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Money from unions and corporations is important to the politicians’ quest for reelection. It is especially true in Saskatoon, where civic unions tend to donate to the incumbents in hopes that re-elected councillors will remember them at contract negotiation time. Corporate donations are very similar, except that many of these don’t even have a name attached. Donations come from a numbered company, which can be harder to track.
While Atchison and some councillors lamented how expensive it is to run a campaign, it was the last council, which was made up largely of the same slate of councillors that set the campaign spending limit. Getting elected is expensive because that is what the councillors want.
Of course, some cities have almost no rules on campaign spending and fundraising. Calgary comes to mind. However, other cities have realized that to have a city hall that is representative of their citizens, they need tough rules.
Atchison pointed out that more people vote for the mayor of Saskatoon than for the prime minister (which is true even if only one of us votes, since in Canada we don’t vote directly for the Prime Minister). However, more people vote for the mayors of Winnipeg and Toronto than they do for the mayor of Saskatoon, while those cities have much tougher finance rules that still allow them to have vigorous campaigns.
Speaking of the prime minister, it was former PM Jean Chretien who banned corporate and union donations even as it hurt his own Liberal party in the federal arena. Stephen Harper restricted that further. His reforms forced all parties change how they raised funds, yet when it came down to it, they all had money to spend in the last federal campaign, almost all of it donated by people like you and me.
City council also voted 9-1 against banning out of town donations. Why should people outside of Saskatoon city limits have a say on what is happening in the city? Coun. Eric Olauson said he has an uncle in Alberta who might want to give him campaign funds. That isn’t the issue. This isn’t about city councillors. The issue is why donors or corporations from outside Saskatoon should have an influence on an election in which they aren’t even eligible to vote.
This is in line with the behaviour of the past couple of councils. The previous council claimed incumbents did not have to declare the costs of campaign lawn signs left over from previous elections because that is the “advantage of incumbency.” There was no hint of self-realization that says that for government to have legitimacy, every effort should be made create an even playing field in elections.
In part it was actions such as these that the lead to establishing an independent committee to reform council election rules. By rejecting some key recommendations and watering down others, councillors showed us that instead of being defenders of Saskatoon’s long-term interests, they are protectors of their political self-interests.
A lifeguard at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge sports centre could be the oldest in the country, after spending 45 years and clocking up nearly 80,000 hours at the poolside.
Joy Cunningham, a 61-year-old grandmother of two, works a five-day, 37-hour week and says she hopes to carry on until she retires at 65. She joined the staff at Chapeltown baths in Sheffield at 16 and stayed for 18 years, before moving to Hillsborough and then to Ponds Forge when it opened in 1991, in time for the World Student Games.
She said: “At the interview, they said, ‘Can you start on Monday?’ but I hadn’t even left school. So I went to school in the morning and started work in the afternoon.
“I never really set out to be a lifeguard, I wanted to be a swimming teacher. When I saw an advert for a recreation assistant I thought at least I’m getting into pool work.
Mrs Cunningham, who lives in Rotherham, must do monthly swims against the clock to prove her proficiency, and every year has to swim to the bottom of the 19ft deep diving pool.
The previous longest serving lifeguard, Robbie MacGregor, threw in the towel in 2012 after 40 years.
Recovery driven by Exports- In the third quarter Japan was able to slowly move into the recovery path with Q3 GDP rising 0.3% QoQ and industrial production stabilizing. The stabilization is mainly attributed to demand for Japanese exports which rebounded strongly. Japanese exports have lately shifted more and more towards Asian partners lead by China which is slowly overtaking demand from Japan’s classic partners the US and the EU. Since Asian emerging economies did not carry the same leverage as their western counterparts Asian economies remained rather resilient to the credit crisis with consumption still growing and with it demand for Goods. However the demand from China and the Asian tigers is only part of the story. It is the Global stimulus unprecedented in size, lifted Japanese exports not only to Asia but also to the US with the Cash for clunkers program supporting demand for Japanese autos. And indeed in December Japanese exports and industry indicators continued to recover with Merchandise trade balance at ¥ 492.4B, vehicle sales rising 36% YoY and Tertiary index rising a modest 0.5% MoM.
