10 | 1 |
<p>In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. declined, delayed or didn’t collect aid in the form of supplies, manpower and hundreds of millions of dollars from Israel, Canada and Britain. The Washington Post reports that the three countries offered $854 million, of which only $40 million has been used, according to State Department figures.</p>
<p>Washington Post:</p>
<p>Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent.</p>
<p>In addition, valuable supplies and services — such as cellphone systems, medicine and cruise ships — were delayed or declined because the government could not handle them. In some cases, supplies were wasted.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801113.html?hpid=topnews" type="external">Read more</a></p> | U.S. Missed the Boat on Allies' Katrina Aid | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/u-s-missed-the-boat-on-allies-katrina-aid/ | 2007-04-29 | 4 |
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<p>Longtime owner of the Baptist center, LifeWay Christian Resources, said the new owner is Glorieta 2.0, a non-profit “formed and funded by a group of Christian businessmen and camping professionals” which will continue to use the landmark center off Interstate 25 as a “Christian camp and conference center.” Glorieta 2.0 paid one dollar for the scenic campus.</p>
<p>The conference center has experienced financial problems in recent years and Nashville-based LifeWay has considered other buyers before.</p>
<p>Here is the full news release from LifeWay:</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Trustees of LifeWay Christian Resources have approved the sale of Glorieta Conference Center to a group dedicated to continue using the property as a Christian camp and conference center. The new non-profit corporation, called Glorieta 2.0, was formed and funded by a group of Christian businessmen and camping professionals.</p>
<p>“We are so thankful the Lord has brought together these dedicated believers who are already involved in a similar Christian camp near Rocksprings, Texas, called Camp Eagle,” said Thom S. Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay. “We have come to know their deep desire to build on the rich history of Glorieta, and provide a path forward that will allow this marvelous facility to reach men and women, boys and girls for Christ.”</p>
<p>Rainer said the individuals involved in Glorieta 2.0 are strong evangelicals with a high view of Scripture and commitment to evangelism and disciple making. LifeWay will continue to hold youth conferences like Centrifuge and Student Life at the facility east of Santa Fe, N.M., while Glorieta 2.0 will add day camps, family camps, high adventure wilderness programs, and church and individual camping options.</p>
<p>Most of the programming will be based on Camp Eagle’s outdoor adventure model. Camp Eagle was established in 1999 by a Texas-based non-profit board of directors whose mission statement is to “Inspire Christ-like change through outdoor adventure, authentic relationships and Biblical Truth.” The organization’s belief statement affirms biblical inerrancy, the deity of Jesus Christ and His redemptive mission, the deity and work of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s saving work for sinful man.</p>
<p>Nearly two years ago, LifeWay’s board of trustees authorized the organization’s administration to pursue viable options for the disposition of the Glorieta campus due to changes in church practices, rising costs and a volatile economy. Southern Baptist Convention entities and Baptist state conventions were offered the opportunity to take over the ministry, however, significant financial challenges to operate the 2,400-acre facility prevented an agreement until now.</p>
<p>Jerry Rhyne, LifeWay vice president and chief financial officer, said the agreement with Glorieta 2.0 which is purchasing the campus for one dollar, does not include 140 acres across Interstate 25, nor three acres and buildings formerly used by Glorieta Baptist Church which has disbanded.</p>
<p>Rhyne said one of the most important requirements for any sale of Glorieta was that new owners provide options that are fair, reasonable and prudent for individuals and churches that lease land at Glorieta for residential homes and small group facilities.</p>
<p>A motion to transfer the property to Glorieta 2.0 was sent to trustees from LifeWay’s trustee executive committee by email June 10, and trustees returned their votes by electronic mail.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | BREAKING: Glorieta Conference Center east of Santa Fe sold to non-profit | false | https://abqjournal.com/210081/glorieta-conference-center-east-of-santa-fe-sold-to-non-profit.html | 2013-06-13 | 2 |
<p>Pharmaceutical company Perrigo Co. Plc said Tuesday it has reached agreement with activist investor Starboard LP to add five new independent directors to its board. Starboard owns about 6.7% of Dublin-based Perrigo's shares. Under the terms of the deal, Jeffrey Smith, Starboard's CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Bradley Alford and Jeffrey Kindler have been appointed to the Perrigo Board, effective immediately. The investor will recommend two additional independent directors at a later date. Current directors, Herman Morris, Shlomo Yanai, Michael Jandernoa, and Gary Kunkle will step down from the Board effective immediately.The board will have 10 members until the appointment of another director. At that point, Ellen Hoffing will step down to make way for a final Starboard candidate. Perrigo shares rose 1.7% premarket but are down 47% in the last 12 months, while the S&amp;P 500 has gained 22%.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | Perrigo Reaches Deal With Starboard To Add Five Independent Directors To Its Board | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/02/07/perrigo-reaches-deal-with-starboard-to-add-five-independent-directors-to-its.html | 2017-02-07 | 0 |
<p>[Editors’ Note: Karl Kraus (1874-1936) was a Viennese satirist, famed but mostly inaccessible to those unacquainted with the German language. There are translations, including <a href="" type="internal">Dicta and Contradicta</a>, translated by Jonathon McVity, and a collection put together by Harry Zohn and published under the title In These Great Times by Carcanet (NY) in 1985. Here’s a squib Kraus wrote in 1915.]</p>
<p>Wanted: a father-in-law to go into the women’s war business with me. Am 33 years old and well known as a women’s wear salesman. No matchm: Box 3378, Berlin S.W.</p>
<p>I suppose “Cherchez la femme” no longer applies here. Go find mama, boy! Where is she? He doesn’t speak of marrying into the business, because the father-in-law himself isn’t in business yet. Normally such people at least said they wanted to find a business and were therefore looking for a wife. After all, they needed a living pretext. This is now eliminated; the father-in-law is the vestige of an obsolete stage of development which still had sentimentality and included a wife in the inventory. That’s over with.</p>
<p>Wanted: a father-in-law. The daughter can be dead if she likes. If she is present at the wedding, fine; if not, that’s all right too. He’ll just take the father-in-law as his sleeping partner. This is an innovation in women’s wear: wear without women.</p>
<p>The glow of classical greatness suffuses our time. Where is the woman whom such a fate will befall, who will perhaps read this ad without knowing that in the final analysis it concerns her? Where does the woman’s wear live? Where does this ready-made apparel of a woman live? Where is she, that I may implore her to go into hiding and kill herself sooner than become the cadaver of this hyena? Men are now dying accidental deaths; women will give birth because two men want to go into business. A heroic age is dawning. Do not mourn what has been. Come, O dawn! Two scoundrels will in these great times shake hands over the dead life of a girl.</p>
<p>‘Die Nobensache’ (1915)</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | A Minor Detail | true | https://counterpunch.org/2002/06/14/a-minor-detail/ | 2002-06-14 | 4 |
<p>Songbird continued her flight of conquest with a hard-earned victory in a highlight of American weekend racing while Enable, Harry Angel, Shakeel and Roly Poly earned victories on the international front.</p>
<p>Hong Kong wound up its longest season with record results and the promise of more to come.</p>
<p>There’s plenty to come, right here:</p>
<p>Distaff</p>
<p>Songbird flew right to the front in Saturday’s $750,000 Grade I Delaware Handicap and, despite some relentless pressure from Martini Glass, won her second straight race. The 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro filly, with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Mike_Smith/" type="external">Mike Smith</a> aboard, ran 1 1/4 miles on a fast track in 2:03.96. Line of Best Fit was third.</p>
<p>“We were a little nervous at the eighth-pole, but we won and that is all that matters,” said winning owner Richard Porter.</p>
<p>“I feel great and we pulled it off,” Smith added. “There is always a little pressure and if there is not, there is something wrong. I take this very seriously. These races are not easy. These are the kind of races you get beat in. If she did not run there would have been a whole lot of doubt, but she responded.”</p>
<p>Songbird has won 13 of 14 starts, losing only by a nose to Beholder in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita. Trainer <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jerry_Hollendorfer/" type="external">Jerry Hollendorfer</a> said her next race is not yet set.</p>
<p>Also Saturday, Overture led from the start in the $200,000 Grade III Indiana Oaks at Indiana Grand and held nicely, beating the favorite, Mopotism, by 1 length. Majestic Quality finished third. Overture, a Congrats filly, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.79 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Julien_Leparoux/" type="external">Julien Leparoux</a> riding for trainer <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Bill_Mott/" type="external">Bill Mott</a>. Overture was making just her fifth career start and scored her second win.</p>
<p>Classic</p>
<p>Irap waited behind the early pace in Saturday’s $500,000 Grade III Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand, came eight-wide into the stretch and quickly put matters to rest, winning off by 5 lengths. Colonelsdarktemper beat the others with Untrapped a further 1 3/4 lengths in arrears. Irap, with Mario Gutierrez up, got 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.21. The Tiznow colt won the Grade II Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland, then finished 18th in the Kentucky Derby. He bounced back from that to win the Grade III Ohio Derby in his previous start.</p>
<p>Out west, West Coast found his best stride late in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade III Los Alamitos Derby, rallying from off the pace to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Klimt, B Squared and Colonist finished behind the winner in that order with less than 1/2 length separating them. West Coast, a Flatter colt, ran 9 furlongs on a fast track in 1:48.65 with Drayden <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Van_Dyke/" type="external">Van Dyke</a> in the irons. Winner of the Easy Goer Stakes at Belmont Park in his previous start, West Coast now has four wins and two seconds from six starts. “He took off the last eighth of a mile,” said winning trainer <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Bob_Baffert/" type="external">Bob Baffert</a>. “He needs to learn how to run like that. Mission accomplished.” Baffert said he will consider sending West Coast back to the east for the $1.25 million Grade I Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 26. “I mile and a quarter should suit him,” he said. “I think it would be a good spot for him.”</p>
<p>At this time last year, Baffert was preparing a little-known colt named Arrogate for a shot at the Travers.</p>
<p>Turf</p>
<p>Frostmourne waited behind a breakaway leader in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade III Kent Stakes for 3-year-olds at Delaware Park, reeled that one in at the top of the stretch and kicked away to win by 6 lengths. Master Plan and Adonis Creed filled the trifecta slots. Frostmourne, a Speightstown colt, ran 9 furlongs on good turf in 1:49.95. “He settled down nicely,” said winning rider <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Joel_Rosario/" type="external">Joel Rosario</a>. “The horse pulled away a little bit, but I took my time and I got into his stride. He relaxed and when I asked he responded.”</p>
<p>Disco Partner got clear in the stretch run of Saturday’s $100,000 Forbidden Apple Stakes at Belmont Park and finished well, winning by 3 3/4 lengths. Jet Jets and Bondurant were second and third. Disco Partner, a 5-year-old son of Disco Rico, ran 1 mile on firm turf in 1:33.49 for jockey <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Irad-Ortiz/" type="external">Irad Ortiz</a> Jr. “We’ll have to think about putting together a nice summer campaign,” said winning trainer <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Christophe_Clement/" type="external">Christophe Clement</a>. “I think he’s top class. He’s not Breeders’ Cup eligible, so I’ll have to speak with (owners) Mr. and Mrs. Generazio and we’ll try to map out the next two to three starts for him between now and the end of the year and try to do the best we can.”</p>
<p>Turf Sprint</p>
<p>Morticia broke on top in Saturday’s $100,000 Stormy Blues Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Laurel Park, took back behind Smiling Causeway, then came again to win by 1 3/4 lengths over that rival. Deer Valley was third, another 1 3/4 lengths back. Morticia, a Twirling Candy filly, ran 5 1/2 furlongs on firm turf in 1:01.29 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jose_Lezcano/" type="external">Jose Lezcano</a> up for trainer Rusty Arnold. She has won four of her last five starts with a second in the Grade III Appalachian Stakes at Keeneland sandwiched in that streak. “I’ve been riding her a couple times already and she’s a very nice filly. She’s all heart,” said Lezcano, who has been aboard for all three of Morticia’s stakes wins. “She tries hard and she wants to win all the time.”</p>
<p>Sprint</p>
<p>Pink Lloyd dueled to the lead in Sunday’s $140,000 (Canadian) Vigil Stakes on the Woodbine all-weather course and widened the lead down the lane to a 2 1/4 lengths victory. We Deer You was second; Western Elegance, third. Pink Lloyd, the odds-on favorite, ran 7 furlongs in 1:22.18 for jockey Eurico Da Silva. “He ran very, very hard the last quarter,” <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/da_Silva/" type="external">da Silva</a> said. “My horse was running very, very relaxed. You saw the end where he really kicked hard. He’s a wonderful animal. He’s amazing. You ride a horse like this and it gives you such a great feeling.”</p>
<p>Juvenile</p>
<p>What a Catch led from the start in Saturday’s $100,000 Rockville Center Stakes for New York-bred juveniles and went on to win by 1 length from the favorite, Morning Breeze. Analyze the Odds was 6 lengths farther back in third. What a Catch, a Justin Phillip colt, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.21 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/John_Velazquez/" type="external">John Velazquez</a> up. “I thought he was very professional,” said Byron Hughes, assistant to winning trainer <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Todd_Pletcher/" type="external">Todd Pletcher</a>. “He acted good in the paddock and post parade, broke sharp and fought off the second-place horse. He’s always been pretty classy, a bit precocious 2-year-old. He’s been benefitting from that and stepping up every time we’ve asked him.” What a Catch is 2-for-2 with both wins at Belmont.</p>
<p>Juvenile Fillies</p>
<p>Pure Silver was pure gold in Sunday’s $100,000 Lynbrook Stakes for New York-bred 2-year-old fillies, leading all the way to a 1 1/2-lengths victory over the favorite, I Still Miss You. One Last Cast was third and Northernstreetgal completed the order of finish. Pure Silver, a daughter of Mission Impazible, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.40 with John Velazquez in the irons. “After the last start we knew she had the speed out of the gate and she showed it again today and she was able to hang on,” said Byron Hughes, assistant to winning trainer Todd Pletcher. “We will see how she comes out of the race and from there it will be somewhere at Saratoga for sure.”</p>
<p>International</p>
<p>England</p>
<p>Harry Angel turned the tables on his 3-year-old rival, previously undefeated Caravaggio, in Friday’s Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket. After tracking the early pace, the Dark Angel colt, running in Godolphin blue, got the lead in the final furlong and held off last year’s winner, Limato, by a comfortable 1 1/4 lengths. Brando was third and Caravaggio, the favorite, struggled home fourth after a second straight sluggish start. In their last start, the Grade I Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, Harry Angel contested the early lead and had no answer when Caravaggio ran by him for the win. Harry Angel now has three wins and three seconds from six career starts.</p>
<p>On Friday at the Newmarket July meeting, Roly Poly rolled over six rivals in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over Wuheida. Arabian Hope was along late to secure third for Godolphin with Josephine Gordon riding. Roly Poly, with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ryan_Moore/" type="external">Ryan Moore</a> up for trainer <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Aidan_O_Brien/" type="external">Aidan O’Brien</a> and the Coolmore partners, ran 1 mile on good to firm going in 1:36.01. In her two previous starts, the Group 1 Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot, Roly Poly finished second to stablemate Winter, who did not contest the Falmouth.</p>
<p>France</p>
<p>Shakeel caught pacesetting Permian in the final 100 yards of Friday’s Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at Saint-Cloud for 3-year-old colts and geldings and won the 1 1/2-miles fixture by a head bob. Venice Beach was 1 length farther back in third. With William Buick up, Shakeel raced in the middle of the nine-horse field before being asked to improve position 2 furlongs out. He responded and gradually wore down the leader. Shakeel, an Aga Khan homebred Dalakhani colt, scored his second win from six starts for trainer Alain Du Royer-Dupre</p>
<p>Ireland</p>
<p>Enable completed the “Oaks double” with a victory in Saturday’s Group 1 Irish Oaks at the Curragh, winning every bit as easily as she did in her previous start at Epsom in the Group 1 Investec Oaks. With <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Frankie_Dettori/" type="external">Frankie Dettori</a> up for trainer <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/John_Gosden/" type="external">John Gosden</a>, the Juddmonte Farms hombred daughter of Nathanial sat just behind the early speed, took over 2 furlongs out and won as she pleased. Rain Goddess, the better of the two Coolmore runners, was up for second, 5 1/2 lengths in arrears. The Aga Khan’s Eziyra was third. Enable has won all three starts as a 3-year-old.</p>
<p>Hong Kong</p>
<p>The Hong Kong Jockey Club wound up its 2016-17 season Sunday at Sha Tin with growth so impressive that CEO <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Winfried_Engelbrecht-Bresges/" type="external">Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges</a> said, “It has surprised me how strong it has been. Following a recession-driving 2 percent drop in handle the previous year, this year’s total turnover was a record HK$117.456 billion (around US$15 billion), up 10.7 percent.</p>
<p>The season was extended by five meetings this term, to 88. But Engelbrecht-Bresches noted that meant only 22 additional races and attributed a big part of the overall growth to a substantial increase in commingled simulcast revenue — one of the HKJC’s long-term initiatives.</p>
<p>“If you look at last year, the total turnover from commingling was HK$3.47 billion (US$44 million), which was 3.3% of the total,” the CEO said. “This year, with our expanding portfolio of partners, total turnover from commingling was HK$6.5 billion (US$83 million), an astounding increase of 87.1 percent and 5.7 percent of the total.”</p>
<p>Around the ovals:</p>
<p>Woodbine</p>
<p>Tulsa Queen rallied from last of six to upset Saturday’s $100,000 (Canadian) Duchess Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, winning by 1/2 length over Just Be Kind. My Arch was third and the favorite, Conquest Vivi, settled for fourth. Tulsa Queen, a Pennsylvania-bred Cactus Ridge filly, ran 7 furlongs on the all-weather track in 1:23.51 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Mario_Pino/" type="external">Mario Pino</a> up.</p>
<p>Indiana Grand</p>
<p>Beauty rallied from last of seven to win Saturday’s $100,000 Indiana General Assembly Distaff by 1/2 length over Linda. The early leader, Sky My Sky, finished 1/2 length farther back in third. Beauty, a British-bred daughter of Sea the Stars, got 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:42.27 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/James_Graham/" type="external">James Graham</a> in the irons.</p>
<p>Western Reserve was in command all the way in Saturday’s $100,000 Warrior Veterans Stakes, winning by 3 3/4 lengths from One Mean Man. Special Ops was second with the favorite, Chocolate Ride, fourth after pressing the pace. Western Reserve, a 5-year-old Indian Charlie gelding, finished 1 1/16 miles on the green course in 1:41.83 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Florent-Geroux/" type="external">Florent Geroux</a> up.</p>
<p>Tiger Moth rallied five-wide into the lane in Saturday’s $100,000 Mari Hulman George Stakes for fillies and mares and outfinished Mo d’Amour, winning by 2 1/2 lengths. Big World was third as the even-money favorite. Tiger Moth, a 5-year-old Street Sense mare, ran 1 1/16 miles on the fast main track in 1:43.31 under Geroux.</p>
<p>Eagle survived a rough start in Saturday’s $100,000 Michael G. Schaefer Memorial, took the lead in the lane with a rail move and just lasted, winning by a head over Fear the Cowboy and another nose from Mor Tom. Eagle, a 5-year-old <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Candy_Ride/" type="external">Candy Ride</a> colt, ran 1 1/16 miles on the main track in 1:40.24 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Brian_Hernandez/" type="external">Brian Hernandez</a> Jr. up.</p>
<p>Delaware Park</p>
<p>No Distortion took charge in the late going in Saturday’s $50,000 Carl Hansford Memorial, opening a daylight lead and coasting home a 2 1/2-lengths winner. Sea Raven was second, 1 1/2 lengths to the good of Discreet Lover. No Distortion, a 4-year-old <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Distorted_Humor/" type="external">Distorted Humor</a> gelding, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43.90 under Edwin Gonzalez.</p>
<p>Struth battled Always Sunshine into submission in Saturday’s $50,000 Hockessin Stakes, exiting a tight duel to win by 1 1/2 lengths. Always Sunshine held second, 6 3/4 length ahead of Eighty Three. Struth, a 5-year-old Curlin gelding, ran 6 furlongs in 1:09.64 with Gonzales up.</p>
<p>Laurel Park</p>
<p>Just Howard got a head in front of Bonus Points at the wire in Saturday’s $50,000 Caveat Stakes for Maryland-bred 3-year-olds. Good Reasoning was third. Just Howard, an English Channel colt, ran 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:40.87 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Alex_Cintron/" type="external">Alex Cintron</a> up.</p>
<p>Gulfstream Park</p>
<p>King’s Ghost and Quebec both rallied by pacesetting Cowgirl Tough in the stretch run in Saturday’s $50,000 Treasure Coast Handicap for fillies and mares with King’s Ghost prevailing by a nose. Cowgirl Tough held third. King’s Ghost, a 5-year-old Ontario-bred mare by Ghostzapper, ran 1 mile on firm turf in 1:36.13 with Jorge Ruiz in the irons.</p>
<p>Monmouth Park</p>
<p>Lipstick City came four-wide past the leaders to take Saturday’s $75,000 Boiling Springs Stakes for 3-year-old fillies by 2 1/2 lengths over Majestic Bonnie. Watch Your Six finished third. Lipstick City, a City Zip filly, ran 1 1/16 miles on good turf in 1:45.70 under Nik Juarez.</p>
<p>Disco Chick took over the lead in the stretch run in Sunday’s $60,000 Regret Stakes for fillies and mare and got away to a 2 1/4 lengths victory. Court Dancer was second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of the favorite, Bustin Out. Disco Chick, a 6-year-old <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jump_Start/" type="external">Jump Start</a> mare, got 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.69 with Hector Caballero in the irons.</p>
<p>Hastings</p>
<p>He’s the Reason dueled with Boundary Bay throughout Sunday’s $50,000 (Canadian) Spaghetti Mouse Stakes for 2-year-olds, gained the narrowest of leads in the stretch and won by a neck over that rival. European was third. He’s the Reason, a gray gelding by The Factor, ran 6 furlongs on a fast track in 1:12.90 with David Lopez riding.</p>
<p>Daz Lin Dawn was along late to take Saturday’s $50,000 (Canadian) Supernatural Handicap for 3-year-old fillies by 1 3/4 lengths over Yukon Belle. Babys Got Track was third. Daz Lin Dawn, a daughter of Popular, was a popular winner as odds-on favorite, finishing 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:45.57 under Richard Hamel.</p>
<p>Northlands Park</p>
<p>Ruffenuff battled for the lead in Saturday’s $50,000 (Canadian) Northlands Oaks, then edged away to win by 2 3/4 lengths over Saveitforarainyday. The favorite, Anstrum, finished third. Ruffenuff, a daughter of Dialed In, ran 1 mile on a fast track in 1:39.22 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Quincy_Welch/" type="external">Quincy Welch</a> riding.</p>
<p>Trooper John marched well clear of the rest in the stretch run of Saturday’s $50,000 (Canadian) Count Lathrum Handicap for 3-year-olds, winning by 9 1/2 lengths over Double Bear. Real Quality was third. With Keishan Balgobin in the irons, Trooper John, a Colonel John gelding, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.28.</p>
<p>Prairie Meadows</p>
<p>Sweet Persuasion rallied wide to the lead in Saturday’s $70,000 Iowa Stallion Stakes for nominated 3-year-olds and kicked clear, winning by 2 lengths over K Kiddo. K Kash was third. Sweet Persuasion, a Discreetly Mine colt, ran 1 mile and 70 yards on a fast track in 1:43.27 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Terry_Thompson/" type="external">Terry Thompson</a> up.</p>
<p>In the companion for nominated 3-year-old fillies, Honolulu came from well off the pace to win by 2 lengths over Runfastandloud. Hey Baby was third and the favorite, Jayne’s Idea, was last of nine after making the early lead. Honolulu, an Oklahoma-bred filly by Maclean’s Music, ran 1 mile and 70 yards in 1:44.31 with Kevin Roman in the irons.</p>
<p>Emerald Downs</p>
<p>He’s Not Grey, the only first-time starter in the field, was up in the final sixteenth to win Sunday’s $50,000 Emerald Express for 2-year-old colts and geldings by 3 1/2 lengths over Bullet Drill. Brown Tiger was a neck farther back in third. He’s Not Grey, a Slew’s Tiznow colt, ran 5 1/2 furlongs on a fast track in 1:05.04 with <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Juan_Gutierrez/" type="external">Juan Gutierrez</a> in the irons.</p>
<p>Bella Mia led all the way in Sunday’s $50,000 Angie C. Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, winning by 2 1/4 lengths over Faith Flys Again. My Aunt Mo was third. Bella Mia, a daughter of Harbor the Gold, got 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:05.06 with Julien Couton up.</p>
<p>Citizen Kitty rallied from mid-pack to take Sunday’s $50,000 Boeing Stakes for fillies and mares by 4 1/2 lengths from Princess Katie. Princess Kennedy was third. Citizen Kitty, a 5-year-old Proud Citizen mare, ran 1 mile in 1:36.84 with Couton in the irons.</p>
<p>Mach One Rules drew off in the stretch run to win Sunday’s $50,000 Mt. Rainier Stakes by 2 lengths over Bistraya. Barkley finished third. Mach One Rules, a 4-year-old Harbor the Gold gelding, finished 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.55 with Isaias Enriquez up.</p> | UPI Horse Racing Roundup: Songbird highlights American racing weekend | false | https://newsline.com/upi-horse-racing-roundup-songbird-highlights-american-racing-weekend/ | 2017-07-17 | 1 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Most Americans believe that Bush’s Iraqi misadventure is over. The occupation has lost the support of the electorate, the Congress, the generals and the troops. The Democrats are sitting back waiting for Bush to come to terms with reality. They don’t want to be accused of losing the war by forcing Bush out of Iraq. There are no more troops to commit, and when the “surge” fails, Bush will have no recourse but to withdraw. A little longer, everyone figures, and the senseless killing will be over.</p>
<p>Recent news reports indicate that this conclusion could be an even bigger miscalculation than the original invasion.</p>
<p>On January 7 the London Times reported that it has learned from “several Israeli military sources” that “Israel has drawn up secret plans to destroy Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities with tactical nuclear weapons.”</p>
<p>The Israeli Foreign Ministry denied the report.</p>
<p>The Times reports that “Israeli and American officials have met several times to consider military action. Military analysts said the disclosure of the plans could be intended to put pressure on Tehran to halt enrichment, cajole America into action or soften up world opinion in advance of an Israeli attack.”</p>
<p>In other news reports <a href="http://www.today.az/news/politics/34565.html" type="external">Israeli General Oded Tira</a> is quoted as follows: “President Bush lacks the political power to attack Iran. As an American strike in Iran is essential for our existence, we must help him pave the way by lobbying the Democratic Party (which is conducting itself foolishly) and US newspaper editors. We need to do this in order to turn the Iranian issue to a bipartisan one and unrelated to the Iraq failure.”</p>
<p>General Tira gives the Israel Lobby the following tasks: (1) “turn to Hilary Clinton and other potential presidential candidates in the Democratic Party so that they support immediate action by Bush against Iran,” (2) exert influence on European countries so that “Bush will not be isolated in the international arena again,” and (3) “clandestinely cooperate with Saudi Arabis so that it also persuades the US to strike Iran.”</p>
<p>Israel’s part, General Tira says, is to “prepare an independent military strike by coordinating flights in Iraqi airspace with the US. We should also coordinate with Azerbaijan the use of air bases in its territory and also enlist the support of the Azeri minority in Iran.”</p>
<p>British commentators report that “the British media appears to be softening us up for an attack on Iran.” Robert Fox writing in The First Post (January 6) says, “Suddenly the smell of Britons being prepared for an attack on Iran is all pervasive.”</p>
<p>On January 7 the Jerusalem Post reported that Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told the Israeli newspaper that “iran with nuclear weapons is unacceptable” and that “the use of force against Teheran remained an option.” The Jerusalem Post notes that “Hoyer is considered close to the Jewish community and many Israeli supporters have hailed his elevation in the House.” Hoyer was the Israel Lobby’s first victory over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who preferred Rep. John Murtha for the post. Murtha was the first important Democrat to call for withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.</p>
<p>On November 20 the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reported that President Bush said he would understand if Israel chose to attack Iran.</p>
<p>Bush showed that he was in Israel’s pocket when he blocked the world’s attempt to stop Israel’s bombing of Lebanese civilians and civilian infrastructure.</p>
<p>Many commentators believe that the failure of the neoconservatives’ “cakewalk war” has destroyed their influence. This is a mistaken conclusion. The neoconservatives are long time allies of Israel’s right-wing Likud Party and are part of the Israel Lobby in the US. The Israel Lobby represents the views of only a minority of American Jews but nevertheless essentially owns both political parties and most of the US media. As the neoconservatives are an important part of this powerful lobby, they remain extremely influential.</p>
<p>The Lobby works to increase the neoconservatives’ influence. To appreciate the Lobby’s influence, try to find columnists in the major print media and TV commentators who are not apologists for Israel, who do not favor attacking Iran, and who support withdrawing from Iraq. Recently, Billy “One-Note” Kristol, a rabid propagandist for war against Muslims, was given a column in Time magazine. Why would Time think its readers want to read a war propagandist? Could the reason be that the Israel Lobby arranged for Time to receive lucrative advertising contracts in exchange for a column for Kristol?</p>
<p>Neoconservatives have called for World War IV against Islam. In Commentary magazine Norman Podhoretz called for the cultural genocide of Islamic peoples. The war is already opened on four fronts: Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Iran.</p>
<p>The Bush administration has used its Ethiopian proxies to overthrow the Somalian Muslims who overthrew the warlords who drove the US from Somalia. The US Navy and US intelligence are actively engaged with the Ethiopian troops in efforts to hunt down and capture or kill the Somalian Muslims. US Embasy spokesman Robert Kerr in Nairobi said that the US has the right to pursue Somalia’s Islamists as part of the war on terror.</p>
<p>For at least a year the Bush administration has been fomenting and financing terrorist groups within Iran. Seymour Hersh and former CIA officials have exposed the Bush administration’s support of ethnic-minority groups within Iran that are on the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations. Last April US Representative Dennis Kucinich wrote a detailed letter to President Bush about US interference in Iran’s internal affairs. He received no reply.</p>
<p>The Israeli/neoconservative plan, of which Bush may be a part or simply be a manipulated element, is to provoke a crisis with Iran in which the US Congress will have to support Israel. Both the Israeli government and the American neoconservatives are fanatical. It is a mistake to believe that either will be guided by reason or any appreciation of the potentially catastrophic consequences of an attack on Iran.</p>
<p>US aircraft carriers sitting off Iran’s coast are sitting ducks for Iran’s Russian missiles. The neoconservatives would welcome another “new Pearl Harbor.”</p>
<p>The US media is totally unreliable. It cannot go against Israel, and it will wrap itself in the flag just as it did for the invasion of Iraq. The American public has been deceived (again) and believes that Iran is on the verge of possessing nuclear armaments to be used to wipe Israel off the map. The fact that Americans are such saps for propaganda makes effective opposition to the neoconsevatives’ plan for WW IV practically impossible.</p>
<p>Large percentages of Americans still believe that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 attack. Recent polls show that 32% still believe that Iraq gave substantial support to al-Qaeda, and 18% believe that Saddam Hussein was directly involved in the 9/11 attack. WXIA-TV in Atlanta posted viewers comments about Hussein’s execution on its web site. Atlantan Janet Wesselhoft was confident that Saddam Hussein is “the one who started terrorism in this country, he needs to be put to rest.”</p>
<p>Even the London Times is in the grip of Israeli propaganda. In its report of Israel’s plan to attack Iran with nuclear weapons, the Times says that Iranian president “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has declared that ‘Israel must be wiped off the map.'” It has been shown by a number of credible experts that this quote is a made-up concoction taken completely out of context. Ahmadinejad said no such thing.</p>
<p>In a world ruled by propaganda, lies become truths. The power of the Israel Lobby is so great that it has turned former President Jimmy Carter, probably the most decent man ever to occupy the Oval Office and certainly the president who did the most in behalf of peace in the Middle East, into an anti-semite, an enemy of Israel. The American media, from its “conservative” end to its “liberal” end did its best to turn Carter into a pariah for telling a few truths about Israel’s mistreatment of the Palestinians in his book, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid.</p>
<p>If truth be known, there is nothing to stop the Israeli/neoconservative cabal from widening the war in the Middle East.</p>
<p>As I previously reported, the neoconservatives believe that the use of nuclear weapons against Iran would force Muslims to realize that they have no recourse but to submit to the Isreali/US will. The use of nuclear weapons is being rationalized as necessary to destroy Iran’s underground facilities, but the real purpose is to terrorize Islam and to bring it to heel.</p>
<p>Until the US finds the courage to acquire a Middle East policy of its own, Americans will continue to reap the evil sowed by the Israel Lobby.</p>
<p>PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Reagan administration. He was Associate Editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page and Contributing Editor of National Review. He is coauthor of <a href="" type="internal">The Tyranny of Good Intentions.</a>He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Are Bush’s Wars Winding Down or Heating Up? | true | https://counterpunch.org/2007/01/08/are-bush-s-wars-winding-down-or-heating-up/ | 2007-01-08 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Applications downloaded to Android devices in the second quarter surpassed the number apps downloaded from Apple’s iOS App Store, according to ABI Research.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fox-Business-Technology/190436904308381" type="external">Keep up with the latest technology news on the FOX Business Technology Facebook page. Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>New data from market research and intelligence firm ABI Research shows that Android overtook iOS by a substantial margin in the June quarter, having been responsible for 44% of mobile app downloads around the world compared to iOS at 31%. "Android’s open source strategy is the main factor for its success," said ABI researcher Lim Shiyang in a statement. “Being a free platform has expanded the Android device install base, which in turn has driven growth in the number of third party multi-platform and mobile operator app stores. These conditions alone explain why Android is the new leader in the mobile application market.”</p>
<p>ABI notes that the shift can be partially attributed to Android’s rapid growth during the second quarter.</p>
<p>Shipments of iOS devices grew just 9% between April and June compared to 15% in the first quarter, while global shipments of Android devices grew 36% in the June quarter compared to 20% a quarter earlier. Global application downloads this year are expected to reach 29 billion compared to just 9 billion in 2010.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/25/android-said-to-have-overtaken-apple-in-global-mobile-app-downloads/" type="external">This content was originally published on BGR.com Opens a New Window.</a></p>
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<p><a href="http://www.bgr.com/" type="external">Opens a New Window.</a>More news from BGR:- <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/25/apple-expected-to-launch-4g-lte-enabled-iphone-next-year-report-claims/" type="external">Apple expected to launch 4G LTE-enabled iPhone next year, report claims Opens a New Window.</a>- <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/25/abi-global-lte-connections-to-approach-80-million-in-2013/" type="external">ABI: Global LTE connections to approach 80 million in 2013 Opens a New Window.</a>- <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/10/25/millennial-android-usage-doubled-ios-in-q3-ipad-king-of-tablets-with-456-growth/" type="external">Millennial: Android usage doubled iOS in Q3, iPad king of tablets with 456% growth Opens a New Window.</a></p> | Android Said to Have Overtaken Apple in Mobile App Downloads | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/10/25/android-said-to-have-overtaken-apple-in-mobile-app-downloads.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
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<p>We had a brief winning streak of four straight years from 1998-2001. Before that, our last winning season was 1969.</p>
<p>One rival for our constant lack of success is the Columbia University football team. They have had fewer winning seasons in the past 50 years than the U.S. has had budget surpluses.</p>
<p>The Columbia Lions keep hunting for those victories. They are building a 48,000-square-foot athletic facility, with strength and conditioning facilities and varsity sports rooms like the big boys have. They hired a new coach from the University of Pennsylvania who won Ivy League titles. They have a new athletic director.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>You have to admire Columbia for trying – like Charlie Brown and that stupid football. We claim to try, at least in rehashed political speeches heard every election cycle.</p>
<p>No one wants to talk about raising taxes, so we instead discuss spending cuts. To avoid addressing specific cuts, we instead “sequester,” where we just cut everything across the board. But some specific targets are not off limits.</p>
<p>A big target has been the IRS. Let’s review some of the figures recently provided by the National Taxpayer Advocate for a three-year period. By the way, the “taxpayer advocate” is, surprisingly, actually an advocate of the taxpayer.</p>
<p>IRS employees have declined from 94,618 to 87,032. The training budget for these employees has been reduced from $172 million a year to $22 million a year. Fewer employees, less training.</p>
<p>The number of individual tax returns filed in this three-year period has increased by 4.8 million a year. Business returns have increased by 100,000 a year.</p>
<p>The IRS is responsible for collecting $2.86 trillion a year and uses $11.2 billion to do so. For every dollar spent, the government collects $255.</p>
<p>There is not a linear relationship between IRS expenditures and government collections, so we can’t say that the recent $1 billion cuts in the IRS budget translate into any specific loss of government revenue.</p>
<p>But when you cut enforcement activities, you do lose revenue. Budget cuts also mean less customer service to taxpayers. Less service can lead to less revenue because of loss of confidence in the system.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>So what do our heroes in Congress do to help get us back in the black? First, cut IRS employees and stop training the ones that we have, as noted above.</p>
<p>But also require the IRS to outsource certain collection activities. Beginning next year, the IRS will use private debt collectors as contractors to pursue delinquent assessments.</p>
<p>These private contractors will go after only “old and cold” debts – debts for which the IRS lacks resources (see “Congress”) to collect, or cannot locate the taxpayer. Debts that have been assigned to IRS collections with no contact for at least a year. Also, debts for which more than one-third of the collections statute of limitations has elapsed.</p>
<p>This is the third time Congress has tried the private collection process. Attempt No. 1: $3 million collected at a $1 million cost. Attempt 2: $98 million collected at a $47 million cost.</p>
<p>Attempt 3 will require an annual report to the House and Senate tax committees. One might think, “Well, at least we got more money than it cost, so sounds like a good idea.”</p>
<p>Private debt contractors will be able to identify themselves as IRS contractors when contacting taxpayers. They will obviously have some access to taxpayer data. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
<p>Every few months, I get a warning about the latest tax scam, often involving horrendously awful people who call innocent taxpayers claiming to be from the IRS and demanding money. I have received such calls on my home telephone.</p>
<p>So tax advisers are told to remind clients that IRS employees will never call them at home to demand money. I guess that’s still true. I just have to figure out what to tell clients about IRS contractors calling them at home.</p>
<p>I hope Columbia eventually wins some football games and that we eventually balance our budget. At least I give Columbia credit for directing resources toward their goal. We seem to prefer directing resources in the other direction.</p>
<p>James R. Hamill is the director of Tax Practice at Reynolds, Hix &amp; Co. in Albuquerque. He can be reached at [email protected].</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | Scaled-back IRS budget impairs tax collections | false | https://abqjournal.com/868395/scaledback-irs-budget-impares-tax-collections.html | 2 |
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<p />
<p>During a 1982 murder trial in Philadelphia, a city that’s more than one-third black, the court settled on a jury of 10 whites and two blacks only after prosecutors eliminated 10 qualified black candidates from the jury pool. It took that jury just four hours to hand down a first-degree murder conviction to a young black man accused of killing a white police officer.</p>
<p>Little did anyone know that by sentencing radical black journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal to death they were sparking a movement against the death penalty that would eventually make Abu-Jamal an international cause célèbre. He has written two books and countless articles for newspapers and journals, starred in an HBO special, produced his own compact disc and CD-ROM, and is the focus of a march scheduled for April 24 through downtown Philadelphia called “Millions for Mumia.”</p>
<p>Pat Clark of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker organization that opposes the death penalty, says the impassioned nature of the case “has taken the debate from an intellectual argument to a gut — a heart — argument. And that’s essential.” It has, says Clark, not only “activated people of color” but “galvanized international attention” around a subject most Western nations stopped discussing when they abolished capital punishment.</p>
<p>But for all the good Abu-Jamal has done in raising awareness about the death penalty, the resolution of this drama will be complicated. While “Free Mumia” posters proliferate, freeing him is not necessarily the goal of everyone who feels that Abu-Jamal received an unfair trial and deserves another. The campaign to free Abu-Jamal also creates a problem for groups trying to defeat the death penalty, some of which find him an imperfect poster boy. Meanwhile, the protest grows as his moment of truth approaches.</p>
<p>Since Abu-Jamal came within 10 days of execution in 1995 (until a judge granted him a stay), the fight to free him has amassed a decent hometown following, but has fared even better outside Philadelphia. A list of his famous patrons reads like a who’s who of the left, and includes Susan Sarandon, Noam Chomsky, Alice Walker, Michael Stipe, Whoopi Goldberg, E.L. Doctorow, David Mamet, Norman Mailer, and the Beastie Boys.</p>
<p>San Francisco mayor Willie Brown has joined the fray, declaring a day in Abu-Jamal’s honor. And several U.S. cities — including Detroit; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Madison, Wisconsin — have passed resolutions calling for a retrial. Abu-Jamal’s cause is embraced by French president Jacques Chirac, as well as by officials in Germany, Italy, South Africa, and Belgium. There are countless Web sites dedicated to his defense, and rallies and organizational meetings for his cause take place weekly in London, Berlin, and Oslo, Norway. Most of these groups simply want to stop his execution, but some also cite his case as a symbol of the ills of America’s racist justice system.</p>
<p>This global attention focuses on a crime that, according to the official accounts, began as a routine traffic stop in 1981.</p>
<p>Abu-Jamal’s brother, William Cook, was allegedly driving the wrong way down a one-way street when police officer Daniel Faulkner pulled him over. An argument ensued, and then a full-blown fight. According to the prosecution, Abu-Jamal was sitting in a cab across the street when he saw the scene and rushed toward the two men, shooting Faulkner in the back at close range. The officer spun around and returned fire, hitting Abu-Jamal, before collapsing. Then, according to the official account, Abu-Jamal approached the dying Faulkner and shot him again in the forehead, execution-style. Abu-Jamal later collapsed from his wound.</p>
<p>Abu-Jamal’s attorneys contend that an unknown man shot Faulkner and then ran away before more police arrived. The evidence on both sides is muddled and confusing. Some of the prosecution’s eyewitnesses later claimed that the police had coerced their testimony, and one claimed that when she gave her statement to the police she was too high to fully grasp what was happening. In the years since the murder, at least a half-dozen new witnesses have materialized, belatedly offering stories to prove Abu-Jamal’s innocence.</p>
<p>His supporters are united in believing that his trial was fundamentally flawed. And it is here — not in the details of the crime — where they say Abu-Jamal’s case is most symbolic of other capital cases in which defendants are poor and black, and defense attorneys are often short on resources, ability, and experience. In addition to a mostly white jury, Abu-Jamal had a judge known for his strong support for capital punishment, who has presided over more capital cases than any other judge in the United States, and who has sent more defendants to death row than any other judge in Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>Abu-Jamal insisted upon representing himself — a move that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court cited in dismissing his appeal when he later claimed he had received “ineffective assistance of counsel.” His court-appointed backup lawyer, Anthony Jackson, wound up playing a much larger role in the trial than anticipated, filling in on the numerous occasions when the querulous Abu-Jamal was bounced out of the courtroom for disrupting his own case.</p>
<p>Perhaps most important, Abu-Jamal never testified in his own defense, and though his lawyer issued a not guilty plea at the trial, Abu-Jamal did not claim he was innocent until after his conviction. By claiming that an unknown man shot Faulkner, Jackson forfeited the opportunity to prove that Abu-Jamal had acted in self-defense — and he instructed the jury not to consider a lesser charge that would have avoided a death sentence.</p>
<p>A new trial is really Abu-Jamal’s only hope for freedom — and despite long odds, winning a retrial at the federal level is possible. Returning a convicted killer to the streets tomorrow is clearly not.</p>
<p>But opinions on what should happen to Abu-Jamal vary widely among his supporters. The most strident, such as members of MOVE, a radical Afrocentric group, believe he should be set free. Others seem to see his case as more influential than it really is. “Some people think that once you get Mumia off, you’ll get everyone off,” says the AFSC’s Clark.</p>
<p>The two most powerful opponents of the death penalty — Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union — are themselves conflicted. Piers Bannister, Amnesty’s death penalty researcher, won’t scorn an ally in the fight against capital punishment, but he also won’t tie his fortunes to a single case. In its opposition to the death penalty, Bannister says his organization “share[s] the same goal” with the Abu-Jamal supporters. But, he says of those most outspoken in the fight to save Abu-Jamal, “We just don’t want to seem too pally with them.” When pressed, he says that Amnesty is calling neither for Abu-Jamal’s freedom nor for a new trial. “We will need to do an in-depth study of the evidence first,” he says, conceding that “people often criticize us for being too slow to react.”</p>
<p>Diann Rust-Tierney, head of the ACLU’s death penalty project, wrote in an e-mail to Mother Jones: “The ACLU has certainly not shied away from him or the publicity surrounding the case.” But the ACLU has not asked that Abu-Jamal receive a new trial; the two times the organization has taken a stand on his behalf, it took on First Amendment issues. In one case, the ACLU successfully argued that the guards at Abu-Jamal’s prison could not forward to the attorneys at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections the mail Abu-Jamal wrote to his own lawyers; in the second, the ACLU won a court decision that allowed Pacifica Radio to air a series of Abu-Jamal’s commentaries.</p>
<p>According to the ACLU’s local director in Philadelphia, Larry Frankel, the Free Mumia campaign “has probably made it harder to focus attention on the other people on death row” in the United States. Though Abu-Jamal’s case has brought to light the ways in which the due process rights of death row inmates are routinely violated, Frankel complains that “the high level of publicity surrounding Abu-Jamal’s guilt or innocence makes it hard to talk rationally about the death penalty.”</p>
<p>When word got out that ABC’s “20/20” was going to air a special show about Abu-Jamal, the network was swamped with e-mails and concerned phone calls. The report ended up criticizing Abu-Jamal’s case, but ABC producer Harry Phillips seems genuinely surprised that, as a result, “people…think I’m for the death penalty.” The special, he says, was intended to examine only the question of Abu-Jamal’s guilt — punishment is another matter entirely.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Abu-Jamal lost his final appeal before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last October. And though his lawyers are planning an appeal in federal court, Abu-Jamal could be executed at any time.</p>
<p /> | Innocence by Association | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/1999/03/innocence-association/ | 2018-03-01 | 4 |
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<p />
<p>“It’s a reason that I got into music,” he says. “Performing and making records is all a part of it.”</p>
