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<p>Image source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/electricnude/505744615/in/photolist-LG5fK-4z5e2g-aJpWn-69pg4x-3sEEtK-8nJ6Xi-61Gc1N-qsm1LD-8rsuHR-4FN9dA-4fMyg-ChbxG-cAJDYJ-3KimCR-4fpxEL-6aSMJs-7NYGL8-ohZLEK-bV84xX-68ixdh-qAY16j-5EGR8m-ckrCtJ-dUMu24-76Y4jE-8BmMA9-4Aofnc-nAUwNS-faNkm-4j5SZU-4G8GAZ-8wveHd-9mJr9p-8GCnLe-8SNarY-69qdqw-aJpWB-4Gcxjr-4gB9pN-gRpW19-fcVEPS-4SaEPQ-hFM7qt-9mJqu4-pcBXyZ-8wWUVc-7rq1PY-dBTsMY-6qSUYP-nZu5uG" type="external">Flickr/electricnude Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Some fund managers trade in and out of stocks frequently, making their disclosed holdings old news by the time they're released to the public. However, others tend to buy and hold and shop for long-term business quality, making their 13F filings a good hunting ground for stocks that buy-and-hold-oriented managers are buying now.</p>
<p>These funds and firms include SQ Advisors (led by Lou Simpson), Triple Frond Partners, and Brave Warrior Advisors, which tend to invest only their very best ideas, and concentrate their portfolios in a handful of stocks.</p>
<p>Three stocks --Moody's Corporation , Charles Schwab , and Berkshire Hathaway -- were hot among hedge funds with a long-term focus in recent disclosures.</p>
<p>1. Your credit's goodJust as individuals have credit scores, companies do, too. Moody's is one of the leaders in the business. It generates about two-thirds of its revenue (about 84% of its operating income) from fees it earns by rating the debt of public and private companies.</p>
<p>The other third of its revenue, and about a sixth of its operating income, comes from Moody's Analytics, a line that develops and sells research, data, and software to financial institutions and risk managers. Notably, most of its sales (74%) are on subscription, resulting in generally predictable recurring revenue. Its products are also very sticky -- it reports a sky-high retention rate of 96% for its subscription products. In other words, its average customer life is about 25 years.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The true beauty of the business relies on its simplicity. As a business built on services and software, Moody's has to spend very little to grow its business. In the past 12 months, it generated about $1.2 billion in operating cash flow and spent only $84 million on capital expenditures, thus freeing the company to deploy cash to buy back stock and pay dividends. Not many companies can double revenue while repurchasing a third of their shares in a 10-year period. Moody's did.</p>
<p>2. Betting on brokeragesThough few large funds use brokerages like Charles Schwab, they're happy to make bold bets on a bright future for the brokerage business. Brokerages generally make money in two ways, from fees and commissions earned from customer transactions, and interest income earned by lending and investing customer balances. Charles Schwab generates the bulk of its revenue from sticky sources -- asset management and admin fees and interest revenue earned on brokerage and bank balances.</p>
<p>The bull thesis for Schwab largely rests on an increase in short-term interest rates, which would lift asset management fees and interest income. At the end of 2015, the company forecast that a 1% increase in short-term rates would add 8.2% of high-margin interest income to its top line.</p>
<p>Increasing rates would also allow it to remove fee waivers on many of its currently low-yielding funds. Schwab waived $672 million of fees for its clients in 2015. If reversed, this would flow right into pre-tax profits for the discount brokerage, growing net revenue from its asset management and administration fees by 25% overnight.</p>
<p>Charles Schwab is a fairly unique bet on rising rates. The Federal Reserve's rate decisions affect the brokerage more so than other financial firms because it earns on the short end of the interest rate curve. But lest you think it's all about rates, it isn't. Rising interest rates are simply the icing on top.</p>
<p>Schwab posted its best year since the financial crisis in 2015, earning $1.45 billion on net revenue of $6.4 billion. Those are the kind of margins investors love to see, and since most of its costs are fixed, a large share of each incremental revenue dollar goes into shareholder's pockets.</p>
<p>3. Banking on BuffettThere are perhaps few safer investments for fund managers than making a bet on Warren Buffett, perhaps the greatest investor the world will ever see. A number of funds increased their stakes in Berkshire Hathaway last quarter.</p>
<p>Though Berkshire Hathaway has simply grown too large to generate the market-thumping results of the past 50 years, it isn't exactly priced for the same performance. Berkshire Hathaway shares trade for just 1.35 times book value, having started the year trading as low as 1.2 times book value. It won't get much cheaper than that, given Buffett's intention to buy back stock when it trades for less than 1.2 times book.</p>
<p>Buffett's company didn't exactly have a stellar 2015. Lower gas prices hurt its car insurer, Geico, as its customers took to their cars and got in more accidents. Similarly, depressed commodity prices led to lower operating profits for BNSF, America's biggest railroad. And Buffett didn't get much help from the stock market, as two of his largest holdings, American Expressand IBM, tumbled through 2015.</p>
<p>But to say that last year's performance is indicative of the future would be a big mistake, in my view. Investors should only be so lucky that a weak year gives them the opportunity to buy a stock at the same price the world's very best investor says is a bargain.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/18/3-stocks-long-term-investors-are-buying-now.aspx" type="external">3 Stocks Long-Term Investors Are Buying Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFValueMagnet/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Jordan Wathen Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool recommends American Express and Moody's. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 3 Stocks Long-Term Investors Are Buying | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/18/3-stocks-long-term-investors-are-buying.html | 2016-04-18 | 0 |
<p>SEE UPDATES BELOW.</p>
<p>Let’s compare a couple of accounts of the mass deaths apparently caused by chemical weapons in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta on August 21. One account comes from the U.S. government ( <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/30/government-assessment-syrian-government-s-use-chemical-weapons-august-21" type="external">8/30/13</a>), introduced by Secretary of State John Kerry. The other was published by a Minnesota-based news site called Mint Press News ( <a href="http://www.mintpressnews.com/witnesses-of-gas-attack-say-saudis-supplied-rebels-with-chemical-weapons/168135/" type="external">8/29/13</a>).</p>
<p>The government account expresses “high confidence that the Syrian government carried out a chemical weapons attack” on August 21. The Mint report bore the headline “Syrians in Ghouta Claim Saudi-Supplied Rebels Behind Chemical Attack.” Which of these two versions should we find more credible?</p>
<p>The U.S. government, of course, has a track record that will incline informed observers to approach its claims with skepticism–particularly when it’s making charges about the proscribed weapons of official enemies. Kerry said in his <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Text-of-Kerry-statement-on-Syria-4775612.php" type="external">address</a> that “our intelligence community” has been “more than mindful of the Iraq experience”–as should be anyone listening to Kerry’s presentation, because the <a href="" type="internal">Iraq experience</a> informs us that secretaries of State can express great confidence about matters that they are completely wrong about, and that U.S. intelligence assessments can be based on <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-schwarz/colin-powell-wmd-iraq-war_b_2624620.html" type="external">distortion of evidence</a> and deliberate suppression of <a href="" type="internal">contradictory facts</a>.</p>
<p>Secretary of State John Kerry making the case that Damascus has used chemical weapons (US State Department)</p>
<p>Comparing Kerry’s presentation on Syria and its accompanying document to Colin Powell’s <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/transcripts/powelltext_020503.html" type="external">speech</a> to the UN on Iraq, though, one is struck by how little specific evidence was included in the case for the Syrian government’s use of chemical weapons. It gives the strong impression of being pieced together from drone surveillance and NSA intercepts, supplemented by Twitter messages and YouTube videos, rather than from on-the-ground reporting or human intelligence. Much of what is offered tries to establish that the victims in Ghouta had been exposed to chemical weapons–a question that indeed had been in <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.542849" type="external">some doubt</a>, but had already largely been settled by a <a href="http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/press/release.cfm?id=7029&amp;cat=press-release" type="external">report</a> by Doctors Without Borders that reported that thousands of people in the Damascus area had been treated for “neurotoxic symptoms.”</p>
<p>On the critical question of who might be responsible for such a chemical attack, Kerry’s presentation was much more vague and circumstantial. A key point in the government’s white paper is “the detection of rocket launches from regime-controlled territory early in the morning, approximately 90 minutes before the first report of a chemical attack appeared in social media.” It’s unclear why this is supposed to be persuasive. Do rockets take 90 minutes to reach their targets? Does nerve gas escape from rockets 90 minutes after impact, or, once released, take 90 minutes to cause symptoms?</p>
<p>In a conflict as conscious of the importance of communication as the Syrian Civil War, do citizen journalists wait an hour and a half before reporting an enormous development–the point at which, as Kerry put it, “all hell broke loose in the social media”? Unless there’s some reason to expect this kind of a delay, it’s very unclear why we should think there’s any connection at all between the allegedly observed rocket launches and the later reports of mass poisoning.</p>
<p>When the evidence isn’t circumstantial, it’s strikingly vague: “We intercepted communications involving a senior official intimately familiar with the offensive who confirmed that chemical weapons were used by the regime on August 21 and was concerned with the UN inspectors obtaining evidence,” the report asserts. Taken at face value, it’s one of the most damning claims in the government’s report–a veritable confession. But how was the identity of this official established? And what exactly did they say that “confirmed” chemical weapons use? Recall that Powell played tapes of Iraqi officials supposedly talking about concealing evidence of banned weapons from inspectors–which turned out to show <a href="http://www.consortiumnews.com/Print/2011/021811a.html" type="external">nothing of the kind</a>. But Powell at least played tapes of the intercepted communication, even as he spun and misrepresented their contents–allowing for the possibility of an independent interpretation of these messages. Perhaps “mindful of the Iraq experience,” Kerry allows for no such interpretation.</p>
<p>Colin Powell making the case that Iraq possessed proscribed weaponry</p>
<p>Another key claim is asserted without substantiation: “Syrian chemical weapons personnel were operating in the Damascus suburb of ‘Adra from Sunday, August 18 until early in the morning on Wednesday, August 21, near an area that the regime uses to mix chemical weapons, including sarin.” How were these personnel identified, and what were the signs of their operations? How was this place identified as an area used to mix sarin? Here again the information provided was far less detailed than what Powell gave to the UN: Powell’s presentation included satellite photographs of sites where proscribed weapons were being made, with an explanation of what they revealed to “experts with years and years of experience”: “The two arrows indicate the presence of sure signs that the bunkers are storing chemical munitions,” he said, pointing to an annotated photograph of bunkers that turned out to be storing no such thing. Powell’s presentation graphically demonstrated that US intelligence analysts are fallible, which is part of why presenting bare assertions without any of the raw materials used to derive those conclusions should not be very convincing.</p>
<p>Kerry did offer an explanation for why the report was so cursory: “In order to protect sources and methods, some of what we know will only be released to members of Congress, the representatives of the American people. That means that some things we do know, we can’t talk about publicly.” It is not clear, however, why intelligence methods that produced visual and audible evidence that could be shared with the public 10 years ago cannot be similarly utilized today. It does point to why the $52 billion the United States spends on surveillance annually, according to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden (Washington Post, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/black-budget-summary-details-us-spy-networks-successes-failures-and-objectives/2013/08/29/7e57bb78-10ab-11e3-8cdd-bcdc09410972_story.html" type="external">8/29/13</a>), provides relatively little information that’s of value to American democracy: The collection of information is considered so much more valuable than the information collected that it rarely if ever can be used to inform a public debate. Instead, as we discuss the dreadful question of whether to launch a military attack on another country, we are offered an undemocratic “trust us” from the most secretive parts of our government–an offer that history warns us to be extremely wary of.</p>
<p>Mnar Muhawesh</p>
<p>Unlike the U.S. government, Mint does not have much of a track record, having been founded only about a year and a half ago (CJR, <a href="http://www.cjr.org/news_startups_guide/2012/03/mint-press-news.php" type="external">3/28/12</a>). The founder of the for-profit startup is Mnar Muhawesh, a 24-year-old Palestinian-American woman who believes, reasonably enough, that “our media has absolutely failed our country” (MinnPost, <a href="http://www.minnpost.com/david-brauer-blog/2012/01/who-mintpress-and-why-are-they-doing-all-hiring#94-34403" type="external">1/18/12</a>).&#160; One of its two reporters on its Syrian chemical weapons piece, Dale Gavlak, is a longtime Associated Press <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/author/dale-gavlak" type="external">Mideast stringer</a> who has also done work for <a href="http://www.npr.org/2013/01/08/168898508/syrian-refugees-attack-aid-workers-amid-deteriorating-conditions" type="external">NPR</a> and the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20104169" type="external">BBC</a>. AP was one of the few US corporate media outlets to question official assertions about Iraqi WMDs, contrasting Powell’s assertions with what could be discerned from on-the-ground reporting (Extra!, <a href="" type="internal">3-4/06</a>).</p>
<p>Mint takes a similar approach to the Syrian story, with a reporter in Ghouta–not Gavlak but <a href="http://jo.linkedin.com/pub/yahya-ababneh/63/830/108" type="external">Yahya Ababneh</a>, a Jordanian freelancer and journalism grad student–who “spoke directly with the rebels, their family members, victims of the chemical weapons attacks and local residents.” The article reports that “many believe that certain rebels received chemical weapons via the Saudi intelligence chief, Prince Bandar bin Sultan, and were responsible for carrying out” the chemical attack. The recipients of the chemical weapons are said to be Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda-linked rebel faction that was caught possessing sarin nerve gas in Turkey, according to Turkish press reports (OE Watch, <a href="http://fmso.leavenworth.army.mil/Archives/GSW/201307/Turkey_02.html" type="external">7/13</a>).</p>
<p>Mint quotes Abu Abdel-Moneim, described as the father of a rebel killed in the chemical weapons attacks, as saying that his son had described carrying unconventional weapons provided by Saudi Arabia to underground storage tunnels–a “tubelike structure” and a “huge gas bottle.” A rebel leader identified as J describes the release of toxic weaponry as accidental, saying, “Some of the fighters handled the weapons improperly and set off the explosions.” Another rebel referred to as K complains, “When Saudi Prince Bandar gives such weapons to people, he must give them to those who know how to handle and use them.”</p>
<p>Dale Gavlak</p>
<p>Of course, independent media accounts are not necessarily more credible than official reports–or vice versa. As with the government white paper, there are gaps in the Mint account; while Abdel-Moneim cites his late son’s account of carrying chemical weapons, the rebels quoted do not indicate how they came to know what they say they know about the origin of the weapons. But unlike the government, Mint is honest about the limits of its knowledge: “Some information in this article could not be independently verified,” the story admits. “Mint Press News will continue to provide further information and updates.”</p>
<p>This humility about the difficulty of reporting on a covert, invisible attack in the midst of a chaotic civil war actually adds to the credibility of the Mint account. It’s those who are most certain about matters of which they clearly lack firsthand knowledge who should make us most skeptical.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>UPDATE: See “UN Report Provides Information, Not ‘Intelligence'” (FAIR Blog, <a href="" type="internal">9/17/13</a>) for a look at a very different official report on&#160; Ghouta.</p>
<p>UPDATE 2: Dale Gavlak, whose track record was one of the main reasons to give credence to the Mint Press piece, <a href="" type="internal">says</a> in comments below that she had little if anything to do with the piece:</p>
<p>Mint Press News incorrectly used my byline for an article it published on August 29, 2013, alleging chemical weapons usage by Syrian rebels. Despite my repeated requests, made directly and through legal counsel, they have not been willing to issue a retraction stating that I was not the author. Yahya Ababneh is the sole reporter and author of the Mint Press News piece. &#160; To date, Mint Press News has refused to act professionally or honestly in regards to disclosing the actual authorship and sources for this story.</p>
<p>I did not travel to Syria, have any discussions with Syrian rebels, or do any other reporting on which the article is based. &#160;The article is not based on my personal observations and should not be given credence based on my journalistic reputation. Also, it is false and misleading to attribute comments made in the story as if they were my own statements.</p>
<p>I would appreciate your removing all references to me from your story.</p>
<p>Without Gavlak’s byline, and with the allegations of unprofessional behavior on the part of Mint Press News, there’s little reason to take the Mint Press story seriously. We leave this post up for the historical record.</p> | Which Syrian Chemical Attack Account Is More Credible? | true | http://fair.org/blog/2013/09/01/which-syrian-chemical-attack-account-is-more-credible/ | 2013-09-01 | 4 |
<p>At least 35 people were killed and 210 injured Saturday when a <a href="http://www.news24.com/World/News/Chinese-train-crash-toll-rises-20110723" type="external">Chinese bullet train</a> flew off an elevated track in Wenzhou, a city in Zhejiang province, Chinese state media said.</p>
<p>The train reportedly lost power after being struck by lightning and was rear-ended by another train.&#160;The crash sent two carriages careening off an elevated track.</p>
<p>A total of six carriages were derailed between the two trains, one of which originated from Beijing and the other from Hangzhou, according to the official Xinhua news agency.</p>
<p>The train was travelling between the cities of Hangzhou and Wenzhou in <a href="http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=195557" type="external">eastern China's Zhejiang</a> province when it went off the rails around 8:30 p.m., the Daily Star reported, citing local firefighting sources.</p>
<p>The collision is the first major accident in China's high-speed rail network, set to reach 10,000 miles by 2020, the Los Angeles Times reported.</p>
<p>The newest line in that network, a $33 billion Beijing-Shanghai route, opened less than a month ago, according to Agence France-Presse. That line cuts the rail journey time between the two Chinese cities to five hours, but has been besieged by electrical glitches in recent weeks because of poor weather, officials said.</p>
<p>The safety of the national network was also called into question when the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-china-train-20110724,0,7852907.story" type="external">head of the railway ministry</a> was removed in February because of a corruption scandal believed to have led to shoddy construction.</p>
<p>The ministry has since decreased top speeds on the system as a precautionary measure.</p> | Bullet train crash in China kills 35 | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-07-23/bullet-train-crash-china-kills-35 | 2011-07-23 | 3 |
<p>By Cora Currier, ProPublicaThis report first appeared on <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/who-are-we-at-war-with-thats-classified" type="external">ProPublica</a>.</p>
<p>In a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/23/remarks-president-national-defense-university" type="external">major national security speech</a> this spring, President Obama said again and again that the U.S. is at war with “Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and their associated forces.”</p>
<p>So who exactly are those associated forces? It’s a secret.</p>
<p>At a hearing in May, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., <a href="http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/Transcripts/2013/05%20May/13-43%20-%205-16-13.pdf" type="external">asked</a> the Defense Department to provide him with a current list of Al Qaeda affiliates.</p>
<p />
<p>The Pentagon responded – but Levin’s office told ProPublica they aren’t allowed to share it. Kathleen Long, a spokeswoman for Levin, would say only that the department’s “answer included the information requested.”</p>
<p>A Pentagon spokesman told ProPublica that revealing such a list could cause “serious damage to national security.”</p>
<p>“Because elements that might be considered ‘associated forces’ can build credibility by being listed as such by the United States, we have classified the list,” said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Jim Gregory. “We cannot afford to inflate these organizations that rely on violent extremist ideology to strengthen their ranks.”</p>
<p>It’s not an abstract question: U.S. drone strikes and <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/07/22/is_the_us_ramping_up_a_secret_war_in_somalia_al_shabab?page=0,0&amp;utm_source=Africa%20Center%20for%20Strategic%20Studies%20-%20Media%20Review%20for%20July%2023,%202013%20&amp;utm_campaign=7%2F23%2F2013&amp;utm_medium=email" type="external">other actions</a> frequently target “associated forces,” as has been the case with <a href="http://www.longwarjournal.org/multimedia/Yemen/code/Yemen-strike.php" type="external">dozens of strikes</a> against an Al Qaeda offshoot in Yemen.</p>
<p>During the May hearing, Michael Sheehan, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, <a href="http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/Transcripts/2013/05%20May/13-43%20-%205-16-13.pdf" type="external">said</a> he was “not sure there is a list per se.” Describing terrorist groups as “murky” and “shifting,” he said, “it would be difficult for the Congress to get involved in trying to track the designation of which are the affiliate forces” of Al Qaeda.</p>
<p>Sheehan said that by the Pentagon’s standard, “sympathy is not enough…. it has to be an organized group and that group has to be in co-belligerent status with Al Qaeda operating against the United States.”</p>
<p>The White House tied Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and “elements” of Al Shabaab <a href="http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/07/22/is_the_us_ramping_up_a_secret_war_in_somalia_al_shabab?page=0,0&amp;utm_source=Africa%20Center%20for%20Strategic%20Studies%20-%20Media%20Review%20for%20July%2023,%202013%20&amp;utm_campaign=7%2F23%2F2013&amp;utm_medium=email" type="external">in Somalia</a> to Al Qaeda in a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/06/14/letter-president-regarding-war-powers-resolution" type="external">recent report to Congress</a> on military actions. But the report also included a classified annex.</p>
<p>Jack Goldsmith, a professor at Harvard Law who served as a legal counsel during the Bush administration and <a href="http://www.lawfareblog.com/2013/07/the-long-classified-war/" type="external">has written</a> <a href="http://www.lawfareblog.com/2013/05/congress-must-figure-out-what-our-government-is-doing-in-the-name-of-the-aumf/http:/www.lawfareblog.com/2013/05/a-quick-guide-to-the-lawfare-debate-over-a-new-aumf/" type="external">on this question</a> at length, told ProPublica that the Pentagon’s reasoning for keeping the affiliates secret seems weak. “If the organizations are ‘inflated’ enough to be targeted with military force, why cannot they be mentioned publicly?” Goldsmith said. He added that there is “a countervailing very important interest in the public knowing who the government is fighting against in its name.”</p>
<p>The law underpinning the U.S. war against Al Qaeda is known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force, or AUMF, and it was passed <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/drone-strikes-test-legal-grounds-for-war-on-terror" type="external">one week after the 9/11 attacks</a>. It doesn’t actually include the words “associated forces,” though <a href="http://www.lawfareblog.com/2012/04/aqap-is-not-beyond-the-aumf-a-response-to-ackerman/" type="external">courts</a> and <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/cutting-through-the-controversy-about-indefinite-detention-and-the-ndaa" type="external">Congress</a> have endorsed the phrase.</p>
<p>As <a href="http://www.propublica.org/article/drone-strikes-test-legal-grounds-for-war-on-terror" type="external">we explained earlier this year</a>, the emergence of new or more loosely-aligned terrorist groups <a href="http://www.lawfareblog.com/2013/05/a-quick-guide-to-the-lawfare-debate-over-a-new-aumf/" type="external">has legal scholars wondering</a> how effectively the U.S. will be able to “shoehorn” them into the AUMF. During the May hearing, many lawmakers <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/16/war-powers-obama-administration_n_3288420.html" type="external">expressed concern</a> about the Pentagon’s capacious reading of the law. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., described it as a “carte blanche.”</p>
<p>Obama, in his May speech, said he looked forward “to engaging Congress and the American people in efforts to refine, and ultimately repeal, the AUMF’s mandate.” But he didn’t give a timeframe.&#160;On Wednesday, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., <a href="http://schiff.house.gov/press-releases/rep-schiff-offers-amendment-sunsetting-authorization-for-use-of-military-force-aumf-never-intended-to-authorize-a-war-without-end/" type="external">introduced an</a>&#160;amendment that would sunset the law at the end of 2014, to coincide with the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2013/roll410.xml" type="external">voted down</a> the same day, 185 to 236.</p>
<p>The AUMF isn’t the only thing the government relies on to take military action. In speeches and interviews Obama administration officials also <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/01/22/law-blog-fireside-jeh-johnson-on-terror-zero-dark-thirty-and-paul-weiss/" type="external">bring up</a> the president’s constitutional power to defend the country, even without congressional authorization.&#160;</p>
<p /> | Who Are We at War With? That’s Classified | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/who-are-we-at-war-with-thats-classified/ | 2013-07-30 | 4 |
<p>salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM) did it again. After posting another quarter of rapid growth, management had to revisit its full-year guidance, raising its expectations for total fiscal 2018 revenue for the fourth time in a row.</p>
<p>As investors consider the implications of the customer relationship management company's third-quarter results for fiscal 2018, it's worth looking at what management said in its earnings call. During the call, it emphasized the importance of AI, provided insight into how it is attracting new customers, and more.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Here are four key takeaways from the earnings call.</p>
<p>Salesforce management reiterated <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/08/24/3-insightful-quotes-from-salesforcecom-inc-managem.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=d3a1e994-cfee-11e7-9c03-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">what it emphasized last quarter Opens a New Window.</a>: Artificial intelligence (AI) is key to its plans to reinforce its leadership position in CRM.</p>
<p>Since releasing its Einstein AI integration a year ago, AI's adoption with its customers has been "tremendous," management said. Specifically, Quip co-founder and Salesforce's <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/11/22/3-takeaways-from-salesforcecom-inc-earnings.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=d3a1e994-cfee-11e7-9c03-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">new chief product officer, Bret Taylor Opens a New Window.</a>, said (via an <a href="http://marketintelligence.spglobal.com/" type="external">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a> transcript) that AI does a great job of demonstrating the usefulness of the cloud to its customers:</p>
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<p>The company has grown as rapidly as it has by continually launching new products to serve specific industries. This approach, which Salesforce refers to as "speaking the language of our customers," is giving Salesforce "incredible momentum" with customer acquisition, explained COO Keith Block. "In fact, 57% of customers who buy our industry products are brand new to Salesforce," Block said.</p>
<p>He went on to cite a specific example of what speaking the language of its customers looks like: "[I]n Q3, we launched the Financial Services Cloud for retail banking to enable banks to deliver highly personalized, intelligent and connected banking experiences for their consumers."</p>
<p>One industry that highlights how Salesforce is acquiring new customers and how it can evolve into the go-to cloud solution for CRM in a given industry is pharmaceuticals.</p>
<p>Block noted:</p>
<p>A key catalyst during the quarter was Salesforce's&#160;Marketing Cloud -- one of the clouds across its subscription and support segment. Subscription and support revenue increased 25% year over year, but Marketing Cloud revenue, which includes Salesforce's acquisition of Demandware&#160;last year (now called Commerce Cloud), was up 40% year over year. And as management was careful to remind investors in its third-quarter earnings call, this growth was purely organic since "it's the first full quarter comparison with Commerce Cloud in the base period."</p>
<p>But what's driving such rapid growth in Salesforce's marketing cloud? Taylor said Salesforce's unique ability to provide marketing platforms that simultaneously serve scalable business-to-business and business-to-consumer CRM solutions is key.</p>
<p>As Salesforce demonstrates strong growth in various segments, prowess in customer acquisition, and well-timed investments in growth opportunities such as AI and Marketing Cloud enhancements, the CRM giant looks poised to maintain its leadership position -- and probably continue to gain market share.</p>
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<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFDanielSparks/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=d3a1e994-cfee-11e7-9c03-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Daniel Sparks Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of Oracle. The Motley Fool recommends Salesforce.com. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;referring_guid=d3a1e994-cfee-11e7-9c03-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | 4 Takeaways From salesforce.com, inc.'s Earnings Call | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/11/24/4-takeaways-from-salesforce-com-inc-s-earnings-call.html | 2017-11-24 | 0 |
<p><a href="http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/rep-ron-paul-wins-south-carolina-straw-poll/" type="external">The State Column</a> April 17, 2011</p>
<p>Texas Rep. Ron Paul has won another Republican presidential straw poll.</p>
<p>The Texas Republican won the Lexington county Republican Party presidential straw poll Saturday, taking 16 percent of the 139 ballots cast. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney finished in a tie for second place with real estate mogul Donald Trump, taking 12 percent of the vote.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.efoodsdirect.com//index.html?aid=13&amp;adid=43" type="external">Fresh food that lasts from eFoods Direct (Ad)</a></p>
<p>The straw poll comes as Mr. Paul is said to be preparing for the 2012 Republican presidential campaign.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/rep-ron-paul-wins-south-carolina-straw-poll/" type="external">Read entire article</a></p> | Rep. Ron Paul wins South Carolina straw poll | true | http://infowars.com/rep-ron-paul-wins-south-carolina-straw-poll/ | 2011-04-17 | 0 |
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<p>DETROIT — A judge on Friday ordered Volkswagen to pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty in the United States for cheating on diesel emissions tests, blessing a deal negotiated by the government for a “massive fraud” orchestrated by the German automaker.</p>
<p>U.S. District Judge Sean Cox stuck to the plea deal during the sentencing hearing, six weeks after VW pleaded guilty to conspiracy and obstruction of justice in a bold scheme involving nearly 600,000 diesel cars in the U.S. They were programmed to turn on pollution controls during testing and off while on the road.</p>
<p>“It was an intentional effort on the part of a major corporation to evade U.S. law and lie to U.S. regulators,” Assistant U.S. Attorney John Neal told the judge.</p>
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<p>Speaking from the bench in the heart of the global auto industry, Cox said he was amazed that VW would commit such a crime.</p>
<p>“Who has been hurt by this corporate greed? From what I can see it’s not the managers at VW, the ones who get paid huge salaries and large bonuses. As always it’s the little guy,” the judge said, referring to car buyers and VW’s blue-collar workers who might earn less in the future.</p>
<p>Separately, VW is paying $1.5 billion in a civil case, mostly to settle allegations brought by U.S. environmental regulators, and spending $11 billion to buy back cars and offer other compensation.</p>
<p>Seven employees have also been charged with crimes in the U.S., but five are in Germany and are unlikely to be extradited.</p>
<p>Cox urged the German government to “prosecute those responsible for this deliberate massive fraud that has damaged an iconic automobile company.”</p>
<p>In brief remarks to the judge, VW defense attorney Jason Weinstein says the criminal fine is an “appropriate and serious sanction.”</p>
<p>VW general counsel Manfred Doess said the company is not the same one that was caught 18 months ago.</p>
<p>“Volkswagen deeply regrets the behavior that gave rise to this case. … Plain and simple it was wrong,” Doess said. “We let people down and for that we’re deeply sorry.”</p>
<p>Neal disclosed that a former Justice Department official, Larry Thompson, will serve as a monitor to ensure that VW complies with the plea agreement, which includes three years of probation and complete future cooperation with any inquiries by investigators.</p>
<p>U.S. regulators confronted VW about the cheating software after West Virginia University researchers discovered differences in testing and real-world emissions of harmful nitrogen oxide. VW eventually admitted that the cars were programmed to turn pollution controls on during testing and off while on the road.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Ed White at <a href="http://twitter.com/edwhiteap" type="external">http://twitter.com/edwhiteap</a></p> | Judge orders Volkswagen to pay $2.8B in emission scandal | false | https://abqjournal.com/991215/sentence-next-for-volkswagen-in-us-diesel-emissions-scandal.html | 2017-04-21 | 2 |
<p>HONG KONG — There are many reasons why NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden's <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130609/edward-snowden-nsa-prism-whistleblower-speaks--0" type="external">decision to come to Hong Kong</a> could be foolish.&#160;</p>
<p>Hong Kong has an extradition treaty with the United States; its government is weak;&#160;its foreign policy is dictated by Beijing — no friend of free speech or internet freedom.</p>
<p>But there is at least one reason it could be incredibly shrewd: Hong Kong's asylum system is currently stuck in a state of limbo that could allow Snowden to exploit a loophole and buy some valuable time.&#160;</p>
<p>A former CIA employee working as a contractor with the US National Security Agency (NSA), Snowden leaked to the UK's Guardian newspaper stunning details of a top-secret US spying program.</p>
<p>Simon Young, director of the Centre for Comparative and Public Law at the University of Hong Kong, told GlobalPost that a decision delivered by Hong Kong's High Court in March of this year required the government to create a new procedure for reviewing asylum applications.&#160;</p>
<p>Until the government does this, he said, asylum seekers are allowed to stay in Hong Kong indefinitely.&#160;</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130607/what-if-journalists-covered-us-like-they-cover-world" type="external">What if we covered the US like we cover the world? Read: "Inside the United States"</a></p>
<p>"We’re still waiting to hear from government how they are going to implement this decision," said Young. "Until that’s the case, you can’t return anyone until the law’s in place."&#160;</p>
<p>In other words, should Snowden apply for asylum, then even if&#160;the US made a valid extradition request and Hong Kong was willing to comply he could not be deported until the government figured out a new way to review asylum cases — a potentially lengthy process.&#160;</p>
<p>Nicholas Bequelin of Human Rights Watch&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/Bequelin/status/343983480310468608" type="external">says</a>&#160;that any Snowden extradition must be "a long way off" because of this gap in the law.&#160;</p>
<p>"If it comes to the point where the US does issue a warrant on Snowden, and then passes it over to the Hong Kong authorities, and he decides to fight it, at this point it would be a court case,"&#160;he told GlobalPost.&#160;"And it can be a long court case, going up to the court of final appeals."</p>
<p>The United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Hong Kong said that it could not disclose whether or not Snowden had&#160;begun the process of seeking asylum. In his <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance" type="external">conversations with the media</a>, Snowden has indicated that he ultimately hopes to find sanctuary in Iceland.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130606/nsa-verizon-phone-records-surveillance" type="external">Surveillance state USA: Brave not-so-new world</a></p>
<p>Apart from this temporary asylum loophole, however, Snowden's case faces many hurdles.</p>
<p>David Zweig, professor of Chinese politics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, points out that if Snowden was hoping to throw himself on the sympathy of mainland China — which has sovereignty over Hong Kong — then his timing is poor.&#160;</p>
<p>"For a foreign policy perspective, it's a bad choice," says Zweig, noting that Xi Jinping and Barack Obama just finished <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130607/obama-xi-promise-new-model-cooperation-at-start-" type="external">a two-day summit</a> in California.&#160;</p>
<p>"If relations were [bad], China might have said, 'Let’s make the Americans a little anxious.' But we just had this effort to build goodwill, and this would undermine this goodwill so fast. That’s why I think they’ll let him go."&#160;</p>
<p>On discussion boards, some Hong Kong residents debated whether Snowden might have cut a deal with mainland authorities. The website&#160; <a href="http://badcanto.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/hong-kongs-reactions-to-the-escape-of-edward-snowden/" type="external">Bad Canto</a>&#160;translated one writer who speculated in Cantonese that Snowden had "become a spy for China when he was in the US, or he may have fallen to a honey trap. What was reported was probably less than 20 percent of what had happened."</p>
<p>And there's another way Snowden could evade extradition.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130607/7-graphs-america-overrated-nsa-prism-privacy" type="external">7 graphs that prove the United States is overrated</a></p>
<p>Patricia Ho, a lawyer at Daly &amp; Associates, which specializes in refugee cases and international public law, told GlobalPost that in December Hong Kong courts ruled the government could not send people home if they would face cruel and unusual punishment.</p>
<p>"The reason I think this is relevant," said Ho, "is because if you look at the case of Bradley Manning, during his detention period, he was found to have suffered cruel and degrading treatment. It was found by the UN special rapporteur on torture," she said.</p>
<p>"I would imagine given the similarity in the cases that Snowden could easily say, 'Well, I fear that the same would happen to me,' and use that as a basis to claim protection in Hong Kong. If he does that I would say his chances of protection would be fair."</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/130611/Snowden-Manning-american-anti-hero" type="external">Snowden, Manning and the rise of the American antihero</a></p> | Why Edward Snowden's flight to Hong Kong might be brilliant | false | https://pri.org/stories/2013-06-10/why-edward-snowdens-flight-hong-kong-might-be-brilliant | 2013-06-10 | 3 |
<p>HONG KONG, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Chinese live-video streaming start-up Kuaishou, backed by Tencent, is nearing the close of a $1 billion funding round led by the tech giant and plans to list as soon as this year, three people familiar with the matter said.</p>
<p>The latest funding round values Kuaishou at about $18 billion and has attracted venture capital firm Sequoia Capital China, among other investors, the people said.</p>
<p>The fundraising, which is expected to close in the coming weeks, comes as Kuaishou is considering an initial public offering (IPO) as soon as the second half of this year, according to one of the people. It prefers to list in Hong Kong, the person said, adding the IPO plan has not been finalized.</p>
<p>The fundraising by seven-year-old Kuaishou, meaning “fast hand” in Chinese, comes as live streaming in China has seen rapid growth, attracting a rush of investment led by tech heavyweights Tencent, Alibaba Group Holding and Baidu Inc. They hope live streaming can boost their existing offerings in e-commerce, social networking and gaming.</p>
<p>Kuaishou declined to comment. Tencent and Sequoia China did not immediately respond to requests for comments. The sources declined to be named as the information was confidential. ($1 = 6.3340 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Julie Zhu and Kane Wu in HONG KONG; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Iconic toy store chain Toys ‘R’ Us Inc will sell or close all its U.S. stores in the coming months, risking up to 33,000 jobs, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.</p> People pass by the Toys R Us store at Times Square in New York, U.S., March 9, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
<p>The announcement was made to workers by Chief Executive David Brandon at the toy-store chain's Wayne, New Jersey headquarters, the Journal said <a href="http://on.wsj.com/2tPultm." type="external">on.wsj.com/2tPultm.</a></p>
<p>The closure of Toys ‘R’ Us is a blow to generations of consumers and hundreds of toy makers that sold their products at the chain’s 885 U.S. locations, including Barbie maker Mattel Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MAT.O" type="external">MAT.O</a>), board game company Hasbro Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=HAS.O" type="external">HAS.O</a>) and other large vendors such as Lego.</p>
<p>Toys ‘R’ Us, which has roughly 33,000 full- and part-time U.S. employees, was already in the process of closing one fifth of its stores as part of efforts to emerge from one of the largest ever bankruptcies by a specialty retailer.</p>
<p>Efforts collapsed this month after lenders decided, absent a clear reorganization plan, they could recover more in a liquidation, closing stores and raising money from merchandise sales, sources with knowledge of the matter said.</p>
<p>“I have always believed that this brand and this business should exist in the U.S.,” Brandon said on a conference call with staff, the Wall Street Journal said.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=MAT.O" type="external">Mattel Inc</a> 14.18 MAT.O Nasdaq -0.29 (-2.00%) MAT.O HAS.O
<p>The retailer is likely to liquidate in France, Spain, Poland and Australia, Brandon said, according the newspaper. He added that Toys ‘R’ Us also planned to sell operations in Canada, Central Europe and Asia.</p>
<p>Toys ‘R’ Us is trying to package its Canadian business with 200 U.S. stores and find a buyer, the CEO said, according to the Journal.</p>
<p>Reporting by Ismail Shakil and Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru and Tracy Rucinski in Chicago; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - Britain is to kick out 23 Russian diplomats, the biggest such expulsion since the Cold War, over a chemical attack on a former Russian double agent in England that Prime Minister Theresa May blamed on Moscow, an assessment backed by the United States.</p>
<p>May pointed the finger firmly at Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday as she outlined retaliatory measures in parliament.</p>
<p>Russia denies any involvement in the attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who have been critical in hospital since they were found unconscious on March 4 on a bench in the city of Salisbury.</p>
<p>May announced the potential freezing of Russian state assets that pose a security threat, new laws to counter hostile state activity and a downgrading of Britain’s attendance at the soccer World Cup in Russia this summer.</p>
<p>She had given Moscow until midnight on Tuesday to explain how the Soviet-made Novichok nerve agent came to be deployed on the streets of Salisbury, saying either the Russian state was responsible or had lost control of a stock of the substance.</p>
<p>“Their response demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events,” May said in her statement to parliament. “They have treated the use of a military-grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance.”</p>
<p>The only possible conclusion was that the Russian state was behind the attempted murder of the Skripals and the harm that befell Nick Bailey, a police officer who is in a serious condition after being exposed to the nerve agent, May said.</p>
<p>“This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom,” she said.</p>
<p>The Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow would swiftly retaliate against the British measures which had been undertaken for “short-sighted political ends”.</p>
<p>“The British government has made a choice in favor of confrontation with Russia,” it said.</p>
<p>Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, repeated Moscow’s denial that it had anything to do with the poisoning and called for proof of its involvement.</p> MAY DENOUNCES PUTIN
<p>The two governments blamed each other for the crisis.</p>
<p>“Many of us looked at a post-Soviet Russia with hope. We wanted a better relationship and it is tragic that President Putin has chosen to act in this way,” said May.</p>
<p>Britain, which has received statements of support from the United States, the European Union and NATO, has said it would seek to coordinate an international response to the attack.</p>
<p>The White House issued a statement saying it shared Britain’s assessment that Russia was responsible and supported May’s decision to expel the diplomats “as a just response.” It was the White House’s most unequivocal statement to date blaming Russia for the poisoning.</p>
<p>At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley blamed Russia for the attack and urged the Security Council to take “immediate, concrete measures to address this now.”</p> Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May addresses the House of Commons on her government's reaction to the poisoning of former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, in London, March 14, 2018. Parliament TV handout via REUTERS
<p>In a phone call between May and U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the two leaders agreed that Russia must provide “unambiguous answers” about how a Russian-developed chemical agent came to be used in the attack.</p>
<p>German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she took the British findings seriously and there would be a common European stance, although “we must still talk responsibly” with Russia despite differences of opinion.</p>
<p>A French government spokesman said Paris was awaiting proof before deciding if it would act in solidarity with London.</p>
<p>Skripal betrayed dozens of Russian agents to Britain before being arrested in Moscow and later jailed in 2006. He was freed under a spy swap deal in 2010 and took refuge in Britain.</p>
<p>The attack on him was likened in Britain to the killing of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko, a critic of Putin, who died in London in 2006 after drinking green tea laced with radioactive polonium 210. Russia refused to extradite the two Russians identified by Britain as the killers.</p> Slideshow (15 Images)
<p>Britain’s response to the Litvinenko affair, which included the expulsion of four Russian diplomats, was criticized domestically as too weak, and many in British politics and media have called for a much tougher response to the Skripal attack.</p>
<p>Some Russia experts cast doubt over whether May’s actions met that test.</p>
<p>“This is certainly not a strong response from Britain - it is a mild response,” said Mathieu Boulegue, a Russia expert at Chatham House think-tank in London. “It will not deter Russia because Britain is showing too little steel.”</p>
<p>May said the 23 diplomats, identified as undeclared intelligence officers, had one week to leave and Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain would be damaged for years.</p>
<p>May also said Britain would revoke an invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit and suspend planned high level bilateral contacts between London and Moscow. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said Lavrov had not accepted the invitation to visit Britain anyway.</p>
<p>On the soccer World Cup, which Russia is hosting in June and July, May said no ministers or members of the British royal family would attend.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-usa-haley/u-s-ambassador-haley-tells-u-n-russia-responsible-for-chemical-attack-idUSKCN1GQ2YR" type="external">U.S. Ambassador Haley tells U.N. Russia responsible for chemical attack</a>
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-response-factbox/factbox-britain-to-freeze-russian-state-assets-and-expel-23-diplomats-after-nerve-attack-idUSKCN1GQ1TN" type="external">Factbox: Britain to freeze Russian state assets and expel 23 diplomats after nerve attack</a>
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-france-ledrian/france-to-coordinate-response-to-uk-spy-attack-at-the-highest-level-idUSKCN1GQ32L" type="external">France to coordinate response to UK spy attack at the highest level</a> ‘CORRUPT ELITES’
<p>But unlike when the United States and European Union imposed sanctions on Russia in response to its annexation of Crimea, May did not name Russian people or companies that would be specifically targeted by sanctions.</p>
