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<p>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on the suspension of Minnesota Gophers center Reggie Lynch over a new 2016 sexual assault allegation (all times local):</p>
<p>12:05 a.m.</p>
<p>Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle says basketball player Reggie Lynch has been suspended from competition.</p>
<p>Coyle says Lynch remains a member of the team for now.</p>
<p>The decision to suspend Lynch from playing for the Gophers reportedly came from the university's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office after a woman accused him in an April 2016 sexual assault.</p>
<p>Neither Coyle nor coach Richard Pitino would discuss the specifics of Lynch's case, citing student privacy.</p>
<p>Lynch was also suspended during the 2016 offseason, pending a police investigation into a different allegation of sexual assault. Lynch was cleared in that case and reinstated to the team before last season. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season.</p>
<p>The Gophers host Indiana on Saturday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>6:28 a.m.</p>
<p>University of Minnesota center Reggie Lynch faces suspension over an alleged violation of the school's sexual misconduct policy.</p>
<p>The Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press report that Lynch was accused last fall by a woman who said he assaulted her in his dorm room in April 2016. The newspapers cite an investigative report by the school's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office that said Lynch is suspended until 2020 unless he appeals.</p>
<p>Neither newspaper detailed the alleged incident.</p>
<p>The Star Tribune said neither Lynch nor his attorney returned calls seeking comment. The Associated Press sent an email to a university spokesman and left a phone message at what appeared to be Lynch's parents' home early Friday.</p>
<p>The 23-year-old Lynch is averaging 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.</p>
<p>MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on the suspension of Minnesota Gophers center Reggie Lynch over a new 2016 sexual assault allegation (all times local):</p>
<p>12:05 a.m.</p>
<p>Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle says basketball player Reggie Lynch has been suspended from competition.</p>
<p>Coyle says Lynch remains a member of the team for now.</p>
<p>The decision to suspend Lynch from playing for the Gophers reportedly came from the university's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action office after a woman accused him in an April 2016 sexual assault.</p>
<p>Neither Coyle nor coach Richard Pitino would discuss the specifics of Lynch's case, citing student privacy.</p>
<p>Lynch was also suspended during the 2016 offseason, pending a police investigation into a different allegation of sexual assault. Lynch was cleared in that case and reinstated to the team before last season. He was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year last season.</p>
<p>The Gophers host Indiana on Saturday.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>6:28 a.m.</p>
<p>University of Minnesota center Reggie Lynch faces suspension over an alleged violation of the school's sexual misconduct policy.</p>
<p>The Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press report that Lynch was accused last fall by a woman who said he assaulted her in his dorm room in April 2016. The newspapers cite an investigative report by the school's Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office that said Lynch is suspended until 2020 unless he appeals.</p>
<p>Neither newspaper detailed the alleged incident.</p>
<p>The Star Tribune said neither Lynch nor his attorney returned calls seeking comment. The Associated Press sent an email to a university spokesman and left a phone message at what appeared to be Lynch's parents' home early Friday.</p>
<p>The 23-year-old Lynch is averaging 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocks.</p> | The Latest: Gophers' Lynch suspended in alleged assault | false | https://apnews.com/amp/6f0c1a96cce74d72bfcfb829af11631b | 2018-01-05 | 2 |
<p>MURRYSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — The bees' knees stay warm inside trees.</p>
<p>In nature, honeybees survive the winter by retreating inside their hives — often built in a tree cavity — and clustering together to stay warm.</p>
<p>For local beekeepers, whose hives are often exposed to the elements, that means any number of measures to ensure that a colony survives the cold. With early-winter temperatures in Southwestern Pennsylvania dipping lower than usual, apiaries throughout the region are using a variety of strategies to keep their colonies in good health.</p>
<p>In Burgettstown, Mark and Sara Bedillion of Bedillion Honey Farm first make sure that their bees have enough honey to make it through the winter.</p>
<p>"If there's good nectar flow, and the bees have a lot of honey stored, we don't take it all," Mark Bedillion said. "We leave it on the hive so they can feed on it through the winter. And if the honey fails and there's none coming in during the fall, of course we have to feed the bees to get them up to weight."</p>
<p>Bedillion said his goal is for each of their hundreds of hives to have 50 to 60 pounds of honey, syrup or whatever the bees are being fed.</p>
<p>"The winter brood is fed more fats and amino acids, and more overall nutrition, than summer bees because they have to last six months," Bedillion said. "A summer bee lasts only about six weeks."</p>
<p>The Bedillions regularly check their hives for mites, and if necessary apply pest control measures to keep mite populations in check.</p>
<p>In sharp contrast, David Perry of Murrysville adopts a live-and-let-die philosophy with the dozen hives his family tends.</p>
<p>"We run our hives probably very atypical from most beekeepers," Perry said. "The only thing I do for the winter is wrap half my hives in insulation. We don't do essential oils or chemicals. If the bees can't make it, they die."</p>
<p>Both Perry and Bedillion make sure to vent the tops of their hives to make sure moisture doesn't collect on the roofs.</p>
<p>"Moisture is bad, and that's what you don't want," Bedillion said. "The bees are moving their wing muscles to keep warm, and they're working, and that creates condensation."</p>
<p>If condensation freezes on the lid, it can thaw later on and drip onto the colony.</p>
<p>"If it freezes again after that, that's when you start getting dead bees," Bedillion said.</p>
<p>On a chilly January afternoon, Perry pulled a flap of insulation away from one of his hives and swept off a few dead bees.</p>
<p>"The bees toss out their dead," he said. "We put the insulation on, and all beekeepers put entrance reducers on, to keep out the wind and also to keep out pests like mice."</p>
<p>The cold itself is not typically what kills bees.</p>
<p>"They create these clusters," Perry said. "They start off about the size of a softball, and the colder it gets, the tighter they pack."</p>
<p>Bees on the outside of the "ball" act as insulation, nearly freezing to death before rotating inside to warm up.</p>
<p>Bedillion said he worries more about pests than temperatures.</p>
<p>"We'll put in mouse-guards," he said. "You want the bees to be able to fly out, but not allow pests in."</p>
<p>Perry said he has lost hives in past winters, but overall his bees have stayed healthy.</p>
<p>As he put an ear to the hive in his front yard on Thursday, a big smile crossed his face.</p>
<p>"Oh yeah, they're doing just fine," he said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>http://bit.ly/2DrRNB9</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Tribune-Review, <a href="http://triblive.com" type="external">http://triblive.com</a></p>
<p>MURRYSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — The bees' knees stay warm inside trees.</p>
<p>In nature, honeybees survive the winter by retreating inside their hives — often built in a tree cavity — and clustering together to stay warm.</p>
<p>For local beekeepers, whose hives are often exposed to the elements, that means any number of measures to ensure that a colony survives the cold. With early-winter temperatures in Southwestern Pennsylvania dipping lower than usual, apiaries throughout the region are using a variety of strategies to keep their colonies in good health.</p>
<p>In Burgettstown, Mark and Sara Bedillion of Bedillion Honey Farm first make sure that their bees have enough honey to make it through the winter.</p>
<p>"If there's good nectar flow, and the bees have a lot of honey stored, we don't take it all," Mark Bedillion said. "We leave it on the hive so they can feed on it through the winter. And if the honey fails and there's none coming in during the fall, of course we have to feed the bees to get them up to weight."</p>
<p>Bedillion said his goal is for each of their hundreds of hives to have 50 to 60 pounds of honey, syrup or whatever the bees are being fed.</p>
<p>"The winter brood is fed more fats and amino acids, and more overall nutrition, than summer bees because they have to last six months," Bedillion said. "A summer bee lasts only about six weeks."</p>
<p>The Bedillions regularly check their hives for mites, and if necessary apply pest control measures to keep mite populations in check.</p>
<p>In sharp contrast, David Perry of Murrysville adopts a live-and-let-die philosophy with the dozen hives his family tends.</p>
<p>"We run our hives probably very atypical from most beekeepers," Perry said. "The only thing I do for the winter is wrap half my hives in insulation. We don't do essential oils or chemicals. If the bees can't make it, they die."</p>
<p>Both Perry and Bedillion make sure to vent the tops of their hives to make sure moisture doesn't collect on the roofs.</p>
<p>"Moisture is bad, and that's what you don't want," Bedillion said. "The bees are moving their wing muscles to keep warm, and they're working, and that creates condensation."</p>
<p>If condensation freezes on the lid, it can thaw later on and drip onto the colony.</p>
<p>"If it freezes again after that, that's when you start getting dead bees," Bedillion said.</p>
<p>On a chilly January afternoon, Perry pulled a flap of insulation away from one of his hives and swept off a few dead bees.</p>
<p>"The bees toss out their dead," he said. "We put the insulation on, and all beekeepers put entrance reducers on, to keep out the wind and also to keep out pests like mice."</p>
<p>The cold itself is not typically what kills bees.</p>
<p>"They create these clusters," Perry said. "They start off about the size of a softball, and the colder it gets, the tighter they pack."</p>
<p>Bees on the outside of the "ball" act as insulation, nearly freezing to death before rotating inside to warm up.</p>
<p>Bedillion said he worries more about pests than temperatures.</p>
<p>"We'll put in mouse-guards," he said. "You want the bees to be able to fly out, but not allow pests in."</p>
<p>Perry said he has lost hives in past winters, but overall his bees have stayed healthy.</p>
<p>As he put an ear to the hive in his front yard on Thursday, a big smile crossed his face.</p>
<p>"Oh yeah, they're doing just fine," he said.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Online:</p>
<p>http://bit.ly/2DrRNB9</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Tribune-Review, <a href="http://triblive.com" type="external">http://triblive.com</a></p> | Beekeepers employ a variety of strategies in winter | false | https://apnews.com/amp/3c7ac0e169e24241b9c45acd6595c8e5 | 2018-01-24 | 2 |
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<p>New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez. (Greg Sorber/Journal)</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 Albuquerque Journal</p>
<p>SANTA FE – New Mexico’s legislative leaders authorized their attorneys on Thursday to sue Gov. Susana Martinez over her veto of funding for state universities and the Legislature itself.</p>
<p>And they directed their staff to begin gathering signatures for an extraordinary session – a legislative session called by lawmakers themselves and open to any topic.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>It would take signatures from three-fifths of the Legislature to enter such a session, which has happened only once in New Mexico history, officials said.</p>
<p>Top Democrats in the Legislature have repeatedly questioned whether the Republican governor had authority to reject funding for an equal branch of government and for universities mentioned in the state Constitution.</p>
<p>Martinez, in turn, says that the removal of funding is only temporary and that it can be restored through a budget compromise acceptable to her administration and lawmakers.</p>
<p>Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said he and his colleagues are pursuing every option to address the state’s budget crisis – whether it’s through litigation, an extraordinary session or a negotiated agreement with Martinez.</p>
<p>“Her action in unilaterally rejecting the bipartisan plan that was sent up there – and then trying to selectively veto pieces of the budget – has created a constitutional crisis,” Wirth told reporters.</p>
<p>A spokesman for Martinez accused lawmakers of refusing to negotiate and turning to the courts instead.</p>
<p>“This just demonstrates that the Senate is more interested in jamming through one of the largest tax increases in state history than coming together in a bipartisan way to find compromise,” spokesman Michael Lonergan said. “… This isn’t the way government works.”</p>
<p>Thursday’s vote and decision-making happened behind closed doors in a meeting of the Legislative Council, a group of lawmakers who oversee year-round operations of the Legislature as an institution and its nonpartisan staff.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The move intensifies a political – and now legal – clash between Democrats who hold majorities in the Legislature and Martinez, a Republican in the middle of her second term.</p>
<p>They have been at odds for months over how to resolve a budget crisis triggered, in part, by flagging revenue from oil and gas operations in the state.</p>
<p>Democrats have a 9-7 edge on the Legislative Council, though it wasn’t clear whether Thursday’s decisions were unanimous, along party lines or some other combination.</p>
<p>A staff member simply announced the decisions in public, and lawmakers said they decided to refer all questions to staff or attorneys.</p>
<p>Wirth, however, agreed to answer some questions about his own involvement in budget talks. He and House Speaker Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, met privately with Martinez late Thursday after the Legislative Council meeting.</p>
<p>To call an extraordinary session, at least 42 members of the 70-person House and 26 members of the 42-person Senate would have to sign on in support.</p>
<p>Democrats in the House hold a 38-32 majority over Republicans, so they’d need to pick up support from at least four Republicans to call an extraordinary session.</p>
<p>Democrats in the Senate hold a 26-16 edge, meaning they wouldn’t need any Republican support. But Wirth said he expected bipartisan support for an extraordinary session.</p>
<p>An extraordinary session is only called if both chambers agree.</p>
<p>‘Disappointed’</p>
<p>Martinez has said repeatedly that she plans to call legislators back into session herself this month to craft a budget that doesn’t include tax increases. Funding would be restored for universities and the Legislature through a budget compromise, her administration says.</p>
<p>“The governor remains disappointed that (lawmakers) continue to dig their heels into the sand and shirk their responsibility to do the good work of the people,” said Lonergan, the spokesman. “Regardless, the governor is going to continue to try to work together to find common ground and solve this budget crisis.”</p>
<p>Democrats say they have already sent Martinez a sensible budget that included at least some ideas suggested by her administration.</p>
<p>It passed with bipartisan support in the Senate and along party lines in the House.</p>
<p>Democratic lawmakers argue that the governor could have used her line-item veto authority to more narrowly craft a budget package she could support.</p>
<p>Senate President Pro Tem Mary Kay Papen, D-Las Cruces, said Thursday that the decision to pursue litigation is “necessary to ensure the state Constitution is upheld. As legislators, we take our oath to support the Constitution and the laws of the state seriously.”</p>
<p>A special session called by the governor is limited to topics she approves.</p>
<p>An extraordinary session is open to any topic. That could give lawmakers extra flexibility to pursue veto overrides or take up other priorities.</p>
<p>Financial pressure</p>
<p>The potential lawsuit and extraordinary session come as Martinez and lawmakers face incredible financial pressure. The state has already exhausted much of its cash reserves and endured a downgrade in its credit rating.</p>
<p>The budget dispute, however, cannot be solved entirely in court.</p>
<p>Martinez used her line-item veto authority to remove funding for higher education and the Legislature in a budget bill approved by lawmakers.</p>
<p>A separate budget bill, however, would have provided revenue to support the spending, including about $350 million in tax increases. Martinez vetoed that measure, too, so even if spending were restored by a court, the governor and lawmakers would still have to agree on a revenue package to support the budget.</p>
<p>Closed meeting</p>
<p>The Legislative Council includes the House speaker, Senate president pro tem and the floor leaders for each political party. Some rank-and-file members of each body are also members.</p>
<p>The group met privately – reporters and others were kicked out of the room – for about two hours Thursday at the Capitol.</p>
<p>The state Open Meetings Act allows government bodies to meet in closed session in certain circumstances, such as to discuss litigation.</p>
<p>After the closed session ended, Raúl Burciaga, director of the Legislative Council Service, announced to the public what motions had passed. That portion of the meeting was open to the public.</p>
<p>He said the Legislative Council had passed a variety of motions directing:</p>
<p>• Attorneys for the Legislature to pursue litigation “regarding the constitutional validity of the governor’s attempted vetoes of funding for the legislative branch.”</p>
<p>The council passed similar motions for litigation on vetoes of funding for state educational institutions and other core functions of government.</p>
<p>• Attorneys to pursue litigation on 10 vetoes in which lawmakers say the governor failed to state specific objections to the bills.</p>
<p>Lawmakers say the state Constitution requires the governor to mention her objections, not just say she has vetoed a bill without offering a reason.</p>
<p>The Martinez administration disputes that there’s any legal question about the validity of the vetoes.</p>
<p>• Staff members to begin collecting signatures of legislators to call the Legislature into an extraordinary session.</p>
<p>That’s succeeded only once – in 2002, when lawmakers called themselves into session and voted to override then-Gov. Gary Johnson’s veto of a budget measure.</p>
<p />
<p /> | Legislators prepare to sue governor over vetoes | false | https://abqjournal.com/987469/nm-lawmakers-prepare-to-sue-governor-over-vetoes.html | 2017-04-13 | 2 |
<p>NASCAR levied a blow to the <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Joe_Gibbs/" type="external">Joe Gibbs</a> Racing team on Wednesday after <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Denny_Hamlin/" type="external">Denny Hamlin</a>‘s car was deemed to have an illegal rear suspension during the Southern 500 race this past weekend at Darlington Raceway.</p>
<p>It suspended crew chief Mike Wheeler for two races and fined him $50,000 while Hamlin will not be awarded the five playoff points for winning the race. Hamlin’s first-place finish in the event was ruled encumbered as a result of the infraction.</p>
<p>The team was also assessed with a loss of 25 owner and driver points.</p>
<p>Hamlin’s winning car in the Xfinity Series also had an illegal suspension, resulting in a two-race suspension for crew chief Eric Phillips in addition to a fine of $25,000.</p>
<p>In the Monster Energy Series, Hendrick Motorsports was handed a safety violation for having two loose lug nuts on the right rear tire following <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Dale_Earnhardt/" type="external">Dale Earnhardt</a> Jr.’s 22nd-place finish Sunday in the Southern 500. Crew chief Greg Ives was fined $20,000.</p>
<p>Hendrick Motorsports will not appeal the penalty, according to a team statement. Travis Mack will serve as the No. 88’s interim crew chief.</p>
<p>In the Xfinity Series, Team Penske was handed a penalty for having an illegal rear suspension.</p>
<p>Crew chief Greg Erwin was fined $25,000 and suspended from two races, the team was assessed with the loss of 25 owner points, and Joey Logano’s second-place finish was ruled encumbered.</p> | NASCAR penalizes Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. teams | false | https://newsline.com/nascar-penalizes-denny-hamlin-dale-earnhardt-jr-teams/ | 2017-09-06 | 1 |
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<p />
<p>Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque has been awarded a $75,000 federal grant to help with its effort to offer free tax preparation services during the 2011 filing season to low- and moderate-income people, according to the Internal Revenue Service.</p>
<p>The federal agency said in a news release Wednesday that the grant was among more than $11 million in matching grants that the IRS recently announced to support its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.</p>
<p>The grant money, according to the news release, will be used to:</p>
<p>The news release said that under the VITA Grant Program, the IRS awarded the grants to 177 organizations that will offer the free tax preparation services in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“These funds will enhance the VITA program and the work of volunteer tax preparers who provide an invaluable service to millions of taxpayers each year,” said Richard Byrd Jr., IRS Wage and Investment Operating Division commissioner.</p>
<p>Question cans be sent to Grant.Program.Office@irs.gov.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | CNM Gets $75,000 Grant From IRS | false | https://abqjournal.com/10207/cnm-gets-75000-grant-from-irs.html | 2 | |
<p>Wall Street profits are an obscene affront to Scripture, as Robert Scheer details in an interview with Amy Goodman on “Democracy Now!”</p>
<p>Democracy Now!:</p>
<p>Partial rush transcript from <a href="http://democracynow.org" type="external">Democracy Now!</a>:</p>
<p>AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to the latest on the economy. A pair of new government reports released this week paint a startling picture of where the country is, more than a year after the economic meltdown. On Tuesday, the New York Comptroller’s Office said Wall Street profits are set to exceed the record set three years ago. The four largest firms—Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase—took in $22.5 billion in profits through September. The top six banks set aside $112 billion for salaries and bonuses over the same period. In a recent interview, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, defended the bank’s massive profits, saying Goldman is, quote, “doing God’s work.”</p>
<p />
<p>Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture has revealed that far more people are going hungry in the United States than previously thought. The Department estimates 50 million Americans, including a quarter of all children, struggled to get enough to eat last year. The number of children who live in households in which food at times was scarce last year stands at 17 million, an increase of four million children in just a year.</p>
<p>Our next guest has been closely following the impact and causes of the economic meltdown. Robert Scheer, editor at <a href="" type="internal">Truthdig.com</a>, author of many books, including The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America. His latest column is called “Where Is the Community Organizer We Elected?” He joins me here in Burbank, California.</p>
<p>Welcome to Democracy Now!, Robert Scheer. OK, just talk about these figures, from hunger to Goldman Sachs.</p>
<p>ROBERT SCHEER: Well, first of all, I mean, the whole thing about the profit of Wall Street that makes it particularly obscene is that we gave them that money. Your previous guest talked about how China is carrying $800 billion of our debt. We’re running up a $1.4 trillion deficit. And what happened was, we threw a lot of money at Wall Street. In particular, in relation to Goldman, we had this buyout of AIG, $180 billion. We’ve guaranteed the toxic assets of these enterprises. And that money, in a really truly shameful way, was passed on directly to the very companies that you mentioned that are giving themselves profits. So there’s something—yes, I’ll use the word “obscene.”</p>
<p>It’s also interesting that he should say he’s “doing God’s work,” Blankfein, the head of Goldman Sachs. And my goodness, if Scripture is clear on anything, it’s condemnation of those who take advantage of the poor. You know, after all, Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple. Scripture is devastating in its condemnation of usury, the immorality of usury. And yet, in your promo, you mentioned Chris Dodd is trying to get a bill passed that would cap interest rates. You know, where is the Christian right? Where are the Christians? Where are the Jews, for that matter? Or the Muslims? At least the Muslims, in their religious practice, don’t believe in interest as a principle, but the idea that we’re jacking up credit cards to 30, 35—this is loan sharking. And we can’t even get a bill passed through Congress that would cap interest payments.</p>
<p>The other thing is, their rationalization is they’re somehow saving the economy. It’s the old blackmail thing. They ruined the economy; they got the legislation, the radical deregulation they wanted, that permitted them to become too big to fail—Citigroup and these companies; and then they turn around and say, “If you don’t throw all this money at us, the economy is going to go into the Great Depression.” But they haven’t solved the main problems. Mortgage foreclosures this month are higher than they’ve been in ten months. We have the commercial housing market exploding, you know, apartment building rentals exploding, going into mortgages. And so, you know, they are not dealing with the fundamentals. What has happened is an incredibly expensive band-aid was put on this. And these people don’t even have—they’re not even embarrassed.</p>
<p>And the reason I wrote that column is they’ve also captured the President. And, you know, I voted for this president. I even contributed money that I didn’t have to his campaign. You know, I still feel great that he’s the President. You know, I’m biased. I like the guy, you know. I like everything about him.</p>
<p>AMY GOODMAN: Yet you ask, where’s the community-organizer-in-chief?</p>
<p>ROBERT SCHEER: I am appalled. This is not a minor criticism. I think the guy is betraying—betraying—his own presidency, the promise of his presidency, because he has taken these thieves—and I use the word advisedly. You know, I think people like Lawrence Summers, who pay themselves—you know, maybe he’s not legally a thief, but, you know, a guy who pays himself, or gets paid from hedge funds and other people, $15 million in ’08, while he’s advising Obama about the economy. And he’s the guy who, more than anyone else, when he was Secretary of the Treasury in the Clinton administration, pushed through the radical deregulation that allowed these businesses to get in all this trouble and refused to regulate derivatives and all that sort of thing. And then these guys are made the head of the—what? They’re going to save us now?</p>
<p><a href="http://www.democracynow.org/2009/11/19/as_wall_street_posts_record_profits" type="external">Continue reading</a></p> | Throw the Money Changers Out of the Temple | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/throw-the-money-changers-out-of-the-temple/ | 2009-11-20 | 4 |
<p>Hours after being sworn in as president, Donald Trump made good on his promise to repeal Obamacare by&#160;issuing an&#160; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/20/us/politics/trump-executive-order-obamacare.html" type="external">executive order</a> which gives federal agencies the power to limit, delay, or waive provisions which they deem too costly for taxpayers.&#160;</p>
<p>This executive order comes after&#160;House Speaker <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/paul-ryan-promises-republicans-complete-obamacare-replacement-bill/story?id=44576835" type="external">Paul Ryan</a> gave his own promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Senate Republicans’ introduced a budget bill that would collect&#160;ideas on how to cut funding from key components of the law. Although GOP lawmakers have promised to smoothly transition out of&#160;the ACA, they have refused to propose a replacement and this first step from Trump shows that the transition&#160;will be anything but smooth.</p>
<p>As it is written now, this executive order gives federal agencies the space to ease what they deem&#160;economic and regulatory burdens for insurers, drug makers, doctors, patients or states. Although federal agencies aren’t necessarily being granted any new powers, they have been given permission to scale back regulations and penalties put into place by the ACA.</p>
<p>Federal agencies could now for example, weaken the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-signs-executive-order-that-could-lift-affordable-care-acts-individual-mandate/2017/01/20/8c99e35e-df70-11e6-b2cf-b67fe3285cbc_story.html?utm_term=.5db4f54d0f6b" type="external">individual mandate</a>, which requires individuals to obtain&#160;health insurance or pay a tax penalty (with few hardship&#160;exemptions). Under this executive order, there is now potential to apply waivers to the mandate or to implement&#160;a more lenient interpretation of those&#160;hardship exemptions. Bypassing the mandate could cause chaos in the individual insurance market – a highly regulated market that sells health plans to those who don’t have insurance through work or public programs, like Medicaid – by causing a <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-is-the-individual-market-and-why-is-everyone-so-worried-about-it-2016-12-14" type="external">‘death spiral,’</a> a cycle of increased premiums and healthy, young folks leaving the market. This would significantly impact the affordability of insurance for people who are chronically ill and older people who do not qualify for public programs.</p>
<p>The order also provides leeway for agencies like the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts-and-features/key-features-of-aca/benefits-of-the-affordable-care-act-for-americans/index.html" type="external">Department of Health &amp; Human Services</a>&#160;to limit or eliminate the medical benefits that the ACA required insurers to include in their health plans. Obamacare requires that&#160;insurers cover <a href="http://kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/pre-existing-conditions-and-medical-underwriting-in-the-individual-insurance-market-prior-to-the-aca/" type="external">pre-existing conditions</a>, like pregnancy or cancer. If these benefits were eliminated, it would have widespread implications mostly for marginalized communities.</p>
<p>A&#160;recent <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/cncr.30507/abstract" type="external">study</a> published in the medical journal Cancer&#160;reaffirms&#160;that Black women would be among the groups most&#160;severely&#160;impacted by the repeal of the ACA. The study found that the <a href="https://mic.com/articles/166315/obamacare-black-women-cervical-cancer-republicans-gop-aca-repeal#.bLlM4veqP" type="external">mortality rates for cervical cancer</a> in the United States are significantly higher for Black women compared to White women, with 10.1 out of every 100,000 Black women dying of the disease compared to 4.7 White women out of every 100,000 – which is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/health/cervical-cancer-united-states-death-toll.html?_r=0" type="external">considerably higher</a> than previous reports. One way to decrease these numbers is through regular cervical screenings, a preventive service covered by the ACA. The continuous attacks against family planning clinics like <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/01/defunding-planned-parenthood-still-matched-with-aca-repeal.html" type="external">Planned Parenthood</a>, which provide these potentially life-saving screenings, and the gutting of Obamacare could increase&#160;that mortality rate gap.</p>
<p>The repeal of the ACA would not only impact Black women, but <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2016/03/03/20-million-people-have-gained-health-insurance-coverage-because-affordable-care-act-new-estimates" type="external">the millions of other people people</a> who have gained health access through the law and will lose coverage. If you want to speak out against the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, you can <a href="https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials" type="external">call or send a postcard</a> to your congressional representatives or House Speaker Ryan.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/gop-furious-after-supreme-court-upholds-obamacare-subsidies/" type="external">Header image via.</a></p> | Trump’s First Executive Order Starts the Repeal of Obamacare | true | http://feministing.com/2017/01/25/trumps-first-executive-order-starts-the-repeal-of-obamacare/ | 4 | |
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<p>The University of New Mexico’s second-year coach knew his team would have its hands full Monday night against 16th-ranked Marquette, an ultra-athletic team that wears opponents down with tempo, depth and withering pressure. But rather than try to slow the Golden Eagles down, Bradbury decided to challenge them.</p>
<p>It paid off with a thrilling 88-87 victory at the Pit and gave Bradbury evidence that his team is indeed ready to run.</p>
<p>“It tells me we can compete at a high level,” Bradbury said. “We want to beat the top teams in (the Mountain West Conference) playing this style of basketball. We may not beat them all, but I think this shows we’re capable. We can still get a lot better, but we needed to measure ourselves a top-20 team like Marquette to find out where we stand.”</p>
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<p>UNM (2-0) did not exactly go baseline-to-baseline throughout the game. After Marquette (0-1) scored 26 points in less than 7 minutes, the Lobos retreated into a half-court zone defense that did serve to slow the Golden Eagles’ attack.</p>
<p>But UNM stayed aggressive on offense and frequently burned Marquette’s full-court pressure for easy points. Post Jaisa Nunn and the Lobo guards also attacked the basket in half-court sets and earned 23 free-throw attempts to Marquette’s seven.</p>
<p>“It’s hard to really game-plan for someone so early in the season,” Bradbury said. “Marquette hadn’t even played a real game yet, so you kind of have to focus on what your team does well and just line up and play. Considering the opponent, I’m pretty encouraged.”</p>
<p>GUTTY PERFORMANCE: Junior Jaisa Nunn was the star of Monday’s win with a program-record 39 points and 13 rebounds. But senior Tesha Buck also battled through 30 productive minutes (seven points, three rebounds, two assists and three steals) despite spending most of Monday on her sick bed.</p>
<p>“Tesha had food poisoning and it wasn’t good,” Bradbury said. “That was about as sick as I’ve seen a kid who actually found a way to play. She gave us everything she had, that’s for sure.”</p>
<p>PLAYING TO THE AUDIENCE: Bradbury wasted no time thanking UNM’s fans after Monday’s win, saying the announced crowd of 4,169 sounded much larger.</p>
<p>“The fans wouldn’t let us lose,” Bradbury said. “That was as loud a game as I’ve ever coached.”</p>
<p>UNM likely increased the decibel level by allowing fans to move closer to the court and fill any empty seats at halftime. Nunn also credited the Lobo faithful, who stood and gave the team a lengthy ovation after the final horn.</p>
<p>“I’m so glad we have fans who really like women’s basketball,” she said. “It wouldn’t have been the same winning a game like this without them.”</p>
<p>DAY OF REST: The Lobos took a day off from practice Tuesday, but it was not a reward for Monday’s win. The Lobos face Northern New Mexico Wednesday night and host rival New Mexico State on Saturday.</p>
<p>“We practiced Sunday,” Bradbury said, “and we have to give players a day off sometime during the week. It was going to be Tuesday, win or lose, so we’d have two days to prepare for New Mexico State. Playing three games in six days makes it challenging.”</p> | UNM women’s win impresses Bradbury | false | https://abqjournal.com/1092799/unm-womens-win-impresses-bradbury.html | 2 | |
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<p>Albuquerque police say they're hoping to nab two women who stole a woman's credit card and then promptly made false identification that they used to make $350 of purchases at two stores.</p>
<p>According to police, the women stole a purse from a dance studio on Wednesday and then within 30 minutes made a false New Mexico driver's license.</p>
<p>Surveillance video showed the women using the stolen credit card to make purchases at drug store and a grocery store.</p>
<p>Police said the operation is new to them and that it's surprising the women were able to produce a fake driver's license so quickly.</p>
<p>Police think the women could be responsible for a number of auto break-ins in northeast Albuquerque.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Albuquerque police: Credit card thieves quickly made fake ID | false | https://abqjournal.com/568549/albuquerque-police-credit-card-thieves-quickly-made-fake-id.html | 2 | |
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<p>Forget about it.</p>
<p>Members of the University of New Mexico women’s basketball team jumped and whooped all the way up the Pit ramp Thursday night, fully enjoying an impressive 65-61 victory over rival Texas Tech.</p>
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<p>Deeva Vaughn’s first career double-double and Bryce Owens’ 3-point dagger with 28 seconds left highlighted a rare Lobos victory over the Lady Raiders. Tech still leads the series 13-3.</p>
<p>That domination and a pair of blowout losses the past two seasons helped explain the Lobos’ jubilation and a postgame roar from an appreciative Pit crowd.</p>
<p>“We beat Tech,” Vaughn said when asked about her team’s emotional response. “That was one of our goals for the season, to beat Tech. It feels really good.”</p>
<p>Vaughn played a huge role, coming off the bench to rack up 15 points, 10 rebounds, a block and three steals in 29 minutes.</p>
<p>Every bit as big was the performance of Owens, who had 15 points, four assists and a steal. The freshman point guard also swished the game’s biggest shot.</p>
<p>With UNM nursing a 59-56 lead in the final minute, Texas Tech’s defense swarmed both Caroline Durbin and Sara Halasz on an inbounds play. Owens came open right of the free-throw circle, set herself and fired.</p>
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<p>The 3-pointer gave the Lobos a six-point lead with 28 seconds left.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ve hit a more intense shot in my life,” Owens said.</p>
<p>“I didn’t even want to smile. I just told myself, ‘Get back, play defense and don’t think about it.’ I did clap my hands a little bit, though.”</p>
<p>New Mexico (2-0) turned the ball over 22 times against the Lady Raiders’ pressing defense, including seven turnovers by Owens.</p>
<p>But UNM forced 18 turnovers of its own, outrebounded Tech 42-33 and limited star guard Casey Morris to two points.</p>
<p>All in all, it was enough to bring a smile to Lobos coach Yvonne Sanchez’s face.</p>
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<p>“That was a lot of fun,” Sanchez said. “We beat a team from a terrific conference, a really good team that’s going to win 20 games this season. A win like this is important.”</p>
<p>UNM led by as many as nine points in the second half, but never held a comfortable advantage until the final seconds. Paced by Monique Smalls’ 22 points, Texas Tech managed to answer every Lobos run.</p>
<p>The Lady Raiders hit just 2-of-14 from 3-point range but stayed close by attacking the glass and marching to the foul line. Tech was 19-for-30 from the stripe, earning 13 more attempts than the home team.</p>
<p>“We weren’t containing the drive well at all,” Sanchez said. “We were just a step late and kept sending them to the line. They were good calls.”</p>
<p>Cibola High grad Amber Battle was among Tech’s successful drivers, finishing with 12 points, three blocks and three steals in her first collegiate game in Albuquerque.</p>
<p>But this night belonged to the Lobos, who got contributions from 10 players.</p>
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<p>Durbin finished with 11 points and six rebounds, while Halasz chipped in 10 points, seven boards and three assists. UNM got 25 points from its reserves.</p>
<p>It was a far cry from the past two seasons, when Texas Tech simply wore the Lobos out and won twice by 27- and 26-point margins.</p>
<p>The Lobos showed early they would not end up as roadkill this time. When Smalls’ 3-pointer gave the Lady Raiders a 27-24 lead, Durbin quickly answered with a pull-up 3.</p>
<p>UNM led 33-30 at halftime, but it remained nip and tuck until an Owens steal and layup sparked an 9-2 Lobo run to 55-46 with 7:56 remaining.</p>
<p>“Bryce played fearless,” Sanchez said.</p>
<p>NOTE: UNM fans held their collective breath in the first half when freshman Khadijah Shumpert went to the floor clutching her knee after a collision. Shumpert returned in the second half, however, with what Sanchez described as a bad bruise.</p>
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<p /> | Lobo Women Enjoy Rare Win Vs. Texas Tech | false | https://abqjournal.com/238210/lobo-women-enjoy-rare-win-vs-texas-tech.html | 2 | |
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<p>And he’s excited to get back to town.</p>
<p>“Albuquerque has always been a place that embraced us,” he says in a recent phone interview. “We’ve continued to grow the shows out there.”</p>
<p>Hrasky is a member of the Texas-based rock band Explosions in the Sky.</p>
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<p>The band has been performing under the name since 1999. It has released seven studio albums, with 2016’s “The Wilderness” being the latest.</p>
<p>Michael James, Munaf Rayani and Mark Smith round out the band with Hrasky.</p>
<p>Explosions in the Sky plays mostly instrumental music.</p>
<p>This leg of the tour will be the last for a while for the band, which will then take a short hiatus off the road to rest.</p>
<p>“We still love playing shows,” he says. “We’ve been doing this nonstop for 18 years. We’re ready for a little bit of a break.”</p>
<p>Hrasky says the members reached an agreement to take a break about six months ago.</p>
<p>“We feel very lucky that we’re able to make this decision,” he says. “Each tour seems to be a little bit bigger. It was a gradual ascent. We started playing to two people in the audience, and now it’s thousands at times. It’s been part of why we have lasted so long. We took each step as a band and made sure each one of us was on board.”</p>
<p>Hrasky says Explosions in the Sky has also done music its own way from the beginning of the band.</p>
<p>In having the majority of its music as instrumental, he says, it’s important for each band member to challenge themselves.</p>
<p>“If you listen to our catalog, you can see the biggest jump from our first to second albums,” he says. “Our process has changed over time, and we’re always looking for ways to make our music different. On this last album, we were so immersed in the entire process.”</p>
<p>Hrasky says getting some time off will also help give the band some new inspiration.</p>
<p>“We’ve been on the road and together for so long that sometimes we can go stir-crazy,” he says with a laugh. “The relaxation will be nice and a great way to start up working on the next album.”</p>
<p>Explosions in the Sky WHEN: 8 tonight WHERE: Sunshine Theater, 120 W. Central HOW MUCH: $25 plus fees at <a href="http://holdmyticket.com" type="external">holdmyticket.com</a></p>
<p /> | Agents of change: Explosions in the Sky ‘always looking for ways to make our music different’ | false | https://abqjournal.com/1063193/agents-of-change.html | 2017-09-15 | 2 |
<p>We all know and identify with the legacy of Robin Hood, who in a time of despots and an abusive aristocracy, waylaid the wealthy in England’s Sherwood Forest, relieving them of their wealth and distributing it to the poor and desperately needy. Most of us identify with this story because for once the underdog gets a break and wins. Apparently, George Bush never heard of Robin Hood. Or maybe he did, and is determined at all costs to be the exact opposite of this likable character. Based on his behavior, the latter seems to be the case. The man is blatantly robbing the poor and destitute to advance the fortunes of the wealthy.</p>
<p>Believe it or not taxpaying citizens, George W. Bush is using our hard earned taxes to fund his travel to fund-raisers in support of Republican candidates. Yes, its true. In six months the White House has billed $210,000 to an agency that falls under Health and Human Services (HHS) for his trips to boost GOP candidates in election bids. And not just any agency. He is soaking the Office of Family Assistance, an agency having to do with assisting the impoverished in this nation. Incredible and unbelievable you say? Then turn to page A5 of The Washington Post for Sunday, October 20, 2002, and see the article written by staff writer Thomas B. Edsall. Here is how the fleecing works.</p>
<p>Lets say Republican candidate Joe Blow needs a boost to put him ahead of his Democratic challenger in an election campaign. George Bush makes a visit to that state in the name of welfare reform. Coincidentally, at the same visit, he makes an appearance with, and an endorsement for his GOP brother or sister-in-arms. Who knows, the event might even entail a $1,000 or $10,000 a plate dinner. Cheers all around. Then its back to Washington and his Pennsylvania Avenue address. Later someone on his team furiously punches numbers into a calculator of the expenses of the trip. This bill is then sent to HHS and billed to Office of Family Assistance, due to the fact that the President did give an obscure half hour speech about welfare reform while on that trip. What a windfall. The President made a trip. His GOP cohort got a boost without having to dip into his own campaign funds, his poll ratings has improved, and the Republican National Committee has benefited from a lucrative fund-raiser. There is happiness all around, and the world is great.</p>
<p>Not really. In truth America has been hosed. Yeah I mean just like that Mountain Dew TV commercial where the two boys have a disagreement over a Mountain Dew drink and the father breaks it up by drinking the beverage. When he is done he says, “Now let that be a lesson to you.” He pretends that his drinking their Dew was to teach them a lesson about not getting along. In truth he had ulterior motives and really wanted to appropriate their drink for himself. He actually conned them out of their drink. The boys are left baffled as one asks the other, “What just happened here?” His companion responds, “We got hosed Tommy. We got hosed.” In similar fashion Americans, and most especially the poor and needy, are being hosed right out of what is rightfully theirs. This is despicable. Just this month George Bush made an impromptu appearance in Maryland in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Ehrlich. There was Ehrlich gushing and pleased as punch that the President showed up on his behalf. Now in my work I have provided healthcare in the state, and especially in Baltimore, to the desperately needy subsisting on welfare due to unemployment, limited education, drug addiction, AIDS, or some other trying difficulty in life. I recall their faces. It would be a shame to find out that Bush helped himself to the funds allocated by Congress to these struggling souls, to finance an appearance in this state on behalf of his cohort whose war chest is no doubt loaded with money.</p>
<p>Recently I phoned the office of Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson. It has to do with a Health Education presentation I conduct in the schools. The kids are delighted to look in my microscope and see slides of blood cells, bacteria, and even anthrax. The problem is that the school funding is so limited that they are hard pressed to pay for the presentations. I figured I would contact HHS about funding since my program is health education, which takes place mostly at needy schools and After School Programs. I was told by the receptionist after she conferred at length with someone that HHS did not fund such enterprises. Wait a minute. I educate kids about their health and about disease, and HHS has nothing to do with an enterprise such as mine. Yet the President can bill that agency for trips that advance the political fortunes of his friends. In short he can take food from the mouths of these needy citizens, but I am denied help teaching them about their health? No wonder the cynicism and resentment of our citizens toward politicians and government agencies.</p>
<p>A math wizard I am not, but with the Office of Family Assistance having been billed $210,000 in just six moths by George Bush for trips, we can expect in a four year term they would have doled out $1.68 million dollars. That is sickening. That’s a lot of hungry adults and children. A lot of them without much needed medical care. Without counseling. Without health education programs. Without crucial immunizations. In a four year term Bill Clinton’s entire billing to HHS was $243,862 for similar travel ventures. George Bush has almost overtaken him in six months. It is often said that the progress of a nation is measured by how well it treats its poor. If this is true then Bush, and the America he and his friends preside over, get a failing grade. Were Robin Hood to meet George W. Bush he would promptly relieve him of these poor citizens desperately needed money.</p>
<p>BEN ROBERTS is a newsletter editor, freelance writer and published author. His previous articles include: Blood, Guts, and Game Show Hosts, The Shameless Hijacking of September 11, Tony Blair’s Dossier for Dummies, Letter to United Nations Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan, and Who’s Afraid of Terrorists With Jerry Falwell and the Religious Right Lurking About. His book <a href="" type="internal">Jackals of Samarra</a> was published in January 2001. He can be contacted by email at: <a href="" type="internal">grandt730@aol.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | Bush vs. Robin Hood | true | https://counterpunch.org/2002/11/04/bush-vs-robin-hood/ | 2002-11-04 | 4 |
<p>E-commerce giant Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) hosted a busy product unveiling today, unveiling a slew of devices to refresh its lineup as we approach the busy holiday shopping season. This comes a few weeks after Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) big iPhone event, and a week before Alphabet subsidiary Google is having its own Pixel shindig on Oct. 4. The company is primarily beefing up its Echo lineup with new additions.</p>
<p>Here's everything that Amazon announced today.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Amazon is revamping its flagship Echo device, and the redesigned second-generation version is shorter and costs just $99. The new device comes in a few shell colors and aesthetic configurations, but importantly supports multiroom audio, allowing music to be streamed simultaneously to multiple Echos. This is an area where high-end rivals like Sonos have made a name. Amazon is even selling a pack of three Echoes for $150, or $50 per device.</p>
<p>Amazon says the new Echo has a new speaker architecture, dedicated tweeter, and 2.5-inch down-firing woofer for improved audio. The new Echo can also make phone calls through Alexa.</p>
<p>Apple is just a few months away from launching its <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/06/05/apples-new-homepod-vs-amazons-echo.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=492ee05c-a3be-11e7-a33c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">HomePod smart speaker Opens a New Window.</a>. The Mac maker introduced multiroom audio in its AirPlay 2 audio streaming protocol earlier this year, which third-party speakers can also implement. At $349, though, hooking up multiple HomePods throughout a home would quickly get pretty pricey.</p>
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<p>There's also the new Echo Plus, which is priced at $150. Alexa has become a hugely popular smart home platform, arguably the leader right now thanks to its first-mover advantage. Echo Plus is positioned as a smart home hub that will automatically discover and set up all smart home devices connected to the same Wi-Fi network.</p>
<p>The Echo Plus looks just like the original Echo, but has some internal improvements like second-generation far-field technology found in the new $99 Echo. Both Echo and Echo Plus ship next month.</p>
<p>Amazon has been working on increasingly bringing communications features to Alexa, and by extension its Echo family. The Echo Show introduced earlier this year included Echo-to-Echo calling, but the company is taking it a step further with the new $35 Echo Connect.</p>
<p>Echo Connect's primary purpose is to make phone calls. The device is a stationary box that you plug into an Echo to turn it into a landline speakerphone.</p>
<p>Not to be confused with the Echo Dot, there's now a new Echo Spot, a small compact device that includes a circular 2.5-inch display that Amazon says can be placed in any room. It could be placed on a nightstand or desk in order to deliver relevant information like weather alerts, calendar appointments, and more.</p>
<p>Echo Spot can also be used to make phone calls and send messages. The device starts at $130 and ships in December.</p>
<p>Apple unveiled its newest Apple TV with 4K and HDR support just a few weeks ago, and Amazon is now introducing a new Fire TV with the same features. (The second-generation Fire TV set-top box that Amazon recently discontinued supported 4K.) The new Fire TV, which is more of a hanging dongle and costs less than half of Apple's offering at $70, comes with an Alexa remote and includes a new quad-core processor and improved Wi-Fi.</p>
<p>An important part of Apple's unveiling was that the Mac maker had negotiated with Hollywood to price 4K movies on iTunes at just $20 -- the same price point that new HD movies currently command. Movie studios were hoping to jack up the price of content by $5 to $10. Just a couple days ago, Amazon cut prices on 4K content. Amazon is notoriously aggressive on pricing and has no problem eating losses upfront if it has to, so I would expect Amazon to remain competitive on 4K content pricing, which is arguably more important than the device itself in some ways.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than AmazonWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*</p>
<p>David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the <a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=b27e0e5d-7dea-4bcd-90a9-701e056a15d7&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=492ee05c-a3be-11e7-a33c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">10 best stocks Opens a New Window.</a> for investors to buy right now... and Amazon wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.</p>
<p><a href="http://infotron.fool.com/infotrack/click?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fool.com%2Fmms%2Fmark%2Fe-foolcom-sa-bbn-static%3Faid%3D8867%26source%3Disaeditxt0010449%26ftm_cam%3Dsa-bbn-evergreen%26ftm_pit%3D6312%26ftm_veh%3Dbbn_article_pitch&amp;impression=b27e0e5d-7dea-4bcd-90a9-701e056a15d7&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=492ee05c-a3be-11e7-a33c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Click here Opens a New Window.</a> to learn about these picks!</p>
<p>*Stock Advisor returns as of September 5, 2017</p>
<p>Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. <a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/TMFNewCow/info.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=492ee05c-a3be-11e7-a33c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">Evan Niu, CFA Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Apple. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends GOOG, GOOGL, Amazon, and Apple. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;uuid=492ee05c-a3be-11e7-a33c-0050569d4be0&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Amazon.com Unveils New Echo Products: What You Need to Know | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/09/28/amazon-com-unveils-new-echo-products-what-need-to-know.html | 2017-09-28 | 0 |
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<p>Tammy Lynn Sanchez Tafoya, 49, has been indicted on one count of first-degree murder and one count of dueling, a fourth-degree felony.</p>
<p>She is being held without bond at the Valencia County Detention Center.</p>
<p>According to a statement to police, Sanchez-Tafoya said she stabbed her ex-boyfriend, Keith Miller, 45, of El Cerro, in the neck after an argument. She told officers she had agreed to meet with Miller on Aug. 8 at a motel to discuss their relationship.</p>
