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<p>Australian casino operator Crown Resorts Ltd. said main-floor gaming revenue was slightly higher in the first four months of the fiscal year, but that VIP play continued to decline following the arrests of some of its employees in China.</p>
<p>Executive Chairman John Alexander, in prepared remarks to be delivered at the company's annual meeting, also emphatically rejected recent accusations from Australian independent lawmaker Andrew Wilkie that the company tampered with gaming machines. Mr. Alexander said the allegations, which Mr. Wilkie said comes from a handful of whistleblowers, are "deeply offensive" to Crown.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>"I again urge Mr Wilkie, if he believes he has evidence of wrongdoing, to stop the political games and immediately provide any information he has in his possession directly to the relevant authorities," Mr. Alexander said.</p>
<p>In the period from July 1 to Oct. 22, Crown said VIP program play at its Australian resorts was down 17% compared to the prior period. The continued decline comes after Crown staff, including three Australians, were detained last October by Chinese authorities and later convicted of gambling crimes. The case was widely watched in the casino industry because Chinese high-rollers had become a coveted revenue source for global casinos.</p>
<p>Mr. Alexander, however, said VIP program play in the recent period at the company's flagship Melbourne casino exceeded expectations, "which is encouraging given that most of the prior corresponding period preceded the detention of Crown's staff in China."</p>
<p>He said revenue from main-floor gaming, excluding VIP, was "slightly up" at its Australian resorts and that non-gaming revenue rose around 6%. He said wagering and online businesses continued to show good revenue growth.</p>
<p>Crown, controlled by Australian billionaire James Packer, also said a project to build a new casino-resort on Sydney's waterfront is proceeding on schedule and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2021.</p>
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<p>-Write to Mike Cherney at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>October 25, 2017 19:29 ET (23:29 GMT)</p> | Crown Resorts VIP Gaming Declines, But Main-Floor Revenue Rises in First Four Months | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/25/crown-resorts-vip-gaming-declines-but-main-floor-revenue-rises-in-first-four-months.html | 2017-10-25 | 0 |
<p>To recall the genius of Richard Nixon, that is my lesson plan for the day.</p>
<p>Admittedly, it is an act of desperation on my part to search that far back into the darker regions of the American presidency to find a role model that the Bushites might emulate in this time of nuclear saber rattling, from Tehran to D.C. to Pyongyang. But these are desperate times.</p>
<p>Both Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney are veterans of the Nixon White House, and it is tragic that they betrayed Nixon’s sensible pursuit of detente with one’s enemies, instead converting to the permanent stance of confrontation favored by the neoconservative cabal. Now, however, we might hope they have been humbled sufficiently by the Iraq disaster to reexamine Nixon’s peace diplomacy in a fonder light.</p>
<p>Yes, Nixon, the politician most responsible, in his early career, for stoking U.S. hysteria about the menace of “Red China,” but who later sharply reversed course as a president, traveling to Beijing to drink mai tais with the dreaded Mao Zedong. In zigging when the isolationists right wanted him to zag, Tricky Dick managed to defuse decades of tension between the United States and Communist China almost overnight. This is just the sort of tack President Bush could and should take with pathetic North Korea, which finds nuclear brinkmanship its only way of receiving attention. As was seen with the decadelong taming of Libya’s once despised Moammar Kadafi, diplomacy can be muscular, and peace definitely pays. That was the essence of the Nixon Doctrine.</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, Nixon, who inherited the Vietnam War from Democratic administrations, tragically decided America could not lose face by finding a peaceful end to that completely unnecessary war. But in the end peace broke out with the Reds in Hanoi, and today the Communist menace is mostly experienced as a battle by the two still-Communist-led nations for shelf space in Costco and Wal-Mart. China, which cut back on militarism in favor of commerce after Nixon’s visit, even floats a good chunk of the U.S. deficit — something for which the big spenders in the Bush administration should be grateful. If Bush could open North Korea and get the North Koreans fully committed to the dry goods business, they would lose interest in those missiles that barely get off the ground.</p>
<p>Even the normally bellicose Bush now seems to be getting the point. “Diplomacy, diplomacy,” he chanted at a recent press conference, embracing the word he once most dreaded. “You are watching the diplomacy work not only in North Korea but in Iran,” he stated Friday. Unfortunately, he was mangling not only syntax but fact: Diplomacy is not yet working in either case. Yet it is the administration’s only believable option, and for that we should be grateful. The Iraq war has been very costly in terms of lives and treasure, but it has produced a sobering hangover effect.</p>
<p>Yes, the neocons remain addicted to militarism, but our military is exhausted and the generals are pushing back. It would appear from recent reports, especially the excellent work of Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker, that the Pentagon now stands in the way of an insane plan to invade — or even nuke — Iran. The Shiite extremists Bush helped into power in Baghdad would go nuts if we attacked their theocratic mentors in Tehran.</p>
<p>In the Far East, meanwhile, next-door neighbors China and South Korea continue to make it clear that diplomacy is the only alternative for dealing with pugnacious North Korea. Christopher R. Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator on North Korea, is thus reassuring his hosts in Seoul that he is there to kick-start stalled six-party talks rather than circumvent them.</p>
<p>At the same time, however, he once again rejected any notion of bilateral talks with the North Koreans, reiterating Bush’s stubborn position. That’s why I brought up Nixon: If that sourpuss was able to charm the grizzled Mao, then certainly Bush, who excels in bamboozling the gullible, should have a field day with a neophyte like Pyongyang’s “god-king” Kim Jong Il.</p>
<p>Hell, Bush might even empathize with Kim’s desire to escape from the shadow of a father from whom he inherited his crown. As for the dictator thing, no problem: Bush just loves the one in Pakistan whose country supplied North Korea with vital nuclear technology. And has any Bush ever had a problem cozying up to the anti-democratic royalty of Saudi Arabia? Of course not; the Bushes famously give them kisses and hold their hands.</p>
<p>So go for it, George; butter Kim up with some of that frat boy charm. Who knows, he might even join your shaky “coalition of the willing.”</p> | Robert Scheer: Bush Should Channel Nixon in North Korea | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/robert-scheer-bush-should-channel-nixon-in-north-korea/ | 2006-07-12 | 4 |
<p>NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has been taking some close looks at the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres in the asteroid belt, and it has spotted some astonishing features beyond just the bright white spots — and one of them is a pyramid that looks like the one in Egypt.</p>
<p>The weirdness of Ceres just keeps growing as Dawn takes closer peaks of it on ensuing flybys, and NASA posted its latest video on Thursday, according to a <a href="http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/the-4-mile-tall-pyramid-mountain-on-dwarf-planet-ceres-also-glows/" type="external">CNET report</a>.</p>
<p>It’s a high mountain too, rising even higher than Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in the USA at 20,000 feet. There also appear to be bright streaks going down the pyramid’s sides.</p>
<p>The Dawn mission has also been taking a closer look at those bright spots that scientists have been scratching their heads over. They sit inside a crater that measures about 60 miles in width and is about 2 miles of depth. However, scientists aren’t any closer at identifying what they are or what causes them.</p>
<p>But the pyramid-looking mountain is the new discovery, rising 4 miles into the air, with one side strangely dark while the other one glows with streaks — almost like those mysterious bright spots, so perhaps they have the same cause.</p>
<p>The Dawn space probe was launched back in September 2007 by NASA with the goal of observing two of three protoplanets in the asteroid belt, Ceres and Vesta, the former of which it is currently in orbit around and has been for the last few months since arriving in March 2015. It had previously been in orbit around Vesta back in July of 2011, where it conducted a 14-month survey mission before blasting off to Ceres.</p>
<p /> | A pyramid deep in space? Bizarre feature spotted on Ceres | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/08/09/a-pyramid-deep-in-space-bizarre-feature-spotted-on-ceres/ | 2015-08-09 | 3 |
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<p>Michael Paul Astorga won’t get a new trial, at least not based on the wide-ranging defense motion District Judge Neil Candelaria heard on Tuesday.</p>
<p>That means the capital murder case is on track for the penalty phase, with a separate jury from the one that heard the evidence and convicted him June 4 of fatally shooting Sheriff’s Deputy James McGrane four years earlier.</p>
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<p>The penalty phase, in which Astorga faces the death penalty, is set to start Sept. 1. But with death cases — especially this one — much remains uncertain.</p>
<p>Candelaria heard oral arguments on the motion from Astorga attorney Gary Mitchell and Deputy District Attorney Troy Davis and then, to the surprise of almost no one, denied it.</p>
<p>DA Kari Brandenburg said afterward the law and the evidence were on the prosecution’s side. Davis had argued that no matter how much the defense didn’t like the verdict, the law says the evidence must be reviewed in the light most favorable to the government once there is a conviction.</p>
<p>“The fact is, this jury was fair and impartial,” Davis argued. “Jurors clearly rejected the defendant’s version of the facts.”</p>
<p>Mitchell said new trial motions are notoriously difficult to win, and that the judge’s ruling Tuesday “wasn’t unexpected.”</p>
<p>The core of Mitchell’s argument was that the evidence was insufficient for a jury to have met the high legal standard of “beyond a reasonable doubt,” and came about in an atmosphere of intense community pressure and massive publicity.</p>
<p>Appellate courts are going to have to devise a remedy to deal with convictions when the burden of proof hasn’t been met, he said, acknowleding that courts are extremely reluctant to go behind a jury’s deliberations.</p>
<p>“As much as we want to uphold the sanctity of the jury’s verdict, we also want to make sure that burden of proof is upheld,” Mitchell said. Astorga’s case is the ideal one in which the court can and should fashion a remedy, he said.</p>
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<p>“I’ve never had a case in my career where the evidence was so good on behalf of the defendant as opposed to the state’s case — no eyewitnesses, no scientific evidence, things of that nature, in which a jury should have acquitted,” he said.</p>
<p>Brandenburg said proseutors may file motions seeking clarification from the state Supreme Court on procedures and legal standards because the court in the Astorga case is blazing new trails.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court on its own initiative enacted a rule ordering separate juries for the guilt/innocence and penalty phases in death penalty cases, but some of the details are up in the air.</p>
<p>Mitchell said he expects to file a motion seeking to have the penalty phase outside Albuquerque. He also plans to ask Candelaria to approve an appeal of the constitutionality of the death penalty before the penalty phase trial begins.</p>
<p>Outside court, the victim’s father, James McGrane, said the jury had made “the right decision,” and applauded the judge’s ruling rejecting a new trial.</p>
<p>Astorga’s mother, Theresa Romero, said she looks to the Supreme Court for a better outcome for her son.</p>
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<p>Michael Paul Astorga’s request for a new trial in the shooting death of a Bernalillo County sheriff’s deputy was rejected Tuesday by state District Judge Neil Candelaria, <a href="http://www.kob.com/article/stories/S1639682.shtml?cat=500" type="external">KOB-TV</a> reported.</p>
<p>The station said Astorga and his attorney, Gary Mitchell, sought the new trial during a hearing before Candelaria in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>Mitchell argued that there was no hard evidence presented during Astorga’s trial that tied him to the scene of the murder of Bernalillo County deputy James McGrane Jr. in 2006, according to Eyewitness News 4.</p>
<p>Astorga was convicted last month of first-degree murder, tampering with evidence and possession of a firearm by a felon in the death McGrane.</p>
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<p>The attorney for Michael Astorga, who was convicted of killing Bernalillo County sheriff’s Deputy James McGrane Jr., will be in court this morning arguing for a new trial, <a href="http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/Astorga-to-ask-judge-for-new-trial" type="external">KRQE News 13</a> reported.</p>
<p>The motion for a new trial is scheduled to be heard at 9:30 this morning before state District Judge Neil Candelaria, according to the 2nd Judicial District Court’s online docket.</p>
<p>“We think that the jury, frankly, through public pressure reached a verdict that they should not have reached based upon the evidence,” said Gary Mitchell, who insists that the only connection Astorga had to the murder scene was that it was Astorga’s license plate McGrane called into a police dispatcher shortly before he was shot to death on a Tijeras highway in March 2006, News 13 said.</p>
<p>“Lack of scientific evidence, the lack of eyewitnesses that identified either the pickup or Mr. Astorga as being there and the large number of alibi witnesses” should have led jurors to acquit Astorga, Mitchell has argued.</p>
<p>And it’s the lack of evidence as well as extensive pretrial publicity that Mitchell believes entitles Astorga to a new trial, KRQE reported.</p>
<p>Prosecutors, however, said that more than 200 people were questioned to serve as a juror in the Astorga case, and the jurors selected had little to no knowledge of the case, according to News 13.</p>
<p>It took jurors less than 15 hours to convict Astorga, who will face a death penalty proceeding later this year with a different panel of jurors.</p>
<p>“I am hoping that some day, somewhere, some place, some day to get that fair and impartial trial that we’ve been looking for,” said Mitchell, who will also argue that another jury in another city should decide Astorga’s fate, News 13 said.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | UPDATED: Judge Denies Request for New Trial for Astorga | false | https://abqjournal.com/8269/updated-judge-denies-request-for-new-trial-for-astorga.html | 2 |
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<p>An unmasked Batman and his Bat Mobile visited the Lake Houston Starbucks in Kingwood, Texas on Sunday. John Salazar says it took him about a year to build this work of art.`He said he built it on top of a Corvette. Mr. Salazar definitely knew what he was doing. Who would otherwise modify a Corvette and turn it into a Bat Mobile.</p>
<p>When asked how much he paid for the modification he just said it was a lot.&#160; When asked if his wife is onboard with this hobby, he said she is use to him doing things like this. John said he will eventually sell the car. How much is this car going to set back the lucky purchaser? It will cost north of one hundred thousand dollars.</p>
<p>Mr. Salazar attracted a crowd. There was a continuous flow of people (adults and children alike) taking pictures with the bat mobile. They were curious and asked a whole lot of questions. One could only feel for John’s daughter as an evening out with dad was an evening watching her dad answering questions over and over again about the car. She said however she is use to the attention given to her dad and the car.</p>
<p>Kingwood can feel safe now. After all, Batman is in town with his bat mobile and his sidekick. And the sidekick is his pretty daughter.</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal" /> LIKE My <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/EgbertoWilliescom/181893712536" type="external">Facebook Page</a> – Visit My Blog: <a href="http://www.EgbertoWillies.com" type="external">EgbertoWillies.com</a></p> | Batman And His Bat Mobile Comes To Starbucks In Kingwood (VIDEO) | true | http://egbertowillies.com/2013/09/22/bat-mobile-come-to-starbucks-in-kingwood-video/?fb_source%3Dpubv1 | 2013-09-22 | 4 |
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<p>Shia LaBeouf's failed "He Will not Divide Us" art project has started up yet again. Anons on 8chan have declared the new setup as 'Season 4'. Season 4 of HWNDU is yet again a flag setup. The flag pole appears to be the same as before, but the background noise is different now. Anons have assumed Shia setup this flag pole in the back of a pickup truck and will be driving it around and changing locations. Tune in to watch Season 4 of HWNDU and lets see together how it unfolds.</p>
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<p>Source: <a href="https://8ch.net/hwndu/" type="external">8ch.net/hwndu</a></p> | Shia Lebouf's #HWNDU Season 4 Begins | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/1901-Shia-Lebouf-s-HWNDU-Season-4-Begins | 2017-03-22 | 0 |
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<p>WASHINGTON – The country’s top intelligence official testified to Congress on Thursday that Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential campaign went well beyond hacking to include disinformation and the dissemination of “fake news” – an effort, he said, that continues.</p>
<p>“Whatever crack, fissure, they could find in our tapestry . . . they would exploit it,” said Director of National Intelligence James Clapper Jr., testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on foreign cybersecurity threats, especially Russian hacking and interference in the election.</p>
<p>The hearing brought one of the most contentious post-election issues directly to Capitol Hill and to a national audience. Predictable partisan political lines were drawn. Most Republicans seemed disinclined to address head-on the intelligence community’s allegations of Russian hacking and used the hearing to criticize President Barack Obama’s handling of the cyberattacks.</p>
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<p>But Democrats and the leading Republicans on the committee – Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., – eagerly questioned intelligence officials about Russian interference in the election and seemed ready to embrace their conclusions about the Kremlin’s motives.</p>
<p>Trump has repeatedly voiced skepticism about the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia interfered to help him win the White House.</p>
<p>Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., on Thursday took a swipe at Trump. “Who benefits from a president-elect trashing the intelligence community?” she said, adding, “Who actually is the benefactor?”</p>
<p>Clapper replied that “there is an important distinction here between healthy skepticism, which policymakers, to include policymaker number one, should always have for intelligence, but I think there is a difference between skepticism and disparagement.”</p>
<p>Former CIA director R. James Woolsey Jr., a veteran of four presidential administrations, resigned Thursday from Trump’s transition team because of growing tensions over Trump’s vision for intelligence agencies.</p>
<p>Woolsey’s resignation as a Trump senior adviser comes amid frustrations over the incoming administration’s national security plans and Trump’s public comments undermining the intelligence community.</p>
<p>“Effective immediately, Ambassador Woolsey is no longer a Senior Advisor to President-Elect Trump or the Transition,” Jonathan Franks, a spokesman for Woolsey, said in a statement. “He wishes the President-Elect and his Administration great success in their time in office.”</p>
<p>People close to Woolsey said that he had been excluded in recent weeks from discussions on intelligence matters with Trump and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the incoming White House national security adviser. They said Woolsey had grown increasingly uncomfortable lending his name and credibility to the transition team without being consulted. Woolsey was taken aback by this week’s reports that Trump is considering revamping the country’s intelligence framework, said these people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to comment candidly.</p>
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<p>At the hearing, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and others cast doubt on the idea that Russia would want to help Trump.</p>
<p>“Donald Trump has proposed to increase our defense budget, to accelerate nuclear modernization, to accelerate ballistic missile defenses, and to expand and accelerate oil and gas production, which would obviously harm Russia’s economy,” Cotton said. “Hillary Clinton opposed or at least was not as enthusiastic about all those measures.”</p>
<p>But McCain and Graham, two longtime national security hawks, were adamant that more needs to be done to punish and deter Russia.</p>
<p>In the most dramatic portion of the hearing, Graham asked Clapper whether he was ready to be challenged by Trump, and Clapper said he was. Graham also advised Trump, “Mr. President-elect, when you listen to these people, you can be skeptical, but understand they’re the best among us and they’re trying to protect us.”</p>
<p>Graham criticized Obama’s response to the election-year interference, which included imposing economic sanctions on top Russian spy agencies and officials and expelling 35 Russian “intelligence operatives.”</p>
<p>“What Obama did was throw a pebble,” he said. “I’m ready to throw a rock.”</p>
<p>Graham did not specify what form of punishment he would like to see, though he and McCain, the Armed Services Committee’s chairman, have said in recent days that they want to impose stronger sanctions on Russia.</p>
<p>At the hearing, Clapper said the intelligence community stands “more resolutely” than ever behind its assessment – first publicly announced on Oct. 7 – officially accusing the Kremlin’s “senior-most” officials of orchestrating a campaign of interference in the 2016 election.</p>
<p>More details on Moscow’s array of influence operations will be included in a report briefed to Congress next week, Clapper said. A declassified version will be made public.</p>
<p>Clapper noted that while much of the public focus over the past six months has been on Russian hacking of Democratic Party organizations, the Russian campaign of fake news, often promoted on social media, should not be overlooked. He pointed to Russia Today, also known as RT, a Russian-government-funded international television network that Clapper said is pushing a point of view “disparaging our system, our alleged hypocrisy about human rights.” Whether it was RT, “use of social media, fake news,” he said, “they exercised all of those capabilities in addition to the hacking.”</p>
<p>Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who was Clinton’s running mate, said he was the subject of several fake news stories. The mainstream media ignored them, he said, “but one of the stories was shared 800,000 times.” Some originated within the United States.</p>
<p>He then took a jab at Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Flynn, a former military intelligence officer who has drawn criticism from some former colleagues for his strident support of Trump. Without mentioning Flynn’s name, Kaine alluded to Flynn sharing on Twitter a baseless story claiming that members of Clinton’s campaign were engaged in a child prostitution ring. Flynn, who has not responded to questions about the story, has since deleted the tweet. Still, Kaine decried “an administration that has put in place as the proposed national security adviser someone who traffics in these fake news stories and retweets them and shares them . . . stories that most fourth-graders would find incredible.”</p>
<p>Clapper said that to counter Russian propaganda, the United States should undertake a more aggressive counter-propaganda effort, something akin to a beefed-up U.S. Information Agency, which was dissolved in 1999.</p>
<p>Asked why that has not yet happened, National Security Agency Director Michael S. Rogers, who also testified Thursday, said, “I don’t think we’ve come yet to a full recognition of the idea that we’re going to have to try to do something fundamentally different.”</p>
<p>Added Rogers, who is also head of U.S. Cyber Command, “I think we still continue to try to do some of the same traditional things we’ve done, and expecting to do the same thing over and over again yet achieve a different result.”</p>
<p>Earlier this week, Trump praised Julian Assange, co-founder of WikiLeaks, the transparency group that has been criticized by the Obama administration for damaging national security leaks. Trump has indicated that he believes Assange’s comments that Russia is not behind the Democratic Party hacks, placing him at odds with the intelligence establishment. Trump on Thursday, though, said his comments on Assange had been misunderstood.</p>
<p>When asked by McCain whether “any credibility” should be attached to Assange’s comments, Clapper responded, “Not in my view.”</p>
<p>He later added, “I don’t think those of us in the intelligence community have a whole lot of respect for him.”</p>
<p>McCain, who has been critical of the Obama administration’s responses to cyber-provocations by foreign nations such as China and Russia, pressed Clapper on whether the campaign meddling was an attack on the United States and an “act of war.”</p>
<p>“We have no way of gauging the impact – certainly the intelligence community can’t gauge the impact – it had on choices the electorate made,” Clapper replied.</p>
<p>Determining whether an action is an act of war is a “very heavy policy call that I don’t believe the intelligence community should make, but it certainly would carry, in my view, great gravity,” Clapper said.</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>The Washington Post’s Sean Sullivan contributed to this report.</p> | Top US intelligence official: Russia meddled in election by hacking, spreading of propaganda | false | https://abqjournal.com/921496/top-u-s-intelligence-official-russia-meddled-in-2016-election-through-hacking-and-spreading-of-propaganda.html | 2017-01-05 | 2 |
<p>We had another one of those terror alert thingies just the other day. A small airplane flew very close to the capitol buildings where they used to run the US government. 35,000 human beings, plus the entire legislature, were evacuated from the area. The government was shut down and America’s #1 librarian was hustled down into the secret war bunkers underneath the undisclosed location. Fighter jets chased after the small airplane. To read the news accounts, the guys flying the small airplane must have been pretty foggy on events of the last few years, because they were buzzing along closer and closer to the pretty round-topped building with all the columns in front until they noticed all the planes with missiles around them.</p>
<p>I regret missing the fun, but I was terribly busy working and didn’t hear about it until it was all over. This puts me in the company of only one other guy: the president. Yes, kiddies, gather round Uncle’s knee and I’ll tell you a tale. The president, which is what we call George W. Bush for lack of a spicier vilification, was riding his bicycle through a pleasant wooded area while the United States capitol was being evacuated. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but for George it’s a very big deal indeed, because this was a bicycle with two wheels and no training wheels at all. A great big grown-up bike just like the one he fell off and skinned his face last year. He’s very brave to get back on a bicycle after that, don’t you think?</p>
<p>Around and around the path he rode, and meanwhile tens of thousands of terrified federal workers were evacuating in all directions only a few miles away. Around and around. Now George doesn’t ride his bicycle alone, because that would be very dangerous (if you’re him). He has lots and lots of bodyguards with special devices inserted in their ears that allow them to communicate with other people far away, just like George wore during the debates. People in the capitol told them all about how the small airplane was flying closer and closer to George’s place of employment (when you think about it, a terrorist would have to be really stupid to attack George’s office, because the odds of George being there are so slim. Ever noticed how whenever anything happens, George is interrupted during a vacation at his ranch in Joan Crawford, Texas? That’s because he’s always on vacation. I think people might start catching on, if they’re ever so clever like you are, children.)</p>
<p>The Secret Service, which is what George’s bodyguards are called on account of it sounds cool, all knew about the situation at the capitol right away. But for another three-quarters of an hour, nobody told George. He just rode around and around. When I was very small, people said the president should be in charge of things. Certainly this is the impression I got from movies and things. The president is the man that comes into the room and bangs his fist on the desk and yells, “Stalemate? Like hell it is, we’re going in there!” and sends the fighter jets laden with Rambo to go blow up the bad guys. George has even cultivated this image himself. Remember when he landed on that aircraft carrier wearing that butch S&amp;M harness? But there wasn’t really anything going on at the time. Now we have a real emergency! George could ride his bike all the way back to the office, jog up the steps, and shoot down the wayward airplane all by himself with the flak guns on the roof of the White House. Can do! Right stuff! But he didn’t. The Secret Service let him ride his bicycle in peace.</p>
<p>Here’s what I’m getting at, gang. It’s okay if I don’t know what’s going on in Washington. I’m even busier than the president, after all, and I need to concentrate pretty hard in the late mornings to get anything done. I’ve told my people, “Nobody bother me with federal emergencies, I’m working.” And that’s okay, because I’m not running the country. But it really bothers me that George W. Bush, who is ostensibly in charge of country-running activities, has clearly told his people something similar. Except what he told them was, “Nobody bother me with federal emergencies, I’m riding my bicycle.” I think it’s time somebody told our pal George that he’s not running the parks &amp; recreation department, he’s running the entire nation. It’s enough to make a fellow evacuate.</p>
<p>BEN TRIPP is an independent filmmaker and all-around swine. His book, Square In The Nuts, may be purchased here, with other outlets to follow: <a href="http://www.lulu.com/Squareinthenuts" type="external">http://www.lulu.com/Squareinthenuts</a> . Swag is available as always from <a href="http://www.cafeshops/tarantulabros" type="external">http://www.cafeshops/tarantulabros</a> . And Mr. Tripp may be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | The Wayward Airplane | true | https://counterpunch.org/2005/05/14/the-wayward-airplane/ | 2005-05-14 | 4 |
<p>Seeking to put an end to questions about his personal finances, Republican U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney said on Thursday he did not pay less than a 13 percent tax rate at any point over the last 10 years.</p>
<p>Democrats have criticized Romney for not releasing more than two years of tax information and openly asked whether the millionaire former private equity executive has something to hide about his wealth.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid accused Romney earlier this month of not paying taxes for 10 years, a claim the Republican denies.</p>
<p>"I did go back and look at my taxes, and over the last ten years, I never paid less than 13 percent," Romney told journalists in Greer, South Carolina. "I think the most recent year is 13.6 or something like that," he added.</p>
<p>Romney also said that when charitable donations were taken into account, his tax rate has been above 20 percent.</p>
<p>Debate over Romney's taxes and the Medicare health program for the elderly has taken the focus of the campaign away from Romney's top issue: jobs.</p>
<p>"I just have to say, given the challenges that America faces - 23 million people out of work, Iran about to become nuclear, one out of six Americans in poverty - the fascination with taxes I've paid I find to be very small-minded compared to the broad issues that we face," he said.</p>
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<p>The Romney campaign returned to the tax issue near the end of a week in which it has been largely focused on promoting his choice of running mate, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan.</p>
<p>A Kaiser Family Foundation report said on Thursday that Medicare - one of the policy issues most associated with budget hawk Ryan - is a top election concern among voters.</p>
<p>Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, is one of the richest men ever to run for U.S. president. He has an estimated net worth of up to $250 million.</p>
<p>President Barack Obama's re-election campaign and its Democratic allies have featured Romney's wealth and refusal to divulge more tax returns in negative ads to paint the Republican as out of touch.</p>
<p>In January, Romney released financial information showing he had paid an effective tax rate of 13.9 percent in 2010, mostly from capital gains on investments. The top tax rate for wages is 35 percent, while capital gains are taxed at a lower rate.</p>
<p>Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate Democratic Leader Reid, brushed off Romney's statement on Thursday that he never paid less than 13 percent.</p>
<p>"We'll believe it when we see it," he said. "Until Mitt Romney releases his tax returns, Americans will continue to wonder what he's hiding," Jentleson said.</p> | Romney: I Paid 13% Tax Rate Over Last 10 Years | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2012/08/16/romney-paid-13-tax-rate-over-last-10-years.html | 2016-03-03 | 0 |
<p>&lt;img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-374164" src="https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/wp-content/uploads/DKXIz6PXUAAGZQU-600x375.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" alt="" width="600" height="375" /&gt;</p>
<p>** Here is a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/file/1007346/download" type="external">copy of the Papadopoulos indictment</a> that was filed back on October 5, 2017.</p>
<p>Papadopoulos was reportedly <a href="http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2017/10/papadopoulos-wear-wire-dirty-cop-mueller/" type="external">wired by Robert Mueller</a> to spy on Trump campaign officials after his arrest in July.</p>
<p>Now this…</p>
<p>According to <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/comments/79vu83/george_papadopoulos_is_connected_to_the_fusion/" type="external">Reddit</a> contributor GeminiSi:</p>
<p>From the Statement of Offense.</p>
<p>1.&#160; 10 – 11 April – George Papalopoulos (GP) emails the Russian female contact trying to set up a ‘foreign policy trip’, which she agrees to eagerly.</p>
<p>2. 26 April – GP meets Russian woman who tells him they can arrange a Putin-Trump meeting &amp; have ‘dirt’ on HRC -/…</p>
<p>3. The Russians have another go. On June 9, the Trump Jr sting. A Russian woman promises dirt on HRC but never delivers. Sound familiar?</p>
<p>4. And here’s an interesting fact. GP had another contact he never disclosed,- Sergei Millian.</p>
<p>And from an anti-Trump tweeter (Louise Mensch) who connects the two on 15 Aug 2017, but doesn’t quite get the significance: George Papadopoulos, who repeatedly tried to set up a Putin-Trump meeting per @WashPost, is tied to Sergei Millian… YES. Millian of Steele Dossier fame, see Sergei Millian.</p>
<p>Sergei Millian is <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/who-is-source-d-the-man-said-to-be-behind-the-trump-russia-dossiers-most-salacious-claim/2017/03/29/379846a8-0f53-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html?utm_term=.e7ea88019e9e" type="external">one of 240</a> GP’s Facebook friends.</p>
<p>Millian told several people that during the campaign and presidential transition he was in touch with George Papadopoulos, a campaign foreign policy adviser, according to a person familiar with the matter. Millian is among Papadopoulos’s nearly 240 Facebook friends.</p>
<p>In January 2017 ABC News identified Sergei Milian as the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4154210/Russian-translator-unmasked-source-dirty-dossier.html" type="external">key source</a> of the Fusian GPS anti-Trump Dossier.</p>
<p>Commentary by Jon Masters,</p> | Papadopoulos Is Connected to Fusion Dossier: Was in Contact with Sergie Millian, the Steele Source for the Dossier | false | https://studionewsnetwork.com/government-corruption/papadopoulos-connected-fusion-dossier-contact-sergie-millian-steele-source-dossier/ | 2017-10-31 | 3 |
<p>Utilities exchange traded funds plunged over the past two weeks in back-to-back selling, with the sector experiencing its longest rout in 14 years, as traders dumped the bond-esque asset on rising expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate hike.</p>
<p>Since September 22, the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/etf-resume.php?quote=xlu" type="external">XLU Opens a New Window.</a>) fell 7.4%, Vanguard Utilities ETF (NYSEArca: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/etf-resume.php?quote=vpu" type="external">VPU Opens a New Window.</a>) fell 7.3% and First Trust Utilities AlphaDEX Fund (NYSEArca: <a href="http://www.etftrends.com/2014/04/signs-of-the-times-new-highs-for-these-etfs-say-a-lot/fxu" type="external">FXU Opens a New Window.</a>) decreased 5.5%. XLU and VPU are also now trading below their 50- and 200-day simple moving averages. The utilities sector, though, remains one of the better performing areas of the market, with XLU up 11.7%, VPU up 12.3% and FXU up 14.8% year-to-date.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>SEE MORE: <a href="https://www.etftrends.com/2016/08/the-best-performing-utilities-etf-of-the-year/" type="external">The Best Performing Utilities ETF of the Year Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>The S&amp;P 500 utilities sector closed in the red for the ninth consecutive day on Wednesday, losing close to 7.8% over the period, compared to the 1.1% dip in the broader market, reports Adam Samson for the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/733cbdd7-d3ec-3293-9698-10226e019df5" type="external">Financial Times Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Utilities, which have behaved similarly to bonds, had outperformed in the first half of 2016 as investors shifted into value stocks, sought yield-generating assets and dove into safer bets amid a volatile environment. Moreover, dividend-paying stocks like Utilities gained traction on diminished expectations for a Federal Reserve rate hike this year, further fueling the rush toward higher yielding assets.</p>
<p>However, with economic data improving, a number of market observers believe the Fed will have room to raise interest rates sometime before the end of the year, which has diminished demand for bonds and the utilities sector.</p>
<p>“With central banks turning marginally less dovish and with global nominal growth firming, the low volatility bubble has been deflating,” Dubravko Lakos-Bujas, a US equity strategist at JPMorgan, told the Financial Times, referring to sectors like utilities that typically experience lower volatility than the broader market.</p>
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<p>For more information on the utilities sector, visit our <a href="https://www.etftrends.com/tag/utilities/" type="external">utilities category Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Utilities Select Sector SPDR</p>
<p><a href="http://www.etftrends.com/2016/10/utilities-etfs-suffer-amid-longest-sell-off-since-2002/" type="external">This article Opens a New Window.</a> was provided by our partners at ETFTrends.</p> | Utilities ETFs Suffer Amid Longest Sell-Off Since 2002 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/06/utilities-etfs-suffer-amid-longest-sell-off-since-2002.html | 2016-10-06 | 0 |
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<p>Will we eat pie for breakfast? Will there be turkey soup simmering on the stove? Did we buy bread specifically for the purpose of making sandwiches with leftovers?</p>
<p>Every family has its own unique Thanksgiving traditions and recipes. But the next</p>
<p>Phil Mansfield/Associated PressA true delight of Thanksgiving: leftover turkey sandwiches.</p>
<p>day, homes across America are bound by a common ritual: the day-after turkey sandwich. And while our recipe for a Thanksgiving Sandwich has all of the classic components (plus bacon!), the beauty of leftovers is that they can be personalized to suit your mood – and the contents of your refrigerator.</p>
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<p>Eventually, we all suffer from turkey and mashed potato fatigue. Luckily, all it takes is a few minutes and a little bit of creativity to transform these ingredients into something fresh. Make a gourmet brunch by chopping turkey, roasted veggies and stuffing; browning it in a skillet; and serving with a fried egg and hot sauce.</p>
<p>Dessert isn’t immune to leftovers, either. If you run out of enthusiasm for eating that apple or pecan pie, try scooping out the filling and folding it into freshly churned ice cream. We think cinnamon, bourbon or maple would make some seriously awesome sundaes.</p>
<p>This article was provided to The Associated Press by The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.</p>
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<p>THANKSGIVING SANDWICH</p>
<p>Serves 4</p>
<p>½ cup mayonnaise</p>
<p>1 tablespoon chopped sage</p>
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<p>8 slices whole-grain bread</p>
<p>¾ cup Cranberry Sauce (recipe follows)</p>
<p>1 pound sliced turkey</p>
<p>Lettuce, as needed</p>
<p>Sliced tomatoes, as needed</p>
<p>Sliced crisp bacon (optional)</p>
<p>In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and sage.</p>
<p>To assemble the sandwiches, spread 4 of the slices of bread with the mayonnaise mixture, add a layer of cranberry sauce, and top with the turkey, lettuce, and tomato. Spread the remaining four slices of bread with cranberry sauce and place on top of the turkey. Slice the sandwiches in half and serve.</p>
<p>PER SERVING: 432 calories; 207 calories from fat; 23 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 71 mg cholesterol; 972 mg sodium; 26 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 29 g protein.</p>
<p>CRANBERRY SAUCE</p>
<p>Makes 1¼ cups</p>
<p>¾ cup fresh cranberries</p>
<p>2 tablespoons sugar</p>
<p>½ cup water</p>
<p>2 teaspoons grated orange zest</p>
<p>In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberries, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and whisk to break up the cranberries.</p>
<p>Cook the mixture until the cranberries burst and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the zest. Cool completely before serving.</p>
<p /> | Wrap up fun in a sandwich | false | https://abqjournal.com/894466/wrap-up-fun-in-a-sandwich.html | 2 |
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<p>TUSCON, Ariz. - Each morning when Tatianna Lesnikova wakes up, she mourns what she left behind when she fled the threat of political persecution in the Ukraine to the United States 20 years ago: Her now 39-year-old son.</p>
<p>Then she remembers even if she wanted to leave the US to see him again, she can't. Unless the law changes, she is stuck here for the rest of her life.</p>
<p>The fact that the 63-year-old is stateless - meaning she has no citizenship anywhere at all - has dropped her into a twilight zone under US immigration law, which has no legal provisions for people like her.</p>
<p>She came to the US on a Soviet passport and the Ukraine refuses to recognize her citizenship or issue her travel documents, so she can't travel. US authorities have repeatedly tried to deport her, despite the fact that there is nowhere to send her to.</p>
<p>"It's like a hell," she said from her home in Massachusetts recently. "I feel less than human."</p>
<p>After years of failed efforts, human rights advocates say US President Barack Obama's re-election has provided a sliver of opportunity to help the more than 4,000 stateless people in the United States like Lesnikova gain permanent legal status.</p>
<p>Immigration reform is firmly on the national agenda and, advocates say, top officials have sent signals that they want to help. A campaign launched this week by <a href="http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c155.html" type="external">United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)</a> in the US could be the impetus that drives Congress to pass legislation finally offering America's stateless a path to full legal status, they hope.</p>
<p>If that happens, it could have a cascading effect by prompting other countries that look to the United States for leadership to offer more protection to the roughly 12 million stateless people worldwide.</p>
<p>"We have to put statelessness on the radar," said David Baluarte, an attorney working at American University's human rights law clinic who was the primary author of a UNHCR report on statelessness in the United States released on Monday. "This is a problem that is in our power to address."</p>
<p>Though the federal government has repeatedly pledged to help them, America's stateless people remain among the most vulnerable in the Western world, largely because almost no one knows they exist.</p>
<p>"In the United States we often take our nationality for granted," Baluarte said. "The idea that people don't have citizenship is difficult to conceptualize."</p>
<p>Several European countries offer pathways to legalization, often under the framework of United Nations conventions. But in the US, the stateless have no way to gain a real immigration status unless they are granted asylum.</p>
<p>If their asylum requests are rejected, as in Lesnikova's case, they live the rest of their lives in a sort of hellish quasi-legality. Because they are unable to get travel documents, they can't leave the country even if they wanted to. And they are repeatedly put into immigration detention as officials try but fail to deport them.</p>
<p>Their precarious position can lead to almost unfathomable situations, such as the case of Mikhail Sebastian, whom <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/121002/stuck-samoa-us-refuses-stateless-Mikhail-Sebastian" type="external">GlobalPost first reported on in October</a>.</p>
<p>When the stateless man tried to return to his home in the mainland United States from a vacation to American Samoa last year, federal immigration officials said he had "self-deported" and refused to allow him back - despite the fact that American Samoa is a US territory.</p>
<p>Sebastian has been marooned for nearly a year on the isolated Pacific island, as officials work out what to do with him.</p>
<p>In other cases highlighted in the UNHCR report, stateless people in the US have ended up in homeless shelters or suffered serious psychological trauma after spending extended periods of time in immigration detention.</p>
<p>Authorities say they're working to make common sense policy reform to reduce the burden on this small section of society. Earlier this year, for instance, the Homeland Security Department said it would reduce the number of times per year that stateless people are required to physically check in with immigration officials. The UNHCR report calls for other adjustments, such as providing basic travel documents that would allow stateless to travel outside the United States.</p>
<p>But the real jackpot - a pathway to legal status and an end to limbo - can only come from Congress.</p>
<p>Despite the support of heavyweights like Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), previous attempts to pass legislation offering legalization pathways for the stateless, including one in 2010, have failed.</p>
<p>But advocates are banking on pledges by the United States government to finally address the problem. Last year the State Department promised to work with Congress to find a way for stateless people to gain permanent residency and eventually citizenship. A bill winding its way through Congress now, the Refugee Protection Act of 2011, would allow some of the most vulnerable of America's stateless to gain formal status and provide hope to non-citizens around the world.</p>
<p>"If the US did establish better domestic protection for these people it could really add momentum to solving this everywhere," said Julia Harrington Reddy, a senior legal officer with the Open Society Justice Initiative, which promotes human rights and builds legal capacity.</p>
<p>Lindsay Jenkins, an assistant protection officer with UNHCR, added: "We want to make clear that real people are suffering terrible hardships."</p>
<p>It is no more real to anyone than Lesnikova, who left behind a life as a successful piano teacher in the Ukraine and now works as a certified nursing assistant.</p>
<p>As the years have passed, she has found it difficult to maintain of hope that her situation will ever change. But when she thinks of her son, now living in Russia, she resolves to stay strong.</p>
<p>"He's a good boy, an intelligent boy, I want to see him again," she said.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/india/120328/bangladesh-border-dispute-enclaves-hunger-strike" type="external">Trapped in Bangladesh-India enclaves</a></p> | For the stateless, hope for path to citizenship in Obama's second term | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-12-14/stateless-hope-path-citizenship-obamas-second-term | 2012-12-14 | 3 |
<p>Throughout the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s, independent grassroots movements to keep the Central Intelligence Agency off American university campuses were broadly supported by students, professors and community members. The ethos of this movement was captured in Ami Chen Mills’ 1990 book, <a href="" type="internal">C.I.A. Off Campus</a>. Mills’ book gave voice to the multiple reasons why so many academics opposed the presence of the CIA on university campuses: reasons that ranged from the recognition of secrecy’s antithetical relationship to academic freedom, to political objections to the CIA’s use of torture and assassination, to efforts on campuses to recruit professors and students, and the CIA’s longstanding role in undermining democratic movements around the world.</p>
<p>For those who lived through the dramatic revelations of the congressional inquiries in the 1970s, documenting the CIA’s routine involvement in global and domestic atrocities, it made sense to construct institutional firewalls between an agency so deeply linked with these actions and educational institutions dedicated to at least the promise of free inquiry and truth. But the last dozen years have seen retirements and deaths among academics who had lived through this history and had been vigilant about keeping the CIA off campus; furthermore, with the attacks of 9/11 came new campaigns to bring the CIA back onto American campuses.</p>
<p>Henry Giroux’s 2007 book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594514232/counterpunchmaga" type="external">The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial Academic Complex</a>, details how two decades of shifts in university funding brought increased intrusions by corporate and military forces onto university. After 9/11, the intelligence agencies pushed campuses to see the CIA and campus secrecy in a new light, and, as traditional funding sources for social science research declined, the intelligence community gained footholds on campuses.</p>
<p>Post-9/11 scholarship programs like the Pat Roberts Intelligence Scholars Program (PRISP) and the Intelligence Community Scholarship Programs today sneak unidentified students with undisclosed links to intelligence agencies into university classrooms (both were first exposed by this author here in <a href="" type="internal">CounterPunch</a> in 2005). A new generation of so-called flagship programs have quietly taken root on campuses, and, with each new flagship, our universities are transformed into vessels of the mi­tarized state, as academics learn to sub­limate unease.</p>
<p>The programs most significantly linking the CIA with university campuses are the “Intelligence Community Centers of Academic Excellence” (ICCAE, pro­nounced “Icky”) and the “Intelligence Advance Research Projects Activity”. Both programs use universities to train intelligence personnel by piggybacking onto existing educational programs. Campuses that agree to see these outsourced programs as nonthreatening to their open educational and research missions are rewarded with funds and useful contacts with the intelligence agencies and other less tangible benefits.</p>
<p>Even amid the militarization prevailing in America today, the silence surrounding this quiet installation and spread of programs like ICCAE is extraordinary. In the last four years, ICCAE has gone further in bringing government intelligence organizations openly to American university campuses than any previous intelligence initiative since World War Two. Yet, the program spreads with little public notice, media coverage, or coordinated multi-campus resistance.</p>
<p>When the New Infiltration Began</p>
<p>In 2004, a $250,000 grant was awarded to Trinity Washington University by the Intelligence Community for the establishment of a pilot “Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence” program. Trinity was, in many ways, an ideal campus for a pilot program. For a vulnerable, tuition-driven, struggling financial institution in the D.C. area, the promise of desperately needed funds and a regionally assured potential student base, linked with or seeking connections to the D.C. intel­ligence world, made the program financially attractive.</p>
<p>In 2005, the first ICCAE centers were installed at ten campuses: California State University San Bernardino, Clark Atlanta University, Florida International University, Norfolk State University, Tennessee State University, Trinity Washington University, University of Texas El Paso, University of Texas-Pan American, University of Washington, and Wayne State University. Between 2008-2010, a second wave of expansion brought ICCAE programs to another twelve campuses: Carnegie Mellon, Clemson, North Carolina A&amp;T State, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Florida A&amp;M, Miles College, University of Maryland, College Park, University of Nebraska, University of New Mexico, Pennsylvania State University, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute.</p>
<p>But the CIA and FBI aren’t the only agencies from the Intelligence Community that ICCAE brings to American university campuses. ICCAE also quietly imports a smorgasbord of fifteen agencies – including the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Homeland Security.</p>
<p>ICCAE’s stated goals are to develop a “systematic long-term program at universities and colleges to recruit and hire eligible talent for IC [Intelligence Community] agencies and components,” and to “increase the [intelligence recruit­ing] pipeline of students … with emphasis on women and ethnic minorities in critical skill areas.” Specifically, ICCAE seeks to “provide internships, co-ops, graduate fellowships and other related opportunities across IC agencies to eli­gible students and faculty for intelligence studies immersion,” and to “support selective international study and regional and overseas travel opportunities to enhance cultural and language immer­sion.” ICCAE’s aim is to shower with fellowships, scholarships and grants those universities that are adapting their curricula to align with the political agenda of American intelligence agencies; also to install a portal connecting ICCAE cam­puses with intelligence agencies, through which students, faculty, students studying abroad, and unknown others will pass. While ICCAE claims to train analysts, rather than members of the clandestine service, the CIA historically has not observed such boundaries.</p>
<p>ICCAE-funded centers have different names at different universities. For example, at the University of Washington (UW), ICCAE funds established the new Institute for National Security Education and Research (INSER), Wayne State University’s center is called the Center for Academic Excellence in National Security Intelligence Studies, and Clark Atlantic University’s program is the Center for Academic Excellence in National Security Studies.</p>
<p>With the economic downturn, university layoffs became a common ocurrence. Need breeds opportunism, as scarcity of funds leads scholars to shift the academic questions they are willing to pursue and suspend ethical and political concerns about funding sources. Other scholars unwilling to set aside ethical and political concerns are keenly aware of institutional pressures to keep their outrage and protests in-house.</p>
<p>Covering Up Dissent</p>