<p>She said checks on private flights, customs and freight would be stepped up to better track those traveling to Britain who could represent a security threat.</p>
<p>London has been a venue of choice for many rich Russian to buy property and the in-flow of Russian money has led to the capital being nicknamed “Londongrad”.</p>
<p>Russian gas giant Gazprom will cut hundreds of jobs at its overseas trading and export offices, including Britain where it has its largest such office by far, and move them to St Petersburg, as part of a drive by Putin to repatriate capital to reduce exposure to sanctions, according to two sources familiar with the plan.</p>
<p>In a separate development, British media regulator Ofcom said it could strip Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded TV channel, of its UK licence. Russia has said British media would be expelled in retaliation should that happen.</p>
<p>Reporting by Costas Pitas, Estelle Shirbon, Guy Faulconbridge, Michael Holden, Alistair Smout, Elizabeth Piper and William James in London, Christian Lowe in Moscow, writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Grant McCool and Alistair Bell</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s move to block a Singapore-based company’s takeover of U.S. rival Qualcomm Inc threatens to stunt crucial Chinese investment in the country’s startup capital, according to Silicon Valley venture capitalists and tech executives.</p> A sign to the campus offices of chip maker Broadcom Ltd is shown in Irvine, California, U.S., November 6, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake
<p>The administration’s heightened regulatory scrutiny on foreign investments, designed to safeguard U.S. companies, could in fact diminish their ability to compete in the global technology industry.</p>
<p>“Asian entities have become sources of capital and relationships for U.S. companies,” said Jeff Richards, a managing partner at GGV Capital, which invests in the United States and China. “This deal getting blocked is not going to go unnoticed around the world.”</p>
<p>Chinese companies have been important investors in, and occasionally buyers of, U.S. startups. Internet giants Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group have made big investments in U.S. private companies including augmented-reality headset creator Magic Leap, ride-services firms Lyft Inc and Uber Technologies Inc, and prior to its initial public offering, messaging app maker Snap Inc.</p>
<p>Trump’s order on Monday focused on national security concerns that chipmaker Broadcom’s proposed acquisition of San Diego-based Qualcomm would weaken Qualcomm and hand an advantage to Chinese companies looking to build next-generation wireless networks in the United States.</p>
<p>It was also the latest in a series of actions by Trump’s administration, including tariffs on steel and aluminum, to establish a more protectionist stance in an effort to tamp down Chinese imports while raising the regulatory bar on what deals get approved.</p>
<p>“There is a very thin line between national security and economic protectionism and the use of an executive order to block this merger traverses this line very delicately,” said Venky Ganesan, an investing partner at Menlo Ventures.</p>
<p>Trump’s move was based on a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), an inter-agency panel that has never before blocked a deal before it has been signed.</p>
<p>The broadening reach of CFIUS has chilled Silicon Valley, where startups often turn to Chinese investors not just for cash but for help connecting with supply chains and entering Asian markets.</p>
<p>Stopping Broadcom’s deal was a “broad litmus test (that) will likely cut off market opportunities, strategic alliances, key sources of financing and exits for U.S. tech companies in the future,” said David Sullivan, managing director of Alliance Development Group, a firm that helps U.S. tech companies enter the Chinese market.</p>
<p>There were 165 Chinese investor-backed&#160;deals in U.S. tech startups last year. That is a drop from a high of 188 deals in 2015, reflecting increased U.S. regulatory pressure and tighter capital controls in China, according to data firm CB Insights.</p>
<p>The total of financing rounds into U.S. startups last year that involved Chinese entities was $9.3 billion, or 11 percent of the total, according to data firm PitchBook Inc.</p>
<p>U.S. venture capital funds are also raising more money from Chinese family offices and investment firms, but legislation introduced last year in Congress that aims to strengthen CFIUS could change that. Language in the bill could require venture funds that have raised money from foreign investors to get government approval for the startup investments they make, a proposition the startup community has called untenable.</p>
<p>Any sort of retaliation by China to such measures could sever the relationship between U.S. tech firms and the world’s second-largest economy.</p>
<p>“We don’t want to go down the path where they use ‘national security’ as a reason to get us out of their market,” said Steve Hoffman, chief executive of Founders Space, a startup incubator based in San Francisco that has locations in China.</p>
<p>Reporting by Heather Somerville in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Salvador Rodriguez in San Francisco and Diane Bartz in Washington; Editing by Chris Sanders</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Singapore-based Broadcom Ltd withdrew its $117 billion bid to acquire Qualcomm Inc on Wednesday, two days after U.S. President Donald Trump blocked the attempt citing national security concerns.</p>
<p>The company said it has also withdrawn its slate of independent director nominees for Qualcomm’s annual shareholder meeting.</p>
<p>Broadcom, however, expects to continue with its plan to redomicile to the United States.</p>
<p>“Although we are disappointed with this outcome, Broadcom will comply with the order,” the chipmaker said.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Sources had told Reuters on Tuesday that Broadcom was ready to scrap its bid for Qualcomm.</p>
<p>Broadcom’s board met late on Tuesday to formalize plans to move its base to the United States, at a cost of about $500 million a year under a higher tax rate, the sources said.</p>
<p>Being based in the United States as opposed to Singapore should make it easier for Broadcom to make acquisitions of U.S. companies without falling under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).</p>
<p>Shares of Broadcom were untraded, while those of Qualcomm were up marginally before the opening bell.</p>
<p>Reporting by Supantha Mukherjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | China streaming firm Kuaishou in $1 bln Tencent-led funding round, eyes IPO -sources Toys 'R' Us will likely shut all U.S. stores, risking 33,000 jobs: WSJ Britain expels 23 Russian diplomats over nerve attack on ex-spy Blocked Broadcom deal may stunt Chinese Silicon Valley investment Broadcom ends bid for Qualcomm after President Trump nixes deal | false | https://reuters.com/article/kuaishou-fundraising/china-streaming-firm-kuaishou-in-1-bln-tencent-led-funding-round-eyes-ipo-sources-idUSL8N1PK10C | 2018-01-25 | 2 |
<p />
<p><a href="https://www.recruiter.com/job/job-search-advice.html" type="external">Your&#160;job search</a> can go from hopeful to helpless about as quickly as Tesla can go from 0-70. In an instant, your excitement about the possibilities can turn into insecurity and angst.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The truth is that you can't expect your job search to leave you feeling secure if you're letting forces beyond your control manage the process. <a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/attribution-theory.html" type="external">Attribution theory</a> is alive and well when it comes to job searching: If you leave all the&#160;power in the hands of an applicant tracking system and spend all your time scouring job boards in search of your dream job, you're leaving the outcome to chance and other external forces.</p>
<p>If, however, you take control of your job search and actively strategize and participate in your search through creativity and networking, then any positive outcome will be directly attributed to your own actions. It's probably not surprising that people who tend to attribute positive outcomes in their lives to external factors have a higher rate of depression. Don't do that to yourself. You can job search more effectively in a shorter period of time simply by gaining&#160;more control over&#160;your search.</p>
<p>This post was adapted from&#160; <a href="https://www.atriumstaff.com/spring-clean-your-current-job-search/" type="external">Atrium Staffing's blog</a>.</p>
<p>Michele Mavi is&#160; <a href="https://www.atriumstaff.com/" type="external">Atrium Staffing</a>'s resident career expert.</p> | Clean Up Your Career, Part 4: Your Job Search | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/06/10/clean-up-your-career-part-4-your-job-search.html | 2016-06-15 | 0 |
<p>One thing you can say about the financial industry: it has no sense of loyalty.</p>
<p>Back in 2008, most of the biggest contributors to presidential candidate Barack Obama were financial companies. According to the campaign fund tracking website <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/" type="external">Open Secrets</a>, after the $1.65 million donated by a political action committee (PAC) for the University of California, the next biggest contributor was a PAC for the giant bank, Goldman Sachs, whose employees ponied up a reported $1 million.</p>
<p>Right up there among the top contributors to the Obama campaign that year were two other of the nation’s top banks too: JP Morgan Chase, whose employee PAC gave $809,000, and Citigroup, which gave $737,000.</p>
<p>Two more big banks, UBS and Morgan Stanley, as well as General Electric, which less than a year later bought a bank to enable itself to benefit from the government’s largesse in doling out billions of “rescue” dollars under the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), were among Obama’s top 20 campaign donors, handing over $533,000, $512,000 and 530,000 respectively to support his election.</p>
<p>Obama, after winning the presidency, repaid all that campaign largesse, appointing bank industry lackeys and executives to top positions. He made Timothy Geithner, who as head of the New York Federal Reserve branch during the Bush administration had ignored the scandalous derivatives scandals that brought on the financial crash, his Treasury Secretary; and Lawrence Summers, who as Treasury Secretary under President Bill Clinton had pushed for the deregulation of derivatives and for allowing banks to merge with investment banks -- and who, during the Bush years, earned millions as a consultant to the hedge fund industry and from speaking fees provided by Wall Street banks -- got the post of head of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, GE’s chairman and CEO, Jeffrey Immelt, who famously exported thousands of GE jobs abroad, was given the post of White House Jobs “Czar.”</p>
<p>Given the ease with which the Obama administration allowed the financial industry to subvert the Congressional legislation designed to reform the banking industry in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008-9, and the White House decision not to prosecute a single bank executive for the wholesale destruction of the U.S. and global economy, one might think that Wall Street would have rewarded Obama with more money for his re-election campaign.</p>
<p>Instead the industry, seeing even more advantage in having a Republican in the White House, and particularly one of its own — venture capitalist and multi-millionaire Mitt Romney — has switched its support over to his opponent.</p>
<p>Open Secrets reports that this year there is only one Wall Street bank listed among Obama’s top 20 largest donors: Wells Fargo, which only gave the president’s re-election campaign a scant $202,000, less than half what the smallest of his top 20 donors gave four years ago. Over all, big banks gave Obama over $4 million in 2008, and only $200,000, or just five percent as much, in 2012.</p>
<p>Romney, meanwhile, this year is awash in Wall Street money, and his donations are even bigger than the donations Obama received from the industry back in 2008. Romney’s number one donor is Goldman Sachs, the turncoat institution that gave Obama $1 million four years ago. Its PAC this year as of August had already given Romney almost $900,000. More importantly, the top eight biggest donors to Romney’s campaign were Wall Street financial institutions.</p>
<p>Number two on the list, Bank of America, gave $668,000. Number three, JP Morgan Chase, gave $663,000. Number four, Morgan Stanley, gave $650,000. Number five, Credit Suisse Group (where Romney reportedly stashes some of his money outside the U.S. and the prying eyes of the Internal Revenue Service), gave $554,000. Citigroup, his sixth biggest contributor, gave $554,000. Wells Fargo, number seven on the Romney donor list, gave $415,000, or more than double the amount given to the Obama campaign. And number eight, Barclays, the bank at the center of the LIBOR- rigging scandal in Britain, gave $404,000.</p>
<p>Also on Romney’s to 20 donor list are the hedge funds HIG Capital and the Blackstone Group, giving $338,000 and $309,000, respectively, the Swiss bank UBS, which was the center of a whistleblower-exposed scandal involving helping wealthy Americans hide income from the IRS which donated $308,000, Bain Capital, the venture firm owned and run, until recently, by Romney, which donated $268,000, and GE, now a banking firm, which gave $214,000.</p>
<p>In total, the banks that are among Romney’s 20 largest donors, had, through August, contributed a total of over $5 million to his campaign. Adding in other financial companies in that premiere list of donors, Wall Street firms alone gave his campaign over $6.2 million. The figure is surely considerably higher two months later in the campaign.</p>
<p>This year, meanwhile, having lost the banks, Obama is down to being the candidate of University administrators and faculty. His largest donor this year is the PAC for the University of California, which gave his campaign $707,000. U of C is one of six university PACs that dominate the list of Obama’s 20 largest donors, with his alma mater of Harvard being the second largest of the group and the fourth largest donor to the campaign overall at $434,000.</p>
<p>Other large donors to the Obama campaign are Microsoft, which gave $544,000, Google, which gave $526,000, IBM, which gave $219,000, the health insurer Kaiser Permanente, $316,000, entertainment conglomerate Time Warner $295,000, and several U.S. government employee PACs, which collectively gave close to $600,000.</p>
<p>Given these numbers, it seems clear, in case anyone needed a clue, that quarter-billionaire Mitt Romney is the candidate of Wall Street this year. As for Obama, Wall Street’s man in 2008, he may have to content himself with being the higher education candidate this year.</p>
<p>Dave Lindorff is a founder of <a href="http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/" type="external">This Can’t Be Happening</a> and a contributor to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1849351104/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion</a>.</p> | Biting the Hand That Fed Them, Wall Street Banks Abandon Obama | true | http://occupy.com/article/biting-hand-fed-them-wall-street-banks-abandon-obama | 4 |
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<p>Save the Children, a charity that is lending aid to the Ebola stricken countries in West Africa, has renewed the call for global support in the wake of the outbreak’s growing momentum. According to the charity an estimated five new infections are being reported every hour in Sierra Leone, one of the hardest hit areas.</p>
<p>The influx of new cases is completely overwhelming the resources available to treat and contain the illness. Save the Children reports that the entire country of Sierra Leone has 327 hospital beds available, yet last week alone there were 765 new cases reported.</p>
<p>The increasingly overwhelmed resources means that containment efforts are even more challenging. Every time an area is secured, another outbreak springs up in a different area, adding to the strain on facilities and personnel that are already beyond taxed.</p>
<p>To date, 7,178 worldwide cases of Ebola infection have been confirmed, as have the resulting 3,338 deaths. Save the Children reports that both of these numbers are likely much higher, as accurate records are not being kept of the children who are “dying anonymously at home or in the streets.”</p>
<p>The rate of infections has been steadily increasing and has been reported to be doubling every three weeks. With the current rate of five an hour, experts estimate that the rate could go up to 10 an hour by Halloween.</p>
<p>The U.K. has promised to construct new facilities that would add 700 more beds in Sierra Leone, but the construction on these could take weeks to months to complete.</p>
<p>Save the Children is calling for a global aid to significantly step up their response to this health crisis in hopes of preventing countless deaths from a disease that is ravaging the area “like wildfire.”</p>
<p /> | Ebola outbreak continues to spread, infecting five people every hour | false | http://natmonitor.com/2014/10/01/ebola-outbreak-infects-five-people-every-hour/ | 2014-10-01 | 3 |
<p>The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to start formal tax-bill negotiations with the House of Representatives as lawmakers began grappling with the delicate balance they must strike to advance final legislation through both chambers and to the president by Christmas.</p>
<p>Republicans are weighing a number of changes that would expand tax cuts and force offsetting adjustments.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Among the issues in play are allowing deductions for medical expenses and state income taxes, both of which were repealed in the House bill. In addition, lawmakers would prefer to repeal the individual and corporate alternative minimum taxes the Senate included at the last minute.</p>
<p>It isn't clear where they will go for money. As President Donald Trump suggested Saturday, the options include setting the corporate tax rate at 22% instead of 20%, though he mentioned a 20% rate Wednesday.</p>
<p>Under the budget Republicans wrote, the bill can't cut taxes by more than $1.5 trillion over a decade. That constraint, along with the narrow margins in the House and Senate, will shape the conference committee that will start meeting soon.</p>
<p>"We know we have $1.5 trillion and we know we have to simplify the code, " said Rep. Kevin Brady (R., Texas), the lead House negotiator. "So we've got some work to do."</p>
<p>Senate Republicans announced their conference committee members late Wednesday: Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Mike Enzi of Wyoming, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, John Cornyn of Texas, John Thune of South Dakota, Rob Portman of Ohio, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.</p>
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<p>Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, called the conference committee "nothing more than theater."</p>
<p>"It won't be a real effort to have an honest debate in the light of day, " Sen. Wyden said on the Senate floor. "The truth is, Republicans from the House and Senate are hashing out their differences right now behind closed doors. They're packing the bill with even more goodies and loopholes for special interests."</p>
<p>Mr. Brady and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) both showed openness Wednesday to an idea pushed by some California Republicans. The House and Senate bills allow an itemized deduction of up to $10,000 in property taxes; the concept would let taxpayers use that amount for income or property taxes.</p>
<p>"That sounds like a kind of reasonable idea," Mr. McConnell said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show.</p>
<p>But Mr. Brady emphasized that the deduction wasn't the only way he is trying to address concerns from lawmakers in high-tax states. The rate and bracket structure, alternative minimum tax and family credits are all tools at lawmakers' disposal, he emphasized to reporters in the Capitol.</p>
<p>The House and Senate have different approaches on all of those features of the tax system and need to reach an agreement.</p>
<p>Rep. Devin Nunes (R., Calif.), a conference committee member from a rural part of the state, sounded less eager to address the state- and local-tax deduction issue, known as SALT, that his colleagues from wealthier Orange County are focused on.</p>
<p>"Well, we can always do better," Mr. Nunes said. "But I'll just say again, like I said many times, that this SALT issue is mainly for really, really rich people."</p>
<p>Rep. Kristi Noem (R., S.D.), a conference committee member, said she would push for an estate-tax repeal -- which occurs in 2025 in the House bill but never happens in the Senate version -- but didn't say if the issue would be a deal breaker for her. "I'm on the conference committee to build consensus on many, many different issues. But this is obviously a priority of mine, too." Ms. Noem said.</p>
<p>One of the most controversial ideas -- the House's repeal of the medical-expense deduction -- may not survive.</p>
<p>"That issue is being raised a lot by our lawmakers as very important," Mr. Brady said, describing conversations with House members pushing for the deduction to remain in some form.</p>
<p>Under current law, the deduction is available for households with medical expenses exceeding 10% of adjusted gross income. It is often used by people who are paying for nursing-home care and other extraordinary medical costs.</p>
<p>The Senate bill would temporarily expand the deduction by lowering the income threshold to 7.5% of adjusted gross income.</p>
<p>"I don't want to get ahead of myself," he said. "I know this will be an important discussion."</p>
<p>Mr. Brady also outlined another possible conflict with senators. The House bill addresses a number of tax breaks that expired at the end of 2016 or are set to lapse in future years, ending some and continuing others. They include incentives for renewable energy and investment in distressed areas.</p>
<p>The Senate bill is silent on most of those provisions, leaving them for a later "tax extenders" bill.</p>
<p>"I don't like the extenders process," Mr. Brady said of the regular ritual of extending narrow breaks and setting them to expire. "It's a horrible policy and process."</p>
<p>--Siobhan Hughes contributed to this article.</p>
<p>Write to Richard Rubin at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>December 06, 2017 20:36 ET (01:36 GMT)</p> | Senate Votes to Begin Tax-Overhaul Negotiations With House | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/12/06/senate-votes-to-begin-tax-overhaul-negotiations-with-house.html | 2017-12-06 | 0 |
<p>BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's Prince Paul was detained Friday in a case of alleged real estate fraud also involving a top aide to a former prime minister and a newspaper editor.</p>
<p>Anti-corruption prosecutors said in a statement Paul Philippe of Romania was being investigated for money laundering, illicitly obtaining assets and buying influence. He has not been formally charged. He denies wrongdoing.</p>
<p>The 67-year-old prince, the grandson of Carol II, was questioned Friday afternoon and later handcuffed and detained for 24 hours in the central city of Brasov, where the probe is being conducted.</p>
<p>Romania's monarchy ended when the communists came to power. Paul's uncle, King Michael, was forced to abdicate in 1947. Paul is estranged from Michael.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said that starting from 2006, politically-connected businessman Remus Truica and four others used their leverage and influence to get the state to restitute land and properties to Paul while he in turn gave them a share of the value of the real estate.</p>
<p>Truica is suspected of setting up a group that is alleged to have fraudulently acquired 170,000 square meters (1.8 million square feet) of state-owned land Paul. The fraud is estimated at 136 million euros ($150 million).</p>
<p>The properties and land had been confiscated from the royal family by the communist regime.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Paul used the influence of Truica and others to "unjustly" obtain the assets.</p>
<p>Paul says he is a victim of Truica, the former head of Cabinet of ex-Premier Adrian Nastase, who was put under house arrest Friday.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the managing director of daily Evenimentul Zilei, Dan Andronic, quit his job Friday after being charged with being part of the same criminal group. Three others have also been charged.</p>
<p>The head of the Academy of Agricultural Science is also being investigated for agreeing to restitute land to Paul without the proper legal grounds.</p>
<p>BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania's Prince Paul was detained Friday in a case of alleged real estate fraud also involving a top aide to a former prime minister and a newspaper editor.</p>
<p>Anti-corruption prosecutors said in a statement Paul Philippe of Romania was being investigated for money laundering, illicitly obtaining assets and buying influence. He has not been formally charged. He denies wrongdoing.</p>
<p>The 67-year-old prince, the grandson of Carol II, was questioned Friday afternoon and later handcuffed and detained for 24 hours in the central city of Brasov, where the probe is being conducted.</p>
<p>Romania's monarchy ended when the communists came to power. Paul's uncle, King Michael, was forced to abdicate in 1947. Paul is estranged from Michael.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said that starting from 2006, politically-connected businessman Remus Truica and four others used their leverage and influence to get the state to restitute land and properties to Paul while he in turn gave them a share of the value of the real estate.</p>
<p>Truica is suspected of setting up a group that is alleged to have fraudulently acquired 170,000 square meters (1.8 million square feet) of state-owned land Paul. The fraud is estimated at 136 million euros ($150 million).</p>
<p>The properties and land had been confiscated from the royal family by the communist regime.</p>
<p>Prosecutors said Paul used the influence of Truica and others to "unjustly" obtain the assets.</p>
<p>Paul says he is a victim of Truica, the former head of Cabinet of ex-Premier Adrian Nastase, who was put under house arrest Friday.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the managing director of daily Evenimentul Zilei, Dan Andronic, quit his job Friday after being charged with being part of the same criminal group. Three others have also been charged.</p>
<p>The head of the Academy of Agricultural Science is also being investigated for agreeing to restitute land to Paul without the proper legal grounds.</p> | Prosecutors detain Romania's Prince Paul in fraud case | false | https://apnews.com/amp/6eee52784dd24ed5a6de47cb1b27cc29 | 2015-12-11 | 2 |
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<p />
<p>Zip codes: House 20515, Senate 20510</p>
<p>Capitol operator: (202) 224-3121</p>
<p>HOUSE</p>
<p>Ben Ray Luján (D)</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Steve Pearce (R)</p>
<p>Michelle Lujan Grisham (D)</p>
<p>EXPEDITING GAS PIPELINE PERMITS: Voting 253 for and 169 against, the House on Jan. 21 passed a Republican-sponsored bill (HR 161) setting deadlines for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and other agencies to act on proposals to build natural gas pipelines.</p>
<p>FERC, the overall permitting and licensing agency for pipelines, would have to approve or deny applications within a year of their submission or face legal consequences.</p>
<p>And agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers would have to complete environmental reviews and other evaluations within 90 days after FERC issues its final environmental evaluation of the application.</p>
<p>There are no statutory deadlines in present law for acting on pipeline applications.</p>
<p>A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN</p>
<p>COSTS OF PIPELINE EXPLOSIONS: Voting 182 for and 241 against, the House on Jan. 21 defeated a motion by Democrats to delay implementation of HR 161 (above) until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has certified that taxpayers are not responsible for cleanup costs resulting from pipeline explosions and that pipeline owners bear full responsibility for loss of life and other damages resulting from explosions.</p>
<p>A yes vote was to adopt the motion, which, had it prevailed, would have immediately amended the bill.</p>
<p>YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN NO: PEARCE</p>
<p>ABORTION COVERAGE IN HEALTH LAW: Voting 242 for and 179 against, the House on Jan. 22 passed a Republican-sponsored bill (HR 7) that would ban taxpayer-subsidized insurance policies that cover abortion from the Affordable Care Act’s state and federal marketplaces.</p>
<p>The bill would prohibit any use of federal funds or tax credits to subsidize premiums for such policies.</p>
<p>Opponents called those provisions unnecessary because the ACA already requires policyholders to pay the portion of their insurance premium that reflects coverage of reproductive services.</p>
<p>The bill would also add to permanent law the so-called Hyde Amendment, which has become a standard provision of annual appropriations bills since 1976.</p>
<p>The amendment prohibits expenditure of federal funds for abortions except in cases of rape or incest or to save the life of the mother.</p>
<p>A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it may face a 60-vote hurdle.</p>
<p>YES: PEARCE NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN</p>
<p>WOMEN’S MEDICAL PRIVACY: Voting 177 for and 240 against, the House on Jan. 22 defeated a motion Democrats said would ensure that HR 7 (above) did not compromise the medical privacy of women, including rape and incest victims, with respect to their choice or use of health-insurance policies.</p>
<p>Supporters of the motion said privacy issues could arise as insurance companies seek to document a woman’s claim of eligibility for taxpayer-funded abortion coverage as a result of being raped.</p>
<p>The Hyde Amendment bars federal funding of abortions except in cases of rape or incest or if the procedure is necessary to save the mother’s life</p>
<p>A yes vote was to adopt the motion, which, had it prevailed, would have immediately amended the bill.</p>
<p>YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN NO: PEARCE</p>
<p>SENATE</p>
<p>Martin Heinrich (D)</p>
<p>Tom Udall (D)</p>
<p>CLIMATE CHANGE, REAL OR HOAX?: The Senate on Jan. 21 voted, 98 for and one against, during debate on a Keystone XL Pipeline bill (S 1), to adopt a non-binding resolution stating: “It is the sense of the Senate that climate change is real and not a hoax.”</p>
<p>Roger Wicker, R-Miss., cast the negative vote. Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., was the sole absentee. The Senate then conducted a pair of votes (next issues) on the role of human activity in causing climate change.</p>
<p>A yes vote was to declare that climate change is real.</p>
<p>YES: UDALL, HEINRICH</p>
<p>REPUBLICAN MEASURE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: By a vote of 59 for and 40 against during debate on S 1 (above), the Senate on Jan. 21 failed to reach 60 votes needed to adopt GOP-sponsored language on climate change.</p>
<p>This amendment would have put the Senate on record as endorsing a view that “climate change is real” while downplaying the role of human activity in contributing to it.</p>
<p>A yes vote backed the weaker of two pending climate-change measures – one that omitted the word “significantly.”</p>
<p>YES: UDALL, HEINRICH</p>
<p>DEMOCRATIC MEASURE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: By a vote of 50 for and 49 against during debate on S 1 (above), the Senate on Jan. 21 failed to reach 60 votes needed to adopt the strongest amendment offered to put the Senate on record on climate change.</p>
<p>This Democratic-sponsored measure asserted that “human activity significantly contributes to climate change.”</p>
<p>A yes vote backed the stronger of two pending climate-change measures – one that included the word “significantly.”</p>
<p>YES: UDALL, HEINRICH</p>
<p>KEEPING KEYSTONE OIL IN THE U.S.: Voting 57 for and 42 against, the Senate on Jan. 20 tabled (killed) a Democratic-sponsored amendment to S 1 (above) requiring that oil shipped from Canada through the Keystone XL Pipeline be kept in the United States to boost energy independence.</p>
<p>As written, the underlying bill would not prevent tar-sands crude from Alberta from being exported after it has been shipped to U.S. refineries and ports.</p>
<p>A yes vote opposed a requirement that Keystone oil and oil products be kept in the United States.</p>
<p>NO: UDALL, HEINRICH</p>
<p>KEYSTONE PIPELINE, EMINENT DOMAIN: Voting 43 for and 54 against, the Senate on Jan. 22 defeated an amendment to S 1 that would prohibit TransCanada Corp. from using eminent-domain proceedings to seize private property in the U.S. for routing and building its Keystone XL Pipeline.</p>
<p>Opponents said issues of property takings would be settled in state courts under the U.S. Constitution.</p>
<p>The underlying bill (S 1), which remained in debate, would give federal approval to construction of a Keystone leg between the Canadian border and Steele City, Neb.</p>
<p>The overall pipeline would extend to the Texas Gulf Coast.</p>
<p>A yes vote was to adopt the amendment.</p>
<p>YES: UDALL, HEINRICH</p>
<p>KEYSTONE LIABILITY FOR OIL SPILLS: By a vote of 50 for and 47 against, the Senate on Jan. 22 failed to reach 60 votes needed to adopt an amendment to S 1 (above) concerning the Keystone XL Pipeline and the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.</p>
<p>The amendment sought to close a loophole in the U.S. tax code that would exempt TransCanada Corp., the Keystone owner, from having to pay 8 cents per barrel into the fund, just as American oil producers must support the fund.</p>
<p>Congress established the fund in response to the 1989 Exxon Valdez grounding, which spilled hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude into Alaska’s Prince William Sound.</p>
<p>A yes vote was to require an excise tax on Keystone oil for supporting the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.</p>
<p>YES: UDALL, HEINRICH</p>
<p>ENERGY EFFICIENCY WITHOUT MANDATES: Voting 94 for and five against, the Senate on Jan. 20 amended a Keystone XL Pipeline bill (S 1, above) to include language that would promote energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings nationwide, including federal offices, without government mandates or additional deficit spending.</p>
<p>The amendment would use model building codes, technological advances such as smart meters and more efficient HVAC systems, educational campaigns and other steps to bring about voluntary compliance with efficiency standards.</p>
<p>The objective would be to create jobs, reduce carbon emissions and slash utility bills.</p>
<p>A yes vote was to add an energy-efficiency package to the Keystone pipeline bill.</p>
<p>YES: UDALL, HEINRICH</p>
<p /> | How your congressional delegates voted | false | https://abqjournal.com/531287/how-your-congressional-delegates-voted-52.html | 2 |
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<p />
<p>Image Source: Flickr user Thank you for visiting my page.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The collapse of crude oil prices is having a significant impact on Baytex Energy's current operations. The oil price is currently so low that it has forced the company to shut down uneconomic oil wells in addition to ceasing drilling activities in two of its core areas. Because of the deep impact low oil prices are having on the company it is the greatest threat facing Baytex.</p>
<p>Turning off the pumpsThe current commodity price environment is so challenging at the moment that some of Baytex Energy's oil wells were actually losing money. That left the company no choice but to shut-in wells that were delivering very low and in some cases negative margins, with the company having shut-in 7,500 barrels of oil production per day during the first quarter. That's a large chunk of its production coming offline, with it representing 8.8% of the company's average production in 2015.</p>
<p>While Baytex Energy wasn't the only Canadian oil and gas producer that was forced to shut-in production due to weak oil prices, it did have one of the higher shut-in rates among its peer group. For example, troubled peer Penn West Petroleum projected that it would shut-in up to 4,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day during the first quarter because of challenged economics. In addition to that, Penn West Petroleum estimated that it would need to defer repair and replacement projects in some of its non-core fields and this could result in another 2,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day coming offline. That said, these combined shut-ins only represent 7.5% of Penn West Petroleum's average production from 2015. Meanwhile, Pengrowth Energy had only shut-in 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent production due to challenged economics. That represented a mere 1.4% of full-year production in 2015.</p>
<p>Shutting down the rigsNot only is a larger percentage of Baytex Energy's production currently threatened by very weak oil prices, but the company's drilling economics are very threatened as well. In fact, based on the projected forward oil price in 2016, the company has decided not to invest any capital into its two heavy oil developments this year. As such, it will forgo drilling a dozen wells at its Peace River development and two dozen wells at Lloydminster.</p>
<p>The reason it chose to defer these investments is because they wouldn't make much, if any, money based on the current break-even points of those two plays. As the slide below shows, both plays need oil to be over $44 a barrel just to break-even, let alone deliver an acceptable economic return:</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Source: Baytex Energy Investor Presentation.</p>
<p>That being said, the company is still able to drill economic wells in the Eagle Ford Shale, which is a play it will continue to develop in 2016 with plans to bring 30 wells online. However, the company has reduced the pace of development due to weaker oil prices, with its initial plans having been to bring 35 to 40 wells online this year.</p>
<p>Still, the fact that it is drilling any wells this year does put it ahead of Pengrowth Energy, which isn't planning on drilling a single well in 2016. Instead, it's just trying to survive the year and generate enough cash flow to help pay down its 2017 debt maturities. Penn West Petroleum, likewise, won't be drilling any new wells this year, instead it's only investing to complete the wells it started last year as it tries to preserve as much cash as possible to weather the current storm.</p>
<p>Investor takeawayThe biggest threat Baytex Energy is facing right now is coming from weak oil prices. Not only has it forced the company to shut down a substantial number of legacy wells, but it has had to stop drilling in two of its core plays as well as slow the pace of growth in its other core play. The concern is that if oil starts collapsing again, more of Baytex Energy's wells and drilling rigs will need to be shut down, which could have a grave impact on its financial situation.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/03/the-biggest-threat-to-baytex-energy-corp-stock.aspx" type="external">The Biggest Threat to Baytex Energy Corp Stock Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFmd19/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" 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=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | The Biggest Threat to Baytex Energy Corp Stock | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/05/03/biggest-threat-to-baytex-energy-corp-stock.html | 2016-05-03 | 0 |
<p>Fairness is one thing, but transfer payments always reduce real labor income: evidence from the U.S. and the U.K.</p>
<p>An international consensus is emerging on the problems of chronic unemployment and lagging real wages. It has won the backing of powerful politicians like Jacques Delors and President Clinton’s economic advisers. Unfortunately, this new consensus is contradicted by standard theory and by labor-market reality.</p>
<p>One expert (Adrian Wood) recently found general agreement on three main points. First, that the main cause of chronic unemployment is a fall in the quantity of labor demanded due to “labor market institutions that put a floor under unskilled wages.” Second, that “removing this floor would not solve the problem, just change its form (from European-style open unemployment into American-style working poverty or withdrawal into crime).” Third, that better education and training will help but will “only work slowly — over decades, not years” (Financial Times, 10 March 1994).</p>
<p>A Doleful Choice?</p>
<p>If this is the prevailing view, then it must be challenged. The first point is quite correct — and it reflects a remarkable change: until recently it was widely argued that unemployment benefits are an “automatic stabilizer” which increases the demand for labor. Nor can one doubt the third: education and training are fine things — but they were fine things back when such policies were fewer and unemployment was much lower.</p>
<p>It is the second point that makes no sense. How often we hear that we face a doleful choice between an “American” model of low benefits, low unemployment and low real wages, or a “European” model of high benefits, high unemployment and high real wages. But the facts show that both the faster rise of unemployment in Europe and the faster relative decline of take-home pay in America are due to expanded social benefits. Transfer payments may be defended for the sake of fairness, but in every case reduce real labor income.</p>
<p>Relative Price of Labor</p>
<p>In standard theory, unemployment is associated with a rise in the relative price of labor. At a higher price, firms hire fewer workers (reducing the quantity of labor demanded) while more people seek jobs (increasing the quantity supplied). In the 1930s and 1940s this was known as “Rueff’s Law,” because Jacques Rueff demonstrated, as early as 1925 for the U.K., that unemployment directly parallels changes in the relative price of labor.</p>
<p>But what, exactly, is the relative price of labor? Obviously it has to do with the level of labor compensation. But like all prices, wages have a meaning only in relation to other prices. A wage of $3 an hour isn’t much when a sandwich costs $3 — but it was a decent wage back when a sandwich sold for 25 cents. So the relative price of labor has to take both pay and prices into account.</p>
<p>But the cost of labor is also affected by labor’s productivity. If we could double the goods produced with an hour of labor, while holding wage rates and prices constant, it would effectively cut the cost of labor in half. But in a competitive market, all units of labor (and capital) are paid incomes equal to what the last unit adds to output. With doubled productivity, real wage rates normally double, leaving the relative price of labor unchanged.</p>
<p>Thus, to measure the relative price of labor, we need to adjust labor compensation for both prices and productivity. (This is sometimes called the “efficiency wage.”) In doing this calculation, we find that the relative price of labor is the same as labor’s share of net national output or income (see Appendix 1). This is a great convenience, since it means that we can measure labor’s relative price without actually knowing the average hourly wage rate, the number of hours worked, or the level of productivity — as long as we know total labor income and total national income.</p>
<p>But there is one more step: we must take into account all taxes and transfer payments affecting labor. This step is usually omitted from labor-cost calculations, to reduce their complexity. But taxes and benefits should be included, because they affect people’s behavior. Rather than just using gross labor compensation, we should subtract taxes on labor and add transfer payments to labor.</p>
<p>International Evidence for Rueff’s Law</p>
<p>I recently calculated labor’s share of national income in this way, back to 1929 for the United States, and back to 1960 for the United Kingdom. (An attempt to do the same for France has so far been defeated by poor data.) Exactly as theory and common sense predict, the relative price of labor is closely tied to the unemployment rate. Whenever labor’s share of income rises, unemployment goes up; whenever labor’s share of income falls, unemployment goes down.</p>
<p>In the U.S., for example, labor took more than 90% of national income at the depths of the Depression, and unemployment hit 25%. During the World War II boom, labor’s share of income hit an all-time low of 64% — corresponding to an all-time low in unemployment of 1%. Since the Second World War, there has been a steady uptrend in labor’s share of national income, and a parallel uptrend in the minimum unemployment rate. On average, each 1% rise in labor’s share of national income has been accompanied by about a 0.8% drop in employment. (See Graph 1.)</p>
<p>In the United Kingdom, the relationship is very similar, except that, until recently, labor’s share of income led unemployment by a year or two. Labor’s share remained below 69% in the 1960s, when unemployment was below 3%. After labor’s share rose to 76% in 1980, unemployment exceeded 12%. Subsequent swings in labor’s share were followed by commensurate swings in unemployment. On average, each 1% rise in labor’s share of national income was accompanied by about a 0.9% drop in employment. (See Graphs 2 and 3.)</p>
<p>Labor’s Share Up — Labor Income Down</p>
<p>Because there is a strict relation between employment and net national output or income, a rise in the relative price of labor must be associated not only with a rise in unemployment but also with a fall in real national income. In both the U.S. and the U.K., each 1 percentage-point rise in labor’s share of national income is associated with about a 2% decline in real national income — measured, for example, by the gap between potential and actual output or income (see Appendix 2). This means that when labor’s income share rises 1 percentage point, real labor income falls 1 percentage point. (See Graphs 4 and 5.)</p>
<p>Why does real labor income fall when labor’s share of income rises? We recall that all units of labor earn a wage based on what the last unit adds to output. For any given equipment, each extra labor unit has less equipment to work with, so adds less to output. Therefore labor must receive a lower “efficiency wage” — a smaller share of total income — as unemployment falls. But real national income and real labor income rise with employment and output, e.g., World War II. If real labor income did not rise as unemployment fell, it would mean that workers as a group offered to work an extra hour even though their real income would drop if they did. This is inherently implausible.</p>
<p>Labor’s share of income must stop falling at full employment since, if no more labor is forthcoming, labor’s contribution to extra output can’t decline any further. Similarly, labor’s income share rises with unemployment, because the last unit of labor hired has more capital to work with; but real labor income falls, because employment and national income are cut back, e.g., the Depression.</p>
<p>Solving The Benefit Puzzle</p>
<p>We can see the effect of government benefits by comparing labor’s share of income with the share received by employed workers. The difference is transfer payments to persons who are not employed — that is, income earned by the effort of employed workers but paid to persons who are either unemployed or outside the labor force. Such benefits represent, in effect, a purchase of labor services by the government.</p>
<p>The effect on unemployment cannot depend merely on the size of benefits. Transfer payments to the non-employed are much higher in the U.S. than in the U.K. — about $3100 vs. $2350 per capita in 1992, measured at purchasing power parity — yet unemployment is far lower. Moreover, such benefits expanded to almost exactly the same degree in both countries between 1960 and 1992– just over 11 percentage points of national income. But in the U.S., labor’s share of income rose less than 3 percentage points, while employed workers’ share fell more than 8 percentage points. In the U.K., labor’s share of income rose more than 6 percentage points, while employed workers’ share fell by 5 percentage points. The larger rise in the U.K. relative price of labor explains why unemployment rose more sharply in the U.K. than in the U.S. But what determines whether benefits raise labor’s share of income or reduce employed workers’ share?</p>
<p>Theory suggests that benefits to the unemployed create a wage floor, thereby raising labor’s share of income and unemployment. But this is not the case with benefits to persons outside the labor force. Since, for example, most workers cannot qualify for old-age benefits, such benefits do not create a wage floor and therefore are financed by reducing employed workers’ take-home pay. This reduces labor force participation and employment without increasing unemployment. (Benefits to employed workers are, in effect, paid by other employed workers, also reducing work effort but without affecting labor’s or employed workers’ shares of national income.)</p>
<p>A closer analysis of the U.S data confirms this. The rise in labor’s share of income is just equal to the rise of benefits to the unemployed — mostly welfare to the able-bodied — while the fall in take-home pay is equal to the rise of benefits to persons outside the labor force — mostly transfers to the aged or disabled. (For a detailed discussion, see “How Can Wages Fall While Unemployment Rises?” March 11, 1994 LBMC Report). I was unable to make a similar breakdown of U.K. benefits — perhaps some enterprising Brit will do so — but common sense suggests that benefits to the unemployed have expanded faster than benefits to persons outside the labor force.</p>
<p>No Tradeoff</p>
<p>Thus the new conventional wisdom is mistaken on two key points. First, it confuses labor’s share of income with real labor income. Benefit (or minimum-wage) laws which create an above-market wage floor do increase labor’s share of national income, but force a cutback in employment which unambiguously lowers real labor income. Second, the main difference between the United States and Europe is not the level but the kinds of social benefits. Since the 1960s, benefits to the unemployed have increased more sharply in Europe — increasing unemployment faster — while benefits to persons outside the labor force have increased more rapidly in the U.S. — causing a sharper decline in take-home pay as a share of national income.</p>
<p>The logic of labor-market policy is exactly the same in the U.S. and in Europe. The only difference is which policy change is more urgent. Trimming excessive unemployment or welfare benefits would reduce unemployment and necessarily raise real labor income. Cutting back benefits to persons outside the labor force would not affect unemployment, but would increase labor-force participation and reverse the decline of take-home pay as a share of national income. Only benefits conditioned on holding a job can offer a “living family wage” without raising unemployment or reducing employed workers’ share of income.</p>
<p>Appendix 1: Why Is the Relative Price of Labor the Same as Labor’s Share of Income?</p>
<p>We observe in the text that the relative price of labor is derived by dividing labor compensation (adjusted for all taxes and transfer payments affecting labor) by both product prices and labor productivity. Let W be labor compensation per hour, L the number of hours worked, P the index of product prices and Q net output. Then the “product wage” is W/P, and productivity (output per hour) is Q/L. So the relative price of labor is (W/P)/(Q/L) = WL/PQ. But WL is total labor compensation, and PQ is the value of net output.PQ (net of capital consumption and indirect taxes) is also equal to national income. Therefore the relative price of labor is the same as labor’s share of national income. As long as we know the aggregate values WL (labor compensation) and PQ (national income), we can measure the relative price of labor without actually knowing W, L, P or Q.</p>
<p>Appendix 2: A Note on the “National Income Gap”</p>
<p>For any given equipment and organization, there is a strict relation between employment and output, and therefore between employment and national income. Therefore a rise in unemployment must be associated with a decline in national output and income.</p>