<p>Knowing Miller regularly carried a knife, Sanchez Tafoya told police she saw him from about two blocks away, but didn’t try to run away or call for help. She told police when she approached Miller on the 500 block of Camino del Ray, he told her, “We’re going to take care of this right now.” To which she replied, “Let’s do this. I’m sick of this bull (expletive) already.”</p>
<p>According to a criminal complaint, Sanchez Tafoya said both parties stabbed at each other with their knives. Court documents say she ran from the scene after stabbing Miller in the neck, without trying to get help for him or reporting the assault.</p>
<p>According to state statute, dueling consists of any person “conveying by written or verbal message a challenge to any other person to fight a duel with any deadly weapon, and whether or not such duel ensues; accepting a challenge from another person to fight a duel with any deadly weapon, and whether or not such duel ensues; engaging in or fighting a duel with any deadly weapon; or aiding, encouraging or seconding either party to a duel and being present at such duel when deadly weapons are used.”</p>
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<p>Police said Sanchez Tafoya didn’t sustain any injuries in the incident.</p>
<p>She told the investigating detective that she went home, where she rinsed the blood from her knife, and told her mother she had “stabbed Keith.” The complaint said she gave her daughter money to buy food, then fell asleep in her bedroom until she was awakened by police.</p>
<p>During questioning, the woman drew a picture of the double-edged knife she says she used to stab Miller.</p>
<p>“Tammy said society would be better off without Keith,” the criminal complaint read.</p>
<p>Police discovered Miller lying on the side of the road after receiving a call from a witness. When officers arrived, they administered first aid and requested emergency medical personnel. Miller was airlifted to the University of New Mexico Hospital, where he died soon after arrival.</p> | Los Lunas woman charged with murder, dueling in ex-boyfriend’s death | false | https://abqjournal.com/254912/los-lunas-woman-charged-with-murder-dueling-in-ex-boyfriends-death.html | 2013-08-29 | 2 |
<p>An <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/09/24/550987099/transgender-hockey-player-postpones-hormone-treatment-to-keep-playing" type="external">NPR article</a>, published Sunday, laments “gender-segregated” sports, suggesting that separation of men and women in competitive sports be reconsidered in order to accommodate leftist notions of "gender" and "transgenderism."</p>
<p>“Biological differences [are] almost wholly dependent on levels of testosterone,” alleges NPR, suggesting that modern hormone manipulation offers an avenue for sexual transition.</p>
<p>Women wishing to be men can undergo testosterone supplementation for a “physical transition,” alleges NPR, suggesting that women can somehow become men through the administration of exogenous hormones.</p>
<p>Without evidence, NPR concludes that Caster Semenya — a world champion sprinter in women’s competition — is a female, despite <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2016/08/16/490236620/south-african-star-raises-sensitive-questions-about-intersex-athletes" type="external">NPR's own reporting</a> of Semenya being an intersex person:</p>
<p>For years, professional sports has struggled with the fact that biologically, not everyone fits into a "male" or "female" box. And not everyone's gender identity matches the physical body, genitalia, reproductive organs and chromosomes (or even set of hormones) they have. That's led to instances of "gender testing" and even suspending and banning female athletes who have naturally high testosterone levels, like South African runner <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/20/sports/caster-semenya-800-meters.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSemenya%2C%20Caster&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=timestopics&amp;region=stream&amp;module=stream_unit&amp;version=latest&amp;contentPlacement=3&amp;pgtype=collection" type="external">Caster Semenya</a>, and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/04/sports/olympics/gender-dutee-chand-india.html?_r=0" type="external">Indian sprinter Dutee Chand</a>, even though testosterone doesn't automatically make you a gifted athlete (see: most men in the world).</p>
<p />
<p>Caster Semenya at the 2012 Summer Olympics.</p>
<p>NPR also denies gender dimorphism as a biological reality among humans, alleging the existence of “varied gender identities”:</p>
<p>Today, Browne's decision to stick with the NWHL, even though he had to delay hormone therapy, shows how even the most gender segregated arenas are attempting to make room for varied gender identities — but it also shows that there are no easy solutions.</p>
<p>NPR enjoys non-profit status with the IRS while receiving federal grants for its news media operations.</p>
<p>Democrats and the broader left regularly frame gender as a social construct ungrounded from biology, further casting gender as “nonbinary” and somehow existing on a spectrum.</p>
<p>Follow Robert Kraychik on <a href="https://twitter.com/kr3ch3k" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p> | NPR Laments 'Gender-Segregated' Competitive Sports As 'Exclusive' | true | https://dailywire.com/news/21451/npr-goes-full-leftist-gender-segregated-sports-robert-kraychik | 2017-09-24 | 0 |
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<p>A little-known Northern California town, established more than 100 years ago on a tract of land owned by a Scottish liquor wholesaler named James Ross, offers some of the nation’s most expensive homes. The area, a San Francisco suburb north of the Golden Gate Bridge, is a leafy retreat for celebrities, executives and a few politicians.</p>
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<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/11/05/americas-most-expensive-neighborhoods/" type="external">This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St. Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>But even Ross can’t keep pace with Alpine, NJ, where the median home sale is $6.7 million and prices have jumped 41% year over year, according to Realtor.com. Where Ross flies under the radar of media scrutiny, residents of Alpine inevitably get attention. In a town where single-family homes sometimes list for more than $50 million, the current most expensive listing is a seven-bedroom, 12-bathroom mansion priced at $18.5 million.</p>
<p>Though wealthy neighborhoods hold their appeal through storms, recessions and stock bubbles, even Ross stumbled considerably in recent years before bouncing back with a vengeance in the last 12 months. The greater San Francisco area saw a 38.6% decrease in home values from 2006 to 2011, according to Jennifer DuBois, a director at Realtor.com, which supplied 24/7 Wall St. with data about America’s 10 most expensive zip codes for home buyers. This year, median list prices in Ross’ zip code, 94957, have shot up more than 73% from a year ago.</p>
<p>In the 10 luxury zip codes, where median list prices in September were at least $2.8 million and as much as $6.7 million, residents are incredibly wealthy. Median household income in some of these area are $30,000 to $50,000 higher than the U.S. median income of $51,914. In the United States in 2010, 4.2% of households earned $200,000 or more. In school districts in five of these zip codes, at least 25% of households earned $200,000 or more. In Greenwich, Connecticut, one of the most expensive neighborhoods, it was 43.9% in one area.</p>
<p>While Ross’ recovery is impressive, wealthy neighborhoods are not leading the nation’s housing recovery. “We have started to see a recovery in key housing indicators such as median list price and inventory,” says DuBois of the nation’s wealthiest neighborhoods. “But these luxury areas are not recovering as fast as some less expensive areas, such as Bakersfield, Calif. or Oakland, Calif.”</p>
<p>The housing recovery is benefitting from tighter inventories and eager buyers willing to pay higher prices to make a purchase — especially in these high-end markets. Nearly every neighborhood on the list has a smaller inventory of homes for sale than it did one year ago. And top-notch neighborhoods are anything but a secret: DuBois says that these 10 zip codes are all in the top 50 most-searched-for metropolitan statistical area on Realtor.com.</p>
<p>Another factor driving competition for high-end homes is an increase in international buyers, particularly in the past three years, says DuBois. And these buyers aren’t bottom-feeding for bank-owned properties. They are looking for homes in the $250,000 to $500,000 range, well above the national median list price of $191,500. There’s also been a surge in demand for homes priced at more than $1 million. Even more telling: more than three in five of these international purchases are made in cash, a ratio that has continued to rise since 2007, according to Realtor.com.</p>
<p>Based on home price data provided by realtor.com, 24/7 Wall St. identified the 10 U.S. zip codes with the highest average listing price for the month of September. Realtor.com also provided September values, as well as one-year and one-month changes in list prices, median age of inventory, and total number of homes listed. In order to reflect local economic measures, 24/7 Wall St. identified school districts within each zip code, and obtained data from the U.S. Census Bureau on income, poverty, and educational attainment for 2010, the most recent available data for these areas.</p>
<p>These are the most expensive neighborhoods in America.</p>
<p>10. 90077 &gt; Median list price: $2.82 million &gt; City/town: Bel Air, Calif. &gt; Year-over-year change: 16.4%</p>
<p>In Bel Air, nestled in the hills above Sunset Boulevard, great views command a hefty price tag. Media rooms are a must-have because many locals work in what’s known as “The Industry,” meaning Hollywood. One current listing is a $29.9 million property that boasts 20,000-square feet in a “glorious, gated and private compound.” In ritzy Bel Air, it’s not enough to own a pool, you also need to have a cabana. Between August and September, median list price in the 90077 zip code shot up more than 16%, while prices across the U.S. rose by less than 1%.</p>
<p>9. 06831 &gt; Median list price: $2.90 million &gt; City/town: Greenwich, Conn. &gt; Year-over-year change: 16.1%</p>
<p>Greenwich has catered to many affluent homeowners dating back to its inception in 1640. And while a handful of current listings top $20 million, there are also a number of entry-level family homes available for under $1 million, something unseen in other communities on this list. No doubt, size is a leveling factor: Greenwich has a population of 61,171 according to the 2010 census. Still the majority of the Greenwich region is extremely wealthy. In 2010, 43.9% of households in the Greenwich School District earned $200,000 or more, compared to 4.2% of households nationwide.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/10/31/americas-most-violent-states/" type="external">Also Read: America’s Most Violent States Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>8. 93108 &gt; Median list price: $3.19 million &gt; City/town: Santa Barbara, Calif. &gt; Year-over-year change: 2.9%</p>
<p>That Montecito is a 90-minute drive from Hollywood isn’t lost on the dozens of celebrities that claim this 9-square mile suburb of Santa Barbara as home. Like a trendy restaurant with a line around the block, Montecito could probably fill a waiting list of wealthy people who want to move to its ocean-cooled climate (possibly to live near Oprah). The area is also a retirement destination — more than one in four residents were over the age of 65 in 2010. A slight decrease in homes for sale compared to 2011 isn’t helping to satisfy potential buyers.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/11/02/the-10-worst-paying-states-for-women/" type="external">Also Read: The 10 Worst-Paying States for Women Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>7. 92067 &gt; Median list price: $3.29 million &gt; City/town: Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. &gt; Year-over-year change: 13.5%</p>
<p>This unincorporated part of San Diego County boasts some of the highest earning families in the country, but it has a relatively small population of just 3,117, according to the 2010 census. That type of exclusivity has drawn its share of wealthy and famous residents, including singer Janet Jackson and actress Geena Davis, among many others. One $40 million home currently for sale in “The Ranch,” as it is known, epitomizes the appeal: eight bedrooms, nine bathrooms, 16,000 square feet and various ponds and waterfalls home to koi fish, according to Realtor.com.</p>
<p>6. 90210 &gt; Median list price: $3.75 million &gt; City/town: Beverly Hills, Calif. &gt; Year-over-year change: 17.2%</p>
<p>In a town named Beverly Hills, it may be surprising to learn that most of its denizens actually live in the “flats.” Not surprisingly, the most expensive homes are ones with great views. Beverly Hills has been glamorized or satirized in TV shows such as “90210” and “Beverly Hillbillies,” and movies such as “Pretty Woman” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” But these days it may be best known for extremely high-end shopping and restaurants on Rodeo Drive. Inventory remains an issue for buyers looking at this market.</p>
<p>5. 94027 &gt; Median list price: $4.30 million &gt; City/town: Atherton, Calif. &gt; Year-over-year change: -4.5%</p>
<p>Atherton has the feel of an exclusive club where membership costs continue to soar as prospective members wait to pounce on the next mansion that comes up for sale. Silicon Valley initial public offerings have helped fuel sales and the town has made a strong post-recession recovery. Unlike some affluent neighborhoods on this list, Atherton boasts exceptional public schools that help offset the San Francisco Bay Area’s notoriously high cost of living. Median income in the greater bay area in 2010 was $71,975, more than $20,000 higher than the national average.</p>
<p>4. 81656 &gt; Median list price: $4.93 million &gt; City/town: Woody Creek, Colo. &gt; Year-over-year change: 26.4%</p>
<p>Visitors may find it difficult to believe that this once-rustic part of Northwest Colorado, located near the posh community of Aspen, is centered around an eponymously named tavern where Hunter S. Thompson held court. In recent decades, the presence of other iconoclastic artists, including rock stars, has further strengthened property values. Inventory has held steady since last year, and home prices continue their steep ascent, rising by 26.44% between September 2011 and September 2012.</p>
<p><a href="http://247wallst.com/2012/10/25/thirteen-american-cities-going-broke/" type="external">Also Read: Thirteen American Cities Going Broke Opens a New Window.</a></p>
<p>3. 10013 &gt; Median list price: $5.10 million &gt; City/town: New York, N.Y. &gt; Year-over-year change: Unavailable</p>
<p>New York City neighborhoods in this zip code, which include Greenwich Village and Tribeca, are home to some of the nation’s best jazz clubs and feature many stately homes built more than 100 years ago and condos priced at the top of the market. Demand is so high for this once-Bohemian neighborhood that some one-bedroom apartments command $1 million or more. Some buildings in the area were damaged following Sandy, which could mean that inventory may get even tighter.</p>
<p>2. 94957 &gt; Median list price: $5.30 million &gt; City/town: Ross, Calif. &gt; Year-over-year change: 73.6%</p>
<p>Ross residents cherish the comforts of living in one of the nation’s wealthiest enclaves, but one service they don’t have is mail delivery directly to their homes — they must pick up letters at the local post office. Still, it’s not a long walk — and an easy drive in a Range Rover — as the town is only 1.6 square miles and the downtown, known as Ross Commons, is within easy reach. Like other towns and neighborhoods on this list, limited housing inventory is pushing up prices,which rose 73.61% between September 2011 and September 2012.</p>
<p>1. 07620 &gt; Median list price: $6.70 million &gt; City/town: Alpine, N.J. &gt; Year-over-year change: 41.1%</p>
<p>Alpine residents may feel secure behind their iron-gated entrances, but they did not escape Sandy’s wrath, which knocked out power through much of the town and across Northern New Jersey. Mayor Paul Tomasko reported that the storm damaged many homes, but residents of this ultra-upscale enclave are likely to begin restoration efforts immediately. It’s not surprising that a town with so many celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock, enjoys a very low crime rate. It’s easy to understand the appeal of Alpine, which is located just 15 miles from midtown Manhattan. Median household income in the area’s Tenafly Borough School District, was more than $125,000 in 2010, more than double the U.S. average.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p> | America's Most Expensive Neighborhoods | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2012/11/07/america-most-expensive-neighborhoods.html | 2016-01-26 | 0 |
<p>TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — When Dalvin Cook and Joseph Yearby played together in the same backfield at Miami Central High School, their coach’s first goal wasn’t trying to distribute carries but to make sure there wasn’t a rivalry between the two.</p>
<p>“People didn’t want them to be close and I had to be a buffer,” said Telly Lockette, who is in his first year as the running backs coach at Oregon State. “They respected each other and were good friends. The one thing they understood was to enjoy the time at high school and the memories.”</p>
<p>Two years after leading Miami Central to a state title, the duo remains good friends off the field but they will be on-field rivals when Cook and No. 12 Florida State hosts Miami and Yearby.</p>
<p>The Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won five straight over the Hurricanes (3-1).</p>
<p>Yearby originally committed to Florida State before eventually landing at Miami. Cook, who has been questionable most of the week due to a strained left hamstring, was a Florida commit before switching to Florida State.</p>
<p>Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said the Yearby-Cook backfield at Central was truly impressive.</p>
<p>“That one right there ranks as high as any,” Fisher said. “I’ve seen some really good backfields, but those two right there are pretty dadgum good now.”</p>
<p>Both are sophomores. Cook leads the ACC in rushing with 570 yards and is averaging 8.6 yards per carry. He has become the top player on the Seminoles’ offense. Yearby, who has 424 yards and is averaging 7.3 yards per carry, is third in the ACC in his first year as the Hurricanes’ main back.</p>
<p>“It’s very unique. I say that because we all planned it and we all dreamed it when we were in high school, so it’s not too much different,” Yearby said.</p>
<p>Yearby and Cook combined to gain nearly 10,000 yards in high school. Yearby had 5,592 yards and would have broken the Dade County record held by Bobby Washington had he not fractured his left fibula in a regional semifinal game his senior season. Instead, he finished 104 yards shy.</p>
<p>Cook, who didn’t begin playing until his sophomore season, had 4,267 yards and missed half his sophomore season due to a shoulder injury. In the 2013 Class 6A state title game against Armwood, Cook wore Yearby’s No. 3 and rushed for 223 yards with four touchdowns.</p>
<p>The running styles that made them a dynamic duo in high school have carried through to college. Cook has tremendous speed and the ability to break a long run at any time. Of his 55 carries, eight have gone for 20 yards or more, which is tied for fifth in the nation.</p>
<p>Last week Cook scored from 94 yards on his first carry, which is the third longest touchdown run in school history.</p>
<p>Yearby is more of an inside, between the tackles-type back but has also proven to be a good receiver out of the backfield. His eight receptions are tied for third on the Hurricanes.</p>
<p>Miami coach Al Golden said the one thing he has noticed on film from Cook this season is that he is stronger and running through more tackles. Golden also said that Yearby’s biggest improvement has been spinning on contact.</p>
<p>Lockette went one step further, saying Cook is just beginning to peak.</p>
<p>“He is seeing things clearer in terms of seeing the holes and reading defenders,” he said. “The game has started to slow down for him. Joe might have peaked earlier but he understands the game better.”</p>
<p>Saturday’s game features 31 players who went to high school in Dade County, including six that went to Central. In last year’s game at Miami, Cook ran for 92 yards on seven carries, including a 26-yard touchdown that gave Florida State the lead. Ironically, there was 3:05 remaining, which is the Miami area code.</p>
<p>Cook celebrated by touching his thumb to his forefinger with his right hand and raising his left hand to signal “305.” Yearby, who had 10 carries for 34 yards, said if he scores on Saturday that he is hoping to do the same thing.</p>
<p>“I can tell Joe is pumped up for the game and I expect Dalvin to play,” said Miami left tackle Trevor Darling, who also went to Central. “Old high school teammates are showing up, so they are going to want to put on” a show.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Freelance writer Christopher Stock in Coral Gables, Florida, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Joe Reedy on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/joereedy" type="external">http://twitter.com/joereedy</a></p>
<p>TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — When Dalvin Cook and Joseph Yearby played together in the same backfield at Miami Central High School, their coach’s first goal wasn’t trying to distribute carries but to make sure there wasn’t a rivalry between the two.</p>
<p>“People didn’t want them to be close and I had to be a buffer,” said Telly Lockette, who is in his first year as the running backs coach at Oregon State. “They respected each other and were good friends. The one thing they understood was to enjoy the time at high school and the memories.”</p>
<p>Two years after leading Miami Central to a state title, the duo remains good friends off the field but they will be on-field rivals when Cook and No. 12 Florida State hosts Miami and Yearby.</p>
<p>The Seminoles (4-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) have won five straight over the Hurricanes (3-1).</p>
<p>Yearby originally committed to Florida State before eventually landing at Miami. Cook, who has been questionable most of the week due to a strained left hamstring, was a Florida commit before switching to Florida State.</p>
<p>Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said the Yearby-Cook backfield at Central was truly impressive.</p>
<p>“That one right there ranks as high as any,” Fisher said. “I’ve seen some really good backfields, but those two right there are pretty dadgum good now.”</p>
<p>Both are sophomores. Cook leads the ACC in rushing with 570 yards and is averaging 8.6 yards per carry. He has become the top player on the Seminoles’ offense. Yearby, who has 424 yards and is averaging 7.3 yards per carry, is third in the ACC in his first year as the Hurricanes’ main back.</p>
<p>“It’s very unique. I say that because we all planned it and we all dreamed it when we were in high school, so it’s not too much different,” Yearby said.</p>
<p>Yearby and Cook combined to gain nearly 10,000 yards in high school. Yearby had 5,592 yards and would have broken the Dade County record held by Bobby Washington had he not fractured his left fibula in a regional semifinal game his senior season. Instead, he finished 104 yards shy.</p>
<p>Cook, who didn’t begin playing until his sophomore season, had 4,267 yards and missed half his sophomore season due to a shoulder injury. In the 2013 Class 6A state title game against Armwood, Cook wore Yearby’s No. 3 and rushed for 223 yards with four touchdowns.</p>
<p>The running styles that made them a dynamic duo in high school have carried through to college. Cook has tremendous speed and the ability to break a long run at any time. Of his 55 carries, eight have gone for 20 yards or more, which is tied for fifth in the nation.</p>
<p>Last week Cook scored from 94 yards on his first carry, which is the third longest touchdown run in school history.</p>
<p>Yearby is more of an inside, between the tackles-type back but has also proven to be a good receiver out of the backfield. His eight receptions are tied for third on the Hurricanes.</p>
<p>Miami coach Al Golden said the one thing he has noticed on film from Cook this season is that he is stronger and running through more tackles. Golden also said that Yearby’s biggest improvement has been spinning on contact.</p>
<p>Lockette went one step further, saying Cook is just beginning to peak.</p>
<p>“He is seeing things clearer in terms of seeing the holes and reading defenders,” he said. “The game has started to slow down for him. Joe might have peaked earlier but he understands the game better.”</p>
<p>Saturday’s game features 31 players who went to high school in Dade County, including six that went to Central. In last year’s game at Miami, Cook ran for 92 yards on seven carries, including a 26-yard touchdown that gave Florida State the lead. Ironically, there was 3:05 remaining, which is the Miami area code.</p>
<p>Cook celebrated by touching his thumb to his forefinger with his right hand and raising his left hand to signal “305.” Yearby, who had 10 carries for 34 yards, said if he scores on Saturday that he is hoping to do the same thing.</p>
<p>“I can tell Joe is pumped up for the game and I expect Dalvin to play,” said Miami left tackle Trevor Darling, who also went to Central. “Old high school teammates are showing up, so they are going to want to put on” a show.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Freelance writer Christopher Stock in Coral Gables, Florida, contributed to this report.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Joe Reedy on Twitter at <a href="http://twitter.com/joereedy" type="external">http://twitter.com/joereedy</a></p> | Florida State’s Cook, Miami’s Yearby ex-teammates now rivals | false | https://apnews.com/8e4d207cf4b04e019006d55df8c6756c | 2015-10-08 | 2 |
<p>Apple is poised to reveal its next big thing in a crucial attempt to prove its technological tastemakers still have the power to mesmerize the masses.</p>
<p>The trend-setting company is expected to rouse the still-slumbering market for wearable computers with a smartwatch or bracelet equipped to monitor health, help manage homes and even buy merchandise.</p>
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<p>Apple is a late arrival to this relatively new niche: several other companies already sell smartwatches that are being greeted with widespread indifference.</p>
<p>If any company can transform the landscape, it's likely to be Apple Inc. after the company shifted the direction of digital technology with the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Other MP3 music players, smartphones and tablet computers were first to market, but the devices didn't enthrall consumers until Apple imbued them with a sense of elegance, convenience and wizardry.</p>
<p>"It means more to us to get it right than to be first," Apple CEO Tim Cook explained to analysts earlier this year.</p>
<p>Apple is likely to provide the first peek at its wearable device at a Tuesday event in the same Silicon Valley auditorium where Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs, unveiled the industry-shifting Mac computer 25 years ago.</p>
<p>Rumors have been swirling that U2, one of Jobs' favorite musical groups, will perform live to promote its new album, as well as Apple's latest gadgetry, which is likely to include an iPhone with a larger screen.</p>
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<p>As usual, Apple hasn't said what's on tap, though the company's top executives have repeatedly promised major breakthroughs without providing any details.</p>
<p>"The location suggests this will be a historic event and the historic aspect will be their movement into a new category," predicted technology analyst and longtime Apple watcher Tim Bajarin.</p>
<p>After Tuesday's glimpse, it still may be several months before people get a chance to wear the device. There's speculation that the smartwatch won't be available until early next year, although Apple is expected to take orders during the holiday shopping season.</p>
<p>A smartwatch or high-tech bracelet would mark the first time that Apple Inc. has rolled out a new product line since the iPad's release nearly four-and-half years ago. In that time, the Cupertino, California, company, has been sprucing up its selection of iPhones, iPads and Macs with new models each year since Jobs died in October 2011 after a long battle with cancer.</p>
<p>The innovation void raised questions as to whether Apple's creativity was fading under Cook, Jobs' hand-picked successor.</p>
<p>Those concerns have waned in recent months amid high hopes for the products Apple has lined up for the holiday shopping season. The fervor propelled Apple's stock to new highs last week, a dramatic swing in sentiment from 17 months ago when the shares were trading about 44 percent below current levels. The stock was down less than 1 percent to $98.20 in Monday afternoon's trading.</p>
<p>Even with all the anticipation surrounding the potential smartwatch, the next generation of the iPhone will still be the star of Tuesday's show, as well as the main source of Apple's profits for at least the next year.</p>
<p>The device, likely to be called the iPhone 6, is expected to feature a screen spanning at least 4.7 inches diagonally, up from the 4-inch display on the previous models released during the past two years. Some analysts have speculated Apple may also offer an iPhone model with a 5.5-inch screen.</p>
<p>Any significant increase in the iPhone's size would make the device more competitive with smartphones made by Samsung Electronics and other rivals, and virtually ensure that Apple would have one of the holiday season's hottest selling items. "There is incredible pent-up demand for a larger-screen iPhone," Bajarin said.</p>
<p>Besides a larger screen, the new iPhone is expected to include a near-field communications chip that would enable the device to transmit payment information wirelessly to receivers at store check-in stands. The technology is expected to be accompanied with a mobile wallet feature that taps into the more than 800 million credit card account numbers that users store on Apple's remote servers to buy songs, video and apps from its iTunes stores. The mobile wallet could be secured with a fingerprint reader that Apple introduced last year on the iPhone 5S.</p>
<p>The mobile wallet conceivably could also work on a smartwatch or high-tech bracelet.</p>
<p>Apple's latest mobile software for the iPhone 6 and other recent models, iOS 8, also includes two features called HealthKit and HomeKit that represent the next step in the company's to play an even bigger role in the lives of the people tethered to its devices. The tools are designed to turn Apple's products into a suite of digital servants that do everything from monitoring a person's eating habits and exercise routines to turning on the coffee maker in the morning to turning off the lights at night.</p>
<p>If Apple follows its recent traditions, the free iOS 8 software will be released shortly before the iPhone 6 goes on sale later this month.</p> | Apple appears poised to stir still-slumbering market for wearable technology with smartwatch | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2014/09/08/apple-appears-poised-to-stir-still-slumbering-market-for-wearable-technology.html | 2016-03-06 | 0 |
<p>&lt;a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/97605783@N03/galleries/72157646735095277/"&gt;European Commission DG ECHO&lt;/a&gt;/Flickr</p>
<p />
<p>Yesterday the <a href="http://appropriations.house.gov/issues/issue/?IssueID=34777" type="external">Ranking Members</a> of the Labor, Heath and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee and the Appropriations Committee called for a hearing to examine how budget cuts may have l <a href="" type="internal">ed to not only the Ebola epidemic</a>, but also the proliferation of <a href="" type="internal">Enterovirus</a> D68, a rapidly spreading pediatric respiratory disease that has <a href="" type="internal">sickened 500 children in 42 states across the US</a>.</p>
<p>Members of the subcommittee, which oversees the funding for two primary federal public health agencies—the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health— <a href="" type="internal">penned a letter</a> to the subcommittee chairman, Congressman Jack Kingston, detailing the effects budget cuts have had on response efforts:</p>
<p>“As you know, our subcommittee has been forced to make difficult choices due to our constrained budget environment over the past four years. That has resulted in the purchasing power of the NIH being reduced by 10 percent over the last four years. Our public health infrastructure at the CDC and HHS has also been forced to make do with less. CDC’s program that supports our state and local public health professionals who are working on the front lines to contain this current Ebola epidemic has been cut by 16 percent over the last four years after adjusting for inflation. The program at HHS that helps hospitals be ready to contain deadly epidemics like Ebola and prepare for patient surges from outbreaks like Entereovirus D68 has been reduced by 44 percent over the same period.”</p>
<p>Congress is currently in recess, not scheduled to reconvene until after the November elections. But, with one <a href="" type="internal">confirmed death</a> from Ebola in the US and <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/05/health/ebola-us/" type="external">new reports about potential diagnoses</a> coming in, they are calling for answers now.</p>
<p>“While we may disagree on the merits and the necessity of these cuts we have a responsibility to ensure that CDC, NIH and the other public health agencies under our jurisdiction have sufficient resources to protect the public health and are taking the appropriate actions today to address it. When Congress returns from the November elections we will have to determine the funding necessary for these agencies to respond to these public health cruses before the Continuing Resolution expires. Therefore, we urge you to convene a Subcommittee hearing this month to gather the information we need to make informed decisions for the remainder of the fiscal year.</p>
<p /> | Did Budget Cuts Hamper Response to Ebola and Enterovirus? Democrats Push for Hearing | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/congress-calls-for-hearing-on-how-budget-cuts-led-to-ebola-and-enterovirus/ | 2014-10-09 | 4 |
<p>One hundred seventy one years after its founding over a dispute about whether slaveholders could be appointed as missionaries, the Southern Baptist Convention passed a strongly worded resolution June 14 against public display of the Confederate flag.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://erlc.com/resource-library/articles/resolution-7-on-sensitivity-and-unity-regarding-the-confederate-battle-flag" type="external">resolution</a>, as amended during debate on the floor, calls on Christians “to discontinue the display of the Confederate battle flag as a sign of solidarity of the whole Body of Christ, including our African-American brothers and sisters.”</p>
<p>Former SBC President James Merritt was among messengers recognized from the floor to speak for or against the recommendation. Merritt, great-great grandson of two men who fought in the Confederate army, said: “I cannot undo what they fought for, but they cannot undo what I wish they had done and I pray we will do today.”</p>
<p>James Merritt</p>
<p>Terming the vote a “seminal moment in our convention,” Merritt, pastor of <a href="http://www.crosspointechurch.com/index.htm" type="external">Cross Pointe Church</a> in Duluth, Ga., predicted the vote will “reverberate through this nation not just today but I believe a hundred years from now.”</p>
<p>“This is not a matter of political correctness,” Merritt said. “It is a matter of spiritual conviction and biblical compassion.”</p>
<p>Merritt said regardless of an individual’s views on the meaning of the Confederate flag, one fact cannot be denied. “This flag is a stumbling block to many African-American souls to our witness,” Merritt said. “I rise to say that all the Confederate flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race.”</p>
<p>One messenger,&#160; <a href="http://www.maytownbaptist.org/aPastorsCorner" type="external">John Killian</a>, pastor of Maytown Baptist Church in Maytown, Ala., opposed the resolution, saying it raises more questions than it answers.</p>
<p>“Will we cease use of names liked Broadus and Manly and take Broadman off everything, because they were avid supporters of the Confederacy?” Killian asked. “Will we cease having a Lottie Moon offering because she was a supporter of the Confederacy?”</p>
<p>Another messenger argued: “This is a political issue, not a kingdom issue.”</p>
<p>SBC President Ronnie Floyd cut off debate and called for a vote when time allotted for discussion of the resolution expired. That prompted a point of order from Paul Pressler, a Houston layman credited as co-founder of the “conservative resurgence” battle between conservatives and moderates in the last decades of the 20th century.</p>
<p>“I’ve been to 40 straight conventions, with the exception of last year because they thought I was on my deathbed,” Pressler said. “But I believe in fairness. I believe in openness. I think you deliberately kept me from speaking.”</p>
<p>“Tell me, did you know beginning last night that I was going to speak to this?” Pressler addressed the leader on the platform. “Mr. President, did you know that beginning last night that I was going to speak to this? Mr. President, Did you know beginning last night ….”</p>
<p>Floyd replied: “You said that you wanted to speak to this, but you were not recognized due to the situation. Time had expired. I had no alternative.”</p>
<p>Paul Pressler</p>
<p>“I have been here since the very first minute to speak on this motion,” Pressler objected. “And I feel that you have done a very bad, illegal, improper and unfair thing in cutting out my ability to speak.”</p>
<p>Floyd invited head parliamentarian Barry McCarty to explain procedure. “Barry, you knew I was going to speak to this,” Pressler implored. McCarty said: “Would you please cut that microphone?”</p>
<p>McCarty, who was a Church of Christ minister when he was hired to help navigate parliamentary procedure during the stormy years of the SBC holy war but recently became a Southern Baptist, said the blind electronic audio system used by the convention to help moderate debate lines up speakers in the order they push a button indicating their desire to speak.</p>
<p>“We don’t know up here who you are, and frankly, it doesn’t matter who you are,” McCarty said. “You are all messengers, and whether you are a friend of the president or a friend of someone else or whether you’re a past president of the convention, the system doesn’t recognize who you are. It’s first come, first serve.”</p>
<p>McCarty said a number of lights were blinking when the time expired, but it isn’t uncommon for there to “be more people who wish to speak to an issue than there is time allowed to speak to that issue.”</p>
<p>After ruling the point of order not well taken, Floyd said the automated microphone-ordering system has been in use for many years.</p>
<p>“I just want to assure every messenger in this auditorium that we would be absolutely fair to every messenger,” Floyd said. “That is our goal. We have worked very diligently to do that. That is our commitment, and that is the legacy of 30 years of Barry McCarty.”</p>
<p>“Please know that relating to Judge Paul Pressler, I love him and I have great respect for him, and I would treat him with all fairness as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Floyd said.</p>
<p>Resolutions committee chairman Stephen Rummage, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in, Brandon, Fla., introduced the committee-drafted resolution based on one submitted by African-American pastor Dwight McKissic of Arlington, Texas, as “a further step in the right direction concerning racial unity.”</p>
<p>Russell Moore, head of the SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, wrote a blog celebrating the statement.</p>
<p>“Today, messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention, including many white Anglo southerners, decided the cross was more important than the flag,” Moore <a href="http://www.russellmoore.com/2016/06/14/southern-baptists-confederate-flag/" type="external">said</a>. “They decided our African-American brothers and sisters are more important than family heritage. We decided that we are defined not by a Lost&#160;Cause but by amazing grace.”</p> | Southern Baptists renounce Confederate flag | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/southern-baptists-renounce-confederate-flag/ | 3 | |
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<p>COLUMBIA, S.C. — The company that led the failed effort to build two new nuclear reactors in South Carolina — and is now seeking to recoup billions more from customers — paid its executives millions in bonuses, some of it for work on the project, a review of federal records shows.</p>
<p>A review of filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission show SCANA Corp. paid executives more than $21 million in performance bonuses over the past decade, including money for work on the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station north of Columbia, The State newspaper reported.</p>
<p>The filings do not say exactly how much of the $21 million was based on the failed project.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>SCANA’s South Carolina Electric &amp; Gas Co. and state-owned utility Santee Cooper last week abandoned construction on two new reactors, on which they already spent $10 billion. Much of that came from customers.</p>
<p>The project was already years behind schedule and billions over budget when lead contractor Westinghouse declared bankruptcy in March. Utility executives said they were forced to give up after determining the price tag for completing the project, budgeted at $11 billion in 2008, had soared beyond $20 billion.</p>
<p>SCANA spokeswoman Rhonda O’Banion told the newspaper the company doesn’t talk about employees’ pay.</p>
<p>Last year, SCANA’s top five executives received $3.3 million in performance based pay, according to the federal filings.</p>
<p>Nearly half of last year’s performance pay went to SCANA president and chief executive Kevin Marsh and represents about a quarter of his $6 million in total compensation.</p>
<p>The filings said Marsh’s $1.4 million performance-based bonus for 2016 was paid, in part, because of his “oversight and support of our nuclear construction activities.”</p>
<p>“Knowing everything we know now, and knowing that we have a project that has been abandoned, those are pretty staggering numbers,” said Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, who’s on a House panel tasked with reviewing the project’s failure.</p>
<p>A law passed in 2007 gave utilities the ability to charge customers for reactors as they’re being built and recoup money even if a project’s never finished.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Outraged lawmakers are now trying to prevent customers from paying more.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the South Carolina agency responsible for examining utilities recommended that state regulators reject SCE&amp;G’s abandonment plans. By law, SCE&amp;G must get approval from the legislatively elected Public Service Commission — the same group that has approved all of SCE&amp;G’s requested rate hikes since 2009.</p>
<p>SCE&amp;G is asking commissioners to find it acted prudently, so it can proceed with plans to revise electricity rates and recoup $5 billion over 60 years. At least $2.2 billion of that would come directly from customers already paying some of the nation’s highest electricity rates.</p>
<p>The Office of Regulatory Staff, which represents the public in utility regulation, argues SCE&amp;G is making its request under the wrong section of that decade-old law.</p>
<p>According to its motion, re-filing under the correct section would force SCE&amp;G to prove to regulators it spent prudently, instead of requiring critics to prove it didn’t. A dismissal would also give lawmakers more time to investigate and figure out what to do.</p>
<p>The utility has asked commissioners to rule quickly. Under the current filing, they must rule by February or the petition is automatically approved.</p>
<p>Both Senate President Pro Tem Hugh Leatherman of Florence and House Speaker Jay Lucas of Hartsville have appointed committees to review how the project failed and what can be done.</p>
<p>Lucas filed a request Wednesday to join the proceedings and support the Office of Regulatory Staff’s motion to dismiss. He has resisted calling legislators back to Columbia for a special session before they’re slated to return in January.</p>
<p>Gov. Henry McMaster has said he is looking for ways to renew construction and complete at least one of the reactors. That includes trying to persuade a utility to either buy out Santee Cooper’s 45 percent share of the project or buy the state-owned utility altogether.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: The State, <a href="http://www.thestate.com" type="external">http://www.thestate.com</a></p> | Utility pays bonuses to execs before nuclear project fails | false | https://abqjournal.com/1045989/utility-pays-bonuses-to-execs-before-nuclear-project-fails.html | 2017-08-10 | 2 |
<p>The people of Darrington, Wash., who have endured epic commutes since a March 22 mudslide wiped out parts of a highway that connects them to the rest of the state, will have to wait months for relief.</p>
<p>The highway, SR 530, remains buried under 100,000 cubic yards of debris, which could take up to three months to remove, the Washington Department of Transportation <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/oso-landslide/255211021.html" type="external">told NBC affiliate KING5</a>. The road probably won't reopen to traffic until fall.</p>
<p>That means that Darrington will remain relatively isolated, with access to Seattle limited to winding side roads. Commutes (and gas bills) have more than doubled, <a href="" type="internal">local business is drying up</a>, and residents worry about the effect on the timber industry. Municipal officials worry about the coming tourist season, and residents leaving for good.</p>
<p>Even so, the town considers itself relatively lucky, since it did not suffer the deaths and physical damage that struck nearby Oso, about 15 miles away, where dozens of people died in a sudden wave of mud.</p>
<p>Darrington residents generally have to take the road north to State Route 20, which connects with the all-important Interstate 5.</p>
<p>A one-way dirt and gravel road known as Mountain Loop was opened for local and emergency access only.</p>
<p>The DOT told KING5 it is considering opening a single-lane access road, with restrictions.</p>
<p /> | Isolated Town Still Waits for Slide-Wrecked Road to Open | false | http://nbcnews.com/storyline/deadly-mudslide/isolated-town-still-waits-slide-wrecked-road-open-n80826 | 2014-04-15 | 3 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Iman Al-Washah, 24, of Albuquerque, entered a guilty plea in federal court Thursday morning to a “spice” or synthetic marijuana trafficking charge, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a news release.</p>
<p>Al-Washah is one of three men arrested in New Mexico in May 2014 as part of Project Synergy Phase II, a nationwide investigative effort by the DEA, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, IRS and other federal, state, and local partners.</p>
<p>Iman Al-Washah and his co-defendants, Sabah Al-Washah, 48, and Amjad Al-Washah, 26, both Albuquerque residents were charged with “spice” trafficking charges in criminal complaints.</p>
<p>The three men subsequently were charged in a four-count indictment filed on May 21, 2014. The indictment also called for the forfeiture of multiple vehicles and cash obtained through the drug offenses charged in the indictment.</p>
<p>Under the terms of his plea agreement, Iman Al-Washah will be sentenced to a prison term not to exceed six months and will be required to forfeit a 2011 Cadillac, a 2006 BMW and a 2011 Chevrolet Camaro. His sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | ABQ mans pleads in “spice” trafficking case | false | https://abqjournal.com/566953/abq-mans-pleads-in-8220spice8221-trafficking-case.html | 2 | |
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<p />
<p>The current model, in which students below grade level attend summer school to catch up on their studies, is not working, said Jami Jacobson, APS executive director of curriculum and instruction.</p>
<p>“Summer school was having no impact on them,” Jacobson said.</p>
<p>The proposed courses, expected to be in place this summer, would still focus on helping struggling students but instead of working on traditional class assignments, they would collaborate on class projects that school officials believe they will enjoy.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>APS board members discussed the overhaul Wednesday. Jacobson said the changes don’t require a vote, but board members are reviewing the plan and changes could be made.</p>
<p>The idea, Jacobson said, is to get struggling students excited about school. If they’re interested in the work, they’re more likely to catch up to their peers, she said.</p>
<p>A proposed elementary class would focus on learning about the environment. Another would focus on health and active living. Courses for middle school would concentrate on math, science and technology. For example, students would study issues and work on projects related to the energy industry.</p>
<p>At the high school level, a project-based learning course would be offered in 2015. Community service credits and recovery credits for students who need to get caught up on their graduation requirements would still be available.</p>
<p>Several board members expressed support. Lorenzo Garcia said he especially likes the changes for middle school, because that’s an important time to reach kids.</p>
<p>“It’s when young people decide they can’t do math. It’s when they decide they don’t like school,” Garcia said.</p>
<p>Jacobson told the board the changes would be made without changing the summer school budget, which is about $2 million. Last year, about 12,000 students attended.</p>
<p>Students who are below-grade level would still get first priority, Jacobson said. If struggling students don’t sign up for summer school, the courses would be available to students who are at grade level.</p>
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<p /> | Summer school to have hands-on focus | false | https://abqjournal.com/339693/summer-school-to-have-handson-focus.html | 2 | |
<p>“From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”</p>
<p>White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card in 2003, explaining why “Project Stampede America Into Iraq War II” was introduced in September.</p>
<p>MEMO FROM: KARL ROVE</p>
<p>TO: ALL CONCERNED (EYES ONLY, BURN BAG)</p>
<p>RE: NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH</p>
<p>First of all, GREAT JOB, PEOPLE! Our dynamic Iraq War Product is just about ready to go! Think of what we’ve achieved in less than a year! We’ve managed to:</p>
<p>*Demonize Democrats as “objectively pro-Saddam, terrorist-loving traitors” when they’ve dared oppose us!</p>
<p>*Take America’s Mind Off the Crappy Economy!</p>
<p>*Find A Great Reason To Stop Mentioning Bin Laden!</p>
<p>*Rally Our Wingnut Base!</p>
<p>*Keep Our Defense Contractor Campaign Contributors In Ecstasy!</p>
<p>*Trash NATO, AND the UN!</p>
<p>Of course, the man who deserves the most credit is President Bush, who has provided the focus, the passion, and the commitment to put our War Product across! If you don’t think he’s focused, just listen to this exchange from his most recent press conference!</p>
<p>Q: Mr. President, your fly is open. Do you plan on zipping up any time soon?</p>
<p>A: I believe that Saddam Hussein is a threat to the American people.</p>
<p>Q: Following up on that, Sir, what does that have to do with zipping your fly?</p>
<p>A: A threat to our people–that’s what Saddam is. A threat. To the American people. Who are threatened. By Saddam. Who doesn’t pray daily, like I do. Daily. To God. Because he’s too busy threatening the American people to pray. Like I do. Daily.</p>
<p>See, people? Now that’s focus!</p>
<p>Okay, people, the War Product is ready for roll-out. You know what they say–“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Our dream is a second term for our beloved President, and the War Product is a vital part of meeting that deadline! Let’s keep our focus as “laser-sharp” as our President’s! Here’s what needs to be done during our March 17-18 launch window, and afterwards:</p>
<p>*LINE UP WINGNUT BLOVIATORS–Rush, O’Reilly, Savage, Hannity, etc.–to push line that “once war starts, anyone who criticizes government is a traitor, subject to arrest, blah blah.” Get the true believers foaming at the mouth.</p>
<p>*MAKE SURE ALL SMART BOMB POV CAMERAS ARE ON LINE for nice, clear “Shock and Awe” hits on FOX, CNN, etc. We need that big opening night “Main Street Electrical Parade” effect.</p>
<p>*GET WINGNUT THINK-TANKERS ON ALL THE NEWS SHOWS talking about what an astonishing success we’re achieving, how it’s the vision of our glorious President, how Democracy is breaking out all over the Middle East, etc. etc.</p>
<p>*MAKE SURE RIDGE DELIVERS “ORANGE ALERT” WARNING of possible terror attacks during initial attack phase. Use the usual, vague stuff about “increased cyber-chatter” and “Arabic voices saying the glorious day has almost come1 blah blah blah etc. etc.</p>
<p>*GET ASHCROFT ON BOARD to announce the arrest of a “dark-skinned male in his late “0’s planning dirty bomb attack in major city” to give people the jitters. Once we arrest the poor sucker, put him in a Navy brig somewhere.</p>
<p>*MOST IMPORTANTLY–RUMMY AND COLIN, READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UPS! We need you on every news channel and front page telling the American public that now our brave boys and girls are at war, ABSOLUTELY NO CRITICISM WILL BE TOLERATED. Against the war? Go become a human shield, Osama!</p>
<p>It makes me laugh out loud when I hear all these hang-wringing liberal lightweights whimpering that the “war better go well, or President Bush is going to be in political trouble.” BWAA HAA HAA! Our War Product will power us through the full election cycle, so we can frame whatever Democratic patsy gets nominated as “encouraging Saddam” and “giving aid and comfort to the enemy, selling out our brave boys and girls overseas” every time he dare open his mouth against the glorious war to bring democracy to the Middle East.</p>
<p>Okay, Team, it’s SHOWTIME! I want to see you all tomorrow morning at the Prayer Meeting, praying for GREAT SMART BOMB VIDEO, SURGICAL MISSILE HITS, and some COOL FIGHTER PLANE GUN CAMERA FOOTAGE OF IRAQIS FLEEING IN TERROR.</p>
<p>Love you. Mean it.</p>
<p>Karl</p>
<p>RICH PROCTER is a cranky, disaffected Democrat whose work often appears in CounterPunch and <a href="http://WWW.SmirkingChimp.com/" type="external">SmirkingChimp.com</a>. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:planetniner@yahoo.com" type="external">planetniner@yahoo.com</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | New GOP Product Launch | true | https://counterpunch.org/2003/03/14/new-gop-product-launch/ | 2003-03-14 | 4 |
<p>Veri Sanovri/ZUMA</p>
<p />
<p>This <a href="http://billmoyers.com/2014/10/29/grim-numbers-2014-global-wealth-report/" type="external">story</a> was originally published on <a href="http://billmoyers.com" type="external">BillMoyers.com</a>.</p>
<p>Global inequality, like global warming, is a disease that may be too far along to ever be cured.</p>
<p>We seem helpless, both in the US and around the world, to stop the incessant flow of wealth to an elitist group of people who are simply building on their existing riches. The increasing rate of their takeaway is the message derived from the <a href="https://www.credit-suisse.com/ch/en/news-and-expertise/research/credit-suisse-research-institute/publications.html" type="external">Credit Suisse</a> Global Wealth Databook (GWD).</p>
<p>It’s already been <a href="http://www.oxfam.org/sites/www.oxfam.org/wp-content/uploads/bp-working-for-few-political-capture-economic-inequality-200114-summ-en.pdf" type="external">made</a> <a href="http://eml.berkeley.edu/~saez/saez-UStopincomes-2012.pdf" type="external">clear</a> that the richest Americans have taken almost all the gains in US wealth since the recession. But the unrelenting money grab is a global phenomenon. The GWD confirms just how bad it’s getting for the great majority of us.</p>
<p>1. US: Even the upper middle class is losing</p>
<p>In just three years, from 2011 to 2014, the bottom half of Americans lost almost half of their share of the nation’s wealth, dropping from a 2.5 percent share to a 1.3 percent share (detail is <a href="http://www.usagainstgreed.org/20141027_Analysis.txt" type="external">here</a>).</p>
<p>Most of the top half lost ground, too. The 36 million upper middle class households just above the median (sixth, seventh, and eighth deciles) dropped from a 13.4 percent share to an 11.9 percent share. Much of their portion went to the richest one percent.</p>