<p>The reason Static took a break from touring is that last December, with two weeks left on his tour, he had to undergo surgery for a hernia. He was forced to cancel the final two weeks of his tour, and the road to recovery began.</p>
<p>“It took a long time for me to heal and feel like myself,” he says. “It felt like they sawed me in half but it was necessary to have the surgery because I was in pain.”</p>
<p>Now, the 48-year-old Static is ready to head back out and finish up the tour he canceled. He’s been very careful to ensure that he’s staying healthy on this tour by eating right, drinking less and getting enough sleep.</p>
<p>“I felt really bad so I’m getting to a lot of the places that I had to cancel,” he says. “It’s my way of thanking my fans for hanging in there with me.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Static rose to fame with the industrial metal band Static-X in the mid-1990s. During 10 years of recording from 1999-2009, the band released six studio albums.</p>
<p>In 2011, after being signed to Warner Bros. Records for years, Static released his first solo effort, “Pighammer,” on his own.</p>
<p>“I finished the record with Warner Bros. and then they dropped me,” he says. “With the album in limbo, I was told I could release the album independently, so I footed the bill on the release of the album.”</p>
<p>Static is currently looking for a label to release a new album and says he wants to find a small label to work with.</p>
<p>“The big labels aren’t a good fit for me,” he says. “I’m an established artist who comes with a ready-made fan base. I’m looking for that small label where we can grow together and released some incredible music.”</p>
<p /> | All Healed: Wayne Static is on tour & in search of a record label | false | https://abqjournal.com/310181/albuquerque-industrial-rock.html | 2 |
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<p>BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored first-half goals in a 3-0 win over Levante on Sunday, restoring Barcelona's nine-point lead of the Spanish league while it awaits the arrival of Philippe Coutinho.</p>
<p>Messi marked his 400th appearance in La Liga by giving Barcelona the early lead and taking his all-time record in the competition to 365 goals.</p>
<p>Suarez doubled the advantage before halftime and Messi set up Paulinho to round off the win in stoppage time.</p>
<p>Such an emphatic victory comes as Barcelona's attacking threat is preparing for an additional injection of creativity with the 25-year-old Coutinho.</p>
<p>The Camp Nou is anticipating the incorporation of the Brazil midfielder, who flew to Barcelona on Saturday. Barcelona said Coutinho has yet to meet with his new teammates and coach, although he did make an appearance at the stadium for a photo session after Sunday's match.</p>
<p>"This is like living a dream," Coutinho told the club's website. "It's incredible to know that I am going to play with my idols, players who have made history. Players like Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, (Andres) Iniesta, (Gerard) Pique, (Sergio) Busquets... I am happy to be able to live with and learn from them, and to win titles."</p>
<p>Coutinho will be officially presented Monday after a transfer deal that could reach 160 million euros ($192 million).</p>
<p>"(Coutinho) is a player who I think can bring many things to the team," Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. "He scores goals and provides assists, and in attack he can help us a lot."</p>
<p>Not that Barcelona needs it in the league. Atletico Madrid, which beat Getafe 2-0 on Saturday, remains a distant second, and fourth-place Real Madrid stumbled again on Sunday when it drew at Celta Vigo 2-2.</p>
<p>The win took Barcelona's unbeaten streak to 27 straight matches.</p>
<p>Ousmane Dembele started for Barcelona and played just more than an hour before being substituted in his second appearance since returning from a left-leg injury that sidelined him since mid-September. The 20-year-old France forward played the final minutes of Thursday's 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey.</p>
<p>"In these three months I have been able to learn Barcelona's philosophy, now I am eager to help the team," Dembele said.</p>
<p>Until the deal for Coutinho, Dembele was the club's most expensive signing for a transfer fee of 105 million euros that could rise to 147 million euros.</p>
<p>Messi once again this season connected with left back Jordi Alba, who headed back his pass for the Argentina forward to use one touch to volley in off the far post in the 12th minute and record his league-leading 16th goal of the season.</p>
<p>Javier Mascherano started for Barcelona amid widespread speculation that he wants to leave in search of more playing time.</p>
<p>The defender helped to set up Barcelona's second goal by lobbing a pass over Levante's defense where Sergi Roberto used one touch to send it to Suarez in the 38th. The striker controlled the ball with his left foot before sweeping home with his right for his 11th goal of the season and his sixth in a five-round scoring streak.</p>
<p>After Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made two superb saves, Messi effectively finished the match by dribbling to the endline before squaring a pass for Paulinho to tap in for his seventh goal of the season.</p>
<p>Barcelona reserve-team striker Jose Arnaiz debuted in the league as a late substitute.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>16 POINTS BEHIND</p>
<p>Real Madrid wasted a brace by Gareth Bale as it fell further behind the top three teams after drawing at Celta.</p>
<p>Bale's two goals in a three-minute span in the first half overturned an opener by Celta's Daniel Wass.</p>
<p>But they weren't enough for the win amid an uninspiring performance by Cristiano Ronaldo, and poor defending by Marcelo and the rest of Madrid's backline.</p>
<p>Celta outplayed Madrid in the second half and its defenders left unmarked striker Maxi Gomez to head in a pass by Wass for an equalizer in the 82nd.</p>
<p>Celta's Iago Aspas went close to scoring twice, hitting the post early and having a penalty kick saved by Keylor Navas after the goalkeeper had fouled him in the 71st.</p>
<p>The result left Madrid 16 points behind Barcelona, although with a match in hand, after only managing to win three of its last eight league games.</p>
<p>"I have to find out what the problem is," coach Zinedine Zidane said. "Sometimes we play 90 minutes well, but it is true that recently we don't do it regularly. We need to have more confidence in our chances, and recently we don't have the confidence to play 90 minutes well."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>OTHER RESULTS</p>
<p>Athletic Bilbao beat Alaves 2-0, Leganes edged Real Sociedad 1-0, and Deportivo La Coruna drew 1-1 at Villarreal.</p>
<p>BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored first-half goals in a 3-0 win over Levante on Sunday, restoring Barcelona's nine-point lead of the Spanish league while it awaits the arrival of Philippe Coutinho.</p>
<p>Messi marked his 400th appearance in La Liga by giving Barcelona the early lead and taking his all-time record in the competition to 365 goals.</p>
<p>Suarez doubled the advantage before halftime and Messi set up Paulinho to round off the win in stoppage time.</p>
<p>Such an emphatic victory comes as Barcelona's attacking threat is preparing for an additional injection of creativity with the 25-year-old Coutinho.</p>
<p>The Camp Nou is anticipating the incorporation of the Brazil midfielder, who flew to Barcelona on Saturday. Barcelona said Coutinho has yet to meet with his new teammates and coach, although he did make an appearance at the stadium for a photo session after Sunday's match.</p>
<p>"This is like living a dream," Coutinho told the club's website. "It's incredible to know that I am going to play with my idols, players who have made history. Players like Leo Messi, Luis Suarez, (Andres) Iniesta, (Gerard) Pique, (Sergio) Busquets... I am happy to be able to live with and learn from them, and to win titles."</p>
<p>Coutinho will be officially presented Monday after a transfer deal that could reach 160 million euros ($192 million).</p>
<p>"(Coutinho) is a player who I think can bring many things to the team," Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said. "He scores goals and provides assists, and in attack he can help us a lot."</p>
<p>Not that Barcelona needs it in the league. Atletico Madrid, which beat Getafe 2-0 on Saturday, remains a distant second, and fourth-place Real Madrid stumbled again on Sunday when it drew at Celta Vigo 2-2.</p>
<p>The win took Barcelona's unbeaten streak to 27 straight matches.</p>
<p>Ousmane Dembele started for Barcelona and played just more than an hour before being substituted in his second appearance since returning from a left-leg injury that sidelined him since mid-September. The 20-year-old France forward played the final minutes of Thursday's 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey.</p>
<p>"In these three months I have been able to learn Barcelona's philosophy, now I am eager to help the team," Dembele said.</p>
<p>Until the deal for Coutinho, Dembele was the club's most expensive signing for a transfer fee of 105 million euros that could rise to 147 million euros.</p>
<p>Messi once again this season connected with left back Jordi Alba, who headed back his pass for the Argentina forward to use one touch to volley in off the far post in the 12th minute and record his league-leading 16th goal of the season.</p>
<p>Javier Mascherano started for Barcelona amid widespread speculation that he wants to leave in search of more playing time.</p>
<p>The defender helped to set up Barcelona's second goal by lobbing a pass over Levante's defense where Sergi Roberto used one touch to send it to Suarez in the 38th. The striker controlled the ball with his left foot before sweeping home with his right for his 11th goal of the season and his sixth in a five-round scoring streak.</p>
<p>After Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen made two superb saves, Messi effectively finished the match by dribbling to the endline before squaring a pass for Paulinho to tap in for his seventh goal of the season.</p>
<p>Barcelona reserve-team striker Jose Arnaiz debuted in the league as a late substitute.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>16 POINTS BEHIND</p>
<p>Real Madrid wasted a brace by Gareth Bale as it fell further behind the top three teams after drawing at Celta.</p>
<p>Bale's two goals in a three-minute span in the first half overturned an opener by Celta's Daniel Wass.</p>
<p>But they weren't enough for the win amid an uninspiring performance by Cristiano Ronaldo, and poor defending by Marcelo and the rest of Madrid's backline.</p>
<p>Celta outplayed Madrid in the second half and its defenders left unmarked striker Maxi Gomez to head in a pass by Wass for an equalizer in the 82nd.</p>
<p>Celta's Iago Aspas went close to scoring twice, hitting the post early and having a penalty kick saved by Keylor Navas after the goalkeeper had fouled him in the 71st.</p>
<p>The result left Madrid 16 points behind Barcelona, although with a match in hand, after only managing to win three of its last eight league games.</p>
<p>"I have to find out what the problem is," coach Zinedine Zidane said. "Sometimes we play 90 minutes well, but it is true that recently we don't do it regularly. We need to have more confidence in our chances, and recently we don't have the confidence to play 90 minutes well."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>OTHER RESULTS</p>
<p>Athletic Bilbao beat Alaves 2-0, Leganes edged Real Sociedad 1-0, and Deportivo La Coruna drew 1-1 at Villarreal.</p> | Barca wins 3-0 before Coutinho arrival; Madrid drops points | false | https://apnews.com/13bdb41e44e94628b86459f7ef3378cb | 2018-01-07 | 2 |
<p>Q: During President Trump’s address to Congress, did top Democrats remain seated during a standing ovation for a Navy SEAL’s widow?</p>
<p>A: No. There were two ovations and video shows Democratic leaders stood for both. However, they did not remain standing as long as Republicans.</p>
<p />
<p>Did top Democrats refuse to stand for the Navy SEAL widow at Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress on 2/28/17?</p>
<p>After Trump’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 28, several readers asked if Democrats, particularly Democratic leaders, refused to stand and acknowledge Carryn Owens, the widow of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens, who was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/02/03/a-timeline-of-events-on-how-the-controversial-navy-seal-raid-on-yemen-was-planned-and-carried-out/?utm_term=.8f5bc4513844" type="external">killed in a counterterrorism raid</a>&#160;in Yemen on Jan. 28.</p>
<p>They didn’t refuse to stand. The image below shows that both Republican and Democratic members of Congress stood and applauded as Trump acknowledged Owens and his widow, who was seated in the balcony as a guest of the president and first lady.</p>
<p>The screenshot was taken at the 49:05 mark of a <a href="https://youtu.be/oJuvNMLBcQk?t=48m35s" type="external">White House video</a>, several seconds after Trump says: “We are blessed to be joined tonight by Carryn Owens, the widow of U.S. Navy special operator, Senior Chief William ‘Ryan’ Owens. Ryan died as he lived, a warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing our nation.”</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>After about&#160;25 seconds of applause, everyone sits down and Trump continues with his speech. He says: “I just spoke to our great Gen. [James] Mattis just now who reconfirmed that, and I quote, ‘Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemy.’ Ryan’s legacy is etched into eternity. Thank you.”</p>
<p>At that point, which comes at 49:50 in the video, members again stand and applaud. But the camera&#160;focuses on Owens, who is standing, clapping&#160;and crying, and remains on her feet for more than&#160;30 seconds. When the camera turns back on members of Congress around 50:25, most Republicans and Democrats are standing, but <a href="" type="internal">a few Democrats are sitting</a>, including Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a former Democratic National Committee chairman, and Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison, the new&#160;deputy DNC chairman. Wasserman Schultz and Ellison are seated together — as seen in the circle to the left in the image below.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>That led <a href="http://www.snopes.com/democrats-stand-seal-widow/" type="external">some to claim</a> that Wasserman Schultz and Ellison didn’t stand and acknowledge Owens, which is not true. Both Wasserman Schultz and Ellison stood during the first ovation and sat down just as other members began to do so. They can be seen standing in the <a href="" type="internal">lower left-hand corner</a> of the first photo above, right where the time stamp is.</p>
<p>What we don’t know, because of the camera angle, is whether either stood during any portion of the second and longer ovation.</p>
<p>It is also false, as <a href="http://ijr.com/2017/03/813694-a-navy-seal-widow-at-trumps-speech-received-a-standing-ovation-top-democrats-reaction-is-damning/" type="external">reported by the</a>&#160;website Independent Journal Review, that&#160;“former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and other top Democrats, however, remained seated.”</p>
<p>Sanders, who was seated behind the Joint Chiefs of Staff, can be seen standing <a href="" type="internal">in both</a> <a href="" type="internal">of the photos</a> above, and Pelosi, in a white suit, can been seen standing in the <a href="" type="internal">second photo</a>. During the first ovation, Pelosi was out of view in the White House video. (For clearer images, readers should <a href="https://youtu.be/oJuvNMLBcQk?t=48m35s" type="external">watch the video</a> for themselves.)</p>
<p>The Independent Journal Review relied on a screenshot from another video that showed&#160;most Democratic members in their seats&#160;while their Republican colleagues were&#160;standing and applauding. But all that image shows is that many Democrats sat down before the Republicans did.</p>
<p>For example, Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer and Democratic Sens. Al Franken and Joe Manchin stood and clapped during&#160;the second ovation. They then sat down for a while and then stood up again to continue applauding. The screenshot below at 51:08 in the video shows all three men standing up with Republicans while many&#160;Democrats sit.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>So, no,&#160;Democratic leaders didn’t&#160;refuse to stand for Carryn Owens during Trump’s address. But the Democrats didn’t stand and applaud as long as Republicans did.</p>
<p>Lamothe, Dan. “ <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/02/03/a-timeline-of-events-on-how-the-controversial-navy-seal-raid-on-yemen-was-planned-and-carried-out/?utm_term=.ca0877d2d698" type="external">A timeline of events on how the controversial Navy SEAL raid on Yemen was planned and carried out</a>.” Washington Post. 3 Feb 2017.</p>
<p>White House. “ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJuvNMLBcQk&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=48m35s" type="external">The Joint Session of Congress</a>.” YouTube video. 28 Feb 2017.</p>
<p>NBC News. “ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB2graVjX6M" type="external">President Trump Honors Widow Of Fallen Navy SEAL William ‘Ryan’ Owens</a>.” YouTube video. 28 Feb 2017.</p>
<p>Becker, Kyle. “ <a href="http://ijr.com/2017/03/813694-a-navy-seal-widow-at-trumps-speech-received-a-standing-ovation-top-democrats-reaction-is-damning/" type="external">Navy SEAL’s Widow at Trump Speech Received a Standing Ovation. Top Democrats’ Reaction Is Shocking</a>.” Independent Journalism Review. 1 Mar 2017.</p>
<p>Shapiro, Ben. “ <a href="http://www.dailywire.com/news/13970/awful-top-democrats-refuse-stand-clap-navy-seal-ben-shapiro" type="external">AWFUL: Top Democrats Refuse To Stand, Clap For Navy SEAL Widow Honored By Trump</a>.” Daily Wire. 28 Feb 2017.</p>
<p>Gonzales, Sara. “ <a href="http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/03/01/meet-the-democrats-who-refused-to-stand-and-applaud-the-widow-of-a-fallen-navy-seal/" type="external">Meet the Democrats who refused to stand and applaud the widow of a fallen Navy SEA</a>L.” The Blaze. 1 Mar 2017.</p> | Dems Stood for Widow’s Ovation | false | https://factcheck.org/2017/03/dems-stood-for-widows-ovation/ | 2017-03-02 | 2 |
<p>BP will not be happy with Mike Mason.</p>
<p>Mason is a 27 year oil industry veteran who worked on oil rigs at BP facilities on the North Slope of Alaska.</p>
<p>He knows the ins and outs of blowout preventers.</p>
<p>And he says that cheating on tests for blowout preventers is widespread in the industry.</p>
<p>He says he’s witnessed BP cheating on such tests in the North Slope.</p>
<p>On January 21, 2005, Corporate Crime Reporter ran an article detailing Mason’s allegations of BP’s cheating on blowout preventer tests.</p>
<p>At the time, Mason was working for Nabors Alaska Drilling Inc. – a BP contractor on the North Slope.</p>
<p>Mason witnessed two blowouts of BP wells on the North Slope in 2003 – one on July 3 and one on December 6.</p>
<p>At the time, Mason was feeding information to oil industry critic Charles Hamel.</p>
<p>Hamel wrote to then Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), asking for an investigation.</p>
<p>“BP and Nabors Alaska Drilling are reported to be falsifying drilling records and critical AOGCC (Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission) required Blow Out Prevention tests as well as concealing from AOGCC and ADEC (Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation) at least two reportable blow-out/spills,” Hamel wrote.</p>
<p>The Wall Street Journal followed up with a story on February 5, 2005.</p>
<p>As a result of the Corporate Crime Reporter and Wall Street Journal articles, investigations were launched.</p>
<p>In June 2005, the Alaska Oil &amp; Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) ruled that a Nabors’ employee had falsified blowout preventer tests.</p>
<p>How?</p>
<p>Chart spinning.</p>
<p>What is chart spinning?</p>
<p>Well, to test a blowout preventer, you build up the pressure for five minutes.</p>
<p>And you record the pressure test on a chart.</p>
<p>The Commission found that the Nabors employee cheated.</p>
<p>They built up the pressure for only one minute.</p>
<p>Or two minutes.</p>
<p>And then manually moved the chart to show that it had been pressurized for the required five minutes.</p>
<p>Nabors also investigated the situation and agreed with the Commission’s findings.</p>
<p>The Commission ordered Nabors to pay $10,000 in costs.</p>
<p>And according to Mason, Nabors fired the responsible manager.</p>
<p>But Mason says that that was just one instance.</p>
<p>He says that cheating on blow out prevention tests is a way of life in the oil industry.</p>
<p>“They cheat to save money and time,” Mason said.</p>
<p>Mason says he personally witnessed BP managers repeatedly cheating on blowout prevention tests.</p>
<p>But BP was never charged.</p>
<p>Why not?</p>
<p>Mason says that he spoke with the Nabors manager who was fired.</p>
<p>And the Nabors manager who was fired said that he wouldn’t tell investigators who at BP was complicit.</p>
<p>Why did the Nabors manager take the fall for the BP managers?</p>
<p>“That’s just the type of person he was,” Mason says. “He wasn’t the type of person who was going to turn other people in.”</p>
<p>Mason was fired from his job at Nabors on July 16, 2006, four days after he wrote a letter to the editor of the Anchorage Daily News.</p>
<p>In the letter, Mason criticizes Nabors for incorporating in Barbados for tax reasons.</p>
<p>“My son has made a commitment to his country, and I will see him off to Iraq soon,” Mason wrote. “All I can think about is he could end up making the ultimate sacrifice for his country and at the same time Nabors is avoiding their responsibilities as Americans. Forget Benedict Arnold. Nabors Industries is the ultimate American traitor.”</p>
<p>Mason says his son has done two tours in Iraq and is now home safe in Texas.</p>
<p>RUSSELL MOKHIBER is the editor of the <a href="http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/" type="external">Corporate Crime Reporter</a>.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://greentags.bigcartel.com/" type="external">WORDS THAT STICK</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p />
<p /> | How Oil Companies Cheat | true | https://counterpunch.org/2010/05/07/how-oil-companies-cheat/ | 2010-05-07 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Instagram continues to prove its worth to shareholders of parent company Facebook . Today, the photo-sharing app announced it reached an important milestone: Its user base has grown to 500 million monthly active users.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Image source: Instagram.</p>
<p>"Today, we're excited to announce our community has grown to more than 500 million Instagrammers -- more than 300 million of whom use Instagram every single day," Instagram said in blog post on Tuesday. "Our community also continues to become even more global, with more than 80 percent living outside of the United States."</p>
<p>This really is an impressive milestone for the social network. For some perspective, consider these tidbits:</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Instagram stats. Image source: Instagram.</p>
<p>In addition to providing an update on monthly active users, Instagram also said it now has 300 million daily active users. Normally, Instagram doesn't provide this figure. So, its inclusion gives investors some new, useful insight into the network's engagement levels. Dividing Instagram's monthly active users by its daily active users, the social network's engagement rate is 60%. Impressively, this isn't far behind Facebook's engagement rate of 65%.</p>
<p>With the benefit of hindsight, it's easy to say Facebook's Instagram acquisition made sense. But this wasn't the sentiment in the media when the social network acquired the photo-sharing app in 2012 for $1 billion. With just 30 million monthly active users at the time and no revenue, the price tag was mostly criticized in the media as too expensive.</p>
<p>Today, however, the price tag is justified not only by the network's massive base of engaged users, but also by the app's improving monetization.</p>
<p>Facebook management says Facebook and Instagram drive the biggest business results for its advertising partners, "helping move products off shelves online and off. As a result, we're growing spend from our current clients and attracting new marketers to our platform," Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said during the company's most recent earnings call. Sandberg also says Facebook and Instagram are the world's two most important mobile advertising platforms.</p>
<p>Instagram and Facebook. Image source: Facebook.</p>
<p>Facebook reiterated during its most recent earnings call that it doesn't break out revenue for Instagram publicly, but management admitted it is "pleased with the growth on Instagram" and that it has "certainly made a contribution this quarter."</p>
<p>Considering Facebook's trailing-12-month revenue and net income is $19.8 billion and $4.7 billion, respectively, even if Instagram represented a very small portion of this top and bottom line, the photo-sharing app would have already proved Instagram's $1 billion purchase price to be a steal.</p>
<p>Overall, it's great to see Instagram's user base continuing to grow and to see its engagement at such an impressive level. Users are the foundation of a social network, highlighting the trends of attention on a platform -- something advertising partners obviously watch closely.</p>
<p>Twitter's underperformance recently shows the flip side of what can happen when this key metric suffers earlier than expected. Ultimately, the network's sustainability can come into question. As investors ponder whether the social network's slowing user growth is permanent or not, Twitter stock has plummeted below its IPO price, down 55% during the past 12 months.</p>
<p>Unlike Twitter, Instagram still looks like it's in its prime when it comes to the trajectory of its user base.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/21/facebook-incs-instagram-hits-huge-milestone.aspx" type="external">Facebook, Inc.'s Instagram Hits Huge Milestone</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFDanielSparks/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Daniel Sparks</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Twitter. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy</a>.</p> | Facebook, Inc.'s Instagram Hits Huge Milestone | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/06/21/facebook-inc-instagram-hits-huge-milestone.html | 2016-06-21 | 0 |
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<p>The soldiers, assigned to various units throughout the state, were in the Sinai to support multinational troops. The Guardsmen manned checkpoints, reconnaissance patrols and observation posts along the international boundaries to observe and verify compliance with peace treaties.</p>
<p>About 45 state Guardsmen remain on assignment in the Sinai.</p>
<p>Welcome-homes are scheduled for:</p>
<p>n 3 p.m. today at the Las Cruces Convention Center</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>n 3 p.m Sunday at the Bernalillo High School gym in Bernalillo</p>
<p>n 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Las Cruces Armory</p>
<p>n 3 p.m. Thursday at Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho.</p>
<p>For more information, contact Col. Michael Montoya at 505-417-1779 or [email protected].</p> | Welcome-homes Slated For State Guardsmen | false | https://abqjournal.com/151742/welcome-homes-slated-for-state-guardsmen.html | 2 |
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<p>What would you do if your old truck adorned with your business name and phone number became part of a viral photo? Assumed to be a “ <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/14/plumber-sues-ford-dealer-after-truck-with-company-logo-was-used-by-jihadists-in-syria/" type="external">terrorist sympathizer</a>” by many viewing the photo, this Texan plumber sued the dealership.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/14/plumber-sues-ford-dealer-after-truck-with-company-logo-was-used-by-jihadists-in-syria/" type="external">The Washington Post</a> reported:</p>
<p>Underneath this large lettering was an equally clear label of the company’s phone number — a number that, after the photo went viral within days of posting, began ringing nonstop.</p>
<p>On the other end of these mostly caustic calls was Mark Oberholtzer, owner of Mark-1 Plumbing in Texas City, whose reputation rapidly went from small-business owner to terrorist sympathizer. He wasn’t the latter, of course, but the widely shared picture of his old truck spoke louder than his plaintive explanations.</p>
<p>“How it ended up in Syria, I’ll never know,” Oberholtzer told the Galveston County Daily News at the time. “I just want it to go away, to tell you the truth.”</p>
<p>According to the complaint filed, Oberholtzer began removing the decal from his truck when the salesman at the dealership warned doing so might damage the finish. The salesman said the dealership would take care of removing the decal.</p>
<p>The black Ford F-250 started life as a truck for a Texas-based plumbing company, carrying toilets, pipes and other supplies. But then it was sold to a Ford dealership in Houston, and after that, shepherded off to parts unknown. Until, that is, it appeared as the focal point of a tweet from a supposed extremist last December.</p>
<p>The photo indicated that the truck no longer carried ceramic parts; emerging from its cargo bed were a black-cloaked figure and an antiaircraft gun. According to the tweet, the truck was being used by Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (the “Muhajireen Brigade”), an extremist group fighting the Syrian government.</p>
<p>Yet even with its function entirely transformed, the truck still bore the insignia of its past life, a decal that clearly read: “Mark-1 Plumbing.”</p>
<p>Underneath this large lettering was an equally clear label of the company’s phone number — a number that, after the photo went viral within days of posting, began ringing nonstop.</p>
<p>On the other end of these mostly caustic calls was Mark Oberholtzer, owner of Mark-1 Plumbing in Texas City, whose reputation rapidly went from small-business owner to terrorist sympathizer. He wasn’t the latter, of course, but the widely shared picture of his old truck spoke louder than his plaintive explanations.</p>
<p>“How it ended up in Syria, I’ll never know,” Oberholtzer told the Galveston County Daily News at the time. “I just want it to go away, to tell you the truth.”</p>
<p>[Plumber gets threats after old truck, complete with logo, shows up with Syria jihadists]</p>
<p>Now Oberholtzer has filed a lawsuit against AutoNation Ford Gulf Freeway, the Houston dealership where he traded in the truck. According to the complaint filed last week, AutoNation misrepresented its intentions to remove the decal, causing Oberholtzer, his business and his family “severe harm.”</p>
<p>AutoNation did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment Sunday evening. According to Courthouse News, the dealership’s sales manager did not respond to a phone message placed last week.</p>
<p>A spokesman for the company told the Huffington Post last December that “AutoNation was nothing but the pass-through for this vehicle” and had no involvement in its eventual arrival in the hands of Islamist militants.</p>
<p>The lawsuit claims that Oberholtzer started to peel the “Mark-1 Plumbing” decal off when a salesman told him that doing so would blemish the paint on the vehicle. The salesman, Edgar Velasquez, allegedly assured Oberholtzer that the dealership would remove the decal.</p>
<p>The complaint says that neither Velasquez nor any other employee told Oberholtzer that the decals would remain on the truck.</p>
<p>The tweet ended up on Colbert, Oberholtzer’s phone was ringing off the hook, and all because the poor guy traded in a truck.</p>
<p>As the Washington Post points out, thought Oberholtzer’s misfortune is just that, the bigger question here is how the hell the truck wound up in Syria.</p>
<p>An AutoNation spokesman told the Huffington Post that after Oberholtzer’s trade-in in October 2013, the vehicle was immediately sent to an auction house, which then sold it to a local used-car dealer. According to the lawsuit, a vehicle history report says the truck was imported at Mersin, Turkey, on Dec. 18, 2013.</p>
<p>The damaging tweet was sent out almost exactly a year later.</p>
<p>Oberholtzer’s Ford isn’t the only car that has been repurposed for use by extremists. The Islamic State is known for featuring Toyota trucks and SUVs in its graphic propaganda videos, prompting the U.S. government to ask the Japanese automaker why so many of its products have landed in the militant group’s clutches.</p>
<p>“How could these brand-new trucks … these four-wheel drives, hundreds of them — where are they coming from?” asked Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Lukman Faily in an interview with ABC News.</p>
<p>Toyota distributors in the region told ABC that they did not know how their vehicles reached the Islamic State.</p>
<p>There’s another lesson here — save yourself the hassle and drive Chevrolets. I kid. Sort of.</p>
<p>Follow Kemberlee on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/KemberleeKaye" type="external">@kemberleekaye</a></p> | Texan Sues Ford Dealer After Truck with Company Logo Used by Syrian Fighters | true | http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/12/texan-sues-ford-dealer-after-truck-with-company-logo-used-by-syrian-fighters/ | 2015-12-15 | 0 |
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<p>The move would serve as a stopgap measure that creates continuity at the Pentagon, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. The decision is considered “all but a done deal,” according to one of the people familiar with the discussions. It also would keep Work in the job while the Pentagon prepares its first budget of the Trump administration.</p>
<p>Virtually all political appointees from the Obama administration are expected to leave their Defense Department jobs within days, including Army Secretary Eric Fanning, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Air Force Secretary Deborah James. The transition team has not yet announced nominees for several influential positions, including Navy secretary, Air Force secretary and undersecretary for policy. Trump last month nominated Vincent Viola, an Army veteran who became a billionaire after founding an electronic trading firm, for Army secretary.</p>
<p>A spokesperson for Work in the Pentagon referred comment to the Trump transition team. Sean Spicer, the incoming White House press secretary, said Monday in an email that he has “made it clear that no decisions have been finalized/announced” for deputy defense secretary. He declined to answer whether Work has been asked to stay in his current position.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The Trump transition team has maintained that it is on track and ahead of schedule to assemble “the most qualified cabinet and administration in history.”</p>
<p>Mattis, who retired as the four-star chief of U.S. Central Command in 2013, is said to have rejected several candidates put forth by the Trump transition team, and to have expressed interest in appointing some senior defense officials who were part of the Obama administration.</p>
<p>Among them were Michèle Flournoy, who is currently the chief executive officer of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and the former undersecretary for policy under Obama, and was considered a frontrunner to become defense secretary if Hillary Clinton had become president. Mattis, who was a member of the CNAS think tank’s board of directors until recently, expressed interest in making Flournoy deputy defense secretary, but she declined, privately citing differences of opinion with Trump, people familiar with the process said.</p>
<p>“Given recent media speculation, we wanted to clarify Michèle Flournoy will remain as CEO of CNAS, a position in which she has exceeded our highest expectations,” said Kurt Campbell, the chairman of CNAS’s board of directors, in a statement after Flournoy reached her decision. “She has the utmost respect for General Mattis. While she had several conversations with General Mattis about how she could support his success as the nominee for Secretary of Defense, she has no plans to return government service at this time.”</p>
<p>Mattis has clashed with the Trump teams over who should be considered for jobs, according to a report Friday by a Washington Post columnist. The process allegedly became particularly contentious after Mattis learned through media reports that Trump had picked Viola for Army secretary.</p>
<p>Similar conflicts have been underway in the State Department transition, where a series of officials have been considered and apparently rejected as deputy to secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson.</p>
<p>Work, who turns 64 this month, has been deputy defense secretary since spring 2014. He previously served as CEO of CNAS before Flournoy and as the undersecretary of the Navy under Obama.</p>
<p>Work would add to the list of Marines in Trump’s administration. A retired colonel, he served 27 years as a field artillery officer before leaving active duty in 2001. He became an influential Washington defense analyst, serving as a senior official with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.</p>
<p>Under Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Work has managed many of the day-to-day operations of the Pentagon and been a chief architect of the so-called Third Offset Strategy, a broad effort to ensure the U.S. military keeps a competitive advantage on the battlefield by incorporating technology in creative ways.</p> | Trump transition team weighs keeping on Obama’s deputy defense secretary | false | https://abqjournal.com/924141/trump-transition-team-weighs-keeping-on-obamas-deputy-defense-secretary.html | 2017-01-09 | 2 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>This focus by Democrats in Congress on judicial appointments and on the appointment of John Bolton as U.N. ambassador is just a pathetic sideshow. In the end all that sound and fury signifies nothing.</p>
<p>The Democratic leadership struts around boasting that it “saved” the filibuster and the right to challenge a likely reactionary appointment to the Supreme Court. That same leadership works mightily to delay the almost certain appointment of Bolton to the UN post. But where were these noble guardians of Democratic values when the White House and its Republican backers in Congress pushed the new bankruptcy bill, which makes it harder for people overcome by debt after losing a job or being hit by a family medical disaster to start over?</p>
<p>Where were they when the oil lobbyists and their White House cronies came in with a plan to open up the ANWR area on the North Slop of Alaska to oil exploration?</p>
<p>Where were they when the latest $83 billion Iraq occupation supplemental funding bill came up for a vote, and with the long-dreaded national “Real ID” bill attached?</p>
<p>All these reactionary measures passed with wide margins, meaning they received broad Democratic support in both houses of Congress.</p>
<p>Increasingly, what we have in Congress is a vestigial opposition party. It’s sort of like the appendix attached to our intestines: most of the time, we don’t even know it’s there–just when it gets inflamed–and in fact, we’re better off without it.</p>
<p>Outside of Congress there is a majority of the American public that now realizes that the Iraq war is a disaster and that wants the troops home NOW.</p>
<p>Outside of Congress, there is a majority of Americans who believe that healthcare should be a right, and that national healthcare for all is a great idea.</p>
<p>Outside Congress, there is a campaign underway to help Marines and GIs who were tricked into fighting an illegal war to get out of the services that betrayed them and now force them to kill or be killed.</p>
<p>Outside Congress, there are local campaigns to help immigrants caught up in the government’s cruel net and forced into exile for a traffic stop, leaving behind American-born children or spouses.</p>
<p>Outside of Congress a huge swath of the country–Red and Blue states included–has voted for ordinances or resolutions that make their jurisdictions “PATRIOT Act -free zones” and that even instruct state and local law enforcement authorities not to cooperate with federal requests for information which they believe to be out of line with the Bill of Rights.</p>
<p>You would”t know any of this to watch what passes for an opposition in Congress these days.</p>
<p>Apparently it’s politically safe to stand up and say you don’t like John Bolton or Priscilla Owen, but not to stand up and say that the banks and credit card agencies are rapacious usurers–modern loan sharks–that a national ID is big step towards totalitarianism, or that funding for a criminal war is in itself a criminal act–or even that it’s time to bring the troops home.</p>
<p>We’re seeing compromise where there should be none–on the filibuster issue, on the PATRIOT Act, and no doubt on Social Security “reform.”</p>
<p>But there is such bold intransigence on John Bolton.</p>
<p>If this is the best we can get from the Democrats we elect and send to Congress, it’s time to turn to a third party and let the Democratic Party go the way of the Whigs…or of a burst appendix.</p>
<p>DAVE LINDORFF is the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567512283/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Killing Time: an Investigation into the Death Row Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal</a>. His new book of CounterPunch columns titled “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1567512984/counterpunchmaga" type="external">This Can’t be Happening!</a>” is published by Common Courage Press. Information about both books and other work by Lindorff can be found at <a href="http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/" type="external">www.thiscantbehappening.net</a>.</p>
<p>He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | The Democrats Have Become Merely a Vestigial Opposition Party | true | https://counterpunch.org/2005/05/28/the-democrats-have-become-merely-a-vestigial-opposition-party/ | 2005-05-28 | 4 |
<p>When black bears in Florida began foraging for food in people’s backyards, the state responded by banning the harvest of small orange, green and dark-blue saw palmetto berries the bears feed on in the wild.</p>
<p>The reasoning? Preserving more of the bears’ food in their habitats would make them less likely to encroach on suburbia.</p>
<p>But there was one thing officials overlooked, advocates for migrant farmworkers say: The ban has left some 3,000 farmworkers who rely on harvesting the wild berries between citrus seasons unable to feed their families legally.</p>
<p>Florida’s estimated 300,000 farmworkers, including seasonal and migrant workers, play a central role in the state’s agriculture industry. The industry has an annual impact of more than $120 billion on Florida’s economy, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Most of the state’s farmworkers are Latino.</p>
<p>“It was not fair to the farmworkers because they had no say, they had no warning, they had no alternative,” said Karen Woodall, executive director of the nonprofit Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, which strives to improve the lives of low-income workers and families. “The farmworkers have relied on picking these berries year after year.”</p>
<p>One issue, Woodall said, is that development is encroaching on bears’ natural habitat — not a shortage of palmetto berries.</p>
<p>For more than three years, the state has been issuing $10 daily permits that allow farmworkers to harvest as many palmetto berries as they can between July 31 and Nov. 1.</p>
<p>But in June, the state decided not to issue the permits this year as part of a “bear-management plan,” leaving migrant workers facing a tough decision: Go without income they need to get by for themselves and their families or risk arrest for violating the ban on picking the berries on state land.</p>
<p>Among workers and residents, there is confusion, too, about property lines and whether berries are on public or private property. Even if berries are on private property, the landowner needs to give permission for picking to occur.</p>
<p>Palmetto trees are palms that grow to a maximum height of 10 feet in sandy coastal areas or pine woods in Florida and the Bahamas and coastal lands from the Carolinas to Texas. With their growing popularity as an herbal supplement used for prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction in the United States and Europe, palmetto berries have become a hot commodity. The new ban on picking them has only served to push the price higher.</p>
<p>Workers typically start in southwest Florida and move north to follow the ripening of the berries in the state.</p>
<p>Several migrant workers, some of them undocumented, say economic necessity has forced them to risk arrest.</p>
<p>Rafael, a 48-year-old undocumented immigrant from Chiapas, Mexico, lives in Immokalee in southwest Florida. He has been picking the berries for five years. This year, he said, he and fellow palmetto harvesters have been venturing onto private property to pick undetected.</p>
<p>“We wait by the edge of the forest and if we see no police, we go in to pick the berries,” Rafael said in Spanish through a translator. “With permission or without permission, we do what we have to do. If we have to jump a fence, we jump a fence. But we have to work, no matter what.”</p>
<p>Rafael made it through the recent palmetto berry season without getting arrested. Others were less fortunate.</p>
<p>Berry Picking Leads to Charges</p>
<p>In early September, the whirring of the county sheriff’s office helicopter overhead terrified a group of Guatemalan workers who were harvesting the berries in Polk County, Florida. The workers were arrested, booked and jailed, and have since been released on bond, said assistant public defender Darlene Williams, who is representing them.</p>
<p>Williams said a man brought her clients in a van to pick the palmetto berries, and that they had no idea doing so was illegal. Farmworkers have been harvesting the berries in rural Polk County for decades, braving scorching heat, high humidity and the threat of black bears, panthers, snakes and alligators.</p>
<p>The nine workers arrested Sept. 3 in the rural outpost of Frostproof were indigenous Guatemalan immigrants who do not speak English or Spanish and have no familiarity with the U.S. justice system, Williams said.</p>
<p>“It would be like one of us being dropped onto Mars and being told, ‘There you go. Take care,’” she said.</p>
<p>State officials had posted and distributed flyers this year about discontinuing the permitting but they were in English, Spanish and Creole, not the rare Q’anjob’al language the indigenous Guatemalans speak.</p>
<p>The nine workers arrested in Frostproof, and five others arrested in the Polk County town of Lake Wales in August, have been charged with felony grand theft, considered a “crime of moral turpitude,” which could lead to deportation even though these immigrants apparently were in this country legally. They have work visas but that is not enough to protect them from being deported.</p>
<p>“These people are trying to put food on their table, and they’re the same people who make sure we have fresh fruits and vegetables on our table,” Williams said.</p>
<p>The berries now go for $1.65 a pound when bought by wholesalers, she said, and sheriff’s deputies added the value of all the pickers’ berries to come up with the grand theft charge, which requires theft of property worth more than $300.</p>
<p>A spokeswoman for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, asked to comment on the arrests, emailed affidavits that said the properties were fenced. But the fences were damaged and covered by palmetto berries, according to the documents.</p>
<p>The berries in Frostproof were growing on an undeveloped lot owned by an Orlando developer, and the berries in Lake Wales were growing on lots in a subdivision. Thus, the berries would have fallen to the ground and rotted had they not been picked, said Robert Young, general counsel for the 10th&#160;Judicial Circuit public defender.</p>
<p>Why Were Farmworkers Left Out?</p>
<p>Woodall and Tirso Moreno, general coordinator of the Farmworker Association of Florida, complain that the state excluded farmworkers from the decision not to issue permits, and say the workers were not even aware the decision had been made.</p>
<p>In a July 20 letter to state Sen. Dwight Bullard, a Democrat whose district includes Immokalee, Florida Forest Service (FFS) Director Jim Karels wrote that with increased reports of “human/bear conflicts” in Florida in recent years, the Forest Service told staff on June 17 to discontinue issuing special use permits for harvesting palmetto berries “until further notice.”</p>
<p>FFS is a part of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Aaron Keller, press secretary for the office of Department Commissioner Adam H. Putnam, declined to comment on the decision.</p>
<p>Bullard said he has spoken to both Woodall and Putnam. “I think it will result in at least an abbreviated permitting process looking at next season,” the senator said.</p>
<p>Carli Segelson, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said in an email: “The FWC works to maintain a healthy bear population, and natural food sources such as palmetto berries are needed to do this.”</p>
<p>Woodall notes that farmworkers were also excluded from discussions about the state’s overall bear-management plan, which included hunters and environmentalists but no farmworkers. She said state officials had agreed to include the farmworkers in the discussions from now on.</p>
<p>Bullard said the farmworkers suffer consequences for berry picking, including being arrested, while the contractors who arrange for their transportation, work and distribution of berries to producers go unpunished.</p>
<p>“Rather than hold the labor organizer accountable, the picker is being held accountable, and that I think is an unjust process when someone is making a good-faith effort to go pick these berries and finding out that they’re not supposed to after the fact,” Bullard said.</p>
<p>Cristobal Calzada, a 62-year-old immigrant from Guanajuato, Mexico, said he makes an average of about $140 a day for picking the palmetto berries for up to 12 hours.</p>
<p>Speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, Calzada said he supports his wife with the berry-picking income. (He also has two grown children.)</p>
<p>With no permits this year, he said, “I feel cheated. It’s a good crop. It’s a cash crop, and you have money during the off-season” from citrus picking.</p>
<p>Lucas Benitez, co-founder of the Coalition of&#160; Immokalee Workers, which advocates for farm workers from Florida to New Jersey, called it unfair to deny the workers permits when they are so dependent on the berries, have grown accustomed to picking them and, in many cases, heard nothing of the ban.</p>
<p>“Basically, it leaves them with a label of being criminals when for so many years they had permission to be doing this work,” Benitez said.</p>
<p>“It’s unfair to tell them they can’t harvest on state property. It’s unjust because basically it’s like giving wings to an eagle and then suddenly taking them away and watching the eagle just crash to the ground.”</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal">Gary Gately</a> is a freelance journalist based in Baltimore. His work has been published in&#160;The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun, the Chicago Tribune, CBS News, The Crime Report and the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange.</p>
<p>2015 © Equal Voice for America’s Families Newspaper</p>
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<p>&#160;&#160; <a href="" type="internal">agriculture</a>, <a href="" type="internal">berry picking controversy</a>, <a href="" type="internal">black bears</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Coalition of Immokalee Workers</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Families</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Farmworker Association of Florida</a>, <a href="" type="internal">farmworkers</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Florida</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy</a>, <a href="" type="internal">migrant farmworkers</a>, <a href="" type="internal">palmetto berries</a></p> | Florida Berry Pickers Are Left Out of Talks Affecting Their Lives | true | http://equalvoiceforfamilies.org/florida-berry-pickers-are-left-out-of-talks-affecting-their-lives/ | 4 |
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<p>George Smith, 43, who worked briefly as a deputy for the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office in 2011 after years as a deputy in South Carolina, is charged in arrest warrants and criminal complaints.</p>
<p>But he has been missing since his wife confronted him Tuesday night after she saw a television report with surveillance camera video of the drug store robber. Images from the video give a clear image of the robber’s face.</p>
<p>District Attorney Angela “Spence” Pacheco said Smith is married to Dorie Biagianti-Smith, chief deputy district attorney who oversees cases in Rio Arriba County.</p>
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<p>Pacheco said Biagianti-Smith contacted the police after her husband left their Santa Fe home.</p>
<p>“She is devastated, very upset and distraught,” Pacheco said. “But she had the courage to do what she needed to do.”</p>
<p>The surveillance video released earlier this week is from Wiley Chemists Pharmacy at 1676 Hospital Drive, where a man armed with a gun walked in about 4:30 p.m. and demanded hydrocodone, an opiate painkiller, aiming his gun at the pharmacist. He left after being told the pharmacy had none of the drug he was asking for.</p>
<p>The next day, an armed robber got away with prescription drugs in a holdup at the Medicap Pharmacy in Eldorado’s Agora Shopping Center. The Sheriff’s Office also has video from that case. Smith is also wanted in connection with this robbery.</p>
<p>Lt. Louis Carlos of the Santa Fe police provided a copy of a wanted bulletin for Smith that says he should be considered “armed and dangerous” and has law enforcement experience.</p>
<p>Smith is 5 foot, 11 inches tall and weighs about 225 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. He was last seen driving a 2008 Ford Edge with New Mexico license plate LRJ697.</p>