<p>But national output and income can also change with equipment and organization, or with the labor force or education. We can isolate the effect of changes in unemployment by focusing on “the national income gap” — the difference between actual national income and potential national income at some specified unemployment rate. Both potential and actual output or income should move in parallel except for changes in unemployment.</p>
<p>This idea is usually expressed as the “GDP gap” — the difference between actual and potential gross domestic product. But for our purposes, we wish to focus on national income — the proceeds of GDP actually paid to either labor or capital.</p>
<p>For the United States we use the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate of potential GDP, adjusted to a national income basis instead of GDP. CBO’s potential GDP is not based on zero unemployment, or even on a constant unemployment rate, but rather upon an unemployment rate which ranges slowly between 5% and 6%, based on CBO’s estimate of the unemployment rate at which inflation begins to accelerate. This explains why actual national income sometimes exceeds potential national income. Since we are interested in changes in the national income gap, rather than its absolute level, these anomalies do not greatly affect our results. The CBO output gap goes back to 1949, but we have reconstructed it back to 1929 using the same relationship (see Graph 6).</p>
<p>For the United Kingdom, a useful series for the output or income gap back to 1960 was not available, so we used the divergence of real national income per capita from the 1960-74 trend (chosen because the unemployment rate was fairly constant during that period). U.S. data show that such a measure behaves very much like the “national income gap.” Graph 7 shows U.K. real national income, labor income and take-home pay relative to this trend.</p>
<p>Appendix 3: Measuring Labor’s Share of Income for the U.K.</p>
<p>As explained in the text, labor’s share of national income equals total labor compensation, minus taxes on labor, plus transfer payments to labor. The calculation for the United States was described in “How Can Wages Fall While Unemployment Rises?” (March 11, 1994 LBMC Report, Appendix 1).</p>
<p>The figures for the U.K. come from OECD National Accounts, which differ slightly from the U.S. National Income and Product Accounts. For example, we must subtract indirect taxes net of business subsidies from the OECD measure of national income to approximate national income under the U.S. definition used in this study. These items are from “Main Aggregates,” as is gross labor compensation, which for the U.K. includes an estimate for the self-employed.</p>
<p>Net transfer payments are from “Accounts for General Government,” and include “other current transfers” except “transfers to the rest of the world” under “Disbursements,” less “imputed unfunded employee pension and welfare contributions” under “Receipts.” The item “other current transfers, except imputed” under “Receipts” refers to the poll tax, which is treated separately.</p>
<p>Payroll taxes are from “Accounts for General Government.” Direct personal taxes and fees come from “Accounts for Households.” Labor’s share of personal taxes is assumed to be proportional to labor’s share of national income as defined above. (This method agrees closely with estimates of personal taxes on labor for recent years from IMF Government Statistics Yearbooks.) The poll tax is attributed entirely to labor: 75% to employed workers and 25% to recipients of transfer payments, reflecting the share of the population which is either unemployed or older than working age.</p>
<p>Labor’s share of national income = (labor compensation – payroll taxes – poll tax – labor’s share of personal taxes + net transfer payments)/(national income – indirect taxes + business subsidies).</p>
<p>Employed workers’ income = labor income – net transfers + 25% of poll tax.</p> | A Challenge to Conventional Labor-Market Wisdom; The "Wedge" versus "Social Wage" (Comment) | false | https://eppc.org/publications/a-challenge-to-conventional-labor-market-wisdom-the-wedge-versus-social-wage-comment/ | 1 |
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<p>Treponema pallidum is the bacterium that causes treponemal diseases such as syphilis, bejel, pinta, and yaws. (Image by Dr. David Cox; courtesy CDC Health Image Library)</p>
<p>VANCOUVER — Gay and bisexual men taking antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV infection may be at increased risk for syphilis, HealthDay News <a href="http://helenair.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/can-hiv-drugs-boost-syphilis-risk/article_e9e77393-270a-52f6-be17-a8715f6c4286.html" type="external">reports</a> citing new research.</p>
<p>Based on a review of available evidence, researchers concluded that the drugs may boost susceptibility to the bacterium that causes syphilis, although the study did not prove cause and effect.</p>
<p>The finding might explain why new and repeat cases of syphilis in gay and bisexual men have risen sharply compared to other sexually transmitted infections over the past decade, researchers wrote.</p>
<p>The study team was led by Dr. Michael Rekart, from the University of British Columbia’s School of Population and Public Health in Vancouver. The findings were <a href="http://sti.bmj.com/content/early/2016/11/30/sextrans-2016-052870" type="external">published</a> in the Jan. 16 issue of the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.</p>
<p>The authors of an editorial that accompanied the study said the theory is “intriguing” and “warrants careful consideration.” But the editorial also suggested that the increase in syphilis cases among gay and bisexual men may be due to other factors.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">bisexual</a> <a href="" type="internal">Canada</a> <a href="" type="internal">gay</a> <a href="" type="internal">Michael Rekart</a> <a href="" type="internal">MSM</a> <a href="" type="internal">Sexually Transmitted Infections</a> <a href="" type="internal">STD</a> <a href="" type="internal">STI</a> <a href="" type="internal">syphilis</a> <a href="" type="internal">University of British Columbia's School of Population and Public Health</a> <a href="" type="internal">Vancouver</a></p> | Study considers syphilis rates and antiretrovirals | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/01/20/study-considers-syphilis-rates-antiretrovirals/ | 3 |
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<p>The $805,000 project in the big Lomitas Negras arroyo east of NM 528 near Corrales Road was completed on time and under budget and, perhaps most importantly, was in place before another big storm rolled into that area. A tip of the hat goes to the SSCAFCA board and staff, designer Smith Engineering and contractor Salls Brothers Construction.</p>
<p>The project consists of several check dams that span the wide arroyo and over which runoff will flow into a flood pool. The pool, whose capacity was expanded from 1,500 cubic yards to nearly 55,000 cubic yards, is intended to capture tons of sediment carried with the storm water that has been especially troublesome for the downstream village of Corrales.</p>
<p>Storm water passing from the pool into the Dulcelina Curtis flood control channel now will be in a far cleaner state for its trip to the lower Harvey Jones Channel and, ultimately, the river.</p>
<p>Over the years, sediment borne by storm flows in the Lomitas Negras has been settling in the Jones channel culverts under the Corrales Road bridge, interfering with the water’s passage to the river and putting nearby homes and fields in the village at risk of being flooded.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The Lomitas Negras project, and a similar SSCAFCA project planned this fall for the Montoyas arroyo between the Corrales/Rio Rancho boundary and the mouth of the Harvey Jones channel, are expected to go a long way toward protecting our friends in Corrales. Phase two of the Lomitas Negras project, planned for next year, will provide additional check dams and a detention basin west of NM 528 to further limit peak flows.</p>
<p>The list of project contributors cited at the ribbon-cutting is evidence that SSCAFCA, local governments, state agencies and our local state lawmakers are on the same page. Some $255,000 for the project was made available through a legislative appropriation, with the balance coming from the New Mexico Water Trust Board and matching SSCAFA funds.</p>
<p>We’re virtually certain we haven’t published our last story about a storm wreaking damage in our community. But those who’ve lived in the area a few years can clearly see that SSCAFCA is steadily making progress on what was, and remains, the enormous task of managing the watersheds on the northwest mesa.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Our view: SSCAFCA completes phase one of key flood control project | false | https://abqjournal.com/430147/sscafca-completes-phase-one-of-key-flood-control-project.html | 2 |
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<p><a href="http://variety.com/t/amazon-prime-video/" type="external">Amazon Prime Video</a> will get a raft of AMC series on an exclusive basis across 28 territories after inking an output deal with <a href="http://variety.com/t/amc-studios/" type="external">AMC Studios</a>, the programming arm of the U.S. cable network.</p>
<p>The agreement hands Amazon the AMC shows in an exclusive first window, meaning they will be on the Prime Video service ahead of any other streaming platform, pay-TV service, or free TV.</p>
<p>Australia, Germany, Italy, India, and Japan are among the territories covered. “ <a href="http://variety.com/t/the-terror/" type="external">The Terror</a>,” a series produced by <a href="http://variety.com/t/ridley-scott/" type="external">Ridley Scott</a> about an Arctic expedition gone wrong, is the first title covered by the deal.</p>
<p>AMC Studios has produced series such as “Halt and Catch Fire” and “Into the Badlands.” It is a production partner on the upcoming John Le Carre adaptation “The Little Drummer Girl,” and recently struck a <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/chris-hardwick-1202009872/" type="external">deal with Chris Hardwick</a>&#160;for a first look at the “Talking Dead” host’s projects from his Fish Ladder production company, formed earlier this year.</p>
<p>“This is another step in our efforts to extend the selection of premium TV shows available to Prime Video members worldwide,” said Brad Beale, vice president of content acquisition for Amazon&#160;Prime Video.</p>
<p>AMC Studios and Amazon have worked together before but never had an output deal. Rick Olshansky, president of business operations,&#160;AMC&#160;Studios, said: “This agreement underscores the high global demand for&#160;AMC’s must-have content and franchises and enables us to bring our popular shows to a wide global audience.”</p> | Amazon Strikes International Output Deal With AMC Studios | false | https://newsline.com/amazon-strikes-international-output-deal-with-amc-studios/ | 2017-11-20 | 1 |
<p>Dec. 15 (UPI) — United Technologies has been awarded $6.7 billion in a contract with the U.S. Air Force for sustainment on the Pratt and Whitney F-119 engine for the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.</p>
<p>The deal, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, comes under the terms of an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract between the U.S. Air Force and United Technologies.</p>
<p>The F-22 Raptor is a 5th generation stealth air-superiority fighter with ground attack capabilities and is one of the most advanced fighters in the world. The aircraft has seen recent action in <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/War_in_Afghanistan/" type="external">Afghanistan</a>, as it aircraft was used in counter-revenue operations targeting Taliban narcotic manufacturing locations in the northern region of Helmand Province.</p>
<p>Work on the contract will be performed at multiple Air Force bases across the U.S., and is expected to be completed in December 2025.</p> | United Technologies awarded $6.7B contract for F-22 engine | false | https://newsline.com/united-technologies-awarded-6-7b-contract-for-f-22-engine/ | 2017-12-15 | 1 |
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<p>Realestate tycoon and presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, is lashing out at Apple after the tech giant refused to comply with a court order to create a way into their operating system.</p>
<p>From&#160; <a href="http://www.bizpacreview.com/2016/02/17/who-do-they-think-they-are-trump-bluntly-calls-out-apple-307133" type="external">Bizpac Review</a>:</p>
<p>Donald Trump directed his ire at Apple&#160;for refusing to&#160;help the FBI unlock an iPhone&#160;belonging to one of the&#160;radical Islamist shooters&#160;in the San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 14 innocent people.</p>
<p>The FBI has been unable to access the password-protected device and&#160;Apple CEO Tim Cook&#160;says he won't provide a "back door."</p>
<p>"To think that Apple won't allow us to get into her cell phone," Trump said in an interview Wednesday on Fox News.&#160;"Who do they think they are? No, we have to open it up."</p>
<p>The issue is discussed at the 7:45-minute mark of the video below:</p>
<p>https://youtu.be/emNlwgHAMgY</p>
<p>The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Tuesday ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to access data on the phone, but&#160;the company is refusing to comply with the court order, according to&#160; <a href="http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/269668-trump-slams-apple-for-refusing-to-unlock-san-bernardino-shooters-phone" type="external">The Hill</a>.</p>
<p>The real estate tycoon insisted that Apple should help investigators access the data.</p>
<p>"Apple, this is one case, this is a case that certainly we should be able to get into the phone," Trump&#160;said. "And we should find out what happened, why it happened, and maybe there's other people involved and we have to do that."</p>
<p>Apple posted an&#160; <a href="http://www.apple.com/customer-letter/" type="external">in-depth statement</a>&#160;on its website. It reads, in part:</p>
<p>The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand?</p>
<p>We were shocked and outraged by the deadly act of terrorism in San Bernardino last December. We mourn the loss of life and want justice for all those whose lives were affected. The FBI asked us for help in the days following the attack, and we have worked hard to support the government's efforts to solve this horrible crime.&#160;We have no sympathy for terrorists?</p>
<p>We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>The issue has put Apple in a very precarious position and has launched an intense social media debate on protecting America from another terrorist attack and protecting the privacy rights of all Apple users.</p>
<p>Here's a sampling of responses from Twitter:</p>
<p />
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<p>&#160;</p>
<p>This is definitely a complicated issue. As technology progresses, our society is having to answer difficult questions that don't have a clear answer.</p>
<p>On the one hand, we need to be able to track and identify potential internal threats before they happen.</p>
<p>At the same time, though, there's a legitimate argument to being made for protecting citizen's private data from the government.</p>
<p>What do you think?&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Let us know</a></p>
<p>0 comments</p> | Trump slams Apple: 'Who do they think they are?' | true | http://freedomsfinalstand.com/trump-slams-apple-who-do-they-think-they-are/ | 0 |
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<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Much progress has been made in the last 100 years, but that didn't stop MIT Technology Review from calling a new gene-editing technology " <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/532796/who-owns-the-biggest-biotech-discovery-of-the-century/" type="external">The Biggest Biotech Discovery of the Century</a>." While that's a mighty big claim, it may not be hyperbole. Researchers have big hopes that CRISPR -- a mechanism that bacteria use to protect against invading pathogens, akin to a bacterial immune system -- can be used for precisely editing genes in living organisms. In simple terms, CRISPR could allow scientists to remove and correct errors in genomes -- including errors that cause diseases.</p>
<p>Several factors are fueling this technology's spectacular rise. Namely, it's incredibly cheap, it's easy to use, and it delivers results quickly. Even raw, early versions of CRISPR boast significant advantages over established methods and technologies widely used in molecular biology -- and it continues to improve in accuracy.</p>
<p>Today, CRISPR is being used to design more productive industrial microbes and introduce enhanced traits into agricultural crops. But perhaps the technology's greatest promise is its potential to treat and even cure diseases. There are three companies globally that own the intellectual property governing biopharma applications. Two are publicly traded -- Editas Medicine (NASDAQ: EDIT) and Intellia Therapeutics (NASDAQ: NTLA) -- while the third, CRISPR Therapeutics, is nearing an IPO expected to raise over $91.8 million.</p>
<p>Given the incredible potential of CRISPR gene-editing tools in healthcare, should you buy stock in the biotech discovery of the century?</p>
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<p>Here are some important numbers on each companyfor investors to consider, as of the close of the second quarter 2016:</p>
<p>Data source: SEC filings.Note: CRISPR Therapeutics data from S-1 filing.</p>
<p>Each company remains in the earliest stages of development, as reflected by financial statements and the fact that no company has entered clinical trials to date (Editas Medicine expects to move its first drug candidate into the clinic in 2017). That highlights an obvious risk for investors: At the moment, CRISPR stocks are all about potential. They do not generate large amounts of revenue, and aside from potential milestone payments from partners, they will not do so for years.</p>
<p>That said, the gatekeepers of CRISPR have attracted interest and investment from leading biopharma companies.</p>
<p>Here's a breakdown of partnered programs for each of the three CRISPR companies:</p>
<p>Data sources: Company websites.</p>
<p>There's plenty of crossover from each company's pipeline -- and that's not by mistake. Editas Medicine, Intellia Therapeutics, and CRISPR Therapeutics are all looking to take advantage of the versatility of CRISPR while focusing on correcting "simpler" genetic mutations that cause disease. In other words, these are diseases caused by mutations to single genes -- and sometimes even single base pairs on a single gene -- rather than highly complex diseases that draw strength from the presence of many genes. Cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease, for instance, could theoretically be cured by correcting minor mutations in the genome.</p>
<p>Each CRISPR stock is also looking to get in on the emerging field of CAR-T immunotherapy not by making specific drug candidates, but by making the tools needed to more efficiently and accurately engineer the T cells at the center of those therapeutic platforms. While other biopharma companies are digging in the hills for gold, the gatekeepers of CRISPR are hoping to get rich selling headlamps and pickaxes.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, no talk of CRISPR is complete without discussing the bitter legal battle over the technology. It matters immensely, because billions of dollars in licensing and future royalties are staked to competing claims over the intellectual property. If the dispute is decided in a winner-take-all ruling, then at least one stock will be severely damaged, perhaps fatally.</p>
<p>At the center of the dispute is the question of who actually discovered the biotech breakthrough of the century. While the first scientists to actually discover CRISPR were at UC Berkeley and the University of Vienna, scientists at Harvard University, The Broad Institute, and MIT were the first to be granted patents covering broad applications of the technology. Since the patents were filed under the old patent system, which rewarded "first to discover," legal teams are poring over dates in laboratory notebooks to get the bottom of the issue. But the situation is complicated by arguments that the broad patents -- poetically awarded to The Broad Institute -- relied on prior art made possible by discoveries from Berkeley and Vienna. The mess has now entangled over 12 patents in disputes of legitimacy.</p>
<p>Simply put, it's messy. Intellia and CRISPR Therapeutics have staked claims to the UC Berkeley and University of Vienna family of patents, while Editas Medicine has laid claim to Harvard, Broad Institute, and MIT patents.</p>
<p>That doesn't even include other universities that have entered or been dragged into the fray. However, as investors can see, a winner-take-all legal outcome will either favor one CRISPR stock (Editas Medicine) or two (Intellia Therapeutics and CRISPR Therapeutics).</p>
<p>There are certainly big hopes for CRISPR stocks. However, investors should be cautioned that early enthusiasm for RNAi after it won the Nobel Prize in 2006 and gene therapy in the last several decades has failed to deliver big wins to this day. That may be changing with our improving understanding of biology, but many challenges remain for gene editing.</p>
<p>A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early, in-the-know investors! To be one of them, <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-apple-wearable?aid=6965&amp;source=irbeditxt0000017&amp;ftm_cam=rb-wearable-d&amp;ftm_pit=2518&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFBlacknGold/info.aspx" type="external">Maxx Chatsko Opens a New Window.</a>has no position in any stocks mentioned. <a href="https://twitter.com/MaxxChatsko" type="external">Follow him on Twitter Opens a New Window.</a>to keep up with developments in the engineered biology field.</p>
<p>The Motley Fool recommends Juno Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=isiedilnk018048&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">free for 30 days Opens a New Window.</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/motley.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights Opens a New Window.</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Should You Buy Stock in the Biotech Discovery of the Century? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/16/should-buy-stock-in-biotech-discovery-century.html | 2016-10-16 | 0 |
<p>In 2008, the 10 biggest U.S. banks and brokerage firms took $829 billion in emergency loans from the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve. Who got what had been a secret, but thanks to months of litigation, an act of Congress and the work of numerous reporters, we now know.</p>
<p>Morgan Stanley, the largest borrower, received as much as $107.3 billion, while Citigroup took $99.5 billion and Bank of America $91.4 billion. Even foreign companies borrowed large. Almost half of the Fed’s top 30 borrowers were European firms. The Edinburgh-based Royal Bank of Scotland took $84.5 billion — more than any other non-U.S. lender. Germany’s Hypo Real Estate Holding AG took $28.7 billion, which Bloomberg calculated as about $21 million for each of its 1,366 employees.</p>
<p>Some of the loans were very cheap. On Oct. 20, 2008, the U.S. central bank agreed to set a below-market interest rate of 1.1 percent on $113.3 billion worth of month-long loans. Banks were lending to each other at 3.8 percent that same day, which means they were profiting off emergency government relief in the middle of the financial crisis. –ARK</p>
<p>Bloomberg:</p>
<p />
<p>While the Fed’s last-resort lending programs generally charge above-market interest rates to deter routine borrowing, that practice sometimes flipped during the crisis. On Oct. 20, 2008, for example, the central bank agreed to make $113.3 billion of 28-day loans through its Term Auction Facility at a rate of 1.1 percent, according to a press release at the time.</p>
<p>The rate was less than a third of the 3.8 percent that banks were charging each other to make one-month loans on that day. Bank of America and Wachovia Corp. each got $15 billion of the 1.1 percent TAF loans, followed by Royal Bank of Scotland’s RBS Citizens NA unit with $10 billion, Fed data show.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-21/wall-street-aristocracy-got-1-2-trillion-in-fed-s-secret-loans.html" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Wall Street's Not-So-Little Secret | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/wall-streets-not-so-little-secret/ | 2011-08-28 | 4 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — There is new activity at the former location of Paul’s Monterey Inn.</p>
<p>The Albuquerque restaurant had operated out of the same space for over four decades, but closed its doors in February 2015. Peter Piper Pizza recently purchased the property at 1000 Juan Tabo NE, demolished the building and is planning to make the spot its fourth location in the Albuquerque area.</p>
<p>“We are very excited,” said Jason Greenwood, chief marketing officer. “We’ve had a lot of success in the market, and it hits our target demographic. We love Albuquerque.”</p>
<p>The new location, which will be the second in Albuquerque to have a drive-through,&#160; is tentatively scheduled to open on Oct. 31.</p>
<p>The restaurant will be 8,000 square feet, which is small for a Peter Piper Pizza, but it will provide all of the services offered at its other locations, according to Greenwood.</p>
<p>Peter Piper Pizza is owned by CEC Entertainment Inc., which also owns Chuck E. Cheese’s.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Former Monterey Inn site to become Peter Piper Pizza | false | https://abqjournal.com/1039476/former-monterey-inn-site-to-become-peter-piper-pizza.html | 2 |
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<p>How is your business perceived? It’s a question worth exploring considering that perception could very well be the thing that causes your business to succeed or fail. Oddly enough, a cable cooking show I once saw may offer some insight on the subject.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The show opened with the head chef preparing one entrée option for a large group of unsuspecting patrons. The customers were subsequently divided into two groups. The first group was seated and served; however, their meal was brought out on picnic ware – paper plates, paper cups and plastic forks.&#160; After the first group finished, the other group came in. This group was presented the same entrée; however, their meal was accompanied by exquisite <a href="" type="internal">china</a>, flatware and served by candlelight.</p>
<p>As you would imagine, the second group had a far more favorable opinion regarding the actual taste of their meal (though the food was identical). Was the collective opinion of the second group based on something real, fake or something else? My contention is that it was something else – their perception.</p>
<p>Small business marketing tends to follow the same pattern; the way in which you present your message can be just as, if not more, important than the message itself. It‘s a classic case of perception-shaping-reality.</p>
<p>While I’m a huge advocate of substance, style-points are invaluable. This is especially true when molding consumer perception in a hyper-saturated-media world.</p>
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<p>With this idea in mind, let’s quickly jump back to the second group in the cooking show comparison. Did someone have to announce that they were eating a high-end meal? The obvious answer is no. It was demonstrated by the presentation of the entrée. Now let’s look at your marketing. Are you telling everyone that you’re the best thing since sliced bread or are you conveying that idea by how you present your message? It’s a fine line, but the delineation should be clear.</p>
<p>Here are a few things to consider as you endeavor to shape consumer opinion and perception:</p>
<p>No. 1: Don’t skimp. Avoid cutting corners on your creative processes for the sake of cost - scouring the city for the absolute cheapest ad creator you can find. You get what you pay for (you probably saw that one coming, right?).</p>
<p>No. 2: Take the opinion of “creative” people seriously. Give the people you hire to handle your marketing a bit of latitude; you’ll be surprised at how much their input will impact the delivery of your message.</p>
<p>No. 3: See the world through the eyes of the consumer. You can make huge strides in the area of perception if you simply communicate in a way that makes sense to the buyer.</p>
<p>As you examine this area of your marketing, take a few steps back and see the bigger picture. What is the overall “feel” of your communications?&#160;In short, what is the perception people have of your business?</p>
<p>Walter Dailey is proven marketing professional. He’s the lead <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/ad-consulting/" type="external">marketing consultant Opens a New Window.</a> and <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/ad-consulting/" type="external">marketing speaker</a> for <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com" type="external">Dailey Sound Vector Media Opens a New Window.</a>, a creative services company that creates <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/jingles" type="external">jingles Opens a New Window.</a>, <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com/radio-ads/" type="external">radio ads Opens a New Window.</a>, and <a href="http://www.dsvmedia.com" type="external">commercial campaigns</a> for small businesses throughout the North America.&#160; Ask Walter your questions at <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected] Opens a New Window.</a></p> | Real, Fake or Something Else? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/07/26/real-fake-or-something-else.html | 2016-03-23 | 0 |
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<p>PHOENIX - The Senate has passed a bill that would offer protections to the herd of wild horses living near Arizona's Salt River.</p>
<p>Rep. Kelly Townsend of Mesa is sponsoring a proposal that would make it illegal to harass, shoot, kill or slaughter a horse that is part of the Salt River herd of about 100 horses that have historically lived around the Lower Salt River and Saguaro Lake.</p>
<p>The proposal comes after the U.S. Forest Service planned to remove the horses. The Forest Service has since reversed its decision facing public pressure.</p>
<p>Townsend amended her proposal with additional protections after meeting with The Salt River Wild Horse Management Group.</p>
<p>The Senate passed House Bill 2340 on 27-2 vote Monday. It now moves back to the House for a final vote.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | AZ senate passes bill to protect Salt River wild horses | false | https://abqjournal.com/755187/az-senate-passes-bill-to-protect-salt-river-wild-horses.html | 2 |
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<p>Published time: 7 Sep, 2017 09:29</p>
<p>The government should investigate far-right extremism in the armed forces after four soldiers were arrested for being alleged members of banned neo-Nazi group National Action, MPs say.</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/402034-nazi-terrorism-arrest-planning/" type="external" /></p>
<p>The men were detained on suspicion of terrorism offences in Brecon, Ipswich, and at a military base in Cyprus, alongside a civilian who is suspected of being part of the group.</p>
<p>It is understood the government has no plans to launch a wider investigation into extremism after the arrests.</p>
<p>Liberal Democrats Shadow Home Secretary Ed Davey says it is “not enough to simply assume this is a contained example” and that a wider investigation into extremism in the army should be launched.</p>
<p>“Questions remain over whether the armed forces are consistently monitoring for extremist activity in their ranks,” he told the Independent.</p>
<p>The Green Party warned that overseas cases show that serving members of the armed forces are “vulnerable to recruitment” from far-right groups. Its co-leader Jonathan Barley told the Independent the government’s failure to launch an inquiry into extremism within the armed forces “suggests it is afraid of what it will find.”</p>
<p>[embedded content]</p>
<p>“We must protect serving and retired personnel by providing training to spot the signs of radicalization, and upping the support and mental health care provision available.</p>
<p>“In the UK we have already seen far-right groups target members of the armed forces on social media, and the government cannot bury its head in the sand and hope it will go away.”</p>
<p>Read more</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rt.com/uk/402191-far-right-extremism-terrorism/" type="external" /></p>
<p>Bartley noted a recent case in Germany, in which a neo-Nazi soldier known only as Franco A was found posing as a Syrian refugee to launch a “false flag” terrorist attack to be blamed on asylum seekers.</p>
<p>Investigators discovered an assault rifle case carved with a swastika and Third Reich pamphlet in his barracks room, where the letters HH [Heil Hitler] were inscribed on the wall.</p>
<p>Angela Merkel’s government and the military have launched investigations into a suspected network of extremists and radicalization in the Bundeswehr.</p>
<p>All recruits to the armed forces undergo a strict vetting procedure, which includes checks on their criminal history, political views and affiliations, and can take up to nine months. Evidence of radical views, discrimination and racism can be reported confidentially and disciplined by military authorities.</p>
<p>National Action became the first far-right extremist group to be proscribed last year in the UK.</p>
<p>The Home Secretary’s decision to ban the far-right group, which had branches across the UK, came amid reports from the government’s counter-extremism program, Channel, that far-right radicalization accounted for a quarter of the cases it was handling.</p>
<p /> | Calls for extremism investigation into British armed forces after ‘neo-Nazi’ arrests | false | https://newsline.com/calls-for-extremism-investigation-into-british-armed-forces-after-neo-nazi-arrests/ | 2017-09-07 | 1 |
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<p>FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A northern Colorado woman has acknowledged lying to police about the death of her infant daughter.</p>
<p>The Fort Collins Coloradoan reports (https://goo.gl/clhKcT ) 23-year-old Alexa Coria pleaded guilty Monday to trying to influence a public servant. She is scheduled to be sentenced May 22.</p>
<p>Police say Coria’s ex-boyfriend, Juan Canales-Hernandez, fatally hit 11-month-old RaeLynn Martinez with a chair in September, and Coria lied about how the child was hurt in an effort to keep him from going to prison.</p>
<p>Canales-Hernandez is facing several charges in the baby’s death, including first-degree murder and child abuse.</p>
<p>The newspaper reports the child’s death happened while Canales-Hernandez was on parole for seriously injuring a 2-year-old boy in 2013.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan, <a href="http://www.coloradoan.com" type="external">http://www.coloradoan.com</a></p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Woman acknowledges lying about death of infant daughter | false | https://abqjournal.com/982014/woman-acknowledges-lying-about-death-of-infant-daughter.html | 2 |
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<p>Dec. 7 (UPI) — Manager Paulo Fonseca fulfilled a promise to Shakhtar Donetsk Wednesday, dressing as Zorro for a news conference.</p>
<p>He promised to do so if his team reached the final 16 teams of the UEFA Champions League. Shakhtar beat Manchester City 2-1 on Wednesday in Champions League action at Metalist Oblast Sports Complex in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The club faces Zorya at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the Ukrainian Premier League.</p>
<p>“Good evening. Do you want me to speak in a mask or without it? All right,” Fonseca said at the postgame news conference, <a href="https://shakhtar.com/en/news/2017/december/7_news/7_fonseca/" type="external">according to the team website</a>.</p>
<p>“If someone doesn’t know it, the person responsible for the way I’m dressed up at the moment is in the room … The jolliest press conference in my life: everyone laughs and smiles! It was almost a perfect match. Beating the City is not easy, but we played in an organized and safe way defensively, making quality transitions to attack.”</p>
<p>He was also asked which actor played the better Zorro: <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Antonio_Banderas/" type="external">Antonio Banderas</a> or Alain Delon.</p>
<p>“It’s difficult to answer. Both! But right now I like the Zorro Paulo Fonseca,” the manager said.</p>
<p>He also said he thought the joke would last for a long time.</p>
<p>The loss was the first for Manchester City in 29 matches. It was the first loss since the club lost 2-1 to Arsenal on April 23 in the FA Cup semifinal.</p>
<p>Shakhtar is in the same pot as Basel, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Sevilla, Porto and Real Madrid. Pot 1 includes: Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Liverpool, Besiktas and Tottenham Hotspur.</p>
<p>The Champions League round of 16 draw is set for noon on Monday, with the final taking place on May 26 in Kiev. &#160;</p> | Champions League: Shakhtar Donetsk manager dresses as Zorro during news conference | false | https://newsline.com/champions-league-shakhtar-donetsk-manager-dresses-as-zorro-during-news-conference/ | 2017-12-07 | 1 |
<p>Responding to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other resistance forces in the Gaza Strip’s rejection of the so-called “ <a href="" type="internal">ceasefire proposal</a>,” Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas lamented, “The Palestinian factions’ refusal to deal with the Egyptian proposal for ceasefire with Israel has disappointed all of us.”</p>
<p>That ceasefire called for the end of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, but said nothing of the Israeli occupation, siege, and blockade from which those rockets were born. It was, in other words, not a ceasefire proposal at all. With his comments, Abbas, the leader of Fatah and the chairman of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine_Liberation_Organization" type="external">Palestine Liberation Organization</a>, distanced himself from the rest of the Palestinian factions.</p>
<p>Since the 2007 Hamas–Fatah conflict, the Palestinian political spectrum has polarized. Divisions between the two main factions are not merely geographical, institutional, ideological, or&#160;political. Most centrally, they run along the fault line of their conflicting agendas: resistance and anti-resistance.</p>
<p>Division is not new in Palestinian national politics. Political and ideological disagreements&#160;have been features of factional politics within the Palestinian national movement since its inception. However, during moments of resistance to intensified Israeli aggression, these fissures used to close up, to be replaced with a sense of unity and shared destiny.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, recent years have undermined this tendency. Resistance is no longer seen as a unifying umbrella under which Palestinian factions leave behind their disputes.</p>
<p>Western and Israeli media like&#160;to depict Abbas as a representative of the most moderate Palestinian political camp. But in the eyes of Palestinians, his hostility to the resistance makes him appear to be an unofficial spokesman of the Israeli government. That hostility is even more problematic given that he presides over a political trend that still presents itself as a “national liberation movement.”</p>
<p>Fatah arguably inaugurated the Palestinian resistance in 1965. It certainly dominated the PLO by the late 1960s. But since the signing of the <a href="" type="internal">Oslo Accords</a>, it has abandoned the basic functions of a liberation movement. It became an exclusivist party seeking to impose its hegemony over Palestinian society, as well as monopolize political decision making, financial resources, and the means of violence.</p>
<p>Fatah’s irresponsible politics have diverted the PLO from its anti-colonial mission and subordinated it to the narrow interests of the Palestinian Authority elite. It has divided&#160;Palestinian society through a patronage network that&#160;has penetrated most institutions and organizations, and which serves as a mechanism of control to both co-opt potential leadership and push opposition to the margins.</p>
<p>Palestinian universities, historically an arena for a dynamic student movement, have become subject to PA diktat through the presence of Fatah security agents. Their role is to report on organizers’ activities, which leads both to the political arrests of students in the opposition, as well odd results in student council elections in favor of Al-Shabiba — the Fatah student movement.</p>
<p>Fatah’s adherence to the Oslo project and its economic normalization and security coordination with Israel have brought to the surface its divergence from the growing popular consensus that favors alternative strategies for the Palestinian national movements — ones based on resistance.</p>
<p>With the recent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and the crackdown on protests in the West Bank protests, the PA and its ruling party have rushed, as never before, to cooperate with the Israeli occupation — a cooperation which verges on alliance. Fatah has systemically aligned itself with the most hostile regimes to resistance, and transformed Palestinian embassies around the world into hubs for plots and cooperation with foreign intelligence services.</p>
<p>The movement has historically contained competing trends — with political agendas that&#160;have seemed sometimes conflicting, if not contradictory. For example, during the Second Intifada, Fatah’s military wing, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Aqsa_Martyrs'_Brigades" type="external">Al-Aqsa Brigades</a>, played a key role in military confrontations with Israeli troops, and often deployed suicide bombers. At the same time, some of its key security leaders collaborated with the Israeli security services.</p>
<p>The most militant trend within Fatah in the West Bank evaporated after the arrest of its symbolic leader, Marwan Barghouti, and the domestication of its members by Abbas. Only in the Gaza Strip is the Fatah military wing still active and indeed highly critical of its mother party in the West Bank.</p>
<p>Fatah has adopted the most hypocritical kind of pragmatism. For example, when Western governments pressured Arafat to create the office of PA prime minister in order to reduce his power and influence, Abbas was the US favorite to occupy the post. Quickly afterward, Abbas came into conflict with Arafat over the control of the security forces, leading to Abbas’s resignation in 2003.</p>
<p>As a result of this incident, Abbas was seen by the majority of Fatah members as the “ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Karzai" type="external">Karzai</a> of Palestine,” implementing US and Israeli agendas and conspiring against Arafat. He disappeared from the political scene. However, after the death of Arafat, somehow Abbas was reborn as a heroic visionary, and the most qualified to replace Arafat as the PA president, the leader of Fatah, and the chairman of the PLO.</p>
<p>Given growing popular anger against the PA, several Fatah members have distanced themselves from its positions. This move has not been accompanied by critical voices demanding radical change within the movement. It is now normal to hear conflicting statements by Fatah leaders and members. But during critical moments, they appear to surrender to central decisions, even if they run counter to the core interests of the Palestinian cause.</p>
<p>Since the early 1990s, the Islamic Resistance Movement — Hamas — has become the main political competitor of both Fatah in particular and the secular PLO in general. Unlike Fatah, which is endorsed by Western governments, Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization. Its growing popularity in the 1990s stemmed from its fierce opposition to the Oslo Accords, which had been translated on the ground into a series of suicide bombing attacks inside Israel.</p>
<p>Hamas also enjoys popular support among the marginalized poor due to its well-established network of social and charitable organizations and ability to mobilize its constituents.</p>
<p>During the Second Intifada, Hamas joined other resistance forces in attacking Israeli troops and settlers. It also carried out massive suicide bombings inside Israel. However, by the end of the Second Intifada, Hamas began to moderate its position, hinting at accepting the two-state solution, announcing the end of suicide bombings, and declaring its willingness to join the formal political process.</p>
<p>In 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections with an overwhelming majority, a victory which threatened Fatah’s historical dominance of the national movement. In response, the international community, led by the United States, boycotted the democratically elected government and halted financial aid to PA institutions.</p>
<p>The rising tension between Hamas and Fatah, fueled by Western and Israeli backing of Fatah, ended in a semi-civil war in the Gaza Strip in 2007 and the subsequent divide between the de facto Hamas government in the Gaza Strip and the Fatah-led PA in the West Bank.</p>
<p>After the Hamas takeover of the Strip, Israel imposed a crippling siege on it, waged three destructive wars on its population, and invested extensively in sustaining the Palestinian internal division.</p>
<p>There are many who understandably dislike Hamas’s conduct. Its dominant position in the Gaza Strip has frequently been subject to harsh criticism concerning its authoritarian mode of governance, imposition of conservative social rules, and occasional suppression of opposition groups and journalists.</p>
<p>However, influential resistance outfits such as the Islamic Jihad, PFLP, and even some Fatah militant branches appear to favor Hamas rule over the Gaza Strip because they are granted freedom of military training and armament.</p>
<p>And yet, Hamas’s participation in the 2006 elections and its later use of formal political institutions in the Gaza Strip has led some observers to argue that Hamas has begun to take the route of Fatah, and its engagement in a political process with Israel is only a matter of time.</p>
<p>This perception became more widely accepted when Hamas abandoned its historic regional allies — Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria — which for years had aided it militarily and bolstered it financially, and allied itself with an emergent regional axis following the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, supported by other regional actors, particularly Qatar and Turkey, under the tent of US hegemony.</p>
<p>However, the collapse of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the capture of power by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdel_Fattah_el-Sisi" type="external">General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi</a> have undermined Hamas’s power as well as its ability to govern the Gaza Strip. These events have generated an existential crisis for Hamas, forcing it to accept a reconciliation deal with Fatah that contains several concessions that&#160;would not previously have been conceivable.</p>
<p>Reckoning with how this happened is crucial and unavoidable. Indeed, even putting such matters to the side, many of us have over time disagreed with Hamas ideologically and politically. We still disagree, and we will continue to disagree. But in the face of Israel’s deadly aggression, it has become increasingly clear that Palestinians share the same destiny.</p>
<p>In such critical moments, the systematic anti-Hamas propaganda engineered by some Palestinian trends does not&#160;specifically target Hamas as an organization. It in fact&#160;targets the concept of&#160;resistance itself, as a practice, an idea, a consciousness. The alternative on offer is not resistance through different tactics. It is its antithesis, an alliance with colonialism.</p>
<p>For this reason, we must now be clear. It would be a mistake to perceive all the existing factional agendas as part of the national liberation movement. Supporters of the Palestinian struggle ought to be aware that by now some have proven themselves to be enemies of the Palestinian struggle for liberation and self-determination.</p> | The Palestinian Resistance and Its Enemies | true | https://jacobinmag.com/2014/07/the-palestinian-resistance-and-its-enemies/ | 2018-10-03 | 4 |
<p />
<p />
<p>Evangelical megachurch pastor <a href="" type="internal">Rick Warren</a> today on CNN admitted what the American public has known for years: Evangelical churches are responsible for anti-gay attitudes and hate. Warren has been on a PR blitz pushing his book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031032906X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=031032906X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=thenewcivrigm-20" type="external">The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For?</a>.</p>
<p>READ:&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Rick Warren Is Really Sorry His ‘Private’ Video Supporting Prop 8 Was Really Really Public</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Rick Warren: Homosexuality Like ‘Arsenic’ And ‘Punching A Guy In The Nose’</a></p>
<p>When asked about the 2010 suicide of&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Tyler Clementi</a>, Warren was forced to admit churches bear some responsibility for anti-gay animus, despite the teachings of Jesus.</p>
<p>JOHN BERMAN (HOST): [Tyler Clementi's] parents wrote that they left their Evangelical church recently because they felt the beliefs on homosexuality estranged them from their son, which meant he could not come to them. His mother said this, she said, ‘at this point, I think Jesus is more about reconciliation and love. He spoke more about divorce than homosexuality, but you can be divorced and join a church more than you can be gay and join churches.’</p>
<p>WARREN: Very good point. You know, Jesus taught, as a Christian, I am not allowed to hate anybody. I’m not allowed to do that. In fact, I am commanded by Jesus Christ to love everyone, to show respect to everyone. There’s a difference between acceptance and approval. God accepts me, accepts you unconditionally. He doesn’t approve of everything we do.</p>
<p>BERMAN: But pastor, don’t you think some of our churches are responsible for some of the attitudes towards gays in America, the negative attitudes?</p>
<p>WARREN: Probably, yeah. In fact, there are some people who are extremely violent or hateful. And hate is never of God, never.</p>
<p>In fact,&#160;the vast majority of Americans “agree that messages coming from places of worship about the issue of homosexuality are not positive,” according to a 2010&#160; <a href="http://www.publicreligion.org/objects/uploads/fck/file/October%20PRRI-RNS%20Topline.pdf" type="external">poll by The Public Religion Research Institute</a>, taken just after <a href="" type="internal">September 2010′s dozen or more suicides of teens</a>, including&#160;Tyler Clementi’s,&#160;largely fueled by bullying and anti-gay hate.</p>
<p>READ:&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Poll: Vast Majority Of Americans Blame Churches For Gay Teen Suicides</a></p>
<p>As <a href="" type="internal">The New Civil Rights Movement</a> reported in October 2010, the poll also found that sixty-five percent of Americans — a vast majority — blame churches for “higher rates of suicide among gay and lesbian youth,” and it&#160;also found that seventy-two percent of Americans believe “messages 
about 
the 
issue 
of 
homosexuality
 coming 
from
 places
 of 
worship 
contribute
 to negative
 views 
of 
gay 
and 
lesbian
 people.” Additionally, forty-three percent of Americans, a plurality, “think 
messages
 on
 the 
issue 
of
 homosexuality 
coming 
from
 America’s
 places 
of 
worship 
are
 generally 

negative.”</p>
<p>Pastor Warren — whose own anti-gay animus has been tied to the extremism in Uganda where lawmakers are promising to pass the infamous Kill The Gays bill — was reluctant and late in voicing a modicum of opposition to the bill.</p>
<p>Let’s go back to that CNN interview:</p>
<p>BERMAN: But pastor, don’t you think some of our churches are responsible for some of the attitudes towards gays in America, the negative attitudes?</p>
<p>WARREN: Probably, yeah. In fact, there are some people who are extremely violent or hateful. And hate is never of God, never.</p>
