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<p>WASHINGTON — Rand Paul was right. There, I said it.</p>
<p>The Republican senator from Kentucky, whom I’ve ridiculed as an archconservative kook — because that’s basically what he is — was right to call attention to the growing use of drone aircraft in “targeted killings” by staging a nearly 13-hour filibuster on the Senate floor.</p>
<p>Paul did it the old-fashioned way, by talking and talking until exhaustion or the call of nature compelled him to cease. There are easier ways for a senator to hold up a piece of business — in this case, the nomination of John Brennan as CIA director (who was confirmed on Thursday) — and Paul knew that a rare “talking” filibuster would be hard to ignore.</p>
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<p>Was he trying to boost his national profile? Was he trying to embarrass President Obama? The answer is probably yes on both counts. But I cannot argue with the basic point Paul was making: There must be greater clarity about how and where our government believes it has the authority to use drones as instruments of assassination, especially when U.S. citizens are in the cross hairs.</p>
<p>Paul focused narrowly on the simple question of whether “the president has the power to authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, and without trial.”</p>
<p>Paul asked this question in a letter to Brennan. Attorney General Eric Holder wrote the administration’s reply, which was, essentially: Look, this isn’t going to happen.</p>
<p>Holder wrote that “the U.S. government has not carried out drone strikes in the United States and has no intention of doing so. As a policy matter, moreover, we reject the use of military force where well-established law enforcement authorities in this country provide the best means for incapacitating a terrorist threat.”</p>
<p>But Holder added that there might be an “extraordinary circumstance” in which a president would “authorize the military to use lethal force within the territory of the United States.”</p>
<p>Paul believed — and I had to agree — that this left the door ajar. Citizens are guaranteed the right to due process by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. This doesn’t mean that a police officer cannot shoot and kill a gun-wielding criminal who is in the act of robbing a bank. But it does mean that an officer, having learned of a planned bank robbery, cannot protect public safety by pre-emptively assassinating the suspects.</p>
<p>Imagine that drone technology had existed at the time of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Imagine that the government somehow got wind of Timothy McVeigh’s plans in advance and tracked him to the compound where he and Terry Nichols were building their bomb. Should the president have had the power to order a drone-fired missile strike, killing McVeigh, Nichols and whoever else might be in the vicinity?</p>
<p>Hours after Paul finished his filibuster, Holder finally closed that door. “It has come to my attention,” he wrote Paul, “that you have now asked an additional question: ‘Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on American soil?’ The answer to that question is no.”</p>
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<p>So that’s settled. But the overwhelming majority of drone attacks target foreign nationals in foreign countries, and this is where the moral calculus gets harder.</p>
<p>If U.S. intelligence services learn that certain individuals in, say, Yemen or Somalia are planning a credible terrorist attack against Americans, and also that these individuals will be meeting at a certain place on a certain date, what are the options? Send in the Navy SEALs? Mount a full-scale invasion? Or send up a drone, verify that the meeting in fact takes place, and blow the plotters to smithereens?</p>
<p>Any president is going to choose the drone. But the situation is rarely so clear-cut. The meeting might be at a house where family members are present. How many bystanders constitute “acceptable” collateral damage? What if the bystanders are children? What about neighbors?</p>
<p>Some drone missions, called “signature strikes,” reportedly target people whose identity may not be known but whose behavior bears the “signature” of terrorist involvement. A hypothetical example might be a convoy that appears to be headed toward a suspected training camp for militants. Perhaps that’s a legitimate target. But it’s not the same as going after specific individuals who are known to be plotting against the United States.</p>
<p>The way we use drones as killing machines has to be consistent with our freedoms and our values. For grabbing us by the lapels, Rand Paul deserves praise. Yikes, I said it again.</p>
<p>E-mail: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>; copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.</p> | Paul right for forcing drone issue | false | https://abqjournal.com/176380/paul-right-for-forcing-drone-issue.html | 2013-03-09 | 2 |
<p>The FDA <a href="http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm396585.htm" type="external">has given the green light</a> to Zontivity to decrease&#160;the the risk of heart attack and stroke in high-risk patients.</p>
<p>Zontivity is an anti-platelet agent designed to lower the proclivity of platelets to clump together to form a blood clot. By lowering the formation of blood clots, the new drug lowers the risk of heart attack and stroke.</p>
<p>“In patients who have had a heart attack or who have peripheral arterial disease, this drug will lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death. In the study that supported the drug’s approval, Zontivity lowered this risk from 9.5 percent to 7.9 percent over a 3-year period – about 0.5 percent per year,” posited Ellis Unger, M.D., director of the Office of Drug Evaluation I in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.</p>
<p>Like similar drugs that prevent blood clotting, Zontivity raises the risk of bleeding. Bleeding is the most frequently reported adverse reaction in individuals taking Zontivity.&#160;The FDA says doctors should tell patients that they may bleed and bruise more easily when taking Zontivity.</p>
<p /> | FDA green lights new drug to reduce risk of heart attacks, stroke in high-risk patients | false | http://natmonitor.com/2014/05/09/fda-green-lights-new-drug-to-reduce-risk-of-heart-attacks-stroke-in-high-risk-patients/ | 2014-05-09 | 3 |
<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fleshmanpix" type="external">Michael Fleshman</a> / <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/" type="external">CC BY-SA 2.0</a></p>
<p>This post originally ran on <a href="http://robertreich.org/post/123327070510" type="external">Robert Reich’s website</a>.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court’s recent blessing of Obamacare has precipitated a rush among the nation’s biggest health insurers to consolidate into two or three behemoths.</p>
<p>The result will be good for their shareholders and executives, but bad for the rest of us – who will pay through the nose for the health insurance we need.</p>
<p />
<p>We have another choice, but before I get to it let me give you some background.</p>
<p>Last week, Aetna announced it would spend $35 billion to buy rival Humana in a deal that will create the <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-03/aetna-agrees-to-buy-humana-for-37-billion-in-cash-stock" type="external">second-largest</a>health insurer in the nation, with <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-03/aetna-agrees-to-buy-humana-for-37-billion-in-cash-stock" type="external">33 million</a>members.</p>
<p>The combination will claim a large share of the insurance market in many states – <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/03/us-humana-m-a-aetna-idUSKCN0PD04720150703" type="external">88 percent</a>in Kansas and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/03/us-humana-m-a-aetna-idUSKCN0PD04720150703" type="external">58 percent</a>in Iowa, for example.</p>
<p>A week before Aetna’s announcement, Anthem&#160;disclosed its&#160; <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-21/biggest-u-s-health-insurers-to-get-even-bigger-under-obamacare" type="external">$47 billion&#160;</a>offer for&#160;giant insurer Cigna. If the deal goes through, the combined firm will become the largest health insurer in America.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, middle-sized and small insurers are being gobbled up. Centene just announced a <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/02/us-health-net-m-a-centene-idUSKCN0PC13V20150702" type="external">$6.3 billion deal</a>to acquire Health Net. Earlier this year Anthem bought Simply Healthcare Holdings for <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150218005093/en/Anthem-Completes-Acquisition-Simply-Healthcare-Holdings#.VZnJPkbGpBk" type="external">$800 million</a>.</p>
<p>Executives say these combinations will make their companies more efficient, allowing them to gain economies of scale and squeeze waste out of the system.</p>
<p>This is what big companies always say when they acquire rivals.</p>
<p>Their real purpose is to give the giant health insurers more bargaining leverage over employees, consumers, state regulators, and healthcare providers (which have also been consolidating).</p>
<p>The big health insurers have&#160;money to make these acquisitions because their Medicare businesses have been growing and Obamacare is bringing in&#160;hundreds of thousands&#160;of new customers. They’ve also been cutting payrolls and squeezing more work out of their employees.</p>
<p>This is also why their <a href="http://www.fiercehealthpayer.com/story/health-insurance-stocks-hit-all-time-highs/2015-01-22" type="external">stock values have skyrocketed</a>. A few months ago the&#160;Standard &amp; Poor’s (S&amp;P) 500 Managed Health Care Index&#160;hit its <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-21/obamacare-pays-off-for-insurers-who-fought-it-as-stocks-hit-high" type="external">highest level</a>in more than&#160;twenty years. Since 2010, the biggest for-profit insurers have <a href="http://www.fiercehealthpayer.com/story/health-insurance-stocks-hit-all-time-highs/2015-01-22" type="external">outperformed</a> the entire S&amp;P 500.</p>
<p>Insurers are&#160;seeking rate hikes of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/04/us/health-insurance-companies-seek-big-rate-increases-for-2016.html?_r=0" type="external">20 to 40 percent</a>for next year because they think they already have enough economic and political clout to get them.</p>
<p>That’s not what they’re telling federal and state regulators, of course. They <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/04/us/health-insurance-companies-seek-big-rate-increases-for-2016.html?_r=0" type="external">say</a> rate increases are necessary because people enrolling in Obamacare are sicker than they expected, and they’re losing money.</p>
<p>Remember, this an industry with rising share values and wads of cash for mergers and acquisitions.&#160;</p>
<p>It also has enough&#160;dough to&#160;bestow huge pay packages on its top executives. The CEOs of the five largest for-profit health insurance companies each raked in <a href="http://www.fiercehealthpayer.com/story/top-health-insurance-ceo-pay-exceeds-10-million-2014/2015-04-10" type="external">$10 to $15 million</a>last year.</p>
<p>After the mergers, the biggest insurers will have even larger profits, higher share values, and fatter pay packages for their top brass.</p>
<p>There’s abundant evidence that when health insurers merge, premiums rise. For example, Leemore Dafny, a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and his two co-authors, <a href="http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/faculty/dafny/personal/Documents/Working%20Papers/8_Dafny_Paying%20a%20Premium%20on%20Your%20Premium.pdf" type="external">found</a> that after Aetna merged with Prudential HealthCare in 1999, premiums rose 7 percent higher than had the merger not occurred.</p>
<p>The problem isn’t Obamacare. The real problem is the current patchwork of state insurance regulations, insurance commissioners, and federal regulators can’t stop&#160;the tidal wave of mergers, or&#160;limit the economic and political power of the&#160;emerging giants. &#160;</p>
<p>Which is why, ultimately, American will have to make a choice.</p>
<p>If we continue in the direction we’re headed we’ll soon have a health insurance system dominated by two or three&#160;mammoth&#160;for-profit corporations capable of squeezing employees and consumers for all they’re worth – and handing over the profits to their shareholders and executives.</p>
<p>The alternative is a government-run single payer system – such as is in place in almost every other advanced economy – dedicated to lower premiums and better care.</p>
<p>Which do you prefer?</p> | Will We Allow a Private Health Insurance Monopoly or Implement Single Payer at Last? | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/will-we-allow-a-private-health-insurance-monopoly-or-implement-single-payer-at-last/ | 2015-07-06 | 4 |
<p>The group, The Mobilization to End Poverty, plans to bring thousands of religious and community activists to Washington later this month to urge President Obama to make the poor a priority and continue his goal of reducing domestic poverty by half in 10 years.</p>
<p>Both are reachable goals, said House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., who joined religious leaders to kick off the effort on April 1. “This budget is a major shift in the right direction,” Clyburn said.</p>
<p>“We’re trying to preserve the president’s priorities, and in doing so, we have to get the people to understand we must all be active advocates for reducing poverty.”</p>
<p>The loose knit group brings together a number of different groups, from the progressive Christian group Sojourners on the left to the evangelical relief group World Vision on the right.</p>
<p>Sojourners president, the Rev. Jim Wallis said he has seen the issue of poverty unify the faith community across the political spectrum and is encouraged by the efforts in the budget to prioritize “the needs of the lowest.”</p>
<p>“We’re all unified in that what happens to poor people is a matter of faith,” Wallis said. “We’re getting behind the effort to put poor people back into the agenda.”</p>
<p>Bob Greenstein, executive director of the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said if the current recession follows the patterns of the past three, between 7.5 and 10.3 million more people could end up in poverty, especially if unemployment reaches 9 percent.</p>
<p>Greenstein praised the recent economic stimulus for increasing refundable tax credits for low-income families. He said putting more money into the pockets of low- and moderate-income families is vital to awakening the economy.</p>
<p>While combating poverty, the group might also help the “pro-life”&#160; movement rediscover that conservatives need to focus “not only protecting the child in the womb but the child fighting in the slums,” said Dave Donaldson, president of the Christian relief agency Convoy of Hope.</p> | Religious groups mobilize to keep alleviating poverty a priority in D.C. | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/religiousgroupsmobilizetokeepalleviatingpovertyapriorityindc/ | 3 |
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<p>The Royal Caribbean International's Explorer of the Seas is docked at Charlotte Amalie Harbor in St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. U.S. health officials have boarded the cruise liner to investigate an illness outbreak that has stricken at least 300 people with gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. (AP Photo/Thomas Layer)</p>
<p>BAYONNE, N.J. - A cruise ship on which hundreds of passengers and crew members fell ill is due back in the New Jersey port it departed from last week.</p>
<p>Royal Caribbean says the Explorer of the Seas is scheduled to dock Wednesday afternoon in Bayonne.</p>
<p>The ship had to cut short a 10-day cruise after more than 600 passengers and crew members experienced vomiting and diarrhea.</p>
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<p>The cruise line says most guests who fell ill are now up and about as the ship heads to port.</p>
<p>The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention boarded the ship during its U.S. Virgin Islands port call but hasn't confirmed the cause of the outbreak. According to the CDC, 577 out of 3,050 passengers reported being ill. Forty-nine crew members also got sick.</p>
<p>The ship's doctors said the symptoms were consistent with norovirus.</p> | Cruise ship due in NJ port after illness outbreak | false | https://abqjournal.com/344640/cruise-ship-due-in-nj-port-after-illness-outbreak.html | 2 |
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<p>MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Madison Keys faces a brutal test against former champion Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Wednesday but the American is in a “great place,” said her coach Lindsay Davenport.</p> Tennis - Australian Open - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia, January 22, 2018. Madison Keys of the U.S. serves during her match against Caroline Garcia of France. REUTERS/Edgar Su
<p>The 17th seed has been in no-nonsense mood so far in Melbourne, moving through the rounds with the minimum of fanfare, but faces her biggest test against the German.</p>
<p>“It’s something that we always stress – being really solid, learning to win when you’re not playing your best, handling adversity in the early rounds against players that played great that are ranked 33 through 100 ... and she’s doing that,” Davenport, who won the title in 2000, told reporters.</p>
<p>“But Kerber will be a brutal test. She is back playing her best tennis. I love to see a player who is so good and went through some struggles, not really physically but more emotionally and mentally, come out with such fire.”</p>
<p>While Kerber already has two grand slam titles to her name, in Melbourne and Flushing Meadows in 2016, Keys is still to make that jump after losing to compatriot Sloane Stephens in last year’s U.S. Open final.</p>
<p>That came after a season interrupted by injury, but Davenport said her charge is now better equipped physically and mentally to claim a debut slam.</p> Tennis - Australian Open - Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia, January 22, 2018. Madison Keys of the U.S. shakes hands with Caroline Garcia of France after winning their match. REUTERS/Edgar Su
<p>“She has really wanted it, she is in a great place,” Davenport said of Keys’ run in Melbourne where she is looking to reach the semis for the second time.</p>
<p>“In the off-season it was apparent she is going down the right path, whether that means it’s here that it all happens or in a few months. But she is doing all the right things. It’s going to happen for her.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>“She is a great player anyway and when you do all the things off the court you need to be doing, great things are going to happen for her. The crucial thing is she feels healthy and right now she is the best she’s felt in probably three years.”</p>
<p>Keys, 22, missed last year’s Australian Open after having wrist surgery and despite sitting out for a chunk of last season she still made it through to the U.S. Open final where all four semi-finalists were American.</p>
<p>This time she is the last American woman standing after Stephens, Coco Vandeweghe and Venus Williams all lost early.</p>
<p>“Before her semi-final in the U.S. Open she was so nervous about being the one American to lose (in the quarters) and this time we have had the opposite conversation,” Davenport said.</p>
<p>“She’s tried everything not to join them.”</p>
<p>Editing by Peter Rutherford</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NORTH CHARLESTON S.C. (Reuters) - Boeing Co ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BA.N" type="external">BA.N</a>) delivered its first 787-10 Dreamliner to Singapore Airlines ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SIAL.SI" type="external">SIAL.SI</a>) on Sunday, rounding out a family of lightweight jets on which the U.S. planemaker is betting its future.</p> A Boeing 787-10 aircraft being built for Singapore Airlines sits in the Final Assembly Area before a delivery ceremony of the first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner at Boeing South Carolina in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States March 25, 2018. REUTERS/Randall Hill
<p>The ceremonial key to the plane was handed to Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong on the tarmac at Boeing’s South Carolina plant, where the carbon composite jet is built, in front of more than a thousand Boeing workers and guests.</p>
<p>Goh called it a “beautiful aircraft” and an “unparalleled product for regional operations.”</p>
<p>Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Kevin McAllister hailed the two airlines’ 45-year relationship.</p>
<p>Singapore Airlines was the first Southeast Asian carrier to buy Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet in 1972, Goh said, and the group is now the world’s first to operate all the 787 Dreamliner family of models.</p>
<p>The new Dreamliner was parked in front of a line of about 10 787 airplanes in various stages of completion.</p>
<p>Singapore Airlines, which expanded its order for 787-10s to 49 jets last year, plans to introduce the jet on services to Osaka, Japan, followed by Perth, Australia, starting in May.</p>
<p>The 787-10 is built exclusively at the North Charleston plant due to its large size, which prevents the transfer of sections to Boeing’s factory outside Seattle. Unlike the Washington state assembly lines, the plant, which has about 7,000 workers, is not unionized.</p>
<p>The aircraft, which sells for $326 million at list prices, completes a line-up of three models starting with the 787-8 which debuted in 2011. All boast carbon-composite fabrication materials, fuel efficiency and new state-of-the-air filtration systems with higher levels of humidity in the air for long-distance flight.</p> Slideshow (6 Images)
<p>The 787-10’s range is 6,430 nautical miles (11,910 kilometers).</p>
<p>At 223 feet long (68 meters), the aircraft is 18 feet (5.5 meters) longer than the 787-9 and seats around 330 passengers, 40 more than the 787-9 and 88 more than the 787-8.</p>
<p>Europe’s Airbus ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AIR.PA" type="external">AIR.PA</a>) competes against the 787-10 with its A330neo, an upgraded version of its most-sold wide-body aircraft with fuel-efficient engines and a new cabin.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=BA.N" type="external">Boeing Co</a> 321.0 BA.N New York Stock Exchange +1.39 (+0.43%) BA.N SIAL.SI AIR.PA AAL.O
<p>Both jets are designed for shorter flights compared with other mid-size wide-body planes, tapping into the rapid growth of trade within Asia as well as across other regions.</p>
<p>But after brisk initial sales, orders for both models have slowed, with Airbus selling 214 of its A330neo.</p>
<p>The 787-10 has 171 orders, about 13 percent of the total of firm orders for the 787.</p>
<p>The mid-sized 787-9 is the most popular variant and competes mainly with Airbus’s new-generation carbon-composite A350.</p>
<p>The 787 and A330neo are locked in a fierce battle for sales and profits in the market for jets with around 300 seats.</p>
<p>Boeing looks poised to win a hotly contested order from American Airlines ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AAL.O" type="external">AAL.O</a>), beating competition from the A330neo, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.</p>
<p>(This story corrects Boeing executive’s title and first name.)</p>
<p>Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Daniel Wallis</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SYDNEY (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures led global shares higher on Monday after reports that the United States and China have quietly started negotiations to improve U.S. access to Chinese markets eased fears of a trade war between the two economic giants.</p> People walk past an electronic board showing Japan's Nikkei average outside a brokerage at a business district in Tokyo, Japan August 9, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
<p>E-Mini futures ESc1 for the S&amp;P 500 <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">.SPX</a> leaped more than 1 percent while Japan's Nikkei <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.N225" type="external">.N225</a> erased earlier losses of 1.3 percent to end 0.7 percent higher.</p>
<p>MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was up 0.4 percent, flipping back to positive territory from a 0.5 percent fall.</p>
<p>European shares ticked up on opening, with Germany's Dax <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.GDAXI" type="external">.GDAXI</a>, France's Cac <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.FCHI" type="external">.FCHI</a> and Britain's FTSE <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.FTSE" type="external">.FTSE</a> all about 0.3 percent higher.</p>
<p>The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer listed steps that Washington wants China to take in a letter to Liu He, a newly appointed vice premier who oversees China’s economy.</p>
<p>Signs of talk between the two economic giants allayed fear of an escalating trade war, sparked after U.S. President Donald Trump moved to slap tariffs on Chinese goods, on top of import duties on steel and aluminum, prompting a defiant response from Beijing.</p>
<p>The United States also agreed to exempt South Korea from steel tariffs, imposing instead a quota on steel imports as the two countries renegotiate their trade deal.</p>
<p>South Korea's benchmark share index <a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.KS11" type="external">.KS11</a> rose 0.8 percent.</p>
<p>“If we do start to hear more favorable news from the U.S. administration and indeed from the Chinese side over the next few trading sessions, then we may see a sharp reversal of the recent moves in the market,” said Nick Twidale, chief operating officer at Rakuten Securities Australia.</p>
<p>Still many investors remained cautious given the high level of uncertainty on where any bilateral negotiations may lead.</p>
<p>“Protectionism remains a source of volatility and downside risk for equities,” analysts at JPMorgan said in a note.</p>
<p>“Asia ex-Japan equity outperformance is in part a function of faster growth and capital inflows - both clearly at risk in a trade war.”</p>
<a href="/finance/markets/index?symbol=.SPX" type="external">Standard &amp; Poor's Corp</a> 2588.26 .SPX Chicago Board Options Exchange -55.43 (-2.10%) .SPX .N225 .GDAXI .FCHI .FTSE IN SEARCH OF SAFETY
<p>In the uncertain global economic climate, investors looked to pile into the Japanese yen <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=JPY&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">JPY=</a>, traditionally a safe haven asset thanks to the country's massive current account surplus.</p>
<p>Speculators added short dollar bets to their portfolios, taking the net short position to its highest in more than a year, according to calculations by Reuters and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for the week to March 20.Short yen positions were cut to the smallest since November 2016.</p>
<p>By late Asian trade, the yen had eased slightly from near 16-month highs to 105.08 per dollar while the Australian and New Zealand dollars, a liquid proxy for China plays, staged a welcome rebound.</p>
<p>The Aussie <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=AUD&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">AUD=</a> was up 0.5 percent while the kiwi <a href="/finance/currencies/quote?srcCurr=NZD&amp;destCurr=USD" type="external">NZD=</a> gained 0.8 percent.</p>
<p>The dollar index .DXY tracking the greenback against six other major currencies was near a one-month low at 89.423.</p>
<p>In commodities, international Brent crude futures LCOcv1 opened above $70 per barrel for the first time since January but the gains could not be sustained as the ongoing trade disputes weighed on global markets. [O/R]</p>
<p>Spot gold XAU= was flat at $1,346.8199 an ounce.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Hideyuki Sano in Tokyo; Editing by Eric Meijer and Richard Borsuk</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SINGAPORE/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] has agreed to sell its Southeast Asian business to bigger regional rival Grab, the firms said on Monday, marking the U.S. company’s second retreat from an Asian market.</p>
<p>The industry’s first big consolidation in Southeast Asia, home to about 640 million people, puts pressure on Indonesia’s Go-Jek, which is backed by Alphabet Inc’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GOOGL.O" type="external">GOOGL.O</a>) Google and China’s Tencent Holdings Ltd ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=0700.HK" type="external">0700.HK</a>).</p>
<p>A shake-up in Asia’s fiercely competitive ride-hailing industry became likely earlier this year when Japan-based SoftBank Group Corp’s ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=9984.T" type="external">9984.T</a>) Vision Fund made a multi-billion dollar investment in Uber.</p>
<p>“It was really a very independent decision by both companies,” Grab President Ming Maa told Reuters, adding that SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son was “highly supportive”.</p>
<p>Uber will take a 27.5 percent stake in Singapore-based Grab and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will join Grab’s board. Grab was last valued at an estimated $6 billion.</p>
<p>“It will help us double down on our plans for growth as we invest heavily in our products and technology,” Khosrowshahi said in a statement.</p>
<p>For Grab, the deal will help its meal-delivery service, which will now merge with Uber Eats, compete with Go-Jek, according to a person close to Grab.</p>
<p>Go-Jek is a dominant player in Indonesia, the region’s biggest economy, and has rapidly expanded beyond ride hailing to digital payments, food delivery, on-demand cleaning and massage.</p>
<p>“Go-Jek is such a different app, with different behaviors, it is something I can’t see Grab competing with well in Indonesia for a long time, like at least a year,” said Vinnie Lauria, partner at Southeast Asia’s Golden Gate Ventures.</p>
<p>Ride-hailing companies throughout Asia have relied heavily on discounts and promotions, driving down profit margins and increasing pressure for consolidation.</p>
<p>Uber, which is preparing for a potential initial public offering in 2019, lost $4.5 billion last year and is facing fierce competition as well as a regulatory crackdown in Europe.</p>
<p>Uber invested $700 million in its Southeast Asia business, less than the $2 billion it burned through in China before ceding its operations there to Didi.</p> Slideshow (6 Images) MORE CONSOLIDATION
<p>Uber anticipated making more deals with rivals, but said it had no plans to do another sale in which it consolidates its operations in exchange for a minority stake in a rival.</p>
<p>“It is fair to ask whether consolidation is now the strategy of the day, given this is the third deal of its kind ... The answer is no,” Khosrowshahi said in a note to employees that was shared with Reuters.</p>
<p>“One of the potential dangers of our global strategy is that we take on too many battles across too many fronts and with too many competitors.”</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=GOOGL.O" type="external">Alphabet Inc</a> 1026.55 GOOGL.O Nasdaq +0.00 (+0.00%) GOOGL.O 0700.HK 9984.T
<p>A source familiar with Uber’s strategy said the company was going to step up its battle with Ola in India, another competitive and costly market where rivals have heavily subsidized rides in an effort to gain market share. Uber has close to 60 percent of the market there, by some estimates.</p>
<p>India accounts for more than 10 percent of Uber’s trips globally, but the company is not making money there yet.</p>
<p>“Southeast Asia was really difficult for Uber. In India, that competition is not across so many different fronts,” Lauria said.</p>
<p>Uber previously retreated from China and Russia under former CEO Travis Kalanick. The deal with Grab is the first operations sale by Khosrowshahi, who started in September.</p>
<p>Rajeev Misra, chief executive of SoftBank’s Vision Fund, had urged the company to focus less on Asia and more on profitable markets such as Latin America, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p>
<p>He saw opportunities for mergers and joint ventures between SoftBank-backed ride-hailing companies, particularly for collaborating on R&amp;D, but the investor would never get actively involved with management decisions, the person said.</p>
<p>SoftBank is also one of the main investors in other ride-hailing firms including China’s Didi Chuxing and India’s Ola.</p>
<p>Uber includes the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Latin America among its core markets – regions where it has more than 50 percent market share and is profitable or sees a path to profitability.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-uber-grab-strategy/grab-says-uber-deal-driven-independently-by-firms-has-softbank-support-idUSKBN1H20A8" type="external">Grab says Uber deal driven independently by firms, has SoftBank support</a>
<p>A Grab spokeswoman said all Uber employees in its Southeast Asia operations would be offered employment in Grab.</p>
<p>Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore and Heather Somerville in San Francisco; Writing by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Stephen Coates</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An adult-film actress who claims she had sex with Donald Trump before he was president said on Sunday she had been threatened in 2011 while in a parking lot with her infant daughter to discourage her from discussing the relationship.</p>
<p>Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, told CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that she was on her way to a fitness class with her child when an unknown man approached her, according to a transcript of the interview released on Sunday.</p>
<p>“And a guy walked up on me and said to me, ‘Leave Trump alone. Forget the story.’ And then he leaned around and looked at my daughter and said, ‘That’s a beautiful little girl. It’d be a shame if something happened to her mom.’ And then he was gone,” Daniels said.</p>
<p>Daniels sued the president on March 6, stating Trump never signed an agreement for her to keep quiet about an “intimate” relationship between them.</p>
<p>White House aides did not respond immediately to requests for comment after the interview aired.</p>
<p>Trump did not respond to reporters’ shouted questions about whether he would watch the interview when he returned to the White House from Florida on Sunday evening.</p>
<p>Daniels’ appearance represented back-to-back trouble for Trump after an interview broadcast last week on CNN with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who described a 10-month-long affair with Trump starting in 2006.</p>
<p>Trump would have been married to his wife, Melania, during both the alleged extramarital relationships. The first lady accompanied him this weekend to his Florida golf club. A White House spokeswoman said Melania stayed behind, as is her custom during their son’s school holiday.</p> NOT ATTRACTED
<p>Daniels told “60 Minutes” she and Trump had had sexual relations only once, but that she had seen him on other occasions and he had kept in touch with her.</p> Stormy Daniels, an adult film star and director whose real name is Stephanie Clifford is interviewed by Anderson Cooper of CBS News' 60 Minutes program in early March 2018, in a still image from video provided March 25, 2018. CBSNews/60 MINUTES/Handout via REUTERS.
<p>She said she was not attracted to Trump, who was 60 at the time. Daniels was 27 in 2006.</p>
<p>The White House has denied he had an affair with Daniels, although Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen said he paid her $130,000 of his own money during the 2016 presidential election campaign.</p>
<p>The payment could pose a legal problem. Watchdog groups have filed complaints with the Department of Justice and Federal Election Commission, saying that it may have violated campaign finance law by exceeding the limit on the size of a contribution.</p> Slideshow (3 Images)
<p>Cohen, who has denied that there was an affair, has not explained why he made the payment or said whether Trump was aware of it.</p>
<p>After the interview screened, Cohen’s lawyer Brent Blakely wrote to Daniels’ attorney to say she made false and defamatory comments, “namely that he (Cohen) was responsible for an alleged thug who supposedly visited” and threatened her.</p>
<p>“In truth, Mr. Cohen had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with any such person or incident, and does not even believe that any such person exists, or that such incident ever occurred,” Blakely said in the letter.</p>
<p>Daniels and her attorney would not discuss in the interview whether they had text messages or other materials that might verify her story.</p>
<p>She was asked why she repeatedly signed statements denying the relationship with Trump, and acknowledged that there could be questions about her credibility.</p>
<p>“I felt intimidated and ... honestly bullied. And I didn’t know what to do. And so I signed it,” Daniels said.</p>
<p>Asked why viewers could be confident now that she was telling the truth, she said: “Cause I have no reason to lie. I’m opening myself up for, you know, possible danger, and definitely a whole lot of s***,” she said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Additional reporting by David Lawder, Sarah Lynch, Steve Holland and Jim Oliphant in WASHINGTON, and Karen Freifeld in NEW YORK; Editing by Caren Bohan, Grant McCool and Paul Tait</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | Keys set for brutal test against Kerber, says Davenport Boeing completes Dreamliner family with first 787-10 delivery Stocks rebound as report of U.S.-China trade talks improves mood Uber sells Southeast Asia business to Grab after costly battle Porn star Stormy Daniels says she was threatened to keep silence on Trump: TV interview | false | https://reuters.com/article/us-tennis-ausopen-keys/keys-set-for-brutal-test-against-kerber-says-davenport-idUSKBN1FC0IX | 2018-01-23 | 2 |
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<p>Max Chan Zuckerberg is held by her parents, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Zuckerberg. (Courtesy of Mark Zuckerberg/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO - Talk about birth announcements: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife say they'll devote nearly all their wealth - roughly $45 billion - to solving the world's problems in celebration of their new baby daughter, Max.</p>
<p>Zuckerberg's wife, Priscilla Chan, gave birth to a 7-pound, 8-ounce daughter last week. But the couple didn't put out the news until Tuesday, when Zuckerberg posted it on Facebook, of course.</p>
<p>In the same post, Zuckerberg said he and Chan will, over time, commit 99 percent of their Facebook stockholdings to such causes as fighting disease, improving education and "building strong communities." The couple had previously pledged to give away at least half their assets during their lifetime, but hadn't provided specifics.</p>
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<p>They are forming a new organization, called the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, that will pursue those goals through a combination of charitable donations, private investment and promotion of government-policy reform.</p>
<p>"Like all parents, we want you to grow up in a world better than ours today," the 31-year-old social media mogul and his wife wrote in a letter to their daughter, which they also posted on Facebook.</p>
<p>The announcement stunned the charity world. "It's incredibly impressive and an enormous commitment that really eclipses anything that we've seen in terms of size," said Phil Buchanan, president of the nonprofit Center for Effective Philanthropy.</p>
<p>By comparison, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has an endowment of just over $41 billion, which includes wealth donated by the Microsoft founder and his friend, the businessman Warren Buffett.</p>
<p>The new initiative will be organized as a limited liability company, however, rather than as a nonprofit foundation. "They want the most flexibility and they are going to use a wide variety of activities to achieve their mission," Rachael Horwitz, a Facebook spokeswoman, said via email. "So in that way this is not a foundation nor is it entirely charitable."</p>
<p>The notion of investing money in companies that tackle social issues isn't new, but it has gained more currency among a younger generation of philanthropists, particularly in the tech world.</p>
<p>Zuckerberg has also shown a previous interest in influencing public policy. He led other prominent Silicon Valley figures in forming a group, FWD.us, that lobbied and gave donations to congressional candidates in an unsuccessful effort to promote immigration reforms. Depending on how much of the new effort is devoted to lobbying, it could raise new questions about the influence of money in today's politics, some experts said.</p>
<p>In the letter to their daughter, Zuckerberg and Chan described their goals as "advancing human potential and promoting equality." They added: "We must make long term investments over 25, 50 or even 100 years. The greatest challenges require very long time horizons and cannot be solved by short term thinking."</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>While Zuckerberg promised to release more details in the future, he said the couple will transfer most of their wealth to the initiative "during our lives." The couple will be in charge of the initiative, although Zuckerberg won't be quitting his day job.</p>
<p>"I have a full time job running Facebook," he told The Associated Press in an interview last month, during which he discussed the couple's approach to philanthropy. Of his job at the social network, he added, "I'm going to be doing this for long time."</p>
<p>The Facebook co-founder is one of the world's wealthiest men. He and Chan, a 30-year-old pediatrician, have previously donated $100 million to public schools in Newark, New Jersey, and pledged $120 million to schools in poor communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. They've also given $75 million to the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where Chan did her medical training.</p>
<p>In a statement, Facebook said the couple's plan to transfer their shares over time won't affect his status as controlling shareholder of the company. The company said Zuckerberg has committed to dispose of no more than $1 billion of Facebook stock every year for the next three years.</p>
<p>Zuckerberg and Chan had announced on Facebook last July that they were expecting a daughter, after Chan had three previous miscarriages. Horwitz said the baby was born early last week, but declined to say which day.</p>
<p>"Mom and baby are both healthy and doing well," Horwitz added. Zuckerberg has said he plans to take two months of paternity leave.</p> | Facebook CEO, now a father, will give away most of his money | false | https://abqjournal.com/684146/facebook-ceo-now-a-father-will-give-away-most-of-his-money.html | 2015-12-01 | 2 |
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that North Korea is moving "ever closer" to putting Americans at risk and that he believes leader Kim Jong Un won't rest until he's able to threaten multiple nuclear attacks against the U.S. at the same time.</p>
<p>"North Korea is ever closer to being able to hold America at risk." Pompeo said at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington. "I want everyone to understand that we are working diligently to make sure that a year from now I can still tell you that they are several months away from having that capacity."</p>
<p>Speaking after one year on the job, Pompeo also said the CIA believes Kim would not only use nuclear weapons to stay in power, but to threaten to reunify the divided Korean Peninsula under his totalitarian regime. The quest for reunification is disputed by some North Korean experts who see Kim's nuclear program as primarily a means of retaining power and don't think he would threaten or forcibly try to take over South Korea.</p>
<p>Pompeo said North Korea's nuclear weapons program has developed at a "very rapid clip," but that Kim is hoping for an arsenal of nuclear weapons — "not one, not a showpiece, not something to drive on a parade route."</p>
<p>He wants the ability to deliver nuclear weapons from multiple missiles fired simultaneously. "That increases the risk to America," Pompeo said. It's unclear how well the United States could defend against multiple missiles fired from North Korea at the same time.</p>
<p>Despite his warning, Pompeo doesn't think a North Korean attack on the United States is imminent. He said the Trump administration is "laser-focused" on achieving a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff.</p>
<p>Americans should know that it is working to prepare a series of options so the president has the "full range of possibilities" to address the threat. He wouldn't address the question of whether there are military options available to the U.S. that don't risk an escalation into nuclear war with North Korea.</p>
<p>"There is much effort all across the U.S. government to ensure that Americans don't have to feel at risk," Pompeo said. "We saw what happened in Hawaii. It is an imperative — an American, national imperative — that we as an intelligence agency deliver the information to our senior leaders such that they can resolve this issue in a way that works for the American people."</p>
<p>Earlier this month, a false alarm that a ballistic missile was headed for Hawaii sent the islands into a panic, with people abandoning cars and preparing to flee their homes until officials said the cellphone alert was a mistake.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Matt Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.</p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — CIA Director Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that North Korea is moving "ever closer" to putting Americans at risk and that he believes leader Kim Jong Un won't rest until he's able to threaten multiple nuclear attacks against the U.S. at the same time.</p>
<p>"North Korea is ever closer to being able to hold America at risk." Pompeo said at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank in Washington. "I want everyone to understand that we are working diligently to make sure that a year from now I can still tell you that they are several months away from having that capacity."</p>
<p>Speaking after one year on the job, Pompeo also said the CIA believes Kim would not only use nuclear weapons to stay in power, but to threaten to reunify the divided Korean Peninsula under his totalitarian regime. The quest for reunification is disputed by some North Korean experts who see Kim's nuclear program as primarily a means of retaining power and don't think he would threaten or forcibly try to take over South Korea.</p>
<p>Pompeo said North Korea's nuclear weapons program has developed at a "very rapid clip," but that Kim is hoping for an arsenal of nuclear weapons — "not one, not a showpiece, not something to drive on a parade route."</p>
<p>He wants the ability to deliver nuclear weapons from multiple missiles fired simultaneously. "That increases the risk to America," Pompeo said. It's unclear how well the United States could defend against multiple missiles fired from North Korea at the same time.</p>
<p>Despite his warning, Pompeo doesn't think a North Korean attack on the United States is imminent. He said the Trump administration is "laser-focused" on achieving a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff.</p>
<p>Americans should know that it is working to prepare a series of options so the president has the "full range of possibilities" to address the threat. He wouldn't address the question of whether there are military options available to the U.S. that don't risk an escalation into nuclear war with North Korea.</p>
<p>"There is much effort all across the U.S. government to ensure that Americans don't have to feel at risk," Pompeo said. "We saw what happened in Hawaii. It is an imperative — an American, national imperative — that we as an intelligence agency deliver the information to our senior leaders such that they can resolve this issue in a way that works for the American people."</p>
<p>Earlier this month, a false alarm that a ballistic missile was headed for Hawaii sent the islands into a panic, with people abandoning cars and preparing to flee their homes until officials said the cellphone alert was a mistake.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writer Matt Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.</p> | CIA: North Korea moving 'ever closer' to putting US at risk | false | https://apnews.com/amp/6713084fe65941639287f35f07078fa1 | 2018-01-23 | 2 |
<p>As Europe grapples with the Syrian refugee crisis, Italy continues to rescue thousands of other migrants trying to reach the continent via the Mediterranean sea.&#160;But those fleeing hunger, not wars, like most Africans, are denied documentation and left in limbo.</p>
<p>In Rome, across the street from an auto repair shop, crates of zucchini, potatoes, lettuce and tomatoes are on display at a kind of pop-up market. At the market,&#160;a group of West Africans are showing locals what they can do with a legal permit and fresh milk.</p>
<p>Italian shoppers are asking Saydou, a vender from Gambia, for more of his yogurt. The 26-year-old says he gets giddy when shoppers fight for the remaining jars.</p>
<p />
<p>Seydou places a Barikama label on a jar of yogurt before selling it.&#160; The company logo features a typical African cow with a hump.&#160; It’s become an image that many Roman circles admire and expect.&#160;</p>
<p>Fulvio Paolocci</p>
<p>“For these people, it’s very good, my yogurt is very good. They know the yogurt is better, they know its natural,” he says.</p>
<p>It’s not just natural, or organic, or farm-to-table. This yogurt is a symbol of hope — made, jarred and delivered by a group of West African immigrants. Their business idea came from far away — via a dangerous route.</p>
<p>“[The yogurt traveled] from Gambia to Senegal, from Senegal to Mali, from Mali to Niger, from Niger to Libya and from Libya to Italy,” he says.</p>
<p />
<p>Barikama yogurt makers pour milk through a sifter before boiling it to make their yogurt.&#160; The coop produces 200 liters each week at a small cost, thanks to a generous Roman farmer who lends them his cheese lab for free.</p>
<p>Fulvio Paolocci</p>
<p>Seydou traveled 3,000 miles across the desert and sea to get to Italy,&#160;a country that pretty much allows African immigrants to do one job — brutal agricultural labor. But seven years later, he’s part of a successful cooperative: African yogurt delivered to homes, markets and restaurants on bicycles.</p>
<p>The founder of the operation is Suleman Diara. He’s the one who saw the opportunity, and put a skinny African cow on a yogurt label.</p>
<p>“The project was called Barikama, which means ‘resilient,’” he says. "Resilient because it began with two people, and two liters of milk a week. When we reached 200 liters a week, we decided to call ourselves Barikama, because we had potential to grow. We got this far, facing all these problems, and we believe we can resist, grow and help other people.”</p>
<p />
<p>Handwritten notes on the point of acidity at which milk turns into yogurt.&#160; Temperature and time determine the final quality of the yogurt.</p>
<p>Fulvio Paolocci</p>
<p>Diara says his first years in Italy were harsh. Like thousands of others who came undocumented, he fell prey to agricultural exploitation in Italy’s south, picking mandarins for $0.05 a case.</p>
<p>He ended up in Rosarno, a town with a bad reputation for violence against immigrants. Saydou was also there, and other Africans who became the Barikama team.</p>