So where is the double dip risk coming from? The Japanese economy still faces serious headwinds for growth with negative CPI capping corporate profits and falling capital expenditures restraining job creation, both spurring fears of an unsustainable recovery. The last two quarters are considered to be the climax of the stimulus effect and still in Japan capital expenditures fell -24.8% YoY (for Q3) and CPI fell -1.9% YoY for the month of December. As the global stimulus programs which led consumer demand so far begin to unwind and their effect is slowly fading Japanese exports which in the last few quarters held the Japanese economy afloat could fall back again and with it pull the Japanese economy back into negative territory.
So how should you roll the dice?
Announcement of a large stimulus- The stimulus announced by the Government at the beginning of the month is considered by investors as an appetizer no more. However an announcement of a large scale stimulus could elevate sentiment for the Japanese economy and therefore weaken the Yen as it involves effective money printing and it will encourage Japanese investors to sell the Yen in favor of higher yielding currencies.
Watch out of Negative CPI– If CPI figures will continue surprise for the downside then Japanese bonds which currently yield close to zero will look attractive once again. This could lead Japanese investors to repatriate funds and create demand for the Yen once again.
A 1971 Single wide with add-ons front and back. There is also a adobe home built in 1948 on the same lot Adobe home conveys with no value.. Home is being sold- as is by a bank. Could be rentals with some work.
The National Weather Service in Huntsville is giving anyone with an interest in weather the opportunity to become a certified SKYWARN storm spotter.
The storm spotter classes will be held in February and March. The classes are free and open to the public and typically last two hours.
On February 12, a storm spotter class will be offered at the from 6-8 p.m. at the McCandless Hall Building on the campus of Athens State University.
Additional classes will be offered throughout north Alabama and south Tennessee. Click here to see the list of classes, locations and times. Inclement weather or other factors may cause the schedule to change, so please check the list before you decide to attend a class.
“He’s somebody who has truly been willing to invest his own blood, sweat and tears into trying to ensure that our nation moves forward, that we continue to have something known as the ‘American dream,’” Bauman said. “He has to figure out how he best makes a difference.
“He sounds conflicted, but he seems the most serious I have ever heard him sound,” Bauman added.
In the email to a California political activist, Steyer laments that he tried to get establishment figures to act by calling them out and shaming them into taking action, and wrote that he tried to embolden recalcitrant Congressional Democrats to call for impeachment of President Donald Trump.
“But that just may not be enough. Perhaps the only way to change the establishment is not from the outside, but by going into the arena and taking them on directly, with independence from corporate interests, a willingness to do whatever it takes without regard for subsequent elections, and allegiance to the people we serve,” he wrote, in an apparent swipe at politicians who accept campaign money from businesses.
Steyer and close associates have said recently that he is looking at where he can take back the government and stop Trump, including “a full consideration” of the Senate race. That would involve him running against his friend, Los Angeles Democratic Sen. Kevin de León, an ally who is trying to capture a progressive wave against an incumbent he believes has been overly accommodating to Trump.
In the more than 800-word email, Steyer builds out the most robust rationale to date for a Senate run, one free of outside influence, which he blames for his party’s unwillingness to more forcefully confront Trump. “Have they forgotten their moral duty not to allow America to behave in such a way as to imperil every soul on this planet?” he wrote.
Steyer also offers a glimpse at his biography in passages that could be ripped from a political speech.
He wrote about his parents, who grew up in the Great Depression, survived World War II and taught him about standing up against injustice. His father served in the Navy and prosecuted war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials. His mother ran public school volunteer programs in New York City, where she looked out for at-risk kids.
Tom Steyer, the San Francisco billionaire and environmentalist, came to Fresno to promise his support for a proposed Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund to help communities with contaminated water in the San Joaquin Valley.
Defeating Dianne Feinstein will be expensive. Where will Kevin de León get the cash?
Eric Greitens gives the commencement speech at Tufts University on Sunday.
(CNN) - Each spring, I monitor the list of commencement speakers at our nation's leading colleges and universities. Who is chosen, and who is not, tells us a lot about academia's perception of the most important voices in America.
Two of this year's most popular speakers were CNN's Fareed Zakaria, who spoke at both Harvard University and Duke University, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who spoke at both Tulane University and the University of Washington. Perhaps one of the most original choices, and the one who certainly stood out from the rest, was U.S. Navy SEAL Eric Greitens, who addressed the 2012 graduating class of Tufts University Sunday.