<p>Despite a lack of critical media cov­erage of ICCAE programs, traces of campus dissent can be found online in faculty senate records. When Dean Van Reidhead at the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) brought a proposal for ICCAE to establish a center on cam­pus, some faculty and graduate students spoke out against the damage to academic freedom that the program would likely bring. Senate minutes record that faculty “representatives spoke against and for UTPA submitting a proposal to compete for federal money to establish an Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence.” At this meeting, graduate students “listed the following demands: 1) inform the community via press release about the possible ICCAE proposal, 2) release the proposal draft for public review, 3) establish a commu­nity forum on ICCAE, and 4) abolish the process of applying for ICCAE funds.” At Texas-Pan American, as at other ICCAE campuses, administrators noted these concerns but continued with plans to bring the intelligence agencies to campus, as if hearing and ignoring concerns constituted shared governance.</p>
<p>The minutes of the University of Washington’s Faculty Senate and Faculty Council on Research record shadows of dissent that are so vaguely referenced that they are easily missed. The minutes for the December 4, 2008, meeting gloss over the issues raised when the American Association of University Professors, University of Washington chapter, had issued a strongly worded statement by Executive Board representative Christoph Giebel, requesting information concerning UW’s INSER contacts with the Intelligence Community. The minutes simply read: “… both Giebel and Jeffry Kim [INSER director] answered a series of good questions that resulted in a fair, tough and serious conversation.” What these “good questions” were and the nature of this “tough and serious conversation” are not mentioned in the minutes, as if “good questions” were not important enough to enter into a public record. Similarly, the nature of faculty objections to INSER are glossed over in the 1/29/09 UW Senate minutes, which simply listed the findings of the Faculty Council on Research that “a number of email communications have come through the faculty senate that reflect a range in attitude toward the INSER program.”</p>
<p>In fact, a significant portion of this faculty “range in attitudes toward the INSER program” is most accurately characterized as outraged. I have heard from faculty at other ICCAE flagship campuses that some form of internal dissent has occurred on each of their campuses, and professors at UW have sent me documents, quoted below, clarifying the extent of the campus’s disquiet over the intelligence agencies insertion into their campus; an insertion whose success should be described as a silent coup.</p>
<p>Faculty and students’ public silence at ICCAE universities over these developments needs some comment. The post-9/11 political climate casts a pall of orthodoxy over critical discussions of militarization and national security, and the rise of anti-intellectual media pundits attacking those who question increasing American militarization adds pressure to muzzle dissent. Faculty at public universities often feel these pressures more than their colleagues at private institutions. There are also natural inclinations to try and keep elements of workplace dissent internal, but two factors argue against this public silence. First, most of the ICCAE institutions are publicly funded universities drawing state taxes; the state citizens funding these universities deserve to be alerted to concerns over the ways these programs can damage public institutions. Second, university administrators have been free to ignore faculty’s harsh, publicly silent, internal dissent. Keeping dissent internal has not been an effective resistance tactic.</p>
<p>Inaudible Uproar at UW</p>
<p>In a step moving beyond internal private critiques of ICCAE programs, multiple professors at the University of Washington have provided me internal memos sent by professors to administrators. These memos document the breadth of internal faculty dissent over administrators’ October 2006 decisions to bring the CIA and other intelligence&#160; agencies to the UW campus.</p>
<p>Initially, the UW administration appeared to appreciate faculty concerns. In October 2005, David Hodge, UW dean of Arts and Sciences, met with School of International Studies faculty to discuss proposals to establish affiliations with U.S. intelligence agencies, after International Studies faculty wrote the administration, expressing opposition to any affiliation linking them with the CIA and other intelligence agencies. This group of faculty wrote that such developments would “jeopardize the abilities of faculty and students to gain and maintain foreign research and study permits, visas, and open access to and unfettered interaction with international research hosts, partners, and counterpart institutions,” and they worried that any such relation­ships would “endanger the safety and security of faculty and students studying and conducting research abroad as well as their foreign hosts.” One participant in these meetings told me that the administration initially acknowledged that there were serious risks that students and faculty working abroad could lose research opportunities because of the CIA-linked program on campus, and that these concerns led the administration initially to decline any affiliation with these intelligence agency-linked programs.</p>
<p>But these concerns did not derail the administration’s interest in bringing the Intelligence Community on campus, and the following year the administration of UW decided to establish the ICCAE-funded Institute for National Security Education and Research. But after INSER’s launch, concerned internal memos continued to come from faculty across the campus. In the past year and a half, letters voicing strong protest from at least five academic units have been sent by groups of faculty to deans.</p>
<p>In October 2008, anthropology professors Bettina Shell-Duncan and Janelle Taylor drafted a critical memo that was voted on and approved by the anthropology faculty and then sent to Dean Howard, Dean Cauce, and Provost Wise, raising fears about the damage INSER could bring to the University:</p>
<p>“As anthropologists, we also have more specific concerns relating to the nature of our research, which involves long-term in-depth studies of communities, the majority of which are located outside the United States. Some of these communi­ties are very poor, some face repressive governments, and some are on the receiving end of U.S. projections of military power … our profession’s Code of Ethics requires first and foremost that we cause no harm to the people among whom we conduct research.”</p>
<p>Shell-Duncan and Taylor tied disc­plinary concerns to anthropology’s core ethical principles and raised apprehen­sions that INSER funding could convert the university into a hosting facil­ity for “military intelligence-gathering efforts.”</p>
<p>They pointed to:</p>
<p>“1) the reports that students are required to submit to INSER at the end of their studies, and 2) the debriefing that they are required to undergo upon their return. Although our faculty have already been asked [to be] academic advisors for students with INSER funding, we have never been given any information on the guidelines for the reports, or the nature, scope or purpose of the debriefing process. This is of particular concern given that National Security is not an academic field of study but a military and government effort. Unless and until we are provided with clear and compelling information that proves otherwise, we must infer that these reports and debriefings are, in fact, military intelligence-gathering efforts.”</p>
<p>They cited a <a href="http://www.aaanet.org/pdf/upload/FINAL_Report_Complete.pdf" type="external">2007 report (of which I am a co-author) written by an American Anthropological Association (AAA) commission</a>, evaluating a variety of engagements between anthropologists and the military and intelligence agencies. The anthropologists argued that this AAA report found that while, “…some forms of engagement with these agencies might be laudable, the Commission also issued cautions about situations likely to entail violations of the ethical principles of our profession. In particular, the members of the Commission expressed serious concern about ‘a situation in which anthropologists would be performing fieldwork on behalf of a military or intelligence program, among a local population, for the purpose of supporting operations on the ground.’”</p>
<p>Other academic departments wrote the UW administration expressing concerns. In November 2008, members of the Latin American Studies division in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies complained to the administration in a memo that</p>
<p>“in light of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s extensive track-record of undermining democracies and involvement in human rights violations in Latin America and elsewhere, we find it unconscionable that the UW would have formal ties with the newly created Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), let alone involve our students in an exercise of gathering intelligence information and assist it with its public relations campaign among children in our local schools. The most recent examples of the U.S. Intelligence Community’s inexcusable behavior in Latin America are torture at Guantanamo detention centers, collaboration with the infamous School of the Americas, the backing of paramilitary forces as part of the ‘drug war,’ … and support for the failed coup in Venezuela…</p>
<p>“…Some would argue that UW should engage the Intelligence Community as a method of constructively influencing or reforming it. To our mind, this argument is naïve and misguided at best. The training we provide is unlikely to change the deeply entrenched institutional cultures among the various entities, such as the CIA, which form a part of ODNI. In effect, then, we would be enabling the Intelligence Community to be more effective at carrying out their indefensible activities … We realize that the UW faces a number of financial constraints, perhaps now more than ever, but the needs for monies can never justify collaboration with an Intelligence Community, which is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths and immeasurable human suffering throughout the world.”</p>
<p>Also at UW a group of Southeast Asian Studies Center faculty and members of the History Department questioned whether the administration had considered how the presence of INSER on campus would taint professors and students because, in the words of the group in the History Department, “The professional bodies of many disciplines and professional programs have barred members from participating in programs funded by groups like the CIA due to the ethical conflicts such a relationship would involve. Did the administration take this into account in the process of creating INSER? Are there steps taken in the administration of funds from INSER to prevent faculty from unknowingly compromising their professional and ethical obligations?”</p>
<p>Among the problems facing the UW administration in creating INSER was finding an academic structure to administer such a stigmatized program. Because the social sciences represented hostile territory, administrators looked to the Information School. But many Information School faculty weren’t happy about having to house INSER. A letter signed by a dozen faculty from the International Studies Fund Group Librarians expressed deep concerns that that housing “a CIA Officer in Residence” would pollute perceptions of them in ways that could “damage our ability to serve the [other campus constituencies],” arguing that their long standing “strategy of impartial professionalism” across the campus “has enabled us to create collections of such depth over the years. It is also this professional indepen­dence that has in the past protected us from undue scrutiny by the governments of the countries that we visit and from which we solicit information sources – sometimes of the most sensitive nature – for our scholarly collections.”</p>
<p>While it is encouraging to find UW faculty raising ethical, historical, and political objections, it’s far from clear that these private critiques had any measurable effect, precisely because they remained private.</p>
<p>Today, INSER hosts at least one CIA funded post-doc on the UW campus. It is unknown how many CIA-linked employees or CIA-linked students are now on the UW’s campus. We don’t know what all members of the intelligence agencies on campus are doing, but scholars who study the history of the agency know that in the past CIA campus operatives have performed a range of activities that included using funding fronts to get unwitting social scientists to conduct pieces of research that were used to construct an interrogation and torture manual; to establish contacts used to recruit for­eign students to collect intelligence for the CIA; and debriefing of graduate students upon return from foreign travel of research. We know historically that the CIA has cultivated relationships with professors in order to recruit students. When universities import ICCAE programs, they bring this history with them, and, as students from ICCAE universities travel abroad, suspicions of CIA activity will travel with them and undermine the safety and opportunities to work and study abroad for all.</p>
<p>There are many good reasons to keep the CIA off campus, the most obvious ones stress the reprehensible deeds of the agency’s past (and present). For me one good reason is that this Intelligence Community invasion diminishes America’s intelligence capacity while damaging academia. As the Intelligence Community’s “institutional culture” seeps into ICCAE universities, we can foresee a deadening of intellect, weakening American universities and intelligence capacities as scholars learn to think in increasingly narrow ways, described by President Eisenhower half a century ago in his farewell address’s warning that “a government contract becomes virtually a substitute for intellectual curiosity.”</p>
<p>If the United States wants intelligence reform, it needs to fund independent scholarship, not narrow the range of discourse on our campuses by paying cash-strapped universities to house revolving doors between the academy and the CIA.</p>
<p>Universities need to be places where people can freely explore ideas, but ICCAE inevitably brings chills to open classrooms. How long will it take until students at ICCAE universities start to wonder about who’s reporting on free-flowing discussions in classes? With cadres of future FBI and CIA employees on campus, those who develop dissident political critiques will find themselves opting for a choice between speaking their mind, or keeping silent, or softening harsh honest critiques. As ICCAE students graduate and begin careers requiring security clearances, accounts of academic discussions stand to make their way into intelligence files, as clearance background checks ask for accounts of known “subversive” acquaintances encountered during university years.</p>
<p>These are foreseeable consequences. Now, that the Patriot Act removed legal firewalls prohibiting these forms of political surveillance, the stage has been set for a dark renaissance of the fifties to begin.</p>
<p>Ending the Silence</p>
<p>If students, faculty and citizens are concerned about ICCAE’s impact on our universities, then breaking the silence is the most effective opposition tactic available. Anyone who wants specific information on contacts between university administrators and ICCAE officials and the intelligence community can use state public records laws and federal Freedom of Information laws to request records. Given university administrators’ claims that everything is above board, these records should not be blocked by national security exemptions; if they are, this would be useful to know. Concerned members of individual campuses can use these tools to access correspondence and verify claims by university administrators about the nature of their contact with ICCAE.</p>
<p>Faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members concerned about ICCAE’s presence on university campuses should form consortia online to share information from various campuses and make common cause. ICCAE has made rapid headway because of the internal campus-specific, isolated nature of resistance to ICCAE. Something like an “ICCAE Watch” or “CIA Campus Watch” website could be started by a faculty member or grad student on an ICCAE campus, providing forums to collect documents, stories and resistance tactics from across the country.</p>
<p>Finally, tenured professors on ICCAE campuses, or on campuses contemplating ICCAE programs, need to use their tenure and speak out, on the record, in public: the threats presented by these developments are exactly why tenure exists. If professors like the idea of bringing the CIA on campus, they can publicly express these views, but the split between the public and private reactions to ICCAE helped usher the CIA silently back onto American university campuses. The intelligence agencies thrive on silence. If this move is to be countered, academic voices must publicly demand that the CIA and the Intelligence Community explain themselves and their history in public.</p>
<p>DAVID PRICE is a member of the <a href="http://concerned.anthropologists.googlepages.com/home" type="external">Network of Concerned Anthropologist</a>.&#160; He is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Anthropological Intelligence: The Deployment and Neglect of American Anthropology in the Second World War,</a> published by Duke University Press. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p><a href="http://greentags.bigcartel.com/" type="external">WORDS THAT STICK</a></p>
<p /> | Silent Coup | true | https://counterpunch.org/2010/04/09/silent-coup/ | 2010-04-09 | 4 |
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<p>The start of the campaign came as Sunday services resumed at St. Jude Thaddeus Church. Parishioners were also collecting cards and well wishes to give to families.</p>
<p>“God is working in and through all of life’s circumstances,” a message seeking donations said on the church’s website. “Thank you for your prayers and concern and for answering God’s call.”</p>
<p>Police said Lawrence Capener stabbed three people on April 28 as Mass was ending because he thought a choir leader was a Mason. He has been charged with aggravated battery and was being held on $250,000 bail.</p>
<p>Santa Fe Archbishop Michael Sheehan re-consecrated the Albuquerque church on Wednesday by sprinkling holy water and spreading incense through the building. The move was part of a Catholic ritual required after a sacrilege has been committed at a church.</p>
<p>St. Jude Thaddeus’ pastor, the Rev. John Daniel, said he believes parishioners have already forgiven Capener and continued to pray for him and his family.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“What can you do? This is what we are taught to do,” he said.</p>
<p>Capener, 24, told police that he also tagged the Sandoval No. 76 Masonic Lodge in Rio Rancho with spray paint just before the stabbing attack, authorities said.</p>
<p>Police later found red and blue spray paint on signs, outside walls and a door. Investigators said he also left the message, “I hope you guess who I am.”</p>
<p>Parishioners said they rarely saw Capener attend services but were aware that his mother is active in the church, which is on the city’s Westside.</p> | Church members start victims fund after attack | false | https://abqjournal.com/196258/church-members-start-victims-fund-after-attack.html | 2 |
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<p>A.) Voters who deserve to know who is shelling out cash to get someone elected, or</p>
<p>B.) Campaign contributors who shell out big money in secret to get someone elected?</p>
<p>New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat, is unequivocally answering “A.” She just finished up a three-city tour on proposed changes to the state’s campaign finance rules – changes crafted from the bipartisan bill passed by the 2017 Legislature to beef up the state’s campaign finance laws, which have been gutted by the courts. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez vetoed that legislation.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Toulouse Oliver gets that in this hyperpartisan world it’s direly important for voters to know who’s funding dark-money organizations. In part, such transparency allows voters to make informed decisions at the ballot box.</p>
<p>“Dark money” refers to funds donated to nonprofit organizations that can receive unlimited donations from individuals, unions and corporations but are not required to disclose donors. Foes of transparency rules say they curtail free speech and discourage donors who could be criticized or face other punitive action for supporting controversial causes.</p>
<p>Yet public support for more disclosure is unquestionable: Polls conducted by Albuquerque-based Research and Polling over a four-year period consistently show New Mexicans favor increased disclosure requirements on independent political expenditures. And it’s gained support in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which basically said organizations, corporations, unions and others can spend as much as they want as long as they don’t coordinate their activities with candidates.</p>
<p>Toulouse Oliver’s proposal attempts to address both sides’ concerns.</p>
<p>Under the proposal, groups active in New Mexico elections have to disclose their donors if they spend more than $1,000 on political advertising during an election cycle – however, only the names of donors giving more than $200 to the group in the previous 12 months would have to be disclosed. And donors who mark their gifts as not for political purposes do not have to be revealed at all. Groups that give more than $3,000 would face additional disclosure requirements.</p>
<p>It is important to remember the rule only applies to independent expenditure groups; candidates and political parties must list the names and addresses of all their donors, regardless of donation amounts, with the Secretary of State’s office under state law.</p>
<p>So what’s the definition of “political advertising?” Under the proposed rules, it:</p>
<p>• Expressly advocates for the defeat or election of a certain candidate or ballot measure, or</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>• Makes any type of reference to a candidate or ballot measure within 30 days of a primary or 60 days of a general election, or</p>
<p>• “Is susceptible to no other reasonable interpretation” than an appeal to vote for or against a certain candidate or ballot measure.</p>
<p>And while “reasonable interpretation” is in the eye of the beholder – one contributor’s electioneering is another’s educating – and will undoubtedly end up in court, it’s a solid start that could improve with judicial guidance.</p>
<p>New Mexico has an important record of transparency and accountability when it comes to government, from open meetings to public records to sunshine portals. It also would do well to lead the charge for more transparency and accountability when it comes to letting voters know who’s spending big bucks to get someone elected.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p>
<p /> | Editorial: Secretary of State’s dark-money proposal protects public and donors | false | https://abqjournal.com/1036591/sos-darkmoney-proposal.html | 2 |
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<p>For the second year in a row, the birthrate among American teenagers has dropped, hitting a record low point in 2009, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. So what’s the reason for the good news? Well, according to some hopeful experts, the teen birthrate dip might be one positive side effect of the recession. –KA</p>
<p>The Checkup in The Washington Post:</p>
<p>I would not have guessed that teenagers would be most responsive to the economic downturn, but maybe we need to revise our stereotypes,” said Samuel Preston, a professor of demography at the University of Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>Brown and others agreed:</p>
<p />
<p>“When money is very tight, all of us think harder about taking risks, expanding our families, taking on new responsibilities,” Brown said. “Now I know that teens may not be as savvy about money as those in their 20s and 30s—they probably don’t stress over 401(k)s like the rest of us — but many teens live with financially stressed adults, and they see neighbors and older friends losing jobs and even losing houses. So they, too, feel the squeeze and may be reacting to it by being more prudent. . . . Maybe part of tightening our belts includes keeping our zippers closed, too!”</p>
<p><a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2010/12/teen_birth_rate_hits_record_lo.html?wpisrc=nl_natlalert" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Teen Birthrate Plummets in 2009 | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/teen-birthrate-plummets-in-2009/ | 2010-12-23 | 4 |
<p>Americans read the increasingly panic-stricken reports of deepening catastrophe at Fukushima Daichi, speed to the pharmacy to look for iodine and ask, “It’s happened there; can it happen here?” They already know it can, and almost certainly will.</p>
<p>The late great environmentalist David Brower, used to tell audiences solemnly, “Nuclear plants are incredibly complex technological devices for locating earthquake faults.”</p>
<p>Along much of California’s coastline runs the “ring of fire” which stretches round the Pacific plate, from Australia, north past Japan, to Russia, round to Alaska, down America’s West Coast to Chile. 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes happen round the Ring.</p>
<p>Apparently acting&#160; predictively on this piece of sarcastic wisdom, the US has deployed four nuclear plants near&#160; the “ring of fire” faultlines, including two active ones&#160; in my home state of California.&#160; Forty miles up the road from me, in Eureka, in far northern California, we had a boiling water reactor, closed in 1976 because – surprise! – there was an earthquake from a “previously unknown fault” just off the coast. Now all we have are spent nuclear fuel rods in ponds, right on the shoreline, a few feet above sea level, nicely situated for a tsunami, such as the one that disabled the relief diesel generators designed to pump emergency coolant in the Fukushima plant.&#160;&#160; Three plates meet at Triple Junction off Cape Mendocino a few miles north-west of where I write. We had a 7.1 earthquake in 1992. First moral in the nuclear business: Eyes wide shut at all times; deny the predictable.</p>
<p>Further south, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles is&#160; the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant,&#160; planned in 1968 when no one knew about the Hosgri fault, part of the ring of fire, a few miles offshore. Further enquiry established that there’d been a 7.1 earthquake 40 years earlier, offshore from the plant, completed in 1973. The power company – Pacific Gas &amp; Electric —&#160; said it would beef up defenses.&#160; In&#160; their haste the site managers reversed&#160; the blueprints for the new earthquake proofing of the two reactors, and so the retro-fit wasn’t a total success. Second moral in the nuclear business, as in any other human enterprise,&#160; somewhere along the line people always mess up. San Diablo is supposedly built and retrofitted to survive intact a 7.3 quake.&#160; San Francisco got destroyed by a 7.7 and subsequent fire, as the 1906 quake ripped the San Andreas fault for 300 miles north and south through the city.</p>
<p>Back to the first moral: they recently discovered yet another fault and are now worried about “ground liquefaction” in the event of a big quake.&#160; In 2008 there was a terrorist attack by a smack of jellyfish which blocked the cold water intake, and the plant was shut down for a couple of days. (Yes, a smack is what a group of jellyfish is properly termed. Check it out at the Monterey Aquarium, which has particularly charming ones, gossamery white balloons.)</p>
<p>Head south another 150 miles and we get to the San Onofre plant, right on the shoreline with a 2,000-strong work force. Jerry Collamer on our site today cites it &#160;as ”the scariest workplace in America.” In fact I’ve swum in its shadow, in waters highly esteemed by anglers because fish gather there, enjoying&#160; the elevated water temp; some also claim the fish there get bigger, faster.&#160; There are storage ponds for spent fuel in a decommissioned unit in a spherical containment of concrete and steel with the smallest wall being a adamantine 6&#160;feet thick, just about the same as the ruptured containment at one of the collapsing Fukushima units.</p>
<p>Further illustration of Moral number 2 was in evidence in one of San Onofre’s two active units, when it was discovered the the mighty engineering and construction firm,Bechtel, had&#160; installed a 420-ton nuclear-reactor vessel backwards. The nearest faultine is the Cristianitos, deemed inactive. See moral number one.</p>
<p>The power company says San Onofre is built to withstand a 7.0 quake. There’s a 25-foot sea wall, which is just over half the height of the walls that crumbled like sand last week along Japan’s north-east coast. San Onofre is sea-water cooled. Environmentalists don’t care for that so they plan to build two cooling towers the other side of Interstate 5, California’s main north-south road, thus immune to jelly-fish attack, but open to other methods of assault. At last count I think there were four identified faultlines offshore from San Onofre.</p>
<p>The Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast figures A 67 PER CENT probability of an earthquake 6.7 or higher for Los Angeles, 63 per cent for San Francisco. Up where I live, in the Cascadia subduction zone, (subduction is one bit of a plate pushing under another, as just happened off north-east Japan) we have a 10 per cent possibility of an 8 or 9 force quake and at least a Big One a near certainty fairly soon. Certainly everyone around here and now up and down the California Coast has got their eyes Wide, not Shut.</p>
<p>There are robust souls, who look on the bright side. Some of them are in the pay of the nuclear industry — President Obama for example, who took plenty of money from the nuclear industry for his presidential campaign and in his State of the Union address last January reaffirmed his commitment to “clean, safe” nuclear power, as insane a statement as pledging commitment to a nice clean form of syphilis. This week Obama’s press spokesman confirmed that nuclear energy “remains a part of the President’s overall energy plan.” As Will Parrish reports in <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/Annual_Subscriptions.html" type="external">a terrific piece</a> in our latest newsletter, Obama was flacking for boosted plutonium production even as Fukushima Daichi went into meltdown.</p>
<p>The United States produces more nuclear energy than any other nation. It has 104 nuclear plants, many of them old, many prone to endless leaks and kindred malfunctions, all of them dangerous. Take the Shearon Harris nuclear power station in North Carolina, also a repository for highly radioactive spent fuel rods from two other nuclear plants. As Jeffrey St Clair narrated <a href="" type="internal">here</a> on our site last week, It would not even require a quake or tsunami, only a moderately ingenious terrorist to breach Shearon Harris’s puny defenses and sabotage the cooling systems. A study by the Brookhaven Labs estimates that a pool fire there could cause 140,000 cancers, and contaminate thousands of square miles of land.</p>
<p>The benchmark catastrophe amid peacetime nuclear disasters remains the explosion in the fourth reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power station on April 26, 1986, in the Ukraine. Denial that Chernobyl actually killed and is killing hundreds of thousands of people is crucial to the efforts of the nuclear lobby. Earlier this week Fergus Walsh, the BBC’s medical correspondent, comforted his audience with the amazing nonsense that by 2006 , Chernobyl had prompted only sixty deaths from cancer!&#160; I’ve read the same drivel many times over the last few days. They get their buttress from a shameful report overseen by the UN’s nuclear lobby, published in 2005-6.</p>
<p>In 2009 the New York Academy of Sciences published Chernobyl: Consequences of the Catastrophe for People and the Environment, a 327-page volume by three scientists, Alexey Yablokov and Vassily and Alexey Nesterenko, the definitive study to date, a lot of of it citations from scientific papers with detailed health statistics.</p>
<p>In the summary of his chapter “Mortality After the Chernobyl Catastrophe,” Yablokov says flatly, “A detailed study reveals that 3.8–4.0% of all deaths in the contaminated territories of Ukraine and Russia from 1990 to 2004 were caused by the Chernobyl catastrophe.… Since 1990, mortality among the clean-up teams has exceeded the mortality rate in corresponding population groups. From 112,000 to 125,000 liquidators [ ie members of clean up crews] died before 2005—that is, some 15% of the 830,000 members of the Chernobyl cleanup teams. The calculations suggest that the Chernobyl catastrophe has already killed several hundred thousand human beings in a population of several hundred million that was unfortunate enough to live in territories affected by the fallout.”</p>
<p>Set Fukushima next to Chernobyl and its ongoing lethal aftermath. Think of southern California or North Carolina. Nuclear expert Robert Alvarez, who advised President Clinton on nuclear matters, writes this week that a single spent fuel rod pool—as in Fukushima or Shearon Harris—holds more cesium-137 than was deposited by all atmospheric nuclear weapons tests in the Northern Hemisphere combined, and an explosion in that pool could blast “perhaps three to nine times as much of these materials into the air as was released by the Chernobyl reactor disaster.”</p>
<p>From flacks for the nuclear industry we get predictable but still scarcely believable sallies into cognitive dissonance,&#160; amid what Guenther Oettinger, the European Energy Commissioner, with unusual frankness ( before being reprimanded) called “Apocalypse”. Here’s Prof Paddy Reagan, from the University of Surrey:,: ‘We had a doomsday earthquake in a country with 55 nuclear power stations and they all shut down perfectly, although three have had problems since.This was a huge earthquake, and as a test of the resilience and robustness of nuclear plants it seems they have withstood the effects very well.’</p>
<p>Or this, from Michael Hanlon, science editor of the UK&#160; Daily Mail&#160; (whose online edition has been mostly excellent on Fukushima): “the other real story, which is a much happier – yes happier – one, is how the Japanese nuclear plants have performed magnificently in the past few days despite being hit by a disaster vastly greater than they were designed to withstand. What has happened in Japan should in fact be seen as a massive endorsement of nuclear power.”&#160; As Jeffrey St Clair says, “It’s like praising the levee system in New Orleans because only the one above the 9th ward breached.”</p>
<p>So much for the nuclear industry’s men. But equally demented are prominent greens, like George Monbiot, who has seized the opportunity of one of the most ghastly and potentially lethal disasters in the “peacetime” history of nuclear power to announce last week in The Guardian, under the headline&#160; “Japan nuclear crisis should not carry weight in atomic energy debate”:</p>
<p>[A]s long as the following four conditions are met, I will no longer oppose atomic <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/energy" type="external">energy</a>.</p>
<p>1. Its total emissions – from mine to dump – are taken into account, and demonstrate that it is a genuinely low-carbon option 2. We know exactly how and where the waste is to be buried 3. We know how much this will cost and who will pay 4. There is a legal guarantee that no civil nuclear materials will be diverted for military purposes.To these I’ll belatedly add a fifth, which should have been there all along: no plants should be built in fault zones, on tsunami-prone coasts, on eroding seashores or those likely to be inundated before the plant has been decommissioned or any other places which are geologically unsafe….[S]ound as the roots of the anti-nuclear movement are, we cannot allow historical sentiment to shield us from the bigger picture. Even when <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/nuclearpower" type="external">nuclear power</a> plants go horribly wrong, they do less damage to the planet and its people than coal-burning stations operating normally….The Chernobyl meltdown was hideous and traumatic. The official death toll so far appears to be 43 – 28 workers in the initial few months then a further 15 civilians by 2005…”</p>
<p>Does Monbiot live on Fantasy Island? It’s as if things called ‘political power’ and ‘economic power’ do not exist.&#160;Hasn’t he read a line from the history of the nuclear power industrial/academic / political complex – one of the most powerful lobbies in the advanced industrial world, in continuous and successful operation for 70 years.</p>
<p>Why do we not see furious demonstrations right now, outside everyone of&#160; this country’s 104 nuclear plants. Can the antinuclear movement, with a glorious activist history now 20 years gone, now not even manage a muted echo of the turnouts in Germany and France? No. The reason: major environmental organizations long ago made a devil’s pact with the nuclear industry. Fixated by their models of AGW, they took the nuclear option. We’re talking here about the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund, the Sierra Club which forced out David Brower when he opposed Diablo Canyon, (see <a href="" type="internal">Jeffrey St Clair’s piece on today’s site</a>), people like Obama’s White House advisor John Holdren, along with supposedly progressive outfits like the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists and the Union of Concerned Scientists, who go on prattling about “better safeguards,” just like the idiotic Monbiot.</p>
<p>Can’t they get it into their heads that nuclear power’s entire history has been the methodical breaching of supposedly reliable safeguards? See Lawrence Wittner’s piece on the site today about the Cruise of the Lucky Dragon, as just one example among thousands. It’s like trying to explain space to a child. The kid asks, Isn’t there a wall at the end? You say, but what ‘s the other side of the wall? There’s no outer limit to the lethal risks in nuclear power. There are 40-foot sea walls round a lot of Japan’s coastline. The recent tsunami went through them like a wavelet through a child’s sandcastle.</p>
<p>One of the most interesting aspects to the current Japanese disaster, productive of much better reporting in newspapers like the NYT, the Guardian and the Mail&#160; is the division between the US and Japan on the gravity of the crisis. This gives journalists, always fearful of being called “alarmist”,&#160; quotes they can hang their hats on, as from the head of &#160;the&#160; Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko. The Japanese government establishes an evacuation zone 12 miles in radius. The NRC tells American civilians&#160; the evacuation zone should be 50 miles in radius. The head of a big US military base decrees&#160; a radius of 200 miles for service people. The USS Reagan steams rapidly out to safer waters.</p>
<p>In political terms, nuclear power – in war and peace – has always been a war on the people, starting with the Japanese in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, going on to the Marshall Islanders, ranchers and kindred inhabitants of test sites across the West, Native Americans and poor Latinos and African Americans — the usual involuntary neighbors of waste dumps — people in the path of “accidents” – which are, as I like to say, normality raised to the level of conspicuous drama —&#160; or deliberate secret experiments, and most recently Fukushima. Not the executives of the Tokyo Electric Power Company. They’re in Tokyo or heading further south. It’s “worker heroes” – who know perfectly well they are doomed. Send the Board of TEPCO into the front lines! We see no furious upsurge against nuclear power here because progressives still mostly cram in under the toxic umbrella of Obama and his energy plan which – as he put it in his ludicrous State of the Union message earlier this year – substantially reposes on “clean” nuclear power as well as&#160; “clean coal.” When the House of Representatives (though not the U.S. Senate)&#160; voted for a climate bill in 2009 – the inclusion of a clean energy bank to provide financial backing for new energy production, including nuclear, was part of the bargain.</p>
<p>Look at the false predictions, the blunders. Remember the elemental truth that Nature bats last, and that human folly and greed are ineluctable parts of man’s&#160; condition,&#160; Why try to persuade people that somewhere in hell there will be higher, safer, ground, where there are no force 8-9 earthquakes, tsunamis, dud machinery, forgetful workers, corner -cutting plant owners, immensely powerful corporations like GE and Westinghouse, permissive regulatory agencies&#160; ready with the next cover-up, politicians and presidents trolling for campaign dollars – in other words, the real world. Why tell people that willy-nilly they have to live in hell. Is that the shoal on which the progressive movement in America is beached? This shameful pact – call it Montbidiocy — between the nuclear industry and many big Greens has got to end. It’s over.</p>
<p>A Fantastic Newsletter</p>
<p>I’ve already mentioned Will Parrish’s great article in our new subscriber only newsletter, narrating Obama’s boost for nukes while Fukushima was in meltdown, and how US “Atoms for Peace” helped birth Japan’s nuke program; while back in US homeland the “let them eat plutonium” mindset has maimed and killed for 70 years and will go on doing so till it’s stopped dead in its tracks</p>
<p>The newsletter also features Mike Whitney on the grossest list in show business – the Forbes list of billionaires plus&#160; Shaukat Qadir on why Davis was in Pakistan in the first place plus Larry Portis on how much the French loathe Sarkozy and who advised him to declare war on Libya.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/Annual_Subscriptions.html" type="external">Subscribe now!</a></p>
<p>And once you have discharged this enjoyable mandate I also urge you strongly to click over to our <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Books</a> page, most particularly for our latest release, Jason Hribal’s truly extraordinary Fear of the Animal Planet – introduced by Jeffrey St Clair and already hailed by Peter Linebaugh, Ingrid Newkirk (president and co-founder of PETA) and Susan Davis, the historian of Sea World,&#160; who writes that “Jason Hribal stacks up the evidence, and the conclusions are inescapable. Zoos, circuses and theme parks are the strategic hamlets of Americans’ long war against nature itself.”</p>
<p>ALEXANDER COCKBURN can be reached at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p> | In the Midst of Fukushima | true | https://counterpunch.org/2011/03/18/in-the-midst-of-fukushima/ | 2011-03-18 | 4 |
<p>Roadtrip!&#160;</p>
<p>Prime Minister Manmohan Singh finally set a deadline for a trilateral highway that will make it possible to drive from India to Thailand on Monday, along with signing a slew of agreements that will give Indian companies access to Burmese market.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Driving-to-Thailand-from-India-could-be-a-reality-by-2016/articleshow/13614425.cms?intenttarget=no" type="external">the Times of India</a>, Singh "said India would undertake the repair of 71 bridges on the Tamu-Kalewa Friendship Road. India had earlier helped Myanmar build this road and the plan now is to link it with a place called Yargyi which will effectively link Moreh in India to Mae Sot in Thailand."</p>
<p>(My backseat remains unbooked, if you're interested and do not have any serious gastrointestinal issues).</p>
<p>Burma and India will form a joint working group to determine the technical and commercial feasibility of cross-border rail links and the commercial feasibility of direct shipping links between the two countries, as well, the paper said.&#160;</p>
<p>Business deals formed during <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/120528/india-myanmar-strengthen-ties-indian-pms-visit" type="external">Singh's visit to Burma</a> included a move to allow United Bank of India to open a branch in Yangon, an air service agreement for airlines and the announcement of a $500 million line of credit for Myanmar, <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/WorldEconomy/Corporate-India-sews-up-several-pacts-in-Myanmar/Article1-862635.aspx" type="external">the Hindustan Times said</a>.</p>
<p>Jubilant Energy, which bid for an oil-gas exploration block last October, gained a second onshore block in the Irrawaddy river delta area, while India's JK Group signed an agreement with the Myanmar government to set up a paper mill, and Kirloskar was approved to build a pump factory.</p>
<p>There was also a nod to India's rupee woes, as the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Myanmar have agreed to work out a "currency arrangement" to allow payments in local currencies, the paper said.</p>
<p>The air services agreement gives designated airlines from each country the right to operate between the countries as well as "fifth freedom rights" - which means that Indian airlines would be allowed to use Yangon as a stopover en route to other destinations.</p> | Roadtrip! Singh sets 2016 deadline for Burma road to Thailand | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-05-29/roadtrip-singh-sets-2016-deadline-burma-road-thailand | 2012-05-29 | 3 |
<p>A Border Patrol agent near the US-Mexico border in Nogales, ArizonaLucy Nicholson/Reuters via Zuma</p>
<p />
<p>Last week, the Trump administration released its <a href="" type="internal">blueprint</a> for implementing the president’s executive orders on immigration. Not only did it lay out plans to vastly <a href="http://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/wp-content/uploads/publications/17_0220_S1_Implementing-the-Presidents-Border-Security-Immigration-Enforcement-Improvement-Policies.pdf" type="external">increase</a> the number of undocumented people vulnerable to deportation, but it also revealed that the feds intend to deport many more people caught in their immigration crackdown immediately after their arrest.</p>
<p>“Expedited removal” is the term the government uses to describe the swift deportation of undocumented immigrants without an appearance before an immigration judge—and, as pro-immigrant advocates point out, without due process protections. Previously, only undocumented immigrants who had been in the United States for less than 14 days and were apprehended within 100 miles of the US border were eligible for expedited removal. According to a new memo signed by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, expedited removal can now be applied nationwide to those who cannot produce documentation that they have been in the country continuously for at least two years.</p>
<p>Jennifer Chang Newell, a senior staff attorney on the ACLU’s Immigrants Rights’ Project, said expedited removal has long been marred by widespread, well-documented abuse and that it “violates due process absolutely.” In 2014, the last year for which there are <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/wp-content/uploads/publications/Enforcement_Actions_2014.pdf" type="external">public statistics</a>, 176,752 people were given expedited removal orders. That number, advocates point out, is now sure to go up.</p>
<p>The expansion of expedited removal is part of the administration’s attempt to bypass the bottleneck of immigrants already awaiting deportation in the immigration court system. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) estimates that it has the&#160; <a href="https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/releases/2011/110302washingtondc.pdf" type="external">capacity</a>&#160;to deport 400,000 people annually, but there is currently a <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/7b1dc1cdb32740d18ad9c658ebce5f43/federal-immigration-court-backlog-tops-500000-pending-cases" type="external">backlog</a>&#160;of more than 500,000 cases in the courts. Expedited removal allows the administration to skip the courts and summarily deport people without a lawyer, or even a phone call.</p>
<p>Under the new plan, apprehended immigrants will be asked for proof (such as receipts, phone records, or identification) that they have been in the country over the past two years. If they can’t produce the necessary documentation, they will be deported in as little as 24 hours. In effect, Newell said, “the&#160;police officer who arrests you and interrogates you also convicts you.” While this obviously is a concern for the tens of thousands of immigrants estimated to have illegally crossed the border since 2015, Alyson Sincavage, a legislative associate at the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), argues that it could affect all undocumented immigrants who can’t immediately make their case to immigration officials—even those who’ve been here for years. (ICE did not respond to a request for comment.)</p>
<p>And then there’s the question of how this might influence asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border. Since 2014, there has been a <a href="" type="internal">surge of Central American immigrants</a>—many of them <a href="" type="internal">unaccompanied minors</a> or <a href="" type="internal">women with children</a>—crossing the southern border due to increased gang violence and instability in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Both Newell and Sincavage expressed concerns that this group, many of whom have valid asylum claims, could be wrongly slated for expedited removal in the general chaos of a large-scale immigration overhaul. A 2013 study by the ACLU found that some <a href="https://www.aclu.org/report/american-exile-rapid-deportations-bypass-courtroom?redirect=immigrants-rights/american-exile-rapid-deportations-bypass-courtroom-report" type="external">asylum seekers were quickly deported</a> because Customs and Border Protection agents failed to adequately screen them in so-called <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/asylum/questions-answers-credible-fear-screening" type="external">credible-fear interviews</a>, which immigrants must pass before getting a full hearing before an immigration judge. (The Trump administration has indicated that CBP agents should “elicit all relevant information from the alien as is necessary to make a legally sufficient determination” during credible-fear screenings; CBP did not respond to a request for comment.)</p>
<p>Causing further concern, the administration has suggested that many immigrants apprehended at the border could be immediately sent back to Mexico, rather than to their home countries. Luis Angel Gallegos, a program coordinator at the Institute for Social and Cultural Practice and Research, a Mexico City-based nonprofit focused on migrant issues, wrote in Spanish that sending immigrants to northern Mexico would present an enormous logistical challenge and endanger already-vulnerable immigrants. “There is no infrastructure to host and receive them,” he said. “Shelters that help immigrants are often full. Immigration detention centers are full.” Gallegos argued that this could make immigrants targets for extortion, kidnapping, and other crimes by the criminal syndicates operating in the border region.</p>
<p>Even if the Mexican government blocks this part of the plan—on Friday, the Associated Press <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/official-mexico-rejected-us-plan-3rd-country-deportees-153520403.html" type="external">reported</a> that Mexico’s interior secretary said the country had rejected it in meetings with American leaders—Newell and Sincavage stressed the cruelty of removing people so quickly without a phone call, let alone a day in court. Expedited removal leads to people being “ripped from their communities [and] whisked away and deported in a matter of hours, based on shoddy paperwork,” Newell said. “This violates our most American notions of fairness.”</p>
<p /> | Donald Trump Can Deport People Without Even Giving Them a Hearing | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2017/02/trump-deportation-ice-border-patrol-expedited-removal/ | 2017-02-27 | 4 |
<p>During the 1999 war in Kosovo it was aggravating as hell to watch as innocent civilians suffered, all the while knowing that a well-armed and well-equipped NATO military force was sitting across the border in Macedonia doing nothing to stop what was described as ethnic cleansing. The only fighting seen by NATO troops was from the air, thousands of feet above the battleground.</p>
<p>In Macedonia during the year 2001 there was another war observed by NATO troops. Unlike Kosovo, NATO troops in Macedonia actually shared the same turf as the combatants. NATO, of course, was not involved in the fighting. Ethnic Albanians, citizens of the Republic of Macedonia, and their various allies were fighting the Macedonian military, ostensibly for increased rights within the existing government. However, it was very difficult, if not impossible, to find anyone who believed the war in Macedonia was anything other than another war of separation and eventual independence.</p>
<p>As was done in Kosovo, NATO troops established well protected bases in Macedonia and the modern weaponry of a super-powered military alliance was on display on the roads traveled by NATO vehicles. The military bases were secure and the NATO vehicles usually observed heading away from the fighting. And, just like Kosovo, NATO did nothing to stop the fighting except express words of peace as Albanian rebels did the killing and cleansing on the ground.</p>
<p>It was a tragedy for Macedonia.</p>
<p>The multi-ethnic republic, created after the break-up of Yugoslavia, did its best to avoid war. American troops have been allowed to maintain a base near the capital city Skopje, and they have been there since the beginning of the wars fought in Croatia and Bosnia. During the war in Kosovo the Macedonian government permitted NATO aircraft to use the airport at Petrovac; the skies above Macedonia were saturated with warplanes headed for Kosovo and Serbia. Tens of thousands of Albanian escaped the war in Kosovo by crossing into Macedonia. And, although there were a few initial difficulties, the hard-pressed Macedonian government did their best to provide relief to the refugees. A poor nation, Macedonia was further impoverished by offering aid to the victims of war.</p>
<p>It was farcical, I thought, for NATO to strut around Macedonia, acting out the role of peacekeeper as the country fell victim to a rebel force comprised, in part, of the same ethnic Albanians who once used Macedonia as a refuge, not a battlefield. And it was aggravating as hell to watch as well-armed and well-equipped NATO troops, riding in the most advanced military vehicles, got caught in traffic, stuck in between automobiles filled with civilians fleeing the fighting in Tetovo. They were all, civilians and soldiers, headed east away from the danger.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>The highway from Skopje to Tetovo was littered with the skeletons of vehicles; hulking masses of burned metal and rubber that were once busses, trucks and automobiles. The debris was all that remained from a battle between the Macedonian military and ethnic Albanian rebels. The road was opened the next day, but most of the traffic headed east, away from the danger in Tetovo. Albanian rebels surrounded Tetovo, and all of the roads leading to the city were hazardous to travel. The rebels, who claimed they only wanted increased rights within the Macedonian society, were creating ‘facts on the ground’ which were at odds with their stated political goals.</p>
<p>The once bustling city of Tetovo was a ghost town. When the guns began firing, only a few people were willing to scamper from building to building. The crack of sniper bullets echoing through the emptiness, and the whistling sound of artillery shells passing overhead before impacting on Albanian rebel positions were a reminder that, although peace negotiations were taking place in Ohrid, war was a daily event in Tetovo.</p>
<p>South of Tetovo, on the edge of the village of Recica, Albanian rebels manned barricades, firing on Macedonian military checkpoints from a distance of 100 meters. The fighting by soldiers and rebels was closer than any peace agreement then being negotiated by diplomats and politicians in the resort town of Ohrid. During a five week long cease-fire, Macedonians had been trying to avoid confronting the rebels, adhering as best they could to the demands of NATO and the European Union. However, the killing of 10 government soldiers on the road to Tetovo incensed the citizens of Macedonia, and their political and military leaders responded with weapons instead of words.</p>
<p>“The Macedonians, they have no mercy,” said 16 year old Argjira Fejzulai as she huddled with her family during an intense battle between Macedonian soldiers and Albanian rebels. “The children hide down in the cellar when the shooting starts. They are scared.”</p>
<p>Argjira’s family lives in an Albanian neighborhood near the frontline separating Tetovo and Recica. They have not left their home. When the rebels began creeping ever closer to the city, the minority population of Macedonians civilians living in Tetovo believed that they were shown ‘no mercy’, and they had to hide or leave their homes when the rebel attacked. Thousands of Macedonians from Tetovo and the nearby villages were refugees in their own country, displaced people unable or unwilling to return to their homes. They did not ask for mercy, only an end to the fighting.</p>
<p>“We are a peaceful people,” said the son of a Macedonian restaurant owner in Tetovo. “We do not want war, but the terrorists want our land.”</p>
<p>He spoke softly, but wanted his government to wield a big stick.</p>