<p>Now they gather in a tiny dairy lab near a lake, in the very pretty Roman countryside. When I went to see them, two of Suleman’s partners are on shift. Cheikh, who is from Senegal, is dressed in full cheese factory garb along with rings and bracelets. There is also someone working named Ismael, from Benin. He’s a soft-spoken accountant with wide glasses that keep steaming up from the heat.</p>
<p>Cheikh pours organic milk into a steel tank and Ismael stirs it with a big wooden spoon. They say this yogurt has changed their lives.</p>
<p>“We are really happy to carry on with this project because we are independent now,” Ismael says. “We don’t have to beg anyone, and we are free to organize our own work without exploitation. We understand each other and we do everything together.”</p>
<p />
<p>Cheikh Diop in the foreground and Ismael pass time as they wait for the recycled jars to sterilize with steam. Making yogurt can take up to 10 hours.</p>
<p>Fulvio Paolocci</p>
<p>Ismael says he had a good job in Italy. But he got laid-off and lost his permit to stay. He went under the radar and kept working so he could support his family back in Benin. He became a day laborer in Rosarno.</p>
<p>Cheikh found his way to the yogurt business via the soccer&#160;pitch. He had a visa to audition with a professional soccer team, but didn’t make the cut. Then, rather than going home empty-handed, he stayed and picked tomatoes in Rosarno — a time he remembers bitterly.</p>
<p>“Those who know Rosarno know it’s a racist place,” he says. “If an African buys an espresso at a cafe, they give it to you in a plastic cup. [But], they serve it to white people in a proper espresso cup. You can’t walk around at night, because people throw rocks at you, and drivers slam the doors of their cars open to hit you. Total racism."</p>
<p>In Rosarno, migrants live in shacks without running water. They work 12 hours a day for no more than $25. And a big chunk of it goes to local recruiters.</p>
<p>African day laborers, who flee their countries to escape poverty, swarm the Italian coast and countryside without a chance of ever obtaining asylum. Experts say Italy treats them as if they were a problem, but farm owners are perfectly happy to exploit them as cheap labor.</p>
<p />
<p>Barikama co-founder Seydou Baldeh from Gambia delivers yogurt on a bike to an ethical buyers group in Rome. They keep the yogurt cool in black styrofoam boxes that empty out fast.</p>
<p>Fulvio Paolocci</p>
<p>Suleman says the Italian system is totally unfair. But Italian people, for the most part, have been supportive.</p>
<p>“Everything I lived through was bad, but also good, because I really understood the meaning of humanity: Always try to help the other, and give support to someone who doesn’t have your same opportunities,” he says.</p>
<p>Like the woman who sponsored their first batch of milk, or the farmer who offers his professional dairy lab for free — not to mention the passionate yogurt customers — Suleman says it’s all about Barikama — resilience.</p> | In Italy's markets, this popular yogurt made by migrants tastes great, and has a side of resilience and hope | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-10-12/italys-markets-popular-yogurt-made-migrants-tastes-great-and-has-side-resilience | 2015-10-12 | 3 |
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159698001X/ref=ase_wwweppcorg-20/104-6284162-7691931?s=books&amp;v=glance&amp;n=283155&amp;tagActionCode=wwweppcorg-20" type="external">The Heritage Guide to the Constitution</a>, edited by Edwin Meese III, Matthew Spalding, and David Forte (Regnery, 475 pp., $35)</p>
<p>The political combat over President Bush’s nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court reflects an underlying battle over the meaning of the Constitution and the power of the judiciary. The major combatants in this jurisprudential battle are originalists, on one hand, and advocates of the “living Constitution,” on the other.</p>
<p>In much the same way that Molière’s character was delighted to discover that he had been speaking in prose all his life without knowing it, most Americans would be surprised to discover that they are originalists. Even some ardent critics of “originalism” haven’t the slightest understanding of what they are criticizing: In a recent debate on the Alito nomination, a lefty law professor arguing against me ridiculously charged that originalists seek a return to the original 1787 Constitution, without any of the amendments, “not even the Bill of Rights!” An anti-Alito editorial in the Boston Globe hinged on a similar mistake.</p>
<p>The term “originalism” merely identifies the traditional, common-sense principle that the meaning of the various provisions of the Constitution — yes, including all those amendments — is to be determined in accordance with the sense they bore at the time they were adopted. This principle, which inheres in the very nature of the Constitution as law, is readily grasped outside the realm of contentious political issues. Virtually everyone will intuitively understand, for example, that the only sensible way to determine what it means to be a “natural born Citizen” — a criterion of eligibility for the presidency — is to look to the sense of that phrase at the time it was adopted.</p>
<p>We originalists understand the Constitution to have created a scheme of representative government in which the vast bulk of decisions are, for better or worse, made by the people through their elected representatives. Judges, under an originalist perspective, can legitimately intervene to override a legislative enactment only when the enactment violates the original meaning of a constitutional provision.</p>
<p>Originalist jurisprudence does not provide an easy answer to every constitutional question, for originalists will differ among themselves on the scope of the rules and principles set forth in the Constitution as well as on subsidiary methodological questions. But originalism provides an objective — and, we originalists maintain, the only legitimate — measure of what the Constitution actually means.</p>
<p>Proponents of the “living Constitution,” by contrast, maintain, at bottom, that the Constitution means whatever five justices want it to mean. This plasticity is necessary, they claim, in order for our society to adapt to changing circumstances. But this claim ignores the broader play that originalism gives to the democratic processes to adapt policies to new conditions. And, by entrenching current policy preferences in the Constitution, the “living Constitution” approach deprives future generations of the very adaptability that it vaunts.</p>
<p>The “living Constitution” is a deceptive euphemism, not a coherent theory. Though intellectually bankrupt, its approach is politically powerful because it promises — and has delivered — results. For decades now, the Left has won through the courts undeserved victories — on matters like abortion, radical secularism, and obscenity — that it could not possibly have won through the political processes. The more unpopular its agenda (same-sex marriage, anyone?), the more dependent it is on judicial usurpation.</p>
<p>The “living Constitution” was regnant in 1985 when Ed Meese, President Reagan’s attorney general, launched an intellectual campaign for the revival of the orthodoxy of originalism. More than two decades later, the battle for originalism continues — and so do Meese’s tremendous contributions to that battle. President Bush’s appointments of Roberts and Alito, both products of the Reagan Justice Department, promise to bolster the cause of originalism on the Court. And, under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation, Meese, together with Matthew Spalding and David Forte, has compiled a comprehensive explanation of the original meaning of every line of the Constitution.</p>
<p>The Heritage Guide to the Constitution is an invaluable reference work that anyone interested in learning more about the Constitution should have on his bookshelf. It consists primarily of a couple hundred or so brief essays — the vast majority no more than a page or two in length — on every clause or subclause in the Constitution. Each essay attempts to explain the original meaning of the provision that it addresses as well as to set forth the current state of the law on that provision. Each essay also sets forth, where appropriate, cross-references to other relevant provisions in the Constitution, citations to legal materials for further exploration, and a list of significant cases.</p>
<p>More than 100 experts — mostly law professors but also academics from a variety of other fields as well as a smattering of judges and lawyers — have contributed the essays. The essays are clearly written, concise, and highly informative. They are scholarly and dispassionate, not polemical. The Heritage Guide also contains three brief and elegant introductory essays by the editors — one by Meese on basic constitutional principles, one by Spalding on the history of the Constitutional Convention, and one by Forte on originalism.</p>
<p>Anyone doing serious research on a question of constitutional law will find the Heritage Guide an excellent starting point. But the book is also a pleasure to browse, as the casual reader can bounce from topics like the Recess Appointments Clause to Treason to the Rights Retained by the People. The fact that less than one-fourth of the book relates to constitutional amendments may also serve to remind the modern reader, who too often hears about little other than the Bill of Rights and some generalized, nontextual right of privacy, that the real genius of the Constitution, the greatest guarantee of our liberties, lies in its scheme of separated powers.</p>
<p>My one modest complaint about the Heritage Guide is that more thought could have been devoted to making it easier to navigate. The Constitution at the front serves as a sort of table of contents, but the sidebar headings don’t match the essay headings and don’t include any references to page numbers. As a result, finding an essay on a particular provision is more cumbersome than it needs to be. Even this defect, though, has the upside that the search can turn into an enjoyable frolic and detour, as the reader runs across obscure constitutional provisions that pique his interest.</p>
<p>Overall, the Heritage Guide is a grand achievement. Let’s hope that its originalist explanations have increasing influence as changes in the composition of the Supreme Court offer the prospect of greater conformity between Supreme Court case law and the actual Constitution.</p>
<p>— Mr. Whelan, a former law clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia, is president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and a regular contributor to National Review Online’s Bench Memos blog on judicial nominations.</p> | What It Says | false | https://eppc.org/publications/what-it-says/ | 1 |
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<p>Political events in Iraq are seldom what they seem. The hand- over by the US military of control of Anbar province, once the heartland of the Sunni rebellion, to Iraqi forces is a case in point. The US will keep 25,000 American soldiers in Anbar, so the extent to which the Iraqi government will really take over is debatable. But the future of Anbar is a crucial pointer to the fate of Iraq. It is a vast area and one of the few parts of Iraq that is overwhelmingly Sunni.</p>
<p>The Iraqi government is dominated by Shia Islamic parties in alliance with Kurdish nationalists. The vital question now is whether or not this Shia-dominated government can reassure the Sunni minority that they are not going to be overrun as the US withdraws its forces. The Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, is in a very confident mood. In the past four months he feels he has successfully faced down the Shia militiamen of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army by taking back control of Basra, Sadr City and Amarah. Then he refused to sign a new security accord with the US which President George Bush wanted to see agreed by&#160; August 31.</p>
<p>In the past few weeks he has been confronting his Kurdish allies over the future of the oil city of Kirkuk and the town of Khanaqin.</p>
<p>Mr Maliki may be overplaying his hand but there is no doubt that the Iraqi state is becoming more powerful in Iraq and the Mahdi Army, the Americans and the Kurds less so. The Americans in particular feel that he exaggerates the extent to which his success against the Mahdi Army was because of the new strength of the Iraqi security forces.</p>
<p>These troops were doing badly until they received American support. Nevertheless, Mr Maliki’s position is strong. He seems to have realized that he may need the US, but the US also cannot do without him and is in no position to replace him as it did with his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari.</p>
<p>Much of what the White House is now doing is done to help the Republicans in the presidential election. The aim is to give the impression that Iraq has finally come right for the US and victory is finally in its grasp. The surge is promoted as the strategy by which the tide was turned and it is true that the Sunni uprising against the US occupation has largely ended.</p>
<p>But it has done so for reasons that have little to do with the surge or American actions of any kind. Crucial to the success of the government against the Mahdi Army has been the support of Iran. It is they who arranged for the Shia militiamen to go home.</p>
<p>It takes real cheek for Mr Bush to claim yesterday that “Anbar is no longer lost to al-Qa’ida” since during the last presidential election in 2004, he was claiming that the media was exaggerating the success of the insurgents.</p>
<p>PATRICK COCKBURN is the Ihe author of “ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1416551476/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Muqtada: Muqtada Al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | The Fake U.S. Victory in Iraq | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/09/03/the-fake-u-s-victory-in-iraq/ | 2008-09-03 | 4 |
<p>While Scott Walker was beating back a drive to recall him as Wisconsin’s governor, President Obama was basically missing in action.</p>
<p>He did send a tweet on behalf of Walker’s Democratic challenger, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, but never set foot in the state.</p>
<p>In a video interview with The Daily Beast, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said the Obama team had worked hard to defeat Walker before Tuesday’s voting.</p>
<p>“The president used his e-mail list to try to turn the vote out, so he did what he could to be helpful,” he said. When I noted that a presidential visit would have had far more impact, he maintained that Obama “has a lot on his plate.”</p>
<p>Pfeiffer claimed to be unruffled that Bill Clinton has undercut Obama’s message twice in recent days, most recently with a CNBC interview Tuesday in which the former president said all the Bush tax cuts should be extended temporarily at year’s end. Obama wants to end the reduced rates for the most affluent taxpayers.</p>
<p>“His office put out a statement later that clarified exactly what he meant, which is that he and the president are in exactly the same place,” Pfeiffer said. He did not argue when I said both sides were trying to clean up the mess that Clinton made. “They’re not going to agree on everything, of course not,” he said, adding that Clinton remains a valuable campaign asset.</p>
<p>The spokesman offered a new response to Republican criticism that Obama is spending too much time hanging out with Hollywood celebrities.</p>
<p>His name is Donald Trump. And the strategy includes a sharp swipe at Fox News.</p>
<p>I asked Pfeiffer about complaints that Obama’s dinners with the likes of George Clooney and Sarah Jessica Parker (who just made a campaign ad) conveyed the impression that the president is spending too time with the Hollywood gliteratti.</p>
<p>“There’s an irony there, since the Republican standard-bearer just spent a full day hanging around with the New York glitterati, Donald Trump”—who, he added, has been peddling “these conspiracy theories about the president’s birth.”</p>
<p>Interesting pivot, so I followed up by asking who Press Secretary Jay Carney had in mind when he accused certain media organizations of “aiding and abetting” the birther types. The answer: Fox News.</p>
<p>“There is no question that a lot of the myths around the president have been perpetuated by a lot of the opinion shows on Fox,” Pfeiffer told me. “Some of them originate on things like Fox &amp; Friends.” But, he added, “there’s also a lot of responsible journalism that happens from the White House reporters who cover Fox every day.”</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
<p>A speedy, smart summary of all the news you need to know (and nothing you don't).</p>
<p>Has the administration complained about birther views being aired by guests on the network?</p>
<p>Pfeiffer turned diplomatic, saying that during his five years working for Obama “we’ve been in an ongoing conversation with Fox about what goes on the air and what doesn’t.”</p>
<p>He struck an optimistic note on negotiations with the GOP over stopping an automatic doubling of the interest rate on student loans, saying the two sides were “making progress” now that the other side has moved to “less odious proposals.” But Pfeiffer’s turn-the-other-cheek approach didn’t last long: “This is a Republican House that’s in the thrall of the Tea Party and the far right.”</p> | Why Was Obama MIA in Wisconsin? | true | https://thedailybeast.com/why-was-obama-mia-in-wisconsin | 2018-10-02 | 4 |
<p>SYDNEY (Reuters) - A drone rescued two swimmers off an Australian beach on Thursday, a world first for the fast-developing technology that seems perfectly suited to saving lives at sea, authorities said.</p>
<p>The rescue took place as life savers at Lennox Head, a beach popular with surfers south of the city of Brisbane, were preparing for a training session on using drones to pull swimmers to safety.</p>
<p>The practice turned into a real rescue when someone noticed that two men swimming outside safety flags were in trouble in a three-meter (10-foot) swell, the government said in a statement.</p>
<p>Lifeguards launched the drone, steered it towards the swimmers and dropped a “rescue pod” into the water, where it expanded so the swimmers could grab it and swim to shore.</p>
<p>“Never before has a drone fitted with a flotation device been used to rescue swimmers like this,” said John Barilaro, the deputy premier of New South Wales state.</p>
<p>The rescue took just 70 seconds. The two swimmers were exhausted but unharmed.</p>
<p>Barilaro said the state government had invested A$430,000 ($343,000) in a trial of drone technology in December.</p>
<p>Australia, most of whose 24 million live on the coast, had 291 drownings in the year to June 30, a small increase over the previous year but a decline on a per capita basis, according to the Royal Life Saving Society.</p>
<p>Forty people have drowned in the 2017/18 summer, down from 69 at the same time last year, the group said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Robert Birsel</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Western powers said on Saturday their missile attacks struck at the heart of Syria’s chemical weapons program, but the restrained assault appeared unlikely to halt Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s progress in the 7-year-old civil war.</p>
<p>The United States, France and Britain launched 105 missiles overnight in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack in Syria a week ago, targeting what the Pentagon said were three chemical weapons facilities, including a research and development center in Damascus’ Barzeh district and two installations near Homs.</p>
<p>The bombing was the biggest intervention by Western countries against Assad and his superpower ally Russia, but the three countries said the strikes were limited to Syria’s chemical weapons capabilities and not aimed at toppling Assad or intervening in the civil war.</p>
<p>The air attack, denounced by Damascus and its allies as an illegal act of aggression, was unlikely to alter the course of a multisided war that has killed at least half a million people.</p>
<p>U.S. President Donald Trump called the operation a success.</p>
<p>He proclaimed on Twitter: “Mission accomplished,” echoing former President George W. Bush, whose use of the same phrase in 2003 to describe the U.S. invasion of Iraq was widely ridiculed as violence there dragged on for years.</p>
<p>“We believe that by hitting Barzeh, in particular, we’ve attacked the heart of the Syrian chemicals weapon program,” U.S. Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie said at the Pentagon.</p>
<p>However, McKenzie acknowledged elements of the program remain and he could not guarantee that Syria would be unable to conduct a chemical attack in the future.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-sarin/u-s-official-says-information-points-to-sarin-chlorine-use-in-syria-attack-idUSKBN1HL172" type="external">U.S. official says 'information' points to sarin, chlorine use in Syria attack</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idlib/france-warns-of-humanitarian-disaster-in-syrian-city-idlib-idUSKBN1HL1C2" type="external">France warns of humanitarian disaster in Syrian city Idlib</a>
<a href="/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-un/russia-fails-in-u-n-bid-to-condemn-u-s-led-strikes-on-syria-idUSKBN1HL0S9" type="external">Russia fails in U.N. bid to condemn U.S.-led strikes on Syria</a>
<p>The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that Trump told her that if Syria uses poisonous gas again, “The United States is locked and loaded.”</p>
<p>The Western countries said the strikes were aimed at preventing more Syrian chemical weapons attacks after a suspected poison gas attack in Douma on April 7 killed up to 75 people. They blame Assad’s government for the attack.</p>
<p>In Washington, a senior administration official said on Saturday that “while the available information is much greater on the chlorine use, we do have significant information that also points to sarin use” in the attack.</p>
<p>Speaking at a summit in Peru, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence seemed less sure of the use of sarin, saying that Washington may well determine that it was used along with chlorine.</p> ASSAD ‘RESILIENCE’
<p>Ten hours after the missiles hit, smoke was still rising from the remains of five destroyed buildings of the Syrian Scientific Research Center in Barzeh, where a Syrian employee said medical components were developed.</p>
<p>There were no immediate reports of casualties.</p>
<p>Syria released video of the wreckage of a bombed-out research lab, but also of Assad arriving at work as usual, with the caption “Morning of resilience”.</p>
<p>Late on Saturday Syria time, a large explosion was heard in a Syrian government-controlled area in a rural region south of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory said the cause of the explosion was unknown, as well as its target.</p>
<p>Russian and Iranian military help over the past three years has allowed Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him.</p>
<p>The United States, Britain and France have all participated in the Syrian conflict for years, arming rebels, bombing Islamic State fighters and deploying troops on the ground to fight that group. But they have refrained from targeting Assad’s government, apart from a volley of U.S. missiles last year.</p>
<p>Although the Western countries have all said for seven years that Assad must leave power, they held back in the past from striking his government, lacking a wider strategy to defeat him.</p>
<p>Syria and its allies also made clear that they considered the attack a one-off, unlikely to do meaningful harm to Assad.</p>
<p>A senior official in a regional alliance that backs Damascus told Reuters the sites that were targeted had been evacuated days ago thanks to a warning from Russia.</p>
<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the strikes were “unacceptable and lawless.”</p>
<p>Syrian state media called them a “flagrant violation of international law,” while Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called it a crime and the Western leaders criminals.</p>
<p>Russia had promised to respond to any attack on its ally, but the Pentagon said no Russian air defense systems were used. Syria fired 40 unguided surface-to-air missiles - but only after the Western strikes had ended, the Pentagon said.</p>
<p>“We are confident that all of our missiles reached their targets,” McKenzie said.</p>
<p>British Prime Minister Theresa May described the strike as “limited and targeted,” with no intention of toppling Assad or intervening more widely in the war.</p>
<p>Washington described the strike targets as a center near Damascus for the research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological weapons; a chemical weapons storage site near the city of Homs; and another site near Homs that stored chemical weapons equipment and housed a command post.</p>
<p>The Pentagon said there had been chemical weapons agents at one of the targets, and that the strikes had significantly crippled Syria’s ability to produce such weapons.</p>
<p>Trump spoke to May and French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss results of the strikes, the leaders’ offices said.</p> A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer, deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, launches a strike as part of the multinational response to Syria's use of chemical weapons is seen in this image from Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar released on April 14, 2018. U.S. Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
<p>U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all Security Council members to exercise restraint and avoid escalation in Syria, but said allegations of chemical weapons use demand an investigation.</p>
<p>In Sydney, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull urged Russia to drop its “pretence” that Syria was not behind the chemical attack on Douma and use its influence to force the Assad government to destroy its chemical weapons.&#160;</p>
<p>“Russia has used its position as a member of the United Nations Security Council to veto resolutions designed to ensure that this chemical weapons crime is thoroughly investigated and cannot be repeated,” he told a news conference on Sunday.</p>
<p>“It should stop all the denial and the pretence that it wasn’t an action by the Syrian government and ensure that the chemical weapons are destroyed, that the ability of the regime to use chemical weapons is eliminated and that this type of criminal conduct does not occur again.”</p> WEAPONS INSPECTIONS
<p>Inspectors from the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW were due to try to visit Douma on Saturday to inspect the site of the suspected gas attack. Moscow condemned the Western states for refusing to wait for their findings.</p>
<p>Russia, whose relations with the West have deteriorated to levels of Cold War-era hostility, has denied any gas attack took place in Douma and even accused Britain of staging it to whip up anti-Russian hysteria.</p>
<p>The Western countries took precautions to avoid unexpected conflict with Russia. French Defence Minister Florence Parly said Russians was warned beforehand to avert conflict.</p> Slideshow (18 Images)
<p>Dmitry Belik, a Russian member of parliament who was in Damascus and witnessed the strikes, told Reuters: “The attack was more of a psychological nature rather than practical. Luckily there are no substantial losses or damages.”</p>
<p>In Douma, site of the suspected gas attack, the last buses were due on Saturday to transport out rebels and their families who agreed to surrender the town, state TV reported. That effectively ends all resistance in the suburbs of Damascus known as eastern Ghouta, marking one of the biggest victories for Assad’s government of the war.</p>
<p>The Western assault involved more missiles than a U.S. attack last year but struck targets limited to Syria’s chemical weapons facilities. The U.S. intervention last year had effectively no impact on the war.</p>
<p>Syria agreed in 2013 to give up its chemical weapons after a nerve gas attack killed hundreds of people in Douma. Damascus is still permitted to have chlorine for civilian use, although its use as a weapon is banned. Allegations of Assad’s chlorine use have been frequent during the war although, unlike nerve agents, chlorine did not produce mass casualties as seen last week.</p>
<p>Reporting by Phil Stewart and Tom Perry; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Idrees Ali, Yara Bayoumy, Matt Spetalnick and Joel Schectman in Washington; Michelle Nichols in New York; Samia Nakhoul, Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Ellen Francis and Angus McDowall in Beirut; Kinda Makieh in Barzeh; Michael Holden and Guy Faulconbridge in London; and Jean-Baptiste Vey, Geert de Clercq and Matthias Blamont in Paris; Polina Ivanova in Moscow; Alison Bevege in Sydney; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Yara Bayoumy, Alistair Bell and Clarence Fernandez</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Sunday that the legal basis used to support British air strikes in Syria was debatable, adding that he would only support action backed by the United Nations Security Council.</p> Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks at the launch of their local election campaign, in London, April 9, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
<p>“I say to the foreign secretary, I say to the prime minister, where is the legal basis for this?” Corbyn said.</p>
<p>“The legal basis ... would have to be self defense or the authority of the UN Security Council. The humanitarian intervention is a legally debatable concept at the present time,” he said in an interview with the BBC.</p>
<p>Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, writing by William James,; Editing by Alexander Smith</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told a group of Russian lawmakers on Sunday that Western missile strikes on his country were an act of aggression, Russian news agencies reported.</p> FILE PHOTO - Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visit the Hmeymim air base in Latakia Province, Syria December 11, 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/ via REUTERS/File Photo
<p>Russian lawmakers met with Assad after the United States, France and Britain launched missile strikes on Syria in retaliation for a suspected poison gas attack a week ago.</p>
<p>Russian news agencies quoted the lawmakers as saying Assad was in a “good mood” and had praised the Soviet-era air defense systems used by Syria to help to repel the Western attacks.</p>
<p>The supply of Russian air defense systems was not discussed, agencies reported, but Assad accepted an invitation to visit the Siberian region of Khanty-Mansi in Russia. It was not clear when the visit would take place.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Jane Merriman</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>(Reuters) - Starbucks Chief Executive Kevin Johnson apologized late on Saturday for the arrests of two black men at a Philadelphia coffee shop last week, which sparked accusations of racial profiling.</p> FILE PHOTO - Kevin Johnson delivers remarks at the Starbucks 2016 Investor Day in Manhattan, New York, U.S., December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
<p>Promising to make everything right, Johnson promised a thorough investigation of the incident caught on video by a patron Thursday and shared widely online.</p>
<p>The men were accused of trespassing but have said they were waiting for a friend before ordering.</p>
<p>“The video shot by customers is very hard to watch and the actions in it are not representative of our Starbucks mission and values,” Johnson said in a statement.</p>
<p>He added, “The basis for the call to the Philadelphia police department was wrong.”</p>
<p>Philadelphia’s police commissioner on Saturday defended the arrest, saying his officers had to act after Starbucks employees told them the pair were trespassing.</p>
<p>Video of Thursday’s incident showed other patrons telling officers the pair were doing nothing wrong and appeared to have been targeted merely because of their race.</p>
<p>Police Commissioner Richard Ross said he knew the incident had prompted a lot of concern, but said his officers “did absolutely nothing wrong.”</p>
<p>In a video statement, Ross said store employees called 911 to report a disturbance and trespassing.</p>
<p>When officers arrived, Ross said, staff told them the two men had wanted to use the restroom but were informed it was only for paying customers. The pair repeatedly refused to leave when politely asked to do so by the employees and officers, he said.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">Starbucks Corp</a> 59.24 SBUX.O Nasdaq -0.19 (-0.32%) SBUX.O
<p>“If you think about it logically, that if a business calls and they say that someone is here that I no longer wish to be in my business, they (the officers) now have a legal obligation to carry out their duties. And they did just that,” Ross said.</p>
<p>“They were professional in all their dealings with these gentlemen, and instead they got the opposite back.”</p>
<p>Ross said that as an African-American man he was acutely aware of implicit bias. “We are committed to fair and unbiased policing and anything less than that will not be tolerated in this department,” he said.</p>
<p>The two men were released, Ross said, after officers learned Starbucks was “no longer interested” in prosecuting them.</p>
<p>In a post on Twitter earlier on Saturday, Starbucks Corp ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=SBUX.O" type="external">SBUX.O</a>) said it was sorry for what took place.</p>
<p>Johnson added his apology, saying the company would review its policies and “further train our partners to better know when police assistance is warranted.”</p>
<p>Melissa DePino, an author who posted video of the arrest, said staff called police because the two men had not ordered anything while waiting for a friend. She said white customers were “wondering why it’s never happened to us when we do the same thing.”</p>
<p>Police departments across the United States have come under criticism for repeated instances of killing unarmed black men in recent years, which activists blame on racial biases in the criminal justice system.</p>
<p>Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by David Gregorio and Clarence Fernandez</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | Drone rescues swimmers in Australia in world first U.S. says air strikes cripple Syria chemical weapons program Legal basis for British strikes in Syria debatable: opposition leader Syria's Assad tells Russian lawmakers Western strikes were act of aggression: agencies Starbucks chief executive apologizes for arrests of two black men | false | https://reuters.com/article/us-australia-drone-rescue/drone-rescues-swimmers-in-australia-in-world-first-idUSKBN1F70ZR | 2018-01-18 | 2 |
<p>From SD Union-Tribune:</p>
<p>California Attorney General Kamala Harris said Thursday that her office was reviewing a new report that found most residential mortgages in foreclosure in San Francisco are missing documents or signatures or otherwise violate the law.</p>
<p>More than 80 percent of the loans examined at the order of San Francisco Assessor-Recorder Phil Ting contained such errors, according to the report.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/16/calif-ag-to-review-findings-on-sf-foreclosures/" type="external">(Read Full Article)</a></p>
<p>Photo courtesy of Steve Rhodes, flickr</p> | Calif. AG to review findings on SF foreclosures | false | http://capoliticalreview.com/trending/calif-ag-to-review-findings-on-sf-foreclosures/ | 2012-02-17 | 1 |
<p>MALIBU, Calif. (ABP) — The Bible plays a starring role in " <a href="http://thebookofeli.warnerbros.com/" type="external">The Book of Eli</a>," a post-apocalyptic action film starring Denzel Washington that opened in theaters Jan. 15.</p>
<p>Washington, a two-time Academy Award winner widely known in Hollywood for his Christian beliefs, portrays a lone warrior making his way across a desolate American landscape defending the world's last remaining copy of the King James Version of holy writ.</p>
<p>"This is a story about a man named Eli, who's been sent a message, who hears voices from God that told him to take this book, the Bible, across the country and to deliver it out West," Washington says in a movie trailer posted on <a href="http://www.screenvue.com/Default.aspx" type="external">ScreenVue.com</a>, which provides movie clips for churches and ministries to use in their teachings.</p>
<p>Though in the vein of recent films like " <a href="http://www.whowillsurvive2012.com/" type="external">2012</a>," a blockbuster about the end of the world as predicted by the Mayan calendar, evangelical movie buffs are touting "The Book of Eli" as a rare major studio release where the protagonist is unabashedly a Christian.</p>
<p />
<p>"How far are we willing to go in response to God's call?" Craig Detweiler, director of Pepperdine University's Center for Entertainment, Media and Culture, writes in a <a href="http://www.screenvue.com/eli/" type="external">study guide</a> written for Christian viewers of the film. "What kind of sacrifices would we make to defend the Word of God?"</p>
<p>The movie, which has Washington's character facing down villains trying to stop him, earned an "R" rating for graphic violence and coarse language.</p>
<p>"In following his mission he's been given by God, he becomes more and more violent in order to get the job done," Washington explains in the trailer. "This man, Eli, has a very difficult task, but he has faith. And he makes mistakes, as we all do. Someone said there's no testimony without a test."</p>
<p>The movie's hard edge may give some religious moviegoers pause. Angela Walker, director of producer relations for ChristianCinema.com, <a href="http://christianmovienews.com/violence-and-language-in-the-book-of-eli/" type="external">wrote</a> that she pondered the movie's objectionable content for a month after seeing an advance screening before deciding the film's spiritual themes were redeeming qualities.</p>
<p>"Personally, I want to support filmmakers who explore questions of faith in their films," she wrote. "For me, choosing to see this film is casting a vote for Hollywood filmmakers to keep making films about faith. It is telling them I will buy tickets to films they create about topics I'm interested in."</p>
<p>Detweiler pointed out that no words of profanity come from Washington's mouth. "He is clearly set apart as a holy character on a godly mission," he said. "So he acts as one would hope a man of God would act."</p>
<p>While Washington's character does resort to violence, Detweiler said, it is always in self-defense against another character's aggression.</p>
<p>"It seems comparable to the situation most of us find ourselves in — trying to follow God in a fallen world where profanity, violence and temptation is all around us," Detweiler said.</p>
<p>Screenwriter Gary Whitta told ChristianCinema.com that he spent a lot of time going through the Bible to find passages that Eli could quote at appropriate moments in the film. Washington, the son of a Pentecostal preacher who attends the <a href="http://webtv.westa.org/" type="external">West Angeles Church of God in Christ</a> in Los Angeles, added some verses of his own.</p>
<p>Washington — <a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/The-12-Most-Powerful-Christians-in-Hollywood.aspx?p=3" type="external">ranked</a> by Beliefnet as the second most powerful Christian in Hollywood behind Mel Gibson — described "The Book of Eli" as both "a story about faith" and "a story about good and evil" with parallels to real life.</p>
<p>"We're all a work in progress," he said in the trailer. "I think we're all on a journey on this earth to be better human beings and to hopefully follow the Word of God. That's about all any of us can ask for is to do the best we can with what we're given."</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Bob Allen</a> is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.</p> | Bible is major theme in new film | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/bibleismajorthemeinnewfilm/ | 3 |
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<p>The family of 6-year-old Jacob Hall are praying that he will pull through after being shot at his elementary school in Townville, South Carolina.</p>
<p>Jacob, who is currently on life support, lost 75 percent of his blood from a bullet that pierced his femoral artery, the boy’s older brothers, Rodger Dale Hall and Gerald Gambroll, said. Still their family has not given up hope that the young boy will bounce back and wake up.</p>
<p>“I'll never give up because I know he won't give up,” Hall told NBC News.</p>
<p>Jacob was shot at Townville Elementary School on Wednesday after a 14-year-old boy entered the playground area and opened fire. Two others were wounded in the shooting, another boy and a female teacher.</p>
<p>Jacob was rushed to Greenville Health System Children’s Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries after going into cardiac arrest.</p>
<p>Related: <a href="" type="internal">Six-Year-Old Jacob Hall in 'Fight for His Life'</a></p>
<p>Both brothers were at work when they found out the news. Gambroll said he broke down after hearing his mother describe what happened to Jacob. His boss agreed to drive him to the hospital. Hall said news of the shooting came up on the radio as he rushed to meet up with the rest of the family. He added that he couldn't believe that when the radio hosts asked listeners to pray for the family of the victims, it meant they were talking about him.</p>
<p>“You hear stuff like that on the radio but it is never you,” Hall said. "It's a big difference when you pray for other families and you [are] being prayed for."</p>
<p>His brothers describe Jacob as deeply loyal to his faith, “a God-fearing kid” who loved school so much he’d cry if he couldn’t go to class. Jacob was known as the brains of the family, they added. The brothers couldn't stand the idea of the little boy not growing up to his full potential.</p>
<p>“We stand by each other, that is what brothers do,” Hall said.</p> | Townville School Shooting: 6-Year-Old Victim’s Family Will ‘Never Give Up’ | false | http://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/townville-school-shooting-6-year-old-victim-s-family-will-n657726 | 2016-10-01 | 3 |
<p>HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Friday afternoon's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Pick 2 Day" game were:</p>
<p>7-5, Wild:</p>
<p>(seven, five; Wild: zero)</p>
<p>HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Friday afternoon's drawing of the Pennsylvania Lottery's "Pick 2 Day" game were:</p>
<p>7-5, Wild:</p>
<p>(seven, five; Wild: zero)</p> | Winning numbers drawn in 'Pick 2 Day' game | false | https://apnews.com/amp/7b9c439cefbe4dae8c520a4c39191b79 | 2017-12-29 | 2 |
<p>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha teen has been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for his role in the gun-play death of another man last year.</p>
<p>Omaha television station <a href="http://www.wowt.com/content/news/Man-linked-to-deadly-April-gunfire-is-ordered-to-prison-468141063.html" type="external">WOWT reports</a> that 18-year-old Montana Garbez was sentenced Friday to six to 12 years for manslaughter for the April death of 20-year-old Scott Evans, of Council Bluffs, Iowa.</p>
<p>Garbez pleaded guilty to the charge in September. In exchange, a felony weapons count was dropped.</p>
<p>Police found Evans dead inside a home in north Omaha home after being called to the house for a report of a shooting.</p>
<p>Prosecutors say Garbez and another man appeared to have been using a gun in a game similar to Russian roulette, and Evans was shot in the head. Prosecutors say Garbez fired the deadly shot.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WOWT-TV, <a href="http://www.wowt.com" type="external">http://www.wowt.com</a></p>
<p>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha teen has been sentenced to up to 12 years in prison for his role in the gun-play death of another man last year.</p>
<p>Omaha television station <a href="http://www.wowt.com/content/news/Man-linked-to-deadly-April-gunfire-is-ordered-to-prison-468141063.html" type="external">WOWT reports</a> that 18-year-old Montana Garbez was sentenced Friday to six to 12 years for manslaughter for the April death of 20-year-old Scott Evans, of Council Bluffs, Iowa.</p>
<p>Garbez pleaded guilty to the charge in September. In exchange, a felony weapons count was dropped.</p>
<p>Police found Evans dead inside a home in north Omaha home after being called to the house for a report of a shooting.</p>
<p>Prosecutors say Garbez and another man appeared to have been using a gun in a game similar to Russian roulette, and Evans was shot in the head. Prosecutors say Garbez fired the deadly shot.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: WOWT-TV, <a href="http://www.wowt.com" type="external">http://www.wowt.com</a></p> | Omaha man sentenced for shooting death of Iowa man | false | https://apnews.com/amp/bb6d0189ae274f9495c8779aa77529a8 | 2018-01-05 | 2 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Accused killer Albert Ramirez’s repeated, tearful pleas to stop his murder trial because he was hallucinating and hearing voices failed to persuade state District Judge Teddy Hartley on Wednesday, the <a href="http://www.cnjonline.com/2013/10/09/67976/" type="external">Clovis News Journal</a> reported.</p>
<p>District Attorney Matt Chandler called Ramirez a malingerer and a fake during the third day of the trial that ended early Wednesday after the prosecution rested and defense witnesses failed to appear, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>Ramirez faces life in prison if convicted of the July 2007 shooting of his mother’s boyfriend, Eladio Robledo, 39, of Clovis.</p>
<p>Prosecutors accused Ramirez of waiting for Robledo outside their Clovis home, shooting him twice in the chest, then two more times in the head as he lay dying in a pool of blood, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>The prosecution alleges that Ramirez shot Robledo in retaliation for being kicked out of the house, the paper reported. Defense attorney Jesse Cosby of Roswell said Ramirez shot in self-defense.</p>
<p>After three requests to postpone the trial on Wednesday, Hartley noted that the trial was postponed in 2008 when Ramirez made identical claims, the News Journal said.</p>
<p>Hartley then read into the record a psychologist’s determination that Ramirez was faking mental illness when sent to a state facility in 2008, the paper reported. “The court is of the opinion this (doctor’s) opinion continues and the defendant is faking,” Hartley said.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Clovis judge denies accused killer’s pleas to stop trial | false | https://abqjournal.com/278921/clovis-judge-denies-accused-killers-pleas-to-stop-trial.html | 2013-10-10 | 2 |
<p>By Brett Younger</p>
<p>Melanie was — depending on who you talked to — sharing the love of Christ or trying to cause trouble. Forty-five years later I like to think it was both. Nixon was president, gas was 36 cents a gallon, and everything in my hometown was separate and unequal.</p>
<p>My father was the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in West Point, Miss. The good people at Calvary encouraged me to fear anyone who did not look like us. We understood that there are Bible verses about God’s love for all people, but we ignored them. We sang “red and yellow, black and white” without realizing that was offensive. The sign out front said “Everyone is welcome.” We knew how to read the sign.</p>
<p>For our youth revival in the church gym we invited an evangelist who knew how to get middle schoolers to walk the aisle. The preacher would explain to the ones who had not been baptized that they could be hit by a bus on the way home and burn in hell forever. The ones who had strayed into sin must promise to never commit that sin again — not even if she is a cheerleader. The ones who had not strayed into sin because no cheerleader would ever invite them to do so needed to give in to God’s call to ministry. Anyone who was not 100 percent certain of their eternal resting place should walk the aisle because what could it hurt? We lined up Miss Mississippi and a quarterback from Mississippi State to speak, because this was big-time worship.</p>
<p>Melanie, a seventh grader, invited her best friend Carlene, an African American, to witness the glory of our youth revival. Melanie and Carlene made their way to folding chairs near midcourt. The ushers gathered to decide how to deal with this 13-year-old threat to their Christianity. Wayne, a little league baseball coach, asked Carlene to leave. Melanie went with her.</p>
<p>The next night two members of the Klan and the deacon board were stationed at the gym door to make sure no African Americans tried to worship God. They did not wear the hoods — which would have been more honest. Nothing interesting happened.</p>
<p>Years later it finally occurred to me to ask, “How unimpressed would Carlene have been if she had stayed?”</p>
<p>Our church sang Fanny Crosby hymns. We reassured ourselves with “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine,” comforted ourselves with the promise that “He hideth our souls in the cleft of the rock,” and encouraged ourselves with the certainty that we were “Redeemed” and “loved to proclaim it.” But the African-American churches across town got to sing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me,” and “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” Their songs were better.</p>
<p>They had Aretha Franklin. We had the Bill Gaither Trio. Their singers were better.</p>
<p>They had Martin Luther King Jr. We had Jerry Falwell. They were proclaiming “a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.” We were trying to preserve an oasis of injustice. Their preachers were better.</p>
<p>The people at Carlene’s church sang, prayed and worshipped more honestly than we did at Calvary. How disappointed would Carlene have been if she had gotten to stay?</p>
<p>I thought about this last Sunday while worshipping at Antioch AME Church in Stone Mountain, Ga. Carol and I have been to Antioch six times, because I need to learn to experience rather than critique worship.</p>
<p>We go to sing. I try to sing, clap and sway at the same time. My swaying needs work, but the soloists make me want to feel what they feel.</p>
<p>We go to give. The pastor is willing to tell us exactly how much. Last Sunday we gave three offerings.</p>
<p>We go to pray. Sometimes the prayers go where I am not used to hearing them go. Prayers that start with gratitude for a job may end up imploring God to get other people a job “right now.”</p>
<p>I go and wonder what would have happened if Melanie had gone to church with Carlene. Would Melanie have ever come back to Calvary? What I could not see when I was 9 years old is clear: God wanted us to join Carlene’s revival.</p> | When the Klan came to our revival | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/when-the-klan-came-to-our-revival/ | 3 |
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<p>Moral March (cc photo: James Willamor)</p>
<p>On the show this week: The national media missed then tens of thousands who marched for social justice in North Carolina last weekend. Plus USA Today shows us that bad campaign reporting starts really early, and journalist David Sirota is exposing a peculiar funding arrangement at PBS.</p>
<p>Watch:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">NYTMulvaney</a></p>
<p /> | FAIR TV: Media Miss March, 2016 Election Coverage (!?) and PBS Pension Problems | true | http://fair.org/blog/2014/02/14/fair-tv-media-miss-march-2016-election-coverage-and-pbs-pension-problems/ | 2014-02-14 | 4 |
<p>Opponents of a voter-approved redevelopment project in downtown Burlington have sued to have the Nov. 8 referendum declared invalid.</p>
<p>John Franco, an attorney representing two residents and a group called Coalition for a Livable City, announced Monday that they had filed the lawsuit on Friday.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>"There was a big rush to judgment in this administration to push this thing through and they didn't do it right," Franco said in an interview. "Sometimes touchdowns get called back for illegal procedure."</p>