<p>This is big money. With total US wealth of $84 trillion, the three-year change represents a transfer of wealth of over a trillion dollars from the bottom half of America to the richest one percent, and another trillion dollars from the upper middle class to the one percent.</p>
<p>2. US: In three years, an average of $5 million went to every household in the one percent</p>
<p>A closer look at the <a href="http://www.usagainstgreed.org/20141027_Analysis.txt" type="external">numbers</a> shows the frightening extremes. The bottom half of America, according to GWD, owned $1.5 trillion in 2011. Now their wealth is down to $1.1 trillion. Much of their wealth is in housing equity, which was depleted by the recession.</p>
<p>The richest Americans, on the other hand, took incomprehensible amounts of wealth from the rest of us, largely by being already rich, and by being heavily invested in the stock market. The following summary is based on GWD figures and reliable <a href="http://www.usagainstgreed.org/20141027_Analysis.txt" type="external">estimates</a> of the makeup of the richest one percent, and on the fact that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_position_of_the_United_States" type="external">almost all</a> the nation’s wealth is in the form of private households and business assets:</p>
<p>3. World: The one percent’s wealth grew from $100 trillion to $127 trillion in three years</p>
<p>A stunning 95 percent of the world’s population lost a share of its wealth over the past three years. Almost all of the gain went to the world’s richest one percent.</p>
<p>Again, the gains seem almost incomprehensible. The world’s wealth grew from $224 trillion to $263 trillion in three years. The world’s richest one percent, who owned a little under $100 trillion in 2011, now own almost $127 trillion. For every dollar they possessed just three years ago, they now have a dollar and a quarter.</p>
<p>From New York and LA and San Francisco to London and Kenya and Indonesia, <a href="http://www.alternet.org/7-cities-are-playgrounds-rich-and-terrors-poor?paging=off&amp;current_page=1#bookmark" type="external">the rich</a> are pushing suffering populations out of the way to acquire land and build luxury homes. The “winner-take-all” attitude is breaking down society in the US and around the world.</p>
<p>More Madness</p>
<p>There’s a lot more in the GWD, and it doesn’t get any prettier. It tells us what <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/938165.The_Case_Against_the_Global_Economy" type="external">unregulated capitalism</a> does to a society.</p>
<p>In an upcoming post, we’ll consider what has to be done to end the madness.</p>
<p /> | The One Percent Just Keeps Getting Richer, According to the 2014 Global Wealth Report | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2014/11/2014-global-wealth-report/ | 2014-11-03 | 4 |
<p>Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this week announced that Congress would <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/02/12/585063589/immigration-debate-to-start-as-a-jump-ball-in-the-senate" type="external">take up the debate</a> over immigration, resolve it, vote on a bill and pass it into law, all within a few days. Given that the Senate took up and rejected <a href="" type="internal">four proposals in the span of a few hours</a> on Thursday, McConnell may have to rethink his timeline.</p>
<p>In what is clearly a coordinated attempt at forcing Democrats to cave on the GOP’s harsh and inhumane demands for immigration reform, President Donald Trump simultaneously began cracking his whip earlier this week, tweeting, “ <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/963365328716812288" type="external">This will be our last chance, there will never be another opportunity.</a>” But lawmakers from both parties have no one but themselves to blame for our messy immigration system.</p>
<p>At the heart of the latest debate over immigration is the fate of millions of young undocumented immigrants who call themselves “Dreamers” and whose protection under the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program runs out March 5. But in tweeting “Wouldn’t it be great if we could finally, after so many years, solve the DACA puzzle,” Trump obscured the fact that it was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/09/05/546423550/trump-signals-end-to-daca-calls-on-congress-to-act" type="external">his decision to end DACA</a>. There would be no crisis over the Dreamers had Trump not created the artificial March 5 deadline in the first place, thus upending the lives of Dreamers, their families and their communities. He could just as easily have left DACA in place while Congress debated immigration as a whole and instead tackled the issue of older undocumented immigrants.</p>
<p>Conveniently, Trump has his own plan for immigration reform, which was presented as the only plan worth debating in Congress. In fact, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., labeled Trump’s proposal the “ <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/13/tom-cotton-calls-donald-trumps-immigration-daca-plan-the-final-offer.html" type="external">best and final offer</a>” to Democrats right at the outset of the Senate deliberations. Such an approach makes a mockery of the word “debate.” But then again, Republicans <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39447912" type="external">have not been known to play fair</a> in recent years. And, given that Democrats have lately been willing to bend over backward to hand their rivals victories, it is no surprise that the GOP has adopted a hard-line approach to these negotiations. The spending bill Congress passed less than a month ago would not have passed had <a href="http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2018/roll069.xml" type="external">73 Democrats in the House</a> and <a href="https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&amp;session=2&amp;vote=00031#position" type="external">36 in the Senate</a> not betrayed Dreamers in voting for a bill with no provision for DACA or the DREAM Act.</p>
<p />
<p>McConnell wholeheartedly <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration/senate-republican-leader-embraces-trump-immigration-plan-idUSKCN1FX28B" type="external">embraced Trump’s plan</a>, effectively making the harsh proposal the de facto Republican offer. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, whose bill has been dismissed by immigrant advocates as “ <a href="https://twitter.com/NILC_org/status/963833012797415424" type="external">a copied and pasted version</a>” of Trump’s plan, was one of four bills voted down by the Senate on Thursday afternoon, suggesting the gridlock over immigration could persist. In the meantime, Trump seems determined to stick to his project of <a href="https://medium.com/@amnestyusa/five-outrageous-ways-ice-separates-families-fe0452653272" type="external">splitting up families</a> through the Department of Homeland Security, while advocating for a curb on legal immigration that could have similar effects.</p>
<p>Currently, naturalized citizens can sponsor their parents and siblings, but if the GOP and Trump have their way, these immigrants would be able to sponsor only their spouses and children. Trump and his colleagues like to call this type of family reunification “chain migration.” So much for the Republican Party’s talk of “family values.”</p>
<p>In addition to such draconian cuts to legal immigration, another one of Trump’s four “pillars” of immigration reform is to end the diversity lottery visa, a program that enables citizens of countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S. to obtain legal residency. But Trump wants to replace this program with a “ <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/925686558304464897" type="external">merit-based</a>” system to attract skilled workers (but not their families) who could benefit the U.S. economy. For Trump, the term “skilled immigrant” <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/norway-trump-s-comments-immigration-rejected-backhanded-praise-n837451" type="external">seems to be code for white immigrants from countries like Norway</a>, not immigrants from India or China. Taking him at his word, <a href="http://www.timesnownews.com/international/article/united-states-of-america-usa-president-donald-trump-indian-workers-green-card-merit-based-immigration-system-diversity-lottery-visa-chain-migration/195374" type="external">a number of Indian immigrants</a> flew to Washington, D.C., recently to hold a rally demanding a true merit-based system and supporting the call to increase the number of skilled immigrants to the U.S. Indians in particular are frustrated by the cap on legal immigration from their country—a cap that Trump is extremely unlikely to want to lift, given that brown people seem unwelcome in Trump’s America. After all, his one-time ally and former chief strategist Steve Bannon’s favorite book, “ <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/steve-bannon-camp-of-the-saints-immigration_us_58b75206e4b0284854b3dc03" type="external">The Camp of the Saints</a>,” is a racist cautionary tale about invasive Indian masses overrunning Western civilization.</p>
<p>Trump’s other pillar of immigration reform is one favored by both major parties: strengthening border security. Already, the U.S. has dramatically ramped up immigration enforcement efforts in myriad ways that <a href="https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/congress-needs-hold-ice-accountable-abuses" type="external">skirt ethical and legal boundaries</a>. But Trump wants even more money to beef up border security—never mind that illegal border crossing rates into the U.S. are at <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2017/12/05/wheres-the-immigration-crisis-u-s-border-patrol-reports-illegal-border-crossings-at-record-low/#1ebaa4a44b73" type="external">a historical low.</a></p>
<p>During Barack Obama’s presidency the government emphasized immigration enforcement. In 2010, Obama <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration/obama-signs-600-million-border-security-bill-idUSTRE67B3G720100813" type="external">signed a law</a> to spend $600 billion on border security in the hopes that it would entice Republicans to budge on comprehensive reform to the U.S. immigration system. As late as 2013, Obama apparently made immigration enforcement “the federal government’s highest criminal law-enforcement priority,” as per a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887323706704578228120559057666" type="external">report by the Migration Policy Institute</a>. But of course, the Republicans simply refused to budge on immigration with Obama in office, leading him to launch the DACA program and eventually <a href="http://thehill.com/latino/293861-deportations-under-obama-could-hit-10-year-low" type="external">reduce the number of deportations</a>. Now, Trump and the GOP are offering a similar deal to what Obama ended up embracing: a brutal enforcement regime in exchange for a pathway to legalization for Dreamers.</p>
<p>Trump’s plan to offer a way for <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/25/politics/white-house-immigration-framework/index.html" type="external">1.8 million undocumented youth</a> to obtain legal status sounds generous, particularly because only about <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/09/01/unauthorized-immigrants-covered-by-daca-face-uncertain-future/" type="external">800,000 people</a> registered under DACA. But it obscures the fact that many Dreamers’ family members also face deportation, such as <a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/02/11/584523373/as-congress-debates-immigration-dreamers-are-in-limbo-along-with-their-families" type="external">Christian Olvera and his family</a> and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/13/politics/daca-harvard-medical-students/index.html" type="external">Blanca Morales and her family</a>, or have parents who have <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/twin-sisters-future-us-uncertain-parents-deported/story?id=52910793" type="external">already been deported</a>. Many undocumented immigrants are simply ineligible for DACA or a program like it, and every day brings <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/01/16/too-old-for-daca-a-michigan-father-is-deported-after-three-decades-in-the-u-s/?utm_term=.f727cf15a2b8" type="external">heartbreaking stories</a> of parents being ripped away from their children.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, two federal judges so far <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/daca-dreamers-second-judge-injunction_us_5a8366a4e4b02b66c51301c5" type="external">have deemed Trump’s decision to end DACA illegal</a>, and the legal challenge to his decision will continue to wind its way through the courts. It is possible that the Trump-imposed deadline of March 5, which he is desperately pushing Congress to meet, may not stand after all.</p>
<p>As the fast-moving train of immigration reform wends its way through Congress at the whim of the GOP and the president, millions of people in the U.S. are waiting with bated breath to find out what their future holds and if they will once again be betrayed by politicians.</p> | Republicans Push Inhumane Immigration Reform as Millions Wait | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/republicans-push-inhumane-immigration-reform-millions-wait/ | 2018-02-16 | 4 |
<p />
<p>The first step in privately held U.S. rocket company SpaceX's path to reusability was to land rockets. But after landing <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/08/17/spacex-lands-6th-rocket-moves-closer-to-reusabilit.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">six of its last nine rockets Opens a New Window.</a>, it's fair to conclude SpaceX is ready for the next step: actually reusing these rockets. And in the fourth quarter of this year, SpaceX will do exactly that.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Falcon 9 approaching landing zone. Image source: SpaceX.</p>
<p>SES, a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of more than 50 geostationary satellites, and SpaceX announced on Tuesday they have reached an agreement to use a "flight-proven" Falcon 9 orbital rocket booster to launch an SES-10 satellite into geostationary orbit.</p>
<p>The SES-10 satellite will fly atop a Falcon 9 rocket the company landed on a drone ship in April.</p>
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<p>SES' agreement with SpaceX to fly a used rocket is an important milestone, bringing SpaceX a step closer to reusability.</p>
<p>"We believe reusable rockets will open up a new era of spaceflight, and make access to space more efficient in terms of cost and manifest management," said SES chief technology officer Martin Halliwell in a statement this week.</p>
<p>SES, which was the first commercial satellite company to launch with SpaceX in 2013, is confident and optimistic about the chance to reuse a landed Falcon 9.</p>
<p>"This new agreement reached with SpaceX once again illustrates the faith we have in their technical and operational expertise," Halliwell said.</p>
<p>SES likely didn't need much convincing. Earlier this year, SES reportedly "challenged" SpaceX to let it launch a satellite on a used Falcon 9, according to Spaceflight Now.</p>
<p>Ahead of a reflight later this year, SpaceX has been putting a first stage booster it landed in May under at least three intense test fires. The test fire blasts the rocket's engines at full thrustwhile holding the rocket down for the two-and-a-half minutes the stage would need to operate during an actual launch. Each test fire has been successful. Exposed to more extreme conditions than the company's other landed rockets, SpaceX's May-recovered Falcon 9 is being utilized as the company's flown benchmark vehicle.</p>
<p>The end goal in SpaceX's efforts to reuse its rockets is to significantly reduce the cost of spaceflight and to make the whole process of launching rockets easier.</p>
<p>SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell reiterated the company's goal in this week's statement about its agreement with SES: "Re-launching a rocket that has already delivered spacecraft to orbit is an important milestone on the path to complete and rapid reusability."</p>
<p>Indeed, lower costs thanks to reusability may already be a reality. SpaceX is giving SES a discount for using a flight-proven Falcon 9, according to <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/30/12708580/spacex-falcon-9-reusable-rocket-ses-satellite-launch" type="external">The Verge Opens a New Window.</a>. While the exact discount is unknown, Shotwell has previously estimated flying used Falcon 9's could reduce flight prices by 30%.</p>
<p>Used Falcon 9 rockets. Image source: SpaceX.</p>
<p>With a customer secured for SpaceX's first launch of a landed Falcon 9, the company's business model is likely about to become more profitable. Indeed, the company is already in negotiations to build a dedicated rocket refurbishing facility to support this new and critical leg of its business. While building out a fleet of reusable rockets is obviously good news for SpaceX, it may not be very exciting news for its competitors, which already charge higher prices for delivering cargo to space than SpaceX.</p>
<p>Now we will just have to wait and see whether or not SpaceX can actually pull this off.</p>
<p>A secret billion-dollar stock opportunity The world's biggest tech company forgot to show you something, but a few Wall Street analysts and the Fool didn't miss a beat: There's a small company that's powering their brand-new gadgets and the coming revolution in technology. And we think its stock price has nearly unlimited room to run for early in-the-know investors! To be one of them, <a href="http://www.fool.com/mms/mark/ecap-foolcom-apple-wearable?aid=6965&amp;source=irbeditxt0000017&amp;ftm_cam=rb-wearable-d&amp;ftm_pit=2691&amp;ftm_veh=article_pitch&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">just click here Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
<p>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> | SpaceX Secures Customer to Reuse Landed Rocket | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/08/31/spacex-secures-customer-to-reuse-landed-rocket.html | 2016-08-31 | 0 |
<p>When most investors think about stock, they tend to focus on what are known as common shares of a company. However, some companies issue a second type of ownership interest known as preferred stock. As the name suggests, preferred stock has some preferences over common stock, but it also comes with trade-offs that make it behave more like a hybrid between common stock and a bond.</p>
<p>What preferred stock isPreferred stock has two main characteristics that distinguish it from common stock. First, if a company liquidates, any money that's left over for shareholders goes first to holders of preferred stock up to a set amount, and only if there's any remaining after that do common shareholders get anything. Second, preferred shareholders have preferential treatment with dividends, and if the issuing company doesn't pay the full amount of dividends set forth in the prospectus, then it can't pay common shareholders any dividend.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Preferred stock has a par value that the company assigns when issuing it. That value establishes the base on which dividend payments are calculated and often fixes the price at which the company has the right to redeem shares under set conditions. In some cases, preferred stock is created with a fixed final redemption date, while in others, preferred stock can be perpetual without any pre-set date on which the company will redeem the shares.</p>
<p>Preferred stock: more like a bond or a stock? When you think about it, the characteristics of a preferred stock closely resemble those of a bond or other fixed-income security. The par value is equivalent to the face value of a bond, and the dividend rate specified in the prospectus matches up to the coupon rate of the bond.</p>
<p>However, there's a key aspect that makes preferred stock unlike a bond: the company has the right not to pay a dividend on preferred stock. With a bond, failure to make interest payments would trigger a default that would immediately give bondholders rights against the issuing company. Preferred shareholders only have the right to receive any dividends before common shareholders do, and they have no resource if the company chooses not to pay dividends on any of its preferred or common stock.</p>
<p>Finally, certain types of preferred stock have even more of a hybrid element. Convertible preferred stock gives the owner the right to trade shares of preferred stock for a certain number of common shares. As a result, convertible preferred stock often trades in line with common shares as the common share price goes up, but its price movements will look more like how bond prices move if the common stock falls in value.</p>
<p>Preferred stock shares elements of bonds and common stocks, and as such, many consider it to be a hybrid security. Depending on what type of exposure you want, preferred stock can be a good solution for many investors.</p>
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<p>This article is part of The Motley Fool's Knowledge Center, which was created based on the collected wisdom of a fantastic community of investors. We'd love to hear your questions, thoughts, and opinions on the Knowledge Center in general or this page in particular. Your input will help us help the world invest, better! Email us at <a href="http://mailto:knowledgecenter@fool.com?source=eptfxblnk0000004" type="external">knowledgecenter@fool.com Opens a New Window.</a>. Thanks -- and Fool on!</p>
<p>The article <a href="http://www.fool.com/knowledge-center/2016/03/18/why-is-preferred-stock-considered-a-hybrid-securit.aspx" type="external">Why Is Preferred Stock Considered a Hybrid Security? 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> | Why Is Preferred Stock Considered a Hybrid Security? | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/03/18/why-is-preferred-stock-considered-hybrid-security.html | 2016-03-18 | 0 |
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<p>Dust bowl, Boise City, OK, 1934. (Associated Press File Photo)</p>
<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — University of New Mexico law professor Reed Benson had an interesting op-ed in this morning’s paper <a href="" type="internal">arguing for reauthorization of the federal Drought Relief Act</a>:</p>
<p>Major droughts, including more intense ones than this, have always been a fact of life in the West. We can’t expect government to stop drought, but we do expect it to assist in planning for it and to provide a measure of relief when it strikes.</p>
<p>The last Congress, however, actually made the current drought a little worse for the West: It failed to reauthorize the Drought Relief Act, allowing key parts of the law to expire in 2012.</p>
<p>Never heard of the Drought Relief Act? You’re not alone. This obscure statute, originally enacted in 1992, is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It provides for “drought contingency plans” identifying various actions to help areas of the West become more drought-resistant.</p>
<p>More importantly, it allows Reclamation — either after a plan is adopted, or upon request of a state or tribal government — to take certain actions to mitigate drought-related water shortages. These actions may include drilling new wells or providing temporary water supplies.</p>
<p>Benson wrote a more detailed analysis of the act and related federal water law questions in the <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2049522" type="external">Ecology Law Quarterly last year.</a></p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Drought Relief Act | false | https://abqjournal.com/176852/drought-relief-act.html | 2 | |
<p>There weren't many people who came to pay their last respects to former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem over the weekend.</p>
<p>Sharon, the controversial and polarizing warrior-turned-politician, fought in Israel’s independence war and nearly every other battle in the country’s history. He was among the last founders of the Jewish state still alive.</p>
<p>Yet, as he lay in state in the outside plaza of Israel's parliament building on Sunday, there was just a small trickle of visitors lined up to view his closed coffin.</p>
<p>An hour before his coffin was placed back inside the parliament building, visitors had left fewer than a dozen flower bouquets on the grass. Some who had come were taking somber selfies with their smartphones.</p>
<p>Where was everyone?</p>
<p>Maybe it was the blustery chill and grey skies. Maybe everyone was at work&#160;on Sunday — a work day in Israel.</p>
<p>Maybe Israelis felt torn about Sharon’s complex legacy. Some call him a war hero, others, a war criminal.</p>
<p>For years, he championed Jewish settlements in war-won territories, but then stunningly changed course and pulled Israeli settlers and soldiers out of the Gaza Strip and uprooted a few small West Bank settlements. He abandoned his hawkish Likud party to start a centrist party, which supported a Palestinian state in the same lands he had worked so hard to help settle for Israel.</p>
<p>Maybe it was simply because Ariel Sharon’s death had been a long time coming. His sudden stroke in 2006 left him in a coma for eight years.</p>
<p>I asked one Israeli woman, who came with her grandson to say goodbye to Ariel Sharon, why she thought there were so few people there to pay their last respects.</p>
<p>For Israel, Ariel Sharon already died eight years ago, she said.</p> | Where were all the mourners this weekend, as Ariel Sharon lay in state? | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-01-13/where-were-all-mourners-weekend-ariel-sharon-lay-state | 2014-01-13 | 3 |
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<p>Thenjiwe Tameika McHarris, a 22-year-old political science and Africana studies student at Rutgers, is torn, in more ways than one. Although intrigued by the remarkable success of Barack Obama, she warns her peers, “We must act very critically. If you are honest, and compare his politics to others, you just might question how progressive he truly is.”</p>
<p>Thenjiwe’s identical twin sister and closest friend, however, is working at cross-purposes. She’s vigorously encouraging young voters to vote for Obama while actively coordinating support rallies on his behalf.</p>
<p>I feel their pain.</p>
<p>In many ways, I am Barack Obama. I’m a fortysomething black man who attended prep school, an ivy-league university, and graduate school. I have a wife who is not to be messed with and two young children. I’ve been the “first black president” of a couple of groups and organizations and have worked as a community organizer.</p>
<p>Which is why I am similarly experiencing my own internal civil war over Barack’s candidacy. On one side of my brain stands Barack Obama, the inspirational movement builder, the decent human being, the righteous black icon. On the other side is a less compelling candidate—Obama the centrist, the rhetorician, the ideologically elusive.</p>
<p>This contest for my political imagination is not about whether I vote for or against Obama, much less any other presidential contender. It’s about what level of importance policy positions and concrete ideas should hold in elections. No one else in the Democratic and Republican primaries has made such a direct appeal to our emotions and other things intangible as Barack Obama. The positions on which Barack is staking his candidacy—”unity,” “change we can believe in,” “audacity of hope,” and “yes we can”—don’t show up on any public-policy score cards.</p>
<p>My Homey, Barack</p>
<p>Much has been made of Barack’s considerable charisma and the cult of personality that has grown around his candidacy. Both John McCain and Hillary Clinton, watching helplessly as audiences swoon for Obama, have tried, without much success, to undercut his affect on voters by painting him as a candidate without substance. But when I, as a journalist, interviewed him during his U.S. Senate campaign tour throughout rural and exurban Illinois in 2004, I wasn’t awestruck. Rather, I identified with him. As I sat in the back of his campaign car plying him with questions, I couldn’t help thinking that he could have easily been one of my friends. In fact, one of the biggest compliments I can give Barack is that as impressive as he is, he’s not wholly distinguishable from the many poised, socially dexterous, and eloquent black women and men with whom I’ve gone to school.</p>
<p>But what was perhaps most personally intriguing about Obama was that his unhesitant foray into electoral politics represented the road I had forsworn years ago. Once upon a time I believed, as a community activist, that I could become a social-change agent of the highest order by becoming an elected official. Such was my chosen destiny until working in the sausage factory of electoral and campaign politics turned my stomach and made me seriously rethink that path.</p>
<p>While interviewing Obama I realized here was a man who was not unlike me but who had been walking through the ugly meat grinder of national politics and had emerged apparently uncynical and with his humanity intact. For every post-civil-rights child who was promised she or he could become the first black president, but hasn’t been willing to endure the personal and even spiritual deformity the political process subjects people to, Barack has been a revelation.</p>
<p>Clearly, Barack has struck a chord, not just with black voters, but with a broad range of people. I talk to Obama supporters all the time who know precious little about Barack’s policy positions and don’t seem all that worried about them, because they feel what he represents transcends politics.</p>
<p>The Un-Jesse</p>
<p>The problem is, I care deeply about the primacy of issues and transformative policies, and think others should too. And when I hear about young voters and college students whose political activism was inspired by Barack’s candidacy, I’m transported back to my junior year in college, when I cochaired the Jesse Jackson for President Campaign on campus.</p>
<p>Jesse also came to me as a revelation, but in a much different way. Jesse’s vision of change in 1984 was specific, textured, and if not revolutionary, had—at least in mainstream political terms—radical elements to it. Like Obama, Jesse was more than a black political figure. He seemed to be more along the lines of a universal freedom fighter. He explicitly identified with the struggle for political self-determination and expression in Cuba, the Arab Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.</p>
<p>Domestically, Jesse promised to dramatically cut the defense budget, address the prison industrial complex, fight the root and structural causes of poverty, aggressively prosecute corporate crimes against American citizenry, and deliver universal health care long before the Clintons broached the idea.</p>
<p>Of course Jesse lost, but his crusade still had the effect of inspiring me to put faith in the American political system. Despite pundits who look back 20 years and write him off as a one-dimensional presidential candidate and race man, Jesse had considerable white appeal and support. In 1984 he won five primaries and caucuses, and in 1988 he won eleven, including non-Southern states like Delaware, Michigan, and Vermont. His Rainbow Coalition, although trivialized today, sought to include not just white progressives, people of color, and young, disaffected voters, but also the poor, the LGBT community, family farmers, and labor. People of color and low-income communities where not just along for ride, but were eloquently described by Jackson as co-leaders and stakeholders in a new political force and social movement.</p>
<p>There would be no Barack without Jesse, yet they are miles apart in what they, as candidates, have regarded as real social change. But we also know Barack is finely calibrated to the reality of 21st-century national politics. In cutting a swath down Middle America, Barack’s identification with marginalized communities goes much more unspoken as he instead allows the obviousness of his race, African pedigree, and non-Western name suggest his possible sympathies. When he stirringly chants “yes we can,” it’s the political equivalent of a well-worded fortune cookie, allowing anyone the freedom to interpret his message in her own personal way.</p>
<p>This is a smart political strategy and is particularly comforting to those who are easily scared off by race-based and ethnic-based appeals. In an era of endlessly subdividing identity politics, Barack’s message can appear refreshingly universal. But when Barack or any national candidate fails, for the sake of political expediency, to openly acknowledge constituencies looking to emerge from the shadows—LGBT voters, Asian and Arab Americans, the working poor—the interests of those voters are once again set back and forgotten until the next election cycle.</p>
<p>Despite attempts by Republicans to paint Barack as America’s most liberal senator, there is little for voters who identify as “progressive” to hold on to. Except for his stance on the war, which is not insignificant, Barack is largely indistinguishable from Clinton or any other moderate to liberal Democrat. He is averse to risk, downright squishy on issues like gay-rights issues, and when I clicked on GlassBooth.org a couple of months ago, the online questionnaire that claims to help you find presidential candidates who match your views, several candidates scored higher than Barack.</p>
<p>And on the question of a federal response to subprime lending abuses and foreclosure, an issue I’ve been passionate about since my days running a financial cooperative in Bedford-Stuyvesant, I’m convinced that extensive regulation and government intervention is the only way to curb predatory lending and prevent massive foreclosures. Obama, on the other hand, relies far more on the market correcting itself. Max Fraser recently wrote in The Nation that “As he has done on domestic issues like healthcare, job creation and energy policy, Obama is staking out a position to the right of not only populist Edwards but Clinton as well.”</p>
<p>Personality at What Price?</p>
<p>George Bush is a dramatic reminder that the ideas, actions, and policy positions of a president make a huge difference in our private and public lives. Considering that Bush hawked the “ownership society” while simultaneously presiding over one of the most devastating periods of homeownership loss and middle class wealth depletion this country has ever seen, I long for a president who can usher in an era of regulatory action and corporate accountability. I don’t believe any presidential contender is up to that task.</p>
<p>McCain and Obama are both trying to prove they can rise above partisan labels and will undoubtedly swim even more toward the political mainstream. If one of them wins the presidency, this might deliver a change in the process of presidential governing and leadership, but we can’t expect transformative policies, whether it be the kind that were once proposed from the left by Jesse Jackson or those enacted from the right by Ronald Reagan.</p>
<p>But if you believe the mainstream press and Barack’s campaign narrative, issues are secondary to this election, and anything resembling hardened ideology is a political liability. For example, our country is not just looking for an exit strategy out of Iraq, but for someone who can restore our faith in public service and unify the country with discernible amounts of integrity and nonpartisanship.</p>
<p>Maybe, but I perceive the Obama movement that is gathering momentum across the country in simpler terms. His optimism, energy, and smoothing over of national identity divisions provides idealists and cynics alike with a vision of America and national politics that is scrubbed of ugliness and filled with possibilities. And of all the stuffed suits that have paraded down the campaign runway, Obama’s is the only one that appears to be filled with real flesh and blood.</p>
<p>Despite Obama’s gifts, other candidates—John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Ron Paul, and even Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney—have also claimed intangible connections with voters. Nevertheless, I remain stubbornly wedded to the belief that issues matter more than anything else. In the meantime, however, Obama has left his mark on me. For the first time in 15 years, I’m considering running for public office.</p>
<p /> | “I Am Barack Obama” | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2008/03/i-am-barack-obama/ | 2008-03-17 | 4 |
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<p>The workers’ urine tested positive for uranium at close to seven times the federal agency’s permissible level, the federal agency alleges in a Nov. 14 violation notice against Lost Creek LLC ISR, a subsidiary of Littleton, Colo.-based Ur-Energy.</p>
<p>The spill happened Nov. 28, 2013, at the Lost Creek in-situ uranium mine in south-central Wyoming. In-situ mining involves pumping fluids underground to release uranium into a solution that is pumped to the surface. No shafts or tunnels are dug.</p>
<p>Some 1,500 pounds of yellowcake, a precursor of enriched uranium, surged onto the floor of a processing building while a worker was filling a 55-gallon drum with the dry, powdery substance, according to the notice.</p>
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<p>Uranium exposure can cause kidney damage. Uranium in the workers’ urine afterward tested between 24 and 102.5 micrograms per liter; the NRC limit is 15.</p>
<p>The employees involved in the cleanup had no ill effects, and their exposure remained well below the maximum allowable annual limit, Ur-Energy President Wayne Heili said Friday.</p>
<p>He said he believed the workers were wearing respirators at the time.</p>
<p>The NRC cited the company for failing to issue a radiation work permit for cleaning up yellowcake. The radiation safety officer who would have done so took part in the cleanup, Heili said.</p>
<p>“He didn’t stop to do some required paperwork,” said Heili, who noted the violation notice was not for the spill or worker exposure.</p>
<p>None of the yellowcake escaped the building, he said, and the company has taken steps to prevent another spill.</p>
<p>The alleged violation ranked in the least severe of the NRC’s four categories of violations.</p>
<p>The Wyoming workplace safety enforcement office wasn’t aware of the accident but contacted Ur-Energy about it following a reporter’s inquiry, Wyoming Department of Workforce Services spokeswoman Hayley McKee said Friday.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>As of Friday, the NRC had not received a response from Ur-Energy that would be publicly available, agency spokeswoman Maureen Conley said. She declined further comment.</p>
<p>Heili said Ur-Energy would file a response to the NRC.</p>
<p>Lost Creek is among Wyoming’s newest in-situ uranium mines.</p>
<p>Heili said Ur-Energy would file a response to the NRC.</p>
<p>Lost Creek is among Wyoming’s newest in-situ uranium mines. Production began in August 2013, and the mine’s first yellowcake shipped within a week after the spill.</p>
<p>Wyoming produced 54 percent of the more than 5 million pounds of yellowcake produced nationwide last year, according to the Wyoming State Geological Survey.</p>
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<p /> | Six workers inhaled uranium at Wyo. mine | false | https://abqjournal.com/506687/six-workers-inhaled-uranium-at-wyo-mine.html | 2 | |
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<p>Image source: Disney/ABC Television via Flickr.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Bank stocks had an excellent year in 2016, with most banks posting double-digit gains. Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) did even better than most, with a 33% rise. This was partially due to the expectation of rising interest rates, but the biggest boost to Goldman occurred after election day.</p>
<p><a href="http://ycharts.com/companies/GS" type="external">GS</a> data by <a href="http://ycharts.com" type="external">YCharts Opens a New Window.</a>.</p>
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<p>If you take a closer look at the chart above, you'll notice that the majority of Goldman Sachs' gains came in the last two months of the year, specifically after the presidential election. In a nutshell, President-elect Donald Trump's policies could potentially add billions of dollars in profit to Goldman Sachs' bottom line.</p>
<p>The combination of Trump in the White House and a Republican majority in Congress is conducive to Trump's anti-regulation platform. The future of regulations and regulatory agencies such as the Dodd-Frank Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could be in jeopardy. Without getting into too much detail, getting rid of banking regulations would lower costs and generally make it easier for banks to do business.</p>
<p>In addition, Trump's pro-growth economic policies are likely to result in higher interest rates, which translate into better margins for banks, as well as an overall increase in lending activity.</p>
<p>One way Trump's election could help investment banks such as Goldman Sachs is that it will cause many investors to reposition their portfolios, especially in the months after Trump takes office. This could result in higher volatility in the markets and increased trading revenue for Goldman. A related example occurred after the Brexit vote -- the trading revenue fueled by the Brexit vote was a big reason the bank blew past earnings expectations in the third quarter of 2016.</p>
<p>Other parts of Goldman's business could benefit as well. For example, if Trump is successful in producing as much economic growth as he expects, it could be great for IPO and M&amp;A activity. In short, the Trump presidency is expected to be good for the entire banking industry, with some unique advantages for the investment banking business.</p>
<p>Whether or not Trump follows through with all of his campaign promises remains to be seen at this point, but if he does, there could be even more upside ahead for Goldman's shareholders.</p>
<p>10 stocks we like better than Goldman Sachs 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=61c2f92c-9a9f-4759-9a90-d694459ba597&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 Goldman Sachs 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=61c2f92c-9a9f-4759-9a90-d694459ba597&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 January 4, 2017</p>
<p><a href="http://my.fool.com/profile/KWMatt82/info.aspx" type="external">Matthew Frankel Opens a New Window.</a> owns shares of Goldman Sachs. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a <a href="http://www.fool.com/Legal/fool-disclosure-policy.aspx?&amp;utm_campaign=article&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_source=foxbusiness" type="external">disclosure policy Opens a New Window.</a>.</p> | Here's Why Goldman Sachs Soared 33% in 2016 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/05/here-why-goldman-sachs-soared-33-in-2016.html | 2017-01-05 | 0 |
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<p>NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) — Two suspects in a weekend break-in at a Massachusetts convenience store had a fowl accomplice.</p>
<p>Northampton officers investigating a robbery in progress at a store at about 3:45 a.m. Sunday quickly found two men and a live rooster in a nearby car.</p>
<p>The men were arrested on breaking and entering and other charges, and the stolen property was recovered.</p>
<p>The rooster was not charged, but was taken to the station for safe keeping.</p>
<p>Police said on their official <a href="http://bit.ly/2gHEVuq" type="external">Facebook page</a> that while they have provided temporary shelter for a variety of animals before, this was the first rooster.</p>
<p>There was no word on why the suspects had the bird. Their names were not released.</p>
<p><a href="#25d4e9fd-681a-4f73-8e4f-22ab35336f33" type="external">© 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</a> Learn more about our <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/privacy" type="external">Privacy Policy</a> and <a href="http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/terms" type="external">Terms of Use</a>.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Police nab suspects, fowl accomplice in break-in | false | https://abqjournal.com/902927/police-nab-suspects-fowl-accomplice-in-break-in.html | 2016-12-05 | 2 |
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<p>WASHINGTON – Congress made President-elect Donald Trump’s victory official Friday, meeting in joint session to tally electoral votes ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20.</p>
<p>The final count was 304 to 227, with two “faithless” Republican electors having chosen candidates other than Trump when they cast their ballots last month. Five Democratic electors broke with their party’s nominee, Hillary Clinton.</p>
<p>A handful of House Democrats raised objections to ballots cast for Trump and running mate Mike Pence, but without the support of a single senator, their efforts were futile.</p>
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<p>Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., raised the first objections Friday after the joint meeting was gaveled to order. They were among several House Democrats who considered lodging objections on grounds of “voter suppression” or apparent Russian interference in the campaign. But they were hampered by the fact that federal law demands that any objection be sponsored by both a House member and a senator.</p>
<p>Because neither objection was signed by a senator, Vice President Joe Biden, who presided over the tally, ruled them out of order.</p>
<p>“It is over,” Biden said to Jayapal’s objection, prompting Republican lawmakers to rise in cheers and applause.</p>
<p>Only five non-Republican senators attended the tally — Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Tom Udall, D-N.M., Angus King, I-Maine, Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. At one point, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., implored one of them to join her objection. “Just one,” she exclaimed. None acknowledged her.</p>
<p>Even if a Democratic senator had joined an objection, it would have been all but impossible to affect the final result, though it could have delayed the process. An objection would prompt each house of Congress to meet to resolve the objection; Republicans control both houses and could have quickly voted to overrule them. That happened in 2005, when Democrats objected to President George W. Bush’s win in Ohio.</p>
<p>Just before the count concluded, three protesters were removed from the House gallery. “One person, one vote,” one shouted as he was removed by Capitol Police.</p>
<p>Jayapal, a first-term lawmaker who was sworn in Tuesday, said she wasn’t upset that Biden had shut down her objections.</p>
<p>“He’s trying to keep order; I understand,” she said. “I take it a badge of honor that my Republican colleagues gave me a standing ovation for my first speech.”</p>
<p>– – –</p>
<p>Video: Electoral College votes officially counted in Congress</p>
<p>Electoral College votes from the 2016 election were officially counted in Congress on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. (The Washington Post)</p>
<p>Short URL: <a href="http://wapo.st/2hYnOq5" type="external">http://wapo.st/2hYnOq5</a></p>
<p>Embed code:</p>
<p /> | ‘It is over’: Biden quiets Democrats as Congress meets to make Trump victory official | false | https://abqjournal.com/922445/trump-victory-becomes-official-as-congress-tallies-electoral-college.html | 2017-01-06 | 2 |
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<p>Last week, at its headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas, RadioShack laid off 400 employees. Layoffs are hardly news these days, but exactly how they laid off the workers is a bit more noteworthy. Employees <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2003242433_btdownload04.html" type="external">received an e-mail</a> that read:</p>
<p>“The work force reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated.”</p>
<p><a href="http://www.radioshack.com" type="external">“The nation’s most trusted consumer electronics specialty retailer”</a> has taken heat for the move, with its spokesperson defending the decision saying that employees were forewarned of the method of communication and that using email was both “fast” and “private.” True, the company sells phones and could have used those to notify employees, but most of its likely young and expendable workforce is familiar enough with email that the mode of communication may not have fazed them. Instead they had to realize that, as <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2006-09-07-jobless_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA" type="external">jobless claims are on the decline</a>, they just joined the ranks of the <a href="http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/state_unemployment/index.html" type="external">unemployed</a>.</p>
<p>Curiously, the company is currently hiring, using the tagline, <a href="http://www.jobsatradioshack.com/" type="external">R You Ready?</a>, on their career page. They’re already using the lingo, maybe layoffs by text message are next?</p>
<p /> | RadioShack Streamlines the Layoff Process, Emails Pinkslips to 400 Workers | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2006/09/radioshack-streamlines-layoff-process-emails-pinkslips-400-workers/ | 2006-09-07 | 4 |
<p>MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — News spread quickly across Brazil Wednesday that presidential candidate Eduardo Campos had been killed along with six others in a private jet crash in the coastal city of Santos, just south of Sao Paulo.</p>
<p>As messages of condolence poured out from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RipEduardoCampos?src=tren" type="external">social media</a> and news reports, a secondary, cold-analysis narrative began to unfurl: Campos’ death has thrown the upcoming Brazilian elections into disarray.</p>
<p>More from GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/americas/brazil/140813/brazilians-reaction-eduardo-campos-crash" type="external">Here's what Brazilians are saying about the candidate's fatal jet crash</a></p>
<p>Beyond the loss of a candidate who was trailing two opponents by a wide margin, there lies a more complicated story. It can be most simply explained by focusing on the following four numbers:</p>
<p>Campos with Silva in April. (AFP/Getty Images)</p>
<p>One key member of Campos’ team was not on the plane that went down in Santos: his running mate, Marina Silva.</p>
<p>Silva, a noted environmentalist from a working-class background, is a powerful political force in Brazil. Last year, she shook up the Brazilian presidential race by opting to run alongside Campos, creating what the Economist dubbed a “ <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21587803-marina-silva-joins-socialistsand-transforms-presidential-race-power-couple" type="external">Power Couple</a>.”</p>
<p>It’s fair to say that joining Campos’ Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) was a second choice for Silva. She did so only after a <a href="http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2013/10/1351715-electoral-court-blocks-marina-silvas-presidential-bid.shtml" type="external">high court ruled</a> that the political party she was setting up, the Sustainability Network, had failed to garner the 492,000 signatures needed to register. Seeking a place on a ticket, she joined the PSB as Campos’ vice presidential nominee.</p>
<p>Why’s all this relevant? Read on.</p>
<p>Silva ran in Brazil’s 2010 presidential election. In the first round, she came in third and received almost 20 percent of the vote.</p>
<p>In 2013, when she joined Campos’ campaign, Silva was polling second only to President Dilma Rousseff. According to Brazilian pollsters DataFolha, in August 2013 Silva had 26 percent of support compared with Rousseff’s 35 percent.</p>
<p>Back to that 20: That’s how much support President Rousseff’s main opponent, Aecio Neves, currently has, according to DataFolha.</p>
<p>By contrast, Campos, who was a centrist, business-friendly candidate, has had polling numbers that have been rather lackluster.</p>
<p>He had the support of just 9 percent of voters in an August survey by another pollster, <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/08/us-brazil-election-idUSKBN0G801T20140808" type="external">Ibope</a>.</p>
<p>You can see where we’re going with this: Campos’ death opens the door for Silva to take over his presidential candidacy.</p>
<p>Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, was badly shaken by the news of Campos’ death Wednesday. A friend of the late candidate, Sotero said it was probably too early to discuss what happens next for the Socialist Party. But he acknowledged that Silva is an obvious choice.</p>
<p>“Marina [Silva] received a very sizeable 19 million votes in 2010,” he said. “There will be enormous pressure [on her to run]; I don’t think the Socialist Party has an obvious replacement.”</p>
<p>Brazilians take in the news of Campos' death on Wednesday. (AFP/Getty Images)</p>
<p>Which brings us to 10: the number of days the PSB has to choose a replacement for Campos, according to the <a href="http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2014/08/1499753-coligacao-de-campos-podera-escolher-novo-candidato-incluindo-marina.shtml" type="external">Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper</a>.</p>
<p>By law, Silva can take Campos’ place even without a new caucus, the newspaper said.</p>
<p>“The choice of the new candidate can be made in a meeting by an absolute majority of the coalition parties,” Folha reported.</p>
<p>Correction: An earlier version of this article misquoted analyst Paulo Sotero in the number of votes Marina Silva had captured in 2010. The number has been corrected and we regret the error.</p> | 4 numbers that explain why Brazil's jet crash is a big deal for its political future | false | https://pri.org/stories/2014-08-14/4-numbers-explain-why-brazils-jet-crash-big-deal-its-political-future | 2014-08-14 | 3 |
<p>These are days of lamentation: for the horrifying toll of the innocent dead, for the near certain prospect of thousands more-American and Middle Eastern-slated to die in the impending retaliatory strikes, and even for a weird kind of innocence and naivete that seemed uniquely American, a naivete that persisted in the heart of the nation’s most cynical city.</p>
<p>But one loss that mustn’t be mourned are the Twin Towers themselves, those blinding prongs that rose up like a tuning fork above the Battery. Under other circumstances, thousands would have gathered to cheer the planned demolition of these oppressive structures as lustily as they have the implosions of the Kingdome in Seattle and other misbegotten monstrosities of the 1970s. You could say the World Trade Center was a singular atrocity–except there were two of them. As architectural historian Francis Morrone wrote his 1998 Architectural Guidebook to New York: “The best thing about the view from the indoor and out observation decks of Two World Trade Centers that they are the only high vantage points in New York city from which the World Trade Center itself is not visible.”</p>
<p>But now there’s talk, serious talk from people like Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and the building’s new owner Larry Silverstein, of rebuilding both skyscrapers. This impulse must be resisted. Those buildings terrorized the skyline of Manhattan for too long. They combined ostentation and austerity with all the chilling precision of an economic package devised by the IMF.</p>
<p>The architect of the World Trade Center complex, Minuro Yamasaki, was morbidly afraid of heights. It shows in his work. Like the tycoon in Akira Kurosawa’s wonderful film High and Low, Yamasaki has projected his own nightmares on all of us. His towers are more than blunt symbols of corporate power. They are erections of dominion that inject a feeling of powerlessness in those who must encounter their airy permanence. His architecture does violence to the psyche as surely as those planes did violence to the human body. Yamasaki said he wanted enough space around the base of the towers so onlookers could be “overwhelmed by their greatness.”</p>
<p>Yamasaki, who died in 1986, saw himself as a field marshal of space, a kind of Japanese-American version of Philip Johnson, the avatar of the glass curtain skyscraper. Johnson’s neo-fascist erections made him the favorite architect of Fed chairman Alan Greenspan, with whom he once debated the finer points of Martin Heidegger in the salon of Ayn Rand. Yamasaki is like Johnson only duller. He was more ruthless in his desire to shave all aesthetic pleasure out of his cubes and tubes, to make them monuments to functionality.</p>
<p>The towers were meant to be impervious to the elements, as if they could not only defy space, wind, and the colors of nature, but time as well. That was Yamasaki’s biggest lie, a conceit as big as the ever-expanding bull market or the prospect of an impenetrable missile defense shield. But the lie was shattered in a matter of minutes, as first the load-bearing exo-skeleton quivered and buckled, then the joints melted in the inferno of the burning jet fuel, and finally one floor after another collapsed with all the finality of an Old Testament prophecy fulfilled.</p>
<p>Compare Yamasaki’s structure to the great old spire just down the avenue and you can almost read the arc of corporate America. The Woolworth Building, Cass Gilbert’s gothic confection, offers the city a kind of airy whimsy. Illusory, yes, but self-consciously fun. It doesn’t demand your attention so much as it seduces it.</p>