<p>“Probably”?</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">US Catholic Bishops Declare War On Gay Marriage Despite US Catholic Views</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Pope: Gay Marriage Threatens “The Future of Humanity Itself”</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Genocide? Pastor Says Kill All ‘Queers And Homosexuals’ By Airlifting Into Electric Pen</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Pastor: Bloomberg’s Gay Marriage Support Caused Hurricane To Target NYC</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">The Devil Makes People Homosexual, Says US Catholic Church’s Marriage Expert</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">North Carolina Church Accused Of Imprisoning Man Because He Is Gay</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Pastor Equates Sex With Dogs To Gay Marriage</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Pastor ‘Kind Of Likes’ The Idea Of Killing All The ‘Wicked’ Gays</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Pastor Worley: ’40 Years Ago Gays Would’ve Hung, Bless God, From A White Oak Tree’</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Archbishop Claims NY Gay Marriage Will Bring Polygamy</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Anti-Gay Pastor: Parents Must ‘Squash Like A Cockroach’ The Gay Out Of Kids</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Pastor: Married Gays Dangerous To Kids, One Step Away From ‘Person And Beast’ Marriage</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Gays Should Die Says Pastor At NOM Marriage Rally</a></p>
<p>It’s not, “probably,” Pastor Warren.</p>
<p>Video and transcript via <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2012/11/29/1254391/rick-warren-churches-are-probably-responsible-for-negative-attitudes-towards-gays/" type="external">Think Progress</a></p>
<p>Tagged as: <a href="" type="internal">evangelicals</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Gay</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Gays In America</a>, <a href="" type="internal">homophobia</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Homosexuality</a>, <a href="" type="internal">jesus christ</a>, <a href="" type="internal">lgbt</a>, <a href="" type="internal">pastor</a>, <a href="" type="internal">pastor rick warren</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Rick Warren</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Same-Sex Marriage</a>, <a href="" type="internal">societal attitudes toward homosexuality</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Tyler Clementi</a>, <a href="" type="internal">uganda anti homosexuality bill</a>, <a href="" type="internal">warren</a></p>
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<p>We invite you to <a href="http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001whLQo73KzGhEjdskYG07rHNy_XoDDkSBBO4INZHx6oD9kfp2yeeQAJeMQUu9oTviZa0VEl5k0rNiLifxlZsOFScMz8rVGmIaN-FFOO3GTKc%3D" type="external">sign up for our new mailing list</a>, and&#160; <a href="http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=TheNewCivilRightsMovement&amp;amp;loc=en_US" type="external">subscribe to The New Civil Rights Movement via email</a> or <a href="http://feeds2.feedburner.com/thenewcivilrightsmovement" type="external">RSS</a>.</p>
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<p />
<p>TerraForm Global (NASDAQ: GLBL) reported 2015 financial results this week and there wasn't a lot for investors to like. Revenue was $124 million, but its operating loss was $223.6 million afterthe $231 million acquisition of Indian assets from SunEdison was written off, and its net loss was $212.7 million.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Yieldco accounting is a little strange, so don't be overly concerned about the fact that TerraForm Global lost money. What should be a concern is the financial position of the company, which is still a little unclear as it tries to break free of SunEdison.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>The investor presentation earlier this month showed that TerraForm Global had $1.11 billion in debt and will likely generate $153 million to $180 million of adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) this year. A common covenant in debt financing is to keep debt/EBITDA below a pre-set ratio, often around four times or five times in the case of Yieldcos. TerraForm Global's debt/EBITDA ratio was 6.2 in the presentation.</p>
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<p>With that said, the company also had $678 million in unrestricted cash, which makes the net debt situation more palatable. If you pull the cash out, net debt/EBITDA is between 2.4 and 2.8. That's manageable if the company can get debt at reasonable costs -- but that's in question. Senior Notes due 2022 came with an incredibly high interest rate of 9.75%, and permanent financing for projects had an interest rate of 12.2% at the end of 2015. With interest rates that high, it will be difficult to make money or generate enough cash for a dividend without cutting debt dramatically.</p>
<p>Once TerraForm Global is free of SunEdison, it would be wise to pay down debt and increase the net cash flow from operating assets. Having cash on the balance sheet isn't doing anyone any good when debt costs as much as it does for TerraForm Global.</p>
<p>When yieldcos buy projects, they usually buy assets that are fairly new and have long-term contracts to sell energy to a utility. The newer an asset and the longer the contract, the more valuable the asset is, and vice versa.Nearly a quarter of TerraForm Power's assets are over five years old and 61% of assets are over four years old, so the asset base is already aging. Worse yet, nearly 60% of assets have contract terms shorter than 15 years.</p>
<p>The relatively old assets and short contract duration of assets is a concern, especially when you consider that TerraForm Global can't make money as it is today. Long term, this is a real challenge.</p>
<p>You can make a ton of assumptions about the value of TerraForm Global's assets and what cash flow might be generated in the future, but the big unknown that doesn't have an answer is what happens to the company's projects around the world with SunEdison in bankruptcy.</p>
<p>TerraForm Power said in its 10-K filing with the SEC that it has broken multiple covenants for debt, ranging from senior notes to project level debt. There are also power purchase agreements and financing arrangements that include "change in control" provisions that could be triggered if SunEdison no longer controls TerraForm Global. This could lead to default, termination of contracts, or a renegotiation of contracts at less favorable rates.</p>
<p>We simply don't know how any of these arrangements will play out. Until we do, the stock is a huge risk. The company's auditors even raised the dreaded "going concern" language in the <a href="http://www.terraformglobal.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254121&amp;p=irol-SECText&amp;TEXT=aHR0cDovL2FwaS50ZW5rd2l6YXJkLmNvbS9maWxpbmcueG1sP2lwYWdlPTExMjg4NzA5JkRTRVE9MCZTRVE9MCZTUURFU0M9U0VDVElPTl9FTlRJUkUmc3Vic2lkPTU3" type="external">2015 10-K Opens a New Window.</a>, saying:</p>
<p>No company wants to have questions about its ability to remain in business as a going concern. Until we know more, this is a stock I wouldn't go anywhere near.</p>
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<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFFlushDraw/info.aspx" type="external">Travis Hoium 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> | Don't Buy the Hype: TerraForm Global Is a Dud | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/23/dont-buy-hype-terraform-global-is-dud.html | 2016-12-23 | 0 |
<p>Bernie Sanders delegates and supporters stage a walk-out and protest at the media tents outside the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Tuesday.Bill Clark/ZUMA</p>
<p />
<p>At a press conference held on Tuesday by the Bernie Delegates Network, an outfit independent of the Sanders campaign, none of the speakers indicated they had any knowledge that dozens of Sanders delegates later that day would walk out of the convention, stage a sit-in in the media workspace, and join a protest mounted by Sanders supporters outside the Wells Fargo Center. On Wednesday morning, Karen Bernal, a Sanders delegate who co-chairs the large and boisterous Sanders delegation from California, explained how that demonstration transpired. It was an organic action, with Sanders delegates deciding spontaneously to express their discontentment with a dramatic gesture. The protest signaled that some Sanders delegates were not looking for unity and had rejected Sanders’ request that his delegates not stage such actions during the convention. The message from these delegates to Sanders: You’re not the boss of me.</p>
<p>At the Wednesday morning briefing conducted by the Bernie Delegate Network, it was clear that Sanders was not in full control of his delegates. The group noted that the previous day, it had polled the 1,846 Sanders delegates on two questions. The first query: Did listening to the speakers on the first night of the convention (which included Sanders, who made a strong pitch for Hillary Clinton) make you more or less enthusiastic about the Clinton-Tim Kaine ticket? Of the 311 delegates who responded, only one-fifth said the night had juiced them up. Fifty-five percent said they were less enthusiastic. The second question: How much had Sanders’ message—work for Clinton in order to stop Donald Trump and don’t disrupt the convention—influenced you? Of the 276 who responded to that query, 43 percent said considerably, 30 percent replied somewhat, and 27 percent said that Sanders’ request had no influence on them.&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Put that all together and here’s the picture: There is a noisy and substantial portion—perhaps a minority—of Sanders delegates who do not want to go quietly into the good night of a Hillary-Rah-Rah convention. And they’re not listening to the guy who brought them—or whom they brought—to the party.</p>
<p>A pro-Clinton convention/infomercial is just too hard for these delegates to swallow. “They’re accustomed to healthy granola,” said Norman Solomon, a coordinator of the Bernie Delegates Network, “and they get into the convention and they hear puffy white bread. It’s a shock to their system.” It certainly did not ease any of their concerns, he pointed out, that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a longtime pal of the Clintons, said on Tuesday night that he was sure that Hillary Clinton would reconsider her opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal if she were to become president. As Solomon noted, his group’s survey of Sanders delegates found that the opposing the TPP is their paramount issue.</p>
<p>Speaking at the Bernie Delegate Network, Bernal explained that the Sanders delegates spoiling for a fight—or a protest—at the convention are beyond Sanders’ control and are not an organized force. “No one organized yesterday’s quiet walk-out,” she said. “It was Occupy-style…It came together very organically in the most old-fashioned way. People were talking to one another.”</p>
<p>Bernal excoriated the Democratic establishment for not making room for the Sanders dissidents. “If you don’t allow for the space for that type of dissent within the party, you basically say we don’t have a place for you in the party,” she said. As a leader of the California Sanders delegation, she added, she could not rein in the protesters even if she wanted to (which she does not). “It is not a top-down affair,” she said. “We feel that we are not willing to go along with being extras in a scripted production.”</p>
<p>The delegates who walked, she said, were upset by the Kaine pick and remain angry about numerous slights directed at the Sanders crowd by the Democratic powers that be. “We’re still fighting an establishment orthodoxy we have pledged to fight against,” Bernal explained. “This is our one shot of doing that. We’re doing what we were elected to do.”</p>
<p>Solomon and Bernal both said they accept Sanders’ analysis that Trump must be defeated and that means Sanders people should support Clinton. Asked whether walk-outs and protests during the convention are in sync with this mission of thwarting Trump, Bernal responded with a long explanation about how the Democratic Party must respect and incorporate the Sanders wing:</p>
<p>It is a big experiment. The Democratic Party is being tested with our actions on how they will respond…We don’t start out with a plan of agreement. If you’re negotiating with an adversary…you don’t start out with below your bottom line…If they don’t provide that kind of space, the rank-and-file Bernie delegates say there is no place in this party for me.</p>
<p>Sanders has declared that he and his delegates did succeed in winning victories during the deliberations over the party platform and the party rules governing future presidential contests. Yet Bernal said she and other delegates were still upset that they lost platform fights on several matters: fracking, single-payer health care, TPP, and Middle East policy. And she was not satisfied with the rules change that will diminish the influence of superdelegates in future elections. She explained passionately that it was hard for many Sanders delegates to sit through the roll-call vote the previous night that included superdelegate votes that heavily favored Clinton and “skewed” the overall count. The roll call, she said, “spat in the faces” of the Sanders delegates.</p>
<p>Repeatedly, Bernal noted that a slice of Sanders delegates will not heed Sanders. “Sanders has a job to do,” she said. “He’s in a difficult position. We have a different job.” But, she added, she thinks that Sanders is actually delighted to see delegates upset the order of the convention. “I have to believe that deep down, secretly, he’s happy about some things,” she said. He had the motto during the campaign: ‘Not me, us.’ And some of the Bernie delegates have taken this to heart.”</p>
<p>A reporter asked Bernal if Sanders had started a fire that he no longer controls. She quickly replied, “He was never in control of it.” She then added, “We haven’t gotten much instruction from the Sanders campaign at all. And that silence speaks volumes.”</p>
<p>Yet Sanders, with his direct messages to his delegates and his speech to the convention, has been clear that he wants his base to join the party to elect Clinton. But Bernal shows that there is a band of Sanders delegates who embraced his crusade but who now believe they have a better strategy than he does. She said she had no idea what this group might do on the final nights of the convention. (Will they disrupt Kaine’s address on Wednesday night? There could be disorder. Or maybe not.) Their version of the Bernie revolution is not organized at this moment. The Sanders campaign empowered them, and now they are using that power on their own.</p>
<p /> | Sanders Delegates to Bernie: You’re Not the Boss of Me | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2016/07/bernie-sanders-delegates-convention-protest-walk-out/ | 2016-07-27 | 4 |
<p>Iranians: inherently suspicious? (cc photo: Mãhi Teshneh)</p>
<p>With nuclear talks underway again, there’s more discussions of Iran–unfortunately, in some cases.</p>
<p>In a New York Times&#160;story ( <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/us/politics/obama-iran.html?ref=todayspaper&amp;pagewanted=print" type="external">11/15/13</a>) about a new report about nuclear inspections–which found&#160;“evidence that the Iranians have put the brakes on their nuclear expansion”–readers were treated this discussion of Iranian motives:</p>
<p>The lack of certainty about Iran’s motives lends itself to widely conflicting interpretations of the report’s findings.</p>
<p>“They’ve got enough facilities, enough centrifuges, to develop and to complete the fissile material which is at the core of an atomic bomb,” Mr. Netanyahu said Thursday.</p>
<p>On Capitol Hill, aides to Republican and Democratic senators dismissed the report. “It simply confirms the concerns that senators already have: There have been no centrifuges removed,” said one. Another added, “They’re closing it down in the morning and opening it up in the afternoon.”</p>
<p>So the <a href="" type="internal">experts on what Iran is really up to</a> are Netanyahu–who has been warning for <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Imminent-Iran-nuclear-threat-A-timeline-of-warnings-since-1979/Israel-paints-Iran-as-Enemy-No.-1-1992" type="external">two decades</a> that Iran was just about to build a bomb–and two unnamed Senate aides. Good to know.</p>
<p>But the idea that Iranians are <a href="" type="internal">inherently more suspicious</a> is widespread. Time magazine’s Karl Vick&#160;wrote a piece for the Time website ( <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/11/19/irans-foreign-minister-turns-to-youtube-to-defend-tehrans-nuclear-program/" type="external">11/19/13</a>) about a new YouTube video featuring Iranian&#160;foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif talking about Iran’s right to enrich uranium.</p>
<p>The video is “entertaining,” with a “winsome piano solo”–and Zarif’s “solemn style is Persian to the core.”</p>
<p>So what’s the problem? To Vick, he doesn’t spell out that he’s talking about uranium enrichment. And that refusal to state the obvious is also, I guess, “Persian to the core”:</p>
<p>Iranians are masters of what has been termed “ <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/09/20/whats-behind-the-new-iranian-charm-offensive/" type="external">Oriental indirection</a>“—which amounts to not quite saying what you mean, but getting your point across in a range of subtle ways.</p>
<p>Now that struck some people as downright offensive:</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" /></p>
<p>This didn’t sit well with Vick, who <a href="https://twitter.com/karl_vick/status/403180222796673024" type="external">explained</a> that Oriental misdirection wasn’t offensive at all. His proof? He’d written about this Iranian tendency once before ( <a href="http://world.time.com/2013/09/20/whats-behind-the-new-iranian-charm-offensive/" type="external">9/20/13</a>). In that piece, he explained that Iran’s political culture can be hard to understand–which is true enough. But it’s the explanation that is so puzzling, when Vick explains that this is so because the government’s messages are</p>
<p>wreathed in what’s been dubbed in the past as “Oriental indirection.” Translated–and anything coming out of Tehran must be translated–Oriental indirection means “listen to what I didn’t say” and “watch my eyes dance as I don’t say it.” &#160;It’s a bit like “you get my drift,” except the drift is never evident from a single conversation.</p>
<p>Now that’s not as offensive as, say, Richard Cohen’s “ <a href="" type="internal">These Persians lie like a rug</a>,” but it’s closer to the similarly bigoted notion that Iranians have <a href="" type="internal">special religious license to lie</a>. Vick seems to wish Iran were more direct; sure, and I wish all political leaders everywhere were.</p>
<p>The problem is in making this seem like an exotic part of the Iranian character. Let’s offer a counter-example: Vick is Time‘s Jerusalem bureau chief. He must know that Israel possesses nuclear weapons–but Israel has made a habit of never disclosing this fact publicly. Would Vick come up with an ethnic or religious explanation for this peculiar political trait? I would hope not; but for Iran, the rules are evidently different.</p>
<p>In the supposedly evasive video, Zarif says, “Iranians are no different from any other people on this planet we share.” It seems like Karl Vick begs to differ.</p> | Peculiarly Oriental Iranians | true | http://fair.org/blog/2013/11/22/peculiarly-oriental-iranians/ | 2013-11-22 | 4 |
<p>Captive chimpanzees will get the same protections as wild chimps, federal wildlife officials say. On Friday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service elevated the status of captive chimps to "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act to match that of wild chimps.</p>
<p>"Extending captive chimpanzees the protections afforded their endangered cousins in the wild will ensure humane treatment and restrict commercial activities under the Endangered Species Act," Fish and Wildlife Director Dan Ashe <a href="http://www.fws.gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ID=E81DA137-BAF2-9619-3492A2972E9854D9" type="external">said in a statement</a>.</p>
<p>The rule is to be published in the Federal Register next Tuesday and go into effect on Sept. 14.</p>
<p>Previously, captive chimps were listed as "threatened." Animal-rights advocates said this meant they could be exploited for use in entertainment, as pets and in medical research.</p>
<p>In 2010, a coalition of advocates including famed primatologist Jane Goodall petitioned the U.S. government to extend "endangered" status to captive chimps, and on Friday, Goodall said the new policy will make exploitation more difficult.</p>
<p>"Many people have worked for more than two decades to bring about this change, and it is a relief to know that we have finally succeeded,? she <a href="http://www.janegoodall.org/esaqandawithjane" type="external">said on her website</a>. "There is still much to be done before all chimpanzees can be assured of adequate protection, but this new listing is a huge step towards preventing much of the blatant exploitation that was possible before."</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Stealing a Drink: Scientists Watch Wild Chimps Go Ape Over Alcohol</a></p>
<p>According to wildlife groups, there are an estimated 170,000 to 300,000 chimps left in the wild in Africa today, down from as many as a million five decades ago. Chimp populations have dwindled due to destruction of habitat, hunting and disease. <a href="http://www.chimpcare.org/" type="external">Project ChimpCARE</a> says there are more than 2,000 chimps in captivity in the U.S., including at zoos, in biomedical labs and in the entertainment industry.</p>
<p>The Fish and Wildlife Service said that under the new rules, certain activities involving chimps will be prohibited without a permit, including import and export of the animals into and out of the United States.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Researchers Say Chimps Have All the Brainpower Needed to Cook</a></p>
<p>"Permits will be issued for these activities only for scientific purposes that benefit the species in the wild, or to enhance the propagation or survival of chimpanzees, including habitat restoration and research on chimpanzees in the wild that contributes to improved management and recovery," the agency said.</p>
<p>Private owners of chimps won't need a permit to keep them, but the chimps can't be sold or transported across state lines for commercial purposes without a permit.</p> | Captive Chimps Join Their Wild Cousins in Getting 'Endangered' Status | false | http://nbcnews.com/science/environment/captive-chimps-join-their-wild-cousins-getting-endangered-status-n374541 | 2015-06-12 | 3 |
<p>CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) _ These West Virginia lotteries were drawn Wednesday:</p>
<p>Daily 3</p>
<p>4-8-9</p>
<p>(four, eight, nine)</p>
<p>Daily 4</p>
<p>8-0-5-7</p>
<p>(eight, zero, five, seven)</p>
<p>Lotto America</p>
<p>33-35-40-44-49, Star Ball: 2, ASB: 2</p>
<p>(thirty-three, thirty-five, forty, forty-four, forty-nine; Star Ball: two; ASB: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $17.89 million</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $45 million</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>07-24-33-49-50, Powerball: 4, Power Play: 5</p>
<p>(seven, twenty-four, thirty-three, forty-nine, fifty; Powerball: four; Power Play: five)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $40 million</p>
<p>CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) _ These West Virginia lotteries were drawn Wednesday:</p>
<p>Daily 3</p>
<p>4-8-9</p>
<p>(four, eight, nine)</p>
<p>Daily 4</p>
<p>8-0-5-7</p>
<p>(eight, zero, five, seven)</p>
<p>Lotto America</p>
<p>33-35-40-44-49, Star Ball: 2, ASB: 2</p>
<p>(thirty-three, thirty-five, forty, forty-four, forty-nine; Star Ball: two; ASB: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $17.89 million</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $45 million</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>07-24-33-49-50, Powerball: 4, Power Play: 5</p>
<p>(seven, twenty-four, thirty-three, forty-nine, fifty; Powerball: four; Power Play: five)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $40 million</p> | WV Lottery | false | https://apnews.com/3954ede71a48435abbd26020084743f9 | 2018-01-11 | 2 |
<p>Everyone’s least favorite political dimwit&#160;is at it again, and this time, her ignorance&#160;is palpable. The former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives is quite used to putting her foot in her mouth, but even Sarah Palin wouldn’t be dumb enough to say what Michele Bachmann just said.</p>
<p>She and Donald Trump thought it was a good idea to begin hyping up the imaginary “war on Christmas” a little early this year. Since Donald Trump has already disrespected and ostracized most of the country, he may as well start making his way back around again. Bachmann is a member of Trump’s&#160;Evangelical Executive Advisory Board, so naturally and unfortuanately, she feels the need to speak.</p>
<p>In a radio interview with conservative Jan Markell, Bachmann mentioned a recent exchanged she had with Donald Trump in which the two discussed why Jews in America no longer say “Merry Christmas.”</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michelle-bachmann-donald-trump-christmas_us_5786ea72e4b03fc3ee4f478f?section" type="external">Huffington Post</a>, Bachmann said Trump “gets and understands religious liberty” via the radio interview:</p>
<p>“He even said, ‘I don’t understand, when I was growing up, everybody said Merry Christmas. Even my Jews would say Merry Christmas. New York City, there are a lot of Jews, and they would even say Merry Christmas. Why can’t we even say Merry Christmas anymore?’”</p>
<p>According to Trump, everyone, including “his Jews” used to say “Merry Christmas,” that is until liberals began that damned war on Christmas. The war, to conservatives, means murdering Christmas, whereas, in reality, it’s just liberals ensuring that all religions are recognized.</p>
<p>Not only did Bachmann take the time to boast about Donald Trump, she also touched on the topic of Hillary Clinton. Bachmann says that Hillary will bring “certain destruction” and turn the country into a “godless United States that will walk into certain catastrophe.”</p>
<p>Regardless of the fact that Donald Trump never spoke of religion before he put in his bid for the White House, Bachmann is on board 1000%. This is mainly due to the fact that Trump agrees with Bachmann that America was founded on Christianity, and anyone belonging to another religion is either an outsider or an immigrant.</p>
<p>There is no room for Republicans like this in the White House. These people do nothing more than try to divide America as a nation. It’s a clear message for all to either convert or be treated as a second-class citizen. This is not what&#160;religious liberty means, of course, but according to some, religious liberties only apply if you believe in the fable of Jesus versus the tale of Muhammad.</p>
<p>Video courtesy of YouTube:</p>
<p /> | Michele Bachmann: Under President Trump, Jews Will Be Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ Again | true | http://bipartisanreport.com/2016/07/14/michele-bachmann-under-president-trump-jews-will-be-saying-merry-christmas-again/ | 2016-07-14 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Crisis averted.</p>
<p>The Navy has fired an unarmed missile from a submarine off the coast of Southern California, creating a bright light that streaked across the state and was visible as far away as Nevada and Arizona.</p>
<p>A Navy spokesman told The San Diego Union-Tribune the Navy Strategic Systems Programs conducted the missile test Saturday in the Pacific Test Range northwest of Los Angeles. The test was of a Trident II (D5) missile from the Kentucky, an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine.</p>
<p>Read more:&#160; <a href="http://abc30.com/science/navy-does-submarine-missile-test-off-coast-streaking-light-seen-across-/1073766/" type="external">abc30.com</a></p> | WHAT IT REALLY WAS: Mysterious Celestial Object’s True Identity Revealed | true | http://girlsjustwannahaveguns.com/what-it-really-was-mysterious-celestial-objects-true-identity-revealed/ | 0 |
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<p>Despite her heated public feud with Donald Trump during the primary, which took a particularly ugly turn after Trump criticized "that face," former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has officially come out in support of her former rival.</p>
<p>"We must have president Trump, we can't have president Clinton," said Fiorina at an event Wednesday.</p>
<p>"We must have President Trump - we can't have President Clinton." - <a href="https://twitter.com/CarlyFiorina" type="external">@CarlyFiorina</a> at WSRP <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FallDinner2016?src=hash" type="external">#FallDinner2016</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GR82BGOP?src=hash" type="external">#GR82BGOP</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ck5qUK3KtF" type="external">pic.twitter.com/Ck5qUK3KtF</a></p>
<p>The endorsement comes as a bit of a surprise after the pair's contentious primary feud, which really heated up when Trump made a <a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/253178-trump-insults-fiorinas-physical-appearance-look-at-that-face" type="external">comment</a> about Fiorina's appearance in an interview with the Rolling Stone in September.</p>
<p>"Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?" remarked Trump while watching Fiorina on the news. "Can you imagine that, the face of our next president? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"</p>
<p>Fiorina <a href="https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews/status/641784472543870976" type="external">responded</a> on "The Kelly File" later that day, saying, "Maybe I'm getting under his skin a little bit because I am climbing in the polls."</p>
<p>She also had a chance to counter the insult during the CNN Republican primary debate the next week,saying, "I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said."</p>
<p>The statement earned loud applause from the audience.</p>
<p>"I think she's got a beautiful face and I think she's a beautiful woman," replied Trump.</p>
<p>As recently as June, insiders said that Fiorina <a href="http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/carly-fiorina-wont-lift-a-finger-to-help-donald-trump/article/2593918" type="external">would not lift a finger</a> to help the Republican nominee, but clearly with November rapidly approaching, she has decided a President Trump would be less disastrous than a President Clinton.</p> | Carly Fiorina: 'We Must Have President Trump.' FLASHBACK: Trump: 'Look At That Face!' | true | https://dailywire.com/news/9162/carly-fiorina-we-must-have-president-trump-james-barrett | 2016-09-15 | 0 |
<p />
<p />
<p>After a dog killed a child and injured another earlier this year, the police department of Atlanta has seen it fit to enact some changes in its practices like dedicating one officer exclusively to investigating animal cruelty crimes.</p>
<p />
<p>The goal of such a measure is to shrink or limit the number of officer-involved shootings of dogs and dog attacks on people.</p>
<p />
<p>A dog attacks a 6-year-old boy and killed him in January, as well as injuring another 5-year-old girl while the kids were simply walking to school. The dog's owner is facing criminal charges.</p>
<p />
<p>The Atlanta Police Department's new policy is really a response to this unfortunate incident of the dog attack, made worse that such happened to vulnerable children.</p>
<p />
<p>Police Chief Erika Shields says that the horrific attack highlighted their need to also target irresponsible dog ownership and to battle cruelty against animals.</p>
<p />
<p>The dedicated officer who will be assigned to exclusively investigate animal cruelty crimes will work with the community, law enforcement and other government agencies to probe animal cruelty claims and also to initiate outreach about the issue.</p>
<p />
<p>The Atlanta Police Department sees the new measure as the best response to avoid similar unfortunate incidents of the dog attack while protecting residents and ensuring that the state remains animal-friendly, with pet owners expected to be more responsible guardians of animals.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Source:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cbs46.com/story/36723504/after-dog-kills-child-atlanta-police-creates-new-position" type="external">cbs46.com/story/36723504/after-dog-kills-child-atlanta-police-creates-new-position</a></p> | Atlanta Police Creates New Position to Avoid More Fatal Dog Attacks | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/10764-Atlanta-Police-Creates-New-Position-to-Avoid-More-Fatal-Dog-Attacks | 2017-10-31 | 0 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p />
<p>WASHINGTON – It’s not just “the economy, stupid.” It’s also terrorism, health care and national security that New Mexico voters consider to be somewhat or very serious problems facing the United States as the November elections draw near, according to a new Journal Poll.</p>
<p>And New Mexicans are less concerned about immigration as a national problem, although more than two-thirds still consider it a somewhat or very serious problem.</p>
<p>The survey of 501 likely New Mexico voters taken last week asked about each of the five issues and whether the poll respondents viewed them as no problem, a minor problem, a somewhat serious problem or a very serious problem.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Voters surveyed were most concerned about the economy, with 89 percent saying it was either a somewhat serious or very serious problem. Bill Clinton campaign guru James Carville coined the famous phrase, “the economy, stupid” in Clinton’s successful 1992 campaign against George H.W. Bush. Health care and terrorism came in at 88 percent in the Journal Poll, while 83 percent of New Mexico voters surveyed cited national security as a somewhat or very serious problem.</p>
<p>On the immigration issue, 67 percent of New Mexicans viewed it as a somewhat or very serious problem. Republicans were more than twice as likely – 58 percent to 27 percent – as Democrats to put it in the top category of very serious.</p>
<p>“Donald Trump and other Republican leaders have been critical of how President Obama and Hillary Clinton have handled issues relating to national security and terrorism, so it is not surprising that Republican voters are more likely to consider these matters as a very serious problems compared to Democrats,” said Brian Sanderoff, president of Research &amp; Polling Inc., which conducted the poll.</p>
<p>Hispanics were more likely than Anglos to view immigration as a very serious problem. Forty-two percent of New Mexico Hispanics surveyed cited it as a very serious problem, compared with 36 percent of Anglos.</p>
<p>“Many Hispanics in New Mexico were born here and proudly trace their lineage here back hundreds of years,” Sanderoff said.</p>
<p>About half of poll respondents residing in the southwestern and eastern regions of New Mexico, which include areas that border Mexico, were more concerned about immigration, with 49 and 51 percent of respondents in those areas, respectively, citing it as a very serious problem.</p>
<p>But in the Albuquerque area, in the center of the state, only 31 percent put immigration in that category.</p>
<p>When the subject changed to national security and terrorism, the starkest differences among likely New Mexico voters were between Republicans and Democrats. Eighty percent of Republicans versus 56 of percent of Democrats viewed terrorism as a very serious problem.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“Party plays a big role in influencing opinion on this,” Sanderoff said.</p>
<p>On the subject of the national economy, New Mexicans living in oil- and gas-producing areas of the state – in northwestern and eastern New Mexico – were most likely to be worried. Oil prices have sagged dramatically in recent years, leading to job losses and slashed tax revenues in New Mexico.</p>
<p>Eighty-four percent of those in northwestern New Mexico cited the economy as a very serious problem, while 79 percent on the state’s east side did so. Only 54 percent of likely voters in the Albuquerque area viewed the economy as a very serious problem.</p>
<p>There was little statistical variation among groups of New Mexicans who deemed health care a very serious problem. In total, 88 percent of New Mexicans said they considered health care to be a somewhat or very serious problem. Sixty-five percent of Republicans cited health care as a very serious problem, compared with 55 percent of Democrats.</p>
<p>The Journal Poll was conducted Sept. 27-29. The poll, conducted by live interviewers, surveyed New Mexico likely voters by cellphone and landline and contained a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Journal Poll reflects New Mexico worries | false | https://abqjournal.com/861306/survey-reflects-the-worries-of-new-mexicans.html | 2016-10-06 | 2 |
<p><a href="http://community.tradeking.com/upload/0002/6519/AllStar_AlanBrochstein.jpg" type="external">Opens a New Window.</a>Alan Brochstein investigates 10&#160;Auto-Related Companies With Potential to Do Well in a Weak Economy</p>
<p>In early August, I discussed&#160; <a href="http://community.tradeking.com/members/tk-all-star/blogs/86501-pawnshops-dollar-stores-discount-retailers-may-offer-value" type="external">several potential beneficiaries of a lingering slow economy Opens a New Window.</a>, including dollar stores, pawn lenders and off-price retailers. Today, I want to extend the analysis to a similar theme: used cars.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>New car sales have been weak now for a few years and are gradually recovering, but this weak economy suggests we'll continue to see cars aging and owners hanging onto their cars longer than they did prior to the Great Recession.&#160; Over the past decade, annual sales had been consistently in the 17-18mm units a year before plunging to 9mm and recovering now to approximately 13mm according to government data. Tighter credit and high unemployment are, to my mind, the primary challenges to new car sales.</p>
<p>An obvious beneficiary of such a trend would be used car dealers, but there are several other ways to take advantage of depressed new car sales, including parts retailers and manufacturers. Less obviously, one could consider&#160;companies that enable car parts to be recycled -&#160;perhaps very interesting due to those companies' limited competition. Here is a list of companies that I believe might benefit from the trend of drivers hanging onto their cars: <a href="http://community.tradeking.com/upload/0002/6525/alan-brochstein-used-car-stock-chart-10.18.11.jpg" type="external">Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Alan BrochsteinFounder,&#160; <a href="http://www.investbymodel.com/" type="external">Invest By Model Opens a New Window.</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://ab.esiteasp.com/home.nxg" type="external">AB Analytical Services Opens a New Window.</a> <a href="http://community.tradeking.com/members/tk-all-star/blogs/44048-welcome-alan-brochstein-invest-by-model" type="external">TradeKing All-Star Commentator Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Disclosure:&#160; Alan Brochstein is currently holding no positions in the securities mentioned in this post.</p>
<p>Any strategies discussed and examples using actual securities and price data are for educational and illustrative purposes only and do not imply a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell a particular security or to engage in any particular investment strategy. In reading content in the Trader Network, you may gain ideas about when, where, and how to invest your money. Although you may discover new ideas or rationale that may be compelling, you must ultimately decide whether or not to put your own money at risk. Consider the following when making an investment decision: your financial and tax situation, your risk profile, and transaction costs.&#160;Alan Brochstein maintains a business relationship with TradeKing. <a href="http://community.tradeking.com/upload/0002/6522/alan-brochstein-used-car-stock-chart-10.18.11.jpg" type="external">Opens a New Window.</a></p> | 10 Auto-Related Stocks That Could Benefit from Slow Sales | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2011/10/19/10-auto-related-stocks-that-could-benefit-from-slow-sales.html | 2016-03-07 | 0 |
<p>Researchers have found yet another way in which smoking is bad for health.&#160; A new study, published in the journal <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2014/12/03/science.1262092" type="external">Science</a>, looked at the genetic consequences of smoking on men.&#160; The study team notes that smoking tobacco is associated with a number of health risks beyond the respiratory tract, including cancer.</p>
<p>The study tries to explain why men who smoke have a greater likelihood of developing cancer than women.&#160; In particular, the study notes that there is a greater risk for men even for cancers that are not sex-specific.&#160; According to a <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/biology/2014/12/smoking-erases-y-chromosomes" type="external">press release</a>, their findings show that smoking causes a loss of Y chromosomes.&#160; Male smokers are 2.4 to 4.3 times more likely to be missing Y chromosomes from the genetic information in their blood cells.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/286474.php" type="external">Medical News Today</a> reports that these findings build on earlier research showing that loss of Y chromosomes is linked to detrimental health effects.&#160; Researchers believe that the Y chromosome contains around 50 to 60 genes that instruct the body to create protein.&#160; Deletion of genetic material from the Y chromosome is associated with infertility due to changes in the production of sperm.&#160; The Y chromosome also seems to play a role in tumor suppression.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the research team published a study in <a href="http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v46/n6/full/ng.2966.html" type="external">Nature Genetics</a>, indicating that partial loss of Y chromosomes in the blood is associated with a higher risk of developing cancer and a shorter survival expectation.&#160; This earlier study did not consider smoking, but simply the association between loss of Y chromosomes and mortality due to cancer.&#160; Researchers note that loss of Y chromosomes may become a predictor for cancer development in the future.</p>
<p /> | Smoking deletes Y chromsomes, research finds | false | http://natmonitor.com/2014/12/06/smoking-deletes-y-chromsomes-research-finds/ | 2014-12-06 | 3 |
<p>In his <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2013/02/09/weekly-address-averting-sequester-and-finding-balanced-approach-de#transcript" type="external">weekly radio address on Feb. 9</a>, President Obama said, "Over the last few years, Democrats and Republicans have come together and cut our deficit by more than $2.5 trillion through a balanced mix of spending cuts and higher tax rates for the wealthiest Americans." The next day, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) chimed in: "The fact is, we have had plenty of spending cuts, <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/fox-news-sunday-chris-wallace/2013/02/10/rep-nancy-pelosi-sen-john-mccain-avoiding-automatic-spending-cuts" type="external">$1.6 trillion</a> in the Budget Control Act."</p>
<p>BUNK</p>
<p>In 2009, the year Obama was first inaugurated, the deficit was a whopping <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/hist01z1.xls" type="external">$1.4 trillion</a>. If it had been cut by $2.5 trillion since then, the federal government would have run a surplus of more than&#160;a trillion dollars in 2012. Instead, it ran a deficit of more than $1.3 trillion. By 2012, the record 2009 deficit had decreased not by $2.5 trillion, as Obama claims, but by just $86 billion. In reality, this deficit reduction was about 3 percent of the president's claim.&#160;Meanwhile, the national debt increased by <a href="http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt_histo5.htm" type="external">more than one-quarter</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>Moreover, this deficit reduction was not due to any "spending cuts," as Obama claims, but entirely to increased revenues:</p>
<p>From 2009 to 2012, revenues increased by more than 17 percent. Nor were these increased revenues due to "higher tax rates," as the president claims, but to lower tax rates: This revenue growth occurred during the era of the much-maligned Bush tax cuts.</p>
<p>THE DEBUNKER</p>
<p>If this 17 percent revenue growth had been matched in a "balanced mix" including "spending cuts," as Obama claims, spending during this period would have decreased by roughly 17 percent as well. Instead, spending increased nearly 8 percent. Far from "spending cuts," as the president claims, this was a spending increase. <a href="" type="internal">If there had actually been a "balanced mix" in which the increased revenues were matched by "spending cuts" (rather than a spending hike), as Obama claims, the deficit would have been reduced by more than 30 percent - 10 times the actual decrease.</a></p>
<p>The president added, "I believe we can finish the job the same way we've started it - with a balanced mix of more spending cuts and more tax reform." In reality, Obama has already gotten <a href="http://atr.org/comprehensive-list-obama-tax-hikes-a6433" type="external">substantial new taxes and tax hikes</a> with no spending cut - with a net spending hike, in fact. Proceeding "the same way we've started" would mean even more tax hikes, while spending continues to climb.</p>
<p>We can either proceed "the same way we've started," or we can pursue a "balanced mix." - but not both. Since the president's already gotten tax hikes, to pursue a "balanced mix," Congress must now proceed with spending cuts. To avoid sequestration, it must come up with $85 billion in cuts - about 2 percent of Obama's budget this year.</p>
<p>That's not difficult. As we have observed <a href="" type="internal">before</a>, a 2011 GAO report identified waste, fraud and abuse totaling $135 billion in the Department of Defense, $125 billion in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, $85 billion in the Department of Transportation, etc. In addition, a Cato Institute report last year found that corporate welfare costs <a href="http://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/PA703.pdf" type="external">$100 billion per year</a>. Cutting these might be painful to politicians and their special-interest donors, but would be beneficial to the American public.</p>
<p>Obama and Pelosi talk the talk about spending cuts, but they refuse to walk the walk.</p>
<p>President Obama is right: We should pursue a "balanced mix." That means real spending cuts, now.</p>
<p>Mark LaRochelle is manager of information services at Educaiton &amp; Research Service in Washington, D.C. To read all of his Debunker columns, visit HumanEvents.Com.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | Debunker: Obama Says Deficit Cut by $2.5 Trillion. Really? | true | http://humanevents.com/2013/02/25/debunker-president-says-deficit-was-cut-by-2-5-trillion-really/ | 2013-02-25 | 0 |
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tells reporters "we have the votes," as he walks to the Senate chamber on Friday. <a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Congress-Taxes/55c252e2a1f7433db21b0b385f22d1bc/52/0" type="external">J. Scott Applewhite/AP</a></p>
<p>Just before 2 AM Saturday morning, Senate Republicans passed the most sweeping tax legislation&#160;in 30 years.&#160;The final version of the three-week-old&#160;bill was&#160;not&#160;released until four&#160;hours before the vote. There have been no hearings on the bill&#160;and none of the bipartisanship seen during&#160;the last major tax overhaul in 1986.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>The bill,&#160;the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, is projected to add more than $1 trillion in deficit spending over 10 years, but&#160;passed a Republican caucus that&#160;spent the Obama&#160;years&#160;obsessed over the national debt. There was&#160;just one dissenter in the party, Sen.&#160;Bob Corker of Tennessee. The final vote&#160;was 51 in favor, 49&#160;against,&#160;with all the&#160;Democrats and Corker voting no.</p>
<p>There were a smattering of&#160;last-minute&#160;changes tucked into the nearly 500-page bill, but the core of it is quite simple: a permanent tax cut&#160;for corporations combined with much smaller, and temporary, benefits for everyone else. Over the next decade, the&#160;$1.4 trillion tax cut&#160;would <a href="" type="internal">disproportionately reward</a> the wealthiest Americans&#160;while piling on the national&#160;debt—which in turn will&#160;likely be used by Republicans as a justification for cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.</p>
<p>The House, which&#160;already passed <a href="" type="internal">its own tax bill</a> last month, and the Senate are expected to&#160;work out the differences between their bills in conference meetings. Then&#160;each chamber would vote again, and send the final product to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature. Trump hopes to sign what he&#160;has <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/358450-trump-calls-tax-plan-a-big-beautiful-christmas-present-for-us" type="external">called</a>&#160;his “big, beautiful Christmas present” to the American people by the end of the year.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>Before the&#160;individual cuts expire in 2026—ending&#160;the bill’s most charitable years—the top 1 percent would&#160;receive slightly more of the tax cut than the <a href="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/distributional-analysis-tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-passed-senate-finance-committee" type="external">bottom 60 percent</a> of Americans combined. Without the individual tax&#160;cut,&#160;the top 1 percent would get&#160;start getting 61 percent of the benefits. And at that point,&#160;the vast majority of middle-class taxpayers would receive <a href="" type="internal">essentially nothing</a>,&#160;or end up paying higher taxes.</p>
<p />
<p>Republicans say they’ll eventually extend those individual cuts. But there is good&#160;reason to doubt that. The United States will be <a href="" type="internal">facing</a> unprecedented debt levels when it comes time to renew the cuts. The annual deficit would be <a href="" type="internal">$1.4 trillion</a> in 2025, up from about $700 billion today. The Senate bill asks Americans to trust that&#160;a future Congress, comprised of different members,&#160;will continue to ignore deficits.</p>
<p>While the Republicans have waffled in their concern for the national debt, the bill shows that they have steadfastly committed to&#160;trickle-down economics. Focusing on the corporate tax cuts, the White House Council of Economic Advisers has said&#160;the average family would see their income jump by up to $7,000 per year as businesses pass on their windfall. Tax experts have <a href="" type="internal">called</a>this&#160;forecasting “absolutely crazy,” “absurd,” and “deeply flawed.”&#160;On Thursday, Congress’ nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation found that the bill would add <a href="" type="internal">$1 trillion</a> in deficit-spending over 10 years even&#160;after taking into account economic growth. But Republican leaders continue to maintain that the bill would pay for itself—despite there being <a href="" type="internal">almost no</a> economists who agree with that assessment.&#160;</p>
<p>This all begs the question of why Republicans&#160;are pushing a trillion dollar corporate tax cut at this particular&#160;moment. Corporate profits are near record highs, the rich are richer than they’ve been since the Great Depression, and the incomes of average Americans are in a four-decade slump. Tax reform could have eased that hardship by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit or making working-class families&#160;eligible for Republicans’ expanded Child Tax Credit.</p>
<p>Adding to congressional Republicans’ dubious claims about the fantastical benefits of the bill is the president himself.&#160;Trump&#160;has <a href="" type="internal">regularly&#160;claimed</a> that he will not personally benefit from the tax plan. That is <a href="" type="internal">almost certainly false</a>. The president, and his children, likely stand to gain tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, of dollars. But, conveniently for Trump, it is impossible to know&#160;for sure&#160;without seeing his tax returns.</p>