<p>Messages left Monday morning for Mayor Miro Weinberger, a city attorney and Brian Dunkiel, an attorney for property owner BTC Mall, drew no immediate response.</p>
<p>The lawsuit said the ballot question exaggerated how many properties would have their taxes earmarked to pay back a nearly $22 million bond aimed at helping the Burlington Town Center mall redevelopment.</p>
<p>The mall sits on a prime piece of real estate on the city's Church Street pedestrian retail district. The city vote was to put $21.83 million of borrowed money toward street improvements around it.</p>
<p>Tax-increment financing allows cities and towns to earmark new taxes generated by improvements to private property in specially designated districts toward paying off debt on public improvements the city made to support the projects.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>The Nov. 8 bond issue was to pay for redesign and reconstruction of four streets around the mall. Meanwhile, developer BTC Mall was promising about $200 million in new or refurbished retail space, housing and offices.</p>
<p>Heated debate surrounded a part of the plan that called for the city to raise its height restrictions on downtown buildings by 50 feet to accommodate a 14-story residential tower on the property. The Burlington City Council gave its OK to increasing the height limit in September.</p>
<p>The lawsuit alleges the city not only misrepresented how many properties would participate in paying off the debt, but failed to get approval from a special state panel for the plan before putting it on the ballot.</p>
<p>The ballot measure called for all the properties in the larger waterfront tax district to have taxes generated by the improvements to be used to finance the city's share. But Franco pointed to legislation passed by state lawmakers saying the project could be supported only with the tax increments of three properties.</p>
<p>In addition, the lawsuit said the city failed to get the needed requirement from the Vermont Economic Progress Council before putting the funding request before voters.</p>
<p>The lawsuit also maintains that the city's denial of the Coalition for a Livable City's public-records request for an economic feasibility study on the project violated the Vermont Public Records Act.</p> | Opponents sue to overturn Burlington mall redevelopment vote | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/21/opponents-sue-to-overturn-burlington-mall-redevelopment-vote.html | 2016-11-21 | 0 |
<p>Sports retailer Hibbett Sports Inc. shares slip 16.5% in premarket trade Monday, after the company warned that it expects second-quarter same-store sales to fall about 10%, citing "very challenging sales trends." The company said the decline, combined with "significant" pressure on gross margin, would push it to a loss of 19 cents to 22 cents for the quarter. The current FactSet consensus is for second-quarter earnings per share of 15 cents. The company said it is launching an e-commerce site, www.Hibbett.com, that will offer footwear, clothing and equipment. "Despite the difficult retail environment, the company remains focused on improving its business for the long term," Chief Executive Jeff Rosenthal said in a statement. "Launching an e-commerce site has been a key strategic goal for Hibbett, and we took time to invest in our omni-channel infrastructure to do it the right way." The stock has fallen 47% in 2017, while the S&amp;P 500 has gained 10.4%.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | UPDATE: Hibbett Sports Issues Profit Warning, Citing 'very Challenging Sales Trends', Stock Slides 16.5% | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/07/24/update-hibbett-sports-issues-profit-warning-citing-very-challenging-sales.html | 2017-07-25 | 0 |
<p>AFP:</p>
<p>US lawmaker John Murtha renewed his explosive charge that US soldiers killed unarmed civilians in Haditha, Iraq and the US military tried to cover it up.</p>
<p>“This is what worries me. We’re fighting a war about America’s ideals and democracy’s ideas and something like this happens, they try to cover it up,” Pennsylvania Representative John Murtha (news, bio, voting record) told CNN television.</p>
<p>“It is as bad as Abu Ghraib, if not worse,” Murtha stressed.</p>
<p />
<p>Two separate US military investigations are under way into the killings in November of some 24 unarmed civilians in Haditha.</p>
<p>“They knew the day after this happened that it was not as they portrayed it. They knew that they went into the rooms, they killed the people in the taxi. There was no firing at all. And this comes from the highest authority in the Marine Corps, so there’s no question in my mind,” he added.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060530/pl_afp/usiraqmilitaryprobe_060530161145" type="external">Link</a></p> | Murtha Alleges Coverup in Haditha Massacre | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/murtha-alleges-coverup-in-haditha-massacre/ | 2006-05-30 | 4 |
<p />
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alexanderedward/" type="external">Alexander Edward</a> / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/" type="external">CC BY-NC-ND 2.0</a></p>
<p>Here we are again in the ugly war on anyone with any illness, and I’m going to have to repeat myself: Where are the disabled reporters? Why wasn’t there someone publicly identified with disability to question Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks when he labeled physical illness a moral failing?</p>
<p>While the American government now in place is hostile toward any culture that is not white, at least our press includes members of minority cultures. But who can name one disabled reporter with a national reputation?</p>
<p />
<p>Last week at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner when <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/30/politics/woodward-bernstein-say-media-more-crucial-than-ever-cnntv/" type="external">reporter Carl Bernstein</a> mentioned in his speech “the best obtainable version of the truth,” I wondered whose version he was describing. It seems clear that no version exists for people with disabilities who don’t have a voice to accurately <a href="http://ncdj.org/about/" type="external">represent them</a>.</p>
<p>Brooks’ comments on <a href="http://www.salon.com/2017/05/02/alabama-congressman-people-who-lead-good-lives-dont-have-preexisting-conditions/" type="external">“people who live good lives”</a> versus those with pre-existing conditions (the presumably reckless) are a throwback not to the ’50s but to the Middle Ages. House Speaker <a href="http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2017/jan/18/paul-ryan/paul-ryan-wrongly-claims-actuaries-have-determined/" type="external">Paul Ryan’s reference</a> to the “death spiral” of “Obamacare” would best be played in a SNL skit by a second-grade boy talking about cooties. But guess what? If you have a disability in America, you encounter the Mo Brookses and Paul Ryans of this world in employers, schoolteachers, physicians, lawyers, politicians (obviously) and even reporters.</p>
<p>For those of us with disabilities, life in America is not just a dystopian teledrama—we don’t live here part-time—it’s a dystopian reality. So, when Bernstein talks about the best “obtainable version,” is he referring to those questions he might ask of politicians—or the questions that a reporter with a disability would ask?</p>
<p>I have been heartened to see the landscape expanding for reporters and television pundits of most backgrounds. But it is not okay when a pundit, especially one from a minority culture, makes comments along the lines of “the handicapped, or, what is the right term these days for that group?” The disabled are left out of discussions on education, health care, <a href="http://www.rudermanfoundation.org/news-and-events/ruderman-white-paper" type="external">police brutality</a> (half of those cases involve disability), and <a href="http://www.apa.org/topics/violence/women-disabilities.pdf" type="external">violence against women</a> (disabled women have a 40 percent higher chance than other women of becoming victims).</p>
<p>Does it matter that the only disabled reporter known to America is a man whose <a href="http://www.snopes.com/2016/07/28/donald-trump-criticized-for-mocking-disabled-reporter/" type="external">name</a> is left out of the countless discussions of our president’s mockery of him? Hillary Clinton’s campaign capitalized on a clip of that scene while not even listing a disability outreach person on her staff directory. Bernie Sanders had no disability outreach staffer listed, either.</p>
<p>Because we lack adequate outreach and reportage, politicians, pundits and the press need to address us directly. Clinton as the Democratic candidate might have garnered more votes in all states if she had directly addressed those most at risk of losing important protections that had been gained under Obamacare. Imagine if she had won the trust of the folks now at town halls begging for health care.</p>
<p>People with disabilities cross all racial, religious, political and gender boundaries. We have one very important thing in common: Our lives depend on adequate health care. So, while reporters with able bodies talk about “the forgotten man” in Ohio or West Virginia, they are ignoring the crowds at town halls in every state, people who are finally figuring out that the Obamacare repeal is going to remove their protection for pre-existing conditions. The health care of this <a href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134.html" type="external">nearly 20 percent of America</a> is important in itself and also affects the economy of the entire nation, and any politician who cares about this group should be actively engaging support from this population.</p>
<p>So, when Bernstein mentions “the best obtainable version of the truth,” I sincerely hope he is considering all the questions asked by members of all communities. That we do not have more reporters and politicians connected with disability is a reflection not only on the 42 percent who support Donald Trump. It is a direct reflection on America.</p> | Why People With Disabilities Can't Present Their Version of the Truth | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/why-people-with-disabilities-cant-present-their-version-of-the-truth/ | 2017-05-08 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Financial crises&#160;have a way of exposing the real structures of&#160;economic and political power.&#160;The&#160;current “big mess”—as the&#160;White House&#160;has <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/13/AR2009031303486.html?wprss=rss_print" type="external">taken to calling&#160;</a>the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression—has revealed, among other things,&#160;the monstrous power of the Federal Reserve.</p>
<p>I’ve never put much stock in conspiracy theories that posited&#160;“shadow governments” pulling the strings behind the scenes. But the Fed&#160;is as close as it gets.&#160;While we focus all our attention on our elected government—the Democrats and Republicans who fight it out over how much to spend on&#160;the stimulus package—the Federal Reserve goes on operating behind closed doors, making financial decisions that could make&#160;the stimulus look like chump change.</p>
<p>The Fed’s power was abundantly clear on Wednesday: While the&#160;politicians, the press, and the public remained&#160;riveted on the battle over a few hundred million in&#160;AIG bonuses (which the Fed, it turns out, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/18/AR2009031804210.html?wprss=rss_politics" type="external">knew all about</a>months ago, and didn’t bother telling the president), the Federal Reserve&#160;decided&#160;on its own to pump $1 trillion into the economy—nearly doubling all its previous cash injections. This is accomplished, as the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/business/economy/19fed.html?_r=1&amp;partner=rss&amp;emc=rss" type="external">New York Times points out</a>,&#160;by “creating vast sums of money out of thin air.”&#160;And that’s not just a figure of speech:&#160;The privately owned banks&#160;that&#160;more or less&#160;run the Fed are helping themselves to $1 trillion plus by printing new money.</p>
<p>It works like this: The Fed creates the money. It then buys long term Treasury bonds to jump start credit flowing. The Treasury issues these bonds secured, in effect, by the combined assets of the American people. This injection of cash&#160;may help out banks–although&#160;past injections, since the recession began, have been largely ineffective—but it will surely end up causing inflation and ballooning the already swollen federal debt.</p>
<p>All this is done in the name of supporting the economy, but it’s the American public that&#160;serves as the banking industry’s cash machine. And we have&#160;virtually nothing to say about it, even&#160;through the remote apparatus of electoral politics.&#160;The basic economic policy of our supposedly democratic nation is effectively being run by and for private industry.</p>
<p>Members of&#160;the Fed’s&#160;board of governors&#160;may be&#160;nominated by the president and rubber stamped by the Senate. But as <a href="" type="internal">I’ve written before</a>, it’s the member banks who call the shots. This so-called public-private entity was long ago&#160;given authority to control the money supply in the United States, and it does so with little transparency, oversight, or accountability. Politicians of both parties bowed to the deregulatory will of Alan Greenspan for decades.&#160;Now&#160;we have&#160;a&#160;Treasury secretary who comes from the New York Fed, and we wonder why the banks&#160;seem to be&#160;getting everything they want.&#160;Since the recession began, &#160;the Federal Reserve system has only grown still more powerful, and no one in the elected&#160;government seems to mind it a bit.</p>
<p>In The Nation this week, <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090330/greider" type="external">William Greider,</a> who has written extensively on the Fed, argues that “to restore the broken financial system, Washington has to fix the Federal Reserve” and outlines why the Fed “has lost its ability to govern the credit system….In its present condition, the Fed may even make things worse.”&#160; Yet the Federal Reserve seems to be catching remarkably little blame for the current economic crisis.</p>
<p>In a sharp piece on Huffington Post,&#160;economist <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-pettifor/bernanke-dodges-the-bulle_b_176753.html" type="external">Ann Pettifor expresses her astonishment</a>at the fact that Fed&#160;chair Ben Bernanke&#160;has “dodged the bullet” when it comes to public&#160;rage and disgust, despite the fact that as a longtime Federal Reserve governor,&#160;he was supposed to be minding the store while companies like AIG built their hollow mountains of debt. (The Fed even has a seat on AIG’s board.)&#160;Pettifor&#160;parses Bernanke’s rare interview with CBS news on Sunday, in which he attacked AIG:</p>
<p>The interview was just an opportunity, I would argue, to deflect attention from the Fed’s negligence and whip up popular opinion against Liddy and the other buckin’ broncos of AIG. In the macho style of Rodeo, the Fed Chairman was angrily slamming the barn door shut—long after the bucking broncos had charged out of the barn, clutching bonuses.</p>
<p>But while Bernanke may be using one hand to slap the wrist&#160;of&#160;everyone’s favorite&#160;corporate villain, he’s using the other to hand out fistfuls of cash to institutions that behaved just as badly as AIG. It all gives a whole new meaning to passing the buck.</p>
<p /> | The Federal Reserve Passes the Buck—and Prints a Trillion More | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/03/federal-reserve-passes-buck-and-prints-trillion-more/ | 2009-03-20 | 4 |
<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi authorities are still holding 95 people in a purported anti-corruption campaign that was launched nearly three months ago by the kingdom's influential crown prince, Saudi press quoting the attorney general reported on Wednesday.</p>
<p>A Saudi infographic shared on social media said that detainees who have not agreed on financial settlements to close their case will soon be referred to the Public Prosecution for trial.</p>
<p>Billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is reportedly among those still being held since early November when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the stunning arrests of top princes, businessmen and officials. The prince is chairman of the publicly traded Kingdom Holding, which has investments in twitter, Apple, Citigroup, and the Four Seasons hotel chain. He is also an investor in ride-sharing services Lyft and Careem.</p>
<p>If a financial agreement cannot be reached, the attorney general has previously said that detainees will be prosecuted, investigated further and could face six months or more imprisonment.</p>
<p>At least 11 princes were among those detained in the surprise sweep that began Nov. 4. Many of the detainees have been held at the luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which has been closed to the public since. The hotel's website is taking reservations again starting Feb. 14.</p>
<p>While the Saudi public has for decades complained of rampant government corruption and misuse of public funds by top officials, the arrests of top business figures and princes, and the secrecy shrouding who was detained and what their alleged crimes were, have foreign investors worried.</p>
<p>State-linked Sabq news website quoted Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb on Wednesday as saying 90 detainees in total have been released after agreeing to settlements involving cash, real estate and other assets. He says a total of 350 people were questioned in the sweep.</p>
<p>Among those detained were two of the late King Abdullah's sons, including Prince Miteb bin Abdullah who was fired from his post as head of the National Guard the night of his arrest. After paying an undisclosed sum, the prince was released and later photographed smiling with his younger cousin, the 32-year-old crown prince, at a horse race in late December. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was even filmed kissing Prince Miteb's shoulder in a sign of respect.</p>
<p>The crown prince heads the anti-corruption committee that was formed by his father, King Salman. The committee has carried out the orders of arrest, investigations and negotiations. The committee has previously said that investigators uncovered at least $100 billion in corruption.</p>
<p>Also purportedly detained and released is Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister under King Salman. He is now leading Saudi Arabia's delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week as a minister of state and member of cabinet.</p>
<p>DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi authorities are still holding 95 people in a purported anti-corruption campaign that was launched nearly three months ago by the kingdom's influential crown prince, Saudi press quoting the attorney general reported on Wednesday.</p>
<p>A Saudi infographic shared on social media said that detainees who have not agreed on financial settlements to close their case will soon be referred to the Public Prosecution for trial.</p>
<p>Billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is reportedly among those still being held since early November when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the stunning arrests of top princes, businessmen and officials. The prince is chairman of the publicly traded Kingdom Holding, which has investments in twitter, Apple, Citigroup, and the Four Seasons hotel chain. He is also an investor in ride-sharing services Lyft and Careem.</p>
<p>If a financial agreement cannot be reached, the attorney general has previously said that detainees will be prosecuted, investigated further and could face six months or more imprisonment.</p>
<p>At least 11 princes were among those detained in the surprise sweep that began Nov. 4. Many of the detainees have been held at the luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which has been closed to the public since. The hotel's website is taking reservations again starting Feb. 14.</p>
<p>While the Saudi public has for decades complained of rampant government corruption and misuse of public funds by top officials, the arrests of top business figures and princes, and the secrecy shrouding who was detained and what their alleged crimes were, have foreign investors worried.</p>
<p>State-linked Sabq news website quoted Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb on Wednesday as saying 90 detainees in total have been released after agreeing to settlements involving cash, real estate and other assets. He says a total of 350 people were questioned in the sweep.</p>
<p>Among those detained were two of the late King Abdullah's sons, including Prince Miteb bin Abdullah who was fired from his post as head of the National Guard the night of his arrest. After paying an undisclosed sum, the prince was released and later photographed smiling with his younger cousin, the 32-year-old crown prince, at a horse race in late December. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was even filmed kissing Prince Miteb's shoulder in a sign of respect.</p>
<p>The crown prince heads the anti-corruption committee that was formed by his father, King Salman. The committee has carried out the orders of arrest, investigations and negotiations. The committee has previously said that investigators uncovered at least $100 billion in corruption.</p>
<p>Also purportedly detained and released is Ibrahim al-Assaf, a former finance minister under King Salman. He is now leading Saudi Arabia's delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week as a minister of state and member of cabinet.</p> | Saudi corruption sweep to move to trial with 95 detained | false | https://apnews.com/amp/2ae8f5a2c6b243528a9f6a673ca71f69 | 2018-01-24 | 2 |
<p>As many as 50 deaths have been attributed to flooding and heavy rains in the Philippines over the last 10 days. The capital, Manila, is still submerged, and more than 154,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes.</p>
<p>But the rain hasn't dampened spirits everywhere. Many young Filipinos find time to splash around and share a smile through the social media service, Instagram.</p>
<p>Here are a few of the best pictures GlobalPost found under the hashtags #Flood and #Philippines.</p> | Meet the waterproof Filipinos | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-08-08/meet-waterproof-filipinos-0 | 2012-08-08 | 3 |
<p>Craig Murray is a British political activist, former ambassador to Uzbekistan and current Rector of the University of Dundee.</p>
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<p /> CRAIG MURRAY, FMR. UK AMBASSADOR TO UZBEKISTAN: You know, I was a British diplomat for over 20 years. We still have a certain tendency in the British Foreign Office to look down on the rest of the world. I was seated one day in my office in the Foreign Office, which is a wonderful, palatial building in London from which a third of the world used to be governed. And I sat there, and the phone rang, and it said, "Oh, Craig, Charles here. Would you like to be ambassador in Uzbekistan?" And I said, "Yes, great, Charles. Thanks," thinking, where on Earth is Uzbekistan? And I said, "Why me?" And he said—and this is absolutely true—he said, "Well," he said, "you speak Polish, don't you?" And I said, "Yes, but I doubt the Uzbeks do." And he said, "No, but they speak Russian, old boy, and it's all the same thing." So on the basis of my knowledge of a Slavic language, I found myself as ambassador to Uzbekistan, where nobody spoke Polish at all. Fortunately, I did pick up some Russian. It's an awful place. It's a totalitarian dictatorship. I'd served in dictatorships before. There's a difference between—any dictatorship's bad, obviously. There's a difference between dictatorship and totalitarianism. Uzbekistan is totalitarian. Let me tell you about something that happened last week, just to give you an example, and it's not nearly as bad as the absolutely true story about the people who were boiled alive. Just last week, a British man of no political interest whatsoever who had married an Uzbek lady was on holiday in St. Petersburg. And his wife now has UK nationality but was traveling on her Uzbek passport, because that way she didn't have to apply for a Russian visa and they'd save $100. And she was arrested in Russia because her Uzbek exit visa had expired, because you still need permission to leave Uzbekistan—they still lock their population in. And the Russians shipped her back to Tashkent, where she's now in prison for having outstayed her exit visa, and the couple have been separated. And there's very little chance the man will ever see his wife again. That's the kind of country it is. And as I say, that's a more workaday example than the boiled-alive people who were interrogated. But when you think of Uzbekistan, you have to think of a country that hasn't moved on since it left the Soviet Union. In fact, it left the Soviet Union in order to maintain the Soviet system; it left because it didn't want to implement the Gorbachev-style reforms. Its president, President Karimov, was one of the members of the Politburo who had moved to have Gorbachev arrested on that occasion when Yeltsin was standing on the tanks outside the [Russian] White House when he first came to great prominence in Western eyes. When you think of Uzbekistan, you have to think of the Soviet Union, but not Gorbachev's Soviet Union; you have to think of Brezhnev Soviet Union. And that's the kind of regime it is, but with, since independence, even more cruelty. When I was going there, it was viewed as the United States' most important ally in Central Asia. The Americans had been given a very large airbase at Karshi-Khanabad, known as K2, from which supplies and operations were mounted into Afghanistan. I was told that there weren't that many British interested in Uzbekistan, and my primary interest was in supporting the Americans, supporting the American ambassador, and ensuring that Uzbekistan remained an ally in the war on terror. I was told that whenever I made any speech in public, was to refer to President Karimov of Uzbekistan as our ally on all occasions. You know, there are over 10,000 political prisoners in Uzbekistan. Anybody who is a religious Muslim of any kind, no connection to terrorism, anyone who prays five times a day, is described, will be arrested as a terrorist. Any young man with a beard will be arrested. There are at least 700 Baptists in Uzbek jails because it is illegal to be a Baptist in Uzbekistan. Many people are there simply because they are political prisoners. If you enter an Uzbek prison, your chances of coming out alive are actually quite slim. They still have and operate the old Soviet gulags. I found more and more evidence of abuse and torture. Torture in Uzbekistan isn't unusual. It happens to several thousand people every year. When I'm talking of torture, I'm not talking of marginal definitions of torture. I'm talking of people being raped with broken bottles. I'm talking of people having their children tortured in front of them until they sign the confessions. I'm talking of people being boiled alive. And the intelligence from these torture sessions was being received by the CIA and was being passed on—I was eventually seeing it as it was passed on to me by MI6, because MI6 and the CIA shared all their intelligence. And there was a common thread. I was meeting, investigating the evidence of torture. I met people who'd been tortured and escaped. I met people like the old widow, the photos of her son who'd been boiled alive. Her son was returned to her in a sealed casket, and she was ordered to bury the casket the next day, which Muslims would do anyway. They'd bury the body the very next day. But she was ordered not to open the casket, not to look at her son. It was returned to her from Jaslyk Prison. She did in the middle of the night. She was very, very brave and determined, the old lady. She got the casket open and the body out, and she took these photographs which showed that he had been boiled alive. And it was the chap who's now actually the chief pathologist of the UK who investigated the photographs for me and produced that conclusion. When people were being tortured, as we spoke to—we even had letters smuggled out of jails. We were learning what people had to confess to under torture, and they were being told to confess to membership of al-Qaeda, they were told to confess that they'd been in training camps in Afghanistan, and they were told to confess that they had met Osama bin Laden in person. And the CIA intelligence constantly echoed these themes. They spoke of Uzbeks having been in al-Qaeda, been in training camps, and having met Osama bin Laden. In fact, by now we were in 2002, 2003, and apparently we didn't know where Osama bin Laden was. And the way he managed to see thousands of Uzbeks every year, [it] should have been slightly easier to track him down, I felt. It wasn't hard to put two and two together and work out that the fact that every political prisoner I ever knew of in Uzbekistan who was taken was tortured. And the fact that we knew what they were being forced to confess to under torture, and the fact that the CIA material came up with exactly the same rather dodgy narrative, it wasn't hard to put the two together and realize that the intelligence material was coming from torture. But before I did anything, I wanted to make sure that I was on safe ground. So I asked my deputy, a lady called Karen Moran, to go to the American embassy and say to them, say to the head of the CIA station there, "My ambassador is worried because he thinks your intelligence may be coming from torture." And she came back and she reported to me that the reply from the head of the CIA station in Tashkent was, "Yes, of course it's coming from torture. We don't see that as a problem in the context of the war on terror." Now, I did see that as a problem, particularly when I discovered that the CIA were bringing in people, flying in people to Uzbekistan, and handing them over to the Uzbek security services. I'd like to say that I was the one who discovered extraordinary rendition, but that's not quite true, because I presumed, I falsely presumed, that these people they were bringing in and handing over to the Uzbek security service were Uzbeks who had been captured elsewhere and brought back to Uzbekistan. I did not realize that in fact they were of many other nationalities and were being handed over in order to be tortured. That they were being tortured I knew. That Uzbekistan was a destination for the extraordinary rendition system from all over the world I really didn't quite realize at the time. We now know, following, for example, a Council of Europe investigation, that 90 percent of the airplanes that stopped at the famous secret prison in Poland had Tashkent as their next destination. I complained back to London. I said we're getting this intelligence from torture. It's illegal, it's immoral, and it's unreliable. It's vastly exaggerating the strength of al-Qaeda in Central Asia. How did I know it was unreliable? Well, let me just give you a couple of examples. We had one piece of intelligence which said that a detainee had admitted to being at a training camp at given coordinates in the hills above Samarkand in Tajikistan. And as it happened, my defense attaché, Colonel [inaudible] had recently been to that precise location, and there was nothing there. But my favorite example, because—when people were tortured, they not only had to confess to membership of al-Qaeda, but, remember, this torture was being done by the direct descendents of Stalin's KGB. Institutionally it was still Stalin's KGB as set up in Tashkent. And they had, exactly as under Stalin, to denounce other people. They were given names of people to denounce. Very often they didn't know the name of anyone on this list of names they were given. Sometimes they did. Sometimes they denounced relatives and classmates. But the intelligence would contain long lists of names of al-Qaeda members who had been denounced by detainees, and very often these were farcical. And I remember one long list of al-Qaeda members which I received in a CIA intelligence report, and I recognized one of the names. It was an old professor I knew who was a very brave old dissident, who had been a dissident in Soviet times, and I knew the man, and he was a Jehovah's Witness. Now, there are not many Jehovah's Witnesses in al-Qaeda. I would be willing to bet that al-Qaeda don't even try and recruit Jehovah's Witnesses. Now, I'm quite sure that Jehovah's Witnesses would try and recruit al-Qaeda if they could, knocking on the cave door, saying, "Is Mr. bin Laden in? But I have a copy of The Watchtower for him." But I essentially found it hard to believe a lot of this intelligence. I got called back to London and I expected there, you know, to have a sensible talk about the merits or demerits of intelligence and how much evidence I had that it was obtained under torture. I was absolutely stunned, genuinely stunned—it changed my whole worldview in an instant—to be told that—and I knew it was coming from torture—that it was not illegal, because our legal advisers had decided that under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, it is not illegal to obtain or use intelligence gained from torture, as long as we didn't do the torture ourselves.
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<p />Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy. | UK/USA made use of Uzbek torture | true | http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D31%26Itemid%3D74%26jumival%3D4394 | 2009-10-27 | 4 |
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<p>HOUSTON — A major Houston north-south highway shut by Harvey floodwaters and then by damage from the storm has reopened.</p>
<p>Crews late last week pumped out water that had risen to nearly the top of the underpasses on the Sam Houston Tollway and opened the highway’s northbound lanes.</p>
<p>Concrete damaged on the southbound lanes, however, had to be replaced.</p>
<p>Four lanes on the southbound side now have reopened. Harris County Tollroad Authority officials say a right lane and ramp are likely to remain closed for another week.</p>
<p>The road is also known in Houston as the West Beltway. It’s in the area where water from two swollen reservoirs is being released into Buffalo Bayou, causing prolonged flooding of homes.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Major Houston highway damaged by Harvey reopens | false | https://abqjournal.com/1061826/major-houston-highway-damaged-by-harvey-reopens.html | 2 |
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<p>CARLSBAD, N.M. — An audit has discovered that the oil and gas industry owes a southeastern New Mexico county hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes.</p>
<p>An incomplete audit of Eddy County’s finances has found more than $460,000 in back taxes owed to the county from oil and gas companies.</p>
<p>Eddy County contracted Total Assessment Solutions Corp. last year to conduct an audit on behalf of the County Assessor’s Office. The audit is looking to identify, map and find the valuation of oil and gas property within the county. The audit was ordered after the assessor’s office raised concerns that oil and gas companies may not have been reporting and paying taxes on all properties.</p>
<p>The audit found 111 omitted drilling rigs and 101 miles of omitted pipeline that hadn’t been claimed. The audit is ongoing.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Audit: Oil industry owes Eddy County $460,000 in back taxes | false | https://abqjournal.com/961699/audit-oil-industry-owes-eddy-county-460000-in-back-taxes.html | 2 |
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<p>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Nebraska Lottery's "Pick 5" game were:</p>
<p>02-13-16-17-31</p>
<p>(two, thirteen, sixteen, seventeen, thirty-one)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $94,000</p>
<p>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Friday evening's drawing of the Nebraska Lottery's "Pick 5" game were:</p>
<p>02-13-16-17-31</p>
<p>(two, thirteen, sixteen, seventeen, thirty-one)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $94,000</p> | Winning numbers drawn in 'Pick 5' game | false | https://apnews.com/amp/eb1cd401b95543deb858f6c5758628b0 | 2018-01-13 | 2 |
<p>In an online interview promoted by the White House, Vice President Joe Biden made the false claim that “there were fewer police being murdered … when the assault weapons ban, in fact, was in existence.” But the FBI statistics on killings of law enforcement officers show no such trend.</p>
<p>In fact, the number of officers killed when the ban was still in effect in 2002 — 56 — is the same number as in 2010. The numbers have fluctuated, but there’s no discernible pattern before, after or during the assault weapons ban.</p>
<p>California Sen. Dianne Feinstein made a related claim on CBS’ <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57566071/face-the-nation-transcripts-january-27-2013-feinstein-kelly-gingrich-blackburn/" type="external">“Face the Nation”</a> on Jan. 27, saying: “Do you realize that 1 out of every 5 law enforcement officers that’s killed is killed with an assault weapon?” That statistic comes from data collected from 1998 through 2001, when the assault weapons ban was in effect. Her comment may have left the wrong impression with some viewers that the 1-in-5 statistic applied to officer killings now and that a weapons ban might lower those numbers.</p>
<p>Biden’s Fireside Chat</p>
<p>We’ll start with Biden, who led a White House task force on gun violence. He made his claim in a Jan. 24 Google+ Hangout interview that the White House dubbed “ <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/01/24/watch-fireside-hangout-vice-president-biden-reducing-gun-violence" type="external">Fireside Hangout</a>.” It was held eight days after President Barack Obama laid out his plan to reduce gun violence. The “hangout” was hosted by PBS NewsHour’s Hari Sreenivasan and included questions and comments from four guests, including a technology expert, YouTube show host, grandmother, and a therapist. All participated remotely via webcam, with the vice president appearing, yes, in front of a fireplace, in the Secretary of War Suite in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.</p>
<p>When asked about the effectiveness of the 1994-2004 assault weapons ban, Biden responded that it had made police officers safer. “There were fewer police being murdered, fewer police being outgunned when the assault weapons ban, in fact, was in existence,” Biden said. “And the number of assaults on police officers and the deadly assaults on them has gone up since the ban has been lifted.”</p>
<p>That’s simply not borne out by the facts.</p>
<p>We consulted the FBI Uniform Crime Reports data on law enforcement officers killed and assaulted. A <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/leoka/2011/tables/table-27" type="external">chart</a> of the number of killings of officers from 2002 to 2011 shows no apparent pattern. While there was a spike in murders in 2011 — 72 officers were killed — there’s no discernible trend in such murders, or murders by firearms, in the years during the ban and years since. The <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5946127/ns/politics/t/congress-lets-assault-weapons-ban-expire/#.UQlkG_I1DTo" type="external">assault weapons ban</a> was in effect from Sept. 13, 1994, to Sept. 13, 2004, when it expired.</p>
<p>During the 2002-2011 time frame shown on the FBI chart, the number of killings of law enforcement mainly fluctuated between the high 40s and high 50s year to year. The low point in that time period is 2008, several years after the weapons ban expired, when 41 officers were killed. Looking at only deaths by firearms — the method used for most of the killings — there’s also no discernible pattern post-ban.</p>
<p>We can go back further with <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/leoka/2001" type="external">FBI</a> <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/leoka/1996" type="external">data</a>. But, as the chart below shows, there’s no trend line of killings of officers going “up since the ban has been lifted” or down when the ban was in effect, as Biden said. Instead, the numbers have fluctuated greatly.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />Note that the FBI does not include officer deaths from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which totaled 72. Its <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/leoka/2001" type="external">2001 report</a> explains: “Because a catastrophe such as the September 11 attacks falls far outside the normal course of police experience, the FBI has not included those fatalities in the 2001 rate, trend, or disposition tables for to do so would skew the data and render analyses meaningless.”</p>
<p>Here’s another look at the data in raw numbers:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />In general, we could say that killings have decreased since the late 1980s and 1990s, when they repeatedly surpassed 70 per year. But that doesn’t demonstrate an effect from the assault weapons ban — particularly when killings remained lower after the ban expired in late 2004, with the exception of 2011. The average yearly killings from 1995 through 2004, roughly when the law was in effect, was 61. The average for subsequent years, 2005-2011, was lower, 54.</p>
<p>There’s no discernible trend in <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/leoka/2011/tables/table-70" type="external">assaults with firearms</a>, either. In fact, the number of assaults with a gun on officers in 2010 — 1,925 — is nearly identical to the number in 2002 — 1,927.</p>
<p>Deaths With Assault Weapons</p>
<p>Feinstein, the Democratic senator who recently introduced new legislation to ban more than 100 firearms, argued in favor of an assault weapons ban on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Jan. 27. She said: “Do you realize that one out of every five law enforcement officers that’s killed is killed with an assault weapon?”</p>
<p>She was accurately citing a report from the pro-gun control Violence Policy Center. But the report is old, and was based on officer killings when the assault weapons ban was in effect. Feinstein’s comment may well have left the impression with viewers that her statistic applied to officer killings now, and that a weapons ban might lower those numbers.</p>
<p>A 2003 report by the Violence Policy Center, titled “ <a href="http://www.vpc.org/studies/officecont.htm" type="external">Officer Down</a>,” showed that assault weapons were used in 20 percent of the 211 law enforcement officer killings between Jan. 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 2001. That’s 1 in 5. Again, the assault weapons ban was in effect from September 1994 through September 2004.</p>
<p>The VPC study said that it “reveals the gun industry’s efforts to evade the 1994 ban and documents the significant threat assault weapons still pose to law enforcement.” It argued that the law needed to be stronger. “The fact that from 1998 through 2001 one in five law enforcement officers slain in the line of duty was killed with an assault weapon indicates that the ban in its current form is inadequate to protect police and the public from the hazards presented by assault weapons.”</p>
<p>We asked VPC if it had more recent data, or if it had updated its report since 2003. A press officer sent us information on weapons used to kill law enforcement officers in 2009, data VPC obtained after filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI. Of the 48 officers killed, VPC notes that eight were killed with assault weapons. That’s 17 percent, or 1 in 6.</p>
<p>We don’t draw any conclusions from that. And, we note, as <a href="" type="internal">we have</a> <a href="" type="internal">in the past</a>, that sheer numbers don’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship one way or another.</p>
<p>In fact, two studies, which Feinstein cites on her website, <a href="" type="internal">found</a> that they could not conclude that the assault weapons ban had had a meaningful effect. A <a href="http://www.sas.upenn.edu/jerrylee/research/aw_final2004.pdf" type="external">2004 study</a> for the Department of Justice, conducted by Christopher Koper of the University of Pennsylvania, found that while the use of assault weapons in crimes had gone down, use of other semiautomatics that weren’t banned increased. “Therefore, we cannot clearly credit the ban with any of the nation’s recent drop in gun violence,” the report said.</p>
<p>— Lori Robertson</p> | Biden Wrong on Police Deaths | false | https://factcheck.org/2013/01/biden-wrong-on-police-deaths/ | 2013-01-30 | 2 |
<p>In the wake of the terrorist bombings in New York and New Jersey this weekend, NBC News and CNN did their part in trying to spin the alarming attacks in a way that politically benefited their candidate of choice by following the go-to left-wing media tactic: focus on the Republican's reaction and spin it as extreme/reckless/ill-advised/unpresidential. Unfortunately, to do so, they found themselves forced to do a little "polishing" of Clinton's response.</p>
<p>As the mainstream media has made sure the American public knows, Trump quickly responded to the Chelsea bombing Saturday night by making what the media wants us to believe is a grave mistake by actually referring to it as a bombing.</p>
<p>"Just before I got off the plane, a bomb went off in New York and nobody knows exactly what’s going on," Trump told his audience at a rally in Colorado Springs. "But, boy, we are living in a time — we better get very tough, folks. We better get very, very tough… It's a terrible thing that’s going on in our world and in our country. And we are going to get tough and smart and vigilant."</p>
<p>Mustering their best faux outrage, NBC News, CNN, and every other left-leaning outlet blasted Trump for calling a bomb a bomb, insisting that such a declaration was reckless and exactly the kind of thing that shows that he is temperamentally unfit to be president. To make their point stick, however, they had to contrast Trump's (innocuous and obvious) statement with Clinton's initial response.</p>
<p>In its report highlighting the "very different" responses of the two candidates, NBC provided the following excerpt of Clinton's response, which came aboard her private plane Saturday night:</p>
<p>"Secretary Clinton, do you have any reaction to the fact that Donald Trump immediately upon taking the stage tonight called the explosion a 'bomb' in New York?" asked the reporter (who was also faithfully doing her part to spin the incident against the Republican).</p>
<p>"Well, I think it's important to know the facts about any incident like this," replied Clinton. "That’s why it’s critical to support the first responders, the investigators, who are looking into it who are trying to determine what did happen."</p>
<p>The obvious conclusion: Trump shoots from the hip, responding before having all the information, while Clinton is cautious and measured (i.e., presidential). The only problem is that the clip that NBC provided is missing a crucial moment. Just before she was asked the leading question about Trump's (factual) "bomb" comment, Clinton herself labeled both the incidents in New York and New Jersey "bombings."</p>
<p>Here's the full statement conveniently left out of CNN and NBC's reports:</p>
<p>I've been briefed about the bombings in New York and New Jersey, and the attack in Minnesota. Obviously, we need to do everything we can to support our first responders. Also to pray for the victims. We have to let this investigation unfold. We've been in touch with various officials through the mayor's office in New York to learn what they are discovering as they conduct this investigation. I'll have more to say about it when we actually know some facts.</p>
<p>Another video showing Clinton's full response:</p>
<p>CNN's Jake Tapper likewise attempted to push the leftist narrative forward Sunday night in his interview with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Tapper asked Christie about the strong "contrast" between Trump's "bomb" comment and Clinton "wait[ing] hours" before commenting on the incidents. He followed up his statement by showing the deceptively edited clip of her remarks (h/t <a href="http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/cnn-nbc-cuts-clinton-calling-nyc-attack-bombing-slam-trumps-strong-reaction" type="external">Trey Sanchez</a>):</p>
<p>Once again, we see outlets that present themselves as unbiased sources of factual reporting use information like clay they can mold to serve their ideological purposes. No wonder the American public's trust in the media has <a href="http://www.gallup.com/poll/195542/americans-trust-mass-media-sinks-new-low.aspx" type="external">reached a new low</a> and CNN's ratings have plummeted. Meanwhile, the average American's take-away from the responses of the two candidates: Trump was strong and right; Clinton was hesitant and incoherent.</p> | WATCH: NBC, CNN Deceptively Edit Hillary's Comments On Terror Attacks | true | https://dailywire.com/news/9279/watch-cnn-nbc-deceptively-edit-hillarys-comments-james-barrett | 2016-09-20 | 0 |
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yom_Kippur" type="external">Yom Kippur</a> begins at sundown tonight is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar - and the day with the highest attendance rate in synagogue.</p>
<p>Known as the Day of Atonement, the holiday is a day for Jews to make their amends with God.&#160; <a href="http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holiday4.html" type="external">According to the Jewish Virtual Library,</a> Yom Kippur commemorates the day God gave Moses the second set of Ten Commandments and forgave the Israelites' sin of idolatry for worshiping the Golden Calf.</p>
<p>Those observing Yom Kippur will also fast from sundown tonight until sundown on Saturday. That accounts for around 25 hours.</p>
<p>More: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/110927/obamas-rosh-hashanah-message-video" type="external">Obama in Rosh Hashanah message: Israel bond 'unshakeable'</a></p>
<p>Columnists in the Jerusalem Post and other newspapers have already put in their two cents on how to make it through the day sans food and water. Tips about drinking water leading up to Yom Kippur and avoiding physical activity are common, but some synagogues will be on "high alert" for people who start feeling sick.</p>
<p>The Jerusalem Post reported:</p>
<p>[Israel's emergency medical center] Magen David Adom is preparing for a high alert for Yom Kippur, with hundreds of medics and paramedics - paid and volunteer - on duty to treat people who feel unwell in synagogues and elsewhere.</p>
<p>Some of them will be equipped with semi-automatic defibrillators for treating people with cardiac arrest. Every year, the emergency first-aid and ambulance service receives calls from about 2,000 people who need help during the fast.</p>
<p>But aside from the fasting, restrictions on sex and the lengthy prayer schedule, Yom Kippur is actually thought to be the most joyous Jewish holiday because it represents a fresh start spiritually, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/03/yom-kippur-2011-dates-explanation_n_992904.html" type="external">according to the Huffington Post.</a></p>
<p>More on World Religion: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/110728/Ahmadiyah-violence-indonesia-islamist-youtube-video" type="external">Religious tolerance suffers in Indonesia</a></p>
<p>Many of those of the Jewish faith have already prepared for the day of repentance with traditional ceremonies. Click through the photo gallery above to view pictures of the Kaparot ceremony and the Tashlich ceremony this year in Israel. &#160;</p> | Yom Kippur 2011: Photos from around the world | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-10-07/yom-kippur-2011-photos-around-world | 2011-10-07 | 3 |
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<p>“They heard some sizzling and crackling in the hoverboard and shortly thereafter, it exploded in flames,” Brian Enterline, the city of Harrisburg’s fire chief, told the Associated Press.</p>
<p>A spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission, Scott Wolfson, told NBC News that the fire was the first fatal incident linked to hoverboards. The agency has probed 60 cases of hoverboard fires in the past year and a half, NBC News reported. The investigation into the fire is ongoing.</p>