<p>Yamasaki was a favorite of the new corporate order because, unlike Frank Lloyd Wright or the spendy Johnson, he built on the cheap. The WTC towers cost only $350 million. The early price tag on rebuilding the structures is put at $2.5 billion. Also recall that the towers were for most of their life public buildings, owned by the city of New York. But there was little truly civic about them: they were cold, sterile, forbidding symbols of a government that had turned inward, that had begun to co-inhabit with the very corporations and financial houses it was charged with regulating.</p>
<p>It is instructive to note that Frank Lloyd Wright, perhaps America’s greatest architect, was never awarded a commission by the federal government. Why? Because he was a pacifist, whose work the government deemed subversive if not seditious.</p>
<p>Of course, the WTC buildings had their admirers, mainly a cadre of engineers and construction magnates dazzled by the logistics of erecting such behemoths in the bowels of one of the most gridlocked cities on Earth. With this in mind, it may not be coincidence that the towers became an obsession to Bin Laden, whose fortune derives from a family construction conglomerate that made billions building mega-projects for the Arab oil states.</p>
<p>It might be argued that the Towers were an attractive nuisance, that they were, in a sense, standing there asking for it, inviting all comers to take a shot. Indeed, this very argument was made in an excellent book on the towers by Eric Darton titled Divided We Stand. Darton argues that the buildings were inextricably linked to the terrorists who tried to bring in tumbling down in 1993.</p>
<p>“One kind of extremism, unfortunately, begets another, and when you raise up an icon like the WTC and fill it with vulnerable humanity- it’s a pretty sure bet that someone will try to bring it down if they can,” said Darton in a 1998 interview. “What emerges when you juxtapose mega-development with terrorism is a kind of unity of opposites. Both master-builders and terrorists consider everyday life at street level to be absolutely trivial. The former make their plans the rarefied air of executive boardrooms, while the latter carry out their schemes, quite literally, underground. Both master-builders and bombers adhere to single-minded cataclysmic visions – either the creation of a bright, corporate future; or a return to the ‘fundamental’ values of the past. Both visions are abstract projections of an ideal world which has nothing to do with the here-and-now.”</p>
<p>The construction of the World Trade Center towers began with the destruction of a community, a community that the rich rulers of the city of New York, such as David Rockefeller and Robert Moses, considered a blight to be obliterated. It was a program of forced eviction and relocation that is not dissimilar to what is going on at the behest of American corporations in the Third World every day. The New York City Port Authority was used as the muscle to transform lower Manhattan from a community of people to a blinding canyon of corporate might. For an excellent documentation of the vicious history behind the construction of the WTC complex, I highly recommend The Destruction of Lower Manhattan by Danny Lyon.</p>
<p>Now the wreckage has a surreal cast to it, a kind of macabre beauty, like the best abstract expressionist paintings, or the smoldering end game of one of those self-destructing sculptures by Jean Tinguely. A friend of mine has spent much of the last week down in the ruins, helping the workers, giving comfort to the families of the wounded, the missing and the dead. “Of all the awful things about it, one of the worst is that there’s no dirt, no earth, underneath a blown-up city, only more and more city” she told me. “I kept looking, but there’s only gray ash, everywhere, on everything, but no dirt. The horrible illusion about skyscrapers is that they make you think you’re close to somebody’s idea of nature or God by being so high up in the sky but you’re as far away from that as you ever could be.”</p>
<p>But the towers should not be resurrected. Those blocks should be left as an open space, graced by sunlight, so that, to paraphrase Yamasaki, people can appreciate the “greatness” of what was lost. CP</p>
<p><a href="wtcarchive.html" type="external">CounterPunch’s Complete Coverage of the Attacks on the World Trade Center/Pentagon</a></p> | An Architecture of Doom and Dread | true | https://counterpunch.org/2001/09/16/an-architecture-of-doom-and-dread/ | 2001-09-16 | 4 |
<p>U.K. stocks slipped Wednesday, with commodity shares in the red, including mining heavyweight Rio Tinto PLC after underlying earnings were a disappointment.</p>
<p>The FTSE 100 shed 0.1% at 7,41.4.81, weighed largely by losses for basic material and oil and gas stocks. But the benchmark's overall decline was limited by gains for industrial, utility and consumer-related shares.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Rio Tinto shares (RIO) (RIO) (RIO) were circling the bottom of the benchmark as they fell 2.3%. The iron ore producer's first-half underlying earnings rose to $3.9 billion, but that was below a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $4.19 billion. Rio did say it will buy back a further $1 billion in shares (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rio-tinto-ups-buyback-plans-as-profit-jumps-2017-08-02) and that debt has been reduced.</p>
<p>Other mining shares traded lower, with iron ore miner BHP Billiton PLC (BLT.LN) (BHP.AU) (BHP.AU) down 1.1%, Glencore PLC (GLEN.LN) gave up 1% as did copper miner Antofagasta PLC (ANTO.LN).</p>
<p>Meanwhile, oil prices slumped 1%, extending losses from late Tuesday (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/oil-extends-losses-as-oversupply-fears-return-us-data-loom-2017-08-02) after the American Petroleum Institute said U.S. crude inventories unexpectedly rose last week, by 1.8 million barrels. U.S. government data on weekly supplies is due later Wednesday. Shares of oil majors BP PLC (BP.LN) (BP.LN) and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) (RDSB.LN) fell 0.8% and 0.6%, respectively.</p>
<p>The pound traded hands at $1.3210, little changed from $1.3205 late Tuesday in New York, ahead of a reading on construction activity in July. That's due at 9:30 a.m. London time, or 4:30 a.m. Eastern Time.</p>
<p>See:Confusion reigns for investors ahead of Bank of England's 'Super Thursday' (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/confusion-reigns-for-investors-ahead-of-bank-of-englands-super-thursday-2017-08-01)</p>
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<p>Stock movers: RSA Insurance Group PLC (RSA.LN) fell 3% even as the company said first-half earnings rose to GBP196 million (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rsa-insurance-profit-up-amid-restructuring-2017-08-02)($259 million), aided by its restructuring program.</p>
<p>BAE Systems PLC shares (BA.LN)(BA.LN) drove up 3.1% as the weapons maker posted a 11% increase in first-half underlying earnings before interest, taxes and amortization to GBP945 million.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>August 02, 2017 04:05 ET (08:05 GMT)</p> | LONDON MARKETS: FTSE 100 Sags As Oil And Mining Shares Pulled Lower | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/08/02/london-markets-ftse-100-sags-as-oil-and-mining-shares-pulled-lower.html | 2017-08-02 | 0 |
<p>BEIRUT&#160; — Every chair, sofa and stool was filled at a Sunday night screening of the banned Israeli film “Waltz With Bashir” at an art gallery in Beirut.</p>
<p>But the doorbell kept ringing.</p>
<p>It wasn’t the police. It was 50 or so latecomers, looking to find a seat. None could be had, as more than 100 people had already arrived to view the film on a screen hung on the former warehouse’s bare wall.&#160;</p>
<p>“I tried to warn the owner here to get more chairs,” said Ziad, the organizer of the screening. “He didn’t. He thought 15 people would come.”</p>
<p>Ziad didn’t want his full name used in this article because it is illegal to sell, show or promote any Israeli products, including films, in Lebanon. The two countries have technically been at war since 1948. &#160;</p>
<p>Despite the ban, "Waltz with Bashir" has attracted a lot of attention in Beirut. The animated documentary details the experience of the film’s writer and director, Ari Folman, as he tries to recall his experience as a young soldier who took part in Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. Folman eventually remembers his role in the massacre of Palestinian civilians at Beirut’s Sabra and Shatila refugee camp in September 1982, in which an estimated 800 to 2,000 Palestinian civilians were killed at the hands of Christian militiamen allied with Israel.</p>
<p>For two days, the Israeli army watched from nearby, firing flares at night to light the militia’s way. The Israelis deny they ordered or had knowledge of the massacre. They say the Christians were supposed to go into the camp and root out Palestinian fighters.</p>
<p>But just days before, the Christian militia’s leader and Lebanon’s president-elect, Bashir Gemayel (the “Bashir” in the film’s title), had been assassinated. An Israeli investigation later found the Israeli military was “indirectly responsible” for the massacre. It was hardly surprising the Christians would have sought revenge on the Palestinians, who they had fought for the previous seven years of Lebanon’s civil war.</p>
<p>The subject matter is sensitive in Lebanon, where Gemayel’s brother, Amin Gemayel, runs the party&#160;whose militia was responsible for the massacre&#160;— the party is called&#160;the Kata’eb, or Phalange. The party headquarters sits just a few blocks away from the art gallery. And now, pirated DVD copies of "Waltz with Bashir" are available in the very camp where the massacre took place.</p>
<p>“It should be sold normally, like a normal movie,” said 21-year-old Palestinian Ramez Housari, who owns a pirate DVD shop on a Shatila camp street that was partially flooded with sewage on a recent rainy Monday morning.&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>Despite having lost three uncles in the massacre, Housari sells copies of "Waltz with Bashir" for about $1.30 each. He says the camp’s popular committee, kind of the camp’s city council, say they’re interested in screening the film.&#160; &#160;</p>
<p>"They said the at the next commemoration of the Shatila massacre they will put this film, for people to watch it, and compare the film to what happened in reality,” Housari said. &#160;</p>
<p>Housari's feelings about the film are twofold. He says it was beautiful, but didn’t show the full horror of the massacre. But he says even then, he understands why the Lebanese government would ban it. He says many Palestinians would probably having a “feeling of rage” if they saw it.</p>
<p>At the screening, some couldn’t agree with him more, though for different reasons. Lama Matta said reminding everyone in Lebanon that the Christians sided with the Israelis during Lebanon’s civil war is a part of history she’d just as soon forget.</p>
<p>“I’m against putting this movie in every store or in the cinema,” Matta said. “We have enough problems as it is in Lebanon already. By putting this film, we will cause people to hate each other again and again. And to open a door that is closing a bit. Why throw alcohol on the fire?”</p>
<p>Another viewer, Vanessa Dammous, said she didn’t think "Waltz with Bashir" should be outright banned, but didn’t think it should be shown in the commercial theaters. She thought it was important for Lebanese to see the film, due to their own problems dealing with their war-torn past.</p>
<p>“For us Lebanese we have this problem with memory, and with you know reconstituting all this history and putting everything together,” Dammous said. “And the way [Folman] deals with this story, and puts us in front and face-to-face with the issue of memory, this is the most interesting part for me.” &#160;</p>
<p>According to Ralph Nashawaty, "Waltz with Bashir" was great until the end.&#160; He says that at the end, the film became Israeli propaganda, because of what he perceives as Israel’s continued massacres against its neighbors in the 2006 Lebanon war and in Gaza this year. &#160;</p>
<p>“They introduced some slight words and thoughts that basically that Israelis want to avoid massacres, and in a way they feel bad about it, that they are against killing women and children and old people” he said. “But since they keep on (committing massacres) … they’re treating us like fools.”</p>
<p>Ziad, the organizer of the screening, says he chose to kick off his film festival with "Waltz with Bashir" because of the strong feelings the films elicits. Although he says no film should be “banned or banished” by the Lebanese authorities, screening it was less a challenge to the ban than a marketing decision. &#160;</p>
<p>“We wanted to do something really big for the opening of the cineclub,” Ziad said. “Since I know that a lot of people want to watch this movie, and have either a very positive or negative opinion about it, I thought this was a very good way to start.”</p>
<p>More GlobalPost dispatches by Ben Gilbert:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/home/lebanonhttp://www.globalpost.com/home/lebanon" type="external">Market unites Beirut farmers and foodies</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/lebanon/090205/lebanon-bankers-cool-crisis" type="external">Lebanon bankers cool in a crisis</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/lebanon/090104/lebanon-builds-its-ancient-past-literally" type="external">Beirut builds on its ancient past ... literally</a></p> | Banned Israeli film draws a crowd in Beirut | false | https://pri.org/stories/2009-03-11/banned-israeli-film-draws-crowd-beirut | 2009-03-11 | 3 |
<p>MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A man accused of deliberately ramming a car into pedestrians in a busy Australian city street was charged with murder on Tuesday after one of the injured died.</p>
<p>Saeed Noori had been charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life alleging he drove an SUV into pedestrians on Dec. 21 on a sidewalk in downtown Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.</p>
<p>An attempted murder charge was upgraded in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to murder because an 83-year-old man died after eight days in hospital. Another three victims remain in hospital. Murder carries a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while attempted murder carries a 25-year sentence.</p>
<p>Noori, 32, has been refused bail and has yet to plea to any charge. An Afghan refugee with Australian citizenship, he has a history of drug abuse and mental health issues, and his lawyers have said Noori's mental impairment and fitness to plea would be explored as part of his defense.</p>
<p>It was the second alleged use of a car to assault pedestrians in downtown Melbourne in 2017. In January, six people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a car was driven up a pedestrian mall. The defendant in that case pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges last month, and his defense lawyers have also questioned his mental health and fitness to enter a plea.</p>
<p>Police have not defined either as a terrorist attack, though other vehicle attacks around the world last year were allegedly linked to terrorism.</p>
<p>In October, a man drove a truck down a New York City bicycle path, killing eight people. The driver is accused of providing material support to the Islamic State group among other charges, including murder.</p>
<p>In August, 13 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded when a vehicle rammed into pedestrians in Barcelona, Spain. Two attacks in London last year were allegedly linked to Islamic extremists and another was seen as a reprisal attack outside a mosque, killing 13 people altogether.</p>
<p>MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A man accused of deliberately ramming a car into pedestrians in a busy Australian city street was charged with murder on Tuesday after one of the injured died.</p>
<p>Saeed Noori had been charged with 18 counts of attempted murder and one count of conduct endangering life alleging he drove an SUV into pedestrians on Dec. 21 on a sidewalk in downtown Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.</p>
<p>An attempted murder charge was upgraded in the Melbourne Magistrates Court to murder because an 83-year-old man died after eight days in hospital. Another three victims remain in hospital. Murder carries a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment, while attempted murder carries a 25-year sentence.</p>
<p>Noori, 32, has been refused bail and has yet to plea to any charge. An Afghan refugee with Australian citizenship, he has a history of drug abuse and mental health issues, and his lawyers have said Noori's mental impairment and fitness to plea would be explored as part of his defense.</p>
<p>It was the second alleged use of a car to assault pedestrians in downtown Melbourne in 2017. In January, six people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a car was driven up a pedestrian mall. The defendant in that case pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges last month, and his defense lawyers have also questioned his mental health and fitness to enter a plea.</p>
<p>Police have not defined either as a terrorist attack, though other vehicle attacks around the world last year were allegedly linked to terrorism.</p>
<p>In October, a man drove a truck down a New York City bicycle path, killing eight people. The driver is accused of providing material support to the Islamic State group among other charges, including murder.</p>
<p>In August, 13 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded when a vehicle rammed into pedestrians in Barcelona, Spain. Two attacks in London last year were allegedly linked to Islamic extremists and another was seen as a reprisal attack outside a mosque, killing 13 people altogether.</p> | Australian driver charged with murder after pedestrian dies | false | https://apnews.com/amp/a0a9028b4445463cb309e4371081c83c | 2018-01-02 | 2 |
<p>Minority Christians who live in northeastern Syria are once again at the center of the ISIS horror.</p>
<p>According to two human rights agencies, the <a href="http://syriahr.com/en/" type="external">Syrian Observatory for Human Rights</a> and <a href="http://www.ademandforaction.com/" type="external">A Demand for Action</a>, several Assyrian villages near Syria's border with Turkey&#160;have been captured by Islamic State militants. As many as 90 Assyrians, a Christian community with roots in ancient Mesopotamia,&#160;have been kidnapped.</p>
<p>Mardean Isaac of&#160;A Demand For Action, which&#160;monitors the status of religious minorities in the Middle East, says the hostages are apparently "exclusively male. The women and children who could flee, fled. A few of the men who had weapons defended the village&#160;to allow others to flee."&#160;He&#160;says there are&#160;already indications the&#160;Islamic State will&#160;use the&#160;hostages to demand&#160;a prisoner exchange with Kurdish forces, who hold some ISIS fighters.</p>
<p>Over the past century, the&#160;Assyrian community has&#160;"been the victims of convolutions in the region involving redrawing of the borders and ethnic cleansing," Isaac says. Now ISIS and other jihadis groups are "persecuting, extorting, harassing, murdering, and kidnapping Christians of all kinds in the Middle East,&#160;since 2003 in Iraq and over the last four&#160;years in Syria."</p>
<p>Some military&#160;observers suspect ISIS may be&#160;retaliating for a string of losses at the hands of Kurdish fighters backed by US-led&#160;airstrikes,&#160;waging desperate attacks to try and secure new territory. But Isaac says it’s still too difficult to discern a&#160;trend or "to conclude that a certain momentum is gathering.&#160;ISIS is omni-directional, their belligerence is omni-directional, so they’re potentially attacking all fronts at all times."</p>
<p>The Syria Observatory for Human Rights published raw footage&#160;showing&#160;the&#160;captives being taken away in&#160;cages on the back of pickup trucks, but Isaac says he hasn't watched it —&#160;nor will he.&#160;</p>
<p>“I don’t watch because I know what’s in the videos, and to me it's really just pornographic," he says. "It doesn't help me understand anything and I know that they’re meant to be watched, so I don't wish to endorse that purpose."</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>Instad,&#160;Isaac is devoted to&#160;finding out the&#160;fate of the captured&#160;Assyrians. He argues&#160;the situation demands&#160;concerted action, including negotiating prisoner exchanges if necessary.</p>
<p>“My position is that it's a routine aspect of war.&#160;Western states should negotiate for the release of these hostages," he says. "I refuse to accept that there’s any legitimate reason for these innocent people to die in the appalling manner that so many other hostages of the Islamic State have died, so I demand and I'm calling for as strong and&#160;as assertive action as possible to secure the release of these hostages.”</p> | Syria's Assyrian Christians are now in the crosshairs of ISIS | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-02-24/syrias-assyrian-christians-are-now-crosshairs-isis | 2015-02-24 | 3 |
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<p>The ways in which New Mexico State University engages with the off-campus community statewide are wide-ranging in breadth and depth - so much so that NMSU recently earned a prestigious Carnegie Foundation designation honoring the university's commitment to community engagement.</p>
<p>"There is not a college here that doesn't have some form of community engagement," says Kevin Boburg, NMSU vice president for economic development.</p>
<p>Logan Campbell gives his robot a trial run at the Advanced Summer Robotics Camp hosted in July by the New Mexico State University College of Engineering for middle and high school students. (Linda Fresques/Courtesy Of NMSU)</p>
<p>Boburg, who prepared the application for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification - bestowed once every 10 years - said NMSU earned the designation without many of the resources other universities dedicate to the cause. NMSU is one of 361 universities nationwide to earn the designation and the only one in New Mexico.</p>
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<p>"We don't have a community engagement college; we don't have a community engagement faculty; we don't have community engagement brick and mortar," Boburg says. "We just have a lot of great people doing a lot of great things."</p>
<p>Core mission</p>
<p>NMSU President Garrey Carruthers says the state's only land-grant university is just adhering to its core mission: research, teaching and service.</p>
<p>That last component is what distinguishes a land-grant university from other public institutions of higher education like University of New Mexico: NMSU has a foothold in all 33 New Mexico counties through its extension service. It's the only university in the state with such reach.</p>
<p>"We're talking about engaging the resources we have at New Mexico State with the people out there that need it," he says. "Over time, the needs of the communities have changed."</p>
<p>NMSU was founded by the territorial legislature in 1889 under the federal Morrill Act of 1862, which provided the first federal aid to higher education in the country through land grants.</p>
<p>"In the late 1850s, Congressman Justin Smith Morrill envisioned universities that were accessible to all, including the working class," according to explanation on the website of Texas A&amp;M University, another land-grant insitition. "And unlike the higher-education institutions of his time, these universities would reach out to improve communities and make their research widely available."</p>
<p>NMSU's extension service used to be rooted in agriculture, home economics and mechanical arts - key needs in 19th-century New Mexico. Today the extension service still speaks to the needs of rural, agriculture-based communities but has branched into everything from health care to small business development, the arts and childhood education.</p>
<p>Eli Burgione of Chispas Farm in Albuquerque displays his fresh vegetables at a growers' market. New Mexico State University is working with small-acreage growers to increase the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables. (John Garlisch/Courtesy Of NMSU)</p>
<p>The Carnegie Foundation said in its acceptance letter that NMSU's application showed "excellent alignment among campus mission, culture, leadership, resources and practices that support dynamic and noteworthy community engagement."</p>
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<p>Measure outcomes</p>
<p>When NMSU's College of Engineering hosted summer camps to teach middle- and high-schoolers the basics of robotics, that was community engagement in action, Boburg says. Likewise when the Engineering Without Boundaries student organization volunteered this past winter to improve conditions at a sanctioned homeless tent city called Camp Hope in Las Cruces.</p>
<p>It's community engagement when NMSU's extension service in McKinley and San Juan counties offered trainings to Navajo producers to improve sheep herds and boost profitability. Or workshops by NMSU's Southwest Center for Rangeland Sustainability in Corona on how to pump water or build off-grid lighting with solar energy.</p>
<p>NMSU's Board of Regents has applauded the university's efforts to consolidate all its outreach under the banner of community engagement, but they have also made a demand to university administrators: measure outcomes. Administrators are now working toward that goal.</p>
<p>"A university cannot be successful unless its community is successful," says Regents Chair Mike Cheney. "We understand that an educated society is more healthy, safer; to the extent we can educate our society better, the better off we all are going to be."</p>
<p /> | NMSU's community engagement wins national recognition | false | https://abqjournal.com/647529/offcampus-commitment.html | 2015-09-20 | 2 |
<p>These are hard times most places, but not everywhere. I live in a fancy zip code and accordingly receive some unusual junk mail. Yesterday we got a mailing from a fractional private-jet ownership company. One page in the expensively printed brochure especially caught my attention.</p>
<p>Your daughter is about to turn 5. How do you make it magical at 30,000 feet in the air?</p>
<p>ANSWER: As a - fractional owner of your own aircraft, you get round-the-clock access to a personal travel manager. - Whether it's a beautiful birthday cake or a special rendition of 'Happy Birthday' from your flight crew, your Customer Account Manager ensures that every detail is tailored to your tastes, your companions' comfort and your destination.</p>
<p>Most popular onboard birthday cake: Chocolate Ganache.</p>
<p>I'm sure there are some sad stories embedded in this piece of marketing - corporate single parents who can't postpone their travel even for a young child's birthday - but still - yikes.</p> | Signs of the Times | true | https://thedailybeast.com/signs-of-the-times-1 | 2018-10-03 | 4 |
<p>The land around the Fernald uranium processing plant in southwestern Ohio is rich enough to grow most anything. But for the plant's neighbors the standing joke is that pumpkins are the crop to raise: "They don't need a candle at Halloween." The joke reflects the bitterness people in this normally conservative part of Ohio feel over the radioactive waste exposure they have received from the plant. But the joke also reflects their willingness to fight a system that, as the Department of Energy's Joe LaGrone acknowledged, put production over everything. To the plant's neighbors, especially FRESH (Fernald Residents for Environmental Safety and Health), it was a source of pride when last year the Environmental Policy Institute announced that the government had spent more money on cleanup at Fernald than at any other site in the country.</p>
<p>From a distance nothing looks more benign than the thirty-eight-year-old Fernald Feed Materials Production Center. FMPC seems almost lost in the rolling Ohio countryside. Back in 1951, when the government paid nine local farmers $500,000 for the land, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers general observed, "There are no cemeteries to relocate, no schools to be affected." That sense of peacefulness still prevails. There is nothing formidable about the low, flat buildings that make up most of FMPC. Even its water tower, which recently had its red and white checkerboard colors changed to blue and white, looks innocent. It is not surprising that local residents often rented land near FMPC for garden plots or that newcomers to the area thought FMPC produced pet food. You have to drive slowly to notice the yellow warning signs posted on FMPC's fences, and you have to know what you are looking for to pick out the leaking K-65 concrete silos that contain waste from the World War II Manhattan Project.</p>
<p /> | Nuclear Civil War | true | https://dissentmagazine.org/article/nuclear-civil-war | 2018-10-06 | 4 |
<p>"Fifty Shades of Grey" has been a global literary phenomenon, <a href="http://www.eljamesauthor.com/books/50-shades-worldwide/" type="external">translated</a> into around 50 different languages, and sold everywhere from Estonia to Turkey. This weekend, the film adaptation will appear in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2322441/releaseinfo" type="external">theaters around the world</a>, and that means national film boards have been figuring out how to rate it and whom should be allowed to see it.</p>
<p>Malaysia <a href="http://time.com/3697038/fifty-shades-of-grey-malaysia-ban/" type="external">banned</a> it. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it "R," meaning that children younger than 17 need to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. The British Board of Film Classification <a href="http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/fifty-shades-grey-film" type="external">gave it</a> an "18."</p>
<p>And then there's France.</p>
<p>The&#160;Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) <a href="http://www.cnc.fr/web/fr/rechercher-une-oeuvre/-/visa/141379?_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnc.fr%2Fweb%2Ffr%2Frechercher-une-oeuvre%3Fp_p_id%3Dvisaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet%26p_p_lifecycle%3D0%26p_p_state%3Dmaximized%26p_p_mode%3Dview%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_visa%3D%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_titre%3Dnuances%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_realisateur%3D%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_date_de%3D%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_date_a%3D%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_mention%3D%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_metrage%3DLM%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_orderByCol%3D%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_displaySearch%3Dtrue%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_cur%3D1%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_delta%3D20%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_keywords%3D%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_advancedSearch%3Dfalse%26_visaclassification_WAR_visaclassificationportlet_andOperator%3Dtrue" type="external">gave the film</a> a rating of "12,"&#160;meaning that only children under the age of 12 are prohibited from seeing it.</p>
<p>Very French, indeed.</p>
<p>The justification for the rating was the theme of sadomasochism and the casualness with which the film presents it.</p>
<p>According the president of the CNC,&#160;Jean-François Mary, the <a href="http://www.premiere.fr/Cinema/News-Cinema/Exclu-50-Nuances-de-Grey-ne-sera-interdit-en-France-qu-aux-moins-de-12-ans-4129145" type="external">board wasn't unanimous</a> when it came to the rating, but probably not for the reason you'd expect: some members thought there shouldn't have been an age restriction at all, merely a warning.</p>
<p>"Fifty Shades of Grey" isn't a film that "can shock a lot of people," Mary <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/france-fifty-shades-12s-restriction-28888042" type="external">said</a>. It's "a romance, you could even say schmaltzy."&#160;</p>
<p>And that's how 12-year-old boys across France suddenly became very interested in cinema.</p>
<p><a href="http://variety.com/2015/film/news/fifty-shades-of-grey-france-rating-pg-12-teens-1201431122/" type="external">h/t Variety</a></p> | French film board says 12-year-old children can see 'Fifty Shades of Grey' | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-02-11/french-film-board-says-12-year-old-children-can-see-fifty-shades-grey | 2015-02-11 | 3 |
<p>EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Kahron Ross had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists and Pat Andree had his second career double-double to help Lehigh beat Lafayette 79-74 on Friday night in the Patriot League opener for both teams.</p>
<p>Andree scored all of his 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in the second half and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds. James Karnik had 15 points and Lance Tejada and Kyle Leufroy scored 14 apiece for Lehigh (6-6).</p>
<p>Ross converted a 3-point play before Andree hit a 3-pointer to cap a 10-2 run that made it 49-47 and the Mountain Hawks never again trailed. Justin Jaworski and Klinewski hit 3-pointers 41 seconds apart to pull the Leopards within one point, but Andree answered with a 3 and, after Lafayette's Paulius Zalys converted a 3-point play to make it 74-72 with 1:17 to go, Leufroy scored five consecutive points to seal it.</p>
<p>Klinewski led Lafayette (2-10) with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The senior has scored in double figures in 15 consecutive games.</p>
<p>EASTON, Pa. (AP) — Kahron Ross had 17 points, five rebounds and five assists and Pat Andree had his second career double-double to help Lehigh beat Lafayette 79-74 on Friday night in the Patriot League opener for both teams.</p>
<p>Andree scored all of his 11 points, including three 3-pointers, in the second half and grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds. James Karnik had 15 points and Lance Tejada and Kyle Leufroy scored 14 apiece for Lehigh (6-6).</p>
<p>Ross converted a 3-point play before Andree hit a 3-pointer to cap a 10-2 run that made it 49-47 and the Mountain Hawks never again trailed. Justin Jaworski and Klinewski hit 3-pointers 41 seconds apart to pull the Leopards within one point, but Andree answered with a 3 and, after Lafayette's Paulius Zalys converted a 3-point play to make it 74-72 with 1:17 to go, Leufroy scored five consecutive points to seal it.</p>
<p>Klinewski led Lafayette (2-10) with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. The senior has scored in double figures in 15 consecutive games.</p> | Ross, Andree lead Lehigh past Lafayette, 79-74 | false | https://apnews.com/amp/edfdb50a6b2a4f2291c6d4da39b91aa5 | 2017-12-30 | 2 |
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<p>Roger Carter, city manager of Washington, Utah, was appointed to monitor municipal operations in the sister cities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, on behalf of the court. His appointment on Aug. 3 was a response to a 2016 jury verdict that concluded nonbelievers were denied police protection, building permits and water hookups on the basis of religion.</p>
<p>Carter was the last of three outsiders hired to help carry out the court-ordered overhaul of the towns, which are under court supervision for the next decade as punishment for the discrimination verdict.</p>
<p>The towns were accused of serving as an arm of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, which disavowed polygamy more than 100 years ago.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>The civil rights case marked one of the boldest attempts to confront what critics have said was a corrupt regime in both towns. It provided a rare glimpse into the inner workings of secluded towns that are shrouded in secrecy and distrustful of the government and outsiders.</p>
<p>As a court monitor, Carter’s responsibilities include reviewing the way the towns handle utility applications and building permits, make changes made to city ordinances, and handle citizen complaints about housing rights.</p>
<p>The overhaul ordered by U.S. District Judge H. Russel Holland nearly four months ago called for the appointment of two other officials who would focus on operations in the towns’ shared police department.</p>
<p>Jurors at the 2016 trial concluded the towns’ officers arrested nonbelievers without probable cause and made unreasonable searches of their property.</p>
<p>The judge also has said police employees communicated with and provided financial assistance for church leader Warren Jeffs while he was a fugitive. Jeffs is currently serving a life sentence in Texas for sexually assaulting girls he considered brides.</p>
<p>Holland previously rejected the U.S. Justice Department’s bid to dismantle the police department as a remedy.</p>
<p>Instead, he appointed Robert Flowers, chief of the Santa Clara-Ivins City Police Department in Utah, to serve as a mentor to the chief of the Colorado City Marshal’s Office and offer advice on the operations of the agency.</p>
<p>Jim Keith, the police chief of Washington, Utah, will serve as a consultant and help the towns’ police department develop new policies on internal affairs investigations and hiring officers, including removing town managers and city council members from a police hiring committee.</p>
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<p>Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/jacques%20billeaud.</p> | Official picked to monitor punishment in polygamous towns | false | https://abqjournal.com/1046192/official-picked-to-monitor-punishment-in-polygamous-towns.html | 2 | |
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<p>1. TRUMP WARNS ISRAEL ABOUT BUILDING NEW SETTLEMENTS</p>
<p>The White House statement is a shift toward a tougher line with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>2. ATTACKER SHOT OUTSIDE PARIS’ LOUVRE MUSEUM</p>
<p>Police say a man, armed with a machete and shouting “God is great” in Arabic, launched himself at soldiers and police officers, and was shot several times.</p>
<p>3. WHO WARNS NORTH KOREA</p>
<p>U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says that a nuclear attack from Pyongyang will be met with an “effective and overwhelming” response.</p>
<p>4. U.S. EMPLOYERS ADD 227,000 JOBS</p>
<p>Companies ramped up hiring last month and more Americans began looking for work, a sign that Trump has inherited a robust job market.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>5. MEXICAN DRUG LORD TO APPEAR IN U.S. COURT</p>
<p>Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman is charged with running a massive drug trafficking operation that oversaw murders and kidnappings.</p>
<p>6. DELAWARE PRISON GUARD’S LAST ACT SAVES FELLOW OFFICERS’ LIVES</p>
<p>Forced into a closet by inmates during a hostage standoff, Sgt. Steven Floyd calls out to officers coming to his aid, warning them that inmates have set a trap.</p>
<p>7. HOW EUROPE’S POPULIST LEADERS VIEW TRUMP</p>
<p>They see in the U.S. president a decisive head of state — and their weapon with which to attack the European governments they accuse of being soft on immigration.</p>
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<p>8. WHY GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS WELCOME DOWNFALL OF GAMBIAN LEADER</p>
<p>Yahya Jammeh had turned his tiny West African country into a hostile environment for sexual minorities, including threats to slit gay men’s throats.</p>
<p>9. WHO IS RISING UP FOR SUPER BOWL-BOUND ATLANTA</p>
<p>The Falcons are known for having fickle fans who abandon the team when it struggles, but this season, the sidelines are overflowing with rappers, actors and athletes from other sports.</p>
<p>10. TRANSGENDER NEPALI MAKES IT FROM FARM CHILD TO INDIA’S FASHION CATWALK</p>
<p>Anjali Lama is the first transgender woman to model at one of the top events on India’s fashion calendar, fulfilling a dream that seemed far beyond her reach.</p> | 10 Things to Know for Today | false | https://abqjournal.com/942334/10-things-to-know-for-today-85.html | 2017-02-03 | 2 |
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<p>SANTA FE, N.M. — The closing of the Glorieta Conference Center nearly a year ago was bound to have some repercussions for the surrounding community. Not the least of these, surely, was that the conference center’s staff of 23 people was reduced to seven employees. In a tight economy, and in a tiny community like nearby Pecos, that was bound to hurt.</p>
<p>Under those circumstances, it may seem churlish to complain about another of the closure’s repercussions: the end of access, for outdoor enthusiasts, to one of the area’s most popular trails.</p>
<p>For decades, hikers, mountain bikers and cross-country ski enthusiasts have been able to access Glorieta Canyon through the conference center property. Parking was easy and safe, and the trail led a pleasant streamside mile or two up the canyon to a ghost town, complete with the remains of vintage vehicles. The more ambitious could continue up 10,220-foot Glorieta Baldy.</p>
<p>When the center closed last November, owners LifeWay Christian Resources promised that public access would remain open. No longer, apparently — hikers recently were confronted with closed gates and no-trespassing signs. According to the center director, public access represents a liability now that the center is closed.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>If and when the center reopens briefly, in June and July next summer, the trail may again be open to the public. Otherwise, it’s closed — and likely to remain so unless the 2,000-plus-acre property is sold to a buyer willing to reopen it.</p>
<p>That’s too bad. The Glorieta trail was a nice hike in all seasons, and the conference center access made it easy enough to provide outdoor opportunities to recreation lovers of almost any ability. It’s still possible to access the canyon and Baldy trails by forest road, of course, but that’s a longer and rougher route.</p>
<p>The Santa Fe Conservation Trust and others may try to persuade Lifeway, or a subsequent owner, to re-open the conference center trail access. We wish them luck in the endeavor. While Lifeway’s liability concerns are understandable, the closing of the shortest, easiest access to Glorieta Canyon and the national forest beyond is a loss to the surrounding community.</p> | Trail’s Closing Is Community’s Loss | false | https://abqjournal.com/139188/trails-closing-is-communitys-loss.html | 2012-10-17 | 2 |
<p><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4939872/Active-shooter-reported-Las-Vegas-Mandalay-Bay-Resort.html" type="external">At least 58 people are dead and 527 injured</a> after a 72-minute shooting by a lone-wolf gunman who unleashed thousands of rounds of ammunition onto a Las Vegas music festival from a hotel room 1,200 feet away – and more details are still emerging.</p>
<p>Police say 64-year-old multimillionaire Stephen Craig Paddock used automatic weapons to rain down gunfire on a crowd of 22,000 people attending the Route 91 Harvest Festival Sunday night. He was found with 16 guns in a room in the Mandalay Bay hotel, across the street from the festival.</p>
<p>Headliner Jason Aldean was in the middle of his set just after 10pm when a rumble of gunfire rang out, the sounds of screams and stampeding humans cutting through the country music.</p>
<p>It took police an hour and 12 minutes from the first 911 call to locate Paddock in the building and break into his room.</p>
<p>They used explosives to blow the door off his room, but by then it was too late – Paddock had shot himself dead. It’s unclear how long after he first started shooting that Paddock committed suicide.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/stephen-paddock-retired-accountant-vegas-gunman-150558606.html" type="external">Stephen Craig Paddock</a>, the retired accountant who smuggled an armory’s worth of weapons into a swank Las Vegas hotel and mowed down concert-goers from a 32nd story window, was a high-stakes gambler whose bank-robber father was once on the FBI’s most wanted list.</p>
<p>The 64-year-old had a home in a tranquil golf course retirement community in Mesquite, Nevada, 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of the gambling hub and, according to a brother, showed no sign he was poised to commit mass murder.</p>
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<p>Saying his family was in shock, Paddock’s brother told US media he could not understand what motivated his elder brother.</p>
<p>“Where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background or anything like that,” Eric Paddock told CBS News.</p>
<p>“He’s a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite, drove down and gambled in Las Vegas. He did stuff. Eat burritos.”</p>
<p>“It’s like an asteroid just fell on top of our family,” he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in a separate interview. “We have no idea how this happened.”</p>
<p>But Eric Paddock also told the Washington Post that his brother was a regular player of high-stakes video poker. “He sends me a text that says he won $250,000 at the casino,” he said.</p>
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<p><a href="http://news.trust.org/item/20171002142139-okyax" type="external">Islamic State has claimed responsibility</a> for a shooting that killed at least 50 people and wounded over 400 in Las Vegas early on Monday, and said the attacker had converted to Islam a few months ago.</p>
<p>“The Las Vegas attack was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State and he carried it out in response to calls to target states of the coalition,” the group’s news agency Amaq said in reference to the U.S.-led coalition fighting the group in the Middle East.</p>
<p>“The Las Vegas attacker converted to Islam a few months ago,” Amaq added.</p>
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<p><a href="" type="internal">White House Wants the Death Penalty for Drug Dealers</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/10/02/top-cbs-lawyer-no-sympathy-for-vegas-vics-probably-republicans.html" type="external">CBS has parted ways</a> with one of the company’s top lawyers after she said she is “not even sympathetic” to victims of the Las Vegas shooting because “country music fans often are Republican,” when discussing the tragic mass shooting that occurred in Las Vegas late Sunday night.</p>
<p>Monday night she issued a statement of apology.</p>
<p>“This individual, who was with us for approximately one year, violated the standards of our company and is no longer an employee of CBS. Her views as expressed on social media are deeply unacceptable to all of us at CBS. Our hearts go out to the victims in Las Vegas and their families,” a CBS spokeswoman told Fox News.</p>
<p>Hayley Geftman-Gold, the network’s now-former vice president and senior counsel, took to Facebook after a gunman opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas, killing at least 59 people and sending more than 520 others to hospitals.</p>
<p>“If they wouldn’t do anything when children were murdered I have no hope that Repugs [sic] will ever do the right thing,” Geftman-Gold wrote in a now-deleted message that was first reported and captured by <a href="http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/02/cbs-legal-exec-no-sympathy-because-country-music-fans-often-are-republican/" type="external">The Daily Caller</a>.</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/trump-vegas-shooting-n806496" type="external">President Donald Trump on Monday</a> called the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/las-vegas-police-investigating-shooting-mandalay-bay-n806461" type="external">shooting on the Las Vegas strip that killed more than 50 people</a> an “act of pure evil.”</p>
<p>In a somber address to the nation from the Diplomatic Room at the White House, Trump said Americans are joined in “sadness, shock and grief” at the attack — the country’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history.</p>
<p>“It was an act of pure evil,” Trump said.</p>
<p>“I want to thank the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and all of the first responders for their courageous efforts,” Trump said, praising them “for helping to save the lives of so many” and for quickly locating the shooter. “The speed with which they acted is miraculous and prevented further loss of life.”</p>
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<p>“I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness,” Trump said during his brief remarks. “The answers do not come easy.”</p>
<p>&#160;</p> | The Worst Mass Shooting in American History | true | https://spartareport.com/2017/10/worst-mass-shooting-american-history/ | 2017-10-02 | 0 |
<p>As the world builds towards what some would regard as the near pathology sparked by a soccer World Cup, Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks Int. has sold a movie which captures soccer madness, “My Love or My Passion,” to the U.S. to HBO Latino.</p>
<p>A blockbuster hit, in its native Argentina, the newest deal on “My Love or My Passion,” (the Spanish title of the film translates to “Football or Me”) adds to a bullish first batch of sales unveiled at the American Film Market, and which includes France (Koba Films), Spain (Festival Films) and China (Royal Seal). Greece (Tanweer), Central America (Weisner), and Chile, Peru and Colombia (Cinecolor).</p>
<p>At the time, Rud said that talks with a “major label” in the U.S. were “very advanced.” The now-finished deal grants exclusive U.S. pay TV and VOD rights to HBO Latino.</p>
<p>Film Sharks CEO Guido Rud told Variety: “This film is the perfect parody portrait of the Latin American or European housewife suffering a husband’s football addiction. It’s perfect timing for a worldwide release as the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia approaches.”</p>
<p>The film stars Adrián Suar as a recovering soccer-holic who has lost his job, his wife, and distanced himself from his daughters. “My Love or Passion” is already being distributed by Buena Vista in Latin America. Its Argentina premiere was in mid-August where it went on to become the second-highest grossing national movie of 2017, selling 1.1 million tickets (about $6 million in box office gross).</p>
<p>The continued international sales success of “My Love or My Passion,” is positive proof that, when handled correctly, the right comedy can travel.</p> | Ventana Sur: HBO Latino Picks Up U.S. on ’My Love or My Passion’ (EXCLUSIVE) | false | https://newsline.com/ventana-sur-hbo-latino-picks-up-u-s-on-my-love-or-my-passion-exclusive/ | 2017-11-29 | 1 |
<p>SPRINGFIELD (MA)The RepublicanBy BILL ZAJAC Staff writer</p>
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<p>SPRINGFIELD - The Most Rev. Thomas L. Dupre, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said this week he is considering retiring due to ill health.&#160;"I have not made any plans that I want to make public, but I have been thinking about it (retirement) seriously for two years," he said this week.</p>
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<p>Dupre said he will retire before reaching age 75, the mandatory retirement age for bishops. He turns 70 Nov. 10. ...</p>
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<p>Dupre, who has been bishop in Springfield for eight years, has been suffering from back and heart problems. A herniated disk left him "crippled for three months" last year, he said.</p>
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<p>However, he has been on the job without any prolonged absence for the last 15 months during the clergy sexual-abuse crisis. The bishop said the job has become stressful, a situation that can directly affect his health.</p> | Bishop Dupre ponders retiring | false | https://poynter.org/news/bishop-dupre-ponders-retiring | 2003-05-08 | 2 |
<p>Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Wednesday in new demonstrations calling for a crackdown on corruption and better public services, just a day after Congress ceded to some of the key demands galvanizing protests across the country.</p>
<p>In Belo Horizonte, authorities said 40,000 people gathered to demand improved education and healthcare as Brazil's third-largest city hosted a Confederations Cup semi-final soccer game between Brazil and Uruguay in a warm-up for the 2014 World Cup.</p>
<p>Hooded youths threw stones at police who used teargas to stop marchers 1-1/2 miles from the stadium. A banner hung from a bridge read "FIFA go home" in reference to the world soccer body. FIFA's president, Sepp Blatter, attended the game, which was not disrupted by the protests.</p>
<p>In Brasilia, demonstrators kicked soccer balls over a police cordon in the direction of Congress in a peaceful protest against the billions of dollars Brazil has spent building new stadiums for the global tournaments under President Dilma Rousseff. Protesters say funds should have been used to improve public services including health, education and transport.</p>
<p>Police deployed in force and shut off traffic in the central esplanade of Brazil's modernistic capital, where federal ministries allowed their employees to go home early.</p>
<p>About 2,000 people marched peacefully in the northeastern city of Recife to denounce corruption.</p>
<p>Almost two weeks after a wave of discontent suddenly erupted into Brazil's biggest protests in 20 years, the country's shaken political leadership is scrambling to respond to popular pressure for change.</p>
<p>The Senate approved a bill on Wednesday that stiffens sentences for corruption, one day after Congress rejected a constitutional amendment that limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes, a measure protesters saw as a self-serving move by politicians to avoid corruption probes.</p>
<p>"Our representatives are listening to the people now. We are creating a new political consciousness," said Amanda Caetano, spokeswoman for a group in Brasilia demanding an end to the privileges enjoyed by politicians.</p>
<p>Demonstrations on Wednesday were smaller than protests last week, which peaked when 1 million people poured onto the streets on Thursday, causing civil unrest rarely seen in the recently booming economic powerhouse of South America. Political analysts say sporadic protests may become a feature of daily life in Brazil for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>In another response to the protests, the lower house of Congress voted overnight in favor of a bill allocating royalties from future oil production to education and health programs. A Senate committee approved a measure that would cut taxes on public transport, making it easier for cities and states to lower bus and subway fares.</p>
<p>It was a relatively small protest against higher transport fares, and the ensuing police crackdown, that ignited the unrest in Latin America's largest nation earlier this month.</p>
<p>Several Brazilian cities have since agreed to roll back the fare increases, but the leaderless protest movement has widened its focus to a litany of grievances, from deficient public transit services to a "gay cure" bill introduced in Congress by Evangelical lawmakers that would allow psychologists to treat homosexuality as an illness.</p>
<p>One common theme remains: a deep distrust of a political class that is widely viewed as corrupt, overpaid and more worried about serving itself than society at large.</p>
<p>Most of the protests have unfolded peacefully, though some have been marred by vandalism and looting. On June 20, for instance, a demonstration by an estimated 40,000 people in Brasilia turned violent when vandals threw Molotov cocktails at the building that houses Brazil's Foreign Ministry.</p>
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<p>Calls for Political Reform</p>
<p>The demonstrations have jolted politicians of all stripes and clouded the outlook for the left-leaning Rousseff, who is expected to seek a second presidential term next year.</p>
<p>Rousseff sought to defuse the protests by proposing on Monday that Brazil hold a plebiscite convening a constituent assembly to make the political system more accountable and transparent.</p>
<p>The proposal lasted 24 hours. Rousseff withdrew the plan for an assembly late on Tuesday after politicians and lawyers questioned the legality of a president bypassing Congress to amend the constitution.</p>
<p>Her Workers' Party and its allies in the coalition government are now discussing a national referendum on political reforms later this year after consulting Congress.</p>
<p>Many, including the chief justice of Brazil's Supreme Court, doubt that a meaningful overhaul of the political system will prosper without input from the public.</p>
<p>Political analysts are waiting to see how the protests will affect Rousseff's approval ratings in new opinion polls. Her popularity had already begun to slip before the protests, hurt by concerns about high inflation and a sluggish economy.</p>
<p>(Additional reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Todd Benson, Paul Simao and Mohammad Zargham)</p> | Brazil's Nationwide Protests Enter Third Week | true | http://occupy.com/article/brazils-nationwide-protests-enter-third-week | 4 | |
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<p>Okay, so it’s Berkeley, not a stranger to protests, but this week’s <a href="http://origin.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_6750024" type="external">tree shenanigans</a> both play to the historic hippies-in-dreads protest image as well as highlight the era of strapped campuses cracking down on activism in the name of growth.</p>