<p>So&#160;why&#160;are Republicans are in such a rush to pass a bill that just&#160; <a href="https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2501" type="external">25 percent</a> of Americans approve of? For one, there seems to be fear that the bill will&#160;only get more unpopular if subjected to further scrutiny. And then there are the donors. “My donors are basically saying, ‘Get it done or don’t ever call me again,’” Rep. Chris Collins <a href="" type="internal">said</a> earlier this month. Many have already <a href="" type="internal">closed their checkbooks</a>, and Republicans are keen to see them reopened.</p>
<p>Along with restructuring the tax code, the final bill is also&#160;likely to <a href="" type="internal">advance</a> a broader culture war. Both bills&#160;at least partially block the parents of&#160;undocumented&#160;children from claiming the Child Tax Credit for their kids. And the House bill would let churches and nonprofits <a href="" type="internal">endorse political candidates</a> for the first time since 1954. Mega-donors like the Koch Brothers would get a taxpayer subsidy for campaign spending if the provision makes it into the final bill. Campaign finance groups warn that it is another&#160;Citizens United in the making.</p>
<p>None of these provisions fit neatly with Republicans’ stated goal of making the tax code <a href="https://www.speaker.gov/general/file-your-taxes-form-size-postcard" type="external">postcard-simple</a>. Nor have the bills’ inclusion of carveouts for everything from citrus trees in Florida&#160;to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/if-the-tax-overhaul-smells-fishy-its-probably-the-samoan-tuna-plant-1511813469" type="external">tuna canneries</a> in Pago Pago, American Samoa. (On Friday afternoon,&#160;Sen. Claire McCaskill&#160;(D-Mo.)&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/clairecmc/status/936678750577623041" type="external">tweeted</a> out a list of about 30 forthcoming amendments that had been passed from Republicans to a lobbyist to Democrats.)&#160;</p>
<p>Speaking on the Senate floor earlier in the night, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Friday was one of the “darkest, black-letter days in the long history of this Senate.” He held up an amendment, which went on to be defeated just before the bill passed,&#160;that was added “under the cover of darkness” by Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) that&#160;exempts a college connected to&#160;Education Secretary and billionaire&#160;Republican donor Betsy DeVos from a new tax on university endowments. Schumer said the last-minute move was the “metaphor for this bill and how high the stench is rising in this chamber.”</p>
<p>Schumer moved to adjourn the Senate until Monday so that his colleagues had time to review the “monstrosity.” He argued no one could possibly know what they were being asked to vote on.&#160;McConnell, well aware that he had the votes to knock down the motion and pass the bill, listened and smirked.&#160;&#160;</p> | Senate Passes Sweeping Tax Bill That Overwhelmingly Benefits the Wealthiest Americans | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2017/12/senate-passes-sweeping-tax-bill-that-overwhelmingly-benefits-the-wealthiest-americans/ | 2017-12-02 | 4 |
<p>Over 2400 votes cast.</p>
<p>Herman Cain wins with an overwhelming 46% &#160;based on the current field, with Perry (21%) and Romney (10%) far behind.&#160;&#160;Sarah Palin wins big in an expanded field including&#160;Chris Christie, at 58% with Cain&#160;dropping to second at 14%, Christie at 13%&#160;, Perry at 8% and&#160;Romney at 3.5%.&#160;&#160; (These numbers are rounded, full and precise results <a href="" type="internal">here</a>.)</p>
<p>First all the usual caveats.&#160; Not a scientific poll.&#160; Not even a poll.&#160; Like a true straw poll a measure of who showed up and enthusiasm.&#160; Not surprisingly, this blog has a large pro-Palin contingent, and there were some links to the poll&#160;in the comment sections of pro-Palin blogs which may account for her higher numbers to some extent.</p>
<p>My observations from this straw poll:</p>
<p>Your thoughts?</p> | Cain and Palin win Legal Insurrection Straw Poll | true | http://legalinsurrection.com/2011/09/cain-and-palin-win-legal-insurrection-straw-poll/ | 2011-09-26 | 0 |
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<p>CONROE, Texas — Investigators say an officer responding to a domestic disturbance at a Houston-area home fatally shot a man who police say refused to drop his gun.</p>
<p>Conroe police say a 52-year-old woman was later discovered shot to death in the residence, while her 5-year-old grandson was found unharmed inside. Police Sgt. James Waller says Denise Russell was the mother of the ex-girlfriend of the 25-year-old gunman, Joseph William Alain of Bellaire.</p>
<p>Officers on Monday afternoon went to a house after a 911 call disconnected. Conroe police say an officer heard an argument inside before a 24-year-old woman ran out. Authorities say believe she is the ex-girlfriend and the boy’s mother.</p>
<p>When police confronted the man inside, they say he pointed a them, prompting them to open fire and kill the suspect.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Conroe officer fatally shoots suspect during domestic call | false | https://abqjournal.com/997011/conroe-officer-fatally-shoots-suspect-during-domestic-call.html | 2017-05-02 | 2 |
<p>By Tim Radford / Climate News Network</p>
<p />
<p>&#160; &#160; A respite from summer heat in New York City. (Michael Comeau via Flickr)</p>
<p>This piece first appeared at <a href="http://climatenewsnetwork.net/record-co2-levels-signal-sizzling-summers/" type="external">Climate News Network</a>.</p>
<p />
<p>LONDON — With a little help from that natural cyclic phenomenon <a href="https://www.climate.gov/enso" type="external">El Niño</a> and a lot of help from humans, <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uoe-end061316.php" type="external">carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere will exceed 400 parts per million</a> (ppm) not just for the rest of the year, but probably for a lifetime.</p>
<p>And as carbon dioxide levels rise, so will temperatures. Scientists say that <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/nsf-fsc061316.php" type="external">summers 50 years from now will be far hotter</a> than any experienced by anybody now.</p>
<p>The record CO2 level is yet another notch in the seemingly inexorable rise of the greenhouse gas that, for most of human history, oscillated around 285 ppm.</p>
<p>In 1958, a scientist recording atmospheric concentrations at the top of a mountain in Hawaii recorded levels of 315 ppm and, very slowly, climate scientists began to worry about the possibility of global climate change as a consequence of global warming from the increasing combustion of fossil fuels.</p>
<p>That is because carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are transparent to solar radiation, but trap infra-red waves as they re-radiate from the planet’s rocks and ocean.</p>
<p>Last year, global average temperatures were measured at 1°C higher than historic averages, and carbon dioxide levels briefly went over the 400ppm mark. Also&#160;last year, at the <a href="http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/finale-cop21/" type="external">UN climate change conference</a>,195 nations pledged to do their best to keep long-term temperature rise to below 2°C.</p>
<p>Richard Betts, climate impacts expert at the <a href="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/" type="external">UK Met Office</a> and the <a href="http://geography.exeter.ac.uk/staff/index.php?web_id=Richard_Betts" type="external">University of Exeter</a>, and colleagues <a href="http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nclimate3063.html" type="external">report in Nature Climate Change</a> that the average concentration of CO2 during 2016 will be 404.45 parts per million.</p>
<p>Last month, it reached 407 ppm, and may drop to 401.48 ppm in September before rising again. Concentrations vary with the changing seasons, but human and other natural cycles can affect the total.</p>
<p>“The atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration is rising year-on-year due to human emissions, but this year it is getting an extra boost due to the recent El Niño event — changes in the sea-surface temperature of the tropical Pacific Ocean,” Professor Betts says.</p>
<p>“This warms and dries tropical ecosystems, reducing their uptake of carbon, and exacerbating forest fires. Since human emissions are now 25% greater than in the last big El Niño in 1997/98, this all adds up to a record CO2 rise this year.”</p>
<p>Plants absorb CO2 in summer, and release it in autumn and winter. Although one hemisphere’s winter is the other’s summer, the land areas of the hemispheres are uneven. So in an ordinary year, some point out, concentrations could fall below the 400ppm figure.</p>
<p>“However, we predict that this will not happen now, because the recent <a href="http://climatenewsnetwork.net/coral-reefs-die-as-el-nino-hots-up/" type="external">El Niño has warmed and dried tropical ecosystems</a> and driven forest fires, adding to the CO2 rise,” Professor Betts says.</p>
<p>And if humans go on burning fossil fuels as they have been doing for a century, Flavio Lehner, a climatology expert at the <a href="https://ncar.ucar.edu/" type="external">National Centre for Atmospheric Research</a> in the US, and colleagues <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-016-1616-2" type="external">report in Climatic Change</a> that there is a greater than 90% chance of summers between 2061 and 2080 being the hottest on record in large parts of the Americas, central Europe, Asia and Africa.</p>
<p>Such research is confirmatory. Scientists have repeatedly warned that <a href="http://climatenewsnetwork.net/18247-2/" type="external">hotter summers</a> — sometimes dangerously hotter — are on the way.</p>
<p>The difference this time is that the scientists can say with confidence that if emissions are reduced, the probability of record summer temperatures drops to 41%.</p>
<p>“Extremely hot summers always pose a challenge to society,” Dr Lehner says. “They can increase the risk for health issues, and can also damage crops and deepen droughts. Such summers are a true test of our adaptability to rising temperatures.”</p>
<p>Tim Radford, a founding editor of Climate News Network, worked for The Guardian for 32 years, for most of that time as science editor. He has been covering climate change since 1988.</p> | Record CO2 Levels Signal Sizzling Summers | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/record-co2-levels-signal-sizzling-summers/ | 2016-06-16 | 4 |
<p>We could not have a better person in office than President Obama, if you want someone to do everything he can to destroy the country that is. This President has gone out of his way to make sure not only just a few of his <a href="" type="internal">Socialist policies</a> ruin us, but that his whole time in office is dedicated to the <a href="" type="internal">destruction of the United States as we know it</a>.</p>
<p>From&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/10/treason-obama-continues-support-muslim-brotherhood-thumbs-nose-vets/" type="external">supplying terrorist organizations</a>&#160;such as Al Qaeda, the <a href="" type="internal">Muslim Brotherhood</a>, and countless other Islamic Jihadists in N. Africa, the Mid-East, Indonesia, and Europe with billions of dollars in weapons, billions in financial aid, and actual military help, to purposely&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/obama-allowing-illegals-cross-southern-border-encouragement-domestic-attacks-facilitate-government-takeover/" type="external">busing and flying</a>&#160;in&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/01/obama-to-pave-way-for-30000-syrian-islamists-to-resettle-in-america/" type="external">hundreds of thousand illegal aliens</a>&#160;per day via Homeland Security.</p>
<p>This President expects his agenda of anti-Americanism to continue with&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/economic-recovery-19-reasons-can-laugh-anyone-tells-thing/" type="external">breaking our economy</a>&#160;and with the&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/05/oklahoma-ag-scott-pruitt-epas-cap-and-trade-scheme-violate-clean-air-act/" type="external">EPA's anti CO2 regulations</a>, which are&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/former-epa-chiefs-arent-buying-white-house-climate-agenda/" type="external">based on guess work</a>&#160;from&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2012/11/global-warmingclimate-change-a-un-nwo-agenda/" type="external">UN climate organizations</a>&#160;and&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/11/obama-sacrificing-economy-co2-reduction-based-global-warming-lie/" type="external">not concrete scientific evidence</a>.</p>
<p>We also have the countless scandals which amount to crimes perpetrated by this President. From&#160; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;field-keywords=benghazi&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;tag=freedomoutpos-20&amp;url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;linkId=ORLPVNZHAOX2WWUD" type="external">Benghazi</a>&#160;to the&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/?s=irs" type="external">IRS situation</a>, where <a href="" type="internal">Conservatives are targeted</a> by the IRS for their voices of opposition to the Administration, we now have a Socialist Dictator in office who has declared war on any American who stands with&#160; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;field-keywords=constitution&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aconstitution&amp;tag=freedomoutpos-20&amp;url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;linkId=UAPVUFNCPMXWVMHF" type="external">the Constitution as the rule of law</a>.</p>
<p>We now have the dirtiest most corrupt President ever to hold office, making Richard M. Nixon look like the most honest President we ever had, when comparing the two. At least Nixon loved America; <a href="" type="internal">Obama hates the very core of American values</a> of which make us great.</p>
<p>A President, who loves his country,&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/obamas-prisoner-exchange-yet-another-act-treason/" type="external">would not aid enemies who have only our destruction in mind</a>. Yet, Obama has made his&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/obama-administrations-foreign-policy-put-us-made-stinger-missiles-hands-taliban/" type="external">whole foreign policy</a>&#160;about&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/10/obama-foreign-policy-fail-us-weapons-stolen-sold-abroad-muslim-brotherhood-al-qaeda/" type="external">helping terrorist organizations gain control of countries</a>.</p>
<p>Last year, in Obama's quest to&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/america-arms-jihadists-syria-fights-exact-jihadists-iraq/" type="external">aid Al Qaeda and other terrorist factions fighting in Syria by wanting to bomb the Assad regime</a>, we now see these same&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/us-tax-dollars-lives-wasted-islamic-state-iraq-syria-forces-overrun-us-trained-iraqis-mosul/" type="external">Islamic factions taking over Iraq</a>&#160;via all the&#160; <a href="" type="internal">aid in arms</a>, money, and <a href="" type="internal">military training</a> we did supply them. It stands to reason that Obama does not want to help the Iraq government since his vision was to see Islamists take power across the Mid-East in the first place.</p>
<p>Obama and John Kerry have done everything possible to damage beyond recognition the friendship the US has had with key allies such as Israel and Russia. Today, we stand in opposition to Israel because of Obama's agenda to transform the Mid-East into a region completely run by terrorist organizations, labeling Israel as an oppressive state and doing everything possible short of cutting ties with them altogether.</p>
<p>We now live in a&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/02/ukraine-evidence-cold-war/" type="external">Cold War atmosphere with Russia</a>&#160;over&#160; <a href="http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2014/02/19/us-stoked-violence-rocks-ukraine" type="external">events in Ukraine</a>, which were&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/03/west-create-chaos-crimea-ukraine/" type="external">stoked by our own CIA in the first place</a>.</p>
<p>The&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/?s=benghazi" type="external">Benghazi cover up</a>&#160;is clear to anyone who has been following US foreign policy. This Administration has to keep these events swept under the rug since <a href="" type="internal">it was the very terrorist organizations the Obama Administration is supporting who are responsible for killing Americans on that day.</a></p>
<p>Because of the massive opposition to the Obama Administration's desire to grant&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/03/amnesty-jobs-none/" type="external">Amnesty to millions of Illegal Aliens</a>, the President has given orders for all&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/03/obama-admin-issues-border-patrol-restrictions-limit-ability-repel-invasion-illegals/" type="external">Border Patrol agents to stand down</a>&#160;and has Homeland Security&#160; <a href="http://www.conservative-daily.com/2014/06/02/obama-admin-escorting-illegals-into-country/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=obama-admin-escorting-illegals-into-country" type="external">busing and flying hundreds of thousands of Illegals</a>&#160;into the US daily from Central America with the help of the <a href="" type="internal">drug cartels</a>.</p>
<p>The recent&#160; <a href="http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/052114-701756-obama-seizes-new-mexico-land-for-monument.htm" type="external">Federal land grab in New Mexico</a>&#160;is also part of the Obama strategy in creating a flood of illegal immigrants.</p>
<p>So, now, instead of&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/border-patrol-agent-illegal-aliens-crossing-us-border-serious-contagious-infectious-diseases/" type="external">having hundreds cross our southern border each day</a>, we now have&#160; <a href="http://www.westernjournalism.com/gov-perry-either-administration-incredibly-inept-theyre/" type="external">thousands getting a free ride here daily</a>.</p>
<p>Aside from all of this, we are supposed to believe the&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/irs-claims-lost-lois-lerner-emails/" type="external">IRS lost some two years of Lois Learner's E-Mails</a>. In light of the massive domestic spying by the NSA, CIA, and other clandestine organizations on American citizens,&#160; <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/bombshell-know-whereabouts-lost-irs-emails/" type="external">we know this isn't a problem</a>&#160;since <a href="" type="internal">these organizations do have these E-Mails</a>.</p>
<p>About Tony Elliott:</p>
<p>I am an established writer with articles in over 20 publications of differing topics Political Commentary Columnist for the Cimarron News Press in Cimarron, New Mexico from 2001 to 2003 generating the controversy I was hired for. I also was a regular writer for several small coastal newspapers in Southern Oregon during the early 1990's. BOOKS:&#160; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1448646111/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1448646111&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=freedomoutpos-20" type="external">Aura Visions: The Origin Prophecy</a>,&#160; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;field-keywords=Enviroclowns%3A%20The%20Climate%20Change%20Circus&amp;linkCode=ur2&amp;tag=freedomoutpos-20&amp;url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks" type="external">Enviroclowns: The Climate Change Circus</a>,&#160; <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1470048701/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1470048701&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=freedomoutpos-20" type="external">Strange Sounds: A Research Report</a>.</p>
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://freedomoutpost.com/2014/06/obamas-doctrine-destruction-america-know-march-new-world-order/" type="external">Freedom Outpost</a>.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p /> | Obama's Doctrine of Destruction of America as we know it & the March to a New World Order | true | http://dcclothesline.com/2014/06/24/obamas-doctrine-destruction-america-know-march-new-world-order/ | 2014-06-24 | 0 |
<p>In Palau, you’re never far from the ocean.&#160; It laps at the country’s 700 or so small islands, and it comes up quickly in conversation.&#160; The people here are bonded with the sea. It sustains them. They often learn to swim before they learn to walk.</p>
<p>But as important as it’s always been, lately the sea has been getting a little too close for some Palauans, even the country’s president, Tommy Remengesau, Jr. Lately, during some full moon high tides, the president says it’s been flooding his back yard.</p>
<p>That never used to happen, Remengesau told a special United Nations meeting on climate change in September. “When I was a child,” he told the UN, “my backyard did not flood. And we did not have tropical storm after tropical storm pass through our Pacific islands.”</p>
<p>President Remengesau urged world leaders to take dramatic action to fight climate change and the global rise in sea levels.</p>
<p>And he’s not alone in his alarm.</p>
<p>“The tide is higher than when we first put our house (up) 20 years ago,” says Palauan conservation officer Rodney Esebei.&#160; “(It’s) more than what we expected.”</p>
<p>Esebei’s concern about coastal flooding during some high tides is increasingly common. &#160;And with typhoons blowing through their country more often than anyone can remember, Palauans like him are beginning to say something that was once unimaginable here:</p>
<p>“I’m scared for staying close to the water.”</p>
<p>Esebei says he eventually might have to move his house to a higher area.</p>
<p>But that might not be so easy. While a lot of Palau is higher—most of the country is more than 30 feet above sea level, well above just about every projection for sea level rise for the foreseeable future—that higher ground is hilly and thick with jungle, which is why most Palauans live and work and grow food in the country’s low-lying areas.</p>
<p>And in any case, the shift hasn’t even begun yet. &#160;The Palauan government’s only in the very early stages of mounting a response to climate change.&#160;</p>
<p>That was clear this November when the latest typhoon took a swipe at the country. When an entire small island had to be evacuated, the residents were temporarily resettled in another coastal area that is just as vulnerable.</p>
<p>Congressman Marhence Madrangar says Palauans don’t yet feel responsible for making the changes they’ll need to make to respond to climate change.&#160; Madrangar says the government’s first priority should be educating Palauans about the problem, and about the consequences of both action and inaction.</p>
<p>Otherwise, he says, “just making policy without getting the people to understand what the policies are for, it slows down the process of making proper changes.”</p>
<p>Madrangar says ultimately those changes need to include improving infrastructure, like dikes. &#160;Houses should be raised and hardened against storms. &#160;Agricultural areas have to be protected.</p>
<p>Of course none of that will matter in the long run if global greenhouse emissions continue to rise, which brings things back to President Remengesau’s plea to world leaders at the UN.</p>
<p>If we fail to act, he said,“our global warming doomsday is already set in stone.”</p>
<p>In the face of that warning, some Palauans are starting to whisper about moving to a new country, just like the residents of a handful of other Pacific island nations.</p>
<p>But many, like conservation officer Rodney Esebei, say they’re staying, no matter what.</p>
<p>“It's a very hard question,” Esebei says. “I could not leave Palau. &#160;I mean, this is my island…&#160;If the land has to be under the water, I cannot move anyway, I mean that’s my…"</p>
<p>Like much of the rest of the world, it’s a prospect that leaves Esebei at a loss for words.</p>
<p>But he has a plea to his government before things get any worse.</p>
<p>“Help,” he says. “Any help.”</p>
<p>Ari Daniel’s story&#160;was supported by the&#160; <a href="http://solutionsjournalism.org/" type="external">Solutions&#160;Journalism&#160;Network</a>, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rigorous and compelling reporting about responses to social problems.</p> | Climate change brings a new wrinkle to life on Palau's islands: Fear of the sea | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-01-03/climate-change-brings-new-wrinkle-life-palaus-islands-fear-sea | 2014-01-03 | 3 |
<p>RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ These Virginia lotteries were drawn Thursday:</p>
<p>Cash 5 Day</p>
<p>04-11-12-14-21</p>
<p>(four, eleven, twelve, fourteen, twenty-one)</p>
<p>Cash 5 Night</p>
<p>02-04-17-22-30</p>
<p>(two, four, seventeen, twenty-two, thirty)</p>
<p>Cash4Life</p>
<p>12-22-42-43-53, Cash Ball: 3</p>
<p>(twelve, twenty-two, forty-two, forty-three, fifty-three; Cash Ball: three)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $418 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Day</p>
<p>7-5-5</p>
<p>(seven, five, five)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Night</p>
<p>0-7-2</p>
<p>(zero, seven, two)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Day</p>
<p>7-1-5-8</p>
<p>(seven, one, five, eight)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Night</p>
<p>8-6-4-7</p>
<p>(eight, six, four, seven)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $550 million</p>
<p>RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ These Virginia lotteries were drawn Thursday:</p>
<p>Cash 5 Day</p>
<p>04-11-12-14-21</p>
<p>(four, eleven, twelve, fourteen, twenty-one)</p>
<p>Cash 5 Night</p>
<p>02-04-17-22-30</p>
<p>(two, four, seventeen, twenty-two, thirty)</p>
<p>Cash4Life</p>
<p>12-22-42-43-53, Cash Ball: 3</p>
<p>(twelve, twenty-two, forty-two, forty-three, fifty-three; Cash Ball: three)</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $418 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Day</p>
<p>7-5-5</p>
<p>(seven, five, five)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Night</p>
<p>0-7-2</p>
<p>(zero, seven, two)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Day</p>
<p>7-1-5-8</p>
<p>(seven, one, five, eight)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Night</p>
<p>8-6-4-7</p>
<p>(eight, six, four, seven)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $550 million</p> | VA Lottery | false | https://apnews.com/amp/9a863a5171f44441a7a32b265320a08f | 2018-01-05 | 2 |
<p>2012 GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22007612@N05/6183049294/"&gt;Gage Skidmore&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p />
<p>As I’m walking to Newt Gingrich’s meet-and-greet at a hunting ranch in Walterboro, South Carolina, a middle-aged woman explains to me why she’s going to vote for the former speaker of the House on&#160;Saturday.&#160;It’s quite simple, really: “Newt’s salt of the earth.”&#160;Salt of the earth is actually something Newt Gingrich has never been accused of being. He likes to name-drop existential writers and Enlightenment philosophers and conservative economists from the 1980s; he doesn’t hunt; he doesn’t farm; he doesn’t get his hands dirty, except to <a href="" type="internal">dig up dinosaur bones</a> in Montana.</p>
<p>So how does Gingrich appeal to an interest group he shouldn’t, at least culturally, have anything in common with? By picking fights with their shared enemy. Before launching into his brief stump speech, Gingrich uses the occasion of speaking to sportsmen (many of them dressed in their finest camo threads) to blast “intellectual left-wing environmentalists” for believing that “humans are not part of the world.”&#160;As attendees munched on barbecue and coleslaw and sipped sweet tea, Gingrich told them who they should resent, and why:</p>
<p>I want to make one point that I think liberals don’t ever get. And I always sort of reference it when we’re talking about rivers and the low-country. People who hunt and fish are among our most passionate conservationists because they’re actually out in the woods and on the trails and in the streams and in the swamps. And they understand that if we don’t keep areas that are healthy, there is no hunting and fishing. And so the big difference is this:&#160;the intellectual, left-wing environmentalists have a theoretical model in which humans are not part of the world.</p>
<p>This is very different from what Theodore Roosevelt and others began at the turn of the last century, when they wanted a conservation that was multiple-use and they wanted natural areas, but they understood they wanted natural areas so that people could join them. We’ve had a tremendous decline for example in forestry. And the result is our trees are sicker today, we lose more trees to fire today, Because we have more beetle infestation, because environmentalists don’t understand nature. They have this idealized model that doesn’t reflect the world. It’s a little bit like the Disney cartoon model of Africa where the elephants and the zebras and the lions all hang out together. Now any of you who know about the real world know that if the lions and zebras hang out together after a while, there are fewer zebras and happier lions.</p>
<p>This gets a lot of laughs, but one thing is missing from&#160;Gingrich’s rant: science. In the real world, of course,&#160;the biggest threat facing American ecosystems and endangered species isn’t Agenda 21 or a lack of qualified forestry experts; it’s climate change. But for Gingrich, who once <a href="" type="internal">joined Nancy Pelosi</a> to urge Americans to take action on climate change, that would be an impossible argument to make. Gingrich’s characterization of environmentalists favoring a world without people may also have a darker meaning. Many conservatives fear that under a UN program called Agenda 21, vast swaths of land, such as eastern Montana, will be cleared of humans entirely. Gingrich has himself mentioned Agenda 21 on the campaign trail.</p>
<p>More so than Romney, Santorum, or Paul,&#160;Gingrich sells himself to voters by putting the “bully” in bully pulpit. His stump speech consists largely of giving his audience the illusion that the problem with the current president is that he has substandard intelligence (Gingrich’s most reliable laugh line is the concession that he’d let President Obama use a teleprompter in their never-gonna-happen Lincoln-Douglas debates). In Easley on Wednesday, he explained that the administration’s decision to block the construction of the Keystone XL&#160;pipeline was “stupid” (a line he repeats in&#160;Walterboro). “It’s one thing to say that a White House doesn’t understand chess,”&#160;he says. “It’s another to say they can’t understand checkers. But if they can’t play tic-tac-toe…” Well, you get the picture.</p>
<p>That anger, and his ability to channel the same in others, explains why Gingrich’s performance at Monday’s debate—when he <a href="" type="internal">dismissed</a> Fox News’&#160;Juan Williams’ suggestion that he was playing to racial stereotypes by denigrating food stamps—has resonated so deeply. “I am so tired, personally, of racial prejudice,” says Tommie Derry of Walterboro, a Gingrich supporter. “The way blacks are handling it, if you weren’t racially prejudiced, it’d make you racially prejudiced”&#160;Gingrich’s retort to&#160;Williams went beyond a simple debating coup; it was cathartic. “When I hear the Juans of the world, I get upset.” Her son,&#160;Mark, doesn’t go quite so far, but when&#160;I ask him how long he’s been on&#160;Team&#160;Newt, he doesn’t even have to think about it:&#160;“Since Monday.”&#160;</p>
<p /> | Newt Gingrich and the Politics of Resentment | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2012/01/gingrich-south-carolina-resentment-politics/ | 2012-01-19 | 4 |
<p>Cadbury gets into trouble in one part of the globe. Dry mouths protest in another. The second largest population in the world is in the past few weeks being emotionally blackmailed with hunger fasts while it dreams, quite anachronistically, of an Arab-style revolution. Such hunger fasts are part of the manner in which food culture is perceived and used - in colonisation, gender bias, racism and sexuality. It gives us a peek into how society functions from the perspectives of different recent events.</p>
<p>“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread” – Mahatma Gandhi</p>
<p>It is ironical, then, that Gandhi often chose the path of culinary abstinence. Religious fasts test the ability of the believer to ‘feel the pain’, not of the immediate surroundings but based on some scriptural injunction. This is about devotion and not awareness. Gandhi, who was the pioneer in religious politicisation, seemed to make a mockery of this denial. By not eating, was he suggesting that the God/bread did not exist?</p>
<p>Those who are blindly following the trail know that after their demands are met they will be pampered, have meetings in five-star hotels and be served by those for whom the bread is a precious commodity they have to struggle to get everyday.</p>
<p>It is also interesting that, while the Biblical reference of ‘breaking bread’ represents the body of Christ, there is an element of elite etiquette when you must properly break French bread and not under any circumstances slice it or cut it.</p>
<p>As Julia Child said, “In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” This reveals a certain leisureliness. However, in the Nora Ephron film ‘Julie and Julia’, based on the real life story of Julie Powell’s discovery of Julia Child through her own search, the latter joins Le Cordon Bleu to learn cooking when she is 32 to cope with the American wives’ diaspora. It becomes a metaphor for inclusiveness as well as exclusivity - a society within a society. Art is comfort, and given that this was at the peak of the Joseph McCarthy era that drones in the background it makes a sharp comment about how artists were rounded up. Julia’s outing was a silent and nurturing protest, an invocation of the 1st Amendment, so to speak. Rather tellingly, she was shown to be enjoying sex immensely, sometimes with residue of flour still in her hands. What a potent image when placed against the barrenness around. As Diogenes said, “If only it was as easy to banish hunger by rubbing the belly as it is to masturbate.”</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>“Sacred cows make the best hamburger” – Mark Twain</p>
<p>The politicisation of food has many dimensions. We must leave alone the recent study about how the choice of a thin crust pizza would qualify you as a liberal and a heavier meal would make you a conservative, for liberalism and conservatism are not flash-in-the-pan ideologies and their dynamics and dynamism rest on specific situations. Isn’t there cultural conditioning and health-related factors? And since both need dough - which is slang for money - one would think that economics is the great leveller.</p>
<p>Therefore, when Cadbury used the line, “Move over Naomi - there is a new diva in town” in an ad campaign for its new chocolate Bliss, the model had vociferously objected: “I am shocked. It’s upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me, but for all black women and black people. I do not find any humour in this. It is insulting and hurtful.”</p>
<p>It is, to the blacks who are derided for it. But, what does it mean for a diva who has been booked for assault cases against her staff? Cadbury has apologised. We need to ask some questions about racial stereotypes with food imagery: Is the dumb blonde not likened to candyfloss? What about beefy men and meaty women? What about Shylock as the avaricious Jew? The bean-fart Mexican? Is not a peaches and cream complexion flattering only because it applies to white people? Then, would not the fad for baking in the sun to get a tan not be a backhanded insult?</p>
<p>Naomi has appeared with a milk moustache for the series of ‘Got milk?’ campaign, even though milky is associated with Caucasian skin. Many people are desirable because their colour is different. Does anyone think of it as a racial slur?</p>
<p>One might contend that the personal need not be the political, for we often nurse exotic dreams and realise them. Socially, such messages might need a level of sensitivity because the straitjacket is always in a hurry to fit in whole communities.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>“Civilized life has altogether grown too tame, and, if it is to be stable, it must provide a harmless outlets for the impulses which our remote ancestors satisfied in hunting” – Bertrand Russell</p>
<p>Mark Zuckerberg decided he needed to go for the kill and only eat what he himself killed. He made it appear like a Dale Carnegie sell-improvement programme: “This year, my personal challenge is around being thankful for the food I have to eat. I think many people forget that a living being has to die for you to eat meat, so my goal revolves around not letting myself forget that and being thankful for what I have.” Like many people, he could have turned vegetarian or chosen to eat less meat. His saying that a pig roast meal at his house made him think “that the pig used to be alive” is akin to saying that before social networking sites people met in person.</p>
<p>His moral concern is only one part it. The other is about the primordial instinct to conquer beyond the boardroom, to flex muscle and draw blood. These are tactile. Like the hunters of old who often took pictures with their prey, Zuckerberg posted photographs of the chicken he had killed and the dishes he made from it. It was his male moment.</p>
<p>The absence of machismo was one of the reasons for an outrage when McDonald’s had released posters that showed Asterix and his group of warriors enter one of their outlets to feast on burgers and fries. It was part of their “Come as you are” campaign. For all the McIdea of breaking through barriers, they had not contended for a comic-book character’s history. The hero lives in a Gaulish village and reports mentioned that it had survived Caesar’s legions for half a century.</p>
<p>The ad was seen as a softening of a brave hero who ate wild boar now sitting with pressed meat hidden between round buns with veggies poking out and ketchup drooling. It is, much as we hate to admit it, the manner in which the US seems to be larger than life. Fries are in fact a French invention, but who cares?</p>
<p>In a trice, there was capitulation, or so thought Gallic pride that detests the American concept of homogeneity.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>“Appetite comes with eating; the more one has, the more one would have” – French Proverb</p>
<p>The extension of a flexible world would mean no boundaries. Most societies today revel in fusion food. But think about a battle of the spuds.</p>
<p>When some New York restaurants were getting all snooty, the boss of Burger King had got snottier about English cuisine, which is like fries sticking out their tongue at jacket potatoes. It isn’t merely about the hidden dragons in crouching potatoes and most certainly not relegated to American versus English. Experiments with food do evoke a Pavlovian response in more than the salivating manner.</p>
<p>When Bernardo Hees, the CEO of Burger King, said about his student days in Warwick, “The food is terrible and the women are not very attractive”, it was seen as an insult to British gastronomy and English women. His company issued an apology.</p>
<p>The fact is that Burger King outlets are all over Britain as in most of the world. There are women behind the counters taking orders. The inadvertent connection between food and women has a deeper connotation. Even though the connotation of comfort food and comfort women are totally different concepts, they find a convergence in the pleasure principle. Years ago, when easy-to-make food packets were being marketed, it was women who felt less empowered; it took away the sensuality and drama associated with kneading the dough, baking it, poking the fork through the crust to check on the sponginess or softness of the insides, and then whipping up the cream. It wasn’t a job being done but an immaculate conception. Or self love.</p>
<p>Farzana Versey is a Mumbai-based author-columnist. She can be reached at <a href="http://farzana-versey.blogspot.com/" type="external">http://farzana-versey.blogspot.com/</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/Annual_Subscriptions.html" type="external">Limited Time Special Offer! Get CounterPunch Print Edition By Email for Only $25 a Year!</a></p>
<p /> | Shackled by the Food Chain | true | https://counterpunch.org/2011/06/10/shackled-by-the-food-chain/ | 2011-06-10 | 4 |
<p>Aug. 17 (UPI) — A conservative Australian senator was strongly condemned for the “stunt” she performed when she wore a burqa shielding her face and body onto the Senate floor.</p>
<p>Sen. <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Pauline_Hanson/" type="external">Pauline Hanson</a>, who has sponsored legislation to ban burqas in Australia, entered the chamber with the black veil worn by some Muslim women, then removed it when asked a question by a colleague.</p>
<p>“I’m quite happy to remove this because this is not what should belong in this Parliament,” Hanson said, calling on lawmakers to support her legislation.</p>
<p>The display was met with an emotional rebuke by Australian Attorney General George Brandis, who received a rare standing ovation from several of his colleagues in the Senate after admonishing Hanson.</p>
<p>“Senator Hanson, I’m not going to pretend to ignore the stunt that you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in burqa when we all know you are not an adherent to the Islamic faith.&#160;I caution you and counsel you&#160;Senator Hanson, with respect, to be very, very careful of the offense you may give to the religious sensibilities of other Australians,” Brandis said.</p>
<p>His voice breaking, Brandis continued: “It is vital for [Australian] intelligence and law enforcement work that they work cooperatively with the Muslim community.</p>
<p>“To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments, is an appalling thing to do.”</p> | Australian senator condemned for burqa 'stunt' | false | https://newsline.com/australian-senator-condemned-for-burqa-stunt/ | 2017-08-17 | 1 |
<p />
<p>It’s 7 pm EST and polls just closed in Virginia. CNN took about one second to call the race for Obama. That means the exit polls must show a real blowout. On the Republican side, CNN says Huckabee and McCain are in a tight race. I’ll go look for some exit polls while we wait one hour for polls to close in D.C. and Maryland.</p>
<p>Okay, CNN exit poll numbers for Virginia Democrats. African-American voters went 90-10 for Obama, in a margin that is getting bigger and bigger. White voters went 51-48 for Clinton, in a margin that is getting smaller and smaller. And women went 58-42 for Obama, in a shocking result. (To break that down a little further, Obama won white men by 12 while Clinton won white women by 16. Obama won both black women and men by huge margins.)</p>
<p>More numbers for Virginia Dems. (If Maryland or D.C. is markedly different from these numbers, I’ll let you know.) Obama won the over-$50,000 crowd by 63-37 and won the under-$50,000 crowd 59-40. He won the Social Security crowd by six points. These numbers drive an even bigger spike into the <a href="/mojoblog/archives/2008/02/7171_exit_polls_from.html" type="external">“50-50” theory</a> about Clinton voters.</p>
<p>One of the reasons why McCain is struggling: Virginia is an open primary, meaning people of any party affiliation can vote in either race. The Democratic turnout was large today (certainly larger than the Republican turnout) and about 30 percent of the voters in the Democratic race were independents and Republicans. They went heavily for Obama. Those are potential McCain voters.</p>
<p>For the record, McCain won moderates in the Virginia Republican primary by a whopping margin of 34 points. Huckabee won conservatives in the primary by 23 points. The problem for McCain is that there were far more conservatives voting today.</p>
<p /> | Potomac Primary: Obama Takes Virginia | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2008/02/potomac-primary-obama-takes-virginia/ | 2008-02-12 | 4 |
<p>North Korea said on Saturday that firing its rockets at the U.S. mainland was "inevitable" after U.S. President Donald Trump called Pyongyang's leader "rocket man", in a further escalation of rhetoric between the two leaders.</p>
<p>North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho's remarks before the United Nations General Assembly came hours after U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighter jets flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea, in a show of force the Pentagon said demonstrated the range of military options available to Trump.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>“Through such a prolonged and arduous struggle, now we are finally only a few steps away from the final gate of completion of the state nuclear force,” Ri told the annual gathering of world leaders.</p>
<p>“It is only a forlorn hope to consider any chance that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) would be shaken an inch or change its stance due to the harsher sanctions by the hostile forces,” he said.</p>
<p>Trump announced new U.S. sanctions on Thursday that he said allow targeting of companies and institutions that finance and facilitate trade with North Korea. Earlier this month the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted its ninth round of sanctions on Pyongyang to counter its nuclear and ballistic missiles programs.</p>
<p>Ri, who said Pyongyang's ultimate goal was to establish a "balance of power with the U.S.", retorted that Trump himself was on a "suicide mission" after the U.S. president said Kim was on such a mission.</p>
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<p>The U.S. bombers' flight was the farthest north of the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea that any U.S. fighter jet or bomber has flown in the 21st century, the Pentagon said.</p>
<p>"This mission is a demonstration of U.S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat," said Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White, calling North Korea's weapons program "a grave threat."</p>
<p>"We are prepared to use the full range of military capabilities to defend the U.S. homeland and our allies."</p>
<p>Ri warned Pyongyang was ready to defend itself if the U.S. showed any sign of conducting a "decapitating operation on our headquarters or military attack against our country".</p>
<p>North Korea has launched dozens of missiles this year, several flying over Japan, as it accelerates its program aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.</p>
<p>The flight follows a week of heightened rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang, with Trump and Kim Jong Un trading insults. Trump called the North Korean leader a "madman" on Friday, a day after Kim dubbed him a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard."</p>
<p>Pyongyang conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sept. 3 and has launched dozens of missiles this year as it accelerates a program aimed at enabling it to target the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile. The North has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific.</p>
<p>The Pentagon said the B-1B Lancer bombers came from Guam and the U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagle fighter escorts came from Okinawa, Japan. It said the operation showed the seriousness with which it took North Korea's "reckless behavior."</p>
<p>The patrols came after officials and experts said a small earthquake near North Korea's nuclear test site on Saturday was probably not man-made, easing fears Pyongyang had exploded another nuclear bomb just weeks after its last one.</p>
<p>China's Earthquake Administration said the quake was not a nuclear explosion and had the characteristics of a natural tremor.</p>
<p>The CTBTO, or Comprehensive Test-Ban Treaty Organization, which monitors nuclear tests, and officials of the South Korean meteorological agency also said they believed it was a natural quake.</p>
<p>An official of South Korea's Meteorological Agency said acoustic waves should be detected in the event of a man-made earthquake.</p>
<p>"In this case we saw none. So as of now, we are categorizing this as a natural earthquake."</p>
<p>The earthquake, which South Korea's Meteorological Agency put at magnitude 3.0, was detected 49 km from Kilju in North Hamgyong Province, where North Korea's known Punggye-ri nuclear site is located, the official said.</p>
<p>All of North Korea's six nuclear tests registered as earthquakes of magnitude 4.3 or above. The last test registered as a 6.3 magnitude quake.</p>
<p>Tensions have continued to rise around the Korean Peninsula since Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test, prompting a new round of U.N. sanctions.</p>
<p>Trump told the U.N. on Tuesday the United States would "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatened the United States or its allies.</p>
<p>North Korea's nuclear tests to date have all been underground, and experts say an atmospheric test, which would be the first since one by China in 1980, would be proof of the success of its weapons program.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Phil Stewart and Christine Kim. Additional reporting by Andrew Galbraith in Shanghai, Ben Blanchard in Beijing, Heekyong Yang in Seoul, Michael Shields in Zurich, Denis Pinchuk in Moscow and David Brunnstrom and Yara Bayoumy at the United Nations and John Walcott and Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by Yara Bayoumy; Editing by James Dalgleish)</p> | North Korea says rockets to U.S. ‘inevitable’ after Trump dubs Kim ‘rocket man’ | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/09/23/north-korea-says-rockets-to-u-s-inevitable-after-trump-dubs-kim-rocket-man.html | 2017-09-23 | 0 |
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<p>“Once the family says it’s okay we’ll release it, but to respect their request we’re not releasing it now,” said Bernalillo County Fire Department Marshal Chris Gober.</p>
<p>Gallegos did say the fire was started accidentally.</p>
<p>The man who died from smoke inhalation during a fire at Coors and Flora Vista early Saturday morning was identified as 66-year-old John Tool. Gallegos said the fire, which was accidental, began when Tool was smoking in bed.</p>
<p>——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Bernalillo County authorities are investigating two deadly fires.</p>
<p>Firefighters responded Saturday evening to reports of a travel trailer on fire behind a home in Albuquerque’s South Valley. Inside the RV, crews found the body of a 4-year-old girl.</p>
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<p>Neighbors say the girl’s father ran from the home to the RV, yelling that his baby was inside. They say he tried to go in, but the fire was already intense.</p>
<p>Investigators have determined the fire was accidental, but they have yet to identify the child or determine what sparked the blaze.</p>
<p>The other fire happened early Saturday at an apartment complex. Authorities say a 66-year-old man was found dead from smoke inhalation. His name was not released.</p>
<p>Investigators say that fire started in a bedroom and was determined to be accidental.</p> | Authorities ID victims in two recent fatal South Valley fires | false | https://abqjournal.com/303177/nm-authorities-investigate-2-fatal-fires.html | 2013-11-18 | 2 |
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<p>Rio Rancho Police and Sandoval County Code Enforcement caught an illegal dumper last week.</p>
<p>Raven Addington, 35, of Edgewood, received a non-traffic citation for scattering trash or rubbish.</p>
<p>According to Rio Rancho Police reports, a Sandoval County code enforcement officer was in the area of Palm and Teak roads because there was a problem with illegal dumping there. He saw a red dump truck dump a load of gravel and plastic sheeting on Palm Road, he told officers.</p>
<p>The code enforcement officer called dispatchers and followed the dump truck until a Rio Rancho police officer found and stopped the truck.</p>
<p>Addington was driving the vehicle. When asked, he told the police officer that he dumped only gravel and dirt, because his supervisor told him to leave it there, according to reports.</p>
<p>An officer found numerous piles of rubbish in the area, including one matching the code enforcement officer’s description with fresh truck tire tracks nearby.</p>