It's not often that elite universities honor military service members with commencement addresses. Gen. Dwight Eisenhower once spoke to a graduating class at an Ivy League university and remarked, "Your business is to put me out of business." So I applaud Tufts University for inviting Greitens.
He is not a household name, but he should be. The 38-year-old Rhodes scholar and humanitarian worker turned U.S. Navy SEAL served multiple tours overseas fighting terrorist cells and received several military awards. Today, he is the CEO of the Mission Continues, a nonprofit foundation he created to help wounded and disabled veterans find ways to serve their communities at home.
To the graduates of Tufts, Greitens issued a unique challenge, one rarely heard at commencements today: to sacrifice, to serve one's country and to live magnanimously. He called students to think above and beyond their own dreams, their own desires, and to be strong. Aristotle called this megalopsychia, greatness of soul, and considered it one of the greatest moral virtues.
What an exceptional person and fine example this man is to our soldiers and young people. I would love to hear him speak. May the Mission Continues be blessed with great success.
He hit the nail on the head. What a wonderful person. Rhodes Scholar to Navy SEAL. I salute him and Tufts University for aksing him to speak.
MILWAUKEE (AP) Kyle Lohse has weathered tough stretches on the mound during what has been a respectable 15-year career in the big leagues.
This season, though, Lohse can't seem to find the right answers.
Milwaukee's struggling starter allowed 10 hits and five runs in five innings, including Michael Brantley's three-run homer in the third, in the Brewers' 7-5 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday.
Lohse's era rose to 6.29, and he has allowed 23 homers, second-most in the NL.
''Three-run homers hurt. Those are big, changing moments in games,'' manager Craig Counsell said.
Almost every time Lohse appears to take a step forward, he has another tough outing. On Wednesday, Milwaukee's 4-1 lead in the third was erased when Brantley went deep.
When asked if he was committed to Lohse (5-11) for another start, manager Craig Counsell said the righty was next scheduled to pitch on Monday in San Francisco.
Brantley proved to be a big problem. He also delivered an RBI single in the fifth to give the Indians the lead for good.
Like Brantley, Milwaukee's Adam Lind also went 4 for 5 with a homer, double and four RBIs. His RBI double in the ninth made it 7-5, giving Indians closer Cody Allen some nervous moments.
A single for Aramis Ramirez put runners on first and third before Khris Davis hit into a game-ending double play started by third baseman Giovanny Urshela.
Allen pumped his fist on the mound after picking up his 20th save. Austin Adams (1-0) threw 1 1-3 innings of scoreless relief.
The Brewers had other chances against the bullpen.
With Cleveland leading by two, Bryan Shaw allowed Scooter Gennett to reach on an infield single to lead off the eighth before getting Ryan Braun to fly out and Gerardo Parra to bounce into an inning-ending double play.
Asked how he felt after another tough outing, Lohse turned to an anecdote.
''Ever see a guy try to pull something off the shelf, drops it, tries to put it back, knocks it over some more and the whole thing falls down? Yeah, about like that,'' Lohse said.
But as for how secure he feels with his spot in the rotation? Lohse said that wasn't his decision.
He's focused on getting better for his next outing.
Indians: Nick Swisher, who has been on the disabled list since June 14 with left knee inflammation, is scheduled to play the outfield again Thursday at Double-A Akron. Manager Francona said Swisher was moving well during a minor league rehab assignment.
Brewers: RHP Wily Peralta (left oblique) was scheduled to rejoin the team on the upcoming road trip to Arizona. Counsell said it was unclear yet whether Peralta would get another rehab start in the minors before going back in the rotation. Peralta has been sidelined since May 23.
Indians: Trevor Bauer (8-6) makes the first home start for Cleveland since the All-Star break in the opener of a four-game series Thursday against the White Sox. Bauer is 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA this season against Chicago.
Brewers: Mike Fiers (5-7) is 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA in 33 innings over his last five starts. He'll open a four-game series at Arizona on Thursday.
Businesses that want to install oversized satellite dish antennas must pay only $500, instead of $1,000, the City Council has decided.
An ordinance adopted last October limits antenna height to six feet and diameter to 10 feet. Residents who want a larger dish need a zoning variance, which costs $150. Businesses could get conditional-use permits for larger antennas for $1,000. The new fee for businesses, however, is $500.