<p>In case you haven’t heard, UC Berkeley students and city residents have been <a href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/04/BAGGPMOUK81.DTL" type="external">living in oak trees</a> on campus for the past 10 months, protesting their razing for the building of a new sports complex.</p>
<p>This week the protests have elevated to arrests, and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/31/AR2007083100198.html" type="external">even construction</a>. Wednesday, campus police put up an 8-foot chain-link fence meant to both keep protesters inside the grove as well as to prevent conflicts when 72,000 people descend on the area for tomorrow’s Cal football game against Tennessee.</p>
<p>The sitters are now going it alone. No one can give them food or water, and once they leave the fenced area they are not allowed to return. This morning, one protester was arrested after putting his arm around a police officer and touching him with a lavender incense wand. “Why is he being arrested?” asked a student. “Battery,” the officer replied.</p>
<p>The $125 million sports complex will replace the seismically shaky (and <a href="http://www.geoengineer.org/photos/hayward1.jpg" type="external">already-cracked</a>) Memorial Stadium, and it will also allow the <a href="http://www.dailycal.org/sharticle.php?id=25674" type="external">cash-strapped</a> university to bring in big name recruits, football and otherwise, which can translate into millions a year in revenue. This year Cal is ranked #12 in the nation going into the college football season, something that will bring the university millions in television revenue alone.</p>
<p>Really though, Cal has bigger worries than tree sitters. The city <a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/calsports/ci_6706947" type="external">has sued</a> the school to halt construction because the new complex will rest squarely where the old stadium does, on the <a href="http://seismo.berkeley.edu/hayward/" type="external">Hayward Fault</a>. And when it comes to earthquakes, my money’s on the oak trees to be left standing.</p>
<p /> | Protesters in Berkeley: Up a Tree and Fenced In | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/protesters-berkeley-tree-and-fenced/ | 2007-08-31 | 4 |
<p>Dec. 10 (UPI) — A United Nations official investigating poverty in the United States visited Alabama last week and said the poverty and sewage system there is some of the worst he has seen in the developed world.</p>
<p>“I think it’s very uncommon in the First World. This is not a sight that one normally sees,” said <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Philip_Alston/" type="external">Philip Alston</a>, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human right, <a href="http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/12/un_poverty_official_touring_al.html" type="external">AL.com reported</a>. “I’d have to say that I haven’t seen this.”</p>
<p>Alston is on a 15-day trip of the United States to investigate poverty and visited several counties in Alabama’s “Black Belt” region, an area of several mostly black counties that have long experienced poverty and racial segregation.</p>
<p>One of the issues Alston focused on was the longstanding sewage crisis in that region.</p>
<p>“Lowndes County in rural #Alabama I saw homes that are not connected to public sewage systems, whose owners can’t afford to install septic tanks,” Alston <a href="https://twitter.com/Alston_UNSR/status/939269696142049281" type="external">tweeted Friday</a>. “Many resort to digging ditches &amp; straight piping waste water to within meters of homes, posing serious health risks.”</p>
<p>Local resident and activist Aaron Thigpen has lived in the Black Belt region his entire life, according to AL.com. He showed Alston where he lives — an area where diseases like E. Coli and hookworm, which are both eradicated in most of the country, thrive because there is scarce access to clean drinking water due to the sewage problem.</p>
<p>“These two pipes are the raw sewage pipes coming from the house. And you’ve got your main water line here, and it may have a hole in it, so everyone gets sick all at once,” Thigpen said. “It’s really bad when you’ve got a lot of kids around like there are here. They’re playing ball and the ball goes into the raw sewage, and they don’t know the importance of not handling sewage.”</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://www.acjf.org/news/alabama-possible-released-2017-alabama-poverty-data-sheet/" type="external">2017 Alabama Poverty Data Sheet</a>, nearly 20 percent of Alabamians live below the federal poverty line; nine counties have a poverty rate higher than 30 percent; and the child food insecurity rate is 24 percent (the national average is 18 percent).</p>
<p>Alston said he wants his visit to increase awareness of poverty in the United States, including rural Alabama.</p>
<p>“The hope is that we’ll bring attention to [these problems], just like we bring attention to people who are being tortured,” he said.</p> | U.N. official: Alabama's poverty, sewage crisis 'very uncommon in First World' | false | https://newsline.com/u-n-official-alabama039s-poverty-sewage-crisis-039very-uncommon-in-first-world039/ | 2017-12-10 | 1 |
<p>Sept. 17, 2012</p>
<p>By John Seiler</p>
<p>This year’s presidential campaign should be exciting. Instead, it’s the most vapid I’ve seen since I started watching them in 1964. President Obama, understandably, is playing it safe because he’s ahead.</p>
<p>But why is Mitt Romney acting as if he’s an incumbent with a 10-point lead? Even his partisans are complaining. One <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/09/mitt_romney_religious_right_christian_conservatives_are_worried_that_the_gop_chose_the_wrong_person_to_run_against_barack_obama_.html" type="external">supporter told Slate</a>:</p>
<p>“Mitt Romney should be leading by 10 or 15 points. The fact that he’s not is Mitt Romney’s problem. It’s because he’s run such a lackluster campaign that’s been so vague on ideas.”</p>
<p>Maybe the old investor shorted <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zolpidem" type="external">Ambien</a> stock.</p>
<p>At least the new guy impersonating Obama on Saturday Night Live, Jay Pharoah, is making us laugh at the whole mess. And the way things look, Pharoah will be doing this for another four years.</p>
<p /> | Video: SNL’s new Obama character displays vapid campaign | false | https://calwatchdog.com/2012/09/17/video-snls-new-obama-character-displays-vapid-campaign/ | 2018-09-20 | 3 |
<p>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The embezzlement trial began Wednesday for a former executive at Vietnam’s state oil giant who Germany said was kidnapped from there by Vietnamese agents last year.</p>
<p>Trinh Xuan Thanh was the former chairman of state energy giant PetroVietnam’s construction arm and is accused of embezzling $622,000 from a property project, the official Vietnam News Agency quoted the indictment as saying. The offense carries the death penalty.</p>
<p>He is among eight defendants all accused of embezzlement in the trial expected to last two weeks. Foreign media were not given access to the trial.</p>
<p>Thanh, 51, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for embezzlement involving a thermo power plant in the country’s highest profile case during an ongoing corruption crackdown.</p>
<p>Among 22 defendants convicted in the case that concluded on Monday was former high-ranking government member Dinh La Thang, a former chairman of PetroVietnam. Thang was the first former Politburo member to face prosecution in decades and received a 13-year prison sentence for economic mismanagement.</p>
<p>Germany has said Vietnamese intelligence services abducted Thanh from a Berlin park in July in what it called “an unprecedented and flagrant violation of German and international law.” He had sought asylum in Germany.</p>
<p>Vietnam denied the abduction allegation and says Thanh returned voluntarily.</p>
<p>The defendants in the latest case include Dinh Manh Thang, a former chairman of a construction company and the brother of Dinh La Thang.</p>
<p>The ruling Communist Party under the watch of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong who was re-elected to another five-year term in 2016, has stepped up its anti-corruption campaign with PetroVietnam and the banking sector at its center.</p>
<p>Scores of current or former senior PetroVietnam executives and bankers have been put on trial for economic crimes.</p>
<p>A trial of 46 defendants, most of them bankers and businessmen, is underway in southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.</p>
<p>Vietnam ranked 113th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s 2016 corruption index.</p>
<p>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The embezzlement trial began Wednesday for a former executive at Vietnam’s state oil giant who Germany said was kidnapped from there by Vietnamese agents last year.</p>
<p>Trinh Xuan Thanh was the former chairman of state energy giant PetroVietnam’s construction arm and is accused of embezzling $622,000 from a property project, the official Vietnam News Agency quoted the indictment as saying. The offense carries the death penalty.</p>
<p>He is among eight defendants all accused of embezzlement in the trial expected to last two weeks. Foreign media were not given access to the trial.</p>
<p>Thanh, 51, was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for embezzlement involving a thermo power plant in the country’s highest profile case during an ongoing corruption crackdown.</p>
<p>Among 22 defendants convicted in the case that concluded on Monday was former high-ranking government member Dinh La Thang, a former chairman of PetroVietnam. Thang was the first former Politburo member to face prosecution in decades and received a 13-year prison sentence for economic mismanagement.</p>
<p>Germany has said Vietnamese intelligence services abducted Thanh from a Berlin park in July in what it called “an unprecedented and flagrant violation of German and international law.” He had sought asylum in Germany.</p>
<p>Vietnam denied the abduction allegation and says Thanh returned voluntarily.</p>
<p>The defendants in the latest case include Dinh Manh Thang, a former chairman of a construction company and the brother of Dinh La Thang.</p>
<p>The ruling Communist Party under the watch of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong who was re-elected to another five-year term in 2016, has stepped up its anti-corruption campaign with PetroVietnam and the banking sector at its center.</p>
<p>Scores of current or former senior PetroVietnam executives and bankers have been put on trial for economic crimes.</p>
<p>A trial of 46 defendants, most of them bankers and businessmen, is underway in southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh City.</p>
<p>Vietnam ranked 113th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s 2016 corruption index.</p> | Court in Vietnam starts 2nd embezzlement trial of executive | false | https://apnews.com/16aa65e7b7294cada70528362be5a0d8 | 2018-01-24 | 2 |
<p>Michael Ignatieff, once a respected academic, authored a handful of important books on human rights, nationalism and ethnic conflict in the 1990s, making him the pride of many Canadians — even if, from 1978 until 2000, he lived in the UK, and then in the US, where he was director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University. Blood and Belonging, The Warrior’s Honor and The Rights Revolution were all must-reads, proof, we thought, that intellectuals had a role to play in describing, and perhaps influencing, the politics of our time. Despite his almost 30 years of exile, Canadians counted him as one of theirs, someone who reflected the ever-elusive “Canadian values.”</p>
<p>Then Sept. 11, 2001, happened, and more importantly, the US launched its mass disinformation campaign to justify its invasion of Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with the attacks on 9/11.</p>
<p>Strangely, during that period Ignatieff became more conservative in his views and penned justifications of his own to support the actions of the US government in Afghanistan and Iraq. “Empire Lite,” which served as both catchphrase and title of one of his books, followed by The Lesser Evil, epitomized Ignatieff’s radicalization. Where in the past Ignatieff had sided with the downtrodden, and where he had been so perceptive on the idiosyncrasies of nationalism, the academic now argued that empire — supported by force of arms and buttressed by an architecture of racism, lies and deceit — was a good thing, even if, in retaliation for Sept. 11 and in the name of “nation-building” a la US, Washington ended up slaying more Afghan civilians than died on that fateful morning in September, and many, many more in Iraq.</p>
<p>Despite this shift, many Canadians (myself included), welcomed Ignatieff’s return to Canada in 2005 and, a year later, his election in parliament. Around that time there were rumors that he was being groomed to become the next Liberal Party leader. Many (again myself included) looked with great optimism to the possibility that an Oxford-educated man of letters, biographer of Isaiah Berlin to boot, could one day become Liberal leader, if not future prime minister. The contrast with the seemingly illiterate George W. Bush south of the border could not be starker and would again help consolidate the great myth than animates many a Canadian, that somehow they are the “wiser” Americans, that Canadians had it within themselves to pick a leader who spoke the language of academics, who had visited the killing fields of Kosovo, brushed elbows with the sages of this world and written novels, including Scar Tissue, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.</p>
<p>Under prime minister Ignatieff, Canadians would shine and his would be the eloquent voice of our values — values we all like to think differ from those represented by the Bush administration and which were supported by a large swath of the US population. At the very least, he could hold his own with the charismatic new president, Barack Obama.</p>
<p>Many were disappointed (as I was), when in December 2006 the Liberal Party picked Stephane Dion, an ineloquent politician from Quebec who somehow always managed to give the impression that he was both annoyed with and ill-at-ease in the presence of ordinary Canadians, over Ignatieff, who we were told still needed to learn how to play politics, to lead the party.</p>
<p>It didn’t take Ignatieff too long to learn the game, and less than two years later, he was ganging up with the Bloc Quebecois and the New Democratic Party to virtually overthrow the Conservative government of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, sparking a series of events that culminated in the strange proroguing of parliament and threatened to unseat a government that not only had been elected democratically, but that in elections that same year had actually gained seats. Once the coalition disbanded and Dion had been discredited, Ignatieff made short shrift of his opponents and, on Dec. 10, became the interim leader of the Liberal Party, a position that will require ratification by the party in May.</p>
<p>However reluctantly, Canadians seemed resigned to the turn of events, accepting, perhaps, that this was how political machinations worked in Ottawa, a behind the scenes act that this time around had occurred in daylight. Undemocratic and shameful though the bloodless “coup” may have been, many (as I did) believed that in the long run Ignatieff would be a better Liberal leader — and possible future prime minister — than Dion.</p>
<p>The coup de grace in Ignatieff’s downfall as a respectable academic, however, was served — by himself — on Jan. 8, when he aligned himself ideologically with the Conservative government’s position on Israel’s war in Gaza, echoing the views, expressed earlier that week, by Canadian Junior Foreign Minister Peter Kent.</p>
<p>“Canada has to support the right of a democratic country to defend itself,” Ignatieff said in Halifax. “Israel has been attacked from Gaza, not just last year, but for almost 10 years. They evacuated from Gaza so there is no occupation in Gaza.”</p>
<p>In Ignatieff’s view, the about 1,300 Palestinians killed — many of them women, children and otherwise innocent civilians caught in the crossfire and unable to flee — and countless injured were the sole responsibility of Hamas.</p>
<p>“Hamas is a terrorist organization and Canada can’t touch Hamas with a 10-foot pole,” he said. “Hamas is to blame for organizing and instigating these rocket attacks and then for sheltering among civilian populations,” repeating many of the old rationalizations of the Israeli government that on many occasions have been proven to be lies by the UN, humanitarian agencies and, when Israel allows them to do coverage, the media. What’s even more infuriating is that an academic of Ignatieff’s caliber, someone who visited war zones and so eloquently made the proper distinctions on the complex issues of nationalism and ethnicity, would fail to recognize that Gaza remains under occupation, if not with boots on the ground than at least through blockades, barriers and virtual isolation from the outside world, that the anger of the Palestinian people, given substance by Hamas, lies in more than 60 years of humiliation, injustice, assassinations, more than a million refugees and a succession of broken promises. What Ignatieff furthermore chooses to ignore is that it wasn’t Hamas that broke the ceasefire, leading to the past two weeks of carnage, but Israel, which as veteran reporter Robert Fisk wrote in the Independent, killed six Palestinians in Gaza in a Nov. 4 bombing and four more on Nov. 17.</p>
<p>Surely, a learned academic such as Ignatieff would know that Hamas extremism can only be discredited once Palestinians are offered a just and viable state, an end to Israel’s illegal building of settlements and a workable solution to the refugee problem. Surely Ignatieff — or at least the old Ignatieff, the one who hadn’t completely been poisoned by politics — would agree that if Hamas bears responsibility in launching rocket attacks across the border into Israel (in the 10 years that is has done so, a total of 20 Israelis around Gaza have been killed by rockets), the radicalism that it embodies is a response to injustice rather than the root cause of the problem and that using force to eradicate Hamas would not solve the problem, as other extremists would emerge to give voice to a people’s anger. Surely Ignatieff knows that if Israelis are to obtain the security and recognition they deserve, diplomacy, not force, not the mutilation of innocents and the leveling of UN-run schools and mosques or the targeting of UN humanitarian aid convoys, is the only way.</p>
<p>“Ultimately,” Ignatieff said on Thursday, “this thing has to end with an Israel that is recognized, is safe and secure … and living side-by-side in peace with a Palestinian state.”</p>
<p>If Canada ever had a politician who knew that we simply cannot throw out the words “Palestinian state” without meaning a viable state based on international law, justice and negotiations between equals, Ignatieff would be that person. There is no doubt about his intelligence; he is charismatic, good-looking, eloquent and extremely well-learned — all the stuff of a great leader. And yet, he speaks in a way that makes Canada sound more radical than the people Canadians so often criticize for their radicalism. Sadly, his new voice, the one he has adopted as a politician, entirely fails to reflect the views of ordinary Canadians and makes a travesty of his previous life.</p>
<p>J. MICHAEL COLE is a former analyst at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and author of <a href="" type="internal">Smokescreen: Canadian security intelligence after September 11, 2001</a>. He currently lives in Taipei, Taiwan, where he works as a columnist and editor at the Taipei Times newspaper.</p> | The Downfall of an Academic | true | https://counterpunch.org/2009/02/01/the-downfall-of-an-academic/ | 2009-02-01 | 4 |
<p>Researchers have identified a series of fossils which they believe are the oldest living organisms ever discovered on our planet, pre-dating their closest competitor for the title by approximately 1 billion years.</p>
<p>Using recently-developed and extremely rare technology, known as a Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer (SIMS), the researchers spent over a decade painstakingly examining the microfossils to determine whether they were indeed organic matter and, if so, exactly how old they were. The specimens were taken from a piece of rock found in Western Australia that was radiometrically dated as being roughly 3.5 billion years old.</p>
<p>“Life had to have begun substantially earlier — nobody knows how much earlier — and [this] confirms it’s not difficult for primitive life to form and to evolve into more advanced microorganisms,” says Schopf.</p>
<p>The findings were published December 18, 2017 in the <a href="http://www.pnas.org/" type="external">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, and the research was led by J. William Schopf, professor of paleobiology at UCLA, and John W. Valley, professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.</p>
<p>The research centered around 11 microbial specimens from five species, or ‘taxa’ as they are referred to in the research paper. Some have chemical signatures similar to now-extinct bacteria and microbes from Archaea, while others are closer in appearance to microbes still found on Earth today. They also show all of the characteristics necessary to survive on an oxygen-free planet.</p>
<p>The microfossils were found in 1982 but weren’t first described by Shopf and his team until 1993. Shopf then produced follow-up supporting research in 2002. The area in the Western Australian desert from which the samples were taken is one of the best-preserved regions on Earth, as it has not been subjected to the same degree of erosion and tectonic plate activity as the rest of the world. The work was partially funded by the NASA Astrobiology Institute, whose purpose is to study the origins, nature and future of life in the universe.</p>
<p>While there was long-standing debate as to both the authenticity of the microfossils and whether they were indeed organic at all, that argument has now been won, claims Valley.</p>
<p>“I think it’s settled,” he says, as cited by the <a href="https://news.wisc.edu/oldest-fossils-ever-found-show-life-on-earth-began-before-3-5-billion-years-ago/" type="external">University of Wisconsin-Madison News</a>.</p>
<p>Using one of the few SIMS in the world, the team were able to separate out the constituent isotopes in the carbon from which the fossils are composed and then measure their ratios to allow for further, and more accurate, dating.</p>
<p>“The differences in carbon isotope ratios correlate with their shapes,” Valley says. “If they’re not biological there is no reason for such a correlation. Their C-13-to-C-12 ratios are characteristic of biology and metabolic function.”</p>
<p>“These are a primitive, but diverse group of organisms,” says Schopf.</p>
<p>Among the organisms identified by the team are: “phototrophic bacteria that would have relied on the sun to produce energy, Archaea that produced methane, and gammaproteobacteria that consumed methane, a gas believed to be an important constituent of Earth’s early atmosphere before oxygen was present.”</p>
<p>The process to even begin examining the fossils themselves, encapsulated in a hard layer of quartz, involved painstaking grinding and polishing the specimens one micrometer at a time. For perspective, each microfossil is approximately 10 micrometers wide, and a human hair is roughly 80 micrometers in width. The <a href="http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~wiscsims/" type="external">SIMS</a> can study sample sizes ranging from 1 to 10 micrometers.&#160;&#160;</p>
<p>“We have no direct evidence that life existed 4.3 billion years ago but there is no reason why it couldn’t have,” says Valley. “This is something we all would like to find out.”</p>
<p>“People are really interested in when life on Earth first emerged,” Valley says. “This study was 10 times more time-consuming and more difficult than I first imagined, but it came to fruition because of many dedicated people who have been excited about this since day one … I think a lot more microfossil analyses will be made on samples of Earth and possibly from other planetary bodies.”</p>
<p>However, the title of ‘world’s oldest living organism’ is widely coveted within the scientific community and researchers frequently claim to have made the definitive discovery.</p>
<p>In addition, David Wacey, a scientist at the University of Western Australia’s Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, disputes the findings of the research, questioning the methodology and accuses the researchers of ‘deliberate ignorance.’</p>
<p>“I find this manuscript to be a poor piece of science containing over-interpretations of data that are not statistically robust,” Wacey told <a href="https://gizmodo.com/quest-to-find-the-world-s-oldest-fossils-intensifies-wi-1821393628" type="external">Gizmodo</a>. “It also shows ignorance — I assume deliberately so, rather than being unaware — of previously published work and a continued reliance on a technique (Raman spectroscopy) that has already been shown to be unfit for the purpose in which it is applied by the authors.”</p>
<p>Wacey said the authors have ignored previous work, including his own, which provides the most up-to-date perspective on the techniques used and directly calls into question what Valley and Schopf are claiming.</p>
<p>“[The] light microscope and Raman data presented here do not, in my opinion, demonstrate that these objects are microfossils, and the isotopic data are scarce and questionable. Even if the isotopic data do turn out to be technically robust, similar data could be produced by adsorption of multiple generations and/or sources of carbonaceous material onto mineral grains in a complex hydrothermal setting.”</p>
<p>“Whether such adsorbed carbonaceous material is ultimately biogenic, non biogenic or a mixture of both is still open to debate, but these microscopic objects are not, in my opinion, microfossils.”</p>
<p>“It is, quite frankly, beyond belief that this paper was reviewed by Andrew Czaja, an ex-student and collaborator of lead author Schopf,” Wacey told Gizmodo. “Notably, Czaja and Schopf collaborated on several papers using the flawed Raman technique on exactly this Apex material [here, here, and here]. This raises serious questions about the editorial processes within PNAS.”</p> | ‘Beyond belief’: Scientist slams study identifying ‘oldest fossils ever discovered’ | false | https://newsline.com/beyond-belief-scientist-slams-study-identifying-oldest-fossils-ever-discovered/ | 2017-12-19 | 1 |
<p>“If we were gonna uproot everything for a high school, we thought we would look for one of the best,” says Barbara Iverson, a Chicagoan her entire adult life until her first child neared 8th grade.</p>
<p>To get one of the best—New Trier Township High School—the Iverson family (Barbara, husband Norman, daughter Liz and son Herb) moved from a house on the Far Northwest Side of Chicago into what she calls “the smallest house in Wilmette.” It’s not much smaller than the old one, but it’s not an improvement, either, she says.</p>
<p>“It’s lived up to our expectations,” Barbara says of New Trier. She’s impressed with the school’s academic rigor but also appreciates amenities like its wide range of extracurricular offerings. Herb takes advantage of fencing; Liz, diving and gymnastics. Barbara also likes the freedom she can give her kids in the suburbs, without concern for their safety.</p>
<p>What the Iversons left behind was a city they loved—they’re already planning their return once both children are in college—and a school system they didn’t trust to turn itself around anytime soon.</p>
<p>“I saw a lot of hope for school reform, but it was just getting going when we moved,” says Barbara, who was a community member on the local school council at Palmer, the neighborhood school. With her daughter just a few years away from high school, she wasn’t ready to wait years for the results.</p>
<p>Liz was enrolled in a program for gifted students at Pritzker Elementary in Wicker Park; Herb attended first Palmer, then Pritzker.</p>
<p>For the Iversons, the clincher was Chicago’s history of frequent teacher strikes. Shortly before the family moved, Barbara was wrapping up several years of graduate work and about to resume teaching in the Chicago public schools. That was 1992, the year the School Board and Chicago Teachers Union tangled over the layoff off all truant officers and dozens of clerks and library aides. Barbara says she wondered who would care for the kids in the event of a long strike.</p>
<p>Liz misses “being able to say I’m from Chicago,” but she doesn’t miss the long bus ride to Pritzker. She appreciates New Trier’s academic challenge but finds it overwhelming at times. “I guess I’m glad about it, but junior year is so hard ,” she says.</p>
<p>Barbara says she’s glad that her kids got the chance to go to school in the city, in a setting where whites are not the majority. The relocation took some getting used to. “It was different,” says Liz. On the first day of school in Wilmette, she came home and reported: “Mom, it’s not very diverse. There’s only two black girls in my class, and they’re sisters.”</p>
<p>Liz says she’s happily adjusted, with friends she loves, but she notes that her current neighbors “keep to themselves more” than her old ones did.</p>
<p>“Our current plan is that the second our son is accepted in college, we’re going to sell our house and move back to the city,” says Barbara, who also had been president of the local neighborhood group, the North Mayfair Association. “We’ve even been talking about buying a loft and using it as a rental space until then.”</p>
<p>Both Barbara and Norman work in the city. She teaches in the School of Education at Columbia College, and he works for a software development firm on the Near North Side.</p>
<p>Barbara says that with local school councils well established and with labor peace, she’s not sure she would make the same choice if she were choosing today. “I go by that school now [Palmer], and they’ve got a big addition,” she says. “And I hear that the school is being run more like I would have wanted it to be.” But she adds that finding a Chicago high school to compete with New Trier would be tough.</p> | The Iversons went north to Wilmette | false | http://chicagoreporter.com/iversons-went-north-wilmette/ | 2005-07-25 | 3 |
<p>Grubhub plans to gobble up another online food-ordering rival: This time it's Yelp Inc.'s Eat24.</p>
<p>Chicago-based Grubhub Inc. said Thursday that it will pay Yelp $287.5 million in cash for Eat24. That's more than double what San Francisco-based Yelp paid to acquire Eat24 two years ago.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The two companies also announced a 5-year deal that will allow readers of Yelp's reviews to order food from restaurants that use Grubhub.</p>
<p>Grubhub said it will keep alive the Eat24 brand, which it said appeals to a younger demographic. Grubhub has acquired other competitors, including LAbite and DiningIn. Earlier this week, it announced a deal with online deals site Groupon, in which it will take over 27 markets of Groupon's OrderUp food ordering service.</p>
<p>Grubhub shares dropped 1.5 percent in extended trading, while Yelp surged 19 percent. Both companies also reported results after the bell.</p> | Grubhub to buy Eat24 from Yelp | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/08/03/grubhub-to-buy-eat24-from-yelp.html | 2017-08-03 | 0 |
<p>Moments after President Donald Trump’s inauguration address, left-wing and Democrat-aligned CNN began its campaign against the 45th president.</p>
<p>Jake Tapper described Trump’s speech as “radical," (emphases added):</p>
<p>“I think it's fair to say this is one of the most radical inaugural speeches we've ever heard. It was purely populist. It talked about the forgotten people. It attacked Washington while standing inside the center of Washington, D.C., surrounded by Washington insiders. There was nothing really particularly conservative about this Republican president's speech. It was pure populism. and in fact, it looked at the United States and the role of the United States in a way that departures greatly from what we've heard from all of his predecessors on the stage: Obama, Bush, Carter. It talked about ‘America First’ as his priority. It was completely consistent with his brand I have to say... I think it will go down in history as one of the most radical speeches ever given by a president.”</p>
<p>Dana Bash described Trump’s address as lacking “lofty rhetoric” while expressing alarm at Trump’s repetition of his “America First” campaign slogan (emphases added):</p>
<p>“[Trump] did not forget who brought him to this dance. No question about it. Very, very sharp. Very specific about looking inward to America. A very nationalistic populist speech talking about how he is going to make sure that he looks out for the people who feel left behind and focus on this country and focus on them and their needs first. No lofty rhetoric here. That’s not what this is about. It's not who he is. Nobody expected that. Very short sentences. Very to the point. and there's no reading between the lines in any of the speeches and the sentences he gave. He explicitly said ‘America First’ more than once.”</p>
<p>John King described Trump’s vision as “dark” and “pessimistic,” adding some misleading pushback against the president’s comments on violent crime, illegal immigration, and aggregate employment (emphasis added):</p>
<p>"If you are a Trump voter, you heard from your new president what you wanted to hear, consistent with the campaign. Every decision, he said, would be ‘America First.’ Whether it’s a taxes decision, a infrastructure decision, a border decision, a national security decision. He said everything would be through the prism of ‘America First.' But it was a dark, a dark view. Even a pessimistic view of where we are at the moment. The statistics would tell you illegal border crossings are down. Didn't sound like that from the speech. The statistics would tell you we have 4.7% unemployment. He talked about how terrible things were and how horrible it was in the country. He spoke of gangs and drugs and ‘American carnage’ at a time, again, the outgoing president would tell you - not that there aren't problems in America - but crime is largely under control in America. But this is trademark Trump. This is how he campaigned. It's his brand of populism. What a scathing indictment of this town writ large, not just the Democrats, but of this Washington establishment, he said, [which had] enriched itself and benefited from politics but not the American people. He's off to a start that's very anti-establishment.”</p>
<p>Gloria Borger seemed surprised that Trump did not make any reconciliatory overtures to Hillary Clinton while fretting about Barack Obama’s political sensibilities (emphases added):</p>
<p />
<p>“I think this was an unusual inaugural speech. It was a continuation of the campaign very much. I think it was kind of a fist bump of a speech. I couldn't help but thinking about [Barack Obama] sitting there when he talked about the ‘American carnage’ that they had presided over. I'm not quite sure that that would have gone over well with them."</p>
<p>I was also surprised that in some way he did not pay some tribute to Hillary Clinton. I expected as George W. Bush did to Al Gore when they had a hard-fought fight. I thought that would have been a unifying moment for him. He did not do it. To me this was [the] Donald Trump that we saw during the campaign and saying, ‘I didn't win. You, the American public, did win.’”</p>
<p />
<p>Michael Smerconish bemoaned what he described as the lack of an “olive branch” offering to Democrats and the lack of reconciliation with Hillary Clinton:</p>
<p>“I kept waiting for that paragraph, that beyond just extending an olive branch given that sixty Democratic house members saw fit not to be here… To acknowledge Bill Clinton and not to in the same breath to say, ‘and of course Secretary of State [Hillary Clinton] was really surprising to me.”</p>
<p>Nia-Malika Henderson spoke of the millions of Americans she described as “afraid” of Trump while indirectly pushing the Democrat narrative of Trump having lost the popular vote:</p>
<p>"I don't think it was a speech that is going to change the minds of any of those folks of the sixty-five million or so who do not like Donald Trump and are afraid of him in some ways."</p>
<p>Watch the segment below.</p>
<p>CNN's aforementioned anchors and analysts and present themselves as politically objective, non-partisan and unbiased. More broadly, CNN presents itself as an objective, non-partisan and unbiased news outlet.</p>
<p>Follow Robert Kraychik on <a href="https://twitter.com/kr3ch3k" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p> | CNN: Trump Speech 'Dark,' 'Radical,' 'No Lofty Rhetoric' | true | https://dailywire.com/news/12616/cnn-trump-speech-dark-radical-no-lofty-rhetoric-robert-kraychik | 2017-01-20 | 0 |
<p>Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of Kadima Shaul Mofaz announced on Tuesday that Kadima was leaving the government coalition, <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/mofaz-announces-kadima-leaving-netanyahu-coalition-1.451777" type="external">according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz</a>.</p>
<p>With the centrist Kadima leaving, the national unity government formed two months ago unravels, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/world/middleeast/unity-government-in-israel-disbanding-over-dispute-on-draft.html?_r=1&amp;ref=global-home" type="external">said The New York Times</a>.</p>
<p>"It is with deep regret that I say that there is no choice but to decide to leave the government," said Mofaz, <a href="http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4256736,00.html" type="external">according to Ynet News</a>. He said, "It wasn't easy to enter it, I paid a personal political price but this issue is fundamental, and there is no choice but to leave the coalition. Every concession will harm Kadima's image."</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/israel-and-palestine/120716/israel-clinton-talks-egypt-iran-and-sy" type="external">Israel: Clinton talks Egypt, Iran, and Syria with Israeli officials</a></p>
<p>Mofaz and his party left over disagreements over a proposed universal draft law, according to Haaretz.</p>
<p>The Times noted that the proposed law was being negotiated based on how to draft more ultra-Orthodox Jews as well as Arab citizens into the Israeli military.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=277808" type="external">The Jerusalem Post said</a> Mofaz was unwilling to compromise on the issue and therefore felt he was left with no choice but to withdraw from the coalition.</p>
<p>More on GlobalPost: <a href="http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/israel-and-palestine/120713/israel-kills-man-trying-cross-border-e" type="external">Israel kills man trying to cross border from Egypt's Sinai</a></p>
<p>"Negotiations between Kadima and the Likud over the equal distribution of the burden have failed," said a statement by the party, according to Ynet News.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly send a revised proposal on Tuesday afternoon, but Mofaz said the proposal maintained the status quo, according to The Jerusalem Post.</p>
<p>Netanyahu said he hoped to pass the bill by the end of the month, resulting in more enlistment from the ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities.</p>
<p>Haaretz reported that the bill will be put to a vote on Thursday.</p> | Israel: Kadima quits government, ending grand coalition | false | https://pri.org/stories/2012-07-17/israel-kadima-quits-government-ending-grand-coalition | 2012-07-17 | 3 |
<p>Trustees of the Religious Herald voted unanimously Oct. 7 to merge with Associated Baptist Press, creating a new print and online media platform aimed at enhancing the mission and heritage of both organizations.</p>
<p>ABP executive David Wilkinson called it “truly an historic moment for the Baptist family.”</p>
<p>“This merger is good news for everyone who believes that a free press is essential to the health and vitality of the Baptist witness to the gospel,” Wilkinson said in a statement. “It offers a way to preserve and perpetuate the rich legacy of an influential, 185-year-old newspaper while also strengthening our capacity to provide timely, compelling content for and about Baptist Christians through multiple media platforms.”</p>
<p>“As we looked to the future, greater collaboration appeared to be essential, so we simply took the next logical step and merged,” said Herald editor Jim White. “The end result, for Baptists in Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic states, will be an organization that is even better equipped to provide news and information to our constituents. I want to emphasize that the Religious Herald is not going away; it is simply morphing into a form more in keeping with the needs of the times.”</p>
<p>Beginning in 2014, the Herald, published since 1828, will move to magazine format co-branded and co-marketed with ABPnews, the flagship website of the independent national news service formed amid the Southern Baptist Convention fundamentalist/moderate controversy in 1990s.</p>
<p>A new staffing plan includes two current Religious Herald employees. Two other employees — editor White and customer care director Marty Garber — have accepted severance packages.</p>
<p>White, Religious Herald editor since 2004, said he chose to step down voluntarily as an indication of how strongly be believes the merger is the right course of action.</p>
<p>“The new organization we have formed needs to use its personnel dollars to achieve maximum impact in reporting events in Virginia, the Mid-Atlantic and beyond,” White said in a statement. “It was obvious from the beginning that we needed to direct personnel resources to young writers who are also technologically savvy rather than pay two executive-level salaries.”</p>
<p>Current ABP staff will get new job descriptions. Wilkinson, ABP executive director since 2008, continues in his role as chief executive officer, overseeing all aspects of the organization’s work including direct responsibilities for administration and fund-raising.</p>
<p>Religious Herald managing editor Robert Dilday becomes editor in chief. Bob Allen, ABPnews managing editor, will be news editor. Jeff Brumley continues as assistant editor, and a new entry-level staff writer position will be added.</p>
<p>Lindsay Bergstrom, who handles a variety of tasks for ABP under the title director of operations, will narrow her focus as director of creative services. She is trained as a graphic artist and worked 11 years at the Florida Baptist Witness before moving to ABP in 1999.</p>
<p>Barbara Francis, currently advertising manager and bookkeeper for the Religious Herald, will function as business services manager. Natalie Aho, who contracts with ABP as interactive communications specialist, will receive additional hours.</p>
<p>The magazine, yet to be named, will be published bi-monthly. It will be 16-24 pages and printed in full color. It will be sent free to all donors, partner churches and organizations, and will also provide a new communication tool to introduce ABP to readers unfamiliar with the website.</p>
<p>The marketing plan calls for an initial press run of 5,000 copies, and for full costs for printing, design and distribution to be raised by paid advertising.</p>
<p>It will be more than “the best of the web” from the two previous months, according to a content strategy plan, but will include “issue-driven” and “person-focused” articles to move readers from the “what” of daily news and commentary to the “so-what” implications for individual Christians, churches and the wider Baptist community.</p>
<p>The merger comes at a time when many historic newspapers, including religious ones, are falling on hard times. The Baptist Times, published in Great Britain for 156 years, ceased publication in 2011 due to declining denominational support.</p>
<p>More recently, the United Methodist Reporter, with origins in pre-Civil War newspapers in Texas that at one time produced nearly 300 separate editions with tailored content for churches and ministry partners, ceased operations May 31 after finding no viable plan for reversing financial losses.</p>
<p>The structure anticipates possible future expansion into other regions. The Herald and ABP already share content with Baptist papers in Missouri and Texas through a New Voice Media partnership formed in 2006.</p>
<p>“This agreement has emerged from a shared commitment to be Baptist in heritage, ecumenical in spirit and global in reach,” Wilkinson said. “It lays the groundwork for future conversations with other potential partners both within and beyond Baptist life in America.”</p>
<p>Another goal is to combine and streamline fund-raising, particularly in areas like Virginia and North Carolina where various Cooperative Baptist Fellowship ministry partners often wind up going to the same donors.</p>
<p>“From the outset we have been determined to find ways to better serve our respective constituencies by collaborating rather than competing for readers and resources,” Wilkinson said.</p>
<p>“This merger agreement reflects our best efforts to be faithful stewards of the missions and financial resources of these two news organizations,” Wilkinson said. “It builds on our strengths while consolidating and streamlining core operations, eliminating duplications, and achieving economies of scale. At the same time it prepares and positions us to embrace the challenges of a rapidly changing environment in Baptist life and in religious journalism.”</p>
<p>ABP directors approved the merger Sept. 30 during a meeting in Jacksonville, Fla.</p>
<p>A transitional governing body composed of members of both existing boards will begin functioning Jan. 1. An eight-member team also composed of members of both boards will begin work on a permanent governing board structure, to be adopted by the transitional board. Associated Baptist Press currently has 21 board members, and the Religious Herald has 24 trustees.</p>
<p>Bob Allen ( <a href="" type="internal">bob@baptistnews.com</a>) is managing editor of ABPNews.</p> | Religious Herald trustees approve merger with ABP to enhance mission and heritage of both | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/religiousheraldtrusteesapprovemergerwithabptoenhancemissionandheritageofboth/ | 3 | |
<p>10-year Treasury yield nears 2.20% as tax reform prospects increase</p>
<p>U.S. Treasurys picked up where they had left off, pushing yields higher Wednesday as investors continued to rotate out of government paper and other assets perceived as less risky, while traders looked ahead to consumer price data.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>Some analysts are betting that a recent bipartisan effort to lift the debt ceiling suggests that President Donald Trump has grown more willing to reach across the aisle to get pro-business policies, including tax reform, enacted. Late Tuesday, Trump had dinner with three Democratic senators (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-today-president-prods-congress-to-move-fast-on-tax-deal-and-sets-meeting-with-schumer-pelosi-2017-09-13) who were reportedly open to the idea of tax reform.</p>
<p>But other market participants suggested they weren't holding their breath, with Trump having yet to achieve any of his major priorities since his inauguration. Treasury prices have rallied since the beginning of the year on subdued concerns that his pro-growth agenda would spur inflation.</p>
<p>"The jury is still out on getting something done," said Marvin Loh, senior fixed-income strategist for BNY Mellon.</p>
<p>The yield on the short-term two-year Treasury note added 2 basis points to 1.355%, its highest level since Aug. 8. The 10-year Treasury note yield was slightly higher at 2.194%, compared with 2.171% late Tuesday in New York, but still markedly higher relative to its levels last week. Meanwhile, the 30-year Treasury yield rose 2 basis points to 2.749%, versus 2.774%.</p>
<p>Bond prices and yields move in the opposite direction.</p>
<p>Advertisement</p>
<p>Long-dated Treasurys notched their third straight session of losses as bond investors unwound haven plays seen last week. The 10-year Treasury yield had ducked under 2.10% on concerns about tensions between North Korea and the U.S. and the impact of Hurricanes Irma and Harvey on the overall economy. The recent yield rise suggests, however, that traders are lowering the odds of any lasting effect on the economy and markets.</p>
<p>The waning of those fears has rejuvenated appetite for assets perceived as risky and pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average , the S&amp;P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite Index to their first day of simultaneous records (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sp-primed-to-build-on-all-time-high-as-clock-ticks-down-to-apple-event-2017-09-12) since late July on Tuesday. All three indexes closed at record highs for a second day in a row Wednesday.</p>
<p>"With the better risk-on environment, we've completely reversed the yield compression from last week," said Loh.</p>
<p>Assets perceived as haven investments other than government paper also sustained losses. The yen traded against the dollar at Yen110.56 from Yen110.17 on Tuesday in New York, while gold prices shed $4.60, or around 0.35%, to $1,323.40 per ounce.</p>
<p>The Labor Department's producer-price index for August showed a 0.2% increase, below the average estimate for a 0.3% rise, in a survey of economists by MarketWatch. The rebound follows a drop of 0.1% for July (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-wholesale-inflation-fall-01-in-july-first-decline-in-almost-a-year-2017-08-10), which marked the first decline in almost a year.</p>
<p>Over the past year, producer prices have decelerated to a 1.9% annual rate, and have steadily dipped from a high of 2.5% in April. The July annual rate has been the lowest since January.</p>
<p>Muted inflation can encourage buying in government paper because rising inflation erodes a bond's fixed value, particularly in longer maturities. But analysts say that new changes to how producer prices are computed has weakened their correlation with consumer price inflation, arguably the more important figure. August CPI data is due Thursday.</p>
<p>See: Inflation data could look better than expected Thursday, analyst says (http://www.marketwatch.com/story/inflation-data-could-look-better-than-expected-thursday-analyst-says-2017-09-13)</p>
<p>"Rising input prices are on our radar as a medium-term concern, but less as an inflation driver and more as a risk to corporate profitability," said Ian Lyngen, head of U.S. rates strategy for BMO Capital Markets, in a note to a clients. Higher producer prices could crimp earnings, leading firms to cut staff to protect profit margins. This could, in turn, reflect an economy that is at the tail end of its expansion.</p>
<p>Soggy inflation has been the biggest bugaboo for global central bankers and bond investors alike. In theory, inflation and rising prices should coincide with a U.S. job market that has looked mostly healthy. However, the annual rate of inflation has fallen below the Federal Reserve's 2% target, providing some headwinds to the central bank's plan to normalize monetary policy by lifting rates and unwinding its $4.5 trillion asset portfolio.</p>
<p>Presently, the market is pricing in a roughly 47% chance of one more rate increase by the Fed before the end of 2017, having fallen as low as 23% last week, according to CME Group Data (http://www.cmegroup.com/trading/interest-rates/countdown-to-fomc.html).</p>
<p>For all the importance placed on this week's inflation data, traders could be hesitant to make big moves ahead of the central bank's policy-setting meeting next Tuesday and Wednesday, where a change in policy and rates is not anticipated but where further clues about the game plan for the Fed will be closely watched.</p>
<p>The Treasury Department added another weak auction of 30-year bonds, to bookend a string of lackluster debt sales this week, perhaps reflecting a lowered outlook for risks that had driven bond prices higher and yields lower over the past several sessions.</p>
<p>In exchange-traded products, the popular iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) was down slightly at 0.4%. The fund, also known as TLT for its ticker symbol, has risen 6% so far this year.</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>September 13, 2017 19:15 ET (23:15 GMT)</p> | BOND REPORT: 2-year Treasury Yield Highest In Five Weeks On Tax Reform Hopes | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/09/13/bond-report-2-year-treasury-yield-highest-in-five-weeks-on-tax-reform-hopes0.html | 2017-09-13 | 0 |
<p>Kellogg Co. said Friday that Fareed Khan will join the company as chief financial officer, succeeding Ron Dissinger, who will stay with the company in 2017 to help with the transition. Dissinger announced his retirement in May 2016. Khan joins from U.S. Foods Holding Corp. where he was CFO from 2013 and aided with the company's IPO. Kellogg shares are unchanged in premarket trading, and up 1.4% for the past year. The S&amp;P 500 index is up 20.1% for the last 12 months.</p>
<p>Copyright © 2017 MarketWatch, Inc.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p> | Kellogg Names Fareed Khan CFO, Effective Feb. 17 | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/13/kellogg-names-fareed-khan-cfo-effective-feb-17.html | 2017-01-13 | 0 |
<p>FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Not being in the limelight has never bothered Kyle Van Noy.</p>
<p>He didn’t start a NFL game until his third season when he was with the Detroit Lions, and even then was thought of as a role player.</p>
<p>So now being considered one of the leaders on a Patriots defense that is on the cusp of making a return trip to the Super Bowl seems somewhat out of place for the fourth-year linebacker as he heads into Sunday’s AFC championship game against Jacksonville.</p>
<p>“I’ve been in so many situations since I’ve been here,” Van Noy said of the increased role he’s had in New England.</p>
<p>“I mean going deep in the playoffs last year and then playing all of the games this year. ... Each and every game there’s different situations, different scenarios that come up. So I would say that my awareness has gone up a lot since I’ve been here.”</p>
<p>The same could be said about his value.</p>
<p>When linebacker Dont’a Hightower went down with a season-ending torn pectoral muscle in the Patriots’ win over the Falcons in Week 7, it left a void in the side of a defense that entered 2017 young and inexperienced up front.</p>
<p>New England had already given up 30 or more points three times to that point and was ranked 23rd in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 23.7 points per game.</p>
<p>Van Noy began the season starting at outside linebacker alongside Elandon Roberts in the middle and Hightower at the other outside spot.</p>
<p>But when Hightower went down, the coaching staff asked Van Noy to handle multiple roles, playing both on the edge and middle of the field at times.</p>
<p>Safety and defensive captain Devin McCourty said that the 26-year-old showed glimpses of that versatility even last season.</p>
<p>It’s why it wasn’t strange for him to see Van Noy tackle the responsibility of receiving the defensive play call from the sideline, another role that he’s inherited with Hightower out.</p>
<p>He flourished in them all, and over the final nine weeks of the season New England got stingier on defense.</p>
<p>By the end of the season it was allowing just 18.5 points per game — the fifth-best mark in the league.</p>
<p>Van Noy missed three of the final four games with a calf injury, but still finished the regular season third on the team with 73 tackles and second with 5½ sacks. Van Noy’s sack total was just a half-sack short of Hightower’s career-high of six in 2014.</p>
<p>“It helps our defense out a lot, and he’s one of a lot of guys on our defense that have been able to play different positions that allow us to do different things defensively,” McCourty said. “He’s been a leader, he’s run the huddle kind of since he’s been in there.”</p>
<p>Coach Bill Belichick said continuity and execution has improved all over the defense, with lots of contributions from Van Noy and others such as Trey Flowers, Marquis Flowers, Adam Butler, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Ricky Jean Francois.</p>
<p>“Some of the guys that are playing now weren’t playing. If we had had this conversation in the middle of the season, you wouldn’t be asking about them,” Belichick said.</p>
<p>“They’ve stepped into different roles and they’ve worked together more, gotten a better feel for each other, execution’s better, so it’s good.”</p>
<p>Van Noy said any success he’s had is simply a product of his environment.</p>
<p>“There are a lot of superstar defensive players that aren’t even talked about,” he said. “When I was with the Detroit Lions there was a guy named DeAndre Levy who never made a Pro Bowl, but who everybody knew, if you played football, who he was. There are situations like that all the time. And there’s teams that have really good defenses that aren’t talked about. We’re one of them.”</p>
<p>NOTES: The Patriots placed defensive back and special teamer Jonathan Jones on injured reserve. They also announced the signing of receiver Bernard Reedy. Reedy was a member of the Patriots’ practice squad.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NFL coverage: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external" /> <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" /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Kyle Hightower at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/khightower" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/khightower</a></p>