<p>Smith was arrested by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office on Aug, 24 on a fugitive from justice warrant and was held for about four days, according to county jail records. The case was dismissed by the District Attorney’s Office in Magistrate Court on Sept. 7.</p>
<p>Pacheco said the fugitive warrant on which Smith was arrested was for failure to pay child support in South Carolina. That state initially wanted him extradited, but once Smith paid what was owed, “they dismissed everything,” Pacheco said.</p>
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<p>She said it was her understanding that Smith had been a police officer in South Carolina for more than 20 years and was a lieutenant in charge of narcotics investigations.</p>
<p>“Addiction to prescription drugs is horrible,” she added.</p>
<p>Jake Arnold, spokesman for the Rio Arriba County Sheriff’s Office, said Smith worked as a deputy there for only about three weeks in early 2011 before Sheriff Tommy Rodella asked for his resignation. “The sheriff told him he didn’t think he was a good fit,” Arnold said. He said he couldn’t elaborate because Smith’s leaving was a personnel matter.</p>
<p>“We do believe this situation may have led to some (of) the tension between Dorie and the sheriff’s office that we’ve been laboring under for more than two years,” Arnold added.</p>
<p>Pacheco said “absolutely not” when asked if she wanted to comment on Arnold’s remark.</p>
<p>Among the topics Rodella and the DA’s office have sparred over is the controversial investigation of a vehicular homicide case playing out in state District Court this week, in the trial of defendant Juan de Dios Cordova.</p>
<p>Arnold said Smith’s application for a job at the Rio Arriba Sheriff’s Office indicated he had worked seven years as a deputy sheriff in Georgetown County, S.C., ending in 2009.</p>
<p>Smith may also have worked for Española police, but Lt. Carlos of the Santa Fe police said he hadn’t been able to confirm that. A call to the Española police chief was not returned Thursday evening.</p> | Former Deputy Robbery Suspect | false | https://abqjournal.com/154901/former-deputy-robbery-suspect.html | 2012-12-21 | 2 |
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<p>Image source: Electronic Arts.</p>
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<p>Early sales indicators for Titanfall 2 from Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) point to the game being a disappointment for the company. The game landed as the fourth best-selling title in the most recent U.K. weekly chart, falling short of EA's own Battlefield 1 -- which claimed the top spot for the second straight week since its launch. Titanfall 2 also came in below the company's FIFA 17, which released in Europe on Sept. 29.</p>
<p>With video game sales typically being highly front-loaded, Titanfall 2's failure to secure better performance on the U.K. charts in the week of its release is concerning, and negative indicators are not limited to the territory. Research firm Cowen &amp; Company cut its global sales target on the game from 9 million units to between 5 million and 6 million units, and online feedback suggests that the game had a small enough player base after launch to make matching with other players difficult in some game modes.</p>
<p>The game appears to be suffering negative effects from releasing just one week after EA's own Battlefield 1 and one week before the debut of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare from Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI).</p>
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<p>Substantial underperformance for Titanfall 2 will negatively affect EA's earnings in its most important quarter, and could cause the company to shelve the franchise. EA had guided for between 9 million and 10 million units sold for the game, and it's likely that the title will fall well short of that target.</p>
<p>The original Titanfall sold somewhere around 7 million copies on Microsoft's Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC platforms, and failure to match that figure would represent a notable disappointment for the company, as it had anticipated the series would benefit from its debut on Sony's red-hot PlayStation 4 console. On the other hand, Battlefield 1 looks to be posting strong sales, which could offset some of a Titanfall 2 sales miss.</p>
<p>Taking a wider view, disappointing sales for Titanfall 2 probably do not represent a big threat to EA's long-term success. The company has a wide range of strong properties, and can withstand underperformance from a young franchise like Titanfall. However, it looks like the company's move to challenge Activision Blizzard's position in the first-person-shooter genre, by releasing two high-profile titles in short succession, has backfired.</p>
<p>A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-apple-wearable?aid=6965&amp;source=irbeditxt0000017&amp;ftm_cam=rb-wearable-d&amp;ftm_pit=2667&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/keithnoonan/info.aspx" type="external">Keith Noonan Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Activision Blizzard. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Activision Blizzard. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends Electronic Arts. 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> | Instant Analysis: Electronic Arts' "Titanfall 2" Looks Like a Sales Dud | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/02/instant-analysis-electronic-arts-titanfall-2-looks-like-sales-dud.html | 2016-11-02 | 0 |
<p>BusinessWeek The November-December issue currently on newsstands is its last, reports Jon Fine. A year ago, Radar founder Maer Roshan was talking about moving the magazine to a monthly schedule in 2006. "It was an interesting and increasingly excellent magazine; it was a game and noble foil; and it was a well-paying gig for any number of friends," <a href="http://www.gawker.com/news/breaking/breaking-radar-folds-143179.php" type="external">says</a> Gawker. &gt; <a href="" type="internal">Earlier: Radar gets $25 million from Zuckerman and Epstein (NYT)</a></p> | Radar magazine folds after publishing 3 issues in 2005 | false | https://poynter.org/news/radar-magazine-folds-after-publishing-3-issues-2005 | 2005-12-14 | 2 |
<p>FBN's Rich Edson on what happens in the event of an electoral college tie between Obama and Romney.</p>
<p>With less than a month until Election Day, the race for the White House has become either man’s to win — or no man’s clear victory.</p>
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<p>Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s performance during the first presidential debate closed the gap between him and President Obama and it has yet to be seen how the second debate will move the polls. Obama was much more aggressive and energized in the second debate, and there is a remote chance both men could end up with 269 electoral votes, falling short of the 270 needed to claim the Oval Office.</p>
<p>“Mathematically there is a possibility,” says Christopher Arterton, professor of political management at <a href="http://www.gspm.gwu.edu/" type="external">The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management Opens a New Window.</a>. “It’s a slight possibility that a particular constellation of the battle ground states line up for either side and could lead to tie in Electoral College.”</p>
<p>One scenario on election night goes like this: Obama carries the same states in 2008 including swing states Colorado and Virginia and Romney holds onto the states Sen. John McCain picked up in addition to Indiana and North Carolina as well as crucial swing states Ohio, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.</p>
<p>Our founding fathers planned for such an occasion in the 12th Amendment, which provides that the House of Representatives, which would include newly-elected members, would vote for the next commander in chief. Each state, no matter its size, gets one vote, and the first candidate to achieve 26 votes will take the oath of office -- and there is the chance lawmakers don’t choose the candidate who received the majority vote.</p>
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<p>“If it’s a tie, the working assumption is that Republicans are more likely to control majority of states, and would then in turn elect Romney,” said Jack Rakove, historian and professor of political science at Stanford University.</p>
<p>As House members are casting their vote, the Senate is charged with selecting the new vice president. Each senator gets one vote and a simple majority elects the next vice president. And with many experts predicting the Senate to remain under Democrats’ control, Vice President Joe Biden would likely take the victory, creating a Romney/Biden Administration.</p>
<p>The chances of this scenario playing out are slim, but it has happened. In 1824, all four candidates failed to receive an Electoral College majority, and the House voted John Adams president despite Andrew Jackson receiving the most electoral votes.</p>
<p>Before putting the country’s leadership in the hands of lawmakers, Arterton says there would be attempts to get an elector to change his or her vote, but that might be hard to do. “If someone is elected for Obama and voted for Romney or vice versa, I would imagine they wouldn’t want to be showing their face in the state capitol building.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, a tie would make the 2000 Bush vs. Gore debacle look like smooth sailing.</p>
<p>“Whenever we face a constitutional crisis, like an impeachment and so forth, the question becomes whether the elected representatives are going to act like statesman or politicians,” says Arterton. “If there were to be a tie there would be all sorts of interest group pressure. Imagine the type of Super PAC spending that would go on influencing public thinking over congressional action, it would create a prolonged unhappiness throughout much of December and January.”</p> | Could We End Up With a Romney/Biden Administration? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2012/10/16/could-end-up-with-romneybiden-administration.html | 2016-03-03 | 0 |
<p>Facial recognition surveillance software being tested by British cops that allows “faster than ever” data searching and tracking of subjects is raising concerns among privacy activists.</p>
<p>NeoFace software analyses dozens of facial features from digital CCTV images or police body cameras and matching them with the 90,000 photos stored on Leicestershire Police’s database, which had become the first unit in the UK to test it.</p>
<p>Processing takes a matter of seconds, eliminating the need for officers to spend hours manually searching for possible matches.</p>
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<p>NeoFace software analyses dozens of facial features from digital CCTV images or police body cameras and matching them with the 90,000 photos stored on Leicestershire Police’s database, which had become the first unit in the UK to test it.</p>
<p>Processing takes a matter of seconds, eliminating the need for officers to spend hours manually searching for possible matches.</p>
<p>Law enforcement hopes NEC’s NeoFace will&#160;“transform the way criminals are tracked down.”</p>
<p>“Initial results have been very promising and we’re looking forward to seeing what can be achieved throughout the six month trial,”&#160;Leicestershire Police Chief Inspector Chris Cockerill says.</p>
<p>While the results can’t be used as evidence in court, the programme does give detectives significant help in developing new lines of enquiry.</p>
<p>“Besides the speed it’s also impressive because it can even find family members related to the person we’re trying to identify.”&#160;Identity unit Manager Andy Ramsay adds.</p>
<p>Though not everyone shares the excitement over the new software. The technology has already raised some serious concerns among privacy activists who question its effectiveness.</p>
<p>“Facial recognition systems use computerized pattern-matching technology to automatically identify peoples’ faces,”&#160;says a spokesperson from Privacy International.&#160;“While still very much in its infancy, it raises significant public policy questions because it enables the covert identification and classification of people in public.”</p>
<p>With more than six million CCTV cameras in operation, Britain is already the most&#160; <a href="http://rt.com/news/cctv-uk-private-surveillance-918/" type="external">watched</a>&#160;country in the world. Cameras that are in public control include more than 10,000 CCTV units installed by the police and some 60,000 more controlled by local authorities across Britain. There are 70 times more privately owned surveillance cameras than government ones.</p>
<p>The technology has also found a mixed reception in the US, where the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s <a href="http://rt.com/usa/fbi-facial-records-52-million-508/" type="external">database</a>&#160;of facial recognition records is expected to contain 52 million images by 2015, which civil liberties advocates have said for years is among the most serious future threats to Americans’ privacy.</p>
<p><a href="http://rt.com/uk/173292-facial-recognition-surveillance-software/" type="external">This piece</a> was reprinted by <a href="" type="internal">RINF Independent News</a> with permission or license.&#160;</p> | Privacy concerns? UK police test ‘faster-than-ever’ facial recognition software | true | http://rinf.com/alt-news/surveillance-big-brother/privacy-concerns-uk-police-test-faster-ever-facial-recognition-software/ | 2014-07-16 | 4 |
<p>Post-Citizens United, corporate donors are still shy enough that they shield themselves behind undisclosed corporate donations to non-profits rather than direct candidate contributions. Now the Center for Public Integrity has released a <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/01/16/14107/top-us-corporations-funneled-185-million-political-nonprofits#company/google-inc" type="external">detailed report</a> of top corporations and their donations to those nonprofits. They were able to identify direct contributions of at least $185 million.</p>
<p>They gleaned the information from financial statements and other public records to the extent they were available. Some companies chose to make a full disclosure while others disclosed nothing, and still others only disclosed the name of the organization without the amount given.</p>
<p>Google falls into that last category, where we know who they donated to, but not how much. The list is damning. Not only did Google drop contributions onto lots of political non-profits on the right and the left, they aligned completely with the Koch side of the right-wing nonprofits.</p>
<p>For example, they were the only company to disclose a donation to Heritage Action, the Jim DeMint shut-down-the-government-kill-Obamacare group. Also on their list? The Texas Public Policy Foundation, ALEC, <a href="http://americanactionforum.org/about/overview" type="external">American Action Forum</a>, Federalist Society, <a href="http://www.wlf.org/org/legalpolicy.asp" type="external">Washington Legal Foundation</a>, Competitive Enterprise Institute, US Chamber of Commerce, Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform, <a href="http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2012/522/218/2012-522218789-091aebd5-9.pdf" type="external">The Constitution Project</a>, American Conservative Union (CPAC sponsor), American Enterprise Institute, Cato Institute, Mercatus Center (the Koch-sponsored economic think tank at George Mason University), National Taxpayers Union and the Free State Foundation.</p>
<p>By contrast, the only identifiable left-leaning organizations on their list were the Center for American Progress Action Fund and NAACP Action. The rest were neutral or trade associations connected with the internet.</p>
<p>Just in case there's some dispute about what's evil and what isn't, Google should note the well-documented case against Heritage Action and their evil crusade to shut millions out of access to health care, the damage that the Koch-built Cato, Mercatus, AEI and CEI-derived policies wreak on ordinary people, and how all of these organizations work in concert to do harm to the middle class and working people.</p>
<p>Simply put, they do evil to ordinary people.</p>
<p>Google didn't do this by accident. They've decided to toss their lot in with extremists while using our data to buy their donations. There's something really, really evil about that.</p> | Hey, Google! Whatever Happened To 'Don't Be Evil'? | true | http://crooksandliars.com/2014/01/hey-google-what-happened-dont-be-evil | 2014-01-16 | 4 |
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<p>NORMAN, Okla. – Members of a University of Oklahoma fraternity apparently learned a racist chant that recently got their chapter disbanded during a national leadership cruise four years ago that was sponsored by the fraternity’s national administration, the university’s president said Friday.</p>
<p>President David Boren said the school interviewed more than 160 people during its investigation into members of its now-defunct Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter who were captured on video taking part in the chant, which included references to lynching, a racial slur and the promise that the fraternity would never accept a black member.</p>
<p>Brandon Weghorst, a spokesman for SAE’s national administration, which is based in Evanston, Ill., said the organization planned to release a statement in response to the university’s findings.</p>
<p>Boren said about 25 members of the school’s SAE chapter will face punishment ranging from two expulsions the school announced previously to mandatory community service and cultural sensitivity training.</p>
<p>The video, which surfaced earlier this month, showed fraternity members yelling the chant on a chartered bus while headed to a formal event at an Oklahoma City country club with their dates, Boren said.</p>
<p />
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | OU president: Frat learned chant on a cruise | false | https://abqjournal.com/561506/ou-president-frat-learned-chant-on-a-cruise.html | 2 |
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<p>From Dick Morris and Eileen McGann's October 9 <a href="http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/2009/10/09/the-nobel-prize-to-obama-europes-bid-to-re-colonize-america/" type="external">column</a>:</p>
<p>Whether it was rewarding Jimmy Carter for criticizing the Iraq war or supporting Al Gore in his crusade against global warming, the Norwegian parliament, which chooses the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, has sought to use the award as a political tool to influence American politics.</p>
<p>Its prestige and moral power make the prize a potent weapon with which to help steer the direction of the colossus beyond the seas that controls a quarter of the world's economy and most of its military power.</p>
<p>Now, the Norwegians have weighed in to support Barack Obama in his bid to reshape America so it looks more like, well, Norway, or at least like Europe.</p>
<p>European socialism cannot succeed without conquering the United States.</p>
<p>[...]</p>
<p>The Nobel Prize is really Obama's payback for disciplining the unruly United States and taming it to be a member of the European family of nations. Europe wants to reverse the American Revolution and re-colonize us, and it sees in Obama a kindred spirit willing to do its bidding.</p>
<p>[...]</p>
<p>All this heavy lifting, this conversion of America into a European state, deserves a reward. And what is a more fitting one than to give Obama than the Nobel Peace Prize?</p>
<p>He obviously doesn't deserve the award for economics or, given his healthcare ideas, for medicine. But the Peace Prize expresses Europe's longing: to take back the nation its overly ambitious and uppity children founded.</p>
<p>Previously: <a href="/blog/2009/06/29/black-helicopter-alert-dick-morris-warns-that-t/151633" type="external" /></p>
<p><a href="/blog/2009/06/29/black-helicopter-alert-dick-morris-warns-that-t/151633" type="external">BLACK HELICOPTER ALERT: Dick Morris warns that the "Declaration of Independence has been repealed," identifies "journalistic conspiracy to keep this silent"</a></p> | Morris: Obama awarded Nobel Prize as part of Euro plot to "reverse the American Revolution and re-colonize us" | true | http://mediamatters.org/blog/200910090049 | 2009-10-09 | 4 |
<p>H&amp;R Block said Wednesday that it plans to buy back up to $1.5 billion of its stock from its shareholders in a process known as a modified Dutch auction.</p>
<p>The tax preparer said it will buy stock for between $32.25 per share and $37 per share. Shareholders can offer their stock for sale until Oct. 2.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>In a Dutch auction, the shareholders decide how many shares they want to sell and at what price, within a certain range. After that, the company determines the lowest per-share price within the range that lets it buy the amount of shares that it wants.</p>
<p>Late Tuesday, the company reported better-than-expected results for its fiscal first quarter.</p>
<p>Shares of H&amp;R Block, Inc., based in Kansas City, Missouri, rose $2.25, or 6.8 percent, to $35.20 in midday trading Wednesday.</p> | Tax preparer H&R Block plans to buy back up to $1.5 billion of its stock; shares rise | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/09/02/tax-preparer-hr-block-plans-to-buy-back-up-to-15-billion-its-stock-shares-rise.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
<p>The merveilleux is, as you might expect, something of a marvel. A French-born, Belgian-perfected cake, it’s formed by stacking shelves of delicate, crumbly meringue. (The adhesive is whipped cream.)</p>
<p>Just over a month ago, Anne Sophie Diotallevi opened New York’s first shop dedicated to the cake, named <a href="http://www.omerveilleux.com/" type="external">O Merveilleux</a>. It’s her first food venture in the city. To make the cakes, Diotallevi wakes up early each morning to bake the meringues. To finish them, she cloaks each merveilleux in shredded chocolate — dark or white — or in crumbled speculoos, a type of spiced shortcrust cookie.</p>
<p>The whole process is a labor of love.</p>
<p>“The merveilleux has been part of my life since I was born,” Diotallevi says. She grew up in the city of Leuven, Belgium, just east of Brussels. Belgium’s a country that’s not short on either pastry shops or the pastry-lovers to support them. And, growing up, young Anne Sophie enjoyed a particular childhood ritual: each Sunday, after lunch, she was allowed to pick a favorite pastry for her dessert. The merveilleux, she says, won every time.</p>
<p>It was “the biggest one,” and she adds, “the only one that I chose.”</p>
<p>Don’t expect your merveilleux to last too long, warns Diotallevi. One gentle poke with a spoon and it collapses. “After that, you have to eat with your mouth and your nose, and not with your eyes, because it’s a mess on your plate,” she says.</p>
<p>We asked for her recipe, but Diotallevi respectfully declined. However, we did find <a href="http://allrecipes.fr/recette/10884/merveilleux-individuel.aspx" type="external">a French recipe</a> lurking on the Internet.</p> | Got a sweet tooth? A Belgian pastry chef brings the 'merveilleux' to New York | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-12-04/got-sweet-tooth-belgian-pastry-chef-brings-merveilleux-new-york | 2013-12-04 | 3 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — David D. Huerta, a veteran of more than 30 years in public law enforcement with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, has been named director of the New Mexico Corrections Department’s Office of Recidivism Reduction, the department said in a news release.</p>
<p>Huerta has managed two national training centers responsible for delivering more than 140 courses each year and for training some 4,300 students with an annual budget of $5.1 million, the release said.</p>
<p>He has been a special agent for the Office of Internal Affairs and was associate warden for the largest federal prison in the nation with more than 5,000 inmates from more than 90 different countries, the Corrections Department said.</p>
<p>Huerta is a skilled trainer in crisis management, correctional leadership development, FBI Crime Scene administration and management, labor relations, new training for associate wardens, special agent training, self-defense (Aikido),CPR, verbal judo and prison rape elimination, according to the release.</p>
<p>“Director Huerta brings exceptional experience and insight to our efforts to reduce criminal recidivism,” Corrections Secretary Gregg Marcantel said in the release.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | State Corrections Official Named | false | https://abqjournal.com/154212/new-state-corrections-official-named.html | 2012-12-18 | 2 |
<p>Our voices are a critical part of human communication, but it turns out there’s still a lot we don’t know about how our brains perceive and produce the emotions in our voice.</p>
<p>A new study focuses on the one voice that most people hear all the time — your own.</p>
<p>“You can’t escape it,” laughs Jean-Julien Aucouturier, a researcher with the French National Centre for Scientific Research&#160;at the nstitut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique&#160;in Paris, France, and a lead author of the paper. The results,&#160; <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/113/4/948.full" type="external">published in the&#160;Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, suggest that the emotions carried in your voice can influence your overall emotional state.</p>
<p>For this experiment, about 100 participants were asked to answer simple questions about their emotions — whether they felt happy or sad or afraid — and then read a short story out loud. They could hear their own voice through headphones as they were reading. Afterwards, they&#160;were&#160;asked to rate their emotions again using the same questionnaire. Participants were not told that reporting their emotions and reading the story were part of the same experiment.</p>
<p>What participants didn’t know is that the pitch of the voice they were hearing in their headphones was actually slightly modified to sound happier, sadder, or more fearful (the higher the pitch, the happier someone sounds, for example, while a tremble in the voice conveys fear or anxiety). The researchers found that participants whose voice had been modified to sound happy reported significantly more positive moods than controls, and those whose voice was&#160;modified to sound sadder reported corresponding sad moods.</p>
<p>The findings suggest that not only do we use our voice to communicate emotions to others, but we actually listen to our own voice to glean information on how we’re feeling.</p>
<p>“Normally, you sound like how you feel. Here, we created a strange, otherworldy situation where people sounded different than how they originally felt,” Aucouturier wrote in an&#160;email. “You could have expected that people could say, ‘wait, that’s not how I’m supposed to sound,’” but instead, the participants in this study ended up changing their feelings to match what they had heard.</p>
<p>“This is a completely novel finding,” says Aucouturier, and it could inspire future research avenues.&#160;“Voice is amazing in terms of the amount of information it conveys." For example, perhaps our voice channels traits and attitudes, such as confidence or disdain, that can influence the way we behave.</p>
<p>Aucouturier and his colleagues developed&#160; <a href="http://cream.ircam.fr/" type="external">a new audio platform</a>&#160;specifically for this experiment, in which they could input a participant’s voice, modify it, and then play it back to the person — all within a moment’s time — to create the illusion that the participant was hearing their normal voice speak through headphones.</p>
<p>It usually takes just 1 or 2 milliseconds for us to “hear” our own voice; in this platform, the voice modification takes about 20 milliseconds, but that’s still fast enough that few participants&#160;seemed to notice — only 16 said they could tell that their voice had been modified, and their results were removed from the final findings, according to Aucouturier.</p>
<p>“What really blew us away is the potential of the tool,” wrote Aucouturier. In experiments designed to study behavior, there’s a risk that participants will notice the methods being used to manipulate their behavior, which can affect results. But in this experiment, the majority of participants were unaware. Where psychological research is concerned, “we could be looking at the ultimate tool for emotion regulation here.”</p>
<p>The researchers have made the platform&#160; <a href="http://cream.ircam.fr/" type="external">open-source</a>&#160;so that anyone can experiment with it.</p>
<p>This <a href="http://www.sciencefriday.com/articles/the-emotive-power-of-voice/" type="external">story</a> was first published by our partners at <a href="http://www.sciencefriday.com/" type="external">Science Friday</a>&#160;with Ira Flatow.</p> | New research reveals how our own voice influences our moods | false | https://pri.org/stories/2016-02-18/new-research-reveals-how-our-own-voice-influences-our-moods | 2016-02-18 | 3 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Police found a loaded gun in the hotel room of a man who surrendered after a six-hour standoff Friday at Clovis’ Westward Ho Hotel, the <a href="http://www.cnjonline.com/2013/07/29/documents-loaded-pistol-found-in-suspects-room/" type="external">Clovis News Journal</a> reported.</p>
<p>Patrick Lopez, 31, of Clovis, surrendered peacefully early Saturday after hiding in a crawl space above several rooms at the hotel while police tried to use gas to get him to give up, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>He was wanted on two outstanding warrants when a bail bondsman informed police around 7 p.m. Friday that Lopez was at the hotel, the paper reported.</p>
<p>Police said a hammer-wielding Lopez refused to leave his room, and SWAT officers were called, according to the News Journal. Officers heard a banging sound coming from the hotel room and thought Lopez was trying to break through a wall, but they later found a hole in the bathroom ceiling and Lopez gone.</p>
<p>An officer eventually entered the crawl space where Lopez surrendered.</p>
<p>Police found a .45-caliber Springfield Armour handgun with a bullet in the chamber as well as a bag of methamphetamine, two 9mm magazines, body armor and a homemade bong, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>In addition to the warrants for aggravated DWI and concealing identity, Lopez was being held on new charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a felon and criminal damage to property of more than $1,000.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Clovis suspect arrested after standoff | false | https://abqjournal.com/227746/clovis-suspect-arrested-after-standoff.html | 2013-07-30 | 2 |
<p>PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A measure that would make it harder to change the South Dakota constitution passed its first legislative test Monday, but the proposal still must make it through the full Legislature and earn voter approval to take effect.</p>
<p>The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 6-2, with only Republican support, to advance the resolution to the full chamber. Sen. Jim Bolin, its sponsor, said the measure is designed to add additional safeguards for the state constitution.</p>
<p>He said it’s is a “legitimate and desirable method of protecting our fundamental political document.”</p>
<p>It would put a constitutional amendment before voters this year that would increase the majority vote threshold required for a constitutional change to at least 55 percent of the votes cast on an amendment.</p>
<p>A task force on the ballot question process endorsed the plan after Bolin proposed a similar measure during the 2017 legislative session that was set aside in committee. The Republican lawmaker said he’s more confident this year’s push will be successful.</p>
<p>Republicans have discussed changes to the ballot question system after the 2016 election season brought 10 questions and millions of dollars from out-of-state groups. Bolin said the use of paid petition circulators, people from outside South Dakota to secure the signatures necessary to get on the ballot and out-of-state money to sway public opinion make his proposal necessary.</p>
<p>“We believe that amending the constitution should not be a cakewalk,” said Jim Hood, a lobbyist for the South Dakota Retailers Association. “As history illustrates, once an idea is enshrined in our constitution, it is rarely repealed.”</p>
<p>But opponents argued that the proposed amendment could hamper direct democracy in South Dakota.</p>
<p>Rob Timm, president and CEO of the Chiesman Center for Democracy, said it’s a potential erosion of freedoms afforded by the state constitution and a “potential assault on our direct democracy.” Democratic Sen. Reynold Nesiba said last session’s repeal of a government ethics initiative that voters imposed in 2016 caused a lot of anger and disgust.</p>
<p>“Bringing this up right now, a year after we had that contentious conversation, is really horrible timing and is disrespecting the people’s voice in South Dakota,” Nesiba said.</p>
<p>The Senate panel also voted 8-1 Monday to approve a bill sponsored by Nesiba on state campaign finance rules. The measure aimed at requiring ballot measure campaigns to disclose their donors while supporters gather signatures to get on the ballot is headed to the full Senate.</p>
<p>It would require initiative campaigns to submit finance reports by July 1 in odd-numbered years when supporters collect signatures needed to get on the ballot. Current rules don’t require ballot question campaigns to disclose their donors until long after they’ve submitted signatures to the state.</p>
<p>“In fact, all of the initiated measures that are in front of the Secretary of State’s office right now, that she is processing and putting together, we don’t know who paid for the campaign to circulate the petitions,” Nesiba said. “We don’t find out until afterwards.”</p>
<p>Nesiba drafted the legislation after being contacted by The Associated Press about the issue.</p>
<p>PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A measure that would make it harder to change the South Dakota constitution passed its first legislative test Monday, but the proposal still must make it through the full Legislature and earn voter approval to take effect.</p>
<p>The Senate State Affairs Committee voted 6-2, with only Republican support, to advance the resolution to the full chamber. Sen. Jim Bolin, its sponsor, said the measure is designed to add additional safeguards for the state constitution.</p>
<p>He said it’s is a “legitimate and desirable method of protecting our fundamental political document.”</p>
<p>It would put a constitutional amendment before voters this year that would increase the majority vote threshold required for a constitutional change to at least 55 percent of the votes cast on an amendment.</p>
<p>A task force on the ballot question process endorsed the plan after Bolin proposed a similar measure during the 2017 legislative session that was set aside in committee. The Republican lawmaker said he’s more confident this year’s push will be successful.</p>
<p>Republicans have discussed changes to the ballot question system after the 2016 election season brought 10 questions and millions of dollars from out-of-state groups. Bolin said the use of paid petition circulators, people from outside South Dakota to secure the signatures necessary to get on the ballot and out-of-state money to sway public opinion make his proposal necessary.</p>
<p>“We believe that amending the constitution should not be a cakewalk,” said Jim Hood, a lobbyist for the South Dakota Retailers Association. “As history illustrates, once an idea is enshrined in our constitution, it is rarely repealed.”</p>
<p>But opponents argued that the proposed amendment could hamper direct democracy in South Dakota.</p>
<p>Rob Timm, president and CEO of the Chiesman Center for Democracy, said it’s a potential erosion of freedoms afforded by the state constitution and a “potential assault on our direct democracy.” Democratic Sen. Reynold Nesiba said last session’s repeal of a government ethics initiative that voters imposed in 2016 caused a lot of anger and disgust.</p>
<p>“Bringing this up right now, a year after we had that contentious conversation, is really horrible timing and is disrespecting the people’s voice in South Dakota,” Nesiba said.</p>
<p>The Senate panel also voted 8-1 Monday to approve a bill sponsored by Nesiba on state campaign finance rules. The measure aimed at requiring ballot measure campaigns to disclose their donors while supporters gather signatures to get on the ballot is headed to the full Senate.</p>
<p>It would require initiative campaigns to submit finance reports by July 1 in odd-numbered years when supporters collect signatures needed to get on the ballot. Current rules don’t require ballot question campaigns to disclose their donors until long after they’ve submitted signatures to the state.</p>
<p>“In fact, all of the initiated measures that are in front of the Secretary of State’s office right now, that she is processing and putting together, we don’t know who paid for the campaign to circulate the petitions,” Nesiba said. “We don’t find out until afterwards.”</p>
<p>Nesiba drafted the legislation after being contacted by The Associated Press about the issue.</p> | Senate panel supports making it harder to alter constitution | false | https://apnews.com/19b3c6a48fa94408914994bd8c0b1f94 | 2018-01-22 | 2 |
<p>Daily Pennsylvanian | Slate George Washington University professor Mark Allenbaugh, who invited Stephen Glass to last month's <a href="http://slate.msn.com/id/2091015/" type="external">ethics discussion</a>, says of the event: "About a third of the people there were journalists. They were there just to pick on (Glass). I found it unprofessional, uncivil and disrespectful of the audience." But the Washington Post's Marc Fisher says: "He put on an act that was not terribly persuasive. He was unwilling and unable to deal with questions on his motives."</p> | Ethics prof: Oh-so-mean reporters were picking on Glass | false | https://poynter.org/news/ethics-prof-oh-so-mean-reporters-were-picking-glass | 2003-12-05 | 2 |
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<p>New Mexico Highlands senior Jillisa Grant was selected as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference athlete of the week in track and field. The Cowgirl standout recorded an NCAA provisional mark in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.58 at last weekend’s University of New Mexico Cherry &amp; Silver Invitational in Albuquerque. She placed third overall in the event and is currently ranked fourth in NCAA Division II.</p>
<p>Grant, of Spanish Town, Jamaica, is a three-time DII national champion. In 2011, Grant won the long jump title for both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Then last year, added to her already impressive resume with an indoor title at 200 meters.</p>
<p>The Cowgirls are participating at today and tomorrow (1/25-26) at the New Mexcio Collegiate Invitational at the Albuquerque Convention Center.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Grant named RMAC athlete of week | false | https://abqjournal.com/163469/grant-named-rmac-athlete-of-week.html | 2 |
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<p>Cup o’ Jones: BJU’s history may offend many, but credit where credit’s due: A Jonathan Edwards themed coffee shop is an idea whose time has come (photo: Tim Murphy).</p>
<p>Greenville,&#160;South&#160;Carolina—Some of you may know Bob Jones University as the fun-loving school that briefly held the <a href="http://www.bju.edu/collegian/index.php?issue=84&amp;article=838" type="external">Guinness World&#160;Record</a> for largest kazoo ensemble. More likely, though, you know it as a bastion of the far right: For decades, big-shot conservative politicians from Ronald Reagan to George W.&#160;Bush have traveled to the self-described “fundamentalist” outpost to pander to the Christian right, all the while <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/25/045r-022500-idx.html" type="external">pleading ignorance</a> to its institutional opposition to Catholicism (“a Satanic counterfeit”) and its longstanding ban on interracial dating.</p>
<p>The dating policy was reversed in 2000 (provided you have <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/08/us/national-news-briefs-parents-note-needed-for-interracial-dates.html?ref=bob_jones_university" type="external">parental consent</a> and a chaperone, of course), but the school still has a pretty detailed <a href="http://www.bju.edu/become-a-student/accepted-students/expectations/residence.php" type="external">personal conduct code</a>, which bans, among other things, phones that have Internet access, “contemporary Christian music,” Gmail, and “posters of movie and music stars.” I stopped by BJU&#160;on Tuesday hoping to speak with some current students about what brought them there (the art program is supposed to be excellent), how they like the school, and what they make of the school’s not-so-distant history. But, alas, when I approached a group of undergrads, they broke the bad news: “We’re not technically allowed to talk to reporters unless we have the school’s permission,” as one of them explained.</p>
<p>So much for that. Instead,&#160;I ended up walking across campus, checking out the Renaissance art museum (quite impressive, in addition to being the only place at BJU where you’ll find Catholics); the Shakespeare-centric theater; and the memorial to the school’s namesake, which places him in the tradition of transcendent historical figures like George Whitefield and Billy Sunday.</p>
<p>BJU always <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/05/weekinreview/the-nation-the-tower-of-babel-bob-jones-s-dating-tips.html?ref=bob_jones_university" type="external">insisted</a> that the dating policy had nothing to do with delusions of racial superiority; instead, it was fueled by a paranoia over a one-world society—which, as any student of the Left Behind series knows, is the mark of Satan and the End of Days. The more people of different complexions intermingle, the fewer borders there will be between Lucifer and his ultimate goal. So much for “divide and conquer.”</p>
<p>I’m not sure this explanation actually makes the policy any more palatable; if anything, I’d say racial fears become a lot more dangerous when they’re enveloped into a grand, unifying theory of how the world is going to end. But it was consistent with the school’s general message as articulated by its leaders, its rules for student life, and its areas of study:&#160;Don’t trust anything you hear off campus. At the University bookstore (located right next door to “Great Awakenings” coffee shop), for instance, pamphlets about the Freemasons and the “the facts” about the Roman Catholic church are sprinkled in amongst anti-Darwin screeds and American exceptionalist tracts.</p>
<p>Bob the Lender: Bob Jones Sr., a noted Shakespeare buff, posed for this portrait dressed as Shylock.Even if politicians don’t detour to Greenville as frequently as they used to, they’re still very much speaking to Bob Jones when they talk about global warming, or about nuclear Iran, or about the need (or lack thereof) for diplomacy, or about the coming collapse of American currency: As the Tea&#160;Party movement ably demonstrates,&#160;BJU-style fears of global government are a driving force behind today’s conservative fearmongering. Bob Jones lost the battle, but in some sense, the bigger struggle is ongoing.</p>
<p>Besides, <a href="http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1616/american-marriage-interracial-interethnic" type="external">according to Pew</a>, 37 percent of Americans would still have “some problem” with a family member marrying someone of a different race. In 2010. The institution may have been broken, but the prejudice hasn’t disappeared.</p>
<p>Front page image: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BJUSign.jpg" type="external">John Foxe</a>/Wikimedia.</p> | Bob Jones University’s Last Days | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/07/bob-jones-university-last-days-catholic/ | 2010-07-21 | 4 |
<p>A county-level grand jury in Ohio indicted several foreign nationals for election fraud related to the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections.</p>
<p>Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien <a href="https://prosecutor.franklincountyohio.gov/press-releases/1287" type="external">announced</a> Thursday that the Franklin County Grand Jury returned indictments against seven foreign nationals who allegedly voted illegally in recent U.S. elections.</p>
<p>Originally, the Secretary of State and Ohio Attorney General referred 36 cases to O’Brien’s office of non-citizens who “had registered and/or voted in recent elections in Franklin County.”</p>
<p>After further investigation by the Board of Elections and Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, seven foreign nationals, who were not U.S. citizens, were criminally charged “for registering and voting in elections” in Franklin County.</p>
<p>Those charged include:</p>
<p>“These newly indicted cases are a compilation of individuals, all of whom falsely registered to vote with the Franklin County Board of Elections by declaring they were United States citizens on their voter registration applications,” O’Brien stated. “The counts in the indictments include Illegal Voting (F-4), False Voter Registration (F-5), or a combination of both charges.”</p>
<p>Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine commended the work of local and state law enforcement officials in working to keep elections honest in Ohio.</p>
<p>“Voter fraud is a serious crime,” DeWine said. “When evidence warrants, we see prosecutions such as those Prosecutor O'Brien announced today. I am proud that my office is able to play an integral role in preserving voting integrity in Ohio.”</p>
<p>The remaining 29 foreign nationals referred to O’Brien for investigation were either not charged or remain under investigation.</p>
<p>The seven indicted foreign nationals are scheduled to be back in court on September 27 to face arraignment.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra" type="external">Follow Ryan Saavedra on Twitter</a></p> | Multiple Foreign Nationals Criminally Charged For U.S. Election Fraud | true | https://dailywire.com/news/21151/multiple-foreign-nationals-criminally-charged-us-ryan-saavedra | 2017-09-15 | 0 |
<p>A Victory After Decades of Struggle for Racial Justice</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Cincinnati's recent selection of someone who is not white and is not from the West Side of Cincinnati as the city's new police chief is a victory for justice and civil rights, and a vindication of the efforts of those activists who for decades have struggled against the racism, violence and abuse that have characterized the Cincinnati Police Department.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Cincinnati Police Department's long history of malfeasance reached a crisis on April 7, 2001 when a police officer pursued a young unarmed African American man named Timothy Thomas, wanted for nothing worse than traffic violations, and shot and killed him in a downtown alley. Thomas was the fifteenth African American man under 50 to have been killed by the police between 1995 and 2001, some of those black men had been unarmed and some were killed in police custody. The African American community, finally having reached the breaking point, erupted in four days of unrest, an uprising against racism and police violence by the African American inner-city community. The unrest was followed in June by a March for Justice of 2,500 Cincinnatians, both black and white.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Shortly before Thomas was killed, the Black United Front and the American Civil Liberties Union had brought a federal lawsuit against the Cincinnati Police. During the same period, the U.S. Justice Department had begun to look into the CPD policies and practices. In 2002 under the watchful eyes of Judge Susan Dlott and despite the resistance of the Mayor Charlie Luken, Chief of Police Tom Streicher, and the FOP, all of the parties -- the Front, the ACLU, the CPD, and the Justice Department -- reached a Collaborative Agreement intended to end police misconduct. The Collaborative Agreement restrained the CPD's racist and violent behavior and ended the string of police killings of black men.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Meanwhile, in response to the killing of Thomas, a group of African American ministers led by Rev. J.W. Jones and white allies from the March for Justice organizing committee formed the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati (CJC) and initiated a boycott of Cincinnati to protest both criminal justice and economic policies. The CJC demanded an end to social and economic apartheid, support for and enforcement of civil and human rights, the restoration of public accountability of the police force, and reform of government and election procedures. The CJC boycott demands constituted a call for bringing democracy and social justice to Cincinnati.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;When those demands were announced, Cincinnati was already being boycotted by the gay and lesbian community. The LGBT boycott of the city had come in response to a 1993 amendment to the city's Charter forbidding the City Council from enforcing equal protection in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation. The Black United Front and other organizations also initiated their own boycotts of the city as the pressure mounted. The various boycotts by the LGBT community and by the African American community proved to be powerful economic levers that in the search for justice turned away many conventions and entertainers and eventually cost the city millions of dollars.[1]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In another important development, in 2001 Cincinnati voters passed an amendment to the city charter permitting the selection of a police chief from outside of the department, a development fought by the Fraternal Order of Police all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court where the amendment was upheld. If today we have a new black police chief, it is less because of the good will of Mayor Mark Mallory and City Manager Milton R. Doheny, Jr., and more the result of a decade of struggle by African American Cincinnati residents and their white allies.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The hiring of Police Chief James Craig represents a victory for the African American community and breaks with the city's bankrupt political traditions. Since 1912, every police chief in Cincinnati's history had come from the conservative, German Catholic neighborhoods of the West Side, the last several from either Catholic Elder High School or public Western Hills High School. The continuous selection of police chiefs from the conservative white neighborhoods of the West Side tended to perpetuate a good old boys mentality within the police department that militated against the acceptance and promotion of African American, Latino or female officers for years after the civil rights movement. The domination of a white West Side clique within the force made it virtually impossible for the department's leaders to understand the issues facing the African American community.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Chief Craig, selected from among 40 candidates to head the Cincinnati Police Department, previously headed the Police Department of Portland Maine, a city of only 60,000 compared to Cincinnati's nearly 300,000. There he headed up a force of only 215 officers, while here he will be the chief of 1,057. Craig worked in the 1970s in the Detroit Police Department, in the 1980s in the Los Angeles Police Department and then Portland, Maine. As an officer and area commander he has worked in all sorts of police work, often in community relations, and has won praise and won awards for his achievements. Certainly, most in Cincinnati will be wishing him well and hoping that the Cincinnati Police Department's long history of racism, violence and abuse is coming to an end.</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Yet if we no longer have a police chief who comes from Western Hills, citizens still need to be vigilant in overseeing policing operations and the police culture. The police are about law and order. The police exist to enforce the laws and the laws exist to protect the existing order, and the that order remains one of capitalist exploitation of working people, of an increasing and shocking gap between rich and poor, of racist economic segregation of the community, and of patriarchy and homophobia. Cincinnati remains dominated by the same handful of powerful corporations -- Proctor and Gamble, Macy's, Western &amp; Southern, American Financial Group, Chiquita, Kroger, E.W. Scripps, Fifth Third Bank -- that determined the city's economic and political destiny for the last century or so. The Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC), a not-for-profit created to enhance the profit of banks, realtors, developers and builders, continues to determine the future of the inner-city, aiming to replace poor African Americans with a cosmopolitan creative class all under the banner of economic mix. Everywhere the deeply entrenched patterns of racial segregation and class separation remain. And if the police enforce the laws to protect the existing order, then that is what they are protecting.[2]</p>
<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;We do not look to the City of Cincinnati, the Mayor, the City Manager or the new Chief of Police to deliver us. We don't have faith that the Republicans or the Democrats can bring us social justice. Only working people organizing themselves and fighting from below against the system of "law and order" that typically protects the wealth, exploits workers, and deprives and humiliates the poor can change our city and our larger society. Ten years ago movements from below placed demands on the table that could not be ignored and led to the collaborative agreement and then to the new police chief that Cincinnati has today. Frederick Douglass's famous statement -- "Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has and it never will." -- must remain our slogan. We need to continue building the movements from below of working people and the unemployed, African American, Latino, Asian, Native American, and white, both native born and immigrant, to fight to create a city that will be good for all of us, for our grandparents and parents, for our children and grandchildren.</p>
<p>Notes</p>