<p>A state Department of Public Safety Motor Transportation Division officer found several safety violations on the dump truck, putting it out of service, according to reports.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Illegal dumper gets ticket | false | https://abqjournal.com/265227/illegal-dumper-gets-ticket.html | 2013-09-18 | 2 |
<p>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska couple who have planned several honor flights to Washington for war veterans are organizing a new trip, this one just for women.</p>
<p>The Nebraska Female Veterans Flight is for women who served in the European or Pacific theaters during World War II, or during the wars in Vietnam, Korea, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan or Iraq, said Bill and Evonne Williams.</p>
<p>Plans for the trip call for a charter aircraft with an all-female crew to fly 135 veterans, volunteer assistants, and media members — all women — to see the memorials in the nation's capital. The tentative date is Sept. 24.</p>
<p>"The tricky part is they have to have served in-country and not stateside," Bill Williams said, noting that it also may be difficult to find veterans from the earlier wars who are able to travel.</p>
<p>The trip is expected to cost about $175,000 including the jet, bus transportation, meals and other expenses, he said. The Williamses hope to raise that money by reaching out to companies and organizations led by women.</p>
<p>The couple has organized 11 honor flights since 2008, and taken nearly 3,400 Nebraska veterans to visit the monuments. There were no more than two dozen women on the previous flights, Bill Williams said.</p>
<p>Female veterans deserve recognition and appreciation for their roles, whether on the battlefield or far behind the lines, said Evonne Williams, who is president of the couple's Patriotic Productions company.</p>
<p>"I would venture that none received an actual homecoming celebration — like most of the men, especially from Vietnam," she said. "Whether they can go or not, to see their fellow veterans honored, they'll feel it, too. It should have been done earlier."</p>
<p>The Williamses aren't veterans but have four sons who have served in the military.</p>
<p>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A Nebraska couple who have planned several honor flights to Washington for war veterans are organizing a new trip, this one just for women.</p>
<p>The Nebraska Female Veterans Flight is for women who served in the European or Pacific theaters during World War II, or during the wars in Vietnam, Korea, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan or Iraq, said Bill and Evonne Williams.</p>
<p>Plans for the trip call for a charter aircraft with an all-female crew to fly 135 veterans, volunteer assistants, and media members — all women — to see the memorials in the nation's capital. The tentative date is Sept. 24.</p>
<p>"The tricky part is they have to have served in-country and not stateside," Bill Williams said, noting that it also may be difficult to find veterans from the earlier wars who are able to travel.</p>
<p>The trip is expected to cost about $175,000 including the jet, bus transportation, meals and other expenses, he said. The Williamses hope to raise that money by reaching out to companies and organizations led by women.</p>
<p>The couple has organized 11 honor flights since 2008, and taken nearly 3,400 Nebraska veterans to visit the monuments. There were no more than two dozen women on the previous flights, Bill Williams said.</p>
<p>Female veterans deserve recognition and appreciation for their roles, whether on the battlefield or far behind the lines, said Evonne Williams, who is president of the couple's Patriotic Productions company.</p>
<p>"I would venture that none received an actual homecoming celebration — like most of the men, especially from Vietnam," she said. "Whether they can go or not, to see their fellow veterans honored, they'll feel it, too. It should have been done earlier."</p>
<p>The Williamses aren't veterans but have four sons who have served in the military.</p> | Couple plans honor flight to Washington just for women | false | https://apnews.com/amp/0bda71aa9deb417d851d8d1372a45ea7 | 2018-01-16 | 2 |
<p>Shares of drugmaker Tekmira slumped Friday after the company said it stopped enrolling new patients in a trial of a treatment for a strain of Ebola.</p>
<p>The Canadian company said the mid-stage study "reached a predefined statistical endpoint" and that it was no longer enrolling patients. It did not describe that statistical goal, but said adding new patients probably wouldn't have demonstrated a benefit for the drug. Tekmira said it is analyzing results from the trial and will make the results available as soon as possible.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The company's shares dropped $1.74, or 11.6 percent, to $13.28 on Friday.</p>
<p>Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. calls the drug TKM-Ebola-Guinea and it is designed to target the strain of the virus that is responsible for the active outbreak in West Africa. More than 11,000 people have died since that outbreak began in December 2013.</p>
<p>The company has been studying the drug in Ebola patients in Sierra Leone.</p>
<p>It is also running an early-stage trial of a drug called TKM-Ebola, which targets a different strain of the virus. That study is happening in the U.S. and it involves only healthy patients. Tekmira expects results from that study in the second half of this year.</p>
<p>Tekmira does not have any approved drugs and is also studying a potential treatment for hepatitis B.</p> | Tekmira stops adding new patients to study of drug targeting Ebola strain behind outbreak | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/06/19/tekmira-stops-adding-new-patients-to-study-drug-targeting-ebola-strain-behind.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
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<p>SANTA FE — Santa Fe officials plan to spend more than $8 million overhauling its water meter reading system.</p>
<p>The city’s Water Division will replace 34,000 water meters as well as install and maintain a new reading system over the next decade.</p>
<p>Officials say the city will replace defective data-transmitting devices that were bought at cost for nearly $5 million in 2004.</p>
<p>They say 13,000 meters that are supposed to allow utility workers to read the devices while in their vehicles with a laptop no longer function.</p>
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<p>The city’s complaint against the now bankrupt Texas manufacturer of the devices is still pending.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the city council approved an $8 million contract earlier this month with Badger Meter Inc.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Santa Fe to spend $8M on new water meter system | false | https://abqjournal.com/515934/santa-fe-to-spend-8m-on-new-water-meter-system.html | 2 |
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<p>Addressing a real estate conference in flood-ravaged Houston this month, longtime investor Ray Sasser detailed his strategy: buy up to 50 flooded homes at deep discounts, then fix and flip them for a hefty profit.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sasser first followed that game plan after Tropical Storm Allison flooded the city in 2001. He bought homes for 30 to 40 percent of their pre-storm value, spent another 15 percent on repairs, and sold many a year later - at full value.</p>
<p>The quick recovery surprised him, he said.</p>
<p>“This can’t be true,” he recalled thinking at the time.</p>
<p>The bet that home prices in hard-hit Houston neighborhoods will fully recover after Hurricane Harvey could be riskier, Sasser and local economists said. But a rush of investors eager to snap up flooded homes reflects broader confidence in the resilience of Houston’s unique metropolitan economy.</p>
<p>While the region’s unchecked development has come under fire for exacerbating flooding, it also reflects its core strength: A rare combination of rich job opportunities and low cost of living, driving explosive population growth in America’s energy capital.</p>
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<p>The surging demand has sustained home prices through four major floods since 2001 and a historic oil price crash starting in 2014. Though Harvey caused far more damage than previous storms, investors such as Sasser see plenty of opportunity in the region’s estimated 268,000 flooded homes.</p>
<p>Tara Waggoner, the Houston market manager for brokerage and online listings firm Redfin, said the firm’s local agents were getting about four times the number of calls they usually get from investors. They ranged from individuals looking to buy one flooded house to groups of ten or more pooling their money for a home-buying spree, she said.</p>
<p>“You have people with millions of dollars to work with,” she said in an interview days after the storm. “They want to go in, pay cash, get the discount and fix it up to sell.”</p>
<p>Sasser, a 35-year veteran Houston home buyer, spoke to about 100 investors who packed into a meeting of the Realty Investment Club of Houston - or RICH, for short. He said he had formed his own construction company to streamline the repair work.</p>
<p>His stories riveted less experienced investors such as Brandyn Cottingham, who sees the flood as an opportunity to ramp up his real estate holdings.</p>
<p>“In this business you look for distressed property, and we’ve got tons of that right now,” Cottingham said.</p>
<p>RICH President Belinda Lopez said she’s gotten calls from sellers eager to make deals.</p>
<p>“They say: ‘This is my third flood - I’m done,’” Lopez said.</p>
<p>A MILLION NEW RESIDENTS</p>
<p>In addition to Harvey and Allison, Houston has taken on rising water from 2008’s Hurricane Ike and the so-called Memorial Day and Tax Day floods of 2015 and 2016.</p>
<p>None of the disasters slowed the region’s growth, as development has crawled like ivy across the subtropical plains of southeast Texas, enabled by lax local regulation.</p>
<p>Harris County, which includes Houston and many suburbs, has added more than 1 million residents since 2000 and remains the second fastest-growing county in the United States despite a recent oil industry downturn, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.</p>
<p>Though housing prices have risen steadily with the influx of demand, the region's median home price of $230,000 remains well below that of many major U.S. cities.</p>
<p>The oil downturn did not crash the local economy or the housing market - as another oil bust did in the 1980s - because Houston has diversified and other sectors continued to add jobs, said economist and University of Houston professor Bill Gilmer.</p>
<p>That’s good news for housing investors. Houston homes are expected to stay in high demand even in low-lying areas, and home prices and rents are expected to rise with the sudden plunge of supply and jolt in demand from displaced residents and outside contractors..</p>
<p>There is money to be made, Gilmer said, in places that have flooded multiple times, or where residents are older and “may just want to move on.”</p>
<p>Many other homeowners, however, may have little motivation to sell out cheap, said James Gaines, chief economist at the Texas A&amp;M University Real Estate Center.</p>
<p>Job losses from Harvey will likely be moderate, and out-of-work residents should find new jobs fairly quickly, putting them in a better position to withstand repair costs, Gaines said.</p>
<p>“Houston’s not a bad place to live - other than the occasional hurricane,” Gaines said. “It’s had four floods in the last nine years, and very few people have packed up and left.”</p>
<p>‘SUBTLE PSYCHOLOGY’</p>
<p>For investors who are seeking sellers, a big challenge will be talking to flood victims about buying their battered homes.</p>
<p>At the RICH investors gathering, Linda Muscarello - who calls herself the Queen of Foreclosure - spoke of the “subtle psychology” of negotiating with struggling homeowners.</p>
<p>Waving a bedazzled scepter at her audience, Muscarello advised investors to listen and nod when talking to owners of distressed properties, who can often have unrealistic notions of their ability to afford continued mortgage payments. Many homeowners hit by Harvey did not have flood insurance and may not have the money to rebuild.</p>
<p>Muscarello advised investors to talk to homeowners as if there is a chance they can avoid selling – even if the investor’s interest is buying them out. When discussing finances with homeowners unable to afford payments, Muscarello advised asking, “How short are you?”</p>
<p>“It’s very important you say it that way,” she explained. “It’s as if you’re still considering helping them to keep their house.”</p>
<p>While approaching a distressed homeowner can feel predatory if poorly handled, selling can help homeowners in some situations, especially if the home’s damage is coupled with job loss or damage to a business.</p>
<p>“The economic damage was mostly to small business – nail salons, barbershops,” Gaines said.</p>
<p>For those business owners, recovery could take two to three years, he said.</p>
<p>The big question for homeowners is whether they expect to have steady, long-term income that will let them ride out repairs that may or may not be covered by insurance.</p>
<p>If not, Gilmer said, “you might just want to give the keys to someone else.”</p>
<p>(By Nick Brown; Additional reporting by Brian Thevenot; Editing by Brian Thevenot)</p> | Flood, fix and flip: Houston housing investors see profit in Harvey's wake | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/22/flood-fix-and-flip-houston-housing-investors-see-profit-in-harveys-wake.html | 2017-09-22 | 0 |
<p>It's no secret the mainstream media is just one giant loudspeaker for the Left, but getting them to admit it is another story.</p>
<p>In the video (below), CNN anchor Don Lemon, himself an outspoken liberal, is asked whether he believes there is a liberal bias in the media, to which he scoffs, "Nooo, why, no." Then begins the clips of CNN segments completely throwing up over how much they love, are inspired, and in awe of ol' Crooked Hillary, who in their eyes has never had bad performance in front of a camera and has never ever committed any of the countless crimes she's 100 percent responsible for.</p>
<p>Graciously, the uploader only included a little over a minute of clips, because with the amount of biased footage there is from CNN alone, this video could've been a Lord of the Rings-sized epic.</p>
<p>In the video, CNN guests and commentators spew some Leftist rhetoric classics such as:</p>
<p>"[Trump's] speaking to part of the American public that for the last seven years... talk about taking the White House back.... They want the White House, capital W H I T E again."</p>
<p>"Hillary Clinton is an incredibly impressive public figure in my opinion."</p>
<p>"Basically tonight Hillary Clinton was Beyonce. She was flawless."</p>
<p>"[The email scandal is] not even a scandal. Scandal is the Republican's word for it. So far no one has determined there is any scandal there."</p>
<p>The clip ends with anchor Chris Cuomo, brother of Democratic Governor of New York State, Andrew Cuomo, telling the American people to cease looking into Hillary's scandals on their own.</p>
<p>"It's illegal to posses these stolen documents," he says. "It's different for the media, so everything you're learning about this you're learning from us."</p>
<p>WikiLeaks responded with:</p>
<p>CNN falsely states that it unlawful for the public--but not for CNN--to search WikiLeaks <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PodestaEmails?src=hash" type="external">#PodestaEmails</a> <a href="https://t.co/sZMoM9iT2i" type="external">pic.twitter.com/sZMoM9iT2i</a></p>
<p>Cuomo then doubled-down on his statement via Twitter:</p>
<p>Be clear: not telling anyone not to read wiki. Was making point: hacking illegal, so TECHNICALLY, if you download stolen info that's wrong</p>
<p>hacking is a felony. POSSESSING wiki stolen info could be construed as a crime. Media gets an exception. viewing by you also ok.</p>
<p>Exit chant from Trump supporters who sum it up well:</p>
<p>Yes, they do truly suck.</p> | CNN (Clinton News Network) Claims They're Not Biased. Video Proves Otherwise. | true | https://dailywire.com/news/10034/cnn-clinton-news-network-claims-theyre-not-biased-chase-stephens | 2016-10-18 | 0 |
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<p>GameStop (NYSE:GME) reported third-quarter profits on Thursday that narrowly topped expectations thanks to strong sales of Grant Theft Auto V, but the video-game retailer’s outlook concerned investors.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Shares of GameStop retreated almost 5% on the worse-than-anticipated guidance for the crucial holiday quarter, which is highlighted by the launch of new gaming consoles from Sony (NYSE:SNE) and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT).</p>
<p>The company said it earned $68.6 million, or 58 cents a share, last quarter, compared with a loss of $624.3 million, or $5.08 a share, a year earlier. The 2012 quarter included asset writedown and goodwill charges.</p>
<p>Excluding one-time items, it earned 38 cents a share, topping forecasts from analysts by a penny.</p>
<p>Revenue jumped 19% to $2.11 billion, topping the Street’s view of $1.98 billion. Same-store sales soared 21%, besting internal targets for an 11% to 15% increase.</p>
<p>GameStop, which is the world’s largest retailer of video-game products, said new software sales surged 43.1% thanks in part to strong demand for Grand Theft Auto V. New hardware sales climbed 15.3%, while pre-owned sales dipped 2%.</p>
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<p>"Our strong third quarter sales results give us great momentum as we enter the new console cycle," GameStop CEO Paul Raines said in a statement.</p>
<p>Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, GameStop projected same-store sales to rise somewhere between 2% and 9%, translating to EPS of $1.97 to $2.14. But even the high end of the new EPS range would trail the Street’s view of $2.15.</p>
<p>For the full year, management raised its EPS forecast to $3.08 to $3.25, compared with estimates on Wall Street for $3.23. Previously, the company projected full-year EPS of $3.00 to $3.20.</p>
<p>"Consumer appetite for the new consoles is very strong judging by last week`s successful PS4 launch and the excitement for tonight`s Xbox One launch event. Globally, we are executing our unique playbook to maximize our position of strength,” Raines said.</p>
<p>GameStop said its board of directors has approved a new $500 million share buyback program, replacing the existing one. The company said it bought back 1.84 million shares, or $94.4 million, during the third quarter.</p>
<p>Shares of Grapevine, Texas.-based GameStop slumped 5.26% to $49.68 Thursday morning, trimming its 2013 surge to 98%.</p> | GameStop Sales Pop 19% on GTA, Outlook Spooks Investors | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/11/21/gamestop-posts-1-pop-in-3q-sales.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
<p>George W. Bush is on a roll—a money roll with a $7 million advance for his book Decision Points and a rehabilitation roll to paint his war crimes as justifiable mass-slaughter and torture.</p>
<p>His carefully chosen interviewers—NBC’s Matt Lauer and Oprah Winfrey—agreed to a safe pre-taping to avoid demonstrations and tough questions. Requests for him to speak are pouring in from business conventions and other rich assemblages willing to pay $200,000 for “the Decider’s” banalities. This is “Shrub’s” month in the sun.</p>
<p>In his first week of book promotion, he was asked about anything he would have done had he known then what he knew now—especially regarding Iraq and its encircled dictator. Well, he deplored receiving “false intelligence” about Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction which was one of several false claims he fed the American people before invading Iraq in 2003. But he has no regrets, saying that “the world was undoubtedly safer with Saddam gone.”</p>
<p>But was it safer for over a million Iraqis who lost their lives due to the invasion, over 4 million refugees, 4500 American soldiers lost, 1100 amputees, tens of thousands injured, sick and tens of thousands more GIs coming back with trauma to lost jobs, broken families and permanent damage to their health.</p>
<p>Was it worth a trillion dollars to blow apart the country of Iraq and incur many more enemies? Was it worth starting a war paid for by a massive debt handed to our children so that George W. and Dick Cheney could give themselves and their rich buddies a massive tax cut? Ex-presidents possess self-excusing delusions, but this is non compos mentis run amuck.</p>
<p>Then there is his escape from legal sanctions because the law enforcers in the Justice Department act as if Bush and Dick Cheney are above the law. “What is Attorney General Holder waiting for,” declared conservative/libertarian former Judge Andrew Napolitano, the legal analyst for Fox News, adding that Holder should criminally prosecute both Bush and Cheney for their many crimes. Just as a Justice Department task force was about to do to Richard Nixon after he resigned his office in 1974, for far lesser crimes, when President Ford pardoned him.</p>
<p>I asked Bruce Fein, an associate deputy attorney general under Ronald Reagan, constitutional rights litigator, author of books and articles and many Congressional testimonies on the imperial presidency, and its unlawful penchant for Empire, for his reaction. Here is his response:</p>
<p>“Former President Bush’s selective memoir is a little like Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. With the exception of authorizing waterboarding, a form of torture, Bush neglects his serial vandalizing of the Constitution and the federal criminal code: five years of illegal surveillances of Americans on American soil; a war against Iraq without proper authorization by Congress; illegal detentions of enemy combatants without accusation or trials; hundred of unconstitutional signing statements professing an intent to refuse to faithfully execute the laws; unconstitutional defiance of congressional subpoenas; and, employing unilateral executive agreements to circumvent the treaty authority of the Senate over military commitments.”</p>
<p>“Despite his constitutional literacy, President Obama has balked at faithful execution of the laws against torture, warrantless spying on Americans, or obstruction of justice perpetrated by Bush and his servile minions. On that score, Obama resembles President Nixon, who was impeached by the House Judiciary Committee and forced to resign for sneering at his constitutional obligation to enforce, not ignore the laws.</p>
<p>“If Obama believes exculpatory circumstances justify non-prosecution of Bush-Cheney,” Fein continued, “then he should pardon them as authorized by the Constitution. A pardon must be accepted by the recipient to be effective, and acknowledges guilt and the inviolability of the rule of law. Ignoring lawlessness at the highest levels like Obama wounds the rule of law, and creates a precedent that lies around like a loaded weapon ready to destroy the Constitution. Obama himself is thus violating his oath of office by nonfeasance.”</p>
<p>Lawyer Fein is not referring to a one time episode like Watergate but a recurrent, pattern of massive outlawry here and abroad stretching for years. In 2005-2006, the large and very conservative American Bar Association, led by its then president, corporate attorney, Michael Greco, convened three task forces that produced white papers documenting three patterns of Bush’s unconstitutional behavior. Mr. Fein served on the panel that condemned the outpourings of Presidential signing statements. Although addressed and sent to President Bush, the ABA received no response to these unprecedented condemnations.</p>
<p>Our legal system and Constitution touted as the greatest in the world, decay when we allow epidemics of grave violations by the President and other White House violators to be rewarded for their unconstitutionalism and criminality.</p>
<p>On Armistice Day, November 11, 2010, The Washington Post put on page one the excruciating, but brave struggle of quadruple amputee, Marine Cpl. Todd A Nicely trying to make the best of his surviving an explosive device in Afghanistan. On the reverse page two there was a picture of a smiling George W. Bush signing his book. He is getting away with it.</p>
<p>Holding Bush/Cheney accountable by the soldiers he sent to kill and die in illegal wars, with few exceptions such as the Military Families Speak Out ( <a href="http://www.MFSO.org" type="external">MFSO.org</a>) and the Iraq Veterans Against the War ( <a href="http://www.ivaw.org" type="external">ivaw.org</a>) and Veterans for Peace ( <a href="http://www.veteransforpeace.org" type="external">veteransforpeace.org</a>) are not being made in public by enough soldiers after their service. Many know who was responsible but under pressure from their superiors and not wanting, along with their families, to admit publically that they suffered and fought in vain, they remain silent. With their credibility, more of them need to exert real patriotism and speak out against the militant White House draft-dodgers and their neo-con advisors who drove them and our country into these boomeranging, destructive wars.</p>
<p>The Post completed this grim trilogy with a full page color ad by the profitable munitions manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, which taxpayers paid for, thanking the “commitment” and “sacrifice” of those who are serving today in America’s military forces.</p>
<p>For the political cowards and their corporate profiteers, wars do not demand their sacrifice, they only invite their manipulative flattery. Same old racket, recalling double Congressional Medal of Honor winner, Marine General Smedley Butler whose book “War Is A Racket” said it all decades ago.</p>
<p>Of course more members of another profession should declare itself for prosecution—the one million-strong licensed attorneys sworn to uphold the law as “officers of the court”!</p>
<p>RALPH NADER is the author of <a href="" type="internal">Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!</a>, a novel.</p>
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<p /> | Bush at Large | true | https://counterpunch.org/2010/11/17/bush-at-large/ | 2010-11-17 | 4 |
<p>American Marxists, who are of course also part of Occupy Wall Street, protest the remade Red Dawn, a farcical movie portraying a North Korean invasion of the United States. And of course these clowns link Cuba, North Korea, and the Palestinians as victims of American oppression.</p>
<p>You can't make this up.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/zackbeauchamp" type="external">H/T Zack Beauchamp</a></p> | Some Americans Are Deeply, Deeply Stupid | true | https://thedailybeast.com/some-americans-are-deeply-deeply-stupid | 2018-10-04 | 4 |
<p>At an odd nexus of politics and science, there are bugs. Lots of bugs. The same scientists who once named fungus-loving beetles after Bush-era heavyweights are at it again.</p>
<p>This time it’s Stephen Colbert’s turn. He is related to a South American arthropod. Sort of.</p>
<p>On Thursday, entomologist Quentin Wheeler of Arizona State University and biologist Kelly Miller at the University of New Mexico announced they had named a new species of a Venezuelan diving beetle after the Comedy Central host.</p>
<p>Alas, Mr. Colbert’s namesake is no glamour bug. The newly crowned Agaporomorphus colberti is bulbous and brown, with alarming antennae and segmented, spiked legs.</p>
<p>It is not particularly attractive.</p>
<p>“The beetle named for Colbert belongs to a species group … (A. knischi Zimmerman) based on the common presence of a pair of rows of fine setae on the dorsal surface of the male’s reproductive organs,” the official proclamation reads.</p>
<p>Setae or not, the waggish scientists sent a handsome framed print of the “Agaporomorphus colberti”to Mr. Colbert just in time for his 45th birthday, along with a card showing the 1-inch beetle scaling a cupcake.</p>
<p>“Last year, Stephen shamelessly asked the science community to name something cooler than a spider to honor him. His top choices were a giant ant or a laser lion. While those would be cool species to discover, our research involves beetles, and they are way cooler than a spider any day,” Mr. Wheeler said.</p>
<p>Last month, Mr. Colbert lobbied NASA to name a wing of the International Space Station after him; the federal agency responded by naming a piece of exercise equipment for him instead - the “Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill” or “COLBERT.”</p>
<p>Mr. Colbert was in rehearsal for his nightly show and could not be reached for comment, his publicist said.</p>
<p>Naming rituals in the public sector can draw much attention, particularly when political figures, tax dollars and big buildings are involved.</p>
<p>But bug names? Even they can have a sting.</p>
<p>In 2005, Mr. Wheeler and Mr. Miller - lobbing a few sarcastic comments of their own - named three newly discovered North American beetles with a pronounced taste for fungi after President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld - “Agathidium bushi,” “A. cheneyi” and “A. rumsfeldi.”</p>
<p>The new beetle, meanwhile, arrives with both an agenda and “shameless promotion,” said Mr. Wheeler, director of the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and dean of its College of Liberal Arts &amp; Sciences.</p>
<p>“Charting the species of the world and their unique attributes are essential parts of understanding the history of life. It is our own self-interest as we face the challenges of living on a rapidly changing planet,” he said. “Naming a beetle for Stephen Colbert is in sync with the institute’s goal to popularize science.”</p>
<p>The scientists hope to draw public attention away from the popular hullabaloo of space exploration and back toward home.</p>
<p>“In a time when new planets are being found around other stars and people are wondering whether life exists elsewhere in the universe, many people aren’t aware of how much is not known about life on our own planet,” Mr. Miller said. “Opportunities like this help boost awareness of the vast diversity that remains undiscovered on Earth, and of taxonomy, the science that seeks to discover it.”</p>
<p>The two men are marketing-minded, and also have named beetles in honor of Roy Orbison, Darth Vader, Pocahontas, the states of California and Georgia, explorer Hernando Cortes, each of their wives and one ex-wife.</p>
<p>They also produce a regular top-10 list of new species; this year’s roster will be announced announced May 23.</p>
<p>Although about 1.8 million species have been designated since the protocol for naming plants and animals was established in 1735, up to 100 million species on Earth remain nameless - with just 20,000 new names generated each year, Mr. Wheeler said.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. <a href="http://license.icopyright.net/3.7280?icx_id=/news/2009/may/8/happy-birthday-colbert-heres-your-new-bug/" type="external">Click here for reprint permission</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Colbert namesake for Venezuelan beetle | true | http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/08/happy-birthday-colbert-heres-your-new-bug/ | 2009-05-08 | 0 |
<p>A look at New York Stock Exchange 10 most-active stocks at 1 p.m.:</p>
<p>AT&amp;T Inc. rose 1.1 percent to $33.16 with 23,563,400 shares traded.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Bank of America Corp. fell 1.5 percent to $15.39 with 49,071,300 shares traded.</p>
<p>FXCM Inc. rose 3.8 percent to $2.47 with 12,822,600 shares traded.</p>
<p>Ford Motor Co. fell .7 percent to $14.60 with 18,732,600 shares traded.</p>
<p>Freeport McMoran Copper &amp; Gold Inc. fell 2.6 percent to $17.91 with 15,662,900 shares traded.</p>
<p>General Electric Co. fell 1.1 percent to $24.12 with 21,676,400 shares traded.</p>
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<p>Peabody Energy Corp. fell 1.8 percent to $6.13 with 17,520,400 shares traded.</p>
<p>Pfizer Inc. fell .9 percent to $32.30 with 14,355,500 shares traded.</p>
<p>Twitter Inc. fell 1.8 percent to $38.22 with 13,506,500 shares traded.</p>
<p>United States Steel Corp. rose 14.0 percent to $24.24 with 21,969,500 shares traded.</p> | New York Stock Exchange's 10 most active stocks at 1 p.m. | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/03/16/new-york-stock-exchange-10-most-active-stocks-at-1-pm.html | 2016-03-06 | 0 |
<p><a href="http://variety.com/t/brown-sugar/" type="external">Brown Sugar</a>, the Netflix-style subscription VOD service claiming to offer the “biggest collection of the baddest movies” in the Blaxploitation genre on the internet, is now available on <a href="http://variety.com/t/amazon-channels/" type="external">Amazon Channels</a>.</p>
<p>Amazon Prime members can now watch Brown Sugar’s library of films — uncensored and commercial-free — as they were originally seen in theaters. The service is $3.99 per month and is available to Prime customers with a seven-day free trial.</p>
<p>The lineup of nearly 300 movies on Brown Sugar includes classics of the genre including “Shaft,” “Dolemite,” “Cotton Comes to Harlem,” “Foxy Brown,” “The Original Gangstas,” “In the Heat of the Night,” “Blacula,” “Cleopatra Jones,” “Crash,” “Cooley High,” “Which Way Is Up?”, “Hammer,” and “Black Caesar,” as well as “Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip” and “Car Wash.”</p>
<p>Brown Sugar also offers complete seasons of <a href="http://variety.com/t/bounce/" type="external">Bounce</a> network series “Saints &amp; Sinners,” “Mann &amp; Wife,” “Family Time,” “In The Cut” and “Ed Gordon,” as well as Premier Boxing Champions events.</p>
<p>Brown Sugar was launched last fall by Bounce TV, a multicast African-American television network. The SVOD service is now available on <a href="http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/brown-sugar-roku-1202515846/" type="external">Roku</a>, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Kindle, Android and Apple smartphones and tablets, and web browsers via <a href="https://www.brownsugar.com/" type="external">brownsugar.com</a>. It also provides support for Google Chromecast with compatible connected-TV devices.</p> | Brown Sugar Blaxploitation Movie-Streaming Service Comes to Amazon Channels | false | https://newsline.com/brown-sugar-blaxploitation-movie-streaming-service-comes-to-amazon-channels/ | 2017-09-05 | 1 |
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<p>Body bags containing dead passengers from AirAsia Flight 8501 are lifted onto an Indonesian navy vessel off the coast of Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia, on Saturday. (Adek Berry/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia – Indonesian officials said Saturday that they were confident wreckage of AirAsia Flight 8501 had been located after sonar equipment detected four massive objects on the ocean floor.</p>
<p>The biggest piece, measuring 59 feet long and 18 feet wide, appeared to be part of the jet’s body, said Henry Bambang Soelistyo, chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency.</p>
<p>Though strong currents and big surf have prevented divers from entering waters to get a visual of the suspected fuselage, officials are hopeful they will find many of the passengers and crew inside, still strapped in their seats.</p>
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<p>There were 162 people aboard the plane, but after a week of searching, only 30 bodies have been found floating in the choppy waters.</p>
<p>The Airbus A320 crashed Dec. 28, halfway into a two-hour flight from Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, to Singapore. Minutes before losing contact, the pilot told air traffic control that he was approaching threatening clouds, but was denied permission to climb to a higher altitude because of heavy air traffic.</p>
<p>It remains unclear what caused the plane to plunge into the Java Sea, though bad weather appears to have been a factor, according to a 14-page report released by Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.</p>
<p>“Flight 8501 appears to have been trapped in bad weather that would have been difficult to avoid,” the report said.</p>
<p>While the plane’s black boxes – the flight data and cockpit voice recorders – have yet to be located, the discovery of the wreckage, especially if it is largely intact, would greatly benefit the investigation.</p>
<p>The objects on the seafloor were discovered Friday and Saturday, and an Indonesian Geological Survey vessel was used to assess their dimensions, Soelistyo said.</p>
<p>In addition to what appeared to be a significant part of the plane’s body, chunks of debris found in the target search area measured up to 39 feet long.</p>
<p>Other suspected plane parts were seen scattered on beaches during an aerial survey, Soelistyo said.</p>
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<p>Indonesian authorities announced the grounding of AirAsia flights from Surabaya to Singapore, with the Transport Ministry saying the airline did not have a permit to fly on Sundays. However, Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority said Saturday that from its end, the airline had been approved to fly the route daily.</p>
<p>AirAsia, which began operations in 2001 and quickly became one of the region’s most popular low-cost carriers, said it was reviewing the suspension. The crash was the airline’s first.</p>
<p>Strong currents and towering waves as high as 13 feet have slowed recovery efforts, scattering bodies and debris in all directions. The discoveries so far include an emergency exit door and slide, as well as a backpack with food and a camera inside.</p>
<p>As part of the investigation into the crash, autopsies will be carried out on some of the bodies, including the pilot and co-pilot, whose remains have not yet been recovered, said Budiyono, who heads East Java’s Disaster Victim Identification unit and, like many Indonesians, uses only one name.</p>
<p>Generally, aviation experts say the more passengers, luggage and parts of the aircraft that remain intact, the more likely the plane hit the water in one piece. That would signal problems like a mechanical error or a stall instead of a midair breakup due to an explosion or sudden depressurization.</p>
<p>For family members, the wait has been agonizing, with local media covering every development and theory, many of which have proved to be untrue – including a false report that a body was found wearing a life jacket, which would have indicated passengers had time to prepare for the impact or miraculously were able to put them on after hitting the water.</p>
<p>With more corpses arriving in Surabaya, some relatives said they were simply worn out. But they were encouraged by reports that parts of the plane had been detected and hoped that everyone on board would be retrieved.</p>
<p>“Let’s hope the news is true,” said Ongko Gunawan, whose sister was on the flight with her husband and their child. “We need to move on.”</p>
<p>Vessels involved in the search for debris included at least eight sophisticated navy ships from Singapore, Russia, Malaysia and the U.S. equipped with sonars for scouring the seabed to pinpoint the all-important black boxes and the wreckage.</p>
<p>A second U.S. Navy ship arrived on Saturday to help in the search.</p>
<p>The hope, officials say, is that the body of the plane will still be largely intact, speeding the investigation.</p>
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<p /> | 4 large pieces from lost plane, officials believe | false | https://abqjournal.com/521037/4-large-pieces-from-lost-plane-officials-believe.html | 2 |
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<p>The man, identified as Russell Werner, 32, of Albuquerque, was recovering from surgery at the University of New Mexico Hospital. His condition was not released. Police have charged him with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm.</p>
<p>The Los Lunas Police Department immediately turned over the investigation of the incident to the New Mexico State Police, which issued a press release outlining the event:</p>
<p>According to that press release, Belen police began chasing red Oldsmobile Alero that was driving with a stolen license plate . The officers backed off the pursuit but issued an all points bulletin to Valencia County law enforcement to be on the alert for the vehicle.</p>
<p>About 10:40 p.m., some 25 minutes after the initial chase, Los Lunas officers conducting an unrelated investigation at the Hilltop Terrace Apartments in Los Lunas, spotted the parked vehicle. A short time later, a man and woman began to approach the officers. The man was holding a "long assault platform style rifle."</p>
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<p>The officers shouted for the man to drop the weapon but instead he raised it and pointed it toward the officers, who fired their weapons and hit the man multiple times.</p>
<p>Police did not release the identity of the woman or say if she was charged with anything. Nor did they release the names of the two Los Lunas police officers involved in the shooting.</p>
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<p /> | Los Lunas police shoot, wound man | false | https://abqjournal.com/373821/los-lunas-police-shoot-wound-man.html | 2 |
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<p>Like many of you, I regularly read <a href="" type="internal">Jim Romenesko's MediaNews</a> on the Poynter.org site. I'm never surprised by how many of the story links have connections to the ethics side of our journalism profession and news media business.</p>
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<p>We can learn a good deal about the way we do our work -- sometimes honorably and sometimes embarrassingly -- from what we write about our own profession and business. Boston Globe ombudsman Christine Chinlund examined how her paper has covered the Catholic church and the sexual abuse by priests. Chinlund says she "could not find" the Anti-Catholic bias in the Globe coverage that some readers have suggested exists. Chinlund does say that the "scores of critics who have contacted the ombudsman's office should not be summarily dismissed." You can <a href="http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/119/oped/Bias_on_the_church_scandal_%2B.shtml" type="external">find her column here</a>.</p>
<p>Journalists face tough ethical challenges when their "boss" runs for public office. That's exactly what's happening in Idaho Fall, Idaho. Editor and Publisher writer Joe Strupp details how things are playing out at the Post Register as its own editor and publisher, Jerry Brady, runs for governor of Idaho. I'm impressed with some steps the paper has taken to preserve editorial independence.You'll find <a href="http://www.editorandpublisher.com/editorandpublisher/headlines/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1476843" type="external">Strupp's piece here</a>.</p>
<p>Chicago Tribune journalist Judy Peres put herself in a very embarrassing position when she put her money and her name behind a cause. Peres brought her personal beliefs to an advertising campaign that takes a strong position on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. The Chicago Reader's Michael Miner explored Peres's actions and the response from Tribune management. Miner's story is <a href="http://www.chireader.com/hottype/2002/020503_1.html" type="external">linked here</a>.Many ethical issues these days are at the intersection of business and journalism values. There was a story in Maine this week that caught my attention, partly because I lived in that state for many years. The Maine Times, once one of the best "alternative" papers in the land, has ceased publication. Its role of "holding the powerful accountable" was undermined by an inability to stay financially sound. You can read about The Maine Times demise in a story in the Portland Press Herald, <a href="http://www.portland.com/business/stories/020501mainetimes.shtml" type="external">linked here</a>.</p>
<p>Lessons learned from how we do our work as journalists and media leaders. Lessons about the ethics of our craft and our business. Discussion (Now closed on this article.)</p> | MediaNews Ethics | false | https://poynter.org/news/medianews-ethics | 2002-07-05 | 2 |
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<p><a href="" type="internal" />ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico based national non-profit Innovate+Educate is hosting its first TalentABQ career event titled “Skills to Jobs Talent Fair” on Sept. 4, 2014 from 2-7 p.m. at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North.</p>
<p>The event will be held in conjunction with a special reception with Mayor Richard J. Berry and New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions Secretary Celina Bussey at 5:30 p.m.</p>
<p>The first–of-its-kind career event will also hold skills assessment testing for job seekers, as a complement to TalentABQ’s initiative with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, and the City of Albuquerque.</p>
<p>The event will serve as a space for job seekers to bring their skill assessment scores and show how qualified they are for each employer’s open positions. Job Seekers can visit <a href="http://www.talentabq.org" type="external">www.talentabq.org</a> to see a list of employers signed up for the event.</p>
<p>For more information, contact Jessica Nojek at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. Interested employers can also sign up at <a href="http://www.talentabq.org" type="external">www.talentabq.org</a>.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Skills to Jobs Talent Fair Sept. 4 in ABQ | false | https://abqjournal.com/450459/skills-to-jobs-talent-fair-sept-4-in-abq.html | 2 |
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<p>The council approved a resolution requiring that Santa Fe residents be given priority in hiring on CWA projects.</p>
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<p>Councilors also agreed to publish notice of a public hearing on Feb. 27 on options under consideration for the CWA law. The law requires that all workers on city building projects costing $500,000 or more be union members, at least for the duration of the project.</p>
<p>The CWA has been in effect since October but its requirements have not yet been applied to any city contracts.</p>
<p>One proposal now set for a hearing next month would repeal the CWA law entirely. A rival measure would mandate that, for now, the CWA rules would apply only to an upcoming project to improve space in the Railyard’s Market Station building for city offices and require an assessment of how the CWA works on that project.</p>
<p>Formal notice of a public hearing is legally required before the council can vote on the ordinances.</p>
<p>Also Wednesday, the council voted to publish notice of Councilor Patti Bushee’s proposal that would raise the CWA project eligibility threshold from $500,000 to $1 million, put mandates in place that aim to get as many Santa Fe County residents as possible working on city projects and require that contractors offer the same benefits to workers’ domestic partners as they would to a married spouse.</p>
<p>Separately, Bushee introduced an ordinance Wednesday that would require that contractors hired by the city provide benefits to domestic partners. The measure also puts into law a city personnel policy that requires that the municipality offer benefits to domestic partners.</p> | Council Works on Revisions to Workforce Agreement | false | https://abqjournal.com/164863/council-works-on-revisions-to-workforce-agreement.html | 2013-01-31 | 2 |
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<p>So you say you’ve got a pretty good nest egg set up in a 401(k) or an IRA—maybe you’re even one of the lucky ones that has an old-fashioned pension. You’ve been diligent, and you know it.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>All that doesn’t mean you can completely set it and forget it.&#160;Even if retirement is decades off, you may want to be proactive now.</p>
<p>It can be helpful to regularly assess your retirement plan to help make sure you’re still on track with the progress you’re making—but knowing that and acting on it can be two different things.</p>
<p>Other than following general rules of thumb, like rebalancing your portfolio once a year, are you unsure when or how often you should be revisiting your strategy?</p>
<p>Here are six common clues that may signal when you and your retirement savings need to get back on the same page.</p>
<p>1. You Dread Opening Your Statements</p>
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<p>Are the statements from your brokerage firm piling up in the same place where you keep your junk mail?</p>
<p>This might not just be about laziness. Perhaps you’re willfully ignoring them because you’re afraid of what the numbers will say. This behavior tends to emerge during recessions or other times of general market instability, according to Michele Clark, CFP® and principal of Clark Hourly Financial Planning in Chesterfield, Mo. “One husband told me that when the economy got bad, his wife started to put financial statements away in a drawer without looking at them.”</p>
<p>This type of attitude, though, doesn’t help your anxiety; it fact, it may only add to it. One way to help take your head out of the sand is to make it easier to know where you stand on a regular basis. One way to do this is by linking your financial accounts to your account at LearnVest.com,&#160;so you can check on your retirement in the same place that you would check your daily transactions.</p>
<p>While you shouldn’t be rash about changing&#160;your entire strategy purely because of volatility, if you find it’s hard for you to ride the market waves then you may need to consider&#160;rethinking your risk tolerance. Just remember that your retirement investments are for the long haul, so consider tuning out the market noise and sticking to a strategy that works for your timeline.</p>
<p>2. You Feel Your Retirement Mojo Slipping Away</p>
<p>When you first started saving for retirement, you may have experienced the excitement of seeing your balances grow, and you may have found yourself thinking of how you could save even more.</p>
<p>Now, though, it’s likely that day-to-day bills and more immediate money goals have taken up all your brain space, and you’re starting to lose your fervor. “Sometimes people decide they need to get serious about retirement and are very focused, but over time they lose interest,” says Kevin O’Reilly, CFP and principal of Foothills Financial Planning in Phoenix. “And that means that they’re not going to be doing the things they need to.”</p>
<p>Here’s one reason to keep up the enthusiasm: According to one 2012 study, being actively engaged in your financial life before retirement—whether it’s day-to-day budgeting or long-term investing—is more likely to mean a healthier money life in retirement.</p>
<p>To help stay engaged, try to find ways to bring retirement top of mind. For instance, you could keep a picture of your dream retirement locale pinned up next to your desk—anything to remind you of the future that lies ahead.</p>
<p>Also, consider setting regular calendar alerts to remind yourself to increase your retirement contributions. LearnVest Planners typically recommend increasing your savings by 1% every six months, if possible.</p>
<p>3. You Started Living Larger After Your Last Raise</p>
<p>If you’re lucky enough to land that well-deserved pay hike, it can be natural to feel entitled to allocate some of that to increasing your quality of life. Maybe you’ve decided you can’t live without that golf-club membership or a bigger home.</p>
<p>But in doing so, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment in your retired life. “I’m concerned about people who get a 20% raise and then raise their standard of living—but don’t raise their contributions to their retirement,” Clark says.</p>
<p>After all, it can be easy to get used to an elevation in lifestyle, and whatever you’re indulging in now, you’ll probably want to continue after you retire. Unfortunately, many of us don’t think that far ahead: More than half of U.S. households are at risk of not having enough money to maintain their living standards in retirement, according to <a href="http://crr.bc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/IB_12-20-508.pdf" type="external">findings Opens a New Window.</a> by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.</p>
<p>So every time you get a jump in your paycheck, you should also be thinking about what this means for your future self. Ask yourself: What do you have now that you might be willing to forgo in retirement—and what can’t you live without?</p>
<p>4. You Used Up All Your Bonus Money</p>
<p>Like with raises, bonuses sometimes have a way of making you feel suddenly richer. But think of it this way: A bonus is typically part of your compensation package and hence deserving of some serious thought.</p>