<p>FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Not being in the limelight has never bothered Kyle Van Noy.</p>
<p>He didn’t start a NFL game until his third season when he was with the Detroit Lions, and even then was thought of as a role player.</p>
<p>So now being considered one of the leaders on a Patriots defense that is on the cusp of making a return trip to the Super Bowl seems somewhat out of place for the fourth-year linebacker as he heads into Sunday’s AFC championship game against Jacksonville.</p>
<p>“I’ve been in so many situations since I’ve been here,” Van Noy said of the increased role he’s had in New England.</p>
<p>“I mean going deep in the playoffs last year and then playing all of the games this year. ... Each and every game there’s different situations, different scenarios that come up. So I would say that my awareness has gone up a lot since I’ve been here.”</p>
<p>The same could be said about his value.</p>
<p>When linebacker Dont’a Hightower went down with a season-ending torn pectoral muscle in the Patriots’ win over the Falcons in Week 7, it left a void in the side of a defense that entered 2017 young and inexperienced up front.</p>
<p>New England had already given up 30 or more points three times to that point and was ranked 23rd in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 23.7 points per game.</p>
<p>Van Noy began the season starting at outside linebacker alongside Elandon Roberts in the middle and Hightower at the other outside spot.</p>
<p>But when Hightower went down, the coaching staff asked Van Noy to handle multiple roles, playing both on the edge and middle of the field at times.</p>
<p>Safety and defensive captain Devin McCourty said that the 26-year-old showed glimpses of that versatility even last season.</p>
<p>It’s why it wasn’t strange for him to see Van Noy tackle the responsibility of receiving the defensive play call from the sideline, another role that he’s inherited with Hightower out.</p>
<p>He flourished in them all, and over the final nine weeks of the season New England got stingier on defense.</p>
<p>By the end of the season it was allowing just 18.5 points per game — the fifth-best mark in the league.</p>
<p>Van Noy missed three of the final four games with a calf injury, but still finished the regular season third on the team with 73 tackles and second with 5½ sacks. Van Noy’s sack total was just a half-sack short of Hightower’s career-high of six in 2014.</p>
<p>“It helps our defense out a lot, and he’s one of a lot of guys on our defense that have been able to play different positions that allow us to do different things defensively,” McCourty said. “He’s been a leader, he’s run the huddle kind of since he’s been in there.”</p>
<p>Coach Bill Belichick said continuity and execution has improved all over the defense, with lots of contributions from Van Noy and others such as Trey Flowers, Marquis Flowers, Adam Butler, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Ricky Jean Francois.</p>
<p>“Some of the guys that are playing now weren’t playing. If we had had this conversation in the middle of the season, you wouldn’t be asking about them,” Belichick said.</p>
<p>“They’ve stepped into different roles and they’ve worked together more, gotten a better feel for each other, execution’s better, so it’s good.”</p>
<p>Van Noy said any success he’s had is simply a product of his environment.</p>
<p>“There are a lot of superstar defensive players that aren’t even talked about,” he said. “When I was with the Detroit Lions there was a guy named DeAndre Levy who never made a Pro Bowl, but who everybody knew, if you played football, who he was. There are situations like that all the time. And there’s teams that have really good defenses that aren’t talked about. We’re one of them.”</p>
<p>NOTES: The Patriots placed defensive back and special teamer Jonathan Jones on injured reserve. They also announced the signing of receiver Bernard Reedy. Reedy was a member of the Patriots’ practice squad.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>For more NFL coverage: <a href="http://www.pro32.ap.org" type="external" /> <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" /> <a href="http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL</a></p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Follow Kyle Hightower at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/khightower" type="external">http://www.twitter.com/khightower</a></p> | Van Noy’s versatility key in Patriots defensive improvement | false | https://apnews.com/0c05415442844beab22f9b10113fa2b0 | 2018-01-18 | 2 |
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<p>ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — 7:57am UPDATE: Cesar Chavez on-ramp to northbound Interstate 25 is now completely clear, KKOB Radio’s Joe Gonzales is reporting.</p>
<p>A rollover crash on the Cesar Chavez on-ramp to northbound Interstate 25 had been moved off to the right, but a wrecker removing the vehicle has blocked the entire ramp at the moment, and traffic is backing up, according to KKOB Radio traffic reporter Joe Gonzales.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Crash at Cesar Chavez/I-25 on-ramp | false | https://abqjournal.com/227810/crash-blocks-cesar-chavezi-25-on-ramp.html | 2013-07-30 | 2 |
<p>Vladimir Putin isn’t taking the expansion of NATO and a planned missile shield lightly. The Russian president told his people: “It is already clear that a new phase in the arms race is unfolding in the world. … It is not our fault, because we did not start it.” Flush with oil money, Russia is planning to beef up and flaunt its military capabilities in response.</p>
<p>BBC:</p>
<p>In his speech, to the State Council – Russia’s top politicians, officials and generals – he said other countries were spending far more than Russia on new weapons.</p>
<p>But Russia would always respond to the challenges of a new arms race by developing more hi-tech weaponry, he said.</p>
<p />
<p>Referring to Nato’s activities in Central and Eastern Europe, Mr Putin said “there are many discussions on these, but… we have still not seen any real steps towards finding a compromise”.</p>
<p>“In effect, we are forced to retaliate, to take corresponding decisions. Russia has, and always will have, responses to these new challenges,” he said.</p>
<p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7234817.stm" type="external">Read more</a></p> | Putin and the New 'Arms Race' | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/putin-and-the-new-arms-race/ | 2008-02-09 | 4 |
<p>Just about a year ago, my wife and I, with four Polish and American friends, were having lunch with Pope John Paul II in the papal apartment. An hour into our conversation, Bishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, the Pope’s secretary, leaned over the dessert and asked quietly, “Do you think the ladies would like to see the icon?” I said I thought they certainly would, and the rest of the company, too.</p>
<p>I had been shown this astonishing artifact three months earlier, at Castel Gandolfo; there, it had rested on the altar of the Pope’s chapel. Bishop Dziwisz now brought the icon from the apartment chapel and passed it around the table. My wife and friends were stunned by the priceless diamond and ruby-encrusted frame which partially covers the icon itself, whose extraordinary history was then explained.</p>
<p>Our Lady of Kazan is one of Russia’s most venerated religious images. A long list of miracles is attributed to the icon, which depicts Mary and the Christ Child looking, not at each other, but at those contemplating the image. The 13th-century Kazanskaya, as she is known, has long been regarded as the “liberatrix and protectress of Holy Mother Russia.” Brought to the new imperial capital of St. Petersburg in 1721, she was transferred in 1811 to the Cathedral of Kazan, built there especially to house her. On Christmas Day, 1812, the czar offered the “Mother of God of Kazan” the captured flags of Napoleon’s army.</p>
<p>In 1904, thieves stole the icon; a decade and a half later, Lenin’s Bolsheviks turned the cathedral into a museum of atheism. No one knows how the miraculous icon escaped Soviet Russia. The Kazanskaya made her next appearance at an art auction in Poland after World War I. Then she disappeared again, only to re-emerge in the 1950s in an English castle. There, she was recognized by an exiled Russian countess; her claim that this was indeed the original “Mother of God of Kazan” was supported by a senior Russian Orthodox bishop, who came from his Paris exile to examine the icon.</p>
<p>Having subsequently been sold to satisfy estate taxes, the Kazanskaya eventually found her way to the United States, through whom or by what means no one seems to know. When a private art collector decided to put the icon up for sale, it was obtained by the Blue Army, which raised millions of dollars to redeem the Kazanskaya and transfer it to Fatima. Some years ago, the Blue Army decided to give the icon to Pope John Paul II, so that he could bring it back to Russia whenever it became possible for him to make his long-awaited pilgrimage there. Ever since, the icon has never been far from the Pope. When he leaves the Apostolic Palace to go to his summer residence, Castel Gandolfo, the Kazansyaka goes with him.</p>
<p>John Paul has told the Patriarch of Moscow, Aleksy II, that he has no intention of holding onto this irreplaceable Russian religious treasure. Rather, he would like to return it to the Russian people and the Orthodox Church in person, in Russia, as a sign of his profound regard for the Christian East. Thus far, as we know, the Patriarch has declined to invite the Pope and, so to speak, the Kazanskaya, to Russia.</p>
<p>The December 2000 issue of Inside the Vatican has an extensive cover story on this amazing business. Some will be a little skeptical of the magazine’s attempt to link the drama of the Kazanskaya to various theories of the Fatima apparitions — the saga is remarkable enough in its own right without further embellishment. But the crucial ecumenical point remains: the Pope (who once told me, “Russia is a big part of the story”) burns to bring one of Russia’s holiest images back home, and in doing so, to illustrate Rome’s fraternal love for the largest Church of the Christian East. And no one who believes that Providence acts in history will deny that the incredible journey of the Kazanskaya is, in a word, providential.</p>
<p>Or, as John Paul himself said at Fatima, a year after he was shot in his front yard, St. Peter’s Square, “In the designs of Providence there are no mere ‘coincidences’.”</p>
<p>George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.</p> | A Papal Gift to Russia | false | https://eppc.org/publications/a-papal-gift-to-russia/ | 1 | |
<p>WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — The popular cable television show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is planning to film in coastal North Carolina.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/foodanddining/20180119/guy-fieri-to-film-in-wilmington" type="external">StarNews reports</a> that filming permits show that the Food Network series will film scenes in a number of Wilmington-area restaurants.</p>
<p>The permit says that the crews will film chefs cooking signature dishes at Fork n Cork, Copper Penny, Something Fishy, Sweet n Savory and Ceviche’s on Wednesday and Thursday.</p>
<p>The show’s host, Guy Fieri, will be also hosting private meals as part of a fundraiser for the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington.</p>
<p>WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — The popular cable television show Diners, Drive-ins and Dives is planning to film in coastal North Carolina.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/foodanddining/20180119/guy-fieri-to-film-in-wilmington" type="external">StarNews reports</a> that filming permits show that the Food Network series will film scenes in a number of Wilmington-area restaurants.</p>
<p>The permit says that the crews will film chefs cooking signature dishes at Fork n Cork, Copper Penny, Something Fishy, Sweet n Savory and Ceviche’s on Wednesday and Thursday.</p>
<p>The show’s host, Guy Fieri, will be also hosting private meals as part of a fundraiser for the Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington.</p> | Popular Food Network show to film in coastal North Carolina | false | https://apnews.com/99379d630f214a4ebb2b54901a488fd4 | 2018-01-21 | 2 |
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<p>Like the Albuquerque Journal editorial board, we envision a New Mexico where the economy and quality of life are as wonderful as the scenery, cultural traditions and local food. We want a New Mexico where more people have the knowledge and skills needed to earn family-sustaining wages, where businesses are born and flourish, and where crime and drug use are a scourge of the past. We believe everyone is better off when no one is left behind. As optimists, we believe such a New Mexico is possible. As realists, we know it will take hard work and strategic investments.</p>
<p>We believe one good and strategic investment is to ensure that all babies – no matter how much money their parents make – get the prenatal, birth, and infant care that gives them the healthiest start possible. The Journal believes it is a tragedy that Medicaid covers 72 percent of New Mexico’s births, as they make clear in their April 2 editorial.</p>
<p>The real tragedy, of course, is New Mexico’s poverty rate. Poverty, as the academics say, is “sticky.” It has multiple causes that entangle every aspect of life for the people who are in it. One of the best indicators of whether someone will live in poverty as an adult is whether they lived in it as a child. As sticky as poverty is, the cycle can be broken. And it must be broken if New Mexico is ever to live up to its potential. As advocates for children, we believe it’s only through strategic investments – like Medicaid – that we can break the cycle of poverty.</p>
<p>Consider this from the editorial: “Having that much of the state’s population depend on tax dollars to cover the cost of births and infant health care is simply unsustainable.” On its face, that statement makes sense. But replace “births and infant health care” with “education.” It no longer makes sense, does it? No one would say that it is “unsustainable” to have 72 percent of the state’s children depend on tax dollars to cover the cost of education. We know that education is a smart public investment that makes our economy possible – so much so that states are working to expand it. Thanks to advances in science, we now understand that the brain architecture that makes learning possible is built within the first five years of life. So it’s now broadly accepted that early childhood care and learning services are a smart public investment that further leverages the investments we make in K-12 education. We need to recognize programs that ensure healthy births are the same kind of smart investments necessary for tomorrow’s workforce. Similarly, investments in health, especially for women, translate not only to improved child well-being but also to economic growth, research shows. The key challenge with our current health care system is that multitudes cannot access it. Even routine health care – such as a complication-free birth – is now too expensive for average Americans to pay for out of pocket. If we’d designed our educational system so that multitudes could not access it, a huge swath of the public would be unable to read or write. Fortunately, we didn’t.</p>
<p>Offering Medicaid to pregnant women who otherwise would not have health care is more than a way to help ensure New Mexico’s children are born as healthy as possible. It’s also more cost-effective than fixing preventable problems later. What we really need is an economy that doesn’t leave so many hard-working people behind without health coverage. That’s the outcome New Mexico Voices for Children has a vested interest in creating.</p>
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<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Making sure babies are born healthy is a smart investment | false | https://abqjournal.com/986319/making-sure-babies-are-born-healthy-is-a-smart-investment.html | 2 | |
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<p>House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Thursday said he hasn’t changed his mind about the need to overhaul Medicare, but he also signaled that President-elect Donald Trump – who made a campaign pledge to leave entitlements alone if elected -- hasn’t, either.</p>
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<p>"We've had a couple of conversations about it. Look, we don't all agree on everything. It's - I think people kind of know that," Ryan said during a televised town hall.</p>
<p>Earlier in the week, incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said more of the same.</p>
<p>“I don’t think President-elect Trump wants to meddle with Medicare or Social Security,” Priebus said during a weekend talk show. “He made a promise in the campaign that that was something that he didn’t want to do.”</p>
<p>Robert Quinlan, managing member of Quinlan Care LLC, discussed with FOXBusiness.com some already planned changes coming to Medicare in 2017, and what to expect under the new Trump administration.</p>
<p>Boomer: What changes should we expect for Medicare in 2017?</p>
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<p>Quinlan: The annual deductible for Medicare’s Part B to cover doctor bills is slated to increase this year to $204 from $166 in 2016. We can also expect to see higher premiums and deductibles rise for Medicare’s Part D plans to cover our prescription drugs.</p>
<p>Boomer: Any predictions about the future of our current health plans and Medicare under the upcoming Trump administration?</p>
<p>Quinlan: I am expecting that President elect Trump will repeal portions of the current federal Affordable Care Act (ACA, sometimes called Obama Care) in the first 100 days of his administration. Some political watchers predict that he will execute a “repeal and delay” strategy to immediately repeal certain portions of the ACA, like the current IRS penalty if you do not have any health insurance. Under this scenario, we would experience a delay in new health care reform legislation until Congress passes new health provisions in 2017 or into 2018.&#160; Medicare changes will also be likely be proposed in 2017 or in 2018.</p>
<p>Trump has nominated Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia to be head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which regulates a large portion of our health care system. Price is a medical doctor/surgeon, and has been a sharp critic of the Affordable Care Act.&#160;He and others in our Congress have proposed major changes to Medicare like raising the age of eligibility for Medicare to age 66 or 67 (currently at age 65) and increasing Medicare premiums.</p>
<p>The bigger change to achieve more control over Medicare’s rising cost growth (swelling number of baby boomers and age-related expenses for illnesses from Americans) would be moving away from the current “fee for service” current model under Medicare Parts A and B and move into more private insurance health plans like the current Part C Medicare Advantage plans.&#160;Under this option called “premium support,” Medicare recipients would choose a private health plan and the federal government would make a predetermined contribution for medical expenses.&#160;Any unreimbursed balance due would be paid by the recipient.&#160;This option would be of major concern to many Americans who live on a fixed income with limited lifetime savings.</p>
<p>Boomer: How do I know what my monthly premium will be for my Medicare’s Part B that covers 80% of my doctor visits and outpatient procedures?</p>
<p>Quinlan:&#160;Your monthly premium for Part B is based on your annual income.&#160;The 2017 base monthly premium is $134, but not everyone is paying this amount.&#160;For people who have their Part B monthly premium directly deducted from their monthly Social Security retirement check (the majority of Americans choose this option) these Medicare recipients will pay less than the base monthly premium of $134.&#160;These people (about 70% of Social Security recipients) will be treated with a lower monthly premium under a provision called “hold harmless” in federal law.&#160;The average Part B premium protected by this “hold harmless” provision will be $109.</p>
<p>If your income is equal to or below $85,000 for an individual ($170,000 for couples), the 2017 base premium is $134.&#160;If your income is between $85,001 and $107,000 (and $170,001 and $214,000 for couples), the 2017 premium will rise to $187.50. Above $214,000 ($428,000 for couples) in annual income, the monthly premium will be $428.60.</p>
<p>However, not everyone is protected by the “hold harmless” provision.&#160; This provision will not protect you (you will face higher premium than the base premium) if you are new to Medicare (enrolled in 2016 or 2017) and people already paying higher-income related premiums like those in the above paragraph.&#160; In these cases, you will face higher monthly premiums for your Medicare Part B coverage.</p>
<p>Boomer: What if my annual income changes from one year to another?</p>
<p>Quinlan: The Medicare Part B premium and Part D for prescription drug coverage are based on your annual income from two years ago. So your 2017 premium for Medicare Part B will be based on your annual income in 2015.</p> | Medicare's Future Under Trump White House | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/01/13/medicares-future-under-trump-white-house.html | 2017-01-13 | 0 |
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<p>Anna Nogar and Enrique Lamadrid will discuss and autograph “Sisters in Blue” at 1 p.m. Oct. 5, at the UNM Bookstore, main campus.</p>
<p>An Albuquerque author has written a sweet, magical story for small children about a pair of world-traveling beach shoes.</p>
<p>Vicki Dean Mayhew’s book “Sea Shoes” begins on a shoreline where a boy walking with his father decides to take his shoes off. An outgoing tide pulls the shoes out to sea.</p>
<p>The shoes sail on around the world for many, many years. They encounter starfish, dolphins, a walrus, an octopus, polar bear cubs and whales.</p>
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<p>Each try on the shoes, but they don’t fit. Eventually, the shoes are washed onto a different shore where a boy is walking with his father. The boy tries them on. Guess what. They fit him. Turns out this boy’s father was the boy at the start of the book. It completes a family circle, Mayhew said.</p>
<p>Vicki Dean Mayhew reads from and signs “Sea Shoes” at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande NW.</p>
<p>The illustrations in Mayhew’s book give the story a glow of candy-colored hues in images of rainbows, snowfalls, morning sunlight, moonlight and snow-sprinkled mountains.</p>
<p>Mayhew said the illustrator goes by the pen name of Kalpart.</p>
<p>Kalpart also illustrated Mayhew’s earlier book, “How the Unicorn Got His Horn Back.”</p>
<p>“Sea Shoes” has won two awards: the New Mexico Press Women’s Communications Contest and the National Press Women’s Award for Children’s Books – Fiction.</p>
<p>A map on facing pages shows where the shoes have traveled, starting in Southern California and ending in what appears to be the northern Atlantic coast of Florida. “I wanted for kids to get a sense of all the beautiful places in the world and how far the shoes had to go to get back to shore,” Mayhew said.</p>
<p>The book is aimed at ages 5 to 10.</p>
<p>An intriguing bilingual book for young readers is “Sisters in Blue, Sor María de Agreda Comes to New Mexico” by Ann M. Nogar and Enrique R. Lamadrid. It combines legend with fiction.</p>
<p>The first half of the book is a tale told in parallel narratives. The narratives are about the lives of Sor María, a legendary nun in Ágreda, Spain, and of the fictional Paf Sheuri, a young pueblo woman in New Mexico. The story, set in the 17th century, reveals similarities in environments, in religious symbolism, in midsummer celebrations and in experiences.</p>
<p>The women come to know each other after Sor María makes a spiritual “journey” to New Mexico, where she converses with Paf Sheuri. Their closeness is represented in the book’s title, “Sisters in Blue.” Why the color blue? Because Sor Maria has been known over centuries as the “Lady in Blue” and Paf Sheuri’s name translates to “Blue Flower.”</p>
<p>The second half of the book is devoted to an essay, titled “Cultivating Legend and Connecting Places,” which gives historical context to the story.</p>
<p>Nogar is an associate professor of Spanish at the University of New Mexico, and Lamadrid is a Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Spanish at UNM. The illustrator is award-winning artist Amy Córdova of La Cienega.</p>
<p>Vicki Dean Mayhew reads from and signs “Sea Shoes” at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande NW.</p> | Two books aimed at children explore geography | false | https://abqjournal.com/1060740/two-books-aimed-at-children-explore-geography-and-the-similarities-of-distant-lands-and-cultures.html | 2 | |
<p>The place where you grew up has a way of staying with you for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>Abebe Haregewoin knows that feeling.&#160;</p>
<p>He's an oncologist in Silver Spring, Maryland. But he grew up in Ethiopia and lived in Addis Ababa when famine stalked the Horn of Africa nation back&#160;in the 1970s and 80s.&#160;</p>
<p>He's thinking about that a lot right now as Ethiopia heads into the "lean season."&#160;Those are the months between planting and harvesting, when there's not a lot of food around. This year, grain stocks will be even more meager than usual.</p>
<p>That's because in recent years the rains in the Horn of Africa haven't followed their usual cycles. Crops have withered. Haregewoin says there's already severe hunger, and in the coming months it will be significantly worse. At the moment, some 10&#160;million Ethiopians are not getting enough food and 4&#160;million children are at risk.</p>
<p>"But the world is now totally focused on Syria, and this is really not obvious to most people in the world," he says, adding that the Ethiopian government and groups like the <a href="http://wfpusa.org/blog/episode-4-examining-slow-motion-disaster-ethiopia" type="external">World Food Program</a> are trying to spotlight the crisis.&#160;</p>
<p>Haregewoin knows from what he saw decades ago&#160;that hunger saps not just the body, but the spirit.&#160;</p>
<p>"There are people who are totally turned into monsters by starvation and hunger. Stealing, fighting for food.&#160;And sort of becoming extremely pathological people," he says.&#160;</p>
<p>At the same time, he's witnessed how the famine has brought out the best in some Horn of Africa residents.&#160;</p>
<p>"People share in Ethiopia, that's our culture," he says. "We eat together. Sharing is part of our make-up."&#160;</p>
<p>These days flash floods are hitting many of the regions where hunger is most acute, making it difficult for trucks to reach those in need. &#160;</p>
<p>The drought and the floods put Ethiopia on the precarious front lines of climate change.&#160;</p>
<p>"Climate change is not a myth, it's a reality," he argues. "I've seen it in my own lifetime."&#160;</p>
<p>With an even more severe hunger crisis in the offing, some Ethiopian expats have mobilized to seek donations to help those in need. Haregewoin set up a <a href="http://wfpusa.org/blog/crowdfunding-hope-ethiopia" type="external">Go Fund Me page</a> to support food aid. So did Ethiopian Abraham Debebe from Minneapolis. The two men found each other and joined ranks. It&#160;took them just a few weeks to raise more than $30,000.&#160;</p>
<p>But the need is great, and for Haregewoin the possibility of another devastating famine is always foremost on his mind. &#160;</p>
<p>"I think about Ethiopia day and night," he says. "I worry about Ethiopia, I am spiritually, mentally connected to Ethiopia."&#160;</p>
<p>And that, he says, is the reality for so many Ethiopian expats, who feel especially far from their homeland in its moment of need.&#160;</p> | Famine haunted his childhood in Ethiopia. Now he sees food running out again. | false | https://pri.org/stories/2016-05-05/famine-haunted-his-childhood-ethiopia-now-he-sees-food-running-out-again | 2016-05-05 | 3 |
<p>Answer honestly. As a bicyclist do you follow all the rules and regulations of the road?</p>
<p>Ever zipped over the speed limit, or glided past a stop sign when no one’s around?</p>
<p>When it comes to obeying traffic laws, “we’re all criminals,” says <a href="http://www.wesleymarshall.com/" type="external">Wesley Marshall,</a> an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado.</p>
<p>After surveying 18,000 people, Marshall is trying to understand why cyclists, in particular, might bend or flat-out ignore traffic regulations.</p>
<p>“When you look at the transportation system and the laws we have, pretty much everybody is a criminal. ... We’ve all gone a few miles an hour over the speed limit, and as a society we seem OK with that.”</p>
<p>We often imagine these reckless New York bike messenger-like people, Marshall says. The criticism gathered by the survey was sometimes quite venomous, he said, even when discussing perfectly legal maneuvers, such as coming into and taking the lane.</p>
<p>“People think that is rude.”</p>
<p>The study gathered similar rates of infraction — 8 percent to 9 percent for drivers, and 7 to 8 percent for cyclists.&#160;And when Marshall researched the reasons a cyclist might break a traffic law, it turns out they are doing it for nearly the same reasons that a driver would, but with one difference.</p>
<p>Drivers and pedestrians will drive through or walk against a red light to save time.</p>
<p>“They’re not trying to be reckless or rude,” Marshall said.&#160;“Cyclists, they’re doing it for their own personal safety or perceived safety. They felt like they’re more visible.”</p>
<p>On a transportation grid designed with cars in mind, Marshall says cyclists are acting on what they perceive is better for their safety. It is a rational choice in a cyclist’s decision-making, he said. At a red light with no other cars crossing, a cyclist can get a head start on the next block.</p>
<p>“It’s interesting that you would break the law to feel safer,” Marshall says.&#160;</p>
<p>A city with a great deal of mass transit is expected to be a lot safer than a typical driving city, Marshall says. But cities with lots of bicyclists, which you might think would be more dangerous, are in reality much safer.</p>
<p>“Our safest cities are the ones with a ton of bicycling. And the Netherlands is one of the safest countries in the world, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23587916" type="external">also has a ton of bicycling.</a>”</p> | Survey finds bicyclists and motorists ignore traffic laws at similar rates | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-07-18/survey-finds-bicyclists-and-motorists-ignore-traffic-laws-similar-rates | 2015-07-18 | 3 |
<p>International Council of Shopping Centers CEO Tom McGee on Amazon Prime Day, QVC's purchase of HSN and the future of retail.</p>
<p>While the retail industry has largely shifted to online in recent years, Tom McGee, CEO of the International Council of Shopping Centers, believes there is room for different kinds of product consumption.</p>
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<p>“I think in a couple years we’ll stop talking about online vs. physical and we’ll talk about retail and retail will be you know multiple channels but they’ll really operate in a really synergistic way,” McGee said during an appearance on the FOX Business Network Monday.</p>
<p>At the forefront of the industry is Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN),&#160;which is launching its third annual Prime Day from 9 p.m. Monday to 3 a.m. Wednesday – a 25% longer window than it was last year.</p>
<p>Despite Amazon’s success, McGee says it does not completely dictate the industry’s future.</p>
<p>“Amazon has had incredible success but you know Amazon’s an $80 billion retailer in North America…$80 billion compared to almost $5 trillion of retail sales, I mean there’s a huge amount of sales that happen in this country that don’t happen because of Amazon but Amazon is clearly influencing the industry and driving it to change.”</p>
<p>Leading the increased shift towards online sales are Millennials, who are continuing to demand more cost effective and convenient ways to purchase goods.</p>
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<p>“I’m bullish on the industry in the long-term because of demographics, because you have this huge Millennial generation that’s going to age into their prime consumption years,” McGee said.</p>
<p>The shift to digital retail will also have a long-term effect on malls as retail bankruptcies continue to rise. The most recent bankruptcies come from The Limited (NYSE:LB), True Religion (NASDAQ:TRLG), Wet Seal (NASDAQ:WTSL), hhgregg (OTCMKTS:HGGG), RadioShack (OTC:RSH), rue21 (NASDAQ:RUE) and Payless (NYSE:PSS). Despite the retail doomsday headlines in the news lately, McGee says that change is not necessarily a bad thing.</p>
<p>“There’s been 3,000 store closures that have been announced but there’s been 2,000 store openings that have been announced as well so I think there’s clearly change going on in the industry, nobody should dispute that but I am optimistic about the health of the industry,” McGee said.</p> | As Amazon sales soar and retail bankruptcies rise, industry execs remain ‘bullish’ | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/07/10/amazon-online-sales-soar-bankruptcies-rise-but-industry-remains-bullish.html | 2017-07-11 | 0 |
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<p>By David AdamsSt. Petersburg TimesPublished: 7/30/05</p>
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<p>Holding public officials accountable is a fundamental part of the job of journalism, said Aly Colón, who teaches media ethics at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, which owns the St. Petersburg Times.</p>
<p>"But journalists need to think long and hard about the impact and scope of their reporting about public officials and what is pertinent to the public work they do," he said. "It's getting increasingly harder to draw that distinction for the public as well as the press." <a href="http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/30/State/What_pushed_politicia.shtml" type="external">More of this article...</a> <a href="http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&amp;ned=us&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=%22Aly+Colon%22" type="external">Search Google News for more quotes by Aly Colón...</a></p>
<p>&#160;</p> | What pushed politician over the edge? | false | https://poynter.org/news/what-pushed-politician-over-edge | 2005-08-04 | 2 |
<p>DEBALTSEVE, Ukraine — “God save and preserve us” is written on a blackboard in one of the many ad-hoc bomb shelters in Debaltseve, a strategic railway hub in eastern Ukraine. Here over a hundred people — Including children and elderly pensioners — take refuge from the shelling.</p>
<p>As the newly-signed ceasefire came into effect, there was no let up in the drive of Russian-backed rebel forces to capture the town and redraw the frontlines of the conflict’s map.</p>
<p>Over the last several weeks, indiscriminate shelling and rocket attacks — the signature tactic of the Ukraine conflict — have intensified sharply. Civilians in Debaltseve, a front-line town that remains under Ukrainian control, if barely, are living in fear.</p>
<p>Hostilities first broke out in Debaltseve in late July 2014, so the town has now endured six months of near-continuous bombardment. But residents say that recent weeks have been the worst period of the entire war. Since early January, a deepening humanitarian crisis has added to the population’s misery. Electric lines have been cut; fresh water no longer flows, and stores and markets have closed.</p>
<p>In the harsh Ukrainian winter, life in Debaltseve is near impossible.</p>
<p>Yet, as I found when I visited the town recently, Debaltseve is far from empty. Entering crowded basements filled with beds, I met people hoping to survive the fighting by staying underground. They depended on humanitarian aid for food, gathered water from dirty puddles, huddled under blankets and burned scraps of wood to keep warm.&#160;</p>
<p>“We’re living like mice,” one woman exclaimed, “hiding underground in the darkness.”</p>
<p>A town of some 25,000 people in normal times, Debaltseve now has a few thousand inhabitants. The majority of townspeople fled over the summer, some even before fighting in the area began; others left in the autumn, and there has been a drastic upsurge in evacuations in the past two weeks.</p>
<p>But even as some locals waited in line to catch buses that would take them to safety, others were adamant that they would stay.</p>
<p>“Where could I go?” was a question I heard several times. “I have no place to go.”</p>
<p>Among the people remaining in Debaltseve are the oldest, the poorest and the most desperate hanging onto the little that they have. Most townspeople with money and options left long ago. While I saw some families and young children in Debaltseve, they were far outnumbered by pensioners, particularly widows, who have extremely limited incomes and little savings.</p>
<p>“We don’t want to abandon our house,” one woman said, explaining why she and her husband had stayed. “It’s everything that we have.” Yet, their house had been hit by shelling, its roof damaged and windows broken. The two were living in a communal bomb shelter.</p>
<p>Death strikes those who remain with terrifying capriciousness. Anna Korennaya, a widowed 50-year-old, went outside to bring back some water one afternoon and was struck by shrapnel just after she left her building.</p>
<p>“It had been quiet,” an eyewitness to the rocket attack told me, “and then there was a big boom. I fell, ran inside, and when I came out, after the attack was over, I found her body on the ground.”</p>
<p>Korennaya’s 75-year-old mother was bereft and had no money to cover the funeral costs. “We have nothing,” her mother told me. “We paid for the funeral on credit. We owe money to the grave diggers.”</p>
<p>The director of the nearest functioning morgue in Artemovsk said he was appalled by the mounting number of dead civilians he was seeing. The victims, he said, include children as young as one. Nearly all of the casualties have been killed by shrapnel from rockets and mortars. He also said that elderly people were dying in greater numbers of heart attacks, pneumonia and other illnesses because of shortages of medicine and the difficulty of accessing medical care.</p>
<p>Many have fled to the railway station in the town of Sloviansk, where I saw evacuees from Debaltseve being given a hot meal by volunteers before being relocated to other towns and cities. Nearby, in a crowded waiting room, people stood in line for free train tickets to Kiev and other places.</p>
<p>“We were under shelling—three houses on my street were hit yesterday,” a 76-year-old widow said when I asked her why she had left the town. “And we’ve had no water, no electricity, no heating in our house for the past month. It’s too cold for us to survive there.”</p>
<p>Valentina Chaika, 65, said that she had spent a month living in the basement of her building before she fled the town. “There are no windows left in my apartment,” she explained.</p>
<p>Like others I spoke to in Sloviansk, Valentina didn’t know where she would be going next. She also wondered when and if she would be able to return.</p>
<p>Given the ongoing fighting, whether the town will be left in a condition fit to return to is far from clear.</p>
<p>Joanne Mariner is Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Advisor.&#160;</p> | In Debaltseve, a Ukrainian town under heavy fire, life is miserable | false | https://pri.org/stories/2015-02-17/debaltseve-ukrainian-town-under-heavy-fire-life-miserable | 2015-02-17 | 3 |
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<p />
<p>The wind had begun a day earlier, and while it had not relented, it had waned a touch. But a thawing of another sort was also taking place. <a href="https://d3el53au0d7w62.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/06/Johnson_Ed_sig.jpg" type="external" /></p>
<p>Davie’s Lobo football program had just held off UT San Antonio in the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. It was not a signature win that comes after beating a highly ranked team. It was not even of the stature of the victory UNM had at Boise State a bit more than a year ago.</p>
<p>Still, there was a significance in what had played out Saturday in front of 29,688 fans. It had given the Lobos a nine-win season, an occasion as uncommon in these parts as a Christmas Day snowstorm.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>“There was an energy in that stadium,” Davie would later say.</p>
<p>There was also a rare display of public admiration for the football program and, it seemed, for Davie himself.</p>
<p>Fans approached him, his players and his assistants, and told them how much they appreciated their work. The coaches and players told the fans how much they valued them.</p>
<p>“I know it made a difference to somebody,” Davie said of the game and the season.</p>
<p>Davie, not the cuddliest of guys, suddenly was getting a little love.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, across the street, where Craig Neal conducts his business, a cold shoulder had formed. Neal was preparing his team for a yawn of a basketball game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff – a game UNM would win by 40 points, but was beside the point.</p>
<p>Neal, in his fourth season in charge of the program Lobo fans hold most dear, has come under intense scrutiny – his popularity decreasing as Davie’s rises. His first team really belonged to Steve Alford, the common rote goes. His second year was marked by inexperience and injuries. His third edition was about integrating new talent.</p>
<p>But this season brought the expectations that many UNM basketball teams have carried since Bob King ignited a flame in the roaring ’60s – contend for a conference title, vie for an NCAA Tournament berth.</p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p>
<p>Yet, on the eve of MWC play, the Lobos stand 7-5, having lost three of their last five.</p>
<p>While almost no one expected them to beat 18th-ranked Arizona on Tuesday, only the most dedicated of haters were predicting a 31-point embarrassment. Arizona obviously has dominated the series (84-42), but many of the previous encounters were competitive, even heated. There was more heat at University Stadium on Saturday than in the arena in Tucson on Tuesday.</p>
<p>“We’ve got to do some soul-searching,” Neal said in the aftermath.</p>
<p>The optimistic refrain now is that the MWC season rekindles hope. The first couple of games – Wednesday at home against Fresno State and New Year’s Day at San Diego State – will offer a hint.</p>
<p>Still, winning a mediocre league likely won’t bring any more respect than the football team has gotten even with the recent uptick in wins. Unsightly losses to New Mexico State and Rutgers tainted the progress of UNM’s program. The fans stumbled over each other climbing off the bandwagon.</p>
<p>But while some fans are returning to the fold, the Lobos did not quit on Davie. They did not quit on themselves.</p>
<p>“I’ve been honored to play for this program,” senior linebacker Dakota Cox said.</p>
<p>Will Neal’s Lobos leave this season with a similar refrain? Will an identity emerge, and will it include a toughness to block the noise in the meantime?</p>
<p>Will Neal learn what it is to be a successful head coach, or is he doomed with being tagged “a good assistant?”</p>
<p>How many times can he admit to being at fault before athletic director Paul Krebs (or the new UNM president) believes him?</p>
<p>Did UNM make enough TV football money to buy out Neal?</p>
<p>Does Benicio del Toro have a role for the basketball coach in his new movie – perhaps as an aging motorcycle-driving rebel who takes a lonely spin into a sunset?</p>
<p>Does the future have in it a public embrace for Craig Neal, or is this the beginning of a long goodbye?</p>
<p />
<p /> | Ed Johnson: Questions for Neal, a little love for Davie | false | https://abqjournal.com/914741/questions-for-neal-a-little-love-for-davie.html | 2 | |
<p>Jared Loughner</p>
<p>Right-wing pundits have come out vociferously against the idea that they, their colleagues and the political movement they identify with have anything to answer for in the wake of the Tucson massacre.</p>
<p>David Brooks (New York Times, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/opinion/11brooks.html" type="external">1/11/11</a>) asserted that “the evidence before us suggests that [shooting suspect Jared] Loughner was locked in a world far removed from politics as we normally understand it,” rejecting as “vicious charges” the notion that the gunman “unleashed his rampage because he was incited by the violent rhetoric of the Tea Party, the anti-immigrant movement and Sarah Palin.” George Will (Washington Post, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/10/AR2011011003685.html" type="external">1/11/11</a>) bitterly denounced the “political opportunism” of “charlatans” who subscribe to the “superstition that all behavior can be traced to some diagnosable frame of mind that is a product of promptings from the social environment.” Charles Krauthammer (Washington Post, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/11/AR2011011106068.html" type="external">1/12/11</a>) insisted that “there is no evidence that he was responding to anything, political or otherwise, outside of his own head,” marveling that those who suggest otherwise would make a charge “so reckless, so scurrilous and so unsupported by evidence.”</p>
<p>It’s comforting to think that evil-doers exist in a vacuum, and the evil that they do has no relation to anyone else. Dismissing Loughner as a lone nut, however, is much more difficult when one considers the startling number of incidents of political violence in the last few years. From a lengthy list of violent events and reckless rhetoric compiled by the <a href="http://www.csgv.org/issues-and-campaigns/guns-democracy-and-freedom/insurrection-timeline" type="external">Coalition to Stop Gun Violence</a>, I’ve excerpted the cases that involved gunfire or other overtly deadly acts; the complete timeline includes numerous other episodes in which police disrupted violent plans before they were carried out:</p>
<p />
<p>July 27, 2008–Jim Adkisson shoots and kills two people at a progressive church in Knoxville, Tennessee, wounding two. Adkisson calls it “ <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/knoxville-church-shooters-manifesto" type="external">a symbolic killing</a>” because he really “ <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/knoxville-church-shooters-manifesto" type="external">wanted to kill every Democrat in the Senate &amp; House, the 100 people in Bernard Goldberg’s book</a>,” but was unable to gain access to them….</p>
<p>April 4, 2009–Neo-Nazi Richard Poplawski shoots and kills three police officers responding to a 911 call to his home in Pittsburgh. His friend Edward Perkovic tells reporters that Poplawski feared “ <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/pittsburgh-shooter-poplawski-didnt-o" type="external">the Obama gun ban that’s on its way</a>” and “ <a href="http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/pittsburgh-shooter-poplawski-didnt-o" type="external">didn’t like our rights being infringed upon</a>.” Perkovic also commented that Poplawski carried out the shooting because “ <a href="http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001115/" type="external">if anyone tried to take his firearms, he was gonna stand by what his forefathers told him to do</a>.”…</p>
<p>April 25, 2009–Joshua Cartwright, 28, a member of the Florida National Guard, shoots and kills two Okaloosa County sheriff’s deputies attempting to arrest him on a domestic abuse charge. Cartwright is killed in an ensuing gun battle with police. Cartwright’s wife reports that he was “ <a href="http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/cartwright-16963-elizabeth-deputies.html" type="external">severely disturbed</a>” that Barack Obama had been elected president. Okaloosa County Sheriff Edward Spooner states that Cartrwight was “ <a href="http://cbs2.com/national/police.shooting.sheriffs.2.995014.html" type="external">interested in militia groups and weapons training</a>.”…</p>
<p>May 31, 2009–Scott P. Roeder shoots and kills Dr. George Tiller, an abortion provider, in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. The FBI lists Roeder as a member of the Montana Freemen, a radical anti-government group.In April 1996, he had been pulled over in Topeka, Kansas, for driving with a homemade license plate. Police found a military-style rifle, ammunition, a blasting cap, a fuse cord, a one-pound can of gunpowder, and two 9-volt batteries in his car….</p>
<p>June 10, 2009–James W. von Brunn, a convicted felon and a “ <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/10/dc.museum.shooting.suspect/" type="external">hardcore Neo-Nazi</a>,” walks into the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and shoots and kills a security guard. Von Brunn believed that Western civilization was going to be replaced with a “ <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/primary_sources/2009/06/10/von_brunn/index.html" type="external">ONE WORLD ILLUMINATI GOVERNMENT</a>” that would “ <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/primary_sources/2009/06/10/von_brunn/index.html" type="external">confiscate private weapons</a>” in order to accomplish its goals….</p>
<p>July 13, 2009— <a href="http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7db_1247676436" type="external">Gilbert Ortez, Jr. kills a police deputy in Chambers County, Texas, with an assault rifle</a>. Police were responding to reports that Ortez or his wife had fired shots at utility workers in the area.Police searching Ortez’s mobile home after a 10-hour standoff find more than 100 explosive devices; Nazi drawings and extremist literature; and several additional firearms….</p>
<p>December 23, 2009—Warren “Gator” Taylor takes three people hostage at a federal post office in Wytheville, Virginia. He is armed with four guns, including a .40-caliber Glock pistol, despite a criminal record that includes convictions for lewd and lascivious behavior with a 13-year-old and attempted second-degree murder. (Taylor shot his ex-wife three times in a parking lot in 1993.) Taylor fires at least three rounds before the stand-off ends, including one at the station’s fleeing postmaster. One of Taylor’s hostages reports that he was angry about taxes and “ <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091225/ap_on_re_us/us_hostage_situation_post_office" type="external">the government taking over the right to bear arms</a>.”… February 18, 2010—Joseph Stack of Austin, Texas, flies a single-engine plane into an office building containing nearly 200 IRS employees, killing one and wounding 13. In a suicide note, Stack lays out his grievances with the federal tax agency, stating, “ <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/18/joe-stack-statement-alleg_n_467539.html?page=1" type="external">The law ‘requires’ a signature on the bottom of a tax filing; yet no one can say truthfully that they understand what they are signing; if that’s not ‘duress’ than what is. If this is not the measure of a totalitarian regime, nothing is…. Violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer</a>.”…</p>
<p>March 4, 2010—John Patrick Bedell, a California resident, travels to Arlington, Virginia, and opens fire on police officers at the entrance to the Pentagon. Bedell is armed with two semiautomatic firearms and “many [ammunition] magazines.” Bedell injures two officers before he is killed by return fire. Reports reveal Bedell to be a Truther who believed that the U.S. government had been taken over by a criminal organization in a 1963 coup. In an Internet posting, he writes, “ <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iCKwXk17aAr3T_8Z9nN4iUwQPnngD9E8KP283" type="external">This organization, like so many murderous governments throughout history, would see the sacrifice of thousands of its citizens, in an event such as the September 11 attacks, as a small cost in order to perpetuate its barbaric control</a>.”…</p>
<p>March 23, 2010—After Mike Troxel of the Lynchburg Tea Party and Nigel Coleman of the Danville Tea Party post the home address of the brother of Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) and urge supporters to “ <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34843.html" type="external">drop by</a>,” someone <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/35040.html" type="external">deliberately cuts</a> a propane gas line at the house. Rep. Perriello is targeted by the Tea Party activists because of his vote in favor of healthcare reform. Perriello’s brother and his wife have four children under the age of eight….</p>
<p>April 7, 2010—Brody James Whitaker, 37, is apprehended and arrested on charges including two counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, aggravated fleeing, and attempting to elude. The charges stem from an incident on March 25, 2010 in which police attempted to pull Whitaker over for a traffic violation on I-75 in Sumter County, Florida. Whitaker led officers on a high-speed chase, fired shots at them from a 9mm handgun and escaped capture. During his arraignment hearing, Whitaker questions the authority of the judge and states, “ <a href="http://articles.courant.com/2010-04-07/business/hc-manhunt-winsted-0406_1_troopers-state-police-bail" type="external">I am a sovereign. I am not an American citizen</a>.” …</p>
<p>May 20, 2010— <a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/kane_west_memphis_arkansas_shootings.php" type="external">Jerry Kane, Jr., 45, and his son Joseph Kane, 16, fatally shoot two Arkansas police officers with AK-47 assault rifles during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 40 in West Memphis. The Kanes are killed during an exchange of gunfire with police in a Walmart parking lot 90 minutes later</a>. Jerry Kane, an Ohio resident and anti-government activist, had a long history with police and had recently spent three days in jail for driving with an expired license plate and no seat belt. Kane considered himself a “sovereign citizen” and ran a business that centered on debt-avoidance scams….</p>
<p>July 18, 2010–California Highway Patrol officers arrest Byron Williams, 45, after a shootout on I-580 in which more than 60 rounds are fired. Officers had pulled Williams over in his pick-up for speeding and weaving in and out of traffic when he opened fire on them with a handgun and a long gun. Williams, a convicted felon, is shot several times, but survives because he is wearing body armor. Williams…reveals that he was on his way to San Francisco to “ <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/21/MNMN1EHB37.DTL" type="external">start a revolution</a>” by killing employees of the ACLU and Tides Foundation. Williams’ mother says her son was angry at “ <a href="http://www.alan.com/2010/07/19/oakland-police-stop-suspected-right-wing-terrorist-who-was-angry-at-left-wing-politicians/" type="external">Left-wing politicians</a>” and upset by “ <a href="http://www.alan.com/2010/07/19/oakland-police-stop-suspected-right-wing-terrorist-who-was-angry-at-left-wing-politicians/" type="external">the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items</a>.”…</p>
<p>July 30, 2010–Camp Hill prison guard Raymond Peake, 64, is charged with robbery and the murder of Todd Getgen. Peake allegedly shot Getgen to death at a local shooting range and stole Getgen’s custom, silenced AR-15 rifle. Investigators follow Peake to a storage unit when they find three firearms: Getgen’s AR-15 rifle, a scoped Remington rifle that had been reported stolen from the range in May, and a second AR-15 rifle. Thomas Tuso is also arrested and charged with conspiracy, receiving stolen property and other crimes. Peake tells police that he and Tuso had been stealing guns “ <a href="http://www.whptv.com/mostpopular/story/UPDATE-Guards-charged-in-shooting-suspended/T7TywdSx-0efWskrT3nupg.cspx" type="external">for the purpose of overthrowing the federal government</a>.”…</p>
<p>August 17, 2010–Patrick Gray Sharp, 29, opens fire on the Department of Public Safety in McKinney, Texas, and unsuccessfully attempts to ignite gasoline and ammonium nitrate in a trailer hitched to his truck. Sharp is armed with an assault rifle, a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol, and a 12-gauge shotgun. He is killed after an exchange of gunfire with police arriving on the scene. Miraculously, no one else is hurt. Sharp’s roommate, Eric McClellan describes him as “ <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100818/ap_on_re_us/us_police_station_shooting" type="external">a great guy</a>” and states, “ <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100818/ap_on_re_us/us_police_station_shooting" type="external">We’re Texans. We have a right to bear arms</a>.”…</p>
<p>September 1, 2010–James Jay Lee, 43, takes hostages at the Discovery Communications building in Silver Spring, Maryland, while armed with two starter pistols and four improvised explosive devices. After pointing a gun at one of the hostages, he is shot and killed by police. Lee, a radical environmental activist, had previously issued 11 demands through a <a href="http://savetheplanetprotest.com/" type="external">webpage</a> that Discovery was to meet “immediately.” The demands involved the content of programming on the Discovery Channel. Lee had also declared on his MySpace page, “It’s time for REVOLUTION!!!”…</p>