Like other Orange County cities, San Juan Capistrano began regulating the size and height of the antennas in response to complaints about their unsightliness. Recently, interest in the antennas has increased, in part because of the city's restrictions on conventional roof antennas.
In other news, the Labor Department reported that first-time unemployment claims rose by 8,000 to 312,000 last week.
"Job growth exceeded 200,000 for the fourth straight month in May, and businesses have now added over a million jobs so far this year. This month’s report continued the trend of steady job growth. While the consistent pace of job gains means the economy has come a long way in recovering from the Great Recession, the president believes that more can and should be done to strengthen economic growth and expand economic opportunity," said the White House Council of Economics chairman, Jason Furman. "Continuing to press ahead using his executive authority wherever possible, the president will hold events next week focused on ways to take action to improve college affordability and support working families."
But according to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the White House is winging it on the economy. He also accused the administration of turning "a blind eye" to its policies' "devastating effect" and Democratic leaders of ignoring Republican-passed jobs bills.
"This morning's jobs report brought the good news that many of our fellow Americans found work last month. But one month of good news should not blind us to the long-term challenges that remain. Far too many Americans remain unemployed," Cantor said in a statement. "Far too many Americans have left the workforce altogether. Far too many Americans don’t have an optimistic outlook on finding a good paying job that supports their families. Every first Friday of the month we wait with crossed fingers when more could be done to see consistent and stable growth."
Follow Joyce Jones on Twitter: @BETpolitichick.
AN almost entire new set of players and team officials have been named to mount a challenge in the President Cup’s football campaign in 2013.
Only seven players from last season’s (2012) squad of 25 have been registered with the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) for the 2013 season.
A new set of team officials have also been assigned to lead the team.
The seven players who will represent Kedah again next year are goalkeeper Mohd Farhan Aswad Badrisham, Mohd Akmal Chin, Asnan Ahmad, Mohd Shazuan Mohd Ashraf Mathews, Abdul Halim Saari, Lew Han Hung and Mohd Shamir Azreen Hishamul Anuar.
Three more players from the Tunku Anum sports school team which won the Minister of Education Challenge Cup for three years running have also been roped in to strengthen the team.
They are striker Mohd Syafiq Ahmad and midfielders Mohd Akmal Md Isa as well as Mohd Amirul Hisyam Awang Kechik.
The management of the team will be Mohd Asri Ghazali’s responsibility. He replaces Datuk Jeffry Low Han Chau as manager while Mohd Radzi Mat Din will be the head coach replacing Mohd Nidzam Adzha Yusoff.
Radzi will be assisted by Mohamad Ramlee and Ahmad Sobri Ismail (goalkeeping coach) with Mohd Idzham Mustaffa acting as trainer.
President cup players (yellow jersey) playing a friendly match at the Anak Bukit Istana ground in preparation for the 2013 tournament.
Kedah FA assistant executive secretary Zulkifli Haron said that the squad was selected after a month-long trial and selection process.
More than 90 players attended the initial trials held on Nov 9 to 10 at the Istana Anak Bukit ground. From the two-day trial, 40 players were identified to undergo further scrutiny. They were tried in several friendly matches before the squad was whittled down to 25.
Kedah won the President Cup twice in 2000 and 2003.
In recent years, the closest, they came to a final were in 2010 and 2012 where they were beaten at the semi-final stage.
The President’s Cup players are: Mohd Farhan Aswad Badrisham, Muhamad Aizuddin Masshar, Mohd Khairul Naim Roslan, Mohd Zulkhairi Zulkeply, Mohd Akmal Chin, Mohd Syafiq Ahmad, Asnan Ahmad, Mohd Aliff Mohd Puat, Ammer Syafiq Abdull Rahman, Mohd Shazuan Mohd Ashraf Mathews, Mohd Rafizol Roslan, Mohd Isyam Syahriza Othman, Abdul Halim Saari, Lew Han Hung, Mohd Nizam Mohd Yusri, Mohd Akram Mahinan, Abdul Muiz Abdul Mutalib, Mohd Akmal Md Isa, Mohd Shamir Azreen Hishamul Anuar, Mohd Aliff Fitri Marzaini, Mohd Azryl Reza Zamri, Mohd Aqmal Alias, Adam Aidil Iskandar, Mohd Amirul Hisyam Awang Kechik, Mohd Zainatul Firdaus Rohani.