<p>1. For a more detailed account of these events see, Dan La Botz, "A Decade since the Rebellion of 2001. What Have We Learned," published as a three part series in The Cincinnati Beacon. Part 1 is available <a href="http://www.cincinnatibeacon.com/index.php?/contents/comments/cincinnati_a_decade_since_the_rebellion_of_2001_-_what_have_we_learned_wher/" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>2. For a more detailed picture of Cincinnati's power structure see, Dan La Botz, " <a href="http://danlabotz.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Who_Rules_CincinnatIFinalPDF2.pdf" type="external">Who Rules Cincinnati?</a>" It is also available on Kindle and through Barnes &amp; Noble electronic downloads.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Dan La Botz is a Cincinnati-based teacher, writer, and activist.</p>
<p><a href="/filter/tips" type="external">More information about formatting options</a></p> | Cincinnati: First Outsider, First African American Police Chief | true | http://newpol.org/node/499 | 2011-08-12 | 4 |
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>I like fog more and more with every passing year. Comforting, moody, cool, quiet, private.</p>
<p>This image, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FogParticles.jpg" type="external">courtesy Wikimedia Commons</a>, is of fog droplets jumping around at just below freezing temperatures.</p>
<p>Here’s a high-speed image of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FogParticlesHighSpeed.jpg" type="external">same fog</a>, shot fast enough to slow the “particles” down and stop them in space. Like air champagne.</p>
<p>This beautiful true-color image posted by the Earth Observatory is of sea fog off Scandinavia in March 2003.</p>
<p />
<p>This one is too, from a day earlier.</p>
<p>In really cold weather, usually below −35°C/−30&#160;°F, ice fog might form. Sometimes ice fogs triggers light pillars, as seen in this photograph. What looks like a lens flare on the camera is actually a pillar caused by the reflection of sunlight from ice crystals that happen to have nearly horizontal, parallel, flat surfaces. Therefore it really is a lens flare, only the lens is our atmosphere.&#160; The photograph was shot somewhere in the Arctic, <a href="http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/corp1080.htm" type="external">courtesy NOAA</a>.</p>
<p>Some fogs make white rainbows, known as fogbows. Tecnically, a fogbow is just like a rainbow only made of&#160; very small water drops less than 0.05 millimeter in diameter. Sailors call them sea dogs.</p>
<p>The droplets of a fogbow are so small, <a href="http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080529.html" type="external">according to APOD</a> (whence <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7702002@N08/2533683303" type="external">this photograph hails</a>), “that the quantum mechanical wavelength of light becomes important and smears out colors that would be created by larger rainbow water drops acting like small prisms reflecting sunlight with the best angle to divert sunlight to the observer.” Writing like that is exactly the reason I have a job.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;Photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sollerphoto/2052402569/" type="external">from here</a>.</p>
<p>Most haar condenses around the nuclei of salt particles, which are the by-product of salt spray, which is the by-product of wind and waves.</p>
<p />
<p>Photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/baggis/3033282515/" type="external">from here</a>.</p>
<p>In a recent discovery, researchers from Scotland’s Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory found that haar also condenses around the iodine particles released by kelp. The kelp emit iodine when stressed by sunlight and evaporation.</p>
<p>Brown algae of the Laminariales (kelps) are the strongest accumulators of iodine among living organisms. They represent a major pump in the global biogeochemical cycle of iodine and, in particular, the major source of iodocarbons in the coastal atmosphere. Nevertheless, the chemical state and biological significance of accumulated iodine have remained unknown to this date. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy, we show that the accumulated form is iodide, which readily scavenges a variety of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We propose here that its biological role is that of an inorganic antioxidant, the first to be described in a living system. Upon oxidative stress, iodide is effluxed. On the thallus surface and in the apoplast, iodide detoxifies both aqueous oxidants and ozone, the latter resulting in the release of high levels of molecular iodine and the consequent formation of hygroscopic iodine oxides leading to particles, which are precursors to cloud condensation nuclei. In a complementary set of experiments using a heterologous system, iodide was found to effectively scavenge ROS in human blood cells.</p>
<p />
<p>Photo <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/baggis/3030728883/" type="external">from here</a>.</p>
<p>And since sea urchins stress and control kelp (by eating them), and since sea otters control sea urchin populations (by eating them), then urchins and otters are important players in the fogweb too—at least in the Pacific.</p>
<p>Photo <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sea_otter_cropped.jpg" type="external">from here</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/105/19/6954.abstract?sid=cf55b3fa-b815-4fda-9454-22f205edfcd1" type="external">paper</a>:</p>
<p>Frithjof C. Küpper, et al. Iodide accumulation provides kelp with an inorganic antioxidant impacting atmospheric chemistry. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.070995910.</p>
<p>Cross posted from my blog <a href="http://deepbluehome.blogspot.com/" type="external">Deep Blue Home</a>.</p> | Sea Fog: The Short, Complete Story | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/09/sea-fog-short-complete-story/ | 2010-09-30 | 4 |
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<p />
<p>Branson, who made the remarks last week during a trip to Dubai, has long said he’d be on the inaugural space tourism flight, along with family members.</p>
<p>Asked about Branson’s remarks, a publicist for Virgin Galactic sent a company statement noting that the start date for carrying paying passengers has always hinged upon safety. Other factors are the successful completion of its test-flight program and the FAA issuing a key license, according to the statement provided by Sean Wilson of Griffin Communications Group.</p>
<p>Still, the first rocket-powered flight of the spaceship that will carry passengers – part of the testing program – was a “huge step forwards,” according to the email.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The path is now clear to a fairly small number of similar flights which will see a rapid expansion of rocket burn time, culminating in full spaceflight, which we expect to achieve during 2013,” according to the statement. “Our best estimate at the moment, if test flights continue as expected, is that we could see the first paying customer flights in 2014. However, as noted previously, safety will always be our North Star.”</p>
<p>Steps that must happen before that point include the fit-out of the vehicle’s interior and moving the spaceline to New Mexico, according to the statement.</p>
<p>Virgin Galactic’s two-vehicle spaceflight system is being developed and tested in Mojave, Calif. The first full test flight to space will happen there. But plans call for the vehicles to move to Spaceport America – just north of Doña Ana County – to host suborbital tourism flights.</p>
<p>The flight carrying Branson and his children is slated to launch from Spaceport America.</p>
<p>The expected date for the first Virgin Galactic tourism spaceflight has been pushed back years from the initial forecasts.</p>
<p>Asked if Spaceport America could be ready to host an inaugural flight in December, spaceport director Christine Anderson told the Las Cruces Sun News: “We are ready when they are ready.”</p>
<p>New Mexico Spaceport Authority Chairman Rick Holdridge said he hadn’t heard about a possible Dec. 25 targeted launch date for Branson.</p>
<p>“The reality is, and Virgin Galactic will say the same thing: They’ll fly the first passengers when it’s safe to fly,” he said. “If he thinks that’s Dec. 25, well, he knows if they can do that because it’s his company.”</p>
<p>Continued Holdridge: “We’ll be ready when they are.”</p>
<p /> | Branson: Virgin Galactic launch Christmas Day | false | https://abqjournal.com/202187/virgin-galactic-will-launch-christmas-day.html | 2013-05-23 | 2 |
<p>U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday with the main indexes on track to post a fifth consecutive weekly gain. Rising oil prices continued to buoy the indexes. The S&amp;P 500 opened 5 points, or 0.2%, higher at 2,045 and turned positive for the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 46 points, or 0.3%, to 17,526 at the open. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite began the day up 16 points, or 0.3%, at 4,790.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | U.S. Stocks Open Higher, On Track To Post Fifth Weekly Gain | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/18/us-stocks-open-higher-on-track-to-post-fifth-weekly-gain.html | 2016-03-18 | 0 |
<p>Sept. 8 (UPI) — <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Hurricane_Katia/" type="external">Hurricane Katia</a> — one of three storms swirling south of the United States — has weakened to a tropical depression after it made landfall in Mexico, forecasters said early Saturday.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCPAT3+shtml/DDHHMM.shtml" type="external">its 7 a.m. advisory</a>, the National Hurricane Center said Katia had weakened into a tropical depression near the Sierra Madre Mountains. Although the storm has lost strength, forecasters caution that large amounts of rainfall are still occurring.</p>
<p>The hurricane was located 145 miles south of Tampico, Mexico, and 115 miles west-northwest of Veracruz, Mexico.</p>
<p>It’s moving west-southwest at 2 mph and forecasters expect it to dissipate later today.</p>
<p>The government of Mexico has discontinued all tropical storm warnings for the storm. No tropical storm watches remain in effect, either.</p>
<p>Katia is the 11th named storm this Atlantic hurricane season and follows <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Hurricane-Irma/" type="external">Hurricane Irma</a> and <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/09/07/Jose-expected-to-become-major-hurricane-by-Friday/9571504625837/?ilink=1" type="external">Hurricane Jose</a>.</p> | Katia weakens to tropical depression after making landfall in Mexico | false | https://newsline.com/katia-weakens-to-tropical-depression-after-making-landfall-in-mexico/ | 2017-09-09 | 1 |
<p>The National Republican Congressional Committee once again uses selective evidence to attack a congressman for supporting President Obama. This time, the target is Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia.</p>
<p>Joe McCormick, a coal miner from Seth, West Virginia, says in an NRCC TV ad: “Anyone, including Nick Rahall, who supports Barack Obama, is not a friend of coal.” That’s followed up later with a graphic saying that Rahall “voted with Obama 94% of the time.” But <a href="" type="internal">as we found last month</a>, when the NRCC attacked Georgia Rep. John Barrow, the group is cherry-picking data to support its case.</p>
<p>It’s true that Rahall voted with Obama that often in 2009, as the ad notes, according to a Congressional Quarterly analysis of votes. But Rahall has won two elections since then and his support for Obama has dropped each year. He sided with the president on just 58 percent of votes in 2013. Rahall doesn’t always side with the Obama administration on coal-related issues, either, as the ad suggests.</p>
<p>&lt;iframe style="width: 500px; height:300px;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen src="https://video.factcheck.org/play/9f7a57496f9"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;</p>
<p>The 60-second ad, called “ <a href="http://www.nrcc.org/2014/09/02/nick-rahall-friend-coal-miners/" type="external">Rahall’s Record</a>,” is the first from the NRCC in the race for West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional District between Rahall and Republican Evan Jenkins. It began airing in the&#160;Bluefield-Beckley and Charleston-Huntington TV markets on Sept. 2.</p>
<p>In the ad, McCormick says, “When Nick Rahall votes with Barack Obama, that tells me that Nick Rahall don’t really care about Southern West Virginia. He don’t care about us coal miners.” He says that as a graphic appears on screen, saying Rahall “voted with Obama 94% of the time.”</p>
<p>Yes, Rahall voted with Obama that often in 2009, <a href="https://library.cqpress.com/cqweekly/file.php?path=/files/wr20100111-02prezsupport-votechts.pdf" type="external">according to CQ’s study</a> of congressional votes where Obama took a clear position. But ad watchers should know that Rahall has voted less often with the president every year since. Rahall’s support of Obama’s position dropped to <a href="http://innovation.cq.com/media/vote_study_2010/" type="external">88 percent</a> in 2010, <a href="https://library.cqpress.com/cqweekly/file.php?path=/files/wr20120116-02prezsupport-cht4.pdf" type="external">65 percent</a> in 2011, <a href="http://library.cqpress.com/cqweekly/file.php?path=/files/wr20121231-03prezsupport-cht8.pdf" type="external">64 percent</a> in 2012 and <a href="http://www.cq.com/graphics/weekly/2014/02/03/wr20140203-04prezsupport-cht3.pdf" type="external">58 percent</a> in 2013, when he ranked 11th among House Democrats who opposed Obama most often.</p>
<p>And Obama can’t always depend on Rahall’s vote on energy policies affecting the coal industry, as the NRCC ad would have viewers believe.</p>
<p>The ad also uses the headline of a <a href="http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20140511/ARTICLE/140519957" type="external">May 11 op-ed in the Charleston Gazette</a> that says, “W.Va. should be wary of EPA’s push to regulate.” In fact, Rahall has expressed his wariness of a proposal by <a href="http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/bd4379a92ceceeac8525735900400c27/5bb6d20668b9a18485257ceb00490c98!OpenDocument" type="external">Obama and the EPA to cut carbon emissions from existing coal plants</a> 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.</p>
<p>After the EPA announced its plan,&#160;Rahall <a href="http://rahall.house.gov/press-release/rahall-introduce-bill-stop-epa-carbon-rule" type="external">vowed to introduce</a> a bill to stop it. And on June 9, he and Republican West Virginia Rep. David McKinley introduced H.R. 4813, The&#160;Protection and Accountability Regulatory Act. A <a href="http://rahall.house.gov/press-release/rahall-introduces-bill-stop-epa-carbon-rules" type="external">press release</a> said the bill “would terminate the new rule for existing power plants, along with the proposed rule for future power plants. In addition, to prevent some sleight of hand maneuver by the EPA, the bill will aim to block the issuance of similar rules for at least the next 5 years without Congressional approval.”</p>
<p>At the end of the ad, McCormick says, “I’d say that a vote for Nick Rahall is a vote for Obama.” That’s clearly not always the case in general, or even just on votes on coal-related issues.</p>
<p>— D’Angelo Gore</p> | NRCC, Again, Cherry-picks Data | false | https://factcheck.org/2014/09/nrcc-again-cherry-picks-data/ | 2014-09-04 | 2 |
<p>The FBI has launched a police brutality investigation of the LAPD after a video surfaced on YouTube of a police officer repeatedly punching a suspected gang member in the face. <a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VIDEOTAPED_ARREST?SITE=NCKIN&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" type="external">Read about it</a>, and watch the video:</p>
<p />
<p>AP:</p>
<p>An FBI investigation prompted by video footage of a man being punched repeatedly in the face by police has demonstrated anew the power of the Internet sensation of the year, YouTube.com.</p>
<p />
<p>In addition to being a monumental time-waster around the office, YouTube could also become a tool for keeping police honest, some say.</p>
<p>This week, a clip on the post-it-yourself video Web site triggered a police-brutality investigation by the FBI. The footage shows the Aug. 11 arrest of alleged gang member William Cardenas, 24. Two Los Angeles officers can be seen holding him down on a Hollywood street; one punches him several times in the face before they are able to handcuff him.</p>
<p><a href="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VIDEOTAPED_ARREST?SITE=NCKIN&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT" type="external">Link</a></p> | YouTube Video Prompts FBI Probe of LAPD | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/youtube-video-prompts-fbi-probe-of-lapd/ | 2006-11-14 | 4 |
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<p>OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Federal agents revived the hunt for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa on Monday, digging around in a suburban Detroit field where a reputed Mafia captain says the Teamsters boss’ body was buried.</p>
<p>Authorities used excavation equipment to root around in the Oakland Township property, about 25 miles north of Detroit. The FBI halted the search for the day at about 7 p.m., and planned to resume their efforts today.</p>
<p>Robert Foley, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Detroit division, made a few brief comments during a news conference about the latest search for union leader who went missing in 1975. He said the warrant to search the property was sealed, and that authorities wouldn’t be disclosing the details of what they were seeking.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Foley didn’t mention the name of Tony Zerilli, the reputed Mafia captain who told Detroit TV station WDIV in February that he knew where Hoffa was buried. Zerilli, who promoting a book, “Hoffa Found,” said the FBI had enough information for a search warrant to dig at the site, and that he had answered every question from agents and prosecutors.</p>
<p>Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, who joined Foley at a news conference, said it was his “fondest hope” to bring closure for Hoffa’s family and the community.</p>
<p>Hoffa, Teamsters president from 1957-71, was an acquaintance of mobsters and an adversary of federal officials. The day in 1975 when he disappeared from a Detroit-area restaurant, he was supposed to be meeting with a New Jersey Teamsters boss and a Detroit Mafia captain.</p>
<p>Since then, multiple leads to his remains have turned out to be red herrings.</p>
<p>In September, police took soil from a suburban backyard after a tip Hoffa had been buried there. It was just one of many fruitless searches. Previous tips led police to a horse farm northwest of Detroit in 2006, a Detroit home in 2004 and a backyard pool two hours north of the city in 2003.</p>
<p>Zerilli’s lawyer, David Chasnick, said his client was “thrilled” that investigators were acting on the information.</p>
<p>“Hoffa’s body is somewhere in that field, no doubt about it,” Chasnick said. He said his client wasn’t making any public comments.</p>
<p>Chesnick said Zerilli told him there used to be a barn in the field, and that Hoffa’s body was buried beneath a concrete slab inside the barn.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Zerilli was convicted of organized crime and was in prison when Hoffa disappeared. But he told New York TV station WNBC in January that he was informed about Hoffa’s whereabouts after his release.</p>
<p>Andrew Arena, who was head of the FBI in Detroit until he retired in 2012, said Zerilli “would have been in a position to have been told” where Hoffa was buried.</p>
<p>“I still don’t know if this was a guess on his part. I don’t know if he was actually brought here by the Detroit (mob) family,” Arena said. “It’s his position as the reputed underboss. That’s the significance.”</p>
<p>Keith Corbett, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit who was active in Mafia prosecutions touching on the Hoffa case, said it was appropriate for the FBI to act on Zerilli’s assertions.</p>
<p>“You have a witness who is in a position to know, who says he has specific information,” Corbett said. “The bureau has left no stone unturned.”</p>
<p>Corbett also defended authorities for repeatedly spending time on what turned out to be dead ends.</p>
<p>“Anytime you look for somebody and don’t find the body it is embarrassing,” Corbett said. “The thing the public isn’t aware of, but police know, is there are a lot of dead ends in an investigation”</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.</p> | Still no Hoffa after latest search | false | https://abqjournal.com/211741/still-no-hoffa-after-latest-search.html | 2 |
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />I will often see comments from readers who say things such as “you call yourself a progressive but all you do is bash the right,” or other similar statements. The fact of the matter is I will call out people who are being ignorant, regardless of where they identify themselves politically. I have previously called out the <a href="" type="internal">anti-science hysteria</a> that has completely overtaken the <a href="" type="internal">anti-Monsanto</a> movement, and now it is quite apparent that the same thing needs to be done with those who have taken it upon themselves to try to convince everyone that vaccines are evil. No, these aren’t just people on the far right who believe every new story Alex Jones cooks up to sell more of his survivalist gear and fluoride filters. These are people who proudly call themselves liberal or progressive and laugh at conservatives who deny the overwhelming scientific evidence for evolution, climate change and other issues of our time. Yet they will still show up in droves on every post I make on my page about vaccines to make statements that could have been ripped off conspiracy sites like Infowars, Natural News and so on.</p>
<p>I often share well-researched images from <a href="www.facebook.com/RtAVM" type="external">Refutations To Anti-Vaccine Memes</a> and articles on my page that refute some of the most ludicrous conspiracy ideas that float around out there, only to have people claim that I’m a shill for Big Pharma or Monsanto, etc. Let’s be very clear here: if you consider yourself educated and you want to make the point that your stance on issues like climate change is based on science, then you cannot then turn around and claim that decades of scientific research are really just a plot by the pharmaceutical companies to sell vaccines. Remember the ludicrous comment by <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BCipg71LbI" type="external">Bill O’Reilly</a> when he stated “See, the water, the tide comes in and it goes out, Mr. Silverman. It always comes in, and always goes out. You can’t explain that.”( <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/bill-oreilly-thinks-tides-are-proof-" type="external">Source</a>)</p>
<p>Yes, that was probably one of the dumbest statements ever made on Fox News, but sadly we see people on the left say equally asinine things based on discredited hypotheses like the anecdotal “ <a href="http://blogs.plos.org/thepanicvirus/2011/06/28/anecdotal-amish-dont-vaccinate-claims-disproved-by-fact-based-study/" type="external">Amish don’t vaccinate</a>” story and outright falsehoods like chemtrails all the time. You cannot claim conservatives are stupid for believing that the Earth is only 6,000 years old but then state that the flu vaccine gives you the flu, when in fact the injection contains <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr6207a1.htm?s_cid=rr6207a1_w#InactivatedInfluenzaVaccines" type="external">dead viruses</a> which have zero chance of causing an actual infection. You cannot say that conservatives are morons for believing that Obama is going to send UN special forces door to door to seize guns when you spread false information yourself.</p>
<p>Look at this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEUAicXcJCo" type="external">video</a> of a guy in SW Florida who actually believes contrails from passenger airplanes at 30,000 feet are chemicals being sprayed across his backyard that are being negated by vinegar. You may think that is ludicrous, but did you know that&#160; <a href="http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/04/conspiracy-theory-poll-results-.html" type="external">5% of voters</a> actually believe this is a secret plot by the government to dumb people down? This isn’t a contagion of derp confined solely to conservatives, insomniacs, and truck drivers listening to Coast To Coast AM – this is a very real problem on the left as well.</p>
<p>We are currently near the height of the 2013-2014 flu season, and in Dallas County, TX alone, <a href="http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/01/20/flu-season-shows-no-signs-of-ending-soon/" type="external">35 people</a> have died already. Many on the left scoff at misinformation from the right such as stories that claim abortions cause breast cancer, but yet every single day people on the left tell me that vaccinations cause autism or that they’re full of poisons – and there are even a few idiots who still believe a flu shot actually caused a woman to only be able to <a href="http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/159-flu-shot-woman" type="external">walk backwards</a>.</p>
<p>Look, if we want to claim that we as liberals or progressives are superior to conservatives because we base our arguments on science and logic, then we need to actually base our arguments on science and logic. Let’s start calling out people who throw away centuries of medical research in favor of stories from fear-mongering, for-profit websites that make their money by spreading baseless rumors and accusations. If we can’t accept science over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/magazine/mag-24Autism-t.html?pagewanted=all&amp;_r=0" type="external">disproven vaccine myths</a> and outright lies, then we are morally and intellectually no better than the likes of Michele Bachmann, Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck or Alex Jones.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">A Shocking Truth Anti-Vaccine Nuts Don't Want You To Know</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Fox News' 'Outnumbered' Spirals into Pure Nonsense as Hosts Try to Discuss Vaccines (Video)</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">In One Tweet, Hillary Clinton Brilliantly Hammers Anti-Vaccine Advocates</a></p>
<p>0 Facebook comments</p> | The Anti-Vaccine Movement Is The Left’s Intellectual Problem With Science | true | http://forwardprogressives.com/the-anti-vaccine-movement-is-the-lefts-intellectual-problem-with-science/ | 2014-01-21 | 4 |
<p>Nineteen people, 18 of them children, have been confirmed dead after a landslide buried a primary school and three farmhouses in southwest China.</p>
<p>Some 100,000 cubic meters of mud hit Zhenhe village in Yunnan province early on Thursday morning, <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-10/04/c_131887767.htm" type="external">Xinhua reported</a>.</p>
<p>By Friday afternoon, all 19 bodies had been recovered. No one else is thought to be missing.</p>
<p>Another adult was seriously injured but survived, a local official <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-10/05/c_131889256.htm" type="external">told Xinhua</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/landslide-in-southwest-china-buries-18-students-in-collapsed-school-building/2012/10/04/24efe0dc-0df1-11e2-ba6c-07bd866eb71a_story.html" type="external">The Associated Press</a> said some 2,000 people responded to the emergency, including locals, police officers, soldiers and medics.</p>
<p>Other residents trapped when a river was blocked have been evacuated from the area.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/120907/quakes-hit-yunan-province-china-killing-at-least-50" type="external">Quakes hit China's Yunnan province</a></p>
<p>The province was hit by <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/120907/quakes-hit-yunan-province-china-killing-at-least-50" type="external">two earthquakes in early September</a> that killed 81 people and injured 800, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/04/china-landslide-buries-primary-school" type="external">the Guardian said</a>.</p>
<p>The quakes were followed by torrential rains that triggered floods and mudslides.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/18-school-children-buried-in-china-landslide-7" type="external">According to Agence France-Presse</a>, the school would not normally have been open, since China is in the middle of a week-long national holiday.</p>
<p>The pupils were receiving extra lessons to make up for the ones they missed because of the earthquakes.</p>
<p>They didn't usually attend that primary school, <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-10/05/c_131888710.htm" type="external">Xinhua said</a>, but had been transferred since their own school was badly damaged by the quakes and had to be demolished.</p>
<p>More than 30 students were supposed to attend the catch-up classes; those who were at school when the landslide hit at 8 a.m. had arrived an hour before lessons were due to start.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/china/120828/china-infrastructure-economy-bridge-collapse" type="external">What shoddily made bridges say about China</a></p> | China: No survivors after landslide buries primary school children (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-10-04/china-no-survivors-after-landslide-buries-primary-school-children-video | 2012-10-04 | 3 |
<p>Punta del Este, Uruguay - “Charming” is, I believe, the word most often used to describe Uruguay. People tend to make a lot of parallels to the United States in the 1950s– a much slower pace of life, less government intrusion, and family focused.</p>
<p>The capital city of Montevideo is notoriously sleepy and provincial. It feels in many ways like a small town despite having 1.3 million inhabitants, about a third of the country’s population.</p>
<p>There’s very little going on in Montevideo, and this point is soundly driven home if you’re wandering around on a Sunday afternoon.</p>
<p>Then there’s Punta del Este, the resort town roughly 90 miles east of Montevideo. I lived here for a spell several years ago. I enjoyed it… but Punta is definitely a different animal altogether.</p>
<p>For six to eight months out of the year, it’s completely dead. The local governments even shut off most of the stoplights. The majority of restaurants are closed, and in the dead of winter (July) it can feel like an eerie zombie flick.</p>
<p>In the summertime (late December through mid-February), however, hotel rates go sky-high. Restaurants are booked solid. Traffic becomes gridlocked. And the population swells 20-fold with legions of thong-clad Argentine tourists roasting in the sun.</p>
<p>This is an important thing to understand about Uruguay– it is heavily dependent on Argentina.</p>
<p>Long ago, Uruguay’s generous coastline became the playground for well-heeled Argentines. Yet as the nearby Rio de la Plata can often wash murky, brown sediment along Montevideo’s beaches, they sought more pristine views further east towards Punta.</p>
<p>Over the years, Argentines began using this country as a sort of bank account. They stashed US dollars in Uruguayan banks and bought up all the high quality agricultural and beach property they could as a means to hold assets outside of their home country.</p>
<p>Argentines have wisely learned through experience not to trust their government. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.</p>
<p>It makes perfect sense. Instead of depositing cash in their home country which has a history of confiscating bank balances, they buy property that will hold its value in neighboring Uruguay. At least they’ll be able to enjoy it from time to time and have a place to stay if needed. It’s a great strategy.</p>
<p>For Uruguay, though, it means the property sector is dominanted by Argentine buyers. The banking sector is dominated by Argentine capital. The toursism sector (Uruguay’s mainstay) is dominated by Argentine vacationers. It’s a precarious dependency.</p>
<p>Today, Argentina is imploding… the product of years of disastrous government policies heading for yet another full-blown currency crisis. And as the Argentine economy suffers, it is bleeding into Uruguay.</p>
<p>One of the chief consequences is inflation. As Uruguay imports inflation from both Argentina and United States simultaneously, retail prices from food to fuel to electricity have soared.</p>
<p>And as charming as it may be, this is a major downside to living in Uruguay.</p>
<p>The best part about being here, however, is the people. The local Uruguayans are nice enough… but a thriving community of expats has moved down to Uruguay over the past few years, and they are some of the friendliest, most interesting people I know. Very close knit too.</p>
<p>I suspect that, if price inflation ever gets under control, more people will move to Punta del Este in the coming years, and the city will end up as a thriving, year-round expat hotspot.</p>
<p>Personally, I think it’s hard to beat Chile– modern, advanced, civilized, and booming. Chile has great healthcare, better education options for the kids, and things just… work. Many expats living in Uruguay are starting to realize this and are gradually relocating across the Andes.</p>
<p>But the bustle of Santiago and the quiet charm of Punta are definitely worlds apart. Either option may be worthy for you to consider.</p> | How Uruguay Became A Giant Offshore Bank Account | true | http://occupy.com/article/how-uruguay-became-giant-offshore-bank-account | 4 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ These New Mexico lotteries were drawn Thursday:</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $55 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Day</p>
<p>1-7-5</p>
<p>(one, seven, five)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Evening</p>
<p>4-0-8</p>
<p>(four, zero, eight)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $78 million</p>
<p>Roadrunner Cash</p>
<p>02-04-13-26-35</p>
<p>(two, four, thirteen, twenty-six, thirty-five)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $37,000</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ These New Mexico lotteries were drawn Thursday:</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $55 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Day</p>
<p>1-7-5</p>
<p>(one, seven, five)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Evening</p>
<p>4-0-8</p>
<p>(four, zero, eight)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $78 million</p>
<p>Roadrunner Cash</p>
<p>02-04-13-26-35</p>
<p>(two, four, thirteen, twenty-six, thirty-five)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $37,000</p> | NM Lottery | false | https://apnews.com/amp/a0a119e979c849bdb5ce401f3c24d2ec | 2018-01-19 | 2 |
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<p>This concrete tank will be able to store up to two million gallons of recycled water.Crews prepare to move a filtering tank into the building where recycled water will be processed before injection into the aquifer. (Antonio Sanchez/Rio Rancho Observer)</p>
<p>Construction is nearly finished on the city’s multi-million-dollar project to store and inject millions of gallons of recycled water into the aquifer underlying Rio Rancho.</p>
<p>The $5.6 million aquifer injection and purified water project, located off Northern Boulevard across from Lowes, includes a two-million-gallon concrete tank and a building equipped with advanced water treatment equipment.</p>
<p>The project is the first of its kind in New Mexico.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Annemarie García, city communications and information manager, said the tank should be in operation by December, while the treatment building is expected to be operational in March.</p>
<p>Contractor RMCI began construction of the treatment facility in April. Work on the concrete tank is being overseen by File Construction and constructed by subcontractor Preload.</p>
<p>The project will cost the city approximately $340,000 to operate during its first year, and will be funded by water and wastewater utilities rate payers.</p>
<p>Once in operation, the tank will store non-potable water, sent from the Cabezon Water Reclamation Facility on Westside Boulevard. The water stored in the tank will then be funneled to the treatment facility, where it will undergo advanced oxidation treatment to bring it to drinking water standards.</p>
<p>According to information from the public works department website, the treatment is a chemical process that cleans non-degradable materials and removes organic materials in the wastewater.</p>
<p>The treated water will then be injected via a pump down an injection well – at a rate of up to 1 million gallons a day – into the aquifer.</p>
<p>Garcia said the injection site was selected following a study that determined the location was best suited for injected water to migrate to the city’s existing wells. The injected water could be retrieved through any nearby active well.</p>
<p>According to Garcia, an average of 10.4 million gallons of water per day was drawn from the aquifer in 2014 for city use.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The project is the third phase of the city’s advanced water treatment facility.</p>
<p>City Councilor Dave Bency, who first sat on the governing board more than 16 years ago, said he pushed for the city to expand its recycled water system after a trip to Arizona in 2000.</p>
<p>Water facilities in Fountain Hills, Chandler and Gilbert were impressive, Bency said, and gave him the idea for similar facilities in Rio Rancho.</p>
<p>“This is our resource,” Bency said. “We’re giving away excess water to the river when we don’t have to.”</p>
<p>In 2001, Bency said he sponsored a $150,000 study to examine the impacts of an advanced water treatment facility.</p>
<p>According to Garcia, Rio Rancho has since budgeted $27 million in recycled water projects, and installed several water pump stations, storage tanks and several miles of pipeline.</p>
<p>Bency said he was happy with the progress the city has made toward recycling more water.</p>
<p>“It’s kind of like a legacy program, to me, to see in 20 years how far it’s come,” he said.</p>
<p /> | Water purification project nears completion | false | https://abqjournal.com/863215/water-purification-project-nears-completion.html | 2 |
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<p>Question: I'm thinking of letting my babysitter use my car to run errands for me (with my child in the car if it makes a difference). I believe she is under her parent's policy, but I heard it's my auto insurance that would pay if she was in an accident while using my vehicle.&#160; I wouldn't mind her having use of my car, but what do I need to be aware of before allowing this?</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Answer:&#160; Smart idea not to loan out your car to the sitter until you get more information - especially because as a car owner you have vicarious liability for those you allow to operate your vehicle.&#160; For this reason, it's immensely important to know for certain if a driver will be covered by your policy before the person gets behind the wheel.</p>
<p>When you let someone borrow your car, your policy (as the car owner) is the primary coverage.&#160; So, if your babysitter were in an auto accident in your vehicle, your car insurance policy would be the first one looked to for payment by those that she damaged. &#160;Your own <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/coverage-definition/collision-coverage.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">collision Opens a New Window.</a> coverage would then be used for damage to your own vehicle.</p>
<p>To determine if your babysitter would be covered, you first need to <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/five-things-to-double-check-on-policy.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">review your car insurance policy Opens a New Window.</a>; take special note of any restrictions and exclusions.&#160; Read over the policy terms and make sure you have coverage for permissive drivers.</p>
<p>The definition of <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content50723.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">permissive driver Opens a New Window.</a> can vary by car insurance company, but in general it means all drivers who have your permission to operate your vehicle who aren't in your household. (Those in your household should be <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/Does-everyone-in-household-need-to-be-on-policy.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">listed drivers Opens a New Window.</a>).&#160; &#160;This means if you let a friend, neighbor or babysitter use your car for an errand, or other infrequent event, that he or she will be covered if in an auto accident in your insured vehicle.&#160; (See “ <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/Articles/insurance-companies/who-can-drive-your-car.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">Who can drive your car? Opens a New Window.</a>”)</p>
<p>There are, however, some auto insurance policies that don't extend coverage to those that you loan your car out to.&#160; These policies are restricted and cover only named drivers.&#160; There are also policies that have “step-down” revisions, which means though you may carry higher than <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/state-auto-insurance.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">state-minimum liability coverages Opens a New Window.</a> if someone not listed on the policy has an accident in your car the liability limits lower just to the minimum. &#160;(See “ <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/Articles/cheap-car-insurance-traps.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">7 gotchas of cheap car insurance Opens a New Window.</a>”)</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Also, look for any <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/InsuranceTerms.aspx#E?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">exclusions Opens a New Window.</a> for drivers under a certain age.&#160; Some policies exclude drivers under 25, which may not normally be an issue for you if you don't have teens in your house but could be an issue for covering the babysitter if she is a young driver.</p>
<p>Once you are aware of what coverages you have for the babysitter, find out what coverage she might have under her own policy or by being under her parent's auto policy.&#160; While auto insurance follows a car as primary coverage, the driver's own coverage may need to be used as secondary coverage if she were in an accident serious enough that your liability coverages were exceeded.</p>
<p>For example, if your policy is <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/what-are-limits.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">25/50/25 Opens a New Window.</a> and the driver's limits are 50/100/50, then if your limits were reached there would be more insurance coverage for the damaged party to go after - before coming after you and the babysitter personally.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that if your babysitter is going to regularly drive your car, then it's possible that your car insurance company may require you to add her to the policy as an <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/content26226.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">occasional driver Opens a New Window.</a>.&#160; How much a person has to drive your car to be termed an occasional driver varies, so you'll have to find out from your agent what your auto insurer says on this matter.&#160; There can be an extra charge for this since she would be on listed the policy.</p>
<p>Oh, and one last tip -- make sure the babysitter has a valid license.</p>
<p>We've heard from numerous people that didn't simply ask if the person they loaned their car out to had a valid license and got a big surprise.&#160; You don't want to get in trouble for allowing a person <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/Articles/lose-your-license-without-a-ticket.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">without a valid license Opens a New Window.</a> operating your vehicle (the car owner can get ticketed for this in many states) and perhaps voiding out auto insurance coverage that would have normally extended to an accident if the person was properly licensed.</p>
<p>The original article can be found at CarInsurance.com: <a href="http://www.carinsurance.com/kb/check-policy-before-babysitter-drives.aspx?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-171406110" type="external">Check your policy before babysitter drives Opens a New Window.</a></p> | Is the Babysitter Covered in Your car? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/05/31/is-babysitter-covered-in-your-car.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
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<p>Hosting Texas Southern (3-9) at 7 p.m. today in the Pan American Center, the Aggies (5-9) are in learn-and-improve mode knowing their ambitious non-conference schedule has left them again needing to win the Western Athletic Conference Tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<p>But did the pre-league gauntlet prepare them to make that annual run in the WAC, where despite lingering injuries to star seniors Daniel Mullings (broken finger) and Tshilidzi Nephawe (foot), they are still considered favorites?</p>
<p>“It’s hard to tell because we’re still growing,” coach Marvin Menzies said. “Until you get into conference, you can’t really determine, ‘Did they learn their lessons from this type of competition?’ We had wars, man. We had battles. … we had a few games where we could have shocked some people. But we didn’t.”</p>
<p>The last two times NMSU had nine losses before January (2007-08 and 2010-11 seasons), it failed to make the NCAA Tournament.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>This season, NMSU missed make-a-splash opportunities at Wichita State, at St. Mary’s (Calif.), at UTEP, at New Mexico, at Wyoming, at Baylor and Saturday vs. No. 24 Colorado State.</p>
<p>“I’ve been in this situation before,” Menzies said. “Maybe not with this record, but I know what it takes to get better. And my guys will get that knowledge.”</p>
<p>After Saturday’s near-upset over the Rams, sophomore guard Ian Baker said he thinks the team will learn from the losses.</p>
<p>“If we can get stops against (Colorado State, which was held to nearly 20 points below its per game scoring average), we can get stops against anybody,” Baker said. “That’s what we’re kind of learning. We’re kind of figuring ourselves out.”</p>
<p>RAMS REDO? NMSU lost both of its games to Colorado State in a two-season home and home series (58-57 in overtime in Las Cruces on Saturday and 85-83 in Fort Collins last year), but would love another chance.</p>
<p>CSU coach Larry Eustachy, fond of NMSU since his days coaching at Utah State in the 1990s, said he’s game.</p>
<p>“I’d love to,” Eustachy said. “I’m a huge fan of Marvin. … At one time, this was my dream job. I love the people here. They’ve been terrific. We played for a league championship one year when Neil McCarthy was here. Fans are very professional. I mean look at how they show up for a team that’s injured and struggling. This is one of the great basketball traditions in the country. We’d love to continue it.”</p>
<p>Told of Eustachy’s comments, Menzies said, “In a New York minute. He’s a warrior. He doesn’t shy away from competition and his kids are that way.”</p>
<p>TALK ABOUT TOUGH: If you thought NMSU’s non-conference schedule was ambitious, look at that of tonight’s opponent. Texas Southern will play 15 of its first 16 games on the road, including 10 of its first 13, including tonight, on the home court of teams ranked in the top 120 of <a href="http://KenPom.com" type="external">KenPom.com</a>. And that 3-9 record might be deceiving. In the past three game, the Tigers won at Michigan State in overtime, lost by one at Auburn and beat Kansas State on Sunday.</p>
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<p /> | Aggies in customary place heading to 2015 | false | https://abqjournal.com/518805/aggies-in-customary-place-heading-to-2015.html | 2 |
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<p><a href="/special-reports/2009/12/dirty-dozen-climate-change-denial" type="external">The deniers</a> are at it again.</p>
<p>This winter’s cold spell, which chilled folks in England, the Midwest, and even <a href="http://www.tallahassee.com/article/A4/20100110/BUSINESS/100110039/1003" type="external">Florida farm country</a>, has led a prominent European scientist to argue that global warming has ended and that we’re in for 30 years of global cooling. Or at least that’s what Britain’s <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242202/Could-30-years-global-COOLING.html" type="external">Daily Mail says</a>. The scientist, Professor Mojib Latif of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, told the Mail that “winters like this one will become much more likely.”</p>
<p>In addition to a <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v453/n7191/abs/nature06921.html" type="external">2008 report</a> that is widely <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/11/climate-change-global-warming-mojib-latif" type="external">mischaracterized</a> as proof that warming has slowed, this led the Mail, whose report was later picked up by <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/01/11/years-global-cooling-coming-say-leading-scientists/" type="external">Fox News</a>, to claim that such statements could prove that the threat of global warming has been blown <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242202/Could-30-years-global-COOLING.html" type="external">out of proportion</a>:</p>
<p>Some experts believe these cycles – and not human pollution – can explain all the major changes in world temperatures in the 20th century.</p>
<p>If true, the research challenges the science behind climate change theories, and calls into question the political measures to halt global warming.</p>
<p>According to some scientists, the warming of the Earth since 1900 is due to natural oceanic cycles, and not man-made greenhouse gases.</p>
<p>It occurred because the world was in a ‘warm mode’, and would have happened regardless of mankind’s rising carbon dioxide production.</p>
<p>But <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/11/climate-change-global-warming-mojib-latif" type="external">speaking to the Guardian</a> yesterday, Latif pushed back hard against the Mail, saying that the tabloid took his comments out of context to make an editorial statement. “It comes as a surprise to me that people would try to use my statements to try to dispute the nature of global warming. I believe in manmade global warming. I have said that if my name was not Mojib Latif it would be global warming,” he said. “There is no doubt within the scientific community that we are affecting the climate, that the climate is changing and responding to our emissions of greenhouse gases.”</p>
<p>This is a predictable misstep for the Mail, which has a conservative streak and recently published a set of denialist stories, including Sunday’s David Rose report “ <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1242011/DAVID-ROSE-The-mini-ice-age-starts-here.html" type="external">The Mini Ice Age Starts Here</a>,” and a <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1235395/SPECIAL-INVESTIGATION-Climate-change-emails-row-deepens--Russians-admit-DID-send-them.html" type="external">special investigation</a> on the <a href="/mojo/2009/12/republicans-exploit-email-hack-delay-climate-action" type="external">Climategate</a> emails last December.</p>
<p>Though many are uncomfortable having to bundle up more this year, the cold has a non-ice age explanation. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/weekinreview/10chang.html?partner=rss&amp;emc=rss" type="external">New York Times reported</a> this weekend that the season’s extra shivers have nothing to do with global warming or global cooling:</p>
<p>A mass of high pressure is sitting over Greenland like a rock in a river, deflecting the cold air of the jet stream farther to the south than usual.</p>
<p>This situation is caused by Arctic oscillation, in which opposing atmospheric pressure patterns at the top of the planet occasionally shift back and forth, affecting weather across much of the Northern Hemisphere.</p>
<p>Considering the <a href="/environment/2009/11/tuvalu-climate-refugees" type="external">overwhelming</a> scientific <a href="/environment/2009/11/long-and-warming-road" type="external">consensus</a> that says the <a href="/environment/2009/11/copenhagen-too-hot-handle" type="external">climate is changing</a>, the Times’ explanation is easier to swallow than the Mail‘s. And their main source seems to agree.</p>
<p /> | Daily Mail Bends Science to Support ‘Global Cooling’ | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/01/daily-mail-bends-science-support-global-cooling/ | 2010-01-12 | 4 |
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<p />
<p>Dr. Nichol: With that houseful of active young hellions you’re lucky to have only one graffiti artiste. Dogs are social creatures – party animals who sometimes need to avoid, escape, or repel interactions.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for Jack, you live in a house with walls and doors that limit his choices. Jack is the Nervous Nellie who leaves his mark to express his angst. The poor guy needs a break. You could adopt an “off the grid” lifestyle and move into a cave or you can adjust your management.</p>
<p>More canine-specific behavioral opportunities will be essential for all of your pets. Install a dog door so they can spread out and get away from each other. Provide indoor and outdoor enclosures so they can choose privacy. Giving them food dispensing toys and puzzles when they’re alone will keep them engaged in the natural canine activity of foraging.</p>
<p>Avoid punishment or reprimands. Research has shown that dogs do not “know” they are being corrected after the fact. They appear guilty as an appeasement signal when they read our stern expressions.</p>
<p>Ignore Jack as you clean up the urine and eliminate the remaining scent with an enzymatic cleaner like Anti Icky Poo. If Jack continues to urine mark he’ll need a custom-tailored behavior modification plan.</p>
