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<p>John Dean, a principal in the Watergate scandal, in 1975Ken Stewart/ZUMA Press</p>
<p />
<p>This is interesting. John Dean, Richard Nixon’s White House counsel and a star Watergate witness, <a href="http://verdict.justia.com/2013/04/16/was-the-recording-of-senator-mitch-mcconnells-campaign-a-watergate-like-event-and-was-it-illegal" type="external">has weighed in</a> on the McConnell tape controversy. His take: This ain’t Watergate, and the making of the tape probably wasn’t illegal.</p>
<p>After Mother Jones and I disclosed a secretly recorded tape capturing Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and campaign aides discussing using actor/activist Ashley Judd’s past struggles with depression and her religious views as political ammo (should she challenge McConnell), McConnell and aides claimed the minority leader was the victim of a Watergate-style operation and called on the FBI to investigate. McConnell’s campaign manager, Jesse Benton, also played the Hitler card and compared the taping to <a href="" type="internal">“Gestapo” tactics</a>. At the end of last week, local Kentucky media reported that two local Democratic operatives linked to a super-PAC called Progress Kentucky, Curtis Morrison and Shawn Reilly, were involved in the taping, having recorded a conversation they heard in a hallway after an open house at McConnell’s campaign headquarters in Louisville. Subsequent reports fingered Morrison more than Reilly. And Morrison has set up a <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/04/15/curtis-morrison-starts-legal-defense-fund/" type="external">legal defense fund</a> without publicly acknowledging any role in the taping. (I did not comment on the media reports naming Morrison and Reilly because I had promised my source confidentiality.)</p>
<p>Dean, working off the media reports, begs to differ with McConnell’s historical analysis. He writes:</p>
<p>McConnell and his staff’s claim that this activity was a Watergate-like event is long on hyperbole, and short on historical accuracy. The only thing that appears comparable to Watergate in this situation is that operatives of the Progress Kentucky organization, which has been described as a “gang that can’t shoot straight,” were foolish and a bit bungling. Otherwise, it is not even close.</p>
<p>Watergate, as all but the youngest readers will know, was the 1972 surreptitious entry and effort to bug and wiretap the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters on two occasions. On May 28, 1972, Gordon Liddy and his army of burglars and buggers successfully wired the DNC, but they failed to bug the office that they had targeted, namely, that of DNC Chairman Larry O’Brien (they never found his office). The wiretap they mistakenly placed on another phone picked up nothing but secretaries talking to their boyfriends; and the third bug they placed did not work at all. They returned on June 17, 1972 to fix the problems—and after that, they planned to move on to bug President Nixon’s opponent Senator George McGovern on Capitol Hill. But that never happened, because they were arrested at the Watergate after conspicuously leaving electrical tape on the door locks to keep them open, which the night watchman noticed, and which prompted him to call the police…</p>
<p>The Watergate break-in and bugging was illegal from start to finish…To call the activities at McConnell’s campaign Nixonian, or Hitler-like behavior, is so far over the top as to make the Senator and his aides appear stupid. Unlike in Watergate, there was no reported breaking and entering by Reilly and Morrison. And based on the available information, they did not go beyond the hallway, which was accessible to anyone in the building. If it was while in the hallway that they overheard and recorded the conversation that would hardly be a violation of federal law. Nor has there been any effort, so far, to cover up what Reilly and Morrison did.</p>
<p>Not a violation of law? Dean explains:</p>
<p>The applicable federal law appears to be Title III of the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which prohibits wiretapping and electronic surveillance of many wire, oral, or electronic communications. Clearly, Morrison recorded an oral communication. Under the law, “oral communications,” by definition, include only face-to-face conversations taking place in a constitutionally protected area, and that type or area is defined as a space where the speakers have a justifiable expectation of privacy…</p>
<p>The key question is whether McConnell and his staff had a reasonable expectation of privacy. Merely the fact that they were behind closed and locks doors will not be determinative.</p>
<p>Dean writes that a quick review of case law he conducted “indicates that a conversation that could be heard in a public hallway would not be a protected oral communication under Title III of the ECPA.” He notes that the “expectation of privacy” standard was defined by the Supreme Court ruling in Katz v. US. In that case, a suspect was recorded in a telephone booth by the FBI and the court ruled, “What a person knowingly exposes to the public, even in his own home or office, is not a subject of [Fourth] Amendment protection.” Lower federal courts, Dean says, have found no privacy expectation in a lobby or in common areas of an apartment building. But here’s perhaps the most relevant citations:</p>
<p>Regarding overheard conversations in U.S. v. Llanes (1968), a federal court found no reasonable expectation of privacy for a conversation conducted within a home that was audible in a hallway. More strikingly, in a Pennsylvania case, Commonwealth v. Loude…the court found no justifiable expectation of privacy even within a home where the conversation was audible through the walls. (I noticed, when checking for additional facts, that George Washington Law Professor Orin Kerr has blogged on this subject, and he located federal cases with even closer factual situations, see, e.g., United States v. Carroll (1971), where a conversation was overheard and recorded through a hotel-suite door and the recording was found not to violate the federal statute.)</p>
<p>Dean sums it up this way: “It appears that a conversation that was overheard and recorded in a public hallway of the building where McConnell has his reelection headquarters is not covered by the federal statute.”</p>
<p>But what about state law? Dean points to a posting by Kerr at the Volokh Blog. <a href="http://www.volokh.com/2013/04/12/did-recording-the-mcconnell-meeting-violate-state-law/" type="external">Kerr notes</a> that the Kentucky Crime Commission states that “[a] conversation which is loud enough to be heard through the wall or through the heating system without the use of any device is not protected by KRS 526.020. A person who desires privacy of communication has the responsibility to take the steps necessary to insure that his conversation cannot be overheard by the ordinary ear.” Dean observes: “Kerr suspects, as do I, that this state law is not any more restrictive than the federal law on this subject. (Kerr also found <a href="http://www.volokh.com/2013/04/11/we-still-need-more-facts-to-know-if-recording-the-mcconnell-campaign-meeting-violated-federal-law/" type="external">federal cases</a> with even closer factual situations than the ones I have cited above.)”</p>
<p>Are Dean and Kerr correct? No doubt, other lawyers will see it differently. But their analyses at least suggest that this case (if the media reports accurately describe the taping) could fall into a gray area open to interpretation. Dean contends that the FBI is now involved because McConnell “wants the FBI there investigating to scare the hell out of those involved and local FBI Agents like to help out members of the US Senate.” He recalls that Nixon “would use any and all efforts and tactics to attack his enemies by any and all means that he could employ. Unfortunately, I suspect that is the same strategy that we will see from McConnell—and that, in the end will be the true Nixonian connection to this case.”</p>
<p /> | John Dean: The McConnell Tape Isn’t Watergate and May Not Be Illegal | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/john-dean-mcconnell-tape-isnt-watergate-and-may-not-be-illegal/ | 2013-04-17 | 4 |
<p>NFL officials are currently investigating whether the New England Patriots cheated Sunday night in their blowout victory of the Indianapolis Colts. The charge: illegally deflating footballs to make them easier to handle in the cold and windy conditions. If found guilty, the team could lose future draft picks.</p>
<p>Indianapolis station&#160;WTHR-TV’s Bob Kravitz <a href="http://www.wthr.com/story/27881499/source-tells-bob-kravitz-that-patriots-may-have-deflated-footballs-against-colts" type="external">reported</a>&#160;early Monday morning that a source within the league told him of the investigation:</p>
<p>The source told Kravitz that officials took a ball out of play at one point and weighed it.&#160; New York Newsday's Bob Glauber&#160; <a href="https://twitter.com/BobGlauber?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsday.com%2Fsports&amp;profile_id=null&amp;query=null&amp;related=null&amp;tw_i=557146827565584384&amp;tw_p=embeddedtimeline&amp;tw_w=345554396362465280" type="external">tweeted around 7 a.m. Monday</a>&#160;that NFL Spokesman Michael Signora confirmed the WTHR exclusive that the NFL is looking into whether footballs were properly inflated during the Colts-Patriots game.</p>
<p>A deflated football could potentially be easier to throw and catch or more difficult, depending on how deflated it is.</p>
<p>The source told Kravitz that if the league confirmed the violation, the Patriots would be penalized with draft picks.&#160;</p>
<p>WTHR-TV&#160;notes that the same tactic was used in 2012 by the University of Southern California, which was ultimately fined by the NCAA.</p>
<p>UPDATE: Monday morning, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy&#160; <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/01/19/nfl-reportedly-investigating-if-patriots-used-deflated-footballs-in-afc/?cmpid=cmty_twitter_fn" type="external">confirmed the Patriots investigation</a>.&#160;</p>
<p><a href="http://q.usatoday.com/2014/01/11/indianapolis-colts-new-england-patriots-afc-divisional-playoff/" type="external">Image source</a>.</p> | NFL Investigating Patriots for Allegedly Deflating Footballs | true | http://truthrevolt.org/news/nfl-investigating-patriots-allegedly-deflating-footballs | 2018-10-04 | 0 |
<p>Enron gone, but the great CEO looting spree is still going strong–and airline bosses are leading the way.</p>
<p>Less than two years after top Enron executives shocked the world by cashing out stocks as their employees’ retirement funds evaporated, American Airlines has gone even further to line their pockets at workers’ expense.</p>
<p>While demanding that unions must take $1.8 billion in concessions, or the company would file for bankruptcy, American CEO Donald Carty and 44 other top officials created a special trust fund that will protect their retirement pay even if the airline goes bust.</p>
<p>The details only emerged after American’s unions voted to take pay cuts, ranging from 23 percent for pilots to 15.6 percent for flight attendants “The concessions our members barely ratified the other day were based on the premise of shared sacrifice,” said Jim Little, an official of the Transport Workers Union (TWU), which represents 34,000 mechanics and ramp workers at American.</p>
<p>TWU members and flight attendants narrowly approved $600 million in takebacks–only to find out about the executives’ money-grab afterward. “This [executive retirement] fund is the opposite of shared sacrifice and calls into question the basis of each of our contracts,” Little said. It was only because of legal requirements to file papers on the deal with the federal government that American bosses had to own up to the rip-off.</p>
<p>In an effort at damage control, CEO Carty promised that he wouldn’t accept pay bonuses this year. Yet when it came to the bankruptcy-proof retirement fund, Carty and the rest of the American bosses refused to budge. As Socialist Worker went to press, union officials were threatening to block the deal unless Carty backs down.</p>
<p>The pension rip-off at American is part of a smash-and-grab strategy by executives across the airline industry, which has lost 100,000 jobs since the attacks of September 11, 2001. While executives blame the hijackings, the fact is that the industry built up huge amounts of extra capacity and a crazy price system–both results of industry deregulation and the mad scramble for profits.</p>
<p>Now that the airlines are hemorrhaging cash, executives are stuffing their pockets while they can–and rolling back years of gains by unions. Delta Airlines, for example, lost $1.3 billion last year. But that didn’t prevent CEO Leo Mullin from enjoying a 104 percent raise, bringing his total compensation to $13.8 million. Now Mullin wants concessions from workers–but has tucked away $25.5 million in Delta’s own cash trust fund to guarantee pensions to top executives, just like American.</p>
<p>At Continental Airlines, CEO Gordon Bethune bagged $14.7 million last year, a 172 percent increase over last year. Meanwhile, some 1,200 jobs at Continental will be eliminated this year as part of a plan to slash $500 million in costs.</p>
<p>For its part, US Airways used the pressure of bankruptcy court to turn its pilots’ pensions over to the federal government’s Pension Benefits Guarantee Corp. That saved the company $700 million over the next six years–by slashing annual retirement benefits from an average of $50,000 to $70,000 to a maximum of $28,500 a year for a 60-year-old retiree.</p>
<p>At United Airlines, also in bankruptcy, pilots recently agreed to concessions worth $1.1 billion, and mechanics and flight attendants are set to vote on further givebacks on April 29 that, if approved, would give United $2.5 billion in concessions. United CEO Glenn Tilton has agreed to cut his base pay of $828,500 by 14 percent in a supposed show of solidarity. But considering that Tilton got a signing bonus of $3 million, he won’t feel much of a pinch.</p>
<p>The story is similar at Northwest Airlines, where management announced 4,900 job cuts over the next five years when the Iraq war began–and then demanded mechanics take a pay cut and agree to the elimination of an additional 1,000 jobs.</p>
<p>This is an outrage. All the CEO demands for wage and benefit cuts to “save” companies is a pretext. They want working people who were cut out of the boom to pay the price now–so the employers can keep their wealth and power intact. We can’t let them get away with their rip-off.</p>
<p>LEE SUSTAR writes for the <a href="http://www.socialistworker.org/" type="external">Socialist Worker</a>. He can be reached at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Greed Air | true | https://counterpunch.org/2003/04/30/greed-air/ | 2003-04-30 | 4 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico’s veterans are invited to show off their talents in the 13th annual Veterans Creative Arts Festival to be held Feb. 25-27 at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 1501 San Pedro SE.</p>
<p>Main divisions for the festival are music, art, creative writing, drama and dance. Local winners go on to compete at the national level.</p>
<p>The visual arts entries will be on display from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Feb. 25 and 26 in the Recreation Hall (Building 2), while the performance arts competition takes place from 1-3 p.m. on Feb. 27 in the Education Auditorium (Building 39).</p>
<p>First-place winners from local competition may be invited to the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival taking place Oct. 12-19 in Durham, N.C.</p>
<p>The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival is open to all veterans receiving care at VA medical facilities, including veteran employees.</p>
<p>For applications or more information about the festival, call Barb Tremmel at 265-1711, ext. 4208. Veterans needing information about performance arts can call Liz Apperson at 265-1711, ext. 2487.</p>
<p>Veterans calling from outside of Albuquerque may call toll free at 1-800-465-8262, ext. 4208. Visit <a href="http://creativeartsfestival.va.gov" type="external">creativeartsfestival.va.gov</a>.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Veterans invited to apply for festival | false | https://abqjournal.com/527879/veterans-invited-to-apply-for-festival.html | 2 |
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<p>Where’s T.J.?</p>
<p>No, I don’t know what’s going on with the Los Angeles Times’ love-him-or-hate-him T.J. Simers, whose sports column has disappeared from the paper since June 2, when he staged a free throw shooting contest between his grown daughter, Kelly Nielsen, and NBA star Dwight Howard.</p>
<p>Nielsen beat Dwight, who shot left-handed and, soon thereafter, left the Lakers for Houston, although that was a coincidence.</p>
<p>Mandalay Sports Media put out a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=UUTx4_gUcUk" type="external">video</a> of the charity contest, days before Sports Business Daily reported the company was working on developing a TV show based on Simers.</p>
<p />
<p>His only piece since has been a co-bylined news story reporting Howard’s departure. That’s not likely a coincidence, leading to speculation the columnist won’t return.</p>
<p>If there’s an ethical problem, the Times has not acknowledged having leveled one. Simers has yet to be heard. Instead, with both sides observing a months-long no-comment policy, it looks like they’re discussing a settlement that would lead to his departure.</p>
<p>The real question is how this episode has risen to such importance at a newspaper that has wandered further over the ethical line than this as when it wrapped the paper in a <a href="http://chasnote.com/2010/03/06/alice-in-wonderland-ad-on-front-page-of-la-times/" type="external">fake Page 1 flier</a> in 2010 to advertise the movie “Alice in Wonderland.”</p>
<p>If I don’t know the details, I know a lot about the environment at the Times, where I worked alongside Simers for almost 20 years, from the ’80s on one of the most talented sports staffs ever assembled — Rick Reilly was a sidebar writer — to my departure in 2011, with the surviving editorial staff (33 percent of 1,400 employees when Tribune bought the paper in 2000) trying to maintain the tradition, under a continuously purged managerial hierarchy, through a long Dark Age of defying the Chicago-based empire, Sam Zell Hell and years laboring in the twilight of bankruptcy.</p>
<p>If Rupert Murdoch was regarded as a white knight when prospective buyers included the arch-conservative Koch brothers, you see what the Times is up against.</p>
<p>The current Times publisher is Eddy Hartenstein, the DirecTV founder, brought in as part of Zell’s new, clueless wave. With Times editors reining columnists in, it was just a matter of time until something happened with someone … and no surprise that it turned out to be Simers, an attention-demanding, outrage-embracing provocation, if one who usually erred on the side of the angels, comforting the afflicted, as H.L. Mencken put it, while afflicting the comfortable.</p>
<p>The more comfortable, and the more personally dangerous they were to Simers, the better. Topping himself in 2003, he <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2003/sep/19/sports/sp-simers19" type="external">took on Tribune</a> corporate head Dennis FitzSimons, asking whether he was supposed to have a rooting interest between the local Dodgers and the Trib-owned Cubs.</p>
<p>“I would hope you’re rooting for the Cubs,” FitzSimons said, perhaps before realizing Simers was quoting him for the record. “It would be good for everybody’s stock price.”</p>
<p>For good measure, Simers published FitzSimons’ phone number so Dodger fans who didn’t own Tribune stock could call up too, obliging the guy who signed the writer’s paycheck to change his digits.</p>
<p>That was many rough and tumble columns ago, in which Simers went after more heavies, but few like Frank McCourt, then-owner of the Dodgers.</p>
<p>Not that sports history had many likelier targets. McCourt’s financial acumen and lack of any other clue were apparent from his arrival, when he named his wife, Jamie, Dodger CEO, to the Gotterdammerung with the couple’s legal titans hurling lightning bolts in divorce court, before Frank cashed out with a $1.2 billion profit for his seven-year nightmare.</p>
<p>By the end, it was no surprise that everyone in baseball, starting with Commissioner Bud Selig, who had helped McCourt buy the team and eventually seized the franchise, tried to get rid of him. Only one powerful ally remained, Hartenstein, the Times publisher, even as his entire editorial staff battered the Dodger owner on his way out.</p>
<p>I don’t know the extent of the Hartenstein-McCourt relationship. We heard about it for years at the Times but I’ve never seen it acknowledged or confirmed.</p>
<p>I do know the new guidelines that came down in 2011, McCourt’s last season as Dodger owner.</p>
<p>If one columnist wrote about, say, McCourt, the rest weren’t supposed to write more about the same subject.</p>
<p>I learned about it the hard way that spring, after writing a column on the Lakers’ surprise hire of Mike Brown, a bland technocrat, to replace the retired Phil Jackson as coach.</p>
<p>Three days later, I flew home from Miami, where I’d been covering the Heat-Mavericks Finals, writing a Sunday column on the Laker organization going forward — only to be told I couldn’t write anything more on the subject, which was suddenly bigger than Mike Brown.</p>
<p>Shocked and awed, not to mention dismayed, I was assured the new policy applied to all departments. Even Steve Lopez, the Times highly regarded Metro columnist, had supposedly had a piece spiked.</p>
<p>Worse, there was no misunderstanding in this case. Davan Maharaj, then-deputy editor who oversaw sports (now the paper’s editor in chief), told sports editor Mike James that we had already run one too many columns on Brown’s hiring.</p>
<p>We had written two in two days. We often wrote more than that off a single game.</p>
<p>I was told James had pointed out to Maharaj that the articles were different. Bill Plaschke, our lead columnist, had ripped the hire. I had written about it in light of Jim Buss’ ascension to head the day-to-day operation, noting the similarity to his first involvement in 2004 when Rudy Tomjanovich fled within months of being hired as Lakers coach, leaving his five-year $30 million deal behind.With the snap of a finger, management had reversed our well-received, hit-magnet, All Lakers All the Time approach. A year before, then-Editor-in-Chief Russ Stanton had invited me and writers Mike Bresnahan and Brad Turner to lunch to thank us for our work.</p>
<p>Whatever we had lost, we still had fabulous Lakers coverage with beat guys who owned the news and engaged general columnists who broke their own memorable stories, as when Plaschke got Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe, to acknowledge the family’s painful break.</p>
<p>Appearances notwithstanding, Simers had as many confidants as guys who wanted to shoot him on sight. He was the one Bryant told about his split with Karl Malone, revealing that his wife, Vanessa, had claimed the Mailman hit on her at a game.</p>
<p>So, yeah, there was a lot reeling through my mind, driving north from LAX, on the phone with James who confirmed my column was really dead.</p>
<p>“I quit,” I informed him.</p>
<p>That lasted a few hours until I called James and unresigned. I eventually got my piece into the paper — two weeks later, after two rewrites.</p>
<p>Four weeks later, they laid me off.</p>
<p>No, I don’t think Maharaj had anything to do with it. The sports department had cuts to make. I was 67, and had told the editors I would work one more season — which, with a lockout looming, the NBA was threatening not to play.</p>
<p>I’d been lucky. I came up before this puppet-on-a-string BS when everyone from the bosses to the interns felt a sense of mission. If many editors might have cut Simers less slack, great papers didn’t jettison voices like his on penny-ante ethical issues.</p>
<p>The hits have never stopped happening to the industry, which is staging its own disappearing act in plain sight, even as the economy recovers. Now, instead of newspaper empires buying the local baseball team on a whim, Red Sox owner John Henry just picked up the Boston Globe for $70 million, or about what he’s paying this season’s pitching staff.</p>
<p>Once the conscience of the community, newspapers are all but reduced to charity cases. Last week MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow asked viewers to patronize the down-on-its-luck institution, noting, “Your local paper needs you.” Of course, newspapers, which may employ 95 percent of the reporters still working, are especially useful for TV personalities and sites such as Red State and Daily Kos. Otherwise, they’d be — and soon may be — commenting on reports they get from TMZ.</p>
<p>In the new sports/media dynamic, the excitement crackles up from the audience via Twitter, which informs at lightning speed and engages an ever-greater readership ever more deeply — but as for providing perspective, is more like the Tower of Babel.</p>
<p>In the increasingly spider-webbed world known as “journalism,” the Los Angeles sports scene has been a lot quieter since June 2, and a lot less fun.</p>
<p>Here’s a thought that will surprise a lot of the Times’ remaining readers, and should: We miss T.J. Simers.</p> | Missing: The L.A. Times' Provocateur Extraordinaire | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/missing-the-l-a-times-provocateur-extraordinaire/ | 2013-08-27 | 4 |
<p>Jan 25(Reuters) - Airport Facilities Co Ltd</p>
<p>* Says its consolidated subsidiary AIRPORT FACILITIES ASIA PTE.LTD plans to set up a subsidiary in Singapore</p>
<p>* Remaining details undetermined</p>
<p>Source text in Japanese: <a href="https://goo.gl/Prk3R5" type="external">goo.gl/Prk3R5</a></p>
<p>Further company coverage: (Beijing Headline News)</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Ombudsman called on the EU executive on Thursday to review whether its former president, Jose Manuel Barroso, ought to be working for Goldman Sachs after complaints that he was harming the EU’s image.</p> FILE PHOTO: utgoing European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso addresses a news conference at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels October 29, 2014. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
<p>The recommendation from the bloc’s ethics watchdog follows a year-long inquiry triggered after Barroso, a former Portuguese premier who led the European Commission for 10 years until 2014, joined the London arm of the U.S. investment bank in mid-2016.</p>
<p>Barroso has complained of “discriminatory” behavior toward him. The Ombudsman said in a statement that her opinion had been influenced by new revelations that Barroso met a senior commissioner on Goldman’s behalf last October despite having given an undertaking not to lobby his former employers in 2016.</p>
<p>With the EU reeling at that time from Britain’s vote to quit, Barroso’s successor Jean-Claude Juncker said he disapproved of his move to an institution criticized by some for its role in the financial crisis that plagued Europe.</p>
<p>But Juncker at first said he could not obstruct Barroso taking the job as an 18-month “cooling off” period to avert conflicts of interest had lapsed.</p>
<p>However, Juncker doubled that period for future incumbents and referred Barroso’s case to the Commission’s internal ethics committee to examine whether Barroso had breached a lifetime obligation for ex-commissioners to “behave with integrity”.</p>
<p>That committee’s subsequent ruling that Barroso suffer no loss of EU pension or other entitlements due to his new job was based, the Ombudsman said in her report, on a promise not to lobby the Commission on behalf of his new employer - a promise, she said, Barroso breached in his October meeting.</p>
<p>There was no immediate reaction from the Commission. It has the power to ask the EU court to cut the pensions of former commissioners who breach treaty obligations to act with integrity but such a step would be unprecedented. The Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly recommended that the Commission consider asking Barroso to commit to refrain from lobbying it for some years.</p>
<p>Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; Editing by Mark Potter</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>LONDON (Reuters) - British foreign minister Boris Johnson suggested on Thursday that corrupt Russians who owe their wealth to their ties with President Vladimir Putin could be targeted by British police in retaliation for a nerve attack on a Russian ex-spy.</p> Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, leaves 10 Downing Street in London, March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville
<p>Britain said on Wednesday it was expelling 23 Russian diplomats over the Novichok nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, who collapsed in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4 and remain in a critical condition.</p>
<p>Moscow denies any involvement and is expected to retaliate. The foreign ministry there said on Thursday morning it was still working on its response to the British measures, labeling London’s accusations against the Russian state “insane”.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-moscow-reaction/russia-calls-british-pms-allegations-over-poisoning-insane-idUSKCN1GR0XC" type="external">Russia calls British PM's allegations over poisoning 'insane'</a>
<a href="/article/us-britian-russia-france/france-says-russia-behind-chemical-attack-on-ex-spy-in-britain-idUSKCN1GR144" type="external">France says Russia behind chemical attack on ex-spy in Britain</a>
<a href="/article/us-britain-russia-moscow-questions/moscow-says-still-ready-to-work-with-london-on-spy-poisoning-idUSKCN1GR10I" type="external">Moscow says still ready to work with London on spy poisoning</a>
<p>At home, the British government has been under pressure from lawmakers and media to show it was getting tough on Russia, with some experts saying that despite the rhetoric the response did not go far enough to bother Putin.</p>
<p>Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson defended the measures announced on Wednesday and suggested that there could be further consequences for rich Russians with assets in Britain.</p>
<p>“What people want to see is some of the very rich people who are directly associated with Vladimir Putin ... whose wealth can be attributed to their relationship with Vladimir Putin, it may be that the law agencies, that the police will be able to put unexplained wealth orders on them, to bring them to justice for their acts of gross corruption,” Johnson told BBC television in an interview on Britain’s response to the Skripal case.</p> A screen outside Russia's Embassy in London shows its Twitter feed; including a reference to the relationship with Britain being at "minus 23"; in London, March 15, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble
<p>In a later interview with BBC radio, he said Britain’s National Crime Agency and Economic Crimes Unit were investigating a wide range of individuals, but declined to give names or details citing legal reasons.</p>
<p>Johnson said he had been heartened by strong expressions of support from the United States and other allies — although it remains unclear whether there will be a coordinated international response to the Novichok attack.</p> Slideshow (2 Images)
<p>U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Wednesday that her country believed Russia was responsible for the attack, adding it was a crime worthy of UN Security Council action.</p>
<p>That seems unlikely given that Russia, like Britain and the United States, is a permanent member of the Security Council.</p>
<p>Russia has repeatedly said Britain was refusing to provide a sample of the nerve agent used in Salisbury, and even close British ally France has said it wanted to see proof of Russian involvement before taking action.</p>
<p>Johnson said Prime Minister Theresa May would talk to French President Emmanuel Macron again on Thursday about the attack.</p>
<p>He also said Britain would send a sample of the nerve agent to the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons for them to independently assess it.</p>
<p>Reporting by Estelle Shirbon, Elisabeth O'Leary and Costas Pitas; editing by Guy Faulconbridge</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>PARIS (Reuters) - France said on Thursday it agreed with Britain that Russia was behind a nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy in England, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement.</p> A tent covers the park bench where former Russian intelligence agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found after they were poisoned, in Salisbury, Britain. March 14, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
<p>“Since the beginning of the week, the United Kingdom has kept France closely informed of the evidence gathered by British investigators and evidence of Russia’s responsibility in the attack,” the president’s Elysee office said, after a telephone call between Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May.</p>
<p>“France agrees with the United Kingdom that there is no other plausible explanation and reiterates its solidarity with its ally.”</p>
<p>Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Moscow is still ready to work with London to investigate a chemical weapons attack in Britain on a former Russian double agent, but Britain is refusing to cooperate, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.</p> Police officers walk into Kensington Palace Gardens as Russia's Embassy is seen behind, in London Britain March 15, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble
<p>Britain has said it will kick out 23 Russian diplomats and impose other sanctions against Russia to punish it for poisoning Sergei Skripal and his daughter, something Moscow denies.</p>
<p>Speaking at a weekly news briefing, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said she wondered how other countries could show solidarity with Britain in the Skripal case if they did not possess information about the case.</p>
<p>Zakharova said “the truth” about the incident was being hidden.</p>
<p>Reporting by Polina Devitt; Writing by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Andrew Osborn</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BRIEF-Airport Facilities unit to set up unit in Singapore EU watchdog calls for review of Barroso's Goldman role UK's Johnson says corrupt Putin allies may be targeted France says Russia behind chemical attack on ex-spy in Britain Moscow says still ready to work with London on spy poisoning | false | https://reuters.com/article/brief-airport-facilities-unit-to-set-up/brief-airport-facilities-unit-to-set-up-unit-in-singapore-idUSL4N1PK2WY | 2018-01-25 | 2 |
<p>Global X, the ETF issuer known for its lineup of unique international, income and commodities-related funds, plans to close seven of its ETFs, including two high-flying Brazil products. Among the funds being closed by Global X are the Global X Brazil Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA: BRAZ) an the Global X Brazil Consumer ETF (NYSEARCA: BRAQ), [...] <a href="https://www.etftrends.com/global-x-to-shutter-7-etfs" type="external">Click to read more at ETFtrends.com. Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | Global X to Shutter 7 ETFs | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/27/global-x-to-shutter-7-etfs.html | 2017-09-27 | 0 |
<p />
<p>WTF.</p>
<p>An Ohio state rep., John Adams (R, for Ridiculous), has introduced a bill that would <a href="http://www.10tv.com/live/content/local/stories/2009/07/22/abortion.html?sid=102" type="external">require a woman to get written consent</a> from the man she had sex with to conceive. And if she doesn’t know who the dad is, she has to submit a list of names of men she’s had sex with! Scarlet Letter, here we come.</p>
<p>The bill would make it illegal to lie about who the dad is, and would make abortions without consent a crime. No word on instances of rape and incest, would we need to get a permission slip from daddy then, too?</p>
<p>Listen, I get that a father has a vested interest in seeing his progeny thrive, that’s a man’s most basic evolutionary instinct. But until men have to carry a growing fetus for nine months, sometimes risking their health to do so, and most certainly altering the rest of their lives, until then, the woman has the final say. If she makes the hard decision that abortion is what’s best for everyone, well, sorry boys, you’re going to have to be live with that. Just like she will.</p>
<p /> | Ohio Abortion Bill Requires Man’s Written Permission | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/ohio-abortion-bill-requires-mans-written-permission/ | 2009-07-23 | 4 |
<p>&lt;a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=us+embassy+baghdad&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;aq=t&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a"&gt;Google Maps&lt;/a&gt;</p>
<p />
<p>When the Iraq War <a href="" type="internal">officially ended</a> late last year, many were quick to point out it was hardly a wholesale withdrawal.&#160;There are still&#160; <a href="http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02/5500-mercs-to-protect-u-s-fortresses-in-iraq/" type="external">5,500 armed contractors</a> stationed in Iraq to protect US government personnel (a figure nearly <a href="http://mideast.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/12/07/the_costs_that_continue_the_army_that_remains" type="external">three times</a> the number of hired guns the State Department uses to protect all its other diplomatic missions combined). A small (and <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/30/us-iraq-usa-drones-idUSTRE80T1YB20120130" type="external">controversial</a>) fleet of surveillance drones are patrolling Iraqi skies.&#160;Oh, there’s also that&#160; <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/12/18/143863722/with-huge-embassy-u-s-still-a-presence-in-iraq" type="external">huge</a>&#160;embassy complex in Baghdad that was recently on track to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/16/us-embassy-iraq-state-department-plan_n_965945.html" type="external">balloon</a> to an even greater size.</p>
<p>But as <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/tarangonyt" type="external">Tim Arango</a> of the New York Times&#160; <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/world/middleeast/united-states-planning-to-slash-iraq-embassy-staff-by-half.html?pagewanted=all?src=tp" type="external">reported</a> on Tuesday, the State Department might end up nixing as much as half of the 16,000-strong embassy staff:</p>
<p>The expansive diplomatic operation and the <a href="https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&amp;q=cache:YE9y0t-xUKEJ:www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS21867.pdf+&amp;hl=en&amp;gl=us&amp;pid=bl&amp;srcid=ADGEESgMyH4K3rCn_PBZTGgZ3U5VSPCQHK_7vLHhiL_iAVfCrmuOsAixQY8qyDBDq7DBZv8sRRiFnaKqg8C-SWMyMTN96bUvYMWYihp8gQplu00v9YBETU_yz7rNudG7LXGwh-RvCqMF&amp;sig=AHIEtbSUiBDYyahjIxt8W_mTxpP9kTaLbw" type="external">$750 million embassy building</a>, the largest of its kind in the world, were billed as necessary to nurture a postwar Iraq on its shaky path to democracy and establish normal relations between two countries linked by blood and mutual suspicion. But the Americans have been frustrated by Iraqi obstructionism and are now largely confined to the embassy because of security concerns, unable to interact enough with ordinary Iraqis to justify the $6 billion annual price tag. …</p>
<p>Michael W. McClellan, the spokesman for the embassy…said in a statement, “over the last year and continuing this year the Department of State and the Embassy in Baghdad have been considering ways to appropriately reduce the size of the U.S. mission in Iraq, primarily by decreasing the number of contractors needed to support the embassy’s operations.”…McClellan said the number of diplomats—currently about 2,000—is also, “subject to adjustment as appropriate.” To make the cuts, he said the embassy, “is hiring Iraqi staff and sourcing more goods and services to the local economy.”</p>
<p>For years, State Department officials have been <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2009/07/22/72267/report-big-cuts-needed-at-huge.html" type="external">pushing</a> for substantial cuts in diplomatic operations to accomodate the reduced American role in Iraq. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/world/middleeast/us-scales-back-diplomacy-in-iraq-amid-fiscal-and-security-concerns.html?pagewanted=all" type="external">Budgetary</a> realities, the <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2011/11/15/panetta_deep_defense_cuts_mean_fewer_troops/" type="external">scrapped plans</a> for a residual force of American troops, and <a href="http://iraq.usembassy.gov/https/iraq2/wm_2012-01-11/procedures-authorizations.html" type="external">animosity</a> between Iraqis and the security contractors have also contributed to the growing downsize-fever.</p>
<p>Also buried in the Times story is this glorious nugget about a major “difficulty” facing the thousands of contractors and diplomats who remained in Iraq after the December drawdown:</p>
<p>Convoys of food that were previously escorted by the United States military from Kuwait were delayed at border crossings as Iraqis demanded documentation that the Americans were unaccustomed to providing. Within days, the salad bar at the embassy dining hall ran low. Sometimes there was no sugar or Splenda for coffee. On chicken wing night, wings were rationed at six per person. Over the holidays, housing units were stocked with Meals Ready to Eat, the prepared food for soldiers in the field.</p>
<p>Uh…. I’ll just let <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/abumuqawama" type="external">Andrew Exum</a> bring this one home:</p>
<p /> | State Department Preparing To Cut Iraq Embassy Staff By Half | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/us-state-department-preparing-cut-iraq-embassy-half/ | 2012-02-07 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Sales and traffic at U.S. brick-and-mortar stores on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday declined from last year, as stores offered discounts well beyond the weekend and more customers shopped online.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Internet sales rose in the double digits on both days, surpassing $3 billion for the first time on Black Friday, according to data released on Saturday.</p>
<p>Data from analytics firm RetailNext showed net sales at brick-and-mortar stores fell 5.0 percent over the two days, while the number of transactions fell 7.9 percent.</p>
<p>Preliminary data from retail research firm ShopperTrak showed that shopper visits to such stores fell a combined 1 percent during Thanksgiving and Black Friday when compared with the same days in 2015.</p>
<p>The data highlights the waning importance of Black Friday, which until a few years ago kicked off the holiday shopping season, as more retailers start discounting earlier in the month and opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day.</p>
<p>"We knew it (holiday season) was going to be off to a slow start," Shelley Kohan, vice president of retail consulting at RetailNext, said.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>"The first couple of weeks with the election were a complete distracter from the normal course of business and...a warmer climate in November may have made the sales more stubborn," she said, adding that she saw sales picking up in December.</p>
<p>Net sales on Black Friday slid 10.4 percent for brick-and-mortar chains, according to RetailNext.</p>
<p>"Stores that opened on Thursday were not very busy on Black Friday,... and while the Thanksgiving Day opt-outs were busier on Black Friday, they didn't see the crowds they saw in previous years," NPD group's Chief Industry analyst Marshal Cohen said.</p>
<p>ONLINE SALES SHINE</p>
<p>Still, total holiday season sales are expected to jump 3.6 percent to $655.8 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation, due to a tightening job market.</p>
<p>Unemployment rates hit their lowest in eight years in October and hourly wages this year saw their biggest increase since 2009, boosting consumers' confidence and spending.</p>
<p>Consumers are expected to spend $636 on average on holiday purchases this year, up 3 percent from their 2015 spending plans, according to NPD.</p>
<p>Thanksgiving and Black Friday online sales tracked by Adobe Digital Index were $5.27 billion, up 18 percent from a year earlier and higher than its prior estimate of $5.05 billion.</p>
<p>Black Friday sales rose 21.6 percent to $3.34 billion, with purchases made on mobile devices contributing more than $1 billion in revenue, both record sales for the day.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Andrew Hay)</p> | U.S. Thanksgiving, Black Friday store sales fall, online rises | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/26/us-thanksgiving-black-friday-store-sales-fall-online-rises.html | 2016-11-26 | 0 |
<p>BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Baton Rouge's mayor has picked a veteran Louisiana State Police trooper to serve as the city's new police chief.</p>
<p>Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced Friday that she selected Murphy Paul from a pool of five finalists after a five-month search process.</p>
<p>The Advocate <a href="http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/article_4e0de070-eb1f-11e7-8caf-9fa2bf58558b.html?1514565574772&amp;utm_content=bufferb8e6c&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" type="external">reports</a> Paul was the only finalist without any previous experience on the Baton Rouge Police Department.</p>
<p>Paul joined the state police in 1994 and, as lieutenant colonel, most recently served as deputy superintendent of the agency's Bureau of Investigation.</p>
<p>Paul replaces Carl Dabadie Jr., who retired over the summer. During her 2016 mayoral campaign, Broome had vowed to replace Dabadie.</p>
<p>Jonny Dunnam has served as the department's interim chief since Dabadie's retirement.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Advocate, <a href="http://theadvocate.com" type="external">http://theadvocate.com</a></p>
<p>BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Baton Rouge's mayor has picked a veteran Louisiana State Police trooper to serve as the city's new police chief.</p>
<p>Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome announced Friday that she selected Murphy Paul from a pool of five finalists after a five-month search process.</p>
<p>The Advocate <a href="http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/crime_police/article_4e0de070-eb1f-11e7-8caf-9fa2bf58558b.html?1514565574772&amp;utm_content=bufferb8e6c&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer" type="external">reports</a> Paul was the only finalist without any previous experience on the Baton Rouge Police Department.</p>
<p>Paul joined the state police in 1994 and, as lieutenant colonel, most recently served as deputy superintendent of the agency's Bureau of Investigation.</p>
<p>Paul replaces Carl Dabadie Jr., who retired over the summer. During her 2016 mayoral campaign, Broome had vowed to replace Dabadie.</p>
<p>Jonny Dunnam has served as the department's interim chief since Dabadie's retirement.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The Advocate, <a href="http://theadvocate.com" type="external">http://theadvocate.com</a></p> | State Police veteran picked to be Baton Rouge police chief | false | https://apnews.com/amp/00d6ab7ab13147ba85dfdf0b7110dd8d | 2017-12-29 | 2 |
<p>The announcement this week that archaeologists have excavated what is believed to be the oldest Christian church in the world in a cave under the already ancient Church of St. Georgeous in Rihab, Jordan, reminded me of the last time the announcement of the discovery world’s oldest church was made in 2005.&#160; Only then the discovery was not made by careful archaeologists on previously hallowed ground, but by convicts working on the construction of new wings at a maximum security incarceration facility for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.</p>
<p>Very early Christian religious structures are a rare archeological find in Israel, and the discovery of the third century chapel on the grounds of Mediggo Prison, with its impressive mosaic floor showing two fish – the symbol used by the early Christians, and an inscription written in Greek dedicating the building to the “Lord Jesus Christ”, caused considerable excitement.&#160; Postage stamps of the floor mural commemorated the find, and the Israeli President presented the Pope with a picture. &#160;Construction of the ninth cell wing by the Prison Sevice came to a halt to allow continuing archaeological excavation of the site by the Israeli Antiquity Agency, whose personell now work there every day.</p>
<p>It has been suggested that the prison should be entirely relocated, and the building, which dates back to the British Mandate, be turned into a tourist center focussing on ancient Christianity.&#160; Two other choices are either to remove the mosaic floor from the the prison and exhibit it elsewhere, or to create a barrier between the excavation and the prison by a high wall or fence of some kind.&#160; As yet no definite decision has been made, and life at the prison goes on, despite the frequent delegations of scholars, reporters and representatives of religious orders it receives from all over the world.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t it be nice, if, instead of looking down and admiring the beautiful tilework at their feet, these scholars, reporters and representatives of religious orders lifted their gaze to the military prison compound they are visiting, and paused for thought.&#160; After all, the excavated floor they are standing on was part of a chapel built to commemorate and honor a Jewish prophet who preached love and brotherhood.&#160; Megiddo Prison represents the complete opposite.</p>
<p>Of the nearly 11,000 Palestinians held by the Israeli Prison Authority, Megiddo contains a population of 1600 Palestinian males. In spite of the fact that most of them have engaged in no criminal activity, but are freedom fighters, leaders, and activists, or simply &#160;members of resistance movements against the racist occupation of their country, the inmates are described as “dangerous terrorists”.</p>
<p>Last month elected deputy mayor of the Palestinian town of Qalqilia, Dr. Mohammad Hashem Al Masri, was released from Megiddo prison after more than two years in captivity. &#160;&#160;He was just one of many local and national Palestinian officials rounded up and arrested by Israeli forces in 2006 after winning municipal elections for the Change and Reform party, associated with Hamas, not recognized as a legitimate party by the State of Israel.</p>
<p>Dr. Al Masri described Israeli prison as a place that ‘takes away ones dignity’.&#160; He said prisoners were being abused psychologically and physically to the point that “after release the impact of the cruelty remains.”</p>
<p>Although the Geneva Conventions require that prisoners be afforded food, drink and medical care, reports on the meals provided by the Israeli Prison Administration have included complaints that there are bugs in the food, sand, urine in the water, and a general inedibility.</p>
<p>Al Masri talked about disease and illness in the prisons going untreated or given inadequate attention, and described several inmates as&#160; “on their death beds because of a lack of proper treatment.”</p>
<p>“This is unacceptable morally and legally,” said Al Masri.&#160; “It confirms that the Palestinian people are the victims of racist procedures imposed by the occupation soldiers.”</p>
<p>Among the detainees in Mediggo jail there are approximately 80 child prisoners.&#160; The word ‘child’ is defined as ‘every human being under the age of 18 years’ in the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, (to which Israel is a signatory), and reiterated under the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty.&#160; &#160;Palestinian children from the age of 16 years, however, are considered adults under Israeli military regulations governing the Occupied Palestinian Territories.</p>
<p>Children are often arrested at Israeli military checkpoints where they can be held for hours with their hands cuffed before being transferred to detention and interrogation centers.&#160; They have no right to a lawyer and are not permitted to know what the charges are against them.&#160; More often than not they are subject to beatings, curses and threats during the transfer. In many cases their families are not informed of their arrest and they’re transferred from one prison to another without the family being informed where they are being held.</p>
<p>There are widespread accusations of physical abuse, but psychological torture like sleep deprivation, withholding of food or water, solitary confinement, or threats of the demolition of his home or the arrest of other members of his family are the main tools of intimidation and interrogation.</p>
<p>Dr Al Masri complained about the international silence to the situation, except that from the US, which loudly applauds Israel in everything it does.&#160; But he said that despite the horrific circumstances under which they live, Palestinian political prisoners remain committed to the liberation of their people.</p>
<p>“The cause is kept alive in the hearts of everyone,” he said.</p>
<p>Another name for Megiddo is ‘Armageddon’.&#160; According to The Book of Revelation in the New Testament, this is the place where the final battle between good and evil will be fought.&#160; Whose side are you on?</p>
<p>MICHAEL DICKINSON, whose artwork graces the covers of <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Dime’s Worth of Difference</a>, <a href="http://www.easycartsecure.com/CounterPunch/CounterPunch_Books.html" type="external">Serpents in the Garden</a> and <a href="" type="internal">Grand Theft Pentagon</a>, lives in Istanbul. He can be contacted via his website <a href="http://yabanji.tripod.com/" type="external">http://yabanji.tripod.com/</a> or at: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Your Ad Here</a> &#160;</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | Jesus in Megiddo Prison | true | https://counterpunch.org/2008/06/13/jesus-in-megiddo-prison/ | 2008-06-13 | 4 |
<p>On August 6 each year, the world commemorates the dawn of the atomic age by remembering the obliteration of Hiroshima. In May, President Obama laid a wreath in the Peace Park that marks ground zero there.</p>
<p>This is also the time each year when politicians, historians, veterans, and peace activists revisit the decision to use this new weapon for the first time, then for the second three days later at Nagasaki. The rationales are familiar: nukes would shorten the war, save American lives, and demonstrate the country’s overwhelming military and technological superiority. It did not last long. Stalin mobilized Soviet resources to break the American monopoly soon after receiving intelligence reports on the successful Trinity test in New Mexico. The arms race began to sprint before the nuclear dust settled in Japan.</p>
<p>After laying a wreath in Hiroshima, President Obama said, “among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them. We may not realize this goal in my lifetime, but persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe.”</p>
<p>Why, then, is he planning to develop a new cruise missile and to rebuild our nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years at a cost estimated at $1,000,000,000,000? Yes, one trillion!</p>
<p>No nation monopolizes “new and improved” weapons forever, no matter what lead it might have at any given time. Where is the consistency in the president proposing a world free of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima and improvements on existing ones in Washington? Former Secretary of Defense William Perry says new cruise missiles reflect outdated, Cold War thinking and would be “a grave mistake.”</p>
<p>Since cities are the obvious target for nuclear weapons, urban dwellers are at added risk. Mayors for Peace, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) whose home is the same Peace Park that President Obama visited, understands this as well as military planners. It promotes solidarity among cities to abolish nuclear weapons completely. Steve Lepper, its former head, says: “mayors are ahead of national politicians. No municipality wants war in any form. This always comes from central governments. Cities are left to pay the price.” Mayors for Peace is now composed of more than 7,000 cities—more than 200 in the United States—from 161 countries. Reducing stockpiles of nuclear weapons would be progress, but abolishing them is safer still: terrorists cannot steal what does not exist.</p>