<p>After the scooters emerged as one of the hottest gifts of the 2015 holiday, reports of hoverboard fires soon began to surface. The devices’ rechargable lithium-ion cells contain a potentially flammable solution, which can explode if the battery is damaged or defective.</p>
<p>Ying Jiawei, chief executive of Chic, one of the first companies to sell hoverboards in Asia, lamented to Fortune last year that Chinese factories were cutting corners with the devices, subbing in cheaper batteries. “We have licensed to 30 factories, but only a few follow our rules,” Ying told Fortune.</p>
<p>By February 2016, hoverboards had caused two homes to burn down, as The Washington Post reported. By the middle of 2016, the Consumer Products Safety Commission warned that consumers should stop using hoverboards made by certain manufacturers. One hoverboard seller, Swagway, recalled more than 500,000 of the self-balancing boards. Major airlines banned the boards, citing the fire danger.</p>
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<p>The Harrisburg blaze was the first hoverboard fire to be reported as lethal. Three-year-old Ashanti Hughes died in a hospital Saturday, the Lehigh County coroner’s office said. Two other girls remained in critical condition, according to the AP. Hughes’ father and a male teenager were treated for inhaling smoke and have been released from the hospital.</p>
<p>“My granddaughter, I can’t replace her,” Mark Hughes, Ashanti’s grandfather, said to Fox43. “The pain is so deep. I’m so hurt. My soul is hurt.”</p>
<p>A firefighter also died while responding to the blaze. Lt. Dennis Devoe, a 21-year veteran of the Harrisburg department, was killed en route to the fire station when another car struck his vehicle. Officials said that Khanyae Kendall, a 19-year-old woman who they say was driving a stolen car while intoxicated, was responsible for the crash. She has been charged with aggravated assault by motor vehicle, according to Penn Live, as well as driving under the influence and other traffic offenses. It was unclear whether Kendall, who was not able to post a $200,000 bail, had an attorney.</p>
<p>Fox43 reported that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf ordered flags at the state’s capitol to fly at half-staff in DeVoe’s honor.</p> | A recharging hoverboard sparked a fire in a Pennsylvania home, killing a toddler | false | https://abqjournal.com/967792/a-recharging-hoverboard-sparked-a-fire-in-a-pennsylvania-home-killing-a-toddler.html | 2 |
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<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Police say two women are dead and a man is in critical condition in a suspected murder-suicide attempt in the Bronx.</p>
<p>It happened just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in an apartment building in the Soundview section of the borough.</p>
<p>Police believe the 52-year-old man fatally shot the two women before turning the weapon on himself. He's currently at Jacobi Medical Center in critical condition.</p>
<p>Police say a 54-year-old Susan Trivano was pronounced dead at the scene and 29-year-old Suchari Guzman died at the hospital.</p>
<p>A gun was recovered at the scene. Police say a 1-year-old child was found in the apartment unharmed</p>
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<p>This story has been corrected to show that police now say two are dead and one is in critical condition instead of three dead.</p>
<p>NEW YORK (AP) — Police say two women are dead and a man is in critical condition in a suspected murder-suicide attempt in the Bronx.</p>
<p>It happened just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in an apartment building in the Soundview section of the borough.</p>
<p>Police believe the 52-year-old man fatally shot the two women before turning the weapon on himself. He's currently at Jacobi Medical Center in critical condition.</p>
<p>Police say a 54-year-old Susan Trivano was pronounced dead at the scene and 29-year-old Suchari Guzman died at the hospital.</p>
<p>A gun was recovered at the scene. Police say a 1-year-old child was found in the apartment unharmed</p>
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<p>This story has been corrected to show that police now say two are dead and one is in critical condition instead of three dead.</p> | 2 dead, 1 critical in Bronx murder-suicide attempt shooting | false | https://apnews.com/amp/c1e85abb2cdc4984a331a2ef73b3f546 | 2018-01-11 | 2 |
<p>Shares of tech companies declined as the disenchantment with Apple continued. Since peaking on the session when it released its new line of phones and watches, Apple has retreated about 6%, shedding billions of dollars in market capitalization. Amazon.com said it's adding more than 2,000 new corporate jobs in New York City, including software engineers and data analysts. Venture-capital firm Benchmark Capital does not intend to sell any of its holdings in ride-hailing company Uber in a proposed deal that would see the Vision Fund, the $93 billion tech investment consortium headed by Japanese tech giant SoftBank, take a large position.</p>
<p>-Rob Curran, [email protected]</p>
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<p>September 21, 2017 16:57 ET (20:57 GMT)</p> | Tech Shares Drop As Apple Selloff Continues - Tech Roundup | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/21/tech-shares-drop-as-apple-selloff-continues-tech-roundup.html | 2017-09-21 | 0 |
<p>President Donald Trump is in for a big surprise.</p>
<p>His <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fox-news-adding-hour-trumps-favorite-show-fox-friends-1045761" type="external">favorite</a> Fox News program, “Fox and Friends,” is expanding. On October 9, the morning broadcast will begin an hour earlier, starting at 4 AM, Eastern time. This will add an extra hour of live TV to Fox’s already extensive coverage.</p>
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<p>Variety <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/fox-news-fox-and-friends-first-1202580695/" type="external">has the scoop</a>: “The&#160;4 a.m&#160;hour will be hosted by Heather Childers, while&#160;Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt will co-host 5 a.m. “ <a href="http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/bill-oreilly-maxine-waters-hair-james-brown-wig-watch-video-1202017801/" type="external">Fox &amp; Friends</a>” will continue to run between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.”</p>
<p>This yet another shakeup at the network, which is still trying to find its footing after an exodus of talent over the past year. The loss of big names like <a href="" type="internal">Megyn Kelly</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Bill O’Reilly</a>, <a href="" type="internal">Eric Bolling</a>, and most recently <a href="" type="internal">Meghan McCain</a> has resulted in a <a href="http://fortune.com/2017/05/23/fox-news-ratings-down/" type="external">downfall in ratings</a>. Many of the familiar faces Fox viewers have come to know are gone. Now the network is rebuilding its brand in a big way.</p>
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<p>Fox is&#160; <a href="" type="internal">revamping its lineup</a>, bringing on pro-Trump voice <a href="" type="internal">Tomi Lahren</a>, and giving another supporter of the president, <a href="" type="internal">Laura Ingraham</a>, her own show in the evening. The network also gave a mid-day show to <a href="" type="internal">former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino</a>. These expansions show that Fox is serious about bringing in new talent, while expanding the visibility of its already seasoned anchors.</p>
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<p>The “Fox and Friends” expansion is another step int his direction. The morning program remains one of Fox’s most-watched shows, and has a big fan sitting right in the Oval Office.</p>
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<p>Seeing as how President Trump tends to be a nightowl, and reportedly sleeps a minimal amount of hours each night, I’m betting he’s thrilled by this change to “Fox and Friends.”</p>
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<p>What do you think? Is this a welcome change for Fox’s hit morning show? Tell us your thoughts below and share this news on Facebook now!</p>
<p /> | ‘Fox and Friends’ Expands, Will Broadcast Starting at 4 AM | true | http://thepoliticalinsider.com/fox-and-friends-4-am/ | 2017-10-05 | 0 |
<p>Tidal, the music and video streaming service co-owned by Jay Z, Rihanna, Madonna and other artists, is inviting more performers to join the company and earn equity.</p>
<p>Senior executive Vania Schlogel said late Tuesday that Tidal welcomes more acts. It introduced its new co-owners at a launch event on Monday.</p>
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<p>"Whatever these artists want to do, this is their playground to do it," Schlogel said. "This is the creative space to just get it done and share that and communicate with their fans."</p>
<p>The current owners "have equal ownership and majority ownership in the company," and artists who join them would earn more money through the streaming service than through others that exist, she said. Artists who join Tidal will "be participating in the equity upside of this," she said.</p>
<p>Schlogel didn't elaborate on how ownership works, and when asked if the artist-owners invested their own money in Tidal, she said she couldn't speak about those details.</p>
<p>Tidal's all-star lineup could help it compete with other free and paid streaming services, from Spotify to Pandora.</p>
<p>"It's not just dollars and cents, it's around all the things that come along with being a shareholder, like voicing your thoughts as a board member and having that creative control," Schlogel said, who added that there's a stock appreciation rights program for artists. "It's a different type of involvement."</p>
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<p>Co-owners including Beyonce, Daft Punk, Kanye West, Jack White, Alicia Keys, members of Arcade Fire and Jason Aldean attended the launch. Schlogel dismissed any of the backlash that came after the launch, including a Time magazine article, where the headline read: "How Jay Z's Tidal Press Conference Showed He's Out of Touch."</p>
<p>"(Monday) wasn't meant to be some stunt," Schlogel said. "It was meant to be authentic."</p>
<p>A business controlled by Jay Z bought Tidal for $56 million in mid-March. The streaming service, which has 540,000 subscribers, provides music and video content that users can stream on computers, tablets and smartphones or listen to offline. Subscriptions begin at $10.</p>
<p>She said the only owners of the company are artists, though she said they "are contemplating and in discussions" about adding non-performer owners.</p>
<p>The chief financial officer of subscription music service Rhapsody said Tuesday he was excited about Tidal's launch.</p>
<p>"The fact that you have 16 of the most powerful artists right now ... wanting to be in the business we're in, we're excited," said, Ethan Rudin, who also is Rhapsody's head of label relations. "In my opinion, we're still in the very early innings with regards to streaming music and if this can act as an opportunity to educate the public as to the long-term future in this format for music consumption, it's something we're obviously very excited about. We believe the rising tide raises all ships."</p>
<p>Rhapsody, which has 2.5 million subscribers and launched in 2001, is a premium service and costs $10. Like Tidal, it does not have a free version.</p>
<p>In an interview Tuesday, singer Darius Rucker said he liked the idea of the company.</p>
<p>"It's another way to get music and hopefully since its run by artists, the artists will get paid a little bit more of what they deserve than they do from the other ones," the Hootie &amp; the Blowfish frontman said.</p>
<p>"I wish they called me; I'd be standing on that stage, too," he said, laughing.</p>
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<p>http://tidal.com/us</p> | Tidal executive says streaming service seeks more artists to join Jay Z, Rihanna as co-owners | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/04/01/tidal-executive-says-streaming-service-seeks-more-artists-to-join-jay-z-rihanna.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
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<p>The United States avoided the “fiscal cliff,” thank God for small favors. The real “cliff” is the federal-debt crisis, and it is coming soon to the political theater.</p>
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<p>Some attempt to describe the immensity of the debt by imagining how many times 11 trillion dollar bills, if placed side by side, could encircle the earth. This is meaningless. To have any meaning at all, the debt should be expressed as a share of gross domestic product — the productive capacity of the economy. (I use the federal debt held by the public rather than the total federal debt in order to exclude the inter-governmental-agency lending, which is a fiction.)</p>
<p>For illustration, based on the Congressional Budget Office data, from 1962 to 2008, the average federal debt held by the public was calculated at 36 percent of GDP. Interestingly, at the end of 2007 — the fourth year after the Bush tax cut — the debt was 36.2 percent of GDP, and a year later, in the wake of the eruption of the mortgage crisis it reached 40.2 percent.</p>
<p>Following four years of massive spending bills that were signed into law by President Obama, the share of the federal debt is now over 70 percent of GDP, and rising.</p>
<p>The leader of the “intellectual left,” Paul Krugman, argues in the New York Times that “ince the 1970s the Republican Party has fallen increasingly under the influence of radical ideologues, whose goal is nothing less than the elimination of the welfare state. …”</p>
<p>The Republican presidents who have occupied the White House since 1970 don’t fit this charge. Question: Which is more pro welfare state, Nixon’s Clean Air Act of 1970, or Clinton’s Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1990?</p>
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<p>The method employed by the radical right to destroy the welfare state, argues the intellectual leader of the left, is “using tax cuts to reduce government revenue, then using the resulting lack of funds to force cuts in popular social programs.” Facts do not support this “scholarly” nonsense.</p>
<p>All three major historic tax cuts — Kennedy-Johnson (1964), Reagan (1986) and Bush II (2003) — were initiated in order to fight sluggish economies, resulted in impressive increases in federal revenue. Particularly, from 2004 to 2007, in the wake of the Bush tax cut, the growth of federal revenue was remarkably robust.</p>
<p>Republicans notice: The above illustrates how the left distorts historic economic facts.</p>
<p>Finally, as Paul Ryan explained so eloquently time and again, reducing the debt as a share of GDP can be achieved by moderating the future growth rates of the entitlements.</p>
<p>An example would be tying the Social Security to the consumer’s price index rather than to the nominal wage index.</p>
<p>Most importantly, responsible leaders should be good explainers telling Americans how specifically they plan to trim the budgets growth rates of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. As the “Iron Lady” famously said: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”</p> | Debt-to-GDP Ratio To Approach 100% Without Care | false | https://abqjournal.com/161522/debttogdp-ratio-to-approach-100-without-care.html | 2013-01-19 | 2 |
<p>The revelation that the man presumed to be a high-ranking Taliban leader who had met with top Afghan officials was an impostor sheds light on Gen. David Petraeus’s aggressive propaganda about the supposed Taliban approach to the Hamid Karzai regime.</p>
<p>Ever since August, Petraeus had been playing up the Taliban’s supposed willingness to talk peace with Karzai as a development that paralleled the success he had claimed in splitting the Sunni insurgency in Iraq in 2007.</p>
<p>It is now clear, however, that Petraeus was deceiving himself as well as the news media in accepting the man claiming to be the second-ranking Taliban commander Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as genuine, despite a number of indications to the contrary.</p>
<p>Petraeus’s failure to heed those signals was certainly driven by his strong desire to contrive yet another saga emphasizing his brilliance as a war strategist, judging from his public statements prior to the revelation of the fraud.</p>
<p>The tale of self-deception began a few months ago when a man claiming to be Mullah Mansour somehow persuaded U.S. officials, including Petraeus, to help him go to Kabul to talk with Karzai. Mansour had been named, along with Abdul Qayum Zakir, to replace Mullah Baradar last March after Baradar was detained by Pakistani intelligence, according to a Taliban spokesman quoted in Newsweek.</p>
<p>The first warning signal that the man was an impostor was that he gave Karzai regime officials terms for peace that bore no resemblance to the public posture of the Taliban.</p>
<p>He suggested that the Taliban merely wanted to be allowed to return safely to Afghanistan, along with promises of jobs and the release of prisoners, according to the Times account. There were no demands for the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces or for a change to the constitutional system.</p>
<p>Both those demands had been fundamental to the Taliban position, both in public statements and in communications to ex-Taliban intermediaries between Karzai and the Taliban leadership.</p>
<p>But instead of finding the sudden lack of interest in bargaining over those demands suspicious, Petraeus apparently approved giving the man a considerable amount of money to continue the talks, according to reports by the New York Times and Washington Post.</p>
<p>That decision was evidently influenced by Petraeus’s strong desire to believe that the vast increase in targeted raids aimed at killing or capturing suspected Taliban officials that had begun in March had caused top Taliban officials to give up their fundamental peace demands – and that he was now on his way to repeating what was believed to be his success in Iraq.</p>
<p>Petraeus began to hint at such a repeat performance in an interview with Katie Couric of CBS News Aug. 20, when he presented the supposed Taliban approach to Karzai as another case of splitting the insurgency.</p>
<p>Couric asked, “So you think they’d be receptive to reconciliation?” to which Petraeus replied, “Some. Again, I don’t there’s an expectation that [Taliban spiritual leader] Mullah Omar is going to charter a plane any time soon to sit down and discuss the Taliban laying down weapons en masse. However, there are certainly leaders out there who we believe are willing to do that.”</p>
<p>In fact, the impostor had said nothing to indicate to U.S. and Afghan officials that he was speaking on behalf of the entire Quetta Shura, including Mullah Omar himself, according to one U.S. official familiar with the episode. The official, who insisted on anonymity, told me the hope was that the man presumed to be Mansour was authorized by the leadership to speak for them.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, Petraeus returned to the same theme in late September, hinting at a divided Taliban leadership and again drew a parallel between peace talks in Afghanistan and what happened in Iraq.</p>
<p>“There are some high-level Taliban leaders who have sought to reach out to the highest levels of the Afghan government, and they have done that,” Petraeus told reporters on Sep. 27.</p>
<p>The United States supported Karzai’s conditions for the talks, he said, likening them to U.S. support for similar conditions for negotiations with Sunnis in Iraq. Then he added, “This is the way you end insurgencies.”</p>
<p>The New York Times reported that senior U.S. officials, including Petraeus himself, were saying in October that “the talks indicated that Taliban leaders, whose rank-and-file fighters are under extraordinary pressure from the American-led offensive, were at least willing to discuss an end to the war.”</p>
<p>Through the late summer and early autumn, Petraeus was continuing to ignore other warning signals that the Taliban’s willingness to give up the demand for U.S. withdrawal was too good to be true.</p>
<p>But throughout the entire period of U.S. and Afghan contacts with the impostor, the Taliban leadership was firmly denying that they were negotiating with the Afghan government. During the three-day Muslim holiday that began Sep. 9, Mullah Omar had said the Taliban would “never accept” the current government.</p>
<p>On Sep. 29, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Majahid said Petraeus’s claim that the Taliban were negotiating with the Afghan government was “completely baseless”, and that the Taliban would not negotiate with “foreign invaders or their puppet government”.</p>
<p>Even more important, Taliban officials were telling Pakistani intelligence officers seeking clarification on the Taliban position on peace over the summer that the U.S. and NATO forces would have to be withdrawn before any settlement with Karzai, as reported by Syed Saleem Shahzad in the Asia Times.</p>
<p>But Petraeus evidently believed that he was now in a position to be able to repeat in Afghanistan the strategy that had worked in Iraq.</p>
<p>He had talked about negotiations with a segment of the Taliban leadership as the key to reducing the insurgency in Afghanistan even before he had taken over as chief of CENTCOM in October 2008. At a talk at the Heritage Foundation Oct. 8, 2008, Petraeus had said the key in Afghanistan was negotiations with those insurgents willing to reconcile while isolating the irreconcilables.</p>
<p>Petraeus has been able to reap the political benefit from the fact that most journalists and the U.S. political elite believe that it was Petraeus’s maneuvering, combined with the surge, that produced the Sunni turn towards cooperation against al Qaeda.</p>
<p>That version of Petraeus-driven success is largely mythical, however. In fact, the Sunni shift toward joining local anti-al Qaeda militia units was already well underway before Petraeus took command in February 2007.</p>
<p>When Petraeus’s U.S.-NATO command, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), finally consulted someone who had actually known Mullah Mansour in late October or early November, they were told the man they had been dealing with was an impostor.</p>
<p>Neither ISAF nor the Karzai government, however, have been able establish the identity of the impostor.</p>
<p>GARETH PORTER is an investigative historian and journalist with Inter-Press Service specialising in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, “ <a href="" type="internal">Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam</a>“, was published in 2006.</p>
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<p /> | Why Gen. Petraeus was Snookered by the "Taliban" Imposter | true | https://counterpunch.org/2010/11/25/why-gen-petraeus-was-snookered-by-the-quot-taliban-quot-imposter/ | 2010-11-25 | 4 |
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<p>Led by rebounding mortgage lending, U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB) on Wednesday posted a 16% increase in third-quarter profit and higher sales.</p>
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<p>The Minneapolis-based bank reported net income of $1.47 billion, or 74 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier $1.27 billion, or 64 cents, matching average analyst estimates in a Thomson Reuters poll.</p>
<p>Revenue for the three-month period climbed 8% year-over-year to $5.18 billion from $4.8 billion, above the Street’s view of $5.15 billion. Net interest income increased by 6.1%.</p>
<p>Average total loans grew 7.3% over the same quarter in 2011, led by an 18.8% and 21% increase in total commercial loans and commercial real estate commitments, respectively.</p>
<p>U.S. Bancorp booked $66.6 billion in new lending activity during the quarter, which included $35.7 billion of new and renewed commercial and commercial real estate commitments and $28.5 billion of mortgages.</p>
<p>The bank’s shares climbed 1.9% to $34.26 Wednesday morning.</p>
<p>“We posted positive operating leverage on both a year-over-year and linked quarter basis, and we achieved these results despite an economy described as only modestly growing and burdened by uncertainty,” U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis said in a statement.</p>
<p>Strong mortgage banking activity last quarter contributed to the bank's growth in fee income, residential real estate loans and loans held for sale, Davis said.</p>
<p>The overall credit quality of U.S. Bancorp’s loan portfolio continued to improve during the quarter led by a 19.6% decline in net charge-offs.</p>
<p>The bank said it expects the downward trend in charge-offs and non-performing assets to continue in the current quarter.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | U.S. Bancorp 3Q Profit Grows 16% on Higher Mortgage Lending | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/10/17/us-bancorp-3q-profit-grows-by-16-on-higher-mortgage-lending.html | 2016-01-26 | 0 |
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<p>WASHINGTON – For more than a decade, the United States has targeted insurgents from the sky with increasingly advanced drones, launching air strikes in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and other volatile countries. But the practice may be contributing to a new trend: foreign militaries and insurgents are using tunnels and other underground networks more and more to hide and gain a tactical advantage – and that increases the likelihood that U.S. forces will face them below ground in the future.</p>
<p>The U.S. Army just issued a warning about tunnel warfare as part of a new effort seeking high-tech robotics, communications gear and other equipment. Army officials requested industry’s help earlier this month, saying “the growing use of tunnels and underground facilities by military and irregular forces to gain a tactical advantage is becoming more sophisticated and increasingly effective, making the likelihood of U.S. forces encountering military-purposed subterranean structures on future battlefields high.”</p>
<p>The Army did not identify any specific country in which they expect tunnel warfare will occur, but said the Middle East is full of ancient and modern underground systems that can be used by enemy forces. Examples include Syria, where rebels have used them extensively; Iraq, where they are rumored to stretch for miles; and Egypt, where the military flooded many of them with sewage earlier this year, before President Mohammed Morsi was removed from power.</p>
<p>In southern Afghanistan, Taliban fighters have used them to hide weapons and to disappear after ambushing U.S. forces. In South Korea, military officials fear their North Korean counterparts have dug a series of deep tunnels that will allow them to invade their U.S.-aligned neighbor. And in Mexico, tunnels under the U.S. border are used to smuggle in massive quantities of cocaine and marijuana.</p>
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<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Military foresees tunnel fighting | false | https://abqjournal.com/324790/military-foresees-tunnel-fighting.html | 2 |
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<p>He never fails, does he? Never fails, that is, to reduce world catastrophes and international dramas to the lowest common denominators of petty petulance, malevolence and spite. I write of the latest efforts by Bush to smear a public figure; in this case Mr Jan Egeland, of the United Nations. Being a senior UN official naturally makes him an attractive and even mandatory target for the spleen of Bush, but this instance of senseless insult highlights the ethos of the Bush regime : in any circumstances in which it is imagined there might be the slightest criticism implied of the mighty Emperor, ignore the moral imperatives and go for the weakest jugular you can find. Then get the media to state what you said over and over again until the original comment is lost in the fetid muck of Bush propaganda.</p>
<p>What Mr Egeland said about international aid for disasters was that rich nations had become stingy in helping poor nations in times of calamity, which, for most of them, is all the time. As the records show, he was absolutely right. Sudan’s Darfur is but one example, and one finds it difficult to list all the southern African countries that are hell holes of disease, poverty, corruption, hideous violence and atrocious squalor. Bush talks a good Aid-to-Africa line, even if little is happening to alleviate the horrors of the region, as not a dollar of the $5 billion pledged in the so-called Millennium Challenge Account for development assistance has actually been committed. But it doesn’t matter that Mr Egeland was right, because the most important thing for the Bush Empire is that nobody other than Bush is permitted to be right about anything. If it even appears as if a person is criticizing George W Bush in the slightest degree, he or she must be attacked and destroyed.</p>
<p>The Bush administration’s initial reaction to the tsunami disaster was to pledge $15 million for relief aid. At about the same time Mr Egeland stated that rich nations were ‘stingy’. But the Bush conscience (such as that might be) was obviously, if belatedly, pricking him down at the ranch, because after a couple of days of relaxation he got round to announcing that the amount would be increased to $35 million and pronounced that “the person who made that statement [about rich nations being stingy] was very misguided and ill-informed”. (You’ve got to laugh, sometimes, even in the blackest moments, at the man’s silly petulance.)</p>
<p>The sequence of decision and comment is interesting. There is no doubt that the US package was announced as $15 million by poor, limping, discredited Powell. Here is Barry Schweid of Associated Press : “The United States dispatched disaster teams today and prepared a $15 million aid package to the Asian countries hit by a massive earthquake and tsunamis”. Certainly, Powell said that long-term projects would be put in place for rebuilding projects , but make no mistake: the money on the table was $15 million. At the same time, Reuters reported the assistant administrator of the US Agency for International Development, Ed Fox, as saying “At this point, we don’t know exactly how much of that will be in terms of cash to be disbursed, or whether it’ll be commodities. But we anticipate that our initial reaction to this is going to be in the neighborhood of $15 million. That may increase, it may change”. No decision had been made, obviously, although there might be a decision to get rid of Mr Fox for not being supportive enough of the Emperor.</p>
<p>Following this, the ranch-dwelling, brush-cutting Bush used his favorite word, yet again : “We will prevail over this destruction”, he intoned, and announced that the aid package would be $35 million. And he became emotional and petulant about Mr Egeland’s comment, over which he also decided to prevail.</p>
<p>This would be a storm in a teacup but for the fact that the Bush reaction was not just petty and malignant, but pathetically self-righteous and amazingly tiny-minded. Whatever happens in the world, according to the Bush Empiricists (Empiricons?), must in some way be used to demonstrate the all-seeing wisdom and untiring (if ranch-dwelling) benevolence of Emperor George, who has at his disposal the mightiest misinformation and disinformation machine the world has ever known.</p>
<p>Herr Dr Goebbels, the master propagandist of the German Reich, would be in ecstasies about the effectiveness and ruthless efficiency of the Bush mind-benders. The cult of personality, as indulged in by Stalin, Chairman Mao, and, nowadays, Kim Jong Il, the “peerless leader” of North Korea, pales in comparison with Washington’s portrayal of Emperor George as the omnipotent, far-sighted, “war-president” whose compassion for the people of the world is, well . . . peerless. It’s hocus-pocus, of course, but it plays well with the Bible-thumpers and contributes to the massive and massively dangerous superiority complex of the dimwitted Bush.</p>
<p>I’m in Paris, so was able to read the print version of The International Herald Tribune first thing on December 30. The IHT published Bush’s announcement that “I felt like the person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed” in a bold type box on Page 1 at the top right ; in the text of the lead story on Page 1 ; again in a prominent box on Page 4 ; and in the body of a major piece on the same page titled “US to give long-range aid in Asia ; Bush reacts angrily to the label of ‘stingy’.” The features were taken from the New York Times and were interesting in their adulation of the peerless leader whom they reported as stating that “our government” provided $2.4 billion for disaster relief last year to help the desperate plight of millions.</p>
<p>$2.4 billion is a great deal of US taxpayers’ (or “government”) money : it is the cost of about 3 weeks’ military occupation of Iraq and not all that much less than the $2.7 billion that Bush gave Sharon last year to help the desperate plight of Israelis.</p>
<p>Neither can $35 million be disregarded. It is, after all, only a fraction less than a quarter of the cost of the 2004 Republican Convention in New York ($166 million, including $7,000 for coffee and donuts for the media and $50 million for ‘security’), and will no doubt go a long way to help the desperate plight of millions in Asia. But the amount was misreported by the New York Times/IHT as “the initial American contribution of $35 million”.</p>
<p>No ; it wasn’t the initial contribution. The initial contribution was $15 million which was increased to $35 million when Bush’s advisers decided he must get more PR mileage than was coming his way. This is all part of the disinformation process. Now I’m not blaming the reporter altogether, because there are deadlines to be met, and the inaccuracy might seem to be trivial. But it is not trivial, because it assists the Bush administration in its psychological operations against the public, domestically and internationally. The world has been given to believe that Bush’s first and instant reaction was to open the coffers for $35 million, which it wasn’t, and that Mr Egeland had the bad taste and temerity to criticize the Emperor, the ‘war president’ himself, for being personally ‘stingy’, which he didn’t.</p>
<p>Bush and his minions cannot abide the truth. Neither do they wish to permit the Peerless Leader and War President to be displayed to the public in other than a rosy glow of sycophantic adoration. It worked for Stalin and Mao, and it seems to work for the nutcase Korean Kim, so why shouldn’t it work for Emperor George?</p>
<p>In the long run it won’t work for him because some of the media eventually wakes up and tells it like it is. In this case the New York Times swung into action with an editorial that put things on an even keel. It stated that “Mr. Egeland was right on target. We hope Secretary of State Colin Powell was privately embarrassed when, two days into a catastrophic disaster that hit 12 of the world’s poorer countries and will cost billions of dollars to meliorate, he held a press conference to say that America, the world’s richest nation, would contribute $15 million. That’s less than half of what Republicans plan to spend on the Bush inaugural festivities” – and so on. So the initial reportage of the debacle was certainly overcome. But as all those who practice psyops know, it is the initial story that counts : and this is where the White House is brilliant. It disseminates its propaganda without caring about essential truth. The message is given to the world. The impression is made. And all the later sage comment and even direct retractions will not eradicate that critical first impression.</p>
<p>Bush is a petulant ass whose interest in global matters begins and ends with his own image. His instinct is to be confrontational and malevolent, and to insult and if possible destroy those who do not agree with whatever line he is peddling. The only honest people in his administration have either quit or been dismissed, and the operations of his vile adherents have destroyed the careers many other, such as Valerie Plame.</p>
<p>People who dare contradict or criticize the Bush regime are dealt with by being publicly vilified, as has happened in the case of the honorable Mr Egeland. With a bit of luck, he will survive the attentions of the Bush jackals and will be allowed to continue to perform his UN duties in the devoted fashion for which he is well-known around the world (but not in Bush Washington). Bush the petulant president has struck again, but this time the arrow has rebounded and he has been revealed to be the silly little man that he is. Let’s hope that the arrows aimed at Messrs Annan, ElBaradei and so many others have the same effect.</p>
<p>BRIAN CLOUGHLEY writes on military and political affairs. He can be reached through his website <a href="http://www.briancloughley.com/" type="external">www.briancloughley.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Bush and the Tsunami | true | https://counterpunch.org/2005/01/01/bush-and-the-tsunami/ | 2005-01-01 | 4 |
<p>New York Times McClatchy's bid for Knight Ridder is worth more than $4.8 billion in cash and stock, according to NYT's sources. A group of private equity firms submitted a nonbinding bid for about $4.7 billion in cash. It's unclear whether a third group — made up of MediaNews, several private equity firms and possibly Gannett — submitted a formal bid, report Andrew Ross Sorkin and Katharine Q. Seelye. &gt; <a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/14065371.htm" type="external">Knight Ridder schedules weekend board of directors meeting (SJMN)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-0603100129mar10,1,2455898.column?coll=chi-business-col" type="external">"It's going to be a long weekend for the newspaper industry" (ChiTrib)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/09/AR2006030902176.html" type="external">Possible KR sale offers glimpse into newspaper industry's future (WP)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/14228329p-15051778c.html" type="external">Morton: McClatchy would probably sell St. Paul Pioneer Press (SacBee)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/03/10/BUG3MHLCH61.DTL" type="external">Morton: "An early victim would be the Philadelphia Daily News" (SFC)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.startribune.com/535/story/297086.html" type="external">Banker says "McClatchy wants this more than anyone else" (Strib)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-knight10mar10,1,2750174.story?coll=la-headlines-business" type="external">Many fear communities will be hurt by Knight Ridder sale (LAT)</a> &gt; <a href="http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114194695485194153-uIKA1o22OlzB3BICi91F68Kj6CI_20060317.html?mod=blogs" type="external">There could well be a surprise development, dark-horse bidder (WSJ)</a></p> | Report: McClatchy emerges as leading bidder to acquire KR | false | https://poynter.org/news/report-mcclatchy-emerges-leading-bidder-acquire-kr | 2006-03-10 | 2 |
<p>The following are forecasts for this week's remaining U.S. data from a survey compiled by The Wall Street Journal. Forecasts were last updated on Monday afternoon.</p>
<p>DATE TIME RELEASE PERIOD CONSENSUS PREVIOUS</p>
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<p>(ET)</p>
<p>Friday 0830 Retail Sales Jun +0.1% (22) -0.3%</p>
<p>-- ex autos Jun +0.2% (22) -0.3%</p>
<p>0830 Consumer Price Index Jun +0.1% (23) -0.1%</p>
<p>-- ex food &amp; energy Jun +0.2% (23) +0.1%</p>
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<p>0915 Industrial Production Jun +0.3% (22) +0.0%</p>
<p>0915 Capacity Utilization Jun 76.8% (20) 76.6%</p>
<p>1000 Consumer Sentiment Jul 94.7 (19) 95.1*</p>
<p>(Preliminary)</p>
<p>1000 Business Inventories May +0.3% (14) -0.2%</p>
<p>*End-June Reading</p>
<p>(Figures in parentheses refer to number of economists surveyed.)</p>
<p>Write to Tim Merle at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>July 13, 2017 10:14 ET (14:14 GMT)</p> | Retail Sales Expected to Rise -- Data Week Ahead | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/07/12/retail-sales-expected-to-rise-data-week-ahead.html | 2017-07-13 | 0 |
<p>For decades after it came out in 1925, Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, portraying an episode in the first Russian Revolution of 1905, was commonly described as the greatest film of all time. Even at the height of the Cold War, spectators would still be captured by its recreation of a spontaneous mutiny on one of the czar's naval vessels. It provided not only a thrilling account of a collective uprising but a virtual textbook in how film editing could excite sympathy, fear, and revolutionary anger. The film's purpose was no less propagandistic than Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi productions of the 1930s, especially Triumph of the Will, but its themes were humane: not exalting the irrational cult of a supreme leader but dramatizing the oppressive violence of Russia's old regime; the basic, universal longing for human dignity; and a bright but brief springtime of freedom and solidarity. For Eisenstein, working at the dawn of the Stalinist era, that liberation seemed to have been realized, although we came to know how soon it would be cut off. In the light of history, we cannot look at Potemkin with innocent eyes, yet its hopes and illusions seem as timely as the latest uprisings in the Arab world.</p>
<p>The release of a new version by Kino Lorber, with the sequence of shots, the Russian intertitles, and the original score all restored, offers an occasion to reconsider not only the movie itself but the issue of politics and film, especially revolutionary politics. Eisenstein was essentially a formalist, but he believed that film, as a revolutionary medium, could forward political revolution as well, for its techniques could incite popular feeling and bring it to a high pitch. No one could have agreed with him more than, say, Joseph Goebbels. For most of us, on the other hand, film and revolution make for an incendiary mix. It seems axiomatic that a political film ought to be complex and thoughtful, not simply rousing. But the avant-garde of the 1920s, especially in France, Germany, and Russia, set out to smash the conventions of depth in traditional narrative. For the new art cinema, stories with realistic settings, unfolding moral themes, and highly individualized characters belonged to the bourgeois world of the nineteenth century. To Eisenstein it was collective action that counted, not personal heroism or individual responsibility. Casting nonprofessional actors for Potemkin, he was drawn to physical types whose appearance expressed their social role, not performers who could give full play to complex motives.</p>
<p>Eisenstein was a painterly director; later in his career he sketched out every shot in advance. No one who ever saw Potemkin is likely to forget its stark images, beginning with the geometrical patterns of the hammocks in which the sailors sleep; the maggoty meat that provokes them to rise up; the weasel-faced ship doctor who examines it with pince-nez and pronounces it fit to eat;...</p>
<p /> | Battleship Potemkin and Beyond | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/battleship-potemkin-and-beyond | 2011-06-21 | 4 |
<p>I am sickened as I write, my country, engaged in horrible crimes against human beings, tortured, reduced to helplessness, imprisoned for years, often released subsequently without charges … a compliant (and complicit) public, ranging from profound denial to blissful unconcern or the self-righteous expression of justifiability, forming the silent background for a tableau of dishonor and extreme cruelty. I refer to Guantanamo, but also CIA black sites scattered worldwide, sadistic personnel—jailers, physicians, psychologists and psychiatrists, lawyers, military and intelligence officers, members of Congress, Washington, America in general, right up to Obama—compliant, complicit, no, actively supportive, blood-soaked in mind and spirit, positively relishing the demonic practices, all in the name of freedom and democracy, the American Way of Life, God Himself/Herself.</p>
<p>I have criticized the New York Times often enough in these pages. That does not change, in most things a direct pipeline from, or reflecting the views of, the Administration; but this time, the article, “How U.S. Torture Left Legacy of Damaged Minds,” (Oct. 9), by Matt Apuzzo, Sheri Fink, and James Risen, has done the paper proud, with excellent research (as much as classification-in-place has allowed) on the details of torture, medical reports, etc., as well as legwork and photographs of former prisoners, and interviews of what detainees were subjected to and their current psychological and physical problems, heightening the impact and truth value of the report. The focus is on the aftereffects, but much is brought out about the actual torture—clearly, standard operating procedure, partly to break the will of the prisoners, partly, pure viciousness on the part of the captors—of those imprisoned.</p>
<p>I quote and paraphrase liberally from the report, in grateful acknowledgment of the reporters’ work. (My commentary and responses are my own.) They write that “government lawyers and intelligence officials” concluded that “none of it [torture] …would cause long lasting psychological harm,” and, [f]ifteen years later, it is clear they were wrong.” (Like Kafka, I will identify the victims serially by an initial.) A. “describes permanent headaches and disturbed sleep, plagued by memories of dogs inside a blackened jail”; B. “is haunted by nightmares of suffocating at the bottom of a well”; C. music from a passing car “spurs rage … reminding him of the C.i.A. prison where earsplitting music was just one assault to his senses.” So much for their alleged absence of psychological damage, years after having been released from incarceration.</p>
<p>The reporters speak of detainees “enduring agonizing treatment in secret C. I. A. prisons around the world or coercive practices at the military detention camp at Guantanamo Bay,” similar to what American P.O.W.’s faced “who were brutalized decades earlier by some of the world’s cruelest regimes.” Some of those [it seems a majority from the evidence presented] of those now discussed “included victims of mistaken identity or flimsy evidence that the United States later disavowed,” or were “foot soldiers … who were later deemed to pose little threat.” “[T]he human toll,” the reporters note, “has gone largely uncalculated.”</p>
<p>Of those interviewed, more than half going through the C.I.A. “’enhanced interrogation’ program” had a regimen which included “depriving them of sleep, dousing them with ice water, slamming them into walls and locking them in coffin-like boxes,” not surprisingly since showing “psychiatric problems,” e.g., PTSD, “paranoia, depression or psychosis.” In others, “the military inflicted sensory deprivation, isolation, menacing with dogs,” etc. The government never studied the long-term effects of the torture. Even during medical treatment at Guantanamo, physicians “did not ask their patients what had happened during their questioning”—profound denial all up and down the line. And when “released from American custody, some found neither help nor relief.” They had been “snatched, interrogated and imprisoned, then sent home without explanation.”</p>
<p>The widow of D., who had died in May, states, “He was humiliated, and that feeling never went away.” Then there was E., a 15-year-old child soldier, captured in Afghanistan, a Canadian, who, after years of imprisonment, related to his lawyer that “the American soldiers had kept him from sleeping, spit in his face and threatened him with rape[.]” In anxiety attacks he once urinated during interrogation “and soldiers had dragged him through the mess.” He said: “This is the room where they used me as a human mop.” One conscientious examining physician noted that E. had PTSD, “a conclusion the military contested.” The doctor later did research “on the effects of abusive practices,” and “found decades of papers on the issue” going back to World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, in which “[f]ormer soldiers who suffered torture or mistreatment were more likely than others to develop long-term problems.” Government’s response to such an obvious conclusion? Have a training program, SERE [Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape] “to resist enemy interrogators”!</p>
<p>Enter the psychologists, essentially to toughen up service members so they can withstand torture, professionals—in practices which the American Psychological Association has not condemned—who “gave electric shocks to dogs” as part of the experiments in developing a resistance-strategy. (The dogs were strays, then euthanized, indicative of the cynicism of all those joining in the detainee enterprise.) F. provided “the grisly details” of “water dousing,” in which he was “forced onto a plastic tarp while naked, his hands shackled above his head. Sometimes he was hooded. One C.I.A. official poured buckets of ice water on him as others lifted the tarp’s covers, sending water splashing over him and causing a choking or drowning sensation. He said he endured the treatment multiple times.”</p>
<p>Exceptionalism? America the Beautiful? Other techniques included “mock executions, threats to harm prisoners’ children or rape their family members, and ‘rectal feeding,’ which involved inserting liquid food supplements or puree into the rectum.” For those moving through C.I.A. jails, “interrogations were designed to disrupt the senses and increase helplessness….. Forced nudity, sensory deprivation and endless light or darkness were considered routine.” The reporters further observed, “Many of those men [from C.I.A. jails] were later released without charges, unsure of why they were held.” Senate investigators concluded, “About one in four prisoners should never have been captured, or turned out to have been misidentified by the C.I.A.” I suspect the proportion was greater.</p>
<p>Finally, let me look at F., “a Moroccan living in Afghanistan in 2001, [who] was held for years as a suspected member of a group linked to Al Qaeda. He said he was beaten repeatedly at a United States military jail in Kandahar and forced to watch soldiers do the same to his younger brother.” The sect he belonged to was actually “oppressed by Al Qaeda and others.” He was kept in isolation at Guantanamo, where, protesting his innocence, he was threatened, abused, shown “execution photos,” and told he would be sent to Morocco for further torture. The denouement: “After he was released last year, the United States gave him a letter saying it no longer stood by information that he was a member of a Qaeda-linked group in Morocco. Despite diplomatic assurances that he would face no charges, Morocco jailed him for several months late last year and he continues to fight allegations that he thought were behind him.” Now, he is under psychiatric care and has serious, painful symptoms.</p>
<p>I give F. the last word: “’They [his doctors] tell me everything is normal. Your brain is playing games. It is something mental. You’re still living in Gitmo. It’s fear.” There is more to be said, more case studies, an indictment, whether NYT’s intent (but the evidence is there) written in the blood, nervous systems, minds of the victims. The US plays hard ball. There appears to be no resting, either political party, the public at large, and when not directly implicated America has cultivated proxies worldwide to do its mission. What that mission is, I leave the reader to determine.</p> | Indictment: US Guilty of War Crimes | true | https://counterpunch.org/2016/10/11/indictment-us-guilty-of-war-crimes/ | 2016-10-11 | 4 |
<p>The Internet is the most democratic communications network ever created. In a world where our community cannot count on the mainstream media to tell our stories - or on mainstream politicians to advocate for our needs - the Internet has allowed us to organize, speak for ourselves and dismantle political barriers.</p>