<p>Keep life simple. As your dogs age gracefully and pass on, I advise allowing the population to diminish. A limit of two is best in most homes. Miss America, the Nichol family border collie, is a force of nature all by herself. We’re maxed out at one.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Dog Behavior Help</p>
<p>A dog who plays nice, respects authority, and understands that the restroom is outside is priceless. I’ll address unruly, freaked-out and dangerous behaviors as well in my seminar at the Animal Humane Adoption Center, 9132 Montgomery NE from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17. Cost: $40. Miss America will be our smiling hostess. To register, call 792-5131. Bring plenty of questions.</p>
<p>Dr. Jeff Nichol treats behavior disorders at the Veterinary Specialty Centers in Albuquerque and Santa Fe (505-792-5131). He cares for the medical needs of pets at the Petroglyph Animal Hospital in Albuquerque (898-8874). Question? Post it on <a href="http://facebook.com/drjeffnichol" type="external">facebook.com/drjeffnichol</a> or by mail to 4000 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Poodle displaying his angst | false | https://abqjournal.com/495973/poodle-displaying-his-angst.html | 2 |
|
<p>SPARTANBURG, S. C. — Recent dramatic moves from the front office to the roster certainly helped get the attention of the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Carolina_Panthers/" type="external">Carolina Panthers</a> even before the full squad reported Tuesday (July 25) for training camp at Wofford College.</p>
<p>Coming off a pathetic 6-10 record in 2016, owner <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jerry_Richardson/" type="external">Jerry Richardson</a> obviously decided not to maintain status quo. He surprised almost everyone last week, including head coach <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Ron_Rivera/" type="external">Ron Rivera</a>, by firing general manager Dave Gettleman, who was replaced by his predecessor, and now interim GM, <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Marty_Hurney/" type="external">Marty Hurney</a>.</p>
<p>Rivera denied any input on the matter.</p>
<p>Hurney, Carolina’s general manager from 2001-2012, knows Richardson’s impatience well. Hurney drafted two consecutive Rookies of the Year, quarterback <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Cam_Newton/" type="external">Cam Newton</a> and linebacker <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Luke-Kuechly/" type="external">Luke Kuechly</a>. But after a 1-5 start in 2012, Richardson fired Hurney.</p>
<p>Why pull the plug on Gettlemen so close to camp opening? Some point to the unsettled status of popular linebacker <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Thomas_Davis/" type="external">Thomas Davis</a> and productive tight end <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Greg_Olsen/" type="external">Greg Olsen</a> as well as releasing iconic Panthers, including wide receiver <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Steve_Smith/" type="external">Steve Smith</a> and running back <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/DeAngelo_Williams/" type="external">DeAngelo Williams</a>.</p>
<p>Knowing Richardson’s impatient nature first hand, Hurney made changes quickly. First, he released offensive tackle Michael Oher, who had 110 NFL starts but failed his physical(concussions). That saved $1.69 million toward the salary cap, but it was quickly spent when guard Trai Turner’s contract was extended to the tune of $45 million over four years.</p>
<p>“The offensive line is a key to the team’s success and Trai is a very integral part of that,” said Hurney.</p>
<p>He then fired Mark Koncz, who had been promoted in May by Gettleman from pro personnel director to director of player personnel.</p>
<p>Hurney inherits a team that hopes Newtown rebounds from offseason shoulder surgery, an unsettled secondary and that offensive line on which he already made significant moves.</p>
<p>Newton will report in the best shape of his career, based on social media pictures that show ripped abs and muscle tone. Hurney also gets Gettleman’s final No. 1 draft pick, versatile running back Christian McCaffrey from Stanford.</p>
<p>The good news as camp opened was the presence of tight end Greg Olsen, who was the subject of speculation that he might hold out. Olsen wants a new contract, but has two years remaining on his current deal.</p>
<p>Upon arriving in Spartanburg, Olsen said, “We thought, obviously, long and hard about everything over the last couple months – our position, the team’s position, how things played out and things changed last week with the move to let go of Dave. At the end of the day, with everything going on, and now with the transition to Marty and slight chaos that went around for another week, I just didn’t feel like it was right for me to add fuel to that fire and make things that much more complicated, add more controversy or distraction to our team.</p>
<p>“I didn’t think it was right to the players, I didn’t think it was right to the guys that count on me to be a leader on this team and coaches, people in this organization – Mr. Richardson on down – who count on me to set a certain example both by my presence here but also my play. I just didn’t think my selfishness would do any good.”</p>
<p>Top Summer battle:</p>
<p>Despite all those big names and big bodies already in the news, one of the key battles for the Panthers this summer will be at kicker.</p>
<p>Graham Gano is the incumbent, but the Panthers felt serious enough about this position they selected Harrison Butker in the draft. Gano had his shakiest season as a Panther, capped by missing three field-goal attempts in the final game in a loss to Tampa Bay. With the seventh-round pick, Butker became the first kicker ever drafted by the Panthers. Butker was 15 of 17 on field goals as a senior.</p>
<p>THE FACTS:</p>
<p>TRAINING CAMP: Wofford College; Spartanburg, S.C.</p>
<p>HEAD COACH: Ron Rivera</p>
<p>7th season as Panthers/NFL head coach</p>
<p>56-45-1 overall; 3-3 postseason</p>
<p>THE BREAKDOWN</p>
<p>2016 finish: 4th NFC South (6-10)</p>
<p>STATISTICS</p>
<p>TOTAL OFFENSE: 343.7 (19th)</p>
<p>RUSHING: 113.4 (10th)</p>
<p>PASSING: 230.3 (T21st)</p>
<p>TOTAL DEFENSE: 359.8 (21st)</p>
<p>RUSHING: 91.6 (6th)</p>
<p>PASSING: 268.2 (29th)</p>
<p>2017 PRESEASON SCHEDULE</p>
<p>All times Eastern</p>
<p>Aug. 9, HOUSTON (Wed), 7:30</p>
<p>Aug. 19, at Tennessee (Sat), 3:00</p>
<p>Aug. 24, at Jacksonville (Thu), 7:30</p>
<p>Aug. 31, PITTSBURGH (Thu), 7:30</p>
<p>UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS</p>
<p>QUARTERBACKS: Starter – Cam Newton. Backups – <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Derek_Anderson/" type="external">Derek Anderson</a>, Joe Webb.</p>
<p>Newton was the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2015, so he’s on the elite level. He made steady progress in each season in the league until last year, when injuries were partly to blame. He’s coming off shoulder surgery so his workload in training camp is something that must be considered. Anderson gives the Panthers the veteran backup who’s good to have, but they probably don’t want to rely on him across the course of an entire season.</p>
<p>RUNNING BACKS: Starters – <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Jonathan_Stewart/" type="external">Jonathan Stewart</a>, Christian McCaffrey. Backups – Fozzy Whittaker, FB Alex Armah, FB Darrel Young, Jalen Simmons.</p>
<p>Stewart will be pushed by McCaffrey, if not for direct playing time than for prominence in the game plan. McCaffrey’s versatility will be put to use, and that could leave Stewart to handle much of the grunt work with carries. McCaffrey has the ability to bring flair to the position and that’s something that’s much anticipated. Whittaker has been solid at times in a limited role and he’s likely to stick with the team.</p>
<p>TIGHT ENDS: Starter – Greg Olsen. Backups – Ed Dickson, Chris Manhertz, Scott Simonson, Eric Wallace.</p>
<p>Olsen is one of the league’s top producers at the position and he doesn’t seem to be letting up. Perhaps because Olsen has been so entrenched at the position since arriving in a trade from the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Chicago_Bears/" type="external">Chicago Bears</a>, the Panthers haven’t had much of a chance to groom others at the position and it’s not a spot that has been attractive to free agents. Dickson will be looking to hang on to his backup role, with the need for more consistency.</p>
<p>WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters – Kelvin Benjamin, Devin Funchess. Backups – Chris Samuel, Austin Duke, Brenton Bersin, Damiere Byrd, Kaelin Clay, Mose Frazier, Keyarris Garrett, <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Russell-Shepard/" type="external">Russell Shepard</a>.</p>
<p>Benjamin’s physical presence at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds makes him difficult to cover, though his sometimes-ballooning weight tends to be a topic of discussion. Funchess has made considerable strides and has been lauded for his leadership among the receivers. Samuel is a rookie out of Ohio State who figures to factor in prominently in the team’s plans, particularly with his speed.</p>
<p>OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters – LT Matt Kahil, LG Andrew Norwell, C Ryan Kahil, RG Trai Turner, RT Daryl Williams. Backups – RT Taylor Moton, T Dan France, T Tyrus Thompson, T Blaine Clausell, C Gino Gradkowski, C Tyler Larsen, C/G Greg Van Roten.</p>
<p>Matt Kahil arrived from the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Minnesota-Vikings/" type="external">Minnesota Vikings</a> to join his brother along the Carolina offensive line. Ryan Kahil has been an all-pro player, but he missed time last year with an injury. There could be quite a bit of sorting out along the line in August, though Norwell and Turner have proved to be dependable. Moton might be versatile enough to fill spots at guard and tackle until he potentially moves into a starting role. In fact, there’s some thoughts that Moton might be the key to the whole breakdown along the front.</p>
<p>DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters — DE <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Charles_Johnson/" type="external">Charles Johnson</a>, NT Star Lotulelei, DT Kawann Short, DE Wes Horton. Backups – NT <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Vernon-Butler/" type="external">Vernon Butler</a>, DT Kyle Love DE <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Mario-Addison/" type="external">Mario Addison</a>, DT Eric Crume, DT Toby Johnson, DT Gabriel Mass, DE Charles Johnson, DE <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Julius_Peppers/" type="external">Julius Peppers</a>, DE Bryan Cox, DT Toby Johnson.</p>
<p>This group has the chance to be extremely stout and there aren’t any perceived weaknesses. Lotulelei and Short have gained more stock with their play and Horton has continued to be a force. The experience level is high as well, particularly with Johnson and Peppers, who began his career with the organization, available to fill vital roles. Addison has a high motor and could be in line for a breakout season after a nice contract bump. Upgrading the pass rush remains a priority, particularly with questions in the secondary.</p>
<p>LINEBACKERS: Starters – MLB Luke Kuechly, WLB Thomas Davis, SLB <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Shaq-Thompson/" type="external">Shaq Thompson</a>. Backups – David Mayo, Jeremy Cash, Jared Norris, Ben Jacobs, Ben Boulware, Zeek Bigger</p>
<p>Kuechly sat out a large chunk of last season with a concussion, missing time with that ailment for the second year in a row. He has the ability to be one of the best defensive players in the NFL, a status he has held previously. With Davis, the Panthers have one of the most revered players in the league and he continues to be a playmaker. There’s no shortage of expectations for Thompson as well and his athleticism is something the team would like to see more of. Mayo made a case for the key backup role when he picked up some unexpected playing time for injured teammates last year.</p>
<p>DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters — LCB <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/James-Bradberry/" type="external">James Bradberry</a>, RCB Daryl Worley, FS <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Kurt-Coleman/" type="external">Kurt Coleman</a>, SS <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Mike_Adams/" type="external">Mike Adams</a>. Backups – CB Captain <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Munnerlyn/" type="external">Munnerlyn</a>, CB Corn Elder, CB Zack Sanchez, CB Teddy Williams, S Dean Marlowe, S Colin Jones, S Dezmen Southward, S Travell Dixon, S Brian Blechen.</p>
<p>Bradberry and Worley paid their dues during what was sometimes a rough 2016 rookie season. But they’re more seasoned now and building their confidence during the offseason was one of the objectives. With the likelihood that Coleman moves back to free safety, that should increase his comfort level. But this means the Panthers are counting on Adams, at age 36, to provide additional stability in the secondary. Munnerlyn, a former Panther returning after playing for Minnesota, figures to be on the field plenty, particularly in special packages. Elder could stick on the roster in part because he has value as a return specialist. Jones’ work on special teams adds to his value as well.</p>
<p>SPECIAL TEAMS: K Graham Gano, K Harrison Butker, P Andy Lee, P Michael Palardy, LS J.J. Jansen, KOR Corn Elder, Chris Samuel. PR Corn Elder.</p>
<p>Gano has experience on his side, but Butker was valued enough to use a draft selection. Among punters, Palardy provided efficient after Lee went out with an injury last season. Jansen is the stabilizing force in the kicking game because he largely goes unnoticed. The returning specialist roles could be turned over to rookies, so that will be worth keeping an eye on. Elder provided some big-time plays on returns in college for Miami.</p> | Carolina Panthers preseason preview: schedule, analysis, players to watch | false | https://newsline.com/carolina-panthers-preseason-preview-schedule-analysis-players-to-watch/ | 2017-07-26 | 1 |
<p>SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — More than missing one of the game's most menacing pass rushers, the San Francisco 49ers care that Aldon Smith can carry on with a healthy life off the field over the long haul.</p>
<p>With or without football.</p>
<p>Smith received second chance after second chance with the Niners before they finally had enough following his fifth run-in with the law. The franchise parted ways with the troubled but talented linebacker Friday after Santa Clara police accused him of drunken driving, hit and run and vandalism.</p>
<p>It's a tough blow for a team that watched several other young stars depart and retire this offseason.</p>
<p>"I'm just more concerned about him as a person," receiver Anquan Boldin said. "Football doesn't come into play when it comes to a situation like that. My whole thought is just making sure he's OK as a person."</p>
<p>The move came only three days after general manager Trent Baalke expressed his desire to keep Smith beyond this season, which would have been a contract year.</p>
<p>Instead Friday, Baalke and coach Jim Tomsula met with Smith at team headquarters after he left jail to inform him he was no longer part of the team.</p>
<p>"It's a sad day," Tomsula said during an emotional news conference. "This is a day that doesn't have anything to do about football."</p>
<p>Smith was arrested Thursday night — on a day off from training camp for players — the fifth legal run-in since the team drafted him in 2011. Tomsula spoke to a couple of players, then the entire team in Friday afternoon.</p>
<p>"Guys care about him, we care about that guy, deeply," he said.</p>
<p>Smith had said when camp began he was healthy and in great shape, "ready to go." While he is free to sign with any team, not needing to go through waivers, he likely would first face another lengthy NFL suspension.</p>
<p>Police said Friday that at 8:46 p.m., Smith collided with a parked vehicle while parking his car, then caused further damage to the parked vehicle with his car door. The scene was only a couple of miles from team headquarters, at or on the street of Smith's luxury apartment complex.</p>
<p>Authorities said Smith left without reporting the collision or providing any identifying information. He later returned to and was contacted by officers. Smith displayed "objective symptoms of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage" and officers conducted a field sobriety test, police said.</p>
<p>"Although he won't be playing football for the San Francisco 49ers, he will be supported and helped, and he will not have to walk this path alone," Tomsula said. "That comes from our ownership down. ... It has nothing to do with football."</p>
<p>Smith denied he was driving under the influence during a brief interview with a local television station before Tomsula's news conference.</p>
<p>"Justice will be served, the truth will come out," Smith told KTVU Fox 2 as he walked out of jail. "There's no DUI. ... I want everybody to understand the situation that happened could have been handled differently."</p>
<p>Tomsula declined to speak about specifics of Smith's arrest, but offered, "We're dealing with human beings, living breathing human beings."</p>
<p>"There are things that need to be addressed with 100 percent of what he has," the coach said.</p>
<p>San Francisco has had 12 arrests or charges filed involving seven players since January 2012, prompting owner Jed York to promise the team would "win with class." The Niners released defensive tackle Ray McDonald late last season for his off-field problems.</p>
<p>"If one person out there reads this and you're struggling, get help," an emotional Tomsula said emphatically. "Go get it. You're worth it. There's value in every human being. Get the help. You don't have to walk alone. Find it, it's there."</p>
<p>Smith was entering a contract year after he missed the first nine games of 2014 serving an NFL suspension for violations of the league's substance-abuse and personal-conduct policies.</p>
<p>In spring 2014, the 49ers exercised their 2015 option for Smith. In March, Smith restructured his contract into a more incentive-laden, team-friendly deal that gave the 49ers room if he were to get in legal trouble again.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old Smith missed time during the 2013 season to undergo treatment at an inpatient facility following his DUI arrest on Sept. 20 that year. Later in the year, he pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon, stemming from a June 2012 party at his home.</p>
<p>Smith was arrested on April 13, 2014, at Los Angeles International Airport. Police said Smith was randomly selected for a secondary screening and became uncooperative with the process, telling a TSA agent that he had a bomb. No charges were filed.</p>
<p>He emerged as one of the NFL's top defenders in 2012 with a franchise-record 19 1/2 sacks during the team's run to the Super Bowl. Smith finished with 8 1/2 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games in 2013. In his shortened 2014 season, he had two sacks.</p>
<p>Tomsula hopes Smith will play football again one day.</p>
<p>"He has been turning his life around. He is in the process of turning his life around. People stumble," Tomsula said. "In terms of him playing football again, I sure hope so. I think he can. I want him to."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — More than missing one of the game's most menacing pass rushers, the San Francisco 49ers care that Aldon Smith can carry on with a healthy life off the field over the long haul.</p>
<p>With or without football.</p>
<p>Smith received second chance after second chance with the Niners before they finally had enough following his fifth run-in with the law. The franchise parted ways with the troubled but talented linebacker Friday after Santa Clara police accused him of drunken driving, hit and run and vandalism.</p>
<p>It's a tough blow for a team that watched several other young stars depart and retire this offseason.</p>
<p>"I'm just more concerned about him as a person," receiver Anquan Boldin said. "Football doesn't come into play when it comes to a situation like that. My whole thought is just making sure he's OK as a person."</p>
<p>The move came only three days after general manager Trent Baalke expressed his desire to keep Smith beyond this season, which would have been a contract year.</p>
<p>Instead Friday, Baalke and coach Jim Tomsula met with Smith at team headquarters after he left jail to inform him he was no longer part of the team.</p>
<p>"It's a sad day," Tomsula said during an emotional news conference. "This is a day that doesn't have anything to do about football."</p>
<p>Smith was arrested Thursday night — on a day off from training camp for players — the fifth legal run-in since the team drafted him in 2011. Tomsula spoke to a couple of players, then the entire team in Friday afternoon.</p>
<p>"Guys care about him, we care about that guy, deeply," he said.</p>
<p>Smith had said when camp began he was healthy and in great shape, "ready to go." While he is free to sign with any team, not needing to go through waivers, he likely would first face another lengthy NFL suspension.</p>
<p>Police said Friday that at 8:46 p.m., Smith collided with a parked vehicle while parking his car, then caused further damage to the parked vehicle with his car door. The scene was only a couple of miles from team headquarters, at or on the street of Smith's luxury apartment complex.</p>
<p>Authorities said Smith left without reporting the collision or providing any identifying information. He later returned to and was contacted by officers. Smith displayed "objective symptoms of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage" and officers conducted a field sobriety test, police said.</p>
<p>"Although he won't be playing football for the San Francisco 49ers, he will be supported and helped, and he will not have to walk this path alone," Tomsula said. "That comes from our ownership down. ... It has nothing to do with football."</p>
<p>Smith denied he was driving under the influence during a brief interview with a local television station before Tomsula's news conference.</p>
<p>"Justice will be served, the truth will come out," Smith told KTVU Fox 2 as he walked out of jail. "There's no DUI. ... I want everybody to understand the situation that happened could have been handled differently."</p>
<p>Tomsula declined to speak about specifics of Smith's arrest, but offered, "We're dealing with human beings, living breathing human beings."</p>
<p>"There are things that need to be addressed with 100 percent of what he has," the coach said.</p>
<p>San Francisco has had 12 arrests or charges filed involving seven players since January 2012, prompting owner Jed York to promise the team would "win with class." The Niners released defensive tackle Ray McDonald late last season for his off-field problems.</p>
<p>"If one person out there reads this and you're struggling, get help," an emotional Tomsula said emphatically. "Go get it. You're worth it. There's value in every human being. Get the help. You don't have to walk alone. Find it, it's there."</p>
<p>Smith was entering a contract year after he missed the first nine games of 2014 serving an NFL suspension for violations of the league's substance-abuse and personal-conduct policies.</p>
<p>In spring 2014, the 49ers exercised their 2015 option for Smith. In March, Smith restructured his contract into a more incentive-laden, team-friendly deal that gave the 49ers room if he were to get in legal trouble again.</p>
<p>The 25-year-old Smith missed time during the 2013 season to undergo treatment at an inpatient facility following his DUI arrest on Sept. 20 that year. Later in the year, he pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon, stemming from a June 2012 party at his home.</p>
<p>Smith was arrested on April 13, 2014, at Los Angeles International Airport. Police said Smith was randomly selected for a secondary screening and became uncooperative with the process, telling a TSA agent that he had a bomb. No charges were filed.</p>
<p>He emerged as one of the NFL's top defenders in 2012 with a franchise-record 19 1/2 sacks during the team's run to the Super Bowl. Smith finished with 8 1/2 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games in 2013. In his shortened 2014 season, he had two sacks.</p>
<p>Tomsula hopes Smith will play football again one day.</p>
<p>"He has been turning his life around. He is in the process of turning his life around. People stumble," Tomsula said. "In terms of him playing football again, I sure hope so. I think he can. I want him to."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p> | 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith released after latest arrest | false | https://apnews.com/amp/6d38c864c8c746e18f4ff3f65228dbf4 | 2015-08-08 | 2 |
<p>PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew Luck kept reloading, kept taking a hit after hit and pulling himself off the Heinz Field turf.</p>
<p>He kept taking yardage by the chunk and kept willing the Indianapolis Colts back into a game their defense kept trying to give away.</p>
<p>One awkward step and it all vanished.</p>
<p>Luck tripped over center Jonotthan Harrison’s feet midway through the fourth quarter and was flagged for intentional grounding.</p>
<p>The ensuing safety gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the momentum for good in a 51-34 loss that ended the Colts’ five-game winning streak.</p>
<p>“Just a bonehead play by me,” Luck said.</p>
<p>One that undid some brilliant work by Luck, who passed for 400 yards and three scores while nearly rallying Indianapolis (5-3) from a 25-point deficit.</p>
<p>Yet he also threw two interceptions — one in which Pittsburgh’s William Gay returned for a touchdown — and couldn’t quite match Ben Roethlisberger on a day the Steelers’ star became the first player in NFL history with two games of at least 500 yards passing.</p>
<p>“We didn’t do much of anything to give ourselves a chance,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said.</p>
<p>Particularly on defense. A week after shutting out Cincinnati and limiting the Bengals to 135 yards, the Colts gave up 639 to the Steelers.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of things that we could have done better,” Indianapolis safety Mike Adams said. “But we left guys open and had a lot of missed tackles. So, we have to get better.”</p>
<p>Roethlisberger set franchise records with 522 yards passing and six touchdowns. His yardage total was the fourth highest in NFL history as the Steelers (5-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season.</p>
<p>Antonio Brown caught 10 passes for 133 yards and two scores. Heath Miller caught seven passes for 112 yards and the clinching TD with 5:14 remaining.</p>
<p>“This is a big turning point for us, 5-3 sounds a lot better than 4-4,” Roethlisberger said. “It puts us back in the thick of some AFC stuff.”</p>
<p>The 907 combined yards passing were the second most, trailing only the 971 yards Detroit and Green Bay put up on Jan. 1, 2012.</p>
<p>Donte Moncrief caught seven passes for 113 yards and a score and T.Y. Hilton grabbed six balls for 155 yards and a touchdown, but the Colts couldn’t quite make it all the way back.</p>
<p>Indianapolis trailed 35-10, but had the ball and 95 yards to go trailing 42-34 midway through the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>Luck, however, clipped Harrison and fell on his backside at the goal line. He flung the ball to the left, but there wasn’t a receiver anywhere close.</p>
<p>Officials awarded the Steelers a safety when they flagged Luck for intentional grounding to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 44-34.</p>
<p>“I’m not quite sure what happened on the trip,” Luck said. “I should have stayed on my feet.”</p>
<p>The Steelers didn’t sit on the lead, driving deep into Indianapolis territory yet again. Facing fourth-and-1 at the 11, Roethlisberger faked a handoff and moved to his right, where he found Miller in the back of the end zone for his sixth and final touchdown pass.</p>
<p>“I’m not kicking the field goal there and go up by 13 and have these guys put two late touchdowns on the board,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. “We were not letting our foot off the gas.”</p>
<p>The win gave Roethlisberger 100 in his career in his 150th start, joining Tom Brady, Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to reach that milestone in 150 games.</p>
<p>Roethlisberger said he didn’t know earlier in the week, saying he doesn’t keep track. He’ll almost certainly remember this one.</p>
<p>Rarely pressured, Roethlisberger did whatever he wanted. He completed 18 of his first 20 passes, finding players up and down the depth chart. Markus Wheaton, an afterthought following a dazzling performance in the season opener, caught an 18-yard touchdown pass. Rookie Martavis Bryant, buried on the inactive list for the first six weeks, hauled in a remarkably easy 5-yard score.</p>
<p>Brown didn’t even catch a pass until midway through the second quarter, but quickly caught up. His 47-yard touchdown came at the end of a vintage Roethlisberger play as the quarterback evaded pressure, rolled right and found Brown streaking across the field.</p>
<p>The crescendo built even as Luck attempted to counterpunch, with mixed results. Facing a heavy pass rush that sacked him twice and dropped him on numerous other occasions, Luck’s franchise-record sixth straight game of at least 300 yards passing hardly mattered.</p>
<p>“Give credit to their defense for forcing us into some mistakes,” Luck said. “I’m proud of our guys’ fight, but it was a tough one.”</p>
<p>The Steelers flirted with tying the biggest collapse in NFL history before righting themselves — and their season — behind their dynamic leader.</p>
<p>NOTES: Indianapolis CB Vontae Davis (knee) and linebacker Erik Walden (hip flexor) left and did not return. ... The Colts are at the New York Giants next Monday night. ... Indianapolis came in leading the NFL in time of possession, but held the ball just 20:17.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</p>
<p>PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew Luck kept reloading, kept taking a hit after hit and pulling himself off the Heinz Field turf.</p>
<p>He kept taking yardage by the chunk and kept willing the Indianapolis Colts back into a game their defense kept trying to give away.</p>
<p>One awkward step and it all vanished.</p>
<p>Luck tripped over center Jonotthan Harrison’s feet midway through the fourth quarter and was flagged for intentional grounding.</p>
<p>The ensuing safety gave the Pittsburgh Steelers the momentum for good in a 51-34 loss that ended the Colts’ five-game winning streak.</p>
<p>“Just a bonehead play by me,” Luck said.</p>
<p>One that undid some brilliant work by Luck, who passed for 400 yards and three scores while nearly rallying Indianapolis (5-3) from a 25-point deficit.</p>
<p>Yet he also threw two interceptions — one in which Pittsburgh’s William Gay returned for a touchdown — and couldn’t quite match Ben Roethlisberger on a day the Steelers’ star became the first player in NFL history with two games of at least 500 yards passing.</p>
<p>“We didn’t do much of anything to give ourselves a chance,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said.</p>
<p>Particularly on defense. A week after shutting out Cincinnati and limiting the Bengals to 135 yards, the Colts gave up 639 to the Steelers.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot of things that we could have done better,” Indianapolis safety Mike Adams said. “But we left guys open and had a lot of missed tackles. So, we have to get better.”</p>
<p>Roethlisberger set franchise records with 522 yards passing and six touchdowns. His yardage total was the fourth highest in NFL history as the Steelers (5-3) won consecutive games for the first time this season.</p>
<p>Antonio Brown caught 10 passes for 133 yards and two scores. Heath Miller caught seven passes for 112 yards and the clinching TD with 5:14 remaining.</p>
<p>“This is a big turning point for us, 5-3 sounds a lot better than 4-4,” Roethlisberger said. “It puts us back in the thick of some AFC stuff.”</p>
<p>The 907 combined yards passing were the second most, trailing only the 971 yards Detroit and Green Bay put up on Jan. 1, 2012.</p>
<p>Donte Moncrief caught seven passes for 113 yards and a score and T.Y. Hilton grabbed six balls for 155 yards and a touchdown, but the Colts couldn’t quite make it all the way back.</p>
<p>Indianapolis trailed 35-10, but had the ball and 95 yards to go trailing 42-34 midway through the fourth quarter.</p>
<p>Luck, however, clipped Harrison and fell on his backside at the goal line. He flung the ball to the left, but there wasn’t a receiver anywhere close.</p>
<p>Officials awarded the Steelers a safety when they flagged Luck for intentional grounding to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 44-34.</p>
<p>“I’m not quite sure what happened on the trip,” Luck said. “I should have stayed on my feet.”</p>
<p>The Steelers didn’t sit on the lead, driving deep into Indianapolis territory yet again. Facing fourth-and-1 at the 11, Roethlisberger faked a handoff and moved to his right, where he found Miller in the back of the end zone for his sixth and final touchdown pass.</p>
<p>“I’m not kicking the field goal there and go up by 13 and have these guys put two late touchdowns on the board,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said. “We were not letting our foot off the gas.”</p>
<p>The win gave Roethlisberger 100 in his career in his 150th start, joining Tom Brady, Roger Staubach and Terry Bradshaw as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to reach that milestone in 150 games.</p>
<p>Roethlisberger said he didn’t know earlier in the week, saying he doesn’t keep track. He’ll almost certainly remember this one.</p>
<p>Rarely pressured, Roethlisberger did whatever he wanted. He completed 18 of his first 20 passes, finding players up and down the depth chart. Markus Wheaton, an afterthought following a dazzling performance in the season opener, caught an 18-yard touchdown pass. Rookie Martavis Bryant, buried on the inactive list for the first six weeks, hauled in a remarkably easy 5-yard score.</p>
<p>Brown didn’t even catch a pass until midway through the second quarter, but quickly caught up. His 47-yard touchdown came at the end of a vintage Roethlisberger play as the quarterback evaded pressure, rolled right and found Brown streaking across the field.</p>
<p>The crescendo built even as Luck attempted to counterpunch, with mixed results. Facing a heavy pass rush that sacked him twice and dropped him on numerous other occasions, Luck’s franchise-record sixth straight game of at least 300 yards passing hardly mattered.</p>
<p>“Give credit to their defense for forcing us into some mistakes,” Luck said. “I’m proud of our guys’ fight, but it was a tough one.”</p>
<p>The Steelers flirted with tying the biggest collapse in NFL history before righting themselves — and their season — behind their dynamic leader.</p>
<p>NOTES: Indianapolis CB Vontae Davis (knee) and linebacker Erik Walden (hip flexor) left and did not return. ... The Colts are at the New York Giants next Monday night. ... Indianapolis came in leading the NFL in time of possession, but held the ball just 20:17.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</p> | Luck outdueled by Roethlisberger as Colts fall | false | https://apnews.com/3dbeb2a0f3784be6b8d1037dafb8165f | 2014-10-27 | 2 |
<p>On Thursday,&#160;LifeSiteNews&#160; <a href="http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-campaign-asks-pope-francis-to-declare-planned-parenthood-an-enemy-of-th" type="external">reported</a>&#160;of a recently-launched campaign by the Catholic pro-life organization American Life League (ALL) calling on Pope Francis to declare the abortion conglomerate Planned Parenthood an official "enemy of the church."</p>
<p>"Planned Parenthood is attacking the family, either by killing&#160;preborn&#160;children or by robbing the souls of the older children," said Jim&#160;Sedlack, vice-president of ALL. "This is a way of calling attention to the fact that this is a very bad organization."</p>
<p>If the Catholic Church were to declare Planned Parenthood an "enemy of the church" it could have some serious effects. Essentially, it would mean that anyone who works for, advocates for, or merely supports Planned Parenthood would incur immediate ex-communication.&#160;</p>
<p>The Catholic Church has made staunch declarations condemning&#160;groups&#160;before. Pope Clement XII applied the principle to Freemasonry with the Papal Bull " <a href="http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Clem12/c12inemengl.htm" type="external">In&#160;Eminenti</a>" in 1738 and Pope Pius XII applied it to communism in 1949.</p>
<p>"When the pope makes the declaration it becomes crystal clear,"&#160;Sedlak&#160;said. "There'll be no shades of gray, it'll be black and white, it'll be clear to the world."</p>
<p>According to&#160;LifeSiteNews, many of the Catholic Church's members, including its own hierarchy, are ignorant to the damages caused by Planned Parenthood in addition to the organization providing abortions.&#160;</p>
<p>"They really push for getting young people into lives of sexual sin,"&#160;Sedlak&#160;said. "Young people who aren't pulled into sexual activity do not provide a cent of income to Planned Parenthood, but young people who are pulled in provide millions of dollars to the Planned Parenthood empire."</p>
<p>Sedlak&#160;also cited Planned Parenthood's past lobbying efforts to strip the Church of its status in the UN, making them literally an&#160;aggressive enemy.</p>
<p>ALL will be raising awareness of their campaign at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family in Rome this October.&#160;Sedlak&#160;says the campaign has received an tremendous outpouring of positive feedback thus far.</p> | Catholics Urge Pope Francis To Declare Planned Parenthood 'Enemy Of The Church' | true | http://truthrevolt.org/news/catholics-urge-pope-francis-declare-planned-parenthood-enemy-church | 2018-10-04 | 0 |
<p />
<p>I got started writing this later than I meant to today because my friend’s four-year-old daughter was in my room and, even though she was keeping my infant foster son from sleeping, I couldn’t bring myself to risk hurting her feelings by asking her to leave.</p>
<p>There’s a lot I can’t say. Each day I walk through a veritable minefield of things I can’t say.</p>
<p>For three-and-a-half years I’ve communicated with the woman who helps take care of my house and run my errands almost solely through notes like this:</p>
<p>Sarah,</p>
<p>Please wipe off counters.</p>
<p>Please buy more cat food.</p>
<p>Please pick up package at the post office.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>She’s very well-paid and doesn’t seem to mind doing these kinds of things. I’ve cleaned houses for a living, too, so it’s not a question of any of this being beneath me. So I don’t know why it’s so hard to tell her stuff. A while ago she was watching the Menendez trial on my big screen in the living room and I stuck my head in and mumbled, “When you get a chance, could you please dust in here?” I still haven’t recovered.</p>
<p>In junior high, I volunteered to lead ponies around for the pony rides at the church fair, and a pony stepped on my foot. The grass must have had some give, because it seemed less painful to bear it than to ask the pony to move.</p>
<p>When I was thirteen I needed a physical for basketball camp. My mother drove me to the doctor’s and, mercifully, waited in the car while I went in. I sat in the waiting room for quite a while–without complaint. Finally the nurse did that trick where they call your name and put you in an exam room, as if it’s really gonna be your turn soon. She even had me strip down to my underwear. I perched on the edge of the crinkly paper in cotton and lace–the perfect mark–for a long time more. I noticed the building had gotten quiet. Finally I heard footsteps, and the door opened. It was my mother and a very apologetic-looking nurse, who my mother had stopped as she was locking up to go home. The doctor had left hours ago.</p>
<p>I went to a doctor recently and was well on my way to repeating the same experience when, finally, all of these years of self-censorship got to me. Figuring I’d flag down a nurse and even tearfully tell her the pony story, I threw the door open and looked down the hall. There, sticking out the door of the examination room beside me was a woman nearly twice my age, doing the exact same thing. I wondered how long she had waited for her physical for basketball camp, but I couldn’t possibly ask.</p>
<p>When I did my Saturday-night television show, I had to deal with censors, people telling me that I couldn’t say things. Now, that was quite different. I was not allowed to mention brand names. One night I did something using Oreos, but I wasn’t permitted to say “Oreos.” I had to call them “chocolate-wafer cookies with cream filling.” When we broke for commercials I needed to say “Oreos” really loud over and over again just to get it out of my system.</p>
<p>On another show I was told I couldn’t say something to a dog that included, “There’s nothing low maintenance about following you around with a plastic bag and a paper towel.” I wanted to interview the censor for this article, but I thought my questions might hurt her feelings.</p>
<p>I was flipping channels in a hotel room once and saw a few minutes of The Godfather on TV. When they got to the part, just before the horse-head scene, where Robert Duvall is arguing with the movie producer guy, they changed the dialogue for the sake of television. Instead of saying, “She was the best piece of ass I ever had and I’ve had it all over the world,” the producer had “piece of stuff” dubbed in. His lips clearly said “ass.” A few scenes later, James Caan was blown to bits at the tollbooth, and it appeared that not a single frame was altered. Even the staunchest born-again Christian would have to agree, I think, that from an assailant in a dark alley the words, “Give me your wallet before I say ‘ass,'” would be a welcome relief compared to “Give me your wallet before I blow your brains out.”</p>
<p>Doesn’t it seem odd to you that we are protected from curse words but not from the violent images that do us real harm? You know that eventually they’ll show Clint Eastwood’s stupid Unforgiven on TV. I’d rather see Unfucking Forgiven, which is about a guy who decides not to say “fuck” anymore, but gets sucked back into the use of foul language by a group of vigilantes and eventually says “fuck” repeatedly to Gene Hackman, who thinks it’s unfair because he’s building a house.</p>
<p>I dream of a televisionland where it will be as hard for a network to expose us to violence as it is for me to tell someone they have spinach on their teeth.</p>
<p />
<p>Bill Clinton, Washington, D.C.: . . . there’s something to be said for just getting up and going to work every day, committed to an agenda, listening to your critics but not being overwhelmed by them . . .</p>
<p>A: I was so glad to get your letter that I made an enlarged photocopy, framed it, and put it on the set of my television show, where I sought solace in your advice more than once. I was getting up and going to work every day, and it was working, just like you said. Then my show got canceled. I think I need new advice now. If I get up and go to work I find someone else at my desk working on a show about a single woman with kids and guts, who may not have a lot of money, but has a lot of love and brings us a lot of laughs.</p>
<p>I pride myself in following your advice about not being “overwhelmed” by my critics, and I know that you’re right. Still, they’re showing “Matlock” reruns in my time slot. Sir, I wish you well, because only one of us need know the pain of being replaced by old “Matlocks.”</p>
<p>Charlie Fletcher, Astoria, Oregon: I enjoyed your column on Paul Simon in the November/December issue, especially the image of Simon astride a merry-go-round zebra. What an appropriately kooky place to discuss politics. One question, though: what is funnelcake?</p>
<p>A: Funnelcake is fried dough sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar, but not as well organized as a doughnut.</p>
<p>Max Heffler, Houston, Texas: I assume you are a Jewish liberal, like myself. Do you have any opinions about why Jews tend to be more liberal as a whole?</p>
<p>A: I am quite flattered that you view me as a liberal Jew like yourself. Although raised a conservative Methodist, I am, in fact, a liberal atheist. Many people mistake me for Irish.</p>
<p>Don Bain, e-mail: Why isn’t there more press about the missing Soviet nuclear warheads (“fallout” from the breakup of our old nemesis)? Specifically, what is the U.S. doing to prevent them from landing in the wrong hands?</p>
<p>A: Arms-control experts say there is no firm evidence that weapons are missing from the former Soviet Union. But someone at my office told me she read that they sell materials from dismantled nuclear bombs here and that they are used for jewelry and barbecue covers. That’s nice, huh? Try not to worry.</p>
<p>Dave Clark, e-mail: Whatever became of the Green Party?</p>
<p>A: They’re still around, in more than fifty countries. Whatever happened to your band?</p>
<p>Rich D’Ambrosio, Denver, Colorado: Despite years of trying, my friends and I have never found the answer to this question, which is the subject of many wagers: who sings the opening theme song on the original “WKRP in Cincinnati”?</p>
<p>I think it’s the Les Nessman character, but others disagree. Can you help?</p>
<p>A: In its June 6, 1992, issue, the Toronto Star says the show’s producers deny that Richard Sanders (Les) sings their theme song. I think he does, because you think he does and I think whatever you think. The question is: what’s in it for these producers to destroy the guy who played Les’s singing career? I know I heard him doing background vocals on Cher’s “Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves,” but I’ll bet they deny it. Damn them.</p>
<p /> | Keeping my mouth shut | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/1994/01/keeping-my-mouth-shut/ | 2018-01-01 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Hunting for new stocks to tuck into your portfolio? Then it might be worth your time to consider these five stocks.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Domino's Pizza Inc. (NYSE: DPZ), the iShares Silver Trust (NYSEMKT: SLV), Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE: PXD), The Priceline Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCLN), and Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) all offer intriguing reasons why they could be top performers. Read on to learn if they're right for you.</p>
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.</p>
<p>Domino's Pizza is usually a hit with consumers during the football season, and operational improvements, fresh marketing, and an easy-to-use app make this company incredibly intriguing.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>While you shouldn't base future decisions on the past, the first quarter has usually been a boon for Domino's investors. Shares have climbed in the first quarter in 10 out of the past 10 years, returning a mean and median of 20.6% and 15.8%, respectively. As you can see in the following chart, this time of year has certainly been kind to the company in terms of revenue, so those gains aren't entirely surprising:</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/DPZ/revenues" type="external">DPZ Revenue (Quarterly)</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Undeniably, heady growth could be a bit more difficult this year because comparisons are tougher following strong sales last year. Nevertheless, I think there's reason for optimism.</p>
<p>As fellow Fool Daniel Kline recently <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/12/26/the-best-fast-food-stocks-of-2016.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">reminded us Opens a New Window.</a>, Domino's has posted 22 consecutive quarters of year-over-year domestic same-store sales growth, and 13% growth in the third quarter was far from mediocre. Similarly, same-store sales grew a healthy 6.6% year over year in the quarter internationally, showing that it's not just the U.S. that's supporting results. Furthermore, that demand is producing enviable earnings, as third-quarter earnings per share of $0.96 outpaced industry forecasts by 6.7%, and reflect 43.3% upside from a year ago.</p>
<p>Clearly, demand for Domino's pizza remains strong, and operational improvements are allowing more of its sales to flow through to the bottom line. I think that trend will continue, and analysts seem to agree. Currently, they're targeting for Domino's to produce EPS of $5.14 in 2017, up from $4.25 in 2016. Assuming management can hit that forecast, investors should be rewarded.</p>
<p>Owning some shares in the iShares Silver Trust is an intriguing hedge, given that precious metals have been on the decline and equity prices have been flirting with all-time highs.</p>
<p>Silver benefits from being an investment fairly uncorrelated to equities. It can also trade based on industrial demand, which can account for over 50% of total silver demand.</p>
<p>Therefore, if markets take a breather, silver could provide portfolios with some insulation against a decline. And if industrial production improves because of optimism over infrastructure spending or tax reform, then silver could still head higher, regardless of the direction of equities.</p>
<p>In either case, picking up silver at a 22% discount to its July peak could prove to be savvy:</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/SLV" type="external">SLV</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts</a>.</p>
<p>Oil and gas commodity prices began stabilizing in 2016, and with the natural gas heating season upon us, it wouldn't surprise me if shares in Pioneer Natural Resources Co. march higher.</p>
<p>Fool contributor Matt DiLallo <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/10/13/50-a-barrel-is-the-only-fuel-these-3-oil-stocks-ne.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">wrote in October Opens a New Window.</a> that Pioneer's dominance as a leader in shale production in the Permian basin positions it to profit from $50-plus oil, and I can't help but agree. The company has a solid balance sheet (relative to peers, it's pretty debt-free), and in December, management said its estimated production growth in 2016 was 14%.</p>
<p>Management also predicted in December that the company will grow production by between 13% to 17% in 2017, courtesy of five additional rigs. They also think Pioneer can grow production by a compounded 15% annually through 2020, assuming $50 oil, and that cash flow can grow by a compounded 25% annually over that same period. If management keeps a lid on drilling costs, and OPEC production cuts and U.S. demand growth prop up oil and gas prices, then this company's shares could be a winner.</p>
<p>As we saw with holiday spending, consumers are feeling a bit more flush than they have in the past, and with wages climbing, it may not be a stretch to bet that a bit more will be spent on travel this year.</p>
<p>If so, then Priceline is perfectly positioned. The company is a proven market-share leader, and its Bookings.com is a Goliath, with over 24 million bookable rooms listed. In Q3, Priceline continued to overdeliver on estimates, reporting that properties listed on Booking.com increased 29%, and that overall sales and gross profit grew 18.9% and 21.8%, respectively. Importantly, management said that Q4 total gross bookings could grow between 16% and 21%.</p>
<p>That optimism appears to be flowing over into industry-watchers' forecasts for EPS growth. This year, Priceline is expected to deliver EPS of $75.87, up from an estimated $64.63 for the full year 2016. Since shares can be bought for an arguably fair forward price-to-earnings ratio of 19.4, and Priceline continues to grow by double digits, there are good reasons to go long on this company's shares.</p>
<p>IMAGE SOURCE: BIG LOTS.</p>
<p>Big Lots' story is less about buying because its top line is growing (it isn't), and more about buying because it's becoming exceedingly profitable.</p>
<p>In Q3, sales slipped slightly as comparable-store growth flatlined, but gross margin inched up to 40% from 39.4% midyear, and over the past three years, trailing 12-month operating margins have increased from a low of around 4% to 4.96%. That profit growth is great news heading into the much more favorable fourth-quarter holiday shopping season:</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/BIG/gross_profit_margin" type="external">BIG Gross Profit Margin (Quarterly)</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts</a>.</p>
<p>Furthermore, this is one company that has a lot of domestic exposure, and that means it could enjoy a lot of profit tailwinds if Donald Trump's corporate tax reform policies win support in Washington. Trump has proposed reducing the corporate tax rate to 15%; over the past 12 months, Big Lots' effective tax rate has been 37.44%. Looking at the potential tailwind differently, Big Lots' annual provision for income taxes is about $84 million, so we're not talking chump change.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Big Lots 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>
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<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/EBCapitalMarkets/info.aspx" type="external">Todd Campbell Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned.Todd owns E.B. Capital Markets, LLC. E.B. Capital's clients may have positions in the companies mentioned.Like this article? Follow him onTwitter where he goes by the handle <a href="https://twitter.com/ebcapital" type="external">@ebcapital Opens a New Window.</a>to see more articles like this.</p>
<p>The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Priceline Group. The Motley Fool is short Domino's Pizza. The Motley Fool recommends Big Lots. 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> | 5 Top Stock Picks You Can Buy Now | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/04/5-top-stock-picks-can-buy-now.html | 2017-01-04 | 0 |
<p />
<p>Image source: Copyright Encana Corporation. All rights reserved.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of Encana (NYSE: ECA) jumped 11% last month thanks to positive comments from OPEC and analysts as well as a billion-dollar equity issuance aimed at fueling growth going forward.</p>