<p>O’Reilly works with a lot of clients who work at Fortune 100 technology companies, and thus receive weighty bonuses every year. He says it’s worth considering following their lead: “They’ll put all of their bonus in their retirement portfolio, covering all their [retirement] contributions in one shot,” he says. If you do follow this strategy, however, just make sure you’re aware of the IRS’ annual contribution limits to retirement accounts, as well as what type of matching policy your company may have with regard to lump-sum contributions.</p>
<p>If you’re already on track as far as your paycheck-to-paycheck retirement contributions go, it certainly doesn’t hurt to consider throwing in a bit extra when that bonus arrives. “I get a lot of very financially minded clients who use their bonuses to remodel their kitchens or get cars,” says Clark, “and then they want to know what to do with whatever is left over.”</p>
<p>Here’s one simple rule of thumb to consider: the 90/10 rule. When your bonus money comes in, put 90% toward big financial goals like retirement and save 10% for a splurge, if this is something you can afford to do.</p>
<p>“It’s easy to get used to an elevation in lifestyle, and whatever you’re indulging in now, you’ll probably want to continue after you retire.”</p>
<p>5. You Leave a Lot of Extra Cash in Your Checking Account</p>
<p>While having a lot of money left over at the end of the month may not seem like cause for alarm, the truth is you may be losing out on potential investment value.&#160;“Many people don’t understand the impact of having their money in cash,” says O’Reilly. “It’s losing spending power every day.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.learnvest.com/2014/01/save-more-living-paycheck-to-paycheck/" type="external">The Savings Habits of the New Rich: Why You Should Be Living Paycheck to Paycheck</a></p>
<p>Not putting that leftover money into a retirement account “is one of the most common behaviors I see,” he adds. Part of the issue may be that people think—often mistakenly—that they’re already maxing out their 401(k) contributions.</p>
<p>“Often I’ll check and see that clients are actually maxing out the amount of money they were allowed to three years ago,” Clark says. “A lot of executives are so busy they don’t change the amount. I think half of the people who say they’re maxing out their 401(k)s actually aren’t.”</p>
<p>Remember that the allowable maximum contribution can change from one year to the next, so check in with the IRS rules to make sure you’re actually putting in every dollar you’re entitled to.</p>
<p>6. You haven’t tried crunching your retirement number</p>
<p>“The most common [question] I get from new clients is, ‘I’m 60 and I want to retire in five years, but I have no idea if I can,’” O’Reilly says.</p>
<p>Figuring out what you’re spending now can serve as a good jumping-off point toward predicting what you may need for everyday expenses during your retirement. If you’re already keeping a budget or keeping tabs on your expenses at <a href="https://www.learnvest.com/personal-financial-planning-program/#our-powerful-tools" type="external">LearnVest.com Opens a New Window.</a>,&#160;then you’re probably ahead of the game.</p>
<p>But if you’re not, try writing down how much you spend for such things as food, clothes, entertainment, dining, travel, etc., every day for about two months, and then factor in expenses like health care or <a href="http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/women-long-term-care/" type="external">long-term care Opens a New Window.</a>, which will probably go up as you get older.</p>
<p>You can also try plugging numbers into a <a href="https://secure05.principal.com/MLSTWWeb/WebMilestones.jsp" type="external">retirement calculator Opens a New Window.</a>, or consider following the <a href="http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/are-you-financially-healthy-the-3-numbers-you-should-know/" type="external">85% replacement ratio Opens a New Window.</a>, which states that you’ll need to replace about 85% of your income in retirement.&#160;If you’re not sure whether you’re on the right track to meet your retirement goals, consider speaking to a Planner for help crafting a strategy that may work for you.</p>
<p>LearnVest Planning Services is a registered investment adviser and subsidiary of LearnVest, Inc. that provides financial plans for its clients. Information shown is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended as investment, legal or tax planning advice. Please consult a financial adviser, attorney or tax specialist for advice specific to your financial situation. Unless specifically identified as such, the people interviewed in this piece are neither clients, employees nor affiliates of LearnVest Planning Services, and the views expressed are their own. LearnVest Planning Services and any third parties listed in this message are separate and unaffiliated and are not responsible for each other’s products, services or policies.</p>
<p>Read More from LearnVest:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/how-to-save-more-money-for-retirement/" type="external">5 Ways to Retrain Your Brain to Save More for Retirement Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/the-jackpot-problem-a-wise-guide-to-windfalls/" type="external">The Jackpot Problem: A Wise Guide to Windfalls Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/how-much-money-do-you-really-need-for-retirement/" type="external">How Much Money Do You Really Need for Retirement? Opens a New Window.</a></p> | 6 Signs It's Time to Revisit Your Retirement Plan | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2014/07/10/6-signs-it-time-to-revisit-your-retirement-plan.html | 2016-03-06 | 0 |
<p>Seniors characters are dramatically underrepresented on popular television, according to a new study from USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.</p>
<p>Looking at a sampling of 72 shows — a mix of the most popular series according to Nielsen ratings in the 18-49 demo and with viewers 65 and older — the study, titled “Seniors on the Small Screen: Aging in Popular Television,” found that people ages 60 and older made up only 9.4% of speaking roles, despite making up 19.9% of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. census. Of the 72 shows surveyed, one episode per series, only three came within two percentage points of 19.9%.</p>
<p>Seniors accounted for only 8.2% of series-regular roles on the shows surveyed.</p>
<p>Among senior roles, diversity was scarce. Only 30% of all roles for characters ages 60 and older were female. Thirty-eight of the 72 programs surveyed had no female senior role.</p>
<p>Senior roles also skewed heavily white, with white characters accounting for 72.2% of all such characters, compared to 14.6% black/African American, 6.6% Hispanic/Latino, 1.3% Asian, and 5.3% from mixed race/other groups. None of the 72 shows featured a single female Asian senior speaking role.</p>
<p>Behind the camera, seniors fared slightly better in some areas, far worse in others. People 60 and older accounted for 25.3% of directors on series surveyed. But only two of the 19 senior directors counted were women.</p>
<p>Writers rooms were especially short on senior representation. Of 121 credited writers across 72 episodes, only 5% were age 60 or older.</p>
<p>Of the 100 showrunners identified, 11 were ages 60 or older — 10 men and one woman.</p>
<p>The study was authored by Stacy L. Smith, Katherine Piper, Marc Choueiti, Artur Tofan, Anne-Marie Depauw, and Ariana Case.</p> | Scripted Series Snub Seniors, Study Says | false | https://newsline.com/scripted-series-snub-seniors-study-says/ | 2017-09-13 | 1 |
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<p>RIO RANCHO – The Stars finally appear to be aligning for New Mexico’s pro indoor football team in the Lone Star Football League.</p>
<p>Fresh off a bye preceded by a rejuvenating 57-28 home win against the San Angelo Bandits, the Stars will be attempting to reach .500 at the midway point of the 12-game season when they play host to the Abilene Bombers (3-3) tonight at the Santa Ana Star Center.</p>
<p>But unlike two weeks ago, when Stars coach Chris Williams signed five new defensive starters and also brought in his third quarterback of the season, it was a relatively laid-back down period this time.</p>
<p>“It’s been a lot more calm,” he said after Wednesday night’s practice at the Star Center. “The new guys that were brought in were all able to stay healthy and all played well enough for us to pull out the win. So I feel good.”</p>
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<p>By contrast, Abilene coach Joe Brannen said he’s had only two transactions all season.</p>
<p>That Stars’ defense forced a season-high seven turnovers and got two sacks against the Bandits. San Angelo failed to score on its first five possessions, which is an outlandish accomplishment for any defense in a game played on a 50-yard field.</p>
<p>Offensively, QB Kasey Peters, was 8-for-11 for 157 yards and five TDs with no interceptions. His unit was so efficient that the Stars scored four times on the first play of a drive.</p>
<p>Combined with two Stars defensive scores, that resulted in a 65-22 play edge for San Angelo on the stat sheet. To put that in perspective, in the NFL over the past three seasons, there have been only two instances when a team had a play differential larger than 43.</p>
<p>“It does put pressure on the defense to have to stay on the field,” Williams said. “But if you can get the points now, you want to get them.”</p>
<p>Josh Floyd, who masquerades in a pseudo-Superman costume in pregame drills and interacts with the fans, caught seven of Peters’ throws for 149 yards and four touchdowns.</p>
<p>“(Peters) knows the Arena game and basically knows the reads,” Floyd said. “It was just my week to make a lot of plays.”</p>
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<p>Abilene’s coach said he’s taken notice of the Stars’ overhaul and their newfound success. Only four weeks ago, Abilene beat visiting New Mexico 55-45.</p>
<p>“And we sure know who their favorite target is,” Brannen said.</p>
<p>TRAVEL BURDEN: The Bombers opened the season with four straight home games, thus now they’re paying the price. Abilene is amid a stretch of six road games in seven outings.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what I did,” Brannen joked, regarding how his schedule turned out. “We just have to control what we can control.”</p>
<p>The Bombers are the only franchise in the five-team league that has to play three straight weeks on the road – and they have to do it twice. Tonight’s game ends the first such swing. The second ends on June 15, again against the Stars.</p>
<p>BLAME THE FAMILY: Going into the Stars’ last game, kicker Zeke Arevalo had been a cumulative 14-for-14 on point-after tries his previous two outings. Then, in New Mexico’s home victory against San Angelo, he missed on six of nine attempts.</p>
<p>Williams said he still has Arevalo’s back.</p>
<p>“Zeke’s going to be fine,” he said. “He’s made some really good kicks for us this year – he’s been very accurate.</p>
<p>“As long as I’ve been around Zeke (eight years), whenever his family comes to the games he always kind of tenses up trying to show off for them.”</p>
<p>Shortly after Arevalo’s fifth PAT miss, he said he glanced into the stands where his dad was seated.</p>
<p>“I was going to kick off to that side, so I was looking right at him while I was going to set up the ball,” Arevalo said. “He was counting (the misses) for me, man. After the fifth one he held out his whole hand and was like, ‘THAT’S FIVE!’ ”</p>
<p>LADIES NIGHT: GM Abe Hernandez said he has a special grand prize for tonight’s game.</p>
<p>“We’re going to have a bouquet of flowers given, along with a day spa and chocolate candies and other things,” he said. “Outside of that, on the concourse we’re going to have a bunch of ladies-show-type businesses to do nails, purses.”</p>
<p>The winner is determined by throwing a plastic chile pepper through the sunroof of the Stars’ truck at halftime.</p> | Stars look to go to .500 | false | https://abqjournal.com/239559/stars-look-to-go-to-500.html | 2 |
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<p>Last week, the FCC announced the results of its incentive auction for low-band 600 MHz spectrum, and T-Mobile (NASDAQ: TMUS) was the biggest winner -- by far. The Un-carrier scooped up an incredible $8 billion worth of spectrum, gobbling up 45% of all low-band spectrum being auctioned off.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Low-band spectrum is incredibly important in terms of network strategy, as it can travel further and penetrate buildings better to provide indoor coverage. That makes it useful for both urban (where building penetration is important) and rural (where signals need to travel long distances) markets. T-Mobile now has 40 MHz worth of spectrum in the 600 MHz band throughout most of the U.S.:</p>
<p>Image source: T-Mobile.</p>
<p>And here's what T-Mobile's LTE coverage should look like by year's end:</p>
<p>Image source: T-Mobile.</p>
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<p>On average, T-Mobile collected 31 MHz of spectrum nationwide, quadrupling the company's low-band holdings in the process. CEO John Legere says that T-Mobile will use the new holdings to intensify competition withVerizon (NYSE: VZ) and AT&amp;T (NYSE: T)in markets where the two currently enjoy duopoly status. Once T-Mobile's LTE network expands into these markets, many of which are rural areas, it will aggressively undercut in its typical Un-carrier ways.</p>
<p>Interestingly, Verizon voluntarily sat out of the auction altogether, which is a bit confusing since Big Red just <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/02/13/verizon-jumps-back-into-unlimited-data-shares-fall.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">re-launched unlimited data plans Opens a New Window.</a> in February. You'd think that the largest U.S. carrier would want more spectrum to beef up its network even further to cope with an expected increase in traffic, but it seemingly has other plans up its sleeve. Verizon has ample 700 MHz holdings and may be keeping some powder dry for high-band spectrum in the 2 GHz and higher range, according to <a href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/why-verizon-didn-t-buy-any-600-mhz-spectrum-and-what-it-means-for-big-red" type="external">FierceWireless Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>Ma Bell also played it conservatively, spending a relatively modest $910 million in the auction. The FCC had structured the auction to favor smaller companies in the name of competitiveness, but Verizon and AT&amp;T still qualified to participate.</p>
<p>T-Mobile retail store in Times Square. Image source: T-Mobile.</p>
<p>Legere points out that Verizon and AT&amp;T's low-band holdings are already fairly congested because this spectrum has been in use for quite some time. In contrast, T-Mobile will be opening up entirely new bands for its customers, which the <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/01/09/8-things-t-mobile-ceo-john-legere-thinks-will-happ.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">eccentric Opens a New Window.</a>CEO compares to "a new, clear multi-lane freeway where speeding is encouraged."</p>
<p>T-Mobile is already working with network equipment vendors and smartphone manufacturers to ensure 600 MHz compatibility, with compatible phones expected later this year.</p>
<p>Spectrum is the lifeblood of the wireless industry, and T-Mobile continues to shake up the market with a growing array of competitive initiatives. This is a big win for the Un-carrier, as these spectrum holdings will lay the foundation for continued expansion and competition. T-Mobile looks set to continue its streak of poaching customers from its larger two rivals.</p>
<p>Find out why T-Mobile US is one of the 10 best stocks to buy nowMotley Fool co-founders Tom and David Gardner have spent more than a decade beating the market. (In fact, the newsletter they run, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market!*)</p>
<p>Tom and David just revealed their ten top stock picks for investors to buy right now. T-Mobile US <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0000450%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6313%26ftm_veh%3Darticle_pitch&amp;impression=553d6bec-bce2-44a4-9a83-63a0136bf403&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">is on the list Opens a New Window.</a> -- but there are nine others you may be overlooking.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0000450%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6313%26ftm_veh%3Darticle_pitch&amp;impression=553d6bec-bce2-44a4-9a83-63a0136bf403&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here to get access to the full list! Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of April 3, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFNewCow/info.aspx" type="external">Evan Niu, CFA Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Verizon Communications. The Motley Fool recommends T-Mobile US. 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> | T-Mobile Just Bought a Massive Amount of Spectrum | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/04/17/t-mobile-just-bought-massive-amount-spectrum.html | 2017-04-17 | 0 |
<p>MONTGOMERY, Ala. - She was one of us. That's the first thing to remember when reflecting on just how much Harper Lee meant, and still means, here in her native Alabama, and why her death affected so many of us so deeply.</p>
<p>Like tens of millions of people around the world, I took part in the high-school rite of passage that is reading "To Kill a Mockingbird." Like many, I found the book a profoundly moving experience at an extremely formative time.</p>
<p>Unlike most, I had the added bonus of reading about my home state - a place that has a sense of place like few others in our country, a place that in many ways - some bad, more good - has suffused itself into my very being.</p>
<p>Harper Lee, who passed away on Feb. 19, was one of us, but she sure did seem like more than one of us. With "To Kill a Mockingbird," she gave the world an instant classic that stands squarely in the intersection of timeliness and transcendence.</p>
<p>It's a heartbreaking look at the horrors of institutional racism, published at a time when brave civil rights activists were risking their lives to end segregation and disenfranchisement and so many other policies and attitudes that fueled centuries of systemic injustice.</p>
<p>It's a timeless exploration of the depths of fear and hatred and mistrust to which humanity can sink and of the heights of courage and love and fundamental decency to which humanity can soar.&#160;It's one of the most powerful books ever written, and it's about Alabama. It's about us - and so much more.</p>
<p>With her wealth and global fame, Harper Lee could have made a show out of going anywhere and doing anything. Instead, she intentionally stayed under the radar for much of her adult life - first in New York, then back in her small Alabama hometown of Monroeville.</p>
<p>She enjoyed time with the friends who knew her well enough to call her "Miss Nelle" and begged off endless media requests and seemed more than a little weirded out by the spotlight that strangers kept trying to shine on her.</p>
<p>Harper Lee was different because she stayed the same. She was an enigma, but a personable and relatable one. She grew up in the same state I did and attended the same university I did and frequently ate catfish at the same restaurant to which I make a four-hour round trip several times a year.</p>
<p>I never had the honor of meeting Harper Lee, but I know many people who did. They all rave about her warmth and quick wit. Once, seconds after meeting a close friend of mine, she immediately gave him an enormous hug. Then she made fun of his tie.</p>
<p>Harper Lee was an icon in Alabama, for the bold way she called us out on our systemic failures and for the patient way she never gave up on our ability to strive every day to do better and be better. She was a homegrown voice for equal rights and equal justice for all in a time and place where those ideas were an exceptionally hard sell.</p>
<p>"I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks." It's a legendary line from "Mockingbird," and a reminder that, at our core, we're all the same. We're all flawed, imperfect human beings with our own inner demons to overcome (with Atticus' dark turn in "Go Set a Watchman" providing an all too painful example).</p>
<p>We all have the ability - indeed, the responsibility - to grow and change and try in our own way to make the world a better place for those who will inherit it after us. We all need to work together, because we're all in this together.</p>
<p>Harper Lee was one of us, and her message endures. Her passing is a time to reflect on how much progress we've made on the road to a better, more inclusive Alabama - and on how much road still lies ahead.</p>
<p>Chris Sanders is communications director of <a href="http://www.arisecitizens.org/" type="external">Arise Citizens? Policy Project</a>, a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of 150 congregations and organizations promoting public policies to improve the lives of low-income Alabamians. Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>. About the top image: Flowers are displayed on Feb. 19 in honor of author Harper Lee at the Monroe County Heritage Museum old courthouse in Monroeville, Ala. Brynn Anderson, a photographer with The Associated Press, made the image.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Contact author</a></p>
<p>&#160;&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Alabama</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Arise Citizens? Policy Project</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Chris Sanders</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Harper Lee</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Monroeville</a>, <a href="" type="internal">To Kill a Mockingbird</a></p> | Personal Essay: Harper Lee's Enduring Lessons for Alabama | true | http://equalvoiceforfamilies.org/personal-essay-harper-lees-enduring-lessons-for-alabama/ | 4 |
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<p>Thomas Moore is the author of the bestselling Care of the Soul and, more recently, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life. We also asked several of our favorite <a href="/news/feature/1996/09/soul_photos.html" type="external">photographers</a> to address his essay question.</p>
<p>Since the publication of Care of the Soul four years ago, I’ve traveled the country giving talks, signing books, and having conversations on talk radio. I have learned there are large numbers of Americans (maybe not the majority) who are passionate about, or at least interested in, shaping their lives to be humane, individual, socially tolerant and contributing, and spiritual by some definition. They are hungry for whatever it is that makes life worth living and are concerned about their own souls and the soul of their country.</p>
<p>Unexpectedly, I discovered in modern America an attitude I learned as a young man in a Catholic religious order: contemptus mundi, contempt of the world. By this phrase monks do not mean a hatred or rejection of ordinary life, but rather a resistance to dominant values, a rejection of current tastes that allows the cultivation of an individual, more consciously designed life.</p>
<p>One moment in my travels stands out. I was giving a talk in a large auditorium in New England when a woman sitting in the balcony stood up and told the story of having just quit her job. She had young children and was full of anxiety about her financial future, but she knew the work she had been doing was hurting her soul, so she made the tough decision to take the leap and hope for something better. The audience reacted to her story with wild foot-stomping, whistles, screams, and prolonged applause. I was shocked by their intensity, their obvious identification with her plight, but I have since witnessed these emotions in other parts of the country.</p>
<p>The soul is being served in America in less dramatic ways as well. On radio talk shows, people have read me their homespun poetry, told of cooking old family and regional recipes and of keeping their family homesteads intact, and read the precious old letters of ancestors. One man described how he transformed his microwave oven into a kinder and gentler device by using it for drying flowers. A hospice worker told an audience of professionally polished doctors and nurses how important it was as part of her work simply to bake a loaf of bread at the request of a dying man. Almost daily, I’m told stories of simple ways in which people are acting from their hearts and bringing soul to a doggedly cerebral and hardware society.</p>
<p>It’s easy to misread this attention to the ordinary and the simple. For some, the focus on “things” may smack of materialism. We have largely forgotten the immanence of divinity, the spark of spirit, and the profound value that can be found in made objects and things of nature. As an “ism,” our materialism betrays the fact that we have lost our love of the material. We no longer manufacture goods ourselves, and we leave real craft to the hobbyist. In a world of invention and convenience we are oddly ascetic, and therefore divorced from the materiality of things. Materialism and a world-fleeing spirituality sustain each other by reacting against one another, leaving us with bloodless spiritual lives and a never-satisfied obsession with things.</p>
<p>The way out of this maddening split is to ground the spirit and learn to appreciate the absolute virtue of the ordinary world. Giving some attention to daily life and even luxury may appear privileged and sentimental, but tending one’s home and finding at least moderately satisfying earthly pleasures don’t require wealth. In fact, it may be more difficult to establish a truly luxurious life when we are obsessed with possessions. Epicureanism is not hedonism, but rather offers a way back into a physical world that is now difficult to find in the many quantifications and abstractions, the percentages and tabulations, that fill both the professional and popular press. Obsessively we try to explain the world away, but in so doing we divide spiritual vision from physical existence, making life coldly abstract and reductively biological.</p>
<p>Magazines regularly trumpet the latest news from the laboratory. In recent months we’ve found a gene for romantic love and another for getting old. Naively trusting the scientist’s materialistic philosophy, we accept this narrow vision of human nature that steals our hearts and numbs our resources for compassion. Our very idea of what a human being is, how a family thrives or fails, and how love and fear shape our lives are all given over to experts in white coats and translated into cold, quantified studies. A public radio station in my area produces several weekly programs that deal with profound human issues, and each program is governed by experts who read out their statistics and offer their idea-free and heart-absent analyses. On the other side, of course, are the many guru authors who provide panaceas and palliatives in the form of inadequate explanations and simplistic solutions for human pain.</p>
<p>Ancient authors from all parts of the world and our own contemporary poets meditate and reflect deeply on love, marriage, death, work, failure, vision, spirit, and values. But in our therapeutic milieu, if an author writes about such basic human themes, it is presumed that he or she is a therapist-in-print, telling readers how to live, succeed, and overcome human foibles and suffering. Professional philosophy has become so arcane and airy that it is alive only in academic journals and towers, while practical, embraceable reflection on common human experience is assumed these days to be the suspicious labor of self- proclaimed experts in positive living who are desperately sought out by the masses and disdained by intellectuals.</p>
<p>It is difficult to protect one’s identity as a writer reflecting and meditating on matters that have no answers but demand constant inquiry and conversation. Opportunities abound for workshops, programs, techniques, and encapsulated answers to intractable problems. It is common these days to rarefy human life into theories and programs rather than reflect more immediately from daily experience. Some people would prefer 10 steps to happiness and easily repeatable jargon rather than challenging language of beauty and insight.</p>
<p>The medical and mathematical writing that surrounds us gives the comforting illusion of sophistication; in comparison, deep philosophical and artistic exploration may seem too simple. Formulas, tables, and rigorously designed studies look almost like thought, and we trust them for their toughness and empirical physicality. Yet the wisdom of the ages is traditionally presented in language that deepens our questions and our reflection, and it is united in calling for an intelligent cultivation of the virtue of simplicity.</p>
<p>Especially among the great spiritual teachers, there is a sophistication quite opposite in tone to ours, as when the wise Zen master Shunryu Suzuki recommends a “beginner’s mind” and an attitude toward one’s activities that recognizes they are “nothing special.” In contrast, our society seems to be pleased only by “specials” on television, spectacles in sport, spectacular political and social events, and, of course, special people — celebrities. Because of this focus on the exceptional, America is largely starved for the ordinary life of neighborhoods, friends, and family — the main concerns of the soul. By giving away specialness to others, we are left feeling that our own lives are not unique, that they are even less than ordinary. The spectacular draws our attention to the “stars,” to a level far above where we stand in our simple humanity, and so we neither value nor cultivate the simple things that make us human and draw us into communion with each other.</p>
<p>In a similar vein, instead of searching for the wisdom that will make us more humane and compassionate, we become fascinated with remote and disconnected bits of knowledge. We are dedicated to cool, mental information-gathering rather than warm, heartfelt conversation and contemplation. I know a man who has four television sets in his living room, all perpetually in play and each tuned to a different channel. His driving need to be informed and his disappearance into technology represent our seemingly well-intentioned escape from intimate engagement with each other.</p>
<p>We also confuse being informed with being educated. For all our information, we seem to have less and less wisdom about how to live in this world, how to be with children, families, and mates, how to find time for friends, and how to make life worth living. Our sophistication appears to be bogus, a cover for the fact that we have lost our inborn bodily wisdom about how to be humans who can work, love, and play.</p>
<p>Admittedly, I’m a romantic, a Neoplatonist who wants to gather his soul and spirit in the arena of precious ordinary human life — a mixture of pains and pleasures, failures and successes, depressions and exhilarations — which I prefer to take as a given. Unlike many of my co-citizens, I don’t believe in the healthy life. One often finds the most soulful people in hospitals (there for physical or mental reasons) or suffering through a divorce or trying to make ends meet. I fear that in the project of making life hygienic, normal, and adjusted, we will lose the last remnants of a compassionate, feeling heart and we will become well-functioning, long-lived people not sure what to do with our extra time and stymied in any effort to relieve the suffering we see around us.</p>
<p>I’m one of those people who should have been born 500 years ago. I’m an anachronism, and so I shouldn’t be surprised when interviewers ask: “How could a book like yours sell so well?” Many ask this question without guile, but some can’t conceal their cynicism. The answer, I believe, is in the title. By now the word “soul” has been taken up by every manner of publisher in hope of catching the tide, but for the average person the word itself speaks worlds. Intuitively, we know that in many ways we have sold our souls for the convenience and comfort of a technologically defined world. We feel our emptiness and can’t help seeing the decadence in our cities and towns, suburbs and countryside. We fear for our children, because we’d have to be blind not to spot the many vendors of soullessness who wait for them to leave their age of innocence and become available to the voracious minotaur of modernism.</p>
<p>One of the most extraordinary responses to my books on the soul has been the reaction of some in the religious community. A magazine founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s organization debunked Care of the Soul, and once, on the way to a lecture, I had to walk through a band of protesters carrying signs reading “Heretic.” On the other hand, I’ve spoken in churches of almost every denomination and tradition. I’ve been invited to speak from Catholic, Episcopal, Unitarian, Methodist, Congregational, Lutheran, Jewish, and New Age pulpits. Personally, I have felt a mysterious coming full circle as I talk about the soul in churches, doing what I had envisioned for myself as a young man when I left home to pursue the Catholic priesthood. I’m encouraged to see religious leaders revealing their compassionate hearts and open minds in genuine concern for their people.</p>
<p>Religion has largely forgotten about the soul. It has become absorbed in many activities that leave no room for it: the business of running a church, anxiety about attendance, the intellectualization of religion, defensiveness and proselytizing, entering the business of therapy, turning religious vision into political and moralistic demagoguery, and intolerance of alternative schools and traditions.</p>
<p>With an inquisitional tone, interviewers sometimes ask me, “Are you a practicing Catholic?” I may not pass a tribunal set up to test my orthodoxy, but my Catholicism reaches into my bone marrow. Religion is essentially an attitude of reverence, rooted deeply in culture and in the family. I can’t trade at will my congenital Catholicism for another religion or for sophisticated agnosticism. It lies so deep, my ego can’t touch it.</p>
<p>The deep soul of religion, in contrast to its exalted spirit, is to be found in traditional stories and ancient rituals, in the food, colors, ceremonies, festivals, arts, holy figures, sacred places, handed-down family pieties. It has close ties to nature, and, as experts are now beginning to discuss, it always has a shamanic visionary dimension.</p>
<p>Especially in America, which from its beginning has been a hotbed of spiritual fervor, we seem dangerously confused about religion. Liberalism continues to cherish its deism, agnosticism, and secularism, while conservatism reacts with fundamentalism, intolerance, spiritual braggadocio, and the anxious hope for theological homogeneity. In none of this can be found an inherently natural spirituality, an ingrained reverence and respect for the sacredness of the world and of the human race. By giving so much passion and attention to religious argument and defensiveness, we are left without the practical appreciation for the sacred that grounds families and communities.</p>
<p>Without that ground — the soul of the religious impulse — our religious attachments have to be nervously protected, and our secularity, essential in a community dedicated to political freedom, becomes spurious. Religion goes into hiding, but it doesn’t disappear. Our political parties become churches of a sort, and individuals make the therapist their priest. Patriotism turns into nationalistic worship, and sports stadiums resemble the temples of old.</p>
<p>I’ve long meditated on a phrase from a letter written by Emily Dickinson: “There is so much that is tenderly profane in even the sacredest Human life…” When a people has a thriving soul, its secularity allows the full enjoyment of worldly pleasures. This secularity is precious, and it is sustained by a deep, soul-set appreciation for sacredness in all things, a sensibility that is not contrary to established religion, but is, in fact, the ground of religious edifice.</p>
<p>The only way I see out of our dangerously divided political parties, our sadly divided religious groups, and our self-destructively divided business and environmental programs is to deepen the place from which we live. To truly deepen our perspectives, we have to look beyond technical psychology and the other social sciences for guidance of soul, beyond the physical sciences for a cosmology with heart, beyond entertainment for genuine pleasure, and beyond church or agnostic argument for a deep-seated religious sensibility.</p>
<p>Currently we are in the absurd position of protecting our secularity and religious freedom by outlawing the public display of traditional prayers and rituals. Our secular freedom and religious expression are both priceless values in a humane society, but we can’t honor them by legislating on behalf of one and debasing the other. The solution to this deep and pervasive wound in American society has to come from a more subtle understanding of both religion and secularity. Arriving at such a sophisticated understanding will require an intense exchange of ideas, the rarest commodity in a technological culture.</p>
<p>The modernist paradigm has brought us a measure of humane social consciousness and technological legerdemain, but clearly, in view of the heartrending suffering of adults and children around the globe and signs of emptiness and decadence at home, it’s time to move to another level. I wish for a new century of heart rather than mind, wisdom rather than information, and the pursuit of holiness rather than happiness. If my wishes appear like folly in the face of modern pragmatics, then maybe my next project should be a new translation of Erasmus’ Praise of Folly, a book dedicated to the religious humanist Sir Thomas More, who lived a vibrant, worldly humanism and died a martyr for conscience, a religious fool dedicated to the spiritual vision that had shaped his entire life. This namesake has been a guiding model for me all my life, and I suspect that we could all benefit from an exemplar of our own who models a life that blends worldly pleasures with spiritual commitments.</p>
<p>Specifically, I would like to see education at all levels address the imagination, initiating our citizens into a deep sense of community and politics as well as an appreciation for the role of the arts in cultivating civility. I would like to see medicine give up its materialistic biological view of the human being, which makes us into bodies without souls, and learn from the world’s many healing traditions the central role of spirituality and imagination in dealing with illness. I would like to see politics become humane, using language honestly in contrast to its current Orwellian style and replacing debate with conversation. I would like to see our moviemakers and television producers discover the deep pleasures of the role of artists and the potential of their art for deepening the life of culture. I would like to see our churches and spiritual leaders restore a deep-seated, presectarian reverence for nature, culture, and the human person as an absolute base for the life of the spirit.</p>
<p>The soul loves diversity and multiplicity. A soul-focused community not only tolerates but cultivates and enjoys differences in race, nationality, culture, and vision. I don’t trust that tolerance and justice will be achieved through principle. These civil virtues require a coming to grips with our obvious, but denied, trenchant xenophobia. We need the realization that I, my family, my nation, and my race need the others, whoever they are, for our mutual fulfillment.</p>
<p>Defensive patriotism and nationalism are not political positions; they are collective neuroses that interfere with the deep sense of our common humanity that is the strongest signal of the presence of a soul.</p>
<p>I’m convinced that millions of Americans espouse this soul-oriented life, but it appears that many of them feel isolated in their convictions. They see a national persona of hype, ambition, narcissism, and materialism. Their values seem vulnerable and soft in comparison, their voices quiet and their ambitions humble. As a nation, we hardly know they exist. But we need their example and their testimony, indeed their taolike leadership — yielding and unself-serving — or else I fear that the uncontained spirits of personal ambition and greed will finally make us savage and dangerous to each other.</p>
<p>Deep in American life lies a dormant soul, almost obliterated by politicians and the media that consider it too lowly and weak for serious attention. This soul is powerful, not in a political or military sense, but because of its capacity for imagination and passion. To effect a deep change in culture would require a refusal of the status quo and the courageous application of tolerant and community-minded vision. We could all find in our hearts the ancient contemptus mundi that might inspire us to give less to the lure of a technological future and more to our children, our homes and land, our marriages, and those small, intimate details of everyday life that in being nothing special give us back our souls.</p>
<p /> | Does America have a soul? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/1996/09/does-america-have-soul/ | 2018-09-01 | 4 |
<p>More people are waking up to the power of collective action, thank God. These schools are law-breaking and predatory, and I'm happy to see students finally standing up to them. <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/2/23/anti-student-debt-organization-rallies-debt-strike-against.html" type="external">Via Al Jazeera:</a></p>
<p>The debt forgiveness movement born out of Occupy Wall Street has entered a new stage in its activism around student loans. On Monday, a wing of the campaign known as Debt Collective announced a “debt strike” by 15 former students of the for-profit college chain Corinthian Colleges Inc.</p>
<p>The former students have said they will not repay any more of their student loans, in protest of what they describe as predatory lending practices on the part of both Corinthian Colleges and the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). Organizers working with Debt Collective said the coordinated action was a test run for larger debt refusal actions.</p>
<p>Debt Collective organizer Ann Larson compared the action to work stoppages conducted by the labor movement.</p>
<p>“This is the same kind of collective organizing,” she told Al Jazeera. “Collective bargaining can happen along economic lines when debtors join together."</p>
<p>For their test case, Debt Collective selected a particularly ripe target: Corinthian Colleges has already been the subject of both state and federal investigations regarding its lending practices. Since June 2014 the company has been under tight financial supervision from the DOE, which is shepherding it through the process of selling off some of its campuses and shutting down others.</p>
<p>Ann Bowers, 54, one of the former Corinthian students who is refusing to pay down her loans, told Al Jazeera she owes between $30,000 and $40,000 after three years in the Everest College system, which is owned by Corinthian. She earned her associate degree at Everest and had completed her first year in on an online bachelor's degree program when she found out that her school's parent company was in trouble with the DOE.</p>
<p>"I asked them about transferring," said Bowers, who lives in Fort Myers, Florida. "I went through the process with one school, and they didn't accept all of my credits. And I found out Everest had taken six years of my lifetime funding [in federal loan eligibility] in three years. I was devastated."</p>
<p>Bowers, who is disabled, said she has been unemployed for the year since she left Everest.</p>
<p>"I feel like the students are the ones suffering the consequences for what Corinthian did," she said. "It's not fair. And why isn't the Department of Education helping us? It's helping a school that even lied to them."</p> | Angry Students Announce 'Debt Strike' Against Corinthian Colleges | true | http://crooksandliars.com/2015/02/angry-students-announce-debt-strike | 2015-02-23 | 4 |
Accused Of Perjury, Chicago Cop Resigns Taxpayer Money Up In Smoke? Cop Lies, Fouls Up Shooting Case, Yet Faces No Charges Lynwood Settles Suit Over Beating By Cop No Retirement Parting – Chicago Cops Draw Pensions, Return To Payroll Video Shows Cop Allegedly Hit Handcuffed Suspect Lost And Found Fire Suppression | false | https://bettergov.org/team/pam-zekman | 2016-05-26 | 2 |
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<p>New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) criticized Sen. Ted Cruz &#160;(R-TX) this week for calling the aid package Congress passed in response to Hurricane Sandy in 2013&#160;“ <a href="" type="internal">filled with unrelated pork</a>.”</p>
<p>Christie said Tuesday evening that&#160;New Jersey’s congressional delegation would vote for aid for Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and that “it would be wrong” for congressional leaders or the White House to ask for cuts to offset the cost of the aid package.</p>
<p>Cruz, whose home state has been battered by Hurricane Harvey, repeated his original criticism of the Sandy relief package on Monday, saying “it’s not right for politicians to exploit a disaster and people who are hurting to pay for their own political wish list.”</p>
<p>MSNBC’s Chris Hayes played a clip of Cruz’s criticism for Christie Tuesday night.</p>
<p>“What was wrong was for Ted Cruz to exploit the disaster for political gain, and that’s what he was doing,” the governor responded.</p>
<p>He called it an “absolute falsehood” that, in Cruz’s words Monday, “two-thirds of that bill had nothing to do with Sandy.”</p>
<p>“Let’s remember what Sen. Cruz was trying to do at the time,” the governor continued. “He was trying to be the most conservative, the most fiscally conservative person in the world. And what I said at the time, as you might recall, is ‘Someday it’s going to come to Texas.’ It just does. If you have a coastal area, whether it’s the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic, the Pacific coast, a disaster is going to come to you, and when it does, I’m going to promise him that New Jersey congresspeople will stand up and do the right thing.”</p>
<p>Cruz responded on CNN Wednesday, saying “You know, I think it’s really sad that there are some politicians that are desperate to get their name in the news and are tossing around all sorts of political insults, with people whose lives are in danger.”</p>
<p>Christie elaborated to CNN’s Chris Cuomo <a href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/08/30/chris-christie-criticizes-ted-cruz-harvey-sot-newday.cnn" type="external">earlier Wednesday</a>: “I see Sen. Cruz, and it’s disgusting to me that he stands in a recovery center with victims standing behind him as a backdrop and he’s still repeating the same reprehensible lies about what happened in Sandy, and it’s unacceptable to me. Absolutely unacceptable. I’m not going to let him get away from it. A lot of the reason why I came on this show is to remind people the past is prologue.”</p>
<p>Christie on Tuesday also criticized Vice President&#160;Mike Pence’s stance in 2005, that an aid package for Hurricane Katrina ought to include cuts to other programs, to offset the cost.</p>
<p>“I hope he doesn’t” do that with Harvey aid, Christie said of Pence, who as a congressman during Katrina. “It would be wrong to do that.”</p> | Christie Keeps Criticizing Cruz’s Vote Against Sandy Aid: ‘The Past Is Prologue’ | true | http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/cruz-christie-argue-sandy-relief-funding | 4 |
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<p>Parents, teachers, and students of Longfellow Elementary in San Francisco joined thousands of schools across the country and demanded safer, more supported schools. Photo courtesy Unified Educators of San Francisco</p>
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<p>In nearly 75 cities across the country, students, parents, and teachers marched at their public schools on Wednesday, protesting inadequate funding and charter school takeover, issues that especially affect black and Latino students in urban areas.</p>
<p>The organization Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is behind the “walk in” demonstrations, and it’s made up of large-scale organizations, such as teachers unions, and local community groups. The walk-ins began last spring and have doubled in size since <a href="" type="internal">February</a>.</p>
<p>The alliance’s executive director, Keron Blair, said that when charter schools replace public schools, parents lose their ability to vote on school board members—something, he argues, that hurts society at large. “We have to invest in public education if we want to fortify our democratic society,” he said. “The two go hand in hand.”</p>
<p>Charter schools have <a href="" type="internal">exploded</a> in popularity since the 1990s; data shows that today nearly <a href="http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/charter-schools-overview.aspx" type="external">5 percent</a> of all public school students attend one. Charters receive funding that many educators feel should go only toward traditional public schools.</p>
<p>“People are seeing and hearing and saying, ‘We want to walk in,'” Blair said. “Resources are being pulled out of the public sector and privatized…The very people they’re supposed to help have no say,” Blair said.</p>
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<p>Although the general theme of the walk-ins revolved around charter school takeovers, the demonstrations also allowed students and parents to voice their own local issues. Educators and parents from Oakland Unified School District in Oakland, California, protested an enrollment policy that has public schools and charters grouped together when parents sign up their kids for school; some parents and educators are concerned that the policy favors charter schools. Organizers from San Francisco Unified School District protested the rising cost of living that has pushed teachers out of a city where a two-bedroom apartment typically runs upward of <a href="" type="internal">$2,000 per month</a>.</p>
<p>“The affordability crisis in San Francisco is raging out of control and turnover is happening at a breakneck pace,” said Matthew Hardy, the communications manager for Unified Educators of San Francisco. “This is pushing too many educators out of the city and out of the school system.”</p>
<p>For Detroit, a city continually plagued by public-education <a href="" type="internal">budget battles</a>, Wednesday’s walk-in came on the tail end of more teacher “ <a href="" type="internal">sick outs</a>” earlier this week. Since it is illegal to strike in Michigan, frustrated educators have been using their sick days to protest <a href="http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/05/03/teacher-sick-outs-close-dozens-of-schools-for-second-day/83862298/" type="external">unpaid work days</a>. Education advocacy groups like 482 Forward, a citywide education organizing network, used the national momentum against charters to present a list of demands that include manageable class sizes and more multicultural curricula. Nearly 84 percent of the public school student population in Detroit is African American.</p>
<p>“There’s not a lot in the curriculum where kids can self-identify,”&#160;said&#160;Wytrice Harris, a parent and school activist. “It doesn’t reflect the lives that they see every day.”</p>
<p>Keron Blair of the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools said small changes are being seen across the country and that the organization will plan more walk-ins for the fall of the coming school year.&#160;</p>
<p /> | Kids to Admins: Charter Schools Have Got to Go | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2016/05/public-school-walks-ins-protest-charter-takeover-testing/ | 2016-05-05 | 4 |
<p>Across Europe and even in the U.S., a new wave of direct action to “rebuild the economy from the ground up” is rising. Some workers are responding to layoffs and workplace shutdowns by ousting their bosses and seeking to run things their own way. Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis report on the state of worker-control movements today in light of the current economic crisis.</p>
<p>CommonDreams.org:</p>
<p>In 2004, we made a documentary called The Take about Argentina’s movement of worker-run businesses. In the wake of the country’s dramatic economic collapse in 2001, thousands of workers walked into their shuttered factories and put them back into production as worker cooperatives. Abandoned by bosses and politicians, they regained unpaid wages and severance while re-claiming their jobs in the process.</p>
<p>As we toured Europe and North America with the film, every Q&amp;A ended up with the question, “that’s all very well in Argentina, but could that ever happen here?”</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/05/14-13" type="external">Read More</a></p> | Workers of the World Show Who's Boss | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/workers-of-the-world-show-whos-boss/ | 2009-05-15 | 4 |