<p>October 22, 2010–Texas Department of Corrections officers searching for a missing person, Gill Clements, 69, are confronted by a neighbor while on Clements’ property in Henderson County. Howard Tod Granger, 46, points an AK-47 semiautomatic assault rifle at one of the officers, who recalls, “ <a href="http://www.athensreview.com/breakingnews/x1149338339/Former-Gov-son-found-dead" type="external">He told us to get off the property or he would kill us all</a>.” Later that afternoon, officers return to Granger’s home with a search warrant and an armored vehicle filled with 13 SWAT members. Granger opens fire on the vehicle, discharging at least 30 rounds before authorities shoot and kill him. Police find guns and “ <a href="http://www.athensreview.com/breakingnews/x1149338339/Former-Gov-son-found-dead" type="external">many rounds of ammunition</a>” in Granger’s house. They also find the body of Clements, buried in a shallow grave on Granger’s property….</p>
<p>January 8, 2011–Jared Lee Loughner, 22, shoots U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 19 others at a “Congress in Your Corner” event at a Safeway supermarket in Tucson, Arizona. He kills six, including federal Judge John Roll, and wounds 14, including Giffords, who is shot in the head. Loughner has an extensive history of mental illness and substance abuse, yet is able to purchase two handguns and a high-capacity ammunition magazine legally at Sportsman’s Warehouse on November 30, 2010. In a YouTube video posted in December 2010, Loughner states, “ <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Classitup10" type="external">You don’t have to accept the federalist laws…. Nonetheless, read the United States of America’s Constitution to apprehend all of the current treasonous laws</a>.”</p>
<p>These individuals no doubt have a range of relationships to reality, and their ideologies may likewise vary from Tea Party orthodoxy to idiosyncratic conspiracy mania. (One person on the list appears to be a genuine <a href="" type="internal">ecoterrorist</a>.) But it’s hard to deny that this seems like a remarkable amount of political violence in a little more than two-and-a-half years. (This impression is bolstered statistically by reports that the Secret Service has had to deal with a <a href="http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/10/new-report-find-secret-service-overwhelmed-by-increased-threats.php" type="external">400 percent increase</a> in threats against the president, that U.S. Marshals are facing <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/24/AR2009052402931.html" type="external">double</a> the number of threats against judges and prosecutors, and that Capitol Police found that threats against congressmembers <a href="http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/congress/113144084.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr" type="external">tripled</a> in the first quarter of 2010.)</p>
<p>Even more strikingly, this violence corresponds to a period that has seen a major change in the boundaries of political rhetoric from both pundits and politicians. A major media figures like Glenn Beck (Fox News, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8La5xLYo2-s" type="external">2/20/09</a>) can now fantasize about “citizen militias in the South and West taking up arms against the U.S. government”–and he could declare that government officials bent on forcibly vaccinating his children are going to “ <a href="http://mediamatters.org/blog/201010150025" type="external">meet Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson</a>.” People with regular slots on major networks didn’t use to talk this way. Nor did major-party Senate candidates declare that “ <a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/06/sharron_angle_floated_possibil.html" type="external">people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies</a>.” (See the Coalition’s <a href="http://www.csgv.org/issues-and-campaigns/guns-democracy-and-freedom/insurrection-timeline" type="external">complete list</a> for many other examples of media and political figures evoking violence in explicit, non-metaphorical statements.)</p>
<p>People who insist that the Tucson massacre has nothing to do with any of this are engaged in a desperate and dangerous denial.</p> | A Whole Lot of Lone Nuts | true | http://fair.org/blog/2011/01/12/a-whole-lot-of-lone-nuts/ | 2011-01-12 | 4 |
<p>By Jeff Brumley</p>
<p>Cooperative Baptist Fellowship leader Suzii Paynter ramped up her advocacy for immigration reform Aug. 28 in a conference call with reporters urging Texans in Congress to approve moral legislation that takes into account the economic needs of the nation and spiritual and physical needs of immigrants.</p>
<p>Paynter, executive coordinator of the Atlanta-based&#160;Fellowship, was joined on the afternoon telephone panel by Steve Case, chairman and CEO of Revolution and co-founder of America Online, and by Steve Pringle, legislative director of the Texas Agriculture Bureau, among others.</p>
<p>As a group, they presented a message&#160;to federal legislators that there is a growing and unified voice across party, theological and economic lines favoring a policy that provides a way for undocumented immigrants to obtain some sort of status that enables them to remain and work in the United States.</p>
<p>Wednesday’s Texas-focused event was part of&#160; <a href="http://www.bbbimmigration.org/" type="external">Bibles, Badges and Business</a>&#160;campaign, a state-by-state effort of the National Immigration Forum and the National Immigration Forum Action Fund.</p>
<p>Paynter, who served previously as executive director of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission,&#160;said CBF will continue its support of immigrant-friendly initiatives and ministries in Texas and is helping its Hispanic congregations mobilize so they can express the needs of immigrant communities.</p>
<p />
<p>Paynter said Congress has a lot of choices available to it, but the key is it must act when the August recess concludes. It’s also important that members realize that religious groups are mobilizing in favor of such laws.</p>
<p>Paynter said there is “a major leadership voice with other denominational bodies, like the Evangelical immigration Table” that&#160;is presenting Congress with “a unified faith voice.”</p>
<p>“It’s very important we understand the moral aspect of our laws,” she added.</p>
<p>Case said&#160;business&#160;is also becoming unified in its insistence that Congress take action to ensure America can continue to compete in the global economy. That&#160;means ensuring enough visas are available to highly skilled foreign workers.</p>
<p>Case said removing barriers to recruitment helps companies attract the best employees and enables foreigners to continue establishing U.S. companies. “Some see it as a security issue,”&#160;he said. “Others see it as a moral issue and others as a political issue. I see it more as an economic issue.”</p>
<p>Pringle urged representatives to keep agriculture in mind when they craft immigration reform. He noted that it’s a must in Texas, where 70 percent of the agricultural workforce comprises undocumented or illegally documented workers.</p>
<p>Regardless of the wages offered, the typical American worker will not perform the needed-but-tedious agricultural jobs in the state, Pringle said.</p>
<p>“Failure to pass a guest-worker program …&#160; will drive American jobs and agriculture overseas,” Pringle said. “We must have some sort of system to maintain agricultural production.”</p>
<p>Paynter wasn’t the only faith-based voice on the call. She was joined by Tim Moore, senior pastor of Walk Worthy Baptist Church in Austin.</p>
<p>Moore said he has the backing of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission in urging Texans in Congress to seek avenues through which illegal immigrants can obtain legal status.</p>
<p>Moore said he knows many in that situation who admit they’ve done wrong to enter the nation illegally and who want to get to the back of the line and make amends.</p>
<p>“My frustration is there is no line to send them to, to make that wrong right,” he said.</p>
<p>For Paynter, the event was a continuation of her high-profile entry into the immigration reform debate, which included participation in a July panel discussion in Dallas titled “What Immigrants Contribute: A Special Event on Immigration, Texas and Economic Growth.”</p> | CBF leader pushes for immigration reform | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/cbf-leader-aol-founder-push-immigration-reform/ | 3 | |
<p>Jan 22 (Reuters) - TPG Specialty Lending Inc:</p>
<p>* TPG SPECIALTY LENDING-CO AMONG OTHERS ENTERED INDENTURE, FIRST SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE FOR ISSUANCE,OFFER,SALE OF $150 MILLION OF 4.500% NOTES DUE 2023</p>
<p>* TPG SPECIALTY LENDING SAYS ‍EXPECTS TO USE NET PROCEEDS OF OFFERING TO PAY DOWN DEBT UNDER REVOLVING CREDIT FACILITY - SEC FILING​</p>
<p>* TPG SPECIALTY LENDING - ‍NOTES WILL MATURE ON JAN 22, 2023​ Source text - <a href="http://bit.ly/2n2CpAj" type="external">bit.ly/2n2CpAj</a> Further company coverage:</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - To Wall Street money managers who make bets for a living, U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance against China on trade looks like a high-stakes poker hand - but they believe they can play it for all it’s worth.</p> FILE PHOTO: A labourer works on coils of steel wire at a steel wholesale market in Beijing, China, January 17, 2012. REUTERS/Soo Hoo Zheyang/File Photo
<p>Fears that Trump could set off a trade conflict have roiled Wall Street since March 1, when the president announced plans to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, risking retaliation from major trade partners like China, Europe and neighboring Canada.</p>
<p>It’s been a roller coaster ride, with markets slumping after Trump last Friday moved to impose up to $60 billion in tariffs on some Chinese imports and China declared plans to retaliate with duties of up to $3 billion of U.S. imports even as it urged the United States to “pull back from the brink.”</p>
<p>China’s willingness to negotiate spurred a rebound on Monday, though jitters in the tech sector drove markets back down on Tuesday.</p> FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 26, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
<p>Investors remain concerned about a trade war between the world’s two largest economies, but some big players are sanguine about their prospects to make money even as they try and dissect Trump’s strategy on trade.</p>
<p>The former celebrity businessman on March 2 tweeted, “trade wars are good, and easy to win,” shocking economists who cite evidence that trade wars in the past have been destructive to economies involved.</p>
<p>“Other administrations have gone to trading partners like China and asked for a fairer deal, only to get a cigar put out on their forehead,” said Steve Chiavarone, a portfolio manager at Federated Investors. “I suspect Trump’s bucking of norms is absolutely part of his negotiating tactics.”</p>
<p>Chiavarone and others said they remain confident the S&amp;P 500 will rise significantly this year.</p>
<p>“So far you are talking about small amounts of tariffs in niche sectors,” said Phil Blancato, head of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management in New York. “For anyone who is looking for an opportunity to enter the market here at better valuations, this is it.”</p> FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump, surrounded by business leaders and administration officials, prepares to sign a memorandum on intellectual property tariffs on high-tech goods from China, at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst THE ART OF THE DEAL
<p>“He has shown himself to act aggressively, quickly and unilaterally, and that’s brought China to the negotiating table,” said Ben Phillips, chief investment officer of EventShares exchange traded funds. “I truly think they are worried about him taking unilateral action and harming China’s economy.”</p>
<p>Fears of a trade war, which could hurt U.S. multinationals and dull the benefits of deep corporate tax cuts enacted this year, have helped push the S&amp;P 500 down nearly 4 percent since the end of February.</p>
<p>The Trump administration has demanded that China immediately cut its $375 billion trade surplus with the United States by $100 billion, a position seen by some as an opening tactic in a long negotiation.</p> Global markets jump after Wall Street rally
<p>China could respond to U.S. measures with a range of tariffs aimed at U.S. multinationals, or even farmers in rural regions who helped Trump win the 2016 presidential election.</p>
<p>Trump’s bellicose stance with U.S. trade partners reflects a negotiating style outlined in his 1987 book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal,” said Oliver Pursche, chief market strategist at Bruderman Asset Management in New York.</p>
<p>“You propose something horrific, and then when you pull back what you want is not as painful as feared,” Pursche said. “The problem is the other side isn’t dumb. Eventually, they’re going to figure that out.”</p>
<p>Reporting by Noel Randewich, additional reporting by April Joyner and Trevor Hunnicutt in New York; Editing by Alden Bentley</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">AMZN.O</a>) shares fell almost 5 percent on Wednesday, wiping more than $30 billion off its market value, after news website Axios reported that U.S. President Donald Trump is obsessed with the world’s largest online retailer and wants to rein in its growing power.</p> The logo of Amazon is seen at the company logistics center in Lauwin-Planque, northern France, February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol
<p>Trump has talked about using antitrust law to “go after” the company because he is worried about mom-and-pop retailers being put out of business by Amazon, Axios reported, citing five sources it said had discussed the issue with him.</p> Related Coverage
<a href="/article/us-amazon-com-trump/no-u-s-policy-changes-on-amazon-at-the-moment-white-house-official-idUSKBN1H42IY" type="external">No U.S. policy changes on Amazon at the moment: White House official</a>
<p>Trump also wants to change Amazon’s tax treatment, the Axios report said, an issue the president raised publicly last year when he called for an internet tax for online retailers, even though Amazon already collects sales tax on items it sells direct to customers.</p>
<p>“The president has said many times before he’s always looking to create a level playing field for all businesses and this is no different,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders, when asked about the Axios report. “He’s always going to look at different ways, but there aren’t any specific policies on the table at this time.”</p>
<p>Trump has been complaining about Amazon in private, believing the company has become too powerful, another administration official confirmed to Reuters.</p>
<p>The official said Trump links this to Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos’ private ownership of the Washington Post, which he has called “fake news” for its critical coverage of his administration. Trump regards the newspaper as a mouthpiece for Bezos’ business interests, calling it #AmazonWashingtonPost on Twitter.</p> The logo of the web service Amazon is pictured in this June 8, 2017 illustration photo. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/Illustration
<p>Amazon did not reply to a request for comment on the Axios report.</p>
<a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=AMZN.O" type="external">Amazon.com Inc</a> 1431.42 AMZN.O Nasdaq -65.63 (-4.38%) AMZN.O FB.O FAVORITE TARGET
<p>Trump has criticized Amazon over taxes and jobs in the past, without offering evidence. The president urging the use of antitrust law to selectively thwart a company would be unprecedented, according to Jeffrey Jacobovitz of the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP.</p>
<p>Amazon’s stock, which fell as low as $1,386.17 on Wednesday, was last down 4.6 percent at $1,427.83. The shares have nearly quadrupled over the last three years.</p>
<p>Tech stocks have been under pressure after Facebook Inc ( <a href="/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=FB.O" type="external">FB.O</a>) acknowledged this month that user data had been improperly harvested by a consultancy.</p>
<p>“With Facebook and regulatory worries, the last thing nervous tech investors wanted to see was news that Trump is targeting Bezos and Amazon over the coming months as this remains a lingering cloud over the stock and heightens the risk profile in the eyes of the Street,” GBH Insights analyst Daniel Ives said.</p>
<p>Additional reporting by Sonam Rai in Bengaluru; Diane Bartz and Amanda Becker in Washington; Sinead Carew in New York; writing by Chris Sanders; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and James Dalgleish</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>NEW YORK (Reuters) - The sharp slump in Tesla Inc’s shares this month could unlock massive gains on equity option bets investors placed over the last several months that pay when the electric car maker’s stock slides.</p> A Tesla showroom is seen in Santa Monica, California, U.S., January 4, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
<p>Tesla stock is down close to 27 percent this month, within striking distance of its worst month on record. Shares fell 7.7 percent to $257.78 on Wednesday, a day after tumbling 8.2 percent to their lowest close in almost a year.</p>
<p>Tesla was hit by federal probes of a fatal crash on March 23 in California involving one of its vehicles and a downgrade of its credit position by Moody’s Investors Service that cited liquidity pressures and a significant shortfall in Model 3 production.</p>
<p>As the shares sank, put options that convey the right to sell shares at a certain price in the future have jumped in value. With Tesla shares, put options betting on declines below $50, $100 and $200, by mid-January 2019, account for the three largest blocks of open contracts.</p>
<p>While Tesla’s shares remain far above these strike prices, recent losses have boosted the value of the put options.</p>
<p>Put options betting on the shares slipping below $50, changed hands on Wednesday for $1.93 a contract, up from 43 cents, a month ago. The $50, $100 and $200 puts are all trading at more than double their average trading price over the last three months, according to Thomson Reuters data.</p>
<p>“These puts have actually become something of a running joke on my network with many different people weighing in on why someone would trade a seemingly worthless option,” said Mark Longo of The Options Insider, an options commentary website.</p>
<p>One explanation could be that firms selling credit default swaps on Tesla may be using these puts as a hedge against Tesla going bankrupt, Longo said.</p>
<p>Ophir Gottlieb, chief executive of Los Angeles-based Capital Market Laboratories, said he thinks the position is unlikely to be a hedge against a position in the stock, given how far the strike prices are from where Tesla shares are trading.</p>
<p>“It would be like having a garden hose after a fire has already burnt the house,” Gottlieb said.</p>
<p>“The distance between the strikes is very particular. Half of $200 is $100, half of $100 is $50. That sounds like an aggressive put spreader,” he said.</p>
<p>A bear put spread involves buying one set of put contracts and selling another set with the same expiration but at a much lower strike, as a way to offset some of the cost.</p>
<p>“If it is a speculator, they are looking for the stock to go well below $200, but not a lot below $100. They are looking for disaster, but not bankruptcy,” Gottlieb said.</p>
<p>It was not clear if the position was initiated by one trader or several, but Thomson Reuters data showed that the contracts have steadily grown in number starting around the beginning of 2017.</p>
<p>For Tesla options in general, elevated levels of volatility and skew - a measure of relative demand for puts versus calls - suggest that options market participants see a rough road ahead for Tesla shares, said Henry Schwartz, president at options analytics firm Trade Alert in New York.</p>
<p>Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed; Editing by Daniel Bases and David Gregorio</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a>
<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods may not be imposed until early June, administration officials said on Wednesday, with public consultations and potential tariff revisions buying time for negotiations to forestall them.</p> U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on "President Trump's 2018 Trade Policy Agenda" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
<p>U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he anticipates about 60 days worth of public comment on a soon-to-be published tariff list, but added that it would take years to bring the U.S.-China trading relationship “to a good place.”</p>
<p>Speaking on CNBC television, Lighthizer said the list totaling more than $50 billion would include “largely high-technology things” chosen by a computer algorithm to maximize pain on Chinese exporters while minimizing pain on U.S. consumers.</p>
<p>The tariffs are meant to punish China over U.S. allegations that Beijing systematically misappropriated American intellectual property and to prompt changes in various Chinese government policies aimed at forcing technology transfers.</p>
<p>“We’ll announce them before very long and then we’ll go through a 60-day period where we’ll give the public a chance to comment on the good and the bad things in there,” Lighthizer said of the tariffs.</p>
<p>Previously, the USTR had identified a 30-day period for written public comments on the tariff list, which must be published by April 6 under the proclamation that Trump signed last week.</p>
<p>A Trump administration official said that an estimated second 30-day period would provide time for a public hearing on the tariff list and for the filing and review of post-hearing briefs to rebut testimony.</p>
<p>“The 60 days refers to the time frame anticipated for public response. A determination on a final list and an effective date would be made thereafter,” the official said, adding that the full process could take longer than 60 days.</p>
<p>Asked on CNBC whether negotiations with Beijing could avoid tariffs, Lighthizer said: “I think there is hope.”</p>
<p>He said the two countries had different economic systems and there would be “a certain amount of tension between the two.”</p>
<p>The trade ambassador made no mention of discussions between senior Trump cabinet officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and their Chinese counterparts to discuss potential solutions to avoid tariffs.</p>
<p>A person familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the list of U.S. demands included a reduction in China’s 25 percent tariff on autos and greater access for U.S. firms to China’s financial sector.</p>
<p>Reporting by David Lawder; editing by Grant McCool</p> Our Standards:
<a href="" type="internal">The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.</a> | BRIEF-TPG Specialty Lending Says Co Entered Indenture, First Supplemental Indenture For Issuance,Offer, Sale Of $150 Mln Of 4.5% On China trade clash, Wall Street embraces Trump's poker face Amazon shares fall after report Trump wants to curb its power Extreme bearish options on Tesla making money as stock dives Trump's China tariffs may not begin until June: U.S. officials | false | https://reuters.com/article/brief-tpg-specialty-lending-says-co-ente/brief-tpg-specialty-lending-says-co-entered-indenture-first-supplemental-indenture-for-issuanceoffer-sale-of-150-mln-of-45-idUSFWN1PH12P | 2018-01-22 | 2 |
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-24923" src="http://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/clint-eastwood-1024x535.jpg" alt="Clint Eastwood" width="1024" height="535" srcset="https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/clint-eastwood-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/clint-eastwood-300x157.jpg 300w, https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/clint-eastwood-768x401.jpg 768w, https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/clint-eastwood.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /&gt;</p>
<p>We love all things Clint Eastwood. He, <a href="" type="internal">Mike Rowe</a>, and <a href="" type="internal">Chris Pratt</a> are basically our Holy Trinity of manliness. The one-liners from Eastwood alone are worth loving him. Then the gifs. But who can forget Eastwooding from a few conventions back? Exactly.</p>
<p>So when you ask Clint Eastwood <a href="http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/a46893/double-trouble-clint-and-scott-eastwood/" type="external">about Donald Trump</a>&#160;and the overall idea of political correctness,&#160;he doesn’t disappoint.</p>
<p>[Trump’s]&#160;onto something, because secretly everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That’s the kiss-ass generation we’re in right now. We’re really in a pussy generation. Everybody’s walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff.</p>
<p>What Trump is onto is he’s just saying what’s on his mind. And sometimes it’s not so good. And sometimes it’s … I mean, I can understand where he’s coming from, but I don’t always agree with it.</p>
<p>I haven’t endorsed anybody. I haven’t talked to Trump. I haven’t talked to anybody. You know, he’s a racist now because he’s talked about this judge. And yeah, it’s a dumb thing to say. I mean, to predicate your opinion on the fact that the guy was born to Mexican parents or something. He’s said a lot of dumb things. So have all of them. Both sides. But everybody—the press and everybody’s going, “Oh, well, that’s racist,” and they’re making a big hoodoo out of it. Just fucking get over it. It’s a sad time in history.</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-21748" src="http://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/murray-standing-ovation-clap-applause.gif" alt="murray-standing-ovation-clap-applause" width="377" height="200" /&gt;</p>
<p>Clint Eastwood is the anti-PC warrior we should all hope to be when we grow up.</p>
<p>It’s actually quite difficult to come up with some commentary for those words. I mean, how do you top that? Dude’s a friggin brilliant genius times a .44 Magnum.</p>
<p>&lt;img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-18201" src="http://www.louderwithcrowder.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/dirtyharrymakemyday.gif" alt="dirtyharrymakemyday" width="450" height="190" /&gt;</p>
<p>Don’t be surprised, you knew that GIF was coming.</p>
<p>He’s right. We’re walking on eggshells. We’re constantly worried about who’s going to get triggered and need to retreat to their safe space. Okay, okay, not us personally. No one here at LwC worries about triggering much of anything. Unless it’s an actual trigger, then let’s talk. AR-15? 9mm? What are you packing?</p>
<p>Whatever you think of <a href="" type="internal">Trump, one reason he is popular is his lack of an oratory filter</a>. For better or for worse. He will tell you what he’s thinking. Turns out, just as we’re fist-pumping the Eastwood here, so too have people fist-pumped the Donald. People crave honesty. They want unfiltered. They want the truth. Not mealy-mouthed, focused-group rhetoric. The truth.</p>
<p>The more we don’t hear the truth from our political class, the more we crave it wherever we can find it.</p>
<p>Looks like we can always count on Clint here to narrow in. Bravo, sir. Bravo.</p>
<p>Speaking of truth-telling…</p>
<p />
<p />
<p>NOT SUBSCRIBED TO THE PODCAST?&#160; <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/louder-with-crowder/id929121341?mt=2" type="external">FIX THAT</a>! IT’S COMPLETELY FREE ON BOTH&#160; <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/louder-with-crowder/id929121341?mt=2" type="external">ITUNES&#160;HERE</a>&#160;AND&#160; <a href="https://soundcloud.com/louderwithcrowder" type="external">SOUNDCLOUD&#160;HERE</a>.</p>
<p /> | Clint Eastwood: ‘Everybody’s getting tired of political correctness, kissing up…’ | true | https://louderwithcrowder.com/clint-eastwood-to-trump-critics-fing-get-over-it/ | 2016-08-03 | 0 |
<p>Barack Obama promised to cut taxes for 95% of working families, yet the President and his allies in Congress have now shown support for a new tax on your employer provided health benefits that last fall Obama himself called the "largest middle-class tax hike ever." It is a tax that could cost you and your family thousands. Can you afford it?</p>
<p><a href="http://savejobs.org/taxcalc.php" type="external">Please Go Here For the Calculator</a></p>
<p />
<p><a href="" type="internal">Five Questions To Ask At Health Care Town Hall</a>August 4, 2009In "Conservative Blogs"</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Florida Tea Party Patriots Continue Fight Against Socialized Health Care</a>July 7, 2009In "Conservative Blogs"</p>
<p><a href="" type="internal">Call US Congress at 202-225-3121!</a>June 25, 2009In "Conservative Blogs"</p> | Obama Health Insurance Tax Calculator | true | http://libertyfederation.org/obama-health-insurance-tax-calculator/ | 2009-06-22 | 0 |
<p>A report prepared for Dominion Energy found it would be far cheaper and quicker to close the company's largest Virginia coal ash ponds by leaving them in place and putting a cover over them rather than recycling the ash or moving it to lined landfills.</p>
<p>The report released Friday was mandated earlier this year by the General Assembly, which also put Dominion's pond closure plans on hold until lawmakers have a chance to review the findings. The report could influence the way forward for Virginia, which, like other states across the nation, is sorting out its long-term plan for dealing with coal ash, the heavy metal-laden waste leftover from decades of burning the fossil fuel to produce electricity.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The report doesn't make explicit recommendations about a preferred solution. But company officials said in an interview that nothing in the findings suggest Dominion should change course from its plans to largely leave the ash in place with a protective covering over top, a solution environmental groups say is insufficient.</p>
<p>"There is nothing that we have learned in the report that says, do something different," Josh Bennett, the company's vice president of technical services, said in an interview with The Associated Press. "What we did learn from the report is that we lay out all the different options very, very clearly for everyone to see."</p>
<p>For decades, coal ash has been stored in landfills or in ponds to keep it from blowing away, often near waterways. A catastrophic 2008 spill in Tennessee drew national attention to the issue. Then, in 2014, a pipe ruptured at a Duke Energy plant, polluting North Carolina's Dan River with miles of gray sludge.</p>
<p>Friday's report covers 11 ash ponds at four power stations that Dominion intends to close to comply with Environmental Protect Agency regulations enacted after the Dan River spill.</p>
<p>At the company's three larger-volume ponds at Bremo, Chesterfield and Possum Point power stations, the report said removal options compared with closure-in-place would generally take longer "and include off-site transportation that would introduce additional safety, environmental, and community impacts."</p>
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<p>Removal costs for those ponds would also be an order-of-magnitude larger than closure-in-place, it said.</p>
<p>For instance, at Chesterfield Power Station, the report estimates closing the ponds by removal and recycling would take 21 to 53 years and cost between $1.49 and $4.2 billion. By comparison, closing the ponds in place with a protective cap would take three to five years and cost between $246 million to $1.11 billion, the report said.</p>
<p>At the fourth power station, the Chesapeake Energy Center, Dominion has committed to excavating a relatively small pond that contains about 60,000 cubic yards of ash. A federal judge ruled earlier this year in a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club that the ash at Chesapeake was polluting surrounding waters with arsenic, but not at levels that threaten health or the environment.</p>
<p>Dominion has around 3 million cubic yards of ash total at Chesapeake but says the rest is not subject to the EPA's coal ash regulations. The report did not evaluate the other ash.</p>
<p>Environmental groups said they were disappointed in the report, which they dismissed as an attempt to validate the plans Dominion has already proposed. They argue the ash should be either recycled or moved to landfills with synthetic liners away from water sources.</p>
<p>The legislature also required the report to cover any water pollution from the ash. Nate Benforado, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, pointed out that the report found elevated levels of pollutants at all four power stations.</p>
<p>"That's a huge risk, and we don't think that Virginians should be facing the risk for paying that tab. Let's get it done right the first time," Benforado said.</p>
<p>The report said the detections were based on preliminary testing, isolated to areas adjacent to the ash ponds, and do not affect drinking water supplies.</p>
<p>Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell, who introduced the bill and whose district includes the Possum Point power station, said Friday that the assessment will allow lawmakers to have a more informed discussion during the coming session about how best to deal with the ponds.</p>
<p>The report makes cap-in-place look like the cheapest option, but there are probably a lot of human costs that aren't reflected, he said.</p>
<p>"What kind of value do you put in giving a couple hundred people cancer every few years?" said Surovell, who has advocated for more recycling.</p>
<p>Cathy Taylor, senior environmental and sustainability adviser for Dominion, said each pond has a groundwater monitoring network around it and noted that the report also proposes new ways to deal with any potential water issues.</p>
<p>"Ultimately, we have an obligation to do what's right, to make sure that the options that are selected are protective of the environment, can be done safely short term and long term and that we try to minimize the impacts to the community. So that's how we'll move forward," she said.</p> | Report lays out potential Virginia coal ash options | true | http://foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/12/01/report-lays-out-options-for-way-forward-on-coal-ash.html | 2017-12-01 | 0 |
<p>This week, readers sent us more comments about Mitt Romney’s first television ad. We were also slammed for not writing about more statements from President Obama.</p>
<p>In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to <a href="" type="internal">editor@factcheck.org</a>. Letters may be edited for length.</p>
<p />
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Shame, Shame</p>
<p>Seriously? You are leaving it up to the viewer to decide whether a clip of a speech presented as the speaker’s actual words instead of a quote of someone else’s words is misleading [“ <a href="" type="internal">Romney’s Ad ‘Deceitful &amp; Dishonest’?</a>,” Nov. 22]?</p>
<p>So, if the Romney ad dubbed in an actor’s voice in lieu of the speaker’s actual speech, would that also be a matter of viewer discretion? Anything that can be made to appear to be someone’s thoughts and words is a fair presentation?</p>
<p>You may feel the statement is accurate and could be something the president or his staff might say; but they didn’t say it and the ad clearly presents the words as those of the president. Shame on you! A lie is a lie and because the media notes try to spin it otherwise, doesn’t make it a grey area. I watched the ad. I was shocked at the apparent hypocrisy of the president. So, I came to your organization for the truth. I found the truth but also found that you were unwilling to call out a blatantly fraudulent ad as such.</p>
<p>I am beside myself with shock and disappointment. I always believed your organization had integrity. Well, I was just presented with a fact-check and found that is not the case.</p>
<p>You will be receiving fewer hits on your site from me and everyone else I know who wants the facts instead of spin.</p>
<p>Steve McBee Tracy, Calif.</p>
<p />
<p>Shame on you! Factcheck apparently prevaricates. Your site’s credibility has been irreparably harmed. Only an overt admission of error can begin to reform it.</p>
<p>Mitt Romney’s recent Iowa ad about the president’s 2008 edited statement — “If we keep talking about the economy, we’re going to lose” — is a brazen misrepresentation of the truth; in other words, a lie. You dodge the truth by calling a “statement taken out of context,” is a matter of opinion. The dictionary of 1966 is less politically correct. Webster’s New World clearly defines:</p>
<p>Lie: n:1. a) false statement or action, especially with intent to deceive. b) to make such statement habitually. 2. anything gives or is meant to give false impression.</p>
<p>Your facts seem to be strong like bamboo. They bend with the wind, whichever way it blows.</p>
<p>Dr. William Wulsin Seattle, Wash.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p>Check Obama</p>
<p>I am very disappointed to see that this “Factcheck” site is really just a method to slam Republicans. As an independent voter, I am looking for true information, not outrageous slams and distortions. Clearly, there is no “Fact” in Factcheck because I noticed there was nothing about President Obama. Apparently, you took a holiday when he was running for office.</p>
<p>I will make sure all my associates are aware of the uselessness of this site.</p>
<p>Annette Alt Entiat, Wash.</p>
<p>&#160;</p>
<p /> | FactCheck Mailbag, Week of Nov. 29-Dec. 5 | false | https://factcheck.org/2011/12/factcheck-mailbag-week-of-nov-29-dec-5/ | 2011-12-08 | 2 |
<p>1) <a href="#1" type="external">CLAIM: MassResistance is a legitimate source for Jennings information</a></p>
<p>2) <a href="#2" type="external">CLAIM: Right-wing attacks on Jennings are not anti-gay</a></p>
<p>3) <a href="#3" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings failed to report "statutory rape" of student</a></p>
<p>4) <a href="#4" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings "urged" student to "further the relationship" with "older man ... forcing his way" on him and to "keep quiet"</a></p>
<p>5) <a href="#5" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings advocated for or supports NAMBLA</a></p>
<p>6) <a href="#6" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings' ties to anti-AIDS group disqualify him from public service</a></p>
<p>7) <a href="#7" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings is linked to an "Anti-Christian Art Porn Exhibit"</a></p>
<p>8) <a href="#8" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings promoted "Child Porn in the Classroom"</a></p>
<p>9) <a href="#9" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings is "linked to shocking teen sex talk"</a></p>
<p>10) <a href="#10" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings knew the content of "sex talk" workshop in advance</a></p>
<p>11) <a href="#11" type="external">SMEAR: High school students received "fisting kits" at 2001 GLSEN conference</a></p>
<p>12) <a href="#12" type="external">SMEAR: GLSEN handed out explicit safe-sex booklet to children</a></p>
<p>13) <a href="#13" type="external">SMEAR: GLSEN gave teens "directories to gay 'leather' bars" in Chicago</a></p>
<p>14) <a href="#14" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings is a "pedophile"</a></p>
<p>15) <a href="#15" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings "spoke about the promotion of homosexuality in the public school curriculum"</a></p>
<p>16) <a href="#16" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings called for mandatory "LGBT course" for teachers</a></p>
<p>17) <a href="#17" type="external">SMEAR: Book forward written by Jennings suggests support for NAMBLA</a></p>
<p>18) <a href="#18" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings has "contempt for religion"</a></p>
<p>19) <a href="#19" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings is not qualified for his post</a></p>
<p>20) <a href="#20" type="external">SMEAR: Jennings "Personally Pushed Books That Encouraged Children to Meet Adults at Gay Bars For Sex"</a></p>
<p>21) <a href="#21" type="external">CLAIM: Jennings is the "Safe Schools Czar"</a></p>
<p>REALITY: MassResistance is an anti-gay "hate group." Accuracy in Media <a href="http://www.aim.org/on-target-blog/correction/" type="external">pointed readers</a> to the website of the Massachusetts-based anti-gay group MassResistance to get "the facts on Jennings," stating that the group's longtime leader Brian Camenker "has covered the scandal of Obama's appointment of Jennings in much detail." Many right-wing outlets have <a href="/research/2009/12/10/anti-gay-hate-group-massresistance-is-source-fo/158025" type="external">relied</a> on the group's false or misleading claims about Jennings in attacking him. MassResistance has been labeled a "hate group" by the Southern Poverty Law Center; even conservative commentator Dean Barnett has <a href="http://townhall.com/blog/g/5e9e3e05-8b01-4f10-b52c-690d6ac29bea" type="external">stated</a> that the organization "verges on being a hate group." Camenker himself reportedly denied that gays and lesbians were targeted during the Holocaust and has compared the gay rights movement to the Nazis.</p>
<p>REALITY: Right-wing media unleashed anti-gay rhetoric in attacks on Jennings. In their attacks on Jennings, numerous conservative media figures <a href="/research/2009/10/01/conservative-media-unleash-anti-gay-rhetoric-in/155241" type="external">have resorted</a> to thinly veiled homophobic appeals to paint Jennings, who is gay, as a "radical" "gay activist" with an "agenda" of "promoting homosexuality in schools," and have misrepresented or distorted Jennings' previous comments about religion and tolerance. Moreover, in a blatant appeal to homophobia, the right-wing media have termed a series of allegations "Fistgate," even though several of those allegations have little or nothing to do with the sexual practice of fisting -- or, for that matter, with Jennings himself.</p>
<p>REALITY: Student was at least 16 -- the legal age of consent -- when he spoke to Jennings. Numerous right-wing and Fox News media figures <a href="/research/2009/10/05/fox-news-tirelessly-advanced-false-accusation-t/155358" type="external">advanced the falsehood</a> that Jennings, in the words of Fox News host Bill Hemmer, knew of a "statutory rape" and "never reported it," based on Jennings' past statements about advice he gave to a student who told him about his relationship with an older man when Jennings was a high school teacher in the late 1980s. In fact, a 2004 <a href="http://wthrockmorton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/jenningsretractiondemand.pdf" type="external">letter</a> from Jennings' attorney, as well as a <a href="/blog/2009/10/02/exclusive-statement-from-former-student-at-cent/155314" type="external">statement</a> from the former student and his <a href="/blog/2009/10/02/exclusive-media-matters-confirms-student-at-cen/155306" type="external">Massachusetts driver's license</a> definitively show that he was at least 16 -- the legal age of consent in Massachusetts -- when he approached Jennings.</p>
<p>REALITY: No evidence supports these claims. WorldNetDaily, in <a href="/research/2009/10/22/wnds-new-jennings-smear-he-counseled-a-15-year/156058" type="external">at least</a> <a href="/blog/2009/10/23/worldnetdaily-repeats-jennings-falsehood-again/156078" type="external">four</a> separate articles, falsely claimed that Jennings "counseled a 15-year-old student to keep quiet about being seduced by an older man." Likewise, Limbaugh <a href="/research/2009/10/01/limbaugh-baselessly-accused-jennings-of-encoura/155248" type="external">accused</a> Jennings of having "encouraged" and "facilitated the relationship," and <a href="/video/2009/10/07/limbaugh-runs-with-anti-gay-smears-of-jennings/155470" type="external">claimed</a> that he "urged" the "15-year-old" to "further the relationship" with "older man ... forcing his way" on him. In fact, nothing in Jennings' 2000 speech for the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, his 1994 book, or the student's own statement <a href="/research/2009/10/09/smears-of-sick-and-immoral-pervert-jennings-the/155581" type="external">in any way suggests</a> that the student told Jennings that someone was "forcing his way on" him or that Jennings "urged" the student to "further the relationship," nor do they <a href="/research/2009/10/22/wnds-new-jennings-smear-he-counseled-a-15-year/156058" type="external">support the claim</a> that Jennings told the student to "keep quiet."</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings once praised Hay for his pioneering gay civil rights work. Right-wing media sources including <a href="/research/2009/10/02/the-smear-campaign-continues-fox-nation-washing/155300" type="external">The Washington Examiner</a>, <a href="/research/2009/10/02/the-smear-campaign-continues-fox-nation-washing/155300" type="external">The Fox Nation</a>, <a href="/research/2009/10/04/wash-times-continues-to-smear-jennings-with-fal/155340" type="external">The Washington Times</a>, <a href="/video/2009/10/05/after-statutory-rape-smear-disintegrates-hannit/155383" type="external">Sean Hannity</a>, <a href="/video/2009/10/23/during-anti-obama-tirade-limbaugh-smears-jennin/156081" type="external">Rush Limbaugh</a>, and <a href="/research/2009/10/07/in-vicious-new-smear-rove-falsely-claims-jennin/155485" type="external">Karl Rove</a>, have linked Jennings to the North American Man-Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) based on a 1997 speech in which Jennings praised gay rights activist Harry Hay. But like many obituaries written about Hay upon his death in 2002, Jennings <a href="/research/2009/10/02/the-smear-campaign-continues-fox-nation-washing/155300" type="external">was touting</a> Hay as a gay civil rights pioneer for his role in helping start "the first ongoing gay rights groups in America" in 1948, and Jennings' comments had nothing to do with NAMBLA.</p>
<p>REALITY: Group credited with improving awareness, treatment of disease. Hannity and The Washington Times editorial board <a href="/research/2009/10/23/in-latest-bigoted-smear-fox-leads-right-wing-me/156106" type="external">have insisted</a> that Jennings' past involvement with the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) somehow disqualifies him from serving in the Obama administration. But such arguments are absurd, given that ACT UP, an anti-AIDS activist organization, has been credited with both creating awareness of the AIDS epidemic in America and facilitating more effective treatment of the disease. For example, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases <a href="/research/2009/10/23/in-latest-bigoted-smear-fox-leads-right-wing-me/156106" type="external">reportedly stated</a> that ACT UP played "a significant role in the whole idea of expanded access to experimental drugs."</p>
<p>REALITY: Exhibit actually features "posters, stickers, and other visual media" used by ACT UP's AIDS activists. Right-wing web sites <a href="/research/2009/10/23/in-latest-bigoted-smear-fox-leads-right-wing-me/156106" type="external">attempted to smear</a> Jennings by claiming that he, in the words of Gateway Pundit, "funded a pornographic anti-Christian art show." In fact, Jennings is <a href="http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/09d/harvard_actup/HarvardArtMuseum_PressRelease.pdf#page=3" type="external">listed</a> on a Harvard Art Museum <a href="http://www.massresistance.org/docs/gen/09d/harvard_actup/HarvardArtMuseum_PressRelease.pdf" type="external">press release</a> as providing a gift to the museum's exhibit ACT UP New York: Activism, Art, and the AIDS Crisis, 1987-1993. According to the release, the exhibit includes "over 70 politically-charged posters, stickers, and other visual media that emerged during a pivotal moment of AIDS activism in New York City" and "chronicles New York's AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) through an examination of compelling graphics created by various artist collectives that populated the group."</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings' group recommended adults review books for suitability. Conservative blogs and <a href="/research/2009/12/11/wash-times-smears-jennings-with-claim-he-encour/158036" type="external">The Washington Times editorial board</a> have <a href="/research/2009/12/04/anti-gay-right-advances-new-smear-that-doe-offi/157775" type="external">claimed</a> that Jennings is unfit as "Safe Schools Czar" because he supposedly promoted "child porn" by allowing GLSEN to recommend for students in grades 7-12 books that included sexually explicit content. The organization, however, specifically stated on its book list website that "some titles for adolescent readers contain mature themes" and recommended that "adults selecting books for youth review content for suitability"; further, schools regularly teach books that contain sexually explicit material. In a December 11 <a href="http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=769" type="external">statement</a>, Martin Garnar, chair of the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee, said: "Though Jennings' and GLSEN's critics claim to be upholding American morals and values by condemning the GLSEN book list, they are actually undermining the values of tolerance, free inquiry, and self-determination that inform and sustain our democratic way of life in the United States."</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings criticized content of state employees' workshop at GLSEN/Boston conference. Several <a href="/research/2009/12/07/fox-nation-big-government-advance-smear-that-je/157831" type="external">right-wing</a> <a href="/research/2009/12/09/wash-times-continues-its-relentless-campaign-ag/157938" type="external">media outlets</a> have claimed that Jennings is, in the words of Fox Nation, "linked to shocking teen sex talk," referring to a recorded exchange that occurred during a "Queer Sex and Sexuality" workshop during a 2000 conference sponsored by the Boston branch of GLSEN. In fact, Jennings reportedly <a href="/research/2009/12/07/fox-nation-big-government-advance-smear-that-je/157831" type="external">criticized</a> some of the workshop's content when the recordings were first released in 2000, and the people involved in conducting the controversial discussion were state employees and contractors, not GLSEN employees.</p>
<p>REALITY: Critics have presented no credible evidence that Jennings knew the specific contents of the workshop in advance. <a href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&amp;pageId=118484" type="external">WorldNetDaily</a> and Gateway Pundit's <a href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/10/fistgate-v-youth-fisting-instructor-claims-kevin-jennings-knew-about-class-content-in-advance/" type="external">Jim Hoft</a> have both claimed that Jennings knew about the controversial workshop's contents ahead of time, citing a MassResistance <a href="http://massresistance.blogspot.com/2009/12/kevin-jennings-did-know-content-of.html?zx=7ec026156928a994" type="external">blog post</a> which claims, "Of course Jennings and the Massachusetts Department of Education knew beforehand what the 'sexuality educators' would discuss with children at the 'fisting' workshop. The instructor Margot Abels said so herself" [emphasis in original]. But the <a href="/blog/2009/12/10/no-jennings-didnt-know-about-the-workshops-cont/158002" type="external">statements</a> MassResistance cites Abels reportedly making indicate only that her immediate supervisors in the Department of Education were aware of her work -- not Jennings or other GLSEN officials. Moreover, while MassResistance claims that Jennings "worked hand in hand with the Mass. Department of Education from the beginning, as co-chair of the Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian Youth education committee," Jennings left that commission years before the 2000 workshop took place.</p>
<p>REALITY: Planned Parenthood distributed safe sex kits including "instructions for how to make a 'dental dam.' " Conservative bloggers have followed <a href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/08/fistgate-ii-high-school-students-given-fisting-kits-at-kevin-jennings-2001-glsen-conference/" type="external">Hoft's lead</a> in claiming that "fisting kits" -- often placed in quotes -- were distributed at the 2001 GLSEN/Boston conference. But those bloggers have presented no evidence that the kits distributed by Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts were actually intended for fisting. Indeed, while the conservative newspaper Massachusetts News - cited by Hoft -- <a href="http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/4_April/apfist%7E1.htm" type="external">reported</a> in 2001 that the kits were "intended for 'fisting' or oral sex," the paper described the kit's contents as "a single plastic glove, a package of K-Y lubricant and instructions on how to make a 'dental dam' out of the material," and offered no support for their claim that the kits were "intended for 'fisting.'" FoxNews.com has <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/12/14/obamas-safe-schools-czar-tied-lewd-readings/" type="external">reported</a> that Hoft "alleged that Jennings and GLSEN were involved in Planned Parenthood's purported distribution of 'fisting kits,'" but that the kit "was actually for making a 'dental dam' -- designed to prevent STD transmission during oral sex."</p>
<p>REALITY: Community health group -- not GLSEN -- says it mistakenly brought "about 10 copies" of booklet banned under GLSEN policy to conference. <a href="/research/2009/12/09/gateway-pundit-falsely-suggests-jennings-organi/157934" type="external">Conservative bloggers</a> and the <a href="/research/2009/12/11/wash-times-smears-jennings-with-claim-he-encour/158036" type="external">Washington Times</a> <a href="/research/2009/12/11/wash-times-smears-jennings-with-claim-he-encour/158036" type="external">editorial board</a> have falsely stated or suggested that GLSEN had distributed to children an explicit safe-sex booklet which included "the addresses and phone numbers of Boston-area gay bars" <a href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/11/fistgate-vi-obamas-safe-schools-czars-teen-conference-literature-pushed-anal-sx-in-parks-with-strangers/" type="external">and</a> "Pushed Anal S*x in Parks With Strangers." In fact, a community health group -- not GLSEN itself -- reportedly said that it had mistakenly "left about 10 copies" of the booklet on an informational table it rented at a 2005 GLSEN conference at Brookline High School in Massachusetts; the group reportedly apologized for doing so; GLSEN stated that if it had known the booklets had been at the conference, it would have demanded they be removed; and the Brookline school superintendent reportedly said he believed no students had actually taken the book.</p>
<p>REALITY: Chicago Area Gay &amp; Lesbian Chamber of Commerce -- not Jennings or GLSEN -- produced guide for GLSEN national conference. Hoft has <a href="http://biggovernment.com/2009/12/09/fistgate-iv-obamas-safe-schools-czar-passed-out-gay-bar-guides-to-teens-at-glsen-events/" type="external">claimed</a> that GLSEN "passed out guides to gay leather bars in Chicago to students in 2000." But according to an October 7, 2000, press release from the anti-gay groups Americans for Truth, the Chicago Area Gay &amp; Lesbian Chamber of Commerce -- not Jennings or GLSEN -- produced a visitor's guide that was distributed at GLSEN's annual conference in Chicago. That guide reportedly, according to the press release, "contain[ed] a full-page ad for Steamworks, a homosexual bathhouse in Chicago" [Americans for Truth press release, 10/7/00 (from the Nexis database)]. According to right-wing <a href="http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=17668" type="external">WorldNetDaily</a>, "Organizers said around 800 people, including teenage students, some of whom received financial scholarships, attended the event."</p>