<p>The U.S. entered World War II after Japan’s surprise attack on military targets at Pearl Harbor; it ended after surprise attacks destroyed two Japanese cities full of women and children. Of the nearly 100,000 humans who perished at Nagasaki, only 250 were military personnel. The ancient distinction between combatants and civilians—one a legitimate military target, the other not—had long since disappeared during what some call “The Good War.”</p>
<p>This remains the case today as mass violence is just as likely to be directed against civilians as soldiers even when rules of engagement pay lip service to excluding civilians.</p>
<p>Following a request from the United Nations General Assembly, the International Court of Justice offered an opinion about nuclear weapons in 1996: it advised that the mere threat of using them is illegal, let alone actually doing so. In the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, do stockpiles make any of us feel safer? I can conceive of no sane reason to waste billions modernizing weapons that should never again be used.</p> | After Hiroshima and Nagasaki | true | https://counterpunch.org/2016/08/03/after-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/ | 2016-08-03 | 4 |
<p>Daniella Monet’s show Paradise Run dovetails two powerful legacies — that of Nickelodeon game shows where kids generally run around an exciting obstacle course, such as Legend of the Hidden Temple and Double Dare — and her own. Daniella Monet has been a Nickelodeon star for twelve years — starring in everything from Fred: The Show, the live action Fairly Oddparents and most famously, Victorious. The CircaPop crew -- hosted by Ryan Mitchell and Shira Lazar takes this opportunity to ask the actress— what’s it been like to be a Nickelodeon "lifer"?</p>
<p />
<p>Paradise Run heads into Season 3 with a 30 episode order and the hosts are shocked and blown away. Paradise Run follows in the legacies of fun 90's game show for shockingly big prizes -- such as trips to Japan -- and the WWE superstars are all set to guest. It sounds like an exciting show. But what of Daniella's Nickelodeon past? When Shira asks if she's a lifer, Daniella answers "I don't know, I would love to become a lifer!" Ryan Mitchell then asks Daniella about Victorious and begins singing the theme song. He grew UP with it, and asks Daniella about a reboot, and Daniella admits -- Ryan isn't the first to admit it, and the stars hang out together. It's a possibility! Oh, fingers crossed!</p>
<p>Want more stories like these? Check out these entries from CircaPop Live!</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">80Fitz creates a new beat in an hour on his Facebook show Beat Blitz</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Kendrick Lamar and Sza teamed up for 'Black Panther' and CircaPop Live discussed</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Tay Zonday takes some time to discuss the subtleties of airplane restroom etiquette</a></p> | Daniella Monet discusses her game show “Paradise Run”, and her past at "Victorious" | false | https://circa.com/story/2018/01/08/hollywood/daniella-monet-discusser-he-game-show-paradise-run-and-her-past-at-victorious | 2018-01-09 | 1 |
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<p>“The Legislature probably has tax-cut fatigue,” said Legislative Finance Committee Director David Abbey at the New Mexico Tax Research Institute Legislative Outlook Conference in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>One obstacle to further cuts is that some tax changes enacted over the years “are pretty hard to prove to be of benefit” to the state’s economy, he said.</p>
<p>HARPER: “Tax reform is in the air around the Roundhouse”</p>
<p>“Tax reform is in the air around the Roundhouse,” said Rep. Jason C. Harper, R-Rio Rancho. “There is a burnout for putting new tax incentives in place, but that doesn’t mean we’re not talking about a huge gross receipts tax reset or reform right now.”</p>
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<p>Gross receipts taxes have climbed to the point that “we’re out of whack with neighboring states,” Abbey said.</p>
<p>Legislators, lobbyists and tax experts agreed gross receipts taxes, which are taxes on the sales of goods that are imposed on vendors, should be low and spread over a broad base. Over time, more than 300 exclusions to the GRT have narrowed the base and driven it higher, said Sen. William E. Sharer, R-Farmington.</p>
<p>“If we can’t make the GRT work at a low rate on a broad base, then we need to find a different way to tax,” said Rep. Thomas C. Taylor, R-Farmington.</p>
<p>The tax in some municipalities exceeds 8 percent.</p>
<p>SMITH: Says some gross receipt tax rates are too high</p>
<p>“We cannot survive with an 8 or 10 percent GRT,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman John Arthur Smith, D-Deming.</p>
<p>GRT is also vulnerable to economic conditions. Finance and Administration Secretary Tom Clifford said GRT collections are down 0.6 percent, probably because declining federal budgets have reduced spending in New Mexico.</p>
<p>Federal budget cuts are “a major, major headwind for the state of New Mexico,” Clifford said.</p>
<p>Reforming GRT is complicated by the fact that it generates a lot of revenue. Smith said that eliminating just the “pyramiding” of the tax would reduce tax collections by $2 billion annually.</p>
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<p>Pyramiding occurs when the vendor of a product has to pay GRT to other vendors who sell materials and services that wind up in the final product. Each tax payment raises the price of the final product, then the GRT is imposed one final time on the tax-inflated price of the product.</p>
<p>CLIFFORD: Federal budget cuts have hurt the state</p>
<p>Rep. Bill McCamley, D-Mesilla Park, said eliminating pyramiding only on service businesses would cut taxes by $300 million. Finding a way to pay for that is difficult because the Legislature has no good idea what many of the tax credits, incentives and other reductions to taxes it has authorized take out of the state’s revenue.</p>
<p>In the near term, legislators have to decide what to do about the GRT exemption on food consumed at home. The tax was eliminated in 2004, but the state compensated, or held harmless, municipalities for their share of the defunct tax. The previous Legislature, however, voted to phase out the hold-harmless provision.</p>
<p>Bill Fulginiti of the New Mexico Municipal League said municipalities received $200 million in hold-harmless funds in 2012, and some municipalities count on those payments for as much as 40 percent of their general funds. He advocated taxing food consumed at home at 3 percent and increasing low-income tax credits.</p>
<p>James Jimenez of New Mexico Voices for Children argued a tax on food hurts the poor, saying low-income tax credits do not reach enough of the state’s low-income families. He said the hold-harmless provision should be revived.</p>
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<p /> | Gross receipts tax reform may have shot in Legislature in 2014 | false | https://abqjournal.com/323881/gross-receipts-tax-reform-may-have-shot-in-legislature-in-2014.html | 2 |
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<p>With transgenderism and gender identity in the news more than ever before, it’s only appropriate that comedy catch up with the times.</p>
<p>The classic Abbott and Costello sketch, "Who’s on First," has gotten an update in the form of "Who’s the New Person," by comedian Danny Polishchuk.</p>
<p>Fair warning — the video contains some strong language.</p> | Modern ‘Who’s On First’ Takes On Gender Identity | true | https://dailywire.com/news/23748/modern-whos-first-takes-gender-identity-frank-camp | 2017-11-18 | 0 |
<p>Published time: 28 Jul, 2017 09:10Edited time: 28 Jul, 2017 09:23</p>
<p>Moscow has told the US to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people, and is also halting the use of embassy storage facilities in the capital, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.</p>
<p>The retaliatory move comes after the US Congress approved new sanctions against Russia.</p>
<p>“The Russian side is suspending the use of all storage facilities on Dorozhnaya Street in Moscow, and a cottage in Serebryaniy Bor by the US Embassy in Russia as of August 1,” the ministry said in a statement.</p>
<p>DETAILS TO FOLLOW</p> | Russia tells US to cut embassy staff in Moscow, stop using storage facilities | false | https://newsline.com/russia-tells-us-to-cut-embassy-staff-in-moscow-stop-using-storage-facilities/ | 2017-07-28 | 1 |
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<p>Opera singer Dianna Grabowski is a guest soloist for “A Baroque Christmas.”</p>
<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — While Santa Fe Pro Musica’s “A Baroque Christmas” concerts are an annual event, they’re anything but ordinary for the players involved.</p>
<p>“They’re exhilarating,” said flutist and associate music director Carol Redman. “The music we play is from one of the greatest eras in music history, the Baroque era. These concerts fill our souls.”</p>
<p>Taking place from Friday, Dec. 20 through Dec. 24 at Loretto Chapel, “A Baroque Christmas” features instrumental and vocal music as well as a selection of carols.</p>
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<p>“The music we play is a lot of work,” said Redman. “It’s important that we program pieces that speak to us over and over again because we have to sustain our energy over five nights.”</p>
<p>The program begins with an instrumental work, Concerto Pastorale by Johann Melchior Molter, that involves all instrumentalists. The Baroque pastoral originated from an old Italian folk custom. For the Christmas season, a pastorale was inserted into a concerto or other composition to transform it into a celebration of the nativity.</p>
<p>Two arias by George Frideric Handel follow, “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto” (who will reveal to me if I am deceived) and “Furibondo spira il vento” (furiously blows the wind).</p>
<p>From the opera “Alcina,” “Mi lusinga il dolce affetto” expresses the confusion and fear that the warrior Ruggiero feels about possibly losing his beloved. “Furibondo spira il vento” from the opera “Partenope” communicates Prince Arsace’s anguish with feeling love for two different women.</p>
<p>Guest soloists are mezzo-sopranos Deborah Domanski, who has appeared at the Santa Fe Opera and recently debuted with Opera Hong Kong, and Dianna Grabowski, an opera singer who also is featured as a concert soloist with organizations worldwide including Orpheus Chamber Singers.</p>
<p>Mezzo-soprano Deborah Domanski has appeared with the Santa Fe Opera.</p>
<p>The strings play Henry Purcell’s Fantasy on a Ground in D Major. As composer to King Charles II, Purcell had a duty to write music for the king’s string players. Fantasy upon a Ground in D Major is one of those works.</p>
<p>Georg Philipp Telemann’s Concerto in E Minor for Recorder, Flute and Strings showcases the winds. A prolific composer, Telemann wrote concertos for many string and wind instruments but only one work for recorder and the traverso flute.</p>
<p>“I’ve played the Telemann twice before,” said Redman. “It’s like a great novel. There are layers to discover about it. Telemann takes the old-fashioned flute, the recorder, and pairs it with the new flute, the traverso flute. While both instruments play in the same range, the quality of sound and shapes of the phrases are different. Sometimes we’re in a dialogue with each other and sometimes we work together and play in dialogue with the strings.”</p>
<p>Santa Fe Pro Musica has selected a group of lesser-known but very melodic carols to close the concert. Among them are “Masters in this Hall,” “Lo, how a rose is blooming” and “Shake Off Your Drowsy Sleep.”</p>
<p /> | Baroque music ‘fills our souls’ | false | https://abqjournal.com/320588/baroque-music-fills-our-souls.html | 2 |
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<p>H. Claire Taylor/Flickr</p>
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<p>This week, top Democrats—including <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/us/politics/obama-says-he-would-accept-a-surtax-on-high-incomes.html?hp" type="external">President Obama</a> and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid—are locked into a full-court press, calling for a 5.6 percent surtax on millionaires to help pay for the president’s $445 billion jobs bill. In the week that is/was <a href="" type="internal">Occupy Wall Street</a>, that sounds like a can’t-miss political winner.</p>
<p>But the <a href="http://taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org/2011/10/06/the-democrat%E2%80%99s-millionaire-tax-smart-politics-awful-policy/?utm_source=feedburner&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+taxpolicycenter%2Fblogfeed+%28TaxVox%3A+the+Tax+Policy+Center+blog%29" type="external">Tax Policy Center’s Howard Gleckman says</a>, “Hey, slow down!” While the surtax would raise the average tax bill of millionaires by some $110,000, the fact is that there simply aren’t enough millionaires to actually solve the country’s fiscal problems. “If we are going to get serious about the deficit, people making $200,000 (or even $100,000) have got to help out,” Gleckman suggests.</p>
<p>Gleckman’s chief concern:&#160;That the surtax will torpedo any realistic effort at long-term tax reform. Thanks to tax changes in the offing—the expected expiration of the Bush tax cuts, which will spike the top rate to 39.6 and curb a number of exemptions, along with a .9 percent surtax on expensive plans as part of health care reform—the top marginal tax rate for millionaires would climb to nearly 50 percent by 2013. And according to the current schedule, the tax rate on capital gains will also almost double by 2013.</p>
<p>So what’s the problem?</p>
<p>With rates this high, the political pressure to protect tax preferences will be enormous. After all, the rich are going to fight much harder to protect breaks that are worth 50 cents on the dollar than one that is worth only 35 cents. And I stupidly thought the idea was to lower rates and eliminate these subsidies.</p>
<p>Reid wants to be able to say that Republicans blocked a critical jobs bill just to protect their fat-cat millionaire pals. Give him credit for smart politics: By replacing the potpourri of tax increases Obama would have used to pay for his stimulus bill with a simple, easy to understand millionaire tax, the Senate Democratic leader has done a wonderful job clarifying his party’s message.</p>
<p>Gleckman’s complaint here is that the surtax, while good politics, spells trouble for long-term tax policy.</p>
<p>But Gleckman’s operating in a universe where broad-based tax reform—lowering tax rates and curbing deductions—seems somehow politically feasible in the near or even the long term. That’s not really the case:&#160; <a href="" type="internal">Obama’s jobs bill</a>, with the surtax (and quite possibly without), doesn’t have a shot. So policy-wise, he’s backed into a corner. But if the political play—one that Democrats and Republicans around the country are clamoring for—is the only one you’ve got, then it’s the one you make. With popular opinion still on his side when it comes to <a href="" type="internal">making the rich pay their fair share</a>, why not exploit the advantage?</p>
<p /> | Is Soaking the Rich…Dangerous?? | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2011/10/danger-soaking-rich/ | 2011-10-07 | 4 |
<p>While some may celebrate the <a href="http://dailybeast.com/topics/osama-bin-laden" type="external">one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden</a>, perhaps time would be better served evaluating why it came nine years too late. The sad truth is that bin Laden should have been dead twice in the first two years after 9/11.</p>
<p>The first opportunity was missed in the mountains of Tora Bora early in the war in Afghanistan, when former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld insisted that local Afghan forces kill bin Laden rather than allowing our own elite fighters to do so when they had him in their sights. It was also Rumsfeld’s decision not to seal off the border with Pakistan, declaring victory too early because of his arrogance (a theme that would be repeated in Iraq), thus allowing bin Laden to escape.</p>
<p>The second opportunity was missed when the Bush administration approved the CIA's waterboarding of <a href="/content/dailybeast/topics/khalid-sheikh-mohammed.html" type="external">Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM)</a>, the mastermind of 9/11 and former al Qaeda operations officer. <a href="/content/dailybeast/articles/2012/04/29/cia-veteran-jose-rodriguez-defends-waterboarding-in-new-book.html" type="external">Jose Rodriguez</a>, the former CIA officer who ran the agency's torture program, now insists in his new book, Hard Measures, that torture led to the identification of an al Qaeda courier and the killing of Osama bin Laden. The truth, however, is that KSM lied to his interrogators and told them that Abu Ahmed, the nom de guerre of bin Laden's courier, had retired when in fact he was still active. That lie cost us almost a decade in the hunt for bin Laden. As al Qaeda's chief of operations, KSM certainly knew that Abu Ahmed could prove to be the key piece to finding the former al Qaeda leader, but he did exactly what professional interrogators have been saying people do when faced with coercion—they lie or give limited and misleading information. In the end, it turned out Abu Ahmed was one of the vital pieces of intelligence that led to bin Laden's demise.</p>
<p>When Rodriguez, who was not an interrogator, wanted to develop an interrogation capability post-9/11 to handle the numerous detainees being captured and turned over to American forces during the early days of the Global War on Terror, he turned to two contract psychologists, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, neither of whom had ever conducted an interrogation. They, in turn, decided to create a program that would instill in detainees a condition known as “learned helplessness,” through the use of “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques,” better known as torture and abuse. The fact that Rodriguez could not distinguish between the so-called expertise of two charlatans and the plethora of successful interrogations experience that existed in the military and FBI, is reason to doubt his competence.</p>
<p>Or was it arrogance? Is it that far of a walk to any public library or computer with a search engine to discover that World War II interrogators, facing enemies just as committed and ruthless as al Qaeda, were extremely successful against their foes using non-coercive techniques? Perhaps the most famous interrogator in American history, Marine Major Sherwood Moran, was able to get numerous Japanese prisoners of war to provide information during World War II using compassion, rapport-building, and showing respect for their culture. The CIA, on the other hand, did just the opposite, engaging in acts that mirrored the unlawful brutality of Japanese guards during World War II, many of whom were executed or given life sentences for torturing prisoners.</p>
<p>Despite President Obama's policy of looking forward and not backward with regards to the crimes committed by those who tortured detainees and those who authorized it, the fact remains that history will not prove so forgiving. Torture and abuse will be a black stain on America's moral cloth for a long time.</p>
<p>The good news is that while these fake interrogators continue to argue for torture, the real interrogators are busy improving non-coercive interrogation techniques through academic research and by sharing expertise throughout the law enforcement, military, and intelligence communities such as they do on the High Value Interrogation Group set up by the Obama Administration. These are the types of efforts that allow us to continue to gain the vital intelligence required to stop terrorist attacks, unlike torture as advocated by those who committed war crimes.</p> | Osama bin Laden Was Not Caught Because of Torture but in Spite of It | true | https://thedailybeast.com/osama-bin-laden-was-not-caught-because-of-torture-but-in-spite-of-it | 2018-10-07 | 4 |
<p>Daily Beast has <a href="" type="internal">a slideshow up</a> of famous people recounting their casting couch horror stories. None of them says that they aceded to these requests--only that they were made. Which is sort of a mystery. Do directors just make nonstop passes, all of which get turned down? Are people who turn directors down more likely to become famous?</p>
<p>I suspect the answer is "survivor bias in the sample": people who have given into these requests are unlikely to mention it. Even Hollywood reporting, it seems, is subject to fundamental statistical problems.</p> | The Casting Couch: Many Are Called, But Apparently Few Are Chosen | true | https://thedailybeast.com/the-casting-couch-many-are-called-but-apparently-few-are-chosen | 2018-10-03 | 4 |
<p>How about this for an end to one’s future medical career?</p>
<p>“Brain surgery had been the life plan, inspired in grade school by the Time Life books.&#160; Oh sure, when I brought the cow’s brain home from the meatpacking plant to dissect for my seventh grade ‘science project,’ not that I had formulated such a project or even knew what dissection entailed.&#160; I imagined that once applied, the scalpel would take over, revealing colorful sections of the brain labeled Eyesight (chartreuse!), Love (pink and orange!), Memory (ultramarine), Other (psychedelic!).&#160; I took one look at the gelatinous mass, threw up, begged Mom to get it away from me, and abandoned my medical career.”</p>
<p>Not the grossest part of Laurie Weeks’ madcap <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558617485/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Zipper Mouth</a> but, still, one in a series of insightful moments in the troubled mind of the unnamed narrator’s journey from innocent child to spaced-out adult—a little bit as if she has applied the scalpel to her own brain, not exactly a self-induced lobotomy, though the drugs, booze, pills, and cigarettes have a similar effect.&#160; The surreal atmosphere recalls William Burroughs’ The <a href="" type="internal">Naked Lunch</a> fifty years ago, as do other flip-sided connections: the narrator is lesbian, barely hanging on to life, engaging in a series of somewhat dangerous sexual escapades, though she’s mostly infatuated with a straight girl with whom she shares drugs but not sex.</p>
<p>“Some of my personalities have had three or four amputations,” she tells us, plus lengthy fixations on famous people, including Vivien Leigh and Sylvia Plath—the former because of her depression, the latter because of her depression and suicide.&#160; Example (in a letter to Plath), “Sylvia, I’ve been tortured about dying for years, ever since reading Little Woman made me realize we’re all doomed and it ruined my life.”&#160; “Yes, Sylvia, you made me see how suffering is beautiful, instead of getting down on myself,” though by what she reveals of her main character, Zipper Mouth is significantly about self-inflicted wounds.&#160; Other titles might be equally appropriate: Mouth Wide Open, Zipper’s Stuck or The Naked Brunch.</p>
<p>The narrator’s job at In Cold Type apparently pays the bills for her recreational drugs.&#160; She describes cycles of crazy dreams, hallucinations, getting high (mostly from cocaine), infrequent phases of detox, a mind racing so quickly that she suffers from disturbing random thoughts.&#160; Yet there are few obvious antecedents for these conditions, except for some vague references to her fear of her father (hence, once of her affinities with Sylvia Plath).&#160; The racing thoughts lead to great one-liners, reminiscent of a stand-up comedian: “I had a religious experience with a moose.”&#160; “If Rimbaud were born in a toxic waste dump would he wear a blue velvet dress?”&#160; Or, book titles: (“Christian Ventriloquism”) that Jane—her straight friend—sometimes reads aloud to her.&#160; Or, hints about her relationship with her father: Dad in the Afternoon.</p>
<p>More than anything else, the narrator’s list, called “10 Bonus Accomplishments of Today,” summarize her daily struggles for sanity, sobriety:</p>
<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Battled Satan</p>
<p>2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Didn’t smoke pot (so far)</p>
<p>3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Swept floor, tied newspapers</p>
<p>4.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Organized four files</p>
<p>5.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Went to work in spite of being broken on Rack of Menstrual Pain</p>
<p>6.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; &#160;Ate broccoli, “the colon’s broom”</p>
<p>7.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Endured lengthy conversation with X; faked waves of empathy</p>
<p>8.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Didn’t smoke for three hours after getting up</p>
<p>9.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160; Walked to gym instead of taking car</p>
<p>10.&#160; Celebrated diversity</p>
<p>One more caveat.&#160; Weeks’ narrator describes her activities while she’s waiting for another addict to finish taking a shower in her apartment: “I paced, I smoked, I snorted, I leafed through Living without a Goal.” And then she does more of the same.</p>
<p>Drugs are also central to Niccolò Ammaniti’s Me and You, a huge success when it was originally published in Italy two years ago.&#160; The youth narrator, Lorenzo Cumi, tells about an incident in his life ten years earlier, when he was fourteen.&#160; Lorenzo’s not very popular, so he manufactures an elaborate story about being invited to go skiing with some students at his school, but there’s no such invitation.&#160; Instead, after the ruse of departing with his “friends,” he sneaks back to the cellar of the apartment building where he lives with his parents.&#160; “I loved it here.&#160; If they brought me food and water I could spend the rest of my life here.&#160; And I realized that if I ever ended up in solitary confinement in prison I would be happy as a pig in shit.”&#160; Lorenzo is as much of an outsider as the narrator of Weeks’ Zipper Mouth.</p>
<p>Lorenzo’s escape from his family and the students he professes not to want to associate with ends abruptly because the basement of the apartment building—in the storage area where he’s hiding—is filled with all the possessions of an old woman who once occupied the apartment his parents eventually moved into.&#160; And barely a day after Lorenzo retreats into this space, Olivia, his half-sister, who is ten years older than he, shows up, looking for some of the family’s abandoned possessions.&#160; Or so Lorenzo believes until Olivia becomes violently ill, informing him that she’s got malaria.</p>
<p>The relationship between the two of them is messy, painful clearly for both of them, and complicated by their domineering father.&#160; But what shortly evolves is Lorenzo’s realization that his older half-sister is a drug addict, trying to break her habit, and undergoing withdrawal.&#160; The power of the novel resides in the altered perceptions that each gains about the other, from their common realization that both are misfits, both in need of contact with others.&#160; Thus, Lorenzo eventually confesses to Olivia that the fantasy of his weekend of skiing was based on the need to be considered normal: “I did want to go.&#160; Because I wanted to ski with them—I’m a good skier.&#160; Because I wanted to show them the secret slopes.&#160; And because I don’t have any friends…&#160; And I wanted to be one of them.”</p>
<p>Zipper Mouth and Me and You are bitter reminders—in case we’ve forgotten—that adolescences and young adults today confront all of the social constraints and temptations of their parents and grandparents of previous generations, that little seems to change in the environment of growing up.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558617485/counterpunchmaga" type="external">Zipper Mouth By Laurie Weeks</a>The Feminist Press, 160 pp., $14.95</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Me and You</a> Niccolò Ammaniti Translated by Kylee Doust Black Cat, 160 pp., $14.00</p>
<p>Charles R. Larson is Emeritus Professor of Literature at American University, in Washington, D.C.&#160; Email: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a></p> | Growing Up With Drugs and Sex | true | https://counterpunch.org/2012/01/20/growing-up-with-drugs-and-sex/ | 2012-01-20 | 4 |
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<p>The market for a peculiar type of clay is looking up thanks to improved prospects for oil and gas drilling and to cat owners who use the stuff to soak up their pets' business.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Over 90 percent of all bentonite mined in the U.S. and almost half worldwide comes from beds of ancient volcanic ash in Wyoming. Some call bentonite the mineral of 1,000 uses: It clarifies wine and other alcoholic beverages, forms an impervious liner to keep landfills from leaking, removes ink during paper recycling, and goes into a slew of homeopathic remedies.</p>
<p>But two of the biggest uses are in kitty litter and drilling mud, the goop pumped down oil and gas wells during drilling to keep the bit cool and carry cuttings to the surface.</p>
<p>As the oil and gas industry's fortunes rise and fall, so can bentonite's. Over the past two years, bentonite mining companies that do a lot of business with the oilfield services industry suffered while the oil and gas industry experienced its worst slump in 20 years or more.</p>
<p>Now, oil and gas prices have recovered somewhat, and petroleum companies look to drill more soon. Bentonite sales likewise show new signs of life, said Rick Magstadt, vice president of manufacturing for bentonite miner Wyo-Ben Inc.</p>
<p>"I'm not going to hex it by saying that I think it's going to be a lot better, but we expect a better year than we did last year," Magstadt said.</p>
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<p>Bentonite assists drilling because of a property called thixotropy, which causes drilling mud to liquefy in the friction of drilling and solidify when the motion stops.</p>
<p>Cat litter has helped the industry ride out the oil and gas downturn, said Wyoming Mining Association Executive Director Travis Deti.</p>
<p>"The pet litter industry has been very steady," Deti said. "That's a remarkable thing that I don't think people realize. We're kind of like the pet litter capital of the world."</p>
<p>Drilling mud accounts for the largest portion of Wyo-Ben's business, while kitty litter and environmental lining round out the company's top three markets, Magstadt said.</p>
<p>Other bentonite mining and processing companies focus almost exclusively on kitty litter, and business has been steady, said Tom Thorson, president of Black Hills Bentonite, which gets 80 to 90 percent of its business from Clorox and other companies that make kitty litter.</p>
<p>Bentonite kitty litter isn't terribly kind to the environment because it comes from surface mines and flushing the stuff, which can absorb up to 10 times its weight in water and swell up to 16 times its original size, isn't a good idea. Bentonite-based kitty litter — millions of tons a year — takes up space in landfills and doesn't decompose.</p>
<p>But alternatives, such as corn-based litter, haven't really caught on despite growing demand for environmentally friendly pet products, said Shannon Brown, an analyst with the market research firm Packaged Facts.</p>
<p>Cat owners often find that biodegradable kitty litters, which can be quite a bit more expensive, doesn't work as well as bentonite-based litters, she said.</p>
<p>"They either don't like them or their cats don't like them. And so, in many cases, people will try them and then just go back to their standard, clay litter," Brown said.</p>
<p>Nationwide, sales of kitty litter approached $2.9 billion last year. Three-quarters of cat owners buy kitty litter and three-quarters of those buy clay clumping kitty litter, according to Packaged Facts.</p>
<p>Recently the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved Wyo-Ben's plans to expand a bentonite pit near Thermopolis in north-central Wyoming. It was a rare bit of good news for Wyoming's mining industry, hit hard by a downturn in coal and a recent BLM coal-leasing moratorium.</p>
<p>Wyoming, the top coal-mining state, produces about as much coal in four days as the state's nine bentonite mines do all year. The 4.3 million tons of bentonite mined nationwide last year was down 10 percent from the year before, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.</p>
<p>Bentonite mining and processing continues to employ almost 700 people in Wyoming, thanks in no small part to cat owners.</p>
<p>"It doesn't sound that sexy, but it's good for business," Magstadt said.</p>
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<p>Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver</p> | Kitty litter helps Wyoming bentonite past drilling slump | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/02/kitty-litter-helps-wyoming-bentonite-past-drilling-slump.html | 2017-01-02 | 0 |
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<p>Juncker told the EU legislature that even if the famed Article 50 is set up to let Britain leave the bloc, there is another article that “would allow them to accede again and I would be happy to facilitate that.”</p>
<p>Juncker told the lawmakers that “we are not throwing the British out. We would like them to stay. And if they so wish they should be allowed to do so.”</p>
<p>The British voted in a June 2016 referendum to leave the EU, and the date is set for March 29, 2019.</p>
<p>Both sides came to a partial and tentative agreement last month on specific issues like the amount of money that Britain will have to pay upon its departure, and the status of the now border between the EU’s Republic of Ireland and the U.K.’s Northern Ireland.</p>
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<p>The border has largely disappeared since Britain and Ireland joined the EU’s single market in 1993 and Northern Ireland’s violent “Troubles” wound down after the 1998 Good Friday peace accord.</p>
<p>Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar told legislators that it was essential there would be no backsliding on those commitments made at the summit last month.</p>
<p>“The U.K. has guaranteed that whatever the future relationship with the EU is, a hard border on the island will be avoided,” Varadkar said. “There can be no backsliding on this.”</p>
<p>The December agreement indicated that Britain would promise to keep trade flowing by maintaining full regulatory alignment with issues affecting Ireland, especially on trade rules.</p> | EU maintains offer to keep Britain in despite vote to leave | false | https://abqjournal.com/1120396/eu-maintains-offer-to-keep-britain-in-despite-vote-to-leave.html | 2018-01-17 | 2 |
<p>North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is dead, according to state television from Pyongyang. There are currently no independent reports confirming his death.</p>
<p>"Our great leader Comrade Kim Jong-il passed away at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 17," Korean Central TV reported.</p>
<p>North Korea's state-run television announced Kim died on Saturday of "physical and mental overwork," the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16239693" type="external">BBC reported</a>. The AFP said his death was from a heart attack.&#160;He reportedly died while traveling.</p>
<p>The world's only inherited communist ruler, Kim was reported to have been battling health issues that left him further isolated from the outside world.</p>
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<p>US intelligence agents said they believed Kim might be " <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26622075" type="external">gravely ill</a>" after having suffered from a stroke that left him unable to attend his nation's 60th anniversary celebration in 2008. The ruler's youngest son, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/02/kim-jong-il-names-son-successor" type="external">Kim Jong Un</a>, was reported to be the successor of his father that same year.</p>
<p>The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) instructed people to follow&#160;the next-in-line.&#160;"All party members, military men and the public should faithfully follow the leadership of comrade Kim Jong Un and protect and further strengthen the unified front of the party, military and the public," said the weeping TV announcer dressed in black funeral attire.</p>
<p>The news caused South Korean President Lee Myung Bak to order all government officials on emergency status, Seoul-based <a href="http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2011/12/19/0200000000AEN20111219005200315.HTML" type="external">Yonhap News Agency reported</a>. South Korea is still officially at war against the North, as a peace treaty was never signed to end the Korean War of 1950.</p>
<p>North Korea is the <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/111218/north-korean-leader-kim-jong-il-dead-according-state-news" type="external">most militarized nation</a>&#160;in the world, with a total of nearly 9.5 million active, reserve and paramilitary personnel. The country has also been stricken with severe famine since the 1990s, claiming millions of lives.</p>
<p>The news of Kim's death has reached US President Barack Obama, according to an official statement from the White House.</p>
<p>"We are closely monitoring reports that Kim Jong-il is dead. The President has been notified, and we are in close touch with our allies in South Korea and Japan," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in an emailed statement.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/the-rice-bowl/dear-leader-north-korea-kim-jong-il-christmas-tree-lights" type="external">Dear Leader: Why do you hate Christmas?</a></p>
<p>Though the former leader's death have raised concerns and uncertainty of how the US will react politically, one thing is clear: the authoritatian leader's reign has left an indelible mark in the world.</p>
<p>Kim managed to establish an elaborate&#160;personality cult. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-10745725" type="external">The BBC described</a>:</p>
<p>His image in North Korea was one of a hero in the typical manner of the dictator's cult of personality. Official North Korean accounts say he was born in a log cabin and the event was reportedly marked by a double rainbow and a bright star in the sky.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/photo-galleries/5636631/daily-life-pyongyang" type="external">Daily Life in Pyongyang (Gallery)</a></p>
<p>Assuming the title of "Dear Leader," Kim Jong Il and his cult of personality was inherited by his father Kim Il Sung. The Dear Leader's father, who was called "Great Leader" by his people, founded the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/world/asia/kim-jong-il-is-dead.html?_r=1&amp;ref=global-home" type="external">The New York Times</a> further said of the pair's cult following in the country:</p>
<p>"His portrait hangs beside that of his father, Kim Il-sung, in every North Korean household and building. Towers, banners and even rock faces across the country bear slogans praising him."</p>
<p>Kim's unique personality also made an impression abroad. His classic bouffant hairstyle, platform shoes, and penchant for fine food and alcohol often served as writing material for late-night comedy shows and Hollywood movies.</p>
<p>Kim Jong Il's funeral is set for Dec. 28 in Pyongyang.</p> | Kim Jong Il dead, say local media reports (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-12-19/kim-jong-il-dead-say-local-media-reports-video | 2011-12-19 | 3 |
<p>Patrick Fallon/ZUMA</p>
<p>Update, 9:15 am EST: <a href="" type="internal">Here are the full indictments&#160;against Manafort and Gates</a>. They list 12 charges, including conspiracy against the United States.</p>
<p>Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman for President Donald Trump, is expected to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/us/politics/paul-manafort-indicted.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=span-ab-top-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news&amp;_r=0" type="external">turn himself in</a> to federal authorities on Monday,&#160; in connection with special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into&#160;possible collusion&#160;between the Trump campaign and Russia. Manafort’s <a href="" type="internal">former business associate, Rick Gates</a>, is also reportedly expected to surrender.</p>
<p>The charges against Manafort and Gates are expected to be unsealed later on Monday.&#160;</p>
<p>Shortly after 8 am, Manafort was seen being driven from his Virginia home, wearing a suit and a brightly colored tie, as he attempted to block the view of cameras.&#160;</p>
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<p>Manafort was&#160; <a href="" type="internal">forced to resign</a>&#160;as Trump’s campaign chairman in August 2016 after multiple reports revealed his previously undisclosed lobbying work for deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his pro-Russian political party. Mueller has reportedly made Manafort’s business dealings and possible tax violations a central focus of his investigation. The expected charges also follow reports that Mueller is working with the Manhattan US attorney to investigate possible <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/former-trump-campaign-chairman-paul-manafort-faces-another-money-laundering-probe-1508888106" type="external">money laundering</a> by Manafort.&#160;</p>
<p>The White House has previously attempted to downplay Manafort’s role in the campaign as “ <a href="" type="internal">very limited.</a>”</p>
<p>Since news that a grand jury approved the probe’s first indictments&#160;broke on Friday evening, Trump has lashed out, accusing Democrats of using allegations of collusion to distract from the news that Hillary Clinton’s campaign partially paid for the <a href="" type="internal">Trump-Russia memos</a>&#160;drafted by&#160;Christopher Steele.</p>
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<p>In July, the FBI conducted an early morning raid of Manafort’s Virginia home in search of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/09/us/politics/paul-manafort-home-search-mueller.html?_r=0" type="external">tax documents</a> and foreign banking records. During the raid, federal prosecutors reportedly warned Manafort to expect an indictment.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>This is a breaking news report. We will update as more information becomes available.&#160;</p> | Paul Manafort Expected to Surrender to Federal Authorities | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2017/10/paul-manafort-expected-to-surrender-to-federal-authorities/ | 2017-10-30 | 4 |
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<p>The past year has not been a good one for many retailers.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>A number of chains including Sears and Barnes &amp; Noble have been losing their fights to survive while others, including Sports Authority and Eastern Mountain Sports, have closed their doors for good. On top of that, even an iconic brand likeMacy'shas closed stores in the struggle to compete with online retail, while a number of mall stalwarts have closed stores and/or reorganized under bankruptcy protections.</p>
<p>It has been a retail shakeout to which very few stores have been immune. The clear leader has been Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN), but the online giant is not the only company that has figured out how to operate in the new reality.</p>
<p>Amazon had a little fun in one of its warehouses this holiday season. Image source: Amazon.</p>
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<p>The online giant has simply changed the game. The company does not always perform well on a quarter-by-quarter profit basis, but its growth has been stunning.</p>
<p>In Q3 alone, the company saw its net sales increase by 29% to $32.7 billion, up from $25.4 billion in the same quarter last year. In addition, the company simply dominates the holiday season, according to <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Holiday-Retail-Ecommerce-Sales-Will-Grow-17-this-Year/1014529?ecid=NL1003" type="external">eMarketer Opens a New Window.</a> retail analyst Yory Wurmser:</p>
<p>It's fair to say that Amazon has changed retail in a way that nearly every other retailer has been forced to react to. The company has refined its delivery system and has nearly half of all Americans living in households with a Prime account, according to research from <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/26/technology/amazon-prime-memberships/" type="external">Consumer Intelligence Research Partners Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>When living in Amazon's world, simply holding your own counts as a success. Costco (NASDAQ: COST) has shown that it has a resilient business model where consumers still want to visit its warehouses in person rather than just buying items online. Even though in many cases Amazon meets or beats its prices, there's something about the Costco experience -- the sense of discovery and the entertainment factor of not knowing what you will see when you visit -- that has kept the chain relevant.</p>
<p>In its fiscal 2016, when you factor out the negative impact of lower gas prices, Costco saw comparable-store sales grow 3% in the United States, and 4% for all of its global locations. It also saw its net stay about the same year over year, coming in at $2.35 billion, or $5.33 per diluted share, compared to $2.38 billion, or $5.37 per diluted share in 2015.The 2016 numbers are actually better when you consider that the chain had a one-time positive impact of $57 million ($0.13 per diluted share) tax benefit in connection with a second-quarter special cash dividend.</p>
<p>Costco is not crushing it; it's holding its own while showing signs of slow growth. In a market where so many other companies have struggled, that's a very strong positive.</p>
<p>There was a time not very long ago when it seemed like Best Buy (NYSE: BBY) had become little more than a place for consumers to look at merchandise before buying it on Amazon. The chain was expected by many to go the way of former rival Circuit City and fall into bankruptcy -- then oblivion.</p>
<p>However, under CEO Hubert Joly, Best Buy has made a remarkable recovery. By focusing on cost-control, service, and improving its digital offering, Best Buy has once again become a viable player. In Q3, the company <a href="http://s2.q4cdn.com/785564492/files/doc_financials/2017/q3/Best-Buy-Reports-Fiscal-Third-Quarter-Results.pdf" type="external">reported Opens a New Window.</a> GAAP diluted earnings per share from continuing operations of $0.60, an increase of 62% from $0.37 in the previous year. The company also reported a slight increase in sales from $8.8 billion in fiscal 2016 to $8.9 billion in fiscal 20.</p>
<p>"We are pleased to report today growth on both our top and bottom lines," said the CEO in the company's Q3 earnings release. "We are excited by the continued product innovation we are seeing, the role we play for customers, the growth opportunities in front of us, the quality of our execution and the strength of our financial performance."</p>
<p>This is a back-from-the-dead story where the CEO's management ability should give investors confidence in the company for the long term. Joly has cut over $1 billion in spending and has made his brand relevant when it seemed like it was on a path that could not be corrected.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Amazon.com When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=4b27a92b-3773-496f-90c2-ad7e75144c8b&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now and Amazon.com wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=4b27a92b-3773-496f-90c2-ad7e75144c8b&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of Nov. 7, 2016</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/Dankline/info.aspx" type="external">Daniel Kline Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. If Amazon does not sell it, he won't be giving it as a gift. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon.com and Costco Wholesale. 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> | The Best Retail Stocks of 2016 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/12/08/best-retail-stocks-2016.html | 2016-12-08 | 0 |
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<p>Growing up is tough enough without the worries of your financial future, so <a href="" type="internal">Money101 Opens a New Window.</a> &#160;is here for you. <a href="http://mailto:[email protected]" type="external">E-mail us Opens a New Window.</a> your questions and let us take off some of the pressure.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Navigating the admission process is stressful as high school juniors and seniors work to hit application deadlines and prepare for the dreaded standardized test requirements.</p>
<p>More than two million students took the SAT during the 2010-2011 school year, according to the <a href="http://press.collegeboard.org/sat/faq" type="external">College Board Opens a New Window.</a>, and while high scores enhance an application, some experts warn too much emphasis is being placed on the test.</p>
<p>“It does play into the notion that tests themselves are more important than they really are in college admission,” says Jerome Lucido, executive director of the <a href="http://www.usc.edu/" type="external">University of Southern California Opens a New Window.</a> <a href="http://www.usc.edu/programs/cerpp/" type="external">Center for Enrollment Research Policy Opens a New Window.</a>. “There is already that notion that one individual sitting at a test will put more emphasis in an admission application than they really do.”</p>
<p>In an effort to help reduce the anxiety that accompanies the SATs, the College Board launched <a href="http://professionals.collegeboard.com/testing/sat-reasoning/scores/policy" type="external">Score Choice Opens a New Window.</a> during the 2009-2010 school year. The score-reporting feature allows students to choose what SAT scores are sent to schools, as well as what SAT &#160;Subject Test scores are viewed.</p>
<p>“We discovered that one of the things kids indicated that they would feel more comfortable is if they had more control over which scores they could ultimately send to colleges,” says Kathleen Steinberg, executive director of communications at the <a href="http://www.collegeboard.org/" type="external">College Board Opens a New Window.</a>. “Rather than automatically having all of their scores go, they themselves could exercise more control over those decisions.”</p>
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<p>The College Board claims the program is designed to reduce students’ stress and improve test-day experience, but some experts wonder if the practice is fair and is a way of coddling students.</p>
<p>Possible disadvantages</p>
<p>Because each school has their own score reporting requirements, Score Choice is not universally accepted, and some universities prefer to take the best students’ sub score from any given testing date instead.</p>
<p>“It’s possible that a student could be disadvantaged with Score Choice by sending one set of scores that looks the best from a single sitting, but not have the advantage of having their best scores from multiple sittings,” says Lucido at USC, which does not participate in the program.</p>
<p>Although the <a href="http://www.uchicago.edu/index.shtml" type="external">University of Chicago Opens a New Window.</a> uses Score Choice, News Director Jeremy Manier explains that many colleges want to see a student’s complete record and how their scores have developed over time.</p>
<p>“For students who decide that more than one testing day is needed to represent this potential, we accept multiple test scores and use the best outcomes from each testing component," he says.</p>
<p>Critics suggest that the program may cause students to take the test many times to improve their set of scores, something that the College Board discourages, according to Steinberg.</p>
<p>”We recommend that students take the test no more than twice--spring of junior year and then get your results, get some more coursework under your belt, and then take the test again the fall of senior year,” she says. “About 85% of SAT takers take the test no more than twice.”</p>
<p>Possible benefits&#160;</p>
<p>Although Lucido is in favor of evaluating students by their complete academic record, he acknowledges that Score Choice allows students and families who are stressing about the testing process to have more control.</p>
<p>Steinberg says that personally making the decision what scores schools see makes students feel less pressured and anxious. With multiple deadline dates for different schools, the College Board sends email reminders for students to submit their scores to keep them more organized.</p>
<p>“It’s just like urging kids to take a practice test in advance or go online and watch our test day simulator that takes them through the entire day’s process,” she says. “Those are the types of things that make them understand what’s going to happen on test day and how they can use their scores and send their scores.”</p>
<p>Some schools require all of your scores, so make sure you send your scores from each testing date in that case. Keep in mind that many colleges state in their admissions policies that they require official score reports from the College Board, so they can receive all of your scores if you opt not to use Score Choice.</p> | Pros and Cons of SAT Score Choice | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/02/02/pros-and-cons-sat-score-choice.html | 2016-03-04 | 0 |
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<p>Deputies said 41-year-old Louie Roybal allegedly shot 52-year-old Eduardo Bracamonte during a dispute Saturday around 5 p.m. at Central and 114th Street.</p>
<p>The Albuquerque Police Department initially responded, but soon turned the investigation over to the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office because the incident occurred outside of city limits on an undeveloped lot where horses are occasionally boarded.</p>
<p>Bracamonte, who is out of surgery, has a single gunshot wound from a small gauge shotgun in his lower abdomen, according to police.</p>
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<p>Deputies have issued an arrest warrant for Roybal, but had not found him as of late Sunday.</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Man in stable condition after shooting over horse | false | https://abqjournal.com/343443/man-in-stable-condition-after-shooting-over-horse.html | 2014-01-27 | 2 |
<p>Recently, a U.S. government lawyer argued before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit–including the eminent jurists Richard Posner and Frank Easterbrook — about what the definition of “torture” should be.</p>
<p>The context was an immigration appeal, Comollari v. Ashcroft. But as I will explain, the resonance of the argument was far broader.</p>
<p>According to the government attorney, it would constitute “torture” if a sniper shoots a person in an artery, causing him to slowly bleed to death. But it would not count as “torture” if the sniper were to hit his target in the head, causing him to die instantly. So a painless assassination–by the CIA, perhaps?–would not be “torture” under the government’s definition.</p>
<p>Readers will recall that a few months ago, several internal Bush Administration “torture” memos were leaked to the public. The memos showed that the government has been actively working to narrow the definition of “torture,” so as to almost shrink it into nothingness, defying international law principles directly to the contrary. The oral argument in Comollari illustrates that the government–despite denials–is still engaged in the same enterprise of defining torture as narrowly as possible, regardless of what the law says.</p>
<p>In this column, I will argue that it is time for Congress to step in to reaffirm, by statute, what America considers “torture”–and ensure that this definition is used in a consistent, principled way. U.S. law already contains a clear definition of “torture,” as I will explain. But the U.S. government doesn’t seem to be listening to that definition. Congress should make sure it does–through investigation, resolution, and if necessary, statute. This issue is too important to ignore. America’s honor and morality are at stake.</p>
<p>Currently, the Administration defines torture one way (and far too narrowly), wanting to protect its soldiers from being accused of it. Yet it defines torture another way when it wants to deport someone who seeks asylum on the ground that he reasonably fears being tortured if he is returned to his home country. This is unacceptable and wrong.</p>
<p>Background: The Torture Memos</p>
<p>Shortly after the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal broke, several shocking U.S. government internal memos surfaced. The memos, in effect, offered complex but specious legal arguments to justify the U.S.’s avoiding having to abide by the major international and national laws prohibiting torture.</p>