Meanwhile, two Brazilian players are among 25 players registered to represent Kedah in the Premier League in 2013.
They are striker Chayene Medeiros Oliveiro Santos and midfielder Nelson Marcelo San Martin Arriagada.
Apart from the two foreigners, eight more players have been recruited to fortify the Kedah team.
Among them are former Kedah striker Akhmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli, Sabahans Zuraindey Jumai and Mohd Fariss Azlan Mat Isa, Wan Hossen Abd Ghani (Perak), Arman Fareez Mohd Ali (Kuala Lumpur), Hariri Mohd Safii (Terengganu), Mohd Shahrul Ezrain Shamsuddin and Tengku Hasbulah Raja Hassan (both from T-Team).
The team will be coached by Croatians Marijo Tot (chief) and Antonio Sisic while Abdul Talib Saidi, formerly of Perak, will be the goalkeeper coach.
The squad : Abdul Hadi Abdul Hamid, Mohd Muhaimin Mohamad, Mohd Khirul Efsan Md Isa, Arman Fareez Mohd Ali, Hariri Mohd Safii, Mohd Fariss Azlan Mat Isa, Mohd Fazliata Taib, Mohd Sabre Mat Abu, Mohd Shahrul Ezrain Shamsuddin, Mohd Ridzuan Rumlee, Khairul Helmi Johari, Baddrol Bakhtiar, Mohd Syamim Alif Mohd Sobri, Mohd Fiqkry Md Isa, Nelson Marcelo San Martin Arriagada, Wan Hossen Abd Ghani, Wan Mohd Syukri Ahmad, Zuraindey Jumai, Tengku Hasbulah Raja Hassan, Akhmal Rizal Ahmad Rakhli, Chayene Medeiros Oliveiro Santos, Hattaphon Ban An, Mohd Faizal Abu Bakar, Mohd Khyril Muhymeen Zambri.
Manager: Datuk Jeffry Low Han Chau.
Coaches: Marijo Tot and Antonio Sisic.
Goalkeeping coach: Abdul Talib Saidi.
A range of health problems including cardiovascular disease and asthma were seen in children of mothers who were pregnant during the Dutch famine, finds new research. Epigenetic markers in offspring could be affected by the mother's diet, and this causes changes in the genes that regulate lung health. However, the exact mechanisms behind this epigenetic inheritance have not been fully explored.
"The findings paint a clearer picture of how a mother's nutrition and environment can affect her child's health," says senior author pulmonologist Jesse Roman, MD, Professor and CEO of the Jane & Leonard Korman Respiratory Institute - Jefferson Health and National Jewish Health. "Epigenetic mechanisms are powerful in biology and we're really still scratching the surface in trying to understand them." The research was published in the journal Nutrition Research.
Epigenetic changes may allow for a mother's experiences to be passed to the offspring. Genetically, it's not possible for mutations in skin or liver cells acquired over the course of a lifetime to be passed to a child. Children get a clean genetic slate. But, epigenetic changes can be passed down.
If a person's genome is a set of blueprints or plans for building an organism, then a genetic mutation would be penciling in a new wall, or erasing a floor from those plans. Rather than change the blueprint, epigenetic changes leave the blueprint intact, but instead, roll up a page into a tight and inaccessible bundle. The plans, or genes, on those rolled pages, can't be read by the cell's architects. Other types of epigenetic changes prevent pages from getting rolled at all, causing many more of that architectural element, or protein, to be made than needed.
When Dr. Roman, together with first author Igor Zelko, PhD, from the University of Louisville, Kentucky and colleagues, examined the lung-related genes in offspring of mice whose diet was limited during the second and third trimesters of gestation, they saw that a handful of them had a different expression level than mice who ate freely.
In particular, the expression of two genes were turned up via epigenetic mechanisms that in this case, kept the blueprint open longer than needed, producing more of that protein. The researchers found higher levels of fibronectin in mice born to malnourished mothers. Fibronectin is a connective tissue molecule that provides a substrate on which cells can organize. However, its fragments may attract neutrophils, an immune cell that can exacerbate inflammatory reactions, like asthma. Expression of the Selplg gene was also turned up. Higher levels of Selplg may predispose blood vessels to inflammation as well as clotting.