<p>The Internet did not become such a powerful force by accident - it's because the Internet has worked from day one according to a key principle called <a href="http://www.publicknowledge.org/issues/network-neutrality" type="external">net neutrality</a>, which dictates that the companies who manage the flow of content on the Internet deliver every piece of content with the same speed and priority, regardless of who puts it on the Net.</p>
<p>Your own personal website or blog can compete on an equal footing with the biggest companies. It's an open playing field that has made it possible for social and business entrepreneurs to thrive - free from the corporate gatekeepers that have dominated traditional media like cable television, broadcast radio and widely available print publications.</p>
<p>So what does any of this have to do with black people and political empowerment? In short, everything. Today we have a president who credits his ability to break through historic barriers to the open nature of the Internet. In the last several years, a healthy ecosystem of black voices has begun to emerge online - black bloggers and columnists who, to a large degree, had no effective forum from which to speak in authentic voices and shape public debate. Through <a href="http://colorofchange.org/" type="external">ColorOfChange</a>.org, more than 800,000 people are connected to opportunities for political change.</p>
<p>By definition, the work that we do at ColorOfChange goes against the status quo and attempts to disrupt entrenched power. Take our successful campaign to prevent the Congressional Black Caucus Institute from partnering with Fox News, our effort to force the story of the Jena 6 to be told (with everyday people providing $300,000 for their legal defense), or our campaign that has stripped Fox News' Glenn Beck of more than 100 of his major advertisers.</p>
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<p>Efforts like ColorOfChange would be impossible if we had to rely on traditional media because of the nature of our message or because of the prohibitively high costs of entry, but the open Internet allows us to make our voices heard and to form community.</p>
<p>Net neutrality is the key to the power of the Internet, but it's under attack. Comcast, AT&amp;T and Verizon - the most powerful broadband providers - are trying to undo how the Internet works in order to increase their profits. These companies want to create a tiered Internet where only those with the deepest pockets can guarantee that their voices are easily heard. Those who can pay more (think big companies) will have their Web content sped up, while those who can't (think scrappy activists and bloggers) will have their content slowed down, if it arrives at all.</p>
<p>President Obama strongly supports net neutrality, and so do most members of the FCC. With so much at stake for black communities, you would expect black leaders and civic organizations to line up in support of an open Internet. Think again.</p>
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<p>Many of our nation's leading civil rights groups - like the NAACP, the National Urban League and LULAC - and influential members of the Congressional Black Caucus have signed on to letters and made statements that have had the effect of supporting AT&amp;T, Verizon and Comcast in their efforts to kill net neutrality. In some cases, the leaders and groups don't seem to understand the actual issues in play or don't know how they are being used. In others it seems to be a matter of long-standing relationships or the need to maintain the flow of corporate dollars.</p>
<p>AT&amp;T and Verizon have been in our communities for years. They have provided jobs and have done a great job hiring and promoting black workers. They have provided millions of dollars to community institutions and programs. That has earned them a degree of trust with many organizations that have now gone to bat for them, even though these companies do not have a good record of making sure their core services are affordable or accessible to those with low incomes or in remote areas.</p>
<p>AT&amp;T, Verizon and Comcast have also all given generously to political campaigns. In turn, they have received a great deal of support from those members of Congress they've backed. In addition, they have contributed millions of dollars to civil rights organizations - with these same organizations signing on to letters that echo the positions of the communications industry.</p>
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<p>They've even propped up front groups like the Alliance for Digital Equality, Broadband for America and the Internet Innovation Alliance - organizations with no constituency or real membership - to create a chorus of black people and others to make their arguments, with notable figures like former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and former Rep. Harold Ford lending their brands to the cause.</p>
<p>And these companies have pushed a bogus argument that plays on the reality of the digital divide. They've sold the idea that if they have their way and are able to do away with net neutrality, they'll take the additional profits they make and suddenly invest in our communities where they traditionally haven't (despite already seeing profit margins as high as 80 percent). It's a cynical trickle-down argument that defies the basic logic of how businesses operate. Even so, it's become a talking point for several civil rights advocates and groups.</p>
<p>Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) is in pursuit of the position of ranking member of the House Communications, Technology and the Internet (CTI) subcommittee - the House committee responsible for shaping legislation regarding the Internet. Rush is regarded as a champion for his constituents and a supporter of progressive policies. But he has also been the leading black voice in opposition to an open Internet, the sole Democrat joining Republicans in crafting a bill that attempted to undermine net neutrality in 2006.</p>
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<p>Two of Rush's biggest campaign contributors have been AT&amp;T and Verizon, and Rush has a community technology center bearing his name that was built through a $1 million contribution from AT&amp;T. Rush and his staff have maintained that net neutrality is a "solution in search of a problem."</p>
<p>No one who is familiar with the development of the Internet and the basics of capitalism and who has spent a day researching the issue of net neutrality could ever honestly say that. There are only two explanations I can find: that Rush is being extremely naive or is being compromised by corporate interests. Either one should disqualify someone from serving in such a powerful position.</p>
<p>After I wrote a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, arguing that Rush was a poor choice for the job, Rush attacked me without engaging any of the arguments I put forth. (His main charge was that ColorOfChange was "funded and controlled by Silicon Valley" - laughable, given that not only do we not receive industry funding, but a few months ago we led a well-publicized protest at Google for its flip-flop on net neutrality.)</p>
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<p>But it wasn't just Rush. Consider David Honig, a trusted friend of many in the civil rights community who has done important work in the past but who has recently spent a great deal of his time organizing the civil rights community to line up with the telecoms against net neutrality. He assembled almost every civil rights and black legislative group you can imagine to counter our letter. Did they engage any of the arguments I put forth? Nope - not one. What they were doing, whether they knew it or not, was helping Honig orchestrate a push-back devoid of any <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-honig/civility-and-why-bobby-ru_b_786065.html" type="external">compelling arguments</a> to counter my rationale for opposing Rush.</p>
<p>Black politicians and institutions have historically been a voice of conscience. And they still hold a degree of that currency today. However, it appears that companies like AT&amp;T, Verizon and Comcast are aware of this fact and are exploiting it. At the end of the day, it's up to us. Much of what's being done - whether by a black member of Congress or one of our institutions - is being done in our name. And in the case of the undermining of net neutrality, it will be our communities that stand to lose the most.</p>
<p>James Rucker is a co-founder of ColorofChange.org, which advocates a stronger political voice for African Americans.</p> | Your Take: Why We Need Net Neutrality | true | https://theroot.com/your-take-why-we-need-net-neutrality-1790881830 | 2010-12-02 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Apple, a company many said had repeatedly delayed the development and launch of the iPhone for fear that it might&#160;cannibalize&#160;its iPod business, is now a “mobile devices company” with a smartphone that is undoubtedly its flagship device. Chief Executive Steve Jobs and Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook have both publicly acknowledged this major transition on several occasions, including on stage while unveiling the iPad and on earnings calls while speaking with analysts. Apple is growing at an unheard of pace and stockpiling mountains of cash, all thanks to its mobile business. Personal Computers, Apple’s core business for nearly 30 years, now play second fiddle to the company’s mobile devices in terms of both revenue and mind share.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>On the other side of the table, old rival Microsoft is doing all it can to regain its footing in the mobile space after letting its Windows Mobile platform die on the vine. Windows Mobile’s replacement, Windows Phone, is still in its infancy but early reports have suggested adoption has been slow at best. So where does Microsoft go from here?</p>
<p>The Internet&#160;erupted&#160;following our report covering industry insider Eldar Murtazin’s claim that <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/01/microsoft-strikes-deal-to-acquire-nokias-phone-business-insider-claims/" type="external">Microsoft has struck a deal to purchase Nokia’s cell phone business for $19 billion Opens a New Window.</a>. Murtazin has a long track record of solid Nokia scoops, and he was <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2010/12/20/murtazin-nokia-to-build-windows-phone-7-devices/" type="external">the first person to report Opens a New Window.</a> that the Finnish phone maker would adopt Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform for its smartphones starting later this year. While his new claim is anything but confirmed, it’s not as far fetched as some might think. In fact,&#160;a deal to dump Nokia’s phone business could actually be considered a continuation of former Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo vision.</p>
<p>The ex-Nokia chief lead a major reorganization that began several years ago in an effort to transition the company away from being a devices company. Instead, Kallasvuo believed Nokia’s future was in software and services. Subsequent acquisitions of companies like Navteq and the eventual launch of Nokia’s Ovi suite would set the phone maker on this new course, but the transition came at a time when the company’s smartphones were leapfrogged by Android and iOS devices, and revenue began to sink along with the firm’s market share.</p>
<p>But perhaps Nokia was on the right track. Perhaps Kallasvuo’s vision of Nokia as a software company is shared by new CEO Stephen Elop, who some pundits believe was brought on board solely to preside over a union with Microsoft, his former employer. Those pundits were painted as conspiracy theorists until <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/02/11/official-nokia-to-adopt-windows-phone-as-smartphone-operating-system-live-video/" type="external">Nokia announced this past February that it would adopt Windows Phone Opens a New Window.</a> as its smartphone platform of the future. Was that deal just the beginning? It’s not so crazy to imagine a role reversal of sorts, where Microsoft could orchestrate the bigger picture while Nokia supplies the software and services that power the Windows Phone platform. Plenty of companies have built monstrous businesses by supplying software to hardware makers — one such company, of course, is Microsoft.</p>
<p>But Microsoft is a different story right now. It is a PC OS company at its core, and therein lies the problem: the PC OS business isn’t what it used to be. As such, Microsoft has spent a considerable amount of time and resources fanning out its software and service portfolio in order to spread out its net. It’s doing a good job, all things considered, but one company found a better path to take not long ago. That company is Apple, and that path is mobile.</p>
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<p>It would certainly be quite an interesting piece of irony. For years, Apple nipped at Microsoft’s heels while chasing the Redmond-based giant’s computer business. Then in 2007, Apple planted seeds that would sprout into one of the most successful technology ventures of recent history: iOS. The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod touch… a trio of mobile devices that have made Apple one of the biggest technology companies in the world.</p>
<p>Apple spent decades trying to become the next Microsoft. Now, from atop a mountain of mobile devices, Apple may finally be able to sit and watch while Microsoft tries to become the next Apple.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/01/with-possible-nokia-deal-microsoft-could-try-to-become-the-next-apple/" type="external">This content was originally published on BGR.com Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bgr.com/" type="external">Opens a New Window.</a>More news from BGR:- <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/01/lg-revolution-review/" type="external">LG Revolution review Opens a New Window.</a>- <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/01/microsoft-strikes-deal-to-acquire-nokias-phone-business-insider-claims/" type="external">Microsoft strikes deal to acquire Nokia’s phone business for $19B, insider claims Opens a New Window.</a>- <a href="http://www.bgr.com/2011/06/01/nokias-downward-spiral-microsoft-deal-unlikely-to-be-successful-analyst-says/" type="external">Nokia’s downward spiral: Microsoft deal ‘unlikely to be successful,’ analyst says Opens a New Window.</a></p> | With Possible Nokia Deal, Microsoft Could Try to Become Next Apple | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2011/06/01/possible-nokia-deal-microsoft-try-apple.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
<p>Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Former 'N Sync singer Joey Fatone says the boy band won't reunite at the Super Bowl.</p>
<p>The 40-year-old television personality shot down rumors 'N Sync will join <a href="" type="internal">Justin Timberlake</a> during <a href="" type="internal">his halftime show performance</a> at Super Bowl LII in an interview <a href="http://www.tmz.com/2018/01/23/joey-fatone-justin-timberlake-super-bowl-nsync/" type="external">with TMZ</a> published Tuesday.</p>
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<p>"I'm here right now," Fatone said from outside Delilah restaurant in Los Angeles. "If I was doing something, I would be at rehearsals right now. So obviously, there's your proof. Nothing."</p>
<p>"There's nothing wrong with that," he added. "[Justin]'s doing his thing."</p>
<p>Fatone, Timberlake and the other members of 'N Sync performed at Super Bowl XXXV in 2001. Fans have been clamoring for the boy band to reunite since their last performance as a group at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.</p>
<p>"So sad that there's not going to be an NSYNC reunion at the Superbowl!" one fan <a href="https://twitter.com/RSantosTV/status/956171334165417984" type="external">tweeted</a> in response to Fatone's comments.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately my dreams of @NSYNC reuniting @SuperBowl LII have been CRUSHED. #IWantYouBack #SuperBowlLII," another <a href="https://twitter.com/KellySchuberth/status/955966591723716608" type="external">added</a>.</p>
<p>'N Sync also consisted of <a href="" type="internal">Lance Bass</a>, JC Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick. The boy band announced a hiatus in 2002 following the release of its album Celebrity, and has not recorded new material since.</p> | Joey Fatone denies 'N Sync will reunite at Super Bowl | false | https://upi.com/Entertainment_News/Music/2018/01/24/Joey-Fatone-denies-N-Sync-will-reunite-at-Super-Bowl/6001516803982/ | 2 |
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<p>With their growing numbers and vast purchasing power, senior shoppers present both an opportunity and challenge for retailers. For some of the biggest names in the industry, the 60-and–over crowd represents an important customer base already, and they are doing more to accommodate it.</p>
<p>“This demographic should be important to retailers as there is a gap between the scale of the senior consumer population’s purchasing power and the current offerings in the retail sector that are more geared toward younger shoppers,” said Deborah L. Weinswig, managing director at Fung Global Retail and Technology in New York.</p>
<p>She said the senior proportion in the U.S. was a substantial 14.8 percent, or nearly 48 million people in 2015, and is projected to grow to 20.7 percent of total population of 356 million by 2020. Likewise, spending by U.S. seniors continues to grow faster than consumer spending in total.</p>
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<p>Some major retailers have taken steps recently to cater to seniors.</p>
<p>On its website, Kohl’s offers a 15 percent discount Wednesdays in stores only for customers age 60 and over.</p>
<p>Best Buy recently began a pilot program, known as “Assured Living Service” in Denver and Minneapolis as a sensor-based notification service connecting caregivers with their loved ones through smart-home technology. Best Buy consults with both the child and parent to customize a system that best meets their need, and the company’s Geek Squad installs the technology in the parent’s home and offers training on using it.</p>
<p>The payoff potential is huge. Senior households spent $1.43 billion last year – up 6.7 percent from 2015, according to National Consumer Expenditure Surveys. The mean family wealth and before-tax real income of households headed by most age groups under 64 contracted considerably between 2001 and 2013, while average wealth and income in households headed by seniors increased significantly in those years.</p>
<p>U.S. households consisting of those ages 65–74 direct a substantially larger share of their spending to retail categories than the average household does, but households consisting of those ages 75 and older direct a lower share than average toward retail.</p>
<p>Fung researcher Swarooprani Muralidhar said seniors bought twice as many household supplies, cleaning products, books and periodicals, than they did clothing, 142 percent vs. 62 percent of their average household total spending in 2016.</p>
<p>——</p>
<p>©2017 The Philadelphia Inquirer</p>
<p>Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at <a href="http://www.philly.com" type="external">www.philly.com</a></p>
<p>Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Retailers brace for the ‘Silver Tsunami’ | false | https://abqjournal.com/1091864/retailers-brace-for-the-silver-tsunami.html | 2 |
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<p>On Wednesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced a bill that would guarantee health care coverage for all Americans, a measure that already has the support of at least 15 other Democratic senators.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Sanders’ Medicare for All Act would allow all individuals to receive coverage by expanding the program. Americans would receive a card that would grant them access to medical services.</p>
<p>The idea is a shift toward a single-payer system, meaning the government – through taxes – would finance health care costs for people regardless of health status, income, etc. Individuals would no longer be responsible for paying premiums, co-pays or deductibles, however they could be on the hook for some out-of-pocket prescription costs, according to <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/13/politics/bernie-sanders-medicare-for-all-plan-details/index.html" type="external">CNN Opens a New Window.</a>. Obviously, an (unspecified) portion of taxes for businesses and individuals would be allocated toward the program.</p>
<p>Sanders is expected to release more details about his Medicare for All plan on Wednesday afternoon, the same day Republicans are expected to detail their revived effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.</p>
<p>Although the Vermont senator’s proposal has little chance of passing a Republican-controlled Congress, Sanders is opening a dialogue about pushing the U.S. health care system toward a single-payer system. While he has the support of many lawmakers in his party, Sanders’ proposal could force an intraparty divide, as members like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) have refused to publicly support the measure, according to The Los Angeles Times.</p>
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<p>Among the Democrats who have signed on to back Sanders’ bill are some of the rumored 2020 presidential candidates for the party, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.).</p> | Sanders introduces 'Medicare for All' bill in move toward single-payer system | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/09/13/sanders-introduces-medicare-for-all-bill-in-move-toward-single-payer-system.html | 2017-09-13 | 0 |
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<p>Apple is planning to build a significant new business in original television shows and movies, according to people familiar with the matter, a move that could make it a bigger player in Hollywood and offset slowing sales of iPhones and iPads.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>These people said the programming would be available to subscribers of Apple's $10-a-month streaming-music service, which has struggled to catch up to the larger Spotify AB. Apple Music already includes a limited number of documentary-style segments on musicians, but nothing like the premium programming it is now seeking.</p>
<p>The technology giant has been in talks with veteran producers in recent months about buying rights to scripted television programs. It also has approached experienced marketing executives at studios and networks to discuss hiring them to promote its content, said people with knowledge of the discussions.</p>
<p>In addition to TV, Apple indicated to these people that it is considering offering original movies, though those plans are more preliminary.</p>
<p>Executives at Apple have told people in Hollywood they hope to start offering original scripted content by the end of 2017.</p>
<p>The shows Apple is considering would likely be comparable to critically acclaimed programs like "Westworld" on Time Warner Inc.'s HBO or "Stranger Things" on Netflix.</p>
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<p>Because it is looking at just a handful of carefully selected shows, and potentially films, it doesn't appear Apple is preparing to spend the hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars it would need to spend annually to become a direct competitor to Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc.'s Prime Video or premium cable networks.</p>
<p>Rather, it would escalate the arms race between Apple Music and Spotify, which both offer essentially the same catalog of tens of millions of songs, by adding other content that could distinguish Apple's service.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the entry of the world's most valuable company into original television and films could be a transformative moment for Hollywood and mark a significant turn in strategy for Apple as it starts to become more of a media company, rather than just a distributor of other companies' media.</p>
<p>In addition to its music-related nonfiction shows and documentaries, Apple Music already has bought the rights to a half-hour version of "Carpool Karaoke," which is currently a segment on CBS's "The Late Late Show with James Corden." It is also making a quasi-biographical series about Dr. Dre, the rap star and Apple Music executive, which is slated to premiere later this year.</p>
<p>But it hasn't yet bought scripted content from outside producers, a more expensive and riskier endeavor that takes it further onto the turf of entertainment companies. The series and movies Apple is now considering buying don't have any particular relationship to music, according to the people familiar with the matter.</p>
<p>One reason Apple hasn't yet completed a deal to buy a scripted series is because it is still working out details of its business strategy built around original content. But it has told producers that a key advantage it hopes to offer is that it would share data on how many people watch its original content and some demographic data on them. Netflix doesn't share any such information with its content creators, which has been a source of contention among some in Hollywood.</p>
<p>Apple has been flirting for years with whether and how it should enter the entertainment business. It held talk with television companies about offering a "skinny bundle" of networks over the internet, but was never able to reach terms. It also approached Time Warner Inc. last year about a possible merger before that company agreed to be acquired by AT&amp;T.</p>
<p>The move into original content comes as Apple is grappling with a slowdown in its traditional business. Last year it missed its own internal revenue targets for the first time in at least seven years as sales of the iPhone 6s fell short of expectations. Sales of the iPhone, which turned Apple into the world's most profitable company, have slowed amid rising competition, particularly in China.</p>
<p>Apple Music has become a key piece of the company's services business, which has been growing as iPhone sales slow. Revenue from Apple Music rose 22% in the quarter ended Sept. 24, but the service's subscriber base is still dwarfed by Spotify's.</p>
<p>Apple Music said in December that it had more than 20 million subscribers, most of whom pay $9.99 a month; Spotify counted more than 40 million paying subscribers in September.</p>
<p>Write to Ben Fritz at [email protected], Tripp Mickle at [email protected] and Hannah Karp at [email protected]</p> | Apple Sets Its Sights on Hollywood With Plans for Original Content | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/12/apple-sets-its-sights-on-hollywood-with-plans-for-original-content.html | 2017-01-12 | 0 |
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<p>OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City police officers who opened fire on a man in front of his home as he approached them holding a metal pipe didn’t hear witnesses yelling that he was deaf, a department official said Wednesday.</p>
<p>Magdiel Sanchez, 35, wasn’t obeying the officers’ commands before one shot him with a gun and the other with a Taser on Tuesday night, police Capt. Bo Mathews said at a news conference. He said witnesses were yelling “he can’t hear you” before the officers fired, but they didn’t hear them.</p>
<p>“In those situations, very volatile situations, you have a weapon out, you can get what they call tunnel vision, or you can really lock in to just the person that has the weapon that’d be the threat against you,” Mathews said. “I don’t know exactly what the officers were thinking at that point.”</p>
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<p>Sanchez, who had no apparent criminal history, died at the scene. The officer who fired the gun, Sgt. Chris Barnes, has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.</p>
<p>Mathews said the officers were investigating a reported hit-and-run at around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday. He said a witness told Lt. Matthew Lindsey the address where the vehicle responsible for the hit-and-run had gone, and that Sanchez was on the porch when Lindsey arrived.</p>
<p>He said Sanchez was holding a metal pipe that was approximately 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and that had a leather loop on one end for wrapping around one’s wrist. Lindsey called for backup and Barnes arrived, at which point Sanchez left the porch and began to approach the officers, Mathews said.</p>
<p>Witnesses could hear the officers giving Sanchez commands, but the officers didn’t hear the witnesses yelling that Sanchez couldn’t hear them, Mathews said. When he was about 15 feet (4.5 meters) away from the officers, they opened fire — Lindsey with his Taser and Barnes with his gun, apparently simultaneously, Mathews said.</p>
<p>He said he didn’t know how many shots were fired, but that it was more than one.</p>
<p>When asked why Barnes used a gun instead of a Taser, Mathews said he didn’t know. He said it’s possible Barnes wasn’t equipped with a Taser. Neither officer had a body camera.</p>
<p>Sanchez’s father, who was driving the hit-and-run vehicle, confirmed after the shooting that his son was deaf, Mathews said. He said Sanchez wasn’t in the vehicle when his father struck something and drove off. It wasn’t a person that he struck.</p>
<p>A man who saw Oklahoma City police officers open fire on Sanchez says his neighbor was developmentally disabled and didn’t speak in addition to being deaf.</p>
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<p>Neighbor Julio Rayos told The Oklahoman on Wednesday that Sanchez communicated mainly through hand movements.</p>
<p>“He don’t speak, he don’t hear, mainly it is hand movements. That’s how he communicates,” Rayos told the newspaper. “I believe he was frustrated trying to tell them what was going on.”</p>
<p>Mathews said the city has officers who are trained in the use of sign language, but he didn’t know if Lindsey and Barnes are among them.</p>
<p>Jolie Guebara, who lives two houses from the shooting scene, told The Associated Press that she heard five or six gunshots before she looked outside and saw the police.</p>
<p>“He always had a stick that he would walk around with, because there’s a lot of stray dogs,” Guebara said.</p>
<p>Guebara said Sanchez, whose name she didn’t know, wrote notes to communicate with her and her husband when he would occasionally stop and visit if they were outside.</p>
<p>Police initially said Sanchez was carrying a stick, but Mathews described it Wednesday as a metal pipe.</p>
<p>Sanchez’s death is the latest in a string of controversial killings by Oklahoma police in recent years. In 2015, a white Tulsa County reserve deputy fatally shot an unarmed black man who was on the ground being subdued. He said he meant to shoot the suspect with a stun gun but mistakenly used his firearm instead. He was sentenced to four years in prison.</p>
<p>In May, a white former Tulsa police officer, Betty Shelby, was acquitted in the 2016 killing of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed black man who had his hands up when she fired. Much like in the Sanchez killing, another officer almost simultaneously fired a Taser at Crutcher when Shelby fired her gun. Unlike Sanchez’s killing, both Tulsa killings were captured on video.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Ken Miller on Twitter at https://twitter.com/kenmiller7. Sign up for the AP’s weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: <a href="http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv." type="external">http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv.</a></p> | Captain: Oklahoma City man killed by police was deaf | false | https://abqjournal.com/1066538/witnesses-yell-he-cant-hear-you-as-cops-shoot-deaf-man.html | 2017-09-20 | 2 |
<p>The smile of Mo Sochua is gentle. It’s the sweet Cambodian smile, as deceptive as her birth country. The Cambodia of the headlines is a great success story: “Democracy Sprung from Bones of the Killing Fields,” or “Five Top Khmer Rouge Leaders on Trial.” But scratch the surface, says Sochua, the most outspoken human-rights activist in the parliament, and you will see Cambodia “fast regressing to a soft dictatorship.”</p>
<p>“I sat up and said, ‘I’m not going to take this anymore! I am not going to be defenseless. I am going to jail.’”</p>
<p>Beneath the surface of her serenity is a caldron of energy and passion to save Cambodian women from sex slavery in brothels, where she goes at night to comfort and educate them. She campaigns to restore free and fair elections. She stands with families who are being brutally driven off their lands with methods similar to those of the Khmer Rouge. Today, it’s the military that wields guns, tear gas, and beatings, and burns fields and homes to the ground to turn over the land to rich developers or corporations, all sanctioned by the government.</p>
<p>You would never imagine that this elegant woman with the high cheekbones of her Chinese mother, dressed in a hand-tailored suit, crossing the lobby of the Parker-Meridien Hotel in Manhattan to meet me for an interview, could be called a “hustler” or “gangster.” But that is how she has been shamed by the leader of her country, Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Vietnamese strongman who has been in power for over 30 years.</p>
<p>Hun Sen was very supportive of Mo Sochua when she was the first female to become minister of women’s affairs in his cabinet, in a country that considers women inferior to men. She made him look good when she negotiated international agreements against sex trafficking of women in Southeast Asia, which brought in donor money from democratic countries and later earned her a Nobel Prize nomination. He was even pleased when she fired up thousands of women to run for provincial political office and saw 900 of them elected.</p>
<p>But since 2004, when she renounced her government position in protest against corruption, she has become the leading voice of the opposition. During recent elections, she challenged a general who was campaigning for office in a government vehicle. She wanted to take a photo as evidence of election fraud. The beefy general wrestled with her to push her away from his car. In the tussle, the buttons on her shirt were ripped open, shocking the large crowd. The ruling party seized the opportunity to put out a story all over the government-controlled media that the female parliamentarian “grabs men” and is the equivalent of a prostitute.</p>
<p>This distortion of her life’s work in saving women from sexual violence “just invites other men to abuse women,” she says. “Hun Sen is targeting me because I walk from home to hut to educate people about their human rights. I tell them about the laws that protect them, but so many cannot read. Land-grabbing is the top issue, because when a farmer or a woman is evicted from their land, they lose the future of their children. Then the ruling party works on them psychologically, and threatens that if they let me come to talk to them again, they won’t be allowed to register a child for school or get health services or even cross the road, because the government owns it.”</p>
<p>Threatened with having her parliamentary immunity revoked, which would open the way for arrest, Sochua had the audacity to lodge a lawsuit for defamation against the prime minister. If arrested, she would be detained in the notorious Prey Sar prison for as long as the court wishes.</p>
<p>Fear is not an emotion Sochua allows herself. In 1972, she was the naïve, overprotected 18-year-old daughter of an affluent family who owned a local airline company and thus were targets of the communists bent on genocide of the educated class. Her mother put her on a plane to Paris to spare her from the genocide spilling up to their doorstep in Phnom Penh. She never said goodbye to her parents, who were exterminated in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge were overtaken by the Vietnamese.</p>
<p>She raised herself from the age of 18. With a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley, she earned a master’s degree in psychology and worked as a translator for the refugees who began trickling into California, and eventually became a U.S. citizen. When she returned to Cambodia in 1989 to organize social services for women in the refugee camps, she found a country in ruins.</p>
<p>She has deep insights into the mental state of her people today. “We have not unpacked our bags, psychologically. We are still refugees. Every one of us is scarred from within. When I go into the homes and huts of the farmers in my district, I find a mess. They don’t straighten their beds or put away their dishes.They are ready to run at any time because they do not know what is coming tomorrow. Their children are like small animals—always on alert—at any sign of conflict or danger they jump into attack or retreat into passivity and become paralyzed. This is why gender-based violence against women is so rampant.”</p>
<p>Now 55, she is feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable. “I am a leader alone at the top. I have never been nurtured inside.”</p>
<p>Start and finish your day with the top stories from The Daily Beast.</p>
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<p>Three weeks ago, Sochua was in her country house in the south of Cambodia, laying on her bed, sick with pneumonia, taking antibiotics and weeping. The youngest of her three daughters, now 18, had just left home to travel in Europe; Devi will enter Columbia University in the fall. It dredged up for Sochua her own loss at 18 of parents she never saw again.</p>
<p>Feeling uncharacteristically vulnerable, she turned to her American husband and moaned, “What are we going to do now we have no one at home?” “I was anguishing over what can I do for my country, how can we win? I knew this was a new passage in my life.”</p>
<p>Suddenly, she smacked her hands together. She leaned toward my face, recalling her awakening. “I sat up and said, ‘I’m not going to take this anymore! I am not going to be defenseless. I am going to jail.'”</p>
<p>She takes as her inspiration Hillary Clinton. “In Beijing [at the U.N. Conference on Women], we all looked to Hillary Clinton and she gave us the rallying cry: 'Women’s rights are human rights.'” In March, Sochua saw a different Hillary at the annual Washington gala of Vital Voices, the decade-old nongovernmental organization that finds, trains, and empowers emerging women leaders around the globe. “Now, I felt she was looking at us, the women she has helped to raise up, to support her and assure her of her agenda for women’s rights.”</p>
<p>This week Mo Sochua is in Washington and New York meeting with women in Congress and asking the U.S. to take the lead with the international community to say “emough” of aid to a government and military that has utter disregard for human rights and the rule of law. Instead of repeating the policy of the Bush administration, she urges that U.S. development aid go to the NGOs. She galvanized a power group of women at a luncheon held by Tina Brown to create a New York chapter of Vital Voices. Diane Von Furstenberg, a board member of Vital Voices, had emailed Sochua to say she didn’t have to go to prison to help other women.</p>
<p>Why is she so certain and sanguine about the need to go to prison to further her mission? I asked. Sochua smiled her gentle Cambodian smile. “I told myself ‘Grow up. Be strong. You are a river and you have run into a dead end. You have to bend again.”</p>
<p>Gail Sheehy is an American writer and lecturer, most notable for her books on life and the life cycle. She is also a contributor to Vanity Fair.</p> | Cambodia's Fearless Heroine | true | https://thedailybeast.com/cambodias-fearless-heroine | 2018-10-06 | 4 |
<p>Gov. Jan BrewerGuoji Shangbao/Zuma</p>
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<p>The Arizona Supreme Court issued a stern rebuke to Gov. Jan Brewer on Thursday, reinstating the chairwoman of the Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) that Brewer tried to oust earlier this month, <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/election/azelections/articles/2011/11/17/20111117arizona-court-hears-challenge-redistricting-ouster.html#ixzz1e4H8VJN1" type="external">the Arizona Republic reports</a>.</p>
<p>In 2000, Arizonans voted to create a non-partisan commission to run the redistricting process. States re-draw their district lines once every decade to reflect changes in population, drawing on data from the latest US Census. But, in many states, if one party controls the state’s legislature, as well as the governorship, it can push through an electoral map that favors its interests for the coming decade. Because so much is at stake, redistricting fights frequently devolve into bitter, partisan warfare (like in <a href="" type="internal">Texas in 2003</a>, when Republicans pushed through a GOP-friendly plan even though it was a non-Census year)—something that voters in Arizona hoped to change by creating the IRC.&#160;</p>
<p>But earlier this month, Brewer and <a href="" type="internal">state Republicans forcibly removed Colleen Mathis, the independent chair</a> of the five-member commission. Brewer accused Mathis of drawing a Democrat-friendly map. She also alleged that Mathis violated the state’s open meetings law by negotiating a backroom deal with a map-making firm with ties to the Democratic Party.</p>
<p>On Thursday, the Arizona Supreme Court heard arguments from the IRC’s attorneys challenging Mathis’ removal. They found that Brewer’s reasons for the ejection failed to demonstrate “substantial neglect of duty, gross misconduct in office or inability to discharge the duties of office.” The court also sent a strong message to Brewer: that it holds the last word when it comes to removing public officials from office.&#160;</p>
<p>In her response to the court, Brewer argued that reinstating Mathis showed that the court had “averted its eyes from the Commission’s misdeeds,” and that her “actions to meet in secret, arrange critical votes in advance of meetings and twist the words and spirit of the Constitution have been forgiven—if not endorsed outright… The clearest victim in this matter is a redistricting process that voters intended to be honest, impartial and transparent. In the coming days, I’ll be considering my options as to how best to proceed.”</p>
<p>One option: presenting a case to the court that more specifically spells out her argument for removing Mathis. For Brewer, this isn’t over yet.&#160;</p>
<p /> | Arizona Supreme Court Reinstates Redistricting Chair | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/arizona-supreme-court-reinstates-redistricting-chair/ | 2011-11-18 | 4 |
<p>When Bill Monroe celebrated 50 years on the Grand Old Opry, he said he was mainly proud that he had never missed a show and had only been late twice. That’s the way I think of Bob Dylan at 70 - not as a genius poet songwriter but as a working musician who always makes the gig. There are no stories of Dylan arriving late or not bothering to show up or fulfill a contract. Even that time he almost died and had to cancel a tour because he was in a hospital fighting for his life, he paid his band for the whole tour anyway. It wasn’t their fault they couldn’t play the shows. And later he more than made it up to fans and promoters.</p>
<p>When he stands there unmoving at the end of his concerts, receiving applause as if people were pelting him with it, no matter what kind of clothes he may be wearing he looks like a blue collar plant worker at the end of a long shift, waiting for the gate to open so he can go home.</p>
<p>He’s done his job, and he didn’t do it so you could praise him for it. He did it because it needed doing, he did with some dignity and now it’s time to leave.</p>
<p>Here’s a prediction: when Bob Dylan finally hangs it up and goes home for good, he’ll do it with class, the way Cal Ripken ended The Streak of consecutive games played. There’ll be no “farewell” tour, and certainly no endless reunion/comeback tours. One night he’ll simply take himself out of the lineup, and they’ll just stop listing new dates on his website. Most of us won’t know anything important even happened.</p>
<p>I also respect the guy as a journeyman piano player. On Modern Times he never solos, and he’s down in the mix, but what he’s laying down is really cool. I try to play like him when I’m backing a singer.</p>
<p>My favorite Dylan story is the one Little Richard tells. Dylan probably hates the fact that it ever got told at all. When the Architect and Originator was almost killed in a car wreck, he lay in a coma for weeks. When he finally regained consciousness, he opened his eyes to find someone sitting by his bed. The stranger squeezed his hand and left the room. When Richard asked the nurse who the visitor was, he says she told him, “Honey, that’s Bob Dylan. He’s been here almost every day since you were brought in.”</p>
<p>Who knows if the story is true, half-true, or another of Little Richard’s wonderful inventions?</p>
<p>I believe it, though, because it fits with everything any of us has ever heard about Dylan. Mythical, legendary, larger than life, but human and vulnerable at the same time, as though he had the heart of a child in a grown man’s body. That he would come almost every day, stay until he knew Richard was going to make it, then leave without a word and not come back - and never mention it to anyone - what could be more Dylanesque?</p>
<p>Happy birthday, Mr. Bob. May someone always be there for you, the way you’ve been there.</p>
<p>David Vest is a writer and musician. His latest CD is <a href="http://bluespianoman.com/" type="external">Rock-A-While</a>. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on <a href="http://www.oregonmusicnews.com" type="external">Oregon Music News</a>.</p>
<p /> | Dylan at 70 | true | https://counterpunch.org/2011/05/30/dylan-at-70/ | 2011-05-30 | 4 |
<p>Episode #26 of The Sunday Wire Radio Show with host Patrick Henningsen resumes this Sunday March 23, 2014 with 3 hours of power-packed talk radio <a href="http://gmn.is/" type="external">broadcast live on GMN</a>…</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal" />This week’s theme: “Wake Up Now – or Forever Hold Your Peace”</p>
<p>SUNDAYS – 4pm-7pm GMT (until March 31st, then back to 5pm-8pm) | 12pm-3pm EST | 9am-12pm PST</p>
<p>LISTEN LIVE ON THIS PAGE AT SCHEDULED SHOW TIMES</p>
<p>This week THE SUNDAY WIRE covers the hottest news stories of the week as host Patrick Henningsen breaks down the propaganda spin cycle in overdrive regarding the Ukraine and Crimea, and a closer look into the resignation of ex-RT news reader Liz Wahl. Later we are joined by joined by very special guest and 21WIRE writer, <a href="" type="internal">Shawn Helton</a>, to uncover the latest in the missing <a href="" type="internal">Malaysian Airliner</a>, and also discuss some new evidence in the death of actress and possible whistleblower <a href="" type="internal">Brittany Murphy</a> and new evidence surrounding the death of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.&#160;Next, we go on the street in London to spend time with the people who gatecrashed Parliament’s annual ritual known as ‘Budget Day’ to hear from advocates for a return to sound money, namely the campaign to <a href="" type="internal">“Bring Back the Bradbury (Pound)”</a> – and what it will take to bring the Tory’s Minister of Spending, George Osbourne and the Bank of England – all to book. In the final hour we’ll visit Basil Valentine in the third leg of his US tour – in his bid to find the heart and soul of America. Strap yourselves in and lower the blast shield – this is your brave new world…</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Episode #26 – SUNDAY WIRE: ‘Wake Up Now – or Forever Hold Your Peace’ with Shawn Helton and Basil Valentine | true | http://21stcenturywire.com/2014/03/23/episode-26-sunday-wire-wake-up-now-or-else-with-shawn-helton-and-basil-valentine/ | 2014-03-23 | 4 |
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<p>General Motors (NYSE: GM) is living up to its promises with the first affordable long-range fully electric vehicle, outperforming expectations on range and delivering on its target price point. These moves are positioning GM as a strong contender in the nascent electric-vehicle space just ahead of EV maker Tesla Motors' (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model 3 launch next year.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Chevrolet Bolt. Image source: Chevrolet.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, General Motors announced it is sticking to its $37,500 price tag (well, minus $5) it had initially announced for the vehicle. But the pricing notably includes a "destination charge."</p>
<p>"Value is a hallmark for Chevrolet and the pricing of the Bolt EV proves we're serious about delivering the first affordable EV with plenty of range for our customers," said GM North America president Alan Batey in a Sept. 20 press release. "We have kept our promise yet again, first on range and now on price."</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>But the Bolt will only be available at "select dealerships" by the company's promised deadline of late 2016, the automaker said, suggesting production is limited.</p>
<p>This positions the company's new electric car as a compelling alternative to lower-cost internal combustion engine vehicles, and a noteworthy alternative to Tesla's late-2017-slated Model 3.</p>
<p>Importantly, this follows the automaker's announcement last week that the Bolt would boast an <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/09/13/general-motors-chevy-bolt-boasts-impressive-238-mi.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">impressive 238 miles of range Opens a New Window.</a> on a single charge, higher than the minimum range Tesla promises for its Model 3.</p>
<p>Putting together an unprecedented price for a long-range electric vehicle and a $7,500 federal tax credit for qualifying buyers, the Bolt puts the spotlight on GM's meaningful start in the fast-growing space.</p>
<p>Highlighting the value in the fully electric Bolt, GM's plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt has a starting price of about $33,000 and has an electric range of just 53 miles. And the Volt's internal-combustion range extender enables an extra 367 miles. For a fully electric comparison, Nissan's Leaf has an electric range of 107 miles and a starting price of about $22,000.</p>
<p>Model 3 prototype. Image source: Tesla Motors.</p>
<p>The likely reality for General Motors, of course, is that Tesla's Model 3 will be tough to compete with. While Tesla has only promised a minimum of 215 miles of base range for the Model 3, it also promises faster acceleration, comfortable seating for five adults, and a front trunk in addition to the rear trunk. And based on the <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/05/19/tesla-motors-inc-reveals-new-details-on-model-3-re.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">373,000 deposit-backed reservations Opens a New Window.</a> Tesla garnered for the Model 3 within 15 days of its unveiling, the vehicle's styling is a home run.</p>
<p>But the Bolt may not be GM's attempt to compete with Tesla. Analysts who are reportedly familiar with the automaker's production plans say GM initially expects the vehicle to be a "low-volume niche model with production fewer than 30,000 cars per year," <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-gm-bolt-idUSKCN11Q0CW" type="external">according to Reuters Opens a New Window.</a>. Investors in both GM and Tesla should keep in mind that the Bolt is just GM's first move; future electric cars from the company will undoubtedly be even more compelling.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, GM's ability to follow through on both range and price for the Bolt demonstrates a commitment to take the electric-car segment seriously.</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=2691&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/TMFDanielSparks/info.aspx" type="external">Daniel Sparks Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tesla Motors. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. 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> | General Motors Company Delivers on Its Promise, Prices Electric Bolt at $37,495 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/09/20/general-motors-company-delivers-on-its-promise-prices-electric-bolt-at-3745.html | 2016-09-20 | 0 |