<p>An August 2002 Department of Justice (DOJ) memo stated that the DOJ advised the White House that torturing suspected terrorists held abroad “may be justified,” and that international rules against torture which the U.S. has signed “may be unconstitutional if applied to interrogations” in the terror war. This memo was reportedly prepared to provide legal defenses for the CIA’s harsh methods, in case its agents were prosecuted for violating federal statutes prohibiting torture.</p>
<p>Even more significant was the very narrow definition of “torture” the memo proposed that the President could legally adopt. Under this definition, the only treatment that would count as torture would have to be “equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death.”</p>
<p>In addition, a March 6, 2003 draft report prepared by Pentagon lawyers also defined torture narrowly–and also offered arguments as to why U.S. government agents who torture prisoners could not be prosecuted.</p>
<p>The draft report made the near-ridiculous suggestion that if the purpose of the torture was to extract information, not to cause pain, it wasn’t really torture: “Even if the defendant [U.S. government agent] knows that severe pain will result from his actions,” it suggests, “if causing such harm is not his objective, he lacks the requisite specific intent even though the defendant did not act in good faith.”</p>
<p>The draft report also went on to claim that, “in light of the president’s complete authority over the conduct of war, without a clear statement otherwise, criminal statutes are not read as infringing on the president’s ultimate authority in these areas.”</p>
<p>And apparently, when U.S. citizens are deemed “enemy combatants” and imprisoned incommunicado in the U.S., they may be able to be tortured here. According to the report, permissible torture recognizes no boundaries–it can be carried out overseas or in the U.S. without regard to any legal prohibitions.</p>
<p>International Law Offers a Clear Definition of Torture</p>
<p>After the torture memos appeared, more than 120 prominent lawyers, former government attorneys and legal academics sent a letter to President Bush. They expressed the view that the memos misinterpret the U.S. Constitution and laws, international treaties and rules of international law. They also expressed the view that, for this reason, the lawyers who had approved and signed the memos have not met their obligation to defend the Constitution and should be reprimanded.</p>
<p>As the letter reflects, the international legal definition of torture is universally recognized and accepted–and is very different from what Administration lawyers claim. The United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (which I will call “the Torture Convention”) forbids torture under any circumstances and does not allow the prohibition to be derogated even in conditions of national emergency.</p>
<p>It’s important to note here that the U.S.–as well as all other liberal democracies — are signatories to the Torture Convention, and that under the Constitution, treaties ratified by the Senate are U.S. law, just like statutes and Supreme Court decisions. So claiming the U.S. has the right to differ from this definition is simply untenable.</p>
<p>Here is the Torture Convention’s definition of “torture”: “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”</p>
<p>This sensible definition reflects our instincts about what torture is, and why it is wrong. It makes clear that torture to extract information is still torture. And it makes clear, too, that torture need not put its victim on the brink of death to be torture.</p>
<p>One would have thought these points were intuitively clear–until the Administration memos became public. But even if the point wasn’t intuitively clear, it was legally clear–as a matter of a treaty that had become U.S. law.</p>
<p>Even After the Memos, the Government Is Still Trying to Define “Torture” Narrowly</p>
<p>After Abu Ghraib, many Americans called for Congress to investigate allegations of torture at U.S. bases in the Middle East. They raised concerns that important issues related to the treatment of detainees in the “war on terror” and in Iraq remain unanswered, including why detainees were “rendered” to countries such as Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia where torture is commonplace, and what interrogation techniques were approved for detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>During the scandal, the Bush administration issued a few terse statements claiming that the memos were only advisory; that the U.S. government was not making policy based on these analyses; and that its practices were not torture.</p>
<p>But recent events suggest that’s not so. To the contrary, narrowing the definition of “torture” in domestic litigation now appears to be an active part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s strategy.</p>
<p>Let’s return now to the case with which this column began. The immigrant, Comollari, claimed that if he was returned to Albania, he was at risk of being killed by the political party in power there, due to his own past political activities.</p>
<p>And he pointed out that the Torture Convention forbids expelling a person to a country in which there are “substantial grounds for believing the person would be in danger of being subjected to torture.” When are there “substantial grounds”? According to the regulations, it is if the person is “more likely than not” to be tortured.</p>
<p>During oral argument, the government brought up a side issue that, while it may not relate directly to Comollari, could become extremely relevant in other cases. The government’s lawyer argued that the definition of torture does not necessarily cover assassination–if the assassination is a “painless death.”</p>
<p>Judge Easterbrook then summarized the government’s position: the Torture Convention does not bar assassinations provided they are done cleanly and lead to instant death.</p>
<p>The government attorney did not deny the summary’s accuracy–and when challenged, repeated that she had “been instructed not to concede this point.” Her comment indicates that internal DOJ discussions may be continuing to take place about how to most narrowly define torture.</p>
<p>The fact that the issue was a side issue, but the government dwelt upon it, also suggests it is a subject of ongoing interest to DOJ. As the court noted, the Comollari case itself did not directly raise this question.</p>
<p>Since there was no reason to think Albanian assassins are committed to a “clean kill” philosophy — the court (in an opinion by Judge Posner) wryly noted — Comollari’s belief he might be assassinated was tantamount, for legal purposes, to a belief he might be tortured. So the issue boiled down to whether he had “substantial grounds” to believe he might be assassinated–with whatever degree of pain might ensue.</p>
<p>Interestingly, at the same time the court dismissed the government’s issue as irrelevant to the case at hand, it also issued a warning of sorts to the government. Judge Posner made clear that even if death itself is physically painless, the anticipation of death by assassination may be a source of mental anguish that rises to a level that satisfies the Torture Convention’s definition of torture.</p>
<p>In other words, the court was saying: DOJ, don’t assume assassination isn’t torture, especially if there is a climate of fear of assassination. You may be proved very, very wrong.</p>
<p>Comollari is indicative of the government’s systematic undermining of the Torture Convention. The Torture Convention was the breakthrough international human rights treaty that the United States not only signed and ratified, but also passed implementing legislation, all within a matter of a decade, lightening speed for international law.</p>
<p>But in the immigration context, the government has continued to narrow the definition. According to Chicago immigration lawyer Mirna Adjami, U.S. immigration courts are increasingly reluctant to grant Torture Convention relief.</p>
<p>For instance, in 2000 these administrative courts granted relief in 4.3 percent of 12,432 Torture Convention applications filed; in 2001 relief was granted in only 4.4 percent of cases, even though the number of Torture Convention applications increased 42 percent to 17,660.</p>
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<p>It’s Time For Congress To Step In</p>
<p>The Bush Administration promised it would not play fast and loose with the well-established Torture Convention definition of torture. But its specious position on torture and assassination shows it is still splitting hairs–and doing so to serve its political agenda.</p>
<p>The question is still very much alive today. The legality of the interrogation techniques used by U.S. personnel on detainees at Guantanamo Bay remains unclear. Human Rights Watch has noted that while U.S. policy is that the detainees be treated “humanely,” the Department of Defense has never revealed publicly how the detainees actually have been interrogated.</p>
<p>It’s time for Congress to step in. As part of its oversight powers, Congress should expand its investigation of the Justice Department–monitoring how it is defining torture in various cases, and checking to make sure that it is not doing so lawlessly. Congress may also want to consider passing a statute or resolution reaffirming the Torture Convention’s definition–though since the definition is already U.S. law, that should not be necessary.</p>
<p>The issue is one of morality and decency–and of honor, and compliance with the law. But it also has a pragmatic side. When U.S. soldiers are prisoners of war, will we want a narrow definition of torture to be used? When it is our people who are in the sights of a gun, will we want that definition to exclude assassination?</p>
<p>Noah Leavitt, an attorney, is the Advocacy Director for the <a href="http://www.jcua.org/" type="external">Jewish Council on Urban Affairs</a>. The views expressed here are his alone. This article originally appeared on Findlaw’s <a href="http://writ.news.findlaw.com/" type="external">Writ</a>. Leavitt can be contacted at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" type="external">[email protected]</a>.</p>
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<p>&#160;</p> | Defining and Redefining Torture | true | https://counterpunch.org/2004/08/25/defining-and-redefining-torture/ | 2004-08-25 | 4 |
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<p>Part-nationalised Royal Bank of Scotland said on Wednesday that Stephen Hester will step down as chief executive later this year and that it will begin searching for a successor immediately.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>RBS, 81 percent owned by the government, said Hester will lead the business until December to ensure a smooth handover to his successor. It said Hester had been unable to make an open-ended commitment to the role having held it for five years already.</p>
<p>(Reporting by Matt Scuffham; Editing by Steve Slater)</p> | RBS CEO Hester to Step Down Later this Year | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2013/06/12/rbs-ceo-hester-to-step-down-later-this-year.html | 2016-03-03 | 0 |
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<p>The intention of the report was to bring awareness to the unfairness and injustice inherent in our global economic system.</p>
<p>“It calls for a fundamental change in the way we manage our economies so that they work for all people, and not just a fortunate few.” [ <a href="https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-01-16/just-8-men-own-same-wealth-half-world" type="external">Oxfam</a>]</p>
<p>Listed below are the 8 billionaires along with their estimated wealth, which combined equals $426.2 billion:</p>
<p>Bill Gates – $75 b Amancio Ortega – $67 b Warren Buffett – $60.8 b Carlos Slim Helu – $50 b Jeff Bezos – $45.2 b Mark Zuckerberg – $44.6 b Larry Ellison – $43.6 b Michael Bloomberg – $40 b</p>
<p>Oxfam’s&#160;assertion is that world economies are mismanaged in favor of the wealthy, which is largely true, however, the report failed to hit the mark on this serious issue by&#160;not acknowledging the greatest problem with the world’s economy, which is the global central banking model of privately owned debt-based fiat currencies.</p>
<p>The current banking model is the product of hundreds of years of planned development, structuring, manipulation, force and trickery which began in earnest with Mayer Amschel Rothschild, who first established banking and finance houses in Germany&#160;in the 18th century.</p>
<p>The careful cultivation of his wealth with the assistance of his five sons allowed Rothschild to profit immensely during the French Revolution by providing financing and war materials to Austria, which in turn allowed the budding family empire to evolve into a multi-national organization, henceforth becoming a major financier of industry and war.</p>
<p>“Around that time, Rothschild sent his five sons to live in the capital cities of various European countries. His goal was to have each of his children establish a banking business in Frankfurt, Naples, Vienna, Paris, and London, and throughout the 1800s, they did. With Mayer Rothschild’s children spread across Europe, the Rothschild’s became the first bank to transcend borders. Lending to governments to finance war operations for the past several centuries provided ample opportunity to accumulate <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bond.asp" type="external">bonds</a> and shore up additional wealth in a range of different industries.” [ <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/updates/rothschild-family-net-worth-explained/" type="external">Source</a>]</p>
<p>Fast forward to 2016, the Rothschild family is a dynasty of unimaginable wealth which manages to somehow conceal it for the most part, never quite being publicly credited&#160;as the richest and most influential family in the world. By dividing their capital and&#160;holdings up amongst the many members of the family, including numerous descendants and heirs, occasionally a single member of the family will appear on a list of the world’s top individuals, however, the family as a whole represents the largest fortune ever known.</p>
<p>“Traditionally, the Rothschild fortune is invested in <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/closely-held-corporation.asp" type="external">closely held corporations</a>. Most family members are employed by these corporations directly or invested in operations that generate family wealth. The remarkable success of the family has largely been due to a strong interest in cooperation, being entrepreneurs and the practice of shrewd business principles.” [ <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/updates/rothschild-family-net-worth-explained/" type="external">Source</a>]</p>
<p>Investopedia estimates the family’s total wealth at over $2 trillion in assets and holdings, including some of the world’s oldest living corporations:</p>
<p>“…their holdings span a number of diverse industries, including financial services, real estate, mining, energy and even charitable work.There are a few Rothschild-owned financial institutions still operating in Europe, including N M Rothschild &amp; Sons Ltd in the United Kingdom, and Edmond de Rothschild Group in Switzerland. The family also owns more than a dozen wineries in North America, Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia.” [ <a href="http://www.investopedia.com/updates/rothschild-family-net-worth-explained/" type="external">Source</a>]</p>
<p>At $2 trillion plus, the family’s reported wealth is closing in on&#160;five times as much as the combined wealth of the world’s top 8 individual billionaires, meaning that the Rothschild family alone controls&#160;more wealth than perhaps three-fourths or more of the world’s total population.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wakingtimes.com/2017/01/20/rothschild-family-wealth-five-times-worlds-top-8-billionaires-combined/" type="external">SOURCE</a></p> | Rothschild family is worth more than the top 8 billionaires in the world | true | http://hangthebankers.com/rothschild-family-worth-top-8-billionaires-world/ | 2017-01-22 | 0 |
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<p>CK06 is an eco-friendly house in the heart of Paris’s 20th arrondissement, complete with a stainless steel fireplace and a roof terrace with a 360-degree view of Paris? Ooh la la! See the Parisian dream home that we’re lusting after this week.</p>
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<p>The eco-house designed by Pablo Katz glows against the clear sky of a summer's evening in Paris.</p>
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<p>In the open-plan living area the white leather armchairs and sofa are by Jean-Marie Massaud for Poltrona Frau and the swivel chair is by Patrick Norguet for Cappelini.</p>
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<p>In the living room the stainless steel fireplace was designed by the architect Pablo Katz and commands an entire wall.</p>
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<p>In contrast to the pared-down aesthetic of the house in general, the "Proust" armchair by Capellini makes a dramatic statement in the library.</p>
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<p>The living area is entirely open-plan with the dining area separated by a white Capellini lacquered sideboard.</p>
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<p>The functional kitchen has enough room for a dining table and chairs.</p>
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<p>Privacy in the bathroom has been maintained with exterior wooden screens and simple roller blinds.</p>
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<p>A video projector in the bedroom is situated above the bed, and behind the partition wall is the open-plan bathroom.</p>
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<p>Perched on a book whose title might describe the building itself, a cardboard maquette of the house by Pablo Katz.</p>
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<p>Helene and baby Alix play in their spacious living room.</p>
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<p>The roof terrace has a spectacular 360-degree view of Paris.</p>
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<p>A bird's-eye view of the terraced roof garden and the open-air living area.</p>
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<p>Looking up at one of the facades of the eco-house, which is situated in the 20th arrondissement of Paris.</p>
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<p>The made-to-measure steel-and-wood staircase connects all five floors of the house.</p>
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<p>In the "garage-salon" the floors are polished concrete and the red, sculptural-looking swivelling shelves are a design by Kuramata for Capellini.</p>
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<p>The facade of the house viewed from the side with a glimpse of the roof terrace above.</p>
<p /> | OMG, I Want This House: Paris (Photos) | true | https://thedailybeast.com/omg-i-want-this-house-paris-photos-1 | 2018-10-03 | 4 |
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dylan Windler set career highs with 31 points and seven 3-pointers, and Belmont ran away in the second half to beat Austin Peay 83-59 on Saturday for its 10th win in 11 games.</p>
<p>Kevin McClain and Nick Hopkins scored 12 points apiece and Amanze Egekeze added 11 for the Bruins (15-6, 7-1 Ohio Valley Conference), who shot 14 of 28 from 3 (50 percent) and 31 of 55 overall (56.4 percent). Windler grabbed eight rebounds and had five assists.</p>
<p>Windler hit back-to-back 3s for a 37-28 Belmont lead and the Bruins led 44-35 on his third 3 of the second half. McClain’s 3 sparked an 8-0 run for a 14-point lead and the Bruins led by 28 with 6:54 left after a 16-0 run capped by Hopkins’ 3.</p>
<p>Belmont led 31-26 at halftime behind Windler’s 10 points after three lead changes and six ties.</p>
<p>Mack Mercer scored 10 points and Austin Luke grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for Belmont.</p>
<p>Steve Harris scored a career-high 20 points for the Governors (10-10, 5-3), who shot 1 of 10 from 3.</p>
<p>NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dylan Windler set career highs with 31 points and seven 3-pointers, and Belmont ran away in the second half to beat Austin Peay 83-59 on Saturday for its 10th win in 11 games.</p>
<p>Kevin McClain and Nick Hopkins scored 12 points apiece and Amanze Egekeze added 11 for the Bruins (15-6, 7-1 Ohio Valley Conference), who shot 14 of 28 from 3 (50 percent) and 31 of 55 overall (56.4 percent). Windler grabbed eight rebounds and had five assists.</p>
<p>Windler hit back-to-back 3s for a 37-28 Belmont lead and the Bruins led 44-35 on his third 3 of the second half. McClain’s 3 sparked an 8-0 run for a 14-point lead and the Bruins led by 28 with 6:54 left after a 16-0 run capped by Hopkins’ 3.</p>
<p>Belmont led 31-26 at halftime behind Windler’s 10 points after three lead changes and six ties.</p>
<p>Mack Mercer scored 10 points and Austin Luke grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds for Belmont.</p>
<p>Steve Harris scored a career-high 20 points for the Governors (10-10, 5-3), who shot 1 of 10 from 3.</p> | Belmont beats Austin Peay 83-59 on Windler’s career night | false | https://apnews.com/809e5e59a58b42c98f65b0d2978ef70b | 2018-01-21 | 2 |
<p>.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........</p>
<p>Who says salsa has to be made from tomatoes? Or dumped unceremoniously from a jar?</p>
<p>With all of summer’s bounty, there are plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that make fantastic salsas. Scoop them up with chips or crackers, or add them to sandwiches, salads, burgers and tacos. We came up with three simple salsas, but they are easily tweaked to whatever is fresh or happens to be in your refrigerator. Switch out the apples for peaches or plums, even chopped strawberries. Don’t like dill? Opt for basil or tarragon.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | No tomatoes needed for these salsas | false | https://abqjournal.com/224908/no-tomatoes-needed-for-these-salsas.html | 2013-07-24 | 2 |
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<p>Photo by Tom | <a href="" type="internal">CC BY 2.0</a></p>
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<p>January 15th will mark the 25th anniversary of the European Economic Community’s recognition of the independence of the Republic of Croatia. This event has become a notable point of contention amongst those seeking to understand and explain the international community’s involvement in and response to the break-up of Yugoslavia, and to decide what, if any, blame lies with the international community for the savagery the people of that land endured between 1991 and 1995.</p>
<p>A common theme running through the commentary of those who advocated military intervention in Yugoslavia, particularly those who have come to be known as “liberal interventionists”, is that the international community stood by and did nothing. This allowed the largest republic of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia, to enact a programme of naked aggression and expansionism. According to this narrative, Serbia aimed to achieve, by force, a new “Greater Serbia”, whereby all Serbs could live under one state. They argue that, in a total dereliction of duty, the United States and the EEC nations, Britain in particular, pursued a policy of appeasement towards the Serbian government and its President, Slobodan Milošević. John Major’s government insisted on seeing the violence in Croatia as a civil war, rather than Serb aggression, until it was too late, seeking to settle things at the negotiating table rather than with air strikes. This resulted in tens of thousands dead and the phrase “ethnic cleansing” lodged firmly in the public lexicon and consciousness. Emboldened by his position as a credible international negotiating partner,&#160; Milošević moved his attentions towards Bosnia, unleashing unimaginable carnage before the international community was finally shamed into a proper, violent response by the horror of Srebrenica.</p>
<p>As a recent reminder of humankind’s capacity for inhumanity towards our neighbours there is none starker or more effective, which is why the memory of Bosnia, and Srebrenica in particular, is so commonly invoked by liberal interventionists today. We saw it when intervention was called for against Gaddafi in Libya and the perceived threat of a Srebrenica-esque massacre against civilians in rebel-held territories was deemed serious enough to justify risking turning Libya into a failed state. We saw it when Assad’s troops closed in on Eastern Aleppo in Syria. One Srebrenica survivor wrote a piece for The Guardian reminding us that it was said such things could never be allowed to happen again, as he believed was imminent in Aleppo. In this narrative, the failure by peacekeepers to protect the UN safe area at Srebrenica is a microcosm of the general reluctance to engage with the Yugoslav problem at all.</p>
<p>The problem with this narrative is that it’s inaccurate in various crucial aspects. The international community did not merely stand by and do nothing as an inferno of ethno-nationalist slaughter raged around the people of the former Yugoslav republics, it was in fact an active agent in the political manoeuvring that variously fed and suffocated the fire. The actions it took sometimes reduced the intensity of the fighting and the slaughter and sometimes made it worse. Sometimes legitimate moves towards peace were instigated by the international community and sometimes they were blocked. Perhaps no country had a greater impact on the direction of the wars in the early stages than Germany, and perhaps no individual had a greater impact than Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor of West Germany and later the reunified state.</p>
<p>Genscher, who died last year, spoke years after the wars about Germany’s initial desire to keep Yugoslavia together. <a href="#_edn1" type="external">1</a> This is not an altogether incredible claim. While its non-threatening position as a non-aligned communist state, so attractive to the West during the Cold War, became obsolete after the demise of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia was not a threat to any obvious European ambitions per se. A common perception on the left is that Milošević’s resistance to external economic control was the motive for hostility from the EEC countries. It is certainly the case that, unlike President Tuđman of Croatia and President Izetbegović of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Milošević did not run on an avowedly nationalist platform when multi-party elections came to Yugoslavia. This is perhaps ironic given that he is credited with sparking the nationalist revival in Yugoslavia</p>
<p>While promoting Serbian strength and doing much work behind the scenes to ensure friendly figures attained high office in the other Republics, Milošević advocated Yugoslav unity, which meant Yugoslavia following Serbia’s lead. The leaders of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia advocated national sovereignty for their republics, freer trade and closer ties to western Europe, while Milošević governed as leader of a nominally socialist party. 20Th century history being littered with examples of socialist states being crushed by the US and its allies, a simple neo-colonialist reading of the demise of Yugoslavia has been tempting for some, but it’s not entirely supported by the behaviour of the other European nations. Germany has specific cultural ties to Croatia. Political Catholicism is strong in Germany, stronger still in Croatia and a large number of Germany’s gastarbeiters or “guest workers” were Croats. Sympathy in Germany for Croatia’s cause was high in the crucial early stages of the war. When Croatia’s declaration of independence became an inevitability, there was obvious political capital to be gained for Genscher and Germany by fervently supporting it. After reunification, Germany was the obvious candidate to take over the leading role in European geopolitics and here was a chance to define itself as the defender of national sovereignty, self-determination, the sanctity of historical borders (particularly relevant to the interests of Germans at this time for obvious reasons). Genscher and Kohl argued that “preventative” recognition would halt the violence in Croatia and discourage it in Bosnia. All that stood in the way of Genscher adopting the role of Croatia’s knight was the rest of the European community.</p>
<p>Key to this lack of enthusiasm on the part of the rest of Europe for Croatia’s independence declaration was that it simply did not satisfy many of the most crucial conditions for statehood, namely, a strong government in control of all of the territory it claimed and a commitment to ensuring the rights of minorities. By the Autumn of 1991, when Germany was stepping up its encouragement for the recognition of Croatian and Slovenian independence, the Croatian Serbs controlled around a quarter or more of Croatian territory, and a political settlement seemed unlikely to be hastened by provoking the Serbs. Genscher’s claim that recognition was necessary to bring about peace seemed implausible. Furthermore, President Tuđman’s personal habit of committing racist gaffes in public, and allowing his local party officials to dismiss Serbs from their jobs without cause, made claims of respecting minority rights hard to take seriously.</p>
<p>Lord Carrington, former Secretary General of NATO and the chair of the European Community’s Yugoslav Peace Conference, argued that premature recognition would hinder any lasting agreement between the Croats and the Serbs and “might well be the spark that sets Bosnia-Herzegovina alight”. <a href="#_edn2" type="external">2</a> Croatia would have what it wanted, independence, without having to make any concessions at all, including on minority rights, and the Croatian Serbs would feel that, abandoned by the world, they had no option but to defend themselves by force. Further to this, there was a very real concern about the impact recognition might have on Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was the republic most primed for an explosive internecine ethnic conflict, due to its unusual demographic make-up and political climate.</p>
<p>Whereas the overwhelming majority of Croatian citizens in 1991 were ethnic Croats, with the Serbs comprising a minority of 12.2%, Bosnia had no ethnic majority at all. In 1991, 43.5% of Bosnians belonged to the Muslim ethnic group (hereafter referred to by the more modern term “Bosniaks”, for simplicity’s sake). 31.2% of the population were Serbs and 17.4% were Croats. A further 5.5% defined themselves as “Yugoslavs” in that year’s census. That the nascent political parties had divided themselves along national lines in 1990 when the federal communist party was dissolved did not bode well for the future. When Alija Izetbegović was appointed chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina, he ran on the ticket of an ethnic nationalist party committed to the interests of an ethnic group to which well over half of Bosnians didn’t belong. This is not mentioned as a criticism specific to Izetbegović or the Bosniak leadership – the Serbs and Croats had their own nationalist parties too – it merely serves to illustrate the willingness of Bosnia’s political leaders to place its people in the most precarious position at the worst possible moment.</p>
<p>Recognising this danger, albeit late, Izetbegović joined the cautious European countries in arguing against premature recognition of Croatia and Slovenia. Cyrus Vance, the US special envoy to Croatia, told the US ambassador to Yugoslavia, Warren Zimmerman, “”My friend Genscher is out of control on this. What he’s doing is madness.” <a href="#_edn3" type="external">3</a> As a result of this opposition, and with US backing, the EEC members set up an arbitration commission, chaired by Robert Badinter, to issue legal opinions on some of the most pressing issues regarding Yugoslavia. The commission was to conclude that only Slovenia and Macedonia met the conditions necessary for international recognition, as Bosnia had not yet put the decision to declare independence to a referendum and Croatia had not dealt with concerns over minority rights.</p>
<p>Before these opinions could even be issued, Germany unilaterally broke with the other states and declared its unconditional recognition of Croatia and Slovenia on December 23rd. Germany refused to recognise Macedonia, which met all stated conditions and which Badinter specifically recommended for recognition, because of Greek objections to a nation of Slavs using the name which they historically claimed as Hellenic. This was the clearest evidence that the German push for recognition of Croatia was not about the sacred right to self-determination. The other major European nations withheld recognition of Macedonia for the same reason. President Tuđman promised to pass a constitutional law protecting minority rights as soon as possible. Perhaps not unreasonably, the Serbs were not placated, but Germany continued to apply pressure for European recognition, notably offering Britain an opt-out of the Social Chapter of the Maastricht Treaty. For the Major government, this was a great boon, as the nation was still in the grip of Thatcherism and a Conservative Prime Minister forced to accept European directives ordering member states to protect workers’ rights and support society’s most vulnerable was likely to be viewed as a traitor within his own party. In capitulating to Germany over recognition, Major effectively betrayed British workers, ordinary Croatian Serbs, the citizens of Macedonia and, above all, the people of Bosnia. Chancellor Kohl and Genscher made similar encouragements to the other states. With this in mind, the other EEC states, and the United States, duly recognised Croatia and Slovenia on January 15th.</p>
<p>The effect of this was more or less immediate. Fighting did die down in Croatia, as a result of the Vance plan, an agreement to allow UN peacekeepers to observe the key conflict one, rather than as a result of recognition. Genscher’s theory that recognition would hasten, rather than hinder a resolution to the political issue was disproved when Croatia breached the ceasefire in 1993. The real impact of the EEC’s actions was felt in Bosnia. With Croatia and Slovenia gone, and Macedonia likely to follow as soon as the naming issue was resolved to the satisfaction of Greece, President Izetbegović felt obliged to follow suit and scheduled a referendum on seeking independence from what remained of Yugoslavia. Without a political settlement in place for the large Bosnian Serb and Croat minorities, this was a recipe for disaster. As the BBC’s Misha Glenny said at the time:</p>
<p>“Once Croatia and Slovenia had been granted international recognition, Izetbegović had no option but to seek the same, as to remain in Yugoslavia dominated by Milošević and Belgrade would have been unacceptable to all Muslims and Croats in BiH [Bosnia-Herzegovina]. Izetbegović was thus forced by German-led EC policy into the same mistake that Tuđman has made voluntarily – he embarked upon secession from Yugoslavia without securing prior agreement from the Serbs.” <a href="#_edn4" type="external">4</a></p>
<p>There has been much debate in the West over whether such an agreement could ever have been achieved or whether the Bosnian Serb forces were determined, by hook or by crook, to murder and rape their way across those parts of Bosnia which they believed were theirs by right. To view political objectives and military conduct as essentially interchangeable is a tempting trap to fall into, but where evidence to the contrary exists it must be avoided. What evidence there is suggests that a political settlement prior to recognition was not quite as unattainable as Germany’s enthusiasm seemed to suggest. The first attempt to formulate a peace plan between the Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats of Bosnia came soon after the recognition of Croatia and Slovenia, but before the recognition of Bosnia, in March of 1992.</p>
<p>The proposal, drawn up in Lisbon by Lord Carrington and José Cutileiro, divided Bosnia-Herzegovina into cantons, each of which would have a degree of devolution to the ethnic group to which they were assigned, while administration at the federal level would be comprised of a power-sharing system which also included each of the three main ethnic groups. The plan was far from perfect, every canton was assigned solely to one of the ethnic groups regardless of whether it had a dominant ethnic majority, and Radovan Karadžić, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, was particularly unhappy, knowing that the Serbs could get more territory militarily, but after much negotiation and several redrafts, the leaders of all three sides signed the agreement. Lisbon was the last, best hope for peace in Bosnia.</p>
<p>One week after signing, allegedly on the encouragement of ambassador Warren Zimmerman, President Izetbegović withdrew his signature from the agreement. Mate Boban, the Bosnian Croat representative, promptly did the same. The Lisbon maps were very similar to those put forward by the Vance-Owen peace plan in 1993, which Izetbegović happily signed and which was torpedoed by the Bosnian Serb Assembly to widespread international condemnation. Yet in early 1992, the Bosniaks, and apparently the United States, felt they could get a better deal, despite the looking spectre of war. Widely perceived by the Serbs as proof that not only did the Bosniaks intend to dominate an independent Bosnia but that they would do so with international support, the collapse of the Lisbon agreement did indeed light the touchpaper for violence in Bosnia. The EEC and the US recognised Bosnian independence on April 7th. Already in the process of arming and mobilising by this point, and having declared their own autonomous region, later to be known as Republika Srpska, in anticipation of such an eventuality, the Serbs were ready to take by force what they felt had been denied to them at the negotiating table.</p>
<p>By the end of March the first massacre of civilians, carried out against Serbs by combined Bosniak and Croat forces, occurred in the village of Sijekovac. Among the exhumed bodies were some 18 children. A week later the infamous Serb Volunteer Guard under the command of Željko “Arkan” Ražnatović, a Serb career criminal and businessman who led the organised supporters of Belgrade’s Red Star football club, swept into the town of Bijeljina and reportedly embarked on a spree of murder, rape and looting against the Bosniak population, for which no member of Arkan’s paramilitaries has yet been prosecuted. It was hard to see, at this early stage, how Genscher’s principle of preventative recognition had achieved any of its aims. The cycle of slaughter had begun.</p>
<p>Three years later, the massacre of thousands of Bosniak civilians in the UN safe area of Srebrenica by the army of Republika Srpska and Serb paramilitaries finally convinced the international community that a serious, fair, negotiated settlement, rather than the air strikes which had begun in 1994, was necessary to end the killing. When the Presidents of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia descended on a US military airbase in Dayton, Ohio in November 1995 to thrash out the terms of what would become a lasting peace agreement, those who had been present at the negotiations for the Lisbon agreement might have been forgiven for thinking they were experiencing déjà vu. The terms of Dayton were not so very different from those initially agreed upon by Izetbegović, Karadžić and Boban three years earlier, yet the cost of revisiting these terms in Dayton included over 100,000 lives lost and the inflicting of deep community-damaging wounds that may never fully heal.</p>
<p>Neither the international community as a whole nor any one foreign state directly caused the Yugoslav wars. Nor is it as easy as sometimes claimed to apportion blame within the former Yugoslavia. The causes are so many and so complex that pinning all of the blame on individuals or ascribing simplistic motives to them seems only to provide an emotional solution to comprehending the sheer horror of the events. Granted, it seems fair to say that selfish, vain, power hungry leaders from each of the largest Yugoslav republics did more than any other individuals to create the conditions where fear of close neighbours festered and the vague memories of former political defeats and humiliations were brought to the fore again. Yet, when exasperated by the harsh, difficult realities of dealing with such issues, the willingness of those from outside the former Yugoslavia to divide the main players up into the forces of good and evil made it much easier for those inside the maelstrom to do the same.</p>
<p>One of the traits which outsiders, even those who view them as bloodthirsty aggressors, have found so odd about the Serbs in particular is their tendency to honour their great defeats, not the victories, and to portray themselves as victims of their history, not the heroic masters of their own destiny. Whether believing this is a distortion of history or not, whether their politicians have twisted facts to present them as the innocent victims of history and innocent bystanders of events in the 1990s or not, on an individual level the psychology of people who feel this way must be understood in these terms. In Misha Glenny’s book, The Fall of Yugoslavia, he observes that many of the worst atrocities during the Bosnian war, particularly those committed by Serb forces, took place in the same areas where atrocities were committed against Serbs by Croats and Bosniak allies of the Germans during the second world war, most notably in Prijedor <a href="#_edn5" type="external">5</a>. Nobody reading Glenny’s book could mistake him for an apologist for Greater Serb expansionism, much less an apologist for the atrocities committed by Serb forces during the wars, which he describes in gruesome detail, yet he hints at what Genscher, Kohl and the European leaders who followed them failed to acknowledge or contend with; that fear is the mother of hatred, and can incite the most terrible acts even if, and especially when, it is misplaced and exaggerated. Dismissing the deeply-held fears of others merely heightens them.</p>
<p>In the latter half of 1991, the only place for realpolitik was in the negotiating rooms where the Yugoslav leaders met to work out ways to avoid or halt the fighting. That it found its way so fatefully into the policy of Europe’s leaders for reasons that had nothing to do with respecting national sovereignty and self-determination (proven by the hypocrisy shown towards Macedonia) should be seen as a cautionary tale a quarter of a century later. A cursory glance at any newspaper reveals the same hypocrisy leading to the same mistakes now. We should echo the calls of “Never Again”, but we should know what we are calling for.</p>
<p>Notes.</p>
<p><a href="#_ednref1" type="external">1</a>&#160;“Recognizing Slovenia, Croatia brought peace, Genscher says” <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/recognizing-slovenia-croatia-brought-peace-genscher-says/a-15182463" type="external">http://www.dw.com/en/recognizing-slovenia-croatia-brought-peace-genscher-says/a-15182463</a></p>
<p><a href="#_ednref2" type="external">2</a>&#160;&#160;&#160; Susan L. Woodward, “Balkan Tragedy: Chaos and Dissolution after the Cold War” (Washington D.C.: The Brookings Institute, 1995), p. 184</p>
<p><a href="#_ednref3" type="external">3</a>&#160;&#160;&#160; Metta Spencer, “Separatism: Democracy and Disintegration” (Rowman &amp; Littlefield, 1998)., p. 176</p>
<p><a href="#_ednref4" type="external">4</a>&#160;&#160;&#160; Misha Glenny. “The Fall of Yugoslavia” (London, Penguin Books, 2nd Edition 1993), p. 164</p>
<p><a href="#_ednref5" type="external">5</a>&#160;&#160;&#160; Ibid p. 206</p> | The International Community and the Disintegration of Yugoslavia: 25 Years Later | true | https://counterpunch.org/2017/01/10/the-international-community-and-the-disintegration-of-yugoslavia-25-years-later/ | 2017-01-10 | 4 |
<p>Hong Kong residents voted in record numbers Sunday in a bitterly contested legislative election, with a push for independence among a disaffected younger generation of candidates and voters stoking tension with China's government.</p>
<p>Hong Kong's pro-democracy opposition is hoping to maintain a one-third veto bloc in the 70-seat legislative council in the face of better-mobilized and -funded pro-Beijing and pro-establishment rivals.</p>
<p>Voters flocked to cast ballots in record numbers, with some having to wait several hours after the close of polling, to cast ballots at a few particularly congested polling stations.</p>
<p>Full results aren't expected until later Monday.</p>
<p>The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" agreement that promised to maintain the global financial hub's freedoms and separate laws for at least 50 years but gave ultimate control to Beijing.</p>
<p>The Electoral Affairs Commission said 58 percent of the city's 3.8 million eligible voters had cast ballots, up from 53 percent in 2012, and the highest turnout for any legislative election since 1997.</p>
<p>The turnout reflected the city's heightened political discontent and urgent appeals by candidates, some from new radical groups, jostling for extra votes in a highly competitive poll.</p>
<p>Much attention focused on a group of about 20 pro-democracy "localists" pushing a more radical, anti-China agenda who could become a fledgling new force in the legislature.</p>
<p>Many residents see the 79 days of student-led "Umbrella Revolution" protests in 2014 as a turning point in the city's politics <a href="" type="internal">even though Beijing gave no ground</a>.</p>
<p>Since then, many disaffected youngsters have decried what they see as increasing Beijing interference to stifle dissent and civil liberties, leading to a radicalization of the political scene and occasional violent protests and a riot.</p>
<p>Despite the disqualification of six pro-democracy election candidates from the election in July on the grounds that they supported independence, preliminary results showed several localists and young democrats likely winning seats.</p>
<p>Hong Kong's opposition now controls 27 of the legislature's 70 seats, giving it a veto bloc over funding and various legislative bills including those it sees as eroding freedoms.</p> | China Wary After Record Turnout for Crucial Hong Kong Election | false | http://nbcnews.com/news/world/china-wary-after-record-turnout-crucial-hong-kong-election-n642761 | 2016-09-05 | 3 |
<p>In the 2016 Democratic Primaries, super delegates were a highly contested issue within the party. Former DNC Chair Debbie&#160;Wasserman Schultz&#160;said in a February 2016 <a href="" type="internal">&#160;interview</a>&#160;with CNN’s Jake Tapper, “Unpledged delegates exist really to make sure that party leaders and elected officials don’t have to be in a position where they are running against grassroots activists.” This sentiment is in line with what DNC Attorneys&#160; <a href="" type="internal">argued</a>&#160;in a federal court earlier this year that the Democratic Party is well within their rights to&#160;“go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way.”</p>
<p>The Democratic Party&#160; <a href="" type="internal">created</a>&#160;the super delegate system in the 1980’s to provide leverage in primaries to elected Democratic Party officials, former officials, or appointed&#160;DNC&#160;members, at least 60 of whom&#160; <a href="" type="internal">serve as corporate lobbyists</a>. In 2020, the same issues that arose in the party’s most recent primary and served as proof of the Democratic Party leadership subverting democracy to achieve their own goals are likely to resurface unless the Democratic Party leadership changes course and rescinds the role of super delegates before the next Democratic Presidential Nominee is selected. In 2009, a&#160;DNC&#160;Commission&#160; <a href="" type="internal">proposed</a>&#160;several changes to the super delegate system, but those changes were never implemented, and it backfired in 2016. Democrats can’t afford to make the same mistake again in disenfranchising millions of voters to protect the voices of party elites.</p>
<p>Before a single vote was cast in the 2016 primaries,&#160; <a href="https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/superdelegates-might-not-save-hillary-clinton/" type="external">over half</a>&#160;of the party’s super delegates formally supported&#160;Clinton. Their votes were included in several mainstream media reports on the overall primary election tallies, framing the narrative that&#160;Bernie Sanders&#160;was much further behind than he actually was. With every super delegate endorsement came with it free advertising and media coverage in support of&#160;Clinton. In states that&#160;Bernie Sanders&#160;won, the delegate count often went in&#160;Clinton’s&#160;favor because of super delegates. That barrier of roughly 15 percent of the delegates in each state was put in place to ensure candidates like Hillary Clinton could fend off challengers.&#160;Had&#160;Clinton&#160;not won in pledged delegates during the primaries, super delegates were Clinton’s safeguard to secure her the nomination. If Republicans had a similar system in place, Jeb Bush would likely have wound up the party’s nominee.</p>
<p>After the end of the 2016 Primaries, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), a former DNC Vice Chair, pushed a&#160; <a href="" type="internal">petition</a>&#160;for the party to end super delegates. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)&#160; <a href="" type="internal">said&#160;</a>in June 2016, “I don’t believe in super delegates.” Even&#160;Clinton&#160;Supporter, former Campaign Manager for Howard Dean, Joe Trippi wrote an&#160; <a href="" type="internal">op-ed</a>&#160;on why the party should abolish super delegates in July 2016. Despite the calls for reform, they&#160; <a href="" type="internal">were voted down</a>&#160;at the Democratic National Convention, and after the presidential election, the super delegates issue was&#160; <a href="" type="internal">deferred&#160;</a>to the&#160;DNC&#160;Unity Reform Commission. That commission includes super delegates and party insiders selected by Hillary&#160;Clinton&#160;and&#160;DNC&#160;Chair&#160;Tom Perez, in addition to the selections Bernie Sanders was allowed to make.</p>
<p>If the&#160;DNC&#160;Unity Commission that is currently ongoing&#160; <a href="" type="internal">somehow comes</a>&#160;to a consensus on abolishing or scaling back super delegates, the entire&#160;DNC&#160;and&#160;DNC&#160;Rules Committee would have to approve them as well. Its unlikely the rule that directly benefits party insiders and establishment&#160;Democrats&#160;who hold these positions will reform a system that exists to discourage grassroots activism within the party’s nomination process. But in 2020, if the&#160;Democratic Party’s&#160;super delegates boost the party’s preferred candidate with a swarm of super delegate support, they once again risk disenfranchising and alienating thousands of voters away from the party.</p> | The DNC’s Superdelegate Problem | true | https://counterpunch.org/2017/09/28/the-dncs-superdelegate-problem/ | 2017-09-28 | 4 |
<p>President Trump disparaged critics as “pathetic” in a Liberty University commencement speech. (Screenshot via CSPAN)</p>
<p>In a commencement speech at a school with an anti-LGBT reputation, President Trump extolled a recent executive order he signed in the name of “religious freedom” that opponents say could lay the groundwork for anti-LGBT discrimination.</p>
<p>Trump made the remarks during his commencement speech Saturday at Liberty University, saying in reference to the executive order he “did some very important signings” recently for religious freedom.</p>
<p>“America is better when people put their faith into action,” Trump said. “As long as I am your president, no one is ever going to stop you from practicing your faith or from preaching what’s in your heart.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t clear whether Trump was referencing the issue of clerks refusing to marry same-sex couples&#160;in his remarks, although he has endorsed “religious freedom” legislation known as the First Amendment Defense Act that critics say would allow anti-LGBT discrimination.</p>
<p>Although the religious freedom executive order on its face <a href="" type="internal">doesn’t allow discrimination against LGBT people</a>, the measure instructs U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to “as appropriate, issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in Federal law.” Some LGBT advocates have said that language will empower&#160;Sessions to find ways to discriminate against LGBT people, such as allowing workers at federal agencies to refuse to process paperwork for same-sex couples in the name of “religious freedom.”</p>
<p>Other observers don’t read the executive order the same way. The American Civil Liberties Union had threatened to sue Trump over the executive order, but later&#160; <a href="" type="internal">declined to take that action</a> on the basis that it was “an elaborate photo-op with no discernible policy outcome.”</p>
<p>The “religious freedom” executive order reference was a small component of a commencement speech in which Trump encouraged graduates to look to the future and emphasized the importance of faith in America. On the day before Mother’s Day, Trump invoked the idea of his late mother smiling down on him from heaven and the late Rev. Jerry Falwell smiling down on his son, Jerry Falwell Jr., who’s president of Liberty University.</p>
<p>At a time when Trump is under fire for his administration’s actions and the firing of FBI Director James Comey as he was conducting an investigation on whether he colluded with&#160;Russian in hacking in the 2016 election, Trump also during his speech belittled critics when encouraging graduates to pursue their dreams.</p>
<p>“Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic, because they’re people that can’t get the job done. But the future belongs to the dreamers, not to the critics,” Trump said. “The future belongs to the people who follow their heart no matter what the critics say because they truly believe in their vision.”</p>
<p>Trump’s commencement speech marks the first time since President George H.W. Bush spoke at Liberty University in 1990 that the school has hosted a sitting U.S. president. The speech is also the first commencement address Trump delivered as president.</p>
<p>A Baptist school, Liberty University has an anti-LGBT reputation. The university has a policy of prohibiting “sexual relations outside of a biblically ordained marriage between a natural-born man and a natural-born woman,” which prohibits intimate relationships with LGBT people.</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Donald Trump</a> <a href="" type="internal">executive order</a> <a href="" type="internal">Liberty University</a></p> | Trump extols ‘religious freedom’ order at Liberty University | false | http://washingtonblade.com/2017/05/15/trump-extols-religious-freedom-eo-liberty-university/ | 3 |
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<p />
<p>What: Shares of online jewelry retailer Blue Nile(NASDAQ: NILE) sank 25% in February, according to data provided by <a href="https://www.capitaliq.com/home.aspx" type="external">S&amp;P Global Market Intelligence Opens a New Window.</a>, leaving shareholders trailing the broader market over the last year (the stock had been trouncing indexes by 30 percentage points as recently as December).</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/NILE" type="external">NILE</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>So what: Investors <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/02/11/shares-plunge-as-blue-nile-inc-reins-in-its-growth.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">reacted harshly Opens a New Window.</a> to the company's fourth-quarter results. Sales for the holiday period declined by 5%, which left Blue Nile at just $480 million of revenue for all of 2015, compared to management's forecast of $493 million. Engagement jewelry sales fell 8% in Q4, marking a significant slowdown from the prior quarter's 7% uptick.</p>
<p>Nile is hardly alone in that struggle, though. Jewelry giant Tiffany's (NYSE: TIF) holiday sales fell 5% as well, which the company blamed on "restrained consumer spending tied to challenging and uncertain global economic conditions."</p>
<p>As for earnings, Blue Nile held the line on pricing and raised its profitability in the process. Gross margin improved from 18.1% of sales to 19.4%.</p>
<p>Now what: Consistent with rival Tiffany's forecast, Blue Nile management sees more weakness in the global jewel market this year -- annual sales are projected to show no improvement and weigh in at $480 million. For a growth stock, that uninspiring outlook was enough to sink shares last month.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Image source: Blue Nile.</p>
<p>The company expects to keep booking modest profit margin gains in 2016 while expanding its Webroom concept that allows customers to handle jewelry before making their purchase decisions.</p>