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<p>“Every third variation is a canon,” Santa Fe harpsichordist Kathleen McIntosh said. “In between every third variation is a cross-hand variation. The remaining every other three is an assortment of dance forms. Each one is a little gem.”</p>
<p>McIntosh will perform Bach’s masterpiece at First Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe on May 7 in Serenata of Santa Fe’s last concert of the season.</p>
<p>McIntosh has been playing the piece for about 20 years.</p>
<p>“Every time I go back to it, I find more that I never heard before,” she said . “It’s one of those pieces you never weary of.”</p>
<p>McIntosh double-majored in both piano and harpsichord in college. After graduation, she never played the piano again.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“The harpsichord provides enough challenges for me,” she said.”I love the transparency. The one I’m using has a very mellifluous sound. It’s very delicate; that’s one of the reasons I love it. In this age when everything is louder and louder, it’s very intimate.</p>
<p>Her current instrument is a reproduction of a French harpsichord made in 1707.</p>
<p>“It’s quilled with bird feathers,” McIntosh said. “That’s what plucks the strings.”</p>
<p>The Goldberg Variations consist of an aria and a set of 30 variations. First published in 1741, the work is considered one of the most important examples of the variation form. Much of Bach’s music gestated as improvisation. He wrote widely for the harpsichord, producing numerous inventions, suites, fugues, partitas and overtures, as well as keyboard arrangements of concerto music by his contemporaries.</p>
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<p /> | Harpsichordist to perform Goldberg Variations at Serenata concert | false | https://abqjournal.com/995299/an-intimate-take-on-bach.html | 2 |
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<p>The social justice fascists protesting The Daily Wire editor-in-chief's Ben Shapiro at a campus event at CSULA Thursday assaulted a disabled man who just wanted to walk in and listen to <a href="" type="internal">Shapiro's speech</a>.</p>
<p>Jeffrey Minter, a researcher in the San Fernando Valley who says he is disabled due to nerve damage, is an atheist liberal who was curious to hear Shapiro's views and wanted to challenge them. But he couldn't, as the protesters completely <a href="" type="internal">barred the entrance to the speech</a>. When Minter tried to walk through the wall, the protesters assaulted him.</p>
<p>"At first, I didn't know what was going on so I just walked to go in and I was pushed to the ground, and I was grabbed and they tried to rip my shirt," Minter told The Daily Wire. "And then they literally pushed me out."</p>
<p>Minter counted three moments where he was shoved to the floor, seven times where he was hit, and he was kicked in the shins numerous times.</p>
<p>"One time, they pushed me to the ground and I decided I didn't want to get back up anymore because they were going to keep shoving me so I laid down for about 15 minutes and they just stood around me," Minter said. "It was much better than being pushed."</p>
<p>John Oliver, a Los Angeles photographer who was also at the event, confirmed Minter's story and called the scene "mayhem."</p>
<p>"I saw a crowd...pushing him out literally, shoving him, and I saw him go past me out back towards the door," Oliver said.</p>
<p>Oliver told The Daily Wire that he was also subject to being shoved, elbowed and pushed by the protesters.</p>
<p>Minter won't press charges since he can't afford to, but he assured The Daily Wire that he didn't suffer any serious injuries, as they were nothing compared to the nerve damage in his arm.</p>
<p>"There is nothing they can do to make it worse than that," Minter said.</p> | Pantywaist Fascists Assault Disabled Man At Shapiro Event | true | https://dailywire.com/news/3700/pantywaist-fascists-assault-disabled-man-shapiro-aaron-bandler | 2016-02-26 | 0 |
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<p>France election has taken a totally different turn by sparking protests from teenagers in Rennes and other French cities where rallies have been held and schools blocked in a protest against both presidential candidates.</p>
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<p>The campaign, which was marked "We deserve better", saw around 1,000 people came out in the western city to chant neither Le Pen nor Macron. In response, riot police used tear gas to stop the protesters from reaching the historic city center.</p>
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<p>Marine Le Pen has spoken in Nice as Macron visited a troubled Paris suburb. According to opinion polls taken in the first round on Sunday, Mr. Macron, candidate of the En Marche (On The Move) movement, will easily beat Ms. Le Pen, who has temporarily stood down as leader of the National Front (FN), in the second round on 7 May.</p>
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<p>In response, Ms. Le Pen upstaged her rival on Tuesday&#160;when she turned up in his northern home town of Amiens just as he was visiting himself. EU sources blasted Le Pen for defrauding the European Parliament&#160;of about "5m ("4m; $5.4m), allegedly paying FN assistants who were not really working for MEPs but were engaged in party work in France.</p>
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<p>The&#160;polling average line&#160;looks at the five most recent national polls and takes the median value, ie, the value between the two figures that are higher and two figures that are lower. For instance,</p>
<p>in Rennes, between 950 and 1,500 demonstrators marched in the city center, French media report, after a peaceful rally.</p>
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<p>A group of about 50 tried to occupy the railway station but police used tear gas and one officer cut off from the rest briefly drew his pistol to protect himself,&#160;Le Parisien daily reports. The unrest continued in the city center, with police bringing in a helicopter to survey the crowd, AFP news agency says.</p>
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<p>The protesters held placards which read Expel Marine Le Pen, not immigrants and We don't want Macron or Le Pen. The western city of Nantes and parts of the capital Paris experienced unrest.</p>
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<p>After Mr. Macron and Ms. le Pen won the first round on Sunday, some supporters of the losing candidates have advocated a protest vote against both on May 7. Mr. Macron visited the deprived Paris suburb of Sarcelles on Thursday to meet local people in a stadium where he played football briefly with delighted children.</p>
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<p>Mr. Macron accused Ms. Le Pen of not being willing to visit such districts, adding that France does not advocate for the hatred and rejection of others. He later spoke in an interview for the TF1 channel, where he said that France's biggest challenge was mass employment and it needed a policy which allows companies to hire and invest.</p>
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<p>If elected, he promised to bring fundamental reform of labor laws this summer. Mr. Macron also vowed to recruit 10,000 new police officers and gendarmes, set up an anti-Daesh task force and discuss at EU level residence permits for war refugees with third countries.</p>
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<p>On the other hand, Ms. Le Pen gave her first big rally of the second round in the southern city of Nice, which was traumatized by&#160;the Bastille Day lorry attack&#160;claimed by so-called Islamic State last year.</p>
<p>She accused Mr. Macron, a former banker, of being the candidate of the oligarchy class whose idea of France was a space where everything can be bought and sold.</p>
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<p>Le Pen portrayed herself as a patriot to the cheering crowd, she said the election was a referendum for or against France and she promised to halt mass immigration. She promised to give France back to its borders.</p>
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<p>SOURCE: <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39736615" type="external">bbc.com/news/world-europe-39736615</a></p> | France Election : Teenagers Stage Protest Against Candidates Macron and Le Pen | true | http://thegoldwater.com/news/2583-France-Election-Teenagers-Stage-Protest-Against-Candidates-Macron-and-Le-Pen | 2017-04-28 | 0 |
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<p>DOVER (NH)Foster's Daily DemocratBy SEAN MURPHY and BRAD MORIN</p>
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<p>Democrat Staff Writers</p>
<p>DOVER — Members of St. Charles parish want the Diocese of Manchester to reinstate their pastor, who was suspended because of a 30-year-old allegation of sexual misconduct.</p>
<p>The Rev. Paul L. Gregoire, a Dover native who served at St. Charles since 1993, was abruptly suspended last December. A woman reported that Gregoire engaged in sexual misconduct with her in Seattle, Wash., during the 1970s.</p>
<p>In a letter to parishioners, Gregoire maintained that the incident was a misunderstanding. Gregoire is pursuing an appeal of this suspension through the church, according to members of the St. Charles Pastoral Council.</p>
<p>After writing letters to New Hampshire Bishop John McCormack and gathering 500 petition signatures demanding Gregoire’s reinstatement, members of the pastoral council are now taking their case to the public and calling on the bishop to resign.</p>
<p>The 11 council members signed an open letter to McCormack, asking him to "step aside and let somebody with credibility Judge Father Gregoire and rebuild this diocese."</p> | Petition by St. Charles parishioners asks reinstatement of Rev. Paul L. Gregoire | false | https://poynter.org/news/petition-st-charles-parishioners-asks-reinstatement-rev-paul-l-gregoire | 2003-06-04 | 2 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The City of Albuquerque Environmental Health Department issued a health alert, through Thursday night, as high winds may result in high level of blowing dust.</p>
<p>Jeff Stonesifer, spokesman with the Air Quality department, said blowing dust contributes to “particulate pollution.”</p>
<p>He said people who are sensitive to blowing dust, including those with asthma, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory or heart diseases, should limit outdoor activity during the alert.</p>
<p>“Children and older adults may also be affected by particulate pollution,” Stonesifer said. “Schools and senior citizen facilities may want to provide indoor activities to minimize exposure to elevated outdoor particulate levels.”</p>
<p>He recommended, particularly for people sensitive to blowing dust, keeping windows and doors closed, limit time spent outdoors and avoid outdoor exercise.</p>
<p>Stonesifer said if symptoms of heart or lung disease occur–like shortness of breath, chest tightness, chest pain, palpitations or unusual fatigue–contact your health care provider.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | City issues health alert due to high winds stirring up dust | false | https://abqjournal.com/1083688/city-issues-health-alert-due-to-high-winds-stirring-up-dust.html | 2 |
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<p>An acquisition of Time Warner Inc by AT&amp;T Inc. could raise significant antitrust issues that the U.S. Senate committee on antitrust would carefully examine, the chairman and ranking member of the committee said Sunday.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>AT&amp;T announced on Saturday a deal to buy Time Warner for $85.4 billion, the boldest move yet by a telecommunications company to acquire content to stream over its network to attract a growing number of online viewers. (Reporting by Julia Edwards; Editing by Bill Trott)</p> | U.S. Senate Committee on Antitrust to 'Carefully Examine' AT&T-Time Warner Deal | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/10/23/u-s-senate-committee-on-antitrust-to-carefully-examine-at-t-time-warner-deal.html | 2016-10-24 | 0 |
<p>Two St. Louis County police officers shot and killed a suspect after he charged at them while holding a knife, officials said in a statement early Saturday.</p>
<p>Police posted what they said was body cam video of the Friday night shooting in the St. Louis suburb of Jennings within hours of the incident.</p>
<p>Police had no option but to use deadly force, said St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar.</p>
<p>"The officers resorted to less lethal force to try and bring the incident to a safe conclusion with no loss of life, but this individual made the decision to refuse these attempts, and charge at officers with a deadly weapon," he said in a statement.</p>
<p>In the statement, police said they responded to a call from a woman who asked that her son, Thaddeus McCarroll, 23, be removed from her home. McCarroll, who was talking about going on a "journey" and mentioned "black revolution," had allegedly locked her out of the house and was walking around the house with several knives and a Samurai sword.</p>
<p>At 10:30 p.m. local time, police requested support from the force's Tactical Operations Unit, which began to negotiate with McCarroll, police said.</p>
<p>"After approximately one hour of negotiations, the subject exited the residence armed with a knife in one hand, and a Bible in the other," according to police. Officers then tried to get McCarroll to drop the knife, firing a "less lethal round" at him in an attempt to disarm him and ordering him to speak with them without holding the knife — but that didn't work, police said.</p>
<p>"The subject immediately charged the officers at a full run with the knife still in hand," police added. "Fearing for their safety, two officers shot the subject multiple times."</p>
<p>Police in Missouri and around the country have been under intense pressure to be transparent <a href="" type="internal">since the death of Michael Brown</a>, an unarmed black teen who was shot and killed by a white officer in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown's death sparked nationwide protests and increased scrutiny of shootings involving police and minorities.</p> | St. Louis County Police Shooting: Cops Kill Armed Man, Release Video | false | http://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/st-louis-police-shooting-cops-kill-armed-man-release-video-n343991 | 2015-04-18 | 3 |
<p>JARBIDGE, Nev. (AP) — Nevada game wardens are investigating the illegal killing of a moose near the Nevada-Idaho line — the third poaching of a moose in Nevada over the last three years.</p>
<p>State wildlife officials said Tuesday a citizen discovered the carcass Dec. 25 about 20 miles southeast of Jarbidge.</p>
<p>Operation Game Thief is offering a $1,000 reward.</p>
<p>Game warden Fred Esparza says the moose was killed in a visible area near O’Neil Basin Road and the Sun Creek access road so it’s possible someone saw a hunter or an ATV nearby.</p>
<p>He says the moose killed earlier were shot by hunters who thought they were elk and self-reported the incidents. But this time, the animal’s head had been cut off and a large portion of meat taken.</p>
<p>State wildlife officials estimate there’s between 25 and 40 moose now living in Nevada.</p>
<p>JARBIDGE, Nev. (AP) — Nevada game wardens are investigating the illegal killing of a moose near the Nevada-Idaho line — the third poaching of a moose in Nevada over the last three years.</p>
<p>State wildlife officials said Tuesday a citizen discovered the carcass Dec. 25 about 20 miles southeast of Jarbidge.</p>
<p>Operation Game Thief is offering a $1,000 reward.</p>
<p>Game warden Fred Esparza says the moose was killed in a visible area near O’Neil Basin Road and the Sun Creek access road so it’s possible someone saw a hunter or an ATV nearby.</p>
<p>He says the moose killed earlier were shot by hunters who thought they were elk and self-reported the incidents. But this time, the animal’s head had been cut off and a large portion of meat taken.</p>
<p>State wildlife officials estimate there’s between 25 and 40 moose now living in Nevada.</p> | Third poaching of moose in 3 years reported in Nevada | false | https://apnews.com/a7b25f78cc6043ccb316de71f73ba3e8 | 2018-01-09 | 2 |
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<p>Okay, I know I’ve been <a href="/riff_blog/archives/2008/05/8142_music_just_how.html" type="external">talking a lot</a> about the Portishead album, which I love more and more with each passing second. But while my adoration for Third is nearly boundless, I’m not blind to its more, shall we say, “mockable” aspects. Case in point: listening to track two, “Hunter,” today, I was suddenly reminded of another piece of music that it resembles. A long-buried German cabaret number? An obscure album track from the soundtrack to an early Bond film? Norwegian funeral dirges? No, no, no: “Hunter” seems to have borrowed its dramatic piano melody and swerving chord changes from the theme to SCTV’s brilliant soap opera parody, “The Days of the Week.” After the jump, compare and contrast for yourselves. Hmm, maybe we should also be looking for hidden references to “The Great White North,” or perhaps the organ sounds came from Tex and Edna Boil’s Organ Emporium?</p>
<p>Portishead – “Hunter”</p>
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<p>SCTV’s “Days of the Week” (starts about 30 seconds in)</p>
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<p /> | Music: Compare and Contrast: Portishead vs. SCTV | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2008/05/music-compare-and-contrast-portishead-vs-sctv/ | 2008-05-20 | 4 |
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<p>LOS ANGELES — A federal appeals court reinstated California’s ban on foie gras Friday, finding that a state law preventing sales of the luxury liver pate made by force-feeding ducks and geese was not pre-empted by federal authority to regulate poultry products.</p>
<p>The ban was passed more than a decade ago after proponents said the process of fattening the livers of the birds was cruel and inhumane. The law took effect in 2011, but was blocked by a court in 2015, delighting chefs who wanted to serve the delicacy and leading to protests by animal rights groups.</p>
<p>While the unanimous decision by three judges won’t immediately take effect, giving farmers and a restaurant time to seek further review, animal activists celebrated.</p>
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<p>“The champagne corks are popping,” said David Perle of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. “PETA has protested against this practice for years, showing videos of geese being force-fed that no one but the most callous chefs could stomach and revealing that foie gras is torture on toast.”</p>
<p>State lawmakers voted in 2004 to bar California farmers from force-feeding birds with a tube, which is how foie gras (fwah-GRAH’), is produced. That part of the law, phased in over seven years, was not challenged.</p>
<p>But foie gras farmers in Canada and New York and Hot’s Kitchen in Hermosa Beach targeted a second part of the law that banned foie gras produced out of state from being served in restaurants or sold in markets.</p>
<p>They argued successfully in the lower court that state law was superseded by the federal Poultry Products Inspection Act. That law prevents states from imposing labeling, packaging or ingredient requirements different from federal standards.</p>
<p>The main question was whether the state was banning an ingredient or a process.</p>
<p>“It is not the livers that are force-fed, it is the birds,” Judge Jacqueline Nguyen of the appeals court wrote. “The difference between foie gras produced with force-fed birds and foie gras produced with non-force-fed birds is not one of ingredient. Rather, the difference is in the treatment of the birds while alive.”</p>
<p>A lawyer for the farmers and Hot’s Kitchen said the fight was far from over.</p>
<p>“The ruling is disappointing, the reasoning is flawed,” attorney Michael Tenenbaum said. “Federal law is supreme when it comes to poultry products, whether it’s foie gras or frozen chicken breasts.”</p>
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<p>When he won in U.S. District Court two years ago, Tenenbaum sent a press release saying that chef Sean Chaney was shouting “let the foie gras start flowing” from the rooftop of Hot’s.</p>
<p>Chaney said he plans to continue serving the rich treat until ordered to stop by a court and said the ruling was merely “a little speed bump.”</p>
<p>While the popularity has waned since they were allowed to first serve it after the lower court ruling, there are still popular selections on a special menu customers must request, Chaney said.</p>
<p>Among the offerings are “Lego my foie,” a waffle with a dollop of pate and maple syrup and a burger topped with the spread.</p>
<p>He plans to put foie gras back on his main menu this fall despite the ruling.</p>
<p>Tenenbaum said he would seek a review from a full panel of the 9th Circuit and press on to the Supreme Court if necessary.</p>
<p>If the appeals court rejects a review, the ruling will take effect after the case is returned to the lower court, where Tenenbaum can raise other issues.</p>
<p>David Levine, an expert in federal court procedure at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, said it’s a longshot that the ban won’t go into effect.</p>
<p>“It’s probably the end of the road, but not tomorrow,” Levine said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>John Antczak in Los Angeles and Sudhin Thanawala in San Francisco contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show that Hot’s Kitchen still serves foie gras.</p> | Appeals court taking foie gras off the menu in California | false | https://abqjournal.com/1064287/appeals-court-takes-foie-gras-off-the-menu-in-california.html | 2017-09-15 | 2 |
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<p>The housing market is showing signs of a recovery, albeit a halting one. In 10 states, median home prices increased by more than 5.5% from July 2011 to July of this year. While there is no single reason why housing markets in these states have done so well, most have several things in common.</p>
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<p>Many of them, like North and South Dakota, have maintained jobless rates at nationwide lows. In these states, home prices barely dropped when the national housing bubble burst. Since then, home prices in some of have even risen, while the national market plummeted. In these economically stable areas, home prices expected to continue to move higher, although recoveries are expected to be modest.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/09/04/the-ten-states-with-the-strongest-housing-markets/" type="external">This content was originally published on 24/7 Wall St.&#160; Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>However, some of the states with the biggest home price increases were hit particularly hard by the housing collapse. In Florida and Arizona, home prices dropped by nearly 50%. In Nevada the drop was nearly 60%. In all three states, the recovery is expected to be temporary. Median home value change will lag the national trend in the next year, but will improve over the next five years according to Fiserv.</p>
<p>If the data tell anything, it is that the housing market recovery will continue to be uneven, and will be based to a large extent on what happened to home prices in geographically since its 2007. Housing markets in the states that exhibited economic strength throughout the recession will continue to improve relative to the national average. States that were broken by high unemployment and sharp drops in home values can expect their recoveries to be difficult, and in many cases, very long.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/08/31/cities-with-the-most-homes-in-foreclosure/" type="external">Read: Cities with the Most Homes in Foreclosure Opens a New Window.</a></p>
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<p>To create the list of the 10 states with the strongest housing markets, 24/7 Wall St. relied the Corelogic Home Price Index for the year that ended in July. We also reviewed foreclosure data from RealtyTrac to reflect the extent to which foreclosures rates undermine ongoing recoveries. We obtained home price forecast for the near-term, measured from the first quarter of 2012 to the first quarter of 2013, the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, and the first quarter of 2012 to the first quarter of 2017 from Fiserv. Median sales prices as of Friday, August 28 are from Trulia. State unemployment as of July 2012 is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.</p>
<p>10. Montana &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +5.6% &gt; Median home price: $151,300 &gt; Unemployment rate: 6.4% (15th lowest)</p>
<p>Montana shares characteristics with several of the Plains States. It never suffered from high unemployment during the recession; as a matter for fact, the jobless rate has been extraordinarily low. The agriculture and oil industries did well, and commodity prices were high. The cost of living in these states was, and still is, relatively low compared to the national average, and so are home prices. The benefits of being a homeowner in Montana should continue. Corelogic predicts that the appreciation in home prices in the state will be the 14th best among all states from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, and the 12th best among all states from the first quarter of this year through the first quarter of 2017.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/08/30/the-best-paying-jobs-of-the-future-2/" type="external">Read: The Best Paying Jobs of the Future Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>9. Hawaii &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +5.7% &gt; Median home price: $522,000 &gt; Unemployment rate: 6.4% (14th lowest)</p>
<p>Hawaii has the highest median home price of any state by a wide margin. That is even after home prices fell 20.4% between the 2007 housing market peak through the first quarter of this year. Forecasts, however, show that the recent improvement should moderate. Corelogic predicts home prices will rise 3.2% between the first quarter of next year and the first quarter of 2014. That ranks Hawaii No. 28 among all states. The value of a home in Hawaii is predicted to rise 3% on an annualized basis between the first quarter of 2012 and the first quarter of 2017, only the 35th highest increase among all states.</p>
<p>8. South Carolina &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +6.3% &gt; Median home price: $129,900 &gt; Unemployment rate: 9.6% (6th highest)</p>
<p>South Carolina suffered relatively high unemployment during the recession, and it remains above the national average of 8.3%. The real estate market also suffered during that time. And despite the year-over-year 6.3% home price in July, it may continue to suffer. RealtyTrac reported that foreclosure starts rose 25% in July 2012 over July 2011. That puts it in the 10th spot among all states. The recent improvement in home prices is expected to be short-lived. Corelogic expects home prices to improve only 2.3% between the first quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of the following year, only the 38th highest rise among all states. Longer term, from the first quarter of this year to the first quarter of 2017, prices on an annualized basis are predicted to rise only 3.2%, which ranks it 27th among all states. South Carolina is one of several states 24/7 Wall St. found will only have a momentary housing price recovery.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/08/29/the-best-paying-jobs-you-can-get-with-a-high-school-diploma/" type="external">Read: The Best Paying Jobs You Can Get With a High School Diploma Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>7. Florida &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +6.6% &gt; Median home price: $236,000 &gt; Unemployment rate: 8.8% (12th highest)</p>
<p>One of states most brutally damaged by the wreck of the housing market bubble, Florida’s home prices dropped 48.4% from the first quarter of 2007 to the first quarter of this year. Only Arizona, Nevada and California are even in that league. The problem arose from a combination of overbuilding and high unemployment, which was created to some extend by the drop in home construction jobs. The recovery of the state housing market is uneven at best. RealtyTrac reports that Florida’s foreclosure rate in July of of one in every 352 housing units ranked third among all states. Florida’s recovery in terms of home prices is expected to be poor short term, but substantially improved longer term. The improvement in price from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014 is expected to be a tepid 1.8%, putting it 45th among all states. However, from the first quarter of this year until the first quarter of 2017, the improvement on an annualized basis is forecast at 4.2%, which is 11th highest among all states.</p>
<p>6. North Dakota &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +7.1% &gt; Median home price: $88,600 &gt; Unemployment rate: 3.0% (the lowest)</p>
<p>North Dakota is another of the Plains States that never had substantial home price declines or severe unemployment as the national economy cratered between 2007 and 2010. Home prices during that period actually rose 17%, the highest in the nation. North Dakota has consistently ranked in the bottom three states in terms of unemployment rate. North Dakota home prices, at a median of below $90,000 are quite low — 45th among all states. Home prices should continue to appreciate in the future, although at a very modest rate. For the period from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, prices are forecast to rise 2.8%, only 34th highest among all states. Over the period from the first quarter of 2012 to the first quarter of 2017, the annualized rate of home price improvement is predicted to be 3.4% — the 22nd highest.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/08/29/americas-10-disappearing-jobs/" type="external">Read: America’s 10 Disappearing Jobs Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>5. Colorado &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +7.3% &gt; Median home price: $240,000 &gt; Unemployment rate: 8.3% (20th highest)</p>
<p>The Colorado housing market was not badly damaged when the housing bubble broke. Home prices dropped 9.5% from the first quarter of 2007 to the first quarter of 2012, which was the 18th best among all states. The market’s recovery rate will put it in the middle among the 50 states. Colorado home prices are forecast to recover at 3.7% between the first quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year, the 22nd-highest increase. Over the longer period from the first quarter of this year until the first quarter of 2017, prices are expected to improve 2.4% per annum, which ranks it 42nd.</p>
<p>Also Read: The Best-paying Jobs of the Future</p>
<p>4. South Dakota &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +8.3% &gt; Median home price: $101,700 &gt; Unemployment rate: 4.4% (3rd lowest)</p>
<p>South Dakota, another Plains State, has the same advantage of being home to industries that employ a great many of its residents as its neighbors do. Home prices are 44th among all states. Those prices barely budged when the housing market throughout most of the nation disintegrated. The median price of a home actually rose 3% between the first quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of this year. On that basis, South Dakota ranked second among all states. The improvement in the market is only expected to be mediocre moving forward, and certainly nowhere near the 8.3% home price increase of last year. Home prices are forecast to rise 4.6% from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014. That places its 15th among all states. But the growth rate will moderate considerably for the five years that began in the first quarter of this year. On a per annum basis, home prices are forecast to increase 3.4% during that time — 23rd among all states.</p>
<p>3. Utah &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +9.3% &gt; Median home price: $129,000 &gt; Unemployment rate: 6.0% (11th lowest)</p>
<p>The damage to the Utah housing market during 2007 to 2011 was worse than most states — home prices fell 21.6% over that period. That rate Utah 34th among all states based on that measurement. The recovery of the market is predicted to be particularly strong for the next several years, nearly as strong as the 9.3% jump in median home price from July 2011 to July 2012. Corelogic expects home prices to rise 5.8% from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, which ranks it 10th among all states on that metric. Over the five years through the first quarter 2017, on a per annum basis, the improvement is forecast to be 3.9%, which ranks its 15th among states.</p>
<p>2. Idaho &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +10% &gt; Median home price: $85,000 &gt; Unemployment rate: 7.5% (25th lowest)</p>
<p>Idaho is one of only seven states with a median home price below $100,000. Unlike Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east of it, Idaho did suffer from an unemployment problem. At 7.5%, the jobless rate is not terribly better than the national average. This may have contributed to the drop in Idaho home prices, which fell 29.6% from the first quarter of 2007 to the first quarter of this year. The home price recovery is expected to be stronger than almost any other state, a continuation of the 10% improvement over the past year. For the period from the first quarter 2013 to the first quarter 2014, home prices are expected to rise 8.8% — the highest in the nation. For the five-year period that began in the first quarter of this year, the per annum improvement is expected to be 4.8%, which rates Idaho eighth by that measurement.</p>
<p>1. Arizona &gt; 1 yr. home price change: +16.6% &gt; Median home price: $248,229 &gt; Unemployment rate: 8.3% (18th highest)</p>
<p>The Arizona real estate market was damaged as badly as any other when the home market collapsed, perhaps with the exception of Nevada. And the pain is not near the end yet, despite ranking first in home price improvement from July 2011 to July 2012. Arizona home prices fell 49.9% from the first quarter 2007 to the first quarter 2012. The state continues to have the second-highest foreclosure rate in the country, according to RealtyTrac, with one in every 346 housing units with a foreclosure filing in July. That troubling trend may be why the Arizona’s housing market recovery is expected to be extremely weak, over the shorter and longer term. Home prices are expected to rise only 1.4% from the first quarter of 2013 to the first quarter of 2014, which puts Arizona 48th among all states. Over the period from the first quarter of this year to the first quarter of 2017, the improvement is expected to be 2.5% per annum — 39th among all states.</p> | The 10 States with the Strongest Housing Markets | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/09/04/10-states-with-strongest-housing-markets.html | 2016-03-03 | 0 |
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<p>The more I see Mitt Romney, the more I dislike the man. For a long time I couldn't put my finger on what it was, beyond the obvious difference between his worldview and mine. But this clip reveals Romney's chameleonlike character. There is something so phony about his puffed-up hissing over Bain Capital, jobs and capitalism that it reeks, and I think that's why Newt Gingrich is getting traction. Newt Gingrich could fill a stadium with his ego before anyone else walked in, but he's unashamed to wear it like a badge of honor. When Newt bloviates, it comes from his tiny little soul. When Mitt bloviates, it feels like an act.</p>
<p>When Mitt Romney gets defensive, it just comes off as sort of a distant arrogance dressed in a puffed-up costume. When asked a reasonable question about whether he could explain how Bain Capital created 100,000 jobs, he launched into a tirade about jobs, profits, and capitalism. It felt more like he wanted to apologize for it but had someone poking him with a sharp pin to keep him angry at the question.</p>
<p>Never let it be said that Mitt Romney wastes an opportunity to take aim at the President. He's quite adept at that. At least, usually. In this case, it sort of fell flat, because it just didn't sound sincere coming out of his mouth:</p>
<p>And I'm going to stand and defend capitalism across this country, throughout this campaign. I know we're going to get hit hard from President Obama, but we're going to stuff it down his throat and point out it is capitalism and freedom that makes America strong.</p>
<p>As if Barack Obama does not understand this? Romney knows he understands it, which is why he must have felt so ridiculous saying it.</p>
<p>To be clear, what Mitt Romney is defending isn't capitalism. It's <a href="http://desertbeacon.wordpress.com/2012/01/11/romney-financialism-rampant-the-envy-club-and-the-big-lie/" type="external">financialism</a>. Here's a good summary of what financialism is:</p>
<p>“…financial instruments become progressively further removed from their role in supporting commerce in the real world and develop a life of their own, a weird shadow dimension, a hall of mirrors, a distorted alternate reality that intersects and reacts with the real economy in unpredictable and destructive ways.” [ <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/141852-jungle-ethics-financialism-vs-free-market-capitalism" type="external">Seeking Alpha</a>]</p>
<p>The reason Mitt Romney cannot explain or defend Bain Capital on the jobs question is because he has no clue. Bain Capital doesn't exist to create jobs. It exists to create profit, and profit alone. And as Romney points out, that profit then benefits investors. The whole jobs argument is a canard, since they can't account for or factor the number of smaller companies put out of business by the Bain-financed companies, nor was Bain a close enough investor to <a href="" type="internal">even know what activities were taking place</a> in the companies they acquired.</p>
<p>As for the "stuffing down the President's throat", well. That's a common obsession with Republicans. I'm sure there's a mashup of all the times they've used that verb, or its companion verb, "shoving", always in connection with someone's throat, either theirs or someone else's. The President was so afraid of Mitt's stuffing threat that he appeared <a href="" type="internal">live at the Apollo Theater</a> and sang a few bars for the crowd.</p>
<p>So Mittens, if you're going to stuff something down the President's throat that's as big as capitalism, reconsider. If Mr. Obama isn't President, perhaps he can launch a new career in the music business.</p>
<p>Full transcript follows.</p>
<p>... and I find it -- I find it, kind of, strange, on a stage like this with Republicans, having to describe how private equity and venture capital work and how they're successful and how they create jobs.</p>
<p>(APPLAUSE)</p>
<p>But let me tell you the answer. We started a number of businesses. Four in particular created 120,000 jobs as of today. We started them years ago. They've grown well beyond the time I was there, to 120,000 people that have employed by those enterprises.</p>
<p>There are others we've been with, some of which have lost jobs. People have evaluated that since -- well, since I ran four years ago, when I ran for governor. And those that have been documented to lost jobs lost about 10,000 jobs.</p>
<p>So 120,000 less 10,000 means that we created something over 100,000 jobs. And there's some, by the way, that were businesses we acquired that grew and became more successful like Domino's Pizza and a company called Duane Reade and others.</p>
<p>I'm very proud of the fact that throughout my career, I have worked to try and build enterprises, hopefully to return money to investors. There's nothing wrong with profit, by the way. That profit --</p>
<p>(APPLAUSE)</p>
<p>ROMNEY: That profit went to pension funds, to charities. It went to a wide array of institutions. A lot of people benefited from that. And by the way, as enterprises become more profitable, they can hire more people.</p>
<p>I'm someone who believes in free enterprise. I think Adam Smith was right. And I'm going to stand and defend capitalism across this country, throughout this campaign. I know we're going to get hit hard from President Obama, but we're going to stuff it down his throat and point out it is capitalism and freedom that makes America strong.</p> | Mitt Romney Says He'll Stuff Capitalism 'Down President Obama's Throat' | true | http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/mitt-romney-gets-his-bully-says-hell-stuff- | 2012-01-20 | 4 |
<p>The political system is corrupt to the extreme. Its disdain for democracy is profound. A caretaker’s observation at a cemetery on the Greek island of Mykonos comes to mind, while he looked back while closing the cemetery gate one summer long ago: “kaput.” His observation sort of says it all about the political, economic, and social systems much of the world lives under now: It’s all gone kaput!</p>
<p>The system is kaput (except for the elite, who in any case will also suffer the consequences of climate change and climate disasters) and it was obvious in the duplicity and utter disdain for the truth as witnessed in the April 2008 presidential primary debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Snippets of that debate were included in a three-part interview that aired in November 2016 with former Weatherman and Professor William Ayers on the&#160;Real News Network&#160;(“RAI With Former Weatherman Bill Ayers”).</p>
<p>Ayers became the object of intense scrutiny during the 2008 election season when news surfaced about his support for Obama, their work on a foundation in Chicago, and the fact that Ayers had been a member of the radical group, the Weathermen (a.k.a. the Weather Underground), during the Vietnam War era.</p>
<p>Obama quickly put his relationship with Ayers in perspective while calling the acts of the Weathermen “despicable.”&#160; Not satisfied with that condemnation, Clinton doubled down on Ayers and the group, stating, “What they did was set bombs… and people died.” What Mrs. Clinton failed to mention was that the Weathermen destroyed property and the only people who died as a result of their bombings (bomb making in his case) were three of their own members in a townhouse explosion on West 11th&#160;Street in New York City in March 1970.</p>
<p>The killing of one person, and injuring of several others at the University of Wisconsin, which housed the Army Mathematics Research Center, in August 1970, was not an act of the Weathermen. The Brinks robbery of October 1981 in Nanuet, New York, in which an armored car guard and two Nyack, New York police officers were killed was perpetrated by the May 19th Communist Organization and members of the Black Liberation Army. Four former members of the Weather Underground took part in the robbery and killings.&#160; The Brinks robbery was an act of delusional murder that cast a long shadow of shame on the remnants of the defunct Vietnam antiwar movement. The Vietnam War had ended in 1975.</p>
<p>A discussion of revolutionary violence is not the subject of this writing. I believe that that violence only validates the use of violence by the nation that protesters seek to stop from doing reprehensible acts against people. It is the ancient and failed eye for an eye argument. It is not self-defense in any discernible way. But Mrs. Clinton’s condemnation of Bill Ayers is a clear case of duplicity: it is an exercise in hypocrisy that only the political system can produce. How many deaths of innocent people have been caused by the war of regime change in Iraq? What human price has been exacted for that nation’s oil resources?</p>
<p>Recall that Mrs. Clinton was the primary architect of the 2011 attack against Libya that resulted in the destruction of that society and has created a refugee crisis that is ongoing and set the stage for right-wing radicals to set up shop in that country with all the resulting mayhem and grotesque human rights violations that such groups create. Mrs. Clinton, a supporter of the 2003 destruction of Iraq, was also a primary cheerleader of the case for regime change in Syria. Her curriculum vitae is a who’s who in supporting both the use of force and the threat of force that has become such a part of the bipartisan foreign policy of the U.S. That she was secretary of state while holding such bellicose views is cause for both pause and alarm that has led to a State Department that is an extension of Pentagon planning and not a center of diplomacy.</p>
<p>Mrs. Clinton’s excitement at the assassination of Osama bin Laden is reminiscent of the look of a child upon opening gifts at a birthday celebration. Also apparent in Mrs. Clinton’s romantic view of state violence was her pronouncement when she learned that Muammar Gaddafi had been killed in 2011 in Libya: “We came, we saw, he died.” Amazing stuff from someone who came out of the Vietnam War era, but apparently Mrs. Clinton learned nothing from a war which Bill Ayers correctly states killed over 6,000 people a week and would eventually lead to the deaths of millions (3 to 5 million) and over 58,000 from the U.S.</p>
<p>How do those of goodwill stop the violence that Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1967 was committed by “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government”?&#160; The linguist and political theorist Noam Chomsky has condemned the Weathermen. Did the cul-de-sac created by a violent system lead some to extreme acts?</p>
<p>Many protesters from the Vietnam War era condemn the violence of the Weathermen as delusional and counterproductive that cast a long shadow on an otherwise predominantly peaceful movement. Many also point to the longer shadow of U.S. interventions in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos that killed millions.</p>
<p>The Cold War moved seamlessly to the War on Terror. Ideologies changed and the military-industrial-financial complex solidified its control on power. Insanely homicidal factions grew up to fill the vacuum that war leaves behind. The killing continues.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Revolutionary and State Violence: The Chickens Always Come Home to Roost | true | https://counterpunch.org/2017/12/26/revolutionary-and-state-violence-the-chickens-always-come-home-to-roost/ | 2017-12-26 | 4 |
<p>Sixty-three years ago on August 6, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The bombs appeared as brilliant flashes that incinerated living beings and urban life within seconds. Those who did not die immediately, suffered slow, excruciating death from exposure to high-levels of radiation. Present generations continue to suffer the affects of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan more than six decades ago.</p>
<p>In May 1945, The Target Committee at Los Alamos led by Robert Oppenheimer, deliberated on which cities would receive the bombs. Hiroshima, Niigata, Yokohama, and the Japanese city of temples, Kyoto, were top contenders as they met the following requirements:</p>
<p>“(1) they are larger than three miles in diameter and are important targets in a large urban area</p>
<p>(2) the blast would create effective damage, and</p>
<p>(3) they are unlikely to be attacked by August 1945.”</p>
<p>In addition, the cities chosen needed to be new targets; the sixty-seven Japanese cities that had received intense firebombing were precluded from selection.</p>
<p>The decision to drop bombs on urban centers killed more than human beings. In the words of Hannah Arendt:</p>
<p>“In the case of an atomic bombing…a community does not merely receive an impact; the community itself is destroyed. Within 2 kilometers of the atomic bomb’s hypocenter all life and property were shattered, burned, and buried under ashes. The visible forms of the city where people once carried on their daily lives vanished without a trace. The destruction was sudden and thorough; there was virtually no chance to escape….Citizens who had lost no family members in the holocaust were as rare as stars at sunrise….</p>
<p>The atomic bomb had blasted and burned hospitals, schools, city offices, police stations, and every other kind of human organization….Family, relatives, neighbors, and friends relied on a broad range of interdependent organizations for everything from birth, marriage, and funerals to firefighting, productive work, and daily living. These traditional communities were completely demolished in an instant.”</p>
<p>In the days between bombs, American forces in the Marianas devised a leaflet to be dropped on Japanese cities. The leaflet used a combination of kanji and kana characters and was produced on a printing press previously used to publish a Japanese-language newspaper. On August 7, a team working on behalf of the U.S. War Department in generating psychological warfare, worked overtime producing the leaflets. Their plan was to drop 6 million of them over forty-seven cities with populations over 100,000. The following is a translated excerpt:</p>
<p>“ATTENTION JAPANESE PEOPLE</p>
<p>Before we use this bomb again and again to destroy every resource of the military by which they are prolonging this useless war, petition the Emperor now to end the war. Our President has outlined for you the thirteen consequences of an honorable surrender; We urge that you accept those consequences and begin the work of building a new, better, and peace loving Japan.</p>
<p>Act at once or we shall resolutely employ this bomb and all our other superior weapons to promptly and forcefully end the war.</p>
<p>EVACUATE YOUR CITIES”</p>
<p>Two days to print and drop leaflets was not much time; even less so for the Japanese people to act upon circumstance in the many ways the leaflet suggested. A shortage of T-3 leaflet bombs also presented a snag in the delivery timeline. Nagasaki received its quota of leaflets on August 10.</p>
<p>Freshly printed paper falling from the sky was perhaps the only unscorched, unread gesture left in the aftermath of Fat Man’s shadow.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>I have seen a replica of Fat Man in a museum in Los Alamos, New Mexico. More important, I have seen the affects of a replica of the atomic bomb on a multigenerational Japanese family assembled around it, holding hands. With heads bowed, the grandfather reached out his hand, the one that wasn’t connecting all the other hands, and extended it over the museum-quality velvet maroon rope, and on to the bulky body of Fat Man. As he laid his hand on the replica atomic bomb it sent a current of deep collective grief through each family member.</p>
<p>This moment was real. And so too, unfortunately and grotesquely so, were the lollipops for sale in the gift shop in the shape of Little Boy and Fat Man.</p>
<p>I had initially come to New Mexico to meet with a Navajo Code Talker. The Code Talkers used their native tongue to relay messages on ships and on the ground in the Pacific theater during World War II. They were needed to help clear the islands. The islands needed to be cleared so that the airplanes carrying the atomic bombs could load and refuel before reaching the main island of Japan. The record of translation by the Code Talkers from English to Navajo back to English remains at 100% accuracy.</p>
<p>While a majority of Code Talkers returned home to the four-states region of the Navajo Nation after the war had been declared over, two were sent to Japan to relay in code the affects of radiation on the Japanese people back to the scientific community without detection.</p>
<p>When I ask my friend about what he felt about being admonished as a child at the BIA boarding school for speaking Navajo and then later rewarded in war for using it to such successful ends, he said it had been resolved because, “Nobody has ever been able to steal the Navajo language.” “Why can’t it be stolen?,” I asked. “Because it comes from the heart, the mind, and the tongue, leaving no other record.” And because of this, he added, “only the speaker and the people closest to him can unlock its true meaning.”</p>
<p>Language, it could be said, is the premier urban center kept alive by the community of people using it. How far does it extend and by what means? In honor of my Navajo friend, and all other urban centers kept intact by decent, daily observances, I sign off with the following Navajo [Dine] prayer:</p>
<p>“We are the Dine. Our endurance lies in our beliefs, prayers, chants, language and wisdom. Holding these truths, we return to our homeland within our sacred mountains. Our strength endures everlasting.</p>
<p>(each line is said while turning toward each of the four directions)</p>
<p>In beauty we walk, In beauty we walk, In beauty we walk, In beauty we walk”</p>
<p>LARAY POLK is an artist and activist in Texas. She can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | Tongues of Fire, Plains of Grace | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/08/02/tongues-of-fire-plains-of-grace/ | 2008-08-02 | 4 |
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