<p>“There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but boys, it is all hell.”</p>
<p>William Tecumseh Sherman, Michigan&#160; Military Academy, June 19, 1879</p>
<p>Monday May 26 is the fifth Memorial Day that U.S. ground forces have occupied Iraq. Over the last twelve months – or more precisely, since Memorial Day was May 28 last year – over the past 364 days, more than 615 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq. Iraq’s government says that its security forces suffered 1,424 fatalities over the same period while Iraqi civilian deaths attributed to the violence in the country totaled over 9,625.</p>
<p>Next month, the last of the “surge” brigade combat teams sent to Iraq last spring will rotate out of the war zone, dropping the U.S. presence to about 140,000 troops. Whether or not the fighting ramps back up or continues at its present lower “steady state” is anyone’s guess.&#160; The attempt by Iraqi police and army units to “liberate Basra from “criminals and illegal militias” was at best a draw for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, On the other hand, after some intense fighting that involved U.S. ground and air units as well as some Iraqi army units, it appears – and&#160; it may be just a surface phenomenon – that the Iraqi army has been able to move into a section of Sadr city, the vast Baghdad slum area&#160; that is home to 2 million Iraqis, most of whom are followers of Shi’a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.</p>
<p>While we pause and remember all who have died in Iraq and in Afghanistan this past year, we should also remember those who have been wounded. Here again, there are the soldiers from the U.S., coalition countries, and Iraqis. These are those who have lost one or more limbs, those whose wounds, not as severe, who were not even evacuated from the war zone.</p>
<p>And then there are those who have sustained brain injuries and those suffering from PTSD – post traumatic stress disorder. This month’s release of a RAND study of 1,900 returning combat veterans suggests that 300,000 suffer from PTSD or depression while another 320,000 have some form of traumatic brain injury. Beyond the sheer numbers involved are the long-range concerns: only about half those afflicted by traumatic brain injury seek help, while an unknown number of those with PTSD are ticking time-bombs that can explode at any time or in any place for no apparent reason.</p>
<p>We see and hear these statistics and we have in the United States the ability and the facilities to help those so traumatized. But this Memorial Day we might also spare a thought for those in other countries – especially those “child soldiers – who are forces into the armed conflicts that still split many countries into two or more armed camps. The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, in its just-released 2008 Global Report on Child Soldiers, points out that in countries that do achieve&#160; the end of armed conflict, invariably it is the adult fighters who are afforded the “DDR structure” – disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration – that is part of the peace-making process. Child soldiers – those under 18 years of age – and especially females – are frequently screened out from the mainstream rehabilitation services on the apparent assumption that “re-integration” for them involves re-entry (or entry) into the education system.</p>
<p>Considering how recently the Bush administration conceded that brain injuries and PTSD were significant problems, it is hardly surprising that the world at large has given so little thought to the needs of those exposed to the traumas of war, regardless of place, age, gender or nationality. And the emotional and psychological damage can be further compounded for children who, escaping the battlefield and fleeing to another country in search of asylum, find themselves arrested and imprisoned.</p>
<p>What the world community must decide – and soon – is whether it has a “responsibility to protect” the psychological health of former child soldiers that is analogous to the “responsibility to protect” the physical being of non-combatants of any age. If the answer is “yes,” this acknowledgement must be specified in all agreements and enforced by regional or UN monitors overseeing the DDR process.&#160; For the world to say “no” would be unconscionable, for if the wars of the 20th century and now the 21st century have taught anything, it is that violence to mind and spirit will revenge itself some way and some day.</p>
<p>Should the answer be “no,” societies in which civil strife was the norm for 20 or more years – not uncommon in Asia and Africa – may well discover that a significant percentage of adults who were child soldiers face a future of psychological struggle at least as intense as that afflicting many returning U.S. veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>Curiously, General Sherman’s dictum, usually quoted as “War is hell,” emerged from America’s own Civil War. That war was both a national and, for those who fought, a personal hell of searing proportions. How many suffered from what we call PTSD, how many endured, how many exploded, will never be known because records would not have been made let alone kept. What remains from that war are the cold stone monuments raised to honor and remember the deeds of the dead.</p>
<p>This Memorial day, as no other before it, our task is to go beyond honoring the dead. It is to finally begin to implement the promise implicit in Sherman’s address to the Michigan Military Academy class of 1879 and explicit in the World War I vow to be “the war to end all wars.”&#160; Truly, war begets nothing but the hell of more war.</p>
<p>Col. DAN SMITH is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a senior fellow on military affairs at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Email at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | A Different Memorial Day | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/05/26/a-different-memorial-day/ | 2008-05-26 | 4 |
<p>Julia Wallace, columnist for Left Voice, political activist from L.A.</p>
<p>Kshama Sawant, City Councilmember of Seattle, Member of Socialist Alternative.</p>
<p>Bhaskar Sunkara, Editor of Jacobin Magazine.</p>
<p>Benjamin Woods, writer for Black Agenda Report, Activist M4BL, Scholar.</p>
<p>Related</p>
<p><a href="US-Elections" type="external">US Elections</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Kshama-Sawant" type="external">Kshama Sawant</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Donald-Trump" type="external">Donald Trump</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="Ideas-Debates" type="external">Ideas &amp; Debates</a>&#160;&#160;&#160;/&#160;&#160;&#160; <a href="United-States" type="external">United States</a></p> | Voices on the Left After Trump's Victory | true | https://leftvoice.org/Voices-on-the-Left-After-Trump-s-Victory | 2016-11-15 | 4 |
<p>Oclaro Inc. shares rose more than 10% late Tuesday after the company, which manufactures and sells optical components, reported better-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results. Oclaro said it earned $12 million, or 11 cents a share, versus a loss of $14 million, or 13 cents a share, a year ago. Adjusted for one-time items, Oclaro earned $15 million, or 11 cents a diluted share, versus a loss of $7 million, or 6 cents a share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. Sales reached $125 million in the quarter, compared with $82 million in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected Oclaro to report earnings of 6 cents a share in the quarter on sales of $120 million.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2016 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | Oclaro Inc. Shares Up More Than 10% On EPS, Revenue Beat | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/08/02/oclaro-inc-shares-up-more-than-10-on-eps-revenue-beat.html | 2016-08-02 | 0 |
<p>WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — Austin Tilghman scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half to lead Monmouth to a 67-56 victory over Siena on Thursday night.</p>
<p>Monmouth (6-13, 2-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) snapped a three-game skid while Siena (6-16, 2-7) has lost four of its last five games.</p>
<p>Tilghman, a senior guard and the only MAAC player averaging double-digit scoring, was 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, made all eight of his free throws, and had a team-high seven rebounds and three assists. Deion Hammond added 17 points and Louie Pillari had 10 for the Hawks.</p>
<p>Ahsante Shivers had 12 points to lead Siena. Evan Fisher and Jordan Horn chipped in 10 points apiece.</p>
<p>Fisher scored five straight points to spark a 7-1 spurt that pulled the Saints to 49-45 with 7:20 remaining. Hammond had five points as Monmouth answered with a 9-0 surge for a 13-point lead with five minutes left.</p>
<p>Jordan Horn's 3 with 1:57 to play cut the Saints' deficit to 60-54 before Monmouth hit 7 of 8 free throws.</p>
<p>WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP) — Austin Tilghman scored 13 of his 20 points in the second half to lead Monmouth to a 67-56 victory over Siena on Thursday night.</p>
<p>Monmouth (6-13, 2-5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) snapped a three-game skid while Siena (6-16, 2-7) has lost four of its last five games.</p>
<p>Tilghman, a senior guard and the only MAAC player averaging double-digit scoring, was 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, made all eight of his free throws, and had a team-high seven rebounds and three assists. Deion Hammond added 17 points and Louie Pillari had 10 for the Hawks.</p>
<p>Ahsante Shivers had 12 points to lead Siena. Evan Fisher and Jordan Horn chipped in 10 points apiece.</p>
<p>Fisher scored five straight points to spark a 7-1 spurt that pulled the Saints to 49-45 with 7:20 remaining. Hammond had five points as Monmouth answered with a 9-0 surge for a 13-point lead with five minutes left.</p>
<p>Jordan Horn's 3 with 1:57 to play cut the Saints' deficit to 60-54 before Monmouth hit 7 of 8 free throws.</p> | Tilghman scores 20 points, leads Monmouth over Siena 67-56 | false | https://apnews.com/amp/cd0f10b713074a04901a5dc767fb9880 | 2018-01-26 | 2 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The city of Albuquerque just issued a dust alert&#160;through 10 tonight, encouraging people with asthma or similar conditions to stay indoors.</p>
<p>The full notice is posted below.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT ISSUES</p>
<p>FUGITIVE DUST/HIGH WIND NOTICE</p>
<p>Issue time: Monday, April 8, 2013 at 3:30 PM</p>
<p>The Environmental Health Department’s Air Quality Division is issuing a&#160;notice due to high winds that may cause elevated levels of particulate matter. This notice is in effect for the following period:</p>
<p>Monday, April 8, 2013 at 3:30 PM</p>
<p>To</p>
<p>Monday, April 8, 2013 at 10:00 PM</p>
<p>Blowing dust contributes to particulate pollution. People who are sensitive to blowing dust, such as those with asthma, chronic bronchitis and other respiratory and heart diseases, are encouraged to limit outdoor activity.&#160; Children and older adults may also be affected by particulate pollution. Schools and senior citizen facilities may want to provide indoor activities to minimize exposure to elevated outdoor particulate levels.</p>
<p>During blowing dust events, the following actions are recommended, especially for individuals sensitive to particulate pollution:</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Breaking: Windy weather prompts ABQ dust alert | false | https://abqjournal.com/186458/breaking-bad-windy-weather-prompts-abq-alert.html | 2013-04-08 | 2 |
<p>Hillary Clinton says neither the federal government nor an independent third party has the right to review emails she sent as secretary of state if she deems them personal. “Government officials are granted the privacy of their personal, non-work related emails, including personal emails on .gov accounts,” her office says.</p>
<p>That’s inaccurate. State Department guidelines say there is “no expectation of privacy” for personal emails sent by government employees on a department email system.</p>
<p>“No one creating records on an official government network has an individual ‘privacy right’ to demand that their emails or e-records should be shielded beyond the reach of public access requests under FOI [Freedom of Information] laws, state or federal,” <a href="http://www.drinkerbiddle.com/people/attorneys/baron-jason-r" type="external">Jason R. Baron,</a> a lawyer at Drinker Biddle and a <a href="http://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-181.html" type="external">former director of litigation</a>at the National Archives, told us in an email.</p>
<p>Clinton, a likely presidential candidate in 2016, has been embroiled in an email controversy since March 2, when <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/03/us/politics/hillary-clintons-use-of-private-email-at-state-department-raises-flags.html?ref=topics" type="external">the New York Times reported</a> that she exclusively used a private email account at clintonemail.com to conduct government business. At a <a href="http://time.com/3739541/transcript-hillary-clinton-email-press-conference/" type="external">press conference on March 10</a>, Clinton said she sent and received more than 60,000 emails during her time in office. At the State Department’s request, Clinton turned over about half of them to the government in December. The rest were deleted because they were personal, she said.</p>
<p>Asked if she would agree to allow an “independent third party to come in and examine your emails,” Clinton replied that she should be treated no differently than federal employees who have a government email account and a personal email account. They can decide when they send an email whether to use the government or private account.</p>
<p>“So, even if you have a work-related device with a work-related .gov account, you choose what goes on that,” she told reporters.</p>
<p>That’s true, of course, but the situation she describes is not entirely analogous, since Clinton had no government account. She made the choice to use only a personal email account set up on a personal server.</p>
<p>Moreover, Clinton’s office went too far when answering the same question in a <a href="" type="internal">Q&amp;A it released on the day of the press conference.</a> The Q&amp;A detailed the Clinton team’s review process and answered some common questions that have been raised since the Times story first appeared.</p>
<p>One of the questions in the Q&amp;A: “Do you think a third party should be allowed to review what was turned over to the Department, as well as the remainder that was not?” Clinton’s office answered, in part: “Government officials are granted the privacy of their personal, non-work related emails, including personal emails on .gov accounts. Secretary Clinton exercised her privilege to ensure the continued privacy of her personal, non-work related emails.”</p>
<p>That characterization of the rules governing government email systems is not accurate.</p>
<p>State Department policy – spelled out in the <a href="https://fam.state.gov/fam/05fam/05fam0440.html" type="external">Foreign Affairs Manual</a> under “Points to Remember About E-mail” – says there is “no expectation of privacy.” Specifically,&#160;5 FAM 443.5 says, in part: “Department E-mail systems are for official use only by authorized personnel” and “The information in the systems is Departmental, not personal. No expectation of privacy or confidentiality applies.”</p>
<p>Clinton is correct that the department policy allows employees to delete emails that are not work-related. The 5 FAM 443.5 rule also says, “Messages that are not records may be deleted when no longer needed.”</p>
<p>But Baron — who served&#160; <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonrbaron" type="external">13 years as director of litigation</a> at the <a href="http://www.archives.gov/publications/general-info-leaflets/1-about-archives.html" type="external">National Archives</a>, which is responsible for maintaining government records — said in an interview that Clinton’s use of a private server gave her exclusive control, thus preventing the department from having full access to emails she sent and received while a federal employee. Government employees have no right to privacy on government computers and even personal emails are subject to review and perhaps release at the department’s discretion.</p>
<p>“Setting up a private server to conduct public business inappropriately shifts control of what is accessible to the end user alone rather than allowing the institution to decide threshold questions,” he told us.</p>
<p>We sent emails to Clinton’s office and to the State Department asking about the privacy claim, but received no response.</p>
<p>At her press conference, Clinton said the State Department “already had the vast majority” of her emails because she made it a habit to email government officials on their government email accounts “so those emails would be automatically saved in the State Department system to meet record-keeping requirements.” Her office said it turned over 30,490 printed copies of emails to the State Department and about 90 percent of those emails were already in the State Department’s possession. It also said that 31,830 were private emails, and those were not turned over and were destroyed.</p>
<p>Baron also questioned the thoroughness of Clinton’s review process to determine which emails to preserve and which to delete. The Q&amp;A issued by her office described a four-step process. There was a search for emails sent to and received from government accounts, and a search for keywords such as “Benghazi” and “Libya.” There was also a search of first and last names of more than 100 government officials, and emails were sorted and reviewed by both sender and recipient to account for any mistakes made in the name search.</p>
<p>Baron said all the emails should have been reviewed by hand to avoid missing some work-related emails. The State Department did not set a deadline, he said, and a team of people could have reviewed all 60,000 emails in a week or two.</p>
<p>“There are legitimate questions being asked if Ms. Clinton’s staff did an adequate job of deciding what constituted a personal record, before emails were deleted,” he told us. “But she opted for control through a private server, something no other average public sector employee would ever contemplate.”</p>
<p>— Eugene Kiely</p> | Clinton’s Email and the Privacy ‘Privilege’ | false | https://factcheck.org/2015/03/clintons-email-and-the-privacy-privilege/ | 2015-03-12 | 2 |
<p>In a January 1, 2004 New York Times editorial, Secretary of State Colin Powell listed a number of goals the Administration resolved to achieve during the year. With 2004 half over, it’s time to take stock, to applaud accomplishments, identify shortfalls, and encourage–even offer suggestions–on ways to achieve the so-far unachieved.</p>
<p>Powell’s first resolution, one that has become a mantra within the Administration, was to expand democracy, initially in Afghanistan and Iraq, then in the broader Middle East, then in other regions. What progress–and at what cost–has been made to date?</p>
<p>The first steps in the U.S. drive to spread democracy required the “liberation” of Afghanistan and Iraq from their respective oppressors. The effort to date has been costly, and will continue to be so for many families. The real number of Afghan and Iraqi military and civilians killed may never be known, but approximately 11,500 have died in Afghanistan since Operation Enduring Freedom began October 7, 2001. At least 20,000 Iraqis have been killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Allowing for reporting delays, coalition military and civilian deaths through the second week in July 2004 are 166 in Afghanistan (127 U.S.) and 1,097 in Iraq (910 U.S.). Another seven U.S. Special Forces troops died in helicopter crashes in the Philippines. Dollar costs are running at $200 billion for warfighting and reconstruction; with more to come as ongoing operations expend nearly $5 billion a month. These amounts do not address the psychological and physical costs of rehabilitating and caring for the tens of thousands wounded. Nor do they reflect the “opportunity costs” off the war, those programs that cannot be funded or implemented because of the human and dollar burdens of the war.</p>
<p>What has been accomplished?</p>
<p>Iraq</p>
<p>In Iraq on June 28, two days ahead of the date set last November 15, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) handed “full sovereignty” to an unelected Iraqi interim government that is to oversee this month the selection of an advisory council of 1,000 prominent tribal leaders and prepare for the election of a National Assembly in January 2005. However, along with “full sovereignty” came 97 CPA edicts and 160,000 foreign troops led by the U.S.–the occupation armies re-designated as the UN-mandated multinational force in Iraq (MNF-I). Over the next weeks, additional U.S. troops are expected to be added, bringing the foreign military presence to about 165,000 with an additional 20,000 armed foreign “security” contractors.</p>
<p>With only 175 days until elections for the national assembly, the interim government must improve security and restore basic services sufficiently to win and then maintain the allegiance of the Iraqi population. As a first step, within ten days of the handover, the interim government passed a martial law statute giving the prime minister direct control of the army, police, and other security forces in areas of significant unrest. Actual exercise of powers that could include curfews, warrantless searches, and bans on public gatherings would require approval of a majority of the cabinet, the president, and the two vice-presidents. The initial period of martial law could be as long as 60 days, renewable in 30 day increments. Actions by the prime minister would be open to review by the courts. The rapid passage of the martial law statute has raised concerns among Iraqi civil liberty groups because of the possibility of too great a centralization of power similar to the Saddam Hussein era. Interestingly, Iraq’s Minister for Human Rights compared his country’s new law to the USA PATRIOT Act, which has come under harsh criticism and a concerted effort this month by Congress to modify some provisions that were over-reactions to September 11, 2001 events.</p>
<p>In a concurrent security-related move, the Iraqi government proposed a wide-ranging amnesty for Iraqi “nationalist” insurgents whose “hands are bloodless.” The government is attempting to separate the estimated 5,000 low-level Sunni “nationalist” fighters from the 900-1,000 insurgent leaders, extremists associated with al Qaeda, and foreign fighters in the country (Washington Post, July 7, 2004). Moreover, the government must now contend with a nascent “right-wing” vigilante militia, five of whom appeared on television warning Abu Zarqawi and his adherents that they will be targets of the vigilantes should they remain in Iraq.</p>
<p>Although the UN-mandated foreign forces in Iraq have the mission of creating the security parameters within which the structures of democracy can begin to take hold, they also provide the focal point for the attacks by the insurgents–whether Shi’ite (Moqtada al-Sadr), Sunni, Ba’athist, or “foreign Arabs.” This fact, together with the inevitable casualties among innocent Iraqis when multinational forces respond to attacks, contributes to the persistently high percentage of Iraqis who want the foreign armies out of their country–80 percent in a poll conducted at the end of June (London Financial Times, July 7).</p>
<p>As the British colonists’ objections to the quartering of British soldiers in private homes helped fuel the U.S. rebellion and experiment in self-governance, the presence of foreign military forces in Iraq is seen by many as just as inconsistent with full democracy–largely because of the potential for “independent” violence to be initiated by such a force. In Iraq’s case, this potential for violence is compounded by the reality that Iraq is awash with unsecured ammunition and weaponry of all types except heavy combat vehicles. The “Small Arms Survey 2004,” released July 1, estimated that Iraqi civilians possessed between six and seven million individual weapons. Earlier “on the ground” surveys of arms dumps scattered throughout Iraq indicated these held at least 600,000 tons of arms and ammunition ranging from sidearms and automatic rifles to rocket-propelled grenades and artillery rounds.</p>
<p>Taken together, these facts and trends suggest that, for the time being, Iraqis are less interested in democracy than in ending the violence, the key to which most see is the departure of the foreign soldiers. Whether this is true, or whether an Iraq left on its own now would experience more violence, deaths, and sabotage, will not be tested for some months. But tested it will be at some point, either as an emerging “democracy” or with a benign authoritarian ruler.</p>
<p>Afghanistan</p>
<p>While Afghanistan is not beset by such huge unsecured stockpiles of weapons and ammunition as is Iraq, its tradition of widespread ownership and use of weapons has had a tangible effect on the evolution of the country’s democratic institutions. This has been evident since December 2001, when the Taliban government collapsed, in the continuing internecine fighting between the militias of the various warlords-turned-ministers and provincial “governors.” With clashes becoming more frequent and militias expanding their numbers, the central government of President Hamid Karzai now regards the warlords as a greater danger to Afghanistan’s future than the Taliban.</p>
<p>The uncertain state of security induced by the militia strife has been reinforced over the last six months by the steady regrouping of and operations by Taliban fighters and sympathizers in the provinces and districts along the Afghan-Pakistan border. Despite frequent operations by the 20,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, security is so poor in some areas that UN and nongovernmental aid and humanitarian workers have been pulled back to major cities. In rural areas, resistant to centralized control, voter registration and other electoral-related activities have languished. Registration of women otherwise eligible to vote is especially difficult in light of “tradition.” Even for men, voter registration can be fatal; in late June, the Taliban killed 18 Afghan men reportedly for the “crime” of registering to vote.</p>
<p>With security so tenuous, President Karzai decided to postpone presidential elections for the second time–to October 9, some four months after the original schedule. Even the promise by heads of state of North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries to send 1,500 additional troops to Afghanistan may not be enough to appreciably improve security in the country to meet the new timetable. Moreover, continued strife among warlords, lagging voter registration, slow demobilization and disarmament, and the Taliban’s resurgence in the south and southeast have forced Karzai to postpone the logistically more complex parliamentary elections until well into spring 2005.</p>
<p>Middle East Democracy</p>
<p>With Iraq and Afghanistan in such disarray, it now appears that President Bush’s dream that these two countries would initiate a tsunami of new democracies in the Middle East is just that–a dream.</p>
<p>On December 18, 2003, the highly respected nonpartisan Freedom House (FH) released its annual survey on the health of freedom in the world. Among the six regions into which FH divides the globe (Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East/North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Americas, and Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union), the Middle East/North Africa had made “the least progress” toward democratic governance over the past 31 years. FH counted only Israel as free while rating five countries “partly free” and twelve “not free”–two-thirds of the countries in the region. Moreover, four of the world’s eight countries assigned the worst possible rating are in this region: Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Libya.</p>
<p>Four months later (April 28, 2004) FH publicized its 2004 survey of press freedom around the world. Again, the results for the Middle East/North Africa were dismal: 90 percent of the countries in the region were rated “not free”–the highest such rating for any region. One of the five lowest rated countries worldwide in terms of press freedom comes from Middle East/North Africa region: Libya.</p>
<p>Although finding the “largest freedom gaps” in countries with Muslim majorities, FH was careful to not attribute political constraints on populations and the press to any strictures in Islam. FH noted that half of the global Muslim population resides in countries with governments that are chosen in elections deemed democratic.</p>
<p>In early February, 2004, news leaked to the media of a Bush Administration plan to close the Middle East/ North Africa “freedom gap.” Called the “Greater Middle East Initiative,” the plan hit the region like a hammer; no government had been consulted on any of the initiatives–economic, governance, or human, social and civic development. Moreover, some of the initiatives appeared to by-pass governments, especially economic programs aimed at women, small business, and civic organizations (Strategic Comments, Volume 10, March 2, 2004). These factors created reactions ranging from a cautious willingness to explore the initiative further to outright opposition, with many leaders in the region and Europe warning against hasty changes in regimes that could lead to anarchy.</p>
<p>For an Administration that believes the U.S. has a mission to spread democracy, these responses must have been unexpected. Washington seemed to assume that its plan to further freedom would elicit an obedient echo. What resounded instead from leaders and publics outside the U.S. was a longing for security from anarchy.</p>
<p>Undoubtedly, part of the resistance stemmed from foreign perceptions of U.S. motives for taking on the burden of the “forward strategy of freedom.” In his 2004 State of the Union speech, President Bush told Congress that as long as tyranny, despair, and anger characterized the Middle East, it threatened “the safety of America and our friends.” This suggested that the U.S. was less interested in bestowing freedom’s benefits on those who had never enjoyed them as in a manifestly “U.S. first” approach–no different than in the past when the U.S., in the name of “vital national interests, was equally willing to deal with and support autocratic regimes that denied basic freedoms to their publics.</p>
<p>By the time of the early June 2004 G-8 summit at Sea Island, Georgia, the U.S. had revamped its Middle East initiative to such an extent that the G-8 adopted it as their own. That plan envisions a series of consultations between Arab and G-8 foreign, economic and “other” ministers, “dialogues” between western and Arab civic groups to “promote and strengthen democratic institutions,” and literacy and job creation initiatives. But there is a significant philosophical difference from Washington’s messianic approach: the G-8 limited itself to supporting “democratic, social, and economic reform emanating from that region” (emphasis added).</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Global Democracy</p>
<p>Freedom House’s December 18, 2003 survey rated 88 countries free, 55 partially free, and 49 not free (of which nearly one-quarter are in the Middle East/North Africa). But FH saw more improvement than slippage in the worldwide march toward democracy, with 28 countries expanding the civil liberties of their citizens while 13 countries lost ground. Western Europe has the best record with the Americas next, followed by Central and Eastern Europe and the former USSR, Asia-Pacific, and sub-Saharan Africa.</p>
<p>But at the mid-point of 2004, other than in Western Europe, each region has countries in which the extent of democratic practice is increasingly in jeopardy. In the Americas, Bolivia, currently under an interim president, faces a highly contentious referendum in mid-July that could split the country further between descendents of the indigenous population and Europeans. Haiti is trying to weather its latest crisis in democracy which many believe the U.S. precipitated. Peru is seeing the possible resurgence by the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) pro-Maoist insurgency in which more than 30,000 people died in the 1980s and 1990s. And in Venezuela, where a number of armed “militias” are springing up, the potential for civil war–which would elicit a response by the military as the final guarantor of constitutional order–looms as President Hugo Chavez faces a mid-August referendum on his performance.</p>
<p>The area comprising the former Warsaw Pact and USSR, outside of the volatile Caucasus region (Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia), is actually relatively “stable” in that the countries in Central and Eastern Europe and the three Baltic states seem committed to democratic institutions while the remainder of the former USSR, especially the countries of Central Asia, seem almost as committed to authoritarian rule.</p>
<p>In the Asia-Pacific, democracy is under attack most notably in Nepal where another pro-Maoist insurgency has a strong foothold in many parts of the country. Other formal “democracies” such as Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Pakistan are at risk if peace talks break down, ethnic rivalries escalate, or an assassination of a leader occurs.</p>
<p>Sub-Saharan Africa suffers from such wide-spread ethnic-related violence, corruption, and societal disintegration from illnesses, especially HIV/AIDS, that Secretary Powell’s resolution to expand democracy, despite the attention he has devoted to this region, has not met with much success. Largely through interventions by western democracies, the fighting in war-devastated western Africa was finally contained. Very shaky fledgling or interim administrations are underpinned by large numbers of UN peacekeeping troops, most of whom come from neighboring countries. Similarly, the combination of western forces and UN peacekeepers (again largely from other African nations) has been influential in curbing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Some observers regard these and other sub-Saharan countries as “shadow” democracies: they possess democratic forms but, in full sunlight, these are seen to be hollow. With widespread poverty, massive foreign debt, the ravages of war and disease (the region is home to ten percent of the world’s population but has 70 percent of the globe’s reported HIV cases), food and security needs will continue to be the focus of populations in many of these countries. Yet in the midst of these problems, the U.S. military is preparing an “African Coastal Security Program” whose objective would be to counter activities by pirates, criminals, smugglers, and terrorists in west Africa’s oil-rich Gulf of Guinea (Washington Times, July 13, 2004).</p>
<p>Powell’s other resolutions called for eliminating oppression against individuals (human trafficking and diseases); expanding international free trade; and improving security against the depredations of international terrorists, drug lords, and proliferators of weapons of mass destruction. There also was a surprising pledge, given the Bush Administration’s largely unilateral approach to foreign affairs: to rely on “international cooperationto advance freedom, prosperity, and peace in 2004.”</p>
<p>This last pledge pinpoints the dichotomy that haunts the future of U.S. foreign policy in general and the “forward strategy of freedom” in particular. The people whom the Administration says it wants to influence and seeks to help reach freedom see U.S. motives and presence as a new hegemony, a new colonialism–imposed by a country whose declaration of its divine “mission” is a fig leaf for its real agenda of global, unilateral, “benign” (usually) dominance.</p>
<p>In this respect, Daniel Webster’s caution is most apropos: “There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters.”</p>
<p>Col. Daniel Smith, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, is Senior Fellow on Military Affairs at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby in the public interest. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p> | What Has Been Accomplished? | true | https://counterpunch.org/2004/07/19/what-has-been-accomplished/ | 2004-07-19 | 4 |
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<p>Dear Let's Talk Credit,</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>How can I remove the information from my credit report due to the fact that I was the co-signer for a car loan? The main loan holder messed everything up. Was late on the payments, went into repossession, went back on payments and was late again. To make a long story short, I ended up paying off the balance of the car loan, because all of this was affecting my credit in a negative way very badly. I have a letter from the lender that the car loan was fully satisfied. What would be my next step, if there is any, to remove all that mess from my credit report?&#160;</p>
<p>- KG</p>
<p>Dear KG,</p>
<p>Unfortunately, accurate negative information will remain on your credit report for seven years from the first date of delinquency. Because you were a co-signer on the loan, you are jointly responsible for the loan. As a joint owner, the account information is reported to your credit file and the information cannot be removed by the credit bureaus until the reporting period ends.</p>
<p>By paying the balance due on the account, you have already done what you could to improve the situation. Doing so accomplished two things. First, the account is not being reported each month as past due by the lender. Second, although the account is still considered a negative account, it is paid in full. Most people have made mistakes with credit. Anyone viewing your <a href="http://www.creditcards.com/glossary/term-credit-report.php?aid=52aae854" type="external">credit report</a> while this account is still listed on your credit will want to know that the account was paid.</p>
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<p>The good news is that this co-signed account will have less negative effect on your credit as you move forward.</p>
<p>If you do decide to co-sign a loan for someone in the future, it is a good idea to keep track of payments on the account to assure that it does not cause problems for your credit. You could make it a condition with the other signer that if you co-sign he or she will keep you informed. You would then have the option to make a monthly payment for your co-signer if he or she was unable and avoid any late payments on your credit report.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that when you co-sign a loan with someone, you are agreeing to pay the loan if that person is not able. If you cannot afford the loan payments, you should consider saying no to any requests to co-sign.</p>
<p>Let's keep talking!</p>
<p>See related: <a href="http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/cosign-guarantor-joint-account-differences-1267.php?aid=52aae854" type="external">Co-signer, joint account holder, guarantor: Know the differences</a>, <a href="http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/10-ways-co-signers-can-protect-themselves-1282.php?aid=52aae854" type="external">10 self-defense steps for co-signers</a>, <a href="http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/erica-sandberg-cosigned-credit-card-bad-debt-1377.php?aid=52aae854" type="external">Options are few when a co-signed credit card goes bad</a></p> | There Ain't No Cure for the Bad Co-Signer Credit Score Blues | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2014/05/01/there-aint-no-cure-for-bad-co-signer-credit-score-blues.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
<p>Global stock markets have started the new week fairly solidly as investors ready for the start of the second-quarter U.S. corporate earnings season and Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen's testimony to Congress.</p>
<p>KEEPING SCORE: In Europe, Germany's DAX was up 0.3 percent at 12,431 while the CAC 40 in France rose 0.1 percent to 5,151. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was 0.1 percent lower at 7,346. U.S. stocks were poised for a steady opening with Dow futures and the broader S&amp;P 500 futures up 0.1 percent.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>EARNINGS: Companies including Pepsi Co. and Delta Air Lines, Inc. are due to release earnings this week as U.S. companies begin their second-quarter reporting season. The market expects earnings per share growth of about 7 percent from companies in the S&amp;P 500.</p>
<p>ANALYST TAKE: "The big question as we head into U.S. earnings season later this week is whether all this optimism about future stock market gains is based in reality or expectation, with JP Morgan and Citigroup in the banking sector the first of the big names out of the gate on Friday," said Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets.</p>
<p>FED WATCH: Yellen testifies Wednesday and Thursday before U.S. lawmakers. Investors are looking for signs of how the Fed might react to the latest jobs and inflation data. "We expect she will once again encourage expectations for the start of balance sheet normalization in September, followed by another rate hike in December — dependent on the data, of course," said Jim O'Sullivan of High-Frequency Economics.</p>
<p>ASIA'S DAY: Tokyo's Nikkei index gained 0.8 percent to 20,080.98 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.7 percent to 25,501.41. The Shanghai Composite Index declined 0.2 percent to 3,212.63 and Sydney's S&amp;P-ASX 200 advanced 0.4 percent to 5,724.40. India's Sensex rose 0.9 percent to 31,631.98 and Seoul's Kospi added 0.1 percent to 2,382.10.</p>
<p>SHIPPING MERGER: Shares in China's biggest shipping company, state-owned COSCO Cosco Shipping Holdings Co., surged 4.7 percent Monday after it agreed to buy rival Orient Overseas (International) Ltd. for $6.3 billion, creating a new Asian container giant. Orient Overseas shares jumped 19.5 percent. The acquisition follows a wave of consolidation in global shipping that has produced a handful of huge global competitors. Orient Overseas is controlled by the family of former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-Hwa.</p>
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<p>ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude fell 48 cents to $43.75 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 51 cents to $46.20 in London.</p>
<p>CURRENCY: The euro fell 0.1 percent to $1.1389 while the dollar rose 0.2 percent to 114.14 yen.</p> | Global stocks start week solidly as US earnings loom | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/07/10/most-asian-stock-markets-higher-following-wall-street-gains.html | 2017-07-10 | 0 |
<p />
<p>Deutsche Bank Shares Plunge to New Lows</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>-Questions about the financial health of the German bank caused investors to panic again after a report that 10 major hedge funds are reducing their positions. Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) sent out a <a href="" type="internal">statement to assure investors Opens a New Window.</a> that its financial position is stable.</p>
<p>With Deutsche Bank on shaky ground, is there a looming crisis in the European banking system? <a href="" type="internal">Varney &amp; Co. Opens a New Window.</a> will address these concerns at 9 a.m. ET.</p>
<p>The Last Trading Day of the Month</p>
<p>-The Deutsche Bank news is putting pressure on global stocks today, the last trading day of the month and the quarter. What is in store as we begin the next quarter?</p>
<p>Today at 12 p.m. ET on <a href="" type="internal">Cavuto: Coast to Coast Opens a New Window.</a>, former Federal Reserve Bank of Philly president Charles Plosser weighs in on U.S. economic worries.</p>
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<p>And don’t miss <a href="" type="internal">Wall Street Week</a> tonight at 8 p.m. ET as a group of experts wrap the action this quarter in the stock market.</p>
<p>Who Really Won the Debate?</p>
<p>-How did the first presidential debate impact voters? We find out tonight at 6 p.m. ET when the post-debate Fox polls are released!</p>
<p>Tune in to <a href="" type="internal">Making Money with Charles Payne Opens a New Window.</a> at 6 p.m. ET for live analysis of the polls as soon as they break!</p>
<p>The U.S. to Relinquish Control of the Internet</p>
<p>-As of October 1st, the U.S. Government will let a contract expire that has given it control over the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) also known as the internet’s address system. This is significant because whoever controls ICANN can censor the internet. Moving forward, the organization will become autonomous and accountable to the international community.</p>
<p>Also on Varney, the Texas Attorney General who is suing the Obama administration to prevent it from giving up control of ICANN! Don’t miss what he has to say.</p>
<p>Latest on the NJ Transit Crash</p>
<p>-Officials have not yet determined what caused the major accident at <a href="" type="internal">Hoboken station Opens a New Window.</a> yesterday morning. The crash killed one and injured more than 100 people, and severely damaged the infrastructure at the station.</p> | What's On Our Radar: Friday, September 30th, 2016 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2016/09/30/whats-on-our-radar-friday-september-30th-2016.html | 2016-09-30 | 0 |
<p>About 430 <a href="http://variety.com/t/vice-media/" type="external">Vice Media</a> employees have unionized, with the company management agreeing to be represented through the <a href="http://variety.com/t/writers-guild-of-america-east/" type="external">Writers Guild of America East</a> and the <a href="http://variety.com/t/motion-picture-editors-guild/" type="external">Motion Picture Editors Guild</a>.</p>
<p>The decision, announced on Thursday, came after a third-party check confirmed that a majority of the company’s content creators had signed cards with the WGA East and that a majority of the company’s post-production employees had signed cards with MPEG through Local 700 of the International Alliance&#160;of&#160;Theatrical Stage Employees.</p>
<p>The staff and freelance employees work on video content for Vice.com, cable channel Viceland, and Vice programming on HBO. The WGA already represents approximately 100 journalists working on written content for Vice.com in a deal that was signed in 2015.</p>
<p>Talks were initiated with management following a May 1 letter from the Vice Union Organizing Committee. WGA East executive director Lowell Peterson said contract negotiations will start soon.</p>
<p>“Vice is at the forward edge of the media industry’s transformation,” he added. “The WGAE knows it is essential for people who create content in this dynamic environment to have a seat at the table as the way the work is done — the way the content is made and distributed — continue to change. We have built a constructive relationship with Vice management and applaud the company for continuing to respect the right of its employees to engage in collective bargaining.”</p>
<p>MPEG president Alan Heim said, “We’re proud to welcome aboard the post-production professionals whose talents and hard work helped build Vice into the news and entertainment juggernaut it has become. These craftspeople on the cutting edge of our industry have made clear that the future of work in this business is one in which traditional union values of mutual aid and solidarity remain vital.”</p>
<p>The WGA East has been active in organizing digital news sites in recent years, including Huffington Post, Gawker Media, and&#160;Salon Media.</p> | Vice Media Video Employees Unionize With Writers Guild East and Editors Guild | false | https://newsline.com/vice-media-video-employees-unionize-with-writers-guild-east-and-editors-guild/ | 2017-09-21 | 1 |
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<p>Gail Gering and Carolyn Van Housen requested that the court order Sandoval County Clerk Eileen Garbagni to issue them a marriage license. But at a status conference Thursday, Eichwald said he preferred to hold off on a ruling, Sandoval County spokesman Sidney Hill said.</p>
<p>“He said it made more sense to wait to see what the state Supreme Court had to say,” Hill said.</p>
<p>The case before the Supreme Court came about after clerks from all of New Mexico’s 33 counties voted Aug. 28 to seek a ruling from the high court on the legality of same-sex marriage. Eichwald said he wanted to put the local case on hold until that case is decided, which could clarify the issue for all counties, Hill said.</p>
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<p>“He didn’t want to act and have something potentially be overturned,” Hill said.</p>
<p>Eichwald said the couple could get a license in another jurisdiction like Bernalillo or Santa Fe counties, which are issuing licenses to same-sex couples at this time, Hill said. Eichwald said he would be willing to be the officiate at a same-sex ceremony in Sandoval County, according to Hill.</p>
<p>The case before the state’s high court is scheduled for a hearing on Oct. 23.</p>
<p>Lynn Perls, one of the attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union who is representing the couple, said the ACLU believes local residents should not have to leave their home county to obtain a marriage license.</p>
<p>“We feel that Sandoval County residents should have access within their own county for the fundamental right to marry,” she said. “(But Eichwald) said he needs to proceed with caution.”</p>
<p>Laura Schauer Ives, legal director for the New Mexico ACLU, said the judge’s decision to wait is not what the group had hoped for, but it is understandable.</p>
<p>“(We) certainly recognize, because the case is before the Supreme Court, that it’s appropriate to wait and see what the high court has to say on the issue before making the decision (in this case),” she said.</p>
<p>So far, the lower courts have issued decisions consistent with the ACLU’s position, which holds that same sex couples have a right to be married, Shauer Ives said.</p>
<p>Garbagni said she is content to wait for a Supreme Court ruling. She also said she has a set of marriage licenses without the reference to the gender of the couple — licenses suitable for a same-sex couple — printed up and ready to go. She said she will issue licenses if and when she is ordered to by a court ruling.</p>
<p>“I don’t have a problem. Until they tell me what to do, I’m just going to wait and see what happens,” she said.</p>
<p>Eichwald declined to comment on the pending case.</p> | Judge puts gay marriage suit on hold for now | false | https://abqjournal.com/263650/judge-puts-gay-marriage-suit-on-hold-for-now.html | 2013-09-15 | 2 |
<p>U.S. immigration officials are taking H-1B enforcement from the desk to the field with a plan to conduct 25,000 on-site inspections of companies hiring foreign workers during the government's current fiscal year.</p>
<p>That would mark a nearly fivefold increase in inspections over the previous year, when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials conducted 5,191 site visits. The federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas disclosed the upgraded enforcement plan in a letter to <a href="http://www.idg.com/www/rd.nsf/rd?readform&amp;u=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9138674/Grassley_seeks_proof_of_jobs_from_H_1B_applicants_" type="external">Sen. Charles Grassley</a> (R-Iowa), a co-sponsor with Sen. <a href="" type="internal">Dick Durbin</a> (D-Ill.) of federal legislation aimed at increasing H-1B program enforcement.</p>
<p>In the letter, released by Grassley last month, Mayorkas said the agency began a site visit and verification program in July to check on the validity of H-1B applications.</p>
<p>Mayorkas, a former federal prosecutor who was recently appointed to the immigration post by President <a href="" type="internal">Barack Obama</a>, told Grassley that the inspections aim to determine "whether the location of employment actually exists and if a beneficiary is employed at the location specified, performing the duties as described, and paid the salary as identified in the petition."</p>