<p>Investors smarting from the business' lower growth potential also received a key financial consolation: Blue Nile initiated a dividend to the tune of 80% of last year's earnings. Without promising that it will be a regular payout, management said they would assess the company's capital position each year when determining whether to issue a dividend, and how much of the prior year's earnings to pay out to shareholders.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/03/09/why-blue-nile-inc-stock-plunged-25-in-february.aspx" type="external">Why Blue Nile Inc. Stock Plunged 25% in February Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSigma/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Demitrios Kalogeropoulos Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Blue Nile. 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> | Why Blue Nile Inc. Stock Plunged 25% in February | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/09/why-blue-nile-inc-stock-plunged-25-in-february.html | 2016-03-09 | 0 |
<p>SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The warnings around Nikolas Cruz seemed to flash like neon signs: expelled from school, fighting with classmates, a fascination with weapons and hurting animals, disturbing images and comments posted to social media, previous mental health treatment.</p>
<p>In Florida, that wasn’t enough for relatives, authorities or his school to request a judicial order barring him from possessing guns.</p>
<p>Only five states have laws allowing family members, guardians or police to ask judges to temporarily strip gun rights from people who show warning signs of violence. Supporters of the measures, deemed “red flag laws” or gun violence restraining orders, say they can save lives by stopping some shootings and suicides.</p>
<p>Florida, where Cruz is accused of using an AR-15 rifle to kill 17 people at his former high school, does not have such a law. He was able to legally own the semi-automatic rifle even though his mother, classmates and teachers had at times described him as dangerous and threatening.</p>
<p />
<p>Red flag legislation was introduced last fall in Florida by Democratic lawmakers, but its fate is uncertain in a state Legislature controlled by Republicans who generally favor expanding gun rights. After Wednesday’s shooting at a high school in Parkland, a suburb north of Miami, Republican Gov. Rick Scott said he will work to make sure people with mental illnesses don’t have access to guns but offered no specifics.</p>
<p>In 2014, California became the first state to let family members ask a judge to remove firearms from a relative who appears to pose a threat. It was passed after a mentally ill man, Elliot Rodger, killed six University of California, Santa Barbara, students and wounded 13 other people near the campus before killing himself.</p>
<p>The law also allows police to petition for the protective orders, which can require firearms to be removed for up to one year. Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon and Washington are the other states with some version of a red flag law.</p>
<p>More than a dozen others, including Hawaii, New Jersey and Missouri, are considering bills that would allow family members or police to petition the courts if they want weapons taken from an individual showing signs of mental distress or violence.</p>
<p>The Florida shooting also has revived debate about whether teachers and school administrators should have that authority as well, given that people at Cruz’s high school witnessed much of his erratic behavior.</p>
<p>California lawmakers voted to expand their law in 2016 so that high school and college personnel, co-workers and mental health professionals can seek the restraining orders, but Gov. Jerry Brown called the effort premature and vetoed it.</p>
<p>State Assemblyman Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat, said he plans to reintroduce the bill.</p>
<p>“We need to make sure that when people see signs, they have every ability to do something about getting guns out of the hands of mentally ill and dangerous people,” Ting told The Associated Press.</p>
<p>Circumstances similar to those in Florida played out seven years ago in the shooting of an Arizona congresswoman. Jared Loughner had become increasingly disruptive and erratic at his community college in the months leading up to the shooting, frightening students and causing teachers to request campus police officers be on hand during his classes. Eventually, the school threatened him with suspension.</p>
<p>Soon after, he went to a gun store and legally bought the weapon he used in the attack outside a grocery store where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was meeting constituents. Loughner shot Giffords in the head and killed six people.</p>
<p>In the absence of red flag laws, the main recourse available to family members is to have their troubled loved one committed to a psychiatric institution. Federal law permanently bans anyone who has been involuntary committed from owning guns, but such actions are more difficult to carry out than red flag laws, which are intended to be quick and temporary and have a lower standard of proof.</p>
<p>Without a commitment, formal adjudication of serious mental illness or a felony conviction, many people can pass background checks and possess guns they already own.</p>
<p>The red flag laws act as a sort of timeout so someone in psychological distress can get counseling while their fitness to possess a gun is evaluated, said Laura Cutilletta, legal director of the Giffords Law Center.</p>
<p>“It’s a way to allow for temporary removal of firearms in a situation just like this: where somebody has made threats, where they have been expelled from school because of those threats, they’re in counseling, and parents or the school or whoever it is understands that this person poses a threat,” she said.</p>
<p>Many gun-rights activists oppose the laws. They say they can be used to unfairly take away rights from people who have not been convicted of crimes or professionally evaluated for mental illness.</p>
<p>The National Rifle Association’s lobbying arm has said such laws allow courts to remove Second Amendment rights “based on third-party allegations and evidentiary standards” that are lower than what’s required in criminal proceedings.</p>
<p>Connecticut led the way with a 1999 law, passed after an employee shot and killed four executives at the state Lottery headquarters. It allows police to remove guns based on probable cause that a person poses a “risk of imminent personal injury.”</p>
<p>In a study published last year, researchers at Duke, Yale, Connecticut and Virginia estimated that dozens of suicides have been prevented by the law, roughly one for every 10 gun seizures carried out. They said such laws “could significantly mitigate the risk” posed by the small number of legal gun owners who might suddenly pose a significant danger.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Foley reported from Iowa City, Iowa.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Associated Press writers Jonathan J. Cooper in Sacramento, Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida, and Lisa Marie Pane in Atlanta contributed to this report.</p> | Warning Signs Weren’t Enough to Stop Suspect's Gun Buy in Florida | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/warning-signs-werent-enough-stop-suspects-gun-buy-florida/ | 2018-02-18 | 4 |
<p><a href="" type="internal">Dez Bryant</a> is one who feeds off emotion, so much so that <a href="" type="internal">Dallas Cowboys</a> executive vice president <a href="" type="internal">Stephen Jones</a> said that the wide receiver's antics sometimes can be a distraction.</p>
<p>Jones spoke about the future of Bryant, who is slated to make a $12.5 million base salary and account for a $16.5 million cap charge next season. Jones said he is weighing all options when it comes to a 29-year-old wide receiver that has failed to record a 1,000-yard season in each of his last three years.</p>
<p />
<p>"Tony (Romo) certainly his game, they kind of tailored it to one another," Jones said on the "Hangin' With The Boys" podcast/radio show Monday. "When Dak (Prescott) came in, he certainly is not going to play the game exactly like Tony played the game. I think it hasn't ever just hit on all cylinders yet in term of how Dak-and-Dez the connection works. I think it's a work in progress. I think it could improve if given the opportunity.</p>
<p>"The other thing that we all see and it is certainly visible to anyone who watches our games, watches our sideline, is Dez is certainly a fiery guy who plays with a lot of emotion both on and off the field. Sometimes that can be a distraction. It can be a distraction for Dez; it can be a distraction for other teammates. We just have to really get our hands around when you put all the full body of work together where that's headed."</p>
<p>Bryant, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, has 150 receptions over the last three seasons and has failed to reach double-digit touchdowns since 2014.</p>
<p>"Of course, we pay Dez a lot of money, and he knows that. He's as aware of it as anybody," Jone said. "... He knows when you get paid that kind of money there's high expectations in terms of the productivity. ... Those are all things we have to look at as a team, as an organization when we start to put our team together for next year."</p>
<p>Prior to the season finale, Bryant told reporters that he would resist a pay cut.</p>
<p>"I haven't heard no talk about that but if it comes, I don't know, probably not," Bryant said at the time. "Hell no, man. I believe in me."</p>
<p>The Cowboys can free $8.5 million if they release Bryant or $12 million if he is designated as a post-June 1 cut, with him counting $4 million against the cap in 2019.</p>
<p>Bryant, who has gone a career-worst 23 regular-season games without a 100-yard performance, had a team-leading 69 receptions for 838 yards with six touchdowns in 16 games this season.</p> | Cowboys VP Jones: WR Bryant can be a 'distraction' | false | https://upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/2018/01/23/Cowboys-VP-Jones-WR-Bryant-can-be-a-distraction/5731516723760/ | 2 |
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<p>(Reuters) - Elliott Management Corp said on Friday NXP Semiconductors NV is worth much more than its previous assessment of $135 per share and Qualcomm Inc’s $110 offer to buy the chipmaker.</p> FILE PHOTO: A man works on a tent for NXP Semiconductors in preparation for the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. on January 4, 2015. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
<p>“The current $110 offer is not even in the right zipcode and a credible offer from Qualcomm requires a price in excess of our estimate of NXP’s intrinsic standalone fair value of $135 per share,” the activist hedge fund said.</p>
<p>Elliott, which owns about 6.6 percent in NXP, had said in December NXP was worth about 23 percent more than Qualcomm’s offer.</p>
<p>Elliott had then retained financial adviser UBS Investment Bank to conduct an analysis on NXP and share the report with other shareholders.</p>
<p>According to UBS’s analysis, synergies from the deal could create between $19 and $48 of value per NXP share.</p>
<p>NXP shareholders would be at a disadvantage if a transaction occurred and these synergies were not appropriately and fairly shared, Elliott said.</p>
<p>In August, Elliott hinted that it was pushing for a higher price tag in NXP’s pending $38-billion sale to Qualcomm.</p>
<p>Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MUMBAI (Reuters) - India’s central bank barred banks on Friday from having any links to virtual currency dealers, slashing the prices of bitcoin and other crypto-currencies on local exchanges.</p> Giant electronic billboards display adverts for crypto currency investment companies as commuters arrive at Canary Wharf tube station in London, Britain April 6, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Walker
<p>Pakistan’s central bank said in a separate statement late on Friday that crypto-currencies were not legal in the country.</p>
<p>The State Bank of Pakistan told banks and other financial services providers to refuse customers seeking crypto-currency transactions.</p>
<p>It noted that those using crypto-currencies to transfer funds outside Pakistan could be prosecuted.</p>
<p>India’s government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have previously cautioned the public over crypto-currencies, with New Delhi vowing earlier this year to eliminate the use of digital currency, which it considers illegal.</p>
<p>The RBI said on Thursday that entities under its regulation may not deal in any virtual currency.</p>
<p>The price of bitcoin plummeted to a low of 350,000 rupees ($5,392) versus its international market price of $6,617, following the RBI announcement, crypto-currency exchange Coinome said.</p>
<p>Bitcoin was trading before the announcement at a 5 percent premium to the overseas price, said Vishal Gupta, co-founder of the Block Chain and Cryptocurrency Committee, an industry body, noting it is now trading at a significant discount.</p>
<p>“This seems to be a very aggressive move,” said technology law expert Namita Viswanath, a principal associate at IndusLaw.</p>
<p>“Instead of the RBI taking a holistic approach and seeing how to curb potential misuse, it seems to be a rather broad-stroke approach of completely prohibiting this altogether.”</p>
<p>Late on Friday the RBI issued a more detailed circular stating any regulated entities that already provide virtual currency dealing services will have to cut all ties within three months.</p>
<p>The Indian government has previously likened crypto-currency investments to “Ponzi schemes” that offer unusually high returns to early investors.</p>
<p>It has set up a panel to investigate crypto-currencies and plans to appoint a regulator to oversee unregulated exchanges.</p>
<p>Thursday’s announcement raised concerns about the exit options for investors who currently hold crypto-currencies.</p>
<p>The Block Chain and Cryptocurrency Committee’s Gupta estimated that at least 4 to 5 million people in India hold some kind of crypto-currency and that 60 percent of them entered the market between October and December, when prices were at a peak.</p>
<p>“Most of these people are already sitting on capital losses,” he said. “Now the asset has become dead. You can’t transact with it. If you transact with it, your bank accounts are going to be shut.”</p>
<p>($1 = 64.9100 Indian rupees)</p>
<p>Reporting by Abhirup Roy and Devidutta Tripathy; Additional reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Euan Rocha and Eric Meijer</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Facebook ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) has confirmed that the data of 2.7 million EU citizens were among those improperly used by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, the EU executive said on Friday.</p>
<p>The European Commission said it received a letter from the social media giant late on Thursday and that it would press for more details, piling pressure on the firm that has lost more than $100 billion in market value in the last 10 days.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">Facebook Inc</a> 157.2 FB.O Nasdaq -2.14 (-1.34%) FB.O Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-facebook-italy-probe/italy-antitrust-opens-probe-into-facebooks-collection-use-of-data-idUSKCN1HD1SA" type="external">Italy Antitrust opens probe into Facebook's collection, use of data</a>
<p>“Facebook confirmed to us that the data of overall up to 2.7 million Europeans or people in the EU to be more precise may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica,” a Commission spokesman said.</p>
<p>“The letter also explains the steps Facebook has taken in response since.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel @AdeCar; Editing by Robert-Jan Bartunek</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - When China closed its local cryptocurrency exchanges late last year, an underground ecosystem of bitcoin “mules” and peer-to-peer platforms sprung up to allow bitcoin trading to thrive, away from regulators’ watchful eyes.</p> A woman using her mobile phone is reflected on an electric board showing exchange rates of various cryptocurrencies at Bithumb cryptocurrencies exchange in Seoul, South Korea, January 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
<p>Li, a Canada-based Chinese banker in his 20s, is one of these underground traders. He buys cryptocurrencies in other markets and sells them at a premium to investors in China, who cannot otherwise get them.</p>
<p>At the height of the frenzied demand for bitcoins in January, when prices of the digital currency were hovering close to $20,000 after a 20-fold jump during 2017, Li and other traders were able to sell bitcoins in China for 30 to 40 percent more than they cost elsewhere.</p>
<p>But in a matter of months, the premium for bitcoins in China has fallen to around 7 percent or less as a flood of bitcoin mules, who physically carry cash across borders for the trades, has swamped the arbitrage business. Cryptocurrency funds and individual computer-assisted traders have also piled into the market.</p>
<p>The boom has eaten away the spreads and shown how fast the galloping cryptocurrency markets can change course.</p>
<p>“The market’s kind of taken a downturn; there is less general appetite in this space,” said John DeCleene, an assistant fund manager running the fintech and cryptocurrency investments at Overseas Chinese Investment Management.</p>
<p>“It is too many players entering this market, but also less of the hype we saw in December-January, when people were paying a 30 percent premium because they expected 10 times gains overnight.”</p>
<p>DeCleene launched a $5 million Singapore-based global fund in November to invest in cryptocurrencies, blockchain-related equities and some exploratory arbitrage trading. He said it has generated a 58 percent return so far.</p> BITCOIN MULES
<p>Bitcoin arbitrage thrived last year as the cryptocurrency grew more volatile and some governments stepped in with rules to curtail trading.</p>
<p>The simplest geographical arbitrage involved buying bitcoin in unregulated markets such as Thailand, or ones that have legalised bitcoin trading such as Japan, and selling them in banned markets such as South Korea, China or India.</p>
<p>A second form occurred between exchanges, when nimble-footed traders bought cryptocurrencies cheaply on lesser-known exchanges and sold them for a profit on more liquid and widely used platforms.</p>
<p>There were huge price differences to exploit.</p>
<p>In early January, when the price of bitcoin was $17,600 on Bitstamp, the Luxembourg-based digital currency exchange, it was being quoted at 25 million won ($23,630) in South Korea, implying a 34 percent “kimchi premium”.</p>
<p>As China’s ban expanded from an initial prohibition on issuing new cryptocurrency to a shutdown of exchanges, premiums rose and traders quickly found new ways of doing business.</p>
<p>At first, it was limited to closed groups on the popular messaging platform WeChat and meetings at bars, where potential bitcoin buyers could meet sellers.</p>
<p>Then peer-to-peer platforms such as CoinCola, websites belonging to former Chinese exchanges Huobi and OKCoin, and even the retail platform Taobao became hubs for “over-the-counter” (OTC) cryptocurrency trading, conducted outside of formal exchanges and far more difficult for regulators to police.</p>
<p>“The big Chinese traders are all using CoinCola or going direct to each other through other OTC platforms,” like WeChat or AliPay, said Christian Grewell, a professor of business and interactive media arts at NYU in Shanghai who has lectured extensively on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.</p>
<p>AliPay is China’s leading online payment platform.</p>
<p>Another option, bank transfers between buyers and sellers, is “almost untraceable”, Grewell added, as it is difficult to prove that a transfer is related to a cryptocurrency transaction.</p>
<p>A trader in her 20s in Shanghai said she buys bitcoins in the United States to sell over the counter in China. On each trip to the U.S., she illegally carries $30,000 to $40,000 in cash, she added.</p>
<p>“Selling and buying bitcoins on those OTC websites is the same as shopping on Taobao,” said the trader.</p> BIG COMPETITION
<p>Hedge funds that can execute arbitrage trades quickly and at a fraction of the cost are squeezing individual traders, said Ramani Ramachandran, the chief executive of digital exchange Zenprivex.</p>
<p>Peter Kim of KIT Trading, part of Vulpes Investment Management, manages a $10 million cryptocurrency arbitrage operation.</p>
<p>“In the beginning, when there is 30 percent arbitrage, obviously you can travel to Thailand, buy bitcoins, send them to China, Japan, Korea and sell them. That’s easy,” said Kim, who was formerly an options arbitrage trader.</p>
<p>“But that opportunity is not going to last very long. And even though it is not as blatantly there, there are still many ways to profit from it, especially for someone like me who is used to making 3 basis points on a trade,” he added.</p>
<p>The arbitrage funds operate much like retail traders, buying and selling cryptocurrencies simultaneously on two different platforms, but on a much larger scale. That allows them to profit from smaller spreads.</p>
<p>Some retail traders, including Li, have turned to lesser-known cryptocurrencies such as Tether, which bills itself as being pegged to the U.S. dollar.</p>
<p>Tether is popular with Chinese seeking to move their cash discreetly overseas, as it is not volatile. That demand means it trades at a 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent premium in China, although the number was as high as 10 percent in January.</p>
<p>Li said his arbitrage activity nets him about $18,000 a month on a trading volume of about half a million dollars.</p>
<p>Although that is a tidy sum, it is far less than what frantic traders made late last year.</p>
<p>“The easy arbitrage is going to be much less prevalent now than it used to be,” Kim said.</p>
<p>Reporting and writing by Vidya Ranganathan; Additional reporting by Cynthia Kim in SEOUL; Editing by Gerry Doyle</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>MEXICO CITY/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing has publicly launched in Mexico with a website advertising its service to drivers and passengers, setting the stage for a potentially expensive showdown with rival Uber.</p> FILE PHOTO: The logo of Didi Chuxing is seen at its headquarters in Beijing, China, May 18, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
<p>A spokesman for Didi Chuxing Technology Co told Reuters that the company will launch first in Toluca, an urban hub located around 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the country’s capital. Didi has an operations hub in the trendy Juarez neighborhood in Mexico City.</p>
<p>Didi settled on Toluca, the capital of the central state of Mexico, because it is a “robust regional commercial and cultural” center, said the spokesman, who declined to be named. Its priority will be to learn from local communities about their transportation needs, the spokesman said.</p>
<p>The app will go live later this month, according to a source familiar with the plans.</p>
<p>The Didi spokesman declined to comment on the timeline. Didi’s Mexico website says the company will begin operations “very soon,” without providing a date.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Didi is working to quickly recruit drivers with the promise of higher earnings than competitors are offering. The new Didi website says the company will take no cut of fares until June 17, and is offering bonuses to drivers who recruit other drivers and passengers, a common tactic for ride-hailing companies vying to gain market share.</p>
<p>After mid-June, Didi is planning to take a 20 percent cut of fares, below the 25 percent commission on rides in Mexico charged by its biggest rival, Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL].</p>
<p>Late last year, Didi started laying plans for Mexico, Reuters reported, in what will be the company’s first launch outside Asia. Mexico’s clogged streets, underdeveloped public transit system and growing base of smartphone users make the country ripe for app-based ride services.</p> UBER RIVALRY
<p>In Mexico, Didi will for the first time put its own service up against Uber, its chief international rival.</p> FILE PHOTO: An Uber driver checks the route on a mobile phone inside his car in Mexico City, Mexico February 6, 2018. Picture taken on February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo
<p>Uber is the ride-hailing leader in Mexico, where it has seven million users in more than three dozen cities. Uber held 87 percent of the market in Mexico in August, its highest share in Latin America, according to Dalia Research, a Berlin-based consumer research firm.</p>
<p>A spokesman for Uber declined to comment.</p>
<p>Didi says it aims to attract drivers and passengers by promoting a safe service. The company has created a security button on its app that will connect drivers and passengers with police and other emergency contacts if they find themselves in danger, its website said. The company is also staffing a safety task force to respond to issues around-the-clock.</p>
<p>Didi will start off with a car service, although two sources said the company was also considering other modes of transportation such as scooters, motorcycles and bike-sharing.</p>
<p>While Mexico City and certain Mexican states have taken a strict approach to ride-hailing rules, the state of Mexico offers a friendly regulatory landscape, said Carlos Martinez, head of the Center for Citizens and Consumers.</p>
<p>“One of the principal reasons (to launch in Toluca) is the regulation in the state of Mexico, which is more or less lax, and the other is that Toluca has lots of economic activity,” he said.</p>
<p>A new train between Toluca and Mexico City set to open soon will also provide opportunities for Didi to shuttle commuters from their homes to the station, Martinez said.</p>
<p>Reporting by Julia Love and Heather Somerville; editing by Jason Neely and Rosalba O'Brien</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | Elliott says chipmaker NXP worth more than $135 per share India, Pakistan central banks clamp down on crypto-currencies EU says Facebook confirmed data of 2.7 million Europeans 'improperly shared' Asia's cryptocurrency arbitrage boom fizzles, but profits persist Chinese Uber rival Didi launches in Mexico, recruits drivers | false | https://reuters.com/article/nxp-semicondtrs-elliott/elliott-says-chipmaker-nxp-worth-more-than-135-per-share-idUSL3N1PE422 | 2018-01-19 | 2 |
<p>MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two advocacy groups say they have sued Alabama sheriffs seeking records about whether they have personally profited from jailhouse food programs.</p>
<p>The Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights and the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice announced the lawsuit Monday against 49 sheriffs they said did not comply with a public records request seeking information about the food programs.</p>
<p>A state law says state sheriffs can “keep and retain” leftover food money and some sheriffs have kept the money as income. A federal judge in 2009 found that a sheriff — who got the nickname “Sheriff Corndog” for feeding corndogs two or more times a day— had inadequately fed inmates and ordered him jailed for a day in contempt of court.</p>
<p>Aaron Littman, a staff attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights, said the “archaic system is based on a dubious interpretation of state law.” The money is supposed to be used, he argued, for official purposes.</p>
<p>“It also raises grave ethical concerns, invites public corruption, and creates a perverse incentive to spend as little as possible on feeding people who are in jail,” Littman said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.</p>
<p>Bobby Timmons, the executive director of the Alabama Sheriffs’ Association, could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>
<p>The groups said they asked sheriffs to provide information about the jail feeding program but received limited responses. The lawsuit, filed in Hale County Circuit Court, asks a judge to order the sheriffs to turn over the requested documents.</p>
<p>Alabama Appleseed executive director Frank Knaack said the public has a right to know whether sheriffs “are meeting the basic human needs of incarcerated people in their care, or are instead filling their personal coffers.”</p>
<p>MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two advocacy groups say they have sued Alabama sheriffs seeking records about whether they have personally profited from jailhouse food programs.</p>
<p>The Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights and the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law and Justice announced the lawsuit Monday against 49 sheriffs they said did not comply with a public records request seeking information about the food programs.</p>
<p>A state law says state sheriffs can “keep and retain” leftover food money and some sheriffs have kept the money as income. A federal judge in 2009 found that a sheriff — who got the nickname “Sheriff Corndog” for feeding corndogs two or more times a day— had inadequately fed inmates and ordered him jailed for a day in contempt of court.</p>
<p>Aaron Littman, a staff attorney at the Southern Center for Human Rights, said the “archaic system is based on a dubious interpretation of state law.” The money is supposed to be used, he argued, for official purposes.</p>
<p>“It also raises grave ethical concerns, invites public corruption, and creates a perverse incentive to spend as little as possible on feeding people who are in jail,” Littman said in a statement announcing the lawsuit.</p>
<p>Bobby Timmons, the executive director of the Alabama Sheriffs’ Association, could not immediately be reached for comment.</p>
<p>The groups said they asked sheriffs to provide information about the jail feeding program but received limited responses. The lawsuit, filed in Hale County Circuit Court, asks a judge to order the sheriffs to turn over the requested documents.</p>
<p>Alabama Appleseed executive director Frank Knaack said the public has a right to know whether sheriffs “are meeting the basic human needs of incarcerated people in their care, or are instead filling their personal coffers.”</p> | Groups sue, aim to learn if sheriffs profit from jail food | false | https://apnews.com/84c22c4967c744ecbc6b39d37fe02d33 | 2018-01-08 | 2 |
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<p />
<p>The trend was found in a study on children up to age 3 enrolled in the WIC nutrition assistance program for low-income women and children. Half of all U.S. infants up to 12 months old are enrolled in the program.</p>
<p>The portion of youngsters at risk for obesity fell during the study, from almost 15 percent in 2010 to 12 percent overall in 2014, researchers from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The rate declined in all ages studied. It was lowest — about 8 percent in 2014 — for the youngest infants, aged 3- to 5 months, versus almost 15 percent among toddlers.</p>
<p>The results echo a reported decline in older WIC children and were unexpected, given rising rates earlier in the decade, said CDC researcher David Freedman, the lead author.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“People are thrilled,” he said.</p>
<p>Previous CDC data showed a similar decline in all U.S. youngsters aged 2- to 5 years old, from about 14 percent in 2004 to 9 percent in 2014, coinciding with national campaigns targeting childhood obesity. Obesity rates tend to be higher in children from low-income families including WIC participants.</p>
<p>Freedman said reasons are uncertain for the decline in heavy WIC babies, but it came amid changes designed to improve nutrition and health in WIC food packages, including more whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Also, breastfeeding among participating women increased in 2009 and that can protect against obesity.</p>
<p>The study was published Tuesday in Pediatrics.</p>
<p>Dr. David Ludwig, director of obesity prevention at Boston Children’s Hospital, called the results encouraging but said, “It’s too soon to tell whether these new data represent a statistical fluke or evidence of real progress with the pediatric obesity epidemic. “</p>
<p>The researchers analyzed WIC survey data from 2000 to 2014 involving almost 17 million infants and young children. Rates increased early on, then remained stable from 2004 to 2010 until the decline.</p>
<p>Doctors don’t usually describe babies as obese, but measure their risk using a weight-for-length ratio. Those with a high ratio, generally heavier than 95 percent of their peers, face an increased chance of becoming obese later on.</p>
<p>Whether the decline has continued is uncertain and the study didn’t track infants to see if they became overweight or obese later on.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>According to the CDC, U.S. obesity rates total almost 18 percent among all 6- to 11-year-olds and nearly 21 percent among 12- to 19-year-olds</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>CDC: <a href="http://tinyurl.com/h5d27sv" type="external">http://tinyurl.com/h5d27sv</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner." type="external">http://www.twitter.com/LindseyTanner.</a> Her work can be found at <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/content/lindsey-tanner" type="external">http://bigstory.ap.org/content/lindsey-tanner</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story corrects the name of the federal agency to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p> | Chubby babies on the decline in aid program serving millions | false | https://abqjournal.com/907781/chubby-babies-on-the-decline-in-aid-program-serving-millions.html | 2 |
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<p>RATON, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on a helicopter crash in New Mexico that killed five people, including a Zimbabwean opposition leader (all times local):</p>
<p>5:40 p.m.</p>
<p>A New Mexico sheriff says residents from nearby ranches were among the first to arrive at a fiery helicopter crash that killed five people, including Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather.</p>
<p>Colfax County Sheriff Rick Sinclair said Friday that he had joined a game warden and paramedics in searching the rugged terrain for the wreckage after a survivor called 911. New Mexico State Police also responded.</p>
<p>Sinclair says that when the crews found the crash site, residents were already working to extinguish the flames.</p>
<p>The Bennetts’ friends and family say they had traveled to New Mexico to spend their holiday with friend and wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III, who also died Wednesday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>4 p.m.</p>
<p>A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board says investigators are reviewing aircraft maintenance records and flying conditions as they examine the charred wreckage of a helicopter that crashed in a remote area of New Mexico.</p>
<p>Investigators pushed forward Friday in searching for clues after the helicopter carrying a group of prominent friends went down two days earlier east of Raton. Authorities confirmed that Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather, were among the victims, as well as wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III.</p>
<p>NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss says the agency won’t release a probable cause for the crash until completing the investigation — something that has been known to take many months.</p>
<p>He says all parts of the aircraft were recovered from the site.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>1:13 p.m.</p>
<p>A 911 recording indicates Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett was injured but still alive as authorities tried to determine the location of a fiery New Mexico helicopter crash that ultimately killed him, his wife, Heather, and three others.</p>
<p>Raton police released 911 recordings Friday from the crash two days earlier in remote northern New Mexico.</p>
<p>Andra Cobb, the 911 caller and the crash’s sole survivor, was frantic as she spoke to a dispatcher, saying that she was watching her “family burn.”</p>
<p>She also said Bennett was alive but suffering from a head wound.</p>
<p>Her father, Paul Cobb, was the co-pilot. Her partner, Charles Burnett III, owned the ranch where the group was headed for vacation. Both were killed Wednesday.</p>
<p>Authorities say pilot Jamie Coleman Dodd also called 911, but later died.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>12:30 a.m.</p>
<p>Investigators will comb through the charred wreckage in search for clues as to why the helicopter carrying the group of prominent friends went down after dark Wednesday.</p>
<p>Friends and family members confirmed Thursday that Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather, had traveled to New Mexico to spend their holiday with friend and wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III at his ranch.</p>
<p>Despite frigid temperatures that evening, the weather appeared to be clear and the wind was mild as they headed east over a rugged area toward Burnett’s ranch.</p>
<p>The only survivor was Andra Cobb, the co-pilot’s daughter and Burnett’s long-term partner. She was able to escape before the helicopter burst into flames.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show the first name of the survivor is Andra.</p>
<p>RATON, N.M. (AP) — The Latest on a helicopter crash in New Mexico that killed five people, including a Zimbabwean opposition leader (all times local):</p>
<p>5:40 p.m.</p>
<p>A New Mexico sheriff says residents from nearby ranches were among the first to arrive at a fiery helicopter crash that killed five people, including Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather.</p>
<p>Colfax County Sheriff Rick Sinclair said Friday that he had joined a game warden and paramedics in searching the rugged terrain for the wreckage after a survivor called 911. New Mexico State Police also responded.</p>
<p>Sinclair says that when the crews found the crash site, residents were already working to extinguish the flames.</p>
<p>The Bennetts’ friends and family say they had traveled to New Mexico to spend their holiday with friend and wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III, who also died Wednesday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>4 p.m.</p>
<p>A spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board says investigators are reviewing aircraft maintenance records and flying conditions as they examine the charred wreckage of a helicopter that crashed in a remote area of New Mexico.</p>
<p>Investigators pushed forward Friday in searching for clues after the helicopter carrying a group of prominent friends went down two days earlier east of Raton. Authorities confirmed that Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather, were among the victims, as well as wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III.</p>
<p>NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss says the agency won’t release a probable cause for the crash until completing the investigation — something that has been known to take many months.</p>
<p>He says all parts of the aircraft were recovered from the site.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>1:13 p.m.</p>
<p>A 911 recording indicates Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett was injured but still alive as authorities tried to determine the location of a fiery New Mexico helicopter crash that ultimately killed him, his wife, Heather, and three others.</p>
<p>Raton police released 911 recordings Friday from the crash two days earlier in remote northern New Mexico.</p>
<p>Andra Cobb, the 911 caller and the crash’s sole survivor, was frantic as she spoke to a dispatcher, saying that she was watching her “family burn.”</p>
<p>She also said Bennett was alive but suffering from a head wound.</p>
<p>Her father, Paul Cobb, was the co-pilot. Her partner, Charles Burnett III, owned the ranch where the group was headed for vacation. Both were killed Wednesday.</p>
<p>Authorities say pilot Jamie Coleman Dodd also called 911, but later died.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>12:30 a.m.</p>
<p>Investigators will comb through the charred wreckage in search for clues as to why the helicopter carrying the group of prominent friends went down after dark Wednesday.</p>
<p>Friends and family members confirmed Thursday that Zimbabwe opposition leader Roy Bennett and his wife, Heather, had traveled to New Mexico to spend their holiday with friend and wealthy businessman Charles Burnett III at his ranch.</p>
<p>Despite frigid temperatures that evening, the weather appeared to be clear and the wind was mild as they headed east over a rugged area toward Burnett’s ranch.</p>
<p>The only survivor was Andra Cobb, the co-pilot’s daughter and Burnett’s long-term partner. She was able to escape before the helicopter burst into flames.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>This story has been corrected to show the first name of the survivor is Andra.</p> | The Latest: Ranchers among 1st to get to helicopter crash | false | https://apnews.com/44439f3acd634353b71e460d0af602d1 | 2018-01-20 | 2 |
<p />
<p>It's time to see if SeaWorld Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS) can earn a treat by performing a fancy trick above water. The struggling theme park operator has a media event slated for Thursday morning at its flagship SeaWorld Orlando park. Speculation centers around the unveiling of a new sea-rescue-themed attraction, but some brand bashers hope that SeaWorld will be taking additional steps to wean itself from live marine-life entertainment.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Let's not get too ahead of ourselves on the latter. The timing of the media fete may coincide with Takara -- SeaWorld Antonio's pregnant orca -- being ready to give birth later this month, but there's a reason why this announcement is being made in Florida instead of Texas. SeaWorld is <a href="https://seaworldcares.com/2017/03/Takara-is-Pregnant/" type="external">billing Takara's birthing process Opens a New Window.</a> as the last killer whale born at any SeaWorld park, a slick move to distance itself from the notoriety caused by the documentary Blackfish, but Thursday's move will probably be more about a new ride coming to its most visited park next year.</p>
<p>Concept art for SeaWorld San Antonio's new Wave Breaker coaster. Image source: SeaWorld Entertainment.</p>
<p>There are few secrets in this age of social media, and the internet has been buzzing with photos of survey markers and cable flags throughout SeaWorld Orlando's Sea Garden area since late last year. SeaWorld itself has also been adding rides at its parks that emphasize its rescue efforts, a logical move to combat the critics.</p>
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<p>You don't need to connect the dots -- or survey markers -- to know that SeaWorld Orlando is about to break ground on a new ride. Making the announcement now, more than a year before the start of 2018's peak summer travel season, suggests that this will be a pretty big attraction.</p>
<p>Rumor aggregator Screamscape.com is hearing that this will be a water-rapids ride. Local and larger rivals Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Universal Orlando parent Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) offer similar attractions already. Disney's Animal Kingdom has Kali River Rapids, and Comcast's Islands of Adventure has Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges.</p>
<p>The rumored move makes sense. SeaWorld Orlando already has two of the best coasters in the area, and its third major coaster is getting a virtual-reality upgrade this summer to make it feel less dated. An ocean-themed park needs water rides, and the recent refurbishment of its Journey to Atlantis water coaster actually stripped away most of that attraction's themed elements. SeaWorld Orlando needs an e-ticket ride to woo non-coaster riders, and a bar-raising rapids ride could do the trick.</p>
<p>The timing is deliberate, and not because of Takara and her pending calf. Comcast just wrapped up the <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/04/05/comcast-is-doing-what-disney-cant-this-week.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">buzz-building week Opens a New Window.</a> of the Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon debut at Universal Studios Florida. If SeaWorld waited until next month, the new attraction announcement would be lost in the media storm surrounding Comcast's Volcano Bay and Disney's Pandora -- The World of Avatar, both of which will officially open in late May.</p>
<p>SeaWorld needs a spark. Goldman analyst Christopher Prykull <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/04/06/goldman-likes-cedar-fair-disses-seaworld-holds-six.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">initiated coverage of SeaWorld Opens a New Window.</a> and a couple of regional amusement-park operators last week, and only SeaWorld attracted a bearish stock rating. His concern was that recent cost-cutting initiatives would eat into its turnaround potential, but Thursday's likely announcement of a major new ride could turn that thesis on its ear. The more that SeaWorld invests in new rides, the less it has to rely on controversial animal exhibits and stage shows to generate turnstile clicks. No matter where you stand on the debate about SeaWorld, aquariums, and zoos, there's probably common ground on the merits of new rides. SeaWorld shareholders hope that's the case, but we'll find out more later this week.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than SeaWorld EntertainmentWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=a83855f9-dc1d-437f-8c02-6cfbb6e75fe0&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and SeaWorld Entertainment wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-dyn%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=a83855f9-dc1d-437f-8c02-6cfbb6e75fe0&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of April 3, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFBreakerRick/info.aspx" type="external">Rick Munarriz Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of SeaWorld Entertainment and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Walt Disney. 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> | What Will SeaWorld Announce on Thursday? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/04/11/what-will-seaworld-announce-on-thursday.html | 2017-04-11 | 0 |
<p>T-Mobile US Inc. said Wednesday it will offer family-plan subscribers free access to Netflix Inc.'s streaming-video service, the carrier's latest bid to lure wireless customers away from its larger rivals.</p>
<p>The offer is available to new and existing subscribers on T-Mobile plans with at least two lines, which cost $120 a month. Netflix's standard plans, which allow customers to stream video to two screens, start at $10 a month.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>T-Mobile executives said the offer wouldn't stress their network because the carrier already supports unlimited streaming-video usage at standard resolutions. The company has said customers tend not to notice a difference between standard-definition and high-definition pictures on phone and tablet screens.</p>
<p>Netflix is the most-used pay-video service on T-Mobile's network in terms of data volume, the carrier said, behind Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube. The offer unveiled Wednesday would give qualifying customers a full Netflix account for phones and televisions alike.</p>
<p>T-Mobile didn't detail the terms of the Netflix deal but said it was structured to set the company apart from offerings from wireless competitors AT&amp;T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc.</p>
<p>AT&amp;T, for instance, began offering free HBO to customers on some of its premium wireless plans earlier this year. AT&amp;T is awaiting government approval for an $85 billion takeover of HBO owner Time Warner Inc.</p>
<p>T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere said the new offer wasn't designed to entice people to spend more for service, though the company has spent the past two years nudging customers toward its profitable family plans.</p>
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<p>T-Mobile Finance Chief Braxton Carter said the exclusive U.S. arrangement wouldn't alter the company's financial guidance.</p>
<p>The Bellevue, Wash., company is the No. 3 U.S. carrier by subscribers, with about 70 million.</p>
<p>Write to Drew FitzGerald at [email protected]</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>September 06, 2017 15:30 ET (19:30 GMT)</p> | T-Mobile Offers Free Netflix to Lure New Customers -- Update | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/06/t-mobile-offers-free-netflix-to-lure-new-customers-update.html | 2017-09-06 | 0 |
<p />
<p>&#160; &#160; A church lies almost entirely destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Les Cayes, Haiti. (Dieu Nalio Cherry / AP)</p>
<p>Every week, Truthdig’s editors seek to present an image that singularly renders the world’s triumph, trouble or toil.</p>
<p>Wikipedia has an entry titled “ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters_in_Haiti" type="external">List of natural disasters in Haiti</a>.” It contains a “non-exhaustive” list of “cyclones, hurricanes, tropical storms, torrential rains, floods and earthquakes” that struck Haiti dating back to 1954 and is sure to grow as climate change exacerbates the weather. In May 2004, torrential rains in the country’s southeast killed 1,232 people, “disappeared” 1,443 and displaced 31,130. Later that year, Hurricane Jeanne killed 3,000 people, injured nearly as many and displaced 300,000 Haitians.</p>
<p />
<p>In January 2010, magnitude 7 and 6.1 earthquakes struck within 10 days of each other, killing between 46,000 and 316,000 Haitians (the wild extremes of that range suggest their own story—that of the Haitian government’s incapacity to keep track of basic measures of the public’s well-being. In many instances, the government failed to calculate the extent of property damage.) Later in 2010, a cholera epidemic, unwittingly provoked by United Nations workers, killed 3,500 people and sickened more than 340,000. Laurent Lamothe, Haiti’s prime minister from 2012 to 2014, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/04/why-is-haiti-vulnerable-to-natural-hazards-and-disasters" type="external">said the quake</a> “literally set us back 50 years.”</p>
<p>Now, the death toll from Hurricane Matthew—which attacked with 145 mph winds, creating flying debris and swollen rivers—has soared to almost 900, while tens of thousands are said to be homeless. Plantations are ruined. Livestock has drowned. The Pan American Health Organization <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/08/haiti-cost-hurricane-matthew-storm-us" type="external">warns of another cholera epidemic</a> as floodwater mixes with sewage.</p>
<p>Why is Haiti so vulnerable to disaster? While the answer begins with geography, it moves rapidly to a consideration of the country’s history of poverty, debt, political instability, foreign exploitation and negligence, corruption and violence.</p>
<p>“What has really left Haiti in such a state today, what makes the country a constant and heart-rending site of ­recurring catastrophe, is its history,” wrote Guardian correspondent Jon Henley in 2010 in an article titled “ <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/14/haiti-history-earthquake-disaster" type="external">Haiti: a long descent to hell</a>.” “In Haiti, the last five centuries have combined to produce a people so poor, an infrastructure so nonexistent and a state so hopelessly ineffectual that whatever natural disaster chooses to strike next, its impact on the population will be magnified many, many times over. Every single factor that international experts look for when trying to measure a nation’s vulnerability to natural disasters is, in Haiti, at the very top of the scale. Countries, when it comes to dealing with disaster, do not get worse.”</p>
<p>“Haiti has had slavery, revolution, debt, deforestation, corruption, exploitation and violence,” says Alex von Tunzelmann, a historian and writer quoted in Henley’s article. “Now it has poverty, illiteracy, overcrowding, no infrastructure, environmental disaster and large areas without the rule of law. And that was before the earthquake. It sounds a terrible cliche, but it really is a perfect storm. This is a catastrophe beyond our worst imagination.”</p>
<p>“It needn’t, though, have been like this,” Henley continues. “In the 18th century, under French rule, Haiti—then called Saint-Domingue—was the Pearl of the Antilles, one of the richest islands in France’s empire (though 800,000-odd African slaves who produced that wealth saw precious little of it). In the 1780s, Haiti exported 60% of all the coffee and 40% of all the sugar consumed in Europe: more than all of Britain’s West Indian colonies combined. It subsequently became the first independent nation in Latin America, and remains the world’s oldest black republic and the second-oldest republic in the western hemisphere after the United States. So what went wrong?</p>
<p>“Haiti, or rather the large island in the western Atlantic of which the present-day Republic of Haiti occupies the western part, was discovered by Christopher Columbus in December 1492. The native Taino people knew it as Ayiti, but ­Columbus claimed it for the ­Spanish crown and named it La Isla Española. As Spanish interest in the island faltered with the discovery of gold and silver elsewhere in Latin America, the early occupiers moved east, leaving the western part of Hispaniola free for English, Dutch and particularly French buccaneers. The French West India Company gradually assumed control of the colony, and by 1665 France had formally claimed it as Saint-Domingue. A treaty with Spain 30 years later saw Madrid cede the western third of the island to Paris.”</p>
<p>And from there, a history of colonialism continued in which Haitians were treated as incidental to their country’s natural wealth and convenient location. A revolution regarded as the greatest slave uprising since Spartacus unsuccessfully challenged the rulers of Rome nearly two millennia before ended traditional colonialism at the turn of the 19th century. But freedom from the country’s former masters did not come with a foundation for general welfare and prosperity. “In exchange for diplomatic recognition from France,” Henley writes, “the new republic was forced to pay enormous reparations: some 150m francs, in gold. It was an immense sum, and even reduced by more than half in 1830, far more than Haiti could afford.”</p>
<p>“The long and the short of it is that Haiti was paying reparations to France from 1825 until 1947,” adds Von Tunzelmann. “To come up with the money, it took out huge loans from American, German and French banks, at exorbitant rates of interest. By 1900, Haiti was spending about 80% of its national budget on loan repayments. It ­completely wrecked their economy. By the time the original reparations and interest were paid off, the place was basically destitute and trapped in a ­spiral of debt. Plus, a succession of leaders had more or less given up on trying to resolve Haiti’s problems, and started looting it instead.”</p>
<p>The pattern persists to the present. The legacy in Haiti of the nonprofit Clinton Foundation, founded by former President Bill Clinton and current Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, forms a representative example. Many Haitians recall the Clintons’ efforts there by the illness they contracted from the <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/shelters-clinton-built/" type="external">formaldehyde-laced instructional trailers</a> shoddily constructed by the same company that was sued for sickening victims of Hurricane Katrina. Others recall reconstruction money promised by the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund that never came, as well as a frustrated standard of living that was supposed to be raised by jobs provided by a new foreign-funded and -owned garment factory. The book “ <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=1R87u4GZ2ewC&amp;q=was+learning#v=snippet&amp;q=was%20learning&amp;f=false" type="external">The Big Red Truck That Went By,</a>” by journalist Jonathan Katz, tells the story.</p>
<p>In 2010, Bill Clinton apologized before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for making a <a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/1/clinton_rice" type="external">“devil’s bargain on rice”</a> that damaged Haitians’ ability to provide their own food by arranging for the country to purchase rice from foreign producers, including “some of my farmers in Arkansas.” “It was a mistake,” Clinton said, explaining that the architects of international trade policy taught that poorer countries could move straight into industrial production if they were relieved of the need to produce their own food. “You just can’t take the food chain out of [local] production,” he said. It “undermines a lot of the culture, the fabric of life, the sense of self-determination.”</p>