<p>“The terrorists will run away when our army attacks.”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>On 7 July, only two days after the cease-fire was announced in Macedonia, my driver/interpreter Mihailo and I entered the village of Leshok. We had to show our ‘documents’ to a burly Macedonian military policeman stationed at a checkpoint near the village before being allowed to travel up the one-lane asphalt road. We encountered a small group of men, all civilians. They were sitting outside, drinking soda and coffee. Jocko Dimitrijevski, a 30-year-old father of two children, was sitting with the group. The women and children of Leshok, including Jocko’s family, had already left the village. Albanian rebels were in the surrounding hills, and many of the villagers were not in the mood to discuss the situation with a journalist from the United States.</p>
<p>After a few tense moments, with the help of my intrepid driver/interpreter Mihailo, I was able to convince the villagers that I was in Leshok to report on their story. I told them I was not part of what they believed to be the support troops of the Albanian rebels: NATO and the Western press. Jocko and another resident agreed to take me on a tour of Leshok, a beautiful village of white stucco-sided homes with red-tiled roofs. After an hour of traipsing through the village, including a visit to the Leshok Monastery, an Orthodox Christian shrine situated above the village, Jocko invited Mihailo and me to his home for coffee and conversation. We sat at a table overlooking a small vegetable garden.</p>
<p>Jocko worked as a welder, but was currently unemployed. Until the Albanian rebels began their assaults on Leshok, he lived with his wife Gijana, his son Goran and daughter Kristina in a modest home surrounded by fruit trees and vegetable gardens. Jocko’s elderly parents also shared the family home. The Dimitrijevski family was ordinary; they lived a life similar to many other close-knit Macedonian families. There was very little money and employment was scarce in Macedonia’s faltering, war-torn economy. Yet, the family was content and together.</p>
<p>Then came the Albanian rebels, and life was altered forever.</p>
<p>During a long day’s journey through fear and confusion, Jocko and the other villagers of Leshok fought for their lives. The small force of Macedonian military policemen stationed at the checkpoint assisted them, but the villagers and cops were outgunned and outnumbered. The village was abandoned to the Albanian rebels and a few elderly Macedonians unable or unwilling to flee. The villagers of Leshok scattered. Some went to live with relatives and friends; others found temporary shelter in a compound of old block buildings in Skopje, constructed after the 1963 earthquake that destroyed the city.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>On the evening of 24 July, the day when Leshok became a casualty of war, Skopje would again shake and rumble. Hundreds of former residents from the villages north of Tetovo, including many of those recently cleansed from Leshok, and thousands of other angry Macedonians gathered in front of the Parliament building in Skopje. They were protesting the inaction of their own government, accusing President Trajkovski of catering to the whims of NATO. The reporting by the international media also angered the protesters. The Parliament building, cordoned off by Macedonian military policemen, only suffered from slogans shouted by the protesters. A few journalists, however, suffered even more; their cameras were smashed and their bodies beaten.</p>
<p>Mihailo and I mingled with the crowd as it began to gather, drawing stares and sneers, but no blows from clenched fists. I was framing a photograph, looking through the lens of his camera, when I focused in on Jocko’s mother. The grandmother from Leshok smiled, and yelled out a friendly greeting. She was attending the protest with her elderly husband and her son, Jocko. She took me to where Jocko was observing the protest</p>
<p>It had been almost three weeks since I had talked with Jocko in Leshok. The young man looked haggard, exhausted from the trauma of fighting for, and then losing his home. Mihailo, Jocko and I strolled off to the nearby Blue Cafe for an interview. I listened as Jocko told his story about the attack on Leshok; Mihailo interpreted the words of sorrow and sadness. And fear.</p>
<p>“I was near the store when the shooting start,” said Jocko. “The Albanians had a big force and attack Leshok.”</p>
<p>“Everyone goes to the main road,” said Jocko. “At that moment, I saw that my mother and father not there. My mother was in basement, hiding. My father was in barn, hiding.”</p>
<p>Jocko’s parents managed to escape; he would find them later, after the defenders of Leshok decided to forfeit their village to the Albanian attackers. One villager had already been killed, and three injured, when someone shouted “let’s save our friends instead of shooting enemy”. The remaining Macedonians left the village running.</p>
<p>“We helped the old people leave when the terrorists are shooting Leshok,” said Jocko. “We hope that somebody come to help fight terrorists. But nobody comes to help, so we left Leshok.”</p>
<p>“I am afraid for my family,” said Jocko.</p>
<p>Although Jocko and his parents were able to escape to the safety of Skopje, his wife and children were still staying with relatives in the village of Kopanica. Kopanica is located about ten miles east of Leshok, across a wide valley filled with fields and woods. The Vardar River flows by the village, as do many Albanian rebels as they flood into isolated areas populated by Macedonians</p>
<p>“It is very dangerous for me to go to Kopanica,” said Jocko as he sat sipping coffee. “It is a mixed village. Maybe someone recognize me because I fight against the Albanians in Leshok. I cannot go to Kopanica to get my family.”</p>
<p>Tears welled up in Jocko’s eyes as he spoke of his children, his voice choking with emotion. Mihailo and I exchanged glances; both of them knew immediately what was going to happen.</p>
<p>“We gotta go get Jocko’s family, Mihailo,” I said. “Where is Kopanica?”</p>
<p>Mihailo and I had reported on the war in Kosovo in 1999, working as a team, and had traveled together to many other dangerous locations. Kopanica would be another venture into the unknown. A telephone call was made to the home in Kopanica, telling the family to get ready to move quickly. Directions were obtained and we sped off down Partizanski Boulevard, heading west. The highway from Skopje to Tetovo also leads to Kopanica. Mihailo drove at breakneck speed, only slowing down when the exit came into view. The vehicle was stopped at a Macedonian checkpoint.</p>
<p>“We want to go to Kopanica,” said Mihailo to one of the military policeman manning the post. “Are there any Albanians on the way? Do they make trouble? Is the road clear?”</p>
<p>“It is no problem. You can go there,” responded the policeman. “There have been problems nearby, but not in Kopanica. You can go, but be careful.”</p>
<p>The road was clear. Mihailo and I arrived in Kopanica in the early evening. The sun was setting, the sky growing ever darker. The home where Jocko’s family was staying was easy to locate. The car screeched to a halt in front of the house.</p>
<p>“We must hurry,” said Mihailo as Jocko’s wife, children and sister-in-law climbed into the small automobile, cramming suitcases and bags into the empty spaces. Mihailo gunned the engine and the vehicle sputtered down the road.</p>
<p>Jocko’s family was petrified, Mihailo was nervous and I was wary as the fully loaded vehicle swayed from one side of the road to the other, avoiding potholes, people and potential attacks.</p>
<p>“I am scared,” said Mihailo. “Mostly because of the kids. I am thinking about what will happen if the terrorists catch us.”</p>
<p>The return trip to Skopje was uneventful. Less than an hour after leaving Skopje, the small automobile pulled up to the curb on a downtown street near the Parliament building where Jocko and his parents were waiting for the rest of their family. The four passengers, refugees in their own country, jumped out of the automobile and fell into the arms of their loved ones. Jocko grabbed his children and held them close. His family was together again.</p>
<p>I snapped a few photographs of the family, wished them well, and then turned to my courageous colleague.</p>
<p>“It’s time to go, Mihailo.”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>For more than three months, Mihailo and I traveled to most of the towns and villages in northwest Macedonia. We were constantly on the go, rarely taking more than a day or two off before a new incident would send us out on the road again.</p>
<p>In early September, Mihailo and his wife Sonja invited me on a day trip into the mountains south of Skopje. A real vacation, even if it would only last a day. We drove on back roads, sometimes even using dirt tracks as we made our way to a tiny village in the towering forested peaks of central Macedonia. We visited an old lady who lived in the village; she was the grandmother of Sonja’s best friend. Galena showed us the damage to her home, a nondescript cinderblock building with a red-tiled roof.</p>
<p>Even in the remote mountains, far away from the volatile areas in northwest Macedonia, innocent people were suffering. The front door of Galena’s home had been smashed in and the rooms ransacked. She didn’t have any proof as to the identity of the perpetrators but, nevertheless, Galena believed Albanians had caused the damage to her home.</p>
<p>“The terrorists attack my home,” said Galena.</p>
<p>Mihailo and Sonja agreed with Mira. Although there was a cease-fire in effect, random attacks continued throughout Macedonia. They were, for the most part, minor infractions of the cease-fire. But when people were driven from their homes and villages, or killed, or kidnapped, many Macedonians considered themselves to be the victims of terrorism. Albanian terrorism.</p>
<p>Macedonians were also very frustrated with the international alphabet groups. They considered NATO to be allied with the NLA (National Liberation Army), didn’t trust the envoys of the EU, OSCE or the UN, and couldn’t understand why Americans living in the USA ignored their pleas.</p>
<p>Didn’t Americans understand, asked many Macedonians, how terrifying it could be when the threat of terrorism was a part of daily life?</p>
<p>Mihailo, Sonja and I enjoyed our visit to the mountains, but we were getting chilly. The weather was colder in the mountains and in a few days it would be autumn. It was late in the afternoon, 11 September 2001. It was time to return to Skopje. We said goodbye to Galena and began our journey home. We were about an hour away from the city when Mihailo’s mobile telephone beeped. A friend in Skopje was tuned into the Cable News Network; he told Mihailo that the Twin Towers in New York City had just collapsed into rubble.</p>
<p>I didn’t want to believe Mihailo, and I was in the middle of nowhere and couldn’t confirm the story. For the next hour, my Macedonian friends and I discussed what we had been told. I remember telling them that, if true, the attack on the United States will undoubtedly educate Americans to the horrors of terrorism. I remember thinking that the world was going to be in trouble if thousands of innocent Americans had been killed.</p>
<p>I turned on the television when I returned to my apartment in Skopje. Pictures of smoking ruins were being broadcast on all of the Macedonian television stations. I didn’t need to understand the language to realize that Mihailo’s caller was telling the truth.</p>
<p>The world was in trouble.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>When the American media jumped on former President Bush’s bandwagon in 1990, the people of the world were able to watch as most journalists slavishly reported, as fact, every falsehood conjured up by the United States government and their obsequious allies. The lies and obfuscation during Bush War I should make most Americans wary of what their current government pronounces and their media report during Bush War II.</p>
<p>Truth is the first casualty of war, and lies are the bandages used by politicians, diplomats and military leaders to hide their failures and misdeeds and the subsequent true consequences of war. Media representatives who aid in covering up the unpleasant facts of life during war are propagandists who see, hear and speak jingo. In war-weary Macedonia, as in war-crazed America, there were a few journalists who, as patriotic citizens, believed they had to help kill the truth, casualties be damned.</p>
<p>A few weeks after the attacks in America and the advent of Bush War II, I was in the middle of a different conflict. It was late in the afternoon when I crossed back over the bridge near Siricino, Macedonia. Ahead, on the east bank of the Vardar River, a small group of people was gathered, watching as I approached. A tall young man had a video camera pointed in my direction.</p>
<p>“Hi, I’m a journalist,” said a woman, as I walked through the group. “Have you been in Semsevo?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” I replied. “I’m a freelance reporter.”</p>
<p>The woman introduced herself, mentioning the name of a small independent Skopje television station. She asked me about what was happening in the Albanian village located only a kilometer away, on the other side of the river. The woman journalist was Macedonian and did not feel safe entering into Albanian-dominated areas.</p>
<p>Semsevo is located in a wide valley only a few kilometers east of the soaring Sar Mountains where the rebels of the National Liberation Army continue to occupy Macedonian territory. Semsevo is set amidst cornfields, small woods and other villages populated by Macedonians. Exchanges of gunfire between the villages occur frequently. The Macedonian police and military, based in the nearby Macedonian village of Ratae, have traded volleys from heavy weapons with the NLA rebels hiding in the mountains.</p>
<p>“Did you see any rebels in Semsevo,” asked the Skopje television journalist.</p>
<p>“Yes,” I said. “One, maybe.”</p>
<p>There was one fellow sitting in Semsevo who was, or once was, a member of the NLA. I met him in Poroj about a month earlier. He was dressed in civilian clothes in Semsevo.</p>
<p>Journalists trade information all the time, a professional courtesy that can be helpful in areas at war. I was glad to assist the young Macedonian journalist, but wanted to get moving. I told her to be careful if she did decide to cross the bridge, but I didn’t tell her that I had a good story. There are a few things that reporters keep to themselves, and an exclusive story is one of them. My driver was waiting, and I needed to get someplace where I could develop the film I had shot earlier in the day.</p>
<p>An hour later, I was sitting in the office of a major wire service as two of my photographs, taken in the village of Ratae, were scanned and uploaded. I was the only international reporter to get into Ratae, and my photos would help tell the story of Macedonian villagers blockading roads leading out of their village. The Macedonian police and military decided to remain in the village when scores of men, women and children stood in front of their vehicles. I thanked the editor who bought my work, then headed back to my apartment to write a story about the courageous and determined villagers of Ratae.</p>
<p>The words of my story were still in my head when the telephone rang. It was the wire service editor.</p>
<p>“James, did you see the news tonight?”</p>
<p>“No,” I replied. “I’m working.”</p>
<p>The editor then told me that a local independent television station in Skopje had just broadcast a news story about the village of Semsevo, and I was the featured performer. He said that I was quoted, not by name, as saying that there were 400 Albanian rebels gathered in the village of Semsevo. Video footage of myself walking across the bridge near Siricino was shown during the brief broadcast, confirming my status as an eyewitness.</p>
<p>“You’re in big danger, James,” said the editor. “You should not go back to that area.”</p>
<p>His meaning was clear. If the Albanian rebels saw the same broadcast, and learned that the Macedonian media was telling lies, then I would be perceived as the bearer of those untruths. The young Macedonian journalist I had talked with in Siricino had just screwed me, and inflamed an already tense situation in Semsevo.</p>
<p>I was upset, but not surprised. Journalists working as propagandists are not uncommon during war. I telephoned a Macedonian friend, related the story to him, and then agreed to go to the television station to register a complaint. I had wanted to let the issue fade away, but my friend thought it necessary to confront the lie.</p>
<p>“We must tell the truth,” he said.</p>
<p>Early the next morning, my Macedonian friend accompanied me to the television station. The building was located on the outskirts of Skopje. We entered through the front door and immediately saw the woman journalist who had manipulated my words and her pictures to tell a story filled with untruths. She was coming down the stairs when she noticed me; the color drained from her face.</p>
<p>“Hi,” I said. “I’m a reporter and I want to talk with you.”</p>
<p>To her credit, the journalist didn’t try to lie again. She quickly admitted that I never mentioned more than one NLA rebel, and agreed that it was also unethical and unprofessional to have used me as a source, and then use video footage of me in her story. I asked to see the news story that was broadcast. I saw myself as I crossed the bridge near Siricino the day before. In the eyes of anyone watching the program, I had also crossed over the line separating reporters of the facts from propagandists telling lies.</p>
<p>As we left the television station, I asked my friend if he would give me a ride to Siricino.</p>
<p>“No problem,” he said, smiling. “You are going back?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” I said. “I have to find out if this TV thing is going to cause trouble.”</p>
<p>I crossed the bridge near Siricino, and began walking towards Semsevo. I knew there weren’t 400 pissed-off NLA rebels in the village waiting for me to show my face, but I did wonder about satellite televisions and attentive Albanian viewers. The day before, I had stopped and chatted with a few of the Albanians hanging out in the village center, but on the second visit to Semsevo, I walked right on through at a steady clip, not stopping until I arrived at the first Macedonian checkpoint blocking the road.</p>
<p>There were no groups of people waiting on the west side of Semsevo; no video cameras capturing my image on tape; no propagandists willing to invent fiction from facts; and, no other reporters heading to Ratae to continue covering the reality of war. I hitched a ride with a military policeman driving an old jeep and, as we talked, I learned that the Macedonian police might try again to leave the village Ratae.</p>
<p>I checked my cameras, making sure they were loaded with film, and hopped off the jeep when it stopped in the center of Ratae. Dozens of soldiers and policemen were standing by transport vehicles, duffel bags at their feet and automatic weapons slung over their shoulders. The villagers of Ratae milled about, talking quietly.</p>
<p>There was a new story to tell.</p>
<p>James T. Phillips is the author of the forthcoming book Are You Safe from the Bombs, Papa? . He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p> | Cease-fires and Terrorists | true | https://counterpunch.org/2002/05/17/cease-fires-and-terrorists/ | 2002-05-17 | 4 |
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<p>It appears the utility scam I wrote about in my <a href="" type="internal">Scam of the Week column</a> Sunday is continuing to make the rounds across the country, according to recent media reports.</p>
<p>This is the issue that prompted a <a href="http://www.tomudall.senate.gov/?p=press_release&amp;id=1446" type="external">letter</a>from U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., to the Federal Trade Commission, calling for an investigation into a scheme that has defrauded more than a hundred New Mexico consumers out of thousands of dollars. Many are customers of <a href="http://www.pnm.com/" type="external">PNM</a>, which posted a warning on its website.</p>
<p>Homes and businesses have been the target of calls threatening to shut off their electricity unless they agreed to make an immediate payment on their bill, specifically using prepaid gift or debit cards.</p>
<p>In the past few days, reports of this scam have surfaced in Indiana, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas — some with unfortunate results.</p>
<p>On Monday, for example, <a href="http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/10/14/utility-bill-scammers-targeting-restaurants.html" type="external">The Columbus Dispatch</a> reported that two restaurants had been duped into paying between&#160; $500 and $800 in Ohio.</p>
<p>Remember: PNM will never ask you to pay an outstanding bill by phone with a prepaid debit or PayPal card. When in doubt, hang up and call the utility at 1-888-DIAL-PNM to determine the legitimacy of the original call.</p>
<p>Other useful tips are included in my Sunday <a href="" type="internal">column</a>.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Utility scam spreads to more states | false | https://abqjournal.com/282831/utility-scam-spreads-to-more-states-2.html | 2013-10-16 | 2 |
<p>ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Coach Urban Meyer could have easily stoked a debate about expanding the four-team College Football Playoff after his Buckeyes were the first team left out this season.</p>
<p>Instead, he focused — as much as he could — on the Cotton Bowl matchup Friday night against Southern California, another conference champion.</p>
<p>"We're on the outside looking in twice. We're in the playoff twice, and twice we're right on the edge of not being in it. If they extended the playoff ... but I don't see that happening," Meyer said Thursday. "College football is just hitting on all cylinders right now, so I don't know how much I'd change."</p>
<p>The Big Ten-winning Buckeyes won the first championship in the four-team CFP era three years ago. That game was at AT&amp;T Stadium, where Ohio State (11-2) returns Friday night to play Pac-12 champion and <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/poll" type="external">No. 8 Southern California</a> (11-2) in the second Cotton Bowl for both teams.</p>
<p>USC coach Clay Helton mostly agreed with Meyer after initially deferring to Ohio State's coach with CFP experience to first answer the question posed about if it was time to consider an eight-team playoff.</p>
<p>"The playoff system has been great for our game," Helton said. "You're talking about two teams that were in that controversy and in that discussion right down to the end, and have the ability to have this game against two really premier teams in the country. That's what you focus on."</p>
<p>Had the Rose Bowl not been a CFP semifinal this season, the Trojans and Buckeyes almost certainly would have been spending this week in Pasadena, California. The Rose Bowl traditionally hosts the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions, but this year will host Oklahoma and Georgia for a bid in the Jan. 8 title game.</p>
<p>Instead, the two powerhouse programs with more than 1,700 wins combined meet in another traditional bowl. The Cotton Bowl is being played for the 82nd time, the ninth since moving from its namesake stadium to the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.</p>
<p>This is the eighth time Ohio State and USC have played in a bowl game. The first seven were all in the Rose Bowl, the last coming 33 years ago.</p>
<p>"This is just a classic, classic matchup on every level," Helton said, mentioning the schools, teams and bands. "I think it's great for college football for this to be able to happen and to happen right here in the Cotton Bowl."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>A few things to know about the first Cotton Bowl in 31 years to match conference champions:</p>
<p>DECISION FOR DARNOLD</p>
<p>This is <a href="" type="internal">could be the final game at USC for third-year sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold</a> , an expected top NFL pick who hasn't said yet if he will return to the Trojans or declare for the draft. He has until Jan. 15 to decide. The <a href="http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=21634978" type="external">All-Pac-12 QB has thrown for 6,873 yards</a> with 57 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in his two seasons.</p>
<p>LONE STATE RUNNERS</p>
<p>Both teams have 1,000-yard rushers from Texas: USC junior Ronald Jones (1,486 yards, 18 TDs) from the Dallas suburb of McKinney and Ohio State true freshman J.K. Dobbins (1,364 yards, seven TDs). The 6-foot, 200-pound Jones has seen him play but doesn't know Dobbins, the 5-10, 208-pounder from La Grange, which is between Austin and Houston.</p>
<p>"He looks like he's from Texas. He's definitely a hard runner, he's going to have a bright future," Jones said before making a bulking-up motion. "He's just built. ... He's been eating good. I should have gotten on his diet back when I was a freshman."</p>
<p>BYE-BYE BARRETT</p>
<p>J.T. Barrett, <a href="http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=21555392" type="external">Ohio State's winningest quarterback</a> with 37 wins as a starter, will play his 50th and final game with the Buckeyes. Barrett is from Wichita Falls, Texas, about a two-hour drive from AT&amp;T Stadium, and acknowledged that it is cool to play his last game near home.</p>
<p>BACK IN JERRYWORLD</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Ohio State and USC are both playing at the Cowboys' stadium for the second time</a> . The Buckeyes beat Oregon 42-20 for the national championship three years ago. The Trojans lost their 2016 season opener there, 52-6 to defending national champion Alabama. They recovered from their most-lopsided loss in a half-century to finish last season as Rose Bowl champs.</p>
<p>NO ROSES</p>
<p>While Meyer has a national title, he still hasn't been to the Rose Bowl in his six seasons as Ohio State's coach. "Hopefully get there some day," he said. Meyer was a graduate assistant on the Buckeyes staff for their only other Cotton Bowl.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football: <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">https://collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p>
<p>ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Coach Urban Meyer could have easily stoked a debate about expanding the four-team College Football Playoff after his Buckeyes were the first team left out this season.</p>
<p>Instead, he focused — as much as he could — on the Cotton Bowl matchup Friday night against Southern California, another conference champion.</p>
<p>"We're on the outside looking in twice. We're in the playoff twice, and twice we're right on the edge of not being in it. If they extended the playoff ... but I don't see that happening," Meyer said Thursday. "College football is just hitting on all cylinders right now, so I don't know how much I'd change."</p>
<p>The Big Ten-winning Buckeyes won the first championship in the four-team CFP era three years ago. That game was at AT&amp;T Stadium, where Ohio State (11-2) returns Friday night to play Pac-12 champion and <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org/poll" type="external">No. 8 Southern California</a> (11-2) in the second Cotton Bowl for both teams.</p>
<p>USC coach Clay Helton mostly agreed with Meyer after initially deferring to Ohio State's coach with CFP experience to first answer the question posed about if it was time to consider an eight-team playoff.</p>
<p>"The playoff system has been great for our game," Helton said. "You're talking about two teams that were in that controversy and in that discussion right down to the end, and have the ability to have this game against two really premier teams in the country. That's what you focus on."</p>
<p>Had the Rose Bowl not been a CFP semifinal this season, the Trojans and Buckeyes almost certainly would have been spending this week in Pasadena, California. The Rose Bowl traditionally hosts the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions, but this year will host Oklahoma and Georgia for a bid in the Jan. 8 title game.</p>
<p>Instead, the two powerhouse programs with more than 1,700 wins combined meet in another traditional bowl. The Cotton Bowl is being played for the 82nd time, the ninth since moving from its namesake stadium to the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.</p>
<p>This is the eighth time Ohio State and USC have played in a bowl game. The first seven were all in the Rose Bowl, the last coming 33 years ago.</p>
<p>"This is just a classic, classic matchup on every level," Helton said, mentioning the schools, teams and bands. "I think it's great for college football for this to be able to happen and to happen right here in the Cotton Bowl."</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>A few things to know about the first Cotton Bowl in 31 years to match conference champions:</p>
<p>DECISION FOR DARNOLD</p>
<p>This is <a href="" type="internal">could be the final game at USC for third-year sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold</a> , an expected top NFL pick who hasn't said yet if he will return to the Trojans or declare for the draft. He has until Jan. 15 to decide. The <a href="http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=21634978" type="external">All-Pac-12 QB has thrown for 6,873 yards</a> with 57 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in his two seasons.</p>
<p>LONE STATE RUNNERS</p>
<p>Both teams have 1,000-yard rushers from Texas: USC junior Ronald Jones (1,486 yards, 18 TDs) from the Dallas suburb of McKinney and Ohio State true freshman J.K. Dobbins (1,364 yards, seven TDs). The 6-foot, 200-pound Jones has seen him play but doesn't know Dobbins, the 5-10, 208-pounder from La Grange, which is between Austin and Houston.</p>
<p>"He looks like he's from Texas. He's definitely a hard runner, he's going to have a bright future," Jones said before making a bulking-up motion. "He's just built. ... He's been eating good. I should have gotten on his diet back when I was a freshman."</p>
<p>BYE-BYE BARRETT</p>
<p>J.T. Barrett, <a href="http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=21555392" type="external">Ohio State's winningest quarterback</a> with 37 wins as a starter, will play his 50th and final game with the Buckeyes. Barrett is from Wichita Falls, Texas, about a two-hour drive from AT&amp;T Stadium, and acknowledged that it is cool to play his last game near home.</p>
<p>BACK IN JERRYWORLD</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Ohio State and USC are both playing at the Cowboys' stadium for the second time</a> . The Buckeyes beat Oregon 42-20 for the national championship three years ago. The Trojans lost their 2016 season opener there, 52-6 to defending national champion Alabama. They recovered from their most-lopsided loss in a half-century to finish last season as Rose Bowl champs.</p>
<p>NO ROSES</p>
<p>While Meyer has a national title, he still hasn't been to the Rose Bowl in his six seasons as Ohio State's coach. "Hopefully get there some day," he said. Meyer was a graduate assistant on the Buckeyes staff for their only other Cotton Bowl.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>More AP college football: <a href="https://collegefootball.ap.org" type="external">https://collegefootball.ap.org</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Top25" type="external">https://twitter.com/AP_Top25</a></p> | Rosy Cotton Bowl with playoff-snubbed Ohio State against USC | false | https://apnews.com/amp/d52d6f708791433d97d747a6171a578c | 2017-12-28 | 2 |
<p />
<p>Whether you drive an aging set of wheels because it's cheaper or because it has sentimental value, there are important things you need to know about buying insurance for an old car. In your <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/insurance.aspx?pid=p:foxbz" type="external">auto insurance quote Opens a New Window.</a>, you don't want to spend more on coverage than you need, but you also don't want to wind up without enough <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/finance/topic/car-insurance.aspx?pid=p:foxbz" type="external">car insurance Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>If you own a car that is getting on in years, you're not alone. Automotive research firm R.L. Polk and Co. reports that the average age of the more than 240 million cars and light trucks on U.S roads has climbed to a record 11.2 years. In 1995, the average age was 8.4 years. The recent recession has contributed to the trend of drivers keeping cars on the road longer.</p>
<p>Consider cutting coverages</p>
<p>There are a few key ways an old car can drive down auto insurance costs. For example, you might be able to drop collision and comprehensive coverage from your policy. Jeff Schroeder, senior products manager at Los Angeles-based Mercury Insurance, says it's important to recognize when a vehicle is overinsured because you don't want to waste your money.</p>
<p>According to the Insurance Information Network of California, if the vehicle is valued at $1,000 or less, the chances are good that collision and comprehensive coverage aren't worth the cost.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>But don't be too hasty</p>
<p>Before you reduce coverage on your older car, make sure you understand how much it would cost to replace the vehicle. In some cases, it may make sense to keep full coverage on a years-old car that has maintained a high value.</p>
<p>"If your car is valued at a point that is higher than what you would want to pay out of pocket to replace it, you may want to think twice about dropping coverage," says Tully Lehman, a spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California.</p>
<p>To get an estimated value, you can go online to check Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds.com or the National Automobile Dealers Association, or NADA, Guide.</p>
<p>Don't skimp on liability insurance</p>
<p>Even a clunker of a car can cause a lot of damage to other vehicles or people. So, you want these types of liability coverage in your <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/insurance.aspx?pid=p:foxbz" type="external">auto insurance quote Opens a New Window.</a>:</p>
<p>Is the car valuable -- to thieves?</p>
<p>Be careful not to assume you'll save on insurance with any old car because some vehicles that lost their new-car smell long ago can be magnets for car thieves. Certain models are targeted because of high demand for their parts. Having a car that is likely to be stolen can raise your <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/insurance.aspx?pid=p:foxbz" type="external">insurance Opens a New Window.</a> costs, warns Lehman.</p>
<p>Your car's rate of theft isn't as important for determining your insurance costs as your driving record or where you reside, but it is something insurers will consider, he says. The National Insurance Crime Bureau, or NICB, releases Hot Wheels, an annual list of the 10 most-stolen vehicles in the U.S. In the most recent report, 7 of the 10 were older cars manufactured in 2000 or earlier.</p>
<p>That's no beater car -- that's a classic</p>
<p>If you have an aging car that might be considered a classic, there are special insurance considerations.</p>
<p>Consult an insurance company that specializes in classic cars. Generally, these cars are defined as about 25 years old or older and in good condition. If a classic-car insurer agrees to cover your vehicle, you likely will be expected to store it in a garage and limit your annual mileage, says Jill Bookman, CEO of American Collectors Insurance in Cherry Hill, N.J.</p>
<p>The car typically will be insured at an agreed-upon value, which can be substantial for some rare models, says Bookman. Even so, the premiums generally will be cheaper than for a standard policy because classic-car drivers are extra cautious, and the vehicles aren't on the road very much.</p>
<p>"Our cars are not used in the same way," Bookman says. "They are driven carefully. The average annual premium is less than $250."</p>
<p>Old cars can bring teen drivers savings</p>
<p>If there are teen drivers in your household, you probably won't want to hand them the keys to a valuable classic. Still, you generally can save money if your teen drives an older vehicle. A used car with a low market value might be just what you're looking for.</p>
<p>Because teen drivers tend to have high accident rates, they are costly to insure. But when they drive older cars, the rates will be lower because such cars are cheaper to replace than newer models.</p>
<p>While it's important to consider the auto insurance savings from an old car, Lehman cautions parents not to forget about safety. Make sure your teen's used car is roadworthy. A car that's too old may be missing important modern safety features, such as anti-lock brakes and air bags.</p>
<p>Copyright 2013, Bankrate Inc.</p> | Insurance That's 'Just Right' for an Old Car | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/05/03/insurance-that-just-right-for-old-car529571.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
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<p>DENVER (AP) — The nation’s first known legal recreational pot club has already shut its doors.</p>
<p>The White Horse Inn in the southern Colorado town of Del Norte closed Tuesday, a day after its opening, because of a landlord dispute, The Denver Post reported.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Owner Paul Lovato told the newspaper that he wanted to be first in the nation to open a marijuana club. He beat an establishment in Denver by a few hours.</p>
<p>Lovato said his lease on the building didn’t start until Tuesday. Lovato said that when his landlord saw the publicity about the club, he canceled the lease before it took effect.</p>
<p>“By opening early, I kind of screwed myself out of my building,” Lovato told The Post.</p>
<p>Colorado voters in November legalized use and limited possession of marijuana. The marijuana measure bans public consumption but doesn’t prevent members-only group smoke-outs.</p>
<p>Lovato’s business model called for having a storefront where customers could buy coffee, T-shirts and other items and then a private building next door where they could smoke free samples of marijuana. He had planned to open just after New Year’s Eve ticked over into New Year’s Day. But pressure from another cannabis venue — Denver’s Club 64, a members-only gathering that intends to stage at different spots throughout the year — caused Lovato to speed up his timetable.</p>
<p>Lovato said he opened for a few hours during the day Monday, long enough to be the first in the state and to draw the media attention that came with the distinction.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Wow guys!” Lovato wrote on the club’s Facebook page. “Today was a blast and a blur!”</p>
<p>Lovato said he may adopt Club 64’s model for the next year and then try to open a recreational marijuana shop when he’s allowed to.</p>
<p>After Monday’s opening, Lovato said he got calls from people in New Mexico who wanted to drive up to visit. He expected them to arrive sometime Tuesday morning.</p>
<p>“We’re doing the White Horse Inn at my house today,” he said.</p>
<p>5:47am 1/1/13 — Members-Only Pot Clubs Open in Colo.</p>
<p>DENVER (AP) — With reggae music pumping in the background and flashing disco-style lights, members of the recreational pot club lit up in celebration of the new year — and a new place to smoke legally among friends.</p>
<p>Club 64, in an industrial area just north of downtown Denver, opened at 4:20 p.m. on Monday, with some 200 people signed up. The opening came less than 24 hours after organizers announced they would charge a $29.99 admission price for the bring-your-own pot club.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Look at this!” Chloe Villano exclaimed as the club she created over the weekend opened. “We were so scared because we didn’t want it to be crazy. But this is crazy! People want this.”</p>
<p>The private pot dens popped up less than a month after Colorado’s governor signed into law a constitutional amendment allowing recreational pot use. Club 64 gets its name from the number of the amendment.</p>
<p>Two Colorado clubs were believed to be the first legal pot dens in the nation. The Denver Post reported that a similar pot club opened earlier Monday in the small southern Colorado town of Del Norte.</p>
<p>Colorado’s marijuana amendment prohibits public consumption, and smoke-free laws also appear to ban indoor smokeouts. But Club 64 attorney Robert Corry said private pot dens are permissible because marijuana isn’t sold, nor is it food or drink.</p>
<p>Villano, the club owner, said the pot club would meet monthly at different locations, with the $29.99 membership fee good for only one event. On Monday, the pot club was meeting in a hemp-based clothing store near downtown. Hooded sweatshirts and backpacks were shoved to a corner. In the main area, a few small tables sat next to a screen showing “The Big Lebowski.”</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>A bar decorated with blue Christmas lights handed out sodas and Club 64’s official snacks — Goldfish and Cheetos. The snacks were inspired by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, who warned marijuana users the night of the marijuana vote, “don’t break out the Cheetos or Goldfish too quickly.”</p>
<p>Corry said the pot clubs are intended for people who can’t use marijuana at home because of local ordinance or because their landlords threaten eviction.</p>
<p>“It’s just a place for adults to exercise their constitutional rights together,” Corry said. “We’re not selling pot here.”</p>
<p>Among the new Club 64 members planning to ring in the New Year was Joe Valenciano of Denver. He heard about Club 64 a day ago and signed up immediately.</p>
<p>“We need more clubs like this,” Valenciano said.</p> | UPDATED: Colo.’s 1st Pot Club Closed | false | https://abqjournal.com/157155/updated-colo-s-1st-pot-club-closed.html | 2 |
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<p>LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Six people are facing charges after police say they recovered stolen electronics and a large amount of illegal drugs at a house in La Crosse.</p>
<p>Authorities say an investigation into several burglaries led them to a house that the Emergency Response Team entered last Friday. Several people tried to break out of a window to escape, but a police dog held them back.</p>
<p>Police say they found TVs, computers and other electronics taken in recent burglaries. They also found about fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and other drugs with a street value of about $57,000. <a href="http://www.wxow.com/story/37277418/2018/01/16/six-arrested-in-burglary-drug-investigation-in-la-crosse" type="external">WXOW-TV</a> reports authorities also seized about $7,500 in cash along with a loaded handgun.</p>
<p>Three people from La Crosse and three others from Ohio and Illinois were arrested.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WXOW-TV, <a href="http://www.wxow.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.wxow.com" type="external">http://www.wxow.com</a></p>
<p>LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Six people are facing charges after police say they recovered stolen electronics and a large amount of illegal drugs at a house in La Crosse.</p>
<p>Authorities say an investigation into several burglaries led them to a house that the Emergency Response Team entered last Friday. Several people tried to break out of a window to escape, but a police dog held them back.</p>
<p>Police say they found TVs, computers and other electronics taken in recent burglaries. They also found about fentanyl, cocaine, heroin and other drugs with a street value of about $57,000. <a href="http://www.wxow.com/story/37277418/2018/01/16/six-arrested-in-burglary-drug-investigation-in-la-crosse" type="external">WXOW-TV</a> reports authorities also seized about $7,500 in cash along with a loaded handgun.</p>
<p>Three people from La Crosse and three others from Ohio and Illinois were arrested.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WXOW-TV, <a href="http://www.wxow.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.wxow.com" type="external">http://www.wxow.com</a></p> | 6 face charges involving drugs, stolen electronics | false | https://apnews.com/886dca5045b14cedabd4becdc0b90b90 | 2018-01-17 | 2 |
<p>Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy Lawrence Wilkerson's last positions in government were as Secretary of State Colin Powell's Chief of Staff (2002-05), Associate Director of the State Department's Policy Planning staff under the directorship of Ambassador Richard N. Haass, and member of that staff responsible for East Asia and the Pacific, political-military and legislative affairs (2001-02). Before serving at the State Department, Wilkerson served 31 years in the U.S. Army. During that time, he was a member of the faculty of the U.S. Naval War College (1987 to 1989), Special Assistant to General Powell when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93), and Director and Deputy Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia (1993-97). Wilkerson retired from active service in 1997 as a colonel, and began work as an advisor to General Powell. He has also taught national security affairs in the Honors Program at the George Washington University. He is currently working on a book about the first George W. Bush administration.</p>
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<p /> PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Paul Jay in Washington. We're continuing our series of interview with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson. Thanks for joining us again. Alright. So February 2003, Colin Powell's, I guess, asked by the president, is it, to make a presentation to United Nations to look over the intelligence and make the case for war. So talk about this period, what your participation in it was, and then later how this all affected you.
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<p />LAWRENCE WILKERSON, FMR. CHIEF OF STAFF TO COLIN POWELL: Well, in late January he was asked to do it, and we immediately went to Dr. Rice and said this is ridiculous, too little time. The presentation was on February 5; about 7 days. She said, you're right; let's ask for more time. Then she came back a little bit later and said, sorry, we've already made the public announcement, so you've got to do it. So here we are with roughly seven days and nights to get ready for this monumental presentation at the UN Security Council. I relocated to the CIA headquarters at Langley, I took my team with me, and we essentially worked night and day for five days and nights, and then relocated to New York. In the middle of this we had the shuttle go down and lost our White House team, only to plead with Condi Rice that we were more important than the president going to Houston and giving some speech about the astronauts being killed. It was a bad moment.
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<p />JAY: Now, in terms of your own--how persuaded you are, I know there's only seven days to look at it, but you've had--your department's been looking at it, Greg Thielmann and others at State.
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<p />WILKERSON: Didn't have any INR people with me there, because Carl Ford had said the secretary knew what he felt and didn't need to send anybody over there. In retrospect, that was a very bad decision by my boss, a bad decision by me to adhere to it and to go along with it, and a bad decision by the deputy, Richard Armitage [crosstalk]
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<p />JAY: Not to have your own State Department experts with you.
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<p />WILKERSON: Not to have somebody over there with me, because had I had Carl over there with me or someone from Carl, I would have probably challenged George and John with a little more authority from time to time. In other words, I would have had them whispering in my ear and saying, don't believe that for a minute. You know. And I would have known [crosstalk]
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<p />JAY: I mean, you're a military man, but you're not an expert in doing diagnostics of intelligence, are you?
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<p />WILKERSON: I'm listening to the director of Central Intelligence, the man that briefs the president. I'm listening to him tell me, and from time to time the secretary of state, what the situation is in the American intelligence community, and as he made clear to me on a number of occasions, speaking for France, England, Germany, Israel, Australia, and a host of other people who had the same view we did about the position of WMD by Baghdad.
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<p />JAY: Which may have been true about some of the politicians in those governments but we now know was not true about most of their intelligence agencies.
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<p />WILKERSON: Well, there were--as always, there were fights in intelligence communities. There were people, I think, in every one of those countries who actually thought he had WMD. There were also people who didn't think he had WMD.
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<p />JAY: Now, you already by this time have some pretty deep suspicions, reservations about Cheney and Rumsfeld and that whole group. What's your thinking as you're sitting listening to this? Are you feeling that you and your boss are being set up or not?
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<p />WILKERSON: My thinking is, I want out of here; I'm resigning.
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<p />JAY: So why didn't you?
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<p />WILKERSON: I did. I just didn't have the guts to submit it.
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<p />JAY: You wrote it?
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<p />WILKERSON: I wrote my resignation, yes. When the secretary of state asked me if I wanted to give the team, who had done a spectacular job--even the White House people who'd helped me, all of them, they'd done a great job--he said, you want to give them something? I said, yes, I want to give them a letter from you and give them a little plaque, you know, something, we've got to give them something, 'cause these guys didn't sleep. I mean, I had a speechwriter sitting at the computer one morning, 2 a.m. in the morning, telling her 80-year-old father how to get to his insulin tablets in the refrigerator, because she wasn't at home with him and hadn't been at home with him for four straight nights. I mean, this was--.
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<p />JAY: This is during the seven days of prepping.
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<p />WILKERSON: Yes. This was--we were there. You couldn't leave. We were--.
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<p />JAY: But when do you write a letter of resignation? During this seven days?
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<p />WILKERSON: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Scratched it out on the back of an envelope and went back and typed it out in my office in the State Department. And when Powell said, okay, I went around personally and gave the awards to everybody, went to the White House, went to the DCI's office, and gave the awards to those who had helped us. And then I came back to my office and sat down behind my desk. This is literally what happened. And Powell walks into my office through the door that adjoined our offices, and he says, what are we going to give you? You've gotten [incompr.] I said, I don't want a damn thing. And he just turned around and walked back in his office. And a few minutes later he came in with a handwritten letter to me, thanking me for my superb work and so forth and so on. I tore it up and threw it in the trashcan.
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<p />JAY: So--.
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<p />WILKERSON: That's how bad I felt about the presentation, which I thought was hokey, circumstantial crap. And then I realized later that, you know, Colin Powell had given it. He had Mother Theresa poll ratings. That's the reason it was effective, because Colin Powell gave it. When Colin Powell held up that little thing and said, not in a post-9/11 world and so forth can we have this doubt and so forth, people believed him. They wouldn't have believed Dick Cheney. They wouldn't have believed George Bush. They wouldn't have believed Condi Rice. I mean, the right-wing nuts would have, but not the basic people in America we wanted to convince. But they believed Colin Powell.
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<p />JAY: Did you tell Powell you thought it was crap?
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<p />WILKERSON: I don't think I ever said it in that straightforward of terms.
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<p />JAY: Why?
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<p />WILKERSON: Because, frankly, I didn't realize how basic circumstantial evidence was being put together to present a position that could be very, very different from what the evidence was being interpreted as being, until I saw the whole presentation on the floor of the UN Security Council the day it was actually given, 'cause everything had always been segmented, hurried, rushed--piece here, piece there--beforehand. And what I saw was things like--take the intercepts, which I thought were powerful. They were probably the most effective part of the presentation. But you listen to the intercepts, which we had taken great pains to make sure were interpreted right, because they were intercepted in Arabic, separate translations and so forth, but you hear, for example, of Captain Ibrahim being told to get rid of a piece of equipment that's restricted under the sanctions. Well, you can interpret that either way. You can say, well, he's getting rid of the equipment because he doesn't want the inspectors to find it, or you can say he's getting rid of the equipment because it violates sanctions. That's--I mean, it could be either way. Same with the intercept about the communications instructions: take nerve agent codeword out of your communications instructions. This is an intercept. Well, maybe he's taking it out because they no longer have any nerve agents, and so they didn't have any need for it in their communications instructions. Or maybe he's taking it out because he doesn't want the inspectors to find it. Who knows? That's what I mean by circumstantial evidence that can be interpreted more than one way. And when I watch that whole presentation for, what, an hour and twenty minutes or so--.
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<p />JAY: You were sitting right behind him.
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<p />WILKERSON: I was sitting in the side, looking at him, and George Tenet was sitting right behind him. And Assistant Secretary Holmes for International Organizations, and John Negroponte, ambassador to the UN, are all in that picture frame. And Powell had told Tenet at the last rehearsal at the US mission in New York, that night before, about 10 p.m., when we were wrapping up the last rehearsal, he told Tenet, you'll be sitting right with me on camera, which is strange. I mean, you usually don't expose a CIA director that way. He's sitting right there on camera with Powell. And Powell wanted to make the point to him that you're being implicated in this, too. If it's wrong, you're wrong as well as I.
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<p />JAY: And did Powell give you any sense that he had any of the kind of doubts that you did?
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<p />WILKERSON: Much earlier.
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<p />JAY: It sounds like you had more than doubts.
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<p />WILKERSON: Much earlier. Much earlier. In November 2002, he walked into my office and he mused, almost as if asking a rhetorical question, because I offered no comment: I wonder what will happen if we put half a million troops on the ground and scour the country from one end to the other and find nothing?
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<p />JAY: So why didn't Powell quit? Powell could have maybe stopped the war.
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<p />WILKERSON: It's not that--it's not his character. It's not his character to quit. It's his character to keep going and keep trying to change things. It's his character to keep cleaning the dog poop off the carpet in the Oval Office.
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<p />JAY: The knock on you, people say, is Wilkerson's become a very strong critic of US policy now, but he went along with this at that critical moment.
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<p />WILKERSON: Guilty. Guilty as charged. I went along with it because I felt I owed that kind of loyalty to my boss. And, frankly, I wasn't sure that if someone else became secretary of state, that they could stand up to the Cheney-Rumsfeld cabal the way Powell did. And I'd already seen it do enough damage. Frankly, I was very, very relieved to leave the State Department in January 2005. On the other hand, I was very concerned about Powell leaving, because I didn't see anybody who could stand up to Cheney and Rumsfeld the way Powell had. Now, I will say that Dr. Rice did her job in that respect, I think, because we get Bush actually waking up and we get him firing Donald Rumsfeld in February 2006, as I recall--or maybe it was in November 2006. And then I think Cheney becomes more and more marginalized as we move on through the second administration and Bush actually takes over, for example, directly takes over personal management of the war in Iraq with Petraeus. So if Cheney is edged out more and more as the second administration goes along, so my fears were not fulfilled in that respect. Dr. Rice was at least able, from her position at Foggy Bottom, to use her personal affinity for and with the president to check them a little bit, I think.
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<p />JAY: Okay. One final segment of the interview to come. Please join us for the end of our series of interviews, at least for now, with Larry Wilkerson on The Real News Network.