<p>The immigration agency moved to boost enforcement of H-1B laws after an internal study released about a year ago disclosed widespread violations of H-1B rules by employers. The study found that one in five <a href="http://www.idg.com/www/rd.nsf/rd?readform&amp;u=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/327957/Feds_Find_High_Level_of_Fraud_in_H_1B_Petitions" type="external">visas involved either fraud or "technical violations."</a></p>
<p>The increased enforcement comes after filings for H-1B visas started to grow in October, following <a href="http://www.idg.com/www/rd.nsf/rd?readform&amp;u=http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9131318/Demand_for_H_1B_visas_tumbles_" type="external">a lull of several months</a> .</p>
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<p>Immigration attorneys said the renewed H-1B demand may be a sign that the economy is improving as companies seek to hire foreign IT professionals, including developers of electronic games and other products.</p>
<p>From last summer into September, applications for H-1B visas had flatlined at about 45,000 petitions. But demand rebounded in October, and the USCIS reported that fiscal 2010 visa petitions had reached 61,100 by Dec. 4.</p>
<p>The annual cap for H-1B visas is 65,000.</p>
<p>Immigration attorneys project that the H-1B cap for the current fiscal year should be reached by early 2010, far later than in recent years, when the pool of available visas was consistently exhausted within days of the April 1 start of the filing period.</p>
<p>Randall Sidlosca, an immigration attorney in the Miami office of law firm Fowler White Burnett PA, noted that some of his clients plan to ramp up operations in 2010, and he believes an improving economy is behind the increase in H-1B petitions.</p>
<p>However, data released last week by the USCIS showed that during fiscal 2009, some U.S. companies, including <a href="" type="internal">Microsoft</a> Corp., <a href="" type="internal">Intel</a> Corp. and <a href="" type="internal">IBM</a>, continued to hire people under H-1B visas despite cutbacks in their own staffs and an overall decline in IT employment.</p>
<p>The year-end USCIS data also showed that some major Indian IT services firms cut back on their H-1B use as the economy softened.</p>
<p>For instance, Infosys Technologies Ltd. received only 440 visas -- less than 10% of the 4,559 it received in fiscal 2008. Meanwhile, Wipro Ltd. topped the fiscal 2009 list with 1,964 visas; that's about three-fourths the number it got the year before.</p>
<p>More from IDG:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/346002/U.S._Moves_to_Strengthen_H_1B_Enforcement" type="external">Original story</a></p> | U.S. Moves to Strengthen H-1B Enforcement | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2009/12/21/moves-strengthen-h-b-enforcement.html | 2016-03-18 | 0 |
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<p>"I'm kind of comfortable with getting older because it's better than the other option, which is being dead. So I'll take getting older."-- George Clooney</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Getting older isn't fun in many ways, such as when your vision starts to deteriorate or your hip starts giving you trouble. There's a silver lining, though, in the many <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/06/30/senior-discounts-save-thousands-of-dollars-startin.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">senior discounts</a> available to older Americans. There are even special tax breaks for retirees.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Here are a big bunch of tax breaks that are directly for older taxpayers or that will simply benefit many retirees along with other taxpayers.</p>
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<p>When preparing your tax return each year, you get to choose between taking the <a href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/02/05/what-is-the-standard-deduction-for-2017.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">standard deduction</a> or itemizing your deductions if they total more than the standard deduction. Those aged 65 or older can use a higher standard deduction than the rest of us. For the 2017 tax year, the standard deduction is$6,350 for a single filer, $12,700 for those married and filing jointly, and $9,350 for heads of households. If you're 65 or older by the end of 2017, though, you can add an extra$1,250 if you're married or $1,550 if you're unmarried.</p>
<p>Retirees are often more generous than the rest of us, having accumulated ample assets over their lives that they're willing to share with others. Uncle Sam rewards that by offering tax deductions for charitable contributions. There are rules, of course. For example, the donations must be made to qualifying organizations. You'll need to be able to support your claimed deductions with evidence such as receipts or cancelled checks. For donations valued at $250 or more, a timely receipt from the receiving organization is required. Donations don't have to be monetary, either. You can also donate goods such as clothing and household items to charities, as long as they're in good and usable condition. You'll need to have a receipt of your donation, and you'll need to estimate the fair market value of each item instead of, say, deducting how much it originally cost you.</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>Deductions are also allowed for <a href="https://www.fool.com/taxes/2017/04/16/can-i-claim-a-deduction-for-medical-expenses.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">qualifying medical expenses</a> you incur, and while this is equally available to all taxpayers, retirees are generally going to face heftier medical bills, because of their age. (Indeed, Fidelity Investments has estimatedthat a 65-year-old couple retiring today will spend, on average, a total of $260,000 out of pocket on healthcare during their retirement.) Again, there are rules and restrictions. For example, you can only deduct the portion of your qualifying medical expenses that exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). So if your AGI is $60,000 and you have $6,000 or less in qualifying medical expenses, you'll get no tax relief. If you have $7,500 in qualifying medical expenses, though, you can take a $1,500 deduction. That 10% threshold used to be 7.5%, but beginning with the 2017 tax year, it's 10% for everyone.</p>
<p>If you're 65 or older by the end of the tax year, or you're retired on permanent and total disability with taxable disability income, you may be able to claima hefty <a href="https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/01/12/what-is-the-tax-credit-for-the-elderly-or-the-disa.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">tax credit</a> of between $3,750 and $7,500 if your income is sufficiently low and you haven't received more than $5,000 in non-taxable Social Security or pension benefits if you're unmarried or more than $7,500 if you are married and filing jointly. What's sufficiently low? It's an adjusted gross income of less than $17,500 if you're single or $25,000 if you're married and filing jointly. Ideally, you'll enjoy an income too great to qualify you for this generous credit, but if your means are modest, these thousands of dollars can really help.</p>
<p>There's a powerful tax break available for anyone selling a home if they lived in it for at least two out of the five years preceding the sale. Retirees will often sell their home in order to move closer to their children or to a retirement community or simply to a less expensive home or region. The break lets you exclude up to $250,000 of the gain on the sale of your home from your taxable income -- and up to $500,000 of the gain if you're married and filing jointly. If you realize a gain of $300,000 on your home when you sell it, you can avoid paying taxes on $250,000 of that gain and only count a gain of $50,000. If your tax rate is 15%, you're saving a whopping $37,500!</p>
<p>Image source: Getty Images.</p>
<p>More retirees own stocks than do twenty-somethings, and with investing come some tax breaks. For example, qualifying dividends and long-term capital gains get taxed at the lower tax rate of 15% for most people instead of being taxed at your ordinary income tax rate, which can be 25% or 28% or higher. On top of that, if you pay financial professionals for investment advice or other services, those expenses(along with others, such as subscriptions to investment periodicals) may be deductible, to the extent that they exceed 2% of your adjusted gross income.</p>
<p>Retirement accounts such as IRAs and 401(k)s offer big tax breaks, too. For starters, once you're 50 or older, you can contribute an extra $1,000 to your IRA on top of the regular limit for 2017 of $5,500. And with 401(k)s, you can chip in an extra $6,000 on top of the regular 2017 limit of $18,000, giving you a total contribution limit of $24,000. Retirees with Roth IRAs can enjoy their tax benefit -- tax-free withdrawals -- when taking out funds in retirement.</p>
<p>One of the biggest tax-related benefits for retirees is receiving Social Security benefits -- if you've paid Social Security taxes into the system for many years during your working life. Accordingto the Social Security Administration, retirement benefits for those with average earnings will likely replace about 40% of your pre-retirement earnings. Those who had above-average earnings in their working years can expect a lower replacement rate, and vice versa. This makes it especially valuable to learn more about Social Security strategies such as when the best age would be for you to start collecting benefits.</p>
<p>So while getting older isn't always fun, it does offer some financial perks and benefits. And as George Clooney noted, it certainly beats the alternative.</p>
<p>The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-social-security?aid=8727&amp;source=irreditxt0000002&amp;ftm_cam=ryr-ss-intro-report&amp;ftm_pit=3186&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies</a>.</p>
<p>The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy</a>.</p> | Do Retirees Get Special Tax Breaks? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/05/14/do-retirees-get-special-tax-breaks.html | 2017-04-23 | 0 |
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<p>Duterte has called President Obama a “son a whore,” and told him to “go to hell.” Last week he sensationally announced his nation’s “separation” from the United States and embrace of China, but later partially walked those remarks back.</p>
<p>On returning home from a state visit to Beijing, Duterte said he did not want to sever economic and military ties with Washington, but just wanted to underline that his foreign policy would not “dovetail” with that of the United States.</p>
<p>Duterte’s administration has also not followed through on his pledges to remove U.S. counterterrorism forces from the southern island of Mindanao and end annual military exercises with American forces, with his own Cabinet members often appearing confused and wrong-footed by successive announcements.</p>
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<p>Daniel Russel, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, flew to Manila Sunday in attempt to get clarity, and spoke to reporters Monday after meeting Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr.</p>
<p>“I’ve pointed out to Secretary Yasay that the succession of controversial statements, comments and a real climate of uncertainty about the Philippines’ intentions has created consternation in a number of countries, not only in mine,” Russel said, according to the Associated Press.</p>
<p>The unease, Russel said, was also palpable “not only among governments, but also … in other communities, in the expat Filipino community, in corporation board rooms as well.”</p>
<p>“This is not a positive trend,” he said.</p>
<p>The United States remains a “steady and trusted” partner of the Philippines, and will continue to provide assistance, including in its “effort against the scourge of drugs,” Russel said. But he said Washington is concerned over the loss of lives in Duterte’s drugs war, which is “not a positive trend” and is “bad for business as well.”</p>
<p>Since Duterte swept to power in July, thousands of Filipinos have been killed, either gunned down by police in late-night drug operations or killed by assassins, often after being named by police. Last month he said he’d be happy to slaughter millions of drug addicts in his country, comparing his campaign to Hitler’s massacre of Jews in the Holocaust.</p>
<p>But the prospect of being lectured about extrajudicial killings in a meeting planned with Obama in September appeared to get under Duterte’s skin, and prompted a string of antagonistic and vitriolic remarks about Obama and the United States.</p>
<p>Governments around Southeast Asia, especially those with claims to the waters of the South China Sea, have also been concerned about Duterte, amid fears he is being bought off by Beijing.</p>
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<p>The Philippines won an important victory in July after an international tribunal ruled that China’s expansive claims to the disputed waters, encompassed by its “nine-dash line,” have no legal basis.</p>
<p>But Duterte has since agreed not to raise the tribunal’s ruling in international meetings, and instead to start bilateral talks with China over the issue.</p>
<p>In return, he secured a Chinese pledge to step up investment and lending to the Philippines, especially for infrastructure. But it is far from clear he has secured any concession over the maritime dispute.</p>
<p>On Sunday, Duterte said Filippino fishermen might soon be able to return to Scarborough Shoal off his country’s northwest coast, for the first time since China took control of the area from the Philippines in 2012.</p>
<p>But Chen Xiangmiao, a research fellow at National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Hainan said China would not allow Filipino fisherman back onto Scarborough Shoal.</p>
<p>“China will never open up the island to them,” he said. “China will not allow its sovereignty to be questioned.”</p>
<p>Ian Storey, a senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said Duterte was “taking a big risk” in his approach to China, partly because the people of his country are enthusiastic about the United States and distrust China.</p>
<p>If Beijing doesn’t give access to Scarborough Shoal, “that’s going to go down pretty badly at home,” in the Philippines, Storey said.</p>
<p>He said countries around the region, including Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, were “watching agog,” afraid that the country that instigated the tribunal ruling would put the findings to one side, and so undermine their own positions.</p>
<p>“If Duterte follows through, puts aside the ruling, significantly loosens ties between Philippines and the United States, and moves his country towards China, they will have achieved all of that by basically conceding nothing, other than being the rising power of Asia,” he said.</p>
<p>This would reinforce China’s narrative that it is now so powerful that other Asian countries should accommodate its interests – or face the consequences, he added.</p>
<p>Yet Duterte’s inconsistency and temperament, and his country’s history of foreign policy flip-flops, may have dampened the enthusiasm in Beijing.</p>
<p>“China should not simply pin all its hopes on Duterte’s unusual governance. China still has much to do to constantly expand its common interests with the Philippines and work for a complete turnabout in the South China Sea,” said China’s Global Times in an editorial Monday.</p>
<p>philippines-policy</p> | U.S. diplomat says Duterte creating uncertainty, causing distress | false | https://abqjournal.com/873777/u-s-diplomat-says-duterte-creating-uncertainty-causing-distress.html | 2 |
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<p>One of the least talked about competitive races in Florida is the one for the state House district 93 seat in Broward County, Florida.</p>
<p>Incumbent state Representative George Moraitis (R) is facing a challenge from openly gay and former Broward County Commissioner Ken Keechl (pictured), who appears to have missed those days of sulking in the political sun.</p>
<p>Keechl ran and lost re-election to the commission to now-County Commissioner Chip LaMarca (D) four years ago, and is ready to make a big comeback to politics.</p>
<p>Both Keechl and Moraitis have been relatively quite this election cycle, but now Keechl has reared his head out to attack his opponent with those &#160;two dreaded and apocalyptic words, “Donald Trump.”</p>
<p>In response to Donald Trump’s hot mic moment, Keechl stated the following:</p>
<p>“Then came his Saturday reaction to the release of Trump’s 2005 comments about using sexual assault as a way to pick up women. Moraitis acknowledged the recording “makes it difficult” to back Trump, but he didn’t renounce his support…That’s George Moraitis, ever ready to stand and salute. Politics over principle. The lack of backbone matters, not just in Tallahassee, but close to home”</p>
<p>But while the attack against Moraitis is fair, has Keechl gone on record to denounce Hillary Clinton’s email scandal? Or will he go on record to denounce President Bill Clinton’s Oval Office adultery and past alleged Domestic Violence missteps?</p>
<p>Keechl’s silence on the Clinton’s email scandal and President Clinton’s extramarital adventures sounds a lot like that “politics over principle” remark he made.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | Democrat Invokes Donald Trump’s Name to Attack Rep. Moraitis | true | http://shark-tank.com/2016/10/12/democrat-invokes-donald-trumps-name-to-attack-rep-moraitis/ | 0 |
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<p>A cannibal infamous for <a href="http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/08/11/former-cannibal-craves-love.html" type="external">digging up and consuming the corpse of an old woman</a> is ready for love, the Jakarta Post reports.</p>
<p>But Sumanto, still in rehabilitation on the island of Java, has standards.</p>
<p>"The most important thing is that [she] is a woman and can cook," he told the Post, adding that he also wants someone "religiously devout" and good with kids.</p>
<p>But she doesn't have to be beautiful, he said.</p>
<p>Ladies, however, should take caution: a fascinating&#160;profile of Sumanto published by Agence France Presse in 2009 suggests he's not such a catch.&#160;</p>
<p>Neighbors still recall the man's " <a href="http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Crime/Story/A1Story20090720-155875.html" type="external">fang-like teeth, forked tongue and&#160;diet of cats, cockroaches and lizards</a>," according to AFP.</p>
<p>Said one neighbor: "There'll be chaos if he ever comes back. I don't want him to kill me and have me for dinner."</p> | Who wants to marry a cannibal? | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-08-12/who-wants-marry-cannibal | 2011-08-12 | 3 |
<p>Afghan authorities arrested more than a dozen Afghan soldiers in Kabul on Tuesday after the discovery of around 11 suicide vests and a potential mass suicide attack on the Afghan Defense Ministry, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17520430" type="external">said the BBC</a>, citing intelligence officials.</p>
<p>The number of soldiers arrested vary, but the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17520430" type="external">BBC reported 18</a> and <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/03/201232771657563452.html" type="external">Al Jazeera said 16</a>, while <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/world/asia/afghan-soldiers-arrested-in-suspected-attack-against-government.html?_r=2&amp;hp" type="external">The New York Times simply said</a> "more than a dozen" had been arrested.</p>
<p>The planned suicide attacks would have caused "significant loss of life," <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17520430" type="external">revealed the BBC</a>, and some of those arrested were Afghan National Army soldiers.</p>
<p>The Afghan Defense Ministry, in the meantime, has denied the reports, calling them "rumors." Dawlat Wazeri, the ministry's spokesman, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17520430" type="external">told the BBC</a> the ministry was working on finding the men who spread those rumors to the media.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120326/general-john-allen-investigating-command-structure-afghanistan" type="external">General John Allen says he is investigating command structure in Afghanistan</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-57405020-503543/11-suicide-vests-found-at-afghan-military-hq/" type="external">According to CBS News</a>, the vests were found in three rooms surrounding the parking lot at the ministry. Though the investigation is still underway, it was noted that 11 buses were scheduled to leave the parking lot with Afghan army personnel. Investigators were working on a theory which involved a bomber getting on each of the buses and staging a highly damaging simultaneous attack.</p>
<p>The attack, if carried out, would also have been highly embarrassing for the Afghan government, due to its proximity to the presidential palace. <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/03/201232771657563452.html" type="external">Al Jazeera reported</a> that the ministry was under lockdown, as it was considered "one of the most secure, heavily guarded buildings in the Afghan capital."</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/united-states/120326/poll-69-americans-want-us-out-afghanistan" type="external">Poll: 69% of Americans want US out of Afghanistan</a></p>
<p>Shukria Barakzai, the former Afghan chairwoman on the defense committee, <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/03/201232771657563452.html" type="external">told Al Jazeera</a> that such plots and attacks were "evidence of high level infiltration" by the Taliban. She said, "It must be people who have links inside of the government, inside the presidential palace, inside the ministry of defense and other ministries..."</p>
<p>The vests were discovered on the same day that three NATO coalition members were killed in two separate attacks, two of them by an assailant in an Afghan army uniform.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/argentina/120321/fuzzy-math-behind-argentina-growth" type="external">The Argentine economy's fuzzy math problem</a></p> | Suicide attack by Afghan soldiers foiled | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-03-27/suicide-attack-afghan-soldiers-foiled | 2012-03-27 | 3 |
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<p>SILVER CITY - Western New Mexico defeated New Mexico Highlands 38-27 in thrilling fashion on Saturday at Altamirano Field to reclaim the Warrior Helmet trophy in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opener for both teams.</p>
<p>Marques Rodgers? 1-yard touchdown run with 39 seconds to play capped a comeback by WNMU (2-1), which trailed 30-24 heading into the fourth quarter. But the two teams traded touchdowns to start the period. Mitch Glassman's 22-yard scoring strike to Evan Beebe put the Mustangs up 31-30. NMHU (0-3) answered with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive to go up 37-31 with nine minutes left.</p>
<p>The Cowboys held and drove for a 25-yard field goal attempt, but Western New Mexico's Shiana Tupua blocked it with four minutes left.</p>
<p>That led to WNMU's final scoring drive; Glassman hit Michael Ball for 38 yareds and Beebe for 29 more to set up the Mustangs at the Cowboys? 1, before Rodgers? TD plunge. Josh McIntire added the go-ahead extra point.</p>
<p>Rodgers had a huge game for the Mustangs, rushing for 163 yards on 29 carries and three touchdowns, while also catching nine passes for 101 yards.</p>
<p>Highlands capitalized on a roughing the passer penalty and reached the 35 to set up a final-play 52-yard field goal try that hit the right upright, leaving the Mustangs the victory.</p>
<p>WNMU will hit the road next Saturday when they will play at Colorado State University-Pueblo with kickoff set for 2 p.m. The ThunderWolves, the defending national champions, are currently ranked 13th in the nation entering this week by AFCA.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Football: WNMU edges NM Highlands in 38-37 thriller | false | https://abqjournal.com/646938/football-wnmu-edges-nm-highlands-in-38-37-thriller.html | 2 |
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. - Regardless of your position on the hotly contested mayoral campaign in Santa Fe, you have to admit that Javier Gonzales has some of the coolest signs.</p>
<p>There are now nine of the hand-painted signs up around town. There will soon be a 10th original sign, a "glow in the dark" version by the Meow Wolf arts collective, up on Agua Fria, according Omar Hamid, a Gonzales campaign staffer.</p>
<p>Hamid said the Gonzales camp had an open call for artists. They weren't paid, he said. The sign pictured here is at Siringo and Camino Carlos Rey.</p>
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<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Not from the print shop - campaign features hand-painted signs | false | https://abqjournal.com/351430/not-from-the-print-shop-campaign-features-hand-painted-sgns.html | 2 |
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<p>If you haven’t already, read Russell Shorto’s <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html?pagewanted=1&amp;_r=1&amp;em" type="external">profile</a> of the Dutch social welfare state. He extols the system’s virtues—health care, subsidized child care, and not only a month of paid vacation, but a check (8 percent of your annual salary) from the government to pay for that trip to the Swiss Alps—before tugging us back to earth:</p>
<p>Then, too, one downside of a collectivist society, of which the Dutch themselves complain, is that people tend to become slaves to consensus and conformity. I asked a management consultant and a longtime American expat, Buford Alexander, former director of McKinsey &amp; Company in the Netherlands, for his thoughts on this. “If you tell a Dutch person you’re going to raise his taxes by 500 euros and that it will go to help the poor, he’ll say O.K.,” he said. “But if you say he’s going to get a 500-euro tax cut, with the idea that he will give it to the poor, he won’t do it. The Dutch don’t do such things on their own. They believe they should be handled by the system. To an American, that’s a lack of individual initiative.”</p>
<p>Another corollary of collectivist thinking is a cultural tendency not to stand out or excel. “Just be normal” is a national saying, and in an earlier era children were taught, in effect, that “if you were born a dime, you’ll never be a quarter” — the very antithesis of the American ideal of upward mobility.</p>
<p>I read those two paragraphs and immediately thought, “Knowing that, can we really achieve something like universal health care here?” For a second, my answer was “No, we can’t.” Even a lefty like me shudders at the idea an individual born a dime can’t become a quarter, to borrow Shorto’s phrase. Most Americans, myself included, believe in an equality of opportunity, but not of outcome. I like the idea that I do not have to be normal; I can take risks and excel.</p>
<p>Then I realized a Dutch-like collectivism and a need for consensus are not prerequisites for universal health care in America. (A consensus in Congress definitely helps, though.) In fact, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to me that the current state of our lack of universal health care was actually a hindrance to that American ideal of equality of opportunity.</p>
<p>Why? Health care simply costs too much. In fact, <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/economy/story/65414.html" type="external">states</a> are <a href="http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/04/06/ap6260942.html" type="external">reporting</a> American employers are dropping their employees’ health care plans, leaving thousands of workers a medical malady away from a slew of medical bills that could push them to bankruptcy. (Let alone the thousands of insured-yet-bankrupt Americans.) This phenomenon skews the playing field toward richer Americans: How can someone start a small business or go back to school, for example, if she can’t afford her insurance premiums? Or if she’s bankrupt from health care costs?&#160;</p>
<p>I myself am facing a similar condundrum. Next fall, when I begin law school, I will have to take out additional loans to cover my health care, though it’s possible my parents—who are able to help me out financially—will foot those bills. But many Americans, young and old, don’t have that option. Do I deserve health care any more than they do?</p>
<p /> | Should We Go Dutch? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/05/go-dutch/ | 2009-05-04 | 4 |
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<p>LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Olympic Committee was advised on Monday to give its ethics panel more power to investigate suspected wrongdoing by sports officials.</p>
<p>Financial risks linked to the Olympic Solidarity Commission, which has $500 million to give Olympic bodies ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games, were also identified by Lausanne-based management consultants hired by the IOC.</p>
<p>The Solidarity panel chairman, Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah of Kuwait, is currently implicated in a FIFA bribery case in the United States. He resigned from FIFA in April.</p>
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<p>Seven “dilemmas” in the coming years and 33 recommendations to improve how the IOC is run were suggested by the International Institute for Management Development.</p>
<p>“We view the IOC as the leaders of the sports world in governance,” report author Didier Cossin told a news conference. “At the same time, this is always challenged.”</p>
<p>Cossin said his organization had called on the IOC to take action in specific areas.</p>
<p>“We are still pushing for some elements, notably around Olympic Solidarity,” added Cossin, who wrote that more information should be published about its “financial flows.”</p>
<p>The panel distributes tens of millions of dollars each year to national Olympic committees (NOCs), and helps athletes from poorer countries prepare for Olympic Games.</p>
<p>Sheikh Ahmad, president of the global group of Olympic bodies known as ANOC, has stayed in charge of the Solidarity work three months after being identified in a U.S. federal court as being the source of bribes paid to FIFA voters in Asia. He has denied wrongdoing, though he resigned his FIFA position days before he was due for re-election.</p>
<p>The IOC has said its ethics commission has sought information about the case but has not confirmed a formal investigation against him.</p>
<p>Asked if a possible case prevented the Kuwaiti sheikh attending key Olympic meetings in Lausanne this week, IOC executive director Christophe De Kepper said he had no decision to prevent him attending had been taken.</p>
<p>The management consultants suggest giving the IOC ethics panel freedom to launch its own investigations, instead of awaiting a referral from the IOC administration.</p>
<p>Sanctioning power could also be given to “an independent third party,” the report suggests, rather than being retained within the executive board chaired by IOC president Thomas Bach.</p>
<p>De Kepper said around half the report’s recommendations had already begun to be acted upon.</p> | IOC advised to empower ethics panel, control $500M panel | false | https://abqjournal.com/1030789/ioc-advised-to-empower-ethics-panel-control-500m-panel.html | 2017-07-10 | 2 |
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<p><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/gallery-1203230p1.html?cr=00&amp;pl=edit-00" type="external">mdgn</a> / <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/editorial?cr=00&amp;pl=edit-00" type="external">Shutterstock.com</a></p>
<p>The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s economic message was fiery and radical. To our society’s great shame, it has also proved timeless.</p>
<p>As we celebrate King’s great achievement and sacrifice, it is wrong to round off the sharp edges of his legacy. He saw inequality as a fundamental and tragic flaw in this society, and he made clear in the weeks leading up to his assassination that economic issues were becoming the central focus of his advocacy.</p>
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<p>Nearly five decades later, King’s words on the subject still ring true. On March 10, 1968, just weeks before his death, he gave a speech to a union group in New York about what he called “the other America.” He was preparing to launch a Poor People’s Campaign whose premise was that issues of jobs and issues of justice were inextricably intertwined.</p>
<p>“One America is flowing with the milk of prosperity and the honey of equality,” King said. “That America is the habitat of millions of people who have food and material necessities for their bodies, culture and education for their minds, freedom and human dignity for their spirits. … But as we assemble here tonight, I’m sure that each of us is painfully aware of the fact that there is another America, and that other America has a daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair.”</p>
<p>Those who lived in the other America, King said, were plagued by “inadequate, substandard and often dilapidated housing conditions,” by “substandard, inferior, quality-less schools,” by having to choose between unemployment and low-wage jobs that didn’t even pay enough to put food on the table.</p>
<p>The problem was structural, King said: “This country has socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor.”</p>
<p>Eight days later, speaking in Memphis, King continued the theme. “Do you know that most of the poor people in our country are working every day?” he asked striking sanitation workers. “And they are making wages so low that they cannot begin to function in the mainstream of the economic life of our nation. These are facts which must be seen, and it is criminal to have people working on a full-time basis and a full-time job getting part-time income.”</p>
<p>King explained the shift in his focus: “Now our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality. For we know that it isn’t enough to integrate lunch counters. What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn’t earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?”</p>
<p>Obviously, much has changed for African-Americans since that time; anyone who says otherwise is plainly wrong. There is no longer any question of who gets served at lunch counters. Mississippi, where African-Americans were once disenfranchised at the barrel of a gun, has more black elected officials than any other state. An African-American family lives in the White House.</p>
<p>But what King saw in 1968 — and what we all should recognize today — is that it is useless to try to address race without also taking on the larger issue of inequality. He was planning a poor people’s march on Washington that would include not only African-Americans but also Latinos, Native Americans and poor Appalachian whites. He envisioned a rainbow of the dispossessed, assembled to demand not just an end to discrimination but a change in the way the economy doles out its spoils.</p>
<p>King did not live to lead that demonstration, which ended up becoming the “Resurrection City” tent encampment on the National Mall. Protesters never won passage of the “economic bill of rights” they had sought.</p>
<p>Today, our society is much more affluent overall — and much more unequal. Since King’s death, the share of total U.S. income earned by the top 1 percent has more than doubled. Studies indicate there is less economic mobility in the United States than in most other developed countries. The American dream is in danger of becoming a distant memory.</p>
<p>This column is not about policy prescriptions or partisan politics. King was a prophet. His role was to see clearly what others could not or would not recognize, and to challenge our consciences.</p>
<p>Paying homage to King as one of our nation’s greatest leaders means remembering not just his soaring oratory about racial justice but his pointed words about economic justice as well. Inequality, he told us, threatens the well-being of the nation. Extending a hand to those in need makes us stronger.</p>
<p>Eugene Robinson’s e-mail address is eugenerobinson(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2015, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | MLK’s Call for Economic Justice | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/mlks-call-for-economic-justice/ | 2015-01-17 | 4 |
<p>Shares of health-care companies were more or less flat as traders hedged their bets on the outlook for legislation.</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Tuesday the Senate would begin its August break two weeks later than expected, as the chamber labors to pass a health-care bill.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>(-By Rob Curran, [email protected])</p>
<p>Shares of most retailers and other consumer-services companies rose as traders bet the Federal Reserve would pause in its rate-hiking cycle. Addressing a global slowdown in inflation, Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen testified to Congress that the Fed would change tack if downward pricing pressure persisted world-wide. Shares of American Airlines Group rose after the carrier boosted its outlook for revenue per passenger mile. Harley-Davidson shares fell after analysts at brokerage Bernstein cut their rating on the motorcycle maker, saying younger generations are not riding motorbikes in the same numbers as Baby Boomers had.</p>
<p>-Rob Curran, [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>July 12, 2017 16:31 ET (20:31 GMT)</p> | Consumer Stocks Up As Yellen Testimony Hints At Hike Pause - Consumer Roundup | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/07/12/consumer-stocks-up-as-yellen-testimony-hints-at-hike-pause-consumer-roundup.html | 2017-07-12 | 0 |
<p>It would be bad enough, as I reported last week, that <a href="" type="internal">47 billionaires were responsible for the lion’s share of individual Super PAC contributions.</a> It turns out that the Super PACs aren’t even the biggest players.</p>
<p>The biggest players are the dark money PACs, which do not have to reveal the sources of their funding.</p>
<p>If we just look at the television ads bankrolled by the top six sources of funding, we make a startling discovery, <a href="" type="internal">which Kim Barker reported on in these pages last week.</a></p>
<p>The <a href="" type="external">‘dark money’ PACs are outspending everyone else.</a> Crossroads GPS, founded by Karl Rove and backed by anonymous big-money donors, has bought negative attack ads against President Obama to the tune of $52 million! The Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity spent $20.6 million. The political parties and the Super PACs, which have to identify the source of their funds, are making a much smaller contribution.</p>
<p><a href="/images/2012/08/darkmoney2.gif" type="external" /></p>
<p>Moreover if you look at the WaPo infographic under ‘who’s going negative,’ you find that 100% of the ads paid for by $52 million from Crossroads GPS are negative! Likewise all $20.5 million spent by the Koch Brothers-founded Americans for Prosperity went to attack ads. In contrast, about half of the ads paid for by Barack Obama were negative.</p>
<p>The Dark Money PACs are not only continuing to spend like a drunken sailor, they are making it up as they go along, solely funding negative images and falsehoods.</p>
<p>It shouldn’t be allowed in the United States of America for a handful of billionaires to buy the election.</p>
<p>It certainly shouldn’t be allowed for them to do so anonymously.</p> | Anonymous Billionaires are Stealing Your Election with Attack Ads | true | http://juancole.com/2012/08/anonymous-billionaires-are-stealing-your-election-with-attack-ads.html | 2012-08-20 | 4 |
<p>Promo image from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Source: Time Warner.</p>
<p>Walt Disney has used its ownership of Marvel to great success in recent years. A steadystreamof comic-book-character-themed films, television shows, video games, and merchandise sales have boosted Disney's business since the House of Mouse bought the superhero company for $4 billion back in 2009.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Time Warner is hoping for similar success in the years ahead. The firm has owned DC Comics, Marvel's chief rival, since the media giant's creation. Although it has used DC characters (particularly Superman and Batman) in dozens of films, television shows, and video games over the years, its efforts have been relatively modest compared to Disney's recent undertakings.</p>
<p>That's about to change. On March 25, Time Warner's Warner Bros. film studio will release Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the DC Extended Universe will kick into full gear. If successful, it couldpropelTime Warner's results both in 2016 and for many years to come.</p>
<p>Films, films, and more filmsBatman v Superman follows 2013's Man of Steel, but it represents something much larger. The film will introduce a cavalcade of DC superheroes, including Aquaman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman, to audiences. Most viewers should be well-acquainted with Batman, as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy dominated the box office for much of the last decade, but the film will offer a new take on the character, with Ben Affleck donning the iconic suit.</p>
<p>"More than just a clash between the two iconicsuperheroes, it will mark the beginning of a multiyear slate of franchise films at Warners," said Time Warner CEO, Jeff Bewkes, on the company's earnings call last month ( <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/edited-transcript-twx-earnings-conference-200146074.html" type="external">via Thomson Reuters Opens a New Window.</a>).</p>
<p>In August, Warner Bros. will launch its second major comic crossover film, Suicide Squad. Rather than superheros, that film will focus on DC supervillains, introducing Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Killer Croc, and a new take on The Joker, among many others. These characters will form the backbone of Warner's film slate for much of the next decade. 2017 will bring the first Justice League movie and a stand-alone Wonder Woman film. Additional films based on The Flash, Aquaman, Shazam, and Cyborg remain in various levels of development, and more could eventually be forthcoming.</p>
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<p>Audiences have reacted enthusiastically to Disney's recent superhero films. The Avengers and its sequel remain among the top-grossing films of all time, while Guardians of the Galaxy andIron Man 3have also performed particularly well. Disney has leaned on Marvel to fuel other parts of its business, launching Marvel-themed television shows on its networks, using Marvel characters in its video games, and collecting royalties from licensed Marvel products. Since it announced the acquisition, Disney shares have risen about 270%, strongly outperforming the broader S&amp;P 500. Disney is a massive business, and there have been many other factors fueling its surge, but Marvel has played a key role.</p>
<p>Video games, merchandise, and television showsIf its DC Extended Universe is well-received, Time Warner could enjoy similar results. DC will slowly permeate the rest of the firm's business, making its way to Time Warner's cable networks, its video game studios, and even its premium subscription network, HBO.</p>
<p>In 2014, Time Warner launched The Flash on The CW, a network it partially owns. DC's Legends of Tomorrow joined The Flashin January. Time Warner's cable channel Cartoon Network is also getting some DC-themed content. "Cartoon Network is launching a new Justice League TV show," Bewkes said. Currently, the channel's top program is Teen Titans Go, a different DC-themed series that made its debut in 2013.</p>
<p>Time Warner's video game business generated $1.5 billion of revenue in 2015, a record for the firm. Time Warner has only announced a couple of DC Extended Universe games, but it's likely many are in the pipeline. Time Warner's video game studios generally rely on Warner Bros.'s intellectual property. Last year, it released games based on Batman and Mad Max.</p>
<p>"I do believe that film and games will more than offset the difficult comp in TV and we will have strong growth in 2016," said Warner Bros. head Kevin Tsujihara.</p>
<p>Last year, Warner Bros. partnered with toy-maker Mattel for a line of DC-themed dolls, which made their debut earlier this year. Their reception shouldn't affect the company much, but they stand out as a key example of the opportunities the DC Extended Universe could bring. "The next stage of growth for DC will be in film, which is also a critical driver in our plans to further expand our consumer products business," said Bewkes in November ( <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/edited-transcript-twx-earnings-conference-183532455.html" type="external">via Thomson Reuters Opens a New Window.</a>).</p>
<p>Time Warner has yet to reveal any plans for a DC-themed HBO show, but through its agreement with Warner Bros., the DC films will eventually make their way to HBO's catalog. That could make an HBO subscription just a bit more enticing, and give Time Warner an opportunity to further monetize its films. "Our film viewing across all platforms is over 72% of viewing," said HBO head Richard Plepler.</p>
<p>AvirtuouscircleGenerally, the success or failure of any particular film shouldn't have much of an effect on a massive entertainment giant like Time Warner. But Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is unique. It isn't just one film, but rather, the beginning of a multiyear strategy -- a strategy that should affect almost all portions of the company.</p>
<p>If it's a box office hit, investors should treat it a little more favorably than other films, as it would bode well for the future of the DC Extended Universe.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/03/11/time-warners-batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-cou.aspx" type="external">Time Warner's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" Could Fuel Its Business for Years to Come Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFMattera/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Sam Mattera Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Time Warner. 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> | Time Warner's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" Could Fuel Its Business for Years to Come | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/11/time-warner-batman-v-superman-dawn-justice-could-fuel-its-business-for-years-to.html | 2016-03-11 | 0 |
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<p>Why is this, according to the Times report?</p>
<p>“Where other presidents used the weeks before their inauguration to put the animosities of the campaign behind them and to try to knit the country together again, Mr. Trump has approached the interregnum as if he were a television wrestling star. He has taken on a civil rights icon, a Hollywood actress, intelligence agencies, defense contractors, European leaders and President Obama. The healing theme common at this stage in the four-year presidential cycle is absent.”</p>
<p>I’m not sure I need reporters to supply madcap similes to help me understand the situation they’re describing, and that phrasal verb “taken on” sounds a little weaselly to me; the president-elect “took on” John Lewis and Meryl Streep because they “took on” him. Still, it’s true that Trump hasn’t indulged in the usual rhetoric of unity and healing. He hasn’t pretended he could “knit the country together,” as the Times reporter put it.</p>
<p>And what a relief that has been.</p>
<p>The healing theme would have sounded comically false from Donald Trump, for one thing. He is an adversarial candidate and an adversarial personality; his aims are disruptive and negative.</p>
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<p>There’s something intrinsically false about the rhetoric of healing and unity, no matter who it comes from. A friend of mine, a professor of English with left-of-center tendencies in politics, likes to say that “the rhetoric of consensus is always coercive.” Any time you talk about what “we” believe as Americans — what “this country” was founded on, who “we are” as a nation — you’re forcing a certain kind of unity that many of your listeners, maybe most of them, are excluded from. The rhetoric of consensus may be appropriate on occasions of high ceremony — an inauguration, a State of the Union address — but otherwise it sounds false and cheap to everybody but the winners. It may turn out to be one of the happier unintended consequences of Trump’s election that we won’t hear very much of it for the next four years.</p>
<p>Now that I reflect on it, there is something brutally, refreshingly realistic about Trump’s manner, or about the whole Trump persona. He is a deeply flawed man, but he doesn’t try very hard to pretend otherwise. Even his most enthusiastic supporters, or many of the ones I’ve talked to, are happy to acknowledge Trump’s failings. They may argue about which traits are failings and which are mere foibles hyped by his critics, but they did not vote for him because they thought him scrupulously honest or because they believed his character to be unimpeachable. Indeed, there must be very few people on either side who believe Trump to be a thoroughly good man. Effective in his way, maybe. Capable of disrupting what ought to be disrupted, almost certainly. But good?</p>
<p>Of course, we’ve had bad men in the White House before, but it took years to realize it. Most voters didn’t grasp the depth of Richard Nixon’s character flaws (I say this despite my admiration of the man) until after his reelection in 1972. Even some of Bill Clinton’s closest advisers didn’t appreciate the president’s duplicitous character until 1998.</p>
<p>I wonder if we might benefit from having a more realistic understanding of the new president’s character at the outset of his administration. Instead of viewing our head of state with the usual rosy hopefulness we know in our hearts to be destined for disappointment, perhaps now’s the time to cultivate a sort of transactional attitude toward the man: If he does well, we’ll think about keeping him. If he does poorly, we suspected it all along and we’ll get rid of him. That strikes me as a healthier and more small-r republican way to view any president — indeed any politician. He’s only our president, after all, not our savior.</p>
<p>– Swaim is the author of “The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics” and a contributing columnist at The Washington Post.</p> | At least this time we don’t have to pretend the president’s good | false | https://abqjournal.com/931409/at-least-this-time-we-dont-have-to-pretend-the-presidents-good.html | 2 |
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<p>A 17-year-old Silver City girl who was reported missing on Nov. 6 was found safe last Wednesday in Alamogordo after she was tracked through cell phone records to the Alamogordo location, Grant County sheriff’s Lt. Fermin Lopez told the <a href="http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_16602667?source=most_viewed" type="external">Silver City Sun-News</a>.</p>
<p>Summer Moore was contacted by New Mexico State Police and was returned to her family, Lopez told the Sun-News.</p>
<p>“She was there on her own free will … She wasn’t abducted and she was not being held against her will,” Lopez told the paper. “The individual she was with was an adult and at this time the investigation is ongoing to determine if any charges will be filed against this individual.”</p>
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<p>Still missing, however, was 18-year-old David Jacquez Ortiz Jr., another Silver City teen who was last seen leaving his grandparents’ house on Oct. 31 in what police said was a separate and unrelated incident, the Sun-News said.</p>
<p>Ortiz’s family contacted police to report him missing on Nov. 3, the paper reported.</p>