<p>Looking to Haiti’s future after Hurricane Matthew, Matthew Smith, professor of Caribbean history at the University of the West Indies-Mona, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/06/haiti-hurricane-matthew-elections" type="external">worried Thursday</a> that “Haiti’s fragile democracy must not be knocked off course” now that the hurricane has indefinitely postponed a presidential election scheduled for today. Beyond Haiti’s borders, “There is now a desperate need for a new type of engagement with Haiti. After Matthew, Haiti simply cannot endure any more broken promises.”</p> | Photo of the Week: The Latest Devastation of Haiti | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/photo-of-the-week-the-latest-devastation-of-haiti/ | 2016-10-09 | 4 |
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ These New Mexico lotteries were drawn Tuesday:</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>02-06-30-31-55, Mega Ball: 7, Megaplier: 4</p>
<p>(two, six, thirty, thirty-one, fifty-five; Mega Ball: seven; Megaplier: four)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $63 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Day</p>
<p>1-4-1</p>
<p>(one, four, one)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Evening</p>
<p>3-8-7</p>
<p>(three, eight, seven)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $92 million</p>
<p>Roadrunner Cash</p>
<p>02-09-16-22-30</p>
<p>(two, nine, sixteen, twenty-two, thirty)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $56,000</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ These New Mexico lotteries were drawn Tuesday:</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>02-06-30-31-55, Mega Ball: 7, Megaplier: 4</p>
<p>(two, six, thirty, thirty-one, fifty-five; Mega Ball: seven; Megaplier: four)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $63 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Day</p>
<p>1-4-1</p>
<p>(one, four, one)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Evening</p>
<p>3-8-7</p>
<p>(three, eight, seven)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $92 million</p>
<p>Roadrunner Cash</p>
<p>02-09-16-22-30</p>
<p>(two, nine, sixteen, twenty-two, thirty)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $56,000</p> | NM Lottery | false | https://apnews.com/be451758011447b5a5073acc7451d98c | 2018-01-24 | 2 |
<p>For local news websites, it's historically been common to have lower market penetration than major Web portals. Perhaps that's changing, as evidenced by a press release sent out yesterday by <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com" type="external">SignOnSanDiego.com</a>, the website of the San Diego Union-Tribune.The site was touting the Media Audit's fall 204 survey showing that 32.1 percent of San Diego County adult residents said they visited SignOnSanDiego.com in the past month. That compared to 29.8 percent who used Yahoo!, 20.1 percent for MSN, and 15.2 percent for America Online.The previous Media Audit survey, conducted six months earlier, gave the site a 29.1 percent visitor figure, just half a percentage point behind Yahoo!</p> | Winning in the Local Online Market | false | https://poynter.org/news/winning-local-online-market | 2005-01-25 | 2 |
<p>Eight people were shot Monday night after a game that saw the Oklahoma City Thunder defeat the Los Angeles Lakers. The shooting occurred outside Cheaspeake Energy Arena in downtown Oklahoma City, <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/eight-people-wounded-shooting-following-oklahoma-city-thunder-081311399.html" type="external">the Associated Press reported</a>.</p>
<p>One victim was in critical condition, the other seven escaped with lesser injuries.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost:&#160; <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/world-at-play/aroldis-chapman-cincinnati-reds-arrested-speeding" type="external">Aroldis Chapman, pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, arrested for speeding and driving with a suspended license</a></p>
<p>Fans were streaming out of the arena when shots rang out, and "people immediately fell to the ground," wrote <a href="http://www.newson6.com/story/18578625/eight-injured-in-shooting-in-bricktown-following-thunder-game" type="external">Oklahoma City News Channel 6</a>. Despite the scores of witnesses, no suspects have been arrested. "Police said Tuesday the shooting apparently started after a confrontation between a group of men and a group of women in the 200 block of E Reno Ave," wrote <a href="http://newsok.com/update-8-shot-in-confrontation-after-oklahoma-city-thunder-game-police-say/article/3677634#ixzz1vdKyTYn0" type="external">The Oklahoman</a>.</p>
<p>A group of women approached a group of men, according to Dexter Nelson, captain of the Oklahoma City Police Department. "At least one guy pulled out a gun and started shooting," he said. "We don't know why it happened," he <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-shooting-oklahomabre84l0ks-20120522,0,5394706.story" type="external">told Reuters</a>.&#160;</p>
<p>"We heard at least five bangs," said Joe Fairbanks, a witness to the shooting who first thought he heard firecrackers. After walking closer and seeing victims on the ground, Fairbanks told the paper he "just happened to look down where I was standing and I saw I was standing in splattered blood."</p>
<p /> | Oklahoma basketball shooting leaves 8 injured, 1 critically (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-05-22/oklahoma-basketball-shooting-leaves-8-injured-1-critically-video | 2012-05-22 | 3 |
<p><a href="http://pienews.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Hyper.jpg" type="external" />Congress approved funding last week for the Pentagon's advanced hypersonic missile program and expressed concerns over China's recent test of an ultra high-speed strike vehicle designed to deliver nuclear warheads through U.S. missile defenses. The House fiscal year 2015 defense authorization bill approved $70.7 million for the Army's hypersonic [?]</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://freebeacon.com/national-security/congress-funds-armys-hypersonic-missile-after-chinese-strike-vehicle-test/" type="external">Click here to view original web page at freebeacon.com</a></p>
<p /> | Congress Funds Army's Hypersonic Missile After Chinese Strike Vehicle Test | true | http://politicalillusionsexposed.com/congress-funds-armys-hypersonic-missile-after-chinese-strike-vehicle-test/ | 0 |
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<p>In titling this clip featuring Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, The Associated Press noted that the “Bin Laden-Fed Unity May Be Short-Lived” in Congress. You think?</p>
<p>McConnell took the opportunity to register his support for a continuation of the Patriot Act, which he believes has been working for us Americans over the last decade. You think? –KA</p>
<p>AP via YouTube:</p>
<p />
<p /> | Senators Give Post-bin Laden Prognoses | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/senators-give-post-bin-laden-prognoses/ | 2011-05-04 | 4 |
<p>International stocks trading in New York closed mostly higher on Friday.</p>
<p>The BNY Mellon index of American depositary receipts edged up 0.03% to 150.51. The European index improved 0.01% to 140.02. The Asian index increased 0.11% to 175.22, and the emerging-markets index improved 0.05% to 325.61.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Latin American index declined 0.11% to 255.35.</p>
<p>Ericsson (ERIC) was among those with ADRs that traded actively.</p>
<p>China Mobile Ltd. (CHL, 0941.HK, K3PD.SG), China's largest mobile carrier by subscribers, said net profit rose 4.6% in the first nine months of the year on strong demand for faster wireless services, despite intensifying competition. ADRs rose 1.7% to $51.03.</p>
<p>Telecommunications-equipment giant Ericsson reported another quarter of falling sales and widening losses as it struggles to compete with new Chinese players, but investors saw signs that a monthslong turnaround effort was starting to bear fruit. Gross margin in its core network business improved to 31% from 28% in the year-ago period, after adjusting for restructuring-related costs. ADRs rose 9% to $6.45.</p>
<p>ADRs of InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG, IHG.LN) fell 1.1% to $53.66 on Friday as the company reported a slowdown in growth in the Americas and Asia compared to the year-ago period. However, the company expects to meet full-year targets. ETX Capital's Neil Wilson said cancellations hit revenue, but the company seemed to have picked up business as people displaced by hurricanes sought temporary accommodations and relief workers needed places to stay.</p>
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<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>October 20, 2017 19:04 ET (23:04 GMT)</p> | ADRs End Mostly Higher; Ericsson Trades Actively | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/20/adrs-end-mostly-higher-ericsson-trades-actively.html | 2017-10-20 | 0 |
<p />
<p>A Boeing plane in flight. Image source: Alcoa.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>What:Alcoasaw its stock price advance a hefty 22.5% last month. It's still down around 7% for the year, but what drove the big one-month jump?</p>
<p>So what: The real story at Alcoa is its pending breakup into an aluminum maker and a specialty parts company. And there was some good news on this front last month: The company reached an agreement with activist investor Elliott Management that should help pave the way for the planned breakup. But that wasn't the only good thing that happened at Alcoa.</p>
<p>Alcoa also inked a deal with Boeing to supply parts for that airline manufacturer's 777X, 737 MAX, and 787 Dreamliner aircraft. These are some of Boeing's newest planes and position Alcoa well for the future. Indeed, once Boeing picks a supplier, it's loath to change -- in other words, Boeing and Alcoa are teaming up for the long haul, and this isn't the only deal the two have together. Moreover, for Alcoa, the Boeing deal is further proof that its moves on the specialty parts side are paying off.</p>
<p>But there was also some positive news on the aluminum side of things. This business has been retrenching for years in the face of falling commodity prices. However, in February, aluminum prices moved higher. That isn't to suggest that Alcoa's legacy business is out of the woods yet, but the metal's price advance certainly won't hurt anything.</p>
<p>Now what: If Alcoa popped up on your screens because of the swift one-month move, don't get too excited. The story is still a long-term one that involves breaking itself in two, probably later this year. There are a lot of moving parts, which this monthly gain helped to point out. But if you take the time to dig into the big story, you might find you still like Alcoa's prospects -- even if February's big gain doesn't really change that tale too much.</p>
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<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/03/07/why-alcoa-incs-shares-rose-over-225-in-february.aspx" type="external">Why Alcoa Inc.'s Shares Rose Over 22.5% in February</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/ReubenGBrewer/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Reuben Brewer</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services <a href="http://www.fool.com/shop/newsletters/index.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">free for 30 days</a>. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that <a href="http://wiki.fool.com/Motley?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">considering a diverse range of insights</a> makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">disclosure policy</a>.</p>
<p>Copyright 1995 - 2016 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/help/index.htm?display=about02" type="external">disclosure policy</a>.</p> | Why Alcoa Inc.'s Shares Rose Over 22.5% in February | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/07/why-alcoa-inc-shares-rose-over-225-in-february.html | 2016-03-28 | 0 |
<p>New York Times (reg. req.) After a judge called G+J's suit against Rosie O'Donnell "ill-conceived" and said the case boiled down to nothing more than "bragging rights," G+J USA CEO Daniel Brewster told reporters: "While the outcome is not ideally what we hoped for, it is not a terrible outcome. Everyone at Gruner &amp; Jahr has expressed continued support for me.'' But one publishing exec tells David Carr: "This has been embarrassing for the entire industry. It presents a terrible image of the magazine business. And I think it is very bad for Dan Brewster as well." &gt; <a href="http://www.nypost.com/business/10679.htm" type="external">After courtroom tie, many wonder if Brewster's job is on the line (NYP)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20031113/5676169s.htm" type="external">Trial watchers say O'Donnell emerged as Wednesday's winner (USAT)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34111-2003Nov12.html" type="external">O'Donnell's "Queen of Nice" image took a drubbing in testimony (WP)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.adage.com/news.cms?newsId=39180" type="external">O'D rep: "She took a beating in a place she never wanted to go" (AdAge)</a> &gt; <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB106865553697063900-H9jeoNplaN2oJymZ4CHcaiGm4,00.html" type="external">Rose: "In many ways, both sides have been tarnished" by the trial (WSJ)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.nypost.com/commentary/10717.htm" type="external">Peyser: At victory bash, Rosie looked tired, harassed, disgusted (NYP)</a> &gt; <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/136440p-121389c.html" type="external">"I'm glad it's over...I'm going on with my life," says O'Donnell (NYDN)</a></p> | Carr: G+J's Brewster clearly shaken by Rosie trial outcome | false | https://poynter.org/news/carr-gjs-brewster-clearly-shaken-rosie-trial-outcome | 2003-11-13 | 2 |
<p>President Obama’s lieutenants would love it if all the networks ran a crawl line at the bottom of the screen during news broadcasts that kept repeating: “The economy, health care, energy, education. The economy, health care … .”</p>
<p>Then there’s reality. Over the past two weeks, the past has ensnared the present, deflecting attention from Obama’s domestic priorities and raising issues that divide his coalition. We’re talking about torture as much as health care, military commissions as much as green energy, and Nancy Pelosi as much as Barack Obama.</p>
<p>In principle, the president is philosophical about this, but he is also frustrated. “The balance he wants to strike,” senior adviser David Axelrod said in an interview before Obama’s big speech on terrorism on Thursday, “is to solve the mess we found in ways that don’t trigger endless, backward-looking partisan battles that inhibit our efforts to get other things done.”</p>
<p>This may be reasonable, but Obama is caught between two powerful forces and two conflicting ideas. Republicans want to change the subject from their own party’s failures and distract from the progress Obama and Democrats in Congress are making on health care and cap-and-trade legislation. Their slogan might be: Bring on the past!</p>
<p />
<p>Many Democrats, in the meantime, are eager to hold the Bush administration accountable for its policies on torture and all manner of other things. Large numbers in their ranks, including human rights activists who met with Obama on Wednesday, are deeply unhappy with a series of Obama decisions. These include accepting some Bush approaches, notably barring the release of photos of prisoner abuse and continuing to use military commissions to try certain terrorism suspects. The complementary slogan from these Democratic critics might be: You can’t escape the past!</p>
<p>Characteristically, Obama tried to cut through all this with his Thursday speech. He tried to position himself between the two camps and turn it from a no man’s land into common ground. He presented himself as a careful balancer making “tough calls involving competing concerns.”</p>
<p>The fact that Obama had to give the speech at all reflects the administration’s realization that its initial efforts to put these issues to bed have fallen short. Why?</p>
<p>Led by Dick Cheney — who gave a speech of his own on Thursday — many Republicans believe that national security is still the Democrats’ greatest vulnerability. With little to say on domestic issues beyond attacks on Democrats for being “socialists,” many in the GOP still see the security issue as their best political card.</p>
<p>Democrats are obviously worried about this — witness the timidity of Senate Democrats on Tuesday (in the face of demagogic Republican pressure) in cutting the administration’s request for funds for moving inmates out of Guantanamo. Are Senate Democrats for closing Guantanamo or not? If they want to bar moving prisoners to the continental United States, where will the terrorism suspects go? Guam? American Samoa?</p>
<p>Obama explicitly answered critics to his right and critics to his left. He was unequivocal in laying the problems he faces at the feet of the Bush administration. “We are cleaning up something that is — quite simply — a mess,” he said and criticized the “fear-mongering that emerges whenever we discuss this issue,” an indirect swipe at Cheney. He strongly defended his decision to close Guantanamo and insisted that the country could not “turn our back on its enduring principles for expedience sake.”</p>
<p>But in passages not likely to satisfy his critics among civil libertarians, he again defended his decision to block the release of photographs of prisoner abuse, arguing that making them public “would inflame anti-American opinion” and endanger American troops. And while he pledged to try to use normal legal processes with as many detainee cases as possible, he said that there were some among them “who cannot be prosecuted yet who pose a clear danger to the American people.” He added: “I am not going to release individuals who endanger the American people.”</p>
<p>Obama’s detailed arguments showed that he now understands, as he didn’t even a week ago, that in the wake of the Bush-Cheney administration, the words “trust me” don’t work on national security issues anymore.</p>
<p>Obama clearly wants to put all these issues aside and get back to the economy, health care and the rest. “I have no interest in spending our time re-litigating the policies of the last eight years,” he insisted. But many others do, and even a good speech won’t stop them.</p>
<p>E.J. Dionne’s e-mail address is ejdionne(at)washpost.com.</p>
<p>© 2009, Washington Post Writers Group</p> | Obama Can't Duck the Tough Ones | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/obama-cant-duck-the-tough-ones/ | 2009-05-21 | 4 |
<p />
<p>A stock dividend that's much higher than the market's 2% yield usually comes with unattractive trade-offs. Either the shares have been pummeled by weakening operating trends, the business' outlook is deteriorating, or the company is paying out an unsustainable portion of its (declining) earnings.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Occasionally, though, you'll come across hefty dividend that isn't marred by any of that baggage. That's exactly the case with specialty retailer GameStop and its juicy 4.8% yield.</p>
<p>Transitioning away from physical video games GameStop built its business around video game retailing, where it is now the largest player. In particular, the company's buy-sell-trade model helped it establish <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/05/29/gamestop-corp-earnings-surge-on-market-share-gains.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">a dominant position Opens a New Window.</a> by making it easier for gamers to own titles that can cost $60 a piece brand new.</p>
<p>Image source: GameStop.</p>
<p>Yet that business is impaired by two big weaknesses. First, it's shackled to a video game console cycle that adds uncertainty and volatility around new gaming device releases every few years. Second, and more important, it's being disrupted as gamers move their spending online.</p>
<p>Obviously, every game that's downloaded rather than purchased in physical form is one less title that could contribute to GameStop's profitable buy-sell-trade ecosystem.</p>
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<p>This is why CEO Paul Raines and his executive team have made it their mission to diversify into complementary businesses. In fact, management aims to have over half of GameStop's operating earnings come from sources other than physical video game sales by the end of 2019.</p>
<p>They're already making big strides in that direction. Gross profit from other business lines, mainly mobile phone services, consumer electronics, and collectables, was 25% of the total last quarter, up from 16% in the year-ago period. Success in these new segments powered not only an increase in profitability (net margin rose to 4.3% from 4.2%), but also a boost in overall earnings.</p>
<p>A strong dividend Okay, so the retailer's operating trends are strong, but is its dividend sustainable? You bet.</p>
<p>Its $1.44-per-share annual payout was easily covered by the $3.80 per share it generated in earnings last year, and will be better protected by the $4 per share that GameStop is expected to produce in 2016. Compare that sub-40% payout ratio with other high-yield dividend payers like Mattel , whose entire net income was swamped by dividends last year, or even Kohl's , which pays out over half of its profit in dividends.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/MAT/payout_ratio" type="external">MAT Payout Ratio (TTM)</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>In addition, Kohl's profit fell 22% last year and is down 40% in the last four years. Similarly, Mattel's slumped by 26% in 2015 and is down 50% since 2011. In contrast, GameStop's $400 million of profit set a record for the company last year and management projects another increase in 2016. One of these retailers is not like the others.</p>
<p>Following in Blockbuster's footsteps? GameStop's strategy and finances just don't fit with the (persuasive-sounding) thesis that the retailer will fail due to its reliance on selling a physical product in what's becoming a digital industry. It's not the next Blockbuster.</p>
<p>Yes, the company will need to adjust as downloading eats up a bigger slice of the market, but investors don't have to spend a lot of time imagining what that change process might look like. It's already happening, and the shift into selling mobile services and consumer electronics is making GameStop more profitable, not less. That's a rare situation to find in the small universe of stocks yielding close to 5%.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/07/this-48-dividend-yield-is-too-good-to-ignore.aspx" type="external">This 4.8% Dividend Yield Is Too Good to Ignore Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFSigma/info.aspx?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">Demitrios Kalogeropoulos Opens a New Window.</a> has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has the following options: short July 2016 $28 puts on GameStop. 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> | This 4.8% Dividend Yield Is Too Good to Ignore | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/07/this-48-dividend-yield-is-too-good-to-ignore.html | 2016-04-07 | 0 |
<p><a href="" type="internal">Once intense rivals</a>, Sen. John McCain and former Gov. Mitt Romney have teamed up to hit the campaign trail together for a two-day swing in Arizona. The race is for McCain’s sixth term in the U.S. Senate but their campaign message feels bigger and broader.</p>
<p>They each held the Republican Party’s highest honor as its nominee for president and each has concerns about the volatile politics of this political season.</p>
<p>Neither Romney nor McCain mentioned the name of their successor, Donald Trump, but clearly referred to him and his impact on the country.</p>
<p>Romney told a rally crowd in Mesa that he understands the populism sweeping the country around the world. “But part of that frustration and anger is because people don’t have trust in the people who are in government,” he added. “Our country needs people of character and integrity.”</p>
<p>"This election makes a difference and who represents your state makes a difference. I think John McCain's experience, his judgment, is gonna be critical for the next president, whoever that might be. I also believe, perhaps more than we've seen in a long, long time, it's important to have, among the people we elect, people of unquestioned integrity," Romney added at an event in Chandler on Friday.</p>
<p>Romney’s pitch was expressly for McCain’s re-election but it resonated with issues that surround Trump. The former Massachusetts governor, who was mocked in 2012 for his description of Russia as a top geopolitical foe of the U.S., said the next president will need to be “a person who understands what Vladimir Putin really is.”</p>
<p>Throughout his campaign, Trump has spoken favorably of Trump, saying he has been “far more” of a leader than President Barack Obama.</p>
<p>At a separate event on the economy, both Romney and McCain spoke about their support for trade sounding a different note than Trump or Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>McCain hinted that he didn’t want to get political, but criticized Hillary Clinton’s switching her support from the Trans Pacific Partnership.</p>
<p>“Our former secretary of state was all in favor of TPP and now strangely she’s against it. Maybe some felt that she felt the Bern,” McCain said, making reference to Sen. Bernie Sanders who made trade a big part of this challenge to Clinton in the Democratic primary.</p>
<p>Romney who touted entrepreneurship saying, “we are an innovation nation,” also appeared to be looking beyond November. “To get things done in America, you have to be willing to work across the aisle.”</p>
<p>McCain withdrew his support from Trump after allegations were made by several women alleging Trump made unwanted advances.</p>
<p>McCain did not speak of Trump but drew a laugh when he co-opted Trump’s slogan when talking about the Arizona State University football team.</p>
<p>“We can Make Arizona State Great Again,” he joked.</p> | McCain, Romney Campaign in Arizona With Focus on National Race | false | http://nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/mccain-romney-campaign-arizona-focus-national-race-n678156 | 2016-11-04 | 3 |
<p>Protests erupted in Southern California Thursday night after immigration authorities reportedly rounded up more than 100 illegal immigrants across three counties. Outraged protesters converged on the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, many blaming the new Trump administration for what they portrayed as unfair and unorthodox "raids" on illegals inspired by the new regime's hardline immigration stance.</p>
<p>"No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!" <a href="http://ktla.com/2017/02/09/protests-erupt-in-downtown-l-a-following-reports-of-immigration-raids-at-homes-in-l-a-san-bernardino-and-ventura-counties/" type="external">they chanted</a> during their demonstrations, which ended up closing down Aliso Street for about two hours.</p>
<p>But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say that the protesters have their facts wrong. The roundup, authorities explained, are simply "routine" arrests that have nothing to do with President Trump's policies, but rather are simply the faithful enforcement of existing federal policies.</p>
<p>And rather than innocent immigrants being pulled from their homes, as the protesters are claiming, ICE specified that those arrested Thursday were all criminal illegal aliens, including child sex offenders, drug traffickers and gang members. KTLA 5 <a href="http://ktla.com/2017/02/09/protests-erupt-in-downtown-l-a-following-reports-of-immigration-raids-at-homes-in-l-a-san-bernardino-and-ventura-counties/" type="external">reports</a>:</p>
<p>ICE officials have yet to release detailed information on how many people the agency arrested Thursday and where they were taken into custody, only stating that the activities were "targeted and lead driven, prioritizing individuals who pose a risk to our communities," according to ICE spokesperson Lori Haley.</p>
<p>"Examples would include known street gang members, child sex offenders, and deportable foreign nationals with significant drug trafficking convictions," she said in an email. "To that end, ICE’s routine immigration enforcement actions are ongoing."</p>
<p>The pro-(illegal) immigration advocates, however, maintain that those who were rounded up in the raids Thursday did not have criminal backgrounds, or else were just undocumented family members of the criminal illegals. The arrests, which immigration advocates say numbered over 100, reportedly took place in homes "in Santa Paula, Oxnard, Van Nuys, Downey and San Bernardino."</p>
<p>"For us, it is not an ordinary day," said CHIRLA Director of Policy Joseph Villa, reports KTLA 5. "We have hundreds of calls to our offices as well from attorneys indicating that their clients have been picked up. ICE is not releasing their names. ICE is not allowing them to see their attorney."</p>
<p>Villa added that the raids are evidence that Trump plans to deport all 11 million illegal immigrants currently living in the country. "It means that now what President Trump said — that he wants to deport 11 million — it is true," he said. "He wants to deport immigrant families, he wants to deport people with no convictions at all."</p>
<p>Democratic U.S. Representative <a href="https://cardenas.house.gov/" type="external">Tony Cárdenas</a> decried the arrest of the criminal illegal immigrants as "outrageous," writing a letter demanding more info and blaming the raid on the Trump administration rather than federal law and the actions of the felons living illegally in the country. "This is just one more action by this administration that hurts our communities and our economy," he wrote.</p>
<p>More from the Daily Wire on illegal immigration:</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">How Long Will It Take To Build The Trump Wall?</a></p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">How Many US Immigrants Are Illegal? The Numbers Will Stun You</a>.</p> | Protests Erupt Over Arrests of 100+ Illegals. Feds: They're SEX OFFENDERS, DRUG DEALERS, GANG MEMBERS... | true | https://dailywire.com/news/13364/protests-erupt-over-arrests-illegals-feds-yeah-james-barrett | 2017-02-10 | 0 |
<p>Aug. 21 (UPI) — Fans of Jurassic World will able to build their own dinosaur theme park in a new video game announced Sunday titled Jurassic World: Evolution.</p>
<p>The title, from developer Frontier, was unveiled during the Gamescom conference in Germany with a cinematic trailer.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWagBjDMwTU" type="external">The clip</a> features a Tyrannosaurus rex escaping from a Jurassic World-like compound before eating a security guard. The video also displays how players will design their own park complete with attractions and barracks for armed forces to take on escaped dinosaurs.</p>
<p>“Based on Universal Pictures’ iconic film franchise and created in collaboration with Universal Brand Development, the game expands on the official Jurassic World mythology and puts players in charge of cinema’s greatest tourist destination – where they will have the opportunity to create and manage their own Jurassic World,” Frontier said <a href="http://comicbook.com/gaming/2017/08/20/jurassic-world-evolution-finds-a-way-to-xbox-one-and-pc-next-sum/" type="external">in a statement</a>.</p>
<p>“As long-time fans of the entire Jurassic series we’re thrilled to be putting players in charge of their own Jurassic World,” added Frontier’s chief creative officer, Jonny Watts. “We’re excited to bring over fifteen years of management, simulation, and creature development expertise to a destination and franchise that remains an inspiration to us.”</p>
<p>Evolution is set to release in Summer 2018 for the Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC. The game will tie into the release of Jurassic World film sequel, Fallen Kingdom starring <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Chris_Pratt/" type="external">Chris Pratt</a> and <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Bryce_Dallas_Howard/" type="external">Bryce Dallas Howard</a> that is due in theaters on June 22, 2018.</p> | 'Jurassic World' video game 'Evolution' announced for Summer 2018 | false | https://newsline.com/jurassic-world-video-game-evolution-announced-for-summer-2018/ | 2017-08-21 | 1 |
<p>HARPER, Ore. (AP) — The drivers of two commercial vehicles were killed in a head-on collision on U.S. 20 near Harper, Oregon, just west of the Idaho border.</p>
<p>Oregon State Police say a commercial truck and trailer was driving east at about 9 a.m. Saturday when it drifted into the westbound lane and into the path of a commercial truck.</p>
<p>The two vehicles collided and burst into flames.</p>
<p>A Jeep Wrangler behind the truck collided with its trailer, and a Kia Spectra hit the back of the Jeep. No one was injured in those vehicles.</p>
<p>The driver and sole occupant of each commercial vehicle died at the scene.</p>
<p>About 400 gallons of diesel spilled into the road, closing US 20 into the evening.</p>
<p>The investigation is ongoing, but speed and weather are believed to be contributing factors in the crash.</p>
<p>HARPER, Ore. (AP) — The drivers of two commercial vehicles were killed in a head-on collision on U.S. 20 near Harper, Oregon, just west of the Idaho border.</p>
<p>Oregon State Police say a commercial truck and trailer was driving east at about 9 a.m. Saturday when it drifted into the westbound lane and into the path of a commercial truck.</p>
<p>The two vehicles collided and burst into flames.</p>
<p>A Jeep Wrangler behind the truck collided with its trailer, and a Kia Spectra hit the back of the Jeep. No one was injured in those vehicles.</p>
<p>The driver and sole occupant of each commercial vehicle died at the scene.</p>
<p>About 400 gallons of diesel spilled into the road, closing US 20 into the evening.</p>
<p>The investigation is ongoing, but speed and weather are believed to be contributing factors in the crash.</p> | Head-on crash kills drivers of 2 commercial vehicles | false | https://apnews.com/b131098003804ffbb7c51e1dd2093d08 | 2017-12-31 | 2 |
<p>In the summer of 2001, I was tasked to determine how the company I worked for could increase its revenue in the airline market. On September 11, 2001, I had invited one of the mangers from United Airlines to our facility to discuss how our product could improve aircraft fueling efficiency.</p>
<p>When the first plane hit, the news was reporting a small plane had hit one of the towers. Shortly thereafter, the second plane hit the second tower.</p>
<p>I remember turning to a colleague at that point and saying "I'm not sure what's going on but we're at war with someone today." He looked at me as if I was from Mars and just said "Nah."</p>
<p>We had a brief meeting with the customer who said he wasn't sure either what was happening but he had to go. He found he couldn't get a flight since everything was grounded by that point so he just jumped into his rental car and took off.</p>
<p>Later that afternoon I had scheduled a meeting with my boss to review the results of the meeting that was supposed to take place but didn't. I started the meeting by saying "I know everyone is pretty upset by what's happened today." And my boss said "Why?" WHY?&#160;I was gobsmacked! He said that it was bad but these sort of things happen and everything would return to normal soon. The rest of his&#160;sycophants agreed. I was to reschedule with the customer in a few weeks.</p>
<p>I went back to my desk rather confused that these smart folks couldn't see something so obvious - something big, profound, and life changing had just occurred.</p>
<p>I have this same feeling after Las Vegas.</p>
<p>I've written that we've been fortunate the terrorists are basically stupid and poorly funded because I can think of any number of ways to kill a whole lot of people without spending a vast sum of money. As some Spartans pointed out, for the most part it's been about martyrdom, creating terror, or some other motivation rather than focusing on killing vast numbers of people.</p>
<p>On Sunday, all of that changed.</p>
<p>Regardless of whether the shooter turns out to be deranged, Anifa, ISIS, or had some completely different motivation, he has demonstrated how someone with average skills and a relatively small amount of money can cause huge loss of life. The genie is out of the bottle.</p>
<p>Gun control is now going to happen whether we like it or not. It is now completely indefensible to hold the position that individuals should have weapons capable of automatic or semi-automatic fire. Please feel free to recite the Second Amendment, protection from our own government,&#160; and the need for self-protection in the comments if you must but it's now a losing argument.</p>
<p>Would any sort of gun control have stopped Las Vegas? No. Of course not. But it's not going to matter. The "but we have to do something!"&#160;along with "we have to try!"&#160;arguments are going to win the day.</p>
<p>My only hope is that President Trump can provide the leadership to limit the ban to the weapons that could truly be classified as "weapons of mass killing" while bringing some of his base to the realization that they're now completely on the wrong side of the argument. The world has changed.</p> | Prepare yourself for gun control | true | https://spartareport.com/2017/10/prepare-gun-control/ | 2017-10-04 | 0 |
<p />
<p>You probably have insured many things – your house, your car, your life, your family… but have you considered insuring your ability to work and earn a living?</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Disability insurance pays benefits if you become disabled and incapable of providing the income necessary to take care of yourself and your family. If you do not have a group disability insurance option through your workplace, you may be forced to shop for private disability insurance to meet your needs – or you may need to supplement workplace disability insurance with a secondary policy.</p>
<p>In any case, you should ask a few questions before committing to a disability insurance policy.</p>
<p>1. Is the Policy Non-Cancellable? – A non-cancellable guaranteed renewable policy is usually preferred, because your policy cannot be canceled as long as you make your premium payments on time, and you are guaranteed the benefits and premiums that were originally agreed upon. These terms last until some set age or timeframe pre-determined in the policy.</p>
<p>Guaranteed renewable policies cannot be canceled if the premiums are paid, but the premiums ,may be changed with state approval if the changes are applied to an entire class.</p>
<p>Conditionally renewable policies are just as the name implies. The yearly renewal can be contingent on conditions set by the insurance company, and those conditions are not likely to be favorable to you. These policies may be less expensive, but you have to ask yourself whether the savings are worth the risk.</p>
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<p>2. What are the Job Requirements for Disability Benefits? – Does disability refer to the inability to perform only your current job, or any job that you can perform given the nature of your disability? For example, a surgeon who depends on his or her hands for a living could suffer a hand injury that ends a surgical career, but allows for a desk job that pays far less.</p>
<p>Cheaper policies will generally have less latitude on what constitutes a disability, and may require that you take any job available – regardless of what it pays or if it relates to your past experience.</p>
<p>For highly compensated skilled professionals, “Own Occupation” Coverage is advisable. Own Occupation coverage narrowly defines disability as an inability to perform in your current occupation. Another option is a residual benefits rider that pays the difference between your old salary and the best salary you can obtain post-disability.</p>
<p>3. What Adjustments Are Included? – Even though your policy may prevent the insurance company from unilaterally making changes, you may want to pay for riders that can make positive changes to your policy.</p>
<p>Does the benefit package include cost-of-living adjustments? Do you have the ability to increase your coverage if you receive a raise that makes your earning power more significant (and therefore requires more coverage to replace)? Can you add a rider to include benefits through retirement?</p>
<p>Discuss all of your options on riders to your policy with your insurance agent and think the cost/benefit relationship over before committing to any of them.</p>
<p>4. What is the Elimination/Waiting Period? – Also known as the qualifying period, this refers to the period of time between a disabling injury and the first payments. This allows the insurer time to verify that the disability is real and long-term. During that time, you are responsible for the expenses (in essence, this forms a deductible for disability insurance).</p>
<p>Ninety days is a common term, but longer terms are available for less premium cost (and vice versa). Make sure you understand what you are responsible for in the early days of a disability and how long you are responsible for it.</p>
<p>5. Is There An Integration Clause? – Integration clauses may deduct your other income sources from the payment total. If your insurer is the “first payer”, they will pay you the full amount regardless of any other income stream. Ask these questions, plus any others that may come to mind, until you are satisfied that you understand and agree with the policy.</p>
<p>We hope that you will never need to use your disability insurance – but if you do, some advance work will ensure that it takes care of your needs in case the worst occurs.</p>
<p>More From <a href="http://www.moneytips.com" type="external">Moneytips.com Opens a New Window.</a> <a href="http://www.moneytips.com/short-term-disability-101" type="external">Short Term Disability Insurance 101</a> <a href="http://www.moneytips.com/understanding-the-types-of-disability-insurance" type="external">Understanding the Types of Disability Insurance Opens a New Window.</a> <a href="http://www.moneytips.com/how-supplemental-insurance-can-help-you" type="external">Supplemental Insurance 101 Opens a New Window.</a></p> | 5 Things to Consider Before Buying Disability Insurance | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2015/02/18/5-things-to-consider-before-buying-disability-insurance.html | 2016-03-05 | 0 |
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<p>Madison Police on Saturday had roped off the area in front of the residence where a 19-year-old black man was fatally shot by a white officer Friday night. (Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal/The Associated Press)</p>
<p>MADISON, Wis. – The 19-year-old black man who was shot and killed by a veteran white officer was unarmed, Madison’s police chief said Saturday.</p>
<p>Tony Robinson was shot Friday night after an altercation in which Officer Matt Kenny, 45, was knocked down by a blow to the head, Chief Mike Koval said. He added it wasn’t clear whether Robinson, who died at a hospital, was alone in the apartment where the shooting happened, which neighbors said was where Robinson lived.</p>
<p>“He was unarmed. That’s going to make this all the more complicated for the investigators, for the public to accept,” Koval said.</p>
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<p>Kenny has more than 12 years of experience and was involved in a 2007 shooting but was cleared of any wrongdoing because it was a “suicide by cop-type” situation.</p>
<p>Several dozen protesters gathered outside the Dane County Public Safety Building on Saturday before starting to walk toward the scene of the shooting, holding signs that read, “Black Lives Matter” – a slogan adopted by activists and protesters around the nation after recent officer-involved deaths of unarmed black men. Protesters also shouted the slogan Friday night after the shooting.</p>
<p>“My son has never been a violent person. And to die in such a violent, violent way, it baffles me,” said Andrea Irwin, who told WKOW-TV on Friday night she is Robinson’s mother.</p>
<p>KOVAL: Asks protesters to show restraint (Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal/AP Photo)</p>
<p>Koval said he understood the anger and distrust taking hold in the community following Robinson’s shooting, and said that “for those who do want to take to the street and protest,” his department would be there to “defend, facilitate, foster those First Amendment rights of assembly and freedom of speech.” He added that he would ask protesters to follow what he said was the lead of Robinson’s family and “do so with a sense of responsibility and restraint.”</p>
<p>Kenny is on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation by the state’s Division of Criminal Investigation and the Dane County District Attorney’s decision on whether to press charges, Koval said.</p>
<p>A 2014 Wisconsin law requires police departments to have outside agencies probe officer-involved deaths. State Attorney General Brad Schimel said the department will not share details of the investigation until it is finished.</p>
<p>The shooting came days after the U.S. Justice Department cleared Darren Wilson, the white former Ferguson, Mo., officer who shot Michael Brown, of federal civil rights charges in the death of the 18-year-old, who was black and unarmed. A second report found patterns of racial profiling, bigotry and profit-driven law enforcement and court practices in the St. Louis suburb.</p>
<p>Madison, about 80 miles west of Milwaukee, is the state capital. About 7 percent of the city’s 243,000 residents are black.</p>
<p>Koval said police were called about 6:30 p.m. Friday because Robinson was jumping into traffic. A second call to police said the man was “responsible for a battery,” Koval said.</p>
<p>Kenny went to an apartment and forced his way inside after hearing a disturbance. Koval said Robinson then assaulted the officer.</p>
<p /> | Madison man killed by officer was unarmed, police chief says | false | https://abqjournal.com/551558/madison-man-killed-by-officer-was-unarmed-police-chief-says.html | 2 |
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<p>This news story originally ran on Jan. 14, 2013.</p>
<p>Christian opponents to same-sex marriage want the government to treat homosexuals as a special category of persons subject to discrimination, similar to the way that African-Americans and women were categorized in the past, cultural and economic critic Wendell Berry told Baptist ministers in Kentucky Jan. 11, 2013.</p>
<p>Wendell Berry (Photo/David Marshall/Wikipedia Commons)</p>
<p>Berry, a prolific author of books, poems and essays who won the National Humanities Medal in 2010 and was 2012 Jefferson lecturer for the National Endowment for the Humanities, offered “a sort of general declaration” on the subject of gay marriage at a “Following the Call of the Church in Times Like These” conference at <a href="http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/" type="external">Georgetown College</a>.</p>
<p>Berry said he chose to comment publicly to elaborate on what little he has said about the topic in the past.“I must say that it’s a little wonderful to me that in 40-odd years of taking stands on controversial issues, and at great length sometimes, the two times that I think I’ve stirred up the most passionate opposition has been with a tiny little essay on computers (his 1987 <a href="http://www.jesusradicals.com/wp-content/uploads/computer.pdf" type="external">essay</a> “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer” published in Harper’s led some to accuse him of being anti-technology) and half a dozen or a dozen sentences on gay marriage.”</p>
<p>Berry said he could recall only twice before when he commented publicly on the issue, in a single paragraph in a collection of essays published in 2005 and in an <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/312500/jeremiah-everyone-john-j-miller" type="external">interview</a> with the National Review in 2012.</p>
<p>“My argument, much abbreviated both times, was the sexual practices of consenting adults ought not to be subjected to the government’s approval or disapproval, and that domestic partnerships in which people who live together and devote their lives to one another ought to receive the spousal rights, protections and privileges the government allows to heterosexual couples,” Berry said.</p>
<p>Berry said liberals and conservatives have invented “a politics of sexuality” that establishes marriage as a “right” to be granted or withheld by whichever side prevails. He said both viewpoints contravene principles of democracy that rights are self-evident and inalienable and not determined and granted or withheld by the government.</p>
<p>“Christians of a certain disposition have found several ways to categorize homosexuals as different as themselves, who are in the category of heterosexual and therefore normal and therefore good,” Berry said. What is unclear, he said, is why they single out homosexuality as a perversion.</p>
<p>“The Bible, as I pointed out to the writers of National Review, has a lot more to say against fornication and adultery than against homosexuality,” he said. “If one accepts the 24th&#160;and 104th Psalms as scriptural norms, then surface mining and other forms of earth destruction are perversions. If we take the Gospels seriously, how can we not see industrial warfare —&#160;with its inevitable massacre of innocents —&#160;as a most shocking perversion? By the standard of all scriptures, neglect of the poor, of widows and orphans, of the sick, the homeless, the insane, is an abominable perversion.”</p>
<p>“Jesus talked of hating your neighbor as tantamount to hating God, and yet some Christians hate their neighbors by policy and are busy hunting biblical justifications for doing so,” he said. “Are they not perverts in the fullest and fairest sense of that term? And yet none of these offenses —&#160;not all of them together —&#160;has made as much political/religious noise as homosexual marriage.”</p>
<p>Another argument used, Berry said, is that homosexuality is “unnatural.”</p>
<p>“If it can be argued that homosexual marriage is not reproductive and is therefore unnatural and should be forbidden on that account, must we not argue that childless marriages are unnatural and should be annulled?” he asked.</p>
<p>“One may find the sexual practices of homosexuals to be unattractive or displeasing and therefore unnatural, but anything that can be done in that line by homosexuals can be done and is done by heterosexuals,” Berry continued. “Do we need a legal remedy for this? Would conservative Christians like a small government bureau to inspect, approve and certify their sexual behavior? Would they like a colorful tattoo verifying government approval on the rumps of lawfully copulating parties? We have the technology, after all, to monitor everybody’s sexual behavior, but so far as I can see so eager an interest in other people’s private intimacy is either prurient or totalitarian or both.”</p>
<p>“The oddest of the strategies to condemn and isolate homosexuals is to propose that homosexual marriage is opposed to and a threat to heterosexual marriage, as if the marriage market is about to be cornered and monopolized by homosexuals,” Berry said. “If this is not industrial capitalist paranoia, it at least follows the pattern of industrial capitalist competitiveness. We must destroy the competition. If somebody else wants what you’ve got, from money to marriage, you must not hesitate to use the government —&#160;small, of course —&#160;to keep them from getting it.”</p>
<p>Berry said “so-called traditional marriage” is “for sure suffering a statistical failure, but this is not the result of a homosexual plot.”</p>
<p>“Heterosexual marriage does not need defending,” Berry said. “It only needs to be practiced, which is pretty hard to do just now.”</p>
<p>“But the difficulty is not assigned to any group of scapegoats,” he said. “It is rooted mainly in the values and priorities of our industrial capitalist system in which every one of us is complicit.”</p>
<p>“If I were one of a homosexual couple —&#160;the same as I am one of a heterosexual couple —&#160;I would place my faith and hope in the mercy of Christ, not in the judgment of Christians,” Berry said. “When I consider the hostility of political churches to homosexuality and homosexual marriage, I do so remembering the history of Christian war, torture, terror, slavery and annihilation against Jews, Muslims, black Africans, American Indians and others. And more of the same by Catholics against Protestants, Protestants against Catholics, Catholics against Catholics, Protestants against Protestants, as if by law requiring the love of God to be balanced by hatred of some neighbor for the sin of being unlike some divinely preferred us. If we are a Christian nation —&#160;as some say we are, using the adjective with conventional looseness —&#160;then this Christian blood thirst continues wherever we find an officially identifiable evil, and to the immense enrichment of our Christian industries of war.”</p>
<p>“Condemnation by category is the lowest form of hatred, for it is cold-hearted and abstract, lacking even the courage of a personal hatred,” Berry said. “Categorical condemnation is the hatred of the mob. It makes cowards brave. And there is nothing more fearful than a religious mob, a mob overflowing with righteousness —&#160;as at the crucifixion and before and since. This can happen only after we have made a categorical refusal to kindness: to heretics, foreigners, enemies or any other group different from ourselves.”</p>
<p>“Perhaps the most dangerous temptation to Christianity is to get itself officialized in some version by a government, following pretty exactly the pattern the chief priest and his crowd at the trial of Jesus,” Berry said. “For want of a Pilate of their own, some Christians would accept a Constantine or whomever might be the current incarnation of Caesar.”</p>
<p>The video of Berry’s address is <a href="http://www.georgetowncollege.edu/cdal/" type="external">here</a>.</p> | Wendell Berry expounds on gay marriage | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/wendell-berry-expounds-on-gay-marriage/ | 3 |
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<p>PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man is accused of rigging the front door of a home in an attempt to electrocute his estranged pregnant wife.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/flagler-county-sheriffs-office/man-rigs-door-in-attempt-to-electrocute-wife/912903362217863/" type="external">Facebook post</a> Friday, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staley called the case one of the “most bizarre domestic violence cases” he’s seen.</p>
<p>Officials said 32-year-old Michael Scott Wilson was arrested Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee, and charged with attempted aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and grand theft of a firearm. He’s being held on a $150,000 bond and will be extradited to Florida. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.</p>
<p>The woman’s father called deputies after Wilson made suspicious statements about keeping children away from the door. Deputies found the front door barricaded, with burn marks. When a deputy kicked the door, a large spark was observed.</p>
<p>PALM COAST, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man is accused of rigging the front door of a home in an attempt to electrocute his estranged pregnant wife.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/flagler-county-sheriffs-office/man-rigs-door-in-attempt-to-electrocute-wife/912903362217863/" type="external">Facebook post</a> Friday, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staley called the case one of the “most bizarre domestic violence cases” he’s seen.</p>
<p>Officials said 32-year-old Michael Scott Wilson was arrested Thursday in Knoxville, Tennessee, and charged with attempted aggravated battery on a pregnant woman and grand theft of a firearm. He’s being held on a $150,000 bond and will be extradited to Florida. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.</p>
<p>The woman’s father called deputies after Wilson made suspicious statements about keeping children away from the door. Deputies found the front door barricaded, with burn marks. When a deputy kicked the door, a large spark was observed.</p> | Man accused of rigging door to electrocute pregnant wife | false | https://apnews.com/4d3cea28fe914f748c84b31e58c1dcb2 | 2017-12-29 | 2 |
<p>Financier Carl Icahn said he has voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit filed against Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc after talking with the biotech company's Chief Executive Officer Daniel Bradbury.</p>