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<p />End of Transcript
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<p />DISCLAIMER: Please note that transcripts for The Real News Network are typed from a recording of the program. TRNN cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. | Guilty as Charged (7/8) | true | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D31%26Itemid%3D74%26jumival%3D6876 | 2011-06-03 | 4 |
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn.—As <a href="http://app.razorplanet.com/acct/40601-9388/tmpl/index.php" type="external">Jaime Jamgochian</a> performs concerts and leads worship around the country, she communicates to teenage girls messages about modesty, purity and self-worth.</p>
<p>“I really want young girls to be who God created them to be and to believe that they are fearfully and wonderfully made,” Jamgochian said.&#160;</p>
<p>“That really comes out of being true to who Christ says we are and our identity in him.&#160;Modesty, purity and self-worth really come into the light when we really know who Jesus says we are, and we experience the hope and love that he has to offer through a relationship with him.”</p>
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<p>During Jamgochian’s junior year at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass., her life completely changed after a classmate explained what it meant to have a relationship with Christ.</p>
<p>“At the beginning, I kind of thought she was crazy.&#160;But I got to see the life that she lived.&#160;She had this joy and peace without surrounding herself with the typical college party scene,” she said.</p>
<p>After she graduated, she felt a calling to ministry—to lead worship, write songs and minister to young girls.</p>
<p>“The Lord was restoring so many areas of my life and renewing hope, and I really wanted to share this with others,” she said.</p>
<p>As Jamgochian began leading worship and telling how God had transformed her life, she was asked to team with the Girls of Grace conferences, hosted by the musical group Point of Grace.&#160;</p>
<p>While leading worship for these conferences, Jamgochian was inspired to design a T-shirt with the slogan “Modest is Hottest” to help young girls remember the valuable lessons taught at the conferences.&#160;</p>
<p>Not long after, the overwhelming support and response from both students and parents prompted Jamgochian to establish her own conference, which would focus on instructing girls on how to dress in the latest styles while maintaining modesty.</p>
<p>“After I started selling those shirts, I realized that girls weren’t just buying it because they wanted a cute T-shirt or a souvenir,” Jamgochian said. “They really wanted to support&#160;that it’s possible to live a life of modesty that pleases God and still look cute and trendy.”</p>
<p>As Jamgochian leads worship and speaks at the Modest is Hottest conferences, she desires to share the gospel with teenage girls in a fun and relevant way.</p>
<p>The conference is offered as a one- or two-day event and includes praise and worship music, teaching sessions, a fashion show and a concert. During the teaching sessions, Jamgochian talks to teenage girls about how to have discernment in dating situations, family relationships, self-esteem and a personal relationship with God.</p>
<p>“As a teen girl, I was very insecure,” she said. “I was tall with red hair and freckles. I never felt beautiful. It wasn’t until much later in life that I realized true beauty comes from our relationship with Christ.</p>
<p>“I think it’s so easy for young girls to get led astray by the lies of this world and to place their hope in all the wrong areas. I really want to help them realize that there is nothing in this world that will satisfy or compare to having a relationship with Christ. I strongly feel if that relationship is intact, then teen girls won’t be reaching out to the wrong areas to find acceptance and approval.”</p>
<p>At the conferences, Jamgochian and youth leaders spend a great deal of time off the platform, interacting with teenagers and hearing about how God is working in their lives.</p>
<p>“Girls open up and share all kinds of things at these events,” Jamgochian said.&#160; “I’ve heard from girls who lost their virginity at the age of 13 and are asking if God can forgive them. Others have shared about eating disorders, and they are wanting to get to the root of the reasons they are starving themselves or binging.</p>
<p>“At one of the conferences, there was a girl who was struggling with cutting and had been sexually abused as a child.&#160;It was remarkable that this girl shared that despite all these terrible things she had been dealing with, she heard a message about the mercy, grace and forgiveness of God.</p>
<p>“She heard the words that she had been desperately searching for—that God loved her and was there for her in the midst of all that pain. It caused her to walk out of that conference so free and understanding who God created her to be. …</p>
<p>“I really stand in awe that God can use someone like me who didn’t grow up in church and didn’t make a lot of right decisions growing up. It shows how the Lord can restore and how he desires to use each and every one of us to bring hope to other people.”</p> | Musician teaches young girls that modest is hottest | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/musicianteachesyounggirlsthatmodestishottest/ | 3 |
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<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>After a big Donald Trump rally in Richmond, Shannon Riggs and her cousins were starving.</p>
<p>Dressed from head to toe in Trump swag – from the “Make America Great Again” cap to the shirt, it was clear where they came from when they walked up to the window at the Cook Out restaurant in Colonial Heights.</p>
<p>As soon as they walked up, the cashier behind the counter yelled “Hell No! I’m not serving them!” WTVR <a href="http://wtvr.com/2016/06/13/trump-supporters-cook-out/" type="external">reports</a>:</p>
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<p>After a few minutes of discussion behind the window, their orders were eventually taken.</p>
<p>“Everyone was laughing and giggling,” Riggs said about the uncomfortable situation.</p>
<p>She said at one point, an employee yelled out an order was ready, but when her cousin went to the window to claim the food, she was told, “Oh not for you!”</p>
<p>“You should not be discriminated based on who you support, whether it be Bernie, Hillary or Mr. Trump,” Riggs said.</p>
<p>While the employees laughed, Riggs said, she canceled her order and asked for the number to corporate.</p>
<p>The workers did refund the family’s money, but the situation left a lasting impression on 16-year-old Lauren Wolfrey.</p>
<p>“Once you witness [discrimination] first hand, it’s a totally different experience,” the teenager said. “I was in a state of shock.”</p>
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<p>“They had this sense of anger,” she said. “They were just really rude to us.”</p>
<p>Cook Out released a statement, saying the chain is not political:</p>
<p>Cook Out is, and always has been, a politically neutral company. We welcome all customers regardless of political affiliation.</p>
<p>Regarding the refusal of service at our Colonial Heights location, the situation has been resoled and was resolved that night per Cook Out policy.</p>
<p>H/T: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/06/17/hell-no-cashier-refuses-to-serve-trump-backers.html" type="external">FoxNews</a></p>
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<p /> | Trump Supporters Denied Service At Virginia Restaurant | true | http://thefederalistpapers.org/us/trump-supporters-denied-service-at-virginia-restaurant | 0 |
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<p>Very few people ever get the kind of reverence a head of state in exile like the Dalai Lama receives. Congress awarded Dalai Lama their highest civilian honor last year, but Beijing is nervous about the Dalai Lama according to this China analyst. He says the Chinese are victims of their own propaganda and have painted themselves into a corner with the Dalai Lama. He says the Chinese government sees the Dalai Lama as a threat to its natural tradition. They worry about other constituents demanding independence and autonomy as well. Ironically the Dalai Lama may be a great promoter of Chinese national unity says this analyst. The analyst says Beijing doesn't see why they should make a deal with the Dalai Lama, but as protests continue within Tibet, many Tibetans are looking towards the Dalai Lama for a different kind of leadership. But the Dalai Lama is against a boycott of the Olympics and he's against any further violence.</p> | US wants China to speak to Dalai Lama | false | https://pri.org/stories/2008-03-18/us-wants-china-speak-dalai-lama | 2008-03-18 | 3 |
<p>LONDON (AP) — With every bulletin of another player breaking down, England’s prospects of an historic third successive Six Nations rugby triumph have been fading away.</p>
<p>Or have they?</p>
<p>Conor O’Shea, whose Italy side will host the English first up next week, laughed off talk that without 15 front-line players England was weak and vulnerable.</p>
<p>At a gathering of coaches and captains on Wednesday, O’Shea reeled off a potential England lineup of Vunipola, Hartley, Cole, Lawes, Launchbury, Itoje, Robshaw, Simmonds, Youngs or Care, Ford, Farrell, Joseph, Watson, May, and Brown. More than half were incumbent British Lions.</p>
<p>“Is that an injury crisis?” he posed.</p>
<p>Not to England coach Eddie Jones, who quipped that he should improve camp security if O’Shea knows the side.</p>
<p>“I can’t control injuries,” Jones said. “I’m not Donald Trump. I can’t build a wall and ringfence our players.”</p>
<p>Just this week, Jones had to replace prop Kyle Sinckler and center Henry Slade.</p>
<p>He said all he can do was work with who was fit, an attitude which has led England to 22 wins in 23 matches on his watch.</p>
<p>He remained bullish about his team’s chances, citing a wrestling session on Tuesday at their camp in Portugal, in which “you learn who wants to work hard and who doesn’t. We have a squad that wants to work hard, and I know the players are prepared to go even further.</p>
<p>“The 15 players we put on the field against Italy in Rome will do England proud.”</p>
<p>Just as positive was Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, who said an injury list - his includes Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien, Jared Payne - “is not as significant as it used to be.”</p>
<p>“We have 13 guys that were selectable who may or may not get back during the championship. But every team is building some real depth,” he added.</p>
<p>“I looked at the All Blacks-Scotland game in November, and thought, wow, Scotland is missing this guy, this guy, this guy, and they were one score from beating the All Blacks for the first time. That sort of thing is not unusual now. Wales beat South Africa (in December) with guys missing as well.”</p>
<p>Schmidt believed he was worse off in 2016 with absentees through injuries or post-Rugby World Cup retirements. The Irish finished third that year.</p>
<p>Neither did Wales coach Warren Gatland believe the rate of injuries was any different. His walking wounded included Sam Warburton, Jonathan Davies, Dan Lydiate, and just this week, backs Dan Biggar, Rhys Priestland, and Liam Williams.</p>
<p>“I’m pleased we’ve got those two fallow weeks (during the championship), they’re important,” Gatland said. “There’s been talk of reducing the Six Nations to six weeks, five weeks, and I don’t think the Celtic nations would survive five internationals in a row and be able to put a team out to compete with England and France, who have depth in numbers.”</p>
<p>Gatland said the injuries were to be expected because the players run a gauntlet before the Six Nations of club derby matches over the holiday period then European club matches in January.</p>
<p>Scotland, which has spent most of the last two decades trying to avoid the wooden spoon, had its hopes raised by former coach Vern Cotter. Now his replacement Gregor Townsend is trying to turn that hope into wins.</p>
<p>“If you have high expectations of players, you’re saying, ‘I believe in you,’” Townsend said.</p>
<p>His fortunes are already turning, with the return to fitness of the likes of Stuart Hogg, Greig Laidlaw, Mark Bennett and Richie Gray, who all missed the November tests.</p>
<p>The only way seems to be up for France. Two years of miserable results, capped by a lucky draw with Japan in November, cost coach Guy Noves his job on Dec. 27. Jacques Brunel came in and has taken in stride the lack of preparation time, along with his own lengthening injury list. This week, he had to replace experienced backs Morgan Parra and Brice Dulin.</p>
<p>Brunel has also brushed off the police raids on French rugby headquarters and the home of federation president Bernard Laporte. They have had no influence on the team, he insisted.</p>
<p>The reputation of the French is as a dilemma; talented individuals with questionable fitness.</p>
<p>“I’m OK with that,” Brunel said. “If you go along with the stereotype, they were at their worst recently and now they’re going to give their best.”</p>
<p>O’Shea, who replaced Brunel as Italy coach two years ago, has been busy fixing his team’s own similar reputation. Progress has been slow but visible.</p>
<p>“We’re not at the level we need to be but we’re miles better than where we were,” O’Shea said.</p>
<p>“We’re not going to win (the championship) yet, but we’re the ones who will put a banana skin under somebody.”</p>
<p>LONDON (AP) — With every bulletin of another player breaking down, England’s prospects of an historic third successive Six Nations rugby triumph have been fading away.</p>
<p>Or have they?</p>
<p>Conor O’Shea, whose Italy side will host the English first up next week, laughed off talk that without 15 front-line players England was weak and vulnerable.</p>
<p>At a gathering of coaches and captains on Wednesday, O’Shea reeled off a potential England lineup of Vunipola, Hartley, Cole, Lawes, Launchbury, Itoje, Robshaw, Simmonds, Youngs or Care, Ford, Farrell, Joseph, Watson, May, and Brown. More than half were incumbent British Lions.</p>
<p>“Is that an injury crisis?” he posed.</p>
<p>Not to England coach Eddie Jones, who quipped that he should improve camp security if O’Shea knows the side.</p>
<p>“I can’t control injuries,” Jones said. “I’m not Donald Trump. I can’t build a wall and ringfence our players.”</p>
<p>Just this week, Jones had to replace prop Kyle Sinckler and center Henry Slade.</p>
<p>He said all he can do was work with who was fit, an attitude which has led England to 22 wins in 23 matches on his watch.</p>
<p>He remained bullish about his team’s chances, citing a wrestling session on Tuesday at their camp in Portugal, in which “you learn who wants to work hard and who doesn’t. We have a squad that wants to work hard, and I know the players are prepared to go even further.</p>
<p>“The 15 players we put on the field against Italy in Rome will do England proud.”</p>
<p>Just as positive was Ireland coach Joe Schmidt, who said an injury list - his includes Jamie Heaslip, Sean O’Brien, Jared Payne - “is not as significant as it used to be.”</p>
<p>“We have 13 guys that were selectable who may or may not get back during the championship. But every team is building some real depth,” he added.</p>
<p>“I looked at the All Blacks-Scotland game in November, and thought, wow, Scotland is missing this guy, this guy, this guy, and they were one score from beating the All Blacks for the first time. That sort of thing is not unusual now. Wales beat South Africa (in December) with guys missing as well.”</p>
<p>Schmidt believed he was worse off in 2016 with absentees through injuries or post-Rugby World Cup retirements. The Irish finished third that year.</p>
<p>Neither did Wales coach Warren Gatland believe the rate of injuries was any different. His walking wounded included Sam Warburton, Jonathan Davies, Dan Lydiate, and just this week, backs Dan Biggar, Rhys Priestland, and Liam Williams.</p>
<p>“I’m pleased we’ve got those two fallow weeks (during the championship), they’re important,” Gatland said. “There’s been talk of reducing the Six Nations to six weeks, five weeks, and I don’t think the Celtic nations would survive five internationals in a row and be able to put a team out to compete with England and France, who have depth in numbers.”</p>
<p>Gatland said the injuries were to be expected because the players run a gauntlet before the Six Nations of club derby matches over the holiday period then European club matches in January.</p>
<p>Scotland, which has spent most of the last two decades trying to avoid the wooden spoon, had its hopes raised by former coach Vern Cotter. Now his replacement Gregor Townsend is trying to turn that hope into wins.</p>
<p>“If you have high expectations of players, you’re saying, ‘I believe in you,’” Townsend said.</p>
<p>His fortunes are already turning, with the return to fitness of the likes of Stuart Hogg, Greig Laidlaw, Mark Bennett and Richie Gray, who all missed the November tests.</p>
<p>The only way seems to be up for France. Two years of miserable results, capped by a lucky draw with Japan in November, cost coach Guy Noves his job on Dec. 27. Jacques Brunel came in and has taken in stride the lack of preparation time, along with his own lengthening injury list. This week, he had to replace experienced backs Morgan Parra and Brice Dulin.</p>
<p>Brunel has also brushed off the police raids on French rugby headquarters and the home of federation president Bernard Laporte. They have had no influence on the team, he insisted.</p>
<p>The reputation of the French is as a dilemma; talented individuals with questionable fitness.</p>
<p>“I’m OK with that,” Brunel said. “If you go along with the stereotype, they were at their worst recently and now they’re going to give their best.”</p>
<p>O’Shea, who replaced Brunel as Italy coach two years ago, has been busy fixing his team’s own similar reputation. Progress has been slow but visible.</p>
<p>“We’re not at the level we need to be but we’re miles better than where we were,” O’Shea said.</p>
<p>“We’re not going to win (the championship) yet, but we’re the ones who will put a banana skin under somebody.”</p> | 6N: England still favorite despite long injury list | false | https://apnews.com/66297d06903041148c1c023d2e103235 | 2018-01-24 | 2 |
<p />
<p>I had the opportunity to speak with <a href="http://www.robertherjavec.com/" type="external">Robert Herjavec Opens a New Window.</a>, entrepreneur and host of ABC’s Shark Tank, to talk about the newly released documentary film <a href="http://smallbusinessrevolution.org/" type="external">Small Business Revolution Opens a New Window.</a> (#SmallBusinessRevolution) and what it takes to be a successful small business owner in the global digital age. The documentary profiles 100 small businesses around the country and really gets into the essence of what makes these individuals successful.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Herjavec’s passion for the project comes from his belief that small businesses are “the fiber of local communities” in this country. He notes that part of the success of Shark Tank is that “we have tapped into our ability as a society to not accept the status quo” and the small business owners profiled in this film really demonstrate that. Herjavec is excited about the evolving trend that “young people think it’s not only acceptable, but cool to start a business.”</p>
<p>Defining Success</p>
<p>According to Herjavec the measure of success is different for everyone. He notes that “before you have a purpose you have to eat” and these small business owners understand this. You can have passion but without opportunity you won’t likely succeed. He explains that “success doesn’t see color, gender, race, or size. It’s a benchmark you set for yourself.”</p>
<p>Resilience</p>
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<p>Nobody likes to lose. We all hate failure and entrepreneurs are no different. What sets entrepreneurs apart is their incredible resilience in the aftermath of failure. Herjavec defines resilience “as the ability to absorb failure” and move forward. Failure is an inevitable part of the learning curve in business.&#160; The fact is you always have to be excited about tomorrow.</p>
<p>Leading People</p>
<p>“Hiring your first employee is incredibly dramatic because you are doubling the size of your company” explains Herjavec. To make matters more stressful, you also have to give up a lot of what you spent your time doing and be ready to hand it over to someone else and back away. This is why hiring the right people really matters.</p>
<p>One of the mistakes he often sees in small business start-ups is too much reliance on the hiring of friends. Although it may seem comfortable and convenient at the time it can often come back to haunt you. The fact is you have to find people who get you, but also have the competence and drive to get the job done. Then, of course, you have to be prepared to lead them.</p>
<p>When it comes to leading those people Herjavec believes paranoia is good, but fear is bad. In other words, you have to be vigilant about the environment you operate in and unafraid of tackling the challenges ahead. As Herjavec explains “it’s difficult to be a great leader when you live in constant fear.” You have to be ready to step up to challenge even in the toughest of times.</p>
<p>At the end of the day for Herjavec “there is nothing more satisfying than getting a group of people to move in the same direction.”</p> | Shark Tank Star on Small Business Success | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2015/10/08/shark-tank-star-on-small-business-success.html | 2016-04-07 | 0 |
<p>One year ago, a peaceful referendum <a href="/content/dailybeast/cheats/2011/07/08/south-sudan-world-s-newest-country.html" type="external">created the Republic of South Sudan</a> after decades of civil war in which more than 2 million people were murdered.</p>
<p>In the first year of this young nation’s life, the <a href="/content/dailybeast/cheats/2011/08/20/500-dead-in-south-sudan.html" type="external">troubles haven’t stopped coming</a>.</p>
<p>More than 500,000 people are believed to have been <a href="http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/sudan-year-international-accomplishments-and-failures" type="external">displaced</a> by continued fighting along the border with northern Sudan and in contested areas such as South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The international community, which rallied around the referendum that delivered South Sudan’s independence, has too often been silent or distracted by more apparently urgent matters. But the birth of the nation is just the beginning.</p>
<p>I’ll never forget the sight of hundreds of people one year ago today standing patiently in line before sunrise for the privilege to vote.</p>
<p>I was traveling <a href="/content/newsweek/2011/02/20/a-21st-century-statesman.html" type="external">on assignment for Newsweek</a> with George Clooney, activist John Prendergast and celebrated war photographer Lynsey Addario. It was an eye-opening trip in every respect.</p>
<p>We flew to the contested state of Abyei on a day in which more than 100 people were killed a few miles away in a clash between the Ngok Dinka tribe and the nomadic Misseriya tribes who came down from the north. We visited refugee camps where families huddled with their possessions in fields, hoping for the chance to vote for freedom. And on Election Day, 99 percent of the southern population voted for independence. It was a miracle in a country accustomed to the worst occurring. Joy emanated from the streets of Juba.</p>
<p>The winds of freedom spread quickly across Africa. It was not entirely a coincidence that only weeks later the Arab Spring erupted in Tunisia and spread to Libya and Egypt. Al Jazeera had carried images from South Sudan across the continent, causing people to question the permanent rule of their oppressors. But while the world turned its eyes to the Arab Spring it was too easy to forget the people of South Sudan, reestablishing a pattern than the Islamist government in Khartoum led by indicted war criminal Omar al-Bashir had learned to exploit.</p>
<p>The world belatedly confronted the genocide in Darfur, which led to Bashir’s indictment by the international criminal court. Tribal conflicts were used as proxy wars, militias unleashed and civilians targeted from the air and on the ground. Similar tactics have been used throughout the past year, both <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/03/12/landing-page-george-clooney-and-the-game-changing-satellite-in-sudan.html" type="external">in Abyei</a> and throughout contested states still under the control of the North.</p>
<p>What’s different is that we now have evidence courtesy of the Satellite Sentinel Project, envisioned by Clooney as “the anti-genocide paparazzi” and executed by the Enough Project, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and DigitalGlobe. It’s a revolutionary use of technology in our globalized age and it’s made it much more difficult for nations to get away with murder inside their own borders.</p>
<p>Satellite Sentinel has offered indelible digital evidence of attacks in Abyei, Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan. Villages that once stood were burnt to the ground, verifying refugees’ stories as they stream into the South. On the eve of the first anniversary, the U.N. refugee chief <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/08/world/africa/south-sudan-refugees/" type="external">warned</a> that South Sudan stands in danger of becoming a “huge humanitarian crisis” without the international community’s support.</p>
<p>In the Republic of South Sudan we have a fragile story of hope—an ally of the United States whose official language is now English. Under the Bush administration, the United States was instrumental in brokering the peace that helped the South achieve its independence and the Obama administration has followed through on the president’s early commitment to the country as a junior senator from Illinois. Under the leadership of John Kerry, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has remained focused on South Sudan even as attention has drifted elsewhere. We have an interest as well as a moral obligation in seeing the Republic of South Sudan emerge as a successful independent state.</p>
<p>There are, of course, no shortage of challenges—but even without the recent conflicts, it would always have been an uphill climb requiring sustained commitment. As South Sudan President Salva Kiir said in his inaugural address this past July, “All the indexes of human welfare put us at the bottom of all humanity…all citizens of this nation must, therefore, fully dedicate their energies and resources to the construction of a vibrant economy.” Interested citizens of the world can help the effort.</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/sudan-year-international-accomplishments-and-failures" type="external">year-end summation</a> of the struggles still facing Sudan, John Prendergast’s Enough Project called for increased “financial and logistical support for cross-border humanitarian aid operations” as well as the enforcement of the U.N. ban on offensive flights over Darfur, extended to Abyei and South Kordofan. The Republic of South Sudan needs smart development aid as well as continued mediation with the government of Sudan.</p>
<p>Anniversaries are a time for remembrance and recommitment. One year after the referendum that peacefully created the Republic of South Sudan, the international community that helped give birth to this new nation must show that it is capable of sustained commitment, even when the television cameras go elsewhere. The need does not end overnight, and we must stand with our friends, especially when idealism collides with realism. In South Sudan, we have seen hope triumph over hate. Work is required to turn that hope into a <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/12/15/south-sudan-s-women-building-the-world-s-newest-nation.html" type="external">sustainable success</a>.</p> | One Year After Independence, South Sudan Still Needs International Support | true | https://thedailybeast.com/one-year-after-independence-south-sudan-still-needs-international-support | 2018-10-06 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Act 1</p>
<p>Podesta sends email to Hillary 2008 alumni announcing she is in — first official announcement from the campaign. <a href="http://t.co/AsOEw6Z33T" type="external">pic.twitter.com/AsOEw6Z33T</a></p>
<p>— Jesse Berney (@jesseberney) <a href="https://twitter.com/jesseberney/status/587323477637619712" type="external">April 12, 2015</a></p>
<p />
<p>Act 2</p>
<p>am guessing this phone number/pin <a href="https://twitter.com/jesseberney" type="external">@jesseberney</a> just posted will change <a href="http://t.co/LqA0XGuipn" type="external">pic.twitter.com/LqA0XGuipn</a></p>
<p>— E McMorris-Santoro (@EvanMcSan) <a href="https://twitter.com/EvanMcSan/status/587325588395917314" type="external">April 12, 2015</a></p>
<p />
<p>Act 3</p>
<p>Area Guy Should’ve Redacted Number</p>
<p>— Jesse Berney (@jesseberney) <a href="https://twitter.com/jesseberney/status/587326018496626689" type="external">April 12, 2015</a></p>
<p />
<p>Curtain.</p>
<p /> | Never Tweet: A Play in 3 Acts | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2015/04/lol-jesse/ | 2015-04-12 | 4 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />What a difference five years makes.</p>
<p>In 2010, the California State University system&#160; <a href="http://emma.msrb.org/EA372094-EA293143-EA688695.pdf" type="external">issued $352 million in revenue bonds</a>.&#160; <a href="http://emma.msrb.org/ER905103-ER707186-ER1108754.pdf" type="external">Earlier this month</a>, it issued $1.1 billion of the same thing. The debt issuance is standard, generally considered to be part of the process to keep pace with growth. And financial disclosures are rich with information; people can go to prison for lying on these things.</p>
<p>Comparing the two issuances is a tour of the massive growth of the education industrial complex, a waltz through the luxury world of public, higher education.</p>
<p>According to the bond filings, gross revenues in the system more than doubled in the last 10 years, from $608.7 million in 2005 to $1.57 billion&#160;in 2014. The increases were generated across the board, in fees from parking to health facilities to the student union, and from continuing education to housing.</p>
<p>The revenue has started flowing from places other than tuition, which has&#160; <a href="http://www.pe.com/articles/students-767270-tuition-state.html" type="external">remained the same</a> since 2011 after increasing 60 percent for full-time undergrad students between 2005 and 2009 to $4,026.</p>
<p>Those increases incensed students, and&#160; <a href="http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1942041,00.html" type="external">protests</a>&#160;forced bureaucrats to pay attention.&#160; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_30_(2012)" type="external">Proposition 30</a>, passed by voters in 2012, increased personal income tax on people making over $250,000 to fund education as well. That increase is scheduled to end in 2019.</p>
<p>In the meantime, though, schools have figured out other ways into the wallets of students, thus the increased fees.</p>
<p>A student in 2010 paid $6,427 to live on-campus, support the student union and use the health facility. The same package today costs $7,958, or 23 percent more.</p>
<p>Students are trying to adjust.&#160; <a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-dorm-costs-20150816-story.html" type="external">Some are living off-campus</a>, which has become a cheaper alternative to the dorm.</p>
<p>Fees aren’t the only way the system has made money. While state funding has waxed and waned, the system increased private fundraising and government grant proceeds, from $1.2 billion in 2005 to $2.1 billion in 2014. The system notes that “amounts shown are not included as part of the gross revenues and generally are restricted to specified uses.”</p>
<p>Growth in the number of staff has sharply outpaced increases in the number of students they serve, with growth among administrators and faculty roughly triple that of students.</p>
<p>Between 2010 and 2015 the number of administrators and faculty grew from 47,000 to 57,000 &#160;– or 21 percent – while rank-and-file employees increased from 47,000 to 60,000, or 27 percent. Student enrollment increased from 433,000 to 466,000, or 7 percent.</p>
<p>In the last decade, the system saw two years of year-over-year declines in the number of full-time equivalent students.</p>
<p>Accepted students aren’t dropping everything and enrolling today; in 2010, 36 percent of those accepted enrolled; in 2014 that figure dropped to 27 percent.</p>
<p>With the continued flow of revenue, the system’s financial obligations have jumped 22 percent to over $5 billion from $4.1 billion in 2010.</p>
<p>And the budget? A 26 percent increase to a $8.7 billion budget from $6.9 billion in 2010.</p>
<p>The system also receives state lottery revenue: $42 million in 2014, up to $49 million this year. Cal State trustees have&#160; <a href="http://www.calstate.edu/bot/resolutions/nov2014.pdf" type="external">allocated part of that to the so-called Early Start program</a> at the state Department of Developmental Services.</p>
<p>A portion of the lottery proceeds also goes toward the retirement fund for system employees. The system combined lottery and other funds to send $493 million to the pension system in 2014, up from $400 million in 2010.</p>
<p>And just last month, a&#160; <a href="http://abc7news.com/education/csu-approves-2-percent-pay-hike-for-chancellors-presidents/870127/" type="external">new round of raises for executives was announced.</a></p> | Cal State University system hikes fees to offset tuition freeze | false | https://calwatchdog.com/2015/08/22/thats-get-cal-state-u-system-hikes-fees-offset-tuition-freeze/ | 2018-08-20 | 3 |
<p />
<p>The coal industry and environmentalists squared off Tuesday at a public hearing over the Trump administration’s planned repeal of an Obama-era plan to limit planet-warming carbon emissions.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Environmental Protection Agency was holding the only scheduled hearing on the reversal in Charleston, West Virginia, capital of a state heavily dependent on coal mining. The hearing was expected to last two days.</p>
<p>The Clean Power Plan sought to ratchet down use of the dirtiest fossil fuel but never took effect because of lawsuits filed by coal companies and conservative-leaning states. Coal-fired power plants are a major source of the carbon emissions driving climate change.</p>
<p>Among those testifying was Bob Murray, chief executive Murray Energy Corp. He derided the Obama plan as an illegal power grab that has cost coal miners their livelihoods.</p>
<p>“The Clean Power Plan would devastate coal-fired electricity generation in America,” said Murray, whose company employs 5,200 miners and has 14 active coal mines. “This would impose massive costs on the power sector and on American consumers.”</p>
<p>Under the Obama administration, EPA held four multiday public hearings — in Washington, Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Denver — to collect feedback before issuing the Clean Power Plan in 2015. About two dozen conservative-leaning states and a battery of fossil-fuel companies immediately sued, successfully preventing the carbon reduction plan from taking effect before the election of Donald Trump, who as a candidate pledged to repeal it.</p>
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<p>To head EPA, Trump appointed Scott Pruitt, a former Oklahoma attorney general who was among those who fought the Clean Power Plan in court. Pruitt has made a priority the delay and reversal of recent environmental regulations negatively impacting the profits of coal and petrochemical companies.</p>
<p>Though Trump, Pruitt and others have blamed environmental regulations for the loss of coal-mining jobs, the accelerating shift of electric utilities using cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas is a primary culprit.</p>
<p>Pruitt has also sought to cast doubt on the consensus of climate scientists that the continued burning of fossil fuels is the main driver of global warming. Scientists say climate change has already triggered rising seas and more extreme weather, including killer heat waves, worsened droughts and torrential rains.</p>
<p>Pruitt did not attend Tuesday’s public hearing, which was presided over by three EPA employees.</p>
<p>The Sierra Club’s climate-policy director, Liz Perera, told them that the proposed repeal ignores scientific reality.</p>
<p>“This is about the kind of world that we want to leave for our children,” she said.</p> | EPA gathers coal country comments about climate plan repeal | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/11/28/epa-gathers-coal-country-comments-about-climate-plan-repeal.html | 2017-11-28 | 0 |
<p>MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The biggest moment of James Conner’s night came long after the final whistle.</p>
<p>He ran for two touchdowns, helped Pittsburgh secure bowl eligibility with a 35-23 win over Miami on Saturday night and broke three of the Panthers’ longest-standing records along the way — then got a postgame phone call from the previous holder of those marks, none other than Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett.</p>
<p>Not bad for a guy who some figured would miss the game because of a hip injury.</p>
<p>“It was all worth it,” Conner said.</p>
<p>Dorsett told him that records were made to be broken, and congratulated Conner for eclipsing the standards he set in 1976 on the way to winning the Heisman Trophy and helping Pittsburgh win the national championship. Conner now holds the Pitt single-season marks for rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and points after rushing for his 23rd and 24th scores of the year.</p>
<p>Conner’s hip was sore, but he’ll have a few weeks to get it right before a bowl game. Pitt (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its second straight game to ensure postseason eligibility for a seventh straight season.</p>
<p>Miami (6-6, 3-5) is bowl-bound as well, without any momentum whatsoever. The Hurricanes lost their third straight, spoiling a record-setting night for running back Duke Johnson, who became Miami’s No. 1 all-time rusher.</p>
<p>Johnson ran for 89 yards to pass Ottis Anderson, meaning the night was at best bittersweet.</p>
<p>“Satisfying and disappointing,” Johnson said. “When you reach a milestone like that, you want to come out with a victory in that game.”</p>
<p>Johnson thanked everyone from support staff to his teammates, which made his postgame remarks sound a bit like a farewell. But he insisted afterward that he has made no decision on whether to skip his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft.</p>
<p>Phillip Dorsett caught a 51-yard touchdown pass and became the seventh player with 2,000 receiving yards for the Hurricanes, who lost consecutive home games for the first time since October 2012.</p>
<p>“We need to perform better, and that’s my responsibility,” Miami coach Al Golden said. “We are what our record is, period. I’m disappointed.”</p>
<p>Quarterback Chris Voytik threw for a score and ran for another for Pitt, after needing intravenous fluids to combat a virus that struck him out of nowhere.</p>
<p>“I’ve probably never been that sick in one night,” Voytik said. “It was so unfortunate it happened before the game. It makes this time right now more sweeter to know that I can overcome something like that.”</p>
<p>Johnson ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass from Brad Kaaya, who has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 12 games in his freshman season. Kaaya finished with 296 yards and two touchdowns.</p>
<p>Pitt never trailed, scoring touchdowns on three of its first four possessions.</p>
<p>Miami got within 21-20 when Johnson caught a 17-yard pass from Kaaya for a score early in the third quarter, but Tyler Boyd’s 53-yard return of the ensuing kickoff set the Panthers up for a five-play, 43-yard drive capped by Chris James’ 15-yard touchdown run.</p>
<p>And aided by a pair of third-down penalties, Pittsburgh — which lost six out of seven games in one stretch this season, including a home defeat to Akron — put a stranglehold on the game early in the fourth.</p>
<p>A pass interference call on Miami’s Artie Burns nullified a third-down incompletion from the Miami 20, and stopping Conner on third-and-goal from the 1 was wiped out by someone jumping into the neutral zone before the snap. Eventually, Voytik scored on fourth-and-inches by leaping over a pile at the goal line and the Panthers had a 35-23 lead.</p>
<p>That sent many in the Hurricane crowd to the exits, and they didn’t miss much in the final 13 minutes.</p>
<p>Boyd caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown for Pitt, which had lost its last eight games against the Hurricanes since 1997. But led by a sore Conner and ailing Voytik, the Panthers’ season lives on.</p>
<p>“That let you know how much we wanted this,” Boyd said. “It was all or nothing. If we don’t win, we sit around watching other people playing, and we didn’t want to do that.”</p>
<p>MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The biggest moment of James Conner’s night came long after the final whistle.</p>
<p>He ran for two touchdowns, helped Pittsburgh secure bowl eligibility with a 35-23 win over Miami on Saturday night and broke three of the Panthers’ longest-standing records along the way — then got a postgame phone call from the previous holder of those marks, none other than Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett.</p>
<p>Not bad for a guy who some figured would miss the game because of a hip injury.</p>
<p>“It was all worth it,” Conner said.</p>
<p>Dorsett told him that records were made to be broken, and congratulated Conner for eclipsing the standards he set in 1976 on the way to winning the Heisman Trophy and helping Pittsburgh win the national championship. Conner now holds the Pitt single-season marks for rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and points after rushing for his 23rd and 24th scores of the year.</p>
<p>Conner’s hip was sore, but he’ll have a few weeks to get it right before a bowl game. Pitt (6-6, 4-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its second straight game to ensure postseason eligibility for a seventh straight season.</p>
<p>Miami (6-6, 3-5) is bowl-bound as well, without any momentum whatsoever. The Hurricanes lost their third straight, spoiling a record-setting night for running back Duke Johnson, who became Miami’s No. 1 all-time rusher.</p>
<p>Johnson ran for 89 yards to pass Ottis Anderson, meaning the night was at best bittersweet.</p>
<p>“Satisfying and disappointing,” Johnson said. “When you reach a milestone like that, you want to come out with a victory in that game.”</p>
<p>Johnson thanked everyone from support staff to his teammates, which made his postgame remarks sound a bit like a farewell. But he insisted afterward that he has made no decision on whether to skip his senior season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft.</p>
<p>Phillip Dorsett caught a 51-yard touchdown pass and became the seventh player with 2,000 receiving yards for the Hurricanes, who lost consecutive home games for the first time since October 2012.</p>
<p>“We need to perform better, and that’s my responsibility,” Miami coach Al Golden said. “We are what our record is, period. I’m disappointed.”</p>
<p>Quarterback Chris Voytik threw for a score and ran for another for Pitt, after needing intravenous fluids to combat a virus that struck him out of nowhere.</p>
<p>“I’ve probably never been that sick in one night,” Voytik said. “It was so unfortunate it happened before the game. It makes this time right now more sweeter to know that I can overcome something like that.”</p>
<p>Johnson ran for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass from Brad Kaaya, who has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all 12 games in his freshman season. Kaaya finished with 296 yards and two touchdowns.</p>
<p>Pitt never trailed, scoring touchdowns on three of its first four possessions.</p>
<p>Miami got within 21-20 when Johnson caught a 17-yard pass from Kaaya for a score early in the third quarter, but Tyler Boyd’s 53-yard return of the ensuing kickoff set the Panthers up for a five-play, 43-yard drive capped by Chris James’ 15-yard touchdown run.</p>
<p>And aided by a pair of third-down penalties, Pittsburgh — which lost six out of seven games in one stretch this season, including a home defeat to Akron — put a stranglehold on the game early in the fourth.</p>
<p>A pass interference call on Miami’s Artie Burns nullified a third-down incompletion from the Miami 20, and stopping Conner on third-and-goal from the 1 was wiped out by someone jumping into the neutral zone before the snap. Eventually, Voytik scored on fourth-and-inches by leaping over a pile at the goal line and the Panthers had a 35-23 lead.</p>
<p>That sent many in the Hurricane crowd to the exits, and they didn’t miss much in the final 13 minutes.</p>
<p>Boyd caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown for Pitt, which had lost its last eight games against the Hurricanes since 1997. But led by a sore Conner and ailing Voytik, the Panthers’ season lives on.</p>
<p>“That let you know how much we wanted this,” Boyd said. “It was all or nothing. If we don’t win, we sit around watching other people playing, and we didn’t want to do that.”</p> | Pitt bowl-eligible after topping Miami, 35-23 | false | https://apnews.com/7d0f8a3470b848cabd3c0b1dc4a0225c | 2014-11-30 | 2 |
<p>Bonneville 58, Juan Diego Catholic 38</p>
<p>Corner Canyon 49, American Fork 39</p>
<p>Cyprus 52, Kearns 33</p>
<p>Hillcrest 47, Hunter 28</p>
<p>Roy 60, Olympus 33</p>
<p>Wendover 58, St. Joseph 33</p>
<p>Woods Cross 55, Cottonwood 27</p>
<p>Bonneville 58, Juan Diego Catholic 38</p>
<p>Corner Canyon 49, American Fork 39</p>
<p>Cyprus 52, Kearns 33</p>
<p>Hillcrest 47, Hunter 28</p>
<p>Roy 60, Olympus 33</p>
<p>Wendover 58, St. Joseph 33</p>
<p>Woods Cross 55, Cottonwood 27</p> | Wednesday's Scores | false | https://apnews.com/amp/01e91c23bbc94a97b365c7d9f7955135 | 2018-01-04 | 2 |
<p>Fortune CBS anchorman Bob Schieffer is patently old school, says Devin Leonard. "He doesn't blog. He is as serious as your life." Maybe that's why the number of people watching the 'CBS Evening News' has risen by 161,000 to 7.6 million since last September. "If the only anchor pulling in new viewers at 6:30 P.M. is a 68-year-old, what's the point of hiring younger ones and tweaking the format?" writes Leonard.</p> | Schieffer's success raises difficult questions for all networks | false | https://poynter.org/news/schieffers-success-raises-difficult-questions-all-networks | 2006-02-09 | 2 |
<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) - As the drummer for the Doors, John Densmore's name has been inexorably linked with that of lead singer Jim Morrison's for more than half a century.</p>
<p>Now those names are connected by signs as well, on a street not far from where the seminal rock band, arguably Los Angeles' greatest, was formed in 1965.</p>
<p>On Thursday, the second anniversary of LA's annual Day of the Doors celebration, Densmore gathered with dozens of friends, family and fans to unveil a pair of street signs informing motorists they have just arrived at the corner of Morrison Street and Densmore Avenue.</p>
<p>"I've driven all the roads in this town," the 73-year-old Los Angeles native told the crowd, adding it still came as a surprise several years ago when he happened to notice he was driving past Densmore Avenue in a quiet section of the city's San Fernando Valley.</p>
<p>It came as a much bigger surprise two years ago when he decided to actually drive down Densmore Street and take a closer look.</p>
<p>"I come up a few blocks. You're kidding? Densmore Street crosses Morrison Street," he recalled as the crowd laughed.</p>
<p>The drummer wanted a picture of himself at the intersection but saw there was no way to get a good one: The street names were on signs placed on poles on separate corners.</p>
<p>City officials, who had declared Jan. 4, 2017, the Day of the Doors in honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of the band's first album, took care of that problem this year. They put signs naming both streets on the same pole in front of a stately, two-story home.</p>
<p>The Doors formed in 1965 in LA's beachfront community of Venice, where last year's Day of the Doors celebration was held.</p>
<p>Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger are the band's only surviving members. Morrison died in 1971 and keyboardist Ray Manzarek passed in 2013.</p>
<p>Densmore, his long, white hair flowing in the breeze on a sun-splashed day, made sure Morrison was well represented on Thursday, however.</p>
<p>Dressed in black jeans and a dark jacket, he quietly recited some of the words to Morrison's poem "An American Prayer" before pulling the string to unveil the signs.</p>
<p>"Oh great creator of being, grant us one more hour to perform our art and perfect our lives," he concluded.</p>
<p>LOS ANGELES (AP) - As the drummer for the Doors, John Densmore's name has been inexorably linked with that of lead singer Jim Morrison's for more than half a century.</p>
<p>Now those names are connected by signs as well, on a street not far from where the seminal rock band, arguably Los Angeles' greatest, was formed in 1965.</p>
<p>On Thursday, the second anniversary of LA's annual Day of the Doors celebration, Densmore gathered with dozens of friends, family and fans to unveil a pair of street signs informing motorists they have just arrived at the corner of Morrison Street and Densmore Avenue.</p>
<p>"I've driven all the roads in this town," the 73-year-old Los Angeles native told the crowd, adding it still came as a surprise several years ago when he happened to notice he was driving past Densmore Avenue in a quiet section of the city's San Fernando Valley.</p>
<p>It came as a much bigger surprise two years ago when he decided to actually drive down Densmore Street and take a closer look.</p>
<p>"I come up a few blocks. You're kidding? Densmore Street crosses Morrison Street," he recalled as the crowd laughed.</p>
<p>The drummer wanted a picture of himself at the intersection but saw there was no way to get a good one: The street names were on signs placed on poles on separate corners.</p>
<p>City officials, who had declared Jan. 4, 2017, the Day of the Doors in honor of the 50th anniversary of the release of the band's first album, took care of that problem this year. They put signs naming both streets on the same pole in front of a stately, two-story home.</p>
<p>The Doors formed in 1965 in LA's beachfront community of Venice, where last year's Day of the Doors celebration was held.</p>
<p>Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger are the band's only surviving members. Morrison died in 1971 and keyboardist Ray Manzarek passed in 2013.</p>
<p>Densmore, his long, white hair flowing in the breeze on a sun-splashed day, made sure Morrison was well represented on Thursday, however.</p>
<p>Dressed in black jeans and a dark jacket, he quietly recited some of the words to Morrison's poem "An American Prayer" before pulling the string to unveil the signs.</p>
<p>"Oh great creator of being, grant us one more hour to perform our art and perfect our lives," he concluded.</p> | 2 members of rock's Doors are joined in signage on LA street | false | https://apnews.com/amp/11d8212653c84bab91b2eff31fb164f1 | 2018-01-05 | 2 |
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<p>Small business loan approvals at big banks have hit their highest levels since the credit crunch began in late 2008.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Following the mortgage bust, many big banks essentially turned off the spigot to small business lending.&#160;This always struck me as curious because prior to starting Biz2Credit.com, I analyzed loan portfolios of banks.&#160;My research found that small business lending was usually the most profitable part of bank lending.</p>
<p>When the so-called "credit crunch" hit, big banks in particular became extremely risk averse, and it became very difficult for entrepreneurs to secure capital -- even those who had proven themselves to be creditworthy borrowers.&#160;Meanwhile, many large financial institutions advertised that they were increasing their small business lending efforts and invested in hiring new staff to do so.&#160;This rang hollow at the time.</p>
<p>What happened is that other players filled the void in the marketplace.&#160;For example, credit unions decided to take advantage of this hole in the marketplace by increasing their small business loan-making.&#160;As did alternative lenders -- cash advance companies, factors, and others -- leveraging their investment in technologies that enabled them to make informed lending decisions in a short amount of time.</p>
<p>In 2012, credit unions and alternative lenders were the story in small business lending.&#160;In recent months, this has changed.&#160;Credit unions are handcuffed by a lending cap of 12.25% of their assets imposed by the Credit Union Membership Access Act of 1998.&#160;Thus,&#160; many of those who became active in small business lending quickly hit their limit.&#160;Meanwhile, the majority of credit unions still conduct business in a quaint, old-fashioned way in which one has to become a member of the credit union by going to the offices and filling out paperwork.&#160;In my opinion, the pace at which business is conducted in the 21st century renders this inefficient system as a hindrance to credit union profitability.</p>
<p>Conversely, cash advance companies, which specialized at making quick lending decisions and getting the money rapidly in the accounts of small business owners, cut out a niche for themselves in the small business lending marketplace.&#160;Entrepreneurs realized that they could get money to solve cash flow issues or to close a deal in which capital was needed quickly.&#160;However, they paid a premium for the availability of the funding in the form&#160; of higher interest rates.</p>
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<p>I'm seeing a change in 2013.&#160;Big banks, many of which have not seen a rebound in mortgage lending, are reentering the small business lending game.&#160;They are taking advantage of their resources and automating their loan application processes.&#160;Thus, they are making better informed lending decisions in a shorter amount of time with less manpower.&#160;It is about time!</p>
<p>Actually, I have been amazed at how well big banks (defined as having $10B+ in assets) have made online banking more efficient, yet have made no technological improvements in the small business lending area.&#160;In recent weeks, I have met with numerous bank executives who tell me they are planning to make significant investments in online technologies in order to streamline the small business lending process.&#160;It is a topic that people have discussed with me not only here in America, but also at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) conference held in Dubai earlier this month.</p>
<p>Big banks are beginning to back up the marketing dollars spent on ad campaigns highlighting small business lending -- and are approving higher percentages of loan applications.&#160;According to the April&#160; <a href="http://www.biz2credit.com/small-business-lending-index/april-2013.html" type="external">Biz2Credit Small Business Lending Index Opens a New Window.</a>, my company's monthly analysis of 1,000 loan applications, big banks are now granting 16.8% of funding requests.&#160;In a year-to-year comparison, approvals at big banks are up by more than 50%.&#160;Institutions such as TD Bank, Sovereign and Wells Fargo are investing heavily in new technology to increase speed and service of approvals.&#160;Others are in the process of preparing to do so.</p>
<p>Lending conditions are improving as the economy continues to rebound.&#160;Word is getting out that big banks have jumped back into small business lending.&#160;This bodes well for them, since the large institutions have better name recognitions and higher credit-quality customers tend to gravitate towards these lenders they know.&#160;This is especially true now that things seem to have improved in the economy overall.</p>
<p>The challenge now is for the small banks to react.&#160;The bigger banks may soon move into their territory, even though small banks have increased their approvals for the fifth consecutive month and are now granting about 51% of the applications they receive.</p>
<p>Small banks continue to be aggressive players in small business lending, but must maintain focus on advancements in technology to remain competitive in lending.&#160;Otherwise, big banks will eat their lunch. Big banks have the advantage of brand recognition and superior resources to invest in technological advancements.&#160;Additionally, they generally can offer lower interest rates on loans than small banks do.&#160;It is essential that small banks continue to make investments in their technology and process loans more rapidly to stay in the game.</p>
<p>Rohit Arora is co-founder and CEO of <a href="http://www.biz2credit.com" type="external">Biz2Credit Opens a New Window.</a>, an online credit marketplace that connects small- and medium-sized businesses with a network of 1,100+ lenders, service providers, and complementary business tools.&#160; Having arranged $800 million in funding, Biz2Credit is a leading resource for <a href="http://www.biz2credit.com" type="external">loans</a>, lines of credit, working capital and more.&#160; Follow Rohit on Twitter @Biz2Credit and on Facebook. <a href="http://www.facebook.com/businessloan" type="external">http://www.facebook.com/businessloan Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | How Tech Is Boosting SMB Lending | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/05/14/how-technology-is-boosting-small-business-lending.html | 2016-04-07 | 0 |
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<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
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<p>Texas' legendary <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/07/16/the-5-companies-dominating-the-permian-basin.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Permian Basin Opens a New Window.</a> has been the <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/08/24/this-oil-play-is-scorching-hot-right-now.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">hottest oil play this year Opens a New Window.</a> thanks to its abundance of cheap oil. The basin only grew hotter in November with robust production growth reports by Permian-focused producers. Meanwhile, the announcement that OPEC had decided to end its war on shale by cutting output only added more fuel to the fire, sending Permian drillers surging on the last day of the month. Leading the way were Laredo Petroleum (NYSE: LPI), PDC Energy (NASDAQ: PDCE), Clayton Williams Energy (NYSE: CWEI) Diamondback Energy (NASDAQ: FANG), and Parsley Energy (NYSE: PE):</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/LPI" type="external">LPI</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Here's what fueled these moves.</p>