<p>In mid-September, Encana announced a public offering of 107 million shares, with plans to use half the proceeds to fund its 2017 capex program and the other half to bolster its balance sheet. Overall, Encana raised more than $1 billion even after pricing the shares at a slight discount to where it was trading before the announcement.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Investors who took advantage of that discount received a quick reward when OPEC said that it had agreed to cut and cap its output toward the end of the month. That agreement sent oil stocks like Encana soaring because it could stabilize the price of oil, which should enable Encana to deliver robust growth over the next five years. Driving growth is the fact that returns on premiumwells drilled in its four core areas are expected to be more than 35% at flat $50 oil and $3 gas. While those returns are not quite as good as the 60% returns that rival EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG) can earn on its premium wells at $50 oil, they could enable Encana to grow its cash flow by 300% in five years if oil averages $55 a barrel.</p>
<p>Finally, Encana ended the month on a high note after analysts at Citi upgraded its stock from neutral to buy and bumped their price target up from $10 to $13. They said that the company's equity offering would likely enable itto maintain an investment-grade credit rating. Furthermore, they see the company increasing production by a 12% compound annual rate through 2021, with oil growing at a faster 20% rate, assuming $55 oil. That is a slightly higher rate than EOG Resources is forecasting, with the leading U.S. producer planning to deliver 10% annual oil production growth through 2020 at flat $50 oil and 20% annual oil output growth at $60 oil.</p>
<p>Investors and analysts see Encana at an inflection point. With $1 billion of additional cash from its recent equity issuance and the potential for stable-to-rising oil prices in the future thanks to OPEC, Encana is turning a corner. The company now appears poised to restart its growth engine and deliver robust production and cash flow growth over the next few years.</p>
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<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFmd19/info.aspx" type="external">Matt DiLallo Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of EOG Resources. 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> | These 3 Catalysts Fueled Encana Corp's 11% Rally in September | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/07/these-3-catalysts-fueled-encana-corp-11-rally-in-september.html | 2016-10-07 | 0 |
<p>This is the next battlefield, which already has arrived.</p>
<p>As far as the feds are concerned, it is unlawful discrimination if a school provides anything less than full, unrestricted access for male transgender students to areas previously deemed private girls-only areas, such as showers and locker rooms.</p>
<p>The NY Times reports, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/us/illinois-district-violated-transgender-students-rights-us-says.html?_r=1" type="external">Illinois District Violated Transgender Student’s Rights, U.S. Says</a>:</p>
<p>Federal education authorities, staking out their firmest position yet on an increasingly contentious issue, found Monday that an Illinois school district violated anti-discrimination laws when it did not allow a transgender student who identifies as a girl and participates on a girls’ sports team to change and shower in the girls’ locker room without restrictions.</p>
<p>These threats are being made by the same Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Education whose threats of action against universities led to the current kangaroo court situation on campuses, where accused students (almost always male) have few procedural protections.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/11/02/us/document-letter-from-the-us-dept-of-education-to-daniel-cates.html" type="external">the letter</a>, the feds made clear that the limitation of access to the showers and locker room was the only issue. In all other respects, the feds acknowledged, the District “has honored” the student’s “request to be treated as female,” including access to girls’ restrooms.</p>
<p>The school even allowed the student — who has not undergone a sex change operation — to change in the girls locker room, but behind a curtain, the Times reported:</p>
<p />
<p>The transgender student in question plays on a girls’ sports team, is called “she” by school staff and is referred to by a female name. But the district, citing privacy concerns, had required her to change clothes and shower separately.</p>
<p>The district said she was allowed to change inside the girls’ locker room, but only behind a curtain. The student, who has not been publicly identified, has said she would probably use that curtain to change. But she and the federal government have insisted that she be allowed to make that decision voluntarily, and not because of requirements by the district.</p>
<p>The school district, the Times further reports, says it is trying to be sensitive to the privacy concerns of girls:</p>
<p>Daniel Cates, the district superintendent, said in a statement Monday that he disagreed with the decision, which he described as “a serious overreach with precedent-setting implications.” In an interview, Dr. Cates said district officials had “worked long and hard” to develop a plan that the district believed would balance the rights of everyone involved. That plan entails having the student change beyond privacy curtains in the girls’ locker room.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-transgender-student-federal-ruling-met-20151102-story.html" type="external">The Chicago Tribune</a> reports that the student doesn’t necessarily object to using the private area, but doesn’t want to be forced to make the choice:</p>
<p>But talks stalled after school officials said the student would be required to use the private area, as opposed to offering her a choice to use it. Although the student said she intends to use the private area or a locker room bathroom stall to change, the stipulation constitutes “blatant discrimination,” said John Knight, director of the LGBT and AIDS Project at ACLU of Illinois, which is representing the student.</p>
<p>“It’s not voluntary, it’s mandatory for her,” Knight said. “It’s one thing to say to all the girls, ‘You can choose if you want some extra privacy,’ but it’s another thing to say, ‘You, and you alone, must use them.’ That sends a pretty strong signal to her that she’s not accepted and the district does not see her as girl.”</p>
<p>In its letter, the feds rejected such concerns:</p>
<p>The District does not dispute that it has denied access to Student A to use the girls’ locker rooms.The District proffered as its legitimate, nondiscriminatory justification that it “based its decision on the needs of all students,” balancing Student A’s rights and interests with the privacy concerns of other female students. The District raised two specific constitutional privacy concerns. First, the District contends that ”permitting Student A to be present in the locker room would expose female students to being observed in a state of undress by a biologically male individual.” The District’s second stated privacy concern is that it would be inappropriate for young female students to view a naked male in the locker room in a state of undress. The District stated that “[g]ranting Student A the option to change her clothes in the girls’ locker room would expose female students as young as fifteen years of age to a biologically male body.”11 OCR finds the concerns unavailing in this case.</p>
<p>The burden of protecting privacy, the feds found, is on the non-transgender girls who don’t want to observe or be observed by the opposite sex:</p>
<p>Those female students wishing to protect their own private bodies from exposure to being observed in a state of undress by other girls in the locker rooms, including transgender girls, could change behind a privacy curtain.</p>
<p>The feds don’t even attempt to strike a balance. It’s all or nothing. And that all is that your daughters have to look at male genitalia in the locker room and shower, whether you or they like it or not.</p>
<p>[Featured Image – <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/03/us/illinois-school-district-transgender-ruling/" type="external">CNN</a>]</p> | Feds: Illinois school must allow transgender male unrestricted use of girls’ shower and locker room | true | http://legalinsurrection.com/2015/11/feds-illinois-school-must-allow-transgender-male-unrestricted-use-of-girls-shower-and-locker-room/ | 2015-11-03 | 0 |
<p>John Barrett/Zuma</p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">David Koch</a> has helped to raise millions of dollars for <a href="" type="internal">Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign</a>, placing him among Romney’s <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-07-18/romney-bundlers/56304032/1" type="external">most successful super-fundraisers</a>, known as “bundlers.” Now the billionaire industrialist and Koch Industries executive is set to represent Romney as a delegate at the Republican National Convention in late August.</p>
<p>Koch, who with his older brother Charles is marshaling <a href="http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=0F866DCD-F8DC-436E-B46D-504340FEB315" type="external">hundreds of millions of dollars</a> for GOP causes in 2012, is listed as one of 34 at-large delegates by the New York Republican Party, according to <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-conventions/david-koch-to-be-romney-delegate-20120809" type="external">National Journal</a>. It’s unclear if Koch will actually go to Tampa to vote to formally give Romney the GOP nomination, but if he does, you can expect quite a stir given Koch’s prominence in conservative circles and demonization by liberals.</p>
<p>Koch <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/americans-for-prosperity-koch-brothers_n_1734810.html" type="external">helped found Americans for Prosperity</a>, the powerful conservative nonprofit organization headquartered in northern Virginia. AFP is a major player in the 2012 election cycle. It has launched <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-02/kochs-take-tip-from-soros-investing-in-voter-registration.html" type="external">sophisticated voter registration campaigns</a> in battleground states and is expected to <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/07/americans-for-prosperity-begins-25-million-anti-obama-ad-campaign/?nl=us&amp;emc=edit_cn_20120807" type="external">unload $25 million on ads</a> urging people to vote President Obama out of the White House. AFP had never before run ads expressly saying “vote for” or “vote against” a particular candidate, AFP president Tim Phillips told reporters this week. But Phillips cited the “disastrous economic policies of this administration” as the driving force behind the anti-Obama ad blitz. (The real reason for AFP’s new ad strategy may have more do with <a href="" type="internal">this</a>.) The first wave of anti-Obama ads, Phillips added, will cost $6.7 million and run in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.</p>
<p>David Koch’s personal support for Romney includes a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/08/mitt-romney-koch-brothers_n_1658027.html" type="external">$50,000-a-head fundraiser</a> in July at his oceanfront home in Southampton and <a href="http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/03/14/3528/democrats-desperately-seek-their-own-rove" type="external">another 2010 Hamtpons fundraiser</a>.</p>
<p /> | Report: David Koch Will Be a Romney Delegate | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2012/08/david-koch-mitt-romney-delegate/ | 2012-08-09 | 4 |
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<p />
<p>Yes, the Moriarty welterweight defeated Sabah Homasi by second-round TKO on Aug. 20 in his only previous UFC fight of the year. By no means, though, was that Means’ only fight of the past 12 months.</p>
<p>There was the fight for custody of his daughters, Kristina, 8, and Lilly, 7, from a past relationship. Means believed the girls were at risk and fought in court to bring them from Oklahoma to live with him, his wife, fellow fighter Brenda Gonzales Means, and their two young adopted sons, Jacob and Danny.</p>
<p>He won.</p>
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<p>There was the fight for his reputation and reinstatement after testing positive in February for a banned substance. Faced at age 32 with a potentially career-ending, two-year suspension, he went into arbitration contending that the positive test was the unintentional result of having ingested a tainted supplement.</p>
<p>He won. Though USADA handed down a six-month suspension, saying Means in any case bore responsibility for what he put in his body, the decision acknowledged that his ingestion of the banned substance Ostarine was an accident.</p>
<p>And, tonight, there’s the fight against Oliveira (15-4) on UFC 207 in Las Vegas, Nev. The Means-Oliveira fight is available only on UFC Fight Pass, the organization’s digital streaming service, starting at 5:30 p.m.</p>
<p>Will he win? If not, Means (26-7-1) said from Las Vegas in a phone interview, it won’t be because he’s not fully prepared.</p>
<p>On paper, this is a matchup of strikers. Of Oliveira’s 15 wins, 10 have come by KO or TKO. Of Means’ 26 victories, 18 have come via that route.</p>
<p>Means said he sees other possibilities and has prepared for them in his work at Albuquerque’s FIT-NHB gym.</p>
<p>“They talk about (Oliveira’s) striking, but he’s gonna want to take me down and wrestle,” Means said from Las Vegas in a phone interview. “… I’m ready to show a skill set to people that think I’m (just) a striker.</p>
<p>“I feel like I’m in a great spot to show not just Alex Oliveira but everybody else that’s kind of writing off my wrestling that I can fire out and get out for takedowns and get out for submissions if I need to.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>In discussing the positive test and the ensuing suspension, Means does not use the term “blessing in disguise.” He does say that good things came from it.</p>
<p>The positive test scrubbed his scheduled Feb. 21 fight against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who trains in Albuquerque at Jackson-Wink. Cerrone instead fought Oliveira that night – defeating the Brazilian, also nicknamed “Cowboy,” by first-round submission (triangle choke).</p>
<p>Means’ birthday is Feb. 20.</p>
<p>“I was able to be here in New Mexico for my birthday when I was supposed to be gone, and the (school) father-daughter dance was the night I was supposed to be weighing in,” he said. “So, it worked out.</p>
<p>“I was able to find a potentially dangerous substance in the supplement I was taking that could have hurt me in the long run, so it all worked out.”</p>
<p>Means returned to the octagon against Homasi, earning $62,000 – $31,000 as per his contract, that much more for the victory.</p>
<p>A win tonight over Oliveira, who has bounced back from the Cerrone loss with two victories, could put Means within striking distance of a top-15 UFC ranking, and a bit closer, perhaps, to the showdown with Cerrone that he still craves.</p>
<p>“I’m not interested in the Cerrone fight right now. I’ve got Alex Oliveira in my sights,” he said. “But ultimately, and I let (Cerrone) know, everybody knows I want that fight.”</p>
<p>WEIGH-IN: Means weighed in Thursday at the welterweight limit of 170 pounds for tonight’s fight. Oliveira weighed 170.5, an allowable half-pound over the limit.</p>
<p>Albuquerque’s Ray Borg weighed in at 129.5 pounds, well over the 125-pound flyweight limit, for his fight against Louis Smolka. Smolka weighed 125.5 pounds. The fight will go on as scheduled, but Borg will forfeit 30 percent of his purse to Smolka for having come in overweight.</p>
<p>Borg, Means’ former teammate at FIT-NHB, now trains at Jackson-Wink. The Borg-Smolka fight leads off the pay-per-view portion of the card, starting at 8 p.m.</p>
<p />
<p /> | MMA: Means ready for another fight | false | https://abqjournal.com/918052/means-ready-for-another-fight.html | 2 |
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<p />
<p>In his article “ <a href="/news/feature/2005/05/some_like_it_hot.html" type="external">“Some Like It Hot</a>,” Chris Mooney pinpoints a critical distinction in the battle over global warming. The think tanks, crank scientists, and pseudo-journalists who dispute climate change with the aid of millions of corporate dollars are not just arguing the economics of the problem, as they sometimes pretend. That activity, engaging in a thoughtful discussion of politics and priorities, the wisdom of one or another course of action, could be considered honorable regardless of which side one argued from. Rather, the mouthpieces are ignobly contesting the very science itself, using any tactic, any slipshod fiction, that might throw doubt into the public mind and so deflect the dictates of hard fact. In other words, given a public policy debate, conservatives have decided to forgo real debate entirely—to adopt instead a radical course: denying reality itself.</p>
<p>Mooney’s article and its companion pieces on the global warming wars, by <a href="/news/feature/2005/05/mckibben_introduction.html" type="external">Bill McKibben</a> and <a href="/news/feature/2005/05/snowed.html" type="external">Ross Gelbspan</a>, appear under the banner “Climate of Denial.” That banner could be stretched over other stories in this issue as well. It would certainly describe the experience of Dr. David Graham of the Food and Drug Administration (“ <a href="/news/feature/2005/05/david_graham.html" type="external">The Side Effects of Truth</a>”). Hired to investigate the dangers of drugs on the market, Graham was punished for doing his job too well. When he spotted the deadly effects of Vioxx, his superiors chose to muzzle the messenger instead of affronting the pharmaceutical industry.</p>
<p>More generally, “Climate of Denial” could serve as a title for the political times we live in. On issue after issue, this administration and this Congress continue to pursue policies that cannot stand the test of honest debate, and require a rewriting of basic facts. The dangers to the country are evident in myriad policy debacles: the illegal, expensive, and unnecessary war we were led into under false pretenses; the “reform” of Social Security based on the unfounded assertion that the program is in “crisis” (and pursued by ideologues pretending their goal is not to end it entirely); the economy plundered by fiscal improvidence; the budget busted by grand theft billed as tax relief.</p>
<p>The danger is graver because the negation of truth is so systematic. Dishonest accounting, willful scientific illiteracy, bowdlerized federal fact sheets, payola paid to putative journalists, “news” networks run by right-wing apparatchiks, think tanks devoted to propaganda rather than thought, the purging of intelligence gatherers and experts throughout the bureaucracy whose findings might refute the party line—this is the machinery of mendacity. Its products are not the cherry-tree lies of embarrassed schoolboys covering up their misdemeanors, but the agitprop of a political ascendancy that considers the manipulation of truth an essential tool. There’s no embarrassment in it. The same partisans who clucked loudly during their impeachment of President Clinton about the need for a government so transparent that the most private details of a president’s personal life should be open to inspection have wrapped such a dense cloak of secrecy around the current president that even the roster of his administration’s meetings is withheld from the citizenry, under the expressed claim that the White House can’t do what needs doing if the American people are allowed to know what that is. The point here is not the hypocrisy involved, though that is egregious. The point is the downgrading of truth and honesty from principles with universal meaning to partisan weapons to be sheathed or drawn as necessary. No wonder the Bush administration feels no compunction to honor the truth or seek it; it conceives truth as a tactic, valuable only insofar as it is useful against one’s enemies.</p>
<p>What are the ramifications for the left and the right?</p>
<p>For its part, much of the left has spent the months since last November (really, it has been spending years) wallowing in insecure self-inspection; the Democratic Party has invited everyone from linguists to preachers to exorcise the internal flaw that could explain its ineffectuality. Party leaders might heed the formulation of W.B. Yeats in his poem “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Nothing”: “For how can you compete / Being honour bred, with one / Who, were it proved he lies / Were neither shamed in his own / Nor in his neighbours’ eyes?” The Democrats need to recognize that their biggest internal problem may be their inability to size up their external one. Simply put, they have an unscrupulous antagonist.</p>
<p>The right faces a deeper threat. Its antagonist is fiercer than the one devouring the left, and it is indeed internal. Though it has always counted among its champions a truth-compromising cohort—read for evidence the Wall Street Journal editorial pages—the modern right was undeniably born of conviction. One of its motivating tenets, shared by both tightwad Midwestern Rotarians (feeling betrayed by FDR and LBJ) and former fellow travelers (feeling betrayed by Stalin and the ’60s), was the belief that the left had lost its senses in a festival of appeasement and softheaded idealism. The right prided itself on a mission: restoring the governance of the country to guidance by firm reality. Where does that leave them in their hour of victory? The movement born of principle has prevailed by renouncing it, and the former apostles of reality have prospered by purveying a potent mixture of wishful fantasy and outright lie. A few months ago a right-wing shill posing as a journalist, who for nearly two years had been allowed into White House press briefings, there to lob softball questions at President Bush, asked him, “How do you propose to deal with people,” referring to Democrats, “who seem to have divorced themselves from reality?” Hearing the foundational question of the neocon movement spilling from the mouth of a movement-sponsored charlatan must have sent chills up the spine of any principled conservative; the imposter was a herald. He shouted the unpleasant alarum that the American right is at a moment of extreme and self-inflicted peril.</p>
<p>Lastly, and speaking from the self-centeredness of our offices, what does all this mean for Mother Jones? When the crisis at the core of our nation’s political decline is a direct attack on the truth, the institution that should take the lead in confronting and correcting that danger is the press. That means us. We have been, since our founding, a reported magazine, and would rather spend our resources ferreting out the facts of a matter than spend our breath expounding opinions. In the current climate, and facing the present danger, we do not find our political orientation to be inconsistent with our devotion to fact. We’re better positioned to honor objective fact because we aren’t insulted by the charge that we’re “liberal media.” We have offered space in these pages to the dialogue about constructive course corrections that might avail the left. But we won’t respond to the political winds by calibrating our message. We have looked at the problem, and decided that the answer is not to accommodate. In upcoming issues, you, our readers, will witness our rededication to this fight, and our confidence that reality is our ally. Considering the demonstrated belief of leaders on the right that furthering their agenda requires bludgeoning any inconvenient truth, we evidently are not alone in concluding that the facts are on our side.</p>
<p /> | The Machinery of Mendacity | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2005/05/machinery-mendacity/ | 2018-05-01 | 4 |
<p>India's battle with gun violence hit another milestone over the weekend, as a group of schoolboys allegedly shot and killed a classmate in Rohtak, Haryana.</p>
<p>Though the alleged incident took place at a religious function, rather than on school grounds, the age of the victim and suspects recalls India's first school shooting, the 2007 killing of 14-year-old Abishek Tiagi in nearby Gurgaon.</p>
<p>In the latest incident, a 15-year-old Class 10 student was allegedly shot dead by four classmates during a religious function in Meham, a town about 50 miles from New Delhi, early on Sunday, CNN/IBN quotes local police as saying.&#160;</p>
<p>As GlobalPost reported in <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/india/101214/india-gun-culture-violence" type="external">India: Armed and Dangerous</a>,&#160;schoolyard gunplay remains rare around here. But thanks to a strange coincidence of Americanization and traditional machismo brought on by rapid economic growth, India has developed a gun obsession that makes Charlton Heston look like Gandhi.</p>
<p>Police say there has been an alarming rise in gun violence in and around Delhi over the past few years as weapons proliferate. Illegal factories have become so common that country-made guns are sold like candy in local bazaars. And as more and more people seek to obtain legal, licensed guns, an organization modeled on America's National Rifle Association has emerged with the mission to ensure every Indian the right to bear arms.</p> | India: Armed and dangerous -- Update | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-04-29/india-armed-and-dangerous-update | 2013-04-29 | 3 |
<p>Everyone loves Bill Murray. Not everyone loves Obamacare. Put the two together, and perhaps Murray can boost the popularity of the failing healthcare law! That's likely what went through the minds of producers who put together the new public service announcement in which Bill Murray and President Obama hang out in the Oval Office.</p>
<p>While Murray and Obama talk casually and play cup golf, Murray mentions that his knee hurts and that he doesn't have health insurance. Obama tells him to go to Healthcare.gov, where he can get the coverage he needs!</p>
<p>It's painful.</p>
<p>So Bill Murray walks into the Oval Office... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GetCovered?src=hash" type="external">#GetCovered</a> <a href="https://t.co/X4R4hhC5Fe" type="external">https://t.co/X4R4hhC5Fe</a></p>
<p>Obamacare, otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act, is collapsing. <a href="" type="internal">CNN Money</a> reports that premiums will rise an average of 22% in 2017. In some cases, the premium spikes are outrageous, coming in at 116% (AZ), 69% (OK), 63% (TN), and 59% (MN).</p>
<p>Many Americans have simply been added to the already overstuffed Medicaid rolls. Scott Gottlieb of <a href="" type="internal">Forbes</a> writes:</p>
<p>"For 2014, [Goldman's] figures for net new coverage includes 9 million more people obligated to Medicaid, and about 2 million aging into Medicare. Only about 3 million got commercial coverage."</p>
<p>Some have suggested that Obamacare was <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/296540-a-doctor-asks-was-obamacare-designed-to-fail" type="external">designed to fail</a> in order to make the idea of a single-payer system look better by comparison. If that is indeed the case, it seems to be working. A May 2016 <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/191504/majority-support-idea-fed-funded-healthcare-system.aspx" type="external">Gallup survey</a> asked 1,549 adults their opinions about the ACA. 51% called for repeal, while 48% wanted it to stay in place. Here's where it gets interesting: 58% of those surveyed favor "replacing the ACA with a federally funded healthcare program providing insurance for all Americans."</p>
<p>With a new administration in place, and the power of a majority-Republican House and Senate, there's an opportunity for genuine healthcare reform. This, of course, rests on the idea that those in power will have the will, fortitude, and vision to do what needs to be done, and not simply buckle under fear of the media. That's a tall order. However, the nomination of Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)--a former orthopedic surgeon, who's "repeal &amp; replace" plan is already written--to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a good start.</p>
<p>For now, it's Bill Murray: Obamacare spokesman!</p> | WATCH: White House Still Pushing Obamacare Using Bill Murray in the Oval Office | true | https://dailywire.com/news/11541/watch-white-house-still-pushing-obamacare-using-frank-camp | 2016-12-12 | 0 |
<p>Republicans shouldn’t worry that President Obama is trying to destroy the GOP. Why would he bother? The party’s leaders are doing a pretty good job of it themselves.</p>
<p>As they try to understand why the party lost an election it was confident of winning — and why it keeps losing budget showdowns in Congress — Republican grandees are asking the wrong questions. Predictably, they are coming up with the wrong answers.</p>
<p>They prefer to focus on flawed tactics and ineffectual “messaging” rather than confront the essential problem, which is that voters don’t much care for the policies the GOP espouses.</p>
<p>In post-debacle speeches and interviews, Republicans are sounding — and there’s no kind way to put this — paranoid and delusional. House Speaker John Boehner said in a speech to the Ripon Society that the Obama administration is trying to “annihilate the Republican Party.” Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the party’s fiscal guru and failed vice presidential candidate, claimed Sunday on “Meet the Press” that Obama seeks “political conquest” of the GOP.</p>
<p />
<p>It is no secret that Obama is trying to advance a progressive agenda. He promised as much in his campaign speeches. Were Republicans not listening? Did they think he was just joshing?</p>
<p>In five of the last six presidential elections, Democrats have won the popular vote. Republicans have done well at the state level, and through redistricting have made their majority in the House difficult to dislodge. But it’s not possible to lead the country from the speaker’s chair, as Boehner can attest. To have a chance at effecting transformative change, you have to win the White House.</p>
<p>And to win the White House, you have to convince voters that the policies you seek to enact are the right ones. This is what the GOP doesn’t seem to understand.</p>
<p>“We’ve got to stop being the stupid party,” Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, one of the GOP’s brightest young stars, said in a much-anticipated speech at the party’s winter meeting last week. “We’ve got to stop insulting the intelligence of voters. We need to trust the smarts of the American people.”</p>
<p>That’s all well and good. But Jindal also warned that the party should not “moderate, equivocate or otherwise change our principles” on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, “government growth” and “higher taxes.”</p>
<p>On abortion, there is an uneasy consensus that the procedure should be legal but uncommon; the GOP wants to make abortion illegal, and the party’s loudest voices on the issue do not even favor exceptions for incest or rape. On gay marriage, public opinion is shifting dramatically toward acceptance; the Republican Party is adamantly opposed. On the size of government, Americans philosophically favor “small” — but, as a practical matter, demand services and programs that can only be delivered by “big.” And on taxes, voters agreed with Obama that the wealthy could and should pay a bit more.</p>
<p>“We must reject the notion that demography is destiny, the pathetic and simplistic notion that skin pigmentation dictates voter behavior,” Jindal said. These are noble and stirring words. But the GOP is insane if it does not at least ask why 93 percent of African-Americans, 71 percent of Latinos and 73 percent of Asian-Americans voted for Obama over Mitt Romney.</p>
<p>If minority voters continue to favor the Democratic Party to this extent, then demography will indeed prove to be destiny. What would be simplistic is to attribute the disparity to the fact that Obama is the first black president, or the fact that Republicans have been perceived as so unsympathetic on issues concerning immigration. If they want to attract minority support, Republicans will have to take into account what these voters believe on a range of issues, from the proper relationship between government and the individual to the proper role of the United States in a rapidly changing world.</p>
<p>I have to wonder if the GOP is even getting the tactics-and-messaging part right. Michael Steele (now an MSNBC colleague of mine) served as party chairman when Republicans won a sweeping victory in 2010; he was promptly fired. Reince Priebus presided over the 2012 disaster; last week, he was rewarded with a new term as chairman.</p>
<p>But no matter who’s in charge, the GOP will have a tough time winning national elections until it has a better understanding of the nation. If Boehner is worried about being shoved “into the dustbin of history,” what he and other Republicans need to do is put down the broom.</p>
<p>Eugene Robinson’s e-mail address is eugenerobinson(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2013, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | Lost in Their Own Wilderness | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/lost-in-their-own-wilderness/ | 2013-01-29 | 4 |
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<p>You just have to ask yourself, what kind of monster does something like this? In New York, 23 year-old Saeed Ahmed was speeding and ran into a barrier. Harleen Grewel, 25, was in the front seat with him. The car burst into flames. He calmly got out, waved down a taxi and went to a hospital for his burns. He left the young woman he called his friend to burn to death at the scene. The man seems to be Muslim. Does he value the life of a woman so little that he would just let her die like that? Evidently so.</p>
<p>This happened Friday night in Brooklyn. This poor woman never stood a chance. She was pronounced dead at the scene after her charred body was found in the front passenger seat by firefighters. Witnesses say he was weaving in and out of traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway before his 2007 Infiniti G35 hit the barrier. Ahmed was later arrested at the hospital, where he was being treated for burns on his arms and legs.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>Ahmed's own father was shocked that he would do this. "I don't know what happened yet, I need to see him, talk to him, find out what happened," Mohammad Azam told the New York Daily News. He added that he has no idea what goes on in Ahmad's life and he is often out late with his friends. Way to distance yourself dad. His brother Waheed Ahmad, 21, told the New York Post that he never fled the crash scene and suffered his injuries trying to save his friend. Really? Because video says otherwise and he was arrested at a hospital.</p>
<p>"He did not just run away from the scene. He lost his phone in the car [and was] unable to call the ambulance," he said. "He tried to get her out. That's how his hands and his legs and his neck got burned. He couldn't get her out. The fire got too crazy. It just burned so quick. Everything is chaos right now. We are shocked. It's horrifying for the girl and her family. He's emotionally distraught. Every time they ask him about what happened, he's crying and screaming. His friend burned alive." He could have waited for the police who were surely on their way. Saeed admitted to police that he had been drinking alcohol before the crash, but a subsequent blood test revealed he was not legally drunk. He was charged with criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and speeding. They should add gross negligence and depraved indifference to those charges.</p>
<p>John Hawkins's book 101 Things All Young Adults Should Know is filled with lessons that newly minted adults need in order to get the most out of life. Gleaned from a lifetime of trial, error, and writing it down, Hawkins provides advice everyone can benefit from in short, digestible chapters.</p>
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<p>Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is an editor and writer for Right Wing News. She owns and blogs at <a href="http://www.noisyroom.net/blog/" type="external">NoisyRoom.net</a>. She is a Constitutional Conservative and NoisyRoom focuses on political and national issues of interest to the American public. Terresa is the editor at Trevor Loudon's site, New Zeal - <a href="http://www.trevorloudon.com/" type="external">trevorloudon.com</a>. She also does research at <a href="http://www.keywiki.org" type="external">KeyWiki.org</a>. You can <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">email Terresa here</a>. NoisyRoom can be found on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/noisyroom.net" type="external">Facebook</a> and on <a href="https://twitter.com/terresamonroe" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p> | Driver Leaves Passenger To Burn Alive In His Blazing Car - Hails Cab To Go To Hospital [VIDEO] | true | http://rightwingnews.com/crime/driver-leaves-passenger-burn-alive-blazing-car-hails-cab-go-hospital-video/ | 2018-10-20 | 0 |
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<p>How a publicly traded company compensates its executive officers is something that savvy investors keep a close eye on, as a company's incentive structure can have a potent impact on its performance. Fortunately, in the case of Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), the nation's second biggest bank by assets has designed its compensation structure to create incentive for long-term responsible growth.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Bank of America Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan. Image source: Bank of America.</p>
<p>This is especially true when it comes to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. In 2016, the 57-year-old executive earned a $20 million compensation package, which equated to a 25% raise over 2015. Reading between the lines of Bank of America's press release announcing the pay package, the bank boosted Moynihan's compensation for five reasons:</p>
<p>But just because Moynihan's total compensation package added up to $20 million doesn't necessarily mean he'll get all of it. That's because a healthy portion of it came in the form of performance-based restricted stock units, which require the bank to meet certain objectives over the next three years for the entire award to vest.</p>
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<p>RSUs-restricted stock units. Data source: Bank of America <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/70858/000007085817000009/bac-021720178xk.htm" type="external">regulatory filing Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>For Moynihan's performance-based restricted stock units to vest, two things must happen: Bank of America must generate a three-year average return on assets of 0.80% and a three-year average growth of adjusted tangible book value of 8.5%. "This pay-for-performance structure, which emphasizes variable pay, helps motivate our executives to deliver sustained stockholder value and responsible growth," the bank said in its latest <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/70858/000119312517082970/d269586ddef14a.htm" type="external">proxy statement Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>The most important thing to note is the fact that a majority of Moynihan's performance comes in the form of stock -- i.e., not cash. His salary is obviously paid in cash, and $5.55 million of his time-based restricted stock units, which vest in equal monthly installments over the course of a year, are cash-settled, too. But that leaves nearly $13 million, or two-thirds of the potential total, coming in the form of stock, assuming the bank meets its performance targets. This is a good thing, because it ensures that Moynihan has a considerable and growing amount of <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/03/03/big-bank-ceos-ranked-by-skin-in-the-game.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">skin in the game Opens a New Window.</a>, so to speak, and is thereby closely aligned with the bank's shareholders.</p>
<p>In short, while there's no getting around the fact that Moynihan earned a pretty penny last year, <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2017/03/22/4-big-bank-ceos-ranked-by-2016-compensation.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">second only among commercial-bank CEOs to JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon Opens a New Window.</a>, the good news is that his compensation plan seems to be designed with shareholders' interest in mind.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Bank of AmericaWhen 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=7391eda0-de91-4f66-aab5-da015a49265e&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 Bank of America wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
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<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of February 6, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/JohnMaxfield37/info.aspx" type="external">John Maxfield Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Bank of America. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | How Does Bank of America Compensate Its CEO? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/03/28/how-does-bank-america-compensate-its-ceo.html | 2017-03-28 | 0 |
<p>When the U.S. economy took a nosedive five years ago, Brazil’s economy hardly skipped a beat.</p>
<p>With this economic shift in fortunes, migration patterns between the two countries shifted as well. But not as cleanly as one might think.</p>
<p>Consider the case of Anderson Zaca, a Brazilian-born fashion photographer and filmmaker who founded the company The Clickers. Zaca works in São Paulo, part time. He also works in New York. He said every few months, he hops on a plane and heads 10 hours south.</p>
<p>“There’s a lot more business there (Brazil), and the clients are willing to spend money on things that the U.Sl markets no longer want to spend money. So that’s why I travel back and forth,” he said.</p>
<p>Zaca, who has a green card, keeps coming back to New York, because, well, he’s a New Yorker now. He’s been here since he was 17. He’s now 36.</p>
<p>“I can’t adjust to the lifestyle in Brazil anymore,” said Zaca. “The infrastructure and the lack of transportation, it’s really chaotic, and I can’t adapt to that. If I’m going to move to a place that doesn’t have transportation I’ll move to Hawaii.”</p>
<p>Zaca’s situation has become increasingly common. Eduardo Siqueira, coordinator of the Transnational Brazilian Project at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, said while Brazil might be a new land of opportunity for ex-pat Brazilians, many who go back are having a hard time re-adapting.</p>
<p>“The issue of security and safety, for example, Brazil is a lot more insecure in terms of violence in the streets,” Siqueira said. “In the U.S., in most places, you don’t have to be as guarded as you would be in a major city in Brazil, even a smaller city. So all that changes, and a lot of people cannot readapt.”</p>
<p>Brazilian attorney Marcia Reis can relate. Six years ago, she moved to Florida, then Massachusetts. She returned to Rio de Janeiro two years ago. She’s not crazy about being back.</p>
<p>She says she can’t handle the day-to-day corruption. For example, she cites what happens when people get pulled over for drunk driving.</p>
<p>“They give money to the police, stuff, little corruptions like that, I don’t agree (with),” she said.</p>
<p>Even the sober drivers in Rio bother Reis.</p>
<p>“I just don’t drive anymore here. I can’t drive here anymore, because it’s crazy, totally, crazy. I’m so afraid,” she said.</p>
<p>She thinks driving in Boston is great.&#160;</p>
<p>“If you compare to Rio, Bostonians are perfect drivers," she said.</p>
<p>Heis can make a lot more money working as an attorney in Brazil. She also likes being closer to her family in Rio. And she doesn’t have a job yet in the U.S. Still, she’s moving back to Boston, again, in August.</p>
<p>“Permanently,” she said with a laugh.</p>
<p>Or maybe permanently ... given the way things are going in Brazil.</p>
<p>It’s not just the well-educated who are hopping back and forth between countries — it’s something of a revolving door for working class Brazilians as well.</p>
<p>Natalicia Tracy, who directs the Brazilian Immigrant Rights Center in Boston, said a lot of blue collar Brazilians who used to be in Massachusetts are now gone.</p>
<p>“A lot of people had bought homes, they lost their homes, and I think people felt a little bit lost and disillusioned with the economy,” Tracy said.</p>
<p>She said Brazilians used to arrive here, and within a few days, they’d have two full-time jobs. Now, they’re getting by with one job, or even part-time work. Still, she said, as one Brazilian leaves, a new one arrives because many working class Brazilians aren’t benefiting from their home country’s economic boom.</p>
<p>“What we’re seeing in Brazil with the economy, it has created a space for people who are already on the edge of (the) middle class to grow,” Tracy said. “However, that growth hasn’t yet impacted in a positive way the lower class, low-wage workers, especially people who are living away from large cities. So that’s why we’re still seeing people coming in.”</p>
<p>And there’s another group leaving: undocumented Brazilians living in the US.</p>
<p>“With the persecution of immigrants, the climate of fear, many decided to go back because they couldn’t stand it anymore,” Siqueira said. “Many were deported, by the way. At one point, flights of Brazilians were sent back home.”</p>
<p>And still other flights of Brazilians are coming to the United States. Zaca said when he does the flight from New York's JFK airport to São Paulo, he sees quite a few others on the plane who are also living this transnational life. But most of the others are Brazilian-based entrepreneurs trying to make it in the United States.</p>
<p>“Because they feel like the Brazil market, it’s amazing, but it’s not quite going to take them to where, you know like when they say, ‘the sky is the limit.’ And Brazil is not quite the sky yet,” Zaca said. “So, if you accomplish your goals in Brazil, you still have to conquer the world.”</p>
<p>And that means more Brazilians heading to the U.S.</p> | Brazilians increasingly moving back and forth from U.S. in search of opportunity | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-05-31/brazilians-increasingly-moving-back-and-forth-us-search-opportunity | 2013-05-31 | 3 |
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<p>Image source: Shopify, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) successfully completed an offering for millions of new shares on Aug. 22. The 8,625,000 shares, sold for $38.25 per share, will add about 10% to Shopify's market cap, and the amount of cash that Shopify got from the deal nears $235 million. The new deal could have implications for the stock in the short team, as well as the company's long-term growth. Here's what you need to know now.</p>
<p>In the short term, not much is likely to change for Shopify's stock or financials. One change is that more shares outstanding will affect Shopify's earnings or loss per share.The 8.6 million new shares add to the existing 75 million shares, an increase of 11.5%. Since earnings or loss per share is calculated by dividing net income or loss by the total number of shares outstanding, Shopify's loss per share is going to look slightly better in the quarters and full year to come by year-over-year comparisons.</p>
<p>Shopify's loss per share has been relatively small, just $0.04 per share in the recent quarter compared to $0.03 per share in the same period a year ago. Full-year 2016 loss per share had been estimated at $0.15, but because of the increase in number of shares, that ratio could look slightly better.</p>
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<p>The other way that these new shares could affect the stock is more price volatility. The new shares were sold to a few big investment firms like Credit Suisse, KeyBanc, and others. If some of those firms decide to unload some of their new stash, that could send the stock price down temporarily. However, this should be a small risk based on the amount of new shares and <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/08/26/why-analysts-are-upgrading-shopify-inc-stock.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">the firms' optimism Opens a New Window.</a> about Shopify's long-term prospects.</p>
<p>While the change for the stock and its short-term financials seems relatively small, the opportunity for Shopify and its long-term business development is huge. The most important aspect of this offering is what Shopify plans to do with its new cash load. In the announcement of this planned offering, management said that "Shopify expects to use its net proceeds from the Offering to strengthen its balance sheet, providing flexibility to fund its growth strategies."</p>
<p>It's because of theexpensive investments it's making in business and customer development that Shopify has been able to grow so aggressively. Subscription revenue, specifically, was up 72% year over year during the most recent quarter, and the number of current merchants is up to 300,000 from 175,000 this time last year. That's what helped Shopify to report Q2 sales skyrocketing 93% year over year, to nearly $87 million. With its newly bolstered cash reserves, Shopify will continue to invest in its digital platform and partnerships to keep those numbers rising rapidly.</p>
<p>As of the most recent quarter, Shopify had$179.6 millionin cash, down from $190.2 millionat the end of 2015.With the added $235 million from the share issue, Shopify can take the worry about its dwindling cash reserves off the table to continue its aggressive growth initiatives that will spur future growth.</p>
<p>Even though Shopify's net loss is actually widening, and the company is seemingly burning through cash, clearly something is going right for the business as customers and sales are growing rapidly, including the addition of major clients like Apple and Tesla Motors.It's for those reasons that the firms likeCredit Suisse, KeyBanc, and others have agreed to buy these millions of new shares of Shopify stock, believing that Shopify is a great way to invest in the growth of e-commerce. While Shopify is likely to continue posting losses for some time because of its large-scale investments, this move to add cash that will support development looks like a good one in Shopify's long-term growth trajectory.</p>
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<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/BSMcNew/info.aspx" type="external">Seth McNew Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple, Shopify, and Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple and short January 2018 $95 calls on Apple. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://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> | Shopify Inc. Just Got a Huge Payday -- What Investors Need to Know | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/09/02/shopify-inc-just-got-huge-payday-what-investors-need-to-know.html | 2016-09-02 | 0 |
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<p>Obamacare has put millions of people on the health insurance rolls, but it has yet to rein in soaring prescription drug costs for patients.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A diagnosis of cancer, asthma, diabetes -- any of hundreds of chronic conditions -- can leave insured patients on the hook for thousands of dollars a year in co-payments and deductibles, all at a time when income may already be strained due to treatment. While the Affordable Care Act limits out-of-pocket costs to $6,350 for individuals and $12,700 for families, those costs come on top of the monthly insurance premiums.</p>
<p>"A major illness becomes a huge financial burden very quickly," says Erin Moaratty, chief of mission delivery for the Patient Advocate Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose Co-Pay Relief Program helps reimburse patients for their drug costs.</p>
<p>"A doctor writes you a prescription, and you have no idea what you're going to pay until you show up at the pharmacy," she says. "That's one of the biggest shockers."</p>
<p>Prescription drugs cost more in this country than anywhere in the developed world. The U.S. government does not negotiate costs with pharmaceutical companies, and product patents limit market competition. As a result, a drug that costs $20 in Europe, for example, might cost $200 here.</p>
<p>Insurance companies shift their costs to patients, typically via high co-pays and annual minimum deductibles. According to a recent report in the American Journal of Medicine, nearly a quarter of chronically ill patients reported underusing medication due to cost.</p>
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<p>But help is available.</p>
<p>With financial backing from pharmaceutical manufacturers, researchers and retailers, hundreds of co-pay assistance and drug-discount programs exist that will help pay patients' out-of-pocket prescription medication expenses.</p>
<p>Drug Co-Pays: Help for the Insured</p>
<p>Programs' eligibility guidelines and reimbursement amounts vary. But below are some general guidelines. Patients can end up with free or nearly free drugs.</p>
<p>Insurance required. While other programs exist to help the uninsured, co-pay programs are geared toward those with medical insurance. (See " <a href="http://www.insurance.com/health-insurance/health-insurance-basics/how-to-buy-an-individual-health-plan.html?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-185569910" type="external">How to buy an individual health plan Opens a New Window.</a>.") This can include those on Medicare or Medicaid. Medicare Part D patients who get caught in the donut hole, a gap in full drug coverage beyond $2,850 annual drug costs, can find many programs offering co-pay benefits.</p>
<p>Approved medication. Co-pay benefits are typically for drugs that have been prescribed by a doctor and approved by the patient's insurer. Many programs may not cover experimental treatments.</p>
<p>An income threshold. Assistance may be reserved for low-income patients, but not always. The <a href="http://www.copays.org?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-185569910" type="external">Co-Pay Relief Program Opens a New Window.</a> requires that recipients earn no more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level. In 2014, that amounted to $46,680 for a single person and $95,400 for a family of four.</p>
<p>Other programs may consider family expenses and the drug costs. Patients should not hesitate to look into co-pay assistance, even if they think their income may be too high, says Moaratty. Some programs are quite generous. And your circumstances could change. What if treatment sidelines you from work? Best to have financial assistance programs waiting in the bullpen.</p>