<p>Icahn, whose 8.94 percent stake has made him Amylin's third-largest shareholder, filed the suit earlier this month after the maker of diabetes drugs Byetta and Bydureon was reported to have &#160;rejected a $3.5 billion unsolicited takeover bid from Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Icahn said in a regulatory filing on Wednesday that he "continues to strongly believe that the company should be sold at this time."</p>
<p>The lawsuit had sought to block enforcement of a bylaw that prevented the billionaire investor from launching a proxy fight.</p>
<p>(Reporting By Deena Beasley; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick)</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | Icahn Drops Amylin Lawsuit | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/04/25/icahn-drops-amylin-lawsuit.html | 2016-01-26 | 0 |
<p>Amid the fracas over who can marry whom, professor and author Stephanie Coontz poses a provocative question in Monday’s New York Times that leads to some interesting history and shifts the focus of the debate: “Why do people — gay or straight — need the state’s permission to marry?”</p>
<p>The New York Times:</p>
<p>Not until the 16th century did European states begin to require that marriages be performed under legal auspices. In part, this was an attempt to prevent unions between young adults whose parents opposed their match.</p>
<p>The American colonies officially required marriages to be registered, but until the mid-19th century, state supreme courts routinely ruled that public cohabitation was sufficient evidence of a valid marriage. By the later part of that century, however, the United States began to nullify common-law marriages and exert more control over who was allowed to marry.</p>
<p />
<p>By the 1920s, 38 states prohibited whites from marrying blacks, “mulattos,” Japanese, Chinese, Indians, “Mongolians,” “Malays” or Filipinos. Twelve states would not issue a marriage license if one partner was a drunk, an addict or a “mental defect.” Eighteen states set barriers to remarriage after divorce.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/26/opinion/26coontz.html?_r=3&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Marriage and the State: Not Exactly a Love Story | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/marriage-and-the-state-not-exactly-a-love-story/ | 2007-11-27 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Part of maintaining a diverse workforce means providing equal protections for employees regardless of gender, race, creed, age, disability, or sexual orientation. When a government fails to offer these protections to its citizens, a truly diverse workplace cannot exist.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) traditionally interprets Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, to&#160;also prohibit sexual orientation-based discrimination. Now, in direct defiance of its fellow federal agency, The Department of Justice (DOJ) has challenged the EEOC interpretation by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/26/politics/doj-amicus-brief-title-vii-sexual-orientation/index.html" type="external">inserting itself into a discrimination lawsuit</a> in New York's Second Circuit Court of Appeals between a skydiving instructor and the company he worked for. The brief submitted by the DOJ says that Title VII should not be interpreted to include sexual orientation as a form of sexual discrimination.</p>
<p>The State of State Laws</p>
<p>If the DOJ succeeds in changing the definition of sex-based discrimination, LGBTQ+ workers will suddenly lose a federal fight they thought they'd won a long time ago.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, if the DOJ succeeds, it will remove an important tool against discrimination directed at employees on the basis of their sexual orientation or sexual identity in states that have not passed <a href="https://www.recruiter.com/i/employment-law/" type="external">laws</a> protecting LGBTQ+ workers," says Aaron Goldstein, labor and employment partner at law firm <a href="https://www.dorsey.com/" type="external">Dorsey Whitney</a>. "While the federal EEOC has fought to expand federal anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ+ workers, the DOJ is looking to unwind recent decisions recognizing that discrimination against a person on the basis of sexual orientation is discrimination 'on the basis of sex' ... because such discrimination implicates traditional gender stereotypes that men should form intimate relationships only with women, and women should form intimate relationships only with men."</p>
<p>A DOJ victory in the lower court could have drastic short-term implications for LGBTQ+ workers, even in states with a history of social liberalism, such as New York.</p>
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<p>"If the Second Circuit Court of Appeals sides with the DOJ, then federal courts in Connecticut, New York, and Vermont will not recognize claims for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation under Title VII," says Goldstein. "The issue is likely to be taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court, since other courts, such as the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, have ruled that Title VII does prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. If and when the Supreme Court rules on the issue, the Supreme Court's ruling will be the law of the land."</p>
<p>If you're wondering how a definition change could affect LGBTQ+ workers in other states, the answer is: It depends on whether those states have their own protections in place.</p>
<p>"California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington DC, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin have state laws prohibiting private, non-government employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation," Goldstein says. "Alaska, Arizona, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have executive orders or personnel regulations prohibiting government employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation. The Second Circuit's – and, ultimately, the Supreme Court's – ruling on Title VII will not affect state laws protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, LGBTQ+ employees without such state laws will be left vulnerable to discriminatory harassment and termination."</p>
<p>The Case of Federal Agency vs. Federal Agency?</p>
<p>If anyone reading this is thinking that one federal agency challenging another in its own backyard like this is weird – you're right.</p>
<p>"It is extremely unusual for the Department of Justice to weigh in against the EEOC on a matter clearly within the EEOC's mandate," Goldstein says.</p>
<p>The DOJ inserted itself into the case by filing an "amicus curiae," or "friend of the court" brief. Considering the submission of the brief rode the coattails of President Trump's announcement that he would ban transgender troops from serving in the military, the true motivations of the DOJ seem suspect to some.</p>
<p>"On a deep level, the DOJ and EEOC's positions represent a dispute in legal philosophy," Goldstein says. "The DOJ takes the position that laws are stillborn, incapable of growth or change. The EEOC and the Seventh Circuit, by contrast, embody the view that laws are principles that must be reinterpreted in light of changing social norms and understanding. What it means to discriminate against someone on the basis of 'sex' is something that society continues to grapple with, and as our views on that issue change and improve, so should the courts' jurisprudence. Earlier cases failed to see the apparent contradiction in prohibiting discrimination on the basis of 'sex' but not sexual orientation. The DOJ's position is a surprising and disappointing step backward in the march towards full and protected participation by the LGBTQ+ community in our society."</p>
<p>Doing the Right Thing</p>
<p>Of course, workers are subject to rules other than federal and state laws. It's important that socially responsible companies act now to ensure they have embedded within their corporate policies protections for&#160;LGBTQ+ workers. Having these policies in place helps to promote an equal and diverse workforce.</p>
<p>Legally speaking, companies can take action against employees engaging in discrimination, even if state and federal laws don't apply.</p>
<p>"Companies can and should adopt policies prohibiting discrimination against employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, including those in states that have not passed laws enshrining such protections," Goldstein says. "Companies are free to discipline and even terminate employees who harass or discriminate against LGBTQ+ colleagues, even in states without legal protections for LGBTQ+ workers. LGBTQ+ workers and their allies should lobby their local, state, and federal governments to pass laws unequivocally recognizing and protecting the equal dignity of all members of our community."</p>
<p>This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.</p> | Does the Department of Justice Seek to Remove Protections for LGBTQ+ Workers? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/08/does-department-justice-seek-to-remove-protections-for-lgbtq-workers.html | 2017-09-13 | 0 |
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<p>Oregon State Police on Thursday posted a photo on Twitter that showed damaged cars covered by the gooey eels. The agency also posed the question: “What to tell the #drycleaner?”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the Depoe Bay Fire Department posted a video of workers using a bulldozer to clear the eels from Highway 101.</p>
<p>Police said Salvatore Tragale was driving north with 13 containers holding 7,500 pounds (3,402 kilograms) of hagfish, which are commonly known as slime eels.</p>
<p>As Tragale approached road construction and tried to stop, one container flew off the truck bed and into the southbound lane, while the other containers spilled onto the highway, police said.</p>
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<p>The flying container hit one vehicle which then caused it and four other vehicles to be pushed into each other. Police said the people in the vehicle hit by the container suffered minor injuries. No one else was injured.</p>
<p>When hagfish become stressed, they secrete a slime, which can be seen in the photos on the vehicles and on the highway, police said.</p>
<p>The road reopened after the bulldozing and hosing it off was completed Thursday afternoon.</p> | Eels from overturned truck slime cars on Oregon highway | false | https://abqjournal.com/1032967/eels-from-overturned-truck-slime-cars-on-oregon-highway-2.html | 2017-07-13 | 2 |
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<p>For each of the past two fiscal years, the county has set aside $1 million for commissioners, and spent $660,000 on their priorities.</p>
<p>According to county staff, the idea grew out of the county’s capital improvement planning and prioritization process, reviewed after voters approved three bond issues worth a cumulative $35 million in 2012.</p>
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<p>“We recognize there are a number of relatively low-dollar but high-impact projects that are not ranking high on county-wide prioritization,” Public Works Department director Adam Leigland told the Journal in an email.</p>
<p>“To address this, we have built a little more discretion into the process by dedicating some funds to pluck these high-value local projects off the lower parts of the list,” he wrote.</p>
<p>HOLLAN: ‘Mixed emotions’ about process</p>
<p>But the practice has evoked mixed feelings from some of the elected officials it’s meant to benefit. It also echoes a now-discontinued county practice of providing commissioners with tens of thousands of dollars in discretionary funds to spend as they pleased.</p>
<p>“I have mixed emotions about this whole process. This is really the intention of other commissioners. This is not my idea at all,” Commissioner Kathy Holian said about the commission-directed spending.</p>
<p>Commissioner Miguel Chavez said the practice came as a surprise to him when he joined the County Commission earlier this year. Chavez said he considered not accepting the money and putting it back into the pot for capital improvements that county staff had already identified as priorities.</p>
<p>“My first response was, ‘Don’t we have a list of priorities we’re already working off of? Shouldn’t money go there first?’ I really had mixed feelings about it initially,” Chavez said. “It seemed it was really operating at a distance from what our priorities might be.”</p>
<p>But, he added, “I’m finding out it’s really not that far away from priorities. It just allows commissioners to supplement maybe one project that is of more interest to them.”</p>
<p>Commissioner Robert Anaya said he feels strongly that commissioners should have resources at their disposal to address the county’s community and capital needs.</p>
<p>ANAYA: Among those who brought up idea</p>
<p>“I don’t see it as a negative tool. I see it as a mechanism to help the county and get projects completed,” Anaya said.</p>
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<p>How it works</p>
<p>Anaya acknowledged he is one of the commissioners who brought up the prioritization idea. But, he said, “we had a discussion at the county level as commissioners and it was a collective discussion. We all agreed during the budget process to do it.”</p>
<p>For each of the past two fiscal years, the county has set aside $1 million – roughly $200,000 per commission district – in capital outlay gross receipts tax funds for commissioners to direct towards projects in their districts.</p>
<p>A list provided by Leigland shows that $660,000 has been spent on 13 projects spread throughout the five commission districts, ranging from $6,000 for a traffic study on Richards Ave. to $256,000 for bike lanes on Old Santa Fe Trail.</p>
<p>Usually, commissioners have approached county staff with a project in mind, although in some cases staff has suggested certain projects might be a good fit with a particular commissioner’s priorities, Leigland said.</p>
<p>The projects must be part of the county’s capital improvement plan. But Leigland admitted that it’s not particularly difficult to get a project added to that list, which currently includes 345 projects cumulatively worth nearly $400 million.</p>
<p>Once a commissioner has identified a project, the county staff fleshes out a proposal and brings it to the County Commission for approval. Leigland said he can’t recall a project not being approved by the commission.</p>
<p>Anaya said requiring the commission’s approval means commissioners can’t act unilaterally in moving funds. “It’s the will of the entire commission,” he said.</p>
<p>Where the funds are going</p>
<p>Santa Fe County Commissioners have directed capital outlay gross receipts tax funds towards the following projects. Information provided by Santa Fe County Public Works Director Adam Leigland.</p>
<p>District 1</p>
<p>1. Cundiyo Community Center, $35,000 2. El Rancho Community Center, $35,000 3. Intersection improvements at County Roads 84 and 84J, $18,000 4. Photovoltaic systems at Tesuque and Chimayo fire stations, $18,000</p>
<p>District 2</p>
<p>1. Renovation of county Human Resources Building, $92,000</p>
<p>District 3</p>
<p>1. Community garden at Edgewood Senior Center, $40,000 2. Construction of monuments to commemorate the Camino Real Trail in Agua Fria Village, $16,000 3. Land purchase on County Road 51 to solve right-of-way issue, $13,000</p>
<p>District 4</p>
<p>1. Water infrastructure improvements in Cañoncito, $10,000 2. Bike lanes on Old Santa Fe Trail, $256,000</p>
<p>District 5</p>
<p>1. Oshara Village playgrounds, $17,000 2. Trail improvements in Eldorado, $90,000 3. Traffic study on Richards Ave., $6,000</p>
<p>Source: Santa Fe County</p>
<p>Holian said she would have no way of judging what the true priorities in another district should be. “I only know in my own district and the reason I know what the priorities are is because I listen to staff,” she said.</p>
<p>Holian said that commissioners usually have a good idea about what kinds of projects their constituents are most interested in. “I suppose that’s the good side of it. That commissioner can sort of direct funding to where they’ve heard it’s most needed,” she said.</p>
<p>“But they are choosing these projects,” she said. “It’s good that we (the commission) know about these projects but I think it’s highly unlikely the other commissioners would vote against what a commissioner would want in his or her district.”</p>
<p>Chavez and Holian acknowledged the capital outlay money could be used by commissioners to curry political favor with constituents.</p>
<p>“There are good points and bad points. The bad points are that a commissioner could make a decision based on political decisions as opposed to what the true needs are in the district,” Holian said.</p>
<p>Overall, Leigland said the county has around $85 million worth of capital projects – funded by gross receipts taxes, bonds or grants – currently approved or in progress.</p>
<p>Precedents</p>
<p>Up until a few years ago, Santa Fe County Commissioners were allocated $40,000-50,000 annually in “discretionary funds” that they could largely spend as they pleased.</p>
<p>Expenditures ranged from donations to the commissioners’ preferred charities, school groups and nonprofit organizations to purchases of baseball caps and golf towels for constituents.</p>
<p>Some argued that the funds were a good way to fill holes in various aid networks. But at least one commissioner said publicly that he thought some of the funds had been used inappropriately at times.</p>
<p>The concerns led to a review in 2006 by the state Department of Finance and Administration, headed at the time by current Santa Fe county manager Katherine Miller. Miller said then that, “for the most part” the county funds had been expended properly, and the allocations continued for a few more years.</p>
<p>Chavez said that, in hindsight, the money was “maybe not abused, but trivialized, used to buy things that were insignificant.”</p>
<p>Asked why the county doesn’t form a committee or task force to determine if some projects are worthy of being bumped up the capital outlay list, Leigland responded that commissioners are elected to represent the people of their districts and the needs of those constituents.</p>
<p>He also said commissioners have to keep their eye on the bigger picture and may have insight that “pure technicians like me” aren’t aware of.</p>
<p>“I think we’re elected as responsible members of the community. We’re elected to represent a vast area. That’s what we do,” Anaya said.</p>
<p>Chavez said forming a committee isn’t a bad idea but said that $200,000 doesn’t actually go very far when it comes to capital improvements.</p>
<p>Chavez ended up directing money toward the county’s Human Resources building, which badly needed updating.</p>
<p>Chavez said he already has plans about where else his discretionary money could be used, including paving Calle Nopal, a 2.5 mile patch of road near Alameda Street. He said what he’s trying to do with the funds is plug holes and work on things that have been neglected for a long time.</p>
<p>Holian said she relies on the county staff to tell her what they think the most important projects are.</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t particularly support continuing it but I’m not against it continuing if other commissioners want to continue that. I just try to do the right thing in my district,” Holian said.</p>
<p>Chavez said it seems to him that commissioners are being “very selective” in how they use their funds “and it’s being put to good use.”</p>
<p>“From what I see so far, even though I was very skeptical in the beginning because I didn’t think it was right that any one commissioner should have that discretion, I’m kind of sensing that if the commissioners are being very selective and there’s a broad public benefit, I’m OK with it,” Chavez said. “I think it can work out good.”</p>
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<p /> | Some county funds reserved for districts | false | https://abqjournal.com/325015/some-county-funds-reserved-for-districts.html | 2 |
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<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ These Iowa lotteries were drawn Saturday:</p>
<p>Lotto America</p>
<p>01-12-32-33-47, Star Ball: 5, ASB: 2</p>
<p>(one, twelve, thirty-two, thirty-three, forty-seven; Star Ball: five; ASB: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $18.06 million</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $50 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Evening</p>
<p>8-1-1</p>
<p>(eight, one, one)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Midday</p>
<p>3-0-7</p>
<p>(three, zero, seven)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Evening</p>
<p>4-8-3-6</p>
<p>(four, eight, three, six)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Midday</p>
<p>4-3-6-8</p>
<p>(four, three, six, eight)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>14-25-35-58-69, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2</p>
<p>(fourteen, twenty-five, thirty-five, fifty-eight, sixty-nine; Powerball: twenty-four; Power Play: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $50 million</p>
<p>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ These Iowa lotteries were drawn Saturday:</p>
<p>Lotto America</p>
<p>01-12-32-33-47, Star Ball: 5, ASB: 2</p>
<p>(one, twelve, thirty-two, thirty-three, forty-seven; Star Ball: five; ASB: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $18.06 million</p>
<p>Mega Millions</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $50 million</p>
<p>Pick 3 Evening</p>
<p>8-1-1</p>
<p>(eight, one, one)</p>
<p>Pick 3 Midday</p>
<p>3-0-7</p>
<p>(three, zero, seven)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Evening</p>
<p>4-8-3-6</p>
<p>(four, eight, three, six)</p>
<p>Pick 4 Midday</p>
<p>4-3-6-8</p>
<p>(four, three, six, eight)</p>
<p>Powerball</p>
<p>14-25-35-58-69, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2</p>
<p>(fourteen, twenty-five, thirty-five, fifty-eight, sixty-nine; Powerball: twenty-four; Power Play: two)</p>
<p>Estimated jackpot: $50 million</p> | IA Lottery | false | https://apnews.com/cd7c891ee7c14c50a211effa49b63c27 | 2018-01-14 | 2 |
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18601345/" type="external">MSNBC has an update</a> on the six foreign nationals who were <a href="/mojoblog/archives/2007/05/4378_six_arrested_in.html" type="external">arrested for plotting to attack Fort Dix Army base</a> and it looks like they might have been a bunch of bumblers egged on by over-aggressive FBI informants — leading to speculation that an entrapment defense is upcoming. (Spotted on <a href="http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/014075.php" type="external">TPM</a>.)</p>
<p>As for the bumbling plotters: “The FBI learned of the alleged plot when the men went to a Circuit City store and asked a clerk to transfer a jihad training video of themselves onto a DVD.”</p>
<p>As for the over-aggressive informants: “One of the [accused plotters]… called a Philadelphia police officer in November, saying that he had been approached by someone who was pressuring him to obtain a map of Fort Dix, and that he feared the incident was terrorist-related, according to court documents.”</p>
<p>Also, here’s the description of one of the informants actions: “He railed against the United States, helped scout out military installations for attack, offered to introduce his comrades to an arms dealer and gave them a list of weapons he could procure, including machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.”</p>
<p>But that might not be enough for an entrapment defense to fly. Entrapment has become extremely difficult to prove in the post-9/11 world, and as one long-time FBI agent told the AP, “If the source talks them into committing a crime, that is entrapment… [but] if they are predisposed to commit a crime, and you give them the opportunity, that’s fine.” Pretty easy case to make.</p>
<p>Now I’m obviously in favor of giving the FBI the space and tools it needs to fight crime and violence, terrorism or no. If these guys legitimately had a plan to kill American servicemen, then throw them in the lock-up. But after the FBI and the Department of Justice <a href="/mb/mt-search.cgi?tag=Terror%20Prosecutions&amp;blog_id=2" type="external">strong-armed the prosecutions</a> of the <a href="/news/feature/2003/03/ma_275_01.html" type="external">Lackawanna Six</a>, <a href="/news/feature/2004/11/11_402.html" type="external">John Walker Lindh</a>, and <a href="/commentary/notebook/2003/03/ma_293_01.html" type="external">Jose Padilla</a>, you have to apply a skeptical eye to these things. The case of the Lackawanna Six is <a href="http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:vWDblunis3wJ:www.geocities.com/munichseptember1972/unclear_danger.htm+lackawanna+six+unclear+danger&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;cd=1&amp;gl=us" type="external">particularly instructive</a>.</p>
<p /> | Curious Details Emerge on the Fort Dix Six | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2007/05/curious-details-emerge-fort-dix-six/ | 2007-05-11 | 4 |
<p>LAS VEGAS — Authorities say a naked gunman has been shot by Las Vegas police.</p>
<p>Police say the shooting happened Saturday morning in southeast Las Vegas.</p>
<p>The suspect, who was reported to be running in the area armed and nude, was shot by police.</p>
<p>The man was then taken to nearby hospital. His condition hasn’t been released.</p>
<p>No officers were hurt.</p>
<p>This is the 16th police shooting in Las Vegas so far this year, a sharp increase from the 10 total police shootings in 2016. The shooting Saturday also marks the eighth instance where officers were shot or shot at in the past seven weeks.</p>
<p>On Tuesday, a man in a stolen truck died in a shootout with police, which also left an officer injured.</p> | Naked Gunman in Las Vegas Shot by Police | false | https://newsline.com/naked-gunman-in-las-vegas-shot-by-police/ | 2017-08-05 | 1 |
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<p />
<p>The state’s largest publisher has for several years registered annual deficits of at least $500,000, accruing what is now a $7 million debt to the university. But officials say cutbacks and changed business practices are helping.</p>
<p>Interim UNM Press Director Richard Schuetz told a Board of Regents committee last week that the UNM Press had actually exceeded budgetary forecasts in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, making $51,000 more than it spent.</p>
<p>Book sales typically wane in the spring, and Schuetz still projects a $340,000 deficit by the 2018 fiscal year’s end. But that’s about half of 2017’s over-run, and interim UNM President Chaouki Abdallah has pledged enough money from his discretionary fund to help the publisher break even.</p>
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<p>“The key thing is we don’t want the (cumulative) deficit to continue to grow,” said Nicole Dopson, financial operations director for academic affairs, the division now overseeing the press. “We feel very hopeful in the Provost’s office that we’ve kind of mitigated it so far.”</p>
<p>UNM has customarily relied on its reserves to cover the press’ annual shortfalls. But the university’s own budget trouble – the result of reduced enrollment and state funding – have lent urgency to addressing its problems.</p>
<p>Regent Suzanne Quillen deemed the latest results encouraging.</p>
<p>“This is a trajectory we haven’t seen, so this is really positive,” Quillen told Schuetz.</p>
<p>The changes have not been painless; the press cut staffing from 29 positions to 22, some by way of layoffs.</p>
<p>It has also trimmed annual output from about 75 new titles to 50 and raised prices on about 12 percent of its books.</p>
<p>The press is still not self-sustaining, but Schuetz cautioned that few university presses are.</p>
<p>“I understand everybody’s concern about the Press’ budget deficit, but I want to remind everybody that I think university presses in general – with few exceptions – don’t generate enough revenue to cover their costs; they require financial support from the university,” he said.</p>
<p>Administrators continue weighing other moves, such as out-sourcing the press’ warehousing and order fulfillment. Local book publishers who contract with UNM Press for their own distribution have criticized that option, and Schuetz said a 2010 out-sourcing evaluation showed it was not cost-effective.</p>
<p>But Schuetz said that may have changed; UNM solicited bids for the service and is considering five out-of-state proposals.</p>
<p>Once UNM determines how it will handle warehouse operations and also whether to move the press under the University Libraries umbrella, Dopson said it would likely determine an “appropriate subsidy” for the UNM Press moving forward.</p>
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<p /> | Money problems at UNM Press show improvement | false | https://abqjournal.com/1104867/money-problems-at-unm-press-show-improvement.html | 2017-12-10 | 2 |
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<p>We hear from Roy only when he’s down on his luck or needs help moving or lifting something. Last year he began dating someone new. He has had many girlfriends and we have not met a third of them. Since this courtship began, Roy has changed his number at least four times, and each time, my husband has had to call around to get his supposedly best friend’s phone number.</p>
<p>Well, Roy proposed (for the first time ever) to this girlfriend. About a week later he texted my husband a photo of the ring with the caption: “She said yes, and you are the best man!” That was over a year ago. My husband still hasn’t met the fiancee. But other friends of theirs have been invited on outings and met her during the year.</p>
<p>I feel Roy is using my husband because he knows he makes decent money and can come through to fund all the best man duties. I don’t want my husband to keep playing the fool. Is this normal friend behavior? – PROTECTIVE IN MISSOURI</p>
<p>DEAR PROTECTIVE: No, it’s not. Your husband’s “best friend” appears to be a user. From where I sit, he is being treated more as a reliable resource than a friend, let alone a “best” friend. However, after 30 years, your spouse may be so accustomed to it that he doesn’t know the difference. How sad.</p>
<p>DEAR ABBY: A year ago I met the untouchable Ice Prince Charming and somehow managed to snatch him up a few months ago. But now that he has “defrosted” and we’re starting to settle into a relationship, I’m realizing that my “prince” is a bit too charming.</p>
<p>This may sound nuts, but I’m getting sick from all the sugary sweet affection all the time, and I can’t get him to answer anything for himself. It’s always, “It doesn’t matter, as long as I’m with you. It doesn’t matter, you’re better/your opinion is better. You’re so great, amazing, cute, etc. Love you, our kids will be so cute, I wanna marry you, etc.” And nothing else. He won’t even let me compliment him.</p>
<p>We used to have intellectual arguments, dumb competitions, talk all night about fun things we wanted to do one day or just sit around and snark at each other when we weren’t going at our sometimes separate hobbies. I know all every girl wants is her boyfriend to be sweet, so why does it bother me? Am I crazy? How do I get my best friend back? – UNUSUAL JERSEY GIRL</p>
<p>DEAR JERSEY GIRL: Here’s how. Tell him exactly what you have told me. He may be love drunk, but if that doesn’t sober him up, then it may be time to find a prince who’s less charming and better suited to you.</p>
<p>Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.</p>
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<p /> | DEAR ABBY: Man seems to be a friend only when he needs a hand | false | https://abqjournal.com/1043004/headline-here.html | 2 |
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<p>TOKYO — Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday in narrow trading, tracking gains overnight on Wall Street. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index slipped as the yen strengthened against the U.S. dollar.</p>
<p>KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1 percent lower to 19,718.09. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was also almost unchanged at 27,400.17. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.5 percent to 2,360.26 and the S&amp;P/ASX 200 was flat at 5,785.80. The Shanghai Composite index added 0.4 percent to 3,258.91. Shares in Southeast Asia were mostly higher.</p>
<p>WALL STREET: U.S. stocks rose slightly Wednesday as Urban Outfitters and Target helped retailers rally, offsetting energy companies’ losses. The Standard &amp; Poor’s 500 index picked up 0.1 percent to 2,468.11. The Dow Jones industrial average added 0.1 percent to 22,024.87. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.2 percent to 6,345.11. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies inched up 0.30 points to 1,383.53.</p>
<p>FED MINUTES: The minutes from the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee meeting last month did not include many details about the central bank’s plans for letting its balance sheet shrink. The notes showed a divided Fed, as some members of its policy committee think that interest rates should stay about where they are because inflation is still low. But others felt that interest rates should be raised because delays might lead to dangerously high inflation later.</p>
<p>ANALYST VIEWPOINT: “U.S. investors shrugged off Fed fretting over low inflation, weaker than forecast housing data and crumbling business support for the White House to maintain stock market levels within 1 percent of all-time highs. U.S. dollar weakness followed the release of FOMC minutes that indicated ‘many’ members feared inflation will stay lower for longer,” Michael McCarthy of CMC Markets said in a commentary.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>JAPAN TRADE: Japan’s exports and imports rose at a fast clip in July, reflecting a recovery in demand in China, Southeast Asia and the U.S., though export prices rose faster than volumes for many products. Exports rose more than 13 percent from a year earlier to 6.5 trillion yen ($59 billion) while imports jumped 16 percent to 6.1 trillion yen ($55 billion), helped by a surge in oil and coal shipments, according to data released Thursday.</p>
<p>ENERGY: Benchmark U.S. crude gained 14 cents to $46.92 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 77 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $46.78 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 24 cents to $50.51 per barrel. It dipped 53 cents, or 1 percent, to $50.27 a barrel in London.</p>
<p>CURRRENCIES: The dollar dipped to 109.90 yen from 110.20 yen. The euro rebounded to $1.1778 from $1.1767.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>AP Markets Writer Marley Jay contributed to this story. He can be reached at <a href="http://twitter.com/MarleyJayAP" type="external">http://twitter.com/MarleyJayAP</a> His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/marley%20jay</p> | Asian shares mostly higher following gains on Wall Street | false | https://abqjournal.com/1048847/gains-for-health-care-and-retail-sectors-send-stocks-higher.html | 2017-08-16 | 2 |
<p>A look at the 10 biggest volume gainers on New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading:</p>
<p>AZZ Inc. : Approximately 677,700 shares changed hands, a 496.4 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares rose $.19 or .5 percent to $41.96.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Briggs &amp; Stratton Corp. : Approximately 1,730,900 shares changed hands, a 390.0 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.75 or 4.2 percent to $17.27.</p>
<p>China Green Agriculture Inc. : Approximately 4,159,000 shares changed hands, a 642.1 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares rose $.27 or 13.6 percent to $2.25.</p>
<p>Civeo Corp. : Approximately 7,779,000 shares changed hands, a 435.4 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares rose $.91 or 7.8 percent to $12.52.</p>
<p>Clean Harbors Inc. : Approximately 2,747,700 shares changed hands, a 547.0 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $1.66 or 3.1 percent to $52.26.</p>
<p>National Presto Industries Inc. : Approximately 214,300 shares changed hands, a 944.8 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $4.02 or 6.6 percent to $56.69.</p>
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<p>Niska Gas Storage Partners LLC : Approximately 430,800 shares changed hands, a 390.5 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.44 or 3.5 percent to $12.04.</p>
<p>Opower Inc. : Approximately 1,172,700 shares changed hands, a 1,138.8 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.98 or 5.2 percent to $17.88.</p>
<p>Phillips 66 LP : Approximately 1,127,400 shares changed hands, a 881.1 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.65 or 1.0 percent to $66.10.</p>
<p>SPX Corp. : Approximately 1,835,900 shares changed hands, a 469.2 percent increase over its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $3.98 or 4.2 percent to $89.95.</p> | Top 10 New York Stock Exchange-traded stocks posting largest volume increases | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/01/05/top-10-new-york-stock-exchange-traded-stocks-posting-largest-volume-increases.html | 2016-03-06 | 0 |
<p>House Minority Leader <a href="" type="internal">Nancy Pelosi</a> seems to have forgotten that her job title has “minority” in it because she thinks Democrats are sweeping the Republicans and have “won every fight” against them.</p>
<p />
<p>This past weekend, Pelosi doubled down on a statement she made a&#160;couple of weeks ago. In a televised interview, Pelosi said she thinks Democrats are going to win back the House in 2018.</p>
<p />
<p>Pelosi is continuing to publicly push the narrative of how she expects Democrats to decimate Republicans in 2018. She’s also hoping to pick up a few Republicans along the way by offering the Democrats’ <a href="" type="internal">Papa John’s-inspired slogan</a>, “Our better deal. Better jobs. Better pay. Better future.”</p>
<p />
<p>I think it’s time to schedule a mental health evaluation after Pelosi’s latest interview. On the New York Times’ podcast “The New Washington,” the liberal leader <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/10/01/pelosi-excellent-chance-democrats-take-back-house-2018/" type="external">said</a> the chances of her party taking back the House were “very excellent.”</p>
<p />
<p>Pelosi even hinted that she would have retired from her leadership position had Hillary won: “I thought Hillary Clinton would win and we’d have a woman president and so there would be a woman not at a seat at the table, but at the head of the table for the world.”</p>
<p>Her time has been over for a number of years. Nancy, thank you for your service but please retire. You are in the way.</p>
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<p>No matter what someone may think of Pelosi personally, she is a drain on the party. She is so disliked by so many that all they need to do is mention her name to turn people against Democratic candidates.</p>
<p />
<p>Let me annotate: I used to be a&#160;Democrat voter, and I am no longer, so I can speak on this issue.</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Time for her and all elderly politicians to be gone!</p>
<p>We need young, educated, clear-speaking, healthy politicians with fresh ideas for the future for America because these elderly fools on both sides of the aisle won’t even see the future due to their ages!</p>
<p />
<p>One more thing, I can be honest about both sides with this statement which comes from the bottom of my heart: It’s really time for “all” of those dinosaurs, on both sides, to pass the torch.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>If you SHARE my sentiment, add this story to your Facebook/Twitter timeline and add your comments to our conservation area below.</p>
<p /> | Nancy Pelosi: Democrats Have “Very Excellent” Chance To Win Back the House in 2018 | true | http://thepoliticalinsider.com/nancy-pelosi-win-back-house/ | 2017-10-03 | 0 |
<p>&lt;a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/8570524219/in/photolist-e4mbfX-e4maox-e4maeH-e4rKYd-e4rL4q-e4rLZd-e4mcD6-e4rMmN-e4maj8-dcmR6J-e4rNNo-e4mbs6-e4rMhN-e4maKr-e4mcQ6-e4mc5r-e4rNiw-e4rNTL-e4mau6-e4rLTw-e4m9sH-kMBJAc-fmyUg5-dcmRwn-dcmSaW-dcmR3m-fmzvSu-fmztg9-fmk1wR-e4rLeW-e4js54-bEWJHQ-fmjUqz-9Up48B-9UrQHb-9UrREb-9Up4vv-9Up3LT-9UrQjN-9Up3X8-9Up4FR-9Up3bH-9Up4SD-fmkF1K-fmkDGX-fmzf8E-fmkwrF-bTRwgP-bEWNvw-dcmRrM"&gt;Gage Skidmore&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
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<p>As a politician, Ted Cruz, the junior Republican senator from Texas, has championed tort reform—the nationwide effort pushed by conservatives and business interests to restrict malpractice and other wrongful injury and death lawsuits, limiting how much a jury can award a harmed individual for pain and suffering and in punitive damages. When Cruz ran for Senate in 2012, his website <a href="http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/Senate/Texas/Ted_Cruz/Views/Health_Care/" type="external">declared</a> he had defended a landmark pro-business tort reform law passed in Texas in 2003 that severely constrained the ability of consumers to sue medical professionals and nursing homes and to collect punitive damages in other cases. Cruz also boasted that when he had been a policy adviser on George W. Bush’s first presidential campaign he developed Bush’s pro-tort reform proposals. During the Senate race, the Texas Civil Justice League, a supporter of tort reform, enthusiastically <a href="http://tcjl.com/tcjl/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/TCJL-Journal-Fall-2012-LR.pdf" type="external">endorsed</a> Cruz. After becoming a senator, Cruz <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/ted-cruz-s-comversation-with-the-great-austin-chamber-of-commerce" type="external">told</a> the Austin Chamber of Commerce that <a href="http://www.atra.org/issues/punitive-damages-reform" type="external">Texas-style tort reform</a>—which places a cap of $750,000 on punitive damages—ought to be a national law.</p>
<p>Yet, as a lawyer in private practice, Cruz—at least twice, in 2010 and 2011—worked on cases in New Mexico to secure $50 million-plus jury awards in tort cases prompted by corporate malfeasance. These are precisely the kind of jury awards that the tort reform Cruz has promoted would abolish. That is, Cruz the attorney, who sometimes billed clients $695 an hour, made money defending jury awards that Cruz the politician wanted to eliminate—and he did so <a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/ted-cruzs-serious-bid-be-next-republican-senator-texas_557085.html" type="external">at the same time</a> he was running for Senate as a pro-tort-reform candidate.</p>
<p>The two cases Cruz worked on were gruesome. In 2004, Barbara Barber, an active 78-year-old resident at a ManorCare nursing home in Albuquerque, bled to death over the course of several days. Her daughter, Lori Keith, sued the Ohio-based ManorCare Inc., one of the largest for-profit operators of nursing homes in the nation, for wrongful death. At a 2007 trial, a nurse testified that Barber, after suffering days of internal bleeding, “should have been shipped to the hospital.” But she wasn’t. The nursing home was short-staffed at the time, and Barber did not receive the attention and medical care she required. Evidence at the trial indicated that after Barber died, staff at the nursing home removed her bloody linen and clothes and replaced them with clean bedding and clothes and did not inform Barber’s daughter or her doctor of the bloody scene that the staff had found. The trial also included evidence that Barber’s medical records were falsified following her death.</p>
<p />
<p>Barber’s family sought compensatory damages for the alleged negligence and punitive damages, claiming the nursing home had engaged in willful and reckless misconduct. In the court room, the attorney for Barber’s family, Carl Bettinger, presented a visceral case. As he later <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0CB4QFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shapbett.com%2Fpage8%2Fverdicts-settlementstactics907.pdf&amp;ei=zU7RVPTjLaPfsATqoIKYAQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNHNmpF2gebCu1zJo672vL9rz1YHmw&amp;sig2=jpZh_lCrFMtw2w4qpaxZXQ&amp;bvm=bv.85142067,d.cWc" type="external">recalled</a>,</p>
<p>I recreated Barbara’s death scene in the present tense, walking off the dimensions of the room in front of the jury, placing the virtual objects in the room, and then describing, in present tense, the observations of the aide who found her dead: “The aide is walking into the room. She pauses at the door and peeks behind the curtain. She is seeing Barbara and Barbara is not breathing. She pulls back the sheets and there is blood and vomit on the pillow, she rolls Barbara over and sees blood on the sheets.” As I was speaking these words, I engaged in actions that they described. From that point forward, we respected Barbara’s space in the courtroom—it was Barbara’s bed. The defense, predictably, kept walking through it, trampling her.</p>
<p>The jury found that the nursing home had been negligent and awarded Barber’s family $53.2 million, with $50 million of that in punitive damages. This was one of the largest jury awards in the history of New Mexico.</p>
<p>ManorCare Inc. appealed the decision, contending that it was not legally responsible for the nursing home’s employees—the company claimed that its subsidiary, which was not named as a defendant in the suit, was responsible—and it argued that the $50 million in punitive damages was “unconstitutionally excessive.” In 2009, the New Mexico court of appeals sided with ManorCare on one issue, ruling that the trial judge had not properly resolved the issue of whether ManorCare Inc. was accountable for the employees of its subsidiary. It did not rule on the constitutionality of the $53.2 million award but ordered the case to be tried again.</p>
<p>Enter Ted Cruz. Bettinger wanted to appeal this ruling. In early 2010, he and his co-counsels asked the state Supreme Court to review the case, arguing that ManorCare was indeed the employer of the negligent caregivers and that the trial judge had handled this issue properly. Once the petition with the state Supreme Court was filed, according to Bettinger, he and his legal team recruited Cruz. At the time, Cruz was a partner and legal hotshot at the Houston office of international law firm of Morgan Lewis. After having served over five years as Texas solicitor general, Cruz had <a href="http://www.morganlewis.com/index.cfm/newsID/7518319f-6527-4312-b587-70b8ea536dd7/fuseaction/news.detail" type="external">joined</a> Morgan Lewis in 2008, and he had the reputation as a talented appellate attorney. By this point in his legal career, he had been named one of 20 young Hispanic Americans to watch by Newsweek magazine and cited by American Lawyer as one of the 50 top litigators under 45 in the nation.</p>
<p>Cruz took the case, and Bettinger was delighted. “Ted was and is an outstanding appellate attorney,” Bettinger says. “An appeals case is completely different from the underlying trial. There is no jury, no evidence. What’s being argued is whether there were legal errors made by the judge. A good appellate attorney has to be a combination of a fabulous writer and legal researcher and be very quick and persuasive on their feet. And Ted had argued several times in the US Supreme Court and federal appeals courts.”</p>
<p>But Cruz’s skills were never put to full use in this case. Oral arguments were scheduled in the appeal, and Cruz was all set to present a case for holding ManorCare Inc. responsible and preserving the hefty $50 million punitive award. But the night before he was to stride into the New Mexico courtroom, the Barber family and ManorCare reached a <a href="http://www.abqjournal.com/12429/abqnewsseeker/%E2%80%98drawn-out%E2%80%99-manorcare-suit-settled.html" type="external">settlement</a>. Bettinger told a reporter at the time that the family would receive unspecified “millions.” He added that the settlement “stands for the proposition that little people can take on the big corporations and sometimes achieve justice.” Cruz, Bettinger recalls, was “very involved in the settlement negotiation.”</p>
<p>Cruz was now on Bettinger’s radar, and soon the New Mexico plaintiff attorney had a similarly tragic case that required Cruz’s appellate skills.</p>
<p>In 2004, Larry Selk, a profoundly mentally and developmentally disabled man—he could not speak or effectively use his limbs—was raped, presumably by an employee at the Roswell group home where he lived and which was operated by the New Mexico subsidiary of ResCare Inc. (RCI), a Louisville-based health services firm. Selk was completely dependent on caregivers who had to bathe and feed him. He communicated through smiles, frowns, and body language. He had lived in institutions for most of his life. His sister Rani Rubio sued RCI and its New Mexico subsidiary on Selk’s behalf, and Bettinger was one of the lawyers she hired.</p>
<p>During the 2009 trial, Selk’s attorneys offered evidence that the group home had not adequately vetted or properly trained the employee who allegedly raped Selk. Trial testimony indicated that after Selk had been left alone with this employee—the first night this man had been on the job—other workers discovered that Selk’s anus was bloody and torn. A subsequent examination by a nurse found six lacerations in Selk’s rectum. The nurse testified that she could not tell whether the tears had been caused by a penis, a fist, or another object. A caregiver at the group house testified that the day after the rape Selk made unusual groaning noises for a long time. In his closing argument, Bettinger quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and sang the lyrics to a Sarah McLachlan song: “screaming inside but you can’t be heard.”</p>
<p>The jury slammed RCI and the subsidiary, awarding $4.95 million in compensatory damages and a whopping $49.2 million in punitive damages. “The [jurors] felt this was not just about Rani’s brother, it was about all of us,” Bettinger <a href="http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/022244572675newsstate12-02-09.htm" type="external">said</a> after the verdict was announced. A lawyer for RCI noted, “Sometimes even the best of systems cannot prevent a terrible incident.”</p>
<p>The trial court judge subsequently reduced the punitive damage portion of the award to $9.7 million. Both the family and RCI appealed.</p>
<p>Bettinger and his co-counsels enlisted Cruz for this round. In a filing that Cruz, Bettinger and several other lawyers submitted to the New Mexico appeals court in October 2010, the Selk legal team contended that RCI could be held liable for the damage done to Selk and that the punitive damages award had been appropriate. RCI’s conduct in this case, the brief asserted, “was highly reprehensible, and that reprehensibility alone would warrant the jury’s substantial award of punitive damages. But there was more…[A] large punitive damages award is justified by the need to deter conduct that is hard to detect and often goes unpunished.” The filing Cruz helped write echoed an argument often used by consumer advocates and plaintiffs attorneys who oppose tort reform and claim it protects companies that seriously harm people, especially the elderly and infirm: “Restoring the punitive damages awarded by the jury in this case is crucial if there is to be any hope of deterring companies like RCI from engaging in reckless conduct against vulnerable individuals.”</p>
<p>The Cruz-backed brief ended with a passionate contention:</p>
<p>Throughout this litigation, Defendants have maintained that Mr. Selk’s profound disabilities make his injuries less worthy of compensation. Defendants recklessly hired a rapist pursuant to policies designed to maximize corporate profits. And after the predictable result—a violent rape that left Mr. Selk bleeding and scared—Defendants ignored the medical advice and failed to provide him any physical or emotional treatment. At trial, they analogized him to an animal, and they told the jury he was “essentially the same” as before the rape. Mr. Selk is not the same, and the jury found that the multi-billion dollar corporation that caused, belittled, and ignored his suffering is properly liable under New Mexico law.</p>
<p>For the appeal, Cruz’s main task was to sway three appeals court judges during oral arguments. On November 15, 2011, Cruz took time off from his Senate campaign to appear in an Albuquerque courtroom to argue for Selk and the $54 million jury award.</p>
<p>He began his presentation by declaring this case was “straightforward and simple.” (One of the judges quipped, “I’m glad you think so.”) Cruz first took on the question of whether RCI could be held liable. With a powerful command of the facts of the case and the relevant precedent—he quoted Supreme Court Justice William Douglas and famed Judge Learned Hand—Cruz argued that “everyone is liable for their own actions.” To show that RCI was responsible for the wrongdoing that occurred within the group home run by its subsidiary, Cruz pointed out that the corporation had issued directives to its New Mexico operation regarding how to cut hot dogs and what bleach alternative to use. “RCI was running things,” Cruz maintained: “It was an RCI employee who decided to take somebody with no background check and put him in a room alone with someone who had been entrusted to their care.”</p>
<p>In this case, the parent was dictating cut costs so that caregivers are paid less than maintenance men. Slash costs…so that every profit is sucked up to the parent, and the subsidiary is going to be faced in an instance when there aren’t sufficient resources to carry out its task.</p>
<p>Cruz next tackled the matter of the size of the jury’s award for punitive damages. Citing Supreme Court and New Mexico precedent, Cruz insisted that “the most important criteria is reprehensibility, and in term of reprehensibility, this case is off the charts.” He hammered RCI’s trial attorney for having suggested that the damage to Selk might not have been significant because of his disabilities:</p>
<p>It was not lost on the jury, for example, when RCI’s lawyer told the jury that Larry Selk was “like an animal.” That was the question he asked: can an animal experience rape? For a caregiver that is charged with taking care of a profoundly disabled person, to view those people as animals, surely has significant impact on the jury’s assessment of reprehensibility. That to this day the argument is—the argument that the RCI counsel has presented to this court—is that it doesn’t impact Larry Selk. It doesn’t impact Larry Selk that he was violently raped, that he had no ability to speak out and no ability to defend himself. He was violently raped by those who were supposed to take care of him, but it has no impact.</p>
<p>The appeals court, Cruz told the judges, was obliged “to respect the jury’s finding,” regarding the substantial punitive damages, which, he noted, represented only 3 percent of RCI’s gross revenue. Toward the end of his presentation, he put it plainly: “The purpose of punitive damages is to punish and to deter…The jury rightly concluded the appropriate amount to punish and deter was $48 million.”</p>
<p>Cruz’s courtroom performance delighted Bettinger. “I thought he was superb,” Bettinger recalls. “I’m not a slouch in persuasive skills, but I couldn’t hold a candle to him. My politics are not even close to Ted Cruz’s, but as an appellate attorney, he was the bomb.”</p>
<p>Did Cruz win over the judges on behalf of the $54 million award in the Selk case? The public will never know. After the oral arguments, the case was settled before the appeals court reached a decision. Bettinger won’t reveal the terms of the settlement. But he says of Cruz, “If he runs for president, he won’t have my vote or support. But if he goes back to litigation, I’d hire him in a heartbeat—if I could afford him.” Bettinger notes that he never discussed tort reform or capping damages with Cruz.</p>
<p>Cruz’s involvement in the Selk and Barber cases does raise a question: How could the senator who hails tort reform argue in favor of preserving the megamillion-dollar jury awards that tort reform advocates decry and seek to eliminate? If either the Selk or Barber case had been brought in Texas, the noneconomic damages could not exceed $250,000, according to Paula Sweeney, a Dallas attorney and former president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. “These jury verdicts would not be possible in Texas,” she says. And, Sweeney notes, the tort reform in Texas that Cruz supported has created serious obstacles to even filing such lawsuits. (In 2006, the American Bar Association Journal <a href="http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/new_laws_and_med_mal_damage_caps_devastate_plaintiff_and_defense_firms_alik" type="external">noted</a> that “Texas plaintiffs layers have been leaving in droves from nursing home and medical malpractice litigation in the wake of tort reform.”) Under Texas tort reform, Sweeney points out, a victim (or relative) cannot ask a jury to hit a corporation with tens of millions in punitive damages, as Cruz in the Selk case contended is necessary to deter serious wrongdoing.</p>