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<p>Laredo Petroleum got an early boost after it reported solid third-quarter results at the beginning of the month. The driller earned $28.4 million, or $0.12 per share, thanks to record quarterly production of 51,276 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOE/d), which was above the top end of its guidance range. On top of that, it reported a 13% decrease in unit lease operating expenses (LOE) from the prior quarter, with costs now down 37% over the past year. These successes put Laredo Petroleum on pace to boost output by 10% this year. Meanwhile, with a growing inventory of high-return wells, the company expected to keep growing even at lower oil prices. However, OPEC's aim to boost prices should accelerate Laredo's growth potential and improve the returns it can earn on future wells.</p>
<p>PDC Energy also reported solid third-quarter results in early November. The company's production was up 39% year over year to 65,263 BOE/d, while LOE declined 27% year over year. However, the highlight of the quarter was a transformational $1.5 billion transaction to boost the driller's acreage area in the Permian Basin. That deal positioned PDC Energy to deliver 31% compound annual production growth over the next three years. That said, there is now more upside potential to that plan given OPEC's decision to support oil prices.</p>
<p>Clayton Williams Energy, likewise, reported third-quarter results in November, though it was not the company's results that got investors excited. The company reported an adjusted net loss of $35.1 million, or $2.50 per share, due in part to a sharp increase in interest expenses after it refinanced some debt earlier this year. That said, the company has since taken several steps to reposition so that it can thrive at lower oil prices, including announcing the sale of its Giddings area assets, which will transform Clayton Williams Energy into a pure-play Permian Basin producer. As a result, the company moved back into the position, where it could start drilling again, with the potential of being able to accelerateits drilling activities as a result of the OPEC deal.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Diamondback Energy also reported its third-quarter results in early November. The driller noted that production was up 22% from just the prior quarter and 32% year over year. Diamondback Energy does not see that growth slowing down, and issued preliminary 2017 guidance projecting production growth of more than 30% next year, with plans to live within cash flow as long as oil remained above $45 per barrel. That is a near certainty now that OPEC has stepped in to put a solid floor underneath crude, which could enable Diamondback to accelerate production growth going forward.</p>
<p>Sticking with those same themes, Parsley Energy reported its third-quarter results at the beginning of the month. The Permian driller deliveredan excellent quarter, noting that production was up 20% sequentially and a stunning 99% year over year, to go along with a 37% year-over-year decline in LOE. Meanwhile, thanks to strong drilling results this year, Parsley increased its full-year production guidance. The driller expects more of the same in 2017, and plans to add another drilling rig to position itself for "rapid and efficient growth in 2017." Given Parsley's liquidity and healthydrilling returns, it would not be surprising to see the company add even more rigs in 2017 and beyond now that OPEC is back to supporting oil prices.</p>
<p>Permian Basin drillers have thrived during the downturn because of that basin's combination of oil-saturated rocks and low drilling costs, which has resulted in exceptional drilling returns at lower oil prices. Because of those returns, most Permian drillers had already forecast robust growth in 2017 and beyond. However, given that oil prices will likely run higher than the levels those companies expected, it is quite possible that the drillers' growth rates will also start accelerating.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Laredo Petroleum When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=c4b1959a-99a0-4389-8d71-cf98f2177067&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 Laredo Petroleum wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=c4b1959a-99a0-4389-8d71-cf98f2177067&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of November 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFmd19/info.aspx" type="external">Matt DiLallo Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. 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> | Here's Why Permian Basin Drillers Were Scorching Hot in November | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/03/here-why-permian-basin-drillers-were-scorching-hot-in-november.html | 2016-12-03 | 0 |
<p>View of the U.S. Naval Station base in Guantanamo Bay / AP</p>
<p>BY: <a href="" type="internal">Alana Goodman</a> June 12, 2013 5:00 am</p>
<p>New Hampshire voters support the continued operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and say detained suspected terrorists should be tried in military tribunals rather than civilian courts,&#160;according to a&#160;Washington Free Beacon&#160;poll.</p>
<p>Sixty-two percent of voters said they favored making Guantanamo Bay a permanent facility for detaining, interrogating, and trying suspected terrorists, while 38 percent were opposed.&#160;Voters also favored trying suspected terrorists in military tribunals over civilian courts 65 percent to 35 percent.</p>
<p>Four hundred New Hampshire registered voters were surveyed June 2 to June 3 in a poll conducted by the <a href="http://pollingcompany.com/" type="external">Polling Company, Inc.</a> on behalf of the Free Beacon. It used the same methodology as Democratic-leaning pollster Public Policy Polling.</p>
<p>Drawing support from 22 percent of respondents, Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) is the favored 2016 Republican presidential candidate among GOP primary voters in New Hampshire.</p>
<p>Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) is close behind Paul at&#160;18 percent, while New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) both draw 17 percent. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker trails with 2 percent, and 24 percent remain undecided.</p>
<p>Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton holds an imposing lead among New Hampshire voters who plan to vote in the Democratic primary, with 61 percent support. Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick are under 10 percent. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.) are tied at just 1 percent, while 19 percent remain undecided.</p>
<p>When matched in an unlikely head-to-head against her husband, the former secretary of state would beat the former president in a landslide, 65 percent to 10 percent.</p>
<p>The Free Beacon poll found New Hampshire voters evenly split on President Barack Obama’s approval rating, with 50 percent approving of his performance and 49 percent disapproving, a drop from his approval rating in Public Policy Polling’s April <a href="http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/04/ayotte-faces-backlash-over-gun-vote.html" type="external">poll</a>.</p>
<p>New Hampshire voters were also divided on immigration policy. Forty-four percent favored a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, while 44 percent said illegal immigrants should return to their home country and then apply for legal status in the United States. Twelve percent said illegal immigrants should be granted legal status but without official citizenship.</p>
<p>The party breakdown in the Free Beacon poll was 41 percent Republican, 38 percent Democrat, and 21 percent unaffiliated. The poll was conducted using interactive voice recording, the same method used by PPP. The margin of error was 4.9 percent, and results were not weighted.</p> | Majority of N.H. Voters Support Keeping Gitmo Open | true | http://freebeacon.com/majority-of-n-h-voters-support-keeping-gitmo-open/ | 2013-06-12 | 0 |
<p>President Trump just got caught in a bald-faced lie about coordinating with Russian officials during his presidential campaign.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump, who has previously said&#160;he had never met with the Russians and in no way coordinated with the Russian government during his campaign for president, met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in April of 2016, contradicting those earlier claims.</p>
<p>A&#160;recent <a href="http://americablog.com/2017/03/newsmax-trump-met-russian-amb-kislyak-last-april-despite-denials.html" type="external">post on AMERICAblog</a> recalls that even conservative site Newsmax published an article about the meeting, which took place around the same time that Trump said “an easing of tensions” between Russia and the U.S. was “absolutely possible.”</p>
<p>President Trump “met with Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, at a VIP reception along with three other foreign ambassadors,” <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Vladimir-Putin-Russia-Trump-Relations/2016/05/14/id/728839/" type="external">according to the Newsmax article</a>. The Wall Street Journal had a similar article <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-goes-his-own-way-with-vladimir-putin-1463172396" type="external">describing the meeting</a> as well.</p>
<p>Trump and his surrogates have repeatedly denied meeting with agents of the Russian government during the presidential campaign, when in fact several members of his administration did meet with Russians during that time.</p>
<p>Attorney General Jeff Sessions <a href="" type="internal">may have committed perjury</a> when he told a&#160;Senate committee during his confirmation hearings that&#160;he hadn’t met with Russians during the campaign, when in fact he also had met with Kislyak. And Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned from his position after it was revealed <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/02/the-resignation-of-michael-flynn/516579/" type="external">he had&#160;discussions with Russians</a> about removing economic sanctions before Trump had assumed the presidency.</p>
<p>The latest revelation, involving Trump himself, may be the most damning. As <a href="http://americablog.com/2017/03/newsmax-trump-met-russian-amb-kislyak-last-april-despite-denials.html" type="external">mentioned at AMERICAblog</a>, Trump and his spokespeople have repeatedly denied that the president has made contact with Russia, including one instance where Trump said himself, “Russia is a ruse. I have nothing to do with Russia. Haven’t made a phone call to Russia in years. Don’t speak to people from Russia.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Chris Walker has been writing about political issues for the past decade, including for sites such as Elite Daily, AMERICAblog, and Mic. You can follow him on Twitter&#160; <a href="http://twitter.com/thatchriswalker" type="external">@thatchriswalker</a>.</p> | Trump, who said he has ‘nothing to do’ with Russia, met with the Russian ambassador during his campaign | true | http://resistancereport.com/politics/trump-russian-ambassador/ | 2017-03-07 | 4 |
<p>Abdi Soltani grew up in Massachusetts and moved to California to attend Stanford University. As a community organizer, he became interested in legal power and began working with the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2009, he became the <a href="https://www.aclunc.org/staff/abdi-soltani" type="external">director of the ACLU of Northern California</a> and expanded the organization’s presence in the Central Valley, adding an office in Fresno. Soltani has made it a priority to fight anti-immigration policies, work on bail reform and help decrease the number of people behind bars.</p>
<p>San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts <a href="http://www.iftf.org/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/press/YBCA_100_2017_Press_Release.pdf" type="external">recently honored Soltani</a> for his inspiring work.</p>
<p>Soltani sat down with Truthdig to talk about the ACLU’s role in making California a more progressive state and the importance of the arts in First Amendment issues.</p>
<p />
<p>Emily Wilson: Do you remember when you first heard about the ACLU?</p>
<p>Abdi Soltani: My first confirmable memory was when Michael Dukakis, the governor of Massachusetts, was running for president against George [H.W.] Bush in 1988. I lived in Massachusetts, and in the presidential debate, Bush accused Dukakis of being a card-carrying member of the ACLU. I was maybe in ninth grade, and that’s my for-sure first memory.</p>
<p>I know by the time I was in 11th grade and studying American history that I certainly knew about the ACLU. But my first memory would definitely be George Bush accusing Dukakis of being a card-carrying member. It piqued my interest, because it’s got to be a good thing if it’s worthy of an accusation in a presidential campaign.</p>
<p>EW: How did you end up working for the ACLU?</p>
<p>AS: I got interested in the ACLU working as a community organizer working on civil rights. Working as an organizer, our whole job was to build power among low-income people and communities of color, including youth. One form of power in our society is legal power, and I liked the idea that they should have access to legal power.</p>
<p>EW: When you became director, what was your focus?</p>
<p>AS: I had worked alongside the ACLU for well over a decade, so I was quite familiar with what the ACLU was able to do. My cover letter when I applied for the executive director position was kind of like a work plan of some priorities. One was the importance of building a stronger presence for the ACLU in California’s Central Valley. That’s a region of the state which has incredibly vibrant communities, diverse and powerful leaders, huge civil rights problems and very few legal resources. We began doing more outreach that built on past cases and projects we had done in the Central Valley, and that led to us opening an office in Fresno.</p>
<p>EW: What were some of the cases?</p>
<p>AS: Before I came to ACLU, we had a case in Fresno. There was a raid of a homeless camp that led to the destruction of all the property of the homeless people who lived there. That included not just personal effects, but medicine and childhood photos—so maybe people’s only memories of childhood. That was a case that had been done soon before I got there. Another one was an issue of surveillance—sending infiltrators into a peace group in Fresno. We’d always done work in the Central Valley, but we just wanted to expand it.</p>
<p>Some issues we’ve taken on—one is a lawsuit against Fresno County for inadequate access to counsel for people facing criminal charges. That’s a big case, and it’s been going on for several years. It takes a lot of work to build a case like that. It definitely resonates with people facing trial who have inadequate counsel and are under pressure sometimes to plead guilty.</p>
<p>Especially when you combine it with a second issue we’re tackling through state legislation, which is the issue of money bail. Many people incarcerated in our jails are there awaiting trial, and many can’t afford to pay bail. There’s been great progress nationally, and certainly in California, on that.</p>
<p>EW: How do you think the ACLU of Northern California has been part of making California a more progressive state?</p>
<p>AS: I was an undergraduate in the early 1990s when I moved to California, and one of the things that attracted me was its diversity. And at that time, the state was going through a major backlash to that diversity in the form of Proposition 187, which was the anti-immigrant ballot measure. And there was Proposition 184, which was the three-strikes-you’re-out ballot measure. At the time, Gov. [Pete] Wilson really stoked the fear of both immigration and crime [by] using racially coded language to drive up fear and win his re-election. He distracted people of California from economic issues and scapegoated communities of color as a way to catapult his re-election. That was California in 1994. Over the last 20-plus years, we’ve seen the people of California embrace a different path, and our state now has vigorous policies that recognize the contributions of immigrants to the state, and we have adopted a number of policies that are reducing incarceration. What I see has driven that is the amazing leadership of tens of thousands of people who worked really hard, and among those people are ACLU attorneys and advocates who have worked on legislation and worked with those community leaders.</p>
<p>EW: You’ve said that Donald Trump’s ban of Muslim-majority countries brought together your life as director of ACLU and as an Iranian-American. How did it do that?</p>
<p>AS: Earlier today at the <a href="https://www.ybca.org/ybca-100" type="external">[Yerba Buena Center for the Arts] 100 event</a>, Zahra Noorbakhsh spoke about these two words, “Iranian” and “Persian.” She’s quite funny about it. I always say I’m Iranian-American—I don’t say Persian. Persian is the beautiful cat, the beautiful rug. That’s like the ancient culture and history. It conjures up a different image, and I kind of want to embrace the whole package. My story as an immigrant is a little complicated. I was born in L.A., which makes me a citizen by birth. I grew up in Iran, and I immigrated back to the U.S. when I was 9. Being Iranian-American, we have the whole range of people. We also have relatives and family who want to come here to study or to celebrate the birth of a grandchild or to celebrate a wedding—all the reasons people want to travel. President Trump’s Muslim ban very specifically includes Iran. Iran is No. 1 of the countries in his ban in terms of the number of visas and people coming and going. On the weekend of his Muslim ban, my mom had just come back from Iran. We had planned in advance to go to Lake Tahoe with my kids, my wife and my mom to have a little bit of time with her. On that Saturday, I was cross-country skiing, and my phone wouldn’t stop ringing—I was getting phone calls, text messages and emails from Iranians all over the world. Either Iranians in America fearful of losing a visa, and people whose visas were about to expire and wouldn’t have anywhere to safely go to, and people whose grandparents were stranded en route at European airports. So here I am, an ACLU director, and here I am, an Iranian-American, and those two merged right into one thing.</p>
<p>EW: What’s the most important thing to remember in responding to this administration?</p>
<p>AS: The most important thing is we cannot get distracted by the mayhem, and we need to work really hard on stopping the policies and the actions that violate people’s rights.</p>
<p>EW: How do you think the arts are important to civil rights?</p>
<p>AS: A major part of the ACLU’s history over 100 years has been protection of the First Amendment. It’s an incredibly important set of principles. There’s a wonderful book by former ACLU legal director Burt Neuborne, “ <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Madisons-Music-Reading-First-Amendment/dp/1620970414" type="external">Madison’s Music</a>.” Burt makes the point that we should read the First Amendment as a whole.</p>
<p>If you’ll indulge me, I’ll share with you what Burt says. The First Amendment begins with freedom of religion and separation of church and state, and the cases have made clear: It’s inclusive of conscience. It’s not just organized religion, but also conscience—our innermost values and beliefs and principles. From that, you go to freedom of speech, which is how you express your values and beliefs, and from that to freedom of the press, which is how you broadcast those beliefs. Then it protects your right to peaceably assemble, which is to gather yourself in a group with an audience. And it culminates in the right to petition government for a redress of grievances. When you look at that chain, from our innermost values to our right to petition government, there are these stages of expression that culminate from our deepest-held values to our relationship to our government.</p>
<p>So it is no wonder that so many of the great and famous cases related to the First Amendment dealt with the arts. Right here in San Francisco in the 1950s, the Beat poets were a force. One of them, Allen Ginsberg, had this beautiful poem, “ <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/49303/howl" type="external">Howl</a>.” It was being censored, and the <a href="http://www.blogcitylights.com/2015/01/13/remembering-al-bendich-the-lawyer-that-won-the-howl-trial/" type="external">ACLU teamed up with City Lights Bookstore</a> and represented them to make sure this poem could be <a href="https://www.aclu.org/other/lawrence-ferlinghetti-discusses-publication-howl-aclu-banned-books-week-2001" type="external">published and distributed</a>.</p>
<p>So I really look to artists to be guardians of the First Amendment. The First Amendment may guard and protect artists, but we also need artists to guard and protect the First Amendment.</p> | What One ACLU Director Is Doing to Protect Rights | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/one-aclu-director-protect-rights/ | 2017-11-04 | 4 |
<p>On Tuesday, widely followed Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) analyst Gene Munster stated that Apple stock could fall by about 10% in the next one to three months, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/05/apple-aapl-stock-after-iphone-8-launch-could-fall-10-percent-gene-munster-says.html" type="external">according to CNBC Opens a New Window.</a>. Munster's reasoning is that a lot of the hype surrounding the new iPhone will wear off following the launch event scheduled for next Tuesday. After all, it will be months before investors get a real sense of how Apple's new iPhones are selling.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, while Apple stock has surged by about 50% in the past year, investors shouldn't count on a pullback anytime soon. The new flagship iPhone could potentially drive a huge acceleration in Apple's revenue growth -- as was the case three years ago with the iPhone 6 family. If that occurs, the stock price could just keep rising.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>After growing explosively between 2007 and 2015, iPhone sales have stagnated in the past two years. In fiscal 2016, revenue for the iPhone product line plunged 12% year over year. While sales have recovered somewhat in fiscal 2017, Apple's iPhone revenue has been growing at a low-single-digit rate recently.</p>
<p>There are a few likely reasons for this sales slowdown. First, excitement for Apple's first large-screen phones (the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus) drove a <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/03/22/the-iphone-6-at-6-months-how-are-sales-holding-up.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=59fc606e-931d-11e7-99fd-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">huge sales surge Opens a New Window.</a> during fiscal 2015. In the past two years, iPhone sales have normalized to a more sustainable level.</p>
<p>Second, the strong dollar has put pressure on iPhone sales in a number of international markets for the past couple of years. Third, hype related to the new iPhones (which are expected to hit the market later this month) has negatively impacted sales of the existing models during 2017.</p>
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<p>Past experience shows that the current iPhone slowdown could quickly give way to strong growth. Unit sales growth will likely return to double-digit territory once Apple resolves any initial supply constraints, as there is massive pent-up demand for new iPhone models. Moreover, the average selling price (ASP) will soar, as the flagship iPhone 8 model may have a starting price around $1,000. (For comparison, ASPs have been in the $600-$700 range recently.)</p>
<p>Indeed, during fiscal 2015 -- which began immediately after Apple began selling the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus -- iPhone unit sales surged 37% year over year, while iPhone revenue skyrocketed by 52%. In the prior year, iPhone revenue had increased by just 12%.</p>
<p>Thus, iPhone revenue growth accelerated by a stunning 40 percentage points after Apple's last major iPhone revamp. While the base growth rate for the iPhone product line is lower now, it's still entirely possible that iPhone revenue will grow by 30%-40% in the upcoming 2018 fiscal year.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Apple's other product lines are set to contribute to the company's revenue growth in the next year. Last quarter, Apple's <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/08/02/finally-apple-incs-growth-isnt-just-about-iphone.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=59fc606e-931d-11e7-99fd-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">non-iPhone revenue increased Opens a New Window.</a> by 12% year over year; in the prior quarter, it rose by 11%.</p>
<p>If this pace continues, Apple's non-iPhone revenue could increase by nearly $10 billion in fiscal 2018. Sales growth for Apple's other products could also accelerate, if a surge in iPhone sales drives faster growth for the App Store and more accessories purchases. Additionally, the new HomePod smart home assistant is scheduled to become available in December.</p>
<p>By contrast, the rest of Apple's business (aside from the iPhone) detracted from its results in fiscal 2015. While iPhone revenue rose by about $53 billion that year, total company revenue increased by "only" $51 billion.</p>
<p>It's possible that demand for a $1,000 iPhone won't be as high as Apple hopes. Recent surveys have produced mixed findings. But if enough Apple fans are ultimately willing to pay up for the iPhone 8, the coming year could see a repeat of the iPhone 6 product cycle, when demand easily outstripped investors' relatively bullish forecasts. If that's the case, then Apple stock could keep building on its 50% gain from the past year.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than AppleWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=0ed6dfcc-5989-4c9a-b926-e0d2871fddac&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=59fc606e-931d-11e7-99fd-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and Apple wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=0ed6dfcc-5989-4c9a-b926-e0d2871fddac&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=59fc606e-931d-11e7-99fd-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of September 5, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFGemHunter/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=59fc606e-931d-11e7-99fd-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Adam Levine-Weinberg Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Apple and is long January 2018 $90 calls on Apple, short January 2018 $140 calls on Apple, and short February 2018 $160 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=59fc606e-931d-11e7-99fd-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Apple Stock Could Fall After Next Week's Launch Event -- or Not | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/06/apple-stock-could-fall-after-next-weeks-launch-event-or-not.html | 2017-09-06 | 0 |
<p>Jan 23 (Reuters) - Versabank:</p>
<p>* VERSABANK SAYS ‍IT IS DEVELOPING BLOCKCHAIN BASED VAULT INITIATIVE TO SECURELY STORE DIGITAL PROPERTY Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NORTH CHARLESTON S.C. (Reuters) - Boeing Co ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BA.N" type="external">BA.N</a>) delivered its first 787-10 Dreamliner to Singapore Airlines ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SIAL.SI" type="external">SIAL.SI</a>) on Sunday, rounding out a family of lightweight jets on which the U.S. planemaker is betting its future.</p> A Boeing 787-10 aircraft being built for Singapore Airlines sits in the Final Assembly Area before a delivery ceremony of the first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States March 25, 2018. REUTERS/Randall Hill
<p>The handover took place in front of hundreds of Boeing workers as a band played loud rock-and-roll at the South Carolina plant where the carbon-composite jet is built.</p>
<p>The new Dreamliner was parked on the tarmac at the delivery center in front of a line of about 10 787 airplanes in various stages of completion.</p>
<p>Singapore Airlines, which expanded its order for 787-10s to 49 jets last year, plans to introduce the jet on services to Osaka, Japan, starting in May.</p>
<p>The 787-10 is built exclusively at the North Charleston plant due to its large size, which prevents the transfer of sections to Boeing’s factory outside Seattle. Unlike the Washington state assembly lines, the plant, which has about 7,000 workers, is not unionized.</p>
<p>The aircraft, which sells for $326 million at list prices, completes a line-up of three models starting with the 787-8 which debuted in 2011. All boast carbon-composite fabrication materials, fuel efficiency and new state-of-the-air filtration systems with higher levels of humidity in the air for long-distance flight.</p>
<p>The 787-10’s range is 6,430 nautical miles (11,910 kilometers).</p> Slideshow (5 Images)
<p>At 223 feet long (68 meters), the aircraft is 18 feet (5.5 meters) longer than the 787-9 and seats around 330 passengers, 40 more than the 787-9 and 88 more than the 787-8.</p>
<p>Europe’s Airbus ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AIR.PA" type="external">AIR.PA</a>) competes against the 787-10 with its A330neo, an upgraded version of its most-sold wide-body aircraft with fuel-efficient engines and a new cabin.</p>
<p>Both jets are designed for shorter flights compared with other mid-size wide-body planes, tapping into the rapid growth of trade within Asia as well as across other regions.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BA.N" type="external">Boeing Co</a> 321.0 BA.N New York Stock Exchange +1.39 (+0.43%) BA.N SIAL.SI AIR.PA AAL.O
<p>But after brisk initial sales, orders for both models have slowed, with Airbus selling 214 of its A330neo.</p>
<p>The 787-10 has 171 orders, about 13 percent of the total of firm orders for the 787.</p>
<p>The mid-sized 787-9 is the most popular variant and competes mainly with Airbus’s new-generation carbon-composite A350.</p>
<p>The 787 and A330neo are locked in a fierce battle for sales and profits in the market for jets with around 300 seats.</p>
<p>Boeing looks poised to win a hotly contested order from American Airlines ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AAL.O" type="external">AAL.O</a>), beating competition from the A330neo, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.</p>
<p>Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Daniel Wallis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An adult-film actress who claims she had sex with Donald Trump before he was president said on Sunday she had been threatened in 2011 while in a parking lot with her infant daughter to discourage her from discussing the relationship.</p>
<p>Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that she was on her way to a fitness class with her child when an unknown man approached her, according to a transcript of the interview released on Sunday.</p>
<p>“And a guy walked up on me and said to me, ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story.’ And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, ‘That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.’ And then he was gone,” Daniels said.</p>
<p>Daniels sued the president on March 6, stating Trump never signed an agreement for her to keep quiet about an “intimate” relationship between them.</p>
<p>Daniels’ appearance represented back to back trouble for Trump after an interview broadcast last week on CNN with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who described a 10-month long affair with Trump starting in 2006.</p>
<p>Trump would have been married to his wife, Melania, during both the alleged extramarital relationships. The first lady accompanied him this weekend to his Florida golf club. Trump returned to the White House on Sunday but a White House spokeswoman said Melania stayed behind as is her tradition during their son’s school holiday.</p> NOT ATTRACTED
<p>Daniels told “60 Minutes” that she and Trump had sexual relations only once, but that she had seen him other occasions and he had kept in touch with her.</p> FILE PHOTO: Adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, poses for pictures at the end of her striptease show in Gossip Gentleman club in Long Island, New York, U.S., February 23, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File photo
<p>She said she was not attracted to Trump, who was 60, to Daniels’ 27, in 2006.</p>
<p>The White House has denied he had an affair with Daniels, although Trump lawyer Michael Cohen said he paid her $130,000 of his own money during the 2016 presidential election campaign.</p>
<p>Trump did not respond to reporters’ shouted questions about whether he would watch the interview when he returned to the White House from Florida.</p>
<p>Cohen, who has denied that there was an affair, has not explained why he made the payment or said whether Trump was aware of it.</p>
<p>Daniels and her attorney would not discuss in the interview whether they had text messages or other materials that might verify her story.</p>
<p>She was asked why she repeatedly signed statements denying the relationship with Trump, and acknowledged that there could be questions about her credibility.</p>
<p>“I felt intimidated and ... honestly bullied. And I didn’t know what to do. And so I signed it,” Daniels said.</p>
<p>Asked why viewers could be confident now that she was telling the truth, she said, “Cause I have no reason to lie. I’m opening myself up for, you know, possible danger, and definitely a whole lot of s***,” she said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by David Lawder and Sarah Lynch; editing by Caren Bohan and Grant McCool</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIRUT (Reuters) - Jaish al-Islam, the last rebel faction in control of territory in eastern Ghouta, said on Sunday it would not withdraw to other opposition-held parts of Syria as other rebel groups have done under deals negotiated with Syrian government ally Russia.</p> A bus convoy that will carry rebel fighters and their relatives waits at the city limits of Harasta, in the eastern Damascus suburb of Ghouta, Syria March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki
<p>After a month-long ground and air offensive and deals under which rebel fighters agreed to be transported to northern Syria, pro-Syrian government forces have taken control of most of what had been the last major rebel stronghold near the capital Damascus.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-ghouta/second-group-of-failaq-al-rahman-rebels-leave-syrias-ghouta-idUSKBN1H10ZX" type="external">Second group of Failaq al-Rahman rebels leave Syria's Ghouta</a>
<p>Only the town of Douma, the most populous part of eastern Ghouta, remains under rebel control.</p>
<p>Jaish al-Islam is currently negotiating with Russia over the future of the area and the people in it.</p> Rebel fighters pray before they are evacuated, outside Harasta in eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki
<p>“Today the negotiations taking place ... are to stay in Ghouta and not to leave it,” Jaish al-Islam’s military spokesman Hamza Birqdar told Istanbul-based Syrian radio station Radio al-Kul via Skype from eastern Ghouta.</p>
<p>Birqdar accused the Syrian government of trying to change the demographic balance of the eastern Ghouta by forcing out locals and replacing them with its allies.</p>
<p>He said in the negotiations with Russia Jaish al-Islam is asking for guarantees that what remains of the local population will not be forced out.</p>
<p>Both Ahrar al-Sham and Failq al-Rahman, two other rebel groups formerly in charge of pockets of the eastern Ghouta, have accepted deals under which they withdraw to opposition-held Idlib in northwest Syria.</p>
<p>Moscow and Damascus say the Ghouta campaign is necessary to halt deadly rebel shelling of the capital.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lisa Barrington, editing by David Evans</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BEIRUT (Reuters) - More than 5,000 Syrian rebel fighters and their families boarded 77 buses on Sunday to wait to be taken from eastern Ghouta, Syrian state media said, in the second day of an evacuation from their former stronghold near the capital Damascus.</p> Syrian rebels and civilians look through a bus window as they leave Harasta in eastern Ghouta, in Damascus, Syria March 23, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki
<p>The main rebel group in the Arbeen pocket of eastern Ghouta, Failaq al-Rahman, reached a deal on Friday under which fighters agreed to surrender the enclave to the government and be transported to an opposition-held area in northwest Syria.</p>
<p>Around 1,000 fighters and their relatives left on Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.</p>
<p>After a month-long ground and air offensive and evacuation deals with Failaq al-Rahman and another rebel group, Ahrar al-Sham, pro-Syrian government forces control most of what had been a major rebel stronghold, just 15 km (9 miles) east of Damascus.</p>
<p>Before the recent offensive, the suburb had an estimated population of 400,000. It had been under siege by government forces since 2013 and only the town of Douma, the most populous part of eastern Ghouta, remains under rebel control.</p>
<p>There have been negotiations but no deal yet between government forces and the main faction controlling Douma, Jaish al-Islam, which has said it wants to stay.</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of civilians have streamed out of Douma on foot during lulls in the bombardment of the past week. Hundreds more civilians left the area on Sunday, carrying children and hauling their belongings.</p>
<p>Russian news agency RIA, citing the Russian defense ministry, said more than 108,000 civilians in total had left eastern Ghouta since it said a month ago that it would oversee daily humanitarian pauses in the fighting.</p>
<p>Moscow and Damascus say the Ghouta campaign is necessary to halt deadly rebel shelling of the capital.</p>
<p>A military source told Reuters evacuation of Failaq al-Rahman fighters, who are coming from Zamalka, Jobar, Ein Terma and Arbeen towns, will take a couple of days to complete. They began boarding the buses on Sunday morning, but have not yet set off.</p>
<p>State TV showed lines of green buses waiting. A young child could be seen dangling a bandaged hand out of a bus window. Some men covered their faces with scarves as they sat waiting.</p>
<p>A number of fighters and family members who were transported last week from Harasta and Arbeen have arrived in rebel-held territory to the north, where many are receiving medical care, the opposition-run Hama health directorate said in a statement.</p>
<p>Reporting by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Daniel Wallis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BRIEF-VersaBank Launches Blockchain Based Vault Initiative To Securely Store Digital Property Boeing completes Dreamliner family with first 787-10 delivery Porn star says she was threatened to keep silence on Trump: TV interview Syrian rebels Jaish al-Islam refuse to leave Ghouta: spokesman Second group of Failaq al-Rahman rebels leave Syria's Ghouta | false | https://reuters.com/article/brief-versabank-launches-blockchain-base/brief-versabank-launches-blockchain-based-vault-initiative-to-securely-store-digital-property-idUSFWN1PI0SQ | 2018-01-23 | 2 |
<p>Les Stone/Zumapress.com</p>
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<p>The first doctor to try to offer abortion services in Wichita, Kansas, since Dr. George Tiller was <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/31/AR2009053101181.html" type="external">gunned down in a church</a> in May 2009 has been blocked from doing so—by her landlord, who has claimed this would create a “nuisance.” And groups opposed to abortion rights are hailing this development as a major win on a prominent frontline in the national war over abortion.</p>
<p>Dr. Mila Means is a family practitioner in Wichita, and since last year she has been preparing to provide abortion services there. (She has been undergoing training with Kansas City abortion provider, Aid for Women.) But on Monday, a state judge <a href="" type="internal">issued a temporary restraining order</a> barring Means from performing abortions at her medical office or making any changes to the facility that would allow her to do so. Judge Jeffrey Goering granted this order at the behest of Foliage Development, Inc., the owner of the building that houses Means’ office.</p>
<p>According to a <a href="" type="internal">lawsuit Foliage filed</a> on January 28, Means requested permission from her landlord last fall to begin offering abortion services in her office later this year. The landlord turned her down, maintaining that it would violate her lease by “creating a clear nuisance to and disturbing the peaceful possession of all other tenants.” The landlord says that Means indicated that she would proceed with the plan anyway, which he claims would violate the terms of the lease.</p>
<p>The nuisance, however, would stem from protests the landlord anticipates—not from anything that Means would do. Anti-abortion activists from Operation Rescue, which is headquartered in Wichita, have already begun protesting outside her office. An event they held last December at the building attracted about 100 people, including counter-protesters. The landlord’s suit contends that once Means begins to offer abortion services, more protestors, demonstrators, and police will be drawn to the building. The suit notes that the Kansas Coalition for Life has threatened to hold daily protests outside Means’ office and that Operation Rescue has posted Means’ office address and contact information on its website.</p>
<p>According to the landlord’s complaint, the Kansas Coalition for Life has informed the landlord that “it will be a circus out there.” Already, the landlord says, three other businesses in the building have threatened to move because of the possibility of protests.</p>
<p>Wichita has long been an <a href="" type="internal">abortion-rights battleground</a>. Operation Rescue <a href="" type="internal">relocated its headquarters there</a> in 2002, taking over a building that had once housed Wichita Family Planning, to concentrate on its campaign against Tiller, a prominent provider of abortion services. On May 31, 2009, anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder assassinated Tiller while the doctor was serving as an usher at the Reformation Lutheran Church.</p>
<p>Means would be the first doctor to perform abortions in Wichita since the murder. But before she even could start, Operation Rescue made her a target, posting her photo and address online. “She’s taking the biggest burden,” says Jeff Peterson, the manager at Kansas City’s Aid for Women. His office is getting heat, too. “Local protesters are referring to us a jihadist training camp, saying that we need to be dealt with like jihadists in Iraq and Afghanistan, which is a little bit scary,” says Peterson.</p>
<p>Operation Rescue and its president, Troy Newman, have pledged to use all “peaceful and legal means” to keep Wichita “abortion free.” In a press release hailing the court’s temporary restraining order against Means, Operation Rescue touted the fact that Wichita “has been free from abortions since the closure” of Tiller’s office. Another anti-abortion outfit, Kansans for Life, has been sending out emails warning that a “grave evil threatens our community” and assailing Means for attempting to set up “a killing center” in Wichita.</p>
<p>Peterson says his organization agreed to train Means because of the need for abortion services in Wichita. “We’re doing this for George [Tiller],” Peterson notes. “I’m doing it for the patients. Troy Newman says nobody in Wichita wants this. Then why are people from Wichita coming up here [to Kansas City]? We’ve got a lot of Wichita patients coming here, having to drive three hours because there isn’t a doctor close to them.”</p>
<p>Means’ office declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing legal process. Foliage Development, Inc. also declined to comment. But Foliage has asked the state court to permanently bar Means from performing abortions at the site. The court has ordered Means to appear at a February 15 hearing.</p>
<p>Kari Ann Rinker, state coordinator for the National Organization of Women and a Wichita resident, says the city had four abortion providers in the 1990s—until anti-abortion activists began waging fierce campaigns against each of them. Eventually, Tiller was <a href="" type="internal">the only remaining provider</a> in town. Now the one doctor who wants to fill the vacancy his murder created is being thwarted—not because she’s creating a nuisance but because anti-abortion crusaders are.</p>
<p /> | Is Providing Abortions Creating a “Nuisance”? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/mila-means-abortion-tiller-wichita/ | 2011-02-04 | 4 |
<p>German automaker Daimler said Friday that its net profit fell 16 percent in the third quarter as a voluntary recall to improve diesel emissions hurt earnings at its Mercedes-Benz luxury car brand.</p>
<p>Net profit fell to 2.3 billion euros ($2.7 billion) despite a 6 percent increase in sales revenue to 40.8 billion euros.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The company based in Stuttgart said that earnings at the Mercedes-Benz division, a pillar of the company's earnings, were hit by a charge of 223 million euros to pay for an engine control software update on existing vehicles to reduce diesel emissions. The voluntary recall is part of an effort by German automakers to restore confidence in diesel technology and ward off bans on diesels in German cities. Mercedes-Benz is heavily dependent on diesel engines.</p>
<p>Diesel itself has seen its reputation damaged by the scandal at Volkswagen over cars it had illegally rigged to cheat on U.S. emissions tests, and by the subsequent discovery that cars from other manufacturers emitted more pollutants in everyday driving than they do on test stands.</p>
<p>Earnings at Mercedes were also hit by expenses for developing new technologies and vehicles. Daimler, like other automakers, is sinking billions into adapting to expected changes shaped by digital technology in how people get from one place to another. Those changes could include ordering cars when needed through smartphone apps instead of owning one, as well as autonomous vehicles and low-emission electric cars.</p>
<p>CEO Dieter Zetsche said that the company was preparing itself to adapt with a planned restructuring that would see Mercedes-Benz and the truck and bus divisions become legally independent to give them more entrepreneurial flexibility. The changes are still under discussion and will not take effect until approved by the 2019 shareholder meeting.</p>
<p>"Daimler is operating successfully and leads the premium segment with Mercedes-Benz," Zetsche said in a statement. "Now is therefore the right time to examine — from a position of strength — whether we can position ourselves even better to shape the automotive era definitively and successfully from the top."</p> | Daimler profits hit by costs of diesel emissions recall | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/10/20/daimler-profits-fall-16-percent-on-diesel-recall-costs.html | 2017-10-20 | 0 |
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<p>Military special forces based in Florida and U.S. Customs and Border Protection special units spent three weeks trying to breach and scale the eight models in San Diego, using jackhammers, saws, torches and other tools and climbing devices, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was not authorized for public release.</p>
<p>A Customs and Border Protection report on the tests identifies strengths and flaws of each design but does not pick an overall winner or rank them, though it does point to see-through steel barriers topped by concrete as the best overall design, the official said.</p>
<p>The report recommends combining elements of each, depending on the terrain. The official likened it to a Lego design, pulling pieces from different prototypes.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Carlos Diaz, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, said the agency is still in “the testing phase” and that results are being evaluated. He said combining elements of different prototypes instead of picking a winner is consistent with previous statements by officials. He noted that the agency said in its bidding guidelines that a minimum height of 18 feet (5.4 meters) would be a key characteristic. He said he did not have additional details on test results.</p>
<p>Contractors were awarded between $300,000 and $500,000 for each prototype. Prototypes were built last fall to guide future construction of one of Trump’s signature campaign pledges. Four were concrete and four were made of other materials.</p>
<p>Ronald Vitiello, the agency’s acting deputy commissioner, said after visiting the prototypes in October that he was struck most by the 30-foot (9.1-meter) heights, which are significantly higher than existing barriers. Taller barriers are undoubtedly more effective, but whether the cost is justified will be up for debate.</p>
<p>The highly trained testers scaled 16 to 20 feet (4.9 to 6.1 meters) unassisted but needed help after that, said the official who described the assaults on the wall prototypes to the AP. Testers also expressed safety concerns about getting down from 30 feet.</p>
<p>Only once did a tester manage to land a hook on top of the wall without help, the official said. Tubes atop some models repelled climbing devices but wouldn’t work in more mountainous areas because the terrain is too jagged.</p>
<p>The report favors steel at ground level because agents can see what is happening on the other side and holes can more easily be patched, the official said. With concrete, large slabs have to be replaced for even small breaches, which is time-consuming and expensive. Topping the steel with smooth concrete surfaces helps prevent climbing.</p>
<p>Customs and Border Protection leaders were scheduled to be briefed on the findings this week amid intensifying discussions between the White House and Congress on immigration legislation to avert a government shutdown and renew protection for about 800,000 young immigrants who were temporarily shielded from deportation under an Obama-era program, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which is scheduled to end in March.</p>
<p>The administration has insisted wall funding be part of any immigration deal but Trump has been unclear about how long the wall would be and how it should be designed. The administration has asked for $1.6 billion this year to build or replace 74 miles (118.4 kilometers) of barriers in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and San Diego and plans to request another $1.6 billion next year.</p>
<p>A proposal by Customs and Border Protection calls for spending $18 billion over 10 years to extend barriers to cover nearly half the border, though it is unclear if Trump supports that plan. The agency proposes 316 miles (505 kilometers) of additional barrier by September 2027, bringing total coverage to 970 miles (1,552 kilometers). It also seeks 407 miles (651 kilometers) of replacement or secondary fencing.</p>
<p>Mexico has steadfastly rejected Trump’s demand that it pay for the wall.</p>
<p>Contracts to do work on that scale would be hugely lucrative, and the prototypes, spaced tightly together in a remote part of San Diego, have captured widespread attention, including from architecture critics. W.G. Yates &amp; Sons Construction Co. of Philadelphia, Mississippi, and Caddell Construction Co. of Montgomery, Alabama, built one concrete model and one of other materials.</p>
<p>Texas Sterling Construction Co., a unit of Sterling Construction Co., and Fisher Sand &amp; Gravel Co. of Tempe, Arizona, did concrete designs. ELTA North America Inc., part of state-run Israel Aerospace Industries, and KWR Construction Inc. of Sierra Vista, Arizona, built models from other materials.</p>
<p>Vitiello said in October that the testing could last up to two months and lead to officials to conclude that elements of several designs should be merged to create effective walls, raising the possibility of no winner or winners.</p> | Border wall models thwart US commandos in tests | false | https://abqjournal.com/1121605/border-wall-models-thwart-us-commandos-in-tests.html | 2018-01-19 | 2 |
<p>The mystery of how builders transported stone 500 miles to build the Great Pyramid has been solved, archaeologists believe.</p>
<p>The diary of an overseer discovered at the Wadi al-Jafr seaport said the stones were transported using canals dug from the Nile River to the building site, <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/who-built-ancient-egypts-great-pyramid-hidden-text-holds-clues-thousand-year-670265" type="external">Newsweek reported</a>. According to the papyrus diary, the workers used boats to float the stones through the canals.</p>
<p>Archaeologists also uncovered one of the boats and a waterway underneath the Giza plateau that support&#160;the diary’s account.</p>
<p>Approximately 170,000 tons of rock were carried to the pyramid building site in 2600 B.C. so the pyramids could be built. The 4,500-foot-tall structure was the highest in the world for thousands of years and is considered an ancient marvel.</p>
<p>Archaeologists also studied the structure of the boat with a 3-D laser and discovered how it was originally assembled, Newsweek reported.</p>
<p>Another team is working on making a map of the Great Pyramid with laser technology, and has discovered empty spaces within the pyramid that they think could be hidden rooms.</p>
<p>A new documentary, “Egypt’s Great Pyramid: The New Evidence,” aired Sunday night in the U.K. and discussed the newest revelations.</p>
<p>Some Twitter users weren’t yet ready to believe the mystery solved.</p>
<p>No way those 3 pyramids were built by the Egyptians…sorry!</p>
<p>— WiseGuy (@WiseGuy317) <a href="https://twitter.com/WiseGuy317/status/912149795166474240" type="external">September 25, 2017</a></p>
<p>Nah, bro. It was def aliens. Case closed. <a href="https://t.co/exh2jbenfW" type="external">pic.twitter.com/exh2jbenfW</a></p>
<p>— T.S. Junior (@TSJunior0) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSJunior0/status/912131466372448258" type="external">September 25, 2017</a></p>
<p>Noooo don’t solve it what will we do the next Thousand years.</p>
<p>— Suz (@LoghomesalesSuz) <a href="https://twitter.com/LoghomesalesSuz/status/912128106214944768" type="external">September 25, 2017</a></p>
<p>Related Stories:</p> | Mystery of Great Pyramid Stones' Transport Solved, Experts Say | false | https://newsline.com/mystery-of-great-pyramid-stones-transport-solved-experts-say/ | 2017-09-25 | 1 |
<p>Published time: 1 Sep, 2017 09:19</p>
<p>Six big banks have joined a group developing a new settlement currency based on blockhain technology, which is behind bitcoin, ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/business/400063-bitcoin-blockchain-gold-trading/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Barclays, Credit Suisse, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, HSBC, MUFG and State Street have joined UBS, BNY Mellon, Deutsche Bank, Santander, NEX and blockchain startup Clearmatics in a project to create a the “utility settlement coin”. The currency was originally started by UBS.</p>
<p>The project could pioneer the issue of cryptocurrencies by central banks.</p>
<p>“It may well inform the way central banks choose to move things forward. We see it as a stepping stone to a future where central banks issue their own [cryptocurrency] at some point,” Hyder Jaffrey, UBS director told Coindesk.</p>
<p>The currency being developed by the banks will be backed by traditional cash.</p>
<p>“The settlement coin will be a collateralized digital currency, backed by cash assets at a central bank, which allows us to transfer ownership easily through the exchange of USCs, thus reducing process complexity and the time taken for settlement,” Kaushalya Somasundaram, the head of fintech partnerships and strategy at HSBC, told Coindesk.</p>
<p>In other words, the utility settlement coin allows financial institutions – banks, hedge funds and others -to pay each other or to buy bonds and equities, without waiting for traditional money transfers. The coins would be convertible into different currencies.</p>
<p>Such securities should be transferred to blockchain systems, otherwise the advantages of the technology would be lost.</p>
<p>The first token exchange using the platform could come as soon as the end of 2018, according to UBS.</p>
<p /> | World’s major banks working on blockchain-based settlement currency | false | https://newsline.com/worlds-major-banks-working-on-blockchain-based-settlement-currency/ | 2017-09-01 | 1 |
<p>'Many women don’t eat or drink throughout the day so they can go out in the cover of darkness. This is a reality in many parts of the world.'</p>
<p>Our urge to put as much distance as possible between ourselves and the shit we generate appears built-in—and for good reason. The diseases excrement can spawn, once it reaches a water supply, have spent centuries wiping sizable chunks of us off the map. The stuff doesn’t smell good, either. The flushing toilet allows those of us in the West the many-times-a-day satisfaction of sending whatever our bodies expel on a oneway trip to Oblivion-land.</p>
<p>This is a happy arrangement, a stroke of forward-thinking genius. It occurs by introducing our waste—treated to varying degrees in various ways—into the planet’s water supply through our sewage systems. On the surface, this may seem counterintuitive, the fact is … nevermind. Do not ask further questions. It makes zero ecological sense, and is a subject for another story.</p>
<p>But for the millions who live in the world’s slums—informal, infrastructure-poor communities—an acceptable distance between the individual and her feces is a different ball game. Literally. For residents in settlements like Kibera, 3 miles from the center of Nairobi, achieving this separation requires squatting over a plastic shopping bag and a good throwing arm. Some Kibera landlords provide shared latrines for residents, but they are filthy and overfilled. The most popular alternative—but only during the day—is a precarious walk to the outskirts of town. Women must be careful when using either option. The unmonitored surroundings leave them vulnerable to assault.</p>