<p>In country only. Programs here are typically reserved for patients who live in the United States and are receiving treatment here.</p>
<p>Disease or medication limits: Some programs may have annual benefit limits for each disease or medication. The Co-Pay Relief Program, for example, provides a maximum of $5,000 for breast cancer, $2,500 for rheumatoid arthritis and $7,500 for hepatitis C.</p>
<p>Don't be Afraid to Ask for Help</p>
<p>Doctor's offices - particularly nurses and billing clerks - are familiar with co-pay programs and can help patients file applications. Pharmacists, hospital navigators and illness support groups should have information, as well.</p>
<p>You can brave the Internet. Just be warned that many companies charge a fee for services that others provide for free.</p>
<p>"What they're offering is to kind of take you out of the loop and do it for you, but it's not that difficult to do," says Moaratty. "You don't have to pay anybody to get to these programs."</p>
<p>Instead, try these reputable, free routes to get the same kind of assistance.</p>
<p>First and foremost, don't hesitate to raise the issue with your medical provider, says Moaratty. Doctors want their patients to follow the prescribed course of treatment, but they often don't ask patients if cost is preventing access to medication.</p>
<p>"As a patient it's important to express some of the challenges you're having," Moaratty says.</p>
<p>For those without insurance -- an estimated 32 million Americans remain uninsured -- sites such as NeedyMeds provide information on drug discount cards, which can help pay the direct costs of prescription medications.</p>
<p>The original article can be found at Insurance.com: <a href="http://www.insurance.com/health-insurance/healthcare-reform-individual/drug-co-pay-assistance-programs-obamacare.html?WT.qs_osrc=fxb-185569910" type="external">Help with drug co-pays -- even if you're insured Opens a New Window.</a></p> | Help With Drug Co-Pays -- Even if You're Insured | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2014/06/19/help-with-drug-co-pays-even-if-youre-insured.html | 2016-06-14 | 0 |
<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Times Publisher and Chief Executive Ross Levinsohn was placed on an unpaid leave of absence amid allegations of past improper behavior, it was announced Friday.</p>
<p>The news followed word that Times journalists had voted to join a union — a first in the paper’s 136-year history.</p>
<p>Some Times employees had called for Levinsohn to be fired after National Public Radio reported Thursday on allegations that he had engaged in what has been termed “frat-boy” behavior while serving as an executive at two previous companies and was a defendant in two sexual harassment lawsuits before he joined the Times on Aug. 21.</p>
<p>“Levinsohn has lost credibility as the leader of one of the country’s top newspapers,” said a petition to Times parent company Tronc Inc. signed by more than 200 staff members.</p>
<p>Levinsohn will be replaced by President Mickie Rosen while Tronc investigates the allegations.</p>
<p>“We will not hesitate to take further action, if appropriate, once the review is complete,” Tronc CEO Justin Dearborn said in an email to employees, the Times reported. He didn’t say how long the investigation might last.</p>
<p>Levinsohn was the Times’ fifth publisher in as many years. That turnover has contributed to rising discontent in the newsroom, which also saw jobs slashed and benefits cut as the Times struggled with declining advertising revenues and circulation in the face of online competition.</p>
<p>Times daily circulation is now under 274,000, down from a high of more than 1 million in 1990.</p>
<p>Times union organizers also were incensed that while staff benefits were being cut, Tronc last month signed a $5 million-a-year contract with a consulting business owned by its chairman, Michael Ferro.</p>
<p>On Friday, a National Labor Relations Board tally found that newsroom workers voted 248 to 44 for representation by NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America. The vote was taken on Jan. 4.</p>
<p>The union must now negotiate for a collective bargaining agreement. The union said it will seek better pay and benefits as well as “pay equity for women and people of color, greater diversity and better working conditions” for reporters, copy editors, graphic artists and photographers.</p>
<p>“This was a long time coming, and we’re all thrilled that this has finally happened,” Kristina Bui, a Times copy editor and union organizer, told the newspaper. “The newsroom has put up with so much disruption and mismanagement, and this vote just underscores how much of a say we need to have in the decision-making process. The newsroom is demanding a seat at the bargaining table.”</p>
<p>“We respect the outcome of the election and look forward to productive conversations with union leadership as we move forward,” Tronc said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring that the Los Angeles Times is a leading source for news and information and to producing the award-winning journalism our readers rely on.”</p>
<p>Tronc fought Times organizing efforts. A day before the vote, the paper’s editor-in-chief and former interim executive editor sent employees an email arguing that “a union won’t solve most of the problems endemic to our industry.”</p>
<p>Most major news organizations in the United States, including The Associated Press, are unionized and digital media such as the Huffington Post also have seen successful organizing efforts.</p>
<p>The Times was owned for much of its history by the Chandler family and the paper was fervently anti-union. In 2000 it was sold to the Tribune Co., which went through a period of bankruptcy and turmoil. The company spun off its publishing arm as Tribune Publishing in 2014, which was later renamed Tronc, for Tribune Online Content.</p>
<p>Chicago-based Tronc is the nation’s third-largest newspaper publisher and its properties include many venerable papers, including the Chicago Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun.</p>
<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Times Publisher and Chief Executive Ross Levinsohn was placed on an unpaid leave of absence amid allegations of past improper behavior, it was announced Friday.</p>
<p>The news followed word that Times journalists had voted to join a union — a first in the paper’s 136-year history.</p>
<p>Some Times employees had called for Levinsohn to be fired after National Public Radio reported Thursday on allegations that he had engaged in what has been termed “frat-boy” behavior while serving as an executive at two previous companies and was a defendant in two sexual harassment lawsuits before he joined the Times on Aug. 21.</p>
<p>“Levinsohn has lost credibility as the leader of one of the country’s top newspapers,” said a petition to Times parent company Tronc Inc. signed by more than 200 staff members.</p>
<p>Levinsohn will be replaced by President Mickie Rosen while Tronc investigates the allegations.</p>
<p>“We will not hesitate to take further action, if appropriate, once the review is complete,” Tronc CEO Justin Dearborn said in an email to employees, the Times reported. He didn’t say how long the investigation might last.</p>
<p>Levinsohn was the Times’ fifth publisher in as many years. That turnover has contributed to rising discontent in the newsroom, which also saw jobs slashed and benefits cut as the Times struggled with declining advertising revenues and circulation in the face of online competition.</p>
<p>Times daily circulation is now under 274,000, down from a high of more than 1 million in 1990.</p>
<p>Times union organizers also were incensed that while staff benefits were being cut, Tronc last month signed a $5 million-a-year contract with a consulting business owned by its chairman, Michael Ferro.</p>
<p>On Friday, a National Labor Relations Board tally found that newsroom workers voted 248 to 44 for representation by NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America. The vote was taken on Jan. 4.</p>
<p>The union must now negotiate for a collective bargaining agreement. The union said it will seek better pay and benefits as well as “pay equity for women and people of color, greater diversity and better working conditions” for reporters, copy editors, graphic artists and photographers.</p>
<p>“This was a long time coming, and we’re all thrilled that this has finally happened,” Kristina Bui, a Times copy editor and union organizer, told the newspaper. “The newsroom has put up with so much disruption and mismanagement, and this vote just underscores how much of a say we need to have in the decision-making process. The newsroom is demanding a seat at the bargaining table.”</p>
<p>“We respect the outcome of the election and look forward to productive conversations with union leadership as we move forward,” Tronc said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring that the Los Angeles Times is a leading source for news and information and to producing the award-winning journalism our readers rely on.”</p>
<p>Tronc fought Times organizing efforts. A day before the vote, the paper’s editor-in-chief and former interim executive editor sent employees an email arguing that “a union won’t solve most of the problems endemic to our industry.”</p>
<p>Most major news organizations in the United States, including The Associated Press, are unionized and digital media such as the Huffington Post also have seen successful organizing efforts.</p>
<p>The Times was owned for much of its history by the Chandler family and the paper was fervently anti-union. In 2000 it was sold to the Tribune Co., which went through a period of bankruptcy and turmoil. The company spun off its publishing arm as Tribune Publishing in 2014, which was later renamed Tronc, for Tribune Online Content.</p>
<p>Chicago-based Tronc is the nation’s third-largest newspaper publisher and its properties include many venerable papers, including the Chicago Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun.</p> | Los Angeles Times loses publisher, gets union | false | https://apnews.com/35ad869510664c6c8423c6f744c76196 | 2018-01-20 | 2 |
<p>The New York Times <a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/09/05/us/politics/trump-daca-dreamers-immigration.html" type="external">reports</a>:</p>
<p>“The program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama administration is being rescinded,” Mr. Sessions told reporters, adding that “The policy was implemented unilaterally, to great controversy and legal concern.”</p>
<p>Mr. Sessions called the Obama-era policy an “open-ended circumvention of immigration laws” and an unconstitutional use of executive authority. “The executive branch through DACA deliberately sought to achieve what the legislative branch specifically refused to authorize on multiple occasions,” he said.</p>
<p>“The nation must set and enforce a limit on how many immigrants we accept each year, and that means all cannot be accepted.” Elaine Duke, the acting Homeland Security secretary, said in a statement that Mr. Trump chose to “wind the program down in an orderly fashion that protects beneficiaries in the near-term while working with Congress to pass legislation.”</p>
<p /> | AG Jeff Sessions On DACA: Obama’s Unconstitutional Abuse Of Executive Authority Is Being Rescinded | true | http://joemygod.com/2017/09/05/ag-jeff-sessions-daca-obamas-unconstitutional-abuse-executive-authority-rescinded/ | 2017-09-05 | 4 |
<p>So often we pass security guards in hallways or as we skirt pass the front desks of buildings&#160;everywhere,&#160;exchanging pleasantries but little else.&#160;The deeper lives of the people behind those uniforms often remain unknown to the people they are entrusted to protect.&#160;So it was with a guard at WGBH, where our newsroom is located.</p>
<p>I knew his name was Luis, but I did not know his story:</p>
<p>“My full name is Luis Alfredo Valera Mendoza,” he told me.&#160;</p>
<p>He’s from Caracas, Venezuela, <a href="" type="internal">a city whose troubles</a> hint&#160;at the depth of his&#160;despair.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>“The whole country is starving.”&#160;</p>
<p>In Venezuela, most store shelves are nearly&#160;empty of food and shopping carts serve no purpose.&#160;And it gets worse.</p>
<p>Most pharmacies and hospitals are bare of medicine: No aspirin, no&#160;Ibuprofen, no prescription drugs, which brings us back to Luis Alfredo Valera&#160;Mendoza, separated from his family in Venezuela and feeling helpless to assist the people who need him most&#160;— his two brothers, particularly oldest brother Gilberto.&#160;</p>
<p>“My brother is diabetic.&#160;And at this point the main medicine that he needs the most is insulin,” said Valera.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>But in Caracas and its environs, with more than 5 million people, essential medicine cannot be found, and if found often cannot be bought.&#160;It is estimated that 80 percent&#160;of medications for chronic diseases have disappeared from store shelves.&#160;The most critical shortages, according to NGO’s, are contraceptives,&#160;anti-seizure and high-blood pressure medications, anti-burn ointments and insulin. Mendoza's brother’s extreme diabetes is made even worse by irregular meals that cause his blood sugar levels to spike.</p>
<p>“My brother came to visit me this last Christmas. He was already running out of insulin.”</p>
<p>Gilberto&#160;could likely have secured insulin in&#160;Boston, but he does everything “by the law,”&#160;says Valera, and he did not have a US&#160;prescription. At the end of his visit, he flew back to Venezuela without any badly needed medicine.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>“So when he went back home I found out he cannot even get the doses anymore,&#160;that’s when I got scared.&#160;I talked to him last Sunday and it broke my heart.”</p>
<p>For a full minute Valera&#160;was inconsolable.</p>
<p>“It broke my heart because I’m trying to meet with him next Christmas.&#160;He told me he doesn’t think he’s going to make it.”</p>
<p />
<p>Courtesy of WGBH</p>
<p>“I have been trying to get it from the brother friend of mine that lives in San Cristobal.&#160;The only way is through his brother.&#160;They send someone across the border with Colombia and they buy the medicine there and I’m hoping my brother will get it.&#160; He might get it. He might not, but I’m taking the chance because it’s my brother’s life.”</p>
<p>UPDATE: Last Friday, Valera says, his brother Gilberto got insulin and some other medicines he needed. It made it past&#160;thousands of similarly desperate people in&#160;dystopian-like Venezuela, some of whom are driven to commit desperate acts. The delivery&#160;made it through&#160;a dangerous highway, through&#160;a&#160;16-hour drive from the border to Caracas.&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Valera knows he is lucky. The danger of crime extends into Caracas, which ranks as one of&#160;the most violent cities&#160;in the world. Its high crime rate affects mostly the poor and middle class. Wealthy areas are stocked with groceries and medicines and protected by private security guards — like Mendoza.&#160;He is stunned by the irony.&#160;</p>
<p>“Obviously there must be some kind of security before you go across these areas, which regular people like my family don’t have the luxury to hire armed security forces in Caracas, only the wealthy people.”&#160;</p>
<p>But Valera does not get into the weeds of Venezuelan politics. His main concern now, only abated temporarily, is his brother’s health and the health of his nation.</p>
<p>“Every day that I eat, I thank God.&#160;But I also think about my brothers and I’m sure they’re going through a lot of hell.&#160;The world needs to know what’s going on.&#160;This is what’s happening right now.”</p>
<p>And with that, Valera continues his nighttime guard duties, checking doors and windows, turning off lights and trying to prevent the worst that could happen in a Boston office building&#160;while his mind drifts to the&#160;very worst&#160;2,200 miles away.</p>
<p>This story has been updated. A version of this <a href="http://news.wgbh.org/2016/07/22/local-news/venezuelan-story-close-home-wgbh-guards-effort-save-his-brother" type="external">story</a> was first published by <a href="http://news.wgbh.org/" type="external">WGBH News</a>.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">In desperate Venezuela, thieves now hit school cafeterias for food</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | The man who guards our doors — and his valiant effort to save his brother in Venezuela | false | https://pri.org/stories/2016-07-25/man-who-guards-our-doors-worried-about-safety-his-brother-back-home-venezuela | 2016-07-25 | 3 |
<p>On September 5, 2003, a&#160;convicted felon named&#160;Russell Graham and his grandmother&#160;entered Baxter Springs Gun &amp; Pawn Shop in Baxter Springs, Kansas, and left with a shotgun that Graham used later that day to shoot and kill his eight-year-old son Zeus and himself.</p>
<p>Now, after a nearly 10-year-long legal battle that reached the Kansas&#160;Supreme Court, the owners of the shop have reached a $132,000 settlement with Zeus's mother, Elizabeth Shirley, who claimed in a lawsuit that the shop knowingly allowed a straw purchase of the shotgun.</p>
<p>The settlement represents what&#160;the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which represented Shirley as part of its push for greater accountability for so-called "bad apple" gun shops, is heralding as a significant win. According to Brady, five percent&#160;of all dealers are responsible for 90 percent of all crime guns. But as The Trace's Jeremy Borden <a href="" type="internal">reported this week</a>, the group's lawsuits have been stymied by&#160;a 2005 law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, or PLCAA, which protects gun dealers from being held responsible for crimes committed with their wares. After an Alaska judge found against the family of a murder victim in what seemed&#160;like a viable case against a Juneau gun store, one of the lawyers told Borden that PLCAA was the "biggest issue" in the suit's defeat. "There's no other business in America that gets to operate like that."</p>
<p>In the Kansas case, Graham's grandmother, Imogene Glass, alleged that Graham acknowledged his felony convictions to the owners of the gun shop, Joe and Patsy George, who then&#160;allowed Graham to pay cash for the weapon&#160;while Glass filled out the required <a href="https://www.atf.gov/file/61446/download" type="external">federal firearms transaction record</a>,&#160;identifying herself as the&#160;buyer. Such straw purchases are illegal under federal law.</p>
<p>The Georges have denied knowing that Graham was a convicted felon. Their attorney, Scott C. Nehrbass, <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/1/kansas-woman-reaches-132k-settlement-over-gun-sale/" type="external">told the Associated Press</a> that the Georges "are very good people who did nothing wrong and obviously have never admitted any liability."</p>
<p>Shirley filed a negligence lawsuit against Baxter Springs Gun&#160;&amp; Pawn Shop in August 2005, beginning a legal odyssey that spanned almost a decade. A district court rejected all negligence claims against the Georges in 2008, but a <a href="http://www.kscourts.org/cases-and-opinions/opinions/CtApp/2010/20101008/102570.pdf" type="external">Kansas Court of Appeals ruling</a> two years later reversed part of the district court's judgment, and the&#160;Kansas Supreme Court decision expanded upon that ruling in 2013, finding that the Georges could be held liable for both negligence and "negligent entrustment" of a firearm.</p>
<p>"The legislature has determined that certain convicted felons fall within that special-risk group," <a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/ks-supreme-court/1639669.html" type="external">wrote the court</a>,&#160;"and a firearms dealer must exercise the highest standard of care in order to avoid selling guns to such felons."</p>
<p>[Photo: Flickr user <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/4292441749/in/photolist-7xiTon-7xnG4U-7xiTUP-7xnGRq-7xnFYN-7xnGVS-bAkwyp-7xnFMf-7xiSHi-7xiSPv-7yxWns-7yxWXm-7xnFHf-7xnFDC-7yu8S6-7yu9hk-7yu9xR-7xnHg7-7xnHuu-7xiUng-7xnK25-7xiVnM-7xnJg7-7xiVFr-7xnHqE-7xiVai-7xnJEL-7xiW8K-7xiUzz-7xiUrx-gauXc8-7xiXDx-7xnHYY-7yu8M6-7yxWFC-7xiSMk-7yxXbs-7yxXgG-7yu97v-7yxX6y-nmmo2p-nANvtm-nmmo4i-nmm3SU-nCQEZh-nCy18P-nECmkz-nmmoHB-nmmLDZ-gaw2t1" type="external">J. Stephen Conn</a>]</p> | In Kansas, a Major - But Rare - Victory in Legal Battle Against Negligent Gun Shops | false | https://thetrace.org/2015/07/kansas-gun-store-lawsuit-settlement/ | 2015-07-02 | 3 |
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<p>Bryce Owens scored seven of her 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lobos (8-4, 1-0) fight off a late comeback by the determined Wolf Pack (1-11, 0-1). The game was tied at 42 with 3:30 left before UNM put together a 9-3 run to finally gain control.</p>
<p>"Bryce really led us to victory," Lobos coach Yvonne Sanchez said in a postgame phone interview. "She played her best game in a long time - especially in the fourth quarter, when we had to have it."</p>
<p>Cherise Beynon scored a team-high 14 points for UNM, which won its third straight road game. The Lobos built 12-point leads in each half but often struggled to find consistent scoring, allowing the Wolf Pack to keep things close.</p>
<p>Stephanie Schmid, who had a game-high 19 points, hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 40 with 4:26 remaining, but UNM executed well down the stretch. Whitney Johnson and Kianna Keller converted layups off inbounds plays, and Owens hit a big 3-pointer during the final rally.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>UNM's Alexa Chavez left the game with a leg injury in the first half and did not return. It was not a knee injury, Sanchez said, and Chavez will be evaluated when the team returns home today. Freshman Jaisa Nunn did not play after suffering an injury in practice this week. She remains day-to-day, Sanchez said.</p>
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<p /> | Women's college basketball: Owens, Lobos pull out victory in Nevada | false | https://abqjournal.com/698777/owens-lobos-pull-out-victory-in-nevada.html | 2 |
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<p>Three of the boys are minorities themselves, and one also marked the walls with “BROWN POWER.” None had previous troubles with the law.</p>
<p>So Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Alex Rueda prepared an unusual sentence recommendation meant to educate them on the meaning of hate speech in the hope that they come to understand the effect their behavior had on the community.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The boys, who are all 16 or 17, have been sentenced to read books from a list that includes works by prominent black, Jewish and Afghan authors, write a research paper on hate speech, go to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and listen to an interview with a former student of the Ashburn Colored School, which they defaced. The school taught the county’s black children from 1892 until the 1950s, a period during which they were barred from attending school with white students.</p>
<p>The five teens pleaded guilty this week to destruction of property and unlawful entry in Loudoun County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Rueda said the boys could benefit from understanding the devastating power of hate speech.</p>
<p>The daughter of a former librarian, Rueda said she learned about the world through books.</p>
<p>Police said the boys went to the building late on Sept. 30 with spray cans and defaced the aging facade of the historic school.</p>
<p>“It really seemed to be a teachable moment. None of them seemed to appreciate – until all of this blew up in the newspapers – the seriousness of what they had done,” Rueda said.</p>
<p>The boys targeted the building because it is owned by the Loudoun School for the Gifted, and one boy had left the private school on unfavorable terms, Rueda said. “So it really seemed to be an opportunity to teach them about race, religion, discrimination, all of those things.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Before the vandalism, students at the Loudoun School for the Gifted had been working to restore the site so it could serve as a sober reminder of the county’s segregated past.</p>
<p>The slurs painted there devastated the students who had started the meticulous restoration work and were raising money through bake sales and yard sales to fund the project.</p>
<p>Deep Sran, founder of the Loudoun School for the Gifted, said he felt the sentence was appropriate.</p>
<p>He said he was especially pleased that the order includes listening to an interview with Yvonne Thornton Neal, one of the Ashburn Colored School’s former students.</p>
<p>“We thought it would be good to really understand the story of Ms. Neal and the local community and why it was so important to them,” Sran said.</p>
<p>The vandalism occurred during a contentious election season, stoking fears that racial tension in the suburban Washington community was growing.</p>
<p>An outpouring of support followed from community members who volunteered on a “community restoration day” to help undo the damage and from people around the world who donated through a GoFundMe page, giving more than $60,000. Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder pitched in an additional $35,000.</p>
<p>Rueda’s reading list includes “The Beautiful Struggle,” the memoir of Ta-Nehisi Coates, and “Night,” Elie Wiesel’s searing account of Auschwitz. She also included two works by Afghan author Khaled Hosseini and other important works by Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.</p>
<p>The boys are also sentenced to write a report that will be “a research paper explaining the message that swastikas and white power messages on African-American schools or houses of worship send to the African-American community as well as the broader community, which includes other minority groups.” They also must write reports on the books they read.</p>
<p>If the boys complete their sentences, their cases will be dismissed.</p> | Teens behind racist graffiti sentenced to visit Holocaust Museum, read books by black and Jewish authors | false | https://abqjournal.com/941269/teens-behind-racist-graffiti-sentenced-to-visit-holocaust-museum-read-books-by-black-and-jewish-authors.html | 2017-02-02 | 2 |
<p>I admit, to being a bit “dumb about the subject of education” right off the bat. My usual “playground” is writing articles on economics, science, and politics…well, when I went to school those were considered fair areas for study too.</p>
<p>But I’ve been reading the works of&#160; <a href="http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Brooklyn-Teachers-Push-Bac-in-Best_Web_OpEds-Backlash_Financial_Learning_Movement-140408-660.html" type="external">Susan Lee Schwartz</a>&#160;on&#160; <a href="http://www.opednews.com/author/author40790.html" type="external">Opednews</a>. And just as importantly, here in NYC, we are Ground Zero for “educational reform” as it’s called by its supporters, and a sort of educational hollowing out, as its&#160; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/07/nyregion/arts-education-lacking-in-low-income-areas-of-new-york-city-report-says.html" type="external">growing and vociferous group of critics</a>&#160;contend.</p>
<p>One thing has been glaringly clear for a generation now, whatever the cause,&#160; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/27/education-olympics-how-do_n_1707968.html" type="external">America’s children are trailing the world</a>.</p>
<p>There are as many reasons for this as there are ways to measure it:</p>
<p><a href="http://certificationmap.com/wp-content/uploads/Education-Olympics.jpg" type="external">click here</a></p>
<p>But the end result is clear. Nearly half the country thinks the&#160; <a href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-world-is-not-10-000-ye-by-Scott-Baker-120824-319.html" type="external">world was created in less than 10,000 years</a>, and some even eagerly watched the&#160; <a href="http://www.opednews.com/Quicklink/Bill-Nye-Takes-On-Creation-in-Sci_Tech-Bill-Nye_Evolution-140205-151.html" type="external">debate between Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and Ken&#160;Ham (The Creationist Man?)</a>. A debate like this should never have happened, since it is comparing Apples to….Eve’s Apple, Reality vs. Myth (and not even myth originating in the Bible, as claimed, either). I don’t know whether to feel upset or pleased that most Creationists don’t even know their date of Biblical Creation comes from the calculations of Bishop Usher, a 17th-century “religious scholar” – today those two words are mostly an oxymoron…and how many children know what the word “oxymoron” means either? But one could take potshots at the poor children and the adults they become all day. That would be making fun of the truly disadvantaged. <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/A-Conversation-With-Bill-Gates/132591/" type="external">Technologists like Bill Gates think they have the solution</a>: identify the problem and then throw scads of money at it. Fixing a child is no different than coming up with a new version of the Windows operating system! That sounds good, until one learns&#160; <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2013/04/04/did-bill-gates-just-reverse-course/" type="external">Gates basically reversed course.</a> Says long-time uber-educator Diane Ravitch – herself known for reversing course on&#160; <a href="http://www.alternet.org/education/diane-ravitch-charter-schools-are-colossal-mistake-heres-why" type="external">charter schools</a>, and irritating both her supporters and critics –&#160; <a href="http://dianeravitch.net/2013/04/04/did-bill-gates-just-reverse-course/" type="external">on her blog</a>:</p>
<p>I read this&#160; <a href="http://m.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bill-gates-a-fairer-way-to-evaluate-teachers/2013/04/03/c99fd1bc-98c2-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html" type="external">article</a>&#160;“by Bill Gates” with a growing sense of incredulity.</p>
<p>I kept hearing echoes of many things I and others have written since Gates decided to make teacher evaluation the biggest crisis in American education. In 2008, he dropped the small schools movement and determined that teachers are our biggest problem. If we had a better way to evaluate them, schools could fire the bad ones and have only good ones.</p>
<p>No one did more to push the idea that teachers should be judged by the test scores of their students. No one had more influence on Race to the Top.</p>
<p>Now he says that test scores are not the only way to identify great teachers. They might not even be the best way.</p>
<p>Now he is worried that there is a growing backlash against standardized testing and he says he gets it.</p>
<p>He even concedes that tying pay to test scores is offensive.</p>
<p>Let us take him at his word. Let us take yes for an answer.</p>
<p>Please, Fairest, invite him to speak at your next event.</p>
<p>Now if the day comes that he admits that the search for the right metric to measure teacher quality was a waste of time; and if the day comes that he realizes that many great teachers work selflessly in schools with low test scores; if he can begin to focus on the conditions that affect both teaching and learning rather than the fruitless search for the perfect evaluation system; when that day comes, we will all celebrate the painful metamorphosis of Bill Gates.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.opednews.com/articles/2/The-Dumbing-Down-of-Americ-by-Scott-Baker-American-Schools_Charter-Schools_Public-Schools_Public-Schools-140408-382.html" type="external">Read more</a></p> | The Dumbing Down of America’s Schools | true | http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/dumbing-americas-schools/ | 2014-04-09 | 4 |
<p>Clearly irked by the thought that he and Henry Kissinger may be on the same wave length when it comes to attacking Saddam Hussein, Christopher Hitchens is now declaring in the London Observer that H.K. is against any such war: “A week or so ago I wondered when he was going to pronounce on the impending confrontation with Iraq. And I bet right. He is against it.”</p>
<p>Oh no he’s not. As a Kissinger-hater Hitchens isn’t doing his homework. The veteran war criminal set forth his views on war against Iraq in the Chicago Tribune on August 11. The entire purpose of the piece is to offer the appropriate justification for attacking Iraq. The only bit Hitchens bothered to read is Kissinger’s initial critique of Bush’s simple ratiojaleforwar is that a “regime-change” in Iraq is desirable. Kissinger dismisses this as an appropriate pretext for a US attack.</p>
<p>“Regime change as a goal for military intervention challenges the international system established by the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, which, after the carnage of the religious wars, established the principle of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other states. And the notion of justified pre-emption runs counter to international law, which sanctions the use of force in self-defense only against actual, not potential, threats.”</p>
<p>But Kissinger then makes the case for an attack, based on the rationale that Saddam possesses and intends to use weapons of mass destruction:</p>
<p>“The objective of regime change should be subordinated in American declaratory policy to the need to eliminate weapons of mass destruction from Iraq as required by the UN resolutions. The restoration of the inspection system existing before its expulsion by Saddam is clearly inadequate. It is necessary to propose a stringent inspection system that achieves substantial transparency of Iraqi institutions. Since the consequences of simply letting the diplomacy run into the ground are so serious, a time limit should be set. The case for military intervention will then have been made in the context of seeking a common approach.”</p>
<p>It’s clear that Kissinger has no time for the argument that, if we are to believe former weapons inspector Scott Ritter, all weapons of mass destruction in Iraq have been destroyed. He knows well enough that all it would take is for the CIA suddenly to “discover” a new launch pad on its satellite photos, and the pretext would be there.</p>
<p>Hail to the Chief</p>
<p>Bush faced around a thousand protesters in Portland, Oregon, when he arrived to make a speech on behalf of the timber industry.. The riot police came and the protesters gassed and sprayed and shot with plastic bullets. These days any public public demonstration against the commander in chief is taken as lese majeste, to be. Look at those kids in Ohio a couple of months ago when Bush came to speak at a commencement. They were told that if they shouted anything obstreperous or otherwise displayed themselves in a critical posture, they would not be allowed to graduate.</p>
<p>I heard Bruce Springsteen Tuesday night in San Jose and liked the show better than a performance on his last tour, maybe two or three years ago, I heard in Portland, Oregon. His voice sounded great through pretty much three straight hours of solid singing. If anything the show was too long by half an hour or so. Patti Scialfa’s keening reminded me of Ireland (remember, we’re supposed on one theory to be descended from Berbers) as did some of the warm violin playing by Soozie Tyrell. In Ireland The Rising means primarily the rebellion of Easter 1916 whereas Springsteen’s references here address the conjuring of the dead into Redemption.</p>
<p>The crowd was wildly with Bruce through the older standards but also through the quieter songs which in San Jose included 41 Shots. This last got a particularly warm welcome in our section of the crowd, which contained folk from the Public Defenders Office of Contra Costa county, plus the entire defense team for Lamont Johnson, currently looking at the gallows on trumped up charges, amid prosecutorial misconduct well beyond the norm.</p>
<p>Right at the end Springsteen put in a plug for the Santa Clara food bank, and then in a couple of sentences which hung too meekly in the air like afterthoughts reminded the crowd that “We must be vigilant against erosions to our civil liberties which come with the territory of being Born in the USA,” which he then sang.</p>
<p>Far more forthright and rambunctious is Merle Haggard, according to Cheryl Burns who reports this from Kansas City: “I saw Merle Haggard tonight in KC–great show. He said something about ‘so now we’re in another war’ and went on to say he was still proud to be an American and all that, so I was wondering just where he was headed. But then he said there was nothing good about any war except the soldiers, sailors, etc.</p>
<p>“Then he says, ‘I think we should give John Ashcroft a big hand …(pause)… right in the mouth!’ Went on to say, ‘the way things are going I’ll probably be thrown in jail tomorrow for saying that, so I hope ya’ll will bail me out.’</p>
<p>Cheryl concludes, “Proud to be an Okie from…um…Oklahoma City.”</p>
<p>Right on, Merle. At another concert, June a year ago, he was quoted by John Derbyshire in National Review online as saying, “Look at the past 25 years we went downhill, and if people don’t realize it, they don’t have their fucking eyes on … In 1960, when I came out of prison as an ex-convict, I had more freedom under parolee supervision than there’s available to an average citizen in America right now… God almighty, what have we done to each other?”</p>
<p>Was Presley A Racist?</p>
<p>On the occasion of the recent 25th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death I read a truly stupid piece in the London Guardian, “He Wasn’t My King” by Helen Kolawole, to the effect that Elvis stole songs like Hound Dog from black folks, that Willie Mae (Big Mama) Thornton wrote Hound Dog and sang it better and that anyway Elvis was a racist, noted for having said, The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes.</p>
<p>Wrong on every count. Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, white men, wrote Hound Dog and Big Mama Thornton’s version is markedly inferior to Presley’s, made three years after her’s. Peter Guralnick, in his Last Train to Memphis, The Rise of Elvis Presley (1994), cites a good story that appeared in Jet magazine on August 1, 1957.</p>
<p>“Tracing that rumored racial slur to its source was like running a gopher to earth”, Jet wrote. Some said Presley had said it in in Boston, which Elvis had never visited. Some said it was on Edward Murrow’s on which Elvis had never appeared. Jet sent Louie Robinson to the set of Jailhouse Rock “When asked if he ever made the remark, Missisissippi-born Elvis declared: ‘I never said anything like that, and people who know me know I wouldn’t have said it .”</p>
<p>Robinson then spoke to people “who were (itals) in a position to know” and heard from Dr W. A Zuber, “a Negro physician in Tupelo” that Elvis Presley used to “go round to Negro ‘sanctified meetings’; from pianist Dudley Brooks that he “faces everybody as a man” and from Presley himself that he had gone to colored churches as a kid, like Reverend Brewster’s and that “he could honestly never hope to equal the musical achievemets of Fats Domino or the Inkspot’s Bill Kenny.” “To Elvis,” Jet concluded in its Aug 1 1957 issue, “people are people regardless of race, color or creed.”</p>
<p>Visiting Memphis, Ivory Joe Hunter was invited by Presley to visitiwithhim in Graceland and Ivory Joe was worried about the stories of prejudice that had been circulating about Elvis through the spring of 12957. Presley received him with warmth and admiration, sang his composition “I almost lost my mind” with him, and they hung out for the day singing. Hunter said later, “He showed me every courtesy and I think he’s one of the greatest.” (Jimmy T-99 Nelson told Jeffrey St Clair the other day that Ivory Joe had the biggest feet he’d ever seen. Bigger than Howlin’ Wolf’s, Jeffrey asked. Bigger by far, said Nelson. When Ivory Joe stamped, the whole stage shook.)</p>
<p>If you want to look at some great photographs of Elvis in black locales and with black musicians in Memphis in the 1950s, get Daniel Wolff’s wonderful edition of Ernest Withers’ photos, <a href="" type="internal">The Memphis Blues Again</a>.</p>
<p>When my daughter Daisy was around 12, in the course of a couple of chance encounters, I was able to get Lieber to play her Hound Dog and Yip Harburg to sing her “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, all in one summer. Oh, just something any Dad would do.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Kissinger, Hitchens, Springsteen, Haggard and Presley | true | https://counterpunch.org/2002/08/29/kissinger-hitchens-springsteen-haggard-and-presley/ | 2002-08-29 | 4 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Two Clovis brothers were arrested Tuesday night after police said they fired shots at a dwelling on North Lea Street, according to a <a href="http://www.cnjonline.com/news/pressreleasetwoclovismenarrestedinovernightshootingincidentin1200blockofnorthleastreet.html" type="external">Clovis Police Department news release</a>.</p>
<p>Anthony R. Romo, 22, and Andres Romo Granado, 18, also are facing charges of resisting, evading or obstructing a police officer and assault on a peace officer, the release said.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.cnjonline.com/news/brothersarrestedonshootingcharges.html" type="external">Clovis News Journal</a> reported that a woman told police she saw two men get out of a green Honda two-door parked by a mailbox and start shooing at her grandmother’s house.</p>
<p>Bullets went through the front door and dining room window of the house that was occupied by two adults and two children, who crawled toward the back of the house to avoid getting shot, the woman told police.</p>
<p>Police also responded to a second residence Tuesday night where another witness told officers that the brothers were looking for a man at the residence, then shot guns into the air before leaving in a green Honda, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>The brothers were taken into custody in the front yard of yet another residence shortly after the second incident, the paper reported.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Clovis brothers arrested in shooting | false | https://abqjournal.com/171162/clovis-brothers-arrested-in-shooting.html | 2013-02-21 | 2 |
<p>The final scene of the final episode of the long-running HBO hit The Sopranos inspired thousands of fans to go to the Internet’s sounding boards to complain about the choice of the series’s creator, David Chase, to end it with an inconclusive blackout. For several minutes previously, he had led audience expectations up the garden path to a hecatomb of slaughter in a suburban diner before pulling the plug at what ought to have been the climactic moment. What made it worse was that Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his family were left having dinner together, all of them happy–and happy with each other — for perhaps the first time in the eight years and seven seasons of the show’s run. This was obviously the perfect dramatic moment for the mass execution that Chase’s camera had seemed to be setting us up for.</p>
<p>Yet I think he had several good reasons for depriving us of it. Had, for a start, the complainers forgotten how many times he has similarly teased them before? The Sopranos is nothing if not mock heroic, and the mock heroic’s characteristic mode is bathos. We expect high drama, if not heroism, and we get farce. In the final episode, alone, there were several examples. We were invited to revel in the macabre comedy of the death of Tony’s gangland rival Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent), his head run over by his own SUV and producing a sickening crunch as it disturbed the even ride of his grandchildren, strapped into their car seats above. In another SUV — an inherently comic vehicle — Anthony Jr. (Robert Iler) was seen engaging in sexual activities with a girlfriend while parked on a lonely country road. We could feel the subtextual undertow of the teen slasher movies, in which the couple would be doomed just by being there, as well as the anticipation as smoke begins seeping into the cab of the vehicle through its air vents. Aha! Here must be the answer to the question posed implicitly in the penultimate episode when Tony told his wife Carmela (Edie Falco), “They never touch the family.”</p>
<p>Does such gangland chivalry still apply, or are we now living in a more brutal world?</p>
<p>We never find out here any more than we do in the disputed ending. It’s all a false alarm. The smoke comes from A.J.’s having parked the SUV on a pile of dead leaves, which its overheated catalytic converter has then set fire to. As the kids scramble out of the car and down the hill, they watch as it catches fire and explodes, the very image of Mafia murders by car bombs in The Godfather and other films. Except that it’s not a Mafia murder but a bathetic suburban accident caused by heedless affluence.</p>
<p>“I’m depressed,” moans A.J. when his parents scold him for his carelessness. “I’m supposed to worry about catalytic converters?” That’s The Sopranos in a nutshell: The heroic turning into a mockery of itself–usually with the help of therapeutic psychobabble — at (almost) every turn, while still attempting to cling to its heroic dignity.</p>
<p>The Sopranos is also soap opera–perhaps the greatest soap opera ever. Way back in season one, in 1999, Chase and his team had penned a hilarious exchange between the gangster and aspiring screenwriter, Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), and his fellow gang member, popularly known as Paulie Walnuts (Tony Sirico), in which Christopher tries to explain to Paulie what a character’s “arc” is.</p>
<p>“Like, everybody starts out somewheres, then they do somethin’, or somethin’ gets done to them that changes their life,” he says. “You see the arc? He starts down here,” holding his hand in front of his face, “and he ends up here,” moving his hand upward. “Where’s my arc, Paulie?”</p>
<p>It takes Paulie to point out to him the difference between art — which he calls “make-believe” — and life.</p>
<p>“Hey, I got no arc, either. I was born, grew up, spent a few years in the Army, few more in the can — and here I am, a half a wise guy. So what?”</p>
<p>Of course, what Christopher is looking for is art’s meaning in his life. But life is more like soap opera than art. It tends to flatten out those arcs of meaning because its characters have to keep coming back and doing the same things over and over again, week after week, season after season. They start out here and end up — nowhere, just as the series itself does. It was the genius of David Chase from the start to redeem soap opera for serious art, as Hamlet redeemed the popular revenge tragedy of the Elizabethans, and in a similar way. As Journey put it in the song, “Don’t Stop Believing,” that Tony plays on the diner’s jukebox during the final sequence:</p>
<p>Some will win, some will loseSome were born to sing the bluesOh, the movie never endsIt goes on and on and on and on</p>
<p>Actually, the movie does end, as Christopher was aware. It’s life — and soap opera — that goes on and on and on and on, which is why we love it. Now it can go on and on even when it’s off. What more perfect ending than to leave them all in the diner, their mouths stuffed with the best onion rings in the state of New Jersey, with such an obvious artifice that we can’t help being reassured? As always, the danger and the drama dissolve into bathos and absurdity before they can produce anything so uncongenial to our post-heroic world as meaning.</p>
<p>And yet I think there was a resolution, or arc, though perhaps an inadvertent one, that was no less emphatically inscribed for being (so far) unnoticed. It came with A.J.’s announcement that he intended to join the Army. This was a stunning reversal of form for that whiny youth, who had spent the last several weeks battling depression after a break-up with a fiancée, attempting suicide (not very persuasively), and moaning about all the suffering in the world. Now his decision presented his parents with the choice they had been avoiding for eight years. Are they still part of the old honor culture of their Sicilian forebears, or have they definitively entered the contemporary world of consumerist America, a world of feelings, individualism, and therapy?</p>
<p>Faced with the unavoidable choice at last, they did not hesitate. Rather than allow A.J. to become “cannon fodder” in Iraq, as Tony puts it, they are prepared to bribe him with a new BMW and a busy-work job on a trashy movie even worse than Cleaver, the sole creative product of the long search for an “arc” of his now-deceased cousin, Christopher — a movie that Tony so hated that he ultimately killed Christopher. A.J. happily takes the bribe.</p>
<p>Tony has, of course, been ambivalent about the mob’s honor culture from the beginning. That’s the point of his visits to his shrink, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). His killing of Phil also removed what the series has presented to us as the only unambiguous representative of the old, unforgiving macho standards left in gangland: The man who had ordered the torture and murder of Vito Spatafore (Joseph Gannascoli) out of disgust for his homosexuality, and who had lost all respect for his former boss, Johnny “Sack” Sacramoni (Vincent Curatola), because he wept as the feds dragged him away from his daughter’s wedding. The only reason that peace is restored and Tony prevails is that Phil’s own men have come to see him as dangerously extreme — a throwback. The real farewell to the old world comes with Tony’s visit to his senile uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) in the nursing home: “You and my dad, you two used to run North Jersey,” says Tony with a tear in his eye.</p>
<p>“We did?” says the uncomprehending capo. “That’s nice.”</p>
<p>But it’s all over now. Tony’s was the only ending possible for an American hero for more than half-a-century. Like the last of the cowboys riding into the sunset, he must not die but just fade away. And for the same reason: His world is past. There were heroes in it, we admit; men who were larger than life. We can’t let them go without a pang of regret. But we want them gone. Them and all they stood for.</p>
<p>Tony Soprano was such a hero. He wasn’t a good man, but he was a free man — free not by constitutional arrangement but as the heroes of old were free: because they had mastered other men by the strength of their arms and the keenness of their wit. Blowing him away would, paradoxically, have brought him and that world back. It would have acknowledged that the heroic lives on at a time when so many of us — like Tony and Carmela contemplating A.J. in uniform — want it and its terrifying demands on us gone more than ever.</p>
<p>So let him disappear while he’s happy in his choice of the comfortable, unheroic age that has made his heritage — and, to a disturbing extent, that of his country and his country’s wars — obsolete.</p>
<p>— James Bowman is a Resident Scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the author of Honor: A History.</p> | So Long, Tony | false | https://eppc.org/publications/so-long-tony/ | 1 |
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<p>There’s a rock in the middle of the road in a in a small village northwest of London.</p>
<p>It's been there for so long, residents built the roads around it. But suddenly, some people feel it's got to go.</p>
<p>And that’s where this story begins.</p>
<p>This rock is known as the Soulbury Stone because it's in the village of Soulbury.</p>
<p>“It’s about the size of an armchair,” says local transportation head Mark Shaw. “So it’s quite sizeable, about 3 feet by 4 feet. So it’s quite easy to see and quite a sizeable feature.”</p>
<p>The residents know it’s there. It’s hard to miss a stone that’s in the middle of the road, after all. But it’s viewed as an historical spot. It survived an effort by two tanks to remove it during World War II. Pagans in the British Isles used to worship these standing stones. And this stone&#160;is no different.</p>
<p>Shaw says people still come to visit the stone and worship it. It even gets dressed up now and then, Little Mermaid style.</p>
<p />
<p>Residents of Soulbury dress-up their stone as the Little Mermaid.&#160;</p>
<p>Soulbury Newsletter</p>
<p>The stone has never been an issue.&#160;That is, until recently.</p>
<p>“A car reversed and went into the stone,” says Shaw. “And then the owner sent my council a bill for 1,800 pounds. So we sent one of our engineers out to see what the issue was. And he initially thought that maybe one of the things to do would be to remove the stone.”</p>
<p>Remove the stone.</p>
<p>Those are fighting words in Soulbury. Especially, because the driver was an outsider and no one can remember anyone ever hitting the stone before with their car. It’s kind of hard to miss.</p>
<p>Resident started phoning their representatives. One man threatened to chain himself to the stone.</p>
<p>The news quickly made its way to Shaw. As the man in charge of the road where the stone sits, and as someone aware of its cultural importance, he knew he had to issue a statement fast.</p>
<p>“When I heard the suggestion I said, ‘That’s lunacy. That stone has been here for some 11,000 years. To think of moving it would be absolute madness.”</p>
<p>But he did more than just talk. He traveled to Soulbury to meet with locals and try and find a way to make the road a bit safer for drivers.</p>
<p>“We just used a bit of good ‘ol British common sense. We’re going to treat the stone in a very sympathetic way, maybe put some lining around it to make out of town drivers more aware of the obelisk,” he says.</p>
<p>“But at the end of the day, if you can’t see a large stone, there has to be some question marks as to whether you should be driving.”</p> | This stone sits in the middle of a road — and people are just fine with it | false | https://pri.org/stories/2016-04-05/stone-sits-middle-road-and-people-are-just-fine-it | 2016-04-05 | 3 |
<p>Most of the mainstream press is colluding with the Bush White House in news management as egregious as anything we saw in the Reagan years. Take the scam pulled by the Knight Ridder news chain in the run-up to George Bush’s speech to a joint session of Congress on February 27. On Feb 26 Knight Ridder, which publishes the Miami Herald, put out a story by one of the chain’s writers, Amy Driscoll, to the effect that if Florida’s Secretary of State, Katherine Harris, “had let south Florida’s counties complete manual recounts before certifying the results of November’s election George W. Bush likely would have won the presidency outright.”</p>