<p>Asked if Cruz’s work to defend these immense punitive awards was consistent with his support for tort reform that does not allow for such jury awards, a spokeswoman for Cruz, in a statement, said, “Lawyers have an ethical responsibility to zealously represent their clients, and Sen. Cruz endeavored to do so both in public service and in private practice.” She added,</p>
<p>These were egregious cases. Both concerned the brutal abuse and victimization of the defenseless—specifically the violent rape of a disabled man and the gross neglect of a nursing home patient that resulted in her death. Cruz zealously represented his clients and helped them successfully pursue justice.</p>
<p>Tort reform is primarily a question of state law, and the judgments entered by the New Mexico juries were pursuant to New Mexico law.</p>
<p>In the courtroom—when he was being paid—Cruz was an articulate and forceful champion of super-size punitive awards, insisting such lawsuits and punishments were needed to protect consumers from reckless corporations that put profits ahead of people. On the campaign trail—when he is trying to score political points and draw the support of the business community—Cruz has embraced tort reform that disempowers consumers and protects negligent companies from such penalties. So what does Cruz truly believe? It might depend on whether he is trying to win cases or win elections.</p>
<p /> | As a Lawyer, Ted Cruz Defended Huge Jury Awards. As a Politician, He Opposed Them. | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2015/02/ted-cruz-tort-reform-2016/ | 2015-02-11 | 4 |
<p>South Sudan sent troops to secure a United Nations base after armed civilians fired on displaced tribespeople sheltering there, in an attack that killed at least 48, the president's spokesman said on Friday.</p>
<p>Locals pretending to be peaceful protesters delivering a petition forced their way into the camp on Thursday and opened fire before being beaten back by UN security personnel (UNMISS).</p>
<p>"The army has come in now. They have been ordered to protect UNMISS so there will be no attack from anybody," Ateny Wek Ateny, President Salva Kiir's spokesman, told Reuters by phone.</p>
<p>Thousands of people have been killed and more than one million displaced since fighting erupted in South Sudan in the middle of December, triggered by a power struggle between Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.</p>
<p>The conflict in Africa's newest state took on a tribal dimension as Kiir's Dinka fought Machar's Nuer for control of strategic towns before a ceasefire was signed on January 23.</p>
<p>Sporadic clashes between both sides after the ceasefire deal erupted into full-blown combat this week, when the rebels seized control of Bentiu, the capital of oil-producing Unity state.</p>
<p>Thursday's attack on the UN base at Bor, some 120 miles north of the capital of Juba, was blamed on locals who were seeking to punish the Nuer for the loss of Bentiu.</p>
<p>"Those internally displaced people in Bor from the Nuer community were celebrating the capture of Bentiu by the rebels and this angered the local community," Ateny said.</p>
<p>The Dinkas are the predominant group in the area.</p>
<p>The locals went to the base to demand the relocation of the 5,000 Nuer living there and were dispersed by UN personnel before regrouping nearby and launching the attack, he said.</p>
<p>Joe Contreras, the acting spokesman for UNMISS, said security had been stepped up in their bases around the country — where tens of thousands are sheltering — and urged South Sudan to investigate the attack and prosecute the assailants.</p>
<p>No one has been arrested over the attack pending completion of investigations, information minister Michael Makuei told Reuters.</p>
<p>The conflict has disrupted oil production, which provides most government revenue. The rebels warned oil firms to pack up and leave within a week after they recaptured Bentiu on Tuesday.</p>
<p>(Writing by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Louise Ireland)</p> | South Sudan deploys its army to guard a UN base after yesterday's deadly attack | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-04-18/south-sudan-deploys-its-army-guard-un-base-after-yesterdays-deadly-attack | 2014-04-18 | 3 |
<p>Five oil companies must reduce their production at certain wells in North Dakota as a penalty for burning off more natural gas than allowed last month, a spokeswoman for the state's Oil and Gas Division said.</p>
<p>The state ordered the five companies to curb their production to 100 barrels per day at certain wells starting this month. Alison Ritter, a spokeswoman for the division, said this is the largest number of companies and wells the state has sanctioned since new flaring regulations took effect on Jan. 1, the Bismarck Tribune reported.</p>
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<p>The new rules require companies to capture at least 77 percent of natural gas produced during oil production. Under a policy adopted by the State Industrial Commission, the 100-barrel restriction applies to companies that are not capturing at least 60 percent of the gas from the well.</p>
<p>The division ordered production to be restricted at certain wells operated by Emerald Oil, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, QEP, Abraxas Petroleum and Enerplus.</p>
<p>Mitch Ayer, the vice president for finance &amp; investor relations at Emerald Oil, told the Associated Press the company hasn't been meeting the new state regulations at some of its wells this year because they came into effect before their new midstream system that helps capture more natural gas was came online.</p>
<p>"It was basically a timing issue between the two," he said.</p>
<p>Ayer said the new system that will transport natural gas from McKenzie County to a plant operated by True Oil Co. outside of Watford City came online near the end of March. He said they expect March will be the last month the company wasn't compliant with the new regulations.</p>
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<p>Messages left with the four other companies were not returned Thursday afternoon.</p>
<p>Ritter said the restriction orders are effective for a month and will be continued or dropped depending upon a company's following month production reports. She said penalties would kick in only if the companies don't restrict wells as ordered.</p>
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<p>Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com</p> | North Dakota orders 5 oil companies to reduce production as penalty for excessive gas flaring | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2015/04/02/north-dakota-orders-5-oil-companies-to-reduce-production-as-penalty-for.html | 2016-03-09 | 0 |
<p>The term "estate tax" probably doesn't incite the same amount of rage as the term"death tax," but that's what this <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/the-strangest-taxes-state/" type="external">state tax Opens a New Window.</a> is: You die, and then the government taxes a portion of the estate you turn over to your surviving relatives.</p>
<p>The good news is that unless you have a substantial estate nearing that of the country's wealthiest 1% of earners, you don't have to worry about the estate tax. For 2016, the estate tax exemption is $5.45 million.Once the estate owner dies, there isn't much beneficiaries can do to reduce estate taxes, so the time to act is now.Here are some ways to ensure the government doesn't get its hands in your pockets postmortem.</p>
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<p>1. Spend the moneySpending your wealth seems like an easy solution, but unless you have a very large estate, it could leave youstranded with less money than you needto last you until your death. Plus there's the fact that it's pretty tough to determine exactly when that will be. Spending the money also isn't the best option for those who want to leave their wealth to family or charity.</p>
<p>2. Leave the money with your spouseIf the estate owner is married, he can leave an unlimited amount of money to his spouse without incurring any tax as long as the spouse is a U.S. citizen. Each taxpayer gets an exemption of $5.43 million in 2015, whichis excluded from federal estate tax. Any unused amount of the exemption also passes to the surviving spouse.</p>
<p>"The rules here are complicated, so to ensure both spouses are able to each use the full exemption amount, a living trust or creation of a will with specific provisions may be advisable," said Pamela Kornblatt, president of <a href="http://thetaxstrategists.com/" type="external">Tax Strategists Opens a New Window.</a>, a company that providespersonalized tax preparation and advice tostart-ups, entrepreneurs, corporations and individuals.</p>
<p>3. Give your money away"Giving away the money over time to those who would ultimately be the beneficiaries of the estate is a good idea," Kornblatt said. Significant estate tax savings can be achieved by removing assets from the estate beforehand -- in other words,gifting. That's because the gift tax exclusion allows you to give away up to $14,000 per person tax-free.</p>
<p>Gifts for tuition and medical expenses you use for someone else, such as a grandchild, and gifts to political organizations are also exempt from the gift tax, while gifts to qualifying charities can be deducted from the value of the gift(s) made. Several trust structures exist that might be beneficial to employ when giving gifts to charity. The IRS offers answers tofrequently asked questions about gift taxes on their site <a href="https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&amp;-Self-Employed/Frequently-Asked-Questions-on-Gift-Taxes#2" type="external">here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
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<p>4. Create an estate planA few estate-planning techniques are designed to reduce estate taxes and still allow estate holders to gain access to a steady stream of income from those assets while they're still living. These include gifting through a family limited-liability company, or setting up a charitable trust.</p>
<p>Estate planning is tricky, so if you have a sizable estate, it's a good idea to find a <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/investing/whats-difference-between-certified-financial-planner-financial-advisor/" type="external">financial advisor Opens a New Window.</a> and atax attorneyto help make sure it's done right.</p>
<p>5. Remove life insurance proceeds from your estateLife insurance proceeds can usually be included in the insured's estate, significantly boosting its value. "Setting up an irrevocable life insurance trust is another great strategy as it allows the taxpayer to remove the value of his life insurance from the estate," said Kornblatt.</p>
<p>The cost to drafting and implementing this type of trust can be outweighed by the tax savings. Consult a financial planner or tax advisor to determine whether it'll work in your case.</p>
<p>6. Move to a different stateIt might be worth considering estate tax when you decide where you'd like to retire.Moving is an extreme option, but for some people it can mean leaving thousands of dollars more to their heirs rather than to the government.</p>
<p>Taxation rules vary widely by state, so look into what rules exist in the state you live, and in <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/best-worst-states-retire-rich/" type="external">states you hope to retire in Opens a New Window.</a>.The following lists outline which states collect estate tax and inheritance tax.</p>
<p>States that collect estate tax:</p>
<p>States that collect inheritance tax:</p>
<p>Some states follow the same exemptions as the federal estate tax, while others operate separate from state law, which could leave some residents with state estate tax to pay, even if they're exempt from the federal estate tax.</p>
<p>A final word of advice on estate taxesAs the old saying goes, there's nothing more sure in life than death and taxes. Death taxes, on the other hand, can often be minimized or avoided with careful planning. "Estate planning to minimize tax is an extremely complicated area," Kornblatt said. If you think your estate will be near the cutoff, find a financial planner who can help you develop a plan to ensure that your money goesto your intended recipients.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/author/ruths/" type="external">Ruth Sarreal Opens a New Window.</a>contributed to the reporting for this article.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared at <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/how-minimize-estate-tax/" type="external">GoBankingRates Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2016/04/01/how-to-minimize-your-estate-tax.aspx" type="external">How to Minimize Your Estate Tax Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p>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> | How to Minimize Your Estate Tax | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/04/01/how-to-minimize-your-estate-tax.html | 2016-04-01 | 0 |
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<p>The Bill Withers song has been covered by countless artists, but the rendition of "Lean on Me" performed in a duet on the season premiere of "Saturday Night Live" had novel poignancy.</p>
<p>It was sung by Kate McKinnon, the show's go-to impersonator of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and Mrs. Clinton herself. The appearance was an integral part of the Clinton campaign's much-touted re-re-re-rebranding push to make Clinton seem more spontaneous and relatable. And it was, by most accounts, a success.</p>
<p>The headline on the Daily Beast's review summed it up well: - "Saturday Night Live? Premiere Basically a Hillary Clinton Campaign Ad."</p>
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<p>And, as the Daily Beast's senior entertainment reporter Kevin Fallon notes, it wasn't just the skit with Clinton's walk-on that was a gift. It was almost the whole show.</p>
<p>The "SNL" news segment took shots at potential Clinton opponent Joe Biden and New Hampshire Democratic primary front-runner Sen. Bernie Sanders. Even the inevitable potshots at Donald Trump were aimed, at least in part, at making Clinton seem like the only safe choice in the 2016 race.</p>
<p>And that's fine. The First Amendment covers sketch comedy. And it's hardly as if Clinton were the first presidential candidate or politician to take advantage of "Saturday Night Live" or some other entertainment show.</p>
<p>In 1968, Richard Nixon had many of the same challenges Clinton faces today. He was seen, rightly, as stiff, aloof, conspiratorial and too self-serious. That's why he went on "Rowan &amp; Martin's Laugh-In" and said "sock it to me."</p>
<p>Nixon didn't win the very close presidential election because of one five-second bit on "Laugh-In." But he probably wouldn't have won if he hadn't followed the advice of a 28-year-old media consultant wunderkind named Roger Ailes, who helped choreograph Nixon's image makeover, and the "sock it to me" moment was arguably the most significant part of that effort. (Note: Ailes now runs Fox News, where I am a contributor.)</p>
<p>George Schlatter, the producer of "Laugh-In," later apologized for helping Nixon get elected.</p>
<p>If Hillary Clinton is elected president in 2016, I doubt Lorne Michaels, the executive producer of "Saturday Night Live," will express similar regrets.</p>
<p>And that's fine, too.</p>
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<p>Again, "Saturday Night Live" has the same First Amendment rights as The New York Times and The Washington Post.</p>
<p>But you know who else has the same free-speech rights as the mainstream media? You and I - and George Soros, Charles and David Koch, and every other citizen of the United States.</p>
<p>And that's why the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United was correct. In that decision, the court held that everyone has the right to get their views and opinions out into the public conversation.</p>
<p>In the arguments before the court, the Obama administration took the position that the government could even ban books during election season if those books amounted to "express advocacy" for a candidate, even if that advocacy took the form of a single mention of a candidate.</p>
<p>The court rejected that argument, and President Obama, along with most liberals, has never forgiven the justices. Hillary Clinton is so opposed to the ruling she has made amending the First Amendment a cornerstone of her campaign.</p>
<p>Why do liberals hate Citizens United so much? No doubt there are many explanations, but one seems particularly obvious. In a world where only powerful institutions in the mainstream media have an unfettered right to make their case during elections, then the conversation is going to go in their favor.</p>
<p>Even if Fox News and Rush Limbaugh were the monsters liberals claim they are, the scales still lean inarguably leftward when you include the biggest newspapers, the major TV networks, National Public Radio, and popular programs like "The Daily Show" and "60 Minutes."</p>
<p>None of these outlets would consider its editorials, news coverage and comedy sketches to be "in-kind donations," but from the perspective of political campaigns, that's a distinction without a difference. Because Democrats understand that, when they're not strong, they can lean on their friends to help them carry on.</p>
<p /> | Liberals don't need Citizens United | false | https://abqjournal.com/658930/liberals-dont-need-citizens-united.html | 2 |
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<p>Congress' Bipartisan Budget Bill of 2015 contains a drastic change to a popular Social Securityfiling strategy with major financial consequences for couples.It eliminates the option to file and suspend with a restricted application as of April 30, 2016.To change your tax-filing strategy and continue to maximize your <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/jeff-yeager-reveals-5-questions-should-ask-social-security/" type="external">Social Security benefits Opens a New Window.</a>, you need to understand what the new restrictions mean for you.</p>
<p>Social Security spousal benefits: the file-and-suspend strategyThe current filing strategy -- commonly referred to as file-and-suspend -- works like this for a married man and woman: One spouse can file for hisSocial Security benefit once he's reached the Social Security retirement age of 66. He can then immediately tell Social Security to suspend that benefit. This allows hisspouse to draw a spousal benefit, which is half of what the first spouse's benefit would have been.</p>
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<p>The non-filing spouse can file an application for restricted benefits -- a restricted application for <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/protect-spousal-benefits-bank-government-mistakes/" type="external">Social Security spousal benefits Opens a New Window.</a> -- based on the first spouse's suspended benefit. The suspended benefit will continue to draw delayed credits and grow until the person reaches age 70, at which time he could resume hisbenefit. Likewise, the spouse drawing the spousal benefit can let herown benefit grow until age 70 at which time that spouse could switch to herown benefit if it is larger than the Social Security spousal benefit, or continue to draw the spousal benefit.</p>
<p>How file-and-suspend and restricted application work togetherInvestment advisor representative and president of <a href="http://mainstayfg.com/" type="external">Mainstay Financial Group Opens a New Window.</a>Annalee Leonard gave the example of the Social Security eligibility of a married couple with both spouses aged 66 and the husband as the higher-wage earner:</p>
<p>"It'd be much better for him if he can wait till 70 to take his Social Security and let's suppose he's still working and putting into it -- even more reason to wait till 70,"Leonard said. If the husband were to file and immediately suspend his benefit, his wife could then go in and file for spousal benefit. If the husband's benefit at that stage is $2,000, the wife would get $1,000 per month as her spousal benefit.</p>
<p>"Now that's good if her benefit would be only $800 a month, but let's suppose her benefit is higher and she wants to keep working. She can go file and suspend, she can collect on his, she can still be putting into hers, and at 70 they both switch to their own benefits and give themselves a raise -- you can't do that anymore."</p>
<p>The following table is based on Leonard's example, using the assumption that the wife's own benefit is $1,000 per month and that each person lives to age 90. Putting off receiving Social Security checks until age 70 generally provides a 25% increase in Social Security benefits -- which would mean a delayed benefit of $2,500 per month for the husband and $1,250 for the wife in this example.</p>
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<p>Note the significant difference in total Social Security retirement benefits received if the couple uses the file-and-suspend with restricted application, or uses the file-and-suspend strategy only, or chooses to file and begin collecting benefits at the Social Security retirement age of 66:</p>
<p>This strategy of using both the Social Securityfile-and-suspend rule and a restricted application can add $60,000 or more to a couple's Social Security earnings over the four years between their full retirement age and age 70. But now that the Bipartisan Budget Bill will be going into effect, many couples will lose out on this.</p>
<p>Why the file-and-suspend rules have changedThe reason behind the change in the file-and-suspend rules is that this strategy is viewed as a loophole in the Social Security program. By disallowing the current filing strategy, Congress is focused on saving money and tightening any existing gray areas.</p>
<p>"Social Security faces a deficit over the next 75 years. That's why they're making changes,"Leonard said."File-and-suspend was never supposed to be used the way it turned out being used.They never really meant it to be that you file, you stop, the spouse claims, then you claim again later. That was never the original intention."</p>
<p>In order to understand how the changes will affect the way you and your spousefile for Social Security benefits, you need to know the details of the changes and how the updates will work. Here are the most important things you need to know about the updated rules and what you can do to enjoy the maximum Social Security benefitwhile staying within the law.</p>
<p>1. Some people can still use the file-and-suspend strategyIf you have already filedand suspended with a restricted application, you're fine; there will be no changes to your status or benefits.Some workers will still be able to take advantage of the strategy, as it remains available to workers to either have already turned 66 or who will do so before May 1, 2016.Couples who will both have reached their full retirement age can stillfile and suspend with a restricted application for spousal benefits on or before April 29, 2016.</p>
<p>2. Suspending benefits will work differentlyAfter April 29, 2016, if you suspend your benefits you are also suspending the ability of a spouse or anyone else to claim a benefit based on your work record. Additionally, the ability to file and suspend Social Security benefits and then reinstate them -- to later change your mind and receive retroactive benefits back to the date you suspended -- will be gone.</p>
<p>The original intent of thefile-and-suspend strategywill remain. For example, if you retired and filed for your benefit, then later returned to work, you can suspend your benefit and later resume when desired.</p>
<p>3. Limitations for people born in 1953 or earlierYou will still have the option to suspend your benefits with the limitations outlined in the prior section if you were born in 1953 or earlier. However, there are some limitations.</p>
<p>For instance, if you've already suspended or will suspend your benefits before April 30, 2016, the suspension will allow your spouse to continue collectingSocial Securityspousal benefits. This will continue as your own benefit accrues, explainedfinancial advisorJim Blankenshipof <a href="http://financialducksinarow.com/" type="external">Financial Ducks in a Row Opens a New Window.</a>. "In addition, you will continue to have the option of changing your mind and receiving retroactive benefits to any point at or after your suspension date," he said.</p>
<p>If your spouse has filed for benefits -- and is receiving those benefits -- you might still be able to file a restricted application and receive a spousal benefit based on his or herearnings. If they have filed and suspended you will not be eligible to receive a spousal benefit while his or her benefit is suspended after April 29, 2016.</p>
<p>However, you will still have the option to file a restricted application for a spousal benefit once you reach your full retirement age if your spouse filed and suspended on or before April 29, 2016, or is drawing his or herown benefit at that time.</p>
<p>4.Limitations for people born in 1954 or laterThe same rules apply for the suspension of benefits if you were born in 1954 or later. If you suspend your benefits, your spouse or any other family member will not be able to receive a benefit based upon your earnings.</p>
<p>A change in the deemed filing rules effectively eliminates the restricted Social Security application for those born in 1954 or later. Deemed filing means that if you file for a spousal benefit under anyone's earning record, you are deemed to have filed for all benefits available to you -- including your own. This eliminates the ability to file a restricted application for a spousal benefit and no longer allows your own benefit to grow and accrue delayed credits until a later date.</p>
<p>5. Impact on divorced couplesIn addition to <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/checking-accounts/6-reasons-joint-bank-account-good-marriage/" type="external">married couples Opens a New Window.</a>, these new rules will have an <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/5-ways-divorce-can-affect-credit-score/" type="external">impact on divorced couples Opens a New Window.</a>. If you were born in 1953 or earlier, and still have the ability to use a restricted application, you have an advantage.</p>
<p>You will still be able to file a restricted application to receive a spousal benefit from your ex-spouse's earnings. However, if you file this restricted application after April 29, 2016, and your ex-spouse files and suspends, he or she will not be able to draw a benefit for his or herearnings.</p>
<p>If you're a divorcee and were born in 1954 or later, the deemed filing rules will take effect. This essentially eliminates your ability to do a restricted application based upon your ex-spouse's earnings and allows your ex'sbenefit to grow until age 70.</p>
<p>6. Impact on widows and widowersThere does not seem to be any impact on you <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/handle-finances-lose-spouse/" type="external">if you have been widowed Opens a New Window.</a>. You will still have the option to file a restricted application to receive a survivor's benefit, or your own benefit, while letting the other benefit grow via deferred credits. At age 70 or younger, you'll retain the option to convert to the other type of benefit if that is more advantageous.</p>
<p>Currently, Supplemental Security Income also remains unaffected.</p>
<p>7. When delaying your benefit still makes senseThe answer of when to delay benefits varies from case to case.This is especially true for the spouse with the higher earnings record and benefit record. If this applies to you, it will still make sense for you to <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/42-ways-save-retirement/" type="external">delay taking your benefit Opens a New Window.</a> as long as possible. The earnings difference between taking a benefit at 62 and waiting until your full retirement age is approximately 25%; and the difference in waiting longer from your full retirement age to age 70 is an increase of about 8% per year.</p>
<p>Not only would this increase your spouse's benefit, but a survivor's benefit would increase as well.As for the spouse with the smaller benefit level -- especially if the difference is significant -- it might make sense for them to apply for Social Security before age 70. As with many things in the world of financial planning, it really depends on your specific circumstances.</p>
<p>Smart alternative strategies for maximizing Social Security benefitsBeyond Social Security claiming strategies, couples who might have used this strategy will need to rethink their pre-retirement financial planning, especially for those within a few years of retirement. But here are a few things you should consider:</p>
<p>Understanding the changes around the file-and-suspend and restricted application strategies can help you decide what traditional or alternative strategies are right for you, but professional help might be key to maximizing your benefits.If you'replanning for retirement, now more than ever you should consider seeking the advice of a qualified financial advisor to help you navigate Social Security and all aspects of your retirement financial plan.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/author/ruths/" type="external">Ruth Sarreal Opens a New Window.</a> contributed to the reporting for this article.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared at <a href="http://www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/7-things-couples-need-know-social-security-filing-changes/" type="external">GoBankingRates Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2016/03/28/changes-to-social-security-spousal-benefits-you-ne.aspx" type="external">Changes to Social Security Spousal Benefits You Need to Know Opens a New Window.</a> originally appeared on Fool.com.</p>
<p>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> | Changes to Social Security Spousal Benefits You Need to Know | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/28/changes-to-social-security-spousal-benefits-need-to-know.html | 2016-03-28 | 0 |
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<p>Since then, her family, her friends and her community have waited and wondered about what really happened. Is she dead? Is she still alive? Has she been held captive for all these years?</p>
<p>These questions, along with many others, have plagued Tara’s family for the past quarter century.</p>
<p>“I miss her,” said John Doel, Tara’s stepfather. “One of these days, hopefully, we’ll find out what happened.</p>
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<p>“Whether or not someone is held accountable for it, I just want to know what happened. We’ve been looking for some kind of closure for a long time.”</p>
<p>It was about 9 or 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 20, 1988, when Tara, 19 at the time, started out on her bike ride south on N.M. 47 from Rio Communities. She took her mother’s shocking pink Huffy bike because hers had a flat.</p>
<p>Before leaving home, Tara had laid out her tennis attire for an early-afternoon match. She also had organized the books she needed for her afternoon classes at the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus, where she was a sophomore.</p>
<p>But as the hours passed, her mother, Patty, became worried when Tara didn’t return home. Concerned she may have become stranded on the side of the highway, Patty headed out just after noon, thinking she would find Tara walking home.</p>
<p>She didn’t. No one did.</p>
<p>Tara didn’t make her tennis match or her afternoon classes. She was gone, nowhere to be found, as if she had vanished into thin air.</p>
<p>Now, 25 years later, her family and friends continue to wait and wonder, while still praying for a miracle.</p>
<p>“I’m still hopeful, even today, even though it’s not probable,” her stepfather said. “Over the years, I’ve accepted the alternative. But it’s still possible (that she’s alive), and for that reason, I can’t let it go.”</p>
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<p>Tara’s stepsister, Michele Doel, said on that first day, she was sure Tara would be found.</p>
<p>“How could she not?,” Michele said. “It seemed as though every person in our county was out there, hand in hand, searching everywhere. It didn’t seem possible that there was a place where she couldn’t be found with that amount of help.”</p>
<p>As the minutes turned into hours, hours into days and days into years, Michele said it still hurts.</p>
<p>Patty Doel never gave up hope, even until the day she died in May 2006. Patty succumbed to complications from a series of strokes in Port Charlotte, Fla., where she and John moved in 2003. John said Patty always dreamed of the day they would be reunited with her daughter.</p>
<p>But it never happened.</p>
<p>“Tara and her mother were especially close,” John said. “I’m just sorry something wasn’t resolved, one way or another, before she passed. It took quite a bit out of her.”</p>
<p>In the days, weeks, months and years after Tara’s disappearance, Patty worked tirelessly searching for her missing daughter. She looked everywhere, talked to thousands of people, worked closely with local, state and federal law enforcement, appeared on national television numerous times to share Tara’s story. She even consulted numerous psychics.</p>
<p>Patty wasn’t alone. John, who had helped raise Tara since she was about 6 years old when he married Patty, was right by her side, doing anything he could to find that “feisty kid” he grew to love and think of as his own.</p>
<p>“I was on fire, initially,” John said about the days and months after Tara’s disappearance. “In fact, I think I made a lot of people pretty nervous, including law enforcement, which wasn’t my intent, but I was determined. I’m a pretty straight-forward person, and I’ll give you an answer if you ask, but it might not be the one you like.”</p>
<p>Family friends Shorty and Billie Payne, who still live in Belen, also have never given up hope that Tara is alive and will one day come home.</p>
<p>“They’re still finding girls 10 years later who have been kidnapped,” Billie said. “Patty always used to say, ‘If the body is my daughter, then I’ll accept she’s gone.’ But until then, she believed Tara was still alive.”</p>
<p>Shorty said he still believes Tara was abducted.</p>
<p>“I can suppose this or suppose that, but I think she was abducted and who knows what happened after that,” Shorty said. “We hope to this day that she’s still alive and doing well, but if that’s not the case, that’s something we’ll have to face sooner or later. The not knowing is the worst part.”</p>
<p>While the community stood behind the family, Shorty and Billie were the ones who helped the Doels on a daily basis. Shorty met John in 1980 when they both worked for the railroad. Billie met them a few years later when she moved to Belen.</p>
<p>“They are very likable people, friendly and I couldn’t have asked for better friends,” Billie said of the Doels.</p>
<p>Billie first met Tara when the teenager was in high school. She still remembers her as a “super cool girl,” outgoing and friendly.</p>
<p>On the day of the disappearance, Billie was shocked when Patty called and told her that Tara hadn’t returned from her bike ride.</p>
<p>“That’s the last thing you would expect in a small town like Belen,” Billie said. “All I could think is who and why would they have taken her.”</p>
<p>That first day, both Shorty and Billie did what they could to help find Tara. They went out to the desolate area where they thought she had been riding, looking for anything that would lead them to her.</p>
<p>“I looked under bushes, I looked everywhere I could,” Billie said. “But I didn’t know what we were looking for. Not knowing, I just couldn’t handle it anymore, so I stayed at the (Doels) house and took phone calls and greeted people.”</p>
<p>“I helped search the whole area for at least a week,” said Shorty. “We looked everywhere, near the home, the surrounding areas of N.M. 47. There were many, many people out there helping to search.”</p>
<p>Billie helped with fliers, helped organize a benefit dinner, doing anything she could to help find Tara. Her son, Cory, even sketched the white truck featured on the first missing persons poster for law enforcement.</p>
<p>After a while, Billie said, it became overwhelming.</p>
<p>“It was really hard,” she said through tears. “Being a mom, and seeing Patty go through that, there are no words.”</p>
<p>Billie would also be by Patty’s side every time law enforcement would send her a picture of a dead girl, wondering if it was Tara. It never was.</p>
<p>“I practically lived over there for at least two years,” Billie said. “After two years, things started to slow down and I couldn’t help as much.”</p>
<p>After driving the bike route twice that day looking for Tara, Patty called the local hospital, the rescue unit, then the Valencia County Sheriff’s Office to report Tara’s disappearance.</p>
<p>Within five hours, Tara’s name was entered into NCIC as a missing person with a notification that foul play was feared. An extensive search lasted two weeks, involving local and state police, various military units and hundreds of volunteer searchers on foot, on horseback, on four-wheelers, as well as in airplanes and helicopters.</p>
<p>Bad weather complicated the search. Neither Tara nor the bike was found.</p>
<p>The only discoveries were bike tracks, which indicated she had gone off the road onto a soft shoulder, a “Boston” cassette tape, which belonged to Tara and was found by Patty, and the viewing window from her Sony Walkman radio and cassette player.</p>
<p>Detectives with the sheriff’s department interviewed seven witnesses who reported seeing Tara riding her bike northbound toward home that day. Five of those witnesses saw an old, light-colored (probably Ford) pickup truck with a camper following Tara at various points along N.M. 47.</p>
<p>All of the witnesses told police they saw her wearing earphones and appeared unaware of anyone behind her.</p>
<p>The bike tracks going off the pavement, Tara’s cassette and the window to her cassette player were all discovered one to three miles south of where Tara was last seen riding north toward her home.</p>
<p>Patty had said it was strange that Tara was last seen going north on N.M. 47, when she found the cassette tape on the southbound side of the highway.</p>
<p>In June 1989, investigators followed up on a tip that eventually went nowhere — a Polaroid photo of an unidentified female discovered in a Port St. Joe, Fla., convenience store parking lot. A white Toyota van was parked where the photo was found.</p>
<p>The picture depicts a long-legged young woman, who looks like Tara, and a smaller boy lying on some sheets and a blue-striped pillow. Their mouths were covered with duct tape and their hands tied behind their backs.</p>
<p>Some people, at first, believed the boy in the picture was 9-year-old Michael Henley, who vanished in April 1988 in northern New Mexico. But Henley’s remains were found in the Zuni Mountains in 1990.</p>
<p>The FBI examined the photo and couldn’t determine whether the girl was Tara; Scotland Yard photo analysts concluded it was. Experts at the Los Alamos National Laboratory doubted it was her.</p>
<p>But Patty believed it was her daughter pictured in back of the van. She just never could prove it.</p>
<p>“For one thing, (Tara) was in a bad car accident,” Patty said a few years before her death. “In the photo, there is a scar on the woman’s leg that is identical to the scar she received in the car accident.”</p>
<p>Five years ago, Rene Rivera, the then sheriff of Valencia County, said he knew what happened to Tara and who was responsible.</p>
<p>Without naming the suspects, Rivera said he had received information throughout the years that two men, who were teenagers at the time, found Tara riding her bike on N.M. 47 south of Rio Communities.</p>
<p>He said the teens, driving an older-model Ford pickup truck, followed Tara, grabbing at her while trying to talk to her. Rivera said the truck accidently hit Tara’s bike, and the men got scared after Tara threatened to call law enforcement. He says the two men panicked, took her and killed her.</p>
<p>Rivera served one term, then voters elected a new sheriff three years ago. Current Sheriff Louis Burkhard said his detectives have worked with the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Cold Case unit, but didn’t think there was enough evidence to reopen the investigation.</p>
<p>“Since taking office, we’ve only received one tip that detectives followed up with, but nothing came of that,” Burkhard said.</p>
<p>He said he will follow up on the newest possible lead, this one by way of a retired deputy in Dade County, Ga.</p>
<p>The News-Bulletin received an email Monday morning from Lee Blake, who worked for the Dade County Sheriff’s Department for 15 years. Blake said he had come across a website Sunday evening about missing persons that featured Tara Calico.</p>
<p>His search, he says, was in regards to a case that has haunted him for the past 25 years. Blake said he was the first deputy on the scene where a young woman’s body was found Dec. 16, 1988, on the side of Interstate 59.</p>
<p>While researching Tara’s case, he realized the description of the dead woman he had found a quarter century ago matched that of Tara: Age: Between 20-25 (Tara was 19 years old when she went missing); Weight: 125 pounds (Tara was 120 pounds when she went missing); 5-feet 7-inches tall (the same as Tara); Hair color: Dyed brownish-red hair with frosted ends (Tara had light brown hair).</p>
<p>Even though the dead woman’s clothes and jewelry weren’t the same Tara wore the day she went missing, Blake still wonders.</p>
<p>“If I had heard about Tara’s case, I would have made contact back then,” Blake said in a telephone interview this week. “Back then, there wasn’t the news coverage like there is today.”</p>
<p>Blake said they never identified the woman he found. He said no one ever claimed the woman’s body and she was buried in an unmarked grave in Dade County a few years later.</p>
<p>He said DNA evidence and the woman’s personal effects are still being kept in a crime lab in Atlanta, Ga.</p>
<p>“This is a case that still haunts me,” Blake said. “It’s a young lady that is away from home, her family is not around and somebody threw her on the side of the road like a piece of trash. No human being deserves to be treated that way.”</p>
<p>Several years ago, Bernalillo County Sheriff Dan Houston met Michele while she was jogging in downtown Albuquerque, and she told him about her sister’s case.</p>
<p>Houston, who was a captain in the department at the time of the disappearance, remembered the case when it happened 25 years ago.</p>
<p>“I just have great respect for Michele and I have sympathy for her family,” Houston said. “I spoke with Sheriff Burkhard, and while we didn’t actually open up an actual case, we were able to profile her case on our cold-case website.”</p>
<p>Houston said he has had a great working relationship with Burkhard, and is happy to help in whatever way he can with the investigation.</p>
<p>“For us, the purpose is to let the families know we haven’t given up,” Houston said. “This can be solved, even this many years later. Hopefully, we can help develop new leads and we are wanting to work together and partner up to solve this.”</p>
<p>Houston also said the department created and distributed a deck of playing cards to inmates in the county jail with pictures and information illustrating different unsolved homicides, including one of Tara.</p>
<p>“A lot of time, our best information sources are other criminals,” Houston said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to get her information to more people.”</p>
<p>As the search for Tara went cold, John said it became frustrating that no one could tie anything together.</p>
<p>Every once in a while, he said, they would get phone calls from law enforcement, including the FBI, whose agents had extracted DNA from Patty before she died, just in case. He said he hasn’t heard from anyone in law enforcement for two to three years.</p>
<p>“It’s been 25 years of day after day, and again, we’ve been kind of let down,” said John about the information the sheriff’s department has in the case and its inability to make an arrest. “I’m not really looking to nail anybody. I just want to know what happened.”</p>
<p>Both Billie and Shorty would like police to open up the case again and hopefully find out what happened to Tara.</p>
<p>“It’s been very disheartening, simply because it seems like the investigation has been put on the wayside,” Shorty said. “One life is just as important as another, and it seems as though they’ve forgotten about this child.”</p>
<p>“I just wish if anybody knows anything to come forward,” Billie said. “We need to give the family peace.”</p>
<p>When John Doel first met and married Patty in 1975, he said Tara was tough and “pretty feisty for a little girl.” He said the younger Tara was a great ball player who would “play with the older girls on the softball team.”</p>
<p>When the Doels got married, they became a blended family — Patty had three children, Todd, Chris and Tara, while John had two girls, Debbie and Michele.</p>
<p>“Being raised with two boys, if they wanted to go out and lasso a snake, she was right there with them,” he said. “She ran, she rode her bike every day, she was always on the go.”</p>
<p>As Tara got older, he could see her unfaltering determination.</p>
<p>“She did very well in school,” John said, “… she picked out a subject she was interested in and she was very pointed in achieving her goal.”</p>
<p>While in high school, Tara also took a few college courses at UNM-VC. She was working on a degree to become a psychologist.</p>
<p>“I think about her quite often, when she was really small and on through her later years,” John said. “She was a terrific kid and would have done something with her life. She had goals and she was a giver, a considerate person. She would have done something meaningful with her life, I’m sure. I just would like people to remember her as that kind of person.”</p>
<p>Michele, who was raised by her mother in Albuquerque, spent most of her childhood between her mother and father’s homes. Her mother died a year before Tara’s disappearance, at which time, she moved to Rio Communities.</p>
<p>When asked what kind of sister Tara was, Michele, first said she felt she was “cheated with time.”</p>
<p>When Michele moved in with John, Patty, Tara and Chris, she said the four-year age difference between her and Tara didn’t seem as distant as it was when they were younger.</p>
<p>“We did a lot together that last year — shopping, running, biking, hanging out,” Michelle said. “She would take me to hang out with her friends, we would go to rugby tournaments, go out to eat — things everyone does with their family, we were no different.”</p>
<p>Before moving to Florida in 2003, Patty described her daughter to the News-Bulletin as someone who “felt beyond herself from the time she was very small.”</p>
<p>By the time Tara turned 19, she had already given a gallon of blood, her mother had said.</p>
<p>“That was just the kind of person she was,” Patty had said.</p>
<p>“She was the glue that held this family together,” Patty had said about her daughter. “She made all the plans for birthday parties, made appointments for pictures.”</p>
<p>After Tara’s disappearance and no word for years, Patty’s faith that she would one day return home was evident in how she kept Tara’s room just as she had left it.</p>
<p>The bedspread was the same, the furniture was the same and even the drapes were the same. For years, Patty would buy Tara presents on birthdays and Christmas, leaving them on her bed for the day she would come home.</p>
<p>“It tended to make people uncomfortable,” Patty said before moving to Florida, “because I wouldn’t let anyone stay in the room for a long time. I had trouble sharing it with anyone. Her scent was still there. I could take her pillow, smell it and it was like she was still there.”</p>
<p>It was important to Patty that if Tara was alive, she could come home and know that they had never given up looking for her and that they always thought about her.</p>
<p>Shorty and Billie Payne said when John and Patty moved to Florida, it was the hardest thing Tara’s mother ever had to do. Billie said Patty felt they were leaving the home that Tara grew up in, and if she was ever to go home, she didn’t want strangers to meet her.</p>
<p>“She left a picture of Tara with the people who bought their house, and left my number,” Billie said. “But, I never got that call.”</p>
<p>John said while it was hard to leave Rio Communities and their friends, it had always been in the couple’s plans to move back to John’s home state.</p>
<p>“Patty wanted to live here on the water,” John said. “Now, it’s just me and my dog.”</p>
<p>As the years passed, John said Tara’s disappearance affected his family in different ways.</p>
<p>“In some ways, it brought a few of us closer together,” he said. “And in other ways, it’s caused alienation. But, for the most part, we’ve moved on, which a person has to do.</p>
<p>“You have your memories, but you have to move on,” he said. “You do what you have to do. In the meantime, I’m still hopeful.”</p>
<p>Celebrating his 73rd birthday last week, John says he misses New Mexico, the mountains and the high country. He hasn’t been back to the Land of Enchantment for many years due to health reasons.</p>
<p>While growing up, even before the disappearance, Michele said her parents were always very protective of the children. They were not allowed to do as they pleased without permission. After Tara went missing, her parents were even more protective of the children.</p>
<p>“I remember having police escorts everywhere I went, which was very limiting, if my parents were working on the case,” Michele remembered. “They had one child missing, so it was hard for them to let us out of their sight.”</p>
<p>In the early days and years of the search for Tara, Michele said she was sheltered from the case. It wasn’t until she became a young adult and had the courage to ask more questions that she was able to understand the details of the investigation, which she says were “devastating, confusing and unimaginable.”</p>
<p>As Michele grew up and had children of her own, she said she was also a protective parent.</p>
<p>“These people that did this knew who we were, but we were still trying to find out who they were,” she said. “We kept hearing later on that everyone in town knew what happened and who was involved but, without evidence, we had nowhere to go with that information — without proof.</p>
<p>“I definitely was afraid and continued to be very private,” Michele said. “My friends were selected very carefully, I’m very fortunate to have them.”</p>
<p>Michele said after Patty died, she believed that the investigation into Tara’s disappearance was over. But, to her, it will never be over.</p>
<p>“She has not been found and justice has not been served,” Michele says. “I look back on everything that has been done to this point and can’t imagine that there is something that can be done now that hadn’t been looked at before, but obviously there is. It’s just a matter of time.</p>
<p>“Tara was a good person and she was taken from her family and friends and lost out on her entire life,” Michele says. “There needs to be justice.”©©</p> | Tara Calico has been missing for 25 years | false | https://abqjournal.com/265671/tara-calico-has-been-missing-for-25-years.html | 2013-09-19 | 2 |
<p>FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Flagstaff could see its first measurable snowfall of the season this week.</p>
<p>The northern Arizona city has been approaching the record of latest snowfall. If it comes as expected Tuesday into Wednesday and can be measured, it will be second on that list. The record is Jan. 15, 2006, when just a fraction of an inch of snow fell.</p>
<p>The National Weather Service is predicting between 1 and 3 inches of snow for Flagstaff and Williams. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon could get up to 4 inches.</p>
<p>Heber, Tsaile (say’-LEE’) and Alpine in eastern Arizona are expecting an inch or more.</p>
<p>Warmer temperatures will return later in the week.</p>
<p>FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Flagstaff could see its first measurable snowfall of the season this week.</p>
<p>The northern Arizona city has been approaching the record of latest snowfall. If it comes as expected Tuesday into Wednesday and can be measured, it will be second on that list. The record is Jan. 15, 2006, when just a fraction of an inch of snow fell.</p>
<p>The National Weather Service is predicting between 1 and 3 inches of snow for Flagstaff and Williams. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon could get up to 4 inches.</p>
<p>Heber, Tsaile (say’-LEE’) and Alpine in eastern Arizona are expecting an inch or more.</p>
<p>Warmer temperatures will return later in the week.</p> | Flagstaff expecting first measurable snowfall of season | false | https://apnews.com/d294e86a95e9428799325392b6841404 | 2018-01-09 | 2 |
<p>PITTSBURGH (AP) — Improved coverage in the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary has allowed the defense an opportunity to make team history.</p>
<p>The Steelers have 50 sacks, which is five from the franchise record entering Sunday's regular-season finale against Cleveland.</p>
<p>"If you can get them to hold the ball a little bit and make them second-guess themselves by changing up the coverages and blitzes, then that really helps us," defensive coordinator Keith Butler said.</p>
<p>The Steelers have four defenders with at least five sacks each this season. The list includes Cam Heyward, Vince Williams, Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt.</p>
<p>That production has helped the Steelers rank second in sacks, fourth in yards allowed and fifth in points even without much from linebacker James Harrison, who is in New England after getting cut last week.</p>
<p>Harrison, a five-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was active for just five of Pittsburgh's 14 games and played only 40 snaps despite being injury-free. The 39-year-old Harrison is the franchise's leader in sacks, piling up 80½ during his 14 seasons with the Steelers and 82½ in his career.</p>
<p>The Steelers have continued Harrison's legacy and have a chance to break the franchise mark for sacks in a season on Sunday.</p>
<p>"We're ready to just go out and do it," Dupree said. "We want to be able to say we're the group that broke the franchise record. We want to take a picture after the game and say that we're the best to ever do it. It's a lot of fun when you can do something like that."</p>
<p>Heyward leads the way, as his team-best 12 sacks are tied for fifth in the NFL and tied for second-most by a Steeler defensive lineman in a single season since 1982.</p>
<p>"That's unusual for a defensive tackle to have 12 sacks," Butler said. "How he's passed up for the Pro Bowl, I don't know."</p>
<p>Watt, the younger brother of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, J.J. Watt, ranks second among rookies with six sacks this season. He became the first player in league history to record at least two sacks and an interception during his NFL debut against the Browns in Week 1.</p>
<p>Cornerback Mike Hilton got into the action last week against Houston with a single-game career-high three sacks. Dupree is also enjoying a career season with a personal-best six sacks.</p>
<p>"The defense we run, we drop back a lot, but having the chance to rush the passer is fun," Dupree said.</p>
<p>The secondary has helped the Steelers reach this point.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is ranked No. 5 against the pass, two seasons removed from finishing 30th in passing defense. Cornerback Artie Burns and safety Sean Davis — the Steelers' first and second-round picks in 2016 — join veteran Mike Mitchell. The Steelers solidified their back end when they signed former Browns standout cornerback Joe Haden, a two-time Pro Bowler, before the start of the regular season.</p>
<p>"I'm just happy we got him," Butler said. "He came available for us and man, what a stroke of fortune that we got him."</p>
<p>Pittsburgh ranked among the top three teams in the league in sacks the previous three times it advanced to the Super Bowl.</p>
<p>The Steelers, second in the league with 50 sacks, have ranked in the top 10 in the league the past three seasons. The Steelers had just 33 sacks — 26th in the league in 2014.</p>
<p>Butler said the team has brought multiple pass rushers — and different blitzers — more often this season.</p>
<p>"You don't know which four (players) are coming," Butler said. "All those guys are talented enough to rush the quarterback and we're fortunate enough that they do a good job for us."</p>
<p>It hasn't been one particular player or position group that does the most damage either.</p>
<p>"Everybody has been part of it," Butler said. "It has been spread around and that's what we want. We don't want to be predictable in terms of how we're trying to put pressure on the quarterback. We want to make them figure it out when it's too late."</p>