<p>Kibera dates back to 1904 and officially is home to 170,000, though some estimates put the population as high as 1 million. Health risks compound exponentially in such densely populated areas.</p>
<p>Enter Swedish architect Anders Wilhelmson. From 2000 to 2005, while teaching at Stockholm’s Royal Institute of Art, he and his architecture graduate students traveled to slums in developing countries to study living conditions. On a trip to Mumbai, Wilhelmson was confronted by a particularly outspoken resident. He recalls her saying: “We don't need architecture, because we know how to build. Unsafe sanitation is the greatest threat we face.” (The World Health Organization reports that 2.6 billion of the Earth's 7 billion people have no access to flush toilets.) Wilhelmson refers to this encounter as “a decisive moment” and in 2005 he took on that challenge.</p>
<p>Whatever the solution, it needed to be inexpensive and work in the absence of any existing infrastructure. The result is known as the Peepoo—a single use, biodegradable bag. Peepoos contain 6 grams of urea, an organic chemical that neutralizes pathogens and, depending on climate variables, converts excreta to a usable fertilizer in a matter of weeks.</p>
<p>In late 2006, Wilhelmson and his wife, Camilla Wirseen founded Peepoople AB. The Peepoo design was finalized in 2007, and in 2008 they began field-testing the Peepoos in Kibera. By 2009, positive feedback from the test market drew interest from investors. The company hired CEO Karin Ruiz, who had a background in international business development. Prior to joining Peepoople, Ruiz was an executive for the European healthcare provider Capio.&#160;</p>
<p>In 2008, Ruiz had heard Muhammad Yunus, the Bangladeshi micro-financing pioneer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, discuss his ideas about social-entrepreneurship and realized that it was possible to leverage the power of individual enterprise in the service of social good.&#160;</p>
<p>Micro-entrepreneurship is central to the Peepoople business model. Each salesperson is the owner of a Peepoo franchise. And because women are typically the primary caregivers in communities like Kibera, they are the sales force responsible for distributing the disposable toilets and educating the population about the importance of basic sanitation.</p>
<p>Peepoos are provided in what's called Peepoo Personal Packs, each of which contain 28 bags. Once trained, representatives are given a carton of 20 packs. The profits they receive from then on allow them to purchase more packs, continue selling and expand operations. To better build each market, sales reps provide support through meetings called Community Engagement Sessions. The sales reps are reponsible for arranging these gatherings and they get a small compensation depending on how many people participate. The meetings are a way to build their customer base, but also inform the community about how to protect against excreta-borne bacteria.</p>
<p>Educating sales representatives who, in turn, can teach their immediate social circle about the benefits of safe hygiene is a time-consuming and often delicate process. It requires paying careful attention to the existing social structure within the community.</p>
<p>“For people in urban slums and extremely poor communities, it's not a matter of living—it's a matter of surviving. So it's a challenging environment to work in,” says Ruiz. “We do it by engaging the community and gathering acceptance. Edlers are often the informal leaders of these communities and we need to get them on board before anything else. If you have their support, they will help in the work. Winning their confidence is not an easy thing to do, but it's where we have to start. Once we establish that contact, we can begin the recruitment and training process.”</p>
<p>To find and train the right women for the job—individuals who possess the skills and entrepreneurial drive to successfully distribute the disposable toilets—Peepoople formed a selection committee in Kibera. The company initially included priests and elders on this committee to assure that the women would be internally supported in their efforts.&#160;</p>
<p>Anne Ndunga, a 31-year-old mother of four, works as a Peepoo saleswoman. “People want more all the time,” she says. “I have customers who buy whole boxes of Peepoos. Sometimes people want it for free, but I tell them that if Peepoo is for free, I would have no job. One customer came to me to buy <a href="http://www.peepoople.com/" type="external">Peepoos</a>. She was so happy that she had them the night before because she had diarrhea. To go out at night—you know, that is very dangerous for women to do.”</p>
<p>Peepoos have also been given to schools, which serve as a hub to introduce safe sanitation practices to parents.</p>
<p>“We’re finding that the school attendants themselves are quite good salespeople,” says Ruiz, “and many are selling their inventory on the weekends. It’s critical to get people with the right mindset. And basic education is needed for the training program. Many Kenyans can read, write and count. That is not necessarily the case in other potential markets.”</p>
<p>To date, Kibera is the only informal city where the Peepoo business-model has been fully implemented. Roughly <a href="http://www.peepoople.com/location_post/kibera/" type="external">20,000 residents</a> are regular users of the disposable toilets. A network of “drop points” has been established where people can take their used Peepoos and receive another small sum for the deposit. In an environment where any and every opportunity for income is seized, this financial incentive guarantees used Peepoos won’t end up on the street. Recently, side businesses have sprung up in which residents go door to door collecting used Peepoos and take them to the nearest drop point, where they can redeem a bulk sum for their efforts. At the drop points, individual Peepoos are then placed into a larger bag to prevent leakage while the urea neutralizes the bacteria.</p>
<p>Figuring out how best to use the resulting fertilizer is being worked out. But direct application—where gardeners put the fertilizer on their existing plants—is already underway. According to Ruiz, a study has found that Peepoos increase the yield from both coffee trees and cornfields. The bags are also used to encourage reforestation, since trees planted with Peepoos demonstrate stronger growth when compared to those without. Still being developed is an initiative to explore the drying and mixing of used Peepoos with other organic materials to make compost that could be available on a commercial scale.</p>
<p>Implementing similar efforts in other slums in the developing world will take time. And while Peepoople’s origins and mission are built around improving the quality of life for residents in informal cities, the company faces the same financial realities as any other business.</p>
<p>Supporting the social mission</p>
<p>“The slums are our core and where we have our soul and our heart,” says Ruiz, “but we need to create a revenue base out of other segments. We need to make sure the Peepoople AB, the umbrella under which our social mission operates, can sustain itself.” Natural disasters and large-scale emergencies frequently compromise sanitation infrastructures. There is a market for Peepoos in crisis situations all over the world.</p>
<p>This business model relies on selling directly to NGOs and UN organizations that distribute the Peepoos as needed, with Peepoople providing basic training and implementation support. So far, Peepoople has distributed the product to NGO first responders following recent earthquakes, including in Pakistan, Haiti and New Zealand.</p>
<p>Wherever there are people without access to a water-based sewage system, there is a potential market for the Peepoo toilet. In places where water is only available seasonally, like parts of Australia, the Peepoos can be used in the dry season.</p>
<p>For many, slums like Kibera are easy to ignore. Torrents of “civilized” distractions leave little time to consider ourselves as an interconnected species. Billions of people have no access to basic necessities. Peepoos may not be the ideal answer to the lack of public sanitation, but until a more comprehensive solution presents itself, the disposable toilets offer both a safer and a more environmentally sustainable way to go to the bathroom.</p>
<p>“Most people don’t even think about what it’s like not to have a toilet,” says Ruiz. “In many of the places where we’re working, men can go out in the bushes to defecate whenever they need to. But women and girls, as soon as they reach a certain age, cannot do this.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t until I started working with Peepoople that I started reflecting on why, for example, when I was in the countryside in India did I never see women relieving themselves on the side of the road? Why was it only men? And it’s because many women actually don’t eat or drink throughout the whole day so they can go out in the cover of darkness. They adjust their whole lifestyle so they can go out at night, and they still face the threat of being raped or harassed.</p>
<p>“This is a reality in many parts of the world. Imagine having to adjust your whole life around where and when you do what we all must.”</p>
<p>Like what you’ve read? <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/itt-subscription-offer?refcode=WS_ITT_Article_Footer&amp;noskip=true" type="external">Subscribe to In These Times magazine</a>, or <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/support-in-these-times?refcode=WS_ITT_Article_Footer&amp;noskip=true" type="external">make a tax-deductible donation to fund this reporting</a>.</p>
<p>John Collins is the editor of <a href="" type="internal">Rural America In These Times</a>. He lives between Minneapolis and La Pointe, Wisconsin, a village on Madeline Island in Lake Superior.</p> | A Bathroom of One’s Own | true | http://inthesetimes.com/article/15763/a_bathroom_of_ones_own1/ | 2013-10-30 | 4 |
<p>How about an impromptu Power Line Video Contest for the election home stretch?&#160; No cash prizes this time—just some good conversation here on the site.&#160; I’m inspired by our faithful reader and frequent commenter Steve Litvintchouk, who reminded us about the famous collapse of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_%281940%29" type="external">Tacoma Narrows Bridge</a> in 1940.&#160; Legend has it that one of the engineers who helped design the bridge offered the explanation, “Musta put the decimal point in the wrong place.”</p>
<p>Anyway, watching the video of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge disaster once again inspired the question: is the Obama Administration more like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge—a slow-motion disaster by the harmonic resonance of its terminal bad ideas, or more of complete sudden catastrophe like the Hindenburg? &#160;The Tacoma Narrows Bridge could stand in for the <a href="http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/09/gdp-collapse-puts-u-s-economy-into-recession-red-zone/" type="external">faltering GDP performance</a> of the country. &#160;But the Hindenburg more closely conveys the catastrophe that is Obama’s foreign policy. &#160;Compare and contrast, and then weigh in.&#160; (Or you can go for the World’s Largest Skateboard Disaster, in the third video below; the scene resembles the Obama cabinet riding out of control.)</p>
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<p>Or, we can do this with a second category: which feature disaster movie most begs for an Obama remake?&#160; Is it The Towering Inferno, about the conflagration of Obama’s immense ego and self-regard?&#160; Or perhaps The Poseidon Adventure, where our mighty captain finds the world turned upside down?&#160; Titanic always works—the story of an up and comer named Jack Dawson Barry Obama whose titanic ego runs into the cold hard reality of the world.</p>
<p>Nominations are open in the comments section.&#160; (Extra credit for working out the story line and movie poster for Obama’s remake of Gore’s horror film An Inconvenient Truth.)</p> | The Obama Administration: Complete Disaster, or Total Catastrophe? | true | http://powerlineblog.com/archives/2012/09/the-obama-administration-complete-disaster-or-total-catastrophe.php | 2012-09-27 | 0 |
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<p>It’s similar to the federal law, but the leave provided under federal&#160;law is unpaid.</p>
<p>“It’s really up to the states to drive the reform forward,” said Sen. Jacob Candelaria, a Democrat who is sponsoring Senate Bill 375.</p>
<p>The legislation is backed by the Center on Law and Poverty and other organizations.</p>
<p>Roxanne Rosa, a preschool administrator in Albuquerque, said paid leave for working parents&#160;could&#160;cut down on&#160;sick children showing up at school. And she said a state fund created by the legislation to finance the leave payments would make the&#160;proposal workable for employers.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The compensation fund would be fed by employers and employees, through a supplemental income tax on individuals and businesses. Both groups would get tax deductions.</p>
<p>“I can’t afford to take even a day off,” said Kristin Buchmann,&#160;a single mother from Albuquerque with a 3-year-old son who appeared at a news conference with Candelaria.&#160;She said she took her boy to work with her when he was just two-and-a-half weeks old, because he wasn’t yet old enough for day care</p>
<p>“I needed diapers, and I was broke,” she recalled.</p> | Paid family and medical leave proposed by lawmaker | false | https://abqjournal.com/535411/paid-family-and-medical-leave-proposed-by-lawmaker.html | 2 |
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<p>The latest report from the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors shows sales closed on 142 single-family homes in Rio Rancho during September, compared with 113 in the same month last year.</p>
<p>That contrasted with July and August, which saw increases in closings of more than 50 percent over the same periods in 2012.</p>
<p>The report showed most of the Rio Rancho homes sold last month were in the southern part of the city in the area bordered by Southern and Northern boulevards, Rainbow on the west and the city limits on the east.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Prices for September told a different story. <a href="https://d3el53au0d7w62.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/RW_jd_10oct_Home-SalesBW-copy.jpg" type="external" /></p>
<p>The median price for homes sold last month was $175,000, up 14.8 percent from September 2012 when the median was $152,500.</p>
<p>The median price is the price at which half the homes sold for less and half sold for more.</p>
<p>At midsummer prices were lagging below the 2012 level. In July, the median price was $150,108, nearly 9.6 percent down from the $166,000 median in July a year ago.</p>
<p>August saw a turnaround, with a median price of $175,115, or 12.2 percent higher than the previous August.</p>
<p>Mark Fiedler, a qualifying broker associated with Coldwell Banker Legacy in Rio Rancho doesn’t think the averages tell the real story.</p>
<p>“If you sell lots of little homes in the $150,000 range and a few large homes over $300,000, it will skew the numbers,” Fiedler said. “Prices don’t move that rapidly in the period of a few months, it just doesn’t happen.”</p>
<p>He’s seen list prices rising in Rio Rancho, but selling prices have barely budged and in some cases are still declining.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>There was a rush in home buying early in the summer as interest rates rose, but when rates stopped climbing the pace of sales slackened, he said.</p>
<p>Rio Rancho still has a large inventory of homes for sale – 724 homes on the market in September this year versus 610 the same month a year ago.</p>
<p>“Whenever you have a lot of homes on the market it depresses prices; it’s supply and demand,” Fiedler said.</p>
<p>He’s still seeing a lot of short sales, in which owners sell for less than they owe, and sales of bank-owned properties.</p>
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<p /> | Home sales slip, but still beat last year | false | https://abqjournal.com/284450/home-sales-slip-but-still-beat-last-year.html | 2013-10-19 | 2 |
<p><a href="" type="internal" />News flash: Someone said something stupid on Fox News Channel!</p>
<p>Actually, this time I think it matters more than usual. On the Five (2/19/13), a discussion of rape on college campuses included what you might call a skeptic’s take: Maybe there’s not really any such thing.</p>
<p>BOB BECKEL: When was the last time you heard about a rape on campus?</p>
<p>KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE: What?</p>
<p>ERIC BOLLING: What are you talking about? It’s rampant.</p>
<p>BECKEL: It’s rampant? Where?</p>
<p>BOLLING: Rape on campus?</p>
<p>DANA PERINO: In particular, date rape on campus.</p>
<p>BOLLING: Wow.</p>
<p>BECKEL: Date rape, yes, that’s one thing. Are you going to take a gun out and shoot your date?</p>
<p>GROG GUTFELD: Yes, maybe you should.</p>
<p>GUILFOYLE: If your date is a rapist, you shoot them.</p>
<p>BOLLING:&#160; Can we move on? Let’s move on this.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>You can see the video of this, if you must, <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/tv/fox-liberal-hosts-shocking-question-when-was-the-last-time-you-heard-about-a-rape-on-campus/" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>On the upside, the most important thing to note about this is the fact that most of the panel knows that campus rape is a widespread problem.</p>
<p>So who’s this Beckel guy? One of Fox News‘ “liberals” (Extra!, <a href="" type="internal">3/12</a>).</p>
<p>Beckel issued an apology of a sort the next day:</p>
<p>I want to say one thing, yesterday, a number of people responded to what I said about date rape as if I didn’t think it was a serious issue. Of course, I think it’s a serious issue. It’s a horrible, horrendous issue.</p>
<p>And to simply put this: Rape is rape–whether it’s date rape or somebody coming in off the campus trying to rape somebody else, I very strongly feel that way. So, I just want to straighten the record out on that. I was simply trying to make–there is not a distinction to make. But date rape is rape. By any other definition, rape is rape.</p>
<p>Of course, people probably “responded to what I said about date rape as if I didn’t think it was a serious issue” because of the words he said on television that gave that impression.</p>
<p>But the other thing to know about the “liberal” Beckel is that he says these kinds of things all the time.&#160; He once told viewers that after he went swimming, his eyes <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/bob-beckel-oriental-eyes_n_2664982.html" type="external">looked</a> “Oriental.” He’s made passing references to “Chinamen” and “rednecks.” He <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfD-OIJjC4c" type="external">thought</a> that a speech by Indian-American Republican Bobby Jindal “reminded me of a call center ad in Mumbai.” These are just the ones I could find after spending 10 minutes searching around; presumably there are more.</p>
<p>It’s not always run of the mill bigotry, though. On Fox he said this about WikiLeaks‘ Julian Assange ( <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/07/fox-news-bob-beckel-calls_n_793467.html" type="external">12/7/10</a>):</p>
<p>&#160;A dead man can’t leak stuff…. This guy’s a traitor, he’s treasonous, and he has broken every law of the United States. And I’m not for the death penalty, so…there’s only one way to do it: illegally shoot the son of a bitch.</p>
<p>In most places, a record like this would probably lead your employer to tell you to take your act elsewhere.&#160; But if you’re running a right-wing propaganda network, Bob Beckel’s a pretty valuable “leftist” to keep around.</p> | Fox News ‘Liberal’ Isn’t So Sure About College Rape | true | http://fair.org/blog/2013/02/22/fox-news-liberal-isnt-so-sure-about-college-rape/ | 2013-02-22 | 4 |
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<p>Incorporating local ingredients in facials or herbal wraps can be a unique experience during Balloon Fiesta week, whether you’re playing tourist or host. Who wouldn’t relish a massage, soak, wrap or sauna after waking before dawn, then standing with necks craned upward as hundreds of balloons float overhead?</p>
<p>A robed patron enjoys a quiet moment before her treatment at Betty’s Bath and Day Spa. (Courtesy of Betty’s Bath and Day Spa)</p>
<p>Just envision the aroma and texture of a clay masque using mud gathered in the Jemez Mountains and infused with New Mexico’s world-renowned red chile powder. Imagine essential oils created from desert sage or piñon trees. How about a blue corn body polish?</p>
<p>Albuquerque’s lovely spas can range from a five-hour body work-up at a five-star resort/spa to a communal soak in a hot tub followed by a cold plunge into a round pool that pays homage to the mysterious Blue Hole in Santa Rosa.</p>
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<p>Here are some local favorites, and you’ll find others online or in the yellow pages. Some offer day passes for enjoying time in and out of the tubs; all offer extra therapies that are best reserved as early as possible.</p>
<p>Betty’s Bath and Day Spa</p>
<p>1735 Candelaria NW; 505-341-3456, <a href="http://bettysbath.com" type="external">bettysbath.com</a></p>
<p>“One of my favorite treatments to recommend for visitors to New Mexico is the Blue Corn Body Polish because it incorporates local ingredients and has roots in the Navajo traditions,” says spokeswoman Jen McDermott. “Blue corn is used as a healing food and the treatment incorporates sage for its cleansing and detoxing properties.” ($55 for 30 minutes).</p>
<p>Other popular treatments include an herbal wrap (30 or 45 minutes, $55 or $74) in which participants are wrapped in warm linens soaked with a seasonal herbal mixture. Try the October special, which combines a 30-minute salt glow and 30-minute herbal wrap for $105.</p>
<p>Lots of locals go to Betty’s just to soak. The hot tubs are a treat with communal coed times as well as women’s times, or private tubs. Drop-in soakers are welcome for a $12 fee, but check the times.</p>
<p>Owner Elissa Breitbard has created her own product line in her 13 years of business. Scented oils come in a harmonizing blend of lavender, bergamot, lemon grass, cedar wood and rosemary essential oils and are available in body creams, shampoos, shower gels, lotions and foot creams.</p>
<p>The Spirit Path is a full-body, multisensory experience offered at the Tamaya Mist Spa and Salon, where treatments are designed to honor its Native heritage. (Courtesy of Tamaya Mist Spa and Salon)</p>
<p>The Albuquerque Baths</p>
<p>1218 Broadway NE; 505-243-3721, <a href="http://abqbaths.com" type="external">abqbaths.com</a></p>
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<p>Traveling with friends? This casual, friendly spot may fit the bill.</p>
<p>The three-year-old spa is designed for relaxation in a comfortable communal setting. For the price of a $15 day pass, relax in the pretty courtyard and enjoy a soak in the communal hot tub, or a cleansing sweat in an authentic cedar Finnish sauna, followed by a cool dip in the “Blue Hole” tub.</p>
<p>Robes, lockers, showers and sandals are provided … just bring a swimsuit.</p>
<p>Husband-and-wife owners Michelle Collins and Henry Bruner have created several oils and scrubs used with essential oils.</p>
<p>Therapies are available, but during this busy time of the year, it’s best to call ahead for an appointment. Among the offerings are massages ($75 for an hour), deep tissue massage ($85 for an hour), hot stone massage ($110 for 70 minutes), salt glows and body scrubs with warm aromatic oils ($60 for 30 minutes) and add-ons including scalp massages.</p>
<p>Tamaya Mist Spa and Salon</p>
<p>Visitors can enjoy a soak in the communal hot tub at the Albuquerque Baths, which offers massages, glows and scrubs. (Courtesy of Pop! Studios)</p>
<p>Santa Ana Pueblo near Bernalillo; 505-867-1234, <a href="http://tamaya.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas" type="external">tamaya.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas</a></p>
<p>Named for the soft morning mist over the cottonwoods along the Rio Grande, this spa is linked to the land and the peoples who centuries ago settled this place as Tamaya. Relax, renew and reconnect is the mission of this spa, which honors its Native heritage.</p>
<p>Treatments include “kashe k’atreti, a detoxifying heat treatment that stretches over 5.5 hours ($544). Ancient drumming (90 minutes for $190) is a truly original offering, percussion that sets the tone for intensive treatments. Mud applications utilize mud from New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains, which is then infused with red chile for a highly detoxifying mud masque. Afterward the body is drenched with warm oil and lightly exfoliated using Piñon Resin Scrub.</p>
<p>Other therapies include a lavender dry-brush therapy (90 minutes for $190); while hands and feet are exfoliated with Tamaya’s own blend of blue corn flower, desert sea salt and lavender flower scrub. Custom applications use native plants such as prickly pear, chaparral, watercress (also known as desert seaweed), blue corn flyer Anasazi beans and pumpkin seed.</p>
<p>There are massages and wraps for couples (two hours for $522 per couple), and treatments of reiki, yoga, shiatsu ($130-$180) and other custom packages.</p>
<p>The Tamaya Mist Spa and Salon is one of several in the Albuquerque area connected to luxurious Native American resorts. Another is the Green Reed Spa at Sandia Resort &amp; Casino. The Green Reed can be reached at 505-798-3980.</p>
<p>Ten Thousand Waves</p>
<p>3.5 miles out of Santa Fe on Highway 475 (Hyde Park Road) leading to the ski basin; 505-982-9304, <a href="http://tenthousandwaves.com" type="external">tenthousandwaves.com</a></p>
<p>This spa requires a bit of a drive to Santa Fe, but this granddaddy of luxury spas in New Mexico is celebrating its 32nd year.</p>
<p>This “Japanese-adobe” spa has become a favorite for thousands of visitors over the decades. Dedicated to the Japanese sense of serenity and relaxation, Ten Thousand Waves with its lovely gardens, waterfall, teak tubs and decks is a visual and physical treat.</p>
<p>Overnight lodging is available. Private spa suites are available, but groups of up to six can enjoy the communal tub at $25 per person. Signature treatments include foot treatments, cold plunges, head and neck treatments, salt glows, herbal wraps and moist glows. Prices are all over the map, ranging from $59 for a wrap to hundreds of dollars for customized hours-long sessions.</p>
<p>You will not be able to Google a map to Ten Thousand Waves, so it is strongly recommended that visitors call first for reservations and directions.</p>
<p /> | Take time for enchantment at a spa | false | https://abqjournal.com/276226/take-time-for-enchantment-at-a-spa.html | 2013-10-06 | 2 |
<p>The threat of violence hung over elections in Afghanistan this past weekend. The Taliban had vowed to derail voting with attacks on polling places. But millions turned out and violence was limited.</p>
<p>"It was a great day. All of my friends who were there describe it as a great turnout," says New York Times reporter&#160;Carlotta Gall, who has been covering Afghanistan for the past decade.&#160;</p>
<p>"I was there for five days before the election, and the debate, the excitement, the thought of electing a new leader — they've had President Hamid Karzai for 12 years — was definitely exciting for everybody and has motivated voters."</p>
<p>US President Barack Obama passed on his congratulations to Afghans. He called the vote "another important milestone for Afghanistan."</p>
<p>But Gall says&#160;it wasn't a violence-free election. "You know 16 police and soldiers were killed on election day around the country." And right before the election, she says there was daily violence in Kabul. &#160;"Every single day but one, we had a suicide attack somewhere in the city. And I counted, in eight days, there were 19 suicide bombers who came into the city to do attacks. One was caught."</p>
<p>In spite of "a&#160;really nasty campaign of violence and intimidation from the insurgents," she says "...&#160;it was great to see that people could go out and vote and were not so scared that they stayed at home. And even the women coming out was a very good sign."</p>
<p>Gall says the Taliban attempts to disrupt the election were more effective outside the cities, in "the outer regions, in the provinces where the people were too scared to vote, where a lot of the more remote polling stations just couldn't open because of the Taliban threats and intimidation."</p>
<p>Gall says that officials in Washington, DC don't really get that. She worries that they are still debating the level of Pakistani cooperation with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, though she says there is clear evidence the Pakistanis "were hiding Bin Laden, in fact, and using him for their own policy ... because it’s very clear when you've been reporting on the ground for so long that this is the case."</p>
<p>She says US troops ended up fighting the Taliban in Afghan villages, which weren't where the source of the problem lay. "The source of the problem was across the border in Pakistan. I'm not saying invade Pakistan, but I'm saying there should be a much, much smarter policies not only in America, but in the western world and NATO to deal with this."</p>
<p>"Pakistan is still aiding and abetting militant groups whose ambitions go far beyond Afghanistan — some of them have already gone to Syria and some of them are branching into China. ... For the survival of Afghanistan but perhaps for all of us, we need to tackle that much more intelligently."</p>
<p>All three presidential frontrunners in the Afghan elections this weekend, she says, support signing an agreement to keep US troops in Afghanistan. Gall argues the only real way to ensure stability in Afghanistan is to have peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan.</p> | The Afghan election is a great start, but Pakistan continues to destabilize the country | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-04-07/afghan-election-great-start-pakistan-continues-destabilize-country | 2014-04-07 | 3 |
<p>Editor's note: This is Chatter, our morning rundown of what you need and want to know around the world. Fortunately for us all, you can have Chatter emailed to you every day. <a href="http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001QCEETLfRg3ZmaSszpgT-bEcdpNDoVRtL8zqlmZpTUFtndYp0H-XaGDpWzR72ell1BYLHqrTpzjo-iQQDVxDmtzyvzwhDjmiBjVOXR0m6XbBnb8YBq7ZBgN5WR6DaW7LgSVHi8BeWopt2_xuAXFZDAc0JchnKBkvv" type="external">Just sign up here!</a></p>
<p>NEED TO KNOW:</p>
<p>On the tiny touristed island of Malta, off the coast of Italy, strangers mourned for the deaths of unnamed migrants, killed when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean. Funerals for 24 people were held on the island, a tiny fraction of the many hundreds who have died in recent weeks.</p>
<p>Their plain, numbered coffins were carried through the streets by members of Malta's security forces. Migrants who had come before them stood watching the procession, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32425605" type="external">many of them crying</a>. Like the nearly 900 people who died in Sunday's disaster, those watching the funeral were once themselves fleeing war or poverty or oppression.</p>
<p>More people fleeing for Europe across the Mediterranean have died this year than in recent memory, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6524967/2015/04/22/what-human-cost-change-policy-migrant-rescue-1694-lives" type="external">writes</a> GlobalPost Senior Correspondent <a href="https://twitter.com/lauracdean" type="external">Laura Dean</a>, who is based in Cairo. About 1,750 have drowned so far in 2015. That is <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6524967/2015/04/22/what-human-cost-change-policy-migrant-rescue-1694-lives" type="external">30 times more</a> than the 56 migrants who died during the same period last year. These kinds of statistics make one want to ask why.</p>
<p>Here is one reason: Italy reduced the number of rescue boats it tasks with patrolling international waters. Domestic opposition and the expense — 9 million euros a month — were cited as reasons. The EU took over, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6524967/2015/04/22/what-human-cost-change-policy-migrant-rescue-1694-lives" type="external">and things only got worse</a>. The EU program is hyper-focused not on the noble humanitarian effort of saving lives, but on border security. It doesn't even have its own ships and surveillance equipment.</p>
<p>The result, according to the International Organization for Migration, is going to be a <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/mediterranean-migrant-death-toll-30-times-higher-last-095526064.html" type="external">10-fold increase</a> this year in the number of people dying, even as the number of people actually fleeing decreases.</p>
<p>WANT TO KNOW:</p>
<p>There are <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6525785/2015/04/23/there-are-more-modern-day-slaves-india-anywhere-else-earth" type="external">more modern-day slaves</a> living right now in India than anywhere else on Earth. And many of them are women and children being forced into the sex trade. The stories are devastating and there are thousands of them.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6525785/2015/04/23/there-are-more-modern-day-slaves-india-anywhere-else-earth" type="external">Mala's story is a common one</a>: She fell for a man who convinced her to move away from her home so they could be together and be free.</p>
<p>“We left in the dead of the night, I had packed some clothes, but that was it. One of his friends was waiting a little outside the village in a van. We got in and drove for maybe five hours before we stopped. I did not know the name of the place, but I thought we would leave after a short break.”</p>
<p>Mala soon realized she’d been duped. “I saw a lady giving a big bunch of money to Rohit. He told me he was going out for half an hour, and after that I did not see him again.”</p>
<p>She was placed in a brothel and forced to service men in exchange for food. If she refused she was beaten. <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6525785/2015/04/23/there-are-more-modern-day-slaves-india-anywhere-else-earth" type="external">This is the world in which we live</a>.</p>
<p>STRANGE BUT TRUE:</p>
<p>The queen of England,&#160;Elizabeth II,&#160;turned 89 earlier this week. Her family tends to live long. Her mother lived to be 101. The queen's son, Prince Charles, has waited longer than anyone in his position to become king. But in anticipation of the inevitable, the queen has already begun to transfer some responsibilities to Prince Charles in what is being called a “gentle succession.”</p>
<p>The British royal family are&#160;not the only ones preparing for the queen's eventual death. The British media has been <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6524964/2015/04/22/uk-queen-death-rehearsal" type="external">gearing up for it</a> for years. At least once a year but sometimes more than once a year, many UK media outlets rehearse the queen's death. In fact, they rehearse the timely or untimely demise of all the royal family members.</p>
<p>At one late and punchy rehearsal, <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6524964/2015/04/22/uk-queen-death-rehearsal" type="external">writes</a> GlobalPost Senior Correspondent <a href="https://twitter.com/corinnepurtill" type="external">Corinne Purtill</a>, staffers <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/article/6524964/2015/04/22/uk-queen-death-rehearsal" type="external">imagined a scenario</a> in which the queen’s husband Prince Philip was accidentally shot dead by his son Edward while hunting.</p>
<p>“After decades of practice, nothing about the media’s coverage of an historic funeral will be left to chance,” Purtill writes.</p> | Strangers mourn the deaths of the anonymous in Malta | false | https://pri.org/stories/strangers-mourn-deaths-anonymous-malta | 3 |
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<p>CALIFORNIANapa Valley RegisterBy DAVID RYANRegister Staff WriterA Napa priest is caught up in one of a flurry of lawsuits filed against the Catholic Church as the year winds down, facing allegations that he sexually abused a Southern California girl during the 1960s.The girl, now a 44-year-old private school teacher in Pasadena, is one of 17 alleged victims of child abuse by various clerics of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles claims Monsignor Joseph Alzugaray, now head of St. Apollinaris Catholic Church in Napa, and 26 other priests used their positions in the church hierarchy to create an environment that protected child molesters.Erin Brady said Alzugaray molested her during a three-year period starting in 1967, when she was 8 years old. While Brady is one of several people who filed the suit in Romo v. Doe, is the only one to make a claim against Alzugaray.Alzugaray referred comment to his Los Angeles-based lawyer, Neil Papiano, who did not return phone calls. Other members of St. Apollinaris Church did not respond to requests for comment.Officials with the diocese of Santa Rosa, which oversees St. Apollinaris Church, did not return calls for comment, nor did officials with the Los Angeles Archdiocese.</p> | Pasadena woman alleges St. Apollinaris monsignor of molestation nearly 40 years ago | false | https://poynter.org/news/pasadena-woman-alleges-st-apollinaris-monsignor-molestation-nearly-40-years-ago | 2003-12-27 | 2 |
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<p>Volkswagen Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said he is not ruling out talks with Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne about a possible merger.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>"I am not ruling out a conversation," Mueller told reporters on Tuesday after the carmaker's annual earnings press conference in Wolfsburg.</p>
<p>Marchionne has long advocated car industry mergers to share the costs of making cleaner and more technologically advanced vehicles and has repeatedly relayed his desire via the media.</p>
<p>"It would be very helpful if Mr Marchionne were to communicate his considerations to me too and not just to you," Mueller said.</p>
<p>"I am pretty confident about the future of Volkswagen, with or without Marchionne."</p>
<p>Only last week, Mueller appeared to dismiss the prospect of talks with Fiat Chrysler.</p>
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<p>"We are not ready for talks about anything," he told Reuters on the fringes of the Geneva auto show. "I haven't seen Marchionne for months," he said at the time.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Andreas Cremer; Editing by Edward Taylor)</p> | VW CEO says not ruling out merger talks with Fiat Chrysler boss | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/03/14/vw-ceo-says-not-ruling-out-merger-talks-with-fiat-chrysler-boss.html | 2017-03-17 | 0 |
<p>CONWAY, Ark. (AP) — Jordan Howard scored a career-best 41 points with eight rebounds to lead Central Arkansas to a 92-76 win over Incarnate Word on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Howard was 11 of 22 from the field and 15 of 17 from the line. Hayden Koval added 15 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots for the Bears (9-9, 3-2 Southland Conference). Thatch Unruh chipped in 11 points.</p>
<p>Central Arkansas jumped to an early lead and a 20-7 run midway stretched it to 31-16 with 8:28 in the half. Howard and Aaron Weidenaar drained back-to-back 3-pointers to lift the Bears to a 53-30 advantage at intermission.</p>
<p>Incarnate Word opened the second half on a 25-9 surge, closing to 62-55 before Howard and Weidenaar and Deandre Jones combined for 15 points in three minutes to stretch it to 79-64 with 7:55 left.</p>
<p>Charles Brown III and Christian Peevy scored 24 points apiece for the Cardinals (5-9, 0-4) who are on a six-game skid.</p>
<p>CONWAY, Ark. (AP) — Jordan Howard scored a career-best 41 points with eight rebounds to lead Central Arkansas to a 92-76 win over Incarnate Word on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>Howard was 11 of 22 from the field and 15 of 17 from the line. Hayden Koval added 15 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots for the Bears (9-9, 3-2 Southland Conference). Thatch Unruh chipped in 11 points.</p>
<p>Central Arkansas jumped to an early lead and a 20-7 run midway stretched it to 31-16 with 8:28 in the half. Howard and Aaron Weidenaar drained back-to-back 3-pointers to lift the Bears to a 53-30 advantage at intermission.</p>
<p>Incarnate Word opened the second half on a 25-9 surge, closing to 62-55 before Howard and Weidenaar and Deandre Jones combined for 15 points in three minutes to stretch it to 79-64 with 7:55 left.</p>
<p>Charles Brown III and Christian Peevy scored 24 points apiece for the Cardinals (5-9, 0-4) who are on a six-game skid.</p> | Howard leads Cent. Arkansas to 92-76 win over Incarnate Word | false | https://apnews.com/841726fb66984b72a7ab8b4d442ce365 | 2018-01-11 | 2 |
<p>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Health officials say a 5-year-old child in Nebraska has died from influenza as an outbreak of the respiratory viral illness blankets the country.</p>
<p>In a news release received Wednesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the death, saying the child was from central Nebraska. It marks the state's first pediatric death from the flu this season.</p>
<p>Since October, 22 people have died from the flu in Nebraska.</p>
<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that 30 children have died nationwide from flu this season.</p>
<p>The department recommends flu shots for people 6 months and older.</p>
<p>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Health officials say a 5-year-old child in Nebraska has died from influenza as an outbreak of the respiratory viral illness blankets the country.</p>
<p>In a news release received Wednesday, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the death, saying the child was from central Nebraska. It marks the state's first pediatric death from the flu this season.</p>
<p>Since October, 22 people have died from the flu in Nebraska.</p>
<p>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that 30 children have died nationwide from flu this season.</p>
<p>The department recommends flu shots for people 6 months and older.</p> | Nebraska's first pediatric flu death this season confirmed | false | https://apnews.com/amp/0d500cc7f36f4f3aa0c06d97880209d2 | 2018-01-24 | 2 |
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<p>These are among the items the AMC hit television series “Breaking Bad,” a show about the methamphetamine wars in Albuquerque, donated to a city shelter in an effort to help the homeless — and give fans a chance to own some TV history memorabilia.</p>
<p>New Mexico’s largest emergency shelter said the surprise gift came last week when show dropped off boxes of clothing worn by cast members from past episodes.</p>
<p>“We got a call from someone from “Breaking Bad” saying, hey, ‘we’re dropping off some clothes,'” said Joy Junction CEO Jeremy Reynalds. “Then, here they were.”</p>
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<p>The donated men’s and women’s clothing will be sold at the shelter’s thrift store beginning Wednesday, with proceeds will going toward the Albuquerque-based shelter.</p>
<p>Reynalds said he hasn’t had time to comb through all the boxes to see what was available. But he did find a burgundy-colored robe worn by Bryan Cranston. Also in the boxes were a number of baby clothes worn by the baby of the show, Holly White.</p>
<p>But he didn’t know if the boxes contained any hoodies worn by Aaron Paul or flashy shirts worn by the quietly deadly assassin brothers, Luis and Daniel Moncada.</p>
<p>“Fans love the show, so it’s just great that we can give some of them a lasting memory and while so doing help Joy Junction as well,” he said.</p>
<p>The thrift store will be open seven days a week at the shelter but will not be selling clothing online. However, Reynalds said the shelter may put clothes up on online auctions if they don’t sell at the thrift store.</p>
<p>“Breaking Bad” follows chemistry teacher Walter White, played by Cranston, producing and selling methamphetamine with a former student, Jesse Pinkman, played by Paul. The series is made in Albuquerque and is currently shooting its final season.</p>
<p>Joy Junction currently is raising money for a new chapel, dormitory and women’s center.</p>
<p>The thrift store in Albuquerque’s South Valley isn’t the only place fans of the show can purchase clothing from the popular show. The Candy Lady store in Albuquerque’s Old Town sells replicas of the “Heisenberg” hat, the black pork pie hat worn by Cranston’s character when he’s conducting drug business under his alias Heisenberg. The candy store also sells “Breaking Bad” T-shirts and blue meth rock candy.</p>
<p>“All this ‘Breaking Bad’ is selling like crazy,” said owner Debbie Ball, who sells item online. “The show has really grabbed fans who want anything related to it.”</p>
<p>The Albuquerque Convention &amp; Visitors Bureau recently even created a website of the show’s most popular places around town to help tourists navigate, and ABQ Trolley Company sold out all its “BaD” tours last year at $60 a ticket.</p>
<p>Ball also offers tours of famous Albuquerque scenes from the show in a limousine with a tour guide dressed as the character Walter White.</p> | ‘Breaking Bad’ gives clothes to homeless | false | https://abqjournal.com/172721/breaking-bad-donates-clothes-to-homeless.html | 2013-02-26 | 2 |
<p>One year ago today,&#160;Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 disappeared over the Indian Ocean. The plane travelling&#160;from&#160;Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has still never been found, but the search&#160;— even for any bits of its wreckage — is&#160;still ongoing.</p>
<p>The search is focused on a swath&#160;of the Indian Ocean&#160;that's roughly twice the size of Maryland, but the Australians leading the effort have only covered about 40 percent of that area. And even that much is quite a feat&#160;according to journalist Clive Irving, who has been reporting on the mystery of Flight 370&#160;for The Daily Beast.&#160;</p>
<p>“This territory underwater is spectacularly awful," Irving says. "It’s like an underwater Alps; it has mountains, volcanoes, deep trenches. Nonetheless,&#160;the Australians are very confident that they have the right equipment to deal with it."</p>
<p>One of the biggest mysteries of the search&#160;is the complete absence of any wreckage. Up to this point, no debris has surfaced.&#160;“This&#160;is like a murder case without a body,&#160;and unless you get the body,&#160;everything is supposition and guesswork,” Irving says.</p>
<p>Conspiracy <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/02/jeff-wise-mh370-theory.html" type="external">theories about the plane abound</a>.&#160;Irving divides the viable theories into two camps:&#160;some kind of foul play or&#160;human intervention, or a&#160;mechanical failure.&#160;Irving&#160;himself subscribes to the latter theory.</p>
<p>“There was no ransom message from hijackers,"&#160;he points out.&#160;"And in order to abduct a plane of that size, [you]&#160;would need a great deal of inside expertise of how the plane works."</p>
<p>But both sides&#160;can at least&#160;agree on one point:&#160;“The last six hours of the flight, the plane was flown via autopilot until it ran out of gas and spiralled down into the water,”&#160;Irving says.</p>
<p>Irving believes that MH370 became what’s known as a “zombie flight.”&#160;</p>
<p>“The meaning of a zombie flight is there’s no communication from the plane, from anyone flying the plane. It assumes control of itself like a sort of robot control," he explains. "Whatever the theory of what got it into that position in the first place, no one argues that it didn’t fly itself for those six hours. So this means we have to re-engineer this timeline and go back to when did this zombie flight begin? What happened to the passengers and the crew during that time?”</p>
<p>Irving hasn’t given up hope that evidence will surface about what happened to Flight&#160;370. The search continues and investigators are still&#160;mapping&#160;out this treacherous part of the Indian Ocean.</p>
<p>“[Investigators] have proven that they can find very small objects down there," Irving says. "So far they’ve found shipping containers, which have obviously fallen off of ships, and if you can find something the size of a shipping container sitting in the ocean floor in that place, than you’re going to find something the size of a piece of an airplane down there."</p> | One year later, the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is still just that | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-03-06/one-year-later-mystery-malaysia-airlines-flight-370-still-just | 2015-03-06 | 3 |
<p>UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations on Wednesday declared its highest-level humanitarian emergency in conflict-torn Yemen, where over 80 percent of the population need assistance. U.N. officials have said the Arab world's most impoverished country is now a step away from famine.</p>
<p>Humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien convened a meeting of U.N. agencies early Wednesday, and all agreed to declare a "Level 3" humanitarian emergency in Yemen for six months.</p>
<p>The United Nations now faces four top-level humanitarian emergencies. It is already trying to respond to "Level 3" emergencies in three other conflict-wracked countries: Iraq, Syria and South Sudan. The U.N. humanitarian office says the declaration of a top-level emergency mobilizes U.N.-wide staffing and funding to scale up aid delivery.</p>
<p>Last week, the U.N. envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said the country is "one step" from famine. He urged all parties to the conflict to agree to a humanitarian pause during the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan to allow desperately needed aid to be delivered.</p>
<p>An attempt last month at U.N.-led talks among Yemeni parties in Geneva failed to reach an agreement.</p>
<p>The fighting in Yemen pits Houthi Shiite rebels and allied troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against Sunni Islamic militants, southern separatists, local and tribal militias and loyalists of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The rebels seized the capital in September and swept south, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>A Saudi-led and U.S.-backed coalition began launching airstrikes against the rebels on March 26, and a near-blockade of Yemen's ports has made it very difficult to deliver humanitarian aid.</p>
<p>According to the World Health Organization's latest figures, 3,083 people have died as a result of the current conflict and 14,324 people have been injured, Haq said.</p>
<p>Haq said over 21.1 million people in Yemen today need aid, nearly 13 million face "a food security crisis" and 9.4 million have little or no access to water, raising the risk of water-borne diseases including cholera.</p>
<p>He said 11.7 million people have been targeted for assistance under a revised U.N. humanitarian response plan.</p>
<p>UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations on Wednesday declared its highest-level humanitarian emergency in conflict-torn Yemen, where over 80 percent of the population need assistance. U.N. officials have said the Arab world's most impoverished country is now a step away from famine.</p>
<p>Humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien convened a meeting of U.N. agencies early Wednesday, and all agreed to declare a "Level 3" humanitarian emergency in Yemen for six months.</p>
<p>The United Nations now faces four top-level humanitarian emergencies. It is already trying to respond to "Level 3" emergencies in three other conflict-wracked countries: Iraq, Syria and South Sudan. The U.N. humanitarian office says the declaration of a top-level emergency mobilizes U.N.-wide staffing and funding to scale up aid delivery.</p>
<p>Last week, the U.N. envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, said the country is "one step" from famine. He urged all parties to the conflict to agree to a humanitarian pause during the current Muslim holy month of Ramadan to allow desperately needed aid to be delivered.</p>
<p>An attempt last month at U.N.-led talks among Yemeni parties in Geneva failed to reach an agreement.</p>
<p>The fighting in Yemen pits Houthi Shiite rebels and allied troops loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh against Sunni Islamic militants, southern separatists, local and tribal militias and loyalists of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. The rebels seized the capital in September and swept south, forcing Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>A Saudi-led and U.S.-backed coalition began launching airstrikes against the rebels on March 26, and a near-blockade of Yemen's ports has made it very difficult to deliver humanitarian aid.</p>
<p>According to the World Health Organization's latest figures, 3,083 people have died as a result of the current conflict and 14,324 people have been injured, Haq said.</p>
<p>Haq said over 21.1 million people in Yemen today need aid, nearly 13 million face "a food security crisis" and 9.4 million have little or no access to water, raising the risk of water-borne diseases including cholera.</p>
<p>He said 11.7 million people have been targeted for assistance under a revised U.N. humanitarian response plan.</p> | UN declares highest-level humanitarian emergency in Yemen | false | https://apnews.com/amp/62c575fa32774dd5b705f9ae1ac0977a | 2015-07-01 | 2 |
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<p>As the first woman nominated as president by a major political party, Clinton said she intended to form a Cabinet that reflected the country’s gender balance. Women were in the running for chief of staff and secretaries of treasury and defense, posts that previously only had been held by men. Her West Wing and executive branch agencies would have been staffed with women who’ve spent decades working their way up the Democratic Party’s power structure.</p>
<p>“Her election would have been a next step for a lot of women to move up in their careers and contribute to the federal government,” said Marianne Cooper, a sociologist at Stanford University’s Clayman Institute of Gender Research. “That would have normalized women in top political roles and shown what their leadership in Washington looks like.”</p>
<p>The moment is now lost for crowding the government pipeline with a new generation of women, many of whom likely would have moved on to leadership in the corporate world or in elected office themselves.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>There will be women in high-level positions and throughout President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, but the list of contenders is shorter than Clinton’s — women made up just 21 percent of the staff and advisers on various lists of transition team members.</p>
<p>Among those contending for Trump administration jobs are campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, former World Wrestling Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Linda McMahon, who is said to be under consideration for commerce secretary, and Michigan Republican Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel, who the Detroit News reported was under consideration to lead the Republican National Committee. Trump’s older daughter, Ivanka, is one of his closest advisers.</p>
<p>While Trump has not made any specific promises about the gender or ethnic diversity of his staffing choices, his spokeswoman said he has a record of promoting women.</p>
<p>“President-elect Trump has a long history of empowering and employing women at the highest levels of his company and obviously we saw this during the campaign as well,” Hope Hicks said. “This will continue in his administration.”</p>
<p>Deborah Gillis, president and chief executive officer of Catalyst, the New York-based research and advocacy group for executive women, said Trump should make a commitment.</p>
<p>“My advice to President-elect Trump is the same advice I give to CEOs of any company,” she said. “Your team and decisions will be sounder if there is diverse talent around the table. To serve the market, you must reflect the market, and the same principle holds for government and reflecting all citizens.”</p>
<p>As secretary of state, U.S. senator from New York and as first lady, Clinton had for years been pulling along other women, both by example and by giving some the experience necessary to ascend. The leaders of three major left-leaning think tanks — the Center for American Progress, the Urban Institute and the New America Foundation — had all worked for Clinton, as did New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.</p>
<p>“She let a thousand flowers bloom,” said Ann O’Leary, who was co-executive director of Clinton’s transition team.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Federal Reserve board member Lael Brainard and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg were seen as leading contenders to serve as Clinton’s treasury secretary, while Michele Flournoy, a former under secretary of defense for policy, was considered a likely choice to lead the Pentagon. Key aides including Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills, Minyon Moore and Jennifer Palmieri would have gotten plum West Wing jobs, and the armies of millennial women who spent the last two years working at campaign headquarters in Brooklyn would have staffed their offices.</p>
<p>“A lot more ceilings would have been broken with her presidency both because of her inspiration and because her actually hiring a diverse Cabinet and a diverse senior staff,” O’Leary said.</p>
<p>The difference wouldn’t have just been a function of presidential preference or partisanship — exit polls show 54 percent of women voting for Clinton and 42 percent voting for Trump — but of intentions. Clinton had made it an expressed goal to bring women of all races and ages along with her in a way that the 44 men who previously held the presidency never did.</p>
<p>Obama, the nation’s first black president, made diversifying his administration a major goal. Yet, over the course of two terms the gender balance at the top of the executive branch organization chart barely changed: Of the 23 officials with Cabinet rank, seven are women. Obama, in his second term, replaced Clinton as secretary of state with John Kerry. Women make up about half of the White House staff, though men predominate at the highest ranks, according to a list submitted in an annual report to Congress.</p>