<p>This story duly allowed newspapers across the country running the Knight Ridder story to put up headlines such as the main front page banner used by the Bay Areas’ West County Times: “Recount: Bush still would win”. Very convenient for the White House. The new occupant of the Oval Office , living refutation of Chomsky’s view that linguistic skills are deeply imprinted in the neuro-cerebral program of every human, could go before Congress to make his case for giving money to the rich and to the Pentagon, as a bona fide, democratically elected president.</p>
<p>But the next few paragraphs of Driscoll’s story made it clear that Knight Ridder was playing a disingenuous game. The claim that Bush would have won Florida was reached by focusing narrowly on Miami-Dade and three other counties where Gore had asked for manual recounts. It ignored counts taken by other newspapers of other Florida counties, noted in recent editions of CounterPunch, which showed that votes for Gore were consistently under-counted. And of course the Knight Ridder story also ignored the damning accounts of how blacks and Haitians were frightened or bullied out of voting, and how a private company hired by Jeb Bush’s state government had struck many black voters off the rolls on the grounds that they had criminal records. Time and again this turned out not to be true.</p>
<p>The fundamental mission of the press is to endorse the essential legitimacy of the American political system. In the current phase, an incoherent and visibly underqualified claimant to the presidency is being fulsomely endorsed as a cleansing force after the squalor of the Clinton years.</p>
<p>Of course the Clinton years were squalid. CounterPunch has described them in detail. Many of the pardons were squalid, as they have often been in American history. You think this is new? You think Denise Rich, Beth Dozoretz and Hugh Rodham have no antecedents in American political history? Just to take the immediate aftermath of the Civil War people known as “Pardon Brokers” swarmed across Washington.</p>
<p>One of the most notorious was Mrs L.L. Cobb, a handsome woman who boasted to friends of the ease with which she could reach President Andrew Johnson. General LaFayette Baker, head of the National Protective Police (the US Secret Service), spends no less than 100 pages in his memoir “Secret Service” to a description of how he set up a sting operation in which Mrs Cobb secured a pardon from Johnson for a fee of $300.</p>
<p>Despite Baker’s warnings, Johnson delighted in the visits of Mrs Cobb, even as Clinton delighted in the importunings of Mrs Rich who visited his White House no less than 100 times. Finally Baker set a detective at the main entrance to the White House to keep La Cobb out, but she got to Johnson anyway, through the kitchen. Cobb also bested Baker in court, successfully hitting him with a false arrest charge.</p>
<p>Hammer Buys a Pardon We don’t expect the pundits to remember Mrs Cobb and the other “pardon brokeresses” of the nineteenth century, but we do think they should have spent some time on the acts of mercy dispensed by President G.H.W. Bush.</p>
<p>Republicans squawk delightedly about the Rich pardon and about the vindication of their charge that Clinton is morally beyond the pale, the worst of the worst. Who do they think they’re kidding? Corruption of the presidential power to pardon? Forget Nixon’s pardon of Jimmy Hoffa in return for endorsement by the Teamsters’ of his candidacy. Let’s just take another look at those pardons issued by Bush Sr at the onset and conclusion of his presidential term.</p>
<p>In 1989 president Bush used his power to pardon a longtime Soviet spy who had been prudent enough to offer $1.3 million to Ronald Reagan’s presidential library, plus a further $110,000 disbursement to the Republican National Committee, this latter bribe being made in the week of Bush’s inauguration. The pardon duly came a few months later, on August 14, 1989.</p>
<p>The spy was Armand Hammer whose ultimately successful maneuvers for his pardon are described in Edward Jay Epstein’s brilliant 1996 book on Hammer, “Dossier.” Epstein narrates how Hammer had bizarrely hoped he would be in line for a Nobel Peace prize for his efforts to foster US-Soviet understanding. To this end he lobbied both Prince Charles and the then Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin, who duly nominated him for the Peace prize. But Hammer discovered that no one with a criminal conviction had ever won the Nobel award. On his record there was the embarrassment (a trifling one given his amazing career as a spy and oil bandit, eliciting no less than six federal investigations dating back to 1938) of federal misdemeamor convictions in 1976 for funnelling cash to Nixon’s White House, aimed to buy the silence of the Watergate burglars in the early 1970s. So he needed a pardon.</p>
<p>Hammer made his $1.3 million pledge to the Reagan library and began to agitate for the pardon. The FBI alerted the Reagan White House to ongoing investigations of Hammer for attempting to bribe members of the Los Angeles City Council to the tune of $120,000 to give a green light to Hammer’s company, Occidental, to drill off the California coast. Nonetheless it seemed that the pardon would come through in Reagan’s parting hours. Then a hitch arose. Hammer had asked Reagan for a pardon based on innocence. As he had pleaded guilty to the misdemeanors (in returned for a lowering of the indictment from felony charges on grounds of obstruction of justice) even the compliant Reagan White House couldn’t oblige.</p>
<p>Hammer shifted gears, secured an invitation to the Bush inaugural of 1989 and greeted the incoming president with the request for a pardon based on compassion, simultaneously handing over $110,000 to the Republican National Committee. (Ever the businessman, Hammer felt that since Reagan hadn’t come through, he had no obligation to pony up the $1.3 million he’d promised to the library which later unsuccessfully sued Hammer’s estate for the money.) He got his pardon the following August, though alas not his Peace Prize which in 1989 went to the Dalai Lama. In Epstein’s book there is a picture of Armand Hammer and his mistress Rosemary Durazo in the company of the new president and his wife, Barbara.</p>
<p>Those Bush Iran/Contra Pardons Now let’s go to the other end of Bush time. As he left town, Bush pardoned, among others, Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, former assistant secretary of state Elliott Abrams, former National Security Council Director Robert McFarlane, and three former CIA men, Duane “Dewey” Clarridge, Alan Fiers and Claire George. Abrams, Fiers, George and McFarlane had all been convicted of withholding information from Congress in connection with investigation of the Iran-contra scandal. Clarridge was facing trial. Weinberger had been indicted by special prosecutor Lawrence Walsh on the eve of the 1992 election.</p>
<p>At the time of the pardons, Walsh said bitterly “It demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office - deliberately abusing the public trust - without consequence.” But there was more to this pardon than just getting some former criminal associates off the hook. Walsh said that new evidence had come to light in the form of notes taken by Weinberger, suggesting that as vice president Bush had been in the loop on the Iran-contra deals. Said Walsh, “In light of President Bush’s own misconduct, we are gravely concerned by his decision to pardon others who lied to Congress and obstructed official investigations.”</p>
<p>In other words, Walsh was suggesting that outgoing president Bush had pardoned Weinberger to ensure the silence of a man who could testify about his own criminal complicity in the Iran contra scandal.</p>
<p>These days Republicans are shouting that it’s unprecedented to pardon a man who has not faced trial, as was the case with Marc Rich. Walsh made the same point in 1993. Ford pardoned Nixon before the latter was indicted; and Bush pardoned Weinberger and Clarridge, post indictment but before trial.</p>
<p>One final point. Clinton is savagely denounced for using military adventures to distract attention from his own predicaments. Look at the timing of Bush’s sudden decision to commit US forces to Somalia. The concern with Somalia was always somewhat bizarre, but it sure did take those Bush pardons out of the headlines.</p>
<p>And now? Well, all this fuss about Clinton’s pardon of Rich sure distracts attention from the mountain of evidence that George W. Bush is the beneficiary of a fixed election. Which offense is greater: pardoning Marc Rich, or stealing the White House?</p>
<p>Dupes’ Lament: “We Wuz Duped” There’s nothing more distasteful than listening to a bunch of dupes suddenly announcing eight years after the evidence was in that they’d been duped.</p>
<p>The vultures are picking his bones: Salon, James Carville, Barney Frank, Bob Herbert, Lanny Davis they’ve all finally thrown Bill over the side. In the Wall Street Journal Hamilton Jordan stigmatized Bill and Hillary as “the First Grifters”, the term used for scam artists preying on the poor and the desperate in the Depression of the 1930s.</p>
<p>“The Clintons,” Jordan sneered, “are not a couple, but a business partnership, not based on love or even greed but on shared ambitions. Everywhere they go, they leave a trail of disappointed, disillusioned friends and staff members to clean up after them.” Against the Augean filth of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Clinton time, Jordan contrasted the elevated moral tone of the Carter White House.</p>
<p>If he, Jordan, had recommended something like the Rich pardon, “Carter would have thrown me out of the Oval Office and probably fired me on the spot.” As for Clinton’s hubris after Lewinsky-gate, “if a president can get caught having sex in the Oval Office with an intern and committing perjury about it to a federal grand jury, and still get away with it, what could possibly stop him?”.</p>
<p>Yes, this is the same Hamilton Jordan who is now happy to flail Clinton on the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page, a page which mercilessly abused him and his boss through the Carter years. And yes, this is the same Hamilton Jordan who did his bit for high moral tone in Carter time by leering across a the table during a formal White House dinner at the wife of the Egyptian ambassador and making a lewd crack about the pyramids. Jordan further enhanced the White House’s reputation by being accused of snorting coke at Studio 54.</p>
<p>And yes, this was the Carter White House which opened its doors to Henry Kissinger, who lobbied successfully for what could be fairly construed as a US government pardon for the Shah of Iran, allowing the deposed dictator sanctuary in the United States, thus directly prompting the takeover of the US embassy in Teheran.</p>
<p>As for liberal Democrats like the folks at Salon, why now? Salon stuck with Clinton through thick and thin, never conceding the jaunty corruption that has been Bill’s preeminent characteristic since the day he entered the gubernatorial mansion in Little Rock, but insisting all the while on his honesty and innocence on all charges. At the conclusion of her mournful parting of the ways with Bill, Salon’s Joan Walsh wrote, “If Clinton really abused the power of the presidency - and the power to pardon may be the most sacred, in a way, beyond the bounds of any other branch of government to reverse or rectify - as part of any kind of quid pro quo, political, financial, or social, he will have done what his enemies never could do: tarnish his legacy irrevocably, ensuring that when the moral accounting is complete, he is judged a failed president.</p>
<p>Failed because he pardoned Marc Rich? In other words, Salon could take the welfare bill, the effective death penalty act, the telecommunications reform bill, Waco, the war on drugs, the doubling of the prison population, the sale of the Lincoln bedroom as testimonies to a successful presidency.</p>
<p>But then Clinton spoiled everything by issuing a pardon urged on him by people normally held in the highest respect by liberal Democrats, among them Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres, Abe Foxman of the ADL and Elie Wiesel (if you believe the email traffic flowing through Jack Quinn’s office and no doubt on his billing receipts, though not Elie Wiesel if you believe Wiesel’s recent insistence to the New York Times that he had compassion in his heart for only one spy for Israel at a time.)</p>
<p>Yes, they’re kicking Bill over the side. Here’s Bob Herbert of the New York Times, another longtime defender: “You can’t lead a nation if you are ashamed of the leader of your party. The Clintons are a terminally unethical and vulgar couple, and they’ve betrayed everyone who has ever believed in them. As neither Clinton has the grace to retire from the scene, the Democrats have no choice but to turn their backs on them.”</p>
<p>Yes, this is the Bob Herbert who only four months ago managed to avert his gaze from the mountain of evidence about the ethics and vulgarity of the Clintons, and who lashed Ralph Nader for presuming to raise the standard of honesty and dignity in government. Bill has a legitimate gripe. Why now? The evidence in 1992 about the character of the Clintons and the likely contours of a Clinton government was in. Sure, you could make a calculation, if you cared to, that even factoring in this evidence, the Real Bill and the Real Hillary were a better deal than a second term for George Bush. And you could say that tacky as Bill’s affair with Monica was, it still offered no sound basis for impeachment. What you can’t say is that you had no idea what the Clintons were like until he signed off on Marc Rich, or until HRC put in a good word for those Hasidic Jews.</p>
<p>When it comes to moral calibration, what’s the bigger crime, for the entire liberal establishment to pardon Clinton and Al Gore for their welfare bill, or for Clinton to pardon a crooked commodities trader? CP</p> | The Pardoner’s Tale and the Bush Cuddle | true | https://counterpunch.org/2001/03/05/the-pardoner-s-tale-and-the-bush-cuddle/ | 2001-03-05 | 4 |
<p />
<p>In an interview with "Fox News Sunday", president-elect Donald Trump unveiled his plans on working and living arrangements as soon as he is inaugurated as the President of the United States. In a statement that Trump made to Chris Wallace from Fox News Sunday, the incoming commander in chief made it clear that he was going to live in the White House with his family. Trump confirmed that his wife Melania and their 10-year-old Barron will be staying in the White House.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Trump also revealed that he had plans underway to include his eldest daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner in his administration. However, Barron and Melania would be joining Trump in the White House after the first few months. Trump said that this was after Barron is done with school for the year.</p>
<p />
<p>Trump said that Barron has to finish school since he has a couple of months to go and it would be a little hard to take him out of school. Chris Wallace asked Trump if he could be lonely rattling around the White House all alone but Trump responded by saying that White House was a special place and that it represents so much ,but he would be so occupied working adding that there was so much to do than he had conceptualized before. He emphasized on his campaign slogan saying that there was so much that his administration can do to make America Great Again.</p>
<p />
<p>Trump said that since he'll be working, he won't be lonely at all. He also told Wallace that he had plans of handing over his businesses to his three adult children; Ivanka, Eric and Donald Jr. However, Trump said that his administration was considering how they can include Ivanka and her husband in discharging some roles in his administration.</p> | Trump Will Live In The White House With Melania And Son Barron | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/729-Trump-Will-Live-In-The-White-House-With-Melania-And-Son-Barron | 2016-12-11 | 0 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>Annual premiums for employer-sponsored coverage is averaging $16,351 in 2013, up 4 percent from last year, while the annual cost of individual coverage is averaging $5,884 this year, a 5 percent increase from 2012, according to data from the annual Employer Health Benefits Survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research &amp; Educational Trust.</p>
<p>Both premium increases are a far cry from the double-digit rate hikes that dominated from 2000 to 2004. And they continue an eight-year period of mostly modest 4 percent to 6 percent annual increases, the survey reported.</p>
<p>The slower rate of growth means employers – who typically pay the bulk of employee health costs – are less likely to try to cut worker benefits in order to contain costs.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“We’re not seeing that,” said Drew Altman, president and CEO of Kaiser, a private, nonprofit health-care research organization. “It’s not an environment where they should be looking to dramatically cut workers’ health benefits.”</p>
<p>In fact, employee wellness programs that promote and reward healthy behaviors have become the most popular cost-containment strategy for employers. Seventy-seven percent of firms offer at least one wellness program, the survey found.</p>
<p>Still, the slow-growth period in premiums doesn’t tell the whole story.</p>
<p>The cost of job-based coverage has increased 80 percent overall in the last decade. That’s nearly three times faster than wages and inflation, which are up 31 percent and 27 percent, respectively, over the same period.</p>
<p>That means the cost of health coverage continues to take a bigger bite out of most Americans’ household budget, even though costs are in a period of moderate growth.</p>
<p>“What workers are paying for health coverage still strikingly outstrips both the increase in their wages and inflation,” Altman said. “There’s still a sharp, sharp contrast.”</p>
<p>Fortunately, the share of health-care premiums paid by covered workers has remained virtually unchanged over the last 10 years, even though the actual cost has grown steadily, survey data show.</p>
<p>Individuals have contributed an average of 18 percent, or $999, toward their coverage in 2013, while families paid an average of 29 percent of their total annual premium, or about $4,565.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>But the average contribution from covered workers to family coverage has increased 89 percent since 2003 and 36 percent since 2008.</p>
<p>About 149 million Americans have job-based health coverage, and 57 percent of firms currently offer employee coverage. That’s down from 61 percent in 2012, but it’s not considered a statistically significant decline, according to the survey.</p>
<p>As in years past, smaller firms are less likely to offer coverage than larger firms, and workers at smaller firms typically pay more for coverage than those at large firms.</p>
<p>An average of 77 percent of workers are eligible for employee health coverage; of these workers, about 80 percent are enrolled in job-based coverage, the survey estimates. Overall, 62 percent of workers at companies that offer coverage have insurance through their employers.</p>
<p>The Affordable Care Act, which requires most Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine next year, is likely to increase the number of workers who get job-based coverage.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Rise in health-care costs slows | false | https://abqjournal.com/250797/rise-in-healthcare-costs-slows.html | 2013-08-20 | 2 |
<p>Former New York Times editor Jill Abramson, who <a href="" type="internal">has written</a> that Hillary Clinton is fundamentally honest, appeared on MSNBC with Steve Kornacki to discuss that piece, where she again noted that after a long career covering the Clintons, she’s found no evidence of wrongdoing—nor has anyone else.</p>
<p>The campaign against Hillary Clinton—currently being mounted simultaneously by Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and <a href="" type="internal">the corporate media</a>—is rooted in smear by innuendo. It’s a constant drumbeat of implications that she is corrupt and compromised, without any supporting evidence.</p>
<p>Jill Abramson is one of the few journalists with extensive experience covering the Clintons who is willing to step forward and say that no one can provide any substantiation to support these smears.</p>
<p>Watch:</p>
<p>Media error: Format(s) not supported or source(s) not found</p>
<p>“I’ve supervised—and myself, as an investigative reporter, done every manner of investigation of both Clintons—and I’ve supervised so many investigations of her at the New York Times going back to her run in 2008 to now. And I don’t think one can come up with an example of her being influenced by a campaign donation, or money given to the Clinton Foundation, or by speech fees from Wall Street firms. If you look at the record of what she’s been saying in her campaign now, she ranks way up there on the truth-o-meter.”</p>
<p>Will the rest of the corporate media be brave enough to follow Abramson’s lead? <a href="" type="internal">We certainly hope so</a>.</p> | CLEAN: NYT Hillary Expert Says There’s Not One Example of Hillary Being Influenced by Money | true | http://bluenationreview.com/former-nyt-editor-says-no-example-of-hillary-being-influenced-by-money/ | 2016-05-03 | 4 |
<p>Auto maker is operating too many U.S. plants, which saddles it with higher fixed costs</p>
<p>This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (October 10, 2017).</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Despite its drastic downsizing a decade ago under a federally funded bailout and bankruptcy restructuring, General Motors Co. again finds itself with too many U.S. factories that can turn out too many vehicles.</p>
<p>But as GM considers how to trim the excess capacity, which saddles the company with higher fixed costs, it faces a tricky political factor: President Donald Trump's insistence that auto makers assemble more of their vehicles in America and not in lower-cost plants elsewhere.</p>
<p>This year through August, GM built about 7% more vehicles at its North American plants than rival Ford Motor Co. but used about one-third more assembly plants to do so, according WardsAuto.com.</p>
<p>GM's factory-utilization rate in North America averaged 95.1% over the past two years, below Ford's 111.9% and Toyota's 101.4%, Wards data shows. (Rates can exceed 100% when factories work a third shift or schedule overtime work on weekends.)</p>
<p>GM's sprawling factory here in Orion Township, a suburb north of Detroit, is a glaring example of the company's predicament. It makes the slow-selling Chevrolet Sonic subcompact and the new Bolt electric model, for which GM has modest though undisclosed sales goals.</p>
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<p>One recent afternoon, workers filed into the parking lot a few minutes after the day's sole production shift ended -- a rarity in an industry that often runs its factories dawn-till-dusk or even around the clock to boost their efficiency.</p>
<p>GM recently lowered production at Orion by 20%, resulting in 100 lost jobs, said people familiar with the matter. GM declined to quantify the cuts but confirmed it is making fewer Sonics.</p>
<p>"The Bolt is hanging in there, which is good," Henrietta Holland, an Orion factory worker, said after her shift. "But we are worried" about job security. "We feel like we should be getting another product."</p>
<p>Factory-utilization rates typically measure how much production capacity a plant uses, based on a 16-hour workday. GM says its utilization rate is 100% on average when its round-the-clock truck and sport-utility vehicle lines are figured in with the relatively sleepy factories making cars.</p>
<p>While GM has boosted its U.S. employment by more than 6,000 factory jobs since 2010, it also has bulked up production in Mexico for export to the U.S. under the North American Free Trade Agreement. It recently started making two popular crossover SUV models south of the border, and for years has imported large pickup trucks from there.</p>
<p>GM has no plans to construct new U.S. factories, and executives in recent years have weighed closing at least two existing ones, according to people familiar with the matter.</p>
<p>Some of the low usage of its U.S. plants stems from a decision GM made a number of years ago to revitalize its lineup of sedans and coupes, including a new Chevy Malibu that has garnered glowing reviews from critics. But in the past few years, low gasoline prices prompted millions of Americans to gravitate from passenger cars to less-fuel-efficient SUVs and pickup trucks.</p>
<p>To be sure, all auto makers have been grappling with the dramatic consumer shift. Less than 10 years ago, passenger cars accounted for roughly half of U.S. vehicle purchases at retail. Last month, cars accounted for a record low of 35%, according to J.D. Power.</p>
<p>While leaving some GM plants with unused capacity, this switch has boosted the company's bottom line. Its plants that build the highly profitable Chevrolet Silverado pickup, for instance, are working overtime, which helped GM earn a record $12.5 billion operating profit in 2016. GM's stock price has hit a multiyear high.</p>
<p>Chief Executive Mary Barra, a GM lifer of more than three decades who once roamed the factory floors as a plant manager, must contend with the capacity glut at the same time the company is making costly investments in electric cars and self-driving vehicles.</p>
<p>GM said it is working to "drive further improvements" in its plant utilization, including adding crossover SUVs to more factory lines. A plant in the Kansas City area that now makes only the Malibu is scheduled to begin assembling a small Cadillac SUV by late 2018. But such a switch-over typically takes car makers several years of lead time, to order and install new assembly-line equipment and tooling.</p>
<p>GM operates 17 vehicle-assembly plants in North America, after closing several during its bankruptcy. Most, except for five that operate around the clock to build trucks and SUVs, have ample unused capacity.</p>
<p>GM's Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, the lone factory in the auto maker's hometown, in 1999 cranked out more than 200,000 Cadillacs and Buicks. It will likely make around 80,000 vehicles this year.</p>
<p>Compared with competitors, GM has a larger number of plants that make only cars. That has forced GM to make more drastic moves when adjusting production toward trucks and SUVs. It has cut nearly 3,000 jobs since late last year, leaving many U.S. factories on reduced schedules.</p>
<p>GM has more leeway to cut factory workers under more flexible terms under its recent contracts with unionized workers. It pays less in unemployment benefits and uses more temporary workers who aren't due money when they are let go.</p>
<p>GM can "react to market dynamics and take costs out more aggressively compared with past [economic] cycles," company finance chief Chuck Stevens told analysts last year.</p>
<p>Some analysts expect Ms. Barra will make aggressive moves with underused plants, after showing a willingness to ditch unprofitable operations in Europe and elsewhere that other GM executives had long tolerated.</p>
<p>"I would expect to see GM make some bold moves on their car lineup," said Jeff Schuster, an analyst at research firm LMC Automotive.</p>
<p>Write to Mike Colias at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>October 10, 2017 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)</p> | GM Wrestles With Excess Capacity -- WSJ | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/10/gm-wrestles-with-excess-capacity-wsj0.html | 2017-10-10 | 0 |
<p>TIDMTSCO</p>
<p>FORM 8.3</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY</p>
<p>A PERSON WITH INTERESTS IN RELEVANT SECURITIES REPRESENTING 1% OR MORE</p>
<p>Rule 8.3 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")</p>
<p>1. KEY INFORMATION</p>
<p>(a) Full name of discloser: Invesco Ltd.</p>
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<p>(b) Owner or controller of interests and short positions</p>
<p>disclosed, if different from 1(a):</p>
<p>The naming of nominee or vehicle companies is insufficient.</p>
<p>For a trust, the trustee(s), settlor and beneficiaries</p>
<p>must be named.</p>
<p>(c) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant</p>
<p>securities this form relates: Tesco Plc.</p>
<p>Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree</p>
<p>(d) If an exempt fund manager connected with an offeror/offeree,</p>
<p>state this and specify identity of offeror/offeree:</p>
<p>(e) Date position held/dealing undertaken: 30 January 2018</p>
<p>For an opening position disclosure, state the latest</p>
<p>practicable date prior to the disclosure</p>
<p>(f) In addition to the company in 1(c) above, is the Yes: Booker Group Plc.</p>
<p>discloser making disclosures in respect of any other</p>
<p>party to the offer?</p>
<p>If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state</p>
<p>"N/A"</p>
<p>2. POSITIONS OF THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE</p>
<p>If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than</p>
<p>one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c),</p>
<p>copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of</p>
<p>relevant security.</p>
<p>1. Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror</p>
<p>or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)</p>
<p>GB0008847096</p>
<p>Class of relevant security: 5p Ordinary</p>
<p>Interests Short positions</p>
<p>Number % Number %</p>
<p>(1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: 28,477,787 0.34%</p>
<p>(2) Cash-settled derivatives:</p>
<p>(3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options)</p>
<p>and agreements to purchase/sell:</p>
<p>TOTAL: 28,477,787 0.34%</p>
<p>All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.</p>
<p>Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded</p>
<p>options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should</p>
<p>be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).</p>
<p>(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors'</p>
<p>and other employee options)</p>
<p>Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription</p>
<p>right exists:</p>
<p>Details, including nature of the rights concerned</p>
<p>and relevant percentages:</p>
<p>3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE PERSON MAKING THE DISCLOSURE</p>
<p>Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant</p>
<p>securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(c), copy table 3(a), (b),</p>
<p>(c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant</p>
<p>security dealt in.</p>
<p>The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.</p>
<p>1. Purchases and sales</p>
<p>Class of relevant Purchase/sale Number of securities Price per unit</p>
<p>security</p>
<p>Ordinary Purchase 2,515,429 2.09 GBP</p>
<p>(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions</p>
<p>Class of Product description Nature of dealing Number of Price</p>
<p>relevant e.g. CFD e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing reference per</p>
<p>security a long/short position securities unit</p>
<p>(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)</p>
<p>(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying</p>
<p>Class of Product Writing, Number of Exercise Type Expiry Option</p>
<p>relevant description purchasing, securities price e.g. American, European etc. date money</p>
<p>security e.g. call selling, to which per paid/</p>
<p>option varying option unit received</p>
<p>etc. relates per</p>
<p>unit</p>
<p>(ii) Exercise</p>
<p>Class of Product description Exercising/ Number of Exercise</p>
<p>relevant e.g. call option exercised securities price per</p>
<p>security against unit</p>
<p>(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)</p>
<p>Class of Nature of dealing Details Price per unit</p>
<p>relevant e.g. subscription, conversion (if</p>
<p>security applicable)</p>
<p>4. OTHER INFORMATION</p>
<p>(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements</p>
<p>Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or</p>
<p>any agreement or understanding, formal or informal,</p>
<p>relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement</p>
<p>to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the</p>
<p>person making the disclosure and any party to the</p>
<p>offer or any person acting in concert with a party</p>
<p>to the offer:</p>
<p>Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should</p>
<p>not be included. If there are no such agreements,</p>
<p>arrangements or understandings, state "none"</p>
<p>None</p>
<p>(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to</p>
<p>options or derivatives</p>
<p>Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding,</p>
<p>formal or informal, between the person making the</p>
<p>disclosure and any other person relating to:</p>
<p>(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under</p>
<p>any option; or</p>
<p>(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal</p>
<p>of any relevant securities to which any derivative</p>
<p>is referenced:</p>
<p>If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings,</p>
<p>state "none"</p>
<p>None</p>
<p>(c) Attachments</p>
<p>Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? NO</p>
<p>Date of disclosure: 31 January 2018</p>
<p>Contact name: Philippa Holmes</p>
<p>Telephone number: 01491 417 447</p>
<p>Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory</p>
<p>Information Service and must also be emailed to the Takeover Panel at</p>
<p>[email protected]. The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is</p>
<p>available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure</p>
<p>requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.</p>
<p>The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at</p>
<p>www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.</p>
<p>This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf</p>
<p>of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.</p>
<p>The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely</p>
<p>responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information</p>
<p>contained therein.</p>
<p>Source: Invesco Ltd. via Globenewswire</p>
<p>http://www.invescoperpetual.co.uk/</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>January 31, 2018 09:06 ET (14:06 GMT)</p> | Invesco UK Ltd Invesco Ltd. : Form 8.3 - Tesco Plc | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/30/invesco-uk-ltd-invesco-ltd-form-8-3-tesco-plc.html | 2018-01-31 | 0 |
<p>Missouri was still reeling in the aftermath of the suicide of State Auditor and Gubernatorial candidate Tom Schweich when more bad news struck: Schweich's media director, Robert "Spence" Jackson, took his own life.</p>
<p>In the weeks since Schweich's death, Jackson had vocally challenged Schweich's political adversaries, some of whom had been accused of engaging in a whisper campaign against him. Jackson had gone as far as to demand the resignation of the Missouri GOP Chairman, John Hancock.</p>
<p>His family heard from him on Friday evening, and by Sunday, his mother called police to ask them to check on him. They found him dead on Sunday evening.</p>
<p>Jefferson City police say that they are investigating the death as a suicide, claiming that they found no signs of foul play but did find a revolver, a spent cartridge and a note. They have not released the contents of the note or the location of the gunshot wound. Although the initial report suggests that he died early in the weekend, a final report is pending autopsy results.</p>
<p>Missouri Republicans, though stunned, reached out today to praise the work Jackson had done for the party in the past. Schweich's gubernatorial adversary, Catherine Hanaway, spoke highly of him, as did his former employer Matt Blunt. <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/spence-jackson-spokesman-for-the-late-tom-schweich-found-dead/article_81520750-f9cd-560c-8ecd-78163eeed778.html" type="external">http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/spence-jackson-spokesman-for-the-late-tom-schweich-found-dead/article_81520750-f9cd-560c-8ecd-78163eeed778.html</a></p> | Second Suicide in a Month Rocks Missouri GOP | true | http://danaloeschradio.com/second-suicide-in-a-month-rocks-missouri-gop | 2015-03-31 | 0 |
<p>According to a recent study conducted by the <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(15)60854-6.pdf" type="external">Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change</a>, pollution-related diseases accounted for 9 million premature deaths in 2015, concentrated in low and middle-income areas.</p>
<p>That's what the inventors of Treepex had in mind when designing the first-ever device that transforms polluted air into fresh oxygen.</p>
<p>The device may sound -- and look -- strange, but its concept is not entirely new. Take, for instance, those in polluted-rampant countries, such as China, who wear surgical masks to create a buffer between the air pollutants and their lungs.</p>
<p>Coming in three colors, the inhaler-like device is compact but durable. According to Treepex, the device is made out of stainless steel and non-toxic materials that ensure you'll be able to "breathe your own forest" with each inhale.</p>
<p>"So, we tried to replicate this process how tree cleans the air and enriches with different minerals," Treepex co-founder Lasha Kvantaliani said. "We replicated as much as possible with these complicated processes and made, of course, the same processes inside of our cartridges."</p>
<p>Here's how the filtration system works:</p>
<p>First, a removable cartridge filters out potentially dangerous solid particles, like lead and carbon, from the air. Then, the active filtration process begins through a series of chemical reactions. Next, non-toxic catalytic converters help oxidize the harmful compounds, leaving the remaining carbon dioxide to be converted to pure oxygen.</p>
<p>Treepex may rely on biological processes that have been studied for ages, but the device is very much a modern invention. Like most gadgets in 2017, the wearable pollution device connects to an app available on your smartphone. From there, users can monitor their pulmonary activity, the status of their cartridge filter, as well as battery level.</p>
<p>Besides providing the device with its core functionality, the cartilages also come in three different types of trees: Pine, Oak and Maple--providing fresh air comparable to a mature tree, the company noted.</p>
<p>Though the device is still in its early stages and hasn't undergone any sort of testing, doctors described Treepex as a product that's on the right track.</p>
<p>"We do not know yet about the results, long lasting results of this device," said Dr. Liza Goderdishvili, a pulmonologist at Tbilisi City Hospital. "May be it needs to be inevstigated in the prolonged time, or may be we should monitor the reustls of the device, but the idea itself is very good."</p>
<p>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</p>
<p>Check out these other Circa stories: <a href="" type="internal">These organizations are trying to make it easier for Americans to talk to Congress</a> <a href="" type="internal">This cut paper artist creates mesmerizing time lapses</a> <a href="" type="internal">Here's how mini crime scenes changed the way forensic scientists are trained</a></p> | This wearable device filters polluted air and lets you 'breathe your own forest' | false | https://circa.com/story/2017/10/25/science/treepex-transforms-polluted-air-into-fresh-oxygen | 2017-10-25 | 1 |
<p>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a blistering criticism of Abbott Laboratories for failing to properly investigate and resolve risks related to its implanted heart devices, including cybersecurity threats and a battery malfunction linked to two patient deaths.</p>
<p>The FDA's made the criticisms in a warning letter sent to Abbott on Wednesday, following an inspection of the medical-device maker's facilities in Sylmar, Calif., in February. The letter relates to pacemakers and defibrillators that Abbott acquired earlier this year in its $25 billion takeover of St. Jude Medical Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>All of the issues described in the letter occurred before Abbott completed the acquisition in January, an Abbott spokesman said. Abbott says it has since fixed the cybersecurity vulnerabilities and battery problems.</p>
<p>"We take these matters seriously, continue to make progress on our corrective actions, will closely review FDA's warning letter, and are committed to fully addressing FDA's concerns," the Abbott spokesman said in an email.</p>
<p>Analysts said the FDA's letter, which describes the company overlooking or omitting early signals of product defects or vulnerabilities, could hurt Abbott's reputation among cardiologists.</p>
<p>Abbott shares fell 1.8% to $42.69 in Thursday afternoon trading.</p>
<p>The letter requires Abbott to provide a written description of the steps it has taken to correct the violations identified by FDA inspectors, and an explanation of how it will prevent similar violations from occurring in the future. If Abbott fails to correct the violations, the FDA could seek to implement an injunction, conduct a seizure and issue monetary fines. The FDA said it wouldn't make any approvals related to the heart devices until the violations are corrected.</p>
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<p>The letter addresses two recent controversies involving St. Jude's devices: a report by Muddy Waters Capital LLC last year that St. Jude's pacemakers and defibrillators were vulnerable to hacking, and the company's recall of certain of defibrillators last year because of a battery malfunction.</p>
<p>In October 2016, St. Jude warned that about 250,000 of its heart defibrillators in the U.S. could stop working because of rapid battery depletion, and that two patient deaths were linked to the problem. The company said the malfunction was rare and most patients already implanted with the devices wouldn't need to have them replaced unless they received an alert.</p>
<p>But in the weeks after issuing the recall, St. Jude shipped 10 of the devices to its sales representatives and an additional seven patients were implanted with the recalled defibrillators, the FDA said in its warning letter. The devices provide pacing for slow heart rhythms and electrical shock or pacing to stop dangerously fast heart rhythms.</p>
<p>The FDA letter also suggested that St. Jude should have recognized the risk from the battery issue earlier than it did. From 2011 to 2014, St. Jude received evidence from its battery supplier that the malfunction was caused by lithium deposits in the batteries, the FDA said in its letter. But St. Jude "repeatedly concluded that the cause of premature depletion of" the batteries "'could not be determined,'" the FDA said.</p>
<p>As early as 2011, St. Jude had evidence that lithium clusters had formed in prematurely depleted batteries, the FDA letter said, but the company "failed to identify" the issue as a "hazardous situation."</p>
<p>In November 2014, St. Jude failed to present "relevant and complete information concerning the premature battery depletion issue" to its medical advisory board and management review board, the FDA said. For instance, the company only presented rates of battery depletions that were "confirmed" to be caused by lithium clusters, the FDA said. By failing to consider the "unconfirmed" cases of lithium clusters, "your firm underestimated the occurrence of the hazardous situation," the FDA said.</p>
<p>St. Jude told its management review and medical advisory boards that "there were no serious injury or death directly related to lithium cluster formations," despite having completed a review months earlier "of the first patient death related to the issue," the FDA said. St. Jude's review found that the cause of the death "'could not be determined,' despite evidence of lithium bridges, provided by your supplier," the FDA said.</p>
<p>"This death was not disclosed," in presentations to the management and medical advisory boards, the FDA said.</p>
<p>Muddy Waters Capital issued a report in August 2016 alleging that hackers could "crash" the company's pacemaker and defibrillator systems, or drain their batteries, by hacking into external devices that transmit and receive data from the heart devices. Muddy Waters Capital, an investment firm, said it had a short position in St. Jude's shares, meaning it was betting that the shares would decline in value. St. Jude denied the allegations and sued Muddy Waters Capital.</p>
<p>The FDA said in its Wednesday letter that St. Jude failed to follow its own procedures for identifying product and quality problems when it evaluated a "third party report" dated August 25, 2016 -- an apparent reference to the Muddy Waters Capital report. St. Jude failed to "confirm all required corrective and preventive actions were completed, including a full root cause investigation" of "potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities," the FDA said.</p>
<p>Shortly after completing its acquisition of St. Jude, Abbott released a security patch for the devices, which it said secured them against hacking. At the time, the FDA confirmed that the devices had previously been vulnerable to cyber-hacking, but that no patients had been harmed because of the vulnerabilities.</p>
<p>St. Jude also failed to incorporate into its risk-assessments the findings of a separate cybersecurity analysis that the company commissioned from a third party in 2014, the FDA's letter said. By failing to incorporate the findings, St. Jude caused its "risk estimations to be acceptable, when, according to the report, several risks were not adequately controlled," the letter said.</p>
<p>Write to Joseph Walker at [email protected]</p>
<p>The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a blistering criticism of Abbott Laboratories for failing to properly investigate and resolve risks related to its implanted heart devices, including cybersecurity threats and a battery malfunction linked to two patient deaths.</p>
<p>The FDA made the criticisms in a warning letter sent to Abbott on Wednesday, following an inspection of the medical-device maker's facilities in Sylmar, Calif., in February. The letter relates to pacemakers and defibrillators that Abbott acquired earlier this year in its $25 billion takeover of St. Jude Medical Inc.</p>
<p>All of the issues described in the letter occurred before Abbott completed the acquisition in January, an Abbott spokesman said. Abbott says it has since fixed cybersecurity vulnerabilities with the greatest risks, and will continue to address other vulnerabilities with additional software updates. The battery problem was fixed with a design update in 2015, the company said.</p>
<p>"We take these matters seriously, continue to make progress on our corrective actions, will closely review FDA's warning letter, and are committed to fully addressing FDA's concerns," an Abbott spokesman said in an email.</p>
<p>Analysts said the FDA's letter, which describes the company overlooking or omitting early signals of product defects or vulnerabilities, could hurt Abbott's reputation among cardiologists.</p>
<p>Abbott shares fell 0.8% to $42.67 on Thursday.</p>
<p>The letter requires Abbott to provide a written description of the steps it has taken to correct the violations identified by FDA inspectors, and an explanation of how it will prevent similar violations from occurring in the future. If Abbott fails to correct the violations, the FDA could seek to implement an injunction, conduct a seizure and issue monetary fines. The FDA said it wouldn't make any approvals related to the heart devices until the violations are corrected.</p>
<p>The letter addresses two recent controversies involving St. Jude's devices: a report by Muddy Waters Capital LLC last year that St. Jude's pacemakers and defibrillators were vulnerable to hacking, and the company's recall of certain of defibrillators last year because of a battery malfunction.</p>
<p>In October 2016, St. Jude warned that about 250,000 of its heart defibrillators in the U.S. could stop working because of rapid battery depletion, and that two patient deaths were linked to the problem. The company said the malfunction was rare and most patients already implanted with the devices wouldn't need to have them replaced unless they received an alert.</p>
<p>But in the weeks after issuing the recall, St. Jude shipped 10 of the devices to its sales representatives and an additional seven patients were implanted with the recalled defibrillators, the FDA said in its warning letter. The devices provide pacing for slow heart rhythms and electrical shock or pacing to stop dangerously fast heart rhythms.</p>
<p>The FDA letter also suggested that St. Jude should have recognized the risk from the battery issue earlier than it did. From 2011 to 2014, St. Jude received evidence from its battery supplier that the malfunction was caused by lithium deposits in the batteries, the FDA said in its letter. But St. Jude "repeatedly concluded that the cause of premature depletion of" the batteries "'could not be determined,'" the FDA said.</p>
<p>As early as 2011, St. Jude had evidence that lithium clusters had formed in prematurely depleted batteries, the FDA letter said, but the company "failed to identify" the issue as a "hazardous situation."</p>
<p>In November 2014, St. Jude failed to present "relevant and complete information concerning the premature battery depletion issue" to its medical advisory board and management review board, the FDA said. For instance, the company only presented rates of battery depletions that were "confirmed" to be caused by lithium clusters, the FDA said. By failing to consider the "unconfirmed" cases of lithium clusters, "your firm underestimated the occurrence of the hazardous situation," the FDA said.</p>
<p>St. Jude told its management review and medical advisory boards that "there were no serious injury or death directly related to lithium cluster formations," despite having completed a review months earlier "of the first patient death related to the issue," the FDA said. St. Jude's review found that the cause of the death "'could not be determined,' despite evidence of lithium bridges, provided by your supplier," the FDA said.</p>
<p>"This death was not disclosed," in presentations to the management and medical advisory boards, the FDA said.</p>
<p>Muddy Waters Capital issued a report in August 2016 alleging that hackers could "crash" the company's pacemaker and defibrillator systems, or drain their batteries, by hacking into external devices that transmit and receive data from the heart devices. Muddy Waters Capital, an investment firm, said it had a short position in St. Jude's shares, meaning it was betting that the shares would decline in value. St. Jude denied the allegations and sued Muddy Waters Capital.</p>
<p>The FDA said in its Wednesday letter that St. Jude failed to follow its own procedures for identifying product and quality problems when it evaluated a "third party report" dated August 25, 2016 -- an apparent reference to the Muddy Waters Capital report. St. Jude failed to "confirm all required corrective and preventive actions were completed, including a full root cause investigation" of "potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities," the FDA said.</p>
<p>Shortly after completing its acquisition of St. Jude, Abbott released a security patch for the devices, which it said secured them against hacking. At the time, the FDA confirmed that the devices had previously been vulnerable to cyber-hacking, but that no patients had been harmed because of the vulnerabilities.</p>
<p>St. Jude also failed to incorporate into its risk-assessments the findings of a separate cybersecurity analysis that the company commissioned from a third party in 2014, the FDA's letter said. By failing to incorporate the findings, St. Jude caused its "risk estimations to be acceptable, when, according to the report, several risks were not adequately controlled," the letter said.</p>
<p>Write to Joseph Walker at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>April 13, 2017 18:02 ET (22:02 GMT)</p> | FDA Warns on Abbott's St. Jude Pacemakers and Defibrillators | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/04/13/fda-warns-on-abbotts-st-jude-pacemakers-and-defibrillators.html | 2017-04-13 | 0 |
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<p>The Rio Rancho Public Schools Board earlier this week unanimously approved its alternative plan but not without complaints. Board vice president Don Schlichte said the district was “not headed in the right direction” but had no alternative and had to move forward. He said he opposes the evaluation system because the district does not have money to implement it, it’s unfair and the assessment process is questionable.</p>
<p>“I also worry about the morale of our staff,” he said. “This is also very bureaucratic with no proven results. It’s very stupid, and I’m tired of it.”</p>
<p>The district was hoping to hear word by tomorrow on whether the state would accept its plan.</p>
<p>The PED’s teacher evaluation system, to be launched in the upcoming school year, has met with strong pushback from RRPS and Albuquerque Public Schools. The two districts have said the state’s proposed system is not a fair or accurate way to truly evaluate teacher performance. The districts have said they need more time and resources to properly implement the system, but the state has held steadfast in putting the system in place for the 2013-14 school year.</p>
<p>As a result, the RRPS board approved an alternative evaluation system it’s hoping the state will approve. In the state’s proposed system, half of a teacher’s evaluation will be based on student achievement, 25 percent on observation by a school administrator and the rest on multiple measures. Teachers will be rated as exemplary, highly effective, effective, minimally effective or ineffective.</p>
<p>It is the student achievement portion of the system that has garnered the most criticism. At issue is which measure of student achievement the districts will use to evaluate a teacher.</p>
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<p>Districts are to use results from the state’s Standards Based Assessment for instructors who teach English and math. However, there are hundreds teaching other courses, and the challenge is developing tests in those other subjects.</p>
<p>Rio Rancho is proposing a system in which student achievement would be 35 percent; observation, 35 percent; multiple measures, 30 percent, and 5 percent bonus points for teachers with good attendance who are rated effective and above.</p>
<p>The APS board this week voted to submit a second alternative plan, in which student achievement would account for 30 percent of an evaluation. In its first plan, student achievement was worth 25 percent, but that plan was rejected.</p> | RR school district chooses teacher evaluation plan | false | https://abqjournal.com/215455/rr-school-district-chooses-teacher-evaluation-plan.html | 2013-06-27 | 2 |
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