<p>NOTES: Center Maurkice Pouncey (hip) and WR Antonio Brown (calf) missed practice on Thursday. Heyward, QB Ben Roethlisberger and RB Le'Veon Bell were limited, but it wasn't injury related.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NFL coverage: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external">http://www.pro32.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>PITTSBURGH (AP) — Improved coverage in the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary has allowed the defense an opportunity to make team history.</p>
<p>The Steelers have 50 sacks, which is five from the franchise record entering Sunday's regular-season finale against Cleveland.</p>
<p>"If you can get them to hold the ball a little bit and make them second-guess themselves by changing up the coverages and blitzes, then that really helps us," defensive coordinator Keith Butler said.</p>
<p>The Steelers have four defenders with at least five sacks each this season. The list includes Cam Heyward, Vince Williams, Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt.</p>
<p>That production has helped the Steelers rank second in sacks, fourth in yards allowed and fifth in points even without much from linebacker James Harrison, who is in New England after getting cut last week.</p>
<p>Harrison, a five-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was active for just five of Pittsburgh's 14 games and played only 40 snaps despite being injury-free. The 39-year-old Harrison is the franchise's leader in sacks, piling up 80½ during his 14 seasons with the Steelers and 82½ in his career.</p>
<p>The Steelers have continued Harrison's legacy and have a chance to break the franchise mark for sacks in a season on Sunday.</p>
<p>"We're ready to just go out and do it," Dupree said. "We want to be able to say we're the group that broke the franchise record. We want to take a picture after the game and say that we're the best to ever do it. It's a lot of fun when you can do something like that."</p>
<p>Heyward leads the way, as his team-best 12 sacks are tied for fifth in the NFL and tied for second-most by a Steeler defensive lineman in a single season since 1982.</p>
<p>"That's unusual for a defensive tackle to have 12 sacks," Butler said. "How he's passed up for the Pro Bowl, I don't know."</p>
<p>Watt, the younger brother of three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, J.J. Watt, ranks second among rookies with six sacks this season. He became the first player in league history to record at least two sacks and an interception during his NFL debut against the Browns in Week 1.</p>
<p>Cornerback Mike Hilton got into the action last week against Houston with a single-game career-high three sacks. Dupree is also enjoying a career season with a personal-best six sacks.</p>
<p>"The defense we run, we drop back a lot, but having the chance to rush the passer is fun," Dupree said.</p>
<p>The secondary has helped the Steelers reach this point.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is ranked No. 5 against the pass, two seasons removed from finishing 30th in passing defense. Cornerback Artie Burns and safety Sean Davis — the Steelers' first and second-round picks in 2016 — join veteran Mike Mitchell. The Steelers solidified their back end when they signed former Browns standout cornerback Joe Haden, a two-time Pro Bowler, before the start of the regular season.</p>
<p>"I'm just happy we got him," Butler said. "He came available for us and man, what a stroke of fortune that we got him."</p>
<p>Pittsburgh ranked among the top three teams in the league in sacks the previous three times it advanced to the Super Bowl.</p>
<p>The Steelers, second in the league with 50 sacks, have ranked in the top 10 in the league the past three seasons. The Steelers had just 33 sacks — 26th in the league in 2014.</p>
<p>Butler said the team has brought multiple pass rushers — and different blitzers — more often this season.</p>
<p>"You don't know which four (players) are coming," Butler said. "All those guys are talented enough to rush the quarterback and we're fortunate enough that they do a good job for us."</p>
<p>It hasn't been one particular player or position group that does the most damage either.</p>
<p>"Everybody has been part of it," Butler said. "It has been spread around and that's what we want. We don't want to be predictable in terms of how we're trying to put pressure on the quarterback. We want to make them figure it out when it's too late."</p>
<p>NOTES: Center Maurkice Pouncey (hip) and WR Antonio Brown (calf) missed practice on Thursday. Heyward, QB Ben Roethlisberger and RB Le'Veon Bell were limited, but it wasn't injury related.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NFL coverage: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external">http://www.pro32.ap.org</a> and <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p> | Steelers close to team mark for sacks in a season | false | https://apnews.com/amp/2d791078b5e94571b39642c07e2da2eb | 2017-12-28 | 2 |
<p>Four members of the House Freedom Caucus said they are disappointed in Senate Republicans’ failure to bring an Obamacare repeal bill through a vote, as Republicans have promised their constituents for years that they would end the controversial healthcare law.</p>
<p>“It’s certainly disappointing,” Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows told <a href="http://video.foxnews.com/v/5524554235001/?playlist_id=930909787001#sp=show-clips" type="external">Fox News’ “Fox and Friends”</a> program.</p>
<p>“We’re going to go back to work to make sure that we actually get a bill. Really, what we were talking about last night was passing something to allow us to bring up a bill in a couple of weeks. So now we just work on that perfect bill and make sure that we bring it forward.”</p>
<p>The North Carolina Republican, joined on the show by fellow Freedom Caucus members Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; Andy Biggs, R-Arizona; and Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, commented that he’s optimistic that Obamacare repeal can still happen, even though “people are losing faith” after the 49-51 vote in the Senate early Friday against a “skinny repeal” bill.</p>
<p>“The president is staying in on this fight,” said Meadows. “He is going to deliver. He made it clear this morning,” said Meadows.</p>
<p>Jordan, a founding member of the conference, said there may be a shift in how House member approach the measure now.</p>
<p>“We were going to have to wait for a CBO score anyway,” said Jordan. “I think there is a way forward…the other thing we’re doing is we started the discharge petition process last week, where we think [we] bring up the clean repeal in the House. Let’s show we have the votes for the clean repeal.”</p>
<p>If that happens, he continued, “we can keep our word with what we told the voters last year when we voted for this [repeal bill], we put on President [Barack] Obama’s desk. Let’s put the same things on President [Donald] Trump’s desk. That’s what we have shown all along. Let’s show we have the votes for that that may give more pressure and motivation for the senate to do the right thing and come together like mark had talked about.”</p>
<p>Biggs said it is “mindboggling” that lawmakers will be gone from Washington in August, rather than remaining to hammer out Obamacare repeal and other issues.</p>
<p>“We have got the discharge petition going,” said Biggs. “We have got some other ideas that we need to work with on healthcare. We also have the budget. We have got the tax reform. We have a debt ceiling argument coming. It blows my mind that we’re probably not going to be here in August.”</p>
<p>Lawmakers will come back in September and then leave for another week, said Biggs, and “this is just not what the American people want.”</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Gaetz discussed the Freedom Caucus’ push for an investigation of former FBI Director James Comey and Hillary Clinton’s emails.</p>
<p>“For the last seven months it’s felt like Republicans have been bringing a peace sign to a gun fight with Democrats,” said Gaetz. “Each and every day Democrats are talking about impeaching our president. There seems to be a double standard in justice. The 2016 elections was a rule of law election. And I don’t think that the crimes that the prior administration, of Hillary Clinton, the collusion with James Comey and Loretta Lynch should be forgotten just because Hillary Clinton lost.”</p>
<p>Related stories:</p> | Freedom Caucus Members: Repeal Work Will Go On | false | https://newsline.com/freedom-caucus-members-repeal-work-will-go-on/ | 2017-07-28 | 1 |
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<p />
<p>Because this isn’t really about business privacy – it’s about punishing whistleblowers instead of wrongdoers. In fact, the issue goes far beyond agriculture to the broader topic of activists misrepresenting themselves in order to gain access to places otherwise off -limits to them in order to document perceived wrongdoing, including the undercover operation on Planned Parenthood.</p>
<p>But let’s start with the Idaho case and its ties to New Mexico.</p>
<p>The Idaho law, passed in 2014, was sought by that state’s huge dairy industry, which complained that undercover videos of cows being abused at a southern Idaho dairy had damaged the dairy business. Animal rights activists, civil rights groups and media organizations sued to overturn the law, saying it criminalized a long tradition of undercover journalism and would require people who expose wrongdoing to serve up to a year in jail and pay restitution to the businesses they target. The federal judge’s 2015 ruling was the first time an ag-gag law – designed to “gag” those who would expose wrongdoing in the agricultural industry – was struck down.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Seven states have similar ag-gag measures, and New Mexico Sen. Cliff Pirtle, R-Roswell, has introduced similar measures here, so far without success.</p>
<p>You might recall that in 2014, a two-month undercover investigation by the anti-cruelty group Mercy for Animals (the same group that made the Idaho videos) recorded dairy workers shocking cows with electrified rods, whipping them with chains, throwing calves into trucks, and dragging downed cows with machinery at the now-defunct Winchester Dairy in Dexter – which lies in Pirtle’s district. The resulting outcry prompted an investigation and four dairy workers being charged with animal cruelty. Similar investigations nationwide at dairies, slaughterhouses and large-scale chicken farms have led to prosecutions – and more ag-gag laws.</p>
<p>The tenets of the Idaho ruling, by extension, also should apply to the 2015 case in which anti-abortionists, posing as representatives of a nonexistent biotechnology company, visited abortion clinics and later released heavily edited videos on how those facilities provide fetal tissue to researchers.</p>
<p>After numerous federal and state investigations found no wrongdoing on the part of the abortion providers, the posers, David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress, were charged with 15 felony counts under California law – one for each of the people they filmed without consent, and one for criminal conspiracy to invade privacy. That case remains pending. Congressional conservatives and others have used the case as a basis for defunding Planned Parenthood, which receives some federal funding and spends about 3 percent of its total funding on abortion services.</p>
<p>As diverse as they are, the dairy cruelty and anti-abortion cases show the difficulty courts and legislatures face when trying to determine if, or when, a means justifies an end. While it’s evident such undercover operations can provide valuable information that would likely go unreported otherwise, it’s also evident the information is often used to advance personal agendas and ideologies.</p>
<p>But there’s a reason Americans have put systems in place, from the Better Business Bureau to industry inspectors to whistleblower protections: They expect everyone, from nonprofits to for-profits, to be good neighbors, operate within the law and be held accountable when they don’t.</p>
<p>Ag-gag laws like Idaho’s incorrectly escalate a firing offense – lying on a job application – to a criminal one. And they place a troubling chilling effect on anyone who would try to shine a light on wrongdoing by making the would-be whistleblower the criminal instead of the purported wrongdoer.</p>
<p>This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.</p>
<p /> | Editorial: Idaho case shows need to protect whistleblowers | false | https://abqjournal.com/1007784/idaho-case-shows-need-to-protect-whistleblowers.html | 2 |
|
<p />
<p>President Bush visited Vietnam today for the first time during his presidency, with the primary focus of strengthening business ties with the nation. Bush’s trip to the country while we are engaged in a long and drawn out occupation conjured up questions about whether there are lessons to be learned from the war in Vietnam. In response, Bush, true to form, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/17/AR2006111700224.html" type="external">instead touted</a> the country’s steadfast resolve to succeed:</p>
<p />
<p>“One lesson is, is that we tend to want there to be instant success in the world, and the task in Iraq is going to take a while.”</p>
<p>And, although it is hard to tell from the <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2006/11/17/bush-kissinger-vietnam/" type="external">sliced footage of CNN</a> that the folks over at <a href="http://www.thinkprogress.org" type="external">Think Progress</a> have, Bush, seems to continue his response, sticking to his tired guns, saying, “We’ll succeed until we quit.” Apparently, the big/important lesson from Vietnam seems to have slipped his mind.</p>
<p /> | “Stay the Course” With a Twist | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2006/11/stay-course-twist/ | 2006-11-17 | 4 |
<p>Syria is using snipers and helicopter gunships in its efforts to quash three months of protests, a U.N. report says.</p>
<p>U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay in a report pubished Wednesday said the regime of <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/17session/A.HRC.17.CRP.1_Englishonly.pdf" type="external">Bashar al-Assad</a> had killed more than 1,100 and detained another 10,000&#160; in "alleged breaches of the most fundamental rights."</p>
<p>U.N. investigators collected evidence for the report using evidence from rights groups and people who had fled Syria, after they were denied entry to the country despite repeatedly appealing to Damascus to let in a humanitarian team.</p>
<p>The U.N. has come under fire for its perceived silence on alleged human rights abuses by the Syrian regime.</p>
<p>According to the BBC:</p>
<p>Assad is facing the gravest threat to his family's 40-year ruling dynasty, as unrest that first erupted in the south of the country has now engulfed the north - near the border with Turkey - and is threatening to spread eastwards towards its border with Iraq.</p>
<p>Pillay said her office had a "considerable amount" of information that indicated Syrian authorities were in routine violation of conventional <a href="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/06/15/UN-report-finds-Syrian-rights-violations/UPI-33481308146612/#ixzz1PMTxSAlM" type="external">human rights laws</a>, UPI reports.</p>
<p>The report cites "the excessive use of force in quelling demonstrators, arbitrary detentions, summary executions, torture," with information to suggest that the torture of detainees had resulted in deaths in custody.</p>
<p /> | Assad regime using snipers, gunships and torture, UN says (VIDEO) | false | https://pri.org/stories/2011-06-15/assad-regime-using-snipers-gunships-and-torture-un-says-video | 2011-06-15 | 3 |
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal" />If there were ever any doubts about Hillary Clinton’s health, they’ve all been removed — or at least that seemed to be the plan.&#160; While appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” she opened a jar of pickles.&#160; Not just any jar, mind you, but one that appears to have been pre-opened.</p>
<p>Here’s the video:</p>
<p>One person observed:</p>
<p>https://twitter.com/anarchoca/status/767985479023112192</p>
<p>Good catch.&#160; I went through the video a few times to see if I could hear any pressure being released and I couldn’t.</p>
<p>Of course it was theater — this is Hillary Clinton in Hollywood…</p>
<p>Viewers at YouTube weren’t impressed, either.</p>
<p>“(W)ow! she can open a can of pickles (without having a seizure)! she is ready to be president NOW!!!!!!” one person said.</p>
<p>“Hillary, instead of trying to show you’re in good health by opening a jar, actually PROVE it by releasing your medical records!” added another commenter using the screen name of “Mr. Trump.”</p>
<p>Before opening the apparently pre-opened jar of pickles, Clinton dismissed talk of her failing health as though it’s just a wacky conspiracy being spread about by conservatives.</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/hillary-clinton-opens-jar-of-pickles-to-prove-shes-healthy-w435727" type="external">Us Magazine</a>:</p>
<p>Host Jimmy Kimmel opened up the discussion by asking Clinton, 68, about the rumors most recently raised by Rudy Giuliani, a close adviser to the 70-year-old Republican nominee; “Are you in good health?” he asked.</p>
<p>She responded by cheekily getting Kimmel to take her pulse.</p>
<p>“Make sure I’m alive,” she joked before continuing. “I don’t know why they are saying this. I think on the one hand it’s part of the wacky strategy, just say all these crazy things and maybe you can get people to believe you. On the other hand it just absolutely makes no sense. I don’t go around questioning Donald Trump’s health. As far as I can tell, he’s as healthy as a horse.”</p>
<p>Even Us noted that it was all an act, observing that she went through the motions of opening the jar while “pulling an exaggerated face and pretending to exert great effort…”</p>
<p>It seems we’re all just supposed to ignore the bizarre seizures she’s had and we’re all just supposed to dismiss the <a href="http://www.dangerandplay.com/2016/08/12/hillary-clinton-has-parkinsons-disease-physician-confirms/" type="external">numerous reports</a> of her health issues.</p>
<p />
<p>Apparently, as the saying goes, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for.</p>
<p>After all, she can open a jar of pickles that someone else has apparently already opened… With “proof” like that, who needs doctors?</p>
<p>Related:</p>
<p>If you haven’t checked out and liked our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConservativeFiringLine?fref=ts" type="external">Facebook</a> page, please go <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConservativeFiringLine?fref=ts" type="external">here</a> and do so.</p> | Hillary proves she’s ‘healthy’ by opening pre-opened jar of pickles on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live’ | true | http://conservativefiringline.com/hillary-proves-shes-healthy-opening-pre-opened-jar-pickles-jimmy-kimmel-live/ | 2016-08-23 | 0 |
<p>Jon Stewart teed off on Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens’ <a href="" type="internal">instantly infamous speech</a> about Net Neutrality, in which the 85-year-old in charge of regulating Internet commerce betrayed a stunning ignorance of Net fundamentals.</p>
<p>Watch it:</p>
<p />
<p>After playing a clip of Stevens’ nearly incoherent speech, Stewart said:</p>
<p />
<p>All right, that might have sounded more like something you’d hear from, let’s say, a crazy old man in an airport bar at 3 a.m. than the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. Uhhh, I’m sorry sir, I don’t think I understand your dump-truck-tube symposium.</p>
<p>After playing another clip in which Stevens referred to “an enormous amount of material” clogging the Internet, Stewart responded:</p>
<p>There’s apparently an enormous amount of material clogging Ted Stevens’ tubes. Perhaps a little fiber … optic cable might be the answer.</p>
<p>Also, in his speech, Stevens said that he didn’t receive “an internet” — by which he probably meant an e-mail — until a few days after it was sent. Stewart had this to say about that revelation:</p>
<p>Actually, why didn’t Sen. Stevens get it until yesterday? Well, this is just a little bit of a guess, but maybe it’s because you don’t seem to know jack shit about computers or the Internet. But hey, you’re just the guy in charge of regulating it, so what difference does it make?</p> | Jon Stewart Lampoons Sen. Stevens' Net Nonsense | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/jon-stewart-lampoons-sen-stevens-net-nonsense/ | 2006-07-13 | 4 |
<p />
<p>Believe it or not, but soon you could have to serve a year in prison if you use the wrong pronoun when addressing a cross dressing freak transgendered person with the wrong pronoun in California. &#160;How about this? &#160;A woman is a she. &#160;A man is a he. &#160;And a cross dresser is an it. &#160;Problem solved.</p>
<p>At first blush when you look at the law, it seems ridiculous, but if you look at it more closely, you will laugh until you wet your pants, which would then make you another protected class of liberal voter. &#160;Normal people aren’t voting liberal anymore, so they have to build a freak show coalition.</p>
<p>The bill was proposed by&#160;&#160;State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) (Where else?). &#160;I have never heard a thing about this Wiener fella (Pronounced Whiner?) but I can say with certainty that he is a card-carrying moron. &#160;Seriously. &#160;You would have to be a moron to believe such a bill would be constitutional. &#160;You cannot compel people to use your warped sense of propriety for something they find abhorrent.</p>
<p>California Family Council’s Greg Burt:</p>
<p>How can you believe in free speech, but think the government can compel people to use certain pronouns when talking to others? …&#160;This is not tolerance. This is not love. This is not mutual respect. True tolerance tolerates people with different views. We need to treat each other with respect, but respect is a two-way street. It is not respectful to threaten people with punishment for having sincerely held beliefs that differ from your own.</p>
<p />
<p><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/08/17/california-bill-1-year-in-jail-for-using-wrong-transgender-pronoun/" type="external">California Democrats have also taken up</a> the transgender cause as part of their “resistance” to President Donald Trump. In February, when the Trump administration reversed an Obama administration directive on transgender bathrooms in public schools, thus allowing states and local communities to set their own policies again, California&#160; <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/02/23/transgender-california-defies-trump-directive-repeal/" type="external">protested&#160;</a>vigorously in favor of the idea that the federal government should impose a uniform standard everywhere as a matter of civil rights.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, this is the state that decided to <a href="" type="internal">regulate cow flatulence</a> as a way to combat global warming…</p>
<p>Related:</p>
<p>If you haven’t checked out and liked our&#160; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConservativeFiringLine?fref=ts" type="external">Facebook</a>&#160;page, please go&#160; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ConservativeFiringLine?fref=ts" type="external">here</a>&#160;and do so.</p>
<p>And if you’re as concerned about online censorship as we are, go <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Banned-Facebook-Enables-Militant-Islamic/dp/1944212221/" type="external">here</a> and order this book:</p> | A Year in Prison For Using Wrong Pronoun When Addressing Transgenders? Only in California | true | http://conservativefiringline.com/year-prison-for-wrong-pronoun-when-addressing-transgenders-only-in-california/ | 2017-08-17 | 0 |
<p>By Rebecca Solnit, TomDispatchThis piece originally appeared at</p>
<p>TomDispatch. Read Tom Engelhardt’s introduction <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175536/tomgram%3A_rebecca_solnit%2C_american_dystopia%2C_fiction_or_reality/#more" type="external">here</a>.</p>
<p>When I was growing up, I ate books for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and since I was constantly running out of reading material, I read everyone else’s — which for a girl with older brothers meant science fiction. The books were supposed to be about the future, but they always turned out to be very much about this very moment.</p>
<p>Some of them — Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land — were comically of their time: that novel’s vision of the good life seemed to owe an awful lot to the Playboy Mansion in its prime, only with telepathy and being nice added in. Frank Herbert’s Dune had similarly sixties social mores, but its vision of an intergalactic world of disciplined desert jihadis and a great game for the substance that made all long-distance transit possible is even more relevant now.&#160; Think: drug cartels meet the oil industry in the deep desert.</p>
<p />
<p>We now live in a world that is wilder than a lot of science fiction from my youth. My phone is 58 times faster than IBM’s fastest mainframe computer in 1964 (calculates my older brother Steve) and more powerful than the computers on the Apollo spaceship we landed on the moon in 1969 (adds my nephew Jason).&#160;Though we never got the promised jetpacks and the Martians were a bust, we do live in a time when genetic engineers use jellyfish genes to make mammals glow in the dark and nerds in southern Nevada kill people in Pakistan and Afghanistan with <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175482/tomgram%3A_nick_turse,_the_life_and_death_of_american_drones/" type="external">unmanned drones</a>.&#160; Anyone who time-traveled from the sixties would be astonished by our age, for its wonders and its horrors and its profound social changes. But science fiction is about the present more than the future, and we do have a new science fiction trilogy that’s perfect for this very moment.</p>
<p>Sacrificing the Young in the Arenas of Capital</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0439023521/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The Hunger Games</a>, Suzanne Collins’s bestselling young-adult novel and top-grossing blockbuster movie, is all about this very moment in so many ways. For those of you hiding out deep in the woods, it’s set in a dystopian future North America, a continent divided into downtrodden, fearful districts ruled by a decadent, luxurious oligarchy in the Capitol. Supposedly to punish the districts for an uprising 74 years ago, but really to provide Roman-style blood and circuses to intimidate and distract, the Capitol requires each district to provide two adolescent Tributes, drawn by lottery each year, to compete in the gladiatorial Hunger Games broadcast across the nation.</p>
<p>That these 24 youths battle each other to the death with one lone victor allowed to survive makes it like — and yet not exactly like — high school, that concentration camp for angst and competition into which we force our young. After all, even such real-life situations can be fatal: <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Family/2012/0423/Iowa-teen-s-suicide-prompts-strong-anti-bullying-statement" type="external">witness</a> the gay Iowa teen who took his life only a few weeks ago after being outed and taunted by his peers, not to speak of the epidemic of other suicides by queer teens that Dan Savage’s <a href="http://www.itgetsbetter.org/" type="external">“It Gets Better”</a> website, film, and books aspire to reduce.</p>
<p>But really, in this moment, the cruelty of teens to teens is far from the most atrocious thing in the land. The Hunger Games reminds us of that.&#160; Its Capitol is, of course, the land of the 1%, a sort of amalgamation of Fashion Week, Versailles, and the KGB/CIA. Collins’s timely trilogy makes it clear that the 1%, having created a system of deeply embedded cruelty, should go, something highlighted by the surly defiance of heroine Katniss Everdeen — Annie Oakley, Tank Girl, and Robin Hood all rolled into one — who refuses to be disposed of.</p>
<p>Now, in our world, gladiatorial entertainment and the disposability of the young are mostly separate things (except in football, boxing, hockey, and other contact sports that regularly result in brain damage, and sometimes even in death). But while the Capitol is portrayed as brutal for annually sacrificing 23 teenagers from the Districts, what about our own Capitol in the District of Columbia? It has a war or two on, if you hadn’t noticed.</p>
<p>In Iraq, 4,486 mostly young Americans died.&#160; If you want to count Iraqis (which you should indeed want to do), the deaths of babies, children, grandmothers, young men, and others total more than <a href="http://www.iraqbodycount.org/" type="external">106,000</a> by the most conservative count, hundreds of thousands by others. Even the lowest numbers represent enough kill to fill nearly 5,000 years of Hunger Games. &#160;</p>
<p>Then, of course, there are thousands more Americans who were so grievously wounded they might have died in previous conflicts, but are now surviving with severe brain damage, multiple missing limbs, or other profound mutilations. And don’t forget the trauma and mental illness that mostly goes unacknowledged and untreated or the far more devastating <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-the-children-of-fallujah--sayefs-story-7675977.html" type="external">Iraqi version</a> of the same. And never mind Afghanistan, with its own grim numbers and horrific consequences.</p>
<p>Our wartime carnage has been on a grand scale, but it hasn’t been on television in any meaningful way; it’s generally been semi-hidden by most of the American media and the government, which <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175328/tom_engelhardt_one_november%27s_dead" type="external">censored</a> images of returning coffins, corpses, civilian casualties, and anything else uncomfortable (though in our science-fiction era when every phone is potentially a video camera, the <a href="http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=8560" type="external">leakage</a> has still been colossal). Most of us did a good job of being distracted by other things — including reality TV, of course. &#160;The US Ambassador and military commander in Afghanistan were furious not that our soldiers <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/18/us-afghanistan-photographs-latimes-idUSBRE83H0N620120418" type="external">struck jokey poses</a> with severed limbs, but that the Los Angeles Times dared to publish them last month. And those whistleblowers who <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175500/tomgram%3A_peter_van_buren,_in_washington,_fear_the_silence,_not_the_noise/" type="external">took the effort</a> to reveal the little men behind the throne are facing severe punishment.&#160; Witness one Hunger-Games-style <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175414/chase_madar_bradley_manning_american_hero" type="external">hero</a>, Bradley Manning, the slight young soldier turned alleged leaker, long held in inhumane conditions and now facing a potential life sentence.</p>
<p>The Return of Debt Peonage</p>
<p>In The Hunger Games, kids in poor families take out extra chances in their District lottery — that is, extra chances to die — in return for extra food rations; in ours, poor kids enlist in the military to feed their families and maybe escape economic doom. Many are <a href="http://counterrecruiter.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/army-of-none-top-ten-military-recruiter-lies/" type="external">seduced</a> by military recruiters who stalk them in high school with promises as slippery as those the slave trade uses to recruit poor young women for sex work abroad.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670021075/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external" />And then there’s another form of debt peonage that is far more widespread in our strange and ever-changing land: student loans. The young are constantly told that only a college education can give them a decent future. Then they’re told that, to pay for it, they need to go into debt — usually into five figures, sometimes well into six. And these debts are, in turn, governed by special laws that don’t allow you to declare bankruptcy — no matter what.&#160; In other words, they are guaranteed to follow you all your life.</p>
<p>One of my close friends wept when her husband began to earn enough money to pay off her $45,000 loan, structured so that it looked like she would continue to pay interest on it for the rest of her life; not so dissimilar, that is, from the debts sharecroppers and workers in company towns used to incur.</p>
<p>In other words, we’re creating a new generation of debt peonage. And she’s not the worst case by far. Early in the Occupy Wall Street moment, she told me, someone arrived at Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan with markers and cardboard on which participants were to write their debt.&#160; What shocked her was how many of the occupiers in their early twenties were already carrying huge debt burdens.</p>
<p>According to the website for <a href="http://occupystudentdebt.com/" type="external">Occupy Student Debt</a>, 36,000,000 Americans have student debts.&#160; These have increased more than fivefold since 1999, creating a debt load that’s approaching a trillion dollars, with students borrowing $96 billion more every year to pay for their educations. Two-thirds of college students find themselves in this trap nowadays. As commentator Malcolm Harris put it in <a href="http://nplusonemag.com/bad-education" type="external">N + 1 magazine</a>:</p>
<p>“Since 1978, the price of tuition at U.S. colleges has increased over 900%, 650 points above inflation. To put that number in perspective, housing prices, the bubble that nearly burst the U.S. economy,&#160;then the global one, increased only fifty points above the Consumer Price Index during those years. But… wages for college-educated workers outside of the inflated finance industry have stagnated or diminished. Unemployment has hit recent graduates especially hard, nearly doubling in the post-2007 recession. The result is that the most indebted generation in history is without the dependable jobs it needs to escape debt.”</p>
<p>About a third are already in default. You can only hope that this bubble will burst in a wildcat strike against student debt, and if we’re lucky, a move to force tuition lower and have a debt jubilee.</p>
<p>The rest of us, the 99%, need to remember that, when it comes to public education, the crisis has everything to do with slashed tax rates — to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/18/us/politics/for-wealthy-tax-cuts-since-1980s-have-been-gain-gain.html" type="external">wealthy</a> and <a href="http://business.time.com/2012/02/06/the-corporate-tax-rate-is-at-its-lowest-in-decades-is-big-business-paying-its-fair-share/" type="external">corporations</a> in particular — over the last 30 years. We went into bondage so that they might be free. Getting an education to make your way out of poverty and maybe expand your mind is becoming another way of being trapped forever in poverty. For too many, there’s no way out of the hunger labyrinth.</p>
<p>The Labyrinths of Poverty</p>
<p>Which brings us to the hungriest in our 2012 real-life version of the Hunger Games: the poor. The wealthiest and most powerful nation the world has ever seen is full of hungry people. You know it, and you know why. In this vast, bountiful, food-producing, food-wasting nation, it’s a crisis of distribution, also known as <a href="http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/04/05/economic-inequality-teach-in/" type="external">economic inequality</a>, described at last with clarity and force by the <a href="http://www.salon.com/2011/11/11/why_income_inequality_suddenly_matters/" type="external">Occupy movement</a>.</p>
<p>One of the sad and moving spectacles of camps like <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175506/rebecca_solnit_mad_passionate_love_and_violence" type="external">Occupy Oakland</a> last year was the way they became de facto soup kitchens as <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175457/barbara_ehrenreich_homeless_in_america" type="external">the homeless</a> and hungry came out of the shadows for the chance at a decent meal. Some of the camps had really dedicated chefs who cooked superbly.&#160; They also had rudimentary medical clinics where the poor received the healthcare they couldn’t get anywhere else.</p>
<p>We are in a new era of desperation, when lots of people who were getting by these last several decades aren’t anymore. There are no jobs, or the jobs available pay so abysmally that workers can barely survive on them. &#160;</p>
<p>Of course, we do have one arena in which meals are guaranteed, and the population there keeps growing. Six million Americans live there, and it often does get gladiatorial inside. It’s called prison, and we have the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/23/world/americas/23iht-23prison.12253738.html" type="external">highest percentage</a> of prisoners per population in the world, higher than in <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2012/01/30/120130crat_atlarge_gopnik?currentPage=all" type="external">the USSR gulags</a> under Stalin. Half of them are there for <a href="http://globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/22/zakaria-incarceration-nation/" type="external">drug offenses</a>, 80% of those for simple possession.</p>
<p>Which, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, hasn’t stopped the flow of drugs meant to numb the pain we’re so good at creating here.&#160; We should create a measure for Gross National Suffering (GNS) before we even think about the Gross National Happiness they measure in Bhutan.</p>
<p>And once our prisoners get out, they’re a <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175520/best_of_tomdispatch%3A_michelle_alexander,_the_age_of_obama_as_a_racial_nightmare/" type="external">stigmatized caste</a>, uniquely ill-suited to survival in this economy — speaking of hunger, debt, poverty, being branded for life, and hopelessness. Like <a href="http://keepcaliforniaspromise.org/383/they-pledged-your-tuition" type="external">universities</a>, prisons are <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175531/tomgram%3A_fraser_and_freeman%2C_creating_a_prison-corporate_complex/" type="external">profitable industries</a>, though not for the human beings who are the raw material they process.&#160; In this age, both systems seem increasingly like so many factories.</p>
<p>In the Shadow of 900 Tornados</p>
<p>But if you want to think about all the ways we’re dooming the young, there’s one that puts the others in the shade, a form of destruction that includes not just American youth, or human youth, but all species everywhere, from coral reefs to caribou. That’s climate change, of course.</p>
<p>Our failure to do anything adequate about it has rocketed us into the science-fiction world Bill McKibben so eloquently <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175236/tomgram:_rebecca_solnit,_v_for_viability/" type="external">warned us about</a> in his 2010 book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0312541198/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">Eaarth</a>. His argument is that we’ve so altered the planet we live on that we might as well have landed on a new one (with an extra “a” in its name), more turbulent and far less hospitable than the beautiful Holocene one we trashed.</p>
<p>There were <a href="http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/120302_rpts.html" type="external">160 tornados</a> reported on March 2nd of this year. Remember that, in April of 2011, <a href="http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=11-P13-00018&amp;segmentID=2" type="external">900 tornadoes</a> were ripping up interior United States, and this April was similarly volatile.&#160; Remember the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/27/world/study-hints-at-greater-threat-of-extreme-weather.html" type="external">unprecedented wildfires</a>, the catastrophic floods, the heat waves, the bizarrely hot North American January and other oddities? That’s science fiction of the scariest sort, and we’re in it. Or on it, on the crazy new planet we’ve made ourselves. Here in the USA sector of Eaarth in the year 2012, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-09/u-s-set-more-than-15-000-march-temperature-records-noaa.html" type="external">15,000</a> high-temperature records were broken in March alone, and summer is yet to come. A town in north-central Texas hit 111 degrees — in April! What turbulent planet is this?</p>
<p>One grain of good news: a lot of us, even in this country, finally seem to be of aware of the strangeness of the planet we’re now on. As the New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/science/earth/americans-link-global-warming-to-extreme-weather-poll-says.html" type="external">reported</a>, a new survey “shows that a large majority of Americans believe that this year’s unusually warm winter, last year’s blistering summer, and some other weather disasters were probably made worse by global warming. And by a 2-to-1 margin, the public says the weather has been getting worse, rather than better, in recent years.”</p>
<p>If you want to talk about hunger, talk about the <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175292/juan_cole_the_great_pakistani_flooding" type="external">unprecedented flooding</a> that’s turned Pakistan from one of the world’s breadbaskets into a net food-importing nation, with dire consequences for the agricultural poor. Talk about China’s many <a href="http://articles.cnn.com/2008-10-27/tech/what.matters.huai_1_china-chinese-people-pollution?_s=PM:TECH" type="external">impending ecological disasters</a>, its degraded soil, contaminated air and water, its many systems ready to collapse. There’s more disruption of food production to come, a lot more, and lots more hunger, too.</p>
<p>Around this point in science fiction books and even history books, a revolution seems necessary. The good news I have for you this May Day is that it’s underway. &#160;</p>
<p>Revolution 2012</p>
<p>2011 was the year of strange weather, but it was also the year of global uprisings, and they’re far from over. They <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175369/rebecca_solnit_the_butterfly_and_the_boiling_point" type="external">erupted</a> in Russia, Israel, Spain, Greece, Britain, much of the Arab-speaking world, parts of Africa, and Chile, among other spots in Latin America (some of which got their revolutions underway earlier in the millennium). Uprisings have blossomed even in what the rest of the hungry world sees as the elite Capitol, the United States, and much of the English-speaking world, from London to New Zealand.</p>
<p>Remember that revolution doesn’t look much like revolution used to. That might be the most retrograde aspect of the very violent Hunger Games trilogy, the way in which the author’s imagination travels along conventional or old-fashioned lines. There, violence is truly the arbitrator of power, along with cunning, whether in the ways the teenagers survive in the gladiatorial arena or the Capitol, or how both sides operate in conflicts between the Districts and the Capitol. In our own world, the state is very good at violence, whether in its wars overseas or in pepper-spraying and clubbing young demonstrators. You’ll notice, however, that neither the Iraqis, nor the Afghanis, nor the Occupiers were subjugated by these means. &#160;</p>
<p>Violence is not power, as <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/archive/175510/andy_kroll_how_empires_fall" type="external">Jonathan Schell</a> makes strikingly clear in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805044574/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">The Unconquerable World</a>, it’s what the state uses when we are not otherwise under control. In addition, when we speak of “nonviolence” as an alternative to violence, we can’t help but underestimate our own power.&#160; That word, unfortunately, sounds like it’s describing an absence, a polite refraining from action, when what’s at stake — as demonstrators around the world proved last year — is a force to be reckoned with; so call it “people power” instead.</p>
<p>When we come together as civil society to exercise this power, regimes tremble and history is made. Not instantly and not exactly according to plan, but who ever expected that?</p>
<p>Still, many regimes have been toppled by this power, and the capacity to do so is ours in the present. &#160;As Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan point out in their recent <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0231156839/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict</a>, since 1900 people-power campaigns have been successful in achieving regime change more than twice as often as violent campaigns.</p>
<p>It’s May Day, a worldwide General Strike has been called, and last week tiny Occupy Norman (Oklahoma) announced that it “had won a major battle”: their city is moving all its money out of Bank of America into a local bank. Last fall’s <a href="http://moveyourmoneyproject.org/" type="external">Move Your Money campaign</a> included city money from the outset and quiet victories like this could begin to reshape our economic landscape. Activism in the streets is so intimidating that next month’s G8 Summit scheduled for Chicago will hole up at Camp David instead.</p>
<p>Meanwhile last week, both the Wells Fargo and General Electric shareholders’ meetings were under siege from Occupy activists.&#160; The Wells Fargo meeting and protests took place in San Francisco, and afterward an arrested friend of mine posted this on Facebook: “I forgot to mention that Max gave me the Hunger Games salute in jail today. It was awesome.”</p>
<p>In this way do fiction and reality meld in misery and triumph as, this very day, janitors in California <a href="http://www.atvn.org/news/2012/04/la-janitors-push-high-wages" type="external">go out on strike</a>, and even Golden Gate Bridge workers will be protesting. May Day actions are planned across the globe.</p>
<p>Still alive and kicking, Occupy is chipping away in a thousand places at the status quo. <a href="http://350.org/" type="external">350.org</a>, the little organization that <a href="http://www.tomdispatch.com/blog/175468/tomgram%3A_bill_mckibben,_puncturing_the_pipeline/" type="external">defeated</a> the Keystone XL Pipeline (so far), is holding a global <a href="http://act.climatedots.org/event/impacts_en/search/" type="external">Climate Impacts Day</a> on May 5th and plans to take on the petroleum industry in its next round of actions.</p>
<p>Of course, this is only a beginning, and the banking and oil companies, the 1%, and the prison and education rackets are more than capable of pushing back. &#160;So we need one more tool in our arsenal, and that’s a picture of what we want, of what a better world looks like. McKibben’s Eaarth and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805087222/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">Deep Economy</a> offer such a picture, as does William Morris’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1440468710/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">News from Nowhere</a>, even 120-odd years later, but we won’t get that from The Hunger Games, which, for all its thrilling, subversive, and surly delights, is all dystopia all the way home. We may still get it, however, on our stranger-than-fiction planet.</p>
<p><a href="http://maydaynyc.org/history" type="external">May Day</a> is a day of liberation — a day to be seized and celebrated, a day to remember who was shot down on it and who fought for it.&#160; It’s a day to join those who fought and fight for liberation, to imagine what its most delicious and profound possibilities might look like.</p>
<p>So skip work, flip a bird at the Capitol, commit your deepest love and solidarity to the young whose lives are being gambled away, feed the hungry, take a long look at how beautiful our planet still is, find your way into solidarity and people power, and dream big about other futures. Resistance is one of your obligations, but it’s also a pleasure and a way of stealing back hope.&#160;</p>
<p>Rebecca Solnit grew up in California public libraries and is thrilled to be revisiting them all over the state as part of the Cal Humanities California Reads project, which is now featuring five books, including her <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670021075/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">“A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster.”</a> Ursula K. LeGuin’s <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/0553383043/ref=nosim/?tag=tomdispatch-20" type="external">“Earthsea”</a> books remain her favorite young-adult fantasy series, even though she found “The Hunger Games” trilogy irresistible.</p>
<p>Copyright 2012 Rebecca Solnit</p> | Welcome to the 2012 Hunger Games | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/welcome-to-the-2012-hunger-games/ | 2012-05-01 | 4 |
<p>YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - Officials in Yakima County are keeping a wary eye on a slow-moving landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge.</p>
<p>The Yakima Herald-Republic <a href="http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/majority-hold-off-on-call-to-evacuate-near-rattlesnake-ridge/article_68560fd6-f027-11e7-9240-ffb7646457c6.html" type="external">says</a> geologists have been monitoring the slow-motion movement of soil, about 1.4 feet per week, in the area since October.</p>
<p>The Yakima County Office of Emergency Management issued a statement on Tuesday saying that since the slide is slow moving and on a gentle slope it will be small in nature and hopefully stabilize itself.</p>
<p>About 35 residents living at the base of the ridge have not heeded warnings to evacuate.</p>
<p>State officials this week began placing large shipping containers filled with concrete barriers between the ridge and Interstate 82. That's intended to prevent rocks from falling onto the highway.</p>
<p>Rattlesnake Ridge forms the eastern side of a gap in ridges separating the Upper and Lower Yakima Valleys. Running through the gap are Interstate 82 and Highway 97.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, <a href="http://www.yakimaherald.com" type="external">http://www.yakimaherald.com</a></p>
<p>YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) - Officials in Yakima County are keeping a wary eye on a slow-moving landslide on Rattlesnake Ridge.</p>
<p>The Yakima Herald-Republic <a href="http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/majority-hold-off-on-call-to-evacuate-near-rattlesnake-ridge/article_68560fd6-f027-11e7-9240-ffb7646457c6.html" type="external">says</a> geologists have been monitoring the slow-motion movement of soil, about 1.4 feet per week, in the area since October.</p>
<p>The Yakima County Office of Emergency Management issued a statement on Tuesday saying that since the slide is slow moving and on a gentle slope it will be small in nature and hopefully stabilize itself.</p>
<p>About 35 residents living at the base of the ridge have not heeded warnings to evacuate.</p>
<p>State officials this week began placing large shipping containers filled with concrete barriers between the ridge and Interstate 82. That's intended to prevent rocks from falling onto the highway.</p>
<p>Rattlesnake Ridge forms the eastern side of a gap in ridges separating the Upper and Lower Yakima Valleys. Running through the gap are Interstate 82 and Highway 97.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, <a href="http://www.yakimaherald.com" type="external">http://www.yakimaherald.com</a></p> | Officials keeping wary eye on potential landslide | false | https://apnews.com/amp/aeb8f51fe67d49988d44a492016a975c | 2018-01-03 | 2 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Young homebuyers looking for hip alternatives to the standard models many production builders offer might find something appealing at the newest Abrazo Homes community in Southwest Albuquerque.</p>
<p>“We want to have a younger and hipper feel in our houses,” said Mackenzie Bishop, one of the two young owners of Abrazo.</p>
<p>In the Jacqueline model, for example, attractive two-tone cabinets and stylish pendant lights over the kitchen island lend a modern vibe to the home.</p>
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<p>“The color scheme is kind of very new,” Bishop said. “It’s what’s hot in 2012 and 2013 — the whites and blacks.”</p>
<p>Co-owner Brian McCarthy said he wants the homes to be contemporary and sport a fresh look. The homes also are wired for the digital age and include home automation.</p>
<p>Abrazo bought 52 lots in Stinson Park, near Tower and Unser SW, and recently completed two models there. Options range from the 1,003-square-foot Georgia floor plan priced at $125,990 to the 2,195-square-foot Rosa priced at $185,990 and 2,179-square-foot Elizabeth, which is priced at $186,990.</p>
<p>“It’s a really convenient location,” McCarthy said. “The whole area is 10 to 12 minutes from Downtown and 15 minutes from UNM and the airport. … It’s got great access to the freeways, great access to the bridges, and you don’t have to fight Paseo del Norte traffic.”</p>
<p>He said the area also has been rejuvenated in recent years with landscaped medians and newer stores.</p>
<p>The two-story Jacqueline model has three bedrooms and two and half baths in 1,947 square feet. The base price is $172,990 and the upgraded model is priced at $182,000.</p>
<p>The ground floor has an open living room, dining area and kitchen with large walk-in pantry as well as a half bath.</p>
<p>The kitchen features stainless steel appliances, staggered-height maple cabinets and black-and-white laminate counters that are anything but ordinary. The Formica 180fx line mimics the scale of granite with a sweeping pattern of veining and incorporates the clean lines of an under-mount sink.</p>
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<p>“To have everything this house has and be under $200,000 — there’s a lot of stuff in here you’re not going to find in this price point,” Bishop said.</p>
<p>The model home has upgrades but they’re not over the top. Abrazo aims to use the kinds of mid-tier finishes that most homebuyers in the area actually will choose to buy, Bishop said.</p>
<p>The Jacqueline floor plan was designed with families in mind, and that really shows on the second floor. Upstairs, a loft that can be used as a game room, a home office or converted to a fourth bedroom offers some flexibility. The laundry room also is upstairs and includes a small countertop for folding and natural light.</p>
<p>“An upstairs laundry room is a big deal for moms,” Bishop said. “Laundry is created upstairs.”</p>
<p>Parents will enjoy a large master retreat. The bedroom is oversized, and the bathroom has a double sink, separate shower, private commode closet, garden tub and walk-in closet.</p>
<p>The two secondary bedrooms are generously sized — 11 1/2-feet square — and the second bathroom includes a double sink to make it easier for two kids to brush their teeth at the same time.</p>
<p>Abrazo Homes is now giving its buyers another choice: red or green?</p>
<p>The green series is a step up with homes built to the Build Green New Mexico silver standard with extra insulation, a tankless water heater and other green features as well as an increased level of amenities such as faux wood rather than metal blinds, tile and a larger bathroom mirror.</p>
<p>The cost works out to about $35 a month more but is offset by savings on energy bills, Bishop said.</p>
<p>The red line of homes is in more direct competition with other production builders in the area.</p>
<p>“It’s still a better standard feature than some of those builders, but it just doesn’t have quite the level of finish,” Bishop said.</p>
<p>A signature standard feature in all Abrazo homes is a home automation system, which allows homeowners to control door locks, lights, the thermostat and more from a smart phone, tablet or computer anywhere in the world. They also can program the system to turn the heat down and lights off during the day when nobody is home and then turn things back on just before the homeowner returns from work.</p>
<p>The system can be expanded to include such things as security cameras and sound systems.</p>
<p>Abrazo also includes wiring for cable, phone and data in every room in the house. That makes all the difference when it comes to watching streaming movies or playing games on an Xbox, Bishop said.</p>
<p>“We’re using so much bandwidth in our data usage now … and wireless just doesn’t cut it,” he said. “We want to make sure the houses we build in 2013 are designed for 2018.”</p>
<p>He said the home building industry often lags behind.</p>
<p>“We have a knack for being stuck in the mud. We don’t innovate,” he said of the industry, but added of Abrazo: “We’re young. We don’t want to do that.”</p> | Designing with a younger buyer in mind | false | https://abqjournal.com/174313/designing-with-a-younger-buyer-in-mind.html | 2013-03-03 | 2 |
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