<p>“Women who supported Hillary Clinton were very excited about the prospect for women’s leadership overall and thought there’d be a great number of women working with and for her,” said Megan Beyer, who was appointed by Obama as executive director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.</p>
<p>“But that’s not the case now,” she said, adding that come January she’ll be looking for a new job.</p>
<p>In management ranks in politics and business, women typically need to hold about 30 percent of positions to exert influence and break the old boys’ network, said Gwen Young, director of the Women and Public Service Project at Washington’s Wilson Center, which aims for 50 percent representation of women in political and policy leadership roles around the world.</p>
<p>“Once you get that 30 percent or more, it forces political parties to bring in more women candidates and staff members so that changes other branches of government, and you also get a broader group of women with different experiences, some from business, some from politics or academia, and that diversity typically means more creative solutions,” Young said. “Clinton would have brought in new people around the table and not only women but people of different ages, millennials as well as older boomers.”</p>
<p>The impact goes beyond politics. Historically some of those who’ve held high-level government posts migrate later to top positions in the corporate world. Women currently hold about 19 percent of board seats at S&amp;P 500 Index companies — up from 8 percent in 1997 — and just 4 percent of chief executive spots at those companies. In Congress, women hold about 20 percent of seats in the House and Senate in the next session.</p>
<p>Cooper, who was lead researcher on Sandberg’s book on women in leadership, “Lean In,” said Clinton’s run for the presidency, though unsuccessful, may serve as a motivator for the next generation of female leaders.</p>
<p>“Everyone has their first major political memory that influenced them and this election is likely to be that for girls,” she said.</p>
<p>——</p> | Clinton’s defeat means lost chances for many women on the rise | false | https://abqjournal.com/889484/clintons-defeat-means-lost-chances-for-many-women-on-the-rise.html | 2 |
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<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin Hawkins, the gospel star best known for the crossover hit “Oh Happy Day” and as a major force for contemporary inspirational music, died Monday at age 74.</p>
<p>Hawkins died at his home in Pleasanton, California. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer, publicist Bill Carpenter told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Along with Andrae Crouch, James Cleveland and a handful of others, Hawkins was credited as a founder of modern gospel music. Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke and numerous other singers had become mainstream stars by adapting gospel sounds to pop lyrics. Hawkins stood out for enjoying commercial success while still performing music that openly celebrated religious faith.</p>
<p>An Oakland native and one of eight siblings, Hawkins was a composer, keyboardist, arranger and choir master. He had been performing with his family and in church groups since childhood and in his 20s helped form the Northern California State Youth Choir.</p>
<p>Their first album, “Let Us Go into the House of the Lord,” came out in 1968 and was intended for local audiences. But radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area began playing one of the album’s eight tracks, “Oh Happy Day,” an 18th century hymn arranged by Hawkins in call-and-response style.</p>
<p>“Oh Happy Day,” featuring the vocals of Dorothy Combs Morrison, was released as a single credited to the Edwin Hawkins Singers and became a million-seller in 1969, showing there was a large market for gospel songs and for inspirational music during the turbulent era of the late 1960s.</p>
<p>“I think our music was probably a blend and a crossover of everything that I was hearing during that time,” Hawkins told blackmusic.com in 2015. “We grew up hearing all kinds of music in our home. My mother, who was a devout Christian, loved the Lord and displayed that in her lifestyle.</p>
<p>“My father was not a committed Christian at that time but was what you’d call a good man,” he said. “And, of course, we heard from him some R&amp;B music but also a lot of country and western when we were younger kids.”</p>
<p>In 1970, the Hawkins singers backed Melanie on her top 10 hit “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” and won a Grammy for best soul gospel performance for “Oh Happy Day.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, George Harrison would cite “Oh Happy Day” as inspiration for his hit “My Sweet Lord,” and Glen Campbell reached the adult contemporary charts with his own version of the Hawkins performance. Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis and numerous others also would record it.</p>
<p>Hawkins went on to make dozens of records and won four Grammys in all, including for the songs “Every Man Wants to Be Free” and “Wonderful!” In 2007, he was voted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. He also toured on occasion with younger brother Walter Hawkins, a Grammy winner who died in 2010.</p>
<p>Edwin Hawkins is survived by his siblings Carol, Feddie, Daniel and Lynette.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Edwin Hawkins, the gospel star best known for the crossover hit “Oh Happy Day” and as a major force for contemporary inspirational music, died Monday at age 74.</p>
<p>Hawkins died at his home in Pleasanton, California. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer, publicist Bill Carpenter told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Along with Andrae Crouch, James Cleveland and a handful of others, Hawkins was credited as a founder of modern gospel music. Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke and numerous other singers had become mainstream stars by adapting gospel sounds to pop lyrics. Hawkins stood out for enjoying commercial success while still performing music that openly celebrated religious faith.</p>
<p>An Oakland native and one of eight siblings, Hawkins was a composer, keyboardist, arranger and choir master. He had been performing with his family and in church groups since childhood and in his 20s helped form the Northern California State Youth Choir.</p>
<p>Their first album, “Let Us Go into the House of the Lord,” came out in 1968 and was intended for local audiences. But radio stations in the San Francisco Bay Area began playing one of the album’s eight tracks, “Oh Happy Day,” an 18th century hymn arranged by Hawkins in call-and-response style.</p>
<p>“Oh Happy Day,” featuring the vocals of Dorothy Combs Morrison, was released as a single credited to the Edwin Hawkins Singers and became a million-seller in 1969, showing there was a large market for gospel songs and for inspirational music during the turbulent era of the late 1960s.</p>
<p>“I think our music was probably a blend and a crossover of everything that I was hearing during that time,” Hawkins told blackmusic.com in 2015. “We grew up hearing all kinds of music in our home. My mother, who was a devout Christian, loved the Lord and displayed that in her lifestyle.</p>
<p>“My father was not a committed Christian at that time but was what you’d call a good man,” he said. “And, of course, we heard from him some R&amp;B music but also a lot of country and western when we were younger kids.”</p>
<p>In 1970, the Hawkins singers backed Melanie on her top 10 hit “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” and won a Grammy for best soul gospel performance for “Oh Happy Day.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, George Harrison would cite “Oh Happy Day” as inspiration for his hit “My Sweet Lord,” and Glen Campbell reached the adult contemporary charts with his own version of the Hawkins performance. Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis and numerous others also would record it.</p>
<p>Hawkins went on to make dozens of records and won four Grammys in all, including for the songs “Every Man Wants to Be Free” and “Wonderful!” In 2007, he was voted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame. He also toured on occasion with younger brother Walter Hawkins, a Grammy winner who died in 2010.</p>
<p>Edwin Hawkins is survived by his siblings Carol, Feddie, Daniel and Lynette.</p> | Gospel star Edwin Hawkins, known for ‘Oh Happy Day,’ dies | false | https://apnews.com/c21a210b3411497994d2f0bc4c9e72cb | 2018-01-15 | 2 |
<p>OK. I admit it.</p>
<p>I tuned in live on a Saturday night to see a 17-year-old kid announce where he was going to college.</p>
<p>Or, given my allegiance to a lighter shade of blue, where he was not going.</p>
<p>Six-foot-seven, 272-pound Zion Williamson is not going to the University of North Carolina.</p>
<p>(This is the age we live in; teenagers get prime-time specials on ESPN.)</p>
<p>Making matters worse, he’s going to Duke, which makes this a double indignity if you’re a Tar Heel fan.</p>
<p>All the very top college basketball recruits seem to go to Duke these days.</p>
<p>In this case, Duke will have possibly the most heralded freshman class ever.</p>
<p>Until it tops itself the next year.</p>
<p>(Even Kentucky is becoming envious.)</p>
<p>Don’t these recruits know a gritty North Carolina team won the national championship in 2017, not Duke?</p>
<p>Don’t they know that the heralded pretty boys from a similarly ballyhooed recruiting class for Coach K. got their feelings hurt in the NCAA tournament last spring by, ahem, South Carolina (as in not even the real Carolina)?</p>
<p>I say all of this to say I’m a sore loser … especially to Duke.</p>
<p>And I’m a hypocrite.</p>
<p>If he is as good as advertised, Williamson and most of his classmates on the team will spend one season at Duke.</p>
<p>There are no pretenses that any of them are there for a gold-plated Duke education.</p>
<p>There are there only to develop their skills and bide their time until they’re eligible for the NBA.</p>
<p>That removes most incentives to go to class in the spring semester.</p>
<p>Why would you?</p>
<p>What’s the point when you’re about to leave anyway?</p>
<p>(I'm told that players who leave early and are not in good academic standing when they do count against a school's APR&#160;— or Academic Progress Rate&#160;— which rates NCAA institutions on academic performance). But what does it matter if a player intends to go pro after only two semesters anyway?)&#160;</p>
<p>And everybody knows that … the faculty, the administration, the coaches, the students.</p>
<p>It’s a sham.</p>
<p>The one-and-done phenomenon in college basketball is bad for everyone: the players, the fans, the NCAA, even the NBA.</p>
<p>I hope one-and-done ends sooner rather than later.</p>
<p>For many schools it's a rent-a-player scheme.</p>
<p>It robs teams of continuity and growth.</p>
<p>It’s a revolving door of names and faces.</p>
<p>It allows star players only a fleeting, casual acquaintance with their schools and fans. (Some come and go so fast it's hard to remember they were ever there.)</p>
<p>It turns out young players to the NBA who are sometimes still unprepared for the rigors of the pro game, on and off the court.</p>
<p>It pressures coaches to recruit 24/7 in an anticipation of major turnover year in and out.</p>
<p>But most significantly it blatantly implodes the myth of academic integrity.</p>
<p>What ought to happen instead?</p>
<p>If players are good enough to go to the NBA immediately after high school, they should be allowed to go.</p>
<p>If they want a degree and the campus experience, they should play college ball.</p>
<p>But only because they want to be there, not because some NBA rules force them to play in college for at least a year.</p>
<p>I’d also pay them a fairer wage for the millions of dollars in revenue they bring to colleges and universities and already-wealthy coaches.</p>
<p>That would be doing the right thing.</p>
<p>And the honest thing.</p>
<p>Yes, college basketball would be different.</p>
<p>But good players still would enroll.</p>
<p>The overall quality of the games would improve.</p>
<p>And classes wouldn’t be such a wink-wink proposition.</p>
<p>Would I be as preachy and sanctimonious about all this if a certain 17-year-old man-child who can dunk and rebound really well had said Saturday night that he was going to Chapel Hill?</p>
<p>To be honest, probably not.</p>
<p>But I still believe it.</p>
<p>This isn’t good for college basketball and it’s not good for colleges period.</p>
<p>Neither Carolina (the real one) nor Duke.</p>
<p>If an athlete like Zion Williamson is only there to play ball for (part) of a year, drop the charade and pay him.</p> | Allen Johnson: Sour grapes on Zion's choice? You bet. But this one-and-done stuff is still getting out of hand | false | http://greensboro.com/blogs/thinking_out_loud/allen-johnson-sour-grapes-on-zion-s-choice-you-bet/article_1aff821e-8fe4-5323-9747-24bd5935fad1.html | 2018-01-25 | 3 |
<p>Today, recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights, is a day to share a story I was able to document in Syria this past month. It is a difficult story, one many Americans would like to deny, and unable to do that, many will simply chose to turn their backs. There is ample opportunity for this. One could point at the outgoing administration, brand them as criminals, say their actions are a thing of the past, and leave it at that. Others could point to the new administration only weeks away, thinking our problems are solved, that change is on the way. But this also would be a mistake. Our complicity in these matters runs deeper then these simplistic deflections of responsibility. If we are to address the fundamental, systemic issues facing our nation and the world, reflection followed by action is necessary. As you read the story of Aswad and his family, recognize his story is one of thousands and his perception of America as purveyors of terrorism is based solely on his personal experience.</p>
<p>Aswad was fast asleep in the early morning hours of November 6th, 2003 when a commotion in the house woke him up. He looked up to see a room full of American soldiers pointing automatic weapons at his head.</p>
<p>He had arrived in the village of Al-Yarmouk on the outskirts of Mosul just the evening before, breaking the Ramadan fast with his friends and going to bed early. He had been following the same routine since early 2000, every couple of months purchasing about $300 worth of galibayas and other articles of clothing to sell on the streets of Mosul. This was to supplement his meager income as a farmer. Farming was backbreaking work and at 48 years old, he was hoping to find another way to support his wife and 9 children.</p>
<p>Now, people were shouting at him in a language he didn’t understand, binding his hands behind his back and blindfolding his eyes. Someone speaking Arabic asked him his name, and demanded, “From where?” He told them he was from Syria. They emptied his pockets, taking his passport and $400 in cash. Then they dragged him to his feet and took him out into the night. He knew that at least two of his friends were taken with him; he could feel one in front and one behind him as they were dragged across the courtyard.</p>
<p>The prisoners were taken by helicopter to an unknown destination and isolated. When he arrived he was placed between an idling steamroller and a barrier. As the ground shook from the heavy equipment he was certain he was going to die. He was told he would never see his family again. He recalls, “I thought they were just going to make me a part of the road.” At times over the next 8 days, Aswad thought that would have been a preferable outcome. His clothes were taken and he was forced to stand naked, except for the blindfold covering his eyes. His arms were shackled behind his back and legs shackled at the ankles. He was beaten with a club. He was hit so hard across the abdomen that he fell unconscious 3 times. Each time he was doused with freezing water until he regained consciousness, he was stood up, and beaten again. They shackled his wrists in front of him and made him hold two heavy cartons. Each time he dropped a carton, the beatings resumed. He was not permitted to sleep. Aswad recalled the only warmth he felt was the hot blood flowing from his forehead and broken nose down over his face and chest.</p>
<p>Near the end of his beatings he was confronted by a man dressed in civilian clothes who claimed to be Egyptian officer, but Aswad is certain he was not who he pretended to be. His Arabic accent was not Egyptian, nor was he American. Aswad thinks he may have been an Israeli, but he is not certain. He was questioned at length about attacks on Americans, each time he denied any knowledge about the attacks. Prior to his arrest he had been sleeping. He didn’t hear any shooting. No weapons were kept in his friend’s house. After each denial he was tasered. His body had been so severely battered by the beatings he endured that he didn’t feel the pain as he fell to the floor.</p>
<p>Throughout his ordeal, Aswad thought about death and hoped it would come quickly. He recognized his captors were merciless. When he asked for water, his tormentors poured it over his head while they laughed. At one point, he felt two naked bodies pressed up against him. His captors shouted at him, but he didn’t understand their taunts as they were shouting in English.&#160; He tells me that he was blindfolded and couldn’t see anything. Looking away, embarrassed and ashamed, Aswad repeats this to me four times.</p>
<p>On the eighth day of his detention, Aswad was transferred to Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. Once the site of some of Saddam’s most heinous interrogations, it was now run by the Americans and they followed suit with their own brand of sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses of detainees. It was November 14th, 2003, months before any hint of wrongdoing would seep from under the cages of Abu Ghraib. Aswad arrived at the prison disfigured from his beatings. Doctors examined him, asking him where he felt pain, but never questioning what had happened to him. As he was recuperating from his beatings he was a witness to some of the abuses that would later be reported by mainstream news media in the United States. In the hallway outside his cell he saw a naked prisoner terrorized by an attack dog. He witnessed the “naked pyramid” later to become an infamous photograph with American guards gloating in the background. And he witnessed 4 soldiers strip an Iraqi woman in the cellblock, but he turned his back to her because he felt ashamed for her. Eventually, the commotion died down. He does not know what became of her.</p>
<p>When he was sufficiently healed from his wounds, he was transferred to the Abu Ghraib camp. He remained there for a month before he was transferred to Camp Bucca, a “Coalition Theater Internment Facility” or TIF. Located in the desert southwest of Basra, within a few miles of the Kuwati border, Bucca is a desolate place housing up to 10,000 prisoners many of whom are held as “security detainees”. The ability of US forces to continue these detentions has been left vague in the new Status of Forces Agreement. The definition of an “imperative security threat” is someone who may not have committed a crime, but is imprisoned anyway because he may commit a crime in the future. Even the US military estimates that 70% of those incarcerated are not insurgents. Aswad remained in Bucca for 9 months- through the remaining winter months and the following grueling summer. The conditions were calamitous. Thirty men shared a 12 meter by 6 meter canvas tent. They slept on thin mattresses on the ground and were given only two thin blankets to ward of the cold. In the summer, temperatures reached 140 degrees, and there was no escape from the heat. In the spring, flies and ants inundated the camp. The toilet consisted of a barrel cut in half. When it was full, the prisoners were required to dump it. The food rations were inconsistent and often inedible. Throughout this period, the International Committee of the Red Cross visited Aswad regularly. It was through the efforts of the ICRC that Aswad’s family learned of his incarceration many months after his disappearance.</p>
<p>After one year in prison, Aswad was transferred back to Abu Ghraib. He traded his orange jumpsuit for a blue one and was paraded in front of TV cameras along with several other detainees. The announcers said they were Arab terrorists just captured in battle at Al Fallujah. Years later, Aswad’s neighbors would comment on this news piece- asking the obvious question- “How could you be an Arab terrorist in Al-Fallujah when you were imprisoned?” Apparently moved just for the TV charade, after fifty days in Abu Ghraib, Aswad was returned to Camp Bucca.</p>
<p>During this time period Camp Bucca was growing and prefab huts were replacing the canvas tents. The prison was beginning to take on the look of a permanent structure. The prison population was exploding as well due to the increase in military operations. The prison’s two-mile perimeter contains 12 compounds, six on each side of a dirt and gravel road. At the corner of each compound, guards with automatic rifles stand watch from three-story wooden towers. The quality of the food was also beginning to improve, three meals a day are served — bread, cheese, jam and tea for breakfast and dinner, rice and stew for lunch.</p>
<p>Shortly after his return, in January 2005 a riot broke out at the prison. The riot began during a search for contraband when soldiers desecrated a Koran. The riot quickly spread to three additional compounds, with detainees throwing rocks, chunks of concrete and dirt clods at the soldiers who retreated to outside the wire. From there they fired tear gas and shotgun rounds at the prisoners. The riot ended when 2 soldiers opened fire with M-16’s on the prisoners in Compound 5.&#160; Four prisoners were killed and six were wounded.</p>
<p>Another riot broke out in April when guards ordered the transfer of prisoners including 4 Shiite clerics to a new unit. Again, prisoners threw stones, chunks of concrete and dirt clods. . Some prisoners fashioned slingshots to hurl pieces of cinderblock at the heavily armed soldiers outside the prison wire. The soldiers responded with pepper spray, tear gas, and shotgun volleys.&#160; A video taken by a soldier captures soldiers calling for more shotgun ammo and laughing after particularly accurate shots of tear gas into the crowd. Twelve prisoners and four guards were injured in the melee.</p>
<p>After two years of incarceration, Aswad was again transferred to Abu Ghraib. On January 7, 2006 he went before an Iraqi court. The judge asked the American officer why he was being held. The officer replied that Aswad had entered Iraq illegally. This was the first time since his arrest that Aswad had heard any charges against him. He denied the charges, telling the judge his passport was in the possession of the Americans. The American officer was asked about the passport and admitted it was in his possession. He claimed that in fact Aswad has crossed the Syrian border legally but failed to get an Iraqi stamp. This was easily determined to be a fabrication when the judge reviewed the passport and saw the Iraqi stamp right next to the Syrian stamp. Everything was legal. The judge ordered Aswad freed. As he was returned to Abu Ghraib the military lawyer told him he would be released soon. The interpreter asked him if he would agree to a release from Camp Cropper another detention facility at Baghdad Airport. Aswad said, “i don’t mind where you release me, just let me go!” He was returned to Camp Bucca. Two days later, he was loaded onto the “Happy Bus” (the designation for the bus that transferred prisoners due to be released) and he was transferred back north to Camp Cropper. Eleven days later, without explanation, he was again returned to Camp Bucca. This happened 2 or 3&#160; times over the next several months. Each time he boarded the bus, his spirits soared. Each time he returned he felt as if his spirit had been murdered, again. He was never told that military commanders could overrule the Iraqi court and continue holding “security threats”, nor was he told why he was transferred back and forth so many times.</p>
<p>In the summer of 2007 the Multi-National Force Review Committee (MNFRC) board was created. Every detainee is able to speak to a panel regarding their detention once every six months, and the board reviews their files to determine not whether they are guilty or innocent, but whether they are still a security threat to coalition forces, the Iraqi government or Iraqi citizens.</p>
<p>On September 4th, 2007 Aswad was brought before the Multinational Force Review Committee Board, a board he characterized as the “Lying Committee”. He was asked about his illegal entry into Iraq and a new accusation was presented- he was asked why he participated in an attack against Americans. Aswad explained that he entered Iraq legally, his passport proved it, and that an Iraqi court ordered him freed. He was arrested while he slept and no weapons were present. He asked the panel, “When a death sentence comes down from an Iraqi court, it seems you can’t hang the prisoner quick enough; yet it was determined in January of 2006 that I am innocent and I remain imprisoned. Why is that?” He was returned to prison.</p>
<p>Six months later, in February of 2008 he was again brought before the review board. The actors were different but the questions and Aswad’s answers remained the same. On March 17th 2008 Aswad received his release papers. On July 18th, 2008 Aswad boarded the Happy Bus for the last time. Only after confirming his immanent release with the International Committee of the Red Cross did Aswad allow himself to believe his ordeal was coming to an end. On July 19th Aswad boarded a Red Cross flight to Damascus. Finally, he was free.</p>
<p>As we sit sipping coffee in Damascus, Aswad, reflecting on his interment, says, “It is an inhuman prison system run by criminals.” When I ask him what he believes finally caused the review board to release him, Aswad doesn’t know. “They do as they like. There is no reason to it. Their life is OK, their children are well, and they don’t care. We have a saying, ‘Who is full doesn’t know hunger’. You are full.”</p>
<p>For five years Aswad’s only contact with his family was through messages relayed by the Red Cross. On his release, he didn’t know his family. His oldest daughter sat him down and told him about his children, whom he could barely recognize. His family had suffered throughout his imprisonment. When I asked him what his children said about the time he was gone, Aswad said, “On my first phone call, my youngest son, now eight years old, said, ‘My dad, my dad, come here! Come here! We don’t have anyone!” His oldest son, who left school when he was 15 to provide for the family, confessed that he cried for the first two years because he couldn’t provide enough bread for the family. His boy carries cotton, barley and wheat from the fields- 88 lbs. of cotton translates to about $1 US dollar. “You see this situation has destroyed my family. This is what American democracy did for me!” he says with a smile and a tear in his eye.</p>
<p>The United States played a major role if formulating the Declaration of Human Rights document in 1948. Eleanor Roosevelt, in endorsing the Declaration of Human Rights said, “This declaration is based upon the spiritual fact that man must have freedom in which to develop his full stature and through common effort to raise the level of human dignity. We have much to do to fully achieve and to assure the rights set forth in this declaration. But having them put before us with the moral backing of 58 nations will be a great step forward.</p>
<p>Discussing the abstention of the USSR during the vote at the UN, Roosevelt went on to say, “We must not be confused about what freedom is. Basic human rights are simple and easily understood: freedom of speech and a free press; freedom of religion and worship; freedom of assembly and the right of petition; the right of men to be secure in their homes and free from unreasonable search and seizure and from arbitrary arrest and punishment.</p>
<p>We must not be deluded by the efforts of the forces of reaction to prostitute the great words of our free tradition and thereby to confuse the struggle. Democracy, freedom, human rights have come to have a definite meaning to the people of the world which we must not allow any nation to so change that they are made synonymous with suppression and dictatorship.” It would be wise for us to reflect on these words and the policies of our own government, especially the ill-conceived “War on Terror” over these many years.</p>
<p>Sixty years on, we must reflect on our failure as a nation to uphold the principles set forth in this document. It is our individual responsibility to safeguard the principles that we take for granted so that others may share in them. It is our collective failure that fuels the terrorism so rampant in the world today.</p>
<p>JOHNNY BARBER has traveled to Iraq, Israel, Palestine and Lebanon to bear witness and document the suffering of people who are affected by war. He has just returned from Jordan &amp; Syria where he worked to document the issues facing Iraqi refugees. He can be contacted through his blog at <a href="http://www.oneBrightpearl-jb.blogspot.com" type="external">www.oneBrightpearl-jb.blogspot.com</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | Aswad’s Story | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/12/05/aswad-s-story/ | 2008-12-05 | 4 |
<p>Vanessa Williams has dabbled in so many fields, she says she’s always intrigued to find out where fans recognize her from. (Photo courtesy the Howard Theatre)</p>
<p>Vanessa Williams</p>
<p>DJ Baronhawk opens</p>
<p>Friday, March 10</p>
<p>7:30 and 10 p.m.</p>
<p><a href="http://thehowardtheatre.com" type="external">Howard Theatre</a></p>
<p>620 T St., N.W.</p>
<p>$60-95</p>
<p>Star of stage and screen Vanessa Williams makes her Howard Theatre debut performing two shows Friday evening (March 10).</p>
<p>Williams, whose career spans 30-plus years, is known for her roles in the TV series “Ugly Betty” and “Desperate Housewives” along with motion pictures such as “Soul Food” and “Eraser.” Along with her film credits, she has appeared in many Broadway shows and released six solo albums spanning a multitude of hits.</p>
<p>Vanessa has just wrapped up a new series on VH1 entitled “Daytime Divas” and is hitting the road this month for a handful of concert dates.</p>
<p>During a phone interview Monday while in Minneapolis promoting her spring clothing line for Evine, Williams talks about performing, still being starstruck and her signature song, “Save The Best For Last.”</p>
<p>WASHINGTON BLADE: Friday brings you to the Howard Theatre for two shows. Are you looking forward to your first time at the historic venue?</p>
<p>VANESSA WILLIAMS: I’ve been doing dates for a long, long time and it’s always great to do different venues. Every room has a different feel. That’s why live and theater is so exciting because the audiences are kind of informed and I switch up the set on how I feel the audience is leaning. I may do some more R&amp;B if the audience is more of an urban crowd. I might do more Broadway or standards if it’s a benefit or a gala. It’s always curious to see who ends up showing up and tailoring the show to what I feel is going to be their likes.</p>
<p>BLADE: Do you prefer theaters to clubs or outdoor arenas?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: You know, each venue is a unique experience. My first experience on tour was in 1997 with Luther Vandross and we did arenas. It’s a huge operation and everyone has their tour buses and we’re all pow-wowing before the shows and in-between shows, eating and exercising together. It was a like a little village camping out every time we set up in a different city. That was really wonderful and I have so many great memories of that. I love doing outdoor venues. It’s the summer time and smelling the barbecue off in the distance. It’s hot and balmy but people are in their picnic chairs ready to enjoy the day. That’s a whole different kind of thing. The breeze is blowing through your hair and it’s a lot more casual and relaxed. Then there’s the concert venues where I do symphony dates and I have a full orchestra behind me and feel very professional and classy. It’s also another opportunity to do a different set and do some Broadway stuff with the full orchestra. A theater allows me to kind of interact with the audience in a very intimate way so they can hear the hits, they’re not blasted away by the huge speakers and they can sing along and have a personal experience.</p>
<p>BLADE: One of the last times you were in D.C., you performed for Diana Ross at the Kennedy Center Honors. How did that come about?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: I’ve done two Kennedy Center tributes. One for Tony Bennett and I did “The Best Is Yet To Come,” which was amazing, then I got the call to do Diana Ross and sang “Touch Me In the Morning.” Hanging out with her afterward at her table with her kids, she asked me if I wanted to buy her house in Greenwich and I was like, “It’s OK I got my own house about 20 minutes away, I’m cool” (laughs). I worked with her on Motown Returns to the Apollo in ’85 and I was playing Josephine Baker and sang “La Vie en Rose” and I think she played Billie Holiday. She was definitely there and that was the first time I met her.</p>
<p>BLADE: Do you still get Starstruck?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: Oh yeah! There’s plenty of people that are legendary that walk into a room and truly have a presence and take all the air out of the room. I remember the first time I was at acting class out in L.A. studying with Donna Strasberg and one of her dear friends was Sophia Loren and I just couldn’t breathe. She was not only stunning, but she’s one of those movie icons. I saw her couple years later and age for her I guess stopped years ago, because again — she’s stunning and so elegant and has such a presence. That was the same thing I felt when I first met Lena Horne and I could barely speak and she goes “It’s OK honey, it’s OK.” (laughs). I definitely still get starstruck.</p>
<p>BLADE: Do you feel your music career is sometimes overshadowed by your acting career?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: No. I think there’s a time and season for everything. Particularly when I first started recording, I was 25 years old, had one child and we’re talking 30-odd years later and I’m still in the game. Whatever presents itself to me at the time, I’m up for the challenge. I just finished doing a series for VH1 and it’s kind of coincidental because I started out in my recording career hosting a show for VH1 called “The Soul Of VH1.” Twenty years later I’m back on the network playing a character in a series so it’s nice to be able to do so many different things and have options. I’ve always been able to come back to my music, Broadway, television and find a home in a show that seems to be perfect.</p>
<p>BLADE: You’ve done pretty much everything in your career. How does it feel to have different generations recognize you for different things? Some know you as Miss. America, others as Wilhelmina Slater (from “Ugly Betty”) — how does it feel to have such a broad fan base and continually gain new fans?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: It always surprises me who recognizes me when I’m walking through an airport or outside walking down the street because being 53 years old, I assume people my age know me, but I got a whole set of young folk that know me from “Ugly Betty.” I go across the world and I was in South Africa and people recognized me for being a desperate housewife and in Australia they know my music. It’s unbelievable! “Elmo In Grouchland” for the young kids growing up knowing me as “The Queen of Trash.” I’m always curious to find out where they know me.</p>
<p>BLADE: Why do you think gay men are attracted to you?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: Both my parents were music teachers and my mom had many gay friends. Some were teachers, hair stylists and lawyers. My father was completely open and generous and had no issues at all so I came from a family that was completely tolerant and exposed. When I started doing musical theater in high school and college, many of my friends were gay. They helped me choose music and amplified my diva ability to be a chanteuse and be a bigger sex symbol than I probable felt natural to be, but they highlighted it. I’ve always been surrounded by the gay community so there was no real transition for me. I remember my first grown-up gift was a bottle of Opium Perfume which I thought was so, so, so grown up! (laughs). It was from one of my parents’ friends who was a lawyer and drove a gorgeous Porsche and he had a beautiful apartment with padded silk walls and there was a sense of style and elegance that he represented. That was the first time I equated style and panache and femininity with a gay man.</p>
<p>BLADE: Your last album, “The Real Thing,” came out in 2009. Any plans for new music?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: I would love to have new music come out. I think the past two or three labels I was talking to and in negotiations with, they fell apart. My genre is kind of disappearing. From going R&amp;B to pop to I guess you could call it adult contemporary to smooth jazz is kind of dried up. There’s not many stations that play what’s normally been my lane for the past 10 or so years. It’s difficult to find a place in terms of a new label. The recording industry is completely changing so a lot of people are self-producing and self-distributing so I haven’t quiet figured out what my next move is, but I do have a lot of ideas and I’m definitely open to recording more music. I’d love to actually work with my daughter (Jillian Hervey) who’s a recording artist and doing incredibly well. To do one song with her would be great. The name of her band is Lion Babe and she’s killing it.</p>
<p>BLADE: Does she ever come to you for advice or you give her advice from your experiences?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: Well you know, my kids are lucky because they’ve been behind the scenes of every genre. They’ve been in my dressing room when I was on the Broadway stage, on tour with me, in my trailer whether it’s television or movie sets. They understand how hard the work is, they understand the commitment, being professional, showing up on time and knowing your stuff. Jillian kind of got her sea legs — not sea legs, but her vocal chops/recording legs when she graduated from college and was looking forward to being a professional dancer. I had some dates in Japan and she said, “I wanna go,” and I said if you wanna go, you have to sing and she learned everything on the plane and learned the in-ear monitors and how to work the mic, do multiple shows a night and take care of her voice, so she started being on the road with me right after college and that was an easy transition.</p>
<p>BLADE: Are you surprised 25 years later that “Save The Best For Last” has becoming your signature song?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: No. When I recorded it, I knew it was a great song, I knew that it would do. I had no idea it would do as well as it did. I guess those are the best surprises in life when you enjoy it, having a good time and it explodes and you’re not expecting it. That’s when it’s really sweet. It still holds up. When I sing it, people sing along and it’s like karaoke time. It’s great to have one of those signature songs as part of my repertoire.</p>
<p>BLADE: Do you feel there’s anything left to conquer?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: Hmm … (pauses) … actually, I’m going to be directing season two of “Daytime Divas” for VH1 which is going to be exciting, so that will be my next step. The show’s airing later on this spring and I’m starring in it. It’s about a day time talk show called “The Lunch Hour” and I’m the producer and star of the show. It’s great to be back on television.</p>
<p>BLADE: What are you most proud of?</p>
<p>WILLIAMS: My kids. Ask any mother (laughs). I look at them and it’s great to see what you hope and dream for them all come to fruition. They’re all doing their own unique thing, they’re all very creative and I’m glad I could bring them into the world.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Daytime Divas</a> <a href="" type="internal">Desperate Housewives</a> <a href="" type="internal">Diana Ross</a> <a href="" type="internal">Donna Strasberg</a> <a href="" type="internal">Howard Theatre</a> <a href="" type="internal">Luther Vandross</a> <a href="" type="internal">Sophia Loren</a> <a href="" type="internal">Soul Food</a> <a href="" type="internal">Tony Bennett</a> <a href="" type="internal">Ugly Betty</a> <a href="" type="internal">Vanessa Williams</a> <a href="" type="internal">Wilhelmina Slater</a></p> | A conversation with Vanessa Williams | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/03/09/conversation-vanessa-williams/ | 3 |
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<p>As Mother Jones has been <a href="" type="internal">reporting</a>, outside spending on this year’s midterm elections has reached <a href="" type="internal">record highs</a>. And if the GOP succeeds in taking back the House, we might be able to expect more of the same in 2012. Especially if California’s Dan Lungren prevails in his re-election bid and ascends to the chairmanship of the House committee that shapes disclosure rules and campaign finance laws.</p>
<p>Lungren’s campaign against first-time candidate Ami Bera has been backed by Karl Rove’s <a href="http://www.americancrossroads.org/" type="external">American Crossroads</a>, a 527 group set up to elect Republicans. The group has spent $682,000 on the race—more than it has on any other race in the country—and produced a slew of vicious attack ads. Check out this recent #truthfail-peppered attack ad against Bera:</p>
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<p>Despite the commercial’s claims to the contrary, Bera, a physician, couldn’t actually have voted for the president’s health care plan. He’s not a member of Congress. After watching that ad, though, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking the opposite. That sort of fact-flexibility is typical in this year’s outside spending spree.</p>
<p>Lungren is currently the ranking member of the House Administration Committee, which oversees campaign finance matters. If the GOP takes back the House and Lungren gets re-elected (it’s currently a close race, but the polls favor the incumbent), he’ll be in line to assume its chairmanship. From there, he’ll be in a prime perch to undo what’s left of campaign finance regulation.</p>
<p>In a recent interview with the <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/21/3120006/lungren-at-center-of-ampaign.html" type="external">Sacramento Bee</a>, Lungren argued that one of the campaign finance system’s central problems is the caps it imposes on direct donations: an individual can’t give more than $2,400 per election to a congressional candidate. Lungren wants to eliminate these limits and allow individuals to donate unlimited sums of money directly to candidates and parties.</p>
<p>“You’re going to have money flowing, and I would rather have the money flowing to the candidates,” he said. “You’d still have a lot of money, but (donors) would be identified with the party and with the candidate.” The only restrictions he’d want to impose are on large donations made within a week of an election, and he’s called for speedier public disclosure of donations to candidates.</p>
<p>Lungren says he wants to curb the influence of shadowy independent groups like another Rove-linked group, <a href="http://www.crossroadsgps.org/" type="external">Crossroads GPS</a>, a non-profit affiliate of American Crossroads that doesn’t have to disclose its donors. Yet, just the same, Lungren defends those groups’ right to keep their donors private—the very thing that makes them attractive to big dollar donors, and keeps the flood of unchecked cash flowing. To justify this, Lungren invokes the civil rights movement:</p>
<p>Lungren stops short of calling on these sorts of corporations to identify their donors, citing a 1958 Supreme Court ruling that allowed the NAACP to refuse to turn its donors over to Alabama state authorities. Lungren says donors to such groups ought to be able to maintain anonymity because “governments can intimidate individuals.”</p>
<p>Chairing the committee that writes campaign finance law would be a coup for a deregulation-hawk like Lungren. If Lungren wins re-election, secretive groups and operatives like Karl Rove will have even less trouble turning 2012 into another record year for campaign fundraising.</p>
<p /> | Rep. Lungren: Let the Campaign Money Flow Free | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2010/10/dan-lungren-campaign-finance/ | 2010-10-27 | 4 |
<p>Romenesko Letters "Forget the television correspondents getting blown around on camera," writes Ben Casselman. "The New Orleans Times-Picayune's reporters and photographers blanketed the city to give us <a href="http://www.nola.com" type="external">stories and images</a> of power, substance, and context. ...I hope that when they have a moment to reflect they will take pride in a job well done. Kudos."</p> | Letters: "A truly remarkable example of journalism" | false | https://poynter.org/news/letters-truly-remarkable-example-journalism | 2005-08-30 | 2 |
<p>Jay Wallace, owner of Georgia gun store Adventure Outdoors, discussed an increase in gun sales after the Orlando nightclub attack on Sunday.</p>
<p>Since the Orlando nightclub shooting on Sunday, gun sales have rapidly increased throughout the United States.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Adventure Outdoors Owner Jay Wallace told Fox Business Network’s Stuart Varney that sales of AR-15s and other firearms have “really kicked up” since Sunday. AR-15’s may look like military rifles but they are actually semi-automatic guns, which means they can only fire one round with each pull of the trigger. By contrast, military-style guns have the ability to fire multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger. The ‘AR’ in AR-15 actually stands for ArmaLite rifle, named after the company that developed it and does not stand for “assault rifle,” according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Wallace claimed that he has sold more than 15 AR-15’s per hour and may know the reasons as to why there is such a rise in sales. “[People] are afraid that the government is going to take [guns] away and there are folks that are in fear because of the times that we are living in today and those are two big reasons,” he said.</p>
<p>Wallace said some people buy the guns for profit gain as well.</p>
<p>“There are also those that feel that the guns are going to go up in value so they buy them for investment,” he said. “[AR-15s] start out around $500 and go up to $3,000,” he said</p>
<p>Wallace said the last time he had seen such a surge in gun sales was when President Obama was first elected into office.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | Gun Shop Owner: AR-15's Flying Off Shelves at $500 a Pop | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/06/15/gun-shop-owner-ar-15s-flying-off-shelves-at-500-pop.html | 2016-06-16 | 0 |
<p>By Elaine Lies</p>
<p>TOKYO (Reuters) – Russia’s Sergei Voronov eased to victory in Japan’s grand prix on Saturday with an elegant, melancholy short program and his compatriot Evgenia Medvedeva won the women’s event.</p>
<p>In the absence of favorites Yuzuru Hanyu and Patrick Chan, the 30-year-old Voronov topped a podium filled with experienced skaters in a sport that seems increasingly focused on quad jumps and youthful energy.</p>
<p>Adam Rippon of the United States celebrated his 28th birthday by taking second while 29-year-old Andrei Bychenko of Israel, who will soon turn 30, was third.</p>
<p>“With 30 years, you just start to flourish in life,” Voronov said on Friday.</p>
<p>“The most important thing is that you love what you are doing. If we didn’t love it, we couldn’t do it.”</p>
<p>Voronov’s winning routine to the “Sarabande Suite” which opened with a flawless quadruple toeloop-triple toeloop combination, won a standing ovation and screams of delight from the crowd in the western city of Osaka to gain a personal best 181.06 for the short program and 271.12 overall.</p>
<p>“I’m very happy to take gold for the first time in the senior grand prix in Osaka,” a smiling Voronov said.</p>
<p>Asked if this was good preparation for February’s Olympics in Pyeongchang, he said: “I actually just think step by step, concentrating on the competition in front of me.”</p>
<p>Rippon, who in January broke his foot and could not defend his U.S. championship, snapped out a clean sequence of jumps including a triple axel-double toe loop-double loop combination to take second with 261.99 points.</p>
<p>Medvedeva claimed her second grand prix gold of the season despite a rare fall on a triple flip, her speciality, but clinched a place in next month’s grand prix final in Japan with 144.40 in the free skate for a total of 224.39.</p>
<p>“Unfortunately, I made some mistakes, but thanks to the warm support of the audience I was able to skate to the end,” Medvedeva said.</p>
<p>Carolina Kostner of Italy took second with 212.24 and Russian Polina Tsurskaya was third.</p>
<p>World pairs champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China surged to gold with 155.10 points, a record for the free skate, for a total of 234.53. Russian Olympic silver medallists Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov were second and compatriots Kristina Astakhova and Alexei Rogonov third.</p>
<p>In ice dance, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada took the lead in the short program with 80.92 points, followed by Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the United States and Italians Anna Cappelling and Luca Lanotte.</p>
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<p>Fusion Media or anyone involved with Fusion Media will not accept any liability for loss or damage as a result of reliance on the information including data, quotes, charts and buy/sell signals contained within this website. Please be fully informed regarding the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, it is one of the riskiest investment forms possible.</p> | Figure skating: Russian Voronov takes top spot in Japan | false | https://newsline.com/figure-skating-russian-voronov-takes-top-spot-in-japan/ | 2017-11-11 | 1 |
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<p>College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock says ESPN has agreed to not use advertisements for daily fantasy sports websites during broadcasts of the biggest postseason games.</p>
<p>Hancock said College Football Playoff officials discussed the matter with ESPN executives and both sides determined that given the uncertainties of about daily fantasy sports sites such as DraftKings and FanDuel it "would be best to allocate the available spots to others."</p>
<p>The NCAA and FBS conferences asked DraftKings and FanDuel to stop offering college versions of their games because they consider them gambling. Same states, including New York, are investigating the whether the daily fantasy sites violate the law.</p>
<p>The NCAA has asked its TV partners to not run commercials for daily fantasy sites during its championship events and games, including the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments, but college football's postseason mostly operates outside the NCAA.</p>
<p>The FBS conferences, bowls and College Football Playoff negotiate their own TV contracts without the NCAA.</p>
<p>The College Football Playoff consists of two semifinal games played on Dec. 31, held this season at the Cotton Bowl in North Texas and the Orange Bowl in South Florida, the national championship game played in Glendale, Arizona, on Jan. 11, and four other major bowls played on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day that take turns hosting the semis.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | No daily fantasy ads to run during College Football Playoff | false | https://abqjournal.com/689119/no-daily-fantasy-ads-to-run-during-college-football-playoff.html | 2 |
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<p>Gov. Susana Martinez announced the app at a news conference at the Boys &amp; Girls Club of Albuquerque’s after-school program on Tuesday.x</p>
<p>“If you are under 21, that’s called underage drinking and it’s illegal and it’s bad for you,” Martinez told the crowd of children, many in Halloween costumes and wriggling in their seats.</p>
<p>One little boy raised his hand.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“My mom saw someone smoking in the car,” he told the governor.</p>
<p>She replied that driving while distracted is dangerous and that is another thing the app is supposed to help with.</p>
<p>“We want you to be safe,” she said.</p>
<p>The app, called Zero Proof, and accompanying trinkets, like temporary tattoos and squeeze balls in the shape of brains, cost $130,000 to develop and were paid for with state and federal tax funds through a program at the state Department of Transportation, according to Franklin Garcia, director of the traffic safety division.</p>
<p>In addition to the selfie function, in which kids can play with silly stickers and colors, the app features tips for kids older than age 12 about what to do “if your friend is passed out” or “if someone is driving buzzed.”</p>
<p>The primary advice is to seek help from an adult, call 911 and avoid getting into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking.</p>
<p>Also, the app suggests teens “keep good company” and “stick up for yourself and say you don’t want to drink” when friends apply pressure.</p>
<p>“Don’t follow these people that say ‘Come on. This is a shot. Come on, this is a jello shot’,” Martinez told the kids. “The answer is: I’m good. I don’t need anything. I don’t need to drink.”</p>
<p>Martinez was joined by several cabinet secretaries at the Boys &amp; Girls Club near San Mateo and Comanche.</p>
<p>The app is available in the Apple App Store or on Google Play, and there are accompanying websites. A website for teens and tweens is at <a href="http://www.zeroproof.me" type="external">www.zeroproof.me</a>. It features advice and Choose Your Own Adventure-style stories of youth facing challenging situations. A website for parents and teachers is at <a href="http://www.zeroproofnm.com" type="external">www.zeroproofnm.com</a>. It includes resources on how to talk to children about underage drinking and lesson plans.</p>
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<p /> | New phone app aims at underage drinking | false | https://abqjournal.com/1086094/state-phone-app-targets-underage-drinking.html | 2017-10-31 | 2 |
<p>Lutheran publisher announces cutbacks. Augsburg Fortress, publishing arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is cutting back operations, closing its nine bookstores in the United States, laying off more than 50 employees and declining to publish new books in its consumer-oriented line. The publisher will concentrate on congregational resources and academic texts, said Sheryl Burmaster, Augsburg's director of customer care.</p>
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<p>Judge orders Arizona to allow pro-life plates. A federal court has ruled the Arizona License Plate Commission must approve an anti-abortion group's “Choose Life” specialty license plate. The Arizona Life Coalition applied for the specialty license plate in 2002, but the Arizona License Plate Commission, which oversees the requests, rejected its application. Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund and the Center for Arizona Policy filed a suit in September of 2003. Last January, the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the commission had violated the Arizona Life Coalition's First Amendment right to free speech by rejecting its application. The commission appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse the decision, but the high court refused to hear the case. U.S. District Judge Paul G. Rosenblatt ordered the commission to convene by Jan. 23 and approve the license plates. The “Choose Life” license plates are available in at least 19 states.</p>
<p>Disney corrupts children, Catholic Brit charges. A top Roman Catholic cleric in England has accused Disney of corrupting children, encouraging greed and turning its make-believe world — as embodied at its theme parks — into a latter-day pilgrimage site. Christopher Jamison, the abbot of Worth Abbey, in southern England, charges Disney with “exploiting spirituality” and helping to generate a culture of materialism while pretending to provide movie, book and theme park stories with a moral message.</p>
<p>Bob Jones University apologizes for racist policies. Bob Jones University, the fundamentalist Christian school in Greenville, S.C., that did not admit African-American students until 1971 and banned interracial dating until 2000, has apologized for its past racial policies. The school posted a “Statement about Race at Bob Jones University” on its website saying the school's past policies were shaped “for far too long” by “the segregationist ethos of American culture” rather than by biblical principles. “Though no known antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism on a personal level have ever been tolerated on our campus, we allowed institutional policies to remain in place that were racially hurtful,” the statement said. Five university alumni launched a website, Please-Reconcile.org, to collect signatures for an open letter to Bob Jones leaders saying they were “troubled” by the school's racist reputation. They collected more than 500 signatures seeking a university statement that past positions on racial discrimination were “mistaken, and God has granted a better perspective.” The statement by the university, the first of its kind to be posted online, was released before the group sent its letter and signatures to the administration.</p>
<p>Compiled from Religion News Service</p> | FAITH DIGEST | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/faithdigest-44/ | 3 |
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<p>Thursday, the FBI <a href="https://vault.fbi.gov/hillary-r.-clinton/hillary-r.-clinton-part-04-of-04/view" type="external">declassified several documents</a>, one of which was an interview with a female Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), who previously worked as an agent with the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS).</p>
<p>The agent's name is redacted, so from this point forward, for the purpose of this piece, she will be known as "Alice."</p>
<p>The following excerpts are quotes from the FBI's summary of their interview with the agent, with intermittent direct quotes from the agent herself.</p>