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<p>7:15am 11/9/10 — Two Silver City-Area Teens Missing in Separate Cases: 18-year-old last seen on Halloween; 17-year-old girl missing since Saturday.</p>
<p>The Silver City Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office are seeking information on two unrelated missing-persons cases involving teens, the <a href="http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_16560085" type="external">Silver City Sun-News</a> reported.</p>
<p>David Jacquez Ortiz Jr., 18, of Silver City, was last seen leaving his grandparents’ house to go trick-or-treating around 5 p.m. Oct. 31, when he said he was going to a friend’s house, but never arrived, the Sun-News said. His family reported him missing to police on Nov. 3.</p>
<p>Ortiz was reportedly seen by an acquaintance in downtown Silver City around 9 p.m. that night, according to the police investigation.</p>
<p>Anyone with information is asked to call the Silver City police investigative bureau at (575) 538-3723.</p>
<p>The sheriff’s office is also looking for information on the whereabouts of 17-year-old Summer Moore, who was last seen at her home just outside Silver City around 1:45 p.m. Saturday, the Sun-News said.</p>
<p>Information on Moore’s whereabouts may be given by calling Lt. Michael Aguirre or Lt. Fermin Lopez at the sheriff’s office, (575) 574-0180.</p>
<p>Anyone with information on either case may also call the Grant County Regional Dispatch Center at (575) 388-8840.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Updated at 6:05am — One Silver City Teen Found, Another Still Missing | false | https://abqjournal.com/10253/updated-at-605am-one-silver-city-teen-found-another-still-missing.html | 2 |
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<p>In July, Gabriel Navarro stood inside the ring at the Chicago Youth Boxing Club, absorbing the punches thrown by one of his students. The two sparred, following each other around the ring and fighting to gain the upper hand.</p>
<p>Fifteen years ago, Navarro was the one throwing the punches, taking official boxing lessons for the first time at the age of 18. Looking back now, Navarro says boxing was one of the sports that kept him away from the streets—and away from trouble. He hopes that, by putting on the gloves, his students will take the same route he did. On Wednesday nights, the gym even hosts sessions for members of the Latin Kings, keeping them from gangbanging during key nighttime hours.</p>
<p>The gym, in the basement of La Villita Community Church in Little Village, serves two purposes: teaching youth how to box while keeping them away from the violence that fills the streets outside. It’s a refuge that provides a healthy, constructive alternative to gangs and guns, allowing them to focus on themselves and vent their frustrations. About 75 active members, ages 8 and up, attend the gym, which, besides boxing lessons, offers academic tutoring in subjects such as reading, math and science.</p>
<p>Navarro, 33, is both the gym’s head coach and a mentor for his students, who come from all across the city—and even Cicero. Born and raised in Little Village, Navarro, like his students, has had firsthand experience with gangs, violence and drugs. Though he was never in a gang himself, Navarro says many of his friends have fallen victim to violence and drug addiction. One friend, a man who died after police used a Taser on him while he was high on cocaine, is memorialized in a tattoo on his right leg.</p>
<p>But sports have always been his escape from the violence. An avid athlete since he was young, Navarro says his father always motivated him to stay involved in sports ranging from baseball to wrestling. “I probably wouldn’t be alive right now if it wasn’t for sports,” he said.</p>
<p>Now Navarro uses the lessons he learned from sports and the streets to keep his students in the ring and move them forward. The Chicago Reporter sat down with Navarro to discuss his work.</p>
<p>When you grew up in Little Village, what kind of violence did you experience?</p>
<p>Half of the people I used to hang around with were gangbangers. Because there was nothing to do but gangbang. We didn’t have a park. The high schools, after they let out their kids, they closed down the schools—they don’t let nobody play basketball after school or stuff like that.</p>
<p>My friend was a drug addict. He grew up being a gangbanger. He said he shot at people. He probably killed a couple of people. So when he was high, he used to see the people that he shot at, he’ll tell me. He’ll be like, ‘Man, all my demons, when I’m high, all my demons come out.’ He scared the crap out of me growing up, the way he used to act. Like not violent towards nobody, but I’m not going to do a drug and be scared of everybody. You know, what’s so fun about that?</p>
<p>How did you stay away from all that?</p>
<p>I was playing baseball. I lived on the opposite side of the gang line, so my coach said, ‘It’s either gangbanging or baseball. You know, if you start gangbanging, you’re not going to be able to come to the park no more because the gangbangers are going to pick on you.’ So I’m like, ‘You’re right.’ So I picked baseball over gangbanging, and I never had any problem with no gangs.</p>
<p>My dad used to always keep me busy when I was young. He always gave me money. One thing he said: He’d rather be broke and have me have money than me go out and rob or steal. That was his biggest fear—for us to go to jail for stealing money or something. So he always kept me busy in sports and always gave us money. As long as we had some type of money in our pockets, we won’t be thinking about stealing, so my dad was always like that. He put me in baseball. He introduced me to baseball, and that’s all I needed. After that, I did football, softball—almost every sport I loved.</p>
<p>How does your organization get youth away from violence?</p>
<p>By us mentoring them. Kids just want to be heard. The parents are real busy, and they don’t got time for their kids ’cause they’re trying to support them. That’s all they know—how to work, make money to support their kids—but they don’t really listen to them. They work all day and they don’t got time for their kids. So I’m here. I listen to them. We got Fernando, who’s another assistant coach. We got Hassan. We all just listen to the kids. They tell us some pretty private stuff. Their parents are not listening to them, so they don’t have nowhere to go to. So we talk to them. I give them advice. They listen. I guess they just want to be heard; they just want to vent and have somebody listen.</p>
<p>I try to tell them like life experiences that I had. I kind of scare them, like not scare them, but I’m just telling my story, and they’re like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t want to be like that.’ I saw everything in this neighborhood, from gang beatings to shootings to being shot at. I hung around with gangbangers. I never joined any type of gang, but it’s hard not to have a friend that’s not in a gang in this neighborhood, back then when I was a teenager. Now, hopefully, it’s changing, but when I was a teenager, it was so hard not to meet that one person because you meet ’em at school.</p>
<p>I try as hard as I can to try to get them out of gangs. You know, by just telling them personal stuff about me that opens up their eyes, I guess.</p>
<p>Why do you think sports are the key to reducing the violence?</p>
<p>It’s fun. Once you get them involved in sports and get them into it, they just love it. They’re not used to it. They just know to hang around the street, be out all day. If you’re out all day, you might either go the good path or the bad path. And most of them choose the gangbanging. But since sports are hitting Little Village real hard now, I think it’s helping a lot. We actually have Wednesday nights, from 8:30 to 10:30, we have a program where we open up the gym to all the gangbangers. And so on Wednesday nights, I have a bunch of gangbangers that instead of being in the street, they’re right here, hitting the bag, or I’m doing pads, or they’re lifting weights, they’re playing basketball upstairs on the third floor.</p>
<p>I used to always get into street fights for some reason, and then I joined boxing and I stopped, like I never got into a fight again in the street. I kind of felt like I’m training to fight—why would I want to go and fight a guy that is not trained to fight? So it kind of makes you think, ‘Oh, I won’t fight. For what?’ I guess they stay with that mentality that they’re trained to fight just in the ring, not in the street, because a trained fighter could really hurt somebody—just a regular, random kid.</p>
<p>We actually teach our kids to be trainers because not everybody is going to make it as a boxer. So we teach them how to also be trainers. Sometimes, there’s 40 kids and three coaches. So we teach our kids who’ve been here the longest—we teach them how to be responsible and help us out. You know, not to be selfish. ’Cause a lot of kids are very selfish. You know, we’re helping you, we’re taking you to every fight, so now you help us, too. It works both ways. We help you, you help us. But the way they’re helping us is in a good way, like you help us by going to the job interview. You know, you help us by going to this college. We go to Notre Dame University and we take college tours over there. So by them helping us, they’re actually helping themselves.</p> | Sparring off the streets | false | http://chicagoreporter.com/sparring-streets/ | 2012-09-04 | 3 |
<p>ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied that his country is constructing a naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, saying Turkey plans to restore Ottoman-era ruins in the area.</p>
<p>In comments published in Hurriyet newspaper on Thursday, Erdogan also says his government “laughed” off a request for Turkey to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during an Islamic summit in Istanbul this month. Al-Bashir is on the International Criminal Court’s wanted list for war crimes in Darfur.</p>
<p>Erdogan says Turkey is not a party to the ICC’s founding treaty.</p>
<p>Asked about reports that Turkey would build a naval base at Sudan’s port of Suakin, Erdogan told a group of journalists on his return from an Africa visit that included Sudan: “There is no such thing as a military port.”</p>
<p>ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied that his country is constructing a naval base on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, saying Turkey plans to restore Ottoman-era ruins in the area.</p>
<p>In comments published in Hurriyet newspaper on Thursday, Erdogan also says his government “laughed” off a request for Turkey to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during an Islamic summit in Istanbul this month. Al-Bashir is on the International Criminal Court’s wanted list for war crimes in Darfur.</p>
<p>Erdogan says Turkey is not a party to the ICC’s founding treaty.</p>
<p>Asked about reports that Turkey would build a naval base at Sudan’s port of Suakin, Erdogan told a group of journalists on his return from an Africa visit that included Sudan: “There is no such thing as a military port.”</p> | Turkey’s leader denies plans for naval base in Sudan | false | https://apnews.com/e9ce23c24dbe4fdf9c9df46babf3357b | 2017-12-28 | 2 |
<p>About 50 people braved a miserable, cold mid-winter Manhattan evening recently, gathering in the front room of a Hare Krishna center to listen to a quick set by <a href="http://www.shebrings.com/" type="external">Sheela Bringi</a> and <a href="http://www.blackswansounds.com/dj-drez.html" type="external">DJ Drez</a>. Bringi alternated between singing and playing the traditional Indian harmonium keyboard and bansuri flute.</p>
<p>DJ Drez dropped in drones and a rhythm that soon revealed itself to be a chopped-up version of Buffalo Springfield's 1960s hit "For What it's Worth." Not a typical Indian classical song, but then Bringi likes to mix things up. She counts British-Tamil pop star M.I.A., avant-garde pianist Cecil Taylor, and an ancient Vedic chanting tradition from Mysore, India, among her influences, and you can hear all of them on her debut album " <a href="http://www.blackswansounds.com/incantations.html" type="external">Incantations</a>."</p>
<p>"If I'm playing with somebody, OK I'm playing this and this is my musical voice, but what do you want to say, what do you want to say in response to what I'm saying?" Bringi says. "I've had comments from people before, like, 'Oh, but that guy, he's not really playing what we're playing; why do you want to play with him? He's not doing what we're doing.' Well that's the whole point! Don't you see, that's the whole point."</p>
<p>Bringi grew up in Fort Collins, Colo., with parents who, with a few of the other Indian families in town, taught her a lot about the music of their native south India.</p>
<p>"Our families would get together and have big music parties and eat and sing and spend the day together, like in India," Bringi recalls. "When I go to India, it's the same thing. We get together with our relatives and eat and take a nap and then play music and have dinner and play music."</p>
<p>She learned about Indian vocal and chanting traditions from her mother and about rhythms from her father. Those lessons from her parents come together on her new album, including on the song "The Three-Eyed One." The words are from a Sanskrit mantra about Shiva, a Hindu deity associated with death and rebirth. As you might guess, they're pretty heavy.</p>
<p>"It's talking about immortality of the soul, and it's asking for the fear of death to be removed. Which translates into the fear of us being separate from each other — being isolated. And so it's saying, 'Just as a ripe cucumber is freed from its stem, but not from its immortal self, let me also be freed from my fear of death.'" Bringi explains.</p>
<p>While she grew up steeped in Indian music, her parents also encouraged her to listen broadly and find new connections. She studied with some avant-garde heavies at Mills College in Oakland, and found a new set of musical peers at Cal Arts in Southern California. One of her closest collaborators is <a href="http://clintonpattersonmusic.bandcamp.com/" type="external">Clinton Patterson</a>, a young blues musician out of Georgia. He produced Bringi's new album, and plays on several tracks, including the acoustic guitar on this one, "Raja Ram."</p>
<p>"[Patterson] and I have had this conversation before about how raga and blues are really the same thing. When you really sit down and listen to it, and listen to the intention and the way it moves in a particular way and expressing emotion and telling a story, it's really the same thing," Bringi says.</p>
<p>Even if the story is, as is the case here, out of the Ramayana — an ancient Indian epic.</p> | What do you get when you cross British-Tamil pop, avant-garde piano and ancient Vedic chanting? Sheela Bringi | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-02-04/what-do-you-get-when-you-cross-british-tamil-pop-avant-garde-piano-and-ancient | 2014-02-04 | 3 |
<p />
<p>For many people, simply walking into a room full of strangers can be terrifying—let alone one packed with potentially valuable work contacts … and maybe even a future boss.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>But since savvy networking can be one of the best moves you can make for your career, it’s time to learn how to fearlessly bust through the doors of any work event—and own it.</p>
<p>That’s why we challenged three networking veterans to divulge the clever opening lines that will enable you to strike up a conversation with just about anyone, whether you’re mingling with hundreds of people at a convention center or a more intimate group at an after-work mixer.</p>
<p>Conversation Starter #1: “I just tried a slider from the buffet table, and I think I’m going to grab another. Care to join me?”</p>
<p>Hey, a networker’s gotta eat, right? And if half of the room is as starving as you are after a long day at the office, the action is likely happening over by the food, says Barbara Safani of Career Solvers and the author of “Happy About My Job Search.”</p>
<p>Conversation Starter #2: “I was just on LinkedIn and saw that we went to the same college.” Or … “I saw on LinkedIn that you also worked with so-and-so!”</p>
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<p>The most effective opening line is something that’s personal to the person, says LinkedIn’s career expert Nicole Williams, who’s also the author of “Girl on Top: Your Guide to Turning Dating Rules into Career Success.”</p>
<p>And while digging up info on other guests was hard before the advent of LinkedIn, Twitter and other social-networking sites, it’s now easy to find an opener that connects you to a fellow networker. Just ask the event organizer for a list of attendees a few days beforehand, and then do a quick internet search.</p>
<p>Conversation Starter #3: “How long have you been a member of this organization?”</p>
<p>Sometimes less really is more, says Kathleen Brady, a career coach and the author of “Get a Job! 10 Steps to Career Success.” This simple, open-ended question can work wonders to engage that shy someone who, by virtue of being at the same networking event, is there to meet people just like you. But try not to fire off too many questions at once—you don’t want your conversation to suddenly feel like an interrogation.</p>
<p>Conversation Starter #4: “I read your book!” Or … “I was really impressed by the speech you gave at an event last year.”</p>
<p>According to Williams, there’s no greater compliment than to play up your knowledge of someone and their work. They’re sure to be flattered and eager to hear your opinion of their writing or other accomplishment—and you can even use their talking points as a kicking-off point for an ice-breaker.</p>
<p>RELATED: <a href="http://www.learnvest.com/2013/07/10-questions-for-a-career-coach/" type="external">&#160;10 Questions For a … Career Coach Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Conversation Starter #5: “What do you love about your job?”</p>
<p>This is another simple one-liner—but it’s one of Williams’ favorites. “Whenever someone gets the opportunity to talk about themselves, they not only love it,” she says, “but they also feel closer to you by virtue of your hearing their story.” Bottom line: “The more they’re encouraged to talk about themselves,” she adds, “the more likely they’ll walk away going, ‘I really like that person!’ ”</p>
<p>Conversation Starter #6: “I’ve worked here for several months, but I’ve never been to the penthouse floor before. Great views!”</p>
<p>According to Brady, disclosing something about yourself from the outset helps to establish vulnerability and approachability, and it will encourage others to do the same. But be careful not to get too personal—like sharing your real feelings about upper management—because the point isn’t to leave your listener speechless.</p>
<p>Conversation Starter #7: “Are you from [insert locale]?”</p>
<p>This one-liner establishes both a personal and professional connection, says Williams. It’s professional in that your shared industry brought you to the same city or town, and then you can compare notes on how you each arrived at point B from point A in your career.</p>
<p>And it’s personal because you’re attaching something emotional to the other person’s story by finding out the individual’s hometown and what exactly pulled them to where they are now—effectively helping you reach the next level of conversation.</p>
<p>RELATED:&#160; <a href="http://www.learnvest.com/2013/03/8-mistakes-not-to-make-on-linkedin/" type="external">8 Mistakes Not to Make on LinkedIn Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Conversation Starter #8: “Did you see all the wacky stuff they’re giving away at the sponsor tables?”</p>
<p>Do you often find yourself at conferences and expos where overeager organizers have plastered their faces, logos and catchphrases on everything from toothbrushes to fly swatters? Next time, hold up that glow-in-the-dark foam finger for a shared chuckle with the closest attendee, and then lead the way to the table with the best—and most usable—swag.</p>
<p>Simple Steps to Seal the Networking Deal</p>
<p>Once you’ve got the conversation going, says Brady, keep the person engaged by playing equal parts listener and engager—and don’t linger too long with any one fellow networker.</p>
<p>“The goal is to meet as many people as possible, so you have to be tactful about when to break away,” says Williams. “Try excusing yourself to make a quick call. Or pull the person standing next to you into the conversation, so you can make another connection, and then move on as they become immersed in a topic.”</p>
<p>Of course, none of these killer lines are worth using if you forget the most vital step of networking: the follow-up.</p>
<p>Instead of exchanging business cards that can be misplaced, “I use an app to request a connection right then and there on LinkedIn,” says Williams. “This way, I can send a note the next day that says, ‘I enjoyed meeting you last night, and this was a great topic.’ And they can then look into you further if they want.”</p>
<p>But the real benefit of using an electronic follow-up, adds Williams, is that the next time you see an article about something you talked about—be it business-related or something tied to that Thailand trip the other person was taking—you can zap it over to keep the connection going.</p>
<p>Read More from LearnVest:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.learnvest.com/2013/10/accidental-networking-how-to-use-luck-to-land-yourself-a-new-gig/" type="external">Accidental Networking: How to Use Luck to Land Yourself a New Gig Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.learnvest.com/2014/02/10-apps-that-could-supercharge-your-career/" type="external">10 Apps That Could Supercharge Your Career Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.learnvest.com/2014/04/fearless-job-hunting/" type="external">8 Traits You’ll Find in Every Fearless Job Hunter Opens a New Window.</a></p> | Shy? 8 Opening Lines to Network Like a Pro | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2014/05/09/shy-8-opening-lines-to-network-like-pro.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
<p>July 21 (UPI) — Prisoners at a small county jail in Tennessee are being given an opportunity to get 30 days off their sentence if they agree to be sterilized.</p>
<p>Sam Benningfield, the <a href="http://whitecountytn.gov/government/elected-officials" type="external">only judge</a> in White County, Tenn., which has a population of <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/POP060210/47185" type="external">about 26,000</a> people, said he introduced the program as a way to prevent repeat drug offenders and other people accused of crimes to not have children.</p>
<p>“I understand it won’t be entirely successful but if you reach two or three people, maybe that’s two or three kids not being born under the influence of drugs. I see it as a win, win,” he told <a href="http://www.newschannel5.com/news/inmates-given-reduced-jail-time-if-they-get-a-vasectomy?page=2" type="external">News Channel 5</a>.</p>
<p>The program was introduced on May 15 to both men and women. So far, 32 women have had a Nexplanon implant put in their arm, which can prevent child birth for up to four years. Thirty-eight men have signed up to get a vasectomy, which can be permanent.</p>
<p>Although the only judge in White County is excited about the program and says it can encourage responsibility and reduce recidivism, District Attorney Bryant Dunaway believes it is unethical.</p>
<p>“It’s concerning to me, my office doesn’t support this order,” Dunaway said.</p>
<p>“It’s comprehensible that an 18-year-old gets this done, it can’t get reversed and then that impacts the rest of their life.”</p>
<p>It might also be unconstitutional.</p>
<p>“Offering a so-called ‘choice’ between jail time and coerced contraception or sterilization is unconstitutional,” said Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the <a href="http://www.aclu-tn.org/aclu-tn-statement-on-white-county-sterilization-program/" type="external">ACLU chapter in Tennessee</a>. “Such a choice violates the fundamental constitutional right to reproductive autonomy and bodily integrity by interfering with the intimate decision of whether and when to have a child, imposing an intrusive medical procedure on individuals who are not in a position to reject it.”</p>
<p>Getting sterilized in exchange for a reduced sentence is sometimes an option in special cases, such as Virginia man Jessie Lee Herald, who <a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/get-vasectomy-or-go-jail-virginia-court-offers-27-year-old-man-plea-deal-and-he-chooses-scissors" type="external">agreed to a vasectomy</a> after a hit-and-run conviction that injured his 3-year-old son.</p>
<p>The judge noticed that Herald had several children with several women and offered the vasectomy in exchange for five years to be shaved off his sentence.</p>
<p>California also sterilized nearly 150 women between 2006 and 2010 without proper approval, according to the <a href="http://cironline.org/reports/female-inmates-sterilized-california-prisons-without-approval-4917" type="external">Center of Investigative Reporting</a>.</p> | Tenn. judge offers prisoners 30 days off sentence if they get sterilized | false | https://newsline.com/tenn-judge-offers-prisoners-30-days-off-sentence-if-they-get-sterilized/ | 2017-07-21 | 1 |
<p>Charlottesville, Virginia, a city named after Britain's first black queen, was the scene of a bloody riot Saturday, Aug. 12. The fray resulted in the death of one woman, who was mowed down by a car; plus, there were many other people injured. Have politicians and the news media told the correct and complete story about what happened, or have Americans been deliberately misled? Let's look at it.</p>
<p>One does not have to accept the racist and nationalist vision of the Unite the Right organization to recognize and respect its First Amendment rights. Moreover, the group obtained a city permit to hold a peaceful rally to protest the lawful removal of the statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Emancipation Park, formerly known as Lee Park. It was the leftist protesters who did not have a city permit to assemble for a rally on that day. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said: "There has got to be a movement in this country to bring people together. The hatred and rhetoric that has gone on and has intensified over the last couple months is dividing this great nation." He denounced "the white supremacists and the Nazis." However, when asked a question about whether he would include the left-wing, pro-violence antifa in his condemnation, he ignored the question and walked out of the room.</p>
<p>Here's a question for you: Did the authorities of the city of Charlottesville have a duty to protect Unite the Right rally attendees? The American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia said they had a right to rally, saying, "The First Amendment is a critical part of our democracy, and it protects vile, hateful, and ignorant speech." Thus, the ACLU of Virginia defended the white supremacists' and neo-Nazis' right to march and rally against the removal of the statue of Lee. Both the Unite the Right organizers and the leftist counter-protesters charged that the Charlottesville police did not do their job. They just stood back and watched the melee.</p>
<p>This was documented in several reports. The Daily Caller article titled "Why Were The Police Held Back In Charlottesville?" reports: "Law enforcement was on hand at the dueling demonstrations on Saturday, decked out in riot gear and looking prepared for the worst. Except they weren't allowed to do their job." According to the ACLU of Virginia, police on the scene were reported to have been ordered to "not intervene until given command to do so." That kept them from suppressing the numerous scuffles that <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ycpnrzv7" type="external">broke out</a>. I'd like to ask any policeman, Since when did the police need a command to intervene when they are witnessing people assaulting one another? In a ProPublica article titled "Police Stood By As Mayhem Mounted in Charlottesville," the authors reported that "state police and National Guardsmen watched passively for hours as self-proclaimed Nazis engaged in street battles with counter-protesters." ProPublica reporter A.C. Thompson, who was on the scene, <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yc9al2lk" type="external">reported</a> that "the authorities turned the streets of the city over to groups of militiamen armed with assault rifles." Instead of owning up to his dereliction of duty — by not having ordered his police force to protect life and limb — Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer chose to demagogue the situation by blaming the rise of white nationalists on President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>Many politicians, racists, hustlers and tyrants have an agenda that consists mostly of making the U.S. Constitution meaningless and giving government greater control over our lives, thereby destroying personal liberty. The alt-right and white supremacists seek to achieve their goals through racist propaganda. The leftists seek to achieve their goals by tricking Americans into believing that all they want are brotherhood and multiculturalism. If either group achieves its goals, we Americans will lose not only our liberty but also our civility. Few Americans recognize and respect the fact that multiracial societies are inherently unstable. What we've been doing for decades, through various government policies, is stacking up combustible racial kindling awaiting a racial arsonist to set it ablaze. There are too many historical examples of what happens to a nation when race hustlers are allowed to take over.</p>
<p>Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.</p>
<p>COPYRIGHT 2017 CREATORS.COM</p> | WILLIAMS: Charlottesville Donnybrook | true | https://dailywire.com/news/20038/williams-charlottesville-donnybrook-walter-e-williams | 2017-08-22 | 0 |
<p>U.S. job openings fell to an eight-month low in August and hiring was little changed, suggesting some easing in labor market conditions amid an aging economic recovery.</p>
<p>Still, details of the Labor Department's monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) report published on Wednesday continued to point to a solid jobs market, with a steady rise in the number of people voluntarily quitting their jobs and declining layoffs.</p>
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<p>Job openings, a measure of labor demand, declined 388,000 to a seasonally adjusted 5.4 million, the lowest level since December, after surging to a record high in July. That pushed down the jobs openings rate three-tenths of a percentage point to 3.6 percent, also the lowest reading since December.</p>
<p>"These data can be volatile and the openings rate is still fairly high, so it is too early to tell whether this is a signal or just the noise of volatile monthly data," said John Ryding, chief economist at RDQ Economics in New York.</p>
<p>"However, if this drop is sustained, it could be a sign of increased caution on the part of businesses."</p>
<p>The JOLTS report is one of the job market metrics on Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's so-called dashboard. Fed officials view the labor market as being at or near full employment.</p>
<p>The U.S. central bank is widely expected to increase interest rates in December, having kept borrowing costs steady over course of the year because of persistently low inflation.</p>
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<p>The decline in job openings in August was led by professional and business services, where vacancies fell 223,000. Job openings in the durable goods manufacturing industries decreased 29,000, and dropped 28,000 in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector.</p>
<p>"The bigger concern in the data is that openings declined year-over-year in some high-wage industries, like finance, professional services, and information," said Jed Kolko, chief economist for job site Indeed in San Francisco.</p>
<p>"Plus, last Friday's jobs report showed slower job growth in higher-wage industries. These factors are worth watching."The number of hires was little changed at 5.2 million in August, keeping the hiring rate steady at 3.6 percent.</p>
<p>Job growth is slowing, with nonfarm payrolls increasing 156,000 in September. Employment growth has so far this year averaged 178,000 jobs per month, down from an average gain of 229,000 positions per month in 2015.</p>
<p>With the bulk of the labor market slack largely absorbed and the economy's recovery from the 2007-09 recession aging, the slowdown in payrolls growth is normal. Fed Chair Janet Yellen has said the economy needs to create about 100,000 jobs a month to keep up with population growth.</p>
<p>Layoffs slipped to 1.62 million in August from 1.64 million in July, the JOLTS report showed. About 3.0 million Americans quit their jobs in August, maintaining a recent trend. The quits rate, which the Fed looks at as a measure of confidence in the jobs market, was at 2.1 percent for a third straight month.</p>
<p>"Nearly two-thirds of job separations are people voluntarily quitting rather than getting laid off or fired. That's a good indicator that workers are confident they will find new jobs," said Kolko.</p>
<p>(Reporting By Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)</p> | U.S. job openings hit eight-month low, labor market still strong | true | http://foxbusiness.com/politics/2016/10/12/us-job-openings-hit-eight-month-low-labor-market-still-strong.html | 2016-10-12 | 0 |
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<p>Six of the whales were found dead, and four of the whales had to be euthanized Wednesday, said Blair Mase, coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s marine mammal stranding network. At least three could be seen on the beach, out of the water.</p>
<p>The whales are stranded in a remote area near Highland Beach, the western boundary of Everglades National Park and about 20 miles east of where they normally live. It takes more than an hour to reach the spot from the nearest boat ramp, and there is no cellphone service, complicating rescue efforts.</p>
<p>“We want to set the expectation low, because the challenges are very, very difficult,” Mase said.</p>
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<p>Park spokeswoman Linda Friar said rescuers were trying to surround the whales, which were in roughly 3 feet of salt water about 75 feet from shore, and herd them back to sea.</p>
<p>“They are not cooperating,” Friar said.</p>
<p>Workers also tried to nudge the whales out to sea earlier in the day with no success.</p>
<p>The short-finned pilot whales typically live in very deep water. Even if rescuers were able to begin nudging the 41 remaining whales out to sea, Mase said they would encounter a series of sandbars and patches of shallow water along the way.</p>
<p>This particular whale species is also known for its close-knit social groups, meaning if one whale gets stuck or stays behind, the others are likely to stay behind or even beach themselves as well.</p>
<p>“It would be very difficult for the whales to navigate out on their own,” Mase said.</p>
<p>Federal officials were notified about the whales Tuesday around 4 p.m. Because of the remote location, workers were unable to access the site before dark. They arrived Wednesday morning and discovered 45 whales still alive.</p>
<p>“There were some that were very compromised and in very poor condition,” Mase said.</p>
<p>Four were euthanized with sedatives, and more could be put down Thursday if their condition deteriorates, Mase said. She described the remaining whales as swimming and mobile but said scientists don’t know how long they have been out of the deep, colder water they are accustomed to and could be impacted by secondary consequences, such as dehydration.</p>
<p>“I don’t think we have a lot of time,” Mase said.</p>
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<p /> | Rescuers try to remove 41 whales in shallows | false | https://abqjournal.com/313907/rescuers-try-to-remove-41-whales-in-shallows.html | 2 |
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<p>French businesswoman and billionaire Liliane&#160;Bettencourt, whose family founded L'Oreal and still owns the largest stake in the cosmetics giant, has died aged 94, her daughter said on Thursday.</p>
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<p>Bettencourt, listed by Forbes as the world's richest woman, was the heiress to the beauty and comestics company her father founded just over a century ago as a maker of hair dye.</p>
<p>Her death opens a new phase for L'Oreal, France's fourth-largest listed company, altering the relationship it has with key shareholder Nestle , the Swiss food company.</p>
<p>Bettencourt&#160;and her family owned 33 percent of the company. Her daughter FrançoiseBettencourt-Meyers, who sits on L'Oreal's board along with her own son, said in a statement the family remained committed to the company and its management team.</p>
<p>"My mother left peacefully,"&#160;Bettencourt-Meyers said, adding that she had died during Wednesday night at her home in Paris.</p>
<p>"I would like to reiterate, on behalf of our family, our entire commitment and loyalty to L'Oreal and to renew my confidence in its President Jean-Paul Agon and his teams worldwide."</p>
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<p>In 2011 Agon was appointed chairman and chief executive of L'Oreal, owner of the Lancome and Maybelline beauty and make-up brands and of Garnier shampoos.</p>
<p>Nestle, which owns just over 23 percent of L'Oreal, had agreed with the founding family that the two parties could not increase their stakes during Liliane&#160;Bettencourt's lifetime and for at least six months after her death.</p>
<p>The Swiss company has been a major investor since 1974, when&#160;Bettencourtentrusted nearly half of her own stake in the firm to Nestle in exchange for a three percent holding in the Swiss company. She made the move out of fear that L'Oreal might be nationalized if the Socialists came to power in France.</p>
<p>Activist hedge fund Third Point recently urged Nestle - which brought in a new chief executive, Mark Schneider, earlier this year - to sell down its stake as part of efforts to improve its performance.</p>
<p>A Nestle spokeswoman on Thursday did not comment on the company's stake, only saying: "It's time to send our sincere condolences to Madame&#160;Bettencourt's family."</p>
<p>LEGAL BATTLES</p>
<p>Fascination with&#160;Bettencourt's wealth, complex family relations and scandal-tinged life often propelled her into society pages and headlines, though she remained private and rarely gave interviews.</p>
<p>Her net worth was estimated at $39.5 billion earlier this year by Forbes, making her the world's richest woman and among the 20 wealthiest people in the world.</p>
<p>In a testament to the influence L'Oreal came to have in France, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Thursday praised the stability&#160;Bettencourt&#160;had brought to the company through her ownership and said in a statement he hoped that the firm would maintain its close ties with its home market.</p>
<p>The marriage of the heiress to French politician Andre&#160;Bettencourt&#160;drew scrutiny when it emerged he had written anti-Semitic tracts at the start of World War Two. AndBettencourt&#160;was caught up in high-profile legal feuds almost until the last.</p>
<p>She had been under the guardianship of family members since a court fight, known as the "Bettencourt&#160;affair", ended with a ruling in 2011 that she was incapable of looking after her fortune because she suffered from dementia and had been exploited.</p>
<p>The case - brought by her daughter Françoise and which soured relations between the two - centered on Francois-Marie Banier, a celebrity photographer who befriendedBettencourt&#160;in the 1980s and received lavish gifts from her, including life insurance policies worth $400 million.</p>
<p>Another strand of the sprawling affair later led to allegations of illegal payments byBettencourt&#160;to members of the French government associated with former president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2010. Sarkozy was eventually cleared in the case.</p>
<p>Paris-born&#160;Bettencourt&#160;joined her father Eugene Schueller's firm as an apprentice at the age of 15, mixing cosmetics and labeling bottles of shampoo.</p>
<p>She inherited the family fortune when her father Eugene Schueller, a chemist, died in 1957, though she delegated the day-to-day management of the firm. A widow since 2007,&#160;Bettencourt&#160;ceased to sit on L'Oreal's board in 2012.</p>
<p>For an obituary, please see</p>
<p>(Reporting by Matthias Blamont, Dominique Vidalon, Martinne Geller, Luke Baker and Pascale Denis; Writing by Sarah White; Editing by Andrew Roche)</p> | Billionaire L'Oreal heiress Bettencourt dies aged 94 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/21/billionaire-loreal-heiress-bettencourt-dies-aged-94.html | 2017-09-21 | 0 |
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<p>Kirtland Air Force Base is $564,744.77 behind on its sewer and water bills, Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority records show. Kirtland officials Monday admitted the problem, blaming cumbersome federal accounting processes and a billing address mix-up, and they say they hope to pay off their past due balance by the end of May.</p>
<p>"Paying our obligations is something we take very seriously and making those payments in a timely manner is very important to me and my staff," Col. Jeff Lanning, one of the base's senior officers, wrote in an email to the water utility Monday afternoon.</p>
<p>Monday's pledge by Lanning to fix the problem came after an email sent last week by water utility chief executive Mark Sanchez to a long list of senior base officials and staff of New Mexico's congressional delegation pleading for help with the problem.</p>
<p>Kirtland Air Force Base officials have blamed the recent accumulation of unpaid water and sewer bills on delays in Defense Department bureaucracy and a mailing address mistake.</p>
<p>"Hopefully someone in this email chain can get these bills paid and current going forward," Sanchez wrote. "This level of delinquency is not something the Water Authority can carry going forward."</p>
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<p>Most of the money is the result of unpaid sewage bills. Kirtland pumps most of its own water from groundwater wells on the Air Force base, and the water utility authority disposes of the base's sewage.</p>
<p>According to water utility authority records, $518,456.32 owed as of the end of April came from a growing unpaid balance in the base's $84,284.13 monthly sewage bill. The Air Force last made a monthly sewer bill payment Jan. 31, according to water utility records.</p>
<p>Kirtland also pays $5,860.34 a month to maintain backup water line connections the base could use if it had problems with its primary water well supply system. Those bills have not been paid since December, according to water utility authority records.</p>
<p>Base officials said the recent accumulation of unpaid bills happened because Kirtland was not receiving the water utility authority's bills in the mail. Water utility authority spokesman David Morris said his agency, when the Air Force said it was not receiving its bills, tried emailing them directly to the Kirtland staff member responsible for dealing with the problem, but the bills still went unpaid.</p>
<p>But even before the mailing address confusion, water utility authority records show the Air Force over the past year was routinely four to five months behind on its bills.</p>
<p>Base officials blame those delays on the bureaucracy of getting the bills through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Indianapolis, the Defense Department office responsible for actually processing the bills and sending the checks.</p>
<p>Morris said the email came after repeated attempts by water utility staff over the past year to get the bills paid. The water utility has no way to cut off service, Morris said, because it can never interrupt sewer service, and the other bills were for standby lines that are not currently in use.</p>
<p>Morris said the law also does not permit the water utility to assess financial penalties against federal government customers.</p>
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<p /> | KAFB is $564k behind on its water and sewer bills | false | https://abqjournal.com/399013/kafb-is-564k-behind-on-its-water-and-sewer-bills.html | 2 |
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<p>In yet another executive action designed to bypass Congress to unilaterally impose his agenda on the nation, President Barack Obama is poised to implement executive orders on gun control in an unprecedented encroachment on the right to bear arms. So how terrible are the president's measures? In short, pretty terrible, as they empower the federal government to arbitrarily strip constitutionally protected rights from American citizens.</p>
<p>While the president's measures are perhaps not as aggressive as the ones he called for after Sandy Hook, they still represent a major power grab by the executive branch in regard to the right to bear arms. Two aspects of the measures are particularly alarming: 1) the potential to require anyone the government chooses who sells <a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/obama-executive-order-may-require-those-selling-even-a-single-firearm-become-licensed-dealers/" type="external">even a single gun</a> to obtain a Federal Firearms License, a cumbersome and costly process, and conduct background checks on buyers and 2) the barring of at minimum tens of thousands (some estimate <a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/social-security-admits-plan-to-add-recipients-to-gun-background-check-system/" type="external">millions</a>) of Social Security beneficiaries from owning guns.</p>
<p>The government can require someone who sells even just one gun to obtain a firearms license</p>
<p>Washington Free Beacon's Steven Gutowski <a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/obama-executive-order-may-require-those-selling-even-a-single-firearm-become-licensed-dealers/" type="external">notes</a> that during a conference call with reporters Monday evening, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, White House Press Sec. Josh Earnest, and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett gave some details about the president's orders (to be officially announced Tuesday at 11:40 am). One of the most controversial aspects of the measures is the administration's broadening of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' definition of what it means to be "engaged in the business" of selling firearms.</p>
<p>"The ATF and DOJ did not identify a magic number of weapons that makes you engaged in the business because that would limit their ability to bring prosecution."</p>
<p>WH Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett</p>
<p>Those determined to be "engaged in the business" must obtain a <a href="http://www.atf.gov/firearms/apply-license" type="external">federal firearms license</a>, a costly process that takes months to complete, but until now that was limited to those who primarily make a living through that business. With his new orders, the president is redefining the terms. As Jarrett and Lynch made clear Monday, being "engaged in the business" of firearms sales can now include someone who sells only "one or two" guns.</p>
<p>Jarrett explained to reporters that the ATF will determine who is doing business based on "the facts and circumstances," such as " whether you represent yourself as a dealer, such as making business cards or taking credit card statements. Whether you sell firearms shortly after they’re acquired or whether you buy or sell in the original packaging."</p>
<p>“Numbers are relevant," she said, underscoring that they deliberately do not want to put a number on it because it would "limit" their ability to prosecute people.</p>
<p>"The ATF and DOJ did not identify a magic number of weapons that makes you engaged in the business because that would limit their ability to bring prosecution," she said, adding that as few as "two firearms" could be determined to require a federal license.</p>
<p>Lynch later whittled that number down to a single weapon, saying, "It can be as few as one or two depending upon the circumstances under which the person sells the gun."</p>
<p>So if someone who does not make a living off selling firearms wants to sell his gun to his relative or friend, would he be required to become a licensed dealer, undergoing the burdensome and costly process, and then, having done so, subject the buyer to a background check, another cumbersome process? The White House's answer: If we decide so, yes.</p>
<p>Could potentially strip millions of Social Security recipients of their gun rights</p>
<p>The other particularly ominous aspect of the president's unilateral action on gun control is the potential to bar at minimum tens of thousands, but what some estimate could be <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/18/obamas-secretive-gun-ban-for-social-security-beneficiaries/" type="external">millions</a>, of Social Security recipients from owning a gun. In a move that has been rumored to be in the works for months, Jarrett said Monday that the president is instructing the Social Security Administration to change their rules concerning beneficiaries. The intent is to submit for background checks all who have designated somebody else to manage their finances, potentially barring millions from owning a gun.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/01/04/obamas-gun-control-plan-includes-gun-ban-social-security-beneficiaries/" type="external">The measure</a>, part of the "mental health" initiative of the executive orders, will require background checks for those Social Security recipients who have chosen not to manage their own finances for various vaguely defined reasons, including "incompetency," "disease," or "subnormal intelligence or mental illness."</p>
<p>"The Social Security Administration has indicated that it will begin the rulemaking process to include information in the background check system about beneficiaries who are prohibited from possessing a firearm for mental health reasons," explains the administration's <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/01/04/fact-sheet-new-executive-actions-reduce-gun-violence-and-make-our" type="external">Fact Sheet on the gun control orders</a>.</p>
<p>The reporting that SSA, in consultation with the Department of Justice, is expected to require will cover appropriate records of the approximately 75,000 people each year who have a documented mental health issue, receive disability benefits, and are unable to manage those benefits because of their mental impairment, or who have been found by a state or federal court to be legally incompetent. The rulemaking will also provide a mechanism for people to seek relief from the federal prohibition on possessing a firearm for reasons related to mental health.</p>
<p>Though the administration cites "approximately 75,000 people" who opt not to manage their own business, according to some sources, the real number <a href="http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-gun-law-20150718-story.html#page=1" type="external">tops 4 million</a>.</p>
<p>The president's executive action includes other measures, like allowing mental health professionals to <a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/obama-gun-control-rule-mental-illness-217340" type="external">report mentally ill patients to the FBI</a> for background checks, hiring more ATF agents, and beefing up the background check staff and system, and will cost hundreds of millions</p>
<p>H/t <a href="http://freebeacon.com/issues/obama-executive-order-may-require-those-selling-even-a-single-firearm-become-licensed-dealers/" type="external">Steven Gutowski</a> and <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/01/04/obamas-gun-control-plan-includes-gun-ban-social-security-beneficiaries/" type="external">Awr Hawkins</a>.</p> | How Terrible Are Obama's Gun Control Measures? Pretty Terrible. Here's Why. | true | https://dailywire.com/news/2326/how-terrible-are-obamas-gun-control-measures-james-barrett | 2016-01-05 | 0 |
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