<p>REALITY: Even right-wing Accuracy in Media acknowledged there is "no evidence to support" that smear. On December 10, a blogger for Accuracy in Media, which purports to "set the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage" falsely claimed Jennings is a "pedophile." Shortly after Media Matters <a href="/research/2009/12/10/in-anti-gay-attack-aim-falsely-asserts-pedophil/157996" type="external">brought attention</a> to the blog post and noted that no allegations of pedophilia have been made against Jennings and that the only evidence the blogger appeared to cite to support her allegation was a false claim, the post was <a href="/blog/2009/12/10/aim-blog-post-smearing-jennings-as-a-pedophile/158007" type="external">removed without comment</a>. The following day, Accuracy in Media <a href="http://www.aim.org/on-target-blog/correction/" type="external">stated</a> that it "regret[s] the publication" of the blog post and that it has "no evidence to support" that allegation that Jennings is a "pedophile."</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings said promoting sexual orientation in schools was "ineffective." Andrew Breitbart and The Washington Times <a href="/research/2009/10/07/in-latest-anti-gay-attack-on-jennings-wash-time/155466" type="external">grossly distorted</a> comments Jennings made to a GLSEN audience in 2000 to claim he "spoke about the promotion of homosexuality in the public school curriculum" and "criticize[d] schools for promoting heterosexuality." In fact, in the audio files posted by the Times and Breitbart, Jennings promoted a curriculum that demands "respect [for] every human being regardless of sexual orientation, regardless of gender identity, regardless of race or religion or any of the arbitrary distinctions we make among people," and said that efforts to promote a specific sexual orientation through schools were ineffective.</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings called for course on "issues of bias in the classroom." The Washington Times' Kerry Picket <a href="/research/2009/10/08/wash-times-posts-doctored-transcript-to-claim-j/155517" type="external">reprinted</a> a doctored transcript -- originally posted by a conservative blog -- of 2008 comments by Jennings to falsely claim Jennings had said he wanted teachers to be required to "take an LGBT course" -- a claim also echoed by The Fox Nation. In fact, responding to an audience member who asked about how to combat stereotypes held by teachers based on race, gender, and ethnicity as well as sexual orientation, Jennings did not call for a mandatory "LGBT course," but rather called for a mandatory course on "issues of bias in the classroom" for aspiring teachers in order for them to be aware of "how biases can influence how you interact with your students."</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings called for valuing "every human being as a precious gift." Hannity and Karl Rove <a href="/research/2009/10/07/in-vicious-new-smear-rove-falsely-claims-jennin/155485" type="external">attempted to link</a> the foreword Jennings wrote for the <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=3jrULETBwt8C&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=QUEERING+ELEMENTARY+EDUCATION&amp;ei=mQ7GStuCM5O2yASr8JCEDg#v=onepage&amp;q=&amp;f=false" type="external">1999 book</a> Queering Elementary Education: Advancing the Dialogue about Sexualities and Schooling to his purported <a href="/research/2009/12/15/unraveling-the-rights-false-attacks-on-kevin-je/158160#5" type="external">support for NAMBLA</a> and <a href="/research/2009/12/15/unraveling-the-rights-false-attacks-on-kevin-je/158160#3" type="external">statutory rape</a>. In fact, in the <a href="/research/2009/10/02/the-smear-campaign-continues-fox-nation-washing/155300" type="external">foreword</a> -- which, contrary to Rove's and Hannity's suggestions, had nothing to do with statutory rape -- Jennings called for valuing "every human being as a precious gift" and looked forward to the day when people could "walk down our streets without fear."</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings indicated that "he later returned to religion," he went on to join board of a Protestant seminary. Conservative media figures <a href="/research/2009/09/24/more-witch-hunting-fox-news-targets-safe-school/155008" type="external">Brian Kilmeade</a> and <a href="/research/2009/12/21/david-limbaugh-continues-right-wing-smear-campa/158375" type="external">David Limbaugh</a> have highlighted what they termed Jennings' teenage "hatred for God" or "contempt for religion," based on a statement Jennings made in his memoir describing his mindset more than 30 years ago. But later in his memoir, Jennings writes that he since found from the Bible "the inspiration I need to continue my work," and he went on to serve on the board of the Union Theological Seminary.</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings has received broad support from education and other officials. Several right-wing media figures have called for Jennings' firing or resignation, based on smears detailed elsewhere in this document. But their caricatures of Jennings are <a href="/research/2009/10/01/right-wing-caricatures-of-jennings-undercut-by/155264" type="external">undercut</a> by the fact that education and other officials have spoken highly of Jennings, who has received numerous awards and was a one-time appointee of Republican Massachusetts Gov. William Weld.</p>
<p>REALITY: Book in no way supports this claim. Hoft <a href="/research/2010/01/11/hoft-builds-false-jennings-gay-bars-claim-on-ha/158906" type="external">falsely claimed</a> that Jennings "Personally Pushed Books That Encouraged Children to Meet Adults at Gay Bars For Sex," citing MassResistance's falsehood that a book Jennings recommended to high school and college students, One Teenager in 10, "encourage[s] teens to, among other things, go to gay bars and have sex with adults to see if they like it." Media Matters for America has reviewed the book, compiled all references to gay bars, and determined that the book at no point encourages teens to "go to gay bars and have sex with adults"; in fact, a majority of the youth testimonials included in the book that mention gay bars refer to them negatively.</p>
<p>REALITY: Jennings is head of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, created by the Bush administration. <a href="/research/2009/10/01/fox-news-hemmer-latest-to-advance-made-up-charg/155256" type="external">Numerous</a> <a href="/blog/2009/10/16/wash-times-editorial-attacks-dangerous-radical/155786" type="external">right-wing</a> <a href="/blog/2009/10/09/in-fact-free-rant-on-jennings-anti-gay-bigot-er/155548" type="external">media</a> have referred to Jennings as the "White House Safe Schools Czar." In fact, Jennings' <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/jennings.html" type="external">actual title</a> is "Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe and Drug-Free Schools, US Department of Education," and he is a member of the <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/05/05192009d.html" type="external">senior staff</a> of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, not part of the White House staff. He directs The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, which was <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2002/09/09172002.html" type="external">established</a> under the Bush administration and previously headed by Bush administration appointees <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2002/09/09172002a.html" type="external">Eric G. Andell</a> and <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2004/02/02022004a.html" type="external">Deborah A. Price</a>. A search of the Nexis database finds no indication that either Andell or Price were ever referred to as a "czar." Media Matters has <a href="/research/2009/09/11/fox-witch-hunt-attacks-senate-confirmed-nominee/154493" type="external">noted</a> that in attacking so-called Obama administration "czars" as unaccountable, Fox News frequently targeted officials who have been confirmed by the Senate, were appointed to positions created through legislation passed by Congress, or had counterparts in the Bush administration.</p> | Unraveling the Right's false attacks on Kevin Jennings | true | http://mediamatters.org/research/200912150012 | 2009-12-15 | 4 |
<p>Dec. 7 (UPI) — Manager Paulo Fonseca fulfilled a promise to Shakhtar Donetsk Wednesday, dressing as Zorro for a news conference.</p>
<p>He promised to do so if his team reached the final 16 teams of the UEFA Champions League. Shakhtar beat Manchester City 2-1 on Wednesday in Champions League action at Metalist Oblast Sports Complex in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The club faces Zorya at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in the Ukrainian Premier League.</p>
<p>“Good evening. Do you want me to speak in a mask or without it? All right,” Fonseca said at the postgame news conference, <a href="https://shakhtar.com/en/news/2017/december/7_news/7_fonseca/" type="external">according to the team website</a>.</p>
<p>“If someone doesn’t know it, the person responsible for the way I’m dressed up at the moment is in the room … The jolliest press conference in my life: everyone laughs and smiles! It was almost a perfect match. Beating the City is not easy, but we played in an organized and safe way defensively, making quality transitions to attack.”</p>
<p>He was also asked which actor played the better Zorro: <a href="https://www.upi.com/topic/Antonio_Banderas/" type="external">Antonio Banderas</a> or Alain Delon.</p>
<p>“It’s difficult to answer. Both! But right now I like the Zorro Paulo Fonseca,” the manager said.</p>
<p>He also said he thought the joke would last for a long time.</p>
<p>The loss was the first for Manchester City in 29 matches. It was the first loss since the club lost 2-1 to Arsenal on April 23 in the FA Cup semifinal.</p>
<p>Shakhtar is in the same pot as Basel, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Sevilla, Porto and Real Madrid. Pot 1 includes: Barcelona, Manchester City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Roma, Liverpool, Besiktas and Tottenham Hotspur.</p>
<p>The Champions League round of 16 draw is set for noon on Monday, with the final taking place on May 26 in Kiev. &#160;</p> | Champions League: Shakhtar Donetsk manager dresses as Zorro during news conference | false | https://newsline.com/champions-league-shakhtar-donetsk-manager-dresses-as-zorro-during-news-conference/ | 2017-12-07 | 1 |
<p>Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump implied that George W. Bush bore some responsibility for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in a Friday interview with Bloomberg.</p>
<p />
<p>“He was President,” Trump said. “Blame him, or don’t blame him, but he was President. The World Trade Center came down during his reign.”</p>
<p>Trump asserted that unlike the George W. Bush, he would be “a leader” who could command the United States during national crises.</p>
<p>“I think I’m much more competent than all of them,” Trump said, referring to George W. Bush and President Barack Obama.</p>
<p>“Say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time,” Trump told Bloomberg.</p>
<p>Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush took to Twitter to criticize his GOP presidential rival for the remarks, writing that his brother “kept us safe.”</p>
<p />
<p>Bush has made this into a refrain on the campaign trail, <a href="" type="internal">earning huge applause</a> at the first Republican debate in September for defending his brother’s record as commander in chief.</p>
<p>“You remember the rubble?” Bush said, invoking the ruins of the World Trade Center. “You remember the firefighter with his arms around it? He sent a clear signal that the United States would be strong and fight Islamic terrorism and he did keep us safe.”</p>
<p>The Bush campaign then <a href="" type="internal">made a meme</a> of Bush’s quote, repeating the “he kept us safe” line.</p>
<p>Many online commenters <a href="" type="internal">pointed out</a> at the time that almost 3,000 Americans were killed on 9/11, and hundreds of thousands more Americans, Iraqis and Afghanis lost their lives during the subsequent U.S. invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.</p>
<p>The full interview is below, courtesy of Bloomberg News. Trump’s comments about 9/11 start at the 3:16 mark.</p>
<p /> | Trump Hits W: ‘The World Trade Center Came Down During His Reign’ (VIDEO) | true | http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-911-attack-bush | 4 | |
<p />
<p>PHOENIX (AP) — Federal filings released Tuesday show the largest seller of individual health insurance on Arizona's Affordable Care Act marketplace is seeking price increases of less than 5 percent next year for clients in Maricopa and Pima counties.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The filings by Centene Corp's Ambetter by Health Net mark a big departure from this year's major increases and come a day after Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona said its average rates would be rising by only about 7.2 percent next year amid growing market stability.</p>
<p>Health Net offers individual policies in the state's two largest counties that cover about two-thirds of the 140,000 people with marketplace policies statewide. Blue Cross insures in the other 13 counties.</p>
<p>This year's increases for both insurers topped 50 percent. A Blue Cross executive told The Associated Press Monday that a stabilizing market led to its smaller planned boosts. Health Net officials didn't comment on its reasoning.</p>
<p>The relatively small increases and market stability undercut some of Gov. Doug Ducey's arguments that the state's marketplace is broken. Ducey was in Washington on Monday to meet with Trump administration officials and a handful of other Republican governors on a possible repeal of former President Barack Obama's health law in the wake of the failure of an effort last week in the U.S. Senate.</p>
<p>Arizona had some of the lowest rates in the nation and robust competition from multiple insurers when the individual marketplaces launched for the 2014 coverage year. But insurers underpriced their plans and saw big losses, leading all but Blue Cross and Health Net to leave the state by this year and premiums to skyrocket.</p>
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<p>Ducey spokesman Patrick Ptak issued a statement noting that prior to the Obama law the state had over two dozen companies selling plans on the individual market.</p>
<p>"This year, most Arizonans had only a single provider to choose from in the federal marketplace while facing premium increases on average of 50 percent," he said in a statement. "The governor believes a healthy individual marketplace should provide choice, competition, and lower premiums for consumers."</p>
<p>University of Arizona health insurance expert Dr. Daniel Derksen said that's partially true but neglects pre-ACA issues that showed a troubled marketplace.</p>
<p>"I think a more complete context is that the individual or non-group marketplace has been unstable and volatile for the last 10 years, certainly preceding the ACA," Derksen said.</p>
<p>Blue Cross designed its 2018 rates to reflect the elimination of "cost sharing reduction" payments from the federal government that help lower costs for people earning less than 250 percent of the poverty line.</p>
<p>The law requires insurers to lower copays and deductibles for that group, but President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold the payments and let the Affordable Care Act marketplaces fail.</p>
<p>If Congress passes a bill ensuring the payments, there will likely be no rate increases next year, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona Vice President Jeff Stelnik said.</p>
<p>Health Net spokeswoman Monica Coury said its rate request assumes the payments continue.</p> | 2nd Arizona insurer also asking for small 2018 rate boost | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/08/01/2nd-arizona-insurer-also-asking-for-small-2018-rate-boost.html | 2017-08-01 | 0 |
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<p>ASPEN, Colo. — Two armed robbery suspects who escaped after being spotted on a bus in the Aspen area are under arrest.</p>
<p>The 19-year-old cousins were arrested by multiple officers on Wednesday night in Basalt after their car was stopped.</p>
<p>The Aspen Daily News ( <a href="http://bit.ly/2mgwUgc)" type="external">http://bit.ly/2mgwUgc)</a> reports that one of them had lost both shoes and both had to be treated for exposure-related injuries.</p>
<p>The arrest came a day after authorities say the men climbed out of the emergency window on a Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bus and ran off through rugged terrain east of Basalt. Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo says cellphone pings were used to locate them.</p>
<p>The pair is suspected of using a handgun to rob two employees at a Carbondale convenience store on Feb. 16.</p>
<p>___</p>
<p>Information from: Aspen Daily News, <a href="http://www.aspendailynews.com" type="external">http://www.aspendailynews.com</a></p>
<p>ADVERTISEMENT</p> | Armed robbery suspects who escaped bus arrested in Basalt | false | https://abqjournal.com/955770/armed-robbery-suspects-who-escaped-bus-arrested-in-basalt.html | 2 | |
<p>Apple Inc. departed from its traditional preview strategy for what it bills as its most important new iPhone in years, prioritizing early access to the iPhone X for YouTube personalities and celebrities over most technology columnists who traditionally review its new products.</p>
<p>Apple provided the iPhone X to a small number of traditional testers for about a week, while limiting most others, The Wall Street Journal included, to a single day with the device before reviews could be published. About a half-dozen personalities on Alphabet Inc.'s YouTube video service were granted time with the device before its release.</p>
<p>Continue Reading Below</p>
<p>The company seeded the iPhone X to at least three influencers with different audiences: actor Mindy Kaling, who shared her thoughts with Glamour; 12-year-old developer Alex Knoll, who showed off the device on Ellen DeGeneres's television show; and political journalist Mike Allen, who included insights from his tech-savvy nephew in Axios's morning newsletter.</p>
<p>Traditional publications and tech outlets that in past years received review models for a week of testing were given the iPhone X fewer than 24 hours ago, resulting in crash reviews and first-impression takes from USA Today, the Washington Post, the Verge and others.</p>
<p>In the U.S., BuzzFeed, TechCrunch and Mashable were given a week with the iPhone X, as were the Telegraph and the Independent in the United Kingdom. The device also was given for a week to outlets in Japan, China, Australia and other countries. Stephen Levy of Wired, among the handful of people to test the first-ever iPhone, spent a week with the iPhone X and posted his "first look" impressions a day before most other publications.</p>
<p>The change in strategy meant the iPhone X, which hits stores Friday, got less testing than most of its predecessors before reviews could be published. The handful of reviewers that received the device for a week largely praised its full-screen display, facial-recognition system and smaller physical size. Removing the physical home button meant people would have to adjust to how they operated the device, they said.</p>
<p>Crash reviewers largely echoed those sentiments, adding the caveat that they could discover issues after they spend more time with the device. Most pledged full reviews for later in the week.</p>
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<p>The review strategy is "unusual," said Jan Dawson, an analyst with Jackdaw Research. "It's possible Apple wanted some reviews out early and those would be the more enthusiastic ones."</p>
<p>He said YouTube reviewers tend to be more positive when given early access to devices, and that most reviews aren't overly negative.</p>
<p>"Unless Apple felt like there would be some bad elements in the reviews, why would you hold back?" Mr. Dawson asked. "Why would you be selective about who gets it first?</p>
<p>The unusual approach comes in an iPhone release year marked by anomalies. For the first time, Apple released a trio of new handsets at its big fall launch event -- the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and X. It also increased prices on its suite of new phones and staggered the launch with the iPhone 8 hitting stores Sept. 22 and the iPhone X hitting stores six weeks later.</p>
<p>The iPhone X arguably is the most important iPhone in a decade. Apple billed the device the smartphone of the future, and investor anticipation of strong sales has helped send the company's stock up more than 45%. Its success has taken on increasing importance amid lackluster sales for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.</p>
<p>At $999, the iPhone X is the highest-priced major smartphone ever. It is expected to be in limited supply after production issues over the summer delayed manufacturing by at least a month. Advanced preorders began last week, and early demand quickly pushed shipment times for the device to five to six weeks from the day of an order -- more than double the wait for last year's iPhone 7.</p>
<p>Write to Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com</p>
<p>(END) Dow Jones Newswires</p>
<p>October 31, 2017 12:32 ET (16:32 GMT)</p> | Apple Limits Lengthy Testing for Most iPhone X Reviewers | true | http://foxbusiness.com/features/2017/10/31/apple-limits-lengthy-testing-for-most-iphone-x-reviewers.html | 2017-10-31 | 0 |
<p>WASHINGTON — Ned Lamont does not froth at the mouth, nor does he wear a nose ring. He looks like what he is: a preppy political neophyte, suitably nervous about challenging a noted United States senator who has spent more than three decades in public office.</p>
<p>The media now have fixed their gaze on the Democratic primary contest between Lamont and Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Their debate last week — an uneven match between a polished and aggressive incumbent and a jittery but earnest challenger — was televised nationally. Much breathless analysis is being devoted to the Lamont-Lieberman race, despite indications that the contest remains what it always has been: an uphill struggle by an inexperienced candidate against a powerful and well-financed incumbent.</p>
<p>It is surely possible for Lamont to beat Lieberman in the Aug. 8 primary. The date in sleepy midsummer favors candidates whose supporters are more fervent, and so more likely to vote. The enthusiasm gap so troubles Lieberman that he intends to run as an independent if he loses the primary, a career-preserving option that tends to prove his detractors’ theory: That Lieberman has become a self-absorbed pol for whom staying in office, not serving the people’s will, is paramount.</p>
<p>Win or lose, do not expect the truth of Lamont’s quest to be told by the purveyors of conventional wisdom. It already has become shrouded in media mythology. In this story line, the Lamont candidacy is the product of fevered left-wing bloggers whose Web-based rants against President Bush in general and the Iraq war in particular have the potential to taint the national Democrats as limp, “pre-9/11” peaceniks.</p>
<p />
<p>It is indeed true that Lamont’s anger at Lieberman for his support of the Iraq war — more specifically, his objection to the senator’s endorsement of Bush’s open-ended commitment of troops — inspired the wealthy Greenwich businessman to run. But Lamont did not boot up his computer one day and decide to seek office after hearing the call of the wild blogs.</p>
<p>In February, almost a month before he announced his candidacy, he told me in an interview that he’d first tried to get several more-established Connecticut politicians to take Lieberman on. They turned him down. In March, when he formally began his campaign, Lamont assumed he had little chance to win the endorsement of 15% of delegates to the state Democratic convention — the threshold needed to force a primary. The Lamont campaign figured it would have to collect petitions to get on the ballot.</p>
<p>Still, Lamont pursued the party regulars, personally calling and courting most of the state’s 169 Democratic town committee chairs. He appeared at 50 town committee meetings, often drawing overflow crowds. This isn’t the politics of a wing nut. It’s the time-tested practice of old-time ward heelers.</p>
<p>At the May convention — a convention Lieberman was once confident of controlling with loyalists and through his financial contributions to state party coffers — Lamont won 33% of the delegates, more than twice what he needed. The showing should have convinced the national media that Lamont isn’t sustained just by the Internet’s oxygen. It didn’t.</p>
<p>Why not? Partly because the political press, by and large, still hasn’t acknowledged that support for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq isn’t the position of the loony left. It’s the preference of the majority of Americans.</p>
<p>A Gallup poll released on Friday shows two-thirds of Americans want a withdrawal from Iraq, with 31% urging that the draw-down start immediately. In Connecticut, only about a quarter of all voters approve of Bush’s handling of the war, and the vast majority believes invading Iraq was a mistake.</p>
<p>It is Lieberman’s position on the war — not Lamont’s — that is fundamentally at odds with the sentiment of his constituents. The senator seems to have mostly given up on trying to convince them of his correctness. He repeats, instead, the mantra that he’s been a good Senate Democrat for 18 years on most other issues they care about. Lamont, Lieberman charges, is running a one-issue campaign.</p>
<p>“He’s a single-issue candidate who’s applying a litmus test to me,” Lieberman said during the debate.</p>
<p>Yes, but campaigns often turn on a single issue. Sometimes it’s crime. Sometimes it’s taxes. Sometimes it’s corruption. Sometimes it’s gay marriage.</p>
<p>Sometimes it is even war and peace.</p>
<p>This, really, is the arrogance of Lieberman’s one-issue argument. If we are going to have a campaign on the issues, isn’t war a darned good one?</p>
<p>Marie Cocco’s e-mail address is mariecocco(at symbol)washpost.com.</p> | Marie Cocco: The Lieberman-Lamont Litmus Test | true | https://truthdig.com/articles/marie-cocco-the-lieberman-lamont-litmus-test/ | 2006-07-11 | 4 |
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<p />
<p>A basic understanding of accounting principles allows entrepreneurs to take batches of numbers and translate them into easily comprehensible statements of performance and profitability. It helps them keep track of money as it enters and exits their coffers, and make reasoned decisions based on what the numbers say.</p>
<p>Even those without the time or desire to become fluent in the language of commerce will benefit from a "conversational" grasp of the basics.</p>
<p>Tracing the green line:</p>
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<p>Proper accounting allows a business to follow the path of every dollar that it receives from a customer, including the dollars promised but not paid. When someone pays cash for a product, the actual money is tucked in the register for later deposit in the business's bank account and the transaction is credited to the appropriate account. Another account monitors the progress of credit sales until the payment arrives and yet another tallies the past-due invoices.</p>
<p>From these accounts, the business generates two fundamental financial statements that document its income and cash flow. The income statement reflects revenue and expenses, while the cash flow statement follows the movement of money into and out of the business during a specific period. Both allow the company to analyze its progress in tangible ways.</p>
<p>Reality-based analytics: Accounting tells business owners where they truly stand. The business might be thrilled to see inventory moving out the door but, if a significant percentage of customers pay their bills late or don't pay at all, the ledgers will contain that critical information, allowing the business to take steps to collect aging accounts.</p>
<p>Accounting systems monitor the overall health of a business and strive to maintain an ideal balance among the separate moving parts. For example, an increase in manufacturing costs can erase any profits the business might assume it's making through increased sales. The same goes for evaluating where the business stands in relation to industry competitors: Because businesses use the same accounting metrics, a comparison of financial statements offers an accurate picture of how efficiently each is using the resources it has.</p>
<p>Solid decision-making: Accounting provides the reality check that employees need to evaluate the security of their jobs, and it tells creditors and suppliers how reliable and creditworthy the company is. In essence, it provides the data for clear-headed decision-making by internal and external stakeholders. Management especially can rely on accounting to know, for example, which debts are most pressing, when to apply for a short-term line of credit to meet payroll, and how much cash is available for growth and expansion.</p>
<p>And accounting establishes a straight and narrow path that can keep a company on the right side of the law and the taxing authorities. While cunning accountants can "cook" the books, equally talented auditors - using the same numerical language - can uncover the deception. With accounting, the numbers don't lie.</p>
<p>Accounting is just one topic addressed during WESST's Business Plan Toolkit workshop that will take place in Albuquerque in September. Visit <a href="http://www.wesst.org" type="external">www.wesst.org</a> for more information.</p>
<p>Finance New Mexico is a public service initiative to assist individuals and businesses with obtaining skills and funding resources for their business or idea. To learn more, go to <a href="http://www.FinanceNewMexico.org" type="external">www.FinanceNewMexico.org</a>.</p>
<p /> | Executive's Desk: Grasp of basic accounting crucial business tool | false | https://abqjournal.com/625845/grasp-of-basic-accounting-crucial-business-tool.html | 2 | |
<p>By Seth Vopat</p>
<p>“My dog,” one replied.</p>
<p>Another said, “Beauty and the Beast.”</p>
<p>Agreeing with the first response, another responded, “My dog.”</p>
<p>“I think the couple in the movie The Fault in Our Stars,” someone else said.</p>
<p>The question: Does a relationship which demonstrates love come to mind?</p>
<p>We — our middle school youth who I asked afterwards for permission to share our conversation — had just wrapped up reading Paul’s ultimate reflection on love in 1 Corinthians 13. I asked them if they could think of a relationship which best demonstrated love, particularly love as described in the heart of the passage in verses 4-7. The first time around not one person actually mentioned an actual human relationship. “My parents” came almost as an afterthought.</p>
<p>The conversation continued from this recognition that Paul’s description of love between two humans felt more like a fairytale, not a story out of real life. We started exploring why this is. No blame was allocated. Even youth whose parents were divorced didn’t assign any blame. It was agreed by all.</p>
<p>Relationships are hard.</p>
<p>I left the conversation that night pondering what would it look like for us to sit down a year later and again read this passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth — asking again, “Can you think of a relationship which matches Paul’s description of love?” The goal being for the next year to create an environment where Paul’s words become reality, not simply ideals to strive for.</p>
<p>This is where we ended the teaching that evening. While 1 Corinthians 13 is most often associated with weddings, Paul actually intended this definition of love to be the very foundation of relationships in the church in general.</p>
<p>The challenge with making Paul’s words a reality is the lack of interaction between generations in the church. The church has gone down the rabbit hole with society and bought into the idea that we learn, work and play best with our own peers. Poof — children and youth ministry as individual branches of the church are born. There is no disputing the fact that creation of separate ministries has attracted many youth who may not have crossed through the doors of a church otherwise. But what encourages youth to enter through our doors does not necessarily lead to great discipleship.</p>
<p>For youth to experience the reality of love Paul is describing, they need to witness adults who share in each other’s lives — the moments of celebration, the struggles and, most importantly, the healthy working through of conflicts and disagreements. When we ponder Paul’s description of love clearly there is recognition of the fact life will have its difficult moments. Why else would love need to be patient? Why does love need to keep no record of wrongs?</p>
<p>We all have our rough edges. We are not machines; we cannot always be at our best. We are all going to have moments where we later need to ask someone’s forgiveness and receive grace. This is what it means to be a church and what our youth need to witness.</p>
<p>I realize what I am suggesting can be difficult and sounds better on paper. A couple of years ago I tried an experiment for Lent. We intentionally created a set of services for Wednesday night right in the middle of the time our youth meet together regularly. I had told the youth ahead of time our goal was to come together as one church during this important time of year as we reflected on Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. So for one hour all of our middle and high school youth sat in the same space with our adults. It was six weeks filled with several awkward and beautiful moments.</p>
<p>Paul is right. Our middle school youth are right. Relationships are hard, especially when we are not use to spending much time together in our society. But Jesus, Paul and all the other multitudes of witnesses never said church would be easy.</p>
<p>If church isn’t going to be relegated to fairytale we are going to have to create spaces which more or less might be awkward to begin with. I imagine Jesus and Paul experienced their fair share of awkward moments as they welcomed people to the table who came from all walks of life and were seen as less than ideal by the rest of society.</p> | Has church become a fairytale? | false | https://baptistnews.com/article/has-church-become-a-fairytale/ | 3 | |
<p />
<p>This is too good. From <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25599.html" type="external">Politico:</a></p>
<p>Rep. Pete Sessions — the chief of the Republicans’ campaign arm in the House — says on his website that earmarks have become “a symbol of a broken Washington to the American people.”</p>
<p>Yet in 2008, Sessions himself steered a $1.6 million <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25548.html" type="external">earmark</a> for dirigible research to an Illinois company whose president acknowledges having no experience in government contracting, let alone in building blimps.</p>
<p>What the company did have: the help of Adrian Plesha, a former Sessions aide with a criminal record who has made more than $446,000 lobbying on its behalf.</p>
<p>You can’t make this up. Someone’s balloon ought to get popped.</p>
<p>You can follow David Corn’s postings and media appearances via <a href="http://www.twitter.com/davidcorndc" type="external">Twitter</a>.</p>
<p /> | Of Earmarks and…Blimps? Yes, Blimps | true | https://motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/earmarks-andblimps-yes-blimps/ | 2009-07-30 | 4 |
<p>Why is the American political class so intent on reviving the Cold War?&#160;&#160; Why does Israel have it in for Iran?</p>
<p>These are complicated questions; many factors are involved.</p>
<p>But there is “a fact of life,” as it were, that bears on the answers to both questions: that to keep their regimes – their distinctive ways of organizing cultural, economic, and political institutions — going, the United States and Israel need enemies, and the ones most readily at hand no longer seem up to the task.</p>
<p>One reason why Russia has again become America’s enemy, and Iran Israel’s, is that good enemies are hard to find.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>When the Soviet Union imploded, America’s political and economic elites found themselves facing a problem that they had not seen coming: how to make do without a rationale that had served them well for as long as anybody could remember.</p>
<p>Almost from the moment World War II ended, Americans were made to understand that an Evil Empire threatened the Land of the Free.&#160; That implacable foe, the Soviet Union was, by any reckoning, a worthy antagonist, and an enemy for all seasons — of limitless scope and world-class capabilities.</p>
<p>It provided our rulers with reasons why so much of our wealth had to be spent fattening an ever expanding military-industrial complex, why our basic liberties might have to be (and sometimes were) curtailed, and why dissent had to be kept in bounds.</p>
<p>In totalitarian societies, states force compliance with the demands of rulers and the exigencies of regimes through the use or threat of force. &#160;We Americans had little need of that; our propaganda system gave us motivation enough to make “defense” our highest priority.</p>
<p>A less formidable adversary could not have brought us to that point.&#160; What our rulers needed was a foe capable of “scaring the hell out of us,” as the stately Dean Acheson famously said.</p>
<p>Therefore, if the Soviet Union had not existed, it would have had to be invented.&#160;&#160; It was invented to some extent, especially at first.&#160; In short order, though, it became a credible enough adversary in its own right; a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying us many times over will have that effect.&#160; Our ruling class could then rest easy; all was well.</p>
<p>Too bad for them, that the Communist system collapsed in 1989 and that those damnable Russians threw in the towel two years later.&#160; What a nightmare!</p>
<p>It took a while for them to realize what a pickle they were in.&#160; &#160;For a few years, they rejoiced in the prospect of a pax Americana superseding the bipolar Cold War order.&#160; They even tendered the thought that history had ended with the triumph of liberal democracy.</p>
<p>Before long, though, they realized that they could not make do without the status quo ante or some functional equivalent of it restored. &#160;The empire was becoming too hard to superintend.</p>
<p>With one of the Cold War’s two major players gone missing, governments, like the one in Iraq, that had become accustomed to playing one superpower off against the other were starting to act up; while nationalist and fascist currents that the Soviet Union had long suppressed revived, with dangerously destabilizing consequences.&#160; There was also the prospect of China on the rise; what to do about that?</p>
<p>An even greater problem was that with nothing frightening the peoples of the West into acquiescence, how could NATO and the several other international institutions through which the United States secured its position as a global hegemon be justified and sustained?</p>
<p>And how could the American people to be scared into acquiescence?</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Pro-Soviet political parties and movements had been in terminal decline for decades before the Soviet Union’s demise.&#160; Nevertheless, its disappearance damaged the historical Left, which had also been in crisis, largely for unrelated reasons, in all the four corners of the earth.</p>
<p>The consequences were especially devastating to secular political forces in historically Muslim regions, where, in the absence of viable Left alternatives, forms of religious fanaticism that had only recently seemed unimaginable in the modern world emerged and flourished.</p>
<p>The American role in bringing that particular cause of disorder into being and in magnifying its consequences was enormous.&#160; America’s ability to control the monster it had helped bring into existence was lame.</p>
<p>But with terrorism on peoples’ minds, our “billionaire class” and our masters of war could rest easy: the world was again becoming a scary place.</p>
<p>Seeing which way the wind was blowing and having nothing more to offer than “fear itself,” they had figured out how everything could change in order to remain the same.</p>
<p>And so, “terrorism” was made to play the role Communism had.&#160; This worked for a while.&#160; However, it soon became old.</p>
<p>The beauty of the original dispensation was that it permitted the military-industrial complex to call the shots without ever having to prove its mettle. &#160;So long as direct confrontations between the United States and the Soviet Union were avoided, it was impossible to tell how well they were doing.&#160; They could therefore never be called to account in ways that could jeopardize widespread beliefs about their indispensability to the regime.</p>
<p>This is not so under the new dispensation.&#160; With terrorism in Communism’s place, pipsqueak Davids can and do challenge the Goliath America had become, much to the embarrassment of our political leaders, death merchants, and Masters of War.</p>
<p>To be sure, even with the Cold War on, the Vietnamese and others succeeded in delivering decisive blows to the American empire.&#160; But wars of national liberation and other forms of anti-imperialist resistance back then were the work of giants, engaged in protracted struggles at grave cost to themselves.</p>
<p>The terrorism our rulers invoke to scare the hell out of us now is the work of religious fanatics.&#160; It can be genuinely terrorizing, especially when recounted over and over on corporate media outlets, but, in the end, there is no way to make them out to be anything more than pathetic.</p>
<p>Terrorists are unworthy antagonists, and the terror they cause is a slender reed upon which to hang the fate of the regime.</p>
<p>Worse still, from our rulers’ point of view, their successes, such as they are, discredit the regime by underscoring the inability of its forces of order to secure public safety, despite the resources thrown their way.</p>
<p>Back in the eighties, with a view to overcoming the so-called Vietnam Syndrome, Ronald Reagan and then Bush the Father started wars against mighty Granada and Panama, respectively.&#160; Since then, with the arguable exception of the first Bush war against Iraq, the American military has never actually won a war.</p>
<p>The United States has never exactly lost a war either.&#160; With resources to spare and a population willing to tolerate considerable levels of rectifiable but unmet social needs, the United States has instead turned the wars it has not won into low-grade military conflicts that wax and wane in intensity, but never go away.</p>
<p>Thus world domination has given us perpetual war, not perpetual peace.&#160; The inevitable result is that we are, at one and the same time, scared as hell and gripped by war fatigue.</p>
<p>A further problem for defenders of the status quo is the dawning realization on the part of everyone who is not willfully blind that, on the whole, America’s military ventures in the War on Terror have been counter-productive – that they have recruited more terrorists than they have killed, and that they have made a self-fulfilling prophecy out of the widely believed but ultimately fatuous claim that the Muslim world and the West are locked in a “clash of civilizations.”</p>
<p>With terrorism in Communism’s place, we find ourselves mired in wars that don’t just fail to address the problem they purport to solve, but that are the problem themselves.&#160; Communism was a more serviceable bugbear.</p>
<p>The Soviet Union was remote enough, thanks to the “iron curtain,” and militarily mighty enough to serve as a durable and worthy enemy.&#160; China, whether conceived as an ally of the Soviets or as their actual or potential enemy, was, and still is, worthy too.</p>
<p>But there is no way to turn the world’s 1.7 (some say 2.1) billion Muslims into serviceable substitutes, especially now that so many of them live, not just in distant and exotic lands, but also among the peoples of the West as friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens.</p>
<p>It was therefore only a matter of time before those who are wedded to America’s time proven way of maintaining its increasingly corrupt and decreasingly democratic regime would look elsewhere for something with which to scare the hell out of everyone who might otherwise not acquiesce.</p>
<p>With no better enemy available than the one that had seemingly expired decades ago, the time therefore came to bring the old rotting corpse back to life.</p>
<p>This realization was not the main factor leading the Democratic Party and its media flacks to give themselves over to a kind and degree of Russophobic Cold War revivalism that would have embarrassed even classical Cold Warriors and old school neoconservatives.</p>
<p>But it surely was a significant factor – not least because of its instinctive appeal to leading members of the Democratic Party’s nomenklatura, people long in the tooth like the Clintons, who imbibed Russophobia with their mothers’ milk, and who came of age politically before the bipolar world order that collapsed in the years between 1989 and 1991 effectively disappeared.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>That American elites would take aim at Russia makes sense; for more than seventy years, that has been the American way.&#160; That Israel would take aim at Iran makes less sense.&#160; It is historically anomalous and it defies geopolitical logic and longstanding cultural understandings.</p>
<p>Indeed, were an Israeli Rip Van Winkle who had fallen asleep as recently as a decade or so after the Iranian Revolution suddenly to awaken, he would find relations between Israel and Iran among the most baffling developments he would encounter.</p>
<p>He could adapt well enough to Israel’s newfangled “existential threat” gibberish; the concept existed before the expression entered the political lexicon.&#160; But he would be surprised to learn that Persians, not Arabs, were the ones posing an existential threat to the Jewish state.</p>
<p>The Zionist project began as a reaction to late nineteenth century European anti-Semitism, not as an expression of longstanding, much less eternal, national aspirations.&#160; In effect, the first Zionists believed that anti-Semites were right; that Jews cannot be assimilated into even the most enlightened European (and North American) societies.&#160; Palestine was therefore not an essential part of the original Zionist idea; a Jewish state could be anywhere.</p>
<p>But, in line with the thinking of peoples all over Europe at the time, nationalist sentiments soon came to dominate Zionist ideology, along with an historical narrative according to which the world’s Jews were not just co-religionists but also members of a distinct ethnos, destined to turn the Holy Land of the Jewish religion into a homeland for a Jewish nation.</p>
<p>Thus it was determined that the Jewish state could only be in Palestine — not Uganda or the wilds of Patagonia, as some had suggested.&#160; From that moment on, Arabs in Palestine and nearby regions became a problem.&#160; Their Sin was being there.&#160;&#160; Persians were not of any particular concern at the time; neither were Muslims generally.</p>
<p>From the outset, it was clear too that whatever else it might be in the minds of its proponents, Zionism was a colonial project and that a Jewish state could only be a settler state.</p>
<p>There were, and still are, Zionists with loftier intentions, but there has never been any way around the fact that for a Jewish state to be established in Palestine, it would be necessary to do to the people living there what settlers from Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, and the Netherlands had done to the peoples of the Antipodes and the Americas.</p>
<p>Those colonial ventures succeeded by depopulating the lands they settled, thanks mainly to guns and germs, and by subordinating indigenous peoples who had somehow managed to survive.</p>
<p>Intermarriage also diminished native populations and cultures.&#160; There was more ethnic melding in territories taken over by Spain and Portugal than in other areas of European settlement, but the phenomenon was commonplace in many parts of the New World.</p>
<p>In sub-Saharan Africa and in the Maghreb, European settlers had a harder time laying down roots because prevailing conditions were less propitious.&#160;&#160; But they had successes nevertheless, at least for a while.&#160; They had the good fortune to come along at a time when social and economic circumstances and therefore the spirit of the age, the Zeitgeist, accorded with their ambitions.</p>
<p>Israel’s misfortune, on the other hand, was to be conceived and born just as anti-colonial movements all over the world were coming into their own and beginning to succeed. &#160;Therefore, the Zeitgeist was emphatically not on its side.</p>
<p>But post-War guilt over the fate of European Jewry was.&#160; &#160;It was that guilt, more than anything else, that caused the newly launched and still Western dominated United Nations to call for the establishment of a Jewish state in part of Mandate Palestine.&#160; Exactly which part has been contested ever since.</p>
<p>Thus the state of Israel was born without fixed borders but, in the eyes of Western nations, with nearly limitless moral capital.</p>
<p>In the United States, it has secured that advantage with the help of one of the most dogged, nefarious, and well-funded lobbies on the face of the earth.&#160; Similar lobbies exist in nearly all other Western countries.</p>
<p>In these circumstances, the victims of the Zionist project would have had little hope of resisting expropriation and deportation with the best of political leaderships directing their efforts.</p>
<p>But, to make matters worse, for most of their history – but especially before a genuine national liberation movement emerged under Yasser Arafat’s leadership and then again after his death (possibly at the hands of assassins) – Palestine’s leaders have not served their constituents well.</p>
<p>Palestinian efforts to resist Israeli domination have therefore always been handicapped – politically and militarily.&#160; Palestinians have a moral case that earns them support around the world, but the arguments, no matter how compelling, fall on deaf ears in the ruling circles of the West.</p>
<p>Times are changing however, as Israel becomes bolder in its depredations, and as Western public opinion becomes increasingly aware of the Palestinians’ plight and the injustice of their situation.</p>
<p>Christian Zionists remain on board – they continue to support Donald Trump as well — but others, including Western Jews, younger ones especially, increasingly hold different views.</p>
<p>The Israeli regime has always required enemies; it requires them now more than ever.&#160; But, as in the American case, only worthy enemies will suffice.</p>
<p>They are hard to find.&#160; With the United States and other Western powers in tow, talk of existential threats to the Jewish state ring increasingly hollow.</p>
<p>In addition to that, there is the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, a nuclear juggernaut, armed to the teeth, enjoying almost universal support within Israeli civil society and a reputation for excellence around the world. But its problem is much the same as one the American military confronts: for all its might, it is no longer suited to winning the wars it fights.&#160; All this self-proclaimed “most moral army in the world” can do is kill, maim, and bully.</p>
<p>It would be different if Israel had traditional state armies to fight.&#160; But it has not had enemies like that for many years.&#160; &#160;Instead, it has only defenseless populations, equipped with primitive homemade weapons to slaughter; and, of course, settlers to protect.</p>
<p>There are still those for whom it is axiomatic that in its War of Independence — Palestinians call it the naqba (catastrophe) — plucky little Israel fought off and defeated a coalition of mighty Arab armies.</p>
<p>However, the consensus view among informed historians is that there was never any doubt what the outcome of the 1948 war would be, and that its purpose was not to defend the nascent state against Arab hordes so much as to ethnically cleanse the territory of Arabs.</p>
<p>Keeping the myth of a besieged and embattled Israel alive would be a problem even if Israel’s War of Independence had been more like unreconstructed Zionists claim it was. &#160;Jordan fell away from Day One, Lebanon long ago became a lost cause, and Egypt, by far the greatest danger Israel faced, was neutralized at Camp David.</p>
<p>Then the two Bush wars rendered Iraq harmless, and, for a variety of diplomatic and military reasons, Syria was effectively neutralized as well — even before inept American and European reactions to the Arab Spring brought that country to the brink of ruin.</p>
<p>And now a de facto Salafi-Zionist alliance, spurred in part by Saudi efforts to establish itself as a regional hegemon, has isolated Palestinians further.&#160; The theocrats in Riyadh have it in for the theocrats in Tehran, much to the detriment of the Palestinian national movement.</p>
<p>And so, the vaunted IDF is reduced to periodic slaughters of Palestinians living in the open-air prison that Gaza has become.&#160;&#160; It has not had an enemy worthy of the name since Hezbollah, a non-state actor supported by Iran, fought it to a draw more than a decade ago.</p>
<p>This is quite a problem for the IDF and, even more, for a regime that depends on existential threats to overcome internal divisions and to retain the support of the majority of the world’s Jews and of Israel’s allies abroad.</p>
<p>Therefore, even more than the Soviet Union in the Cold War era or Russia now, if Iran didn’t exist, it would have to be invented.</p>
<p>This would astonish an Israeli Rip Van Winkle.&#160; What he had known was a world that deprecated and villainized Arab countries, and that cultivated ties with non-Arab Muslim states in the Greater Middle East – Turkey, of course, but also mainly Israel’s existential threat du jour, Iran.</p>
<p>This is not to say that there was ever much fondness between the European Jews who came to Palestine and Turks or Persians; as Europeans, they shared the attitudes and prejudices of the ambient cultures in which they had lived.</p>
<p>Europeans held all non-European peoples in contempt; of the peoples of the Greater Middle East, Arabs were the most despised of all.</p>
<p>It was therefore easier for Israel to make common cause with Turkey and Iran than with Arab powers, especially when there were sound geopolitical reasons for doing so.&#160; There were obvious reasons of that kind: could anything be more congenial to the geopolitical situation Israelis confronted than alliances with militarily powerful non-Arab states situated just beyond the outer boundaries of the Arab world?</p>
<p>And so, while public opinion in Iran was, of course, more sympathetic to Muslim co-religionists (Shia or Sunni) than to European Jews, it was comparatively easy for pre-Revolutionary Iran to ally with the Jewish state.</p>
<p>The Iranian Revolution put an end to that.&#160; Even so, in the years following the seizure of state power, a time when the ruling theocracy in Iran was especially given over to rhetorical extremes, the alliance with Israel never entirely lapsed.&#160; There were times during the Iran-Iraq War, and as the events that led to the Iran-Contra affair unfolded, when it was actually rather robust.</p>
<p>It was only after the first Bush war against Iraq ended the prospect of serious Arab-Israeli hostilities, and after it had become indisputably clear that Palestinian resistance posed no serious military or diplomatic threat to Israel, that Iran would become a full-fledged, serviceable existential threat.</p>
<p>Russia served as a bogeyman for Americans for so long that Russophobia was easy to revive when the time came.&#160; But since Biblical times, Jews have held Persia and Persians in high esteem.</p>
<p>Israel may not be “the nation state of the Jewish people” that Benjamin Netanyahu claims it is, but for the people living there, or rather the eighty percent or so of the Israeli population that is Jewish, respect for Iran and its heritage comes naturally, while anti-Iranian animosities go against the grain.</p>
<p>Fear mongering can and does overwhelm that sentiment, but it is nevertheless there, beneath the surface, affecting public opinion at some level.</p>
<p>They therefore need a war bad, a war against a worthy antagonist.&#160; Iran is the only serviceable one in sight.</p>
<p>The Israeli Right understands this; this is why Netanyahu fear and war mongers as much as he does.</p>
<p>The problem, though, is that without American help, Israel would lose the war its leaders and many of its people want and may actually need if the regime now in place is to survive.&#160; They would likely lose too badly to save face.</p>
<p>If America was led by sensible people, it would never be dragged into such a dangerous folly.&#160; But it is led by Donald Trump.</p>
<p>And, on matters of interest to the Israeli Right, Trump, it seems, is himself becoming increasingly led by Zionist plutocrats of the Sheldon Adelson type, and by similarly noxious Israel-fisters.</p>
<p>As the Donald cleans house, settling accounts with everyone in his administration who he thinks has not shown him due respect, as if anyone who knows him could fail to despise him, has said bad things about him, the number of persons within Trump’s inner circle who are not in Netanyahu’s ambit is diminishing rapidly. Therefore, the danger that Netanyahu will get what he is asking for, goes up.</p>
<p>And, with each passing day, Trump becomes increasingly unhinged.&#160; If events tumble out of control, as they likely will with no one sensible in charge, the consequences could be catastrophic.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Regimes that need enemies are trouble — for the people over whom they rule and for the world.</p>
<p>The trouble is all the worse when serviceable enemies are hard to find.</p>
<p>And when the regimes are those of the United States and Israel, the two most bellicose nations on earth, countries with enormous militaries that are seldom idle, nuclear weapons, overactive intelligence services, and morally deficient leaders of dubious competence and consummate stupidity, leaders who are becoming increasingly unhinged as the law closes in on them for corruption and other high crimes and misdemeanors, the situation is perilous indeed.</p> | Good Enemies Are Hard To Find: Therefore Worry | true | https://counterpunch.org/2018/03/16/good-enemies-are-hard-to-find-therefore-worry/ | 2018-03-16 | 4 |
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