<p>From 2007-2009, she worked with Secretaries of State Condoleezza Rice and Hillary Clinton. According to the agent, the difference in behavior between the two couldn't have been more pronounced:</p>
<p>Rice observed strict adherence to Sate Department security and diplomatic protocols, while Clinton frequently and "blatantly" disregarded them.</p>
<p>The agent described a 2009 trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, in which Clinton wanted to visit a dangerous area for a photo op regarding her "clean cooking stoves" initiative:</p>
<p>The DS advance team recommended against traveling to this area because the route could not be secured and was lined with dangerous circumstances and individuals. As such, the DS advance team recommended in writing that this excursion be stricken from the schedule but were told by DS management that it was going to happen because "she wanted it."</p>
<p>DS agents felt this excursion into potentially hostile areas placed Clinton, her staff, the media, and her security detail in unnecessary danger in order to conduct a photo opportunity for her "election campaign."</p>
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<p>According to the summary, other agents believed Clinton was using her position as Secretary of State to campaign for president, often selecting favorable journalists, and putting the safety of her staff in jeopardy in order to get good press.</p>
<p>In another incident, while traveling in an armored vehicle through "occupied territory" in the West Bank, Clinton allegedly ordered the driver to roll down his security window. The only window in the vehicle that could be opened was the driver's, and even then, it could only open slightly. According to the transcript, the driver declined to open the window out of safety concerns, but after Clinton's repeated demands, he complied.</p>
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<p>Lastly, the agent told the FBI that Clinton's behavior toward her and her fellow agents was deplorable:</p>
<p>"...Clinton's treatment of DS agents on her protective detail was so contemptuous that many of them sought reassignment or employment elsewhere."</p>
<p>Diplomatic Security Agent</p>
<p>...Clinton's treatment of DS agents on her protective detail was so contemptuous that many of them sought reassignment or employment elsewhere.</p>
<p>Prior to Clinton's tenure, being an agent on the Secretary of State's protective detail was seen as an honor and privilege reserved for senior agents. However, by the end of Clinton's tenure, it was staffed largely with new agents because it was difficult to find senior agents willing to work for her.</p>
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<p>Allegations of awful behavior toward subordinates on the part of Hillary Clinton are nothing new. This account, however, takes Clinton's alleged bad behavior to another level, one in which she not only behaves deplorably, but actively places her staff and security detail in harm's way for the glorification of self.</p> | DS Agent Tells FBI How Hillary Clinton Repeatedly Put Her Staff in Danger for Her Own Interests | true | https://dailywire.com/news/10021/ds-agent-tells-fbi-how-hillary-clinton-repeatedly-frank-camp | 2016-10-17 | 0 |
<p>Thoughts for a Labor Day in 2012:</p>
<p>The real question isn’t whether we are better off than we were four years ago. It takes a long time to recover from burst bubbles and near-depressions (the Japanese have still not recovered from their burst bubble of the early 1990s). The real question is whether the working and middle classes of the United States will go on allowing themselves to be taken advantage of by our super-rich, who are gathering to themselves more and more of the national income. The top 1% owned 25% of the privately held national wealth in the United States in the 1950s, but have 38% of it today.</p>
<p>In contrast, real wages per hour for the average worker in the United States, adjusted for inflation, peaked in 1970. We’re now down from that, with a generation and a half blocked from meaningful economic advancement.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2012/09/wages1.gif" type="external" /> h/t <a href="" type="external">Faustian urGe</a>.</p>
<p>But, you will say, the US is a much wealthier society now than it was in 1970 or 1990. Where has all the extra money generated by American labor and investment gone?</p>
<p>It has gone to the rich. Yes, folks, the rich are taking home a fifth of everything we make as a country each year, up from ten percent in 1970. We are 310 million people. About 3 million get a fifth of the annual income. Those 3 million people are 3 million Mitt Romneys. They want low taxes and they want to get rid of social security, medicare and Obamacare.</p>
<p>h/t <a href="" type="external">Adviser Perspectives</a></p>
<p>See, in general, <a href="" type="external">Who Rules America?</a>.</p>
<p>The rich in this country now see an opportunity to take us back to the age of the robber barons– and get rid of all government programs for the middle classes and the workers and make us wait to age 70 (when most people will be more decrepit than they expect) to retire. Because the more of the national income they take home every year, the more politicians they can buy, and the more they can cut their taxes and shift the burden of road-building and other government services to the middle classes and workers.</p>
<p>It is a ratcheting process that is leaving the US an increasingly unequal society, and one in which hopes of upward mobility for ordinary people are increasingly crushed. Indeed, Europe (the “Old World”) <a href="" type="external">now offers more opportunities for upward mobility and getting ahead than the United States.</a></p>
<p>The way to reverse this crisis of income stagnation is to restore rights to unionize and collectively bargain and to make the rich pay their fare share for government-provided infrastructure and for educating the work force they exploit.</p>
<p>Guess who will do the opposite if they win in November?</p> | Labor Day Question: Are you Better off than You were in 1970? | true | http://juancole.com/2012/09/labor-day-question-are-you-better-off-than-you-were-in-1970.html | 2012-09-03 | 4 |
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<p>Valero Energy Partners filed for an initial public offering of roughly $345 million of its common units, after becoming the latest master limited partnership in the oil and gas industry.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The MLP was formed recently by Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO), an independent oil refiner. The San Antonio-based company said in April it would explore whether to spin off its logistics assets into a MLP that offers investors certain tax benefits.</p>
<p>Other energy firms, such as Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) and Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC), have formed MLPs to remove assets, along with their debt, from company balance sheets.</p>
<p>In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Valero Energy Partners said its initial assets will include pipelines and terminal systems in the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent regions that will support two Valero refineries. Valero will account for all of the MLP’s revenue.</p>
<p>Valero Energy Partners expects to list its common units, which trade like shares, on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol VLP.</p>
<p>Shares of Valero were up 1.4% at $35.23 early Friday morning.</p> | Valero Energy Partners Files for $345M IPO | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/09/20/valero-energy-partners-files-for-345m-ipo.html | 2016-03-03 | 0 |
<p>RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Hundreds of practitioners of Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian Candomble and Umbanda faiths have gathered at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach to honor the sea goddess Yemanja in a traditional New Year tribute.</p>
<p>A large statue of the goddess in flowing white and blue robes was carried by truck to the beach on Friday.</p>
<p>Worshippers were mostly dressed in white as they launched their offerings to Yemanja: small boats with flowers and bowls with candles and fruits. Night-long music and dancing follow the offerings.</p>
<p>Candomble was brought to Brazil by West African slaves at the beginning of the 19th centuries. Umbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African traditions with Roman Catholicism and indigenous American beliefs.</p>
<p>RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Hundreds of practitioners of Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian Candomble and Umbanda faiths have gathered at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach to honor the sea goddess Yemanja in a traditional New Year tribute.</p>
<p>A large statue of the goddess in flowing white and blue robes was carried by truck to the beach on Friday.</p>
<p>Worshippers were mostly dressed in white as they launched their offerings to Yemanja: small boats with flowers and bowls with candles and fruits. Night-long music and dancing follow the offerings.</p>
<p>Candomble was brought to Brazil by West African slaves at the beginning of the 19th centuries. Umbanda is an Afro-Brazilian religion that blends African traditions with Roman Catholicism and indigenous American beliefs.</p> | Brazilians honor sea goddess in Rio de Janeiro. | false | https://apnews.com/e624baaff2654c908260580ec84022a4 | 2017-12-30 | 2 |
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<p>A teen has been accused of killing a man who was found in a burned home. The teen has been identified as Lennon Riley Henderson, 16-years.</p>
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<p>The man's home is located in Newton. The 16-year-old was arrested on Wednesday after the Saturday incident.</p>
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<p>The police authorities believe Lennon Riley Henderson of Newton shot 40-year-old Harry Lewis Bruner Jr. and then set his home on fire as a coverup.</p>
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<p>The man was found in the burned home on U.S. 321 in Newton around 6:30 a.m. Saturday, authorities said.</p>
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<p>The somber scene where the incident took place has a tattered American flag that keeps vigil outside the veteran's home. The look of Charred walls. Melted furniture. Silent, but for the hum of passing cars and light rain.</p>
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<p>The 40-year-old was shot to death before the house went up in flames. However, no guns or cash were found inside. The sheriff said robbery could be a possible motive.</p>
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<p>The Catawba County Sheriff's Office upgraded the case to a homicide investigation on Monday when it was determined that Bruner had died from a gunshot wound, and not the fire.</p>
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<p>Reports from the sheriff's office indicate that Henderson was attempting to rob Bruner. Henderson was charged with murder and had a court appearance Wednesday.</p>
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<p>Source:</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article166332907.html" type="external">charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article166332907.html</a></p> | 16-Year-Old Shot and Burned Marine | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/6334-16-Year-Old-Shot-and-Burned-Marine | 2017-08-10 | 0 |
<p>When Georgia’s voters go the polls today to decide between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican candidate Karen Handel, the media would have you to believe the balance of power in the nation is at stake.&#160; Numerous articles have been written about what a victory by either candidate would mean to both major political parties in the US, and some even go as far as claiming the race is a precursor of the 2018 mid-term elections.</p>
<p>Both parties have invested an inordinate amount of money, talent and resources, to sway the voters, as if they also believe the fortunes of the country will turn on the outcome.&#160; But is anything really going to change no matter which way the race turns out?</p>
<p>It would be a bit of a moral victory for the Democrats.&#160; The seat has traditionally been a stronghold for the Republican Party, and a takeaway by the Dems may signal to some that support for Trump is wavering.&#160; But, still, it is just one seat and these things have a way of leaning towards the popularity (or unpopularity) of a particular candidate.</p>
<p>Should the Republicans hold the seat, will the message be that Trump is on the right track, or simply that more of Georgia’s 6th Congressional District’s voters are closer to the right than the left?&#160; The outcome of one race can hardly be a predictor of things to come in 2018.</p>
<p>I doubt though that you will realize that after the smoke clears and the results are finalized.&#160; Mostly left-leaning media outlets will champion a Dem victory as if Trump’s presidency is over, and conversely, downplay a Republican win as expected.</p>
<p>House Republicans are supposedly watching the outcome carefully because it may give them an indication of how the nation is leaning on the job that the House and Senate are doing, according to some news sources.&#160; How that temperament is gauged by the one percent of voters in Georgia Six is representative of the voters in the other 99 percent of the country is baffling to me.&#160; I feel certain voters on the west coast would not likely give the current congress the same grade as the voters in that lone district.</p>
<p>But, if you pay attention to the news, you are being led to believe that the fate of any of the promises made by Republican candidates, such as repealing and replacing Obamacare, or reducing tax rates, will be determined by this small group of voters.&#160; A loss by the GOP will scare many current House and Senate members into dropping their support for those initiatives, say some pundits.</p>
<p>Failing to act on the promises made during the campaigns will probably do more damage than any single district outcome in any congressional race.</p>
<p>As to the Democratic Party, they face a bit of an issue even if Ossoff wins.&#160; Ossoff’s campaign has mostly avoided the more controversial side of the party, taking a moderate Democrat position.&#160; Whether this will play well with the party’s growing base of Bernie Sanders-type progressives may not tell the party officials in which direction then need to move.</p>
<p>In either case, it is only one Congressional District, and the fortunes of either party will hinge more on what happens between now and November 2018 that the outcome of this race.&#160; Just remember that tomorrow when the sky is falling on either the Republicans or the Democrats in the news media.&#160; It’s probably not as bad as it seems.</p>
<p /> | Far too much is being made of Georgia’s special election | false | http://natmonitor.com/2017/06/20/far-too-much-is-being-made-of-georgias-special-election/ | 2017-06-20 | 3 |
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<p>So far this week, I’ve been trying to ignore all the Miss California, <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2009-04-29-jesus-loves-fake-titties" type="external">Perez Hilton</a> hoo-ha. But now there’s news that Miss California Carrie Prejean, of “ <a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0409/Miss_California_emerges_as_opposite_marriage_spokeswoman.html" type="external">opposite marriage</a>” fame, is going to star in a <a href="http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/29/miss-california-to-star-in-tv-ad-from-conservative-group/" type="external">new ad</a> by the National Organization for Marriage. The ad will be titled “No Offense.” Which is ironic, really, because almost anytime someone prefaces a statement with “I’m not a racist, but…” or “No offense to anyone out there, but…” you can be sure they’re about to say something racist or offensive.</p>
<p>Thus far, Prejean has depicted herself as a victim; a brave, strong, <a href="http://perezhilton.com/2009-04-29-jesus-loves-fake-titties" type="external">surgically enhanced</a> victim persecuted for her religious views. NOM’s breathy press release <a href="http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/washington-whispers/2009/04/29/miss-california-carrie-prejean-in-dc-talking-traditional-marriage.html" type="external">says</a> that despite Prejean being “attacked viciously,” the Miss USA contestant has “inspired a whole nation”&#160;by having the “courage”&#160;to speak up about her conservative Christian values. This victim stance is perfectly consistent with <a href="" type="internal">NOM’s previous ad</a>, “A Gathering Storm,” in which Christians are threatened by cloudy gay skies and flashes of gay marriage lightening. I can’t wait for the parodies of “No Offense.” <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/6eddb255b2/a-gaythering-storm" type="external">Giant Gay-Repellent Umbrella</a>, anyone?</p>
<p /> | Carrie Prejean Makes ‘No Offense’ Ad for NOM | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/04/carrie-prejeans-no-offense-ad-nom/ | 2009-04-29 | 4 |
<p>Lights…Camera…Action! At the start of the economic recession the movie industry seemed unstoppable as consumer still flocked to the silver screen in the face of bank failures and bailouts. However, thanks to the increase of online streaming and shorter lag time between the big screen and DVDs, ticket sales dropped 5.4% last year to 1.35 billion compared to 2009. But don’t feel too bad for the industry—revenue still surged and reportedly surpassed the $10 billion mark. Here are the top earning motion pictures of all time, according to IMDB.com. (Reuters)</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | Top 10 Grossing Movies of All-Time in the U.S. | true | http://foxbusiness.com/slideshow/personal-finance/2011/06/20/top-10-grossing-movies-all-time-in-us.html | 2017-02-08 | 0 |
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<p>The triggering of Article 50, the never-before-used mechanism for a country to leave the European Union, will set off a two-year negotiation in which Britain will have to agree with its 27 erstwhile partners on the terms of divorce.</p>
<p>“We are on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation,” said David Davis, Britain’s Brexit secretary. “The government is clear in its aims: a deal that works for every nation and region of the U.K. and indeed for all of Europe – a new, positive partnership between the U.K. and our friends and allies in the European Union.”</p>
<p>Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed for months that the country will trigger Article 50 by the end of March. But Monday’s announcement of the date – March 29 – was the first official confirmation of the government’s exact timing.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Britain’s Parliament last week gave its final approval to May’s Brexit plans, and the prime minister had at one point been expected to trigger Article 50 then.</p>
<p>Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon threw a wrench in those plans last Monday by announcing a push for a new independence referendum from the United Kingdom, which also includes England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Scottish move seemed to catch Downing Street off-guard, and may have contributed to a decision to push Article 50 notification back to the final week of March.</p>
<p>The prime minister heads into the EU negotiations with her premiership, Britain’s economy and even the United Kingdom’s viability as a unified country all on the line. May came to power soon after last June’s Brexit referendum, and she has repeatedly said in the months since that she will deliver on voters’ narrow decision to make Britain the first country to leave the European Union.</p>
<p>On Monday, she departed on the first stage of a “listening tour” that will take her across Britain in the lead-up to the March 29 move. Her first stop was Wales, and she was also expected to visit sites in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England in the coming days.</p>
<p>Although Britain as a whole voted 52-to-48 in favor of leaving, majorities of voters in both Scotland and Northern Ireland favored staying in the European Union. Sturgeon has charged that Scottish voters are being taken out of the European Union against their will, and said last week she wants an independence referendum – a rerun of a September 2014 vote that opted to stay in the United Kingdom – sometime between the autumn of 2018 and the spring of 2019.</p>
<p>May has sharply criticized that call, and said over the weekend that “now is not the time” for a Scottish vote. But she has not threatened to veto another referendum altogether.</p>
<p>Britain’s exit negotiations are expected to be exceptionally tricky, with the country aiming to leave Europe’s common market and customs union but hoping to retain preferential access to both through a new trading agreement.</p>
<p>May has signaled she will prioritize Britain’s ability to control immigration from E.U. countries, a critical element in driving pro-Brexit sentiment. European leaders have drawn a tough line, signaling they will not allow Britain to enjoy the benefits of E.U. membership but not bear the responsibilities.</p>
<p>Once Britain has delivered its Article 50 letter to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels, EU leaders are expected to reply with their own letter setting out the bloc’s negotiating stance.</p>
<p>If Britain and the rest of the EU fail to agree to terms by the spring of 2019, they will either have to extend the negotiations or Britain will simply fall out of the European Union without an agreement for its future relations with its biggest trading partner – a scenario known as “dirty Brexit.”</p>
<p>May is hoping she will be able to run for reelection in the spring of 2020 on a platform of having delivered on the public’s will. But economists and government officials have warned that Britain’s exit is likely to be turbulent, and some within the prime minister’s ruling Conservative Party have pushed for her to call an early election this spring.</p>
<p>The call would take advantage of polls showing May’s Tories well ahead of the opposition Labour Party, which has been beset by internal strife under left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn. May only has a narrow majority in the House of Commons, and a vote this spring would likely allow her to significantly broaden it.</p>
<p>But May has repeatedly ruled out an early vote, and on Monday her spokesman told British journalists that there was “not going to be one.”</p> | Britain to trigger Article 50 on March 29, signaling start of EU departure | false | https://abqjournal.com/972467/britain-to-trigger-article-50-on-march-29-signaling-start-of-eu-departure.html | 2 |
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<p>EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A former Washington city councilman is suing four women over complaints of on-the-job sexual harassment they made against him.</p>
<p>The Everett Herald <a href="http://www.heraldnet.com/news/former-everett-councilman-suing-sexual-harassment-accusers/" type="external">reports</a> Former Everett City Councilman Ron Gipson and his wife, Shirley Gipson, are seeking unspecified damages for invasion of privacy, emotional distress, defamation and loss of consortium with his family.</p>
<p>Ron Gipson spent a year and a half on leave from his juvenile corrections job as a result of the misconduct allegations. Gipson and the accusers are Snohomish County juvenile corrections officers.</p>
<p>Gipson’s lawsuit seeks to dispute a rape allegation that one of the women made against him during a workplace investigation four years ago.</p>
<p>Neither Gipson nor his attorney, Rodney Moody of Everett, returned calls for comment.</p>
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<p>Information from: The Daily Herald, <a href="http://www.heraldnet.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.heraldnet.com" type="external">http://www.heraldnet.com</a></p>
<p>EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A former Washington city councilman is suing four women over complaints of on-the-job sexual harassment they made against him.</p>
<p>The Everett Herald <a href="http://www.heraldnet.com/news/former-everett-councilman-suing-sexual-harassment-accusers/" type="external">reports</a> Former Everett City Councilman Ron Gipson and his wife, Shirley Gipson, are seeking unspecified damages for invasion of privacy, emotional distress, defamation and loss of consortium with his family.</p>
<p>Ron Gipson spent a year and a half on leave from his juvenile corrections job as a result of the misconduct allegations. Gipson and the accusers are Snohomish County juvenile corrections officers.</p>
<p>Gipson’s lawsuit seeks to dispute a rape allegation that one of the women made against him during a workplace investigation four years ago.</p>
<p>Neither Gipson nor his attorney, Rodney Moody of Everett, returned calls for comment.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Daily Herald, <a href="http://www.heraldnet.com" type="external" /> <a href="http://www.heraldnet.com" type="external">http://www.heraldnet.com</a></p> | Former city councilman sues sexual harassment accusers | false | https://apnews.com/04e46460710c4da89e492808b8046a52 | 2018-01-22 | 2 |
<p>Edward S. Herman died on November 11, 2017, at the age of 92.&#160; Fortunately, it was a peaceful death for a supremely peaceful man.&#160; In all he did, Ed Herman was a tireless champion of peace.</p>
<p>Ed Herman could be considered the godfather of antiwar media critique, both because of his own contributions and because of the many writers he encouraged to pursue that work.&#160; Thanks to his logical mind and sense of justice, he sharply grasped the crucial role and diverse techniques of media propaganda in promoting war.&#160; He immediately saw through lies, including those so insidious that few dare challenge them, such as the arrogant presumption by the U.S. War Party of the “right to protect” and the “need to prevent genocide”, to justify the oxymoronic “humanitarian war”.</p>
<p>He saw that these pro-war lies flourish on the basis of what he called the distinction between “worthy and unworthy victims” persistently drawn by apologists for United States militarism. &#160;The million of victims of United States bombings, sanctions, regime changes and undercover assassinations are not considered calls to arms. Washington think tanks do not draw moral conclusions concerning the victims of Dresden, Hiroshima and Vietnam. But the public is endlessly exhorted to indignation concerning victims whose misfortune can serve as casus belli for the latest U.S. aggression.</p>
<p>mperialist Party Line hypocrites predictably pretended not to understand this distinction, and deliberately misinterpreted Herman’s exposure of this propaganda device to falsely accuse him of “denial” – when all he was denying was the pretext for more war.</p>
<p>The date of Ed Herman’s death carries an irony that he might have appreciated.&#160; It <a href="" type="internal" />was the 99th anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to the wholesale slaughter of World War, a date that should above all be a reminder that war is senseless mass murder.&#160; Europe sacrificed its future and a generation of its youth to a pointless struggle, because masses of people accepted the propaganda that portrayed the other side as an evil threat. Yet today, the United States, by proclaiming that day to be Veterans Day, subtly turns it into a glorification of war, by requiring public honor for soldiers who died – worthy victims.&#160; The unworthy cause always hides behind the worthy victims.</p>
<p>Ed Herman was not only a courageous political commentator, of rigorous honesty, who constantly dared challenge official lies with careful and factual analysis. He was also an extraordinarily good man, outraged against injustice but always kind and gentle, generous and considerate.</p>
<p>He personified human qualities that currently appear to have gone out of style.&#160; Prominent among these qualities was modesty.&#160; He generously encouraged other writers, and greatly enjoyed working with others, notably Noam Chomsky, as co-author.&#160; He had no vanity.&#160; His most famous work, <a href="" type="internal">Manufacturing Consent</a>, a more or less permanent worldwide best-seller, is widely attributed to Noam Chomsky – although Chomsky himself, in recognition of Herman’s leading role in developing the book’s ideas, insisted in putting Herman’s name ahead of his own in non-alphabetical order.&#160; It never seemed to occur to Ed Herman that he never had the recognition he deserved.</p>
<p>He had no children, and after she suffered a disabling accident, he cared for his wife Mary for the last years of her life before she died in August 2013, after 67 years of marriage.&#160; His pleasures were simple: he enjoyed a good meal and he loved cats, especially the strays who were lucky enough to find him.&#160; He never expected gratitude, but there are so many of us, human and feline, who have reason to say, thank you, Ed Herman, for all you gave us.</p> | Thank You, Ed Herman | true | https://counterpunch.org/2017/11/15/thank-you-ed-herman/ | 2017-11-15 | 4 |
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<p>One of the grayshirts, quarterback Cameron Mathrews, is the brother of Tyler Mathews, who competed in the preseason for the starting quarterback role and left the program when he lost out to Tyler Rogers.</p>
<p>Davis Harker and Ron LaForce are the two JUCO transfers. Matthews, Bryce Roberts and Tevis Abraham round out the grayshirts that will join Aggie football in January when the semester starts.</p>
<p>“This group of midyear enrollees is both specific and exciting,” Martin said in a statement released by the school. “Davis and Ron are the beginning of our emphasis in this recruiting class of offensive lineman and defensive backs. We will continue to work on both of those groups as we finish recruiting the 2017 class. We are also excited about adding Cameron, Bryce, and Tevis to our offensive unit this spring. Getting a whole semester of school and spring practice under their belt will be very beneficial.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The following are biographical capsules provided by New Mexico State:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Davis Harker</p>
<p>Offensive Line</p>
<p>Tulsa, Okla. | Northeastern Oklahoma A&amp;M College (Union HS)</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>AT NEO: Earned All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference Honorable Mentions as a sophomore…blocking efforts allowed Northeastern Oklahoma A&amp;M College rushing corp. to tally 2,054 yards on the ground – 1,600 of which came in conference play…guided running back Darwin Thompson to second-team honors with his blocking on the offensive line…also gave the Golden Horsemen’s quarterback enough time to pass for 3,240 yards on the year.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>High School: Three-year letter winner at Oklahoma state powerhouse Union High School…led UHS to two-straight district championships and back-to-back appearances in the Oklahoma High School Football State Championship game as a junior and senior…the Redskins went 32-8 overall during his time on varsity&#160; and 20-1 in league play.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Quotable: “Davis will be a key cog in our offensive line this spring. He has experience at both center and guard, which will prove valuable for his impact and the solidifying of our line this fall.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Ron LaForce</p>
<p>Defensive Back</p>
<p>Bayou La Batre, Ala. | College of the Sequoias (Alma Bryant HS)</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>At COS: Earned 2016 all-state honors and All-Valley League defensive team honors as a sophomore after totaling 66 tackles (52 solo), five interceptions, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery…his 7.3 tackles per game in 2016 were good for fifth in the conference…his five picks tied for eighth-most in the California Community College Athletic Association.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>High School: Played at Alma Bryant High School for Bruce Breland with current Aggie, Connor Cramer…was a 2014 all-state defensive back as a senior and earned back-to-back all-region honors his junior and senior campaign.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Quotable: “Ron is a ball player.&#160; It’s always great adding guys to your team who just love to play football, and Ron is that. His physical play and ability to make a play on the ball will undoubtedly help our secondary.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Cameron Matthews (Grayshirt)</p>
<p>Quarterback</p>
<p>Crowley, Texas | Trinity Valley School</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>High School: Played at Trinity Valley School in Crowley, Texas under Aaron Mattox…named 2014 and 2015 All-Southwest Preparatory Conference Player of the Year…threw for 5,207 passing yards over career…racked up 33 passing touchdowns with the Trojans…completed 455-of-791 passes in three years for a 57.5-completion percentage…tallied three-straight years of 1,000-yards passing and a pair of 10-touchdown seasons…recorded 231 punting yards on eight punts through at TVS.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Quotable: “Cameron is a smart, talented player who we are really excited to get on the field this spring. This offseason will be a great chance for him to work out and then take his knowledge of the offense to the field and grow as a quarterback.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Bryce Roberts (Grayshirt)</p>
<p>Tight End</p>
<p>Yukon, Okla. | Mustang High School</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>High School: Played at Mustang HS in Mustang, Okla., under Jeremy Dombek…ranked as the No. 41 overall prospect in the state by 247sports.com in 2015…was an all-district honoree as a tight end for MHS…selected as Honorable Mention Big All-City…started at power forward on basketball state champions team in 2014-15…played against fellow NM State signee, Davis Harker, in high school.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Quotable: “Bryce is a talented young man with great size and athletic ability. This spring will be a great chance for him to work in the strength and conditioning program as well get reps on the field which will help him impact our offense this fall.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Tevis Abraham (Grayshirt)</p>
<p>Wide Receiver</p>
<p>Baton Rouge, La. | Southern Lab High School</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>High School: Led Southern Lab High School to the Louisiana Division IV State Championship his senior year…named second-team all-state for division IV and first-team all-district after guiding SLHS to the state championship…earned first-team all-state accolades after leading the Kittens to the state championship before falling in the finals as a junior…was a three-time state team champion in track and field…was a third-place finisher in the 400m as a senior and runner-up his junior season.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Quotable: “We are excited about what Tevis brings to the wide receiver room this spring. He was a very productive player and track athlete in high school, and brings good size and a physical presence with his play.”</p> | Aggie football adds five signees | false | https://abqjournal.com/910010/aggie-football-adds-five-signees.html | 2 |
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<p>HBO’s controversial new documentary “Going Clear” pulled in record rankings with over 1.7 million views, though actor John Travolta was not one of them. Travolta has been a member of the church of Scientology for over 40 years, and disapproves of the documentary’s portrayal of the church. During an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, he stated “No, I haven’t [seen it], and I don’t really care to […] I haven’t experienced anything that the hearsay has (claimed), so why would I communicate something that wasn’t true for me?” Travolta said. “It wouldn’t make sense, nor would it for Tom [Cruise], I imagine.”</p>
<p>The documentary claims that actors such as Tom Cruise and Travolta ignore the harassment of members of the church because they are afraid that their deepest and darkest secrets (which may have been confessed during audits) would be exposed to tabloids. “Going Clear” director Alex Gibney hopes that the documentary will make it more accessible for the actors to leave the church.</p>
<p>Travolta insists that the documentary is just a result of people who have had a negative experience at the church, and that the church was there for him at his most difficult times. Travolta continued to discuss the unconditionally support the church gave him after the death of his 16-year-old son in 2009. He elaborated “I’ve been brought through storms that were insurmountable, and [Scientology has] been so beautiful for me, that I can’t even imagine attacking it.”</p>
<p>According to The Tampa Bay Times, when Travolta isn’t working or acting, he spends around five days a week visiting Scientology’s headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.</p>
<p /> | John Travolta claims HBO documentary paints inaccurate portrayal of Scientology | false | http://natmonitor.com/2015/04/08/john-travolta-claims-hbo-documentary-paints-inaccurate-portrayal-of-scientology/ | 2015-04-08 | 3 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The public can take a free telephone-based hearing test funded by the National Institutes of Health by calling 866-223-7575.</p>
<p>The National Hearing Test is not affiliated with any hearing products or services.</p>
<p>A recorded message provides a series of three-digit numbers. Callers are asked to enter the numbers into the phone key pad. The process is repeated for the right and left ears.</p>
<p>The caller learns the test results immediately. If the results are below the normal range, callers are advised to visit an audiologist or physician who specializes in hearing.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Free hearing test offered by phone | false | https://abqjournal.com/402164/free-hearing-test-offered-by-phone.html | 2 |
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<p>MA says the people of India are angry: against the attackers but also against the inadequacy of preventing the attacks. (You wrote a scathing critique of the government for those reasons and there were similar feelings about the U.S. government in the wake of 9/11. Is that a sign of how sophisticated terrorism is becoming or is it really a failure of government?) The major difference between 9/11 and Mumbai is there was no precedent for 9/11, but here in India this has been going on for the last two or three years in escalating levels. (In terms of the consequences of the attack, are you concerned about a backlash against India's Muslim citizens?) the Indian people are showing a degree of maturity which is reassuring and it's despite the level of anger across the country, the Indian people are mature enough to believe that you cannot punish a whole community because of the actions of a deviant few. They know this might have been the purpose of the attackers, to destroy the harmony of communities in India.</p> | India mood | false | https://pri.org/stories/2008-11-28/india-mood | 2008-11-28 | 3 |
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<p>In court papers, the IRS said the hard drive was destroyed after two sets of trained technicians tried to retrieve the data. The tax agency said it was standard procedure to destroy old data storage equipment that may have contained confidential taxpayer information.</p>
<p>LERNER: In charge of tax-exempt status applications</p>
<p>The IRS says Lerner’s computer crashed in 2011, destroying an untold number of emails. At the time, Lerner headed the division that handles applications for tax-exempt status.</p>
<p>Lerner is a central figure in congressional investigations into the handling of applications by tea party and other conservative groups.</p>
<p>IRS Commissioner John Koskinen had told Congress that Lerner’s hard drive was recycled and presumably destroyed. Friday’s court filings confirmed it.</p>
<p>As part of a lawsuit, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered the IRS last week to explain what happened to the hard drive.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Walton also wanted information about an inspector general’s investigation into the lost emails. Walton wanted to know the qualifications of computer experts conducting the investigation, and he wanted a projection on when the investigation will be complete.</p>
<p>Timothy Camus, a deputy inspector general for investigations, said in court papers that 11 special agents are on the case.</p>
<p>However, he added, “It is not possible to give an estimated date of completion.”</p>
<p />
<p /> | IRS: Hard drive with lost emails destroyed | false | https://abqjournal.com/431754/irs-hard-drive-with-lost-emails-destroyed.html | 2 |
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<p>The West failed Syria and left “the pitch wide open for Russia,” says UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. “We set the red lines … and then we did nothing about it,” he commented in London on Thursday, criticizing Western “aloofness.”</p>
<p>Johnson admitted the West had set out red lines for intervention in Syria and then failed to follow through, enabling Russia and Iran to enforce their foreign policies in the war-torn country.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/412349-johnson-terrorism-foreign-spies/" type="external" /></p>
<p>“We called on [President Bashar] Assad to go. We set the red lines of what we would accept in his treatment of the Syrian population. And then we did nothing about it,” Johnson said, according to Bloomberg. “We willed the end, and failed to will the means – leaving the pitch wide open for Russia and Iran.”</p>
<p>Johnson added that problems in the Middle East “have been exacerbated not so much by Western meddling as by our aloofness.”</p>
<p>Former US President Barack Obama had drawn a ‘red line’ in 2012 with Assad over chemical weapons, only to be seen to back away from it in 2013.</p>
<p>In 2016, Obama offered the Atlantic his reasons for not enforcing that red line: uneasiness about a strike against Syria not being sanctioned by the US Congress, a lack of support from the international community and the American people and the possibility that the intelligence on the chemical weapons attack wasn’t 100 percent.</p>
<p>“We had UN inspectors on the ground who were completing their work, and we could not risk taking a shot while they were there. A second major factor was the failure of [UK Prime Minister David] Cameron to obtain the consent of parliament,” Obama said.</p>
<p>It has been claimed that the Obama administration’s determination to close an Iran nuclear deal was likely to blame for the failure to act on its own red line in Syria. “When the president announced his plans to attack [the Assad regime] and then pulled back, it was exactly the period in time when American negotiators were meeting with Iranian negotiators secretly in Oman to get the nuclear agreement,” the Wall Street Journal reported.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/news/411421-syria-military-withdrawal-russia/" type="external">READ MORE: Russia preparing to withdraw military contingent from Syria – security chief</a></p>
<p>David Cameron then lost a parliamentary vote for military intervention in Syria. The UK later hit Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) targets in Syria, however, following a House of Commons vote in December 2015.</p>
<p>In April of this year, Johnson claimed if the US wanted to carry out strikes on forces loyal to Assad, the UK would find it hard to resist joining in. He also suggested there would not be a parliamentary vote on the decision because it solely rested with the prime minister.</p>
<p>Theresa May, however, said Johnson’s comments were “hypothetical” and that “there is no proposal on the table for further strikes in Syria.” Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry told the BBC Johnson was “delusional.”</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>Last week, Russia announced that it had started preparations to downsize its military presence in Syria. Its head of national security, Nikolay Patrushev, did not provide a timetable for the pull-out but said it will start “when ready.”</p>
<p>Moscow previously indicated that progress in defeating IS in Syria meant the need for Russian air support for local armed forces would diminish, prompting a reduction in Russia’s military footprint.</p> | West failed Syria and left ‘pitch wide open for Russia’ claims Boris Johnson | false | https://newsline.com/west-failed-syria-and-left-pitch-wide-open-for-russia-claims-boris-johnson/ | 2017-12-08 | 1 |
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/rebeccakmccray" type="external">Rebecca McCray</a> has a horrifying <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/trials_and_error/2017/07/is_it_ever_appropriate_to_put_an_abuse_victim_in_jail_to_compel_her_to_testify.html" type="external">piece in Slate</a> this week about sexual and domestic violence survivors who are thrown into jail – by the very prosecutors they turn to for help.</p>
<p />
<p>The piece describes a Honolulu domestic violence center operated by the prosecutor’s office. Rather than focusing on getting survivors and their kids to safety, the shelter seizes&#160;survivors’ cellphones and laptops, refuses to admit their kids, and will turn away anyone who won’t promise to testify against their abusers. Disturbingly,&#160;the city is prioritizing its conviction rate before its moral obligation to ensure survivors have a safe, welcoming place to go when they flee violence.</p>
<p>Gender-based violence is&#160; <a href="https://www.knowyourix.org/issues/statistics/" type="external">notoriously underreported</a>;&#160;services must&#160;be available to the vast majority of survivors who&#160;just aren’t willing to testify against perpetrators. A model like the Honolulu shelter would literally leave them out in the cold, potentially forcing them to choose between being homeless and returning&#160;to an abusive partner. And I worry that if a survivor seeking help&#160;goes to a “shelter” that treats them not like a human being who needs help, but as a tool in a prosecutor’s strategy, they may be less likely to seek help in the future.</p>
<p>Even worse,&#160;some prosecutors are so hell-bent on securing convictions they are even willing to put survivors in jail to force them to testify against their abusers.&#160;McRary writes:</p>
<p>“Last year in Oregon, a woman who alleged she’d been sexually assaulted by a corrections officer was&#160; <a href="http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2016/09/accuser_in_prison_sex_case_jai.html" type="external">jailed on a material witness warrant</a> to ensure she’d cooperate with authorities; she was held even though she told the judge she intended to testify. In Houston, Texas, former Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson’s office <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2016/07/a_texas_prosecutor_jailed_a_rape_victim_to_ensure_her_testimony_against.html" type="external">jailed a rape victim</a> for 28 days to force her to testify. “There were no apparent alternatives that would ensure both the victim’s safety and her appearance at trial,” said Anderson in a video statement <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s4RF3EbSAE" type="external">defending the choice</a>. In New Orleans, the practice of detaining domestic violence and sex crime victims to secure testimony is the <a href="http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2017/04/councilman_seeks_to_condemn_or.html" type="external">status quo</a>.….</p>
<p>In 2011, [Honolulu prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro] had a woman <a href="http://www.staradvertiser.com/2011/05/12/hawaii-news/assault-victim-arrested-to-ensure-her-testimony/" type="external">arrested at her graduation party</a> to guarantee her testimony against an ex-boyfriend who’d allegedly abused her.”</p>
<p>Throwing survivors in jail, robbing them of their autonomy in the wake of violence, is the ultimate form of revictimization.</p>
<p>The likely result of this is that fewer survivors come forward to report.&#160;For survivors who, in the wake of trauma, are grappling with how to seek safety and healing, the possibility that you’d be locked up because you’re not ready to take the stand is one hell of a deterrent to coming forward.</p>
<p>It’s a harsh illustration of the priorities&#160;that underlie the criminal system: prosecution is fundamentally about vindicating the interest of the state, even when that’s at odds with the needs, well-being, and dignity of survivors. And it’s another reminder of why survivors need <a href="" type="internal">civil solutions</a> to gender-based violence.</p>
<p>You can read McCrary’s full piece <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/trials_and_error/2017/07/sheldry_topp_went_to_prison_when_he_was_17_in_1962_it_s_time_to_let_him.html" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>Image credit: <a href="https://uiwomenscenter.wordpress.com/2016/11/01/the-treatment-of-women-in-the-u-s-prison-system/" type="external">University of Idaho Women’s Center</a></p> | On Prosecutors Who Jail Rape Survivors | true | http://feministing.com/2017/07/19/on-prosecutors-who-jail-rape-survivors/ | 4 |
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<p>Tours and events aimed at attracting both beer nerds and bird enthusiasts are popping up all over the country, attracting bearded microbrew lovers, field-guide-wielding bird buffs and folks with a passion for both suds and sparrows. Bird-and-beer happenings are taking place from Los Angeles to Minneapolis to Hampton, New Hampshire.</p>
<p>Beer and bird hobbyists say they are united by their mutual love of minutiae, rarity and variety, whether searching for an Indian peafowl or a limited release of India pale ale.</p>
<p>Typically, the trips begin with a hike and end at a brewery. One of the more successful tours is “Birds On Tap Roadtrip,” located in beer-loving, bird-rich Maine and now in its second year.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“There happen to be a lot of people who like birds who like beer – we've analyzed this,” said Derek Lovitch, who leads Birds On Tap Roadtrip tours. “And then, after the third or fourth pint, we really analyze this.”</p>
<p>Birds On Tap Roadtrip is coordinated by Freeport Wild Bird Supply, which is run by bird nut Lovitch and his wife, Jeannette. They partner with Maine Brew Bus, a lime green bus that shuttles people to the state's many breweries and serves as a kind of Mystery Machine of Maine beer. The tours are $65 – libations are included, but binoculars are not.</p>
<p>This year's slate of tours began in February and will run every several weeks until Dec. 11. Each trip has a theme, including “Surf and Suds,” which is a winter waterfowl tour, and “Grassland and Grains,” a late-spring search for sandpipers and sparrows on the Kennebunk Plains, a nature preserve.</p>
<p>This November's tour was “Fall Ducks and Draughts,” a chilly march around Sabattus Pond on the hunt for waterbirds including hooded mergansers, common goldeneyes, buffleheads and green-wing teals. All were located, and the group of about a dozen hearty birders then departed by bus for trips to Baxter Brewing in Lewiston and Maine Beer Co. in Freeport.</p>
<p>The beer end of the trip was as successful as the bird bit. The group located a peregrine falcon resting on a steeple just outside Baxter after imbibing. At Maine Beer Company, the brewery was able to provide fresh glasses of Dinner, its sought-after double IPA.</p>
<p>Participants agreed there was no harm in having a lager along with the loons. (Though they actually saw only one loon.) Brandon Baldwin, 40, of Manchester, Maine, went with his mother, Carole Baldwin, 73, of Skowhegan, and said the trip appealed to both of them.</p>
<p>“She's an avid birder who likes beer. I'm an avid beerer who likes birds,” he said. “It seemed like a perfect crossover.”</p>
<p>Bird-and-beer events sometimes take different forms. One, held on the rooftop of the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, brought bird experts from the National Park Service to help people observe birds in an urban environment. Libations followed. In Minneapolis, a group called “Birds and Beers” gathers to brainstorm about secret hotspots and tips on how to take bird pictures using a digital scope.</p>
<p>Smuttynose Brewery in Hampton, New Hampshire, hosted a bird walk and brewery tour on the brewery's own grounds. And in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, people met for a hiking and birding tour of Black Run Preserve in Evesham Township followed by tours of Berlin Brewing Co., Lunacy Brewing Co. and Flying Fish Brewery.</p>
<p>Some of the trips are organized by private companies and nature societies and others are the product of local meetup groups that form online. Prices vary from nothing to about the price of a pro football ticket.</p>
<p>Don Littlefield, a partner in the Maine Brew Bus company that hosts the Maine tour, said it has proved to be a way to make beer fans out of bird lovers – and vice versa.</p>
<p>“It allows us to reach another different demographic,” he said. “There's a lot of people who are not necessarily there for the beer. They are there for the birds. And then there are others who are not there for the birds – they are there for the beer.”</p>
<p><a href="#3267f3a2-c401-4471-b869-df78ac152d7e" type="external">© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</a> Learn more about our <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/privacy" type="external">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/terms" type="external">Terms of Use</a>.</p> | Loons and lager, ducks on draft: Birders, brewers form flock | false | https://abqjournal.com/896244/loons-and-lager-ducks-on-draft-birders-brewers-form-flock.html | 2016-11-26 | 2 |
<p>Rancher Cliven Bundy says he was simply “wondering” about whether black Americans were “happier” under slavery than under dependence to the federal government.</p>
<p>In an interview on The Peter Schiff Show (first flagged by <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/bundy-explains-negro-remarks-im-wondering-if-theyre-better-off-being-slaves/" type="external">Mediaite</a>), Bundy explained remarks <a href="" type="internal">published in the New York Times</a> Thursday and roundly denounced as racist.</p>
<p>“I said ‘I’m wondering if they are better off under a government subsidy - and young women are having abortions and their young men are in jail and their older women and children are sitting out on the screen porch without nothing to do,’” he said. “I’m wondering are they happier now under this government subsidy system than they were they were slaves and they were able to have a family structure together and the chickens and a garden and the people have something to do.”</p>
<p>“So, in my mind, I’m wondering are they better off being slaves in that sense or better off being slaves of the United States government in the sense of a subsidy?” he added.</p>
<p>Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have slammed Bundy’s remarks as offensive and “disgusting.” The rancher – who led an armed confrontation with federal rangers over a land dispute – was quoted in the New York Times using the phrase “the Negro” and lamenting that black men “never learned how to pick cotton.”</p> | Bundy Explains: Slavery Comment Just ‘Wondering’ | false | http://nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bundy-explains-slavery-comment-just-wondering-n88876 | 2014-04-24 | 3 |
<p>Imagine for a moment what would happen if the European Union applied for membership in the European Union. Its application would be flatly rejected. Why? Because the European Union doesn't live up to its own criteria of democracy, of Europeanness. As I have argued in these pages (?Democracy Beyond the Nation-State,? Winter 1999) and elsewhere, this paradox goes right to the heart of what's wrong with the European Union. It isn't European enough.</p>
<p>Europe has a novel and empirical reality that all its critics fundamentally skip over. The reason anti-Europeans can't imagine a future for Europe is that they can't imagine its present. They are trapped in the contradictions of EU member nations' misunderstanding of themselves. And this false picture of Europe's present is blocking its future development.</p>
<p>I think I can demonstrate that the Euroskeptics have it exactly backward. The solution to the EU's problems is not more national realism. Rather, it is more Europe, more of the reality we are already experiencing-a cosmopolitan Europe. National categories of thought have created this impasse. National irrealism is Europe's problem. I make my case with three theses.</p>
<p>1. The European Union is not a Christian club. As an empirical assertion this is so obvious it's a wonder how the debate got started. To call Europe a Christian club is to talk as if "Londistan" did not exist-the capital city of Islam outside the Islamic world. To say the European Union is a Christian club is to elevate unreality into a theory, the propositions of which are radically wrong. The easiest example is the now ubiquitous idea that Europe is a great community of common descent.</p>
<p>Turkey is, of course, the looming question that has brought this long-buried discourse of origins out of hiding. People who want to keep the Turks out have suddenly discovered that the roots of Europe lie in its Christian heritage. Those who share our continent, but do not share this Christian heritage, are seen as Europe's Other.</p>
<p>But this is to take the idea of an ethnic nation-that you have an identity you get from your parents, which can't be learned or unlearned-and apply it at the level of Europe. It conceives national and cultural identities as so inherently and mutually exclusive that you can't have two of them in the same logical space.</p>
<p>This is not only empirically wrong, it is totally at odds with the idea of Europe. If identities are mutually exclusive, Europe is an impossible project. The whole idea of the EU was based on the idea that one could be German and French or British and German at the same time.</p>
<p>Dangerous traces of this exclusivist idea exist even in the seemingly benign idea of cultural "dialogue." The picture normally evoked by dialogue is of two separate entities, "Islam" and the ...</p>
<p /> | Understanding the Real Europe | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/understanding-the-real-europe | 2018-10-04 | 4 |
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